66 "a Collector she is indefatigable. She attends the Regattas, never misses a Ball, dines with Bishops, "and with Members of Parliament.- Lest our "circuit should be too narrow, she has decoyed MRS. "WRAY to hold up her train at the Berkhampstead "annual Festino." "10 Oct. 1776. "***May the campaign of our ally General "Keene at Cambridge be as successful as that of "General Howe at New York! "The only military advices which I have to add are, that la belle Cousine is declared aide de camp "to Lady C. F.; and that under this command "she defies fire and water, ferries, and reviews." "19 Oct. 1776. Upon the receipt of a second cargo in brochures, "and soon after I had got through one of equal "size, I cannot but reflect upon what unequal terms "this literary commerce is carried on between us. "You supply me with all the art, and learning of "the Continent: I can send your Lordship nothing " in return, but a Gazette Extraordinary, of which you have triplicates by the same post. *** The Divinity-Professor's § low-flying "Sermon has received strictures from a wealthy Hosier, known to the Church as a Member of the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. * Mr. Benjamin Keene, son to the Bishop of Ely, was M. P. for Cambridge, the colleague of Soame Jenyns. + Miss Jeffreys, the Maid of Honour. Lady C. Fitzroy, who married Mr. Jeffreys, Commissioner of the Customs, and brother to the Residentiary of St. Paul's, MRS. WRAY's brother-in-law. § Dr. Richard Watson, the present Bishop of Landaff. Mr. William Stevens, an eminent Hosier in Old Broad-street, and Treasurer to Queen Anne's Bounty. He died in 1807; and some excellent Memoirs of him have since been given to the pub "He is a Tory of the old Filmer stamp, and will "not convince, or please many readers; yet he is not without some good strokes at the Doctor. "But non tali auxilio.-The Whigs are the most "offended by such rhapsodies; and this Preacher "should have been reproved by one of us, for draw"ing such invidious, and false consequences from "our sacred principles." "Dean-street, 4 Jan. 1777 **** Chevalier D'Eon is re-called; but in "his real character of Mademoiselle Denys, with all "marks of favour. She is to use herself to petticoats in a Convent; and when she is well in her geers, is to go where she pleases with her croix de "St. Louis at her stomacher, in testimony. Our "friend believes, that she will return to reside in England. What a pity it is that Jack Wilkes is " not a widower !" 66 "25 May, 1777 * As, when one has nothing to say, the "weather acquires importance, and becomes a topic; sorry am I to observe, that our Pentecostal holidays have not been more propitious to excursions "than our Paschal season has generally been. "Messrs. Jenyns and Cole were escorted by lick by Mr. Justice Park.- Mr. Stevens published two distinct works; the one intituled, "Strictures on a Sermon, intituled, The Principles of the Revolution vindicated, preached before the University of Cambridge, on Wednesday, May 25, 1776, by Richard Watson, D. D. F. R. S. Regius Professor of Divinity in that University;" the other, intituled, "The Revolution vindicated, and Constitutional Liberty asserted; in Answer to the Rev. Dr. Watson's Accession Sermon, preached before the University of Cambridge, on October 25, 1776." * Of this extraordinary man, see a good account in Chalmers's Biographical Dictionary, vol. XI. p. 476. + Charles Nalson Cole, esq. a Barrister, and Registrar to the Fen-office. "❝ umbrellas "umbrellas at Mount Ararat; and MRS. WRAY'S "genteel visitors had not a more brilliant reception. ****I have gone through Cook's Voyage. "The countries at which he touched afforded little "in addition to all we knew before. "The scenes, and the figures, well represented in "his Plates, claimed, I think, more of a correspond"ing description, than we find in the Journal. . 66 "But the Captain has perfected his work, the survey of the two vast Oceans, in so complete a manner-has, with such dexterity, annihilated "all theory of a continent, and of islands, the fa"vourites of hasty navigators, or fanciful reasoners, "and he tells his plain tale so naturally, that he must "convince the reader, and will go down to poste"rity as one of our principal discoverers. By returning late, I escaped the highwayman "who robbed my neighbour Knox, at six, upon " Barnes Common. The servant pursued the rogue, "who was taken in a garden at Putney. "Wishing your Lordship clearer skies, I here "close my dull dispatch, as genuine a country-post " as the original one in Swift." "Dean-street, Tuesday, 29th July, 1777. «**** I hope your Lordship and the Ladies "had a good journey to the sea; and that, although "such unseasonable weather may have set you to "the fire, it has not prevented your operations in "the water. "On the same Friday I took a peep at my Sabi"num, where I found the hay sopped, and the far"mers impatient. They paid, however, the rent in "arrear; but repairs necessary to new houses agree "not with new coaches. Luckily, indeed, the Exchequer comes in aid. * * * "Near "Near his own gate I met Admiral Forbes. He "carried me home; and, as they were quite alone, "I slept there. I must not say for the world that "I lay there; for our fine speakers have degraded "that word into almost "The hostess recollected with pleasure the happy "hours at Wrest, "Which danc'd away, with down upon their feet." * The account of people seen in a desert "island near Madagascar is cleared up. The lady " of Sir Robert Fletcher (who died at the Cape), in "her way hither, touched at the Mauritius, where, "from the best authority, she had the following account: "That, sixteen years ago, a French ship in the "Slave-trade was lost near that island, where many "of the people got ashore. The attempts to bring "them off had been disappointed, by the rocks, and "breakers round them. "At last, they all found their way out upon rafts, except seven black women, and a child, who were "the persons lately seen there, and are now safe in "one of the French islands. "They subsisted upon the eggs of birds, and "made clothing of the feathers.' "**** My cousin Gibbon [the Historian] is "much amused at Paris, and spends most of his "time chez le Controlleur-genéral, as a leading figure in the circle de Madame *** "Windsor, 13 Aug. 1777. "I am happy to hear your Lordship has begun "the remedies which are prescribed. I commend your visits to the rooms. Every little change of "situation helps; nor must we hang upon the days "that are past. They are gone; but there are amuse M 2 "ments "ments, and even pleasures, for later * periods of "life. Why should not we all, in our several degrees, make the best of them? "Tom Davies's Review meets with little atten"tion. It was produced by nothing but the vogue "of Ch.'s Characters; consequently, the Remarks "have not been discussed, not in my hearing at least. "They could not be contradicted. The pitiful "scribbler, therefore, could only take occasion from "thence to re-advertize his nonsense, with all the puffs. 66 "I have at last found the author of my extract. "The whole passage in the original stands: Vetustis "novitatem dare, novis auctoritatem, obsoletis nito"rem, obscuris lucem, fastiditis gratiam, dubiis fidem, " omnibus verò naturam, & naturæ sua omnia. "Itaque etiam non assecutis voluisse abundè pul"chrum atque magnificum est.' "It is in Pliny the Elder's dedication of his work "to the young Emperor. From this ample descrip"tion the Author claims indulgence to his own ex"ecution of it. "The part generally quoted would not suffer me "to look into that author for it, who is valuable on "account of his Collections, and those precious re"mains in ancient learning which he saved from the "general wreck; but in style is turgid, hard, and "more affected in his manner than his nephew. "Had I seen the end of the sentence, I think I "should have recognized the turn and the curling "of the Natural Historian. “*** Though so near to Court, we come to no "Cabinet secrets. My Doctor and I subsist *He was then SEVENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF AGE. Few at such an age are so philosophically cheerful. +"The Characters of George the First, Queen Caroline, Sir Robert Walpole, Lord Hardwicke, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Pitt, reviewed. With Royal and Noble Anecdotes, and a Sketch of Lord Chesterfield's Characters, 1777." Doctor Heberden. |