MY RELATIVES AND ANCESTORS 7 



Bench. He is described in the deed of admittance as of 

 Lamb's, Conduit Street, where he probably lodged while pur- 

 suing his legal studies, it being near the Inns of Court and at 

 the same time almost in the country. He seems, however, 

 never to have practised law, since he came into property which 

 gave him an income of about £500 a year. This I heard from 

 my sister Fanny. 



From this time, till he married, fifteen years later, he ap- 

 pears to have lived quite idly, so far as being without any sys- 

 tematic occupation, often going to Bath in the season, where 

 he used to tell us he had met the celebrated Beau Brummell 

 and other characters of the early years of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury. An old note-book shows that he was fond of collecting 

 epitaphs from the churchyards of the various places he visited ; 

 among which are Brighton, Lowestoft, Bognor, Ryegate, 

 Godalming, Sevenoaks, Chichester, etc. Most of these are 

 commonplace reflections on the uncertainty of life or equally 

 commonplace declarations of faith in the orthodox heaven, but 

 here and there are more original efforts. This is one at Chi- 

 chester on Henry Case, aged 28 — 



"Here lies a brave soldier whom all must applaud, 

 Much hardship he suffer'd at home and abroad, 

 But the hardest Engagement he ever was in 

 Was the Battle of Self in the Conquest of Sin." 



In the following, at Woodford, Essex, the village poet has 

 been severely practical: — 



" On William Mears, Plumber. 



" Farewell, old friend, for thou art gone 

 To realms above, an honest Man. 

 A plumber, painter, glazier, was your trade, 

 And in sodering pipes none could you exceed. 

 In Water-work you took great delight 

 And had power to force it to any Height, 

 But in Water-closets great was your skill, 

 For each branch was subordinate to your will. 

 But now your Glass is run — your work is done, 



