338 EATING UNNECESSARY (FOR THE POOR}. 



I forget now upon what occasion it was, but when 

 Cardinal Richelieu was once personally examining 

 some unfortunate fellow touching some treasonable 

 practices he had been guilty of, he asked him what 

 had induced him to venture on such things ? Now 

 the Cardinal was not the most urbane or just the sort 

 of man one would by choice select to be examined by 

 on such an occasion, nor was the milk of human kind- 

 ness so redundant in his composition that there was any 

 chance of its overflowing ; and thus forming (a second) 

 milky way. The poor culprit knew this : so without 

 any circumlocution, plainly and simply replied, as his 

 only excuse, " Monsieur, il faut manger ! " This to 

 some men would have been at least an extenuation, 

 and the force of the homely argument would have 

 been allowed. Not so the Cardinal : " Je n'en vois 

 pas la necessite" says he. Cool, one would say, and 

 by no means flattering : but the Cardinal, like horse- 

 dealers, had little ways of his own, not the most 

 agreeable to those who offended him ; and I doubt 

 not could look grim enough in his fool's cap. Not 

 being particular, I must say I should prefer an even- 

 ing's assignation with a little chaperon rouge we have 

 seen of later date. 



Now Mr. Meddler considers it is quite necessary to 

 eat, though the Cardinal did not ; and eat he will, and 

 well too, whoever pays for it. It may be wondered 

 how such a man gets the sway he does in these things ; 

 but it is easily accounted for. In London his powers 

 are very limited, there being such a host of horses 

 and customers that he can know but a small propor- 

 tion of either, and strangers are constantly coming 

 in ; but in provincial towns he knows every body, and 

 every body knows him, as well as they do the market- 



