THE

WITS AND BEAUX OF SOCIETY

BY

GRACE AND PHILIP WHARTON

NEW EDITION WITH A PREFACE

BY

JUSTIN HUNTLY MCCARTHY, M.P.

And the original illustrations by

H. K. BROWNE AND JAMES GODWIN

TWO VOLS.-VOL. II.

J. W. JARVIS & SON

28, KING WILLIAM STREET, CHARING CROSS

LONDON, W.C.

1890
K.B.P

40X1010

CONTENTS.

HORACE WALPOLE.

-

VOL. II.

The Commoners of England.-Horace's Regret for the Death of his Mother.-

Little Horace' in Arlington Street.-Introduced to George I.—Charac-

teristic Anecdote of George I.-Walpole's Education.-Schoolboy Days.—

Boyish Friendships.-Companionship of Gray.- A Dreary Doom.-Wal-

pole's Description of Youthful Delights.-Anecdote of Pope and Frederic of

Wales. The Pomfrets.-Sir Thomas Robinson's Ball.-An Admirable

Scene. Political Squibs. · Sir Robert's Retirement from Office.-The

Splendid Mansion of Houghton.-Sir Robert's Love of Gardening.-What

we owe to the 'Grandes Tours.'-George Vertue.-Men of One Idea.-The

Noble Picture-gallery at Houghton.-The Market Pieces.'-Sir Robert's

Death. The Granville Faction.-A very good Quarrel.-Twickenham.-

Strawberry Hill. -The Recluse of Strawberry.-Portraits of the Digby

Family.--Sacrilege.-Mrs. Damer's Models.-The Long Gallery at Straw-

berry. The Chapel.-'A Dirty Little Thing.'-The Society around Straw-

berry Hill.-Anne Seymour Conway.-A Man who never Doubted.—Lady

Sophia Fermor's Marriage.-Horace in Favour.-Anecdote of Sir William

Stanhope. A Paper House.-Walpole's Habits.-Why did he not Marry?

-Dowagers as Plenty as Flounders.'-Catherine Hyde, Duchess of Queens-

berry.-Anecdote of Lady Granville.-Kitty Clive.-Death of Horatio Wal-

pole.-George, third Earl of Orford.-A Visit to Houghton.-Family Mis

fortunes. Poor Chatterton.-Walpole's Concern with Chatterton.-Walpole

in Paris.-Anecdote of Madame Geoffrin.-' Who's that Mr. Walpole?'-

The Miss Berrys.-Horace's two 'Straw Berries.'-Tapping a New Reign.

-The Sign of the Gothic Castle.-Growing Old with Dignity.-Succession

to an Earldom.-Walpole's Last Hours.-Let us not be Ungrateful. p. I

GEORGE SELWYN.

A Love of Horrors.-Anecdotes of Selwyn's Mother.-Selwyn's College Days.

-Orator Henley.-Selwyn's Blasphemous Freak.-The Profession of a

Wit. The Thirst for Hazard.-Reynolds's Conversation-Piece.-Selwyn's

Eccentricities and Witticisms. -A most Important Communication.-An

Amateur Headsman.-The Eloquence of Indifference.-Catching a House-

breaker. The Family of the Selwyns.-The Man of the People. -Selwyn's

Parliamentary Career.-True Wit.-Some of Selwyn's Witty Sayings.-The

Sovereignty of the People.-On two kinds of Wit.-Selwyn's Home for

Children. Mie-Mie, the Little Italian.-Selwyn's Little Companion taken

from him.-His Later Days and Death.

RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN.

P. 66

Sheridan a Dunce.-Boyish Dreams of Literary Fame.-Sheridan in Love.-A

Nest of Nightingales.--The Maid of Bath.'-Captivated by Genius.-

Sheridan's Elopement with 'Cecilia.'-His Ducl with Captain Matthews.--

Standards of Ridicule.-Painful Family Estrangements.-Enters Drury