at the
dinners of the Friendly Brothers--which are luxurious
indeed, and all for the "immortal memory" of William, king
of that name, and whose portrait ornaments their reading-
room--who better than he can "set the table in a roar"?

~240~~

Have set you down at ten pound whist
With A-------y, and the _au fait_ list,{5}
Turning your nights to days;
Or, somewhat wiser, bid you mix
Where less expensive are odd tricks,
And where friend R-------n plays.{6}

Have made you try a double trade,
By clapping you in masquerade,
To jaunt at fancy-balls;
You would have seen some merry sights
On two or three particular nights,
In good Miss-----------'s halls.{7}

You could have gone as harlequin,
Or clad yourself in Zamiel's skin,
Your tending spirits we;
Or "Peeping Tom" may be more apt,
Since all are in your record clapp'd
We send to Coventry.

5 Colonel A------y, certainly tho first whist player of the
rooms.

If he ever drilled a company of raw recruits half as well as
he manages a handful of bad cards, he must have been the
very admirable Crichton of soldiership.

6 Mr. R------n, a facetious and good-humoured son of Erin;
true

as clock-work to the board of green cloth, though he has
been an age making a fortune from it.

7 Among the most fashionable amusements of Cheltenham are
the fancy-balls, given by two or three of the principal
sojourners in that place, of card-playing, scandal,
freemasonry, and hot water--God knows how many are in the
latter ingredient! The most splendid I recollect was
given by Colonel---------, or rather Miss---------, whose
_protege_ he married; touching which alliance, there is a
story of some interest and much romance. Of that, as Pierce
Egan says very wittily in every critique, "of that anon."
There certainly was some fun and humour displayed by a few
of the characters on the particular evening I mention; the
two best performers were a reverend gentleman as
one of Russell's waggoners, inimitably portrayed, and
Captain B. A-----e, not the author of "To Day," but his
brother, as an Indian prince. The dress, appearance, and
language to the life.