CHARACTERS. 



45? 



our country." The king immedi- 

 ately drew his sword, the baron 

 rushed upon him, and seized him 

 round the waist, while colonel 

 SilFversparre took the sword out of 

 his hand: the king then cried out, 

 "They are going to murder me, help! 

 help !" — They endeavoured to re- 

 assure the king, and he promised 

 to be more composed if they would 

 return his sword ; he was told that 

 in this respect he could not be 

 gratified, nor be permitted any 

 more to interfere in the manage- 

 ment of the kinodom. 



The duke of Sudermania took 

 upon him the government. The 

 change was immediately proclaim- 

 ed, and received with acclamations 

 by the people. Hardly any revo- 

 lution was ever brought about with 

 greater facility. No tumult en- 

 sued ; no blood was shed in any 

 part of the kingdom, and not a 

 single murmur expressed at the de- 

 thronement of the king. 



At two o'clock in the morning, 

 the king was conveyed to Drott- 

 ningholm, and a few days after to 

 Gripsholm. 



CHAnACTER OF SiR JoSHUA REY- 

 NOLDS. 



From Mr. Northcotes Memoirs of 

 him. 



With respect to his character 

 as a man, to say that sir Jo- 

 shua was without faults, would 

 be to bestow on him that praise to 

 which no human being can have a 

 claim ; but when we consider the 

 conspicuous situation in which he 

 stood, it is surprising to find that 

 so few can be discovered in him ; 

 and certainly he possessed an 



equanimity of disposition very 

 rarely to be met with in persons 

 whose pursuit is universal reputa- 

 tion, and who are attended and sur- 

 rounded in their perilous journey 

 by jealous competition. •' His na- 

 tive humility, modesty, and can- 

 dour never forsook him, even from 

 surprise or provocation, nor was 

 the least degree of arrogance or 

 assumption, visible to the most 

 scrutinizing eye in any part of his 

 conduct." He was not annoyed 

 by that fluctuation of idea and in- 

 constancy of temper which pre- 

 vent many with equal desire for 

 fame from resolving upon any par- 

 ticular plan, and dispose them to 

 change it, even after they have made 

 their election. He had none of 

 those eccentric bursts of action, 

 those fiery impetuosities which are 

 supposed by the vulgar to charar;- 

 terize genius, and which frequently 

 are found to accompany a secon- 

 dary rank of talent, but are never 

 conjoined with the first. His in- 

 cessant industry was never wearied 

 into despondency by miscarriage, 

 nor elated into negligence by suc- 

 cess. All nature and all art com- 

 bined to form his academy. His 

 mind was constantly awake, ever 

 on the wing, comprehensive, vigo- 

 rous, discriminating, and retentive. 

 His powers of attention were never 

 torpid. He had a strong turn and 

 relish for humour in all its various 

 forms, and very quickly saw the 

 weak sides of things. Of the nu- 

 merous characters which presented 

 themselves to him in the mixed 

 companies in which he lived, he 

 was a nice and sagacious observer, 

 as I have had frequent occasions 

 to remark. 



There was a polish even in his 

 exterior, illustrative of the gentle- 



