Part 14 (1/2)
My Lords, to encourage and confirm that innate inclination to this country, founded on every principle of affection, as well as consideration of interest; to restore that favorable disposition into a permanent and powerful reunion with this country; to revive the ain to awe the House of Bourbon, instead of , as our present calamities compel us, to every insult of French caprice and Spanish punctilio; to re-establish our cohts and our honor; to confirlories forever--a consummation most devoutly to be endeavored! and which, I trust, may yet arise fro to you the following amendraphs of the address:
”And that this House does most humbly advise and supplicate his Majesty to be pleased to cause thepeace in A an i of a treaty for the final settlement of the tranquillity of these invaluable provinces, by a removal of the unhappy causes of this ruinous civil war, and by a just and adequate security against the return of the like calamities in times to come And this House desire to offer the most dutiful assurances to his Majesty, that they will, in due tioodness of his Majesty for the preservation of his people, by such explicit and most solemn declarations, and provisions of fundaed necessary for the ascertaining and fixing forever the respective rights of Great Britain and her colonies”
XXII FROM ”THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD”
THE FAMILY USE ART, WHICH IS OPPOSED WITH STILL GREATER
OLIVER GOLDSMITH--1728-1774
Whatever ht have been Sophia's sensations, the rest of the family was easily consoled for Mr Burchell's absence by the company of our landlord, whose visits now becah he had been disappointed in procuring ned, he took every opportunity of supplying them with those little recreations which our retire, and while my son and I followed our occupations abroad, he sat with the fa the toith every part of which he was particularly acquainted He could repeat all the observations that were retailed in the ats of the high wits by rote long before they made their way into the jest-books The intervals between conversation were ehters piquet, or so my two little ones to box tohim for a son-in-law, in some measure blinded us to all his imperfections It must be owned that my wife laid a thousand schemes to entrap hinify the hter If the cakes at tea ate short and crisp, they were ooseberries were of her gathering: it was her fingers that gave the pickles their peculiar green; and in the coredients Then the poor woht him and Olivia extremely of a size, and would bid both stand up to see which was tallest These instances of cunning, which she thought ih, were very pleasing to our benefactor, who gave every day soh they had not risen to proposals of ht fell but little short of it; and his slowness was attributed sometimes to native bashfulness, and so his uncle An occurrence, however, which happened soon after, put it beyond a doubt that he designed to becoarded it as an absolute pro to return a visit to neighbor Flaot their pictures drawn by a limner, who travelled the country, and took likenesses for fifteen shi+llings a head As this fa a sort of rivalry in point of taste, our spirit took the alar all I could say, and I said much, it was resolved that we should have our pictures done too Having, therefore, engaged the limner, for what could I do? our next deliberation was to shew the superiority of our taste in the attitudes As for our neighbor's family, there were seven of the quite out of taste, no variety in life, no cohter style, and after th caether in one large historical family piece This would be cheaper, since one fraenteel; for all families of any taste were non in the same manner As we did not immediately recollect an historical subject to hit us, ere contented each with being drawn as independent historical figures My wife desired to be represented as Venus, and the painter was desired not to be too frugal of his diamonds in her stomacher and hair
Her two little ones were to be as Cupids by her side, while I, with own and band, was to present her with my books on the Whistonian controversy Olivia would be drawn as an Areen Joseph richly laced with gold, and a whip in her hand Sophia was to be a shepherdess, with as ; and Moses was to be dressed out with an hat and white feather Our taste soput in as one of the family, in the character of Alexander the Great, at Olivia's feet This was considered by us all as an indication of his desire to be introduced into the family, nor could we refuse his request The painter was therefore set to work, and as he wrought with assiduity and expedition, in less than four days the whole was coe, and it ave hireat encomiums We were all perfectly satisfied with his performance; but an unfortunate circumstance had not occurred till the picture was finished, which now struck us with dise that we had no place in the house to fix it Hoe all caard so material a point is inconceivable; but certain it is, we had been all greatly re our vanity, as we hoped, leaned, in a ainst the kitchen wall, where the canvas was stretched and painted, h any of the doors, and the jest of all our neighbors One coe to be reht it more reseot out, but still h it excited the ridicule of soestions infound united with ours, was an honor too great to escape envy Scandalous whispers began to circulate at our expense, and our tranquillity was continually disturbed by persons who came as friends to tell us as said of us by ene spirit; but scandal ever iain therefore entered into a consultation upon obviating the malice of our enemies, and at last caive me entire satisfaction It was this: as our principal object was to discover the honor of Mr Thornhill's addresses,to ask his advice in the choice of an husband for her eldest daughter If this was not found sufficient to induce him to a declaration, it was then resolved to terrify him with a rival To this last step, however, I would by no ave me the most solemn assurances that she would marry the person provided to rival hi her hih I did not strenuously oppose, I did not entirely approve
The next tiirls took care to be out of the way, in order to give theirher scheme in execution; but they only retired to the next room, whence they could overhear the whole conversation: , that one of the Miss Flaood , she proceeded to reetting good husbands: ”But heaven help,” continued she, ”the girls that have none What signifies beauty, Mr Thornhill? or what signifies all the virtue, and all the qualifications in the world, in this age of self-interest? It is not, what is she? but, what has she? is all the cry”
”Madahly approve the justice, as well as the novelty, of your re, it should be otherwise
It should then, indeed, be fine ti ladies should be the first for whom I would provide”
”Ah, sir,” returned my wife, ”you are pleased to be facetious: but I wish I were a queen, and then I knohere hter should look for an husband But now that you have put it into my head, seriously, Mr Thornhill, can't you recommend me a proper husband for her? She is now nineteen years old, well grown and well educated, and, in my humble opinion, does not want for parts”
”Madam,” replied he, ”if I were to choose, I would find out a person possessed of every accoel happy One with prudence, fortune, taste, and sincerity; such, madam, would be, in my opinion, the proper husband” ”Ay, sir,” said she, ”but do you know of any such person?”--”No, Madam,” returned he, ”it is impossible to know any person that deserves to be her husband: she's too great a treasure for one man's possession: she's a Goddess Upon el”--”Ah, Mr Thornhill, you only flatterher to one of your tenants, whose er; you knohom I ive her good bread; and who has several times made her proposals:” (which was actually the case) ”but, sir,” concluded she, ”I should be glad to have your approbation of our choice”--”How, Madam,” replied he, ”my approbation! My approbation of such a choice! Never What! Sacrifice so oodness, to a creature insensible of the blessing! Excuse me, I can never approve of such a piece of injustice!
And I have my reasons!”--”Indeed, sir,” cried Deborah, ”If you have your reasons, that's another affair; but I should be glad to know those reasons”--”Excuse me, mada his hand upon his bosoone, upon general consultation, we could not tell what to make of these fine sentiments Olivia considered them as instances of the uine: yet, whatever they ht portend, it was resolved to prosecute the schehter's first appearance in the country, had paid her his addresses
XXIII MEETING OF JOHNSON WITH WILKES
(1776)
JAMES BOSWELL--1740-1795
_From_ LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL D
I am now to record a very curious incident in Dr Johnson's life, which fell under na fui_, and which I am persuaded will, with the liberal- acquainted with celebrated men of every description had made me, much about the same time, obtain an introduction to Dr
Samuel Johnson and to John Wilkes, Esq Two men more different could not perhaps be selected out of all mankind They had even attacked one another with sos; yet I lived in habits of friendshi+p with both I could fully relish the excellence of each; for I have ever delighted in that intellectual cheood qualities frole, ”mine own friend and my father's friend,” bethom and Dr Johnson I in vain wished to establish an acquaintance, as I respected and lived in intieniously, ”It is not in friendshi+p as in s, each equal to a third, are equal between theree with Johnson as a ree with ree” Sir John was not sufficiently flexible; so I desisted; knowing, indeed, that the repulsion was equally strong on the part of Johnson; who, I know not fro a Scotchman, had formed a very erroneous opinion of Sir John But I conceived an irresistible wish, if possible, to bring Dr Johnson and Mr Wilkes together How to e it, was a nice and difficult matter[E]
My worthy booksellers and friends, Messieurs Dilly in the Poultry, at whose hospitable and well-covered table I have seen a greater number of literary men than at any other, except that of Sir Joshua Reynolds, had invited entlemen on Wednesday, May 15th ”Pray,” said I, ”let us have Dr Johnson” ”What, with Mr Wilkes?