In many Gaols, to the Garnish paid by the new-comer, those who were there before, make an addition; and great part of the following night is often spent in riot and drunkenness. The gaoler or tapster finding his account in this practice, generally answers questions concerning it with reluctance. Of the Garnish which I have set down to sundry prisons, I often had my information from persons who paid it.... In some places, this demand has been lately waved: in others, strictly prohibited by the Magistrates"--so that we see that this custom was already in its death throes, in the last quarter of the eighteenth century. But in the interval between Bambridge and Howard, the prison was not a pleasant place of residence, if we may judge from "The Prisoner's Song" published in 1738, of which I give an illustration and the Words. [Illustration: THE FLEET PRISON.] "A Starving life all day we lead, No Comfort here is found, At Night we make one Common bed, Upon the Boarded Ground; Where fleas in troops and Bugs in shoals Into our Bosoms Creep, And Death watch, Spiders, round y^e Walls, Disturb us in our Sleep. Were Socrates alive, and Bound With us to lead his life, 'Twould move his Patience far beyond His crabbed Scolding Wife; Hard Lodging and much harder fare, Would try the wisest Sage, Nay! even make a Parson Swear, And curse the Sinful Age. Thus, we Insolvent debtors live, Yet we may Boldly say, Worse Villains often Credit give, Than those that never pay; For wealthy Knaves can with applause Cheat on, and ne'er be try'd, But in contempt of human Laws, In Coaches Safely ride." When Howard visited this prison in 1774 and 1776, he found on the former occasion 171 prisoners in the House, and 71 in the Rules. On the latter there were 241 in the House and 78 in the Rules. And he says: "The Prison was rebuilt a few years since. At the front is a narrow courtyard. At each end of the building there is a small projection, or wing. There are four floors, they call them _Galleries_, besides the Cellar floor, called _Bartholomew-Fair_. Each gallery consists of a passage in the middle, the whole length of the Prison, _i.e._, sixty six yards; and rooms on each side of it about fourteen feet and a half by twelve and a half, and nine and a half high. A chimney and window in every room. The passages are narrow (not seven feet wide) and darkish, having only a window at each end. "On the first floor, the _Hall Gallery_, to which you ascend eight steps, are a Chapel, a Tap room, a Coffee room (lately made out of two rooms for Debtors), a room for the Turnkey, another for the Watchman, and eighteen rooms for Prisoners.