Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-01-07
Anecdotes Of Samuel FOo,c.

Temple Bar relates the following anec.
doics of this famous witt No man was
ever more free from toadyism; rank was
no shield against his wit, which would
strike as hard at Duke ns mcnial,
"Well, Foolc, here am, ready NJ Il ual
90 swallow all your good things, :" said the
Duke of Cumberland one night in tho
grecn.room of the IIaymarkct "Rcally,
your Royal lIighness must have IN excel.
lent digestion, replied tho wit, "for you
never bring up anything again" A Scotch
peer, notoriously thrifty, served his wine
in very small glasses, and dcscantcd el0.
quently upon its age and excellence at
is very little of ils age" observed Foote.
Sometimes this humor amounted to inso.
lcnce as, for instance, after dining at n
noblemah's house, not TO his satisfaction.
ana finding the servants ranged in the hall
when he was departing, he inquired for
the cook and butler, and, upon their
stopping forward, said TO the first "ITcre's
half-a-crown for my eating;n and to the
other Here's five shillings for my
wine; but must say never had so bud
dinner for the money in my life" Din
ing with Lord Townsend after duel, he
suggested that His Lordship might have
got rid of his antagonist in more deadly
way llOwT' inquired his host "By
inviting him to dinner like this and
poisoning him, was the sharp reply The
Duke of Norfolk, who wat rather too fond
OF the bottle asked him in what new
character he should go TO masquerade
Go sober" answered FoOlc. Being
taken into Whites one day, nobleman
remarked to him that his handkerchief
was hanging out of his pocket "Thank
you, my Lord" he replied, "thank YOU;
You know the company better Than do"
A rich contractor was holding forth upon
the instability of the world. Can
you account for IT, sir?" he asked
turning TO Foote. "Well, not very clear
ly,' he responded, "unlcss we suppose
il to be built by contract WHY are
you forever hammering that airy' he
asked of a gentleman who had no idea OF
the time. "Bccause it haunts me-" "No
wonder, for you are forever numbering it,"
Garrick, of whose great fame he was un-
doubtedly enyious, was r constant butt
for his sarcasms; and yet Garrick, whether
from fear or friendship it would be dlli-
cult to determine, did him many kind.
nesses, was always ready TO oblige him
with money, Stood firmly by him through
out the Jackson prosecutions which last
act of friendship touched Foote at last
with gratitude, for in one of his letters,
addressed to Garrick, he writes; "GOd
forever bless you! May nothing but
halcyon days and nights crown the rest
of your life, is the sincere prayer of
Samuel Foote.n Garrick's notorious
mcanncss, however, furnished him
with many witticism. At one of
Foote'S dinner parties an announcement
was made Of the arrival of Mr. Gulrick's
servants. "Oh, let them wait" he re-
piled to his footman, but he sure you
lock up the pantry!' One day gentle
man, while convcrsing with Mr.. Fco.e,
was speaking Of Garrick's having reflect
edsupon some persons parsimony, and
ended by observing: "Mhy did he not
take the beam out Of his own eye before
attacking the mote in other people ="
Because" ?" retortel FoOte, che is not
of selling the timber" lie could
never forego his jest, however solemn the
occasion. He had been to the funeral of
Holland the actor whose father was a
baker Poor iellOw!' he said in the
Bedford that evening, the tears scarcely
dry upon his checks, 81 have been
10 see him showed into the family
oven" lie once said of an actress,
who was remarkably awkward with her
arms, that she kept the Graccs at arms
length, But johnson considered that
Footc surpassed every one he had ever
heard in humorous narrative; and that
although Garrick, the great conversations
alist of the age, surpassed him in gayety,
delicacy and elegance, Foote provoked
much more laughter. a gentleman who
had conceived Il prejudice against him re-
la.ed to Boswell his first meeting with
him at dinner Having no good opin-
ion of the fellow" he said, - was re-
solved not to be pleased. went on eating
f,tt nlxr
TO mind him. But the dog was so very
conical that / was obliged to lay down
my knife and fork, throw myself back in
my chair and laugh it out. No, sir, he
was irresistible" This most unscrupu-
lous of mimics and satirists was himself
exceedingly thin-skinncd. When one
time v GODDARD, and at another Wilkinson,
threatened him with rctOrt in kind, he
ran away to Garrlck and Rich, their man
ayers, foaming with passion and threat
ening the most violent retuliations. Bos-
well relates that, after hearing him at a
dinner table indulge in all kinds of coarse
iocularity against johnson, he OBJ
served that he had heard the great lexi-
cographer say very good thing of Mr.
Foote himself He (BoswelD had asked
him one day if he did not think Foote an
infdel. Il do not know that the fellow
Is an lnndel, replleu JohnsonA but II
he be an intidel he is an infdelF'as dog
is an intidel that is TO say, he has never
thought upon the subject" Boswell adds
that le never saw Foote look so discon-
certed. "What, sirv he exclaimed in
dignantly, "to talk thus of man of lib
erl1 educational u man who for years was
at the University Of Oxford; u man who
has added sixteen new characters TO the
literature of his countryln