stood
for a fellowship, which, to his great mortification, he lost, and
which was his reason for quitting that place, at least that was
his pretext. But he had other reasons: he was in arrears to his
bookseller, his tailor, and other tradesmen. But, I believe, a
desire to partake of the dissipation and gaiety of London was his
principal motive. Colonel Martyn was at this time with his
regiment; and Mr. Payne, a near relation, who had the management
of the colonel's affairs, had likewise a commission to supply the
Collinses with small sums of money. The colonel was the more
sparing in this order, having suffered considerably by Alderman
Collins, who had formerly been his agent, and, forgetting that his
wife's brother's cash was not his own, had applied it to his own
use. When Mr. William Collins came from the university, he called
on his cousin Payne, gaily dressed, and with a feather in his hat;
at which his relation expressed surprise, and told him his
appearance was by no means that of a young man who had not a
single guinea he could call his own. This gave him great offence;
but remembering his sole dependence for subsistence was in the
power of Mr. Payne, he concealed his resentment; yet could not
refrain from speaking freely behind his back, and saying 'he
thought him a d----d dull fellow;' though, indeed, this was an
epithet he was pleased to bestow on every one who did not think as
he would have them. His frequent demands for a supply obliged Mr.
Payne to tell him he must pursue some other line of life, for he
was sure Colonel Martyn would be displeased with him for having
done so much. This resource being stopped, forced him to set about
some work, of which his 'History of the Revival of Learning' was
the first; and for which he printed proposals (one of which I
have), and took the first subscription money from many of his
particular friends: the work was begun, but soon stood still. Both
Dr. Johnson and Mr. Langhorne are mistaken when they say, the
'Translation of Aristotle' was never begun: I know the contrary,
for some progress was made in both, but most in the latter. From
the freedom subsisting between us, we took the liberty of saying
any thing to each other. I one day reproached him with idleness;
when, to convince me my censure was unjust, he showed me many
sheets of his 'Translation of Aristotle,' which he said he had so
fully