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Article ANECDOTES OF THE LATE HUGH KELLY. ← Page 4 of 6 →
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Anecdotes Of The Late Hugh Kelly.
dread of ruin , prefer the former as less painful to their feelings , and thus await the slow but certain minings of poverty and disgrace . This decrease in our Author ' s fortune , though concealed from the world , was not concealed from himself . He felt the sacrifice he made to vanity , but was now too much effeminated by the habits of indulgence and self-importance to recoverhethereforein some respectapplied
; , ^ , to Bacchus , as the last resource of desponding minds ; that officious deceitful friend , who offers his alliance in time of difficulty , for no other purpose but to turn his arms , in the end , against his principal . In fhort , Kelly , in the hours of relaxation , indulged rather too freely in the pleasures of the table , and if he did not find his dose sufficiently strong there , generally carried up a bottle to his bedchamber , in order
to recover that composure which his waking thoughts denied him . The effects of this , a natural corpulency , and a sedentary life , early brought on by habits of business , induced an abscess in his side about the latter end of January 1777 , which he rather neglected in the beginning , till becoming more painful , his physicians , amongst other things , advised the hot-bath , as apprehensive of a mortification . As they .. were bringing ; him in a sedan from Newgate-street Bagnio after this
operation , the writer of this account had the last nod from him , which he gave with his usual complacency and friendship , though he had evii dently the hand of death on him at the time . Soon after he arrived at his house in Gough-square he became speechless , and next morning , on the third day of February , he died , in the thirty- ei g hth year of his age . ¦ _ . ,. His death declared the derangement of his affairshis
having openly , numerous friends exerted themselves very laudably for his family . The Right Hon . Alderman Harley , very much to his honour , lost not a moment in securing a comfortable annuity for his widow ; and Dr . Johnson ( whose charity kept pace with his extensive genius ) being solicited to write a prologue to our Author ' s comedy of the " Word
to the Wise , " which his friends thought proper to revive on this occasion , cheerfully undertook . it . These , with the publication of his works by subscription , raised some foundation for the support of the widow and five children . But , alas ! how vain and perishable are often the wisest and friendliest precautions in human affairs ! The widow and four children are long since more amply provided for in another world , whilst the remaining ^ son ( if he yet remain ,- no accounts having been received from him for several years ) is now an officer in the
East-Indies . Thus ends the little history of a man who , thoughdestitute of fortune , friends , and profession , early connexions , or a regular education , rose to a respectable situation in life by the mere efforts of his genius , and a well-regulated conduct ; and had he lived long enough , and could have altered his late habits ( which by the advice of his friends he was exertinc- himself to accomplish ) , there was a great probability of his
attaining the first legal honours of the City , having many capital friends there , and possessing an attention and complacency of manners that ^ yould have ahvays secured their attachment .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Anecdotes Of The Late Hugh Kelly.
dread of ruin , prefer the former as less painful to their feelings , and thus await the slow but certain minings of poverty and disgrace . This decrease in our Author ' s fortune , though concealed from the world , was not concealed from himself . He felt the sacrifice he made to vanity , but was now too much effeminated by the habits of indulgence and self-importance to recoverhethereforein some respectapplied
; , ^ , to Bacchus , as the last resource of desponding minds ; that officious deceitful friend , who offers his alliance in time of difficulty , for no other purpose but to turn his arms , in the end , against his principal . In fhort , Kelly , in the hours of relaxation , indulged rather too freely in the pleasures of the table , and if he did not find his dose sufficiently strong there , generally carried up a bottle to his bedchamber , in order
to recover that composure which his waking thoughts denied him . The effects of this , a natural corpulency , and a sedentary life , early brought on by habits of business , induced an abscess in his side about the latter end of January 1777 , which he rather neglected in the beginning , till becoming more painful , his physicians , amongst other things , advised the hot-bath , as apprehensive of a mortification . As they .. were bringing ; him in a sedan from Newgate-street Bagnio after this
operation , the writer of this account had the last nod from him , which he gave with his usual complacency and friendship , though he had evii dently the hand of death on him at the time . Soon after he arrived at his house in Gough-square he became speechless , and next morning , on the third day of February , he died , in the thirty- ei g hth year of his age . ¦ _ . ,. His death declared the derangement of his affairshis
having openly , numerous friends exerted themselves very laudably for his family . The Right Hon . Alderman Harley , very much to his honour , lost not a moment in securing a comfortable annuity for his widow ; and Dr . Johnson ( whose charity kept pace with his extensive genius ) being solicited to write a prologue to our Author ' s comedy of the " Word
to the Wise , " which his friends thought proper to revive on this occasion , cheerfully undertook . it . These , with the publication of his works by subscription , raised some foundation for the support of the widow and five children . But , alas ! how vain and perishable are often the wisest and friendliest precautions in human affairs ! The widow and four children are long since more amply provided for in another world , whilst the remaining ^ son ( if he yet remain ,- no accounts having been received from him for several years ) is now an officer in the
East-Indies . Thus ends the little history of a man who , thoughdestitute of fortune , friends , and profession , early connexions , or a regular education , rose to a respectable situation in life by the mere efforts of his genius , and a well-regulated conduct ; and had he lived long enough , and could have altered his late habits ( which by the advice of his friends he was exertinc- himself to accomplish ) , there was a great probability of his
attaining the first legal honours of the City , having many capital friends there , and possessing an attention and complacency of manners that ^ yould have ahvays secured their attachment .