528 
ment. He, indeed, composed in it a 
prodigious number of amatory poems, 
but in a measure little used, either 
then or since, in this country. 
From the “‘ Lover's Lament,” I 
shall present the reader with a spe- 
cimen :— 
; When that ye goo, 
Then am y woo; 
But ye, swete foo, 
For ought y plane, 
Ye sett not no 
‘Lo sle me so, 
Allas! and lo! ‘ 
But whi, soverayne, | 
Doon ye thus payne 
Upon me rayne, 
Shall y be slayne? 
Owt, owt, wordis mo. 
Wolde ye ben fayne, 
'Yo seeme dayne, 
Now then certayne 
Yet do me'slo, &e. 
HUME’S ‘¢ HISTORY OF ENGLAND.” 
It is not generally known how much 
Hume. revised his History. When 
living in Edinburgh, busy with, that 
classical composition, he was intimate 
with an old Jesuit, who, like most of 
the order, was. a scholar, and a man 
of taste; to his opinion} as the parts 
were finished, the manuscript work 
was submitted. Soon afler the publi- 
cation of Elizabeth’s reign, the priest 
happened to turn over the pages, and 
was astonished to find on the printed 
page, sins of the Scottish queen that 
never sullied the written one; Mary’s 
charactér was directly the reverse of 
what he lad read before. Ale sought 
the ‘author, and asked the cause: 
“Why, (answered Hume,) the printer 
said he should lose 500/. by that story ; 
indecd he almost refused to print it: 
so I was obliged to revise Has you 
saw.” It.is needless to .add, the 
Jesuit reviewed 20 More manuscripts. 
ROYAL MISTRESSES, 
In courts, the. fanits and follies of 
the great, of such as are possessed of 
fortune and power, are shaded. Among 
other:acknowledged mischiefs brought 
over by George 1. was Madame Kil- 
mansegge, countess of Platen, who 
was created Countess of Darlington, 
and by whom he was indisputably 
father of Charlotte, married to Lord 
Viscount’ Howe, and mother of: the 
tate Admiral. Lady’ Howe was never 
publicly acknowledged as the king’s 
daughter, but the Princess Amelia 
treated Mrs. Caroline Howe, the eldest 
of her children, (who had married a gen- 
Stephensiana, No. XXV, 
[Jan. I, 
tleman of her own name, John Howe, 
esq. of.Hanslop, Bucks,) on the foot- 
-ing of one in an exalted station. 
Horatio lord Oxford tellsiis, that one 
evening, when he: was present, the 
princess gave Mrs. Howe)a ring, con- 
taining a small portrait,of,George I. 
embellished with, a crown of diamonds. 
I have no prejudices: against jnoble 
and royal personages. and; if\f throw 
out these hints! with sincevity, Ll would 
do it also with’ respeet: © Fortnitous 
advantages do not alter thereal cha- 
racter: George I. sirpassed the gene- 
rality of his brother’ kings, in. the 
beaten tracks’ and common roads’ of 
high life. He had. a well-meaning 
mind, and I have seen but Jittle occa- 
sion to make animadyersions on his 
public conduct. novasil 
Besides the Countess of Darlington, 
the Duchess of Kendal, under what- 
ever’ denomination -you please, had 
obtained and preserved an ascendancy 
over the king; but, notwithstanding 
that infleence, he was not morer'éon- 
stant to her than he had’ been {0 his 
wife. The love of pleasure is Cémiion 
to human nature; in the middle and 
lower, as well as higher, ranks of life; 
but in the latter it is more Steady and 
powerful in its operation." 
Lord Orford mentions his’ haying 
seen Lady Darlington at his smo ér’s, 
in his infancy; remembering’ the cir- 
cumstance, {rom being frightened at 
ber enormous, figure;:;,she was as 
ample and corpulent as. the |duchess 
was long and ) emaciatedsion S/2wo 
fierce black eyes; (he says,) large'and 
rolling, between two lofty arched eye- 
brows ; two acres of cheek, spread 
with crimson ; am ocean of Tieck, "that 
overflowed, and was fot armappisned 
from the lower parts of her body, 
which was not restrained by'stays.” 
No wonder thatthe bist dreaded 
such an ogress ; that, when s pe appear, 
ed abroad, tlie men stared, they omen 
tittered; that the mobs of Lon on 
were highly diverted at the importation 
of so. uncommon a sera ods ASE WETe 
i 
food for all the spleen of the,fa¢obites, 
who had. no. polite. prepossessions: on 
the side of the ceurt, andone good 
names to palliate with. Nothing could 
be coarser thansthe ribatdry that was 
vented in lampoons, libels,' and every 
channel of abuse against the soverei 4 
hawked and shouted about'the streets, 
even in the hearing of the court. 
George If. had the Countessés of 
Suffolk and Yarmouth, in succession. 
ORIGINAL 
