CHARACTERS. 



.391 



cided between the journeymen 

 shoemakers; whether those who 

 had learned without serving an ap- 

 prenticeship could follow the trade. 



" The man by whom Robert and 

 I were employed, Mr. Chamber- 

 layne, of Cheapside, took an active 

 part against the lawful journeymen ; 

 and even went so far as to pay oif 

 every man that worked for him that 

 had joined their clubs. This so 

 exasperated the men, that their 

 acting committee soon looked for 

 unlawful men (as they called them) 

 among Chamberlayne's workmen." 



They found out little Robert, and 

 threatened to prosecute Chamber- 

 lay ne for employing him, and to 

 prosecute his brother Mr. G. 

 Bloomfield, for teaching him. 

 Chamberlayne requested of the 

 brother to go and bring it to a 

 trial; for that he would defend it; 

 and that neither George nor Robert 

 should be hurt. 



In the mean time George was 

 much insulted for having refused to 

 join, upon this occasion, those who 

 called themselves, exclusively, the 

 lawful craftsmen. George, who says 

 he was never famed for patience, 

 (it is not indeed so much as might 

 be sometimes wished, very often tlie 

 lot of strong and acute minds to 

 possess largely of this virtue,) took 

 his pen and addressed a letter to 

 one of the most active of their com- 

 mittee-men (a man of very bad cha- 

 racter.) In this, after stating that 

 he took Robert at his mother's re- 

 quest, he made free as well with 

 the private character of this man as 

 with the views of the committee. 

 " This," says George, " was very 

 foolish; for it made things worse: 

 but I felt too much to refrain." 



What connects this episodical cir- 



VoL. XLII. 



cumstance with the character of our 

 author, follows in his brother's 

 words. 



" Robert, naturally fond of peace, 

 and fearful for my personal safety, 

 beffsed to be suffered to retire from 

 the storm. 



" He came home ; and Mr. 

 Austin kindly bade him take his 

 house for his home till he could re- 

 turn to me. And here, with his 

 mind glowing with the fine descrip- 

 tions of rural scenery which he 

 found in Thomsons Seasons, he 

 again retraced the very fields where 

 first he began to think. Here, free 

 from the smoke, the noise, the con- 

 tention of the city, he imbibed that 

 love of rural simplicity and rural 

 innocence, which fitted him, in a 

 great degree, to be the writer of 

 such a poem as the Farmer's Boy. 



" Here he lived two months: at 

 length, as the dispute in the trade 

 still remained undecided, Mr. Dud- 

 bridge offered to take Robert ap- 

 prentice, to secure him, at all 

 events, from any consequences of 

 the litigation." 



He was bound by Mr. Ingram, of 

 Bell-alley, to Mr. John Dudbridge. 

 His brother George paid five shil- 

 lings for Robert, by way of form, as 

 a premium. Dudbridge was their 

 landlord, and a freeman of the city 

 of London. He acted most honour- 

 ably, and took no advantage of the 

 power which the indentures gave 

 him. George Bloomfield staid with 

 Robert till he found he could work 

 as expertly as himself. 



Mr. George Bloomfield adds, 

 " When I left London he was 

 turned of eighteen; and much of 

 my happiness since has arisen from 

 a constant correspondence which I. 

 have held with lum. 



Y 



