Mr. Woodward was kind enough to advance me the money upon this engagement, by which means I was enabled to preserve my credit with Mr. Cullen the upholsterer; and, as from the bank-notes being confumed to afhes, there was a certainty that payment could not be demanded, at the expiration of the time Mr. Woodward received the money. This inci dent taught his Excellency to fold letters, con taining bills, in a proper manner; and your humble fervant to examine, in future, the infide of the smallest fcrap of paper that might be fent to her before fhe burnt it.

I now thought myself tolerably easy, as I had let the best part of my houfe to a brother of the great Parker. who was newly married, for five guineas a week, referving for my own ufe the back-parlour, and the two back-rooms on the fecond floor. The former I made my library; and though it did not contain above. four hundred volumes, I have the vanity to fay these were well chofen. Nothing but feftivity and expence was to be feen; and the fervants received as much company below ftairs, as the bride and bridegroom did above.

This being the cafe, in order to be out of fo much riot and confufion, I allowed my two maid-servants board-wages for the three months the family was to be with me, and recommended my man to Mr. Woodward. Having done this, I went out early upon a vifit to fome friend or other, and returned home only to fleep.

Mr.

Mr. Gordon, the undertaker, beginning to be very preffing for his bill for my mother's funeral, I endeavoured to borrow the money, which was forty guineas. Upon this occafion a young gentleman of my acquaintance recommended me to one Cohan, a Jew moneylender, who promifed to get me the cash upon my notes in a few days. In order to make them the more negotiable, he defired I would give them in two feparate notes, payable to himself, and at different dates. Being perfectly unacquainted with tranfactions of this nature, and not entertaining the leaft fufpicion of the man's honefty, I did as he defired me; and having this profpect of being able to discharge Mr. Gordon's bill, I fent to let him know that I would do it in the courfe of the following week.

Encouraged by Mrs. Calcraft's fuccefs, I began to think of my annuity, which had not been paid for a long time. I accordingly fent to have Mr. Wedderburne's opinion; when I was informed it must be at my own expence, To this I confented; but not being able to offer the ufual fee with the cafe, and the perfon I depended on not being willing to advance it, the affair lay dormant, at the time I imagined I had the firft advice in the kingdom.

A week paffed after I had given the Jew my notes, without my hearing any thing from him; when upon fending to the young gentleman who had recommended him, I was informed that my little Ifaac was gone off; and I heard

no

no further tidings, either of him or my notes, till they were prefented for payment.

There is nothing, I am told, calls louder for the interference of the Legiflature, than the frequent frauds of fome of the prefent race of advertising money-lenders, to whom the appellation of Swindlers has been justly given. Those who are unfortunately neceffitated to apply to them, allured by the fpecious promifes held forth in their advertisements, doubt not of receiving from them a ready affistance; instead of which,they generally find themselves more deeply involved, if not irretrievably ruined. If once you deliver into their hands any notes or bills, it is a hundred to one if ever you receive any value for them; or, if you do, it is but a proportionably small part. And as thefe are usually paid away to tradesmen who can fwear they have given a valuable confideration for them, your plea, of not having received any yourself, is of no avail. Nor have you any hopes of redress from contefting the payment of your notes. All the confolation you receive in a court of justice is, that you fhould not have been fo filly as to pay attention to the delufive advertisements. Many, very many, I have been informed, have reason, at this very hour, to lament their having liftened to the fpecious pretexts of these infatiable harpies, fome of whom live in eafe and diffipation upon the fpoils of the unfortu

nate.

Mr.

Mr. Davy's executors, who had revived the fuit relative to my annuity, now appeared to be in earneft; and as Mr. Calcraft's executors feemed to wish to keep the eftate in law, in order to retain the management of a property, that from its immenfe value muft undoubtedly be productive of fome benefit, they determined to conteft it with them. The latter had even the folly or madness to send to me, to defire F would join in the bill against myself, and thofe who had advanced me the money upon it. This you may be affured I refused to do. On the contrary, notwithstanding my natural averfion to all pecuniary bufinefs, I determined to profecute the affair against them with vigour.

The only thing that retarded my design, was the want of money to carry it into execution; for what I received from the gentleman who had hired my houfe, was devoted to pay the rent of it. I however refolved to wait on Mr. Wedderburne, now Lord Loughborough, to enquire what opinion he had given upon the fuit, and what was neceffary to be done further in the profecution of it.

Lord Huntingdon, whom I had formerly the honour of knowing, was juft returned from making the tour of Europe with his nephews. As every perfon who ever heard of that Nobleman, must allow him to be one of the brightest ornaments of nobility, his liberality of fentiment adding graces to his other eminent virtues, I was encouraged to folicit his affiftance

aftance upon this

emergency ; I therefore wrote to him, and acquainted him with my purpose.

His Lordship immediately called upon me, and with that elegance which attends all his actions, prefented me with a rouleau, greatly exceeding what I then thought I had occafion for. He at the fame time requefted, that if in future I fhould be preffed, I would make him my banker. A woman is never fo highly flattered, as when she is thought worthy the notice of diftinguished characters; which my Lord Huntingdon is in an eminent degree. And a promife he then made me, to bestow upon me fome of his leisure hours, I efteemed more valuable than even the neceffary and valuable prefent he had given me. I must not omit to inform you, that in order to apologize for a few minutes delay before he waited upon me, his Lordship difpatched a relation, who afterwards attended him during his vifit, to acquaint me with it. This information will perhaps appear to you to be needlefs, but you will find that it is not fo. It is abfolutely neceffary to introduce this gentleman here, in order that you might be acquainted with him at a future period.

I had scarcely time to congratulate myself upon the real fatisfaction I felt from this event, when I was informed, that the cause I had been advised to enter into with Mr. Gordon, relative to the expences of my mother's funeral, which undoubt