When King William was upon the throne, Mr. Nah was a member of the Middle Temple. It had been long customary for the Inns of court to entertain our Monarchs upon their acceffion to the crown, or fome. fuch remarkable occafion, with a revel and pageant. In the earlier periods of our history, Poets were the conductors of these entertainments; plays were exhibited, and complimentary verses were then written; but by degrees the pageant alone was continued, Sir John Davis being the last poet that wrote verses upon fuch an occafion in the reign of James I.

This ceremony which has been at length totally discontinued, was laft exhibited in honour of King William, and Mr. Nah was chosen to conduct the whole with proper decorum. He was then but a very young man, but we fee at how early an age he was thought proper to guide the amusements of his country, and be the Arbiter Elegantiarum of his time; we see how early he gave proofs of that spirit of regularity, for which he afterwards became famous

famous, and fhewed an attention to those little circumstances, of which tho' the obfervance be trifling, the neglect has often interrupted men of the greatest abilities in the progress of their fortunes.

In conducting this entertainment, Nash had an opportunity of exhibiting all his abilities, and King William was fo well fatisfied with his performance, that he made him an offer of knighthood. This, however, he thought proper to refuse, which in a perfon of his difpofition seems ftrange. Please your Majefty, replied he, when the offer was made him, if you intend to make me a Knight, I wish it may be one of your poor Knights of Windfor, and then I shall have a fortune, at least able to fupport my title. Yet we do not find, that the King took the hint of encreafing his fortune, perhaps he could not, he had at that time numbers to oblige, and he never cared to give money without important fervices.

But

t

But though Nash acquired no riches by his late office, yet he gained many friends, or what is more eafily obtained, many acquaintance, who often anfwer the end as well. In the populous city where he refided, to be known was almost synoni-* mous with being in the road to fortune. How many little Things do we fee, without merit, or without friends, push themfelves forward into public notice, and by felf-advertizing, attract the attention of the day. The wife defpife them, but the public are not all wife. Thus they fucceed, rife upon the wing of folly, or of fashion, and by their fuccefs give a new fanction to effrontery.

But befide his affurance, Mr. Nah had in reality fome merit and fome virtues. He was, if not a brilliant, at least an easy companion. He never forgot good manners, even in the highest warmth of familiarity, and as I hinted before, never went in a dirty shirt to disgrace the table of his patron or his friend. These qualifications might make the furniture of his

head

head; but for his heart, that seemed an affemblage of the virtues which display an honeft benevolent mind; with the vices which fpring from too much good nature. He had pity for every creature's distress, but wanted prudence in the application of his benefits. He had generofity for the wretched in the highest degree, at a time when his creditors complained of his juftice. He often spoke falfhoods, but never had any of his harmless tales tinctured with malice.

An instance of his humanity is told us in the Spectator, though his name is not mentioned. When he was to give. in his accompts to the mafters of the temple, among other articles, he charged. For making one man happy 10l. Being questioned about the meaning of so strange an item, he frankly declared, that happening to over-hear a poor man declare to his wife and a large family of children, that 10l. would make him happy, he could not avoid trying the experiment. He added, that if they did not chufe to

acquiefce

acquiefce in his charge, he was ready to refund the money. The mafters ftruck with fuch an uncommon inftance of good nature, publicly thanked him for his benevolence, and desired that the sum might be doubled as a proof of their fatisfaction.

Another inftance of his unaccountable generofity, and I fhall proceed. In fome tranfactions with one of his friends, Mr. Nash was brought in debtor twenty pounds. His friend frequently asked for the money, and was as often denied. He found at laft, that affiduity was likely to have no effect, and therefore contrived an honourable method of getting back his money without diffolving the friendship that fubfifted between them. One day, returning from Nah's chamber with the usual affurance of being paid to morrow, he went to one of their mutual acquaintance, and related the frequent disappointments he had received, and the little hopes he had of being ever paid. My defign, "continues he, is that "try to borrow twenty pounds from Nash,

you should

go, and

" and