arkable persons, who are the pride and pleasure of every
table they honour and delight with their presence But this may not be.
For obvious reasons, I could not do it if I would; and most assuredly,
I would not do it if I could. No more certain mode could be devised
of destroying conversation, than by showing, that when the citadel is
unguarded, the approach of a friend is as unsafe as that of an enemy.

Alas! poor Hook! who can read the unkind notice of thee in a late
periodical, and not feel, that on some occasions you must have admitted
to your confidence men who were as unworthy of that distinction as, they
were incapable of appreciating it, and that they who will disregard the
privileges of a table, will not hesitate to violate even the sanctity
of the tomb. Cant may talk of your "_inter pocula_" errors with pious
horror; and pretension, now that its indulgence is safe, may affect to
disclaim your acquaintance; but kinder, and better, and truer men than
those who furnished your biographer with his facts will not fail to
recollect your talents with pride, and your wit and your humour with
wonder and delight.

We do not require such flagrant examples as these to teach us our duty,
but they are not without their use in increasing our caution.

When Mr. Hopewell withdrew, Mr. Slick observed:

"Ain't that ere old man a trump? He is always in the right place.
Whenever you want to find him, jist go and look for him where he
ought to be, and there you will find him as sure as there is snakes in
Varginy. He is a brick, that's a fact. Still, for all that, he ain't
jist altogether a citizen of this world nother. He fishes in deep water,
with a sinker to his hook. He can't throw a fly as I can, reel out his
line, run down stream, and then wind up, wind up, wind up, and let out,
and wind up again, till he lands his fish, as I do. He looks deep into
things, is a better religionist, polititioner, and bookster than I be:
but then that's all he does know. If you want to find your way about, or
read a man, come to me, that's all; for I'm the boy that jist can do
it. If I can't walk into a man, I can dodge round him; and if he is too
nimble for that, I can jump over him; and if he is too tall for that,
although I don't like the play, yet I can whip him.

"Now, Squire, I have been a good deal to England, and crossed this big
pond here the matter of seven times, and know a good deal about it, more
than a great many folks that have