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| CHAPTER I. |
| Birth and Parentage of Mrs. Montagu—Long Tom Robinson—Dr. Conyers Middleton—Early Training of Mrs. Montagu—Funeral at York Cathedral—Mrs. Makin—Her System of Female Education—School at Tottenham High Cross—Early Habits of Mrs. Montagu—The Duchess of Portland—Mary-le-Bone Gardens—“La Petite Fidget” at Bath, at Tunbridge Wells—Lord Noel Somerset—Bath Life in 1740—Lord Lyttelton—Scarlet Beaux and Country Polyphemuses—Modern Marriages—Garrick’s Richard the Third—Offers of Marriage to Miss Robinson | [1] |
| CHAPTER II. |
| Edward Montagu—Wedding Tour—Allerthorpe—Pursuits There—Lord Dupplin—Character of Mrs. Montagu’s Neighbours—Unwelcome Visitor—Habits of Mind—Lite in London—Birth of a Son—Little “Punch”—Death of Her Son—Visits Tunbridge Wells—Doctor Young and Colley Cibber There—The Vicar of Tunbridge—The Rebellion of 1745—Death of Mrs. Montagu’s Mother—Wilton—Death of Her Brother—Mode of Life at Bath—Mrs. Gilbert West—Mrs. Montagu’s Tastes—Love of Books—Her Analysis of Clarissa Harlowe—Mrs. Pilkington—Lady Sandwich—Miss Chudleigh at the Masquerade—Letter to Mr. Montagu | [23] |
| CHAPTER III. |
| Visits London—George Lewis Scott—Marries Mrs. Montagu’s Sister—Their Separation—Death a Friend—Lady Hester Pitt—The Refugee, Bower—Lady Townshend’s Ball—Lady Essex—“Bluestockings”—Mr. Benjamin Stillingfleet—Rumours of War—Life in the Country—Mrs. Elizabeth Carter—Mr. Montagu Succeeds to a Rich Inheritance—Dangerous Mistake—Doctor Monsey—Doctor Johnson—Mrs. Ogle’s Benefit—Mrs. Montagu’s Character of Burke—Writes a Criticism and Misses a Ball—Dissipations and Diversions—Two Old Lovers—Mrs. Montagu as an Authoress—“Dialogues of the Dead”—French in the Shades—Female Education—Longing after Rest—Accession of George the Third—House in Hill Street—Furniture in Fashion—Mrs. Montagu a Political Economist—Anecdote of an Old Scotch Woman—“The Penitents”—Warburton—His Treatment of Shakespeare—William Robinson—His Life of Inaction—Sir Charles Williams—Hammond’s “Elegies” | [42] |
| CHAPTER IV. |
| Anecdote of the Young King—Lord Anson—Retirement of Mr. Speaker Onslow—Death of Beau Nash—Mr. Pitt—His Character—Lord Bute—Marriage of the King—Portrait of Queen Charlotte—Lord Hardwicke Reads an Account of Her in Public—Preparations for the Coronation—Arrival of the Queen—Doctor Young’s New Poem—London on the Night of the Coronation—Duke of Ancaster—Lady Hardwicke—Regret at Mr. Pitt’s Resignation—His Reception in the City—Speech in the Commons—George Grenville—Bon Mot of Lady Townshend—“Millennium Hall”—Kitty Hunter—“The School for Lovers”—Change of Costume—Lord Clive at Bath | [64] |
| CHAPTER V. |
| Retirement of the Duke of Newcastle—The King’s Purchase of Buckingham House—Violent Distemper in London—Death of the Duke of Portland and Mrs. Donellan—Lord Halifax—Death of Sir Edward Dering—Mr. Harrison’s Watch—Bon Mot of the Duke of Newcastle—His Character—Declines a Pension—Pension to Doctor Johnson—Birth of “The First Gentleman in Europe”—The Duke of Bedford—Englishmen Naturally Politicians—Instalment of the Knights of the Garter—Return to England of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu—Her Death—Her Character—Her Reception of Mrs. Montagu—Lady Mary Leaves Her Son One Guinea—His Singular Character—Gathering at Hagley—The New Cold, “L’Influenza”—Mrs. Montagu Visits Oxford, Blenheim, Kenilworth, Warwick Castle—Mrs. Montagu at Sandleford—Lord Bath Proposed To—His Death—His Great Wealth—Mrs. Montagu Visits Alnwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Trossachs—The Vale of Glencoe—Visit to Lord Kames—Literary Evenings in Edinburgh—The Poet Gray—His Reserve—The Art of Conversation—Lady Cornewall Abroad | [83] |
| CHAPTER VI. |
| Critical State of Public Affairs—Voltaire’s Attack on Shakespeare—Mrs. Montagu’s Defence—Reception of Her Essay—Countess Gower’s Criticism—Doctor Johnson’s Opinion of It—Garrick—Cowper’s Opinion—Mrs. Montagu Falls Ill—Visits Edinburgh—Mrs. Chapone—Lord Buchan—Lord Kinnoul—Lord Breadalbane—Lord Kames—Scotch Hospitality—Death of George Grenville—Rumours of War—The King’s Speech—Lord Chatham—Conversations of Lord Kames and Mrs. Montagu—Voltaire’s Abuse of Lord Kames—William Emerson—Cheated by His Father-in-law—Burke—George Grenville—Death of the Duke of Bedford—His Character, Wealth, and Political Influence—Legacies—Foreign Politics—Ladies’ Schools | [106] |
| CHAPTER VII. |
| The Duchess of Portland—Fineness of the Weather—Visit to Winchester—Smuggling—Visit to Mr. Burke at Beaconsfield—Character of Mr. Burke—Lord Temple—Lord Nuneham—Mrs. Montagu’s Relations—Gray the Poet—Compared to Pindar—Changes in Newspapers—Extinction of Letter-Writing—Failure of Sir George C——e—Bad State of the Country—Good Luck in Smuggling—Requirements of a Young Lady in 1773—Christmas Festivities—Character of Mrs. Montagu’s Niece—Lord Stanhope—Lord Mahon—Observations on the Bringing-up of Children—Miss Gregory—The Price of a Dull Man—Doctor Johnson—Mrs. Montagu Settles an Annuity on Mrs. Williams—Serious Illness of Mr. Montagu—His Love of Mathematics—His Death—Prospects of His Widow—Horace Walpole to Mason | [122] |
| CHAPTER VIII. |
| Mrs. Montagu’s Attention to Her Affairs—Visits Sandleford and Denton—Visits Her Estate at Burniston—Entertains Her Tenants—Drought in 1775—Charitable Institutions—Visits Her Collieries—Difference between Her Northumbrian and Yorkshire Tenantry—Anecdote of Walter Scott—Lord Villiers Acts Lord Townley—The French Ambassador—Lord Granby—Mrs. Montagu in Paris—Voltaire Sends a Paper to the Academy against Shakespeare—Mrs. Montagu Is Present at the Reading—Her Ready Reply to M. Suard—A Judicious Idleness—Quantity of Rouge Used in Paris—The Emperor of Austria—“The School for Scandal”—The Duchess of Devonshire—Run of Bad Weather—Sir William Temple—Doctor Robinson’s History of America—Lord Shelburne—Abbé Raynal—Prevalence of Influenza—Engagement of Lady Mary Somerset—Death of Morris Robinson—Jack the Painter—Doctor Dodd—Lord Chesterfield—Lady Strathmore’s Conduct at the Elections—Stoney Bowes | [139] |
| CHAPTER IX. |
| Nuneham—Society There—The French Ambassador—The Taking of Ticonderoga—Morris Robinson’s Widow—Building of the Haymarket Theatre—Mrs. Montagu’s Heir—The Minuet—Family Affairs—Kindness to Mrs. Morris Robinson—Accident to Mrs. Scott—Lord Percy’s Divorce—The Duke of Hamilton—Miss Burrell—False Report of the Death of Mrs. Montagu’s Father—Accident to Lord Chatham—His Appearance in the House of Lords—Speech There in Reply to the Duke of Richmond—Sinks Speechless in a Fit—Mothers and Daughters in 1778 | [161] |
| CHAPTER X. |
| Character of Miss Coke—The New Singer at the Pantheon—Society at Tunbridge Wells—The Minuet Goes Out of Fashion—Decay of Mrs. Montagu’s Father—The Camp at Coxheath—Prosperity of the North of England—Lord Kames—Victory of Lord Rodney—Completion of the Circus at Bath—Commencement of the Crescent There—Life in Bath—Cards the Chief Business There—Mr. Anstey—Four by Honours—Riots in England—The Nabobs—Marriage of Mrs. Montagu’s Niece—Mrs. Montagu’s New House—Corruption of London Society in 1779—Three Divorces in One Session—Lord Percy—Lord Carmarthen—Lord Derby—The Duke of Dorset—Mrs. Macaulay | [174] |
| CHAPTER XI. |
| The Bluestockings—Mrs. Chapone as Lady Racket in the Rambler—The Rambler Attacks Card-Playing—Sunday Night Parties—Madame Du Bocage—Card-Parties at the Duke of Richmond’s—A Breakfast at Mrs. Montagu’s—Frederick, Prince of Wales—His Accomplishments—Breakfast Parties Yield to Evening Coteries—Origin of “Bluestocking”—Mr. Stillingfleet—Eminent Persons Who Met at the Assemblies of Mrs. Montagu, Mrs. Vesey, and Mrs. Ord—The Club—Sir Joshua Reynolds—Doctor Johnson—Hawkins—Beautiful Ceiling and Chimney-piece at Mrs. Montagu’s—Lord Chesterfield’s New House—Dangers Surrounding It in 1748—Doctor Johnson at Montagu House—Soame Jenyns’ Epitaph on Johnson—Mrs. Garrick—Manner of Her First Appearance on the Stage—Lady Clermont’s Al Fresco Gatherings—Syllabubs in Berkeley Square—Footpads on Hay Hill—Garrick Recites from “Macbeth” at Lady Montagu’s—Lady Spencer’s Eyes—Doctor Johnson at Mrs. Vesey’s—Contest of Gallantry with Mrs. Buller—Miss Monkton, Afterward Lady Cork—Conversation of Mrs. Montagu—Walpole on Bluestockings—Hannah More’s Description of the Bas-Bleu Meetings—The People Who Attended the Bluestocking Assemblies—Johnson’s Quarrel with Mrs. Montagu—His Life of Lyttelton—Horace Walpole—His Criticism on Mrs. Montagu—“Château Portman”—The Parnassus at Batheaston—Introduction of Bouts-rimés—Walpole’s Satirical Account of the Parnassus Fair—Mrs. Montagu in Montagu House—Mrs. Montagu as Vanessa, in The Observer—Miss Siddons—Miss Mitford on the Batheaston Meetings | [190] |
| CHAPTER XII. |
| Queen Charlotte—Miss Burney—The New House in Portman Square—Improvements in Her Property—Character of the French, Dutch, and English—Lord Edward Bentinck—Miss Cumberland—Lord Bristol—Mr. Brown’s Improvements at Sandleford—Bishop of Durham—Madame de Genlis—Mrs. Montagu’s “New Palace”—The Harcourts—Mrs. Montagu’s Advice to a Niece—Johnson’s “Lives of the Poets”—Sir Richard Jebb—Mrs. Montagu Sets Up a New Sort of Carriage by the Advice of Sir Richard Jebb—Miss Gregory—Letter to Morris Robinson’s Widow—Air-Balloons—The Prince of Wales—Is Hissed at the Theatre—The French Ambassador—French Bribery in England—Doctor Johnson’s Testimony to Mrs. Montagu | [218] |
| CHAPTER XIII. |
| Air-Balloons—Fire at Sandleford—Feather-Work—Mrs. Montagu at the Drawing-Rooms—Mr. Jerningham’s Lines on the Occasion of Her Fall There—Engagement of Her Heir and Nephew to Miss Charlton—Character of Her Nephew—Of Miss Charlton—Mr. Pitt—Marriage of Mrs. Montagu’s Heir—Breakfast at Salt Hill—Lord Lansdowne—Lady Sutherland—Lord Trentham—Declining Health of Mrs. Vesey—Lady Spencer—Lord Grimston—Mrs. Montagu Visits Her Newcastle Property—Lord Mount-Stewart—Lord Carlisle—Lord Ravensworth—Sir Henry Liddell—Cowper’s Verses on Mrs. Montagu—Employments of Young Mr. Montagu—His Maiden Speech Answered by Mr. Fox—Wraxall’s Allusion to It—General Montagu Matthew—His Disclaimer of Connection with Matthew Montagu—Southampton—London in Winter—The Commencement of Troubles in France—The Duke of Dorset Introduces a “Thé”—Described by Hannah More—The King’s Illness—Mr. Fox’s Illness—Lord Mount Edgcumbe—Bath—Mr. Montagu—Lord Harrowby—Party at Mrs. Montagu’s, at Which Burke Is Present—Mackenzie, Author of “The Man of Feeling”—Wilberforce—Great Dinners to Great People—Mrs. Montagu’s Failing Health—Mrs. Carter—Education of Girls—Mrs. Montagu’s Interest in the Subject—Summary of Her Life and Character | [232] |
