412 DEFENCE OF QUEEN CAROLINE. [1820. 



Duke of Wellington who accomplished this, but with 

 a full correction of the mistake as to Nero. It was 

 absurd enough that, next to that, the greatest offence 

 given was in my quotation from Milton's description 

 of death 



" Shape had none, 

 Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb." 



No doubt the application was to him, but only for 

 the description of the head 



" What seemed his head, 

 The likeness of a kingly crown had on," 



to show our impression that Tie was the true author of 

 the proceedings. He said I might have at least spared 

 him the attack upon his shape. He was more vain of 

 his person and of his slim figure than of almost any- 

 thing else ; and he said to Lord Donoughmore (Hut- 

 chinson's brother), who saw him daily, being a great 

 friend, though not at all one of the Carlton House set, 

 that he thought everybody allowed, whatever faults he 

 might have, that his legs were not as I had described 

 them. It was in vain that Donoughmore tried to con- 

 vince him of the quotation only referring to the crown. 

 He said he was certain I had heard of his piquing him- 

 self on his shape, and that I thought it would plague 

 him to have it held up to ridicule. I must fairly own 

 that this was not my object in giving the whole pas- 

 sage, but the desire, perhaps a childish one, to declaim 

 that magnificent passage, as I had been praised for some 

 declamatory passages in the course of the proceedings. 

 I recollect that the declaiming of this passage was 

 abundantly successful. Creevey said I ought to go 

 upon the stage if Eldon continued to persecute me at 

 the bar. My own belief is that the success was in a 



