CHARACTERS. 



777 



Tvere far exceeded by his many 

 traits of frankness and good na- 

 ture. 



Engaged one day to dine witli a 

 party at a coffee-house in London, 

 he came in late, and found the 

 conversation turning upon the ru- 

 mour of an apprehended rupture 

 with the court of Versailles. He 

 heard the opinions of several gen- 

 tlemen for and against the proba- 

 bility of such a thing, and then 

 said, " I am not inclined to credit 

 the reports of shallow speculative 

 politicians : I have gone to the 

 fountain-head of intelligence." The 

 attention of the whole company was 

 now completely rivetted. " I am 

 just come," continued he, "from 

 Soho-square, where I walked into 

 the court-yard of his excellency the 

 French ambassador's house. I saw 

 a most noble sirloin of beef roasting 

 atthe kitchen fire for his excellency's 

 dinner. This is as it should be, said 

 I; there will be no war now between 

 France and England." 



Mr. Paley kept a horse, which, 

 thoughitdrew thegiginhissummer 

 excursions, in winter, having no 

 employment for it, he quartered at 

 a neighbouring village, to which he 

 frequently extended his morning 

 walks ; and thence took occasion to 

 observe, that though his horse af- 

 forded him good exercise in sum- 

 mer, it gave him still better for the 

 remainder of the year. "Paley," 

 says a friend, who wished to rally 

 him on this subject, "for what can 

 you keep a horse, which is always 

 two or three miles oflF at grass, or 

 inastraw-yardatDitton?" "Why," 

 replied he, " for what do others 

 keep horses? for exercise to be 

 sure." — " But you never ride," 

 rejoined the other; "No," said 



he, "but I walk almost every 

 day to see it, and that answers just 

 as well." 



Mr. Paley having prosecuted 

 one of the college servants for 

 theft, when the day of trial ap- 

 proached, fee'd a counsel to assist 

 the culprit in his defence. On the 

 singularity of this conduct being 

 remarked to him, he replied, that 

 " he thought it his duty to so- 

 ciety and to the college to insti- 

 tute the prosecution ; but let the 

 fellow have fair play on his trial," 

 added he; "and if through any 

 of the loop-holes of the law he 

 then escapes conviction, 1 have 

 done my duty, and shall be con- 

 tent." The man, through some 

 defect, either of the indictment or 

 the evidence, was actually ac- 

 quitted. 



In a debate one evening on the 

 justice and expediency of making 

 some alteration in the ecclesiasti- 

 cal constitution of this country, for 

 the rehef of tender consciences, 

 Dr. Gordon, fellow of Emmanuel 

 college, afterwards archdeacon and 

 precentor of Lincoln, an avowed 

 tory in religion and pohtics, when 

 vehemently opposing thearguments 

 of Mr. Jebb, a strenuous supporter 

 of all such improvements, exclaim- 

 ed, with his usual heat, " You 

 mean, sir, to impose upon us a new 

 church government." — " You are 

 mistaken, sir," said Mr. Paley ; 

 " Jebb only wants to ride his owa 

 horse, not to force you to get up 

 behind him." 



Mr. Paley having frequently de- 

 clared that he would quit college 

 whenever he could do so with the 

 prospect of a clear annual income 

 of two hundred pounds, announced 

 his early intention of retiring, 



when 



