of this treatment, which, in his own
opinion at least, he had not deserved, was such, that he broke off all
correspondence with most of his contributors, and appeared to consider
them as persecutors and oppressors; and in the latter part of his life
declared that their conduct towards him since his departure from London
"had been perfidiousness improving on perfidiousness, and inhumanity on
inhumanity."

It is not to be supposed that the necessities of Mr. Savage did not
sometimes incite him to satirical exaggerations of the behaviour of
those by whom he thought himself reduced to them. But it must be granted
that the diminution of his allowance was a great hardship, and that
those who withdrew their subscription from a man who, upon the faith
of their promise, had gone into a kind of banishment, and abandoned all
those by whom he had been before relieved in his distresses, will find
it no easy task to vindicate their conduct. It may be alleged, and
perhaps justly, that he was petulant and contemptuous; that he more
frequently reproached his subscribers for not giving him more, than
thanked them for what he received; but it is to be remembered that his
conduct, and this is the worst charge that can be drawn up against him,
did them no real injury, and that it therefore ought rather to have been
pitied than resented; at least the resentment it might provoke ought
to have been generous and manly; epithets which his conduct will hardly
deserve that starves the man whom he has persuaded to put himself into
his power.

It might have been reasonably demanded by Savage, that they should,
before they had taken away what they promised, have replaced him in
his former state, that they should have taken no advantages from the
situation to which the appearance of their kindness had reduced him, and
that he should have been recalled to London before he was abandoned. He
might justly represent, that he ought to have been considered as a lion
in the toils, and demand to be released before the dogs should be loosed
upon him. He endeavoured, indeed, to release himself, and, with an
intent to return to London, went to Bristol, where a repetition of the
kindness which he had formerly found, invited him to stay. He was not
only caressed and treated, but had a collection made for him of about
thirty pounds, with which it had been happy if he had immediately
departed for London; but his negligence did not suffer him to consider
that such