earing to his Majesty, I'll
warrant! I gave you credit for more discretion."

At these words Mr. Garrick seized the chair for support, and swung
heavily into it. Whereat the young lords burst into such a tempest of
laughter that I could not refrain from joining them. As for Mr. Garrick,
he was so pleased to have escaped that he laughed too, though with a
palpable nervousness.

[Note by the editor. It was not long after this that Mr. Garrick's
punishment came, and for the self-same offence.]

"By the bye, Garrick," Carlisle remarked slyly, when he had recovered,
"Mrs. Crewe was vastly taken with the last 'vers' you left on her
dressing-table."

"Was she, now, my Lord?" said the great actor, delighted, but scarce
over his fright. "You must know that I have writ one to my Lady
Carlisle, on the occasion of her dropping her fan in Piccadilly."
Whereupon he proceeded to recite it, and my Lord Carlisle, being
something of a poet himself, pronounced it excellent.

Mr. Garrick asked me many questions concerning American life and
manners, having a play in his repertory the scene of which was laid in
New York. In the midst of this we were interrupted by a dirty fellow who
ran in, crying excitedly:

"Sir, the Archbishop of York is getting drunk at the Bear, and swears
he'll be d--d if he'll act to-night."

"The archbishop may go to the devil!" snapped Mr. Garrick. "I do not
know a greater rascal, except yourself."

I was little short of thunderstruck. But presently Mr. Garrick added
complainingly:

"I paid a guinea for the archbishop, but the fellow got me three
murderers to-day and the best alderman I ever clapped eyes upon. So we
are square."

After the play we supped with him at his new house in Adelphi Terrace,
next Topham Beauclerk's. 'Twas handsomely built in the Italian style,
and newly furnished throughout, for Mr. Garrick travelled now with a
coach and six and four menservants, forsooth. And amongst other things
he took pride in showing us that night was a handsome snuffbox which the
King of Denmark had given him the year before, his Majesty's portrait
set in jewels thereon.

Presently the news of the trial of Lord Baltimore's horse began to be
noised about, and was followed by a deluge of wagers at Brooks's and
White's and elsewhere. Comyn and Fox, my chief supporters, laid large
sums upon me, despite all my persuasion. But the most unpleasant part
of the publicity was the rumour that the match was co