CHARACTERS. 



263 



'•pivit and conviviality. After an 

 hour or two spent in this manner, 

 ^ HiffernaiNnquired after the man — 

 P the bell was rung — but no man was 

 as yet returned; — he dropped his 

 jaw a little upon this, but said no- 

 ,. thing. In about an hour afterwards 

 M he inquired again, but no man. 

 Here our author began to lose a lit- 

 tle patience ; and turning round to 

 the gentleman of the house, very 

 gravely exclaimed, " By the living 

 G — d, I'm afraid yourman has run 

 oti'with the money." — "Upon my 

 word, doctor, says the other (smo- 

 king him), I must confess it has an 

 odd appearance ; but if the fellow 

 should have gone otf, it is ivith i/oui- 

 viotwy, notmine." — " My money!" 

 exclaimed Hift'ernan, starting from 

 his chair, and raising his \oice, 

 " Sir, I would have }ou to know, 

 that I know law ds well as you in 

 this particular, and 1 know that if 

 I gave my money to your servant 

 by your direction, the act of the 

 servant is the act of the master." — 

 Here an altercation on the point of 

 law for some lime took place, when 

 the docior was most happily cxiri- 

 cated out of all his fears by the ar- 

 rival of the servant with the monev, 

 and who was only ])revented Ifoni 

 returning in time, by a number of 

 other messages which he had to dt- 

 hver trom hi-, mistress. 



The next production of the doc- 

 tor's was a thing which he called 

 " The Philosophic Whim/' and 

 which he ironically dedicated to the 

 imiverhilits ot Oxford and Cam- 

 bridge. 



lliis is such a jumble of I'onsense, 

 that there is no reading or deliniiig 

 it; — if it aims at any thing, it ap- 

 pears to be a laugh against some 

 branches ot modern philosopiiy, but 

 so miserably executed, as to warrant 



a supposition, that the man must be 

 mad or drunk who wrote it. Tbe 

 publication however answered his 

 purpose, for as he was very heed- 

 less of his literary reputation, or 

 jierhaps did not always know when 

 he was degrading it, he as usual 

 subscribed it among his friends; and 

 geticrally, wherever he went to dine, 

 taxed his host from half a crown to 

 a guiiiea (just as he couldget it) for 

 this pamphlet. Hugh Kelly, who 

 had previously seen it at a friend's 

 house, generously sent him a guinea 

 for a copy ; but consoled himself at 

 the same time, that he was under no 

 obligation to read it. 



lalking of this strange publica- 

 tion at that time, gave rise to one 

 of the last tiashesof poor Goldsmith. 

 " How does this devil of an author, 

 says a friend, contrive to get credit 

 even with his bookseller for paper, 

 print, and advertising ?" — " Oh ! 

 my dear sir, says Goldsmith, very 

 easily — he steals the brooms rcacly 

 made." 



The next year, 1755, doctor 

 liilfcrnan appeared as a dramatic 

 author, by the introduction of a 

 tragedy at Drury-iane theatre, under 

 the title of " The Heroine of the 

 Ca\ e." — The history of his piece;is 

 as follows : After the death of ^^t"*: 

 Henry Jones, the author of the * 

 Inigcdy of the earl of Essex (a man 

 superior to HiHernaii In point of jJL 

 genius, but very like him in his 

 want of prudence and discretion), 

 tills piece was found amongst his 

 loose papers by the late Mi. Red- 

 d.sii,ofDrury-Janc theatre, whosoon 

 afier brought it out fur his benelit. 

 liiiiernan and lleddish living in 

 close habits of intimacy, the latter, 

 after hks beiu-ht, gave it to the 

 d'ictor, and suggested to him that 

 he niight mu..e bomelhing of it by 



S -1 extending 



