that lasting dislike is often the consequence of occasional disgust, and
that the cup of life is surely bitter enough without squeezing in the
hateful rind of resentment." It was upon something like the same
principle, and from his general hatred of refinement, that when I told
him how Dr. Collier, in order to keep the servants in humour with his
favourite dog, by seeming rough with the animal himself on many
occasions, and crying out, "Why will nobody knock this cur's brains out?"
meant to conciliate their tenderness towards Pompey; he returned me for
answer, "that the maxim was evidently false, and founded on ignorance of
human life: that the servants would kick the dog sooner for having
obtained such a sanction to their severity. And I once," added he, "chid
my wife for beating the cat before the maid, who will now," said I,
"treat puss with cruelty, perhaps, and plead her mistress's example."

I asked him upon this if he ever disputed with his wife? (I had heard
that he loved her passionately.) "Perpetually," said he: "my wife had a
particular reverence for cleanliness, and desired the praise of neatness
in her dress and furniture, as many ladies do, till they become
troublesome to their best friends, slaves to their own besoms, and only
sigh for the hour of sweeping their husbands out of the house as dirt and
useless lumber. 'A clean floor is _so_ comfortable,' she would say
sometimes, by way of twitting; till at last I told her that I thought we
had had talk enough about the _floor_, we would now have a touch at the
_ceiling_."

On another occasion I have heard him blame her for a fault many people
have, of setting the miseries of their neighbours half unintentionally,
half wantonly before their eyes, showing them the bad side of their
profession, situation, etc. He said, "She would lament the dependence of
pupilage to a young heir, etc., and once told a waterman who rowed her
along the Thames in a wherry, that he was no happier than a galley-slave,
one being chained to the oar by authority, the other by want. I had,
however," said he, laughing, "the wit to get her daughter on my side
always before we began the dispute. She read comedy better than anybody
he ever heard," he said; "in tragedy she mouthed too much."

Garrick told Mr. Thrale, however, that she was a little painted puppet,
of no value at all, and quite disguised with affectation, full of odd
airs of rural elegance; and he made out some comica