934 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



" being at Mr. Thompson's, and 

 " that his highness Mzshed to see 

 " mc ; he, therefore, desired me to 

 " come to him at four o'clock, that 

 ^' he might present me to him, and 

 " added, that the porter would 

 *' shew me to his room. I had 

 *' above an hour's time to dress and 

 " prepare myself for the part I was 

 *' going to act. As a man of learn- 

 " ing, and one who was entirely 

 " independant, I determined to de- 

 " liver my sentiments with modest 

 *' freedom, assume an air of grace- 

 ^' ful dignity, preserve the equa- 

 " nimity of my mind, and not suf^ 

 *' fer myself to be dazzled by the 

 *' glare of royalty. 



" I intended to avoid contra- 

 " dieting the duke as much as was 

 " in my power, and equally rcsolv- 

 " ed to assert my opinion, with the 

 *' sameeaseandfranknessas if 1 was 

 " speaking to an equal. That he 

 " would mention my literary pro- 

 " ductions was ceriain ; that sub- 

 " jcct would aftbrd me a desirable 

 " opportunity of making several 

 f' learned and interesting observa- 

 " tions, which I carefully recorded 

 '^ in my mind : and they would 

 " insensibly lend to a train of in- 

 *' structivc and amusing ideas, with 

 " which I determined to entertain 

 " the duke, and in a manner re|)ay 

 '* him for his kind attentions to 

 *' me. I h<i<i finished my dress be- 

 '' fore I had settled my plan of 

 '' operations, although the care 

 " with which I curled and powdered 

 *' my hair, brushed my clothes, and 

 '' adjusted every part of my dress, 

 *' had required a considerable time. 

 " Tluis adorned, I began my pere- 

 " grination with such hasty strides, 

 " that my friend's eldest son, a 

 " ro.^y.<;hepkcd boy, wh» had ©f- 



" fered to shew me the way to thd 

 " palace, could hardly keep pace 

 " with me. 



. " My curiosity to know what 

 *' would happen in a sphere that 

 " was entirely new to me, and, to 

 " own the truth, some movements 

 " of vanity that the hope of ap- 

 " pearing to advantage in it ex- 

 " cited, were not powerful enough 

 '• to suppress a certain uncomfort- 

 " able and confused idea of my 

 " mind's not being quite at its ease, 

 " although 1 would not own to my- 

 " self that that was the case ; but 

 " it certainly was, and my whole 

 " being was as much out of its 

 " j)lace as the hat that I held in my 

 " baud, that it might not disorder 

 " my hair, was. 



" I unfortunately fancied that 

 " there was an awkwardness in my 

 " gait, as well as in the manner of 

 '• carrjiug my hat : and my altcn- 

 " tion to myself, and endeavours to 

 " assume an easier air, gave me an 

 " appearance of pedantry and af- 

 '^ fectafion, that, I believe, is not 

 " natural to me. I looked like a 

 '• lad who is strutting about in a 

 "• new suit of clothes : and even my 

 " litdc guide discovered (probably 

 " by my answers to his questions 

 " being shorter than usual) that I 

 " was not quiic the same person 

 "• who had walked out with him iif 

 " tl'.c morning. 



" lie 'old me, as we went along, 

 " that the boys at school were 

 " obliged to make orations twice 

 " a-year, to accustom them to 

 " speak in public, and that the last 

 " time he had rehearsid a fable. 

 " The reason of his telling it to me 

 " did not Strike me at the time, 

 " but it occurred to me afterwards, 

 " tkat I probably appeared to him 



" as 



