. Evils from a Prize in the Lottery: 
ive them an additional brilliancy—My 
awite afliited mein my bufinefs, as a wite 
ought; and if any. bufinefs called me 
from home, there was fhe behind the 
counter, and as attentive as myfelf. I 
‘kept one maid fervant, and a boy to car- 
xy parcels. My two childrea had got 
Auch fchooling as was thought proper for 
their expectations. 1 intended my fon 
to facceed me in bufinefs; and, as for 
my daugiter, fhe would have made an 
excellent houfe-wife, which is all, in my 
humble opinion, that tradefmen’s daugh- 
ters ought to be. I paid all parifh rates 
with pleafure, and ferved parifh offices to 
honeftly, that 1 do not think I eat more 
than ¢ave children in all my time, which 
4s faying 2 great deal. As to amule- 
qents, we never defired the expenfive- 
ones. Now and then, in very fine wea- 
ther, I would treat my family to Sadler’s 
Wells, or Barnaby Spa, but as to trips 
by fea,we never went farther than Gravef- 
end, and carrying our own provifions 
with us, and coming back by the next 
tide, you mutt allow all this was very 
gnoderate. 
In this happy ftate things went on for 
fome years. All was fun-fhine and 
broad day-light; aye, and good broad 
humour at night with us. But happi- 
pefs will have anend. There are many 
mps and downs in life. The devil is 
never tired of the many pranks he plays 
us poor honeft folks. It happened one 
day, Sir, that my wife received a hand- 
bill about the lottery, wrapt round an 
ounce of green tea which we had brought 
to treat the curate of our parifh with. 
What there was in this wicked bill, I do 
not mow remember, but the woman 
would not reft until the had bought a 
ticket, or a fhare of one. [ had not been 
ufed to contradict her, and perhaps the 
devil might enter into me at the fame 
time, for I believe he generally prefers a 
whole family, when he can get them, 
‘The ticket was bought, and J had been 
happy if it had proved a blank; but in 
a few dzys it was pronounced an hun- 
dred pound prize. A {econd ticket fol- 
lowed of courfe, and a third; and be- 
fore the lottery had done drawing, I was 
mafter of five thoufand pounds fterling 
gmoney. This was a fum of which there 
is no mention in the records of our fa- 
mily for fevera] generations. I feemed, 
indeed, born a great man without the 
‘help of anceltors. | 
But alas! this was the beginning of 
forrows and evils. My wife now de- 
glared war againit all bufinels, induitry, 
: 
163 
and frugality ; and as it was by her ad- 
vice I bought the ticket, fhe took the 
whole merit of our fuccefs out of the 
hands of Dame F ortune, and infitted that 
we fhould lay out our money like people 
of fafhion. People of fafhion! Thefe 
were her very words; and, the added, 
likewife, that fhe mutt now feé 4 little of 
the world, and metamorphofe me and my 
children after her own way. 
Would you belicve it, Sir? I canndt 
fay that! I was wholiy againft all this, 
becanfe I could not help feeling, how 
much more comfortable it is to have five 
thoufand pounds, than to be daily toiling 
to make up as many hundreds ; but { 
declare, that if it had not been for this 
money, I never fhould have thought of 
becoming aman of fathion, for I had fo 
other notion of fuch at that time, than 
that they were perfons who required /oag 
credit. But to proceed—The firft ftep 
my wife took, was to difpole of our ftock’ 
in trade, and this was ealily done, at the 
lofs of about three hundred pounds, for. 
Wwe were very precipitate, and the buyers 
knowing that we could-not for fhame’s 
fake keep ovr ftock on hand, refolved to 
eafe us of it inthe genteeleit way poffi- 
ble; and I may truly fay, for the fir 
time of my life, that my candles were 
burnt at both ents. This being over, 
my wife difcovered that there was fome- 
thing very pernicious in the air of White- 
chapel, and determined to leave the 
place. My leafe had fifteen years to ran, 
and I foen got a tenant wuo agreed te 
ay me lefs than I was obliged to pay th 
Cae ; but this was nothing toa man 
who, by the fale of his effects, had added 
a pretty handfome fum to the above fva 
thoufand. a 
After much confultation (for we found - 
the whims of people of fathion come very 
naturally) we hired a houfe in one of the 
ftreets near Palace-yard, becaufe it was 
“ only rool. a year rent, and was fo centricul 
(as my wife called it) to the playhouies, 
and the palace! By this you will learn, . 
that fhe knew as much of the centre of 
the playhoules as fhe did about the cir- 
cumference of our fortune. But here, 
however, we fat down, and. a difeovery 
having been made, naturally enough -I 
mut fay, that the furniture of our old 
houfe was not proper even for the fer- 
vants” rooms of our new one, we employ- 
ed an honeft broker, who furnifhed us 
completely, from ‘top to. bottom, with 
every article in the neweft tatte.. We! had 
carpets which it was almott herely to 
walk upon; chains on which oJ dare not 
. | zt pits ’ ; ‘ es hit 

