COMPETITION 7 



among them the evening they all met prior to the letting, 

 at an hotel in the city, Avhere my friend would have me 

 accompany him after my arrival in London. In the 

 course of the conversation that arose I found he had 

 credit for enlaro^ino- or exceedins; the truth in matters of 

 both small and great im|)ortance, as had another gentle- 

 man in the company, who was remarkable for a deep and 

 crafty expression of countenance, and came from New- 

 bury ; he was well stricken in years, and did, by the 

 relation of some few discrepancies the other had been 

 guilty of, astonish the whole company. 



My friend took it all very good-humouredly, and 

 repaid him in the same coin, till each of them vieing 

 with the other on the palpable absurdity of their stories, 

 and taking credit for their own skill in exaggeration, my 

 friend challenged the other in a bet for a dinner and 

 wine for the party, amounting to about twenty, to decide 

 which of the two, to make use of the vernacular, should 

 — pardon, gentle reader — tell the biggest lie. 



They tossed for the first speaker, which was won by 

 the elderly gentleman, who, after collecting all the 

 solemnity he could into his wizened visage, rose from 

 his seat, and said in a slow and audible voice, at the 

 same time striking his hand upon the table, to make his 

 expression more forcible — " There is not an honester man 

 in England than John Beardsworth." A roar of laughter 

 was the result, for everyone well understood this pointed 

 satire. This was no sooner over, than all eyes were 

 turned on his oj)ponent. He sat with his elbows resting 

 on the table, his face covered with his hands, and did 

 not appear to heed the mirth his adversary's laconic 



