“CHARACTERS. 
tall, agile, and fo very thin towards 
the latter part of his life, that his 
limbs feemed cadaverous. His com- 
plexion was fallow, and he had an 
unfortunate caft of his eyes, that 
rendered his face particularly liable 
to be caricatured. The miniftry 
of that day were fo fenfible of the 
advantages to be derived from this 
{pecies of ridicule, that Hogarth was 
actually bought off from the popu- 
lar party by means of a penfion, and 
earned a difhonourable reward by 
employing his graver in fatirifing 
his former friends. Notwithftand- 
ing the defects of his perfon, Mr. 
Wilkes at one time actually fet the 
fafhions, and introduced blue hair 
powder on his return from France, 
in 1769. - 
* Towards the latter part of his 
life he became regardlefs of his 
drefs, and his wardrobe for the laft 
fifteen years feems to have confifted 
of a faded fcarlet coat, white cloth 
waiftcoat and breeches, and a pair 
of military boots, in which he was 
accuftomed to walk three or four 
times a week, from Kenfington to 
Grofvenor-fquare, and from Grof- 
venor-{quare to Guildhall. Like 
moftt of the old fchool, he never de- 
{cended from the dignity of a cock- 
ed hat; and it is but of late that he 
abjured the long-exploded fafhion 
of wearing a gold button and loop. 
His ready wit was proverbial, 
and he never miffed an opportunity 
of being jocular at the expence of 
his colleagues. Sometimes he would 
difconcert the gravity of a city feaft 
by his fatire ; and when he told the 
late Alderman Burnell (formerly a 
bricklayer) who feemed to be una- 
ble to manage a knife in the fimple 
377 
operation of cutting a pudding, 
‘“‘ that he had better take his trowel 
to it,’ he fet the whole corpora- 
tion in a roar. 
_As aman of pleafure, he facrific- 
ed to his paffions, not unfrequently 
at the expence of his happinefs, and 
even of his character. The {can- 
dal attached to the Order of St. 
Francis*, of which he was a mem- 
ber, operated confiderably againit 
the influence of his politics; it is 
not a little remarkable, however, 
that men, not the moft famous for 
the chaftity of their manners, fuch 
as the Lords Sandwich and March 
(the latter is the prefent Duke of 
Queenfbury) fhould have been the 
moft eager to detect and expofe the 
follies of his loofer moments. 
It cannot be denied that his con- 
duct as a magiftrate was not only 
unexceptionable, but {pirited and 
exemplary; and as a guardian of 
the morals of the city youth, he has 
not been excelled by any of his 
predeceffors. The fame candour 
that diétates thefe obfervations, ob- 
liges the author at the fame time to 
confefs that he was dilatory in the 
produétion of the city accounts, and 
rather too attentive to the emolu- 
ments of office. 
As an author, he poffeffed the 
fingular merit of always writing to 
znd for the people. His fuccefs 
was proportionate, and he aétually 
wrote down at leaft one adminiftra- 
tion, which is more than can be 
faid of any man of the prefent age. 
His merits can only be appreciated 
by the benefits he has conferred on 
his country. It was he who firft 
taught the public to confider the 
king’s fpeech as the mere fabri- 
* The motto over the door of Medmenham abbey, mutt be allowed to have been 
extremely appropriate 5 it was “ Fajs ce que voudras.” 
cation 
