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THE

BOSTON-LIARY SOCIET

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place to Oswestry, with himself at their heels. On another occasion he was told that the late George Underhill, the celebrated Shropshire horse-dealer, was in his house, on his road from Chester fair. Sending for him into his diningroom, he made him excessively drunk and put him to bed with two bull-dogs and a bear! He once rode this bear into his drawing-room, in full hunting costume. The animal carried him very quietly for a certain time; but on being pricked by the spur he bit his rider through the calf of his leg, inflicting a severe wound. The mention of this bear reminds me of another amusing anecdote. Having sent one of his stable boys with a hack to meet a friend who was coming by a coach, the latter exclaimed, on riding into the Halston stableyard, “Ah! bruin !”—alluding to the bear, "Oh yes, sir," observed the lad, "we always brews twice a week at Halston." What I am now going to relate I know not how to define, for in most people's opinion it rather exceeds a joke. As we were eating some supper one night in the coffeeroom of the hotel at Chester, during the race week, a gentleman, who was a stranger to us all, was standing with his back to the fire, talking very loudly, having drunk too much wine. "I'll stop him," said Mytton; and getting behind him unperceived, put a red-hot coal into his pocket.

But I have a better, inasmuch as it was a more harmless, joke, to relate with respect to George Underhill, the horse-dealer. He rode over one day to Halston, to dun Mr. Mytton for his demand upon him, which, I believe, was rather a large one. After having been made comfortable in the steward's room, Mytton addressed him thus : "Well, George, here (handing him a letter) is an order for all your money. Call on this gentleman, as you pass through Shrewsbury, and he will give it to you in full." Now this gentleman-also a banker-was one of the governors of the Lunatic Asylum, and the order for payment

ran thus:

SIR,

Halston.

Admit the bearer, George Underhill,

into the Lunatic Asylum.

Your obedient servant,

JOHN MYTTON.

The mention of the trick he paid the Jew money-lender bears a resemblance to one he paid a toll - keeper near his own house, who had demanded and received double toll from him being past twelve o'clock was only just eleven, and before paid during the

on

the score of its at night, whereas it it had been once

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