Page:Biographical and critical studies by James Thomson ("B.V.").djvu/393

JOHN WILSON 377 known pugilist). This announcement rather stimu- lated than daunted young Oxford : " In one minute off went his coat, and he set-to upon his antagonist in splendid style. [Mrs. Gordon has evidently a keen spark of her father's fire.] The astonished and punished rival, on recovering from the blows and surprise, accosted him thus : ' You can only be one of the two ; you are either Jack Wilson or the devil.' This encounter no doubt led, for a short time, to fraternity and equality over a pot of porter." His athletic tastes, love of adventure, and high animal spirits led him into all sorts of queer society, such as affords the only opportunity for the study of unsophis- ticated human nature. A fellow-collegian records of him : " One of his great amusements used to be to go to the ' Angel Inn,' about midnight, when many of the up and down London coaches met ; there he used to preside at the passengers' supper-table, carving for them, inquiring all about their respective journeys, why and wherefore they were made, who they were, &c. ; and, in return, astonishing them with his wit and pleasantry, and sending them off wondering who and what he could bel He frequently went from the ' Angel ' to the ' Fox and Goose,' an early ' purl and gill ' house, where he found the coachmen and guards, &c., preparing for the coaches which had left London late at night ; and there he found an audience, and some- times remained till the college gates were opened, rather (I believe) than rouse the old porter, Peter, from his bed to open for him expressly. It must not be supposed that in these strange meetings he in- dulged in intemperance — no such thing ; he went to such places, I am convinced, to study character, in