157 
sentation, I retract what I have said to that gentleman’s 
disadvantage, and particularly bez his pardon for my advertise- 
ment in the Bath Chronicle.” 
THOMAS MATHEWS. 
With this Sheridan hastened back to Bath the same night, 
taking no bed rest, to get it inserted in the Bath Chronicle as 
a counter or set off to the advertisement. Even in this small 
matter criticism becomes curious. First the statement that they 
fought in Hyde Park was followed by a newspaper report that 
- on saturday morning (2nd May) Th—s M—th—s, Esq, and 
Mr. Sh—r—d—n met in Crutched Friars and came to an 
_ immediate decision of their well-known quarrel when the latter 
was run through the body and carried to Mr. E—s,* Thames 
Street, where it appears the wound is not mortal. Mr. M is 
gone to France with Capt K—t,t his second. ‘Then the Bath 
Chronicle of 7th May announced—“We can with authority 
contradict the account in the London Evening Fost of last night t 
of a duel between Mr. M—t—ws and Mr. S—r—n as to the time 
' (saturday, 2nd May) and event (ze, place and result) of their 
meeting, Mr. Sheridan being at this place on saturday, and both 
these gentlemen being here at present.”§ It must be noticed that 
the writer of this paragraph alludes to the Evening Post of “last 
night,” that was tuesday, the 5th May, so he was writing the 
paragraph on the 6th for the C/ronicle issue on the 7th. He also 
only denies the time and event, simply that there had been no fight 
in Crutched Friars, nor on saturday the 2nd May, as Sheridan 
was at Bath on that day. In fact, he had just posted down. 
rl he meeting in Crutched Friars was on the night of friday, rst 
M ay, the duel in the tavern was on monday evening, the 4th 
May. The two papers mixed somewhat two different events. 
The Evening News was rather too elaborate for the Crutched Friars 
' * Ewart’s. + Knight. 
{ Tuesday, 5th May, 1772, p. 4, Col.3. § Chronicle, 7th May. 
