To this celebrated lady may in fome measure be afcribed the falvation of France. Charles was of fo luxurious and careless a temper, that while the English arms were carrying all before them, he was amufing himself with merriments and diversions, as if in a time of profound peace and fecurity. One of his generals waiting upon him on bufinefs of great importance, found him fo taken up in planning a matter of this nature, that, without attending to the fubject of this officer's errand, the king fpent a confiderable time in explaining to him the whole procefs of the affair that fo much employed his attention; asking him, after he had done, what he thought of it?" I think (anfwered the general) that you cannot lofe your kingdom more chearfully and gaily." The high opinion of this famous mistress of Charles the Seventh of France, followed her to the grave, and has lasted to this day. French writers of all claffes, poets and hiftorians, laymen and ecclefiaflics, fpeak of her with refpect. She has been celebrated by the most illuftrious perfonages in her country; even kings have taken up the pen to do honour to her memory. She was held in fingular veneration by Francis the First, the great reviver and protector of literature in France, and one of the greatest princes that ever adorned the throne of that monarchy. Seeing her picture one day, he confidered it a while with profound attention; then turning to the courtiers that attended him, "Gentlemen, (faid he,) let me pay that tribute of praise and gratitude, which, as king of France, I owe to the memory of a woman who preferved the crown on the head of my predeceffors." So faying, he wrote the following lines under the pic ture : Plus de louange et d'honneur tu merite, "More praife and honour thou deferveft for being the cause of recovering France, than is due to the reclufe virtues of nuns and friars, cloistered up in folitude." The French, indeed, cannot exprefs them felves too warmly, when they speak of one who was fo eminently inftrumental in retrieving France from the terrible condition to which, during feveral reigns, it had been reduced, through the formidable afcendency obtained by the councils and arms of England in that kingdom. But But fuch miftreffes are not frequently found, neither in France nor in other countries. When fach female characters appear, 'tis pity that a diadem fhould not always encircle their brows. The Honourable MR. STANLY to MR. HARCOURT. STANLY HALL. EST impatience fhould become troublesome, and your anxiety lead you into conjectures, painful as well as foreign to the truth, I was determined to give you a line, that your own ideas might not become unneceffary tormentors. Several circumftances have arifen to prevent our calling on your father, as we intended. I won't fay a relapfe, but a little indif pofition in my father, has been in fome measure the caufe: however, I thank God both my fears and my cares are totally relieved on that head, for I think he is even better for having kept himself quiet for a day or two. Another impediment has been thrown in our way, owing to the friendly vifit of my coufin - Banks and her daughter. The old fuit at law brought her to town, where hearing of the illness my father had lately been afflicted with, induced her to come thus far, merely to pay her friendly refpects to him. The long Chancery fuit which has perplexed her fo many years, is happily terminated in her favour, which I think has already reftored her countenance to fomething like her former chearfulness: you do not read on her care-worn face, as we were wont, the perplexities and intrica cies of the law; and she can now entertain you with other dialogues than thofe on demurrers, rejoinders, replications, and the devil knows what befides, which her long habit of converfing with lawyers had rendered familiar to her. Charlotte is grown a fine girl; though not strictly a beauty, the has charms enough to render her pleafing: her education has not been neglected, for the poffeffes all thofe defirable accomplishments which mufic, dancing, drawing, and reading French, are expected to produce: fhe is full of life and fpirits, and fuch a volubility of language, as renders her a fund of entertainment. My father is vaftly pleafed with her lively difpofi tion, and fimplicity of manners; and yet he does not want for fenfibility. When I was relating to her mother the alarm I was thrown into on finding my father, on my arrival at Stanly-Hall, in fo languid and feeble a ftate, that I had every thing to fear, and that it was fome time e're I could perfuade my felf but that we were taking a final leave of each other, as death feemed vifible in his countenance, and his faultering accents spoke the language of departing breath, I turned my eyes on Charlotte, and faw the tears trickle down her cheek. Such fenfibility, in fo lively, fo young a mind, has taught me to think well of her. You will now naturally form to yourfelf, that the arrival of Mrs. Banks and Charlotte together, with the little indifpofition of my father, are reafons fufficient for the procraflination of a few days in our intended vifit to your father. Affure yourself that I fhall, if mine does not fpeak to me on the fubject, remind him of his promife in a day or two. By way of lengthening my letter, I would give you fome intelligence, if I knew what to fay worth your reading. Politics, you know, I am not fond of; and at this diftance from the metropolis, we scarce know what is going forward in the bufy world. The depending fate of doctor Dodd feems to be a topic that engages more attention than any other his friends are very frenuous in procuring him the royal pardon: petitions innume rable, I am told, are figned by all defcriptions of people, in imploring his majefty to extend his mercy to him. It must be a very diftreffing fituation to the king, to be thus divided between justice and humanity! It is a trying point! I really look on the fituation of majefty, thus circumftanced, to be truly pitiable: his own inclination, together with a wifh to comply with the requifitions of his people, plead ftrongly in his bofom to do an act of mercy; but juftice, of which he is the fount, demands the victim he cannot yield to the many fupplications which humanity dictates; and which a heart, open to its cries, would compaffionately attend to, without weakening thofe laws which guard and protect us all. Davenport is juft dropped in. As he, like the rest of the Efculapian fraternity, knows all the chit chat of the country, I afked him what news was flirring; for I was writing to you, and wanted materials. 66 Nothing new, I affure you, Sir, (lays he,) but you have heard, I fuppofe, the intended match between Sir John and Mrs. B is off.” "No, not a word of it," replied I. "Ablolutely, I affure you, (fays he,) I had it from one of the family this morning Sir John's intrigue with a certain lady is now no fecret, and Mrs. B has forbid him, in consequence, ever fpeaking to her again." "Why then, then, Davenport, (replied I,) if you have any spirit in you, whilft the widow's refentment is warm, go and make her an offer yourself: 'tis the best time in the world; her pride is hurt, and that will plead a fufficient excufe for her with the world, to do an act which perhaps the might have no real objection to." Davenport only thook his head; which fpoke, as plain as a hake of the head could, that it would not do.- -" Dr. H is alfo got into fuch difgrace, (continued Davenport,) that I am told he fhuns fociety." "How fo?" fays I. "The fecret is come out, fince his wife's death, that they were never married; his female friends revile him for the impofition he has put on them, and his other friends laugh at him for his inconfolable grief." Might it not be a fcandalous report ?" "It is proved beyond a doubt; a letter, entrusted by Mrs. H to her friend C, to put in the poft after her decease, has brought her brother from Lancashire, who demands certain valuables of the doctor, as his fifter's property; which he at first refufed, but has fince been obliged to give up, and this brother has blown the whole. This difcovery has given birth to a whimfical elegy it was fent to me lait night; I have it in my pocket here it is." An ELEGY on MRS. A. H, lamentably lamenting. And fleep 'till morn :-alas! poor Nancy's dead ! I'll not fay more of this fingular production, than that the author fufficiently understood the art of finking in poetry. "And thou, Dalhousie, the great god of war, MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS for that. VOL. III. 78. 4 H Davenport Davenport did not leave me without entreating I would do him the honour to convey his best respects to you. As this letter is rather an apologetical one, I fhall not fay further at prefent than that I am, moft affuredly, Your's fincerely. [To be continued.] I To the PRINTER of the WEEKLY ENTERTAINER. SIR, BEG the favour to offer the following queries to the confideration of your numerous readers, hoping thereby that fome intelligent perfons will be inclined to give us, through the channel of your publication, a more accurate account of the places where they refide, than what we meet with in the general defcriptions of England. And I fhould be particularly glad if gentlemen refident in Devonshire, and the other western coun ties, would be thus induced to prefent to the public their obfervations relative to fuch towns, &c. as they are acquainted with. I am, Sir, your's, &c. Briftcl, June 14, 1784. QUERIES for a TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION of a TOWN, PARISH, &c. 1. WHAT is the ancient and prefent name of your town, &c. and alfo its etymology? 2. How old do you conceive it to be, and how is it fituated? 3. What is the number of its houses and inhabitants ? 4. How it is bounded; that is, what parishes lie round it, eaft, weft, north, and fouth? 5. In what manor, diocefe, deanry, and hundred, does the church fland ? 6. When, and by whom, was the church built, and to what faint is it dedicated? 7. What remarkable particulars can you find concerning it? Has it a tower, or fpire? What number of ifles, bells, &c. ? |