MAJOR S EM PLE LIS L£. 45 



on the countenance and appetites of his guefts: 

 at others he was all gaiety, and kept the table 

 in a roar, fo that nobody could eat for laugh- 

 ing ; and I have feen him more than once, after 

 eating a few morfels, fuddenly ftart up, as if 

 fome important idea had flruck him, and go 

 into his bed-room. This was the fignal lor 

 riling from table, for no one would fit when he 

 he was up; and the guefts were expected to fol- 

 low the Prince to take coffee : very often, in- 

 deed, when he retired \vith a louring afpecl, 

 many of his vifitors had not courage to follow, 

 but took coffee in the anti-chamber ; his fa- 

 vourites, however, never failed to ftick clofe to 

 him. 



He was paflionately fond of mimicry, and 

 %vas himfelf a tolerable mimic. He adtuallj 

 raifed a genius of this kind from Lieutenant to 

 Lieutenant-Colonel for no other merit. This 

 man was conftantly kept attending in the anti- 

 chambers ; and was occafionally called upon to 

 divert his patron by tak'mg offy as the phrafe is, 

 all his acquaintance. I alone efcaped ; for ha- 

 ving plainly told the filly buffoon, that if he 

 prefumed to take any liberties with me, I would 

 chaftife him, he prudently abflained, even 

 though the Prince, (who had heard of my me- 

 naces, and wifhed to get him into a fcrape,) 

 often delired him, 



H^ 



