We had now each drank our bottle, when Mr. Watfon faid, the board was fitting, and that he must attend, earnestly preffing me, at the fame time," to go with him and try my fortune. I answered, he knew that was at prefent out of my power, as I had informed him of the emptinefs of my pocket. To fay the truth, I doubted not, from his many ftrong expreflions of friendship, but that he would offer to lend me a fmall fum for that purpose; but he answered, "Never mind that, man, e'en boldly "run a levant;" (Partridge was going to enquire the meaning of that word; but Jones ftopped his mouth)" but be circumfoect as to the man. I will tip you the proper per.on, which may be neceffary," "as you do not know the town, nor can diftinguish a rum cull from a queer one."

The bill was now brought, when Watfon paid his fhare, and was departing. I reminded him, not without blushing, of my having no money.' He answered, "That fignifies nothing, fcore it be"hind the door, or make a bold brush, and take no

notice-Or-ftay, fays he, I will go down ftairs "first, and then do you take up my money, and fcore the whole reckoning at the bar, and I will wait for you at the corner." I expreffed fome diflike at this, and hinted my expectation that he would have depofited the whole; but he fwore he had not another fix-pence in his pocket.

take

clofe

He then went down, and I I was prevailed on to up the money and follow him, which I did enough to hear him tell the drawer the reckoning was upon the table. The drawer paffed by me up ftairs; but I made fuch hafte into the street, that I heard nothing of his disappointment, nor did I mention a fyllable at the bar, according to my inftruc⚫tions..

We now went directly to the gaming-table, where Mr. Watford to my furprize, pulled out a large fum of money, and placed it before him, as did many others; all of them, no doubt, confidering their own heaps as fo many decoy birds, which were to intice and draw over the heaps of their neighbours.

Here

in

"Here it would be tedious to relate all the freaks which fortune, or rather, the dice, played in this her temple. Mountains of gold were in a few mo ⚫ments reduced to nothing at one part of the table, and rofe as fuddenly in a another. The rich grew a moment poor, and the poor as fuddenly became rich; fo that it seemed a philofopher could no where have fo well inftructed his pupils in the contempt of riches, at least he could no where have better incul⚫cated the incertainty of their duration.

6.

For my own part, after having confiderably improved my fmall eftate, I at laft entirely demolished it. Mr. Watfon too, after much variety of luck, • rose from the table in fome heat, and declared. he had loft a cool hundred, and would play no longer. Then coming up to me, he asked me to return with him to the tavern; but I pofitively refufed, faying, "I would not bring myfelf a fecond time into fuch a dilemma, and efpecially as he had loft all his money, and was now in my own condition,' fays he, I have juft borrowed a couple of guineas "of a friend; and one of them is at your fervice." He immediately put one of them into my hand, and I no longer refifted his inclination.

Pooh,

I was at firft a little fhocked at returning to the fame house whence we had departed in fo unhandfome a manner; but when the drawer with very civil addrefs, told us, "he believed we had forgot to "pay our reckoning," I became perfectly eafy, and very readily gave him a guinea, bid him pay himself, and acquiefced in the unjust charge which had been laid on my memory.

• Mr. Watfon now befpoke the most extravagant fupper he could well think of, and though he had contented himself with fimple claret before, nothing now but the moft precious Burgundy would ferve his purpofe.

Our company was foon encreased by the addition of feveral gentlemen from the gaming-table; moft of whom, as I afterwards found, came not to the tavern to drink, but in the way of bufinefs; for the true gamefters pretended to be ill, and refufed their glafs,

1.

is

-0.

glafs, while they plied heartily two young fellows, who were to be afterwards pillaged, as indeed they were without mercy. Of this plunder I had the good fortune to be tharer, though I was not yet let into the fecret.

There was one remarkable accident attended this tavern play; for the money, by degrees, totally difappeared, fo that though at the beginning the table was half covered with gold, yet before the play ended, which it did not till the next day, being Sunday, at noon, there was fcarce a fingle guinea to be feen on the table; and this was the ftranger, as every perfon prefent except myfelf declared he had loft; and what was become of the money, unless the devil himfelf carried it away, is difficult to determine.' Moft certainly he did,' fays Partridge, for evil fpirits can carry away any thing without being feen, though there were never fo many folk in the room; and I fhould not have been furprised if he had carried away all the company of a fet of wicked wretches, who were at play in fermon time. And I could tell you a true ftory, if I would, where the devil took a man out of bed from another man's wife, and carried him away through the key-hole of the door. I've feen the very houfe where it was done, and no body hath lived in it thefe thirty years.'

Though Jones was a little offended by the impertinence of Partridge, he could not however avoid fmiling at his fimplicity. The ftranger did the fame, and then proceeded with his ftory, as will be feen in the next chapter.

CHAP. XIII. Murkoavgh

non which the foregoing story is farther continued.

M

FY fellow collegiate had now entered me in a new scene of life. I foon became acquainted with the whole fraternity of fharpers, and was let into their fecrets. I mean into the knowledge of thofe grofs cheats which are proper to impofe upon

the

the raw and unexperienced for there are fome tricks of a finer kind, which are known only to a few of the gang, who are at the head of their profeffion; a degree of honour beyond my expectation for drink, to which I was immoderately addicted, and the natural warmth of my paffions, prevented me from arriving at any great fuccefs in an art, which requires as much coolnefs as the most auftere fchool of philofophy.

Mr. Watfon, with whom I now lived in the closest amity, had unluckily the former failing to a very great excefs; fo that inftead of making a fortune by. his profeffion, as fome others did, he was alternately rich and poor, and was often obliged to furrender to his cooler friends, over a bottle which they never tafted, that plunder that he had taken from culls at the public table.

However, we both made a fhift to pick up an uncomfortable livelihood, and for two years I continued of the calling, during which time I tafted all the varieties of fortune; fometimes flourishing in affluence, and at others been obliged to ftruggle with almoft incredible difficulties. To-day wallowing in luxury, and to-morrow reduced to the coarseft and moft homely fare. My fine clothes being often on ⚫ my back in the evening, and at the pawn-fhop the next morning.

One night as I was returning pennylefs from the gaming-table, I obferved a very great difturbance, and a large mob gathered together in the ftreet.As I was in no danger from pick-pockets, I ventured into the croud, where, upon enquiry, I found that a man had been robbed and very ill ufed by fome ruf• fians. The wounded man appeared very bloody, and feemed fcarce able to fupport himself on his legs. As I had not therefore been deprived of my humanity by my prefent life and converfation, though they had left me very little of either honesty or fhame, I immediately offered my affiftance to the unhappy perfon, who thankfully accepted it, and putting himself under my conduct, begged me to convey him to fome tavern, where he might fend for

• fur

furgeon, being, as he faid, faint with the lofs of blood. He feemed indeed highly pleafed at finding one who appeared in the dress of a gentleman; for as to all the rest of the company prefent, their outfide was fuch that he could not wifely place any confidence in them.

I took the poor man by the arm, and led him to the tavern where we kept our rendezvous, as it happened to be the neareft at hand. A furgeon happening luckily to be in the house, immediately attended, and applied himself to dreffing-his wounds, which I had the pleasure to hear was not likely to be mortal. Montrend

f

The furgeon having very expeditioufly and dex. trously finished his bufinefs, began to enquire in what part of the town the wounded man lodged;" who answered, "That he was come to town that very "morning; that his horfe was at at inn in Piccadilly, and that he had no other lodging, and very little or no acquaintance in town."

This furgeon, whofe name I have forgot, though I remember it began with an R, had the first cha⚫racter in his profeffion, and was ferjeant-furgeon to the king. He had moreover many good qualities, and was a very generous, good-natured man, and ready to do any fervice to his fellow-creatures. He offered his patient the ufe of his chariot to carry him to his inn, and at the fame time whispered in his ear," That if he wanted any money, he would fur"nish him."

The poor man was not now capable of returning thanks for this generous offer for having had his eyes for fome time ftedfaftly on me, he threw himfelf back in his chair, crying, O, my fon! my fon! and then fainted away.

Many of the people prefent imagined this accident ⚫ had happened through his lofs of blood; but I, who at the fame time began to recollect the features of my father, was now confirmed in my fufpicion, and fatisfied that it was he himself who appeared before me. I prefently ran to him, raised him in my arms, and kiffed his cold lips with the utmoft eager

nefs.