as the prime of youth and his natural gaiety will permit; and by his
early morning hours, a great portion of time upon his hands to employ
in writing, or worse.

Mrs. Fortescue says, 'he has one gentleman who is more his intimate
and correspondent than any of the rest.' You remember what his
dismissed bailiff said of him and of his associates.* I don't find
but that Mrs. Fortescue confirms this part of it, 'that all his
relations are afraid of him; and that his pride sets him above owing
obligations to them. She believes he is clear of the world; and that
he will continue so;' No doubt from the same motive that makes him
avoid being obliged to his relations.


* Letter IV.


A person willing to think favourably of him would hope, that a brave,
a learned, and a diligent, man, cannot be naturally a bad man.--But if
he be better than his enemies say he is (and if worse he is bad
indeed) he is guilty of an inexcusable fault in being so careless as
he is of his reputation. I think a man can be so but from one of
these two reasons: either that he is conscious he deserves the ill
spoken of him; or, that he takes a pride in being thought worse than
he is. Both very bad and threatening indications; since the first must
shew him to be utterly abandoned; and it is but natural to conclude
from the other, that what a man is not ashamed to have imputed to him,
he will not scruple to be guilty of whenever he has an opportunity.

Upon the whole, and upon all I could gather from Mrs. Fortescue, Mr.