THE UNFORTUNATE LOVEil. 445 



tire blessed day in ruminating on the best way of doing this. After 

 proposing and abandoning in my own mind countless devices for the 

 purpose, many of them, I am convinced, excessively ingenious, I 

 concluded that the best way would be to get my two friends and self 

 seated in the head inn, and to begin discussing a bottle of the grate- 

 ful grape, not doubting that the infinitely more agreeable discussion 

 of the peerless attractions of Jemima would be substituted ere long. 



It is no crime — is it ? — to be poor. I know there are those who 

 practically think so. But this comes of ignorance and a want of 

 principle. I have no hesitation in admitting that I zoas poor when in 

 love with Jemima: with my present circumstances the world have 

 nothing to do. I consoled myself in my poverty with the reflection 

 that it is often with lovers as with poets ; that is to say, that the 

 poorest make the best. As to poor men making first-rate lovers, I 

 had an example in myself which abundantly satisfied me on the point. 

 As to poor poets very often making the best poets — there is no Irish- 

 ism here — my extensive learning supplied me with innumerable 

 proofs. Does the reader want any ? Let him take the instances of 

 Homer, Terence, Tasso, Dryden, Otway, Chatterton, Goldsmith, and 

 a thousand others. 



But why acquaint the public with my poverty ? Because when they 

 have read what follows they will be the better able to appreciate 

 the ardour of my affection for Jemima. 



I have said that I intended to invite my two friends to partake of 

 a bottle of wine with me at the head inn of the place, I knew the 

 liquid was not to be got for nothing. I knew more than this : I knovV 

 the precise price which would be charged. When I had formed the 

 resolution of treating my friends to a bottle, I had neither gold, sil- 

 ver, nor copper in my pocket. To speak the truth, I had not handled 

 any of the circulating medium for some days be.fbre. My only ex- 

 pedient therefore was to levy on the pockets of my friends, not in 

 the way of charity, for poor as I often have been that I have always 

 scorned, but in the way of procuring a temporary loan, though I 

 must confess that some of my loans have not been so temporary as I 

 could have wished, and as I persuaded myself they would be at the 

 time of contracting them. 



By the kindness of eight'bf my friends — two of them severally ad- 

 vanced me a sixpence^ it not being convenient to go further at the 

 time, and the remainder a shilling each — by the kindness of my 

 friends, I raised the sum of seven shillings. I was much elated at my 

 success, notwithstanding the rebuffs and denials I had met with from 

 several persons of whom better things might have been expected. 



My first determination was to go to the Flying Eagle with my 

 pockets replenished as they were ; but on second thoughts, as the oc 

 casion was rare, and the object one of the most glorious kind, I de- 

 termined that I should dedicate a bottle of Champagne to Jemima, 

 Port, Sherry, &c., being infinitely too common for such an occasion. 



Though I had never tasted Champagne in my life, I knew by re- 

 port that it was one of the best kinds of wine, and I knew, moreover, 

 that sixteen shillings was the price of a bottle. Usually, lam de- 

 cidedly averse to borrow money of my friends ; indeed, I have a sort 



