"But had I said to him what I have said to you, it would have been a Lie."
"Pooh! you are too nice. Why, Man, I have writ Dedications myself. I know the Market-Value of these Things. Moreover, the Booksellers will laugh at you, and probably will refuse to print."
"Well, Sir, no great Harm done; I shall be disappointed, but not heartbroken. Happy for me, I am not writing for Bread."
"Hark ye, Mr. Fenwick—"
And I could not catch the Sense nor Connexion of what followed. Mr. Caryl seemed to lead away quite from the Subject in Hand to College Matters, and asking Mr. Fenwick's Opinion about this and t'other Poet; for such I took 'em to be, because they got upon such Names as Lucretius and Catullus, and others ending in us, the which I had seen tagged to the Mottoes of the Tatler and Spectator. And they seemed to talk over their Merits, and declare their own Opinions of them, which did not agree, because I heard Mr. Caryl laugh at Mr. Fenwick for battling so stoutly with his Patron. Then they got on to Greek Play-Writers, I think, and seemed more of a Mind, and to warm mightily and spout favourite Passages, each inciting and kindling the other, so that 'twas quite pleasant to hear 'em, even without understanding a Word of what they were saying; and I was glad Mr. Fenwick had Company so much to his Mind, that would make the Morning fly away so fast; and only hoped he might not over-exert himself, and suffer for it afterwards. Then I fell to thinking that if such were his Tastes and Capacities, what a wide, wide Barrier there must be between his cultivated Mind and our uncultivated Minds, and how trite and poor must seem to him the very best Remarks that we could offer! And while I was pursuing this Thought, and forgetting to hearken to their Discourse, I was recalled to it all at once by hearing Mr. Caryl say,
"This won't do; I must be off. Good Day, Sir!"
And, in shaking Hands with Mr. Fenwick, I suppose he endeavoured to leave a Purse in his Hand; for I heard Mr. Fenwick quite energetically say:
"Oh no! No indeed! I cannot think of it for a Moment! It must not be so!"
And the other; "Nay, but it must be so! For once, you must flatter my Vanity by letting me fancy myself a Lord Earlstoke."