with his Lordship's fublime effufion of genius, that he inuft read it, at least, a dozen times more before he fhould be able fully to understand its various literary beauties; and having difpatched this or a fimilar apology, which the "ready coinage" of his brain, he had no doubt, would fupply, returned to the parlour, and finish his dinner in comfort. Where now was the writing-table and ftand? The fervants at laft recollected, that, in order to clear the rooms for company, they had removed them into her Ladyfhip's bed-chamber, and as our Northern fair retain many of the cuftoms which a long intercourte with France introduced, his noble hoftel's fhewed no hesitation in defiring him to go thither to write his note. Mr. B afcended the staircase, placed the candle upon the table, drew an elbow chair towards it, fat himfelf down, gaped, and looked around. Every literary production requires fome ftudy,: his ideas upon the fubject of his note had evaporated; he reclined his head upon his hand to endeavour to condense them; and had not continued in this attitude five minutes, before the purpofe for which he came was entirely out of his mind. Whilft he was thus labouring to recall his diffipated thoughts, he caft his eyes upon her Ladyhip's elegant bed. He was fatigued and fleepy, therefore very wifely concluded that he had retired for the night; and with great expedition difencumbered himfelf of his boots, threw off his clothes, extinguifhed the light, jumped into the faid bed, and in a fhort time was fait locked in the arms of Somnus, or, to speak leis metaphorically, in a ftate of profound repofe. The guests in the parlour, in the mean time, finished their dinner; and although Mr. B- was often mentioned, yet fo much had the bufinefs before them engaged their attention, that they very readily accepted the apology which a gentleman made for him, who obferved, that fuch was his odd turn of mind, he fhould not wonder if, instead of writing a note, he was now on his journey to Lon don. On his journey to London?" faid my Lady, "impoffible!" The fervant's report, however, whom The fent to fearch for him, feemed to confirm the truth of the gentleman's fuggef tion. The chamber he affirmed was vacant; he had taken a peep into it, and all was filence and darkness. It was certain that the bird had efcaped. The company fhook their heads, faid fomething about great geniutes, but took no further notice of the abience of their friend. The bottle was now circulated. Their Majeflies and family, health and friends, had gone round, and the ladies thought it time to retire for a little private converfation. Lady II conducted them to the bed-chamber, where, to their aftonishment, as foon as they entered, one of them ftumbled over a pair of boots, another efpied the elbow-chair occupied by a coat and waistcoat, while her Ladyfhip's feet were entangled in a tegument to which the refinement of the age has given the appellation of small clothes *. At first, as may be fuppofed, they were concerned for the safety of the owner of the drapery thus fcattered about the floor, but a moment convinced them, without reafon; for, locking between the curtains, they dilcovered him in the ftate of compoture that has been mentioned. There were too many Dianas to contemplate one Endymion, or, to defcend from our claffical tilts, this was not a fight for ladies; they turned their eyes from it, and flew into the parlour, where they gave the alarm to the gentlemen, who were, many of them, fox-hunters; and, if a judgment might be formed from the number of dead men under the fideboard, had done much bulineis in little time. Nothing could have happened more opportunely. The company, in high glee, affembled round the bed, and, after fome gentle efforts to rouse its dormant inhabitant had been tried without fuccefs, they opened upon him at once with the view halioo. This alarmed him, and probably the whole neighbourhood, but could not be faid to bring him to his fentes; for, as he has fince informed a friend, he was dreaming of the hunters recorded in ancient ftory, Nimrod, Hercules, Cadmus, and Thefeus, and thinking that the hounds of Sparta were purfuing him, he leaped out of bed, and capered round the room en querpo, to the great amulcment of the company, whofe Ioud and repeated peals of laughter fhook the houfe. Fearful, however, of carrying the jet too far, one of them, who happened to be of the faculty, crdered him to be confined to the elbow-chair, and took fuch methods to recall his fcat Query, If this appellation, according to the modern fashion, be a just one? tered tered ideas as were, at leaft, attended with the defired effect. Mir. Bawaked, ftared about him, and, when convinced of the oddity of his conduct, and impropriety of his fituation, he, inftead of endeavouring to excute himielf, huddled on-his cloaths, flew out of the room, called for his horfe, and was fome miles advanced on his journey to Glaigow before he recollected that he wanted to compliment Lord Firebrand upon his literary mor. cean, and then make the beft of his way to London. It was now too late to return; therefore it fortunately occurred to him that the manfior of Mr. Mac Syllogiim was fituated near the fpot upon which he had called a council with his own thoughts, and that the wifeft thing he could do, in his prefent fituation, would be to ride up to the door and intreat a night's lodg Hofpitality is a Northern virtue. The whole family feemed rejoiced to fee him, and fo anxious to render his fituation agreeable, that Mr. Bhad never heen in a place more congenial to his feelings, er more at home. He paffed his mornings with his friend in the library, in difquifitions into ancient metaphytes; in endeavours to prove that the animal Oran Qiang is, to all in tents and purpotes, a man; in praifes of the Egyptians; in attempts to revive the doctrine of Pythagoras; and in evening a new intelle&tual Sytem. His evenings he dedicated to cards and conviviality in short, he found himself fo agreeably circumftanced, that a fortnight had elapled without the idea of moving having ever once entered his head. -, that his Memory, which Plutarch, in oppofition to a well-known adage, terms "the mother of the Muies," had to totally forfaken her fon Mr. B complimentary vifit, his London jourrey, his private affairs, and his Northern conpections, were all equally buried in oblivion, and probably would have continued fo much longer, had not the idea of them been revived by the appearance of a fervant, whom he knew to be his own, riding furiously into the Court-yard, and in the utmost trepidation enquiring of the family domeftics, if they had feen his mofter? "Seen him!" replied the butler, yes! I have had that pleature every day for this fortnight paft, and you may row partake of it, for he is entering the Hall." The gentleman at this gave a ftart, as if recollecting fomething of importance. "Man," faid he, "in his no-made flate, as my friend has just been explainingMrs. Mac Syllogilm, who now joined group, interrupted him by exclaiming, "Your wife, Mr. B! Are you married?” the "I am, Madam," he replied, "I now perfectly call to mind that event; it took place a few days before I fet cut upon this excurfion." "It is range, faid the lady, that you should forget your happines." “Not at all, Madam, icme men forget even their mifery. Bernardus Florettes had a lapfe of memory ftill more impor tant, he forgot his Greek. I could give you a hundred inftances of ablence of mind in men who have been luminaries of Science. I might begin with Menes er Athur, but, as time is precious, I all go no higher than Secrates." "Oh!" faid the lady smiling, "as you have well oblerved that time is precicus, I will, at pretent, take your werd for the whole, left while you are endea vouring to recollect particular inftances of want of memory in ancient legislators and philofophers, you should again forget Mrs. B "I am much obliged to you, Madam, for this indulgence," he replied; " I will fly to confule my dear fady, whom I will foon have the honour of introducing to you; for, although I may forget many things, the happy hours I have spent in your fociety and that of my learned friend, will never be erated from my memory." Saying this, he mounted his horfe, and fet off with an expedition which feemed to promile a ipeedy arrival at the place of 'his destination, to which, I have been informed, his fervant, who, upon this occafion, acted as pilot, had the god fortune to iteer hin. without fuffering him to run out of his courie, or diverge into further eccentricities. TABLE TALK; OR, CHARACTERS, ANECDOTES, &c. OF ILLUSTRIOUS AND CELEBRATED BRITISH CHARACTERS, DURING THE LAST FIFTY YEARS. (MOST OF THEM NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED.) [Continued from Page 249.] MARQUIS TOWNSHEND. WHEN the late Lord Harcourt fuc ceeded Lord Townshend in the Adminiftration of Ireland, in the year 1772, his Lordship had rather a long and troublefome pallage, owing to rough weather and contrary winds. Lord Townfhend, who had notice of his fetting out from Holyhead, expected him to dinner, and of courfe collected together most of the principal Officers of State to receive him: but Lord Harcourt did not arrive till very late in the evening at Ringfend, and by the time he got to the Caftle of Dublin, it was twelve o'clock at night. Lord Townshend and a few of his friends, however, were up and over their bottle when his Lordfhip entered the apartments, who, after congratulating him on his arrival, &c. obferved, "You fee, my Lord, how we are engaged, and I hope in your next Difpatches you will mention this circumftance, "that tho' you came at the twelfth bour you did not find us napping." DR. FRANKLYN. The late Mr. Owen Ruff head being fome time ago employed in preparing a Digeft of the Poor Laws, communicated a copy of it to Dr. Franklyn, for his advice and affiftance; the Doctor readily undertook it, made feveral ufeful regulations, conformable to the then and prefent practice of fome of the American Colonies, and further recommended, "that provifion fhould be made therein for the printing on a fheet of paper, and difperfing in each parish in the kingdom, annual accounts of every difburtement and receipt of its officers." It is obvious to remark how greatly this must tend to check both the officers and the poor, and to inform and intereft the parishioners with respect to parish concerns, who are for the most part at prefent as ignorant about the difburtements of their own parochial taxations, as if they never ifted out of their own pockets, and who feem to have no other fenfe of the bufinefs, than a general, and, we fear, too well founded an opinion, that too much of the money is expended in extravagant and ufeleis entertainments. DR. MEAD. When Dr. Mead was married to his first wife, Mifs Ruth Marsh, daughter of John Marth, Eiq, an eminent merchant in London, in the year 1699, it was the fashion of thofe times to icent the matrimonial pillows very strongly with musk, and no nuptial bed-chamber, among perfons of any confiderable condition of life, was thought properly furnifhed without a fack poffet and a muskeď pillow. Dr. Mead, however, not being acquainted with this ceremony, and befides having a natural antipathy to musk, no fooner got into bed, than he felt himself overpowered that he fainted away: much embarralled for fome time; but the his bide, as may be expected, felt very neceffity of the cafe at last made her ring the bell for affiftance, when the Doctor's man, coming into the room at the fame time with the lady's maid (and knowing his mafter's particular antipathy), inamediately fmelt out the cause, when the pillows were initantly removed, and or der reftored. When Dr. Mead was fent for on the firft of the Queen's illness, he faid, the could not live long, but in which he was centradicted by inolt of the Houshold Phyficians. Her cafe was fent to Hanover, with all the fymptoms, and Mead's opinion was confirmed. When the Queen grew worfe, Mead called upon Dr. Radcliffe (with whom he lived in the closest habits of intimacy), and told him he believed he could not hold it out above twenty-four hours. Then, young man (fays Radcliffe), this is the crifis of your fortune; go directly and pronounce the exact hour of her death; if the the outlives a day, which by your account I take to be almoft impoffible, it will be no difcredit to you; but if the dies near the hour of prediction, by G you'll not only pats for a great phyfician, but a fortune-teiber ( Mead, who was remarkably modeft, felt difficulties in taking this advice, but being overruled by his friend, on his next attendance (firft having minutely weighed every fymptom) he told the Lards of the Council fhe could not furvive one o'clock the next morn. of all prefent, Pfalmanazar, after peppering and oiling the human flesh, ent above one pound of it, feemingly with the greatest goût and fatisfaction. This fact revived Pfalmanazar's credit for a while, as all the company declared it as their opinion, that no man could do this, ner would his ftomach admit of it, without repeated trials. With all the learning, profeffioml knowledge, and extenfive taste of this great man, joined to the rewards which fortune paid to fuch diftinguished talents, he has left us an example of want of pru His prediction was nearly verified, as the Queen died pretty much about that hour, and his fanie rang all over the king-dence in domeftic atrairs, and want of dom. 'morals in the conduct of his paffions. During the Queen's illness, Dr. Arbuthnot, her Houthold Physician, gave cautious antwers; and Charles Ford, Efq. (who was at Kensington at the time of the Queen's deceafe, and who lived in the cloielt friendship with Arbuthnot), writes in a letter to a friend," that he thought from the Doctor's manner, that he did not defpair of the Queen's recovery." Upon Radcliffe's death, which happened foon after that of the Queen, Dr. Mead fucceeded to his houle, and the greater part of his bufiness, which at length grew to be fo confvterable, that his receipts were computed to amount to between seven and eigot thorfand pounds per year. It was to the credit of his character, that he deferved thofe great emoluments, both as a physician, a man of tafte and learning, and of unbounded liberality; his houfe, his books, and medals, attracted the curiofity of the most illuftrious and learned of all countries; it was here almost every curious refearch was made, every great medical experiment attempted. When George Palmanazar, the famous Formofan traveller, was in the zenith of his impofition, he, amongst other affertions, faid, that the people. of Formofa occafionally lived upon buman fiefh, which they eat with great liking, and which perfectly agreed with their conftitutions. Mead, who at this time had fome fufpicions of Plaimanazar's being an impoftor, invited him to dine with him on a particular day, where he took care to have a flice of the buttock of a malefa&tor, who had been executed the day before, ferved up raw to table. Mead's dinner was, as utual, otherwife very fplendid in respect to company and bill of sfare, when, to the altonifiment Accustomed for many years to be in the receipt of feven or eight thonfand pounds per annum, and having his mind too much employed in the extentive duties of his profeffion and literary refearches to attend minutely to the expenditure of his arrangement; when old age began to creep on, and he felt the general preffure or his profeffion too much for him, he unadviledly left off bufinefs, without at the fame time leaving off any part of his great expences. The confequence was, in a little time he began to fee his fortune impairing, without the courage to make thofe retrenchmentswhich were abfolutely neceflary to preferve the remainder. Every year made it worfe and worte, 4nfomuch that at this interval he has been known, by fome old Artifts, &c. now living, to fell fome of the most valuable of his coins and medals to dischargexpreffing demands. Aroufed at left to a fenfe of his fitua tion, he took up the neceflary but unpleafant talk of refuming a profeffion which he had given up for fome years; and to which he returned with a mind and body, neither of which can we fuppofe to be ftrengthened by disappoint ment or increating years. His great name, however, ran before him, and it was no fooner known that Dr. Mead-had- again taken up the practice of a physician, ihan he was reforted to in all cafes of danger and difficulty. f It must be fuppofed, however, that although the Doctor recovered, his practice, it was not in that extensive, line which he formerly enjoyed; his growing infirmities must have neceffarily prevented that; ftill it was fufficient to fupport the dignity of his character, if he had taken care to fupport it in another line, which is at all times discreditable, but much more fo to the gravity and decorum which hould A von KAK COV Arould ever accompany our approaches to the grave. In short, the Doctor, with all his talents and fine accomplishments, was one of thofe men, to ufe a ftrong expreffion of Quin's, "whofe carnal defires did not die a natural death." He was fond of intriguing through life; and towards the clofe of it, though under the incommodation of getting his money by exertions difproportionate to his age and former high fervices, he has been well known frequently to toil up two-pair-offtairs for a guinea, to beftow it immediately afterwards upon fome drab in the next street. Why this last circumftance has not been mentioned by any of his Biographers, may arife from a number of caufes by períonal regards, by voluntary omiffion in ON POPE'S favour of a character, otherwife as eminent for general learning and profeffional abilities; or through the prudish fear that fuch a weakness may produce more mischief in the developement than in the fuppreffion. We do not hold it neceflary for Biographers to be regulated by fuch circumftances. Nothing to be fure fhould be fet down in malice, or even in fuppofition that is inimical; nay, we even think the belt motives should be afcribed to actions which will bear that conftruction, particularly where the general tendency of the character is good and praiseworthy but facts fufficiently evidenced, as told biftorically, are indifpenfible to a Biographer, otherwise he gives falfe views of human nature, and lotes the purposes of exhibiting truth and inftruction. HOMER. [Continued from Page 157.] MY DEAR P. AM unwilling to disturb the agreeable reverie in which I left you at parting. But there is a paffage, to which I am particularly defirous of drawing your attention, in the famous foliloquy of Hector, while he is waiting in dreadful expectation the approach of Achilles, who was advancing in all the terrors with which he had been armed even by the Gods themselves. Near the clofe of this affecting fpeech we have the follow ing very natural and pathetic reflexion. Ου γαρ νυν πως εστιν απο δρυος, εδ' άπο Pope, in his verfion of this paffage, has fallen into the fame mifapprehenfion of his author's meaning, as was noticed in my laft; with equal, or rather even greater injury to the original thought. We greet not now like man converfing man, Met at an oak, or journeying o'er the plain; No feason this for calm familiar talk, Like youths and maidens in an evening walk. If I may be allowed for once to speak out plainly, there certainly does appear within the compafs of thefe few veries to be crouded almost every fault which can disfigure a tranflation. In the firft place, what will you fay for the language? Man converfing man. Is this conftruction justified by authority? or is it, as Pope's admirers will be apt to fay, a bold poetical innovation; recommended - VOL. XXX, Nov. 1796. by the perfpicuity and extraordinary elegance of the phrafe? Then the rhyme ! Man converfing man, Met at an oak, or journeying o'er the plain. But where rhyme is ufed; in fo long a feries of couplets, we must compound now and then for an ill-match'd pair. Thefe, perhaps you will tell me, are little blemishes for little critics only to carp at. I proceed then to the confideration of faults, at which your taste and judgement muft have revolted as often as you have read the lines. A very impor tant one, which I have before remarked, and which I cannot but confider as a grofs violation of the great principles, on which a tranflation should be formed, is the arbitrary infertion of ideas and images, circumftances and characters, not found in the author, and foreign to his defign. We difcover nothing in the party defcribed by Homer of Met at an oak, or journeying o'er the plain. Nor will you, I fufpect, be much delight* Did Pope, do you think, at any time feel the influence of that commanding paffion, to whofe power Poets ufually pay their adorations with great devotion? If he ever did, whither were his feelings fled, when he changed the converfation Tt of |
