86(5 



ESSAYS. 



the public, which pronounces him a dunce; at 

 a general who smiles at the reproach of the 

 vulgar, or the lady who keeps her good- 

 humour in spite of scandal; but such is the 

 wisest behaviour that any of us can possibly 

 assume ; it is certainly a better way to op- 

 pose calamity by dissipation, than to take up 



the arms of reason or resolution to oppose 

 it : by the first method, we forget our mise- 

 ries ; by the last, we only conceal them from 

 others ; by struggling with misfortunes, we 

 are sure to receive some wounds in the con- 

 flict; but a sure method to come off victori- 

 ous, is by running away. 



ESSAY V. 



I AM fond of amusement in whatever com- 

 pany it is to be found; and wit, though dress- 



ed in rags, is ever 



to me. I went 



some days ago to take a walk in St. James's 

 Park, about the hour in which company leave 

 it to go to dinner. There were but few in 

 the walks, and those who stayed, seemed by 

 their looks rather more willing to forget that 

 they had an appetite than gain one. I sat 

 down on one of the benches, at the other 

 end of which was seated a man in very shab- 

 by clothes. 



We continued to groan, to hem, and to 

 cough, as usual upon such occasions; and, 

 at last, ventured upon conversation. ' I beg 

 pardon, sir,' cried I, ' but I think I have seen 

 you before; your face is familiar to me.' 

 ' Yes, sir,' replied he, ' I have a good familiar 

 face, as my friends tell me. I am as well 

 known in every town in England as the dro- 

 medary, or live crocodile. You must under- 

 stand, sir, that I have been these sixteen 

 years Merry Andrew to a puppet-show; last 

 Bartholomew fair my master and 1 quarrelled, 

 beat each other, and parted ; he to sell his 

 puppets to the pincushion-maker in Rose- 

 mary-lane, and I to starve in St. James's 

 Park. 



' I am sorry, sir, that a person of your ap- 

 pearance should labour under any difficulties.' 

 * O, sir,' returned he, ' my appearance is very 

 much at your service; but though I cannot 

 boast of eating much, yet there are few that 

 are merrier: if I had twenty thousand a year 

 I should be very merry ; and, thank the fates, 

 though not worth a groat, I am very merry 

 still. If I have three-pence in my pocket, I 

 never refuse to be my three-half-pence ; and, 



if I have no money, I never scorn to be treat- 

 ed by any that are kind enough to pay my 

 reckoning. What think you, sir, of a steak 

 and a tankard ? You shall treat me now, and 

 I will treat you again when I find you in the 

 Park in love with eating, and without money 

 to pay for a dinner. 



As I never refuse a small expense for the 

 sake of a merry companion, we instantly ad- 

 journed to a neighbouring alehouse, and, in 

 a few moments, had a frothing tankard, and 

 a smoking steak spread on the table before 

 us. It is impossible to express how much the 

 sight of such good cheer improved my com- 

 panion's vivacity. 'I like this dinner, sir,' 

 says he, 'for three reasons; first, because I 

 am naturally fond of beef; secondly, because- 

 I am hungry ; and, thirdly and lastly, because 

 I get it for nothing: no meat eats so sweet as 

 that for which we do not pay.' 



He therefore now fell to, and his appetite 

 seemed to correspond with his inclination. 

 After dinner was over, he observed, that the 

 steak was tough : * and yet, sir,' returns he, 

 ' bad as it was, it seemed a rump-steak tome. 

 O the delights of poverty and a good appetite! 

 We beggars are the very fondlings of nature ; 

 the rich she treats like an arrant step-mother; 

 they are pleased with nothing; cut a steak 

 from what part you will, and it is insupport- 

 ab\y tough; dress it up with pickles, even 

 pickles cannot procure them an appetite. 

 But the whole creation is filled with good 

 things for the beggar; Calvert'sbutt out-tastes 

 Champaigne, and Sedgeley's home-brewed 

 excels Tokay. Joy, joy, my blood, though 

 our estates lie no where, we have fortunes 

 wherever we go. If an inundation sweeps 



