year of his age, and was privately interred in the cloifters of Westminster-abbey. He left a natural fon, a minor, to whom he bequeathed most of his fortune. We have very good authority for faying. that the day on which Mr. Foote set out for Dover, about an hour before he went into his chaife, he walked into every room in his house, and examined, with an accuracy not ufual to him, every article of furniture he had, but more particularly his pictures, of which he had a large and elegant collection. When he came to the portrait of Weston, he made a full ftop, as if by fome fecret impulfe, and rivetted his eyes upon the countenance of his old acquaintance for above ten minutes, without uttering a fyllable. Then turning away, with a tear in his eye, he exclaimed," Poor Wefton." But the words had fcarce dropped from his lips, when, with a tone as it were of reproach for his feeming fecurity, he repeated, "Poor Wefton! It will be very fhortly, Poor Foote, or the intelligence of my fpirits deceive me!" 66 As a private man, Mr. Foote was fincere, generous, and humane. As no man ever contributed more to the entertainment of the public, fo no man oftener made the minds of his com panions panions expand with mirth and good humour; and, in the company of men of high rank and fuperior fortune, who courted his acquaintance, he always preferved an eafy and noble independency. That he had his foibles and caprices, no one will pretend to deny; but they were amply counterbalanced by his merit and abilities, which will tranfmit his name to posterity with diftinguished reputation. There are in print many fmart fayings and repartees attributed to Mr. Foote; but, as we cannot vouch for their authority, we shall not infert them here. The two following lines are among the verses that have been written on his death: FOOTE from his earthly stage, alas! is hurl'd; |