Part 20

The Dss. of Gordon[276] was laughing at _Borino_,[277] saying he had sat by her for an hour talking of such strange things--morale and physique, upon which Ld. H. said well enough that he certainly could only comprehend _half_ his discourse. C. Ellis came to see me, the first time since his marriage. I thought there must have been something extraordinary to keep him so long away, and Ly. B. let me into the secret, the origin of which is Ly. Hawkesbury’s extreme prudery. She is shocked at the thoughts of my knowing Mrs. Ellis, and I suppose C. felt an awkward shyness at coming without naming her; but he need not have been under any alarm on my account. It is difficult to affront or mortify me. The first I hope my sense and temper will always avert, and the second I am insensible to, as I know the singularity of my position too well not to be blunted to all occurrences that otherwise might humiliate. Prudery comes with an odd and questionable aspect from a Hervey. Lord Bristol is full of wit and pleasantry. He is a great admirer of Lady Hamilton,[278] and conjured Sr. W. to allow him to call her _Emma_. That he should admire her beauty and her wonderful attitudes is not singular, but that he should like her society certainly is, as it is impossible to go beyond her in vulgarity and coarseness.[279] So much so, that the Austrian Ambassador’s sarcasm is excellent. After showing her attitudes, which she does by representing the finest statues and pictures, he asked, ‘Et quand est-ce qu’elle fera Miladi?’ Her vulgarity destroyed the illusion when I saw her once. She had worked one’s imagination up to a pitch of enthusiasm in her successive imitations of Niobe, Magdalen, and Cleopatra. Just as she was lying down, with her head reclined upon an Etruscan vase to represent a water-nymph, she exclaimed in her provincial dialect: ‘Doun’t be afeard, Sr. Willum, I’ll not crack your _joug_.’ I turned away disgusted, and I believe all present shared the sentiment.

[Sidenote: LADY HAMILTON]

Her extreme beauty attracted the notice of Romney, the painter, in London, who had her to sit as a model. Mr. Greville[280] took her into keeping, and, finding she was tiresome, got rid of her by sending her to Sr. Wm. to put her upon the Opera. Sr. Wm. was old and loving, and, after living a short time with him, she persuaded him into marrying her, which he did; and by so doing cut Mr. Greville out of the inheritance he had long expected.

_Sunday, 28th April._--Wednesday 24th, dined with Ly. B.; only Ld. H. and myself; went to the play afterwards. On Thursday, 25th, we had all the _Anti-Jacobin_ wits to dinner, Ld. Hobart for the first time; he is facetious and convivial. I liked him very much. Canning made a good joke upon Borino’s comparing Mr. Adderley to an ostrich, and enumerating the characteristics of that very _foolish_ bird, which did very well at first, but grew tiresome. It is the fault of that set to wear a joke threadbare. We had Frere, the first time since his appointment to Canning’s place.[281] Since favorit_ism_ is _à l’ordre du jour_, I am rather glad he is a sharer, tho’ I think he cannot make a good man of business. He is _distrait_ and poetical, and in lieu of writing a dispatch may be tempted to pen a sonnet. Saturday, Marsh came. Ld. H. dined at the Royal Academy, and I dined at L. House, Ld. L. being very kind and cordial. In ye evening went to ye Dss. of L. On Sunday we had a large party here, Lds. B., M., L. G., Amherst, Adderley, etc., etc., and Bannister,[282] who was very comical and burlesque. It being the eve of Mimi’s marriage, I slept at Ly. Bessborough’s, that I might be ready in time for the wedding. I invited my party to supper; the four gallants, the Dss. of Devonshire came, and the Duke of Bedford. The change in former is painful to see; scarcely has she a vestige of those charms that once attracted all hearts. Her figure is corpulent, her complexion coarse, one eye gone, and her neck immense. How frail is the tenure of beauty! Alas! too true, too trite a saying. The next morning I went to the wedding; all parties behaved with propriety. Ly. Pembroke[283] deemed it incumbent on her to hatch up a whimper during the ceremony, but as it was evidently a homage to her idol--decorum--it was received as such, and affected none. The excellent Dss. felt the awful moment of separation. The event took place in Harley Street, and afterwards the married pair set off to Moneyhill. The whole of the Dss.’s family came here, dined, and slept. Ld. Henry was one of their party; they all went to-day.

_30th April._--Marsh made a proposal to Ly. Lucy, which she accepted, but the Dss. rejected, on the score of there not being a competency. In refusing him they know not the excellence they lose. He is in himself a treasure, and his popularity will ensure him high preferment; he is at the moment wretched, and goes to-morrow in consequence of the unpleasantness of the circumstance.

[Sidenote: MADAME DE COIGNY]

Adderley came and sat with me some time; Ld. G. L. has a nonsensical joke of his being smitten, _mais je n’en crois rien_. The old _compère_[284] is quite reconciled to me; he has called twice to see me. Nobody dined here but Mr. Morris, Mrs. Wyndham; and Mde. de Coigny came in the evening.

Mde. de Coigny is remarkably witty; there are many of her _bons mots_ on record. This evening talking of Ly. Pembroke’s having still beauty, she denied it by saying, ‘Apparemment Milord aime les traditions.’ When young she was the rage in Paris; her voice is horrible, worse even than Ly. Malmesbury’s. She said, ‘_Je n’ai qu’une voix contre moi, et c’est la mienne_,’ an assertion not quite true, as a wit seldom has a friend; at least, they sacrifice any for a repartee. She lost a very intimate friend’s love by a sarcastic joke. The Duchesse de Richelieu was a young, pretty woman, with red hair, and her friend. At a _petit souper_ it was remarked that ye Duchesse was almost the only woman in Paris who had not been accused at least of a _galanterie_, ‘_C’est vrai, mais comme Samson elle trouve ses forces dans ses cheveux_.’

Mrs. Fitzherbert has never forgiven the opinion Mde. de C. entertains of a conspicuous part of her person--an opinion she declared in her reply to a person who observed that Mrs. F.’s neck was uncovered ‘et qu’elle avait besoin d’un fichu.’ ‘D’un fichu! Point du tout, c’est une _culotte_ qu’il faudra.’

[Sidenote: LORD THANET’S TRIAL]

_2nd May._--Yesterday little Marsh left us, with a heavy, aching heart. Many visitors in the morning; my mother, Ly. Lucy, etc. to dinner. Adderley, Ly. L. slept. The D. of Bedford and Ld. Thanet called in their way back from St. Anne’s, where they had been to consult with Mr. Fox upon the propriety of the measure suggested by Erskine. The measure was that Ld. Thanet should write a letter to the Attorney-General, declaring upon his honour that he was innocent of the charge against him, etc., etc. Mr. Fox disapproved of that scheme, as it seemed like begging mercy. The evidence was so contradictory that even Kenyon, who is bitter against them, acknowledged in his summing the difficulty of ascertaining exactly the truth. There is no doubt whatever that Ld. T.’s activity was merely defensive, nor is there any more that Sheridan’s evidence got him found guilty. When questioned by Law,[285] S., instead of answering immediately, paused, and then replied satisfactorily to the interrogation, but this silence of several minutes previous to replying sufficed in the minds of the jury, and it is allowed on all hands that their verdict proceeded from their conviction that Sheridan was wavering between falsehood and truth, and that the first triumphed. This was confirmed by Law, in a solemn, impressive manner, repeating, ‘You will recollect, Mr. Sheridan, that you are upon _your oath_.’ The sentence is to be given to-morrow, and fine and imprisonment is expected, but to what amount and extent depends upon their notion of punishing a peer for example sake. Ld. H. and ye D. of Bedford are to be in court at eight, to give bail, in case the sentence is deferred till next term. Fergusson they talk of dis-barring. Those who were really the stimulators of the enterprise were Sheridan himself and Dennis O’Brien. It is even a doubt whether Fergusson was apprised of the scheme. S. was adroit enough to persuade him to suppress in his defence the truth of a circumstance, that, as it appeared in the charge, made against him. Just before the scuffle F. leaned across the table to whisper to O’Connor; the truth of the whisper was an endeavour to deliver unseen a note from S. to O’Connor, the words of which were as follows: ‘As soon as sentence is passed, leap over the bar, run to the right, and we will manage the rest.’ Had this been stated F. might have escaped, but he was persuaded it would have been unhandsome to invoke an unsuspected person; for so little was S. supposed to have assisted, that _in court_ he received thanks from the Judges for having exerted himself to quell the disturbance. S., since he gained such credit as a witness in the State trials (Horne Tooke’s) by his wit and repartee, can never give a direct answer, and is always more occupied how to gain applause by his reply than how to serve those in favour of whom he is called.

The Brest fleet is out, and the alarm is great.[286]

Mlle. Clairon’s[287] _Memoirs_ are published by herself. She gives a few anecdotes of her own life, suppressing the unfavourable truths of her very _private_ history. Her remarks upon the different parts she has acted are good, and show a great knowledge of the art she professed. Her enthusiasm that it should be perfectioned is entertaining.

_8th May._--The Court would not accept any bail for Ld. Thanet. Kenyon implied a reproach upon the Attorney-General for having worded the indictment too favourably. He aggravated the heinousness of the offence, and gave some hints about the specific punishment, which is imprisonment for life, confiscation, and the loss of the right arm. It is said the court have no discretionary power, and that the specific punishment must be given, or one very slight. The first most probably will be given for the disgrace of it, but there is no danger of its being enforced; the King will remit the whole.

Ld. T. is now resident in the King’s Bench Prison. Mme. Bonawitz is with him; his friends all visit him, so his time passes cheerfully. If he has society and _bonne chère_ he does not care much about anything else. Mme. Bonawitz is a woman of whom I heard much when I was at Vienna; she was of the second order of _noblesse_, and reckoned rather pretty, and very gallant. She eloped with Ld. T. and came to England with him. Gilbert Wakefield is also in ye K. B. till sentence is given. His speech, nominally in mitigation of punishment, but, in fact, as Bobus says, in _aggravation_ of it, will probably have secured him imprisonment for life. He is a singular being, of the most primitive manners and uncouth conversation imaginable.

[Sidenote: LORD THANET’S TRIAL]

Ld. H. made a very good speech upon the case of a man[288] called up and punished by the H. of Lords for a libel against the Bishop of Llandaff. As soon as he had done speaking, Lord Kenyon came up to him and said, ‘You must give me leave, my Lord, to shake hands with you; I wish I could make a convert of you.’ ‘You would find that rather a tough job,’ replied Ld. H. ‘Aye, I am afraid so, but I should like to launch you from another slip.’

I dined on Saturday at Lansdown H.; Ld. H. dined with Mackintosh. I took Tierney with me. Ld. L. was not offended, but on the contrary seemed very much pleased. I saw Sheridan in the morning, and told him all that was said about his evidence; he was in a great rage. Someone at the theatre ran after him, to ask if algebra was not a language. ’ To be sure, an old language, spoken by an ancient people called the Classics.’

_May 18th._--We had a good deal of company in the course of last week; the Bessbro’s dined, Ly. Anne,[289] etc. Lady Lucy came and stayed several days. Mr. Adderley frequently dined and slept. I once went to L. H.; very dull. Nothing very interesting occurred. Been ill myself for 15 days with cold. Inoculated Ste., who has the smallpox very badly, not dangerously, but suffers extremely; still at its height. Misses Fox and Vernon came yesterday. Ld. G. Leveson and Ly. B. came unawares; all parties annoyed at meeting. The French are beaten in Italy; the French deputies to Rastadt murdered either by their escort or the peasants,--a sad violation of good faith in either case.

_22nd May, ’99._--Many of Ld. Thanet’s friends have recommended that he should write a letter to the King to beg a pardon. Ld. H. is averse to the measure, as is Tierney. I have persuaded the former to keep out of the way, as he will with difficulty restrain himself from delivering his opinion, and should it weigh in Ld. T.’s mind sufficiently to make him regret the proposed scheme and circumstances afterwards turn out harshly, the reflection of having been instrumental in the making him adopt a line of conduct that might be unsuccessful would be distressing. Ld. H. thinks it will be better to allow the business to take its course, as the Attorney-General is almost pledged to drop the prosecution if there is any chance that the specific punishment will be given; as he has already declared his intention in the drawing up of the indictment was to avoid the possibility of that obsolete law being revived. Fergusson is determined against applying for a pardon. He rather seems to enjoy the alarm of Ld. T., as he thinks his Jacobinical associates in the Corresponding Society[290] will admire his heroism and contrast it with Ld. T.’s anxiety; perhaps, in truth, it may be a sort of triumph.

The horrible murder of the French Deputies returning from the Congress of Rastadt to France has made a great sensation in the Republic.[291] Their energy has gone, and nothing could have revived it, but some outrage similar to the one committed. I do not think people here are as much shocked as might have been supposed, which is singular, as such a violation of the faith of nations ought to make a common cause. The French have written an excellent address to all countries. I think it is clear the Austrians sanctioned the robbery for the sake of the papers, and the fury of the soldiers did the murder.

[Sidenote: LORD THANET’S TRIAL]

_23rd May._--A letter from Ld. Thanet just come to say that he has written to His Majesty to interpose against the specific punishment. It has been graciously received, and it will be complied with. He says he had so many intimations that such a step was expected of him, that he thought it impossible not to do it. I sincerely rejoice at his safety. Fergusson, I believe, has not applied; he is left to stand the brunt of all the popular vengeance. I cannot but feel for him. It has lately been told me confidentially that Sr. F. Burdett would have been in the indictment, if Coutts had not availed himself of his secret influence with the King.[292] He certainly was begged off.

On Saturday, 18th May, dined at L. House; afterwards went to the Opera. On Sunday a large party here. Miss Fox and Ly. Lucy in the house. Went to the play with Miss Vernon, Tierney, and Adderley. Tuesday, a dinner at Ld. Robert Spencer’s for the Beaus. Wednesday, dined at the Smiths to meet Mackintosh; afterwards, Ld. B.’s. Thursday, a great dinner here, the Beauclerks, Bessbro’s, _young Lords_, etc. Went to a masquerade at Mrs. Walker’s after. Friday, yesterday, dined at Ly. B.’s early, to be in time for Sheridan’s play of _Pizarro_.

_26th May._--Mackintosh[293] is the man who wrote a vindication of the French Revolution in the beginning of it. He was then exclaimed against as a furious Jacobin. Nay, two years ago he wished to come here, and I refused seeing him on account of his principles, as I have always dreaded this house becoming a _foyer_ of Jacobinism, and have invariably set my face against receiving all who are suspected of being revolutionists, etc., etc. However, since M. has regained his character, and is become a friend of Canning’s, etc., I admit him; and he yesterday dined here with a numerous party--Ly. B. and Ly. Lucy, ye young Lords, Sturges,[294] Newbolt, Adderley, etc. The conversation was entertaining without great brilliancy. Mackintosh is delivering public lectures at Lincoln’s Inn, upon the law of nature and the law of nations. The objects are, first, to get money, and, nextly, to usher himself into public notice as a man convinced of the fallacy of those doctrines he lately laboured to establish. He manœuvres with dexterity and _tacte_ not too suddenly renouncing them. The lectures are rather Scotch professorships; in his first he attacked with wit and sarcasm Godwin’s metaphysics and all the new system of benevolence and universal philanthropy.

[Sidenote: HUSBAND AND WIFE]

Jealous people always defeat their object; this was oddly exemplified at the masquerade. The jealousy of a person’s wife suggested a sort of half love, half confidence, that I am almost sure could never have arisen but from that stimulus. I hope the fancy will subside, as I shall lose, if it continues, a cheerful and frequent associate. Another adventure, for which I warmly condemn myself for having allowed to go on, has occupied me lately; half curiosity and half shame have impelled me to continue what I ought to have checked. However, absence will chill more than prudery, and _that_ will take place in a few days. Even that _goût_, I suspect, originated from the remark of a third person--Ld. G. L. Gratified and blessed as I am in the full possession of my dear husband’s love, these idle affairs afford little or no gratification, and the very little they do proceeds from a sort of vanity to find that his liking is not merely the effect of blind partiality. The mystery I abhor, and my conscience frequently smites me for having a thought, much more an action, unknown to Ld. H. But, every circumstance well considered, I am satisfied by reason that I ought not to disclose _goûts passagers_ that are in themselves of no importance, but become so as soon as communicated; and I have reason to believe that many a woman has smarted from the mistaken _point d’honneur_ of revealing every occurrence without discrimination. The principle is excellent, but ought to be modified with discretion, else the effects may be pernicious to both parties.

I do not think the propriety of restraint is applicable to the husband towards the wife. If I were to say so openly it would excite a smile, and might be construed into licence for myself, tyranny to others; but it is not for that reason. A woman may be so confiding in the affection of her husband, that were he to impart an advance made to him by another, mirth and contempt would be the only passion excited, and if the woman happened to be her nominal friend, why, it would only break the fragile link of female friendship; whereas, so delicate are the feelings of men upon those occasions, that none could listen with composure to the tale of love, his wife the heroine. Hatred and estrangement would ensue, and a friend of some years’ standing would be given up for the fancy of desire and the babbling of a woman.

_30th May._--I prevailed upon Ld. H. to go to Court. Ld. Wycombe crossed the street to Mr. Adderley, and said, ‘So Holland has been at Court; _that_ is owing to her Ladyship’s activity.’ Ld. L. went into the country for a few days, and among some other clumsy jokes with Mr. Tierney, such as the disappointment _he_ would feel at my not dining there, his own accommodating spirit in inviting us together, etc., etc., ‘It’s quite strange, one cannot retire for a short time without hearing such strange events. “Lord Holland has gone to Court,” and “Sheridan has written a most loyal speech.”’ If there is anything with regard to the Court remarkable, it is, as General Fitzpatrick says, that Ld. H. had not been before. Miss Fox is, I believe, displeased; it does not accord with her metaphysical, philosophical, pure, philanthropic, etc., system of politics to reverence a Monarch. The abstaining from going, as a measure, is perfectly contemptible. If a man is in Opposition, he opposes the Ministers and Government, not the King personally, and a peer diminishes his own consequence if he does not support the dignity of the throne.

On Sunday we dined at Ld. Boringdon’s, a dinner made for me. The Bessboroughs, ‘the Three,’ Adderley, etc. Jekyll was an interloper, and offended me by his manner of talking of Fergusson’s being disbarred. God knows, I have no liking to F. On the contrary, he is one I never will allow to pass the threshold; but it is disgusting to hear a man in calamity trampled upon, and shows a considerable want of delicacy in Jekyll, one of the profession, discussing before F.’s enemies the utility of expelling him the profession. After dinner I went for a short time to the Duchess of Leinster’s; afterwards supped at Lady B.’s; the Dss. of Devon., Ly. Elizabeth, and her own set.

[Sidenote: MR. SHERIDAN]

It has happened comically enough that Lady Lucy, who, by-the-bye, is amorously disposed, has fallen in love with Mr. Adderley. The event of the amour does not promise successfully for her, as he is in no ways inclined to give a favourable ear to her passion, though probably, like all persons beloved, his vanity would so far conquer his natural good nature, that he would not object to her making a fool of herself on his account. He wishes to stay longer than originally intended, but he had better go, and probably will. T. perfectly ridiculous, quite my shadow. Went on Monday to _Pizarro_, Sheridan and Tierney, Adderley, etc. The first came into my box perpetually to explain whenever there was a failure in the representation. I was surprised at his eagerness, and glad to find that drinking has not so totally absorbed his faculties, and that he is still sensible to fame. About him my reason and impulse always are at variance; reflection convinces me he ought to be despised for his private life and doubted for his political, but whenever I see him, if but for five minutes, a sort of cheerful frankness and pleasant wittiness puts to flight all ye reasonable prejudices that I entertain against him.