1806.] Lord Thitrlow — Cowifefs of Kenmare. 501 



take Thurlow's characler entirely, he would curred when he rook his feat on the Chancery 

 fooner be damned than overlookeil !" A Bench. While the oaths were adminilter- 

 ■very amufing account of Thurlow and ing, he fhcwed evident flyns of contufion, pull- 

 Lord Rofslyn, then Attorney and Solicitor- ing out alrernately two large gold Inuft' boxes. 

 General, is given in Gibbon's pofthumous which he ufually carried in his waiftcoat 

 works, where that author very appropriately pockets, until at lad his Jiand ihook fo much, 

 delcribes them, as the Lion and the Unicorn that he could xiot put on the lids, the boxes 

 fupporting the King's arms, reprefenied by fell into tlie middle of the court, and liis 

 Lord North, who generally fat : ctwvon them Itate robes vvei-e covered with fnuft'j lior was 

 in a drowfy iVate, unlefs roiifed ."rom his irm-.vi* it unlil an oath was fecn quivering en his 

 by the thunders of Thurlov.'s llentorian voice, lips, like the muttering of (iiftant thunder. 

 The department of apolr)ijios and excufes that he regained his con!;iofure.] 



• (very well known in the tcciinical phvafeology [Further particulars of the Cmr.teft of Ken' 

 of the Houfe of Commons) was generally mure, ichfe, death is noticed in our lajl Number. 



■ configned to the fmooth tongued, fupple She was one or'ilie few in the world of faihion, 



Wedderburn, while the more arduous ta(k of whofc condu<Lt was never fullied by the breath 



beating down young prattling members, or of malicious envy or fecret calumny. AI- 



bullying the experienced pratlitioner:,, was thougii contributing more freely than any 



entrufted to the ilern, and thieatcning Thur- other lady in the gay world, to all the plea- 



lo.v. It v/as owing to this litter circum- furcs of high li.e, there was yet in her con- 



ftance, that Lord North ulualiy diftinguiiTied duft and deportment, fomething which awed 



him by the itriking appellation of the v.afjue licentious revelry into decorum, and abafted 



■de ftr, a perfonage, who, at that time o?cu- even thofe moll: carelefs of propriety and of 



pied the attention o." moll of tic hiftorians of charafter. Her houfe was perpetually open, 



Europe. To Lord Thurlow was committed the ""d the lofs of her funday evening rcr.ver- 



diificuk tiik of de'ending the minifters for p^ione's will be feverely rclt by many wh« 



the innuniorjble blunders in America. To there found a relief, in iurmlcfs intercourfe, 



a friend, who aflccd him what poflible juftifi- after the more ferious duties of the day. 



• cation he could offer for a repetition or' the Strict in the performance of every religious 

 fame miftakes, he replied — "Oh! that is "iuty, and confident in the purity of her own 



• very eafy. Becaufe one damned fool did a mind, Ihe neither faw or felt any impropriety 

 damned fooliih thing, that's the beft rcafon in in that day, which is fet apart for relt, bein^ 

 the world, why another damned fool fhould appropriated, after the difcharge of its facr.^d 

 do another damned fooliih thing." " I like duties, to harmlefs intercourfe and inftiuclive 

 Thurlow, (faid Dr. Johnfon), he always fets converfation. On Sunday evenings therefore, 

 to work at an argument like a man who is her houfe was always the refort of the mod 

 in earned;" and fo he really did — It formed refijeclable and fafhionable families in town, 

 the leading feature of his chiraiScr. A few and thofe who recolleft thefe weii combined 

 years ago, Lord Thurlow exprefied a wiili to parties, may utter the figh of regret, that 

 meet Air. Home Tooke, and they dined to- 'uch lively and intereding aJemblies are gone 

 gether at a gerick-man's houfe. The latter for ever. Lady Kenmare's family was one 

 was ill, out o.-fpirits, and cut no great figure, ot the oldell and moil refpeciable in the 

 and they parted with no very high opinion of County of Kildare, but it has funk beneath 

 each other. After dinner Mr, Tooke having tiie nans cf modern influence, and the prince- 

 obferved, that, notwithftanding the Englifh ly nianfion of the Aylmcr's has fallen to the 

 conftitution had been fo dreadrully mangled, upitart creatures of the times. There was 

 there was -yet enough left to make it well fomething romantically Angular in her lady- 

 worth any man's while to die on the fcaflbld fliip's life. At an early period fhe became 

 in Its defence. " Perhaps fo, (replied Thur- acquainted with the Earl of Kenmare ; they 

 low) but_yc» muft not talk in that manner faw and loved; but the powerful perfuafionj 

 ^i'^. Tooke, or your friend Sir Francis will of his lordfhip's intereftcd friends prevented 

 Jaiigh at you." In a word, the ciaarader the match, and he married another. Mils 

 ^^hich Lord Clarendon has drawn of one of Aylmer ho'.vever, never fwerved from her 

 the ftatefmcn of his time, has a good deal of attachment, for her heart was dsvoted folely 

 rcfemblance to tint of Lord Thurlow. — "Of to him, and without a murmur fhe refigned 

 a morofe and cynical temper, ju/t in his ad- herfelf to that fingle ftate which then became 

 minil'cration, but vicious under the appear- moft congenial to htr feelings. In the courfe 

 nnccs oi virtue, learned beyond any manor of a few years however. Lord (Cenmare be- 

 his profeiVion, but intractable, llirf, and ob- came a widower, and on his return from the 

 ftinue, proud and jealous." — It has been laid, continent, he met with the objeit firfl dear 

 that Lord Thurlow never trembled but once to his heart, all his former love returned, and 

 in hij life, an.d that memorable evejit oc- he and MTs Aylmer were married. From 



■ — — ^__^— _-^-^____ that moment they liyei in the mo.'l: uninter- 



• Carus e(l fomnus altiflTimus, vix, aut ne rupted felicity, until the recent melancholy 



vix oxeitahilis, fine ftertore, cum refpiratione event, which has probably driven liis lord- 



tatita pacatillinia, femi apcrlis oculis plerum Hiip from focicty for ';vcr. Her ladyfhip has 



•^ue dormiuiit omnino immobiles. .Sagar fyft. left him a family of four fojis, and two lovely 



morborum. This difeafe is alfo common tu daughters, the eldeft of whom is Lady Mary 



feme univerfity librarian*, Anne Browne] 



* S 2 PRO VINCI .At 



