428 LIONS. 



the} 7 must be, because the generality of such persons 

 are rarely brought in contact with gentlemen, conse- 

 quently have no criterion to appreciate them by. The 

 three best judges of a gentleman I should say must be 

 first, gentlemen, who of course judge of others by them- 

 selves ; next, first-rate tradespeople, because in trade 

 they are in the habit of seeing their manners and ha- 

 bits ; thirdly, superior servants, who see gentlemen 

 and gentlewomen (ladies, as inferior persons always 

 call them) throughout the day. A cheesemonger 

 would consider himself highly offended on being put 

 on a par with a servant. Doubtless he is held in the 

 world's estimation as the more respectable and respon- 

 sible person (Mem. quaere in both cases, but particu- 

 larly in the latter? ) but supposing him to be both, 

 he is not as competent a judge of a gentleman. How 

 should he be ? he probably never saw one at table or 

 in a drawing-room in his life (unless he crept up the 

 lamp-post to get a peep). The servant has seen the 

 thing daily for years, and could give a tolerable high- 

 life-below-stairs imitation of the manners, and cer- 

 tainly of the habits of his master. Our worthy 

 cheesemonger would have about as clear a conception 

 of a gentleman mounting the well-lit well-aired stair- 

 case lined with exotics of a woman of fashion, as he 

 would have of a crocodile forcing his way through 

 the reedy banks of the Nile. The Egyptian or English 

 animal, placed in the situation of a gentleman, would, 

 I conceive, be about equally out of their element, and 

 on their names being announced would create about 

 an equal sensation ; doubtless they would be the lions 

 of the night. 



Supposing the sketch I have so slightly drawn of 

 the gentleman to be tolerably true to nature, or rather 



