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faction; for, upon quitting the stage, he thought it was prudent to make some provision for the remainder of his days, and as he was never married, and had none but distant relatives, he resolved to sink half of his small fortune in order to procure an easy competence. The Duke of B- who always professed a great regard for him, hearing of his design, sent for him, and very generously told him, that he would grant him an annuity for his life upon very much better terms than any he could procure from persons who made a profession of granting annuities; and so in reality he did, for Mr. Quin obtained two hundred pounds a year for two thousand pounds. With this provision and about two thousand more he had in the funds, he retired to Bath, a place he had always in his eye for a retreat, as the manner of living, and the company that associated there, were so entirely consonant to his plan of life; he accordingly hired a house there, and had it fitted up in a decent, if not elegant, manner.

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We may now suppose Mr. Quin at Bath; but before we fix him there for good, we must relate an adventure that happened at the Bedford coffee house about this time. The. Cibber, whose impertinence constantly kept pace with his vanity, having taken something amiss that Quin had said concerning his acting, came one night strutting into the coffee house, and having walked up to the fireplace, he said, "He was come to call that capon-loined rascal to an account for taking liberties with his character." Somebody told him, that he had been passed by Quin, who was sitting at the other end of the room in the window. 'Ay, so I have sure enough" says he "but I see he is busy talking to Rich, and I won't disturb them now, I'll take another opportunity." "But," continued his informer, finding the backwardness of Cibber, and willing to have some sport, "he sets off for Bath tomorrow, and may not, perhaps, be in town again this twelvemonth." "Is that the case," said Cibber (somewhat nettled at finding his courage was suspected) "Then I e'en chastise him now."-Upon this he goes up to Quin and calls out aloud, "You— Mr. Quin, I think you call yourself, I insist upon satisfaction for the affront you gave me yesterday-demme". "If you have a mind to be flogged," (replied Quin) "I'll do it for you with all my heart, d--mn me." "Draw Sir," resumed Cibber, "or I'll be through your guts this instant."-"This (said Quin) is an improper place to rehearse Lord Foppington in; but if you'll go under the Piazza, I may, perhaps, make you put up your sword faster than you drew it." Cibber now went out; Quin followed, when they immediately drew-Cibber parried, and retreated as

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far as the garden rails, when Quin tired with trifling so long, made a lunge, in doing which he tumbled over a stone: Cibber taking the advantage of the accident, made a thrust at him, slightly wounded him in the forehead, and ran off full speed towards the church, as if for sanctuary.

Cibber put to flight, and Quin's wound dressed, the latter set out, according to his intention, the next day for Bath; and now let us take a view of his manner of living in this city: to do this, it will be necessary to observe how people in general pass their time here. It is customary to begin the morning by bathing, which continues from six till about nine; the company then repair to the pump-house, some to drink the hot waters, but more for pastime, as they are here amused by a band of music, which fills up the intervals of wit and pleasantry. From hence the ladies withdraw to the female coffee house, and from thence to their lodgings to breakfast; the gentlemen at the same time withdraw to their coffee houses to read the papers, and converse upon the news of the day, or such topics as may occasionally occur; and it must be acknowledged that this is done with a freedom and ease not to be met with in the coffee or chocolate houses of this city, for all restraint is there laid aside, and every one looks upon the present company as he would a set of old acquaintance whom he had known for many years. Public breakfasts are often given by persons of rank at the assembly houses, and sometimes private concerts. There are also in the morning lectures read upon various branches of arts and sciences for those who are inclined to improve their knowledge or refresh their memories. At noon the company appear upon the Parade and other walks, when they form parties for card playing or dancing for the evening. The more studious may now amuse themselves at the bookseller's shops, to which and the coffee houses, where they are allowed the use of pen and paper, they subscribe upon their arrival. We may now suppose it dinner-time, and if our friend partook of all the exercises of the morning, he was not behindhand in playing a pretty good knife and fork; as Bath is furnished with elegant provisions of every kind, and excellent cooks. Dinner being finished, the company meet again at the pump-house, when, if fine weather, they adjourn to the walks and from thence repair to the assembly to drink tea. The evening concludes according to their respective engagements, either in visiting, at the play, or the ball. Thus Bath yields a continued rotation of diversions, and people of all ways of thinking, even from the libertine to the methodist, have it in their power to complete the day with employment agreeable to their taste and disposition.

Quin, who moved in the happy medium between both, could doubtless avail himself of the pastimes this agreeable place affords; if he did not often rise at six to bathe, or drink hot water in the pump-room, for the sake of being in fashion, he could enjoy the sprightliness of the conversation, and join in with the humourist or the satirist; he could comment upon the news of the day, with the politician or the schemist, at the coffee house; take a turn with Flirtilla upon the parade at noon; enjoy his friend and his mutton at three; crack a bottle and smoke his pipe till tea time; play a sober game at whist at the rooms; and retire contented to bed, without his losses or gains interrupting his repose.

CHAPTER XIII.

The calumnies invented of Mr. Quin during his residence at Bath. A Refutation of them. The merit of the celebrated Beau Nash placed in its true light.

SUCH then is the life which Mr. Quin passed for upwards of sixteen years at Bath, without any interruption to his ease, contentment, pleasantry and humour; though he was not without his calumniators, his satirists, and even his murderers; for he was many times put to death, even in the public papers long before he really departed this life.

"Envy does merit as its shade pursue,

And as a shadow, proves the substance true."

The witlings of Bath constantly buzzing about him, to catch each accent falling from his tongue, in order to pass it current for their own, were not content with robbing him of his wit, but more than once attacked his reputation; for not to mention the ridiculous reports of his marriage at church, where they would insinuate he had not been for many years, what but the highest pitch of malice could have framed the report which was spread of his design to supplant beau Nash, during his life, in the post of Master of the Ceremonies? As this affair has made some noise, and has already appeared in print, it will be necessary to consider it with more attention than reports of a less serious nature.

A person of Nash's acquaintance in London, who pretended to have great influence with Lord C—, informed him by letter, that Quin was interceding to supplant him in his post of Master of the Ceremonies; and to give this some colour, he transmitted to him at the same time a letter, supposed to be written from Quin at Bath to his lordship in town, which was under a flying cover, to be transmitted to my lord by Nash's correspondent. It is amazing that this officious friend to the old beau could so far build upon his credulity and want of discernment, as to impose upon him such a letter as he made Quin write to my lord, as the grammar and spelling must at once have detected the imposition to a person who would give himself a moment's time to reflect; and yet Nash was so far imposed upon, as to print the letter verbatim, and disperse it, in order to expose Quin's insincerity

and ignorance, without considering that they recoiled with double force upon himself.

We find the letter inserted in Nash's life, lately printed; and as the reader will certainly not be displeased to see it here, in order to clear Mr. Quin from the imputation of being its author, we shall transcribe it in the dress we there meet with it.

The letter from the intermediate correspondent to Mr. Nash, is as follows:

Dear Nash,

London, Oct. 8, 1760.

Two posts ago I received a letter from Quin, the old player, covering one to my lord, which he left open for my perusal, which after reading, he desired I might seal up and deliver. The request he makes is so extraordinary that it has induced me to send you the copy of his letter to my lord, which is as follows:

My dear Lord,

Bath, Oct, 3, 1760. Old beaux Knash has made himselfe so disagreeable here to all the company that comes here to Bath, that the Corporation of this City have it now under their consideration to remove him from being Master of the Ceremoines, should he be continued, the inhabitants of this city will be ruined, as the best company declines

to come to Bath on his account.

Give me leave to show to your lordship how he beheaved at the first ball he had here thiss season which was Tu'sday last. A younge lady was ask'd to dance a minuet.—She begg the gentleman would be pleased to exquise here, as she did not chuse to dance; upon this old Nash call'd out so as to be heard by all the company in the room— -G- d—m yo Madam, what business have yo here, if you do not dance-upon which the lady was so affrighted she rose and danced,—the ress'et of the companey was so much offended, that not one lady more would dance a minueat that night. In the country dance no person of note danced except two boys Lords Sand T-, the rest of the companey that danced waire only the families of all the haberdashers, machinikes, and innkeepers in the three kingdoms, brushed up and colexted together. I have known upon such an occasion as this seventeen Dutchesses and Contisses to be at the opening of the ball at Bath, now not one. This man by his pride and extravigancis has outliv'd his reasion, it would be happy for thiss city that he was ded; and is now only fit to reed Shirlock upon death by which he may save his soul, and gaine more than all the proffits he can make, by his white hatt, suppose it was to be died red.

The favour I have now to request by what I now have wrote yo, is that your lordship will be so kind as to speke to Mr. Pitt for to

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