A TORY PROPHECY 255 



affectionate toward one another, and, says Mr. 

 Campbell, " it is amazing what pleasure women find 

 in kissing each other, for they do smack amazingly." 



The worthy clergyman seems to have been intro- 

 duced to the less dignified circles of fashion. The 

 general tone of the more exclusive sets was by no 

 means so lively, for it was about this time that the 

 Indian nabobs, the Civil servants, the retired officers 

 of the Army and Navy and the East India Company 

 began to discover Bath and to settle there, filling 

 the place with Toryism and grumblings aliout " the 

 services going to the dogs, sir." Here is a Tory 

 prophecy, not yet verified : " There is one comfort I 

 cannot have at Bath," said the Duke of Northumber- 

 land in 1779. "I like to read the newspapers at 

 breakfast, and at Bath the post does not come in till 

 one o'clock ; that is a drawback to my pleasure." 

 " So," said Lord Mansfield, " your grace likes the 

 comfort of reading the newspapers — the comfort of 

 reading the newspapers ! Mark my words. A little 

 sooner or later those newspapers will most assuredly 

 write the Dukes of Northumberland out of tbeir titles 

 and possessions, and the country out of its king. 

 Mark my words, for this will happen." 



As a prophecy, it may readily be conceded that 

 this is an extremely liad shot, and that Lord 

 Mansfield by no means, either figuratively or lite- 

 rally, inherited the mantle of Elijah. A hundred 

 and twenty years have passed since then, and there 

 are still dukes who have not been reduced to sweep 

 crossings or keep chandlers' shops. True, if they 

 have not come down so far in the world, it is in some 



