fo extremely curious, that it must have insured the fale of them, and that at a very good price. There was among them a windmill, which, upon being wound up, went for three hours; and a cap fet in a ftyle peculiarly elegant.

How great then was my aftonishment, when I was informed by the Alderman, that they had been delivered to Mr. Jeffries, a fword cutler in the Strand, who had broke them to pieces by order of Mr. Calcraft, and that the money arifing from them only amounted to eleven hundred pounds. As I had delivered Mr. Calcraft the receipts, which were for more than fix thoufand pounds, and they had been purchased of persons of reputation in that business, I could not account for the manœuvre. I therefore defired him to write to Mr. Calcraft upon the subject.

Mr. Cracroft now proceeded to inform me, that he had received a lift of my debts from Clifford (who had left me upon account of her being married), and that they amounted to ten thousand, three hundred pounds. My courage now forfook me; I had little to hope from Mr. Calcraft, who, in this last instance, had not only fhown himself to be cruel, but dishonest, in the ftrictest sense of the word. The Alderman then seemed to hint at my taking the benefit of an act of infolvency, which was at that time in agitation. I own, I never felt

myfelf

myself degraded till that moment.

The bare fup

pofition of such a step made me fo ill, that I was unable for fome minutes to answer him.

When I was a little recovered, I informed him that I was incapable of fuch a thought. In me, I faid, it would be the blackest fraud; as mine were debts which had been contracted from extravagant thoughtleffnefs, and not like thofe of the fair trader, which were generally the confequences of loffes or misfortunes. I added, that I was determined to throw myself upon the mercy of my creditors, to whom, if they would allow me time, I would make all the reparation in my power, by giving up to them the whole of my falary, referving only my benefit for my own support.

This refolution the Alderman applauded in the warmeft terms. He faid, that he had hinted at the measure, merely to make a trial of my probity. And fince I had fo nobly scorned to clear myself by fuch an unjust method, he would draw up for me a letter of licence, which he had no doubt but every creditor, as well as himself, would fign; and not only do that, but afford me fupport to the utmost of their power. He accordingly fulfilled his promife, and advanced me fome money for my present exigencies.

Mr. Rich received me with open arms; and my engagement being figned, I was fo far easy.

My

My letter of licence was likewife figned in a few days by all my creditors but one, who declared she would never proceed to any violent measure for the recovery of the debt, but, having made a folemn promise never to fign any paper whatever, fhe could not fet her hand to mine.

Mr. Digges, I found, was gone into Wales to wait for my return; it being inconvenient for him to cross the water, he could not go to Ireland to accompany me the whole way. Whilft he was waiting near the Head (for, from my returning by way of Chester, he had miffed me), he was informed that a nobleman had paffed through the town, on his way to London, with an actress ; being told that the lady was a little black woman, and that she went on feemingly against her confent, Mr. Digges inftantly concluded it ruft be me. He accordingly, like a true Don Quixote, fet off after them, in order to refcue his Dulcinea from the hands of her ravifher. He could not overtake them till he got to Holywell, where he was informed they were in bed. His fears however were a little alleviated, by hearing that they flept in separate apartments. He waited with the utmost impatience till they arofe; when he difcovered that the perfon who had caused this alarm was no other than Lord Ferrers, who had been to Ireland, to prevent his fugitive fifter from

going on the stage, and was now returning with her to London. As the defcription Mr. Digges had received of the lady answered in every particular to mine, the mistake was natural; and, happy to find it was not the person he expected, he made directly for town.

Paying a vifit one evening to Lady St. Leger, I obferved a lady with a pair of my bracelets upon her arms; I could not be deceived, as they had on them the letters G. A. B. in diamonds, and with the fame letters likewise in blue enamel, and were fet round with brilliants. Maifoneuve had charged me two hundred and forty pounds for them. Having been informed by Mr. Cracroft that all my jewels had been taken to pieces, I could not help obferving to the lady, that he did me too much honour in wearing my cypher. Upon which it came out, that Mr. Calcraft had made her a prefent of them. I further learnt, that my good friend before-mentioned had received, as a present from that gentleman, my best diamond ear-rings, which coft me five hundred and feventy pounds of the fame jeweller; together with many other valuable ones, among which was my pink diamond ring, a gem of fo rare a kind as not to be matched.

Their being fent to a filversmith's, to be unset, was now easily accounted for. It is very well known,

known, that pawnbrokers never lend near half their value on diamonds, the fashion of them changing so often. Confequently, Bibby would not have advanced me two thousand pounds upon what fold for eleven hundred. As foon as I had made this discovery, I ordered a fuit to be commenced against Mr. Calcraft for the whole value, which was fettled amicably the March following. But that did not annihilate the intended injury.

Can any reflections which may drop from my pen, in the course of these Memoirs, upon the conduct of a man capable of fuch an act of difhonesty, even at the time he was pretending to have the greatest regard for me, be thought to favour too much of afperity? I am too well convinced of your candour, to fuppofe you will think they do. Nor will the world, I dare fay, after they are hereby informed of the truth, which has never till now reached them. The deteftation I entertained for him, after fuch repeated proofs of duplicity, was well founded. And I must surely stand acquitted in the eyes of every impartial perfon, for not renewing a connection with one, whofe heart was fashioned of fuch ftuff as I have in the preceding pages defcribed it, with the ftricteft juftice, to be.

G. A. B.

VOL. IV.

C

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