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European

Magazine.

Castle Howard, the Seat of the Earl of Carlisle.

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HAVE the pleafure to enclofe my bill

TRINITY TERM

1793.

NICHILS verfus TARDY.

in caufe“ Nichils verfus Tardy." Mar. 29, To Plaintiff, yourself, calling

30,31

morng

Do even

ing

Hope you will approve of what has
been done. Had notice yesterday, by
letter left in box at Chambers, and
figned "Sam Skinflint, Atty," that Apr. 1,
"his client, deft Tardy, has brought
a writ of error," which will delay
procefs near twelve months. Though
entitled to go to execution, it is im-
poflible to purfue judgment on writ
of enquiry had before Sheriff and Jury,
till we are cleared of error. Shall be
obliged to you for extra colts hitherto
incurred, as pr bill, which will cer-
tainly be returned to you twofold by
Deft Tardy.

Shall follow him in error, where I have no doubt but he will find he has taken a wrong flap. At any rate, if, upon argument in Exchequer Cham. ber, he fhould be fortunate enough to establish errors affigned, (which I can hardly think he will, for how is it poffible that I should have made any flips though I with you had taken my advice refpecting the original,) we fhall have an opportunity, I hope and truft, to go over the ground of action again, when you may depend upon my vigilance and activity.

Apr.

at Chambers 3 times when
I was at Hall, and Clerk
taking down minutes of debt
due from T. Tardy

I waited upon you for farther
inftructions; you was from
home
Patled by your houfe, looked
up at the window (fhut),
fuppofed you to be ftill out
2 Receiving inftructions, and
giving advice to arrest faid
T. Tardy-

do Returned, as you had forgot to
Fut:S:D at the top of
pounds, thills, and pence,
in your acct of T. T.'s
debt

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3 Attending you to Sheriff's
Office

13 4

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6 Waiting on you to ftate bai

was approved, and atiair would be fettled this Term 12 To your meeting me in the ftreet, and afking how affair

Went oir

20 To informing you Deft had
put in a falfe plea, and mat-
ters flood over to another
Term, when it would cer-
tainly be fettled

Should not have fent bill fo foon, but am going out of town, and May1,) thought having driven Deft Tardy into error was too pleafing and important a piece of news to be delayed.

If you are of opinion the bearer (my Clerk), who will give receipt for cath on account, delerves any confideration for his diligence, you will ufe your dif cretion.

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9, 11,
and 13.

July

To your calling at Chambers

5 times, when I informed)
you knew nothing tur-

ther

Writing you a letter,
advife that at Trito int
Paper, books, ac
Porters and

2 O

6 8

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At the fame time (perhaps it is not yet too late) I cannot help congratuJating Mr. Nichils, the plaintiff, upon the amazing progrefs he has made towards the recovery of his debt from Mr. Tardy, who feems to be a very excellent defendant; and would allo, from this fpecimen of Mr. Harpy's abilities, take the liberty to recommend to any of my readers who would wish for the pleasure of engaging in a suit of. a fimilar nature, as they may, at a trifling expenfe, enjoy a whole twelvemonth of Hope, which is faid to be the greatest blefling of life, and at the end of that time, by that liberal indulgence which is frequently given to buman errors, especially if difplayed with ingenuity, be, as we learn from Mr. H., gratified with an opportunity of traverfing the fame ground the next year. I thould, therefore, advise every one to begin the world by piddling in a little fuit of this kind; but if they with for fomething fubftantial, a knot, not half fo easily unloofed as the marriage ligature, a life annuity of blifs, fuch is my benevolence, that I might, for a confideration, trifling in comparison to the object, be induced to permit one or two to a participation of the chanceryfuit I mentioned, and confequently to attain that confummation of human happiness, which has at prefent devolved on the fingle head of

home, and tried on clothes for him, Mr. Smeaton knew him perfectly well; but as, at this time, he had given no orders refpecting apparel, he was aftonifhed at his appearance, and ftill more fo when he understood the nature of his application.

He asked him if he was married?
"No," he faid, "he was a fingle

man."

"What, then," faid Mr. Smeaton, can induce you to wish to become an inhabitant of the Eddystone lighthoufe?"

"Why, to confefs the truth," replied the tailor, "I have a vast inclination to fee a little more of the world; I was always fond of liberty, and have for many years difliked the confine. ment of bufinefs and my master's shop."

Mr. Smeaton faid, he could hardly keep his countenance: he, however, with that affability which was fo diftinguishing a trait in his character, ex. plained to the man the nature and the danger of his fituation. But no argu ments that he could ufe had force fufficient to diffuade him. He wished to feel the advantages of liberty, and to obtain that knowledge of the world which, he had an idea, the profpect from a barren rock, continually beaten by, and frequently almost covered with, the waves of a boisterous ocean, would

PETER PRY. afford.

MR. SMEATON. I well remember this Gentleman, to whom the science of civil architecture is indebted for fyftematic improvements which places him upon a level with its original inventor, once in converfation ftating to a relation of mine, that when, in fpite of the various difficulties he had to encounter, the Eddystone light houfe was finished, notwithstanding the fate that had attended the former building, a number of perfons applied to him to be appointed refidents in the new erection, where, it is to be underftood, two were to be conftantly on duty, immured or cafed in ftone in a fituation where, probably, for many months in every year, it was impoffible to have any communication with them from the main land. Among the reft that, upon this occafion, attended his levee in Arundel-ftreet, was a young man, one of the journeymen to his tailor.

As this youth had frequently brought

As Mr. S. knew this perfon to be perfectly fober, and of an unexceptionable character, he no longer prefied his objections, but accordingly fent him to refide at the Light-houfe. As he was fond of reading, his patron directed, that whenfoever an opportunity offered, files of newspapers, with maga zines and other books, fhould be fent to him; and the tailor, by his care and diligence, repaid his attention. He continued in this perilous fituation for a long period, and declared that he never was fo happy in his life. Fithing, in fine weather, was one of his amufements. But what was very extraordinary, he made fuch good ufe of the abundant leifure which the winter afforded, in reading, writing, and studying, that he exceedingly improved his mind, and became fo capable of bufinefs, that he was by his patron, when the term of his aft engagement (I think feven years,) had expired, employed more advantageously, though probably not more agreeably to himself.

EDWARD

EDWARD SHUTER, COMEDIAN. This truly humorous and excellent, though fometimes outre, Actor, in the early part of his lite, was engaged at Drury-line Theatre, where his irregularities having, it is more than probable, very frequently offendel the Manager, he was fometimes fent upon the stage in parts by no means fuited to his genius and talents. It will be recollected, that the weeping Mufe had no fhare in the compolition of Shuter, whofe very appearance was an antidote to grief; yet he was, one night, appointed to act the part of Balthaza, in Romeo and Juliet, a character which, though thort, certainly required that kind of gravity of deportment which it was impoflible for him, even for a moment, to allume. Garrick was the Romeo of the night; and as Shuter undertook the part with great reluctance, he, it appears, refolved not to be fpeedily called upon to tragedize again; for in the tombfcene, where Romeo drives him away, and threatens to "tear him joint by joint, and trew the hungry church yard with his limbs," if he returns: to which Balthazar replies, "I will be gone, Sir, and not trouble you." Romeo. "So thalt thou thew me friendship-Take thou that live and

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The lalt line was an addition of his own; and it is almoft needlefs to itate the effect that his manner of reciting it had upon, the audience. The burit of laughter, which almost hook the theatre, banished forrow for the remainder of the fcene. When Baltha Zar again appeared, mirth was renewed, and it is faid, this circumftance effectually prevented the Manager from fending Shuter on the stage in fuch parts in future.

WILLIAM CAMDEN, ANTIQUARY.

There is an anecdote extant of this learned, induarious, and ingenious Antiquary, which difplays, in a strong light, the truth of this propofition, “that the timidity of men of extreme fenfibility frequently leads then into thofe very inconveniencies which they had taken great pains to avoid." While Philemon Holland † was correcting the

This was faid of Addifon, and indeed with fome truth, as I was informed by the widow of the Dean of Lilimore, who was intimately acquainted with the daughter of this very excellent writer, and had it from her, that his timidity and fear of giving offence were fuch, that although he has employed his pen upon more fubjects, and delineated more characters, which ingenuity might have applied, than any Author in the English language, he was hardly ever fatisfied, and was continually altering, revifing, and correcting, the manufcripts and proof sheets of his publications. This propensity of mind he himself hints at in feveral parts of his periodical works, particularly m his letter defcribing Nic. Hart, the annual fleeper. (Spect. Vol. III. No. 185.)

He there fays, that one of the moft eminent pens in Grub-treet is employed in writing his dream, which, if he can keep free from party itrokes, inay be of great ufe, but of this I much doubt, having been informed by his friends and confidants, that he has already spoken fome things of Nimrod with too great freedom.”

Mr. Burke, in his latter writings, had the fame desire to revile, correct, and obliterate, though perhaps not arifing from exactly the fame caufe. I have known him, in fome of his pamphlets, to cancel whole pages at a time, alter they were printed, and infert others, which he has again altered and corrected.

† Lord Chesterfield oblerved of Cardinal Chigi, who told him, at fome diplomatic meeting, that he had written feveral years with the fame pen, that from this flight hint he gathered, that he was a man of confined ideas and a little mind. I think he would have faid the fame of Philemon Holland, had he known, which was faid to be actually the cafe, that one pen terved him to write the tranflation of Çunden's Britannia, by much the belt of his works, which are well known to have been to numerous. that this couplet was made upon him:

"Holland with his tranflations doth fo fill us,
He will not let Suetonius be Tranquillus."

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