His refentment of this treatment, which, in his own opinion at least, he had not deferved, was fuch, that he broke off all correfpondence with most of his contributors, and appeared to confider them as perfecutors and oppreffors; and in the latter part of his life declared, that their conduct toward him, fince his departure from London, “had "been perfidioufnefs improving on perfidi-, ❝ousness, and inhumanity on inhumanity."

It is not to be fuppofed, that the neceffities: of Mr. Savage did not fometimes incite him to fatirical exaggerations of the behaviour of those by whom he thought himself reduced to them. But it must be granted, that the diminution of his allowance was a great hardship, and that those who withdrew their subscription from a man, who, upon the faith of their promise, had gone into a kind of banishment, and abandoned all those by whom he had been before relieved in his diftreffes, will find it no eafy task to vindicate their conduct.

It may be alledged, and perhaps juftly, that he was petulant and contemptuous, that

he more frequently reproached his fubfcribers for not giving him more, than thanked them for what he received; but it is to be remembered, that this conduct, and this is the worst charge that can be drawn up against him, did them no real injury; and that it therefore ought rather to have been pitied than refented; at least, the refentment it might provoke ought to have been generous and manly; epithets which his conduct will hardly deferve that starves the man whom he has perfuaded to put himself into his power.

It might have been reasonably demanded by Savage, that they should, before they had taken away what they promifed, have replaced him in his former ftate, that they fhould have taken no advantages from the fituation to which the appearance of their kindness had reduced him, and that he should have been recalled to London before he was abandoned. He might juftly reprefent, that he ought to have been confidered as a lion in the toils, and demand to be released before the dogs should be loosed upon him.

He endeavoured, indeed, to release himfelf, and, with an intent to return to Lon

don,

don, went to Bristol, where a repetition of the kindness which he had formerly found invited him to ftay. He was not only careffed and treated, but had a collection made for him of about thirty pounds, with which it had been happy if he had immediately departed for London; but his negligence did not suffer him to confider, that such proofs of kindness were not often to be expected, and that this ardour of benevolence was in a great degree the effect of novelty, and might, probably, be every day lefs; and therefore he took no care to improve the happy time, but was encouraged by one favour to hope for another, till at length generofity was exhaufted, and officioufnefs wearied.

Another part of his mifconduct was the practice of prolonging his vifits to unfeafonable hours, and disconcerting all the families into which he was admitted. This was an error in a place of commerce which all the charms of his converfation could not compenfate; for what trader would purchase such airy fatisfaction by the lofs of folid gain, which must be the confequence of midnight merriment, as thofe hours which were

t

gained at night were generally lost in the morning?

Thus Mr. Savage, after the curiofity of the inhabitants was gratified, found the number of his friends daily decreafing, perhaps without fufpecting for what reafon their conduct was altered; for he ftill continued to harafs, with his nocturnal intrufions, thofe that yet countenanced him, and admitted him to their houses.

But he did not fpend all the time of his refidence at Bristol in vifits or at taverns, for he sometimes returned to his fludies, and began feveral confiderable defigns. When he felt an inclination to write, he always retired from the knowledge of his friends, and lay hid in an obscure part of the fuburbs, till he found himself again defirous of company, to which it is likely that intervals of abfence made him more welcome.

He was always full of his defign of returning to London, to bring his tragedy upon the ftage; but, having neglected to depart with the money that was raised for him, he could

not

not afterwards procure a fum fufficient to defray the expences of his journey; nor perhaps would a fresh supply have had any other effect, than, by putting immediate pleasures in his power, to have driven the thoughts of his journey out of his mind.

While he was thus fpending the day in contriving a scheme for the morrow, distress ftole upon him by imperceptible degrees. His conduct had already wearied fome of those who were at firft enamoured of his conversation; but he might, perhaps, still have devolved to others, whom he might have entertained with equal fuccefs, had not the decay

of his clothes made it no longer confiftent with their vanity to admit him to their tables, or to affociate with him in public places. He now began to find every man from home at whose house he called; and was therefore no longer able to procure the neceffaries of life, but wandered about the town, flighted and neglected, in queft of a dinner, which he did not always obtain.

To complete his mifery, he was pursued by the officers for fmall debts which he had contracted;

5.