Pasthope. Only 32 Figures against 27, which indeed is Odds enough to insure all the money at length. But this, it seems, was an Advantage that was allow’d him, that he might be able to keep a good House, relieve the Poor, and pay an annual Pension to the Crown or the Courtiers.
Man. You say, by his original Agreement he’s to keep a good House: pray after all, what sort of House is it he does keep?
Past. Why, he dines at the Tavern, where any body that has 40 or 50l. to play away with him the Afternoon, may be admitted into his Company.
Man. What, does he entertain none but those that have 40 or 50l. to lose?
Past. He never converses with any Person that has no money: if they have no money, their Company’s burdensom and ungrateful, and the Waiters have Directions to keep ’em out.
Man. Does he do this to the very Persons he has ruin’d, and won all they have? That, methinks, is a pitch of Barbarity beyond the common degree: I hardly ever read or heard of any thing so exaltedly cruel and brutish, in all the Accounts of my Life.
Past. I have seen abundance of Examples of this nature, one, in particular, which I shall never forget; a poor Lady, that had lost 350l. per annum to him, beside two or three thousand pounds in ready money, basely and inhumanly hal’d out of doors, but for asking for a glass of Sack.
Man. You were mentioning his Charity to the Poor too; is there any thing of reality in that?
Past. For my part, I never heard of one good Act he has done in the whole course of his Life: secret Charity is the most meritorious, ’tis true; and perhaps it may be that way he may communicate his, for indeed I never heard of any he did in publick.
Man. You were mentioning too an annual Pension to the Crown; what is it he pays to the Crown?