263 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



where he was entertained, and 

 where he found a ready subscription 

 for his publications^ his real ex- 

 pense of living, therefore, must 

 have been very trifling, if we de- 

 duct from it the high price he paid 

 for his time and independence, but 

 in iliese he himself was the lowest 

 valuator. 



Gnrrick often relieved him, and 

 Hifternan was vain enough to think 

 he repaid him by an occasional epi- 

 gram or paragraph in praise of his 

 talents, both of which he was very 

 far from excelling in. Foote had 

 him upon easier terms ; he enter- 

 tained him upon no other principle 

 than that of amusement, and re- 

 lieved him from the impulse of hu- 

 manity, of which the following is a 

 peculiar instance, and which the 

 doctor used to relate as a proof, a- 

 moDgst many others, of his friend's 

 generosity. 



Foote meeting Hitfernan one 

 morning rather early in tl^e Hay- 

 market, asked him how he was ? 

 " Why, faith, but so so," replied 

 the doctor. " What, the old dis- 

 order — impeamiositij — I suppose — 

 (here the doctor shook his head) — 

 Weil, my little Bayes, let me pre- 

 scribe tor you; I have been lucky 

 last night at play, and I'll give you 

 as many guineas ^s you have shil- 

 lings in your jxjcket — Come, m.ake 

 the experiment." HiiVernan most 

 readily a'^sentiug, pulled out neven 

 shillings, and Foote, witii as much 

 readiness, gave him stTtn guineas, 

 adLiing wi;h a laugh, " You see, 

 Paul, Fortune is not such a b — ch 

 as you imagine, for she has been 

 favourable lo me last night, and 

 equally so to you ibis morning." 



sVhere the doctor get;erally lodg- 

 ed, he had the dexterity (for pur- 

 posesunly known tohimsdf) to con- 



ceal to the last hour of his lifp. 

 The supposition lay, from the cir- 

 cuinstances of his being often found 

 coming out with clean shoes, &c. 

 in that quarter, to be in one of the 

 courts of Fleet- street, where lodg- 

 ings are not only clieap, but w here 

 there are a number of eating-houses, 

 which aftbrd an easy accommoda- 

 tion. 



His familiar day was spent as 

 follows : He never turned out till 

 about twelve o'clock at noon ; he 

 then called at some friend's house, 

 to enquire their health, &c. tell 

 them the news of the morning, and 

 put himself in a way of being asked 

 to dinner. If he failed in one, he 

 tried it in another, and so to a third 

 tud fourth ; if all failed, he dined at 

 an eating-house, and in the even- 

 ing went to the theatre, where he 

 generally slept out the whole of the 

 entertainment in the numberer's 

 box, and then finished his evening 

 at the cider-cellar. Maiden-lane, 

 or some of the porter-houses round 

 Covent-garden : at these last places, 

 he generally quartered upon some , 

 friend, who treated him, and where 

 he. could be for a tin;e very enterr j 

 taining. Towards the close of the 

 night he got drunk, if kecould, and 

 then broke oilt the violence of his \ 

 temper, abusing every body who, 

 ditiered w ith him in politics, reli- " 

 gion, literature, Sec. in the coarncst 

 strains of Billingsgate- He did all 

 this, however, with impiiniiy ; 

 every body knew him, and excry 

 body laughed at iiim, and some- 

 time-; worked him up to thi- pitch 

 of phrenzy to exhibit him to stran- 

 ■ gers. 



When he spent the day at a 

 friend's, he generally put on a dif- 

 ferent kind of behaviour, mixing in 

 the conversation with teniper and 



observa- 



