THE HORSEMEN 35 



hoAV lie came into possession of tlie blank book : 

 " This Look I stole from the llii-ht Honourable 

 George Dodington, Esq., one of the Lords of the 

 Treasury, hut the scrihl)ling-s are all my OAvn." 

 This George Dodington was George Buhl) 

 Dodington, afterwards Lord Melcomhe. 



On the first page are hastily-scrihhled memo- 

 randa for appointments : "In Fleet Street, 

 ahout a clerk of St. Patrick's Cathedral " ; 

 " Spectacles for seventy years old " ; " Godfrey 

 in Southampton Street " ; " Hungary waters and 

 23alsy drops." 



Then the Dean left London, riding horseback, 

 with his servant. Watt, for company on another 

 nag, and carrying his master's travelling valise. 

 The heavy luggage had been sent on by waggon 

 to Chester. Watt, as we shall presently see, Avas 

 a veritable Handy Andy, ahvays doing the Avrong 

 thing, or the right thing in a Avrong Avay. SAvift 

 carried the notebook in his pocket, Avithout Avriting 

 anything of his journey in it until Holyhead Avas 

 reached. 



A fcAV unfinished lines on an old cassock, 

 out at elboAvs, preface the diary, Avliich begins 

 abruptly : " Eriday at 11 in the morning I left 

 Chester. It Avas Sept. 22, 1727. I baited at 

 a blind alehouse 7 miles from Chester. I 

 thence rode to Hidland (Rhuddlan), in all 22 

 miles. I lay there : bred, bed, meat and tolerable 

 wine. I left liidland a quarter after 4 morn on 

 Saturday, slept on Penmanmaur (PenmaenmaAvr), 

 examined about my sign verses the Inn is to 



