and gave it to him; which Jack immediately took to the pawnbroker's, raised what he could on it, and never once looked after the Doctor, till he sent to borrow another half-guinea from him on his death bed, which the Doctor generously sent him.

very

THE

WHIMSICAL INTERVIEW.

A GENUINE STORY.

IR James Freelove is a person of very con

being in possession of a landed estate of near ten thousand a year. He nevertheless makes no saving, nor ever thinks of improving his estate, or racking his tenants. The sole object of his life is pleasure, and as he entertains that erroneous opinion in common with many debauchees, that every female has her price, he has relinquished all thoughts of matrimony, and looks upon the beautiful part of the whole sex as his sultanas. In this opinion he frequently expends very considerable sums in chimerical pursuits, and is often the dupe of his own vanity.

once for all. He accordingly called on the Doctor one morning, and running about the room in a fit of joy, told him his fortune was made! "How so, Jack?" says the Doctor.

Why," says Jack, "the Duchess of Marlborough, you must know, has long had a strange penchant for a pair of white mice; and as I knew they were sometimes to be had in the East-Indies, I commissioned a friend of mine, who was going out there, to get them for me, and he is this morning arrived with two of the most beautiful little animals in nature.” After Jack had finished this account with a transport of joy, he lengthened his visage, by telling the Doctor all was ruined, for without two guineas to buy a cage for the mice, he could not present them. The Doctor, unfortunately, as he said himself, had but half a guinea in the world, which he offered to lend him.-But Pilkington was not to be beat out of his scheme; he perceived the Doctor's watch hanging up in his room, and after premising on the indelicacy of the proposal, hinted, "that if he could spare that watch for a week, he could raise a few guineas on it, which he would repay him with gratitude." The Doctor would not be the means of spoiling a man's fortune for such a trifle. He accordingly took down the watch,

and

and gave it to him; which Jack immediately took to the pawnbroker's, raised what he could on it, and never once looked after the Doctor, till he sent to borrow another half-guinea from him on his death bed, which the Doctor very generously sent him.

et

THE

WHIMSICAL INTERVIEW.

A GENUINE STORY.

IR James Freelove is a person of very con

SIR

siderable property in the funds, besides being in possession of a landed estate of near ten thousand a year. He nevertheless makes no saving, nor ever thinks of improving his estate, or racking his tenants. The sole object of his life is pleasure, and as he entertains that erroneous opinion in common with many debauchees, that every female has her price, he has relinquished all thoughts of matrimony, and looks upon the beautiful part of the whole sex as his sultanas. In this opinion he frequently expends very considerable sums in chimerical pursuits, and is often the dupe of his own vanity.

!

He has a trusty valet who possesses those talents that justly entitle him to be stiled an excellent pimp; indeed his genius is very fertile in negociations of this kind. As he has a smattering of poetry, and writes tolerable English, he is Sir James's laureat and secretary in all his amorous correspondence, as well as his personal negociator upon these occasions. It is true this is frequently a business of danger; but he has courage enough to brave it, and as he is un homme à tout faire, he sticks at nothing that will promote the business.

As a specimen of his abilities in this line, we shall mention a few anecdotes that have come to our knowledge, which will tend to illustrate the character of this trusty valet, master Martin. It may be necessary to premise that he is about thirty, genteel in his person, and possesses a volubility of speech, which never fails him.— Some months since he had intelligence of a very pretty farmer's daughter near Hertford; he went down incog. (for strange as it may appear, a valet may be incog.) and passed for a rich farmer in the North of England. He was equipped at all points to support the deception, and among other requisites a bag, with a considerable sum in it was not omitted, He soon found

out

out the public house the farmer frequented in the neighbourhood, and failed not to resort thither.

A bowl of punch is very apt to declare the secrets of the mind, and among other things he informed Martin that he had a very handsome daughter, and if he could but fix her marriage, his heart would be at ease, and all his troubles in this world would be at an end.

It is very common for old men to dwell upon favourite subjects, and the former failed not to expatiate upon his daughter's virtues and excellencies; nay, he went farther, he invited Martin to go home with him, taste his ale, and see his daughter. The invitation it may easily be imagined, was readily accepted, and they set forth, the one to exhibit, the other to reconnoitre the young gentlewoman's charms.Martin was amazingly struck with her beauty, he was almost inclined to make love to her in earnest, in behalf of his own dear person; but interest prevailed over his passion, and he was resolved to act as a faithful servant. He wrote to his master that very night, giving him a description of Miss P and requesting his immediate presence to have ocular proof of

his