brought to the test. These are often continued in place because they happen to be there; and sometimes are kept in merely to keep others out. The presiding geniuses, such as Lord Castleton, were few. They did all the work, and directed affairs, while the rest pocketed their salaries, content to do what they were bid, and be well paid for doing so.

My place in Lord Castleton's estimation having become known, procured me many introductions and acquaintances; how many friends I know not, for that test of friendship, the vacating of office, had not occurred, so I was sought after, courted, and féted, by men and women of all ranks-the men, for supposed patronage; the women, to frank their gowns and muffs through the post-office and

customs.

My power was supposed both great and inexhaustible. Everybody knew that Lord Castleton governed the realm, and thought I had at least a jackal's share with him. If I was seen, as was sometimes the case, going with him in his chariot to his villa at Roehampton, though our conversation was of the lightest kind, I was set down as the depositary of all the secrets of Europe. It reminded me of Swift's intercourse with Lord Oxford :

"When what's o'clock? and how's the wind?
Whose coach is that we left behind?

And all such tattle, entertains

My lord and me as far as Staines,

And though what passes inter nos

Might be proclaim'd at Charing Cross,
And though I solemnly declare

I know no more than my lord-mayor,
They stand amaz'd, and think me grown
The closest mortal ever known."

I was much amused, but sometimes teased and sometimes revolted, by the consequences of this opinion, which, the more I sought to refute it, the stronger it grew, and often shewed itself in the shape of offered bribes, more or less covered. One. great lady, who had a son to promote, sent me opera tickets for six months, till the place she wanted was filled up, when the tickets came no more. A duke always invited me to his battues, and sent me game besides, while the lieutenancy of his county was vacant; though not even Lord Castleton had any thing to do with it. He got it from other interest, and from that instant no more invitations.

One of the highest of the female haute noblesse, who was courted, like the sun by the Persians, for one genial ray, after I had been six months installed with Lord Castleton most graciously admitted me amongst her elect. I plumed myself upon it with Lady Hungerford. She smiled mischievously, and said, “Don't be too sure; wait till you or your patron is out of office." She was right.

A great colonist offered me one day twenty thousand acres of unreclaimed land, adding, if I did

not like to turn settler myself, they might be sold to advantage. A West-India house sent me turtles; an East-India, a pipe of madeira; all which I returned, and made them enemies instead of friends.

In a smaller way, I was invited to more dinners in one year than I could eat in ten.

All this I communicated to Lord Castleton, who enjoyed it himself, and said it would be "nuts" for •Fothergill; to whom, to Manners, and my family,

I

gave a regular account of my progress, and was pleased with the pleasure which my brothers expressed at t' young doctor's success.

One other consequence of this success was not unamusing. Several men whom I had known by sight at Oxford, in the walks and coffee-houses, to some of whom I had had slight introductions, but which they did their utmost to forget, were now of a sudden visited with a most accurate power of memory, and at Lord Castleton's table, or evening parties, and even, some of them, at the Opera and St. James's, reminded me cordially of our former acquaintance, observing, often, that one great advantage of going to college was the making acquaintance with those whom they were afterwards to meet in the world. But vogue la galère, as the proverb says, and let us not be over nice as to the

means.

From what I have related, a prospect which I

had not exactly contemplated opened wide before me, in the knowledge of mankind which my situation promised to me. Other professions are in this respect confined chiefly to an intercourse with their own class: merchants with merchants, soldiers with soldiers, scholars with scholars, and even ministers with ministers. These last are too great, or too occupied with great affairs, to see the world in all its phases. It is their secretaries and confidants on whom the preliminary matters devolve without disguise, or with less of it; who hear and see characters, and examine cases, in more nakedness than their principals.

For example, I had not been a week installed, before a very popular member for a very populous place, where the election was always popular, came to me, and very frankly told me he would save me all the trouble he could; for that though, from the nature of his constituency, he should have to pester me with applications for Jack, Tom, and Harry, yet unless he marked special upon them, I need not attend to them, still less need I trouble Lord Castleton ;-all he wanted being the power of honestly assuring his constituents that he had made application for them!

This was a curious instance of what is called cheating the devil.

I was myself, however, a little put to it, as to the portion of honesty I was expected to infuse into

the civility necessary to be shewn to my numerous applicants. To hear or read their cases was half my day's work, and, I own, to escape the reproach of insincerity was the most difficult part of my position. I wrote to Manners about this, and in answer, he told me I could not do better than consult Lord Castleton himself, who was always pleased with ingenuousness.

I did so, and laid before him the difficulties which my inexperience in a political office daily occasioned. He was amused with many cases I described to him, and told me to expect many more. "As for the honesty," observed he, "which you tell me is in such danger, all I can tell you is, preserve it, coûte qu'il coûte."

I honoured him for this reply, to which he added a recommendation of a passage in one of Chesterfield's letters, which he said was a sort of breviary for men in office, though he feared, like other breviaries, too often neglected.

"The qualifications in the practical part of business are, an absolute command of temper; patience to hear frivolous, impertinent, and unreasonable applications; with address enough to refuse, without offending, or, by your manner of granting, to double the obligation; dexterity enough to conceal a truth without telling a lie.”

"Is not this," said I, somewhat startled, 66 contradicting the excellent maxim of Cicero, that