motley characters, whom he plied heartily with good cheer, punch, ale, and whiskey. From this frolick, as he afterwards said, he derived a great insight into human nature, and obtained humour enough for a comedy. In 1722 appeared the best of his comedies, the Conscious Lovers," which so pleased George the first, that he made him the acceptable present of five hundred pounds. The same year, Sir Richard being desirous of again sitting in parliament, was advised by his friend Hamden to try Wendover, in Buckinghamshire, which he did; and in order to save expenses, he thought of a stratagem that had the desired effect. Instead of the usual method of treating at every publick-house in the town, he caused a handsome entertainment to be provided at the principal inn, and then invited every voter, with his wife, to partake of it. Having by his humour, with the aid of wine, wrought his company up to a high pitch of mirth, Sir Richard took occasion to address the ladies, telling them, that if what he was about to offer were agreeable to them, he hoped for their interest with their husbands to choose him as their representative in parliament for the ancient borough of Wendover. The women were all impatient to hear what he had to propose, and then Sir Richard said, "Ladies, I hope there is none here but who wishes herself to be the mother of a male-child; and as an encouragement for all to use their best endeavours, endeavours, I promise to each of you twenty guineas for every male-child you shall bring into the world within these twelve months, and forty provided you bring twins." The time when this was said, and his manner of saying it, produced what he thought it would, a good deal of love, and a good deal of laughing; it also gained upon' the affections of the wives, and the wives upon those of their husbands; so that Sir Richard carried his election against a powerful opposition, by a great majority. Steele was a most zealous whig, and exerted. himself with unwearied and disinterested ardour for the succession of the House of Hanover, so that he certainly had a fair claim to more honours and emoluments than he received. In an address to the Duke of Newcastle, he speaks thus of himself, "Your lordship, and many others, may have done more for the House of Hanover than I have, but I am the only man. in his majesty's dominions who did all he could." He was a member of and frequent attendant at the whig meetings, held at the sign of the Trumpet, in Shire-Lane. On one of those meetings, held the 4th of November, in honour of King William, Steele was president, and had at bis elbow that political prelate, Hoadley, Bishop of Bangor. During the festivity, John Sly, the hatter, of merry memory, was in the house; and. when pretty mellow, took it into his head to come. into the company on his knees, with a tankard of ale ale in his hand, to drink it off to the immortal memory of William, and then retire as he entered. Sir Richard, during the ceremony, whispered to the bishop, "Do laugh, my lord, 'tis humanity to laugh." In the evening Sir Richard was too much in the same condition, and was put into a sedan chair, and sent home: but nothing would serve him without being taken to the Bishop of Bangor's, late as it was. However, the chairmen carried him home, and with some difficulty got him up stairs. The next morning he sent the following lines to the bishop: Virtue with so much ease on Bangor sits, All faults he pardons, though he none commits. Upon a similar occasion, as the waiters were getting him into a hackney-coach with some labour, a tory mob came by, crying, "down with the rump."-" Up with the rump," says Sir Richard," or I shall not get home to night." His extravagant course of life naturally involved him in difficulties, but in the midst of all he preserved his good humour; and his love of splendour and whim, still continued, when his fortune was ruined. One day having invited several persons of quality to dine with him, they were greatly surprised at the number of servants in livery, and, after dinner, when wine and mirth had freed them from the observation of rigid ceremony, one of the the company enquired of Sir Richard how such an expensive retinue could be consistent with his fortune. Sir Richard frankly acknowledged that they were fellows of whom he would very willingly be rid, if he could; and being then asked why he did not discharge them, he replied, "that they were bailiffs, who had introduced themselves with an execution; and whom, since he could not send them away, he had thought it convenient to embellish with liveries, that they might do him credit while they staid." His friends were diverted with the expedient, and, by paying the debt, discharged him from this incumbrance, having first obtained a promise of Sir Richard that they should never find him again graced with such a retinue.* The unfortunate Richard Savage was once desired by Steele to come to his house very early the next morning. He did so, and found the chariot at the door, and Sir Richard waiting to get into it. What was intended, or whither they were to go, Savage could not conjecture, and was not willing to enquire, but immediately seated himself with Sir Richard, who ordered the coachman to drive to Hyde Park Corner, where they stopped at a petty tavern, and retired to a private room. Sir Richard then informed him, that he intended to publisli a pamphlet, and that he had desired him to come thither to write for him. Johnson's Life of Savage. They They soon sat down to the work; Sir Richard dictated, and Savage wrote, till the dinner that had been ordered, was put upon the table. Savage was surprised at the meanness of the entertainment; and, after some hesitation, ventured to ask for wine, which Sir Richard, not without reluctance, ordered to be brought They then finished their dinner, and proceeded in their pamphlet, which they concluded in the afternoon. Savage then imagined his task was over, and expected that Sir Richard would call for the reckoning and return home: but his expectations deceived him; for Sir Richard told him he was without money, and that the pamphlet must be sold before the dinner could be paid for; and Savage was therefore obliged to go and offer their new production to sale, for two guineas, which, with some difficulty, he obtained. Sir Richard then returned home, having retired that day only to avoid his creditors, and composed the pamphlet to pay the reckoning. Steele at one time formed a project of converting part of his house in York Buildings, into a sort of theatre, for reciting passages from the best authors, ancient and modern. Accordingly, a splendid room was constructed, and elegantly fitted up, though the owner of the house, as was usual with him, had never considered how the whole was to be paid for. Coming one day to * Johnson's Life of Savage, second edition, p. 13. see |