40 KEW GARDENS 



prompter. Their uncle, the Duke of Cumber- 

 land, was another bad counsellor, who delighted 

 in debauching his nephews out of ill will to the 

 moral King. A worse companion, later on, 

 would be the notorious Duke de Chartres, 

 afterwards Egalite Orleans, who brought to 

 London French -polished vices to exchange for 

 English jockeyism. 



The Prince of Wales, like his father, was 

 fond of music, and, if flattery may be trusted, 

 made no despicable performer. Mrs. Papendiek, 

 having the same tastes, can give us some 

 glimpse of his hobbledehoy recreations. 



What with the goings on of the Prince of Wales at 

 the Lodge, the fun with Fischer, the celebrated oboe player, 

 and the various amusements in which I was engaged, the 

 season was one of gaiety, mirth, and enjoyment. The 

 well-known bet of five guineas between Bach and Fischer 

 was made in the presence of his Royal Highness and of us 

 all. The bet was that Fischer could not play his own 

 minuet. He was a very nervous man, and after allowing 

 him to get through a few bars, Bach stood before him 

 with a lemon in his hand, which he squeezed so that the 

 juice dropped slowly. Then he bit another so that the 

 juice ran out of his mouth freely. Fischer tried once or 

 twice to get rid of the water that must, on such a sight, 

 fill the mouth ; but not being able to conquer the sensation, 

 he was obliged to own himself beaten. . . . Another joke 

 was played off upon poor Fischer this merrymaking season, 



