aa =) 
308 
A SINGULAR EXCUSE. 
A fquire (as is too often the cafe) hada 
long quarrel wiih the parfon about tithes, 
ana was. of courfe, his mortal enemy on 
ali occaliens. . On one, in particular, he 
fhewed a moi hearty f{pirit of revenge to- 
wards the parfon, which was manifefted 
in continual abfence from church. A 
friend remonfrated to the fquire on the 
impropriety of fuch a conduct, which was 
aggravated by the general good character 
of the parfon fr morals, learnin2, and 
integrity. The fquire was indignant, 
and rephed, that he had fworn an oath 
that he would never again be feen any 
where in that fcoundrel’s company. 
PARTICULARs Of the LIFE of DR. SMOL- 
LET, iz @ LETTER writen by bimfelf 
70 @ GENTLEMAN of NEW JERSEY, 
NORTH AMERICA, 
SIR, . 
I am favoured with your's of the 26th 
of Febiuary, and cannot but be pleafed 
to find mytelf, asa writer, fo high in 
your efteem. The curiofiiy you expre's 
_ with regard to the particuiars of my iife, 
and the variety of fituations in which I 
nay have been, cannot be gratified within 
the compa{s of a letter ;_ befides, there are 
fome particulars of my life which it would 
ill become nie to relate. The only fimili- 
tude between the circumftances of my own 
fortune and thofe F have attributed to Ro- 
deric Random, confifts in my being Lorn 
of a refpe€table family im Sectland ; in 
my being bred a furgeon, and having 
ferved as a furgeon’s mate on board a man 
of war during the expedition to Cartha- 
gena. The low fituations in which I 
have exhibited Roderic I never experienc- 
ed in my own perfon. I married, very 
young, a native of Jamaica, a young lady, 
well known and _univerfally relpected un- 
der the name of Mifs Nancy Lafcelles, 
and by her I enjoy acomfcertable, :yhough 
moderate, eftate in that ifland. I prac. 
tifed furgery in London, atier having im- 
proved myleif by travelling in France and 
other foreign countries, till the year 1749) 
when I took my degree of doétor in medi- 
cine, and have lived ever fince in Chelea 
(Lhope) with credit and reputation. No 
man knows better than Mr. what 
time I employed in wri:ing the four firft 
volumes ot the Hiftory of England ; and, 
indeed, the fhort period in which that 
work was finifhed appears almoit incre- 
dible to mylelf, when I_ recollect that I 
turned over and confulsed above three 
hundred volumes in the courle of my Ja- 
Baur. Mr. likewile knows, that I 
épent the beft part of a. year in revifing, 
~ 
Ss 
Extradis from the Portfolio af a Man of Letters. 
. 
[Juiya, 
correcting, and improving, the quarto 
edition, which is now going te the prefs, 
and will be continued in the {ame fize to 
the lail peace. Whatever repvtation I 
may have got by this work has. been 
gearly bought by the lofs of health, which 
Iam cf opinion, I thall never retrieve. 
am going to the fouth of France, in order 
to try the effects of that climate, and very 
probably Ifhalinever recurn.| I am much 
obliged. to you for the hope you exprefs 
that E have obtained fome provifion from 
his Majefty ; but the truth is, I have nei- 
ther penfion nor place, nor am I of «that 
difpoftion which can ftoop to folicit either. 
T hav: always piqued mytfelf upon my in» 
dependency, and [I truft in God I hall 
preferve it tomy dying day.. Exchifive 
cf fome {mall detached performances that 
have been publifhed occafionaily in papers 
and magizines,-the following is a genuize 
lift of my produétions :—Roderick Rant 
dom; the Regicide; a tragedy ; a ‘Trant 
lation of Gi Blas; a Traniflit:on of Din 
Quixote ; an Efiay upon the external Ufe 
of Water; Peregrine Pickle ; Ferdinand 
Count Fathom ; great part cf the Criti- 
cal Review ; a very {mall part of the Com: 
pendium of Voyages; the Complete Hi- 
{tory of England, and Contisuation ; a 
fmall part of the Madern Univerfal Hi- 
ftery ; fome Pieces of the Britifh Maga. 
zine, conprehending the whole of. Sir 
Launcelot Greaves ; a finall part of the 
Tranflation of Velraire’s Works, includ-_ 
ing all the Notes, Hiftorical and Criticah, 
to be found in that Tranflation. I am 
much mortified to find it is believed’ in. 
America. that I have lent my name te 
bookieliers ; that is a {pecies of. proflicus. 
tion. of which I am altogether incapable. 
I had ergaged with Mr. ——, and had 
made fume progrefs in a work exh:bitin 
the prefent ftate of the world, which work 
I fhail Boihh if I recover my hezleh, If 
you fleuld fee Mr. -——-, pleale give my 
kindeft compliments to him ; tell him J 
with him all manner of happinefs, though 
I have little to expect for my own fhire, 
having lo!t my.cnly child, a §re girl of © 
fifteen, whofe deaih has overwhelmed. mys 
felf and my wile with ungtterable {or- 
row. ¢ 
T have now coinplied with your requett, 
and beg, in my-turn, you will commend 
me to all my friends in America. I have 
endeavoured, more than ence, to do the 
Colonies fome fervice. - > 
Iam, Sir,,&c.. Ts. SMOLLET.; 
London, May $,. 1763. . a i 
To Saeae é 
Nese Ferfes, North America. sh 
; MEMOIRS 
