CHAP. V.j FELLOWSHIP WITH JOHNSON.

light and shade that might seeni of any choosing but his, 1702.
he exhibits the moral qualities of Nash, as of one whose JBt.34.
virtues, .in almost every instance, received some tincture
from the follies most nearly neighbouring them; who,
though very poor, was very fine, and spread out the little
gold he had as thinly and far as it would go,* but whose
poverty was the more to be regretted, that it denied him the
indulgence not only of his favourite follies, but of his
favourite virtues; who had pity for every creature's distress,
but wanted prudence in the application of his benefits, and
in whom this ill-controlled sensibility was so strong, that,
unable to witness the misfortunes of the miserable, he was
always borrowing money to relieve them; who had not-
withstanding done a thousand good things, and whose
greatest vice was vanity.f The self-painted picture will
appear more striking as this narrative proceeds; and it
would seem to have the same sort of unconscious relation to
the future, that one of Nash's friends is mentioned in the
book to have gone by the name of The Orood-natured Man.
Nor should I omit the casual evidence of acquaintanceship
between its hero and his biographer that occurs in a livery
notice of the three periods of amatory usage which the beau's
long life had witnessed, and in which not only had flaxen
bobs been succeeded by majors, and neghgents been routed
by bags and ramilies, but the modes of making love had
varied as much as the periwigs. " The only way to make
" love now, I have heard Mr. Nash say, was to take no
" manner of notice of the lady." I

* Life, 9, 14. The passage suggests the original of Beau Tibbs.

t Life, 104-119.
J Life, 75. " Ihaveknmvnhim, "he remarks in another passage, " on a hall-night

'' strip even the dutchess of Q------, and throw her apron at one of the hinder

" benches among the ladies' women; observing that none but Abigails appeared in pleasant comedy of The Sing of Bath. It contains also