XXII 



Character of Wedgwood 297 



in conjunction with Boulton of Birmingham, assisted 

 the great Dr. Priestley in the prosecution of his chemical 

 experiments. But he assisted all who needed help, 

 artists as well as others. 



"I never knew an instance of a man," said Dr. 

 Darwin, "raising himself to such opulence and dis- 

 tinction who excited so little envy; and this in a 

 great measure arose from his prudent and modest 

 acquisition of riches, and also from the circumstance 

 that he was free from the failing which frequently 

 attends easily-acquired riches, of neglecting his poor 

 relations. He kindly attended to his, and was of 

 essential service to many of them." 



A man may be known to a certain extent by his 

 chosen friends, and Wedgwood's were, for the most 

 part, men of distinction. Perhaps his dearest friend 

 was Erasmus Darwin, poet and physician. Darwin 

 knew Wedgwood in all conditions, in his joys and his 

 sorrows. He was a great admirer of Wedgwood's art, 

 and supported him in all his projects. He was with 

 Wedgwood at the amputation of his leg, and with 

 him on his deathbed. The Darwins and Wedgwoods 

 were very intimately connected. The greatest of the 

 Darwins the late Charles Darwin, F.K.S., author of the 

 Origin of Species, married a Miss Wedgwood ; and the 

 race of Darwins is not extinct. 



Among Wedgwood's other eminent friends were 

 James Watt, inventor of the condensing steam-engine ; 

 Matthew Boulton, the Birmingham manufacturer ; Sir 



