SIR,—I notice in your issue of the 19th ult. that
Mr. Hussey, in his "Reminiscences of an Irish Land Agent," thinks that nothing for sheer humour of a quiet sort beats Sir John Godfrey's reply when be was asked why he was invariably late up, in the morning. "The fact is," he said, "I sleep slow." I think Marryat in "Peter Simple" narrates the story better than Sir John remembered it (a midshipman log.) : stretch without once turning round and finish his nap on the chest during the whole of the day.' But Tompkins defended himself by saying that some people were very quick in doing things and others were very slow; that he was one of the slow ones; and that he did not in reality obtain more refreshment from his long naps than other people did in short ones, because he slept much slower than they did. This ingenious argument was, however, overruled nem. con., as it was proved that he ate pudding faster than any one in the mess."
Was the story original with Marryat ? I cannot say. But I have often thought it would not be a bad exercise in these days of "prize competitions" to hunt up the origin of witticisms to their earliest appearance on record. Sillier things are done.—I am, Sir, &c., F. W. PAYNE. 65 Grove Park, Denmark Hill, S.E.
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