or years ridden to and fro with letters, was as carefully
depicted by the painter as his rider. On visiting 'old Odell' a year or
two afterwards, Mr Collins observed a strange-looking object hanging
against his kitchen wall, and inquired what it was. 'Oh, sir,' replied
the old man, sorrowfully, 'that is the skin of my poor donkey. He died
of old age, and I did not like to part with him altogether, so I had his
skin dried, and hung up there.' Tears came into his eyes as he spoke of
the old companion of all his village pilgrimages. The incident might
have formed a continuation of Sterne's exquisite episode in the
'Sentimental Journey.'"[240]

In his picture of "The Cherry-Seller," painted for Mr Higgins of Turvey
House, old Odell and his donkey are chief figures.

GAINSBOROUGH KEPT AN ASS.

The Rev. William Gilpin, in his "Forest Scenery," refers to the
picturesque beauty of the ass in a landscape Berghem often introduced
it; "and a late excellent landscape-painter (Mr Gainsborough), I have
heard, generally kept this animal by him, that he might have it always
at hand to introduce in various attitudes into his pictures. I have
heard also that a plaster cast of an ass, modelled by him, is sold in
the shops in London."[241]

IRISHMAN ON THE RAMSGATE DONKEYS.

In former times, when excise officers were not so sharp, there was a
good deal of smuggling carried on at Ramsgate. Sir Thomas Dick
Lauder[242] tells an anecdote of an Irishman there, who being asked to
name the hardest wrought creature in existence, replied, "Och! a
Ramsgate donkey, to be sure; for, faith, afthur carrying angels all day,
be the powers he is forced to carry speerits all night."

ASS'S FOAL.

Douglas Jerrold and a company of literary friends were out in the
country. In the course of their walk they stopped to notice the gambols
of an ass's foal. A very sentimental poet present vowed that he should
like to send the little thing as a present to his mother. "Do," replied
Jerrold, "and tie a piece of paper round its neck, bearing this motto,
'When this you see, remember me.'"[243]

ASS.

A judge, joking a young barrister, said--"If you and I were turned into
a horse and an ass, which would you prefer to be?"--"The ass, to be
sure," replied the barrister. "I've heard of an ass being made a judge,
but a horse never."[244]

Ammonianus, the grammarian, had an ass which, as it is said, when he
attended the lectures upon poetry, often neglect