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CHAP. VL] WORK AND HOPE.

"Mm a visit" (I quote from the Memoir to which, the grave 1759.

church dignitary, and descendant of the ancient Earls of .ffit. 31.

Northumberland, communicated this and other anecdotes),

"at the beginning of March 1759, found him in lodgings

" there so poor and uncomfortable, that he should not think it

" proper to mention the circumstance, if he did not consider

" it as the highest proof of the splendour of Doctor Grold-

" smith's genius and talents, that by the bare exertion of their

" powers, under every disadvantage of person and fortune, he

" could gradually emerge from such obscurity to the enjoy-

" ment of all the comforts and even luxuries of life, and

" admission into the best societies of London. The Doctor

" was writing his Enquiry &c. in a wretched dirty room, in

" which there was but one chair, and when he, from civility,

" offered it to his visitant, himself was obliged to sit in the

"window. While they were conversing, some one gently

" rapped at the door, and being desired to come in, a poor

"ragged little girl of very decent behaviour, entered, who,

" dropping a curtsie, said, ' My mama sends her compli-

" ' ments, and begs the favour of you to lend her a chamber-

"' pot fall of coals.'" *

If the February number of the Critical Review lay by the
reverend, startled, and long-descended visitor, perhaps good-

* Percy Memoir, 60-1. "I have Aim now in London," writes Campbell to
• the bishop in 1790 (Nichols's Illustrations, vii. 779), when describing his progress
in throwing Percy's biographical anecdotes into the form of a memoir, '' and am
'' endeavouring to recollect your first visit to him, when the loan, or repayment, of
" the 'chamber-pot of coals was asked." To this the bishop answered promptly,,
by sending the anecdote, which Campbell (Ibid, 780) thus acknowledges : "My
*' account of your visit to him there was almost verbatim, from my recollection of
" your words, what you have set down in your last. But could there be any
'' harm in letting the world know who the visitant was ? without the circumstance of
" the dignity of the guest, the contrast will be in a great measure lost." In truth
however the contrast, though amusing enough, was not so very great as Dr. Campbell,
prematurely transforming the vicar of a small living into a bishop full-blown,
appears to have presented it to his imagination.



	CHAP. VL] WORK AND HOPE. "Mm a visit" (I quote from the Memoir to which, the grave 1759. church dignitary, and descendant of the ancient Earls of .ffit. 31. Northumberland, communicated this and other anecdotes), "at the beginning of March 1759, found him in lodgings " there so poor and uncomfortable, that he should not think it " proper to mention the circumstance, if he did not consider " it as the highest proof of the splendour of Doctor Grold- " smith's genius and talents, that by the bare exertion of their " powers, under every disadvantage of person and fortune, he " could gradually emerge from such obscurity to the enjoy- " ment of all the comforts and even luxuries of life, and " admission into the best societies of London. The Doctor " was writing his Enquiry &c. in a wretched dirty room, in " which there was but one chair, and when he, from civility, " offered it to his visitant, himself was obliged to sit in the "window. While they were conversing, some one gently " rapped at the door, and being desired to come in, a poor "ragged little girl of very decent behaviour, entered, who, " dropping a curtsie, said, ' My mama sends her compli- " ' ments, and begs the favour of you to lend her a chamber- "' pot fall of coals.'" * If the February number of the Critical Review lay by the reverend, startled, and long-descended visitor, perhaps good- * Percy Memoir, 60-1. "I have Aim now in London," writes Campbell to • the bishop in 1790 (Nichols's Illustrations, vii. 779), when describing his progress in throwing Percy's biographical anecdotes into the form of a memoir, '' and am '' endeavouring to recollect your first visit to him, when the loan, or repayment, of " the 'chamber-pot of coals was asked." To this the bishop answered promptly,, by sending the anecdote, which Campbell (Ibid, 780) thus acknowledges : "My *' account of your visit to him there was almost verbatim, from my recollection of " your words, what you have set down in your last. But could there be any '' harm in letting the world know who the visitant was ? without the circumstance of " the dignity of the guest, the contrast will be in a great measure lost." In truth however the contrast, though amusing enough, was not so very great as Dr. Campbell, prematurely transforming the vicar of a small living into a bishop full-blown, appears to have presented it to his imagination.