294, ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794, 



calling the performers parrots, who 

 solely depended upon the words 

 which the author put into their 

 mouths for their reputation and 

 toupport. 



A life of this kind daily wore off 

 that spirit of independence and rer 

 spect for character, without which 

 man is poor indeed. Jones soon 

 entirely lost sight of fame, as well 

 ns establishment, and only roused 

 himself for the provision of the day. 

 The misery attending this situation 

 can readily be conceived; and our 

 author must have felt it at timos, 

 tlioughhehad not resolution to alter 

 his conduct. Hence he experienced 

 all the vicissitudes of an indigent 

 and degraded condition ; " the shift- 

 ing tides of fear and hope, the peril 

 and escape, the famine and the 

 feast ;" the noisy moment of intoxi- 

 cation, and the brooding melan- 

 choly hours of despondence and 

 despair. 



His distresses daily gaining on him, 

 and no effort on his part exerted to 

 relieve him, he frequently fell un- 

 der the gripe of the law, and the 

 spung'in^-hciuse was a place that not 

 infrequently claimed his habitation. 

 Here he generally drew upon his 

 muse for his support; and, as he 

 could assume some address and soft- 

 ness in his manners, he generally 

 found out the weak side of the 

 daughter or wife of the bailiff, and 

 ifattercd them so with a copy of 

 verses, either on their beauty or ta- 

 lents, as to make his quarters both 

 comfortable and convenient. Many 

 stones have been told of his address 

 in those matters. Sometimes he 

 would make himself useful by draw- 

 ing petitions and memorials for per- 

 sons under the same roof with him ; 

 sometimes he would assist at the tap ; 

 aud sonietimcs would be so far con- 



fided in, as to be appointed guar* 

 dian of the inner door. 



Two anecdotes he used to relate 

 with no little pride, as proofs of 

 the prevalency of his talents. The 

 one was his borrowing two guineas 

 of the bailiff whilst in his house, wn- 

 dcr an arrest for ten pounds ; and 

 the other of his writing some verses 

 on the daughter of a bailiff, who, 

 hke a second Lucy, gave her lover 

 his hberty, at the expence of her 

 father's purse and resentment. 



It would be difficult to trace Jonesf 

 through all the labyrinthsof his for^ 

 tune. A life so totally unguarded 

 must hang upon the events of the 

 hour, and, if known, must form a 

 repetition of scenes as disgusting in 

 the exhibition as disgraceful to the 

 actor. It is sufficient to know, that 

 after experiencing many reverses of 

 fortune, v/hich his impracticable 

 tcrnper and unaccountable impru-. 

 dence drew on him, his situation at 

 lastexcitedthepityofMr.H — d — n, 

 the master of the Bedford coffee- 

 house 3 a man who, to the virtues 

 of frugality and attention in his bur 

 sincss, displayed, upon all proper 

 occasions, a very feeling heart, and 

 was well known to be particularly 

 attentive to the wants of distressed 

 gentlemen, decayed artists, &;c, 

 This man, knowing Jones's story, 

 and struck with the shabbiness of 

 his appearance as he took his 

 morning perambulation round the 

 Piazzas, made him an offer of a 

 room in his house, and board every 

 day that he was not otherwise bet- 

 ter engaged, Jones accepted this 

 proposal with gratitude, and for 

 some time kept within the regula- 

 tions of a private family. But the 

 natural love of a more mixed and 

 enlarged society, the spirit of do- 

 mineering, of coutrast,of dissipation, 



soon 



