The Wits and Beaux of Society

The King of Bath.-Nash at Oxford." My Boy Dick."-Offers of Knighthood.-Doing
Penance at York.-Days of Folly.-A very romantic Story.-Sickness and Civilization.
-Nash descends upon Bath.-Nash's Chef-d'oeuvre.-The Ball.-Improvements in the

Pump-room, etc.-A public Benefactor.-Life at Bath in Nash's Time.-A Compact with

the Duke of Beaufort.-Gaming at Bath.-Anecdotes of Nash.-"Miss Sylvia."-A gen-

erous Act. Nash's Sun setting. A Panegyric. · Nash's Funeral. -His Characteris-

tics

.. Page 127

PHILIP, DUKE OF WHARTON.

Wharton's Ancestors--His early Years.-Marriage at sixteen.-Wharton takes leave of

his Tutor. The young Marquis and the old Pretender.-Frolics at Paris.-Zeal for the

Orange Cause.-A Jacobite Hero.-The Trial of Atterbury.-Wharton's Defense of the

Bishop.-Hypocritical Signs of Penitence.-Sir Robert Walpole duped.-Very_trying.

-The Duke of Wharton's "Whens."-Military Glory at Gibraltar." Uncle Horace."

-Wharton to Uncle Horace. The Duke's Impudence. - High Treason. - Wharton's

ready Wit.-Last Extremities.-Sad Days in Paris. His last Journey to Spain.-His

Death in a Bernardine Convent...

145

LORD HERVEY.

George II. arriving from Hanover.-His Meeting with the Queen.-Lady Suffolk.-Queen

Caroline.-Sir Robert Walpole.-Lord Hervey.-A Set of fine Gentlemen.-An eccentric

Race.-Carr, Lord Hervey.-A fragile Boy.-Description of George II.'s Family.-Anne

Brett. A bitter Cup.-The Darling of the Family.-Evenings at St. James's.-Freder-

ick, Prince of Wales.-Amelia Sophia Walmoden.-Poor Queen Caroline!--Nocturnal

Diversions of Maids of Honor.-Neighbor George's Orange-chest.-Mary Lepel, Lady

Hervey.--Rivalry.-Hervey's Intimacy with Lady Mary.-Relaxations of the royal

Household.-Bacon's Opinion of Twickenham.-A Visit to Pope's Villa.-The little

Nightingale.-The Essence of small Talk.-Hervey's Affectation and Effeminacy.-Pope's

Quarrel with Hervey and Lady Mary.-Hervey's Duel with Pulteney.-"The Death of

Lord Hervey a Drama."-Queen Caroline's last Drawing-room.-Her Illness and Ag-

ony. A painful Scene. - The Truth discovered. The Queen's dying Bequests.-The

King's Temper. -Archbishop Potter is sent for. The Duty of Reconciliation. - The

Death of Queen Caroline.-A Change in Hervey's Life.-Lord Hervey's Death.-Want

of Christianity.-Memoirs of his own Time..

165

PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, FOURTH EARL OF CHESTERFIELD.

The King of Table Wits.-Early Years.-Hervey's Description of his Person.-Resolutions

and Pursuits.--Study of Oratory.-The Duties of an Embassador.-King George II.'s

Opinion of his Chroniclers.-Life in the Country.-Melusina, Countess of Walsingham.

-George II. and his Father's Will.-Dissolving Views.-Madame du Bouchet -The

Broad-bottomed Administration.-Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in time of Peril.-Reform-

ation of the Calendar.-Chesterfield House.-Exclusiveness.-Recommending "John-

son's Dictionary."-"Old Samuel" to Chesterfield.-Defensive Pride of the "respect-

able Hottentot."-The Glass of Fashion.-Lord Scarborough's Friendship for Chesterfield.

-The Death of Chesterfield's Son. His Interest in his Grandsons. "I must go and

rehearse my Funeral."-Chesterfield's Will.-What is a Friend?-Les Manières nobles.

-Letters to his Son...

203

THE ABBÉ SCARRON.

An Eastern Allegory.-Who comes here?-A mad Freak and its Consequences.-Making

an Abbé of him.-The May-fair of Paris.-Scarron's Lament to Pellisson.-The Office

of the Queen's Patient.-"Give me a simple Benefice."-Scarron's Description of him-

self.-Improvidence and Servility.-The Society at Scarron's.-The witty Conversation.

- Françoise D'Aubigné's Début. The sad Story of La Belle Indienne. - Matrimonial

Considerations.-" Scarron's Wife will live forever."-Petits Soupers.-Scarron's last

Moments.-A Lesson for gay and grave

227

FRANCOIS, DUC DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULT AND THE DUC DE SAINT-SIMON.

Rank and Good-breeding. The Hotel de Rochefoucault. — Racine and his Plays. La

Rochefoucault's Wit and Sensibility.-Saint-Simon's Youth.-Looking out for a Wife.-

Saint-Simon's Court Life.-The History of Louise de la Vallière.-A mean Act of Louis

Quatorze. All has passed away!-Saint-Simon's Memoirs of his own Time........

245

HORACE WALPOLE.

The Commoners of England.-Horace's Regret for the Death of his Mother." Little Hor-

ace" in Arlington Street.-Introduced to George I.-Characteristic Anecdote of George I.

-Walpole's Education.-Schoolboy Days.-Boyish Friendships.-Companionship of

Gray. A dreary Doom. -- Walpole's Description of youthful Delights. — Anecdote of

Pope and Frederick of Wales.--The Pomfrets.--Sir Thomas Robinson's Ball.-Political
Squibs. That "Rogue Walpole."-Sir Robert's Retirement from Office.-The splendid
Mansion of Houghton.--Sir Robert's Love of Gardening.-What we owe to the "Grandes
Tours."-George Vertue.-Men of one Idea. The noble Picture-gallery at Houghton.
-Sir Robert's Death.-The Granville Faction.-A very good Quarrel.-Twickenham.-
Strawberry Hill. The Recluse of Strawberry.-Portraits of the Digby Family.-Sacri-
lege. - Mrs. Damer's Models. The Long Gallery at Strawberry.-The Chapel. “A
dirty little Thing."-The Society around Strawberry Hill.-Anne Seymour Conway.-
A Man who never doubted.-Lady Sophia Fermor's Marriage.-Horace in Favor.-Anec-
dote of Sir William Stanhope. A paper House. - Walpole's Habits. - Why did he not
Marry?" Dowagers as plenty as Flounders."-Catherine Hyde, Duchess of Queensber-
ry.-Anecdote of Lady Granville.-Kitty Clive.-Death of Horatio Walpole.-George,
third Earl of Orford.-A Visit to Houghton.-Family Misfortunes.-Poor Chatterton.
Walpole's Concern with Chatterton.-Walpole in Paris.-Anecdote of Madame Geoffrin.
"Who's that Mr. Walpole ?"--The Miss Berrys.-Horace's two "Straw Berries."-

Tapping a new Reign.-The Sign of the Gothic Castle.-Growing old with Dignity.-

Succession to an Earldom.--Walpole's last Hours.-Let us not be ungrateful... Page 255

GEORGE SELWYN.

A Love of Horrors.-Anecdotes of Selwyn's Mother.-Selwyn's College Days.-Orator Hen-

ley.-Selwyn's blasphemous Freak.-The Profession of a Wit.-The Thirst for Hazard.

-Reynolds's Conversation-piece.-Selwyn's Eccentricities and Witticisms.-A most im-

portant Communication. An amateur Headsman. - The Eloquence of Indifference.

Catching a Housebreaker. The Family of the Selwyns.-The Man of the People.-Sel-

wyn's parliamentary Career.-True Wit.-Some of Selwyn's witty Sayings.-The Sov-

ereignty of the People.-On two Kinds of Wit.-Selwyn's Home for Children. Mie-Mie,

the little Italian. Selwyn's little Companion taken from him. His later Days and

Death......