"Un livre est un ami que ne change jamais" EX LIBRIS IRENE and ERNEST PACE cv^ - . KMSTRON jil5?-r<-*j!^c7vh l --t^-^^ s s THE LIFE GEORGE BRUMMELL, ESQ., COMMONLY CALLED BEAU BRUMMELL, UNATTACHED, AUTHOR OF "NOTES OF A HALF-PAY IN SEARCH of HEALTH," ETC. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUIT STREET. MDCCCXLIV. TYLER 85 REED, PRINTERS, DOLT-COURT, LONDON. PREFACE. PROTECTED by the example of the amiable author of " The Deserted Village," who did not consider the bio- graphy of Beau Nash too trifling a subject for his pen, and encouraged by some little success in a former attempt at authorship, I venture to take another shot at that target which still continues to be the object of my ambition the approbation of those who read. The desire to please is not, however, always attended with success, for the very simple reason, that it is impossible to please everybody ; and those who expect to find in the Life of George Brummell a delightful dish of scandal, will, no doubt, exclaim, " His shot has gone very wide of the mark." I could, it is true, have served up one so hot, that it would have shrivelled up the ears of the most inveterate lovers of it ; but, to repeat the anec- dotes I have heard the Beau relate, of the orgies of Carlton House, of tippling Dowagers, doating Ex- chancellors, shy Generals, and b d Jewels, &c., &c., A 2 9073620 iv PREFACE. forms no part of my intention ; and, even if it were de- sirable that Brummell's gossip on such subjects should be repeated, it would be impossible to vouch for its authenticity; for no one so delighted in mystifying and hoaxing people as he did, or could so readily find ima- ginary, and very plausible, proofs, when the truth of his fictions was assailed. That he wrote some detached papers in the shape of reminiscences, there can be no doubt : many passages in his letters prove this. In the centre of his diminutive garden, under the ramparts at Calais, which he fre- quented a good deal during the summer months, there was a small pavilion ; and here, when the heat obliged him to lay aside his hoe or rake, he amused himself with his pen. The common-place book in which he inserted these memoranda was secured by a lock, and one of his great friends, who, in his way through Calais, occasion- ally spent a portion of the day with him in his retreat, informed me, that Brummell once drew his attention to the manuscript calling it, "his book of life," and saying, as he turned carelessly over the leaves, " Here is a chapter on Carlton House; here one on Mrs. Fitz- herbert and the Prince ; this is devoted to Lady H ," &c. This book was in his possession at Caen, and, as PREFACE. it lay on his table, he sometimes pointed it out to his visitors, remarking, that it contained recollections of his own life, and descriptions of the gay world he had for- merly lived in. Indeed, it appeared almost as if he kept a diary, for, dining one day at Mr. Villiers's, he said to the lady of the house, " Mrs. Villiers, I was looking at my journal yesterday, and I see, that it was on this very day two years that I had the pleasure of making your acquaintance." These, and many other reasons, render it more than probable that Brummell not only recorded the events of his past life, but also of each day, or perhaps week. Nothing, however, has been heard of these papers since his death; perhaps they were destroyed by him when imbecility had set the seal of unconsciousness upon his actions, or he may have delivered them up, for a pecuniary consideration, to those who were most interested in obtaining possession of them. It is, however, a highly honourable trait in his character, that he did not, amidst all his troubles and difficulties, publish them for his own benefit. When in jail at Caen for debt, he said to Monsieur Godefroi, one of his fellow-prisoners, " I have letters of the Royal family, of Lord Byron, and others, the sale of which would pro- duce me more than sufficient to pay my debts ; but I will not part with them, for I should compromise several vi PREFACE. families." Mr. Leleux, his landlord at Calais, also in- formed me, that a London publisher had offered his lodger a thousand pounds if he would give up his memoirs. " When this proposition was made to Mr. Brummell," said Mr. Leleux, " he was in great distress, and I fre- quently asked him why he did not accept it ? To this he usually made some frivolous excuse ; hut on one occasion, when pressed hard for his real reason, he said, ' I promised the Duchess of York that I would not publish any notes of mine during the life-time of George the Fourth or his brothers ; and I am under so many obligations to her, and have such a deep respect for her generous and amiable conduct to me in our early friendship, and since, that I would rather go to jail than forfeit my word. She is the only link that binds me in this matter.' " At Brummell's death several packets of letters, tied up with different coloured ribbons, and carefully numbered, a miniature, a silver shaving-dish, a gold ring, and a few silver spoons, were found in a trunk at the hotel. The miniature and letters were taken possession of by the vice-consul, and the remaining effects by the landlord, in liquidation of an account which had only been partially cancelled. This person said, that in the same parcel with the letters was another, containing a great many locks of hair. They PREFACE. Vll were each of them in a separate envelope, and, on the outside of one, in Brumm ell's hand-writing, was the follow- ing remark: " Lady W , la femme la plus coquette du monde." From the foregoing remarks, therefore, the reader will understand that, with the exception of his letters, and the poetry taken from his album, I was not assisted in the compilation of this memoir by any papers left by Brummell, nor by any obtained from his family, (to whom I applied,) for they had none to give me, but by information which I collected from various sources. Amongst the numerous attempts that have been made in the novels of the day to delineate Brummeli's character, Trebeck, in Granby, was the only one that he considered successful. I once heard him say, " Lister must have known those who were intimate with me :" from this clever and entertaining book I have made one or two extracts. The principal portion of the materials, however, from which the sketch of his early career has been drawn, was procured from friends who were intimate with him. The description of the last years of his life is the result of my own observations, and that of those who were con- stantly about him. To them, and to those noblemen and gentlemen who were kind enough to reply to my inquiries, I beg to return my acknowledgments ; and in Vlll PREFACE. conclusion I have merely to add, that whatever imperfec- tions the work may have, whether as to the choice of subject, the style, or execution, I have carefully refrained from any attempt to enliven it by the introduction of anec- dotes, which, though witty and amusing, would have wounded the feelings of others. In this, at least, I trust I have not failed. W. J. JUNIOR UNITED SERVICE CLUB, March, 1844. '/^ & CONTENTS, CHAPTER I. Early distinctions in dress Milton's Eve The Roman exquisite The native princes of Britain Hotspur's fop The Beaux in the reign of Charles the Second Beau Hewitt Beau Wilson Beau Fielding Beau Edgeworth Beau Nash Petrarch Lord Byron The Abbe Delille The Prince de Kaunitz English fops . Page 1 CHAPTER II. Brummell's origin The death of his grandfather Lord Liverpool patronizes his father, and subsequently introduces him to Lord North Made private secretary to that nobleman The Richardson family George and his Aunt Brawn Lord North's regard for Brummell's father Instructions for a Prince and for the Representatives of the People Mr. Brummell's retire- ment from public life Donnington Sheridan and Miss White Death of Mr. and Mrs. Brummell . .17 CHAPTER III. Buck Brummell at Eton His gentlemanly deportment The Windsor Barge- man The sporting High Sheriff His novel estimate of character Dame Young's Description of George by the Captain of her house His great dexterity in toasting cheese His peccadilloes Dr. Langford Brummell enters at Oriel College, Oxford His consumption of midnight oil there Leaves the University Is gazetted to a Cornetcy in the Tenth Intro- duced to the Prince of Wales In attendance on His Royal Highness at his marriage The Blue nose Reasons for disliking the Army Retires from the service . . . . . . . . . .31 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. Brumrnell attains his majority, though not in the Tenth Establishes himself in Chesterfield-street His figure and countenance His style of dress A French author's opinion of him The Dandies, English and Indian Wraxall's description of dress in 1794 BrummelPs cravat His method of tying it His condemnation of the Duke of Bedford's coat The Beau's tailors " Superfine" and " Bath coating" The Prince of Wales's ward- robe Brummell's dress at the cover side .... Page 51 CHAPTER V. Brummell's extreme neatness Lord Byron's opinion of his outward appear- ance Leigh Hunt's The Beau's cleanliness His precautions to ensure it Why country gentlemen were disqualified for becoming members of Watier's Mr. Pitt's opinion of them Brummell's manners and tastes Lord Chesterfield's gentleman Lord P 's snuff-cellar The ex- Garde-du-Corps The gentleman of the Old School Innovations, not improvements The minuet and cotillons American manners . 69 CHAPTER VI. Brummell's accomplishments In London during the month of November His friend the Duke of Bedford Visits to Woburn, Belvoir, &c. &c. Fete on the Duke of Rutland's coming of age Brummell is mistaken for the Prince of Wales His indifference to field sports Nimrod's opinion of his riding Thomas Asheton Smith His reason for riding at an impossi- bility The Major of the Belvoir Volunteers The regular and the irre- gular Brummell's stud The late Duchess of Rutland The Beau's friends and associates at Belvoir .83 CHAPTER VII. Brummell's influence in society Proofs of it The young debutante at Almack's The hogshead of Martinique Brummell's assurance Mr. Lister's elucidation of that subject Mrs. Johnson-Thompson Brummell and Wyndham The dinner at Mr. R.'s, and the ride to Lady Jersey's The horrid discovery The double distress 98 CHAPTER VIII. Practical Jokes The Emigre Mr. Snodgrass The Beau's canine friend Affectation J. W. C r, and Bloomsbury-square Brummell's mots CONTENTS. XI A travelled bore Vegetable diet A limping lounger A new way of accounting for a cold A bad summer The advantages of civility Prince Boothby and Mrs. Clopton Parthericke Sheridan's bet . Page 113 CHAPTER IX. BrummelTs softer moments His numerous offers His honesty in love affairs The intended Mrs. Brummell His flirtations and love-letters His great popularity with the fair sex His good nature Miss Seymour's letter to him Brummell's regard for her 124 CHAPTER X. Another of Brummell's correspondents Lady Hester Stanhope Her letter to him Admiral Sir Bladen Capel Lady Hester's droll reason for that officer's being sent to the Mediterranean The late Lord Berwick Lady Hester leaves England Her mountain home at Mar Elias Admirable description of her ladyship, and her residence there, by a friend of the author's Her opinion of Brummell Her adoption of Eastern supersti- tions Her courage The Holy Gate of Damascus Lady Hester's reply to the British Consul at Cairo Her personal appearance . .137 CHAPTER XI. Brummell's Album His letter presenting it to a friend Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire Lines on the Death of Hare Wraxall's description of her Grace Her fascinating manners and love of dress and dissipation Lord Carlisle's apology for her plume Her friend Charles Fox His lines on the death of her favourite Spaniel A Scale of the Beauties of 1793 Mrs. Bouverie and Charles Fox 154 CHAPTER XII. The Duchess of Devonshire Her follies and infirmities Taste for play at this period Charles Fox and the Jews His lines on the gaming-table The Duchess's kindness of heart Her enthusiasm The contest for West- minster in 1784 Anecdotes of, and squibs let off at this election The Duchess's poem of " The Passage of the St. Gothard" Her knowledge of French and Italian Her translation of one of Petrarch's sonnets . 167 CHAPTER XIII. The Duchess's fugitive poetry The late Lord Morley Borino the Brave His feats at Melton described in verse by George Ellis Short notice of Xll CONTENTS. that gentleman The Duchess of Devonshire's lines on a bust of Charles James Fox Her verses from a blind man to his wife Death of her Grace Anecdote of Lady Besborough Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire Gibbon in love Sketch of her Grace's character Her patronage of litera- ture, and antiquarian researches ...... Page 180 CHAPTER XIV. Brummell a Whig, but no Politician General Fitzpatrick His contributions to the Beau's Album His lines on a proposed grant of money for the pro- secution of the War Mrs. Miller of Bath Easton Horace Walpole's description of her Castles in the air The late Lord Palmerston His Epitaph on his wife Lord Upper Ossory Lady Tyrconnel Lines ad- dressed to her by that nobleman Lady Upper Ossory . . .199 CHAPTER XV. Lord John Townshend Lady Hunloke Sir Robert Adair Poem of Geor- giana Duchess of Devonshire's, supposed to be addressed to Sir Robert Adair, by Lady Hunloke Sir Robert Adair's reply to Lady Hunloke, by Lord John Townshend Sir Gregory Page Turner Sir G. Osborne Turner Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt Jones Mr. Robson, M.P. . . 212 CHAPTER XVI. Charles Sturt, M.P. for Bridport His gallantry in rescuing some ship- wrecked seamen His perilous adventure and great presence of mind Mr. Sturt in the House of Commons The young Ensign and the Town- Clerk The Reverend Pell Akehurst An imaginary address of his to the Countess of Besborough, by Lord John Townshend Lines by the same nobleman to the memory of his daughter The Foreign Grave Lord John Townshend's death 225 CHAPTER XVII. Estimation in which Brummell was held by clever men The Poet Crabbe's opinion of him The Butterfly's Funeral Brummell the Author of it Julia Storer The Beau's Verses on her child An anecdote from the Clubsof London A rencontre between Sheridan and Brummell Sheridan's fugitive poetry Lines addressed to the Countess of Besborough Tom Sheridan The loss of the Saldanha Frigate His stanzas on the event Lines to Julia 238 CONTENTS. Xlll CHAPTER XVIII. Other contributors to Brummell's Scrap Book Lord Melbourne His Lines on the Bust of Fox The Dream Translation of an Ode from Anacreon The Honourable George Lamb The Robber's Good-Night R. Payne Knight The Yellow Leaf George Canning His Squib on Mr. Whit- bread's speech at the impeachment of Lord Melville The Duchess of Gordon's salute Mrs. O'Neill Stanzas by that lady . . Page 255 CHAPTER XIX. " Wales, ring the bell ! '' The real delinquent Brummell's quarrel with the Prince of Wales Causes that led to it Ben and Benina Mrs. Fitzher- bert The Beau's impudence "Who 's your fat friend?" Brummell's intimacy with the Duke of York Letters from the Duchess to Brummell Her great partiality for dogs Fete at Oatlands The Duke's reply to his servant A Pastoral Dialogue by R. B. Sheridan The Right Honour- able George Rose 269 CHAPTER XX. A Dinner party at Oatlands Lord Erskine's description of it inverse The company present Colonel Armstrong The Honourable William Spencer Monk Lewis Kangaroo Cooke Lady Anne Culling Smith Miss Fitzroy Colonel de Lancey Barclay Brummell Le Chevalier Cainea Lord Erskine's childhood One of his letters written from school Goes to sea in the Tartar Letter to Lord Cardross from Jamaica . . 285 CHAPTER XXI. Lord Erskine enters the Army His slow promotion leaves the service Enters at Cambridge His great admiration and friendship for Fox Lines written by him at Oatlands on receiving from the Duchess of York a lock of that statesman's hair Lord Byron Two fragments of his unpublished poetry Stanzas on the murder of Mr. Weir, by the Rev. J. Mitford The younger Brother's claim Les Mille Colonnes Epigrams 300 CHAPTER XXII. Brummell at the Clubs Watier's Lord Byron and the Dandies The ball at the Argyle Brummell one of the four gentlemen who gave it The XIV CONTENTS. Regent goes to it The Beau's run of good luck at Hazard Alderman Combe and Brummell High play at Watier's Brummell's continued losses His friend's good-natured attempt to save him Til success of his scheme Dick the Dandy-killer A new way to pay old debts The six- pence with a hole in it The storm gathering . . . Page 314 CHAPTER XXIII. Symptoms of a move Brummell's epistle to his friend Scrope Davies The wit's laconic reply His extraordinary penchant at college Brummell cuts his cable, and comes to an anchor at Calais The Author passes through that town Boxing, gouging, and the savate The table d'hote at the Royal The mysterious stranger A walk on the market-place English refugees Various reasons for expatriation 327 CHAPTER XXIV. Brummell's lodgings in the Rue Royale His good-natured landlord M. Leleux's regard for him Proofs of it Brummell's effects sold by auction in London Copy of Mr. Christie's Bill of Sale The snuff-box that was destined for the Regent Brummell furnishes his rooms His passion for buhl furniture Ridiculous extravagance in the indulgence of it His Sevres china Napoleon's paper weight The Beau's conundrum snuff-box 342 CHAPTER XXV. Donations made to Brummell by his friends The Duchess of York's liberality to him Her Christmas present Mr. Chamberlayne Brummell learns French Scrope Davies's description of his progress The Beau's fashionable visitors Lord Westmoreland invites him to dine Brummell's reply The legal intruder The exile's daily avocations His dog Vick Her illness and death Anecdote from " Granby" Brummell's grief at the loss of his pet 355 CHAPTER XXVI. Brummell's visitor from Dover His ungallant conduct to his daughter His reception of Wellesley P e on his arrival at Calais Mr. B y's toady The morning walk with Lord Sefton A rencontre on the ram- parts The Beau reported dead Calais gossip Brummell adds his quota The result His appointment at Chalk Farm His reception of Colonel R d . 367 CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XXVII. Brummell's screen Destined for the Duchess of York Description of this pasticcio The six compartments The elephant and Napoleon Portraits of the Beau's friends His illustrations of their characters General U n The Marquis of Hertford Lord Sefton The hysena tamed by the Muses and the Graces The tiger and the French revolution Brummell's satire upon Lord Byron Price offered for the screen M. Leleux's parrot Page 379 ERRATA. Page 69, line 7, for purfumery, read perfumery. Ill, 4,ybr the commences, read the article commences. 141, 4, for political, read politicals. 144, 7, for Meance, read Meeanee. CHAPTER I. Early distinctions in dress Milton's Eve The Roman exquisite The native princes of Britain Hotspur's fop The Beaux in the reign of Charles the Second Beau Hewitt Beau Wilson Beau Fielding Beau Edgeworth Beau Nash Petrarch^-Lord Byron The Abbe Delille The Prince de Kaunitz English fops. THOSE who yet remain of his generation, but who were not acquainted with the subject of these me- moirs, will, no doubt, be astonished that any one should have taken the trouble to be his biographer, and much wonder what there can possibly be to say about Beau Brummell unless, indeed, it were to give the impertinent witticisms currently reported of him. But of those contemporaries who knew him intimately and still survive, few will be sur- prised that I have found some amusement in col- lecting the scattered reminiscences of so singular a character. The term Beau is now very nearly obsolete, and Brummell, to whom the term in its popular sense was erroneously applied, will, in all probability, be one of the last persons distinguished by that sobriquet ; but, before entering upon this memoir, perhaps a few VOL. I. B Z THE LIFE OF words respecting the most notorious of the species so denominated may not be out of place. From the earliest ages there have always been individuals vain enough to be completely absorbed in the study of dress, yet this can hardly be matter of astonishment, for every one must allow that vanity in the abstract is coeval with humanity; and it was, possibly, under this conviction that even Milton suffered himself to accuse Eve of contemplating her beautiful form in the looking-glass of Nature. That day I oft remember, when from sleep I first awaked, and found myself reposed Under a shade on flowers, much wondering where And what I was, whence thither brought, and how. Not distant far from thence a murmuring sound Of waters issued from a cave, and spread Into a liquid plain, then stood unmoved Pure as th' expanse of Heaven ; I thither went With inexperienced thought, and laid me down On the green bank, to look into the clear Smooth lake, that to me seem'd another sky. As I went down to look, just opposite, A shape within the wat'ry gleam appear'd Bending to look on me : I started back, It started back ; but pleased I soon return'd, Pleased it return'd as soon with answering looks Of sympathy and love : there I had fix'd Mine eyes till now, and pined with vain desire, Had not, &c. &c. Paradise Lost, book iv. Distinctions in dress, it may be inferred, were at GEORGE BRUMMELL. a very remote period highly prized, or the venerable patriarch Jacob would not, in the indulgence of his parental vanity, have selected " a coat of many colours," as the most gratifying gift he could be- stow upon his youngest and favourite son ; a gift which was probably valued by Joseph, not only as a proof of his father's affection for him, but also on account of its being a garment of peculiar beauty, and superior to those worn by his brethren. The hope expressed by Sisera's mother, that her son would find amongst the spoil of Barak's camp " a prey of divers colours of needlework on both sides," has also been adduced as an evidence that the princes and great men of Israel were fond of array- ing themselves in glorious apparel, and far from indifferent to the decoration of their persons. Of the toilette of the Hebrew beau or belle, however, few details have been preserved ; but no such blank exists in the history of the last con- querors of their nation ; of their dandyism many and amusing particulars have been handed down to us in those works which treat of their domestic manners, after riches and luxury had increased in Rome, and corruption had stamped the character of her citizens with effeminacy and voluptuousness. The tunic of the Roman exquisite was often of green silk ; he painted, rouged, and curled his hair, B 2 4 THE LIFE OF wore a great number and variety of rings, light or heavy, according to the season ; and the most superlatively finished fops had the hairs, even of their legs, plucked out by the roots with small tweezers, called volsellce. In this state of things, it was very natural that the dress of the women, which had been, till then, modest and simple, should be- come the chief object of their attention, and so completely was this the case, that a lady's toilette and ornaments were called her world, mundus muli- ebris. But a refined state of society, however it may excite personal vanity, is certainly not necessary to its development : it is exhibited by the savage, in the taste he displays in the choice of his beads, shells, and feathers, and the variety and elegance shown in the designs of his tattooing ; and it is highly probable, that when Julius Cresar landed in Britain, he found some of our native princes much better painted than others, and their blue tints of a brighter hue. Perhaps the iron age of chivalry, when women's hearts were won in coats of mail, not in silk tunics, was more free from dandyism than any other. In the days of the Crusades men thought but little of themselves, and, excepting in the splendour of their armour, and a gay plume or scarf, still less of their outsides. The gallant Hotspur's indignant descrip- GEORGE BRUMMELL. tion of the finical fop, " who shone so bright and smelt so sweet, and talked so like a waiting gentle- woman," is one of the earliest, best, and most en- tertaining given in our language. In the reign of Elizabeth, the distinguished men that her vigorous mind induced her to select for her companions and advisers, were remarkable for the bravery of their attire, for they were obliged to fall in with the taste of their imperious mistress, who devoted much time to the adornment of her person : it was, however, reserved for the court of that lux- urious monarch, Louis the Fourteenth, who never permitted even his own valet to see him without his full-bottomed wig, to give effect to that spirit of coxcombality, which was introduced into Eng- land at the Restoration, by the rakish and rollick- ing cavaliers who formed the unprincipled suite of Charles the Second. His reign produced a host of beaux, at which time the term appears to have been first used, and amongst others was applied more particularly to Hewitt, Wilson, and Fielding. The first of these worthies, Sir George Hewitt, afterwards an Irish Viscount, which peerage seems to have died with him, had the credit of being the individual from whom " gentle George Etheredge," though himself the involuntary original, is said to have drawn the character of Sir Fopling Flutter, THE LIFE OF in the " Man of the Mode " the prototype of all the fops in comedy. The Viscount appears, also, to have been one of the first persons who reduced the robuster " damn me" of the preceding age to the modern " dammee ;" since become the con- sumptive " demmee " of our own. In Sir Walter Scott's edition of Dryden, we have, in Rochester's farewell, an example of this mincing innovation of Beau Hewitt's : Had it not better been than thus to roam, To stay and tie the cravat-string at home ? To strut, look big, shake pantaloon, and swear, With Hewitt, " Damme, there's no action here." Wilson, too, another Beau of that day, is de- scribed by Grainger as a most mysterious person. He was the younger son of a respectable family, and entered the army, from which, after a short service in Flanders, he was dismissed for cowardice, when he returned to England with forty shillings, borrowed from a friend. Here, to the astonishment of every one, he in a short time appeared the brightest star in the hemisphere of fashion ; his dress, table, equipages, and stud, being perfect, and his hospitality profuse. As he seldom played, and was not known to have any intrigues, it soon became matter of lively speculation, how he con- trived to support all this state ; many of his friends GEORGE BRUMMELL. 7 tried to worm out his secret, but without success ; for, though his conduct and conversation were apparently perfectly open, he was in reality so guarded even in his convivial moments, that no expression ever escaped him that could give a clue to the source of his wealth. Some said that he possessed the grand secret of converting meaner metals into gold, -and others that he had robbed a Dutch mail of a package of rough diamonds. But a more natural solution of the mystery at- tached to Mr. Wilson's proceedings, is given in some intercepted letters appended to a work pub- lished in 1708, entitled Memoirs of the Court of England, in the Reign of Charles the Second ; and which seems to have been much read at the time, for it went through several editions. In one of these epistles, it is stated that Beau Wilson's ability to pursue his extravagant career was ow- ing to the liberality of the beautiful Duchess of Cleveland, with whom he intrigued ; but the details of the story are so singular and minute, that the authenticity of some of them may fairly be doubted. Mr. Wilson was killed in a duel by that Prince of schemers, Mississippi Law, who it is said ran him through the body before he could draw his sword in his own defence. Beau Fielding, who stands on record as the best- 8 THE LIFE OF looking of the beaux, and is mentioned by Swift, as one of those " who made mean figures upon some remarkable occasions," was of a good family in Warwickshire. Being intended for the bar, he was sent to London early in life, but, giving way to the temptations of fashionable vices, soon aban- doned that profession. His person was exceedingly beautiful, and he took infinite pains to set it off. Charles the Second was so struck with his figure when he first saw him at court, that he called him the " handsome Fielding." From that moment, he be- came the most conceited of all fops, and was not only vain and expensive in his own dress, but fantastical in that of his lacqueys, who usually wore yellow liveries, with black sashes, and black feathers in their hats. His courage was of the same quality as that of his contemporary, Mr. Wilson, his greatest piece of heroism having been to run a helpless linkboy through the body in St. Martin's-lane. One even- ing, however, in pushing forward, to show off his dress and figure, at the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, he trod upon the foot of a lawyer named Fullwood, who thereupon instantly challenged, and wounded him, but who, singularly enough, was killed in a duel with a Captain Cusack the same night. Fielding also received a severe caning from, and was subsequently wounded by, a Welsh GEORGE BRUMMELL. 9 gentleman of the name of Price. His excesses and extravagance at length consumed his patrimony, after which, he subsisted upon his gallantries and the supplies that he obtained at the gaming table, where he was generally successful. To repair his shattered fortunes he eventually married a connexion of Dean Swift's, the only daughter and heiress of Lord Carlingford. By this lady, a zealous Roman Catholic, he was converted to her faith, and probably induced to attach himself to the cause of James the Second, for whose service he raised a regiment in his own county, and whom he afterwards accompanied to France, where he lived handsomely on his wife's remittances. When this lady died, being again in difficulties, Fielding once more had recourse to matrimony for a subsistence, but this time he was completely taken in by a certain Mary Wadsworth, who had assumed the name and character of Madame Delaune, a person of great wealth. Discovering the fraud he soon forsook her, and subsequently espoused, when in her sixty-first year, Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, the reputed mistress of his pre- decessor ; whom he treated with insolence and brutality. This occasioned a prosecution, and on the 4th of December, 1706, a year after this marriage, he was tried and found guilty of bigamy 10 THE LIFE OF at the Old Bailey ; but, when sentence was passed upon him that he should be burnt in the hand, he craved the benefit of clergy, produced the Queen's warrant for suspending execution, and was admitted to bail. After this he became reconciled to his false Mary, and styles her, in his will, his dear and loving wife. Beau Fielding was the Orlando of the Tatler, and died of a fever at his house in Scotland-yard, in 1712, at the age of sixty-one. The next on the list is a member of that family which, through the talents of both fa- ther and daughter, has become so distinguished in this century Beau Edgeworth. It is to him that Steele, also fond of dress in his younger days, and called a coxcomb by his libellers, alludes, in the two-hundred and forty-sixth number of the Tatler, as, " a very handsome well-shaped youth, that frequents the coffee-houses about Charing- Cross, and ties a very pretty ribbon, with a cross of jewels, to his breast :" in a note to Goldney's edi- tion he is called the " prince of puppies." Colonel Ambrose Edgeworth died in the Bridewell of Dub- lin, having been out of his mind some time pre- viously to his death. Beau Nash, who was usually styled the " King of Bath," follows next. " His prosperity," says But- ler, in his Chronological Exercises, " was of long GEORGE BRUMMELL. 11 duration ; and if a man who supported himself by gambling and intrigues can be said to deserve pros- perity, it was justly due to this celebrated character ; but at length age and infirmities approached ; and though Horace says, we should preserve consistency to the last, it appeared ridiculous to see grey hairs and decrepitude aping the gaiety and hilarity of youth." Beau Nash was buried in the Abbey Church at Bath, on the 3rd February, 1761, having lived to the great age of eighty-eight : his funeral obsequies were conducted with much parade and solemnity, and at the expense of the corporation. There were, no doubt, during this period, many other eminent fops besides these ; but it is observa- ble, that, a man was never distinguished by the title of Beau, if he had any thing in him superior to it ; that is, assuming that the epithet means a fop, which, in the words of Roscommon, is, "a man of small understanding and much ostentation." Still, and inconsistent as it may appear, very superior and clever men have bestowed far more than neces- sary attention upon their dress. Petrarch, in writ- ing to his brother, says, " Recollect the time when we wore white habits, on which the least spot, or a plait ill-placed, would have been a subject of grief, and when our shoes were so tight, that we suffered martyrdom." Lord Byron avows that he 12 THE LIFE OF had " a touch of dandyism in his minority," and " had retained enough of it to conciliate the great ones, at four-and-twenty." The Abbe Delille, who, besides being a priest, was also a poet, and, per- haps, the ugliest man of his day, lost so little of his personal vanity, that, even in mature age, he invariably had his hair dressed with powder couleur de rose; and the Prince de Kaunitz, who wore satin stays, passed a portion of every morning in walking up and down a room in which four valets puffed a cloud of scented powder, but each of a different colour, in order that it might fall and amalgamate into the exact nuance that best suited their master's taste. " Ils etaient," observes a French writer, " des devots & 1'elegance, et en cela ils meritent nos respects ; mais etaient-ils ele- gants? Voil& la question." Upon Rafaelle, the most spiritual of painters, has the epithet, "cox- comb," been irreverently bestowed. Nelson, who wrote the Companion to the Fasts and Festivals, and who is supposed to have been the author of The Whole Duty of Man, was a splendid dresser : it was from him that Richardson drew his cha- racter of Sir Charles Grandison. Charles Fox also, who, late in life, was one of the most unos- tentatious, not to say slovenly, men about town, was a macaroni in his youth, and, with his friends GEORGE BRUMMELL, 13 Lords Carlisle and Essex, wore red-heeled shoes ! At this period the coxcombality of dress was neces- sarily great, for muffs, velvets, ruffles, gold lace, and perfumed powder, were then the usual append- ages of male attire. We might, and with reason, imagine it was a woman, and not the Earl of March, a great sporting character, who, writing to George Selwyn, at Paris, in 1766, says, "The muff you sent me, by the Duke of Richmond, I like prodi- giously, vastly better than if it had been tigre, or of any glaring colour several are now making after it:" and again, in 1776, he remarks, "pray bring me two or three bottles of perfume to put amongst powder, and some patterns for velvets that are new and pretty." But perhaps the most remarkable instance that can be cited in proof of the fact that a feeling of dandyism sometimes forms a component part of a great mind, is that of the late Marquis Wellesley ; to whom, almost to the last moment of his life, and when still in the full possession of those vigorous and intellectual faculties, the evi- dence of which forms one of the most brilliant his- torical pictures in the public annals of this and the latter part of the last century, a piece of rich waistcoating was as much an object of attraction and delight as to his handsome and youthful secre- tary. Indeed it is said that this nobleman fre- 14 THE LIFE OF quently sat alone en grande toilette, decorated with his blue ribbon and the garter, as if intending to appear at a royal levee, or a chapter of the order. But to return to the period at which the macaronies flourished, (who, according to the testimony of Horace Walpole, were travelled young men who wore long curls and spying-glasses,) the adoption of broad cloth made sad havoc w r ith the tastes of such men as the Duke of Queensberry ; and the beaux who came in when muffs and velvets went out, were of a very different description. One of the most notorious was the late Lord Harewood, called, from the singular penchant he had for imitating the Prince of Wales in his dress, Prince Lascelles. Of this mania he was cured by Fox, Sheridan, and Wyndham, who persuaded his Royal Highness to allow his queue (which it was then the fashion to wear) to be concealed by the collar of his coat. He readily consented, and during dinner, for they were all dining with the Prince, one of the three called Lascelles's attention to the fact, who, completely tricked into the idea that the queue was cut off, appeared the next day, to the amusement of the conspirators, without his own. Colonel Mont- gomery, also a friend of the Prince of Wales's, and the unsuccessful principal in the duel with Captain Macnamara, was in the habit of dressing like the GEORGE BRUMMELL. 15 Duke of Hamilton, and thus received the sobriquet of the Duke of Hamilton's double. Another fop of this century was a Colonel Matthews, who, being extremely distressed at the loss of one of his front teeth, determined upon having it replaced by one drawn from another person's jaw, trusting perhaps to that jargon of the doctors called " healing by a second intention." He was fitted accordingly, but, horrible to relate, the saliva, or something, adher- ing to the tooth, inoculating the system, brought on a cancer in the mouth, of which he died. Though many others might be enumerated besides those I have mentioned, I will close the list with the name of the venerable patriarch of the Beaux, who still survives, Sir Lumley Skeffington. He is said to be entitled to the enviable denomination of the most amiable of the genus beau; and a distinguished author, who allowed his pen to dwell briefly on these matters some years ago, says, " that under all his double-breasted coats and waistcoats he never had any other than a single-hearted soul." Having brought this sketch of the principal Beaux upon record to a close, I will now enter upon the life of him who Lord Byron said was one of the three great men of the nineteenth century, placing himself third, Napoleon second, and Brummell first. To this postulate it is not my intention to offer any 16 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. support; but I think there is sufficient evidence to show that he ought not to be classed with the Beaux, if, as I have before remarked, a beau is a fop, and a fop a man of small understanding. But if I prove my own assertion, what then ? Does it at all sig- nify whether his reputation remains as it is or not ? No. Then " Le jeu, vaut-il la chandelle ?" Yes, if the first portion of this biography amuses the reader, and the last pages excite reflection. Some indeed will smile at the moral Brummell's life con- veys : others may perhaps agree with me in the views I have taken of it. CHAPTER II. Brummell's origin The death of his grandfather Lord Liverpool patronizes his father, and subsequently introduces him to Lord North Made private secretary to that nobleman The Richardson family George and his Aunt Brawn Lord North's regard for Brummell's father Instructions for a Prince and for the Representatives of the People Mr. Brummell's retire- ment from public life Donnington Sheridan and Miss White Death of Mr. and Mrs. Brummell. BRUMMELL'S origin, like that of many greater men than himself, was humble. A French journalist, who wrote a biographical notice of him a few months after his death, says that " his grand- father, the first of the Brummells and the founder of the family, was originally a Treasury porter, a situation which he obtained through the patronage of Lord North, and that prudence and industry enabled him to give his son a good education;" also, " that he succeeded, through the kindness of the same nobleman, in procuring him employment in that office." A writer in a late periodical has asserted that Beau Brummell was the son of a con- fectioner; and others have described his father as having been in Lord Bute's household. But these accounts are all, or nearly all, equally incorrect. VOL. i. c ' 18 THE LIFE OF George BrummelPs grandfather was in business in Bury-street, St. James's, and might have been a confectioner, though I have no evidence of the fact ; he was buried in St. James's-churchyard, in a corner of which his tombstone may still be seen, and on it the following inscription : " Here lies the body of Mr. William Brummell, who departed this life the 31st of March, 1770, aged 61 years." His wife's death is likewise recorded thus : " Also the remains of Mrs. Jane Brummell, who departed this life on the 27th of July, 1783, aged 73 years." An uncle of the Beau's, Benjamin Brummell, of the Treasury, who died in February, 1816, is like- wise buried in the same vault. Within a few feet of Mr. Brummell 's grave is that of the celebrated Tom Durfey, a tablet to whose memory is inserted in the wall of the church itself, facing the west entrance. Not being in affluent circumstances, Mr. Brum- mell, like many persons in business in the present day, let a portion of his house, and, fortunately for him and his family, not only " the spirit of Jenky arose," but Jenky himself; or, in words less Os- sianic than those of the song of Scrutinaria, his lodgings were taken by Charles Jenkinson, after- wards the first Lord Liverpool ; and it is said, I know not with what truth, that his distinguished GEORGE BRUMMELL. 19 lodger was attracted to the house by the perfect penmanship of the affiche, <( Apartments to let," written in his son's, the Beau's father's, best hand. Mr. Jenkinson, as is well known, was not only clever, but remarkably laborious ; and though one of that administration contemptuously spoken of as " all the hacks/' in contradistinction to the one yclept " all the talents," it should be remembered that hacks are more useful than race-horses ; and that his lordship, instead of closing his career like the high-mettled racer, in a kennel, died in ermine trappings, and left a very comfortable e'curie to his successors, while the ''talents" hardly left a shed to theirs. Brummell's father w r as but a boy when Mr. Jen- kinson came to lodge in Bury-street, but his active disposition soon attracted that gentleman's atten- tion, and, pleased with his quickness, he made him his amanuensis, and, when joint secretary of the Treasury, in 1763, he obtained for him a clerkship in that office. In this subordinate situation young Brummell remained for some time ; but fortune is generally the friend of industry, and his unremitting attention to business and strict integrity, together with Mr. Jenkinson's recommendation, who was a lord of the Treasury in 1767, induced his successor, Lord North, to appoint him his private secretary. c 2 20 THE LIFE OF This nobleman honoured him with his friendship, and continued him in this confidential post during his administration; that is, from 1770 to 1782, when the Marquis of Rockingham took office. It is rather curious that clergymen at this period sometimes held the situation of secretary to the first lord of the Treasury; the Rev. Mr. Walker had that appointment under the Marquis, and the Rev. Mr. King under the Duke of Portland. Advanced thus, in all probability beyond his most sanguine expectations, Mr. BrummeH's shrewdness and intelligence were constantly exerted ; and he not only succeeded in obtaining emoluments under his new patron, but drew a prize in the lottery- office of Mr. Richardson, by marrying his youngest daughter. She is said to have been one of the prettiest women of her day, and not erroneously, if the artist who executed the miniature of her, now existing, was not a Lawrence, or a rival of Mr. Brummell. But though this marriage must have been a very eligible one for the young lady, it does not appear that the connexion exactly suited the ideas of the Richardson family, who were fond of pedigree, and claimed to be descended from no less a personage than Sir W. Richardson, chief justice, in the reign of James I. The shield of the chief justice is still to be seen in the painted GEORGE BRUMMELL. 21 window of Lincoln's Inn ; and his monument, which is in Westminster Abbey, is near to that of the celebrated Dr. Busby, who wielded the birch so vigorously and successfully, during the fifty-five years that he was master of Westminster School. Mr. Richardson's objections, however, were pro- bably softened afterwards ; for another daughter was not so fortunate, and married Mr. Vernon, an actor; a third sister espoused a Mr. Hughes, a very respectable person in the City ; and the fourth, married a gentleman of the name of Brawn, who had a farm near Lilbourn. George Brummell occasionally paid a visit to his aunt Brawn ; and one of the earliest episodes re- membered of his childhood is, that he was one day guilty of crying most bitterly, because he could not eat any more of her ample damson tart. The eldest son of Mr. Richardson, who succeeded to the lottery-office at his father's death, was a great friend of the late Mr. Coutts, the banker, and an expensive man about town ; he died early. The second brother was in the navy, and sailed in the Alarm frigate, the first in the service that was coppered ; he was also on board the Centurion, the ship in which Lord Anson circumnavigated the globe. At his brother's death he replaced him in the lottery-office. 22 THE LIFE OF How very highly Lord North appreciated the services of Mr. Brummell, is satisfactorily proved by the lucrative appointments which that minister conferred upon him ; for, at his decease, he held those of Receiver of the Duties on Uninhabited Houses in London and Middlesex, Comptroller of the Hawkers' and Pedlars'-office, and Agent and Paymaster to the out-pensioners of Chelsea Hos- pital, the net salaries of which amounted to two thousand five hundred pounds per annum. As Mr. Brummell enjoyed such a handsome share of the good things in the gift of Lord North, called by the pamphleteers of the day " the God of Emolu- ment," it was not only natural but fair, that he should occupy a prominent position in the squibs so frequently launched forth against his master, and with justice too ; for perhaps no country with free institutions ever suffered so much from the obstinate "honesty," perhaps his admirers will exclaim, as England did from the colonial policy of that minister. In one of the pamphlets I have alluded to, en- titled " Instructions for a Prince, with State Maxims and interesting Papers, found in the Ca- binet of the King of Lunaria," the author gives the following letter from a certain secretary to a newly elected member of the House of Commons ; that GEORGE BRUMMELL. 23 secretary was BrummelPs father ; and the note is supposed to have been written by order of Lord North. " SIR, " Permit me to congratulate you on the honourable seat which you have lately obtained in so honourable a manner. I inclose you, by order of my master, Lord N , a copy of instructions drawn up by himself for the use of his members. " I have the honour to be, Sir, "&c., &c., &c., " WILLIAM BRUMMELL." The instructions to the representatives of the people were as follows : " 1st. You are to use your best endeavours in bringing over the opposition. " 2nd. You are never to play the orator, lest you should stumble on unseasonable truths, (applicable to some cases in the present day ;) an Aye or No, judiciously employed, is infinitely preferable to the finest rhetorical flourish. " 3rd. You are not to be absent from duty on any pretence whatever. " 4th. Good posts will be provided for your rela- 24 THE LIFE OF tives and friends ; but, if they cannot be immediately given, you are not to murmur, or threaten, or even talk of conscience. " Lastly. You are to pay implicit obedience to the will of the minister." The expenditure of secret service money is thus humorously made out by the same author; the initials only of the names of some were given in the original I have filled them up. " To my dearly beloved cousin the Earl of Bute, the Mazarin of Lunaria, for his care of me in my nonage, 20,000/. per annum. " To the Earl of Mansfield, the Solon of the age, as a reward for his assiduity in new-modelling the laws, 5,OOOZ. per annum. " To the Poet Laureat, Mr. William Whitehead, exclusive of his salary, for making me the paragon of princes and humbling my enemies in the birth- day odes, 500Z. per annum. - " To sundry posts and pensions in the Lords and Commons, in order to secure a majority in both houses, value 300,000/. " To several of the poorer and more noisy pa- triots, 30,OOOZ. per annum. " (N.B. We are making daily converts.) " To a common-councilman of Lunaria, for his GKORGE BRUMMELL. 25 speeches at the halls, and endeavouring to persuade the liverymen of London that they have no will of their own, 500/. " To a lord of the Admiralty, (probably Charles Fox,) to enable him to purchase a new suit, and that he may appear at Court with clean linen, 100Z. " To Lord North, he having a very large family, seven children, and a very small income, (only 20,OOOZ. per annum,) for his assistance in raising Lunaria to her present height and prosperity, a dou- ceur, 50,000/. " To Edward Gibbon, Esq., for 'An Essay on the Art of Sinking in Politics ; or, Rules for the Ruin of a State,' 500Z. 11 To the commissioners, cash to bribe Congress, 100,OOOZ. " To Oberea, queen of Otaheite, my sole, yet powerful* ally, for dolls, beads, ribbons, &c., value 2,000/. * As the powerful may by many be thought somewhat ques- tionable, the following extract from Captain Cook's voyage is submitted to the reader : " The fleet of Otaheite, which 1 then saw, consisted of 210 vessels, besides smaller ones to serve as transports, &c. ; and it appears from an accurate calculation, that the whole island can furnish for immediate service 68,000 able men." No despicable assistance to Lunaria in her present despicable situation. 26 THE LIFE OF " To divers new writers for puff and panegyric, 10,OOOL per annum." These were indeed glorious days for the writers of " puff and panegyric." Major Topham, the editor of the World, actually succeeded to David Hume's pension.* After Lord North's resignation, Mr. Brummell retired to the country, and in the year 1788 served the office of high sheriff for Berkshire. In the immediate vicinity of his seat, the Grove, near Donnington Castle, a place famous for having been the residence of Chaucer, and for its spirited re- sistance to the Parliamentarian army in the civil wars, he was eminently distinguished by his pri- vate virtues, particularly in his exertions on behalf of the infant poor, many of whom he benevolently rescued from ignorance and destitution ; and by them his loss was truly deplored for it was felt. Nor was he forgetful of the duties of hospitality to his affluent friends ; the hall -door, though it hung upon an old-fashioned hinge, yielded easily to the touch of his numerous visitors, and the * Major Topham died at Doncaster on the 20th. April, 1820: he was known to the lovers of the drama by the many prologues and epilogues which proceeded from his pen ; also by several minor theatrical pieces. He likewise wrote a Biography of the celebrated and eccentric John Elwes, Esq. GEO11GE BRUMMELL. 27 Grove was universally acknowledged to be one of the most agreeable houses in the neighbourhood. That such should have been the case was not extraordinary. Mr. Brummell had for twelve years been in habits of intimacy with perhaps the most delightful of companions, who, whatever might be his political obstinacy or manoeuvring to retain office, was possessed of more bonhomie and powers of pleasing all that came within reach of his con- versation, than any other of the great public men of his time. The society which Mr. Brummell received at Donnington was of the best and most talented description ; both Fox and Sheridan visited there, and tradition has still preserved the remembrance of one of the practical jokes, in which the latter was so fond of indulging. It was played off on a Miss White, a spinster, who had passed her grand climacteric, but whose vanity was so little tempered by age, that Sheridan, in one of his frolicsome and persuasive moments, succeeded in inducing her to believe that Mr. Harris, the proprietor of Co- vent-garden Theatre, and a guest at Donnington, was in love with her. " My dear Miss White," said Sheridan, " my friend is endowed with great sensibility ; only touch him on that point, and he is yours :" and the lady, instigated by the mis- 28 THE LIFE OF chievous wit, and hoping to attract the admiration of Mr. Harris, dressed herself in the costume of one of those pastoral beauties immortalized in Chelsea china ; and attired in a stiff dress of primrose brocade and gipsy hat, with pale blue ribbons, sat by the side of a pond, in the grounds, with a fishing-rod in her hand, the best part of a broiling summer's day, nervously expecting her Colin it is needless to add, in vain. Under the influence of these examples, Master George Brummell doubtless cultivated his natural penchant for fun ; but in the early part of the year 1793, the sounds of festivity were hushed at the Grove ; death left Mr. Brummell a widower ; and exactly one year and a day after his wife's burial; he was himself carried to the family vault at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, and laid beside her. This event took place the 17th of March, 1794. Mr. Brummell died, leaving two sons ; William, the eldest, and a daughter, still survive ; the former married, in May, 1800, Miss Daniel, (whose sister was married to a brother of the present Lord Gwydyr,) and the latter a Captain Blackshaw, who resided in a cottage near the Grove. Mr. Brummell's youngest son, George Bryan Brummell, the subject of the present memoir, had not quite completed his sixteenth year at the time GEORGE BRUMMELL. 29 of his father's death, having been born on the 7th of June, 1778, and baptized on the 2nd of July, at St. Margaret's, Westminster. I am ignorant who on this occasion promised to answer for his anticipated misdeeds, but his second Christian name would seem to imply, that the shade of the old Irish hero came back from the world of spirits to do him honour. A very handsome provision was left, at Mr. Brummell's death, for his three children, proving that he not only knew how to acquire money, but how to keep it ; a virtue which in this, as in the generality of cases with fortunes rapidly made, did not descend, at least to his youngest son. The sum of 65,OOOZ., which Mr. Brummell died possessed of, was placed in the hands of trustees, to be equally divided amongst his children, on their attaining their ma- jority. The amount is so large, more particularly when it is remembered that Mr. Brummell was given to acts of hospitality, that it leads to the supposition that he speculated successfully ; pro- bably like his patron, Lord North, in the funds. Such was the origin of the Beau's family, and such the details I have been able to collect respect- ing it. He seldom touched upon the subject of his genealogical tree never in conversation ; but, in one of his notes to a young lady hereafter given, he 30 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. appears to allude to it when he says in the commence- ment, " I swear to you by those humble ancestors who sleep in their parish churchyards ;" humble they were, but respectable ; and it is a pity that Brummell did not content himself with the position in society their industry and better judgment had secured for him, and this he was probably brought to think by the sufferings and reverses of his later life. CHAPTER III. Buck Brummell at Eton His gentlemanly deportment The Windsor Barge- man The sporting High Sheriff His novel estimate of character Dame Young Description of George by the Captain of her house His great dexterity in toasting cheese His peccadilloes Dr. L. Brummell enters at Oriel College, Oxford His consumption of midnight oil there Leaves the University Is Gazetted to a Cornetcy in the Tenth Intro- duced to the Prince of Wales In attendance on His Royal Highness at his marriage The Blue nose Reasons for disliking the Army Retires from the service. AT Eton, to which his father sent him in 1790, at least he appears in the list of the lower sqhool for that year, George Brummell was remarkable for his quiet gentlemanly manners and ready wit, as well as for the excessive neatness of his personal appearance. At that time the term " dandy" was not the vogue : " bucks," and " macaronies," were then the nick-names of such as affected peculiar elegance in their dress ; and, according to one authority now living at Eton, he was distinguished from his fellows by the sobriquet of " Buck Brummell." The anxiety with which he eschewed the dirty streets on a rainy day, his white stock with a bright gold buckle be- hind, and the measured dignity of his step, are re- 32 THE LIFE OF membered by his contemporaries who still survive ; his language, dress, and deportment, were in this respect always in perfect keeping. It frequently happened that a contest took place between the boys and the Windsor bargemen, and on one of these occasions, an unhappy bargee fell into the hands of the exasperated lads, who having been in a former row very roughly handled by these Jacob Faithfuls, gave momentary way to passion, and were literally contemplating throwing him over the bridge into the Thames. In the midst of the uproar and hauling about, fifty pulling him one way and fifty the other, Buck Brummell came over the bridge, and probably from a goodnatured motive, he, in the quietest tones of remonstrance, addressed his incensed companions as follows : " My good fellows, don't send him into the river, the man is evidently in a high state of perspiration, and it almost amounts to a certainty that he will catch cold." A finer instance of bathos seldom occurs from drowning to catching cold ! but to be sure, either might have happened, even to a bargee. This appeal of George Brummell's was irresistible ; the boys took it, and in an ebullition of laughter, projected the bargeman along the road, who took to his heels and was out of sight in an instant. Little, however, is now remembered of Brummell GEORGE BRUMMELL. 33 at Eton ; old Sukey, the purveyor of tarts and apples, is an inmate of the almshouse, but her mind is too enfeebled by age for her to recollect whether he patronized her, and if he was ever so vulgarly happy as to enjoy cranberries, bulls'-eyes, or the classical elecampane ; neither have I been able to ascertain, whether like other boys he hacked his desk, or cut his name on the walls. In the upper school-room, where upwards of three thousand names are cut on the oak pannelling, numbering amongst them those of Charles Fox, and scores of others of our young nobility and commoners scarcely less distinguished in the senate, or the field that of George Brum- mell does not appear. I was dining one day with the high sheriff of a county contiguous to the metropolis, a Nestor of Nimrods, and accidentally hearing him remark that he was at Eton in the latter part of the last century, I asked him whether he recollected Brummell there. The rough, but good humoured, old fox-hunter immediately acknowledged the acquaintance. " I knew him well, Sir," said the veteran sportsman ; " he was never flogged ; and a man, Sir, is not worth a d n who was never flogged through the school." Here the conversation, to my great regret, was cut short by the under sheriff hopping into the room and announcing to his chief, who was doing the honours VOL. I. D 34 THE LIFE OF most admirably, that " in the great tithe cause, Smith versus Jones, a verdict had just been re- corded in favour of the plaintiff." This brought on a perfect typhoon from the high sheriff, mangel wurzel, fat beasts, and the sliding-scale. I made a waiting race of it, but it was of no use ; the whole of the squires present went off at score, I could never get old Hubert to hark back to the Beau, and the evening passed without my being able to take advantage of this rencontre with a brother Etonian of my hero. Indeed I had some time previously completely given up all hopes of obtaining any thing more relating to Brummell's school-boy days, when, through the kindness of a friend, I received a com- munication on the subject from a gentleman, whose name it is not necessary to mention, but from whose courteous letter I now quote the following passage: " I was three years at Eton with my old friend Brummell. We were at Dame Young's, and I was the Captain of her house, in which there were forty boys. All these three most happy years George was my fag. He was a far livelier lad than his handsome brother William ; indeed no one at the school was so full of animation, fun, and wit. He was a general favourite. . Our dame, his tutor, and my tutor, (the father of the present head master, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 35 Dr. Hawtrey,) and Dr. Goodall, all petted him. You ask me whether he was pugnacious ; I do not remember that he ever fought or quarrelled with any one : indeed it was impossible for any one to be more good natured than he was. With George, now General Leigh, and Lord Lake, and Jack Musters, who were all in the same house with us, and Berkeley Craven, a great pickle in his boyish days, and living at Dr. Foster's, and with all his other intimate com- panions, I never heard of his having a single dis- agreement. Like them also he was not in the least studious, but a very clever and a very idle boy, and very frank; and then, whatever he became after- wards, not in the least conceited, though Nature seemed to have supplied him with a quadruple por- tion of amusing repartee. " I recollect nothing about his fondness for athletic exercises, boating, cricket, &c., but I really believe no young Etonian was ever more popular with all his companions than George Brummell, not even excepting his celebrated namesake, George Canning. As head of the house I had two suppers of cold meat and pastry, and a double portion of bread and cheese. No toaster of bread and cheese ever surpassed or even equalled George Brummell ; and I can speak from experience, as he nightly toasted mine most delicately for three years. When the toasting was D2 36 THE LIFE OF over he divided it into two as equal parts as he could, and I chose mine first. When I divided what he had toasted, he always had the first choice. " About two years after he had been at Eton, his father having been informed of some peccadillo he had committed, sent his butler from Donnington with a paternal letter to his eldest son, which began, 'My dear William,' and another to the Beau, com- mencing, ' George.' George's letter was in other respects a most disagreeable one, intimating as it did the order for his immediate return, with all his clothes ; his father having determined not to allow him to return again to Eton. Hearing of his trou- ble I went to his room, and found him with the two letters before him : they were wet with tears, which, parvis componere magna, fell, if not like the Falls of Niagara, like those of the Clyde ; such a stream of tears I never saw, and have never seen since. ' George,' said I, ' what 's the matter ? ' He could not speak ; but, sobbing, pointed first to ' My dear William/ and then to the monosyllable ' George.' I give you this anecdote as a trait of his being possessed, at least at this time, of a warm heart. His father's relented also, for after the next holidays George reappeared amongst his compa- nions, the most manly boy of them all." The only person who appears to have been unfa- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 37 vourably disposed towards the young Etonian, was Dr. L , one of the masters of the Lower School, who frequently forwarded a true and parti- cular account of his delinquencies to the Grove ; but it does not appear that he was himself immacu- late. Abraham Moore wittily remarked of this reverend gentleman, when he was elected to a va- cant fellowship, that his success proved the truth of the poet's observation, that "worth makes the man the want of it a fellow ! " Brummell was in the fifth form in 1793, the year he left Eton, and though he took very good care that none of his companions should impute to him the intention of succeeding the head master, he left the college a gentlemanly scholar ; and also with an ample share of that precocious worldliness, of which a public school generally imparts some to the dullest com- prehension. It was this, together with the origi- nality of his character, his good humour, vivacity, and ready address, that gave him an ascendancy over his schoolfellows ; a position which his classical attainments or superior physical power never would have procured him. From Eton he went to Oxford, and entered at Oriel College. Here, according to Mr. Lister, in Granby, " he rapidly progressed in the exclusive habits to which he had shown himself predisposed, 38 THE LIFK OF the little that remained of schoolboy frankness was quickly thrown aside in his violent desire to be perfectly correct ; and, to gratify this taste, he cut one of his brother Etonians, because he en- tered at a junior college; and discontinued visiting another, because he had invited him to meet two men of Hall. The plan which he acted upon was to make intimacies with men of high rank and connexions : he was a consummate tuft- hunter ; and to the preservation of an embryo baronet or earl, he fancied it necessary to sacrifice a friend a term. " He consumed a considerable quantity of mid- night oil ; but very little of it over his books : and it was not so much from a meritorious motive, as a wish to do something that nobody thought he could or would do, that he wrote for the New- digate prize. It is true he was not successful ; but his copy was considered the second best, and he contrived to make people believe that he would have been, if he had taken sufficient pains ; for his friends asserted that his failure was mainly owing to his indolence, in having neglected to count his verses. He was more celebrated, how- ever, for his systematic violation of college rules, than for his stanzas ; he always ordered his horse at hall-time, was the author of half the squibs that GEORGE BRUMMELL. 39 appeared on the screen, turned a tame jackdaw, with a pair of bands on, into the quadrangle, to parody the master, and treated all proctors' and other penalties with contempt." This account of Erummell's college career is probably correct as far as relates to his studies : he, no doubt, gave himself very little trouble about lectures, and, like the generality of under-gradu- ates, was wise enough not to importune his tutor for instruction ; but the accusation of cutting an old schoolfellow, and a friend a term, may fairly be doubted, for it does not at all accord with the character given of him by his captain at Eton, nor by those of his contemporaries at Oriel, with whom the author is acquainted. It seems, indeed, as if Mr. Lister had imagined this college sketch, to make it correspond with the habits and disposition of Trebeck in after-life. But although he did not devote himself to study, he gained from a fellow Oxonian some useful in- formation in the line that he intended to take : this gentleman, a Mr. E , was famous for his comic songs and good stories, and many of these he im- parted to Brummell, who afterwards gave them with such good effect at the wine-parties of his friends, that he left the university with a better reputation for wit and fun than his instructor. 40 THE LIFE OF Having added these qualifications to the many he possessed when he arrived at this seat of learning, he took an early leave of Alma Mater, and three months after his father's death, viz., on the 17th of June, 1794, was gazetted to a cornetcy in the Tenth Hussars, at this time commanded by the Prince of Wales. According to Brummell's own statement, he had been presented to the heir-apparent on the Terrace at Windsor, when a boy at Eton ; and he used to say that his subsequent intimacy with His Royal Highness grew out of the slight notice with which he was then favoured. A contemporary and friend of his told me, that, on his arrival in London, some of the caterers for the Prince's amusement informed him that the young Etonian had grown up a second Selwyn, upon which his Royal Highness intimated a desire to see him again. A party was accordingly made for this purpose, and George, not being em- barrassed by any real modesty, as many similarly situated would have been, acquitted himself so much to the Prince's satisfaction, that the fortu- nate result was the gift of the cornetcy already spoken of. Adorned with the rich uniform of the Tenth, which his slight but handsome figure was well calculated to show off, and brought forward under the auspices GEORGE BRUMMELL. 41 of his royal patron, Brummell found himself at once in the highest society in the country, in a position that in all probability he had never dreamed of attaining, even in his most sanguine and ambi- tious moments. The intimacies also, which he formed with several of his brother officers, no doubt contributed to facilitate his reception in families of the highest rank and fashion ; for amongst them were Lord Petersham, Lords R. E. Somerset, Charles Ker, Charles and Robert Manners, and the Honour- ables Bligh and Lumley. Though Brummell was only sixteen years of age, a mere boy, when he entered the Tenth, and the prince was then two-and-thirty, his partiality for the young cornet did not surprise those who were about his Royal Highness, for he was well known to have a strong predilection for companions who had any marked peculiarities of character about them ; hence his former intimacy with Lord Bar- rymore, George Hanger, and several others. George Brummell was an original too, and a genius in his way ; for how could his wit, assurance, and agreeable manners have been acquired at that early age ? Many were the marks of royal favour bestowed upon him ; and with that precipitation of preference which characterized his Royal Highness's conduct towards his favourites, he was soon placed on a 42 THE LIFE OF footing of intimacy wholly inconsistent with their relative positions in life. The Tenth were almost always either at Brighton or in London ; and on the arrival of the Princess Caroline of Brunswick to celebrate her marriage with the heir-apparent, a party of the regiment, commanded by Lord Edward Somerset, escorted her from Greenwich to St. James's. At the august ceremony Brummell was in personal atten- dance upon the prince as a kind of chevalier d'honneur ; he also went down with the happy couple to Windsor, and his description of the honey-moon was in strong contrast to the one given by the Princess herself in the " Diary illus- trative of the Times of George the Fourth." Brummell's account of these espousals must, how- ever, have been tolerably authentic, as he went the next morning to take the Prince's orders while his Royal Highness was still at his toilet, when he certainly received no unfavourable impression from the conversation that took place. When I heard him relate the circumstances, it was years after he left England ; and he certainly had no lingering admiration, at that time, for his former friend. He said that nothing could go off better ; that " the young couple appeared perfectly satisfied with each other, particularly the Princess : she was then a GEORGE BRUMMELL. 43 very handsome and desirable-looking woman ;" and it was only, according to Brummell's version of the story, when the intrigues of some old ladies about the court began to take eftect, that any disagreement between them became apparent. Once included in the brilliant circle that sur- rounded the Prince of Wales, he rapidly established a reputation for wit and refinement, and soon be- came a great favourite with the fair sex. The following anecdote will illustrate this remark : at a ball given by a great law lord in the neighbourhood of Russell-square, at which, amongst a very numer- ous assemblage of the beau monde, a Miss J , afterwards Lady G H , was present, a cir- cumstance occurred which proved that he under- stood the difficult art of making himself agreeable to a proud woman. Miss J was a magnificent creature, and of course the greatest attention was paid her ; but though surrounded by ardent admirers, not one of them had sufficient influence to induce her to dance. Like a spoiled beauty as she was, she declined the offers of one and all of them. Quite late in the evening, however, Cornet Brummell was announced, and he had scarcely made his bow to her, when this difficile lady, who had probably been waiting for him, rose from her chair, and giving her hand to the new 44 THE LIFE OF arrival, was soon seen figuring away amongst a crowd of the discarded who had sought that hand in vain. As the Beau approached one of them, my informant, he inquired, with an air of great curiosity, who the ugly man near the chimney-piece might be ? " Why surely, my good fellow, you know him," said his acquaintance; " that is the master of the house!" " No," replied the unconscious cornet, "how should I ? I was never invited." When Brummell was with his regiment he was the life and soul of the mess, for his original wit and collection of good stories were inexhaustible ; and at the dinner-table he always kept his brother officers in roars of laughter. As to duty, he did little or none ; and when late for parade, which was very often the case, he would ride up to the commanding officer and disarm him with some queer apology, half impudence, half excuse, which was generally ac- cepted, for he was popular, and the colonel good- natured. But he was so much about the Prince that he was seldom present with the corps ; and the gallant Tenth did not therefore benefit much by his services. When, unfortunately for the country, he was with them, it is said that he did not actually know his own troop ; but happily for him, one of his front rank men had a very large blue nose : this feature was Brummell's beacon ; and when coming GEORGE BRUMMELL. 45 on parade, which, as I have said before, was fre- quently ten minutes too late, he galloped along the line, or between the squadrons, until he arrived at the nose. Here he reined up and took his place in the front or rear, as the case might be. On one occasion, however, some recruits having joined the ranks from drill, a transfer of men was made, and several were drawn from the front rank of his troop and sent to another. At the next parade that he attended, and several days after this alteration, he found the regiment already in line, and ignorant of course of all the arrangements that had been made at the barracks in the mean time, he rode up and down as usual, and at length stopped opposite his nose his blue nose. "How now, Mr. Brummell !" vociferated the colonel, " you are with the wrong troop." " No, no," muttered the Beau, turning round in his saddle, and looking con- fidently first at his invaluable nose, and then at the colonel, adding, in a suppressed tone, " I know better than that ; a pretty thing indeed if I did not know my own troop !" One of his brother officers humorously told me, that he attended to his duty infinitely better after he had left the regiment than he did when he belonged to it ; for he seldom passed within twenty miles of their quarters, without turning out 46 THE LIFE OF of his road, and paying them a visit. On one of these itinerant calls, he drove into the barrack- yard at Canterbury in his carriage, with four posters. " Halloo, George !" said a friend from the mess-room window, " When did you take to four horses ?" " Only since my valet gave me warning for making him travel with a pair." This was Brummell's usual mode of reply, ever ready with some droll excuse for his follies or extrava- gance. Rapid as was his promotion, for he commanded a troop in less than three years after he entered the service, having been promoted to the rank of captain, on the 1st of June, 1796 ; and little as he was inconvenienced by his military duties, he did not care to put up with any further interference with his independence ; for as soon as the novelty of the thing wore off, he began to think of retiring. This he did, in the very early part of 1798 ; the dis- turbed state of Europe, the wailings of the Anti- jacobin, and the splendid declamations of Burke, in the cause of suffering humanity, having failed to induce him to seek " a reputation at the can- non's mouth !" With such brilliant prospects of advancement as Captain Brummell had before him, it is difficult to say what was his reason for taking so unwise GEORGE BRUMMELL, 47 a, step ; perhaps it was his anxiety to exchange his club for White's, or emancipate his head from hair-powder, which was still worn in the army. This absurd fashion of powdering the hair ori- ginated in the whim of a French mountebank at a fair, who, to get an extra laugh out of his audience, greased his head, dredged it with flour, and then grinned horribly. But though powder was still worn in the army when Brummell left the service, it had been gradually falling into disuse in society in England, since the tax had been laid upon it by Mr. Pitt, three years before ; to evade this impost, many speculators brought forward powder made of other materials than flour ; amongst them was Lord William Murray, a son of the Duke of Atholl, who took out a patent, in 1796, for making starch from horse-chesnuts. The fatal blow, however, was given to this cus- tom by Francis Duke of Bedford and his friends, who, in order more effectually to disappoint Mr. Pitt of the revenue that he very reasonably hoped to realize, from an article so intimately connected with the vanities and fashions of the day, entered into an engagement to forfeit a certain sum of money, if any of them wore their hair tied or powdered, within a certain period. Accordingly, 48 THE LIFE OF in the September of 1795, a general cropping, washing, and combing out of hair took place at Woburn Abbey probably in the powdering room ; an apartment dedicated to the powder-puff, in the houses of most gentlemen in those days. Amongst the Absaloms present on this startling occasion, this anti-pigtail plot, were the present Marquis of Anglesea, Lord Jersey, and Sir Harry Featherstone ; the late Lord William Russell, Mr. Lambton, the father of the late Lord Durham ; and Messrs. Anthony and Robert Lee, Trevers, Button, Day, and Vernon. But, in spite of this opposition on the part of the leading Whigs, there still remained energetic supporters of powder and the minister ; amongst these were to be numbered all the elderly ladies, who naturally enough patronized a habit that made the young and old appear equally gray. Their exertions, however, were fruitless ; and the Treasury was amusingly charged with entertaining the idea of taxing the substitute which eventually replaced their powder, and, to make up for the unlooked- for deficiency in the tax, it was proposed that a return should be made of false hair, whether worn in scratches or fronts ; but the perruquiers defied Nature, and the plan, if ever contemplated, was relinquished. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 4 ( J But at the time Brummell left the Tenth, it was highly desirable that the use of powder should be countermanded in the army ; for a scarcity of corn was seriously felt, and the following calculation, made when the powder-tax was first imposed, shows how much of this invaluable article of food was use- lessly consumed in that service alone. The military force of the United Kingdom and our Colonies at this period, including foot, horse, militia, and fen- cibles, amounted to two hundred and fifty thousand men ; each of whom was supposed to use a pound of flour per week : this made no less a sum than six thousand five hundred tons weight a year ; a quantity sufficient to make three millions, fifty-nine thousand, three hundred and fifty-three quartern loaves, and to supply fifty thousand persons with bread for that period. The scarcity two years after BrummeH's retirement, viz., in July, 1800, was so great, that the consumption of flour for pastry was prohibited in the Royal Household, rice being used instead; the distillers left off malting, hackney- coach fares were raised twenty -five per cent., and Wedgewood made dishes to represent pie crust. But to return to Brummell, though probably he was sufficiently annoyed at being obliged to wear powder when it was going out of fashion, his principal reason for leaving the profession was, his VOL. i. E 50 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. objection to being quartered in a manufacturing town ; at all events, it was the one that he chose to assign. It appears his regiment was at Brighton when they suddenly and unexpectedly received an order to march for Manchester. The news arrived late one evening, and early the next morning, Brummell, according to the account he gave me, made his way to the Prince, who expressed some surprise that he should be favoured with a visit from him at such an unusual hour, when the Beau, after due apology, said, " Why the fact is, your Royal Highness, I have heard that we are ordered to Man- chester. Now you must be aware, how disagreeable this would be to me ; I really could not go think, your Royal Highness, Manchester ! Besides," and here was an instance of his tact, "you would not be there. I have, therefore, with your Royal Highness's permission, determined to sell out." " Oh ! by all means, Brummell," said the Prince, "do as you please, do as you please." And accordingly he re- signed with the most perfect indifference, and before he was of age, his troop in the Tenth at that time the most dashing regiment in the army ! CHAPTER IV. Brummell attains his majority, though not in the Tenth Establishes himself in Chesterfield-street His figure and countenance His style of dress A French author's opinion of him The Dandies, English and Indian Wraxall's description of dress in 1794 Brummell's cravat His method of tying it His condemnation of the Duke of Bedford's coat The Beau's tailors " Superfine" and " Bath coating" The Prince of Wales *s ward- robe Brummell's dress at the cover side. BUT the profession of arms was decidedly not Brummell's proper vocation, and the service did not suffer severely by his resignation ; the least restraint or compulsory exertion was perfectly re- pugnant to his nature, and the trifling inconve- niences of a soldier's life, even in England, were in the last degree unlikely to suit a young man who seemed created on purpose to personify elegant idleness. A year after he left the army, he came into possession of his fortune, which having accu- mulated during his minority, amounted to thirty thousand pounds. Being now master of his time as well as of his money, he determined to devote himself to a life of pleasure, and the first step he took towards the E 2 52 THE LIFE OF accomplishment of his design, was to establish him- self with all the means and appliances of comfort, in No. 4, Chesterfield-street, May Fair ; in which street, by the bye, George Selwyn also resided. There, with the assistance of a man-cook, who formed one item in his small but recherche menage, he gave some excellent little dinners ; his guests were con- genial spirits, and on the authority of a noble duke, I can say, that even the Prince honoured them with his presence. But while he preserved all the appearances neces- sary to support the position he had acquired in society, there was nothing outrageously extravagant in his general routine of expenditure : at this time, he was wise enough not to play, and his stud con- sisted only of a couple of horses to enable him to air himself in the Park. It has already been observed, that Brummell's figure was well set off by his hussar uniform, but it should be clearly understood that it derived no other advantage from it ; the reverse of which is the case with so many young men who hide a bad one under the attractive shelter of regimentals. iSature had indeed been most liberal to him in this respect ; he was about the same height as the Apollo, and the just proportions of his form were remarkable ; his hand was particularly well-shaped, and, had he been GEORGE BRUMMELL. 53 inclined to earn his livelihood after his flight from London, he would readily have found an engage- ment as a life-sitter to an artist, or got wel) paid to perambulate France from fair to fair, to personate the statuary of the ancients. His face was rather long, and complexion fair ; his whiskers inclined to sandy, and hair light brown. His features were neither plain nor handsome, but his head was well-shaped, the forehead being un- usually high ; showing, according to phrenological development, more of the mental than the animal passions the bump of self-esteem w r as very pro- minent. His countenance indicated that he pos- sessed considerable intelligence, and his mouth be- trayed a strong disposition to indulge in sarcastic humour ; this was predominant in every feature, the nose excepted, the natural regularity of which, though it had been broken by a fall from his charger, preserved his countenance from degenerating into comicality. His eyebrows were equally expressive with his mouth, and while the latter was giving utterance to something very good-humoured or polite, the former, and the eyes themselves, which were gray and full of oddity, could assume an ex- pression that made the sincerity of his words very doubtful. This flexibility of feature enabled Brummell to 56 THE LIFE OF ongles est importante ; ' Vdme se mele a tout,'' dit Madame de Stael." But our own great lyric poet seems also to have entertained a similar opinion of him, when he makes Mr. Bob Fudge remark to his friend, " There goes a French dandy : ah ! Dick, unlike some ones We 've seen about White's, the Mounseers are but rum ones. Such hats ! fit for monkeys : I 'd back Mrs. Draper To cut better weather-boards out of brown paper ; And coats, how I wish, if it would not distress 'em, They 'd club for old Brummell from Calais to dress 'em !" Yet these lines will bear a more liberal construc- tion ; and perhaps the poet brings him forward more in reference to his good taste on this subject, and with a view to the correction of dandyism in others, than as a culprit in foppishness him- self. It is surely in irony, that, in his description of a great fete at Carlton House, he makes Brurn- mell so interested in a pea-green coat ! and says, " Come to our fe'te, and show again That pea-green coat, thou pink of men, Which charm'd all eyes that last survey'd it, When BrummeU's self enquired 'Who made it?'" It would be unjust indeed to BrummeU's memory if I neglected to show the impropriety of calling him a " dandy :" the few associations connected with GEORGE BRUMMELL. D/ the term all teem with vulgarity ; the tap-room measure of that name is not an example of refine- ment, and in Johnson the nearest approach to the word is the Dandelion, a vulgar flower ! But, if in the true etymological style we divide the word, with the hope of improving its credit, what does the first syllable bring to mind ? Somebody quite as noto- rious as Brummell, but whose follies have been far more mischievous ; whose eloquence is great, but certainly not always refined ; and to whose health many a dandy of whisky has been tossed off. The thing, the " dandy," however still exists, and will do so to the end of time ; but the term is nearly obsolete, and has been replaced by the " tiger" in England, and, oddly enough, by the " lion" in France. The only " dandies" T ever knew that do in any way relieve the just imputation of egregious folly attached to that oufre character, are those the tra- veller meets with in Hindostan beings half fish, half men the boatmen of the Ganges ; and good reason have I to remember them, for they ran away one day from our budgerow, because, when walking on the bank, my shadow had passed over their cooking -pot, and they vowed that 1 had thereby spoiled their dinner. Vishnu alone knows whether this was true or false ; all I can say is, 58 THE LIFE OF they made a terrible commotion, and left me and my brother subaltern on the shore to mourn their departure. " The bark was still there, but the ' Dandies' were gone." I was then inexperienced in the enlightened doc- trines of Bramah ; but after I had been a short time in the country, I found it was really necessary to look after my shadow, not only out of respect to " civil and religious liberty all over the world," but out of regard to my own convenience, which was of much more consequence ; and often when landing from my boat, after the day's tracking was over, and the bank was crowded with cooking-pots, for these boatmen never cook on board, I would gladly have been like Peter Schlemil. There was certainly something very peculiar in the dress of these Dan- dies ; it was simply a rag round their waists, and not generally very clean ; but our countrywomen in India look upon Nature thus primitively draped with the utmost composure : never, to the best of my recollection, have I seen a blush mantle the cheek of a new arrival ; far be it from me, however, to insinuate that a want of modesty was the cause of this the Dandies are black ! If, as I apprehend, glaring extravaganzas in dress such, for instance, as excessive padding, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 59 trowsers containing cloth enough for a coat besides, shirt-collars sawing off the wearer's ears and the corners threatening to put out his eyes, wristbands intruding upon his plate, or an expansive shirt- front like a miniature bleach-green, &c., &c. constitute dandyism, Brummell most assuredly was no dandy. He was a beau, but not a beau of the Sir Fop- ling Flutter or Fielding school ; nor would he, like Charles James Fox, have been guilty of wear- ing red-heeled shoes ! He w r as a beau in the literal sense of the word, "fine, handsome." As an auxiliary to his success in society, he de- termined to be the best-dressed man in London, and, in the commencement of his career, he, per- haps, varied his dress too frequently ; the whim, however, was of short duration, and, scorning to share his fame with his tailor, he soon shunned all external peculiarity, and trusted alone to that ease and grace of manner which he possessed in a remarkable degree. His chief aim was to avoid anything marked ; one of his aphorisms being, that the severest mortification a gentleman could incur, was, to attract observation in the street by his outward appearance. He exercised the most correct taste in the selection of each article of apparel, of a GO THE LIFE OF form and colour harmonious with all the rest, for the purpose of producing a perfectly elegant ge- neral effect; and no doubt he spent much time and pains in the attainment of his object. According to Wraxall, dress at this period had become exceedingly slovenly. "That costume," \j tt / he observes, "which is now confined to the levee or drawing-room, was then worn by persons of condition, with few exceptions, everywhere and every day. Mr. Fox and his friends, who might be said to dictate to the town, affecting a style of neglect about their persons, and manifesting a contempt of all the usages hitherto established, first threw a sort of discredit on dress. From the House of Commons, and the clubs in St. James's- street, it spread through the private assemblies of London. But, though gradually undermined, and insensibly perishing of an atrophy, dress never fell till the era of Jacobinism and of Equality, in 1793 and 1794. It was then that pantaloons, cropped hair, and shoe-strings, as well as the total abolition of buckles and ruffles, together with the disuse of hair-powder, characterized the men ; while ladies (having cut off those tresses, which had done so much execution, and one lock of which purloined, gave rise to the finest model of mock- heroic poetry, which our own, or any other language GEORGE B 11 U MM ELL. Gl can boast,) exhibited heads rounded ' a la vie time, et a la guillotine,' as if ready for the stroke of the axe." Brummell was one of the first who revived and improved the taste for dress ; and his great inno- vation was effected upon neckcloths : they were then worn without stiffening of any kind, and bagged out in front, rucking up to the chin in a roll ; to remedy this obvious awkwardness and inconvenience, he used to have his slightly starched ; and a reasoning mind must allow, that there is not much to object to in this reform. He did not, however, like the dandies, test their fitness for use, by trying if he could raise three parts of their length by one corner without their bending; yet it appears, that if the cravat was not properly tied at the first effort, or inspiring impulse, it was always rejected : his valet was coming down stairs one day with a quantity of tumbled neckcloths under his arm, and being in- terrogated on the subject, solemnly replied, " Oh, they are our failures." Practice like this of course made him perfect ; and his tie soon became a model that was imitated, but never equalled. The method by which this most important result was attained, was communicated to me by a friend G2 THE LIFE OF of his, who had frequently been an eye-witness of the amusing operation. The collar, which was always fixed to his shirt, was so large that, before being folded down, it completely hid his head and face, and the white neckcloth was at least a foot in height. The first coup d'archet was made with the shirt collar, which he folded down to its proper size ; and Brummell then standing before the glass, with his chin poked up to the ceiling, by the gentle and gradual declension of his lower jaw, creased the cravat to reasonable dimensions, the form of each succeeding crease being perfected with the shirt which he had just discarded. His morning dress was similar to that of every other gentleman Hessians and pantaloons, or top- boots and buckskins, with a blue coat, and a light or buiF-coloured waistcoat ; of course fitting to admiration, on the best figure in England. His dress of an evening was a blue coat and white waistcoat, black pantaloons which buttoned tight to the ankle, striped silk stockings, and opera- hat ; in fact he was always carefully dressed, but never the slave of fashion. Still he criticized severely the dress of others, more particularly when there was a want of neatness in it ; a nobleman GEORGE BRUMMELL. 63 now living told me, that when he was a young man, Brummell not only noticed him a good deal, but from the way in which he patronized him, evidently appeared to think that he was doing him a great kindness. They were walking together arm-in-arm one day up St. James's-street, when Brummell suddenly stopped, and asked Lord what he called those things on his feet? "Why, shoes," he replied. "Shoes, are they?" said Brummell doubtfully, and stooping to look at them, " I thought they were slippers." On another occasion, the late Duke of Bedford asked him for an opinion on his new coat. Brum- mell examined him from head to foot with as much attention as an adjutant of the Life Guards would the sentries on a drawing-room day. " Turn round," said the Beau : his Grace did so, and the examina- tion was continued in front. When it was con- cluded Brummell stepped forward, and feeling the lappel delicately with his thumb and finger, said, in a most earnest and amusing manner, " Bedford, do you call this thing a coat?" The following reply to a question addressed to him by one amongst a knot of loungers at White's, was given in the same spirit of badinage. " Brummell, your brother William is in town ; is he not corning 64 THE LIFE OF here ?" " Yes, in a day or two ; but I have re- commended him to walk the back streets till his new clothes come home." Brummell's tailors were Schweitzer and Davidson, in Cork-street, Weston, and a German of the name of Meyer, who lived in Conduit-street. The Stultzes and Nugees, &c., did, I believe, exist in those days, but they were not then held in the same estimation as their more fortunate brethren of the shears. Schweitzer and Meyer worked for the Prince ; and the latter had a page's livery, and on great occasions superintended the adornment of His Royal Highness 's person. The trowser, which opened at the bottom of the leg, and was closed by buttons and loops, was invented either by Meyer or Brummell : the Beau at any rate was the first who wore them, and they immediately became quite the fashion, and continued so for some years. A good humoured baronet, and brother Etonian of his, who followed him at a humble distance in his dress, told me that he went to Schweitzer's one morning to get properly rigged out, and that while this talented purveyor of habiliments was measuring him, he asked him what cloth he recom- mended ? " Why, Sir," said the artiste, " the GEORGE BRUMMELL, 65 Prince wears superfine, and Mr. Brummell the Bath coating ; but it is immaterial which you choose, Sir John, you must be right ; suppose, Sir, we say Bath coating, I think Mr. Brummell has a trifle the preference." BrummelPs good taste in dress was not his least recommendation in the eyes of the Prince of Wales, by whom his advice on this important subject was constantly sought, and, for a long time, studiously followed. Mr. Thomas Raikes says, in his France, that his Royal Highness would go of a morning to Chesterfield-street to watch the progress of his friend's toilet, and remain till so late an hour that he sometimes sent away his horses, and in- sisted on BrummelPs giving him a quiet dinner, which generally ended in a deep potation. After their quarrel, however, the Prince spoke of his former friend as a mere block, which a tailor might use with advantage to show off the particular cut of a coat ; and this speech went some way to confirm the notion of the nonentity of BrummelPs character. But there is good reason for asserting that an extravagant devotion to dress, might, with far more justice, be charged against his royal patron ; especially when corpulence, that sad annihilator of elegance, made it difficult for him to get into leathers VOL. i. F 06 THE LIFE OF of the dimensions he was anxious to wear. It was this that gave rise to the caricature in which a pair is represented lashed up between the bed-posts, and their owner, having been lifted into them, is seen struggling desperately to get his royal legs satis- factorily encased ; leaving the imagination to pic- ture the horizontal hauling that must have taken place, after the perpendicular object had been effected, to make the waistband meet. In fact the Prince, not Brummell, was the Mecaenas of tailors ; and perhaps no king of England ever devoted so much time to the details of his own dress, or devising alterations in that of his troops. On this point, whatever attention he gave to it, he displayed little judgment, as the chin of many a Life Guardsman in a windy day attested. The extent to which he indulged his passion for dress is seen in the proceeds of the sale of his wardrobe, which amounted to the enormous sum of fifteen thousand pounds ; and if we are to judge by the price of a cloak purchased by Lord Chesterfield for two hundred and twenty, the sable lining alone having originally cost eight hundred, it is scarcely straining the point to suppose that this collection of royal garments had cost little less than one hundred thousand. A list of the articles was given in the Athenaeum of the GEORGE BRUMMELL. G7 day, which, after expressing its astonishment at the prodigious accumulation of apparel, says, that " Wealth had done wonders, taste not much." But the best evidence that I can offer in support of the opinion that the word Beau ought not to be applied to Brummell in an offensive sense, is the following extract from a very kind and courteous letter which I received from the Rev. G. Crabbe, to whom I had written, having observed BrummelTs name mentioned in his Life of his talented and amiable father. "I am sorry that I can give you no other informa- tion respecting the communication between Mr. Brummell and my father at Belvoir, than the short and trifling remark in the memoir, as I never heard my father mention him except when he made that remark ; but short as it was, it entirely accords with the impression which I believe was general in that neighbourhood, viz., that Mr. Brummell was a sensible man and a finished gentleman ; the term ' Beau,' which the world has offered to him might be more applicable perhaps in his earlier years ; but when my father met him at Belvoir, he was, I conceive, about forty, and certainly did not, either in manners or appearance, exhibit that com- pound of coxcombry in dress, and vulgar assiduity of address, which marks the 'Beau,' (that is the 68 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. dandy ;) I remember being struck with the misap- plication of this title when I saw him one day in the Belvoir hunt. He was dressed as plain as any man in the field, and the manly, and even dignified, expression of his countenance ill accorded with the implication the sobriquet conveyed." CHAPTER V. Brummell's extreme neatness Lord Byron's opinion of his outward appear- ance Leigh Hunt's The Beau's cleanliness His precautions to ensure it Why country gentlemen were disqualified for becoming members of Watier's Mr. Pitt's opinion of them Brummell's manners and tastes Lord Chesterfield's gentleman Lord P 's snuff-cellar The ex- Garde-du-Corps The gentleman of the Old School Innovations, not improvements The minuet and cotillons American manners. THERE was in fact nothing extreme about Brum- mell's personal appearance but his extreme cleanli- ness and neatness, and whatever time and attention he devoted to his dress, the result was perfect ; no perfumes, he used to say, but very fine linen, plenty of it, and country washing. With re- gard to purfumery, his taste perfectly coincided with that of the Champion of England. " I remem- ber," says Lord Byron, in his letter on Bowies' Strictures on Pope, " (and do you remember, reader, that it was in my earliest youth, ' Consule Planco') on the morning of the great battle (the second) between Gully and Gregson, Cribb, who was matched against Horton, for the second fight, on the same memorable day awaking me, (a lodger at the inn in the next room,) by a loud remonstrance 70 THE LIFE OF to the waiter against the abomination of his towels, which had been laid in lavender ! " Mr. Leigh Hunt in a note, in which he kindly referred me to some anecdotes of Brummell, says, " I remember that Lord Byron once described him to me, as having nothing remarkable in his style of dress, except a ' certain exquisite propriety/" and that gentleman, in a sketch which he gave of the Beau at an early period of his life, observes, when speaking of his superior judgment on this point, "that the poet's hyperbole about the lady might be applied to his coat., ' you might almost say the body thought.'" It did think ; and, had Montesquieu known Brummell, he would never have said, " Le gout est un je ne sgais quoi." Cleanliness however, rather than taste, was the touchstone upon which his acquaintance were inva- riably tried ; to detect in them any deviation from that virtue, which has by common consent been placed next to godliness, was a sufficient reason for his declining any further intercourse with them. One of his friends, curious to know something of a family that he had passed a day with in the country, inquired of him, what sort of people they were : " Don't ask me, my good fellow," replied Brummell ; " you may imagine, when I tell you, that I actually found a cobweb in my !" The anecdote is, perhaps, true ; and it was probably this that in- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 71 duced him to keep a travelling one, for one of these indispensable articles of bed-room furniture is de- scribed in the catalogue of the sale of his effects as such, "in a folding mahogany case, with an exter- nal carpet case for the same." It is said, that he objected to country gentlemen being admitted to Wader's, assigning as a sufficient reason for their exclusion, that their boots stunk of horse-dung and bad blacking. If this had been true, many would have been of the same opinion, but his jocose remark was very probably made against some in- dividual candidate. His objection to one of the prevailing tastes of his day excessive devotion to stables, dog-kennels, and coachmanship appears to have been strong ; and he gives a proof of this by having taken the trouble to insert some very severe lines against the Whip-club in his album. But though ridicule, false or true, is often more keenly felt than just censure, the Squire Westerns must have been far more indignant with Mr. Pitt, who, after all the support they had given him, did in his convivial hours forget his official circum- spection and suffer his real opinion of them to escape him. A diplomatist of my acquaintance, now living, was present when the flattering expres- 72 THE LIFE OF sions I allude to were uttered at Lord Mulgrave's table, that nobleman being, at the time, First Lord of the Admiralty. My gossip was then a young man, and the day on which he was so fortunate as to meet the Prime Minister at dinner, was remarkable for being the one on which the First Lord was to examine a boat, constructed by Sir Sidney Smith, in 1805, for the purpose of acting against the Boulogne flotilla. This vessel, which was in fact nothing more than two boats fastened together like those of the Pacific islanders, was navigated by the proper officers to Putney, and there, under the Admiral's orders, put through all the manoeuvres which could in any way explain her use and capabilities : she was called the Gemini, and as it was a subject of some importance, Mr. Pitt and a large party had been invited to Lord Mulgrave's, whose house was on the banks of the Thames, to see the trial. Accord- ingly before dinner they went on the lawn to see the boat, and afterwards returned to the house, where Sir Sidney having joined the party, which consisted of about twelve persons, they sat down to table : there was every prospect of the dinner being an agreeable one, and so it turned out ; Mr. Pitt was in great spirits, and amused those near him GEORGE BRUMMELL. 73 exceedingly, conversing with them on a variety of subjects politics apparently never entering his head, and he was no flincher at his wine. But after the cloth was removed the conversation came less general, and was carried on by two or three persons, who had each his little knot of listen- ers ; one of the speakers being Colonel, afterwards Lord Dillon, who was holding forth on the good old times of Sir Robert Walpole, and the great utility of that noble class, the country gentlemen. " What's that you say, Colonel," said Pitt, " of the good old times ? " The Colonel repeated his eulogium, finish- ing of course with a still more splendid perora- tion. " Ah," replied Pitt, in his deep sepulchral voice, " ah, Colonel Dillon, those were indeed the good old times, for they were days when country gentlemen were even more ignorant and more ob- stinate than they are at present ! " " Imagine my astonishment, however," said the diplomatist, "on hearing Mr. Pitt in the House of Commons, two months after, when he had some tax which he was anxious to saddle upon these ' ignorant and obstinate gentlemen,' make the most laboured panegyric in their praise ; and particularly addressing Colonel Stanley, the Earl of D 's uncle, (for the House was in Committee at the 72 THE LIFE OF sions I allude to were uttered at Lord Mulgrave's table, that nobleman being, at the time, First Lord of the Admiralty. My gossip was then a young man, and the day on which he was so fortunate as to meet the Prime Minister at dinner, was remarkable for being the one on which the First Lord was to examine a boat, constructed by Sir Sidney Smith, in 1805, for the purpose of acting against the Boulogne flotilla. This vessel, which was in fact nothing more than two boats fastened together like those of the Pacific islanders, was navigated by the proper officers to Putney, and there, under the Admiral's orders, put through all the manoeuvres which could in any way explain her use and capabilities : she was called the Gemini, and as it was a subject of some importance, Mr. Pitt and a large party had been invited to Lord Mulgrave's, whose house was on the banks of the Thames, to see the trial. Accord- ingly before dinner they went on the lawn to see the boat, and afterwards returned to the house, where Sir Sidney having joined the party, which consisted of about twelve persons, they sat down to table : there was every prospect of the dinner being an agreeable one, and so it turned out ; Mr. Pitt was in great spirits, and amused those near him GEORGE BRUMMELL. 73 exceedingly, conversing with them on a variety of subjects politics apparently never entering his head, and he was no flincher at his wine. But after the cloth was removed the conversation came less general, and was carried on by two or three persons, who had each his little knot of listen- ers ; one of the speakers being Colonel, afterwards Lord Dillon, who was holding forth on the good old times of Sir Robert Walpole, and the great utility of that noble class, the country gentlemen. " What's that you say, Colonel," said Pitt, " of the good old times ? " The Colonel repeated his eulogium, finish- ing of course with a still more splendid perora- tion. " Ah," replied Pitt, in his deep sepulchral voice, " ah, Colonel Dillon, those were indeed the good old times, for they were days when country gentlemen were even more ignorant and more ob- stinate than they are at present ! " " Imagine my astonishment, however," said the diplomatist, " on hearing Mr. Pitt in the House of Commons, two months after, when he had some tax which he was anxious to saddle upon these ' ignorant and obstinate gentlemen,' make the most laboured panegyric in their praise ; and particularly addressing Colonel Stanley, the Earl of D 's uncle, (for the House was in Committee at the 74 THE LIFE OF time,) instance him as one of the finest examples of this class ! " Brummell's great external characteristic was the elegance of his manners ; they were the gift of nature, not the conventional ones usually acquired, in greater or less perfection, in the class of society that he frequented. There was no affectation or pretension about him ; but if any peculiarity could be observed, it was a tinge of the graceful formal- ity generally described as "of the old school." His carriage was noble, all his movements were gentle and dignified, but never gave the impression that they were studied ; and his deportment was so pe- culiarly striking, that in walking down St. James's Street, he attracted the attention of the passers by as much as the Prince of Wales himself. To admire whatever was elegant was natural to him, and his living in the midst of every description of refinement, in palaces, or in mansions hardly, if in fact at all, inferior, fully accounts for the taste and judgment which he possessed in buhl, china, and other objects of virtu ; he was very curious in snuff-boxes, and had a collection of great beauty and value : as also of canes. Here, however, panegyric on his judgment must stop ; for it is doubtful whether his mind was so GEORGE BRUMMELL. 75 keenly alive to the sublime beauties of the Italian school of painting, or the sculpture of the ancients. His small library was stored with standard works, and though by no means comprising the extent of his reading, as he could at any time avail him- self of superior ones, and constantly did so, showed the same good taste. Being thus habitually, as well as naturally, ele- gant and refined, he of course had an antipathy to vulgarity of any sort, especially in manners ; but his sarcastic allusions to it were directed, ge- nerally speaking, against those whom he considered ought to have known better. But it would be difficult indeed to fix the precise standard of manners that constitutes the finished gentleman, and many and amusing are the dicta of some, who have undertaken to supply rules for the guidance of such as are anxious to excel in that rare and difficult character. Amongst the pro- hibitory ones is Lord Chesterfield's declaration that a gentleman ought not to play on the violin. Would it not have been more sensible had he said, a gen- tleman ought not to take snuff? that most nasty operation, the only deviation from the practice of ' personal purity in which Brummell indulged. Hap- pily for the fair sex, it has long fallen into general disuse as a fashionable habit, which it was in his day. 76 THE LIFE OF The Prince of Wales took snuff, a sufficient reason for the almost universal adoption of the custom. But even this Brummell did in an elegant manner, scarcely inferior to that of His Royal Highness : like him, he opened his box with peculiar grace, and with one hand only, the left. One of the great amateurs of this nasal pastime, and a friend of Brumm ell's, still survives, and Lord P -'s cellar of snuff not wine is said by the tobacconists to be worth three thousand pounds. But to return to the consideration of gentle- manly demeanour. Some five-and-forty years ago, a friend of mine, whose manners were peculiarly pleasing and correct, was out shooting, in Norfolk, with an elderly gentleman of his acquaintance. It was a bright burning day in September, and they had walked over miles of stubble and turnips with pretty good success, when, stopping in the middle of a field for *a momentary rest, the young clergy- man took his handkerchief from his hat, and, passing it across his brow, said to his companion, "Oh! how thirsty I am!" "What!" exclaimed the old sportsman in a tone of unfeigned surprise, " thirsty? a gentleman, young man, is never thirsty ;" and, taking a dried camomile flower out of his pocket and placing it in his mouth, he shouldered his gun, recommending my friend, as GEORGE BRUMMELL. // they renewed their walk, to carry a similar antidote with him in future. Such was the feeling of the " old school" with regard to propriety of manners, though, perhaps, a little exaggerated in this instance, and certainly in that of Lord Chesterfield ; for with that noble- man it was a mere affectation of refinement, but with the old gentleman it was a real feeling of propriety. A ci-devant garde- du-corps of Charles the Tenth's, who formed one of the society of Caen when Brum- mell was residing in that town, was also an example of stoicism similar to that required of a gentleman by this venerable critic. He had only his half-pay, seven hundred and fifty francs a-year, and his wardrobe, as might naturally be expected, was rather deficient on such an income. It was little enough for a man who might be sans home, sans shirt, sans everything, whose salon is the wretched cabaret at the corner of the street ; but for a legi- timist, supporting the character of a well-dressed man, and a ruined cause, it was positive starvation. Fortunately his affluent friends of the same political opinions sometimes assisted him with a coat, and occasionally with a pair of inexpressibles, or a din- ner ; but never did their friendly donations extend to a cloak or a great-coat, and in the most bitter 78 THE LIFE OF weather, no matter whether it was sleeting or snow- ing, he was never seen in the street habited in any thing of the kind. One keen winter afternoon, an Englishman, who was making his way to his dinner at the hotel as rapidly as he could, to his infinite amazement met Monsieur de Z with his surtout open, and looking the very emblem of the season. Boldly erect, however, with his hat on one side, he ap- peared to defy the elements, and stalked towards him as magnanimously insouciant as if he had been clad in sables. The Englishman, with his cloak thrown up to his very eyes, like a true Hidalgo, struck with the transparent appearance of the garde-du-corps, asked him, in a really compas- sionate tone, if he did not feel the cold? " Froid, monsieur !" said the haughty Carlist, " un homme comme-il-faut n'a jamais froid." Though there may be two opinions as to whe- ther it is necessary that a gentleman should never be either thirsty, or cold, or play the violin, few will deny that " the gentleman of the old school" is now a rara avis, and that, in doing away with the formalities by which society was regulated in days gone by, we have lost much of the polish that dis- tinguished him. Had the old sportsman, of whom I have been speaking, written The Adventures of GEORGE BRUMMKLL. 79 a Gentleman, he would scarcely have allowed his hero to set dogs to fight in a house, in one, too, in which he was a perfect stranger ! May we not question whether society has gained by the extent to which the relaxation of its forms has been carried, though some was desirable. The intercourse between a father and his son had in the last generation much of formality in it ; but the restrictions which then existed were useful, and tended strongly to preserve that consideration and respect which are too often broken through in the present day. In writing to his father, the son then addressed him as " My dear sir ;" in conversation, " Sir." A complete upsetting, instead of the modi- fication of such forms as these, has not created a warmer affection between the two ; while it has certainly given rise to a familiarity that frequently terminates in impertinence, and, finally, in a total want of filial respect. Many an under-graduate, or incipient field-marshal, in penning a letter home for a fresh supply of funds, now commences his epistle with " My dear Governor," who at his wine-party designates his father by the still more elegant de- nomination of the " old boy," or the " old cock." The use of such coarse language, in speaking of a parent, cannot fail in time to breed contempt, and, in truth, it does so. 80 THE LIFE OF But manners, as well as dress, will of course vary, as they ever have done, with each succeeding gene- ration ; a hoop did not make a lady, nor gold lace a gentleman; neither of these appendages is a loss, but the minuet contributed far more to make them elegant, than the gallopade ; and Sir Roger de Coverley was a better style of Christmas revel, than the dance termed a Polonaise, into which >> is introduced a promenade through the bed-rooms and down the corridors of our country mansions ; on the walls of which the venerable ancestors of the family are shaking yes, shaking with indig- nation at such hoydenish proceedings. What would be the feelings of the youthful and stately beau- ties of preceding generations and beauties they were, in spite of pearl-powder and pomatum if they could be resuscitated, and (placed against a truncated column of gas sent from London, to light the ball-room) see their great grand-daughters dancing the Coquette, or some of the other cotil- lons ? I venture to assert, that they would have no necessity for rouge that night. The comparative merits of different forms of government is a prolific subject of discussion, and none is more worthy of attention, or more deeply interesting ; but it is astonishing how much opi- nions upon abstract principles are modified, by the GEORGE MUMMELL. 81 influence which the manners and customs of different countries exercise upon them. What is there that excites such decided feelings against modern democracy, as the coarseness of its social and domestic habits ? what is there that has tended half so much to keep up our dislike to the government of our Transatlantic friends, as the uncivilized character of the incidents that are con- stantly occurring in their drawing-rooms ? A pleasant episode, truly, in a state reception, to see the trays of refreshments, intended for the guests at the upper end of the room, cleared by a rush of visitors near the door ; and a second supply escorted to its destination by a score of Irish lackeys, with shillelahs in their hands ! More- over, there is something of tyranny in their equa- lity ; it is not pleasant to be told at an hotel, though the landlord be a colonel, that w T hether you like it or not, you must breakfast and dine when and where every one else does. And can it be pleasant, when the gong sends forth its brazen note, to be perforce one of a crowd, who rush to their food as eagerly as the tame carp at Fon- tainebleau, when they hear the gardener's bell, each individual being conscious that, if he does not answer it, he must go without his meal ? If we are to believe the almost unanimous ac- VOL. I. G 82 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. counts of travellers in America, and particularly that of Mr. Dickens, the Hall of Congress is one vast spittoon ; the members being wholly regardless of those little conveniences, appropriated to the in- dulgence of that almost national diversion. Why it happens, that the inhabitants of the modern and model republic, the Rev. Sydney Smith's " ark of human happiness," should be vulgar and tyrannical they are slave-owners still it is not easy to say ; but the former fact must create as much disgust, as the latter indignation, in the minds even of the humble classes of a civilized country. In a community, constituted like the American, refinement of manners and gentlemanly bearing cannot be common to any very large proportion of the upper classes ; it cannot be expected. A decent regard for the gradations of society, however few, must be granted by general consent, or established by long use, as the basis of refined manners ; and when that is so granted, or especially when it has existed in a country for centuries, vulgarity is understood, even by the low, and becomes an outrage against the feelings of the high, who have been as it were born with, and responsible for> superior advantages. CHAPTER VI. Brummell's accomplishments In London during the month of November His friend the Duke of Bedford Visits to Woburn, Belvoir, &c., &c. Fete on the Duke of Rutland's coming of age Brummell is mistaken for the Prince of Wales His indifference to field sports Nimrod's opinion of his riding Thomas Asheton Smith His reason for riding at an impossi- bility The Major of the Belvoir Volunteers The regular and the irre- gular Brummell's stud The late Duchess of Rutland The Beau's friends and associates at Belvoir. BRUMMELL'S manner and address, which made him so acceptable, and enabled him to take such a lead- ing position in society, were not his only recom- mendations ; he was a charming companion, and was possessed of the best of all claims to popu- larity good humour. He drew well, and was not ignorant of music, and his voice was very agreeable in singing as well as speaking ; he also wrote vers de societe, one of the accomplishments in vogue in his day, with facility, and his dancing was perfect. Though these qualifications, and the quiet un- assuming manner which distinguished him, were more likely to make him a favourite with the fair sex than his own, he was as much liked by the men, and became most intimate at a very early period of G2 84 THE LIFE OF his life with some of the first families in the country ; the intervals between his seasons in London being varied by visits to the Prince at Brighton, or to Belvoir, Chatsworth, Woburn, &c., &c. Never- theless the following note will show that he posi- tively was once in town the month of November ; but his friend Beauvais was probably an emigre, and he was good-naturedly showing him the lions. Woburn Abbey, November 10. MY DEAR BRUMMELL, By some accident, which I am unable to account for, your letter of Wednesday did not reach me till yesterday. I make it a rule never to lend my box, but you have the entree libre whenever you wish to go there, as I informed the box-keeper last year. I hope Beauvais and you will do great execution at Up-Park.* I shall probably be there shortly after you. Ever yours sincerely, BEDFORD. At Belvoir he was Vami de la famille, and at Cheveley, another seat of the Duke of Rutland's, his rooms were as sacred as the Duke of York's, 'who was a frequent visitor there ; and if any gen- * The seat of Sir Henry Featherstonhaugh, Bart. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 85 tleman happened to be occupying them when he arrived unexpectedly, he was obliged to turn out. On the Duke of Rutland's coming of age, in Janu- ary, 1799, great rejoicings took place at Belvoir, and Brummell was one of the distinguished party that assembled there, amongst whom were the Prince of Wales, the late Duke of Argyle, the Marquis of Lorn, the present Lord Jersey, &c., and all the neighbouring gentry. The festivities on this occasion lasted for three weeks, and were conducted on a truly ducal scale. Fireworks of the most splendid description were let off in front of the Castle, one bullock was roasted whole on the bowling-green of the caiadrangle, and another at the bottom of the hill on which the noble pile of building stands ; but such was the severity of the weather, that while one side was roasting the other was freezing. This however did not deter the peasantry from making their way in hundreds to the Duke's kitchen and servants' hall, where the table groaned with substantial fare, and the " brown October" was not only " drunk on the premises," but carried away in pailsful. This unrivalled example of baronial magnificence and hospitality is still re- membered in the vale of Belvoir ; a circumstance not very extraordinary, for this proof of the 86 THE LIFE OF warmth and generosity of the young and noble duke's disposition is said to have cost him sixty thousand pounds. The weather being severe, there was of course no hunting, so skating was the order of the day ; and Brummell, in going down the hill to the ice, clad in a pelisse of fur, was one morning mistaken by the people, who had assembled in great numbers, for the Prince of Wales, and was loudly cheered. This little incident will give some idea of the ele- gance and dignity of his carriage. It was indeed nearly as remarkable as that of his Royal High- ness, who, in spite of the opinion retailed by a modern novelist, that " in the zenith of his popu- larity and personal advantages, he seemed positively vulgar by the side of the Count d'Artois," was allowed by his greatest enemies to be the most dis- tinguished looking man of his day. Though I had the preceding anecdote from the very best authority, I did not hear whether Brum- mell, when he arrived at the ice, " made a star" upon it, or rivalled the Marquis of Lorn, a perfect skater, by engraving his cipher. Certain it is that he hated personal exertion in any way, and it was diffi- cult to make him give up his book and shoulder his gun, to join in a scramble over hedgerows and GEORGE BRUMMELL. 87 ditches. He was not much of a shot, and looked upon a battue only as an excellent opportunity for letting off his fun. In those primeval days, there was no such thing as patent wadding ; and punched cards, if known, were not general ; at any rate he did not choose to adopt them, and used to excite a laugh among the sportsmen by appearing at the breakfast table with fifty or sixty pieces of paper like spills, attached with a large whistle to the button-hole of his jacket. One of his greatest feats with his gun, was per- petrated at Cheveley, where he had just returned from a grand day, on which three hundred head of game had been slaughtered : the rest of the party were contemplating the fruits of their suc- cess, as it lay upon the lawn ; but Brummell, who took little interest in the deceased, having accident- ally caught sight of two tame pigeons which had lovingly perched upon one of the chimnies, tempted by a standing shot, carefully raised his gun, and brought them both down. His satisfaction, how- ever, was very transient, for a general exclamation from the bystanders followed, and he soon learnt they were the pets of one of the upper servants ; great was then his regret, and many the apo- logies he made to the owner. But this unfortu- nate chance was not quite so serious in its results 88 THE LIFE OF as that of the Duke of York, who, while shooting at Cheveley, during a Newmarket October Meet- ing, mistook a favourite liver-coloured pointer of the Duke's for a hare, and shot her dead. Poor Venus was a beautiful bitch, one of the finest dogs in the kingdom, and his Royal Highness was even more hurt than his friend, who valued her very highly. Though Brummell was so much at Belvoir, and kept a stud of horses there, he was never a " Mel- tori man ;" and his friends, as well as every one else, were amazingly astonished when he joined in the pleasures of the chase ; for, like many other gen- tlemen, he did not like it : it did not suit his habits, and his servant could never get him up in time to join the hounds, if it was a distant meet : but even if the meet was near, and they found quickly, he only rode a few fields, and then shaped his course in an opposite direction, or paid a visit to the nearest farm-house, to satisfy his enormous appe- tite for bread and cheese. I have heard him, but many years after, laugh amazingly over these inci- dents of his Melton days, and say in his usual droll way, that he " could not bear to have his tops and leathers splashed by the greasy galloping farmers." The truth was, he preferred returning at two o'clock to lunch with the Duchess and her female GEORGE BRUMMELL. 89 guests : he was to them a most sociable, cheerful, and amusing companion ; and yet very much liked by the fox-hunters, farmers as well as gentlemen, for he had always a merry word to say to them, and the late Mr. Apperley assured me, that when he chose to ride, he rode respectably : but he did not say that he ever heard of his having been in at the death, after the famous run from Billesden Cop- low, immortalised in verse by a clergyman, the son of a bishop : neither did he say, that he ever rode, like Tom Smith, at a Croxton-park paling, with a hurdle on the top of it. It was on this occasion that Mr. Smith, being taken up half-stunned, and asked what on earth could tempt him to go at a fence impossible to clear? replied, "I had a lead, and if I had not gone at it, somebody else might have tried." But, many years after this period, when, at Caen, Brummell used sometimes to revert to the plea- surable recollections of times past, he once spoke of an occasion on which he was obliged to exercise his best powers across country ; and the anecdote, as it was repeated to me, was so amusing, that though I cannot authenticate the fact on which it depends, I cannot refrain from inserting it. It appears that after he retired from the Tenth , he was tempted to accept a majority in the Bel- 90 THE LIFE OF voir Volunteers, raised by the Duke of Ptutland after the short peace of 1803, and that while he was in this responsible and complimentary situa- tion, a General Officer was sent down by the Horse Guards to inspect the corps : the official notifications had been given and received, the time and place named, and General Binks (for such shall be his incognito) arrived punctual to the minute. The men were there, the officers also ; the drums and colour, not a halberd was missing, but Ma- jor Brummell, where was he at this critical junc- ture ? nobody knew. The indignant regular waited and waited, the charger snorted, the General snorted, and at length, both being equally exasperated at the unreason- able delay, the gallant officer commenced the per- formance of his now unpleasant duty ; this was terminating, of course not much to his satisfac- tion, when the truant Major was descried in a scarlet coat in the distance, coming at speed across the country, occasionally craning on his way, and then with renewed energy making play over the flat. A few minutes, and the Beau was cap in hand to General Binks, who suddenly halted the line, which then much resembled that formed by a patriotic Volunteer corps, when reviewed in the Phoenix Park, and for the serpentine character of GEORGE BRUMMELL. 91 which, their learned commander so droll y apolo- gised to the Lord Lieutenant, by saying, " Your Excellency, we are Lawyers, as this indenture wit- nesseth." But in this case, the commanding officer had to make an apology for himself, not for his corps, and he entered upon a series of explanatory speeches commencing with, Having left Belvoir quite early, fully thought he should have heen home in time, for the meet was close at hand, but the favourite horse failed and landed him in a ditch, was dreadfully shook, and had been lying there an hour, which the state of his pink amply testified. Excuses, however, were vain ; General Binks was a martinet enrage ': he remained inexorable, and raising himself in his stirrups, addressed the delinquent in the following pompous and inflated style. " Sir, this conduct is wholly inexcusable ; if I remember right, Sir, you once had the ho- nour of holding a Captain's commission under his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the heir- apparent himself, Sir ! Now Sir, I tell you, I tell you, Sir, that I should be wanting in a proper zeal for the honour of the service ; I should be wanting in my duty, Sir, if I did not, this very evening, report this disgraceful neglect of orders to the Commander-in-Chief, as well as the state in which you present yourself in front of your 92 THE LIFE OF regiment : and this shall he done, Sir. You may retire, Sir." The Beau bowed low and in silence, and did retire; but he had scarcely walked his horse five paces from the spot, when he returned and said in a subdued tone, " Excuse me, General Binks, but in my anxiety to explain this most unfortu- nate business, I forgot to deliver a message which the Duke of Rutland desired me to give you when I left Belvoir this morning : it was to request the honour of your company at dinner." It would be difficult to say which gave the oddest grin, the culprit or the disciplinarian ; the latter coughed, and at length cleared his throat sufficiently to ex- press his thanks in these words : " Ah ! why, really I feel, and am, very much obliged to his Grace ; pray, Major Brummell, tell the Duke, I shall be most happy ; and," melodiously raising his voice, for the Beau had already turned his horse once more towards Belvoir, " Major Brummell, as to this little affair, I am sure, no man can regret it more than you do. Assure his Grace, that I shall have great pleasure in accepting his very kind in- vitation." And they parted, amidst a shower of smiles. But Brummell was as yet only half out of his difficulties ; the invitation he had so readily given GEORGE BRUMMELL. 93 to the General was coined on the spot, was his own invention, to save himself from the conse- quences of his neglect of duty, and he had to ride for his life to the Castle to prepare his friend the Duke for an unexpected visitor, the distinguished Binks. This anecdote does not tell well on paper, but let the reader imagine Brummell giving his own account of the scene, taking off the graceful and submissive bow with which he acknowledged the reproof, and the arch twist of his eyebrows as he described himself giving the invitation, that acted as such an efficient anodyne to the General's in- dignation. Brummell always appeared at the coverside ad- mirably dressed, in a white cravat and white tops, which latter, either he or Robinson, his valet, in- troduced, and which eventually superseded the brown ones ; his horses were always in as high condition as himself, their coats looking like silk. They stood at the Peacock at the bottom of the hill, near Belvoir, and were under the care of a person of the name of Fryatt, who perfectly un- derstood his business ; indeed he was more an agent than a groom, for he purchased, when and what he thought proper, without much, if ever, consulting his master, who had too much sense to interfere with him. 94 THE LIFE OF The truth was, Fryatt was an excellent rider, a capital judge of horses, and sometimes put money into Brummell's pocket, besides mounting him well ; he also took care of himself, and at his death left eight or ten thousand pounds be- hind him, made out of horse-flesh : the inn which he kept at Melton for one or two years, was not so profitable a concern. After a few seasons, Brum- mell's stud was removed to Knipton, on account of some misunderstanding with Shipton, the land- lord of the Peacock; in 1807, his horses stood at Grantham. Knipton is a very beautiful village about a mile and a half from Belvoir Castle, and near it is a lake, of two hundred acres in extent ; the spot is richly wooded, and the late Duchess took great pains to improve it, particularly in the drives, which are laid out with much judgment ; the Castle, also, will long remain a magnificent memorial of her architectural taste, for the plan of it was her own selection. Her love of landscape gardening probably originated in her talent for drawing, which was considerable, as the collection at Bel- voir of her own doing affords ample and pleasing evidence. Brummell's capability of appreciating this accomplishment, and his own proficiency in it, combined with his other acquirements, and his in- GEORGH BRUMMELL. 9>5 difference to field sports, naturally made him a very welcome guest in the drawing-room at Belvoir, and led to greater intimacy with his noble hostess than he might otherwise have aspired to. He appears to have taken a pleasure in apply- ing his talent for drawing, to the not unamiable object of preserving the memory of some of the distinguished women, that he was fortunate enough to be able to number among his friends. These sketches are from miniatures or pictures. One, of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, was taken from a portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and is now, or was, in the possession of Lady Granville ; two others, those of the late Duchesses of Beau- fort and Rutland, are now in the author's hands. The former is in water-colours, the latter in pen- cil : though not highly finished, both are very creditably executed for an amateur. In a letter of Brummell's, subsequently given, written many years after the death of the Duchess of Rutland, he feelingly alludes to her in terms that would confirm the most delightful impression of her disposition. But, however the society in which she moved might have regretted her Grace's premature death, inasmuch as it removed one of the brightest and most fascinating ornaments from their gay circle ; yet her loss was far more sincerely 96 THE LIFE OF deplored by the poorer classes of her own neigh- bourhood, in whose welfare and happiness she had always manifested a most lively interest, and who assembled in vast crowds at her funeral, to pay the last tribute of a sincere respect to their bene- factress. In concluding this chapter, the principal part of which relates to Brummell's intimacy with a family in which he for many years passed much of his time, it may not be altogether uninterest- ing to mention some of the guests with whom he was frequently associated, and with the majority of whom, now like himself in their graves, he was on the most friendly footing ; as it will give the reader an idea how deeply he must have felt the alteration in his circumstances, and the change he had to encounter in society, during his long and compulsory residence abroad from Belvoir to Calais ! Amongst these were the Dukes of York and Cambridge ; the late Dukes of Beaufort, Manchester, Dorset, and Argyle ; the Earls of Westmoreland and Chatham, (William Pitt's bro- ther, and the great friend of the Duke of Rut- land on the turf;) the Lords Delamere, Apsley, Forester, F. Bentinck, and Robert Manners ; the Honourables W. Howard, Irby, and Henry Pierre- point, (Lord Manvers's brother, and one of the GEORGE BRUMMELL. 97 leaders at Watier's ;) Chig Chester, (a great whist- player, sportsman, and good fellow;) Sir Watkin Wynne, Sir John Thoroton ; Colonel F., and the Rev. P. Thoroton ; Colonel G. Cornwall, Parson Grosvenor, Mr. Delme RatclhTe, and John Douglas. There were, also, the present Lords Jersey, Alvanley, Willoughby d'Ereshy, and Charles Man- ners ; who, as well as Lord Robert, was with Brummell in the Tenth. A few commoners also survive ; namely, Richard Norman, the Duke of Rutland's brother-in-law, Culling Smith, Sloane Stanley, General Grosvenor, and General Upton. VOL. i. H CHAPTER VII. Brummell's influence in society Proofs of it The young debutante at Almack's The hogshead of Martinique Brummell's assurance Mr. Lister's elucidation of that subject Mrs. Johnson Thompson Brummell and Wyndham The dinner at Mr. R.'s, and the ride to Lady Jersey's The horrid discovery The double distress. BRUMMELL'S intimacy with the Prince of Wales, and also with so many families of distinction, in addition to his social qualifications and perfect manners, soon made him sought and courted in society, and he was at length the vogue no party was complete without him ; and the morning papers, in giving the details of a rout, always placed his name first on the list of untitled guests. But his ambition was, not only to shine in the fashionable world, but to be its dictator, and, to effect this object, he saw that he must be formidable; like Sylla, he must be feared. A quick perception of the folly and gullibility of many of its members, enabled him to shape his course accordingly ; and, being fully aware of the power of ridicule, and not inconvenienced by any undue proportion of feeling for the crowd, he used it freely. His disposition THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. 99 to satirize was, no doubt, imamiable ; but there was an essential difference between exercising his sar- castic vein upon people who were perfectly indif- ferent to him, and making an ill-natured use of it in private circles. In cutting up individuals with w r hom he had no feelings in common, which was pretty often the case, he did no more than hundreds of others ; but, having a most perfect tact in all matters appertaining to mien and conduct in society, he made the witty, satirical, and cynical points of his character tell with much more effect than they did theirs. How well he eventually succeeded in making his opinion valued or dreaded, the following anecdote will give an idea. " Do you see that gentleman near the door ?" said an experienced chaperon to her daughter, whom she had brought, for the first time, into the arena of Almacks, " he is now speaking to Lord ." " Yes, I see him," replied the light- hearted, and as yet unsophisticated girl ; " who is he ?" " A person, my dear, who will probably come and speak to us ; and if he enters into conversation, be careful to give him a favourable impression of you, for," and she sunk her voice to a whisper, " he is the celebrated Mr. Brummell." This is no fiction ; the young Lady Louisa, who H 2 100 THE LIFE OF is now living, was the daughter of a duke, and her rank, wealth, and personal attractions, might well have been thought sufficient to secure her against the criticisms of any man. This doubtless was her mother's opinion ; but such was Brummell's influence, and such his supposed ill-nature in the use of his powers of detraction, that she was obliged to warn her young debutante not unthinkingly to expose herself to them. It has been asserted that even Madame de Staei was haunted by a dread of his disapprobation, and that she considered her hav- ing failed to please him, as the greatest " malheur" that she experienced during her residence in Lon- don ; the next that the Prince of Wales did not call upon her. The following is an extract from the Aurora Borealis of periodicals, which proves that it also acknowledged the existence of his extraordinary influence. " Every one has heard the story of the man who, when Pitt inquired what could be done to forward his interests, simply requested the prime minister to bow to him in public. There was some sense and knowledge of the world in this request ; nor was it altogether an unmeaning affectation in Brum- mell when, in reply to a nobleman of the highest rank, who accused him of inveigling his son into a disreputable gambling transaction, he exclaimed, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 101 ' Really I did my best for the young man : I once gave him my arm all the way from White's to Watier's.' "* Brummell was so far right ; for had the young man possessed any sense, and profited by his example, he would at least have gamed amongst gentlemen ; and in losing his money would not have lost caste also, as it is to be presumed the transaction occurred at some low hell, and not at either of these clubs : unless indeed the opinion of the commentator on Lord Byron's works is correct, namely, " that a ' hell' is a gaming-house so called, where you risk little and are cheated a good deal, and a ' club' a pleasant purgatory, where you lose more, and are not supposed to be cheated at all.' ' Mr. Benson Hill, in his Pinch of Snuff, likewise relates the following anecdote, as a proof that Brum- mell's opinion was above appeal in the world of fashion ; it shows also that he turned his power to some account. " Fribourg and Treyer were once anxiously expecting their supply of the veritable Martinique, and the list of applicants for this highly prized article had long been filled up. The hogs- head was opened in the presence of the arbiter, who, after taking a few pinches, gravely pronounced it a detestable compound, and not at all the style of thing that any man, with the slightest preten- * Edinburgh Review, Feb. 1843. 102 THE LIFE OF sions to correct taste, could possibly patronize. This astounding announcement, which must soon spread among the candidates, petrified the pur- veyors : they had procured the snuff at a heavy outlay, and it was now likely to remain on their hands. " The companions of the dictator left him to dis- cuss the matter with the proprietors. No sooner w r ere they gone than Brummell said, ' By some oversight I did not put my name down on your Martinique list, and I must have allowed the thing to have been disposed of to others, who know not its value as I do. Since the hogshead has been con- demned, you will not object to my having three jars iull of it : that fact once known, there is little doubt that the remainder will find a speedy demand.' The Messrs. Fribourg gladly yielded to the ruse of the exquisite, and in a few days it having become known that he had absolutely bought and positively paid for the quantity above named, not a grain was left." But many were the steps by which Brummell arrived at this culminating point, and incalculable pains did he devote to his object before his opinion weighed with the elite of Almacks before he could arrogate to himself the power of assigning the limits of gentility, and deciding who were " bon on mauvais GEORGE BRUMMELL. 103 ton ;" before he dared to permit himself to exercise his wit at the cost of an insult to his future sove- reign, even though they had quarrelled an insult that he would never, under any circumstances, have addressed to an equal. The recollection of the anecdote to which I allude leads me to the con- sideration of another feature in Brummell's cha- racter, and one which mainly assisted him in attain- ing his singular eminence : I mean his indescribable assurance, which, without scandalizing his memory, was not trifling. " No one/' says the author of Granby, " could talk down his superiors, whether in rank or talent, with more imposing confidence than Trebeck could ; his denunciations were always couched in a witty form ; and when it was needless or dangerous to define a fault, he could check applause with an incredulous smile, or depress pretension by the raising of an eyebrow. He observed, with de- rision, how those who were delighted and amused vainly thought themselves confidentially treated, and exulted in the mistaken idea of being exempted from his cutting criticisms. No keeper of a me- nagerie could better show off a monkey than he did an original : on these occasions he always con- trived to make the unconscious object of his ex- periments place his absurdities in the best point 104 THE LIFE OF of view, concealing his own intentions under the blandest cajolery. " In the art of cutting he shone unrivalled ; he knew the ' when, ' and the ' where, ' and the ' how :' without affecting useless short-sightedness, he could assume that calm, hut wandering gaze, which veers as if unconsciously around the pro- scribed individual, neither fixing nor being fixed; that indefinable look which excuses you, perhaps, to the person cut, and at any rate prevents him from accosting you." In searching for materials for this work, I hap- | pened one day to stumble, and as I thought, very fortunately, upon a duodecimo volume entitled ! Anecdotes of Impudence. Here, thought I, some- i thing is surely to be gleaned ; but I was disap- pointed, and not only that, but surprised, for there was not a word about Brummell in the book ; and the frontispiece, which on the impulse of the mo- ment I hoped was a portrait of the Beau, proved to be one of Joseph Hume, Esq., M.P. Why Mr. Hume was selected by the author as the best type of the impudence of our times, it is not for me to say ; but I think few will deny that it was very hard upon poor Brummell. Cool and impertinent, indeed, were the speeches that he often made, and the tricks that he played, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 105 especially if he had been affronted, or in self- defence : and then, \vhether his impudent remarks were levelled at a shoeblack or the Prince of Wales, was perfectly immaterial to him : for, however un- justifiable his jokes might sometimes be, at least he was never a court sycophant or a parasite. His sarcasms were generally launched at those moving in the same society as himself, at toadies, and rich and assuming parvenus who were endeavour- ing to force themselves into notice ; not at people whose habits were unobtrusive, or who belonged to a more retired sphere of life. But the follow- ing well known anecdote is the most inexcusable instance of his wanton impudence ; for the person whom he made his butt had given him no just cause of offence ; moreover, she was a woman. It appears that there were two dashing ladies in London, whose patronymics were similar, and who gave great parties. One of them, a Mrs. Thompson, residing in the neighbourhood of Grosvenor-square ; the other, a Mrs. Johnson, living near Finsbury- square. It appears, too, that sometime after Brum- mell's quarrel with the Prince of Wales, the former lady gave a splendid ball, at which His Royal Highness had signified his intention of being pre- sent ; it is therefore scarcely necessary to add, that Brummell was not included in the list of invita- ' 106 THE LIFE OF tions. On the evening of the entertainment, how- ever, while Mrs. Thompson was waiting in her ante-room , supported by a bevy of intimate friends, in momentary expectation of the arrival of her royal guest, and exulting in the completeness of all her preparations the Beau, to her ineffable surprise and disgust, made his appearance, and his best bow. Justly indignant at this outrage, she informed him, with as much coolness as she could command, that he was not invited. " Not invited, Madam ! not invited ! " said Brummell, in his blandest tones, " surely there must be some mistake," and leisurely feeling in all his pockets to prolong the chance of the Prince's arrival, and therefore her misery, he at last drew forth an invitation card, and presented it to the incensed lady. She took it, and saw at a glance it was not her own card, but that of her rival in the East, and haughtily throwing it from her, in a climax of vexation, and anxiety to get rid of him, said, " That card, sir, is a Mrs. Johnson's ; my name is Thompson." " Is it, indeed?" replied Brummell, perfectly cool, and affecting the most innocent surprise, " Dear me, how very unfor- tunate ! really, Mrs. Johns Thompson, I mean, I am very sorry for this mistake ; but you know, Johnson and Thompson and Thompson and John- son, are really so much the same kind of thing. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 107 Mrs. Thompson, I wish you a very good evening;" and making a profound bow, he slowly retired from the room amidst the suppressed anger of the bevy of intimates, the titter of his own friends, and the undisguised wrath of the lady. Though Brummell cultivated much the society of women, and his deference to those with whom he associated on intimate terms was great, he had not any very sincere respect for the sex, as the impertinent manner in which he so ill-naturedly harassed this poor lady evidently shows. On that point, as on all others of substantial merit, he was immeasurably below his justly admired contemporary, Wynd- ham. BrummelPs refinement of manners could stand no comparison with his refinement of feeling, and sensitive delicacy towards women, of which the following is a most striking instance : He was once dining in the country, at the house of a very wealthy but not very polished acquaintance, when the conversation happening to turn upon the sub- ject of female beauty, the gentleman in the course of the discussion said, " But, Mr. Wyndham, what do you think of my wife's eyes? " " Sir," replied the disgusted Crichton, " I never took the liberty of looking at Mrs. F 's eyes." " Have n't you ? well then, take her to the window," said the vulgar hound, quite misunderstanding the reproof, and 108 THE LIFE OF much in the same tone as, had he been in his farm- yard, he would have desired his visitor to examine a favourite Alderney. The anecdote of Mrs. Johnson-Thompson, is no novelty, it has been worn threadbare, but it is, I believe, perfectly authentic, and like some others of the same nature, which may or may not be so, ought not to be omitted in a chapter upon his impudent facetiae. It is said, that on one occasion when Brummell was dining at a gentleman's house in Hampshire, where the champagne was very far from being good, he waited for a pause in the conversation, and then condemned it by raising his glass, and saying loud enough to be heard by every one at the table, " John, give me some more of that cider." But although guilty of impertinences of this kind, he was seldom premeditatedly ill-natured or ill-tempered, and, amongst his own set, his impu- dence was not only permitted, but expected ; and no one thought of noticing it any more than they would have done that of a court jester. The fol- lowing are cases in point: "Brummell, you were not here yesterday," said one of his club friends ; " where did you dine ? " " Dine ! why with a per- son of the name of R s. I believe he wishes me to notice him, hence the dinner ; but, to give GEORGE BRUMMELL. 109 him his due, be desired that I would make up the party myself, so I asked Alvanley, Mills, Pierre- point, and a few others, and I assure you, the affair turned out quite unique ; there was every delicacy 'in, or out of season; the Sillery w r as per- fect, and not a wish remained ungratified ; but, my dear fellow, conceive my astonishment when I tell you, that Mr. R s had the assurance to sit down, and dine with us!" On another occasion, a wealthy young gentle- man then commencing life, and now 7 a member for an eastern borough, being very anxious to be well placed in Brummell's world, asked him and a large party to dine ; the Beau went, and a few minutes before they separated, he, addressing the company, requested to know, who was to have the honour of taking him to Lady Jersey's, that evening? "I will," said his host, delighted at the prospect of being seen to enter her ladyship's drawing-room in his company, " wait till my guests are gone, and my carriage is quite at your service." " Thank you exceedingly," replied Brummell, pretending to take the offer in a literal sense, "very kind of you, indeed ! But D k," and he assumed an air of great gravity, " pray how are you to go ? you surely would not like to get up behind ? No, that would not be right, and yet it will scarcely do for me 1 10 THE LIFE OF to be seen in the same carriage with you." There was an involuntary roar from all present, in which Mr. D k, with great good nature, joined heartily. But Brummell could not always procure a cast in a friend's carriage, particularly if the friend had to call for him ; and one night being disappointed of a chance that he had calculated upon, when it was too late to send for a glass coach, he was unwillingly obliged to despatch his servant to the nearest stand, with many injunctions as to the selec- tion he should make. In a few minutes, No. 1803 was at his door, and soon after Brummell, who had alighted a little distance from the house, found himself ascending Lady Dungannon's staircase ; he had in fact reached the summit, and was on the eve of entering her splendid drawing-room already filled with guests, when a servant touched him gently on the arm, and to his horror and amazement, for he thought he had effected his purpose undiscovered, said, " Beg pardon, Sir, perhaps you are not aware of it, but there is a straw in your shoe." While we have BrummeH's name in connexion with hackney coaches, it may not be mal-a-propos to introduce a rather amusing puff, which was in- serted some years ago in a weekly paper, by a man who wished to recommend a patent carriage step. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 1 1 i To effect his object, he calls the Beau's influence to aid his manoeuvre, and gives a very glowing description of his locomotive comforts, not a little in contrast with the preceding anecdote. The commences with the following axiom : " ' There is an art in everything, and whatever is worthy of being learnt, cannot be unworthy of a teacher.' Such was the logical argument of the professor of the Art of Stepping in and out of a Carriage, who represented himself as much patronized by the sublime Beau Brummell, whose deprecation of those horrid coach steps he would repeat with great delight. ' Mr. Brummell,' he used to say, ' considered the sedan was the only vehicle for a gentleman, it having no steps ; and he invariably had his own chair, which was lined with white satin quilted, had down squabs, and a white sheepskin rug at the bottom brought to the door of his dressing-room, on that account, always on the ground floor,' from whence it was trans- ferred with its owner to the foot of the staircase of the house that he condescended to visit. Mr. Brummell has told me, continued the professor, that to enter a coach was torture to him. ' Conceive,' said he, ' the horror of sitting in a carriage with an iron apparatus, afflicted with the dreadful thought, the cruel apprehension, of hav- 112 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. ing one's leg crushed by the machinery ! Why are not the steps made to fold outside ? The only detraction from the luxury of a vis-a-vis, is the double distress ! for both legs excruciating idea!'" CHAPTER VIII. Practical jokes. The Emigre Mr. Snodgrass The Beau's canine friend Affectation J. W. C r, and Bloomsbury-square Brummell's mots A travelled bore Vegetable diet A limping lounger A new way of accounting for a cold A bad summer The advantages of civility Prince Boothby and Mrs. Clopton Parthericke Sheridan's bet. IN the commencement of the last chapter I alluded to the tricks that Brammell played, meaning thereby practical jokes, a species of frolic highly amusing to the bystanders, until it is their turn to suffer, and in which he excelled. His predecessor, George Selwyn, and his contemporary, Sheridan, who loved one another as cordially as wits gene- rally do, were also adepts in puerilities of this kind. Mr. Moore, in his Life of Sheridan, says that he once induced Tickell to run after him into a dark passage, which he had covered with plates, having, however, taken good care to leave a path for him self. Tickell was much cut ; but, when Lord John Townshend came to condole with him, after a little show of indignation against his friend, he could not help exclaiming, " But how amazingly well it was done !" Brummell's jokes in this way VOL. I. I 114 THE LIFE OF were well done also ; and, as is frequently the case, were practised upon those who could not retaliate. In one instance his victim was an old emigre, whom he met on a visit at Woburn or Chatsworth, into whose powder he managed, in concert with a certain noble friend, to introduce some finely- powdered sugar ; and the next morning Monsieur le Marquis, in perfect ignorance of the trick, after having been " bien sucre" descended as usual to the breakfast-table. He had, however, scarcely made his bow, and inserted his knife into the Perigord-pie before him, when the flies (for the heat was extreme) already attracted to the table by the marmalade and honey-comb, began to transfer their attentions to his head ; and before the seg- ment of pie was finally detached, every fly at the table had settled on it. The carving-knife was relinquished, to drive them away with his pocket- handkerchief, but the attempt was futile ; they rose for a second, but resettled instantly ; a few, indeed, winged their way to the distant parts of the room, but only to return with a reinforce- ment of their friends, w r ho were vainly seeking a livelihood on the windows. Murmurs of astonishment escaped from the com- pany, as this new batch assailed Monsieur le Mar- quis ; he fanned his head, but it was of no use ; GEORGE BRUMMELL. 115 he shook it vehemently, but with no better suc- cess ; at length, the sugar becoming dissolved by the heat, trickled in saccharine rivulets over his forehead, which was soon covered by his tor- mentors, buzzing and tickling so dreadfully, that even old regime impassabilite could stand it no longer. The unfortunate Frenchman started to his feet, and violently clasping his head with both his hands, rushed from the room, enveloped in a cloud of powder and flies ; his tormentors, and the echoes of an uncontrollable burst of laughter, following him up the staircase. When he was gone, Brummell and his confederate, of course, expressed more surprise than any one else, that the flies should have taken such a violent fancy to the Frenchman's powder and pomatum. Another gentleman, who suffered by his pranks, was a Mr. Snodgrass, I believe an F.R.S., and very fond of scientific pursuits ; probably the reason why he was singled out by Brummell as a fit and proper object for his fun. Accompanied by several friends, he once knocked up this savant, at three o'clock on a fine frosty morning ; and when, under the impression of his house being on fire, he protruded his body en chemise, and his head in a nightcap, from the window, the Beau put the following very interesting question to him : i 2 116 THE LIFE OF "Pray, sir, is your name Snodgrass?" "Yes, sir," said he, very anxiously, " my name is Snod- grass." "Snodgrass Snodgrass," repeated Brum- mell, " a very odd name that, upon my soul ; a very odd name indeed ! But, sir, is your name really Snodgrass ?" Here the philosopher, with the thermometer helow freezing point, naturally got into a towering passion, and threatened to call the watch ; whereupon Brummell walked off, with " Good morning to you, Mr. Snodgrass." Such were the absurd tricks in which Brummell indulged ; and though he was not a wit in the literal sense of the word, like Lord Erskine, Sheridan, or Jekyll, he had a happy facility in placing the most ordinary circumstances in a ridiculous point of view, and never refrained, when opportunity offered, from indulging his taste for exciting the risible muscles even of those who, very probably, thought but little of his talent in this way. He had, also, a sin- gular power of giving an agreeable effect to a word or action, that, in any one else would have been perhaps unnoticed ; or, if noticed condemned : but his happy hardihood generally carried him through the difficulties into which his fearless love of originality sometimes plunged him. It was, I believe, from one of his odd speeches that a certain gentleman, well known in the world, received the GEORGE BRUMMELL. 117 sobriquet of Poodle B g. It seems that Mr. B. had in his youth very beautiful hair, which curled naturally, and it was his practice, not an unusual one in the days of curricles, to be accompanied in his by his French dog. One day Brummell, who was on horseback, met them quietly driving toge- ther in the park, and hailed his friend with, " Ah, B g, how do you do ? a family vehicle, I see!" His affectation, which was principally assumed for the purpose of amusing those about him, was another characteristic of his wit. He pretended to look upon the City as a terra incognita ; and when some great merchant requested the honour of his company at dinner, he replied, " With plea- sure, if you will promise faithfully not to tell." But a certain ex-secretary of the Admiralty, of graver parts and great political and literary talents, has, since his time, carried on the joke to Blooms- bury, or some other square in that direction ; for, it is related of him, that, when invited to dine in that remote region, he piquantly inquired where he was to change horses ? a mot which has, no doubt inadvertently, wandered into Pelham. The follow- ing are some of the Beau's jeux d' esprit that were at one time in general circulation, and a few of which have already been in print. 118 THE LIFE OF An acquaintance having, in a morning call, bored him dreadfully about some tour he had made in the North of England, enquired with great perti- nacity of his impatient listener which of the lakes he preferred? when Brummell, quite tired of the man's tedious raptures, turned his head imploringly towards his valet, who was arranging something in the room, and said, "Robinson." "Sir." "Which of the lakes do I admire ? " " Windermere, sir," replied that distinguished individual. " Ah, yes, Windermere," repeated Brummell, " so it is, Windermere." A lady at dinner, observing that he did not take any vegetables, asked him whether such was his general habit, and if he never ate any? He replied, "Yes, madam, I once ate a pea. " One day a friend, meeting him limping in Bond- street, asked him what was the matter? He replied, he had hurt his leg, and the worst of it was, " it was his favourite leg." Having been asked by a sympathising friend how he happened to get such a severe cold ? His reply was. " Why, do you know, I left my carriage yesterday evening, on my way to town from the Pavilion, and the infidel of a landlord put me into a room with a damp stranger." On being asked by one of his acquaintance, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 119 during a very unseasonable summer, if he had ever seen such a one? He replied, "Yes, last winter." Having fancied himself invited to some one's coun- try seat, and being given to understand, after one night's lodging, that he was in error, he told an unconscious friend in town, who asked him what sort of a place it was ? " that it was an exceed- ingly good house for stopping one night in." At an Ascot meeting, and early in the day, Brummell walked his horse up to Lady 's carriage, when she expressed her surprise at his throwing away his time on her, or thinking of running the risk of being seen talking to such a very quiet and unfashionable person. " My dear Lady ," he replied, " pray don't mention it ; there is no one near us." The principal portion of this chapter has been devoted to the consideration of BrummelPs most unamiable qualities, to his powers of detraction, his satirical remarks, and practical jokes ; but let not the reader imagine they preponderated to the exclusion of better ones. No one possessed the art of pleasing to a greater degree, or exercised it with greater effect, when he was in the society of those he liked, whatever might be their age or station ; had he been the superlatively insolent character he is generally represented, he would 120 THE LIFE OF have been universally cut, instead of sought after the absurdity of the notion is its most complete refutation. Well do I remember the lecture on good manners that he gave a young gentleman at Caen, who had justly laid himself open to cen- sure, by the thoughtless omission of an act of courtesy, that Brummell considered due to a lady near whom the youth was standing. " Civility, my good fellow," observed the Beau, " may truly be said to cost nothing ; if it does not meet with a due return, it at least leaves you in the most creditable position. When I was young, I was acquainted with a striking example of what may sometimes be gained by it, though my friend, on this occasion did not, I assure you, expect to benefit by his politeness. In leaving the Opera one even- ing, a short time previous to the fall of the cur- tain, he overtook in the lobby an elderly lady, making her way out to avoid the crowd ; she was dressed in a most peculiar manner, with hoop and brocade, and a pyramid of hair ; in fact she was at least a century behind the rest of the world in her costume : so singular an apparition had attracted the attention of half a dozen ' Lord Dukes,' and ' Sir Harrys/ sitting in the lobby, and as she slowly moved towards the box entrance, they amused themselves by making impertinent GEORGE BRUMMELL. 121 remarks on her extraordinary dress, and infirm gait. " Directly my friend caught sight of them, and saw what they were after, he went to her assistance, threatened to give them in charge to a Bow-street officer, and with his best bow offered her his arm. She accepted it, and on the stairs he enquired whether she had a chair or a carriage ? at the same time intimating his willingness to go for one. ' Thank you, sir, I have my chair,' replied the old lady, ' if you will only be good enough to remain with me until it arrives :' as she was speaking, her servants came up with it, and making the cavalier a very stately curtsey, she requested to know to whom she had the honour of being indebted for so much attention ? ' My name, madam,' replied the stranger, as he handed her to her chair, is ' Boothby, but I am usually called Prince Boothby ;' upon which the antiquated lady thanked him once more, and left. Well, from that hour Boothby never saw her again, and did not even hear of her till her death, which took place a few years after ; when he received a letter from her lawyer, announcing to him the agreeable intelligence of her having left him heir to several thousands a year ! Now, my good sir," said Brummell to the abashed but youthful delin- 122 THE LIFE OF quent, " for the future, pray remember Prince Boothby." John Skrimshire Boothby, was one of the most celebrated of the fine gentlemen of his day, the great peculiarity of whose dress was the shape of his hat, which he never changed. He is supposed to be the person alluded to by Foote in one of his farces, as distinguished by his partiality for people of high rank, and ready at any time to leave a baronet to walk with a baron, " to be genteelly damned beside a duke, rather than saved in vulgar company." Moore, in allusion to him, or his double, says, " Beside him place the God of wit, Before him beauty's rosiest girls, Apollo for a star he'd quit, And Love's own sister for an Earl's," Boothby was well bred, intelligent, and amiable, but extremely eccentric, and he ended his career at his house in Clarges-street by his own hand, in July 1 800. His servants at the inquest bore the strongest testimony to his character as a good master, and a kind-hearted man. He had been possessed of three large estates ; the first was his own inheritance, which he dissipated ; the second came to him from a distant family connexion ; and the third was the gift of the ancient lady in the lobby, whose name was Clop ton, which he afterwards added to his own. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 123 Boothby was a great friend of the late Duke of Rutland, Lords Carlisle and Derby, and Charles Fox ; and was brother-in-law to that fox-hunting centaur, the late Hugo Meynell. He was also a member of the clubs in St. James's-street, where he used to play very high ; and he is mentioned in Moore's Life of Sheridan as having made a bet with the orator of five hundred guineas, that there would not be a reform in the representation of the people of England, within three years from the date of the bet, the 29th of January, 1 793. Mr. Moore does not say that Sheridan paid. CHAPTER IX. Brumtnell's softer moments His numerous offers His honesty in love affairs The intended Mrs. Brummell His flirtations and love-letters His great popularity with the fair sex His good nature Miss Seymour's letter to him Brummell's regard for her. THOUGH I have already alluded to Brummell's pre- dilection for female society, I have not yet spoken of those moments, perhaps the most interesting of a man's life, at least to himself his moments of tendresse. Brummell had his ; but the organ of love in his cranium was only faintly developed. His temperament was elephantine ; still it was scarcely possible for him to be constantly in the society of the most beautiful and accomplished girls in Europe, and who will deny that the daughters of our aristocracy are so ? without having a prefer- ence for one of them, or perhaps half a dozen : and this was the case ; for he never attained any degree of intimacy with a pretty woman of rank that he did not make her an offer, not with any idea of being accepted, but because he thought it was pay- ing the lady a great compliment, and procured her an unusual degree of eclat in the fashionable world. THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMLILL. 125 His original view of the subject appears to have been generally understood and acted upon by his friends. One of his idols, however, seemed inclined to take him at his word, the present Lady W ; and often have I heard him rave about her. But Brummell's vanity and honesty in love affairs were equally extraordinary. It is related of him that he came one morning into the library of a noble friend, at whose house he was a frequent visitor, and told him, with much warmth and sin- cerity of manner, that he was very sorry, very sorry indeed, but he must positively leave Park that morning. " ^ hy, you were not to go till next month!" said the hospitable peer. "True, true," replied Brummell anxiously, " but I must be off." "But what for?" "Why the fact is I am in love with your countess." " Well, my dear fellow, never mind that, so was I twenty years ago is she in love with you ?" The Beau hesitated, and after scrutinizing for a few seconds the white skeep-skin rug, said faintly, " I believe she is." " Oh ! that alters the case entirely," replied the earl ; " I will send for your post-horses immediately." Once, however, though not with a lady of rank, he did very nearly " his quietus make with a gold ring ;" for he interested the demoiselle sufficiently to induce her to consent to elope with him. The most favour- 126 THE LIFE OF able opportunity that presented itself for so doing, was at a ball in the neighbourhood of Grosvenor- square ; but his measures on the occasion were so badly taken, that he and the intended Mrs. Brum- mell were caught at the corner of the next street, a servant having turned mother's evidence. It is said that when a friend rallied him on his evident want of success in another matrimonial specula- tion, and pressed him for the reason of his failure, Brummell replied with a smile, " Why what could I do, my good fellow, but cut the connexion ? I discovered that Lady Mary actually ate cabbage !" But all this tells very little either for his judgment, or his feeling ; and it was rather extra- ordinary that, with ah 1 the advantages and oppor- tunities he enjoyed, he did not select one lovely flower from the parterre of rank, fashion, and wealth, and wear it for life. However, independently of his deficiency in warmth and perseverance, he had too much self-love ever to be really in love ; had Cupid's arrow been a cloth-yard long, and had he drawn it to the head like the stout archer in Chevy Chase, it would scarcely have reached the Beau's heart, or if it had, would merely have tickled, not wounded it. He was a thorough flirt, his love was as light and as elegant as everything else about him, and, in none of his disappointments was he likely GEORGE BRUMMELL. 127 to have recourse to a pan of charcoal, or the Ser- pentine ; it was the transitory sentiment which, in a subsequent letter, he says, is "so often and so easily expressed with a crow-quill, and its feigned regrets by tears, made with a sponge and rose-water, upon perfumed paper." In this trifling with the god of love he through life delighted to indulge ; and the following laughable and amusing letters are specimens of his style in conducting a corres- pondence of the kind : MY DEAR LADY JANE, With the miniature it seems I am not to be trusted, even for two pitiful hours ; my own me- mory must be, then, my only disconsolate expedient to obtain a resemblance. As I am unwilling to merit the imputation of committing myself, by too flagrant a liberty, in retaining your glove, which you charitably sent at my head yesterday, as you would have extended an eleemosynary sixpence to the supplicating hat of a mendicant, I restore it to you ; and allow me to assure you, that I have too much regard and respect for you, and too little practical vanity myself (whatever appearances may be against me,) to have entertained, for one treacherous instant, the impertinent intention to defraud you of it. You 128 THE LIFE OF are angry, perhaps irreparably incensed against me, for this petty-larceny. I have no defence to offer in mitigation, but that of frenzy. But we know that you are an angel visiting these sublu- nary spheres, and therefore your first quality should be that of mercy ; yet you are sometimes way- ward and volatile in your seraphic disposition though you have no wings, still you have weapons ; and these are, resentment and estrangement from me. With sentiments of the deepest compunction, I am always, Your miserable slave, GEORGE BRUMMELL. The Lady Jane , Harley-street. DEAR Miss , When I wrote to you a century ago, in plain- tive strains, and with ' all Hackman's sorrows and all Werter's woes,' you told me, with pen dipped in oblivion's ink from Lethe's stream, that I must desist from my vagaries, because I was trespassing on consecrated ground ; but you offered me instead, your friendship, as a relic by way of a bone to pick, among all my refined and elegant sensibili- ties ! Well, I struggled hard to bring myself to this meagre abnegation, and my efforts promised to be propitious. I kissed the rod, cherished the GEORGE BRUMMELL. 129 relic, and enveloped myself in austerity and sack- cloth. I then, by way of initiating myself to penance, inscribed you a missive, in appropriate terms of mortification, presuming, too, that it was the privilege, if not the duty, of my vocation, to mortify you, also, as a votary, with a little con- genial castigation. I dare say I wrote to you in a most absurd and recriminating manner, for I was excited by the pious enthusiasm of my recent apostasy ; and I was anxious to impress upon your more favourable opinion, the exemplary and salu- tary progress I had made in my new school. You are, it seems, displeased at it, though my heresy from my first delightful faith was your own work. I know not now where to turn for another belief. " I will tell you the truth in plain unmystical lan- guage, for I have not yet learnt to renounce that; I was irritated because I thought you had cut me dead in the morning ; and when I was tete-a-tete with my solitary lamp in the evening, a thousand threatening phantoms assailed me. I imagined that you had abandoned me ; in short, a cohort of blue devils got the better of me, and I am now all compunction and anguish. Pray be once more an amiable and compassionate being, and do not con- tract your lovely eyebrows any more (I wish to Heaven I could see them at this instant !) in sullen- VOL. i. K 130 THE LIFE OF ness at all my numberless incongruities and sins. tt Be the same Samaritan saint you have already been to me : you shall never more repent it. Whatever I may have said in a frenical moment of exaspera- tion was unsaid and unthought an hour afterwards, when I sought my couch, and proffered my honest prayers for forgiveness from above, and profanely from you who are upon earth. I am more than conscious of all my derelictions of all my faults, but indeed they shall be in future corrected, if you are still a friend to me. I had vaunted, in the vanity of my chivalrous spirit, that I had at length proved one in myself; but it was empty ostenta- tion, for I find that I cannot exist but in amity with you. Your unfortunate supplicant, GEORGE BRUMMELL. Love, indeed, but of this harmless character, formed one of the Beau's distractions in exile; and the following letter, which, like all the others, I beg to assure the reader is perfectly authentic, is an amusing proof not only how sensitive he was on the subject, even in mature age, but also how he succeeded in awakening an interest for him in the minds of those who were both young and beau- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 131 tiful. The reader will remember, the mind not the heart. Rue Royale, , Wednesday. Yesterday morning I was subdued almost to insanity, but your note in the evening restored me to peace and equanimity, and, as if I had been re- deemed from earthly purgatory, placed me in heaven. Thank you, thank you, dearest of beings ; how can I retribute all this benevolent open-heart - edness, this delightful proof and avowal of my not being indifferent to you ? I cannot, by inanimate words, represent the excess of my feelings towards you : take, then, with indulgent admission and forbearance, the simple boon and sacred pledge of my heart's deepest affections for you ; they are rooted in my very soul and existence ; they will never deviate ; they will never die away. By the glimmering light that was remaining I perceived something in white at your porte-cochere. It was evident that I was recognized, and the figure ad- vanced with your billet. In an instant I seized the hand of your faithful and intelligent messenger, compressed it forcibly, and had she been as for- bidding as the old dowager Duchess of , I should have saluted her, if I had not fancied at the instant that I heard some one coming up the street. K2 132 THE LIFE OF We parted, and I returned to my solitary chamber. There I lacerated the letter with impatience, and then the light of love and of joy, and the refreshing breath of evening stole through the open window over my entranced senses. After that I sought another stroll on the ramparts, and again returned home contented with you, with myself, and with the world. " I slept the slumbers of a saint forgiven, And mild as opening dreams of promised heaven." I have known few that could equal, none that could excel you ; yet they possessed not your charm of countenance, your form, your heart, in my esti- mation. Certainly they did not possess that un- affected and fervent homage, which in my constant memory, in my heart's life-blood, and in my de- voted soul I bear to you. Ever most affectionately vours, V * GEORGE BRUMMELL. Such were the pathetic appeals that he addressed to single women in warm weather ; for his heart seldom thawed to this extent before the middle of June, and probably the first frost that nipped the dahlias crisped it up again till the following sum- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 133 mer ; at least sufficiently so to prevent him from shi- vering and shaking near his lady love's porte-cochere, in expectation of a note : he could write hundreds by his fire- side at all seasons. As regards his Lon- don life, however, he generally preferred the society of married women, whose greater acquaintance with the world made them far more amusing companions than single ones ; and without any pretensions to bonnes fortunes, he was the idol of all those who took any lead in high life : happy was she in whose opera-box he would pass an hour, whose assembly he would attend, or at whose table he would dine. He had also a strong partiality for two or three widows, whose names, however, I should be very sorry to disclose to the present generation ; and I leave Brummell's contemporaries to fix upon any peeress they may think proper, as the one to whom the following letter was addressed : Chesterfield -street. DEAR LADY , I am almost inclined to believe that you have forgotten me in the protracted space of five days, and that you have amused your leisure hours with something or somebody more interesting to you. You are too overtly severe with Lord L ; he has effrontery enough to persuade himself that you 134 THE LIFE OF are piqued with him, and he will interpret that into a latent interest for him : what can it possibly be to you, whether he goes to Brighthelmstone or not ? Affront him, but with dexterity, and his own con- summate, and mistaken vanity, will be his speediest drawback ; but never make an enemy of a man whose physiognomy has been ravaged by the small- pox, for whom Jenner has lived in vain ! Attar-Gul * (for Mr. - - has adopted that name, in deference to his having inherited some ostrich's eggs, glass beads, cockatoo's feathers, and a few shells from an aunt, a sort of vagrant Zinga- rella, who died recently at Aleppo of the leprosy,) has not perceptibly touched a bristle of his raven crown since you saw, or rather turned away your eyes from him. In submission to your desire, I have mmutely scrutinized his head. He had the effrontery, the other day, to be irritated because I asked him to lend me his brush of a sconce to assist at the morning toilette of my boots ! The monster ! Do not forget your parasol in this inflam- matory weather. Yours devoutly, GEORGE BRUMMELL. The Lady , Brighthelmstone. * Ottar of roses. The Persian is considered the finest. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 135 But though his own affections seem never to have been very deeply engaged, the following letter shows that he possessed considerable sense and good feeling, when those of others, in whose welfare he took a real interest, were concerned It was written by Miss Seymour, afterwards Lady C. B k, and is introduced here as a striking and authentic proof of Brummell's good nature. It is unnecessary to refer to the actual circumstances alluded to by the amiable and lovely writer : I w r ill merely observe, that the information he gave her was of the utmost value, and that it is highly probable it would never have come to her knowledge, but for his disinterested kindness. Wednesday morning. I am more obliged to you than I can express for your note : be assured that your approbation of my conduct has given me very sincere plea- sure : this is the only means I have of telling you so ; for I am in such disgrace, that I do not know if I shall be taken to the play ; in any case, I shall be watched ; therefore accept my most cordial thanks, and believe that I shall remember your good- nature to me on this occasion, with gratitude, to the end of my life. does not know how unkindly I have 136 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. been treated, but is more affectionate than ever, because he sees I am unhappy. We did not arrive in town till seven last night, therefore no play ; to-morrow they go to Covent-garden : perhaps I may be allowed to be of the party. Pray don't neglect my drawing ; you would make me very happy by lending me the yellow book again ; the other I don't dare ask for, much as I wish for it. Adieu ! I shall be steady in my opinion of you, and always remain, Yours, very sincerely, GEORGIANA A. F. SEYMOUR. " This beautiful creature is dead !" was the re- mark Brummell had written at the bottom of the letter, which he kept as a memento of her friend- ship for him till within four years of his death ; he then parted with it, but only to a very intimate friend, who wished for the autograph. CHAPTER X. Another of Brummell's correspondents Lady Hester Stanhope Her letter to him Admiral Sir Bladen Capel Lady Hester's droll reason for that officer's being sent to the Mediterranean The late Lord Berwick Lady Hester leaves England Her mountain home at Mar Elias Admirable description of her ladyship, and her residence there, by a friend of the author's Her opinion of Brummell Her adoption of Eastern supersti- tions Her courage The Holy Gate of Damascus Lady Hester's reply to the British Consul at Cairo Her personal appearance. OTHER lady correspondents Brummell had also ; and the subject of the next letter does not, from a motive of delicacy, render any mystery about it necessary. It is from that very erratic being, Lady Hester Stanhope, and was written to inquire the character of a groom, who had been in his service : it bears the Cheltenham postmark. August 30th, 1803. If you are as conceited as formerly, I shall stand accused of taking your groom, to give me an opportunity of writing to you for his character. All the inquiry I wish to make upon this subject is, to be informed whether you were as well satis- fied with James Ell when you parted with him, as 138 THE LIFE OF when he had Stiletto under his care. If so, I shall dispatch him at the end of next week, with my new purchases to Walmer,* where I am going very shortly. You may imagine I am not a little happy, in having it in my power to scamper upon British ground, although I was extremely pleased with my tour, and charmed with Italy. I saw a good deal of your friend Capel at Naples ; if he fights the battles of his country by sea as well as he fights yours by land, he certainly is one of our first commanders. But of him you must have heard so full an account from Lord Al thorp, f for they were inseparable, that I will only add he was as yet unsuccessful in the important research after a perfect snuff-box, when I left Italy. What news the last dispatch may have brought upon this subject I am ignorant of, but take it for granted you are not ; as in all probability the Phoebe was by your interest appointed to the Mediterranean station for three years, to accomplish this grand and useful dis- covery. Should it prove a successful one, Capel, on his return, will of course be made Admiral of * The official residence of Mr. Pitt, as Warden of the Cinque Ports. f The present Earl Spencer, then in his twenty-first year. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 139 the White, for the signal services he has rendered to coxcombality.* I met with a rival of yours in affectation upon the Continent, William Hillif I fear it will be long ere this country will again witness his airs, as he is now a prisoner ; this, perhaps, you are glad of, as the society of statues and pictures has infinitely improved him in this wonted qualifica- tion, and therefore rendered him a still more formi- dable competitor. HESTER L. STANHOPE. That Lady Hester knew the Beau well is evident * The Honourable Sir Thomas Bladen Capel, K. C. B., &c., youngest son of the fourth Earl of Essex, was born on the 28th of August, 1776. This distinguished officer had the honour of being the signal-lieutenant of Nelson's ship, the Vanguard, at the battle of the Nile, and was promoted for his conduct on that day. He also rendered important services to the fleet when in command of the Phcebe, after Trafalgar. Sir Bladen likewise commanded the Endymion, at the passage of the Dardanelles, in 1807, and was actively employed in the Hogue on the coast of America, from 1812 to the conclusion of the war. It was while serving on this station that his ship was nearly blown up by a petard. As Sir Bladen did not probably succeed in finding the perfect snuff-box, these services were no doubt of some use to him in obtaining his promotion. The New Navy List says the admiral entered the navy at the early age of six years ! j- William Noel Hill, second son of the first Lord Berwick, who succeeded to that title on the death of his brother. He was at one time ambassador to the court of Turin, and died on the 4th of August, 1842. 140 THE LIFE OF from the first paragraph in her letter. In it she disarms him at the onset ; and in her fearless disposition, makes no difficulty of lashing him and his friends, with a keenness and dexterity quite equal to his own, and, apparently, with as much pleasure : of course she had an advantage in the lady's privilege, of saying what she pleased ; but there is every reason to suppose, that, when Brum- mell returned her a compendium of James Ell's qualifications in stable affairs, he did not conclude his billet, without responding to the gossip and raillery that pervaded hers. After perusing this amusing letter, one is tempted to think what a pity it was, for her friends and society, that Lady Hester emigrated to the mountains of Lebanon, on which the cedars would have grown just as well without her ; but the letter affords some indication of the inde- pendent disposition that she afterwards displayed to such an unusual degree, and in a manner so perfectly original ; for it must be admitted, that it was, at least, a slight deviation from ordinary custom, for a young lady to write to a gentle- man on such a subject. Independence like her ladyship's could hardly be accounted for by her education, singular as it must have been under the direction of " Citizen GEORGE BRUMMELL. 141 Stanhope ;" much less by an early introduction to men's society at her Uncle's table ; though there may, perchance, have been occasionally an adventurous spirit amongst the philo-political at Mr. Pitt's parliamentary dinners, of which she so gracefully did the honours. But, in whatever cause this feeling originated, it is difficult to reconcile Lady Hester's long residence in the mountains of Le- banon, associating only with the wild Arab, or living in the most complete seclusion, with the love of her father-land shown in that part of her letter, in which she expresses her delight " to scamper on British ground ;" and the pleasure which it may be supposed she enjoyed in the society with which she was familiar, the most recherche of her own class. Why did Lady Hes- ter thus expatriate herself was it for love ? If so, for whom, or what her Uncle's memory, or Beau Brummell ? Certain it is, that in her soli- tude the latter was still remembered by her, even as late as the year 1830. A friend of the author's, then serving in the Mediterranean, having obtained leave of absence for a few months, spent a portion of that year in wandering through Palestine and the adjacent countries, and in his travels he paid a visit to the " old Lady of the Mountain," who received him most graciously, for he was the bearer of a letter 142 THE LIFE OF from an old friend of hers ; and Lady Hester sig- nified her willingness to grant him an interview, the day after he had made her aware of his arrival by sending her his credentials these were highly necessary, for she was not in the habit of so favouring travellers in general. At the hour named, therefore, my friend, full of anxiety to see and converse with such a singular character, made his way to her house : he was admitted by a little black female slave, possibly a mute, for it was in perfect silence that she ushered him into an apartment, so dark, that he could with difficulty discover the ottoman, on which a voice at the other end of it desired him to be seated ; he had scarcely obeyed, when a very small latticed window near him was suddenly opened by some invisible means, and the light thrown full upon his countenance, without, however, having any, or but little effect in relieving the obscurity, which reigned complete at the opposite end of the long room. When his eyes had become somewhat accus- tomed to the glare, he saw a female figure sitting a Vorientale on a carpet, dressed in the Eastern style, and by her side the black slave who had been his guide. Lady Hester, for it was his hostess who now addressed him, enquired first after the Duke of Wellington, and then George Brummell ; these GEORGE BRUMMELL. 143 two being apparently the only individuals of her own, or any other European nation, for whom she seemed to entertain the smallest interest, as, during the remainder of his audience, she adverted only to events that were passing in the country of her adoption. It would have been extraor- dinary, indeed, had Lady Hester not been anxious for intelligence respecting the hero of her younger days, the victor of Assaye ; with whom she had probably been acquainted before she left England, and the details of whose subsequent career had been the theme of admiration, even of the rude mountaineers that surrounded her, but that she should have been interested in obtaining tidings of the Beau was rather remarkable. Let not the reader imagine, however, I was serious, in insinuating that her ladyship enter- tained any tender sentiments for Brummell. Lady Hester is said to have mourned one of a very different mould he who was by his gallant sol- diers, buried " darkly at dead of night, The sod with their bayonets turning ; By the struggling moonbeam's misty light, And the lantern dimly burning." This rumour was, I believe, entirely without foundation, though dates and circumstances gave 144 THE LIFE OF some appearance of truth to it. Sir John Moore fell on the 16th of January, 1809, and Lady Hester left England in deep mourning and for ever early in the spring of the following year : her Ladyship's half-brother, Major Stanhope, was also slain at the battle of Corunna. It was of this officer, and the hero of Meance, while leading on the Fiftieth Regi- ment, that Sir John Moore said, " Well done, my Majors !" Such was the imperfect recollection I re- tained of the fire-side narrative my friend gave me, nine years ago, of his interesting visit to Lady Hester ; and I was regretting his absence, as he could have made my sketch so much more worthy of the reader's perusal, when he opportunely arrived in England. Of course T immediately availed myself of this fortunate circumstance, and the following letter contains his own striking and animated de- scription of herself and her wild retreat ; which he forwarded to me with a kindness and promp- titude, that proved, how little his friendship or his memory was impaired by the time that had elapsed since we met. " Many years have passed since I was in Syria ; but, as you desire it, I will endeavour to describe my visit to Lady Hester Stanhope, as well as my memory permits. I was furnished with a letter of introduction from Lord , which I sent from GEORGE BRUMMELL. 145 Sidon ; a knowledge of her disinclination to receive Englishmen generally, having prevented my deli- vering it personally when passing near her abode on my way from Damascus. Her ladyship, how- ever, acknowledged the letter most politely, invited me and my companion to visit her for as long a time as we found it convenient, and sent two fine Arabian horses to convey us to her residence, which was formerly a convent, and crowns the summit of a hill about eight miles from Sidon. " The ascent to Mar Elias (for so the convent is called) was steep, and the approach to it more like that of a crusading baron's castle than of the resi- dence of a solitary lady, whose education had been finished, and early habits formed, amongst the most refined and intellectual of the English nobility. A strong guard of Albanians protected the gate, and numbers of armed men, of the same nation, were idling about, as if time was a heavy burthen on their hands. We were conducted to a kiosk or summer-house, outside the main building, and there an Italian, dressed like an Arab, received us and provided dinner in the European fashion ; this last appeared to be a matter of some difficulty, as her Ladyship conformed to the Eastern habits, in eating, dress, and other matters, and some time had elapsed since plates and forks had been called into VOL. i. L 146 THE LIFE OF requisition. During dinner, an Arab, who spoke French most volubly, made his appearance and told us he was her Ladyship's astrologer, and enlarged upon her good fortune in possessing so talented a wizard as himself. " Soon after, Lady Hester sent to say, she would be happy to receive us ; and we were accordingly ushered through several apartments, by various attendants, until we reached a small and rather dark room, in which sat her Ladyship, dressed as an Arab sheick, and looking more like a young man than an elderly lady. She sat with her back to the light, which streamed in through a small window full on our faces ; this she afterwards told me was arranged on purpose to give her a fair scrutiny of the faces of her visitors : chibouques, (the long cherry-stick pipe,) were introduced, and in a short time she became most agreeably com- municative. " Her conversation was more than ordinarily elo- quent, though tinctured with somewhat of the strangeness that pervaded her whole life and cha- racter : her thorough knowledge of the language, habits, and customs of the East, combined with the ease with which she expressed her ideas, enabled her to draw the most vivid pictures of those coun- tries, and convey her information in a very agree- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 147 able manner. Nor was her conversation by any means confined to these subjects ; for when trifling circumstances recalled her thoughts to the days of her youth, when she presided at Mr. Pitt's table, she described these scenes, and the persons of such as were admitted to the circle of her uncle's society, as faithfully and minutely as if the memory of them had not been overlaid, by. the eight-and- twenty years she had passed amidst the exciting events of her later life. " Beau Brummell, who was in her youthful days the friend of the Prince of Wales, and envied and admired by both beaux and belles of all ranks of society, appeared to have been an especial favourite of hers ; and though I am unable to repeat the description as she gave it, I can, even, now fancy that I see him riding up to her in the Park in a suit of ^Zwra-coloured clothes, to give her a stick of perfume of his own manufacture ; a peculiar mark of favour, granted only on condition that she promised faithfully not to give a morsel to the Prince, who was dying to get some. " I hinted at BrummelPs eccentricities ; but she replied, that he was an exceedingly clever man, always suiting his conversation to his hearers, and that he almost always paid her the compli- ment of talking very sensibly. She added, that L2 148 THE LIFE OF she had once rebuked him for some folly or other, and inquired why so clever a person as he was did not devote his talents to a higher purpose than he did ? To which Brummell replied, that he knew human nature well, and that he had adopted the only course which could place him in a prominent light, and enable him to separate himself from the society of the ordinary herd of men, whom he held in considerable contempt. These conversations, with the attendant chibouque, which her Ladyship smoked as determinedly as the longest-bearded Mussulman in the land, were generally prolonged until near daylight, when we retired to rest. " During the day we were left to amuse our- selves, and did not see our kind hostess until after a late dinner. On one occasion, however, she showed us her garden, which, though very small, was laid out with great taste, and in the Eastern style, and contained many very beautiful and rare flowers. Trellises and lattice-work, covered with creepers, were so arranged, that, when lit with lamps, and viewed from the convent windows, the garden would look exactly like a scene in the opera. " Lady Hester had acquired considerable influence amongst the Arab tribes, with whom she passed much time during the earlier period of her resi- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 149 dence in Syria ; this she obtained, partly because, though she professed a partial belief in the Koran, and conformed to most of their customs and pre- judices, her life and habits were beyond their comprehension ; and her morality being unques- tioned, they looked upon her somewhat in the light of a supernatural being a belief that she was inclined to encourage, rather than undeceive. Having tried her courage, which was indomitable, and experienced her hospitality, and the readiness with which her purse was opened to every call of distress, some of the tribes near Palmyra en- deavoured to persuade her to permit herself to be called " Sovereign of the Desert;" and, as she assured me, prepared a sort of ceremony for her installation at Palmyra ; an honour, however, which she prudently declined. She believed in all kinds of astrology, and some of the wildest of the Eastern legends ; especially in that which alludes to the Thirteenth Imaum, whom she called the Saviour, and for whom she kept a horse that had the natural mark of a saddle on its back, which she said had never been mounted by man or woman.* * Mussulman reckon, I think, (for I have no work to refer to,) twelve Imaums, commencing with Moussa, (Moses,) Ibrahim, (Abraham,) and Husrut Esau, (Jesus Christ,) the Healer of the 150 THE LIFE OF " She also told me, that her astrologer had been closely observing us, during our first dinner, and had been able to assure her, that we were not born under a hostile planet, nor had either of us red hair, or foreheads ' villanously low ;' for, had such been the case, she would have been unable to have admitted us to her presence ; and this precaution she always took, with those who were favoured by a reception at her house. Being aware of a prophecy believed by the Mussulmen of Damascus, which declares that the Turkish Empire will crumble to pieces in a certain number of years, after the day on which a Christian or Lame and Blind, and their own prophet Mahomet, &c. The word is also applied to the principal sects, as Ali, the Imaum of the Persians, or the sect of the Shiaites; Abu-Beker, the Imaum of the Sunnites, the sect of the Turks ; and Safi, of another sect, &c. The Mahometans look for the advent or reappearance of ano- ther, who will convert the whole world to the faith of Islam, and reign on earth for a time in great glory and happiness : the end of this period and of the world will be simultaneous. The Mus- sulmen of India and Affghanistan expected the advent alluded to in A.D. 1842, and thought their successes at Cabul a prelude to it. A Belooch chief, when consulting a friend of the writer of this note, as to the advantage of his surrendering on certain terms, observed that if he could but hold out a little longer, his surrender would be rendered unnecessary by the appearance of the Thirteenth Imaum, whose arrival in that year was predicted by all the learned Faquirs in India. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 151 Jew shall first ride on horseback through the holy gate which leads to Mecca she rode up to the guard stationed there with her suite, (always nu- merous and formidably armed.,) spurred her horse, dashed through it, and went straight to the durbar of the Pacha, to acquaint him with her exploit. " In the course of conversation, during the last night we remained at Mar Elias, she inquired whether we had seen the Emir Beschir, and on our replying in the negative, she clapped her hands, and the little black slave, who appeared, with hands crossed over her bosom, to answer the summons, was directed to call the scribe, to whom she dictated an epistle, which was dispatched on the instant to the emir ; saying, that two friends of hers would visit him next day, and desiring a suitable reception. Soon after daylight the mes- senger returned, though the emir's residence was some miles distant, bringing a cordial invitation, which we accepted. " It was not without a feeling of great sadness that I took leave of Lady Hester ; but when I ven- tured to hint at the possibility of her return to Europe, she cut the conversation short, by asking me if I thought she could make up her mind to knit or sew like an Englishwoman, after having spent her life amid the stirring scenes she had 152 THE LIFE OF been constantly engaged in ? I then alluded to her forlorn situation, among men upon whose consciences the blood of a lone woman would have scarce weighed heavily ; but her eyes flashed fire, as she replied, drawing a dagger from her breast, ' Who would be the first to venture on the wild cat in her den ?' Her reply to the consul at Cairo, who addressed her by desire of Ibrahim Pacha, then Governor of Syria, was highly cha- racteristic of herself; without deigning to enter upon the subject of his letter, she directed her secretary to write ' Consuls are for trade, not for the nobility.' The above meagre account will convey but a faint idea of this extraordinary woman, whose whole life was one continued ro- mance ; but it is all my memory enables me to give ; and therefore, my dear Jesse, I must beg you to accept the will for the deed." In a subsequent letter, a reply to one in which I had requested a more exact description of Lady Hester's personal appearance, my kind correspon- dent says, " Her ladyship must have been a tall woman, but her male attire took off from her height ; she was slight, well-formed, and carried herself exceedingly well. The folds of her turban concealed her grey hairs ; and the fairness of her complexion, the absence of beard, the brightness GEORGE BRUMMELL. 153 of her eye, and the vivacity of her expression, gave her the appearance of a young man, until a strong light betrayed the wrinkles which time never fails to engrave on the fairest face. Her enunciation was rapid and fluent ; and when excited, her whole countenance seemed to light up, and she used her chibouque much in the same way that a Spanish lady would her fan except that her gestures were more often those of command than entreaty. She rode as a man, and was always well armed." Such was my friend's clever outline of this singular woman, whose martial spirit and inde- pendent bearing remind us of those heroic ladies who, in ancient days, inhabited the banks of the Thermodon. CHAPTER XL Brummell's Album His letter presenting it to a friend Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire Lines on the Death of Hare Wraxall's description of her Grace Her fascinating manners and love of dress and dissipation Lord Carlisle's apology for her plume Her friend Charles Fox His lines on the death of her favourite Spaniel A scale of the beauties of 1793 Mrs. Bouverie and Charles Fox A scale of intellects. HAVING been able to collect only a few letters, written or received by Brummell before he left England, the most interesting substitute that I can offer in place of such materials is, extracts from his Album of the unpublished poetry of several of the most eminent characters of his time ; indeed, all the poetry subsequently given, is from that collection. This volume is a pon- derous quarto, of plain vellum paper, and, though totally devoid of interior decoration, is, neverthe- less, an example of his taste and extravagance ; for the corners and clasps are of massive em- bossed silver gilt, like those on old missals, and the binding is dark-blue velvet. The velvet has long been faded, and the gild- ing is much worn, as if he had often meditated after his reverses over its well-stored pages ; and THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. 155 though several blank leaves remain, it contains no fewer than two hundred and twenty-six pieces of poetry : the choice of the subjects, and the manner in which they are treated, are not at all consistent with a w r orldly and selfish disposition ; many of them are descriptive of the character- istics of childhood, in which, certainly, no one would suspect Beau Brummell of ever having interested himself; nor is the fact of the volume being such as he could with perfect propriety present to a lady, any trivial proof of his good taste. The whole seem to have been kept as they were sent to him, either in notes, or on loose scraps of paper, and carefully copied in at different periods ; for they are arranged so exactly as to avoid turning over a page in any one of them, that did not require it on account of its length. This album is a little monument of industry, the poetry is all inserted with his own hand, and the writing is remarkably neat ; it might indeed, challenge comparison with any lady's for elegance and regularity, with the advantage over modern penmanship, that it is as legible as printing. About six years before his death he presented this collection to her, whom he deemed most worthy of possessing his treasured memorial of 156 THE LIFE OF times past, a young lady from whose family he had received the greatest attention at Caen, and who had, by her wit and amiability, won the then old gentleman's heart. The following note ac- companied it. Wednesday, April, 1834. If you are fond of poetry, and you have not anything more dull to read, you may, perhaps, find something in my old Album to yawn over, if it does not actually close your eyes ; what it contains, was written in other and happier days, and most of them were given to me by the authors themselves, long before their minor productions had assumed any other form than that of manu- script : such as the Duchess of Devonshire, poor Byron, Sheridan, and Lords Erskine and John Townshend all now peacefully sleeping in their graves! The principal part of those verses that are not recommended by the name being attached to them, are the namby-pamby compositions of an unfortunate person who shall be nameless, but whom you cut dead during the last several even- ings, and who, in desperate consequence, has been measured for a winding-sheet this morning. Always devoutly yours, GEORGE BRUMMELL. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 157 By the Duchess of Devonshire, the first person to whom Brummell makes allusion in this letter, he seems to have been far more than tolerated, he must have been liked ; for it is scarcely probable that her Grace would have presented her own poetry to a person whom she did not think worthy of the compliment, and capable of appreciating it. But previously to laying the extracts I have selected before the reader, the following imperfect sketch of her character may not be altogether superfluous. Her Grace, the daughter of John, first Earl Spencer, was born on the 9th of June, 1757. Of her father's virtues we have had sterling evidence in the tenor of his life, and the general esteem in which he was held ; and these virtues the duke, his son-in-law, has feelingly commemorated in his epitaph, which " Records the debt by love and duty paid." From her cradle Lady Georgiana Spencer gave promise of being unusually intellectual and beau- tiful ; and her sensible and excellent mother, who was a daughter of Stephen Poyntz, Esq., bestowed the greatest care, and exercised the greatest judg- ment, on the cultivation of every principle and attainment that could improve either mind or body. Her success was complete as regarded the elegance 158 THE LIFE OF of both ; but her daughter's mind was by nature deficient in the strength and dignity, on which such a woman would have wished to see her character based. She was enthusiastic, but excessively vola- tile, and the combined temptations of rank, wealth, and beauty were too great not to have a ruinous effect ; for when released from her mother's guidance, by her marriage with William, the late Duke of Devonshire, on the 6th of June, 1774, at which time, observes Horace Walpole, " she was a lovely girl, natural, and full of grace," she was rapidly drawn headlong into the vortex of fashionable life. In palliation of this want of firmness, however, it should not be forgotten that she was but seven- teen years of age, and, by an indulgent husband, placed in possession of the means of gratifying not only her wishes, but her whims. She thus became speedily the authority for every idle fashion ; her name was attached to every novelty in dress that she chose to adopt ; and even the colour of her carriage was known, for some years after her death, as the "Devonshire brown." Her beauty and the i- -i ypa(p SptOTf' Come, Painter, who with skilful hand Canst rival even Nature's art ; Come, Painter, draw, as I command, The absent mistress of my heart. Paint first each soft and jetty tress, With which her graceful head is crown'd ; If colours can so much express, Oh ! paint them breathing odours round. Above her cheek, full, lovely, fair, Where modest blushes reddening glow, Beneath her mildly curling hair, Describe with skill her ivory brow. Ah! how to imitate her face Thy chiefest science will be tried ; Between her brows the middle space Nor quite confound nor quite divide. Here let the eyelid's lash be shown ; Here let her semblance bear complete, Dark arching eyebrows like her own, Which meeting, scarcely seem to meet. But, Painter, do not here forget To give her eye its native flame, Azure, Minerva-like, and yet, As melting as the Paphian dame. s2 260 THE LIFE OF Her nose and cheek then fashion well That white as milk, and roseate this : Her lips, like soft Persuasion's swell, Pouting and challenging the kiss. Beneath her chin, where dimples play, About her neck of Parian stone, Let all the Loves and Graces stray ; That happy spot is all their own. But oh ! those beauties of my fair, Which I alone must e'er reveal, Come, Painter, with the strictest care Beneath the purple robe conceal. Yet sometimes let the skin of snow Through the thin garment's covering shine, And faintly tell what beauties glow Unseen by any eyes but mine. Enough, enough ! upon my sight Her charms with dazzling lustre break ; She seems to breathe ! with fond delight I pause, for she ere long will speak. Come, Painter, Love demands thy care, Thy strongest, brightest powers command ; Thy most unfading lines prepare, Thy finest eye, and happiest hand. For though I oft have seen to grow, Beneath thy touch, the mimic face ; Have seen thy magic pencil throw Upon the canvass living grace ; GEORGE BRUMMELL. 261 This task must e'en thy labour foil, Unequal all thy skill must prove ; This task will mock thy utmost toil, I think thou canst not paint my Love. Thy pencil thine alone may reach The charms that fav'ring beauty gave, And thou, like her, perhaps, may'st teach The cheek to blush, the hair to wave ; But ah ! a lover more requires Than waving hair, and blushing cheeks ; He asks the idea his flame inspires, The form that lives, the face that speaks : He asks that brow that teems with sense. The feature with expression fraught ; The eye that beams intelligence, The pregnant glance, and silent thought. He asks that lip that seems to swell With love it does not dare reveal ; He asks that eye that fears to tell The pleasing tale it can't conceal. Oh ! couldst thou trace the gentle heart, As in her features it is shown ! But here, unpractised in thy art That charm, my Love, is thine alone ! There were two or three other fragments of Lord Melbourne's poetry ; and one of them, written in his brother's pocket-book, after Mr. Lamb had reco- vered from a dangerous illness, offers a pleasing tes- timony of the friendship that existed between them. This gentleman, well known to the world as the author of a translation of Catullus, appears also to have added 262 THE LIFE OF several pieces of his composition to BrummeH's col- lection ; and the following very original song is the happiest effort amongst them. At the period of his death, which took place in London on the 23rd of January, 1834, in the forty-ninth year of his age, Mr. Lamb was Under Secretary of State for the Home Department. THE ROBBER'S GOOD-NIGHT. GEORGE LAMB. The goblet is empty, and toll'd are the chimes, Sleep hides from mankind both its sorrows and crimes ; And, in quiet repose till the dawning of day, The guilty and honest, the wretched and gay. The guilty can sleep, though terrific, 'tis said, The dreams and the ghosts that encircle their bed ; But he who a victim's last curses can bear, Will not shrink from the bodiless spectres of air. The wretched can sleep, for the bosom is worn, The heart has grown dull with the weight it has borne ; More sweet are the visions in slumber that live, Than the mournful realities daylight can give. Yes ! the goblet is drain'd, and its floods in their course Have drown'd all reflection, regret, and remorse ; And shall spread o'er my pallet as tranquil a rest, As the moralist paints on the couch of the blest. There were likewise the following verses by Payne Knight, the author of Taste, and one of the most eminent Greek scholars of his day. At his death, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 263 which took place at his house in Soho-square, on the 28th of April, 1834, he bequeathed his col- lection of medals, drawings, and bronzes, worth more than thirty thousand pounds, to the British Museum. Amongst the drawings was a volume of Claude's, for which Mr. Knight gave sixteen hun- dred pounds to a person, who, a few days before, had purchased it for three pounds ! THE YELLOW LEAF. R. P. KNIGHT. Round flew the bowl, the laugh rose high, Whilst summer's richest canopy, The wedded boughs of emerald dye, Was all our shade. So soft the air, so gay the plain, Though August's moon was in her wane, We said that summer's verdant reign Would never cease. High rose the laugh, the transports swell, When sudden, potent as a spell, Detach'd by no rude zephyr, fell One yellow leaf! The mirth was hush'd, the songsters' lays Broke short ; and each in solemn gaze Hung on the leaf, nor dared to raise A timorous eye ; Each fear'd, upon the other's face His own sad feelings writ, to trace, As the pale emblem spoke the race Of summer run. 264 THE LIFE OF It seem'd some fairy, throned in air, Had mark'd our bliss, and pausing there, Dismiss'd a monitor to bear Truth to each heart. To tell us that the scene might glow, But soon should change in cheerless snow, To tell us that our bliss should know An autumn too. That joys but coming sorrow speak, As calms precede the tempest bleak, That death his surest victim's cheek With roses paints. Yes, in that moment, on that day, Reflection stole my smiles away ; And, like him, weeping to survey His myriad bands, Methought, ere many a year goes round, Few may, of us, 'who on this ground Now gaily revel, few be found To meet again. The young before the old may go ; And he who bids this measure flow May fall, perhaps, the first, to show This moral true. I will close this chapter with the following lines of George Canning's and some by Mrs. O'Neill, also from the scrap-book : the former do not certainly impair the force and truth of Mr. Lockhart's re- mark on his satirical powers. " No man," he says, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 265 " ever possessed a gayer wit in society than he did ; his lash fetched away both skin and flesh, and would have penetrated the hide of a rhinoceros :" it would indeed have penetrated the hide of that animal, and tanned. I have not found these lines amongst Canning's published poems. They were written on Mr. Whitbread's speech at the opening of the im- peachment of Viscount Melville in 1805, of which trial Chief Baron Thompson observed, that he had " heard of an ' impeachment of waste,' but that these proceedings were, in his humble opinion, a waste of impeachment." Many were the droll stories that the amiable old judge had to tell of this trial, and that of the famous one of Warren Has- tings; at which he used to assure his delighted listeners, the juniors of the bar, that his Brother Gould, when proceeding with great solemnity to take his place at the spot appointed for the judges, sat down on one of the heralds, who was so dis- guised by his tabard, that he mistook him for a state chair! GEORGE CANNING. 1 'm like Archimedes for science and skill, I 'm like a young princess that went up a hill ; And, to interest the hearts of the fair, be it said, I 'm like a young lady just bringing to bed. Would you know why th' eleventh of June I remember', Much better than April, or March, or November? 266 THE LIFE OF Twis because on that day ' v 'tis with pride I assure ye My sainted progenitor took to his Brewery. That morn he began his first brewing of beer, That evening commenced his connubial career : On tht day he died, having finished his summing. Arid the angels cried, ** look ! here 's old Whitbread a-coming.* 1 So that day I hafl with a smOe and a sigh, For his beer with an E, and his bier with an I. And on that day each year, in the hottest of weather, The whole Whhbread family feast altogether. My Lords, while the beams of this hall shall support The roof which o'ershades this respectable court, (Where Hastings was tried for oppressing the Hindoos,) While die beams of die son shall shir.e in at the windows, if T name shall shine bright, as my father's now shines, Emblazon 'd on Journals, as his is on Signs. A most extraordinary and touching circumstance closed the proceedings of this trial, which, however it may have flattered Lord Melville, did not per- haps afford him such unalloyed gratification as it did amusement to his brother peers. It is said that when his acquittal was pronounced, the eccen- tric Duchess of Gordon, his countrywoman, rose from her seat, and with a warmth of feeling, which made every particular hair of his lordship's ermine stand on end, rushed forward and kissed him ! exclaiming, in no very subdued tone, " Weel, my lord, I'm very dad to see that we have at least one honest mon in this hoose." Henrietta Boyle, the authoress of the amusing GEORGE BRUMMELL. 267 verses that conclude this chapter, born in 1758. was the only daughter of Charles, Viscount Dun- garron, eldest son of John, filth Earl of Cork. On the ISth of October. 1777, she married John O'Neill, Esq., of Shanes Castle, near Antrim, in the streets of which town he was cruelly and bru- tally piked by the rebels in 1798. MRS. O'NEILL. Ere raging seas between as roll, Oh come and soothe my tortured soul! Return once more to me ; Come, and each anxious fear remove, Speak peace, and tell me that you lore, And bid me live for thee. Come, and my wayward fancy cheat, Persuade me by some dear deceit That long I shall not mourn ; Calm all my woes, subdue my sighs, By some sweet lawful perjuries, And be for once forsworn. Swear, that ere three eternal weeks, You '11 kiss the tear from off my cheeks, Though you mean twice the time ; Swear, that for worlds you would not be Another day or hour from me. Love will absolve the crime. Mrs, O'Neill died on the 3rd of September, 1793, and her husband was created a peer on the 30th of November following. This accomplished lady 268 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. wrote some interesting poetry, amongst which, under the name of Geraldine Verney, was an Ode to the Poppy, originally printed in her friend Charlotte Smith's novel of Desmond, and subse- quently in the Rev. A. Dyce's Specimens of British Poetesses. CHAPTER XIX. " Wales, ring the bell" The real delinquent Brummell's quarrel with the Prince of Wales Causes that led to it Ben and Benina Mrs. Fitzher- bert The Beau's impudence "Who's your fat friend?" Brummell's intimacy with the Duke of York Letters from the Duchess to Brummell Her great partiality for dogs F^te at Oatlands The Duke's reply to his servant A Pastoral Dialogue by R. B. Sheridan The Right Honour- able George Rose, NOTWITHSTANDING the great disparity of rank, the intimacy that was formed between Brummell and the Prince of Wales, continued for some years un- interrupted. He was a constant guest at Carlton House, and was distinguished by many marks, never pecuniary ones, of his royal friend's partiality for him. At length however a rupture took place, but it was not caused by the circumstance to which it is usually attributed. The story of "Wales, ring the bell!" was always denied by Brummell: indeed he seemed indignant at its being generally credited ; and I have heard him, in explanation of the subject, say, " I was on such intimate terms with the Prince, that if we had been alone I could have asked him to ring the bell without offence ; but with a third per- 270 THE LIFE OF son in the room I should never have done so, I knew the Regent too well." The vulgar impudence of the action itself, without Brummell's denial of it, makes the anecdote extremely improbable ; and he was also too good a judge of his own interests, to run the risk of being turned out of the Prince's society for the mere fun of enacting such a piece of tomfoolery. Another version of the story, is, that one evening, when Brummell and Lord Moira were engaged in earnest conversation at Carlton House, the Prince requested the former to ring the bell, and that he replied without reflection, " your Royal Highness is close to it ;" upon which the Prince rang the bell and ordered his friend's carriage, but that Lord Moira's intervention caused the unintentional li- berty to be overlooked. This act of folly lias, and I believe with more truth, been attributed to a young relation of Cap- tain, afterwards Admiral Payne's,* and under cir- cumstances far more creditable to the Prince's good taste and good feeling. Admiral Payne, a wit and bon vivant, was comptroller of the household ; and * John Willett Payne was a Rear Admiral of the Red, Vice Admiral of the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall, Treasurer of Greenwich Hospital, and Lord Warden of the Stannaries; he died on the 17th of November, 1803. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 271 owing to the position he occupied, and his intimacy with the Prince, this lad, a midshipman in the navy, was sometimes asked to dine at Carlton House. Of course, boy like, he boasted of the honour in the cock-pit ; and one day, when rallied by his compa- nions on the extremely easy terms that he repre- sented himself to be upon with his royal friend, he made a bet, that, the next time he dined with the Prince, he would tell him to ring the bell. A few days after he was again invited to Carlton House, and, having primed himself with champagne, actually did ask the Regent to ring the bell. His Royal Highness immediately complied, and when the page in waiting, or some other subordinate, made his appearance, said good humouredly, " Put that drunken boy to bed." Brummell, as well as his friends, attributed his quarrel with the Prince of Wales to a series of sarcastic remarks, in which he had indulged at the expense of Mrs. Fitzherbert ; indiscretions that he was led into by foolishly espousing the part of a noble lady her rival : but his talent for ridicule once enlisted in her cause, he did not spare even the Prince himself. There was at that time a burly porter at Carlton House, nicknamed " Big Ben," who was so tall that he could look over the gates, and as the Regent was then increasing in size, 272 THE LIFE OF Brummell often designated the master, by the ap- pellation of the servant and Mrs. Fitzherbert, by that of " Benina." It is also said, that he annoyed her by various remarks of the same kind ; and that, when desired by the Regent at a ball at Lady Jersey's to call her carriage, he obeyed, but in doing so, substituted the word mistress for the usual one of Mrs., and laid a strong emphasis on the insulting epithet. If this anecdote is true, no wonder that when it came to the lady's ears, as well as the Prince's, with the allusions to their embonpoint, (upon which subject they were, as people frequently are, extremely sensitive,) such ill- timed jokes were resented ; and that Brummell was dismissed : he always, however, considered that the continuation of the Regent's anger was owing to Mrs. Fitzherbert, whose absurd vanity in identifying herself with the Crown of England for it was that or nothing made her peculiarly unforgiving on this subject ; and her dislike to Fox renders it probable that Brummell's opinion was correct. Moore, however, in a parody on a cele- brated letter from the Prince Regent, to the Duke of York, on the 13th of February, 1812, gives the former the credit of all the indignation against Brummell, and adduces another well-known mot of the Beau's as the reason of it. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 273 " Neither have I resentments, nor wish there should come ill To mortal, except, now I think on't, Beau Brummell ; Who threatened last year, in a superfine passion, To cut me, and bring the old King into fashion." But, whatever the causes of offence may have been that led to the quarrel, the Beau treated the affair with his usual assurance ; and waging war upon his royal adversary, assailed him with ridi- cule in all quarters, and affected to say, that he had himself cut the connexion : it was in this spirit, no doubt, that he said to Colonel McMahon, "I made him what he is, and I can unmake him." Of course, after this break, the Regent deter- mined to take advantage of the first opportunity that occurred, of showing the world that he was no longer anxious to continue the acquaintance. An occasion for his so doing presented itself not long after in a morning walk, when the Prince, leaning on Lord Moira's arm, met Brummell and Lord A , coming in the opposite direction, and, probably with the intention of making the cut more evident, his Royal Highness stopped and spoke to his Lordship, without noticing the Beau little thinking that he would resent it ; great therefore must have been his surprise and annoyance, as each party turned to continue their promenade, to hear him say in a distinct tone, expressive of complete ig- VOL. i. T 274 THE LIFE OF no ranee of his person, " A , who 's your fat friend ? " But Brummell was sometimes in a humour to adduce other reasons than the right one for the fracas, which led to his final rupture with the Regent, and the favourite fiction that he then palmed upon his most eager listeners was, that they had been rivals in a love affair, in which the Prince was of course the unsuccessful suitor. When Brummell found that his Royal High- ness had really closed the doors of Carlton House against him, he cultivated with greater assiduity the friendship that had always existed between him- self and the Duke of York, who was never known, in good or ill report, to desert a friend; and his conduct, and that of the Duchess, to the Beau in his exile, were striking instances of the steadiness and sincerity of their friendship. "The Duchess," says Mr. Raikes, "was a person of excellent taste, and a very nice discriminator of good breeding and manners, and the regard which that Princess entertained for Brummell was highly creditable to him. It may, indeed, be said in favour of the manners of that day, that her Royal Highness often remarked how superior they were to the tone of those that existed at the period of her marriage, when the Duke was surrounded by a set of roue's who seemed to glory iA their excesses, and showed a great want of re- GEORGE BHUMMELL. 275 finement and courtesy in women's society. At the time Brummell visited at Oatlands, England had been for many years without a Court, and the limited circle that surrounded the Duke and Duchess of York, though differing scarcely from that of a private family, rendered it the only Royal residence that was the scene of constant hospitality ; and it might have been appropriately termed a little Court, in which the affability on the one side, and the affectionate deference on the other, were equally remarkable. Here used to assemble, at the end of the week, Brummell, and all the most agreeable men of the day, intimately acquainted with each other, and sincerely attached to their Royal host and hostess." I am ignorant of the precise dates at which the two following notes from the Duchess to Brum- mell were written ; but they were copied by myself from her autograph, and are inserted as a proof that he must have stood high in her esteem, and that she corresponded with, and received him, on the most intimate footing. The first was written to acknow- ledge the receipt of a note announcing the loss of a lottery-ticket, which they had purchased together : the paragraph alluding to the chances of his future life is happily expressed, and the sincerity of the concluding sentence was fully proved in after-years, 276 THE LIFE OF by her generous conduct towards him when she had the pain of seeing that her good wishes turned out unavailing. Oatlands, ce 20 Septcmbre. Vous avez une maniere si aimable d'annoncer les plus mauvaises nouvelles, qu'elles perdent par la de leur desagremens ; je ne puis cependant que m'affliger avec vous de la perte de tous nos beaux projets de fete, qui s'eVanouissent avec la perte de not re billet de loterie, dont je vous acquitte la dette ci-joint, et y joignent les vceux les plus sin- ceres que ceci puisse etre le dernier mauvais tour que la Fortune puisse vous jouer, et que dans toutes les autres circonstances de votre vie, elle puisse toujours vous etre favorable. Ce sera me rendre justice que de vous persuader que personne ne peut s'interesser plus sincerement a votre bon- heur et a tout ce qui vous concerne. Je n'ai rien a vous dire de ma solitude qui puisse exciter votre curiosite, n'y ayant vu personne de ceux qui vous inteVessent depuis votre depart. J'es- pere que vous reviendrez bientot dans ces contrees, et qu'il me sera permis de vous reiterer moi-me'me ici les assurances de 1'amitie sincere et de la conside'ra- tion parfaite avec laquelle je suis Votre toute affectionnee amie et servante, F. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 277 The next note from her Royal Highness was to thank him for remembering her fete-day, and send- ing her a beautiful little dog, which Brummell, with his usual good taste, had selected for his present in preference to anything else, knowing the passion his royal friend had for that animal. Her Royal Highness is said to have had at one time upwards of one hundred dogs at Oatlands, and she sometimes erected monuments over her especial favourites : they are grouped round a fountain in the grounds in front of a grotto, to which, during the summer months, she frequently retired with her work or a book. It is, I believe, near this spot that the inha- bitants of the parish in which Oatlands is situated erected a monument to the memory of this amiable woman, to which the humblest amongst the parish- ioners spontaneously requested permission to con- tribute their mite. Windsor, ce neuf de Mai. On ne saurait etre plus sensible que je le suis au souvenir obligeant que vous avez bien voulu me donner au jour de ma fete, et au charmant cadeau que le Due m'a remis de votre part. Recevez mes remercimens les plus sinceres pour ce joli petit chien, c'est 1'embleme de la Fide lit e ; j'aime me flatter qu'elle sera celui de la continuation de notre 278 THE LIFE OF amitie, k laquelle je vous assure que j'attache le plus grand prix. J'ai une toux de dmetiere qui menace mine ; si elle ne m'a pas mis sous terre avant le commence- ment du mois prochain, je compte me rendre & Londres, dans ce temps-la, et un des motifs qui me fait envisager avec le plus de plaisir ce sejour est qu'il me procurera 1'avantage de vous y rencontrer et de pouvoir vous reiterer moi-meme combien je suis Votre toute affectionee amie et servante, F. Though the parties at Oatlands were generally, as I have before remarked, of a very unostentatious character, the Duchess's birth-day was sometimes celebrated with great splendour, particularly the one of 1811, of which I have heard Brummell speak. The King and Princesses were present, and, after they left, the park-gates were thrown open to the public, consisting principally of the tenants and labourers in the neighbourhood, who assembled in the lower part of the house. Here tables were laid out with refreshments, which were soon cleared ; and the punch, six quarts of which were placed upon each, having freely circulated, at nine dancing commenced, the Duchess leading off the first dance, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 279 called the Labyrinth, with Colonel, now General, Upton. It was by these unaffected examples of hospi- tality that the Duke endeared himself to high and low about him ; and the numerous instances on record of his generous disposition, more particu- larly when in command of the army, and his unva- rying anxiety to promote the comfort of the most subordinate member of it, have rendered his memory dear to the service, and completely effaced the recollection of his failings. Very many are the anec- dotes related of the unpremeditated proofs of his kindness of heart, and ready consideration for his inferiors in station ; but every soldier should know the following one, and every insolent lackey too. The Duke was on the point of mounting his horse one day at Oatlands, to take a ride, when, observ- ing a poor woman slowly retreating from the door, he enquired of the servant who she was ? The fel- low flippantly replied, " Nobody, your Royal High- ness, but a soldier's wife, a-begging." " And, pray, sir," said the Duke, indignantly, " what is your mistress ? " It is needless to add, the poor woman was relieved. In Brummell's album are several interesting sou- venirs of his visits at Oatlands, written by Sheridan 280 THE LIFE OF and Lord Erskine, who very likely gave them to him as having also been a guest on the occasions to which they refer. They are pleasing instances of the cheerful and friendly feeling that existed amongst those who enjoyed the Duke's hospitality ; and it was probably after one of these brilliant and agree- able parties, that Sheridan wrote the following admirable and good-humoured quiz upon Erskine, which, though satirical, is much too harmlessly witty to have offended the ex-Chancellor. There was no date attached to it, but it was evidently written after that nobleman resigned the seals, and previously to May, 1812, as Mr. Perceval, who is mentioned in it, was assassinated in the lobby of the House of Commons on the llth of that month. THE EAGLE AND THE WREN, OR, THOMAS AND RICHARD. (Erskine.) (Sheridan.) A PASTORAL DIALOGUE. R. B. SHERIDAN. Where Oatlands' lofty bank, in sylvan pride, Looks o'er the Thames and the fair prospect wide, There is the spot where once two shepherds stood, Safe from the river's fast encroaching flood ; Fictitious shepherds, true, and eke 'tis truth, Swains not exactly in the bloom of youth ; GEORGE BRUMMELL. 281 Yet both had skill to talk, and verse could scan, And now in measured rhyme their converse ran ; While Thomas clear'd his pipe, sly Richard thus began : RICHARD. How could'st thou, Thomas, at the festive board, Admitted guest of Oatlands' royal lord, Decline the challenge which I gave to thee To break a lance in sportive poesy ? Thou know'st, ere now we've tried the gay dispute, Unvanquish'd then, how could'st thou now be mute ? Unstudied verse might royal care beguile, And raise on listening beauty's cheek a favouring smile. THOMAS. Friend Richard, well I saw your treacherous aim, You sought to triumph, and bring me to shame ; To make a boast in royal beauty's eyes You dared the contest, and you hoped the prize ; By nature dull, by art a rhymer made, Verse your profession, poetry your trade. I, bred to nobler purposes, disdain A puny contest with the scribbling train ; And though I sometimes condescend to rhyme, When humour prompts, and business grants me time, I never publish do you ask the cause ? I'm quite contented with my own applause. RICHARD. Nay, Thomas, hold ! for now, by heaven, you wrong The taste of friendship, and thy power of song ; For who has read a line that bears thy name, Which, though withheld by thee from vulgar fame, Taste would disown, or g( nius fail to claim ? 282 THE LIFE OF THOMAS. Thy praise, dear Richard, is no doubt sincere, But justest praise may yet be bought too dear ; Practised in jingling verse, you know your power, I, the chance poet of an idle hour, With thee in verse will battle, when George Rose * Shall hate employment, and demand repose ; * The Right Honourable George Rose, son of the Rev. David Rose, of Lethnet, and descended by his father from an ancient family in Nairnshire, was born on the 17th of June, 1744. At the early age of four years he was brought to England, where he was educated, and rose to distinction entirely through his own exertions. One of the first patrons of this leviathan of in- dustry was Brummell's father, who from his position in the Treasury was of great service to him in forwarding his interests. The following is an epitome of his lucrative and honorary occupations. Tn 1767, he took a principal share in the publication of the Journals and Records of Parliament, from the ear- liest period : in 1772, he was appointed to the Keepership of Records in the ancient Treasury at Westminster : in 1776, he was appointed Secretary to the Board of Taxes: in 1782, he was named Secretary to the Treasury under Lord Shelburne, and Pitt ; was removed on the change of Government in the spring of 1783, and re-appointed under Pitt in the December following. In this year he also obtained a reversionary grant of the office of Clerk of Parliament. In 1784, he was elected M.P. for Launceston, and in 1788 he vacated that seat, on succeeding to the above-mentioned office, and was re- turned M.P. for Lymington. In 1790, he sat for Christchurch. In 1801, he resigned his Secretaryship of the Treasury, and in 1804, on Mr. Pitt's return to power, was appointed Joint Paymaster-General of the Forces, and Vice- President of the Committee of Privy-Council for the Affairs of Trade, which he retained till the death of that Minister. In 1807, under the Duke of Port- land, Le was appointed Treasurer of the Navy, and re- appointed Vice-Pre- sident of the Board of Trade. He was likewise a Privy- Councillor, Trustee of the British and Hunterian Museums, an Elder Brother of the Trinity House, Deputy Warden of the New Forest, and one of the Verderers of the same. Under these circumstances it is wonderful the Honourable Gentleman did not " demand repose." Sir George Rose died at his seat, Cuffnells, near Lyndhurst, on the 13th of January, 1818, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 283 When Trotter * shall the prince of lies outfib, And Spencer Perceval f shall challenge Cribb ; An eagle you, from your own wing your pen You draw then bravely challenge a poor wren ! RICHARD. Nay, Thomas, sure this flattery 's unfit, Or wish you irony to pass for wit ? Your simile forego, I dared the test, Not who was strongest, but whose muse was best ; To cover your retreat retract your theme, Who hears an eagle's voice must hear a scream ; Quick then, dear Tom, some new allusion bring, Till wrens bear thunderbolts, and eagles sing. By heavens ! I do my lofty spirit wrong, To grate this jarring pipe with thee so long : Hast thou not known me in my hour of pride, When at the bar I led the legal tide ? Who could more surely, by each trick and fudge Humbug the jury, or browbeat the judge ? How many patriots J has my fluent tongue Lifted to glory, who had else been hung ! * John Barnard Trotter, Esq., Private Secretary to C. J. Fox, of whose life and career he published a very strange account. This work drew forth some strong animadversions from different writers, and among the rest, Dr. Moseley, who decidedly contradicted the author, with respect to the medical treatment of the illustrious statesman. It is probably to Mr. Trotter's book that Sheridan alludes, and to the proverbial saying, " He lies like the d 1.' f A specimen of Sheridan's drollery; for this unfortunate gentleman was particularly thin, and slightly formed, and not exactly the person who might be expected to throw down his glove to the Champion of England. J Lord Erskine defended Lord George Gordon, Home Tooke, Hardy, and Thelwall. 284 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. While, advocating freedom's sacred cause, I won the mob, and gain'd each jail's applause Proving the right of treason to upset the laws. RICHARD. Nay, not so warm, my dearest Thomas, pray, I grant your merit, and grant all you say ; Thou hast indeed saved many of the gang, Who in return would gladly see thee hang. THOMAS. Richard, I scorn thy taunts and wiliest sneers ; The merit's mine, the ingratitude is theirs. But, grant my labours no due thanks obtain'd, Can you forget the higher post I gain'd ? Must I remind you of the seal I bore, The wig and golden tassell'd robe I were, The flowing train behind, and broider'd purse before ? Now, by these glorious honours, which again I surely shall possess (though God knows when,) In verse with thee I never will contend, Unless I choose the theme * * * RICHARD. * * Agreed, my friend. THOMAS. Then will I sing to our great Master's praise. CHAPTER XX. A Dinner party at Oatlands Lord Erskine's description of it in verse The company present Colonel Armstrong The Honourable William Spencer Monk Lewis Kangaroo Cooke Lady Anne Culling Smith Miss Fitzroy Colonel de Lancey Barclay Brummell Le Chevalier Guinea Lord Ers- kine's childhood One of his letters written from school Goes to sea in the Tartar Letter to Lord Cardcross from Jamaica. THIS challenge of Sheridan's seems to have had its effect upon Lord Erskine on the 31st of December, 1812, on which day, in compliance with the good old custom of seeing the Old year out and the New year in, a dinner party was given at Oatlands ; and this he afterwards described in the following lively and agreeable manner. LOUD ERSKINE. The fair Princess* sat first, far the highest in place, But her rank in eclipse by good nature and grace Her manners no court upon earth could bestow, To the best of all hearts their perfection they owe ; And her converse, so pleasant, so keen, so refined, No reading could give its bright source is the mind ; Her elegant form gives a life to the whole ; Coalition complete of the body and soul. * Her Royal Highness Frederica Charlotte Ulrica Catharina, Princess Royal of Prussia, married to the Duke of York, on the 29th of September, 1791, and died at Oatlands, on the 6th of August, 1820, in the fifty-fourth year of her age. 286 THE LIFE OF Next, Armstrong* was seated; on Armstrong depend, For wit as companion, for truth as a friend ; As a man of the world he 's completely at ease, No effort he makes to amuse or to please ; Yet is sure to do both, with his manners so quiet, Sliding in better things than many who try it. To Armstrong next sat, my friend William Spencer ; f Why Spencers such poets are, I would fain ken, Sir ; I hate all monopolies never was seen Such a fuss as we had, with the famed " Faerie Queen." Ere England had numbers, this bard took the lead, And wrote like an angel when few men could read. Thus centuries pass'd ; and now when Old Time Has exalted our language, and fashion'd our rhyme, William Spencer runs in, other poets before, To witch us as Edmund has witch'd us of yore ; And yet not content with this talent divine, Whenever he speaks, he must sparkle and shine. But to make such a picture as friendship would draw, You must lend me, dear Spencer, your pen or your jaw Each a capital prize to a man of the law. * Lieut. Colonel James Armstrong, originally in the Tenth Foot, and sub- sequently in the Ceylon and 50th Regiments, was at this time an aide-de-camp of the Duke of York's. He died on the 15th of August, 1828. f " Polished William Spencer, the Poet of society," as he was usually called, was the second son of Lord Charles Spencer, by the Honourable Mary Beauclerk, daughter of Lord Vere, and sister of Aubrey, fifth Duke of St. Albans. The first of Mr. Spencer's Poetical Works, and published in 1790, was a Translation of Biirger's Leonora, embellished by his aunt Lady Diana, the wife of Topham Beauclerk, a great macaroni in his day. Subsequently to this, he wrote a Drama called Urania, or the Illumine ; it was performed at Drury Lane, with some applause, and his friend Lord John Townshend wrote the prologue. In 1811, he published a collection of Poems which were dedicated to Sarah, Lady Jersey. This accomplished gentleman, one of the most agreeable dining-out men of his day, died at Paris, on the 23rd of October, 1834. GEORGE BIIUMMELL. 287 " Other poets," cried Lewis,* who sat next beside, " Who shoulder us thus, may all evils betide !" But Lewis all earthly approach mav defy ; As a canonized monk he may mount to the sky ; * Matthew Gregory Lewis, born in London in 1773, was the son of a large West Indian proprietor, at one time Under Secretary at War. Educated at Westminster, he afterwards travelled on the Continent, and remained some time in Germany, where he imbibed that excessive love of the marvellous, which he afterwards displayed in his works ; exhibiting all the fantastic vaga- ries of his Teutonic models, in addition to the wildness, originality, and license of his own ideas. He had talent, but it was of an illegitimate and unhealthy description ; and his novel and nickname, The Monk, by which he acquired an infamous notoriety, and which on account of its licentiousness was very popular with a certain class, will be a lasting monument of his depraved taste lasting, because society will never be without readers who delight in works of that character ; and in this respect he lives for posterity, a posterity of demireps and courtezans, inexperienced youth and debauchees. Mr. Lewis was a senator, as well as a novelist ; but seldom took part in the business of the house, and never made a figure in it. The notoriety that he succeeded in obtaining by his works, a superficial skill in poetry, and great conversational powers, his wealth and the letters M.P., enabled him to insinuate himself into the society of people of rank. He was a constant visitor of the Princess of Wales at Kensington House, and, as seen by this poem, an occasional one at Oatlands ; where he made himself agreeable to her Royal Highness, by writing elegies and epitaphs on the death of her dogs, and possibly birth-day odes when they were living. In the periodicals of the day, and particularly in a satirical poem, published in 1802, Mr. Lewis and his works are severely criticized, and the author concludes his censures with these two lines : " That the man who to talent makes any pretence Should write not at all, or should write common sense." In fairness, however, it ought to be mentioned, that his friend Mr. Gait says, in the Diary illustrative of the Times of George the Fourth, that he pos- sessed generous and noble feelings, and talents of a very high description. Lord Byron, another intimate friend of his, observes, that he was a "good man, a clever man, but a bore. My only revenge or consolation used to be setting him by the ears with some vivacious person who hated bores espe- cially Madame de Stael, or Hobhouse, for example. But I liked Lewis, he was the jewel of a man, had he been better set ; I don't mean personally, but less 288 THE LIFE OF No, no, we can't spare his original brain, Which has led us so often in Fancy's fair train ; The scenes that surround us so dully the same, Who shifts with his genius well merits his fame. Next to Lewis there sat, would you wish to know who ? T will tell you my worthy good friend Kangaroo ;* He who goes by a name by parents not given, Depend on 't is one highly favour'd by Heaven ; The friend whom we love we mould at our pleasure, And count on his temper, the best of all treasure ; Since in spite of the misanthrope's sullen pretence, Good nature is still the companion of sense. tiresome, for he was tedious, as well as contradictory, to every thing, and every body. Poor fellow! he died a martyr to his new riches of a second visit to Jamaica. ' I'd give the lands of Deloraine, Dark Musgrave were alive again.' That is I would give many a sugar-cane Mat Lewis were alive again !" But it is not easy to reconcile these opinions with the spirit of Mr. Lewis's works, which deliberately tend to debase the human heart, always sufficiently prone to error and infirmity. The most correct view of the Monk's character appears to have been taken by Madame de Stae'l, who wittily and piquantly remarked, that he was not only " inferieur, mais ires inferieur." Mr. Lewis died at sea, in 1818. * Major-General Henry Frederick Cooke, C.B., and K.C.H., commonly called Kang- Cooke a portrait of whom, under that sobriquet, is to be found in Dighton's caricatures, was at this time a captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Coldstream, and aide-de-camp to the Duke of York. Various rumours have been circulated to account for his name having been thus humorously associated with the mammalia of New Holland. Oue is that he let loose a cage full of these animals at Pidcock's menagerie ; another, that on being asked by his old patron, the Duke of York, how he fared in the Peninsula, replied that he " could get nothing to eat but kangaroo." General Cooke died on the 10th of March, 1837, at Harefield Park. He was the last sur- viving brother of Lieutenant-General Sir George Cooke, K.C.B. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 289 Thus take the world o'er, you will find very few Who have more of sound brains than this same Kangaroo ; And as for his person, his breeding, and taste, They speak for themselves, so I pass on in haste. By this Colonel sat one, in gay circles well known, Yet, who see him in rounds of amusement alone, Know little about him they see him at ease, A high man of fashion, with talents to please ; But believe me, in London to rise to the top, Like Brummell, (since London discarded the fop,*) You must know all that 's known to the highest in place, And possess the rare gift to give knowledge a grace. But why should the muse, his acquirements to show, Fly to common-place truths which the vulgar well know ? Since the brighter the emerald the duchess now wears, The higher of course is the polish it bears. Oh what shall I write ? next him sat Lady Anne,f How shall I describe her ? describe her who can. * Probably some passt dandy about town. f This lady, who is still living, is the only daughter of Garrett Wellesley, second Lord Mornington, and sister of the late Marquis Wellesley. Her ladyship was born on the 13th of March, 1768, and married first, Henry Fitzroy, third son of Charles, Lord Southampton, and subsequently, on tht- 9th of August, 1799, Culling Charles Smith, Esq. Of the distinguished persons mentioned by Lord Erskine in this poem, Lady Anne and her hus- band are, I believe, the only individuals that still survive. The following obituary, taken from a morning paper in the spring of this year, is strong presumptive evidence that Lord Erskine's amiable and friendly portraiture of Lady Anne was not merely an unmeaning courtesy, and that though her beauty was great, and her love for her children intense, she extended much kindness and consideration to her dependants. " Died, at the Palace, Hamp- ton-Court, on Saturday evening, May the 13th, in her seventy-fifth year, beloved, esteemed, and deeply lamented by all who knew her, Mrs. Sarah Milner, for fifty-two years the faithful and affectionate servant of Lady Anne Culling Smith." This testimony to the memory of a tried and faithful servant leads me to speak of another instance of the same kind, which, while VOL. I. U 290 THE LIFE OF When I think on her face ev'ry thought 's at an end ; And my numbers must flow as their chances may send, Her eye, full of fire, passes through to the heart, As Wellington sees through his ranks at a dart ; But a truce is soon put to this turbulent pother, By the chain-shot of wife tied together with mother ; Each beauty-bred wish she 's for ever annulling, All lost in her daughters, and Frederick,* and Culling, f waiting to examine the register to ascertain a date for this work, I observed on a modest tablet in a secluded corner of St. Martin's Church. The tablet is of grey marble, and though the letters are gilt, they were not easily distin- guished ; but on climbing over the side of a pew, and standing on a seat, I found the following inscription upon it, which is such an excellent proof of Her Most Gracious Majesty's kind feeling for an old servant, and probably, from its retired position, so little known, that I have ventured to insert it here, as an example to her countrywomen. Sacred to the memory of LOUISA Louis, For many years the faithful and devoted servant of Her late Royal Highness the PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES, and, from her earliest infancy, honoured by the affectionate attachment of HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA ; By whose gracious command this tablet has been placed in St. Martin's Church. Born at Erbach, in Germany, 1771 ; died at Buckingham Palace, On Easter Sunday, 1838. * Frederick William Culling Smith, only son of Culling Charles Smith, Esq., and Lady Anne, and a godson of the Duke of York. On the 18th of January, 1820, he was appointed to an ensigncy in the Coldstream Regiment of Guards, and subsequently obtained a troop in the Blues, in which corps he remained till 1826, when he received an unattached majority, and afterwards joined the 80th Regiment. To the deep regret of his family and friends, Major Smith died at Malta, on the 19th of Jane, 1828, in the twenty-seventh year of his age. t Culling Charles Smith, Esq., father of the above, and son of Charles Smith, Esq., Governor of Madras, who was a younger brother of Culling, the first baronet of that family. GEORGE BRUMMKLL. 291 Well, I thought myself safe, and that nought could annoy One pass'd through this furnace, but Madame Fitzroy !* A plague on such king-craft, renew'd the temptation, With beauty new hatch'd in the fifth generation. Ah Stuarts ! I feel in the depth of my soul, The madness that led ye from loyal control ; The child of your blood, I renounce your command, The people's free Brunswicks shall reign in this land ; Yet still, like a traitor, my fair Caroline, Your subject I live, as your right is divine. Halt, blundering muse, to the right-about face, You have pass'd over Barclay, f go back to his place ; You sure must have seen him, so handsome, so tall, A straighter has never sprung up since the fall ; Better fashion'd without, nor freer within From malignant ill-nature's original sin. Him famed in our armies one day we shall see, Though a Barclay, a Quaker he never will be. What sounds melt on air? sure I'm raised to the skies, What harmony swells on the senses and dies ? * Anne Caroline, daughter of Henry Fitzroy, third son of Charles, Lord Southampton, and Lady Anne Wellesley, afterwards Lady Anne Culling Smith. Henry Fiteroy's father was a great-grandson of Henry Fitzroy, first Duke of Grafton, and, through him, descended from the unfortunate House of Stuart his Grace having been the illegitimate child of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, by Charles the Second. The cleverness with which Lord Erskine maintains his political principles, and at the same time indulges his gallantry, is very amusing. Miss Fitzroy died on the 16th of December, 1835. t De Lancey Barclay, C.B., another aide-de-camp of the Duke of York's, and one of the most popular men in the army. He was at this time in the Rojal Corsican Rangers, and died very suddenly of a cold, caught by travelling too lightly clad on the top of a coach. Colonel Barclay was in the Guards at Waterloo ; and, at the period of his death, which took place on the 28th of March, 1826, he was one of the aides-de-camp to George the Fourth. u2 292 THE LIFE OF Then rises again and pulls at the heart With strong chords of Nature, made stronger by art. Can this be a dream ? Xo, La Cainea* appears : The music I thought must be his, or the spheres'. What again ? have the fairies encircled me round. And carried me off to their spell-bedew' d ground ? Do I hear Catalani, or is it a thrush, In spite of the winter, that sings from his bush ? Xo ; those beautiful sounds so novel, so true, Discover their author ; yes, Mercer, t 'tis you : Yet think not their notes which yet dwell on the ear, Are all we enjoy when their sources are here. Xo they heighten their value in these social hours By taking their parts in the mind's higher powers : Miss Muse, yon seem tired, but remnster your pith, For, next, sat the man of my heart, Culling Smith. His friendship I "ve tried, and for ever have found His soul as sincere as his judgment is sound ; To look at him now, so sprightly, so gay, As airy and light as a bird on the spray, You would think him but made for the joys of the table, And that all we have heard of grave parts was a fable But let Downing-street tell, which has seen him so late, Alas ! snatch' d away by a too fickle fate, How he show'd himself form'd for the business of state ; Quick, active, intelligent, full of resource, In manner all mildness, in matter all force.}; * LrCfaf Eaglad for srraxal yean at Che was a freqaent gnest of the fin* taffies in the Dake of York'*. His voice was a beawtifol tenor, pad his style of ehamber- who aw>red in this circle of society, also an excellent The iHaaiiia which Lori Enfcine bctr makes to the part Mr. Cattsag GEORGE BRUMMELL. 293 Torn Erskine sat last sailor, soldier, and lawyer. A cross, beyond doubt, between the de'il and old Sawyer :* He tried all the tricks of the old common law. Till to Chancery sent, which can cure everv flaw : So merrily, merrily, let him live now, ^ ith the planters of trees and the holders of plough. By two autograph letters of Lord Erskine's, now in my possession, the first of which was written when he was only twelve years of age, it appears that he was at school at St. Andrew's ; and as trifling: circumstances connected with the childhood of such a distinguished man cannot fail to interest the reader, I have given the letters a place here. Their introduction is the less abrupt, as they will in some measure illustrate the allusion made to his own Hie in the words fi sailor, soldier, and lawyer ;" for a paragraph in the first seems to account for the early predilection he displayed for a seafaring life : this was probably acquired in his visits to the cap- tains of the Norway galliots that he speaks of, or in his walks about the quays of the good city of St. Andrew's. Smith took in public life, refers to the period when he was Under of State to his brother-in-law, the late Marquis WeUesJey, at the tnw of Foreign Affairs. * Sir Robert Sawyer was Attorney- General in the reigm of fmwlri the Second. When the attack was Bade oat the Charter of the Gtr of London baUads were suiig about the streets company him to the dL His daughter and heiress married Thomas, eighth Earl of Pembroke, awl by ki had me Henry, the ninth Earl.- She died in 1706. THE LIFE OF St. Andrew's, August 11, 1762. MY DEAR BROTHER,* I received your letter, and it gave me great joy to hear that you were in health, which I hope will always continue. I saw in the papers that you have got a new cousin, by your commander, Major Seton,f marrying Miss Murray, of Abercarney. I am in my second month at the dancing-school ; I have learned Shantrews and the single hornpipe, and I am just now learning the double hornpipe. Our school has the vacation just now : we got them on the 4th day of August, and all the boys that live in the country have gone home. There is a pretty large Norway ship in the harbour : the captain took Harry! and me into the cabin, and entertained us with French * David Stewart, Lord Cardross, Lord Erskine's eldest bro- ther, afterwards eleventh Earl of Buchan. His Lordship was at this time a Lieutenant in the Thirty-second Regiment, which he joined as Ensign on the 2nd of August, 1761. He retired from the army in 1763. " Lord Buchan's political career," says Sir Egerton Brydges, " commenced under the patronage of the great Earl of Chatham, in the diplomatic department ; but he passed the larger portion of his life in literary retirement, cultivating the muses, and occasionally laying before the public the fruits of his acquirements." f Also in the Thirty-second Regiment, and at- this time a Lieut.-Colonel in the army. J The Hon. Henry Erskine, the celebrated advocate, and an tlder brother of Lord Erskine. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 295 claret, Danish bisket, and smoak't salmon ; and the captain was up in the town seeing papa to-day. He intended to go out that day or the next, if the wind was favourable ; but he had not water enough to carry him out. He is to sail on Friday, because the stream is great. Yesterday 1 saw Captain Sutherland, a nephew of Lord Duffus* his lady, who has a lieutenant's com- mission in Lord Sutherland's militia, exercise his party of Highlanders, which I liked very well to see. In the time of the vacation Harry and me writes themes, reads Livie and French with Mr. Douglas between ten and eleven. Papa made me a present of a ring-dial, which I 'm very fond of, for it tells me what o'clock it is very exactly. You bid me, in your letter, write you when I had nothing better to do ; but I assure you I think I cannot employ myself better than to write to you, which I shall take care to do very often. Adieu, my dear brother, and believe me to be, with great affection, Yours, THOMAS ERSKINE. * Eric Sutherland, called Lord Duffus by courtesy, being the son of Kenneth, third Baron Duffus, a distinguished naval officer, who was attainted after the rebellion in 1715. Eric died in 1768, having failed to reverse his father's attainder. He married his cousin, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Dunbar, of Hempriggs, The title was restored in 1826. 296 THE LIFE OF In this letter, which is a correct copy of the ori- ginal, a martial spirit is also observable, and the future sailor and soldier alike peep forth : the note is written very neatly with lines, and in a plain school-boy's hand, and considering the age of the embryo Chancellor of England, the mistakes of orthography and grammar are not to be complained of; there was, however, very little or no punc- tuation, a point on which Mr. Douglas, probably, did not care to weary his spirited and clever pupil. Two years after this capital specimen of his epis- tolary powers was written, young Erskine went to sea in the Tartar, with Commodore Sir John Lindsay,* which was ordered in the first instance to Pensacola, in the Gulf of Mexico, and subse- quently to Jamaica, from whence the following letter was dispatched to his brother. Kingston in Jamaica, July, 1764. MY DEAREST CARDROSS, I wrote to you about ten days ago, giving you some small account of what I had seen here. I am still with Dr. Butt, but shall sail now in about ten days; he is appointed Physician General to the Militia of the Island of Jamaica, by his Ex- * Sir John Lindsay, K.B., died at Marlborough House, on his way to Bath, June the 4th, 1778, aged fifty-one years. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 297 cellency Governor Lyttleton,* whom I waited upon at Spanish Town, along with the doctor, some days ago. He is a very affable and agreeable man, as I ever saw, and one of great learning. The longer I stay in the West Indies, I find the country more healthful, and the climate more agreeable ; I could not help smiling when Mama mentioned in her letter, how much reason you had to be thankful, that you gave up your commission, or you would have gone to the most wretched climate on the earth. I don't know indeed, as to the rest of the West Indian Islands, but sure I am, if you had come here you would have no reason to repent it. To be sure, to stay here too long, might weaken a constitution, though hardly that ; but to stay here some time is extremely serviceable. As for me, I have great reasons to like the West Indies ; I have never had an hour's sickness in them, never enjoyed better spirits, and found in them so good a friend as ever I desired to meet with, as I men- * Sir William Henry Lyttleton, elevated to the Peerage of Ireland, in July, 1776, by the title of Baron Westcote, and after- wards to that of England by that of Lord Lyttleton, which title had expired with his nephew and predecessor. His Lordship was Governor of South Carolina in 1755, of Jamaica in 1760, and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Portugal, in 1776. Lord Lyttleton died in September, 1808. 298 THE LIFE OP tioned in my last letter. She supplies the place of mother when [at a distance from all my rela- tions, and behaves to me in every respect better than many relatives, whom, from their kindred to my parents, ought to do ; that is a great advantage, especially when one is in a foreign country. I suppose you will by this time be thinking of going abroad, as it draws near the time ypu in- tended going : I suppose you will go first to Italy. Remember to write to me from these places ; you will have many opportunities when you are in Por- tugal, or Spain, as they have great trade with the West Indies ; so that I expect you won't forget the poor Pots, for I assure you, he always dearly remembers his own Cowly. I begin now to draw indifferently : I am studying Botany with Doctor Butt, so I will bring you home drawings of all the curious plants, &c., &c., and every thing that I see. I have sent Mama home a land turtle, to walk about Walcot garden ; it is very pretty, particularly its back, which is all divided into square lozenges, and the shell is as hard as a coat of mail. If you have got anything that you wish to send me, you need only direct it to Dr. Butt in the same manner you direct letters, and put it into a merchantman bound for the West Indies, and it can't fail coming safe. Doctor Butt GEORGE BRUM.MELL. 299 desires his best compliments to you, and will be obliged to you, if you will send him out such a profile of you, as you copied from Mr. Hoar's. Pray give my compliments to all, and know and believe me to be, my dear Cardross, Your affectionate brother, THOMAS ERSKINE. Both these letters evince an affectionate, stu- dious, and active disposition, and, from the young sailor's having been made an acting-lieutenant by Sir John Lindsay, it is only reasonable to suppose, that he did not abandon his profession on account of either inefficiency, or insubordination : this de- cided step was, however, taken by Erskine soon after Sir John was relieved by Commodore Johnson, and the cause which led to it was said to be the harsh conduct of his new commander. CHAPTER XXI. Lord Erskinc enters the Army His slow promotion Leaves the service Enters at Cambridge His great admiration and friendship for Fox Lines written by him at Oatlands on receiving from the Duchess of York a lock of that statesman's hair Lord Byron Two fragments of his un- published poetry Stanzas on the murder of Mr. Weir, by the RCT. J. Mitford The younger Brother's claim Les Mille Colonnes Epigrams. AFTER his return home, young Erskine tried the sister service, and on the 1st of September, 1768, obtained an Ensign's commission in the second bat- talion of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot, most of the officers of which corps, as well as the Colonel, John Duke of Argyle, were his countrymen. In this regiment he remained seven years, having been promoted in 1770, at the early age of twenty, to the rank of Benedict, and to a lieutenancy on the 21st of April, 1773. It was possibly this slow promotion which induced Lieutenant Erskine to quit the army two years after, added to the encomiums that his talents elicited from clever and intellectual men ; which possibly encouraged the idea, that he might distinguish him- self in an arena more suited to his genius. Dr. Johnson, when on his tour in Scotland, and at the THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. 301 time sixty-three years of age, dined at Sir Alexander Macdonald's, where, as Boswell says, "was a young- officer in the regimentals of the Scots Royals, who talked with a vivacity, fluency, and precision, so uncommon, that he attracted particular attention ; he proved to be the Honourable T. Erskine, youngest brother to the Earl of Buchan, who has risen into such brilliant reputation at the bar of Westminster Hall. Erskine told us," says Boswell, "that when he was in the island of Minorca, he not only read prayers, but preached two sermons to the regi- ment ;" on which Mr. Croker observes, " Lord Erskine was fond of this anecdote ; he told it to me the first time that I had the honour of being in his company, and often repeated it, with an obser- vation that he had been a sailor and a soldier, was a lawyer, and a parson ; the latter he affected to think the greatest of his efforts, and to sup- port that opinion would quote the prayer for the clergy in the Liturgy, from the expression of which he would (in no commendable spirit of jocularity) infer, that the enlightening them was one of the greatest marvels ' which could be worked.' ' This anecdote completes the illustration of the line, " Tom Erskine sat last sailor, soldier, and lawyer," with the addition of another profession ; and, as 302 THE LIFE OF Lord Erskine, in his letter to his brother, says, that he " studied botany with Dr. Butt, the Physician- General," it is not impossible that he practised under him, and took a degree. This would esta- blish his credit to a very extraordinary claim that of having belonged to all the "liberal professions," and would account very satisfactorily for his having so heartily espoused the Whig cause. After retiring from the army, Mr. Erskine went to Cambridge, and was called to the bar in 1778 ; in 1783 he was made King's Counsel, and in 1806 appointed Lord-Chancellor. The change of his uni- form for a silk gown did not, however, annihilate his military feelings, for during the war he was Colonel of the Law Association Volunteers ; and it was while in command of this distinguished corps, at a review in Hyde Park, that he gave one of the many amus- ing proofs of his talent for repartee. It was the King's birth-day, and the royal cavalcade having passed down the line, the Duke of Cambridge fell back and spoke to Erskine, saying, " How well your corps behaves : are they all lawyers ?" " Yes, Sir," he replied ; " and some of them very good lawyers too." "And good soldiers," said the Duke ; " for how silent they are !" " Yes," said Erskine ; "but does your Royal Highness recollect that we have no pay ?" Lord Erskine had not lost his military spirit at GEORGE BRUMMELL. 303 the age of sixty-five, for, in one of his letters, written from the Continent in July, 1815, he observes, " As soon as I return you shall have an account of my tour with the army in France, and going with it to Paris : we shall have peace at last." " Neither Lord Erskine's conversation," writes Mr. Croker, tf (though, even to the last, remarkable for fluency and vivacity,) nor his parliamentary speeches, ever bore any proportion to the extraordinary force of his forensic eloquence. Those who only knew him in private, or in the House of Commons, had some difficulty in believing the effect he produced at the bar. During the last few years of his life his con- duct was eccentric, and justified a suspicion, and even a hope, that his understanding was impaired." Eccentric he certainly was towards the close of his life. A friend of mine met him one afternoon walk- ing in the Park, accompanied by his little dog, (that, with reverential feeling, he had christened after the great orator of his party,) and asked him what had been going on in the House of Lords the night before ? when he replied, " Oh, it was all G d d n butter and Ireland. Fox, Fox," he continued, as he walked on, whistling to his four-footed repre- sentative of Charles James, " Fox, Fox," &c. Lord Erskine's attachment to the memory of his friend was very great, and the following lines, also in the 304 THE LIFE OF Beau's collection, were written by him, at Oatlands, on receiving a lock of his hair from her Royal High- ness the Duchess of York. Could reliques, as at Rome they show, Work miracles on earth below, This hallow'd little lock of hair Might soothe the patriot's anxious care ; Might, to St. Stephen's chapel brought, Inspire each noble, virtuous thought With which its echoing benches rung, Whilst thunders roll'd o'er Fox's tongue ; Alas ! alas ! the vision 's vain ! From the dark grave none come again. That spirits wait on human weal Is but the dream of holy zeal ; Yet, not for that less dear should be Whate'er may lift my mind to thee ; And this shall tell beyond the grave, The head that bore, the hand that gave ! It is singular, considering the number of witty but briefless barristers, which either an increase in the population and therefore in their own numbers, or a disinclination to employ them, has left in the enjoyment of learned leisure ; that not one of them should have amused himself and others with the biography of their great model, and collected the jeux d'esprit, impromptus, and other memorials of his humour and talent, with which he used to " humbug the jury, and browbeat the judge." The GEORGE BRUMMELL. 6(J r J description of the dinner-party at the Duke of York's, is an interesting specimen of the light and lively spirit which, at sixty-two years of age, ani- mated this great advocate's leisure hours, after his retirement from public life. His egotism, which has so often been complained of by his contempo- raries, and which has been alluded to by Sheridan in The Eagle and the Wren, " I'm quite contented with my own applause," is certainly not perceptible in that poem. Lord Erskine seems to have been amiably occupied in selecting topics for praise in others, instead of extorting their admiration for himself, which he is represented by Lord Byron to have done, to a most unpleasant degree, in the summer of the very same year. They were dining together at Middleton, Lord Jersey's, and, in Byron's words, " amongst a goodly company of lords, ladies, and wits, &c., there was * * * *, Erskine too ! Erskine was there, good, but intolerable. He jested, he talked, he did every thing admirably, but then he would be applauded for the same thing twice over ; he would read his own verses, his own para- graph, and tell his own story again and again, and then the ' Trial by Jury,' I almost wished it abo- lished for I sat next to him at dinner. As I had VOL. i. x 306 THE LIFE OF read his published speeches, there was no occasion to repeat them to me." Lord Byron, who was only twenty-five years of age when he made this flip- pant remark, appears to have dwelt frequently and severely upon this point of Lord Erskine's charac- ter, for he says, " March 6th, 1814. On that day I dined with Rogers : Sheridan told a very good story of himself and Mademoiselle Recamier's hand- kerchief : Erskine, a few stories of himself." If Lord Erskine was vain, which appears to he uni- versally admitted, he had at least good grounds for being so ; though not on account of his poetry- very nearly all that Lord Byron had to be proud of; and this he was, as Lucifer himself: had he lived to Counsellor Ego's age, he might possibly have talked over Childe Harold, and The Corsair, till his hearers were sick of listening to him. In his youth the noble Poet was certainly not deficient in anxiety for praise, as his actions, and talented lam- poon upon better men than himself, though not such clever poets, fully attest. Brummell was very inti- mate with Lord Byron : he not only speaks of him in the letter which accompanied his album, when he presented it to his young friend, but also in ano- ther, given towards the close of this memoir. In that, he alluded to a correspondence that existed between them "in our familiar days ;" and as the GEORGE BRUMMELL. 307 two following pieces of his Lordship's poetry, taken from the album, are not printed in the latest edition of his works, I venture to hope that they have never heen published. TO ONE WHO PROMISED ON A LOCK OF HAIR. LORD BYRON. Vow not at all, but if thou must, Oh ! be it by some slender token ; Since pious pledge, and plighted trust, And holiest ties, too oft are broken. Then by this dearest trifle swear, And if thou lov'st as I would have thee, This votive ringlet's tenderest hair Will bind thy heart to that I gave thee. _ LORD BYRON. Go ! triumph securely the treacherous vow Thou hast broken, I keep but too painfully now; But never again shalt thou be to my heart What thou wert what I fear for a moment thou art : To see thee to love thee what heart could do more ? To love thee to lose thee, 'twere vain to deplore ! Ashamed of my weakness, however beguiled, I shall bear like a man what I feel like a child. If a frown cloud my brow, yet it lours not on thee ; If my heart should seem heavy, at least it is free : But thou, in the pride of new conquest elate, Alas ! even envy shall feel for thy fate. For the first step of error none e'er could recall, And the woman once fallen for ever must fall ; Pursue to the last the career she begun, And be false unto many, as faithless to one ; x2 308 THE LIFE OF And they who have loved thee will leave thee to mourn, And they who have hated will laugh thee to scorn ; And he who adored thee must weep to foretell The pangs which will punish thy falsehood too well. The following stanzas, certainly possessing as much originality as any that have yet been given, were the last that Brummell inscribed in his com- mon-place book. They must have struck his fancy much, for it was evident, by the carelessness of the writing compared with every other piece in the book, that he had long ceased to make any addi- tions to it. In them the author apostrophizes the bird of night, on the subject of Weir's murder, by the cold- blooded villain Thurtell, in GilPs-hill Lane, near Elstree, Herts, on the evening of the 24th of Octo- ber, 1S24. The principal features of this notorious crime are dexterously introduced, and the reader may fancy the feathered witness of it, one of the owls in Der Freischutz, who, with dilated eye and waving wings, relates the dark horrors he beheld. ON WEIR'S MURDER. REV. J. MITFORD. Owl ! that lovest the boding sky ! In the murky air What saw'st thou there ? For I heard through the fog thy screaming cry. " The maple's head Was glowing red, GEORGE BKUMMELL. 309 And red were the wings of the autumn sky ; But a redder gleam Rose from the stream That dabbled my feet as I glided by ! " Owl ! that lovest the stormy sky ! Speak ! oh speak ! What crirnson'd thy beak, And hung on the lids of thy staring eye ? " 'Twas blood, 'twas blood ! And it rose like a flood, And for this I scream 'd as I glided by ! " Owl ! that lovest the midnight sky ! Again, again, Where are the twain ? " Look ! while the moon is hurrying by : In the thicket's shade The one is laid, You may see through the boughs his moveless eye." Owl ! that lovest the moonless sky ! A step beyond, From the silent pond, There rose a low and a moaning cry ; On the water's edge, Through the trampled sedge, A bubble burst, and it gurgled by : My eyes were dim, But I look'd from the brim, And 1 saw in the weeds a dead man lie ! Owl ! that lovest the darken'd sky ! Where the casements blaze With the faggots raise, 310 THE LIFE OF Look ! oh look ! what secst thou there ? Owl ! what 's this ? That snort and hiss ! And why do thy feathers shiver and stare ? " Tis he, 'tis he ! He sits mid the three, And a breathless woman is on the stair ! " Owl ! that lovest the cloudy sky ! Where clank the chains Through the prison panes What there thou hearest tell to me : " In her midnight dream, 'Tis a woman's scream, And she calls on one on one of the three." Look in once more Through the grated door " 'Tis a soul that prays in agony." Owl ! that hatest the morning sky ! On thy pinions grey Away ! aw-ay ! I must pray in charity, From midnight chime To morning prime, Miserere, Domine ! ThurtelPs victim was buried in the churchyard of the village of Elstree, a little off the road from London to St. Alban's, and in the chancel of the church are also the remains of Miss Ray, the unfor- tunate mistress of Lord Sandwich, the circum- stances of whose violent death have already been GEORGE BRUMMELL. 311 mentioned. The talented author of these lines gave me permission to insert them here, and to that gen- tleman, Mr. Leigh Hunt, and the Rev. A. Dyce, I am indebted for much kind and valuable assistance, in my endeavours to ascertain what portions of the poetry in Brummell's album had already been pub- lished. This has, I trust, together with my own researches, protected me from the error of publish- ing, as a novelty, what has been printed before, a remark which I hope will also apply correctly to the remaining little pieces and epigrams : they were entered anonymously, and with the exception of the epigrams, may or may not be, what he designates in his note, as some of his own "namby-pamby pro- ductions ;" if so, the following was probably written at Calais or Caen. TO MISS F . Though such unbounded love you swear, 'Tis only art I see ; Can I believe that one so fair Should ever dote on me ? Say that you hate, and freely show That age displeases youth, And I may love you when I know That you can speak the truth. THE YOUNGER BROTHER'S CLAIM. Whene'er in rapturous praise I speak Of Susan's eye, of Susan's cheek, / And own my ardent flame ; 312 THE LIFE OF They tell me that I praise in vain, For Susan proudly will disdain A younger brother's claim. Yet my fond heart will not resign The hope it form'd to call her mine, When first my eyes beheld her ; I still believe my Bible true, For there 'tis clearly proved that you, Susannah, hate an Elder. LES MILLES COLONNES. Boast, Versailles, thy hundred fountains ; Paris, boast thy marble domes ; *jgf Jove may take thine air-built mountains, Pluto take thy catacombs. Place Vendome let Mars arouse, and Raise one column o'er War's throne ; Cupid elsewhere builds a thousand, Vive ! ah, vive les Milles Colonnes. English, French, there throng together Round a dame too fair to view ; Who with glove of white kid leather, Rings a bell of or-molu. Prince Eugene's Italian throne is Hers, her smile confers the ton, Men who once preferr'd Tortoni's, Now frequent les Milles Colonnes. Pallas wove her Mechlin laces, Amphitrite strung her pearls, Iris tinged that face effaces, Flora dress'd those towering curls. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 313 But the Queen of love and joy, all Heaven forsook, her azure zone Casting in the Palais Royal, Round la dame des Milles Colonnes. As the dog of Nile when drinking Coy the alligator shuns, Quaffs the stream with terror shrinking, Runs and laps, and laps and runs ; Dread, fond youths, this Gallic Circe, Sip your demie-tasse alone : Love and Beauty know no mercy, Fly ! ah, fly ! les Milles Colonnes ! ON THE COLLAR OF A LADY'S DOG. Je ne promets point de largesse A quiconque me trouvera : Qui me ramene a ma maitresse, Pour recompense il la verra. EPIGRAMS. Certain rimeur, qui jamais ne repose, Me dit hier arrogamment Qu'il ne sait point ecrire en prose ; Lisez ses vers vous verrez comme il ment. Well known, but worthy of a reprint : D'UNE FEMME PAR SON MARL Ci-git ma femme ; ah ! qu'elle est bien Pour son repos, et pour le mien ! 1 CHAPTER XXII. Brummell at the Clubs Watier's Lord Byron and the Dandies The ball at the Argyle Brummell one of the four gentlemen who gave it The Regent goes to it The Beau's run of good luck at Hazard Alderman Combe and Brummell High play at Watier's Brummell's continued losses His friend's good-natured attempt to save him 111 success of his scheme Dick the Dandy-killer A new way to pay old debts The six- pence with a hole in it The storm gathering. AT the commencement of Brummell's career, lie was generally with the Prince or his great friends, and but seldom at the clubs ; so seldom, indeed, that one of his chums in the Tenth told me that he rarely met him at them. He did not at this period require strong excitements, like his friends Sheridan and Fox, and men of similar dispositions ; to them the clubs were like night taverns, to which they retired for amusement, after undergoing the terrible sufferings of politicians wisely condemned by the country to legislate for it till midnight. Deep potations, blade-bones of mutton, and the music of the dice box he had, at this time, the good sense to eschew : 'tis true he dropped in occasion- ally upon their orgies, pour se devaliser V esprit, and to enjoy the jokes of others, but not to steep his THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. 315 own intellects in wine. After his quarrel with the Prince, he was a great deal more at the clubs, par- ticularly "Watier's, * which was at the corner of Bolton-street, and extremely select : this club was established by a person of that name, with a com- mittee of gentlemen, Brummell being one of its principal supporters. It is thus alluded to by Lord Byron, who calls it the "Dandy Club," and he speaks of Lord Alvanley, Brummell, Mildmay, and Pierrepoint, as the four chiefs. "I liked the Dandies," says the noble Poet; " they were all very civil to me, although in general they disliked literary people, and persecuted and mystified Madame de Stael, Lewis, Horace Twiss, and the like, most damnably. They persuaded Madame de Stael that A had a hundred thou- sand a year, &c., &c., till she praised him to his face for his beauty, and made a set at him for , and a hundred fooleries besides. The truth is, that though I gave up the business early, I had a tinge of dandyism in my minority, and probably retained enough of it to conciliate the great ones, at five-and- twenty. I had gamed and drunk, and taken my * Brummell was also a member of Brookes's ; he was pro- posed by Mr. Fawkener, on the 2nd of April, 1799, and declined, as it is delicately expressed in the ledger of the club, in May, 1816. 316 THE LIFE OF degrees in most dissipations, and having no pedan- try, and not being overbearing, we ran on quietly together. I knew them all, more or less, and they made me a member of Watier's, (a superb club at that time,) being, as I take it, the only literary man, except two others, (both men of the world,) Moore and Spencer, in it. Our masquerade was a grand one, so was the Dandy ball too." This memorable fete was given at the Argyle Rooms in July, 1813, by the four gentlemen already mentioned, after winning a very considerable sum one evening at hazard. Elated with their run of good luck, they very gallantly determined to give a fancy ball, one that would astonish their friends: a serious question however arose among them, whether they should or should not invite the Prince, who had previously quarrelled with Brummell and Sir Henry Mildmay ; but after a long, loyal, and solemn dis- cussion on this most important subject, Brummell very properly laid aside his own feelings, and it was agreed that Mr. Pierrepoint should sound the Regent, and ascertain if he would like to accept the invitation. The Prince immediately intimated, and with some eagerness, his desire to be invited, and he accordingly was so, in the names of all the four votaries of Terpsichore ; and on the night in ques- tion my informant went early, with a few others, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 317 in order that they might get well placed, for the purpose of "witnessing the manner in which His Royal Highness would notice Brummell and Sir Henry. When the Prince arrived he made one of his stately bows to Lord Alvanley and Mr. Pierrepoint, and shook each of them cordially by the hand ; but of the other two gentlemen he took no notice what- ever, nor would he even appear to know that they were present. The consequence was, that when the Regent retired, Brummell, justly incensed at the insult thus publicly and designedly put upon him, would not attend him to his carriage : this the Prince did not fail to observe, and the next day, when speaking of the circumstance, said, " Had Brummell taken the cut I gave him good-humour- edly, I would have renewed my intimacy with him," which, in conformity with the feeling thus expressed, he never afterwards did. This anecdote is in strong contrast to the general opinion, that the Prince was the most finished gentleman of his day. Surely it was undignified on his part, to take advantage of his rank, and cut his old companion when he was actually his guest, and certain that he could not retaliate. When Brummell first commenced play, he was very successful, the case with nine men out of ten, and on one occasion, he won six-and-twenty thou- 318 THE LIFE OF sand pounds pretty high play for a man whose pa- trimony did not much exceed that sum. His friends after this lucky hit, strongly recommended him to buy an annuity ; but, he either refused to adopt the suggestion, or neglected to act with sufficient promp- titude upon their advice, and, a few nights after, he lost it all again. The following is an example of his success and of his impudence, and also the rather unusual circumstance of his getting the worst of a joke. The loser was the late Alderman Combe, also a great gamester, and who, though unsuccessful in this instance, made, it is said, as much money by his dexterity at play, as he did by brewing. One evening while he filled the office of Lord Mayor of London, he was busily engaged at a full Hazard-table at Brookes's, where the wit and the dice-box circulated together with great glee, and where Brummell was also one of the party, " Come, Mash-tub," said the Beau, who was the caster, "what do you set?" "Twenty-five guineas," answered the Alderman. " Well, then, have at the Mayor's pony* only, and seven 's the main," re- plied Brummell ; and he continued to throw until he drove home the Brewer's twelve ponies running ; he then rose from his chair, and, making him a low bow whilst pocketing the cash, exclaimed ; " Thank * In gaming slang, a pony means twenty-five guineas. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 319 you, Alderman ; in future I shall never drink any porter but yours." " I wish, Sir," said Combe, " that every other blackguard in London would tell me the same." * The reaction, however, came at last ; the stakes were too high, and the purses of his companions too long, for him to stand against any continued run of bad luck ; indeed, the play at Watier's, which was very deep, eventually ruined the club, as well as Brummell, and several other members of it ; a certain Baronet now living is asserted to have lost ten thousand pounds there at ecarte, at one sitting: but play ran high at all the clubs; "Pay fifteen hundred pounds to Lord * * *, " said the late Marquis of H. one night to the croupier, at White's it was for one rubber of whist. "It should, however, be remarked," added the member of this club who mentioned the circumstance to me, " the order was more often given by the noble Marquis's adversary." The influx of foreigners, in the years 1814 and 1815, greatly contributed to increase the taste for play at this period, and the celebrity gained by Blucher, at the baths of Pyrmont, did not desert him in London. Gay and gallant Guardsmen too, fresh from their late achievements in the field, and tired of " roughing % * New Monthly Magazine. 320 THE LIFE OF it on a beefsteak and a bottle of port," were eagerly bent on indemnifying themselves for the hardships they had undergone ; Almacks and the Clubs were burning to receive them, the women were all crazy to have them in their drawing- rooms, and they lost no time in making love, as ardently as they had made war ; or, in losing their back pay, that had accumulated by a disease under which the army in Spain had frequently and severely suffered an affection of the military chest. Elder brothers, who unfortunately did not fight, were immediately laid under contribution ; at least all those who were able and willing to honour the heroes and their cheques ; and these new levies, or a portion of them, also found their way to the board of green cloth. The season of 1814 saw Brummell a winner, and a loser likewise, and this time he lost not only his winnings, but " an unfortunate ten thousand pounds," which, when relating the circumstance to a friend many years afterwards, he said, was all that remained at his banker's. One night, the fifth of a most relentless run of ill luck, his friend Pemberton Mills heard him exclaim that he had lost every shilling, and only wished some one would bind him never to play again; " I will," said Mills, and, taking out a ten pound note he offered it to Brummell, on condition that he GEORGE BRUMMELL. 321 should forfeit a thousand, if he played at White's within a month from that evening. The Beau took it, and for a few days discontinued coming to the club ; but about a fortnight after, Mills, happening to go in, saw him hard at work : of course the thousand pounds was forfeited ; but his friend, instead of claiming it, merely went up to him, and touching him gently on the shoulder said, " Well Brummell, you may at least give me back the ten pounds you had the other night." He was at last completely beggared, though for some time he continued to hold on by the help of funds raised on the mutual security of himself and his friends, some of whom were not in a much more flourishing condition than himself; their names however, and still more their expectations, lent a charm to their bills, in the eyes of the usurers, and money was procured ; of course at ruinous interest. It is said, that some unpleasant circumstances, con- nected with the division of one of these loans, occa- sioned the Beau's expatriation, and that a personal altercation took place between Brummell and a cer- tain Mr. M , when that gentleman accused him of taking the lion's share. The author will not undertake to say to whom, or to what extent, culpability is to be attached in VOL. I. Y 322 THE LIFE OF this affair : Brummell might have hoped that a turn of luck would enable him to retrieve his losses, and repay those of whom he had borrowed ; and as to the punctuality attending the payment of play-debts at White's and Brookes 's, it does not appear that a want of it was at all unusual, that is, if we are to judge by the letters of Sheridan, Fitzpatrick, and others. The impossibility, how- ever, of settling this quarrel, is assigned by Lord Byron as the reason which led to Brurnmell's departure from England. "When Brummell," says his Lordship, " was obliged by that affair of poor M , who thence acquired the name of Dick the Dandy-killer, (it was about money, and debt, and all that,) to retire to France," &c., &c. Certain it is that he was well acquainted with the money-lend- ers, for several of these parchments emerged from their obscurity during BrummelPs sojourn at Calais. Some of these bonds were drawn by Lord C , the Marquis of , and George Bryan Brummell, and, as fragments of them were occasionally sent to one of his friends there, to mix his snuff in, it may be presumed that at least a few of these proofs of mutual love and affection had been redeemed ; but there is also every reason for supposing that, in similar transactions, several of his obligations were GEORGE BRUMMELL. 323 left unfulfilled : those who were parties to them suf- fered of course by his departure, and I believe no one more so than Lord R M . Among the numerous anecdotes with which he has been charged, is one which applies specially to his indifference on these matters. According to this on dit, Brummell once consented to borrow five hundred pounds of an individual who, from his position in society, had some difficulty in getting introduced into the world of fashion, and who hoped that his assistance in the emergency referred to, would secure him, through the Beau's influence, the much-desired honour : it did so, but not exactly in the manner that he expected, for, when in Brum- mell's decadence his applications for payment became frequent, and of course annoying, the fall- ing meteor at last replied, that he had already paid him: "Paid me," said Mr. , "When?" "When?" re-echoed Brummell, with assumed indignation, " why when I was standing at the win- dow at White's, and said as you passed Ah, how do you do, Jemmy ? " But verily " there is a tide in the affairs of men," particularly in such men, and it was a neap one with him : Fortune, who had been his housekeeper so long, now fairly gave him warning ; it was useless calling for fresh cards, the Y 2 324 THE LIFE OF game was up. Yet, great as his extravagance was, it was play that completed his ruin : had he refrained from gaming, this great man might have lived all his life on the sunny side of St. James's street ! and been buried by the side of his respectable ancestor, in the churchyard of that parish, instead of wear- ing away a monotonous existence upon the charity of his friends, in pacing the dirty streets of a con- tinental town. Brummell had a very odd way of accounting for the sad change which took place in his affairs at this time. " He used," observes one of his friends at Caen, " when talking about his altered circum- stances, to say, that up to a particular period of his life every thing prospered with him, and that he attributed this good luck to the possession of a certain silver sixpence, with a hole in it, which somebody had given him years before, with an injunction to take good care of it, as everything would go well with him so long as he did, and vice versa, if he happened to lose it. The promised prosperity attended him for many years, whilst he held the sixpence fast ; but having at length, in an evil hour, unfortunately given it by mistake to a hackney-coachman, a complete reverse of his pre- vious good fortune took place, and one disastrous GEORGE BRUMMELL. 325 occurrence succeeded to another, till actual ruin overtook him at last, and obliged him to expatriate himself. On my asking him why he did not adver- tise, and offer a reward for the lost treasure, he said, ' I did, and twenty people came with sixpences having holes in them to obtain the promised reward, but mine was not amongst them.' ' And you never afterwards,' said I, ' ascertained what became of it ? ' ' Oh ! yes/ he replied, ' no doubt that rascal Roths- child, or some of his set, got hold of it.' If you think the foregoing plaisanterie worth inserting, do so ; I can vouch for its authenticity, as it occurred in conversation with myself. Whatever poor Brum- mell's superstitious tendencies may have generally been, he had unquestionably a superstitious vene- ration for his lost sixpence." But, to continue : a cloud also had for some time been gathering over his fame as well as his fortunes ; the prestige of his name was going, and his fiat no longer regarded ; public events had eclipsed him, and the ladies of the beau monde were far more interested in hero- worship, or in procuring a hair from the tail of Pla- toff's horse, than securing the good opinion of the once all-powerful dictator. Brummell and Buona- parte, who had hitherto divided the attention of the world, fell almost together; the former being 326 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. doomed to the mortification of seeing his share bestowed on the sea-fight in the Serpentine, the Chinese Pagoda, and Oldenburg hats, and his clean- liness forgotten in that of the fierce sons of the Don. CHAPTER XXIII. Symptoms of a move BrummelPs epistle to his friend Sctope Davis The wit's laconic reply His extraordinary pmchant at college Brummell cuts his cable, and comes to an anchor at Calais The Author passes through that town Boxing, gouging, and the savate The table d'hote at the Royal The mysterious stranger A walk on the market-place English refugees Various reasons for expatriation. AT length the pressing solicitations of the Dandy- killer made London London, in the height of the season, positively unpleasant to the unfor- tunate Antonio, who would perhaps have given a pound of flesh, ay, and perhaps more, to have averted the crisis ; but his creditor was no Shylock, and du- cats there were none, so there was but one alter- native left, and on the 16th of May, 1816, he suddenly retired from the stage on which he had played such a conspicuous part. On this eventful Thursday, he dined off a cold fowl and a bottle of claret, which was sent him from Watier's, and it is said that only a few hours before he took wing, he wrote the following laconic note to one of his intimes : MY DEAR SCROPE, Lend me two hundred pounds ; the banks are 328 THE LIFE OF shut, and all my money is in the three per cents. It shall be repaid to-morrow morning. Yours, GEORGE BKUMMELL. His friend, very probably thinking that he was hard up, immediately sent him this equally laconic reply : MY DEAR GEORGE, Tis very unfortunate ; but all my money is in the three per cents. Yours, S. DAVIES.* * A clergyman, a friend of mine, told me that he was once roused from his slumbers in the dead of the night, by a violent knocking at his bed-room door, and a shrill female voice, calling out in accents of terror, " Sir, sir, Mary's a beginning to cut her throat," another Abigail of the establishment. I allude to the circumstance, as an introduction to an anecdote told of Scrope Davies, who, when at Cambridge, is said to have cut his, after every Newmarket meeting ; indeed so frequently did he amuse himself in this way, that on one occasion the medical man who was sent for, refused to hurry when he heard it was Scrope's throat that he was required to sew up, saying, " There is no dan- ger of him, I have done that six times already." Knowing that Mr. D has survived this extraordinary habit forty years, I trust that I shall not be accused of imputing to him any inten- tion of becoming afelo de se> GEORGE BRUMMELL. 329 " Scrope Davies," says Lord Byron, " is a wit, and a man of the world, and feels as much as such a character can do." In this respect the resemblance between the two friends was sufficiently strong, and, if the anecdote is true, the answer could scarcely have occasioned Brummell any surprise. But he was not a man to moralize upon it, or soliloquize in front of his club or the houses of his friends, those houses in which he had been so often a wel- come guest ; though, as he passed them this evening for the last time, the future must have pressed itself upon his mind, with a very cheerless and un- promising aspect. On the night that he left London, the Beau was seen as usual at the Opera, but he left early, and, without returning to his lodgingSj stepped into a chaise which had been procured for him by a noble friend, and met his own carriage a short distance from town. Travel- ling all night as fast as four post-horses and liberal donations could enable him, the morning of the 17th dawned on him at Dover, and immediately on his arrival there, he hired a small vessel, put his carriage on board, and was landed in a few hours on the other side. By this time, the West End had awoke and missed him; particularly his tradesmen and his enemies, both of whom had long scores against him. 330 THE LIFE OF In much less haste, and happily with a very different object in view, I took my departure for France in the spring of 1842. Calais lay in my route, and, in the few days I remained there, I collected the little that was remembered of the Beau's history, during his long residence in that sanctuary of English debtors. The absurd privi- leges of by-gone times, which were so long left untouched by corrupt Governments, are now falling rapidly before the power of public opinion ; and perhaps no greater proof of the desire to promote the interests of honest men has been given in the treaties with foreign powers of late years, than that clause which has opened the shores of America to the righteous claims of justice. To her demands " la Grande Nation" is still deaf, but though it may be an Utopian idea to suppose that any par- ticular creed of the Christian religion will ever be universal, we may at least hope that this, the greatest of its attributes, will at some period be recognized by all mankind : with us the principle of leaving the course of justice free has long been recognized, and the last remnant of a contrary character was destroyed, when the privileges of the Isle of Man were abrogated. While the rogue has been thus defeated in his plans of emigra- tion, greater facilities for arranging his difficulties, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 331 and a greater share of personal liberty, have been afforded to the honest debtor : for the protection of such men, no country can show a more humane code of laws than England.* If there was any one on board the Belfast abscond- ing from them, or his creditors, the slow rate at which we made our way down the river, against the still flowing tide, must have given him some qualms, even while we were in smooth water, for a silver oar might easily have overtaken us before we reached Gravesend. Old Father Thames is always a stir- ring sight to an Englishman, but the Pool was nearly clear of shipping, owing to the lengthened set-in of westerly winds : and not even a barge was run down, or a wherry swamped, to enliven the tedium of looking at the sedgy banks of the Essex shore. Tired of nature, I turned to my steaming companions ; but with them, alas ! all was unprofitable as on terra firma : they were as taci- turn as Englishmen, when strangers, and depen- dent entirely on each other for amusement, usually are ; and the only sociable creature on board was Boatswain, the captain's Newfoundland dog, whose * Since the above was written, and on the 13th of February of the past year, 1843, a Convention was signed between England and France, for the mutual surrender in certain cases of persons fugitive from justice. 332 THE LIFE OF good opinion I soon secured with a biscuit : it would have been difficult to say how long it would have taken me to secure that of my com- panions. It was night when we reached our des- tination, but there was still light enough to see, that the "juste milieu" authorities had grubbed up the plate on the pier that marked the spot on which Louis the Eighteenth " Set the first of his own dear legitimate feet" his left foot : unfortunate omen ! when he returned from his exile. Every thing else wore the same aspect here as on a previous visit, when, to pre- vent me from introducing the cholera, I was obliged to submit to a quarantine of three days, in com- pany with a Spanish courier, as highly seasoned with garlic as any olla podrida that he had ever eaten. A villanous place near Fort Rouge was the one appointed for our purification ; whether that happy consummation was ever obtained by my companion, in this world, I will not undertake to say positively in purgatory it might have been just possible. The morning after my arrival I took a stroll on the ramparts, and found Hogarth's Gate looking not a day older ; the fishwomen and their skate not a whit more handsome ; they the women, not the skate still wearing huge gold ear- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 333 rings, and blue-and-red worsted stockings and petti- coats. The habits of the people, at any rate those of the lower orders, appeared to have remained as unchanged as their costume ; and it still happens that a Frenchman may be seen to bite his friend's nose off on the Grande Place, in the squabbles that take place on a market-day, or beat his head in with his sabot after he has got him down. Boxing may be termed a noble science, though the exhibitions in the prize-ring of late years have led many to think it otherwise ; as the lion does not yet lie down with the lamb, nor is likely to do so for some time to come, the utility of " the noble art of self-defence" must be acknowledged in so far as it restrains all unfair and savage propen- sities, when men will not settle a quarrel without proceeding to blows. What will its enemies say to the execrable American practice of gouging ? or the disgusting mode of fighting, indulged in by our neighbours, called the " savate ?" It was, probably, a detestation of these, or other brutalities, and a conviction of the necessity of maintaining in the more humble classes what is natural to every Englishman, a love of fair play, that induced such men as the late Duke of York, Lord Albemarle, the present Lord Grey, Mr. Wyndham, and others, to countenance the prize-ring by their presence. 334 THE LIFE OF Calais has great attractions in the eyes of a " Le- vanter," but, I imagine, in his only : he sleeps securely within its walls, and does but dream of those which might have held him within their stern embrace in his own country. With all its disagree- ables of " canaux et canaille," and its deficiencies of all sorts, there is one fact which must recom- mend Calais, not only to the debtor, but to every Englishman, above all the towns in " The vine-covered hills and gay regions of France" it is the nearest to Shakespeare's Cliff in that coun- try of England, which the Beau, in the amusing quintessence of his refinement, always spoke of as " Albion " Various are the shades of guilt or necessity that have made it expedient for so many of our country- men to expatriate themselves to this uninteresting place, and to give a detailed account of the reasons which have induced the greater portion of the English residents to cross the Channel would, in- deed, be a work of labour, and invidious as well as useless ; but, without concerning oneself upon the subject, it was impossible to take a morning walk and not meet some of them loitering about the streets, and hearing of their various misde- meanours. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 335 The " table-d'hote," at the Royal, introduced me to a countryman, who was, I firmly believed, an unfor- tunate e'chappe of some sort, but what I could not divine ; and such a surmise was not uncharitable at Calais, where a " table-d'hote" is scarcely en regie without one. The stranger sat opposite to me, and I saw at the first glance that he was not a debtor ; or, if so, not a chevalier d'industrie, or a ruined man about town ; he was too well dressed to be either ; moreover, his countenance had not the slightest characteristic of the genus Diddler. His face was one of those faces which the French call impassible, and looked as if it had never been ruffled since his last flagellation at school, some fifty years before. I allude only to his nose and mouth, for his eyes were concealed by a pair of dark green goggles, which defied all specu- lation as to the shape or colour of the features be- hind them. During the repast he ate but little, and spoke less ; and I observed that he appeared very uneasy and fidgetty whenever the door was opened by the servants on entering the salle. Once, too, during dinner, he removed his spectacles, and then I saw that his eyes were as strong as the bull's-eyes in a ship's deck : indeed, I felt from this moment certain that they were put on as a disguise. While speculating, however, in my own mind what this 336 THE LIFE OF mysterious elderly gentleman could be, or why, with such eyes, he wore goggles, the dinner concluded and as I was sipping the remainder of my Bordeaux and watching the assiduous manner in which he continued chopping up his apple-parings, the waiter came in and announced the arrival of the English mail. Ah ! how strangely was the stout gentleman agitated at this intelligence ! how he chopped away ! I could hear him breathing as loud as the beast in Sinbad's cave ; and his complexion, from being tlie colour of the vin ordinaire before him, became as white as the table-cloth indeed, whiter, for that was, as usual at every " table-d'hote," anything but white. "Are you unwell, sir?" said I across the table. " No, sir, thank you," replied the stranger hesitat- ingly ; and, while he was yet speaking, the g argon again entered with a bundle of English newspapers. The forced calmness of his demeanour now forsook him altogether ; off went his goggles, and, before the papers were well out of the waiter's hands, he seized one of them. How he trembled as he tore away the envelope ! how he buried his eyes in the type ! He seemed to throw each into a different column, to skim it the quicker down the middle and up again ; his organs of vision were fairly dancing a country-dance. At length the Times was scanned, was searched in every part, and, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 337 having terminated his examination, he, to my sur- prise, threw it down, quite careless of the general contents. The suspicious goggles were then replaced, and monosyllables came slowly from between his half- closed lips " Oh ! ha ! very odd !" and then a groan, and then a pause, and then a " Not yet," like the thief in Ali Baba ; and the good man threw himself back in his chair with a most hopeless ex- pression of countenance. Very soon after he left the room, and my compassion being increased rather than diminished, I followed him out into the court-yard of the hotel, and approached him. " You appeared anxious to see the paper, Sir," said I, " was there any news?" " Nothing particular," replied the stout gentleman ; " funds wonderfully high wonderfully high ; ninety-three, Sir, ninety- three ; but it is a mere flash in the pan, Peel must go out." How I happened to fix upon the subject I know not, but my next inquiry was, whether the election petitions were concluded. He started, as if I had been a rattle-snake ; and, struggling to gain composure for his answer, another " Not yet" came from his rotundity in thick and laboured accents. In a few minutes he was confidential, and I was informed why he was domiciled in Calais. " Sir, you see before you a most unfortunate indi- VOL. i. z 338 THE LIFE OF vidual ; but let me ask you first of all whether you are a Whig ?" " No, Sir," said I, " I am not now, they are extinct." " Well, Sir, Whig or Tor" I frowned " Conservative I mean, no offence, Sir, I hope no offence, but cannot you feel for a man in my situation ?" " That I can," I replied, " but pray what is your situation ? are you in debt, Sir?" " In debt! no, Sir ;" and the gentleman looked dreadfully shocked at the imputation, the green spectacles rose at least half an inch. " Why then here ?" I continued. " Ah, Sir ! you may well inquire why I, one of the first merchants in Liverpool, am living in this frog- hole of a place. I hate the French, Sir, and thank Heaven I do not speak a word of their language : the fact is," and the old man sunk his voice to a whisper, and looked anxiously round the court, " the fact is, Sir, I am here to get out of the way, Sir out of the way of a Speaker's warrant." Then came all the details of the election, how the Tory member bribed, and how the affable Lady Anne had induced him to administer to the necessity of the electors on the other side; and finally, what a martyr he was to the cause. A month in Calais, away from his wife and chil- dren, and his coal fire and bottle of port, to say nothing of his ledgers, had however worked a miracle with the enthusiastic reformer, and most GEORGE BRUMMELL. 339 solemnly did he swear never to have anything more to do with elections or Lady Annes again. " Sir, they may return who they like for me in future ;" and as the exiled merchant said this we reached the Grande Place. There he drew my attention to several Englishmen who were promenading up and down, and pointed out certain individuals amongst them who had acquired an unenviable notoriety in England. "That person crossing the square," said my informant, " is Mr. R o, who figured in the Exchequer Bill affair ; that one moving off through the crowd is Mr. M , a forger in another line ; and that dissipated looking fellow crossing to the Hotel de Ville, at one time drove his four-in-hand, and was one of the most wealthy commoners in England. The only thing he drives now is a hard bargain, which he does with every tradesman he deals with." A political refugee was next pointed out as the ex-radical candidate for Marylebone ; and in conversation with him, was a dark-looking, pock-marked, black- whiskered man in a blue great coat, and two yards of red comforter. " Who do you think he is?" said my Cicerone. " I can't imagine, perhaps a fisherman." " Oh no ! he is an English policeman in disguise, just come over to arrest three well known jail birds, who have lately committed a burglary with horrible z2 340 THE LIFE OF violence near Nottingham, and, as I live, Sir, there go the rascals look ! near the cafe, in fustian jackets and corduroys. See how they are laughing at B 64 ; and well they may, for do you know the French government has refused to give the scoun- drels up ! The only chance the policeman has is to kidnap them when they are drunk, and smuggle them on board the packet ; but he has been here a fortnight, and they have not yet given him an opportunity." " And are you acquainted with any of the soi-disant gentlemen delinquents?" " Oh no !" replied my now talkative acquaintance, " I heard their histories from the Englishman who sat on my right at the ' table d'hote.' He meets every packet that comes in, and if it arrives in the morn- ing, knows, before I meet him at dinner, the name, height, parentage, and age of half the passengers ; their business, both here and at home ; whether they are in the army or the fleet, the church or the law ; whether they are travelling solely for amuse- ment or escaping from their creditors ; or whether they are, like myself, Sir, keeping out of the way of a Speaker's warrant. I know your name, Sir ; your name is Jesse ; you are in the army ; you live at Brighton; and your age is thirty-two." " And how on earth does he know this ?" said I. " Easy enough," replied my acquaintance; " my right-hand neigh- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 341 hour is acquainted with all the commissionaires, and sees all the passports when they take them to be vises." A man-monkey, in a cocked hat and red breeches, who had just perched himself on a chair to astonish the natives of the environs, (for it was market day,) now commenced " Grenadier, que tu m'afflige !" in tones less human than those of his crazy violin; and, making my bow to the irreproachable and inde- pendent elector, I elbowed my way through the crowd, and soon found myself at the door of Mons. Leleux, in the Rue Royale, where Brummell lodged during his residence at Calais. CHAPTER XXIV. Brummell's lodgings in the Rue Roy ale His good natured landlord M. Leleux's regard for him Proofs of it Brummell's effects sold by auction in London Copy of Mr. Christie's Bill of Sale The snuff box that was destined for the Regent Brummell furnishes his rooms His passion for buhl furniture Ridiculous extravagance in the indulgence of it His Se- vres china Napoleon's paper weight The Beau's conundrum snuff-box. M. LELEUX'S house, originally the old Hotel d'An- gleterre, is on the right-hand side of the street, and but a few yards from the Hotel de Ville : the two oval frames that are still seen over what in former days was the gateway, once encircled portraits of George the Second and his Queen; but these las reliefs were destroyed by the rioters during the popular outbreaks of the Revolution. Half-a-dozen doors farther on, is a shop which has for its sign " Au Pauvre Diable," not an inappropriate one in the town of Calais. Pressing down the latch of M. Leleux's door, the noise of which was the signal for opening another, at the extremity of the shop, I stood in the presence of the best bookseller in Calais, and one of its most goodnatured-looking citizens. His cap, with that THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. 343 odd snipebill-looking peak so commonly seen in France, and my best Andre, were immediately raised ; and to my request that he would assist me in gleaning some intelligence of the deceased Beau, he acceded with ready politeness, and with a frank and soldier-like bearing that I certainly thought smacked not of the Garde Natiofiale. In my further intercourse with him I found that my surmise was correct : it had been acquired in the tent of Miranda, during the wars of the South American republics, for M. Leleux was secretary to that celebrated man. His countenance lighted up as he spoke of his old lodger ; and, having opened the trenches of conver- sation, by taking a large pinch of snuff, he com- menced a kind of recitative of his sayings and doings, which unfortunately amounted to very little in the end. " Ah, mon cher Monsieur," said the old militaire, " je n'ai aucun documens de lui. Je pour- rais cependant vous fournir quelques petits details, et cela volontiers. D'abord, c'est moi qui 1'avait bien connu, car quatorze ans il a demeure dans cette maison, et je vous ferai voir son appartement ;" and we ascended the staircase together to the first floor. " This, Sir," observed M. Leleux, in very good English, but with a slight accent, " was his drawing- room, and this one adjoining, his dining-room ; you 344 THE LIFE OF see they are front rooms ; his dormitory was on the other side of the passage. After he had resided with me about five years, I allowed him to have the rooms a little to the left of these ; they are approached by a different staircase : that suite con- sisted of a dining-room on the ground-floor, and a drawing-room over it, and a handsome bed-room at the back. It was at this time Mr. Brummeirs ambition to obtain the office of consul at Calais, and the gentleman who held it being then in very bad health, made him rather sanguine on the point. The expectation, however, was never fulfilled, for he is still living, and likely to live ; but being won over by my locataire's persuasive manner, I permitted him to decorate his rooms in his own way ; and though he did it very well, I can assure you I was not much the richer for the money he laid out. Mais, Monsieur, le pauvre homme etait si amusant, si amusant, qu'on ne pourrait rien lui refuser. Sir, I would have kept him for nothing if he would have stayed : ah ! he certainly was a very droll fellow." Our conversation here terminated, and I took my leave ; but on a subsequent visit the old gentle- man showed me over the rooms already alluded to. They must have been very comfortable: but the black and white marble pavement of the private entrance, which Brummell laid down, and the rich GEORGE BRUMMELL. 345 crimson paper of the dining room, are all that remain as evidence of his acknowledged taste and extravagance. I must now " hark back to his hurst from Lon- don," when, in the words of Pope, he bid farewell to the " dear d d distracting town," and left the box of Lady with a joke more than usually satirical. The dogs of the law were quickly on the scent ; but they no sooner reached Dover than they dropped their tails discouraged, for Reynard, in- stead of running to earth, had taken the water, and not a hope remained of their catching him. On his arrival at Calais, he took up his temporary abode at Dessin's hotel, then in the hands of Quil- lacq, to whom he sold his carriage ; he remained there a short time, and afterwards hired a set of rooms belonging to the same proprietor. When Brummell left London, he was living at No. 13, Chapel-street, Park-lane, to which house he had removed from Chesterfield-street, some time before ; it belonged to Mr. Hart, the Duke of Glou- cester's steward. The change appears to have been much for the worse, a mews gracing one side of the house; his tradesmen also began to whisper that he was getting shaky, and would not pay much longer. By the dinner-service and glass that were disposed of after he left Chapel-street, 346 THE LIFE OF it seems, that he occasionally entertained his friends in his new residence, though he had discarded his cook on quitting Chesterfield-street. He did not ever replace him, and found, no doubt, that other people's viands were much cheaper than his own, and quite as good ; when by any accident he was thrown upon his own resources, he managed to content himself with the best repast Mr. Brookes could provide; " Liberal Brookes, whose speculative skill Was hasty credit and a distant bill." A few days after his flight, his furniture and effects were sold at public auction by Mr. Christie ; the following is a copy of the first page of the book of sale : A Catalogue of A very choice and valuable assemblage of Specimens of the rare old Sevres Porcelaine, Articles of Buhl Manufacture, Curiously Chased Plate, Library of Books, Chiefly of French, Italian and English Literature, the best Editions, and in fine condition. The admired Drawing of the Refractory School Boy, and others, exquisitely finished by Holmes, Christall, de Windt, and Stephanoff. Three capital double-barrelled Fowling Pieces, By Manton. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 347 Ten dozen of capital Old Port, sixteen dozen of Claret (Beauvais), Burgundy, Claret and Still Champagne, The whole of which have been nine years in bottle in the Cellar of the Proprietor; Also, an Assortment of Table and other Linen, and some Articles of neat Furniture ; The genuine property of A MAN OF FASHION, Gone to the Continent ; Which, By order of the Sheriff of Middlesex ! Will be Sold by Auction By Mr. Christie, On the Premises, No. 13, Chapel-street, Park-lane, On Wednesday, May 22nd, and following Day. Amongst the articles of Brummell's furniture, were a mahogany-framed sliding cheval dressing glass on castors, with two brass arms for one light each, a medicine chest, and colour box. The draw- ing-room had a chimney glass, in a carved ebony frame, chintz furniture and Brussels carpet ; the back drawing-room had also a chimney glass, book- shelves, and library bookcase. The dinner service consisted of twelve oval dishes, twenty soup-plates, seventy-eight meat ditto, nine wine-coolers, a break- fast service for eight persons, three claret jugs, twelve hock glasses, forty wine ditto, decanters, &c. There were sixteen pairs of sheets, forty huck- aback towels, napkins, &c. Amongst the Sevres 348 THE LIFE OF china was a pair of oval vases, which sold for nineteen guineas ; they were green, with flowers and fruit, and mouldings of burnished gold. A small cup and cover of the same, eighteen pounds. An ewer and basin, mazarine blue and gold ground, richly ornamented with birds and exotics finely painted in compartments, with the name of each specimen upon them ; the handle of this ewer was silver gilt, and the lot fetched twenty-six pounds. There were also a variety of chocolate cups and other articles, a clock of Vulliamy's, a let- ter scale (no doubt, all his letters were franked) the design a figure of Cupid, weighing a heart with a brace of doves ; this was in or-molu on a black marble plinth. A silver tea-kettle embossed and chased, brought forty-seven pounds. There were only six spoons and four forks how did they happen to be left behind ? Amongst the books were some good historical works, the Standard Poets, two editions of Shakes- peare, his friend Ellis's Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances, bound in curiously raised calf ; the Quarterly and Edinburgh, the Memoirs of de Grammont, Chesterfield's Letters, Berrington's Abelard and Eloisa, and a large collection of novels now forgotten. A family party at dinner by Holmes, fetched eighty-five guineas. There were GEORGE BRUMMELL. 349 also editions of Flaxman's designs for the Iliad, ^Eschylus, and Burger's Leonora ; a copy of the Musee Frangais, portraits for the Memoirs of de Grammont, prints by Cipriani and Bartolozzi, a por- trait in oils of his father's benefactor, Lord North, and portraits of Nelson, Pitt, the Duke of Rut- land, and George the Third. The Beauvais Claret sold for five pounds eight shillings ; the Cham- pagne, three pounds five shillings ; and the Port, four pounds per dozen. The sale was attended by many members of the fashionable world, every one being apparently anx- ious to purchase something ; the Duke of York was not there, but he gave orders for some Sevres china to be bought for him. Purchases were made in this manner by many of his friends. Amongst the company present were Lords Besborough and Yar- mouth, Lady Warburton, Sir Henry Smyth, Sir H. Peyton, Sir W. Burgoyne, Sir T. Stepney, Colonels Sheddon and Cotton, General Phipps, Mr. Massy Dawson, Acland, of the Albany, Mr. Mills, of Park- street, Mr. Tower, and the Rev. - - Belli. The competition for the knick-knacks and articles of virtu was very great ; amongst them was a very handsome snuff-box, which, on being opened by the auctioneer before it was put up, was found to con- tain a piece of paper with the following sentence, 350 THE LIFE OF in BrummelPs handwriting, upon it : " This snuff- box was intended for the Prince Regent, if he had conducted himself with more propriety towards me." The proceeds of the sale amounted to about eleven hundred pounds, and the sum was paid to the Sheriff of Middlesex. But I must return to Calais. Brummell re- mained but a few months in M. Quillacq's lodg- ings, from them he removed to the house of M. Leleux, where he remained till he left for Caen, in the September of 1830. He was no sooner in pos- session of his new apartments, than he set about furnishing them in the most expensive manner ; and five-and-twenty thousand francs, which he took with him, or received shortly after his arrival at Calais, were quickly spent in making himself per- fectly comfortable in his new abode. He had quite an old dowager's passion for buhl furniture ; and in the indulgence of this taste, he expended large sums of money. Many of the most recherche articles that adorned his salon were brought from Paris by a courier, who executed these and other commissions for him, and who gained a profit of thirty thousand francs upon the purchases he made, during the ten or twelve years he was thus em- ployed. This was a large sum; but Brummell, in his absurd mania for such things, sometimes dis- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 351 bursed half as much in one year. Sometimes a chef- d'oeuvre, a darling cabinet, did not suit ; it had then to be disposed of, which it was for half the original cost ; at other times, a perfect gem had to be sent back to Paris, of course at his own expence ; or perhaps the article was exchanged ; in this case his commissionaire profited both as buyer and seller. At length, having bestowed incalculable pains, and many sleepless nights and anxious days, upon this interesting and important subject, he managed, in spite of his extreme fastidiousness and his po- verty, to collect a sufficient quantity of buhl and or-molu to furnish his three rooms in the elegant and costly style of Louis Quatorze ; and they would have commanded the approbation of the most en- ragee buhl-furniture-fancier of his former clique. He also squandered large sums in bronzes, japanned screens, and whims of every description. On one side of his drawing-room stood a large cabinet, with brass wire doors ; these were kept locked with the most jealous care ; for they protected, from the familiar and dangerous inspection of his visitors, a service of extremely beautiful Sevres china. The designs were most exquisite, and on each plate was represented, in colours chaster than the ori- ginals, all the celebrated beauties that held such 352 THE LIFE OF powerful sway over the courts of Louis the Four- teenth and Fifteenth ; and, as they were not few in number, the reader may imagine that his inanimate but elegant harem completely filled his buhl serag- lio. These portraits were so charmingly done, that the Beau, in the true spirit of a sultan, used to inform his visitors, that it was " almost profanation even to look at these frail fair ones." The walls of this room were covered with pic- tures and prints a few of the former being from the pencil of a young artist of the town, who was patronized by the Beau by way of encourage- ment. Some favourite books, in handsome suits of morocco or silk, reposed on the card-tables ; and, on the circular one in the centre of the apartment, lay a little crowd of valuable snuff-boxes, miniatures, card-cases, paper-weights, and knives, and port- folios, in every variety of gold, enamel, mother-of- pearl, ivory, and tortoiseshell, embossed leather, and embroidered satin. Amongst this collection of ex- pensive trifles were an or-molu greyhound and a presse-papier of Sienna marble, surmounted by a small bronze eagle; the latter was presented to him, as a souvenir, by Monsieur de Montrond, Talley- rand's foreman, and had at one time pressed the despatches and private papers of Napoleon. It is now in the author's possession, and not the less GEORGE BRUMMELL. 353 valued for having once belonged to the greatest and bitterest enemy England ever had. Many amongst the multitude of little bijoux that ornamented this table were esteemed by him far beyond their intrinsic value ; some of them were the cadeaux of royalty, and, could they have spoken, especially those that were the gift of an amiable woman, whose charitable remembrance of him will be hereafter alluded to, they might have wiled away many of his lonely hours. His passion for snuff-boxes was extreme : he had one which he only could open, and some friend of his, while he was at Belvoir, tried it with his knife, with the intention, no doubt, of purloining his snuff, which was always excellent. Hearing of the outrage, Brummell said, " Confound the fellow, he takes my snuff-box for an oyster :" but notwithstanding the splendid collection he pos- sessed, and having sent his friend Capel, by per- mission of the First Lord, to Naples, to procure him a perfect tabatiere, he actually had one of black shell and gold built at Calais. This he gave to the present Duke of B , in exchange for a bank-note of fifty pounds; in other words, that nobleman consented to receive it that he might with more delicacy present him with that sum for, though a ruined man, Brummell had not yet been subjected to all the dirty degradations that invariably accoin- VOL. i. 2 A 354 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. pany that character, when his ruin is the result of premeditated folly and unrestrained indulgence. Tbis sketch of the drawing-room would be incom- plete if I omitted to mention, that the table-cover on which all his useless elegancies were displayed was worked for him by the Duchess of York, and that his easy-chair was the gift of the same kind friend. Correctness of taste in everything was decidedly the Beau's forte, and, seated in his fauteuil, sur- rounded by his buhl, paintings, prints, knick-knacks, and the Sevres portraits of the beautiful La Valliere and her discreet rival, he appeared, amongst the heterogeneous medley of English who subsequently attended his levee, nearly the only living creature in keeping with the room and its details. CHAPTER XXV. Donations made to Brummell by his friends The Duchess of York's liberality to him Her Christmas present Mr. Chamberlayne Brummell learns French Scrope Davies's description of his progress The Beau's fashionable visitors Lord Westmoreland invites him to dine Brummell's reply The legal intruder The exile's daily avocations His dog Vick Her illness and death Anecdote from " Granby" Brummell's grief at the loss of his pet. CONSIDERING the reduced state of his circum- stances, the reader will naturally inquire how it happened that Brummell managed to gratify a taste so little in accordance with them ? The answer is, that though a man of fashion, he had an extraordi- nary number of good friends ; and the sums of money that he must have received from various sources, many of them unknown, attest the fact, that he was, at this time, even too generously as- sisted. A clerk of M. de Vos, a Calais banker, called on him one morning to place a large sum in his hands, that had been paid into their bank the day before ; it was stated to me to have been a thou- sand pounds, but supposing it was only half that amount, it was a large donation. So strict was the incognito preserved, that the fortunate recipient 2 A2 356 THE LIFE OF could never trace the gift to the generous indivi- dual who sent it. But in the circle of those who administered not only to his wants but to his luxuries, (the evil day had not yet come, when he was to find the utmost difficulty in procuring the necessaries of life,) no one appears to have extended relief to the expatriated Beau, with more warmth of feeling or delicacy of manner, than the late Duchess of York. The " votre tres-affectionnee amie et ser- vante" of more prosperous times, w r as practically illustrated towards him to the day of her Royal Highness's death. Every year at Christmas some token of regard w r as conveyed to him ; a purse, a card-case, or note-keeper, the work of her own fair hands ; Brummell treasured these proofs of the Duchess's taste and skill, and had several of them remaining when he was at Caen. These little marks of her regard, when opened, were never found empty, and a rustling was always heard within their folds, which no doubt fell agreeably upon ears now so little familiar with the sound of Bank-notes. But women are ever the most lasting in their attachments, whether of love or friendship, and the conduct of this Royal lady is the more merito- rious on account of her high rank ; for the oppor- tunities which persons in her exalted station have of witnessing the miseries of human nature are GEORGE BRU.MMELL. 357 few, and, from ignorance rather than indifference, they frequently are not so much alive to the suf- ferings of mankind as those who daily witness those sufferings : they bask in the sunshine of perpetual personal comfort, and, while plenty is ever pouring forth her blessings around them, no beggar is allowed to tread the palace courts po- verty is scarcely bold enough to make its appeal to their hearts in person, and language in the form of a petition, however strongly worded, does not truthfully and vividly describe what they sel- dom or never see. The Duke of Gloucester also treated Brummeli with much kindness and consideration, and when His Royal Highness, in his way through Calais, went down to the Packet to embark, Brummeli always accompanied him : had he only imbibed a small portion of the Duke's punctuality in the weekly audit of his accounts, he might perhaps have had the satisfaction of one day returning in his company to the opposite shore. He had also a kind friend in John Chamberlayne, Esq., who con- tributed to his comfort by the payment of a yearly gratuity, which it was his intention to continue in the event of his own decease ; but, becoming afflicted by insanity, he left no will. This was a sad chance for Brummeli : he wrote to his representatives on 358 THE LIFE OF the subject, but the answer was unfavourable ; and it was intimated to him that there was no memo- randum to that effect among Mr. Chamberlayne's papers. The Duke of Argyle, though not affluent, seldom forgot to call and assist him with money ; and Lord Alvanley, who never passed his door without doing the same, invariably dined with him ; the dinner, bien entendu, being sent from Dessin's at his Lordship's expense. Many other noblemen and gentlemen at various periods relieved the dull tenor of his life by their visits ; and from each he received substantial proofs of their regard. Among them were the Dukes of Wellington, Rutland, Richmond, Beaufort, and Bed- ford; Lords Sefton, Jersey, Willoughby d'Eresby, Craven, Ward, and Stuart de Rothesay. To the assistance tendered him by his friends, may of course be added that of his relatives. His prin- cipal correspondents were the Duke and Duchess of York, Lord Alvanley, and J. Chamberlayne, Esq. In the early part of his residence at Calais, he led a very retired life, for he was unable to speak French with fluency, and his mornings and even- ings were occupied in perfecting himself in that language : he could not otherwise have entered a French salon with any degree of comfort ; the GEORGE BRUMMELL. 359 English society he abominated, and frequented it only during the latter part of his stay there, when he had grown less difficult and less exclusive. Nothing could be more indicative that Brummell had ability and energy, when the occasion suited him to exercise it, than the proficiency he attained in French ; for, as will be seen in the sequel, he made himself master of the language, and could, for an Englishman, write an excellent letter. Byron's anecdote of Scrope Davies, given in Moore's Life of the noble poet, is delightfully incorrect : " When Brummell retired to France," says his Lordship, " he knew no French, and having obtained a gram- mar for the purpose of study, our friend Scrope Davies was asked what progress Brummell had made in French? He responded, that the Beau had been ' stopped, like Buonaparte in Russia, by the elements' " Like many other good things told of Brummell, it is deficient in the desideratum necessary to give it value truth. During the period that the army of occupation remained in France, he enjoyed the society of several of his old friends, who were serving with it, and many others on their way to Paris, which capital was then all alive with the revelry and dissipation of foreign- ers, and emigres who had been exiled from the Trois Frere's, Verey's, and rouge et noir, for 360 THE LIFE OF upwards of twenty years : the chief of our gallant army, also, paid the town some flying visits en route to or from England, and I have heard it asserted, without, at this period, noticing his great rival in notoriety ; but at length the most good-natured man in all England, the Marquis of , effected a reconciliation between them, and, from this time, his Grace never passed BrummelPs door without enquiring after him, and sometimes giving him an invitation to dine with him at Dessin's. This was sometimes announced from his carriage, as he went by, for he had not, of course, a minute to spare. It appears that the late Lord Westmoreland, when passing through Calais, also called on him, and said how happy he should be if he would dine with him that day at three o'clock ! Brummell's answer was truly characteristic : " Your Lordship is very kind ; but I really could not feed at that early hour ! " " When I first knew Brummell at Eton," said the courteous old gentleman who sent me this anecdote, " we daily dined together at twelve, and fed very heartily ! " But Brummell, soon after his arrival, had less distinguished and agreeable visitors than either the Duke or Lord Westmoreland. On one occasion an itinerant communicater of the legal house of How- ard and Gibbs, tapped softly at his door, with the GEORGE BRUMMELL. 361 intention of presenting some law paper for his sig- nature, or consideration : " Come in," said the Beau, deceived by so gentle an application for admittance ; his visitor's head, on a level with the latch, was instantly in the room his body being cautiously kept in the passage, " Why, you little rascal," screamed the astonished George Bryan Brummell aforesaid, directly he saw him, " are you not hung yet ? begone ! " the head obeyed, the door closed, and the little body departed. His routine of life at Calais was methodical in the extreme ; he rose at nine, breakfasted off cafe au lait, and sat reading the Morning Chronicle, brochures, or books, (that is, after his Levizac had been laid aside,) till twelve ; precisely at that hour he might be seen in a flowing brocade dressing- gown and velvet cap, like the beret of the olden time, crossing the passage to his bedroom ; and so punctually did he keep to stated hours, that his landlord's " devils " used to exclaim, when he appeared, " Ah ! voil& Monsieur Brummell ; c'est midi," and they immediately struck work, and went to their dinner. The business of his toilet now commenced, and this occupied a considerable part of two hours : from the time that was completed he held his levee, and sat en prince chatting with his friends. If it 362 THE LIFE OF was in the summer, he resorted to the open window of his charming drawing-room, and apostrophized his acquaintance as they passed. " Brummell !" shouted one of them to him under his window, the Beau looked out, " Have you heard the news?" " No, what's the matter?" "Why S , the banker, ran off last night." " Well, what of that ?" " Why, I have lost a thousand francs." " Have you ? then, my good fellow, in future take a hint from me, and always keep your banker in advance." At four o'clock he stepped into the Rue Royale, as well turned out as he ever did into St. James's-street, in the very meridian of his glory. A walk on the ramparts, or to his garden at the foot of them, killed the next hour ; but he walked more pour se distraire than for exercise, his " long walk," as he termed it, being out of one gate and in at the other, the two being about a hundred yards apart. The fact was that Vick, his terrier, w r as so afflicted with embonpoint, that even during this short promenade he was obliged to turn round and wait for her at least a dozen times before he had accomplished fifty paces. His partiality for this dog was extreme. Vick was once very ill, so he sent for two of his friends, learned in the diseases of the canine race, who, on their arrival, found her laid upon his bed, and Brummell in great distress standing by her side. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 363 An examination of her condition having taken place, the two dogopathists opined that she ought to be bled. " Bled !" said her master, turning away, " I shall leave the room ; inform me when the operation is over." When poor Vick died he shed tears, and observed to Mr. Marshall, in his usual cynical tone, that he had " lost the only friend he had in the world," meaning, most likely, in the world of Calais. Lister has introduced a version of this anecdote in " Granby," but there is a difference in the dog's name and species, and the time and place. The scene I allude to is laid at a nobleman's house in the country, where he broke up a prolix conversa- tion one morning by making his poodle perform some laughable tricks, and directing the attention of the company to the beauty of his dog. " Come here, Polisson," he said, " come here and show yourself; is not he magnificent? Look at these tufts, I had him shorn by the best tondeuse in Paris. Lady Harriet, I '11 give you her direction." " Oh thank you! how handsome he is; he must be quite a treasure." " Oh ! invaluable : when Polisson dies I shall steal for him Lord Byron's epitaph on his Newfoundland dog ; then I shall say, with my hand on my heart, (speaking of my friends,) ' I have never had but one, and there he lies,' " pointing to the dog who was stretched upon the hearth-rug. 364 THE LIFE OF Poor Vick was buried, by his special desire, in Dessin's garden ; and though her master did not actually put on mourning, he talked seriously of erecting a monument to her memory. His salon was peremptorily closed against visitors for three days, and it was several weeks before he permitted any one to speak of her death. He had subse- quently three poodles : the most famous of the trio was called " Atous," and had been trained by a sol- dier of the garrison. This dog was a perfect speci- men of canine intelligence, and he turned out for his walk at four, quite as neat as Brummell. His great accomplishment was to take a hot muffin from the plate before the fire, and run round the room offer- ing it to the company ; but poor " Atous" also died, and Brummell was again a prey to grief. Like a true cynic, his eye was seldom if ever moistened on hearing of the death of a friend, though a flood of tears was always ready when his dogs died. His poodle was regretted because it was constantly in his presence, and his decease left a blank in the daily routine of his habits and ideas. But to resume the sketch of his diurnal proceed- ings. At five o'clock precisely he ascended the staircase to his rooms, and dressed for dinner, which was sent from Dessin's at six : at this meal he washed his oesophagus with a bottle of Dorchester ale, of GEORGE BRUMMELL. 365 which he had always a barrel in the house. This showed plainly indeed that he had " fallen from his high estate," and was fain now to treat with rather less contempt than he felt on hearing it the sar- castic remark of the alderman, for the beverage was at least malt liquor. This potent stuff was followed by a liqueur glass of brandy, which he always took during dinner, and the rear was brought up by a bottle of Bordeaux ; a pretty comfortable refection for a man who lived entirely on the cha- rity of his friends. It was after one of these niggardly repasts that he is said to have written to the late Lord Sefton that he was " lying on straw, and grinning through the bars of a gaol ; eating bran bread, my good fellow, eating bran bread." I will not however vouch for the truth of the story. The double X did not take great effect upon his brain ; for though not given to excess, he had been well accustomed to a tolerable quantity of wine, to say nothing of Roman punch, into the mysteries of which it has been asserted that he initiated the Prince Regent. One who knew him intimately at Calais, assured me that he had never seen him inebriated but once, and then he was so disgusted with himself that he per- formed a voluntary penance of solitary confinement for eight days ; query, with or without his Dorches- 366 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. ter ale ? At seven o'clock, or half-past, he went to the theatre, where he had a small box; or in the long warm evenings he retired to his garden, in the sum- mer-house of which (now thrown down) he either read or noted down his recollections of his past career. CHAPTER XXVI. BrummeH's visitor from Dover His ungallant conduct to his daughter His reception of Wellesley P e on his arrival at Calais Mr. B y's toady The morning walk with Lord Sefton A rencontre on the ramparts The Beau reported dead Calais gossip Brummell adds his quota The result His appointment at Chalk Farm His reception of Colonel R d. SUCH was the general tenor of his life, varied oc- casionally by a dinner at the consul's, or a visit from some friend of former years a few of these stray birds of fashion would sometimes delay their departure for two or three days, merely to enjoy a laugh at the fund of anecdotes with which he was charged ; and one of them who had a house at Dover, frequently crossed the water to see him, and always gave him notice of his intention, de- siring that he would have all in readiness for his party at the Hotel, himself included. At these little fetes, he was always in good spirits, and as amusing as ever. One day after dinner, the ele- gant Beau, though always on the qui vive that his proceedings should be faultless, upset a cup of coffee on the cloth. The bell was rung for the waiter to remove it, and on his appearing 368 THE LIFE OF for that purpose he gave him to understand, with the most imperturbable gravity, that a young and graceful lady, the daughter of his friend, had com- mitted this piece of gaucherie. Directly, however, he had left the room, the real delinquent hastened to apologise and soften the indignation of the in- nocent victim, or at least attempted to do so ; adding drolly to a string of excuses, " You know it would never have done to let the world know that I was guilty of such awkwardness." This was not very chivalrous ; even if his fair neigh- bour had really spilt it, it would have been more goodnatured, if not so entertaining, to have taken the odium on himself mais son e'goisme regnait partout. But, however glad he might be to accept any invitation that promised to afford him amusement within the walls of the town, his friends could never succeed in persuading him to spend one night away from his own rooms. Lord Alvanley did, I believe, once prevail upon him to go to Dunkirk, and his landlord thought that he would at any rate not return that night ; but he was mistaken, for at four o'clock in the morning, Brummell knocked at the door. The Beau appeared much flattered and pleased by any attentions paid him by his itinerant visitors, and always endeavoured to be GEORGE BRUMMELL. 369 more than usually agreeable to them if that were possible, though he could not deny himself a joke, if it came into his head. I remember, said one of his Calais friends, that when sitting with him one morning, in walked \Y P e, who had just landed from the Dover packet ; it happened to be a very cold day, and the new arrival drew his chair close to the fire ; this Brum- mell observed, and said, " Why, Wellesley, you ap- pear cold ! but I am not surprised at it, for you must have been devilish hot in England, or we should never have seen you here." It was not till his old friends, Mr. G. C m, Sir Arthur F s, and afterwards Col. D , Berkeley C n, and Henry B y, came and fixed themselves at Calais, that Brummell entered at all into the English society of the place, and then with great discrimination in the choice of his acquaintances. But, even in spite of this caution, he some- times came in contact with his friends' friends, whose manners were most disagreeable to him. At one house at which he visited, the master kept a kind of fag, a tame animal, who was ready to follow him anywhere, and eat his dinners. This person was also kind enough to market for him, go to the post, or to the stables on a cold night VOL. i. 2 B 370 THE LIFE OF moreover, he was obliged to submit to be roasted : not like the present Lord Chief Justice, at Eton, once only and in earnest, and as a juvenile mar- tyr to the ardour of his political opinions, but a discretion, and get no credit for it. Nature had done little for this convenient creature of a con- venient race, and his parents less ; but, malgre his outlandish bearing, his patron had the bad taste to permit him to appear in the presence of his com- pany. It happened that on one occasion the Beau was of the party, and shortly after they had sat down to dinner, the toady thrusting out his plate, said " Mr. Brummell, I '11 trouble you for a potato." There was never a very large supply of silver at the tables of the English residents at Calais, and Brummell looked right and left for a spoon : but there was none, and he paused at the difficulty ; the toady, however, tired of holding out his arm, quickly relieved him from the dilemma by saying in a per- suasive tone of voice, " Oh, take your fork I'm not particular." " My dear B y," said the Beau, afterwards to his friend, " how can you ask gen- tlemen to meet such people at dinner? if your horses are ill, pay the fellow five francs and have done with him." However, towards the close of his residence at Calais, he was not so particular whom he dined GEORGE BRUMMELL. 371 with. One day, when walking on the ramparts arm- in-arm with the late Lord Sefton, they were met by an extremely vulgar-looking Englishman, who bowed to Brummell in a very familiar manner. " Sefton," said the Beau, " what can that fellow mean by bowing to you?" "To me! he is bow- ing to you, I suppose, for I know no one in Calais." Soon after, however, the stranger passed again, and, seizing Brummell by the arm, said to him in a most frightfully cordial tone, " Don't forget, Brum, don't forget, goose at four goose at four ! " thus betraying the Beau's engagement to dine with his hospitable but vulgar friend, an invitation that he thought he had so cleverly concealed from his refined one. It was while promenading one day on the pier, and not long before he left Calais, that an old associate of his, who had just arrived by the packet from England, met him unexpectedly in the street and cordially shaking hands with him, said, " My dear Brummell, I am so glad to see you, for we had heard in England that you were dead; the report, I assure you, was in very general circula- tion when I left." " Mere stock-jobbing, my good fellow, mere stock-jobbing," was the Beau's reply. Like all small towns, whether in England or else- where, in which the society is limited, there were in Calais several male as well as female gossips, 2 B 2 372 THE LIFE OF whose only occupation was, to perambulate from house to house, and retail, at each in succession, all that was true, and a great deal that was not, that they had seen or heard, or neither, in their morning walks. Brummell, as well as many others, was subject to have everything he said or did care- fully discussed, and often enlarged upon, by such people ; and they frequently fastened an ill-natured remark, or perhaps a good joke, upon him, when he had in fact never heard either, till he was called upon to contradict the cancan of the day. This exaggeration was quite unnecessary as re- garded him, for his satirical vein and impudence led him to make a sufficient number of pointed and saturnine remarks upon his countrymen, and lay himself open to retaliation. But Brummell was more particularly severe with those who manifested a disposition to intrude upon him without due introduction, or who vulgarly affected to be some- body, when their conduct and manners plainly indicated that they had never frequented that class of society to which they assumed to belong. Those who called themselves colonels or captains, without having any claim to the rank, were sure to be objects of his displeasure ; retired tuft-hunters, also, and self-important fat gentlemen, were always sin- gled out, as targets for his keen and droll remarks. GEORGE BRUMMELL. 3/3 Whenever he was asked whether he knew any character of this kind, or indeed others more a^ree- O able, but not to his mind, his usual reply was, ; ' Know him, my good sir ? to be sure I do. The fellow is a rank impostor ; I recollect him perfectly, when he was butler at Belvoir." Or, " Don't you remember Jones, who kept the snuff-shop in Bond- street ? that 's the very man." In the following instance, however, he was called upon, in a very summary manner, to contradict one of his mis- chievous witticisms. The sufferer in this case was a military man, who in the Peninsular, or some other war, had had the misfortune to be severely wounded in the face in fact, to lose the most prominent feature of it. The sarcasm in question at length reached the ears of the injured party, and in consequence the Beau was one morning disturbed, at his breakfast, by a loud knocking at the door ; his permission to enter was scarcely given, when the grisly warrior, with indignation in his eyes, and " satisfaction " in his thoughts, stalked into the room and confronted him. " Pray, sir," said Brummell, rising from his fauteuil, " what happy circumstance has induced you to favour me with such a very early visit?" " Why the fact is, Mr. Brummell," replied the veteran, in a tone of voice which at once told his 374 THE LIFE OF aggressor that the circumstance was anything but a " happy one," and that if his wit did not speedily get him out of the scrape, his valour must see him through it ; " the fact is, Mr. Brummell, I have heard that you have been kind enough to spread a report about the town, affecting my position in society here, by stating, that I am not a retired officer, and never held a commission ; and that I am really nothing more nor less than a retired hatter." With admirable presence of mind the Beau listened to this accusation, which was cer- tainly delivered in a manner savouring more of the camp than St. James's, and with much gra- vity thrown into his countenance, he immediately answered, " I am sorry, very sorry, that any one should conceive it possible that / could be guilty of such a breach of good manners. I can assure you, that there is not a word of truth in the report." The captain, perfectly satisfied and de- lighted with his reception, now moved towards the door ; when Brummell followed him to it, and as he was leaving the room, again affirmed that the report was false ; " For," said he, " now I think of it, I never in my life dealt with a hatter with- out a nose." It is probable that the officer was not much pleased with this unfeeling speech, but he was so taken by surprise that he made no reply, GEORGE BRUMMELL. 375 and beat a retreat immediately. The only notice that Brummell took of the affair was, to express his astonishment the next day that any one should have sent him a " death's head!" If his wit provoked a quarrel, it, as in this case, generally settled it; for he was by no means a lover of the duello. Some years before this period, the second of a gentleman, who had received in- structions to call upon him and demand either satisfaction or an apology, is said to have an- nounced his errand in a very peremptory manner, and concluded his message bv savins:, that he must ^3 * * O apologize in five minutes. " In five minutes, sir !" replied the Beau in a cold sweat, " in five seconds, or in less time, if you prefer it." Brummell attri- buted his dislike to assignations in defence of his honour to a constitutional tendency to knock under. He was, he said, dearly fond of notoriety, but not of this particular kind. " My dear fellow," observed the Beau to a friend, when conversing on the sub- ject, " perhaps you are not aware of the circum- stance, but I am not naturally of an heroic turn. Nevertheless, I once had an affair at Chalk-farm, and a dreadful state I was in, I can tell you ; never in my life shall I forget the horrors of the previous night ! sleep was out of the question ; and I passed it in pacing my room, cursing the cruelly 376 THE LIFE OF good joke, for which I was on the eve of being torn from Lady - and Roman punch for ever. The dawn was to me the harbinger of death, not of another day; and yet I almost hailed it with pleasure ; but my second's step upon the stairs soon neutralized the feeling; and the horrid de- tails, which he carefully explained to me, annihi- lated the little courage that had survived the anxieties of the night. We now left the house, and no accident of any kind, no fortunate upset, occurred, on our way to the place of rendezvous; where we arrived, according to my idea much too soon, a quarter of an hour before the time named. " There was no one on the ground, and each minute seemed an age, as, in terror and semi-suffo- cation, I awaited my opponent's approach. At length the clock of a neighbouring church announced that the hour of appointment had come ; how its tones, brought by the wind across the fields, struck upon my heart ! I felt like the criminal, when he hears the bell of St. Sepulchre's for the last time : we now looked in the direction of town, but there was no appearance of my antagonist ; my military friend kindly hinted that clocks and watches varied, a fact I was well aware of, and which I thought he might have spared me the pleasure of hearing him remark upon ; but a second is always such a ' d d good- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 3/7 natured friend.' The next quarter of an hour passed in awful silence, still no one appeared, not even in the horizon ; my companion whistled, and, con- found him ! looked much disappointed ; the half- hour struck still no one ; the third quarter, and at length the hour. My centurion of the Coldstream now came up, this time in truth my friend, and said to me, and I can tell you they were the sweetest accents that ever fell upon my ear, ' Well, George, I think we may go :' ' My dear M -' I replied, ' you have taken a load off my mind, let us go imme- diately ! ' Brummell was by no means a bad clas- sic, and he no doubt remembered that Horace kept a reputation, though he was not carried home upon his shield ; but though he was certainly no Bayard, there is no reason for asserting that he was another Bob Acres. Still, when he felt a deficiency in such emergencies, he should have applied to his friend, Lord A , who could have lent him as much courage then, as he did money afterwards, and that was to no trifling extent. Once, indeed, he showed fight in a most unusual and vigorous manner : it was when the then pro- prietor of a notorious courtezan called to request him to explain some insult, with which he was said to have regaled the lady, in a morning call that she had made him. High words having ensued 378 THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL. between Brummell and this gentleman, he ordered him to leave the room ; but finding that he demurred, the exasperated Beau, like the Bailie Nichol Jarvie, enforced his commands with a red-hot poker, that was opportunely resting in the fire at the time : in this instance our hero deserved the honour of an ovation, for it was a hundred to one against him, and his opponent was moreover a man of war. If we could muster credulity sufficient to believe the Memoirs of this modern Aspasia, who, singularly enough, has since turned Roman Catho- lic, she not only held the Beau captive, but in contempt, and this, too, when he was Nulli Secun- dus in London ; but it is not astonishing that she affected to do so, for he must have inspired her with une jalousie de femme a femme a woman can hardly be expected to forgive a man for being more elegant than herself. CHAPTER XXVII. Brummell's screen Destined for the Duchess of York Description of this pasticcio The six compartments The elephant and Napoleon Portraits of the Beau's friends His illustrations of their characters General U-n The Marquis of Hertford Lord Sefton The hyaena tamed by the Muses and the Graces The tiger and the French revolution Brummell's satire upon Lord Byron Price offered for the screen M. Leleux's parrot. THOUGH Brummell read a great deal, his favourite matinal avocation was working at a large screen, which, when finished, he had destined for the Duchess of York ; but the pleasure of recording, by this present, his sense of her great kindness, was denied him, for her Royal Highness died before it was completed ; he then laid it aside, and never resumed his labours. This work of taste and patience is a masterpiece in its way ; and had it ever reached Oatlands, many a fair dame and antiquated spinster would have envied its royal owner. The screen measures five feet and a half in height, and, when opened, is rather more than twelve in length ; it is divided into six leaves, and the ground is of green paper. The idea of a general design, with which it was evident Brummell had commenced, seems to have 380 THE LIFE OF been soon laid aside. The most prominent features of it are the quadrupeds, which form the centre of the upper part of each leaf; these prints are on a scale much larger than the generality of the other drawings. In the first compartment is an elephant, the second bears a hyena, the third a tiger, the fourth a camel, and the fifth a bear. The sixth has no animal upon it. Many of the drawings which cover the remaining surface of the screen are coloured : the engravings are in line, mezzotint, or lithograph, with sketches in chalk, pastile, or pencil ; in fact, a specimen of every possible variety of the limner's or engraver's art, if oils be excepted, is to be found upon it. It will therefore be easily imagined, that the general effect produced by such a multitude of objects, of every colour and form, is on the first coup d'ceil very confused : but, on a closer inspection, the attention that has been devoted to arrangement of almost every part, becomes easily discernible ; each little pictorial episode, and there are hundreds, is encircled by wreaths and garlands of flowers of every description ; the rose predomi- nating, much to the credit of the paster's taste; fruit, and emblems in character with the subject to be illustrated, are also mingled with the flowers ; to give an exact description of this glorious piece of fiddle faddle, the trifling industry of a thoroughly GEORGE BKUMMELL. 381 idle man, would be both useless and tedious. I shall therefore merely attempt a slight sketch, in the order in which I examined it, commencing with the first compartment. On this leaf, as I have before remarked, there is an elephant, under the neck of which is a full-faced portrait of Napoleon, who, in this case, is the sub- ject to be illustrated. By introducing this animal the Beau intended to express the Emperor's power ; but on the throat of the modern king-maker is a butterfly, intended to represent another of his attri- butes, and to neutralize his greatness. The por- trait is encircled by the neck, shoulder, and trunk of this Chouni ; and the edges of the two drawings, which would otherwise have been discoverable, are concealed by other attributes, as well as by fruit and flowers, cut out and arranged with infinite pains. This plan of concealing the edges was pur- sued throughout with as much nicety as a sempstress would bestow on the hem of a chemise d'homme. Amongst these emblems, and immediately above the Emperor's head, is a mortar elevated for firing ; from the mouth of it proceeds a sword, round which a serpent has entwined itself : a scythe and a flag, with the Russian eagle on it, are crossed above the sword, and the trophy is completed by laurel branches over the emblem of Time. The trumpet 382 THE LIFE OF of Fame, and a port-fire nearly burnt out, are above the Muscovite colours. The reader can scarcely fail to see the application of these illustrations to Napoleon's history. Below the elephant, and in the centre of the same leaf, are grouped four coloured portraits ; the one on the left hand looking outwards is General U n, next to him are the late Marquis of Hertford and Lord Sefton, apparently in conversation ; and the fourth (to me an inconnu) is on their right, and look- ing towards them. The general, who has a neck- cloth large enough for three, and a rounded shirt collar on the same scale, is smelling a sprig of jessa- mine ; a Cupid lolls on his shoulder, as much at ease as the reading Magdalen at Dresden, and is killing, not the general, but Time, with a book, probably Ovid's Art of Love. On the body of the gallant officer, who is thus indulging poor Cupid with a ride a pig-a-back, is pasted an unnatural and clas- sical looking landscape, representing a forest in the distance, with a rocky foreground ; but the principal subject is a young lady, who having thrown aside her harp, is caressing the antlers of a wounded stag. Back to back with the general is the late Lord Sefton, the defect in whose figure Brummell concealed with a flower, probably with the intention of showing that he considered his physical infirmi- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 383 ties were entirely overbalanced by his amiable dis- position. This he might well do, for he was one of his greatest benefactors. Between his lordship and the marquis is the head of a very lovely woman, ornamented, without the slightest necessity, by a plume of ostrich feathers. The two peers are so placed that it is difficult to say out of whose pocket the divinity is emerging ; most likely that of the latter. Lord Sefton is in Hessians, and wears a very peculiar hat. My Lord of Hertford, whose whiskers look as if they were made of leopard's skin, is dressed in a great-coat, and carries a large cane between a pair of yellow tan gloves, his left hand being inserted, like Lord Sefton's right, in his pocket behind. His emblems are also highly ap- propriate and numerous. First, and in the front, are two Cupids in an azure cloud, one bearing the hymeneal torch, and the other a dove, which is looking him amorously in the face. Cupids, in every variety of position that the coryphee of the grand opera could devise, float around his lordship. They may be literally said to swarm ; and judging by their looks, each of them seems to be laden with the sweets of a different hive, more luscious than those of Narbonne or Hymettus. One, much larger and more saucy-looking than the rest, is standing on his lordship's shoulder, and rests, with folded 384 THE LIFE OF arms, and the domesticated air of a favourite spa- niel, upon his hat. To the right is a charming print, by Bartolozzi or Cipriani, of a young girl attended by the everlasting Cupids ; above her is a little archer shooting at doves in a palm-tree, and around are Satyrs carrying Bacchantes and Shep- herdesses in their arms. Farther on is a gentleman who sports a pair of yellow knee-breeches, and is presenting a nest of doves to a lady in a scarlet- bodied dress. All these subjects appear to have been applique with great judgment in honour of the most noble the Marquis of Hertford. The inconnu, the last of the quartett, is the counterpart of a piping bullfinch, and by the emblems that surround him may perhaps have been a celebrated " fanatico per la nmsica." These portraits are from Dighton's caricatures. The Hyena in the second compartment is repre- sented as being tamed by the Arts, Sciences, and Religion, symbols of which, mingled with the Muses and the Graces, are seen on every side. In the centre of this leaf is a coloured print, taken from a scene in the " Fille mal gardee." There are also various drawings representing historical, mythologi- cal, and rural subjects. Amongst the most striking are Telemachus relating his adventures to Calypso, Phaeton driving his car, Time his chariot ; a French GEORGE BRUMMELL. 385 dragoon at bivouac preparing a fowl for the camp- kettle ; a rellgieuse at her devotions ; a minuet at a French fair ; a gentleman and a shepherdess, whose dog has seized the skirt of her dress, and with an anxious look is endeavouring to detach her from her admirer. The tiger on the third leaf is surrounded by Cupids, cows, goats, &c., all, with the exception of the first, harmless and peaceful animals. On each side of the royal brute is a coloured print, repre- senting the juvenile amusements of the Dauphin and the Duchesse d'Angoulme. In the one to the right they are playing at soldiers : she is marching in front of her brother and beating a drum, thus indicating the resolute spirit which she afterwards showed : her dog is scampering before her ; and her companion, who is dressed in the national colours, is carrying a flag, on which are inscribed the words Union, Force. She has evidently tempted him away from his ninepins to follow her, and these toys are seen behind him scattered on the ground. In the other print they are playing at battledore and shuttlecock, looking very happy and very merry. The ferocious tiger was well chosen to illustrate the period and the subject to which this part of the screen is devoted; for in this beast of prey are plainly personified the cruelties of the Revolution, VOL. i. 2 c 386 THE LIFE OF and, in the domestic animals, the helplessness of those who suffered by its horrible excesses. The children's ignorance of the nature of the proceed- ings of which their flag and their tricoloured sashes were the emblems, and their utter unconscious- ness of the anxiety and danger which at that very time surrounded them and all belonging to them, as expressed by their game of battledore and shuttlecock, is truly characteristic of their years. Such happily is generally the case with children. In the midst of the dreadful hurricane in which the crew of the Bridge water so nearly perished, and when not a ray of hope existed for the safety of a soul on board, where were the little children of one of the passengers, and what were they doing ? Were they frightened at the unusual trembling of the ship, as she staggered under the concussions of each succeeding wave, or sobbing in their mother's arms ? No ; at that awful moment they were float- ing their little paper boats in the water that half filled the cabins. Below these prints are many other Cupids also, but by no means so comfortable as the one on Lord Hertford's shoulder. One poor boy is standing, in a cold wretched night, at the door of a house ; his torch is thrown down in the snow, and his dripping pinions are scarcely covered by a scanty red mantle. He seems to be a good GEORGE BRUMMELL. illustration of the old song, " In the dead of the night." and is apparently singing the insinuating line, " I 've lost my way, ma'am ; do pray let me in." Near this mischief-maker is another smoking a pipe. Below the camel, in the fourth compartment, is a man in Cossack trousers : a monkey is sitting on his back, gently exciting his own epidermis : a pen- sive Cupid is clinging to the coat of the incognito. Near him is a gentleman with a lady in his arms ; a Cupid is looking up at them, and pointing to a volume of sermons which he holds in his hand : a butterfly has alighted on the cavalier's coat, and not far off is a group of Cupids and satyrs rushing in among bathing nymphs. There is also a female barber. The bear in the fifth compartment is stimulating his appetite with a young crocodile : around him are children at play, shepherds, the Graces, Venus, and numerous insects and shells. Lower down are portraits, of Charles Fox, Necker, Sheridan, the Regent Philip of Orleans, and John Kemble. Fox has a butterfly near him ; Nelson, Greenwich Hos- pital ; Sheridan, a Cupid carousing on some straw ; 388 THE LIFE OF and Kemble, a ladybird on his waistcoat. Round the arm of a man in Hessians is a green monkey holding a mask, and another monkey is between his legs. There are also likenesses of Lucien Buona- parte, the Princess Charlotte, and the Duke of Cambridge when a young man ; and a little piece representing an old cure de village trying, but in vain, to thread the needle of one of his pretty parishioners. Byron and Napoleon, placed opposite to each other, occupy the upper centre of the last and sixth leaf: the former is surrounded with flowers, but has a wasp on his throat. This to his friend was base ingratitude on the part of Brummell, for the noble lord spoke of, and would have pasted him, with more charitable feeling. Kean, as Richard, is the last print I shall notice. He is below the Em- peror, and his neck is ornamented with two hymeneal torches laid together crosswise by a true-lover's- knot. It will be seen by this imperfect description that to understand fully the wit shown in the arrange- ment of all the groups, it is necessary that the observer should be familiar with the gossip of the day; and there is little doubt that any of Brummell's contemporaries would, with the greatest ease, re- GEORGE BRUMMELL. 389 capitulate the histories attached to each, and ex- plain to his juniors, circumstances in the arrange- ment, that to them are merely unmeaning riddles. When Brummell left Calais, the screen, accord- ing to his valet's version of the affair, was placed in his hands as part payment of a debt. Subse- quently, when Selegue's affairs became deranged, he was obliged to put it in pawn at an upholsterer's at Boulogne ; and it was at this person's house that I saw it during my short stay in that town. A noble- man, one of Brummell's former friends, in passing through, was once anxious to buy it, but the gentJe. man's gentleman valued his master's exertions too highly, and foolishly asked seven thousand francs for it, a bargain which his customer very naturally refused. Since that period, another Englishman offered two thousand ; this, however, was declined ; and when I saw it, the cabinet-maker was fitting it up very handsomely with a mahogany frame, and intended sending it to London, where he hoped to realize a large sum by the sale of it. This screen must have been a fertile subject of conversation for BrummeH's privileged visitors, and to them only was it ever exhibited. To have heard him while employed in cutting out, cutting up, and pasting, his dearest friends, and expatiating upon the group 390 THE LIFE OF that was under his hands at the time, must have been a treat indeed. Having now introduced the reader to the Beau's buhl, Sevres, quadrupeds, and screen, I must not omit to mention a biped that completed his effemi- nate establishment. This was no less a personage than a stately green-and-yellow parrot, which was very much attached to him, and, in return, he treated the intelligent bird with great consideration. Brummell was never tired of singing his praises and calling the attention of his visitors to his beauty. " Is he not a fine bird ?" he used to say. " What plumage ! what a beak and tail ! How solemn he looks ! Stand here, my good fellow, and examine him : don't you see a likeness to somebody ? a traveller, a poet, ay, and a patriot, too a man who had the good luck to be sent to Newgate. Well now, how very obtuse ; the likeness don't strike you, I see ;" and then placing his visitor in a different position, he would continue thus : " Now, look at him in this point of view now don't you see ? how very odd ! why, don't you see how like he is to Hobhouse ?" Hobhouse, however, at length got beyond the Board of Control, and was dismissed for malprac- tices into the court below, his beak being on more GEORGE BRUMMELL. 391 friendly terms with the curtains and the buhl fur- niture than was agreeable to his master, or rather to his master's locataire, for he was the property of Mr. Leleux. Whenever an opportunity offered, however, Hobhouse broke loose from his cage, and would fly up to the Beau's windows. For this con- tumacious conduct he at last got pinioned ; but he was an obstinate fellow ; and, as he could not take wing, he used to walk up stairs, as well as his namesake or any other visitor, knock at his friend's door, and having obtained admittance, which he never failed to do, did not return to his cage with- out having received both wine and biscuit. This bird, I believe, came from Havre, appropriately termed, by Miss Costello, " the town of parrots." END OF VOL. I. Tyler & Reed, Printers, Bolt-court, London. A 000 045 954 5