that and its consequences as well as an
increasing family, in a few years reduced so very low, that he
could not venture out without danger of being arrested--a
circumstance which, in a great measure, put it out of his power
to dispose of his pictures to advantage. Sir Joshua having
accidentally heard of his situation, immediately hurried to his
residence to enquire into the truth of it, when the unfortunate
man told him all the melancholy particulars of his lot, adding,
that forty pounds would enable him to compound with his
creditors. After some further conversation, Sir Joshua took his
leave, telling the distressed man he would do something for
him; and when he was bidding him adieu at the door, he took him
by the hand, and after squeezing it in a friendly way hurried
off with that kind of triumph in his heart the exalted of human
kind only know by experience whilst the astonished artist found
that he had left in his hand a bank-note for one hundred
pounds."

Of such traits of benevolence certainly many other instances may be
recorded, but I shall only mention two; "the one is the purchasing a
picture of Zoffani, who was without a patron, and selling it to the Earl
of Carlisle for twenty guineas above the price given for it; and he sent
the advanced price immediately to Zoffani, saying 'he thought he had
sold the picture at first below its real value.'"

The other is--"the clergyman who succeeded Sir Joshua's father as master
of the grammar-school at Plympton, at his decease left a widow, who,
after the death of her husband, opened a boarding school for the
education of young ladies. The governess who taught in this school had
but few friends in situations to enable them to do her much service, and
her sole dependence was on her small stipend from the school: hence she
was unable to make a sufficiently reputable appearance in apparel at
their accustomed little balls. The daughter of the schoolmistress, her
only child, and at that time a very young girl, felt for the poor
governess, and the pitiable insufficiency in the article of finery; but
being unable to help her from her own resources, devised within herself
a means by which it might be done otherwise. Having heard of the great
fame of Sir Joshua Reynolds, his character for generosity, and charity,
and recollecting that he had formerly belonged to the Plympton school,
she, without mentioning a syl