“Dear Sir,—If it was not for having you older than your friends would wish you, I should be glad you had been of the party, where I heard an argument between Dr. Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds, on the wonderful power of the human eye. Dr. Johnson made a quotation which I do not remember. ‘Sir,’ said Sir Joshua, in reply, ‘that divine effect is produced by the parts appertaining to the eye, and not from its globe, as is generally supposed; the skull must be justly proportioned.’“Mrs. Cholmondeley.[256]—‘My dear Sir Joshua, was there nothing in the magic of Garrick’s eye? its comicality. The Duke of Richmond, the Duke of Dorset, and young Sheridan[257]have superb eyes; but I don’t know what effect they would have on the stage.’“Sir Joshua.—‘Little or none, Madam; the great beauty of the Duke of Richmond’s eye proceeded from its fine and uncommon colour, dark blue, which would be totally lost on the stage, the light being constantly either too high or too low. Garrick’s eye, unaccompanied by the action of his mouth, would not fascinate. When you are near a person, a pretty woman for instance, andhave a good light, the contraction and expansion of the pupilla, which bids defiance to our art, is delightful; it is more perceptible in fine grey and light blue eyes, than in any other colour. We, however, cannot deny the majestic look of the Belvedere Apollo, though unassisted by iris, pupil, eye-lashes, or colour.’“Dr. Johnson.—‘Sir, a tiger’s eye, and, I am told, a snake’s, will intimidate birds, so that they will drop from trees for its prey, without using their wings.’“After Dr. Johnson had quaffed about twenty-four cups of tea, he gave a blow of considerable length from his mouth, drew his breath, and said, ‘Sir, I believe you are right, it is but rational to suppose so: I wish that rogue Burke was here.’“I am sorry, my dear Sir, that my memory is not better, so as to give you verbatim what passed. I feel like a person giving evidence in a court, trammelled by the apprehension of saying too much, or, as a late friend of mine said, ‘remembering a great many circumstances that never happened;’ and I only write this to show my readiness to comply with any request you could possibly make of your obliged friend,“M. Phillips.”“If you ask how it comes, the faithful Bossy was not present; Bossy was not always producible after dinner.”
“Dear Sir,—If it was not for having you older than your friends would wish you, I should be glad you had been of the party, where I heard an argument between Dr. Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds, on the wonderful power of the human eye. Dr. Johnson made a quotation which I do not remember. ‘Sir,’ said Sir Joshua, in reply, ‘that divine effect is produced by the parts appertaining to the eye, and not from its globe, as is generally supposed; the skull must be justly proportioned.’
“Mrs. Cholmondeley.[256]—‘My dear Sir Joshua, was there nothing in the magic of Garrick’s eye? its comicality. The Duke of Richmond, the Duke of Dorset, and young Sheridan[257]have superb eyes; but I don’t know what effect they would have on the stage.’
“Sir Joshua.—‘Little or none, Madam; the great beauty of the Duke of Richmond’s eye proceeded from its fine and uncommon colour, dark blue, which would be totally lost on the stage, the light being constantly either too high or too low. Garrick’s eye, unaccompanied by the action of his mouth, would not fascinate. When you are near a person, a pretty woman for instance, andhave a good light, the contraction and expansion of the pupilla, which bids defiance to our art, is delightful; it is more perceptible in fine grey and light blue eyes, than in any other colour. We, however, cannot deny the majestic look of the Belvedere Apollo, though unassisted by iris, pupil, eye-lashes, or colour.’
“Dr. Johnson.—‘Sir, a tiger’s eye, and, I am told, a snake’s, will intimidate birds, so that they will drop from trees for its prey, without using their wings.’
“After Dr. Johnson had quaffed about twenty-four cups of tea, he gave a blow of considerable length from his mouth, drew his breath, and said, ‘Sir, I believe you are right, it is but rational to suppose so: I wish that rogue Burke was here.’
“I am sorry, my dear Sir, that my memory is not better, so as to give you verbatim what passed. I feel like a person giving evidence in a court, trammelled by the apprehension of saying too much, or, as a late friend of mine said, ‘remembering a great many circumstances that never happened;’ and I only write this to show my readiness to comply with any request you could possibly make of your obliged friend,
“M. Phillips.”
“If you ask how it comes, the faithful Bossy was not present; Bossy was not always producible after dinner.”
RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN“Tell Lady Besborough that my eyes will look up to the coffin-lid as brightly as ever.”
RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN
“Tell Lady Besborough that my eyes will look up to the coffin-lid as brightly as ever.”
“Wednesday, 27th March.
ROYAL BUN HOUSE, CHELSEA,
GOOD FRIDAY.
No Cross Buns.
“Mrs. Hand respectfully informs her friends, and the public, that in consequence of the great concourseof people which assembled before her house at a very early hour, on the morning of Good Friday; by which her neighbours (with whom she has always lived in friendship and repute) have been much alarmed and annoyed; it having also been intimated, that to encourage or countenance a tumultuous assembly at this particular period, might be attended with consequences more serious than have hitherto been apprehended; desirous, therefore, of testifying her regard and obedience to those laws by which she is happily protected, she is determined, though much to her loss, not to sellCross Bunson that day, to any person whatever;—but Chelsea Buns as usual.
“Mrs. Hand would be wanting in gratitude to a generous public, who, for more than fifty years past, have so warmly patronised and encouraged her shop, to omit so favourable an opportunity of offering her sincere acknowledgments for their kind favours; at the same time, to assure them she will, to the utmost of her power, endeavour to merit a continuance of them.”[258]
The origin of wooden tessellated floors having been a subject of much inquiry among many of my friends, I here insert a copy of an advertisement introduced in a catalogue of books, published 1676, under the licence of Roger L’Estrange.[259]
“There is now in the press, and almost finished, that excellent piece of architecture,[260]written by Andrea Palladio, translated out of Italian, with an Appendix, touching Doors and Windows, by Pierre le Muet, Architect to the French King: translated out of French, by G. R.; also Rules and Demonstrations, with several designs for the framing any manner of Roofs, either above pitch, or under pitch, whether square or bevel; never published before; with designs of Floors of Variety of small pieces of Wood, lately made in the Palace of the Queen-Mother, at Somerset House—a curiosity never practised in England.
“The third Edition, corrected and enlarged, with the new model of the Cathedral of St. Paul’s as it is now building.”
The floors of the oldest parts of the British Museum,[261]retained specimens of this tessellated work, until they were removed on the construction of the new building.
Having often heard my father expatiate upon the extraordinary talents of Keyse,[262]the proprietor of Bermondsey Spa, as a painter, I went one July evening to Hungerford, and engaged “Copper Holmes”[263]to scull me to “Pepper Alley Stairs”; from thence I proceeded to the gardens. This I was the more anxious to accomplish, as that once famed place of recreation was most rapidly on the decline. I entered under a semicircular awning next to the proprietor’s house, which I well remember was a large wooden-fronted building, consisting of long square divisions, in imitation of scantlings of stone. My surprise was great, for no one appeared, but three idle waiters, and they were clumped for the want of a call. The space before the orchestra, which was about a quarter the size of that of Vauxhall, was in the centre, totally destitute of trees, the few that these gardens could then boast of being those planted close to the fronts of the surrounding boxes of accommodation, as a screen to prevent the public from overlooking the gardens.
My attention was attracted by a board with a ruffled hand, within a sky-blue painted sleeve, pointing to the staircase which led “To the Gallery of Paintings.” In this room I at first considered myself as the only spectator; and as the evening sun shone brilliantly, the refraction of the lights gave me a splendid and uninterrupted view of the numerous pictures with which it was closely hung, each of which had just claims to my attention, as I found myself frequently walking backwards to enjoy their deceptive effects. When I had gone round the gallery, which by the bye was oblong, and in size similar to that of the Academician, J. M. W. Turner, in Queen Anne Street, I voluntarily recommenced my view, but, in stepping back to study the picture of the Green-stall, “I ask your pardon,” said I, for I had trodden upon some one’s toes; “Sir, it is granted,” replied a little thick-set man, with a round face, arch look, closely curled wig, surmounted by a small three-cornered hat, put very knowingly on one side, not unlike Hogarth’s head in his print of the Gates of Calais. “You are an artist, I presume; I noticed you from the end of the gallery when you first stepped back to look at my best picture. I painted all the objects in this room from nature and still life.” “Your Greengrocer’s Shop,” said I, “is inimitable; the drops of water on that Savoy appear as if they had just fallen from the element. Van Huysum could not have pencilled them with greater delicacy.” “What do you think,” said he, “of my Butcher’s Shop?” “Your pluck is bleeding fresh, and your sweetbread is in a clean plate.” “How do you like my bull’s eye?” “Why it would be a most excellent one for Adams or Dollond[264]to lecture upon. Your knuckleof veal is the finest I ever saw.” “It’s young meat,” replied he; “any one who is a judge of meat can tell that from the blueness of its bone.” “What a beautiful white you have used on the fat of that South Down leg! or is it Bagshot?”[265]
“Yes,” said he, “my solitary visitor, it is Bagshot; and as for my white, that is the best Nottingham, which you or any artist can procure at Stone and Puncheon’s, in Bishopsgate Street Within. Sir Joshua Reynolds,” continued Mr. Keyse, “paid me two visits. On the second, he asked me what white I had used; and when I told him, he observed, ‘It is very extraordinary, Sir, how it keeps so bright; I use the same.’ ‘Not at all, Sir,’ I rejoined: ‘the doors of this gallery are open day and night; and the admission of fresh air, together with the great expansion of light from the sashes above, will never suffer the white to turn yellow. Have you not observed, Sir Joshua, how white the posts and rails on the public roads are, though they have not been repainted for years?—that arises from constant air and bleaching.’
J. M. W. TURNER, R.A.FROM A WATER-COLOUR SKETCH BY J. T. SMITH
J. M. W. TURNER, R.A.
FROM A WATER-COLOUR SKETCH BY J. T. SMITH
“Come,” said Mr. Keyse, putting his hand upon my shoulder, “the bell rings, not for prayers, nor for dinner, but for the song.” As soon as we had reached the orchestra, the singer curtsied to us, for we were the only persons in the gardens. “This is sad work,” said he, “but the womanmust sing according to our contract.” I recollect that the singer was handsome, most dashingly dressed, immensely plumed, and villainously rouged; she smiled as she sang, but it was not the bewitching smile of Mrs. Wrighten,[266]then applauded by thousands at Vauxhall Gardens. As soon as the Spa lady had ended her song, Keyse, after joining me in applause, apologised for doing so, by observing that, as he never suffered his servants to applaud, and as the people in the road (whose ears were close to the cracks in the paling to hear the song), would make a bad report if they had not heard more than the clapping of one pair of hands, he had in this instance expressed his reluctant feelings.
As the lady retired from the front of the orchestra, she, to keep herself in practice, curtsied to me with as much respect as she would had Colonel Topham been the patron of a gala night.[267]“This is too bad,” again observed Keyse; “and I am sure you cannot expect fireworks!” However, he politely asked me to partake of a bottle of Lisbon, which upon my refusing, he pressed me to accept of a catalogue of his pictures.
Blewitt[268](who at that time lived in BermondseySquare), the scholar of Jonathan Battishill,[269]was the composer for the Spa establishment. The following verse is the first of his most admired composition,—“In lonely cot by Humber’s side.”
My old and worthy friendJosephCaulfield,[270]Blewitt’s favourite pupil, of whom he learned thorough bass, related to me the following anecdote of a musical composer, as told him by his master:—“When I was going upstairs,” said Blewitt, “to the attics, where one of my instructors lived (for I had many), I hesitated on the second-floor landing-place, upon hearing my master and his wife at high words. ‘Get you gone!’ said the lofty paper-ruffled composer, ‘retire to your apartments!’ This command of her lord she did not immediately obey; however, in a short time after, I heard the clattering of plates against the wall, and upon entering the room, I discovered that the lady had retired, but not before she had covered the whitewashed wall profusely with the unbroiled sprats.”
“I was at a musical party,” continued my friend Joseph, “at Lord Sandwich’s,[271]in Hertford Street, Mayfair,when, among other specimens of the best masters, I heard Battishill’s beautiful composition of
“Amidst the myrtles as I walk,Love and myself thus entered talk,‘Tell me,’ said I, in deep distress,‘Where I may find my Shepherdess.’”[272]
“Amidst the myrtles as I walk,Love and myself thus entered talk,‘Tell me,’ said I, in deep distress,‘Where I may find my Shepherdess.’”[272]
“Amidst the myrtles as I walk,Love and myself thus entered talk,‘Tell me,’ said I, in deep distress,‘Where I may find my Shepherdess.’”[272]
“Amidst the myrtles as I walk,
Love and myself thus entered talk,
‘Tell me,’ said I, in deep distress,
‘Where I may find my Shepherdess.’”[272]
Upon expressing my pleasure at hearing the above performed in so superior a style, his Lordship told me he had written a sequel, which he thus repeated:—
“Love said to me, ‘Thou faithful swain,Thy search in myrtle groves is vain;Examine well thy noblest part,Thou’lt find her seated in thy heart.’”
“Love said to me, ‘Thou faithful swain,Thy search in myrtle groves is vain;Examine well thy noblest part,Thou’lt find her seated in thy heart.’”
“Love said to me, ‘Thou faithful swain,Thy search in myrtle groves is vain;Examine well thy noblest part,Thou’lt find her seated in thy heart.’”
“Love said to me, ‘Thou faithful swain,
Thy search in myrtle groves is vain;
Examine well thy noblest part,
Thou’lt find her seated in thy heart.’”
It appears that in poetry, as well as in painting and prints, and also in dwellings, decorations, and dress, there has ever been a fashion for a time. Battishill was the composer of that justly celebrated glee, commencing with “Underneath thismyrtleshade.” Myrtles, after having had a great run, were succeeded by Cupid’s darts; and that little rogue Love playedold gooseberrywith the hearts of Chloes and Colins, Robins and Robinets; then the ever-blooming lasses of Patterdale and Richmond Hill attracted our giddy notice. These were succeededby “Bacchus in green ivy bound,” giving “Joy and pleasure all around.” After that, moonlight meetings were preferred, and “Buy a broom, ladies,” was continually dinning our ears “through and through.”
In the summer of this year, the late John Wigston, Esq., then of Millfield House, Edmonton, having repeatedly expressed a wish to see the famous George Morland before he commenced a collection of his pictures, I having been known to that child of nature in my boyish days, offered to introduce them to each other.[273]Morland then resided in Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, in the house formerly inhabited by Sir Thomas Apreece. He received us in the drawing-room, which was filled with easels, canvases, stretching-frames, gallipots of colour, and oil-stones; a stool, chair, and a three-legged table were the only articles of furniture of which this once splendid apartment could then boast. Mr. Wigston, his generous-hearted visitor, immediately bespoke a picture, for which he gave him a draft for forty pounds, that sum being exactly the money he then wanted; but this gentleman had, like most of that artist’s employers, to ply him close for his picture.
GEORGE MORLAND“There! go back and tell the pawnbroker to advance me five guineas more upon it.”
GEORGE MORLAND
“There! go back and tell the pawnbroker to advance me five guineas more upon it.”
As Mrs. Wigston had a great desire to see Morland, he was invited to take a day’s sport with the hounds, which the artist accepted, with a full assurance of punctuality. However, as usual with that eccentric man, he only arrived time enough for dinner, accompanied byeight of those persons denominatedhis friends. Mrs. Wigston, an elegant and most accomplished lady, was in consequence deprived of a sight of this far-famed genius. I was deputed by my honoured friend Mr. Wigston to take Mrs. Wigston’s abdicated chair, and carved for this pretty set, consisting of persons unaccustomed to sit at such a table. Our worthy host soon discovered their strong propensity for spirituous liquors, three of them even during dinner, instead of taking wine, of which there were many sorts on the table, calling for a glass of brandy. After hearing several jokes and humorous songs from some of the party, George Morland declared he must go, having an engagement with Mrs. Laye, and other friends, at “Otter’s Pool.”[274]
When Morland and his party entered the stable-yard, the following altercation took place between Mr. Wigston and his groom.
Mr. Wigston.—“Bring out these gentlemen’s horses.”
Groom.—“Horses, horses! they’ll find ’um at the ‘Two Jolly Brewers.’ Horses, indeed!”
Mr. Wigston.—“And why, Sir, were they sent there?”
Groom.—“Why, I would not suffer such cattle to come near your stud; for I never saw such a set-out in my life!”
The party accordingly betook themselves to the “Brewers”; but upon our return to the honest though rough diamond of a groom, he observed that it was past two o’clock, and that the dog ought to have been let loose two hours ago!
Although my mother continued till the time of her death in the habit of the Society of Friends, and my father followed most of the popular Methodists, I, from my earliest days of reflection, gave a preference to the Established Church of England. Notwithstanding this, my inquisitiveness now and then induced me to hear celebrated preachers of every sect. I remember one Sunday morning in this year, after intending to enter some church on my way to dine with my great-aunt on Camberwell Green, my ears were most agreeably greeted with the swelling pipes of the Surrey Chapel organ.[275]Why, thinks I to myself, should not I hear Rowland Hill? Surely it must be now full twenty years since I saw him in Moorfields, at my last visit to the Tabernacle. In I accordingly went; and though a smile with me was always deemed highly indecorous during divine worship, yet the truth must out; I could not help sometimes laughing—as heartily, though not so loudly, I hope, as all of us when led into the enjoyment of Momus’s strongest fits by the inimitable Mathews.
No sooner was the sermon over and the blessingbestowed, than Rowland electrified his hearers by vociferating, “Door-keepers, shut the doors!” Slam went one door; bounce went another; bang went a third; at last, all being anxiously silent as the most importantly unexpected scenes of Sir Walter Scott could make them, the pastor, with a slow and dulcet emphasis, thus addressed his congregation:—“My dearly beloved, I speak it to my shame, that this sermon was to have been a charity sermon, and if you will only look down into the green pew at those—let me see—three and three are six, and one makes seven, young men with red morocco prayer-books in their hands, poor souls! they were backsliders, for they went on the Serpentine River, and other far distant waters, on a Sabbath; they were, however, as you see, all saved from a watery grave. I need not tell ye that my exertions were to have been for the benefit of that benevolent institution the Humane Society.—What!I see some of ye already up to be gone; fie! fie! fie!—never heed your dinners; don’t be Calibans, nor mind your pockets. I know that some of ye are now attending to the devil’s whispers. I say, listen to me! take my advice, give shillings instead of sixpences; and those who intended to give shillings, display half-crowns, in order not only to thwart the foul fiend’s mischievousness, but to get your pastor out of this scrape; and if you do, I trust Satan will never put his foot within this circle again. Hark ye! I have hit upon it; ye shall leave us directly. The Bank Directors, you must know, have called in the dollars; now, if any of you happen to be encumbered with a stale dollar or two, jingle the Spanish in our dishes; we’ll take them, they’ll pass current here. Stay, my friends, a moment more. I am to dine with the Humane Society on Tuesday next, and it wouldshock me beyond expression to see the strings of the Surrey Chapel lay dangle down its sides like the tags upon Lady Huntingdon’s servants’ shoulders. Now, mind what I say, upon this occasion I wish for a bumper as strenuously as Master Hugh Peters did, when he recommended his congregation in Broadway Chapel to take a second glass.” It is recorded that when he found the sand of his hour-glass had descended, he turned it, saying, “Come, I know you to be jolly dogs, we’ll take t’other glass.”[276]I understand that Rowland Hill is not made up of veneer, but of solid well-seasoned stuff, with a heart of oak, and ever willing to exercise kindness to his fellow-creatures, upon the system of my friend Charles Lamb.[277]
ROWLAND HILL“His ideas come red hot from the heart.”Sheridan
ROWLAND HILL
“His ideas come red hot from the heart.”
Sheridan
In May this year I applied to my worthy friend, Mr. John Constable, now a Royal Academician, for any particulars which he might be able to procure respecting Gainsborough, he being also a Suffolk man; and I had the pleasure of receiving the following letter:—
“East Bergholt,7th May, 1797.“Dear Friend Smith,—If you remember, in my last I promised to write again soon, and tell you what I could about Gainsborough. I hope you will not think me negligent when I inform you that I have not been able to learn anything of consequence respecting him: I can assure you it is not for the want of asking that I have not been successful, for indeed I havetalked with those who knew him. I believe in Ipswich they did not know his value till they lost him. He belonged to something of a musical club in that town, and painted some of their portraits in a picture of a choir; it is said to be very curious.“I heard it was in Colchester; I shall endeavour to see it before I come to town, which will be soon. He was generally the butt of the company, and his wig was to them a fund of amusement, as it was often snatched from his head and thrown about the room, etc.; but enough of this. I shall now give you a few lines verbatim, which my friend Dr. Hamilton, of Ipswich, was so good as to send me; though it amounts to nothing, I am obliged to him for taking the commission.“‘I have not been neglectful of the inquiries respecting Gainsborough, but have learned nothing worth your notice. There is no vale or grove distinguished by his name in this neighbourhood. There is a place up the river-side where he often sat to sketch, on account of the beauty of the landscape, its extensiveness, and richness in variety, both in the fore and back grounds. It comprehended Bramford and other distant villages on one side; and on the other side of the river extended towards Nacton, etc. Friston alehouse must have been near, for it seems he has introduced the Boot signpost in many of his best pictures. Smart and Frost[278](two drawing-masters in Ipswich) often go there now to take views; whether they be inspiredfrom pressing the same sod with any of this great painter’s genius, you are a better judge than I am. Farewell.’“This, my dear friend, is the little all I have yet gained, but though I have been unsuccessful, it does not follow that I should relinquish my inquiries. If you want to know the exact time of his birth, I will take a ride over to Sudbury, and look into the register.[279]There is an exceeding fine picture of his painting at Mr. Kilderby’s, in Ipswich.“Since I last wrote to you I have made another attempt at etching; have succeeded a little better, but yet fall very short. I shall send you an impression soon.“I doubt there is nothing in my last parcel of cottages worth your notice; am obliged to you for the little sketch after Hobbima. I understand the present exhibition is a very good one; I understand Sir G. Beaumont excels. My friend Gubbins informs me that you have finished Lady Plomer’s Palace,[280]and that you have made a sketch from the fire in the Minories; surely it must have put our friend C——h to the rout.[281]Thine sincerely,“John Constable.”
“East Bergholt,7th May, 1797.
“Dear Friend Smith,—If you remember, in my last I promised to write again soon, and tell you what I could about Gainsborough. I hope you will not think me negligent when I inform you that I have not been able to learn anything of consequence respecting him: I can assure you it is not for the want of asking that I have not been successful, for indeed I havetalked with those who knew him. I believe in Ipswich they did not know his value till they lost him. He belonged to something of a musical club in that town, and painted some of their portraits in a picture of a choir; it is said to be very curious.
“I heard it was in Colchester; I shall endeavour to see it before I come to town, which will be soon. He was generally the butt of the company, and his wig was to them a fund of amusement, as it was often snatched from his head and thrown about the room, etc.; but enough of this. I shall now give you a few lines verbatim, which my friend Dr. Hamilton, of Ipswich, was so good as to send me; though it amounts to nothing, I am obliged to him for taking the commission.
“‘I have not been neglectful of the inquiries respecting Gainsborough, but have learned nothing worth your notice. There is no vale or grove distinguished by his name in this neighbourhood. There is a place up the river-side where he often sat to sketch, on account of the beauty of the landscape, its extensiveness, and richness in variety, both in the fore and back grounds. It comprehended Bramford and other distant villages on one side; and on the other side of the river extended towards Nacton, etc. Friston alehouse must have been near, for it seems he has introduced the Boot signpost in many of his best pictures. Smart and Frost[278](two drawing-masters in Ipswich) often go there now to take views; whether they be inspiredfrom pressing the same sod with any of this great painter’s genius, you are a better judge than I am. Farewell.’
“This, my dear friend, is the little all I have yet gained, but though I have been unsuccessful, it does not follow that I should relinquish my inquiries. If you want to know the exact time of his birth, I will take a ride over to Sudbury, and look into the register.[279]There is an exceeding fine picture of his painting at Mr. Kilderby’s, in Ipswich.
“Since I last wrote to you I have made another attempt at etching; have succeeded a little better, but yet fall very short. I shall send you an impression soon.
“I doubt there is nothing in my last parcel of cottages worth your notice; am obliged to you for the little sketch after Hobbima. I understand the present exhibition is a very good one; I understand Sir G. Beaumont excels. My friend Gubbins informs me that you have finished Lady Plomer’s Palace,[280]and that you have made a sketch from the fire in the Minories; surely it must have put our friend C——h to the rout.[281]Thine sincerely,
“John Constable.”
Mrs. Pope, the actress, died this year in Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, and was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey.[282]
Being anxious to add something more to the memory of this amiable character, I applied to her surviving husband; when that gentleman very obligingly favoured me with the following copy of a record, which he made soon after her death:—
“The best of women and the best of wives drew her last breath at half-past two o’clock on Wednesday morning, the 15th of March, 1797.
“Her illness lasted about seven weeks; her complaint palsy, beginning in her head, and depriving her of the use of her left hand. Her death was an awful lesson; her loss irreparable.”[283]
In the room with the bow-window on the first-floor of the same house, Mr. Pope[284]produced some excellent portraits in crayons, of persons of the first fashion, many of them little inferior in every respect to those of the celebrated Francis Cotes;[285]the inimitable whole-length portrait of Grattan, of which there is an engraving, will be a lasting and mutual record of the artist and patriot. The following letter, given to me by my late worthy friend Dr. Mathew, was written by Mrs. Pope, to her friend Mrs. Mathew, of Rathbone Place:—
“Dublin,July 6th.“I flatter myself that my ever loved and most highly esteemed friends will be pleased to receive the assurance of my health, and to know that I am in the possession of as much comfort asmymind is capable to receive out of England. Thank God, all things as yet go on well, and the exertions of business do not seem to do that injury to my health which I had great reason to fear. We have acted six nights,Jane Shorefirst, avery greathouse,well received, and Pope’s speech toGlostertwice repeated, which I think proves in a great degree the loyalty of the people.“Gloster’sspeech, thus:—“‘What if some patriot for the public goodShould vary from your scheme,—new mould the State?“‘Hastings.—Curse on the innovating hand that ’tempts it!Remember him, the villain, righteous Heaven,In thy great day of vengeance: blast the traitorAnd his pernicious counsels; who for wealth,For power, the pride of greatness, or revenge,Would plunge his native land in civil wars.’“It is impossible to describe the effect this speech had on the audience. I think you would have been gratified to have heard it; it is the first time a speech in a tragedy was ever repeated. Perhaps it proves the loyalty of this city. I hear there are sad doings in the country parts of Ireland; I trust we shall meet with nothing of it: we stay in Dublin all this month, then go to Cork. Our second characters wereMr.andMrs. Beverley, highly esteemed and greatly spoken of; third,BelvideraandJaffier—with good success. Their last new play,How to grow Rich, twice; and yesterdayElizabethandEssex, which, by the way, Pope acted well. Next weekColumbus. I count the nights, though now I trust I shall be able to go through them all. So much for myself.“And now, my friends, let me beg that you will favour me with a little account of yourselves. I ardently wish to hear that you are all well and happy, in the full possession of thattrue felicity, which your goodness of heart so justly merits. God bless you both! Mr. Pope unites with me in respectful remembrance to the Baron, and affectionate esteem to the whole family, particularly in respect and affection to Mrs. and Miss Mathew. Adieu:I don’t like to leave off, and yet I hardly think you can read what I have already written.“Ever your most affectionate“E. Pope.”
“Dublin,July 6th.
“I flatter myself that my ever loved and most highly esteemed friends will be pleased to receive the assurance of my health, and to know that I am in the possession of as much comfort asmymind is capable to receive out of England. Thank God, all things as yet go on well, and the exertions of business do not seem to do that injury to my health which I had great reason to fear. We have acted six nights,Jane Shorefirst, avery greathouse,well received, and Pope’s speech toGlostertwice repeated, which I think proves in a great degree the loyalty of the people.
“Gloster’sspeech, thus:—
“‘What if some patriot for the public goodShould vary from your scheme,—new mould the State?“‘Hastings.—Curse on the innovating hand that ’tempts it!Remember him, the villain, righteous Heaven,In thy great day of vengeance: blast the traitorAnd his pernicious counsels; who for wealth,For power, the pride of greatness, or revenge,Would plunge his native land in civil wars.’
“‘What if some patriot for the public goodShould vary from your scheme,—new mould the State?“‘Hastings.—Curse on the innovating hand that ’tempts it!Remember him, the villain, righteous Heaven,In thy great day of vengeance: blast the traitorAnd his pernicious counsels; who for wealth,For power, the pride of greatness, or revenge,Would plunge his native land in civil wars.’
“‘What if some patriot for the public goodShould vary from your scheme,—new mould the State?
“‘What if some patriot for the public good
Should vary from your scheme,—new mould the State?
“‘Hastings.—Curse on the innovating hand that ’tempts it!Remember him, the villain, righteous Heaven,In thy great day of vengeance: blast the traitorAnd his pernicious counsels; who for wealth,For power, the pride of greatness, or revenge,Would plunge his native land in civil wars.’
“‘Hastings.—Curse on the innovating hand that ’tempts it!
Remember him, the villain, righteous Heaven,
In thy great day of vengeance: blast the traitor
And his pernicious counsels; who for wealth,
For power, the pride of greatness, or revenge,
Would plunge his native land in civil wars.’
“It is impossible to describe the effect this speech had on the audience. I think you would have been gratified to have heard it; it is the first time a speech in a tragedy was ever repeated. Perhaps it proves the loyalty of this city. I hear there are sad doings in the country parts of Ireland; I trust we shall meet with nothing of it: we stay in Dublin all this month, then go to Cork. Our second characters wereMr.andMrs. Beverley, highly esteemed and greatly spoken of; third,BelvideraandJaffier—with good success. Their last new play,How to grow Rich, twice; and yesterdayElizabethandEssex, which, by the way, Pope acted well. Next weekColumbus. I count the nights, though now I trust I shall be able to go through them all. So much for myself.
“And now, my friends, let me beg that you will favour me with a little account of yourselves. I ardently wish to hear that you are all well and happy, in the full possession of thattrue felicity, which your goodness of heart so justly merits. God bless you both! Mr. Pope unites with me in respectful remembrance to the Baron, and affectionate esteem to the whole family, particularly in respect and affection to Mrs. and Miss Mathew. Adieu:I don’t like to leave off, and yet I hardly think you can read what I have already written.
“Ever your most affectionate
“E. Pope.”
This year, in consequence of the death of Mr. Green,[286]who had been drawing-master to Christ’s Hospital, I stood candidate for the situation; and, though I was unsuccessful, my testimonials being so flattering, I cannot withstand the temptation of printing them, whatever may be said by my enemies, who may not be able to produce anything half so honourable.
“May 10th, 1798.“We whose names are subscribed, having seen specimens of drawings by John Thomas Smith, are of opinion that he is qualified for the office of drawing-master in the school of Christ’s Hospital.I not only think him qualified as an artist, but greatly to be respected as a man.Benjamin West, Prest. R.A.Being not personally acquainted with Mr. J. T. Smith, I have examined his performances, and I think him well qualified for the above office.J. F. Rigaud, R.A.I have known him from a child, and think him an honest man and wellqualifiedfor the office.Joseph Nollekens, R.A.I have long been acquainted with Mr. J. T. Smith’s merits as a good artist and a worthy man.John Flaxman, Jun., Sculptor, Associate R.A.;R.A. of Florence and Carrara.We subscribe to the above opinion.—W. Beechey, R.A.elect.W. Hamilton, R.A.Thomas Stothard, R.A.John Russell, R.A.J. Bacon, R.A.T. Banks, R.A.James Barry, R.A., Professor of Painting.John Opie, R.A.R. Cosway, R.A.James Northcote, R.A.Jos. Farington, R.A.Richard Westall, R.A.Henry Fuseli, R.A.H. Copley, R.A.I have long known Mr. Smith as an artist and respectable man, and believe him to be perfectly capable of filling the office he solicits with honour.P. Reinagle, A.We subscribe to the above opinion.Francis Bartolozzi, R.A.Richard Collins.Caleb Whitefoord.We have known Mr. Smith for upwards of fourteen years, and we have found him an able drawing-master to our daughter, whose drawings he has never touched upon; a practice too often followed by drawing-masters in general: and we believe him to be a truly valuable member of society, as a husband, father, and good man.James Winter Lake.Jessy Lake.We can never subscribe our names with greater satisfaction, than in signifying the very high opinion we have of Mr. Smith, both as to his talents and character.James Lake.Atwill Lake.I fully subscribe to the above opinion,Richard Wyatt, Milton Place.I believe Mr. Smith to be a very deserving man, and well qualified for the situation he is ambitious of obtaining.John Charles Crowle.Thomas Allen has a great respect for Mr. Smith, both as a man and an artist.Joseph Williamson, A.M., Vicar of St. Dunstan in the West.I am personally acquainted with Mr. J. T. Smith, and esteem him one of the best of men.John Boydell, Alderman.I am happy to bear testimony to the character of Mr. Smith as a man, and to find him so highly respected as an artist.T. Thomson.I have long known Mr. Smith to be an ingenious artist, an able instructor, and a benevolent and honest man.John Cranch.I have known Mr. Smith many years, and believe him very capable of filling the office of drawing-master to Christ’s Hospital with credit to himself and advantage to the charity.Henry Howard.J. Swainson.T. Whittingham.J. Nixon, Basinghall Street.Henry Smith, Drapers’ Hall.Alex. Lean Smyth, the Hudson’s Bay Company.Arthur Ball, }John Broome, } Hudson’s Bay HouseGeorge Whitehead, Cateaton Street.Providence, which placed me next door to Mr. J. T. Smith for several years, made me intimately acquainted with a faithful husband, an affectionate father, and an honest man.Charles Gower, M.D.”
“May 10th, 1798.
“We whose names are subscribed, having seen specimens of drawings by John Thomas Smith, are of opinion that he is qualified for the office of drawing-master in the school of Christ’s Hospital.
I not only think him qualified as an artist, but greatly to be respected as a man.
Benjamin West, Prest. R.A.
Being not personally acquainted with Mr. J. T. Smith, I have examined his performances, and I think him well qualified for the above office.
J. F. Rigaud, R.A.
I have known him from a child, and think him an honest man and wellqualifiedfor the office.
Joseph Nollekens, R.A.
I have long been acquainted with Mr. J. T. Smith’s merits as a good artist and a worthy man.
John Flaxman, Jun., Sculptor, Associate R.A.;R.A. of Florence and Carrara.
We subscribe to the above opinion.—
W. Beechey, R.A.elect.W. Hamilton, R.A.Thomas Stothard, R.A.John Russell, R.A.J. Bacon, R.A.T. Banks, R.A.James Barry, R.A., Professor of Painting.John Opie, R.A.R. Cosway, R.A.James Northcote, R.A.Jos. Farington, R.A.Richard Westall, R.A.Henry Fuseli, R.A.H. Copley, R.A.
I have long known Mr. Smith as an artist and respectable man, and believe him to be perfectly capable of filling the office he solicits with honour.
P. Reinagle, A.
We subscribe to the above opinion.
Francis Bartolozzi, R.A.Richard Collins.Caleb Whitefoord.
We have known Mr. Smith for upwards of fourteen years, and we have found him an able drawing-master to our daughter, whose drawings he has never touched upon; a practice too often followed by drawing-masters in general: and we believe him to be a truly valuable member of society, as a husband, father, and good man.
James Winter Lake.Jessy Lake.
We can never subscribe our names with greater satisfaction, than in signifying the very high opinion we have of Mr. Smith, both as to his talents and character.
James Lake.Atwill Lake.
I fully subscribe to the above opinion,
Richard Wyatt, Milton Place.
I believe Mr. Smith to be a very deserving man, and well qualified for the situation he is ambitious of obtaining.
John Charles Crowle.
Thomas Allen has a great respect for Mr. Smith, both as a man and an artist.
Joseph Williamson, A.M., Vicar of St. Dunstan in the West.
I am personally acquainted with Mr. J. T. Smith, and esteem him one of the best of men.
John Boydell, Alderman.
I am happy to bear testimony to the character of Mr. Smith as a man, and to find him so highly respected as an artist.
T. Thomson.
I have long known Mr. Smith to be an ingenious artist, an able instructor, and a benevolent and honest man.
John Cranch.
I have known Mr. Smith many years, and believe him very capable of filling the office of drawing-master to Christ’s Hospital with credit to himself and advantage to the charity.
Henry Howard.
J. Swainson.T. Whittingham.J. Nixon, Basinghall Street.Henry Smith, Drapers’ Hall.Alex. Lean Smyth, the Hudson’s Bay Company.Arthur Ball, }John Broome, } Hudson’s Bay HouseGeorge Whitehead, Cateaton Street.
Providence, which placed me next door to Mr. J. T. Smith for several years, made me intimately acquainted with a faithful husband, an affectionate father, and an honest man.
Charles Gower, M.D.”
JAMES BARRY, R.A.“I reflect with horror upon such a fellow as I am, and with such a kind of art, with house-rent to pay and employers to look for.”
JAMES BARRY, R.A.
“I reflect with horror upon such a fellow as I am, and with such a kind of art, with house-rent to pay and employers to look for.”
On the 4th of August this year, died at his mansion in Rutland Square, Dublin, the Right Hon. James, Earl of Charlemont,[287]who was born 18th of August, 1728.This gentleman was truly a nobleman, for he was one of the greatest patrons of the fine arts this country could boast of. He was the great friend of Hogarth; bought many of his pictures, particularly that most elegant performance so justly celebrated under the title of “The Lady’s Last Stake,” so admirably engraven by Mr. Cheesman.[288]The following is a copy of an original letter given to me by a late worthy friend; it is addressed to the late Sir Lawrence Parsons, Bart.,[289]and written by Lord Charlemont within eight months of his Lordship’s death.
“Dublin,12th Jan., 1799.“My dear Sir Lawrence,—As nothing has ever affected me with more painful astonishment than the shameful apathy and consequent silence of the country at the present desperate crisis of our fate as a nation, so have I experienced few more real pleasures than in having found, by the public papers, that a meeting of your county, at least, has been called; a pleasure which, though principally derived from my ardent zeal for the public service, is still further increasedby my friendship for you, as I am too well acquainted with your sentiments to doubt for a moment that such call has been in the highest degree satisfactory and flattering to your feelings. Neither can I entertain the slightest apprehension that the result of any meeting of Irishmen will be other than the firm and spirited condemnation of a measure, replete with every disgrace and danger in their country. Never, indeed, were my beloved countrymen so forcibly called upon as at the present emergency, maturely to form their opinions and to speak aloud the dictates of their hearts. Their ancestors call upon them from their graves to preserve those national rights which they have transmitted to them. Their children from their cradles, with mute but prevailing eloquence, beseech them to protect and to defend their birthrights; and, with a more awful voice, their country calls upon them not by their silence to betray her dearest interests, or by their supineness to leaveherenslaved whom they found free! Thus invoked, is it possible that Irishmen should remain silent?“But surely I need dwell no longer upon a subject with which you are so much better acquainted; and, indeed, the state of my health, and particularly of my eyes, is such as to render it impossible for me to write more.—I must therefore, however unwillingly, conclude by assuring you that I am, and ever shall be, my dearest Parsons, your most faithful and truly affectionate“Charlemont.”
“Dublin,12th Jan., 1799.
“My dear Sir Lawrence,—As nothing has ever affected me with more painful astonishment than the shameful apathy and consequent silence of the country at the present desperate crisis of our fate as a nation, so have I experienced few more real pleasures than in having found, by the public papers, that a meeting of your county, at least, has been called; a pleasure which, though principally derived from my ardent zeal for the public service, is still further increasedby my friendship for you, as I am too well acquainted with your sentiments to doubt for a moment that such call has been in the highest degree satisfactory and flattering to your feelings. Neither can I entertain the slightest apprehension that the result of any meeting of Irishmen will be other than the firm and spirited condemnation of a measure, replete with every disgrace and danger in their country. Never, indeed, were my beloved countrymen so forcibly called upon as at the present emergency, maturely to form their opinions and to speak aloud the dictates of their hearts. Their ancestors call upon them from their graves to preserve those national rights which they have transmitted to them. Their children from their cradles, with mute but prevailing eloquence, beseech them to protect and to defend their birthrights; and, with a more awful voice, their country calls upon them not by their silence to betray her dearest interests, or by their supineness to leaveherenslaved whom they found free! Thus invoked, is it possible that Irishmen should remain silent?
“But surely I need dwell no longer upon a subject with which you are so much better acquainted; and, indeed, the state of my health, and particularly of my eyes, is such as to render it impossible for me to write more.—I must therefore, however unwillingly, conclude by assuring you that I am, and ever shall be, my dearest Parsons, your most faithful and truly affectionate
“Charlemont.”
In this year, James Barry, the painter of those mighty pictures on the walls of the great room of the Society of Arts, received a severe blow by having his name erased from those of the Royal Academicians by King GeorgeIII.,who believed what had been represented respecting the Professor’s conduct in the Royal Academy.[290]
“Buckingham Street, Fitzroy Square.“Dear Sir,—Permit me to thank you for the satisfaction of having seen that curious monument of English antiquity, St. Stephen’s Chapel, Westminster, when the ancient architecture and painting were discovered by the removal of the modern wainscot, which formed the interior of the House of Commons.“Notwithstanding this branch of antiquity has never been my particular pursuit, I am highly gratified to see such materials in the general history of art rescued from oblivion by publication, for which, Sir, we are indebted to your zeal and industry, as some of the interesting pictures were effaced soon after their discovery, by ignorant curiosity; in addition to the careless and ruinous manner in which the discovery itself was made, of which circumstances I complained to several persons on the spot,particularly to the Rev. Mr. Brand,[291]Secretary to the Antiquarian Society.“As the best testimony I can give to the fidelity and ability of your publication, give me leave to subscribe my name for a copy of the work, and to offer such assistance as I can give, in general observations on the arts of design, when St. Stephen’s Chapel was in its splendour.“I remain, dear Sir, with great regard, your much obliged“John Flaxman.”
“Buckingham Street, Fitzroy Square.
“Dear Sir,—Permit me to thank you for the satisfaction of having seen that curious monument of English antiquity, St. Stephen’s Chapel, Westminster, when the ancient architecture and painting were discovered by the removal of the modern wainscot, which formed the interior of the House of Commons.
“Notwithstanding this branch of antiquity has never been my particular pursuit, I am highly gratified to see such materials in the general history of art rescued from oblivion by publication, for which, Sir, we are indebted to your zeal and industry, as some of the interesting pictures were effaced soon after their discovery, by ignorant curiosity; in addition to the careless and ruinous manner in which the discovery itself was made, of which circumstances I complained to several persons on the spot,particularly to the Rev. Mr. Brand,[291]Secretary to the Antiquarian Society.
“As the best testimony I can give to the fidelity and ability of your publication, give me leave to subscribe my name for a copy of the work, and to offer such assistance as I can give, in general observations on the arts of design, when St. Stephen’s Chapel was in its splendour.
“I remain, dear Sir, with great regard, your much obliged
“John Flaxman.”
The admission of one hundred additional members into the House of Commons, arising from the union with Ireland, obliged Mr. Wyatt to cut away the side-walls of the room internally, in order to make recesses for two extra benches.[292]
THE OLD HOUSE OF COMMONS
THE OLD HOUSE OF COMMONS
In the autumn of this year I passed a most agreeable day with the Hon. Hussey Delaval,[293]at his house near Parliament Stairs.[294]This learned and communicative gentleman, among whose works that on Colours is generally considered the most interesting, was as friendly to me, as the jealousy of that well-known odd compound of nature, my antagonist, John Carter,[295]who was of our party, would allow; for with that artist’s opinions as to Gothic architecture, Mr. Delaval so entirely coincided,that he employed him to provide the ornamental decorations of his house, which were mostly in putty mixed with sand, and in some instances cast from the decorations of several Gothic structures, particularly Westminster Abbey. This house was originally fire-proof, the floors being of stone or composition, and the window-sashes of cast iron, but since the death of Mr. Delaval, wood has been substituted for the sashes and other parts.
The apartments are ten in number, besides small offices. The lower rooms consist of two halls: in the north wall of the first are three pretty Gothic recesses for seats, for servants or persons in waiting; the second hall is filled with Gothic figures placed upon brackets under canopies. The chimney-piece and other parts of the dining-parlour looking over the Thames, are decorated in a similar manner; the kitchen is on the same floor towards the north. The staircase leading to the first-floor is a truly tasteful little specimen, not equalled by anything at Strawberry Hill, which, by reason of Mr. Bentley’s[296]fancy mouldings interfering so often with parts which are really chaste, must be considered amulebuilding. The drawing-room and library also look over the water. On the same floor are two bed-chambers towards the west; above which are two attics, with a door opening upon the embattled leads over the drawing-room.Upon these leads we took our wine—attended by female servants only, as Mr. Delaval never would allow a man-servant to enter the house, but with messages—and here enjoyed the glowing, Cuyp-like effect of the sun upon west-country barges laden either with blocks of stone or fresh-cut timber, objects ever picturesque on the water. Mr. Delaval was so pleased with this scenery, and the pencil of my friend G. Arnald, Associate of the Royal Academy, that he bespoke two pictures of him, Views up and down the River, the figures in which, by the order of Mr. Delaval, were painted by his friend G. F. Joseph, A.R.A. They were exhibited at Somerset House.[297]
How often do we find peculiar attachments and propensities in the minds of persons of reported good understanding. Within my time, many men have indulged most ridiculously in their eccentricities. I have known one who had made a pretty large fortune in business, get up at four o’clock in the morning and walk the streets to pick up horseshoes which had been slipped in the course of the night, with no other motive than to see how many he could accumulate in a year. I also remember a richsoap-boiler who never missed an opportunity of pocketing nails, pieces of iron hoops, and bits of leather, in his daily walks; and these he would spread upon a large walnut-tree three-flapped dining-table, with a similar view to that of the above-mentioned gentleman. This wealthy citizen would often put on a red woollen cap, in shape like those worn by slaughter-house men, and a waggoner’s frock, in order to stoke his own furnace; after which, he would dress, get into his coach, and, attended by tall servants in bright blue liveries, drive to his villa, where his hungry friends were waiting his arrival.
The allusion to these peculiarities, which certainly are harmless, will serve by way of prelude to a more extraordinary one. The late Duke of Roxburgh,[298]whose wonderful library will ever be spoken of with the highest delight by bibliomaniacs, had an attachment to the portraits of malefactors as closely as Rowland Hill to his petted toad. I made many drawings of such characters for his Grace during their trials or confinement; that which I made this year, was of Governor Wall, whose trial produced much discussion.[299]Having been deprived of admission at theOld Bailey on the day of his trial, I went to the Duke, and he immediately wrote to a nobleman high in power, for an order to admit me to see the unfortunate criminal in the condemned cell, which application was firmly, and, in my humble opinion, very properly, refused. I walked home, where I found Isaac Solomon waiting to show me some of his improved black-lead pencils. Isaac, upon hearing me relate to my family the disappointment I had experienced, assured me that he could procure me a sight of the Governor, if I would only accompany him in the evening to Hatton Garden, and smoke a pipe with Dr. Forde, the Ordinary of Newgate,[300]with whom he said he was particularly intimate. Away we trudged; and, upon entering the club-room of a public-house, we found the said Doctor most pompously seated in a superb masonic chair, undera stately crimson canopy placed between the windows. The room was clouded with smoke, whiffed to the ceiling, which gave me a better idea of what I had heard of the Black Hole of Calcutta than any place I had seen. There were present at least a hundred associates of every denomination; of this number, my Jew, being a favoured man, was admitted to a whispering audience with the Doctor, which soon produced my introduction to him.
“Man’s life is all a mist, and in the dark our fortunes meet us.” Standing beneath a masonic lustre, the Doctor immediately recognised me as a friend of John Ireland, but more particularly of his older crony, Atkinson Bush; he requested me to take a pipe, to me a most detestable preliminary. He then whispered, “Meet me at the felon’s door at the break of day.” There I punctually applied, but, notwithstanding the order of the Doctor, I found it absolutely necessary, to protect myself from an increasing mob, to show the turnkey half-a-crown, who soon closed his hand and let me in. I was then introduced to a most diabolical-looking little wretch, denominated “the Yeoman of the Halter,” Jack Ketch’s head man. The Doctor soon arrived in his canonicals, and with his head as stiffly erect as a sheriff’s coachman when he is going to Court, with an enormous nosegay under his chin, gravely uttered, “Come this way, Mr. Smith.”
As we crossed the Press-yard a cock crew; and the solitary clanking of a restless chain was dreadfully horrible. The prisoners had not risen. Upon our entering a stone-cold room, a most sickly stench of green twigs, with which an old round-shouldered, goggle-eyed man was endeavouring to kindle a fire, annoyed me almost as much as the canaster fumigation of the Doctor’s Hatton Garden friends.