BOD

LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET.

GEORGE VILLIERS, SECOND DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

Signs of the Restoration.-Samuel Pepys in his Glory.-A Royal Company.-Pepys

'ready to Weep.'-The Playmate of Charles II.-George Villiers' Inheritance.-

Two Gallant Young Noblemen.-The Brave Francis Villiers.-After the Battle

of Worcester.-Disguising the King.-Villiers in Hiding. He appears as a

Mountebank.-Buckingham's Habits.-A Daring Adventure.-Cromwell's Saintly

Daughter.-Villiers and the Rabbi.-The Buckingham Pictures and Estates.—

York House.-Villiers returns to England.-Poor Mary Fairfax.-Villiers in the

Tower.-Abraham Cowley, the Poet, The Greatest Ornament of Whitehall.—

Buckingham's Wit and Beauty.-Flecknoe's Opinion of him.-His Duel with the

Earl of Shrewsbury.-Villiers as a Poet.-As a Dramatist.-A Fearful Censure!

-Villiers' Influence in Parliament.-A Scene in the Lords.-The Duke of

Ormond in Danger.-Colonel Blood's Outrages.-Wallingford House, and Ham

House. Madame Ellen.'-The Cabal.-Villiers again in the Tower.-A Change.

-The Duke of York's Theatre.-Buckingham and the Princess of Orange.-His

last Hours.-His Religion.-Death of Villiers.-The Duchess of Buckingham.

p. 1.

COUNT DE GRAMMONT, ST. EVREMOND, AND LORD

ROCHESTER.

De Grammont's Choice.-His influence with Turenne.-The Church or the Army ?--

An Adventure at Lyons.-A brilliant Idea.-De Grammont's Generosity.-A

Horse for the Cards.'-Knight-Cicisbeism.-De Grammont's first Love.-His

Witty attacks on Mazarin.-Anne Lucie de la Mothe Houdancourt.-Beset with

Snares.-De Grammont's Visits to England.-Charles II.-The Court of

Charles II.-Introduction of Country-dances.-Norman Peculiarities.-St. Evre-

mond, the Handsome Norman.-The most Beautiful Woman in Europe.-Hor-

tense Mancini's Adventures.-Madame Mazarin's House at Chelsea.-Anecdote of

Lord Dorset.-Lord Rochester in his Zenith.-His Courage and Wit.-Rochester's

Pranks in the City.-Credulity, Past and Present. Dr. Bendo,' and La Belle

Jennings, La Triste Heritière.-Elizabeth, Countess of Rochester.-Retribution

and Reformation.-Conversion.-Beaux without Wit.-Little Jermyn.-An In-

comparable Beauty.-Anthony Hamilton, De Grammont's Biographer.-The

Three Courts.- La Belle Hamilton.'-Sir Peter Lely's Portrait of her.-The

Household Deity of Whitehall.-Who shall have the Calèche.-A Chaplain in

Livery.-De Grammont's Last Hours.-What might he not have been?

BEAU FIELDING.

P. 47

On Wits and Beaux.-Scotland Yard in Charles II'.s day.-Orlando of The Tatler.'—

Beau Fielding, Justice of the Peace.-Adonis in Search of a Wife.-The Sham

Widow.-Ways and Means.-Barbara Villiers, Lady Castlemaine.-Quarrels with

the King. The Beau's Second Marriage.-The Last Days of Fops and Beaux.

p. 91

OF CERTAIN CLUBS AND CLUB-WITS UNDER ANNE.

The Origin of Clubs.-The Establishment of Coffee-houses.-The October Club.―The

Beef-steak Club. Of certain other Clubs.-The Kit-kat Club.-The Romance of

the Bowl.-The Toasts of the Kit-kat.-The Members of the Kit-kat.-A good

Wit, and a bad Architect.- Well-natured Garth.'-The Poets of the Kit-kat.-

Charles Montague, Earl of Halifax.-Chancellor Somers.-Charles Sackville, Lord

Dorset.-Less celebrated Wits

WILLIAM CONGREVE.

P. 103

When and where was he born?-The Middle Temple.-Congreve finds his Vocation.

-Verses to Queen Mary.-The Tennis court Theatre.-Congreve abandons the

Drama, Jeremy Collier.-The Immorality of the Stage.-Very Improper Things.

-Congreve's Writings.-Jeremy's Short Views.-Rival Theatres.-Dryden's

Funeral.-A Tub-Preacher.-Horoscopic Predictions.-Dryden's Solicitude for

his Son.-Congreve's Ambition.-Anecdote of Voltaire and Congreve.-The Pro-

fession of Maecenas.-Congreve's Private Life.- Malbrook's' Daughter.-Con-

greve's Death and Burial

BEAU NASH.

P. 121

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 Civi-

lization.-Nash descends upon Bath.-Nash's Chef-d'œuvre.-The Ball.-Im-

provements in the Pump-room, &c.-A Public Benefactor.-Life at Bath in

Nash's time.-A Compact with the Duke of Beaufort.-Gaming at Bath.-Anec-

dotes of Nash.- Miss Sylvia'-A Generous Act.-Nash's Sun setting.-A

Panegyric.-Nash's Funeral.-His Characteristics

PHILIP, DUKE OF WHARTON.

P. 145

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.-Whar-

CONTENTS.

ton's Defence of the Bishop.-Hypocritical Signs of Penitence.-Sir Robert Wal-

pole duped. Very Trying.-The Duke of Wharton's 'Whens.'-Military Glory

at Gibraltar.-'Uncle Horace.'-Wharton to Uncle Horace.-The Duke's Impu-

dence.-High Treason.-Wharton's Ready Wit.-Last Extremities.-Sad Days in

Paris. His Last Journey to Spain.-His Death in a Bernardine Convent, p. 169

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.-Frederick, Prince of Wales.-Amelia Sophia Wal-

moden.-Poor Queen Caroline!-Nocturnal Diversions of Maids of Honour.-

Neighbour 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 Nightin-

gale. 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 Agony.-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.

P. 195

PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, FOURTH EARL OF CHESTER-

FIELD.

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

Resolutions and Pursuits.-Study of Oratory.-The Duties of an Ambassador.-

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.-Reformation of the Calendar.-Chesterfield

House. Exclusiveness.-Recommending Johnson's Dictionary.'-' Old Samuel

to Chesterfield.-Defensive Pride.-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

THE ABBE SCARRON.

"

p. 241

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

Making an Abbe 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 Himself.-Improvidence and Servility.-The Society at

Scarron's.-The Witty Conversation.-Françoise D'Aubigne's Debut.-The Sad

Story of La Belle Indienne.-Matrimonial Considerations.- Scarron's Wife will

live for ever.'-Petits Soupers.-Scarron's last Moments.-A Lesson for Gay and

Grave

P. 269

FRANCOIS DUC DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULT AND THE DUC

DE SAINT-SIMON.

Rank and Good Breeding.-The Hôtel 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

HORACE WALPOLE.

p. 289

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

Horace' in Arlington Street.-Introduced to George I.-Characteristic Anecdote

of George L.-Walpole's Education.-Schoolboy Days.-Boyish Friendships.-

Companionship of Gray.-A Dreary Doom.-Walpole's Description of Youthful

Delights. Anecdote of Pope and Frederic of Wales.-The Pomfrets.-Sir Thomas

Robinson's Ball.-An admirable Scene.-Political Squibs.-Sir Robert's Retire

ment 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.-The Market Pieces.-Sir

Robert's Death.-The Granville Faction.-A very good Quarrel.-Twickenham.

-Strawberry Hill.-The Recluse of Strawberry.-Portraits of the Digby Family.

-Sacrilege.-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 Favour.-Anecdote of Sir William Stanhope.-A Paper House.-

Walpole's Habits.-Why did he not Marry?—' Dowagers as plenty as Flounders.'

-Catherine Hyde, Duchess of Queensberry.-Anecdote of Lady Grenville.-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.-Suc-

cession to an Earldom.-Walpole's Last Hours.-Let us not be Ungrateful p. 301

GEORGE SELWYN.

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

Henley-Selwyn's Blasphemous Freak.-The Profession of a Wit.-The Thirst

for Hazard.-Reynolds' Conversation-Piece.-Selwyn's Eccentricities and Witti-

cisms. A most Important Communication.-An Amateur Headsnian.-The

Eloquence of Indifference.-Catching a Housebreaker.-The Family of the

Selwyns.-The Man of the People.-Selwyn's Parliamentary Career.-True

Wit. Some of Selwyn's Witty Sayings.-The Sovereignty 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 p. 369

RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN.

Sheridan a Dunce.-Boyish Dreams of Literary Fame.-Sheridan in Love.-A Nest of

Nightingales.-The Maid of Bath.-Captivated by Genius.-Sheridan's Elope-

ment with 'Cecilia.'-His Duel with Captain Matthews.-Standards of Ridicule.

-Painful Family Estrangements.-Enters Drury Lane.-Success of the Famous