(.. 982 .) , 
| Extraéts from the Portfolio of a Man of Letters. 
THOMSON. 
(Communicated by the Earl of Buchan.) 
Memorandam of Themfon, the Poet, colletted 
from Mr, Wrilitii Taylor, formerly a Barber 
and Peruke moker, at Richmond, Surry—now 
bind Sejt. 179%. 
Q. R. Taylor, do you remember 
any thing of Thomfon, who 
lived in Kew-lane tome years ago? 
Thomion. 
Q. Thomfon, the poet ?—_Aye, very 
weil. I have taken him by the nole many 
buodred times, I fthaved him, I believe, 
feven cr eight years, or more; he hada 
face as Jong as a horfe; and he iveat fo 
much, that [remember, after walking one 
day in furamer, I fhaved his head without 
Jather by his own defire. His hair was as 
foft as a camei’s—J hardly ever felt fuch; 
and yet it grew fo remarkably, that if it 
was but an inch leng, it itood upright an 
end from his head Ikke a bruth.—[ Mr. 
Robertfon confirmed this remark. ] 
2. His perfon, Tam told, was large 
and clumfy?—Yes; he was pretty ccrpu- 
Jent, and ftooped forward rather when he 
walked, as tnough be was full of thought; 
he was very carele(s and negligent about 
his drefs, and wore his clothes remarkably 
piain. [Mr. Robertion, when I read this 
to him, faid, «* He was clean and yet flo- 
veniy, he ftooped a good deal.” 
Q. Did le always wear a wig ?—Al. 
ways in my memory, and very extravagant 
he was wiihthem. [I have feen a dozen 
at a time hanging up in my matter’s fhop, 
and all of them fo big that nobody el‘e 
could wearthem. I fuppofe his {weaticg 
to fuch a degree made him have fo many, 
for I have known him fpo:l a new one 
only in wa! king from London. 
Q. He was a great walker, I believe? 
—Yes; he ufed to walk from Malloch’s 
at Strand on the Gfeen near Kew Bridge, 
and trom London, at all hours in the night; 
he feidom liked to ge in a carriage, and I 
never faw him on horfeback. TI believe he 
was too fearful to ride.—[Mr. Roberrfon 
faid, he could rot bear to get upon a horle. | 
Q.. Had he a Scotch accent ?—Very 
broad—he always called me Wull. 
Q. Did you know any of his relations? 
—Yes; he had two nephews [coufins ?] 
Andrew avd Gilbert Thomfon, both gar- 
Geners, who were much with him. An- 
drew uled to wo:k in his garden and keep 
it in order at oyer hours; he died at Rich- 
mud, abcut cleven years ago, of a cancer 
I 

fort. 
in his face. Gilbert, his brother, lived 
at Eaft Sheen with ove Squire Taylor, till 
he fell out of a muiberry tree and was 
kisled. 
Q. Did Thomfon keep much com- 
pany ?-—Yes; a good deal of the awriting- 
I remember Pope, and Parerfon, 
and Malloch, and Lyttelton, and Dr. 
Armittrong, and Andrew Millar the book. 
fe ler, wno had a heufe near Thomfen’s 
in Kew lane. - Mr. Robertfon eculd tell 
you more about them. 
Did Pore often vifit him?—Very 
often; he ufed to wear a light-coloured 
great coat, and commonly kept it on 
in the houfe; he wasa ftrange ill formed 
little figure of a man; but I have heard 
him and Qum, and Patesfon, talk toge- 
ther fo at Thomfon’s, that I could have 
liftened to them for ever. 
Q. Quin was frequently there, I fup- 
pofer—Yes; Mrs. Hobast, his houle-- 
keeper, often withed Quin dead, he made 
her mafter drink fo. Ihave feen him and 
Quin coming from the Caftle together at 
four o’clock in the morning, and not over 
fober you may be fure. When he was 
writing in his own houfe, he frequently 
fat with a bowl of punch before him, and 
that a good large one too. 
Did he Gt much in his garden ?— 
Yes; he had an arbour at the end of it, 
where he ufed to write in fummer time. 
I have known him lie along by himfelf 
upon the grals near it, and talk away as 
though three or four people were along 
with him.—[T his might probablybe when 
he was reciting his own compofitions. } 
Q. Did you ever fee any of histwri- 
ting?—-I was once tempted, I remember, 
to take a peep; his papers ufed to lie in a 
loo'e pile upon the table in his ftudy, and 
i had longed for a look at them a goed 
while: fo one morning while [ was wait- 
ing in the rvem to fhave him, and he was 
Jonger than ufual before he came down, I 
flipped-cff the top fheet. of paper and ex- 
pected to find fomething very curious, but 
I could make nothing of it. Tcould not 
even read it, for the letters looked like all 
in one. 
Q. He was very affable in his man- 
ner?—O yes! he had no pride; he 
was very free in his converfation and very 
cheerful, and one of the beft natured men 
that ever lived. 
Q. He feldom was mach burthened 
with cafh?—No; to be fure he was deuced 
long-winded ; but when he had money. he 
would 
