June, 1862.

Maloniana.

FROM PRIOR'S LIFE OF MALONE.

DR. WARTON, in his Effay on Pope, has mentioned that three of our celebrated poets died fingular deaths. He might have added Shenftone to the number. He had a housekeeper who lived with him in the double capacity of maid and miftrefs; and being offended with her, on fome occafion, he went out of his house and sat all night in his poft-chaife in much agitation, in confequence of which he caught a cold that eventually caused his death.

Conyers Middleton wrote a Treatife against Prayer, which he fhowed to Lord Bolingbroke, who diffuaded him from publishing it, as it would fet all the clergy against him. On this ground he counselled him to destroy the manufcript, but fecretly kept a copy, which is probably still in being.

Gibbon, the hiftorian, is fo exceedingly indolent that he never even pares his nails. His fervant, while Gibbon is reading, takes up one of his hands, and when he has performed the operation lays it down, and then manages the other the patient in the meanwhile scarcely knowing what is going on, and quietly pursuing his ftudies.

Number 7.

The picture of him painted by Sir J. Reynolds, and the prints made from it, are as like the original as it is poffible to be. When he was introduced to a blind French lady, the fervant happening to ftretch out her miftrefs's hand to lay hold of the historian's cheek, fhe thought, upon feeling its rounded contour, that fome trick was being played upon her with the fitting part of a child, and exclaimed, "Fi donc !"

Mr. Gibbon is very replete with anecdotes, and tells them with great happiness and fluency.

Colonel Erskine, Lady Mar's grandson, has a copy of a very curious letter of Lady M. W. Montague's, giving an account of a private fociety that used to meet about the year 1730 at Lord Hillsborough's in Hanover Square, where each gentleman came masked, and brought with him one lady— either his mistress, or any other man's wife, or perhaps a woman of the town-who was alfo mafked. They were on oath not to divulge names, and continued masked the whole time. There were tables fet out for fupper, artificial arbours, couches, &c., to which parties retired when they pleased, and called for what refreshment they chose. This inftitution probably lafted but a short time. The late Captain O'Brien told me

that his father, Sir Edward, was one of the members.

On Mr. Pulteney's complaining to old Lady Townshend that he had been much out of order with a pain in his fide, fhe asked him which was his fide, for that she never knew he had one. "Oh," said he, "you must at least acknowledge that I have a nether fide."-"I know nothing about it," replied Lady T: "All the world knows that your wife has one." The allufion was to the well-known anecdote of Pulteney's infifting upon having fome papers read in the Houfe of Commons, one of which turned out to be a letter by one of his wife's gallants, concluding with a diftich too coarse for quotation here.

The celebrated writer Sterne, after being long the idol of this town, died in a mean lodging without a fingle friend who felt intereft in his fate except Becket, his bookfeller, who was the only perfon that attended his interment. He was buried in a grave-yard near Tyburn, belonging to the parish of Mary-le-bone, and the corpfe being marked by fome of the refurrection men, was taken up foon afterward and carried to the anatomy profeffor of Cambridge. A gentleman who was prefent at the diffection told me, he recognized Sterne's face the moment he faw the body.

Mr. Drumgoold, who had refided long at St. Germains, told Mr. Burke that old Grammont, whofe Memoirs are fo entertaining, was a very crofs, unpleasant old fellow. Count Hamilton, who really wrote the book, invented several of the anecdotes told in it, and mixed them with fuch facts as he could pick up from the old man, who was pleased to hear these tales when put nto a handfome dress.

March 8, 1789.-Mr. Horace Walpole remembers Lady M. W. Montague perfectly well, having paffed a year with her at Florence. He told me this morning that fhe was not handfome, had a wild, ftaring eye, was much marked with the small-pox, which the endeavoured to conceal, by filling up the depreffions with white paint. She was a great mifchief-maker, and had. not the smallest regard for truth. Her first gallant after her marriage was Lord Stair,

our ambaffador at Paris.

that the firft caufe of quarrel between her Worfdale, the painter, told Mr. Walpole and Pope was her borrowing a pair of fheets from the poet, which, after keeping them a fortnight, were returned to him unwashed!

Soon after her return from Conftantinople, fhe fell in love with a French gentleman who was very fond of her, and to whom she gave her perfon while fhe remained in Paris. He followed her into England with about two thoufand pounds in his pocket, which, foon after his arrival, fhe perfuaded him to put into her hands to dispose of in the Englifh funds to the best advantage, left from ignorance of our customs he might be impofed upon. Soon afterwards the affured him her husband had discovered their intrigue, and that he could not stay longer in England without danger to his life. The poor Frenchman in vain begged to have his money; but the faid that withdrawing it from the funds would take up too much time, and that he muft fly inftantly. He fled accordingly, and folicited in vain afterwards to have the money remitted. Lady M. W. Montague had the impudence to difown the whole tranfaction; and even to write to her fifter, Lady Mar, to incite her hufband, or Lord Stair,' (Lady Mary's old lover,) to punish the Frenchman for defamation.

Aviennus and his wife, in Pope's verses, were Wortley Montague and Lady Mary. Wordy was alfo Mr. Wortley.