LETTERS. 289 



College examination (which lasted six days) was over, 

 he sent for me again, and repeated what he had said 

 before about the expenses of the College ; and he added, 

 that if I went on as I had begun, and made myself a 

 good scholar, I might rely on being provided for by the 

 College ; for if the county should he full, and they could 

 not elect me a fellow, they would recommend me to 

 another College, where they would be very glad to re- 

 ceive a clever man from their hands ; or, at all events, 

 they could alivays get a young man a situation as a 

 private tutor in a nobleman's family ; or could put him 

 into some handsome way of preferment. *' We make it 

 a rule (he said) of providing for a clever man, whose 

 fortune is small; and you may therefore rest assured, 

 Mr White, that after you have taken your degree, you 

 will be provided' with a genteel competency hy the Col- 

 lege." He begged I would be under no apprehensions 

 on these accounts : he shook hands with me very affec- 

 tionately, and wished me a speedy recovery. These 

 attentions from a man like the tutor of St John's are 

 very marked ; and Mr Catton is well known for doing 

 more than he says. I am sure, after these assurances 

 from a principal of so respectable a society as St John's, 

 I have nothing more to fear ; and I hope you will never 

 repine on my account again — according to every appear- 

 ance, my lot in life is certain. 



TO MR B. MADDOCK. 



London, Xmas 1805. 

 My dear Ben, 



You would have had no reason to complain of my long 

 silence, had I preferred my self-justification to your ease. 

 I wrote you a letter, which now lies in my drawer at St 

 John's, but in such a weak state of body, and in so de- 

 sponding and comfortless a tone of mind, that I knew it 

 would give you pain, and therefore I chose not to send 



