458 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



man and the scholar. His general 

 manner, deportment, and behavi- 

 our, were amiable and prepossess- 

 ing ; his disposition was naturally 

 courtly. He always evinced a 

 desire to pay a due respect to per- 

 sons in superior stations, and cer- 

 tainly contrived to move in a 

 higher sphere of society than any 

 other English artist bad done be- 

 fore him. Thus he procured for 

 professors of the arts a consequence 

 dignity, and reception, which they 

 had never before possessed in this 

 country. In conversation he pre- 

 served an equable flow of spirits, 

 which rendered him at all times a 

 most desirable companion, ever 

 ready to be amused, and to contri- 

 bute to the amusement of others. 

 He practised the minute elegancies, 

 and, though latterly a deaf compa- 

 nion, was never troublesome. 



As to his person ; in his stature 

 sir Joshua Reynolds was rather 

 under the middle size, of a florid 

 complexion, roundish blunt fea- 

 tures, and a lively aspect ; not 

 corpulent, though somewhat in- 

 clined to it, but extremely active ; 

 with manners uncommonly pohsh- 

 ed and agreeable. 



In conversation, his manner was 

 perfectly natural, simple, and un- 

 assuming. He most heartily en- 

 joyed his profession, in which he 

 was both fortunate and illustrious; 

 and I agree with Mr. Malone, who 

 says he appeared to him to be the 

 happiest man he had ever known. 

 He was thoroughly sensible of his 

 rare lot In life, and truly thankful 

 for it ; his virtues were blessed 

 with their full reward. 



Chakacter of John Horne 



TOOKE. 



From his Memoirs, hy Alexander 

 Stevens, Esq, 



In point of stature, Mr. Tooke 

 did not exceed the middle size ; 

 but nature had formed him strong 

 and athletic. His limbs were well 

 knit, compact, and duly propor- 

 tioned: and he might be said to 

 have been comely rather than 

 handsome, in his youth. His fea- 

 tures were regular, and his hair, 

 towards the latter end of life, was 

 generally combed loosely over the 

 temples, and cut close behinH. His 

 eye was eminently expressive ; it 

 had something peculiarly keen, 

 as well as arch in it ; his look 

 seemed to denote an union of wit 

 and satire. When he first turvey- 

 ed a stranger, he seemed to take a 

 peep into his heart; and in argu- 

 ment it was difficult to withstand 

 the piercing sharpness of his vision, 

 which appeared but to anticipate 

 the triumph of his tongue. No 

 one was ever better calculated for 

 colloquial disputation ; or that 

 duel-like controversy, exhibited by 

 two disputants, when pitted toge- 

 ther, with the breadih of a maho- 

 gany board only between them. 

 In such an arena, he was invin- 

 cible ! wit, humour, learning, tem- 

 per, genius — all came in aid of ar- 

 sument, and when he made his 

 most deadly thrusts, it was with a 

 smiling countenance, and without 

 any seeming effort or emotion. 

 For a larger theatre, perhaps, he 

 was not equally calculated. His 

 voice was not sufficiently powerful 

 for a tumultuous audience. He 

 neither possessed the dignified 



