Star.
London, England, 1818-01-14 00:00:00

OLD JOHN

A person well known at all the Offices of Government, and
who, srom his singular appearance and eccentric manner, has
often recited a smile from the beads of many of the principal de-
parteninsts,.died last Friday, at his lodgings, Shoe-lane.
Drariog a period of 80 years did this honest creature fill the
haehis station hf an errand-carrier at his Majesty's Printing-
°ate. But what was accounted humble,became in his hands im.l
panant; and " the King% Hessen ," sake always ailed himself,
yielded to none of his Majesty's Miinisters in the conception of thel
dignity of his office, when entrusted with King's Speeches, Acl.-
dresses, Bills, acid other Papers of 'State. At the Offices of the
Senetaties of State, when loaded with parcels of this dostrip-
trast_he would throw open every chamber without ceremony ;
the Trear.uy and Exclaequer doors could not oppose him ; and
eves the study of Archbishops has often been invaded by thin
important messenger of the press. His antiquated and greasy
garb corresponded with his wizard-like shape, and an immense
mocked bat wan in continual motion to assist him in the bows of
tine old school; the recognadoo or nod of great men in office
Amy his delight. But be imagined that this courtesy was due
t) his Abaracter' as being identified with the State ; and the
Ceascellos and the Speaker were considered by him in no other
view than as persons filling departments in common with him-
self ; for the seals of the one, and the mace of the other, did not,
irthia etimation, distinguish them more than the bag used by
ktotself in the transmission of the dispatches entrusted to his
care. The imperfect intellect given to him seemed only to fit
him for the situation he filled. Take him. out of it, he was as
hdplass as a child, and easily became a ape to chase who were
bolioed to impose upon him. With a high opinioa of his own
kaciFient, however, he diverted himself and others by mimick-
ing the voice and manner of his superitirs, when he thought
he perceived any assumption of character. John could imitate
the strut and moil of the you Man and even the frivolity
of. the fop. Seeing in his time packets to the same indivi-
dual eddressod from pixin " Mr," to " the Right Honourable,"
afforded him subject for much Ipke ; and he frequently used to
obberire, that it would shortly dome to Old John's turn to be-
come an Esquire or Knight himself. Ile had a high veneration
for Ecclesiastical Dignitaries, and never visited a Church unless a
Bishop was so preach. The unfremsency of this opportunity dh-
posed hint, at one period of his life, to fit up his room as a chapel,
with an altar and a figure of his own contrivance, dressed in ca-
r ohleals, through which be used to read the Church Service.
Though his riding passion was vanity, yet•lse -never despised
r oncy ; avarice laid hold of him, and his delight was to count it.
A few years ago, a fellow came to Lim in a great hurry from a
Meeting of Noblemen at the Crown and Anchor, requiring Lis
attendance with a bag of silver for change to give away to the
poor, for which be would get double the value in notes ; the fel-
low succeeded in his stratagem, and poor John was taken in the
snare. About this time a few Gentlemen at Westminster had his
likeness taken, and copies of John's picture were distributed
among his friends of whom he reckoned a great Personage to
be one ; having beard that c copy was sent to Windsor, and a
pension Fur his long services was expected from that quarter.
Seeing his picture hung up in, the first offices in the kingdom,
the poor' fellow felt that he had attained the summit of human
distinction ; the measure of his ambition was full, and he looked
in vain to his former pursuits for his accustomed pleasure. It
had been recounted of him, that he was dutiful to an ancient
mother, and sacrificed his own comforts for a parent's support :
but it was not known that he ever felt the tender passion of love.
It was now John's fate, at fourscore and ten, to discover him-
self to be assn of Adam. Female warmth melted the seals set on
his thrifty bags, and the soothing' of a daughter of Eye turned the
miser into the spendthrift the fair one, having spent his all, left
Mtn. The poor fellow, though a great man, was honest; and the
liberal establishment to whilh be belonged, adhered to him in his
last nvaments. Like the leaves of autumn, generations of men are
swept away and are soon forgotten; and though this singular being
eras caMlairative47 known to few, yet as his hand has conveyed P.-
pees of State to most of the great Statesmen of the last and pre-
„iw century, when considering him as ministering with fidelity
this way from the days of Sir Robert Walpole, beyond the
time of William Pitt the seceed, bearing on his bads the mighty
-mks of their labours, poem old John, who was as important in
hi • nwn corech as any Statesman in his time, may lay in his
churn also for ids share 01 renown.

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