Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-04-11
Anecdotes of Samuel Foote.

Itduy as usual 10 swallow all your SOOC
|, things" said the Duke of Cumberland
one night, in the green-room of the
Haymarket. 'Really, your Royal High
ness must have an excellent digestion, u
replied the wit, for you never bring
any up again." A Scotch peer, notori-
ously thrifty, served his wine in very
small glasses, and descanted eloquently
upon its age and excellence. sit is very
little of its age," observed Foote. Some
times this humor amounted to insolenee
as, for instance after diring at a noble
mans house, not to his satisfaction, and
finding the servants ranged in the hall
when he was departing, heinquired for
the cook and butler, and upon their STEP
ping forward, said to the first, "Here's
half-a-crown for my eating;" and to the
other, ''Here's five shillings for my wine
but, by, never had so bad din
ner for the money in my life." Dining
with Lord Townsend after a duel, he
suggested that his lordship might haYe
got rid of his antagonist in more dead
ly way. ''How?" inquired his host.
"By inviting him to dinner like this,
and poisoning him." was the sharp re-
ply. The Duke of Norfolk, who was
rather too fond of the bottle, asked him
in what new character he should go to
a masquerade. "Go sober" answered
Foote. Being taken into Whites one
| day, a nobleman remarked to him that
his handkerchief was hanging out of his
pocket. ''Thank you, my lord" he re-
piled, "thank you; you know the COM
pany better than | do" A rich con-
tractor was holding forth upon the in
stability of the world. "Can you ac-
count for it, Sir" he asked, turning to
Foote. "Well, not very clearly" he
responded, sunless we suppose it was
built by contract" "why are you for
ever humming that air?" he asked of
gentleman who had no Idea of time.
"Because il haunts me-" "No wonder,
for you are forever numbering it," Gar
rick, of whose great fame he was un-
doubtedly envious. was 4 constant butt
for his sarcasms; and yet Garrick,
whether from fear or friendship 1t would
be difficult to determine, did him many
kindnesses, was always ready to oblige
him with money, and stood firmly by
him throughout the Jackson prosecu-
ton; which last act of friendship
touched FoOte at last with gratitude, for
in enc of his letters, addressed TO Gar
rick, 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." Gar
rick's notorious meanness, however,
furnished him with many witticism.
AT one of Foote'S dinner parties an an
noUncement was made of the arrival of
Mr.. Garrick's servants. "0h, let them
wait" he replied to his footman, "but
be sure you lock up the pantry!'' One
day a gentleman, while conyersing with
Foore, was speaking of Garrick having
reflected upon some persons parsimony,
and ended by observing "Why doeshe not
take the beam out of his own eye before
attacking the mote in other people's?"
Because" retorted Foote, ''he is not
sure of selling the timber" Where on
earth can it be gone?' said Foote, when
Garriek dropped a guinea at the Bedford
one night, and was searching for it in
vain. ITO the devil, think" answer
ed the actor, irritably. 'Let you alone,
David, for making a guinea 90 further
than any one else," was the reply. He
could never forego his jest, however
solemn the occasion. He had been to
the funeral of Holland, the actor, whose
father was baker. "Poor fellow :" he
said in the Bedford that evening, the
tears scarcely upon his cheeks, 81 have
been to see him showed into the family
oven" He once said of an actress, who
was remarkably awkward with her
arms, that she kept the Graces at arms
length. But johnson considered that
Foote surpassed every one he had ever
heard in humorous narrative; and that
although Garrick, the great converse
eAchehAA1I VI NhN SUI Pl-1St III
gayety, delicacy, and elegance, Foote
provoked much more laughter. gen.
tleman who had conceived prejudice
against him, related TO z swell his first
meeting with him at dinner. ''Hav-
ing no good opinion of the fellow" he
said, 81 was resolved not to be pleased.
| went on eating my dinner pretty sui
lenly, affecting not to mind him. But
the dog was so very comical that l was
obliged to lay down knife and fork.
throw myself back in my chair, and
laugh it out. No, sir, he was irresisti-
ble." This most unscrupulous of mimics
and satiriSts was himself exceedingly
thin-skinned. When one time Wood
ward, and at another Wilkinson, threat
ened him with retOrt in kind, he ran
away to Garrick and Rich. their mana
gers, foaming with passion, and threat
ening the most violent retaliations.
Boswell relates that, after hearing him
at dinner table indulge in all kinds of
coarse joeularity against johnson, he
observed that he had heard the great
photographer say a very good thing of
Mr.. Foote himself. He lBoswelll had
asked him one day if he did not think
Foote an infidel. 81 do not know, Sir,
that the fellow is an infidel," replied
johnson; 'but if he be an infidel, he is
an infidel as a dog is an infidel; that is
to say, he has never thought upon the
subject" Boswell adds that he never
saw Foote look so disconcerted. "What,
Sir!" he exclaimed Indignantly, 'to
talk thus of man of liberal education;
a man who for years was at the Univer-
sity of Oxford; a man who has added
sixteen new characters to the literature
of his country ,''-Temple Bar.
Men of Force.
There is always room for man of
force and he makes room for many.