223 tieatbs. 



Revcly had an awkward way of letting loofe his real op<= 

 nions, and had habituated himfelf to an undifguifed delivery 

 of them. It need not be added, that fuch qualities were not 

 calculated to render him popular, and that they influenced 

 many who were difpofed to employ him to feek architefts of 

 more pliant and accommodating difpofitions. 



He entertained a very high opinion of the profeffion of an 

 architeft; but it did not check his induftry by any fuperci- 

 " lious affectation of importance, for he fought employment 

 wherever a liberal fpirit would permit him to feek it. This 

 a&ivity, however, appears from fome untoward circumftance 

 or other to have been continually boflled. He once made a 

 journey to Canterbury', with a fct of admirable defigns for a 

 county infirmary, in confcquence of an advertifement from 

 the corporation of that city, which invited architefts to make 

 propofals for the ereftion of fuch an edifice. Ilis defigns 

 were approved and admired; but after fome confideration, 

 the committee appointed to conduft the bufinefs propofod 

 to purchafe the drawings, and trufl the execution of them 

 to a country builJor in order to fave the expence of an ar- 

 chitcft. Mr. Rcvely, mortified at this treatment of his pro- 

 fcflional chara61er, rather warmly, but very innocently ob- 

 ferved, that to commit a work of fuch confequence to a com- 

 mon carpenter, when an architeft was at hand, would be as 

 injudicious as if any one, in a cafe of great danger, fliould 

 apply to an apothecary when he could confult a phyfician. 

 Now, it moll unfortunately happened that the chairman of 

 the committee was an apothecary ; and Mr. Revely was afto- 

 ni(hed to find himfelf and his defigns very unccremonioufly 

 difmilTed, to make room for a builder who probably was not 

 qualified to fuggeft fuch frivolous difl;in6lions. 



We cannot conclude w ithout giving this accompliflied ar- 

 chiteft the befi; praife th:it can be bcfiowcd. He was a mart 

 of fl.rl6l integrity in all his dealings; and the little eccentri- 

 cities of his cha-rafter had no tendency to weaken the main 



fupporters of it. 



In 



