290 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



me two books of a poem he was wri- 

 ting, called " Kew Gardens," which 

 I also agreed to purchase. At this 

 time he requested me to lend him 

 the tragedy, that he might shew it 

 ) to a friend. I did so ; and this re- 

 quest was in a few days followed 

 by a second for the poem, which I 

 likewise compHed with, but from 

 that day never saw the author or 

 his works. 



" Upon the first representation of 

 « The Battle of tiastings," 1 went 

 to see it, I own on purpose to prove 

 whether it was a new piece, or an 

 alteration from that for which 1 had 

 paid a consideration. As many 

 passages in Mr. Jones's Harold are 

 • perfect in my memory, and I must 

 immediately have known them, I 

 think it but common justice to Mr. 

 Cumberland to declare, that his 

 play does not bear the least resem- 

 blance to Mr. Jones's in any one 

 tee no. 



" 1 am, sir, 

 •' Your very humble servant, 



"Jo. Cooper." 



Tlvc eclat of " The Earl of Essex" 

 gave Jones not only the entree of the 

 theatre, but introduced him to many 

 persons of condition and literature, 

 who were well disposed to-be friend- 

 ly to him ; but ins original habits 

 being in a great respect confinned 

 by dissipation, the keeping good 

 companif was too groat an effort for 

 his mind, wlvich, instead of shew- 

 ing any of its original force upon 

 these occasions, contented itself" to 

 ■ dwell in decencies :'" — the fact was, 

 he v.'as afraid to be at what he called 

 his ease, for in these moments he 

 was subject to betray a coarseness 

 and vulgarity very incompatible 

 with the situation he was then 

 placed in. 



Someof his friends saw this would 

 be a barrier to his rising in the 

 world, and suggested to him a plan 

 for improving his education : — one 

 in particular, who is now living, 

 and no less eminent in rank than 

 literature, proposed he should begin 

 with the French, and as his son was 

 just studying that language, if Jones 

 would attend three times a week, 

 at stated hours, at his house, he 

 should have every accommodation, 

 and his instruction cost him nothing. 

 Jones accepted this proposal with 

 seeming gratitude, and attended 

 three or four mornings pretty punc- 

 tually ; he then became a little irre- 

 gular, and one morning came so 

 drunk, that he could scarcely arti- 

 culate his own language. This, of 

 course, put an end to the gentle- 

 man's civihties, and Jones spoke of 

 the release with all the exultation of 

 a man getting out of bondage. 



Sitting down to learn any lan- 

 guage in the prime of life, when 

 cares and passions have generally 

 too strong holdsof the human breast, 

 is very difficult, and must be little 

 less than a drudgery to any man, 

 particularly to a man of genius, but 

 for the ends to be attained. This 

 is the incentive which physics pain, 

 and smooths all intervening diffi- 

 culties. 



Jones, however, felt none of 

 those incentives. Idle in his habits, 

 warm in his passions, and somewhat 

 despotic in his genius, he only aim- 

 ed at catching his improvement 

 tlirough the medium of pleasure ; if 

 it did not come that way, let other 

 people seek it for him. What was 

 still more against him, he was fond 

 of a more mixed company — he wa$ 

 more unbent in their society — they 

 flattered his talents, and what was 

 so easily and pleasantly purchased, 



