Memoirs of the Forty-five First Years of the Life of James Lackington ...

either to decide on this curious point, or offer any conjectures of my own.

I have now, Sir, not only given you the most material circumstances of my life, but have alfo fuperadded a short sketch of fome of my travels. And fhould the fine air of Merton preferve the stock of health and fpirits, which I have acquired in this last excurfion, I intend during the fummer to spend a few hours in the middle of three or four days in every week in Chifwell-ftreet, devoting the mornings and the remainder of the evenings to my rural retreat,

"Where cheerfulness, triumphant fair,
"Difpels the painful cloud of care,

"O, fweet of language, mild of mien,
"O, Virtue's friend, and pleasure's queen!
"By thee our board with flow'rs is crown'd,
"By thee with fongs our walks refound;
"By thee the fprightly mornings shine,
"And evening hours in peace decline."

As my houfe at Merton is not far from the churchyard, I was a few evenings fince walking in this receptacle of mortality, and recollecting the fcene between Sir Lucius O'Trigger and Acres, faid to myfelf, "Here is good fnug lying," in this place. So I fat down on one of the graves, and wrote the following lines, which I hope when I am gone to heaven (I am not in haste) my friends will have engraved on my tomb-stone :

LACKINGTON'S EPITAPH, .

Good paffenger, one moment stay,
And contemplate this heap of clay ;

'Tis LACKINGTON that claims a pause,

Who ftrove with Death, but loft his caufe;
A ftranger genius ne'er need be,

Than many a merry year was he.

Some faults he had; fome virtues too;

(The Devil himself should have his due :)

And as Dame Fortune's wheel turn'u round,
Whether at top or bottom found,
He never once forgot his ftation,
Nor e'er difown'd a poor relation;

In poverty he found content,'

Riches ne'er made him infolent.

When poor, he'd rather read than eat;
When rich, books form'd his bigheft treat
His firft great with, to act, with care,
The feveral parts affign'd him here:
And, as his heart to truth inclin❜d,
He study'd hard the truth to find.
Much pride he had, 'twas love of fame,
And flighted gold, to get a name;
But fame herf If prov'd greatest gain,
For riches follow'd in her train.

Much had he read, and much had thought,
And yet, you fee, he's come to nought;
Or out of print, as he would fay,
To be revis'd fome future day;
Free from errata, with addition,
A new, and a complete edition.

In fine weather I never leave this place for London, but with great reluctance. I have a good private library here, and with a book in my hand I wander from field to field; and during fuch hours feel not a wifh unfatisfied. And was my immenfe stock of books turned into ey, great as the profits are at No. 46 and 47, Chifwell-street, they would be no temptation to me, ever to fee it more.

I feel the mind

Expand itfelt in wider liberty.

The diftant found breaks gently on my fenfe,
Soothing to meditation: so methinks,
Even fo, fequefter'd from the noisy world,
Could wear out this tranfitory being -
In peaceful contemplation and calm ease.

I would not make this life a life of toil
For wealth o'erbalanc'd with a thousand cares;
Or power, which bafe compliance must uphold;
Or honour lavish'd most on courtly flaves;
Or Fame, vain breath of a misjudging world!
Who for fuch perishable gaudes would put
A yoke upon his free-unbroken spirit,
And gall himself with trammels and the rubs
Of this world's business?

CROWE'S Leweldown Hill, a Poem.

The following lines exprefs the ideas which have often been my own:

Refolv'd the roving, reftlefs mind to cure,
And guide the future different from the paft,
I fought for fweets that might thro' life endure,
And fondly fancied they were found at last.

British Album.

During the winter I purpofe fpending most of my time in town; where I hope again to enjoy the com pany of you, Sir, and fome others of our old philo. fophical friends, and when tired of philofophizing, we will again fing our old verfes:

"What tho' the many wholly bend,
"To things beneath our ftate,
"Some poorly to be rich contend,
"And others meanly great.

"There liv'd a few in ev'ry space,

"Since firft our kind began,

"Who ftill maintain'd, with better grace,
"The dignity of man.

In the mean time, I am,

Dear friend, yours.

1. 1

P. S. I fhould deem myfelf deficient in point of justice to the ingenious artist who painted the portrait from whence the engraving affixed as a frontifpiece to this volume is taken, if I did not embrace this opportunity of acknowledging the approbation it has been honoured with by all who have feen it, as a striking likeness.

The following circumftance, though to many it may appear in a ludicrous point of view, yet as it is a fact, which does not depend folely on my affertion, I

fhall not hesitate to mention it.

Before the portrait was finished, Mrs. Lackington, accompanied by another lady, called on the painter to view it. Being introduced into a room filled with portraits, her littl: dog (the faithful Argus) being with her, immediately ran to that particular portrait, paying it the fame attention as he is always accuftomed to do the original; which made it neceffary to remove him from it, left he should damage it; though this was not accomplished without expreffions of ditfatisfaction on the part of poor Argus. P

He knew his lord, he knew and ftrove to meet,
And all he could, his tail, his ears, his eyes,
Salute his mafter, and confess his joys.

POPE's Odyffey

Thofe who are converfant in hiftory will not doubṛ the fact; feveral fimilar inftances being recorded of the fagacity and nice diferimination of these animals.

A PRAYER.

O may my work for ever live!

(Dear friend, this felfifh zeal forgive :)
May no vile mifcreant faucy cook
Frefume to tear my learned book,
To finge his fowl for nicer guest,
Or pin it on the turkey's breaft.
Keep it from pastry bak'd, or buying.
From broiling fteak, and fritters frying;
From lighting pipes or wrapping fnuff,
Or cafing up a feather muff;

From all the feveral ways the grocer
(Who to the learned world's a foe, Sir,)
Has found in twifting, folding, packing,
His brain and ours at once a racking:
And may it never curl the head
Of either living block, or dead.
Thus when all dangers they have past,
My leaves like leaves of brass shall last,
No blaft fall from a critic's breath,
By vile infection cause their death,
"Till they in flames at last expire,
And help to fet the world on fire.

AMEN.

INDE X.

AUTHOR's motives for publishing his life

Author's gratitude to his customers
Author's thanks to fome bookfellers

Page

Additions fince the first edition, why not printed feparately 19

All alive, alive O, in W

Cathedral

Author's birth not predicted, nor his nativity calculated

bound "prentice to a shoemaker

learns to read, is born again

his rigid application to study of divinity