of thieves, who had conceived a just opinion of his talents.

That most great men have had their weakneffes, is an obfervation, which, however trite it may appear, is neverthe fefs founded in truth. Let not then our hero be derided for his; fince it must be acknowledged, that many have trembled at phantoms lefs formidable than the gallows,

Whether the native strength of his mind might not at length have enabled him to conquer the dread of an evil from which he daily faw fo many adventurers escape, and which he knew to be most despised by thofe on whom it was most likely to fall, we cannot take it upon us to determine. Before the power of exifting circumftances had directed his energies into this channel, an incident occurred, which probably changed the colour of his future destiny.

While employed in fweeping the croffing, oppofite the door of a charitable lady, in the neighbourhood of Bloomf

bury

bury-fquare, he obferved a squirrel make its escape from the houfe; and feeing two or three fervants immediately run after it, judged that fomething might be got by recovering the fugitive. He accord ingly engaged in the chafe, and being either the most active, or the most zealous, of those who were employed in the purfuit, eafily outstripped them all, and had the honour of fecuring the little runaway, who revenged the lofs of liberty by biting the hand of his enflaver. Notwithstanding the pain occafioned by the wound, the little fellow bravely kept hold of his adverfary, and returned with him in triumph to his mistress.

The good lady, delighted at the restoration of her favourite, demanded the name of his preserver. The boys calls me the funny vagabond,' replied he, and Ife never answers to no other name.'

"And where do your father and mother live?" inquired the lady.

• Ife

Ife have got no fathers nor mothers,' returned he, beginning to whimper.

"Poor thing!" faid the lady," and were you never at school?" The negative to this question, and the apparent wretchedness of the little object, so wrought upon the compaffionate heart of this good woman, that he immediately conceived the intention of taking him under her protection. He was accordingly clothed, and put to fchool by the name of Alphonfo Vallaton; for so the good lady, who was a great reader of novels, chose to conftrue the appellation of funny vagabond, which, though probably but a nick-name, was all that he had any remembrance of poffeffing.

If our hero's progrefs in literature did. not keep pace with his adroitness in other pursuits, yet even here he found apparent smartness an impofing fubftitute for more folid understanding. So plaufibly could he retail scraps of the leffons of others,

that

that with all, but the mafter, he paffed for a promifing fcholar; and the mafter had fomething elfe to do than to attend to the real progrefs of a boy who was indebted to the fupport of charity. When, at the defire of her lady, the housekeeper would fometimes condefcend to liften to the young Alphonfo, while he read to her a leffon in his fchool-book; fhe acknowledged herfelf aftonifhed at the manner in which he acquitted himself. He did not then (as a boy of inferior genius, in the fame circumstances, certainly would have done) proceed to fpelling and putting together, but went boldly on without ftop or hesitation, fo artfully managing the tones of his voice, as to remove all fufpicion of deceit. When memory failed, invention was always at hand to fupply the deficiency.

Indeed the wonderful dexterity with which he brought thefe powers of the mind to contribute to each other's affustance, was, through life, one of the most confpicuous

VOL. I.

E

confpicuous as well as most useful of our hero's accomplishments.

At twelve years old being, by the report of the housekeeper, which was corroborated by the teftimony of his schoolmafter, qualified to read, write, and caft accounts, he was taken from school, and promoted to the employment of footman's assistant. Here every talent that he had received from nature, every habit that he had acquired among the companions of his early life, were placed in a foil fuited to their expanfion and improvement. Here that inventive faculty, which not only furnished him with a ready excufe for every fault he himself committed, but which was ever at the service of his friends, found daily opportunities of exercife. Nor was it in words alone that his fuperior genius was displayed. Each of his fellow-fervants received, in their feparate departments, convincing proofs of his abilities. To John, his immediate fuperintendant, he quickly endeared himself,