270 LEAVES FROM THE 



away the bell. There was the best turtle I ever tasted, 

 and thither did George lY. send for that which graced 

 his royal table. Whether the mantle has descended on 

 the shoulders of the present priest of Comus who 

 officiates at the Montague, those of my readers, if I 

 happen to have any, may ascertain who go to that 

 ancient town, and make a pilgrimage up the hill to the 

 ' Parade,' which used to be odoriferous with the savoury 

 emanations from the tavern redolent of sweet basil, the 

 grosser fumes of the kitchen sublimed by the perfume of 

 lime-ipunch, ^ime-sangaree, and limes themselves : accom- 

 paniments, by the way, rarely, if ever, seen in London; 

 where the lemon, fragrant as it is, unsatisfactorily does 

 duty for the lime, two or three of which supreme condi- 

 ments were placed in the napkin of every guest when 

 turtle was presented at Bristol. 



Our own lamented Chantrey, who, though fully alive 

 to the merits of the good things of this world, was one of 

 the most unselfish and liberal of men, had a story of a 

 passage during one of the City feasts at which he was 

 present. The great national sculptor — for truly great 

 and truly national he was — sat next to a functionary 

 before whom stood a large tureen of turtle-soup. This 

 citizen instantly possessed himself of the ladle, carefully 

 fished out the coarser parts, and offered the plate con- 

 taining them to Chantrey, who declined. 



' I watched,' said he, ' the progress of the plate : at 

 last it was set down before the Lord-mayor's chaplain; 

 and the expression of that man's face, when he beheld it, 

 I shall never forget' The functionary went on helping 

 till he had cleared the soup of all but the green fat and 

 richer parts, the whole of which he piled up in a capa- 

 cious plate for himself Then up spoke our sculptor and 

 said, — 'If you will allow me to change my mind, I'll 

 take a little turtle;' and the waiter who held the plate 

 placed it, to the horror of the dispensing expectant, 



