298 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



never broke into those amorous in- 

 fidelities which others, in that grave 

 author, are accused of ; but was as 

 visibly distinguished by her particu-? 

 lar personal incHnation to the Iviug, 

 as her rivals were by their titles and 

 grandeur." Gibber's Apology, 8vo. 

 p. 450. One of madame Sevigne's 

 letters exhibits no bad portrait of 

 Mrs. Gwynn. — *' Mademoiselle de 

 K — ( Kerouaille, afterwards duchess 

 of Portsmouth) has not been disap- 

 pointed in any thing she proposed. 

 She desired to be mistress to the 

 king, and she is so ; he lodges with 

 Her almost every night, in the face 

 of all the court : she has had a son 

 ■who has been acknowledged and 

 presented with two duchies : she 

 amasses treasure j and makes herself 

 feared and respected by as many as 

 she can. But she did not foresee 

 that she should iind a young actress 

 in her way, whom the king dotes 

 on ; and she has it not in her power 

 to withdraw him from her. He di- 

 vides his care, his time, and his 

 health, between these two. The 

 actress is as haughty as mademoiselle ; 

 «he insults her, she makes grimaces 

 at her, she attacks her, she frequently 

 steals the king from her, and boasts 

 whenever he gives her the prefe- 

 rence. She is young, indiscreet, 

 conhdent, wild, and of an agreeable 

 humour ; she sings, she dances, she 

 acts her part with a good grace. 

 She has a son by the king, and hopes 

 to have him acknowledged. As to 

 mademoiselle, she reasons thus : 

 This duchess, says she, pretends to 

 be a person of quality : she says she 

 is related to the best families in 

 France ; whenever any person of 

 distinction dies, she puts herself in 

 mourr.ing: if she be a lady of such 

 quahty, why does she demean her- 



Over the chim- 

 picture ; and that of 



self to be a courtezan ? she ought to 

 die with shame. As for me, it is 

 miy profession : I do not pretend to 

 any thing better. He has a son by 

 me : I pretend that he ought to ac'* 

 knowledge him ; and I am well 

 assured he will ; for he loves me as 

 well as mademoisene. This crea- 

 ture gets the upper hand, and dis-r 

 countenances and embarrasses the 

 duchess extremely." Letter 92. 

 Mr. Pennant says, «' she resided at 

 her house, in what was then called 

 Pall-Mall. It is the first good one 

 on the left hand of St. James's 

 Square, as we enter from Pali-Mall. 

 The back room on the ground-floor 

 was (within memory) entirely of 

 looking-glass, as was said to have 

 been the ceiUn 

 ney was her pii-iuiv. , 

 her sister was in a third room." 

 London, p. 101. At this house she 

 died, in the year 1691, and was 

 pompously interred in the parish 

 church of St. Martin's in the Fields, 

 Dr. Tennison, then vicar, and after? 

 wards archbishop of Canterbury, 

 preached her funeral sermon. This 

 sermon, we learn, was afterwards 

 brought forward at court by lord 

 Jersey, to impede the doctor's pre- 

 ferment ; but queen Mary, having 

 heard the obiection, answered, 

 " What then ?" in a sort of dis- 

 composure to which she was but 

 httle subject. " I have heard aj 

 much : this is a sign that that poor 

 unfortunate woman died penitent ; 

 for if I can read a man's heart 

 through his looks, had not she made 

 a pious and Christian end, the doc- 

 tor could never have been induced 

 to speak well of her." Life of Dr. 

 Thomas Tennison, p. 20. Cibbcr 

 also says, he had been unquestion- 

 ably informed, that our fair offen- 

 der's 



