ture of male and female rags compofed her drefs, tied round with a ravelling of hemp. She feldom quitted her obfcure refidence, except on being roufed by the noife of hunters and their hounds, when fhe would fally forth, armed with a pitchfork or broomflick, in order to check the progrefs of the intruders on her brother's grounds, on which occafion fhe had very much the appearance of a moving bundle of rags. The refidence of this uniform couple was as miferable as themselves; it had fuffered fo much by repair, and ftill wanted fo much, that the moft diligent antiquary could fcarcely distinguish a bit of the original building. As this couple only lived to fave money, every action only tended to the accumulation of wealth; three pounds of flicking of beef, and fourteen hard dumplings, was their week's allowance. Half a bullock's head, with occasionally a few stale trotters, made broth for weeks; and fometimes Mr. Dancer would render this repast more favoury, by the addition of fome picked bones, which, in his rambles, he deprived the dogs of. It is faid, that he once found a sheep which had apparently died of a natural disease, and carrying it home in triumph on his shoulder, it was immediately skinned and cut up, and the induftrious Mifs Dancer made an immenfe number of mutton pies, with proper feafoning, on which they feafted for feveral weeks.

The time of Mifs Dancer's diffolution approaching, her brother was naturally importuned for medical affiftance, but he fhrewdly obferved, "that would coft money;" and he argued, "If the girl is to come to her latter end, nothing can fave her; why fhould I throw away money in wickedly trying to oppofe the will of God? Sure the may as well die now as at any other time."-At this period, in his fifter's laft exigency, he only allowed her the ufual portion of flicking of beef, with the cold hard dumpling; but his deficiency of care was very amply supplied by the late Lady Tempest, (daughter of Holmes, Efq. of Wigfton, in

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DANIEL DANCER, ESQ.

the county of Leicester, and widow of Sir Henry Tempest, Bart. of Tong, in the county of York) who afforded every kindness and attention necessary to the care of Miss Dancer, and who, in return, intended to have left her her fortune, but unluckily expired before fhe could fign a will in her ladyship's favour. Her property being thus left in,teftate, and at the difpofition of the law, her two brothers wifhed to divide it equally with Mr. Dancer, to which he would not agree; accordingly a law-fuit commenced, and Mr. Dancer recovered 10401. of his fifter's fortune, as the regular price of her board and lodging for thirty years at 30l. per annum, and 100l. for the two last years, as during that time she had done nothing but eat and lie in bed. The reft of her fortune, after thefe extraordinary deductions, was equally divided between the two brothers and Mr. Dancer. Here it fhould be observed, that these brothers were as faving as Mr. Dancer; indeed this ftrange man Teems to have been the principal branch of a thrifty tree, every scion of which was of a fimilar texture.

On the death of his fifter, finding himself lonefome, he hired a man for his companion, who was a proper counterpart of himself. This fervant, Griffiths, had, by fevere parfimony, contrived to accumulate 500l. out of wages which had never exceeded 10l. per annum. At the time he hired with Mr. Dancer, he was about 60 years of age, and his wages were eighteen-pence per week. He affifted his master in picking up bones, &c. accordingly, when they went out, they took different roads for the fame purpofe; but Griffiths having a tafte for strong beer, would tipple a little, which was the caufe of much altercation at night, when he met his mafter; who, rather than expend a penny, had frequently recourfe to the pot-liquor of Lady Tempeft's kitchen, of which he would fwill fo enormously as to be obliged to roll himself on the floor to fleep. He generally had his body. girt by a hayband, to keep together his tattered garments;

and the stockings he ufually wore had been fo frequently darned and patched, that hardly any of the original could be feen. In cold and dirty weather, however, they were thickly covered with ropes of hay, which served as substitutes for boots. His whole garb, indeed, resembled that of a mi. ferable mendicant. He had an old horse, but never would allow more than two fhoes for his fore-feet, deeming those for his hind-feet an unneceffary expence. He never took fnuff, conceiving fuch an indulgence to be extravagant, yet he always carried a fnuff-box. This he would probably fill in the course of a month, by pinches obtained from others. When the box was full, he would barter the contents for a farthing candle at a neighbouring chandler's shop. This candle ferved him till he had time to fill the box again, as he never suffered any light in his house, except when he was going to bed. He feldom washed his face and hands; but when the fun fhone forth he would repair to a neighbouring pool, and fubftitute fand for foap. When he had performed the operation of washing, he would lie on his back and dry himself with the folar beams; as he never used a towel, because it would wear out, and when dirty the washing would be expenfive. Having come to London one day, for the purpose of investing 2000l. in the funds, a gentleman near the Royal Exchange obferved him, and taking him for a wretched beggar, humanely flipped a penny into his hand; which the old man received with a degree of furprize; but inftantly recollecting, that “ little helps," he pocketed the affront, and walked on. This parfimonious man never had more than one shirt at a time, which, being purchased at an old cloaths' fhop, feldom exceeded half-a-crown in price; nor did it ever, after falling into his poffeffion, undergo the operation of either washing or mending, but was doomed to perpetual slavery, till it literally dropt in pieces from his back. Hence, it may naturally be fuppofed, that, though Mr. Dancer fel

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DANIEL DANCER, ESQ.

9

dom affociated with his neighbours, he was at all times attended by a very numerous company, whose personal attachment rendered mankind extremely cautious of approaching him. In the purchase of an old fhirt, he once fuppofed himself cheated by a woman of the vaft fum of three-pence; in confequence of which, he commenced a fuit against her in the Court of Confcience; the poor old man was, however, nonfuited; and, befides the original debt of threepence, he incurred the expence of near five fhillings for cofts. To add to his diftrefs, he expended on the road from Pinner to London, and back again, three-halfpence more. Lady Tempeft was the only perfon who had the least influence on this unfortunate mifer; and, though she knew that she should share the bulk of his fortune with Captain Holmes, the endeavoured to perfuade him to en→ joy the good things of this life, but in vain. Once, indeed, The prevailed upon him to purchase an old hat (having worn his own for thirteen years) from a Jew for a shilling; but to her great astonishment, when she called the next day, fhe beheld the old chapeau on his head. On enquiry, it appeared, that he had prevailed on old Griffiths, his fervant, to purchase the hat of him, at the advanced price of eighteen-pence, and congratulated himself on his dexterity in clearing fixpence by the tranfaction. One day Lady Tempest sent him a prefent of trout ftewed in claret, of which he was extremely fond. It was frosty weather, and the whole, from being kept all night, was frozen almost into ice. Being much afflicted with the tooth-ach, he could not touch it, and to light a fire he thought expensive; therefore, as he generally lay in bed to keep himself warm in cold weather, he caused the fish and fauce to be put between two pewter plates, on which he fat till the rich repast was tolerably warm. Of lawyers and physicians, he entertained a very unfavourable opinion. Sooner than have any connection with a lawyer, he faid, he would deal with

the

the devil; and to ufe his own expreffion, "All the gentle men of the faculty are medical tinkers, who, in endeavouring to patch up one blemish in the human frame, never fail to make ten." He thought bellows-makers, undertakers, and trunk-makers very extravagant fellows, on account of their great waste of nails, which profusion he thought unneceffary.

The report of his riches, and the idea of its concealment about the houfe, once brought a troop of houfe-breakers, who very easily entered, but could find little property. This man concealed his treasure where no one could think of looking for it. Bank notes ufually lay with spiders amongst the cobwebs in the cow-houfe, guineas were concealed in holes in the chimney, and about the fire-place, covered with foot and afhes. Soon after the robbery, the thieves were apprehended, and as Mr. Dancer's prefence at their trial was neceffary, Lady Tempeft begged his acceptance of a clean fhirt, that he might make a decent appearance; but he declined the generous offer, affuring her that he had a new one on, which he had bought three weeks ago, when it was quite clean.

Notwithstanding he denied himfelf a penny-loaf a day, yet he allowed his dog (of which he was fo fond, that he gave him the name of "Bob my child") a pint of milk daily, but on being told that his dog Bob had worried fome of his neighbours fheep, he took him to a farrier's fhop, and had all his teeth filed down, for fear he might commit further mischief, and incur expences.

Mr. Dancer had attained the 78th year of his age before he felt any serious confequences: during his illness at this time, Lady Tempest accidentally called upon him, and finding him lying up to the neck in an old fack, without even a fhirt, remonftrated against the impropriety of fuch a fituation; when he replied, that "having come into the world without a fhirt, he was determined to go out of it