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"As none are permitted to wear fwords at Bath, the es colonel found no opportunity of gratifying his re"fentment, and waited with impatience to find Mr. "Nafh in town, to require proper fatisfaction.

"During this interval, however, he found his creditors become too importunate for him to remain "longer at Bath; and his finances and credit being "quite exhaufted, he took the defperate refolution of "going over to the Dutch army in Flanders, where he "enlifted himself a volunteer. Here he underwent all "the fatigues of a private centinel, with the additional "mifery of receiving no pay, and his friends in Eng"land gave out, that he was shot at the battle of ——.

"In the mean time, the nobleman preffed his paffion "with ardour; but during the progrefs of his amour, "the young lady's father died, and left her heiress to a "fortune of fifteen hundred a year. She thought her"felf now difengaged from her former paffion. An " abscence of two years had, in fome measure, abated "her love for the colonel; and the affiduty, the merit, "and the real regard of the gentleman who ftill con"tinued to folicit her, were almost too powerful for "her conftancy. Mr. Nah, in the mean time, took "every opportunity of enquiring after colonel M

" and found that he had for fome time been returned. "to England, but changed his name, in order to avoid

the fury of his creditors; and that he was entered " into a company of ftrolling players, who were, at "that time, exhibiting at Peterborough.

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"He now therefore thought he owed the colonel, in " justice, an opportunity of promoting his fortune, as "he had once deprived him of an occafion of fatisfy"ing his love. Our beau therefore invited the lady to "be of a party to Peterborough, and offered his own "equipage, which was then one of the moft elegant in "England, to conduct her there. The propofal being "accepted, the lady, the nobleman, and Mr. Nash, ar"rived in town juft as the players were going to begin.

"Colonel

"Colonel M- who used every means of re 66 maining incognito, and who was too proud to make "His diftreffes known to any of his former acquaint

66

ance, was now degraded into the character of Tont in the Confcious Lovers. Mifs L was placed in "the foremost row of the fpectators, her lord on one "fide, and the impatient Nash on the other; when the "unhappy youth appeared in that defpicable fituation "on the stage. The moment he came on, his former "miftrefs ftruck his view, but his amazement was en

creased, when he saw her fainting away in the arms "of those who fat behind her. He was incapable "of proceeding, and scarce knowing what he did, he "flew and caught her in his arms.

"Colonel, cried Naf, when they were in fome "measure recovered, you once thought me your enemy, "because I endeavoured to prevent you both from ruin❝ing each other, you were then wrong, and you have

long had my forgiveness. If you love well enough "now for matrimony, you fairly have my confent, and "d—n him, say I, that attempts to part you: Their 66 nuptials were folemnized foon after, and affluence "added a zeft to all their future enjoyments. Mr. "Nah had the thanks of each, and he afterwards "fpent feveral agreeable days in that fociety, which he "had contributed to render happy.

In order to exalt Mr. Nab's confequence; the editor has introduced alfo fome letters from the Dutchefs of Marlborough, written, as letters of fuch fort generally are, when not intended for publication, with little precifion; neither the fubject they are written upon, not the person they are addreffed to, being of that importance, as to demand any great attention from the writer, and certainly now totally uninterefting to the public. Mr. Pope alfo muft be lugged in to do homage to our Beau and become the object of the dull ridicule of the editor. The reader that is at all converfant in Mr. Pope's writings, will eafily perceive that the application

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to our poet on this occafion, could not have been agreeable to him; nor is it at all amazing that he should decline it.

But of all the curiofities in this work, the letter fo ftrangely attributed to Mr. Quin, is the greateft. Bad fpellers, it is obfervable, however unlike they make the words to the manner they ought to be written in, endeavour to bring them as near as poffible to the common pronunciation. But this before us feems to be artificially ill spelt, and labouring to be wrong. Surely no perfon can fufpect a letter of this kind to be original, from a man, of whom the FIRST PERSONAGES in the kingdom have condefcended to become scholars, and learn to deliver themselves with ftrength and propriety. But the matter, the manner, the fpelling, are equally abfurd, and the letter carries its own refutation along with it.

To the EDITOR of the St. JAMES's MAGAZINE.

SIR,

As you have taken upon you a kind of literary jurifdiction, I muft beg leave to lay an information before you against the Editor of the Life of Richard Nafh, of Bath, Efq. If you will give yourself the trouble of turning to page 161 of this book, you will there find a fuppofed letter from Mr. Quin, in which he makes intereft to a fuppofed lord, to fuperfede Mr. Nah, as mafter of the ceremonies at Bath. Now, fir, can it poffibly be fuppofed by any man of sense or common justice, that Quin, who quitted the ftage at the height of his reputation, to be free from reftraint, should endeavour to fupplant poor Nah in his moft troublesome and ridiculous employment? Or that He, who gave fuch force to Shakespear's wit and humour, and VOL. I.

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fets the table on a roar with his own, could be capable of writing fuch nonfenfical ftuff as that juppofed letter. contains? These are the confiderations which pro

duced the following Epigram.

T

EPIGRAM,

To the EDITOR of NASH's LIFE.

HINK'ST thou that Quin, whose parts and wit
Might any station grace,

Could e'er fuch ribbald ftuff have writ,

Or wifh'd for Nah's place.

With fcorn we read thy fenfelefs trash,
And fee thy toothless grin,

For Quin no more cou'd fink to Nash,
Than thou can'ft rife to Quin.

The HERMIT.

A TALE.

Imitated from LA FONTAINE,

By Mr. CHARLES DE NI S.

TH

HE God of Love ne'er plays fo fure a game,
As when hypocrify blows up the flame.

Beneath the fanction of a friar's hood,
Cupid hoards up his choiceft store;
All men are flesh and blood.

But monks are fomething more.

Have you a fifter, daughter, wife that's fair?
Remember father Girard and Cadiere.

S

So much by way of prologue I indite;
Then read the tale, and judge if I am right.

In prime of years, with pious zeal inspir'd,
Young friar Lucas from the world retir'd:
He was fo holy, by reputed fame,
That in the calendar a blank was left
To place in letters red his fainted name,
Soon as of mortal life bereft.

In queft of alms, had you but feen
His downcaft looks, his humble mein,
A body would have thought
He had not e'en the manly grace

To look a female in the face:

But truft to that and you'll be caught.

No Belmour wrapt in pious Spintext's cloak,
With fo much fire e'er fhew'd fo little fmoke.

Not diftant far from this good friar's cell,
A widow and her daughter chanc'd to dwell.
The girl was young and very pretty,
A virgin too the more the pity,
So thought at leaft our holy hermit;
'Tis true, if the remain'd fo fill,
'Twas more fimplicity than by good will
She only waited for a permit.

With great good-nature, but with no addrefs,
Knew little of the world, of lovers lefs;
'In Adam's time a fortune fhe had been,

When those were wealthieft who had fairest skin..
But things are altered fince thofe happy days,
Beauty's a joke, you must be rich to please,
Then love and Hymen joined the honest hands,
The priest and lawyer now must tie the bands,
Good Lucas took her case to heart,
'Twas his to act the friendly part;

But how to bring th' affair about
Not little puzzl'd our DEVOUT.

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