THE

SIR JAMES THORNHILL, KNT. F.R.S. HE houfe of this very excellent and eminent artist, whofe works do honour to his age and country, was in James-treet, Covent-garden; the back offices and painting-room abutted upon Langford's (then Cock's) auction-room in the Piazza.

When Hogarth had finished that beautiful series of pictures, the Mariage à la Mode, he exhibited them gratis to public view in the auction-room I have mentioned, in the fame manner as he afterwards did, at the fame place, his famous picture of Sigifmunda.

This fpectacle, fuch a one as, with refpect to the originality and intrinfic merit of the pieces, had never before, nor, I fear, ever will again be feen in this, or any other country, naturally excited the curiofity of the public in a very extraordinary degree; and, I have been informed by a relation who refided near the spot, that the wide area of the garden, and the adjacent streets, ufed to be filled every morning with the carriages of the Nobility, &c., who at once gratified their curiofity, and difplayed their talle and judgment.

The friends of the exhibitor, who (it fhould be obferved) had, without confent, married the daughter of the Knight, hoping to reconcile some differences that existed betwixt them, endeavoured to prevail on the latter to fee this aftonishing effort of the comic and tragic genius, as well as the graphic excellence of his fon-in-law.

Impelled, at length, by a defire that feemed to poffefs the whole town, Sir James fuffered himself to be perfuaded. He viewed the pictures, and like every other fpectator, though perhaps, from his knowledge of the art, in a till greater degree, was ftruck with the humour of the author, with their fubjects, and the facility and freedom that appeared in their exquifitely highlyfinished execution.

Catching fome part of the infpiration that diftinguished the works before him, Sir James, contrary to his ufual cuítom, expreffed his praife of them with a kind of rapturous enthufiafm.

There is a proverb, which fays, "Strike while the iron's hot.". The friends of Hogarth thought to avail themselves of this moment of ecttafy, which they deemed a diversion of the mind of the father in favour of the fon-in-law; therefore, while the former was in rapture with the works of the latter, they reprefeited, that the young painter was not only an honour to his family, but to the nation. They faid a great deal more in ore both of his genius and morals, and, in conclufion, hinted, that as he had married Mils T., and might probably with to make arrangements to fupport her in the file to which he had been ufed, they thought a fum of money would be acceptable.

This feemed, at once, to operate as a cooler to Sir James. He drew up, looked ferious, and, after a few moments' reflection, replied,

"I certainly intend to fee the young man whofe genius and talents I lo much admire; but as to money, that is another confideration. You with me to give my daughter a fortune; but let me tell you, fuch a donation is, in my opinion, unneceffary, as I am well affured, that the artist who is able to defign and execute fuch works as thefe, will never want a fortune with his wife.

DR. MISAUBIN *.

After having alluded to the author of that graphic tragedy the Mariage à la Mode (for fo, in its varied cataitrophe, it certainly is, though, like that original genius Shakspeare, he has introduced fcenes that are truly comic, as has Dryden, to whole drama of the fame title I conceive Hogarth's to be

infinitely

infinitely fuperior both in invention. and morality,) a short anecdote of one of the characters falls very naturally into the fubject, efpecially as it is one that makes fo confpicuous a figure in the third of the acts, as I think they may with propriety be termed, of the faid tragedy, the dramatis of which, like thofe of Lillo, are compofed of perfons fuch as we every day fee, and who in two inftances, and those not much to the credit of elevated rank, only rife above the level of common, though the author has moft admirably contrived to make the plot of his piece turn upon their connexion with high life.

This character the reader will conjecture to be the learned phyfician who has had the fingular honour to be immortalized both by Hogarth and Fielding; by the latter of whom he is stated to have faid, that, fo confcious was he of his own importance and celebrity, the proper direction to him was, To Dr. Misaubin, in the World; intimating thereby, that were he placed in any habitable quarter of the Globe, his medical skill would render him fo eminent and confpicuous, that the greatest blockhead of a poftman upon earth would be under no difficulty in finding his refidence.

How this learned Gentleman and his Lady came to appear at Court it is impoffible to fay it is not believed that he either went there to administer to Administration, or to "caft the water of the land:" however, tradition reports, that there they actually were one day, when there was a very numerous attendance, dreffed in a ftile, as we may eafily believe, of great gaudinefs and magnificence.

As it is frequently the cuftom of perfons who have, as we may fay, almost at once started into fplendour, to overdo things, the Lady had on what, in thofe days, was termed a double lappetted head, that is, four Jappets of beautiful point-lace depending from her cap, which, I am informed by thofe of far greater skill and judgment in fuch matters, is an undress, and therefore by no means to be tolerated upon thofe occations, when repectful etiquette requires that the whole paraphernalia fhould be critically correct.

Unconscious of this folecism in fashion on the female fide of the quef tion, the learned Doctor had, with great parade, led Madam Mifaubin into the antichamber, perhaps without remarking the tittering to which fo capital an error had given rife, or perhaps miftaking the ineers of contempt for admiration, or perhaps (for upon an occafion fo important there can be no end of conjecture) he might, if he did observe any notes of admiration, fuppofe them to arife from envy excited by the finery of partner and felf, if he could believe fuch a grovelling paffion as envy to exift in fuch an elevated fituation as the English Court. Be this as it may, this brilliant pair buftled through the croud, and advanced to the entrance of the drawingroom; where, ftrange to tell! one of the Gentlemen in Waiting, in the molt polite terms, informed the Lady that it was impoffible the fhould be admitted.

"Vat!" faid the Doctor; " Impof fible that Madam Mifaubin should be admitted! Why?

The Gentleman pointed to her un fortunate head; and faid, that it was not properly dreffed.

"Not properly dreffed!" faid the Phyfician; "Mon Dieu! I tink the be vary fine."

The Gentleman then explained, that however fine the Lady might be, the had four lappets to her cap, when custom prefcribed that in full dreis the fhould have but two.

"Oh! is dat all?" faid the Doctor: "I vill in von moment fet dat right.” He accordingly took a pair of fcillars out of his cafe, and cut off two of Madam Mifaubin's lappets.

This was to be a day of mortification to this couple The audience were convulfed with laughter; for it ap peared that the Doctor, in order to render his wife completely fashionable, had cut off the two lappets on the fame fide of the head.

There was no standing the pleafantry which this mistake created; therefore it is said, that the author of it and his Lady retreated from the scene of their fufferings as foon as poffible.

THE MARRIAGE PORTION. Mademoiselle Miaubin, I have been informed by thofe that were acquainted

GARRICK.

Here the aforefaid Doctor, who was a fcholar, had an opportunity to profit by his claffical attainments. He knew, that from the most early, down, at leaft, to the dark ages, marriage portions were frequently paid in kind; and as he had a strong predeliction in favour of the ancients, he thought a custom which was alluded to by Homer, and practifed by the Athenians, certainly deferved, nay demanded, a revival. He therefore, to the queries of his fon-in-law elect refpecting this important circum@tance, replied, that he did not mean to debase his daughter by giving any man that vile medium of trafic, money, to take her off his hands, but would endow her with medical compofitions, by which her husband would have the means of difpenfing health to multitudes.

"What compofitions do you mean?" faid the attonithed lover.

"Ten thousand of my pills," replied the Doctor.

"Ten thoufand of your pills!" faid the lover; "Of what value are they?" "Von guinea each," returned the Phyfician. Dat is exactly ten thoufand guinea. Dey are neither folar nor

lunar.

"No," faid the youth, "I underftand they owe their influence to another planet."

"Well" continued the Doctor, "Will you take ten thousand of my pills, and a very fine girl"

The 18th November 1588.

"No!" faid the lover; "the devil take me if I do!"

Here, it need scarcely be added, the match broke off.

SIR FRANCIS BACON, LORD VERULAM.

When Queen Elizabeth, after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, went in folemn proceffion to St. Paul's, to return thanks to the Almighty for the fignal victory that had been obtained, the attention of the people was attracted to the trophies carried before her; among which were eleven colours and ftandards. Some of thefe her enemies had arrogantly boasted thould, when they had taken the City of London, be difplayed upon the towers of the Cathedral wherein they were alterwards depofited.

It is very eafy to conceive the enthufiafm with which her loyal fubjects (and never Monarch had fubjects more loyal,) must have beheld thefe objects of national glory; but it is scarcely poffible to imagine the effect which their unbounded joy and ardent gratulations had upon the Queen: "They moved her even to tears." Nor were thefe emotions confined to her Majetty. Thefe emanations of fenfibility, thefe tenderly forrowful ebullitions of joy, not only ftained the lovely cheeks of the female part of the affembly, but rolled unreftrained down the honett faces of our male ancestors, who, although but little ufed to the melting mood," could not, for a moment, in dulge a reflection upon their wonderful deliverance, the ftrong fenfe of which the exhibition of the Itandards excited, without paying this fympathetic tribute of piety to God, who had fought their battle, whole interpofition was fo evident, and of gratitude to those heroes whom, under his influence, they confidered as their deliverers.

With refpect to this folemnity, of which it is unneceflary to state the particulars, I fhall, as it is but little known, only obferve, that when the Queen entered the City by Temple-bar, the found the different Companies ranged on the left, and the Gentlemen of the feveral Inns of Court on the right of the street, confequently in the front of the Temple. Sir Francis Bacon, then a young man †, stood among the

Barristers ;