oasting in company of his family, declared even his own father
died in an exalted situation. Some of the company looking incredulous,
another observed, "I can bear testimony to the gentleman's veracity, as
my father was sheriff for the county when his was _hanged_ for
horse-stealing."

XLIV.--REVERSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES.

WHEN General V---- was quartered in a small town in Ireland, he and his
lady were regularly besieged as they got into their carriage by an old
beggar-woman, who kept her post at the door, assailing them daily with
fresh importunities. One morning, as Mrs. V. stepped into the carriage,
the woman began: "Oh, my lady! success to your ladyship, and success to
your honor's honor: for sure I did not _dream_ last night that her
ladyship gave me a pound of tea, and your honor gave me a pound of
tobacco."--"My good woman," said the general, "dreams go by the rule of
contrary."--"Do they so?" rejoined the old woman; "then it must mean,
that your honor will give me _the tea_, and her ladyship _the tobacco_."

XLV.--A DOGGED ANSWER.

BOSWELL, dining one day with Dr. Johnson, asked him if he did not think
that a good cook was more essential to the community than a good poet.
"I don't suppose," said the doctor, "that there's a _dog_ in the town
but what thinks so."

XLVI.--VISIBLE DARKNESS.

A GENTLEMAN at an inn, seeing that the lights were so dim as only to
render the darkness visible, called out, "Here, waiter, let me have a
couple of _decent_ candles to _see_ how these others _burn_."

XLVII.--HIC-CUPPING.

A GENTLEMAN, at whose house Swift was dining in Ireland, after dinner
introduced remarkably small hock-glasses, and at length turning to Swift
addressed him: "Mr. Dean, I shall be happy to take a glass of hic, haec,
hoc, with you."--"Sir," rejoined the doctor, "I shall be happy to
comply, but it must be out of a _hujus_ glass."

XLVIII.--WORDS THAT BURN.

DR. ROBERTSON observed, that Johnson's jokes were the rebukes of the
righteous, described in Scripture as being like excellent oil. "Yes,"
exclaimed Burke, "_oil of vitriol_!"

XLIX.--PASSING THE BOTTLE.

FOOTE being in company, and the wine producing more riot than concord,
he observed one gentleman so far gone in debate as to throw the bottle
at his antagonist's head; upon which, catching the missile in his hand,
he restored the harmony of the company by observing, that "if _the
bottle