tensive commerce, or lucky hits in the way of business. He never speculated, not even in the funds, but saved and put by, and put by and saved again. He rejected many offers of putting out his money at high interest, and was contented with the receipts from the shop, and the legal interest of his country. He held monopolists and usurers in abhorrence; and often observed, that it was a toss up with such men, whether they were to make a fortune or a bankruptcy. The same principles he taught his son, and the same success attended his exertions.

Old Roger Caxon was florid and corpulent, goodnatured and plain dealing, sober and industrious; so. that his neighbour, Mr. Cheshire, a rich cheesemonger and vendor of pork, thought him worthy of his only daughter, to whom he gave fifteen hundred pounds in marriage, which the ironmonger then considered a handsome portion. At Mr. Cheshire's demise Mr. Caxon found a new increase to his capital, arising from the stock sold off, money for the good will from the successor in the cheese, butter, and bacon line, houses in Newgate-street, and cellars and counting-houses, advantageously let, in Elbow-lane, Bride-lane, Petticoat-lanc, yea, and in Amen-corner, the whole forming a valuable property. Instead of living up to his income, leaving off trade, or changing his habits, he never changed a guinea idly, and kept to his stingo as his only treat, or a bowl of punch on high days and holidays. When he paid the debt of nature he left no other debt unpaid, but was " removed from over the way" amidst the regrets and good words of all his neighbours.

Caleb, his only child, was no chicken when the honest citizen took his leave of the shop and of the world together; he had drudged for twenty-four years with the old man, and felt inclined to go on twenty more, being at this time turned of forty. He was single, but not without his sympathies. Dolly Do-allthings, who was housekeeper, cook, butler, and slut, had cast a wicked hazle eye upon him, and he felt that he was under the wand of the enchantress. At the same time she despised the shop-and there was only one little dirty boy, called boots, a scruitures des scruitures of male appearance in the dark premises. Caleb, now the head of the house, soon found that it was a pity to work Dolly so hard, and two assistants were forthwith procured. Dolly began to look more and more captivating, but was so highly puffed that Master Caxon's widow could not help thinking that the girl was getting above herself. The old lady, however, not long surviving, Dolly became governess of domestic concerns, and was on a friendly and familiar footing with Master, from which a little accident arose, natural enough in such cases; but the bells of St. Bride's silenced all slanderous reports, and the neighbours could not misdoubt (the lady's own words) that all's right. Master Caxon now first kept an open shay, and had a lodging at Hackney, where his spouse presented him (at a very early period) with Miss Mariar Caxon. The next year she wished to have fresh hair, so she removed to Islington, where a house was taken; and upon her producing a male heir she prevailed upon my spouse❞ to set up a snuff-coloured coach, with red wheels, and to have an iron-grey livery,

turned up with orange of a rusty appearance, but not sparingly laced with gold, and with an iron-bound hat, which put the beadle of St. Martin's-le-Strand to the blush.

Notwithstanding all this greatness, Master Caxon laboured on in his counting-house, and kept a severe eye upon the ledger; so that, as money makes money, the age of iron became the age of gold. Ten years of fagging, quill-driving, and attending to the shop, now raised Caleb Caxon, Esq., citizen and ironmonger, to all the civic honours in succession. The Mayoralty was a heavy burden (honours were so thrust upon his plain and homely habits); and but for the senior Sheriff, who was an intelligent man, and used to good company, the worthy high magistrate would never have got through his operate duties, which, however, were very flattering to the Lady Maress (so she used to subscribe her name). At this lucky juncture an address was to be presented; and our late venerable Monarch, who was nothing slack at knight-making, put the sword on the brawny shoulders of the ironmonger, and he with difficulty arose, Sir Caleb, as large as life. He now felt his weighty duties more than ever; and but for his colleague, the Sheriff, an active magistrate and a gentlemanly man, Sir Caleb might have been upon his marrow bones until now. His was, indeed, a friendly lift. On his return home he found Lady Caxon intoxicated with greatness and arrack punch; and, in the delirium of her felicity, she persuaded the Mirror of Knighthood to pack up his wardrobe (the robe or gown not the least essential), and to occupy a house in Bloomsbury; but that being,

as she said, "too nigh Oburn," she moved him again to Harley-street, and, lastly, to St. James's-square. The fatigues of office brought ill health on the Lord Mayor; and, as soon as a new one was elected, he, for the first time, visited a watering place, Ramsgate, where Mariar Dorothear, (who added Ma's name without an act of Parliament) first made her debút. Master Caxon was sent to Eton, and thence to college; and they both of them now began to be ashamed of Pa' and of the iron-trade. Lady Caxon was determined to strike a stroke; and priming the Ex-Lord Mayor with wine, to which he was not much accustomed, she carried her point, and made him promise to give up business. Never did Phœbus more heartily repent the promise, extorted from him by his thoughtless son Phaeton, than Sir Caleb did the moment de tendresse, which wrung from him his iron treasure. She might be compared to Le Chanteur, who tira de Lucifer des soupirs des sanglots et des larmes de fer. But the reproach of, "You, a Gentleman and a Knight, and not keep your word!" carried the day. A valuable consideration was given for the business by his foreman, with an annuity for my Lady's life; and she triumphantly exclaimed, "Sink the shop."

Sir Caleb now hoped to enjoy retirement and quiet, but my Lady prevented his projects. A vis a vis was first set up; the livery changed to crimson; four huge wasteful footmen hired; two of whom, with long canes, like Cane and Able, always followed my Lady. Cares increased with Sir Caleb's notoriety, and peace fled from Englantine Villa, the Knight's country seat. Every thing perplexed the worthy citizen,-dislocated

from the neighbourhood of the Old Bailey, and transplanted into the region of fashion. To furnish his Villa, Madam stopped at no expense; yet neither herself nor her partner could compass the matter. In order to keep up the ball she first named a billiard table; it was got ;-and young Caleb's collegian acquaintances eat up the Alderman, picked the son's pockets, and disturbed the repose of the whole family by gambling at it all night. But my Lady insisted on their games going on, because their was an honourable Edmund of the party, and it was right that her son should form high connexions, and she had Mis Mariar to get off her hands. The libary, or library, was the next object: Sir Caleb bought books as he would have purchased iron, by the hundred weight; and he had them highly gilt on the back, and bound in morocco (calf would have been more of a piece with the man); but then there were niches for eight busts, and he was sadly put to it to fill them up with great men, ancient and modern. He got as far as Shakspeare, Milton, Rousseau, and Voltaire. My Lady named William Tel. "Tell!-the devil!" answered Sir Caleb; "why, I tell you, he was a republican."-" He was no publican at all," sharply retorted Lady C-. "He was," replied the Ex-Lord Mayor; "a republican, a publican, and a sinner." The idea of malt suggested another idear to her Ladyship: "Mr. Whitbread !”— "He's not high enough," quoth the Knight, you might as well have Muster Whitbread, the baker.”— "Cæsar!" exclaimed my Lady. Sir Caleb shook his head. "Cicero !"-"That will do (he wiped his face). Well, there's five of them." Locke !" said Miss Ma