CHARACTERS. 



295 



soon prevailed ; and eloping one 

 morning early from his lodgings, he 

 did not return that night ; the next 

 night came, and Mr. H — -d— n 

 again missed his inmate. This 

 roused his inquiries, when it ap- 

 peared, that Jones, after being in 

 a state of inebriety for two days, 

 was found run over by a waggon on 

 the night of the third, i» St. Mar^ 

 tin's Lane, without his hat or his 

 coat. In this disgraceful and muti- 

 lated situation, he was taken to the 

 workhouse of that parish, where he 

 died a few days after (April, 1770), 

 a strong and miserable example of 

 the total want of that prudence, 

 which to men with or without ta- 

 lents, is so absolutely necessaiy to 

 conduct them through all the affairs 

 of life. 



A» a man, Jones, from the report 

 of those who knew him in the early 

 parts of life, possessed many amiable 

 qualities. He was generous, affa- 

 ble, good-natured, and complying ; 

 and perhaps his only fault was in 

 being too much addicted to the plea- 

 sures of the table. He received his 

 first patronization under lord chief 

 justice Singleton, and the principal 

 inhabitants of Drogheda too ««- 

 spoiled, but the patronage of lord 

 Chesterfield in time sapped the 

 strength of his mind. To be select- 

 cdbysuch acharacteras his lordship 

 from the common mass of authors, 

 without education or family con- 

 nections ; to be transplanted after- 

 wards by him to England, as a soil 

 more congenial to his talents; to 

 have the entree of his lordship's 

 house ; to be supported by him in 

 subscriptions and private recom- 

 mendations J — these raised a sudden 

 tide of jjrosperity, which ovorflowr 

 ed the bounds of our author's dis- 

 cretion, and drove him into the 



ocean of life without rudder or 

 compass. 



He was, however, under some 

 kind of restriction in his conduct till 

 he broke altogether with lord Ches- 

 terfield. The awe of his lordship's 

 high character, the expectations he 

 raised upon his protection, and the 

 necessity there was for an appear- 

 ance both in dress and conversation 

 when before him ; — all these check- 

 ed even such a character as Jones ; 

 and it was always readily perceived 

 amongs his intimates when he was 

 about to pay a visit to Chesterfield- 

 house, by some seasonable and pre- 

 paratory deviation which he made 

 from his general conduct. 



When this barrier was once broke 

 down, he rushed into all the extra* 

 vagancies of his natural and ac- 

 quired vices. The great eye of the 

 public was no censor for him : it 

 might observe, but it observed in 

 silence ; and Jones estimated his 

 pleasures (as he called them) above 

 his reputation. To provide for the 

 sensual enjoyments of tlie day, was 

 all his care ; and this once obtained, 

 he was philosopher enough " to let 

 to-morrow take care of itself." 



We shall wind up this part of his 

 character with the observation of one 

 who seems to have known him well, 

 " His temper (says he) was, in con- 

 sequence of the dominion of his 

 passions, uncertain and capricious, 

 easily engaged and easily disgusted; 

 and as economy was a virtue which 

 could never be taken into his catar 

 logue, he appeared to tiiink himself 

 born lather to be supported by 

 others, than under a duty to secure 

 tohimsclf the profits which his wri- 

 tings and therrimiificence of his pa- 

 trons from time to time afforded." 



As an author, his character comes 

 more critically before us : but in de- 



y 4 veloping 



