Dunftan, of happy memory, and the prefent Mr. Edward Ke, broker and butcher, furnamed the Elephant, not fo much from his resembling that quadruped in fagacity as in fize.

I am fenfible of the extreme, value of impartiality in a delineation of this fort, as well as the total impoffibility of abfolutely attaining it. Some lurking prejudice, fome unaccountable, and perhaps unperceived bias, fome instinctive fympathy, fecretly impels the mind from its direct courfe. Who does not perceive, in the celebrated comparison between Cato and Cæfar, that Salluft involuntarily inclines towards the former? In the fame manner, if by irresistible fate I incline towards the Elephant, as I fear I do, let me not be thought capable of meditating an injury to the manes of Sir Jeffrey.

One village gave them birth. Jeff was far the elder of the two; but, being fhort of ftature, and his legs having that fort of bend which is vulgarly termed knockknee, he was foon outstripped in growth by Ned. From their early youth they were both diftinguished by a certain magnanimous and obftinate refiftance to learning. Jeffrey, it is well known, would never eat gingerbread with letters on it ; nor did he know one from another to the day of his death. Edward, it is true, can both read and write in a plain way. But in juftice to him it ought to be mentioned, that he withstood the alphabet eight years, and was the death of two fchoolmafters. The one burft a blood-veffel in beating the letter D into him with too much vehemence on a warm day; and the other, who was a very ftout man, flogged himself into a confumption before Ned had got half through the letters. It must be confeffed that Neddy's love of eating, which he has fignalized fo much in his riper years, and which was always eager, might have been a powerful auxiliary to the rod, if his

mental

mental faculties had not been duller than his digeftive.

It is at this early period of life that the ruling paffion fo much talked of by Pope, is moft eafily dif cerned. Unhappy the biographer who would attempt to draw a character of his hero, if he knew him not while a boy. Thrice fortunate am I, who have not only fuch heroes, but who have seen the first workings of nature in them both.

The genius of Jeffrey was chiefly turned, like that of the heroes of Pindar, to horfemanfhip. The first halfpenny he ever had in his life he gave to a chimneyfweep fo: a gallop on the crupper of his jack-afs. This propensity led him to a roving independent kind of life, and produced that careleffnefs of attire, and bluntnefs of manners, which his best friends cannot altogether excufe. But it alfo contributed to his knowledge of the world, and procured him that high popularity amongst a certain clafs of the community, which advanced him with univerfal acclamation to the dignity of Mayor of Garratt, without bribe, treat, or promife.. Yet fuch is the perverfenefs of men, that the attempts of the Elephant to procure applaufe, have generally failed. The world knows what eloquence he has fhewn on the huftings at Guildhall, and been only derided. His fineft geftures have been anfwered with a roar and a whiftle. And on a late occafion, whilft he was offering the livery at the common hall every drop of blood in his body to diftribute among the poor, if they would but agree to carry on the war, the fcoundrels filenced him with a villainous horfe-laugh.

But thanks to nature a thousand and a thousand times over, that those who are moft liable to be laughed at, feel it the least.

Indeed, from the beginning of his life, the Elephant was more fubject to bafhfulness than fhame. Neither did he feem defirous in his early years to acquire that

fame

N

fame which ambitious minds purfue, but wifely preferred the durable and fubftantial pleafures of the belly to empty applaufe. His unwieldy bulk and weight, which jack-afs could not fuftain, and the awkwardness of his limbs, which were ili adapted to pedeftrian motion, were circumstances unfavourable to his feeing a great deal, and perhaps inclined him the more to the amufement of maftication. But however that may be, certain it is that never halfpenny did he get which was not exchanged for black pudding. Not but that he would alfo eat gingerbread when it was given him; but it was nothing, he would fay, to black pudding.

How delightful it is thus to trace great characters as it were from the very egg! Such is the feeling of the Roman poet when he follows the eaglet from his early attempts on lamb and mutton, to the exploits of his full ftrength againft lions and dragons. It is the fame craving of the gizzard which animates him throughout. And often, while I revolved fuch ideas in my mind, was my prophetic eye accustomed to glance from the youthful Neddy, with the black pudding in his fift, to to the mature Edward fighting his way amongft Aldermen for turtle and cuftard:

Nor has it been lefs my amufement to imagine what Sir Jeffrey might have been, if he had been endowed by nature with the vigorous appetite of the Elephant. Inftead of fpending his age with his illaccoutred jack-afs, vending his own effigies for halfpence in the ftreet, he might have filled Guildball with rice, to be fold in barrels to the poor, and the profit, if any, to go to the butchering account. He might have got a fhop in Honey-lane market, without rent, and have fold beef for his amufement, and profit. He might have prefided over the Constitutional Livery

the King's Head in the Poultry: but still let me doubt whether he could have lent himself with proper grace and equal activity, as canvaffer-general to every being without brains that would open a committee at the faid King's Head. Non omnia poffumus omnes. Be contented, ye friends of Sir Jeffrey, with his own praises, nor feek to fix a garland on his head, which the immortal Gods deftined to flourish only on that of his rival.

Rival, alas! I am conftrained to fay: for feldom is it the lot of great cotemporaries to pass through the world without ftrife. In vain did peace and mutual confidence gild their youth, and adorn their riper age. A diffenfion at length arofe, from causes which hiftorians are not yet well agreed upon. Some will have.it that Sir Jeffrey difcovered an intrigue between his confort and the Elephant. But this I know to be an inju rious afperfion. Others blame envy, from which it is certain that great characters are not always exempt. They relate, that on the day of the inauguration of Sir Jeffrey as Mayor of Garratt, the Elephant, after qualifying and voting for his friend, took his ftation-in the highest good humour amongst the crowd, to fee the cavalcade pafs by. But when he faw Sir Jeffrey in a clean duft-cart, drawn in triumph by fix jack-affes, their heads decorated with green leaves, and hailed by the acclamations of the mob, his colour immediately changed, and his no dilated exceedingly; a faculty which he poffeffes in an eminent degree, and never fails to exert when the difaffected livery hifs him on the huftings. His eyes rolled dreadfully; and, in hort, it was manifeft that the Elephant's fpleen had begun to fwell. But, for my own part, I do not believe that the Elephant was fo much fmitten with envy, as with the difappointment of feeing Sir Jeffrey ride off without giving a dinner. This, at leaft, is the moft characteristic fuppofition; and we find accordingly, that fince that time, the Elephant has taken especial

VOL, V.

care

care never to vote or canyafs for any man whatever, without firft ftipulating for a dinner of his own ordering.

This unfortunate affair, however, by no means broke off the habits, of intimacy between the two great men. It only produced a coolnefs on the part of the Elephant. Sir Jeffrey, after the bustle of election, returned into his ufual track of quiet life, probably unconfcious of any offence; and when he met with the Elephant, they feemed as cordial as before. And the world, as well as themselves, might probably have forgotten the affair at Garratt, if it had not been for the treaty of Pilnitz.

The high contracting parties in that folemn league, having, for the glory of God, and the advancement of religion, agreed to difmember France of feveral provinces, and reinftate the legitimate king in the remainder under their own control; the Elephant, of courfe, as prefident of the Conftitutional Livery, confidered himfelf a party concerned. He naturally defired to have the concurrence of Sir Jeffrey in fo important a tranfaction, and he accordingly invited him to faioke a pipe of Virginia at the Golden Lion in Camberwell. Sir Jeffrey, like other loyal fubjects, hugely delighted in a French, war, being fond of feafights and illuminations; but having little vital Chriftianity, he could form no idea how religion had any thing to do with the affair. So after hearing the Elephant at full length on the fine opportunity that of fered of attacking France in its then enfeebled, condition; Sir Jeffrey thought it fcarcely fair play. "Mendoza," fays he, is a Jew, but damme he won't ftrike a man when he is on his back." The Elephant was staggered at this fudden retort; but speedily collecting himself, he answered, that he did not know what a boxer would do who had Lot the fear of God; but he knew that Deputy Birch, who made the beft tur

tle