A Biographical Sketch 



his plans, whether for pleasure or profit, were often destroyed. If 

 he had to serve a summons for a jury, he was ever behindhand in 

 executing it, and seldom accomplished it till he had exhausted the 

 patience of the coroner, who did not fail to reprimand him severely. 

 He was not only embarrassed in the discharge of his duties as 

 ' head borough,' but his companions, the hired constables, imposed 

 on his inexperience by feigning that there were disagreeable 

 commisions to be executed, to get rid of which he would treat and 

 bribe them in various ways. It is not extraordinary that under 

 such circumstances he should have been thoroughly tired of his 

 office before the time of its expiration." 



While living at Camden Town, Morland introduced into his 

 household two men who had a considerable influence upon his life, 

 and to some extent, upon his career. These were Irwin and 

 Brooks. The first seems to have been a young and gentlemanly 

 fellow who had a more or less disinterested affection for Morland, 

 and in return for his hospitality, was useful to him as an agent for 

 the sale of his pictures to the dealers. It is probable that he some- 

 times made a good thing out of some of these sales, beginning a 

 system which was afterwards disastrous to the painter, who was 

 surrounded by scheming fellows ready to purchase his latest work 

 at a cheap rate for the ready-money which Morland could never 

 resist, and shrewd enough to sell the paintings to patrons and 

 dealers at a considerable profit to themselves. Be this as it may, 

 with regard to Irwin, he certainly acted as a kind of business 

 manager to the eccentric genius, and joined also to the fullest 

 extent in his dissipations and adventures. In their cups and out of 

 them the two men quarrelled, to shake hands again when their 

 temper cooled, but at last something caused real strife between 

 them, and Irwin left his former friend's house never to return. He 

 died not long after the separation, but whether his death was due 

 to the excesses learnt in the company of Morland is somewhat 

 doubtful. 



The second man who came into the artist's household, this time 

 to stay as a faithful friend and servant, was a fellow of low degree, 

 called Brooks, who had been a shoemaker by trade, but had ail the 

 qualities which go to the making of a valet or a confidential 



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