In the interval, he and the writer of our MS. encountered one another and renewed their college acquaintance. He visited our friend, and became almost an inmate of his family. They had at this time with them a young lady, of the most captivating manners, great mental endowments, elegant in her person, and of very considerable fortune. Unfortunately, she also had entangled herself in a connection, in which her principal view was a regular establishment. Her parents were dead, and she boarded, not very comfortably to her views and feelings, in one of those houses where some respectable female receives and protects young ladies of fortune. These ill starred parties, forgetful of their mutual engagements, conceived the strongest attachment to one another, thus placing the Sexagenarian and his family in a situation of the greatest perplexity and distress.—Incidents occurred, and scenes were frequently repeated, which it is not consistent with the object of this narrative to detail and describe; but which would be allowed their full share of pathos and interest in any of the better works of imagination.
After an interval, perhaps somewhat too long protracted, the streams returned to their proper channels.—Their sentiments of delicacy and honour led each of them, to the honourable performance of their first engagements.—The gentleman received the distinctions which had been promised him, but whether from the causes which have been recited above, whether from infirmity of health, or from worldly vexations, it cannot be said, but true it is, that his mind became soured, and his manners captious and irritable. In contradiction to his former character of courtesy and kindness, he was always involved in controversy and dispute, and at length died at a premature age, unpopular and unbeloved. Of the lady it is only necessary to say, that she became the amiable mother of numerous children, and for any thing known to the contrary, may yet be alive to peruse this narrative; if she does, she will bear willing testimony to its accuracy.
During his residence in the university, our friend appears to have constantly frequented the divinity schools whenever Dr. Watson presided as Regius Professor. He expresses with great warmth how much he was charmed with the grace of his manner, the dignity of his deportment, the elegance of his latinity, and the fluency of his diction. He seems to have regarded him with awe and reverence, yet he certainly had a certain solemn pompousness of demeanour, which rendered him less acceptable to many.—He was not at the time of which we are speaking elevated to the Episcopacy, but he was soon afterwards. An honest publican, who was his neighbour, in order to testify his great respect for Dr. Watson, took down his long established sign of Bishop Blaize and substituted for it the head of Dr. Watson; a wicked wag of the university, saving his presence, we believe he is now a Bishop, wrote an epigram on the occasion.
Two of a trade can ne’er agree,
No proverb e’er was juster,
They’ve ta’en down Bishop Blaize do you see,
And put up Bishop Bluster.
At this period also Dr. Hallifax presided in the law schools with great dignity and effect. He was an admirable scholar, and spoke Latin with peculiar facility and elegance. About the period of our friend’s leaving the university, he also was made a Bishop, and the edition which he subsequently published of Butler’s Analogy, sufficiently demonstrates that those honours were not improperly bestowed. Bishop Watson yet survives; but it is a matter of some regret that none of his friends have undertaken to give a more extended biographical sketch of Bishop Hallifax. He was a very considerable man, of great abilities and of profound learning. He also filled highly dignified and important offices, and it seems unjust that one so circumstanced and conditioned, should be suffered to pass away, without some more substantial memorial of his worth and usefulness, than has yet appeared.
When about half the period of residence at the university had been fulfilled, Mr. Pitt appeared among the students. The great and illustrious Pitt, whose talents, patriotism, and firmness saved his country, and handed down a lesson to Europe, which in the event, preserved that also. But let us forbear to anticipate events and circumstances to which the narrative will in due course lead. Let us be satisfied with saying here, that the Sexagenarian well remembered his first appearance at the university. He excited no interest or curiosity from his person or manners. He had even at that early period a certain austerity of aspect, and stiffness of manner, by no means calculated to conciliate on a first introduction. He was characterised by an air of much deeper thoughtfulness than is usually to be discerned in persons so young, and he was very seldom seen in the society of young men of similar rank and situation with himself. His most usual companion was his tutor, upon whose arm he generally leaned. He was remarkable for the plainness of his dress and was, it is known, particularly correct in his attention to the local rules of his college, and to the general regulations of the university. It is also on record, that he lived at inconsiderable expence, an expence which some of the young pert coxcombs of the present day would contemplate with a disdainful sneer.—Poor creatures!—They are generally satisfied with the voluptuous pleasures of to-day; his great mind was probably expanding into future times, and anticipating the period when his genius and talents might have their due and proper exercise upon nations.