Page:Remarkable history of the miser of Berkshire- John Elwes, Esq..pdf/8

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place and they turned out a large drawer, which contained twenty-seven hundred guineas! This they packed up in two large baſkets, and actually carried offǃ A robbery which, for quantity of ſpecie, Which was perhaps never equalled. They told him before they went off, that they ſhould leave a man behind, who would murder him if he even ſtirred for aſſistance On which he very cooly, and, indeed, with ſome ſimplicity, took out his watch, which they had not aſked him for, and ſaid, Gentlemen, I do not want to take any advantage of you; therefore, upon my honour, I will give you twenty minutes for your eſcape: After that time, nothing ſhall prevent me from ſeeing my ſervant. He was ſtrictly as good as his word; when the time expired, he went and untied the man: Tho' ſearch was made by the Juſtice of the village, the robbers were not diſcovered. And when they were apprehended, ſome years afterwards for other offences, and were known to be the men who had robbed Sir Harvey; he would not appear againſt them :No, no, ſaid he, I have loſt my money; I will not loſe my time alſo. So that however culpable he may be conſidered on the ſcore of penury, he may certainly be acquitted of the paſſion of revenge.

Of what temperance can effect, Sir Harvey was an inſtance: At an early period of life, he was given over for a conſumption; and he lived till betwixt eighty and ninety years of age.

Among the few acquaintances he had (and they were few indeed) was an occasional club held