He was often heard to express his fears of coming upon
the parish; and to bless God, that, on account of his having been
so long a housekeeper, he was entitled to that provision. In short,
his talents were not naturally active, and there was a sort of
inconsistency in his character; for, with all the desire of amassing
which any citizen could possibly entertain, he was encumbered
by a certain indolence and sluggishness that prevailed over every
interested consideration, and even hindered him from profiting by
that singleness of apprehension, and moderation of appetites, which
have so frequently conduced to the acquisition of immense fortunes;
qualities which he possessed in a very remarkable degree. Nature,
in all probability, had mixed little or nothing inflammable in
his composition; or, whatever seeds of excess she might have sown
within him, were effectually stifled and destroyed by the austerity
of his education.
The sallies of his youth, far from being inordinate or criminal, never
exceeded the bounds of that decent jollity which an extraordinary
pot, on extraordinary occasions, may be supposed to have produced
in a club of sedate book-keepers, whose imaginations were neither
very warm nor luxuriant.
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