PARTICULARS OF HIS ILLNESS. 121 



give him new life. On one occasion, he had been very ill 

 all the morning, and was threatened with one of his fainting 

 attacks, when, looking up in agony into his wife's face, 

 he gasped out, ' I am going.' Nevertheless, brandy, ether, 

 and other stimulants revived him. About an hour after- 

 wards the hounds arrived, and, much to the astonishment 

 and dismay of all about him, he crawled, with the help of 

 his valet and butler, to the hall-door, and was soon in the 

 saddle. Once there, he looked immediately ten years younger. 

 Observing a horse belonging to Colonel Pennant which he 

 fancied, he dismounted from his own, and though told the 

 other was rather restive, he determined to mount it and 

 follow the hounds. His groom had strict orders to keep 

 very close to him, with a vial of brandy in his pocket. Some 

 anxious friends followed on foot, and from a piece of high 

 ground watched his movements. They were soon terrified 

 by seeing him thrown off. He was not hurt, and wished to 

 continue the chase, saying, ' it was curious how he had lost 

 his gripe on a horse,' which he always said was the secret of 

 his riding ; but at last was persuaded to return home in the 

 carriage. There is great reason to believe that stimulants 

 prolonged his life, but his sufferings were very great. He 

 used to say the feeling of * sinking away ' was the most 

 l)aiuful of all j and yet he never murmured, but used often 

 to repeat, ' It is the will of God,' and, as soon as he was 

 relieved from momentary pain, make a slight bow, and 

 exclaim, ' Thank God ! ' His valet, Attwell, who had been 

 with him many years, nursed him with the tenderest care 

 night and day ; but poor Mr. Smith was so anxious not to 

 disturb him unnecessarily at night (when he had to take 

 medicine at stated hours), that he tried several ways of 

 making the light reflect on his watch, so that he might reach 

 the medicine-bottle himself. Many of these failed ; at last, 

 he and his clever carpenter, John Jones, devised a mechani- 

 cal contrivance which answered admirably. When he had 

 been unusually restless, and had been obliged to call up his 



