The shock of Pitt's resignation, and the prospect of Roman Catholic emancipation, had again unhinged the King's mind. But the attack was a brief one, and by March 14 he was sufficiently recovered to accept the formal resignation of his ministers.
Frederick, Duke of York, had married in 1791 Frederica, Princess Royal of Prussia, a state whose partitions of Poland and timid attitude of neutrality to France during two reigns, were not calculated to render its rulers popular in England.
Brynbella, 22 May 1801.
My dear and valued Friend now receives a letter of business from Brynbella. The trunk with all our clothes, books, papers,—everything,—which Hodgkins saw booked ... upon the 22d of March, is never arrived yet, and this is the 22d of May. I have heard of it just now, though, and in an odd manner. A man who says he signs for some Mr. Lye, the date, Bristol, tells me it is gone by sea to Liverpool. What madness! It was meant for Chester Waggon, the old conveyance by which Mr. Wiltshire has regularly sent it these three years. Could you be kind enough to enquire about it?...
And now do, dear Friend, find me out another thing. We are told Miss Thrale is at Bath for her health; and the idea keeps me very uneasy, the more as she never writes. You saw the last letter I ever received from any of them. I dare say Dr. Parry is her Physician, and you could know from him, without any immediate enquiry as if I wished to hear, which she would consider as if intrusive and inquisitive, and would say it was affectation....
Let us thank God for the happy change in public affairs at least, peace and plenty are not far off.
From Egypt old Rome in the days of Domitian
To make her tyrannical Emperor smile,
Fresh roses brought over, for Winter provision,
That bloom'd on the Tyber as once on the Nile.
But bold Abercrombie, whom Britons confide in,
His Flora sent home with far different spoil;
The invincible army of Frenchmen deriding,
Their standards he seiz'd on the banks of the Nile.
Thus end the exploits of renown'd Buonaparte,
Who fell upon Egypt with force and with guile,
Throwing dust in the eyes of each Mussulman hearty,
Dust pregnant with plagues on the banks of the Nile.
Of warriors ill-fated if England must tell soon,
Her losses, though deep, she'll repair in a while;
With Moore, Smith, and Berry, Ball, Trowbridge, and Nelson,
A hero we'll count for each mouth of the Nile.
Mr. Pennington will see an allusion to an Epigram of Martial[17] in the first stanza; but never mind, 'tis a good Ballad to roar at a club, and the tune, Rural Felicity, or Ellen o' Roon. But what fellows those old Romans were after all!! Fetching (as they actually did) Oysters from England and Roses from Egypt for one winter evening's entertainment....
[17] Martial, Epig. vi. 80: Ad Cæsarem de rosis hibernis.
CHAPTER VI
Attacks by reviewers—The Peace, 1801—Visit to London—South Wales—Mrs. Pennington's troubles—Bath again—Breach with Mrs. Pennington, 1804.
The next letter is directed to "Longford Cottage, the Seat of the Rev. Thomas Sedgwick Whalley, near Bristol," where Mrs. Pennington was staying for a few weeks.
Brynbella, 3 June 1801.
... I do assure you that between your own house and this no greater anxiety has been felt for Mr. Whalley; he is our very true friend, and we have sense enough to know it. He is so much Miss Hannah More's friend that I am convinced of his fretting at Sir Abraham Elton's officiousness. Will you have proof how wrong those things are? I am frequently asked after celebrated characters when we return home to so remote a neighbourhood as this is: and to the questions asked about these exemplary Ladies I made such replies as a friend is expected to make. Some of our neighbours, however, within these three months, have had a fancy to take in a Bath newspaper, and "Oh!" says one now, and "Ah, ah!" says another, "why you never told us, Mrs. Piozzi, concerning this paper war between Miss Mores and Mr. What's his name! As good as you say they are, those who live in the world see spots in the sun, we find," etc. etc. Now would it not have been better far to have left these dear creatures round Brynbella nothing to talk about but the going off of Lord Kirkwall's marriage with Miss Ormsby, the coming on of Mr. Piozzi's gout, just at Laburnum season, the hopes of famous news from Egypt, and, blessed be God, the near certainty of immense crops to feed our poor, and damaged rice from India to feed our pigs? Would it not have been better? But we will talk of something else, if you please.
The trunk is not come, but coming, and it was kind in you to let me know how I might look after it. I had no thought of its taking such a voyage. The comical preference, shown in your letter, of a trunk to a Lady, is more than classical. In Homer's time they preferred a tripod to the fairest: when the tripod was chas'd, though, and the damsel a slave.
I have had a civil letter from Miss Thrale now. She is retired to a friend's Country Seat, I understand.... The noise and racket of London was grown painful to her, and she longed for sight and smell of green fields. I wrote her word that if chance should bring you and her together, it would be very pleasant to you both, who have many ideas, and many expressions too, in common. I would the love of H. L. P. lived in her heart as in yours, but of that, as Sciolto says, "as of a gem long lost, think we no more."
Do you recollect that agreeable morning dear Mr. Whalley gave us at Laura Place this Spring? and how he talked of the River Euphrates, and said it would be one day literally dried up for the Jews' return? And do you remember what you said, after he was gone, upon the subject? and how I exclaimed "Why, you are talking just like Miss Thrale?" Well! and I begin—since he open'd my own mind,—to think that it may be so; ay, and without contradiction of your humourous asperity against the talkers and hearers either. Beg of Mr. Whalley, when he is better, and can amuse himself with such stuff, to look in Plutarch's Life of Lucullus, 'tis an early life, first volume, I think, and if my memory fails me not, he will find something like a confirmation of his own opinion,—and of yours. Now please to observe that I have no Plutarch here, nor have seen one since I saw you. In such an act of mere reminiscence, therefore, the mind may be mistaken, but my heart tells me that Lucullus perceived some property in the River Euphrates,—some quality rather, which would (he observed) make it fordable upon a future day, altho' so deep when he was wishing to pass over.[18] All this seventy years before our Saviour's appearance in the flesh.
I am always ready you know for a bit of old Stilton, as Dr. Johnson called profane History. "Thou dost love," said he, "my dear, to play the part of Swift's Vanessa, who
Nam'd the ancient heroes round,
Explain'd for what they were renown'd, etc.
and I have as steadily resisted that mode of conversation;—now pray, pray let's have no more of it." In obedience to his commands, as well remember'd, sure, as Plutarch's lives, I leave this, and begin saying a good word of Mr. Murphy's book, and feel delighted that you take an interest in it too. There was some danger lest it pleased me merely by bringing old scenes to view, but I will trust your criticism. The work has more merit as Garrick and he certainly never loved each other, and you may see his praises of the man he celebrates are dictated by duty, while those bestowed on Barry spring from fondness. I had rather he had been kinder to sweet Siddons. What a thing it is that her husband cannot at least count and keep together the money she gets for him. That man has, I fear, some rage for speculation; a dangerous game. The prudent people are, for aught I observe, no better calculators than we open-pursed fools, who are cheated out of 20s. perhaps, by Bett Lewis the vagrant; while they lose £200 sterling in the management of a puppet-show that takes fire, or sink three times as much in a Canal that lets out water, or some nonsense.
We have had an earthquake here, as they say, for I felt it not, tho' I am confident I was wide awake at two o'clock Monday morning. Lady Orkney's Canary Birds fell from their perch however, and some of our Denbigh friends fancy they heard a noise. I was thinking about my master's Bavanda, and he was thinking how thirsty the gouty pains made him; so Brynbella was unconscious of the shock.
Buonaparte is supposed to be all this time under the influence of poyson administered three months ago, but I believe that as I do the earthquake. Poor Selim's death of the Continental Apoplexy is less improbable; so is young Constantine's hope of restoring the Greek Empire. No matter! Live our own dear King, I care for none of them. Here is his 63d birthday, and the value of his life is increased 63 times since it began. But ye grand climacteric passed over, I count him safe, and would rather have an annuity upon him than on the dangerous dame we fear so justly.
Oh! I forgot to tell you, Stockdale sends word we have a wicked enemy at Bath, who injures the sale of Retrospection by spiteful and ingenious censures. Who is it, I wonder! ...