ighest to the lowest--from St. James's to St. Giles's, in
palaces and night-cellars--from the drawing-room to the dust-cart. He
can drink, swear, tell stories, cudgel, box, and smoke with any one;
having by his intercourse with society fitted himself for all companies.
His education has been more practical than theoretical, though he was
brought up at Eton, where, notwithstanding he made considerable progress
in his studies, he took such an aversion to Greek that he never would
learn it. Previous to his arrival at his present title, he used to be
called Honest George, and so unalterable is his nature, that to this
hour he likes it, and it fits him better than his title. But he has
often been sadly put to his shifts under various circumstances: he was
a courtier, but was too honest for that; he tried gaming, but he was too
honest for that; he got into prison, and might have wiped off, but he
was too honest for that; he got into the coal trade, but he found it a
black business, and he was too honest for that. At drawing the long
bow, so much perhaps cannot be said--but that you know is habit, not
principle; his courage is undoubted, having fought three duels before he
was twenty years of age.

Being disappointed in his hope of promotion in the army, he resolved, in
spite of the remonstrances of his ~26~~friends, to quit the guards,
and solicited an appointment in one of the Hessian corps, at that
time raising for the British service in America, where the war of the
revolution was then commencing, and obtained from the Landgrave of Hesse
a captain's commission in his corps of Jagers.

Previous to his departure for America, finding he had involved himself
in difficulties by a profuse expenditure, too extensive for his income,
and an indulgence in the pleasures of the turf to a very great extent,
he felt himself under the necessity of mortgaging an estate of about
11,000L. per annum, left him by his aunt, and which proved unequal to
the liquidation of his debts. He remained in America till the end of the
war, where he distinguished himself for bravery, and suffered much with
the yellow fever. On his return, he obtained an introduction to the
Prince of Wales, who by that time had lanched into public life, and
became one of the jovial characters whom he selected for his associates;
and many are the amusing anecdotes related of him. The Prince conferred
on him the appointment of equerry, with a salary of 300L. a year; this,
ho