A Biographical Sketch 



and does not often endure round the ruin of a fortune, or on 

 the threshold of a debtor's prison. 



A story is told by his former schoolfellow, George Dawe, which 

 does not redound to the honour of the artist, but which, if true, 

 proves once again that, when a man is pressed for money and on the 

 brink of ruin, his conscience and sense of honour are apt to be 

 dulled at the moment of a great temptation. 



A certain young fool, who had been given a substantial sum of 

 money by his father to bribe his way into a Government position, a 

 practice common enough in those days of patronage, failed in his 

 purpose, probably because some worthy official scorned to receive 

 a bribe — below his usual purchase money ! — and having consoled 

 himself at a wine-shop, proceeded to Morland's house to spend 

 the evening. Morland, learning that his young friend carried a 

 considerable amount of money on his person, naturally desired to 

 possess what he urgently needed at that particular time. He 

 primed the youth with more wine and then begged him for a loan, 

 promising that in return for such accommodation he would hand 

 over the picture he was then painting, which was much admired by 

 the wine-flushed young gentleman. The scheme succeeded, and 

 the youth went home with empty pockets to his father, whose 

 wrath was loud and violent. The worthy citizen sent his son back 

 with the I.O.U. which Morland had solemnly made out, demanding 

 the instant return of the money. But, alas, the money no longer 

 existed as far as Morland was concerned, for he had immediately 

 paid off some of his most pressing bills and indulged riotously with 

 what was left. This affair might have ended very seriously for our 

 friend, but with his usual promises of repaying the loan in a short 

 time, he staved off the danger. But he was now in the midst of a 

 quagmire of debt amounting to more than £4,000, and at last he 

 considered it prudent to fly from his big house in Paddington to a 

 farmhouse at Enderby, in Leicestershire, where he lived quietly 

 for a time with his faithful wife. 



But Mr. Wedd, his solicitor in London, his brother-in-law William 

 Ward, and a few other real friends, went to work to extricate 

 Morland from his difficulties, and to save him from the danger of a 

 debtor's prison. A meeting of his principal creditors was called 



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