148 Narrative by John Hook.
Mrs. Williams's room. Called again about three : found him quite oppressed with company that morning, therefore left him directly.
Wednesday, Nov. 24. Called about seven in the evening : found him very ill and very low indeed. He said a thought had struck him that his rapid decline of health and strength might be partly owing to the town air, and spoke of getting a lodging at Islington, I sat with him till past nine, and then took my leave.
Thursday, Nov. 25. About three in the afternoon was told that he desired that day to see no company. In the evening, about eight, called with Mr. Nicol x , and, to our great surprise, we found him then setting out for Islington, to the Rev. Mr. Strahan's 2 . He could scarce speak. We went with him down the court to the coach. He was accompanied by his servant Frank and Mr. Lowe the painter 3 . I offered myself to go with him but he declined it.
Friday, Nov. 26. Called at his house about eleven : heard he was much better, and had a better night than he had known a great while, and was expected home that day. Called again in the afternoon not so well as he was, nor expected home that night.
Saturday, Nov. 27. Called again about noon: heard he was much worse : went immediately to Islington, where I found him extremely bad, and scarce able to speak, with the asthma. Sir John Hawkins, the Rev. Mr. Strahan, and Mrs. Strahan, were with him. Observing that we said little, he desired that we would not constrain ourselves, though he was not able to talk with us. Soon after he said he had something to say to Sir John Hawkins, on which we immediately went down into the
��1 Mr. George Nicol, of Pall Mall. withdrew from the trammels of busi- HOOLE. The King's bookseller. Life, ness to a house in his native village iv. 251 ; Letters , ii. 438. [Islington].' Lit. Hist. viii. Preface,
2 Rev. George Strahan, Vicar of p. 5. Nineteen years earlier Isling- Islington. Life, iv. 271,416; Letters, ton, when Johnson visited it for ii. 88. change of air, was still less a part of
John Nichols, writing of himself, London, says : ' In the summer of 1803 he 3 Life, iii. 324 ; iv. 202.
parlour.
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