to renounce their abominable practice of bread and cheese with beer; and they procured, like me, from a neighbouring house, a good base of warm gruel, in which was a small slice of butter, with toasted bread and nutmeg. This was a much better brea fast. which did not cost more than a pint of beer, namely, three-halfpence, and at the same time preserved the head clearer. Those who continued to gorge theinselves with beer, often lost their credit with the publican, from neglecting to pay their score. They had then recourse to me, to become security for them; their light, as they used to call it, being out. I ai tended at the pay-table every Saturday evening, to take up the little sum which I had made myself answerable for; and which sometimes amounted to nearly thirty shillings a week.

This circunstance, added to my reputation of be Ing a tolerable good gabber, or, in other words, skilful in the art of burlesque, kept up my importance in the chapel. I had besides recommended myself to the esteem of my master by my assiduous application to business, never observing Saint Monday. My extraordinary quickness in composing always procured me such work as was most urgent, and which is com monly best paid; and thus my time passed away in a very pleasant manner.

My lodging in Little Britain being too far from the printing-house, I took another in Duke-strect, oppo. site the Roman Catholic chapel. It was at the back of an Italian warehouse. The house was kept by a widow, who had a daughter, a servant, and a shopboy; but the latter slept out of the house. After sending to the people with whom I lodged in Little Britain, to inquire into my character, she agreed to take me in at the same price, three and sixpence a weck, contenting herself, she said, with so little, because of the security she should derive, as they were all women, from having a man lodger in the house.

She was a woman rather advanced in life, the daughter of a clergyinan. She had beer: educated a Protestant; but her husband, whose memory she highly revered, had converted her to the Catholic reSion. She had lived in habits of intimacy with

persons of distinction; of whom she knew various anecdotes as far back as the time of Charles II. Being subject to fits of the gout, which often confined her to her room, she was sometimes disposed to sce company. Her's was so amusing to me, that I was glad to pass the evening with her as often as she desired it. Our supper consisted only of half an a chovy a-piece, upon a slice of bread and butter, with half a pint of ale between us. But the entertainment was in her conversation.

The early hours I kept, and the little trouble 1 00casioned in the family, made her leth to part with me; and when I mentioned another lodging I had found, nearer the printing-house, at to shillings a week, which fell in with my plan of saving, she pe suaded me to give it up, making herself an abatement of two shillings: and thus I continued to lodge with her, during the remainder of my abode in London, at eighteen-pence a week.

In a garret of the house there lived, in a most retired manner, a lady, seventy years of age, of whom I received the following account from my landlady. She was a Poman Catholic. In her early years she had been sent to the continent, and entered a convent with the design of becoming a nun; but the climate not agreeing with her constitution, she was obliged to return to England, where, as there were no monasteries, she made a vow to lead a monastic life, in ast rigid a manner as circumstances would permit. She accordingly disposed of all her property to be applied to charitable uses, reserving to herself only twelve pounds a year: and of this small pittance she gave a part to the poor, living on watergrues, and never inaking use of fire but to boil it. She had lived in this garret a great many years, without paying rent to the successive Catholic inhabitants that had kep the house; who indeed considered her abode with them as a blessing. A priest came every day to confess her. "I have asked her," said my landlady, "how, living as she did, she could find so much em ployment for a confessor? To which she answered, that it was impossible to avoid vain thoughts."

I was once permitted to visit her. She was cheer.

ful and polite, and her conversation agreeable. Her apartment was neat: but the whole furniture consisted of a mattress, a table, on which was a crucifix and a book, a chair, which she gave me to sit on, and over the mantlepicce a picture of St. Veronica displaying her handkerchief, on which was seen the miraculous impression of the face of Christ, which she explained to me with great gravity. Her countenance was pale, but she had never experie, ced sicknes; and I may adduce her as another proof how little is sufficient to maintain life and health.

At the printing-house, I contracted an intimacy with a sensible young man of the name of Wygate, who, as his parents were in good circumstances, had received a better education than is common among printers. He was a tolerable Latin scholar, spoke French fluently, and was ford of reading. I taught bin, as well as a friend of his, to swim, by taking then twice only into the river; after which they stood in need of no farther assistance. We one day made a party to go by water to Chelsea, in order to see the College, and Don Soltero's curiosities. Ou our return, at the request of the company, whose curiosity Wygate had excited, I undressed myself, and leaped into the river. I swam from near Chelsea the whole way to Black-friars-bridge, exhibiting, during my course, a variety of feats of activity and address, both upon the surface of the water, as well as under it. This sight occasioned much astonishment and pleasure to those to whom it was new. In my youth I took great delight in this exercise. I knew, and could execute, al the evolutions and positions of Theveno; and 1 added to them some of my own mvention, in which I endeavoured to unite graceful ness and utility. I took a pleasure in displaying them all on this occasion, and was highly flattered with the admiration they excited.

Wygate, besides his being desirous of perfecting himself in this ar was the more attached to me from there being, in other repects, a conformity in our tastes and studies. He at length proposed to me to make the tour of Europe with him, maintaining our selves at the same time by working at our profession.

vas on the point of consenting, when I mentioned A to my friend, Mr. Denham, with whom I was glad

pass an hour whenever I had leisure. He dis suaded me from the project, and advised me to think of returning to Philadelphia, which he was about to do himself. I must relate in this place a trait of this worth v man's character.

He had formerly been in business at Bristol but failing, he compounded with his creditors, an de parted for America, where, by assiduous application s a merchant, he acquired in a few years a very considerable fortune. Returning to England in the same vessel with myseif, as I have related above, le in vited all his old creditors to a feast. When assembled, he tharked them for the readiness with which they had received his small composition; and, while they expected nothing more than a simple entertainment, each found unler his plate, when it came to be removed, a dra1t upon a banker for the residue of his debt, with interest.

He told me that it was his intention to carry back with him to Philadelphia, a great quantity of goods, in order to open a store; and he offered to take me with him in the capacity of clerk, to keep his books, in which he would instruct me, copy letters, and su perintend the store. He added, that as soon as I had acquired a knowledge of mercantile transactions, he would improve my situation, by sending me with a cargo of corn and flour to the American islands, and by procuring me other lucrative commissions; so that, with good management an l economy, I might in tune begin business with advantage for myself.

I relished these proposals London began to tire me; the agrecable hours I had passed at Philadelphia presented themselves to my mino, and I wished to sce them revive. I consequently engaged myself to Mr. Denham, at a salary of fifty pounds a year. This was indeed less than 1 earred as a composito, but then I had a much fairer prospect. I took leave, therefore, as I believed for ever, of printing, and gave myself up to my new occupation, spending all my tine either in going from house to house with Mr. Denham to purchase goods, or in packing ther up,

or in expediting the workmen, &c. &c. When every thing, however, was on board, I had at last a few days leisure.

During this interval, I was one day sent for by a gentleman, whom I knew only by name. It was Sir William Wyndhani. I went to his house. He had by some means heard of any performances between Chelsea and Blackfriars, and that I had taught the ar' swimming to Wygate and another young man in the course of a few hours. His two sons were on the point of setting out on their travels; he was desirous that they should previously learn to swim, and offered me a very liberal reward if I would undertake to instruct them. They were not yet arrived in town, and the stay I should make was uncertain; I could not therefore accept his proposal. I was led, however, to suppose from this incident, that if I had wished to remain in London, and open a swimming school, I should perhaps have gained a great deal of money. The idea struck me so forcibly, that, had the offer been made sooner, I should have dismissed the thought of returning as yet to America. years after, you and I had a more important business to settle with one of the sons of Sir William Wynd. ham, then Lord Egremont. But let us not anticipate

events.

Some

I thus passed al out eighteen months in London, working almost without intermission at my trade, avoiding all expense on my own account, except go. ing now and then to the play, and purchasing a few books. But my friend Ralph kept me poor. He owed me about twenty-seven pounds, which was so much money lost, and when considered as taken from my Little savings, was a very great sum. I had, notwith

randing this, a regard for him, as he possessed many amiable qualities. But though I had done nothing for myself in point of fortune, 1 had increased my stock of knowledge, either by the many excellent books i had read, or the conversation of learned and literary persons with whom I was acquainted.

We sailed from Gravesend on the 23d of July, 26. For the incidents of my voyage I refer you to zay Journal, where you will find all its circumstances