The rest are still more remote.
[68] Walpole, as well as Macaulay, repeats himself: “Nations at the acme of their splendour, or at the eve of their destruction, are worth observing. When they grovel in obscurity afterwards, they furnish neither events nor reflections; strangers visit the vestiges of the Acropolis, or may come to dig for capitals among the ruins of St. Paul’s; but nobody studies the manners of the pedlars and banditti that dwell in mud huts within the precincts of a demolished temple.”—Letter to Mason, dated May 12, 1778, first published in 1851.
[69] Thomas, second Lord Lyttelton; he had been at Florence.
[70] Thomas Lennard Barret; his wife was sister of Lord Camden.
[71] The lady’s dog, which, on her death, passed into the care of Walpole.
[72] This picture, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, was painted for Mr. Rigby. The attitude of Miss Vernon is, as Walpole here says, affected. That of Lord William Russell illustrates the genius of Sir Joshua. The story is told, that the boy was unwilling to stand still for his portrait, and running about the room, crouched in a corner to avoid it. Sir Joshua, at once seizing the possibility of painting him so, said, “Well, stay there, my little fellow,” and drew him in a natural position of fear at the dragon.—R. Vernon Smith (afterwards Lord Lyveden).
[73] ‘I forgot to tell you that the town of Birmingham has petitioned the Parliament to enforce the American Acts, that is, make war; for they have a manufacture of swords and muskets.’—Walpole to Mann, Jan. 27th, 1775.
‘Is it credible that five or six of the great trading towns have presented addresses against the Americans?—Same to Same, Oct. 10, 1775. The writer tries to persuade himself that these addresses were procured by ‘those boobies, the country gentlemen.’
[74] The Lady Louisa Fitzpatrick before referred to.—See p. 131.
[75] Horace’s nephew, the mad earl.