Tom's Coffee-house in Birchin-lane, Cornhill, though in the main a
mercantile resort, acquired some celebrity from its having been
frequented by Garrick, who, to keep up an interest in the City,
appeared here about twice in a winter at 'Change time, when it was
the rendezvous of young merchants.

* * * * *

Hawkins says: "After all that has been said of Mr. Garrick, envy
must own that he owed his celebrity to his merit; and yet, of that
himself so diffident, that he practiced sundry little but innocent
arts, to insure the favour of the public:" yet, he did more. When a
rising actor complained to Mrs. Garrick that the newspapers abused
him, the widow replied, "You should write your own criticisms;
David always did."

* * * * *

One evening, Murphy was at Tom's, when Colley Cibber was playing at
whist, with an old general for his partner. As the cards were dealt
to him, he took up every one in turn, and expressed his
disappointment at each indifferent one. In the progress of the game
he did not follow suit, and his partner said, "What! have you not a
spade, Mr. Cibber?" The latter, looking at his cards, answered, "Oh
yes, a thousand;" which drew a very peevish comment from the
general. On which, Cibber, who was shockingly addicted to swearing,
replied, "Don't be angry, for--I can play ten times worse if I
like."

* * * * *

The celebrated Bedford Coffee-house, in Covent Garden, once
attracted so much attention as to have published, "Memoirs of the
Bedford Coffee-house," two editions, 1751 and 1763. It stood "under
the Piazza, in Covent Garden," in the northwest corner, near the
entrance to the theatre, and has long ceased to exist.

* * * * *

In the _Connoisseur_, No. 1, 1754, we are assured that "this
Coffee-house is every night crowded with men of parts. Almost every
one you meet is a polite scholar and a wit. Jokes and bon-mots are
echoed from box to box: every branch of literature is critically
examined, and the merit of every production of the press, or
performance of the theatres, weighed and determined."

And in the above-named "Memoirs" we read that "this spot has been
signalized for many