Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq., vol 2

Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq.,
vol 2

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Title: Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq. Volume 2
Author: Henry Hunt
Release Date: July, 2005 [EBook #8461] [Yes, we are more than one
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MEMOIRS
OF
HENRY HUNT, ESQ.
AS WRITTEN BY HIMSELF,
IN HIS MAJESTY'S JAIL AT ILCHESTER,
IN THE COUNTY OF SOMERSET,
Volume 2
"Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is,
nor e'er shall be. In every work regard the Writer's end, Since none can
compass more than they intend; And if the means be just, the conduct
true, Applause, in spite of trivial faults, is due." POPE.
MEMOIRS OF HENRY HUNT.
Hunting, shooting, and fishing by day, and mixing in the thoughtless,
gay, and giddy throng by night, soon, however, dispelled any
unpleasant impression which this circumstance had made upon my
mind. I every day became acquainted with new and more fashionable
society than I had before associated with, and as my son was about to
be christened, we were determined to give a sumptuous feast and a ball,
at which upwards of forty friends sat down to dinner. When I recal to
mind all those expensive and thoughtless proceedings, I can reflect
with great satisfaction upon one circumstance; which is, that I never
forgot the poor. I always attended to their complaints, and ministered to
their wants, when I could scarcely find time for any thing else. I never
gave a feast that the poor did not partake of. Whether it were the
celebration of a birth-day, or at a christening, they always came in for a
share. I forgot to mention, that, when my son was born, I kept up the

good ancient custom, which had been exercised with so much old
English hospitality at my birth, by my father. Not only were toast and
ale given to all my friends and neighbours, but my servants also had
such a junketing as they will never forget. My birth-day, the 6th of
November, I continued to celebrate as my father had done before his
death; and I will here take leave to relate in what way I celebrated that
event. I always had a party of private friends; but, while we were
enjoying ourselves with every delicacy which the season afforded, the
dinner generally consisting of different sorts of game of my own killing,
dressed in various shapes--whilst me and my neighbouring friends and
visitors were regaling ourselves, I was never unmindful of my poorer
neighbours. Enford was a very extensive parish, containing a
population of nearly seven hundred inhabitants. Amongst them there
were a considerable number of old persons, for whom, after my father's
death, I had successfully exerted myself, to procure them an increase of
their miserable pittance of parish pay; which pay I had, as the reader
will remember, raised from half-a-crown to three shillings and sixpence
each per week. All these old people of the parish, of the age of
sixty-three and upwards, I invited annually, without any distinction, to
come and partake of the feast on the sixth of November. The servants'
hall was appropriated to their use on that day; and as there were seldom
less than twenty above this age, we always had as large a party as the
house would well contain. There were about equal numbers of men and
women, but several of the latter were the oldest, some of them being
nearly ninety years of age, and many of them above eighty. As this
parish consisted of eight hamlets, some parts of it, where the old
persons resided, were at a distance of nearly