Ex of the Last Century Mrs. Elizabeth Montagu

Home , Elizabeth Montagu

OF THE

L A S T C E N T U R Y

M R EL I ZA E ( S . B TH MON TA GU )

I LL U S TRA TE D I N HER UN PUB LI S HED L E TTERS

C LL CT D A N D A R RA N GED O E E ,

W ITH A B IOGRA PHICA L TC A N D A C T SKE H, HAP ER

O N B LU E S T O C K I N GS .

L O N D O N '

C P R E F A E .

IN 1 8 0 w the year 9 , Mr . Matthe Montagu published

r r r his the ﬁ st two of fou volumes of lette s of aunt ,

Elizabeth Montagu . He was not only her nephew,

w a s s her r he al o her adopted son and executo .

O n th D r r l the 5 of ecembe in that yea , the ce e bra ted statesman William Windham w a s reading

“ u - those volumes, in the evening, p stairs ; and he subsequently recorded the following judgment of them in his Diary I think very highly of

O ne r s is s er ies unctu them . of thei chief merit j f N r 1 a gue. othing can be more easy and natu al than the manner in which the thoughts rise one

out of the other, even where the thoughts may

r r appea rather forced, nor is the expression eve

in hard or laboured . I see but little to object to vi PREFA CE.

s r the thoughts themselve , but nothing can be mo e natural or graceful than the manner in which they

f is are put together . The low of her style not less

s is f l s natural , becau e it u ly charged with hining

s a nd s r . particle , pa kles as it ﬂows

1 8 1 M r . lVI atthew In 3 , Montagu published two

’ r mo e volumes of his aunt s correspondence . The

p ress generally received them with pleasant testi

s mony of approval . It not only endor ed the

s judgment of the eminent tatesman quoted above,

but it especially pointed out that the letters were

not genuine and authentic, which could be said of

a similar collection of letter s then challenging the

’

M rs . M onta u s s censure of the town . g letter were

r for s read with great avidity, and reade s, the mo t

r s pa t, came to the ame conclusion as the statesman

a nd the critic s .

The last letter in the series is addressed to

M rs . C S Elizabeth arter The date is eptember,

1 7 6 1 . The writer lived nearly forty years after D that date . uring that time, she maintained a

lively correspondence ; her letters were copied and PREF E A C . vii

. circulated After her death, a few, with fragments

of others, found their way into various periodicals .

The correspondence which Mrs . Elizabeth Mon

-in- tagu kept up with her sister law, Mrs Robinson,

wife of the Rev . William Robinson, and a few other

w 1 6 1 friends, bet een 7 and the close of the last

century, was long in the possession of the late

. s Mr Richard Bentley, who purchased them at a ale

of autographs . These form the chief portion of the

present volume .

In a note to the letters published by Mr . Mon

“ tagu, the editor states that they are intended to

convey in them the biography of the writer, which

the editor thinks he could not s o well exemplify by

any remarks of his own as by the letters themselves .

’ s Mr . Montagu gave to his aunt readers every

s word of every epi tle, from the salutation to the

signature . From the letters now printed for the ﬁrst time

there have only been omitted vain repetitions,

formal compliments, and the nothings that may

s have once been omethings, but which are now a nd s r mere dust a hes , f om which little of value

r is to be sifted . The e have been retained all that

u r co ld furthe convey the biography of the writer, with addition of such anecdotal illu stration from the printed letters and from contemporary records as might s erve to show more completely the character

r u C and su ro ndings of a Lady of the Last entury .

LON DON N ov 1 . . 8 7 2 . C O N T E N T S .

C HA PTER I .

T A N D T M R S . M T BIR H PAREN AGE OF ON AGU. LONG

T R — — OM DR . OBINSON . CONYERS M IDDLETON EARLY

T M R M — T . RAINING OF S . ON AGU FUNERAL A T YORK

— C T D L M R . M H A HE RA S AKIN . ER SYSTEM OF F EM A LE ED C T N — S C L A T T TT M H C U A IO HOO O ENHA IGH ROSS .

— E L TS M R S . M TH AR Y HABI OF ONTAGU . E DUCHESS

— — - P TL D. M LE D LA T T OF OR AN ARY BONE GAR ENS. PE I E ” F D T A T T A T T D LL — L D N L I GE BA H, UNBRI GE WE S . OR OE

S M T — — . T L I 0 L D L TT LT . O ERSE BA H IFE IN 7 4 . OR Y E ON

S C L T X A N D C T PO LYPHEM U SES — M D AR E BEAU OUN RY . O ERN ’ M ARRIAGES — GA R R I C K S R ICHARD THE THIRD — O FFERS OF M ARRIAGE TO MISS R OBINSON Pa ge I to

CHA PTER I I

W D M T — DD — D T . A LL T . E AR ON AGU. WE ING OUR ER HORPE

D P L I N — C T T T L D U P . C PURSUI S HERE. OR HARA ER OF ’ M M N T — W L T R O A GU S . U C M . S . NEIGHBOURS N E O E VISI OR

— — D L L D N T . HABITS OF M IN . IFE IN ON O BIR H OF A SON “ ” — D T SO N — V T T N L ITTLE PUN CH . EA H OF HER ISI S U BRIDGE WELLS — DOCTOR YOUNG A N D C OLLEY C IBBER

— THE — THE R LL THERE V I CAR OF TUNBRIDGE . EBE ION ’ - — D T M T . I . M ON TA GU S R LT OF 7 45 EA H OF M R S . O HE WI ON

— — DEATH OF HER BROTHER M ODE OF LIFE A T BATH . ’ — — L T T M R . M ON TA GU S T T . L M R S . GI BER WES . S AS ES OVE

— — HER L C L W . M . OF BOOKS . ANA YSIS OF LARISSA HAR O E RS

— LA Dv DW — DL A T PI LKINGTON . SAN I CH M ISS CHU EIGH

— D L TT To M R . M T a e 2 to 8 THE MASQUERA E . E ER ON AGU P g 3 5 6 CON TEN TS .

C HAPTER I II .

— — M R S . V T L D L W S C TT. M ISI S ON ON . GEORGE E IS O ARRIES ’ M ON TA GU S SISTER — THEIR SEPARATIO N — DEATH OF A

— P — THE W . L D H T TT. FRIEND A Y ES ER I REFUGEE, BO ER ’ — L LADY TOWNSHEND S BAL L LADY Ess Ex . B UE ” — — S T LL L T . R M T M R . M S OCKINGS . BENJA IN I INGF EE U OURS

— - M R S . EL Z T OF WA R LIFE IN THE COUNTRY . I ABE H

T — M E M T CC D TO C T CAR ER . ON AGU SU EE S A RI H INHERI

— — — D M T E D CT M . DR . ANCE . ANGEROUS IS AK O OR ONSEY ’ ’ — — M O N TA GU S N M R O L T. M R S . JOHNSO S . G E S BENEFI

— T T C M A N D M C HARACTER OF BURKE . WRI ES A CRI I IS ISSES

— — D T A N D DIV ER SION s . TWO O LD A BALL . ISSIPA IONS “ — — DI A L M R S . M T A U THOR Ess . OVERS . ON AGU AS AN

” — E D D F C THE D . LOGU ES OF TH EA . REN H IN SHA ES

— — L T T . A CC F EM AL E EDUCATION . ONGING AF ER RES ESSION

— T D H H LL ST T . OF GEORGE THE HIR . OUSE IN I REE

— L T F URNITURE IN FASHIO N M R S . MONTAGU A PO I I C AL

— A CD T OLD S C TC W M . EC ONOM IST. NE O E OF AN O H O AN “ ” — T — HI s T TM T THE PENITENTS . WARBUR ON . REA EN OF - LL M R N — HI S L S HAK ESPEARE . WI IA OBINSO IFE OF ’ I R C L LL M . H MM D INACT ION . S HAR ES WI IA S A ON S ” ELEGIES P a ge 59 to 8 8

HA P TE IV C R .

A D T THE G — L D A — R NEC O E OF YOUNG KIN OR NSON . ETIRE

- M R O L W . D T S N . M ENT OF . PEAKER NS O EA H OF BEAU ASH

— — - — TT H T . L D T IS C C . M M R . PI . HARA ER OR BU E ARRIAGE OF THE KING — PORTRAIT OF QUEEN CHARLOTTE — LORD H DW C D CC T L AR I KE REA S AN A OUN OF HER IN PUB I C. T THE T — PREPARA IONS FOR CORONA ION . A RRIVAL OF THE ’ — — D . Y N G s N Ew R oU M . QUEEN . POE LONDON ON THE

— - T THE C T . D A C T L D NIGH OF ORONA ION UKE OF N AS ER . A Y ’ — — HA RDw ICKE. R T A T M R . P TT T EGRE I S RESIGNA ION . HIS

— C T THE C T . S C THE C MM RE EP ION IN I Y PEE H IN O ONS .

— LL . B ON M OT L D T W GEORGE GRENVI E OF A Y O NSHEND. C N TEN T O S . xl

“ ” M LL H — M LL . TT H T I ENNIU A KI Y UN ER . THE SCHOOL ” L — — FOR OVERS . C HANGE OF COSTUM E LORD C LIVE A T T BA H Pa ge 89 to 1 1 5

HA P C TER V .

’ R ETIREM EN T OF THE DUKE OF N EWCASTLE — THE KING S PURC HASE OF BUCKINGHAM HOUSE — V IOLENT DISTEM PER IN LONDO N — DEATH OF THE DUKE OF PORTLAND A N D

- M R D N E / S . O LLA N . L D H L D T OR A IFAX . EA H OF S I R ’ EDW D — D M R . H AR ERING . ARRISON S WATCH E ON

M OT THE D N WC TLE — H I S C CT OF UKE OF E AS HARA ER.

D CL N — T DR — E INES A PENSIO PENSION O . JOHNSON BIRTH ” THE T TL M E — THE D OF FIRS GEN E AN IN UROPE . UKE OF

D D — E L M T LL L T — BE FOR . NG ISH EN NA URA Y PO I IC IANS IN STA LM EN T OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE C ARTER — R ETURN

—! T E D M TL M ! HER O NGLAND OF LA Y ARY WOR EY ONTAGU .

— — H R T D T HER C CT R C M R . EA H . HARA E E RE EP ION OF S

M — M HE T . L D L R ON AGU A Y ARY EAVES SON ONE GUINEA .

H I R CT R — T A T H L S SINGULAR C HA A E GA HERING AG EY. ’ ” N Z — M T T T HE N EW C LD L I N FLU E A . M RS . O , ON AGU VISI S

O X D L M LW T W C C TL . FOR , B ENHEI , KENI OR H, WAR I K AS E

— M T A T S DL D. L D T D M Rs . ON AGU AN EFOR OR BA H PROPOSE

— — — HI S D T . HI S T W LT . M R S . M T TO . EA H GREA EA H ON AGU

T A L W C ED L W THE TROSA CHS . VISI S N I K, INBURGH , G ASGO ,

— — V T To L D M . T HE V AL E OF GLENCOE . ISI OR KA ES

— THE T G . LITERARY EVENINGS I NEDINBURGH . POE RAY

THE A RT C T . L D H I S RESERVE . OF ONVERSA ION A Y C OR N EWA LL ABROAD P a ge I I 6 to 1 47

CHA PTER V I .

’ — V LT TT C C RITICAL STATE OF PUBLI C A FFA IR s . O AIRE S A A K ’ — M N TA GU S D CE — R C M R S . O ON S HAKESPEARE . EFEN E EP ’ — C T W C T C M . TION OF HER ESSAY. OUN ESS GO ER S RI I IS ’ ’ — — W I T. C . C DR . JOHNSON S OPINION OF GARRI K O PER S

— M T L L I LL — V T ED M RS. OPINION . ON AGU FA S ISI S IN

- ! — KI N — . L D M R S. CHA PON E. L D C BURGH . OR BU HAN OR xii CON TEN TS .

— — . S C TC L D D L . L D M E NOUL. OR BREA A BANE OR KA S O H

— T L T D T G LL . RU HOSPI A I Y. EA H OF GEORGE RENVI E

’ — — L D C T M . MOURS OF WA R THE KING S SPEECH . OR HA HA

— M T . CONVERSATIONS OF LORD KA M ES A N D M RS. ON AGU

’ — — LL M EM V OLTAIRE S ABUSE OF LORD KA M Es . WI IA ER

- - C T D T IN LA W . . SON . HEA E BY HIS FA HER BURKE

— G D T THE D D D. GEORGE RENVILL E . EA H OF UKE OF BE FOR

— HI s C CT W LT A N D L T C L L C . HARA ER, EA H , PO I I A INF UEN E ’ — — — LE A I F PoLITIc s . L D C L G C Es . OREIGN A IES S HOO S P a ge 148 to 17 0

C HA PTER V I I .

— F THE W T . THE DUCHESS OF PORTL A ND. INENESS OF EA HER

- — — M V T TO R. V ISIT TO WINC HESTER S M UGGLING . ISI

— C CT MR . K BURKE A T BEACONSFIELD. HARA ER OF BUR E . ’ — — — MRS . M N TA LORD TEMPLE LORD N UNEHAM . O GU S

— — T THE T . C M D TO P D . RELA IONS . GRAY POE O PARE IN AR EXT CT L TT C HANGES IN NEWSPAPERS . IN ION OF E ER — — — BA D T T WRITING FAI LURE OF S I R GEORGE C E. S A E

— - D L C M L G. R OF THE COUNTRY . GOO U K IN S UGG IN EQUIRE

— C M ENTS OF A YOUNG L ADY IN I 7 7 3 . HRISTMAS FES - M M ’ V T E C CT RS . ON TA GU S C . TI I I s . HARA ER OF NIE E

— - L D M . O LORD STANHOPE . OR AHON BSERVATIONS ON

- — — THE U P C LD . M THE BRINGING OF HI REN ISS GREGORY.

— — C D LL MA N . DR . N M R M T PRI E OF A U JOHNSO S. ON AGU

— TTL T M RS . LL S SE ES AN ANNUI Y ON WI IAMS . ERIOUS

— LL M R . M T . Hrs L M T M T I NESS OF ON AGU OVE OF A HE A I CS.

— — — HIs D T . P CT WIDow H RA C EA H ROSPE S OF HIS . O E WALPOLE To MASON Pa ge 1 7 1 to

CHA PTER V III .

’ — . MON TAGU S TT T TO V T M RS A EN ION HER AFFAIRS . ISI S

D D — V S ANDL EFORD A N ENTON . ISITS HER ESTATE A T — - T . E T T T T D BURNIS ON N ER AINS HER ENAN S . ROUGHT IN

— C T L T T T S — V T 1 77 5 . HARI AB E INS I U ION ISI S HER COL L — D C TW IERI ES. IFFEREN E BE EEN HER N ORTHUM BRIAN C TE T ON N S . xiii

A N D Y T — A ORKSHIRE ENANTRY . NECDOTE OF WALTER

— S C TT. L D V LL CT L D T W — O OR I IERS A S OR O NLEY . THE

F — — C M D R L D . M R M REN H A BASSA O OR GRANBY S. ONTAGU

— V IN PARIS . OLTAIRE SENDS A PAPER TO THE A CADEMY

T S — M M AGAINS HAKESPEARE RS . ONTAGU IS PRESENT A T

THE — H R D — D G E L TO M . S U A R D A REA IN REA Y REP Y . D C D — T T J U I IOUS I LENESS . QUAN I Y OF ROUGE USED IN — THE PARIS THE EMPEROR OF A USTRIA . SCHOOL FOR ” — D — S C D L . THE C D RU N AN A U HESS OF EVONSHIRE . OF ’ BA D W — T — R EATHER S I R WILLIAM EM PLE DR . OBINSON S

H — T A M . L D S L A E IS ORY OF ERICA OR HE BURNE . BB

— — R L C L Z . E M AYNAL . PREVA EN E OF INF UEN A NGAGE ENT L D M T — D T M R OF A Y ARY S OMERSE . EA H OF ORRIS OBIN

— - - SON E . DR . D DD L D JACK TH PAINTER O . OR CHESTER ’ LD — L D STR T M C D CT A T THE L FIE . A Y A H ORE S ON U E ECTIONS . — STONEY BOWES Pa ge 1 95 to 224

C HA PTER IX .

— —! N M S C T T . THE F C M D . UNEHA . O IE Y HERE REN H A BASSA OR ’ - — M R THE TAKING OF TI CONDEROGA . ORRIS OBINSON S

— — LD THE H M T T T E M RS . W IDOW . BUI ING OF AY ARKE HEA R ’ — — THE M T. F M L . M ON TA GU S HEIR. INUE A I Y AFFAIRS M R N — A CC D T TO KINDNESS To M R S . ORRIS OBINSO I EN ’ — P D CE — THE D M R TT. L D C S . S CO OR ER Y S IVOR UKE OF

— — M LL . F L T THE HAM ILTON . ISS BURRE A SE REPOR OF MON TA GU ’S T R — A CC D T TO L D DEATH OF M R S . FA HE I EN OR

— HIS C THE H LoRDs . C HATHAM . APPEARAN E IN OUSE OF R M D S PEECH THERE IN REPLY To THE DUKE OF ICH ON .

T —M T A N D D T S INKSSPEECHLESS IN A FI . O HERS AUGH ERS Pa e 22 to 2 1 IN 1 7 7 8 g 5 4

CHA PTER X .

— W A T THE C HARACTER OF M Iss COKE THE N E SINGER — THE P — S C T A T T D LL . ANTHEON . O IE Y UNBRI GE WE S

— D C M RS . MON M INUET GOES OUT OF FASHION E AY OF

’ — T - THE C M AT C X T . P TAGU S FATHER. A P O HEA H ROSPERI Y T xiv CON TEN S .

— — V CT OF THE NORTH OF ENGLAND LORD KAM ES . I ORY OF

L D R D — C M L T THE C C A T T . OR O NEY. O P E ION OF IR US BA H COMM ENC EM ENT OF THE CRESC ENT THERE — LIFE IN

— — H T E M R . A T . BATH . CARDS T E CHIEF BUSINESS HER NS EY

— - — F H R R T E L D THE N . OUR BY oN OU s . IO S IN NG AN ABOBS ’ — — M ON TA GU S C . M R S . M ON M ARRIAGE OF M R S . NIE E ’ TAGU S N EW HOUSE — CORRUPTION OF LONDON SOC IETY

1 T D C . L D IN 7 7 9 . HREE IVOR ES IN ONE SESSION OR

— — — H D P D D . T E C L D C M T . L ER Y. OR AR AR HEN OR ERBY UKE D — Pa e 2 2 to 26 M RS . M C L OF ORSET. A AU AY g 4 3

C HA PTER XI .

THE L — C HA PON E A s L D R C T B UE STOC KINGS M RS . A Y A KE IN ” THE R — THE R M L TT C C D- L AMBL ER . A B ER A A KS AR P AY

- — — S D T T M D M DU C G . ING . UN AY NIGH PAR IES A A E BO A E ’ C D- T — A AR PAR IES A T THE DUKE OF R ICHMON D s . BREAK ’ — T A T M R . M A F D C P C FAS S ON T GU S . RE ERI K RIN E OF

— L S HI S CC M L M T —! T T WA E A O P ISH EN S . BREAKFAS PAR IES

LD TO — O L S T C YIE EVENING COTERIES . RIGIN OF B UE O K ” — — I N G. M . EM T WHO M ET R STI LLINGFL EET. INEN PERSONS

A T THE M L M R S . M T M RS . V ASSE B IES OF ON AGU, ESEY,

— — M R . O R D A N D TH E C L B SIR R LD . S . U JOSHUA EYNO S

D — — R . N H W T L L A N D JOHNSO A KINS . BEAU IFU C EI ING ’ - M N A - C M A T M R . T L D HI NEY PIEC E S O GU S . OR C HESTER ’ LD N W — D D FIE S E HOUSE . ANGERS SURROUN ING I T IN 1 7 48:

— — ’ DR . A T M S A M E E JOHNSON ONTAGU HOUSE . O J N YN s

T — M R — N . M EPI APH ON JOHNSO S GARRI C K . ANNER OF HER T HE - L D ’ FIRS APPEARANC E ON T STAGE . A Y C LERM ONT S A L FR E S C O T GA HERINGS . SYLLABUBS IN BERKEL EY

— — S . F T D HA Y H C QUARE OO PA S ON I LL. GARRI K REC ITES

’ ’ M M C T A T L D M ON TA G — L D FRO A BE H A Y U s . A Y S PEN C ER S ’ — DR A — . . T M RS . V ESEY S . C T T O F EYES JOHNSON , ON ES

- LL T W T M R S . LL . M M ON KTON A FTER GA AN RY I H BU ER ISS ,

— W D L D C . C T M R S . M T AR S A Y ORK ONVERSA ION OF ON AGU .

— L ST - H ’ WALPOLE ON B UE OCKINGS . ANNAH MORE S DESCRIPTION O F THE BA S -BL E U M EETINGS — THE PEOPL E T CON EN TS . xv

WHO ATTENDED TH E B LUE - STOC KING A SSEM BLIES — JOHN ’ M T . HI S L SON S QUARREL WITH M RS. ON AGU IFE OF

— R C L LE — HI S C T C M LYTTELTON . HO A E WA PO RI I IS ON ” — M R M T HATE A U TM A . THE . C P P S ON AGU . OR N AR I T D T B U TS N A SSU S A T BATHEASTON . N RO UC ION OF O ’ R 1 — L L T C L CC T THE P M /fS . WA PO E S SA IRI A A OUN OF AR

— M T M T H . N A M R S . SSU S FAIR . ON AGU IN ON AGU OUSE

“ ”— M R M T V THE O . M R S . S . ON AGU AS ANESSA , IN BSERVER

D — M M T D THE T T M T S I DONS . ISS I FOR ON BA HEAS ON EE P e 26 to 02 INGS ag 4 3

CHA PTER XI I

— — THE N EW QUEEN C HARLOTTE M ISS BURNEY. HOUSE IN

— PORTM AN S QUARE I M PROVEM ENTS IN HER PROPERTY.

T THE F C D TC A N D E L . C HARAC ER OF REN H , U H , NG ISH

— M C M L D — L D LORD EDWARD BENTINC K . ISS U BER AN OR ’ — W M M T A T S DL D. BRISTOL M R . BRO N S I PROVE EN S AN EFOR

— — — M R S . M D M DE L . BISHOP OF DURHAM . A A E GEN IS

’ “ ” — — M R THE H C T . S . M ON TA GU S N EW PALACE . AR OUR S ’ “ ’ — L M ON TA GU S ADVIC E TO A NIEC E . JOHNSON S IVES OF

! — — P S IR R C D . M RS . M T T THE OETS . I HAR JEBB ON AGU SE S UP A N EW SORT OF CARRIAGE BY THE ADVICE OF S I R

— - M . L TT To M R IC HARD J EBB . ISS GREGORY E ER ORRIS

’ — — W A IR LL . THE P C R OBINSON S W IDO . BA OONS RIN E OF WAL ES — IS HISSED A T THE THEATRE — THE FRENCH

— — D. DR . AM BASS ADOR F RENCH BRIBERY IN ENGLAN

’ M T a e 0 to 22 JOHNSON S TESTIMONY TO M R S . ON AGU P g 3 3 3

C HA PTER XIII .

— — - F A T S DL D. F T W . A IR BALL OONS . IRE AN EFOR EA HER ORK

- — M T A T THE D W M . M R . ER M R S . ON AGU RA ING ROO S J

’ N I N GHA M S L INES ON THE OCCASION OF HER FALL THERE . ENGAGEM ENT OF HER HEIR A N D NEPHEW TO M ISS

— M — W . O F C HARLTON CHARACTER OF HER NEPHE ISS ’ - — P M M R S . M ON TA GU S M R . TT . C HARLTON . I ARRIAGE OF xvi CON TEN TS .

— HEIR — BREAKFAST A T SALT HI LL LORD LANSDOWNE .

— — D L D T T M . D CL LADY S UTHERLAN . OR REN HA E INING

- — D M M R V . L D S C R L HEALTH OF S . ESEY A Y PEN E OR GRI

— W TL T . M R S . M T T N C STON . ON AGU VISI S HER E AS E PROPER Y

— — - W T L D C L L . L D LORD M OUNT STE AR . OR AR IS E OR ’ — — R W T S I R H L DD L L . C W AVENS OR H . ENRY I E O PER S VERSES

— M M M T . EM L M T R . ON RS . ON AGU P OY EN S OF YOUNG

— M T HIS M D C W D M R . ON AGU. AI EN SPEE H ANS ERE BY ’ — — M W A xA LL S LL TO IT. L ON Fox . R A USION GENERA T W — HI S D CL M C CT W T AGU MATTHE . IS AI ER OF ONNE ION I H

— — S T M T . L MATTHEW MONTAGU . OU HA P ON ONDON IN

W T — THE C M M C M T T L FR IN ER. O EN E EN OF ROUB ES IN ANCE . — THE DUKE OF DORSET INTRODUC ES A — DES ’ CRI BED H M E — TH — E LL . BY ANNAH OR KING S I NESS M R . ’ Fox LL — L D M — s S T EDGCU MBE. T I NES OR OUN BA H .

- — M R . M T . L D H W P . T A T M R ON AGU OR ARRO BY AR Y S . ’ M ON TA GU S A T W C — M A , HI H BURKE IS PRESENT. C “ ” KEN e T THE M A N F — , AU HOR OF OF EEL ING. WIL BER

— CE T D To T L E — M R FOR GREA INNERS GREA PEOP S . ’ MON TA GU S L LTH — M R C T — FAI ING HEA S . AR ER EDUCA T — M ’ L . R M N ION OF GIR S S . O TA G U S INTEREST IN THE

— J CT. S MM L A N D C CT SUB E U ARY OF HER IFE HARA ER, P a ge 3 23 to 356 xvi CON TEN TS .

— - W . T A T S LT H LL . L D L D HEIR . BREAKFAS A I OR ANS O NE

L D T T M . D CL G LADY SUTHERLAND. OR REN HA E ININ

— — D M V . L D S C R L G HEALTH OF M RS. ESEY A Y PEN E OR RI

— W T MR . M T T N C TL . STON . S ON AGU VISI S HER E AS E PROPER Y

— - L D C L L . L D LORD M OUN T STEWART . OR AR IS E OR ’ — - R SI R H L DD LL. C W AVENSWORTH . ENRY I E O PER S VERSES

M T . EM L M T M R . ON M RS. ON AGU P OY EN S OF YOUNG M — M D C W D HIS M R . ONTAGU. AI EN SPEE H ANS ERE BY

’ — F W RA XA LL S LL TO I T. L M N ox. A USION GENERA O T M TT W — HIS D CL M C CT W AGU A HE . IS AI ER OF ONNE ION ITH M TT W M T S T M T L D A HE ON AGU. OU HA P ON. ON ON IN W T R — THE C MM C M T T L F IN E O EN E EN OF ROUB ES IN RANCE. ” — THE D K D R T T D C T E — DE U E OF O SE IN RO U ES A H . S ’ o A LA DY O F THE LA S T C EN TU RY.

C HAPTER I .

L I ZA B ET H O BI N SO N - E R , who became so well known,

subsequently, as Mrs . Montagu, belongs altogether

n . She to the eightee th century was born at York,

O 1 2 0 . She in ctober, 7 died in the last year of that

1 800 . Of century, Miss Robinson was a family,

O f l the founder which, Wi liam Robinson, a London

a S merchant, but a descend nt of a line of cottish

1 6 1 0 Of Barons, bought, in , the estate Rokeby, in

Sir a nc es Yorkshire, from Thomas Rokeby, whose

s i C tor had held t from the time of the onquest .

Her father, Matthew Robinson, was an only son of

mem a cadet branch of the Robinsons . He was a C ber of the University of ambridge, where he wooed the Muses less ardently than he did Miss Elizabeth D W rake, a beautiful heiress, hom he married when

B 2 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

he was only eighteen years of age . The very young couple settled at Edgeley, in Yorkshire ; but the husband (owner, through his wife, of more than one estate in the country) preferred the Shady Side of Pall Mall to ﬁelds of waving corn or groves vocal with nightingales .

O f the twelve children of this marriage, seven s ons and two daughters survived their youth . The

Sa daughters, Elizabeth and rah, were endowed with S the same literary tastes . arah wrote the more books, but Elizabeth is the better remembered . The church, the law, politics, and commerce attracted one or other of the sons .

1 0 th e In 73 , the head of the elder branch of

Robinsons, Thomas, was created a baronet . He was that famous Long Tom Robinson of whom

- s C so many well known tories are told . hesterﬁeld slightly touched him in an epigram, and Walpole seldom referred to him without a sarcasm . At the

n d Si coro ation of George the Thir , r Thomas was th e D N mock uke of ormandy, who, with an equally D i English and mock uke of Aquita ne, was sup posed to indicate that the King O f England was as

i much K ng of France, by the grace of God, as he L D OF THE L T E A A Y AS C N TUR Y.

i pretended to be . Long S r Thomas was so truly an Englishman that he went to France, and into

French society, in his hunting suit . A satirical

French abbé, hearing his name and looking at his marvellous attire, gravely asked him if he were C Robinson rusoe .

Long Sir Thomas Robinson sold Rokeby to the

M orritts 1 6 . 1 in 7 9 When he died, in 7 7 7 , his title went to his next surviving brother, Richard .

w ho This Richard was an English clergyman, , in

1 1 7 3 , had commenced a successful career in

Ireland, as chaplain to two viceroys, and he was

O f O f Lei hlin successively Bishop Killala, g and

Of . Ferns, and Kildare Finally, he was raised to

o Of the dignity of Archbish p Armagh, Primate of

Sir s di Ireland . In the year that Thoma ed,

Richard was created an Irish peer, Baron Rokeby

’

Of . M onta u s Armagh, with remainder to Mrs g

not father, Matthew Robinson . The father did

live to s ucceed to the title, but his son Matthew

’

di . M onta u s d. The present Lord Rokeby is Mrs g

- great grand nephew, and was born when she was yet

A D 1 8 . living, 79 The ﬁrst lord ﬁgures largely in

’ s this lady s letters . His good work made him

B 2 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

his popular in Ireland, which grace found to be a

ﬁne country to live out of, as much as was, more or f . O less, consistent with duty He was one the best known characters at Bath during successive seasons ; he also suffered much fr om the gout ; but he endured with alacrity all the port and claret that were necessary to keep it out O f his archiepiscopal stomach .

’

M onta u s . She Thus much for Mrs . g family derived from it a certain distinction ; but she enjoyed greater advantage, for a time at least , from the marriage of her maternal grandmother, who took for her second husband the learned and celebrated

’ Dr C . . Dr . onyers Middleton Middleton s home C ’ was at ambridge, where a few of Miss Robinson s youthful years were proﬁtably and curiously spent .

Curiously— from the method which the biographer C of icero took with the bright and intelligent girl .

Among the divines, scholars, philosophers, travellers,

Who men of the world were, ‘ together or in turn, to D ’ r . e be met with at Middl ton s house, the ﬁgure Of

s the ilent, listening, and observant little maid was

. always to be seen Her, presence there was a part of D r. her education . Middleton trained her to give L D OF THE L T E T A A Y AS C N UR Y. 5

a nd perfect attention to the conversation, to re p eat to him all that she could retain of it , after the W company had dispersed . hen she had to speak

O f Dr what she did not well understand, . Middleton enlightened his little pupil . This process not only

ﬁlled her young mind with knowledge, but made her eager in the pursuit of more . How readily she received impressions at an early

t m ed age, and how indelibly they were s a D on her

“ has . O ne memory, she herself recorded of the m strongest pictures in y mind, she wrote to Lord

l 1 D Lytte ton, in 7 5 9, is the funeral of a ean of n York, which I saw performed with great solem ity

in C Old . the athedral, when I was about four years

t Whether the memory of it, added to the presen

O bjects , may not have made the place appear the

but more awful to me, I do not know ; I was never

h l e SO ff . S e Ov d a ected by any ediﬁce York, and

s O f in her early York hire home, the plan education went far in advance of the Views, and perhaps f O . of the powers, family governesses Masters, as

O f well as mistresses, were there for the instruction

’ both sons and daughters ; but Elizabeth s father sharpened and stimulated her intellect by en 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. c ouraging her to make smart repartees to his own witty or severe judgments . In this cudgelling of brains, Matthew had great delight till he found that his daughter was too much for him at his most

favourite weapons . Matthew then bit his lips, and ceased to Offer challenge or give provocation . Matthew Robinson’ s wife seems to have been

educated, according to the traditions of a school

1 6 founded in 73 , for the purpose of raising women to the dignity and usefulness which distinguished their ancestresses . The lady, Mrs . Makin , who originated this school for English maidens, stated

O her bject in an Essay, of which a few words may be said, as illustrative of a system of female education l in England, which, founded nearly ha f a century before Elizabeth Robinson was born, had not lost all its inﬂuence till after she herself was to be

i . reckoned , among learned young lad es The work in question was called An Essay to revive the

Ancient Education of Gentlewomen in Religion,

: Manners, Arts , and Tongues With an Answer to

” O s the bjections against thi way of Education . D In the edication to the Lady Mary, daughter J D “ of ames uke of York, the author says : The

8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. not been highly educated ! And to prove that the young ladies of both Greece and Rome were in str ucted in all kinds of good literature, the writer refers to a learned duel between t wenty ladies a side, from each nation, in which the Grecian h women came off the better in philosop y, and the

Roman superior in oratory .

As instances of admirably - educated English

W omen, the following persons are named, with much eulogistic comment J “ D h The Lady an e Gray . The present uc ess of N ewcastle, who, by her own genius, rather than

r any timely inst uction, overtops many grave Gown

” C D n men . The ountess owager of Hu tingdon, a

’ “ r s pupil of M s . Makin ; well she understands

” L a tin Gr eek H eér ew F r eneﬁ S a nis/z , , , , and p , and “ what a proﬁcient she is in arts subservient to

D w ivinity, in hich (if I durst, I would tell you)

” she excels . The Princess Elizabeth, daughter to

C W King harles the First, to hom Mrs . Makin was “ O ld tutoress, at nine years , could write, read, and in s L a tin Gr eek e ew ome measure understand , , H ér ,

F r enen I ta lia n W , and had she lived, hat a

Of miracle she would have been her sex . Mrs . L D OF THE L S T CE T 9 A A Y A N UR Y.

C ar s Thorold, daughter of the Lady , in Lincoln hire, was excellent in philosophy, and all sorts of learning . d I cannot, without injury, forget the La y Mildmay

’ Dr and . Love s daughters : their worth and ex c ell enc y in learning is yet fresh in the memory of many men . Finally, as the greatest sample of all, the author describes Queen Elizabeth at some length, who, according to Ascham, read more

Gr eek in a day than many of the Doctors of her time did L a tin in a week .

In the Postscript to the above essay, the following passages occur

“ If any enquire where this education may be

s performed, uch may be informed that a school is lately erected for Gentlewomen, at Tottenham C High ross, within four miles of London, on the r r oad to Wa e, where Mrs . Makin is governess, who was formerly tutoress to the Princess Eliza C beth, daughter to King harles the First . Where,

the w by blessing of God , Gentle omen may be

r el i ion instructed in the Principles of g , and in all manner of sober and virtuous Education : more particularly in all things ordinarily taught in other schools . 10 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

As Works of all sorts D ancing . Half the time to be M HSJCk spent in these Singing things . Writing Keeping accompts

The other half to be employed in gaining the

L a tin and F r ene/z tongues ; and those that please

H ekr ew I ta lia n may learn Gr eek and , the and

Sp a nisk : in all which this Gentlewoman hath a competent knowledge .

Gentlewomen of eight or nine years old, that can read well, may be instructed in a year or two

(according to their parts) in the L a tin and F r enck

u e tongues ; by such plain and simple R les, a com m oda ted Gr a mma r E n lisk to the of the g tongue, d that they may easily keep what they have learne , and recover what th ey shall lose ; as those that N learn Musick by otes . Those that will bestow longer time may learn

- s as . the other language afore mentioned, they please “ it R ep os or ies also for Visibles shall be prepared ;

by which, from beholding the things, Gentlewomen N N may learn the ames, atures, Values, and Use of L D OF THE T E T 11 A A Y LAS C N UR Y.

Her és Skr nés Tr ees M iner a l - iet es M eta l s , , , p , , and

L imnin Pr e Those that please may learn g , ser vin Pa s t C r ooker . g , y , and y “ Those that will allow longer time may attain s A s tr onom Geo r a k ome general knowledge in y , g p y ,

s but e pecially in A r itkmetiek and His tory . “ Those that think one language enough for a

s Woman, may forbear the Language , and learn

Ex er imenta l Phil oso k only p p y , and more or fewer

of the other things aforementioned, as they incline .

“ r a nnnm The Rate certain shall be 2 0l . p e But if a competent improvement be made in the

a s Tongues, and the other things aforementioned,

shall be agreed upon, then something more will be

expected . But the parents shall judge what shall be

deserved by the Undertaker .

“ Those that think these Things Improbable, or

t Impracticable, may have fur her account every

’ - Tuesda . a C ff C y , at Mr M son s o ee house, in ornhill,

’ Tknr sa a s near the Royal Exchange ; and y , at the

” F l eet S tr eet Bolt and Tun, in , between the hours

of three and six in the afternoon, by some person

Whom Mrs . Makin shall appoint . 12 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ n r Mrs . Makin s school, u der he self and her suc c essors s , and her system, adopted by imitator , had

” “ in good inﬂuences in their little day . Those

ﬂuenc es continued beyond that period in families like that of Mrs . Robinson where every variety of knowledge was accounted valuable . It was a period when grace of carriage was held by others to be as necess ary as a well- stored mind ; and very popular in s ome English household s was a little volume from the French , called The Art of being Easy at all

Times and in all Places , written chieﬂy for the use of a Lady of Quality .

In the Robinson family, personal grace came naturally ; but the mind w a s cultivated . Indeed in that household, the wits were not allowed to rust .

It w a s the delight of those bright girls and boys to

’ fo r maintain or to denounce, the sport s sake, some

set s particular argument up for the purpo e . C c c a sionally the pleas ant s kirmish would develope into something like serious battle . The triumphant laugh of the victor would n ow and then bring tears

s to the eyes of the vanqui hed . At such times

there was a moderator of the excited little assembly .

The mother of the young disputants sat at a table L D OF THE L S T CEN T R 13 A A Y A U Y.

e close at hand . Sh read or worked ; sometimes she listened smilingly ; sometimes was not without a p

n prehe sion . But she was equal to the emergency .

Her children r ecognized her on such occasions as

S - Mrs . peaker and that much loved dignitary always adjourned the house when victory w a s too

t ho ly contested, or when triumph seemed likely to be abused .

It is hard to believe that Elizabeth Robinson, who was the liveliest of these disputants, assumed or

submitted to the dr udgery Of copying the whole of “ S ” the pectator, when she was only eight years of

age . Her courage and perseverance, however, were

equal to such a task ; but her energies were often

She u turned in another direction . was as nre

servedl n y given to danci g, she tells us, as if she had

She been bitten by a tarantula . as ardently loved fun

within the limits of becoming mirth — as she

devotedly pursued learning.

“ ” My used to sleep , she writes to Lord “mind Wi Lyttelton, eight or ten hours thout even the Visi

on tati of a dream, and rose in the morning, like

Aurora, throwing freshness and joy on every object,

In In tricked itself out sunbeams, and set gay and 14 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

W glowing colours . ith a head furnished with knowledge beyond that possessed by most girls of her age ; with feet restless and impatient to join any dance anywhere ; she had a heart most sisterly and

t tenderly attuned to love for, and sympathy wi h, her “ l brothers . I have seven of them, she wrote whi e she was yet in her teens, and would not part with one for a kingdom . If I had but one, I should be S distracted about him . urely, no one has so many

s or so good brothers . Thi is only one out of a score of such testimonies of sisterly affection .

There are some signiﬁcant traces of the effects Of this lady’ s early training in the letters which she wrote from the time she was twelve years of age till

- she had reached her twenty second year, when she married . These letters were addressed to a friend C older than herself, Lady Margaret avendish Harley,

1 D who in 7 34, became uchess of Portland . They

ir are sprightly and forcible, but they are not g lish .

In one of the earliest, written at Horton, near Hythe,

Kent (one of the estates which Matthew gained by his marriage) , she says My papa is a little

’ , , f vapoured and last night a ter two hours silence, he broke out into a great exclamation against the

16 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

’ D ; tender epistle from his sweetheart, tru till eth

n perhaps, by its situatio , subject to be kicked by his

ill - master every morning, till at last, by usage and

, rude company, worn too thin for any other use it

” - may make its exit by lighting a tobacco pipe . The young writer of the above was not only

a remarkably observant of all that passed round her, but generally showed her reading, by a quotation that should give force to the description of what

t she observed . Thus, in wri ing to her dear duchess,

A D. 1 who had been suffering from fever ( . 734) Miss Robinson remarks I shall put on as musty a face at your grace’s fever as Miss W could make

Dr . S at the face of andys, to describe the horror of which would require at least as tragic a bard as ! Lee ; for then she would look, good gods how she

” would look ! This may smack of priggishness ;

but there was nothing of that, nor of false prudery,

’ in Elizabeth Robinson s character . Before she was

ﬁfteen, she had some experiences not likely to fall d “ to the lot of young la ies of the present day . I t ” have in win er, she writes to Mrs . Anstey, gone

eight miles to dance to the music of a blind ﬁddler,

’ and returned at two o clock in the morning, D F THE L T 1 A LA Y O AS CEN TUR Y. 7 mightily pleased that I had been so well enter

ined ta . Indeed, young ladies seem to have been thoroughly emancipated, and to have been abroad in the “ wee sma’ hours ’ ayont the twal enjoying all the perils consequent on such rather wild

d . In 1 8 oings 7 3 , when our young lady was not

quite eighteen, she went , with two of her brothers

her and her sister, eight miles to the play, from

Kentish home ; and she tells the Duchess of f Portland, A ter the play, the gentlemen invited all

the women to a supper at the inn, where we stayed

’ in till two o clock the morning, and then all set out

” fr li k m for our respective homes . The o c so e damsel

“ adds, Before I had gone two miles, I had the

Of pleasure being overturned, at which I squalled

”

. r fun for joy It was, pe haps , this indulgence in

and late hours, joined to much solid reading, that made this youthful reveller and student hate early

morning hours as she hated cards . But her

quality w as favourably shown in her ready

Observance of the l aw and custom of the house in

which She happened to be a sojourner . There is

no better proof than this of what is u nderstood by

“ She good breeding. would rather have gone

C 18 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

h down to breakfast at noon than at nine ; but if t e breakfast- hour of her entertainers was at eight, there was the young guest at table, fresh as the

She rose and brighter than the dawn . amusingly illustrated this matter once, by writing from a

’ Six O house Where she w a s tarrying, clock in the

” morning ; N ew Style !

. N O In fact, few things came amiss to her doubt she preferred Mary- le- bone Gardens to those at

She Edgeley or at Horton . was happy in both, but happier in the fashionable gardens nearer London ;

- - for Mary l e bone was still out of town . Elizabeth

’ o Robinson s day is described, on one of these c

k - l e- casions, as brea fasting in Mary bone Gardens at

v Z - for ten ; gi ing a sitting to incke after mid day, her well- known miniature portrait as Anne Boleyn ; and spending the evening at Vauxhall . At the

’ nobility s private balls given in the ﬁ rst- named suburban paradise, Elizabeth Robinson was amongst the O f he gayest and fairest the revellers . Before t

’ in those dances began . days, the ladies fans were thrown upon a table, and the men then drew them

a n for partners, each t ki g for his own the lady to w fa n hom the which he had drawn , and which he L D F T 19 A A Y O THE LAS CEN TUR Y.

w a s presented to her, belonged . It not all break

w a s fasting and dancing in those gardens . There

- s a large plunging bath there, much used by fa hion

N s able aiads, who rose from ilken couches , donned a bathing dress , took headers into the waters , gambolled

and n and under them till they were breathless,

r then went home to dress for othe enjoyments .

When the Duches s of Portland heard of her young

’ s s she friend plunging delight , expressed herself

“ ” her . frightened out of wits But, on the other

r Du lin r s hand, Lo d pp w ote a couple of ver es on

r N this particula aiad, and in honour of the poet, the

laughing nymph again and again took headers

s r - l e- into the glad water of Ma y bone .

The home scenes of her life in the country come out strong in contrast with those of her life in

. s s London In a lively sketch of one of these cene ,

’ drawn for the duchess s amusement, the youthful

artist thus joyously describes hers elf and her doings

“ O ne r common objection to the count y is , one

’ sees no faces but those of one s own family ; but b my papa thinks he has found a remedy for that, y

teaching me to draw ; but then he hus bands these

s o faces in cruel a manner, that he brings me some

C Z 20 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

; times a nose, sometimes an eye, at a time but on

’ a s the king s birthday, it was a festival , he brought

”

its W . me out a whole face, with mouth ide open

In another letter she says : I would advise you not

c ounte to draw old men 5 heads . It was the rueful nance of Socrates or Seneca that ﬁrst put me out

of conceit with it . Had my papa given me the

s N blooming face of Adonis and arcissus, I might

have been a very apt scholar ; and when I told him f I found their great beards di ﬁcult to draw, he gave J ’ S St . . o me ohn s head in a charger , to avoid the s m art I peculation of dismal faces, which, by y , dis m aliz ed ten times more than they were before,

I threw away my pencil . If I dr ew a group of little ﬁgures, I made their countenances so sad and

s their limbs so di torted, that from a set of laughing C upids, they looked like the tormented infants in

’ s s Herod cruelty, and miling, became like Rachel

”

dr . f weeping for her chil en A ter more in this strain,

“ she calls hers elf the best ho s pital painter ; for I

h w a s never drew a ﬁgure t at not lame or blind, and

h s t ey had all omething o f the horrible in their countenances you would have thought they had

” s een their own faces in the glass . 21 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

Her failure in the above respect at home found ample compensation in successes at Tunbridge

u at w Wells, at Bath, and at co nty races , all of hich

’ Elizabeth Robinson s beauty attracted all eyes ; her

s vivacious wit charmed or stung all ears . At the e

di as she places, she stu ed life quite as much enjoyed

its pleasures ; and she could not go down a dance

“ ” at the Wells or at The Bath, without making

little mental epigrams on the looks of newly- mar

th e s ried people, manner of lovers , and the doings f of eccentric olk. These found their way, in writing,

to her ducal friend, who had already bestowed on

“ the restless maiden the nick- name of La Petite

Fidget .

At Bath, she was as restless, as observant, and as

She epigrammatic as at Tunbridge Wells . de

1 0 scribes Bath life, in 74 , as consisting all the morning of “ How d’ye does ! and all night of “ ’ ! ” ’ What s Trumps The women, in the Ladies

”

C ff . o ee House , talk only of diseases The men , N S except Lord oel omerset, are altogether abom

” inable . There is not one good ; no, not one .

Among the lady eccentrics, was a certain dowager

“ duchess, who, said Miss Robinson , bathes, and, 22 A LADY OF THE L AS T CEN TUR Y.

being very tall , had nearly drowned a few women in the Cross Bath ; for s he had ordered it to be ﬁlled

r till it reached her chin ; and s o all those who we e

her a s a s her below stature, well rank, were obliged

” to come out or drown .

The glance thus obtained into the Bath itself

a s only gives , it were , a momentary View of the fashionable people in those fashionable waters .

They who compare old accounts with what is now

s to be een, will agree that he who looks, at the

s da the r pre ent y, into dull , da k, and simmering

s n water , can have no co ception of the jollity, frolic, r iot, dissipation, and indecorum which once reigned there There w a s a regular promenade in the

r waters , and the p omenaders were of both sexes .

r h They we e in bat ing costumes, and walked with the

r nearl r s s wate v up to thei neck . The head of the s r r ho te people appeared to be ﬂoating . At the same

r time, they were frolicking, or ﬂi ting, or otherwise

s s amusing themselve . Tho e who came for sanitary

b the r purposes were hanging on y ings in the wall , and

r s r r we e sedulou ly pa boiling themselves . The C oss

ua li Bath was the famous q ty bath . Handsome

japanned bowls ﬂoated before the ladies , laden with

24 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

and scholar . Mr . Lyttelton has something of an

s elegance in all his compo itions, let the subject be ever so triﬂing . Happy is the genius that can drink inspir ation at every s tream and gather simi

r lies with eve y nosegay . Alas the elegance of the

w last century embraced much that was other ise . The present Lord Lyttelton would not dare to read aloud to a company of ladies and gentlemen the once popular and elegant poem which his ancestor addressed to Belinda !

In the days here referred to, there were two cir c um stanc es to which all maidens looked forward as i their probable, but not equally des rable lot, namely,

- marriage and the small pox . The latter fell on ’ S Elizabeth Robinson s sister arah, when the family were resident at Horton, near Hythe . The elder

’ w a s r entl ema n— sister sent to a neighbou ing g farmer s, so called solely because he tilled a few acres of his

e own . H re, the Iphigenia aroused unwonted sym

c S C u h pathi s in the breast of the quire ymo s . S e would have nothing to do with furthering the

r humanizing process of those dull and thi sty clods . Their scarlet waistcoats did not impress her like

’ L ttel ton s Mr . y birthday suit at court One 25 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

heaving swain, she thought, would make an admi rable Polyphemus ! He stared at her just as the calves did ; but the calves had instinct enough not to say anything to her . They were preferable to

s h the quire, to whom the young girl, with her brig t

“ s intellect, could not be per uaded to lend out her liking on land security . There is a world of mean ing in what she wrote on that occasion to her cor

“ respondent : I liked neither him nor myself any

She w a s better for all the ﬁne things he s aid . a creature not to be wooed or won by a tippling,

- fox hunting clown, rich in the possession of dirt .

She ﬁ n el - had y strung sensibilities, which would not attune themselves to the loud laugh which speaks

P ndarve M rs . e s the vacant mind . , who saw much of her in the town and country mansions of the

D . uchess of Portland, recognized the above fact “ d “ Fidget, she wrote , in the year last name , is a most interesting creature ; but I shall not attempt to draw a likeness . There are some delicate touches that would foil the skill of a much abler artist than I pretend to be . J ust then her fears for her sister were even stronger than her antipathies for her Kentish lovers . CEN T R . 26 -A LADY OF THE LAS T U Y

In order to satis fy her eagerness to be assured that

r the sister she loved was out of danger, the latte was allowed to walk veiled into the ﬁelds, within

’ V eil ea she speaking distance of the other . , because

s ff a nd had cruelly u ered, it was thought better not to shock the elder sister by a sight of the devas t ation which the foul disease had worked tem

il . p orar y on the beauty of the younger Thus, the s s s s n i ter tood, for a brief time, speaki g all that love

and hope suggested, and the sound of the con

’ val esc ent sister s voice fell like delicious music on the heart of the listener . With renewed health came uninterrupted hap

iness p , and gay mingling in gay society, and

r audacity of expression when desc ibing it . Eliza beth Robinson had felt almost as much contempt for s as the fops among the soldier of her day, disgust for the country Polyphemu ses who made

r her wrathful with thei wooing . Very severe was

“ ” s b she on the carlet eaux, who were ordered to

“ “ . she s s Flanders I think, ay , they will die of a

’ panic and save their enemies powder . Well ! they are proper gentlemen . Heaven defend the nun neries ! I will venture a wager Flanders increases L D OF TH T 2 A A Y E LAS CEN TUR Y. 7 in the ch ris tenings more than in the burials of the week .

s In describing changes in fashion, she make singular application of her historical knowledge .

“ 1 1 she : In 74 , wrote to her sister, from town I do

W b not know what ill ecome of your ﬁne shape, for there is a fashionable make which is very strange .

I believe they look in London as they did in Rome after the Rape of the Sabines

As this fair young Elizabeth remembered her

s s hi tory on one occasion, so did she how on another that she had not forgotten her church catechis m .

“ A s s for modern marriages, wrote the lady , ju t

“ in then going out of her teens, they are great fringers of the baptis mal vow ; for it is commonly the pomps and vanities of this wicked world on one

s the . side, and the sinful lust of ﬂesh on the other There are traces throughout Miss Robinson ’ s early letters of how it went with her own heart

she and its sympathies . In her eighteenth year,

“ wrote to the Duchess of Portland : I never saw h one man that I loved . S e added to this ass ertion

s s & c . uch an endless list of Virtues, merits, qualitie , , which she expected to ﬁnd in that happy individual 28 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. as to lead to the conclu sion that a monster so

She faultless woul d never be created . even half “ acknowledged as much ; for she wrote, I am like

Pygmalion, in love with a picture of my own drawing ; but I never saw an original like it in

hO e my life . I p when I do I shall, as some poet says, ﬁnd the statue warm . In her nineteenth year, she gave utterance to a pretty petulance in

“ these words : I wis h some of our neighbours had married two and tw enty years ago ; we should have had a gallant young neighbourhood ; but they have lost time, and we have lost lovers by that

’ delay. To a remark of her sister s, that, if she were

s not heedful, ome handsome fool would win her in spite of herself, she replied, that, to win her heart,

“ ” - - it must be rather fair spoken than fair faced.

She was not much moved when rivals in beauty

r s 1 1 passed into the ma ried tate before her . In 74 , there are the following autobiographical details in

l . Fr ind etters to the wife of the Rev Mr . e , of

“ Canterbury - I saw some ﬁne jewels that are to

m M r s . S adorn y fair enemy, I beheld them without envy, and was proud to think that a woman who is thought worthy to wear jewels to D F H 2 A LA Y O T E LAS T CEN TUR Y. 9

adorn her person , should do me the honour to envy S and hate me . urely of all vanities, that of jewels is the most ridiculous ; they do not even tend to the order of dress, beauty, and cleanliness for a w oman is not a jot the handsomer or cleaner for

” “ : them . And again I am conﬁned again by a

f . little everishness I thought, as it was a London fever, it might be polite, so I carried it to the

a nd w Ridotto, court, opera, but it gre perverse and stubborn , so I put it into a white hood and double handkerchief, and kept it by the ﬁreside these three days, and it is better ; indeed, I hope it is worn out .

’ O n S s s aturday, I intend to go to Goodman Field , to see Garrick act Richard the Third, that I may get one cold from a regard to sense . I have sacriﬁced f enough to olly, in catching colds at the great

- puppet shows in town .

’

Subsequently, she would have her friend s hus band believe that she was another fair vestal of

the west, who meant to pass through the world in

She maiden meditation, fancy free . writes to the

“ D C : Rev . ean of anterbury I have lately studied i my own fo bles, and have found that I should make

r a very silly wife and an extremely foolish mothe , 30 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. and so have as far resolved as is consistent w ith

r deference to reason and advice , neve to trouble any man or to spoil any children This was but

banter . O nly the year before , her sister having made a jest of her love for heroes of antiquity, “ Elizabeth Robinson , oracularly answered, I believe

I shall do my errand before many people think ; but l ” prudence shall be my guide . A iving man,

W “ exclaims the ise virgin , is better than a dead hero ! ”

1 1 In 74 , this decided young lady was wooed by a fashionable lover, and also by a noble lover who was her senior by a good many years . The former was dismissed, and the young lady wrote to her

“ : r sister in the above year Poo M . B . takes his misfortune so to heart, that I really pity him ; but I

’ - have no balsam of heart s ease for him . If he should die, I will have him buried in Westminster Abbey, next to the woman who died with the prick of a

ﬁnger, for it is quite as extraordinary and he shall

his ‘ have ﬁgure languishing in wax, with Miss

’ r Robinson fecit, w itten over his head . I really ff compassionate his su erings and pity him ; but

s though I am as compas ionate, I am as cold as

( 32 )

CHAPTER II .

DW A R D O N T A G U C E M was the son of harles, who was the ﬁfth son of the ﬁrst Earl of Sandwich . He was

- a well endowed gentleman, both intellectuall y and S materially, and he adopted the ocratic maxim, that a wi se man keeps out of public business . He is

“ described a s being of a different turn from his

s wife, fond of the severer tudies , particularly

s i mathematic . Under his inﬂuences, the bound ng

Iambe from Horton gradually grew into the

” Minerva, as she was called by friends as well as

s . epigrammati ts Mr . Montagu w a s a mathematician of great eminence ; and a coal — owner of great wealth . He was a man of very retired habits and great amiability . He loved to puzzle fellow ma them a tic ia ns with problems , and he did not dislike coals to be high in p rice but he urged other owners t o incur the odium of making the advance . L D OF THE L S T CE T A A Y A N UR Y. 33

Mr . and Mrs . Montagu were married in London,

Freind ffi and did not immediately leave it . Mr . o c ia ted at the marriage ceremony . The bride, in a

Freind note to Mrs . , expressed her inﬁnite obliga

“ n tion to him, for not letting the k ot be tied by

” O n the hands of an ordinary bungler . Friday,

A 6 a ugust , the day fter her marriage, the bride

’ wrote to the Duchess O f Portland : If you will be

’ - O at home to morrow, at two clock, I will pass an

hour with you but pray send me word to Jermyn

S w r treet at eleven, hethe I can come to you without

meeting any person at Whitehall but the Duke ; to

- everv one else pray deny your dressing room . Mr .

Freind will tell your grace I really behaved mag

nim ousl u na y ; not one cowardly tear, I ass re you , did

I shed at the solemn altar ; my mind was in no

mirthful mood indeed . I have a great hope of

s happiness . The world, as you say, speak well of

Mr . Montagu, and I have many obligations to him which must gain my particular esteem but such a change of life must furnish one with a thousand

” anxious thoughts .

l f - Short y a ter, the newly wedded pair travelled to

’ M onta u s s one of Mr . g estate in the north ; but not 34 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ alone . They were accompanied by the bride s sister.

The custom of sending a ekap er on With a young

married couple prevailed . Indeed, down to a com

a rativel i p y recent period, some husbands and w ves,

s r who were married in York hi e, may remember that to have started on their wedding trip or their o' j urney home, without a third person, would have l been considered lamentab e indecorum . The bride thus speaks of the journey and the new

she home . To Mrs . Freind, writes

s We arrived at thi place (Allerthorpe, Yorkshire),

after a journey of six days through ﬁne countries .

Mr . Montagu has the pleasure of calling many

own hundred pounds a year about his house his ,

’ n t without any perso s proper y interfering with it . I think it is the prettiest estate and in the best order

I ever saw : large and beautiful meadows for riding or

a s walking in, and all neat as a garden, with a pretty S river (the wale) winding about them, on which we m shall someti es go in boats . I propose to visit

e n the almshous very soo . I saw the old women,

with the bucks upon their sleeves at church, and the sight gave me pleasure . Heraldry does not always descend with such honour as when charity leads her L D OF THE L T E A A Y AS C N TUR Y. 35

by the hand . A little later, Mrs . Montagu writes thus to the duchess “ i The sun g lds every object, but I assure you, it is the only ﬁne thing we have had ; for the house

not : is old and handsome it is very convenient, and i the situat on extremely pleasant . We found the

ﬁnest peaches, nectarines, and apricots that I have

’ ever eat . Then comes a dash of the old sauciness .

She rejoices at the news the duchess had communi c a ted Du lin to her, that Lord pp , who once wrote verses on her taking a header into the Mary-l e- bone plunging baths, was the father of an heir to his title

“ and estate . I think no man better deserves a child .

end The justiﬁes the means ; else, what should one say for his extreme, surprising, amazing fondness for the lady ! I am glad Lord Dupp enjoys his liberty and leisure. The repose a gentleman takes

u after the hono r of sending a son into the world, may be called ease with dignity .

Further evidences of the course of her married life

ff O n are thus a orded by herself. the a 4th of

A . ugust, Mrs Montagu tells the duchess

“ It must be irksome to submit to a fool . The

s s e service of a man of en e is perfect fr edom .

D 2 36 A LADY OF THE L AS T CEN TUR Y.

i Where the will is reasonable, obed ence is a pleasure

’ ’ but to run of a fool s errand all one s life is terrible .

she . Freind And three days later, writes to Mrs “ i I t hink we increase in esteem, w thout decaying in c omplaisance ; and I hope we shall always remember

” Freind a nd th . Mr . the 5 with thankfulness

O . u f Early in ctober, Mr Montag le t his wife, parliamenta ry business calling him to town . She d readed the invasion ofcondoling neighbours, and not without reason . We have not been troubled with any visitors since Mr . Montagu went away ; and could you see how ignorant, how awkward, how absurd, and how uncouth the generality of people are in this country, you would look upon this as no small piece of good fortune . For the most part, they are drunken and vicious, and worse than hypocrites

e p roﬂiga t s . I am very happy that drinking is not within our walls . We have not had one person disordered by liquor since we came down, though most of the poor ladies in the neighbourhood have had more hogs in their drawing- room than ever they

- On had in their hog sty . e visitor was unwel

She comely assiduous . thus hits him off to the duchess, as a portrait of a country beau and wit L D OF THE L S T CEN T R 37 A A Y A U Y.

Had you seen the pains this animal has been taking

Of to imitate the cringe a beau, you would have pitied him . He walks like a tortoise and chatters like a magpie . He was ﬁrst a clown, then he was sent C to the Inns of ourt, where ﬁrst he fell into a red waistcoat and velvet breeches, then into vanity . His light companions led him to the playhouse, where he ostentatiously coquetted with the orange wenches,

n who cured him of the bad air of taking s uff .

He then fell into the company of the jovial, till want

n of money and wa t of taste led this prodigal son, if

eat r . s not to , to d ink with swine At la t he returned to the country, where people treat him civilly and one gentleman in the neighbour

s o s hood is fond of him as, I believe, to pend a great deal of money and most of his time upon him .

There are parts in the letter, from which the above is an extract, which Show a knowledge of

London life and of the consequences of leading it,

s which is marvellous . In more lively strain , thi Lady C of the Last entury moralized on marriage, under all its aspects, to the duchess and she joked upon and handled the same subject, in her letters to Mrs .

Donella n , with an astounding audacity, which was, 38 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. h owever, not unnatural, in the days when mothers read Aphra Behn aloud, and sons and daughters

’ listened to that arch - hussey s highly- ﬂavoured come dies . Mrs . Montagu alludes to similar reading when drawing an “ interior for the duchess’ s good

“ pleasure, while Mr . Montagu was away . I cannot boast of the numbers that adorn our ﬁreside . My sister and I are the principal ﬁgures besides, there

a is a round table, a square skreen, some books, and

— s work ba ket, with a smelling bottle, when morality grows musty, or a maxim smells too strong, as

” She sometimes they will in ancient books . loved such books, nevertheless, much better than she did the neighbours that would be friendly .

“ ” I do hourly thank my stars, she says, that I am not married to a country squire or a beau ; for in the country, all my pleasure is in my own ﬁreside, and that only when it is not littered with queer

O n creatures . e must receive visits and return them and if you are not more happy in it in N otting

tha n I hamshire am in Yorkshire, I pity you most C feelingly . ould you but see all the good folks m that visit y poor tabernacle, oh, your grace would pity and admire

40 A L ADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

N his near ewbury, Berks, wife found more genial

She neighbours than in the north . especially dis liked the rough Yorkshire folk, and she did not conceal the little sympathy she had with agreeable

” She company . felt it a misfortune that she found in few people the qualities that pleased her . Like him who thanked God that he had not a heart that

she had room for many, was thankful that she could love only the chosen few ; but she could bear with

téte- a twenty disagreeable people at once, while a m téte . with a single one she disliked, ade her sick S ’ ’ At andleford, she played the farmer s wife s part without laying aside that of the lady, or, indeed, of

She off the student . could rattle the gayest de

- scription of a country fair, losing no one of its

r cha acteristic features, and next write a long and

G a strell thoughtful dissertation over , Bishop of Chester’ s “ Moral Proof of the C ertainty of a S ’9 Future tate . The spirit of this dissertation , con ta ined s in a long letter to her friend the duches , is that of what would now be called a Free Inquirer .

She will not bow her intellect to any authority of

She mortal man . has hope, but lacks knowledge

— except that God is the loving Father of all— and L D OF THE L S T CE 4 A A Y A N TUR Y. 1 beyond that she evidently thinks the bishop knows

n no more tha she does . S The ladies around her, at andleford, were neither so well endowed intellectually as herself,nor seem in l - g y cared to be . Grottos and shell work showed the bias of their tastes . Mrs . Montagu speaks of

V i i isit ng one in Berksh re, which was the work of nine sisters (Leah) , who in disposition , as well as number,

” bore some resemblance to the Muses . Lord

’ Fane s grotto at Basildon w as one ofthe mild wonders e of the county . When she goes th nce to London, depreciation of the latter shows a growing love for

i She rural l fe . describes life in London as being all the morning at the senate, all the night at play .

Party politics were her aver sion . They were pur

or sued f the beneﬁt of individuals, not for the good

” fa c tion s in n of the country . The heads Londo she described as being very full of powder and very empty of thought . Happy in her own home, she could mingle jesting with sympathy when referring “ to sorrows which other people had to bear . I

” “ she pity Miss Anstey, wrote, for the loss of her l agreeable cousin and incomparab e lover . For my part, I would rather have a merry sinner for a 42 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

! ” lover than so serious a saint Her own husband,

s however, was not mirthful . He tuck to his mathe matic s s s - , under tood his busines as a coal owner,

his loved wife, and found life a pleasant thing, particularly where kis lines had fallen .

b o With the birth of a y came new occupations,

f . resh delights, and hitherto unknown anxieties The

r a nu sing mother, remembering her old g y time, declared that “ for amusement there is no puppet show like the pleasant humour of my own Pa nt/i

S She at andl eford . fancied a bright futurity for the boy ; but her passing ecstacy was clamped by the thought of the perils and temptations by which life is beset . Pity, she wrote, that a man thinks it no more neces sary to be as innocent as woman than to be as fair .

1 In March, 744, when Mrs . Montagu and her sister thought it a remarkable feat to travel from S N D S andleford, near ewbury, to over treet, Lon

in l don, one day, with on y two breaks down, Mrs .

“ Montagu left her boy in the Berkshire house . It

was no such easy matter, she said, to part with little

Punch, with whom we played and pleased ourselves ff ” as long as we could a ord time . O n her return L D OF THE L S T CEN T R 43 A A Y A U Y.

S n to a dleford, in July, the natural beauty of the m ’ “ place see ed centred in little Punch s person . He is now an admirable tumbler . I lay him down on

on the a blanket ground every morning, before he is dressed, and at night when he is stripped, and

and t u there he rolls mbles about to his great delight . ” C If my god daughter, adds the Last entury Lady to

D F reind i ltis octor , referr ng to daughter, be not a

” r l p ude, I shou d recommend the same practice to her . The mother’ s dreams and duties were soon brought

S 1 to a melancholy close . In eptember, 744, the little heir had his ﬁrst severe experience of life, and ,

. He perhaps happily, it was too much for him died of convulsions while cutting his teeth . A few

few joyous tumbles on the blanket, a kisses, a few

n honied words, and much pai at last, made up all that he knew of life . Mrs . Montagu tempered her i heavy grief with much act ve occupation and study .

’ She meekly attributed the loss of her son to God s visitation on her conﬁdence in her ow n care and

l She watchfu ness . may be said to have lost with him her hopes, her joys, and her health for a con

siderabl e . S 1 period In eptember, 744, she wrote to the duchess 44 A L ADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

u Poor Mr . Montag shows me an example of patience and fortitude, and endeavours to comfort me, though undoubtedly he feels as much sorrow as I can do ; for he loved his child as much as ever

She parent could do . discovered all the Virtues

a in Mr . Montagu that dversity needs, and adversity only can show I never saw such resignation and fortitude in any one ; and in the midst of affl iction there is comfort in having such a friend and as sist ant . It was once my greatest happiness to see him in possession of the dearest of blessings . It is now my greatest comfort to see he knows how to resign it, and yet preserve the virtue and dignity of his temper . They never had another child ; and, if they were not altogether as happy as before, they were, at least, as cheerfully resigned as heirless l O rich people cou d persuade themselves to be . cca sionall R e y, however, she envied happier mothers .

n ferring to one of these, early twenty years later,

k . who was then stric en by a profounder grief, Mrs

“ Montagu wrote to Lord Lyttelton : Poor Mrs . S ff tone, between illness and a liction, is a melancholy

. object I remember that after my son was dead,

I used to envy her her ﬁ ne boy ; but not being L D OF THE L S T CE T 45 A A Y A N UR Y.

n did n of a wicked dispositio , ear estly wish she might ! not lose him . Poor woman her felicity lasted h longer t an mine, and so her grief must be greater ; f ” but time is a sure com ort er .

u f Mrs . Montag ound relief for her sorrows, as ff well as for indisposition , from which she su ered l great y at intervals, at Tunbridge Wells and in

l t . 1 smal country gaie ies Thus, in 745 , at a country f air (ladies went to such sports in those days) , Mrs . Montagu was not more surprised to see a ginger bread Admiral Vernon lying undisturbed on a

t S a nisk baske of p nuts, than she was at Tunbridge Wells to behold grave Doctor Young and old C ll C o ey ibber on the most intimate terms . Mrs . il Montagu, on the Pant es, asked the doctor how

“ long he intended to stay, and his answer was, As long a s your rival stays . When this riddle was

” explained, the rival proved to be the sun . People from all ends of the world then congregated at

u the Wells, and Mrs . Montag sketched them

a nd smartly, grouped them cleverly, in pen and

O ne ink . of the best of these outline sketches is n that of a country parso , the vicar of Tun bridge, to whom she paid a visit in company with 46 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

“ Dr ff . Young and Mrs . Rolt . The good parson o ered

i e to show us the nside of his church, but made som l apology for his undress, which was a true canonica dishabille . He had on a grey striped calamanco

- night gown ; a wig that once was white, but, by the inﬂuence of an uncertain climate, turned to a pale orange ; a brow n hat encompassed by a black

- i hat band ; a band somewhat d rty, that decently retired under the shadow of his chin ; a pair of grey stockings, well mended with blue worsted, strong symptoms of the conjugal care and affection of his wife, who had mended his hose with the very

” r for wo sted she had bought her own . The lively lady and her companions declined to take refresh m ment at the parsonage, where, she ade no doubt,

“ they would have been welcomed by madam , in her muslin pinners and sars net hood ; who would have given us some mead and a piece of cake that she had made in the Whitsun holidays, to treat her cousins . After dinner at the inn, the vicar joined

“ our them, in hopes of smoking a pipe, but doctor ff hinted to him, that it would not be proper to o er any incense but sweet praise to such goddesses as Mrs . Rolt and your humble servant . I saw a

48 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ M onta u s The death of Mrs . g mother in the f r w ollowing year, d ew from her a tender and ell deserved tr ibute of affection in a touching and

Freind. 1 simple letter to Mrs . In 747 , her friend,

Mr . Lyttelton , lost his ﬁrst wife, and wrote a monody on her, for the public ear . The monody

s n walk on very high stilts, and occasio ally falls and struggles on the ground . Mrs . Montagu thought

t ul it had great merit, and hat her friend wo d be inconsolable ; but Lyttelton brought out, the same

“ O n C year, his bservatio s on the onversion and

”

St. Apostleship of Paul, of which Mrs . Montagu i was a d ligent reader and a constant eulogist . In less than two years, the widower left unﬁnished a

- prettily begun epitaph to his Lucy, with whom he f had enjoyed six years of conjugal elicity, and

Sir married a daughter of Robert Rich . With her,

f of f came a li e war are, followed by a treaty by which i each party agreed to live at peace with, and w de apart from, the other .

Meanwhile, Mrs . Montagu made friendly pro gresses to princely mansions in various parts of the

She W . country had hearty elcome at all, fro m lay and ecclesiastical nobles alike . This did not in 49 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

ﬂuenc e . her critical eye At Wilton , then and now

’ one of the best examples of an English nobleman s

r she : u esidence, writes As to the stat es and bustos ,

i r . they certa nly are ve y ﬁne , but I think too many

r s s He oe hould not have so many competitors , nor

philo sophers so much company ; a respectable

r society may be inc eased into a mob . I should, if

s s they were mine, sell half of their ﬁgure to purcha e

s s their work , which are, indeed , the images of wi e

men .

s w A cloud now came, and long re ted, bet een her

h r 1 8 sun e . and the of happiness The death , in 74 ,

“ ” r of her b other Tom, a man of wit, taste , and

“ f r her h judgment, a te own eart ; the man in

l aw C J England for a point of , as hief ustice Lee

remarked ; a man who had accomplished much,

and who might have reas onably looked to the

highest po sition which could be attained in his

r s a s — branch of the p ofes ion , his own, the death of

such a man, good, bright, aspiring, and qualiﬁed

r for success, was a loss to his brilliant siste for

“ which she never found compensation . As for this

” “ : good young man, she wrote I hoped it would rather have been his business to have grieved for

E 5 0 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

Of me . Mr . Montagu is most careful us, and I

m s cannot, amidst y orrow, help thanking heaven

” for such a friend . A letter from her husband in

London conﬁrms this statement : I long to leave

a nd ou now this place , to be with y , rather than at a

s a friend time when you have less occa ion for . Be

sure that you are constantly in my thoughts, and

that no accidents of s ickness or any other matter

can work any change in me, or make me be with ff less a ection than I have been, my dearest life ff ” your most obliged and a ectionate E . M . C ompelled, subsequently , to repair to Bath for m her health, she despised no innocent amuse ent .

“ I want mechanic helps, she said, for my real

is happiness, God knows, lessened ; and, though I

have many relations left, I reﬂect that even this

circumstance makes me more liable to have the

”

f . f same a ﬂiction repeated Then, a ter a week or

r two of omnivorous reading and f iendly intercourse,

. d she writes to the duchess Mrs Trevanion, Lor

’ S s s o Berkley of tratton s i ter, goes away from us t

r morrow, which I am sor y for ; she seems very

- h agreeable and well bred, and as a thousand other good qualities that do not abound at our morning 5 1 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

- ff m . co ee house , where I eet her Whist and the

O . noble game of E . employ the evening ; three

s glasses of water, a toa ted roll, a Bath cake, and a

s . s s cold walk, the morning My phy ician say three

months will be necessary for me to drink the

s d water . I am forced to ine by myself, not yet

being able to bear the smell of what common

et the mortals call a dinner . As y I live with

M r . i . s fa ries But here is another Montagu , l who is like me , hath a ong nose , pale face, thin

s cheeks , and also, I believe, diet with fairies, and

she r is much bette than when she came, and many

r people give me the honou of her recovery . S After returning to andleford, she began again to d need, or to fancy she neede , the restoring waters of

id . Tunbr ge. To Mrs Anstey she wrote

“ s s I may, perhap , trouble you to eek me some

ou house about Mount Elphinstone ; for, to tell y

s the truth, I get as far from the bu y haunts of the

( place as I can ; for it agrees neither with my inclination nor health to be in the midst of what n are called the diversions of the place . An eve ing

assembly in July is rather too warm ; and, tell it not in the regions of politeness I had rather see a

E 2 5 2 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ few glow- worms on a green in a warm summer s evening than belles adorned with brilliants o r

beaux bright with clinquant . I cannot be at

Tunbridge before the beginning of July . I am

engaged to the nightingale and cuckoo for this

month .

- Although continued ill health kept Mrs . Montagu much in retirement after she ﬁrst went to Tun ff W W . She as bridge, the ells had their usual e ect

the centre of a circle of admiring friends ; and when

s h unbrid e e tablis ed for months together at T g Wells,

her coterie was a thing apart from those of the

J C w ho ews, hristians , and Heathens of all classes

- crowded the Pantiles or the assembly rooms . Her f letters sparkle with the ﬁgures that lit through them. Some contemporary ladies of the last century are

“ thus sharply crayoned : I think the Miss Allens s s en ible, and I believe them good ; but I do not think the graces assisted Lucina at their birth .

Lady Parker and her two daughters make a very remarkable ﬁgure, and will ruin the poor mad

- woman of Tunbridge by out doing her in dress . S uch hats, capuchins, and short sacks as were never

On seen ! e of the ladies looks like a state- bed 3 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y. 5

She ha s a running upon castors . robbed the val nce and tester of a bed for a trimming . They have m each of the a lover . Indeed, as to the dowager,

O . she seems to have no greater joys than E . and

- h r - a toad eater can give e . That word toad eater

w as s a s . 1 2 till in its novelty a slang term In 74 ,

s r w Walpole call Har y Vane, after ards Earl of

’ - D r s . 1 a lington, Pulteney toad eater In 744,

“ ” S r D S a s a ah Fielding, in avid imple, speaks of it

”

M r . a new word . To Montagu, his wife thus wrote :

M Y DEA R E T S ,

“ o I had, this morning, the pleasure of y ur letter,

r r s which was in eve y e pect agreeable, and in none more so than your having ﬁxed yo ur time for going S f to andle ord, as I shall the sooner hope to see my

s s be t and deare t friend here . I shall wish I could procure wings to bring me to you on the

S r terrace at andleford, whe e I have passed so many happy hours in the conversation of the best of companions and kindest of friends ; and I hope you will there recollect one who follow ed your steps a s constantly as your shadow . I am still following

few them, for there are moments in which my 5 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s ou r thought are not employed in y , and eve in the best and tenderes t manner . The charms of m Sandleford are strongly in y remembrance, but s till I would have you ﬁnd tha t they want you r little friend .

From the gaieties of Tunbridge Mrs . Montagu

M r . s . went to the residence of a age, Gilbert West

She found less pleasure among the s culpture and paintings of Wilton than under Gilbert West’ s

V s V ic kha m mode t roof at , in whose master she saw

r C r that mi acle of the moral world, a h istian poet and in Mrs . West, something more than a tenth

Muse or a fourth Grace . To conversations with West are attributed the deeper convictions of the

r truth of revealed eligion which Mrs . Montagu Sh entertained henceforward . e did not cease to be cheerful because on one point she was more serious .

’ s she In a cottage which she hired near We t s house, playfully Offered to her lady visitors wholesome

’ s brown bread, incerity, and red cow s milk . With tastes that could ﬁnd gratiﬁcation wherever she

M rs . o w a s might be, M ntagu one of the happiest

n o t w of women . Most happy, hen she was queen

n or one of the quee s, of society, but when she was

5 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

u C r search of fort ne to hina, whe e, however, he found

n a grave . In the followi g year, she writes to her

r husband, who was on p ivate business in the north

“ ’ I have sat so cons tantly in Lady Sandwich s

- chimney corner, I can give you little account of the

” “ She s : world . playfully say to her absent lord I am glad you are so fa r tired of your monastic life as to think of returning to the secular state of a

” r She : husband and member of pa liament . adds

You have too many virtues for the contracted

f a nd I li e of a monk, , thank my stars, are bound

r in another vow, one mo e ﬁt for you, as it is S ’ s . social, and not selﬁ h From Lady andwich s

m - chi ney corner, and from much study, mixed with

v - is e ery day duties, it pleasant to see her surrounded S by the Ladies tanhope and Mrs . Trevor, who were adjusting her dress when she went as the Queen

s Mother to the subscription ma querade . The dress

“ was white satin, with ﬁne new point for tuckers,

ruﬁies r n and kerchief and pea l ecklace and earrings,

ea p rls and diamonds on the head, and my hair curled

r after the Vandyke pictu e . Mr Montagu was so

pleased with her appearance that, said the lady, he m has made me lay by y dress, to be painted in when L D OF THE L T CE T 5 7 A A Y AS N UR Y.

I see Mr . Hoare again . Better than her own presentment is her picture of the too famous Miss

“ ’ Chudleigh at this masquerade : Miss Chudl eigh s

t r She dress, or ra her undress , was rema kable . was

s o Iphigenia for the sacriﬁce ; but naked, the high priest might easily inspect the entrails of the victim .

r The maids of honour (not of maids the st ictest) ,

” w ff s t o . ere so o ended, they would not peak her

w a s It with happy facility Mrs . Montagu turned from the studies she loved and the duties which she

s came to consider as her privilege, to the gaye t scenes

“ u of life . Though says she, the ed cation of women is always too frivolous, I am glad mine had such a qualiﬁcation of the serio us as to ﬁt me for

” s C a l N O the reli h of the el l os k g a tel es . one better

s understood the u es of money . When her husband

s was in the north furthering his coal intere ts , she

“ wrote to him : Though the coldness of our climate may set coals in a favourable light, I shall be glad to see as many of them turned to the precious metal

O . as possible . I have a very good pinion of Mr

u Montag and his wife . I like the prospect of these

o u golden showers, and so I congratulate y upon them ; but, most of all, I congratulate you upon the 5 8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. disposition of mind which made you put the account

s of them in a po sts cript . The la t words of her own

s s r ff letter to her hu band were inva iably a ectionate, with a sentiment of s ubmis sion that has a ve ry old fashioned a ir about it . For example

Every tender wish and grateful thought wait

ma on you, and y you ever as kindly accept the only

m r r gift in y powe , the faithful love and since e ff a ection of your most grateful and obedient wife,

. . S 1 1 r E M Again, in eptember, 7 5 , f om Tun b ridge Wells : To your prayer that we may never

s r d be so long epa ate , I can, with much zealous fervour, say Amen C HAPTER III .

N O w s - I . a ctober, Mrs Montagu in her town house ,

S . in Hill treet, receiving company Guests of the

s pre ent day will read, perhaps with a smile ofwonder,

“ the following illustration ofthe times : The Duke and Duchess of Portland and Lord Titc hﬁ el d dined

’ - with me to day, and stayed till eight o clock .

1 2 w a s r In the year 75 , there a subprecepto to h t e s S . Prince of Wales, named George Lewi cott

His baptismal names were those of the King

’

I . S George , at whose court in Hanover, cott s father

fﬁ son w a s had held some respectable o ce . The recommended for the preceptorship by Bolingbroke

’ to Bathurst, who spoke in the candidate s favour to

’ ’

r s s e . the p ince s mother, and the king anction follow d

S - ih Walpole describes cott as well meaning, but efﬁ c ient f , through undue inter erence, and as a man of no orthodox odour, as might be expected of a 60 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

ro . S p tege of Bolingbr oke . Mr cott had literary

s n s . tastes, and occa io ally exerci ed them with credit S Such a man s eemed a ﬁtting wooer for arah

’ s M onta u s . Robin on, Mrs . g clever sister The

r wooing sped, mar iage followed, and separation, from

r incompa ability of temper, came swiftly on the heels

s of it . The corre pondence throws no light on a D r 1 2 . dark episode ; but, in Ap il, 7 5 , Mrs elany

’

D s r . S M rs . wrote to ewe , in eference to Mrs cott s

s r marriage and the epa ation of herself and husband, the following words What a foolish match Mrs .

h . Scott a s made for herself Mrs . Montagu wrote

Donell a n she Mrs . word that and the rest of her friends had rescued her out of the hands of a very

s bad man ; but, for reason of interest, they should

en conceal his misbehaviour as much as possible, but

’ Donella n treated Mrs . would vindicate her sister s character whenever she heard it attacked, for she was very innocent . Perhaps it was the misery that came

M rs of this marriage that made . Montagu conclude

her d a letter from Heys to husband, uring this year,

“ with these words Adieu , my dearest, may you

r ﬁnd amusement eve ywhere , but the most perfect happiness w ith her who is by every grateful and HE T EN A LADY OF T LAS C TUR Y. 61 tender sentiment your most affectionate and faithful

s o wife, E . M . The writer her elf c uld ﬁnd amuse

- - n . me t everywhere A country house, well furnished

S r with books, made andleford mo e agreeable to her than the glories within and the dust without her

She s house in Hill Street . peaks deliciously of having her writing- table beneath the shade of the

S d s an leford elms, and she thu pleasantly contrasts country- house empl oyments w ith the pleasures of

i s r n reading anc ent hi to y, which lighte ed the burthen of those employments : To go from the toilette to the senate- house ; fr om the head of a table to the head of an army ; or , after making tea for a country

ex l oits c ounsel s justice, to attend the p , , and harangues

s of a Roman consul, give all the variety the busy

ﬁnd in the bustle of the world, and variety and change (except in a garden) make the happiness of

” ’ ” s She H o oke s our live . read Roman History as an agreeable variety . Her mind was stronge r than

She - her body . was now only thirty two years of

s - age ; and she write to Gilbert West, that ex lieu

s tenant of horse, and hone t inquirer into theological questions : You will imagine I am in extraordinary

tw o health, when I talk of walking miles in a morn 62 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

ing . If she could not walk far, she could read and

’ D r ‘ s ta na anything : In ecembe , she was again at

On C s 1 2 home in Hill Street . hri tmas Eve, 75 , she

“ - writes I proposed answering my dear Mrs .

’ C - Bo sc aw en s letter yesterday, but the hinese room w a s ﬁlled by a s uccession of people from eleven in

” the morning till eleven at night .

J 1 Early in anuary, 7 53 , close upon the anni versary of the death of the brother whom she

“ ” w ho dearly loved her brother Tom, died a

1 8 d bachelor, in 74 , an event occurre , the bearing of which is only partially told in a letter from Mrs .

“ Montagu to Gilbert West : My mind was so shocked at my arrival here, that for some days I

n w w a s insupportably low . I am o better able to

s attend to the voice of rea on and duty . A friend

re- our ship , begun in infancy, and united by com mon loss and misfortune, had many tender ties . By tender care I had raised her from despair almost to

i t . tranqu lli y I had hourly the greatest of pleasures,

She that of obliging a most grateful person . made every employment undertaken for me, and every expression of my satisfaction in her execution of those employments , a pleasure . I received from her

64 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

1 S 75 4, she writes from Hill treet the day after her

“ r arrival In my town cha acter, I made ﬁfteen

s visits last night . I hould not so suddenly have

t d assumed my grea hoop, if I had not esired to pay

s w ho the earliest respects to Lady He ter Pitt, is

” something far beyond a merely ﬁne lady .

Mrs . Montagu did not seek for friends exclusively

among the great . With her and with Lyttelton ,

re intellect was the chief attraction . They both

c eived r s r w ho into their f iend hip the efugee Bower,

made so much noise in his day . Mrs . Montagu

a nd Lyttelton refu sed to abandon him when he was

assailed by his enemies . When she was told, in a C letter from a Roman atholic, that Bower, the ex

Jesuit, whom she had received in her house, was a

his w a s s . knave, that wife a hus ey, and that Mrs Montagu herself was an obstinate idolizer and a

s perver e baby for believing in them , she continued her s r s trust, despi ed eport, and a ked for facts .

1 . ff In 7 55 , Mrs Montagu a ected to detect the

ﬁrst sign of her superannuation in her sudden re

’ solution not to go to Lady Townshend s ball,

though a new pink silver neg ligee lay ready for the

. Once her donning , she said, dear friend, Vanity, L D OF THE L E T 65 A A Y AS T C N UR Y. could lure her over the Alps or the ocean to a ball

’ like Lady Townshend s . The day was past since she would have gone eight miles, in winter, to

s dance to a ﬁddle, and would have qualled with j oy

She at being upset on her way home . and Vanity, she thought, had now parted . I really believe she has left me as lovers do their mistresses, because I was too fond, denied her nothing, and was too com ” h pliant to give a piquancy to our commerce . S e “ ” O f was a s sharp in judging others as herself.

Lady Essex (the daughter of Sir Charles Hanbury

Wi 1 lliams, who married the Earl of Essex in 754,

1 . and died in 75 Mrs Montagu, in the intervening

“ 1 6 year, 75 , says Lady Essex coquettes extremely

is v . She with her own husband, which ery lawful

ton ton Con ton wants to have the , and we know the

” 1 6 un en e nivo ne of 75 , is p o g .

A nd the 1 now, in year 75 7 , the celebrated word

’ - M onta s blue stockings ﬁrst occurs in Mrs . gu

d . 1 8 1 correspon ence Boswell, under the date 7 ,

” “ his J tells us in Life of ohnson, that about this time, it was much the fashion for several ladies to

ss have evening a emblies, where the fair sex might participate in conversation with literary and inge

F 66 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

nious s . men , animated by a de ire to please These

in Cl ués . societies were denominated B l ue S tock g

O ne of the most eminent members of these societies,

w rs . hen they ﬁ t commenced, was Mr Benjamin

Still in ﬂeet s w a s g , whose dre s remarkably grave, and,

Ol ue in particular, it was observed that he wore s t ckin s S w a s o g . uch the excellence of his conver s w a s a s s o s ation , that his absence felt great a los ,

s that it u ed to be said, we can do nothing without

’ Cl ue s tockin s b s the g , and thus y degree , the title w a s s k e tablished . Boswell was greatly mista en, for,

1 8 1 Stillin ﬂeet a c c om in 7 , Benjamin g , the highly

lished - s p gentleman, philosopher, and barrack ma ter

s of Ken ington, had been dead ten years, and he had left off wearing blue stockings at least fourteen years

r i befo e he d ed . Thi s subject will be referred to in a

s s . 1 ub equent page Meanwhile, in March, 75 7 , when

rs w a r M rs rumou of were aﬂoat, . Montagu gaily wrote

“ to her hus band ; If we were in as great danger of

the S a s being conquered by paniards by the French,

I should not be very anxiou s about my continuance

rl but r in the wo d ; the F ench are polite to the ladies7

s s o and they admire ladie a little in years, that I

a expect to be tre ted with great politeness, and as 67 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

all laws are suspended during violence , I suppose that You and the rest of the married men will not

take anything amiss that happen s on the occasion

nor, indeed, should it be a much greater fault than

keeping a monkey if one should live with a French

s r ! marqui for a qua ter of a year A little later, Walpole told George Montagu a story which illus

“ - r w a s trates the scandal powe of the period. I

” “ diverted, he wrote, with the story of a lady of

r is r your name and a lo d, whose initial no furthe

s is from her than he himself supposed to be . Her

’ s po tilion , a lad of ﬁfteen, said, I m not such a child but I can guess something ! Whenever my Lord

m s r Lyttelton comes to y lady, she order the po ter

in to let nobody else, and then they call for pen and

’ sa ! ink, and y they are going to write history

s he 13 r I am per uaded, now that pa ted, that he

is m in will forget he married, and propose hi self

form to s ome woman or other ! Such scandal as this could not affect either of

the parties against whom it was pointed . In the next following years of the reign of George the

S M rs . s . econd, Montagu led her u ual life In

the r b s . London, gay ; in count y, u y and thoughtful

F 2 68 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

“ In s P s London, she a ks, who can think Perhap ,

d m a u b rs indee , they y who are l lled y soft zephy

through the broken pane , but it cannot happen to

ladies in Chinese - rooms ! In those rooms she

r s s eceived all, native and foreign , who e brain or

other desirable posses sions entitled them to a wel

S w a s s n come . At andleford, she sometime readi g

r s S s as a t an lation of ophocle , dear to her almost

S s s w a s hake peare him elf, but as often she amid

ﬁ rkin s s accounts relative to of butter, tubs of oap,

s r and chaldron of coal . When she left the count y,

f r O r M rs . it was in the dou of civility ; o r M . and

v s Montagu in ited a cargo of good folk to dinner,

a nd Sir s , like Peter Teazle , left their character

among them to be di s cussed till the next season .

' M r 1 8 s . In 7 5 , Montagu became acquainted with

M rs E C r l s . lizabeth arter, the t ans ator of Epictetu ;

. b and Mr Montagu , y the death of a relative,

succeeded to the inhe ritance of rich pos sessions in M . rs the north . Montag u thought she had got

s r the richer e tate, in the lea ned lady who had

h r e r . N she r become f iend evertheless , bo e the

r w accession of fo tune ith hilarious philosophy .

“ A s r the gentleman f om whom Mr . Montagu 69 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

h in erits had been mad above forty years, and

- s almost bed ridden for the last ten , I had alway designed to be rather pleased and happy when he resigned his unhappy being and his good estate .

She only fancied there was neither pleasure nor

s ! happiness in it, because the busine s appertaining

ss to succe ion was wearisome .

When she found hers elf among the great coal owners, she was neither happy nor pleased . They could only talk of coal , and of those who had been

A s made or ruined by it . my mind is not naturally

s u S set to thi t ne, she wrote to Mr . Benjamin tilling

“ ﬂeet , I should often be glad to change it for a

” r She song f om one of your Welsh bards . , how ever, intended to turn the occasion to intellectual

u proﬁt by exploring the country, and st dying its beauties and natural productions, but a little fainting

- ﬁt put an end to this design . An over zealous n maid went to her aid, whe fainting, with a bottle

- - t of eau de luce, but as she emptied the contents in o

’

. M onta u s Mrs g throat, instead of applying it

tw ou ardly for refreshment, the lady was nigh upon being then and there deprived of upwards of forty

f She d b - years of li e . happily recovere , and y and ‘ 7 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

by, she speaks of herself, in London, as going wherever two or three fools were gathered together,

- s s 8cc . to as emblie , visiting days, Twenty four idle

” s ! So hour , without a leisure one among them she D r M r s . said ; but an orde to enoyer, at the Golden

S s Bible, Lisle treet, for a hundred of the be t pens and half a ream of the ﬁnest and thinnest quarto

- paper, indicates how many hours of the twenty four

She ff were employed . thought, or she a ected to

r r r think, that she g ew idler as she g ew olde . In

her s D — a one of letter to old octor Monsey,

s s grote que avage and scholar, who, in lugubrious oker j y, wrote love letters (which she pretended to

— S take seriously) at fourscore, she said, in eptember,

“ 1 r - : 7 5 7 , just before her thi ty seventh birthday I shall write to you again when I am thirty- seven ; but I am now engaged in a sort of death- bed repentance for the idlenes s of the thirty- sixth year of my age ! She certainly took a wrong V iew of her case when she further said Having spent

rs r m the ﬁ t pa t of y life in female vanities, the rest in domestic employments, I seem as if I had been

’ b s in measuring ri bon a milliner s, or counting pennyworths of ﬁgs and weighing sugar— candy in

7 2 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s delicate, and on great and serious subject full of that respect and veneration which a good mind and

o a great one, is sure to feel ; he is as go d and

of worthy as he is ingenious . Her love books was

her D like love of friends . ressed for a ball, she

“ ” “ s at down, read through the Ajax and the Phi

” l o c tetes S of ophocles, wrote a long critical letter on

n the two dramas, and, losi g her ball , earned her bed and the deep sleep she enjoyed in it . At Tun

r n b idge, she describes the occupation of a si gle

r a s mo ning consisting of going to chapel, then to

to a philosophical lecture, next hear a gentleman

’ r play the Viol d amore, and ﬁnally to hold cont o

er J w v s e . 1 60 w as y with a and a Quaker In 7 , she “ d s a N . Se equally vivacious, in ewcastle In p

she tember of that year, writes to Lord Lyttelton,

she b that was taking up her freedom, y entering

“ into all the diversions of the place I was at a

s n mu ical entertainment yesterday mor ing, at a

n concert last ight, at a musical entertainment this

n morni g ; I have bespoken a play for to - morrow

s , l m night and hall go to a bal , on choosing a ayor,

M n i on o day n ght . But in the hours of leisure

s n she ulﬁ between the e dissipatio s, f lled all her L D F TH L 7 3 A A Y O E AS T CEN TUR Y. duties as a woman of business in connection with

’ s her steward s accounts and the coal interest , and devoted the remainder to the study of works in the

“ u nd loftiest walks of literat re . More leisure a

w “ fe er hours, she says, had possibly made me happier, but my business is to make the best of

She m s things as they are . ever ade the be t of

Old r two and wise men who professed in mi th, to

s s The make love to her in all eriou ness . two wise

tw o s men look, in their correspondence, like fool .

w r r Lord Bath, the ise of the two, looks mo e of a

Dr s r is s fool than . Mon ey, and the e omething nauseous in the affected playfulnes s of the aged

s ff ] lovers, and al o in the equally a ected Virgina coy ness with which Mrs . Montagu received, encouraged , or put aside their rather audacious gallantry. Her part in these pseudo love passages w a s born of her

r s r charity . It gave the two old f iend pleasu e

s M a D (Lord Lyttelton him elf styled her onna) , and

- it did no harm to the good natured lady . Lord

Bath, however, is not to be compared with such a

M rs ff . bu oon as Monsey . His honest opinion of

Montagu was : that there never was and never would be a more perfect being created than 7 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

A nd that lady . Burke said that the praise was not too highly piled .

It w a s at this period that M rs . Montagu ﬁrst

r s . Of appea ed as an authore s , but anonymously

“ ” D s D the ialogue of the ead, published under Lord

’ L ttelto n s she s . a re y name, upplied three They

r f c editable to her, and are not in erior to those by m s y lord, which have been sharply critici ed, under “ D Di o . In the name of ead al gues, by Walpole

“ ! C a dm Is -d r r s I and Me cu y , the lady hows that s n tre gth of mind, properly applied, is better than

r s strength of body . There is g eat di play of learn

r i r ing ; He cules , however, talks l ke gentle Gilbe t

“ s and C s s s We t ; admus, when he ay , that action Should be valued by their utility rather than their

écla t s s w as , how a knowledge of French which

r ha dly to be expected in him .

s r s C s If we are urp ised at the clevernes of admu ,

s r in peaking F ench, we cannot but wonder at the

r ignorance of Me cury, in the next dialogue, with a Modern Fine Lady, in not knowing the meaning

’ of ten ton . But the lady s description of it is as

a s good anything in the comedy of the day . As for

rs the manne of the period, as far as they regard A L DY OF THE L T A AS CEN TUR Y. 7 5

s s hu bands, wives, and children , their shortcoming ff are described with a hand that is highly e ective , if not quite masterly.

s k Mrs . Montagu seem to thin that f ei on p a r l e

Fr a npa is might be posted upon the banks of the S C tyx ; for, in the dialogue between Plutarch, haron ,

a nd nesse a Modern Bookseller, the ﬁrst alludes to ﬁ

s r is ur and the econd refers to the f e of Tisiphone . S But Plutarch had met M . cuderi in the Shades !

On r the other hand , he had neve heard of Richard

or ! N s r s son Fielding evertheles , the c iticism on

modern ﬁction and modern vices, are, if not ringing

w r ith wit , full of good sense and ﬁne sati e . They

could only have come from one who had not merely

r : ead much, but who had thought more one who

had not only studied the life and s ociety of which

she was a part, but who could put a ﬁnger on the

disease and also point out the remedy .

The ﬁrst and last dialogues a re enriched by

remarks which are the re sult of very extensive

reading . That between Mercury and the Modern

’ Fine Lady abounds in proofs of the writer s ob ser

u ns vation , and consequently of ill stratio of con

ds temporary social life . The lady plea her many 7 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s s engagements, in bar to the ummon of Mercury to cr oss the Styx . These are not engagements to

s hu band and children, but to the play on Mondays,

s S ball on Tuesdays , the opera on aturdays, and to

s tw o s card assemblie the rest of the week, for month

She to come . had indeed found pleasure weary her

‘ Off s when the novelty had worn ; but my friend ,

s s rs e ss r she ays , alway told me dive ions w re nece a y, and my doctor as sured me dis sipation was good for

r s s w a s m y s pi its . My hu band insi ted that it not ;

’ ou s s r s and y know that one love to oblige one f iend ,

’ ’ s comply with one doctor, and contradict one s

h r w m s . S e hu band will, howeve , illingly acco pany

r Mercu y, if he will only wait for her till the end

“ s m a Of the season . Perhap the elysian ﬁelds y be les s detestable than the country in our world .

Pray have you a ﬁne Vauxhall and Ranelagh ! I think I should not dislike drinking the Lethe waters w hen you have a full seas on . This ﬁne lady has

s O f not been de titute good works . As to the

dau hters I . education of my g , spared no expense

— s — They had a dancing ma ter, a music master , and a

w - r n dra ing master, and a F e ch governess to teach

i the N O them behav our and French language . L D OF THE L S T CE T 7 7 A A Y A N UR Y. wonder that Mercury sneered at the fact that the

religion, sentiment, and manners of those young

“ f - ladies were to be learnt rom a dancing master,

- - A s music master, and a chamber maid . to the last, there soon came in less likely teachers of

French to young ladies than Fr ench chamber maids . General Burgoyne makes his M iss A ll scr ip

“ ” s 1 8 6 (in The Heires , a comedy ﬁrst played in 7 )

“ r : w emark We have young ladies, you kno ,

u Blandish, boarded and ed cated, upon blue boards in r gold letters, in every village ; with a st olling

-m player for a dancing aster, and a deserter from

” D r unkirk to teach the F ench grammar .

The dialogues had a great success . The three avowedly by another hand interested the public, as the circumstance gave them a riddle to be solved in their leisure hours . They were attributed to men of such ﬁne intellect that Mrs . Montagu had every reason to be delighted at such an indirect compliment .

her If own account is to be taken literally, she

had now, at forty, assumed gravity as a grace and an

1 6 1 . El adornment . In 7 , she wrote to Mrs izabeth C arter that , whether in London or in the country, 7 8 A LADY OF THE LA S T CEN TUR Y.

r s I am become one of the most ea onable, quiet good kind of country gentlewoman that ever was . l And she clo ses another letter to the same ady, in S eptember of the same year, with the observation,

she - made when was only forty one, and had but just accomplished half of a career of which she was

“ r s al eady tired , I will own I often feel my elf so

r m r s a s h wea y of y journey th ough thi world, to wis

s S r for more re t, a quiet abbath after my wo king

s s s s s day ; but when uch time hall come , perhap ome painful inﬁrmity may ﬁ n d my virtue employment but all this I leave to Him who knows what is best .

While the writer was recording this wish and

s r making thi reﬂection, all England was in a f enzy

n s s of exultatio at the acce ion of the young king,

. f s George III , and all London in everi h excitement

the at coming of a young queen . When , so to

speak, the uproar of festival and congratulation

culminated at the coronation of the young royal

w a s s couple , the lady who weary of life and ighed

for S s a abbath of re t, got into a coach at Fulha m

- r O b r w a s at half past fou on an cto e morning, and

driven to Lambeth . With her gay company she

w a s rowed across the river from Lambeth to the

8 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

of the Chinese ; and fat - headed pagods and shaking mandarins bear the prize from the ﬁnest works of antiquity ; and Apollo and Venu s mu st give way to a fat idol with a sconce on his head . You will wonder I should condemn the taste I have com

triﬂes I plied with, but in shall always conform to the fashion .

There were duties connected with her position

a s s s u R e which M rs . Montagu crupulou ly f lﬁlled .

“ ’ r s s w a s r c eiving and eturning vi it a great devoi .

“ Re sort to ass emblies w a s a necessary thing ; the duty of seeing a nd being seen was an indispensable duty ; but she had mental resource s which enabled her to pity the polite world, which had no way of

r enn ui b s r d iving away but y plea u e . If in Hill

“ ” S r w a s t he a s C t eet she of quality, hesterﬁeld

she called them , in the country was not only what

’ s he s loved to call her elf, a farmer s wife, but a

s political economi t . At Sandlefo rd we see a poor

n h wretch sta ding at the door of the mansion . S e

is s r hideou from dirt, pove ty, and contagious

d s s - i ea e born of both . The lady farmer was not

s only charitable but omething besides . I was very

” “ she s angry with her, ays , that she has lately L D OF THE L S T CEN 8 1 A A Y A TUR Y.

introduced another heir to wretchedness and want .

’ She has not half Hamlet s delicacies on the question .

’ To be or not to be ! The law s delays are very ff puny evils to those her o spring must endure . ff k The world a ords no law to ma e her rich, and yet she w ill increase and multiply over the face of the earth .

r Throughout the p inted letters, continual ex

’ M o n amples occur of Mrs . tagu s acute observation

s of character, and of her happy expres ion when

She she described it . not only watched closely,

d i of but spoke bol ly of the lad es around her, and h s M rs . t eir more or less pretty ways . Thu ,

d Dr Montagu saw that all the ladies courte . Young, the poet, but she was sure it was only because they had heard he was a genius, and not that they knew he was one . When some Misses expressed their delight at a particular ball, she remarked that their delight was probably increased by the absence of

’ Miss Bladen , who became Lord Essex s second

s i ! counte s, and who was not there to outsh ne them

” “ SO n She strong in wome , said, was the desire of

pleasing, each would have that happy power con

” ﬁned to her ow n person . It did not escape her

6 8 2 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s eye that Lady Abercorn and Lady Town hend , each determining to have the most wit of any person in ff the company, always chose di erent parties and

” r l different ends of the room . How g acefu ly serene

D S s is the portrait of the uchess of omer et, who did

i s what was c vil without intending to be graciou ,

s o r r M rs . 1 and who su p ised Montagu, in 749 , because the princely state and p ride the duchess

“ s o her s had long been used to, had left uch an

” O ne easiness of manners . of her exceptional touches w a s when she desc ribed the pious Countess

- of Huntingdon a s a well meaning fanatic . That must have been after Gilbert Wes t and Lord

Lyttelton had brought her out of the ﬁeld of Free

r s r Inqui er , and the P imate of Ireland had made her

C r At of the religion of the Established hu ch . that pe riod she would have placed the church above the

r S s r law, esembling the old cotti h woman of the ki k, who, on pronouncing that to take a walk on the

S w a s sin J abbath a deadly , was reminded that esus himself had walked in the c ornﬁ elds on the Sabbath

w day, to hich she replied, Ah weel, it is as ye say ;

’ but I think none the better 0 him for it !

W few Adverting to a icked saying, that women

84 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

A as profoundly as the ladies . s one result, she

’ u s gently laughed at Dr . Yo ng philosophy, which brought him to believe that one vice corrects another, till an animal made up of ten thousand bad qualities grows to be a social creature tolerable to

w Sir m live ith . Willia Brown could hardly claim d this toleration, for he had not iscovered (said

s s Mrs . Montagu) that the wi e t man in the company is not always the most welcome, and that people are not at all times disposed to be informed. Fancy may easily bring before the reader the sort of con versation which Mrs . Montagu was able to hold

“ She it S with Mr . Plunket . says of : ome people reduce their wit to an impalpable powder, and mix it up in a rebus ; others wrap up theirs in a riddle :

’ Pl unket s off but mine and Mr . certainly went by

” She insensible perspiration in small talk . was so satisﬁed that there was a right place for a wise man to play the fool in , that she expressed a hope to Gilbert West (who was turning much of her thought from this world to the next) and to his wife, that

you will, both of you, leave so much of your wisdom at Wickham as would be inconvenient in ” S town . West feared that , at andleford, she sent L D OF THE A A Y LAS T CEN TUR Y. 8 5 invitations to beaux and belles to ﬁll the vacant

. She d apartments of her mind merrily answere , that there was empty space enough there for French hoops and echoes of French sentiments ; but she

“ also seriously replied, There are few of the ﬁne

s d f world whom I hould invite into my min , and ewer

” u still who are familiar enough there to come nasked .

M rs . Montagu hated no man , but she thoroughly

s de pised Warburton . The way he mauled Shake s peare by explaining him, excited her scornful laughter ; the w a y in which he marred Christianity b n y defendi g it, excited much more than angry

“ s contempt . The levity hocks me, the indecency

’ ‘

r os s zer el é s m e. displeases me, the g disgu ts I love to see the doctrine of C hristianity defended by the s r pi it of Chris tianity . Bishop Warburton and some

u O f co ntry parsons were equally silly in her mind .

“ she n a poor riddle, says, A cou try parson could not puzzle his parish with it, even if he should

’ endeavour to explain it in his next Sunday s s ermon .

Though I have known s ome of them explai n a

” thing till all men doubted it .

she From the rule by which she measured all men, did not except any one of her brothers : and never T 8 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN UR Y. did sister love her brothers more tenderly and reason

i w as ably. Her brother Will am, the clergyman, restless in temper from excess of love of ease.

s she My brother Robin on, wrote to her sister,

“ S 1 ul Dio Mrs . cott, in 7 5 5 , is em ating the great genes he ﬂies the delights of London, and leads

f s a li e of such privacy and seriousnes , as looks to the h be olders like wisdom, but, for my part, no life of O inaction, deserves that name . ther characters she

off strikes in a single sentence . That, referring to Sir Charles Williams is a very good sample from an

” “ Sir C overﬂowing measure . harles, she said, is

ﬂi ht still so g y, that had he not always been a wit, he would still pass for a madman ! When she refers

’ to Lord Hyde s printed, but never acted comedy,

“ ” o r The Mistakes, the Happy Resentment, and “ says. I suppose you will read the play, as it is by

” r so great a man, she was p obably thinking of Miss

“ - Tibbs, who, it is well known, always showed her good breeding by devoting al l her attention to the

” e p ople of highest rank in the company .

w Mrs . Montagu a s as clever at generalities as when sketching individuals and special peculiarities .

unbrid e 1 The numerous Jews at T g Wells, in 745 ,

8 8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

but, between you and me, they seem to me to have

— something of a foreign air . Had the poet read

S O u cotch ballads oftener, and vid and Tibull s less, he had appeared a more natural writer and a more

” s tender lover. These ter e sayings are well worth

r collecting . He e is one from a heap that will

“ furnis h a thousand : I own the conversation of a simpleton is a grievance, but there the disparity of a wise man and a fool often ends .

m a Here y be closed the illustrations of Mrs .

’ M onta gu s life,drawn chieﬂy from her publi shed letters . The following sketches of her own life, and b of that y which she was surrounded, are taken r f om letters , with one or two exceptions, now for the ﬁrst time printed . C HAPTER

THE unpublished letters take up the glorious theme

previous to the last incident n amed in the published

s corre pondence . The earliest is from Mrs . Mon

’ ir t M rs . S tagu s sis er, cott, to the wife of the

s N s brother, the Rev . W . Robin on, at aple . The

tw o S sisters , Elizabeth and arah, loved each other

with intense affection . The younger went long by

k- Pea the nic name of , from her extraordinary like

’ t o S ness her elder sister, who used, before arah s

unhappy marriage, to rally her on the obesity of her lovers and her cruelty in reducing them to con

’ sum tiv n p e ess and asses milk .

S . R 2 8 t h 1 6 1 . . o March , 7 Mrs cott to Mrs N “ binson , aples . The Tories are in high spirits .

The king has declared that a s they are po ssessed of the greatest part of the property of the king 90 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s dom, they ought to have a great hare in the government, and accordingly many are taken into

s place . The king was asked what order he would have given to the do c kmen against the approach

‘ N o ing election . His majesty answered, orders

’ at all . He would have them left to themselves .

Lord Granville said That was leaving them to be directed by the First Lord of the Admiralty (Lord

‘ r Anson) . The king replied, That was t ue ; he

s r s had not con ide ed that ; they mu t, therefore, be

’ told to vote for the Tories , to be sure . The late Speaker and the parliament took a most tender farewell of each other . They thanked and he

a nd re- thanked, then they thanked, and in short, never were people so thankful on both sides ; and then they recommended him to the king, to do more than thank him ; but he refused any reward. O s 2 0001. nly, his son , it is said, will have a pen ion of

— a per annum good, agreeable compliment, and yet what no one will disapprove .

’ s r O Walpole de c ibes nslow s retirement, after hold

fﬁ S r s ing the o ce of peaker du ing thirty year , in

“ ﬁve successive parliaments, in these words The

Speaker has taken leave a nd r eceived the highest

92 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y!

venturer in whom Bath was as much interested as

n . S E gland was in Pitt, of whom, Mrs cott thus

“ . writes Mr . Pitt still continues in his post

Without connections of any sort, without the

power of conferring honours or places , he com i mands imperiously, and forces obed ence from

A s mere superiority of parts and integrity . a

- n statesman he is self existent, and depe ds on none,

nor has any dependent on him . He does not see

his oldest friends but when they have business to

impart, obliges none by private beneﬁts, nor en

gages any by social intercourse . His mind seems

too great for any object less than a whole nation . There is something very new and extremely sur

in Al ma nz or prising his conduct . He is an in l po iticks . He is himself alone . How long he

i . can stand thus, only t me can show As there was

ar sc cely ever an instance of the like, we have no

N a precedents by which to form conjectures .

tional S prejudices about cotchmen are lulled asleep .

Lord B ute is high in favour ; the city is pleased with him ; the Tories much attached to him .

O ur The king is still generally applauded . sex went in such numbers to the House of Lords L D OF THE L T E A A Y AS C N TUR Y. 93

at the closing of the session , to see his majesty on the throne, that good part of the company fainted

it away, and not above three lords had room to s down . My brother Matt is at present prosecuting the

- minister of Lyminge for non residence, in revenge for some offence he has given him about the tithes ; and my father bids fair for being engaged C in prosecuting a clergyman at anterbury, for

’ saying he was in the Rebellion in the year 1 6 .

Report says that the Duchess of Richmond and some other ladies, whose husbands are going or

w gone to Germany, are going there like ise, and are

I s to be at Brunswick . much que tion whether their i husbands w ll rejoice in their company, but cer tainly Prince Ferdinand will not be fond of such

x I au iliaries . It is the oddest party of pleasure ever

Diaforus heard of. Thomas , who invites his mis tress to the lively a musement of making one at a dissection, would be an agreeable lover to these ff ladies . Perhaps they think Germany may a ord

’ them more of their husbands company than they can obtain in England ; for some among them

. would think that a valuable acquisition, and pos 94 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s ibl y they may not be mistaken , for a drum that leads to battle may not be so powerful a rival to a wife as one that leads it s followers only to c o

e qu try .

’ S r S S Mrs . cott s refe ence to Pitt, ecretary of tate and soul of the ministry of which the old imbecile

Duke of N ewcastle was the nominal head, seems to

’ have been made with Alm anz or s lines in her memory.

Kn w t a I a ne am k n of me o , h t lo i g

I am a ree a s N a t re ﬁrst ma e man s f u d ,

Ere th s aw s s er t e e a n e ba e l of vi ud b g ,

the n b e sa ra When w ild in w ood s o l va ge n.

’ ’ I saw th o ress d and t o t e n pp , h ugh it did b lo g ’ T ﬁc e t re ress the w r n c o a king s of o d o g, & .

The public mind, however, was not so much occupied with men of mark a s w ith a ceremony which had not been witnessed in England for very

. Se many years In a letter from Batheaston, p

1 1 6 1 S tember 4, 7 , written by Mrs . cott to her

- in- N sister law, at aples, she describes the time as one of general madness , and continues as follows

“ O ne would imagine that no king had ever married or any state ever had a queen before . The nation has for some time been and will still

96 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

necessary thing. It is said that Lord Hardwicke wrote over an account to his wife of her personal

defects , which her ladyship read in a large com

w a s pany . This repeated to his majesty, who is

r C w a s im ff . g eatly o ended ertainly, it highly

in prudent the one, and not less foolish in the

r other ; and I wonde his lordship , after having been

s married near thirty years, hould not know his wife better than to put it in her power to commit such a folly, as he might have known how likely she was

use his I su ose to it to disadvantage . pp the poor

r u v man went ove in f ll expectation of seeing a enus , and was so amazed that he could not contain his disappointment .

As many persons as Greenwich would hold w aited

s there for many day , to see her majesty arrive, and at last, after having been exposed to those storms, she S ff s landed in u olk , and, con equently, did not

s make her appearance on the Thames . The room

r at G eenwich let for half a guinea a day, and the poorest little casement brought in the owner a daily

. I crown hope it has enriched many poor people .

O f t all the taxes ever levied in this kingdom , tha b which will be raised this year on folly, will be y far L D OF THE L T CE T 97 A A Y AS N UR Y.

ff the highest . I hear there is sca olding enough erected against the coronation to hold two millions of people . Almost all the kingdom will be in

n I Lo don ; and many, suppose, will be reduced to

fo r th scanty meals a whole year to come, by e expenses on this occasion ; and if the day should prove rainy, which the season of the year renders

n0t in very probable, those who are Westminster

Hall or the Abbey will see nothing ; for there is an

n awni g prepared, to be carried over the heads of those who walk in the procession, in case of rain . The ﬁnery of every one who intends to appear at

i . court is beyond imaginat on This kingdom , or perhaps any other, scarcely ever saw the like .

’ The queen s clothes are so heavy that, by all accounts, if she be not very robust, she will not be able to move under the burden ; but I hope her constitution is not very delicate, for she did not

’ r s arrive in London till th ee o clock ; and, be ides the

s fatigue of her journey, with the con equences of the f lutter she could not avoid being in, she was to dress

rr D - for her wedding, be ma ied, have a rawing room , i and undergo the ceremony of receiv ng company,

ri a ll after she and the king were in bed, a d the night

H 98 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

N after her journey and so long a voyage . othing but a German constitution could have undergone

It .

’ Poor Queen C harlotte s plainness was— as N orth

n cote subsequently described it, in speaki g of her

s — a n portrait by Reynold , namely elegant, and not

She - a vulgar plainnes s . had a beautifully shaped

“ w a s . She arm, and fond of exhibiting it had a N “ ! fan in her hand, said orthcote ; Lord how she held that fan ! O f literary news this letter con tains the following item

R esi Dr. Young has written a poem on g

’

. . I nation, and dedicated it to Mrs Boscawen have d not seen it, but have hear it much praised, and am told he wrote it at the desire of my sister M C ontagu and Miss arter, who requested it in a visit they made him on their road to Tunbridge,

” where my sister spent the summer .

Municipal authorities, more gallant than Mrs. S cott and the female critics, spoke of the queen, “ a s in their addresses, amiably eminent for the

” t beau ies of her mind and person . Many parties

i n who drove nto town to witness the coronatio , were

“ made to stand a nd deliver their valuables by

100 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

said an obser vant Smithﬁ eld dealer ; what with f plays, airs , pillories, and executions, London has more holidays than there are red days in the ! ” almanack In truth, London was drunk and

rampant . It could be both at small outlay ; for mutton was selling at one shilling a sto ne (in the

s C be carca e) , and ognac could had for nine shillings a gallon !

w as Lord Hardwicke, named in the above letter, the r d son of an atto ney, and rose to the ignity of

C w s Lord hancellor by his merits . When he a

’ oﬁ er plain Philip Yorke , he made an of marriage to

s an heires , a young widow, with a jointure, whose father asked him for his rent - roll ! The handsome barris ter replied that he had a perch of ground in Westminster Hall ” The young fellow’ s suit pre vailed ; and the happy couple began l ife in a small

’ house near Lincoln s Inn , the ground ﬂoor of which

’ s f w as erved for the husband s o ﬁces . The lady connected with the family of Gibbon the historian ;

s he w a s s o i and a wife good, prudent, and so w se,

’ M rs S r that . cott s snee at her seem s quite gratuitous .

The poor lady died th ree days before the coronation ;

s in 1 6 and her hu band 7 4 . L DY OF THE L E T 1 1 A A AS T C N UR Y. 0

’ “ r D . Young s Resignation was the dying song of a man above fourscore . Its object was to i console Mrs . Boscawen for the loss of her hero c husband, the admiral . In the last century, English S ff heroes were singularly respected . The u olk ladies, of whatever rank voluntarily yielded pre

’ c edence . to Mrs Vernon, great Admiral Vernon s wife.

Mr . Pitt resigned the foreign secretaryship on

h 1 O t 1 6 . ctober 5 , 7 He and his friends were for S declaring war against pain . Lord Bute and a

O . majority pposed it, the king agreeing with them

’ Pitt s fall was made tolerable by the pension of 3 0001.

a year for the lives of himself, son, and wife . The

latter was created Baroness of C hatham ; and in

three months war w a s declared with Spain !

S N ov. 2 8 . N . Mrs cott to her brother at aples ,

1 6 7 1 . Lord Bath and Lord Lyttelton were C both at Tunbridge , and Miss arter was with my

sister ; so, you may imagine , the place was agreeable,

and wit ﬂowed more copiously than the spring . The

room she has so long been ﬁ tting- up is not yet

ﬁnished, but the design of it is so much improved that

I really believe it w ill be the most beautiful thing 102 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

r . ever seen, and p oportionably expensive Taste, you

s n . U se know, is not the cheape t thi g to purchase

and convenience m ay be provided for at a moderate

charge, but great geniuses are above being contented

s with uch matters . “ I suppose you have heard much of the general

’ is r s r . lamentation s for M . Pitt esignation It by

many thought that his resuming his post is unavoid

ff rs able, and, indeed, I suppose it must be so, if a ai take the turn which appearance s give reason to

. h expect He is more popular t an ever in the city .

The proces sion of the royal family on the Lord

’ Mayor s day was broke in a manner that puzzled people much, as they could not account for it ; but it has since been s aid it was occasioned by a

s w ho r multitude of ailors, fo ced their way through

’ r s r the c owd in ea ch of Mr . Pitt s chariot, from

d s which they inten ed to have taken the horse , and

r to have d awn it themselves to the Mansion House .

r s The post of honou is not often a place of afety, but I think it w a s seldom more dangerous than it ff would have proved in this case, had they e ected him their design ; but they could not ﬁnd , so he got

s there with whole bone , and was received with

104 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

of Henry the Second is in the pres s . Mallett

’ ‘ has published a poem called Truth in Rhyme, dedicated to Lord Bute . I am glad he can tell truth in either rhyme or prose . I have heard a

’ w ban mat of Lady Townshend s, of which no one ill

S s deny the truth . omebody expres ed their surprise that Lady N orthumberland should be made lady

’ ‘ - S s of the bed chamber . urely, aid she, nothing

r s could be more prope . The queen doe not under

s r stand Engli h, and can anything be more necessa y

’ than that she should learn the vulgar tongue !

M rs S m It was at this period that . cott beca e an

s authoress, in whole or in part, of a succe sful, but

“ u now utterly forgotten , novel, called Millenni m

s Hall . This book, a ingle volume, went through

s 1 6 2 s four editions . In the ﬁr t edition , 7 , the ﬁr t

s 7a word of the title is pelt throughout with one , and in all the editions it is said to be by a gentle C man on his travels . ommon report assigned the

s M rs . S author hip to cott, shared, as far as some s mall help went, by her friend and companion for

r years , Lady Ba bara Montagu . A copy of the s econd edition w hich once belonged to

Horace Walpole, is now in the British Museum . L D OF THE L S T E T 105 A A Y A C N UR Y.

On - the back of the title page, Walpole corrects the above sharing of literary labour in the following

— : words, written in his well known hand This book was written by Lady Bab Montagu (the sister of

D Hallifax George Montagu unk, Earl of ) and

S . Mrs . cott, daughter of Matthew Robinson, Esq ,

f S . and wi e of George cott, Esq It was continued

to be published as the work of a gentleman, in the S two succeeding editions ; but Mrs . cott is still

accredited with the greatest share in the labour . “ Millennium Hall ” is generally described as a

s novel . It is a series of stories of the romantic live d of four or ﬁve la ies who , having been bitterly

disappointed in love, and handsomely solaced by

riches, retire from the world and establish them

selves in the hall which gives its name to the novel . It is a name which would lead one to suppose that there is a sort of millennium peace and happiness

achieved there, such as will be found on earth

generally only in the millennium period . The

- h wealthy and love lorn ladies of the hall , owever , have only founded a female school and society

e in advance of contemporary id as, but having

nothing wonderful, though now and then some 106 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s . thing eccentric, if weighed by our present standard

The real interest of the volume lies in the romantic

- biographies, and these are narrated with lady like

s s grace, elegance, tenderne s, and, occasionally, tediou prolixity .

r The story rep esented, with some exaggeration, S the lives led by Lady Bab and Mrs . cott in their

“ s conventual house at Batheas ton . Both boy and girls were well trained by those ladies at that

’

. M r s . . S place Montagu, in reference to Mrs cott s

s d good work , so loved her sister as to ren er her “ i ” uncharitable to other people . Method st ladies, “ S d s . she sai , did out of enthu iasm what Mrs cott

s did out of a calm sen e of duty, and gratitude that the employment was a solace to one who had been

” cruelly tried by afﬂiction N o credit was given

r to poo Lady Bab, but her happy temperament ff S could well a ord to do without it . trange as the

“ s r m l storie were which illust ate Millenniu Hal , they were not nearly so strange as one which, in

1 6 2 S March, 7 , Mrs . cott related to her brother at

“ : in Rome, in a letter from Bath Those who deal

s the mall wares of scandal will not want subjects .

ss O H Mi Hunter, daughter to rby unter, has lately

108 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

without a ny fashionable palliations . A report was s pread, that they were taken by a privateer, but I can hear of none but of a very different capture the clay cold corpses of Lord and Lady Kingstone which were on their way to England for interment . The elopement of Miss Hunter (a maid of ! honour, too ) from Bath with the Earl of Pem broke, formed one of the most delicious bits of s candal ever discussed in the Rooms, on the Parade, or in the Meadows . The excitement attendant thereon was shared by the whole country ; for Kitty

- a ll Hunter was a well known, and not at suspected,

. O beauty of the day Her father, rby Hunter, was, at the time of the elopement, one of the lords of the admiralty . The vessel that brought back the fugitives was a privateer, commanded by a friend

’ ’ r of Mr . Hunte s . Kitty s father declined to receive her , and she accompanied Lord Pembroke abroad .

The earl was a married man . His wife was Eliza D beth, daughter of the uke of Marlborough . Her exemplary husband wrote to her from Italy a letter, in which he politely informed her, that though he had lived with her so many years, he regretted to say he had never been able to love her so well a L D OF THE L S T CE T R 109 A A Y A N U Y.

as she deserved, so thought it best to leave her .

Su bsequently, he had the assurance to invite Lady

Pembroke to accompany them on the continent .

“ And she, says Walpole , who is all gentleness fﬁ and tenderness, was with di culty withheld from acting as mad a part from goodness as he had acted f from guilt and olly . He had tried to make his wife hate him , but in vain . It is one of the illus trations f of social eeling in the last century, that

’ neither the rascal earl nor the light- o lovo maid of honour was thought much the worse of fo r their

”

. subse shameless conduct A Peerage, of ten years quent to the elopement, edited by a clergyman, ! too the Rev . Frederick Barlow, vicar of Burton ,

: thus speaks of my lord , who was then living His lordship distinguished himself in the annals of gallantry with Miss H about ten years ago,

” and since that time, it goes on to speak plainly

’ s of the earl s gallantry, with everal ladies of less

is note ; adding, his lordship universally esteemed f as an accom plished nobleman and a brave o ﬁcer .

S tr Mrs . cott happily goes on to eat of a plainer but much honester woman than Kitty Hunter d The queen gives aily less satisfaction , and the 110 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

people who at ﬁrst found her out to be pleasing, seem now to be ins ensible to the discovery they

s then made . Her husband, however, seem fond of

r her . Report says the Prince of Mecklenbu g, a very pretty sort of man, with an agreeable person, is fall en desperately in love with Miss Bowes— a prudent passion ; and the girl has no ambition if

s h . she doe not c oose to be a princess I fancy, should she become such, he would be richer than the duke, his elder brother . Lady Raymond is

— an going to be married to Lord Robert Bertie,

“ union wherein no acid will enter ; for they are both ’ l famed for good temper . Mr . Whitehead s p ay has

s been acted and publi hed, and a poor performance

ﬂa t n it is . The dialogue and u genteel, and the

” plot poor enough . ’ “ S Whitehead s play was a comedy, The chool

” Sir for Lovers, in which Garrick played John

ril n Do a t . The main attraction was the ever

. C f f youthful Mrs ibber, who, at nearly i ty years

l ia old, acted , a girl of seventeen ; yet Victor

“ says : She was admitted by the nicest observers to become the character . This was entirely owing to that uncommon symmetry and exact proportion

112 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

younger ladies, to whom nature has been rather a stepdame than a kind mother, join in their lamenta

s is r . tion , and London in an up oar The exultation

s s r of those who , con ciou of thei charms, rejoice in

o laying aside as much covering as p ssible, being as T little silent at the distress of the others . hey look on this allowed display as a sort of jail delivery to their long— impris oned attractions ; and as beauty

’ is nature s boast, insist that it should be showed f at courts, and easts and high solemnities, where most may wonder at the workmanship ; and that fashion ha s been hitherto unjust in concealing part of the superiority nature has bestowed upon

- them . The consumption of pearl powder will certainly be much increased ; for where there is such

s a re ource, even fourscore will exhibit a snowy breast, and the corpulent dowagers will unite the lilies of the spring with all the copious abunda nce of a later season .

“ Lord Pembroke, after he got to Holland, wrote to his lady, to desire her to come to them, ass uring her Miss Hunte r would be assiduous in her endeavours to oblige her, and that they should form a very happy society, if she would bring over A L D OF THE L S T CEN T R 1 13 A Y A U Y.

her guitar, two servants who play on the French

! n horn, and his dog Rover This polite i vitation

she, Emma like, was exceeding ready to comply D with, but the uke of Marlborough had rather too

His much sense to permit it . lordship has since

written her word, he shall never be happy till he

. is is lives with her again Absurd as all this , it

f s certainly act, and some add, that he has advi ed

Miss Hunter to turn nun ! To be sure he best

knows how ﬁt she is to take a vow of chastity !

That he may by this time wish she would take a ny

is vow that might separate her from him, , I think,

very probable .

The general scramble for honours which us ually S marks a new reign had not yet ceased . Mrs . cott

thus refers to the part which some of her own f amily took in it .

S . . . 2 6 Mrs . cott to the Rev W Robinson May ,

“ 1 62 7 . I cannot forbear wishing you could have an Irish bishopric, but your profession are too watchful to suffer such things to be vacant . I hear our cousin Robinson does not much like his promotion to Kildare . I suppose he does not entirely relish rising step by step . All travelling 114 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

is expensive, and I believe none more so than the

passing through the various stages of bishoprics ;

‘ a etits a but I think he may be contented to rise p f r .

His rising at all seems to proceed only from a want

hiloso of anything to stop him, according to the p

hic al p axiom, that put a thing in motion and it will

move for ever, if it meets with nothing to obstruct

i s N t course . ature went but a slow pace when she

made him, and did not jump into one perfection .

Sir Septimus is t olerably contented with his fate e in a o regardl ss of real merit, and there

fore lit likely to reward his superlative merits . I hear at a week before he had this black rod

h i m r given (a proper reward for a p eceptor) , he declared that whoever would eat goose at court

‘ mus t svvall ow the feathers ; but now they have been

so well stroked down, he ﬁnds them go down easily

” enough .

In a subsequent letter to her sister- in- law at

N s . S s aple , Mrs cott lightly sketche a celebrated character at Bath .

This place is by no means full, but it contains

. C C N much wealth olonel live, the abob maker

(is not that almost a s great a title as the famous

( 116 )

C HAPTER V .

’ M onta u s THE ﬁrst letter of Mrs . g in the hitherto “ ” unpublished series is addressed To Mr . Robinson .

’ “ r the writer s brother . It is dated f om London,

8 h s 2 t 1 6 2 . . of May, 7 Mr Robin on was then r N esiding at aples, where his wife had recently

the given birth to a son . After usual congratula

“ : tions, Mrs . Montagu says I would have answered your letter the day after I received it, but was obliged to wait for the letter of recommendation N to Mr . Pitt . either Lord Lyttelton or the Bishop

C r of arlisle are related to or acquainted with M .

Pitt . Their sister married a distant cousin of

’

. Mr George Pitt s, and was parted from him, I believe, long before Mr . George Pitt was a man, and they have not ever had the least commerce with h him . After t is explanation, the writer refers to the news of the day, and to one of the leading men D F THE L T E T R 117 A LA Y O AS C N U Y. of the time ' “ The Duke of N ewcastle is about to resign his office and retire to the joys of private life . I am afraid he will find that the mind used to business does not find quiet in idleness . There is hardly a greater mis fortune than to have the mind

s ‘ much accu tomed to the tracasseries of the world . A country gentleman can amuse himself by angling

n in a trout stream, or ve turing his neck in a fox chase ; a studious man can enjoy his books in soli

‘ tran uill tude, and, with q pleasure, woo lone quiet in her silent walk b ut chiefs out of war and statesmen out of place, like all animals taken out of ff their proper climate, make a miserable a air of

sa G N w rural life . I dare y his race of e castle will

s fall to serpentizing rivers, and then wish him elf

m a again a ﬁsher of men . Aurora y put on her

finest robe to unbar the gates of Morn ; he will still sigh that his folding doors are not to open to a crowded levée . The notes of Philomel are not sweet to ears used to flattery ; and what is the harvest home to a man used to collect the treasure of England ! ” “ u The king has purchased B ckingham House, and is going to fit it up elegantly for his retired 118 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

e hours . Her majesty promis s to give us an heir very soon . Princess Amelia has purchased Gun

rs r s D ne bu y Hou e . The uke of Portland dyed D about ten days ago , and the uke of Manchester l ast week .

“ in There has been a cold and fever town, as

u l a ue . but ! . niversal as a p g , , thank God less fatal

Mr . Montagu had it violently, and we had ten ser vants sick at the same time . This distemper is not yet over . It grows more fatal, but I hope we shall have

0 . some rain, which will probably put a st p to it

Donel an he My poor friend M rs . l dyed of it t day

She before yesterday . had been ill all the winter, and was unable to struggle with a new distemper . S We propose to go to andleford very soon, and S ’ I hope to have my sister cott s company there, which will make me very happy. Lady Bab Mon

s C tagu has lost her si ter, Lady harlotte Johnson, who dyed in childbed .

“ Lord H allifax is returned with great glory L from his Lord ieutenancy in Ireland . He pleased all people ; he united all parties ; he contented those he was sent by a nd those he was sent to and has shown it is possible to please the government and

T 120 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN UR Y.

s s hu band , which I tell you for the honour of the

sex s is r s . fair . Lord An on in a ve y bad tate of health

I am told Rome is the best place to get books at ; I

should be glad to have Muratori Sopra l e cose delli

’ ‘ ’ secoli passi . I have his Annals of Italy . My

love to my sister and dear little gods on . Pray

- r r r . emembe , you owe me a god daughte still

’

M r . s r s S J . . cott lette , in une, to Mr W Robinson

ha s two pas sages in it which are like notes to her

’ sister s epistle .

s You will ﬁnd few commoner in England . We

make nobility as fast as people make kings and N s . queens on Twelfth ight, and almo t as many

s s Lady Townshend ay , she dare not spit out of

her i window for fear of spitt ng on a lord .

D N f r The uke of ewcastle, a ter his esigna

’ r tion , had a ve y numerous levee, but somebody

s r ob e ved to him, there were but two bishops present . i He is said to have repl ed, that bishops , like other

e I think men , were too apt to forget th ir maker .

s ha s i thi been said for him, or the res gnation of power has much brightened his understanding ; for o f whatever he may be accused, the crime of wit

his was never laid to charge . L D OF THE L ST CEN T R 121 A A Y A U Y.

Walpole states, with regard to the prelates at the old duke’ s “ As I suppose all bishops are

s prophet , they foresee that he will never come into place again ; for there was but one that had the

decency to take leave of him, after crowding his

” rooms for forty years together : it was Cornwallis . The duke went out on ﬁnding he had no chance

r of carrying a pecunia y aid to Prussia . If he was

almost a fool, as some kind friends said, he had

the wisdom to keep in place longer than any of

his contemporaries . He was succeeded as Prime

C o Minister by Lord Bute . rnwallis, Bishop of

Lichﬁ el d C and oventry, reaped the reward of his

ﬁdelity . He was promoted to the Archbishopric

C 1 6 8 . of anterbury in 7 It should be added, to

mentall the honour of the duke , who, however v ill endowed and eccentric, was a gentleman in practice, that he declined a pension on his retirement . He

s might be incapable of erving his country, he said, but England should certainly not ﬁnd him a bur

C an then . hesterﬁeld cites, as example of his

’ t i C timidi y, the duke s child sh fear at Lord hester

’ ﬁeld s bill for correcting the calendar, and, as a

the proof of his integrity, fact that he retired from 122 A L ADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y. business above four hundred thousand pounds poorer than when he engaged in it .

The duke left business in a considerable

2 amount of confusion . In a letter dated July 7,

1 6 2 . S . 7 , Mrs cott writes to Mr Robinson at Rome, after much small talk on babies and jokes on pro

hesied - in p lyings , in these words

Political dis putes never ran so high in print as

s at present . The periodical papers are numerou and abusive to the greatest degree . By what I hear, the lawyers ﬁnd it some substitution for the decay of business in the courts ; for the minority papers regularly undergo the inspection of council

s learned in the law before they are publi hed, that the authors who stand on the very verge of treason

a ux a s may not, by some inadvertency, make a f p that will throw them down the precipice ; and some persons of consequence are under engagements to the printer to indemnify him should the heavy

O s hand of authority ppre s him . The king has given Johnson a pension of

1 — a 3 00 . per annum necessary step for one who wishes to be thought the patron of literature, and

” what every one must approve .

124 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

f o ﬁce ; for, as she was brought to bed at 7 in the

morning, they must have attended her labour all

night, for fear they should be absent at the critical

s moment of delivery . I wi h they were not too much out of humour before the prince was born,

’ to be able to welcome it properly . The lady s person is not the only thing that dis pleases . There is a coarseness and vulgarity of manners that disgust

She s much more . doe not seem to choose to

’ N ed S fashion herself at all . cott s wife is to s uckle the Prince of Wales — an employment which in all probability will prove as good nourishment to her own family as to the royal babe ; for her numerous offspring can s carcely fail of being pro v e ided for after s h has served in such an oﬂic e.

“ ’ Peace is being much talked of, tho the

r w D is te ms are unkno n . The uke of Bedford spoken of a s the pers on who is to go to Paris to

s tran sact it . I hope much will not depend on ecret

s articles ; for I think he gave a proof, when old Bus y was here, that his old nurse could not be a greater blab l ” C The hancellor, who was present on the above

“ N — a , occasion, was cursing Lord orthington, coarse L D OF THE L T 125 A A Y AS T CEN UR Y.

f witty man , married to a ool, who became the mother of the witty Lady Bridget Fox Lane . N N orthington, like ewcastle , had his ﬂing at the bishops . In serious illness, he was counselled to

” send for a certain prelate . He will never do, said

“ the patient . I should have to confess that I committed my heaviest sin when I made him a bishop ! ” The primate who attended at the birth of the Prince of Wales was Seeker ; and as he was

di in originally a ssenter, and was never baptized the

C s r hurch of England, there were anxiou chu ch women who thought that his christening George Prince of Wales would never make a Christian of

’

. ! him And it can t be said that it did Meanwhile,

M rs . how things were otherwise going in England, S cott relates to her brother, in Rome, in a letter d S 1 6 2 ated eptember , 7 .

“ The lowest artiﬁ c er thinks now of nothing but the constitution of the government . The

s English always seemed born politician , but were never so universally mad on the subject as at present . If you order a mason to build an oven, he immediately inquires about the progress of the peace, and descants on the preliminaries . A carpen 126 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s ter, instead of putting up a helf to a cupboard, talks

r s D Trea sa rre of the P inces owager, of Lord , and of

r N sec etaries of state . eglected lie the trowel and the chisel ; the mortar dries and the glue har dens while the persons who should u se them are busied with dissertations on the government .

“ The Duke of Marlborough and Lady

Caroline Russell were married eight and forty hours D after his grace declared himself a lover . The uke of Bedford w a s always known to be a man of busi ness, but he never despatched a matter quicker than

s . C and thi He gave to Lady aroline down,

” is to give as much more at his death .

r r S O r The next lette , w itten at andleford, ctobe

’ 8 1 6 2 - in the th, 7 , is addressed to the writer s sister

. R ec o mm endé a law, Mrs Robinson, Monsieur

’ J s G entilho m e A n l ois a u C ff A n l ois enkin , g a e g ,

” sur la Place di Espana Rome . It commences “ M with y dear Madam, and after a very prolix argument on the lack of intere st in home news sent to travellers abroad, Mrs . Montagu refers with pride to the English triumphs at the Havanna and Martinico, and thus continues . But we are not much the

a s nearer to a peace ; for, ambition subsides or

” 128 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

f / be sa ns ﬁem at sa ns ” p f ache. And though the change of government and manners make this knightly character now appear a little extravagant, the Redress er of wrongs was a respectable title before a regular police and a good s ystem of laws

r s ecured the rights and prope ties of the weak . I hear the late instalment was extremely brilliant .

The helmets of the knights were adorned with

s sit u gems military honour , indeed, did not pro dly on their crests ; but if they have the virtues suited to the times we live in, we will be contented . The knights of Edward ye Third were, indeed, very

' s r W great men . The a sembly of B itish orthies

r might have disputed personal merit with, pe haps ,

s s s r the greate t Heroe of antiquity, con ide ing them singly and independently ; but to enjoy an extensive

’ s u or a lasting fame, men actions m st be tyed to

’ great events ; then they swim down Fate s innavigable

s s tyde, otherwi e, they oon sink into oblivion

r 1 6 2 In the Februa y of this year, 7 , Lady Mary

Wortley Montagu had returned to England, after

s . O many years of ab ence In ctober, in the same year, O f she died . her appearance on her return, Mrs . Mon tagu wrote as follows to her sister- in— law at N aples L D F THE L T E T 129' A A Y O AS C N UR Y.

1 6th 1 6 2 . Feb . , 7 You have lately returned to us from Italy a very extraordinary personage, Lady N Mary Wortley . When ature is at the trouble of

s s r making a very singular per on, Time doe ight in respecting it . Medals are preserved , when common coin is worn out ; and as great geniuses a re rather

r s s s matters of cu iosity than of art, thi lady eem reserved to be a wonder for more than our gene

She she ration . does not look older than when

v went abroad, has more than the ivacity of ﬁfteen S s . and a memory which, perhap , is unique everal

s she people visited her out of curio ity, which did

s her s not like . I vi it because her cou in and mine

- were cou sin germans . Though she has not any

o r his foolish partiality for her husband relations , I w as o u ma i very graciously received , and y y imag ne

d s s s entertaine , by one who neither think , peaks , act ,

610771 65 11615 is or dresses like anybody else . Her made up of all nations , and when you get into her drawing

in s room, you imagine you are the ﬁrst tory of the

An Tower of Babel . Hungarian servant takes your name at the door : he gives it to an Italian , who delivers it to a Frenchman ; the Frenchman to a b S S s s d r ; so , wiss , and the wi to a Polan e that y the

K T 130 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN UR Y.

’ time you get to her ladyship s presence, you have

ﬁ ve changed your name times, without the expense of an act of parliament .

O s r In ctober, the ame w iter thus wrote of Lady

’ Mary s death, and of the son who survived his mother Lady Mary Wortley Montagu returned to Eng

it s . land, as were, to ﬁni h where she began I wish she had given us an account of the events that ﬁlled

She in the space between . had a terrible distemper ; the most virulent cancer I ever heard of, which car

’

off . ried her very soon I met her at Lady Bute s, in

l . June, and she then ooked well In three weeks,

I she at my return to London , heard was given over . The hemlock kept her drowsy and free from pain ; and the physicians thought if it had been

s She given early, might po sibly have saved her. l son eft her one guinea . He is too much of a sage to n be co cerned about money, I presume . When

r I ﬁ st knew him, a rake and a beau, I did not imagine he would addict himself at one time to

Rabbinical learning, and then travel all over the

e r S One East, the gr at Itine ant avant of the World . has read t hat the believers in the transmigration of

132 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

r power, will save an ancient,honourable family f om

She s ruin . is vastly plea ed and happy in her situa

r s tion, and her oyal nur ling is as ﬁne and healthy a child as can be .

“ h s I ave rambled a good deal thi summer, much to my amusement and the amendment of

’ ' M onta u s . Mr . g health, who was greatly out of

’

. L ttelton s order in the spring We went to Lord y ,

w in Worcestershire, ith a large party consisting of D my Lord Bath, Mr . and Mrs . Vesey, and octor ad . h u his Monsey Lord Lyttelton his da ghter,

- C sister, Mrs . Hood, and the Bishop of arlisle (his

r so brothe ) with him , . we made a pretty round family . The weather was ﬁne, and the place is f delight ul beyond all description . I should do it

Its wrong, if I were to attempt to describe it . beauties are summed up in the lines of my favourite Italian poet

C te a n re e e c a t c ul pi u d li i olli ,

’ c m r C are a e o se r e e ra m i. hi qu , b o ip , p ti oll

These lines seem to have been written for Hagley ;

it but, besides these soft beauties, has magniﬁcent

s prospects of di tant mountains , and hills shaded with wood . The house is magniﬁcent and elegant ; D F THE L E 3 A LA Y O AS T C N TUR Y. 13 we had several agreeable entertainments of musick ff in di erent parts of the Park, and adapted to the

re scenes . In some places , the French horns

V erberated from hill to hill . In the shady parts

s s s near the ca cade , the soft mu ick was concealed and

seemed to come from the unseen genius of the

s wood . We were all in great spirit , and enjoyed

s for the amusement prepared us . Mr . Montagu

da b the s grew better every y, y air and exerci e, and

returned to London quite well, though he had been

much pulled down by the fashionable cold calle d

’

l inﬂuenz a .

me s ee O He carried to xford, which, indeed

I had been at before ; but when there are so many

s o cities built for trade and commerce , it is always pleasant to me to see there are places dedicated to

the imp rovement of the human mind and the

’ commerce with the Muses ; and tho it is ’ nobler s easy to ﬁnd fault in everything, yet I think the e

places of education and study mu s t have been of great service in advancing the noblest interests of

mankind, the improvement of knowledge, and har

moniz ing the mind .

“ t o c We went Blenheim, whi h I saw with great 134 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ pleasure, as the monument of England s foreign

glory and national gratitude . In our return to C town, we saw Warwick astle, the seat of the great

‘ N v - ! v e ille, surnamed the Make King We isited

his tomb and the monuments of Beauchamps,

N s . evilles, and Brooke I walked an hour under

some trees, on a beautiful terrass where Lord

Brooke and Sir Philip Sydney used to take their

’ morning s walk, blending, I dare say, as in his

‘ ’ W isedom Arcadia, of state and schemes of great k enterprize with rural tal . “ C In our next stage, we saw Kenilworth astle,

S t once the strong place of imon de Mon fort,

en since the seat of the Earl of Leicester . He

tertained Queen Elizabeth there in all the pageantry

of the old times of chivalry . From the lake a d la y came, who told the queen, in rude rhime, that she had been conﬁned there ever since the . ’ a her d ys of Merlin, but majesty s p ower had set her

’ dr d free . The lake is now y up . The place no longer belongs to ambition or luxury . Laughing

C re- a nd eres assumed the land, what the proud

’ rebel and the as suming favorite left is enjoy d

r by a farmer . The e are great remains of the

136 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

r i s the Fai Pen tent . Her lover was oon tired of an engagement which had not the sanctions of virtue S and honour . hame and a fatherless babe she has l brought back . I hope her miserable fate wil deter

” adventurous damsels fr om suc h experiments . Kitty ’ Sh Hunter s fate was far from being miserable . e

rr C C m ma ied aptain larke , who beca e Field Mar s hal Sir A lured Clarke ; and the once audacious

r d f s A .D. maid of honou ied in the odour of a hion,

1 8 1 0 .

— 1 6 . In 7 4, Mrs Montagu was an invalid one

w att/(1 s who fulﬁl the dutie of her position , but who was glad to withdraw from them to the repose of S Sandleford . upremely admired as she was in

r her s . society for the b illiancy of talent , Mrs Montagu was seen to the greatest advantage when at home with one or a very few choice friends . C After Mrs . Elizabeth arter had spent some time

her s S n s he M rs . with at plea ant a dleford, wrote to

s Vesey . For mo t part of the time we were

O ur s entirely alone . friend, you know, has talent which must distinguish her in the largest circles ; but there it is impos s ible for one fully to discover either the beauties of her character or the extent A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y 137

s and variety of her understanding, which alway improves on a more accurate examination and on a nearer View . The charm is inexpressibly height ened when it is complicated with the affections of the

” ’

. . n C heart Mr Penningto , Mrs . arter s nephew and

s editor of her corre pondence, states that those who

s did not know Mrs . Montagu in her exclu ive home character were ignorant of the real charms of her

n understanding, the stre gth of her mind, and the

r goodness of her hea t .

O ne of her great trials visited her this year; the death of her constant and venerated friend,

un ub the Earl of Bath . There is no letter in the p lished collection which bears any reference to Lord

’ ’ — M rs . Bath s death Walpole s great enemy, and

’ M ontagu s most devoted and admiring friend . It would be diffi cult to say w hether this accomplished

or nobleman, or the good Lord Lyttelton , the

r profound Lord Kames, or discerning Bu ke had the greatest veneration for the mental endowments d of Mrs . Montagu . It may be here ad ed, as a

w o sample of one or t other ladies of the last century, that after Lord Bath was a widower, and had been

so n un made childles s by the loss of his gallant , 13 8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

attached ladies made offers of marriage to him, he being one of the wealthiest men of the day . They

s . proposed seriou ly, like Mrs Anne Pitt, or by

. strong inuendo, like Lady Bell Finch The latter, on Lord Bath returning to her half a crown which

cr ow n. he had borrowed, wished he could give her a

Lady Bell replied, that though he could not give her a crown, he could give her a coronet, and that she w a s ready to accept it ! Lyttelton celebrated the friendship which existed between Mrs . Mon

h 1 6 2 tagu, Lord Bath, and imself in 7 , in a little

“ ” poem called The Vision The noble poet told how a bard appeared to him , and how the minstrel

r sang of the supe iority of the myrtle to the oak, then

“ c se the ard his m s c s n — his s a e lo d b y ti o g, h d ’ S r nk r m m ra s a nd in o air dec a d h u f o y g p t y , ’ But ef m r n e on m ravish d ew l t i p i t d y vi , ’ The rms P ne a nd M n a fo of ult y of o t gu.

’ After the earl s death, his will was as much the C subject of conversation as his decease . hesterﬁeld

ft calculated, that in money and land he le to the value of and made his sole legatee

n the brother, Ge eral Pulteney, whom he never

140 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

- So as c an r . two great coal ma kets now, as soon I get all the ends and bottom s of our busines s wound

s for S . up , I hall set out Hill treet S I spent a month in cotland this summer, and made a further progress than Mr . Gray did . An

’ fr r M onta u s i old iend of M . g and m ne came to us r r J he e, and brought his daughte the end of uly, a nd summoned me to keep a p r omise I -had made

- him, of letting him be my knight errant and escort me round Scotland .

The r st of August we set forward . I called on the Duke and Duchess of N orthumberland at Aln

C in . s wick astle, my way It is the mo t noble

Gothick building imaginable . Its antique form is p reserved on the outside . Within the apartments a re s r r al o Gothick in thei st ucture and ornaments, but convenient and noble ; so that modern elegance arranges and conducts antique strength and grandeur

s r w leaves its ublimity of characte , but softens hat w a s rude and unpolished .

’ s My next day journey carried me to Edinburgh, where I staid about ten days . I passed my time l there very agreeab y, receiving every polite. attention

n from all the people of distinctio in the town . I A L D OF THE L T E 1 A Y AS C N TUR Y. 41 never saw anything equal to the hospitality of the

Scotch . Every one seemed to make it their business to attend me to all the ﬁne places in the

neighbourhood. to invite me to dinner, to supper,

Ste. As I had declined an invitation to go to

Glasgow, the Lord Provost of Glasgow insisted

on my coming to his villa near the town, instead of

going to a noisy inn. I staid three days there to see

in s h the seats the environ , and the great cat edral ,

fo r and the college and academy painting, and then

set . s s o u I out for Inverary I hould ﬁr t tell y , Glasgow is the most beautiful town in Great

s S Brittain . The hou es, according to the cotch

fashion, are large and high, and built of freestone

the streets very broad, and built at right angles .

All dirty kinds of busines s are carried on in separate

districts, so that nothing appears but a noble and

elegant simplicity .

“ My road from Glasgow to Inverary lay by the side of the famous l ake called Loughl om o n .

N ever did I see the sublime and beautiful so united .

The lake is in some places eight miles broad, in

r others less ; ado ned with many islands , of which

ﬁ a nd some rise in a conical gure, are covered with 142 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

- O n . ﬁ r trees up to the summit . ther isla ds are ﬂatter

Deer are feeding in their green meadows . In the lontananza rise the mountains, on whose barren breast ’ r The labouring c louds do s eem to est.

The lake is bright as crystal, and the shore consists of alabaster pebbles . Thus I travelled near twenty

v of L eess miles, till I came to the illage , where I l m ’ lay at an inn, there being no gent e an s house near it . The next morning I began to ascend the

Highland mountains . I got out of the chaise to

the climb to the top of one, to take my leave of beautiful lake . The sun had not been long up ; its beams danced on the lake, and we saw this lovely

- ﬁ ve water meandering for twenty miles . Imme diatel y after I returned to my chaise, I began to be inclosed in a deep valley between vast mountains, down whose furrowed cheeks torrents rushed im

etuousl p y, and united in a river in a vale below.

’ Winter s rains had so washed away the soil from some of the steep mountains, there appeared little but the rock which, like the skeleton of a giant, appeared more terrible than the perfect form. O ther mountains were covered with a dark brown

144 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

n r I verary . There we at once entered the vale whe e lies the vast lake called Lough Fine, of whose dignity I cannot give you a better notion than by telling you the great leviathan had taken his pastime therein the night before I was there .

’ is s ea Tho it for ty miles from the , whales come up there often in the herring season .

“ ’ I w as l s At Inverary, lodged at a gent eman house,

’ invited to another s in the neighbourhood, and

’ attended round the Duke of A rgylle s policy (such is called the grounds dedicated to beauty and orna

s ment) . I went al o to see the castle built by the late

s duke . It appear small by the vast objects near it .

This great lake before— a vast mountain covered

ﬁ rr — it so with and beech behind , that, relatively,

I w a s the castle is little . obliged to return back

s to Gla gow the same way, not having time to m u ake the to r of the Highlands . Lord Provost had an excellent dinner and good company ready

’ . for us The next day I went to Lord Kames , near S terling, where I had promised to stay a day . I

’ a ss d r p a day very agreeably the e, but could not comply with their obliging entreaties to stay a longer time, but was obliged to return to Edin L D F HE T 145 A A Y O T L AS T CEN UR Y.

burgh . Lord Kames attended me to St i rli ng

C is astle, which on the road, and from thence to the iron works at Carron . Then again I was on

’

Dunda ss s . classical ground . We dined at Mr . At night, I got back to Edinburgh, where I rested

l a myself three days , and then , on my road , y at

’

Dr . a n Gilbert Elliot s, d spent a day with him and

Lady Elliot . They facilitated my journey by lend

s r ing me relay , which the oute did not always fur

nish ; so I s ent my own horses a stage forward .

I c rossed the Tweed again ; dined and lay at the

’

C s . s C s Bishop of arli le s at Ro e a tle, and then came

s n home much plea ed with the expeditio , and grate

ful for the inﬁnite civilities I had received .

M y evenings at Edinburgh passed very agreeably

r Dr r D . s K s with Robert on, . Blai , Lord ame , and

s . r d divers ingenious and agreeable per ons My f ien ,

’ Dr r w a s m — . G egory, who y fellow traveller, tho he

is a mathematician, has a ﬁne imagination, an elegant

s ta te, and every quality to make an agreeable com

D m e panion . He came back to enton with , but

’ deta in d r soon left us . I his two daughte s, who are

r Stl ll with us ; they a re mo s t amiable child en .

r w a s I was told Mr . G ay rather reserved when he 146 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

S ’ was in cotland, tho they were disposed to pay

r him great respect . I ag ee perfectly with him , that to endeavour to shine in conversation and to lay out for admiration is very paltry . The wit of the company, next to the butt of the company, is the meanest person in it . But at the same time, when a man of celebrated talents disdains to mix in

s common conversation, or refu es to talk on ordi

it . nary subjects, betrays a latent pride There is a much brighter character than that of a wit or a

is poet, or a savant, which that of a rational and sociable being, willing to carry on the commerce of

ss d life with all the sweetne and condescension, ecency and virtue will permit . The great duty of con

a s W . versation is to follow suit, you do at hist If the eldest hand plays the deuce of diamonds, let not his next neighbour dash down the king of

u is hearts, beca se his hand full of honours . I do not love to see a man of wit win all the tricks in

see conversation, nor yet to him sullenly pass . I speak not this of Mr . Gray in particular ; but it is the common failing of men of genius to assert a proud superiority or maintain a prouder indolence .

I shall be very glad to see Mr . Gray whenever he

( 148 )

C HAPTER

IN 1 6 r s ff r 7 9 , the c itical tate of public a airs d ew

“ from M rs . Montagu the following reﬂection I hope I shall see all my friends safe and well at my

m ob return to town ; but, indeed, a wicked and a fooli sh ministry may produce strange events . It w a s r bette in old times , when the ministry was

s wicked and the mob foolish . Mini ters, however

s wicked, do not pull down hou es, nor ignorant mobs pull dow n government . A mob that can read and

’ m s nn a ini try that ca ot think are sadly matched .

M rs . In truth , however, Montagu was engaged during this year on a work w hich was not only praiseworthy for the motive which induced her to

r its exec u undertake it, but honou able to her for

m a tion, and, it y almost be added, glorious to her

s personally in its re ults .

M r 1 6 s . s d In 7 9, Montagu publi he , anonymously, L D OF THE L ST CEN T R 149 A A Y A U Y.

“ her Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shake

”

. ma speare This work, once widely famous, y still

s w be read with plea ure . It a s written in reply to

’ Voltaire s grossly indecent attack on our national

. S s poet ome previous allu ion which he had made , to S hakespeare, to show his own learning, had directed the notice of French readers to a new dramatic

r ! literature which soon won thei admiration . Vol

’ taire s jealous y induced him to denounce what he

s had before extolled, and he did thi in the spirit of

m onke ﬂ the the tiger and the y component elements ,

his s according to own mendacious aying, of all k Frenchmen . He had no deep nowledge of the

s ff s w a s ubject he a ected to critici e , and not made of

the stuff that could lead him to feel sympathy w ith

t s the lof y sentiment , or to be stirred by the search

ing wit of the greatest of dramatic poets . Voltaire could no more appreciate Shakespeare than he

could estimate the divine character of J oan of Arc .

’ her If J oan s own countrymen betrayed , Voltaire

stands foremost among Frenchmen as the beastly

polluter of her spotles s reputation .

r M ont a u s M s . g makes the following playful allu ion

s to her author hip , in a letter to Lord Lyttelton , 1 5 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

D 1 6 ou ecember, 7 9 I am sorry to tell y that a

r friend of yours is no longer a concealed scribble . I

had better have employed the town crier to proclaim

r s c irc u me an autho ; but, being whi pered, it has

r lated with incredible swiftne ss . I hear Mr . And ew

S is tone very indulgent to my performance, which

ﬂatters . . much my vanity Mr Melmoth, at Bath,

ﬂatters me ; but I am most ﬂattered that a brother

r w iter says, the book would be very well if it had not too much wit . I thought there had been no w it at

a s J all in it ; and I am much pleased a s M . ourdain w a s h n his l w e preceptor to d him he spoke prose . If m r is y wit hu ts anybody or anything, it chance medley — no premeditated malice ; neither art nor m ’ part has y will therein . I don t love wit : it is a

r i poor, palt y th ng, and ﬁt only for a Merry Andrew .

“ I look very innocent when I am attacked about

‘ ’ ’ s sa the es ay, and y, I don t know what you mean !

I shall set about! a new edition as soon as your lordship comes to town ; for the ﬁrst thousand is in

’ r great pa t sold, tho the bookseller s have done me

” all the prejudice in their power . The new edition w as r s even mo e uccessful than the ﬁrst .

’ M o Mrs . nta gu s defence may appear a little too

15 2 T A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN UR Y.

’ O ne judgment . side of Voltaire s character she

described (while the witty Frenchman was preparing

his attack on Shakespeare) to Lord Kames .

“ e Voltaire sent a trag dy to Paris, which he said

was composed in ten days . The players sent it back

to him to correct . At threescore and ten one should

not think his wit would outrun his judgment ; but

he seems to begin a second infancy in w it and

— a philosophy, dangerous thing to one who has such

” ’ s w a s an antipathy to leading trings . It Voltaire s

— s ff self prai e that o ended Mrs . Montagu as much

ff s s as his o en ive condescen ion to , and disparagement

S . s he of, hakespeare When was told that Voltaire

’ had said boastingly : C est moi qui autrefois

’ le c c S parlai premier de hakespeare . C est moi qui l e premier montrai aux Fra nqais quelques perles

’ ’ “ ” avais s re que j trouve dan son fumier . Ah l

“ ’ . s s C plied Mrs Montagu , with great readine , est nu fumier qui a fertilisé une terre bien ingrate .

French fashionable circles, which loved wit and

uff cared not a jot who s ered by it, received and repeated the saying of the accomplished English lady as if it had been ten times more brilliant than it was in reality . L DY OF THE L S T CEN T R 1 A A A U Y. 5 3

’ M onta Mrs . gu s defence of Shake speare w a s not too a tenderly tre ted by her own friends . All the frank ness of friendship was cheerfully given to it . The plain- spoken Dowager C ountess Gower thu s wrote soon after the appearance of the Vindication

“ 1 6 has s 7 9 . Fortune blest this fore t with the n M rs . C r ge iuses of the age ; Montagu, Mrs . arte , D . 810 Mrs unbar, , and Lord Lyttelton are at

S s unning Wells, and port sentiment from morn

’ f s till noon, rom noon till dewy eve . I mole t em not ; contenting myself in my rustic simplicity .

’ ’ s m a d Tis a tupidity that y be felt, I on t doubt ,

ha s M rs . but not by me . Montagu commenced

’ ’ ‘ nindzca zzon S s w a nts author, in of hake peare, who none ; therefore her p erformance mu st be deemed

’

S . a work of supererogation . ome commend it I ll

’

h r d . have it, because I can t row it aside when I m ti e

Johns on treated it with greater brutality . He had

r . once compa ed Mrs Montagu with Queen Elizabeth , and had recognized in the former the greater quali

ﬁ c ations N ow s s . , he denounced the e ay when he had only looked into it . He had taken up an end of

- u s the web , and ﬁnding pack thread, thought it sele s ,

m . as he said, to go further in search of e broidery 15 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

Reynolds thought it did her honour, which John

s son allowed, but he spoiled the admission by a serting that it would do honour to no one else . Garrick

’ said she had pointed out Voltaire s blunders ; to J ’ which ohnson replied, that it wasn t worth while, and that there was no merit in the way of doing it .

S s : N nor ub equently, he declared either I , Beau clerk, nor Mrs . Thrale could get through the

! — a a s book declaration which was unfounded, far

M rs as . Thrale was concerned ; for she protested that she had read it with pleasure . The great man,

s in short, talked non ense, but dressed it in ﬁne

r words . There was no eal criticism in it, he said,

showing the beauty of thought, as formed in the

” workings of the human heart . Mrs . Montagu did not feel called on to exhibit any such beauty Sh or any such superstructure . e exposed the blun dering arrogance of Voltaire, who ﬁrst praised Shake speare, for the annoyance of his own countrymen and then, ﬁnding the French inclined to accept the praise, aspersed brutally the poet w hom he had pillaged without mercy .

J n oh son thought little of Garrick, probably

because Garrick approved the object of Mrs . M on

15 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

to her superior judgment . I am now reading and have reached the middle of her essay on the genius

S — a r m a of hakespeare book of which , st ange as it y s tho u h I s for m erl I eem, g mu t have read it y, had

s r ab olutely fo got the existence .

r The lea ning, the good sense, the sound judg

s s ment, and the wit di played in it fully ju tify, not

m b ut s r only y compliment, all compliment that eithe have been already paid to her talents or s hall be

r r r paid he eafte . Voltai e, I doubt not, rejoiced that his his antagonist wrote in English , and that countrymen could not pos sibly be judges of the C dispute . ould they have known how much she

b s was in the right, and v how many thou and miles

r r s the Bard of Avon is supe io to all their dramati ts,

‘ the French critic would have lost half his fame among them .

While honour was being showered on the writer

’ s suﬂ ered of the e say, ill health , from which she long

rr and frequently, ma ed her triumph .

. S Writing to Mrs W . Robinson, from Hill treet ,

“ N ov. the r th 1 0 s s f o , 7 7 , she ay I ell ill on my D journey to enton , or rather, indeed, began the

s journey indi posed, and only aggravated my com F TH 1 A LADY O E LAS T CEN TUR Y. 5 7

S plaints by travelling. ickness and bad weather deprived me of the pleasure of seeing the beauties

D . of erbyshire However, I got a sight of the stately S Palace of Lord carsdale , where the arts of antient Greece and the delicate pomp of modern ages unite to make a most magniﬁcent habitation . It is the

s best worth seeing of any hou e, I suppose, in Eng

s land. But I know how it is that one receive but moderate pleasure in the works of art . There is a

s littleness in every work of man . The operation of nature are vast and noble, and I found much greater

’ pleasure in the contemplation of Lord Brea dalbane s

ff r mountains, rocks, and lakes than in all the e o ts

’ ” s of human art at Lord Scar dale s .

’ M onta u s in D she Mrs . g illness increas g at enton,

r writes D . Gregory came from Edinburgh to

s make me a visit, and per uaded me to go back with h him . The sc eme promised much pleasure, and, I

ﬂattered myself, might be conducive to health, as

w s the doctor, of hose medical skill I have the highe t

opinion , would have time to observe and consider my various complaints . I was glad also to have an

n f Cha o ne opportunity of amusi g my riend, Mrs . p , whom I carried into the north with me . We had a 1 R 5 8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TU Y.

pleasant journey to Edinburgh, where we were most

’ Dr agreeably entertained in . Gregory s house, all the literate and polite company of Edinburgh paying

’ a nd me all kind of attentions ; , by the doctor s

r regimen , my health imp oved greatly ; so that I was prevailed upon to enjoy my love of prospects by

s f another trip to the Highland , my good riend and

’ physician still attending me . The ﬁrst day s journey was to Lord Buchan , brother to Mr .

C w ho harles Erskine, was the intimate companion and friendly competitor of my poor brother Tom . Each ofthem was qualiﬁed for the highest honours of their profession, which they would have certainly

s attained, had it plea ed God to have granted longer

ha d life . Lord Buchan received great civilities at Horton when he was pursuing his law studies in

England ; so he came to visit me as soon as I got to l Edinburgh, and, in the most friend y manner, pressed

s s my passing some day at his hou e in Perthshire . I

’ s got there by an easy day journey, having also walked a long time about the castle of Stirling, which commands a very beautiful prospect .

’ Lord Buchan s place is very ﬁne and in a very singular style . His house looks to the south, over

160 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. of fortune is enough to ﬁll the ambition of a reason able man , for they have power to do a great deal of good .

“ ’ Du lin r Brea dal bane s From pp we went to Lo d , at

u i . Taymouth . Here nite the sublime and beaut ful The house is situated in a valley where the verdure is the ﬁnest imaginable ; noble beeches adorn it, and beautiful cascades fall down the midst of it .

On Through this valley you a re led to a vast lake . one side of the lake there is a ﬁne country ; on the other, mountains lift their heads or hide them in the clouds . In some places ranges of rocks look like v fortif ed c i ta del ast y t s . I passed two days in this

w a s ﬁne place, where I entertained with the greatest

s politeness and kinde t attentions, Lord Breadalbane seeming to take the greatest pleasure in making

ver thin y g easy, agreeable, and convenient .

’ My next excurs ion was to Lord Kames ; and then

I returned to Edinburgh . With Lord Kames and his lady I have had a correspondence ever since I S was ﬁrst in cotland, so I was there received with cordial friendship . I mu st do the justice to the S cottish nation to say, they are the most politely

in hospitable of any people the world . I had L D OF THE L S T CE T 161 A A Y A N UR Y. innumerable invitations of which I could not avail

a s myself, having made long a holiday from my N ff business in orthumberland as I could a ord . The newspapers w ill inform you of the death of

Mr . George Grenville . I think he is a great loss to

’ the publick ; and tho in thes e days of ribbaldry and

u abuse he was often much cal mniated, I believe time will vindicate his character as a publick man as a private one, he was quite unblemished I

s w as s regret the lo s to myself. I always plea ed and informed by his convers ation . He had read a vast

m . n deal , and had an amazing emory He had bee versed in busines s from his youth so that he had a

s t w a s very rich fund of conver a ion, and he good natured and very friendly . “ ’ l The King s Speech has a warlike tone . But stil we ﬂatter ourselves that the French king’ s aversion to war may prevent our being again engaged in one .

Lord Chatham w a s to have spoken in the House of

’ G renville s Lords tod ay, if poor Mr . death , which

s ha d happened at seven thi morning, not hindered his appearing in publick .

did D Mr . Montagu not leave enton till almost

’ a week after I came aw a v ; a nd he w a s s top d at

M 162 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

Durham by waters bei ng out but I had the pleasure D of hearing yesterday that he got safe to arlington, where he was to pass a few days with a famous mathematician , but I expect him in town the end of this week . My nephew, Morris, has got great

s credit at Eton already . My doctor order me to m forbear writing, but this letter does not show y obedience to them . The celebrated coterie will

s s t go on, in pite of all remon rances, and there is to be an assembly thrice a week for the subscribers to

l r s s the opera, so litt e imp e sion do rumour of wars and apprehensions of the plague make in the ﬁne world .

“ ’ I am in your debt for my pretty neic e s dancing m aster, which I forgot when I had the pleasure of

. her a s o or seeing you I shall hope to supply , pp tunit ff s y o er , with all the assistance of that sort which her happy genius will make of great use to her ; but your constant care will supply many

s better thing than those the artists teach, and I do not doubt of her making an amiable and valuable

. woman With the most sincere regard, I am , dear

r r ff madam, you ve y a ectionate sister, and faithful

i servt . . k fr end, and humble , E M . I now you

Y 1 64 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR .

l make the rest of the world a s wise as himse f. He begins by proving that we have ﬁve sen se s ; and that we are less struck by a gentle impression made

b s on our eyes and ears , y colours and sound , than by a knock on the head o r a kick on the leg. Pro c eedin g from that to the rules of time and space,

r s M . Home concludes with mathematical p eci ion, that time seems long to a l ady who is about to be

w ho married, and short to a man is going to be hanged . M . Home applies doctrines equally extra a ordinary to every dep rtment of art . It is a sur

ff of . e o ress prising e ect t p g of the human mind, x j that we should now r/ eceive from Scotland rul es for our t taste in all ma ters, from an epic poem down to

r wl d a ga den . Kno edge exten s daily, and we must not despair of hereafter obtaining performances in

r poetry and oratory f om the Orkney Islands .

a s M . Home always lays down his opinions a law,

d s and exten s his despotic way far and wide . He is

” a judge who absorbs all appeals .

The famous mathematician to whom Mrs . Mon

s tagu refers in the above letter was William Emer on,

u of whom Mr . Montag is believed to have been

. . s the original patron Mr Montagu may, in ome L D OF THE L T E T 165 A A Y AS C N UR Y.

r r degree, have helped that poor and eccent ic schola , but the energies of the once idle York shire dreamer

e w re really developed by an injustice . He had

s married the niece of a clergyman, who ba ely cheated

her the bride out of dowry of 5 001. Whereupon the p roud and angry hu sband sent back the whole of

’ f r r s s he w his wi e s wa d obe , with the me age that ould

” s corn to be beholden to such a fellow for a ra g l

rr When Mr . Montagu ma ied Elizabeth Robin s on rs h a d s s s , Eme on ju t ready for the pre the work which gave him a place in the highest r ank of

— h mathematicians is Doctrine of Fluxions . The distinction neither affected his eccentricity nor

w a s w his softened his a udac itv. He ont to sign mathematical solutions with a name that might

“ have made Minerva breathles s — Phil oﬂuentime c hanel e eom a strol onz o g g , and he lived to shock

M rs d s . E ward Montagu by napping his ﬁngers at S the Royal ociety, and damning the fellows and their fellowship s ! George Grenville and Burke are among the best

n u a re s amples of the men whom M rs . Mo tag pp

c ia ted u r i M rs . , and who could thoro ghly app ec ate

r ha s s s s Montagu . Bu ke poken in the highe t term 166 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

Of s of both . the state man who , ﬁve years before

his s oﬂic es r death, re igned all his , Bu ke said With a masculine understanding and a stout

u and resolute heart, he had an application ndis

si a ted r p and unwea ied . He took public business

not as a duty he was to fulﬁl , but as a pleasure he

was to enjoy ; and he seemed to have no delight

u s s m out of the ho se, except in uch thing as in so e

w a y related to the business that w a s to be done

. w a s s within it If he ambitious, I will say thi for

him, that his ambition was of a noble and generous

s train . It was to raise himself, not by the low,

pimping politics of a court, but to win his way to

p ower through the laborious gradations of public

r - service, and to secu e himself a well earned rank in

parliament, by a thorough knowledge of its con

” stitution s and in perfect practice in all its busines .

M rs . Montagu might justl y be proud of the good

opinion of a friend who could express such a judg

for ment of another friend like Grenville, whom she herself entertained the highest esteem .

“ . 1 Mrs . Montagu to Mrs Robinson January 7,

1 1 . 7 7 I have kept very well all this frost, and

is what more strange in a town lady, I have been very

168 A LADY OF THE L AS T CEN TUR Y.

r d r encou aged, virtue countenance , me it brought

roﬂi ate r forth to view, the p g discou aged, the com m o nw eal th served equal to its great demands on

Du r s s ! a ke of Bedfo d, the proprietor of a va t e tate

I i m w a s d e d s mean not to nti ate that he to y in e pair,

his J r s for udge is me ciful , but in his ight no man

s s s o s is living hall be ju tiﬁed ; that, unles there

m r h r an unco mon me it or innocence of c a acter,

r I see no reason for this kind o f jollity. His g ace

’ ha s left eno ugh to make the duches s s jointure

he is s s 6 0 001 r . S . a yea to keep up the hou e at

r . . Bloomsbury and at Woobu n Her grace, Mr

r D h ss r u a re Palme , and the uc e of Ma lboro gh tru stees for the young duke .

A s w a s s s s the late duke ometime head trong, the court will have an advantage in having the duchess

a s S her to deal with , Lord andwich is guide in m . su politicks The duke left Mr . Rigby a

’

. has for which he had Mr Rigby s bond . He left a sum of fours core pou nd a year to Miss W rot

’ l s s r v I h r t es ev ; a year wage to se ants . ea not of

is other legacies . It believed Lord Suffolk will

a n not accept of y place .

“ It is b i w e s n el eved hall have a Peace . The Ki g L D F T T 169 A A Y O HE LAS T CEN UR Y. of Prussia and the Emperor joined to get a peace for the Turks . These potentates design to keep the French in order and to defend Germany . The

Emperor wishes to recover Lorraine and Alsace .

So it is supposed the French will sit quiet even if

S s s the paniard should go to war with u . I am

o f D s b not afraid the ons, if not assi ted y French

. is e vivacity All our family well, and the p re de

”

M r . . famille best of all . M . is pure well

The following letter to Mrs . Robinson, the

’ - - s in s . writer s si ter law, who e father, Mr Richardson, was a private gentleman of Kensington, contains

“ ’ a reference to the Kens ington ladies - s chool of

’ r s C the write early time, and one to the helsea

’ school, where she Visited Mrs . William Robinson s

u r in 2 s s da ghte 1 7 7 . The e reference are valuable

illustrations of the female scholastic life of the

“ two periods . I called on my pretty neice at C helsea, who I had the pleasure of ﬁnding in perfect health, with a little addition of embonpoint

She extremely becoming . received me very politely, and her governesses s poke much in her praise .

she o s Indeed, is a very g od ubject for them , appear

- h ing to have much good umour, docility, and 1 7 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

S everything I could wish . The young arah Eliza

’ beth s extremely becoming embonpoint induced her

“ sagacious aunt to look at her stays . I found fault

” “ with her stays, she writes, which lift up her shoulders ; and they say they had your leave to

r othe s, but I could not understand why they had

' neglected to do it . I was pleased to ﬁnd my

’ e t neice perf c ly clean and neat, tho I called on ye

S is c leanl aturday, which usually only the eve of i

’

s s . r R o rt . ba es ne I remembe at Mrs , at Kensington,

s the girl used to be so dirty, sometimes one could not salute them l”

2 1 7 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. good- humour to all the awkwardnesses of a Tun d bri ge lodging . We had, happily, that kind of weather which makes pas toral life a greabl e. I was delighted to ﬁnd that time had not robbed her grace

’ her v We l au h d of pleasing ivacity, and g as heartily

w d as e used to do in our younger ays . Her grace

r gave me as a fairing the most beautiful, ich, and

ff - r s aw elegant snu box I eve , for which I could only return her thanks ; for I thought it woul d be putting

s my elf too much upon a par with her, to make a return in kind . If I could get any natural

r cu iosity to add to her collection , it would make me very happy .

Every day after you left us the place began to ﬁll with company . “ We have had the ﬁnest weather I ever saw

s for any long continuance . As a farmer, I have ome

O ur fault to ﬁnd with it . wheat, and barley, and

s h turnip ave all suffered by drought . We had not

s any reason to complain of our hay, but the gra s is

s very much burnt . The dearness of all kind of provisions have reduced our poor neighbours to a state of wretchedness which I never saw before in

. r but I England My fathe has been ill, believe his L D OF THE L S T CE T 1 3 A A Y A N UR Y. 7

n ff complai ts were nervous , and partly the e ects of hot weather . I wonder how he can endure to live

- in a brick oven all the summer s eason .

“ I went the other day to Winchester, and D r. W s . dined with arton , and saw the chool The

r s docto allowed me to ask a play for the boy , which

s made them very happy, and gave him lei ure to

. s s pass the time with me My weet, lovely Mi s

Gregory and I set out very early in . the morn in so h g, t at we got to Winchester before eleven

’ s six o clock, and taid there till between and seven,

r and were at home in good time . Miss G egory

r u . and M s . Morgan are much your h mble servants

When you have an oppo rtunity to get the

w nankeen , tea, and handkerchiefs , I can pay hat is

tafet due for them to your banker . If a blue y, or a white of a very ﬁne colour should come in your way and seem a pennyworth , please to add it, or anything you may have offered that is plain .

C i s u heap, pretty, pla n muslin for gown wo ld not

s come amiss . But , as smuggling is a dangerou

trade, much counterband goods must not travel in

s m the same box . All pos ible love to y dear

n ic es nephew and e , with whom I hope to make a R 17 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TU Y. more intimate acquaintance before they have dis posed of all their love and friendship . R M rs . . o 1 1 2 . Aug. 5 , 7 7 Montagu to Mrs

“ binson . I was very sorry that your races

u happened so ntowardly, that I could not edge in l my visit without being comp icated in them . I remember the time when the said races would have a very different effect than deterring me from the neighbourhood ; but we change to every thing and everything changes to us . I cannot say

o ne that as one grows older, grows so much wiser

s as to despise fooli h amusements, but one likes m new kinds of follies . I m ea n we always like so e of those things severe a nd frowning w isdom calls follies .

“ I had the pleasure in ﬁnding Mr . Montagu in h extreme good health, which gave me the hig er

‘ m satisfaction, as I had been alarmed about him so e time before .

few S I went a miles out of my road to andleford, to fulﬁll my old promise to Mr . Burke to spend a him o r tw o . Bea c onsﬁeld. day with and Mrs Burke, at

I w a s sorry that I could not continue there longer

da I w as than one whole y, as then not so assured

T 17 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN UR Y.

r r r — holiday humou , that I had athe play at tee totum or c ross and pile with J ulius C aesar than with Sar

i da n l s in - a pa us . The ﬁrst would have the ea y dif

s ference that belongs to play the other, the erious ness and anxiety which belong to business .

I am now preparing for a little excu rsion in Wll l Cl'l

I shall see s ome of the busy folks of the great wo rld ; so I expect to enjoy my time in the more

o us . O n to j yo tranquility Friday, I am to go

S r i me towe, Lo d and Lady Temple having g ven r r r h epeated invitations the e . I am much af aid t e w s eather will not favour my excur ion ; however, as I S shall stay four days at towe, I hope to see those superbe gardens while I am the re in favourable

s w n e gleams of unshine . I have not seen Sto e si c

rr . Tem l e l r I ﬁrst ma ied Lord p , hea , has much imp roved them .

I shall have the pleasure of making a visit at

r et anothe ﬁne place which I never y saw, which is

’ N uneha m s O r s Lord , in xfo d hire . Mr . Herbert has given me a very a grea bl e neighbour in Lady

She has r . l Elizabeth been ve y we l educated, and I

’ dare say will always behave with great propriety.

r n um M r . He bert is a you g man of uncommon L D OF THE L S T CEN T R A A Y A U Y. 17 7

d r d e stan in . ear g and merit He has come ly, and not too early, into ye possession of an ample for tune . I am much pleased to hear my neice is so tractable and good ; a disposition to oblige her

Parents, and to do what those who love her advise her to, will make her much happier than wilful ness and obstinacy . My nephews, Morris and

t Ma thew, are just arrived . They are ﬁne boys .

v Morris grows ery handsome, and he has a very

- good character amongst his school fellows . These little men will be a great amusement to Mr . Mon

a tagu in my absence . I p ssed my time very well

a reabl e at Tunbridge, having so g a companion at home as my s ister ; so that I depend on the great world for nothing more than vagrant amusement at idle hours ; and this is all one c an reasonably expect

’ O ne of the great world . should have one s solid

O ne comforts at home . makes a good meal ; the other a pleasant dessert .

is I regret that poor Mr . Gray now no

O ne f s more tha n Pindar . atal moment ets two or three thousand years aside, and brings the account b equal . I really elieve our British Pindar not 17 8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

unequal in merit to the bard of Thebes . I hope

s s et . Mr . Gray has left ome work y unpublished

s Walpole, who never appear in a more favourable light than when he speaks with affectionate rever

’ M o nt s . a u s ence of Gray, upplemented Mrs g hopes

“ s by saying, I hould earnestly wish, if he has

s fo r de tined anything the public, to print it at my

r pres s . It would do me honou and give me an

O s pportunity of expre sing what I feel for him .

Methinks, as we grow old, our only business here is to adorn the graves of our friends or dig our

” own .

From these reﬂections, Mrs . Montagu takes her readers back to life and its varieties, in a letter without date, but it is endorsed in a hand, not

s 1 . her , 7 73

“ In the early part of my life I was a most punc tual correspondent ; but of late I have been as much too remiss as I was formerly too diligent in writing letters . I have at length discovered that

r f w iting letters is idleness without ease, and atigue

n without a purpose . When ewspapers only told w eddings, births, and burials , a letter from London bore some value ; but now that the public papers

18 0 H T E T R A LADY OF T E LAS C N U Y. that I presume no one can tell ye just sum of

t ff the one or the other . Par of his e ects are hemp N and alum . ever was so much of the ﬁrst used

’ at Tyburn, nor of the second at the bakers , as at this moment ; but as I presume those commodities do not bear a settled price, a just estimate cannot be made . In ye present lack of specie and of con

ﬁ dence . , paper, estates and houses must sell badly

hO e I p his unmarried sister will not lose anything, and that his family will not fall from affluence to

— narrow circumstances . I hear Lady C ke has an estate in Jamaica of 4 0001. per annum settled upon her . It is said the Irish Bank has only stopped for awhile, and that nothing will be lost.

The state of that country is very bad . The poor are wretched, and all people discontented . The S condition of cotland is not much better . The bankruptcies there are numerous, and ye manu factories are stopped. I wish the bankruptcies here ff may not have as bad an e ect on our trade . I rejoice that my brother Robinson has returned to

s his native land, and wi h he would come and visit his friends in town .

Mr . Montagu has (in the main) had a L D OF THE L S T E T 18 1 A A Y A C N UR Y.

pretty healthful winter . His cough is at present him troublesome to , but I hope the warm weather we have now a right to expect will soon cure him .

“ ’ The Archbishop of York s second son , a ﬁne youth, dyed of a milliary fever this morning. I lament the young man, and am heartily concerned for his family .

“ h in u As I ave good luck sm ggling, I will wait for my gown till you come to town, and will send

for a s . you a black silk, which it may serve a lining ff The ta ety will serve for another year, if it be

h . too warm for t is season, when it comes to London “ I am glad you intend to send my eldest neice

- to a boarding school . What girls learn at these i schools is triﬂ ng, but they unlearn what would

— a e be of great disservice provincial dial ct, which

e ml is extr a y ungenteel, and other tricks that they

s learn in the nursery . The carriage of the per on, d which is of great importance, is well atten ed to

A s the and dancing is well taught . for French l an ua e I s g g , do not think it necessary, unles for persons in very high life . It is rarely much culti

- vated at schools . I believe all the boarding schools 18 2 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

are much on the same plan , so that you may place the young lady wherever there is a good air and

- a good dancing master . I dare say you will ﬁnd

great improvement in her air and her speech by

ha s the time she been there a year, and these are

points of great importance . The Kentish dialect is

’ s o N abominable, tho not bad as ye orthumber

’ olish d land and some others ; but in this p age, it

is s o unusual to meet with young Ladies who have

' a n a tozs y p , that I mightily wish to see my neice

cured of it . “ The Duke of Gloucester is relapsed into a bad

state of health . Miss Linley, who I suppose you

is . have seen at Bath, much in vogue I am to

hear her sing to - morrow morn at ye Bishop of

’ Bristol s .

’ r Sir C Papa bea s G . s shutting shop

r i . h s ve y patiently If money is safe , he has no

- u objection to its being locked p . I do not imagine

s we hall lose anything. I am only s orry for him

his and for family, as these things must be very unpleasant . There is a great deal of poverty and d s s istre s in London and in the outhern counties .

I wish very much to see my br othe r Robinson

1 8 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

neice, as it will escape being rummaged by the

- ffi custom house o cers, who will be apt to suspect it has a pudding of Brussels lace in it . I thank you for two pound more of excellent tea . I think it full a s good as that which costs me 1 6s . a

- : pound . My pretty neice is so good humoured

She she is never troublesome . is a mighty orderly

She person ; folds up her things very nicely . will be both a notable housewife and a good-humoured

. woman , and therefore will make an excellent wife

Happy will be the man to whose lot she will fall .

It is very rarely that one sees these characters meet .

xi A good housewife is generally an an ous, peevish thing ; a nd a good- humoured woman is too often

m u careless and un indf l of her family . As she is

w your daughter, I do not onder at her uniting per fec tions but that are rarely united . My brother

’ h s William was a favourite of my mot er , and she certainly made his whole christening suit of that part of her linnen which is supposed to derive matri

’ monial blessings on the son . For what mother s darling my neice is reserved I do not know, but

I hope one who will deserve her . “ I believe you will hardly be able to read my L D OF THE L S T CEN TU 1 5 A A Y A R Y. 8

scrawl, which is even worse than usual ; for I have

w almost put my eyes out ith accounts, of which our steward brings a plentiful q uantity at this time of year . He is a very diligent Person , and expects

O ur that I will apply many hours in the day . ff a airs go on very prosperously and in great order, so that I have as little trouble as is possible in a case where so many and large accounts are to be

’ l ook d over . “ It is said that gaming is carried on with greater spirit among the ﬁne people than ever was ff known . I desire my most a ectionate compliments D C to my brothers of Horton , enton, and anter

v bury. My best lo e to ye dear little ones who

s s adorn your ﬁre ide , and best wi hes for the year begun, and for all succeeding years, to the parents and the babes .

1 . It was in this year, 7 74, that Mrs Montagu

Sa ndl e wrote the following to Mrs . Robinson, from

S th 1 ford, eptember the 5 , 7 74

I had intended writing to you as s oon as I could get a frank . All frothy matter

u s takes p a great deal of space, and my letter always run u over the fourth side, and incur do ble taxes 18 6 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

at the post- office By mistake, I had left my franks to you in London, so I waited till I could C see Mr . ongreve, the only member of parliament in our neighbourhood .

dina The wet w eather has hurt me as a val etu

s o rian, and mortiﬁed me as a farmer, that I cannot s a s ha s y, in the pert fa hionable phrase , it not made

s ick nor s on / me y , but more of the ﬁrst than the

W s s . e la t, and not greatly either have a prodigiou

s crop of barley, and there seem to be a great plenty

r s of it everywhe e, and yet the malt ters are contract

r s ing for it already at 3 os . per quarte . I suppo e the ensuing elections will raise the price of malt . I wish our poor people ate more and drank les s . “ I am extremely mortiﬁed at Lord Mahome’ s too S great vivacity . Lord tanhope brought him to

Tunbridge to spend a day with me . I was pleased

his rs r with conve ation and manners , and particula ly

ex oti k in not ﬁnding him so c as I expected . His sentiments and language appear to me perfectly

s s s good Engli h , uch as suited the heir of an Engli h

’ r bo rrow d un pee , and not from bourgeois de e J Gen ve , which, with all due respect to ean Jacques,

I take to be much inferior in nobleness of mind as

18 8 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

. I n berland, but delays setting out the mean

in r t time, winter approaches . He is ve y good heal h and spirits, but extremely feeble ; goes to bed every

’ afternoon by ﬁve o clock, and seems by no means equal to so fatiguing a journey ; so I hope it will end in talk . Mr . Montagu loves delay so well, f he intends not to set out till a fortnight a ter me.

He did not leave London till the middle of August,

’ tho he had not any business to detain him .

If I had children, I should be much more s olicitous about their temper than talents . As many hours in the day as a man of the ﬁnest parts is peevish or in a passion, he is more contemptible ff than a blockhead, and su ers (though he does not know it) the internal scorn and contempt of every

are rational creature that is in good humour . We ,

’ too, much earlier able to judge of a child s temper

ff . than capacity. Minds ripen at very di erent ages

If the understanding is naturally slow, preceptors s i hould be pat ent, and not put it too much out of S its natural pace . ome children apprehend quick ;

r others acqui e everything with difficulty. In the

u l ed and latter case, they sho ld be encouraged, , not d ” riven . D OF HE 1 9 A L A Y T LAS T CEN TUR Y. 8

G re or a Miss g y . ( friend and companion of the C “ writer) was very much liked at ambridge . Her sweet temper, good sense, and elegant simplicity of manners much charm every one who is well

a n She ' acqu i ted with her . is perfectly free ﬁ om

m minanderies issy pertnesses, airs, and , which put many of our girls of fashion upon a line with

’ s mill iner apprentices . Though she has lived so

much with me, I never saw her out of humour .

She seems as pleased with retirement as in a publick

place ; and is as sober and discreet in a publick place

as in retirement . “ There is a report that C aptain Darby is going to be married to a widow worth fourscore thousand

s pound . It seems her ﬁrst husband was a good

’ humoured, quiet, dull man . Elle s en trouvait bien,

a nd but is going to take such another ; still, four

score thousand pounds is a great price for a dull

S is man . Miss nell married to a gentleman of

good character and six thousand pounds .

“ I beg my best respects and most affectionate

he r compliments to my brother Robinson . Will neve let us have the pleasure of seeing him ! I wish he

” would visit the farmer and farmeress of Sandleford . 190 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

1 In the course of the above year, 7 74, when an

’ M onta u s s S invitation to Mrs . g hou e in Hill treet

w a s was not lightly sent and highly esteemed, she

r h . despatched a card of invitation to D . Jo nson The philos opher neither went to her assembly nor acknow

s ledged the invitation . In a sub equent apologetic

s i : note, he a d Having committed one fault by inad

vertenc . y, I will not commit another by sullenness The favour of your notice can never miss a suitable return but from ignorance or thought less ness ; and to be ignorant of your eminence is not easy but to him who lives out of reach of

’9 the public voice . Allegiance could not be more

r ! w a s pe fect But Mrs . Montagu not inﬂuenced b 1 s s y it, when, in 7 7 5 , she ettled a mall annuity

’ D J r r . s M rs . s on ohnson f iend, Williams , aving her r s s f om mi ery ; for which re cue Mrs . Williams ex p res sed her thanks in words almost of divine adora

Dr J w a s tion . . ohnson moved by the generous act,

s r when he sub equently hea d that Mrs . Montagu

“ was in town, ill . He wrote like a gallant . To have you detained among us by sickness is to enjoy

” she your presence at too dear a rate . He wishes may be so well as to be able to leave us , and so

192 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

The aged philomath might have been the original

r of the legenda y mathematician, who, having been

” n induced to read Paradise Lost, asked, on reachi g

“ s the last line of the poem, Well, what doe it

’ r M onta u s p ove ! Mr . g wonted ﬁres and ruling passion partook exclusively of a mathematical ar

hus dour . His wife, who had, previous to her

’ band s fatal illness, passed from the most sincere spirit of free inquiry into the equally sincere a c c e ta nc e p of orthodoxy, was very anxious that her husband should be of the same faith with herself

She before they were parted for ever . begged ff Beattie to e ect this desired consummation, if it were possible . The aged mathematician was too

a nd much, however, for the minister his clever wife

“ t together . To her great concern , says Beat ie,

“ Dr. in a letter to Laing, he set too much value on mathematical evidence, and piqued himself too much on his knowledge in that science . He took

n I i it i to his head, too, that was a mathemat cian, though I was at a great deal of pains to convince

”

. . u him to the contrary Mr Montag died in May,

’ 1 w a s 7 75 . The poor gentleman s death immediately made the opportunity for speculation on the part of L D OF T E T T R 193 A A Y H LAS CEN U Y.

s h t e . . his friend , as to prospects of his widow Mr

D . Edward Montagu is dead, wrote Mrs . elany h He has left his widow everyt ing, both real and

: personal only charging it with a legacy of 3 0 001.

If her heart prove as good as her head, she may do

s an abundance of good . Her pos essions are very

” great . Walpole speculated in another fashion on

’ : The this gentleman s demise . He wrote to Mason

s Sha kes ea rshire is hu band of Mrs . Montagu, of p ,

d 0001. dea , and has left her an estate of 7 a year

in her own power . Will you come and be candi date for her hand ! I conclude it will be given to

a champion at some Olympic games ; and were I

s she, I would ooner marry you than Pindar

J ohnson fully illustrated the charitable side of

’ M o nta u s 1 6 Mrs . g character, when he said, in 7 7 ,

libera litv in reply to a hint that her was pharisaical ,

“ I have seen no beings who do a s much good from i ” benevolence as she does from whatever mot ve .

Johnson subs equently was less charitable and less

’ M o nta u s accurate . Mrs . g letters abound with references to her complete ignorance of Greek

“ d . and her small knowle ge of Latin But, said

J “ o u s ohnson, she is willing y hould think she

O 194 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

knows them, but she does not say she does . A J ’ hundred times she wrote that she did not. ohnson s were hardly the respectful sentiments he professed to have when he begged for a copy of her engraved

as portrait, a reward for his love and adoration .

196 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y.

and spirits . The fresh air and constant exercise

S n f i at a dle ord, proved of great serv ce to me, and encouraged me to venture on a much longer

O n 0th j ourney . the 3 of June, I set out on my

N rd expedition to orthumberland, and, on the 3 of

n. July, at noon, I got as far as my estate at Burnisto

Exactly opposite to some of my land, there is a tolerable inn . I eat a hasty dinner, and taking my

w m steward ith me, went over as many of the far s

as I could that night, and sent invitations to my

tenants to dine with me the next day .

“ Mine Host, by sending to the neighbouring

of markets, assembled together sirloins of beef, legs

mutton, loins of veal, chickens, ducks, and green

- peas, which, with ham , pigeon pie, tarts, and cus ﬁll ’d tard, up every chink of table, and, I believe,

. f e of stomach Un ortunat ly, there was not a room

large enough to contain all my good friends, so the women and the young lasses dined with me, and the men with the steward.

As Mr . Montagu had been always a very good landlord, I thought it right to show the good people

they would have a kind landlady, and therefore I would not pass by without taking notice of them . F TH L T T A LADY O E AS CEN UR Y.

Several of them enquired after the young gentlemen

t tha came from Horton to Allerthorpe . I assured them Mr . William Robinson was a profound divine,

. C re and Mr harles a sage counsellor at law . They joyc ed that Master Willie was happy in a good and rich wife, and had three ﬁne Bairns . In the

n D eve ing I went on to arlington , where part of m - y estates come down to the turnpike road . I

’ stopped at a tenant s who has a pretty large house, desired them to dress a dinner the next day for me D and my tenants . arlington was rather too far for D the women to reach . I lay at arlington , and early ye next day went over to this Estate, and passed

h s the w ole day there with great plea ure . A ﬁne,

s rapid river, woody bank, and ome of the most s in rec o m tately oaks and beech Yorkshire , would mend it suﬂﬁc iently to the eye that does not behold

r it with the complacency of a prop ietor, and you will believe it loses nothing of its charms by that circumstance . After dinner I wandered again about

’ o f s s the place, visited most my tenant hou es, and did not take leave of Eryholme (P) till night drew

s re her able curtain, which gave me occasion to collect that the day of my life must soon close, 198 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. and all thes e things be hid from me ; but if I make a p roper u se of them while they are mine, it is all

s s I ought to be solicitou for, as I am not among t those unhappy Persons whose views are bounded to the sho rt day of human life . I was much pleased with all my tenants in York

r ff shi e . They are a very di erent sort of people

are from the farmers in ye south . They alert

s far in their business and intere ts, and from the

s do stupid state of savage . At the ame time, they not ape the manne rs nor imitate the dress of the

’ ’ s ﬁne folks . The farmer wife spins her husband s s s r s hirt , and the daughters make butte and chee e at the hours our southern women work catgut and dress wire caps . Some of my tenants have been above ﬁfty years on the estate; have married their

t r s sons o gi l worth many hundred pounds, and

s f s have got their ons into their arm , and they are

r s s ' ' reti ed on a decent sub i tance , gained by many

u s years of fr gal indu try . They all pay duely on

r - N o their ent days . complaint, on the part of

s the tenant , of poverty ; or, on the landlord, of

is b arrears . The land in good condition , and y l having been long sett ed, they have acquired an

200 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

r - tha t I the e a black hole of a coal pit, so cannot D boast of the beauty of our prospects . As to enton, it has mightily the air of an ant- hill : a vast many N f black animals for ever busy . ear ourscore families

’ are empl o y d on my concerns here . Boys work in the colliery from seven years of age . I used to give

f s w my colliery people a ea t hen I came hither, but a s the good s ouls (men and women) are very apt to get drunk, and, when drunk, very joyful, and sing, and dance , and hollow, and whoop, I dare

on tnis occa s ion not, , trust their discretion to behave with proper gravity ; so I content myself with killing

s a fat bea t once a week, and sending to each family, once, a piece of meat . It will take time to get

f - round to all my black friends . I had ﬁ ty nine boys and girl s to sup in the court- yard last night

’ on rice pudding and boil d beef ; to— morrow night

s I hall have as many . It is very pleasant to see

how the poor things cram themselves, and the

s is . h expen e not great We buy rice c eap, and

i c skimmed m lk and oarse beef serve the occasion . Some have more children than their labour will c l o athe s s s , and on uch I shall be tow ome apparel .

S s ome beneﬁt of this sort, and a general kind L D OF THE L S T CEN T 2 A A Y A UR Y. 01

behaviour, gives to the coal owner, as well as to

O ur ! them, a good deal of advantage . pitmen are

off afraid of being turned , and that fear keeps an

order and regularity amongst them that is very m unco mon . “ The general coal trade and my concerns in it

are, at present, in a thriving way, and if all goes

on so well two years longer, and I live till then ,

I will establish a spinning, knitting, and sewing

s s a es 1a 61is n n school for ye girl . When I y , I mea

n . for my life, for one cannot be charitable lo ger

Cha When the night cometh no man can work .

ritable institutions soon fall into neglect and abus e .

’ I made a visit at Burniston to my Uncle Robin s on s

- alms houses . I gave each of the old people a guinea . I have sometimes sent them money ; for what my uncle appointed near a hundred years

is . ago hardly a subsistence Indeed, they would starve if they had not some helps . “ I have not been one moment ill since I set out o n my journey . I walk about my farms, and down to my colliery, like a country gentlewoman of the

re o c e last cent ury . I j y in the great improvement of my land here by good cultivation , but I do not like 202 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

my tenants so well a s those in Yorkshire . We

rustic k are here a little too , and speak a dialect that

’ is dreadful to the auditor s nerves ; and as to the

r collie y, I cannot yet reconcile myself to seeing my fellow- creatures des cend into the dark regions of

’ the earth ; tho , to my great comfort, I hear them k singing in the pits . If I did not thin you

l s kind y interested your elf, I would not trouble you with this long history of myself. I had the pleasure of seeing my neice in great

- good humour , beauty, and health ; and these are the fairest features of youth . Long may they dimple and bloom on her cheek . I approve much of my little nephews going to a s chool of a private sort at ﬁrst . I think boys of a gentle and bashful disposition are discouraged at being thrust at once into the prodigious racket of a great school . I think my sister Scott greatly mended by James’ s powders . I was very uneasy about her before she

Dr . s went to Bath, but Moi y has done great things

s for her . I have not een her look so well for some

Dr . f years . I expect Beattie and his wi e every day . I propose to return to the south the end

r r of this month, in o de to take some weeks at

204 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. had till then been an only child in the hou s e of my

grandfather, that a quarrel between brothers was a

’ very natural event . This boy s name was Walter S cott . Much of the other company at Bath was then about to withdraw from the stage which the boy w a s to occupy with such glory to himself, and to the la sting delight of his countrymen .

The year 1 7 7 8 opens with the following letter to

“ M rs . Robinson : I wish I could thank you for your letter in a s fair characters as my neice returned

f r hers o the books . I have ostentatiously shewed her letter to many o f my friends . My sister and I have not let my brother s hare in the honour ; for we confess no Robinson ever wrote s o well ; s o that she s inherits this , with many other good thing , from

she s her Mama . If can compose a ermon as well a s her brother , and writes it in her own hand, it

o f m anusc ri t- will retrieve the honour . p sermons, which of late years have sold cheaper than even any other goods

The town is very empty, and I know not how we who are here contrive to be a s much engaged a s at other seas ons . The Bath has been very full of persons o f disunc tio n . L D OF THE L S T CEN T R 205 A A Y A U Y.

Lord Villiers (the prince of maccaronies) gave , a

few . days ago, a play in a Barn He acted Lord

ow nle . T y Miss Hodges, Lady Townley I suppose the merit of this entertainment was, that people were f to go many miles, in rost and snow, to see in a barn what would have been every way better at the theatre in Drury Lane 01 C ovent Garden . There was a ball also prepared after the play, but the barn

the had so benumbed the vivacity of company, and

’ the beaux feet were so cold, and the noses of the belles were so blue, many retired to a warm bed at the inn at Henley, instead of partaking of the dance .

Texier Pi mal eon M . acted Monsieur g , and Miss

Hodges the Statue . Modern nymphs are so warm

i . Texier and yield ng, that less art than that of M might have animated the nymph . My neice will never stand still to be made love to before a numer

’ ous audience . Miss Hodges father is lately dead ; her

How mother is dyin g. many indecorums the girl has brought together into one petite peice !

“ a n ublic k p , I dare not send you y _ news as my brothers are engaged to the C ongress and American

Independency. I think the ﬁne world goes on as usual at this time 206 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

“ ha s of the year . C aractacus succeeded very well on

’ s the tage, tho it is more calculated for the study than the theatre .

“ O ur French ambassador pleases all people, of

s b his s . cour e, y conversation and manner By his splendour of living a nd polite attentions at table, he charms the great vulgar ; so that he is in general

s a nd . e teem, , indeed , deserves to be so He dined with us e y other day, and I am to dine with him on

S t . N unday Mme . de oailles canno come to me

she She s s till is brought to bed . is extremely en ible

a re and g a bl e .

Lord Granby very thoughtlessly carried his lady

r s s to B ussels, on a jaunt of amu ement , oon after

w a s b l she brought to bed, and, y getting co d, she is

s She is mo t dangerously ill . much better ; but the

s r s o s duche s dowage is unea y about her , I am afraid we shall not be able to dissuade her from going to

’ ss s s sea Bru el tho this weather make voyages and,

r r indeed, land jou neys ve y terrible .

“ My brother Charles told me the good folks in Kent were angry with me or your consort for

Dr making a justice of peace of . Pennington ; but,

r h indeed, I neve eard the doctor had an ambition to

208 A L ADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. seen harlequin cutting capers and striking his wooden sword on the monument of a Cmsar or

” Alexander the Great . O S In ctober, after her return to Hill treet, she thus described to Garrick the inﬂuence exercised over her by French tragedy and French t rage dians

r . M s M . cannot help intimating that she never felt such pity and terror, which it is the busi

s ne s of tragedy to excite, as at the French theatre,

l e e where M . Kain roars like a mad bull, and Mol

s in rolls his eye , and has all the appearance of a man a phrensy persons of real taste s eem convinced

” s of the false ta te prevalent in their tragedies . The ﬂutter of Paris was almost more than her

t d s rength could bear . The i ea of its being succeeded

“ ” She by the racket of London alarmed her . “ f avoided the racket, and recovered rom the “ b s Sandl e ﬂutter, y pending a season of rest at

’ ford, where she dreamed over Voltaire s address

S s . r against hake peare became a rural cottage , feeder of pigs, cultivator of potatoes, or pretended to be so,

” and did idleness . There is as much an idleness

” “ to be done, she wrote to Garrick, as there is a L D OF THE A A Y LAST CEN TUR Y. 209

s darkness that may be vi ible, and is , like the other , a

n state and a condition , and a very pleasa t and gentle

- one, when the working day of bustle and hurry is

. d over I came to do i leness, and it is not all d one . The visit to Paris is alluded to among an “ inﬁnite deal of other subjects , in a letter to her brother

S r J 1 William, dated andlefo d , une 9 , 77 7 .

“ It would be with much greater pleasure I s hould

u S r take p my pen to tell you I am at andlefo d, if I could ﬂatter myself with the hope of alluring you to it : you would ﬁnd me“ in the character of a housewife . The meagre condition of the soil forbids me to live in the state of a shepherdes s

r queen, which I look upon as the highest ru al

the . and s dignity . The plough, harrow the pade

n t n remi d us hat the golde age is past, and sub sistence depends o n labour ; prosperity on indus

n h trio s application . A little of the clay of w ich d you complain, would do us a great deal of goo .

I shoul d be glad to take my dominions here from

a nd the goddess Ceres to give them to the god Pan ,

I think you will agree with me in that taste ; for ,

’ r N e wherever he presides , the e ature s republi k is 210 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ s esta blish d. The ox in his pa ture is as free and as much at his eas e a s the pr op rietor of the soil, and

’ the days of the ﬁrst are not more shorten d to feed

’ rs s the intemperance of othe , than the rich landlord by the indulgence of his own . I look upon the goddes s Ceres as a much less impartial and uni

n versally kind deity . The a tients thought they did her honour by ascribing to her the invention

s of laws . We must con ider her also as the mother

- i of law suits and all the divisions, d ssentions , and N dist inctions among mankind . aturalists tell us

’ s v c ontain d all the oak that have e er been, were in

a ﬂir m the ﬁrst acorn . I believe we may , by the s s ame mode of reasoning, that all art and sciences

’ r were c o ntain d in the ﬁrst ear of co n . To

ss s r s s posse lasting trea u e and exclu ive pro perity, has

r s been the g eat busine s and aim of man . At

S o u andleford, y will ﬁnd us busy in the care of

B s arable land . y two little purchase Mr . Mon

r six tagu made he e, my farm contains hundred

A r s . s n acre I now conside it an amazonian la d, I affect to consider the women as capable of assisting in agriculture as much as the men . They weed

m m Po ttato es my corn , hoe y turnips, and set y and

212 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. think I could make that complexion a little better m by putting on a little rouge ; but at y age, any

r appearance of solicitude about complexion is absu d, and therefore I remain where age and former ill health have brought me ; and rejoice that I enjo y the

’ ’ r de riv d s . comfo ts ofhealth , tho p of its plea ing looks

“ I am very glad to ﬁnd my neice ha s recovered her h ealth . I was much afraid of a consumption

r u fo her . It has given me great pleas re to

r St. hear you health is pretty good . but if

’ s r his Anthony s ﬁre hould menace, emember that

s a s is di temper , well as his temptation, most dan

r n In desa rt r ge o s a or wilderness, and repai to the

’ r city of Bath . Tho I say this , I was neve in my life mo re sensible of the charm s of rur al life

s and the blessings of tranquility, but at the ame time I am sensible that my relish of them is much quickened by having been for a twelvemonth past in ff f a very di erent mode of li e . I regret very much that the emperor did not come to Paris last sum

’ m er s , tho I uppose, among the French nobility,

w ; s I met ith men as polite among the academician ,

r as with men mo e learned, ingenious , and witty ; yet,

I am a Vi rtuoso in what relates to the human cha L D OF THE L S T E A A Y A C N TUR Y. 213

ra c ter , and love to see how it appears in various

a n ' em eror situations, I should have seen p , as an emperor is an unique in human society at present ; and the Austrian family has always had a strongly marked personal character . All my French corre spo ndents assure me that his imperial majesty veils his dignity on all occasions under the character of l ’ C a kenstein . his s ount de F He sleeps at ambassador , but dines with the two noblemen of his C ourt who

s attend him a t an Hotel garnie. When he goe

r s s to Ve sailles to vi it his ister, he refuses to lodge in

s . the palace, and lodge at a bagnio He goes some

s s s s time to Ver aille in his coach ; at other , in a

ﬁ re r a re a c . , or walks The F ench, who much struck

e with everything that is new, are full of wond r and respect at the publick spectacles . They give a thunder of applause whenever he appears . In pri

his ff vate society, majesty is easy and a able , and .

r t he by what I can unde s and, glad to show is more conversant in the common affairs of common life than princes usually are . The ob jects of his curiosity and the subjects of his discourse a re such as seem to indicate he is a man of sense . Whether

t s . he has talents for empire, time mus how Without 214 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y understanding the doctrine of chances as well as D P emeri ( ) , one may pronounce the chances are nearly inﬁnite he has not . I am glad, however,

O ne princes begin to travel . has a chance of meeting these itinerant monarchs somewhere ; and ff” they amuse, at least, as well as stu d eagles or lions in a museum . I was in great hopes that you would C have come to town to hear Lord hatham, in sup

of port his motion, the other day .

w In the following month , the letter belo was

S J th 1 written at andleford, uly the 9 , 77 7

“ ” ’ M onta u s As she (one of Mrs . g nieces)

for the was not the worse ball, I am glad she par

o f took the pleasure of it . If she resembles a certain Miss Robinson who lived in the neighbourhood some years ago, she will reckon a ball amongst the C ﬁrst enjoyments of human life . onsidering her

t w as state of heal h, I do not know whether it very

but I prudent in her brother to carry her there , am sure it was very amiable ; the error should always be rather on the side of indulgence . We should consider that, though there will be dancing as long

is as the world endures, it but a short time that an

n individual will da ce .

216 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

c ated e s and establish d, are thing about which a

ut prudent person may hesitate ; b even in this case , we can never do wrong when we follow the general principles by which the author of our nature has intended we should be directed . The shortness and uncertainty of life would discourage al l great un dertakin s r g ; and, as the human ace is to continue, providence has ordered we should act as if we were to live for ever .

“ We have had a s eries of the worst weather I ever

r h . Sir knew since I came he e , at t is time of year

r William Temple says, the th ee greatest blessings h are healt , peace, and ﬁne weather . The ﬁrst two are the most important and I have enjoyed them in so perfect a degree, that I have well endured the

’

Dr . want of the third . Robinson s History of

’ s America has amu ed me by my ﬁreside, when wind and rain have combined against my amuse ments abroad . A long deprivation of the quiet joys of rural life gave me a quick relish for them .

If I had staid in town, the great numbers of foreigners who have lately arrived there, who have all brought letters of recommendation to me, or who would have been nat urally introduced by my H T E 217 A LADY OF T E LAS C N TUR Y.

s t d previou acquaintance wi h them abroa , must have taken up much of my time and attention . “ Lord Shelburne called here the other day to l ’ A bbé invite me to Bowood, to meet Raynal, who

s s I knew at Pari , and two French counte ses who brought let ters to me from some of the beaux esprits there ; s o to them I shall have an O ppo r tunity of expressing my regret at being out of town .

But there is a Spanis h Baron de C astille and some others who were also recommended to me , who I

fear will depart with a bad opinion of m y hospitality S for, twenty to one , my English porter in Hill treet

e could not make th m understand, when they deli

t w a s . vered their letters, tha I in the country At

present my s cheme is to go to London for the melancholy pleasure of taking leave of the Lord

n Primate and my friend Mrs . Vesey . Whe these friends leave London, I believe I shall set out

s for Mount Edgecumbe, having long promi ed Lady

Edgecumbe a Visit, and shall carry Montagu with

- is . me, who a school fellow of Mr Edgecumbe , and is much invited Mr . and Mrs . Vesey are going

’ Bea c o nsﬁ eld to Mr . Burke s , at , who has kindly asked me to be of the party ; but I shall be a good 218 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

while absent from Sandleford, and have many do

r mes tic k matter s to settle before I depa t . I had a

s n da f mo t polite, entertaini g letter the other y rom

tw o s my Brother Robinson . I wish we hone t farmers lived nearer together with brotherly love

I ﬂa tter s and r ural sincerity . my elf we should be

r s s ve y happy ; but in thi hort life, how short a time does one enjoy the friends one loves .

“ ’ r i In spite of my cure and D . Fotherg ll s s m ss kill, I have ade but a poor progre towards health My nerves mend, but I cannot better bear the noise of a cannon now than I could the

’ report of a pistol when I ﬁrs t return d to Hill

S r t eet . My doctor keeps me very quiet . He will

s or not allow me to see the wi e, the witty, the

s r fa hionable wo ld . I have not dined below stairs

or s - these four ﬁve day . The doctor has to day begun to try a new medicine ; but I have as little faith in doctors of phys ick a s some of my family have in doctors of divinity . I imagine my fever at C anterbury was the inﬂuenza, which has lately raged

. s so much It leave people very weak, and much ff S a ects the nerves . ome have lost their s peech for

a few days ; others their hearing . My N orth

220 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

l u do l, but have not been well eno gh to accomplish an affair of such importance as dressing a lady . My nephews both s hall come with the doll thus teach

ing by allegory, that men are to be learned, and ladies elegant .

’ S r In Mrs . cott s lette which now follows , the details refer to the death of the brother most dearly

r — rr loved by both his siste s Mo is Robinson, who

rr J J d ma ied ane , daughter of ohn Greenlan , of l Love ace . His two sons , Morris and Matthew, s in r ucceeded, the orde indicated , to the barony of

w a s s Rokeby . Matthew at thi time domiciled with

. n s m Mrs Mo tagu, who e na e he had taken as her acknowledged heir .

“ — N 1 . S M rs . n ov . 1 6 Mrs . cott to Robinso , 777

The world ha s indeed become a very dif

s ferent scene to me since we parted . It has lo t the

me greatest charm it had for . The loss is not only

S s a brother, but, as olomon expre ses it, that friend

w a s that more than a brother, one with whom I had ff lived full forty years in the tenderest a ection, in the most perfect harmony ; never interrupted even b his y a mere dispute, except on ﬁr s t connexion i w h s . ith present widow It is totally irreparable . I L D F HE 221 A A Y O T LAS T CEN TUR Y. own I loved nothing so well ; and though I am not so new to misfortune as not to have learnt to bear patiently, and to see, while I lament the loss of a

r fu blessing, that I ought to be g ate l for having so long enjoyed one so uncommon ; yet the sens e

s s of it mu t ever he a orrow at my heart . There was a loveliness of nature in him that I never saw i equalled . I do not th nk he had a fault , except the weakness of complying with one who w a s not satis

ﬁed with that degree of expense which w a s proper for them ; and for that he might make the same excuse that the great Duke of M arlbrough did when told he w a s too complying a hus band

’ ! His Friend, can a man live without sleep own disposition did not lead him either to vanity or

f w a s extravagance . I con ess, therefore, he guilty of

s r a weaknes , but it was one founded on the ext eme sweetnes s of his temper ; an unfortunate effect of a

is most amiable cause . However, she to whom it

She owing is now much to be pitied . would not believe what he frequently told her, but is now sadly awakened to the truth of it .

In the subjoined fragment of a letter from M rs .

is S Montagu, reference made to the cotch thief 222 H E T R A LADY OF T E LAS T C N U Y.

J r and deserter, ohn Aitkin, the incendiary, othe wise

a s J known ack the painter, who was hanged, in

1 D 7 7 7 , for attempting to set ﬁre to Portsmouth ock yard and shipping .

I w a s mortiﬁed to hear the dreadful box which was intended to des troy Portsmouth was

C . made at the respectable city of anterbury Mr .

Silas Deane will make no very respectable ﬁgure

’ when J ohn Painter s story is produced in public .

Dr u If . Franklin had been an incendiary, he wo ld D have been a more dangerous man than Mr . eane ; fo r you know he can bottle- up lightning ; but philosophers are honester men than politicians .

Lord Temple has been very useful in getting this horrid affair of J ohn the painter brought to light .

’ Dr D s ff is s S s . odd a air almo t forgot . ome uppose

for he that, want of some formality on his trial , will

C r e s cape hanging . Lord heste ﬁeld has behaved

’ ss d w ho is with great kindne to the octor s brother, D ’ , . h . a worthy man and to Mrs odd s nep ew I

The match between Lord Powis and M iss

ri l Warren is ot to take p ace , the young lady having

ss r d r expre ed a p e ilection for Lo d Bulkely, who is to have her .

T T R 224 A LADY OF THE LAS CEN U Y.

S l the ﬁrst husband . But toney Bowes was sore y mauled in the cruel and scandalous str uggle . It is

s r a di graceful sto y, from which the reader may well

few s S turn to a plain line from Mrs . cott, in a frag

“ ment of a letter of this date : I shall be very

’ glad of my niece s company on her w ay to White

ds s lan , and if I can ﬁnd out any amu ement for her,

. a re she shall have it Plays , which I think the best,

f for s it is so di ﬁcult tho e to get places at, who do

- not give largely to the box keepers, that I am dis c o ura ed m i b g fro attempt ng, y having no hopes of

s s n succe (but I shall try whe my niece comes) ,

’ tho I feel no degradation to my dignity from i l a s a s S tting in a front box, and ike it just well the

s ro w . ide, if not further back than the second I

’ m s is went with y si ter to Percy, and that the only one I have seen .

The side boxes ranked then as the orchestra stalls

— s s do now the mo t fa hionable , but among the very h r s . M r s . wo st seats in the ou e Montagu , in the

n her c orres on letter openi g the next chapter , takes p d r ent to houses of a more ag eeable quality . ( 225 )

C A IX H PTER .

SA N L EF R D S 2 D O e . 6 1 N i s , p , 7 7 7 . uneham a

r it very ﬁne place, and the owne s of are so amiable

’ a reable e n m r a and g , that one pass s o e s ti e ve y ple santly. It sometimes resembles a congres s of all the ambassadors in Europe ; for Lord Harcourt,

in m ! having been a publick capacity, all the a bas sadors a nd s n , , indeed, all the foreigners of di tinctio

r n s r come thither . I remembe passi g three day the e once without hearing a syllable of English spoken . Had every one of the company spoken his mother

r s . r tongue, it would have e embled Babel Monsieu

N a reable s and Madame de oailles are most g per ons , and I wish we may not have any other foreigners while they stay . “ I do not know any one who makes his hous e so agreable to his friends as my brother (William) . His parts and knowledge make him an excellent

Q 226 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

companion ; and his apparent benevolence, integrity,

e and virtues endear his talents . I agree ntirely with the Primate that your rev . consort would

S is s o grace a tall ; but he of unambitious a spirit, I believe he will not take any pains to get into one .

D C r ean of anterbury would suit him ve y well . A

, dean is not obliged ( to fast or pray nor has the troublesome care of any soul but his own .

“ rv t We are now very busy with the a es .

We had a great deal of hay, and, fortunately, very i little of it was spoiled. We have a prod gious crop of Wheat this year, and I dare say our neighbours

’ 6 . have the same ; and yet old wheat sold at 7s . a a bushel last week ; and some new wheat for 8s . I hope, though I am a farmer, that the prices will soon fall, for the poor labourers cannot earn a sub sistence for their families when bread bears such a

. t price I have about for y reapers at work, at pre sent, to take advantage of the ﬁne weather . I brewed seven hogsheads of small beer for them, and fear it will not last till the end of harvest . The poor reapers and haymakers bring nothing but

th e ﬁ water into eld, which, with bad cheese and ﬁne bread is their general fare . I think our northern

T CEN T R 228 A LADY OF THE LAS U Y. to enjoy the friendly converse of my poor de

D s r parted brother. eath, disa te s, and incidents h ave reduced a large ﬁreside to a small circle . A

s s the few year , indeed, hows me that ﬂattering hopes

r r s one ente tained in the nurse y, of living in ocial gaiety and freedom with thos e n early allied in

. e blood, were mere pleasing delusions If oth r

s s the things do not ever the e natural connections,

s fatal scissors cut their thread .

’ Tho my poor brother never had opportunity

ss o s of ama ing great wealth, I was in h pe he would have left s ome thousands more behind him ; but

t the easiness and ﬂexibili y of his temper, and a

r ce tain placid indolence, made him give into more

w a s the expense than prudent , The world lays

n e whole blame on him , and is loud in compass io at

' l . n amentations for his widow Indeed, her prese t con

r dition is ve y lamentable, and I pity her extremely ;

r he but ce tainly she loved expense better than did.

I imagine, poor man, he thought her ﬁne dress and d appearance raised her in the eyes of the worl .

There is no end of the bad consequences of an improper marriage . When men and women make an indiscreet match, they say it is no concern of E 229 A LADY OF THE LAS T C N TUR Y.

a n s is n any one ; but when y distre s the conseque ce, the friends who were thought impertinent if they

troubled themselves about the match, are thought

n cruel if they take o part of the evil .

M . de Jarnac, who married an Irish beauty,

in the mistaken opinion that she was also a fortune,

' has been stock—jobbing here prodigiously ; but if we

s w ar . hould really have a French , he will be bit “ A very superb theatr e is going to be built in the

Haymarket . It is to be in prices the same as the

opera ; no places taken, and the play to begin at

’ eight o clock, which certainly suits better the pre

of O sent hour dining . nce a week, each of the

other theatres, on certain conditions, are to lend

their actors ; so they will each save the exp enc e

of a sixth part at least of their theatrical shows . l The other ﬁve nights their houses will be the fu ler. If ye London apprentices of these days are half as kill ’ d bold as he who the lion, I think they will

new N t assault our theatre . ei her its price, hours, nor situation will suit them . The town has been v da n ery sickly . Lady George Germaine has been

erousl . g y ill of the measles , but is better

Montagu (her nephew and heir) is in ﬁne 230 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

a s . health ; and to spirits, he never wants them He

s the e r ride in man ge f om eleven till twelve, and then his tutor sets him on Pegasus . The day

’ before yesterday was the ﬁrst time he had attain d

r the honour of riding between the pilla s, and he was as proud of it as Alexander when he had tamed

s Bucephalus . He dance , under the care of the

. V al on s r . s celebrated M y , ea ly every morning The e exer cises make a boy more healthy as well as more

O n r graceful . Tuesday he returns to Harrow, whe e his master tells me he does very well . I carried

’ -da s him to y to see Mr . Lever museum . The col l re ection of birds, both as to their variety and p

’ servation, exceed that in the King of France s

n collection of natural curiosities ; but, not bei g

’

. Buffons M onsr DA uben shown me by M de and .

s . ton , I did not see them with so much plea ure The ﬁnest as well as rarest bird being a wise and learned man . Mr . Lever is gone into the country, and I w a s disappointed at not seeing a man w ho would sell in exchange an acre of good land for an extraordinary fungus .

S . 2 1 1 8 Hill treet Feb . , 7 7 . The town is now full of company ; full of bustle . Real busi

232 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. should not have a reason to be talking about it .

D . Mr . anne , Mr Wilmot, and several persons of credit in the law and in other professions , came to me with strong remonstrances at the cruelty

’ s of letting Mr . Morri Robinson s widow be des

titute. So , that, for the honour of the family I

she would have given her what now has, if my father had refused it . I have had only a thousand

fa fhil . pounds out of my y, and for Mrs (Morris)

‘ Robinson I have no partiality ; but in Italy you have heard the most powerful of all arguments

do ss r to right, it is the addre of begga s , their Fate ben per voi !’ To be justifying bad things by

’ others faults is never graceful ; but in family con nec tions h t ere is great folly in it, and it is only giving people occasion to throw disgrace w hen it comes too near one . i It has been a great m o rt ﬁ c a tion that Mrs .

’ (Morris) Robinson s name has been often men tioned at this end of the town lately . I was always desirous that it might remain on the other side

Temple Bar ; but my brother was so generally

r beloved, that , out of espect to him , his widow was a n o bject of compassion . D F THE T E T R 233 A LA Y O LAS C N U Y.

The subject is pursued in the next letter to M rs .

William Robin son .

“ h 1 8 . s . 2 8 t Feb , 7 7 I am ure you who have a feeling and a gene r ous heart will be pleased with

’

rs . r Mr . Thomas Harris and M Ha ris s behaviour

M rs . . s to M . Robinson Be ides paying her all d kinds of civilities , Mr . Harris esired that when

she went to a new habitation , he might present

r n h her with a hundred pounds towards fu is ing it .

’ a s s Bad the world is , and tho elﬁshness makes

so et great a part of the human composition , y a

’ s r ocial, kind character like my poo brother s makes

ss m r d a nd its impre ion on te pe s of the like kin , ,

r in his indeed, one has a comfo t seeing memory so

M r . s . R much beloved and respected . M obinson has continually some marks of attention paid to h er. A s r hard hea ts love to insult adversity, tender

v ones endeavou r to console it . The ci ilities the

s poor woman receives are paid, not to her merit ,

’ i s but to her d stress or my brother memory . I n

i do r e ther case , they honour to human natu e . S An incident that might have cost Mrs . cott her is life , from her cap having caught ﬁre , cheer

u in r S d M h f lly noticed a lette , dated atur ay, arc I , 234 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

“ : 1 8 M rs . S . 7 7 , from cott to Mrs Robinson I am

' burned pretty deep in the back of my neck. From thence to my face, I have reason to hope , will be more speedy of cure, and the little damage my

r face eceived is well already, except an abridgment h of eyebrow and eyelash, whic , perhaps, may never

r iff come again, and I am pe fectly ind erent whether

or ﬁ ft - ﬁ ve they do no ; for at y (at least), half an eyebrow is just as good as a whole one . I have reason to think myself most happy in having come o ff so well as I did, considering all the very horrid

” ff r circumstances of the a ai .

Of she s n s one of her nephews , ig iﬁcantly add

I think how much better a good dull man is than C a harles Fox and many others, whose talents and

r vices have grown together in a superlative deg ee .

A nd in a s ubsequent letter she treats of her young niece and what young nieces love

1 8 . S rs . . M . May 7 , 7 7 Mrs cott to Robinson

I had the pleasure of s eeing your daughter on

n Mo day look very well and dance a good minuet .

Her mantua— maker is certainly the most insa

o f She tiable that insatiable tribe . requires two

’ s yard more of lutestring, tho she has already had

23 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s her s , at call than reason, and, by her present di tresse s eems to have gained s uperior strength . Had the

m ss late mis fortunes softened her te per into mildne , s he s is might ju tly have said, It good for me that

” I have been aﬂiic ted !

In s peaking of a tutor recommended for young “ S s M rs . rr M rs . Mo is Robinson , cott write At

’ C r ocke ell s he taught the young ladies to read, had

u s ow n a few p pil of his , and read and preached well a s c urate in Chels ea C hu rch . The only blot

’ S m so n r is w a s I re in Mr . y p s characte that he , p

u o r r r rr r s me , two th ee yea s ma ied befo e he acknow

d in l s i le ged it, order to keep his fel ow h p ; for when

r his C s he b ought wife to hel ea, she had a child or

ss two . Though nece ity ought not to be without l aw a re I t is s s (we told o) , it may ju tly be pleaded

s s his a ome alleviation of the breach of law . As

W if o n i s u s e , th account , came among under a little

d C s s clou , the quality of hel ea did not vi it her , except

V F rein d r l I rs . and one o two more who spoke well

her . of The other Miss Burrell (one, you know, married Lord Algernon Percy) is going to be mar r D m a r ied to uke Ha ilton, and they e going to con s um mate their unﬁnished loves on s hip- board D F THE T 237 A LA Y O LAS CEN TUR Y.

for r w h r she is to accompany him to Ame ica , e e

e s s ﬁ l it is v ry proper he hould go , as the ample t e d

e for him to indulge his passion for shooting . H

has exercised himself with shooting acro ss Hanover

S - s quare out of a wind gun , to the utter di may of

r old Lady Westmoreland and Sir Thomas Frede icks . b A bullet whistled y the ear of the latter, as he sat

his - s in dining room , and lodged in the wain cot ; two

m r S so o e penetrated into other parts . urprized at

d s ra n n angerou an incident, he to the wi dow, and

s aw his a vis Air there the duke , vis , at window, hi with a gun in s hand . He immediately sallied

his s h forth to give grace a de erved c iding , but

u d su d ring the time , the uke, having had lei re to

r s r cha ge again, he hot dead a favo ite dog which

ir bore S Thomas company .

f n In a later letter, Mrs . Montagu, re erri g to the

: i s has s above marriage, says M s Burrell no rea on

r D to be af aid of uke Hamilton . He might boyishly

off r ﬁre a gun, but he has the character of a ve y

- ha s vic s good humoured young man . He no f ,

n s is s is ha d ome, and , in all respect , like other

n r a oc1a l people . He does not make a y g e t ; but the n is ext best thing to great and good reputation , to 238 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

l be little spoken of. When there are not ta ents for

r . the ﬁrst, there is p udence in the latter

“ I s uppose you know there w a s a report of

’ my father s death . My porter had a very fatiguing

s morning with messages . I had promi ed to intro duce the Dowager Duchess of Beaufort to the

s . So French ambas adress on Wednesday night ,

’ tho the weather was terrible, I went out, and

w a s r such was the report of poor papa, that I sta ed

’ a s enter d ser at a ghost as I the room , and the vants below were very busy questioning my foot

— men . To day I ha d a message from Lady Anne d and La y Betty Finch , with an apology, that not

- having heard of that melancholy event till to day,

r s they had not sent their enqui ies . All thi while the old gentleman is in a s good health a s he has

” been this twelvemonth .

is This purely private subject followed, in a letter

r oth 1 8 u r n of April , 7 7 , by one of p blic impo ta ce .

I am s ure you will be desirous to hear a

’ t rue account of Lord Chatham s accident in ye

s House, and of his pre ent condition of health . The

i t newspapers are in but l ttle credi in general, but their

ff ha s account of that a air been very exact . His

T R 240 A LADY OF THE L AS T CEN U Y.

“ d . It is said my frien , Mr Pulteney, has been

Dr w . ; twice at Paris, negotiating ith Franklin but

M rs . the result is not known . Pulteney was here

n last night, but I was too discreet eve to mention the affair .

- Montagu came home to day . The school

s r in a manner broke up ye te day, but as the wea

s ther is hot, the town ickly, and I was to have an

e r . ass mbly, I would not ing him home He goes

S w to andleford on Tues y, and I am to follo him

d e is on We nesday . The w ather inviting, and I hate

r . this season of the yea in London If I am here, ! 1 am obliged often to and my eating room is not large eno nor high enough for large dinners and numerous guests . “ ’d Dr . s c all Robin on, who on me this morning, told me, a gentleman he met in Berkely S quare just before, assured him the French had d taken two o f our armed ship s . The octor is an

r ff historian of g eat veracity, but in an a air of this kind, he could not examine the evidence .

“ ’ Lord Kerry s ﬁne furniture sold very dear these bad times . I bought a large glass at the

’ French ambassador s sale , and some other things L D OF THE L ST CE T 241 A A Y A N UR Y.

new . s for my house, pretty cheap I uppose so great a sale j ust before made the second s ale more reasonable .

Oc t . 1 0 1 8 . . S M rs . . . , 7 7 Mrs cott to W Robinson

“ ” He (Rev . Wm . Robinson who had published

e w ax a political pamphl t,) has won the heart of the

M r R ow ll er s ee her s . . e worker, Wright Mr . went to performances, and, in conversation , asked her if she

' She w a s had seen the pamphlet . told him she

s charmed with it, had ent over a great number into her country, and assured him the author would be

s adored there ; and de ired, if he knew him , that he would tell him, that if he liked her or either of her

s On e daughter , they were entirely at his service . of ‘ d the girls cried out, Lor , mamma, we never saw

’ ‘ ’ m a ! the gentleman . We y not like him I don t

’ ‘ h r . care a fart ing for that, eplied Mrs Wright ; if

’ s ! he likes you, you hall marry him

Ladies of another quality come upon the stage in the following chapter . ( 242 )

C HAPTER X .

D M r . 8 . S s ec . 2 0 1 . , 7 7 Mrs cott to Robinson,

“ D ss C is enton . Mi oke a most extraordinary h and m c aracter, , in y opinion , a most contemptible

s she s . one, though I suppo e think herself a heroine I have great compassion on one who blushes at her

for frailties, or rather her vices, I hate those mincing names, designed only to palliate wrong actions ; but

a nd I detest a woman who glories in her shame, sets S the world at deﬁance . uch desperate spirits should not be clad in feminine bodies . They are ﬁt only

- for Sixteen string Jack and his brother ruflians.

Your daughter may in due time fall in love ; nay,

’ s he f tho not very probable, may even all, in a stronger sense of the word ; but I will venture to answer for her never being one of thos e intrepid damsels who

s brazen out their vice , and, without any change of

s countenance, raise blu hes on the cheeks of all their

244 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ M s M o nta u s s r . g letter now succeed

“ — r n n . 1 8 To M s . Robi so Tunbridge Wells 7 7

has I love London extremely, where one

s the choice of ociety, but I hate ye higgledy

O ne s s piggledy of the watering places . never ee an f owl in a lock of wild geese, nor a pigeon in the same company as hawks and kite s . I leave it to the naturalists to determine on ye merit of each

is s . pecies of fowl All I assert , that nature has h designed birds of a feat er should ﬂock together .

O n the menagerie of the Pantiles there is not so

s a n s . ju t a sortment However, I have been fortunate

S C r M rs . now in ﬁnding Lady pencer, Lady le mont,

W e M rs . dderburne h . Boug ton, Mr and , and many

s w s of my voluntary London ociety here . There a a pretty good ball last Tuesday ; and Lady Spencer and the Duches s of Devonshire were so good as to chaperone Miss Gregory ; so I did not think it

fo r necessary me to sit and see the graces of Messrs .

’ L E V alhou s py y and Mlle . Heine] exhibited by

u the misses . I nderstand there are not above three dancing men , and the master of the ceremonies

s makes one of thi number .

M inouet dancing is just now out of fashion and, 245 A L ADY OF THE LAS T CENTUR Y.

the s by military air and dre s of many of the ladies,

I should not be surprised if backsword and c udgell

ul en playing sho d take place of it . I think our c ampment excellent for making men less effeminate ; but if they make our women more masculine, the male and female character, which should ever h be kept distinct, will now be more so than t ey have been .

We still have ﬁne weather here, and I agree

inc on with you, that the dust and other little venienc es that attend a dry s eason are not to be put in any account . I would have months of dust for one ﬁne day . I have not said anything yet to you of my

f . poor ather . The subject is a very melancholy one

. At present, all one can hope for him is an easy exit The great decay of his mental powers has for some time rendered him an object of great pity ; yet, to

s my un peakable indignation, I was told by a gentle

of W s - ff man here, that one ye hi t party at the co ee

’ s refus d house ome months ago, had not only to pay a debt of eighteen guineas, which he owed my

r but s fathe , had triumphed over him in a hocking

s imbec illit . manner, asserting his lo s of memory and y 246 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

What a wretch must it be that would insult an old

Extrea m . man . old age is little to be coveted In ’ f a long life one must outlive one s riends , and, perhaps, oneself. I imagine by the accounts of to da n y, that the great deliverer from huma woes has before this time given him his release . My porter calls every night, just before the last letter bell, to let me know how he does . “ It is much the fashion here to go and see the

’ C M u camp at oxheath . y father s illness wo ld make it impossible for me to go ; and I had much rather have the honour of seeing their majesties at

’

St . s . O f James all ﬁelds , the ﬁeld of Mars is that

s I like least . The ﬁeld which sustain manhood are pleasant objects ; those in which they are destroyed,

m el suggest a nc holly ideas .

The ﬁne condition in w hich I found my estates in

N r orthumberland and in Yorkshi e , and the universal prosperity there, made me wish we might enjoy our plenty in peace, run no new hazards, and incur no new taxes . The labouring people in the north do not suffer the poverty we see in the same rank in the south and our parish rates are very low .

s a nd M rs D Lord Kame . rummond, his

248 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

I will, for once in my life, show more discretion

” than vanity .

S . 1 To Mrs . Robinson . andleford June ye 3th, i 1 7 79 . As I had not been to Bath s nce the ' C C ircus was ﬁnis hed and the rescent began , I was much s truck with the beauty of the town . In point of society and amusement, it comes next (but after a long i nterval) to London . There are many people establisbed at Bath who were once of the

a nd polite busy world, so they retain a certain politeness of manner and vivacity of mind which one cannot ﬁnd in many country towns . All con

are a tracted societies, where there no gre t objects of

i u a n pursu t, m st in time grow a little narrow and p en f ade ; but then there is an addition of com pany by people who come to the waters, from all the active parts of life, and they throw a vivacity into conversation which we must not expect from persons whose chief object was the odd tr ick or a

’ a n en r e C s s s p r a . ards is the great bu iness of the

. l as inhabitants of Bath The adies , is usual in little societies, are some of them a little gossiping and apt

the to ﬁnd fault with cap , the gown, the manner, or

s the understanding of their neighbours . But that L D OF THE L S T EN T 249 A A Y A C UR Y.

- w ho does not much concern the water drinkers, not being resident, are not the objects of their envy ; and, I must say, they are all very obliging to

strangers . As the primate of Ireland was at Bath almost all the time, I was there, I had the daily pleasure of passing my time in the most a greable

society ; for such is that of a person of his noble

mind, endeared still more by his friendship to our

family .

“ I did not go at all to the publick room s

n s which are hot and oi y . As much as I could, I

s . 3 0 excused myself from private as emblies , when

S s the primate, Lord tormont , and ome others of

e my acquaintance who happen d to be at Bath,

had an idle hour, they bestowed it on me . The

Bishop of Peterborough, very unluckily for me,

went away the da y I came to Bath . We just met

’ at Marlbro Another a grea bl e acquaintance of

s mine , the Provost of Eton, arrived only ju t before

I came away . Mr . Anstey was often with me, and

you will believe he is very droll and entertaining ;

r but what recommends him more , is his g eat atten

is e . in tion to h family . He has ight children He

his s truc ts boys in the Greek and Latin , so that 25 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

S they are ﬁtted for the upper forms of Eton chool,

s where their education is ﬁnished . He has a hou e in C s s r s the rescent, at which he re ide the g eate t part

is ns M rs . of the year . Anstey a very se ible, amiable

s s woman , and doe not deal in the gos ip of the place .

r is s C s The e al o Mr . Hamilton in the re cent . He

a rea ble is very polite , g , and has been much abroad and lived much in the great world .

s s s s I should di like the Bath much le , if the house

l r were arge . I always take the largest that can be

the C r s r n got in i cu or C e s cent . O the outside it

s appear a good stone ediﬁce ; in the inside , it is a

s s s u s ne t of boxe , in which I ho ld be tiﬂed, if the mas onry were not so bad a s to admit winds at many

s places . The ociety and mode of life are inﬁnitely preferable to what one can ﬁnd in a ny other country

s a reabl e town , but much le s g than London . I believe if I was to act the part of Minos in this

s us e World, I hould it as a kind of purgatory, to which I should send tho se who had not the taste or qualiﬁcations which deserved to be put into the

no r dis a rea l uns c i capital city, were yet so g b y o able as to merit suffering the terrors and horrors of

” Wi u a long nter in the co ntry.

25 2 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

. She lady has a noble fortune, and, by her mother,

must be allied to the best families in Kent . Com

merce has so enriched this kingdom, that in every

county there are some new gentry who ec lypse those

ancient families which once had the superiority, and

I must own I love to see it return to them . The mellow dignity of a gentleman is inﬁnitely pre

ferable to the crude pride of a nabob . I believe

Sir C you are acquainted with Archer and Lady roft. They are now come to live in their house in this

neighbourhood . It had been lett to a mad West

his Indian, who ruined fortune and then shot him f self ; a ter that, to a nabob . I never visit the West

Indians in my neighbourhood, because they would

teach my servants to drink rum ; nor the nabobs, lest they should teach them to want to eat turtle

So and rich dainties . I had not been at Dun stan till the other day s ince the old proprietor left it . “ I ﬁnd the lower kind of neighbours are not

Sir . C pleased with A and Lady roft, because they

ma niﬁ c ient are not so profuse as the West, nor g as but the East, Indian they seem to me very well bred people . L D OF THE L S T CEN T 25 3 A A Y A UR Y.

i My nephew Robinson , according to the pr ’ C mate s advice, is studying hard at ambridge this vacation . He has very good sense and an unc o m mon memory, so he will reap great advantage fr om application to study . The generality of young people in these days spend all their time in travelling from place to place . Such a life may ﬁt them to

be surveyors of high roads , or, if very ingenious , to

b ut for make maps of England, nothing better. An uniformity of life goes far in forming a con

s r si tency of characte .

It would have done no harm to Montagu to have practised les s on s of idleness rather than study ;

t from the last, there is not anything to diver him here . “ D I am very sorry I have not a frank in enton .

m a However, that my double letter y not put your

a s ex en c e pocket, as well patience, to double p , I f convey it to London in a rank, to save half the

” charges .

S d . 1 8 1 0 . s . . T Mrs Robin on . andlefor Aug , 7 7 9

’ M ontagu s master wrote me a letter on my me

’ s phew s leaving Harrow, giving him every prai e I

’ w is h d and him could have , desiring me to give 25 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. his portrait to hang up with those of four of his

’ his distinguish d s cholars who had left school there .

Those young men have since had a considerable r u eputation at the niversity, and I hope my young

f s friend will have the same . But one ear for youth in every new stage it is to pas s through . He was this s ummer admitted of Trinity C ollege . I should

’ ’ J s s referr d St . have p ohn , as the di cipline there is k s . G ilban tricter but his tutor, Mr , being ofTrinity,

I could not continue my nephew under his daily inspection if he was not at the s ame college ; and

’ tho the s a l ary I give the tutor makes a consider

ff in ex en c e able di erence the p , yet if parents are to

’ a rdon d s h rod be p who poil the c ild by sparing the , they are not so w ho s poil the child to spare the

” guinea .

Referring to the marriage of the daughter of her

r C s he s b other harles, ays I imagine this week m C y neice at anterbury is made a happy bride, and

is r what bette , in the probability of being a happy

. . ha s wife Mr Hougham a very good character , m D and I believe y neice is very amiable . iscretion and good-humou r are the great source s of do mestic k

“ happiness . I dare say my dear neice (Mary)

T 25 6 A LADY OF THE LAS CEN TUR Y.

Ephraim and Mount Pleasant that are not mere hovels ; the bed— chambers so low and small that one

’ is s is c onﬁ n d tiﬂed ; and, if the weather is bad, one all day in a httl e parlour not much larger than a bird-cage ; s o that unless one goes to Tunbridge l at the beginning of the season, one is miserab y accommodated .

“ The airings round Bath are delightful . From every w indow of my house in the Crescent I had the mos t beautiful prospects imaginable ; s o that I en joyed the sweet face of the fair month of May in all her blooming charms .

fa r n o u a s I am very from laughi g at y ,

for d you suppose, in ulging reveries about your sons marrying . I often allow my fancy to dance at

’ M t on a gu s wedding ; and the times are such I can hardly restrain it from attending his divorce bill C through the Houses of Lords and ommons .

However, it is better to suppose the times will

. mend We do more wisely, when we sweeten pre

s sent cares with the prospect of future plea ures, than when we embitter present pleasures with future

i apprehens ons .

. When Mrs Montagu made the last reﬂection , L D OF THE A A Y LAS T CEN TUR Y. 25 7 she probably had in her mind the lines in her favourite C omu s :

Be not over exquisite To c a st the fa shion of unc erta in evils

For rant t e be s o w e e rest nkn w n g h y , hil th y u o ,

Wh nee a ma n r a r e y d fo esta ll his d te of g i f, A nd run to meet w ha t he w ould mo st a void !

I have two objects in a daily state of im provement— my nephew Montagu and my new house . Many people would sa y my pleasure in

’ both will be less when they are a rriv d at their state

O . of perfection, but I am not of that pinion The pleasures of expectation and of possession are dif ferent t , but the quie serenity of the latter is, me

n s thi k , the best .

“ . Dec . 2 th 1 . To Mrs Robinson . ye 9 , 7 7 9

Our town amours present us with every thing that is horrible . Women without religion or virtue, N and men , void even of a sense of honour . ever till now did one hear of three divorces going fo w session in s r ard in one , which the ladie of the most illustrious rank and families in Great Britia n

’ were c onc ern d. Lady Percy was the wife of a

n noblema of a most distinguished merit, who had a

S 25 8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. mind too noble to be satisﬁed with the greatest

s hereditary wealth and honour , has, merely to serve

n t o his ki g and country, exposed himself all the difficulties and dangers of military service . Lord

C armarthen is the pretties t man in his person ;

s his m the mo t polite and pleasing in anners, with a sweet temper and an excellent Understanding,

D r l t . happi y cul ivated As to Lord e by, to be

ha s sure, he nothing on his side but the seventh

ffi commandment ; but that should be su cient, and

w a s s ffi s . u cient, in former time Her family, it is s s l aid, triumph that thi divorce is on y an ugly step to an elevation of title . However, the name of an adulteres s will surely blot whatever shall be written

is s over it, even were it an imperial title . It aid, D i i . n however, that Lord w ll be only divorced the S C piritual ourt ; and, in that case, he will have the revenge of keeping her in her present awkward situa

is s f tion but while he punishing the faithle s Wi e, he is doing the greatest service to her gallant (the D D uke of orset) , whom he prevents from incurring

s infamy and al o getting a most extravagant wife. “ I approve much of your getting a dance once

fo r s a week the young folk , and I am particularly

260 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

I have not had a quarter of an hour’ s pain or

s plea ure from the Operation . I have not met with t h he leas t disappointment or mortiﬁ c a tion . It as

gone on as fast and well as I expected, and, when

for it is habitable, I shall take great pleasure in it ;

it is an excellent house, ﬁnely situated, and just

’ s w ish d uch as I have always , but never hoped, to

have . I know that in some little alterations we

S the made at andleford, country workmen were

w efe so tedious, we obliged to send for carpenters

from London ; but here we have such plenty of

Hands, that everything goes continually on . I was grieved to see Scott’ s Hall advertised

to be sold . It is a pity s uch an ancient family

should be rooted-up to plant some upstart nabob

in its place . “ I suppose your consort was concerned at

the indiscretion of his Pallas, Mrs . Macaulay . Had

she married a great-great- grandson of one of the regicides, however youthful he had been, it might

have been pardonable ; but the second mate of a

— o f- - surgeon to an , , ‘ Indian man war of twenty two seems no way accountable . If ye Minerva she L D OF THE L S T CEN T R 26 1 A A Y A U Y.

carried on the outside of her coach had been con

sulted the s n , no doubt but age goddess , eve in

ffi r . e gy, would have given signs of disapp obation

’ A n te I have sent you s ome verses of Mr . s y s on the subject . The ﬁrst copy he put into the urn ,

’ s d at Mrs . Millar , at Batheaston ; and being desire ,

s when he drew them , to read them a econd time,

ns c o . i tead of so doing, he read the other py

“ N v 2 1 1 8 0 . . o . e Bath ye , 7 It was tim

a C for Mont gu to go to ambridge, where I had rather he had lectures and took degrees under alma mater than under the goddes s of folly and dissipa

- s tion here . In these water drinking place , every one is more idle and more silly than at their respective

s s homes , where all have some bu ine s, and many m s . s f o t important pursuits I con ider, really, li e

as S u here a mere dream . ome walk very gracef lly, and talk very agreably in their sleep ; but a young man should not begin life by acting Le Sonam l bule . It is very we l to do so between the acts

s r ! a s of a bu y d ama, or, alas a farce, when the

is r is chief catastrophe over, and the cu tain dropped between the Ca sy world and us . The primate of s Ireland is here . He very kindly ent to m y 262 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s nephew Morris to come to him . Under uch pro tec tion a s , I think Bath as good a place any he can

do mes tic k the be in . The advantage of society with primate is the greate st imaginable ; nor could any parent behave with more real kindness to the young

w s r u man , ho e g atit de and deference to his grace make t he best return that can be to such good

N r w s ness . My ephew ve y i ely and laudably

s s pur ued, with the greate t application, the course

’ of classical s tudies the primate w ish d him to fall into ; and it is with great satis faction I hear his

s ha s s grace peak of what he done, with the highe t approbation .

“ M y new house is almo st ready . I propo se to move all my furniture from Hill Street

‘ n s thither, and to let my house unfur i hed till a h ff s . s good purchaser o er T en , hould I get a bad

s for r tenant, I can eize his goods ent ; and such s ecurity becomes neces sary in the se extravagant time s .

Dr . s Dr. Moi ey being dead, I applied to

C u w de la o r , your friend, hen I had my cold, to know if I might drink the waters . The poor doctor

s s is i very ickly, and, perhaps , from that reason, he

( 264 )

CHAPTER

T T HE B L U E S O C K I N G S .

- To Montagu, Mrs . Vesey (a warm hearted r O rd I ish lady) , and Mrs . (daughter of an eminent s D urgeon , named illingham , and subsequently a

w wealthy wido , ) is generally ascribed the merit of having founded partie s where conversation should form the chief, if not only, occupation . But there was a lady much connected with the above, and,

a 11 B 1nes m a s indeed, with the , to whom y be a signed the honour of ﬁrst attack ing what it was the object

S r s of the Blue tockings to ove throw, namely, Mi s

s us Cha o ne — a Mul o , better known to as Mrs . p ,

r m name which she acqui ed by arriage in 1 760.

When this lady w a s about twenty- three s he , in concert with Johnson , wrote the tenth

“ ” r numbe of the Rambler . Under the character

s he of Lady Racket, sent compliments to that L D OF THE 265 A A Y LAS T CEN TUR Y.

“ of censor manners, and lets him know she will S have cards at her house every unday, where he will be sure of meeting all the good com

pany in town She longs to see the torch of

a truth produced at n assembly, and to admire the

s Wi charming lu tre it ll throw on the jewels, com

lexions p , and behaviour of every dear creature

” there .

' O wa s f course, this note written as a text to which J ohnson might append a comment that should

sharply cen sure that card- playing against which intellectual ladies were beginning to set their faces

i . and close the r doors Accordingly, the Rambler

“ : - remarks At card tables, however brilliant, I have I always thought my vi sit lost ; fo r . could know nothing of the company but their clothes and their

faces . I saw their looks clouded at the beginning

of every game, with a uniform solicitude now and

; then in its progress, varied with a short triumph

w at one time wrinkled ith cunning ; at another ,

deadened with despondency, or, by accident, ﬂushed

with rage at the unskilful . or unlucky play of a

s s I w as partner . From such as emblie quickly

forced to retire ; they were too triﬂing for me when 266 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

. I was grave , and too dull when I was cheerful

“ When J ohnson suggests to Lady Racke t to light

” s w it/1 7n 7 11e s up her apartment y , he eems to have

made the suggestion which ladie s of sense and

or means adopted, and f which they were ridiculed

and nick- named by persons as brainless as any of

the ﬁgures staring s tupidly at nothing on the court

cards .

s There already exi ted, however, conversation par

ties that were as little attractive to person s of

s a s - good ta te, the ruinous card tables were to

r pe sons of prudence . In one of the few

S nfo letters of Mrs . cott which survived her u r t una te s reque t that all should be destroyed, she

“ s - a nd r thu wrote of card parties conve sations, in

r 1 0 J s s the ve y year, 75 , that ohnson and Mis Mul o

“ ” combined in the Rambler, to reform both

“ ﬁ nd a s I no objection to l rge companie , except

s the want of ociety in them . I have not the

s — natural requisite for ociety the love of cards .

I excuse myself from card - parties by saying I have

s s - a great di like to itting by a card table , which no one can p retend is unreasonable ; and I ﬁnd nothing

’ is so useful as asserting one s liberty in these cere

268 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

be thought of, and where the mental power was

s fre hest for conversation .

1 0 In that year, 75 , there was a charming French

du lady taking notes amongst us . Madame Bocage, “ d ” in her Letters on England, Hollan , and Italy,

s notice Mrs . Montagu ; and from the notice may

- be learned, that the last named lady was already

i giving enterta nments of a nature to beneﬁt society .

’ h D s W ile, at the uke of Richmond , as many as eighteen card- tables were set for playing in the

r his r galle y of house nea Whitehall, with supper and

for - wine to follow, the consolation of the half ruined,

M rs and congratulation of the lucky, gamblers , .

du Montagu gave breakfasts . Madame Bocage thus speaks of them and of the hostess :

“ the r w a s In morning, b eakfasts, hich enchant much by the exquisite viands a s by the richnes s of the

r n plate on which they are served up , agreeably b i g

r together the people of the count y and strangers .

s - da 8 We breakfasted in thi manner to y, April ,

’ 1 0 M o nta u s a s du 7 5 , at Lady g ( Madame Bocage

“ mistakenly calls her) , in a closet lined with painted

Peé in paper of , and furnished with the choicest cam movables of . A long table , covered with L D F THE T EN T 269 A A Y O LAS C UR Y.

the ﬁnest linen , presented to the view a thousand d ff glittering cups, which containe co ee, chocolate,

r biscuits, cream , butte , toasts , and exquisite tea .

You mus t understand that there is no good tea to

be had anywhere but in London . The mistress of

the house, who deserves to be served at the table of

f. is s the gods, poured it out hersel This the cu tom,

and, in order to conform to it, the dress of the

English ladies, which suits exactly to their stature,

s the white apron and the pretty traw hat, become

w them ith the greatest propriety, not only in their

’ St J s own apartments, but at noon , in . ame s Park,

where they walk with the stately and majestic gait

” of nymphs .

M rs w a s . Montagu not the only lady who gave S f those literary breakfas ts . Lady chaub (a oreign

’ lady who w on1a marry Sir Luke) received company

du at those pleasant repasts . Madame Bocage

s met Frederick Prince of Wale at one of them .

e The prince, who, with all his faults, was an a com

lished . p gentleman, came incog , so as to enjoy and

du to allow greater freedom . Madame Bocage

w a s treated him as an ordinary gentleman, and

a s perfectly delighted with his conversation, as well 27 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. with his thorough knowledge of the literature of her S own country . They gossipped beneath the igis munda (one of many ﬁne pictures pos s es sed by Sir

r s Luke) , which stirred Hoga th to paint the ame s v C orre io ubject, in ri alry, as he thought, with g ; but the picture was since discovered to be by Farini .

When the breakfas ts gave way to the evening

s s s coterie for conver ation (with orgeat, lemonade ,

bus c uits is s tea, and ) not known . After the e had

- s lasted a few years , the word Blue stocking occur

’

s M rs . M o nta u s for the ﬁr t time in g letters .

r 1 Dr . s s Writing, in Ma ch, 7 5 7 , to Mon ey, she ays

O ur Stillin ﬂeet friend, Mr . g , is more attached to

t the lilies of the ﬁeld than o the lilies of the town,

s a s a s who toil and pin little the others , and, like the

S his former, are better arrayed than olomon in all

s r glory . I a su e you, our philosopher is so much a

off his ds man of pleasure , he has left old frien and

e s is his blu stocking , and at operas and other gay assemblies every night ; s o imagine whether a s age doctor, a dropsical patient, and a bleak mountain are likely to attract him Mr . Benjamin Stilling

’ ﬂeet s a s t V ese s used to be een of en at Mrs . y

’ “ r n s a s M rs M . o nta u s gathe i g at g . Blue Stock

‘ 27 2 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s ociety the gentleness of her own character . Mrs .

r i Boscawen (née G anville , w fe of the renowned admiral) , unknown to the literary world, but made familiar to modern readers by her pleasant letters in

D s . the elany corre pondence, made herself welcome by

s the strength of her under tanding, the poignancy

r of her humou , and the brilliancy of her wit .

Sir s Stillin ﬂeet w a s William add , that g a learned

r r n r e s man , negligent in his d ess, and wea i g g y tock

’ s Bos c aw en s ing , which attracted Admiral notice, I and caused the gallant s ea m a n to call the assembly

n S S a s of these frie ds the Blue tocking ociety, if to

w h s r indicate that hen t o e b illiant friends met, it was

for u s f r s not the p rpo e of o ming a dres ed assembly.

so- S To one of the called Blue tocking Ladies, the

r C its Sir once renowned Lite ary lub owed name .

J oshua Reynolds proposed the for mation of such a

” J ohnson o full Tne C w a s club ; j y y acceded, and lub

. n formed Hawki s , one of the members, has left on

“ n record that a lady, disti guished by her beauty

s u and ta te for literat re , invited us tw o successive

” years to dinner at her house . Hawkins does not

name the hostess (opinion is divided between Mrs .

. e O rd Montagu, Mrs V sey, and Mrs . ) ; but he L D OF THE L S T CEN T R 27 3 A A Y A U Y. ascribes her hospitality to cu ri osity as to a desire to intermingle with the conversation of the members “ the charms of her own . This idea of conver sation , in place of gambling and other fashionable

w a s w ho follies, the leading idea with the ladies share the merit of having founded the Blue Stock

s s s s ing a semblies . The ho te who received the club

“ “ ff s s a ected, says Hawkin , to con ider the mem bers as 1il e7 a 7y m en ; and he thinks it probable that the club thence derived an appellation which it S never arrogated to itself. The Blue tockings andthe

Literary Clubbists seem to have had this in common

s s l r their discour e was mi cel aneous, chieﬂy litera y

u . politics were alone excl ded The last, however, were sometimes quietly discuss ed in one or other of the groups into which the assemblies under the

d s leadership of ladies ivided themselve .

M rs . Montagu , being a thorough woman of

s bu iness as well as a recognized leader in social life, did not make her house in Hill Street a court for

s s She the votaries of the Mu e all at once . had a

she i wholesome horror of being in debt , and ndulged her tastes only when her purs e authorized the out

- . 1 6 the C s lay In 7 7 , she completed hine e room 27 4 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y. which had charmed Madame du Bocage years

”

a s . u before . Mr . Adams, Mrs Montag informed

m e Lord Kames . has made a cieling, and chimney piece, and doors which are pretty enough to make

s . said estin l me a thou and enemies Envy, she , j g y,

” turns livid at the ﬁrst glimpse of them .

n At this time, Mrs . Montagu had bee living in

w as Hill Street more than thirty years . It not even at the later period the well-macadamized and

- broadly pave d street it now is . A few of the

s original and noble house still dignify the street .

n s Mrs . Montagu bega to reside there a hort time before Lord Chesterﬁeld removed from Grosvenor

S C l 1 8 . quare to hesterﬁeld House ; name y, in 74

C . In the June of that year, hesterﬁeld wrote to Mr

Dayrolles I am now extremely busy in moving to my new house, where I must be before Michaelmas next . As my new house is situated among a parcel of thieves and murderers, I shall have occa

” - C sion for a house dog. hesterﬁeld Hous e is within ’ S “ a stone s throw of Hill treet . The thieves and murderers were among the butchers of May Fair

’ and Sheppard s Market— not then cleared out for

s such street as have since been erected on the site.

E 27 6 A LADY OF THE LAST C N TUR Y.

’ s d tagu s rooms . In the a semblies hel there, the

all s hostess had words for , but she had no pecial idols ; and this was not always gratify ing to those who looked for idolatry . Boswell notices one night

“ when a splendid company had assembled, con sisting of the most eminent literary characters . I thought he (Johnson) seemed highly pleased with the respect and attention that was shown him, and asked him on our return home if he were not

’

r a t ed . N o highly g iﬁ by his visit , sir, said he

‘ r a ti ied et not highly g f , y I do not recollect to

e have passed many venings with fewer objections . How objectionable Johnson could be to others

- is well known ; but they took it good naturedly.

Soa me J enyns having been roughly treated by the

on h s doctor one of these occasions, revenged im elf by writing an anticipatory epitaph . It was pro

’ M onta u s . bably read aloud at one of Mrs . g coteries

is r The original prese ved, with half a hundred

M SS . be Sprightly letters by Garrick, among the S longing to Earl pencer .

“ Here ies o r nson Read r a a l p o J oh e , h ve ca re,

Trea t es ou ro se a s e n ar d ligh ly, l t y u l epi g be !

R e i i s mora enero s l g ou , l, g u , and huma ne

He w as se -sufﬁc ient r e and ain ; but, lf , ud , v . L D OF THE LAS T E 27 7 A A Y C N TUR Y.

Ill - ree and o er- ea r n in d s te b d , v b i g i pu , A sc ar and a Christ an and a r e hol , i , b ut . o ou kn w all his w sd m and his o W uld y o i o f lly,

His a c ions sa in s m r a nd me anc t , y g , i th, l holy, B sw el a nd T ra e reta i ers his w it o l h l , l of ,

Wi te ou how he w ro e and a ke and ll ll y t , t l d, c e and s ough d, pit

Mrs . Garrick was among the ladies who met

’ M onta s n - in . u Mrs g drawi g room , and she remained

s f i the fa t riend of the latter t ll death parted them.

About a quarter of a century had elapsed since, as

. a Eva Violetti, Mrs Garrick, had made her ﬁrst p pearanc e on the stage as a dancer . In what guise she

u t made her deb t was, doub less, laughingly alluded S ff S . to by the Blue tockings The Earl of tra ord,

1 1 f who died childless, in 79 , has le t a record of

f 1 6 the act in an unpublished letter (March, 74 )

“ She he in the Cathcart collection . surprised r audience at her ﬁrst appearance on the stage ; for at her beginning to caper, she showed a neat pair

’ roll d of black velvet breeches, with stockings ; but

ﬁnding they were unusual in England, she changed them the next time for a pair of white drawers .

This was a joke for the more intimate circle in Hill S m treet . It is probable that it was at the ore 27 8 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ M onta u s exclusive gatherings at Mrs . g , that the satirists, who had no title to enter, ﬂung their shafts .

” w Beattie used to dwell ith enthusiasm and delight,

Sir says William Forbes, on those more private parties into which he had had the happiness of being

’ M rs M onta u s admitted at . g , consisting of Lord C Lyttelton, Mrs . arter, and one or two other most

s intimate friend , who spent their evenings in an unreserved interchange of thoughts ; sometimes on critical and literary subjects ; sometimes on those of the most serious and interesting nature .

’ M onta u s s Mrs . g s as emblie were held within

O s doors . ther ladie varied the character of their C entertainments . Lady lermont (for example) was not more remarkable for her conversational

al s parties than for her fre co gatherings . In May,

’

1 St . J 7 73 , when living in ames s Place, she issued

“ i r d inv tations to three hund ed ear friends, to take

r tea and walk in the Pa k . It is said that the D uchess of Bedford, who then resided on the site now occupied by the north side of Bloomsbury

“ S in quare, sent out cards to take tea and walk

” the ﬁelds . It was expected that syllabubs would

S the soon be milked in Berkeley quare, around

E 28 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T C N TUR Y.

h ’ Lyndoc ) were going to Lady Brown s, in a coach,

w b they ere attacked y footpads on Hay Hill . One opened the door and demanded the company’ s

u r money . The f ture Lo d Lyndoch showed the s ff tu of which that gallant soldier was made . He

s the s up et robber who addre sed them, then jumped out and secured him . The confederate took to his heels .

O ne 1 6 the s night in the autumn of 7 7 , hou e in

Hill Street was crowded . The French ambassador

N s and Mme . de oaille were there, but the hero of the night was Garrick, who electriﬁed his audience by reciting scenes from Macbeth and Lear “ Though

had . they heard so much of you , Mrs Montagu

“ s s s wrote to Ro ciu , they had not the lea t idea such things were w ithin the compass of art and

’ S s r r s nature . Lady pencer eyes we e mo e expres ive

She than any human language . amazed them with telling them how you could look like a simple

ih D ton Abel rugger, and many comic arts equally

h u s d undutiﬁi l surprising, w en m rderou aggers and

” r daughters we e out of the question Mme . de

N s w a s s he oaille so profuse, as descended the stairs, h in t anks for the great intellectual enjoyment, that L D OF THE L S T E 28 1 A A Y A C N TUR Y.

Mrs . Montagu was afraid she would forget herself,

She and, by a false step , break her neck . fervently

hoped, too, that Garrick had not caught cold by “ h going out into the air, when warmed with t at ﬁre

” of genius which animated every look and gesture .

1 In March, 7 79, Johnson wrote to Mrs . Thrale

On Monday, I came late to Mrs . Vesey . Mrs .

” Montagu was there . I called for the print (of

Mrs . Montagu, in the costume of Anne Boleyn)

“ and had good words . The evening was not

brilliant, but I had thanks for my company . In O J ctober of the same year, ohnson wrote to Mrs .

“ ’ V ese Thrale : I have been invited twice to Mrs . y s

” conversa tion . , but have not gone J ohnson has described a scene at one of the Blue

’

S . O tocking assemblies (Mrs rd s), where, as he wrote

. : . to Mrs Thrale I met one Mrs Buller, a travelled lady of great spirit and s ome consciousness of her

i a own abil ties . We had a contest of gall ntry an hour long, so much to the diversion of the com

’ pany, that at Ramsay s, last night, in a crowded room, they would have pitted us again . There

S St. sa were melt, and the Bishop of A ph, who

v M onboddo comes to e ery place, and Lord , and HE T 28 2 A LADY OF T LAS T CEN UR Y.

i O n S r . Joshua, and ladies out of tale another night

’ s he was at Mi s Monkton s, the then young lady whom many may remember as the old and eccentric

C . . u Lady ork Mr Langton , in a letter to Boswell, th s paints the groups of Blue Stockings at the house of the lady who shared with Mrs . Montagu the glory of being their founder . The company consisted D chieﬂy of ladies, among whom were the uchess D D owager of Portland, the uchess of Beaufort, w hom, I suppose, from her rank I must name before

M rs . her mother , Boscawen, and her eldest sister, Mrs .

Lew son s , who was likewi e there, Lady Lucan, Lady

C s lermont, and other of note, both for their station and understandings . Amongst other gentlemen

Sir were Lord Althorp, Lord Macartney, Joshua

M r W Reynolds, Lord Lucan, . raxall (whose book ‘ N you have probably seen, the Tour to the orthern ’ i Parts of Europe, a very agreeable, ngenious man) ,

Dr. IVIr . Warren, Pepys the master in chancery,

Dr. and Barnard the Provost of Eton . As soon

e as Dr. Johnson had come in and had ta hen th cha in c , the company began to colle t round him till they became not less than four , if not ﬁve, deep, those behind standing and listening over the heads

E L EN T 284 A LADY OF TH AS T C UR Y.

w r fe other houses, for the sole pu pose of conver

ff ﬁ'om sation, and were di erent in no respect other parties, but that the company did not play at

” cards . Hannah More describes the hours she passed

“ at these parties as pleasant and instructive . She states that she found there learning without pe da ntr ff y, good taste without a ectation, and con

t u versation without calumny, levi y, or any cens rable error .

From the following lines, the names of the foun ders of the new assemblies may be learnt . Their object was to rescue

“ ’ Soc i ety o errun

B st at es a tin Hun y Whi , th d ol g

‘ and from despotic Quadrille, the Vandal of col

” l o uial . q wit Three ladies, according to Hannah

ff f . More, e ected the re ormation

’ The van uish d ri e c row n to ou M rs V ese q t pl y , ( . y) B os ca w en sa e r t M onta u g , b igh g ,

D e Y r a r e . c es in a ste ivid d f ll ou h ,

Resc e the ra a e real m u d v g d s of ta ste.

Among the genial and the lofty spirits found

Ord in the rooms of those ladies, and of Mrs . L D OF THE L S T EN T R 28 5 A A Y A C U Y.

d an others, Hannah More names accomplished l Lyttelton, witty Pulteney, po ished, sometimes sar c astic u , Walpole, with humo rists who charmed and never wounded, critics who recorded merits before

for C n they looked defects, hristia poets, skilled physicians, honest lawyers, men of all shades of li i po tics, w th princes of the church, ladies of ton,

“ and reasonable beauties . Roscius (Garrick) ,

a C J M rs (Mason) , ato ( ohnson) , and Hortensius

(Burke), are recorded amongst those who, at those intellectual gatherings, at various times, led the conversation, and made it as glorious as Hannah

More, who shared therein, proceeds to describe it .

’ M onta s f the The chief incident in Mrs . gu li e in

1 8 1 year 7 , one which threw a shade over several

Dr. succeeding years, was her quarrel with Johnson, founded on certain depreciatory passages in Johnson’ s

“ ” Life of Lyttelton . When Johnson sent to Mrs . S f Montagu his M . of the li e before it went to press, the homage implied that he submitted it to

her . judgment for approval or correction Mrs .

s Montagu di approved the tone, and Johnson sent his copy to press w ithout altering a word or modi f in y g a sentiment . 28 6 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

’ N J s evertheless, ohnson account of Lyttelton

seems fair enough to readers of the present day, though it greatly offended the lady who paid ff J Lyttelton a homage of reverential a ection . ohn

’ L ttel ton s son duly records y precocity at Eton, and

” his m his creditable attempt in Blenheim, to beco e

O . the a poet, at xford His political career, as f opponent of Walpole, by whose all Lyttelton came

’ fﬁ L ttelton s into o ce, is told without passion , and y

honest progress from honest doubt to honest con

vic tion of the truth of Christianity is delicately and

a s sympathetically narrated. His merits a landlord,

r his his good fo tune as a politician, ﬁdelity as a

friend, and his anxiety to be at least accurate as

s s . an hi torian, are chronicled without re erve The

’ details of Lyttel ton s digniﬁed death might have

made his best friend forget and forgive the eriti

M rs . c isms on some of his writings . Montagu

might forget a part, but she could not forgive an

s expression of compa sionate contempt, which was

r worse than adve se criticism . She might forget that Johns on spoke of The Progress of Love as

“ k verses that cant of shepherds and ﬂoc s, and

She crooks dressed with ﬂowers . may have been

HE L T EN T R 28 8 A LADY OF T AS C U Y.

l conversation with him . Genera Paoli sat next to the doctor. Johnson turned to him and remarked,

“ You see, sir, I am no longer the man for

! w a s diff Mrs . Montagu He not in erent to this

“ condition of things . Mrs . Montagu, sir, he

ft . N ow a erwards said to a friend, has dropt me , sir, there are people whom one should like very well

” s to drop, but would not wi h to be dropt by .

- Good natured friends embittered the quarrel.

” r Mrs . Vesey sounded the t umpet, as was remarked

“ b NV al ol e : y p , who added It has not, I believe, produced any altercation ; but at a blue - stocking meeting, held by Lady Lucan, Mrs . Montagu and ff Johnson kept at di erent .ends of the chamber, and

. She set up altar against altar there told me, as

s a mark of her high di pleasure, that she would not ask him to dinner again . I took her aside and fomented the quarrel, and wished I could have

” made Dagon and Ashtaroth scold in Coptic .

Walpole (who in this quarr el was quite as malicious

. s ff w as as Mrs Ve ey, whom he a ected to laugh at, indiscreet) called Johnson in another letter refer

“ ” r Dem a or on a t ing to this quarrel, g g , and s ys hat the doctor and the lady kept aloof “ like the west L D OF THE L T E A A Y AS C N TUR Y. 28 9

f . s rom the east He states that Lady Lucan , who e

s house was the scene of the comedy, had as embled

’ - V ese a blue stocking meeting in imitation of M rs . y s

Babels . It was so blue, it was quite mazarin blue .

Soa me en ns Per s ia n s S There were J y , Jone , Mr . her

M r . C u lock, the new court, o rtenay, besides the out

— s s . hesides pen ioners of Parnassu And those named ,

every man of whom was a man of intellect, there

w as Mr . Horace Walpole himself, who certainly was

s be present, becau e he knew he would not among

a s fools , though he pretended to go if he found

s amusement in their folly . He seem , in the above

is - ur r s extract, to recogn e the good nat ed I i h lady

M rs . e sub Ves y (whose house in Bolton Row, or

Cl ar es S s sequently in g treet , was ho pitably open to

people of merit— proved or promised) as the founder

of assemblies to which the slang name of ha s -Cl ea

s s w a s . as emblie given Referring to Mrs . Montagu ,

r with whom he was ve y glad to dine, he says (in

s She is thi year, one of my principal enter

’ tainments V ese s at Mrs y , who collects all the

s d graduate and can idates for fame, where they vie with one another till they are a s unintelligible a s

s the good folk s at Babel . We hould honour a ny

U 290 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

lady of the present century who, like Mrs . Vesey

O rd d Mrs . Montagu, Mrs . , La y Lucan, and others in the last century, welcomed to their houses, not

for only all the graduates, but also the candidates fame . Johnson himself was annoyed when not

n s . 1 80 i vited to those intellectual meeting In 7 , he writes, I told Lady Lucan how long it was since she s sent to me ; but she aid, I must consider how

’ 9 the world rolls about her . From the lips of the guests whom Walpole met at the houses indicated he could not carry away the stories that he loved s o well as to insert them, in his most exquisite hand, f into folios care ully arranged . These still exist ; they illustrate phases of life among high- born women and men of the las t century who were gra duates N , not in fame, but in infamy . othing could

s well be wor e, except the infamy of him who must have passed many a night in penning that unut terabl y horrible and scandalous chronicle . The chronicler, on the other hand, is not to be blamed for noting the little affectations of th ose whom he l encountered, as in the following examp e, the date

“ ” 1 8 1 s of which is 7 I met, he ays to Lady

O s M rs . . sory, Montagu the other night at a visit

292 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

at Bath, explained himself by saying, that he would

be happy to know the s ame individual again— at

! So - Bath , with regard to literary or bas bleu

s assemblies, he acknowledged tho e only of London .

Provincial meetings he treated a s shams and covered

’ — M rs . them with ridicule . Miller s house, to which she invited a rather mixed assembly of pers ons distin

uished g for intellectual merit, or persons who were

o fbirth — l distinguished only by the accident , Wa pole mis - named the puppet- show Parnassus at Bath

” “ s — a s easton (or Pindu ) new Parnassu , composed

r r i of th ee laurels, a myrtle t ee, a weeping w llow, and

- a View of the Avon, which has been new christened

’

H elicon . L t telton s Miss Rich, Lady y sister, took

d . Walpole to ine there He ridiculed his hosts,

C ofﬁ c ious described aptain Miller as , though good i “ ” natured, who, w th his wife, had caught taste, and outlived their income . Having (like wise and honest people) recovered themselves by living economically abroad, they resumed their old home

. with improved habits Alas . says Walpole,

Mrs . Miller is returned a beauty, a genius, a S appho, a tenth Muse, as romantic as Mademoiselle

S a s s de cuderi, and sophisticated as Mrs . Ve ey. 293 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

They have introduced bouts - rimés as a new dis

c over . y They hold a Parnassus fair every Thursday, give out rhymes and themes, and all the ﬂux and

A n quality of Bath contend for the prizes . Roma vase, decked with pink ribbons and myrtle, receives

r Six the poetry, which is drawn out eve y festival . judges of these Olympic games retire and select the

h s s brig te t composition , which the respective suc c essful C acknowledge, kneel to Mrs . alliope Miller,

f r kiss her air hand, and are c owned by it with

s myrtle . The collection is printed, publi hed

' ' r éout- mmes o n yes, on my faith, the e are a buttered muﬂin D ss N , by her grace the uche of orthumber C land, receipts to make them , by orydon the

s r b Venerable, alia Geo ge Pitt ; others, very pretty, y

Lord Palmerston ; some by Lord Carlisle ; many by

. rs Mrs Miller he elf, that have no fault but wanting

w s metre . There never a anything so enter taining or so dull . It may be added here , that

’ r Pal m erston s s O n u Lo d line Bea ty, are more than

“ very pretty, and that the duchess could not avoid

s the subject laughed at, ince two of the rhymes

” “ ufii n ffi n given to her were p g and mu , and she came out of the diffi culty with skill a nd 294 L D OF THE L S T CEN T R Y. . A A Y A U

l dexterity. There, are, perhaps few peop e in a mixed

s company at the pre ent time, who could more plea santly dance such an intellectual hornpipe in similar fetters .

’ Miss Seward modiﬁes Walpole s satirical account

i She without disturbing the ma n facts . adds, with reference to the volumes of these prize poems then

“ published : The proﬁts have been applied to the

’ n r be eﬁt of a charity at Bath, so that Lady Mille s

” “ institute (her husband had been knighted) w as not only calculated to awaken and cultivate in

enuit g y, but to serve the purposes of benevolence

s r and charity . Walpole upp essed the fact that

’ ss any one proﬁted by the a emblies at Lady Miller s,

s of whom and of who e husband, who presumed to

’ ’ w r tu have Walpole s predilection for , Horace says

l s They make themse ve completely ridiculous, which

- - is a pity, as they are good natured well meaning people .

Some ﬁne spirits contributed to the Batheaston

vase, and their contributions, for which the writers

’ n s — ge erally had a fortnight notice, the one theme

to r — being given all competito s, are often marked by

the power, grace, fancy, and, in comic pieces, rough

N 296 A LADY OF THE LAS T CE TUR Y.

Blue Stocking Clubs were originally established

1 8 1 w as about this time, 7 , when Hannah More writing of them as institutions the chief members of which had already pas sed away . The amiable philo s r s e opher and tho oughly hone t , modest, and a com plished man Benjamin Stillingﬂeet (the grandson of

s the bi hop) , from whom they are supposed to derive

n . their ame, had been dead ten years In his early

s days , he made the ascent of Mont Blanc ; his la t

s his s were spent in Kensington Barrack , where alary a s barrack - master satisﬁed his wants and left him h i W w erew th to help thos e who ere in need . He contributed towards the social reform commenced

b J s s s Cha o ne M rs . y ohn on, Mis Mul o ( p ) , and

1 0 C Montagu in 75 , a poem on onversation . It ri Wi h ngs th ec oes of Pope, and lays down some very excellent rules that, implicitly followed, would make

s i ss f conver ation mpo ible . Boswell re ers to Hannah

’ More s poem on the Blue Stockings without noticing her record that s o many of the persons

in r h named it we e t en dead . The institution, in

“ ” w a s l n fact , the sere, the yellow leaf, and one , at

w a s 1 8 2 n least, of its old leaders weary . In 7 , whe

s Mrs . Montagu was e tablished in her palace (as L D OF THE L S T E 9 A A Y A C N TUR Y. 2 7

w Wraxall says the Italians ould call, and as many did S English people call , it) in Portman quare, her

r She assemblies were more c owded than ever .

n herself, quee ing it beneath the cieling painted by ff Angelica Kaufmann, felt, or a ected to feel , a little

r weary of her splendou .

“ ” she d 1 8 2 I think, wrote to Lor Kames, in 7 ,

“ a s the calm autumn of life, well as of the year ,

has many advantages . Both have a peculiar serenity

— a genial tranquility . We are less busy and agitated,

because the hope of the s pring and the vivid de

lights of the summer are over ; but these tranquil

s r m season have their approp iate enjoy ents, and a well- regulated mind sees everything beautiful that is

r r in the orde of natu e .

1 8 C new s In 7 5 , umberland took the assemblie ,

M s s s at ontagu Hou e, for the subject of an e ay

“ ” O . in The bserver He places Mrs Montagu,

u m — nder the na e of Vanessa, in the fore ground, and

r f mingles prais e w ith mockery . He does not e er to the slang word by which the assemblies conducted

’ by ladies were known ; he calls Vanessa s as sembly the Feast of Reason . Throughout life, according to

s this essayist, Vanes a had been a beauty or a wit , 298 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

h whose vanity had this good quality, namely, t at it stimulated her to exercise charity, good nature,

ff — a ability, and a splendid hospitality qualities which

s car ried her into all the circle of ﬁne people, and

her crowded all the ﬁne people into hers . In s aloon s there w a s a welcome for every follower of s i n — a c e ce , every sort of genius , welcome which

r s f r extended, so the sati ical essayi t a ﬁrms, f om the manufacturer of toothpicks to the writer of an epic

rs her rn poem . Autho looked to for fees in retu

re for dedications ; and players, for patronage and p

r sent s on thei beneﬁt nights . According to C umberland the lady of Montagu

s House was eated, like the statue of Athenian

s Minerva, incensed by the breath of philosopher

s r poets , orator , and their intellectual breth en .

s s Hannah More tate , on the contrary, that at the

s 1 8 1 original blue stocking parties, previou to 7 ,

the company, instead of being a formal unity, were

r n ss b oken up into umberle group s . Something too of this fashion seems to be referred to by Cumber

w ho s land, de cribes Vanessa as going from one

s to another, making mathematician quote Pindar,

C persuading masters in hancery to write novels ,

E T 300 A LADY OF THE LAS T C N UR Y. as homage and compliments are profusely laid at her feet . To silly questions she has sensible replies replies which indicate the queries : I strove to do it the best I could ; I shall do a s the manager bids me ; I alw ays endeavour to make the part I am

“ n about my best part and, I never study anythi g

but . r r my author The e is, p obably, no exaggeration

r in this ; and the mo e fantastic side of Mrs . Mon

’ tagu s character is not overcharged in the incident

“ s ss that follows . The ho te introduces a young

” r noviciate of the Muses , in a white f ock . A ﬁllet

s l n of ﬂower crowns her ong hair, and the ovice

r s s advancing to Melpomene , add es e her with

’ O t w om N a t re s dess c a s her ow n hou , h u god ll ,

’ ” P r e of the s ta e an d fav rite the t w n id g , of o 5

s S s which put poor Mrs . iddon to the blush and

w r half of those who are ithin hea ing to ﬂight .

1 0 s o - S C In 7 9 , the called Blue tocking lub puzzled

s N s dweller in country places . e tor , of Bark Place,

S w a s s r alop, adly pe plexed as to what the club was and al s o as to the meaning of another slang term then prevailing . He writes to Syl vanus Urban a c c ordin l g y, with a sort of apology for being old a nd

S s A living in remote hrop hire . mong others, he H 301 A LADY OF T E LAS T CEN TUR Y.

f requently meets with the term white bear,

applied to ma ny characters of eminence ; and often

“ ” S C s reads of the Blue tocking lub, which he know

ﬂ r consists chie y of the literati . But being igno ant

of the derivation and propriety of application of l those terms , he wi l be much obliged to any corre

spondent who will condes cend to inform him . It

' that a n r does not appear y co respondent, not even

N a s the editor himself, could enlighten estor, either

or to the bear the club .

s a s Among the late t writers who have, Hannah

s s More, said, misrepresented the e intellectual partie

She her is Miss Mitford . speaks of Batheaston in

r D. 1 8 Recollections of a Litera y Life (A . 5 7 ) as

memorable for the blue - stocking vagaries of a cer

S C Isa ure tain Lady Miller, a omersetshire lemence ,

ff for who, some seventy years ago o ered prizes the

best verses thrown into an antique urn ; the prize

consisting, not of a golden violet, but a wreath of

ff a s w as laurel, and the whole a air producing, to be

”

u . expected, a great deal more ridic le than poetry

’ a In Lady Miller s case, the origin l object, conver

s sation, was lost ight of and some vanity was mixed up with the doings of the Batheaston Muse . 302 F THE L S T CEN T A LADY O A UR Y.

But to stir up even dull minds to make an attempt to write some sort of poetry was an intellectual exercise at leas t a s beneﬁcial as the process w hich k “ ’ counts honours , and eternally as s What s trumps P

R 304 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TU Y.

is s a graver tone, which occa ionally enlivened by

some of her old brilliancy of expression . The fol

w of lo ing letter is without date the year, but it was

written whenHill Street was about being abandoned

for the palace in Portman Square .

“ S 2nd 1 8 Hill treet . March, 7 You will

ﬁnd this town more gay and splendid than ever ; so ff little e ect has the combined evil of wars, and devas

tatio n . , and hurricanes The profuse liberality to

V estris s , ye dancer, and the enthu iastic admiration of f ll his capers exceeds all the o y I ever knew. Making

s a vi it to a wife of one of the corps diplomatique,

m ortiﬁ c ation the other night, I had the of overhear ing a group of foreigners ridiculing the English for

the bustle made about V estris

I have already o n my chimney- piece a mul titude of cards for assemblies for every day till near

he I t end of passion week . hope some of the ﬁne people will spend the Easter holidays in ye country ;

s for such a succession of a semblies is tiresome .

“ I have, greatly to my satisfaction, got my new house ﬁnished and ﬁt for habitation ; and I h should have taken possession at t is very time, but the wise people and the medical people s ay it would L D OF THE L S T CEN T 305 A A Y A UR Y. be dangerous to go into a new house just after the winter damp . As I always leave London early

e w a s in May, I was convinc d it not worth while to

’ u run hazard for a few weeks pleasure . It is m ch the fashion to go and see my house, and I receive many compliments upon its elegance and m agniﬁ

s cence, but what most recommend it to me is its convenience and cheerfulnes s . A good house is a great comfort in old age and among the few felicities that money will procure .

“ I shall be much obliged to you if you will

’ s H s r bring to London Thou i to y, which I lent to your caro sposo ﬁve years ago . I suppose he ha s d ” long done with it and I want to rea it .

“ De h 1 8 1 c . t . London . ye 4 , 7 At this time

is s r of ye year, the great city olita y, silent, and

s quiet . Its present state make a good preface to the

s s s succeeding month of crowd, noi e, and bu tle .

One always ﬁnds some friends in town ; a few agre able people may at any time be gathered tog ether ;

s s and, for my own part, I think one seldom pa se

’ the whole of one s time more a grea bly than before the meeting of parliament in J anuary ; and this never appeared more strongly to me than this R 306 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TU Y.

year, when so excellent a house was ready to receive me . “ As age is apt to bring with it a certain degree of melancholy and discontent, I endeavour i ff to prevent its hav ng that e ect, by sympathising in the joy of my young friends and of improving the m objects about me . As fast as time wrinkles y S forehead, I smooth the grounds about andleford, or embellish my town habitation . In a little while, I s hall never see anything belonging to me that is not pretty, except when I behold myself in the looking S glass . At andleford, I can assure you, Mr .

Brown has not neglected any of its capabilities .

He is forming it into a lovely pastoral— a sweet

Arcadian scene . In not attempting more , he adapts his scheme to the character of the place and my purse . We shall not erect temples to heathen

r s gods, build proud bridges over humble ivulet , or do any of the marvellous things suggested by caprice, and indulged by the wantonness of wealth.

The noble rooms which Mr . Wyatt was build ing when you were at Sandleford are now ﬁnishing with the greatest simplicity.

’ To— morrow is l o ok d to with anxious ex

E T R 3 08 A LADY OF THE LAS T C N U Y.

a r s t s s w is give them habit of e les ne s, hich now so

v dom estic k pre alent in the ﬁne world, that all duties,

e even the tender par ntal attentions, are neglected for it .

“ ou did s I think y wi ely, as well as kindly , in letting my n eice partake of the pleasures of your neigh

ho o d b our . To be within the sound of a ball, and

’ all ow d not to go to it, must seem a hardship

s re to a young per on . Life never knows the

o f s r a nd s turn p ing, I am alway an advocate for their gathering the primros es of thei r time . A

’ s a ll ow d s s young per on not to plea e himself, ome

r times will lose any desire to please othe s .

“ I think it wo uld be very desirable for my brother

C T r is to be a prebend of anterbury . he e a local

r n in dignity in it , and a cle gyma the neighbour hood of C anterbury ought to have a stall in the

e m. cathedral, in which he can tak a nap with decoru

I should think from the kind disposition the primate

s has hown for the family, he will lend a favorable

’ s r ear to my brother application . So g eat is his r t s Sir espec and tenderne s for his brother, William,

s d that perhap the request , supported by him, woul have additional force . L D OF THE L S T E 9 A A Y A C N TUR Y. 30

I am glad my good friend, Mr . Brown , is m s o s e ployed by rich a person as Lord Bri tol .

’ Such an income as his lordship s cannot be a n nually expended on do m estic k expenses without foolish prodigality and waste . I am very glad

r r fo r M . B own likes me as a correspondent ; I am obliged to make a very paltry ﬁgure to him as

’ c irc umsc rib d an employer . He is narrowly , both in space and expense ; but he really gives the poor widow and her paltry plans as great attention as he could bestow on an unlimited commis sion and an m unbounded space . He has made a plan to ake m s y grounds, in pro pect of the house and new

s room , very pleasing, and will execute as much of it every year as I choose , the expense being agreed

n upon, which will keep pace with the improveme ts .

The only way to cheat old Time is, while it robs us a of some enjoyments and ple sures, to be pro vidin g new ones . I am a great deal younger, I

s H think, ince I came into my new ouse, from its f cheerfulness ; and, rom its admirable conveniences and comforts, less afraid of growing old . My friends and acquaintances are much pleased with it, and

I am not afraid to confess the pleasure I take in th eir 3 10 A L ADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

ﬁnding it a grea bl e and commodious for company.

s But the great atisfaction I feel , as its inhabitant, I dare confess to few ; for few would hear it without

a n a dvan envy . People are not very envious at y

s see r s ss tage they anothe pos e , if they do not per c eive those advantages a dd to the happiness of the

r r s po ssess or . Many a w inkled old vi gin make it

er l a necessary article of m it in a blooming gir , that she s is s hould not know she hand ome .

“ The Bishop of Durham is going to be

r s She mar ied to Mis Boughton . is a very proper

Pers on for a wife to a grave bishop— a woman of

r good family, good character, and good tempe .

Pray have my neic es read Le Theatre de

’ l Ed i ! v uc a t on b . , y Mme de Genlis If they ha e

I think not, I will get it for them . it is one of the prettie st books that ha s been written for i young persons . The author s governess to the

’ Due C r s r de hart e child en . Even Walpole acknowledged the beauty of the

r house which M s . Montagu had built for her old age and for her hei rs — till Lord Rokeby vacated it

” the r “ recently, g ound lease having fallen in, and

“ the ediﬁce passing to the ground landlord . I

312 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

inferior to, their own . Principles, opinions, and habits are acquired and formed from those with whom we live and converse most . Be cautious, be delicate, be a little ambitious, my dear neice, in the choice of your friends . I would be far from inculcating a supercilious contempt for persons of weak understanding, or a censorious condemnation

s of their levity of m anner . Humility and charity

r v are the g eatest irtues , and let them ever guide

u your manners and reg late your conversation .

Be assured that the w isest persons are the least severe, and the most virtuous are the most charit

” able . “S J 1 8 2 . andleford . uly 9 , 7 I had a great

r deal of occupation of a mo e important kind, which w as the examination a nd payment of ye workmen who had been employed in building and adorning the said house . As I got everything a c c om

lished t s p before I lef London, I had the atisfaction of getting a rec eit in full of all demands from the

a rtiﬁ c er ow n various s . I will my taste is unfashion able, but there is to me a wonderful charm in those

’ ‘ ’ s zn ull o a ll dema nds s word f f . My hou e never b appeared to me so no le; so splendid, so pleasant, L D OF THE L S T E A A Y A C N TUR Y. 3 13

off so convenient, as when I had paid every shilling of debt it had incurred The worst of haunted

O . houses, in my pinion, are those haunted by duns

be Mr . Wyatt has nearly completed what

t e longed to the architect ; and Mr . Brown, by moving a good deal of ground and throwing it down below, to raise what was too low, while he sank what was too high, has much improved the view to the south ; and, having, at my request, made

s a fanlight over the ea t window, so that, the arch f ormed by the trees is now visible, these rooms are the most beautiful imaginable . With the shelter, mf co ort, and convenience of walls and roofs, you have a beautiful passage and the green shade of a grove . The celebrated Mr. Brown has already beautiﬁed ex re m our pastoral scenes t a ly . “ I can easily give you credit when you say you love society, because I know society loves you, and I am perfectly of the opinion of the common maxim, that nobody lives out of the world who

’ N w is ﬁt to live in it . o your husband s party have got into power, I have no doubt but they will bestow a prebendary upon him , if he asks

. his v ff them However, income will ery well a ord T R 314 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN U Y. your spending some months in London every

” winter .

1 6th 1 8 . Sandleford . June ye , 7 3 You must

know, as many authors with whom I have not any personal acquaintance do me the favour to send me their works, I found the carriage of them to be amongst my weekly expenses during the

So summer . , of late, if I make a short excursion into the country, I order the literature to wait

Or until my return . , if I go for a longer time, i to be sent down at proper opportunit es, with the

of tea, or groceries, or some other the vulgar

’ So necessaries of life . my dear nephew s letter d was suppose . to come with a pamphlet from a

’ shO bookseller s p , and my porter kept it, with i other things from the same source, t ll my return from Bath .

“ ’ I found Sandleford imp rov d by the atten

n tio s of the great Mr . Brown . My pleasure in

’ those improvements w as mix d with regret for his death . Brown was certainly a man of great

s geniu . Happily for me, he made a plan for all that is intended to be done here . As I do not allow my yearly expenses to exceed my yearly

3 16 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s . I objected to it, as unplea ant and unsafe He

’ ssu a r d me, that would I allow him to order me one of his coachmaker, after a model of one he had

s r s s u ed on every kind of oad , he would an wer for

m s s r . y ﬁnding it ea y and ecu e To this I consented,

n r and, in a very obliging man e , he attended almost

see it r r s daily to was p ope ly con tructed, and, about s ix s w r s week ago , he rote me wo d it was ﬁni hed .

I sent to London for it ; and I ﬁnd it the most

w a n s delightful y of taki g exerci e imaginable . I take an airing s ometimes of s ixteen or seventeen

r miles (ye going and eturn included) , and I am h never weary while abroad, nor fatigued w en I get

m is home . My achine hung so low, I am exalted but little above the grazing herds, and at ye same time can hear distinctly the song of the Skylark

N o above my head . rural sight or rural sound is

i r r : intercepted . M ss G ego y is my charioteer she prides herself more on caution than dexterity, so avoids every thing that could alarm me . As my d driver is young, I chose an old horse to raw me ; but so m uch ha s every danger been obviated by the construction of the carriage , I believe I should be very safe w ith a steed of more vivacity and spirit . THE L T E T 3 17 A LADY OF AS C N UR Y.

m s If the weather is doubtful, y post chai e follows that we may take shelter against its inclemencies . I am much pleased with this prescription of Sir

’ Richard J ebb s . We are doing a great piece of work in

s h feathers . Every sort of feather is u eful ; so s all be much obliged if you can collect some for me .

The old formality towards her sister - in- law never changed, as the following letter will show

“ h 1 N ov . 2 6t 8 . , 7 3 You mention, my dear m m ou s d ada , with regret that y had not a ke me to dine ; but you wrong your hospitality, for you offered me a very comfortable dinner ; but know

s Burﬁ el d ing, in your unsettled tate at , dining guests m ust be very troublesome, I had calculated and contrived all things so as to make you m erely a

vs . noonday i it To tell you the truth, I am so afraid of my postillion and servants getting a too great dose of ale at the houses of gentlemen in a country neighbourhood, that I make a rule never to dine

’ en o d from home . I have j y your kind and elegant hospitality at your house in Kent, and am sure the same spirit would ever exert itself to give an agreable welcome to your friends . 3 18 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

ha s Mr . Barret been very judicious in his

choice of Mr . Wyatt for his architect . He has a

most happy art of improving an old house . Where

the a part is to be extended beyond ﬁrst intention, the additions should be Gothick for symmetry not being

the object of the Gothick architects, irregularity f is not considered an imper ection in their designs.

Additions made to hous es in any other taste destroy

ti the intended propor ons, and introduce confusion

f f a m and deformityx more a friend to the Gothick

i a on the outs de th n within ; for, unless by great

ﬁ ttin -u expense and care, the Gothick g p is clumsy

and gloomy . Mr . Walpole tells me Mr . Wyatt

i u s has made a most beaut f l de ign for Mr . Barret.

I shall make my ingenious friend show it to me when he has leisure . Pray do you not begin to entertain hopes that you may one day sail in the air to our planet Miss Gregory went yesterday to see our air balloon launched . I had letters to write, and expected company to dine with me and to stay the evening, so I could not ﬁnd time to attend this aerial l machine . All the phi osophers at Paris are busy, making experiments on their balloons, and their

T E L S T CEN T R 3 20 A LADY OF H A U Y.

with pleasure on having done their part . Fate ben

for r per voi, do good you own sake, is an admirable moral maxim .

“ The Prince of Wales ha s given many

his brilliant entertainments , but present bad con

s s. dition of health will uspend, at least, those gaietie

It is thought he has an abs ce ss forming in his side .

It is said he suffers a great deal but if those suffer

s n him ing bri g into a habit of temperance , it will

fﬂ His be good for him to have been a icted . poli tical engagements have been p r oductive of some

’ his s d a salutary chastisements . He has been toute outrance at the theatres .

“ The French ambassador has ﬁtted up his house with much gayety and splendor . He is much con nec ted with that party which is at present very

is f r unpopular . It a ﬁ med that his court has

to remitted him, to support the party in

s C use election . The French abinet has ever made of bribery whenever they could introduce it for their purposes ; and alas ! there are few places or persons to whom gold does not ﬁnd access !

“ I think your evening readings must be

r v s very imp o ing to my neice . Hi tory presents L D THE L S T CE T A A Y OF A N UR Y. 321

to young persons many good examples , and will counteract the impressions of our newspapers, which

extrava give an account of the vices, follies, and

is gances of ye times . It much better for a young lady to read the characters of the Lucretias and Portias than to deﬁle her mind with paragraphs of

8t c . crim. con ., elopements, My health has not been interrupted by the S bad weather we have had . I believe Portman quare M t ’ is the on pellier of England . I never enjoy d

” such health as since I came to live in it .

“ 1 8 S . o t 7 4. andleford The improvements u of doors have advanced greatly from the time I

s s f left Sandleford la t Augu t . What I le t a little C rivulet had assumed the air of a river . harming walks on its banks and through the wood make me often think with gratitude of the late Mr . Brown,

’ a c c om lish d by whose plans all these things were p .

We are now embellishing the grounds to the south and making an approach to the house, which will be far preferable to the present . Mr . Wyatt has built me a large bed- chamber and dressing

i . room, wh ch command a beautiful prospect

. now Mrs . More and Mrs Garrick are with me, 322 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s not and, I ﬂatter my elf, will leave me before I may

’ hope for my lord primate s return . It was in the above year that J ohnson gave the following testimony to the quality of Mrs . Mon

’

s : . tagu intellect Mrs Montagu, sir, does not make a trade of her wit ; but Mrs . Montagu is a very ex tra ordinary woman ; she has a constant stream of

o s — it c nver ation, and it is always impregnated has always meaning . He further said, That lady exerts more mind in conversation than any person I ever

. Sir ratioci met with , she displays such powers of nation, such radiations of intellectual eminence, as

” are amazing .

E T 324 A LADY OF THE LAST C N URY.

excellencies, too little indulgence to the defects of

r others, if it does not totally destroy our admi ation,

’ certainly eliminates our affection ; and it is far better to be beloved than admired . “ S As to the new plantations (at andleford), their progress to perfection will be so much slower than mine to decay, I cannot expect to see much advance there ; but the hope of their giving plea

r su e to those I love, when I am no more, will ren der them objects of pleasant contemplation If

the h you have seen Recorder lately, he would per aps tell you that we had an alarm of ﬁre one night, but it w as extinguished and all danger over in less than an hour . The ﬁre began from my old dressing room . It is the second time it has happened there .

The ﬁrst accident was many years ago . You may imagine we no longer hazard making a ﬁre in a chimney which has such co mmunication with tim ! ber . I assure you, on the cry of Fire in the house

’ u um d at fo r in the morning, Montagu j p out of

’ ’ be d bed, rush d into my room, and gg that he

m w might i mediately conduct me down stairs, ith a

s tender zeal, equal to that of the pious fEnea to

the old . Anchises The end of the passage, from the L D OF THE L T E T A A Y AS C N UR Y. 3 25

s - - dres ing room to my bed chamber, appeared to be

in ﬂames, but we had one staircase at a distance,

w hich promised a safe retreat ; so that really I was

not so much agitated, or he any way disordered .

M w as . ontagu, by his alacrity, of inﬁnite use The

’ ﬁrst water thrown on the ﬂames boil d up but he and a blind man whom I have kept ever since he

o l st his sight, which is about ﬁfteen years since,

w l ere more usefu than all the rest of the family . I

’ N ew tow n u em l o d sent to , to call p the workmen p y

’ at my new ofﬁces and thev pull d up the beams and

’ en rafters as soon a s the ﬂames were qu c h d. My

’ N ewtown neighbours b ehav d with great neigh

bourl n s y kind ess, but all the a sistance had been in

’ ra is d vain, if I had not been awake and the family

at the ﬁrst crackling of the ﬁre ; for it made very

w a s rapid advances . I much complimented on my

’ su os d courage, from which my composure was pp

s s to ari e, but I confes that composure had its rise in

so cowardice . I was glad to ﬁnd our lives were not in danger, that ye consequences threatened to my property made little impression . The

’ w S co ard s declaration, pare my life and take all I ’ ’ m have ! seem d to be the expression of my ind . Y 326 A LADY OF THE L AS T CEN TUR .

Thank God ! the damage ha s been in all respects ﬂ very tri ing. I am very glad that this alarm did not happen after my lord primate and Sir W. e Robinson arrived . A ﬁre is the worst f te champetre

’ one can treat one s friends with .

Business will detain me here for a fortnight

s longer . I hall then go to Bath for about a

’ month, to enjoy the primate s society, who generally spends the evening with me . I have not any pre f tence to drink the waters, being per ectly well . I

r may take a little of them, pe haps, as I love to fall

s in with the custom s of the place in which I re ide .

M y great piece of feather- work is not yet compleated ; so , if you have an opportunity of get ting me any feathers, they will be very acceptable .

’ s e The brown tail of partridg s are very useful, tho

a s rs not so brilliant some othe .

- ﬁve . s At sixty , Mrs Montagu did not con ider herself too old to ﬁgure at court . The poets had not ceased to take interest in her and to make her

“ the subject of their rhymes Have you seen

’ J ernin ha m s Mr . g lines on Mrs . Montagu falling

” down stairs at the Drawing- room P asks little Miss

1 8 Port of her father, in a letter dated . February, 7 5 ,

E T 328 A LADY OF THE LAS T C N UR Y.

f s b mated at less than ﬁ ty thou and pounds, y her guardians .

“ ’ M onta u s r From g good character, those gua dians

a re the and her relations very desirous of match , which will take place when the lawyers compleat the settlements — an affair which I fear will take up no s im mall time, as they have no mercy on the

h is C of . S e so patience lovers a ward of hancery, ,

r s s many fo m are neces ary . You may imagine

r n s p retty la ge settleme t in land, both present and

’ r M onta u s future, will be required f om me ; but, as g

s r m s happines and prospe ity is y great object, I hall

s s comply with every rea onable condition . Mi s

’ C s harlton excellent understanding, and her gentle

ff r r a reable and una ected manners , ender her ve y g .

’ She ha s s a very plea ing countenance, and tho

is r r . ather little, ﬁnely made and rema kably genteel

She her — a is an orphan, but is with grandmother

r s - s ve y sen ible, well bred woman, and who is almo t as much in love with Montagu as her grand

is It s daughter . add much to my satis fa ction that

’ r - those who we e at Mrs . Terry s boarding school

s C with Mis harlton, are very fond of her, and speak

highly of her good temper ; to which, indeed, L D THE L S T CE T R 329 A A Y OF A N U Y.

her guardians and intimate acquaintance give ye

the strongest testimony . As good humour is great

ingredient of human happiness, it gives me much delight to ﬁnd my dear Montagu will ﬁnd it in his

partner . His own temper is the happiest I ever

knew. We dined yesterday at the Bishop of Salis

’ bury s . I was glad his lordship did not ask how many months in the year your caro Sposo spent at

Burﬁel d. Mr . Pitt is thought to gain ground

daily, and the opposition babble is little attended to

in the House . The town is very gay . The balls are

protracted to s even in the morning . Montagu danced till that hour the other night at the Duchess

’ s s o of Bolton , but he yawned horribly the next

mornin I h g, think w en he is Benedict ye married

man , he will not caper at that hour to please ye young

’ ’ - ladies . He din d to day at ye young lady s guardians ,

” and is not come home, or would send his duty .

J 1 2 1 8 uly ye th , 7 5 . You would know by various sources of intelligence how our matrimonial

s da negotiation went forward, and the y on which they

h So s were appily compleated . I will begin my hi tory

— where your information ended, our getting into our carriages at the door of M arybo nne Church . THE T E T 330 A LADY OF LAS C N URY.

Venus no longer sends her car and doves ; but a post chaise with four able horses and two brisk

’

. S sto d postillions do as well At alt Hill, we pp to take some refreshment . I eat a good deal of

v /lid ’ cold ham and chicken . The lo ers Sig a na

’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ l oaé a S /id a na l oaé a a na s a d a a in , ig , ig g , and piddled a little on a gooseberry tart . At Reading, we drunk tea, and there Lord Lansdowne, being also on the road, came to us and made his com

liments so p , but with much delicacy as not to bring

’ ye maiden s blush into ye cheeks of the bride .

n Indeed, for fear of distressi g her, I did not present h her to his lords ip, so he only made her a low bow, accompanied by an emphatical look . To the bridegroom, he wished joy . At eight, we arrived at

O ur Sandl eford . soup and bouillie had been ready

’ w a s dress d for some hours ; the rest soon . We avoided passing through the town of N ewbury ; so the bells there, which were jangling on the happy occasion, did not give us any disturbance. The

’ decent dignity of the bride s behaviour and the deli

’ cacy of the bridegroom s did them honour, and gave me great pleasure ; and we are three as happy people as can be found in any part of the habitable globe .

’ T T Y 332 A LADI OF THE LAS CEN UR . m ent as, converted into green land, would make

s a pretty littl e farm ; and for which, I uppose, they will charge as much as would purchase a tolerably ff good one . To e ect this , they were so tedious in their proceedings ; for my proposals were imme diately and perfectly approved both by the Lord l Chancel or and Master in Chancery .

“ The bride and bridegroom beg you all

” to accept their proper respect .

s s . The following de criptive letter, addres ed to Mrs

C S n Robinson, astle treet , Readi g, was franked by

- - . N Mr Matthew Montagu, ewcastle upon Tyne,

S 2 2 nd 1 86 eptember the , 7

“ ’ G arric k s I arrived at Mrs . , at Hampton, the evening of the day on which I visited you at

w Reading, and spent ﬁve days ith her ; making,

r indeed, almost eve y day an excursion to London,

d u to visit my poor frien , Mrs . Vesey, whom I fo nd in a very declining state of health . From Hampton

’ I w ent D S St to the owager Lady pencer s, at . Albans,

a rea bl re where I passed two days very g y, and gretted that my business here would not allow me to prolong my visit . The history of La Fée Bienfaisante is not half so delightful as seeing the L D OF THE L S T CEN T 3 33 A A Y A UR Y. m S anner in which Lady pencer spends her day . Every moment of it is employed in some act of benevolence and charity . Her ladyship carried me to see the remains of the seat of the great Lord

G orha mbur Bacon, at y, where remains, but is soon to be pulled down, the gallery in which he passed those hours of study which pointed out the road

a nd to science, investigation of the works of nature . The estate is now in the possession of Lord Grim

s ston, who has built a ﬁne hou e there ; but I could not help sighing at the reﬂection that the posterity of the ridiculous author of “ Love in a Hollow

” ’ s Tree, should build on the ruins of Lord Bacon habitation . S Al From t . bans I struck into the high road at Welling, not without paying the tribute of a

memor . o f Dr sigh to the y my old friend . Young.

From that place till I got into Yorkshire, I did not

a n — see y interesting objects but the mile stones .

N s Here, at my Gothick mansion near ewca tle, the

’ t - s naiads are dir y with the coal keel , and the dryads tresses are torn and dishevelled with the rough

s bla ts of Boreas . My lot has not fallen on a fair d groun , but it would be ungrateful not to own 334 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

it is a goodly heritage, and makes a decent ﬁgure

C o. when it arrives at ye shop of Hoare and , in

t r Fleet Street . A week af er me, a rived in perfect

health my nephew and neice Montagu . We are

alw ays here plagued with high winds, and this

seas on they have raged with great violence ; but

w a s 1 6 2 0 as this house built in , I hope it will not

now yield to storms it has braved for now two

hundred years . The walls are of immense thickness:

having been built of strength to resist our Scottish

neighbours , who, before the Union made frequent

s visit to this part of the world . My Gothick win

w dows admit light, but exclude prospect so that, hen

to s . sitting down, I can see only the p of the trees “ I observe with great pleasure that Mon

us tagu has a happy turn for b iness, and applies

i - - h mself to learning the science of coal mine working,

- of which many coal owners are ignorant entirely, but none ought to be so . Without working in

the mines, the process may be, to a certain extent, understood by a ny one who possesses any mathe m l atic a knowledge . The late Duke of N orthum

berland was very able in all those matters . Lord Mount-Stewart is now at N ewcastle attending the

336 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s Peacock, pheasant, wan, and all tribes beside of

Indian name, says the poet, contributed plumage of “ er new splendour ev ,

Sa fe w ith pr otec ting Monta gu .

‘ ’ r , To her cou t, thus decorated, resorted Genius

r Wit, Philosophy, Lea ning, and Fancy

’ u s re a r All these to M onta g p i ,

r A mbitious of a s helter the e.

sw a She thus ma inta ins divided y, With yon b right regent of the day

h me a n et b t w e kn w T e plu d po o h, o , Their lu stre to his inﬂuenc e ow e

A nd she the w rks of P oe s a n , o h bu idi g,

B t et sa es a nd me from a n . o h po v , plu , f di g

8 S . . To Mrs . Robinson . Portman quare Feb ,

1 8 7 7 . I have been in town almost three weeks in all which time I have not had three hours S of leisure . At my arrival in Portman quare, my porter presented me with an inﬁnite number of cards

s of invitation, letters , note , and not a few books,

s r pre ents f om their authors . I ﬂattered myself that in four or ﬁve days this bustle would begin to sub s s ide, but another cau e of receiving visits and writing

notes and letters began . The occasion was, indeed, such as gave me great pleasure, even that on which L D OF THE L S T E T 337 A A Y A C N UR Y.

n So you so obligi gly congratulated me . good natured was the world to the old aunt, that many members of the House of C ommons who had heard

s his speech, and many of the House of Lord who

c on ratu had heard of it, called in the morning to g e late me, and, inde d, for several mornings , I had a

N s levée like a minister . othing ominou ; I hope

s i that ye young man who was the occa ion, w ll never f be in that situation which, I per ectly agree with my

Soa me en ns b of friend J y , is the most misera le any,

except that of king in a free country . Ladies wrote

me congratulatory notes from all quarters of the

town, and I have since had letters from my distant

s corre pondents in the country, on the subject of

- D . the rawing room I received many compliments , but those which most ﬂattered my vanity were from

the greatest lady there, the ﬁrst minister , the C a Lord h ncellor, and some distinguished persons in

s the opposition . However, as these glories oon fade

away, and such a kind of speech is forgotten in a

few s r days, the most heartfelt joy I had, aro e f om

’ ex his the delight his brother press d on success .

The wise man says , A brother is born for the day

of adversity ; and, indeed, there are few men so

Z A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

wicked as not to pity and assist a brother in misfor

u t ne . But the good and great mind alone takes

delight in the success and fame of a brother . The

envious think they can es cape censure when they i i neglect a friend or relat ve in prosperity, and ndulge their malice safely in giving little hints to their

’ disadvantage ; b ut my nephew show d a different

s a s kind of pirit . As soon the House was up, he ran

to Mrs . M . Montagu, to his mother, and to me,

and with a most j oyous countenance, and in a most

expressive manner, told me in what manner our

’ in young orator s speech had been received the House .

Montagu felt this instance of fraternal affection

r with the tenderness and gratitude it dese ved, and I hope they will be through life an honour and happi

ness to each other . You rightly imagine the wife

r and aunt are not without anxiety, lest pa liamentary

exertions and attendance should hurt oii r young

’ man s health, but at present he is perfectly well .

“ The only thing that induces the p rimate to

ne is not l a prolong his stay at Bath is that me. The dumb gout, as he calls it, which used to make him

, so has for some months in a manner forsaken him ,

n it a d he thinks it prudent to endeavour to bring back .

340 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

(Matthew Montagu) a nd Mo ntagu Matthew . Gene

‘ ral Matthew himself deﬁned the distinction . I ’ i ‘ wish it to be understood, sa d he, that there is d no more likenes s between Montagu Matthew a n

Matthew Montagu than between a chesnut— horse

’ - and a horse chesnut . 8 S . u 1 1 . M rs . To . Robinson andleford J ly 4 , 7 7

That I w a s delighted at becoming a grand

r fo r s mothe , such I account my elf to the dear babe , cannot be doubted ; and surely it is the most agre able and becoming offi ce of old age . I have always

’ w o nder d at the wild and rash ambition which

’ impell d men to wish and seek for conditions and offices to which they were not by talents or circum

s stance well adapted ; but I may say without vanity,

the s I have the age, the experience, wrinkle , the foibles which form the compleat character of grand fﬁ mother ; and I long to be in full o ce, but it will d be above a fortnight before father, mother, chil ,

’ ﬁ x d S s and cradle will be at andleford . I hould have been under dreadful anxieties if she had not

she s a reabl e been so well ; for is the mo t amiable, g , S and valuable young woman I ever knew . he is

a nd she v a mere mortal , , I suppose, must ha e some L D OF THE L S T CE T 41 A A Y A N UR Y. 3

’ faults ; but tho I have watched her continually, I have never been able to discover any in her .

“ C r I am not interested in the hristmas qua ter . When one is too old to play at blind man’ s buff and hunt the whistle, I think one cannot pass a merry Christmas in the country .

’ Tow ei d c i ies eased us hen t pl t , ’ And the busy ha unts of men.

Good society and the animated circle of a great

v town supply all that the winter season depri es us of.

’ l ea I was much p s d with a work of Mr .

’ ’ Morgan s, your son s tutor, which he had the good

r ness to send me . I think it not only ve y ingenious

- a and well written, but that it will h ve a very good effect upon the shallow wits and foolish pedants who affect to be inﬁdel s by way of showing their parts and i learning . I have visited and been v sited by the

Pocock family, settled here . They seem very good

” kind of people .

“ M rs . i s S . 1 1 8 . Friday, ept ye 4th, 7 7 To Rob n on,

’ C S . at Mr . Baker s irculating Library, outhampton

I think there is greater variety in the environs of

Southampton than in any part of England perhaps ;

— and all in the noble style, the great ocean, the wide 342 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

s i forest, and cenes of rural beauty are all w thin

So reach of our airing. , as the humour points to

t he allegro or the penseroso, you may direct your

jaunts, and ﬁnd the nereids, or the dryads, or Pomona receive you with their best graces and

softest smiles . “ The lord primate departs from Bristol to S day, and intends to come to andleford the begin

ning of next week . His grace had appointed a day

for doing me that favour six weeks ago ; but the

journey caused a return of the gravel, and he was

’ ’ obli d g to stop at Marlbro , and sent a servant to S So . tell us of the disappointment . Mrs cott and I

the went to him and staid two days, at end of which he was able to return to Bristol by gentle journeys, and return to the use of the Bristol waters, hi w ch, indeed, his physician was very loth he should

had quit ; and, thank God, he has not since any

return of the complaint . “ I have had a succession of company in my

nd house ; attention to them, a morning airings, and

’ domestic k s en ross d bu iness have g my time . In the

s pre ent state of my house, I have only one spare

r Dr . nd M rs oom , which was ﬁrst occupied by a .

E 344 A LADY OF THE LAS T C N TUR Y.

h 1 8 8 . J . 1 0t Portman Square . any ye , 7

r 1 th I found London on my arrival, the of N ‘ ovember, according to the old song, A ﬁne

’ town and a gallant city . I never knew it so full of the ﬁne world at that season of the year . At

Christmas it is the Ton to go into the country for

’ N ew Da the holydays ; but yet, on Year s y, the

Drawing-room was as much crowded as it used to be during the sitting of the parliament ; but what adds most to the pleasure of society is the satisfaction all people express at our triumphs over the ungrateful D utch and the insidious French . The Mynheers

f ob and the Mounseers bow be ore us, and all this

’ tain d without any bloodshed, and at little expense . “ I cannot by the best information form a ny conjecture how the fermentations in France w ill end . I rather think the spirit of liberty they have imported from America will be beat up into the

n an froth of remonstrances and satires, tha have y

’ ff . urc has d Saw solid e ect A nabob has p Mr .

’ bridge s house, who, being as prudent in do mestic k

’ ff obli d as sagacious in publick a airs , is g to give it u p to his creditors .

1 8 8 . In 7 , Mrs Montagu adopted a fashion which L D OF THE L S T CE T 345 A A Y A N UR Y.

D D had been introduced by the uke of orset, of

' ta D giving a e. The uke had been our ambas sador in France, and had brought thence a fashion , ff reasonable enough, of o ering a tea at eight to people who dined at two ; but unreasonable in

r England where the hou for dinner, in great houses, was six o clock . Hannah More describes the teas as

Mme . de Bocage, nearly forty years before, had

’

M onta u s . described Mrs . g breakfasts From ﬁfty to a hundred guests were seated at a long table or made up little parties at s mall ones . The cloth was laid as at breakfast, and the tea was made by the company . Every one had a napkin, as at a public breakfast . The table was covered with hot

- ffi s . buttered rolls, mu n , bread and butter, and wafers

Hannah More adds to her description, made in nearly

s : Of a s I the above word all nations under the sun,

”

s s . take it, the Engli h are the greatest fool At the breakfasts in Hill Street there was appetite with clear

“ t - intellects ; a the Blue stocking coteries there, h a select circle, and not a fool among t em ; but what wit could there be among people eating buttered mufﬁns two hours after a heavy dinner and strong port wine ! 346 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

— M Y DEA R N EI C E. D 1 8 8 . ecember, 7 As I e w as indebted to you for the favour of a l tter, when

’ S fulﬁll d I left andleford, I should have my pro mise of sending you whatever news I could collect

in the great metropolis ; but instead of ﬁnding this

a et I town the seat of g y y, found it the abode of

mela nc holly. Every countenance (except of the

’ n f ox kind) looked dejected . The king s ill ess and

’ our country s danger occupied every mind, and

tinctured every conversation with mel anc holly and

’ his anxiety . The reports of majesty s condition for these three days have been much more favor

able than any time since he w a s ﬁrst taken ill ; so the

hopes of being again under the government of a

ha d good king are revived, and the dread of a set of

r men who wanted to usurp his power, has, f om the

Spirited conduct of the houses of parliament, much

abated .

M r . Fox is in a very bad state of health . His d ’ rapid journeys to Englan , on the news of the king s

illness, have brought on him a violent complaint i in the bowels , which will, it is imag ned, prove

t . mor al However, if it should, it will vindicate his character from the general report that he has no

348 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

b town ; and a kind visit I had also from er yes terday . Few of the gentlemen of either House of

n Parliament have yet brought their ladies to Londo , s o you will not wonder there is little news stirring but of the political kind . However, there is a

re o c ed marriage going forward, at which I am j y , a s it will add to the happines s of two persons whose d paternal conduct well eserves that reward . Many in our town dissipate the estates they inherited from ff h their ancestors, and su er t eir noble mansions to

r n Ed c umbe fall to uin ; but Lord and Lady Mou t g ,

ev by prudent conduct, have retri ed the family

’ estates, which his lordship s elder brother had

’ embarra ss d ; all which will now be secured by settlements and inherited by their posterity . Mr .

Edgc umbe is going to be married to Lady Sophia

r Hoba t . Lord Mount Edgc umbe behaves very generously in his settlements . The joy those good parents express at seeing their s on now out of danger of any imprudent choice or vicious con

’ nec tio n is great . Indeed, a parent s satisfaction in his son can never be compleat till the important

’ a c c om lish d point of his marriage is p ; for, if he m arries a trumpery girl, she not only does not bring A L D OF THE L S T CE T R 349 A Y A N U Y.

i any addit on to the family property, but the eleva i tion of her situation so much above her birth, w ll probably make her extravagant and fall into absurd i ” method that will ru n it .

— “ D c . 1 1 8 S e . To her niece . Portman quare . 3 , 7 9 ’ ff The kind of life one leads at Bath, tho it o ers

few . S but amusements, allows no leisure auntering is the business of the place . Beaux in boots, and

i s m sses in great coats, vi it all the morning, and, i i having noth ng better to do themselves, w ll not uff s er others to do anything that is better . My evenings are always a greably engaged with my

’

. hi fill d h friends The Bath is c efly with Iris , but there were many persons there with whom I live d i in a great egree of int macy when in London . I had the pleasure of finding and leaving the primate

Sir and William Robinson in perfect health . I

Sir expect his grace will be in town in a few days . William will remain at Bath and pursue the warm

n b . bathing, which he ﬁ ds very eneﬁcial “ My nephew Robinson was so good as to be with me at Bath . I came to town yes

i - s terda y sennight . The cold lodg ng hou es at Bath,

s and the chill journey, made me feel my elf wonder 35 0 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

fully comfortable in this good and substantial man

sion . Ever since I ﬁrst inhabited it, I have been sensible how much a good habitation softens the

severity and enlivens the gloom of w inter .

’ Montagu is gone to Lord Ha rrow by s to spend

ye holydays . He acquitted himself admirably of all

. a s mino uets his devoirs at Bath He danced many ,

’ ’ c a er d a s ski d m p many cotillions, and pp as any

- l country dances as any young gent eman at ye place .

’ ’ o en d da n He usually p the ball and c d to the last .

Indeed, with a great deal of prudence and discretion,

a s he has as lively, gay spirits any one I ever knew ; so ,

is he happy at all times and in all places, and makes those who are with him so .

We all imagine Mr . Pitt will have little to fear from the opposition . I do not hear any news . It would bedoing too much honour to ye slanders

s of the newspaper to contradict them . You did my letters undeserved honour in taking the trouble to copy them . As I am arrived at an age to look back on my past life with more

s h plea ure, perhaps, t an to future expectations, I have found some satisfaction in the recollection of former days , which letters then written present to

3 52 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y. or four great dinners in a week with Luxembourgs “ C z artoriskis . , Montmorencies, and I had rather “ l said the sage Hannah, for my part, ive in our

She , cottage at Cheddar . is made for the great world and is an ornament to it . It is an element she was

” born to breathe in . Hannah More’ s duties were consistent with cottage life ; but Mrs . Montagu held her fortune

ratiﬁ c ations in trust, and spent it in g , the cost of which made glad hearts in a hundred homes . At some of her assemblies , eccentric as well as intel lectual people seem now to have been admitted .

1 2 Miss Burney notes, in 79 , having encountered at

“ -nothin ish Montagu House, a commonish, non g sort

“ of a half good- humoured and sensibilish woman

S inﬁ rmities . oon, however, increasing weakened Mrs

’ M onta gu s powers and affected her spirits . But

“ s ma niﬁ she who was, as Fanny Burney aid, so g c entl u n y usef l in her generation, kept up her mag i

ﬁ c enc e and tried to maintain her usefulness to the

ff to et last . Her supreme e ort g together the little, ‘ comfortable, intellectual parties that delighted Han

“ 1 8 . nah More, was made in 79 I have been at

”

Dr . e one bit of Blue there, wrote Burn y to his A L D OF THE L T E 35 3 A Y AS C N TUR Y.

s o daughter Mrs . Montagu is broken down as not

She t to go out . is almos wholly blind and very feeble . C In the succeeding year, Mrs . arter wrote to

Hannah More : She has totally changed her mode of life, from a conviction that she exerted herself too much last year, and that it brought on

l ff . the long il ness, by which she su ered so much

She never goes out except to take the air of a

morning ; has no company to dinner (I do not call

myself company) ; lets in nobody in the evening,

which she passes in hearing her servant read, as

M rs . her eyes will not suffer her to read herself. Carter hopes that a taste for the comfort of living

quietly will, for the future, prevent her from mix

' s ing so much with the tumult of the world, as to

” injure her health . Her interest in the education of girls was not

affected by her decaying powers . After Mrs . Hannah More had published her celebrated work

M rs . on that subject, and it had been read to

r Montagu, the latter wrote to the author a lette , in

M a S r . which is the following passage andlefo d y,

1 You s 799 . have most judiciou ly pointed out the

2 A 35 4 A LADY OF THE LAS T CEN TUR Y.

errors of modern education, which seems calculated entirely to qualify young women for whatever their god- fathers and god- mothers had renounced for them at their baptis m and what is most shocking is, that a virtuous matron and tender mother values herself much on not having omitted anything that

her the e can fit daughter for the world, fl sh , and the devil . This was the final judgment of a lady, who, in her own girlhood , had expressed herself in much the same terms, and who, later in life, had laid it down as a law for her own niece, that to dance a minuet well was of more importance than to have a knowledge of a foreign language . She had escaped

i . perils herself, because she was always occup ed If, when a nymph, she so sported in the Marylebone f waters, that lords wrote sonnets on her, she orgot the homage in her higher enjoyments of native and foreign literature . If she went j oyously any num ber of miles to a ball, danced with the very love of dancing, and shrieked with delight at being upset on her way home, the next day she had purer i enjoyment in reading, analysing, and judg ng a translation of a Greek play or a volume of ancient h or modern history . S e did no t despise being

35 6 A LADY OF THE LAST CEN TUR Y. ff f d a ectionate, zealous, and constant rien , as well as a most instructive and pleasant companion . Her youth and beauty were gone long before I knew

” her .

But even in the days of her maidenhood, when

e she was glad in her youth and in her b auty,

s and conscious of her intellect, yet unconsciou of the pleasures , duties, and trials before her, yet

s he when feared she might live idle and die vain,

“ she ever I said, If have an inscription over me,

s w — it hall be ithout a name, and only, Here lies one whom, having done no harm, no one should cen sure ; and, having done no good, no one can com

” s f n She mend ; who, for pa t olly, only asks oblivio . lived, however, to do much good, to make great

s amends for mall and venial follies, and by the

u s n magniﬁcent usef lnes , which Little Bur ey has

t s recorded, to meri uch pains as it may cost a poor chronicler to res cue her name and deeds from the oblivion which she asked in the pleasant days of

n her bright youth and her subdui g beauty. AN IN DEX O F PERSON S MEN TION ED

IN S O THI V LUME .

A C L D 8 2. BER ORN, A Y,

1 1 . Adams, Mr., 27 4, 3 c l i kin n 222. t , Joh ,

r h r at 08 2 . Alexande t e G e , 2 , 30

A en M s s 2. ll , i s e , 5

anz r 2 . Alm o , 9 , 94

U or L r 28 2 s e Ea r e th p, o d, ( e l S p nc er) .

! me a the Pr nc es s 1 1 8 2 2 1 . li , i , , 7 9 , 9 D c aster e . , uk of, 99

Xnne e , Que n, 47 . l nson L r 1 20 , o d, 90, .

m r 2 2 1 26 1 2 ° tey’ M ! 47 , 249a 5 , 7 95

Mrs . 16 1 2 0. , , 5 , 5

Miss , 4 1 . i uitaine D 2 q , uke of, .

irma h . g , A rc hbishop of, 3 irnold M , iss, 95 , 339 .

.sc a m r h , Roge , 9 . tu gustus, 1 35 .

ra c n L . o , ord, 333 na ker, Mr .,

arnar Dr . 28 2 28 . d, , , 3 arr et, Mr., 3 1 8 . ath Ea r 10 1 1 2 1 1 8 2 1 . , l of, 7 3, , 3 , 37 , 3 , 7 a . thurst, Lord, 59 35 8 A N I NDEX OF PERS ON S

eatt e Dr . 1 2 202 2 . B i , , 9 , , 43

Mr., 27 1 , 27 8 .

ea c a m a m 1 . B u h p f ily, 34

ea er Mr . T am 1 . B ucl k, oph , 54

ea D 2 8 28 2 . B ufort, uc hess of, 3 ,

e r 2 1 26 1 6 1 68 . B dfo d, Duke of, 1 4, , 7 ,

D 2 8 . uchess of, 7

n Mrs . A ra 8 . Beh , ph , 3

ent nc L r E w ar 0 . B i k , o d d d, 3 7

er e L r 0. B kl y, o d , 5

ert e L r R ert 1 10. B i , o d ob ,

a en M s s La Es s ex 8 1 . Bl d , i ! dy ],

a r Dr. 1 . Bl i , , 45

c a e M a ame du 268 26 2 0 . Bo g , d , , 9, 7 4, 3 3, 345

e n een A nne 1 8 28 1 . Bol y , Qu , ,

n r e V sc nt 60 . Boli gb ok , i ou , 59,

n D s s 2 . Bolto , uc he of, 3 9

s w en A m ra 2 2 . Bo c a , d i l, 7

Hon. Mrs . 62 8 10 1 20 2 1 2 2 28 2 28 2 1 , , 9 , , 3, 7 , 7 , , 4, 9 , 347 .

sw e ames 6 66 26 2 6 2 8 2 2 2 6 . Bo ll, J , 5 , , 3, 7 , , 95 , 9

n Mrs 2 Boughto , , 44.

10. Mis s, 3

w r h ex- es 6 Bo e , t e J uit, 4

w s Mr. St ne 22 22 Bo e , o y, 3, 4.

Mis s Mar La Stra thm re 1 10 2 y ! dy o ], , 2 3.

rea al a ne L r 1 160. B d b , o d, 57 ,

r s s 1 8 2 . B i tol, Bi hop of,

— Ear Of 0 ‘ 2 l , 3 9

r e a m 1 . B ook f ily, 34

Mr . 06 0 1 1 r w n 2 1 . B o , , 3 , 3 9, 3 3, 3 4, 3

La 2 280. dy, 47 , 7 9 ,

r w ne ir a m 8 . B o , S Willi , 4

n Ea r 1 8 Buc ha , l of, 5 .

ff n nt de 2 0 . Bu o , Cou , 3

e L r 222. Bulk ly, o d ,

er Mr . 2 1 Bull , s , 8 .

r ne Genera . Bu goy , l, 7 7

r M ' 1 e r 7 4) I I 6 166 2 1 28 Bu k , ; , 7 37 , 5 ) , 91 5: 35 1 '

3 60 AN I NDEX OF PERS ON S

C ett Mr 1 oll , ., 9 .

C n re e Mr . 1 o g v , , 86 .

C r C ntes s M s s M n t n 28 2 . o k, ou of ! i o k o ],

C ornew a ll S ir e r e 1 . , G o g , 47

C rnw al s i s 1 2 1 . o li , B hop,

C orr i 2 eg o, 7 0.

C r Dr e l a 26 2 . ou , . d ,

C r e r 2 t na M . 8 . ou y , , 9

C w e r m A a a . o l y, b h , 55

C w er a m 1 o p , Willi , 5 5 .

r t ir 2 2 C of , S A rc her, 5 .

L 2 2 a dy , 5 .

C m er a n R a r 2 2 c 8 2 0 . u b l d , i h d , 9 7 , 9 , 99 , 3 3 M s s 0 . i , 3 7

C z a rtoriski Pr n 2 , i c e, 3 5 .

Da r m e C ne 1 l y p l , olo l, 79 .

Da nne M r 2 2 , . 3 . D a r Ca ta n 1 8 . by, p i , 9

Da r n t n Ea r li g o , l of, 5 3 . ’ DA ub en M ton ns 2 0 . , o , 3

Da roll es M 2 y , r., 74 .

Dea ne S a s 222 , il , .

D a M e n rs . 60 1 1 1 20 l y, , , 9 , 93 , 3,

Den er M r oy , s ., 7 0 .

Der Ea r 2 by , l of, 58 .

Der n Sir E w a r 1 1 i g, d d , 9 . D err c M r . 1 i k, , 9 .

DeV a nshire D c es s 2 1 , u h of, 5 , Dew s e M rs . 0 , , 6 .

Di aforus T ma s , ho , 9 3 .

D n a m M r 2 illi gh , . , 64.

D enes 86 1 iog , , 59 . D Dr . 2 a m 22 . odd , Willi ,

M r 2 s ., 2 2 .

Do - nell a n M rs . 60 1 1 , , 37 , , 8 .

D r s et D e 2 8 o , uk of, 5 , 345 .

Dra e M s s E a et 1 k , i liz b h , . 3 61 MEN TI ON ED IN THIS V OL UME .

m n Mrs . 2 Drum o d , , 46 .

a r Mrs . 1 . Dunb , , 53

n a s Mr . 1 . Du d , , 45

G M n a Ear of Ha a x Dunk, eorge o t gu, l lif ,

u lin L r D rp , o d, 9 , 35 , 7 9,

m s 10. Durha , Bi hop of, 3

n Mr . . Ede , , 339

Ea r M nt 8 . Edgec umbe, l of ou , 34

M nt 2 1 8 . Countes s of ou , 7 , 34

2 1 8. Mr ., 7 , 34

I 1 28 . Edw a rd I I .,

Pr nc es s a ter C a r es Eliza beth , i (d ugh of h l

— ueen I 1 1 Q , 9 7 34; 53

t Dr . ert 1 . Ellio , Gilb , 45

ers n a m 1 6 16 . Em o , Willi , 4, 5

c et s 68 . Epi t u ,

ne M r . C a r es 1 8 . Erski , h l , 5

x Ear 6 . Esse , l of, 5

ﬁrs t w e 6 s ec n W e 8 1 . Countes s of ( if ) , 5 ( o d if ) ,

nt 2 1 . Falkenstein, C ou , 3

r 1 . Fane, Lo d , 4

Fa r n 2 0. i i , 7

F r a n r n e . e din d, P i c , 93

Ferns s . , Bi hop of, 3

F e n 2 1 . i ldi g, 7 5 , 5

a 8 Sar h, 537 3

F n La A nne 2 8 . i c h, dy , 3

a e 2 8 . La dy Eliz b th , 3

a 1 8 . La dy Is a bell , 3

F r i a m 2 1 2 8 . o bes , S r Willi , 7 , 7

r Dr . 2 1 8 . Fothe gill , ,

6 . F x . a r es 2 o , Mr Ch l , 34, 339, 34

Fra n e K n 2. c , i g of

2 . Queen of, 7 9

Dr. 222 2 0. Fra nklin, , , 4

ir T ma s 2 . Frederic ks , S ho , 37 3652 AN I NDEX OF PERS ON S

Fr ind Rev. M r 2 . e , ., 8 , 33, 36, 43

Mrs 2 , 33, 34, 36, 39, 48 , 36

Garr c Mr . Da 2 1 10 1 208 22 2 6 28 0 28 1 i k, vid , 9 , , i 54, 5 5, , 7 , 7 , , , 355

Mr 22 1 2 s! 7 1 27 7 9 3 2 7 33

Ga strell s 0. , Bi hop, 4 en M m G li s , a da e de, 3 10.

e r e I . . G o g , 59

I L, 67 .

I . 2 I I , , 7 8 , 71 . Princ e of Wa les .

erma ne La e r e 22 G i , dy G o g , 9 .

n E w ar 100. Gibbo , d d , il G bank , Mr ., 254.

ester D 1 8 2 Glouc , uke of, .

w r 1 Go e , Countes s of, 53.

ra am Mr. 2 s ee L r L G h , , 7 9 ( o d yndoc h) .

Gran r 20 1 Ea 6 2 . by, l of, , 9

ra n e L r 0 G vill , o d, 9 .

H M 2 Mr on. s s 2 0 . s . sc a w en i , 7 , Bo .

ra Mr. T ma s 1 0 1 1 6 1 1 1 8 1 G y, ho , 4 , 45, 4 , 47 , 7 7 , 7 , 3 5 .

reen an Mr. 0 G l d , John, 22 .

M s s an 2 0 i J e, 2 .

re r Dr 1 1 1 G go y, ., 45, 57 , 58 .

M ss 1 1 8 2 1 2 i , 7 3, 9, 9, 44 , 3 16 , 3 1 8 .

ren e Mr . C . 10 G vill , , 3 .

Mr. Ge r e 16 1 1 6 o g , , 5 , 1 66 .

re La ane 8 . G y, dy J ,

r mst n L r G i o , o d , 333 .

Ha ax Ea r 10 1 lif , l of, 5, 1 8 .

Ha m t n D il o , uke of, 237 .

Mr. 250.

Ha mm n Mr 8 o d, . 7 .

Ha rc rt L r 22 ou , o d, 5 , 3 1 1 .

Ha r w c e L r 6 1 00 d i k , o d, 9 , . Ha r e La M y, y ar aret 1 s ee D c es s P r l d g , 4 ( u h of o tla nd).

Ha rr s Mr. T ma s 2 i , ho , 33 .

3 64 AN I N DEX OF PERS ON S

ns n La r 1 1 8 . Joh o , dy Cha lotte,

nes M r . 28 0 Jo , , 9, 3 7 .

r a n M n Jou d i , o s , 1 50.

a n M ns K i , o . l e, 208 .

a mes L r 1 1 1 2 1 60 16 2 6 2 2 . K , o d, 37 , 45, 5 , , 3, 4 , 74, 97

a ma nn A n a 2 . K uf , gelic , 97

err L r 2 0. K y , o d , 4

a re 1 1 . Kild , Bis hop of, 3, 3

a s . Kill la, Bi hop, 3

n s t ne L r 108 . Ki g o , o d ,

La 108 . dy,

Kinnoul L r 1 . , o d , 59

Kna h ull r E 2 1 . tc b , S i ., 5

n t Mr . 1 8 . K igh , , 7

La n Dr . 1 2 i g, , 9 .

Lane La x , dy Fo , 1 25 .

La n t n M r g o , . , 28 2.

La ns w ne L r 0. do , o d , 33

. Lee C e st , hi f Ju ic e, 49 .

the et 16 Po , .

Le c ester Ear 1 i , l of, 34, 135 .

Lei hlin s . g , Bi hop of, 3

Le er M r. v , , 230.

Law s n M r o , s ., 28 2.

Lic hﬂeld s 1 , Bi hop of, 2 1 .

L e Sir H n idd ll, e ry, 335 .

n e M s 1 2 Li l y, i s , 8 .

Dr . . Love, , 9

c an L r 28 2. Lu , o d ,

La 28 2 288 2 0 dy, , , 89, 29 .

L c ret a 2 1 . u i , 3

xem r Due de 2 Lu bou g, , 35 .

n c L r 2 Ly do h , o d, 7 9, 280.

L tte t n L r I 2 l o , o d , 5, 3, 24, 8 6 6 2 8 2 I O y 31 44; 4 : 4; 7 a 7 , 7 3 , 74, : ] , ” 6 1 2 I ; 3 , 37 , 1 8 I 1 22 2 1 2 8 28 286 2 3 : 49> 53; 7 7 7 , 7 , 51 : 87 :

La 2 2. dy , 9

ir T ma S ho s, 23 . M T I THI V ME 3 65 EN I ONED N S OL U .

artne L r 28 2. Mac y, o d ,

a Mr . 260 Ma c a ul y, s , .

enz i Mr. 1 . Mc K e, , 35

n L r 1 86 2 . Ma ho , o d , , 39

a n Mrs . 6 8 1 1 1 2. M ki , , , 7 , , 9 , ,

ett Mr . 10 Ma ll , , 4.

es La 1 Malm bury, dy, 47 .

c es er D e 1 1 8 . Man h t , uk of,

ar r D e 108 1 1 1 26 221 . M lbo ough, uk of, , 3, ,

D c es s 1 68 . u h of,

n Mr. 1 1 1 28 1 1 . Ma s o , , , 93, 5 , 3

Ma t ew enera 0 t h , G l, 34 .

k e r r nc e 1 10 Mec l nbu g, P i of, .

Me m t Mr. 1 0 l o h, , 55 , 5 .

et n r n r Middl o , D . Co ye s , 4, 5 .

M ma La ild y, dy, 9 .

er a n 2 2 . Mill , Ca pt i , 9

M terw a r s La 26 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 rs . a 2 0 1 ( f d dy) , , 9 , 9 , 93, 94, 95, 3 .

M r 0 1 . itfo d, Mis s, 3

M s 202 26 2 oi y, Dr., , .

M l 0 o é, Mons ., 2 8 .

Monb od o L r 28 1 d , o d , .

M n t n M s s C n C r o k o , i ! ou tess of o k] , 28 2.

M nse Dr 0 1 2 2 0 o y, ., 7 , 7 3 , 3 , 7 .

M nta ar a ra La 10 10 106 1 1 2 1 o gu , B b , dy, 4, 5, , 8 , 9 .

2 Cha rles, 3 .

E w ar 1 2 6 8 0 6 68 7 d d) 3 , 3 : 33, 34, 3 ; 3 ) 39 , 44; 47 , 5 7 537 5 7 57 7 )

1 2 1 1 0 1 6 1 I 6 x6 I I 8. 1 27 . 3 . 33. 4 . . 4. s.

I 1 1 2 1 I 6 1 . 1 87 . 1 8 8. 9 . 9 . 93. 9 . 3 9 ' n n n 1 2 6 1 1 16 18 2 1 2 El izabeth ( ee R obi s o ) , , , 3, 4, 5, , 3, 5, , , , 3, 8 1 2 8 2 26. 27 . 30. 33. 35. 3 . 39.4 . 4 . 43.44. 4s. 47 . 4 . 5 .54. 55.57 .

2 6 6 6 66 6 68 6 1 8 1 8 2 8 59. 60. 6 . 3 . 4. 5. . 7 . . 9. 7 . 7 3. 7 4. 7 5. 7 7 . . . 3. 8 86 8 8 8 8 106 1 16 1 26 1 28 1 1 6 1 1 8 1 4, 85, , 7 , , 9, , , , , 35, 3 , 37 , 3 , 39 ,

1 8 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 6 1 6 1 66 47 , 14 . 49. 5 . 5 . 5 . 53, 54. 3 . 5. . 1 8 1 8 I 0 1 1 I 1 2 10 2 1 2 20 x7 x. 1 74. 7 . 5. 9 . 9 . 9 3. 95. . 4. .

2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 6 26 26 268 26 27 1 27 2 1, 2 4, 37 , 44, 5 ; 5 , 4, 7 1 7 97 , 7

2 2 2 2 6 2 2 8 2 28 0 28 1 , 28 2, 28 3, 284, 28 7 3, 74, 7 5 , 7 , 77 , 7 , 7 9, , 5 28 2 0 2 1 2 6 2 2 8 2 00 0 10 288 , 9 . 9 . 9 . 9 . 97 . 9 . 99. 3 . 3 3. 3

22 26 6 345. 35 1 . 3 52. 353. 355 3 1 1 , 3 . 3 . 33 5. 33 . 3 66 AN I NDEX OF PERS ON S

M n a r 6 o t gu, Geo ge, 7 .

M ar rt e La 1 28 1 2 1 0. y Wo l y, dy, , 9, 3

Ma tt ew n é R ns n 1 2 1 2 1 220 22 2 0 2 2 h ( obi o ) , 7 7 , 7 , 9, , 9, 4 , 47 , 53, 2 2 28 256. 257 . 26 1 . 307 . 323. 324. 3 5 . 3 7 . 3 . 334. 338 .

339. 340. 343.35°

1 Matthew . M rs . 327 . 328 . 33 . 334. 338 . 343. 347 . 8 Mis s, 9 .

n re a t n 1 Mrs . ( o l io ) , 5 .

m n d e 1 1 M ontford, Si o , 34, 35 .

Due 2 M ontmorenc i , de, 35 .

M re Mrs . Ha nna 28 28 28 2 6 2 8 0 1 2 1 1 2 o , h, 3, 4, 5 , 9 , 9 , 3 , 3 , 345 , 35 , 35 ,

Mr 1 . M orga n, ., 34

1 Mr s ., 7 3 .

M orri am . t, f ily , 3

L r 1 . Morton, o d, 33

- w a rt L r Mount Ste , o d, 334.

M r n 26 M M s s s ee s . Cha o e 266 2 6 . uls o, i ( p ) , 4, , 9

M r 1 20. ura tori, Signo ,

N a a 1 . sh , Be u , 9

N e m Mr . 1 1 edha , , 3 .

N e .ree Ea r r ville ( l of Wa w i ck) .

D e N ew c a st e 1 1 1 20 1 2 1 . l , uk of, 94, 7 , , 5 , 59

D c es s 8 . u h of,

N a es M ns d e 22 0 o ill , o . , 5, 28 .

Ma a me de 206 2 280 d , , 25 , . m D N r an e 2 . o dy, uk of,

am es N orthc ote, J , 9 8 .

N r n t n L r 1 2 o thi g o , o d, 4, 1 25 .

N rt m er a n D e 1 0 o hu b l d, uk of, 4 , 334.

D c es s 10 1 0 u h of, 4, 4 , 293 .

N ne am L r 1 u h , o d , 7 6 .

O e 1 gl , Mrs ., 7 .

O ns w L r 3 011 the s ea er lo , o d ( of p k ) , 9 1 .

the S ea er a terw a r s L r 0 1 p k , f d o d , 9 , 9 .

O rd Mrs . 26 2 1 2 2 28 1 28 2 0 , , 4, 7 , 7 , , 4, 9 .

3 68 AN I N DEX OF PERS ON S

m 1 Ra s a Mr . 28 . y, ,

R a en sw rt L r . v o h, o d , 335

R a m n La 1 1 0 y o d , dy, .

R a na A é 2 1 y l, bb , 7 .

Re n s ir 1 2 2 28 2 . y old , S Joshua , 98 , 54, 7 ,

R ir R i c h, S obert,

M s 2 2. is , 9

I I 2 Ric har d I ., 9 .

R h N e s t . ic ha rds on (t e ov li ) , 55 , 7 5

M r 16 ., 9 .

R m n D e 2 268 . ic h o d, uk of, 39 , D c es s . u h of, 93

R Mr . 1 68 . igby, ,

ob a rtes M r 1 0 R , s ., 7 .

R erts M rs . 2 . ob , , 3 3

R erts n Dr 1 ob o , ., 45 .

R n n a r 1 206 2 obi s o , Ch les , 97 , , 54.

2 16 2 0 Dr . , , 4 .

E a et 1 2 6 I 1 6 1 8 2 1 2 26 2 0 8 7 liz b h) 7 : 3 ; 41 5 7 , 3, 1 7 , 3, , 7 > 3 7 7 1

1 6 2 1 s ee M rs . M nta . 5, 4 ( o gu)

r 2 2 1 1 M a y. 54. 5 5. 3

M a tt ew a t er M rs . M nta u 1 6 1 1 10 . h (f h of o g ) , , 3, , 4, 3 , 93, 5

w M r m r M r M n a 1 1 2 . M a tthe , s . ( othe of s . o t gu) , ,

M a tt ew r t er Mrs . M nta . h (b o h of o gu) , 3 , 9 3

M nta M a tt ew s on M rr s R ns n a nd e r M rs . h ( of o i obi o , h i of o gu,

w s e na me he a s s me 1 2 1 2 1 220 2 2 ho u d) , 7 7 , 7 , 9 , , 47 , 53,

2 6 2 26 1 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 8 5 . 57 . . 3 7 . 3 3. 3 4. 3 5. 3 7 . 3 8. 3 9. 33 . 334. 33 .

0 ° 339. 34 . 343. 347 . 35

M rr s 220 22 2. o i , 9 5 , , 7 , 3 3

M r 2 20 2 1 2 2 r . 2 Mor i s , s , , 3 , 3 , 33, 235 .

6 2 M rr s s o the a e 16 2 1 220. 2 6 2 2 o i ( n of bov ) , , 7 7 , 3 , 53, , 347 , 349

R a r Rev. . ic h d, , 3

R ert . ob , 55

2 2 60 s ee Mrs S a ra h, , 4, ( . S c ott) .

M r M 0 ra E a et n ec e s . n a 1 S a h liz b h ( i of o t gu) , 7 .

T m a s 6 2 1 8 . ho , 49 , , 5

ir 2 22 Thoma s , S , , 3 , 3 . MEN TI I THI 3 69 ONED N S VOL UME.

R ns n a m 1 obi o , Willi , .

a m R ev. 86 8 1 1 1 16 1 20 1 22 1 80 1 2 1 8 1 Willi , , , 9 , 3, , , , , 8 , 4, 8 9 , I 20 22 2 1 97 . 9, 5. 4 . 243

l am Mrs . 1 2 1 26 1 1 6 166 1 1 1 1 1 8 20 Wi li , , 3 , , 39 , 5 , , 69 , 7 , 7 4, 5 , 4 ,

1 2 2 2 2 233 . 234. 24 . 24 . 243. 244. 248 . 253. 57 . 3 3. 3 7 . 33 2. 336 .

0 1 34 . 34 .

m ir 26 Willi a , S , 3 , 349 .

n Cr s e . Robins o u o , 3 ’ A m s 201 . Robins on s l shous e ,

A m ral 2 Rodney, d i , 47 .

L r 1 0 Rokeby , o d , 3, 3 .

Sir T ma s 1 . ho , , 3

R Mrs . 6 . olt, , 4

s ee Ros c ius ( Ga rri c k) .

s s ea ean a c es 1 86 . Rou u , J J qu ,

2 1 . Row ell er, Mr . , 4

La a r n 1 26 . Rus s ell, dy C oli e,

Sa nt A sa s 28 1 0 . i ph , Bi hop of, , 3 7

Sa s r s 2 . li bu y, Bi hop of, 3 9

S andw mh Ea r 2 1 68 . , l of, 3 ,

C ntes s 6 . ou of, 5

San s Dr . 1 6 . dy , ,

Sa 2 2 . ppho, 7 , 9

S aw bri M r . . dge, , 344

Sc ars a e L r 1 . d l , o d, 57

Sc a ir L 26 . h ub, S uke, 9 L a 26 . dy, 9

Sc E w a 1 2 ott, d rd , 4.

E w a r M rs 1 1 d d, ., 3 .

e r e ew 1s 60 1 0 . G o g L , 59 , , 5

r r a r R ns n 2 2 60 86 8 1 2 Geo ge, M s . (S a h obi o ) , , 4, , , 9 , 9 9 , 94,

1 00 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 106 10 1 1 1 1 1 8 98 , , , 4, 5 , , 9, , ,

1 2 1 2 202 220 22 2 2 2 6 2 1 2 2 2 3, 5 , , , 4, 33, 34, 3 , 4 , 4 , 43 ,

2 1 2 9 7 34

ir a ter 20 20 . S W l , 3, 4

M ns . . S c uderi , o , 7 5

me 2 2 . M a d a , 9 37 0 AN I N DEX OF PERS ON S

S eeker s 1 2 . , Bi hop, 5

S enec a,

ew a r M r 1 S d, ., 5 5 .

- M is s 2 1 2 2 1 , 9 ) 947 95 :

S a es ea re a m 68 8 1 1 0 1 2 1 1 1 6 h k p , Willi , , 5 , 49, 5 , 5 , 54, 55 , 5 , 20 2 7 , 08 .

S e rn L e r 2 1 2 . h lbu , o d , 7 , 39

S er da n M r 1 h i , ., 2 5 .

S r M r e c . 28 . h lo k, , 9 S n M rs . 2 s 00. iddo , , 99 , 3 m M S e t r . 2 1 l , , 8 , 343 .

M r s . 343 .

‘ S ne MISS ll, ,

S c ra tes 20 2 o , , 3 .

S mers et D c es s 2 o , u h of, 8 .

La E a et 2 1 . dy liz b h , 9

La M a r dy y, 2 19 .

L r N e 1 o d o l, 2 .

S c es 68 2 opho l , , 7 .

S en s er Ea r 2 p , l, 76 .

C ntes s of 2 280 2 ou , 44, , 33 , 3 33 .

‘ Sta n e Ea r 1 86 1 hop , l of, , 87 .

C ntes s of ou , 56 . i St llin ﬂeet M r . en a m n 66 6 2 0 2 1 g , B j i , , 9, 7 , 7 Mr St ne . A n rew 1 0. o , d , 5

Mrs . , 44 .

S t rm nt L r 2 o o , o d , 49 .

Stra t re L r 2 hmo , o d, 23 .

La 2 2 dy, 3 .

Sua rd M ns 20 , o ., 7 .

S t er a n C ntes s u h l d, ou of, 33 1 . S ne Sir P 1 yd y, hilip, 34.

S m s n R ev. M r 2 y p o , ., 36 .

Tem e L 10 1 6 22 pl , ord, 3, 7 , 2 .

La 1 dy, 7 6 .

37 2 AN I N DE OF PERS N S (20. X O ,

a rren M s s 222 . W , i ,

a r n Dr 1 2 W to , ., 7 3, 34 .

M r s ., 342 .

a rw c Ea r 1 1 W i k, l of, 1 5 , 34, 1 35 .

W edd r e b ourne, M r . , 244 . M rs ., 244 .

est Mr ert 6 1 6 2 W , Gilb , 54, , , 7 4,

M rs . 54

es tm r a n n s 2 . W o el d, Cou tes of, 37

a l e Dr . . Wh l y, , 3 55

M r te ea 1 1 0. Whi h d , .

“ es M r . E t r Th Wilk , ( di o of e N orth

a ms Sir C a r Willi , h les, 86.

Ha n ir 6 . S bury, 5

M r 1 0 s ., 9 .

M r 2 2 Wilmot, ., 3 .

n s r L r . Wi d o , o d, 335

x M r 2 2 2 Wra all , ., 8 , 97 , 3 39 .

r t M rs . 2 1 . W igh , , 4

M s 1 r ttes e s 68 . W o l y, i ,

a Mr . 06 1 1 8 2 1 Wy tt , , 3 , 3 3, 3 , 3 .

Y r e M r. P s ee L r Ha r w o k , hilip ( o d d ic ke) .

Y n Dr 8 1 8 8 1 0 1 ou g. . . 4. 9 . . 333

Z n e M n a t re a nter i c k ( i i u P i ) , 1 8 .

THE EN D.

LON DO N : PRIN T ED BY WI L LIA M CLOW ES A N D S O N S , STA M FORD S T REET