Thomas Gascoyne, a gentleman of fashion, well known in England, and now
in the same auberge with you." I confessed that I had seen, and
conversed with Sir Thomas Gascoyne there, and that it was very true, he
was to me, and I to him, utter strangers; but I observed, that Sir
Thomas had been ten years upon his travels, and that I had lived
fourteen years in retirement before he set out, and therefore that was
but a weak circumstance of my being an impostor; I observed too, that
impostors travelled singly, not with a wife and children; and that
though I by no means wished to force his money out of his pocket, I
coveted much to remove all suspicions of my being an adventurer, for
many obvious reasons. This reply opened a glimpse of generosity, though
sullied with arrogance and pride. "I should be sorry (said he) to see a
countryman, who is an honest man, in want of money; and therefore, as I
think it is probable you are Mr. Thicknesse, I will, when you want your
note changed, change it;" adding, however, that "he thanked God! if he
lost the money, he could afford it." I then told him, he had put it in
my power to convince him I was Mr. Thicknesse, by declining, as I did,
the boon he offered me; I declined it, indeed, with an honest
indignation, because I am sure he did not doubt my being Mr. Thicknesse,
and that _he_, not _I_, was the REAL PRETENDER. I had before told him,
that I had some letters in my pocket written by a Spanish Gentleman of
fashion, whose hand-writing must be well known in that town;--but to
this he observed, that there was not a Moor in Spain who could not write
Spanish;--he further remarked, that if I was Mr. Thicknesse, I had, in a
publication of my travels, spoke of Sir John Lambert, a Parisian Banker,
in very unhandsome terms, and, for aught he knew, I might take the same
liberty with his name, in future. I acknowledged that his charge was
very true, and that his suggestion might be so; that I should always
speak and publish such truths as I thought proper, either for the
information of others, or the satisfaction of myself. Mr. Wombwell,