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Article ANECDOTES OF THE LATE HUGH KELLY, Esq. ← Page 2 of 6 →
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Anecdotes Of The Late Hugh Kelly, Esq.
From school he was taken at an early age , and bound an apprentice to a Stay-maker , a profession which he was often twitted with irv-his better days , but which he frequently anticipated by a voluntary confession , thatat once flattered his talents and his industry . Here he served out his time with fidelity and diligence , giving up all his leisure hours to the Theatre , and the reading of Plays ; the former of which he was enabled to
frequent gratuitously , through the favour of his pot-companions—the-Perfofmers . What could have induced a man of this description , unfriended , un- , aided by a liberal profession , and almost without any education , to settle in London , would be difficult now to account for , had not he often declared the motives to his private friends .
During his apprenticeship he had often tried his pen at an Essay—a Theatrical criticism—a Song—an Ep igram , and such kind of desultory writing , which wei ' e much flattered by his friends , and in particular bysome English Players who occasionally made the Summer trip to Dublin . Some of these told him " what a pity it was a man of his genius should be confined to the paltry situation of a Stay-maker , when he could figure away in much hiher lines of life : that London was the great hot-bed
g for such talents , where he could earn much more by his pen than his bodiin , be received in the character of a gentleman , and enjoy the comforts ^ the pleasures , and improvements of a great metropolis . " " These discourses , Sir , " says Kelly , " like the earldom of Hereford and ail its moveables , " to Buckingham , " never let my brains at rest , " till I saw London .. Therefore scraping a few guineas together ( all the
produce of my Stay-malting ) , and packing up my wardrobe in a sheet ofbro-vm paper , 1 set forward , and arrived at the Swan with Two Necks ,. Lad-Lane , in the spring of the year 1760 . " Being unwilling , however , to enter himself as a naked son of the Muses , in a strange country , Kelly announced himself first as a Stay- ? nafar , and being recommended to the Black Lyon public-house , Russel-street , Covent-Garden , he there met with some of his old Theatrical acquaintance , who cordially recognized their pleasant Irish companion , and immediately recommended him , in his profession , to their wives and
mistresses . It was however soon discovered , that his Stays were not so neatly executed as those made by Englishmen , and that they were likewise so soikd that they appeared like second-hand work ; hence he soon lost a considerable part of that business which at first flowed in upon him . To the truth of these charges , Kelly frankly enough acceded , particularly the last , which arose from the natural maistness of his hands , and which , unlike the genius of his friend Goldsmith ,
" Qiiod tetigit non ornavit . " He felt this loss of custom with no regret ; he said , " he was secretlyglad of it , as it gave him a proper excuse to himself for leaving a business which never had more of his choice than as necessity prompted . " 4 D
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Anecdotes Of The Late Hugh Kelly, Esq.
From school he was taken at an early age , and bound an apprentice to a Stay-maker , a profession which he was often twitted with irv-his better days , but which he frequently anticipated by a voluntary confession , thatat once flattered his talents and his industry . Here he served out his time with fidelity and diligence , giving up all his leisure hours to the Theatre , and the reading of Plays ; the former of which he was enabled to
frequent gratuitously , through the favour of his pot-companions—the-Perfofmers . What could have induced a man of this description , unfriended , un- , aided by a liberal profession , and almost without any education , to settle in London , would be difficult now to account for , had not he often declared the motives to his private friends .
During his apprenticeship he had often tried his pen at an Essay—a Theatrical criticism—a Song—an Ep igram , and such kind of desultory writing , which wei ' e much flattered by his friends , and in particular bysome English Players who occasionally made the Summer trip to Dublin . Some of these told him " what a pity it was a man of his genius should be confined to the paltry situation of a Stay-maker , when he could figure away in much hiher lines of life : that London was the great hot-bed
g for such talents , where he could earn much more by his pen than his bodiin , be received in the character of a gentleman , and enjoy the comforts ^ the pleasures , and improvements of a great metropolis . " " These discourses , Sir , " says Kelly , " like the earldom of Hereford and ail its moveables , " to Buckingham , " never let my brains at rest , " till I saw London .. Therefore scraping a few guineas together ( all the
produce of my Stay-malting ) , and packing up my wardrobe in a sheet ofbro-vm paper , 1 set forward , and arrived at the Swan with Two Necks ,. Lad-Lane , in the spring of the year 1760 . " Being unwilling , however , to enter himself as a naked son of the Muses , in a strange country , Kelly announced himself first as a Stay- ? nafar , and being recommended to the Black Lyon public-house , Russel-street , Covent-Garden , he there met with some of his old Theatrical acquaintance , who cordially recognized their pleasant Irish companion , and immediately recommended him , in his profession , to their wives and
mistresses . It was however soon discovered , that his Stays were not so neatly executed as those made by Englishmen , and that they were likewise so soikd that they appeared like second-hand work ; hence he soon lost a considerable part of that business which at first flowed in upon him . To the truth of these charges , Kelly frankly enough acceded , particularly the last , which arose from the natural maistness of his hands , and which , unlike the genius of his friend Goldsmith ,
" Qiiod tetigit non ornavit . " He felt this loss of custom with no regret ; he said , " he was secretlyglad of it , as it gave him a proper excuse to himself for leaving a business which never had more of his choice than as necessity prompted . " 4 D