THE SUPPLIER AND THE SUPPLIED. 343 



vated young gentlemen inside, a temporary consider- 

 able increase of the income tax to be in keeping with 

 appearances, arid also to considerable employment of 

 the attention of Messrs. Commissioners Bruce, Fane, 

 and Fonblanque. 



Tricks to get the greatest possible sums of money 

 from our pockets, for the least possible equivalent in 

 point of value, are not only in considerable practice 

 in London, but are liberally diffused all over the 

 world, by those seeking to make money whether in 

 trade or professionally ; there is, however, a very con- 

 siderable difference in the way in which the same 

 desideratum on the part of the supplier is effected as 

 regards the supplied. The tradesman gives as little as 

 possible of any thing, both in quality and quantity. 

 Our legal adviser gives as little as possible, in point 

 of quantity, of time, words, or writing, for a given 

 sum ; but in justice to him, we must allow that what 

 he gives is effectual, and to the (that is his) purpose. 

 Our medical friend is in no way niggard of his atten- 

 tions in regard to their frequency, he only HAS us as 

 to their duration ; such friends " come like shadows, so 

 depart." The balm of life they send us is never defi- 

 cient in quantity it is by the quantity they live; 

 whether we do the same thing by the quality is another 

 affair. One thing must, to their honour, be allowed : 

 a considerable portion of their balm does neither good 

 nor harm in its effects. 



Of this innocuous quality, the balm for our minds 

 distributed once a week by our spiritual -guardians 

 often largely partakes : where it does, charity should 

 induce us to hope and believe it is in point of quality 

 the very best they have to give. From those to whom 

 much is given, much might be expected. This I 



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