which he spoke on his own perfonal fubject."I have detected a fellow at work upon this "face of mine, ugly as it is, faid he, even as "I have been walking in the streets of Lon-. "don; and if a hackney-coach has been. "within call, I have popped into it, drawn up. "the blinds, and fat fnug, till I got to my "own door, and then I have leaped out, and "run into my own houfe, as if I was appre-. "henfive a bailiff was at,my heels. Nay, I "have often had my door itself infefted by a 'lurking artist, who was literally in wait to "take me off. But one day, fince my return, "a trick I played one of thefe takers off di"verted me exceffively. You must know I ám a great gaper at the novelties that are

continually prefented at the print-shops in "this great city; I was ftanding at that of

Carrington Bowles, in St. Paul's Church"yard, the other day, to look at fome political "caricatures very pleasantly executed, when,

happening to caft my eye fide-long, I difco"vered a fellow operating on my phiz with all "his might. Perceiving himself caught in "the fact, he lowered his paper, and pretended "to be, like myfelf and a number of others, "looking only at the prints. I was just then "in the humour to pay off this deception by another, fo feeming, like him, to be wholly

"engroffed by a figure, called Scotch Oeconomy, well calculated to provoke the rifible

"

muscles, I threw mine into fuch contortions, "and gave fuch fudden changes from one deformity to another, that had my painter etched any one of my features in its then po"fition, the refemblance betwixt my actual " felfand the copy, would have been just as striking, as-I could defire it to be. The painter, "however, at length perceived the ftratagem, "and smiling, as if he gave me credit for it,

put his pencil into his pocket and went away. "I own I enjoyed the joke, and have fince. practifed it, more than once, with no lefs "fuccefs."

You will, doubtlefs, throw thefe fallies amongst his fingularities, my friend, but they are by no means to be ftigmatized as affectations. From a very intent obfervation on Mr. Howard, I am perfectly fatisfied, that as he had but few who acted like himself, the proportion of those who felt in the fame way the ordinary refults of fuch actions were not greater. That he was infenfible to honeft praise cannot be fuppofed, without depriving him of emotions which the most ingenuous modesty may indulge, and which are indeed amongst the most natural pleasures of the human mind; but

to

to court the reputation of benevolence, by fuffering the lucre of it to mix with any of his motives, or, ftill worse, to make it, as alas too many people do, a first great cause of being bountiful, argues an envy or a depravity in thofe who impute to him fuch vanities. In a word, if ever a human being could be truly faid to "do good, and blush to find it fame,” it was the late Mr. John Howard,

I presume you have heard, that, amongst his other fingularities, is to be enumerated his generous care of his fuperannuated horfes. He had a range of paftures facred to the old age of those who had carried him pleafantly, or worked for him honeftly and industriously, till they were no longer fit for fervice.

This is the moment when horfes are, in general, either fold at an under price to people who are conftrained to allow no touch of pity to predominate over that charity which begins at home, or elfe. they are deftroyed, and given to the dogs, their masters alledging that it is an act of humanity. Our Philanthropift's humanity never leading him to kill an old servant, he turns his ufelefs horfes into the aforefaid pastures, where they remain happy penfioners on his bounty for the reft of their lives.

I was much delighted on walking over thofe grounds with the generous mafter of them, to fee twenty or thirty of thefe quadruped penfioners, enjoying themselves in perfect freedom from labour, and in full fupply of all that old age requires. Each of the fields has a comfortable fhed, where the inhabitants can refort to in the hard weather, and are fure of finding the rigours of the feafon foftened by a wellfurnished crib of the best hay, and a manger either of bran, or corn, ground, or fome other nourishing food. Chelfea hofpital is not better accommodated: the day on which I made the circuit of the paftures was one of the finest of "Auguft; fome of the penfioners were renovating in the fun, others repofing in the fhade, but on the approach of their benefactor, all of them, actuated by a fpirit of gratitude worthy of imitation, that could move with ease, came towards him, invited his attentions, and feemed very fenfible of their 'fituation. Some, whofe limbs almoft refufed their offices, put themfelves to no fmall difficulties to limp towards him, and even thofe, who, being confined to their hovels, might be fairly faid to be bedridden, turned their languid eyes to him, and appeared fenfible of his pity, and caressings.

"Thefe

Thefe have been all very faithful creatures, "Sir, faid he, and who have ftrong claims upon "me that poor fellow, who has now fcarce a "leg to ftand upon, was the conftant com

panion of my peregrinations for fix and "twenty years, and was as proud and prancing, "as he is now humble and decrepid; and the "iron grey invalid, which you fee yonder,

dragging his flow length along, was in "the days of his youth fuch a roving, riotous "fellow, that no gate or hedge could keep " him within bounds, and it was a day's "work fometimes to catch him; nay, when he

was caught, it required more addrefs and horfemanfhip than ever I was master of, "to make him understand, that the philosophy "of a parfon's pad, had more charms for me "than all the flights of Bucephalus, or even "of Pegafus himself. Look at him now. The "morality of the contraft is obvious."

In this manner he went on, enumerating the feveral qualities, and hiftorical anecdotes of the feveral penfioners. The one last described, he told me, "was at no time a horse for him, " and would not probably have been amongst "his penfioners, but that he had been once rode "by a relation of his, a young agreeable rake,

"who