226 ROBERT POCOCK. 



hurrying. What an insight does not the following 

 entry afford ? 



" Waited on Yiggers about the taxes due, 34s., 

 who behaved very violently, saying he would not give 

 me any indulgence ! no, not an hour ! Walked 

 over to Northfleet with some parish receipts " [which 

 he had printed for that parish], " but came away with- 

 out the money." 



In February, 1822, he had presumably asked the 

 mayor, Mr. Millen, for a little pecuniary help, who 

 appears to have assented if he could find a surety for 

 repayment; and the extract from the Journal conveys 

 his clear apprehension of the considerable difference 

 between the number of his literary, antiquarian, and 

 natural history acquaintances, visitors, and customers, 

 and those of his true friends, real and judicious. The 

 entry runs as follows : 



"Saturday, February 9th, 1822. Fine day. Mr. 

 Millen (the mayor) kindly offered to be my friend (in 

 case I could find a friend) . Some author has observed a 

 man may think himself happy if he finds six friends in 

 his life. I have often said I keep three books : a little 

 one for my friends, a large one for my acquaintances, 

 and a small one for my customers. My late wife used 

 to say our acquaintances were so numerous that we 

 kept a public-house without profit. The best senti- 

 ment to give in company is, ' From injudicious friends, 

 good Lord, deliver me/ " 



And two years later we find that the printing of the 

 third edition of the " Guide for Gravesend," the first edi- 

 tion of which was printed by Pocockin 1817, had passed 

 out of his hands, and had gone into those of his respected 

 competitor, Mr. T. Caddel, his declining means now ex- 



