The Merry Past 



good fortune, he betook himself to the Irish turf, in 

 the successful practice of which, and an undeviating 

 hospitality, he spent a long life. His habits were so 

 singular as to have attracted attention even at a time 

 when Irishmen were used to every kind of extrava- 

 gant freak. 



Mr. Caldwell was a compound of the old Jack 

 Tar, the old Irish squire, and the turf-man. 



His vocabulary was of an amphibious kind, the 

 oaths recorded in " Tristram Shandy " being mere 

 milk and water in comparison. 



His good qualities, however, were many, and he 

 was warm-hearted, sincere, honourable, humane, and 

 hospitable. Nothing displeased him more than cant, 

 or anything like it. As for himself, he was overnice 

 about nothing. Having been making some alter- 

 ations in his pleasure-grounds at Brownstown, near 

 the Curragh, and expecting some great folks in a day 

 or two, he employed four or five hundred good 

 Catholics after Mass on Sunday to finish the damming 

 up of a large sheet of water. The Protestant curate 

 of the parish was evangelical, and thence regarded by 

 the squire (otherwise the kindest of men) much as a 

 professed swindler is by a London tradesman. The 

 curate came to remonstrate, and rebuked him before 

 the multitude. All the answer he got was : " May 

 the Devil's mother nurse you when you are sick, 

 you journeyman soul saver ! It is true your 

 Master stopped on the seventh day, as you tell 

 me, you snivelling fellow, but He had done His 

 work, and when I've done mine I'll stop too. Shut 



242 



