condition, by any abatement of my way of living, and was received by
all my academical acquaintance with triumph and congratulation. I was
immediately introduced among the wits and men of spirit; and, in a short
time, had divested myself of all my scholar's gravity, and obtained the
reputation of a pretty fellow.

13. You will easily believe that I had no great knowledge of the world;
yet I have been hindered by the general disinclination every man feels
to confess poverty, from telling to any one the resolution of my uncle,
and some time subsisted upon the stock of money which I had brought with
me, and contributed my share as before to all our entertainments. But my
pocket was soon emptied, and I was obliged to ask my friends for a small
sum.

14. This was a favour which we had often reciprocally received from one
another, they supposed my wants only accidental, and therefore willingly
supplied them. In a short time, I found a necessity of asking again, and
was again treated with the same civility, but the third time they began
to wonder what that old rogue my uncle could mean by sending a gentleman
to town without money; and when they gave me what I asked for, advised
me to stipulate for more regular remittances.

15. This somewhat disturbed my dream of constant affluence, but I was
three days after completely awaked; for entering the tavern, where we
met every evening, I found the waiters remitted their complaisance, and
instead of contending to light me up stairs, suffered me to wait for
some minutes by the bar.

16. When I came to my company I found them unusually grave and formal,
and one of them took a hint to turn the conversation upon the misconduct
of young men, and enlarged upon the folly of frequenting the company of
men of fortune, without being able to support the expence; an
observation which the rest contributed either to enforce by repetition,
or to illustrate by examples. Only one of them tried to divert the
discourse, and endeavoured to direct my attention to remote questions,
and common topics.

17. A man guilty of poverty easily believes himself suspected. I went,
however, next morning to breakfast with him, who appeared ignorant of
the drift of the conversation, and by a series of enquiries, drawing
still nearer to the point, prevailed on him, not, perhaps, much against
his will, to inform me, that Mr. _Dash_, whose father was a wealthy
attorney near my native place, had the morning before r