Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) 9780231883580

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Hester Lynch Piozzi (MRS. T H R A L E )

MRS

THRALE AND HER DAUGHTER

HESTER

( Q L ' E E N E Y ; , c. 1 7 8 . Pamltd by REYNOLDS

Oil on canvas 140.4cm. *

148.6cm.

Giß of Lord Beavtrbrook. Beavtrbrook Art Gallery, Frederuton, . V/i , Canada

Hester Lynch Piozzi (MRS.

THRALE)

BY

J A M E S L. C L I F F O R D

SECOND

EDITION

With a new introduction BY MARGARET

ANNE

DOODY

C O L U M B I A U N I V E R S I T Y PRESS NEW Y O R K 1987

Columbia University Press Momingside Edition 1987 Columbia University Press New York

©

© 1987 Oxford University Press 1987 New introduction—Margaret Anne Doody

First Edition 1941 Second Edition 1952 Reprinted with Corrections and Additions 1968 Reissued in paperback with additions to 1968 reprint All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Clifford, James Lowry, 1901Hestrr Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale). Reprint. Originally published: 2nd ed. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Clarendon Press, ig68. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Piozzi, Hester Lynch, 1741-1821—Biography. 2. Authors, English—18th century—Biography. 3. Ijmdon (England)—Intellectual life—18th century. I. Title PR36,9.P5C5

1986 ISBN

828'.609 [B] 0-231-06389-X

Printed in Great Britain

86-14749

PREFACE

I

TO

SECOND

EDITION

N the more than eleven years since the first edition of this

biography much new evidence concerning Mrs. Piozzi has become available. Thraliana has been admirably edited by Professor Katharine C . Balderston. Well over two hundred new letters from Mrs. Thrale to the Burneys may now be consulted. And the dramatic discovery of the original manuscript of Boswell's Life of Johnson makes it possible to evaluate more accurately his treatment of his rival. There is little in the new material, however, which fundamentally changes our understanding of Mrs. Piozzi's charactcr. While it reinforces and elaborates, it does not alter the main outlines of the story. Consequently, instead of rewriting the entire volume, I have preferred to reproduce the first edition by lithography, making only such minor changes as are necessary to correct typographical errors and obvious errors of fact. Although little new material has been added to the text, readers will find in the additions to the 'Select Bibliography' references to the more significant of the recent discussions of Mrs. Piozzi. In the notes I have not attempted to bring up to date the statements of ownership of manuscripts. A few major changes, nevertheless, may be indicated here. T h e whole of the famous R. B. A d a m collection, and most of the Piozzian holdings of the late Mr. A . Edward Newton are now in the possession of M r . and Mrs. Donald Hyde. Those of the late Sir Randle Mainwaring are owned by his son, Mr. Hugh Mainwaring. Unfortunately I do not know the whereabouts of the papers listed as the property of the late Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Evans of Brynbella. Because of the method involved in reprinting the book, it has proved impossible to revise thoroughly the sections dealing with Boswell and Mrs. Piozzi. For some objections to my conclusions, readers are referred to the review-article by Brofessor F. A . Pottle and Dr. Charles H. Bennett in Modern Philology for May 1942. So far as possible, all errors of fact have been eliminated, but in order to reconcile our differences of interpretation it would have been necessary to rewrite large sections of the text. Although I willingly soften some of my remarks about Boswell's handling of the evidence, I still am not convinced that

vi

PREFACE

TO SECOND

EDITION

his later expansions of his original notes have the same validity as have the notes themselves or the expansions m a d e a short time after the conversations took place. In the controversial passages in Chapters X I I and X V I I , therefore, readers should a l w a y s bear in mind these unresolved differences of opinion. Thanks a r e due a g a i n to Dr. L. F. Powell and to Professor Allen T . Hazen for help in correcting various minor errors. J . L. C. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

March, 1952

NOTE

TO

F

THE

CORRECTED

IMPRESSION

O R this second impression of the second edition only a few textual changes have been m a d e , and there has been no attempt to indicate all recent shifts of ownership of manuscripts. One correction, however, can now be made. The papers listed as the property of the late M r . and Mrs. Herbert Evans of Brynbella are now in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. J . L. C. November

ig6j

PREFACE

M

TO FIRST

EDITION

Y introduction to Mrs. Piozzi came through that Prince of Johnsonians, Mr. A. Edward Newton. He stimulated interest in the 'Light Blue Stocking', and later generously allowed me to make use of the riches of his great manuscript collection. Actual research was begun at the suggestion and under the direction of Professor Ernest Hunter Wright of Columbia University. For the past eight years he has given me continued encouragement and help, for which I express deep appreciation. I also owe much to Professors Harry Morgan Ayres, Hoxie N. Fairchild, Roger Sherman Loomis, Elliott V. K . Dobbie; and to the trustees of Columbia University for the grant of a Cutting Travelling Fellowship which enabled me to spend the year 1935-6 in England. From the beginning, Professor Frederick A. Pottle of Yale University has been unsparing with aid and suggestions; and, although not aiways agreeing with my treatment of Boswell, he has, together with Dr. Charles H. Bennett, carefully read through the pages in proof. Others at Yale who have given valuable assistance include Professors Chauncey B. Tinker, Edmund T . Silk, and Allen T . Hazen. Mr. James M. Osborn read the first draft of this book, and has never slackened in his friendly encouragement. It is difficult to express my debt to Professor George Sherburn, now of Harvard University. As 'guide, philosopher, and friend', he has been untiring in criticism and advice, and has been the greatest single influence in shaping this work. It is impossible to name all the other American scholars who at various times assisted my research, but I wish particularly to thank Professor Katharine C. Balderston for generously taking time from her editing of Thraliana to read my manuscript and offer many valuable suggestions; and Professors Elizabeth Manwaring, Edward L. McAdam, Richard L. Greene, Amos A. Ettinger, R . H. Heindel, Dr. Robert Metzdorf, Dr. Philip Gove, and Mr. G. S. Alleman. In England I have received the kindest, most generous co-operation. Dr. R . W. Chapman has allowed me to consult his voluminous file of Johnson's letters, and has continuously supplied me with information. Professor D. Nichol Smith has

v11i

PREFACE

TO FIRST

EDITION

without stint given me the advantage of his wide knowledge and sound critical judgement. Dr. L. F. Powell's inexhaustible Johnsonian lore and careful and enthusiastic reading of proof have been invaluable. I can only repay his friendly aid with a deep and lasting affection. T o Dr. Henry Guppy of the J o h n Rylands Library, Manchester, I wish to express my gratitude for every possible assistance in consulting that great collection of Piozziana; also to Dr. Moses Tyson and Dr. Frank Taylor of the same institution. Special thanks are also due to Mr. F. Bateson; to Mr. H. W. Bromhead, the Streatham antiquarian; to Mr. F. Harrison of Brighton; to Mr. P. Laithwaite of Lichfield; to Mr. A. L. Reade of Blundellsands; to Dr. Ernest Sadler of the Mansion, Ashbourne; to Mrs. Phyllis Rowell of Gough Square; to Mr. J . Alun Thomas of St. Asaph; and to Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Evans, the hospitable occupants of Brynbella. Possessors of Piozziana everywhere have been most courteous in allowing me to consult their treasures. I wish particularly to express my thanks to Lord and Lady Lansdowne, Lord Harmsworth, Sir Randle Mainwaring, Mr. S. C. Roberts, Mr. Frederick Vernon, Major C. A. Carlos Perkins, the late Mr. D. F. Pennant, the late Mrs. A. M. Knollys, the late Miss Susan Mainwaring, Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Colman, Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Miller, the late Mr. O. Butler Fellowes, Mr. Lindsay Fleming, Mr. Oswald Bourne, Mr. Robert Roberts; in the United States to the late Mr. R. B. Adam, Col. Ralph Isham, Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach, Mr. Albert B. Ashforth Jr., Mr. Abel Cary Thomas, the late Mr. Wilton Lloyd Smith, Mr. J . P. Morgan, Mr. Oliver Barrett. To the Henry E. Huntington Library I am indebted for permission to consult the Thraliana diary; and to the Viking Press for the right to quote from the Boswell Papers. Officials of the British Museum, the Bodleian Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Johnson House, Gough Square, Johnson's Birthplace at Lichfield, the Morgan Library in New York, the Columbia, Yale and Harvard University Libraries, and others, who must be nameless, have tirelessly shown me all the valuable materials in their possession. My list of acknowledgements would not be complete without the long-sufTering relatives and friends who have listened, commented, and encouraged. Only a few may be named: Mr. and Mrs. George O. Clifford, Mr. Robert D. Orr, Mrs.

PREFACE

TO FIRST

EDITION

ix

Samuel Orr, Mrs. Samuel C. Mitchell, and Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Hanson. M y greatest debt of all I owe to my mother, who has not only supported me in every possible way throughout the long weary labours of composition, but has made these labours lighter by her judicious criticisms and constant faith in the final result. T o her this volume is dedicated, in loving recognition that without her help it could never have been completed. J. L. C . LEHIGH UNIVERSITY

September, 1940

CONTENTS I.IST O F

PLATES

xii

ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION,

xiii I 941

NEW INTRODUCTION,

XV 1986 -

XX

PART

I

HESTER LYNCH

SALUSBURY

1. Daughter of Wales (before 1758)

.

n. Heiress of Offley ( 1 7 5 8 - 6 3 ) . PART

3

.

.

25

11

HESTER LYNCH

THRALE

HI. Streatham and Southwark ( 1 7 6 3 - 6 )

.

iv. Beginning Diarist (1766-70)

.

. 6 6

.

. 8 8

v. Depression ( 1 7 7 0 - 3 ) .

.

.

.

vi. Travels and Tragedy (Jan. 1 7 7 4 - A p r . 1776) vii. Widening Acquaintance (Apr. 1 7 7 6 - F e b . 1778)

49

.

111

.

139

viii. Troubles with Master (Mar. 1 7 7 8 - J u n e 1779)

160

ix. T h e Last of Master ( J u n e 1 7 7 9 - J u n e 1 7 8 1 )

.

177

x. Widow (June 1 7 8 1 - S e p t . 1784)

.

203

xi. The Florence Miscellany (Sept. 1 7 8 4 - A u g . 1785)

.

235

XII. Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson (Sept. 1 7 8 5 - M a y 1786)

.

255

Travel on the Continent (Mar. 1 7 8 6 - M a r . 1787)

277

PART

.

III

HESTER LYNCH

XIII.

.

PIOZZI

x i v . England Again (Mar. 1 7 8 7 - M a r . 1788)

.

.

293

MI

CONTEXTS x v . Johnson's Letters (1788)

.

.

.

314

xvi. London Society and Travel (Mar. 1788-Dcc. 1789) xvii. Streatham Renewed ( J a n . 1 7 9 0 - A p r . 1794) xviii. Brynbella ( 1 7 9 4 - 1 8 0 1 ) xix. Gout ( 1 8 0 1 - 9 )

.

.

331

.

.

352

.

375

.

.

.

.

.

406

x x . Bath-Blue ( 1 8 0 9 - 2 1 ) .

.

.

.

.

426

epilogue

.

APPENDIXES

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

457

. .

. 4 6 1

.

ADDITIONS TO S E L E C T B I B L I O G R A P H Y INDEX

.

.

470

.

.

.

474 .

.

477

PL A TES Mrs. Thrale and her Daughter Hester Mrs. Salusbury

.

.

frontispiece

.

.

.

.

facing

Quccncy -aged Twenty Months

.

.

A P a g e f r o m the C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k . J u n e 18, 177;}

.

70 ,,

S u p p o s e d C a r i c a t u r e of H e n r y T h r a l e G a b r i e l Piozzi

.

Hester L y n c h Piozzi

.

.

.

J o h n S a l u s b u r y Piozzi S a l u s b u r y

.

. .

104 „ 1 6 2

. .

p.

. .

. .

. ,

308 ,

406 ,,

434

ABBREVIA

TIONS

W

H E N q u o t i n g from imprinted sources I h a v e given the owner of the manuscript each time, except for long series (still intact) of letters to the same person, and for i m p o r t a n t journals. T h e ownership of these, instead, is given in A p pendixes C , D , and E. In consequence, w h e n e v e r the source and date of the q u o t a t i o n are given in the text, no footnote is d e e m e d necessary. I f the date is not mentioned in the text, it is included in a note. For e x a m p l e , practically all of Mrs. T h r a l e ' s letters to J o h n s o n are in the J o h n R y l a n d s collection, and all of her letters to Q u e e n e y are in the possession of L o r d L a n s d o w n e ; consequently, w h e n these sources are used no reiteration of their ownership seems required. Similarly, references to the Children's Book, w h i c h is an u n p a g e d b u t chronological j o u r n a l , give the date of entry only. In referring to the manuscript material in the J o h n R y l a n d s L i b r a r y , M a n c h e s t e r , E n g l a n d , I h a v e adopted a special notation. ' R y . 540, 75', for instance, indicates that the letter m a y be found in J o h n R y l a n d s English M S S . , v o l u m e 540, item 75. W h e n using printed sources, I h a v e attempted to give the exact reference as succinctly as possible, and h a v e used certain contractions for the standard authorities. T h e more i m p o r t a n t are listed b e l o w : Adam Libr.

The R. B. Adam Library Relating to Dr. Samuel Johnson and His Era (Buffalo, N . Y . , 192^-30).

Blunt

R . Blunt, Mrs. Montagu, 'Queen of the Blues' (London, 1923).

Life

J . Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.,

ed. G . B. Hill,

revised and enlarged by L. F. Powell (Oxford, 1934). Private Papers. Private Papers of James Boswell from Malahide Castle, ed. Geoffrey Scott and Frederick Pottle (privately printed, 1926-34). Broadley A . M . Broadley, Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale (London, 1910). Early Diary of F. Burney. The Early Diary of Frances Bumey, ed. A . R . Ellis (London, 1907). D'Arblay, Diary. Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, ed. Austin Dobson (six volumes, London, 1904-5). Letters

Letters of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.,

ed. G . B. Hill (Oxford, 1892).

John. Misc. Johnsonian Miscellanies, ed. G. B. Hill (Oxford, 1897).

XIV

Hayward

ABBREVIATIONS Autobiography Letters and Literary Remains of Mrs. Piozzi (Ihrale), ed. A. H a y w a r d , 2nd edition (London, 1 8 6 1 ) . Sec pp. 4 7 1 - 2 .

Thraliana, ed. Hughes. Mrs. Piozzi's Thraliana, ed. Charles Hughes (London, 1 1 9 3) • Letters to Pennington. The Intimate Letters of Hester Piozzi and Penelope Pennington 1788-1821, ed. O . G . K n a p p (London, 1 9 1 4 ) . H . More, Memoirs. \V. Roberts, Memoirs of the Life and Correspondence of Mrs. Hannah More, 2nd edition (London, 1834). Seeley

L . B. Seeley, Airs. Thrale Afterwards Mrs. Piozzi (London, 1 8 9 1 ) .

Whalley, Corr. Journals and Correspondence of Thomas Sedgewick Whalley ed. H . Wickham (London, 1863).

D.D.,

INTRODUCTION,

1941

O

F the many women who have made a place for themselves in English literary history perhaps none has been more often the subject of controversy than Hester Lynch Piozzi, the friend of Dr. Johnson, the rival of Boswell, the sprightly, irrepressible Mistress of Streatham. In her own time she was a well-known figure in London society, with steadfast friends and a host of bitter enemies. To-day, even in the perspective of over a century, she still arouses ardent admiration or intense dislike. T h e late Professor Sir Walter Raleigh once remarked to Mr. A . Edward Newton, after examining some of Mrs. Piozzi's papers, 'What a dear, delightful person she was! I have always wanted to meet her'; and M r . Newton himself declared that of all the feminine writers of English literature he would most like to have known Mrs. Piozzi. 1 Yet, in contrast, the late Lord Lansdowne called her 'a woman essentially vain, vulgar, and false, intolerable as a parent and rightly kept at a distance by her offspring'. 2

W h a t was there about this eighteenth-century brewer's wife which even in the twentieth century can arouse such intense feeling? W h y does it seem impossible to arrive at any general estimate of her character? These are some of the questions which I hope to answer in the present biography. There is one obvious reason why Mrs. Piozzi is difficult to understand. Throughout her life she was a bundle of contradictions, a chameleon changing colour with her varying surroundings. Consequently, any over-emphasis on the years just preceding her second marriage makes her appear giddy, selfcentred, and unstable; yet a similar concentration on her early life with Thrale or her last years with Piozzi shows an intelligent woman, self-sacrificing, and dependable. R a n d o m excerpts from her letters are apt, therefore, to be misleading, for it is not possible to make an accurate estimate of her character simply by examining a portion of her correspondence. She habitually showed a different side of her nature to each person to whom 1 A. E. Newton, The Amenities of Book-Collecting and Kindred Affections (Boston, i y i 8 ) , pp. 186, 221. 2 'I he Marquis of Lansdowne, Johnson and Quctney (London, 1932), p. xxvii.

INTRODUCTION,

XVI

1941

she wrote, choosing her mood to suit the c h a r a c t e r of her correspondent. In order to gain a complete picture of her facile mind, one must examine not only the social letters, but those devoted to business, family, and literature as well, a n d , above all, her diaries and journals. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , too many critics in the past have formed their opinions after the reading of only a few series of letters, and the result has been a one-sided and distorted portrait, either too sentimentally pleasing or too harshly severe. T o consult all the existing evidence a b o u t Mrs. Piozzi, however, is no easy matter, and perhaps it has been the sheer magnitude of the task which has discouraged most of her biographers. Thousands of her letters, as well as scores of her diaries and c o m m o n p l a c e books, are preserved in libraries and family archives throughout G r e a t Britain and the U n i t e d States. O f these only a few have been accurately published, and the remainder have been so widely dispersed by a series of sales that they have not been easily available for study. In 1909 the prospect of ever securing all the facts seemed so d o u b t f u l that M r . A . M . Broadley remarked that the scattering of Mrs. Piozzi's manuscripts would in all probability ' p r o v e an insurmountable barrier to the completion of Johnson's biography, as well as to the compilation of an exhaustive work dealing with the life and correspondence of one of the cleverest and most entertaining of the m a n y feminine letter-writers w h o flourished between 1760 and 1820'. 1 A difficulty, however, is sometimes a challenge, and I must confess that it has been the thrill of the search, almost as m u c h as an abounding interest in the lady, w h i c h has lured me on. So for years I have followed the trail of her manuscripts across the United States and over part of Europe, to most of the places in which she l i v e d — t o Streatham, S o u t h w a r k , Brighton, Bath. Wales, and I t a l y — r e t u r n i n g sometimes disappointed and empty handed, but more often rewarded with new and interesting information. A l t h o u g h some treasures have perhaps eluded me, treasures which m a y become fascinating q u a r r y for J o h n sonians of future years, the results of the long quest have in many ways more than justified the effort expended. I cannot but remember particularly my good fortune in Mrs. Piozzi's own beloved Y a l e of C l w v d in North Wales, w here an almost unbelievable series of coincidences culminated in the opportunity to study numerous documents the existence of w h i c h was 1

A. M . Broadley, Doctor Johnson and Mrs. ThraU ( L o n d o n , 1910), p. 88.

INTRODUCTION,

1941

XVU

then unsuspected. Elsewhere, too, the collectors o f J o h n s o n i a n a h a v e been more t h a n generous, so that, as a g e n e r a l estimate, I h a v e been a b l e to read at least 2,500 letters written b y M r s . Piozzi a n d over 2,000 addressed to her, most o f w h i c h h a v e n e v e r been p u b l i s h e d . 1 It has been m y g o o d fortune, also, to consult numerous m a n u s c r i p t diaries a n d j o u r n a l s , the one of c h i e f i m p o r t a n c e b e i n g the so-called ' C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k ' , kept b y M r s . T h r a l e from 1766 to 1778 d u r i n g her early friendship w i t h J o h n s o n , in w h i c h she recorded the domestic j o y s a n d griefs o f the T h r a l e household. T h r o u g h the courtesy of the o w n e r , I a m n o w privileged for the first time to m a k e full use o f this record, w h i c h reveals certain qualities o f the Mistress o f Streath a m heretofore l a r g e l y disregarded by all her biographers. T h e o t h e r little-known sources i n c l u d e a n u n p u b l i s h e d fivev o l u m e literary a u t o b i o g r a p h y c o m p i l e d b y M r s . Piozzi expressly for her a d o p t e d heir, J o h n S a l u s b u r y ; her later ' N e w C o m m o n - P l a c e B o o k ' ; seventeen smaller diaries w i t h brief notations o f daily e v e n t s ; and a large collection of miscellaneous business papers a n d occasional jottings. Still the most i m p o r t a n t a u t h o r i t y for her life is the sixv o l u m e d i a r y a n d c o m m o n p l a c e book, T h r a l i a n a w h i c h Miss K a t h a r i n e C . Balderston is n o w editing for the H u n t i n g t o n L i b r a r y . I h a v e b e e n courteously allowed to consult this g r e a t repository a n d to q u o t e directly from the original m a n u s c r i p t rather than f r o m t h e unreliable printed versions of H a y w a r d a n d H u g h e s . But since the w o r k in its entirety will soon b e a v a i l a b l e , I h a v e felt it a d v i s a b l e to c o p y as little as possible f r o m it, a n d instead to use the accounts recorded in her other j o u r n a l s , w h i c h o f t e n repeat in the m a i n the same e v i d e n c e . T h r o u g h o u t , h o w e v e r , references h a v e been given to the entry dates in T h r a l i a n a . A p a r t f r o m the difficulty o f discovering all the extant Piozzia n a , a n o t h e r p r o b l e m confronts the b i o g r a p h e r o f M r s . Piozzi. H o w m u c h c r e d e n c e c a n b e p l a c e d in the e v i d e n c e thus f o u n d ? H o w valid are her a c c o u n t s w h e n c o m p a r e d w i t h those o f other writers o f the d a y ? N o d o u b t most critics will answer w i t h o u t hesitation that she c a n n o t be implicitly believed unless supported b y other e v i d e n c e — t o w h i c h in p a r t I must agree. B u t w h a t has not been e m p h a s i z e d e n o u g h is the f a c t that neither c a n most o f her c o n t e m p o r a r i e s — a t least in their published recollections. N e a r l y all of our a c c e p t e d authorities on the J o h n s o n era are also suspected. F o r instance, F a n n y B u r n e y ' s 1

For a general list of these letters and journals see A p p e n d i x e s .

xviii INTRODUCTION, 1941 Diary often represents, not what the young girl wrote at the time, but what the ageing Mme D'Arblay thought proper to be printed. 1 So too, Boswell's day-by-day accounts in the Life do not always coincide precisely with his own original notes; and Anná Seward's printed letters are very different from those actually sent through the post.2 These are only typical examples, but they serve to show how careful we must be in quoting from these generally accepted sources. Unless we can examine the original manuscript itself, we can seldom be sure whether the printed page represents the original impression of the writer or merely a later revision of that opinion for publication. It is particularly important, when examining remarks about Mrs. Piozzi, to know whether a given statement was made before or after 1784, the year of her second marriage, since the animosities aroused by her union with the Italian musician colour nearly all opinions after that date. For this reason I have felt it imperative to use contemporary evidence, and to disregard, so far as possible, recollections printed long afterwards. In quoting from Boswell I have attempted to use his original notes, whenever they have been preserved, rather than the printed Life. Furthermore, I have tried to avoid the use of the later reminiscences of other writers, unless they correspond with unquestionable evidence. Mrs. Piozzi herself provides an excellent example of variable reliability, for though the accounts of her early life written as an older woman are not always accurate, her day-by-day entries in diaries and journals are for the most part authoritative. Hence in assembling the story of her life, I have tried to use actual letters and contemporary jottings wherever possible. Unfortunately, for the years of her childhood and youth it is still necessary to trust to later memories, but these I have tested with all available objective evidence. Where there are differences, I have assumed the contemporary reference to be correct; where the discrepancy is negligible or where there is no conflict, I have accepted the familiar version as genuine. It may be necessary to add a word concerning my treatment of the text of unprinted sources. Feeling that by normalization 1 A . F,. N e w t o n , Reflections on the Character of Madame Thrale Piozzi. privately printed, D a y l e s f o r d , P a . , pp. 3 - 7 . 2 A n n a S e w a r d ' s letters were printed in 1 8 1 1 f r o m 'copies' which she h a d preserved. A c o m p a r i s o n , h o w e v e r , with the actual letters sent to M r s . Piozzi (now in the J o h n R y l a n d s collection) shows that the printed versions h a v e been c o m p l e t e l y rewritten. A n d not only did Miss S e w a r d alter the phraseology but, with some incomprehensible subtlety, the dates as w ell. S e c also pp. 3 0 G - 7 , 3 1 7 , 344.

INTRODUCTION,

1941

XIX

much of the flavour as well as the accuracy of eighteenthcentury accounts is lost, I have followed the original spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. But since Mrs. Piozzi's picturesque calligraphy cannot be completely reproduced except by facsimile—it was her custom to indicate excitement or anger by varying the size, colour, and shape of the words—the exact written form has not always been followed. I have decided to make no attempt to indicate eccentric positions of letters, and to be wholly consistent, I have not even recorded 'superior letters'. Thus, contractions such as w d , M r , and y c have been printed as wd., Mr., and ye. Only in special cases, where ambiguity might otherwise result, has this general principle been violated. In regard to the general plan employed, I have found it impractical to adhere throughout to a strict chronological order. For such a 'tripsy' lady, as she once called herself, the repetition of her many moves about England makes dull reading. O n the other hand, I have felt that a semi-chronological treatment presents a better picture of her life than any simple telescoping of past, present, and future. It might possibly have been simpler to combine all the evidence about Mrs. Thrale's relations with her children into one painful chapter, but such a concentration would have distorted the essential truth. T h e seemingly endless series of births, illnesses, and deaths gradually affected her character, so that only by viewing the succession of troubles, interspersed as they were with pleasant social diversions, can we see the picture of later events in its true perspective. If it is objected that the intimate details of the family life of an eighteenth-ccntury brewer are not sufficiently interesting to warrant such minute care, I can answer only that Dr. Johnson himself would have welcomed such a chronicle. When he was in the Hebrides with Boswell, and was told that at Tobermory h t would see the man who had written the history of the Macleans, Johnson replied: 'I'd rather hear the history of the Thrales.' 1 This is the history of the Thralcs. J.L.C. 1

Boswell,

>93 6 ). P- 302-

TOUT

to the Hebrides, cd. F. A. Pollle a n d C. H . Bennett (New York,

INTRODUCTION BY

I

TO MARGARET

THE

1986

ANNE

IMPRESSION

DOODY

H A V E somewhere heard or read, that the Preface before a

book, like the portico before a house, should be contrived, so as to catch, but not detain the attention of those w h o desire admission to the family within. . . .'' So Hester L y n c h Piozzi begins the 'Preface' to her Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson, LL.D. and I cannot d o better than remind myself and my reader that this Introduction is merely a portico before a house constructed by J a m e s L. C l i f f o r d , wherein those w h o desire admission m a y meet Hester L y n c h Piozzi, once Mrs. T h r a l e . T h e revised second edition (1968) of the biography furnishes the present text, but Clifford's b i o g r a p h y was first published in 1941. It is g r a t i f y i n g to realize that as early as 1941 one of the most notable and thorough scholars of the eighteenth century should give such detailed attention to a w o m a n of the period. N o one familiar with the other work of J a m e s L. Clifford can be surprised at the care taken in the research; all others w h o write on Mrs. Piozzi after him must take account of what he did, and rely on his discoveries. A b o v e all, he paid the w o m a n the compliment of thinking her worthy to be written about. Here we see, not Mrs. T h r a l e the amusing companion of Dr. Johnson, but Hester L y n c h , a w o m a n with a full life before and after her association with Johnson, a personage in her own right. It is my object briefly to introduce that personage again, emphasizing some points that C l i f f o r d does not stress while referring to authors w h o h a v e written on Hester L y n c h Piozzi since Clifford's book last a p p e a r e d . A b o v e all, since Clifford did not regard the duties of the biographer as including those of the literary critic, I have thought it right to discuss with some particularity the qualities of her written works and especially the published works. In an era such as ours in which women's writing is of considerable interest, her claims as an author h a v e a new and potentially sympathetic audience. I 1

P

v

'Preface' to An/cdoUs of the IMU Samuel Johnson, LL.D.

( L o n d o n : T . C a d e l l , 1786:,

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xxi

should add that m y quotations d o not o v e r l a p with those used by C l i f f o r d , and that w e d i v e r g e slightly in some opinions. I d o share in his liking a n d a d m i r a t i o n for Hester L y n c h Piozzi a n d wish, as C l i f f o r d wished, to help to bring this a l w a y s - c o n t r o versial figure back to the light. It is a salient fact a b o u t Hester L y n c h , née S a l u s b u r y , that she was a W e l s h w o m a n . A s C l i f f o r d points out, she prided herself on being a descendant of K a t h e r i n e of Beraine, ' M a m C y m r u ' , the m o t h e r of the Welsh people. It has not, I think, ever been noticed h o w consistently S a m u e l J o h n s o n surrounded himself with friends f r o m the Celtic regions of Britain. A m o n g these, Boswell ( S c o t l a n d ) , G o l d s m i t h , and B u r k e (both of Ireland) i m m e d i a t e l y c o m e to m i n d . A m o n g J o h n s o n ' s w o m e n friends too we find C h a r l o t t e L e n n o x , née R a m s a y (Scotland), a n d A n n a W i l l i a m s (South Wales). Hester L y n c h saw herself as a true W e l s h w o m a n : ' I find a great R e s e m b l a n c e between the two N a t i o n s [ S c o t l a n d a n d W a l e s ] in a h u n d r e d little Peculiarities, & the Erse sounded so like m y o w n native T o n g u e that I wished for E r u d i t i o n to p r o v e the original Affinity between t h e m ' , 1 she wrote to S o p h i a Weston (later M r s . Pennington) in i 789. I f she considered Welsh 'her o w n native T o n g u e ' , she w a s a transplanted Celt, and like so m a n y of the Welsh felt the pull of homesickness that makes the traveller return — as she tried to do in establishing herself a n d G a b r i e l Piozzi at B r y n b e l l a . L i k e J o h n s o n ' s other transplanted Celtic friends, when she chose she could r e g a r d English society with the sharp satiric eye of the foreigner. If she was a transplanted W e l s h w o m a n , she w a s also a transplanted g e n t l e w o m a n . Despite the precariousness of her assumed inheritance, a n d the p a r e n t a l lack of m o n e y , y o u n g Hester L y n c h S a l u s b u r y w a s trained to think of herself as a lady and an heiress; a n d she w a s bred in c o u n t r y pursuits a n d domestic affairs, i n c l u d i n g the c a r e of p o u l t r y and the work of the dairy. S u c h pursuits did not m e a n h e r other talents went unvalued. S h e says p r o u d l y that she w a s her parents' J o y n t Play T h i n g ' , taught 'till I w a s half a P r o d i g y ' . 2 S h e learned 1 H L P to Sophia Weston (later Mrs. Pennington) 1 Sept. 178g, M S letter in Firestone Library, Princeton, in grangerized edition of K n a p p , The Intimait Letters of Hester Piozzi and Penelope Pennington 1788-1822, M S A M 1 4 6 1 3 . 2 'Biographical Anecdotes', H L P ' s holograph M S of 36 pages, was originally intended as prefatory material for a new edition of the Letters, the title written on the front cover is 'Letters from D ' Sam: Johnson I publish'd by I Hester Lynch Piozzi 1788 I with Trifling I Biographical Anecdotes | of the Editor I Committed to the Care, & consign'd to the Honour I of [ Sir J a m e s Fellowes | by his Obliged Friend I H. L.

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Spanish and Italian from her m o t h e r and aunt, and was allowed to take lessons in L a t i n a n d rhetoric from A r t h u r Collier. Domestic a n d intellectual pursuits no more conflicted for her than they did for that other c o u n t r y g e n t l e w o m a n , Clarissa H a r l o w e , heroine of a novel Hester a d m i r e d . But Hester's m a r r i a g e in 1763 m e a n t a d e c i d e d c h a n g e . C l i f f o r d has e x p l a i n e d the c i r c u m s t a n c e s s u r r o u n d i n g Hester L y n c h ' s m a r r i a g e to H e n r y T h r a l e , a n d indicated her u n h a p piness in r e l u c t a n t l y y i e l d i n g to the wishes o f h e r uncle and her mother. C l i f f o r d says 'she never m a d e a n y pretence that her decision originated f r o m a n y o t h e r feeling than p r u d e n c e ' , and he adds that 'it w o u l d h a v e been difficult to find a bride and g r o o m w h o were m o r e t e m p e r a m e n t a l l y unsuited to each other'. 1 P e r h a p s even C l i f f o r d does not sufficiently e m p h a s i z e the misery in this union. Hester's ' p r u d e n c e ' c a n be misinterpreted, as if the girl herself, careless of t e m p e r a m e n t s , willingly chose a p r u d e n t m a t c h . W a l t e r J a c k s o n Bate, ignoring Clifford's hints, has recently taken that line: ' T h e marriage, in short, was not a love m a t c h ; nor, like so m a n y other eighteenthcentury marriages, w a s it e x p e c t e d to be.' A n d if T h r a l e w e r e unfaithful, then, a c c o r d i n g to Bate, ' M r s . T h r a l e , like other wives of the time, a c c e p t e d this, a n d , at least externally, did not seem too hurt.' 2 It seems right to stress that Hester L y n c h T h r a l e did not take her m a r r i a g e in this matter-of-fact w a y . S h e was appalled by w h a t had h a p p e n e d to her. S h e was a Clarissa w h o lost the family battle, t a m e l y and correctly choosing filial obedience; such virtue w a s not r e w a r d e d . A t some level she felt she had b e t r a y e d herself. T h e ' B i o g r a p h i c a l A n e c d o t e s ' w h i c h she wrote in 1 8 1 5 give a full idea of the n i g h t m a r i s h unreality of the w e d d i n g , and the cold s t a g n a t i o n a n d d r e a d that c h a r a c t e r ized for her the early part o f the m a r r i a g e . A t the age of seventy-five Hester is still rebelling against the m a r r i a g e inflicted on her w h e n she was t w e n t y - t w o . She r e m e m b e r s e v e r y t h i n g with bitter clarity. T h e m a t c h seemed hurried on, against her will, by her uncle and her m o t h e r ; H e n r y T h r a l e himself displayed no interest in his intended bride: Piozzi Remains,

Bath , Dec':

1815V

Reprinted

t h i s is t h e m a t e r i a l

in

C o l l e c t i o n a n d n o w in F i r e s t o n e L i b r a r y , 1

C l i f f o r d , see b e l o w , p p

2

Walter Jackson

Jovanovich.

1977

. p.

Bate. 413

Hayward,

Autobiography,

referred to b y C l i f f o r d as ' A d a m Princeton

MS

letters

and

m s ' , t h e n in the

Literary Hyde

3 8 9 ! .8.3 1 3 [ > p .

44, 49. Samuel

Johnson

New

York

and

London:

Harcourt

Brace

A'EW INTRODUCTION,

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XXIII

My Uncle went himself with me to Church; gave me away —dined with us at Streatham Park —returned to Hertfordshire, wedded the Widow —& then, scarce ever saw, or wrote to either of us; leaving me to conciliate as I could — a Husband who was indeed much kinder than I counted on, to a plain Girl who had not one Attraction in his Eyes & on whom he never had thrown five Minutes of his Time away, — in any Interview unwitness'd by C o m p a n y — even till after our Wedding Day was done!!

In this biographical manuscript addressed to Sir J a m e s Fellowes Hester does not go into details about Thrale's mistresses, but she does emphasize that her husband was surrounded by hard and high-living companions, including Sir Simon Lutterell 'afterwards known to all the Town by the emphatic Title King of Heir. T h e men made merry in their own way and ignored the bride; she had to cultivate the oddest if most accessible member of the party, the R o m a n Catholic Dr. Fitzpatrick, 'a very sickly old Physician'. 1 She had no place and no influence, and was given no affection and no occupation. Thrale kept 'a famous Pack of Foxhounds at a Hunting Box near Croydon: —but it was Masculine for Ladies to ride &c'. Allowed no part in his pleasures, she could not at that point take an interest in her husband's business; Thrale's clerks 'scarce dar'd approach him— much less come near Me\ whose Place he said was either the Drawing Room or the Bed Chamber'. 2 The heavy years of childbearing gave her some importance, but when Johnson first knew the couple Mrs. Thrale was living a life she found greatly restricted. Johnson himself noticed something of this, especially in a disagreeable remark made before Hester and her mother: 'Doctor Johnson now Introduced among us; told me once — before her Face who deeply did resent it; that I lived like My Husband's kept Mistress, —shut from the World, its Pleasures, or its Cares.' 3 Years later, after Johnson's death, a satiric piece entitled Bozzy cmd Piozzi; or, The British Biographers, A Town Eclogue was to take Mrs. Piozzi to task, not only for writing the Anecdotes of Johnson, but for writing at all. Johnson's ghost is made to exhort her to 'Give up her anecdotical inditing, / And study housewifry instead of writing'.4 Not content with this travesty of the views of the real Johnson, who had a high opinion of women's capacities, 'Peter Pindar' repeats the charge at the end: 1 1 1

'Biographical Anecdotes', MS p. 22. Ibid., p. 24. Ibid., p. 25.

' 'Peter Pindar' [John Wolcot], Boz^y and Piozzt; or, The British Biographers, A Town Eclogue (London: G. Kearsley and W. Foster, 1786), p. 26.

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A happy knowledge in a pye or pudding, Will more delight your friends, than all your Studying. One cut from ven'son, to the heart can speak Stronger than ten quotations from the Greek.'

T h e s e clichés a r e i r r i t a t i n g e n o u g h in themselves, b u t t h e r e is a n e x t r a i r o n y in t h e i r i n a p p l i c a b i l i t y to H e s t e r ' s situation d u r i n g h e r life as M r s . T h r a l e . S h e k n e w all the a r t s of h o u s e w i f e r y a n d t h e y p r o v e d useless to h e r . ' W e kept the finest T a b l e possible at S t r e a t h a m P a r k ; b u t his W i f e was not to stink of the Kitchen so I n e v e r k n e w w h a t w a s for D i n n e r till I saw i t . ' 2 T h e lack of c o n t r o l in h e r o w n h o u s e h o l d must h a v e been very d e m o r a l i z i n g , a n d t h e w h o l e s i t u a t i o n at first very diso r i e n t i n g . T h e f o r m e r Miss S a l u s b u r y of O f f l e y P a r k h a d h a d to m a k e a violent a d j u s t m e n t to life in t h e u r b a n house by the b r e w e r y in D e a d - M a n ' s P l a c e , S o u t h w a r k . S h e l e a r n e d f r o m Doctor Fitzpatrick 'what had determined my Husband's C h o i c e to Me till t h e n a s t a n d i n g W o n d e r ' , 3 a n d t h a t was h e r willingness to live in S o u t h w a r k . M r . T h r a l e h a d asked several o t h e r w o m e n to m a r r y h i m , b u t they h a d all refused to live in t h e B o r o u g h ; p e r h a p s H e s t e r in the c o u n t r y h a d k n o w n too little to o b j e c t . E v e n S t r e a t h a m P a r k was, a f t e r all, not a t r u e estate b u t a n e x t e n s i v e version of a rich b u r g h e r ' s s u b u r b a n villa. T h e n e w M r s . T h r a l e tried to k e e p s o m e p o u l t r y there, b u t the b r e w e r w a s not i n t e r e s t e d in the a r t s a n d crafts of a c o u n t r y g e n t l e w o m a n , a n y m o r e t h a n h e was c o n c e r n e d with or pleased at h e r s c h o l a r s h i p a n d w r i t i n g . T h e c u l t u r a l shock of a c c o m m o d a t i n g herself to a d i f f e r e n t class a n d a d i f f e r e n t w a y of life m u s t h a v e b e e n severe. Both consciously a n d u n c o n s c i o u s l y t h e w o m a n m e t a m o r p h o s e d into b r e w e r ' s wife m a i n t a i n e d t h e i d e n t i t y of a g e n t l e w o m a n , with a r i s t o c r a t i c c o n t e m p t for s i m p e r i n g m i d d l e - c l a s s m a n n e r s a n d t w o p e n n y gentility. S h e looked d o w n o n T h r a l e a n d his family, a n d they m u s t h a v e k n o w n it. S h e herself was left in solitude; the a b s e n c e of w o m e n f r i e n d s (save for h e r m o t h e r ) d u r i n g most of M r s . T h r a l e ' s m a r r i e d life is striking, as she v a l u e d female friendship highly. Eventually T h r a l e brought h o m e J o h n s o n a n d o t h e r s m e m b e r s of the C l u b , b u t this was at a t i m e w h e n the mistress of the h o u s e w a s u n d e r g o i n g f r e q u e n t p r e g n a n c i e s , e n d u r i n g the loss of c h i l d r e n , a n d n u r s i n g a sick 1

I b i d . , p.

'

' B i o g r a p h i c a l A n e c d o t e s ' , p. 24.

!

Ibid.

52.

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mother. T o be required to perform as hostess is not quite the same thing as acquiring friends although Henry T h r a l e was correct in divining her talents as a hostess. H e r education and the confidence of her original class enabled her to do what Thrale's own sisters could not have done. Bearing children was the work for which Henry T h r a l e had chiefly required a wife. Mrs. T h r a l e bore twelve children, of whom six died at birth or in early infancy. T h e son and heir H a r r y died in i 776 at the age o f t e n . T h e birth of the next child after Harry's death was not greeted with j o y . Hester wrote to Samuel Johnson on the birth of Cecilia (the last child born of the Thrale union who lived to grow up): I a m alive after a very rough L a b o u r , a n d a very vexatious

Disappoint-

m e n t ; h o w e v e r w e m u s t b e p a t i e n t if not c o n t e n t e d . . . it i s — t o m e at least — f a r better than n o C h i l d at all: & the little G i p s y is so e m i n e n t l y l a r g e , s t r o n g & h a n d s o m e that she p r o m i s e s to m a k e us all p o s s i b l e a m e n d s f o r h e r S e x . S h e is the finest C h i l d I e v e r h a d . . . so m u c h f o r o u r C i c e l y . M ' . T h r a l e s a y s I must take the m o r e C a r e o f m y s e l f f o r h a v i n g d o n e m y B u s i n e s s so ill. . . .'

There is poignancy in the interjected 'to me at least'; to Hester, if not to her husband, a live girl is better than a stillbirth. Beneath the light tone we can sense her resentment that producing a girl child should be considered a failure; we can hear, too, a subtle appeal to J o h n s o n for a sympathy she was not to obtain from her husband. T h e friendship between Hester L y n c h T h r a l e and Samuel Johnson is the most noted fact about her life. At the time, and even long after J o h n s o n ' s death, the friendship was the topic of amused speculation, even of obscene jests. F e w can seriously have believed that there was sexual intercourse between the two, but some contemporaries apparently genuinely expected that after T h r a l e ' s death the widow would marry the elderly and ill Johnson. W h a t is certain is that the friendship went very deep indeed with both parties, far deeper than many sexual 'affairs'. And if the friendship was one of the most important experiences of both their lives, it was more important for Samuel J o h n s o n than for Hester T h r a l e . In her Anecdotes of Johnson the writer, now Mrs. Piozzi, reminds us that the friendship with J o h n s o n was not of her seeking. At this point she is writing defensively, wishing to ' H L T to Dr. Johnson, 12 Feb. [ 1 7 7 7 ) . M S in Firestone Library Princeton, M S A M 14675.

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explain the break in that friendship for which she has been blamed. But in the tone and metaphor of the writing we can feel that she associated the relationship with J o h n s o n with the 'yoke' and 'confinement' of her first marriage: V e n e r a t i o n for his virtue, r e v e r e n c e for his talents, delight in his conversation, a n d h a b i t u a l e n d u r a n c e of a y o k e m y h u s b a n d first put upon me, a n d of which he contentedly bore his s h a r e for sixteen or seventeen years, m a d e me g o on so long with M r . J o h n s o n ; but the p e r p e t u a l c o n f i n e m e n t I will o w n to h a v e been terrifying in the first years of o u r f r i e n d s h i p , a n d irksome in the last. . . .'

Samuel J o h n s o n found the relationship with Mrs. T h r a l e emotionally fulfilling, while to the much younger Hester T h r a l e the relationship with J o h n s o n , mentally stimulating as it was, always meant added emotional responsibility, especially 'when he found himself particularly oppressed with diseases incident to the most vivid and fervent imaginations'. 2 J o h n Wain has written shrewdly and sympathetically of the inequity of their relationship in its best days: All m e n , in the e n d , m a k e impossible d e m a n d s on w o m e n , a n d J o h n s o n ' s d e m a n d s on Hester T h r a l e w e r e no e x c e p t i o n . H e told her of his o w n a n x i e t y a n d misery, but he did not like h a v i n g to hold still while she told him of hers. H e clutched at her h a n d w h i l e w a l k i n g t h r o u g h the valleys of his o w n p r i v a t e I n f e r n o ; she h a d to w a l k t h r o u g h hers alone. . . J o h n s o n listened for hours at a time to Boswell's confessions a n d e m o t i o n a l o u t p o u r i n g s . But w h e n he w a s with M r s . T h r a l e it w a s his turn to d o the talking. 3 .

As Wain points out, J o h n s o n , who at least in theory believed a husband's whoring was no sin against the wife, could never have wished to condole with Hester T h r a l e over her husband's chronic infidelity. W e now know from Hester's J o u r n a l that Henry Thrale's infidelity led to recurrent bouts with venereal disease, posing not only vexation but some rather grim threats to his wife. A good wife, of course, as all the conduct books preached, never complains of her husband to anyone. But J o h n s o n had an immediate emotional investment in choosing to believe that the Thrales were happy together. He seems to have adopted the couple both younger than himself as substitute parents. 1

H L P , Anecdotes, p. 2 9 3 . I b i d . , p. 2 9 4 ' J o h n W a i n . Samuel Johnson Press, 1 9 7 5 . p. 269. 2

London: Macmillan.

1974: New Y o r k : T h e

Viking

NEW

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Samuel Johnson's demands on Mrs. Thrale seem in part demands for a mother-love he had not known from his own severe and rather elderly mother. Martine Watson Brownley, in her recent study of the ways in which Mrs. Thrale fostered Johnson's creative powers, 'mothered his mind', sees in J o h n son's life with the Thrales an emotional arrangement that economically satisfied his desires for both dependence and freedom. Hester Thrale was to supply not only unconditional maternal love but also a semi-maternal discipline, order, the control that helped J o h n s o n to work. But such discipline was acceptable from her because Mrs. Thrale herself must visibly submit to her husband. W h a t h a d d e v e l o p e d w a s a situation ideal for J o h n s o n . O n the o n e h a n d , he c r a v e d feminine c o m p a n y , a f f e c t i o n , a n d ' p e t t i c o a t g o v e r n m e n t ' — T h r a l e [i.e. H e s t e r ] noted that ' / s h o u l d not h a v e the s a m e P o w e r myself over J o h n s o n ' s Spirits . . . if I were not a W o m a n . ' At the s a m e time, J o h n s o n feared f e m a l e p o w e r in certain ways: ' N a t u r e h a s given w o m e n so m u c h power that the l a w h a s very wisely given them little'. . . . J o h n s o n c o u l d s u b m i t willingly to T h r a l e ' s discipline without b e i n g t h r e a t e n e d , b e c a u s e he knew that it was u l t i m a t e l y illusory. 1

A situation ideal for J o h n s o n was not necessarily so for Hester Thrale. And both parties carried considerable emotional baggage in connection with ideas of either 'mother' or 'child'. T h e maternal/filial elements invoked in their relationship provided, Brownley feels, the ultimate cause of the violent dissolution of that relationship. A desire for maternal presence does not cancel out an erotic element in the love J o h n s o n felt for Hester Thrale. T h a t he felt in some deep sense betrayed is evident in his lashing out at her over Piozzi, and an anguished sense of rejection is evident in his protesting too much: 'I drive her quite from my mind!' 2 Johnson uttered these words to Fanny Burney, another friend who broke with Hester Lynch over the marriage to the Italian musician. T h e only close female friend among the Johnson group that frequented Streatham, Frances Burney had won Mrs. Thrale's respect and affection. Hester m a d e the 1 Marline Watson Brownley, ' " U n d e r the Dominion of Some Woman": The Friendship of Samuel Johnson and Hester Thrale', in Mothering the Mind, ed. Ruth Perry and Martine Watson Brownley (New York and London: Holmes & Meier, '984). P- 732 See Clifford below, p. 239; see Frances Burney, The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, ed. Charlotte Barrett, 7 vols. (London: Henry Colburn, 1854), ii. 274.

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mistake of confiding her feelings about Piozzi to F a n n y , not realizing that the unmarried novelist of thirty was, for reasons to do with her own childhood, more likely to share the panic of Hester's children than to comprehend the passion of the w o m a n . Dr. Charles B u r n e y , his former obsequiousness turned to treachery, egged F a n n y on to break from the w o m a n . Dr. Burney had reason to be sensitive on the subject of musicmasters and rich widows. F a n n y became treacherous too. Y e t the novelist Burney in her Cecilia ( 1 7 8 2 ) had depicted the loveless and frustrating marriage between the stiff Compton Delvile and the intelligent, wilful, u n h a p p y Mrs. Delvile, showing that Burney had learned something from observing the Thrales. A n d to that fictional marriage she allowed dissolution. T h e real mystery about Hester lies not in her relation to Henry T h r a l e or to S a m u e l J o h n s o n but in that to her children. W h y were the daughters so cold even harsh— to such a warmhearted w o m a n who was so proud of them? Queeney, on whom her mother so doted, is a particular puzzle. She seems so haughty, so ungenerous to a mother who lovingly recorded all her bons mots from infancy. Patricia M e y e r Spacks can see nothing but gloom and anger in Thraliana, and takes very seriously Hester's own occasional speculations as to whether she herself is unlovable.' Spacks thinks, evidently, that Hester L y n c h was unlovable, but the evidence of the m a n y people attracted to her goes against that. People are still attracted by the wit, liveliness, inventiveness, and spontaneity of the personality behind Thraliana. T h e daughters might feel outshone by a mother too sparkling. T h e peculiar coldness that seems to emanate from Queeney, however, could be understood only if we could know the daughters' feelings about Henry T h r a l e ; they must have loved him more than his wife ever did. Y e t Queeney, in postponing her own marriage until the advanced age of forty-four (older than her mother had been when she married Piozzi) showed that she had taken note of her mother's life. Queeney married in time to have one child, no more, successfully avoiding her mother's experience of youth spent as one long period of dangerous and exhausting breeding. At one juncture the trials of childbearing plunged Hester L y n c h T h r a l e into serious depression. In 1 7 7 9 her husband's poor health meant that she herself, though heavily pregnant, 1 Patricia M e y e r S p a c k s , The Female Imagination ( N e w Y o r k : Alfred A. K n o p f , Inc., >975 • PP- 2.53-66-

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w a s called upon to cope with the b r e w e r y ' s problems. T h i s must h a v e stimulated unpleasant memories of the near-ruin of 1 7 7 2 , when Hester (then p r e g n a n t also) had h a d to work to save the b r e w e r y , her h u s b a n d so shocked a n d depressed that he w a s unable to d o a n y t h i n g . Hester then had relied on her m o t h e r , w h o c o n t r i b u t e d her savings, and on J o h n s o n , w h o a d m i r e d both w o m e n : our Philosophical Friend embracing her exlaimed that he was equally charmed by her Conduct, & edified by her Piety. Fear not the menaces of Suicide said he; the M a n who has two such Females to console him, never yet killed himself & will not now.'

T h i s is a pretty clear indication that H e n r y T h r a l e did feel suicidal in 1 7 7 2 . N o w in 1 7 7 9 there w a s a milder repetition of the panic, and the exertion m a y h a v e been the cause of Hester's m i s c a r r i a g e in A u g u s t . F o r some while she w a s h a u n t e d by the fear, or belief, that she w a s a b o u t to die. I f H e n r y T h r a l e felt suicidal in 1 7 7 2 , p e r h a p s Hester p l a y e d with suicide in the d a r k recesses of the m i n d in the late s u m m e r of 1 7 7 9 . S h e f o u n d expression for her feelings in a private satire, ' T h r e e D i a l o g u e s on the D e a t h of Hester L y n c h T h r a l e , Written in A u g u s t 1 7 7 9 ' . As she explains in her ' P r e f a c e ' , One of Dean Swift's happiest Compositions is certainly the little poem on his own Death. M y Death would be a slight Event indeed compared with his- it would I think just bear three Dialogues among the people I chiefly lived with, & some of them are insignificant enough too. 2

H e r low opinion of her h u s b a n d ' s relatives a n d some of his associates comes out in that last clause. T h e first ' D i a l o g u e ' deals with the m o r e f a m o u s friends, including B u r k e , M r s . M o n t a g u , and J o h n s o n . D r . J o h n s o n turns loudly against William Weller P e p y s for r e v i v i n g sorrow by a l l u d i n g to the deceased M r s . T h r a l e , but J o h n s o n seems the only one of the c o m p a n y a f f e c t e d by her loss; rebuked, Pepys flies to M r s . M o n t a g u for s y m p a t h y : MRS. MONTAGU. Ay! flew o u t - did not he —we heard him quite across the Room; why he burst in your hand like an overcharged Musket, & you seem

1

'Biographical A n e c d o t e s ' , p. 2 7 . H L T ' P r e f a c e ' to ' T h r e e Dialogues on the Death of Hester L y n c h Thrale', in Three Dialogues by Hesttr Lynch Thrale, ed. M . Z a m i c k , reprinted from I hi Bulletin of the John Rylands Library ( J a n . 1 9 3 2 ) , ( M a n c h e s t e r : M a n c h e s t e r University Press, 1 9 3 2 ) , p 2 3 . 2

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a little s h a t t e r e d by the Recoil too I protest, — b u t he has h a d a Loss you'll allow — M r s . T h r a l e , a m o n g her o t h e r Qualifications, h a d p r o d i g i o u s strong N e r v e s — a n d t h a t ' s a n a d m i r a b l e Q u a l i t y for a friend of D r . Johnson's. PEPYS. O h M a d a m I h a v e been s t u n n e d by him at S t r e a t h a m m a n y a T i m e , a n d M r s . T h r a l e not content with his loud Voice would m a k e m e exert my o w n L u n g s very often till I h a v e been q u i t e 111 after it how She could b e a r such bawling, & not be totally divested of all Delicacy was a c o n s t a n t S o u r c e of W o n d e r to m e — I used to tell her t h a t She put me in M i n d . . . MRS. MONTAGU. Bless me! yes, She h a d r e m a r k a b l e good Nerves, & yet c a r r i e d off so suddenly — p o u n c e d by D e a t h like a P a r t r i d g e u p o n the Wtng—caught in o n e of her Flights M r . Pepys. PEPYS. C h a r m i n g ! C h a r m i n g ! Bravo! Bravo! [And now he runs about telling everybody what Mrs. Montagu said last —while Johnson, enquiring what the happy Sallie was & hearing it repeated—leaves the Room, and the Conversation is changed to a worthier Subject. ]:

T h i s 'First D i a l o g u e ' m a y h a v e been i n f l u e n c e d by F a n n y B u r n e y ' s recently c o m p l e t e d play, The Witlings, w h o s e progress M r s . T h r a l e h a d followed closely. C h a r l e s B u r n e y f o r b a d e his d a u g h t e r to think of h a v i n g h e r play p r o d u c e d , p a r t l y f r o m fear t h a t M r s . M o n t a g u w o u l d take offence at a p o r t r a i t of herself in ' L a d y S m a t t e r ' . M r s . T h r a l e , w h o t h o u g h t herself in p a r t a m o d e l for ' L a d y S m a t t e r ' a n d generously d i d n ' t m i n d , is a b l e in h e r p r i v a t e d r a m a t i c s q u i b to ridicule M r s . M o n t a g u even m o r e closely. S h e also ridicules herself, s t e p p i n g outside herself so t h a t t h e q u a l i t i e s she d e l i n e a t e d in m o r e s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d a u t o b i o g r a p h i c a l m o m e n t s e m e r g e comically i n t e r p r e t e d (or m i s i n t e r p r e t e d ) as ' s t r o n g Nerves' ( t h e r e is too a n implicit s t a t e m e n t t h a t J o h n s o n could a n d did get on her nerves). H e s t e r L y n c h f o u n d relief f r o m her m o o d of d e s p a i r in crisp b u t m o r d a n t c o m e d y w h i c h allows her obliquely to present d e a t h as at least a n escape f r o m her present c o m p a n y . Self-pity is t r a n s f o r m e d by w r y indirection. H e s t e r was almost entitled to h e r l a t e r boast: ' I never was good at pouting w h e n a Miss; a n d a f t e r fifteen years are g o n e o n e should know the value of Life b e t t e r t h a n to pout a n y p a r t of it a w a y . ' 2 If she believed t h a t self-pity was tiresome, t h a t was p a r t l y because she basically d i s t r u s t e d the c a p a c i t y of o t h e r s to s y m p a t h i z e . O u r essential h u m a n 1

'First D i a l o g u e ' , p. 27. H L P to Sophia Weston 1 0 J u l y 1789, VIS in Firestone L i b r a r y , P r i m e t o n ; see O s w a l d G . K n a p p , ed., The Intimate IjtUrs of Hester Piozzi and Penelope Pennington 1788-1822 {London: J o h n L a n e , T h e Bodley H e a d ; N e w Y o r k : J o h n L a n e C o . ; Toronto: Bell & C o c k b u r n . 1 9 1 4 . pp. j o 1. 1

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nature does not dispose us to s y m p a t h y ; as she wrote in her c o m m o n p l a c e book ' M i n c e d M e a t for Pyes', ' I do not think there is any such thing as natural Pathos'. T h o ' M a n is a T e a r d r o p p i n g A n i m a l ; in a S a v a g e State none fall I believe but for himself. . . Hester L y n c h possessed m u c h of the tough-mindedness of the eighteenth century. A constant play of irony about herself and others is one of her most ' A u g u s t a n ' qualities. S h e had a w a r m heart and at times an impulsive h e a d , but it seems w r o n g to term her ' r o m a n t i c ' or 'sentimental' as even C l i f f o r d sometimes tends to do. S u c h terms are w a y s of getting rid of the feminine forms of her A u g u s t a n i s m . W h a t makes Hester L y n c h disconcerting is not sentiment but the aggressive comic turn of mind, the insight that sees connections in a flash of disenchantment. C l i f f o r d , c o m m e n t i n g on these three ' D i a l o g u e s ' , regrets that Hester 'never tried her h a n d at a full-length p l a y ' . B u t she did try plays. H e r m a s q u e , The Two Fountains a Fairy Tale, its story a radical revision of a fairy tale by J o h n s o n ( 1 7 6 6 ) , w a s shown to Sheridan and K e m b l e in 1789. Earlier, she had begun a c o m e d y , The Humorist, taken from a French play. A n d at some point in the 1780s she completed a two-act c o m e d y , The Adventurer. It would h a v e been natural for Hester to think of m a k i n g some money and a n a m e by writing for the stage in a period when w o m e n dramatists were often successful. B u t these abortive plays, all unpublished at present, exhibit no sense of d r a m a t i c structure, and are most likely to interest us as reflections of their author. In The Two Fountains, the two breast-like m a g i c fountains, associated with wishing and with life itself ( ' S o u r c e of Pleasure! Source of Pain! / Life with all its Wishes v a i n ! ' ) , a r e in the keeping of Lilinet the F a i r y and her court. T h e y o u n g mortal Floretta is allowed to drink of the wishing fountain. S h e desires A Lover to my Taste . . . Unlike these Lords by which I live surrounded Rude and unletter'd as their vassal Hinds . . . 'Mid such Companions what Society Can your Floretta find? 1 In H L P , 'Minced Meat for Pyes' as excerpted in Piozz.i Marginalia Comprising Some Extracts from Manuscripts of Hester Lynch Piozzi and Annotations from her Books, ed. Percival Merritt (Cambridge, Mass.: H a r v a r d University Press, 1 9 2 5 ) , p. 86. 7 Clifford, below, p. 180.

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W e can h e a r Hester retracing her y o u t h f u l intense desire for another kind of m a r r i a g e f r o m the m a r r i a g e to H e n r y T h r a l e . But in the p l a y , the world of f e m i n i n e m u t u a l help and s y m p a t h y , of fairies, wishes, a n d fountains is countered by the baleful figure of the tyrant O b e r o n , w h o has the p o w e r to send a n y elf to one of D e r w e n t ' s d r i p p i n g caves ' T i l l to a Petrifaction c a n d y ' d ' . O b e r o n ' s masculine p o w e r is a n o t h e r expression of the p e t r i f y i n g masculine principles of rigidity, law, and stagnation w h i c h a r e termed ' R e a l i t y ' at the end a n d which, without a n y p a r t i c u l a r d r a m a t i c logic, Floretta sadly decides she must o b e y : ' S o c i a l D u t y best can bind / T o its p r o p e r path the M i n d ' . ' F e m a l e sexual desire and mental initiative — a n d d r e a m s — a r e illicit a n d u n w h o l e s o m e , like superstition. The Adventurer reflects the feelings a n d inner debates of 1 7 8 1 - 2 , a n d p e r h a p s w a s first designed then. In this comedy the h a n d s o m e w i d o w with three thousand a y e a r , L a d y R e n t a l , is in love w i t h the poor ' a d v e n t u r e r ' F e r d i n a n d , even when she discovers that he has h a d ' l o w ' o c c u p a t i o n s (as a riding master, an a p o t h e c a r y , a n d an usher at a school). S h e soliloquizes: O h t h a t h e w e r e a G e n t l e m a n b y B l o o d , as he is b y S e n t i m e n t ! W h a t l o w P r o f e s s i o n c o u l d t h e n t a i n t his H o n o u r ? Y e t h o w a r e the P r o f e s s i o n s he has e x e r c i s e d s u c h low ones? I a m a s h a m e d to b e m a k i n g thus E x c u s e s to m y s e l f f o r l o v i n g a M a n b r e d a S c h o l a r a n d a S o l d i e r . . . h e r e he c o m e s , m y H e a r t confesses his a p p r o a c h .

T h e e v e n t u a l discovery that F e r d i n a n d is the illegitimate son of L o r d H a r r y Forrester surprisingly suffices to m a k e him an English ' G e n t l e m a n by B l o o d ' ; the w i d o w is able to unite with her 'honourable A d v e n t u r e r ' with the a p p r o v a l of her friends— in fiction as not in life. T h e p l a y expresses resentment against the constrictions of custom. L a d y R e n t a l meditates on the lack of true i n d e p e n d e n c e in the world: I n d e p e n d e n c e ! h o w o f t e n h a v e I h e a r d t h a t W o r d ! & h o w little d o I yet u n d e r s t a n d it? M y F a t h e r , a w e a l t h y & l u x u r i o u s M e r c h a n t . . . c u r s e d the W e a t h e r , e n s u r e d his S h i p s , & p r a y e d f o r I n d é p e n d a n c e : m y H u s b a n d a C o u n t r y B a r o n e t teized m e six Y e a r s a b o u t his M o t h e r in l a w ' s J o y n t u r c w i s h i n g it w o u l d o n c e d r o p t h a t he m i g h t s e c u r e I n d é p e n d a n c e . P e r h a p s in s o m e h u m o u r s I too h a v e b e e n P u p p e t e n o u g h to f o l l o w the s a m e P h a n t o m ; h e r e I s t a n d h o w e v e r , r i c h in P u r s e , p a s s a b l e in P e r s o n , u n c o n n e c t e d a n d u n c o n t r o l l e d ; a m I t h e r e f o r e possessed of I n d é p e n d a n c e ? — N o t a W h i t : the W o r l d will e x e r c i s e A u t h o r i t y . . . 2 ' J o h n R y l a n d s Library, Thralp-Piozzi manuscripts; Thr Two Fountains (a rough working version) is M S 649; quotations are from Act I, p. 5'; p. 6'; Act I I , p. 16'; p 23'. 1 J o h n R y l a n d s Library, The Adventurer, M S 65a; quotations arc from Act II sc. 2. p. 12'; Act I, sc 2, pp. 5 ' - 6 '

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T h e shrewd i m p a t i e n t tones remind us of the a u t h o r ' s self. Lady R e n t a l is a self-portrait of Hester in mid-life, as Floretta in The Two Fountains is a presentation of herself in girlhood. Hester's plays show t h a t she h a d ways of escaping the censor, but only momentarily. T h e a u t h o r c a n n o t let her imagination run riot, and anxiously satisfies the proprieties. T h e writing of a play seems to Hester L y n c h a means of p o r t r a y i n g her own situation, expressing velleities; she has not the feeling for characters and action in themselves that m a k e the d r a m a t i s t . O n e feels that any m a d e - u p stories interested her only in rare moods, and did not really a t t r a c t her authorial self. She never showed m u c h interest in purely fictional creation. T h e plays show that she associates fiction-making with wishing, and with constricted forms of self-expression; she is better off when she can allow herself the free play of an interest in history and current affairs. If not a writer of fiction, she h a d always seen herself as an a u t h o r . In her teens she sought a published (if secret) identity: W h e n I was a b o u t 13 14 a n d 15 Years old . . . I took a f a n c y to write in the S': J a m e s ' s C h r o n i c l e — u n k n o w n to my P a r e n t s a n d m y T u t o r too; it was my Sport to see t h e m r e a d i n g , s t u d y i n g , b l a m i n g or p r a i s i n g their own little Whimsical Girl's P e r f o r m a n c e s — b u t such w a s their A d m i r a t i o n of one little Verst Thing, that I could not f o r b e a r o w n i n g it. . . .'

T h e 'little Verse T h i n g s ' were the easiest pieces with which to win not only the a p p r o v a l she craved but the publication she always wanted. T h r o u g h o u t her life Hester wrote verses. Yet, despite the m o d e r a t e success o f ' T h e T h r e e W a r n i n g s ' , which J o h n s o n included in the compilation for A n n a Williams, there are few symptoms of the true poet in Hester Lynch's versewriting. She was, however, decidedly always an a u t h o r , if often a frustrated one. H e r real interest was in non-fictional prose; she cared for c o m b i n a t i o n s of observations a n d ideas. For m a n y years m u c h of her writing was occasional, r a n d o m , a n d private. But keeping Thraliana was not really all she wanted to do. W h e n she got the chance, she turned her eyes to a wider scene. W h a t kind of writer did Hester Lynch truly w a n t to be? Looking at her works we can see that there is m u c h a b o u t her of the h u m a n e journalist, the kind t h a t has long articles published in serious magazines today. Ultimately she aspired to be a historian a n d a philologist. T h e kind of writing that she 'Biographical Anecdotes', p. 29.

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m o s t c a r e d for is, u n f o r t u n a t e l y for her, t h e kind t h a t requires f o r m a l t r a i n i n g in p r e p a r a t i o n , t h a t n e e d s libraries, the challenge of classroom d e b a t e , a n d the fostering criticism of a c u t e r e a d e r s . Novelists a n d d r a m a t i s t s of b o t h sexes in a n y c e n t u r y c a n d o w i t h o u t h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n ; p e r h a p s they are the s t r o n g e r w i t h o u t it. F a n n y B u r n e y did not need it. But t h e historian n e e d s t h e t r a i n i n g of the schools, not only for the acquisition of l a n g u a g e s (always t h e first p o i n t of e d u c a t i o n in the e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y ) b u t for i n s t r u c t i o n in sifting e v i d e n c e a n d c o n s t r u c t i n g a r g u m e n t . H e s t e r L y n c h h a d a c q u i r e d a n u m b e r of lang u a g e s , b u t she b e g a n her t r u e w r i t i n g c a r e e r as H e s t e r L y n c h Piozzi, in full m i d d l e age, w i t h o u t h a v i n g been sufficiently t a u g h t the arts of a r g u m e n t a t i v e c o n s t r u c t i o n , a n d w i t h o u t h a v i n g b e e n c h a l l e n g e d as to l e a p t - t o conclusions. Y e t she was e n d o w e d w i t h a witty a n d p o w e r f u l m i n d , a n d w i t h considera b l e k n o w l e d g e , as well as e x p e r i e n c e of life. S h e was not w r o n g in believing t h a t she could use t h a t m i n d in writing. If C l i f f o r d ' s b i o g r a p h y has a fault, it is in its not q u i t e a l l o w i n g the seriousness of H e s t e r L y n c h Piozzi's c a r e e r as a w r i t e r . F o r all t h e i m p e d i m e n t s in h e r p u r s u i t of h e r c a r e e r , she acc o m p l i s h e d a little m o r e , p e r h a p s , t h a n C l i f f o r d is willing to allow. It was a f t e r h e r new life with G a b r i e l Piozzi h a d b e g u n t h a t H e s t e r L y n c h felt a b l e to v e n t u r e into f u l l - l e n g t h p u b l i c a t i o n . G a b r i e l Piozzi should be given some c r e d i t for ' m o t h e r i n g ' h e r m i n d . I t was of course n e i t h e r of her t w o h u s b a n d s b u t J o h n s o n w h o w a s the subject of h e r first book. T h e first issue of Anecdotes of Johnson sold o u t on the first d a y of p u b l i c a t i o n , b u t t h a t was b e c a u s e of a m a n i a for J o h n s o n , a n d curiosity a b o u t his ladyfriend. A l w a y s a rich m i n e for J o h n s o n b i o g r a p h e r s , t h o u g h form e r l y decried in f a v o u r of Boswell's Life, the Anecdotes m a y at p r e s e n t be r e t u r n i n g to visibility a n d esteem. W i l l i a m M c C a r t h y has m a d e some serious claims for H e s t e r L y n c h Piozzi's b i o g r a p h i c a l work: Five years before Boswell's Lift a n d i n d e p e n d e n t l y of his published Tour. she is here practicing the very m e t h o d of seemingly unfiltered, c a n d i d - s h o t detail t h a t Boswell is usually credited with i n v e n t i n g . If this claim seems e x a g g e r a t e d , we need only recall t h a t the initial s c a n d a l o u s success of the Anecdotes was of precisely the same kind, and arose from the s a m e causes, as those of the Tour a n d the ¡ . i f f . . . In writing of J o h n s o n ' s b o y h o o d on the model of Rousseau's she brings into view the psychological, p r e - F r e u d i a n J o h n s o n w h o is, we now know, really there to see ( he is present, for instance, in m a n y Rambler essays') but w h o has hardly a n y place in Boswell's innocent

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XXXV

vision. She is also doing something for which she has never been given credit: an avant-garde experiment in English biography. T h e credit for biographical innovation has traditionally gone all to Boswell. 1

T h e s e c l a i m s a r e j u s t i f i e d . P i o z z i ' s Anecdotes is a n i n n o v a t i v e w o r k . R e v i e w e r s d i d feel s i m i l a r s h o c k s o n p e r u s i n g first P i o z z i , t h e n B o s w e l l . T h e s h o c k a p p e a r s to h a v e b e e n s o m e w h a t g r e a t e r in the c a s e o f t h e Anecdotes b e c a u s e t h e a u t h o r w a s a w o m a n , a n d a w o m a n b e t r a y i n g a sort o f f a t h e r , a sort o f l o v e r . T h e b o o k ' s a p p e a r a n c e led to hostile a t t a c k s , a n d a r e v i v a l o f all t h e a b u s e h e a p e d on H e s t e r at t h e t i m e o f h e r s e c o n d marriage hostile a n d e v e n o b s c e n e a b u s e in w h i c h h e r r i v a l J a m e s B o s w e l l t o o k a l e a d i n g p a r t , as M a r y H y d e h a s c h r o n icled in The Impossible Friendship. U n d a u n t e d , H e s t e r L y n c h P i o z z i p u b l i s h e d letters to andfrom the Late Samuel Johnson ( 1 7 8 8 ) , a b o o k w h i c h s h o w e d b e y o n d d o u b t w h a t an i m p o r t a n t friend and intellectual c o m p a n i o n she h a d b e e n t o J o h n s o n . B o s w e l l t o o k his r e v e n g e b y p r o d u c i n g his Life of Johnson ( 1 7 9 1 ) in w h i c h M r s . T h r a l e h a r d l y figures s a v e as a silly p e r s o n o n t h e f r i n g e s o f J o h n s o n ' s w o r l d , w h o exists to be c o n t r a d i c t e d . T h e Anecdotes h a s a k i n d o f m o r d a n t h o n e s t y in its t r e a t m e n t o f b o t h J o h n s o n a n d the a u t h o r , a n d in h e r d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e nature of her p e r f o r m a n c e and her necessarily limited k n o w l e d g e o f h e r s u b j e c t : ' M i n e is a m e r e candle-light p i c t u r e o f his l a t t e r d a y s , w h e r e e v e r y t h i n g falls in d a r k s h a d o w e x c e p t t h e f a c e , t h e i n d e x o f t h e m i n d ; b u t e v e n t h a t is seen u n f a v o u r a b l y , a n d w i t h a p a l e n e s s b e y o n d w h a t n a t u r e g a v e it.' 2 T h e r e is a rugged beauty a b o u t her Johnson, and considerable tenderness as w e l l as t o u g h n e s s in h e r chiaroscuro. Anecdotes of Johnson is a s t r o n g a n d not a s w e e t b o o k . T h e m a r r i a g e to P i o z z i a n d t h e b a p t i s m b y the fires o f p u b l i c i t y t h a t a c c o m p a n i e d it w e r e b o t h o f v a l u e to H e s t e r . S h e h a d not o n l y a c q u i r e d a l o v e r , c o m p a n i o n , a n d s u p p o r t e r , she h a d also s h a k e n o f f t h e t r a m m e l s o f E n g l i s h g e n t i l i t y . T h e loss o f b o t h f e m i n i n e a n o n y m i t y a n d b o u r g e o i s r e s p e c t a b i l i t y s e r v e d to h a r d e n h e r i n t o a n

1

W i l l i a m M c C a r t h y , Hester

N.C.,

and

London:

University

Lynch

Pioczi

of North

Portrait Carolina

of a Literary Press,

Woman

1985),

pp.

(Chapel

Hill,

117-18.

This

e x c e l l e n t n e w s t u d y c a m e o u t just b e f o r e this w e n t to press; c o i n c i d e n c e s o f o p i n i o n a r e to be a t t r i b u t e d

to t h e t r u t h o f b o t h o u r v i e w s . M c C a r t h y

had earlier recorded

o p i n i o n t h a t H L P ' s b o o k o n J o h n s o n is ' c o n s i d e r a b l y m o r e p u n g e n t a n d p r o b i n g ' B o s w c l l ' s Lift

1660-1800, 1

( ' H e s t e r P i o z z i ' e n t r y i n A Dictionary ed. J a n e t T o d d

H L P , Anecdotes,

p. 244.

of British

(London: Methuen and Co.,

and American 1 9 8 4 ) , p.

Women

255).

his than

Writers

XXXVI

MEW INTRODUCTION,

1936

author. In the published w o r k of her m a t u r e years she is never tempted into the treacliness o f the softly ladylike. Hester L y n c h Piozzi c o n t i n u e d to publish u n d e r her new n a m e , and to write n e w books w h i c h did not d e r i v e their literary identity from her association w i t h J o h n s o n . H e r next book is a tribute to her second m a r r i a g e , a n d a subtle p a n e g y r i c u p o n experience a n d liberty. In Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey through France, Italy and Germany (1789), she did not a d o p t the d e v i c e (customary a m o n g travel-writers and particularly useful to w o m e n ) of presenting the book as a collection of letters. Instead, she explains defiantly in her 'Preface' that she h a d n o friends in E n g l a n d at the time with w h o m to e x c h a n g e pleasantries: 1 h a v e not t h r o w n m y T h o u g h t s into the form of private letters; because a w o r k of w h i c h truth is the best r e c o m m e n d a t i o n , should not a b o v e all others begin with a lie. M y old a c q u a i n t a n c e rather chose to amuse themselves with conjectures, than to flatter me with tender inquiries d u r i n g my absence: our correspondence then w o u l d not h a v e been any a m u s e m e n t to the Public . . .''

S e p a r a t i n g herself, in the f r e e d o m of bitterness, from the modest epistolary d e v i c e , she a d o p t s a n d creates an authoritative voice. S h e allows herself to i n t e r t w i n e observation, historical fact, speculation, jokes, feelings, a n d j u d g e m e n t s . She can m o v e from description of V e n i c e , its buildings 'illuminated as I saw them last night b y the m o o n at full, rising out of the sea' 2 to description of the V e n e t i a n Senators in their red robes to a historical and m o r a l g e n e r a l i z a t i o n : ' I t is observable that all long robes d e n o t e p e a c e f u l o c c u p a t i o n s , a n d that the short coat is an e m b l e m o f a military profession, o n c e the disgrace of h u m a n i t y , n o w u n f o r t u n a t e l y b e c o m e its false and cruel pride.' 3 Ellen M o e r s has suggested that Hester L y n c h Piozzi was an i m p o r t a n t influence on M r s . R a d c l i f f e a n d thus on the new G o t h i c fiction in her ' u n c o n v e n t i o n a l , distinctly female travel book'. 4 It is a distinctly f e m a l e travel book. Hester L y n c h Piozzi maintains an interest in the arts of peace a n d particularly in the p r o d u c t i o n s of w o m e n , as also in w o m e n ' s various experiences of life. S h e observes that a n u n o f her a c q u a i n t a n c e is not p a r t i c u l a r l y interested in visitors, a n d c o m m e n t s 'one is ' ' P r e f a c e ' , Observations and Reflections Made in ihr Course of a Journey through France, Italy and Germany, 2 vols. ' L o n d o n : A S t r a h a n a n d T . C a d e l l , 17^9), vol. i, pp. v i - v i i . 2 Ibid., p. 1 5 1 . 1 Ibid., p. 159. ' Ellen M o e r s , Literary Women ( N e w Y o r k : A n c h o r P r e s s / D o u b l c d a y , 1977}, p. 194.

NEW

INTRODUCTION,

1986

XXXVll

always more important in one's own eyes than in those of others; but no one is of importance to a Nun, who is and ought to be employed in other speculations.' 1 More remarkable than individual observations on the women seen abroad is the pattern of references to women in the very texture of the writing. Hester Lynch Piozzi not only introduces quotations from women writers like Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, but also employs numerous illustrations and metaphors taken from the feminine world. For instance, she says that while Venice's black gondolas 'give an air of melancholy at first sight' they are utterly un-sorrowful, and then illustrates contrast in adding 'It is like painting the lively Mrs. Cholmondeley in the character of Milton's Pensive Nun. . . .' 2 Throughout, there is an air of personal exploration, and the flow of a lively consciousness coming across external facts that are vivid if disconcerting, facts sometimes failing to live up to book-nurtured expectations. Hester Lynch Piozzi's description of crossing the Alps (which deserves to be anthologized and was doubtless an influence on Radclifle) records an Augustan relief in the face of expected disillusion. T h e experience can honestly be said to be grand; it gives the mind 'a sensation of fulness never experienced before, a satisfaction that there is something great to be seen on earth — some object capable of contenting even fancy'. 3 This of course makes claims for a capacious mind and a fancy not easily contented. In her travels in Italy Hester Lynch Piozzi is conscious that she is coming not as the tourist but as the relation, finding in a sense a new home, and needing to understand it: ' / ought to learn that which before us lies in daily life, if proper use were made of my demi-naturalization.' 4 There is, she makes us understand, a personal urgency in her recognition of this old land which she is seeing under new and unusual auspices. T h e bridal experience itself is of course a feminine one, sharply distinct from the experience and expectation of the male traveller glancing at classic ground and modern pleasures. Her book celebrates a marriage, attachment, 'demi-naturalization'. Living in Gabriel Piozzi's country with new relatives and carrying on her life in another language was no hardship to the new Signora Piozzi. She knew a number of languages—and 1

Observations and Reflections., i. 3.

2

Ibid., pp.

3

I b i d . , p. 3 6 .

4

I b i d . , p. 6 7 .

159-60.

XXXV111

NEW

INTRODUCTION,

1986

had she not grown up hearing two tongues, English and Welsh, before acquiring others in her youth? She was fascinated by languages, and she had some 'learning' which in the eighteenth century meant knowledge of L a t i n and Greek. These were the languages which represented male power, and a learned lady could inspire hostility and unease. As recently as 1 9 1 4 Oswald K n a p p is comically reluctant to believe that Mrs. Piozzi really knew Greek, but has to admit that all the evidence indicates that she did, though not instructed in it in her youth. 1 F a n n y Burney felt that learning Latin would look too conspicuously erudite and unladylike, and dropped the lessons J o h n s o n was giving her and Queeney; Hester L y n c h had no such qualms, and towards the end of her life began to acquire H e b r e w . H e r Celtic background as well as her education stimulated her interest in word derivations and relationships; unlike the average Englishwoman, a W e l s h w o m a n cannot take her own language for granted. T h e journals and letters have constant quick observations on words and their meanings: Did not Virgil mean by his Epithet Puniceis to Rosetis in the fifth Eclogue the rose o f T y r i a n Dye! the Punic or Damask Rose. I perswaded J o h n s o n to believe it one D a y at Streatham as we read the Eclogue together —in the Y e a r • 769.-'

This evening a chair will carry me to M " . Holroyds to meet T w o other Females whom Richardson taught the T o w n to call old T a b b i e s , attended says he by young Grimalkins', now that's wrong: because they are young T a b b i e s , & when grown G r e y are C m Malkins, I suppose. 3

Hester L y n c h enjoyed collecting puns in different languages and noticing other people's use (and pronunciation) of words, as well as speculating about derivations. These interests combine in an ambitious work, British Synonymy; or, An Attempt at Regulating the Choice of Words in Familiar Conversation ( 1 7 9 4 ) . T h e problems of her husband and other Italians with the tricky pseudo-synonyms of English justified an endeavour which soon became more than a simple handbook. In her ' P r e f a c e ' the author again remembers her own national origin: 'I shall have 1 ' B u i in her C o m m o n p l a c e Book . . . written only for her own amusement, occur several Greek phrases, and an epigram of some length, with a translation, apparently her own. A n d it is noteworthy that the Greek is written with the breathings and accents, in the clear firm hand of one well used to the script, very unlike the tentative

efforts of a beginner 1 (Oswald G. Knapp, The Intimate Letters of Hester Piozv and Penelope

Pennington, p. 10). Thrahana: The Diary of Mrs. Hester Lynch Thrale (later Mrs. Piozo),

1776-1809, ed.

K a t h a r i n e C. Balderston, vols. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, iq^i > i. 3 1 . ' H L P letter to S i r j a m e s Fellowes, Bath, 1 8 1 5 ; M S in Firestone L i b r a r y , Princeton, M S A M 17952.

NEW

INTRODUCTION,

1996

XXXIX

an honour to boast, a n d like my c o u n t r y m a n G l e n d o w e r in Shakespeare's H e n r y the Fourth, have given our tongue an helpful ornament British Synonymy is desirous of honour, extensive, and idiosyncratic. T h e sufferings of Louis X V I h a v e m a d e too d e e p an impression on the author's mind, and K i n g Louis' head turns up where o n e least expects it. T h e treatise, however, has the merits as well as the defects of being opinionated. R e a d i n g it gives one an often enjoyable sense of contact with a lively mind to w h o m words are perpetually fascinating. H e r excursions are often efforts to connect literature, social life, and facts of speech, as in the entry under 'Sentiment': a person who, as Addison's Sempronius says of Cato, is grown . . . ambitiously sententious, has been of late derided by the appellation of a m a n of SENTIMENT- in allusion, as I suppose, to M r . Sheridan's play. Favourite d r a m a s have, among the English, a temporary influence over the language that would amaze one. T h e Duke of Buckingham's Rehearsal drove out of fashionable company the silly phrase of Egad and all that, and I have been told that Dryden's Sir M a r t i n cleared the elegant tables of their favourite intercalation in fine, Sir. New ones meanwhile spring u p every day, like these, dully to take their turn and be forgotten, to the no small incumbrance of conversation. . . . for living, as Collins said, under the dominion of a word, whether SENTIMENT, or rage, or bore. . . . or whatever absurdity determines choice, must surely be a despicable mode of proving our good breeding. . . . Indeed the pedantry of a drawing-room is no less offensive than that of a college, or an army coffee-house, or a merchant's compting-house; — all are tedious and disgraceful, and should be swept away.'

Yet for all her c o n t e m p t for clichés, she has s o m e feeling for sound colloquial slang; she regrets, for instance, that the schoolboy phrase 'a blunt' for a dull person cannot be used: 'a blunt, is so good, that I sigh for its removal into social life, w h e r e blunts are exceedingly frequent and w e h a v e n o word for them.' 3 In her pursuit of words she gives interesting glimpses of the customs and habits of the age, as, for e x a m p l e , under the entry 'Fat': A corpulent man or w o m a n is said to be FAT, when we have no mind to soften matters—and tell them that their embonpoint is agreeable. . . . But for the comfort of those who delight to see mind triumph over body, we have the famous miller of Billericay in Essex, who by dint of resolute temperance, or rather a strictly abstemious diet, did actually reduce himself from the enormous weight of twenty-nine stone to twelve only. . . . And 'tis said that a 1 'Preface' to British Synonymy; or, An Attempt at Regulating the Choice of Words in Familiar Conversation, 2 vols. (London: G . G . and J . Robinson, 1794), vol. I, p. vi. 7 Ibid., ii. 243-4. 1 Ibid., i. 177.

xl

NEW

INTRODUCTION,

1986

g e n t l e m a n of fortune . . . is at this m o m e n t d e t e r m i n i n g to follow so excellent an example. — Let not however any thing which he does, or I say, tend to a p p r o v e or even palliate a folly often c o m m i t t e d by young ladies, who, to prevent their being called FAT, ruin their health a n d beauty too, which best consists in PLUMPNESS—and which when once lost can never be restored.'

T h e author's moral i m a g i n a t i o n is frequently apparent, most strikingly perhaps in the careful delineation of the difference between 'luxury', 'sensuality', 'voluptuousness', and 'debauch'. H e r essay describing a m a n perfectly luxurious and totally free of sensuality is an ingenious creation of a moral horror— the portrait of s o m e o n e as remote from all virtue as free from sensual vice. 2 T h e author's political beliefs, everywhere apparent, are not simply conservative, and are in keeping with general moral and h u m a n e concerns: T O M A N U M I T . . . implies the power of doing an act with our own hands, and must shortly become useless; for who can M A N U M I T when servitude shall be no more? W h e n the h u m a n soul however is SET F R E E from all corporeal temptations, by the dissolution of t h a t body which contains it, how will theirs rejoice that h a v e from p u r e motives, from honest a n d generous principles, contributed towards E M A N C I P A T I N G the Blacks, a n d D E L I V E R I N G them FROM SLAVERY!3

British Synonymy is a book that offers m a n y pleasures; it is a good book to d i p into. It can be r e c o m m e n d e d to those wishing to find out h o w eighteenth-century people might have thought about a variety of matters. T h e section on 'Fancy' and 'Imagination', for instance, is crisp, useful, and surprising; not dwelling too long on Milton's Paradise Lost as a work of i m a g i n a t i o n and Pope's Rape of the Lock as 'a work of exquisite FANCY', the a u t h o r m o v e s to a d i s c u s s i o n of the d i f f e r e n c e

between the terms as used in medicine: W e are t a u g h t by medical students to believe, that such is the near connection between soul a n d b o d y — e a c h one feels injuries offered to the other with an acute a n d i m m e d i a t e sensibility. . . . they point out to our enquiries . . . patients labouring u n d e r a chlorotick habit, or confirmed anorexia —who find themselves subjected by those disorders to the forcc of I M A G I N A T I O N in such a m a n n e r as to create in t h e m new and u n a c c o u n t a b l e F A N C I E S for food, rejected by persons in perfect health, as odious and offensive. . . .*

T h e little excursion into medical belief about m i n d - b o d y relation and medical use of terms throws some real light on the 2 1 1

Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., Ibid.,

pp. 2 3 i - ' 2 . pp. 404-15 p. 193 pp 221-3.

j\EW

INTRODUCTION,

1986

xli

eighteenth century's response to 'imagination'. A b o v e all, British Synonymy gives us the pleasure of contact with a mind that has thought about the experience of her age as that experience is moulded by and reflected in current language. Hester L y n c h Piozzi's last major work is Retrospection: or, A Review of the Most Striking and Important Events, Characters, Situations, and Their Consequences, Which the Last Eighteen Hundred Years have Presented to the View of Mankind ( 1 8 0 1 ) . O n e can see in Piozzi's works a kind of progression, almost a p r o g r a m m e , if unconsciously developed at first. F r o m an account of persons and anecdotes she turned in her Observations and Reflections to places and events. British Synonymy examined language and meanings. N o w in her history of the world (more particularly of the West) she could ambitiously combine all these interests, and connect persons, places, events, anecdotes, and languages. In her 'Preface' Hester L y n c h Piozzi defends her introduction of light material, and the book's general focus: H a l f a m o m e n t w i l l s u f f i c e to p r o v e , t h a t whilst the d e e p c u r r e n t of g r a v e h i s t o r y rolls h e r full tide m a j e s t i c k , to t h a t o c e a n w h e r e T i m e a n d all its w r e c k s at l e n g t h a r e lost: o u r flashy Retrospect, a m e r e jet d'eau, m a y s e r v e to s o o t h e the heats of a n a u t u m n a l d a y w i t h its l i g h t - d r i p p i n g f a l l , a n d f o r m a r a i n b o w r o u n d . D i d n o s u c h b o o k c a t c h the o c c u r r e n c e s , a n d h o l d t h e m u p , h o w e v e r m a i m e d a n d b r o k e n , b e f o r e the eyes o f o u r c o n t e m p o r a r i e s , w e r e a l l y s h o u l d v e r y soon f o r g e t all t h a t o u r a n c e s t o r s h a d d o n e o r s u f f e r e d . . . . T h e s a m e kind a n d e n c o u r a g i n g P u b l i c k . . . s h a l l t a k e [it] as it is; a n d if they feel t h e m s e l v e s p l e a s e d w i t h the c o l o u r s p r e s e n t e d in the v a r y i n g c h a n g e f u l m a s s , w i l l t r y to h i n d e r s o m e c r i t i c k ' s h e a v y h a n d f r o m b r e a k i n g it; r e m e m b e r i n g t h a t a n o p a l loses a l l its p o w e r o f p l a y i n g b e f o r e the e y e , s o o n as a c r a c k is m a d e in its t h i n s u r f a c e . 1

T h e waterfall, the rainbow, and the opal are very expressive eighteenth-century images, speaking the virtues of variety and movement and life as against stasis and death. T h e reference to 'grave history' is mocking, for all history speaks our progress, individual and collective, to the grave, and we are all alike swept on that dark stream towards the end of time —but the would-be majestic tones of historians are false and hackneyed. Retrospection is, as it were, a memoir, as if the world (or rather, the Western part of it) since the time of Christ were an individual person, capable of looking back on a long but nonetoo-happy life. This approach is an aspect of the basic strategy. 1 H L P , 'Preface' to Retrospection: or, A Review of the Most Striking and Important Events, Characters, Situations, and their Consequences, Which the Last Eighteen Hundred Tears Have Presented to The View of Mankind, 2 vols. (London: J o h n Stockdale, 1 8 0 1 } , vol. i, pp. viii-xi.

xlii

NEW

INTRODUCTION,

1986

Retrospection has a main thesis and several decided and original themes. Its m a j o r thesis would find no favour today outside fundamentalist circles, though it is related also to w h a t we have heard from Spengler. Hester L y n c h Piozzi believed that recent events, especially in France, proved the truth of biblical p r o p h e c y , and that the last d a y s were a p p r o a c h i n g . ( A m o n g other things, she believed the J e w s were soon to be recalled to the H o l y L a n d . ) H e r history is a quietly apocalyptic book. She also believed very sincerely that the nature of history is ultimately to point out the i n a d e q u a c y of a life without Christ, illustrating the pitiful failure of the hopes of the flesh and the pride of men. H e r tone is not one of disillusion but of lack of illusion. Just as a m a n or w o m a n over sixty (so the tone suggests) o u g h t to be able to look back on life and times without self-deception, so w e ought to a c k n o w l e d g e the truth about the interesting but untidy past. History shows no grand h u m a n progress towards perfection; h u m a n nature is ever asserting its uglier aspects. Neither is there any great good time to w h i c h w e can look b a c k — I m p e r i a l R o m e or M e r r i e England. A s W i l l i a m M c C a r t h y says, 'In Retrospection she attempted nothing less than to answer to G i b b o n ' s W h i g , and " I n f i d e l , " History, the book failed in part because it was perceived to have overstepped the generic limits allowed to w o m e n w r i t e r s — " a series of dreams by an old l a d y " one reviewer scornfully called it.' 1 Fortunately, perhaps, Hester L y n c h Piozzi had anticipated the severity of the critics, as she showed in her burlesque criticism supposedly by the Critical Review: t h o ' t h e l i v e l y L a d y h e r s e l f w a s n o t s t a g g e r ' d as it a p p e a r s w h e n she took a B i r d s E y e V i e w o f s u c h i m m e n s e E x t e n t — w e c o n f e s s our l i m i t e d C a p a c i t i e s c a n w i t h difficulty u n d e r s t a n d the W o r k . . . . F o r tho' w e h a v e been lately a c c u s t o m e d t o t h e S t y l e o f Female D r a m a t i s t s , Female W i t s , F e m a l e P o l i t i c i a n s & F e m a l e A s t r o n o m e r s , — It h a s n o t b e e n q u i t e in o u r P r a c t i s e t o t r a v e l w ' \ y ' fair C r e a t u r e s t h r o ' t h e Dark Ages . . . or f o l l o w in t h e i r T r a i n to present T i m e s , unravelling by fancied C l e w s spun by themselves the inexplicable L a b y r i n t h of Events. . . . B u t . . . M " . P i o z z i u p o n the S t r e n g t h of a Three Y e a r s T o u r t h r o ' I t a l y , & T h r e e m o r e p a s s ' d in M e d i t a t i o n u p o n its d i s t a n t B e a u t i e s , s t r o n g l y c o n t r a s t e d b y h e r p r e s e n t P r o s p e c t s in the C o u n t y o f Flint, N o r t h W a l e s — b u r s t s o n us in t h e c h a r a c t e r o f Serene Instructress w' h . r e g a r d to

1 M c C a r t h y , Portrait oj a Literary Woman, p. . M c C a r t h y , t h e first c r i t i c to t r e a t Retrospection s e r i o u s l y a n d a t l e n g t h , sees in it a n a n t i c i p a t i o n o f M a r x i s t h i s t o r y - w r i t i n g a n d praises the ' r e m a r k a b l y u n s e n t i m e n t a l a n d s o p h i s t i c a t e d ' analysis o f the English R e v o l u t i o n o f 1 6 8 8 p. 2 4 6 . S e e a l s o his c n t r v in T o d d d i c t i o n a r y

NEW INTRODUCTION,

1986

xliii

Religion & Politics — both which She prudently squares to C o u r t Notions & Episcopal Ideas.'

H e r parodic critique shows that Hester L y n c h at the age of sixty had the same keen perception o f h o w others might see her that she had exhibited in the earlier ' T h r e e Dialogues'; the parody also shows that the book was a very conscious and deliberate engagement with affairs, and knowingly risktaking. Hester L y n c h Piozzi's history is indeed alike antagonistic to progressivist W h i g History, to radical reformist optimism, and to the elegiac grandeur of a G i b b o n . But it certainly is not the result of a mean prudence that squares itself 'to C o u r t N o tions'. T h e anecdotes repeatedly prove the recurrent exhibition of h u m a n absurdity, injustice, and cruelty. H u m a n history is indeed very real; our ancestors did do and suffer, and not to make formulae for historians. A t the same time, history is a divine c o m e d y with a slightly i n a d e q u a t e cast. T h e author is interested in changes in social life and m a n ners, including those that affect w o m e n ; she notes, for instance, the establishment of the first boarding-school for girls in England. She takes account of card games, table manners, new tastes in gardening. N a t u r a l l y , there are developments of which she approves (within measure). But she does not believe in an improvement in h u m a n nature: After the year 1600, our retrospective eye will not see gross and prominent offence so often. T h e superfic[i]es of life began to obtain a smoothness little known before. L a n g u a g e , morals, religion, manners, all were soon covered with a coat of varnish, that has employed men ever since to rub it in and hide, not take away, defects from the sub-stratum. 2

She treats her o w n period of the mid-eighteenth century with considerable caution and suspicion: Y e t were the thirty years we are reviewing [i.e. 1750-80], oddly polluted by unnatural falsehood and people not contented to tell lies, lived in them. George Psalmanazar, w h o had eaten raw flesh and worshipped the sun . . . was scarce cold in earth before new fictions, new fables perplexed us. A n obscure girl, by a meanly constructed tale, set L o n d o n in a fever of discordant opinions; and the mayor, w h o wished to punish w h a t he deemed perjury, scarcely escaped with life from her adherents . . . and some years after that, the Douglas cause d r a w n to disgraceful length; showed that high birth was no security against suspicion of a black imposture. Strange literary fraudulence was found in Lauder, charged on Macpherson, and proved 1 1

HLP in 'Minced Meat for Pyes', quoted in Merrilt, Piozzi Marginalia, pp. 77-9. HLP, Retrospection, ii, 119.

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NEW INTRODUCTION, ¡986

clear on Chatterton. Junius, clad in complete darkness, darted malignant, and yet undetected flashes of wit and anger through the gloom. . . .'

T h e implication seems to be that if the eighteenth century excelled in dishonesty it perhaps lied to itself, most of all in its belief in its progressive success. This is a refreshing view of a period which prided itself on its sincerity and its honnêtes hommes. T h e r e are a number of personal touches, some striking: 'Forgiveness is a virtue too good for Pagans, somehow—I feel as if I grudged it them.' 2 T h e r e are some quite witty shafts: 'Sir Richard Steele gave weekly instructions to climb the hill Difficulty by some short cut, or easy path to Fame.' 3 Hester Lynch Piozzi allows herself to be irreverent and unconventional. O n e o f the more unconventional themes is a constant if unobtrusive defence of women. This shows itself in the advocacy of women's achievements, such as the protest in favour of 'the Princess Anna C o m m e n a ' and her 'female eloquence' against Gibbon's strictures. 4 Piozzi also quietly insists on bringing women into the account, as in the discussion o f Anne of Brittany. In her account of her own century she introduces the murderous M a r y Blandy and the inoculation-bringing Lady M a r y Wortley Montagu. She reminds us of the ever-present beauty of Frances Stuart: ' R e m e m b r a n c e of her symmetrick form is even yet preserved among us, by the figure of Britannia on a half-penny.' 5 Retrospection is really a feminist history. Like Observations and Reflections it has a texture of references and images taken from feminine experience. In its major strategies, as in its parts, it is a female challenge to the interpretation of history that serves the ends of power. She writes in deliberately feminine language, for instance, about the Europeans' discovery o f the Americas: 'soon as a new world opened itself to their inordinate desires, they fell upon it like untaught children on a toy-shop—tasting, and breaking, and knocking all in pieces.' 6 T h e whole is not only a retrospection but a retaliation, as Hester Lynch Piozzi serves up history with a difference. T h e sense of the unchanging perversity of human behaviour 1

Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., ' Ibid., 5 Ibid., 1

1

'

pp. 4 3 6 - 7 . i, 3 1 ii, 3 1 7 . i, 2 7 3 ii, 3 0 5 .

I b i d . , p. 59'

NEW

INTRODUCTION,

1986

xlv

and experience went very deep with Hester L y n c h . One of the best annotations to Retrospection is found in a letter to Sir J a m e s Fellowes in 1 8 1 6 . S a d that her home of fifty years is to be sold by auction, Hester yet observes that the auctioneer is handsome, and this, in one of her characteristic turns of association, reminds her of a story told to Cicero: T h e r e is a n old s t o r y o f B a l b u s w h e n Q u a e s t o r at S e v i l l e , t h r o w i n g a n A u c t i o n e e r to the L y o n s in his M e n a g e r i e , b e c a u s e a F e m a l e F r i e n d w h o w a s selling u p her Possessions, c o m p l a i n ' d to h i m t h a t the A u c t i o n e e r w a s so u g l y & d e f o r m e d , he f r i g h t e d all B u y e r s a w a y . O u r P e o p l e w i l l lose n o B i d d e r s b y should h a v e that f a u l t : but is it not o d d t h a t the W o r l d w i t h a l l its Fluctuations, u n d e r g o n e so little Change? A l w a y s Vexations, Disappointments, and inadequate A n g e r , for what can h a r d l y be h e l p e d : t h o ' the M o d e of e x p r e s s i n g that A n g e r is a l t e r ' d b y the d i f f e r e n t S i t u a t i o n s of S o c i e t y — '

It is the modes of experiencing our 'inadequate A n g e r ' that mark history, though the eruptions of anger, largely impotent and useless, change little in the fluctuations wrought by unchanging life. T h a t letter expresses Hester's grimmer outlook, but it typifies her views and style, in the focus upon anecdote and the turns of comic tones to underlying sadness. It is a pity that all this good material should be lost. T h e new edition of The Correspondence of Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi {¡784-1821) now being prepared by E d w a r d A . and Lillian D. Bloom will bring to everyone's attention Hester's powers as a letter-writer, displaying the strength as well as the vivacity of her observations. But it is time to rescue the Piozzi works written for publication. Perhaps we can hope in the not-toodistant future to possess an anthology of excerpts from her chief works, a Hester Lynch Piozzi Reader. Such an anthology should include at least one of the chapters on the eighteenth century in Retrospection, and extensive passages from Observations and Reflections, and from British Synonymy, as well as excerpts from verses and d r a m a s and of course from journals, commonplace-books, and letters. T h e r e is a deal of interesting writing to be found in the works o f — w h a t shall we call her? She has been clogged by marital titles; we first hear of her as ' M r s . T h r a l e ' but it is not much improvement to call her ' M r s . Piozzi' —and that persona did not come into being until 1784. History teaches us that the n a m e o f ' M r s . ' is a sad impediment to full literary fame, and that a Charlotte Bronte will always be 1 H L P 10 Sir J a m e s Fellowes, 18 Apr. 1 8 1 6 , M S in Firestone L i b r a r y , Princeton, M S A M 14673.

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NEW INTRODUCTION, 1936

more valued than a Mrs. Gaskell. Hester L y n c h Thrale as Mrs. T h r a l e figures as the subject of others, but as Hester L y n c h Piozzi she wrote and published for herself—the self she signed with a flourish ' H : L : P : \ It is not the serviceable 'Mrs. T h r a l e ' or the flighty 'Mrs. Piozzi' whose marriage caused such a scandal but the essential, thoughtful, tough-minded Hester that we can meet and understand in the writings. And that is the Hester we encounter and see developing through the changing modes of experience in the biography by J a m e s L . C l i f f o r d that you are about to read. T h e portico, I hope, serves both for use and ornament, but it is the house that matters. MAD.

EDITOR'S

NOTE

Although in the present printing no alterations have been made in the text or footnotes, there are a number of other changes. T h e original frontispiece, now known to be not a portrait of Mrs. Thrale, has been replaced by an authenticated portrait. Captions for the illustrations have been corrected where ownership has changed. Appendices B and C have been brought up to date, an important note inserted in Appendix D, and the Additions to Select Bibliography enlarged by Professor Doody to include those works which have appeared since the 1968 reprint was published. Virginia I. Clifford 1986

HESTER LYNCH SALUSBURY

I

A DAUGHTER

OF

WALES

H Y , sir,' says Q u a i n t in V a n b r u g h ' s Aesop, ' I ' m a H e r a l d b y nature; m y mother was a W e l c h w o m a n ' ; and w h e n he is pressed further for information about his country, he describes W a l e s as a place where 'every m a n is born a gentlem a n , a n d a genealogist'. 1 It is well to remember this national trait w h e n considering the subject of these pages, for it has been said of Mrs. T h r a l e that the only topic upon which she could be dull was her family history. 2 T h o u g h always ready to laugh at her own pretensions, she consumed m a n y hours attempting to trace her ancestry into the dim past. A n d even if m a n y of her genealogical claims cannot be substantiated to-day, the elaborate family tree w h i c h she devised is not wholly a figment of her imagination, for she c a m e of a celebrated Welsh family, of which she might well be proud. 3 V a n b r u g h , Aesop, A c t I I I , Scene I. Broadley, p. 4. Introductory essay by T . S e c c o m b c . In later life Mrs. Piozzi copied out her family tree a number of times, notably in M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana (an account written for her adopted heir in 1 8 1 0 - 1 3 ) , in T h r a l i a n a , in Cecilia Mostyn's copy of Y o r k e ' s The Royal Tribes of Wales (sold at the Anderson Galleries, N e w Y o r k , M a y 4, 1933), and for the Countess of O r k n e y , Dec. 31, 1801 (now in the N a t . L i b . of Wales, A b e r y s t w y t h ) . A n o t h e r c o p y , written for L o r d K e i t h in a different hand, is now in my possession, the gift o f the late Mrs. K n o l l y s . Since Mrs. Piozzi was continually g a i n i n g information, these accounts d o not agree in all details. Welsh genealogy is a very complicated matter, and it is impossible for anyone not an expert to write with a n y certainty a b o u t it. C o n s e q u e n t l y I have relied throughout on w h a t w o u l d appear to be the most authoritative a c c o u n t of Mrs. Piozzi's ancestry, the article by Sir J o h n B a l l i n g c r , ' K a t h e r y n o f Berain', YCymmrodor, xl (1929), 1 - 4 2 . C o m p l e t e genealogical cfiarts are included with this article. M u c h ink has been spilt over Mrs. Piozzi's c l a i m to royal blood, b u t present scholarship admits her descent from Henry T u d o r , though not by a legitimate line (but see Broadley, pp. 280-3, an< ^ 'he Athenaeum, Feb. 2, 1861, p. 164; Feb. 23, 1861, p. 264). In other parts of the elaborate family tree which she constructed there are errors, but usually these mistakes d o not materially w e a k e n her m a j o r lines of descent. T h e s e errors, too, can usually be traced to generally accepted Welsh authorities o f the d a y , such as T h o m a s P e n n a n t , her distant cousin. In Mrs. Piozzi's possession (now in the J o h n R y l a n d s L i b r a r y ) were over 330 deeds, grants, conveyances, rentals, wills, bonds, a n d other d o c u ments h a v i n g to d o with her family. T h e earliest in this collection is a g r a n t by T h o m a s S a l u s b u r y the y o u n g e r on J u n e 30, 1490, to T h o m a s , son of R i c h a r d Billinge. F r o m this mass of evidence some d a y a trained genealogist m a y construct a c o m p l e t e and accurate family tree of the Salusbury family. A n u m b e r of 1

2 1

4

A DAUGHTER

OF

WALES

T h e Salusburys had been prominent for centuries, though the claim that the supposed founder of the house, A d a m de Salzburg, had come to England in the eleventh century with the Conqueror is undoubtedly pure conjecture. It is certain, however, that members of the family had been active in the Crusades and in the Wars of the Roses, that a Salusbury was one of the first Governors of Denbigh under Henry II, and that another gallantly held the Castle for Charles I during the Civil W a r . T h e most illustrious of her ancestors was the celebrated Katherine of Beraine, called ' M a m C y m r u ' — M o t h e r of Wales —because of the number of her descendants. Granddaughter of an illegitimate son of Henry V I I ; said to have been recognized as a cousin by Queen Elizabeth, whose gifts are still preserved as family treasures; married in turn to members of four of the most powerful families in North Wales—Salusbury, Clough, W y n n , T h e l w a l l ; willing to leave behind the children of her first husband when emigrating to the Continent with her second, but using them later as pawns to further her own ambitions; ruling them and her grandsons with a rod of iron; she was a man's woman, more gifted with sharpness of wit and charm of manner than with the more homely household virtues. M a n y legends have gathered about her, the most amusing of which is the romantic story told by Pennant of her speed in accepting a second and a third husband after the death of her first.1 There were other tales, too, of her generosity and goodness, her many lovers, even her false and murderous disposition. It is impossible to separate the true from the false, but possibly, like her distant granddaughter, she was a mixture of forceful decision and wilful femininity not easy to characterize by any simple generalization. T h e future Mrs. Piozzi was descended from Katherine both through her father, John Salusbury, and her mother, Hester Maria Cotton. Frequent intermarriages between cousins had mixed both the family tree and the property, and strangely the later papers h a v e notes o n the b a c k in the hand of Dr. J o h n s o n , showing that Mrs. T h r a l e evidently discussed the question with him. J o h n s o n , like the others, m a y have been bored, but he patiently examined all her old family records. 1 T . P e n n a n t , A Tour in Wales, ii (1784), 26. A c c o r d i n g to this story, K a t h e rine refused W y n n , w h o escorted her f r o m the church after the funeral of her first husband, Sir J o h n S a l u s b u r y , because she had a l r e a d y accepted the proposal of Sir R i c h a r d C l o u g h , w h o h a d b r o u g h t her to the c e r e m o n y . But, so the tale runs, she promised W y n n that should she ever be left a w i d o w again, he would be her t h i r d — a n d so he was. T h e story is shown to be merely a variation of an old folk legend, a n d chronologically impossible in the case of K a t h e r i n e , by Professor C a r l e t o n B r o w n in Poems by Sir John Salusbury and Robert Chester ( E . E . T . S . , E x t r a Ser. cxiii, 1914), p. xiv. See also Ballinger, op. cit., p p . 6 - 8 .

A DAUGHTER OF WALES 5 enough, it was her mother who traced her lineage back to Sir J o h n Salusbury, Katherine's first husband, while her father traced his back to Sir Richard Clough, the second. T h u s it was that about the beginning of the eighteenth century the Salusbury estate of Lleweney, so called from the old Bavarian Lion which adorned the coat of arms, came into the family of Salusbury-Cotton, while the Clough estate of Bach-y-Graig, with the spectacular six-story house of Dutch bricks, which the superstitious Flintshire natives thought built by a demon, was held by their distant relatives the Salusburys. T h e master and mistress of Lleweney were Sir Robert Cotton, a man of wealth and distinction in the country, and his wife, L a d y Betty Tollemache. Living with them was his unmarried sister, Hester M a r i a , a talented, attractive woman, with a considerable fortune in her own right, who had consistently refused all suitors because her heart had long been given to her improvident cousin and neighbour, J o h n Salusbury of Bach-y-Graig. 1

This J o h n was a w a y w a r d but appealing character. Born in 1 7 0 7 , 2 he lost his father four years later, and with two younger brothers was brought up by an indulgent mother. M a n y of the faults of the man are directly traceable to this lack of restraint when a child. H e was given the best of educations, first at Whitchurch School, later at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, which he entered at seventeen. H e became a Fellow Commoner of his college in 1 7 2 8 , and received the M . A . degree the same year. 3 1 T h e following account of the parents of Hester L y n c h Salusbury is based largely on statements written much later by their daughter. These accounts appear in Thraliana, in the Mainwaring Piozziana (see p. 429, n. 4), and in an autobiographical sketch written at the express desire of her executor, Sir J a m e s Fellowes, in Dec. 1 8 1 5 . This last (now in the collection of M r . R . B. A d a m ) was printed by H a y w a r d in 1 8 6 1 , and has been used as the chief authority for her early life ever since. In such a late version, however, the chronology is apt to be vague. T h e most complete account, and the earliest, is to be found in Thraliana, April 1778. Wherever possible these reminiscences have been checked from actual contemporary documents available among her family papers in the J o h n R y l a n d s L i b r a r y and elsewhere, and the later accounts have only been used when they do not seem obviously inconsistent with the available facts. 1 In a copy of The Ladies Calling (now at Brynbella), once owned by L u c y Salusbury, the following entries appear in the front: ' 1 7 0 7 J o h n Salusbury was born T h e first day of September at three o'clock in the morning on M o n d a y " ; ' 1 7 0 8 Thomas S a l u s b u r y — 1 2 t h D e c e m b e r ' ; ' 1 7 0 9 / 1 0 H a r r y S a l u s b u r y — 1 9 t h M a r c h ' ; ' 1 7 1 1 William S a l u s b u r y — 2 2 n d d a y of iober and dyed the 9th d a y of J a n u a r y 1 7 1 1 - 2 . ' In the back of this same book is listed the birth of her only grandchild, Hester Lynch Salusbury. 1 I am indebted to M r . C . W . C r a w l e y , Fellow of T r i n i t y Hall, for information concerning J o h n Salusbury's college records. I n the admissions book of T r i n i t y Hall, Cambridge, for 1 7 2 4 appears the entry 'ad. Pen. 3 J u l y . ad. Sch. 5 J a n . 1724/25; ad. F. C. 28 April 1 7 2 8 . taken off 20 Deer. 1 7 3 2 ' . H e was thus admitted Pensioner on J u l y 3, 1724, Scholar J a n . 5, 1 7 2 5 , Fellow C o m m o n e r A p r . 28, 1 7 2 8 ,

6

A DAUGHTER

OF

WALES

Later he seems to have cut something of a figure in Welsh society, as Captain of the local Militia and Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Denbigh. 1 He also mixed in the world of fashionable London. He appears to have led a mildly adventurous life, though not one so lurid as his daughter would have us believe, for the startling tales of his early affairs set down in her diary many years later read more like a Fielding romance than real history. 2 Certainly a careful study of his own family papers hardly supports the rakish portrait she has painted. Quick-tempered, imprudent, and wild he undoubtedly was, but his own letters and diaries do not show a dissipated adventurer. John's second brother, Thomas, had also been educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, became a Fellow of his college in 1732, and then resided in London at Doctors' Commons. 3 Harry, the third brother, rendered something of an imbecile as the result of an accident, was content to remain rooted to the Welsh soil. The expensive education of the two elder boys, together with their extravagant life in London, had been financed by loans and mortgages on the family property, for the Salusburys were not wealthy like their cousins the Cottons. Some of the money they had managed to borrow from Sir Robert Cotton, 4 who had always been friendly, and who, as Lord Lieutenant of the County of Denbigh, had given J o h n the commission in the Militia. The story goes that he took J o h n abroad with him, paying all the expenses, merely from delight in his company; 5 but how long they travelled on the Continent, and taken off the books Dec. 20, 1 7 3 2 . As M r . Crawley points out, the dates in the register do not prove actual residence, but merely indicate change of status. T h e degrees taken were not recorded in any college registry, these appearing only in the University records. M r . Crawley sums up the facts which can be derived from the records. ' T h e entries show at least that Salusbury was both intelligent and well-to-do; his admission as a Scholar suggests the first, his admission as a Fellow Commoner, the second (since it meant higher fees).' Lucy Salusbury, J o h n ' s mother, had been well educated herself. T h e pupil of the famous astronomer, Halley, she saw to it that her sons had the best instruction. (See letter from Mrs. Piozzi to Sir J a m e s Fellowes, J u l y 7, 1819.) J o h n and T h o m a s were together at Cambridge part of the time, when they 'slept together as they delighted to tell, & their C a t T y g e r on the Bed'. (Mainwaring Piozziana, 1. viii.) ' R y . Charter, 1 2 3 1 , 1 2 3 2 . Both appointments were made on Feb. 10, 1734/5, by Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, Bt., Lord Lieutenant of the County of Denbigh. 1 Thraliana, Apr. 1778. 3 Thomas Salusbury was admitted as a Pensioner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in 1726, Scholar in 1728, received the degree of L L . B . in 1734, L L . D . in 1740, and was a Fellow of the college from 1732 to 1 7 5 1 . 4 R y . Charter 1004 is a bond from J o h n Salusbury to Sir Robert Cotton for £ 6 0 0 , dated Feb. 28, 1736/7. On the back Dr. Johnson later wrote: 'the time of ! payment does not appear.' Thraliana, Apr. 1778.

A DAUGHTER

OF

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7

or when each returned, cannot be determined. Nor is it certain how much we may believe concerning the French Marquise at Lyons who is supposed to have squandered her fortune on the handsome, romantic English traveller. This seems more like a bit of colourful gossip than the stuff of authentic biography. It is certain, however, that by the end of 1738 J o h n Salusbury was back in England, thirty-one years old, and if possible poorer than before. The Bach-y-Graig estate would bear no further mortgaging, and his personal credit had long since been extended past the breaking-point. One obvious recourse for a handsome, penniless gentleman of fashion was marriage to an heiress. J o h n had probably always known Sir Robert's sister, Hester M a r i a ; she was almost his own age, and he may have been in love with her for many years. She, for her part, had certainly not lacked other opportunities, but though no longer young she was still waiting for her dashing cousin. If only he would accept her hand and devotion, she was quite willing to dissipate her fortune in settling his debts. For obvious reasons her brothers opposed the match, for while the improvident J o h n Salusbury might be a pleasant companion, he was not a desirable brother-in-law. But since Hester Maria was of age and determined to have her way, there was little they could do, except to wash their hands of the whole affair. Early in 1739, then, Hester Maria sent Thomas Salusbury to Wales to make a list of his brother's obligations, 1 and when the task had been satisfactorily concluded, on February 1 3 , 1738/9, a marriage settlement was signed in London. 2 Shortly afterwards, J o h n Salusbury and Hester Maria Cotton were married. His mother, Lucy Salusbury, wrote on February 19 from Bach-y-Graig to her new daughter-in-law to 'wish all J o y 1 R-y- 53°> a a - Thomas Salusbury to 'Mrs. Hester Cotton at Mrs. Lewis's House near Montague House, Bloomsberey, London'. It was written from Bach-yGraig, and is postmarked Feb. 12 (probably 1738/9). Practically the whole of the letter is taken up with an account of paying his brother's bills with money sent by Miss Cotton. 1 T h e settlement (Ry. Charter, 1008) indicates that Hester Maria Cotton's liquid capital amounted to £2,500, of which £1,200 was immediately to be used in settling encumbrances on the estate of J o h n Salusbury. T h e later statements that her fortune was £7,000 or £10,000 (Thraliana, Apr. 1778, and Hayward, ii. 9) were probably exaggerations on the part of her daughter, or may refer to additional real estate or the value of annuities. Hester Maria did enjoy an annuity of £ 1 2 5 a year for the life of her mother, Mrs. King. Her trustees insisted that J o h n Salusbury should place certain of his properties, free from encumbrances, in trust for his wife as her marriage portion. Some of the capital was thus used to pay off mortgages on certain farms, listed as her jointure.

A DAUGHTER OF WALES 8 & Happyness to attend you for Ever', and added her thanks for taking poor J a c k , 'without which hee Could not have lived'. 1 By the time the more pressing of the Salusbury debts had been setded, Hester Maria's liquid capital was dissipated. Despairing of help from Sir Robert and the Cottons, and lacking any ready money of their own, the couple were obliged to give up any thought of a house in London, and sought instead an economical retreat in the country. T o the newly married pair love in a cottage may possibly have had an idyllic sound. Accordingly, they rented a house from Sir Thomas Hanmer, about three miles north-west of Pwllheli in the most distant part of Caernarvonshire, and close to an inheritance from which J o h n still received a small income. 2 Clothing, furniture, and all the necessities were sent to them from Bach-y-Graig by John's mother, and in the spring of 1739 the bride and groom made the long journey to their new home. The next few years were spent quietly at Bodvel Hall, as the farm-house was called, and there, after one or two disappointments, their first and only child was born, between four and five o'clock in the afternoon of J a n u a r y 16, 1740/1. 3 (This is old style reckoning. Mrs. Thrale in later years always celebrated her birthday on January 27.) On February 10 she was christened Hester Lynch Salusbury in the neighbouring church of Llanner—the first name Hester after her mother, the second an obvious but vain attempt to secure aid from her maternal grandmother, whose maiden name was Lynch. 4 For a man used to the pleasures of London society, life in western Caernarvonshire was insupportably dull. Even if J o h n Salusbury was something of a scholar and a lover of nature (the celebrated naturalist and traveller, Thomas Pennant, always maintained that his interest in natural history had been first aroused by his distant cousin J o h n Salusbury), 5 his tempera1 Ry 53°> 60. 1 Mainwaring Piozziana, i. ix; Thraliana, Apr. 1778. ' The birth is recorded in her grandmother's book (see p. 5, n. 2). On the same page, in her later bold hand, Mrs. Piozzi wrote: '& in 1803 still lives, to thanlt God for the Virtues of her dear Parents, and Grandmother . . . Brynbella 9: M a y 1803.' The date of birth is given as recorded, in what is called old style dating. Differences between the old and new style calendar always seem to have bothered M n . Piozzi, and she often misstated her own age, even in Thraliana. * The actual entry in the old parish record of baptisms and burials reads, 'Hester Lynch the Daughter of John Salusbury of Bachegraig Esqr. and Hester his wife was Baptized ye 10th February [1740/1]'. 1 T. Pennant, Literary Life (1793), p. I. The actual volume of ornithology presented to Pennant when about twelve years old by John Salusbury still exists. See L. F. Powell, The Library, 4th Ser. xix (1938), 131-2.

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ment was unsuited to continued rustic retirement. T h e years of chafing sharpened a temper already irascible, and he quarrelled frequently with his self-sacrificing wife, who willingly slaved and economized for his sake. 'She made her own Candles, Salted her own Meat, iron'd her own Linen & her Husband's & mine', wrote her daughter long afterwards, ' & if he wd. have been but good humor'd protested that she shd. have been happy'. 1 He found little to occupy his time except drinking with his neighbour Dick Lloyd and playing with his infant daughter. Both parents delighted in watching the gradual development of their only child. ' / was their J o y n t Play Thing,' Hester Lynch later wrote, ' & although Education was a Word then unknown, as applied to Females; They had taught me to read, & speak, & think, & translate from the French, till I was half a Prodigy.' z In those dreary early years at Bodvel the mind of the future Blue-Stocking was moulded. Meanwhile, since J o h n ' s mother continued to live extravagantly at Bach-y-Graig, and Thomas associated with men of fashion in London, all attempts to save money proved fruitless. Inevitably there was the necessity for further borrowing to meet their continued expenditure. Actually, the only part of the Salusbury property not already completely mortgaged consisted of certain farms which had been cleared of debt at the time of J o h n ' s marriage and set aside as his wife's jointure. Now, by dint of bullying and persuasion, she was finally prevailed upon to allow her portion to be attached, the major share of the receipts going to Thomas for London expenses. 3 The Salusbury sons had been brought up 'never to possess an undivided Guinea', 4 and Hester M a r i a was now a Salusbury. In February 1 7 4 5 Lucy Salusbury died, 5 and J o h n was nominal head of Bach-y-Graig, but this made little difference to the impoverished family. Consequently, Hester M a r i a with her little daughter remained at Bodvel, still struggling to make ends meet and to calm the perpetually ruffled temper of her husband. It was obvious that there could be no hope of improvement in the Salusbury finances; their only prospect of getting away from their drab surroundings lay in a reconcilia1 1

Thraliana, Apr. 1778. Adam MS. (Hayward, ii. 10). That the child must have been considered something of a prodigy is shown by a copy of Ogilby's translation of Homer presented to the four-year-old girl by George Shalcerley in 1745 (now at the Johnson house in Gough Square, London). 1 See letters to John Perkins in the autumn of 1773, and Thraliana, Apr. 1778. 4 Mainwaring Piozziana, 1. viii. * Lucy Salusbury was buried in Tremeirchion church, Feb. 14, 1745.

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tion w i t h h e r f a m i l y . Possibly Sir R o b e r t C o t t o n , n o w a childless w i d o w e r , h a d r e g r e t t e d the q u a r r e l w i t h his f a v o u r i t e sister a n d w a s n o w l o n g i n g to see his little niece. P e r h a p s a f t e r all these y e a r s his a n g e r m i g h t b e a p p e a s e d ; at least t h e r e w a s n o h a r m in i n v e s t i g a t i n g . Advances were made through c o m m o n friends, a n d f i n a l l y S i r R o b e r t sent a f r i e n d l y note t o t h e d e s p a i r i n g exiles. T h e n , s o m e t i m e a b o u t 1747, little H e s t e r L y n c h , u n d e r c a r e f u l supervision, d i s p a t c h e d a letter t o t h e d i s t a n t u n c l e she h a d n e v e r seen. T h e ruse w a s successful e n o u g h to secure a c o r d i a l i n v i t a t i o n f r o m Sir R o b e r t to visit o l d L l c w e n e y H a l l , a n i n v i t a t i o n w h i c h was a c c e p t e d w i t h alacrity. J u s t w h e n the S a l u s b u r y s p e r m a n e n t l y left B o d v e l is u n c e r t a i n . T h e y w e r e p r o b a b l y still there in M a y 1747, 1 a l t h o u g h b y the m i d d l e o f the s u m m e r t h e y h a d c e r t a i n l y sold most o f their h o u s e h o l d effects a n d j o u r n e y e d b a c k to Flintshire. 2 H e r e for t h e first t i m e H e s t e r L y n c h s a w t h e d o m a i n of h e r S a l u s b u r y ancestors. R e m e m b e r i n g the e v e n t l o n g a f t e r w a r d s , she w r o t e h o w ' w e c a m e to t h e Old Hall h u n g r o u n d w i t h A r m o u r , w h i c h struck m y i n f a n t eyes w i t h w o n d e r & d e l i g h t ' . 3 A n d in the later a c c o u n t , w i t h n a ï v e p l e a s u r e a t her o w n p r e c o c i t y , she a d d e d that w h e n she w a s e s t a b l i s h e d in the house, M y Uncle soon began to dote on Fiddle as he called me in Fondness, & I certainly did not obtain his Love by Flattery—as I remember well this odd T ê t e a T e t e C o n v e r s a t i o n — C o m e now Dear said he, that we are quite alone, tell me w h a t you expected to see here at Llewenney. I expected replied I, to see an old Baronet. Well ! in that your Expectation is not much disappointed—but why did you think of such stuff? W h y just because Papa & M a m m a were always saying to m e & to one another at Bodvel, what the O l d Baronet would think of this & t h a t . — T h e y did it to fright me I see now, but I thought to myself that K i n g s & Princes were but m e n ; and G o d made them you know Sir; & they made O l d Baronets. — I n c o m p a r a b l e Fiddle! exclaimed my U n c l e ; — Y o u will see a M r & Mrs Clough at Dinner t o d a y — D o you know how to spell C l o u g h ? No, was the R e p l y ; I never heard the N a m e : but if it had been spelt like Buff you would not have asked me the Question. T h e y write it perhaps as we write Enough—C, 1, o, u, g, h. A l t h o u g h the b a r o n e t w a s d e l i g h t e d w i t h his n e w - f o u n d niece, 1 I n the R y l a n d s c o l l e c t i o n is a n e x c i s e r e c e i p t d a t e d P w l l h e l i , M a y 23, 1 7 4 7 , R e c e i v e d o f J o h n S a l u s b u r y — o f B o d v e l — £ 2 for o n e t w o - w h e e l C a r r i a g e — ' o f w h i c h h e has this D a y g i v e n n o t i c e ' . It m a y e v e n be possible that this c a r r i a g e w a s i n t e n d e d to t r a n s p o r t his g o o d s baclc to F l i n t s h i r e . 1 A d a m M S . ( I i a y w a n J , ii. 1 1 ) . - Thraliana, Apr. 1778.

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he could not live peaceably with his irritating brother-in-law. Again and again John, no doubt feeling humiliated by his dependent position in the household, let his temper override his judgement and quarrelled violently with his host. T h e suggestion that he should secure some foreign post, leaving his wife and daughter to share the old baronet's fortune, was more than he could bear. 'No, no, Sir Robert, was the haughty Answer: If I go for a Soldier, Your Sister shall carry the Knaps a c k : — & the litde Wench may have what I can work for.' 1 As it was obvious that the two men could not remain longer under the same roof, the Salusburys planned to go to London with the help of Sir Robert, after a possible short stay at Bach-yGraig. A letter survives, written by Sir Robert Cotton to his sister, directed from his other estate of Combermere on November 9, 1747.2 He begins by alluding to his recent arrival there, and to his pleasure at hearing that Mrs. Salusbury had 'got safe home', and then referring to their projected journey to London, adds that he had written to have his London house made ready for them. 'Any House of mine is at your Service', he insists, and though confined to his room with a fit of gout, hopes they will stop at Combermere on their way. The letter is a friendly, affectionate message, giving the number of 'Fidle's Benefit Ticket', relating news of her parrot, and ending with the line: 'I expect a Letter soon from Hetty, a line from her or You will give great satisfaction to Dear Sis, Your most affectionate Brother & faithful Servant R. S. Cotton.' There is not a word of John Salusbury in the entire letter. Sir Robert had forgiven his sister and practically adopted his little niece, but he would never pardon the man who had ruined their lives. His chief interest was the little girl who might be his heir, and in a postscript, scribbled at the bottom of the sheet, appears a clue to the child's early tastes. 'I have some French Books here for Hetty, but she will be over-stockd with Presents of yt. sort from others.' Not yet seven, Hester Lynch was already an avid reader, and French books had become more suitable presents than dolls. The Salusburys reached London in December 1747, at first lodging in King Street, Soho, and later in the Cotton house in Ibid. 13. Ry- 53°> The date is 'gber ye 9th 1747', which I have interpreted as standing for November. Nevertheless, on the back is written in Johnson's hand, 'Octr. 9, 1747 Sir R. C. to Mrs. S.' For information about Combermere, see N. H. Hignett, 1

2

i n Cheshire Life ( M a y 1 9 3 6 ) , p p . 9 - 2 9 . 811659

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Albemarle Street. Naturally the city was full of excitement for the eager child, whose experiences so far had been of fields and animals rather than buildings and people. No wonder those first months made an impression she never forgot. And J o h n Salusbury's fashionable friends were apparently amused and delighted with the ingenuous child. I became [she wrote] a Favourite with the Duke & Duchess of Leeds, where I recollect often meeting the famous Actor Mr. Quin, who taught me to speak Satan's Speech to the Sun in Paradise lost; and when they took me to see him act Cato—I remember making him a formal Courtsy, much to the Dutchess's Amusement—perhaps to that of the Player; I was just six years old—and we sate in the Stage Box: where I kept on studying the Part with all my little Power—not at all distracted by the Lights or Company, which they fancied would take my Attention. The Fire Works for the Peace of Aix la Chapelle were the next sights my Fancy was Impress'd with, We sate on a Terrace belonging to the Hills of Tern —now Lord Berwick's Family;—& David Garrick was there & made me sit in his Lap feeding me with Cates &c—because having asked some one who sate near, why they called those Things that flew up Gerbes in the Bill of Fare? I answer'd, because they are like Wheat Sheaves you see, & Gerbe is a Wheat Sheaf in French. 2

While Hester Lynch and her mother stayed on in Sir Robert's London house, J o h n Salusbury returned to Flintshire in an attempt to bring some order out of his tangled affairs. But, as usual, he seemed only to make matters worse. As far back as 1731 he had become involved in an attempt to sink a mine for lead and copper on his property, when he and his brother Thomas fell into the hands of swindlers who claimed to have found a rich lead deposit at Hebden. 3 Always searching for some simple way to regain his lost fortune, he proved an easy dupe for the mining promoters with their prospects of sudden riches; instead of gaining he lost a considerable amount of money in the enterprise. Since J o h n Salusbury's own affairs had now become desperate, the only hope of the family lay in Sir Robert Cotton. The rich, childless baronet, having broken with his only brother, who also had married without his consent, now openly declared 1 Thraliana, A p r . 1778. Y e t on J a n . 27, 1795, she referred to having spent her birthday at Lleweney with her uncle, Sir Robert Cotton, in 1748. 2 A d a m M S . ( H a y w a r d , ii. 13). J See R y . Charter 1 1 9 0 , 1 1 9 1 , and letters from Bridge, R y . 5 3 1 , 532. T h e original agreement to sink a lead and copper mine on the Hebden property was signed Oct. 1 4 , 1 7 3 1 , but the enterprise in succeeding years proved a constant drain on the Salusburys' resources rather than a money-maker.

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he would generously provide for his little niece in his will. But the promises proved vain. The will was never made, and when in August 1748 Sir Robert died suddenly, his brother, Sir Lynch Salusbury Cotton, inherited the entire estate.1 The child never forgot her mother's anguish and her father's violent temper upon receipt of the news. They were plunged again into complete despondency. Something drastic had to be done, for the Salusburys were faced with the possible loss of their entire property. Yet John, the lovable companion, was incapable either of thrift or business enterprise, and his brother Thomas was too indolent to try to bring order out of the chaos. As early as April 1748, Edward Bridge, John's agent in Flintshire, had discussed with them the advisability of selling much of the furniture and personal effects at Bach-y-Graig to pacify some of his creditors, but as long as Sir Robert lived nothing had been done. Now there seemed no other way out of their difficulties. To be sure, Sir Lynch Cotton was friendly and allowed them to remain at the Cotton home, Albemarle Street, until little Hester Lynch came down with a light attack of smallpox, or perhaps chicken-pox, when the Salusburys were forced to leave these comfortable quarters and move to lodgings in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. After that they lived in a few rooms, oppressed with debt, harassed by creditors' threats, and fearful of complete ruin. Finally, in one last attempt to effect a setdement, Thomas Salusbury spent the month ofJanuary 1749 in Wales interviewing creditors who demanded immediate payment. 2 At this moment one of John's former intimate companions proposed a way for him to better his condition. The Earl of Halifax, sometimes styled the 'Father of the Colonies', had long been interested in fostering the growth of English settlements in North America and, on becoming head of the Board of Trade in the autumn of 1748, immediately planned an expedition to Nova Scotia. What was more logical than that the impoverished John Salusbury should seek his fortune in the New World, 1 In 1810 Mrs. Piozzi wrote in the Mainwaring Piozziana (1. x), 'Miss Bridge you know, says the Will was made, & burned by my Uncle Lynch; I hope it was not so.' Sir Robert Cotton died Aug. 27, 1748. In Thraliana (Apr. 1778) Mrs. Thrale indicates that his death occurred in May, and in her Biographical Anecdotes for Sir James Fellowes she gives the impression that the death quickly followed their arrival in London. Later recollections must of necessity be vague. It is possible that Sir Robert suffered a stroke in May which prevented him from joining the Salusburys in London as planned, but did not die for several months. 2 Letters from Bridge to various members of the Salusbury family (Ry. 531, 532). See also Thraliana, Apr. 1778.

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occupying a post of importance directly under Cornwallis, the Governor! W h e n Bridge, the Flintshire agent, heard the news, he was greatly alarmed, fearing the effect upon the uneasy creditors. John's departure from England might even lead to a crisis. Before he could voice his objection, however, the decision had already been made, and preparations for the great adventure kept the Salusburys busy during April and early M a y 1749. Sir L y n c h Cotton lent John £200 for expenses, and a host of friends were profuse in advice and encouragement. 1 A wide-eyed little girl of eight watched all the bustling with excitement—the familiar belongings of her father, packed in large boxes for the hold of the mysterious ship. T h e father, on the contrary, about to sail away from those he loved to an unknown land, grew less eager as the day approached. John Salusbury was not the stuff of which pioneers are made. He had languished at Bodvel with his family to cheer him; how could he endure the hardships of the colony without them? O n l y the desperate financial condition at home made him willing to endure the separation. After tearful farewells, he set out from London some time in M a y 1749, and on the 29th just before sailing from Plymouth, he wrote a pathetic letter to his wife. T o Live an i n d i v i d u a l , — N o t thought of by any b o d y — i s of all O t h e r s the most Forelorne S t a t e : a n d , Except T h y D e a r self, life, I a m the very M a n . I think, perhaps, I could have C a s ' d Aside m y own H o n o u r , ambition, call it w h a t y o u will For the Happyness, the Joy of being a l w a y s with thee: But then, not to be able to L i v e u p to T h y R a n k . . . . G o d Bless thee, M y D e a r Life, take C a r e of thy self and the poor little G i r l — I f it was for M y sake o n e l y — M y onely H o p e — M y onely C o m f o r t — t h a t we m a y be O n c e more H a p p y — T r u e l y never to part a g a i n : A n d I trust in the A l m i g h t y it shall Be So A m e n . Hold up thy Heart D e a r L o v e . Please G o d we shall meet A g a i n : w h a t greatly assists to support mine I s — t h a t I am out of the reach of their Snears or I n s u l t s — a n d Fairly Practice Every Honest E n d e a v o u r to gain an I n d e p e n d a n c y . T h e twenty N i n ' t h of M a y , no H a p p y D a y to m e — n o r any other, absent from my D e a r Love! 2

After John Salusbury sailed away for distant Nova Scotia, Hester Lynch and her mother spent their time for the most part 1 In a letter from Mrs. S a l u s b u r y to Sir T h o m a s of J a n . 3, 1765 ( R y . 530, 30), she refers to Sir L y n c h C o t t o n as h a v i n g lent £ 2 0 0 ; yet in T h r a l i a n a , A p r . 1778, Mrs. T h r a l e maintained that £ 1 0 0 was secured from Sir L y n c h and £ 1 0 0 from Dr. Bernard Wilson. See also letters from Dr. C r a n e and L o r d H a l i f a x ( R y . 530). 2 R y . 530, 37. A c c o r d i n g to T h r a l i a n a ( M a y 3, 1790) J o h n Salusbury left L o n d o n , W e d n e s d a y , M a y 3.

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with various relatives. T h e summer could usually be passed at Lleweney, where Sir L y n c h Cotton always m a d e them welcome, or with the child's grandmother, the former L a d y Cotton, w h o lived at East H y d e , not far from L u t o n in Bedfordshire. 1 A t East H y d e Hester L y n c h learned to love horses, and to ride. When my Mother hoped I was gaining Health by the Fresh Air, I -was kicking my Heels on a Corn Binn, & learning to drive of the old Coachman, who like every body else small & Great, delighted in taking me for a Pupil. Grandmamma kept four great ramping War-horses; Chevaux entiers for her Carriage, with immense long Manes & Tails which we buckled & C o m b e d — & when after long Practice I shewed her & my Mother how two of them (poor Colonel & Peacock) would lick my hand for a lump of Sugar or fine white Bread, much were they amazed! much more when my skill in guiding them round the Courtyard on the Break, could no longer be doubted or denied—tho' strictly prohibited for the future. 2 During the winters mother and daughter usually boarded with a Mrs. H a y n e , a Methodist milliner in Charles Street, St. J a m e s ' s Square. 3 H a v i n g no regular income except her annuity of £ 1 2 5 a year, M r s . Salusbury was forced to live as economically as possible. T h e girl's education was almost entirely in the hands of her mother. French, writing, and arithmetic were her principal studies, interrupted for long periods when illness or social affairs intervened. A t times in the winter she was a temporary pupil at a large school in Q u e e n S q u a r e . 4 M a i n l y , however, her intellect was allowed to develop as it would, unfettered b y the discipline of regular schooling, a fact which m a y account for the erratic mind of the later M r s . T h r a l e . A s Bridge, the steward, had feared, J o h n Salusbury's depar• L a d y Cotton was daughter of Sir T h o m a s L y n c h , and had been possessed of a large fortune in J a m a i c a . A t fifteen years of age she had been married to Thomas Salusbury-Cotton, and by him had a large number of children, one of whom was Hester Maria Cotton, the wife of J o h n Salusbury. When left a widow at thirtyseven years old, she deeply offended her children by marrying a second time, a certain Captain King. After the death of K i n g she was reconciled to her children, and thus provided another refuge for the wife and daughter of the distant colonist. M a n y years later, when her own daughters strongly disapproved of her second marriage, Hester Lynch must have remembered the similar experience of her grandmother. (Hayward, ii. 14, 15.) 2 A d a m M S . (Hayward, ii. 1 5 , 16). 3 Thraliana, Apr. 1778. Addressed there by Bridge in M a r . 1 7 5 0 ( R y . 5 3 1 , 9). During the winter of 1 7 5 1 it seems probable that because of Mrs. Salusbury's health she and her daughter spent some months in Hampstead. Here the ten-yearold girl read all through L i v y in French, as well as R a p i n and Plutarch. See Mrs. Piozzi to Queeney, M a y 22, 1796 (Lansdowne M S . ) , and Thraliana. 4 Hayward, ii. 14.

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ture roused his creditors, who demanded a foreclosure on the farms of Ty-mawr and Ty-coch. 1 Early in 1750, in answer to Bridge's long pleading letters, and by dint of some mysterious economy, Mrs. Salusbury raised a small emergency fund, hoping to avert the loss of the property, but Thomas Salusbury, who had been left a power of attorney to transact all affairs in his brother's absence, seemed indifferent, perhaps thinking the effort useless, certainly trusting to other plans to save the tottering family fortune. Close to East Hyde, at Offley Park, in Hertfordshire, lived Sir Henry Penrice, Judge of the Admiralty Courts, with his only daughter Anna Maria, who had taken a fancy to the tall, good-looking Doctor in the Commons. Thomas, gallantly overlooking the fact that Miss Penrice stammered and was subject to epilepsy—he dwelt instead on her accomplishments of mind and beauty of spirit, not forgetting that she was heiress to a very large fortune—was quick to respond to her advances. 2 Bridge might well write to Mrs. Salusbury: 'I am afraid the Doctor has bent his thoughts more upon Miss Penrice than taking care of his poor Brother's affairs.' 3 Even the actual foreclosure in M a y , when the farms were completely lost, made no impression on the ardent Thomas Salusbury, for although negligent in business matters, he was no laggard in pursuit of Miss Penrice. For once in his life he was feverishly energetic, and this one burst of unwonted exertion was rewarded by ease and luxury for the rest of his life. After assiduous wooing and persistent negotiations, Sir Henry's consent was finally gained and the marriage arranged. In 1751 Sir Henry retired from the Bench; his son-in-law succeeded to his position as J u d g e of the Admiralty and to the accompanying Knighthood. 4 As Sir Thomas Salusbury, he cut more of a figure socially, though financially he was still dependent on his wife's expectations. At first the news from J o h n Salusbury in Nova Scotia was encouraging. T h e colony seemed to prosper, and John in his capacity of one of His Majesty's Council, and Register and Receiver of His Majesty's Rents, was active and important. 1 In June 1749 Bridge sold most of the furniture at Bach-y-Graig to raise money with which to pacify the creditors, but to no avail (Ry. 531, 6, &c.). 2 Thraliana, Apr. 1778. 3 R y . 5 3 1 , 9; Mar. i, 1750. On May 23 Bridge wrote that the properties had been lost because of the mismanagement of Thomas. Later letters tell of the desperate shifts used to save Bach-y-Graig itself. • Cussans, History of Hertfordshire (1874-8), ii. 104. Sir Henry Penrice had been a widower for twenty-five years, and his only daughter, Anna Maria, was thirtythree years old at the time of her marriage to Thomas Salusbury.

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17

Pleased and d e l i g h t e d , L o r d H a l i f a x wrote affectionate a n d heartening letters. B u t soon the tide turned, for life in the barren, n e w l y f o u n d e d s e t d e m e n t w a s h a r d . C h a f i n g u n d e r confinement as the l o n g w i n t e r m o n t h s d r a g g e d slowly b y , t h e men continually q u a r r e l l e d , f o u g h t duels, or e n g a g e d in undercover intrigue for the political posts. J o h n Salusbury's j o u r n a l and his letters w e r e filled w i t h the u n h a p p y complaints of a homesick exile. 1 I n J u l y 1750 he w r o t e to his w i f e : M y Heart akes when I write to thee—when and where will this Letter find t h e e — G o d Knows. Please God we shall once more meet, never to part again. . . . I constantly Attend our Court but had rather be with thee in a Cottage than at the Head of All our American Affairs without thee. . . . J o h n was b e g i n n i n g to see t h a t a c q u i r i n g a fortune in the new colony w o u l d be difficult. M a n y officials did m a k e their w a y , but it w a s usually b y dishonest m e a n s a n d t h r o u g h unsavoury political manoeuvring, to w h i c h he w o u l d not stoop. H e a c k n o w l e d g e d himself a miserable, penniless exile, a c o m plete failure, b u t he nevertheless took pride in r e m a i n i n g a gentleman. O n S e p t e m b e r 20 he w r o t e : 'I h a v e n o w declined their money e m p l o y m e n t — k n o w i n g I will b e Honest think it too m u c h t r o u b l e : o n that footing not w o r t h while to h a v e Goverments M o n e y in keeping.' I n letters a n d diaries his only thought n o w w a s h o w soon he m i g h t return to those lie loved, his constant g r i e v a n c e that the G o v e r n o r w o u l d not release h i m ; for he w o u l d not l e a v e w i t h o u t permission. Finally, in A u g u s t 1751 his pleas p r o v e d successful, a n d he sailed j o y f u l l y for England. A t home J o h n found conditions little c h a n g e d , a n d his o w n position as difficult as ever. His brother's m a r r i a g e to the Penrice heiress, w h i l e it h a d i m p r o v e d the prospects o f the entire family, h a d so far p r o v i d e d n o r e a d y m o n e y . A s his agent, Bridge, expressed it, the credit of the S a l u s b u r y f a m i l y had 'sunk d o w n to the L o w e s t E b b ' . T h u s he w a s thrust once a g a i n into i n t e r m i n a b l e meetings w i t h his creditors and desperate shifts to keep w h a t w a s left of his p a t r i m o n y . 2 L o r d 1 John Salusbury's Nova Scotian journals (Ry. 615) exist in eight small notebooks. A large number of passages in them are underscored with red ink, for what purpose it is not quite clear. O n the outside are various notes in the hand of Dr. Johnson. T h e inference from these markings is that at a later date Mrs.Thrale may have contemplated some publication from her father's diaries, and with the aid of Johnson selected the passages to be printed. All John Salusbury's letters to his wife may be found in R y . 530. 2 The tenants in Tremeirchion were actually served with ejectments (Ry. 531,

i8

A DAUGHTER

OF

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Halifax, too, was greatly disappointed in the news that J o h n had brought of the fate of the colony. Halifax urged him to return to N o v a Scotia with new instructions for the management of the settlements, and as England proved so unfriendly J o h n allowed himself to be persuaded. In June 1752 he again set sail from Plymouth for the New World. With the second departure of John, the two 'Hettys', mother and daughter, returned to their old practice of making protracted visits to various relatives. It was by all odds the most pleasant and economical life for persons in their restricted circumstances. Another hospitable refuge was now provided at Otfley, the home of the Penrices and Sir Thomas Salusbury, and on M a y 31, 1752, L a d y Salusbury wrote to her sister-inlaw, 'you will always be welcome here, when, and as often, and for how long, or little time you please, and I beg of you to make no ceremony, for it makes no difference to me'. 1 Her letter ended with an amusing little vignette of English country life. There was a large number of guests in the house, including Lady Cotton, and, to entertain all this good Company we had a Cock-fighting, which diversion I never saw before; it rained a little, and I doubt my poor Father catch'd a cold looking at them, for he is lamer today than yesterday, but My lady desir'd me to observe it was not her fault that he sat in the rain. Point is given to the story when it is known that Sir Henry Penrice died this same year, possibly from the cold caught watching the cock-fighting. A t his death his only daughter inherited the entire estate, valued, according to the Gentleman's Magazine, at 150,000.* Sir Thomas, at least, would have no more financial worries. But the news from Halifax was still disappointing. John wrote to his wife on October 16, 1752: You know I am but a bad manager, besides that I have been Cheated, downright Cheated of forty pounds; it is true I saw it, but could not Help my self, it vexed me indeed—but the story is too long to tell thee now. So that for the time to come—I shall draw on Tom for what I shall expend Here, but will take Care that my salary shall always be sufficient to answer it. Never will have any thing more to do with the Paltry Rascalls Here. . . . 14), and a c o p y of the writ, which was saved by Mrs. T h r a l e , has written on it in Dr. Johnson's hand, 'debt and difficulty' ( R y . C h a r t e r 1203). T h e property was only saved by a loan of £2,000 by Miss Elizabeth Mostyn. 1 Broadley, p. 104. ' Gent. Mag. xxii (1752), 385. Sir Henry Penrice died A u g . 10, 1752, aged 75.

A DAUGHTER

OF WALES

19

It was the old story of the incompetent gentleman, with no training in business or experience in trade, trying to compete with others better fitted to wrest a livelihood from the bleak shores of North America. In spite of every effort honestly made, he finally returned to England in the summer of 1753, not 'worth a Groat', more deeply in debt than ever, and utterly dejected. This time, however, J o h n found affairs in England less desperate. Sir Thomas was willing, after some show of reluctance, to use his wife's inheritance to help support his elder brother and to settle some of his most pressing debts. The letters from Bridge thus gradually became less frantic, and for the next few years there was a lull in the financial troubles which had so harassed the Salusburys in the previous decade. Since the estate of Bach-y-Graig, barring any direct male heirs of John Salusbury, was entailed on Thomas and his sons, the latter was not actuated by wholly unselfish motives when he paid off the mortgage. Apparently J o h n would never have a son to perpetuate the name, so that it was of vital importance to Sir Thomas to save the estate from foreclosure. When the liability was finally paid off, probably in the summer of 1755, J o h n signed various papers admitting indebtedness to his brother for the whole amount. 1 At the time it was probably merely a matter of form, and with Sir Thomas as direct heir there was no prospect or intention that the money should ever be repaid. Many years later, however, this transaction was to prove disastrous to John's daughter. 2 The years following J o h n Salusbury's final return from Nova Scotia were uneventful for his family. For a time the Salusburys were in lodgings in Jermyn Street, St. James's; then in a pleasant house in Dean Street, near St. Anne's, Soho. 3 1 In a legal document, dated Aug. 19, 1755, Miss Mostyn and John Salusbury turned over Bach-y-Graig to Sir Thomas Salusbury. Later additions dated Nov. 8, 1779, show that the document was brought forward in Chancery in the suit between Dame Sarah Salusbury and the Thrales (Ry. Charter 1013). On Apr. 6, 1756, Bridge wrote describing a complete survey which had been made of the Bach-y-Graig property (now at Brynbella). According to Bridge the actual Bach-yGraig estate was only 190 acres, but altogether John Salusbury had been possessed of 568 acres of meadows and pastures, and 70 acres of woodlands. 1 See pp. 2 1 1 , 214, Chapter X . 1 Indicated by letters from Bridge, &c., and Thraliana, Apr. 1778. Occasionally they visited various watering-places. During the summer of 1758 the family spent some time at Weymouth, where Hester Lynch met the famous Dr. Warburton. In a letter (now in the collection of Mr. Frederick Vernon) of Aug. 29, 1758, Herbert Lawrence wrote to Miss Salusbury: I don't know whether I should congratulate you or Doctor Warburton on

20

A DAUGHTER

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Released from financial worries, established once more in a house, with several servants, they were able to face the world with more assurance. Although it was galling to J o h n to be so dependent upon his younger brother, for the time there were no serious quarrels. Long months were spent visiting at Offley, where Hester Lynch was the spoiled darling of the entire family. Sir Thomas's marriage had brought him no children, and with his wife's increasing ill health, it became more and more certain that he would have none. For this reason his brother's child began to assume added importance as a possible heir. Lady Salusbury, in spite of many physical weaknesses, was a cultivated woman, with a special interest in Romance languages, and her delight in reading Italian and Spanish literature was soon communicated to her niece. Already reading French fluently, the latter turned to the other Latin tongues with avidity. 'Study', she wrote in after years, 'was my delight, and such a patroness would have made stones students.' 1 By the middle of 1757 Hester Lynch had begun to keep all her personal accounts in Italian, and even wrote letters to her aunt in the same language. Laboured first drafts of these letters, written when she was about fifteen, give some insight into the girl's reading at the time. (In one she refers to Rapin's L'Istoria d'Inghilterra and Tasso's La Gerusalemme liberata.)2 For exercises in translation Lady Salusbury set her the task of turning various papers of the Spectator into Italian. But it was Spanish which particularly attracted the romantic girl, the graceful fluency of the language appealing to her imaginative taste. At the suggestion of her aunt and her mother, who had herself some little knowledge of Spanish, Hester Lynch tried her hand at various translations. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which had turned the eyes of many Englishmen to the Peninsula, had particularly interested Lady Salusbury in that part of the world. Consequently, at the suggestion of her mother, Hester Lynch translated a Spanish sermon preached by a certain Isaac Netto on February 6, 1756, your acquaintance with each other—pray was not that the Doctor's motive for going to Weymouth? I think it cou'd never be to add salt to his Satire, for the Sea Water is reckon'd good against the Itch of every K i n d , and the Itch of writing is a Disease the Doctor does not wish to be cur'd of. 1 H a y w a r d , ii. 17. I have in my possession a battered little copy of four French dialogues, printed in Paris in 1684, and having written in the front, 'Hester Lynch Salusbury her Book 24th M a y 1756. Price 2d.' J R y . 6 1 6 . In the pocket of her daily diary for 1 7 5 7 . See also R y . 639, 15.

A DAUGHTER

OF

WALES

21

1

a n d d e d i c a t e d it to her a u n t . L a d y S a l u s b u r y , v a s t l y pleased, w r o t e a f f e c t i o n a t e l y to h e r n i e c e : I a m extremely oblig'd to you for the pains you have taken in Translating the Spanish Sermon, it has given me infinite pleasure I assure y o u ; & as your U n c l e will be in T o w n next Week, I desire you will tell him w h a t Books in a n y L a n g u a g e you shou'd like, or Ornaments for your Person, or any thing else that w o u ' d be most agreable to you, & he will take care you shall have them, but I beleive you had better choose them yourself, & bring him in the Bill, tho' indeed I think the Sermon is above R e w a r d , so I beg you will not be sparing in your Demands, I shall take great care of it as the first thing that was ever Dedicated to me, except as R e a d e r . 1 I n spite of the f a c t t h a t t h e f i f t e e n - y e a r - o l d girl w a s s o m e t h i n g o f a p r o d i g y , c o n s i d e r i n g the n o r m a l e d u c a t i o n o f the time, she w a s also e n d o w e d w i t h n o r m a l f e m i n i n e desires. I t is a m u s i n g to k n o w that it w a s n o t books, b u t r a t h e r a 'set o f pearl a n d g a r n e t o r n a m e n t s ' , w h i c h w a s the ' s h i n i n g r e c o m p e n s e ' chosen.3 H e s t e r L y n c h w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y f o n d of the n o v e l , Don Qidxote, a n d for p r a c t i c e tried h e r h a n d a t a n e w E n g l i s h r e n d e r i n g o f s o m e o f the most a m u s i n g sections. 4 S i m i l a r l y , w i t h the enc o u r a g e m e n t of her f a t h e r , she c o m p l e t e l y translated into E n g lish the life of C e r v a n t e s b y D o n G r e g o r i o M a y a n s y S i s c a r . 5 S h e e v e n spent tedious h o u r s in m a k i n g a q u e e r , c r a b b e d E n g l i s h version of a l e a r n e d S p a n i s h dissertation on the G o d E n d o v e l l i c u s . 6 Its t h i r t y - n i n e closely s c r i b b l e d p a g e s o f j u m b l e d q u o t a t i o n s a n d a r g u m e n t s c o n c e r n i n g v a r i o u s a t t e m p t s to d e c i p h e r the a n c i e n t religion o f S p a i n m a k e it a n o d d f a r r a g o i n d e e d . E v e n t h e c o m m e n d a t i o n o f the R e v e r e n d E d w a r d 1 Hayward, ii. 17, 18. The actual printed copy of the sermon which Hester Lynch used in making the translation is in the Rylands collection (Ry. 697, 35). See also Ry. 629, 9. 1 Ry. 616. The letter is dated Offley Place, July 22, 1756. 3 Hayward, ii. 18. The ornaments were later given to her daughter, Queeney. 4 Translated in Dec. 1756 or J a n . 1757 (Thraliana, Sept. 1776). The manuscript of the entire 45th chapter of Don Quixote, with miscellaneous leaves of other parts, still exists (Ry. 625). I am indebted to Mr. Richard Locke Hanson for aid in determining the accuracy of the translation. 5 Two manuscripts of this translation are to be found in the Rylands collection (Ry. 626, 627). The first is in the hand of H.L.S.; the other in a more regular copy-book style. On the outside of the latter Mrs. Piozzi wrote: 'This was translated by H. L. Salusbury from the Spanish in the year 1756 I believe or rather 1755—it was copied over by Thos. Cotton her first Cousin a Boy at School.' The date of composition, ascribed many years later, like a number of her late reminiscences cannot be accepted without reservation. As in the case of a number of her poems, a somewhat later date than the one she claims is more probable. Wishing to accentuate her own precocity, she possibly was not too accurate in dating her 6 earliest compositions. Ry- 628.

A DAUGHTER

22

OF

WALES

1

Clarke, who should have known better, would hardly make a modern reader continue to the end. And Mrs. Piozzi herself, coming on the little note-book many years later, was struck by the queer mixture of fact and fancy, and wrote on the outside 'This was a strange thing for a Child to do. It was written in the year 1755 or 1756—at latest, by H. L . Salusbury.' For the most part the extant manuscripts of these translations show that her knowledge of the Spanish tongue was extensive, if not very accurate; and while evidently not intended to be rigidly literal, the versions do not always reproduce exactly the original meaning. They are remarkable performances for a young girl, but cannot be considered anything more than that. More usual for a young girl was the keeping of a diary. The earliest which has survived among her papers was written in 1757. 2 It is merely a bare outline of everyday occurrences, kept in an ordinary commercial note-book called 'The Daily Journal: or The Gentleman's Complete Annual Accompt Book'. Nevertheless, the brief entries give some insight into her pleasant life in London; of the visits, the parties, the games, the dancing lessons with her master Mr. Leviez, the oratorios, the gifts from her kind uncle and aunt. A few quotations may suffice: January 1 1 , 'Won at the Goose -1/ Mr. Richardson came, play'd with us at Shuttle Cock and at ye Goose'; J a n u a r y 12, 'Nobody came, nor nothing done but playing'; J a n u a r y 26, 'Went to Duke Street in ye Morning, in the Evening Lady, Miss & Mrs. Wynns, Mr. Clifford supp'd here'; February 3, 'Went with Lady Wynn to ye Play of the Suspicious Husb.'; February 10, 'My Father din'd at Sir Lynch's & quarrelld with my Lady Cotton'; February 22, 'Din'd at Ld. Halifax's Company ye Sir Roger, Lady Betty Archer, Dr. Crane Sir Thomas Salusbury'; March 2 1 , 'Staid at Home nothing remarkable happend this day spent no money at all for a wonder'; March 23, 'Pd. for going to ye Opera 5/'; March 29, 'Dressed, went to Miss Scarletts Ball, danc'd Minuet wth. Mr. Lane & 2 with Captn. Batton'; March 30, 'went out a walking expected Mr. Leviez who disappointed me according to Custom'. These few extracts are enough to show not only her daily 1 Dr. Collier, some time between 1760 and 1 7 6 3 , wrote to Hester L y n c h : 'Clarkius pro tua translatione Libri de Deo Endovelico tibi multum Laudis indicavit.' 1 R y . 6 1 6 . In 1 7 5 2 J o h n Salusbury had written from Nova Scotia to his wife ( R y . 530, 45), ' G o d Almighty Bless thee my Dear Love and Poor little Girl—bid Her—continue Her J o u r n a l ' , but whether the 'Journal' referred to was a diary or a long series of notes to be sent her father is not clear.

A DAUGHTER

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23

life but also something of the character of the diarist herself. Even in this early laconic record is foreshadowed the future indefatigable diarist. Some phrases are so characteristic that they could have been written sixty years later. 'Spent no money at all for a wonder', 'Staid at Home all Day, Coughed terribly', might as well have been written by the ageing Blue-Stocking in her comfortable house at Bath in the year 1 8 1 7 as by the adolescent Hester Lynch in Dean Street in 1757. The terse, pointed description and the half-humorous introspection are identical; even the subject-matter is unchanged—society, health, books. Only the setting is different. Of her personal appearance we have few descriptions. Bridge wrote in 1758, when she was seventeen, 'I am sorry to hear Miss Salusbury is so short, but hope she has not done growing'. All her life she remained under normal height. Her features were too pronounced for feminine beauty, the nose long and sharp, the mouth wide and firm. Her hands were large and muscular, and to these 'Salusbury fists', as she called them, she later ascribed the strength and masculine quality of her handwriting. But if she had no great claim to beauty, the vivacity of her manner and the expressiveness of her features gave her an air of charm and attractiveness. Unfortunately no portraits of the youthful Hester Lynch have survived, if indeed any were ever made. She may, nevertheless, have posed as a model for Hogarth, who was one ofJ o h n Salusbury's London friends. 1 In 1759 Hogarth was at work on his painting, The Lady's Last Stake, which he had begun as a commission from Lord Charlemont. 1 Over fifty years later Hester Lynch, then an old lady, wrote several accounts of the painting of this picture, in all of which she claimed to have been the model for the single female figure. In one she maintained that the artist first sketched her head one day at her uncle's; in another that it was on a visit to Hogarth's studio in Leicester Fields that he got her to sit to him. 3 The version recorded in her New Common Place Book in 1 8 1 5 is: It was painted for me when I was quite a Girl, but he said I should be like it—and as he thought he discover'd in me an ardor for Play—this was meant as my Preservative—for Says he You are 15, but you will be five and Twenty. He lost his Life however, 1

Hayward, ii. 309; Broadley, p. 262. A. Dobson, William Hogarth (1907), pp. 124-5, 157. See Hayward, i. 44; ii. 28, 309; a letter to Queeney, Mar. 28, 1812 (Lansdowne MS.); E. Mangin, Piozziana, p. 1 1 ; and Gent. Mag. xcii (Dec. 1822), 486-7. 2

3

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& I my Picture. over it. 1

It was exhibited in 1 8 1 4 — & I stood & cried

T h e discrepancies in the accounts, and the known fact that the painting was undertaken not for her but for Lord Charlemont, have largely discredited her assertions. Y e t more recent investigations indicate that there probably is some truth behind her story. Hogarth made two distinct versions of the painting, and spent some time engraving a plate which he did not live to complete. 2 It is possible, then, that one of the three may have been promised to Hester L y n c h , and that she read too much into the promise. Additional proof m a y be found in the fact that the features of the lady in the original oil-painting closely resemble those of the later portraits of Mrs. Thrale. Hester L y n c h always remembered the artist affectionately. Many were indeed the lectures I used to have in my very early days from dear Mr. Hogarth, whose regard for my father induced him perhaps to take notice of his little girl, and give her some odd particular directions about dress, dancing, and many other matters interesting now only because they were his.3 H e also told the Salusburys much about an acquaintance of his, the famous Samuel J o h n s o n , and aroused the girl's desire to see this astounding man. Hogarth's admiration for the author of the Rambler was unlimited. His conversation, he said, 'was to the talk of other men, like Titian's painting compared to Hudson's'. Hester L y n c h was impressed with the eulogy and vaguely hoped some day to meet such a remarkable person. But before her dream was realized she came under the influence of another scholar who, even more than Johnson, was to mould her mind and character. 1

p. i n . N o w in the possession of M r . A . E d w a r d Newton. T h e r e are two versions of the painting which seem to be authentic, one now belonging to M r . J . P. M o r g a n , and the other to the Duke of Richmond a n d Gordon. See the Connoisseur (Jan., 1 9 3 6 ) , pp. 4 1 - 2 . It is no: exactly clear for whom the second version was painted. While attempting to engrave a plate from the painting, H o g a r t h kept one original in his possession for some time. Finally, when he could not bring the w o m a n ' s head to suit his taste he g a v e up the idea. It m a y possibly have been at this time that he sketched Hester Lynch's head while at her uncle's, as related by M a n g i n . T h e writer of the article in the Connoisseur, after referring to M r s . Piozzi's claims, adds: ' T h e conflicting stories have tended to discredit both, although it is still possible that the discrepancies could be reconciled with the aid of further evidence'; a n d G . C . Williamson, in English Conversation Pictures ( 1 9 3 1 ) , p. 8, insists, 'it is quite a possible thing that both of Mrs. Piozzi's stories may be accurate'. 1 John. Misc. i. 2 4 0 - 1 . 2

II THE HEIRESS

OF OFF LEY

1 7 5 8 - 1 7 6 3

W

I T H her eager curiosity and thirst for information, Hester Lynch had largely educated herself under the guidance of two women, her mother and her aunt. A t seventeen, so Lady Salusbury thought, it was time for more thorough instruction. 1 Probably at her insistence, Dr. Arthur Collier was persuaded to give the young girl regular lessons in Latin. Dr. Collier was a man of some mental ability—no doubt inherited from his father, the philosopher—but of erratic character. 2 In 1758 he was fifty-one years old, a sentimental bachelor, maintaining comfortable quarters in chambers of Doctors' C o m mons, near those of Sir Thomas Salusbury. He had been reasonably successful in his chosen profession of the law, but enjoyed spending his leisure hours in discussing the classics with attractive young ladies. A m o n g these was Sarah Fielding, to whom he taught Greek, much to the annoyance of her brother Henry, who disapproved of the higher education of women. 3 O n his 1 It is not certain when Collier began his instruction. Seeley, in Mrs. Tkrale, p. 9, from evidence given in Hayward, ii. 43, states that it was in 1757, but I have been unable to find conclusive contemporary evidence to establish this date. Few early letters between the two have survived, and those which have are undated. 1758 or 1759 would seem to me more probable. 1 For information about the elder Arthur Collier, who simultaneously with Berkeley arrived at the same conclusions about the nature of matter, see R . Benson, Life of A. Collier (1837). For a description of the young Collier see C . Coote, Sketches of the Lives of English Civilians (1804). Coote described the doctor as 'ingenious, but unsteady and eccentric'. Dr. Collier was b o m October 13, 1707, and died M a y 23, 1777. In 1758, therefore, he would have been fifty-one years old and Hester Lynch seventeen, so that her later recollection of his being sixty-four when she was sixteen cannot have been literally true (Hayward, ii. 18). Possibly he may jokingly have once referred to himself as almost four times her age, which a half century later would have crystallized into definite figures. In the first volume of Thraliana Mrs. Thrale gives a detailed description of her former tutor. 3 See R y . 533, 16. Collier's sisters were very friendly with the Fielding family: Jane, the author of The Art of Ingeniously Tormenting, saw Henry Fielding off on his last fatal voyage to Lisbon; and Margaret accompanied him all the way (W. L. Cross, History of Henry Fielding (New Haven, 1918), iii. 24). T h e novelist had other more cogent reasons for detesting Dr. Collier, since in various business dealings, according to his biographers, Fielding felt he had been grossly cheated by the doctor. See Cross, ii. 42-4; also N. & Q.., 12th Ser. ii (Aug. 5, 1916), 104-6.

26

THE

HEIRESS

OF OFFLEY

,758-

visits to Offley Collier had probably been attracted to the gifted Hester Lynch and gladly accepted her as a pupil. At first the tutor found her more enthusiastic than thorough, and as a result she made slow progress. Collier wrote in despair: My Dear Child You are enough to make a Parson Swear, and I wont write a word of Latin more to you till you learn your Accidence at lest, and know what ought to be nominative and what accusative case before and after verbs. What can be the matter? there must be something strangely wrong in your Head that so plain and simple a doctrine will not make its way into your understanding: In the very first sentence of your yesterdays Letter there are but seven words and six faults.1

He was not an indulgent instructor and insisted from the beginning on diligent study of the rules of grammar. He spent hours in transcribing elaborate tables and charts of declensions for her use, 2 and made her write letters to him in Latin, to which he replied in the same language. He was determined she should be a sound classical scholar. Unfortunately, her letters to Collier have not survived, but over a hundred of his replies were kept by the sentimental girl. 3 And these carefully composed Latin epistles are not dry reading, since they are more concerned with family matters than with details of syntax. It may have been that Collier soon found his student more interesting than the assigned lessons. Certainly, like Swift with Vanessa, the elderly man became fascinated by the rapid unfolding of his pupil's mind, while she for her part found her wise and polished tutor so much more attractive than the unlettered and awkward youths of her own age that he rapidly assumed first place in her heart. Such a connexion had its dangers (as Swift had discovered), but in the early years of their attachment the accord between student and teacher was complete. She worked assiduously at her lessons, and he affectionately took an interest in all her other activities. He became her confidant, her adviser, her idol. Collier grew increasingly proud of his fair disciple and introduced her to many of his scholarly friends, even insisting that they read her compositions. O n e of his friends was James Harris, the author of well-known philosophical and gram1 Ry- 534> i o 3 - Undated, but without doubt early in the correspondence. All quotations in this chapter from Collier's letters are taken from Ry. 534. 2 Ry. 630. One exercise is on Greek grammar. 1 See n. 1. T h e majority of the letters were undoubtedly sent back and forth between their two homes in London.

-I763 THE HEIRESS OF OFFLET 27 matical treatises. Mrs. Thrale later told the story that when Harris took his seat in the House of Commons, Charles Townshend said to his next neighbour, 'Who is this M a n ? I never saw him before.' The friend replied, 'Why, Harris the author, that wrote one book about Grammar and one about Virtue.' 'What does he come here for?' replied Townshend, 'he will find neither Grammar nor Virtue hereHarris in 1760 sent the young student a copy of his Hermes, or a Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Universal Grammar, interleaved with blank pages so that she might write down her remarks and questions as she read. 2 Other prominent people, too, were interested in her: Sarah Fielding sent verses full of high compliment; 3 the famous Dr. Oliver of Bath, when shown one of her poems, was moved to dash off eight four-line stanzas of unstinted praise; 4 the Rev. Edward Clarke sent her Spanish books; 5 Dr. Mather explained astronomical observations; 6 and Dr. Bernard Wilson criticized one of her French translations. 7 From such associations Hester Lynch acquired a taste for literature, for criticism, and for metaphysics. Collier possessed an original mind and in his gentle way loved speculative argument. Listening to the long philosophic wrangling of her tutor and his cronies prepared the impressionable girl for the later discussions at Streatham. These excursions into Latin grammar and philosophical speculation had not lessened her interest in modern languages, however, and in London she continued her study of French under the supervision of Dr. Parker, later chaplain to George I I I . Possibly at his suggestion she attempted a translation of Louis Racine's '£pitre I sur l'homme', as well as of some letters to 1 Hayward, ii. 29, 31. Also Ry. 629, 6. This version of the anecdote, written down by Mrs. Thrale about 1770, differs slightly from the one given in the D.N.B. 1 These four volumes, interleaved with notes, were sold by Broster in the sale of Mrs. Piozzi's library in Manchester, Sept. 17, 1823, and following days. Opposite the dedication Mrs. Piozzi had written: 'Dr. S. Johnson said that in this dedication, consisting of but 30 lines, there were 6 Grammatical faults—and these fellows (says he) will teach Philology.' Compare John. Misc. i. 187. From Thraliana, it would appear that she did not meet Harris until much later; yet from Hayward, ii. 29, one might infer that she had listened to the conversations of Harris and Collier. 1 Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 25. * Ry. 656, 2a. Dr. Oliver was the inventor of the Bath-Oliver biscuit.

5 6

Ry- 534» 77-

Ry- 53°, 14. On the outside is written: 'Dr. Mather's complts. to Miss Salusbury & has sent her the Observations as made at the different places He mentioned.' Dr. Mather was possibly the Rector of Whitechapel who died in 1768. 7 Ry. 624. See p. 28, n. 1. Dr. Wilson at his death in 1772 left Mrs. Thrale a fairly large bequest. 811659

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and from the French A rough draft 01 this work was shown to Dr. Parker, who replied in January 1760 (?) : T h e P e r f o r m a n c e u p o n c a r e f u l Perusal g r e a t l y e x c e e d s m y Expectation; though m y Expectation was very high, and always w i l l b e , of e v e r y t h i n g w c h c o m e s f r o m d e a r M i s s S a l u s b u r y ; t h e best a n d fairest P u p i l t h a t I c o u l d ever b o a s t of. I m u s t desire t h e r e fore, a n d insist u p o n it, t h a t y o u g o t h r o u g h the other Book in t h e s a m e M a n n e r . I a m sure y o u d o m o r e t h a n J u s t i c e to the A u t h o r . F o r I never s a w a n y F r e n c h P o e t r y t h a t w a s so nervous, or t h a t p l e a s e d m e so m u c h as y o u r T r a n s l a t i o n . 2

In her rendering o f ' £ p i t r e I sur l'homme' Hester Lynch used the heroic couplet, a metre in which she had already acquired some facility. It is not certain when she first began scribbling poetry of her own, but probably it was at an early age, for not many talented young people in those days could resist imitating Prior and Pope with neatly turned epigrams and hackneyed moral observations. If her later accounts may be believed, she sent some of these compositions anonymously to the newspapers, and enjoyed watching the actions of her elders when they saw the lines in print. 3 Although her early poems have little intrinsic merit, they do indicate in an interesting way the nature of her studies and reveal something of the literary preferences of the mid-eighteenth century. Hester L y n c h was aware of the revolutionary forces at work in the world, and in 1758 wrote 'Moral Stanzas from Rousseau', in which she repeated the simple tragedy of natural man. 4 For the most part, however, she was content to follow the models offered by the Q u e e n Anne writers, at least in the matter of diction and verse form. Like so many others she demonstrated how easy it is to imitate Pope, and how impossible it is to do it well. Her attempts were made even more difficult by her temperament; for being instinctively romantic, she could not resist diluting the standard themes with infusions of the popular melancholy of the day. This is clearly shown in a ' R y . 624. T h i s consists of a series of loose sheets on which is a later note stating that the translation was m a d e by H . L . S . at a very early period, perhaps when thirteen years old. It seems more reasonable to date the work shortly before 1760. 1 R y . 536, 23. Dated only 'JanV. 15', but references to the military c a m p a i g n of C o u n t D a n n and the K i n g of Prussia offer some clue to the year. T h e translation was probably m a d e from L . R a c i n e , Poesies Nouuelles, T o m e second, Paris, 1747. 3 H a y w a r d , ii. 28. T h e St. James's Chronicle had not been started when Hester L y n c h was fifteen, so that her account cannot be literally true. 4 R y . 646, 11. Her early poems m a y be found in a variety of places. Some appear in T h r a l i a n a , in the volumes of M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, in two special collections of manuscript poetry now owned by Dr. Rosenbach, and in two volumes in the Rylands collection ( R y . 646, 647).

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long didactic verse-epistle, conccrned with the fate of an old horse named Forrester, which she addressed to her uncle, Sir T h o m a s Salusbury. T h e poem begins with the lines: The setting Sun declar'd the Close of Day, And Philomela tun'd her parting L a y ; The Dew began to drop, the O w l t'affright, And Evening Objects grew upon the Sight; The Winds were still, and Nature seem'd inclin'd, T o sooth the Sadness of a pensive Mind; 1 Sir T h o m a s apparently encouraged his niece in experiments of this kind, since she sent a n u m b e r of other long poems of a similar nature to him during the happy years at O f f l e y . Some passages indicate real ability. For instance, m i d w a y in her long descriptive poem ' O n the Fall of the great Ash T r e e in O f f l e y Park' appear the lines: But when the Plains no more rich Gleanings yield, And the light shade flies transient o'er the field. When the Heat quivers on the fallow Grounds, And the stanch Pointer beats the Flinty Rounds; Who scorns with Head high held, the sultry Heat, And treads the Stubble with unfeeling Feet: How happy then beneath thy shade to shun The vigour of the fierce Meridian Sun! Far off to see the dazzling Splendours play While every Flow'r reflects a double R a y And the bright Stubble glitt'ring in our Eyes Forms a gay Contrast to the Azure skies, While the refreshing Turnips vivid Green Revives the sight and variegates the Scene. 2 A doting uncle and an admiring family thought these effusions admirable, and a p p l a u d e d her every effort. T h i n k i n g back m a n y years later to this time, she w r o t e : I was now completely a spoyl'd Child, and wrote Odes for the Peace & Verses upon every, & upon no Occasion. Imitations of English Poets too, which I fancied tolerable; but which on looking over my Copies of late, appeared to me Insupportable. 3 She was not far w r o n g in her final estimate of the poetic value of her 'Irregular O d e in Praise of the English P o e t s ' / but the piece does give an indication of the critical opinion of the time. Nor has her Fame, nor Genius felt decay, From hobbling Chaucer, down to tuneful Gray. 1 1

1 Ry. 647, 2. The poem is here dated Feb. io, 1760. Ry. 646, 13. 4 Ry. 646, 23-31. Written in 1759. Mainwaring Piozziana, ¡ . 1 9 .

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She began her ode with a Spenserian stanza of the usual eighteenth-century type. T h e n in order came imperfect imitations of Shakespeare, Milton, and Dryden. With Pope, however, she was on surer ground. T o scourge the wicked, and the wise to mend, Raise falling V i r t u e , a n d her Cause d e f e n d ; See Pope appear, w h o could alone explore W o r l d s then u n k n o w n , and paths untrod before; M a r k the nice spot w h e r e V i c e and V i r t u e j o i n ' d A n d fix the ruling Passion of the M i n d ; T h e n stoop to celebrate Belinda's N a m e , A n d consecrate his o w n — e t e r n a l l y to F a m e .

T h e ode ended with a message for those who disdainfully maintained that the present had no writers to compare with the glorious past. N o r has the Muse forgot to sing, N o r has She yet forsook her fav'rite Isle; S o m e M o d e r n Bards there are can strike the String, A n d draw from Phoebus a n approving smile: W h y then ingrate C o m p l a i n of Fate A s wanting in poetic Fire? W h i l e easy Marriott tunes the vocal L y r e , W h i l e G r a y , that great O r i g i n a l we o w n , A n d gentle M a s o n sits sublime, on Nature's peaceful T h r o n e .

T h e inclusion of Marriott with Mason and Gray, as one of the contemporary rivals of Shakespeare and Milton, requires some explanation. Like Collier, James Marriott was one of Sir Thomas's legal friends and an intimate member of the Salusbury circle. In his younger days he had no small pretensions as a poet, publishing several volumes of verse; 1 later he achieved distinction as Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, was knighted by George III, and became Judge of the Admiralty Court in 1778. A t the time when Hester Lynch wrote of him, he was about thirty, and from all accounts gay and volatile in temperament. With the roving eye of youth, Marriott had found the clever Hester Lynch something more than an appreciative critic with whom to discuss poetry. But his attempt at a sentimental flirtation was violently cut short by her irate father. John 1 Marriott had published volumes of poems in 1755 and 1760. Some of his verses also appear in Dodsley's collection in vols, iv and vi. He later wrote three papers in The World, Nos. 117, 121, 1 gg.

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Salusbury refused to believe that his daughter was grown up, and flew into a rage at the sight of a love-letter which Marriott had directed to the girl. Immediately he dispatched a fiery reply. Sir M y Daughter shewed me an extraordinary letter from y o u ; she resents the ill treatment as conscious that she never gave a n y pretence to take such liberties with H e r . I think it hard that insolence and Impudence should be suffered to interrupt the tranquil state of Y o u t h and innocence. 1 therefore insist on no altercations—no more trash on the subject: But should you continue to insult m y poor child, I d o assume the Father, I shall take the Insult to m y s e l f ; — b e then most certainly Assured that I will be avenged on y o u — m u c h to the detriment of your Person a n d — S o Help me G o d . J o h n Salusbury 1

This ended Marriott's wooing, but her father could not keep away other unwelcome lovers, try as he would, for Hester Lynch was nineteen and attractive. The suitors, it must be admitted, were not all lured by Hester Lynch's fascinating manner or her ability to translate French and Spanish, for she was now the acknowledged heir of Sir Thomas and future mistress of Offley Park. Except for these prospects, however, she was practically penniless. Her father was almost entirely dependent on his brother even for everyday expenses, 2 and her mother's inheritance had long been spent. Even the annuity from her grandmother had ceased at her death in December 1758. W h a t was more of a disappointment, the former Lady Cotton had left the Salusburys no money in her will, considering Hester Lynch well provided for as heiress of her rich uncled A t the time, the girl's future seemed assured, and when, a few months afterwards, Lady Salusbury died and • N o w in the collection of M r . R . B. A d a m . It is printed in Broadley, p. 105. T h e letter is addressed to M a r r i o t t , Doctors' C o m m o n s , L o n d o n , but the postmark is blurred, only ' l a n ' being discernible. F r o m another letter of Marriott's to Hester L y n c h , of J u n e 30, 1763, sending back the earlier letter, 'reed, near three years ago', the year w o u l d seem to have been 1760. 2 Hester L y n c h ' s account book ( R y . 6 1 6 ) , kept in Italian, for 1761 shows that the family's total income for this y e a r w a s a b o u t £600, a large part of the receipts being listed as from Sir T h o m a s . T h e f a m i l y ' s condition was slightly improved by the gradual receipt of Mrs. Salusbury's share in the estate o f her half-brother, C o t t o n K i n g , w h i c h , w h e n finally settled several years later, brought several thousand pounds to each of his heirs. ( R y . 530, 599, & c . ) 1 R y . C h a r t e r 1235 is a c o p y o f the will o f D a m e Philadelphia Cotton, d a t e d N o v . 3, 1756, with a codicil a d d e d M a y 6, 1758. M r s . Salusbury received plate & c . , but no substantial bequest, the estate g o i n g to other children a n d g r a n d children. See also the letter from Bridge of J a n . 6, 1759 ( R y . 532, 74).

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left all her fortune to Sir T h o m a s , it a p p e a r e d even m o r e secure. 1 H e r uncle treated her as his a d o p t e d d a u g h t e r , w a s p r o u d of her accomplishments, a n d exhibited her to his guests, just as he did his favourite horses. A s she later recollected, ' E v e r y Suitor was m a d e to understand m y e x t r a o r d i n a r y V a l u e . T h o s e w h o could read, w e r e shewn m y Verses, those w h o could not, were J u d g e s of m y Prowess in the Field.' 2 Hester L y n c h ' s thoughts w e r e far f r o m matters of love a n d m a r r i a g e , for her kindly tutor, D r . Collier, held all her affection. ' A friendship more tender', she wrote, 'or m o r e unpolluted b y interest or b y v a n i t y , never existed; love had no place at all in the connection, nor had he a n y rival b u t m y mother. Their influence w a s of the same kind, and hers the strongest.' 3 So she ridiculed the suitors attracted by her prospects, and m i m i c k e d others to m a k e the older m a n laugh. O n e was a rich y o u n g m e r c h a n t in the D u t c h trade n a m e d C l i f f o r d , w h o was introd u c e d b y her uncle's business agent, M a t h i a s . 4 A n o t h e r , w h o never f o r g a v e her scorn, w a s a distant cousin, T h e l w a l l Salusb u r y , the c u r a t e of the parish a d j o i n i n g O f f l e y P a r k . s T h o u g h in her fancied security she could l a u g h at the selfinterested devotion of her admirers, her o w n future was not so certain as it a p p e a r e d . Despite the seemingly peaceful atmosphere at O f f l e y there smouldered embers of resentment ever r e a d y to burst into flame. It was galling to J o h n Salusbury to be d e p e n d e n t on his y o u n g e r brother for everything, and his temper p r o v o k e d a continual round of quarrels. T h e inevitable explosion finally occurred late in 1 7 6 1 . T h e y e a r had b e g u n pleasantly e n o u g h . In M a r c h L o r d H a l i f a x w a s n o m i n a t e d L o r d L i e u t e n a n t of Ireland, and d u r i n g the s u m m e r he p r o c e e d e d in a leisurely m a n n e r to D u b l i n to take u p his duties. H e was a c c o m p a n i e d part of the w a y b y the t w o Salusburys, w h o delighted in this o p p o r t u n i t y to show their friend the beauties of Wales. A f t e r the tour J o h n remained in Flintshire, while Sir T h o m a s speedily returned to O f f l e y , w h e r e Hester L y n c h and her mother kept him c o m p a n y for the r e m a i n d e r of the summer, little realizing that this was to be their last h a p p y v a c a t i o n in Hertfordshire. 1 It had been rumoured as early as 1758 that Sir Thomas was going to settle £30,000 on his niece when she married (letter from Bridge, R y . 532, 73). 1 A d a m M S . (Hayward, ii. 18). 3 Hayward, ii. 18-19. 4 Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 26. Also referred to in a letter to Queeney, May 26, 1806 (Lansdowne MS.). I need hardly add that unfortunately I can claim no relationship to this early suitor for Miss Salusbury. 5 See letter to Queeney, July 23, 1805. It was Thelwall Salusbury who later induced Sir Thomas Salusbury to disinherit his niece.

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Two new acquaintances, who must have seemed amiable enough on their first visits to Offley that summer, were destined to be the causes of their woe. T h e first was the Honourable Mrs. King, a widow from Wellbury, who had settled near by, and who immediately exerted all her blandishments in an effort to attract the rich, sporting widower, Sir Thomas. 1 Since the girl's only chance of an advantageous position in the world was to inherit Offley and the Penrice possessions, there was intense jealousy from the start between the charming widow and the Salusbury ladies, which turned to active hatred when Sir Thomas appeared to be susceptible. T h e second new acquaintance whose introduction altered the situation at Offley was a handsome young London gallant named Henry Thrale, whom Sir Thomas had met on one of his expeditions to the city and had eulogized to the ladies upon his return: w h a t a n excellent, w h a t a n i n c o m p a r a b l e y o u n g M a n he h a d seen—w h o was in short a M o d e l of Perfection: e n d i n g his Panegyric b y saying that he was a real Sportsman. Seeing m e disposed to l a u g h , he looked very grave, said he e x p e c t e d us to like h i m — & that seriously. T h e next D a y Mr. T h r a l e follow'd his Eulogist; a n d applied himself so diligently to g a i n m y Mother's A t t e n t i o n — a y & her Heart t o o : that there was little d o u b t of her a p p r o v i n g the Pretensions of so very shewy a S u i t o r — i f Suitor he was to me; w h o certainly h a d not a c o m m o n share in the C o m p l i m e n t s he paid to m y Mother's Wit, Beauty, & E l e g a n c e . 1

Henry Thrale, during his first visit, made a good impression on everyone, with the possible exception of Hester Lynch. His father, he informed them, had been born of poor parents in the neighbourhood of Offley, and he won the admiration of the natives by presenting five shillings to a poor boy, because he felt sure his father had been just such a lad. By hunting with Sir Thomas, paying court to Mrs. Salusbury, and flattering the local gentry, he soon had Offley at his feet. Boswell has given a good account of the ancestry of Thrale and of his father's rapid rise to wealth and prominence, though his family may not have been so poor or so mean as either Mrs. Piozzi or Boswell has insisted. 3 Both the Laird of Auchinleck 1 Sarah Burroughs, daughter of Samuel Burroughs, a Master in Chancery, and widow of the Hon. William King of Wellbury, Lord Kingston's brother. For a full account of her romance with Sir Thomas, see Cussans, History of Hertfordshire, ii. 98, 99, '042 Adam MS. (Hayward, ii. 19-20). The chronology of this period is derived from Thraliana, Apr. 1778. 3 Boswell, Life, i. 490-4. A payment of ¿66 to Margaret Thrale, Apr. 10, 1707,

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and the descendant of Katherine ofBerain looked down on the middle-class ancestry of the Thrales. Thrale's grandmother's brother, Edmund Halsey, son of a miller at St. Albans, had run away to London to make his fortune towards the close of the seventeenth century, married the daughter of the owner of the Old Anchor Brewery in Southwark, and proved so successful that he was able to marry his daughter to Sir Richard Temple, later the first Lord Cobham. The latter, best remembered as the friend of Pope and the creator of the gardens at Stowe, inherited Halsey's brewhouse at his death and after some delay sold the property to his wife's cousin, Ralph Thrale, for £30,000. Mrs. Piozzi later claimed that he had paid the money out of his savings as an employee of the brewery; Boswell, that he gave security on the property and discharged the debt in eleven years out of the profits. 1 In any case, Ralph Thrale made an ample fortune from the business, entered Parliament in 1 7 4 1 , and became a substantial, respected man of affairs. There is a story current in Streatham to-day that the Duke of Bedford allowed him to enclose over a hundred acres of ground on Tooting Common, in exchange for a constant supply of ale and porter to be delivered for a period of ten years to Woburn Abbey, the Duke's seat in Bedfordshire. No doubt it was by some such means that Ralph Thrale did secure the property at Streatham, where he built a fine, solid country house. His only son, Henry, and his three daughters were given every advantage which money could buy. T h e exact date of the son's birth is not known, but it was probably in 1728 or 1729, since he matriculated at University College, Oxford, in J u n e 1744, giving his age as fifteen.2 T h e for money lent upon credit on the land tax (now owned by Myers & Co., 102 New Bond St.) would not indicate absolute poverty. Monuments in St. Albans Church show the family to have been of some consequence there. But see J . H. Busby, ' T h e Hertfordshire Descent of Henry Thrale', N & Q_, 13 Nov. 1948, pp. 495-8. 1 Life, i. 4 9 0 - 1 , 555. Boswell quotes Johnson as saying that R a l p h T h r a l e worked at the brewery for twenty years at a salary of six shillings a week. In an old account book still held by the Barclay Perkins Co. entries in the year 1693 show that Thrale's salary was already one pound a week. Later he must have received even more, though it is doubtful whether he could have saved enough to purchase the brewery from earnings. Possibly in this instance both Boswell and Mrs. T h r a l e are partially right. 1 O n Thrale's epitaph, composed by Dr. Johnson, the year of birth is given as 1724. See H. VV. Bromhead, The Heritage of St. Leonard's Parish Church, Streatham ( 1 9 3 2 ) , p. 24. Johnson must have received his information from the family, but a search for baptismal records has, as yet, not been successful in verifying this date. O n J u n e 4, 1744, Thrale was entered at University College, Oxford, giving his age as fifteen, and on J u n e 6 his name appears in the University records, again a j fifteen years old. From this evidence it would appear more likely that he was born

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statement has also been made, unsupported by any credible evidence, that before going to the University he was at Eton for a time. 1 While at Oxford, he was provided with a generous allowance and encouraged to associate with members of the nobility. T h e business connexion with Lord Cobham brought him into early acquaintance with the Cobham cousins, the ' Y o u n g Patriots', and as a result of these friendships Henry Thrale was familiar with the occupants of Stowe, Hagley, and other great country houses. As was not uncommon, young Thrale left Oxford without a degree, and then made an extended tour of Europe with William Henry Lyttelton, later Lord Westcote. Ralph Thrale, it is said, paid the expenses of both travellers, no doubt feeling that the social prominence of young Lyttelton would provide valuable connexions not only on the tour but throughout his future life. 2 After his return to England Henry Thrale led the life of a gay man about town, more interested in the amusements of London than in his father's business in Southwark. In Henry Thrale were combined two opposite tastes: a scholarly appreciation of good literature and a delight in sensual pleasures. His inseparable companion was the Irish playwright and wit, Arthur Murphy. Since Murphy knew intimately all the places of amusement in London, and Thrale had all the money that was needed, the two men in their leisure hours led a life of gay excess. T h e y played madcap jokes on the famous Gunning sisters, spent nights in the fashionable sporting resorts, and frequented the green-rooms and gamblinghouses of the day. 3 Drunkenness was never one of Thrale's weaknesses, for in M a y 1760 M u r p h y wrote to Garrick, ' Y o u stand engaged to Mr. Thrale for Wednesday se'ennight. Y o u need not apprehend drinking; it is a very easy house.' 4 W h e n his father died in 1758, leaving him sole owner of the brewery, Henry threw himself whole-heartedly into business affairs, to the great surprise of many of his old associates. H e began, too, to think of a political career, and in 1754 and 1760 made strenuous, though unavailing, efforts to obtain for himself a seat in about 1729. In Thraliana, June 1805, Mrs. Piozzi indicates that Thrale may not have known his own age. 1 T h e records of Eton for this period are very meagre. I am indebted to M r . R . A. Austen-Leigh for the information that Henry Thrale's name does not appear in the only extant lists for this period, those of 1742 and 1745. 2 Hayward, i. 10. See also my letter in T.L.S., Dec. 30, 1939, p. 7553 In numerous entries in her journals Mrs. Thrale shows that she had heard many stories of their questionable affairs. See Hayward, ii. 81, and New Common 4 Garrick Correspondence, i. 116. Place Book, p. 74.

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Parliament. In 1 7 6 1 , when he first came to Offley, Henry Thrale was a handsome well-educated business man, with the typical merits and vices of his class. T o Hester Lynch he must have been a new type, surrounded as she had been by Welsh gentlemen, legal scholars, and clerics. When John Salusbury returned from Wales, late in the summer of 1 7 6 1 , he was not left long in ignorance of the new forces at work at Offley, for the disappointed curate, Thelwall Salusbury, slyly let him know of Sir Thomas's flirtation with the widow King, and of his design to marry his niece to the wealthy brewer from Southwark. High words immediately followed, and J o h n swore he would not have his daughter 'exchanged for a Barrel of Porter'. 2 Further disputes, rendered more acrimonious by the ever present menace of the widow, strained relations to the breaking-point, and late in 1761 the J o h n Salusburys left Offley in high dudgeon. As a farewell to this beloved country home Hester Lynch wrote a long descriptive poem in heroic couplets, called 'Offley Park'. She concluded it with an effusive compliment to her uncle and significant allusions to his dead wife, the kindly Anna Maria. Apparently Hester Lynch was well aware of the perils which threatened her. The winter of 1762 was not a pleasant one in Masefield Street, St. Anne's, where J o h n Salusbury was now living with his family. The situation was rendered more uneasy, as Hester Lynch later related, by the 'Visits from Mr. Thrale—to my Mother—render'd more terrifying to me every Day from Papa's Violence of Temper'. 3 Yet the break was not complete, for during the summer the two brothers so far forgot their differences as to make an extended trip to Wales together. 4 In the midst of this family tension Hester Lynch continued her lessons with Dr. Collier and her writing of poetry. She composed verses on the king's nuptials in 1 7 6 1 , an elegy, on Collier's dog Pompey, who had been her only rival in the doctor's affections, and a fable translated from the French of Mme Barnard. 5 These and other poems she copied over and over into her later Journals, sure that they were unusual, and 1 For the earlier attempt at Abingdon, see Jackson's Oxford Journal, May 5, 12, 1753; and John. Misc. i. 292-3. For 1760 see B.M. MS. 32916—238-44. 1 3 A d a m MS. (Hayward, ii. 20). Ibid. 21. 4 Referred to in Collier's Latin letter to his pupil of Saturday, Aug. 7 [1762] (Ry. 534, 17). 5 Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 10-15, 27~9> Johnson is quoted as saying that her song on the king's nuptials 'was not worse than that of my Contemporary Bards'. The Epistle from Pompey is dated Sept. 3, 17*11, in Ry. 647, 3.

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h o p i n g that some d a y t h e y m i g h t b r i n g h e r f a m e . S h e w a s interested, too, in the l i t e r a r y m o v e m e n t s o f the d a y . A t the a p p e a r a n c e o f M a c p h e r s o n ' s O s s i a n i c p o e m s , she w a s ' h a l f f r a n t i c ' , like so m a n y o f h e r c o n t e m p o r a r i e s , w i t h a d m i r a t i o n . H e r e w a s a style w h i c h fused classic d i c t i o n w i t h v a g u e r o m a n t i c y e a r n i n g j u s t to suit h e r taste, a n d she w a s not slow in t r y i n g her h a n d at the n e w f o r m . 1 H e r c o n t r i b u t i o n s to t h e n e w s p a p e r s also i n c l u d e d political squibs, r a t h e r d a r i n g in their t o n e . C e r t a i n l y h e r letter c a l l e d ' A l b i o n M a n o r ' , w h i c h a p p e a r e d a n o n y m o u s l y in the St. James's Chronicle for J u l y 24, 1762, did g i v e s o m e g r o u n d s for the a f f e c t i o n ate e p i t h e t o f ' v i l i s s i m a Y V h i g g u l a ' 2 c o n t a i n e d in o n e o f C o l l i e r ' s L a t i n Letters. S i g n e d o n l y ' T h o m a s ', it p u r p o r t s to be the b l u f f , honest a c c o u n t o f ' A l b i o n M a n o r ' , as told b y an old s t e w a r d . T h e political satire is o b v i o u s , a n d the description o f the n e w m a s t e r of the m a n o r a n d his ' d i r t y S c o t c h B o y S t e w a r d ' is a p a l p a b l e hit at y o u n g G e o r g e I I I a n d the detested B u t e . A m u s i n g l y w r i t t e n , t h e c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n is m o r e sure t h a n one would have expected from a y o u n g lady of twenty-one. T h e d e l i g h t at seeing h e r p r o d u c t i o n in p r i n t a n d the praise o f h e r i m m e d i a t e friends stirred H e s t e r L y n c h to f u r t h e r literary efforts. D u r i n g the s u m m e r o f 1762 h e r tireless p e n w a s u n usually activ e, the c h i e f p r o d u c t i o n b e i n g a n e l a b o r a t e ' O d e on the Blessings o f P e a c e ' , w h i c h she says w a s l a t e r in the a u t u m n 'in the H a n d s of t h e f a m o u s D o c t o r A r n e o u r g r e a t M u s i c a l C o m p o s e r o f those D a y s — i n o r d e r to b e set & s u n g at R a n e l a g h for o n e o f the g r a n d F e t e s e x h i b i t e d there in h o n o u r o f the P e a c e ' . 3 B u t her o d e w a s n e v e r to b e s u n g at R a n e l a g h , for a domestic crisis in the S a l u s b u r y f a m i l y f o r c e d its w i t h d r a w a l . A f f a i r s in M a s e f i e l d Street w e r e r a p i d l y r e a c h i n g a critical stage. T h r a l e k e p t u p his a t t e n t i o n s to t h e m o t h e r , w h i l e ignori n g the f a t h e r a n d d a u g h t e r , a n d J o h n S a l u s b u r y ' s t e m p e r w a s o n the v e r g e o f explosion. H e h a d t a k e n a n intense dislike to T h r a l e f r o m the start, a n d f r o m l a t e r entries in his d a u g h t e r ' s diaries it is easy to u n d e r s t a n d his a t t i t u d e . A l t h o u g h t h e y o u n g m a n was n o worse, i n d e e d , m u c h better, t h a n t h e usual w e a l t h y L o n d o n r a k e o f the d a y , T h r a l e w a s not the sort 1 R y . 647, 11. O n the b a c k o f this i m i t a t i o n is a note telling w h a t it is in the h a n d o f that a r c h - f o e of M a c p h e r s o n , D r . J o h n s o n . A l s o see N e w C o m m o n P l a c e B o o k , p. 46. 1 A letter f r o m H e r b e r t L a w r e n c e o f A u g . 7, 1762 ( R y . 5 3 5 , 5), leaves n o d o u b t as to the a u t h o r s h i p of the c o n t r i b u t i o n . L a w r e n c e assured h e r he w a s u n a c q u a i n t e d w i t h the identity o f the writers o f several a n s w e r s w h i c h h a d a p p e a r e d , but i n sisted his friend W i l k e s h a d n o h a n d in the m a t t e r . C o l l i e r r e f e r r e d to the s q u i b in 1 M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , i. 4G. his letter o f A u g . 7 ( R y . 534, 1 7 ) .

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of husband that John wished for his only daughter. So the sight of his wife openly approving and his daughter a trifle dazzled by this rich suitor drove the excitable Welshman almost off his head. And the knowledge that Sir Thomas was still flirting with the widow King did not add to his peace of mind. Meanwhile Hester Lynch, the centre of the turmoil, was in despair, and found her only relief in confiding in her devoted tutor. Collier's Latin letters constantly refer to the nervous irritation of her father, and when Thrale's name appears, it is always as an ominous menace to the happiness of the family group. Late in the year came a crushing blow, the tragic climax to the domestic woes of the past few years. Long afterwards Hester Lynch herself remembered that A N o t e c a m e sent in a sly M a n n e r f r o m D r . C o l l i e r to tell m e — (it w a s w r i t t e n in L a t i n ) t h a t Sir T h o m a s w o u l d c e r t a i n l y m a r r y M r s . K i n g the S u n d a y f o l l o w i n g — a n d b e g ' d I w o u l d not say a S y l l a b l e till the n e x t D a y , w h e n he w o u l d c o m e , & b r e a k the d r e a d ful T y d i n g s to m y F a t h e r . M y C o u n t e n a n c e h o w e v e r s h e w ' d — o r his A c u t e n e s s d i s c e r n e d , s o m e t h i n g he did not l i k e : a n A c c u s a t i o n f o l l o w ' d , t h a t I r e c e i v e d c l a n d e s t i n e L e t t e r s f r o m M r . T h r a l e , a C i r c u m s t a n c e I h a d cert a i n l y e v e r y j u s t R e a s o n to d e n y , & felt e x t r e m e l y h u r t , of C o u r s e at seeing m y s e l f disbelieved. A f t e r a fruitless & p a i n f u l C o n t e s t for m a n y H o u r s o f this c r u e l E v e n i n g — m y Spirits sunk, I f a i n t e d — & m y F a t h e r — g a i n i n g possession o f the f a t a l B i l l e t — h a d to ask my P a r d o n — p o o r u n h a p p y S o u l ! & in this f o n d M i s e r y spent w e the H o u r s till 4 o ' c l o c k in the M o r n i n g . A t 9 w e r o s e — H e to g o across the P a r k in search o f m y M a t e r n a l U n c l e Sir L y n c h S a l u s b u r y Cotton, from w h o m , & from Dr. C r a n e Prebendary of Westmr. he m e a n t to seek C o u n s e l & C o m f o r t ; — M e , to the E m p l o y m e n t o f c a l l i n g o u r M e d i c a l F r i e n d H e r b e r t L a w r e n c e to D i n n e r b y a Billet of earnest R e q u e s t — A l l of us w e r e III,—but b y the T i m e he c a m e , m y F a t h e r d i e d — & w a s b r o u g h t us h o m e a C o r p s e — b e f o r e the D i n i n g hour. T h i s w a s D e c e m b e r 1 7 6 2 — F i f t y T h r e e Y e a r s a g o e x a c t l y — Y e t are not m y Feelings b l u n t e d ! ! 1

Such was the tragic end of John Salusbury. Wayward and choleric he may have been at times, and economically incompetent, but he was always adored by his family and a little circle of intimate friends. 2 Even his brother, shaken for once 1 Adam MS. (Hayward, ii. 21). Further details will also be found in a letter to Queency, Feb. 28, 1811. John Salusbury died Dec. 18. See Gent. Mag. (1762), p. 601. 1 Letters from Lord Halifax, Dr. Crane, and others show their grief (Ry. 530). Bridge wrote to Sir Thomas on Dec. 21 a letter of condolence in which he called John a 'real sincere good man' (Ry. 532, too).

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from his own selfish indifference, was genuinely affected, and proved comforting and helpful. He showed his goodwill by again clearing his brother's debts and offering to take care of his sister-in-law and niece, who were now in a most precarious financial condition. According to the previous legal arrangements Bach-y-Graig now became the property of Sir Thomas, though it would return to Hester Lynch should he leave no heir. Charged against the estate was a small yearly allowance of £ 2 0 0 for Mrs. Salusbury and a wedding portion of ¿2,000 for the daughter. This was the sum total of their inheritance. 1 But Sir Thomas, under the impulse of grief, was lavish in promises, and wrote on Christmas D a y , a week after the calamity, that since he had 'always Intendd the Girl to H a v e ten Thousand pounds', he would make up the estate to that total and include a jointure for Mrs. Salusbury. 2 Mrs. Salusbury soon found, however, that the knight's promises were not always followed by action. And when he continued to procrastinate, various friends of the family were moved secretly to attempt a little coercion. Dr. Crane on February 3, 1763, wrote to Hester Lynch, in a letter which he vainly requested her to burn: I did not trouble you in my last, having not seen Lord Halifax, with telling you that I had desired his Lordship to take the first opportunity to talk to Sir Thomas in the same manner I should do. Lord Halifax has been with me to day, & told me that he gave Sir Thomas his Opinion last thursday on the point & in the manner I desired him, & that Sir Thomas promised him to act accordingly, of which I hope you have found the Effects. 3 As time wore on, Sir Thomas continued to delay, and Mrs. Salusbury desperately turned her hopes to the proposals of Henry Thrale. She had gradually come to believe that in him lay their only salvation. On the other hand, Hester Lynch herself had not yet been won over, probably because of the opposition of her father and Dr. Collier, who still had confidence in the promises of Sir Thomas and wished no rash action taken until these financial details were settled. 4 With mother and tutor taking opposite sides, Hester Lynch was in a difficult position. Whether for this reason or not, there were signs that the bond 1 See R y . 534, 53, a letter from Collier explaining the exact provisions of the will. Mrs. Piozzi's pride doubtless made her increase the amount of her heritage 1 in later accounts (Hayward, ii. 22). R y . 530, 26. ' Ry- 536, 6. Dr. Crane had been tutor in the household of Lord Halifax. 4 Hayward, ii. 18.

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b e t w e e n p u p i l a n d t e a c h e r w a s b e c o m i n g strained. A h i n t a p p e a r s in the e a r l y letters o f 1763, a n d on A p r i l 5, after a lapse o f s o m e t i m e , C o l l i e r w r o t e (this t i m e in E n g l i s h at h e r request) to d e f e n d h i m s e l f a g a i n s t h e r r e p r o a c h e s for coldness. 1 ' A f t e r so free a n d u n c o n s t r a i n ' d a C o r r e s p o n d a n c e as ours has so l o n g t i m e b e e n , a n d the passing o f a b o v e t w o H u n d r e d L e t t e r s b e t w e e n us w i t h i n this last t w e l v e m o n t h ' , h e b e g a n , t h e s u d d e n b r e a k in their c o r r e s p o n d e n c e h a d c o m e as a distinct shock, especially since she h e l d h i m responsible. C o l l i e r d e f e n d e d his a c t i o n , a n d in t u r n a c c u s e d her o f c h a n g e a b l e m o o d s a n d i n c o m p r e h e n s i b l e b e h a v i o u r . W i t h i m p a s s i o n e d f e r v o u r he asked for s o m e e x p l a n a t i o n : But where thought I, is gone that tongue that talked but t'other d a y so sweetly! W h e r e are all those friendly cordial Hopes, and wishes vanished! . . . For Gods Sake, my Dearest Angel, dont put me again upon Metaphysical disquisitions, and general abstracted reasonings about the mutabilities of the female Heart. H e h a d t h o u g h t h e r the o n e s h i n i n g e x a m p l e o f h e r a g e w h o h a d ' e s c a p e d the g e n e r a l c o n t a g i o u s failings o f her s e x ' ; n o w ( H o w ironical that exactly t h a t faith w a s r u d e l y s h a k e n . t w e n t y y e a r s later a n o t h e r disillusioned t u t o r w a s to w o n d e r i f h e h a d m a d e t h e s a m e m i s t a k e ! ) C o l l i e r w o u l d h a v e b e e n the first to d e n y b e i n g in l o v e w i t h his p u p i l , b u t his next letters h a v e the q u e r u l o u s t o n e o f a n i n j u r e d lover. T h e r e is the s a m e c o m p l a i n t a n d suspicion, the s a m e l o n g i n g for r e t u r n o f a f f e c tion. I r r i t a b l y o n A p r i l 17 he suggested e n d i n g her L a t i n lessons. As to these same V e r b a Substantiva I think I would not have you plague your self any more about the matter, for they won't make one a bit younger Richer, or Handsomer, and the only w o m e n that I ever knew made much of the matter all lived to be old maids. T h i s t i m e the rift in t h e t e n d e r friendship w a s s p e e d i l y m e n d e d , a n d w h e n , late in A p r i l , H e s t e r L y n c h w i t h her m o t h e r visited her m a i d e n aunts, S o p h i a a n d S i d n e y A r a b e l l a , in B a t h , C o l l i e r k e p t her i n f o r m e d o f the gossip in L o n d o n . R e f e r r i n g t o the e x c i t e m e n t o v e r W i l k e s a n d the North Briton, he a m u s i n g l y c o m m e n t e d in his letter o f M a y 4 t h a t h e w a s g l a d t o h e a r t h a t e v e n ' a g a i n s t the g r a i n ' she w a s 'likely to b e c o m e a g o o d H o n e s t T o r y at last'. H e c o n t i n u e d the old a f f e c t i o n a t e b y - p l a y , a n d a f e w d a y s later e n d e d a note w i t h the w i s h t h a t h e r 'sweet 1 T h i s a n a the following letters f r o m Dr. Collier, all originally written in E n g lish, m a y be f o u n d in R y . 534, 3 5 - 7 2 . T h e majority are undated, but from internal e v i d e n c e can be accurately placed.

-I763 THE HEIRESS OF OFF LET 41 Impetuosity' would let him know when to expect her return. All the while he was trying his best to further his pupil's interests with Sir Thomas. T h o u g h we must piece together the record of the endless negotiations solely from his letters, the situation seems clear, and we can easily imagine the wily Mrs. K i n g pulling the wires which frustrated the doctor at every move. T h e chief business of Collier's letter of M a y 4 had been to give his opinion that 'all matters are over between the widow & the Knight', and to pass on the joyful news that Sir Thomas was actually ready to pay all their outstanding bills. But he was too optimistic. T h e ladies were again in London by M a y 14, beginning anew the attempt to placate Sir Thomas, who must have suspected his friend of conspiring against him. Collier wrote hurriedly: But as the K n i g h t went a b r o a d , a n d I could not trace his goings, I was afraid of meeting H i m at your House, w h i c h I k n o w would but Increase his Jealousie of our C a b a l l i n g as H e w o u l d call it against H i m so d o not expect to see m e till I a m sure H e is fixed somewhere else or is gone out of T o w n . . . . I find this m a n will not give me any opportunity of saying more to H i m , and keeps out of the w a y of both your mother and Sir Lynch.

Collier was determined to persuade Sir Thomas to settle a fortune on his niece before he married a second time, knowing too well how intolerable would be the girl's situation dependent on the good graces of an aunt whose enmity was apparent. Hester Lynch herself was not unaware of this danger, and it kept her in a state of seething excitement. Perhaps some of John Salusbury's irascibility had been inherited by his daughter, for Collier laughingly admitted that he had seen 'Lions and Tygers', but his 'sweetest Angel in a passion' was even more frightening. If only she would have patience, he insisted, all would be well. T h e doctor tried in every possible w a y to force Sir Thomas to act; but when he urged Hester L y n c h to write a submissive letter to her uncle to smooth the way, her Welsh pride revolted and she refused to follow his suggestion. In every message he related some long conversation with the knight either about her claims on the Bach-y-Graig estate or the necessity for immediate action to settle her fortune. O f one talk he wrote: T h u r s d a y morn, last as w e were c o m i n g H o m e in the coach together from the T a v e r n , I asked H i m if H e had seen his sister, H e replied H e h a d — T h a t H e intended to m a k e your T h r e e , as

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He said Ten, whenever you married, and allow your mother Three or four. Now dont stop here but read o n — M a k e up when she is married said I — H o w for God sake would you have Her maintain the rank and condition of a woman of that fortune in the meantime? No. no. If you do any thing, Pray put them both off your Hands immediately, take the Estate to yourself and be a free man, and then you will have some comfort of each other: and if you will tell me what you intend to do, I will save you all farther trouble about the matter. But I think you should make M a d a m a compleat F o u r well then says He I Intend to do so—But I cant pay the T e n in this month yet—well said I, if it be not this Three months that need make no alteration, only settle matters at present—well well said He, I will. . . . T h e slow negotiations disgusted the impetuous girl. Feeling sure her uncle's promises w e r e not to be relied u p o n , she fell to d r e a m i n g of supporting herself as a writer. Collier, w h o k n e w too well the difficulties of such a life, was not at all impressed. Dont Garret, duction mother

let your aspiring ambitious spirit be allways thinking of a I think a good nine Hundred pounds a year without deand a good House &c. & c . & c . may serve you and your pretty well till something better falls.

Sir T h o m a s , h o w e v e r , still resisted all appeals, and a v o i d e d his intimate friend.

openly

This man is an Eel; for would you think it, tho: we live next door to each other I have never been able to catch a moments opportunity of saying a word upon the subject, till last night as we were going from your House together in the Coach, when I asked Him if He had settled any thing as yet about you and your mother: He said No. Refusing to be discouraged, Collier h a d the bonds m a d e u p a c c o r d i n g to their f o r m e r conversation, b u t could not get Sir T h o m a s to sign, even w h e n confronting him with the a c t u a l documents e m b o d y i n g w h a t he had promised. Instead, Sir T h o m a s insisted that he w o u l d give his niece ten thousand pounds w h e n she married w i t h her mother's consent, and until then allow her t w o h u n d r e d a y e a r ; b u t that was all he ever intended or w o u l d agree to do. A f t e r a long a c c o u n t of the ensuing quarrel, C o l l i e r ended w i t h the c o m p l a i n t : ' H e is the perversest m u l e I ever h a d to d e a l with.' T h e n e x t d a y C o l l i e r wrote again in despair: I want to see you sadly: and sadly I may say indeed: T h e M a n I find means not one word He Says, and I am now convinced this same Sr. Honesty's a very dirty, Base, ungenerous, low-designing

-I763 THE HEIRESS OF OFFLEY 43 man, and so from this time forth I shall forever Hold Him. I cannot write all that I have to say, But He kept me awake the greatest part of last night, for I find that after all his filthy protestations of affection, His Puffy promises and Declarations, He will allow—He'll give if—He'll do most wondrous things—But nothing certain—and so we Broke off our Discourse, surely such men are not of God almighty's making—and so I have done with Him. Yet h e still c o n t i n u e d scheming, h o p i n g for a c h a n g e of h e a r t . T h e n c a m e the d e n o u e m e n t . Collier wrote in haste that he h a d h a d a long conversation with Sir T h o m a s , w h o h a d told him everything a b o u t his relations with the widow. All t h e doctor's suspicions w e r e relieved, a n d h e e n d e d by a d m i t t i n g t h a t t h e knight h a d p r o v e d t h a t h e h a d not been ' a c t i n g so foolish a n d u n a c c o u n t a b l e a p a r t as I before I m a g i n e d ' . But Mrs. S a l u s b u r y a n d h e r d a u g h t e r h a d lost faith in the vacillating Sir T h o m a s , a n d w e r e disgusted at the gullibility of the d o c t o r . O n the b a c k of this letter a p p e a r s the c o m m e n t in t h e h a n d of Hester L y n c h : 'last L e t t e r b u t one m y M o r . very a n g r y with t h e D . ' M o r e a n d m o r e M r s . S a l u s b u r y was b e c o m i n g convinced t h a t Collier's opposition to T h r a l e a n d his a t t e m p t s to secure a final settlement f r o m Sir T h o m a s resulted f r o m a selfish desire to keep his p u p i l ' s affection. At h e r t i m e of life the m o t h e r h a d few r o m a n t i c illusions, a n d felt t h a t if her d a u g h t e r m a r r i e d a w e a l t h y , h a n d s o m e y o u n g m a n , it would be a h a p p y solution of their p r o b l e m . She d e t e r m i n e d to r e m o v e t h e only obstruction w h i c h stood in h e r w a y . Collier's next letter was his last. O n it is w r i t t e n in H e s t e r L y n c h ' s h a n d : ' T h e last I ever rec'd f r o m D r . Collier as m y M o t h e r would not p e r m i t m e to answer it or see t h e D r . a n y m o r e . ' C a u g h t in t h e mesh of suspicion a n d jealousy, t h e o n c e d e v o t e d friends were forced to p a r t . T h e m a n w h o h a d m o u l d e d h e r c h a r a c t e r in its most impressionable years d i s a p p e a r e d for ever f r o m h e r life. W i t h D r . Collier o u t of t h e way, Nlrs. S a l u s b u r y was finally able to convince h e r d a u g h t e r t h a t their best interest lay in accepting the proposal of H e n r y T h r a l e . I t is n o t very clear just w h y T h r a l e was so eager to m a r r y Miss S a l u s b u r y ; h e obviously was not in love with her, a n d h a d m a d e n o effort to gain h e r affection. I n fact, t h r o u g h o u t h e h a d seemed studiously to avoid her. Possibly it was the ten t h o u s a n d p o u n d s which he knew h e r uncle h a d promised as a d o w r y . O r p e r h a p s it was his a d m i r a t i o n for h e r m o t h e r , M r s . Salusbury. C e r t a i n it is that when he was a b o u t to propose, he addressed himself to -11 «Sit

E

THE

44

HEIRESS

mother and daughter together. wrote:

OF OFFLEY O n J u n e 28,

i7581763,

Thrale

M r . T h r a l e presents His most respectfull compliments to Mrs. & Miss Salusbury & wishes to G o d He could have communicated His Sentiments to them last night, which is absolutely impossible for H i m to do to any other Person breathing; He therefore most ardently begs to see T h e m at any Hour this afternoon, & H e will at all Events immediately enter upon this very interesting Subject, & when once begun, there is no Danger of His wandering upon any other: in short, see them, H e must, for He assures them, with the greatest T r u t h & Sincerity, that T h e y have murder'd Peace & Happiness at Home. 1 A t last his c o l l e c t i v e l o v e - m a k i n g m e t w i t h success, for H e s t e r L y n c h r e l u c t a n t l y m a d e u p her m i n d to a c q u i e s c e in h e r m o t h e r ' s desires. M a r r i a g e to s o m e o n e b e i n g the c o n d i t i o n o f her u n c l e ' s g e n e r o u s o f f e r , it s e e m e d o b v i o u s that T h r a l e w a s the m o s t likely c a n d i d a t e . B u t she n e v e r m a d e a n y p r e t e n c e that h e r decision o r i g i n a t e d f r o m a n y o t h e r f e e l i n g t h a n that of prudence. O n c e his niece h a d s h o w n h e r d o c i l i t y b y a g r e e i n g to m a r r y t h e m a n o f his c h o i c e , Sir T h o m a s finally t r a n s f o r m e d s o m e o f his promises into deeds. T o this e n d T h r a l e p r o v e d a b e t t e r a d v o c a t e t h a n D o c t o r C o l l i e r . T h u s , in a d r a f t o f a letter p r o b a b l y w r i t t e n to R i c h a r d L l o y d in t h e latter p a r t of J u l y 1763 or e a r l y A u g u s t , H e s t e r L y n c h w r o t e : Sr. Thos. has given me a Bond for £10,000 on my M a r r i a g e with m y Mother's Consent alone not his. till when he obliges himself by the same Bond to pay me £200 per ann. for my present support; & on this Bond which was obtain'd from him with evry difficulty to all my Friends w h o were so kind to interest themselves most warmly in my favr., particularly Sr. L y n c h Cotton, L d . Halifax & other Gentlemen of w h o m you have never h e a r d — I a m perfectly content to rely especially as my U n c l e is on the point of being married himself to a fine young widow whose nearer C l a i m to his property & Affections must necessarily destroy mine: however while Heaven is pleased to spare me my Mother's Life, I shall think myself full as happy under her gentle G u i d a n c e as in the possession of that Coronet you so kindly wished me, thinking me I believe much more ambitious than I am. 2 T h a t Hester L y n c h w a s not e n r a p t u r e d o v e r her a p p r o a c h i n g In the collection of M r . R . B. A d a m . O n the b a c k is written in the hand of Mrs. T h r a l e , ' M r . T h r a l e ' s first Proposal of M a r r i a g e to H. L . S a l u s b u r y . ' A sorrowful love-letter from her old suitor M a r r i o t t on J u n e 30, 1763, w o u l d seem to indicate that he suspected the good fortune of his rival (Broadley, p. 106). 1

2

Ry- 533. 2-

MRS.

SALUSBURY

Painted by ZOFFANY (Portrait of John Salusbury on Uu wall) Now in the possession of the Earl of Skelburne

-1763

THE

HEIRESS

OF OFFLET

45

nuptials is plainly shown in trial drafts of letters written to one of her aunts at Bath, announcing her engagement. 1 T h e longer one begins: 'With what Spirits I us'd to sit down to write to my Dear Aunt Sidney, & how slowly my Pen moves this E v e n . ' H a r d l y the excited rapture of a girl in love ! N o r is what follows more ecstatic : ' T h a t the M a n my Mother most approves should have luckily fix'd on me for choice seems partly that peculiar Interposition of Providence. . . . O u r mutual Preference of each other to all the rest of the World, that Preference not founded on Passion but on Reason, gives us some Right to expect some Happiness.' T h e shorter draft similarly tells of her mother's partiality for Thrale, and ends with the poignant admission: 'His real & grateful R e g a r d for Her is no small proof of His Understanding—nor ought lightly to be esteem'd by me. I somehow can add no more.' It was duty and not desire, regard for her mother's happiness and not her own inclinations, Hester Lynch maintained, which led to her decision to marry Thrale. R o m a n c e and sentiment were to be renounced, rational submission to take their place. And this rationalization of love and duty was the theme of her last poetical effort as a maiden, 'Imagination's Search after Happiness', which appeared in the St. James's Chronicle for September 10, 1763. 2 She tried hard to convince herself, but it was a half-hearted effort. Throughout September Thrale and Sir Thomas were busy arranging the details of her settlement: the brewer, as a good business man, obtaining the most advantageous terms possible, and the knight, oncc the decision had been made, protecting his niece's interests as best he could. T h e settlement was finally drawn up and signed on October 9 and io. 3 It expressly stipulated that upon the marriage of Henry Thrale and Hester Lynch Salusbury, in consideration of her fortune of ten thousand pounds, he was to grant to two trustees the estate of Crowmarsh in Oxfordshire for ninety-nine years, the income from which was to be divided, £ 2 0 0 to his wife and the remainder to himself. Should he die, however, she was to receive as her jointure £ 4 0 0 per year from this property and £ 1 3 , 4 0 0 from his other estate. T h e agreement also provided security for the 1 Ry- 533> >• Very effusive letters from Sir Lynch Cotton show that her judicious choice was welcomed by her relatives (Ry. 530, 15-18). 2 This fable from the French was published anonymously, and, she maintained, was later included in many of the magazines of the month. J The present résumé is derived from an abstract of this settlement (Ry. Charter, 1236).

46

THE

HEIRESS

OF OFFLEY

¡763

trust and arranged separate inheritances to possible children of the union. Often misunderstood by later attorneys, it was obviously considered at the time a just and well-designed marriage settlement by all concerned. After these important business details were settled, on October 1 1 , 1763, in St. Anne's Church, Soho, Hester Lynch Salusbury became the wife of Henry Thrale. 1 Sir Thomas Salusbury gave away the bride, and after the ceremony the whole wedding party journeyed to the bridegroom's home at Streatham for dinner. It was only on her wedding day that Hester Lynch saw for the first time the house where the most eventful years of her life were to be spent. 1

P. Mcrritt, Pioczi Marginalia (1925), p. 9.

HESTER LYNCH THRALE

Ill STREATHAM

AND

SOUTHWARK

1763-1766

T

HE estate to which Henry Thrale brought his bride was known as Streatham Place or Streatham Park. Some six miles from London on what is now the Tooting Bcc Road, it faced directly on to Tooting Upper Common. A sweeping drive of a hundred yards led from the lodge gates to a compact three-story brick house, surrounded by a park of about a hundred acres. At the back of the home were farm buildings, domestic offices, green-houses, stables, and an ice-house. Behind these and to the west was the kitchen garden with forcingframes for grapes, melons, peaches, and nectarines. Streatham Place was a comfortable country house, though far removed from the luxurious mansion it later became; for it then had no spacious parlour or library, no extensive lawn, pond, or summerhouse. These were added as the family and income increased. 1 U p to this time the young couple had scarcely exchanged more than a few words alone—one reason perhaps why they welcomed the companionship of Mrs. Salusbury and a cousin, Hester Cotton, who remained with them for a while.2 Indeed it would have been difficult to find a bride and groom who were temperamentally more unsuited to each other. Henry Thrale was essentially a business man, matter-of-fact and unemotional, with the cynicism of his rakish companions in London. Hester Lynch, on the contrary, had been a precocious child, petted and admired by an adoring family who had led her to believe that she was an unusual person with remarkable gifts as a poet. 1 See Thraliana, Oct. 12, 1790, Sept. 17, 1 7 9 1 . References to the long succession of improvements may be found in her correspondence with Johnson. For Susan Burney 's description of Streatham in later years see Early Diary of F. Burtxey, ii. 255. See also H. W. Bromhead, The Heritage of St. Leonard's, Streatham, pp. 3 9 - 4 5 . A detailed description of the estate is there given, derived from a large-scale plan of the grounds 1825, attached to a release, dated Apr. 28, in Fee of Freehold and Covenant to surrender copyhold on its sale by the T h r a l e daughters. A traced copy, made by Mrs. Bromhead, is included, together with many other items of interest about the estate. 2 Havward, ii. 22.

50

STREATHAM

AND

SOUTHWARK

1763-

S e n t i m e n t a l , i n t e n s e l y i n t r o s p e c t i v e , artistic, she w a s t h e a n t i thesis o f h e r h u s b a n d . A l t h o u g h she h a d n e v e r m a d e a n y p r e t e n c e o f b e i n g in l o v e w i t h T h r a l e b e f o r e t h e i r m a r r i a g e , she h a d a w o m a n ' s c o n f i d e n c e t h a t she c o u l d c a p t u r e his a f f e c t i o n s o n c e t h e t w o w e r e t h r o w n t o g e t h e r i n t h e i n t i m a c y o f m a r r i e d life. T h e r o m a n t i c girl d r e a m e d o f t u r n i n g h e r stolid h u s b a n d i n t o a d e v o t e d l o v e r . S h e l a t e r w r o t e o f these e a r l y d a y s : I was now a married W o m a n : y o u n g enough to be proud of being s u c h , — & silly e n o u g h to expect that my husband's heart was to be w o n by the same e m p t y T r i c k s that had pleased my Father & m y U n c l e , so I wrote Verses in his Praise instead of theirs—& while w e remained at S t r e a t h a m b e t w e e n O c t r . 1 i t h — o u r W e d d i n g D a y , & the T i m e w e went to S o u t h w a r k for the W i n t e r : (while he was at H a r r o w on a V i s i t — & I sate at h o m e to spin) This was my A m u s e ment. W h i l e H a r r o w ' s happier Groves detain Y o u r lingering Steps from Streatham's Plain; T o think or write of o u g h t were vain But H a r r o w on the H i l l : I n v a i n as h o m e last N i g h t w e flew, T h e varied L a n d s c h a p e lay in V i e w ; N o O b j e c t could m y Eyes pursue But H a r r o w on the H i l l : As m u c h in V a i n m y W h e e l I seize, M y T e m p e r — n o t m y Flax I teize; N o subject now M y T h o u g h t s can please But H a r r o w on the H i l l : A n d while m y H e a r t in earnest burns, Y o u r S t a y the m u r m u r i n g Spindle mourns, Impatient till m y L o v e returns F r o m H a r r o w on the Hill. 1 T h r a l e , h o w e v e r , w a s i n c a p a b l e o f r e s p o n d i n g to s u c h p o e t i c effusions, a n d his w i f e f o u n d h e r a d v a n c e s c o l d l y i g n o r e d or disdained. She a d d e d : These sentimental J e u x D ' E s p r i t I had been so long accustom'd to, that It seemed odd w h e n I observed them repress'd as Impertinent, or rejected as superfluous: but it was N a t u r a l to try, & try a g a i n : so Instead of Dressing showily, or b e h a v i n g u s e f u l l y — I sate at home & wrote V e r s e s . — m y next Effort D o c t o r Johnson praised 1 M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , i. 50, 5 1 . O w i n g to a t e n d e n c y to c o l o u r a n d s e n t i m e n t a l i z e e v e r y t h i n g she w r o t e , in these l a t e r r e c o l l e c t i o n s she m a y h a v e p l a c e d t o o g r e a t e m p h a s i s o n the i n c o m p a t i b i l i t y w i t h T h r a l e , b u t u n d o u b t e d l y t h e r e m u s t h a v e b e e n s o m e basis for h e r a c c o u n t s .

-¡766

STREATHAM

AND

SOUTHWARK

5I

as a very pretty one: though he did not see it till Years after it had been presented—neglected, & forgotten.

T h e 'next E f f o r t ' , an O d e to a R o b i n R e d b r e a s t , written at S t r e a t h a m Park in D e c e m b e r 1 7 6 3 , again reflected her wistful y e a r n i n g for m a r r i e d happiness. T h e p o e m was an irregular Pindaric of the type so c o m m o n at the time, and the central section ended with the stilted lines: Of nuptial Bliss record the Sweets, And sing of Streatham's calm Retreats; Her long-drawn Walk, her Piny Grove, Where Happiness delights to rove, Where Love and Peace and Pleasure join A Wreath round Hymen's Brows to twine: Where You like me have most Delight to prove, T h e Joys of Rural Life and Sweet Connubial Love.'

E v e n if T h r a l e was a p p a r e n t l y u n m o v e d by this metrical wooing, it is not h a r d to understand w h y his wife still spent so m u c h time with poetry. S h e had very little else to do. Neither T h r a l e nor his mother-in-law was willing for her to enter the social life of L o n d o n , a n d her favourite outdoor sport had to be given u p because T h r a l e thought riding too masculine. 2 N o r was she allowed to interfere with the domestic arrangements of the house, for T h r a l e c l a i m e d the kitchen as his o w n province, and his wife later a d m i t t e d that she never knew w h a t was being prepared for dinner until she saw it on the table. T h e b r e w e r considered that a w o m a n ' s place was in the d r a w i n g - r o o m or the b e d c h a m b e r . T h e bride was thus d r i v e n to study and writing in order to o c c u p y herself d u r i n g the long a u t u m n months of 1 7 6 3 . Another reason was that she w a s left v e r y m u c h alone, for T h r a l e drove almost every d a y to the b r e w e r y . W i t h the coming of cold w e a t h e r , h o w e v e r , he g r e w tired of the long drives, neither c o m f o r t a b l e nor safe on the deserted, wintry roads. Earlier in the y e a r , on o n e of his trips, he h a d been robbed of thirteen guineas, his w a t c h , and silver shoe-buckles. 3 1 Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 5 3 . O n the back of a copy of this poem ( R y . 647, 4) is a note in Johnson's hand, ' O n the R e d breast at Streatham Dec. —63', indicating that he had examined the poem at some later date. 1 Hayward, ii. 24. T h r a l e was much interested in hunting, and kept a pack of fox-hounds at a hunting box near Croydon. Possibly his objections to his wife's riding may be explained by the fact that his earlier mistress, Polly Hart, had been a very skilful rider. (Sec Westminster Magazine, i ( 1 7 7 3 ) , 178.) 3 St. James's Chronicle, M a y 3 - 5 , 1 7 6 3 . O n A u g . 1 2 , 1 7 6 3 , Samuel Beaton was executed at Kennington Common for robbing Henry T h r a l e (Gent. Mag. xxxiii. 411).

52

STREATHAM

AND

SOUTHWARK

¡763-

So, in J a n u a r y 1764, he moved to his home at Southwark, next to the brewery in Dead-Man's Place. 1 This house, also never seen by Mrs. Thrale before her marriage, was not in a fashionable residential district. It was south of the Thames, close to the site of the old Globe theatre where many of Shakespeare's plays were first produced. In Elizabethan times the region had been one where theatres and brothels carried on their somewhat interrelated amusements, but during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it had changed into a centre of business and manufacture. The elder Thrale had thought it best to occupy a house near to the brewery, to keep a closer watch on its affairs, and his son approved this plan. T h e men were unaffected by the dreary surroundings, but it is not surprising that the young wife found them dull. T h e story now rcached her that Thrale's choice of a bride had been influenced by her willingness to live in Southwark. According to one account, he had considered several other heiresses, each of whom had been reluctant to reside so far from Hanover Square. 2 Hester Lynch could not have afforded such independence, even if she had been given a choice. Although she disliked the Borough, she never openly rebelled, and good-humouredly made the best of her bargain. Mrs. Thrale later recalled that first winter: O u r Society at the B o r o u g h H o u s e was F e w P e o p l e w o u l d c o m e to so s t r a n g e c o m e ; b u t as w e k e p t T w o E q u i p a g e s I to go out. M y m o t h e r h o w e v e r t h o u g h t better.3

exceedingly circumscribed. a P l a c e — f e w i n d e e d could h a d it a l w a y s i n m y P o w e r the closer I k e p t h o m e the

The move to town had separated mother and daughter for the first time, for Mrs. Salusbury now returned to her house in Dean Street, Soho. There her daughter drove every day to keep in touch with her old friends. One morning, on her regular visit, she found her mother in tears because of the death of her sister, Sophia Cotton, at Bath. At the request of another aunt, Mrs. Thrale wrote a short inscription for a memorial tablet at Weston, which was some slight return for a legacy of £500. 4 The only company who found their way to Southwark were Thrale's family and bachelor friends. Except for Arthur 1 T h r a l i a n a , April 1778. For information about Southwark and the Anchor Brewery see Charlotte Boger, Southwark and its Story ( 1 8 8 1 ) ; E. \V. Brayley, 7he History of Surrey (Dorking, Ede), App., pp. 1 0 - 1 8 ; The Wine and Spirit Trade Record, 2 O c t . 16, 1 9 3 5 , pp. 1 2 4 6 - 5 6 . H a y w a r d , ii. 2 4 ; Thraliana, A p r . 1778. 3 Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 55. 4 Ibid., p. 54. For a copy see R y . 530, 8.

-1766

STREATHAM

AND SOUTHWARK

53

Murphy, the witty Irishman, they did not meet with Mrs. Thrale's approval. Neither the facetious George Bodens nor the notorious Simon Luttrell proved congenial or attractive. (It was said of the latter that he once challenged his own son, Wilkes's opponent in the famous Middlesex election, who refused to fight him, 'not because he was his father, but because he was not a gentleman'.) Dr. Fitzpatrick, a sickly physician, was also an intimate friend of the household. 1 Here, too, came her husband's three handsome sisters, Lady Lade, Mrs. Nesbitt, and Mrs. Plumbe, who had married wealthy London business men, and had little interest in poetry or scholarship. With their new sister-in-law they maintained a casual intercourse, but because of such divergent tastes were never intimate or affectionate. In the meantime relations with her uncle, Sir Thomas, had again become strained. After giving his niece to the man of his choice, Sir Thomas proceeded with his own love affair and less than a month later married the widow King. 2 T h e longdreaded alliance was now a reality. Since neither Mrs. Thrale nor her mother could ever forget the black hours which fear of the marriage had brought to J o h n Salusbury, they petulantly refused to call on the new wife. Bitterly resenting the affront, Sir Thomas took the only available means of retaliation by refusing to pay Mrs. Salusbury the annuity which he had promised at the time of her daughter's marriage. He even kept back the small payments from the Welsh property provided in his brother's will. Although Sir Lynch Cotton and Bridge both interceded in an effort to make peace, they were unsuccessful. 3 The ladies were stubbornly determined not to make the first move, and Sir Thomas, who felt himself the injured party, saw no reason to humble himself. T h e winter of 1764 passed uneventfully, 4 but by spring, with 1

Hayward, ii. 23. Many anecdotes of Bodens appear in Thraliana. Sir Thomas wrote to Thrale from Offley on Nov. 4, 1763, to acquaint him with the marriage (Ry. 530, 29), and added that everyone who had thought proper to ask him had known of his intentions long ago. 3 A scribbled first draft of a letter from Mrs. Thrale in Southwark to Edward Bridge, dated May 19, 1764, is in the Rylands collection (Ry. 533, 3). Mrs. Thrale's justification for her behaviour is that her uncle had never called on her mother since his marriage, and had avoided them when in London, though she herself had seen him occasionally with other people. Mrs. Salusbury, even if she received no financial aid from Sir Thomas, was not wholly dependent on her sonin-law, since recent legacies from other members of her family provided enough to keep up her house in Dean Street. During the summers, however, she always lived with the Thrales at Streatham. 4 Very little contemporary evidence has survived for the year 1764. On Apr. 1 5 1

54

STREATHAM

AND

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the knowledge that she was to have a child, Mrs. Thrale assumed in the household a position of more importance. A wife's primary duty, according to Thrale, was to produce an heir to carry on die business after him, and now that she was expectant his hopes were high. T h e following summer was spent quietly at Streatham Park; then because of her condition they moved back to Southwark early in September. Here, the Thrales' first child, a girl, was born on September 17, 1764. 1 On the 24th, in St. Saviour's Parish Church, Southwark, she was christened Hester Maria in honour of her grandmother. The birth of a daughter must have been disappointing to Thrale. What his wife's feelings were we cannot tell; she was too busy during the autumn looking after her first-born either to think of recording her impressions or to consider the future. The young mother's complete preoccupation with the affairs of the nursery did not last long. Among her husband's old friends, Mrs. Thrale had been immediately attracted by the amusing Arthur Murphy, who, although Thrale's companion in many a reckless adventure, had a serious side to his nature. He was a popular dramatist, a fair classical scholar, and a sound and versatile writer; he was also the intimate friend and companion of many of the best-known men of the day, including Samuel Johnson. Johnson, for his part, had a special fondness for the mercurial playwright, whom he affectionately called his 'dear Mur'. It is not surprising to find Murphy wishing to bring his two friends together—to introduce the popular brewer and his wife to the Great Cham of literature. Some years later, in Thraliana, Mrs. Thrale told the story of this introduction. It w a s o n t h e s e c o n d T h u r s d a y o f the m o n t h o f J a n u a r y 1 7 6 5 . t h a t I first s a w M r . J o h n s o n i n a R o o m : M u r p h y w h o s e I n t i m a c y with M r . T h r a l e had been of m a n y Y e a r s standing, w a s one d a y d i n i n g w i t h us a t o u r h o u s e i n S o u t h w a r k ; a n d w a s z e a l o u s t h a t w e should be acquainted with J o h n s o n , of w h o s e moral a n d L i t e r a r y C h a r a c t e r he s p o k e i n t h e m o s t e x a l t e d T e r m s ; a n d so w h e t t e d o u r desire o f seeing h i m s o o n , t h a t w e w e r e o n l y d i s p u t i n g how h e her old friend Dr. Bernard Wilson sent Mrs. T h r a l e his translation of Monsieur de Thou'5 History of his Oum Time (first translated by Wilson in 1729), adding his regard 'for a L a d y of her distinguishing Accomplishments and uncommon Literature few being qualified to make so good an use of so excellent an Historian . . .' ( R y . 8 9 1 , 6). A few ether letters addressed to Mrs. T h r a l e this year are extant, and indicate that among other interests she acted as patroness for J a m e s Merrick who was publishing a paraphrase of the Psalms ( R y . 536, 1 5 , & c . ) . T h r e e letters from Eliz. Surman, discussing literature and poetry, also indicate that Mrs. T h r a l e was aiding the writer's brother to find a position. Miss Surman added that she kept Mrs. Thrale's replies as treasures in her strong box. ( R y . 536, 4 0 - 2 . ) 1 Children's Book. (See p. 70, n. 2.)

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should be invited, when he should be invited, and w h a t should be the pretence, at last it was resolved that one Woodhouse a Shoemaker who had written some Verses, and been asked to some T a b l e s , should likewise be asked to ours, and m a d e a T e m p t a t i o n to M r . Johnson to meet h i m : accordingly he came, and M r . M u r p h y at four o'clock brought M r . Johnson to dinner. 1

Another description of the dinner was also written afterwards by the shoemaker poet, Woodhouse.

long

I was informed, at the time, that Dr. Johnson's curiosity was excited, by what was said of me in the literary world, as a kind of wild beast from the country, and expressed a wish to M r . M u r p h y , who was his intimate friend, to see me. In consequence of which, M r . M u r p h y being acquainted with Mrs. T h r a l e , intimated to her that both might be invited to dine there at the same time; for till then, Dr. Johnson had never seen Mrs. T h r a l e , who, no doubt he also much desired to see. 2

W e m a y well imagine the shock with w h i c h Mrs. T h r a l e first saw the huge, l u m b e r i n g form of the Doctor. M u r p h y , to be sure, had warned her, giving 'general cautions not to be surprised at his figure, dress or behaviour', 3 but even with this preparation her first reaction must have been one of astonishment. Johnson's eccentricities are familiar to everyone, the twitching frame, the nervous hypochondria, and the voracious appetite. A n d because of these, m a n y w o m e n at first sight w e r e prejudiced against Johnson. So, for example, the wife of 'Hermes' Harris was shocked b y his 'dreadful voice and m a n n e r ' and a w k w a r d carriage. H e was, she maintained to her son, 1 Thraliana, Sept. i8, 1777. The original notation came, no doubt, from one of her early journals. Mrs. Piozzi in the Anecdotes (John. Misc. i. 232) places her first meeting with Johnson in 1764, but Thraliana is undoubtedly a more accurate source. T o anyone brought up under the old system of dating, where the winter months were considered to be still a part of the previous year, it would have been a very easy mistake to think of January 1765 as 1764. Similarly Thomas Pennant wrote 1764 on the title-page of his manuscript volume entitled Tour on the Continent, although he did not set out from London until Feb. 19, 1765 (T.L.S., Aug. 20, 1938, p. 543). Mrs. Thrale is probably wrong, however, in ascribing the day of the first meeting to Thursday, Jan. 10. In Johnson's diary for 1765 (recently discovered by Col. Isham) the first mention of the Thrales (spelled Trails) occurs on Wed. Jan. 9. The next reference comes on Tuesday, Jail. 29, and the one following on Mar. 18. Johnson's record, on the other hand, is very incomple'.e, and after Jan. io lists no engagements throughout the winter for Thursdays; consequently it is no conclusive evidence against Mrs. Thrale's later assertion that he came to Southwark regularly every Thursday. In his diary Johnson may, in the case of the Thrales, have listed only the special visits in addition to his regular weekly invitation. See also Life, i. 520-:. Dr. E. L. M c A d a m has provided some of the above details. 1 Adam Libr. iii. 263. The letter was written by Woodhouse to W m . Mudford, July 28, 1809. See also Blackwood's Mag. xxvi (1829), 748-55. 3 John. Misc. i. 233.

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'more beastly in his dress and person than anything I ever beheld. He feeds nastily and ferociously, and eats quantities most unthankfully.' 1 Mrs. Thrale was more discerning. If at first she was annoyed at Johnson's lack of polish, she soon forgot such faults in admiration for his conversation and wonder at his kind heart. Besides, the quiet domestic life of the past year and a half was beginning to bore her, and she welcomed someone to fill the place of Collier and his friends with discourse of literature and philosophy. W e know little of that first dinner at Thrale's house in the Borough, 2 but undoubtedly Johnson was delighted with the meal, and with his host and hostess. W h a t more could any man wish? T h e Thrales were equally pleased with their guest, and she wrote: ' W e liked each other so well that the next Thursday was appointed for the same Company to meet—exclusive of the Shoemaker.' 3 Throughout the rest of the winter of 1765, Johnson dined at the Thrales' every Thursday. Mrs. Thrale was properly flattered at playing hostess to so celebrated a figure as Johnson, for she had some of the instincts of the lion-huntress; but no doubt she would not have been so zealous in her ministrations had she not been personally attracted to the man himself. 4 A n d Johnson would not have journeyed weekly to Southwark merely for a dinner if he had not also been interested in his host and hostess. Henry Thrale was more than a brewer. His friend M u r p h y wrote of him: 'His education at Oxford gave him the habits of a gentleman; his amiable temper recommended his conversation, and the goodness of his heart made him a sincere friend.' 5 T h o u g h never a ready talker, he delighted to hear others carry on an argument at his table. M m e D ' A r b l a y , much later, maintained 1 Letters of the First Earl of Malmesbury (1870), i. 302. Mrs. Harris wrote from T w i c k e n h a m , A p r . 20, 1775. Johnson's inattention to everything else about him while eating is described by Joseph C r a d o c k (John. Misc. ii. 61). See also Lift, i. 468. 2 In a letter to VVm. M u d f o r d , A u g . 29, 1810, Mrs. Piozzi herself retold the story of her first meeting with Johnson. She added, Johnson's 'Injunction to him [Woodhouse] about the Spectators struck me very forcibly. Give Nights & Days Sir said he, to the study of Addison'. (Original letter in the A d a m collection; printed in Blackwood's Mag. xxi (1829), 754-5.) See also John. Misc. i. 233. Johnson evidently g a v e the shoemaker poet advice similar to that later incorporated into the life of Addison. A n o t h e r topic possibly discussed that evening was the poetry of Milton. Woodhouse, as an old man, related to Mudford a somewhat questionable story of Johnson's bitterness when referring to Milton. See VVm. M u d f o r d , Critical Enquiry into the Writings of Dr. Samuel Johnson (1803), p. 37. 5 See p. 55, n. 1 ; also John. Misc. i. 233. 4 Mrs. T h r a l e always insisted that she never m a d e a lion of Johnson. See 5 John. Mxsc. i. 423-4. H a y w a r d , i. 49.

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that Thrale found 'a singular amusement in hearing, instigating, and provoking a war of words, alternating triumph and overthrow, between clever and ambitious colloquial combatants'. 1 Mrs. Thrale herself gives evidence that as a young man her husband was gay and voluble, far from the stolid, unresponsive being of later years. It must always be remembered that it was many years afterwards that Johnson is reported to have replied, when asked about Thrale's conversational ability, 'Why, Sir, his conversation does not show the minute hand; but he strikes the hour very correctly.' 2 As for Mrs. Thrale, she was vivacious and attractive, and not afraid to dispute at length with her famous visitor. While she poured tea from a seemingly inexhaustible tea-pot, 3 she delighted to chat about the latest pamphlet, the merits of some poet, or the most recent bon mot going the rounds in London. Her lively and unaffected talk provided, as did Boswell's, a perfect foil for Johnson's remarks. According to Mrs. Thrale's later recollections, Johnson was at this time considering a translation of Boethius. Mentioning the project to his hostess, he laughingly suggested that she do the 'Odes', setting her the task of producing one for each Thursday, the day on which he regularly came to dinner. 4 In the easy familiarity of the Thrale home the work was begun in due course, and a number of the Metres were rendered into English verse. Every week she would pass over to him her translations written out on small cards, many of which still exist. For sport she and Johnson translated the sixth Metre of the third book together, each doing alternate stanzas. In all Johnson alone completed three Metres, Mrs. Thrale produced about six, and they collaborated on at least five others. 5 D'Arblay, Memoirs of Doctor Bumey (1832), ii. 104-5. There are several versions of thij story. John. Misc. ii. 169, 374. For Thrale's early gay character see Hayward, i. 10. 1 It is interesting to note that one of Mrs. Thrale's tea-pots, later sold in the Streatham sale, had a capacity of more than three quarts. It was of old oriental porcelain, painted and gilded. (J. Marryat, Collections towards a History of Pottery and Porcelain (1850), p. 289.) On the other hand, the tea-pot now in the possession of the Johnson House in Gough Square, London, is very small indeed. 4 Letters to andfrom Johnson (1788), Preface, p. vi. See also Hayward, ii. 86. Mrs. Thrale's own dating of 1765, though very early, has been accepted because this winter Johnson is supposed to have dined regularly with the Thrales every Thursday. In later years he had become more of a regular inmate of the house. 1 Originally Mrs. riozzi had intended to print all of these Metres in her edition of Johnson's letters (1788). At the last minute, however, after the sheets had all been printed, it was decided to cancel all of Mrs. Piozzi's own efforts, and publish only those in which Johnson's hand could be traced. Samuel Lysons's copy of the edition, now in the possession of Lord Harn'sworth, contains the cancelled pages. 1

1

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Perhaps J o h n s o n did not take the matter very seriously; but the episode serves to show h o w m u c h he must h a v e been attracted to his new a c q u a i n t a n c e , as it also indicates a certain regard for her scholarly attainments. T h e project, h o w e v e r , was soon given up. A s Mrs. T h r a l e later recorded, ' w e w e n t h o w e v e r but a little W a y in the Business, because some poor A u t h o r had e n g a g e d in the W o r k — & he fear'd our Publication w o u l d be his H i n d r a n c e ' . 1 She treasured u p the scraps w h i c h had been written and published Johnson's contributions in her edition of his letters in 1788. E x c e p t for sprightly conversations with her new friend, and the care of her b a b y , the winter of 1765 followed the usual pattern of monotonous domesticity. W i t h the c o m i n g of spring the T h r a l e s m o v e d out to S t r e a t h a m . By this time Mrs. T h r a l e was again with child, and was h a v i n g more trouble than before. 2 It was p r o b a b l y because of her ill health that the family went to Brighton late in the s u m m e r . J o h n s o n h a d been u r g e d b y the T h r a l e s to j o i n them in Sussex, b u t wrote on A u g u s t 13 a p o l o g i z i n g for not being able to accept their invitation. Busy as he was on the proofs of his edition of Shakespeare, he could not l e a v e L o n d o n , though the prospect of a holiday w i t h such a g r e e a b l e companions was a strong temptation. H e promised, nevertheless, to c o m e as soon as he could dismiss the w o r k from his h a n d s ; and then a d d e d : I am afraid to make promises even to myself; but I hope that the week after the next will be the end of my present business. When business is done, what remains but pleasure? and where should pleasure be sought, but under Mrs. Thrale's influence? 3 U n f o r t u n a t e l y before J o h n s o n could j o i n the T h r a l e s at Brighton they had hurriedly returned to the house in S o u t h w a r k . T w o considerations p r o b a b l y b r o u g h t a b o u t this sudden c h a n g e of Metres I, 3, a n d 4 o f b o o k 1, a n d I , 3 , a n d 7 o f b o o k 2 , e n t i r e l y t h e w o r k o f M r s . T h r a l e , w e r e o m i t t e d . ( O r i g i n a l M S . versions of these verses m a y be f o u n d in R y . 538, a n d in the possession o f M r . L . F l e m i n g , B o g n o r R e g i s . ) Positive p r o o f o f the c o l l a b o r a t i o n o f M r s . T h r a l e a n d J o h n s o n o n a t l e a s t o n e Metre is p r o v i d e d i n t h e f a c s i m i l e o f t h e o r i g i n a l d r a f t o f Metre 3 , b o o k 3, i n B r o a d l e y , p . 1 1 4 . J o h n s o n ' s l i n e s i n Aietre 1 2 , b o o k 3, w e r e p r o b a b l y d i c t a t e d t o M r s . T h r a l e , a s is s h o w n b y h e r original c o p y ( R y . 538). 1 M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , i. 6 8 ; a l s o Letters to and from Johnson, P r e f a c e , p. vi. F o r a discussion o f this e p i s o d e see the e d i t i o n o f J o h n s o n ' s p o e m s b y D . N i c h o l Smith and E. L. M c A d a m . 2 Children's Book. F o r d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h i s j o u r n a l s e e p . 70, C h a p t e r I V . 3 U n l e s s o t h e r w i s e n o t e d , J o h n s o n ' s letters m a y b e f o u n d in H i l l ' s e d i t i o n , 1892. F u r t h e r e v i d e n c e o f t h e c o n n e x i o n o f J o h n s o n a n d t h e T h r a l e s t h i s s u m m e r is the f a c t t h a t M r s . T h r a l e h a d in h e r possession e a r l y p a g e - p r o o f s , w i t h m a n y c o r rections in t h e a u t h o r ' s h a n d , o f J o h n s o n ' s P r e f a c e to his e d i t i o n o f S h a k e s p e a r e

(Ry- C53).

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p l a n s : M r s . T h r a l e ' s a p p r o a c h i n g c o n f i n e m e n t , a n d her husb a n d ' s political a m b i t i o n s . H e n r y T h r a l e h a d l o n g wished to represent S o u t h w a r k in P a r l i a m e n t . A s w e h a v e seen, as e a r l y as 1 7 5 4 he h a d o f f e r e d himself for a possible v a c a n c y ; 1 n o w the d e a t h on S e p t e m b e r 1 6 , 1 7 6 5 , of A l e x a n d e r H u m e , one of the m e m b e r s f o r the B o r o u g h , at last p r o v i d e d the o p p o r t u n i t y f o r w h i c h he h a d been w a i t i n g . T h r a l e rushed to S o u t h w a r k a n d , after a m e e t i n g w i t h some of the electors on S e p t e m b e r 2 3 , a n n o u n c e d his c a n d i d a t u r e . 2 O n the 2 7 t h , in the midst of all the bustle a n d e x c i t e m e n t of the a p p r o a c h i n g election, M r s . T h r a l e g a v e birth to a n o t h e r d a u g h t e r , w h o w a s b a p t i z e d F r a n c e s at S t . S a v i o u r ' s C h u r c h on O c t o b e r 3. F o u r d a y s later the child died s u d d e n l y , 3 but in the activity arising f r o m her h u s b a n d ' s e n t r a n c e into politics M r s . T h r a l e h a d little time f o r m o u r n i n g . S h e early l e a r n e d that busy m a t r o n s c o u l d not a f f o r d the l u x u r y of grief. M r s . T h r a l e ' s a c c o u n t of this period, r e c o r d e d later in the Anecdotes, is r a t h e r v a g u e . S h e indicates that J o h n s o n , w h o h a d not been told of their precipitate return to L o n d o n , m a d e the trip to B r i g h t o n only to find his host a n d hostess gone. Disa p p o i n t e d a n d e n r a g e d , he wrote them a letter expressing his a n g e r at such inhospitable treatment. H o w e v e r , w h e n M u r p h y , acting as conciliator, e x p l a i n e d the reason, J o h n s o n was soon mollified, a n d , as M r s . T h r a l e w r o t e , ' f r o m that time his visits g r e w m o r e f r e q u e n t ' . 4 I n the stress of political c a m p a i g n i n g , m o r e o v e r , T h r a l e f o u n d his new f r i e n d ' s p o w e r s of l i t e r a r y persuasion a v a l u a b l e asset. D u r i n g O c t o b e r a n d N o v e m b e r the B o r o u g h w a s assiduously canvassed, a n d finally T h r a l e ' s o p p o n e n t , D u r a n t , d e c i d e d to w i t h d r a w f r o m the contest. D e s p i t e this, T h r a l e p r i n t e d a n address in the n e w s p a p e r s on N o v e m b e r 2 1 , soliciting the voters' f a v o u r on election d a y . T h e r e is in existence a c o p y o f this a p p e a l to the w o r t h y electors of S o u t h w a r k with p r o o f corrections in J o h n s o n ' s h a n d . T h e n e w s p a p e r version, h o w 1

See p. 36, n. I. See Public Advertiser and other papers of Sept. 23, 24, 1765. Thrale's first advertisement was repeated in the issues of Sept. 25, 26, 27, 28, 30. Another address, thanking his supporters for their encouragement during the canvass, was printed by T h r a l e Oct. 1 , and was repeated in the papers throughout October and early November. 1 Children's Book. According to Mrs. Thrale, the child died 'of the watery Gripes' which was undoubtedly ordinary infantile diarrhoea. I a m indebted, throughout the following chapters, to Dr. Ernest Sadler, of the Mansion, Ashbourne, for aid in interpreting the illnesses of the T h r a l e children. 4 John. Misc. i. 233. a

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ever, does not embody these changes. It may be assumed, therefore, that even if Johnson did not compose the original draft, he at least revised the wording at a later time, possibly for a broadside to be distributed by hand throughout the borough. 1 O n December 20 the papers announced that T h r a l e would be chosen without opposition, and on the 23rd he was officially returned a member of Parliament. 2 Although Johnson may not have supervised the early announcements of his friend's candidature, he was solely responsible for his last address. Thrale's final acknowledgement to his constituents on December 24 was expressed in the sonorous phrases of the DiclxofiQTy. Gentlemen H a v i n g received the unusual h o n o u r of a n u n a n i m o u s E l e c t i o n , it m a y justly be expected that I express m y G r a t i t u d e to m y w o r t h y Constituents. I therefore return y o u thanks for the f a v o u r of y o u r S u f f r a g e s , of w h i c h I hope never to give y o u reason to r e p e n t . F o r I shall think it the highest happiness to preserve b y a constant a n d u n i f o r m attention that c o n c o r d of w h i c h this n u m e r o u s a n d o p u l e n t B o r o u g h has g i v e n on this occasion so l a u d a b l e a n E x a m p l e 3

T h e fact that Johnson was willing to give his time to these election affairs shows how quickly he had identified himself with the concerns of the Thrale household. No doubt he must have been greatly pleased at his friend's entry into Parliament, confirming as it did his own high estimate of the man. E v e n if Thrale's political career was to prove f a r from spectacular, it at least gave him an enhanced standing in the community. Political and maternal duties could not keep Mrs. T h r a l e from her old occupation of scribbling verses; nor was she ever backward about showing them to other people. T h a t Johnson read many of her youthful attempts during the early months of their friendship is proved by the fact that a number of the original drafts have notes on the back in his handwriting. 4 ' Public Advertiser, Nov. 2 1 , 1765. The address is dated Nov. 20, and was repeated in the issues of Nov. 22, 23, 25. The copy with Johnson's proof-corrections is now in the possession of Mrs. Herbert Evans, Brynbella. 2 Public Advertiser, Dec. 20, 1765, & c . In this issue appeared another address from Thrale, possibly drafted by Johnson. ] The original draft of this address in the handwriting of Johnson is now in the possession of Mrs. Herbert Evans, Brynbella. The manuscript shows several words and phrases corrected, and the address was printed as written, except for capitalization and punctuation and the addition o f ' m y sincere' between 'you' and 'thanks' in the second sentence, in the Public Advertiser, Dec. 24, 1765 (repeated Dec. 25, 26). (See also miscellaneous collection of newspaper clippings referring to this election in the Adam collection.) * Chiefiy in the J o h n Kylands collection.

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Possibly M r s . T h r a l e ' s verses r e m i n d e d h i m o f those o f a n o t h e r l a d y , the blind W e l s h poetess, A n n a W i l l i a m s , w h o shared his d w e l l i n g in Fleet Street. I n spite o f the f a c t that J o h n s o n h a d w r i t t e n proposals for p r i n t i n g a subscription v o l u m e o f M i s s W i l l i a m s ' s poems as f a r b a c k as 1750, the years h a d slipped b y w i t h o u t a n y t h i n g b e i n g d o n e . F i n a l l y , in the w i n t e r o f 1 7 6 6 s o m e t h i n g spurred h i m into action. N e w plans w e r e m a d e f o r p u b l i c a t i o n , a d d i t i o n a l subscriptions secured, a n d a p r i n t e r engaged.1 A t the last m i n u t e it was f o u n d that the n u m b e r o f p o e m s w a s h a r d l y sufficient to fill the v o l u m e w h i c h J o h n s o n h a d e n g a g e d t o print. H e t u r n e d at o n c e to M r s . T h r a l e . H a v e y o u a n y V e r s e s b y Y o u — s a i d he to m e — w h i c h h a v e never b e e n seen? I s h o w ' d h i m a T a l e that I h a d w r i t t e n the W e e k before & he liked it so well it w a s seized on Instantly, & called The Three Warnings.1

J o h n s o n w a s pleased w i t h this c o n t r i b u t i o n , b u t still m o r e w a s needed. H e said C o m e Mistress, n o w I ' l l write a T a l e and y o u r C h a r a c t e r shall b e in it; so he c o m p o s e d T h e F o u n t a i n s in the same Book, a P e r f o r m a n c e little k n o w n , a n d in few h a n d s — I guess not whose e x c e p t m y o w n ; — a n d bid m e translate Boileau's Epistle to his G a r d e n e r w h i c h I d i d : a n d the W o r k t u r n ' d out a T h i n flat Q u a r t o , w h i c h it a p p e a r s sold m i s e r a b l y : I never saw it on a n y T a b l e b u t m y o w n . T i s now h o w e v e r b e c o m e a C u r i o s i t y .

Miss W i l l i a m s ' s Miscellanies, w h i c h a p p e a r e d in A p r i l 1766, c e r t a i n l y c a u s e d no stir at the time, a n d is t o - d a y a rarity. M r s . T h r a l e ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n , the ' T h r e e W a r n i n g s ' , w h e n later r e p r i n t e d in o t h e r collections o f verse, a c h i e v e d s o m e p o p u l a r i t y . 3 It is her b e s t - k n o w n p o e m , a n d several g e n e r a t i o n s 1 Life, ii. 2 6 ; C o u r t n e y and Nichol Smith, Bibliography of Samuel Johnson (1925), 2 M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 57, 6 1 . pp. 1 1 1 - 1 2 . 3 T h e p o e m was included in Pearch's collection of Poems by Several Hands ( 1 7 7 0 ) , iii. 258-62 (also in later editions), at w h i c h time the authorship was definitely ascribed to M r s . T h r a l e . T h e poem was circulated in a chap-book, Abbas and Mirza an Eastern Story to which is added the Three Warnings, price T h r e e p e n c e (Chelmsford, printed and sold by I. M a r s d e n , no date). ' T h e T h r e e W a r n i n g s ' was published separately b y G e o r g e G o w e r at Kidderminster in 1792. It was reprinted freq u e n t l y in p o p u l a r anthologies: T h e British Poetical Weekly (Huddersfield, 1799), ii. 5; British Female Poets, ed. Bethunc (1848); English Poetesses, ed. E. S. Robertson (1883), & c . A c c o r d i n g to M r s . Piozzi the p o e m was translated into G e r m a n , a n d into Italian b y the M a r q u i s d e P i n d e m o n t e (I.ansdowne M S . letter o f Solstice, 1805, a n d Queeney Letters, p. 202). It b e c a m e a popular poem for public recitation. In a letter f r o m Mrs. T h r a l e to Johnson, from Bath, A p r . 20, 1780, she referred to a reading of the T a l e by a public lecturer ( R y . 540, 93). O n M a r . 19, 1795, L . C h a p p e l o w wrote to Mrs. Piozzi that H o l m a n was to read the poem in a series at

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of readers have been familiar from their schoolroom days with old Dobson, the hero. 1 T h e plot, a variation of a well-known folk-tale motif, was not original, 2 being, as she admitted, the favourite anecdote of old Sir Charles Wager, retold in easy octosyllabics. Death had promised Farmer Dobson three warnings before his final visit, and when the time arrived, Dobson demanded his warnings. Death in turn asked the farmer a few pertinent questions. 'I little thought you'd still be able T o stump about your farm and stable; Your years have run to a great length, I wish you joy, tho', of your strength.' 'Hold,' says the farmer, 'not so fast, I have been lame these four years past.' 'And no great wonder,' Death replies. 'However, you still keep your eyes; And, sure, to sec one's loves and friends, For legs and arms would make amends.' 'Perhaps,' says Dobson, 'so it might, But latterly I've lost my sight.' 'This is a shocking story, faith, Yet there's some comfort still,' says Death. 'Each strives your sadness to amuse, I warrant you have all the news.' ' T h e r e ' s none,' cries he: 'and if there were, I ' m grown so deaf, I could not hear.' 'Nay, then,' the spectre stern rejoin'd, 'These are unjustifiable yearnings; If you are lame, and deal, and blind, You've had your three sufficient warnings. So come along, no more we'll part,' He said, and touched him with his dart. And now old Dobson, turning pale, Yields to his fate—so ends my tale. 1 Mrs. T h r a l e ' s only o t h e r c o n t r i b u t i o n to Miss Williams's Miscellanies was her translation of the 'Epistle of Boileau to his G a r d e n e r ' , which was effectively written in the heroic couplet. Soon after the p u b l i c a t i o n of these poems a t t e m p t s were m a d e F r e e M a s o n ' s H a l l w h i c h w a s m u c h advertised ( R y . 5 6 2 , 24). See also European Mag. x (1 786), 5. 1 See reference by Miss M i r i a m A . Ellis, fortnightly Review ( A u g . 1 9 0 3 ) , p. 269. 2 S e e N. & Q_., 3 r d S e r . 11 ( D e c . 1 4 , 1 8 6 7 ) , 482. J S c c l e y , Mrs. Thrale, p p . 4 9 - 5 0 . T h e p o e m is also printed in H a y w a r d , ii. '65-9-

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of Johnson. 1

to trace in them the hand Y e t there is no reason to question the lady's independent authorship, for while some of the lines may be Johnson's, or corrected by him before publication, Mrs. Thrale had previously shown herself quite capable of writing the poems unassisted. Besides the help Johnson gave in collecting subscriptions and in adding to the meagre supply of verses written by Miss Williams, he contributed the Preface, several short poems, and the fairy tale called ' T h e Fountains'. As has been mentioned already, Johnson told Mrs. Thrale that in this story he would describe her character. She always believed he had done so, as is shown by remarks in her letters and books; indeed, her copy of the Miscellanies has numerous annotations in the margins comparing Floretta with herself. 2 O n e should be careful, however, not to see in his characterization more than Johnson actually intended. In the story, Floretta was given the right to drink either from the spring o f j o y or frotn the spring of sorrow, and thus to attain her most ardent desires. She tried, in rapid succession, beauty, a faithful lover, the right to have her own way, wealth, and even wit; but when envy and jealousy rendered all of these unendurable, she successively drank each one away, except wit, with a draught from the fountain of sorrow. Finally, when even long life proved futile, Floretta resigned herself calmly to the course of nature. Probably all Johnson wished was to make his hostess realize that most worldly ambitions were hollow, and he took this means of advising her to be content with the talents God had given her. Throughout the winter of 1766 Johnson was probably a constant visitor in Southwark, though we have no accurate ' John. Misc. ii. 353, n o t e ; q u o t e d from Prior, Life of Klalone, p. 4 1 3 . S. L y s o n s is in this ease given as a u t h o r i t y for the s t a t e m e n t ; yet in his o w n scrap-book o f clippings, w h e n pasting in the story printed in the Morning Post for M a r . 2 1 , 1 7 8 8 , Lysons wrote next to the c l i p p i n g , ' N o t true S . L . ' (See p. 124, n. 1, C h a p t e r V I . ) 2 N o w in the collection at J o h n s o n ' s Birthplace, Lichfield. I n N o v . 1815 Sir J a m e s Fellowcs j o t t e d d o w n f r o m M r s . Piozzi's conversation various recollections concerning ' T h e Fountains'. A c c o r d i n g to this a c c o u n t , ' D r . Johnson w r o t e the beautiful T a l e of the "Fountains" in a short time in the library at S t r e a t h a m whilst Mrs. T h r a l e w a s sitting b y h i m , telling her that he would describe her as " F l o r e t t a " and that it w o u l d serve to fill u p the book a b o u t to be published for the benefit o f Mrs. A n n a W i l l i a m s the blind lady entitled "Miscellanies in Prose & Verse" 1766. T h e lines scored in the T a l e of the Fountains were by H . L . P . — ' ( A d a m collection). It is greatly to be d o u b t e d w h e t h e r M r s . T h r a l e a c t u a l l y s u p plied a n y parts of J o h n s o n ' s T a l e , t h o u g h she m a y possibly h a v e suggested s o m e points o f the characterization. T h e w r i t i n g p r o b a b l y occurred i n S o u t h w a r k rather than S t r e a t h a m , but this too is not certain. See also H a y w a r d , ii. 4 4 4 - 5 .

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1

record of his movements. H e was living at the time in his house in J o h n s o n ' s C o u r t with the strange medley of companions caricatured by M a c a u l a y . Life in this household, with the objects of his charity constantly quarrelling among themselves, could hardly have been cheering to the ailing moralist, w h o was subject to black fits of melancholy. T h e d r a b atmosphere of his home provided no antidote for his sombre moods. W h i l e occasional dinners with congenial friends, or meetings of the C l u b , with Burke, Reynolds, and Goldsmith, might rouse his spirits for a few hours, the greater part of his time was spent in brooding dejection. S o m e time in the first half of 1 7 6 6 J o h n s o n suffered a severe b r e a k d o w n ; he became so morbidly depressed that he would not stir out of his house for m a n y weeks together, and as M r s . T h r a l e later expressed it, 'he often lamented to 11s the horrible condition of his mind, which he said was nearly distractcd'. It was so distressing that, when wc waited on him one morning, and heard him, in the most pathetic terms, beg the prayers of D r . D e l a p , who had left him as w e c a m e in, I felt excessively affected with grief, and well remember m y husband involuntarily lifted up one hand to shut his mouth, from provocation at hearing a m a n so wildly proclaim w h a t he could at last persuade no one to believe; and w h a t , if true, would have been so very unfit to reveal. M r . T h r a l e went a w a y soon after, leaving me with him, and bidding me prevail on him to quit his close habitation in the court and come with us to S t r c a t h a m , where I undertook the care of his health, and had the honour and happiness of contributing to its restoration. 2 E x a c t l y w h e n J o h n s o n a c c e p t e d the T h r a l e s ' i n v i t a t i o n f o r a p r o l o n g e d stay a t S t r c a t h a m is u n c e r t a i n , b u t w e k n o w d e f i n i t e l y f r o m his o w n j o u r n a l t h a t he w a s t h e r e f r o m the l a t t e r p a r t of J u n e to the 1st of O c t o b e r 1 7 6 6 . 3 T h i s w a s a t u r n i n g p o i n t in his life. F r i e n d s h i p q u i c k l y r i p e n e d into i n t i m a c y , a n d f o r the next sixteen y e a r s J o h n s o n spent the g r e a t e r p a r t of his ' From Boswell's records of Feb. 1 7 6 6 (Lift, ii. 5 - 1 6 ) , it appears that he saw Johnson during week-ends, a fact which lends further support to Mrs. Thralc's assertion that Johnson came to them regularly every Thursday, and possibly on other days in the middle of the week. 2 John. Misc., i. 2 3 4 . ' T h e problem of Johnson's illness and first domestication at the Thrales is considered by Dr. L. F. Powell in Appendix F , Life, i. 5 2 0 - 2 . Without further evidence it seems difficult to harmonize Mrs. Piozzi's account with the fairly cheerful tone exhibited by Johnson in his letters to Langton in M a r c h and M a y 1 7 6 6 ; yet these letters may have been written in lucid intervals. See also Life, ii. 2 5 . Johnson's mental instability this spring is clearly shown in the entry in his diary for M a r . 2 9 , 1 7 6 G (printed by R . B. A d a m in Pages from Johnsons Diary, Buffalo, 1926).

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time with the Thrales either at Streatham or in Southwark. He grew to think and speak of both these houses as 'home', and constantly referred to his host and hostess as his 'Master' and 'Mistress'. To all intents and purposes Johnson became a member of the Thrale family.

IV B E G IANIjXG

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T

H E domestication of S a m u e l Johnson at S t r e a t h a m b r o u g h t a w e l c o m e c h a n g e for Mrs. T h r a l e , w h o had been forced since her m a r r i a g e to lead a c o m p a r a t i v e l y secluded life and expected to be content with household and m a t e r n a l duties while her husband continued to enjoy the diversions of L o n d o n alone. J o h n s o n once frankly told Mrs. T h r a l e , in her mother's hearing, that she lived like a kept mistress, 'shut from the world, its pleasures, or its cares'. 1 N o w for the first time she had some one in the h o m e w h o was willing to spend hours in literary conversation or to lend a s y m p a t h e t i c ear to tales of household perplexities. T h r a l e , as w e h a v e seen, h a d no patience either with her complaints or with her enthusiasms. Because of J o h n son's presence, too, other interesting visitors b e g a n slowly to find their w a y across the river to S o u t h w a r k or to S t r e a t h a m . T h r a l e ' s bachelor cronies w h o , with the exception of A r t h u r M u r p h y , could h a r d l y h a v e felt at ease with the a u t h o r of Rasselas, were seen less frequently. Instead, a m o r e distinguished c o m p a n y took their place. Baretti, Sir J o s h u a R e y nolds, G o l d s m i t h , a n d the Burkes m a d e the a c q u a i n t a n c e of the S o u t h w a r k b r e w e r and c a m e to his house to dine. 2 T h u s Mrs. T h r a l e had J o h n s o n to thank not only for kindly counsel in the house, b u t also for b r i n g i n g his famous friends to her d r a w i n g - r o o m . H e r m i n d need stagnate no longer in petty cares or dull gossip. O n the other h a n d , she soon found that there were objectionable features in the a r r a n g e m e n t . A l t h o u g h Johnson might feci that it was a mistake for a talented w o m a n to give all her days to affairs of the f a m i l y , he never advocated complete

1 H a y w a r d , ii. 2 5 . J o h n s o n u s e d t o tell h e r t h a t w h i l e she w a s f e e d i n g h e r c h i c k e n s s h e w a s s t a r v i n g h e r o w n u n d e r s t a n d i n g ( R y . "¡B;,, 14). 1 In o n l y o n e i n s t a n c e is t h e r e a n y c o n t e m p o r a r y e v i d e n c e p r o v i n g j u s t w h e n e a c h w a s i n t r o d u c e d . In S i r J o s h u a R e y n o l d s ' s n o t e - b o o k s ( n o w at the R o y a l A c a d e m y , L o n d o n ) the n a m e o f T h r a l e first a p p e a r s a m o n g the lists o f business a n d s o c i a l e n g a g e m e n t s o n S e p t . 2, 1 7 6 6 .

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emancipation, and m a d e it a settled rule a l w a y s to support the husband in a n y serious a r g u m e n t . A n d even his literary conversation was not unalloyed pleasure, lor his love of talk, c o m b i n e d with perpetual insomnia, m a d e liim p r o l o n g the discussions far past the usual bed time, a n d M r s . T h r a l e was often compelled to be his long-suffering c o m p a n i o n . 1 F u r t h e r m o r e , the open dislike shown b y her o w n m o t h e r for the great m a n resulted in constant friction. Mrs. S a l u s b u r y was interested in current topics and derived particular e n j o y m e n t from reading and discussing news from the C o n t i n e n t . T o J o h n s o n such preoccupation with d o u b t f u l news of the d a y w a s a waste of time, and he continually teased her a b o u t her credulity. T h i s m u c h is certain, but w e m a y be inclined to question the story w h i c h Mrs. T h r a l e tells of his w r i t i n g misleading accounts of i m a g i n a r y battles in central E u r o p e a n d inserting t h e m in Mrs. Salusbury's favourite newspaper. 2 T h e situation was not improved when Mrs. S a l u s b u r y ' s d o g Belle c o m m i t t e d the unp a r d o n a b l e sin of d e v o u r i n g Johnson's buttered toast while he was holding forth to her d a u g h t e r . It was only after a long succession of family sorrows that J o h n s o n a n d M r s . Salusbury got over this early prejudice and b e c a m e devoted friends. L i v i n g with the T h r a l e s resulted in a c h a n g e in J o h n s o n too. N e v e r before had he e n j o y e d d a y after d a y the l u x u r y and comforts of a well-to-do household. H e was assured of the best of food, spacious grounds for exercise, efficient service for all his needs, and a congenial g r o u p of c o m p a n i o n s deferring to his wishes. T h e early years of privation had left their mark on both his disposition a n d his h u g e frame, sharpening his tongue as well as his appetite. N o w in the h a p p y , t r a n q u i l life at John. Misc. i. 231. See also p. 149. I b i d . , p. 235. Sir Brooke B o o t h b y corroborates the story, h a r d l y credible t h o u g h it m a y seem. H e told R o b e r t A n d e r s o n ( w h o recorded it in his Life of Samuel Johnson (3rd c d . , E d i n b u r g h , 1 8 1 5 ) , p. 322) that J o h n s o n one d a y at L u c y Porter's related, (hat a lady of his a c q u a i n t a n c e implicitly believed every thing she read in the papers; and that, by w a y o f c u r i n g her c r e d u l i t y , he f a b r i c a t e d a story of a battle between the Russians a n d l u r k s , then at w a r ; . . . T h e l a d y , h o w e v e r , believed the story, and n e v e r f o r g a v e the d e c e p t i o n ; the c o n s e q u e n c e of w h i c h was, that I lost an a g r e e a b l e c o m p a n i o n , a n d she w a s d e p r i v e d o f an innocent amusement. A c c o r d i n g to the story, J o h n s o n even c l a i m e d that the R u s s i a n A m b a s s a d o r sent in great haste to k n o w w h e r e the printer h a d received his intelligence. Baretti also gives evidence of the e a r l y j e a l o u s y between Johnson a n d M r s . S a l u s b u r y . In a note to tile 1788 edition o f J o h n s o n ' s Letters (British M u s e u m ) he w r o t e : 'Johnson could not m u c h b e a r Mrs. S a l u s b u r y , n o r Mrs. S a l u s b u r y him, w h e n they first knew c a d i other But her c a n c e r m o v e d his compassion, a n d m a d e them friends.' 1

2

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Streatham Johnson relaxed and gradually became a different person. H i s h e a l t h i m p r o v e d b o t h p h y s i c a l l y a n d m e n t a l l y ; e v e n his o u t w a r d a p p e a r a n c e w a s a l t e r e d . T h r a l e w a s responsible for this last a n d most o b v i o u s m e t a morphosis. H e w a s the M a s t e r o f S t r e a t h a m , a n d since his w o r d w a s l a w in t h e h o u s e h o l d , e v e n J o h n s o n d a r e d n o t diso b e y . I t w a s T h r a l e w h o s a w t o it t h a t J o h n s o n ' s c l o t h e s w e r e c l e a n a n d in o r d e r , t h a t h e p u t silver b u c k l e s o n his shoes, t h a t h e c h a n g e d his shirt m o r e o f t e n t h a n f o r m e r l y . O n o c c a s i o n s a s e r v a n t stood outside t h e d i n i n g - r o o m w i t h a fresh w i g , so t h a t t h e result o f J o h n s o n ' s h a b i t o f r e a d i n g t o o close t o the c a n d l e m i g h t not b e a p p a r e n t t o t h e guests. 1 M o r e o v e r , o n l y the M a s t e r c o u l d c u r b J o h n s o n ' s d o g m a t i c assertions. M r s . T h r a l e tells us that at least o n c e her h u s b a n d c u t short o n e o f his p r o n o u n c e m e n t s w i t h a c u r t — ' T h e r e , there, n o w w e h a v e h a d e n o u g h for o n e l c c t u r e , D r . J o h n s o n ; w e w i l l not be u p o n e d u c a t i o n a n y m o r e till a f t e r d i n n e r , if y o u please.' 2 T h a t J o h n son w o u l d a c c e p t s u c h a r e p r o o f is e v i d e n c e o f t h e respect he h a d for his host a n d his willingness to c o n f o r m t o t h e rules o f the S t r e a t h a m f a m i l y . T h e m o n t h s o f idleness t h r o u g h o u t t h e s u m m e r o f 1 7 6 6 , d u r i n g w h i c h he w a s p r o v i d e d w i t h all the fresh fruit a n d v e g e t a b l e s h e c o u l d c o n s u m e (his i d e a o f perfect l u x u r y ) , p a r tially restored his h e a l t h a n d g o o d spirits. 3 T h e c h a n g e so d e l i g h t e d the M a s t e r a n d Mistress o f t h e m a n s i o n t h a t t h e y b e g a n to consider their guest as a p e r m a n e n t a d d i t i o n to the f a m i l y . H a v i n g s a m p l e d the p l e a s u r e o f his wise c o m p a n i o n ship a n d seen h i m r e j u v e n a t e d b y g o o d l i v i n g , t h e y w e r e averse to g o i n g b a c k to t h e old c a s u a l i n t e r c o u r s e . C o n s e q u e n t l y , e v e n d u r i n g the w i n t e r , w h e n they w e r e in t o w n next to the b r e w e r y , they e x p e c t e d J o h n s o n to s p e n d at least p a r t o f t h e w e e k w i t h t h e m . A s M r s . T h r a l e w r o t e , D r . J o h n s o n 'soon b e c a m e somet h i n g like a r e g u l a r I n m a t e o f the H o u s e at S o u t h w a r k , w h e r e M r . T h r a l e fitted h i m u p a n A p a r t m e n t o v e r t h e C o u n t i n g H o u s e T w o P a i r o f Stairs h i g h — & c a l l e d it the Round Tower' H e r e J o h n s o n w a s c o m f o r t a b l y installed, a n d n a t u r a l l y b e g a n to t h i n k a n d speak of the b o r o u g h , as well as S t r e a t h a m , as ' h o m e ' . T h e f o l l o w i n g s u m m e r he w r o t e to M r s . T h r a l e f r o m Lichfield: T h o u g h I have been a w a y so much longer than I purposed or expected, I have found nothing that withdraws my afTcctions from ' H a y w a r d , i. 16. Life, ii. 2 5 ; John. Misc. i. 234.

3

2 4

John. Misc. i. 339. M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , i. 56.

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the friends w h o m I left b e h i n d , or w h i c h m a k e s m e less desirous o f r e p o s i n g at that p l a c e w h i c h y o u r kindness a n d M r . T h r a l e ' s a l l o w s

me to call my home.1

A s might have been expected, Johnson was soon interested in all the affairs of the household, with the library, of course, one o f his chief concerns. Even so early as this year w e find him purchasing a stray v o l u m e of 'Saurin on the Bible' which Mrs. T h r a l e marked, ' A n o d d v o l u m e bought at a sale for 2 s. 9 d. by D r . Johnson, for S t r e a t h a m Park L i b r a r y , 1766'. 2 L a t e r he assisted his host in m a k i n g wholesale additions to his stock of reference works, being given carte blanche to expend c o m p a r a tively large sums of m o n e y to make the collection at Streatham as comprehensive as possible. O n one occasion he wrote to Mrs. T h r a l e : I h a v e n o w g o t m o r e b o o k s for M r . T h r a l e t h a n c a n b e carried in t h e c o a c h , a n d , I t h i n k , he m a y better send a cart t h a n w e c a n g e t o n e , b e c a u s e he m a y send w i t h it baskets or sacks for t h e s m a l l e r v o l u m e s . W e h a v e o f all sizes m o r e t h a n four h u n d r e d . 3

Johnson was not interested solely in the food, the conversation, and the books at his new a b o d e ; he was soon involved in the concerns of the nursery as well. In 1766 little Hester M a r i a was too small to attract m u c h attention, but the next y e a r Mrs. T h r a l e ended a fable written about her little daughter with the lines: T h e r e — s h o u l d her P r a t t l e o n c e b e g u i l e , J u d i c i o u s J o h n s o n of A S m i l e , Y o u ' d s o o n confess y o u r C a r e s r e p a i d , A n d w o n d e r at t h e Progress m a d e . 4

Johnson's love for y o u n g people was an element which Boswell almost completely ignored, and tions with the T h r a l e children that we see the kindliest role. H e aided in their education,

in his character it is in his relaold m a n in his w a t c h e d their

' J u l y 20, 1767. T h e volume was jold with Cecilia Mostyn's effects in Brighton in 1857 (Brighton Herald, O c t . 17, 1857). In a letter to Q u e e n e y , M a y 12, 1807, Mrs. Piozzi wrote that 'Saurin's Sermons were bought for me long a g o by a well-meaning Friend, who I set to purchase me the Dissertations'. 1 Adam Libr. i. 152; M a y 21 (no year). T h o u g h impossible to date with certainty, this note undoubtedly belongs in the early i 7 7 o ' s , possibly after the building of the new library in 1773. A c c o r d i n g to M m e D ' A r b l a y (Memoirs of Doctor Burney, ii. 79), T h r a l e once g a v e Johnson £100 with which to purchase volumes for the library. 4 M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 93. T h e r e is some confusion as to the dating of this poem. In various places it is dated 1767 and 1776, but the earlier seems more probable. 1

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growth with affectionate concern, and grieved over their ill health. H e almost looked upon them as his own. First place in his heart was always held by the eldest—'Miss Hetty' as he first referred to her, then 'Queen Hester', which was shortened to 'Queeney'. Although her mother had other pet names which she used continually, such as 'Hetty' and ' N i g g y ' , it is as 'Queeney' that the child moves serenely across the pages of Johnson's letters and her mother's diaries. Mrs. T h r a l e was inordinately proud of the little Queeney. She engaged the celebrated Z o f f a n y to paint the child when only twenty months old seated on a pillow by the side of the dog Belle. 1 Possibly at Johnson's suggestion, she decided to keep a special journal devoted to accounts of the child's education and physical growth. This was called the 'Children's Book or rather F a m i l y Book', and the first entry was made on Queeney's second birthday: This is to serve as a Memorandum of her Corporeal & Mental Powers at the Age of two Years, to wch she is arriv'd this 1 7 : Sept: 1766. She can walk & run alone up & down all smooth Places tho' pretty steep, & tho' the Backstring is still kept on it is no longer of Use. She is perfectly healthy, of a lax Constitution, & is strong enough to carry a Hound puppy two Months old quite across the Lawn at Streatham. also to carry a Bowl such as are used on bowling Greens up the Mount to the Tubs. She is neither remarkably big nor tall, being just 34 Inches high, but eminently pretty. She can speak most Words & speak them plain enough too, but is no great Talker: she repeats the Pater Noster, the three Christian Virtues & the Signs of the Zodiac in Watts's Verses; she likewise knows them on the Globe perfectly well. She can tell all her Letters great & small & spell little Words as D, o, g, Dog, C, a, t, Cat &c. She knows her nine Figures & the simplest Combinations of 'em as 3, 4, 34, 6, 8, G8, but none beyond a hundred. She knows all the heathen Deities by their Attributes & counts 20 without missing one.2 T h e nature of the new record is readily apparent in this first entry. It was to contain the indisputable proofs of the remarkable gifts of her children; but as the years progressed, more and more autobiographical material crept in, and the journal gradually came to serve also as a release for her own emotions. 1 A print m a d e f r o m this portrait is n o w in the possession of M r s . H e r b e r t E v a n s , B r y n b e l l a , b y w h o s e kind permission it is r e p r o d u c e d here. 1 ' T h e C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k , or rather F a m i l y B o o k ' , u n p u b l i s h e d M S . of 18G pages, 8 v o , b e g u n S e p t . 1 7 , 1 7 6 6 , a n d c o n t i n u e d to the e n d of 1 7 7 8 . It is now in the possession of S i r H a n d l e M a i n w a r i n g , H a f o d - y - c o e d , St. A s a p h , N o r t h Wales, w h o has kindly g i v e n permission for the p r i n t i n g of the f o l l o w i n g extracts.

Q.UEENEY —AGED T W E N T Y M O N T H S From a print after a portrait by ZOFFANY Whereabouts unknown

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It was impossible for Mrs. Thrale to be objective about anything, least of all her own family affairs. As a result, during the next decade the Children's Book became almost a diary, and we consult it to-day as the one indispensable narrative of this period. For the first few years, however, the entries are few, devoted solely to accounts of births, illnesses, and the accomplishments of her rapidly increasing family. The next baby, born in Southwark on February 15, 1767, was a son who was named Henry Salusbury. Thrale's hopes for an heir were at last realized, and the happy mother ended the entry in the new journal with the jubilant phrase, 'he appears likely to live thank God'. 1 During the remainder of the winter, with two infants to care for, Mrs. Thrale was kept busy and contented, her chief and absorbing preoccupation still being the mental development of her first-born. On March 17, 1767, she wrote another long description of Queeney's attainments in the Children's Book. Although only two and a half years old, Queeney was, according to the account, a marvel of precocity, with a varied knowledge of geography, grammar, mathematics, and religion. 'Certainly uncommon performances', indeed, for a child so young! Soon an extra little blue book was filled with further mental acquisitions of the prodigy, 2 who, the proud mother felt, would certainly some day shine in the intellectual world. The affairs of the nursery largely monopolized the time of Mrs. Thrale for the next year. As Johnson was away in the Midlands for almost six months, the literary discussions at Streatham flagged. It was not until late in October 1767 that he was back 'home', seeking comfort and cheer after the death of his mother's old companion, Catherine Chambers. By this time Mrs. Thrale, whose winters were spent in a chronic state of pregnancy, was miserable and dispirited herself. Johnson's presence in the house thus proved a blessing both to the young wife and to the great man, since literary chat would always drive away their morbid thoughts. Before the child appeared, however, the Thrales were thrust into serious political embroilments by the approaching dissolution of Parliament. Early in 1768 Thrale was anxiously canvassing the borough, for although reasonably sure of his seat he wished to take no chances. Johnson was again called upon to 1 T h e child was christened M a r . 3 at St. Saviour's Church, Southwark, his sponsors M r . Nesbitt, M r . Plumbe, and Mrs. Salusbury. 1 Children's Book, Sept. 1 7 , 1767, Brighton.

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draft announcements for the newspapers, and even when he went for a short visit to Oxford he was actively in touch with the situation. O n February 29 he wrote to Mrs. T h r a l e : ' T h o u g h I do not perceive that there is any need of help, I shall yet write another advertisement, lest you might suspect that my complaisance had more of idleness than sincerity.' 1 Not only did he send the required address, but he also, at the insistence of his Mistress, wrote a letter to be shown to a M r . Pennick, whose vote was in doubt. O n M a r c h 8, at a general meeting in the borough, T h r a l e was renominated, and he spent the next few days campaigning strenuously. Because of the disturbance aroused by the proceedings against Wilkes, the election of 1768 was unusually violent. T h e city was in a tumult, with mobs everywhere, outbreaks in the streets, carriages stopped by the rioters and the occupants made to shout for Wilkes and Liberty. T h e borough, too, was seething with continuous excitement, and since T h r a l e with quiet determination opposed the patriots, the contcst was taxing to his family. Although not particularly worried over the result, Johnson wrote again from Oxford on the 14th: 'If I can be of any use, I will come directly to London.' 2 By this time, however, Thrale felt fairly certain of success. Mrs. Thrale, on the other hand, was not so sanguine: worried and fretful, within a few weeks of the birth of her fourth child, she morbidly imagined the worst, and was confident that all was lost. Finally, on the 23rd, the polling was completed, and T h r a l e was elected at the head of the list. 3 Worn out with the suspense and excitement, Mrs. Thrale soon after moved to Streatham, where on April 1 she gave birth to another girl, duly christened Anna M a r i a in honour of her great aunt, the first L a d y Salusbury. T h e name was doubtless a gesture of peace towards Sir Thomas, though it probably only served to make his second wife more implacable. T h e election of 1768 did not end the unrest in London, and 1 Adam Libr. i. 9 1 . W i t h his letter to M r s . T h r a l e of F e b . 29 J o h n s o n included an election address which w a s printed in the L o n d o n papers of M a r . 3 , 1768, s i g n e d b y T h r a l e . I n the Gazetteer the address was repeated in the issues of M a r . 4, 5 , 7, 8. S e e also Letters, N o . 196, & c . 1 Letters, N o . 1 9 7 . F u r t h e r election addresses signed b y T h r a l e h a d a p p e a r e d in the n e w s p a p e r s , but there is no direct evidence that they were d r a f t e d by J o h n s o n . O n e address a p p e a r e d in the Gazetteer of M a r . 9, 1 0 , 1 1 , 1 2 , and a n o t h e r in the same p a p e r M a r . 1 5 , 1 6 , 1 7 , 1 8 , 19, 2 1 . 5 P o l l i n g b e g a n on the 2 1 s t a n d was concluded on the 2 3 r d . T h r a l e expressed his thanks for support in the Gazetteer for M a r . 2 3 , a n d on the 24th a d d e d his a p p r e c i a t i o n for the election.

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the problems of the day provided a constant topic of conversation in the home of the Member for Southwark. Mrs. Thrale's feelings about Wilkes and the Friends of Liberty were mixed. Her husband, a loyal henchman of Lord North, was shocked by the riotous methods of the Middlesex electors, but, in contrast, some of her old intimates, notably Herbert Lawrence, were hand-in-glove with the party of Wilkes. During the following summer Lawrence kept her supplied with clippings from the papers of poems and articles which he had written to further the popular cause, and finally she herself became so much interested that she dashed off an epigram for the Public Advertiser of J u l y 20, 1768, pointing out an analogy between Wilkes and the ancient Egyptian Ichneumon. 1 T h e next year she published in the same paper an amusing nursery rhyme which she had scribbled in a spare moment. 2 ' A was an Alderman, factious and proud' began the doggerel; then on through the alphabet Mrs. Thrale amusingly pointed out political morals for the edification of the public. Later she asserted that George Steevens claimed this witty sally as his own, and that it was this pretension which first bred suspicion of his truthfulness in the mind of Johnson. T h e poem is not important enough to make or break the literary reputation of either claimant, but the resulting jealousy is probably one reason why Steevens never became a member of the Streatham circle. 3 In maintaining her husband's parliamentary position, Mrs. Thrale continually entertained powerful constituents and party allies at her dinner table, and finding it difficult to identify them all, often kept lists of their names on the back of her menu card. 4 She had also, on occasions, to find positions for relatives of loyal adherents 5 and to help make arrangements for food to be sent to party rallies. 6 For his part, Johnson was glad either to solicit support or to use his pen in the service of his host. Some time later, when the excitement caused by the expulsion of Wilkes and the arbitrary election of Colonel Luttrell had plunged London into a state of uproar, J o h n s o n wrote his favourite political dissertation, The False Alarm, to excuse the government's high-handed attempt to disfranchise the 1

See also R y . 535, 8; 646, 133. Fublic Advertiser, Aug. 4, 1769; see also Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 7 1 . Hayward, i. 56. * Original note now in the possession of M r . L . Fleming, Bognor Regis. 5 See pp. 1 1 9 - 2 0 , Chapter V I . Mentioned in a letter to Johnson, undated, but obviously Sept. 20, 1 7 7 7 (Ry- 54°> 73)2

3

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votcrs of Middlesex. According to Mrs. Thrale, the pamphlet 'was written at our house between eight o'clock on Wednesday night and twelve o'clock on Thursday night; we read it to M r . Thrale when he came very late home from the House of Commons'. 1 In spite of the fact that Johnson's enemies always maintained that he wrote this and other political pamphlets in return for his government pension, it seems almost certain that some of them, at least, were merely intended to aid Thrale and his friends in critical times. It may even be doubted that two or three would ever have been completed had it not been for the urgings of the Southwark household. 2 Johnson's contribution was to express in forceful style the conservative sentiments which he had always cherished and which he heard constantly at the Thrale dinner table. He did this so well, moreover, that some of his admirers felt that such ability should be put to wider use, and sought to obtain for him a place in Parliament. Hawkins is authority for the statement that Thrale himself once tried actively to further the scheme, but that nothing came ofit, largely because Lord North feared Johnson's stout independence might be embarrassing. 3 T h e tie between Johnson and Mrs. Thrale was gradually growing stronger. T o her he brought with delight each new literary curiosity which came his w a y ; to her he confided his pain and suffering; to her he turned for tender nursing whenever he was ill. In the spring of 1768, while she was confined at Streatham after the birth of A n n a M a r i a and he was ill at Oxford, he wrote: T have been really very bad, and am glad that I was not at Streatham, where I should have been troublesome to you, and you could have given no help to me.' 4 Absence always made him think fondly of his adopted family, and he insisted a month later: 'I count the friendship of your house among the felicities of life.' 5 T h e next year under similar circumstances he wrote: T h a t I should forget y o u , there is no d a n g e r ; for I have time enough to think both by night a n d by d a y ; and he that has leisure for a n y t h i n g that is not present, a l w a y s turns his mind to that w h i c h he likes best. 6

It was to his dear Mistress that his mind turned on any and John. Misc. i. 1 7 3 ; Life, ii. 1 1 1 ; Johnson Bibliography, p p . 1 1 4 - 1 5 . S e e also p. 1 1 7 . O n A p r . 1, 1 7 7 5 , Baretti told D r . T . C a m p b e l l t h a t not o n e of J o h n s o n ' s p o l i t i c a l p a m p h l e t s w o u l d h a v e s e e n t h e l i g h t ' h a d it not b e e n for M r s . T h r a l e & Baretti w h o stirred h i m u p b y l a y i n g w a g e r s & c . ' (See p. 122, n. 3.) 3 I.ife, ii. 137. 4 A p r . 19, 1768. 5 M a y 23, 1768. 6 M a y 18, 1 7 6 9 . 1

2

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every occasion. Nor was she oblivious of the advantages of this association with one of the greatest men of her time. By this year she had embarked on her career as a recorder of Johnsonian anecdotes, and thus had begun almost as early as Boswell to preserve memorabilia of their hero. For example, in September 1768 the Thrales took Johnson with them on a short tour through Kent. T h e y spent his birthday, the 18th, in Townmalling, but were back in Streatham a few days later. A m o n g Mrs. Thrale's miscellaneous papers is a reference to this trip. W e had taken M r . Johnson a little T o u r into K e n t for the benefit of his health, & soon after our return he went to T o w n for a d a y or two during w h i c h time I went into his A p a r t m e n t to see that all w a s left as it should be and found in an open d r a w e r not even shut together these remarkable Lines of w h i c h I could not forbear taking a C o p y , this Night 23: Septr. 1768. ' S e p t : 18: 1768 at night T o w n M a i l i n g in K e n t . I h a v e now begun the sixtieth year o f m y life, h o w the last year has passed I a m unwilling to terrify myself w i t h thinking, this d a y has been passed in great perturbation, I w a s distracted at C h u r c h in an unc o m m o n degree, and m y distress has h a d very little intermission . . .''

Mrs. Thrale's curiosity could not withstand the invitation of an open drawer. (It would be ungenerous not to believe that the drawer was at least partially open!) Some years later Boswell's wife refused to take advantage of a similar opportunity, much to the annoyance of her husband. 2 During the long quiet days in the country Johnson confided to Mrs. Thrale much about himself. Finding her a ready and sympathetic listener, he even confessed his morbid secret fears of insanity. T h e sole repository of the secret, she did not betray the trust; in Thraliana, she never wrote all the details. In this instance Mrs. Thrale showed her loyalty by locking in her memory for ever that 'Secret far dearer to him than his Life'. 3 1 R y . 543, 25. T h e c o m p l e t e q u o t a t i o n f r o m J o h n s o n ' s P r a y e r s a n d M e d i t a t i o n s m a y be found in John. Misc. i. 4 7 - 8 . A t T o w n m a l l i n g they visited M r . Francis Brooke w h o later stood sponsor for S u s a n n a T h r a l e . See also Letters, N o . 538. 2 Boswell, Tour to the Hebrides, ed. Pottle a n d Bennett (1936), p. 34. 1 T h r a l i a n a , M a y 1779. S h e w r o t e : It appears to m e that n o M a n c a n live his Life q u i t e t h r o ' , w i t h o u t beiiiR at some period o f it under the D o m i n a t i o n o f some W o m a n — W i f e Mistress or Friend . . . our stern Philosopher J o h n s o n trusted m e a b o u t the Y e a r s 1767 or 1 7 6 8 — 1 know not w h i c h just n o w — w i t h a Secret far d e a r e r to h i m than his Life . . . T h i s may be an allusion to his fear ol insanity, or to possible masochistic tendencies. See the discussion by K . C . Balderston in The Age oj Jvhmun ( Y a k University Press, '949)- PP- 3 " ' 4 -

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B u t she did r e c o r d for posterity a few o f his r e m a r k s m a d e this y e a r , s u c h as the f o l l o w i n g : always carry some little Book in my pocket and take it out at odd T i m e s when nothing else was going forward, it has been by that means chiefly added he [that a]ll my knowledge has been gained exfcept w]hat I have pick'd up by running [about] the World with my Eyes open to O b s e r v a t i o n ] ; A man is seldom in a humour to [go to] his Book Case, set his Desk and [devot]e himself seriously to Study, but a [ r e t e n t i v e Memory will answer all [ . . . ] & a fellow shall have strange Credit [shew]n him for Knowledge, if he can but [rem]ember striking Passages from various [Boo]ks, & keep the Authors separate in [his] Head.' C h a r a c t e r i s t i c a d v i c e f r o m a m a n w h o saw no reason to r e a d e v e r y b o o k t h r o u g h to the e n d ! M r s . T h r a l e ' s records for this period are f r a g m e n t a r y . It is possible that b y this time she was k e e p i n g v a r i o u s j o u r n a l s , b u t the e v i d e n c e is not conclusive. N o r d o w e h a v e m a n y allusions to t h e T h r a l e s b y other p e o p l e of the d a y ; few letters m e n t i o n i n g t h e m h a v e s u r v i v e d , a n d scarcely a n y references in diaries or j o u r n a l s . O n e glimpse, h o w e v e r , o f the e v e r y d a y life a t S t r e a t h a m m a y be f o u n d in a letter written b y t h e G e r m a n t r a v e l l e r , Peter S t u r z , w h o w a s in L o n d o n in A u g u s t 1 7 6 8 , w h e r e he met a n u m b e r o f w e l l - k n o w n people. J o h n s o n , h a v i n g i n v i t e d G e o r g e C o l m a n to b r i n g S t u r z to see h i m , p r o c e e d e d to forget all a b o u t it. But on A u g u s t 18 t h e t w o f o u n d J o h n s o n at S t r e a t h a m , w h e r e they j o i n e d in a serious discussion a b o u t English speech. I n w r i t i n g his a c c o u n t o f the d a y , S t u r z described his trip to the l a n d e d estate o f ' H e r r n T h r a i l e s , dessen F r a u griechisch z u m Z e i t v e r t r e i b l i e s t V T h o u g h to t h e s t r a n g e r M r s . T h r a l e a p p e a r e d a f e m a l e scholar o f the deepest ' b l u e ' , she was p r o b a b l y m e r e l y p u z z l i n g out easy passages in G r e e k ; she m a d e no p r e t e n c e to k n o w l e d g e of the l a n g u a g e . W e k n o w f r o m v a r i o u s a c c o u n t s , on the other h a n d , t h a t she was proficient in L a t i n a n d , despite the later sneers of Boswell, h a d a wide, if cursory, a c q u a i n t a n c e w i t h the L a t i n classics. 3 1 R y . G'-'9, 7. S e e d e s c r i p t i o n , p . 8 5 . T h e p a g e is l o r n , a n d t h e c o n j e c t u r a l s u p p l e m e n t s are by D r . M o s e s T y s o n ( J . Rylands Bulletin, x v i ( 1 9 3 2 ) , 1 1 ) . C o m p a r e

w i t h John. Mac. i. 181 —^. 2 H e l f e r i c h P e t e r S t u r z , K'leine Schriften ( L e i p z i g , 1904), p. 9 7 . S t u r z g i v e s a n i n t e r e s t i n g a c c o u n t o f J o h n s o n ' s c o n v e r s a t i o n , a n d its f o r c e f u l s t y l e is o b v i o u s e v e n in ttie G e r m a n r e n d e r i n g . S e e a l s o T.L.S., K e b . 10, 1940, p. 8 0 . 3 B o s w e l l q u o t e d J o h n s o n as s a y i n g t h a t M r s . T h r a l e ' s l e a r n i n g w a s ' t h a t o f a s c h o o l - b o y in o n e o f t h e l o w e r f o r m s ' (Life, i. 4 9 4 ) . V e t M a n g i n (Rioziiunu, p. 17) insists t h a t he c o n s i d e r e d h e r a g o o d s c h o l a r ; a n d in o u r o w n d a y M i s s N l . i i j o r i e iNicolson (Huntington Library Bulletin, x ( 1 9 3 b ) , 1 3 2 ) , w h e n d i s c u s s i n g M i s . Hiozzi's

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While Sturz gives us an interesting sample of the conversation at Streatham, it was not until some time later that a more celebrated recorder jotted down notes of the discussions in the Thrale home. For various reasons, chiefly because during the past few years he had rarely been in London, James Boswell and Mrs. Thrale did not meet until 1768. Even then their acquaintance was apparently the result of chance, for Johnson does not seem to have been active in bringing his two admirers together. In the spring of this year, however, the young Scot, who had just published his Corsican travels and was bursting with importance, visited Johnson in Oxford and, late in M a y , eagerly welcomed him upon his return to London. Boswell probably looked forward to many conversations during the remainder of his stay in London, but Johnson was not content to linger in town when Streatham and the Thrales lured him away. Consequently, when Boswell came one day for a visit, he found his friend waiting for Mrs. Thrale to take him out to the country. There, 'before Mr. Johnson's court', the meeting took place. Boswell was not long in making the most of the occurrence, and, as he remembered, jumped into her coach, 'not I hope from impudence, but from that agreable kind of attraction which makes one forget ceremony'. 1 Nor was he slow in making clear their rivalry, even in this first encounter. 'I told you, M a d a m , that you and I were rivals for that great man. Y o u would take him to the country, when I was anxious to keep him in town.' 2 It was prophetic that even in this introduction there should have been a hint of antagonism, one day to develop into bitter enmity. Moreover, this 'polite and obliging' interchange in the busy street led to no immediate friendship. Boswell made no move to follow his idol to the country, if indeed he was invited, and it was not until his next visit to London, almost a year and a half later, that he found his way out to Streatham. Long afterwards he described this visit in the Life: I h a d last y e a r the p l e a s u r e o f s e e i n g M r s . T h r a l e a t D r . J o h n s o n ' s o n e m o r n i n g , a n d h a d c o n v e r s a t i o n e n o u g h w i t h her to a d m i r e her talents, a n d

to s h e w her t h a t I w a s as J o h n s o n i a n as herself.

Dr.

J o h n s o n h a d p r o b a b l y b e e n k i n d e n o u g h to s p e a k w e l l o f m e , for this e v e n i n g he d e l i v e r e d

m e a very polite

card from M r .

Thrale

a n d her, i n v i t i n g m c to S t r e a t h a m . marginalia, makes the statement that she w a s a w o m a n o f 'more than a v e r a g e education, of b r o a d , if not deep, reading*. ' Boswell's Letters, ed. C . B. T i n k e r , ii. 3 1 3 . D a t e d J u l y 9, 1782. 1 Ibid. i. 173. Dated Sept. 5, 1769. See also Life, ii. 7 7 .

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O n the 6th o f O c t o b e r I c o m p l i e d w i t h this o b l i g i n g i n v i t a t i o n , a n d f o u n d , a t a n e l e g a n t v i l l a , six miles f r o m t o w n , e v e r y c i r c u m s t a n c e t h a t c a n m a k e s o c i e t y p l e a s i n g . J o h n s o n , t h o u g h q u i t e at h o m e , w a s y e t l o o k e d u p to w i t h a n a w e , t e m p e r e d b y a f f e c t i o n , a n d s e e m e d t o b e e q u a l l y the c a r e o f his host a n d hostess.

I r e j o i c e d at s e e i n g h i m

so h a p p y . '

T h e conversation which followed ranged from good-humoured pleasantry about Scotland, Garrick's talent for light poetry, the truth of historical facts, Whitefield's oratory, to the weakness of the Corsicans in their war with the Genoese. Boswell clearly shows that, despite the awe with which Johnson was regarded, Mrs. Thrale was not afraid to battle with him on literary matters. For instance, although not unaware of the merit of the poet Prior, Johnson on this occasion mercilessly attacked his love verses. M r s . T h r a l e stood to her g u n w i t h g r e a t c o u r a g e , in d e f e n c e o f a m o r o u s ditties, w h i c h J o h n s o n d e s p i s e d , till he at last s i l e n c e d her b y s a y i n g , ' M y d e a r L a d y , t a l k n o m o r e o f this.

Nonsense can be

d e f e n d e d b u t b y nonsense.'

If silenced for the moment, Mrs. Thrale remained unconvinced, and was quite ready to take up the argument again at a future time. She revered her guest's knowledge, but no man could make her hold her whirligig tongue when she disagreed with his opinions. And probably it was just this bravado which aroused Johnson's admiration, for he hated a timorous opponent; in fact her vigorous repartee seldom failed to rouse him from the slough of his own sombre thoughts. In Boswell's accounts of talk at Streatham we see the social and literary Mrs. Thrale, but, as has already been pointed out, there was the maternal Mrs. Thrale as well, who can only be understood from a reading of her own journal, the Children's Book. Even a casual perusal cannot fail to convince anyone of the constant devotion of the young mother. Begun ostensibly as an expression of pride in her progeny, the entries during the next few years slowly changed into a heart-rending story of illness and frustration. Even in the early pages not all was unalloyed joy, for Mrs. Thrale wrote of Queeney on December 17, 1768: H e s t e r M a r i a T h r a l e is this D a y

four Y e a r s &

a Quarter

old;

I h a v e m a d e her u p a little red B o o k to w h i c h I must a p p e a l for her Progress in I m p r o v e m e n t s : S h e W e n t t h r o ' it this D a y q u i t e well. T h e A s t r o n o m i c a l p a r t is the h a r d e s t . 1

Life, ii. 77-8.

S h e c a n n o w read t o l e r a b l y ,

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but not at sight, and has a manner of reading that is perfectly agreable free from T o n e or Accent. A t 3 years & a half however she wrote some Cards to her Friends with a Print taken from the Picture which Z o f f a n y drew of her at 20 Months o l d : but as I lay in soon after, the writing was totally forgotten, & is now all to begin again. She has this d a y repeated her Catechism quite thro', her Latin G r a m m a r to the end of the 5 Declensions, a Fable in Phaedrus, an E p i g r a m in Martial, the Revolutions Diameters & Distance of the Planets: she is come vastly forward in Sense & Expression & once more I appeal to her little red Book, with regard to her Person it is accounted exquisitely pretty; her H a i r is sandy, her Eyes of a very dark blue, & their Lustre particularly fine; her Complexion delicate and her C a r r i a g e uncommonly genteel. H e r T e m p e r is not so good; reserved to all, insolent where she is free, & sullen to those who teach or dress or do anything towards her. Never in a Passion, but obstinate to that uncommon Degree that no Punishment except severe smart can prevail on her to beg Pardon if she has offended. H a v i n g inherited the character and temperament of her father, Queeney seems from earliest childhood to have inspired mingled admiration and irritation in her mother. S o in the confidential pages of the Children's Book Mrs. T h r a l e alternated between delight in the little girl's astonishing gifts and perplexity over her lack of spontaneous affection. So far as possible, Mrs. T h r a l e tried to superintend the education of her children herself; but frequent ill health and the confusion resulting from yearly additions to the nursery often made this difficult. E a r l y in 1 7 7 0 she remarked: Hester M a r i a T h r a l e was four Y e a r s and nine Months old when I lay in of L u c y ; and then I first began to teach her G r a m m a r shewing her the Difference between a Substantive and an Adjective as I lay in B e d ; she has made since then a Progress so considerable, that she this D a y 1 : F e b : 1 7 7 0 persed the first Couplet of Pope's Iliad, beginning of her own accord at the V o c a t i v e Case . . . A g a i n , on her daughter's sixth birthday, September 1 7 , Mrs. Thrale wrote:

1770,

She is tall enough for her A g e , elegantly shaped, and reckoned extremely pretty. Her T e m p e r continues the same too; reserved and shy with a considerable Share of Obstinacy, & I think a H e a r t void of all Affection for any Person in the W o r l d — b u t Aversion enough to m a n y : — h e r Discretion is beyond her Years, and she has a solidity of J u d g e m e n t makes me amazed, her Powers of C o n versation and copiousness of L a n g u a g e are surprising even to me who know her so well, & She yesterday cited me the Story of

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Cleopatra's dissolving the Pearl as an Instance of Prodigality. S h e read and persed to D r . Goldsmith yesterday & he wonder'd at her Skill—She has a little C o m p e n d i u m of G r e e k & R o m a n History in her H e a d ; & J o h n s o n says her C a d e n c e , V a r i e t y & choice of T o n e s in reading V e r s e are surpassed by nobody not even Garrick himself: it w a s Pope's O d e to M u s i c k that S h e read to J o h n s o n Goldsmith heard her read the Messiah. O n J a n u a r y 30, 1 7 7 1 , the proud mother recounted that Queeney had been examined b y M r . Bright, of the A b i n g d o n G r a m m a r School, w h o had been astonished at her skill in parsing some lines from D r y d e n ' s Virgil. I n addition to this precocious scholarship, Queeney was well trained in household pursuits. She could, her mother noted, 'do the c o m m o n Stitch upon C a t gut & has actually worked Doctor J o h n s o n a Purse of it'. But it was the child's innate good sense and steadiness of character which were most unusual in one so young. T h e tiny Queeney could be trusted with a little Brother or Sister as safely as a n y Person of twenty Y e a r s old, & had such a S h a r e of Discretion, that three D a y s a g o being somewhat hot & uneasy with a troublesome C o l d , & I had recommended T u r n i p s , Apples or Other light vegetables to her rather than more feverish F o o d . We happend to h a v e some C o m p a n y a t D i n n e r w h o officiously help'd her to Plum P u d d a n S h e took it therefore & looked pleas'd keeping it before her till she observ'd her Friend engaged in T a l k , & then beckoning a servt. she sent it quietly a w a y — f o r said she to me afterwards, I knew it w a s not fit for m e to eat, but one could [not] disoblige M r . such a one b y a peremptory Refusal—those were her words. O n and on runs the enthusiastic account, though always qualified by complaints of the unresponsive nature of her daughter. O n c e , after a description of her son H a r r y , Mrs. T h r a l e added that he was 'so amiable besides that even Queeney loves him, w h o is of no loving Disposition'. 1 W h i l e the eldest naturally was given most space in the Children's Book, the annals of the others are almost as detailed. H a r r y , who was openly affectionate, was the life and j o y of the household. H e was strong and m a n l y , with the 'honcstcst & sweetest T e m p e r in the W o r l d ' . 2 O f tiny A n n a M a r i a , her mother related on J a n u a r y 1, 1 7 7 0 , that She could kiss her hand at 9 Months old, & understand all one said to h e r : could walk to perfection, & even with an A i r at a Y e a r old, & seems to intend being Q u e e n of us all if she lives which I do not expect she is so very l e a n — I think she is consumptive. 1

Feb. 15, 1771.

2

Dec. 1, 1769.

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Anna Maria was the acknowledged favourite of her grandmother, Mrs. Salusbury, who accordingly during the winter took the child to live with her in Dean Street, possibly to give her special care. The next addition to the Thrale nursery was entered thus in the Children's Book: L u c y Elizabeth T h r a l e w a s born 2 2 : J u n e 1 7 6 9 . large strong and handsome likely to live: her sponsors were M r s . S a l u s b u r y , M r s . Cotton of Bath & D r . S a m l : J o h n s o n w h o insisted on her being Elizabeth.

Johnson, in memory of his beloved wife, had been anxious to have one of the Thrale children named Elizabeth, and at the birth of the last child, over a year before, he had written to Mrs. Thrale, 'I design to love little Miss Nanny very well; but you must let us have a Bessy some other time.' 1 This time Johnson was to have his way, and Lucy Elizabeth entered the world under his sponsorship. He evidently took a proprietary interest in his god-daughter, for he wrote on J u l y 6, 'I hope my little Miss is well. Surely I shall be very fond of her. In a year and half she will run and talk. But how much ill may happen in a year and half!' Johnson was right; in the Thrale nursery much ill could happen in a year and a half, as time would show. As usual, during the latter part of the summer of 1769 the Thralcs went to Brighton, and this year for the first time they persuaded Johnson to join them there for a long visit. Both Mr. and Mrs. Thrale were fond of the Sussex coast, he of the hunting on the Downs, and she of the sea bathing. Planning to come often to the watering-place, Thrale had purchased in October 1767 a low, 'stone-coloured' house with bay windows in West Street, Brighton, which was to be their autumn home for many years. 2 Johnson, on the contrary, did not share his 1

Apr. 19, 1768. I am indebted to Mr. Frederick Harrison of Brighton for copying the following entry from the Court rolls. 15th October, 1767. A general Court Baron. Thomas Friend, Lord of the Manor (Brighthelmston) Charles Gilbert, Steward. Henry Thrale admitted on Surrender of Josiah Dornford. Heriot 6d. Henry Thrale appeared by Charles Scrase. Josiah Dornford held that 'cottage' and garden with appurtenances in the east side of West Street, formerly Wheelers and Halfpennys also Howells. Mrs. Piozzi, on Mar. 30, 1791, surrendered the house to her youngest daughter Cecilia Margaret. It was finally pulled down in 1871. In the Brighthelmstone Directory for 1800, 64 West Street is listed as a lodging house, 'Esther Thrale:— Two parlors; 3 bedrooms; 6 servant's bedrooms.' For a description of the house see an article by Mr. Harrison in the Southern Weekly News (Brighton), Nov. 14, 193 1 1

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friends' enthusiasm; he was too confirmed a city man to delight in any country resort. 1 But however much he may have longed inwardly for the peaceful talk of Streatham or the congenial company at the Mitre, outwardly he threw himself into the gay life about him. O n one occasion he drew startled exclamations of approval from a professional 'dipper' for the stoutness of his swimming, 2 and he rode many a long mile over the Downs with Thrale's hunting acquaintances. Perhaps no praise ever proved quite so acceptable as that of William Gerard Hamilton, who called out one day upon the Downs, ' W h y Johnson rides as well, for aught I see, as the most illiterate fellow in England.' 3 After the visit to Sussex, during the autumn of 1769, the Thrales were at Streatham, and throughout the winter of 1770, as usual, in Southwark. With the passing years Mrs. Thralc was beginning to see that the life of an eighteenth-century mother was complex; for while year by year new infants were brought into the world, many were far from robust and lived only a short span. T h u s little A n n a Maria, Mrs. Salusbury's favourite, began before she was two years old to exhibit terrifying symptoms, 'fits of languor and screaming succeeding each other by turns', the spells sometimes throwing her into delirium. T h e doctors, diagnosing the disease as dropsy of the brain, gave the distracted mother no hope, and on March 20 the child died. 4 Her grandmother was so distressed at the loss that she fled to Bath for a change of scene and did not return until M a y . It is well known that whenever Johnson was in a particularly serious or despondent mood, he relieved his feelings by writing a prayer. Depressed by the tragic death of her child, Mrs. Thrale followed his example, and selecting a small red note-book s to serve as her repository, made the first entry: It is not till w e h a v e been heartily afflictcd that w e seem to feel the Pleasure of praying, it is done as a mere Duty by the prosperous . . .

T h e next seven pages are filled with personal supplications to the Almighty, in the form of an original litany. A few of the responses show what she considered to be her own worst faults. F r o m Pride Insolence and an overweening Carriage, from V a n i t y & a Delight in vain A m u s e m e n t s G o o d L o r d Deliver m e ! ' Mrs. Piozzi wrote to Miss Willoughby, A u g . 25, 1O20: 'Doctor Johnson said that after the full flow of London conversation, every place was a blank' (Hayward, ii. 456). 3 Ibid., p. 288. ' John. Misc. i. 224. See also H a y w a r d , ii. 444. 4 Children's Book. Death was probably due to meningitis. 5 In my possession. 42 pages, 7 in. X 5 in., only seven pages written upon.

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From the peculiar V i c c s of those with w h o m I associate, & from those of the T i m e & Place I live in, G o o d Lord deliver me.

Other fervent pleas in her prayers were that God might preserve her surviving children, her husband, her friends, and bring prosperity to her family. T h a t she was deeply moved is evident; but after this first burst of inspiration the impulse flagged, and the remaining pages of the journal are blank. In spite of the long illness and death of little A n n a Maria, Mrs. Thrale herself had been in better health throughout the winter of 1770 than at any time since her marriage. T h o u g h in her usual condition, she wrote: I passed this last winter chearfully too, to w h a t I ever did a winter since I was married: for I have been at an Oratorio, the first Theatre I have set foot in, since m y eldest Daughter was born; & this T i m e she went with m e : I never have dined out, nor ever paid a visit where I did not carry her, unless I left her in b e d ; or to the C a r e of servants (except asleep).'

Even a devoted mother was glad of some diversion. When Mrs. Salusbury returned to London in M a y , she could not bear to go back to Dean Street where her little grandchild had died, and instead took a place at Croydon until the Thrales could move to Streatham. Mrs. Thrale drove over to see her mother every d a y ; and on M a y 22, returning from her visit, she sat chatting until late in the evening with her husband and Johnson. Suddenly she was taken ill, and early next morning gave birth to a small, feeble child, born two months before its time. T h e strain of the past few months had taken a heavy toll. A t first the little girl, w h o m they called Susanna Arabella, was not expected to live, being so 'miserably lean and feeble indeed, quite a mournful O b j e c t ' ; but to the great surprise of all in the household, she began to gain strength. T h e following August her mother was able to record in the Children's Book: She lives however & Doctor Johnson comforts me by saying She will be like other people; of which however if She does live, I make very great doubt . . . but is so very poor a Creature I can scarce bear to look on her.

As soon as possible after the premature birth of Susan, the Thrales moved out to Streatham, where they remained for the remainder of the summer, except possibly for a short trip to 1

Children's Book, Mar. 21, 1770.

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1

Brighton. T h e nursery now had four occupants: Hester M a r i a , or Quccncy as she was usually called; Henry, the only son; L u c y Elizabeth, Johnson's godchild; and Susanna Arabella. Frances and A n n a M a r i a had died. Six children in seven years had been an excessive strain, but apparently the mother thought it nothing out of the ordinary. She had found time also to write some poetry and to cultivate the respect and comradeship of possibly the best-known literary figure of the time. All in all, she probably considered herself a fortunate and happy woman and counted her marriage a success. F r o m an alliance arranged for financial reasons such as hers, no woman could expcct much more. F o r the time, even her vague yearnings for romance were, if not satisfied, probably stilled. B y 1770 the change in the character of guests entertained in the T h r a l e home was almost complete. T h e old rakish companions of Thrale's bachelor days had disappeared, and now an increasing number of gifted and famous members of London's literary and artistic set could be counted among their friends. Johnson, to be sure, was the bait which drew across the river to Southwark and out to Streatham the best-known painter of his time, Sir J o s h u a Reynolds; the greatest actor, D a v i d Garrick; the most versatile writer, Oliver Goldsmith; and the most powerful force of the political opposition, E d m u n d Burke. For long periods of time these and others of Johnson's circle could find him only at the house of the Thralcs and, if they wished to keep up their intimacy, were literally forced to accept the invitations of the ambitious member of Parliament and his wife. As a typical example, the previous autumn, when Boswell was preparing to leave London to return home to be married, he wrote to Johnson at Streatham, asking him to come in to the city for a farewell meeting. Loath to leave the comfort of the country, Johnson replied: ' I find it will less incommode you to spend your night here, than me to come to town. I wish to see you, and am ordered by the lady of this house to invite you hither.' 2 Hcnce Boswell had to drive all the way out to Streatham to say good-bye. T h e absence of Johnson from his former haunts was somewhat resented by his old friends, as Goldsmith clearly shows in 1

On July 28, 1770, Johnson wrote from Ashbourne, I have taken a place in the coach and shall be, I hope, in London on Friday, and at Streatham on Saturday. The journey to Brighthelmston makes no part of my felicity, but as I love those with whom I go, and those I shall love equally in any other placc. 2 (Sotheby Sale, June 2, 1908.) Life, ii. n o .

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his p o e m , ' T h e H a u n c h of Venison'. Johnson and Burke, the poet complains, are continually absent, 'the one with his speeches, and t'other with T h r a l e ' . 1 But this did not m e a n that G o l d s m i t h and the others were unwilling to accept T h r a l e ' s invitations; either at S t r e a t h a m or S o u t h w a r k they were sure of an excellent dinner, efficient service, and stimulating conversation. Every thing possible was done to make u p for the distance travelled, for the T h r a l e s were united in one d e s i r e — to n u m b e r a m o n g their intimates the most interesting people of the d a y . T h e y did not toady to the merely rich or n o b l e ; their one requirement was that their guests be witty and well informed. In time, to be sure, they b e g a n to count a m o n g their acquaintances members of the court circle and of the exclusive Blue-Stocking salons; b u t at first those w h o filled their dining-room were men w h o had risen to positions of eminence through their intellectual powers. It will be noted that this society was largely masculine. N o t until m u c h later did Mrs. T h r a l e d r a w about her gifted m e m bers of her own sex; for the time she remained the one feminine attraction in a circle of men. H a v i n g the instincts of a true diarist, she was tempted to write d o w n comments and anecdotes of the brilliant talk heard at her table. N o w that the novelty of domestic and maternal duties was beginning to wear off, she longed to try her h a n d at something different. By this year, she was keeping a n u m b e r of journals devoted to various interests: the Children's Book, containing only incidental references to Johnson, Goldsmith, and the others, and at least t w o others filled with literary and political anecdotes. T h i s is not mere surmise on our part, for in addition to the complete Children's Book, a few scattered pages from the other j o u r n a l s have survived. In the J o h n R y l a n d s collection, a m o n g the mass of miscellaneous fragments in her handwriting, are several leaves evidently torn from old note books. O n e has written on it: These Anecdotes are put down in a wild way just as I received or could catch 'em from Mr. Johnsons Conversation, but I mean one day or another to digest and place them in some order: as the poor Egyptian gather'd up the relicks of a broken Boat and burning them by himself upon the Beach said he was forming a Funeral Pile in honour of the great Pompey.—may it be long before that day comes. 2 ' Goldsmith's Works, ed. Gibbs (1884), ii. 49. 2

R y . 6 2 9 , 1. A p p r o x i m a t e l y 7 ¡11. X 5 in. in size.

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T w o others, e v i d e n t l y f r o m the s a m e source, c o n t a i n e x c e r p t s f r o m J o h n s o n ' s c o n v e r s a t i o n a n d a r e o b v i o u s l y the first d r a f t s o f a c c o u n t s later p u b l i s h e d in her Anecdotes. T h e y d o n o t , h o w e v e r , c o n t a i n a n y d a t e s or references w h i c h w o u l d a l l o w us to say w i t h c e r t a i n t y w h e n this collection o f J o h n s o n i a n r e m a r k s was begun. W i t h these pages, also, a r e o t h e r sheets f r o m a slightly l a r g e r b o o k , c o n t a i n i n g for the most p a r t anecdotes o f other f a m o u s p e o p l e . ' O n o n e occurs the oft related tale o f J a m e s H a r r i s ' s election to P a r l i a m e n t ; o n a n o t h e r t h e tragic r u m o u r o f t h e suicide o f M r . Y o r k e a f t e r h e h a d a c c e p t e d the seals o f L o r d C h a n c e l l o r f r o m G e o r g e I I I , in J a n u a r y 1 7 7 0 ; o n a n o t h e r a distressing story o f G o l d s m i t h ' s weaknesses. F o r t u n a t e l y , for this M r s . T h r a l e gives a definite d a t e , S e p t e m b e r 16, 1770, the d a y before Q u e e n e y ' s sixth b i r t h d a y . F u r t h e r m o r e , since the p a g e is n u m b e r e d 96, w e m a y b e safe in a s s u m i n g that it w a s c u t f r o m a c o m p i l a t i o n b e g u n s o m e t i m e before. R e f e r r i n g p r o b a b l y to the ease w i t h w h i c h G o l d s m i t h c o u l d b e disconcerted, Mrs. T h r a l e recorded: . . . Delicacy on the other, but Johnson (for he was by) would not suffer it to go off so, and said the Dr. was only awed from fear of a reply, for continued he were Goldsmith to light upon a d u m b man he would be wonderfully severe on him—this blow M u r p h y follow'd so closely, & struck the little Dr. so forcibly & so repeatedly that though I saw that day & have often seen Instances of his Malevolent disposition, made still more acrimonious from his unequall'd rage of shining in Conversation I could not avoid pitying him when I saw him so humbled under the lash of a man w h o though so far superior to him in Friendship Honour & every manly Virtue, in Person, Address, and every pleasing Quality, is not to be compar'd with him as a Writer, nor will be set in Competition with him by Posterity— Poor little Dr. how he does disgrace himself! and disgrace those Parts but for the possession of which even the Dog would be in haste to forsake his C o m p a n y . 16: Sept: 1770. 2 T h u s Mrs. T h r a l e corroborates Boswell in his c l a i m that G o l d smith's g r e a t failing w a s a desire to shine in c o n v e r s a t i o n at a n y cost. S h e a p p r e c i a t e d his genius, b u t c o u l d o n l y be repelled by such displays o f j e a l o u s y . F r o m these f r a g m e n t a r y p a g e s it seems o b v i o u s that M r s . T h r a l e n o w h a d at least three s e p a r a t e n o t e - b o o k s : one to c o n tain the sayings o f D r . J o h n s o n , a n o t h e r for stories o f o t h e r celebrities, a n d the last for i n t i m a t e references to her o w n f a m i l y . ' R y . 629, 5, 6. A p p r o x i m a t e l y 8 i n . x 6 in. in size.

2

Ibid. 6.

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T h e busy woman was launched on her long career of diarist and commentator. From this time until the end of her life she was never without several repositories in which to j o t down all she thought worthy of remembrance, either about others or about herself. She was determined to be remembered through her friendships with celebrated men; she little realized that with such commemoration would come enmities and notoriety for herself, rather than fame.

snftsfl

H

V DEPRESSION SEPTEMBER

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\ w e h a v e seen, the b o n d b e t w e e n M r s . T h r a l e a n d J o h n s o n was d e v e l o p i n g fast i n t o a d e e p a f f e c t i o n . She f o u n d h i m a c o n s t a n t i n s p i r a t i o n , s o m e o n e to r e v e r e as a p a r e n t a n d to p a m p e r as a c h i l d , a n d h e o p e n l y r e t u r n e d her w a r m t h o f feeling. S h e n o t e d in h e r s m a l l e r b o o k : [Spe]aking once of His friendly affection for me, [he s]aid kindly, I do certainly love you better [tha]n any h u m a n Being I ever saw — b e t t e r I th[ink] than even poor dear Bathurst, and esteem you more, though that would be unjust too, for I have never seen you in distress, & till I have I cannot rank you with a M a n who acted in such trying situations with such uniformity of Virtue. 1 H e was soon to see his Mistress in real distress, and the experie n c e w o u l d not c h a n g e his o p i n i o n . B u t for a time, d u r i n g the y e a r 1 7 7 1 , t h e T h r a l e h o u s e h o l d e n j o y e d a pleasant i n t e r l u d e of comparative peace. F r o m t h e C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k w e m i g h t b e t e m p t e d to c o n c l u d e t h a t M r s . T h r a l e g a v e all h e r t i m e to the r e a r i n g of her c h i l d r e n ; f r o m Boswell t h a t h e r d a y s w e r e s p e n t in endless literary c h a t ; y e t as a m a t t e r o f f a c t she h a d n u m e r o u s o t h e r interests almost as engrossing. S h e h a d a l w a y s to k e e p in m i n d her h u s b a n d ' s political plans, a n d soon his business a f f a i r s as well. A f u r t h e r responsibility arose for T h r a l e ' s sisters a n d their c h i l d r e n , w h o seem to h a v e d e p e n d e d l a r g e l y o n the relatives at S t r e a t h a m for a d v i c e . T h e n e p h e w s , Sir J o h n L a d e a n d R a l p h P l u m b e , u n l i k e their cousin Q u e e n e y , w e r e not n o t e d for u n u s u a l intellig e n c e , a n d often served as the b u t t o f f a m i l y j o k e s ; 2 b u t their e d u c a t i o n w a s a p r o b l e m w h i c h enlisted the kind offices of J o h n s o n , 3 as w e l l as o f their u n c l e a n d a u n t . ' R y . 629, 7. T h e p a g e has been torn, a n d the reconstructed readings are m a d e by Dr. Moses T y s o n . See p. 76, n. 1. 2 See R y . 539, 3. 1 See J . IX W r i g h t , J. Rylands Bulletin, xvi (1932), 7 2 - 4 . A n u m b e r of letters from the schoolmaster, H e n r y Bright, to J o h n s o n a n d the T h r a l e s a b o u t R a l p h P l u m b e arc also in the R y l a n d s collection. See also Letters, Nos. 226, 226. 2.

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M r s . T h r a l e also o c c a s i o n a l l y a t t e n d e d concerts a n d oratorios. A l t h o u g h w i t h no p a r t i c u l a r e a r for m u s i c , she p r o b a b l y liked to be seen in f a s h i o n a b l e g a t h e r i n g s , a n d the bustle o f g o i n g across the river served to e n l i v e n the m o n o t o n y o f S o u t h w a r k life. S o m e t i m e s J o h n s o n ' s dislike o f b e i n g left a l o n e m a d e h i m a c c o m p a n y her, t h o u g h he h a d e v e n less taste for m u s i c . S o he a t t e n d e d an o r a t o r i o p e r f o r m e d at C o v e n t G a r d e n o n M a r c h 8, 1 7 7 1 , 1 w h e r e his ' c o n t e m p t u o u s C l a t t e r ' d u r i n g the music k e p t her c o n t i n u a l l y a n n o y e d . S h e little suspected w h a t he was d o i n g until their r e t u r n f r o m t h e t h e a t r e , w h e n h e r e p e a t e d a set o f L a t i n verses c o m p o s e d d u r i n g t h e o r a t o r i o . I n characteristic fashion h e set her the task o f t r a n s l a t i n g t h e m b y breakfast the next m o r n i n g , a c h a l l e n g e to w h i c h she w a s easily e q u a l . H e r lines, t h o u g h as J o h n s o n asserted, t h e y t u r n the m e a n i n g 'inside o u t ' in the last s t a n z a , a r e w o r t h r e p r i n t i n g as an e p i t o m e of the g r e a t m a n ' s m o o d . W h e n threescore years have chang'd thee quite, Still can theatric scenes delight? Ill suits this place with learned Wight M a y Bates or Coulson c r y ! T h e Scholar's Pride can Brent disarm? His heart can soft G u a d a g n i w a r m ? O r scenes with sweet delusion charm T h e climacteric E y e ? T h e social C l u b , the lonely T o w e r , Far better suit thy midnight H o u r , Let each according to his power In worth or wisdom shine. A n d while Play pleases idle Boys, And wanton mirth fond youth employs T o fix the mind and free from T o y s T h a t useful task be thine. 2 S u c h literary b y - p l a y w a s n o n o v e l t y in the T h r a l e h o m e . J o h n s o n w a s a l w a y s r e a d y to i m p r o v i s e s t a n z a s , w h e t h e r o n a l a d y ' s g o w n a n d h a t , a n a c q u a i n t a n c e ' s b a d p o e t r y , or his o w n 1 R y . 543, 27. See also M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , i. 7 8 - 9 ; John. Misc. i. 1 9 6 - 8 ; T h r a l i a n a , Dec. 1777. T h e oratorio g i v e n M a r . 8 w a s the Messiah with G u a d a g n i and Mrs. Pinto (Brent) as the principal singers. In later recollections this b e c a m e mixed in h e r mind with an English opera by D r . A r n e , possibly Artaxerxes, g i v e n on A p r . 6. 1 R y . 543, 27. A slightly different version was published in the Anecdotes (John. Alisc. i. 197.), where also m a y be found J o h n s o n ' s L a t i n verses. See also M a i n waring Piozziana, i. 79.

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1

ill health. Sometimes the verses were in Latin, sometimes in sonorous English, sometimes in the most obvious doggerel. A few years later, on his Mistress's birthday, when she came into his room complaining that now she was so old nobody sent her verses any more, he rose to the occasion and rattled off the wellknown impromptu beginning: O f t in d a n g e r , yet alive, W c are come to thirty-five; 2

T h e n , as she was copying the verses, J o h n s o n laughingly remarked, 'you may see what it is to come for poetry to a Dictionary-maker; you may observe that the rhymes run in alphabetical order exactly'. Besides their common love for poetry, J o h n s o n shared with Mrs. T h r a l e an interest in the marvels of science and medicine. Each delighted in tales of scientific discovery and longed to try personally the remarkable experiments of the new philosophers. Indeed, nothing pleased Johnson more than to mix various coloured solutions, or to fuse metals in a fiery furnace. With the enthusiastic support of his hostess he planned to set up a laboratory at Streatham, and during the next summer in the Midlands he collected a number of specimens of ores suitable for smelting. T h e n he asked M r . Thrale to set aside about a hundred loose building bricks with which to construct a special oven. 3 T h e best place to carry out the experiment, he suggested, would be 'the pump-side in the kitchen garden'. After his return to Streatham they did try fusing some refractory ore in the newmade furnace, and the huge experimenter must have been an 1 See John. Misc. i. 190-8, 260, 2 8 1 . Also Queeney Litters, xiii. In the edition of Johnson's poetry by Nichol Smith and M c A d a m the problems involved in Mrs. Piozzi's versions of Johnson's occasional verse are discussed. For this reason it has seemed wise not to repeat the evidence here. 2 John. Misc. i. 259-60. See above. In Thraliana, Dec. 1 7 7 7 , and M a y 1778, Mrs. T h r a l e indicates that the verses were written in 1 7 7 7 , but in Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 79, she gives the date as 1776. Actually Mrs. Thrale was thirty-five years old in J a n . 1776, and from internal evidence of the poem itself, and considering the condition of the Thrale household, this year would seem the correct one. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that during these years Mrs. Thrale was somewhat vague about her own age, on occasions appearing to consider herself born in 1742 rather than 1 7 4 1 . We must remember that the change from the old method of reckoning to the new was upsetting to many people. Mrs. T h r a l e had been born in J a n . 1740, according to the old dating; and 1 7 4 1 , according to our modern standards. In later years remembering that she must add a year, becausc of the calendar change, it was easy to make a mistake and adjust in the wrong direction. Johnson would naturally accept her statement of age without suspicion. 3 Litters, No. 2G4; John. Misc. i. 307. See also the amusing and fairly accurate account in C. E. Vulliamy's Mrs. Thrale of Striatftam, pp. 8 1 - 6 .

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awesome sight, grimy from feeding the roaring fire, and muttering as he poured the molten metal from the ladle. But alas for the dreams of the amateur alchemist! O n e day, just as the flame was hottest, and admiring children and servants gathered close to watch and wonder, Thrale returned unexpectedly from London. Fearing a disastrous explosion, he put an end to further operations, and from this time forth Johnson's scientific inquiries were restricted to such non-explosive materials as orange skins and nail parings. 1 T h e Thrales had remained quietly at Streatham throughout the summer of 1771, while Johnson visited Ashbourne and Lichfield. In July Mrs. Thrale was miserable, day by day expecting another child, her condition more distressing and oppressive than usual. A t such a time Johnson apparently expected Queeney, who was nearly seven, to share some of the burden of the correspondence. T h e little girl, however, was not to be moved, and her mother wrote on July 22: Q u e e n e y has at last s q u e e z e d o u t a kind w o r d , S h e says t h a t she has n o w o r d kind e n o u g h to write, b u t will m a k e y o u some sort o f a m e n d s w h e n I a m laid u p , b y a L e t t e r all her o w n . H a r r y is g l a d t h a t Q u e e n e y is sulky he tells m e , for n o w he k n o w s M r . J o h n s o n will love h i m best w h e n he c o m e s h o m e . 2

Later the same day Mrs. Thrale gave birth to another daughter who was named Sophia. T o her mother's delight, the child was large and healthy and appeared 'likely to live'. T h e news was quickly transmitted to Ashbourne; whence Johnson dispatched a charming letter to his dear Queeney on July 29: Please to tell little M a m a , t h a t I a m g l a d to hear t h a t she is w e l l , a n d t h a t I a m g o i n g to L i c h f i e l d , a n d shall c o m e soon to L o n d o n . Desire her to m a k e haste a n d b e q u i t e w e l l , for, y o u k n o w , t h a t y o u a n d I are to t y e h e r to the tree, b u t w e will not d o it w h i l e she is w e a k . T e l l d e a r G r a n d m a m a t h a t I a m v e r y sorry for her p a i n . T e l l P a p a t h a t I wish h i m j o y of his n e w G i r l , a n d tell H a r r y t h a t y o u h a v e g o t m y heart, a n d will k e e p it. 3

Apart from the accounts of their ill-fated scientific pursuits, our knowledge is scant about the life of the Thrales during the last months of 1771 and the winter of 1772.* Even when Boswell Life, ii. 3 3 0 - 1 ; iii. 398; iv. 204. Unless otherwise noted all quotations from Mrs. T h r a l e ' j letters to Johnson are from R y . 539-40. 1 Queeney Letters, p. 5. • During this autumn Johnson was much at Streatham (Goldsmith's Letters, ed. Balderston, p. 104); and James Beattie was an occasional visitor (Life, ii. 148; Broadley, p. 123). 1

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came to London in the spring, he did not record much about them, for although in his letter to Johnson of March 3, announcing his proposed visit to England, he sent 'best compliments to Mr. Thrale's family', 1 he was still a bit shy of these new acquaintances. In an affectionate reply, however, after reiterating his own partiality, Johnson named Mrs. Thrale among those in London who loved the distant Boswell. 2 Yet if Johnson in this instance was trying to promote good feeling between his two friends, his efforts were not at once effective. Boswell arrived in London on Thursday, March 19, and finding that Johnson was in Southwark, made no move to follow him there. It appears to have been Johnson's habit to spend the weekends in his house in Johnson's Court and the middle of the week with the Thrales in Southwark. Consequently, Boswell arranged to see him only on the days spent in his own home, though occasionally they met also at the house of Paoli, Oglethorpe, or some other common acquaintance in town. It was nearly a month after his arrival, on April 22, that he took a boat across the Thames to sample Johnson's mid-week conversation. 3 Soon after, he returned for another visit, and his reception on these occasions proved so warm that he came on May 11 to say good-bye, even though Johnson was absent. His memorandum for the day indicates that, after much talk about the great man, Mrs. Thrale cordially invited Boswell to bring his wife from Scotland with him the following year. On the surface it seemed the beginning of a fast friendship. Boswell found the happy life at the Thrales' 'capital', but he was there just before the débâcle. In little more than a month the entire complexion of affairs was changed, all because of a reckless speculation of Thrale's. U p to 1772 Mrs. Thrale had had nothing to do with her husband's business concerns, since she had no interest in the brewery except as it furnished the income necessary for their household expenses; now, suddenly, circumstances forced her into taking an active part in the management. While in many respects a good business man, Thrale was never content with ordinary returns on his investment, being driven into immoderate expansion of his plant by an inordinate ambition to outdo every other competitor in ' Boswell's Letters, cd. T i n k e r , i. 1 8 7 . T h e original lettci, one of the few of Boswell's letters to J o h n s o n w h i c h h a v e s u r v i v e d , is n o w in the A d a m collection. A comparison with the printed version (Life, ii. 1 4 5 ) reveals Boswell's method ol treating his o w n letters w h e n p r e p a r i n g them for p u b l i c a t i o n . 2 1 Life, ii. 1 4 5 . Private Papers, ix. 1 6 , 2 5 6 , 2G6.

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E n g l a n d . H e easily fell a p r e y to t h e s c h e m e s o f a n i n v e n t o r n a m e d H u m p h r e y J a c k s o n , w h o c l a i m e d to h a v e d i s c o v e r e d a n e w m e t h o d of b r e w i n g w h i c h e l i m i n a t e d m a l t a n d hops. W i t h o u t a d e q u a t e p r e l i m i n a r y trial T h r a l e risked his w h o l e y e a r ' s o u t p u t b y the i n t r o d u c t i o n o f this n e w process, a n d lost h e a v i l y w h e n it failed. J a c k s o n also h a d o t h e r disastrous schemes in which T h r a l e became involved. As Mrs. T h r a l e wrote, He had perswaded him to build a Copper somewhere in East Smithfield—the very Metal of which cost uooo£—wherein this Jackson was to make Experiments & conjure some curious Stuff, which should preserve Ships' Bottoms from the Worm; gaining from Government Money to defray these mad Expenses. Twenty enormous Vats, holding 1000 Hogsheads each—costly contents!— Ten more holding a Thousand Barrels each were constructed to stew in this pernicious Mess, & afterwards erected on I forget how much Ground, bought for the ruinous Purpose.1

T o m a k e matters more desperate, the failure of a great banki n g house in J u n e 1 7 7 2 t h r e w t h e city i n t o a f i n a n c i a l p a n i c . Business after business in L o n d o n c o l l a p s e d , a n d , a c c o r d i n g to the Gentleman's Magazine, u n i v e r s a l b a n k r u p t c y w a s e x p e c t e d . 2 S i n c e T h r a l e ' s e x t r a v a g a n t m i s a d v e n t u r e s h a d used all his a v a i l a b l e c a p i t a l a n d spoiled his y e a r ' s s u p p l y o f b e e r , he h a d n o t h i n g to sell, a n d r u i n stared h i m in the f a c e . T h e shock w a s so g r e a t that he w a s c o m p l e t e l y s t u n n e d a n d r e n d e r e d i n c a p a b l e o f a n y a c t i o n . I n this e m e r g e n c y his f a m i l y a n d friends c a m e to the rescue. J o h n s o n , t h r o u g h o u t J u l y a n d A u g u s t , w a s c o n stantly at S t r e a t h a m , a i d i n g t h e others w i t h a d v i c e a n d help. 3 M r s . T h r a l e w a s e x p e c t i n g a n o t h e r c h i l d , b u t t h e necessity o f raising m o n e y to r u n t h e b r e w e r y w a s so u r g e n t t h a t she w a s forced to d i s r e g a r d h e r o w n c o n d i t i o n . C o n s e q u e n t l y she interv i e w e d m u t i n o u s clerks a n d d r o v e all t h e w a y to B r i g h t o n to b e g six t h o u s a n d p o u n d s f r o m M r . S c r a s e , a n o l d g o u t y solicitor w h o had been an intimate friend of R a l p h Thrale.4 W h a t was m o r e , all o f M r s . S a l u s b u r y ' s s a v i n g s w e r e i m m e d i a t e l y p u t to u s e ; L a d y L a d e lent five t h o u s a n d p o u n d s , a n d a M r . R u s h a n 1 A d a m M S . ( H a y w a r d , ii. 2 5 - 6 ) . F o r i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t the scientist, Jackson, see Tkraliana, ed. Balderston. 2 Gent. Mag. xlii ( 1 7 7 2 ) , 2 9 2 - 3 ; see also J o h n s o n ' s letter o f O c t . 19, and the Public Advertiser, J u n e 15, 20, 2 1 , 1 7 7 2 . 3 Miss W i l l i a m s w r o t e to M r s . P e r c y o n A u g . 5, 1 7 7 2 : ' D o c t o r Johnson is constantly at S t r a t h a m , b u t w h e n e v e r he c o m e s to town asks m e , if I know how M r s . Piercey does' (Adam I.ibr. iii. 2 6 1 ) . 4 T h r a l i a n a , A p r . 1778, a n d H a y w a r d , ii. 27. It is possible that the hurried trip to Brighton occurred a n o t h e r y e a r and in later recollections b e c a m e mixed w i t h the affairs of 1772. See p. 166. D e f i n i t e p r o o f that S c r a s e w a s one of those l e n d i n g T h r a l e money this y e a r is f o u n d in a c o n t e m p o r a r y note-book for 1 7 7 3 . ( R y . 6 1 6 . )

94 DEPRESSION 1770additional six thousand. In this w a y the immediate disaster was averted, but hanging over them still, according to M r s . T h r a l e , were debts of one hundred a n d thirty thousand pounds, besides the borrowed m o n e y . ' M r s . T h r a l e had rushed in to save the threatened family crédit, but at sad cost to herself. O n S e p t e m b e r 1 5 , exhausted by constant worry, she g a v e birth to another d a u g h t e r , and shortly after added this poignant note in the Children's Book : S c p t r . 1 7 7 2 . Penelope T h r a l e w a s b o r n — l i v ' d b u t 1 0 hours, looked black & could not b r e a t h e f r e e l y — p o o r little M a i d ! one c a n n o t g r i e v e after her m u c h , a n d I h a v e just n o w o t h e r things to think of this has been a sad L y i n g I n : . . . e v e r y thing g o i n g w r o n g w e l l ! as old T o w n s e n d says G o d m e n d a l l !

T h e business crisis of this summer left a lasting mark on T h r a l e . Until this time he had profited from every speculation, and had kept p y r a m i d i n g his gains until he felt he could not f a i l ; then suddenly everything seemed swept a w a y . A n d the fact that he owed his salvation largely to the w o m e n of his household did nothing to salve his injured pride. M o r e o v e r , since the price of grain continued to rise, conditions remained precarious. Endless worry about the dark present a n d dubious future m a d e T h r a l e moody and taciturn, and he never recaptured the spirit of his younger days. T h e silent T h r a l e described by Boswell and F a n n y Burney was created in the catastrophe of 1 7 7 2 . As another consequence of the crash, J o h n s o n and M r s . T h r a l e were increasingly active in the affairs of the brewery. O n c e initiated into the mysteries of trade during the emergency, they insisted on sharing in the permanent m a n a g e m e n t . J o h n son's letters for the next few years contain m a n y references to the problems of the business—the price of malt and the harvest of wheat. T h i s financial débâcle was but the beginning of a long series of f a m i l y troubles, the chief of which was the illness of Mrs. S a l u s b u r y , who for over a year had been troubled with increasing pain in the breast. M a n y friends suggested remedies, hoping to find an effective cure, and so little was known of cancer at the time that J o h n s o n actually wrote to M r s . T h r a l e asking if some mineral water recommended by Bennet L a n g t o n was being used. H e added, 'it m a y perhaps do good, at least it m a y be tried. I am sure I wish it success.' 2 But no mineral water ' Hayward, ii. 27. ¡ Original letter of J u n e 25, 1 7 7 1 , now at Johnson's birthplace, Lichfield. This

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could bring relief to Mrs. Salusbury, whose anguish relentlessly grew worse. In the autumn of 1772, feeling that she probably had only a short time to live, she began to divide a few cherished possessions. She wanted Johnson to have something as a remembrance, and before he set out for Lichfield and Ashbourne in October, chose for him a chair-tapestry, worked by Mrs. Thrale when she was a little girl. 1 The years of closc association had cleared away foolish misconccptions and substituted a sincere admiration which grew stronger to the end. On November 3, several weeks after Johnson had gone, the Thrales moved in to Southwark, leaving Mrs. Salusbury with various attendants at Streatham. Economy was the new watchword, and Mrs. Thrale wrote to Johnson the next day that she and her mother had now parted with a resolution to contend who shall live the cheapest; my folks I believe think my head is turned I do so scold & bluster about, and but that Abdalmelech the Turk was before hand with me, the name of Skin Flint would have been m a d e for me.

But despite his wife's efforts to save money, Thrale's disposition remained surly, and he refused to rouse himself even to placate a dissatisfied client. As Mrs. Thrale confided to Johnson, Mr. Thrale will not stir now he is in T o w n , nor can all the influence I have over him make him speak a kind word to a Customer when he knows it would save him a house—You see this is a private

Letter.1

With her mother sick at Streatham and her husband morose at Southwark, Mrs. Thrale dashed back and forth between the two homes, so anxious and unhappy that her temper became uncertain, and it is no wonder that she showed the strain by occasional irritable treatment of her children. 3 Besides, since Johnson was away, she missed her one sympathetic adviser, and was forced to console herself by writing him complaining letters. Everyone looked forward to the time when the separation would be over; yet Johnson lingered on in Ashbourne with Dr. passage was omitted from the printed version (Letters, No. 253). Langton's letter, dated J u n e 10, 1771, recommending the Malvern water, is in the Adam collection (Adam Libr. iii. 149). 1 Ry- 539> Johnson thanked Mrs. Salusbury for the present in his letter of Oct. 15, just before setting out for Ashbourne (No. 278. 3). See also p. 426. 1 [Nov.], 7, [1772]. T h e letter is misdated 'Sat. 7 Oct.', but from internal evidence it must be November. ' Queeruy Letters, xxv, 7. Mrs. Thrale's irritable remark to Queeney, recorded in the latter's letter to Johnson of Nov. 24, 1772, shows the state of the mother's nerves at the time.

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T a y l o r . O n November 14 he replied, ' I f I am wanted at the Borough I will immediately come, if not, be pleased to give me leave to stay the month with him'. 1 Never concealing her impatience to have him home, Mrs. T h r a l e two weeks later reminded him that the round tower was kept constantly aired for his return. 2 Finally on December 2 she urged him to comc as soon as he could, since both she and her Master had much to consult him about. T h e Thrales had grown to rely so heavily upon their famous guest that they felt they could do nothing without his advice. H e r summons reached him in Lichfield and though L u c y Porter was 'wheedling for another week', 3 he obediently returned to L o n d o n by way of Birmingham and Oxford. This time, however, Johnson's presence did not prove helpful, for he himself soon fell ill with gout, complicated by a bad cough. Although the financial crisis and the death of her child had made the year 1 7 7 2 a troubled one, the following year was to be even worse. Mrs. Salusbury was in continual pain, and Mrs. T h r a l e spent most of her time at Streatham trying to add to her comfort. It seems to have been Mrs. Thrale's practice this winter to come in town every T u e s d a y for a brief stay at the Borough house, and it was Johnson's custom to dine with her there. T h e last T u e s d a y in J a n u a r y , however, he was unable to come, and penned a despairing complaint of grumbling and coughing through sleepless nights in his solitary sick-room. By the middle of F e b r u a r y he was better and able to move about again, and on the 19th asked her permission to accept an invitation from Sir J o s h u a Reynolds for the next Tuesday. 4 Mrs. Thrale's days in London were often given over to the affairs of the brewery, where conditions were still precarious. A n d even though confined to his house in Johnson's Court, Johnson was apparently her ever-ready counsellor; for in J a n u a r y , after interviewing a long succession of clients, Mrs. Thrale noted in a small m e m o r a n d u m book devoted to business, ' I went to M r . J o h n s o n yesterday: he approved of all I had done 1

1 Sotheby Sale, J a n . 22, 1907. Nov. 30, [ 1 7 7 2 ] . Sotheby Sale, J a n . 30, 1 9 1 8 . 4 See Letters, Nos. 2 9 3 , 294. N o r t h c o t e . w h o did not perccive the true reason lur J o h n s o n ' s request, in his Life of Sir Joshua Reynolds ( 1 8 1 8 ) , i. 2 7 7 , cited the instance as an e x a m p l e of the flattery J o h n s o n chose to p a y to M r s . T h r a l e . It p r o b a b l y only meant asking h e r to c h a n g e their c u s t o m a r y T u e s d a y e n g a g e m e n t . Northcote also recorded an interesting e v e n t w h i c h p r o b a b l y o c c u r r e d a b o u t this time fi. 3 1 7 ) . T h i s w a s a d i n n e r g i v e n b y T h r a l e at the b r e w e r y to R e y n o l d s , Johnson, G o l d s m i t h , G a r r i c k , B u r k e , Baretti, a n d others ' w h o dined on beef-steaks broiled on the coppers, seated in a n e w l y m a d e b r e w i n g vessel, sufficiently c a p a c i o u s to contain the c o m p a n y c o n v e n i e n t l y ' . 5

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& all m y M a s t e r h a d d o n e ' . 1 I n F e b r u a r y she a d d e d a l o n g conversation with Perkins about her husband's infatuation with the s c h e m i n g J a c k s o n , a n d e n d e d , ' M r . J o h n s o n shall k n o w a b . y e b o y l i n g the H o o p s — n o a c c t . e v e r c h e c k t w i t h J a c k s o n . . .' I n e a r l y M a r c h she w a s e v e n f o r c e d i n t o a c t i n g as i n t e r m e d i a r y in a dispute w i t h a m a n n a m e d A l e x a n d e r , w h o c l a i m e d f r a u d on the p a r t of M r . T h r a l e a n d t h r e a t e n e d a l a w s u i t . I n this case, after r e p e a t e d m e e t i n g s a n d c o n f e r c n c c s w i t h J o h n s o n , she a r r a n g e d a c o m p r o m i s e , b u t n o t h i n g served to raise h e r spirits, since there w a s a l w a y s the oppressive f e e l i n g that s o m e n e w t r o u b l e w o u l d c r o p u p as soon as o n e w a s settled. A l l the w h i l e M r s . S a l u s b u r y r e m a i n e d d a n g e r o u s l y ill, a n d w h e n on M a r c h 11 M r s . T h r a l e r e t u r n e d to S t r c a t h a m a f t e r a r g u m e n t s w i t h A l e x a n d e r , she f o u n d h e r m o t h e r so m u c h worse that she sent f o r D r . T h o m a s , w h o k e p t a school n e a r b y , to g i v e her the H o l y S a c r a m e n t . M o m e n t a r i l y e x p e c t i n g t h e e n d , J o h n s o n w r o t e k i n d letters o f s y m p a t h y a n d c o n d o l e n c e . Mrs. Salusbury rallied, however, and a few days later Mrs. T h r a l e was a b l e to w r i t e o f h e r m o t h e r ' s u n e x p e c t e d i m p r o v e m e n t . B u t there w e r e o t h e r b a r b s to w o u n d h e r h e a r t in the c r u e l silence of her ' t y g e r h e a r t e d ' h u s b a n d . Y o u saw the Leave w e took, & H e has never sent me a Scrap since to ask or tell me anything, nor would I firmly believe if I rcmain'd here, or in Siberia six Russian W i n t e r s — b u t he will come tomorrow of Course. Y o u r Letter is like yourself, so wise, so good, so kind: I have read it twenty T i m e s I dare say, and resolved to take the Advice when the Event shall require i t — 2 In the C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k o n t h e 21st she m a d e t h e a g o n i z e d e n t r y , ' n o b o d y c a n guess w h a t a W i n t e r this has b e e n to m e , & b i g w i t h C h i l d too a g a i n G o d h e l p m e ! ' I n a d d i t i o n to these trials M r s . T h r a l e w a s n o w startled b y an outbreak of newspaper scandal attacking her husband. She p r o b a b l y h a d f e w illusions a b o u t his faithfulness, b u t it w a s h u m i l i a t i n g to h a v e his a f f a i r s m a d e t h e s u b j e c t o f p u b l i c gossip. A s w e h a v e seen, T h r a l e c o m b i n e d t h e c u l t i v a t e d instincts o f a g e n t l e m a n w i t h the loose s t a n d a r d s o f t h e fashiona b l e w o r l d . T h e r e is e v i d e n c e that he w a s not i m m u n e to 1 R y . 616. In the memorandum book for 1773 Mrs. Thrale made numerous notes of clients of the brewery interviewed and the problems involved, which indicate that in January 1773 she was particularly active. In February she wrote that Perkins 'says while Jackson possesses M r . T ' s heart nothing but ruin can be hoped'. 2 T o Johnson (Ry. 539, 19. Mar. 19, 1773). Also 17 and 18.

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the diseases often attendant upon such indulgences. His wife accepted all this as perfectly normal, as what any woman might expect from a handsome husband who professed no open adoration of his lawful wife. She even welcomed into the home circle the young and sickly J e r e m i a h Crutchley, whom (according to her story) Thrale considered to be his own son. 2 And Johnson, the strict moralist, did not seem to cxpect his host to observe the same rigid code he prescribed for himself, being willing to esteem the man though he was aware of the flashing Polly Hart who was the recipient of Thralc's diamonds.^ T o Johnson the soberness of his host's home life doubtless compensated in some measure for any lapses in L o n d o n ; nevertheless he must have been sadly annoyed to see Thrale's roving disposition openly discussed in the public print. T h e Westminster Magazine for M a r c h 1 7 7 3 , in a section called the 'Court of Cupid', printed the so-called 'Memoirs of Miss H—t, alias Mrs. R — d — h , M r . T h — l e , and Sir E d w a r d D—g'.« According to this account Miss H — t , the daughter of a dancing master, had fallen into the widespreading arms of a Borough brewer, 'more famed for his amours than celebrated for his beer', ' T h — l e ' (the story continued) had established the nymph in a rural bower, where for a time she was the leader of his gay cronies. However, she soon tired of one lover, and the remainder of the memoirs related the further adventures of this notorious courtesan of the early 1760's. T h e same magazine in J u n e dug up further sensational episodes in Thrale's personal history. 5 This time it recounted the adventures of a 'Mrs. D — n ' , daughter of a hostess w h o kept a celebrated porter house near St. Clement's Church. Again it was the amorous brewer who lured this girl from the tap-room. ' M r . T h — l e did not come in the machine of his occupation, a dray, but in a chariot', and it was not long before the susceptible maid capitulated. For a time she too was surrounded by every luxury; yet her reign was short, for (as the account continued) 1 In the Children's Book, Sept. 7, 1776, writing of another illness of her husband, Mrs. Thrale added, ' M r . Thrale's having been infected about seven years ago when he put himself under Daran's Care to whom he gave fifty Guineas for curing him of a Venereal Complaint in the Urethra . . .' (probably gonorrhea). See also p. 164, n. 3. 1 H a y w a r d , i. 1 4 4 ; also see p. 205, n. 4. 5 H a y w a r d , ii. 441 (a letter to Sir J a m e s Fellowes, J u n e 18, 1 8 1 9 ) ; Common Place Book, p. 1 9 1 ; E. Mangin, Piozziana, p. 178. Polly Hart is described in the Meretriciad (6th ed., 1765), p. 17. 4 Westminster Magazine or the Pantheon of Taste, i. ( 1 7 7 3 ) , 178. Published Apr. 2. 5 Ibid- ( 1 7 7 3 ) . 374-

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' g r e a t pleasures too often pall a n d c l o y ; a n d M r . T h — l e , w h o w a s f o r e v e r the d u p e o f a Duenna ( w h o w a s a l w a y s s p r i n g i n g n e w g a m e to divert his f a n c y a n d i n d u l g e his passions) h a d p r o c u r e d h i m a new favourite, the celebrated Mrs. R—•.' T h r a l e ' s past h a v i n g p r o v e d so p r o d u c t i v e , the s c a n d a l m o n g e r s hit u p o n the i d e a o f t r a d u c i n g his present h o m e life. O n A p r i l 7, 1 7 7 3 , w h e n Boswell c a l l e d o n G o l d s m i t h , the latter showed him two paragraphs from a newspaper, 'how an eminent B r e w e r was v e r y j e a l o u s o f a c e r t a i n A u t h o u r in Folio, a n d perc e i v e d a strong r e s e m b l a n c e to h i m in his eldest son'. 1 B o t h B o s w e l l a n d G o l d s m i t h w e r e shocked at the gross insinuation a b o u t J o h n s o n a n d the Mistress o f S t r e a t h a m , p a r t i c u l a r l y since t h e y realized that a m o n g p e o p l e w h o did not k n o w the principals involved the story m i g h t gain some c r e d c n c e . Mrs. T h r a l e soon learned that friendship w i t h a great m a n i n v o l v e d p e n a l ties as well as privileges. T h i s s c a n d a l in t h e p a p e r s a n d m a g a z i n e s m a d e worse T h r a l e ' s a l r e a d y ruffled t e m p e r , a n d his subordinates w e r e m a d e to s u f f e r f r o m his f r a y e d nerves. W r i t i n g t o J o h n s o n on A p r i l 10, M r s . T h r a l e w o n d e r e d if their M a s t e r ' s h e a r t h a d lost all feeli n g : 'Perkins c a u g h t m e a l o n e yester m o r n i n g a n d c o m p l a i n e d to m e h o w coursely M r . T h r a l e treated p o o r Lester, w h o s e L i f e w a s m a d e v e r y u n h a p p y b y p e r p e t u a l affronts.' T h e r e m a i n d e r o f t h e letter w a s filled w i t h details o f the persecution o f the c l e r k , and ended, Oh My like yours interest in of t o — H :

Dear M r . Johnson! and is it really possible that a M i n d can by the mere impulse of friendship be made to take such trumpery stuff—for the sake of the importance it is L : Thrale.

J o h n s o n did care, a n d n e v e r failed to g i v e c o m f o r t a n d e n c o u r agement. I n spite o f all this t u r m o i l , a r o m a n t i c i n t e r l u d e served to d i v e r t M r s . T h r a l e ' s m i n d , for a time, f r o m h e r o w n t r o u b l e s . 1 H e r h u s b a n d ' s niece, F a n n y P l u m b e , t h o u g h o n l y fifteen, h a d f a l l e n in l o v e w i t h J a c k R i c e , son o f the f o r m e r H i g h S h e r i f f o f S u r r e y ; b u t A l d e r m a n P l u m b e , the girl's f a t h e r , t h o u g h h e h a d n o v a l i d reason for o b j e c t i n g to y o u n g R i c e , violently o p p o s e d Private Papers, vi. 92. Part of this episode has been told by Miriam A. Ellis in 'Some Unedited Letters of Mrs. Thrale', Fortnightly Review (Aug. 1903), 268-76. T h e original letters are now held by Myers & Co., London. Mrs. Thrale's unpublished letters to Johnson supply the remaining information necessary to piece together the story. (Ry- 539 ) 1

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thcir marriage. Mrs. T h r a l e wrote to Johnson on April telling how they had become involved.

lyjo19,

M r s . P l u m b c & her D a u g h t e r & y o u n g M r . R i c e the Girls L o v e r are now here, begging m y Masters Influence over old S a m m y or his Consent for the Clandestine M a r r i a g e — M y M o t h e r herself will be interested in the A f f a i r I think as the W o m e n cry to her most dismally, and if you will c o m e over at 2 or 3 o'clock on W e d n e s d a y next to S o u t h w a r k & lend your kind assistance we will try to prevail on this silly old M a n to agree to their U n i o n or be content with w h a t m a y follow his absurd Refusal. C a n w e do anything without y o u ?

Deaf to all persuasion, ' O l d S a m m y ' , the A l d e r m a n , remained obdurate and even threatened to lock u p his daughter. Mrs. Thrale, who was torn between her romantic disposition and her conviction that she should uphold the right of parental authority, was much surprised when J o h n s o n refused to admit such absolute power for a father and insisted that a child, 011 some occasions, should act for himself. 1 Nevertheless, she lent young Rice her copy of Rassclas to teach him patience—strange diet (wc might think) for a distracted young lover! Since Rice's father was willing and able to support his son, Thrale finally acquiesced in his niece's elopement. Accordingly the young couple, chaperoned by Dr. T h o m a s the schoolmaster, left for Holland on M a y 23 or 24. When Alderman Plumbe discovered his daughter's absence he was frantic, and assuming that his brother-in-law had driven the lovers to Scotland, poured his full anger on the Thralcs. As Mrs. Thrale commented to F a n n y shortly afterwards, the Alderman turned 'his Wrath upon our House, where we stood a regular Siege'. T h e next few days were spent in nervous suspense, Mrs. Plumbc certain that her daughter had gone to the bottom of the Channel, and her husband violent in denunciation. Mrs. Thrale wrote to J o h n s o n , 'I a m hurried out of my L i f e ; it will be Calamity Thrale in good earnest by & b y ' , and several days afterwards she added, ' I have not seen M r . T h r a l e this Week, & if he knew all I suppose wc should not see him for a fortnight'. Evidently he thought it good policy to stay out of reach of his infuriated brother-in-law, while his wife held the fort. She lound only one bright spot on the horizon—'the Children arc well and h a p p y — n o Lessons now'. L a t e r on, when news camc of the safe arrival of the party at Calais, the tension relaxed. Shortly afterwards the couple were married in Holland, and 1

Letters, N o . 3 0 8 ; R y . 5 3 8 , 4.

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returned to England in J u l y , by which time 'Old S a m m y ' had been pacihed, though insisting on a second ceremony in England. 1 As soon as she heard of the marriage, Mrs. Thrale composed a long letter of advicc to young Rice, and while we have no record of his response to her counsel, she herself thought it valuable enough to include when publishing her correspondence with Johnson, many years later. 2 T h e tenets laid down reveal her own attitude towards marriage: the young husband must not expect the first warmth of passion to endure; he should rather turn to the polishing of his loved one's mind; distinction in wit, knowledge, and virtue should be more desired than furniture and equipage; he should not indulge every wild wish of his lady's heart, but she ought never to suspect that she grows less pleasing to h i m ; his superiority must always be seen though never felt. Reason, the matron insisted, was much more important than passion. While the excitement of the elopement kept Streatham in a turmoil, Johnson remained in London, his health worse than usual. Consumed with longing for the country and his 'governess' there, he wrote to Mrs. T h r a l e : My nights are grown again very uneasy and troublesome. I know not that the country will mend them; but I hope your company will mend my days. Though I cannot now expect much attention, and would not wish for more than can be spared from the poor dear lady, yet I shall see you and hear you every now and then; and to see and hear you, is always to hear wit, and to see virtue. 3 T h e illness ended in a fever which caused an acute inflammation in his good eye. On M a y 29 he pleaded again: 'my eye is yet so dark that I could not read your note . . . I wish you could fetch me on Wednesday. I long to be in my own room.'« Although possibly not overjoyed at having another invalid in the house, Mrs.' Thrale, in pity and obedient as usual to his every wish, carried him out to Streatham. B y this time the eye was in a serious condition; in fact Baretti insisted on J u n e 5 that he had been told that unless Johnson took the greatest care there was grave danger of his losing his sight. 5 1 Fanny R i c e was married at fifteen, in quick succession gave birth to thirteen children, and a few weeks after the last, in Oct., 1790, she died at the early age of thirty-two. See Miscellanea Gcnealogica et Heraldica, 3rd Ser., i. 1 0 1 . 2 Letters to and from Johnson (1788), i. 9 6 - 1 0 3 . ' l h e original of the letter is R y . 3 38, 7. See also p. 320, n. 1 . May 17, 1773. 4 Sotheby Sale, J a n . 30, 1 9 1 8 . Beattie noted on J u n e 1 that Johnson had gone to Streatham ( M . Forbes. Beattie and His Friends p. ~q). 5 Adam Libr. iii. 15.

io2 DEPRESSION 1770On his return Johnson found theiThrale household much upset, for Mrs. Salusbury was daily growing weaker and nearing the end of her suffering. Necessarily he was left alone for long periods, a prey to his own despondent thoughts, and being unable to read, found his sole consolation in composing Latin verses. One set of these has survived, a long poem addressed to Dr. Lawrence, which Mrs. T h r a l e found time to transcribe in odd moments snatched from her nursing. 1 Further evidence of the melancholia under which he was labouring m a y also be found in a long undated message in French, probably written at this time for delivery inside the house. Obviously something of a mystery, 2 this letter shows Johnson more than usually wrought up when writing to his Mistress. He begins by referring to the 'solitude profonde' in which he must pass much of the time; he begs to be given written orders, what he may do and what is forbidden; he refers even to the possibility of his being locked up in actual confinement. Rules for diet are requested. With obvious agitation the sick man pleads : Est ce trop de demander d'une ame telle qu'est la vôtre, que, maîtresse des autres, elle devienne maîtresse de soy-même, et qu'elle triomphe de cette inconstance, qui a fait si souvent, qu'elle a negligèe l'execution de ses propres lois, qu'elle a oubliée tant de promesses, et qu'elle m'a condamné a tant de solicitations reiterèes que la resouvenance me fait horreur. Among Mrs. Thrale's undated letters is one which seems to be the answer to this. What Care can I promise my dear Mr: Johnson that I have not already taken? what Tenderness which he has not already experienced? . . . You were saying but on Sunday that of all the unhappy you was the happiest, in consequence of my Attention to your Complaint; and today I have been reproached by you for neglect.3 She urges him to stop brooding in secret. I am sorry you are obliged to be so much alone; I foresaw some 111 Consequences of your being here while my Mother was dying thus; yet could not resist the temptation of having you near me, but if you find this irksome and dangerous Idea fasten upon your fancy, 1 Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 8 1 - 4 ; see also Letters to and from Johnson, ii.

415-18. Mrs. Thrale translated the lines, or rather imitated them, adding, ' T h e y are—as Pope's Father used to say of his Son's P o e t r y — T h e y are good Rhymes.' 2 J . D. Wright, J. Rylands Bulletin, xvi ( 1 9 3 2 ) , 3 3 - 4 , 6 2 - 5 . Johnson's French accents were not in accord with modern practice. See also Tfoaliana, i. 384. ' Ry- 539. 30. T h e letter has no date or address, and is written in a more formal hand than usual. There is a possibility that it is not the original note.

-¡773 DEPRESSION 103 leave me to struggle with the loss of one Friend, and let me not put to hazard what I esteem beyond Kingdoms, and value beyond the possession of them. Mrs. Thrale saw that J o h n s o n needed to get a w a y from Streatham, where the shadow of death hovered over her mother's sick-room. 'Dissipation', she wrote, 'is to you a glorious Medicine, and I believe M r . Boswell will be at last your best Physician.' She was sure that carrying out his long-discussed trip to the Hebrides would do more for him than all the doctors in L o n d o n , and the next few months were to prove the wisdom of her suggestion. B y J u n e 12 it became apparent that Mrs. Salusbury was dying. M u r p h y and Baretti came out to express sympathy and offer their aid, but there was nothing further anyone could do. 1 T h e end came on J u n e 18, and on the same day in the Children's Book Mrs. T h r a l e set down a moving account of the preceding week, with the tragic event of the morning as poignant climax. She slept very easy in the night, but had as usual all the Windows open, the Morng. however shewed a still more visible Alterration in her Countenance & at 7 o'clock her Utterance was quite gone. She try'd to take her Coffee but there was no passage Harry had the Toast as he always had, & after Prayers the Children read the Lessons to her as usual—She heard & understood us all perfectly well: however I saw we must send for Mr. Thrale as Life ebbed apace, & dispatched a Messenger accordingly: I then called up Mr. Johnson who when he felt her Pulse wonder'd at its Vigor but when he observed the dimness of her Eyes and universal languor, he leaned on the bed, kissed her Cheek, & said in his emphatical Way—May God bless you Dear Madam for Jesus Christ's sake, at these Words She looked up and smiled wth. a sweet Intelligence that express'd Hope, Friendship & Farewell—all at once.2 Mrs. Thrale was prostrated by the loss of her mother. With her death the last link with childhood was gone. T o whom could she now talk of Bodvel, of Offley, and the happy days at East H y d e ; to whom confide the bright remarks of her own 1 M r s . T h r a l e wrote in the Children's Book that on J u n e 1 3 M u r p h y , who had not seen Mrs. Salusbury for three weeks, found her much altered. H e said: ' Y o u have already kept y o u r M o t h e r too long, dear M a d a m , — y o u must now part very soon, and I confess I wish the Crisis over for your sake.' I liked Baretti's speech better—it was ' G o d bless you dear M a d m . & give you patience & her Patience, and as long a Continuance as both m a y be able to bear.' 2 As an example of M r s . T h r a l e ' s accuracy in setting ("own contemporary events, compare this account from the Children's Book with Johnson's version written about the same time (John. Alisc. i. 66). Mrs. Salusbury died intestate. In my possession is a letter of administration, taken out by Mrs. T h r a l e , dated Aug. 12, 1 7 7 3 , and with a note on the back in the hand of Johnson, telling what it is.

"iir,.-,n

I

io4

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children, or the little annoyances of the household? For the first time she was completely adrift from all the old ties. Sir T h o s Salusbury has long a g o cast m e off, & M r . T h r a l e & M r . Johnson are the mere Acquisitions of C h a n c e ; w h i c h chancc, or c h a n g e of Behaviour, or Intervention of new O b j c c t s or twenty T h i n g s besides D e a t h caii r o b m e of. O n e solid G o o d I had & that is g o n e — m y M o t h e r !

As his wife was in such a distressed state of mind, Thrale was probably glad of an excuse to leave the gloomy house. Accordingly he went up to Oxford to witness the installation of Lord North as Chancellor of the University, and while there stayed with Johnson's friend, Chambers, at New Inn Hall. O n this occasion Lord North took advantage of his new position to pay off a number of political debts, and his pliant henchman Thrale was rewarded with the degree of Doctor of Civil Law. 1 Beattie and Sir Joshua Reynolds were also honoured by the University at this time for accomplishments more obvious to later generations than those of the Southwark brewer. But whatever the justification, the testimonial must have been gratifying to Mrs. Thrale, for after the newspaper scandal of the previous spring it was a salve to her pride to have her husband given an honorary degree in such distinguished company. Shortly before the death of Mrs. Salusbury Thrale had begun extensive improvements to the house at Streatham: a new library wing was added, many rooms entirely remodelled, among others the one always occupied by Johnson. 2 Driven out of his comfortable abode, Johnson, therefore, spent most of July, 1773, in London, leaving Mrs. Thrale more often alone. 3 1 A full account of the Encaenia is given in Jackson's Oxford Journal, Sat., July 10, 1 773. O n Thurs. 'Henry Thrale Esq. Member of Parliament' is listed among those receiving honorary degrees. O n Friday Reynolds and Beattie were given their degrers. See also Forbes, Life of Beattie (1806), i. 267. Possibly Thrale and Reynolds saw a good deal of each other on this occasion; at least during the late summer and autumn of 1773 Reynolds was a much more frequent guest at Streatham than formerly. (See p. 66, n. 2.) 1 Mentioned in the Children's Book, June 18, 1773. 3 Johnson was occasionally at Streatham. In a small note-book for 1773 (Ry. 616), Mrs. Thrale wrote on July 8: Perkins came hither to dine with M r . Johnson & m e : from him I gatherd 1st. that we are absolutely now in debt to our Hopmen 18,000 L, 2d that we buy dearer than other people by reason of our requiring such long Credit, 3dly that Mr. Thrale has not done trying Experiments . . . T h e next day Mrs. Thrale went to the Compting House where Perkins showed her the account books. Some indication of the various people w h o had loaned Thrale money appears: Lady Lade, Count Viry, Scrase, Hankin, & c . Johnson, according to her record, was at Streatham also on the 18th.

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ff't^y^n^/v- S^X /¿¿ r A^/ ^ f>t Baretti (1909), pp. 269, 344-9, & c . 1

1

no

DEPRESSION

1770-

Although Queeney's mature intelligence continued to be the chief source of wonder, Harry and Lucy were Mrs. Thrale's favourites. But little Lucy was also a source of constant anxiety, for ever since the child was six months old she had had a 'running from her Ears' which the doctors had not been able to check. Johnson had added to the mother's fears by telling of a friend of his who had died from a similar ailment. 1 Except for this recurrent ear infection her mother could find no fault in the lovely child, and the year before had written in the Children's Book: L u c y is v e r y s a u c y , b u t w o n d e r f u l l y a m i a b l e ; I a m i n d e e d a c c u s e d o f a p a r t i a l F o n d n e s s t o w a r d s h e r , b u t s h e is s o l o v e l y o n e

cannot

resist h e r c o a x i n g — Q u c e n e y

delight

never would

be fondled, nor

in a n y C a r e s s e s I c o u l d g i v e h e r , she h a s a H e a r t w h o l l y

impene-

t r a b l e t o A f f e c t i o n a s it s h o u l d s e e m , &

kindness

L u c y is s o f t n e s s &

itself.2

One child, at least, satisfied her longing for love, but the pleasure in this instance was short-lived. In the autumn of 1773 Lucy became seriously ill. At first the doctors diagnosed the trouble as the after-effect of measles, but when the child failed to rally they became genuinely alarmed. From her symptoms we to-day recognize mastoiditis, but even the best physicians then knew no way to cope with this infection. A succession of doctors, Pinkston, Bromficld, Lawrence, and James, plied her with rough purges, blisters, leeches, and bleedings, until the poor child was wild with delirium. More blisters and leeches only seemed to prolong the agony, until death finally released her on November 22. Affectionate little Lucy was no more, and her loss was a tragic finale to a terrible year. On December 31 Mrs. Thrale listed her afflictions at length in the Children's Book, ending with the poignant cry, 'So Farewell to all I formerly loved—to my Mother, my House in Hertfordshire, my lovely Lucy—and to this accursed Year 1773'. 3 1 C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k , J u n e 2 2 , 1 7 7 1 . M r s . T h r a l e w r o t e that the story 'shocked m e d r e a d f u l l y tho' I took n o Notice b u t it l a y on m y spirits all that D a y & N i g h t — & this M o r n i n g I c a n scarce b e a r to think o n ' t ' . 1 D e c . 9, 1 7 7 2 . 3 A f t e r a long list of her recent troubles M r s . T h r a l e a d d e d , A s I h a v e n o w n o soothing F r i e n d to tell m y G r i e f to, it will p e r h a p s sink the sooner into I n s e n s i b i l i t y ; D r . J o h n s o n is v e r y kind as c a n b e , & I ought to be t h a n k f u l that M r . T h r a l e does not, as most H u s b a n d s w o u l d — a g g r a v a t e b y Insult a n d A n g e r the S o r r o w s of m y M i n d .

VI

TRAVELS

AND

TRAGEDY

JANUARY I 7 7 4 - A P R I L

1776

F

O L L O W I N G the years of almost continuous disaster there came some peaceful intervals, but so long as Mrs. Thrale brought infants into the world in rapid succession, only to lose them one by one, and Thrale retained his speculative attitude towards business, life was sure to be full of heartaches. Furthermore, even when her children were well and happy, she had to nurse and comfort Johnson, who, whenever he was indisposed or irritable, turned to his dear Mistress for the sympathy which seldom failed him. So on February 7, 1774, he wrote to Boswell, 'I have, indeed, for some weeks past, been very ill of a cold and cough, and have been at Mrs. Thrale's, that I might be taken care of.' 1 It was a rare month that did not find some sickness at Streatham or Southwark. Gradually, however, Mrs. Thrale discovered ways to emancipate herself somewhat from the dull round of nursery and household duties. For one thing, the education of her young ones did not take up so much time as formerly. T h e sickly and backward Susan was sent to Mrs. Cumyns' school in Kensington, and, when at Streatham, Harry was a day scholar of Dr. Thomas. Queeney, the mother left more and more to the teaching of Baretti. T h e instruction was not all scholarly, apparently, for the next year Mrs. Thrale noted in the Children's Book: Queeney begun to learn to dance this Week of Mr. Abingdon, who studied under my old Master Mr. Leviez: I used to say I would teach this Science to my own Family but these frequent Pregnancies disable me. 1 But if she was forced to secure professional training for her son and cider daughters, it did not mean that she failed to watch their progress with the usual pride. Constant questioning and examinations kept her fully aware of all they were learning or forgetting, and she added numerous refinements of her own. 1

Life, ii. 272.

1

J a n . 25, 1775. See also p. 22, Chapter I.

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H a v i n g a sensitive e a r , u p o n w h i c h e c c e n t r i c i t i c s o f s p c c c h m a d e an i m m e d i a t e impression, Mrs. T h r a l e was determined that her o w n children should h a v e no colloquial h a n d i c a p s — t h a t n o c o c k n e y i s m s s h o u l d c r c e p in. S h e w a s s h o c k c d w h e n t h e w e l l - k n o w n P e p y s b r o t h e r s p r o n o u n c e d i d e a ' i d e a r ' , 1 for n o s u c h v u l g a r i t y w a s t o l e r a t e d in h e r h o u s e h o l d . M a n y years a f t e r w a r d she r e m e m b e r e d a n a m u s i n g c o n v e r s a t i o n arising from her crusade against uncouth speech. I teised m y children so to pronounce W i n d o w & Fellow instead of the C o c k n e y method W i n d e r & F e l l e r — t h a t one day the Boy said Look Sister there's a L a d d e r — F y e , fye, cries the Girl it is a Laddow.2 J o h n s o n , c o n s t a n t l y in the house, also took a n a c t i v c p a r t in r e a r i n g the c h i l d r e n . Q u e c n c y , t h e eldest, n a t u r a l l y o c c u p i e d m o s t o f his a t t e n t i o n , b u t H a r r y a n d S u s y w e r e also g r e a t f a v o u r i t e s . I t w a s p r o b a b l y a t his s u g g e s t i o n t h a t Q u e c n c y b e g a n h e r c o l l e c t i o n o f n a t u r a l s p e c i m e n s , since h e saw to it t h a t she h a d a special c a b i n e t m a d e t o h o l d t h e treasures, a n d o n e v e r y t r i p tried to s e c u r e s o m e n e w o b j e c t to a d d to them. 3 T h e g r e a t m o r a l i s t o f t e n u n d e r t o o k to e x p l a i n to t h e y o u n g people the true principles o f religion. O n one occasion when h e h a d b e e n s p e a k i n g o f H e a v e n ' s j o y s as b e i n g w h o l l y intell e c t u a l , ' s o m e o f t h e m s a i d — W h a t P l e a s u r e c a n such J o y s g i v e to " G r i n n i n g J a c k " S i r ? — a poor half-witted C o w m a n that wc k e p t — O h replied he " J a c k m a y Improve p e r h a p s " Another day, Mrs. Thrale recorded, w h e n my son was going to school, and dear Dr. Johnson followed as far as the garden gate, praying for his salvation, in a voice which those w h o listened attentively could hear plain enough, he said to me suddenly, ' M a k e your boy tell you his dreams: the first corruption that entered into my heart was cominunicatcd in a dream.' W h a t was it, Sir? said I. 'Do not ask me,' replied he with much violence, and walked a w a y in apparent agitation. s His e v e r - r e a d y a d v i c e e m b r a c e d o t h e r things t h a n religion. H e insisted t h a t r e a d i n g w a s so i m p o r t a n t t h a t e v e n foolish b o o k s w e r e b e t t e r t h a n n o n e at all. ' D o c t o r J o h n s o n said a l w a y s , — G e t y o u r C h i l d r e n i n t o H a b i t s o f l o v i n g a Book b y e v e r y possible m e a n s ; Y o u d o not k n o w b u t it m a y o n e D a y ' N o w C o m m o n Place Rook, p. 147. A m a r g i n a l note in a c o p y of Pcggc's Anecdotes of the English language p. 69 (now at B r y n b c l l a ) . 1

J

Quteney Ijtters, xiv; see also R y . O91, 32.

4

N e w C o m m o n Placc Book, p. 37.

5

John. Misc. i. 159.

(1803),

-i77€

TRAVELS

AND

TRAGEDY

113

Suicide.' 1

save them from This counsel was hardly needed, for Mrs. Thralc was more apt to over-emphasize scholarly training than to neglect it. M a n y years afterwards, looking back over her early life, she wondered if she had not been wrong in trying to cram knowledge into the youthful minds of her daughters; 2 but at the time she had no doubts. She was determined that her children should be mentally and morally superior, and she devised many amusing schemes to accomplish this end. T o stimulate learning, she kept little coloured note-books filled with the passages to be memorized. T o offset any possible tendency to future excess, she always gave medicines in wine, 'that they might constantly annex disagreeable Ideas with that Liquor'. 3 Sometimes Mrs. Thrale's punishment took a physical form. Baretti, in his later 'Strictures', undoubtedly exaggerates the harshness of her treatment, but there is no reason to question his assertion that to enforce obedience she often resorted to blows from her 'Salusbury fist'.4 Holding that children should be governed strictly by their parents (in which belief she was supported, for the most part, by Johnson), she felt that for their own good her daughters must learn to obey without question, and that if they did not, immediate punishment was ncccssary. But she was not a cruel tyrant. Other interests arose to divert her mind from the affairs of the nursery, for in the spring of 1774 the Thrales and Johnson were discussing the possibility of taking a long tour together. Money was flowing into the brewery; Mrs. Thrale was in good health; everything seemed propitious. A t first the Continent was suggested, chiefly because Johnson and the Mistress of the household, neither of whom had ever been outside the British Isles, both greatly wished to see Italy and the antiquities of Rome. It is evident that Thrale may have seriously considered such a journey, sincc Boswell, in his letter of M a y 13, wrote as if it were a settled fact. But the expedition to Italy never took place. Instead, Thrale decided that his wife's inheritance of the old Salusbury property in Wales made it imperative that they postpone any European travel, and visit that part of the island first. Before setting out for Wales, Johnson probably spent some time in examining Mrs. Thrale's family papers. A t her Sugges2 Broadley, p. 50 New Common Place Book, p. 243. ' New Common Place Book, p. 42. 4 See Chapter X V , pp. 322-4, for a discussion of Barctti's 'Strictures'. 1

ii4

TRAVELS

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TRAGEDY

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tion he read through, not only the legal documents having to do with Bach-y-Graig, but also the long series of letters from Bridge and numerous members of the Salusbury family. Once started, he even looked over a number of her letters from Collier and her father's Nova Scotian diaries. Over two hundred of these papers have endorsements in his handwriting. 1 Throughout J u n e 1774 preparations for the journey were in progress. T h e younger girls were left with Mrs. Cumyns in Kensington; Harry instructed to spend his days at Thomas's school in Streatham; 'old Nurse' given charge of the baby; and Baretti charged with the task of keeping a vigilant eye on them all and writing regular accounts of their health. Still, 2 it was with some misgivings that on Tuesday, J u l y 5, Mrs. Thrale set out with her husband,Queeney, and Johnson for distant Wales. Never before had she planned to be gone so long from her nursery, and she imagined all sorts of accidents which might happen. Beginning a journey of several months, she decided to keep a separate diary of the tour.J Extending from J u l y 5 to September 30, 1774, it is the first of her travel journals, and though it may not have the insight of her later continental observations, it reveals a mind already sensitive to new surroundings and unfamiliar customs. T h e record is a day-by-day account of the places they visited and the men and women they met, with her penetrating comments on both. She recounts how, in their own coach, with four fast horses, they jolted along over the country roads, first to Lichfield and Ashbourne to see Johnson's old friends, then on to Sir Lynch Cotton's estates of Combermere and Lleweney. After lingering for some time in the Vale of Clwyd, the travellers penetrated as far into Caernarvonshire as Pwllheli and saw Mrs. Thrale's birthplace a few miles away. Although much of her account of this trip is merely a descriptive chronicle of events, a large part is also given over to her own 1 For the most part in the John Rylands collection. These include old deeds, legal papers, and letters from Bridge, Lloyd, and members of the Salusbury family. Since one letter containing his handwriting on the back is dated Aug. 3, 1773, it seems probable that Johnson's examination of all the papers came after this date. 1 Of Baretti's affectionate, friendly letters, giving news of the children, those of J u l y 9, 2 1 , Aug. 4, 12, 13, Sept. 26 have survived. Four have been printed by L. Piccioni, Baretti Epistolario (1936), pp. 127-32. 3 The full text of Mrs. Piozzi's Welsh Journal may be found in A. M. Broadley's Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale (1910). Included is a reprint of Dr. Johnson's diary kept during the same tour, together with much biographical material relating to the Thrales. A comparison with the original manuscript, now in the collection of Mr. A. Edward Newton, shows that Broadley's editing is not entirely trustworthy. See also L. F. Powell's edition of Johnson's Welsh Journal in Life, volume v. 427-60.

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feelings. A m o n g the scenes and playmates of her childhood, she found it impossible not to fill many pages with sentimental recollections. It was never easy for Mrs. Thrale to write anything without some personal vagary creeping into the entry, and these intimate flashes are often the most interesting portion of her journals. T h u s on Tuesday, August 9, while visiting at Lleweney, she wrote: I expected letters from home and had none I have not Mrs. Cotton's even sweetness of temper, so I am come into my own room to cry. She loves her children as well as I do, but she would not have cried from fretful impatience like me. Why does every body on some occasion or other perpetually do better than I can?

Five days later came another complaint: Queeney has a weight over her eyes today again. I hear Harry has had a black eye, and Ralph cut his teeth with pain, but I have nobody to tell how it vexes me. Mr. Thrale will not be conversed with by me on any subject, as a friend, or comforter, or adviser. Every day more and more do I feel the loss of my Mother. M y present Companions have too much philosophy for me. One cannot disburthen one's mind to people who are watchful to cavil, or acute to contradict before the sentence is finished.

Travelling with Dr. Johnson, Thrale, and Queeney was not unalloyed pleasure. Thrale loved prospects, but the nearsighted Johnson when confronted with a breath-taking panorama preferred to keep his eyes fastened on the pages of a book. Besides, neither of the two men had expected to find much of interest in Wales, and they were not disappointed. As a result, Mrs. 1'hrale, with the pride of a true Welshwoman, was chagrincd and hurt at their obvious dislike of her country. N o r were the men hesitant at expressing their distaste, so that the amenities fell heavily upon Mrs. Thrale, and she was 'obliged to be civil for four'. 1 T o offset the times when Johnson was churlish and irritable, however, there were happy occasions when he was agreeable and kindly. T h u s at Pwllheli she recorded: We went to the little town of Pwllhely, where Mr. Johnson would buy something, he said, in memory of his little Mistresses' Market Town; he is on every occasion so very kind, feels friendship so acutely and expresses it so delicately that it is wonderfully flattering to me to have his company. He could find nothing to purchase but a Primmer. 1

D'Arblay Diary, i. 130.

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T o reconcile sucli varying accounts it must be remembered that she wrote down just what came to her mind at the moment. If she had a pleasant day and her companions agreed with her, they were the most charming persons in the world, and life itself absolute perfection. If, on the other hand, one of Johnson's or Thralc's remarks irritated her, she openly showed her indignation in her diary. T h r o u g h September the party made its way by easy stages back to London, a number of incidents on the way provoking caustic entries in Mrs. Thrale's journal. Their reception by the Lytteltons at Iiagley was not so cordial as they had expected, and a visit to the Burkes at Beaconsficld was rendered less enjoyable by the hard drinking of their host and his friends. A t Beaconsficld came the unpleasant news that Parliament had been dissolved, which meant that Thrale was faced with an immediate canvass for re-election. This was upsetting for Mrs. Thrale, who had been looking forward to a quiet autumn at Strcatham, where, as she expressed it, she could have kissed her children 'and cuffed them by turns', and where they could always have had a place to play. Instead she would have to be 'shut up in that odious dungeon, where nobody will come near me'. 1 But she did not allow personal whims to affect her loyalty, and shortly after their return on September 30, she threw herself energetically into the campaign. T h e election of 1774 was another desperate battle with the supporters of Wilkes, and Southwark was the scene of continuous rioting. O n Tuesday, October 4, Mrs. Thrale sent a hurried scrawl to Johnson: W e l e a d a w i l d L i f e , b u t it w i l l be o v e r t o m o r r o w s e v e n - n i g h t ; the E l e c t i o n will be c a r r i e d , b u t n o t so t r i u m p h a n t l y as I h o p e d f o r : s o m e a r e s t u p i d , a n d s o m e a r e sullen, n o less t h a n four C a n d i d a t e s besides m y M a s t e r — t h e Patriots h a v e the M o b of C o u r s e . D o not t h i n k o f seeing us till the S t o r m is o v e r , unless y o u call for h a l f a n hour & hear News tell s o m e . I w r i t e s u r r o u n d e d b y p e o p l e m a k i n g a noise & scarce k n o w w h a t I say b u t that I a m v e r y busy. 2

Johnson did not remain aloof while the excitemcnt was intense. He drafted at least one of Thralc's announcements, 3 1 Broadley, p. 219. Upon their arrival in London on Friday, Sept. 30, Johnson remained in town, while Mrs. Thrale hurried to Kensington and Strcalham to see her children. That day in the Children's Book she noted her pleasure at finding all well and improved. After spending the week-end in the country, she drove in to Southwark, leaving Queeney and Baretti in charge at Streatham. 2 For a description of the riots at the close of the poll see The Gazetteer, Oct. 12, >7741 The original draft of one address in Johnson's handwriting is in my possession

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and when the issue seemed doubtful dashed off a pamphlet called The Patriot to combat the arguments of the mob. It 'was called for', he wrote to Boswell, 'by my political friends on Friday, was written on Saturday'. 1 H e was also quite capable of entering good humouredly into the amusing by-play of a political campaign. It was in this year, as he accompanied Mrs. Thrale on one of her canvassing expeditions, that a rough fellow seized his venerable beaver hat in one hand, and clapped him on the back with the other, while crying out, ' A h , Master Johnson, this is no time to be thinking about hats.' 'No, N o , Sir,' replied the Doctor in a cheerful tone, 'hats are of no use now, as you say, except to throw up in the air and huzza with,' accompanying his words with a true election halloo. 2 Although Mrs. T h r a l e always professed to be bored with the duties of electioneering, it may be suspected that when actually launched she enjoyed the infectious fever of the contest. It is certain that she did everything in her power to aid her husband's cause, soliciting every voter in the Borough, and using all her blandishments to influence the result. This year the voting was close; but on October 18 Thrale was officially returned, second on the poll, and with naive pride Mrs. T h r a l e remarked in the Children's Book that her husband's best friends admitted he owed his success to his wife's efforts. ' T h e truth is', she added complacently, 'I have been indefatigable.' When the strenuous competition was over, she was glad of a few days' rest at Streatham. As soon as she felt strong again, she rode over to Kensington to arrange for the return of Susan and Sophy, who all this time had been left at Mrs. Cumyns's.J O n the way, in Hogmore Lane, her horse fell while at a smart gallop, and she was thrown and painfully injured, her side being forcibly struck by the pommel of the saddle and her lip cut almost through. She was immediately carried to Mrs. Cumyns's where she melodramatically took final leave of her (printed in Life, ed. P o w e l l , v . 460, note 2). D a t e d O c t . 1, it first a p p e a r e d in the Daily Advertiser and other p a p e r s o n O c t . 3, 1774 (repeated o n the 4th). O n the 6th another a n n o u n c e m e n t a p p e a r e d in the papers, requesting ' V o t e s , Interest, and S u p p o r t on the D a y o f E l e c t i o n ' (repeated on the 7th, 8th, 10th), a n d o n O c t . 14, after the poll, T h r a l e printed p u b l i c thanks for his election. A l l three addresses m a y h a v e been written by J o h n s o n , t h o u g h w e h a v e definite proof only 1 Life, ii. 288. o f the first. 1 John. Misc. i. 2 9 3 ; T h r a l i a n a , a u t u m n 1 7 7 7 . A n o t h e r incident that u n d o u b t e d l y occurred at this election is related by L a e t i t i a M a t i l d a H a w k i n s in her Aiemoirs (1824), i. 6 5 - 6 . 1 T h e account o f this a c c i d e n t was written in the C h i l d r e n ' s Book on N o v . 12, 1774, at which time she referred to it as o c c u r r i n g ' a b o u t a W e e k a g o ' ; Jolinr.un wrote on Oct. 20 describing the fall as ' t w o d a y s a g o ' (Adam Libr. i. 187). K

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w h i m p e r i n g daughters, sure that the accident would be the end of herself and the child she was bearing. B a d l y bruised, with t w o black eyes and a swollen j a w , she was a pitiable sight; but b y g o o d fortune not seriously hurt. O n her return h o m e the same d a y , however, she frightened the rest of the family b y suddenly collapsing. Q u e e n e y kept out of the w a y , H a r r y cried continuously, and T h r a l e was unusually t e n d e r — p e r h a p s , she commented, h a v i n g realized her worth a n e w after the valuable service during the c a m p a i g n . A l t h o u g h she soon recovered from the fall, Mrs. T h r a l e carried one visible reminder to her grave, for when her lip healed a deep scar was left at the right side of the mouth. A s an old lady, w h e n artists painted her portrait, she always insisted on having this scar appear in the picture. W h i l e still in the country she decided to inoculate the yearold R a l p h against small-pox. N o n e of the other children had been much affected b y a similar inoculation, but little R a l p h b e c a m e extremely ill with a mass of running sores, and it was even feared he was dying. O n D e c e m b e r 8 Mrs. T h r a l e wrote in despair in the Children's B o o k : O h L o r d O h L o r d ! w h a t shall I d o ? Johnson & Baretti try to comfort me, they only p l a g u e m e — U p every N i g h t a n d all N i g h t long a g a i n ! — w e l l if this don't kill m e & the C h i l d I carry, sure we are m a d e of Iron.

By the 19th the worst was over, and R a l p h b e g a n to recover, but his mother found him sadly altered, so languid and listless that he seemed to have no strength left. T h e next d a y , w h e n they moved in to S o u t h w a r k , she recorded her fervent wish: ' G o d give us a quiet W i n t e r ! ' As soon as the immediate crisis of R a l p h ' s illness had passed, she became absorbed, as usual, in a variety of projects: literary, philanthropic, and social. In D e c e m b e r , as a special favour granted only to the K i n g and to herself, she read Johnson's account of his H e b r i d e a n tour, at least a m o n t h before Boswell and the general public. 1 She also had an early view of the new political pamphlet, Taxation No Tyranny.2 A t the same time she aided her famous guest in a n u m b e r of charitable schemes. Johnson's kind heart and active generosity have always been recognized; a similar kindliness on the part of the Mistress of Streatham has unfortunately often been overlooked. Mrs. T h r a l e served as a m e m b e r of the committee of m a n a g e m e n t ' Lift, ii. 5 0 9 . 2

Ry. 539. 38-

S e e a l s o lot 2 2 4 , S o t h e b y S a l e , J a n . 3 0 , 1 9 1 8 .

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of ' T h e Ladies' Charity School for Training Girls as Servants', the same school in which Johnson and the blind A n n a Williams took such an interest. In a later letter to Mrs. T h r a l e Johnson actually wrote of it as 'your charity school'. 1 She was a w a r m supporter of the Lying-in Hospital and other public philanthropies, but more to her liking were private benefactions to deserving unfortunates. She seems continually to have besought her friends and acquaintances on behalf of some unfortunate boy or girl. Since T h r a l e was usually too busy to be bothered, his wife was forced to carry on her schemes, sub rosa, with the aid of those more amenable. I n one instance, when trying to secure a non-freeman's presentation to a city charity school for the son of Harry's old nurse, she ended her plea to J o h n s o n : ' M r . Thrale knows I a m always tormenting my Friends about this Time of Year—for they present only at Easter—so I d a r e not say a word to him about it.' 2 O n another occasion the draft of one of her solicitations ends with the admission, ' M r . T h r a l e will not even read m y Letter a n d only wonders at my Assurance in supposing I can have the least Interest with M r . Harley.' 3 Sometimes, to be sure, her efforts were expended in attempts to secure positions for relatives of voters in the borough, and then her husband was more interested. O n e such project, several years before, had resulted in an amusing fiasco. At a time when the Queen was expecting another child, Mrs. T h r a l e had written to obtain the position of wet-nurse in the royal nursery for the wife of one of Thrale's constituents. I n typical fashion, however, her desire to write a clever letter proved fatal to her plan, and she was forced to apologize through Doctor Bromfield. I sometimes beg favours of you but seldom one like this: it is to see Dr. Hunter for me and to tell him how much I am mortified at his misunderstanding a passage in a letter I had lately occasion to write Lady Effingham recommending a Wet Nurse to the Queen . . . but the Doctor has unfortunately objected to a passage in my letter and I fear I have done my friend more mischief than I can easily repair: I have no means of getting at Dr. Hunter but thro' you or I would not be this troublesome, but do tell him that I think her a young Woman of Merit, that I have no suspicion of her Virtue being corrupted at Court nor no thought of the Court being a place of corruption: but that people return to their homes uneasily 1 Letters, No. 883. For information about the Charity School, see Broadley, pp. 96, 121, and The Speaker, M a r . 22, 1890, pp. 311-12. 2 Ry- 539. 34- Undated. 1 R-y- 533. 4- Dated M a y 27, 1774. T h e note has to do with Carter's son. See next page. For Harley see Letters, i. 304.

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from a Life of less employment and more delight must be obvious to every Observer and that was really all I said . .

Mrs. Thrale's rattling wit was apt to involve her in difficulties, whether she spoke or wrote. But she never could keep from saying what she thought, no matter what the consequence. Sometimes her struggles proved unavailing through no fault of her own. As an example, about this time one of the chief objects of Mrs. Thrale's beneficence was the family of an indigent riding master in the Borough named Carter, the son of a gentleman, but reduced to a pitiable state by a series of misfortunes. In 1774 Mrs. Thrale wrote a number of letters to influential acquaintances in an attempt to get Carter's son admitted to Christ's Hospital, the famous Blue Coat School. 2 T h e riding master himself was even a more difficult problem. Living in an unfashionable part of the town, lie had few pupils, and with a large family to support he had fallen deeply into debt. Johnson became concerned and finally evolved a plan which at first sight seemed the perfect solution of the unfortunate man's difficulties. Some years before, Oxford University had been presented with a bequest from the family of Lord Clarendon to establish a riding school at the University; why not secure the post of instructor in the proposed acadcmy for Carter? Late in February 1775 Johnson made a trip to Oxford to investigate the matter and to use his influence in obtaining the appointment. His reports being favourable, Mrs. Thrale sent Carter, who scarcely dared stir out of his house 'except on Sundays' and then haunted her 'with his doleful Looks', to Oxford for an interview. 3 Because of unforeseen obstacles, however, both Carter and Johnson were forced to return with little accomplished. In the end the funds available proved insufficient, and the University scheme had to be abandoned; 4 but though their more ambitious efforts on behalf of the poor riding 1 Hunter-Baillie Collection, R o y a l College of Surgeons, L o n d o n . T h e letter is dated A p r . 2 2 , 1 7 7 0 . With it is the original letter of M r s . T h r a l e to L a d y E f f i n g h a m of M a r . 29, 1 7 7 0 , in which the remarks on the possible b a d effect of court life on M r s . N e w b y a r e certainly over-stressed. ( M r s . N e w b y was a niece of Samuel C r o x a l l , the poet.) 2 D r a f t s of some of her solicitations m a y be found in R y . 5 3 3 , while answers from C . R . B r o m f i e l d , J o h n D u r a n d , a n d W m . H e m e are in m y collection, as is also a trial d r a f t of a begging letter directed to an u n n a m e d lord, in the handwriting of Johnson. 1 E v e r y m o v e is described in M r s . T h r a l e ' s letters to J o h n s o n ( R y . 5 3 9 , 3 6 - 4 5 ) a n d in his replies. See also T h r a l i a n a , late 1 7 7 7 . 4 T h e C l a r e n d o n bequest was not used until the middle of the nineteenth century, a n d then to build a scientific laboratory. See Life, ii. 5 2 7 - 8 ; also J . Rylands Bulletin, x x ( 1 9 3 6 ) , 2 7 0 - 1 .

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master were fruitless, the T h r a l e s and Johnson continued to give temporary aid to the improvident family. Philanthropy m a y h a v e occupied some of Mrs. T h r a l e ' s time, but her chief interest outside the nursery was society and conversation. Still the c o m p a n y at Streatham and S o u t h w a r k was preponderantly masculine, m a d e u p of business and political connexions of her husband and the famous friends of Johnson. These last, indeed, should h a v e been enough to content any hostess. T o receive letters of compliment f r o m E d m u n d Burke, 1 visits from Sir J o s h u a Reynolds and the Scotch poet and philosopher James Beattie, 2 pamphlets and gossip from D r . M i c h a e l L o r t , the C a m b r i d g e Greek scholar, 3 was a triumph indeed for the wife of a Southwark brewer. O n e wellknown guest, however, w h o had often been present would never again sit at her table. Mrs. T h r a l e had not been greatly impressed by Dr. Goldsmith, had indeed thought little of his talk, but his death had c o m c as a shock. Boswell was right w h e n he wrote to T h r a l e , 'Poor Goldsmith will be m u c h missed at y o u r literary parties'. 4 G r a d u a l l y Mrs. T h r a l e was meeting other people whose friendship she had long desired. It was with delight that she dispatched a note to Johnson on F e b r u a r y 5, 1775. I wonder when we shall have any Leisure from our Engagements to chat with each other. Today I hear you dine with Mr. Paradise, so I will take this Afternoon to go out a'visiting. tomorrow Mr. Thrale entertains two or three of the People concerned in Crossby's AfTairs, so when I have sat the Dinner out, & said a few civil Things to my Company I shall go to drink Tea with Jack & Fanny Rice with whom I shall go to the Comic Mirror at Night to hear the Dialogue between Doctor Anecdote and Mrs. Thalia—If you will meet me at home when I return from that Nonsense we shall have 1 T w o letters from Burkr to Mrs. Thrale during the spring of 1774 still exist. One is of M a y 5 (Adam Libr. iii. 42), the other of June 20 (lot 344, Sotheby Sale, Dec. 6, 1904). In the former, Burke referred to Mrs. Thrale's great partiality to Mrs. Burke and himself, and admitted that this had made him presume to bring two friends with them when they came that day to dine. In the second, he informed her that his friend M r . K i n g would like to be introduced. 2 T h e Thrales had first met Beattie in 1771. T h e kindly, courteous poet and philosopher became a pronounced favourite with Mrs. Thrale, and she jokingly told Johnson that if ever she had another husband it would be Beattie (Life, ii. 148; also Broadley, p. 123). In 1773 he was again in London and on Aug. 13 Sir Joshua Reynolds and his sister brought him out to Streatham for dinner, when Goldsmith, Baretti, and Sir Thomas Mills were also present (M. Forbes, Beattie and His Friends, p. 90). 3 R y . 544, 1. Also see Thraliana, M a y 1777, and Queeney Letters, p. 255. 4 Boswell's Letters, i. 203. M a n y anecdotes about Goldsmith were recorded in the first volume of Thraliana.

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something to laugh about, on Wednesday we dine with Sir Joshua Reynolds according to an Invitation he sent hither on Saturday to ask us to meet Mrs. Montagu so I am like Miss Jenny in the Journey to London telling how tomorrow we see the new Pantomime & the next day dine with the Duchess of Distinction &c. I like however that you should always know where I go & what I do that you may either approve me or scold me which is the next best as the one shews your Partiality the other your Friendship. 1 T o b e c o m e acquainted with the famous M r s . E l i z a b e t h M o n t a g u opened u p a new vista for Mrs. T h r a l e ' s ambitions, b r i n g i n g within reach the world of the Blue-Stockings into w h i c h T h r a l e ' s wealth and her o w n vivacious conversation had not yet provided the necessary entrée. Besides, J o h n s o n was every y e a r becoming more v a l u a b l e bait. T h o u g h he m i g h t still shock the sensibilities of fashionable Mrs. Harris, he was g r o w i n g more presentable in dress and less ferocious in m a n n e r a n d w o u l d not be so difficult to fit into the society presided over b y the ' Q u e e n of the Blues'. T w o intimate records, those of Boswell and of an Irish clergym a n , D r . T h o m a s C a m p b e l l , give us a picture of the S o u t h w a r k life o f the T h r a l e s during the winter of 1775. Boswell, on this y e a r ' s trip to E n g l a n d , had been given a 'general invitation' to dine in the Borough ' w h e n not otherwise e n g a g e d ' , 2 and often took a d v a n t a g e of the privilege. D r . C a m p b e l l , w h o it was reported had come to L o n d o n for the express purpose of meeting J o h n s o n , kept almost as complete an a c c o u n t of his experiences in the T h r a l e circle. 3 O n M a r c h 14 he called at S o u t h w a r k for the first time, where he found the l a d y of the house v e r y learned, a n d j o i n i n g 'to ye charms of her o w n sex y e m a n l y understanding o f ours'. A f t e r this he dined at intervals with the T h r a l e s , once on the 25th, w h e n 'there were 10 or d z gentlemen & but one l a d y besides Mrs. T h r a l e ' . C a m p b e l l recorded m u c h of interest a b o u t Johnson, Barctti, and others, b u t except for some comments on his hostess's doubtful taste in repeating the Doctor's bons mots before his face, he had little to say a b o u t M r s . T h r a l e . O n the 25th lie did, however, describe in detail the dinner, w h i c h he found excellent: first course soups at head & foot removed by fish & a saddle of ' I have been unable to find any references in the newspapers to the dialogue mentioned. Jenny appears in C i b b e r ' s version, The Provoked Husband. 1 Private Papers, x. 158. 1 A Diary of a I'¡sii io England in 1775, by an Irishman, with notes by Samuel R a y m o n d , M . A . , Prothonotary of the Supreme C o u r t of N e w South Wales, was published by VVaugh and C o x , Sydney, New South Wales, in 1854, and re-edited from the original manuscript by me in 1947 ( C a m b r i d g e University Press).

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m u t t o n — s e c o n d course a f o w l they called G a l e n a — a t head, & a c a p o n — l a r g e r than some o f our Irish turkeys at f o o t — T h i r d course four different sorts of Ices viz. Pineapple, Grapes, raspberry, & a f o u r t h — i n each remove there w e r e I think fourteen d i s h e s — T h e two first courses were served in massy plate. A t least t w i c e C a m p b e l l a n d B o s w e l l m e t at t h e T h r a l e s , a n d as a result w e h a v e t w o i n d e p e n d e n t a c c o u n t s o f t h e s a m e o c c a s i o n . I n o n e i n s t a n c e it is f o r t u n a t e f o r the r e p u t a t i o n o f e a c h d i a r i s t t h a t t h e r e is c o r r o b o r a t i o n f o r s o m e r a t h e r d u b i o u s stories o f J o h n s o n ' s v u l g a r r e m a r k s w h i c h w e r e r e l a t e d b y M u r p h y . 1 W h e n these r e m a r k s w e r e q u o t e d , M r s . T h r a l e u n d o u b t e d l y w a s n o t in t h e r o o m ; w h e n she w a s in t h e p a r t y , t h e topics o f conversation r a n g e d f r o m m a r r i a g e with a n inferior to G r a y ' s p o e t r y a n d M u r p h y ' s a c c u r a c y o f n a r r a t i o n . 2 A s usual Boswell portrays M r s . T h r a l e strenuously opposing J o h n son in a r g u m e n t , f o r she r e f u s e d to b e a w e d e i t h e r b y his r e p u t a t i o n or b y t h e v i o l e n c e o f his p r o n o u n c e m e n t s . J o h n s o n w a s in g o o d f o r m ; h e h a d j u s t r e c e i v e d his d e g r e e o f D o c t o r o f L a w s f r o m O x f o r d , a n d t h o u g h h e a f f e c t e d to d e p r e c i a t e its importance, he was at heart vastly pleased with the honour. R a r e l y u s i n g the title himself, he n o w a c q u i e s c e d in the distinction f r o m his friends. D u r i n g these y e a r s B o s w e l l a n d t h e T h r a l e s w e r e o s t e n s i b l y o n the best o f t e r m s , b u t it is a l r e a d y possible to see t h e b e g i n ning of future rivalry. O n A p r i l 8 Boswell notes: M r . T h r a l e told me, I a m not sure w h a t d a y , that there is a Book of Johnsoniana kept in their F a m i l y , in w h i c h all M r . Johnson's sayings and all that they c a n collect about him is put d o w n . H e told me they had s e e n — [ H e c t o r ] , a Surgeon at B i r m i n g h a m , w h o w a s a Schoolfellow of M r . Johnson's, had some of his exercises, a n d could tell a great deal a b o u t h i m , and that he had promised to give them a great deal. I must try to get this Thralian Miscellany, to assist me in writing M r . Johnson's Life, if Mrs. T h r a l e does not intend to d o it herself. I suppose there will b e m a n y written. Be there a thousand lives, M y great Curiosity has stomach for 'em all. 3 U n d o u b t e d l y T h r a l e ' s r e f e r e n c e w a s to t h e e a r l y j o u r n a l in w h i c h his w i f e h a d b e e n r e c o r d i n g J o h n s o n i a n a since t h e l a t e seventeen-sixties, b u t it is possible t h a t t h e r e m a y h a v e b e e n 1 Boswell and Campbell give substantially the same version of the conversation. See Private Papers, x. 172 ff., and Campbell's diary for Apr. 1, 1775. 2 Private Papers, x. 158 ff. 1 Ibid. x. 200.

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another collection of which w e h a v e no trace. newspaper, indeed, later maintained that

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the preservation of Johnson's Memorabilia being first begun at Thrale's house, where an octavo, full of blank paper, was placed on one of the shelves in a common room, for every person in the family to note each remarkable saying of Doctor,—who, once attracted by the splendid binding, to open the book, observed, not without evident complacency, 'Upon my word I did not think I had so much point about me.' 1 H o w m u c h credence to place in this v a g u e newspaper story it is impossible to estimate. Unlikely as it sounds, the experim e n t m a y possibly h a v e been tried, a l t h o u g h it is doubtful if a n y o n e else in the family ever aided the mistress of the household in writing d o w n anecdotes of their famous guest. But the k n o w l e d g e that some v o l u m e existed was e n o u g h to rouse Boswell's interest and to put h i m on his g u a r d . His jealousy of the Thrales showed itself in more w a y s than one, and the next year, w h e n he thought his idol b a d l y treated, he w r o t e in his j o u r n a l : After all, though his intimacy in Thrale's family has done him much good, I could wish that he had been independent of it. He would have had more dignity. For undoubtedly he is at times under some restraint and submits to circumstances not quite agreable, that he may not lose that intimacy. 2 O n her side, the l a d y was at times inclined to be a trifle facetious about her Scotch rival. Several years later she comm e n t e d to J o h n s o n : 'I a m glad M r . Boswell is w i t h y o u — nothing that you say for this W e e k at least will be lost to Posterity.' 3 Y e t on the surface all was serene. I t was easy to like the effervescent, amusing Boswell, of w h o m she once wrote that he w o u l d 'make A s h b o u r n e alive better t h a n three H a u t b o y s & the H a r p s i c h o r d ; and in S e w a r d s Phrase will do more for one'. 4 H e was the most g o o d - h u m o u r e d of guests, ever r e a d y to please, and full of spontaneous fun. E v e n if she did later g r o w to feel that he was an insincere friend, she was a l w a y s glad to welcome him w h e n e v e r he crossed the river to the B o r o u g h . O n one such visit (in 1776) Boswell described his g r e e t i n g : M y reception here was truly flattering. A t once I had chocolade I n c l u d e d in a scrap-book kept Professor C . B. T i n k e r ) . A similar J a n . 7, 178-,, in which it was stated had aided in filling the v o l u m e with 2 Private Papers, xi. 212. J Sept. t8, 1777. 1

by S a m u e l L y s o n s (now in the collcction of account a p p e a r e d in the Morning Chronicle, that M u r p h y , G o l d s m i t h , and H a w k e s w o r t h anecdotes. 1

Sept. 16, 1777.

-,776 TRAVELS AND TRAGEDY 125 before me, and Dr. Johnson was in full glow of conversation. I was elevated as if brought into another state of being. Mrs. Thrale and I looked to cach other while he talked (Baretti having soon left the room), and our looks expressed our congenial admiration of him. I said to her, 'This is Hermippus redivivus. I am quite restored by him, by transfusion of Mind.' Mr. Thrale joined us, and cordially wcllcomed me.1 I n the spring of 1775 Boswell even lent Mrs. Thrale his manuscript journal, kept during the famous trip to the Hebrides. Perhaps he thought that if she once sampled his genius for Johnsonian narration it might forestall a future contest; at least it might lead to an opportunity for him to consult her J o h n sonian records in return. But no such idea had entered her mind, for Mrs. Thrale, after reading the long manuscript which nearly blinded her, was strangely non-committal. 2 From the verbatim notes of Boswell and Campbell wc can reconstruct the easy give and take of conversation in the Thrale home—conversations so well known and so accessible that there is no need to repeat them here. Throughout them all the witty, talkative hostess plays a major role, with her vivacity, her refusal to be silenced even by the weighty assertions of more scholarly visitors, her keen interest in people and literature. This is the Mrs. Thrale of tradition. On the other hand, in these accounts we catch no glimpse whatsoever of the worried, maternal Mrs. T h r a l e ; for even when driven almost frantic by family problems, she showed her dinner guests only the glittering front of the literary hostess. Y e t in April 1775 Mrs. Thrale was within a few weeks of the birth of her tenth child, and besides was uneasy about her second son, Ralph. On April 14 the boy was shown to Pott, the eminent surgeon, who gave his opinion that the trouble was in the brain, and that the child was suffering from a serious complaint which had affected his intellect. Oh how this dreadful sentence did fill me with Horror! [Mrs. Thrale wrote in the Children's Book] & how dismal are now the thoughts of all future Connection with this unhappy Child! a Thing to hide & be ashamed of whilst we Live: Johnson gives me what Comfort he can, and laments he can give no more . . . Oh Lord give me patience to bear this heaviest of all my Afflictions. T h e prospect of a feeble-minded son was a frightful shock to a woman who gloried in her own mental faculties. 1 Private Paptrs, xi. 134-5. 2 Although she wrote to Boswell on May 18, 1775, about his manuscript, she made few comments to Johnson in her letter of May 20, 1775.

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Late in April she moved her family out to Streatham, where on May 4 another daughter was born who was named Frances Ann. T h e child was small and delicate, though seemingly unaffected by her mother's recent troubles. Slow in recovering her strength, Mrs. Thrale was in a highly nervous state throughout May. T o escape a complaining wife, her husband found it advisable to remain as much as possible in London, a procedure which did not improve her temper, and she protested to Johnson: 'I could pout myself for a Penny to see my Master never come near me but on those Days that he would come if I had never been born—Saturday, Sunday & Monday.' 1 She had other grievances, too, which she continued to confide to the same correspondent when he set out for Oxford and Lichfield. Thrale, she felt, was supporting the wrong candidate in an election; and there was difficulty about her mother's epitaph which Johnson had long before engaged to write but with his usual procrastination had not completed. Even when the epitaph did arrive she found it too long. Everything seemed to combine to aggravate her petulance; but, as usual, it was an easy step from desperation to perfect contentment. On J u n e 16 she admitted to Johnson that her husband had been right about the election. M y Master is apt to be right and I apt to be perverse & self opinionated . . . M r . Thrale is right in another Affair, he has found out that the Letter of the Epitaph may be made less, and then the stone will hold more; he will not have your Writing or my Mother's Praises curtailed he says. All this you may be sure obliges me & I am in the best humour now, as well as the best Health in the World.

Not even worry about Ralph, who at the doctor's suggestion had been sent with a nurse to Brighton to try sea bathing, could long depress her spirits. Throughout late J u n e and early J u l y her correspondence with Johnson was regular and full of interest. T h e Doctor wrote of his continued efforts on behalf of Carter, of Lichfield gossip, and of Dr. Taylor's bulls. She, in return, told of Carter's bad luck with his horses, of her children's health and activity, and of the exciting time at the Thames regatta. Keeping Queeney up until six o'clock in the morning after that entertainment was news indeed. She was anxious, however, to have him home. I shall be wondrous glad [she wrote on June 29] to see you— though I write every thing so I shall have nothing to tell: but I shall 1

May 20, 1775.

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h a v e y o u safe in y o u r B o w W i n d o w to r u n to, w h e n a n y thing c o m e s in m y h e a d , a n d y o u say t h a t ' s w h a t y o u a r e kept for y o u k n o w .

On J u l y 4, with her husband, Queeney, and Harry, Mrs. Thrale drove to Brighton to see Ralph. Finding the child much worse, she called in Dr. Lucas Pepys for consultation, who tried blisters, baths, and stimulants of various kinds, but to no avail. In despair she wrote to Johnson: T h i s p o o r unfortunate C h i l d will d y e a t l a s t — T h e M a t t e r w h i c h d i s c h a r g e d f r o m his E a r w a s it seems a t e m p o r a r y R e l i e f , b u t that w a s all over w h e n I c a m e d o w n & the S t u p o r w a s r e t u r n e d in a most a l a r m i n g M a n n e r : he has h o w e v e r v i o l e n t fits of R a g e — p r o c e e d i n g f r o m P a i n I guess—Just as L u c y & M i s s A n n a h a d — K i p p i n g says the B r a i n is oppressed of w h i c h I h a v e no d o u b t : W h a t shall I d o ? W h a t c a n I d o ? has the flattery of m y F r i e n d s m a d e m e too p r o u d of m y o w n B r a i n s ? & must these p o o r C h i l d r e n suffer for m y c r i m e ? I c a n neither go on w i t h this S u b j e c t n o r q u i t i t . '

Whenever Mrs. Thrale was particularly upset, she sought diversion outside her. home. This time, since she could do nothing for Ralph except await the end, she dashed about Brighton with feverish abandon. 'I opened the Ball last Night', she added to Johnson,—'tonight I go to the Play: Oh that there was a Play or a Ball for every hour of the four & twenty!' On the 8th Thrale insisted that she return with the others to Streatham, where she immediately confided her unhappiness to Johnson. There were even greater worries than leaving her little boy to die in Sussex: it is the horrible A p p r e h e n s i o n of losing the others b y the s a m e c r u e l Disease that haunts m y a f f r i g h t e d I m a g i n a t i o n & m a k e s m e look o n t h e m w i t h a n a n x i e t y scarce to b e e n d u r e d . I f H e t t y tells m e that her H e a d achs, I a m m o r e s h o c k e d t h a n if I h e a r d she h a d broken her L e g .

It seemed to her as if a curse had been laid upon her children and that none of them would survive this terrible brain ailment. Remembering that one of Johnson's relatives had had a little girl similarly afflicted, Mrs. Thrale urgently inquired if she was still alive. Word soon came that Ralph was sinking, and she rushed back to Brighton on the 13th only to find the child dead. A post-mortem examination showed the child's brain 'almost dissolved in Water, & something amiss too in the original Conformation of the Head—so that Reason & Life both might, had we known all been despair'd of from the very first'. 2 This 1

Date uncertain (Ry. 539, 46).

2

Recorded in the Children's Book.

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poor boy at least was 'better dead than alive'; but the loss of a son was a cruel blow indeed. Nevertheless she wrote to Johnson on the 18th of her resolve

to be thankful to God and chearful among my Friends again till new Vexations arise. Baretti has been very good, and taken Care of my little ones like a Nurse while I was away, & has not failed writing to me &c. & I am sorry I was so peevish with him. I came home Yesterday Mr. Thrale has been in Town ever since I was gone, but would not come home to me last Night but went to Ranelagh I hear, however I will not be peevish any more for it torments nobody but myself. Although she determined to throw off her distress, whenever any of her children complained of a headache for years afterwards, the old haunting fear returned. Losing three children from the same mysterious trouble in the head could never be forgotten. Her one longing now was to see her confidant again, to pour out her cares into his sympathetic ear. 'I think you shall never run away so again,' she ended her letter of the 18th, 'I lost a child the last T i m e you were at a distance.' Everything seemed to go wrong when Johnson was absent. While at Brighton on this melancholy errand, Mrs. Thrale, following Johnson's advice, had had a long conversation with Mr. Scrase, the old solicitor, who had come to the rescue of the brewery three years before. With the death of one son, and as she thought the possible extinction of the whole family, it was important that some settlement should be made of her Welsh property. T h e substance of this talk with Scrase she wrote down immediately, 'not caring', as she admitted to Johnson, 'to trust either my Memory or my Voracity—so you & I may both be sure that what I read to you is true'. She added that she had named Johnson and Cator her trustees, ' & that is the wisest thing I have done in it'. 1 This summary of Mrs. Thrale's talk with Scrase, together with their later correspondence, explains in detail the legal arrangements which were finally made in regard to Bach-y-Graig. With quixotic impetuosity Mrs. Thrale wished to settle her Welsh property permanently on her eldest son, with 'remainder' to the sons of her daughters, or other heirs of her husband. When Scrase mildly suggested that should Thrale and her children die she might presumably have children by a second husband, she was 1 J u l y 18, 1 7 7 5 . T h e a c t u a l s u m m a r y o f i h e i r t a l k , w r i t t e n d o w n b y M r s . T h r a l e a t t h e t i m e , still s u r v i v e s ( R y . 600, 2 3 ) .

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shocked at the idea. Such a contingency seemed perfectly absurd, and Mrs. Thrale was determined to ignore it. But the kindly old solicitor knew too well the uncertainty of human relationships. So on J u l y 30 he wrote to Thrale himself, objecting to the proposed plan as very improper. 'It is expressly M r s . Thrales Idea,' he insisted, 'her first Object, after providing for her Children, to give you all she has in the world in the fullest extent.' Scrase urged that no absolute entail be set up—that the settlement be so arranged that 'you & Mrs. T. during your Joint Lives may at any time revoke or alter the Limitations proposed'. 1 Throughout the discussion Mrs. Thrale had required that nothing definite should be decided until the return of D r . Johnson, who lingered on in Ashbourne and Lichfield. Instead of returning as she so wished, he wrote long, affectionate letters full of advice and comfort. Sometimes he wondered what would become of this correspondence, and on August 2, when asking her, point blank, if she kept his letters, admitted that he thought he should like to read them in later years. For though there is in them not much history of mind, or a n y thing else, they will, I hope, a l w a y s be in some degree the records of a pure a n d blameless friendship, and in some hours of l a n g u o u r and sadness m a y revive the m e m o r y of more chccrful times.

Finally, by August 17, Johnson was back at Streatham, and with a few minor exceptions gave his approval to the agreement as suggested by Scrase and drawn up by Robson the attorney. Mrs. T h r a l e kept discretionary power over her estate, an arrangement for which she was one day to bless Scrase. O n September 5, when the document was signed, Johnson found himself one of two trustees in technical control of the Salusbury estate of Bach-y-Graig. 2 In several of his letters throughout the summer Johnson had asked whether the Thrales intended to go to Brighton as usual for the autumn season. Never particularly enjoying the Sussex resort, he undoubtedly hoped for some more interestingjourney. Baretti, too, was eager to introduce his friends to the delight of continental travel, with himself as cicerone. Mrs. T h r a l e was well, for once not expecting a child; all the surviving children appeared healthy; and it seemed an auspicious time. Though Italy was too far, Paris might easily be enjoyed during 1 R y . 600, 26. ' A photostatic copy of this settlement is in the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth.

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the favourable months before winter set in. Accordingly, the same company which had toured Wales the summer before set o f f on September 15 for France, with the addition of Baretti, who, speaking French fluently, acted more or less as a courier for the party and kept accurate accounts of all the minor expenses.1 A g a i n Mrs. T h r a l e kept a separate journal devoted to the tour. 2 She began: 'Notwithstanding the Disgust m y last Journey gave me, I have lately been solicitous to undertake another. So true is Johnson's Observation that any thing is better than Vacuity.' In day-by-day entries she told as before the itinerary which they followed and the people and places visited. A n d while her vivid picture of the France of Louis X V I has more general interest for us than the former accounts of W e l s h scenery, many of the best touches are still autobiographical. A t first the foreign language was something of a hindrance, for despite her reading knowledge of French she had the usual difficulty with the spoken word. Johnson refused to attempt the vernacular, but found many people willing to converse with him in Latin. So at Rouen he had a long talk with an interesting abbé, and Mrs. Thrale noted: W e supt this Night with Madame du Perron & her Circle of Wits, where Johnson once more met his Friend the Abbé & entered into a most ingenious Argument with him concerning the demolition of the Jesuits. Mr. Thrale was enchanted with the Conversation & I never knew his Judgment fail: I had myself no Power to attend to their Talk, I had so much trouble to make myself understood; which however I contrived to manage somehow.3 Soon, however, she was able to rattle away easily, if not grammatically, to the Frenchmen w h o m she met, and once amusingly added: Our two agreeable Foreigners came [in] after the Italian Comedy, and we had a good Deal of Literary Chat, sometimes in English, sometimes in French, sometimes in Latin, sometimes in Italian; we all made Mistakes & those Mistakes made us laugh— 4 A t the beginning, while filling her diary with comments, she 1

Baretti's detailed account of expenses is in my possession. Together with Mrs. Herbert Evans and Dr. L . F. Powell, I also have a number of the French bills for purchases made on this journey. 1 French Journals of Mrs. Thrale and Doctor Johnson, ed. by M . Tyson and H. G u p p y (Manchester, 1932). Since this excellent edition of the French journal is easily available, only a short account is included here. 3 4 Ibid., pp. 8 4 - 5 . Ibid., pp. 1 0 6 - 7 .

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was chary of attempting generalizations. Indeed, she wrote, 'I will relate only what I see—which can hardly fail of being true'. 1 There was much to see: the churches, shops, theatres, even the Queen of France attending a theatrical performance. O n Mrs. Thrale's first visit to the Continent it was natural that she should be gready impressed by the differences in manners and social conventions. English travellers throughout the eighteenth century (and perhaps in other centuries) were not noted for their sympathetic desire to understand strange customs, and Mrs. Thrale had the usual insular distaste for many things she saw. What seemed to her 'intolerable Grossness' brought the remark: The Youngest and prettiest Ladies of the Court will hawk and spit straight before them without the least Attention to Delicacy, & today at the Horse Race we were shewn a Woman of Condition riding astride wth: her thick Legs [totally] uncovered except by her Stockings [ye whiteness of] which attracted all Eyes to look on them. 2 Even trade was unfavourably criticized. The Shops here at Paris are particularly mean & the Tradespeople surly & disagreeable; a Mercer will not shew you above half a Dozen Silks & those he will not cut,—they run in Pieces for Gowns & you are obliged to buy all or none. Frank in deriding what she considered vulgar or inconvenient, she was as open in commending what she thought elegant and suitable, even occasionally trying to learn rather than merely to pass hasty judgement. At an Italian play, the buffoonery of which disgusted her, she was willing to agree with Baretti 'that to criticise a Comedy without knowing the Characteristicks of the Nation is impossible', and ended her account with the admission ' I therefore returned home, not entertained—because my Taste differs from theirs, but not disappointed, because I have gained some Knowledge'. 3 As the years went by, she was to develop more and more of this objective ability to accept foreign customs differing from her own. The days passed rapidly in the glow of Parisian life: visits to the churches, to convents, and to the theatre; long conversations with new-found acquaintances; even a trip to Versailles for a view of the royal family at dinner (vastly pleased she was here to have the Queen ask questions about little Queeney). 1

Ibid., p. 94.

2

Ibid., pp. 100-1.

1 Ibid., pp. 109-10.

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T h r o u g h o u t the trip she and Johnson kept u p an amusing badinage, teasing each other about personal preferences and dislikes. O n e evening late in O c t o b e r , w h e n the others of the party had gone to the theatre, she noted, ' I was not well enough to venture so M r Johnson sat at home by me, & w e criticised & talked & were h a p p y in one a n o t h e r — h e in huffing m e & I in being h u f f ' d . ' 1 She did not confine all her repartee to the immediate family. O n e bon mot even m a d e its w a y back to L o n d o n , and was printed in the newspapers. T h e French, it seems, exult very much upon our inability to subdue the Colonists. A French gentleman, who sat near to Mrs. T h — l e at an Opera in Paris, asked her when she thought the Americans would be conquered? 'Upon my word', said the lady, 'that is a question not easily to be answered: When America belonged to the French, the English found no difficulty in subduing it; but now that it is defended by our countrymen, the task of conquering it is not so easy.' 2 In Paris Mrs. T h r a l e could gratify one of her favourite passions—that for pictures. G r a p h i c art had always appealed to her more than either music or architecture, and she was transported by her first real view of great Italian paintings. T i t i a n , R a p h a e l , the Bolognese school, brought rhapsodies from the astonished novice. In her j o u r n a l for O c t o b e r 6 she m a d e the entry: ' T h i s has been m y happiest D a y hitherto; I have spent it with English M e n & a m o n g Italian Pictures.' For the next month she continually commented on what she saw in the galleries, and on the last d a y in Paris she spent three hours in the Palais R o y a l looking again at the Orleans collection. T h e ist of N o v e m b e r the travellers left Paris, and having slowly made their w a y back to England by w a y of Chantilly, C a m b r a y , D o u a y , Lille, and D u n q u e r q u e , they were safely settled once again at Streatham by the middle of the month. 3 This first short visit to France had widened Mrs. T h r a l e ' s perspective, had given her a taste for European travel and Italian pictures, and had strengthened her determination some day to visit other parts of the Continent. Immediately upon her return to England she was precipitated again into anxiety and the care of a sick child, when the seven-months old Frances A n n became seriously ill in an ' French Journals, p. 143. 2 Morning Chronicle, N o v . 27, 1 7 7 5 ; Weekly Miscellany (Dcc. 1775), p. 285, & c . 3 O n N o v . 18, shortly after their return, T h r a l e presented an address to the K i n g from the M e r c h a n t s of S o u t h w a r k (Morning Chronicle, N o v . 20, 1775).

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epidemic of influenza. T h e mother's first thought was that, like the others, the trouble was in the brain, but Dr. Lawrence insisted that this time there were different symptoms. Whatever the cause, the child grew steadily worse, and died on December 9, her death being presently followed by that of the nurse who had principally taken care of her. Through these dark days Mrs. Thrale's one continual comfort was her nine-year-old son, Harry. 1 The year before she had written of him in the Children's Book: A better or finer, a wiser or kinder Boy than H a r r y cannot be found: he goes to J e n n i n g ' s free School here in Southwark, & is half adored by Master and Scholars, by Parents & S e r v a n t s — b y all the Clerks—by all his Friends and Acquaintance, he has C h a r i t y , Piety, Benevolence; he has a desire of K n o w l e d g e far above his Years, and is perpetually passing by Boys of ten Y e a r s old at the same School: he always does his Exercise at a Night in m y Dressing room, and we always part after that is over pleased with each other — h e is so rational, so attentive, so g o o d ; nobody can help being pleased with him.*

All the affection which she had lavished on her darling Lucy was now concentrated on the sturdy boy. T h e devoted mother was more amused than shocked to find that while she was in France he had been severely punished at Loughborough School for telling bawdy stories to the other boys. She admitted he was a bit 'too forward in some things', particularly in his reading. T h e other D a y Bob Cotton was saying how he had saved some L a d y on Horseback from great D a n g e r — O h ho cries H a r r y I'll warrant you'll marry her at last as T o m J o n e s did Miss S o p h y Western! L o r d Child say'd I didst thou ever read T o m J o n e s ? — Y e s to be sure replies H a r r y O n e must read T o m J o n e s , & J o s e p h Andrews. 3

Yet she was proud of his ability to construe Ovid, and recorded that he 'does his Tasks with a degree of Intelligence that Dr. Johnson says is not common even at 12 years old'. With a happy, open disposition, the boy was a universal favourite. On February 15, 1776, Harry was allowed to ask his own company for a birthday party. His selection was M u r p h y , Perkins & T o m Cotton, to w h o m I added a friendly A t t y . here in the Borough, & C o u n t M a n n u c c i who we knew at paris c a m e in by C h a n c e , he landed Yesterday. 1 Children's Book. Two letters from Harry, directed to his mother in Paris, dated Oct. 14 and a i , 1775, are in the collection of Sir Randle Mainwaring. ' Jan. 20, 1775. ' Nov. 25, 1775. 811S5W L

134 TRAVELS AND TRAGEDY 1774Old Pcrncy & little Blake from Loughboro' House filled up our heterogeneous Mess of Company, & Johnson was here of Course; he does love little Harry! There were even more exciting things to think about than her son's wit and good humour, for since the French excursion had proved so pleasant it was decided that the same group should go to Italy in 1776. Baretti again was to act as courier, and he immediately set to work to make all necessary arrangements. Writing to friends and relatives in Italy, Baretti explained about the preparations and added interesting comments about the various members of the party. Thrale, he insisted, was a thorough gentleman, never out of humour for a minute. He only speaks a very little French, unlike his wife, who talks French and Italian fluently, without troubling about their quality, and likes to talk them, and is bright and lively. She is, however, shocked at the least offence against religion or morality, for she is very fond of her Bible. 1 Suggesting to his brother that there be a supply of old books about, Baretti added that the lady understood Latin perfectly, that like her husband she was interested in agricultural affairs, was very fond of her chickens, understood the making of cheese and butter, and liked to talk familiarly with the country people. O f little Queeney he added that he loved her seven thousand times more than he had ever loved anyone else. In another letter, written in March, Baretti explained that the travellers were to set out on April 8 in three four-wheeled chaises. T h e three Thrales, Johnson, and himself would occupy two of them, and in the other would be a maid and a groom, with another servant to follow on horseback. A German courier was to precede the party, and other temporary servants would be secured in the various cities in which they stayed. Baretti hinted that, although the brewer had a tendency to economy, he intended to be comfortable when travelling. 2 Johnson was greatly excited at the prospect and wrote to Boswell to hasten his coming to London, as they were soon to depart. He wished to have his company on a farewell visit to friends in Oxford, Lichfield, and Ashbourne before setting out on the long journey from which a man of his age might never 1 Translated in L. Collison Morley's Giuseppe Baretti and His Friends (1909), p. 289. The original version may be found in Giuseppe Baretti, Epistolario, ed. L. Piccioni, ii (Bari, 1936), 149. See also Life, iii. 470-1. 2 Collison Morley, p. 286; Piccioni, ii. 160.

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return. Boswell obligingly hurried south, and on March 19 they left for the Midlands. 1 Suddenly, while plans for the Italian tour progressed apace, a dreadful catastrophe in the Thrale family threw everything into the utmost confusion. Mrs. Thrale's dramatic account in the Children's Book minutely describes every detail. 2 O n Wednesday, March 20, all was well in the household. T h e next day, after Susan had been brought home from Mrs. Cumyns' for a week, Queeney complained of feeling ill. Harry however had seen a play of his Friend Murphy's advertised, & teized me so to let him see it that I could not resist his Importunity, and treated one of our principal Clerks to go with him: he came home at 12 o'clock half mad with delight, and in such Spirits Health & Happiness that nothing ever exceeded: Queeney however drooped all Afternoon, complained of the Headack & Mr. Thrale was so cross at my giving Harry leave to go to the play, instead of shewing him to Sir Robert; that I passed an uneasy T i m e of it, and could not enjoy the praises given to Susan, I was so fretted about the two eldest, when Harry came home so happy however, all was forgotten, & he went to rest in perfect Tranquillity—Queeney however felt hot, & I was not at all pleased with her, but on Fryday Morning the boy rose quite chearful & did our little Business with great Alacrity. Count Mannucci came to Breakfast by Appointment, we were all to go shew him the Tower forsooth, so Queeney made light of her Illness & pressed me to take her too. There was one of the Ships bound for Boston now in the River with our Beer aboard—Harry ran to see the blaze in the Morning, & coming back to the compting house—I see says he to our 1st. Clerk—I see Your Porter is good M r . Perkins; for it burns special well. Well by this Time we set out for the Tower, Papa & Mannucci, & the Children & I : Queeney was not half well, but Harry continued in high Spirits both among the Lyons & the Arms: repeating Passages from the English History, examining the Artillery & getting into every Mortar till he was as black as the Ground. . . . From this Place we drove to Moore's Carpet Manufactory, where the Boy was still active, attentive & lively: but as Queeney's looks betray'd the Sickness She would fain have concealed, we drove homewards; taking in our way Brooke's Menagerie, where I just stopped to speak about my Peafowl: Here Harry was happy again with a Lyon intended for a Show who was remarkably tame, & a monkey so beautiful & gentle, that I was as much pleased with him as the Children: here we met a M r . Hervey who took notice of the Boy how well he look'd, Yes said I, if the dirt were scraped off him: That night Harry went to bed as perfectly well as at any 1 Life, ii. 423, 24, 38. 1

The record fills twelve pages, and was written probably on Apr. 9, 1776.

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timc in his life, but Queeney was still feverish and drooping. O n the 2 3 d the boy had breakfast, as he loved to do, with the y o u n g clerks at the brewhouse, seemingly in the best of h e a l t h : After this he returned with two peny cakes he had bought for the little Girls, & distributed them between them in his pleasant Manner for Minuets that he made them dance. A l l this while M r s . T h r a l e was waiting on her eldest d a u g h t e r a n d tutoring Sophy till the clock struck ten. T h e n M o l l y the m a i d c a m e to tell her that Queeney was better, but ' H a r r y m a k i n g a Figure of 5 : 1 0 so we always called his m a n n e r of twisting about when anything ailed him'. At first no one was especially a l a r m e d , but later, when his mother saw the boy's 'Sickness increase, & his Countenance begin to alter', she sent out a servant, with orders not to come back without some Physician—Jebb, Bromfield, Pinkstan or Lawrence of Essex Street, whichever he could find: in the mean time I plunged Harry into Water as hot as could easily be borne up to his middle, & had just taken him out of the Tub, & laid him in a warm bed, when J e b b came, & gave him 1st. hot Wine, them Usquebaugh, then Daffy's Elixer, so fast that it alarmed me; tho' I had no Notion of Death having seen him so perfectly well at 9 o'clock. I n spite of everything the Doctor could do with emetics and poultices, H a r r y continued to grow worse throughout the m o r n i n g . E v e n then only the mother, w h o was 'all confusion distress & perplexity', thought his illness serious, & M r . Thrale bid me not cry so, for I should look like a Hag when I went to Court next Day—he often saw Harry in the Course of the morng. and apprehended no danger at all—no more did Baretti, who said he should be whipt for frighting his mother for nothing. T h e n suddenly the symptoms became worse, and by the middle of the afternoon the boy was dead, undoubtedly from a ruptured appendix. S u m m o n e d back by news of the calamity, Baretti found the household in disorder. H e later described the terrible scene: M r . Thrale, both his hands in his waistcoat pockets, sat on an arm-chair in a corner of the room with his body so stiffly erect, and with such a ghastly smile in his face, as was quite horrid to behold. Count Manucci and a female servant, both as pale as ashes, and as if panting for breath, were evidently spent with keeping madam from going frantic (and well she might) every time she recovered

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from her fainting-fits, that followed each other in a very quick succession.' For the rest of that day and the two following Mrs. Thrale remained in a state of complete collapse. Lady Lade kindly took the younger children to Kensington, but Queeney, who had been ailing before, was too ill to be moved. When, on March 28, Harry was buried at Streatham, there was interred with him all the hope and pride of the Thrales. T o the distracted mother nothing seemed left but to try to save the life of her eldest daughter, to salvage one treasure from the wreck of their prospects. Dr. Jebb recommended immediate change of scene, and after several sleepless nights, Mrs. Thrale in desperation decided to take her daughter to Bath. Accepting Baretti's offer to accompany them, she made ready to start on the 29th. Just as they were setting out, Johnson arrived. 2 He had heard the tragic news in Lichfield, and after a hasty trip to Ashbourne had hurried back to be of service to his friends. Shocked to find his Mistress about to leave on a journey, according to Baretti, he did not offer to take the Italian's place on the melancholy expedition; instead Johnson thought best to remain behind to comfort the father. T h a t hurried drive to Bath was a distressing one, even if Baretti was indefatigable in diverting Queeney's languor 'with all the Tricks he could think on'. 3 Nor was Bath much better at first, for Mrs. Thrale and Baretti, both nervous and on edge, were soon at each other's throats. Queeney had for years been troubled with worms, for which the only successful remedy seemed to be a mild type of 'tin pill'. Mrs. Thrale, like Dr. Johnson, delighted in doctoring herself and all connected with her, but Baretti had the strong man's fear and distaste for all medicines. He flew into a tantrum when he found the mother giving Queeney 'tin pills' against the advice of Dr. Jebb. A violent quarrel ensued, which neither ever forgot or forgave, although Mrs. Thrale the next morning presented her opponent 1 G. Baretti, Prefazioni t Polemiche, ed. L. Piccioni (Bari, 1933), p. 336 (reprint of first Stricture in the European Magazine of May, 1788). 1 Boswell indicates (Life, iii. 6) that Johnson was hurt at finding his Mistress on the point of departure, just as he arrived. If this is so, he did not show his pique in letters to Mrs. Thrale. The exact date of their setting out is not clear. In the Children's Book she indicates that it was the morning of the 30th; yet Boswell and Johnson returned to London on the 29th. Boswell's letter of condolence from Mr. Dilly's in the Poultry, dated Friday, Mar. 29, 1776, is certain proof of this fact. Possibly, since the wording of the passage in the Children's Book is not explicit, Mrs. Thrale may have referred to their arrival at Bath on the 30th rather than their departure from Southwark. ' Children's Book (see p. 135, n. 2).

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with a leather memorandum book to show she was willing to overlook the incident. Baretti's strong words rankled deep, however, as she admitted in a later letter to Johnson. 1 A f t e r a week at Bath, Queeney was so much improved that they hastily returned to London by Easter Sunday, April 7. 2 Baretti was in a frenzy to know how this tragedy would affect the plans for the Italian journey. Insisting that after so many arrangements had been made the Thrales would look ridiculous if no trip at all were taken, he pleaded that nothing be changed. But T h r a l e had lost all heart for the journey. On April 9, when Mrs. T h r a l e went out to Streatham, she left the two men still arguing, but later in the day she wrote to Johnson that her Master held to his purpose to give up the tour, and that Baretti 'teizes no more'. With all hope extinguished in the death of his only son, Thrale's mood was that of black despair. During his wife's absence at Bath he had even refused to have Johnson with him in the Borough house where he brooded alone. Finally on the 9th the d a m of his emotions gave way. ' M r . T h r a l e has seen your Letter', his wife added to Johnson, ' & shed Tears over reading it—they are the first he has shed—I can say no m o r e — ' In the Children's Book she concluded her account: ' S o ends my Pride, my hopes, my possession of present, & expectation of future Delight.' 'Childless with all her Children—wants an heir'—is it any wonder that the Mistress oi Streatham felt herself pursued by a relentless and vindictive fate? 1 Bath, M a y 3, 1776. Letters to and from Johnson (1788), pp. 3 1 6 - 1 9 . See also Baretti, Prefa-ioni e Polemiche, op. cit., pp. 3 3 8 - 4 1 . 1 Private Papers, xi. 2 3 1 . Boswell records seeing Mrs. Thrale and her daughters on this day.

VII WIDENING APRIL

ACQUAINTANCE

I 7 76-FEBRUARY

1778

S

T U N N E D by the sudden d e a t h of their only son, the T h r a l e s h a d no inclination to set out on a continental j o u r n e y . But some c h a n g e of scene was necessary to restore the health a n d spirits of the grief-stricken family. A c c o r d i n g l y B a t h , w h i c h had proved so beneficial i m m e d i a t e l y after the catastrophe, was substituted for I t a l y , a c h a n g e w h i c h naturally proved a g r e a t disappointment to J o h n s o n . H e philosophically a p p r o v e d the decision, h o w e v e r , in contrast to Baretti, w h o w a s very a n g r y . H a v i n g g o n e to some e x p e n d i t u r e o f time a n d m o n e y to m a k e the necessary a r r a n g e m e n t s for the tour, Baretti felt himself cheated a n d a g g r i e v e d . T o m a k e u p this loss, T h r a l e presented him w i t h a h u n d r e d guineas, w h i c h salved his purse, if not his pride. 1 A b o u t the m i d d l e o f A p r i l 1776, w i t h Q u e e n e y a n d J o h n s o n , the T h r a l e s set o u t for B a t h , w h e r e they found lodgings in the C o r n e r House on the N o r t h P a r a d e . Mrs. T h r a l e thus described their arrangements in the C h i l d r e n ' s Book.

M r . T h r a l e slept on the 1st. Floor next the Dining room, Johnson slept on the 2d. Floor, so did Q u e e n e y , so of course did I : and there were some dirty Irish people lodged in the Parlours. I think says H e t t y our House is like the T r e e in Sophy's Fable Book. T h e Eagles inhabit the T o p , the Fox possesses the M i d d l e , & the pigs wallow at the bottom.

In recent letters o f c o n d o l e n c e J o h n s o n had advised his Mistress not to indulge in grief. ' R e m e m b e r ' , said he, 'the great precept, Be not solitary; be not idle', a n d later, ' K e e p yourself busy, a n d y o u will in time g r o w cheerful.' 2 S h e n o w religiously followed this advice, and instead of r e m a i n i n g closely secluded threw herself into the diversions o f the place. S h e realized that the best w a y to forget was to push on to new interests. S h e did not lack a g r e e a b l e companions. Boswell, w h o h a d 1 Hayward, i. 103-8. Sec also French Journals, pp. 252-5, and Collison Morley, 2 Letters, Nos. 466, 470. pp. 292-301.

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never been at Bath, decided this would be a good opportunity to see it in the company of his friends* He arrived on the 26th and secured a room at the Pelican Inn close to their lodgings. Mrs. Thrale also encountered her old childhood playmate and distant cousin, Miss Margaret Owen, from Penrhos near Shrewsbury, whose simple, unaffected good humour, combined with Boswell's exuberance, helped to drive away despondency. 1 In a congenial, entertaining group, free from household cares, Mrs. Thrale found the life at Bath much to her liking. Queeney and Johnson, on the other hand, were not so favourably impressed. When someone asked the eleven-year-old girl what she thought of the Rooms and the company, she replied: 'I think the Room very like the South Sea house; & the Company—very like the Clerks.'2 On another occasion, when Mrs. Thrale pointed out to her daughter the famous Mrs. Macaulay, the child replied, 'I have seen the two great Literary Ladies—Mrs. Montagu & Mrs. Macaulay; and I have seen—that one wears Black Wool in Her Ears, and that the other—wears White.'' This was what Baretti called Queeney's 'laconism'. Nor did Johnson find much to interest him in the crowded, bustling place. There was too much idle chatter and not enough thinking to suit his taste, and he was not sorry to be called back to London to help his friend, Dr. Taylor, on a legal matter. Promising to return as soon as the business was settled, he left on M a y 3. Mrs. Thrale could never cut herself off entirely from maternal worries, for shortly after Johnson's departure word came from Kensington that her two younger daughters had the chickenpox. As she wrote to Johnson on the 8th, the illness, 'though a trifling Thing in any other Family, might for ought I knew prove fatal in my ill fated House'. Fortunately, however, word had come the next day that they were recovering, so that she could add, 'I believe one Night's crying will do—& that I have already had'. Letters from Baretti, who made frequent trips to Kensington to see the girls, also helped to calm her fears. 3 Throughout May 1776 the Thrales continued at Bath, while Johnson put ofT his return, giving as a reason the insistence of Dr. Taylor. Finally, towards the end of the month, after visit' Miss Margaret Owen of Penrhos was almost the same age as Mrs. Thrale. She died unmarried at Shrewsbury on Oct. '2r„ 1 8 1 6 , aged 73. See B. G. Charles, ' I ^ g g y Owen and Her Streatham Friends', Cornhiil Mag. clx (1939), 3 3 4 - 5 1 . Also Gent. Mag. (May, 1833), p. 418. 1 This and the following anecdotes were recorded in the Children's Book. ' Baretti wrote on May 1 1 , 12, and 1 7 ( R y , 5 4 1 , 6, 7, 8).

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ing Stonehcnge, Southampton, and Portsmouth, the travellers returned to London. Upon leaving home in April, the Thrales had dismissed most of their servants, and they were now faced with the prospect of securing a new staff. But it was some time before Mrs. Thrale was able to get Streatham running smoothly, for immediately after her return she was stricken with cholera morbus. 1 O n J u n e 7, though still weak, she scribbled a note to Johnson, informing him of her improvement in health, but suggesting that since he was suffering from gout, he had better not come home until he was well. W h a t should we d o together if b o t h w a n t nursing? for I have h e r e no Superfluity of Conveniencies at present, nor have h a d T i m e o r Ability to get any a b o u t m e . Actually it was not until late in J u n e that Mrs. Thrale had her family all about her again at Streatham. Sadly she could not but remember that the year before there had been six children and that now there were only three. In twelve short months she had lost two sons and a daughter. About the 1st of J u l y , when Thrale went off for a short fishing holiday, his wife decided to send him news of the household in the form of a verse epistle in the easy rhythm of Christopher Anstey's New Bath Guide. While you are a m u s e d with your R i c k m a n s w o r t h Fishing And see the R e d T r o u t look so crimson the Dish in W h a t says my d e a r M a s t e r to o u r pleasant fancy O f trying to e m u l a t e great M r . Anstie? T h a t w e by some m e a n s for your sport m a y provide You m a y read as you travel this new Streatham Guide; H e r e then we b e g i n — o u r A d v e n t u r e s rehearse W h i c h c a n ' t be m o r e easy in Prose t h a n in V e r s e ; For where there is n o t h i n g to tell 'tis m u c h better T o m a k e all the bustle one c a n with a L e t t e r : So to W i c k a m on last M o n d a y m o r n i n g we drove T o carry our C o m p l i m e n t s , Service, a n d L o v e ; Mrs. Nesbit was j u s t driven out a t t h e Door, But h a d left M a s t e r A r n y , the Dogs & Miss M o r e W i t h a y o u n g t a w n y Brat of their new C o m m o d o r e . T h e y offered us Cherries, T e a , Coffee a n d Cake, But few of their Bounties would Q u e e n e y p a r t a k e ; And for my part I fretted t h a t P o p p e t a n d R a m p e r , H a d h a d for no p u r p o s e so silly a S c a m p e r . I ask'd of their Butler, a n d h e a r d he was nice, Possessing no Virtue, if c h a r g e d with no V i c e ; 1

H e r illness is described in the C h i l d r e n ' s Book.

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N o t a n E n g l i s h m a n stout, nor a n I r i s h m a n b o n y , But a m a n half a miss, a p e r f u m e d M a c a r o n i : T h e y discard h i m with Pleasure—why we should receive Is m o r e t h a n m y W i t can find o u t — w i t h y o u r leave, Unless the m e r e n a m e of Nesbitt contains Some strange h i d d e n power of w a r m i n g one's Brains; A n d they themselves fancy t h a t Albert's wise m a n Will p u t their Affairs on a w o n d e r f u l P l a n : Since this Fellow t h e n seems only something to titter a t I vote for the M a n you say liv'd with V a n s i t t a r t ; A n d I wish h e ' d m a k e haste at o u r T a b l e to w a i t , Get m a t t e r s in o r d e r , a n d brush u p the plate, For on S a t u r d a y next L a d y C o t t o n & they come, Besides a whole T r o o p I invited f r o m W y c o m b e , And we shall look desperate foolish indeed, If of Plate a n d of Servants we s t a n d so in need. W e l l ! so m u c h for Business, 'tis time to be telling W h a t mischief o u r matters Domestic have fell i n ; O u r Dogs by the T u l i p p o m a n i a possest, Everlastingly fighting, will give us n o R e s t ; O u r Pea-Chickens d r o o p , a n d o u r Pheasants d o n ' t lay A n d the W e a t h e r ' s u n c e r t a i n for cutting the H a y ; But the C h i l d r e n arc h a p p y , unless p e r h a p s H e t t y While conning her lesson for M r . Baretti; If J o h n s o n a n d he would come h o m e with some news M y Letter'd have m u c h better c h a n c e to a m u s e ; I would willingly now close m y Letter to you But m o r e serious Misfortunes will plead for their d u e O u r Friend Mrs. Parker's in real Distress Send somebody over—you can d o no less. H e r Sister was b u r n t in last M o n d a y ' s sad Fire If you send a M a n over he'll f u r t h e r e n q u i r e ; But oh my dear L o v e ! w h a t a sad World is this! T h e Sorrow so f r e q u e n t , so scanty the Bliss; T h a t one c a n n o t one's Cares for a m o m e n t beguile Nor d r a w from one's H u s b a n d an innocent Smile,* But the gloom of Concern over shadows our D a y , And shews us t h a t M a n was not m a d e to be gay. 1 F r o m this it seems evident that Baretti, a l t h o u g h irritated with the T h r a l e family, still c o n t i n u e d his instruction of 1 V o l u m e of manuscript poetry in the possession of D r . A . S . W . R o s e n b a c h . Also M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 8 7 - 9 1 . T h e date has been ascertained from internal evidence, particularly the fire at M r . Booth's house which occurred on S a t u r d a y morning, J u n e 29, 1 7 7 6 (Morning Chronicle, J u l y 1 , 1 7 7 6 ) . M r s . T h r a l e ' s note to J o h n s o n of J u l y 2 refers to Baretti's expected return on that d a y ( R y . 540, 6 1 ) . T h e w o r d ' T u l i p p o m a n i a ' is m a d e u p f r o m the n a m e of the T h r a l e ' s bitch, T u l i p .

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Q u e e n e y . But he w a s n e a r i n g the l i m i t o f his e n d u r a n c e . F r o m the b e g i n n i n g o f the a r r a n g e m e n t , t h r e e y e a r s b e f o r e , he a n d M r s . T h r a l e h a d b e e n a n t a g o n i s t i c . E v e n in the e a r l y d a y s o f their a c q u a i n t a n c e h e r a d m i r a t i o n for his literary a b i l i t y , a n d the physical c o m f o r t w h i c h h e s e c u r e d in the S t r e a t h a m househ o l d , h a d b a r e l y sufficed to k e e p the t w o f r o m i r r e c o n c i l a b l e quarrels. E v e r y o n e sensed this m u t u a l distrust. J o h n s o n h i m self h a d r e m a r k e d to B o s w e l l , earlier in t h e y e a r : Mrs. T h r a l e did not like Baretti, nor Baretti her. But he was the best teacher of Italian that she could have for her daughter, therefore she kept him in the house. Baretti was well entertained and well paid, therefore he staid in the house. H e lived there as at an Inn. I suppose he meant, gave value for w h a t he got, and did not mind whether the L a n d l a d y liked him or no. 1 Baretti resented the l a d y ' s pretensions to w i t a n d l e a r n i n g , a n d he was especially i n d i g n a n t at w h a t h e c o n s i d e r e d her c r u e l t r e a t m e n t o f her c h i l d r e n . In the m a t t e r o f discipline the t w o c o u l d not a g r e e — M r s . T h r a l e b e l i e v i n g t h a t p h y s i c a l p u n i s h m e n t w a s often necessary to secure o b e d i e n c e , Baretti a d v o c a t i n g c o m p l e t e i n d u l g e n c e . H e represented the t y p e o f b a c h e l o r w h o a d o r e d all y o u n g girls a n d i m a g i n e d that a f f e c t i o n w a s all that w a s necessary to insure docility a n d e f f e c t i v e c o - o p e r a t i o n . W i t h a mother and tutor holding such divergent opinions, there is little w o n d e r t h a t there w a s friction. M r s . T h r a l e w a s positive t h a t Baretti w a s c o n s t a n t l y i n c i t i n g his p u p i l s to r e b e l , a n d he insisted that h e r severe p u n i s h m e n t r u i n e d all his efforts to teach b y kindness. 2 O f course the c h i l d r e n w e l c o m e d their tutor's o p e n a d v o c a c y , b e i n g q u i c k to use h i m to g a i n m o r e i n d u l g e n c e s for themselves. Y e t it is s i g n i f i c a n t t h a t w h i l e his u n d e r h a n d t h w a r t i n g o f M r s . T h r a l e h e l p e d to w i d e n the n a t u r a l b r e a c h b e t w e e n m o t h e r a n d d a u g h t e r s , there is no u n p r e j u d i c e d e v i d e n c e t h a t his d e v o t i o n w a s r e w a r d e d b y a n y unselfish a t t a c h m e n t o n their part. 3 F o l l o w i n g the i n d e f i n i t e p o s t p o n e m e n t o f the I t a l i a n tour, 1

Private Papers, xi. 202; Mar. 26, 1776.

Hayward, i. 103-9. ' Susan Burney wrote Aug. 1, 1779, to Fanny of a trip to Streatham, when she and Queeney had some talk. Susan recorded: 'She was to meet Mr. Baretti that day, with Mr. and Mrs. Thrale at Mr. Caters, I think, and did not seem much delighted by the idea' (Early Diary of F. Burney, ii. 259). Shortly after the quarrel, in July 1776, Mrs. Thrale noted in the Children's Book that Q u e e n e y apparently had 'no great Kindness for any body. Baretti endeavoured by flattery, Caresses, & even by inciting her on all occasions to Oppose my will, & shake off my Authority, to obtain her Friendship:—but in vain! when he was gone she could not suppress her Joy'. 2

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a n d w i t h little likelihood o f a n y p e r m a n e n t a n n u i t y f r o m T h r a l e , Baretti's feelings for the w h o l e f a m i l y , w i t h the e x c e p t i o n o f his b e l o v e d Esteruccia, turned to active dislike. T h e t e a c h i n g bec a m e m o r e desultory, a n d his absences f r o m the house l o n g e r a n d m o r e f r e q u e n t . T h e final break c a m e the first w e e k in J u l y 1776. T h r o w n into a f r e n z y b y various a r g u m e n t s o v e r servants a n d guests, the I t a l i a n q u i e t l y p a c k e d his effects to b e sent after h i m to L o n d o n , a n d on the m o r n i n g of J u l y 6 stalked o f f to the city w i t h o u t t a k i n g leave. 1 T h i s was his w a y o f asserting his i n d e p e n d e n c e . F o r her p a r t , M r s . T h r a l e w a s not sorry to see h i m g o ; the household w o u l d be quieter a n d her d a u g h t e r s more a m e n a b l e w i t h o u t his interference. She little suspected, h o w e v e r , w h a t a bitter f o r m his hatred w o u l d take in the future. T h e tragic m o r t a l i t y of her children left Mrs. T h r a l e exhausted a n d disillusioned. N o l o n g e r c o u l d she t h r o w herself with u n t i r i n g enthusiasm into the e d u c a t i o n of her d a u g h t e r s . O n J u l y 23, 1776, S o p h i a , the youngest, was five years old, a n d her m o t h e r recorded in the C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k : She Has read three Epistles & three Gospels: I do not make her get much by heart: T h e T h i n g i s — I have really listened to Babies Learning till I am half stupefied—& all my pains have answered so p o o r l y — I have no heart to battle with S o p h y : She would probably learn very well, if I had the spirit of teaching I once had . . . T h e c h i l d , she felt, h a d g o o d parts a n d a desire to please, b u t , I will not make her Life miserable as I suppose it will be short— not for want of Health indeed, for no Girl can have better, but Harry & Lucy are dead, & why should Sophy live? T h e instructions I labor'd to give them—what did they end in? the G r a v e — & every recollection brings only new Regret. Sophy shall read well, & learn her Prayers; & take her chance for more, when I can get it for her. A t Present I can not begin battling with Babies—I have already spent my whole Y o u t h at it & lost my Reward at last. It p r o b a b l y seemed to M r s . T h r a l e that the cause o f all her t r o u b l e was s o m e f a t a l taint in the T h r a l e b l o o d ; b u t from the s t a n d p o i n t o f m o d e r n m e d i c i n e , w e m a y suspect that the w e a k ness was less o n e o f i n h e r i t a n c e t h a n o f exhaustion f r o m too rapid a series o f childbirths. 2 H a y w a r d , i. 1 0 5 ; C o l l i s o n M o r l e y , p p . 2 9 6 - 3 0 1 . D r . E r n e s t S a d l e r i n f o r m s m e t h a t f r o m his e x a m i n a t i o n s o f the e v i d e n c e he feels t h a t t h e r e is n o c e r t a i n t y t h a t the c h i l d r e n ' s d e a t h s w e r e c a u s e d b y a n y inh e r i t e d t a i n t . T h r a l e ' s o c c a s i o n a l v e n e r e a l disease d o e s not s e e m to h a v e b e e n passed o n to his w i f e o r c h i l d r e n . D r . S a d l e r m a i n t a i n s that it w a s the f r e q u e n t a n d r a p i d b e a r i n g o f c h i l d r e n (a c o m m o n c a u s e o f d e l i c a c y in c h i l d r e n ) w h i c h r e n d e r e d t h e m s u s c e p t i b l e to o u t s i d e i n f e c t i o n s . H e a d d s : ' O f the 12 c h i l d r e n , 7 f o l l o w e d the 1

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O f the three girls still living, Queeney, Susanna, and Sophia, the elder two had always been cold and unsympathetic. Mrs. T h r a l e once described them: S u s a n ' s T e m p e r is not g o o d , she denies her K n o w l e g e to a v o i d e x h i b i t i n g ; M r . J o h n s o n says she is therein the w i s e r — I d o not suspect her W i s d o m , I suspect her for h a v i n g no natural C o m p l i a n c e in h e r Disposition . . . T h e r e is something strangely perverse in Q u e e n e y ' s T e m p e r , full of Bitterness a n d A v e r s i o n to all w h o instruct her . . . S o p h y is more like other people's c h i l d r e n ; of a soft g a y D i s p o s i t i o n — t h a n k s one for a C a k e & cries if she gets a C u f f ; the others p u t o n e in M i n d of w h a t m y F a t h e r said of a W e n c h that lived w i t h us in old T i m e s — ' T i s all one to this Girl if she is kiss'd or kick't S h e c a n but hate one a n d she does that n a t u r a l l y . 1

Queeney and Susan resembled their father in stolid common sense and unresponsiveness. Her own favourites, the highspirited A n n a M a r i a , the affectionate Lucy, and the manly Harry had been of a different temperament, more congenial to her own. She continued to be proud of Queeney and the others, but her heart was buried in the graves of Lucy and Harry. It is significant that in later years she often referred to the three elder as ' M r . Thrale's daughters' or the 'Miss Thrales'. Almost she seemed to regard them as not of her own flesh and blood. T h e younger ones were kept away at school as much as possible, and gradually the mother gave less and less time to the affairs of the nursery. Since her children were doomed, there was no reason to waste her life in useless struggles; instead, she deliberately sought more diversion in the role of literary hostess and woman of fashion. Mrs. Thrale's early journals had been, ostensibly, records of her family and famous friends. Now camc the impulse to turn from writing about her children, her husband, her guests, to something more definitely autobiographical. So on September 1 5 , 1776, she began a new journal with the entry; It is m a n y Y e a r s sincc D o c t o r S a m u e l J o h n s o n advised m e to get a little B o o k , a n d w r i t e in it all the little A n e c d o t e s w h i c h m i g h t c o m e to m y K n o w l e d g e , all the O b s e r v a t i o n s I m i g h t m a k e or h e a r , all the V e r s e s never likely to be published, a n d in fine e v ' r y thing w h i c h struck m e at the T i m e . M r . T h r a l e has n o w treated m e with a R e p o s i t o r y , — a n d p r o v i d e d it with the p o m p o u s T i t l e of T h r a l i a n a ; I must e n d e a v o u r to fill it with Nonsense new a n d old. previous one within 14 or 15 months; several of them after 13 months, one of them after only a year, and one even as early as 1 1 months. Small and puny children would be likely to be born under such conditions. The strongest of all, the one who lived longest, was Hetty, the eldest, which is what one would expect.' 1 Children's Book, Dec. 2 1 , 1776.

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It is true that anecdotes of other people and remembrances of past events were to play a considerable part in the new record, but for the first time she herself was to be the principal subject. T h e whole tone of T h r a l i a n a is personal; yet, strictly speaking, it is more a commonplace book than a diary. For one thing, in the early volumes there is no semblance of chronology, many of the entries being copied from earlier records without reference to dating. Even in the later volumes the chronology is often obscure, and frequent long gaps of time in which nothing apparently was set down render it often difficult (though by no means always impossible) to conjecture the day when the entry was made. O n one occasion, when J o h n s o n suspected she was spending much of her time writing in T h r a l i a n a , he urged her to be careful of dates: As you have now little to do, I suppose you are pretty diligent at the Thraliana, and a very curious collection posterity will find it. Do not remit the practice of writing down occurrences as they arise, of whatever kind, and be very punctual in annexing the dates. Chronology you know is the eye of history; and every man's life is of importance to himself. Do not omit painful casualties, or unpleasing passages, they make the variegation of existence; and there are many transactions, of which I will not promise with ¿Eneas, et hac olim meminisse juvabit. Yet that remembrance which is not pleasant may be useful. There is however an intemperate attention to slight circumstances which is to be avoided, lest a great part of life be spent in writing the history of the rest. Every day perhaps has something to be noted, but in a settled and uniform course few days can have much. 1 Johnson's concern about disregard to dates also extended to her correspondence. H e continually called her attention to this fault, though occasionally guilty himself of the same lapse, and at the close of one of his letters added a postscript, 'Now there is a date; look at it.' 2 Nevertheless, neither his suggestion of regular numbering of her letters, nor that of daily entries in her journal, was adopted until many years later. T h e manuscript of T h r a l i a n a , as it exists to-day, is in six volumes quarto, and comprises well over 1,600 pages in Mrs. Thrale's clear, forceful hand. 3 It covers the period from 1776 to the last of M a r c h 1809, though it is not the only record for these years. Saintsbury calls Mrs. T h r a l e 'the most feminine' 1 2 S e p t . 6, 1 7 7 7 . A p r . 2 5 , 1 7 8 0 ; see also Life, i. 1 2 2 - 3 .

3 1 h r a l i a n a is now in the H u n t i n g t o n L i b r a r y , P a s a d e n a , C a l i f o r n i a , and was edited by K . C . Balderston ( C l a r e n d o n Press, 1 9 4 2 ; n e w edition, 1 9 5 1 ) -

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of and her chief journal goes far to justify this assertion. It has been well called 'a delightful j u m b l e of family troubles, gossip, scandal, political events, amusing tales, and serious reflections'. 2 Her sentimental nature is apparent throughout, and the rapturous exclamations and fulsome epithets, 'Dear Dr. Johnson', 'Poor dear Dr. Burney', 'Poor pretty Siddons', which so annoyed M a c a u l a y , still seem affected. Excessive sentiment, however, was rampant in the theatre and in much of the popular literature of the time, and we must not blame Mrs. Thrale too severely for adopting this mode of expression of her day. We may arraign her for a more serious defect which constantly appears in her diaries. She is apt to colour too highly her accounts of people and of occurrences. Her own family was not spared this distortion. For this reason her father, John Salusbury, has always had the reputation of being an unconscionable rake and adventurer, and only to-day are we able to get at the truth. Other individuals and incidents throughout Thraliana have also suffered some misrepresentation from her innate love of dramatic effect. Harsher words have been used for this tendency of Mrs. T h r a l e ; yet the fact that she could not help giving a personal tinge to everything she wrote does not completely discredit the evidence. Remembering this idiosyncrasy, a judicious reader can usually sift and evaluate for himself; and after every sifting much remains that is convincing and that cannot be found elsewhere. Thraliana does not consist entirely of anecdotes. As might be gathered from the first entry, it is a queer compilation, representing all the ideas and miscellaneous items which Mrs. Thrale wished to remember. Nor is it all in prose, for countless occasional verses of her own and her friends are included. Separated from the people and incidents which gave it birth, much of this society verse makes dull reading to-day, but it is characteristic and at times amusing. Interspersed with the poetry and contemporary anecdotes are many more personal entries. Some of these perhaps represent merely the fashionable gush of the day, but the larger part accurately express her own feelings. She was naturally of a romantic turn, and Thraliana offered a release for pent-up emotions. Neither her husband nor Johnson was of the type to approve of the vapours of sentiment, and after her mother's death she had none to whom she might unburden all her troubles and boast of her triumphs. 1

The Peace of the Augustans, p. 232.

1

Thraliana, ed. Hughes, p. 11.

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A s a result, her j o u r n a l b e c a m e the only c o m p l e t e outlet for h e r confidences. Y e t T h r a l i a n a w a s not kept solely for the diarist herself. A l w a y s she must h a v e h a d in m i n d the usefulness of the i n f o r m a tion she w a s r e c o r d i n g for f u t u r e generations. M a n y passages she u n d o u b t e d l y felt to be too intimate for the p u b l i c eye, a n d i n t e n d e d to excise t h e m before her d e a t h (a n u m b e r of p a g e s h a v e been cut f r o m the original m a n u s c r i p t , either b y M r s . Piozzi or b y someone else), b u t f r o m the b e g i n n i n g she p r o b a b l y h a d u l t i m a t e p u b l i c a t i o n , in some f o r m or other, in m i n d . 1 S h e m e a n t to describe her circle of interesting friends, a n d a t the s a m e time explain herself, to some f a r - a w a y , later r e a d e r . I n t o the first v o l u m e of T h r a l i a n a M r s . T h r a l e c o p i e d n u m e r ous anecdotes f r o m her earlier j o u r n a l s , sometimes revising the p h r a s e o l o g y as she copied. T h e few pages of these e a r l y records n o w k n o w n to h a v e s u r v i v e d i n d i c a t e this revision. 2 What b e c a m e of the original versions? D i d she continue to use t h e m , as she did the C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k ? O r w e r e they destroyed, p a g e b y p a g e , w h e n their contents w e r e transcribed into the l a r g e r j o u r n a l ? A t present it is impossible to tell. T h e possibility t h a t t h e y still exist provides a tantalizing m y s t e r y . T h e r e m a i n d e r of 1 7 7 6 w a s spent p a r t l y at B r i g h t o n , w h i c h J o h n s o n as usual f o u n d dull, a n d p a r t l y at S t r e a t h a m . 3 E a r l y in D e c e m b e r Miss O w e n c a m e for a visit, a n d in o r d e r to g i v e Q u e e n e y a n d her a sight of some p l a y s a n d operas, the three 1 In May 1789 she wrote in Thraliana: 'I wonder if my Executors will burn the Thraliana.' See also French Journals, p. 11, n. In Nov. 1818 she wrote in her New Common Place Book : 'Révisai of one's past Life! ! Doctor Johnson who always profess'd an Aversion to Canting—did not surely cant himself when he advised me to keep a Register of Events, Conversations, &c, and said how pleasant it would be to me on Révisai! and I stupid Dunce! never had the Wit to reply, "Why Sir, you don't like reviewing your own Life; why should I at your Age like it better?" he always said looking back on past Days was dreadful to him :—& then counsel'd me to make a Thraliana. I have looked into mine since I brought it from Brynbella— read 12 Pages—and lost my Sleep for a Week. Nothing should keep me from burning the whole to Night, but respect for my Executor's Profit or Amusement— —but I have tied it up tight, & will review my past Life no more: any other Suicide would be less painful, and I do not wish to shorten Existence at 79 Years old—but so many Opportunities for Good were surely never, no never flung away as by H. L. Piozzi. not that I consider my Life as an unhappy one—Oh God forbid! infinitely more happy than the Lives of infinite Numbers who deserved better and made better returns to the Giver of ev'ry Blessing;—but bitter to Remembrance & hateful to review.' Mrs. Piozzi's final reaction, however, to re-reading episodes in her past was not adverse. See p. 445, n. 1. 2 See pp. 76, 85-8. Even the Children's Book was culled for anecdotes of Johnson and Queeney. 3 Life, iii. 93. For Mrs. Thrale's chief worry this autumn see p. 164, n. 3.

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ladies took temporary lodgings for a week in Parliament Street. 1 It was on this expedition that Mrs. T h r a l e m a d e arrangements w i t h the well-known music teacher, D r . Burney, to give lessons to Q u e e n e y . She m a y have known Burney for years, but n o w , as her daughter's instructor, he b e c a m e an intimate of the T h r a l e household, and with his perennial good spirits he was soon a general favourite. Mrs. T h r a l e found him of a d v a n t a g e in m a n y ways, particularly as a companion for Johnson in the early morning hours. In her usual condition, she was u n a b l e to stand the strain of the late vigils which her guest's insomnia a n d constant tea drinking rendered necessary. Years later she could still remember her misery in sitting up with J o h n s o n until her legs began to swell as big as columns. 2 N o w w h e n D r . Burney was in the house she could slip a w a y to bed w h e n ever so inclined. Mrs. T h r a l e was expecting her eleventh child, and strangely this time was more oppressed by v a g u e forebodings than ever before, h a v i n g a premonition that she would finally bear another son, b u t not survive the ordeal. She tortured herself with wondering h o w brief would be the mourning and w h o m T h r a l e w o u l d choose for his second wife. 'Poor M r . Johnson would h a v e the greatest Loss of me', she commented, and he would be the most sensible of his Loss: he would willingly write my Epitaph I am sure if my Husband would treat me with a Monument; which I do believe he would too, if any body would press him to it before the first Year was out—after that he would be married again, & his second Lady would perhaps make Objections. 3 In such a morbid state of mind she was delighted to have Miss O w e n agree to stay on through the winter. As Mrs. T h r a l e wrote to Johnson on J a n u a r y 12, 1777, 'it is a vast C o m f o r t to h a v e a L a d y about m e — a n d I have had none so long'. J o h n s o n himself was of little help in cheering her despondency, for in L o n d o n he was suffering from insomnia and 'difficulty in b r e a t h i n g ' . Writing on the 15th that he had been bleeding himself for relief, he ended with the plea that she take him out. to S t r e a t h a m on F r i d a y . 'I do not k n o w but clearer air m a y do m e g o o d ; but whether the air be clear or dark, let me c o m e to you.' But his Mistress was in no condition to welcome another invalid in the house, and hurriedly replied: Here is Dr. Burney come & says you are very ill: Oh sad! oh Children's Book, entry of Dec. 13, 1776. Mrs. Piozzi to Queeney, Oct. 31, 1809 (Lansdowne MS.). ' Children's Book, Jan. 7, 1777. 1

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sad! indeed I am very sorry; and I unable to nurse you—for Goodness sake do as Dr. Lawrence would have you & be well before you come home—and pray don't be bleeding yourself & doing yourself harm—my Master is very angry already. 1 In spite of her fears Mrs. T h r a l e on February 8 was safely delivered of another daughter, who, at the insistence of her friends Mrs. Strickland and Miss O w e n , was named Cecilia M a r g a r e t t a . Mrs. T h r a l e was scarcely recovered when Q u e e n e y fell ill. This time, discouraged b y her own past failures, the mother took her child immediately into town to consult Dr. J e b b . She would not again take chances with her own remedies. Fortunately Q u e e n e y was soon well, and with her mother and Miss O w e n ready to enjoy the gaiety of L o n d o n Society. In the preceding years Mrs. T h r a l e had gradually become acquainted with some of the so-called 'Blue-Stocking Circle'. 2 This group of talented people w h o preferred conversation to cards or fashionable assemblies had as its leader Mrs. Elizabeth M o n t a g u , ' Q u e e n of the Blues'. H e r splendid conversaziones were considered the last word in literary brilliance, though they were perhaps not so amusing as those of her intimate friend Mrs. Vesey, whose impulsive character had earned for her, a m o n g her associates, the name o f ' T h e Sylph'. Effervescent, absent-minded, and delightfully absurd, the latter's one preoccupation was in m a n a g i n g to keep her guests from forming a large, stiff circle. Mrs. M o n t a g u and Mrs. Vesey were the chief Blue-Stocking hostesses; but among their friends were Elizabeth Carter, the scholarly translator of Epictetus, whose piety, headaches, and puddings were proverbial; the ingenious maker of paper flowers, Mrs. D e l a n y ; the polite Mrs. Boscawen; and the homely Mrs. C h a p o n e , well known for her friendship with the novelist Richardson and for her letters of advice to y o u n g ladies. T h e chief masculine supporters included the Master in C h a n c e r y , W i l l i a m Weller Pepys, of the long nose and L o n d o n accent, w h o was termed 'Prime Minister to Mrs. M o n t a g u ' ; his brother Sir Lucas Pcpys, the famous physician; and William Seward, hypochondriac dabbler in physics and literature. O n the fringe were Horace Walpole, Soame Jenyns, and the other wits. R y . 540, 86. U n d a t e d , but a p p a r e n t l y answered by Johnson on J a n . 16, 1777. For a general discussion of the Blue-Stocking m o v e m e n t see Ethel R . W h e e l e r , Famous Blue-Stockings ( 1 9 1 0 ) ; J u l i a K a v a n a g h , English Women of Letters (1863); G . and P. W h a r t o n , Queens of Society ( i 8 6 0 ) ; Mrs. A . K . E l w o o d , Memoirs of the Literary Ladies of England (1843), & c . Byron violently attacked the Blue-Stockings in C a n t o V of Don Juan. 1

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Mrs. Thrale, the wife of the Southwark brewer, was never unreservedly accepted into the inner circle of the Blue-Stockings. It seems probable that she never even met Mrs. D e l a n y ; nor did she ever become intimate with Mrs. Vesey, Mrs. Chapone, or Miss Carter. Yet if she was not of the elite, she became a powerful rival of the 'Queen', and by later generations was considered one of the leaders. She was a true 'Blue', if not technically a 'Blue-Stocking'. With Mrs. Montagu she was closely associated for a number of years. From the beginning of their acquaintance Mrs. Montagu had conceived a high opinion of her, and shordy after Harry's death had written to Beattie: 'Her uncommon endowments and love of literature expose her to the illiberal jests of the ignorant and idle, but her life is rational, usefull, decent. Can those who ridicule her say as much of theirs.' 1 For her part, Mrs. Thrale was delighted to number among her friends such a distinguished person of her own sex. She had frankly admitted to Johnson in January, 'Mrs. Montagu's Visit—at any T i m e a Favour, will now be a Charity.' 2 Throwing off the despondency of the winter, Mrs. Thrale was very gay during the spring of 1777 and delighted in showing Miss O w e n all the sights of London. O n M a r c h 19 Johnson asked: Did you stay all night at Sir Joshua's? and keep Miss up again? Miss Owen had a sight—all the Burkes—the Harris's—Miss Reynolds—what has she to see more? and Mrs. Horneck, and Miss. Johnson a d d e d : ' Y o u are all young, and gay, and easy; but I have miserable nights, and know not how to make them better; but I shift pretty well a-days, and so have at you all at Dr. Burney's to-morrow.' So on M a r c h 20 Mrs. Thrale and Dr. Johnson were for the first time in the same room with Fanny Burney, the shy, retiring daughter of the fashionable music master. Although the elder woman scarcely noticed 1 Apr. 12, 1776 (original letter in the Aberdeen Univ. Library). Mrs. Montagu added that she was that morning going to visit 'poor Mrs. Thrale, who has lost her only son'. Again, on A u g . 12, 1777, Mrs. Montagu described a dinner at Streatham to Mrs. Vesey: We had a most elegant dinner at M r Thrales, and the best of all feasts, sense, and witt, and good humour. Mrs Thrale is a W o m a n of very superior understanding, and very respectable as a Wife, a Mother, a Friend, and a Mistress of a Family. M r Thrale has a fruit garden and Kitchen Garden that may vye with the Hesperians gardens for fruit and flowers. (Blunt, Mrs. Montagu, ii. 269.) 1 Ry. 540, 94. Streatham, Sunday 12. Undoubtedly Jan. 1777, since it answers Johnson's of Jan. 11, 1777 (No. 505. 2).

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the silent girl, the latter long r e m e m b e r e d every detail of this m e m o r a b l e meeting a n d , as was her custom, wrote a long a c c o u n t of the party a few d a y s later to her confidential adviser, ' D a d d y ' C r i s p . ' M r s . T h r a l e ' , she wrote, 'is a very pretty w o m a n still; she is extremely lively and c h a t t y ; has no supercilious or pedantic airs, and is really g a y and agreeable.' 1 F a n n y ' s portrait of the great D r . J o h n s o n , on the other hand, w a s not so c o m p l i m e n t a r y , for his unusual exterior and ponderous m a n n e r at first caused nothing but astonishment. W i t h u n e r r i n g skill she pictured him preoccupied with a book, utterly oblivious of the musical entertainment, and finally teased by the irrepressible Mrs. T h r a l e into m a k i n g silly remarks. T h a t d a y the same c o m p a n y had been asked to dine with Mrs. M o n t a g u , and F a n n y recorded an amusing a r g u m e n t between J o h n s o n and Mrs. T h r a l e as to whose invitation had been most flattering. 'Your n o t e ' , c r i e d D r . J o h n s o n , ' c a n b e a r n o c o m p a r i s o n mine\ I a m at the head of the Philosophers, she says.' ' A n d I ' , c r i e d M r s . T h r a l e , 'have all the Muses in my trainV

with

Mrs. T h r a l e and J o h n s o n m i g h t j o k e a b o u t their invitations from Mrs. M o n t a g u , b u t they were vastly pleased to receive t h e m just the same. 2 T h e ' Q u e e n of the Blues' was anxious to h a v e the great literary dictator in her circle, and d u r i n g these years assiduously attempted to g a i n his friendship. O n c e , w r i t i n g to Mrs. T h r a l e a b o u t J o h n s o n , his good spirits, a n d her delight in his conversation, Mrs. M o n t a g u ended with the admission: 'he is very coy, & very cruel, a n d I a m a l w a y s courting h i m , & always get a denial. I c a n n o t but say he is very polite, b u t I w a n t him to be tender.' 3 W i t h great ladies J o h n s o n was a l w a y s a trifle f o r m a l ; he could be flattering and amusing, but n e v e r intimate. W i t h Mrs. T h r a l e , on the other h a n d , he was d i f f e r e n t ; her informality and lack of ostentatious refinement p u t him at his ease and d r e w out the tenderness w h i c h the others could not inspire. T h e talk of the t w o w o m e n contrasted as sharply as their b a c k g r o u n d . Mrs. T h r a l e once m a d e the c o m p a r i s o n : 1

Early Diary of F. Burney, ii. 152.

' Mrs. M o n t a g u ' s letters to M r s . T h r a l e w e r e a l w a y s c o u c h e d in the most c o m p l i m e n t a r y terms. In a letter of J a n . 15 (no year) she w r o t e : ' y o u have all the virtues that m a k e solitude tranquill, & all the talents that m a k e society pleasant & lively, so that you m a y chuse freely, b u t pray h a v e a little compassion for us, w h o , perhaps, h a v e only those qualities w h i c h pass in a C r o w d ' ( R y . 5 5 1 , 5). J

Ry- 55'. 3- Jan- '4 ( n o year).

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' M r s . M o n t a g u ' s B o u q u e t is all o u t o f the H o t - h o u s e — m i n e o u t o f the W o o d s & Fields & m a n y a W e e d there is in it.' 1 It seems likely t h a t it w a s in M a r c h , 1 7 7 7 , t h a t M r s . T h r a l e first w e n t to C o u r t . A t t h e t i m e o f H a r r y ' s d e a t h she h a d referred to the p r o s p e c t o f s u c h a p r e s e n t a t i o n the n e x t d a y ; b u t t h a t , o f course, h a d b e e n g i v e n u p . H e r c o m m e n t , w h e n the e v e n t was finally o v e r , is r e v e a l i n g : the Ceremony was trifling, but I am glad it's over; one is now upon the footing one wishes to b e — a n d in a manner free of the D r a w i n g R o o m , I confess I a m pleased at having been there. 2 J o h n s o n , in his r e p l y , a g r e e d t h a t her p r e s e n t a t i o n h a d certainly been ' d e l a y e d too l o n g ' . T h r o u g h o u t the s p r i n g M r s . T h r a l e ' s social a m b i t i o n s c o n tinued to soar, a n d in M a y she asked the i n f l u e n c e o f J o h n s o n ' s friend, D r . T a y l o r , to secure tickets for a fête at D e v o n s h i r e H o u s e . W h i l e g l a d to h e l p h e r c l i m b , b y passing o n h e r request to his friend, J o h n s o n l a u g h i n g l y c o m m e n t e d , ' Y o u will b e c o m e such a g a d d e r , t h a t y o u will not c a r e a p e n n y for m e . ' 1 H e r letters constantly r e v e a l her d e l i g h t in n u m b e r i n g the f a m o u s p e o p l e of the d a y a m o n g h e r intimates, a n d on J u n e 3 she jubilantly wrote: M r . & Mrs. Garrick have been here, so I have heard the Eagle & the Blackbird, & a very pretty T h i n g it is I think: he is to get us Places for Sherridan's new Play which is a Thing it seems, & he is so civil & so desirous to be intimate & c . 4 H e r thoughts also t u r n e d to clothes, a n d in t h e s a m e letter she p r o u d l y described a n e w g o w n o f ' p l a i n W h i t e Silk w h i c h I b o u g h t in Paris o f a C o l o u r p e c u l i a r l y e l e g a n t — t r i m m e d w i t h 1 Written on a small card (Ry. 629, 29a). When in 1809 Mrs. Piozzi read the published version of Mrs. Montagu's early letters, she commented enthusiastically in the New Common Place Book: I was unjust enough (who knew her only of late years) to conclude that Lords & Dutchesses were new to her, she seemed so fond of Ton Folks, but 'Twas her rational Taste, she had been bred among them from the Beginning it seems; & was never more at home, or less constrained than in their company. They were I fancy better Company in those days than in these. 1 Ry- 539,12. T o Johnson (undated). Johnson's reply of Mar. 27 (unpublished) indicates the month, but the year is still undetermined. From internal evidence, a reference to hearing an Italian Improvisatore at Mr. Paradise's, & c . , I would place the presentation in 1777, in spite of a natural presumption that it must have occurred earlier. ' May 19, 1777. See also R y . 540, 63, 64. • T o Johnson. Sheridan's play was The School for Scandal. T h e friendly attitude of the Garricks is evinced by four known letters to the Thrales: Jan. 29, 1777, Feb. 12, 17, Aug. 1. (The years of the last three are not certain.) See forthcoming edition by D. M. Little.

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pale Purple & Silver by the fine Madame Beauvais & in the newest & highest Fashion'. During the summer of 1 7 7 7 the visits and dinners continued, so that there was a constant round of gaiety. On August 6 Mrs. Montagu came to Streatham for dinner, where she was delighted by her host and hostess and astonished at the splendour of the fruit and flower gardens. 1 On the 13th Mrs. Thrale wrote to Johnson, who was in Lichfield, of another party which she had attended. S i n c e I wrote last I h a v e d i n e d at Sir J o s h u a ' s on R i c h m o n d Hill, w h e r e w e were invited to meet the Pepyses the Patersons, the G a r r i c k s & c . there w a s M r . L a n g t o n , L a d y Rothes a n d their two p r e t t y B a b i e s ; I think Miss L a n g t o n for a n Infant of four Y e a r s old the most elegant C r e a t u r e I h a v e seen, a n d little George is a fine Fellow too: but v e r y troublesome they were with their Prattle, every w o r d of w h i c h their P a p a repeated in order to e x p l a i n ; h o w e v e r Miss R e y n o l d s with great composure put them u n d e r the C a r e of a M a i d & sent them a w a l k i n g while w e d i n e d ; very little to the Satisfaction of the Parents, w h o expressed some uneasiness lest t h e y should overheat themselves as it w a s a hot d a y . In the m e a n T i m e M r . Garrick w a s taken 111, a n d after suffering a good d e a l f r o m Sickness in his S t o m a c h desired a T a b l e to himself near the open W i n d o w : by the T i m e he w a s seated the C h i l d r e n returned ; a n d L a d y Rothes, w h o did not m u c h like they should lose their d i n n e r so, h a d got some S c r a p s of the second Course—Cheesecakes & such like r e a d y for them at their R e t u r n — s h e then directed them to g o to M r . G a r r i c k ' s T a b l e , a n d eat fair. He w a s sick before, a n d I a c t u a l l y s a w him c h a n g e Colour at their a p p r o a c h , however he w a s c i v i l l e r to them t h a n a n y b o d y there except myself. P e p y s — w h o h a d h e a r d you give a S p e c i m e n of the Langtonian M o d e of Life at o u r house whispered m e that he wished them all at the R o p e - W a l k — & a d d e d c a n one ever come to this oneself? I really never h a d such difficulty to forbear l a u g h i n g . 2 Little George Langton was a proverbially spoiled child. His father once amused the Thrales by claiming that the five-yearold boy had a taste for fortification, and later, when the Langton family retired to live in Kent, Queeney made Johnson laugh by observing that with such help ' R o c h e s t e r would be impregnable' .3 Later in the month Dr. Burney came to Streatham for a week's visit, and William Weller Pcpys and his wife for a brief stay. 4 ' Blunt, Airs. Montagu, ii. 269. Compare Thraliana, Aug. 13, 1777. 3 Mrs. Piozzi to Queeney, Feb. 30, 1812.

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Visitors at the T h r a l e s w e r e left v e r y m u c h to their o w n d e v i c e s ; t h e y m i g h t r e a d , talk, or w a n d e r a b o u t the spacious g r o u n d s , w h i c h e v e r suited the inclination o f the m o m e n t . D r . B u r n e y often b r o u g h t his writing, a n d Pepys, on one visit, w r o t e to a friend, 'I h a v e b e s t o w ' d a g r e a t deal o f m y time here in w o r k i n g t h r o u g h a very large L a t i n Q u a r t o ' . 1 Serious study, interspersed w i t h literary conversation, was the order of the d a y for M r s . T h r a l e a n d her guests. B r i g h t o n , d u r i n g the a u t u m n o f 1 7 7 7 , ofTered further o p p o r tunity for M r s . T h r a l e to w i d e n her a c q u a i n t a n c e . W i t h D r . B u r n e y they m o v e d to the sea-side the last o f S e p t e m b e r , b u t since their o w n house w a s not r e a d y , they w e r e forced to take u n c o m f o r t a b l e l o d g i n g s for a few days. O n O c t o b e r 2 M r s . T h r a l e d i s p a t c h e d a hurried note to J o h n s o n in A s h b o u r n e : Here we are, not very elegantly accommodated, but wishing sincerely for you to share either our pleasure or our distresses. 'Tis fine bathing, with rough breakers, and my Master longs to see you exhibit your strength in opposing them, and bids me press you to come, for he is tired of living so long without y o u ; and Burney says if you don't come soon he shall be gone, and he does love you, or he is a vile . But one woman in the water today, ''Una et haec audax' Was your most faithful and obliged H. L. Thrale 2 Despite this invitation she was not anxious for J o h n s o n ' s c o m p a n y until they w e r e c o m f o r t a b l y settled. N o r was he v e r y e a g e r to rush to B r i g h t o n , a p l a c e w h i c h only her presence rendered b e a r a b l e . ' T h e sea is so c o l d , a n d the rooms are so d u l l ; yet I d o love to h e a r the sea roar a n d m y mistress t a l k — F o r w h e n she talks, y e g o d s ! h o w she will talk.' I n this s a m e letter o f the 6th J o h n s o n referred to his latest literary p r o j e c t , a series o f short b i o g r a p h i c a l prefaces w h i c h the booksellers h a d p r e v a i l e d u p o n h i m to write for a n e w edition o f the E n g l i s h poets. ' W h e n I c o m e to t o w n ' , h e a d d e d , 'I a m to b e v e r y busy a b o u t m y L i v e s . — C o u l d not y o u d o some o f t h e m for m e ? ' E v e n i f m e a n t only in jest, the suggestion m u s t h a v e b e e n v e r y flattering to his correspondent. T h r o u g h o u t O c t o b e r J o h n s o n r e m a i n e d in the north M i d lands, w h i l e M r s . T h r a l e kept h i m i n f o r m e d o f B r i g h t o n gossip. ' A Later Pepys, i. 223. This letter, which was in the possession of Cecilia Mostyn, was sold at auction afler her death. It was published in the Brighton Herald, Oct. 17, 1857. T h e signature, as printed in the newspaper, was H. S. Thrale. 2

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Forced to agree with him about the dullness of the rooms, she commented on the 1 6 t h : W e go o n h e r e as u s u a l , invite C o m p a n y to D i n n e r & d a u d l e in t h e R o o m s a t N i g h t , yet m y M a s t e r & Miss O w e n call t h a t Pleasure, & I like it b e t t e r n o w I p l a y a t C a r d s , it is a little m o r e i n t e r e s t i n g t h a n before. A r t h u r M u r p h y had joined the company, and it was through him that she met the notorious J o h n Wilkes. 'I like him not,' she remarked to Johnson in the same letter, 'he professed himself a L y a r and an Infidel, and I see no Merit in being either.' Wilkes was unwittingly the cause of a flare-up between M r s . T h r a l e and her husband. O n the 18th she confided to J o h n s o n : Wilkes has invited M r . T h r a l e to a D i n n e r of R a k e s — B e a u c l e r c k , L o r d Kelly & t h e M e n of Worth & honour t h a t a r e h e r e , & h e r e a r e p l e n t y t o o : says M u r p h y looking a t m e — h e dares not go—I w o u l d n o t h a v e h i m go said I g r a v e l y ; I a m not f o n d of t r y i n g m y P o w e r o v e r m y h u s b a n d , n o r wish t o exert it a t all for a n e w T o p k n o t — b u t if I c o u l d k e e p h i m o u t of s u c h C o m p a n y — I s h o u l d t h i n k I d i d h i m a n A c t of real F r i e n d s h i p — s o w h o says I h a v e n o spirit M r . J o h n s o n ? I got severely rallied for m y P r u d e r y & a t last lost m y L a b o u r for h e does go, b u t I k n o w I did right. But if she lost her argument about the dinner of rakes, she did prove her husband wrong on another occasion. O n N o v e m b e r 8 she wrote: D i d I tell you t h a t m y M a s t e r g r e w a s h a m e d of his W i f e ' s P e r u k e since w e c a m e h e r e & m a d e m e pull it oft" & dress m y o w n h a i r , w h i c h looks so well n o w it is dressed t h a t he begins i n n o c e n t l y to w o n d e r w h y he ever let m e w e a r a W i g . I r e m e m b e r well h o w e v e r t h e w h y , t h e w h e n , & t h e w h e r e . M y M o t h e r t h o u g h t it a g o o d s c h e m e to keep y o u n g m a r r i e d W o m e n at h o m e . By this time the season was nearly ended at Brighton, and she commented to Dr. Burney: T h e Balls are over a n d R o o m s expire t o n i g h t , b u t M r . T h r a l e does not m e a n to stir till M o n d a y or T u e s d a y s e v e n n i g h t . W e h a v e a lame L o r d left, a deaf G e n t l e m a n , a n d M r . P a l m e r w h o squints. M y M a s t e r therefore compels t h e m to c o m e in a n d w e p l a y o u r c a r d s in t h e best P a r l o u r . 1 In the middle of November Johnson joined them for three days, after which they all returned to Streatham together on the 18th. 2 1 C. Hill, The House in St. Martin s Street ( 1 9 0 7 ) , 189. T h e letter is d a t e d N o v . 6. ' R y . 540, 79. See also Adam Libr. i. 64.

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T o w a r d s the end of the year Mrs. Thrale brought Susan and Sophy from school for the holidays and wrote long accounts of their improvement in the Children's Book. F o r once, the entries were all in a happy vein; for though expecting another child, her health was better than usual; her children were vigorous, and her husband generous and agreeable. Later commenting on her daughters' return to school and on her plan to take Queeney into London for some gaiety, she added: ' M y Master has given me a fine G o w n too, & I am going to Court on Monday next with Mrs. Montagu, in little & great things now all goes well.' 1 Mrs. Thrale had planned only a fortnight's round of pleasure in London, but instead stayed seven weeks. M a n y things contributed to make this one of the happiest winters of her life: both she and Queeney kept well; there was nothing but good news from the other children; she dined with Mrs. M o n t a g u ; a Duchess desired 'leave to visit' her; the K i n g said she spent too little time in London because she lived so near it; and she was delighted and amused by a succession of dinners and entertainments. 2 One morning she accompanied Johnson to the studio of the sculptor Nollekens, whom she had never met. Nollekens called out to J o h n s o n : 'I like your picture by Sir Joshua very much. He tells me it's for Thrale, a brewer, over the water: his wife's a sharp woman, one of the blue-stocking people.'—'Nolly, Nolly,' observed the Doctor, 'I wish your maid would stop your foolish mouth with a blue-bag.' At which Mrs. Thrale smiled, and whispered to the Doctor, 'My dear Sir, you'll get nothing by blunting your arrows upon a block.' 1 Reynolds's portrait of Johnson was one of a series ordered by Thrale to decorate the library at Streatham. When the collection was finally completed, thirteen pictures by the famous painter lined the walls of the room. Over the fire-place was a full length of Mrs. T h r a l e and Queeney; M r . Thrale himself was over the door leading to his study; and spaced around the sides were three-quarter-length portraits of Lord Sandys, Lord Westcote (William Lyttelton), Dr. Johnson, Burke, Goldsmith, Murphy, Garrick, Baretti, Sir Robert Chambers, Dr. B u m e y , and Sir J o s h u a himself. 4 Pride in the distinction of their friends was one common bond which united the Master and Mistress of Streatham. 1

1 J a n . 17, 1778. See Children's Book, and R y . 540, 107. J o h n T . Smith, Nollekens and His Times, i (1828), 1 1 4 . T h e incident may be 4 dated from Johnson's letter No. 572. Hayward, ii. 170. 3

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7 7

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T h i s w i n t e r [ 1 7 7 8 ] M r s . T h r a l e a n d J o h n s o n , because o f their fondness for the a m i a b l e D r . B u r n e y , a c t i v e l y f u r t h e r e d his efforts to g e t his son D i c k a c c e p t e d b y W i n c h e s t e r C o l l e g e . A l t h o u g h J o h n s o n a l w a y s h a d to b e stirred u p to w r i t e letters for a n y b o d y , o n c e he started n o t h i n g w a s t o o m u c h t r o u b l e , a n d , a c c o r d i n g to Boswell, he a c t u a l l y a c c o m p a n i e d the b o y a n d his f a t h e r to the school. 1 C h a r l o t t e B u r n e y , in her j o u r n a l , is lavish, too, in praise o f M r s . T h r a l e for h e r generosity o n the occasion. W i t h a k i n d l y t h o u g h t for t h e l a d ' s c o m f o r t , she h a d not o n l y presented h i m w i t h a lot o f fine c l o t h 'to set h i m u p in shirts w i t h b u t has likewise f u r n i s h e d h i m w i t h an intire set o f school b o o k s ' . 2 A n d a f e w w e e k s l a t e r D r . B u r n e y h i m s e l f w r o t e to the Mistress o f S t r e a t h a m to t h a n k h e r for o n e r e c e n t gift to the f a m i l y : W h y , what a L a d y Bountiful you are! most People content themselves & others by giving Boxes & Tuckies at X m a s ; but you are an endless G i v e r . — n e v e r waiting for Times, Seasons, or occasions, but making them at your pleasure. 3 T h e t w o b e n e f a c t o r s w e r e , o f course, o c c a s i o n a l l y in the B u r n e y h o m e in St. M a r t i n ' s S t r e e t , a n d it w a s p r o b a b l y in F e b r u a r y , 1 7 7 8 , t h a t the n e v e r - t o - b e f o r g o t t e n e v e n i n g p a r t y o c c u r r e d w h i c h has b e e n so d e l i g h t f u l l y d e s c r i b e d b y V i r g i n i a W o o l f . 4 T h e T h r a l e s a n d J o h n s o n h a d b e e n invited this t i m e to m e e t the m u s i c i a n ' s old p a t r o n , F u l k e G r e v i l l e , a n d his d a u g h t e r M r s . C r e w e , a n o t a b l e b e a u t y a n d B l u e - S t o c k i n g . B u t the e v e n i n g d i d not p r o v e a c o m p l e t e success. J o h n s o n , better dressed t h a n u s u a l a n d in a n e w w i g , sat g l o o m i l y w r a p t in his o w n t h o u g h t s , m a k i n g n o e f f o r t to start the c o n v e r s a t i o n , w h i l e the others, w h o h a d c o m e to h e a r h i m talk, w e r e afraid to b e g i n . G r e v i l l e took a c o m m a n d i n g position before the fire, l o o k e d supercilious, a n d said n o t h i n g . F o r e n t e r t a i n m e n t , D r . B u r n e y h a d asked o n e o f his friends, a n I t a l i a n singer n a m e d P i o z z i , w h o did his best b u t h a d a d i f f i c u l t a u d i e n c e to please. J o h n s o n a n d the T h r a l e s w e r e w h o l l y u n m u s i c a l , a n d m a n y o f the o t h e r guests w e r e as little interested. A f t e r the first n u m b e r t h e o m i n o u s silence c o n t i n u e d , a n d s o m e o f the y o u n g e r B u r n e y s w e r e c a l l e d o n for a d u e t , in the midst o f w h i c h Piozzi c a s u a l l y fell asleep. W h e n the h a l f - h e a r t e d a p p l a u s e at the end of the d u e t w o k e h i m u p , he u n w i l l i n g l y b e g a n a n o t h e r florid aria. 1 2

1 4

Life, iii. 3 6 7 . Early Diary of F. Burruy, ii. 286.

Ry. S45, 4; Mar. 8, 1778.

I he Second Common Reader (iq32), pp. 108-25.

liuriuy,

ii. 284-7, and

Memoirs of Doctor Burney,

See .ilso Early Diary of F.

ii. 101 14.

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T h e situation was too m u c h for M r s . T h r a l e , and she decided to liven u p the c o m p a n y . Mischievously she slipped behind the panting tenor and mimicked his every gesture, with squared elbows, ecstatic shrugs of the shoulders, and languishing eyes. T h e near-sighted J o h n s o n failed to notice the scene, but D r . B u r n e y , completely horrified, tiptoed to the l a d y and administered a stinging reproof. M r s . T h r a l e , w h o was nothing if not good natured, quietly accepted the rebuke, and returned to her chair like a chastened schoolgirl. T h e remainder of the evening passed gloomily, unrelieved except for a devastating growl from J o h n s o n , which routed even the conceited Greville. This was the first meeting of M r s . T h r a l e and G a b r i e l Piozzi, but he seems to h a v e m a d e so little impression that he was immediately forgotten. His d a y was not yet.

Vili

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W

H A T sort of woman was this wife of a Southwark brewer who was now being taken up by London society? Less than 5 feet in height, plump and deep-chested, with large, muscular hands, she was certainly not an imposing figure. Her eyes were fine and expressive, light grey in colour; her hair was chestnut brown. A prominent nose and firm chin kept her face from being handsome, but animation undoubtedly made her attractive. Charlotte Ann Burney, indeed, found her so 'blooming and pretty' that she underestimated her age by five years. 1 Perhaps one reason for the mistake was that Mrs. T h r a l e , according to the accepted mode of the day, kept her cheeks well rouged to offset the pallor of frequent accouchements. Her voice was harsh and unmusical, if we may believe M m e D ' A r b l a y ' s later recollections, and her manner flaunting rather than reserved. 2 But she carried herself well, and entered a room with the assurance and poise of an acknowledged wit and raconteuse. While never affecting any pretence to beauty, she nevertheless considered herself an unusual woman. 3 Almost everywhere she went Mrs. Thrale was accompanied by her thirteen-year-old eldest daughter, a constant source of mingled pride and annoyancc. T h e many compliments on the child's obvious good looks filled her with delight, so much so that once she noted in the Children's Book that Queeney 'looked so elegant among the Dowdies I have seen, that I 1

Early Diary of F. Burney, ii. 286. R . Brimley Johnson, Fanny Burney and the Burners (1926), p. 104. Writing to Mrs. Waddinglon, grandniece of Mrs. Dclany, Fanny described Mrs. Thrale [uncertain date]: She was warm-hearted, generous, sweet-tempered and full of active zeal for her friends, and of fervent devotion in religion. She was replete with wit and pleasantry, and her powers of entertainment exceeded those of almost any woman I ever knew. But her manners were flaunting, her voice was loud, and she had no peace, and allowed none to others, but in the display of her talents. 3 This composite picture is derived from a variety of sources: Boswell's Life, Fanny Burney s journals, and Mrs. Thrale's own entries in Thraliana (May 1778). 2

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restrain my Vanity with the utmost Difficulty'.' On the other hand, the child's stubborn refusal to show off in public was always disturbing. Queeney had a haughty, distant air which did not ingratiate her with strangers. Mrs. Montagu, to be sure, found her 'what few young Persons are, an attentive listener', 2 but others ascribed her reserve to less pleasing motives. Fanny Burney's first reaction must have been unfavourable, since she later expunged her original comments and wrote instead that Miss Thrale was 'stiff and proud, I believe, or else shy and reserved'. 3 Fanny's sister, Charlotte Ann, was more frank, and a few years later caustically remarked on one occasion: 'Miss T h r a l e was, to my no small astonishment, civil to me, and sat by me the whole evening. She has taken it into her head to be civil to people this winter, I hear.' 4 Queeney had a faculty for putting other people in the wrong. T h e autumn before at Brighton Mrs. Thrale complained to Johnson: Q u e e n e y w i l l not d a n c e , a n d the P e o p l e twit m e that I will not let her, b e c a u s e I d a n c e m y s e l f — e v e n Miss O w e n w h o lives w i t h us believes t h a t to be the C a s e f r o m Q u e e n e y ' s m a n n e r & m a n a g e ment.5

T h e girl, who 'had from Infancy a Spirit of keeping Secrets', was also suspicious of her mother's scrutiny of everything she wrote, and resorted to the use of code when writing to her most intimate friend, Peggy Pitches (later L a d y Deerhurst). One at least of these clandestine letters has survived, possibly the one intercepted by Mrs. Thrale on M a r c h 1 3 , 1778, shortly after their return to Streatham. 6 When deciphered, it shows clearly what Queeney thought of parental authority. ' M y Mother has scolded me so today and been in such a passion you can't think', she began, and then after some advice to her corre1

Oct. 30, 1776. To Mrs. Thrale, May 16 (no year) (Ry. 551, 7). Early Diary of F. Bunuy, ii. 152. * Ibid. 306. 5 Oct. 16, 1777. Probably the reason Queeney would not dance was that it was one thing which she did poorly. In the Children's Book in Oct. 1776 Mrs. Thrale commented how 'incomparably ill' her daughter had danced at every ball. 6 Mrs. Thrale, after noting in the Children's Boole on this date that she had seized the letter, wrote: She had from Infancy a Spirit of keeping Secrets, & Baretti long ago told her she was old enough to write her own Letters & have her own Friendships without the Interference of her Mother, in whom she has no Confidence, nor ever had. She is now thirteen years old & a half—rather early I shd. think, but these are forward Times God Knows. The actual letter which was saved is described in JV. & Q., n t h Ser., xi. 298 (Apr. 17, 1915). 2 i

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spondent about practising their code, added, 'I have just been having such a lecture from L a d y Lade as would make you stare. Just such stuff as my Mother talks, about dignity . . . she is getting as bad as my Mother, I think.' Mrs. Thrale often wondered what was the cause of her daughter's peculiarities, which Johnson attributed to the strange nature of her training. Queeney he says is made singular by my Education of her; it is not true however, for she is not singular at all. I was myself a very particular Girl; but my Daughter whatever faults she has, has not my faults, of Confidence, Loquacity & foolish Sensibility.1 Wondering morbidly what would happen if she should die in childbirth, Mrs. Thrale added that at least her younger daughters would then be brought up like other children, 'which Mr. Johnson says is so good a Thing'. W e have no record of what the Master of the house thought of these disagreements between his wife and his children. A t home his chief interest was in the kitchen. Besides, he was naturally of a cold, non-committal disposition, never becoming excited over anything, no matter how serious. Indeed he was so tranquil of mind that, as his wife said, when the house of his favourite Sister was on Fire, & we were alarmed with the Account of it in the Night, I well remember that he never rose, but bidding the Servant who called us, go to her Assistance; quietly turned about & slept to his usual hour. . . . he had built great Casks holding iooo Hogsheads each, & was much pleased with their Profit & Appearance—one Day however he came down to Streatham as usual to dinner & after hearing & talking of a hundred trifles—but I forgot says he to tell you how one of my great Casks is burst & all the Beer run out.2 Thrale was always meticulously correct: he wore the clothes of a person of consequence; he never swore or talked obscenely; he regularly went to church on Sunday and was in theory deeply religious. Even in his vices he conformed to the usual pattern. In appcarance he was dignified, with an agreeable countenance and manners so 'free from every kind of Trick or Particularity' that his wife thought him 'out of the Power of Mimickry'. Openly she countcd him the handsomest husband in England. T h e one thing he lacked was a warm-hearted personality; he aroused respect in those about him, but not Children's Book, A p r . i, 1778. T h r a l i a n a , J u n e 1 7 7 7 . T h e description of T h r a l e which follows is largely derived from this source. 1

2

C A R I C A T U R E 1772 Undoubtedly intended to represent Henry Thrale Mow in the British Museum

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affection. His distaste for terms of endearment was a cause of frequent complaints from his wife, but it is probable that such incompatibility between them is easily exaggerated. In the light of a mass of evidence, all from her side, and in the light also of later events, it is easy to generalize and forget that for the most part they were a reasonably contented couple. During their entire married life they were rarely separated for any long intervals, and in consequence had little occasion for correspondence; but the one letter which has survived clearly shows a cordial relationship. Moreover, this letter, written by Thrale on a visit to Brighton, where he had been accompanied only by Queeney, certainly reveals him in a more amiable character than is usually ascribed to him. This letter should have been sent by the post last night; but behold there was no post out, and therefore it will come by the Dili John. Your verses have been much admired, and particularly by Mrs. Trevor, who I take to be the best judge of ye language: she has taken a copy of them. I make no doubt of seeing some great strokes struck by the time I get home, which will certainly be on Monday to dinner, though, upon second thoughts, you had better not wait after five o'clock, as Major and Mrs. Holroyd have insisted upon my going the Chailey road, and breakfasting with them at Sheffield, which is a longer and heavier road than ours; but as they go, I think, on Saturday in a great measure to show me their place on Monday, I could not decently avoid it. I shall do it upon a promise they have made of calling at Streatham the first time they come to town. Lady Poole is very happy at the honourable mention you make of her, and the Augecock wonders what you think he must be made of to forget all your civilities. He reminds me much of Musgrave, so quick for applause. Puss admires herself much in the glass, and we have breakfasted and dined together every day this week very comfortably. Good night,—it's past one o'clock, and I am to be on horseback at nine in the morning. Yrs. affectionately H . Thrale P.S. If you were always to write such good letters as your last, I should stay where I am and make you play Lady Cotton. 1 This is an affectionate, appreciative Thrale, not the callous ' I have not seen the original of this letter, but it is herewith reproduced from a version printed (how accurately I cannot tell) in the Brighton Herald, Oct. 17. 1 8 5 7 . It was sold at that time among Cecilia Mostyn's effects. T h e letter is dated 'Friday morning, 5th. March' [ 1 7 7 9 ] . The postscript refers to a remark of Johnson's about Lady Cotton, who spoke badly but wrote admirably: 'If I were married to t h a t Woman I would always live 200 Miles away from her, and make her write to me twice o' Week' (Broadley, p. 5 3 ; also Hayward, ii. 323). R1165!)

N

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T h r a l e of tradition. T h i s is the m a n to w h o m W i l l i a m W e l l e r Pepys addressed a set of verses, on a w e d d i n g anniversary, c o m p l i m e n t i n g him on his temerity in m a r r y i n g an intellectual w o m a n . A g a i n s t all precedent, Pepys c l a i m e d , T h r a l e ' s experience proved that k n o w l e d g e did not m a k e a wife less loving or faithful. Could Ignorance more faithful prove? Could Folly's Self more warmly love? T h e n long may this Auspicious Morn At each still happier Year's return, Tell what Your sweet Experience knows T h a t Head and Heart are Friends—not Foes.' T o casual observers theirs was a h a p p y m a r r i a g e . In an undated note, written w h e n T h r a l e was j u s t recovering from a dangerous illness, M r s . M o n t a g u insisted ' T h e r e is not a m o m e n t of m y w a k i n g hours in w h i c h I a m not sending y o u m y best wishes. By you I m e a n M r . & M r s . T h r a l e , for you are truly one.' 2 Y e t T h r a l e , despite his a p p a r e n t appreciation of his wife's literary efforts, was not an easy m a n to live with, and from the C h i l d r e n ' s Book it is possible to discover the marital problems w h i c h confronted Mrs. T h r a l e . For instance, during the a u t u m n of 1776 T h r a l e had been troubled w i t h an ailment w h i c h he refused to take seriously, but w h i c h the doctors diagnosed as either cancerous or venereal. T o his wife, expecting another child, the prospect was g l o o m y indeed, b u t her principal worry was w h a t w o u l d b e c o m e of them all if the M a s t e r should follow her children to the g r a v e . S h e was willing to heave a sigh of relief w h e n the c o m p l a i n t turned out not to be fatal but merely the 'consequence of Folly & V i c e ' . 3 C o u l d life be spared, e v e r y t h i n g else m i g h t be forgiven. But helping her husband with remedies for such a disease could hardly have served to increase her fondness for him. F u r t h e r m o r e , his g a m b l i n g instinct continually kept her apprehensive. W h e n the business was m a k i n g money, he had M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 8 5 - 6 . Presented to T h r a l e O c t . 1 1 , 1776, at Brighton. In the collection of M r . A . C . T h o m a s . 5 C h i l d r e n ' s Book. M r . T h r a l e ' s trouble was a swollen testicle, which he asserted was d u e to a strain occasioned from an accident in F r a n c e w h e n he had been forced to j u m p from the C h a i s e . His wife naturally suspected a venereal infection, a n d , t h o u g h not conclusive for us, she felt sure of her diagnosis. T h e last of Dec. 1 7 7 6 she w r o t e : ' M r . T h r a l e ' s C o m p l a i n t was venereal at last—what need of so m a n y L y e s about it! I ' m sure I care not, so he recovers to hold us all together.' T h e trouble, as Dr. Ernest Sadler has informed me, was p r o b a b l y a simple hydrocele w h i c h might h a v e been due either to the injury or to some venereal infection. 1

1

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110 thought of saving for a future emergency, but extravagantly spent every penny on which he could lay his hands. T o increase the number and size of his brewing vats had become a driving obsession. He was determined to out-do his rivals, VVhitbread and Calvert. O n e spring the idea struck him that a large sum of money with which to increase production might be raised by cutting a part of the beautiful woods at Bach-y-Graig. Shocked at the suggestion, his wife was immediately up in arms to defend her beloved grove. But Thrale coldly warned her: Ladies h a v e a C h a r t e r for t e i z i n g — b u t be pleased to h a v e a C a r e , & not set y o u r old Bull D o g [ m e a n i n g D r . J o h n s o n ] u p o n me—for I will hear n o t h i n g of t h a t S o r t — e x c e p t f r o m a L a d y . '

Nevertheless she j u m p e d at even this meagre encouragement, and showed her husband a little Triolet made in imitation of some French verses. Included were the lines: I shall make a Triolet On this Second Morn of May Since 'twas on that happy Day Favour for my Woods I Won: T h e next August she was chagrined to find that, despite all her efforts, some of the trees had been cut. 2 When the income was increasing, Thrale also delighted in lavish building and improvements at Streatham. During the summer of 1777 a small lake with an island at the far end was dredged out west of the house, and a two-mile walk which circled the property was reconstructed. 3 There were constant additions and redecorations, too, inside the house. This summer Thrale was at his perihelion (to use his wife's expression) so far as finances were concerned, and on one occasion Mrs. Thrale admitted to Johnson that she had been in the city buying finery, 'that I may have my share of the Years of Plenty . 4 But even if not averse to sharing good times, she continued to have forebodings for the future. 'I hope you will not be long away,' she ended her letter to Johnson, 'my Master's Bridle must be held by a stronger hand than that of Y o u r most faithful & Obedient H : L : Thrale.' Since the profits of the brewery had been £14,000 the year before, they may well have led Thrale to feel expansive. 5 He even bought back some of the Welsh property 1

2

M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 77. D a t e d in T h r a l i a n a , M a y 2, 1777.

Ry- 54°. 69.

' Mentioned in Johnson's letters Nos. 538, 5 5 1 , 554, 558. • Sept. 20, 1777, 5 F r o m a n excised passage in Johnson's letter No. 560 ( O c t . 29, 1777), n o w in the Lichfield Johnson house.

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a t t a c h e d to B a c h - y - G r a i g w h i c h h a d b e e n lost w h i l e J o h n S a l u s b u r y was in N o v a Scotia. 1 M r s . T h r a l e , blithely thinking m o n e y w a s u n l i m i t e d , d u r i n g the spring o f 1 7 7 8 ordered a n e w h a r p s i c h o r d for D r . B u r n e y ' s use, a n d in a d d i t i o n treated herself to a n e w b e d , n e w ' b e d g o w n s ' a n d robes. 2 She was n o w p r e p a r i n g for h e r t w e l f t h c h i l d , a n d noted in the C h i l d r e n ' s Book t h a t for the first t i m e since the birth o f her eldest d a u g h t e r she w a s b u y i n g s p e c i a l b a b y things. T h e n s u d d e n l y she f o u n d t h a t her h u s b a n d h a d a g a i n a l l o w e d his c r a z e for s p e c u l a t i o n to l e a d h i m into difficulties. C a u g h t in a g e n e r a l stringency o f credit, h e h a d n o reserve f u n d s to m e e t his obligations. It w a s a repetition o f t h e old story, b u t M r s . T h r a l e d r o v e to B r i g h t o n to b o r r o w a g a i n f r o m Scrase, a n d the i m m e d i a t e d a n g e r w a s a v e r t e d . O n A p r i l 20 she w r o t e : I used to say nothing should make me cut my Trees down in Wales & now I offered them Yesterday to pacify M y Masters Uneasiness: but he or his Daughter would at any T i m e rather suffer Misery in a slight degree than receive Consolation or K i n d ness from me. 3 S a d l y she r e m e m b e r e d the d r e a d f u l y e a r , 1772, b u t at least then her efforts h a d been a p p r e c i a t e d . A n d this t i m e there w a s a c t u a l l y n o desperate need to w o r r y . I n a letter to J o h n s o n , w h o was t e m p o r a r i l y staying in t o w n n e a r Boswell, she u r g e d h i m to speak to T h r a l e . A f f a i r s , she said, w e r e not d a n g e r o u s ; Perkins p a i d all obligations ' w i t h a h i g h h a n d ' ; a n d t h e labourers a n d tradesmen w e r e satisfied. Conjure him not to fret so, when he really has every Reason to be thankful. W h a t shall I do tho' when Burney's fine Harpsichord comes home? he grudges my new Bed so that it makes him half mad, & the other will be twice the Money of my poor B e d . — O h Dear M e ! but he is woeful cross; & glad at heart shall I be to have you with us—for we grind sadly else. 4 1 Ry. Charter 1025-6. B o d v a r y estate was p u r c h a s e d f r o m Sir R o b e r t S a l u s b u r y C o t t o n , a n d o n S e p t . 28, 1 7 7 7 , l e a s e d to S a m u e l J o h n s o n a n d J o h n 2 C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k a n d R y . 5 4 0 , 80. C a t o r , as trustees. 1 C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k . F o r M r s . T h r a l e ' s o t h e r h u r r i e d t r i p t o B r i g h t o n see p . 9 3 , n . 4. * R y . 540, 80. T h e letter is u n d a t e d , b u t u n d o u b t e d l y b e l o n g s in t h e s p r i n g o f 1 7 7 8 . W h i l e B o s w e l l w a s in L o n d o n this y e a r J o h n s o n d i v i d e d his t i m e b e t w e e n the city a n d the c o u n t r y . Y e t B o s w e l l q u o t e s a c o m p l a i n t o f S t r a h a n t h a t t h e i r f r i e n d w a s so m u c h at the T h r a l e s t h a t ' h e w a s in a g r e a t m e a s u r e a b s o r b e d f r o m the society o f his old f r i e n d s ' (Life, iii. 2 2 5 ) . B o s w e l l m a d e a n u m b e r o f visits to S t r e a t h a m this y e a r a n d r e c o r d e d s o m e c o n v e r s a t i o n s in w h i c h M r s . T h r a l e p l a y s a p a r t . In his p r i n t e d versions B o s w e l l d i r e c t s s e v e r a l p o i n t e d a c c u s a t i o n s at M r s . T h r a l e lor h e r a l l e g e d i n a c c u r a c y (Life, iii. 2 2 6 , 228. 229, 2 4 3 ' . The first docs not a p p e a r in his c o n t e m p o r a r y n o t e s ; o t h e r s a r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y as p r i n t e d .

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S h e c o u l d not r e f r a i n f r o m c o m m e n t i n g in the C h i l d r e n ' s B o o k ' t h a t e v e r y M a n w h e n he begins to wish to save M o n e y , a l w a y s wishes to s a v e it o u t o f his Wife's E x p e n s e s , & w h e n he wishes to spend it, wishes to s p e n d it on his own'. T h r o u g h o u t J u n e T h r a l e ' s depression c o n t i n u e d , a n d his w i f e , restlessly e x p e c t i n g her c h i l d , w r o t e a g a i n to J o h n s o n : Do huff my Master & comfort him by Turns according to your own Dear Discretion: he has consulted you now, & given you a Right to talk to Him about his ill Tim'd Melancholy and do keep your Influence over him for all our sakes.1 O n the 2 1 s t , to her g r e a t d i s a p p o i n t m e n t , M r s . T h r a l e g a v e birth to a n o t h e r d a u g h t e r . T h e child w a s n a m e d H e n r i e t t a S o p h i a , a n d M r s . M o n t a g u , w h o o f f e r e d herself as g o d m o t h e r , c o m f o r t e d M r s . T h r a l e b y insisting that she n e v e r w o u l d h a v e stood f o r a b o y . * E a r l y in J u l y M r s . T h r a l e w a s h o r r i f i e d to l e a r n t h a t h e r h u s b a n d w a s c o n s i d e r i n g d i s c h a r g i n g his c h i e f clerk P e r k i n s , ' w h o sets his faults b e f o r e h i m s o m e w h a t too s t r o n g l y ' f o r p o l i c y . 3 S h e c o u l d not b u t think t h a t if he h a t e d ' P e r k i n s f o r telling h i m T r u t h , he will of C o n s e q u e n c e h a t e J o h n s o n & m e most of all I s u p p o s e ' . Y e t this d i d not d e t e r the t w o f r o m e x e r t i n g all their i n f l u e n c e on their M a s t e r to b r i n g h i m to r e a s o n . O n J u l y 1 8 she a d d e d a n a c c o u n t o f a long c o n v e r s a t i o n o f the n i g h t b e f o r e : Well! last night Mr. Johnson having looked over my Master's Reste-Book, resolved I suppose to talk to him about his Affairs; for as I came in from walking I found them already entered on the Subject. Mr. Johnson observed that there was no need to be low spirited tho' we had been imprudent, that such was our Capital we might still be rich, might pay all our Debts, & lay up five Thousand a Year, while we lived at the Rate of five Thousand more, if Mr. Thrale would but promise never to brew more than fourscore Thousand Barrels of Beer in a Winter. He represented to him that setting his Profits at the low Rate of half a Crown a Barrel, 80,000 Barrels wd. bring him ten Thousand Pounds a Year of wch. says he I will allow you to spend three thousand rationally, & two Thousand foolishly—in building Digging Planting or what you will—only lay up the other five Thousand for your Children, who really have a ' R y . 540, 52. This letter also is undated but was probably written either J u n e 20 or 2 1 , 1778. O n it is noted in Johnson's hand: 'written during L a b o u r ' , and from other evidence it must have been scribbled just before the birth of her twelfth child. 2 Children's Book, J u l y 3, 1778. J Ibid., J u l y 8, 1778.

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C l a i m to it; & for yourself in Case of any Emergence that we m a y not be found as now totally unprovided with M o n e y . 1

J o h n s o n continued by pointing out the great d a n g e r of not h a v i n g a reserve f u n d for emergencies, and urged him to give u p his ' m a d R a p a c i t y ' . T h e M a n who will perpetually play double or Quits, must lose at last, & that Loss must be R u i n : & if you thus persist in pouring the profits of the T r a d e back upon the T r a d e ; that T r a d e will swell indeed like a Bubble, but like a Bubble it will be sure to burst.

M r s . T h r a l e herself then entered the a r g u m e n t and implored her husband to think of the h a r m to himself and to his children. M r . J o h n s o n seconded me b y earnest and pathetic entreaties & we at length extorted from him a Promise that he would brew no more than 80,000 Barrels a Y e a r — f o r five Y e a r s to come.

F o r a time the M a s t e r agreed to be conservative, but everyone knew the reformation was only t e m p o r a r y . D u r i n g the s u m m e r of 1 7 7 8 M r s . T h r a l e ' s time was not completely taken u p with problems of her husband and the brewhouse. T h e r e were a l w a y s new acquaintances to invite to S t r e a t h a m a n d new subjects for conversation. O n e of the sponsors for her youngest d a u g h t e r , Henrietta S o p h i a , or H a r r i e t as she was soon called, was a Miss Sophia Streatfeild w h o had been the last favourite pupil of D r . Collier. A l t h o u g h the two ladies had heard much about each other, they did not meet until after Collier's death in 1 7 7 7 , and then by chance at Brighton. 2 With a bond of r e m e m b r a n c e of their adored tutor, they h a d quickly b e c o m e intimate friends. Miss Streatfeild was beautiful, cultivated, and an excellent Greek scholar; but her most astonishing accomplishment was an ability to fill her eyes with tears at a n y desired moment. It soon became a stock p e r f o r m a n c e at S t r e a t h a m for M r s . T h r a l e to plead in a wheedling voice, ' Y e s , do cry a little, S o p h y , pray do', and then, wonders of wonders, a pearly tear would course down the cheek of the f a i r scholar, to the great entertainment of the other guests. 3 A n o t h e r addition to the T h r a l e circle c a m e about through the anonymous publication in J a n u a r y 1 7 7 8 of a novel called ' See also Thraliana, J u l y 18, 1778, and H a y w a r d , i. 74. See H a y w a r d , i. 1 1 0 - 1 1 . In Thraliana, on Nov. 20, 1776, Mrs. Thrale referred to having heard that her old tutor had found a home with the Streatfeilds and was educating the eldest daughter. Collier died M a y 23, 1777. Miss Balderston tells me that Streatfeild is the traditional spelling of the name, and the one used by 2

the present representatives of the family.

3

D'Arblay Diary, i. 238.

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Evelina. By degrees people read and liked the book, and the secret of its authorship further stimulated interest. Although it was possibly not until J u l y that Mrs. Thrale became aware of its existence, she was soon recommending the book to all her friends. When she was told that it was written by the shy, retiring daughter of her beloved Dr. Burney she was dumbfounded, and her first impulse was to urge the Doctor to bring the girl out for a visit. As soon as Fanny Burney heard the news of the excitement her book had caused at Streatham, she was almost overcome. For the celebrated Mrs. Thrale, the goddess of her idolatry, to compliment her writing, and Dr. Johnson!—it was too wonderful to believe. Therefore, her first journey to Streatham early in August was, in her words, 'the most consequential day' she had ever spent since her birth. 1 The house and grounds which so delighted Fanny Burney in 1778 were far different from those to which Mrs. Thrale had come as a bride. The house now had wings extending on either side, and was surrounded by sloping lawns and shrubbery. T o the west was a lake with an island at the far end, where we are told Johnson used to water the laurels. About a hundred yards east of the mansion was the summer-house where he was accustomed to meditate and write. T o the rear were additional walled gardens for fruit and vegetables. Inside on the ground floor were the library, pantry, and service quarters, together with a dressing-room and six bedrooms, including Dr. Johnson's in the left wing. On the first floor were the dining parlour, drawing-room, and six more bedchambers. In the rear were numerous servants' rooms, while the kitchen, dairy, and scullery were detached from the house. 2 It was a home of luxurious ease, with all the conveniences that wealth and careful planning could provide. Fanny Burney's record of her reception at Streatham Park has delighted generations of readers. With rapture she described the house, the guests, and particularly her hostess, whose cordiality and delicacy in not mentioning Evelina made an indelible impression. On August 23 she wrote: But I fear to say all I think at present of Mrs. Thrale, lest some flaws should appear by and by, that may make me think differently. • Ibid. 53. 1 See H. W. Bromhead, Heritage of St. Leonard's (1932), pp. 39-44. The list of rooms is obtained from the catalogue of the 1816 sale of the contents. Since it appears that there were few actual additions after Thrale's day, the description is probably fairly accurate. For other descriptions see D'Arblay Diary, i. 53, and Early Diary, ii. 255, &c.

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A n d y e t , w h y s h o u l d I not i n d u l g e t h e now, as w e l l as t h e then, since it w i l l b e w i t h so m u c h m o r e p l e a s u r e ? I n s h o r t , I d o t h i n k h e r d e l i g h t f u l ; she h a s t a l e n t s to c r e a t e a d m i r a t i o n , g o o d h u m o u r to e x c i t e l o v e , u n d e r s t a n d i n g to g i v e e n t e r t a i n m e n t , a n d a h e a r t w h i c h , like m y d e a r f a t h e r ' s , s e e m s a l r e a d y fitted for a n o t h e r w o r l d . 1 A g a i n on the 26th she c o m p a r e d t h e Mistress o f S t r e a t h a m to her o w n father. ' S h e has the s a m e n a t u r a l liveliness, t h e s a m e general benevolence, the s a m e rare union o f gaiety and of f e e l i n g in h e r disposition.'2 H e r c o n v e r s a t i o n w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y captivating: I t is so e n t e r t a i n i n g , so g a y , so e n l i v e n i n g , w h e n she is in spirits, a n d so i n t e l l i g e n t a n d i n s t r u c t i v e w h e n she is o t h e r w i s e , t h a t I a l m o s t as m u c h w i s h to r e c o r d all she says, as all D r . J o h n s o n says. M r s . T h r a l e ' s sweetness o f disposition in a c c e p t i n g w i t h o u t anger the vigorous condemnations of D r . J o h n s o n forcibly s t r u c k t h e y o u n g v i s i t o r , a n d o n S e p t e m b e r 21 s h e r e c o r d e d the following c o l l o q u y : L a s t n i g h t , w h e n w e w e r e t a l k i n g o f c o m p l i m e n t s a n d o f gross speeches, M r s . T h r a l e most justly said that n o b o d y could m a k e e i t h e r like D r . J o h n s o n . ' Y o u r c o m p l i m e n t s , sir, a r e m a d e s e l d o m , but w h e n they are m a d e they h a v e an elegance u n e q u a l l e d ; but t h e n w h e n y o u a r e a n g r y , w h o d a r e s m a k e s p e e c h e s so b i t t e r a n d so c r u e l ? ' D r . J . — M a d a m , I a m a l w a y s sorry w h e n I m a k e b i t t e r speeches, a n d I n e v e r d o it b u t w h e n I a m i n s u f f e r a b l y v e x e d . M r s . T . — Y e s , sir; b u t y o u suffer things to v e x you, that nobody else w o u l d v e x a t . I a m sure I h a v e h a d m y s h a r e of s c o l d i n g f r o m you! D r . J . — I t is t r u e , y o u h a v e ; b u t y o u h a v e b o r n e it like a n a n g e l , a n d y o u h a v e b e e n t h e b e t t e r for it. M r s . T . — T h a t I b e l i e v e , s i r : for I h a v e r e c e i v e d m o r e instruct i o n f r o m y o u t h a n f r o m a n y m a n , or a n y b o o k : a n d t h e v a n i t y that y o u should think m e w o r t h instructing, a l w a y s o v e r c a m e the v a n i t y o f b e i n g f o u n d f a u l t w i t h . A n d so y o u h a d the s c o l d i n g , a n d I the improvement. F . B . — A n d I a m sure b o t h m a k e for the h o n o u r o f b o t h ! D r . J . — I t h i n k so too. B u t M r s . T h r a l e is a s w e e t c r e a t u r e , a n d n e v e r a n g r y ; she h a s a t e m p e r t h e m o s t d e l i g h t f u l o f a n y w o m a n I ever knew.3 Mrs. T h r a l e knew well that Johnson's rude remarks were i n v o l u n t a r y , a n d i f h e s a w t h a t his a d v e r s a r y w a s h u r t , w e r e always followed by remorse. S h e herself later told of one 1

D'Arblqy Diary, i. 68.

- Ibid. 85.

> Ibid.

128-9.

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occasion when Johnson was silently musing by the fire, and T h r a l e ' s young nephew, Sir J o h n L a d e , called to him suddenly and as he thought somewhat disrespectfully: ' M r . Johnson, W o u l d you advise me to m a r r y ? ' 'I would advise no m a n to marry, Sir,' replied Johnson angrily, ' w h o is not likely to propagate understanding.' Immediately afterwards he rose and left the room. T h e poor youth was confounded, but a few minutes later Johnson returned, and d r a w i n g his chair up to the company, joined in the general conversation and gradually led the discussion to the subjcct of marriage. W i t h genial kindness he gave such a dissertation 'that no one ever recollected the offence, except to rejoice in its consequences'. 1 T o strangers Johnson's brusque manner was apt to be irritating, but, as his friends knew, he held no grudge after the first paroxysm of anger had subsided. I f F a n n y Burney was charmed with Streatham society, the Thrales and Johnson were equally pleased with her. She was a perfect foil for the talkative lady of the mansion, and the Doctor loved to have 'little Burney' sitting at his side. Consequently, for the next few years she spent m u c h of her time in the household, and her vivid, intimate record provides the best description we have of the everyday life of the family. She gives the names of sucli guests as drove out to the country estate, w h a t they said, and the verdicts of the family upon them. L o n g conversations about consequential and inconsequential affairs are related with the utmost fidelity. T h e picture is complete, though coloured perhaps by the extravagant rapture of the diarist, who found herself a modest but delighted celebrity, petted by some of the most outstanding people of her d a y . Streatham was the scene of Fanny's entrance into the social world, and naturally she describes it with a partial pen. Fanny Burney's diary shows Johnson in his lighter moments, full of fun and nonsense, ready either for a j o k e or a romp. T h i s is not the author of the Rambler, but a great m a n relaxing in the genial atmosphere of blandishment and adulation. Johnson enjoyed the society of ladies as m u c h as the more vigorous companionship of the coffee-house and club. O n c e he remarked to Mrs. T h r a l e on the power of w o m e n to change the habit of men. 'Smoking T o b a c c o — s a i d Doctor J o h n s o n — m u s t have been a delightful T h i n g : I wonder it ever went out of F a s h i o n — but the W o m e n , w h o rule us all, drove it a w a y . ' 2 Fanny's j o u r n a l has little to say of the Master of the house1

John. Misc. i. 213 -14.

J

N e w C o m m o n Place B o o k , p. 273.

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hold, for he was still dejected over his financial troubles of the previous spring. In an attempt to divert his mind during the a u t u m n of 1778, a trip was planned to various watering-places in the south of E n g l a n d . T u n b r i d g e Wells was the first stop, where with a crowd of venerable seekers after health they also found Mrs. M o n t a g u , Sophy Streatfeild, and a number of other Blue-Stockings. O n O c t o b e r 17 Mrs. T h r a l e wrote to Johnson, bursting with pride because the Duchess of Devonshire 'had desired to be introduced' to h e r ; but she added of her husband, 'he is not yet a good T ê t e a T ê t e but behaves tolerably in C o m p a n y — e v e r y b o d y however says he is strangely broke'. T w o days later she added in another note : Mrs. Montagu cannot bear Evelina—let not that be published— her Silver-Smiths are Pewterers she says, & her Captains Boatswains. The Attorney General says you must all have commended it out of a Joke; My Master laughs to see me Down among the dead Men & I am happy to see him laugh. All goes on well at the Brewhouse I hear: & the Money that was borrowed when the Leaves were coming out will be paid—or may be—before they are fallen : neither must this be published. F r o m T u n b r i d g e Wells the T h r a l e s drove on to Brighton, where the Master w a r d e d o f f the m e n a c i n g 'black dog' of depression by hunting with Sir J o h n Shelley and chatting with Beauclerk and Gerard Hamilton. She spent her time 'dipping' in the sea and e x c h a n g i n g gossip with Pepys, Mrs. M o n t a g u , and Mrs. Byron, wife of the admiral ('Foul W e a t h e r J a c k ' ) and grandmother of the poet. T h e y had hoped to have Johnson with them at the sea-side, but he was busy writing his Lives of the Poets and refused to leave L o n d o n . Instead, Mrs. T h r a l e kept him regularly informed with 'prattle upon paper* of her activities and of her grand friends. O n c e w h e n describing the guests w h o were to come to her house that night, she chuckled, 'Dearee M e ! how I a m got all a m o n g the Q u a l i t y of l a t e — M a k e me t h a n k f u l — l i k e M u r p h y ' s U n c l e . ' 1 N e v e r a persistent social climber, Mrs. T h r a l e did enjoy for awhile the novelty of entertaining the nobility. She always sought companions with brains rather than pedigrees, but if she could find the two combined, so m u c h the better. Q u e e n e y , on the other hand, was more impressed by 'keeping high C o m p a n y ' — a predilection she was never to lose. 2 T h e open-air life on the Sussex D o w n s restored Thrale's 1 Sat. Nov. 21 [1778]. T h e reference is to a character in Murphy's play The 1 Children's Book. Way to Keep Him.

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health and spirits, and late in November when they returned to Streatham, his wife remarked that he seemed resolved 'to enjoy himself & his Friends as usual'. Y e t there was always something to worry about, the new annoyance which Mrs. T h r a l e had to face being the growing fondness which her husband showed for the beautiful Sophia Streatfeild. She never suspected Sophia of returning the passion, but the fair Greek scholar's appealing glances and soft tender manners proved irresistible to the opposite sex. 1 She was one of those natural coquettes who, with no intention of doing so, seem born with the faculty of attracting married men. Mrs. Thrale, in long passages in her journals, vented her irritation at seeing her husband lavish sentiment on another which he had never shown to her. On December 3 1 , 1778, and on the last page of the Children's Book, she commented, ' M r . T h r a l e is once more happy in his Mind, & at leisure to be so in Love with S : S : that it is comical.' T h e n , after giving a final description of her daughters and of the friends spending the holidays at Streatham, and with a prayer to God for preservation of herself and her family, she squeezed in a small postscript at the bottom of the page: ' I will not fret about this R i v a l this S. S. no I wont.' With this typical mercurial touch the intimate, revealing Children's Book comes to an end. It had been her only confidant during the tragic years of depression and difficulty; in it she had transcribed all the clever sayings of those adored little ones now buried in Streatham Church. But that part of her life was over, and no new Children's Book was ever begun. Thraliana alone would now serve to record her whims, her agonies, and her triumphs. Already Mrs. T h r a l e was in her third volume of Thraliana. She had been no laggard in filling the pages of this journal with anecdotes, reflections, and reminiscences. Nearly a hundred pages of the second volume had been devoted exclusively to Johnson, including quotations of his bons mots, a list of his published works, and hints for his biography. On the other hand, she was just as indefatigable in writing about herself, and filled over seventy pages of the same volume with a complete chronicle of her own life. Thraliana was both to serve her literary ambitions while alive and to be the vehicle of her fame when she was dead. Mrs. Thrale had not completely given up her old practice of sending contributions to the newspapers, and during the 1

See Hayward, i. 111-24.

174 TROUBLES WITH MASTER I778autumn of 1 7 7 8 she dispatched a n u m b e r to the Public Advertiser. O n e was a set of political verses addressed to her friend Sir Philip J e n n i n g s Clerke, entitled a ' T a l e for the T i m e s ' , which was full of pointed allusions to the issues of the d a y . 1 Another was an amusing letter, signed J a c q u e t D r o z , which compared the present acceptance of corruption in public office to that in R o m e under the E m p e r o r N e r v a . 2 As in the case of the famous Partridge hoax of Swift's time, the real J a c q u e t D r o z immediately wrote to disclaim the authorship, but M r s . T h r a l e continued the persiflage with further remarks. H e r e w a s a perfect outlet for her irrepressible desire to satirize public and private affairs. T h r o u g h o u t the winter of 1 7 7 9 M r s . T h r a l e remained chiefly at Streatham. During J a n u a r y F a n n y Burney, deaf to all pleas to 'come home', lingered in town, but the invitations were so flattering that soon, like J o h n s o n , she was a regular resident of the country house. F a n n y , however, set down in her diary only a few interesting conversations for this period, since her time was taken up with writing a c o m e d y — ' T h e Witlings', later doomed by general agreement of a family council. T h e play purported to be a satire on the Blue-Stockings, and M r s . T h r a l e laughingly insisted on finding a resemblance to herself in the charactcr of ' L a d y S m a t t e r ' ; 3 but if F a n n y was slyly poking fun at her hostess in the composition, she was enthusiastically adoring her in everyday life. For the present the entire B u r n e y family loaded M r s . T h r a l e with compliments, and professed to think her the most perfect of goddesses. 4 During the spring T h r a l e , w h o was now 'in high good humour', 5 spent much of his time in town with Sir Philip 1

Printed on N o v . 28, 1 7 7 8 . N o v . 20, 1 7 7 8 . T h i s letter must have been sent to the n e w s p a p e r s from Brighton. It ends ' I n allusion to m y H a n d - w r i t i n g , I sign myself. Y o u r s & c . J a c q u e t D r o z . ' T h e real Droz, w ho was a m a k e r of clocks a n d m e c h a n i c a l devices, replied in the issue of N o v . 2 7 , insisting that the published letter was a f a b r i cation. M r s . T h r a l e continued on D e c . 1 with a highly a m u s i n g epistle, in which she m a d e pointed remarks a b o u t her neighbour's profession, a n d again signed his n a m e . T o this Droz wisely m a d e no answer. T h e allusion to D r o z ' s hand p r o b a b l y referred to a c o n t r i v a n c e he h a d invented for the use of persons born with stumps only. See Public Advertiser, F e b . 5, 1 7 7 7 . J C o n s t a n c e Hill, House in St. Martin's Street, p p . 1 5 3 - 4 . 4 Dr. B u r n e y ' s letters to M r s . T h r a l e , full of slang a n d cant phrases, a n d replete with f a m i l y jokes, a r e a f f e c t i o n a t e a n d amusing. T h e y show w h y he w a s such a universal favourite. ( R y . 5 4 5 ) S e e also W . R o b e r t s , J . Rylands Bulletin, xvi (1932), pp. 1 1 5 - 3 6 . * R y . 5 4 0 , 87. M r s . T h r a l e to J o h n s o n , dated only ' S t r e a t h a m , T h u r s d a y ' , but p r o b a b l y M a r . 1 1 , 1 7 7 9 . T h r a l e had just returned f r o m a trip to Brighton. See p. 1 6 3 . 2

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Jennings Clerke and his political friends. As his wife later remembered, he left Fanny Burney and M e very much alone at poor deserted Streatham Park—we said we would write a Weekly Paper & send after them, & call it the Flasher—We had a Way of calling Things Flash that we wanted others to call Wit . . . and one Day it was a Chronicle—another Day a Gazette. 1

O n e of the messages shows clcarly that Mrs. Thrale suspected that the principal reason Thrale remained in London was to be near her rival Sophy Streatfeild. Even if he did always leave his coach in another street in order not to cause gossip, his constant visits to the fair Greek scholar were annoying to his wife. Late in M a y the Thrales, with their three elder daughters, Queeney, Susanna, and Sophia, and Fanny Burney drove to Brighton, where they were joined by A r t h u r M u r p h y . 2 J o h n son, instead of accompanying them, took this opportunity to set out for Lichfield and Ashbourne. At this time of year Brighton was dull, b u t with M u r p h y and the Bishop of Peterborough as companions they were kept in constant good humour. For ten days the air of the West Street house was thick with theatrical plans, while M u r p h y read Fanny's comedy and Mrs. T h r a l e busied herself with a tragedy by Dr. Delap. T h e n about the last day of the m o n t h they returned to Streatham. Here, presently, the household was thrown into the greatest disorder. O n J u n e 8 T h r a l e went to the house of his sister, Mrs. Nesbitt, ostensibly to hear the will of her husband who had just died. T h e two brothers-in-law had been involved together in a n u m b e r of speculative schemes, and T h r a l e had stood security for Nesbitt for a very large amount. When the will was read, showing the estate in a precarious condition, T h r a l e suddenly saw the sword of Damocles again hanging over his own head. T h e shock was so great that while at dinner his head sank on the table, his speech became confused, and he seemed to know nobody. His sister, instead of calling help, rushed him back to Streatham in a coach. Mrs. T h r a l e tells dramatically what followed. 3 When sitting after dinner with Q n t e n c y , Dr. Burney, and his daughter, she was startled by the servant Sam opening the door and saying in 1

Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 108; also Thraliana, M a r . 24, 1779. For chronology see Thraliana, M a y 2 1 , J u n e 5, 1779, and R y . 540, 8g. For 3 an account of the trip see D'Arblay Diary, 1. 2 1 6 - 2 9 . Hayward, ii. 37. 2

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a peculiar manner: ' M y master is come home, but there is something amiss.' A black female figure then blocked her way, calling out, 'Don't go into the library, don't go in I say'; but Mrs. Thrale was not to be held back and burst into the other room where she found her husband insensible, with Mrs. Nesbitt calmly holding his hand. At once all was disorder: Dr. Burney hurried in to London for Dr. Bromfield, while the family and servants rushed about, not knowing what to do. By the time the physician arrived, however, Thrale's senses had returned, and the apoplectic seizure was over. For several days afterwards, nevertheless, his mind occasionally wandered, a condition not calculated to quiet the fears of his wife and family. T o Mrs. Thrale one of the most distressing aspects of the calamity was that Johnson was in Lichfield at the time. He always seemed to be away when she needed him most. Nor did he appear to her to be in any hurry to return, a lack of consideration for which he was soundly berated. Johnson was quick to defend himself. 'There is nobody left for me to care about but you and my master,' he insisted; it was not lack of affection that kept him away, but a feeling that he could be of no use even if he were there. 1 As soon as her husband began to improve, however, Mrs. Thrale was mollified. On the 24th she admitted: 'You have been exceedingly kind, and I have been exceedingly cross; & now my Master is got well, & my Wrath over, I ask your Pardon sincerely.—Heberden thinks all quite safe.' Although Thrale rallied quickly from this stroke, he never quite recovered his full strength. His taciturnity increased, and he found his only pleasure in over-eating—one vice he would not curb. In spite of his physician's orders, he gorged himself with food, regardless of the consequences. No pleading by his family or friends to be temperate ever made any lasting impression. In consequence the Master's health and disposition became the most important consideration at Streatham, and warding off the 'black dog' of depression the one constant thought of Mrs. Thrale. ' June 24, 1779.

IX THE

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MASTER 1781

A F T E R the first stroke, only two things served to rouse the l \ M a s t e r from his lethargy—gay c o m p a n y and constant travel. Consequently, for the next year and a half the life of the Thrales was a medley of entertainments and visits. D u r i n g the latter part of J u n e a succession of guests filled S t r e a t h a m , and glimpses of this engaging society can be caught in F a n n y Burney's letters and j o u r n a l : the lovely S. S. obediently weeping for Sir Philip Jennings Gierke; William Seward seeking a suitable wife; Dr. Johnson prodigal with compliments; Mrs. Vesey paying a flattering visit; and D r . Delap pestering the great Doctor for aid. 1 T h e rcctor of Lewes was something of a bore with his overweening ambition to become a successful playwright, and he failed completely in his a t t e m p t to provide his tragedy with a prologue written by J o h n s o n . T h e latter was busy with the Lives of the Poets, and preferred to spend his spare time tutoring Q u e e n e y and F a n n y in Latin. 2 All this time Mrs. T h r a l e herself was far from well, again enceinte, b u t not progressing so well as usual. T h e consequent worry over her husband and herself, with numerous petty annoyances, produced an irritation which, as in the past, found release in T h r a l i a n a . W h e n writing in her journals, M r s . T h r a l e often showed surprising traits ofjealousy and spite which seldom appeared in her letters. Perhaps it relieved her to set things down at their stark worst, even to defiant exaggeration; for then she could shake her 'Salusbury fist' at the whole thing, and make that compact with her spirit, so perfectly expressed in the last words of the Children's Book: 'I will not f r e t . . . no I wont.' Of course, the irritable entries were apt to be m a d e at times when Mrs. T h r a l e was in bad health, which m a y account for the spleen vented, a b o u t this period, on the unsuspecting F a n n y Burney. While admitting that she was just as fond of her visitor 1 2

D'Arblay Diary, i. 2 2 9 - 5 4 . S e e letters f r o m D r . D e l a p to M r s . T h r a l e ( R y . 5 4 7 ) ; Qiietrvy Letters, p. x v .

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as ever, Mrs. T h r a l e maliciously recorded her displeasure at F a n n y ' s fear of being patronized. She had nursed F a n n y constantly during a recent short illness, and this was her r e w a r d . ' With T h r a l e incapacitated, she was also forced to give more time to the affairs of the brewery. Late in J u n e she had written to J o h n s o n : I have not been inattentive to C o m p t i n g House Business since Mr. Thrale's Illness, though I d o not live there; I drove h o w e v e r a Parcel of W o r k m e n off yesterday with a high h a n d , just as y o u w o u l d have had m e . — M y dear Master is easily subdued just n o w , & I fear no Subalterns, as I told them. O u r trade is in a d m i r a b l e order, but these Wars & T a x e s tear us to pieces. T h e n early in August she was suddenly called upon to settle a quarrel which had developed among the clerks at the b r e w house. T h e strain proved too great, and she suffered a miscarriage. 2 A week later she wrote to Johnson, who apparently had been a w a y from Streatham at the time, With a trembling hand d o I acknowledge your last kind Letter which I received in my B e d ; — a n d till today have not b e e n able to sit u p long e n o u g h to thank you for i t — A h Dear Sir h o w very, very 111 I have b e e n ! W e l l ! but though I have lost the little C o m p a n i o n entrusted to my Care, though I have lost my Strength, my Appetite &c. you have not lost your Friend. 3 A s always she found something to be thankful for; 'had we gone to S p a this would have happened, and happen'd on board a S h i p — w h a t a providential E s c a p e ! ' H e r husband, she added, looked 'like Death again' and needed some new perspective, even if a European tour was out of the question. ' A s soon as ever I can travel I must make him go some where, C h a n g e of Scene is actually necessary to his Recovery.' 1 T h r a l i a n a , A u g . 1 7 7 9 . F a n n y B u r n o y , in a later letter to Q u e e n e y , J u l y 1 2 , 1 7 9 8 , explained her attitude towards M r s . T h r a l e ' s excessive generosity. S h e loaded me with obligations which even at this time were oppressive to m c , dearly as I loved h e r , — & w h i c h , even then, w h e n I considered h e r fondness to be unalterable, I thought the least pleasant part of it, f r o m an inherent dislike to all sort of presents, & from an innate spirit of contentment with w h a t I naturally possessed, h o w e v e r small its proportion to w h a t s u r r o u n d e d me. T h e things, indeed, f r o m her, w e r e trifles, her affluence c o n s i d e r e d , — b u t m y pride was dearer to me than her gifts, w h i c h were forced u p o n me w h e t h e r I w o u l d or not, & w h i c h hurt m e inexpressibly, frequently with a raillery that s h e w e d she discredited the sincerity of m y r e s i s t a n c e But I v a l u e d her f r i e n d s h i p too much for any serious d i s p u t e — & all other she o v e r - p o w e r e d . ( L a n s d o w n e M S . ) 1 T h r a l i a n a , A u g . 1 5 , 1 7 7 9 ; Life, iii. 3 9 7 ; H a y w a r d , ii. 39. 3 R y . 5 4 0 , 58. T h i s letter is dated only ' T u e s d a y 1 7 ' , but seems f r o m internal evidence to h a v e been written in A u g . 1 7 7 9 .

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M a n y of her friends sent comforting letters, and Dr. Burney wrote on August 29, in his usual light, airy style, I thought, as how, we were to throw notes at each other. I have so long been a dealer in notes, & am now so beset wth. them, that if you liked their fashion, I wd. send you some to unbother; as I have had partly enough of them. But, unluckily, a million of my notes wd. not be worth one of yours—such a one as I carried off with me, unread, on Tuesday, dated 18 Augt.—& I found your sweet, dear, innocent, sportive little Soul, wrapt up in it!—Well, 'tis a good little Soul, as ecfer vaas—& I likes it.—Who, but a Swan cd. sing so sweetly, when dying?—indeed who but the truly innocent & tranquil can sing at all, in such a situation? pray content yourself, as you will delight me, with singing worse, & being better.1 Paradoxically enough, during this time of illness and depression, when she was oppressed with a feeling that her ' C a m p a i g n ' was 'quite over', M r s . T h r a l e composed her cleverest piece of creative writing, which was callcd ' T h r e e Dialogues on the Death of Hester L y n c h T h r a l e ' . 2 Swift's little poem on his own death, as she admits, g a v e her the idea. She supposes herself dead, and imagines conversations in various gatherings where she had been familiar. T h e first dialogue occurs at Mrs. Vesey's assembly, and the characters are J o h n s o n , Burke, Pepys, and Mrs. M o n t a g u . T h e second is laid at Beckenham Placc, the home of J o h n C a t o r , a retired timber merchant and an intimate friend of T h r a l e . T h e guests are another merchant, M r . N o r m a n , and Baretti. In the third, Seward's lodgings and L a d y L a d e ' s house are the scenes of action, and together with S e w a r d appear D r . J e b b , L a d y L a d e , Miss Dodson, Thrale, Queeney, and Sir Philip J e n n i n g s Clerke. T h e dialogues are short and make no pretence to be anything more than simple character sketches, since Mrs. T h r a l e merely portrays the dominant traits of some of her friends in describing their reactions to her recent death. J o h n s o n is stirred from silent meditation by the well-meaning but annoying Pepys, and is only quieted by the intervention of Burke. Mrs. Montagu shrewdly remarks: ' M r s . T h r a l e , a m o n g her other Qualifications, had prodigious strong N e r v e s — a n d that's an admirable Quality for a Friend of D r . J o h n s o n ' s . ' T h e hypochondriac S e w a r d , the independent Baretti, the surly, brooding Thrale, and the garrulous L a d y L a d e a p p e a r in turn, each one sketched 1 R y . 545, 3. Pepys's letter of Aug. 21 is in the Adam collection, and that from Mrs. Byron of the same day is R y . 546, 25. 1 Edited with an introduction by M . Zamick, and printed in the J. Rylartds Bulletin, xvi (1932), 7 7 - 1 1 4 .

«11050

f.

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with remarkable skill. It is not the wit which first strikes the reader, but the economy and certainty of the delineation. W i t h a few strokes of the brush the portrait is blocked in, and the subject classified as surely as by a detailed photograph. Mrs. Thrale's ear was sensitive to peculiarities of everyday speech and manner. 1 She must have studied her friends with an observant eye and ear and carefully filed away for future use the occasional colloquial pronunciations of Pepys and the vulgar phraseology of Cator and Norman. As a result, each person is made to converse in his usual manner, so that even if we did not know more of his history we could characterize him with precision from these short dialogues. If these jeux d'esprit may be taken as a sample of Mrs. Thrale's ability in writing the comedy of manners, it is to be regretted that she never tried her hand at a full-length play. Throughout August and September 1779 Mrs. Thrale was oppressed with a feeling that she was about to die; 2 but her flow of good spirits, like a perennial spring, though temporarily shut off, could never be stopped at the source. As much could not be said of her husband, whose gloom steadily increased. H e even lost his former absorbing interest in business and for the first time was content to let Perkins and Mrs. Thrale manage the brewery, while he found his solacc in ever-changing society, cards, dinners, and gay company. In search of diversion the Thrales, with Quecney and Fanny Burney, set out from Streatham on October 5.3 After a short stop at Sevenoaks they drove on to sec the Streatfeilds at T u n bridge Wells, from which place two days later they continued to Brighton. Here, with hunting during the day and constant amusement in the evenings, the Master was kept from brooding; consequently they remained in Sussex for the next six weeks. 4 When the weather became dismal, however, and Thrale fell ill with a bad cold, they hurriedly decided to return to Streatham. T h e journey north was distressing. Shivering all the way, the sick man suffered a severe chill, and at Rcigatc, where they had planned to have dinner, his speech grew inarticulate. Fanny, 1 See my article, ' N e w Light on the Origin of Eastern American Pronunciation of U n a c c e n t e d " A " American Speech, x (Oct. 1935), 1 7 3 - 5 . 2 Indicated by entries in T h r a l i a n a . 3 D'Arblay Diary, i. 2 7 0 - 3 1 1 . O c t . 5 came on T u e s d a y . 4 During this visit T h r a l e sought the opinion of Scrase about his will, and Johnson's letters to Mrs. T h r a l e throughout N o v e m b e r show that he was being consulted in the matter (letters, Nos. 640, 642, 645, 647, 648). According to J . Foote {Life of Arthur Murphy ( 1 8 1 1 ) , p. 259), M u r p h y superintended the actual making of the will.

- I

7

8 I

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frightened almost out of her wits, was of no help, b u t M r s . T h r a l e speedily took c h a r g e , 'worked like a servant: she lighted the fire with her o w n h a n d s , — t o o k the bellows, and m a d e such a one as m i g h t h a v e roasted an ox in ten minutes'. 1 A f t e r dinner T h r a l e seemed better, b u t by the time they reached h o m e late that night he was in a comatosc condition. U n d e r the doctor's care he quickly i m p r o v e d ; but the m o n t h of D e c e m b e r was not i pleasant one for his wife, for to m a k e matters worse, F a n n y also fell ill, so that Mrs. T h r a l e had t w o invalids to nurse. 2 Mrs. T h r a l e had a l w a y s disliked living in S o u t h w a r k , and for the past few years had spent as m u c h of her time as possible at S t r e a t h a m . Especially now that her social ambitions w e r e rising, and her h u s b a n d needed constant entertainment to keep his m i n d off himself, she was anxious to rent a house in a more fashionable part of L o n d o n for the winter. But J o h n s o n vigorously disapproved, pointing out that proximity to the b r e w e r y was imperative, especially at this time. 3 His a d v i c e prevailed, and some time early in the new y e a r the T h r a l e s m o v e d to Southwark. D u r i n g the winter of 1780 Mrs. T h r a l e was as g a y as possible, considering her h u s b a n d ' s v a r y i n g state of health. Fortunately, he was often reasonably well, and even another seizure on F e b r u a r y 21 left h i m no m o r e depressed than before. F a n n y Burney wrote that she was seeing the T h r a l e s often, and had been to some c h a r m i n g parties at their house. 4 T o g e t h e r w i t h J o h n s o n , Mrs. T h r a l e entertained, a n d talked, a n d 'flashed' on every o p p o r t u n i t y . It was possibly at this time that she d i n e d one evening with M r s . M o n t a g u and a b o u t a d o z e n literary friends, a m o n g w h o m was Sir N a t h a n i e l W r a x a l l . L a t e r she recalled that W r a x a l l related on this occasion a strange (& as it appear'd by the manner of his Audience,) a most impressive Story:—so I listen'd: hearing him say that he was shut by Accident up in a Church at Barcelona, where a female Figure rose from one of the Tombs, & c & c — w h e n all was over, I whisper'd Mrs. Scott who sate next m e — P r a y is not this story in the Spectator? Yes surely, she replied; and in one of Smollet's Novels t o o — naming it;—where Monimia plays the same Part—or nearly. Going home in the Carriage I asked Doctor Johnson how he & all those Wise 1 D'Arblay Diary, i. 447. This passage is placed in 1780 by the editors of the diary, but obviously refers to a year earlier. In Thraliana is a similar account definitely dating the incident as Nov. 23, 1779. 2 D'Arblay Diary, i. 449; Thraliana, early Dec., 1779. This gives further proof that the passage should be dated 1779. 4 D'Arblay Diary, i. 318. ' Letters, Nos. 647, 648.

182

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Men could sit so cooly, and listen to such Lyes. I did not, replied H e , know what they were saying; Wraxall spoke in a low Voice, and I sate a great way oft'—and the Wise merias you call them, were Fools.1 M r s . T h r a l e w a s g r a d u a l l y b e c o m i n g i n t i m a t e w i t h some of the Blues. Proof of her conquest c a m e in a letter f r o m W i l l i a m VVeller P e p y s on M a r c h 7 i n v i t i n g her a n d D r . J o h n s o n to a l a r g e p a r t y the f o l l o w i n g S a t u r d a y , a n d also insisting that she steal a w a y a n d c o m e on T h u r s d a y e v e n i n g also, w h e n she w o u l d find 'only t w o or three chosen p e o p l e ' , a m o n g w h o m w o u l d b e M r s . C h a p o n e . 2 P e p y s then a d d e d , ' I a m a f r a i d of asking D r . J o h n s o n , as there will not be v a r i e t y e n o u g h f o r h i m to chuse out of in case H e s h o u ' d dislike the Dish or t w o a l r e a d y p r e p a r ' d . ' J o h n s o n w o u l d be invited to the l a r g e parties, b u t P e p y s d i d not h a v e the c o u r a g c to b r a v e the sting of his t o n g u e w h e n d i s a p p o i n t e d in a d i n n e r . A l r e a d y M r s . T h r a l e was confronted with s o m e t h i n g of a c h o i c e — b e t w e e n i n t i m a c y w i t h high society a n d a l l e g i a n c e to the old ties. I n his letter P e p y s r e f e r r e d to a n o t h e r p r o b l e m w h i c h , besides her h u s b a n d ' s health, n o w o c c u p i e d m u c h of M r s . T h r a l e ' s time. 3 W i t h the prospect of an early g e n e r a l election, she felt it a d v i s a b l e to b e g i n soliciting aid f r o m p r o m i n e n t people. B u t P e p y s instead suggested that if nobody is stiring, it m a y be impolitick to stir first, as that will put others in motion, & bring on the necessity of an open Canvass at a time when you may be oblig'd to acknowledge M r . T . inability to canvass for Himself, which might possibly not be the Case, if you waited till the Dissolution of Parliament, or at least till somebody else begins to move. F o r his p a r t , P e p y s a d d e d , 'no opposition of Political Principles c o u ' d e n a b l e m e to withstand the R e q u e s t of such a W i f e e n g a g ' d in such a C a u s e ' . M r s . T h r a l e readily a c c e p t e d Pepys's a d v i c e ; but to take her h u s b a n d a w a y f r o m the possibility of b e c o m i n g i n v o l v e d in such concerns she decided to g o to B a t h late in M a r c h , with F a n n y B u r n e y as their c o m p a n i o n . T h e first night they only r e a c h e d M a i d e n h e a d B r i d g e , the second S p e e n H i l l , and the third Devizes. H e r e they w e r e interested in the astonishing 1

J

New Common Place Book, p. 103. Written in the spring of 1 8 1 5 .

Ry- 536, 24.

3 See also letter from the Bishop of Peterborough, Apr. 1 3 , 1780 (Adam Libr. lii. 128). Mrs. Thrale had, in addition, to worry about the condition of the brewery. In Thraliana, in J a n . 1780, she noted that they were to brew only 60,000 barrels this year, as against 76,000 the year before and 96,000 the year before that. The war was taking its loll of all business.

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skill in drawing displayed by Thomas, the ten-year-old son of their landlady, Mrs. Lawrence. 1 Little did they guess that one day this boy would be President of the Royal Academy. In Bath they took a house on the left corner of the South Parade, where they had a beautiful view of the Avon. M a n y London companions were at the watering-place: Mrs. M o n t a g u ; Mrs. Lambart. sister of Sir Philip Jennings Clerke; the Dean of Ossory and his f a m i l y ; and Mrs. Byron. Furthermore, from Fanny Burney's diary it appears that this year they made the acquaintance of several people who later were to be numbered among Mrs. Thrale's most intimate friends. There was, for instance, a tall, handsome clergyman named Thomas Sedgewick YVhalley, who was also a dilettante and a patron of art. Others included the family of that Thomas Bowdler whose doubtful distinction it is to have contributed a new word to the l a n g u a g e ; Lord Huntingdon; and Miss Weston, the favoured correspondent of Anna Seward. It was this year, also, that Mrs. Thrale first saw S a r a h Siddons as Belvidera in Venice Preserved. What was even more gratifying to her pride, the Bishop of Peterborough preached a special sermon in the Abbey at her request. 2 Fanny Burney was treated to a glimpse of such celebrated characters as M r . Anstey of the New Bath Guide, the flamboyant Edward J e r n i n g h a m , the scholarly Miss Elizabeth Carter, and L a d y Miller of Bath-Easton. It was a momentous experience for the authoress of Evelina. Herself the celebrity of the hour, Fanny found the society enchanting, and her accounts re-create for us many an amusing scene. Mrs. T h r a l e , no less pleased with the life, commented to Johnson on M a y 3 : Mrs. Montagu & I meet somewhere every Night; People think they must not ask one of us without the other, & there they sit gaping while we talk: I left it to her for the first fortnight & she harangued the Circles herself; till I heard of private Discussions why Mrs. Thrale who was so willing to talk at other Times, was so silent in Mrs. Montagu's Company—then I began, and now we talk away regularly when there is no Musick, & the folks look so stupid, except one or two who I have a Notion lie by to laugh, & write Letters to their Sisters &c. at home about us.3 1 D'Arblay Diary, i. 3 2 3 - 6 ; see also O. G . K n a p p , An Artist's Love Story (1904). Mrs. Thrale in Thraliana refers to the proposed journey to Bath on Mar. 28. 2 For an account of this year's Bath visit see D'Arblay Diary, i. 326-426; see also Mrs. Piozzi's letter to Queeney, Feb. 12, 1799 (Lansdowne M S . ) . ' Mrs. Montagu, like Johnson, often talked for victory. ' T h e Bishop [of Chester] waited for Mrs. Thrale to speak, Mrs. Thrale for the Bishop; so neither of them spoke at all! Mrs. Montagu cared not a fig, as long as she spoke herself, and so harangued away' (D'Arblay Diary, i. 364).

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Once started, Mrs. T h r a l e kept her tongue rattling so continually that F a n n y wrote of one evening, ' M r s . M o n t a g u , Mrs. T h r a l e , and L o r d M u l g r a v e talked all the talk, and talked it so well, no one else had a wish beyond hearing them.' 1 T h e two rival ladies had a deep respect for each other, and Mrs. M o n t a g u , when writing to Pepys that M r . T h r a l e was mended in health, insisted that 'the great felicity of his life, at all times and on all occasions is, his having such a Wife'.2 Mrs. M o n t a g u even attempted to aid the family in urging M r . T h r a l e to use moderation in his eating, his one uncontrollable passion. She interests 'herself for him quite tenderly', M r s . T h r a l e added to J o h n s o n , 'complains to Moysey [the physician] when She sees him eat too m u c h ' , and uses all her influence to make him obey. T h e y all knew that if he did not curb his voracious appetite he was d o o m e d ; but what could be done with a man, his wife sadly asked, 'whose mouth cannot be sewed up'. O n one occasion, however, M r s . T h r a l e did not regret her husband's weakness. When one of their political supporters c a m e to Bath, ostensibly to bring news, but also to j u d g e the health of their candidate, she asked the man to dinner, ' & bid him observe (with an Air) that m y Master had not lost his S t o m a c h — t h a t is the Criterion of a good Constitution in Southwark I believe'. 3 J o h n s o n had planned to join them for a short visit, but when it was found that they had no extra room for him in the house, he contented himself with writing news of himself and of affairs in London. Political excitement had begun to stir again in the Borough, and T h r a l e ' s friends were anxious to have him on the spot. Instead, since his physical condition forbade, J o h n s o n advised Mrs. T h r a l e to come herself, and although irritated at having to leave the pleasant c o m p a n y at Bath, she obediently consented. So, shortly after M a y 9, she drove to London with F a n n y Burncy as companion. Here she was immediately plunged into a round of tedious conferences, but on the 15th wrote to Queeney that she had scarcely begun her task, all her time having been taken u p in thanking kind friends for favours: ' I have not in all seen above fifty People yet.' 4 Further letters to her daughter tell of the strenuous campaigning, while replies from such prominent men as L o r d North, L o r d Westcote, and B a m b e r Gascoyne show 1 D'Arblay Diary, i. 344. ' T o Johnson. M a y 3, 1780.

2 4

Blunt, Mrs. Montagu, ii. 273. Qlittney I.fttrrs, p. 128.

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how assiduously she was soliciting votes. J o h n s o n had come to join her in the borough, where he divided his time between political excitemcnt and the hasty composition of his life of Congreve. 2 He too described to Queeney the activity of her mother, who had 'run about the Borough like a Tigress, seizing upon every thing that she found in her w a y ' . 3 Mrs. Thrale's only relaxation came in a hurried glimpse of the R o y a l A c a d e m y exhibition of painting at Somerset House and a dash out to Streatham to oversee some repairs there. A f t e r a strenuous week she and F a n n y returned to Bath, with many promises of support and the feeling that the effort had been well worth while. If only her husband's apathy could be kept from the Southwark electors, all might still be well. A few weeks later, however, their g a y existence was again interrupted by startling news from London. O n J u n e 8, after returning from a visit to L a d y Miller at Bath-Easton, they heard the first reports of the Gordon riots in the capital. T h e next day Bath itself became turbulent, and a new R o m a n Catholic chapel was burned. Bursting with excitement, Mrs. Thrale and Fanny watched the rioting crowds until four o'clock in the morning. T h e n suddenly they were themselves involved in the danger, for mysterious rumours were being circulated of Thrale being a Papist, and such a report was actually printed in a Bath newspaper. Terrified by the possibility of their being attacked by the mob, Mrs. T h r a l e decided to leave Bath instantly, and by eight o'clock on Saturday night, the 10th, they were on their way. T h e y were so frightened, indeed, that they avoided all large cities, stopping for the most part only in small villages. In this w a y they drove in a leisurely fashion along country roads to Brighton, which they did not reach until the 18th.« As soon as they were comfortably settled in their own house, Mrs. Thrale and F a n n y left Queeney and M r . T h r a l e and drove to London to see with their own eyes what d a m a g e had been done. On the 23rd Mrs. T h r a l e wrote to Mrs. L a m b a r t from Southwark, where Johnson as before had speedily joined her, that her spirits did 'sink a little, at the nearer V i e w of the 1 See letter from Lord Mulgrave, M a y 4, 1780 (Myers & Co., London); from Lord Westcote, M a y 9; Bamber Gascoyne, M a y 3 1 ; and from Lord North (no date) ( R y . 892). 2 Letters, No. 666, 672. J Queeney Letters, p. 20. 4 See Hayward, i. 1 2 8 ; letter to Perkins from Salisbury, J u n e 1 1 , 1780; and R > 5 5 0 , 3 , 4.

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1

Precipice we have just escaped'. T h e m o b had actually forced their w a y into the b r e w h o u s e , a n d in a f e w m i n u t e s w o u l d p r o b a b l y h a v e b u r n e d it to the g r o u n d , h a d not P e r k i n s , w i t h r a r e presence of m i n d , plied the c r o w d w i t h m e a t a n d d r i n k , w h i l e S i r P h i l i p J e n n i n g s G i e r k e h u r r i e d o f f to s u m m o n troops. A l l the v a l u a b l e p a p e r s w e r e c a r r i e d to C h e l s e a C o l l e g e f o r s a f e t y , a n d in the end n o t h i n g w a s lost. A s a r e w a r d f o r his cleverness, M r s . T h r a l e presented Perkins w i t h t w o h u n d r e d g u i n e a s a n d his w i f e with a silver u r n . 2 A f t e r a n o t h e r visit to S t r e a t h a m to s u r v e y the i m p r o v e m e n t s t h e r e , M r s . T h r a l e r e t u r n e d to B r i g h t o n f o r a v a c a t i o n a t the sea-shore, this t i m e t a k i n g a l o n g her y o u n g e r d a u g h t e r s , S u s a n a n d S o p h y . F a n n y B u r n e y h a d refused to a c c o m p a n y h e r , m u c h to M r s . T h r a l e ' s a n n o y a n c e , for the season h a d not y e t b e g u n at B r i g h t o n , a n d she sadly l a c k e d e n t e r t a i n i n g c o m p a n y . S h e c o u l d not r e f r a i n f r o m noting in T h r a l i a n a her d i s p l e a s u r e a t F a n n y ' s p i n i n g f o r her o w n h o m e , ' a l w a y s p r e f e r r i n g the m o d e of L i f e in St. M a r t i n s S t r e e t to all I c o u l d d o f o r h e r ' . 3 M r s . T h r a l e could not u n d e r s t a n d the c l a n n i s h spirit o f t h e B u r n e y s , w h o w e r e n e v e r long c o n t e n t e d a w a y f r o m the f a m i l y c i r c l e . F o r the next t w o m o n t h s the T h r a l e s r e m a i n e d q u i e t l y in S u s s e x , the h e a d of the house, t h o u g h 'in rosy h e a l t h ' a n d j o k i n g with Miss O w e n , still in no c o n d i t i o n to b e seen b y his S o u t h w a r k constituents. 4 M r s . T h r a l e kept busy w i t h a n u m b e r of t h i n g s — c h i e f l y her t w o strenuous y o u n g e r d a u g h t e r s a n d a n e w project of w r i t i n g . S h e h a d seen little of S u s a n a n d S o p h i a (ten a n d nine r e s p e c t i v e l y ) d u r i n g the past f e w y e a r s , b u t n o w e n j o y e d w a t c h i n g t h e m m a k e verses, act p l a y s , a n d s w i m in the sea. O n J u l y 8 she d e s c r i b e d herself to M r s . L a m b a r t , o n e of her r e g u l a r c o r r e s p o n d e n t s , as 'just c o m e f r o m t h e S e a w i t h m y t w o r o m p i n g G i r l s s k i p p i n g u p the street on e a c h side m e ' . W i t h little society to o c c u p y her time, she could d e v o t e herself also to c o m p o s i t i o n . Possibly on the last h u r r i e d t r i p to S t r e a t h a m s o m e t h i n g h a d o c c u r r e d to r e m i n d her of the series of portraits by S i r J o s h u a R e y n o l d s w h i c h lined the w a l l s of the l i b r a r y . W h a t e v e r the stimulus, she n o w d e c i d e d to finish a series of verse c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n s , b e g u n s o m e y e a r s b e f o r e , o f the illustrious c o m p a n y there r e p r e s e n t e d ; a n d in. leisure m o m e n t s t h r o u g h o u t the next m o n t h s the w o r k w a s g r a d u a l l y c o m p l e t e d . I n b i t i n g o c t o s y l l a b i c couplets she d e s c r i b e d w i t h ' R y . 3 5 0 , 4. All the following quotations from letters to M r s . L a m b a r t are 1 taken from R y . 550. Quetney Letters, pp. 1 3 3 - 6 . See also T h r a J i a n a , M a y , 1 7 8 0 .

' July 1, 1780.

4

D'Arblay Diary, i. 431.

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c o n s i d e r a b l e insight the strength a n d weaknesses o f her f a m o u s friends. S h r e w d a n d incisive, these delineations p r o b a b l y represent her most effective p o e t r y . 1 T h e r e was also T h r a l i a n a to b e filled. T h e necessity o f k e e p i n g her h u s b a n d a w a y f r o m L o n d o n h a d s e p a r a t e d h e r f r o m J o h n s o n , e x c e p t for t w o short visits, since the p r e v i o u s A p r i l . It was m u c h too l o n g a time, she c o m m e n t e d in her j o u r n a l , a n d then she a d d e d a l o n g e n t r y d e s c r i b i n g h e r tenderness for h i m . 2 A l l her d e e p a f f e c t i o n for the m a n w h o w a s her i n t i m a t e friend a n d adviser w a s expressed in g l o w i n g t e r m s ; b u t in one o f the next entries, b y a strange i r o n y , she r e c o r d e d a m e e t i n g w i t h the m a n w h o w a s to s u p p l a n t h i m . O n e m o r n i n g late in J u l y , w h e n out w a l k i n g w i t h Q u e e n e y , M r s . T h r a l e noticed at the d o o r o f the bookseller's shop t h e I t a l i a n singer, G a b r i e l Piozzi. Either she r e m e m b e r e d h a v i n g seen h i m at D r . B u r n e y ' s , or he h a d been pointed out to h e r recently b y s o m e o n e else; at a n y rate she accosted h i m in I t a l i a n , a n d asked if he w o u l d be willing to give her d a u g h t e r lessons in music w h i l e at B r i g h t o n . H e replied c o l d l y t h a t he h a d c o m e to the sea-side to r e c o v e r his v o i c e a n d to c o m p l e t e s o m e musical c o m p o s i t i o n ; b u t later in the d a y , u p o n f i n d i n g o u t the n a m e o f the l a d y w h o h a d spoken to h i m , he e a g e r l y o f f e r e d to d o a n y t h i n g she wished. I n T h r a l i a n a , w h e n n o t i n g the i n c i d e n t , she r e m a r k e d , ' H e is a m a z i n g l y like m y F a t h e r ' — s o m e e x p l a n a t i o n , perhaps, for her i m m e d i a t e attraction to the m a n . 1 S h o r t l y after, she w r o t e to Mrs. L a m b a r t : I reply to the kindness of dear Mrs. Lambart from the coolest Place I can find in Brighthelmstone the Bookseller's shop: Piozzi the famous singer comes here every Morning and plays on a Publick Instrument wch. stands ready: his Taste is so exquisite, his M a n n e r so fine we have never done adoring him; and I have secured his Instructions for my eldest daughter while he stays here to bathe. 4 H e r h u s b a n d ' s spirits, she a d d e d , 'are so m u c h increased that he is all on Fire for a J o u r n e y to I t a l y ' , b u t she herself v i e w e d s u c h an e x p e d i t i o n w i t h a n x i e t y . W o r r y o v e r all these plans, she insisted, m a d e her m e l a n c h o l y , and I am glad to see Piozzi coming towards us that his Voice m a y dissipate the Cloud of Care which gathers round me at this Moment. T h i s t i m e M r s . T h r a l e felt no inclination to m i m i c the m u s i c i a n b e h i n d his b a c k . 1 Hayward, ii. 170-80; Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 115-25; Thraliana, May 28, 2 Thraliana, July 14, 1780. 1777; July, Aug. 2, i78o;Jan. 10, 1781. ' July-Aug. 1780. • Ry. 550, 2 (no date).

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G a b r i e l M a r i o P i o z z i , w h o so d e l i g h t e d t h e l a d i e s o f B r i g h t o n , w a s b o r n at Q u i n z a n o , in t h e V e n e t i a n S t a t e , o n J u n e 8 , His

parents were

income

and

priesthood, for music

of the u p p e r

fourteen

children.

the y o u n g

Gabriel

and

middle

class,

Originally early

in c o n s e q u e n c e r a n

a

his

his v o i c e

was

gradually

acquired

some

year

never

strong

reputation

a

he

D'Araciel.

for

singer;

opera, about

he the

1 7 7 6 h e a r r i v e d i n L o n d o n , w h e r e , in a d d i t i o n t o g i v i n g

c o n c e r t s , h e set u p a s a f a s h i o n a b l e v o c a l t e a c h e r , w i t h great success.2

apparently

H e soon b e c a m e a friend of D r .

Burney,

w h o l a t e r m a i n t a i n e d t h a t ' H e w a s t h e first w h o l e t m e what

good

singing

there are numerous his

the

to M i l a n , w h e r e

enough as

for

predilection

f o u n d a w e a l t h y p a t r o n a n d f r i e n d in the M a r q u i s Although

1740.' limited

intended

showed

away

with

compositions

was'.J

In

the j o u r n a l s

of S u s a n

r e f e r e n c e s to the t o u c h y

and

singing

divinely

in

the

know

Burney

Piozzi,

playing

Burney

r o o m , or jealous of the great favourite, Pacchierotti.4

music Chiefly

k n o w n as a singer a n d p e r f o r m e r , P i o z z i also h a d m o r e

than

a v e r a g e a b i l i t y as a c o m p o s e r , p u b l i s h i n g s e v e r a l series of lessons for b e g i n n e r s , s o m e c h a r m i n g songs, a n d a d m i r a b l e quartets.5

E v e n if his later c o m p o s i t i o n s a r e l a r g e l y

string

imitative

1 Hayward, ii. 49, 5 1 . In my possession is a certificate secured by Piozzi in the spring of 1784 giving the date of his christening. In later diaries Piozzi always noted his birthday on J u n e 8. ' Piozzi must have been considered a fine teacher, for Charlotte Burney records that the Dean of Winchester paid him 'half a guinea a lesson, twice a week', for each of his daughters {Early Diary of F. Burney, ii. 298). Mrs. T h r a l e wrote in Thraliana at a later date that an article in the newspapers had listed the yearly earnings of various musicians and set Piozzi down for ¿ 1 , 2 0 0 ( H a y w a r d , i. 1 5 1 - 2 ) . Piozzi's concerts were apparently well attended from his lirst appearances in England. In the A d a m collection is a ticket for one of his early concerts of vocal and instfumental music at the New Rooms, Tottenham Street, Bath, on Apr. 18, 1777. The ticket lists the price of admission as half a guinea, and the number 492 on the back would seem to indicate a fair-sized audience. A critical work devoted to a description of famous living musicians in England, A.B.C. Dario Alusico, published in Bath in 1780, begins the account of Piozzi by stating that he came into this country about four years ago to teach singing, for which he is very capable, having a flexible falsetto, though not a clear one. He runs divisions with great facility, and sings with taste, though 'tis the thousandth edition of what we hear from Italians in general, (p. 36.) In this somewhat jaundiced work, where Pacchierotti is described as singing out of tune with a cracked voice, the delineation of Piozzi may be considered as 1 definitely flattering. T o Mrs. Piozzi, J a n . 2 1 , 1807 ( R y . 545, 13). 4 Early Diary of F. Burney, i, p. Ixxxviii. s A number of his printed compositions may be found in the British Museum. Opus II consists of six sonatas for harpsichord and violin, dedicated to L a d y Caroline Waldegravc, printed and sold by J o h n Welcker, Haymarket. Opus I I I is a sccond set of six sonatas for harpsichord and violin, dedicated to L a d y Champneys. Opus I V comprises six quartets for two violins, alto, and 'cello, dedicated to

-lydi

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o f H a y d n a n d M o z a r t , t h e y h a v e a n e n g a g i n g , tuneful q u a l i t y o f their o w n . A t B r i g h t o n Piozzi soon b e c a m e a g r e a t f a v o u r i t e w i t h M r s . T h r a l e , a n d on A u g u s t 13 she w r o t e in T h r a l i a n a : his Hand on the Forte Piano too is so soft, so sweet, so delicate, every T o n e goes to one's heart I think; and fills the M i n d with Emotions one would not be without, though inconvenient enough sometimes. S h e f o u n d h i m intelligent, d i s c e r n i n g , w i t h e l e g a n t taste; the o n l y f a u l t in the m a n w a s his excessive p r i d e . Possibly o n e reason for M r s . T h r a l e ' s s u d d e n interest in music was the p a u c i t y o f o t h e r e n t e r t a i n m e n t . Y e t she a l w a y s m a d e the best o f c i r c u m s t a n c e s , a n d c o m m e n t e d to J o h n s o n on the 2 7 t h : I am at the T o p of the World here, that I a m ; & saucy enough most likely, Stephen Fuller who was I think my greatest Favourite, asked me how I, who kept you C o m p a n y at home, could bear the Society I was in here: I could only reply they were the best I could get, and of high Rank if that was all. O n l y her h u s b a n d ' s h e a l t h kept her f r o m tolerant e n j o y m e n t o f all the p l a c e h a d to o f f e r . H e w a s a l w a y s o n the v e r g e of a n o t h e r s t r o k e ; b u t after o n e serious a t t a c k , f r o m w h i c h he rallied after excessive b l e e d i n g , he seemed so m u c h better that they a c c e p t e d an invitation to visit the Shelleys at M i t c h e l G r o v e . T h i s visit, in turn, w a s c u t short b y the dissolution of P a r l i a m e n t o n S e p t e m b e r i. 1 Despite the fact that T h r a l e w a s o b v i o u s l y in no condition to m a k e a strenuous c a m p a i g n , he insisted on r e t u r n i n g imm e d i a t e l y to S o u t h w a r k . F a c e d w i t h the possibility o f losing his seat, he w a s willing to take a n y risk in o r d e r to c a n v a s s the voters as v i g o r o u s l y as possible. J o h n s o n c a m e to h e l p , w r o t e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s for the p a p e r s , a n d did all in his p o w e r to aid his friend's c a n d i d a t u r e , 2 b u t n o t h i n g c o u l d a v a i l against the the Count de M a l t z a n , 'Printed for the Author, No. 13 V e r e St., Oxford Road'. O p u s V has six more sonatas for harpsichord and violin, dedicated to Miss Child, ' L o n d o n Printed for the Author at his House No. 21 W i g m o r e Street Cavendish Square'. O p u s V I includes three duets and three canzonets for high voice. T h e copy in the British Museum is signed ' G . Piozzi'. (British Museum O l d Music g 293, 432/1 a, 432, 432/2 a, 424 b.) I have heard some of these compositions played from rotograph copies. T h e sonatas are simple and uninteresting, but the songs are melodic and graceful, and the string quartets are wholly delightful. 1 R y . 540, 99, 100; T h r a l i a n a , Sept. 2, 1780. 1 See Life, iii. 440. Boswell, while he prints only one, that of Sept. 7, states that Johnson wrote a number of addresses for the newspapers. Others had appeared Sept. 4, and 6, and on the n t h a further solicitation for votes appeared. T h i s

I go

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open evidence of Thrale's physical disability. His wife on the 19th described the sequence of events to Mrs. L a m b a r t : tho' I went with him to every house talked for him, solicited & c . strength would not keep pace with S p i r i t — & H e w a s again taken very ill the day before the Poll, at a Church crowded with Voters, w h o c a m e to see the rival C a n d i d a t e s ; in whose presence likewise this fatal Accident happened, His friends now considered him as d y i n g , his Enemies as d e a d ; I was to call Physicians, to provide a substitute for him upon the Hustings, to consult Council concerning the Polling Business, & to prove my Husband's Existence b y shewing myself in the Streets while my Duty called me to his bedside. I wonder how I kept my Wits for my Part, but my V o i c e did leave m e ; I grew so hoarse I could hardly articulate any Sounds at all, and the Majority increased so much against us on M o n d a y ; that tho' M r . T h r a l e rouzed on T u e s d a y , after losing 26 more ounces of Blood, besides Blisters & a dreadful Etcetera; tho' he resolved with unequal'd Spirit to show himself that D a y at the polling p l a c e ; tho' lie did actually come thither, among the Shouts and Acclamations of his Friends—which I think are still in my E a r s — o u r Antagonists had gained so much G r o u n d , no Efforts then m a d e could retrieve it. A t the close of the poll T h r a l e was third on the list, far behind his two successful rivals. Y e t even then he refused to accept defeat, and swore he would try for another place. H e actually wrote to Lord North of his hopes, asking him to recommend 'some borough where I m a y be chosen . . . at my O w n expense', but his condition being well known, nothing c a m e of the request. 1 T h e Master's parliamentary career was closed. A s soon as the election was over, Mrs. T h r a l e took her brooding husband out to newly renovated Streatham, where she hoped he would be quiet for a time. But with his wavering temper he could not be happy anywhere long, and she was forced to plan continual trips round the neighbourhood. Since F a n n y Burney was staying with her adored ' D a d d y Crisp' at Chcssington, the Thrales, on September 20, drove over with Queeney and Johnson for a short visit. 2 Something of T h r a l e ' s restless mood at the time is clearly shown in a letter written him some months later by F a n n y on another visit to Chessington. W e r e I to tell you, my D e a r Master, but half the satisfaction I last, which was not signed by Thrale, is probably not by Johnson. T h e GantUer, Sept. 1 2 , 1780, described the election at Mill-lane. M r . Perkins apologized for Thrale's absence, but was interrupted by hisses and groans from his opponents. 1 T h e original draft of this letter, probably composed by Johnson, is now in the collection of Dr. Rosenbach. See also Johnson's letter No. 706. 2

W. H. Hutton, Burford Papers (1905), p. 46.

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feel in the good accounts I receive of your recovered Health & Spirits, you would V o w it was all flourish, & only written to shew o f f , — & serve m y poor Letter as Y o u serve a New's paper M u r d e r , by calling out ' C o m e , come, come, let's hear no more o n ' t ! ' A n d therefore, as I a m pretty well acquainted with your Taste, & believe you to have no more respect for the Flowers of Rhetorick than D r . J o h n s o n has for the pipy pipy, I will try to avoid provoking your indignation by simply saying I a m glad, Sir, you are so well. 'And is that all? you cry,—have you nothing more substantial for me than a few Compliments? what are become of my C u c u m bers? a M a n who Eats but once in 2 days, is too sharp set to have much relish for fine Words, & , like George Bodens, would rather hear a J a c k squeak, than Songs or Orations;—come, therefore, to the point, let me Nail you to the point, have you any thing to fill &c.' Patience, d e a r S i r ! — t h e Cucumbers are not quite in order for Eating yet, & M r . Crisp will not send them to disgrace his Culinary skill. Miss Kitty Cooke is not yet quite recovered from the dismay into which she was thrown by your prowling about all the Apartments here; though she protests the disorder in M r . Crisp's R o o m was nothing to her, & that all her concern, like that of Mrs. Frances Harris, is merely for the Credit of the House. T h e old lady, too, whose retirement you thought proper to invade, & whom mortal man had not for many years beheld, still relates your alarming intrusion with minuteness & wonder, & fancies there was some secret design in so mysterious a conduct which no one will tell her. As to Mrs. Hamilton, her consternation at Dr. Johnson's behaviour to me has made so strong an impression upon her mind that it dwells there yet; & has rooted from her remembrance all the other transactions of your memorable visit. Even the Servants have found ample matter for observation & discussion since that eventfull period. One of them relates your general enquiries about the accommodations;—another, your particular Questions concerning the Sequestered old l a d y ; — b u t the remarks told by the third, & which were made in the kitchen, are the most important of all,—for, having examined there what fare was preparing for Dinner, you cast your Eyes most dolefully upon a small leg of Mutton, & the servants who watched you perceived, with no little emotion, that you shrugged your Shoulders at the Sight! After which, to solace yourself for the impending disappointment you then foresaw of a Dinner, you called for some Bread & C h e e z e ; — a n d those who saw you eat it, having first seen you descend from a Coach & Four, marvelled as much at the Sight as Mrs. M o n t a g u at M r . Burrows, when in a R o o m full of C o m p a n y , he called for his Beer! 1 1 R y . 545, 20. Probably written Dec. 20, 1780, from Chessington. T h e term 'pipy pipy' perhaps refers to Johnson's known distaste for music.

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A s F a n n y indicates in her best Evelina m a n n e r , T h r a l e ' s c h i e f interest w a s still centred in food, for a l t h o u g h he m i g h t on occasions starve himself, he could never adhere to t e m p e r a n c e long. H e preferred to die rather t h a n give u p i n o r d i n a t e eating. S o the dinners at S t r e a t h a m w e r e still w o r t h y of c o m m e n t for a n y guest invited to partake of them for the first time. W h e n the recluse M r . Crisp, after m u c h solicitation, did a c c e p t the invitation on S e p t e m b e r 30, he described the fare in a letter to his sister: I m e t a v a s t d e a l of C o m p a n y at S t r e a t h a m , w h e r e e v e r y t h i n g w a s most s p l e n d i d a n d m a g n i f i c e n t — t w o courses of 21 Dishes e a c h , besides R e m o v e s ; a n d a f t e r t h a t a dessert of a piece w i t h t h e D i n n e r — P i n e s a n d Fruits of all Sorts, Ices, C r e a m s , & c . , & c . , & c . , w i t h o u t e n d — e v e r y t h i n g in p l a t e , o f w h i c h such a profusion, a n d s u c h a S i d e B o a r d : I n e v e r saw such at a n y N o b l e m a n ' s . 1

T h r a l e was not content, h o w e v e r , to enjoy this m a g n i f i c e n c e , for his wife wrote to Mrs. L a m b a r t of the peculiar w a y s in w h i c h his illness a f f e c t e d h i m : sometimes

by

Torpor,

q u e r u l o u s or peevish, will

go

sometimes

by

Violence,

but

he

is

never

restless & f a n c i f u l to an e x t r e a m D e g r e e , he

visiting e v e r y b o d y

with

whom

he

has a n y ,

A c q u a i n t a n c e ; W e set o u t for Berks on M o n d a y

or e v e n

next, &

have

no a

t h o u s a n d Projects in V i e w — a l l of w h i c h p e r p l e x m e so I h a l f run w i l d at the T h o u g h t s of t h e m . 2

T o keep a l w a y s on the m o v e , they d r o v e to Brighton a b o u t the m i d d l e of O c t o b e r . M r s . T h r a l e had first b e g g e d F a n n y Burney to b e of the p a r t y , b u t F a n n y , w i t h the b a c k i n g o f her father, was o b d u r a t e . A l r e a d y at work on Cecilia, she knew that creative writing w o u l d be impossible in the bustle of the T h r a l e household, a n d she preferred quiet and seclusion for a time. 3 M r s . T h r a l e , as in the previous year, was a n n o y e d at the ungrateful Burneys, w h o did not seem to realize how m u c h better o f f F a n n y w o u l d be w i t h her than at h o m e . Johnson rather unwillingly agreed to take F a n n y ' s place. H e never had liked the watering-place and was still correcting p r o o f for some of his Lives', but in order to be of service to his M a s t e r he sacrificed his o w n inclination. 4 T h e c o m p a n y remained less than a month at the shore, for w h e n D r . Pepys returned to L o n d o n after the season for b a t h i n g was over, they did not dare to linger, as it left t h e m w i t h o u t 1 3

Hutton, op. cit., p. 4g. Hutton, op. cit. p. 46.

J

4

O c t . 5, 1780.

Life, iii. 442.

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advice.1

adequate medical B a t h w a s impossible as a n a l t e r n a tive, since their f a v o u r i t e p h y s i c i a n there h a d j u s t d i e d ; t h e r e fore, to b e on the safe side, they s t a y e d at S t r e a t h a m for the r e m a i n d e r of 1780. I n spite of all t h e w o r r y a n d e x c i t e m e n t o f the a u t u m n , M r s . T h r a l c h a d not f o r g o t t e n t h e c h a r m i n g singer w h o m she h a d g r o w n to like in B r i g h t o n the s u m m e r b e f o r e , a n d h e w a s soon asked to S t r e a t h a m , as p a r t o f a c r o w d o f guests i n v i t e d for the holidays. L a t e in D e c e m b e r M r s . T h r a l e w r o t e to h e r a u n t Cotton: M y Master keeps upon his Legs very prettily, & we have had a merry X m a s : M r . & Mrs. D a v c n a n t — k i n d C r e a t u r e s — a r e with me still, & I kept Mr. H a r r y Cotton with me as long as he would stay: two or three young M e n & Maidens of an agreeable sort filled our S o c i e t y — & that delightful Mortal Piozzi, the famous Italian singer spent a day or two in entertaining us with his astonishing Powers. W h a t most amazed the People of the Ton, was his condescending to play Country Dances (for the i:st T i m e of his Life) while we pretty Masters & Misses set to Dancing. I coax him to teach Hester the V o c a l part of Musick, while Doctor Burney works her at the Harpsichord. 2 E v i d e n t l y she also used P i o z z i ' s s i n g i n g as a b a i t to d r a w guests to her parties, for C h a r l e s J c n k i n s o n (later L o r d L i v e r p o o l ) , w h o had recently b e e n o f s e r v i c e in o n e o f her c h a r i t a b l e schemes, w r o t e on D e c e m b e r 29 t h a t ' n o t e v e n the T e m p t a t i o n o f the best S i n g e r in I t a l y & o f the fairest & most a g r e e a b l e L a d i e s ' c o u l d m a k e h i m b r e a k a prior e n g a g e m e n t for J a n u a r y 6. 3 Piozzi w a s soon a c o n s t a n t visitor at S t r e a t h a m , w h e r e h e t a u g h t Q u e e n e y s i n g i n g , p l a y e d the h a r p s i c h o r d for the entert a i n m e n t of the M a s t e r , a n d set the Mistress to w o r k t r a n s l a t i n g Italian poetry. 4 M r s . T h r a l e f o u n d h i m i n c r e a s i n g l y a t t r a c t i v e , a n d t h o u g h she h a d n e v e r b e f o r e h a d the slightest taste for music, she n o w b e c a m e a most enthusiastic c o n c e r t subscriber. A t last M r s . T h r a l e w a s to h a v e the p l e a s u r e o f a L o n d o n house in a f a s h i o n a b l e d i s t r i c t ; a n d s t r a n g e to s a y , this t i m e it 1 T h e date of their leaving Brighton is not absolutely ccrtain. M u r p h y wrote on Nov. 11, referring to Johnson's presence at the shore with them ( A d a m collection), and on the 14th M r s . T h r a l e wrote to M r s . L a m b a r t f r o m S t r e a t h a m a n n o u n c i n g their return ( R y . 5 r ,o, 9). Shortly after their return, T h r a l e was troubled with a dangerous c a r b u n c l e on his neck (Burford Papers, p. 57). 2 N o w in the possession of M r . Francis E d w a r d s , M a r y l c b o n e , L o n d o n . > B . M . A d d . M S . 38308-59, Dec. 29, 1780. In N o v e m b e r Jcnkinson had been of service in r e c o m m e n d i n g a y o u n g m a n to Lord S a n d w i c h for promotion in the marines ( B . M . A d d . M S . 383118-39). See also letter of Lord S a n d w i c h of N o v . 20, 4 M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 128, & c . 1780. 10 Mrs. T h r a l e ( R y . 892).

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was her husband w h o most actively urged the c h a n g e . H a v i n g lost his interest in business and desiring constant gaiety at a n y cost, he looked forward to a L o n d o n season. A n o t h e r impelling reason for m o v i n g was the comfort of being near their physicians. O n J a n u a r y 15, 1781, Mrs. T h r a l e c o m m e n t e d to M r s . Lambart: M r . T h r a l e talks of a house in T o w n for the W i n t e r , b u t c a n n o t s u i t h i m s e l f ; i n d e e d h u n t i n g t h e H o u s e is as m u c h A m u s e m e n t as h a v i n g i t , — t o him, a n d w i t h R e g a r d t o m y s e l f , P e o p l e w o u l d n o t p e r h a p s p u t the K i n d e s t Construction on m y desire of g o i n g to L o n d o n , so I s a y n o t h i n g a t a l l , & sit still t o see h o w it w i l l e n d .

A f t e r m u c h indecision T h r a l e finally rented a furnished house in Grosvenor S q u a r e , to w h i c h they moved on J a n u a r y 30. 1 A l t h o u g h his wife always maintained that the c h a n g e was m a d e solely on account o f her husband, it was the realization of her fondest dreams. N o longer w o u l d she be secluded in dirty S o u t h w a r k far a w a y from her friends; now she could really entertain the ton. W i t h such a prospect, Mrs. T h r a l e ' s thoughts naturally turned to dresses and party clothes, and even before they m o v e d to their new house she appeared at court in a r e m a r k a b l e g o w n copied from specimens of goods brought f r o m the South Seas by C a p t a i n Burney. T h e dress was splendidly trimmed, Mrs. T h r a l e wrote to F a n n y , 'with grebeskins and gold to the tune of £ 6 5 — t h e trimming only'. 2 Susan B u r n e y , greatly excited, went to see the creation at the D a v e n a n t s in R e d L i o n S q u a r e , where Mrs. T h r a l e dressed for the ceremony. T h e next day, J a n u a r y 19, the Morning Herald described her appearance. M r s . T h r a l e a p p e a r e d in a striped sattin O t a h e i t e p a t t e r n , t r i m m e d w i t h c r a p e , gold lace, a n d foil, a n d o r n a m e n t e d w i t h a p r o f u s i o n o f stones, o f a n e w c o m p o s i t i o n , v e r y l i t t l e i n f e r i o r in p o i n t o f l u s t r e to t h e m o s t b r i l l i a n t j e w e l s ; — t h e loute ensemble o f this d r e s s w a s m a g n i f i c e n t as w e l l as s i n g u l a r !

In spite of Society's pronounced preference for late evening parties, the regular dining hour in the T h r a l e household had always been four o'clock in the afternoon. I n Sir J o s h u a Reynolds's list of engagements he always recorded an invitation to Streatham or Southwark as '4 M r . T h r a l e ' . 3 1 2 J

Hayward, i. 129; Thraliana, Jan. 29, 1781. D'Arblay Diary, i. 460; Early Diary of F. Burney, ii. 265. Sec p. 66, n. 2.

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S u d d e n l y in the winter of 1781 the terse record was c h a n g e d to '8 Mrs. T h r a l c ' , indicating that the sturdy, conservative b r e w e r had finally given w a y to the dictates of fashion. M r s . T h r a l e had taken her place a m o n g the spectacular hostesses of L o n d o n , and she wrote to F a n n y Burney, w h o was ill at Chessington: Yesterday I had a conversazione. Mrs. Montagu was brilliant in diamonds, solid in judgment, critical in talk. Sophy smiled, Piozzi sung, Pepys panted with admiration, Johnson was good-humoured, Lord John Clinton attentive, Dr. Bowdler lame, and my master not asleep. Mrs. Ord looked elegant, Lady Rothes dainty, Mrs. Davenant dapper, and Sir Philip's curls were all blown about by the wind. 1 In her usual m a n n e r , however, she w a s so harassed by v e x i n g personal problems, as well as by her m a n y activities, that she was unable to enjoy the new-found e m a n c i p a t i o n . A s she commented to Mrs. L a m b a r t , here is one Friend writing a Tragedy, & I must read it forsooth, & do this & t'other to it; here's a second setting up a Concert, & I must gather Subscriptions—play Patroness &c. here's a Clerk run away from the Brewhouse, & I must write Dispatches in different Languages to different Courts, that he may be apprehended, and obliged to refund his stolen Cash. Here's sweet Fanny Burney very ill 20 Miles off, and desires to see me directly. Unless there were 52 Hours in the Day, & 100 Weeks in the Year, this could not do, & Mr. Thrale's Health always varying, always precarious,—& always bad. I really am so lean I shall cut thro' my own skin by & by. z T h e first occupation w h i c h claimed m u c h of her time concerned her Brighton friend, D r . D e l a p , w h o finally a c h i e v e d his lifetime ambition in h a v i n g his tragedy, The Royal Suppliants, produced at D r u r y L a n e T h e a t r e . T h e a u t u m n before, M r s . T h r a l c h a d acted as intermediary between the author a n d the m a n a g e r , Sheridan,* and finally she g a v e further help. D e l a p had until the last been hoping for a prologue by J o h n s o n , b u t w h e n all his pleas proved fruitless, he turned in desperation to Mrs. T h r a l e . Just at this m o m e n t the brewery clerk absconded, and while she was driving a b o u t L o n d o n in the coach trying to find him, she composed the required prologue. 4 A f t e r numerous last-minute changes the play a p p e a r e d on F e b r u a r y 17, m u c h to the delight of the author's friends, 1 3

D'Arblay Diary, i. 4 6 0 - 1 . R y . 547, •!.

Sllf.SO

4

1 R y . 550, 15 (undated). R y . 550, 15; T h r a l i a n a , Feb. 1, 1781.

f

196

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p a r t i c u l a r l y M r s . T h r a l e , w h o heard o n e o f her c o m p o s i t i o n s recited on the stage for the first time. H e r p r o l o g u e w a s printed in the Gentleman's Magazine for M a r c h w i t h the exp l a n a t i o n , 'supposed to b e w r i t t e n by M r s . T h r — l e ' . 1 I t w a s pleasant to b e p r o m i n e n t l y c o n n e c t e d w i t h the p r o d u c t i o n o f a p l a y at D r u r y L a n e , even if it was so p o o r a o n e as The Royal Suppliants. T h e other friend w h o c l a i m e d her assistance w a s P i o z z i . S h e solicited all h e r a c q u a i n t a n c e s for subscriptions to his concerts, a n d a c t u a l l y g a t h e r e d t h i r t y - f o u r subscribers at 5 g u i n e a s e a c h . 2 N e v e r reticent a b o u t h e r likes or dislikes, she n o w o p e n l y s h o w e d her a d m i r a t i o n for the s e n t i m e n t a l m u s i c i a n . H e a n d the Bishop o f P e t e r b o r o u g h w e r e her a c k n o w l e d g e d favourites o f all those w h o c a m e to the house. S h e a d o r e d the Bishop w i t h so m u c h a r d o u r that other o l d friends p r e t e n d e d to b e j e a l o u s , a n d she l a u g h i n g l y a d m i t t e d to M r s . L a m b a r t that ' D r . J o h n s o n & Sir P h i l i p wish to k e e p him out t h e y a l w a y s say'. 3 I t must not b e t h o u g h t t h a t the r e m o v a l to f a s h i o n a b l e G r o s v e n o r S q u a r e h a d a f f e c t e d J o h n s o n ' s status in the househ o l d ; the g r e a t m a n a l w a y s h a d a r o o m t h e r e r e a d y for his use. A l t h o u g h the i n c o n g r u i t y o f the situation d i d not escape Boswell a n d H a n n a h M o r e , J o h n s o n h i m s e l f saw n o t h i n g h u m o r o u s in the m a t t e r , o n l y c o m p l a i n i n g t h a t it w a s not h a l f so c o n v e n i e n t as Bolt C o u r t . 4 His entry i n t o s m a r t L o n d o n c a m e at an i n o p p o r t u n e t i m e , h o w e v e r , f o r the p u b l i c a t i o n o f the last v o l u m e s o f his Lives of the Poets h a d p r e c i p i t a t e d h i m into a bitter q u a r r e l w i t h the B l u e - S t o c k i n g s . T h e s e b r i e f b i o g r a p h i c a l prefaces, on w h i c h he h a d b e e n w o r k i n g in a desultory m a n n e r for several years, h a d b e e n l a r g e l y w r i t t e n w h i l e the T h r a l e s w e r e a w a y f r o m L o n d o n . A f e w h a d been c o m p o s e d at S t r e a t h a m a n d S o u t h w a r k , a n d a t these times M r s . T h r a l e h a d helped b y a c t i n g as a m a n u e n s i s . Boswell noticed her 'fair h a n d . . . as o n e o f his copyists o f select passages'. 5 A n d the w h o l e o f the existing m a n u s c r i p t o f the Life of Pope is 1 Gent. Mag. li ( 1 7 8 1 ) , 134. T h r e e editions of the p l a y a p p e a r e d , in w h i c h the prologue is listed as 'Written by a Friend'. Genest (vi. 180-2) says that the tragedy was acted ten times. 2 T h r a l i a n a , Feb. 26, 1781. C . Jenkinson wrote on J a n . 29, 1 7 8 1 , a c c e p t i n g with pleasure 'the honour of h a v i n g His n a m e in the Book she holds for Piozzi: H e will make one of the Party in Harley Street, as often as the House of C o m m o n s will allow H i m ' ( B . M . A d d . M S . 38308-72). T h e concerts were held each F r i d a y . 5 R y . 550, 14. 4 H. M o r e , Memoirs, i. 207; Life, iv. 72. 5 Life, iv. 37.

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in her writing. While the work was in progress, as Fanny Burney remembered, Dr. Johnson w o u l d f r e q u e n t l y p r o d u c e one of its p r o o f sheets to embellish the breakfast table, w h i c h w a s a l w a y s in the l i b r a r y ; a n d w a s , certainly, the most sprightly a n d a g r e e a b l e m e e t i n g of the d a y . . . T h e s e proof sheets M r s . T h r a l e w a s p e r m i t t e d to r e a d a l o u d ; a n d the discussions to w h i c h they led w e r e in the highest d e g r e e entertaining. 2

What aroused the controversy with the fashionable literary coterie were his criticisms of G r a y and his patronizing attitude towards Lord Lyttclton. As punishment Mrs. Montagu no longer invited the Doctor to her assemblies, 3 a gesture particularly annoying to Mrs. Thralc. She had been assiduously cultivating Mrs. M o n t a g u and her satellites for the past few years, and it was not pleasant to find this friendship threatened by a petty literary feud. Openly she tried to keep from taking sides in the argument, but with J o h n s o n a member of her household this proved a difficult proceeding. T h e r e was always the possibility of an unfortunate flare-up, like the well-known quarrel with William Wcller Pepys, which occurred at Streatham the following J u n e . 4 N o petty annoyances, however, could restrain the exuberance of her disposition, and, according to Boswell, during the last of M a r c h 1781 she was her old, extravagant self. For instance, on April 1 J o h n s o n took her to task for her tendency to exaggeration, maintaining that both her praise and her malice defeated themselves because they were overdrawn. A n d yet, (with a p l e a s i n g first w o m a n in the W o r l d . tongue of her's, she w o u l d be she but c o m m a n d that little

p a u s e a n d leering smile,) S h e is the C o u l d she b u t restrain that w i c k e d the only W o m a n in the W o r l d . C o u l d whirligig—5

Mrs. Thrale's rattling tongue constantly dragged her into difficulties, and when Johnson was her companion, no mistake was ever allowed to pass unnoticed. Only a short time later Boswell recorded after one of her remarks, 'this was illbred, and She was deservedly flogged'. But despite all the nagging, Mrs. T h r a l e never could control 'that little whirligig', and it must be admitted that this lack of restraint was one of the chief sources of her charm. Everyone liked to hear her ' M S . now in the Morgan Library, New York City. - D'Arblay, Memoirs of Dr. Burney (1832), ii. 1 7 7 - 8 ; Hayward, i. 27. 3 1 Life, iv. 73. D'Arblay Diary, i. 498-502. s I'rivale Papers, xiv. 186.

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chatter, even if occasionally questioning the propriety of her revelations. H e r husband's condition, meanwhile, was steadily growing worse. H e slept much of the time and when awake was lethargic and moody. Nevertheless, in spite of the opposing counsel of his friends and physicians, he continued to toy with the idea of a tour to a G e r m a n spa, or perhaps even to Italy. Johnson had consented to join the party, and Mrs. Thrale was willing to beg Baretti, whom she abhorred, to accompany them because of his facility with foreign languages. Fanny Burney, to her great mortification, was excluded from the plans. 1 O n M o n d a y , April 2, 1 7 8 1 , Johnson, Baretti, and Sir Philip Jennings Clerke were guests at dinner, when their host ate so voraciously that it seemed to all an act of defiance, and to Johnson, almost deliberate suicide. T h e next morning Mrs. T h r a l e was so dispirited over the prospect that she confided her fears to Mrs. Hinchcliffe, the wife of her favourite Bishop. Household affairs, however, left her little time to brood, for the Thrales were planning an elaborate party on Wednesday night, for which she had engaged a number of Italian singers and invited a large company, including some Brahmins of India. When Piozzi came to give Queeney her singing lesson, Mrs. T h r a l e conferred with him about the next day's entertainment and evidently showed her nervous condition so plainly that the tender-hearted Italian was moved to compassion. Taking the only w a y he knew to comfort her, he seated himself at the harpsichord and sang in his most feeling manner. Mrs. Byron, who heard and watched him, turned to Mrs. T h r a l e and said, ' Y o u know, I suppose, that that M a n is in Love with you.' But the Mistress's mind was f a r away, and she curtly replied, 'I am too irritated to care who is in Love with me.' 2 For the moment there were far too many other pressing matters for her to admit such sentimental fancies. T h a t day Thrale seemed in a better mood, full of plans for the musical party, and again he ate an enormous dinner. Late in the afternoon Queeney found her father lying on the floor. ' W h a t ' s the meaning of this?' she cried out excitedly. ' I chuse it,' replied T h r a l e firmly, ' I lie so o'purpose.' 3 A messenger was immediately sent for Dr. Pepys, but before he arrived the brewer had suffered a violent attack of apoplexy, from which 1

H a y w a r d , i. 1 3 1 - 2 ; D'Arblay Diary, i. 463-4. Mainwaring Piozziana, i. 1 3 3 . T h e passage has been scored out, but with patience the words can be deciphered. See also H a y w a r d , i. 1 3 2 - 5 , and Yhraliana, 1 early Apr. 1 7 8 1 . Thraliana, early Apr. 1 7 8 ] . 1

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he recovered only to lapse into another. Throughout the night, while Johnson sat faithfully by his bedside hoping always for recovery, Thrale's strength grew weaker. 1 Mrs. Thrale ventured once into the room, but preparations for bleeding proved too much for her sensitive nerves, so that instead of remaining she frantically awaited news in her own room. Early on Wednesday morning, April 4, 1 7 8 1 , Thrale finally succumbed. 2 Mrs. Thrale's usual reaction to death was to run away. This time, not waiting for the funeral, she hurried with Quecney immediately to Streatham and from there to Brighton, where she remained for two weeks, seeking advice and consolation from her trusted friend, Mr. Scrase. T o arouse her own and Queeney's drooping spirits, she wrote jocular French verses on her daughter's ills,3 and struggled to forget the problems of the moment. Johnson in London wrote nearly every day with sympathy and news; no death since that of his wife, he maintained, had oppressed him like this.4 Through the years his early respect had deepened into a sincere affection, and Thrale had been his patron, his banker, his intimate companion. The Master's death, Johnson could not but feel, closed a long, happy chapter in his own life. While the death of Thrale was naturally a terrible shock to his immediate family, in London it served only to start immediate gossip about the future of his wealthy widow. For years people had wondered about the relationship of Johnson and his Mistress; now many speculated as to their possible marriage. The day after Thrale's funeral, Boswell, with strange lack of taste, composed a set of amusing stanzas, entitled 'Ode by Samuel Johnson to Mrs. Thrale upon their supposed approaching nuptials'. 5 He thought so highly of his verses that he showed them during the next few days to a number of his friends. Even Fanny Burney may have seen this burlesque, for some weeks later she wrote to Mrs. Thrale, 'I have heard some verses, though, about you & Dr. Johnson! such as you so well foretold.' 6 That others too were thinking of 1

John. Misc., ii. 8; i. 96. Hayward, i. 135. By coincidence it was the seventh anniversary of Goldsmith's 3 death. D'Arblay Diary, i. 472; Queeney Letters, pp. 58-9. 4 Apr. 5, 1781. See also Letters of Apr. 7, g, 1 1 , 12, 14, 16, 17. 5 Private Papas, xiv. 196. T h r a l e h a d b e e n b u r i e d a t S t r e a t h a m o n A p r . i l . The bill for funeral expenses may be found in R y . 598, 35. 6 Ry. 541, 23 (undated). 2

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the same possibility is shown in Boswcll's entry on the 18th: 'Scott and I agreed that it was possible Mrs. Thrale might marry Dr. Johnson, and we both wished it much. He $aw clearly the Doctor's propensity to love T H E V A I N W O R L D in various ways.' 1 We may be certain, however, that for her part Mrs. Thrale never even remotely considered such a marriage. Johnson was over thirty years her senior, an old and ailing man. She was only forty, in the prime of life and full of youthful vigour. She reverenced Johnson as a father and confidant, but as a lover—the idea was absurd! Johnson, too, had other matters to think about. Named as one of four executors of the estate, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the necessary business arrangements following the funeral. Thrale's will, which generously provided for his wife and five daughters, 2 had been read on the 5th in the widow's absence, and in it Johnson had been left only a small bequest of £200. In some quarters it was felt that he should have been remembered by a more substantial legacy, but the Doctor himself made no complaint. Whatever was best for his dear Mistress and her children suited him. Shortly after April 20, at the insistence of the trustees, who wished to prove the will and transact other necessary business, Mrs. Thrale returned to Streatham, where she was immediately plunged into a round of tedious conferences. The executors, in addition to Johnson, were the retired timber merchant, Cator, the enigmatic Mr. Crutchlcy, and Thrale's relative, Henry Smith. They, with Perkins, had not only to manage the brewery but also to arrange the financial details of the distribution of the estate. The widow, of course, had to be consulted in everything, and in her nervous condition she welcomed the presence of Miss Owen and Fanny Burney in the house. Fanny found her 'dearest T y o ' looking wretched, though showing flashes of her old spirit. Nevertheless, Mrs. Thrale frightened them all 1

Private Papers, xiv. 198. T h e will was dated M a r . 17, 1 7 8 1 . Streatham was left to Mrs. Thrale for life only, but the contents, as well as those of the Southwark house, were to be hers without qualification. T h e Crowmarsh estate was to belong to Quccney, and the other daughters received substantial bequests. After a number of smaller sums to Perkins, the executors, & c . , it was stipulated that so long as the brewery was in operation, Mrs. Thrale was to receive £2,000 yearly from the profits, and £ 1 5 0 for the maintenance of each daughter under fifteen and £200 for each one under twenty-one. If the brewery was sold, Mrs. Thrale was to receive £30,000, and the remainder to be held in trust for the daughters. It was expressly stated, however, that the will did not revoke the earlier marriage settlement. Mrs. Thrale was made guardian of all the children with the four executors, but it was provided that the daughters should be made wards in Chancery. 2

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several times by fainting dead away, and she confessed her unbalanced condition in a letter to Mrs. Lambart: one Night I took a panick about Hester & sate up crying till five in the Morning, when nothing of Consequence was befallen her—and I do not know how it is, but I have a Notion of every body dying I think.'

She appointed three days a week to attend at the counting house, and commented in Thraliana on M a y 1 : If an Angel from Heaven had told me 20 Years ago, that the M a n I knew by the N a m e of Dictionary Johnson should one D a y become Partner with me in a great T r a d e , & that we should jointly or separately sign Notes, Drafts, & c . , for 3 or 4 Thousand Pounds of a Morning, how unlikely it would have seemed ever to happen!

The novelty of the experience delighted Johnson, who had counted in pounds rather than thousands, inasmuch as it gave him an added feeling of importance; but for the widow it was merely another vexation. Although determined to follow Scrase's advice and dispose of the business at the earliest opportunity, 2 she did not neglect her present duties, and at first the social world applauded her devotion to business. Public opinion was ever shifting, however, and Fanny Burney on a trip to the city wrote back that when she had last come out to Streatham I left every body persuaded you would do most wrong to give up the Business, & ought to work at it Day & Night:—well, now I come back, I tell them you purpose the same,—all fly out, & protest you will be killed by fatigue, & your Children ruined by fraud and knaveries!—That, now, I am assured, is the voice of the Town I1

Needing no further urging, Mrs. Thrale was delighted when Perkins found a prospective purchaser in David Barclay, the banker in Lombard Street. And Johnson, although somewhat loath to give up his new-found vocation, was not unaware that the present arrangement of running the brewery by a committee could not continue indefinitely. After some negotiation therefore, an agreement was finally reached with Barclay and Perkins to sell the property to them for £ 1 3 5 , 0 0 0 , to be paid in four years. On Thursday, M a y 3 1 , the documents were signed, and Mrs. Thrale exchanged what Johnson called 'the potentiality of growing rich, beyond the dreams of avarice' 1 R 1 3

y- 55°. '6.

See letter from Charles Scrase of M a y 3, 1 7 8 1 , now in the A d a m collection. Ry- 545» 2 3 (undated).

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for the certainty that she and her children would at least be reasonably sure of a regular income. 1 On J u n e 3 she wrote to Mrs. Lambart: 'I have lost my Golden Millstone from my Neck, & float once more on the Current of Life like my Neighbours—I long to salute You in my restored Character of a Gentlewoman.' She was a brewer no longer—but a rich, admired lady of fashion. Hayward, i. 144-C; D'Arblay Diary, i. 487-8; Life, Iv. 8G-7.

X WIDOW JUNE

I 78 I—SEPTEMBER

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R

E L E A S E D from bondage to a sick, morose husband and . to an unfashionable business, Mrs. Thralc probably thought her troubles were over. Instead, the next three years were probably the most unhappy of her entire life. Unable alone to cope with practical everyday problems, torn between the lure of new experiences and respect for old conventions, she was tossed like a broken reed by every adverse wind. T h e story of Thrale's widow is a tragicomedy of frustration and exasperation. At first there were business worries, for even after the 'Golden Millstone' of the brewery had been thrown off, it was some time before she could dissociate herself completely from the affairs of trade. Throughout the summer of 1781 there were numerous meetings of the executors, and a variety of financial matters to be settled. Perkins, who was one of the new partners, did not have sufficient savings to make up his fourth part of the original payment; 1 and when the trustees refused to allow him to borrow from the estate, Mrs. Thrale permitted him to sell some of her own personal investments instead.2 On July 1 she wrote to him about the arrangement, adding that she did not wish Dr. Johnson to be told. Since stocks were low, and disposing of them at this time would result in a distinct loss of capital, she was sure the Doctor would oppose any such move. In addition she presented Perkins with all the furniture of the Southwark house, where he and his family were now to reside, for she was determined to reward her former clerk for securing a purchaser for the property. And though temporarily pinched for money, she later lent Thrale's old valet a hundred pounds. 3 1 See Wine ami Spirit Trade Record, Oct. 16, 1935, p. 1250. David Barclay, Robert Barclay, his nephew, Sylvanus Bevan, and John Perkins each had a quarter interest. From July 3, 1781, until the present there has always been a Barclay, a Perkins, and a Bevan in the business. 1 Discussed in Mrs. Thrale's letters to Perkins o f j u l y 1, 1781, and Jan. 17, 1783. Stock of par value £2,000 was sold which realized £1,625 ( P e r l " ' " MSS.). For the other presents to Perkins see Hayward, ii. 46-8. 3 Yet she admitted herself that it was at the insistence of Crutchley that Henderson was given the money (to Perkins, Sept. 25, 1781).

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She was soon to find, h o w e v e r , that she c o u l d not g i v e lavishly as in the past, since a w i d o w ' s i n c o m p w a s neither so elastic nor so extensive as that o f a successful business m a n . B u t she w a s h a r d l y p r e p a r e d for the shock, a few m o n t h s later, o f b e i n g told by Cator and Crutchley that her income would be temporarily £ 1 , 2 0 0 a y e a r instead o f £ 1 , 6 0 0 as o r i g i n a l l y estimated. 1 T h i s w a s a sad b l o w , a n d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y she b e g a n to e c o n o m i z e at o n c e b y dispensing w i t h t w o horses. U n f o r t u n a t e l y T h r a l e ' s affairs h a d b e e n left in some disorder, a n d n o n e of the trustees took the t i m e or t r o u b l e to investigate t h e precise a m o u n t d u e to his w i d o w . C a t o r a n d C r u t c h l e y s e e m e d m o r e interested in seeing h o w little she w o u l d take r a t h e r t h a n w h a t w a s the a c t u a l o b l i g a t i o n . P r o b a b l y they felt that, b e i n g a w o m a n , she w o u l d only waste w h a t e v e r she r e c e i v e d , a n d it was better to k e e p her i g n o r a n t of her full claims. O r p e r h a p s they w e r e themselves u n a c q u a i n t e d w i t h the a c t u a l provisions of T h r a l e ' s m a r r i a g e settlement. W h a t e v e r the reason, this failure to d e t e r m i n e the e x a c t provisions o f the w i l l u l t i m a t e l y led to b a d feeling a n d i n t e r m i n a b l e lawsuits. Besides this restriction o f her i n c o m e , Mrs. T h r a l e f o u n d o t h e r causes for a g i t a t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y since the c o n t i n u o u s strain o f the last f e w years h a d seriously a f f e c t e d her h e a l t h . W h i l e she f o u n d some r e l a x a t i o n in the soft v o i c e o f P i o z z i singing V e n e t i a n love songs, even his constant presence in the house t h r o u g h o u t M a y a n d J u n e w a s disturbing. T h i s g e n t l e m u s i c i a n stirred u p emotions never felt before. R e p e a t e d l y in h e r j o u r n a l s she h a d insisted that she h a d never b e e n in l o v e : she h a d been fond o f T h r a l e , h a d respectcd his merits, a n d b o r n e his c h i l d r e n , b u t there h a d n e v e r been the slightest p r e t e n c e o f r o m a n c e in their relationship. 2 N o w for the first t i m e she b e g a n to feel a n e w a n d strange a g i t a t i o n , w h i c h f u r t h e r ruffled her a l r e a d y p e r t u r b e d spirits. Piozzi was p r e p a r i n g for a j o u r n e y to I t a l y to see his parents, a n d on J u n e 10 she presented h i m w i t h a c o p y o f J o h n s o n ' s Rasselas, possibly for r e a d i n g on the w a y . 3 F u r t h e r m o r e , she insisted that he should spend his last d a y w i t h her, before setting out for F r a n c e . So, early in J u l y , w i t h t h e c o m p o s e r , S a c c h i n i , w h o h o p e d to r e b u i l d his b r o k e n h e a l t h a n d fortune at the F r e n c h C o u r t , Piozzi stopped at S t r e a t h a m to say fare' T o Johnson, O c t . 17, 18, 1781. T h r a l i a n a . Dcc. 1 7 7 7 : ' A s M y Peace has n e v e r been d i s t u r b e d by the soft I'auion, so it seldom comes in my hedd to talk of it.' 1 N o w in the possession of M r . A . E d w a r d N e w t o n . 2

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w e l l . T h e t w o m u s i c i a n s s a n g t h e i r final a r i a s w i t h s u c h e x q u i s i t e e x p r e s s i o n t h a t F a n n y B u r n e y a d m i t t e d she h a d n o t h a d so m u c h p l e a s u r e f r o m m u s i c s i n c e P a c c h i e r o t t i l e f t E n g l a n d . 1 As the travellers stepped into their coach to d r i v e to M a r g a t e , P i o z z i h a n d e d M r s . T h r a l e a n I t a l i a n p a r t e n z a full o f tender expressions of devotion.2 A s s o o n as h e r a d m i r e r w a s g o n e , M r s . T h r a l c ' s c h i e f c o n c e r n w a s f o r his s a f e t y . B y J u l y 21 she h a d a l r e a d y d i s p a t c h e d t w o l e t t e r s across t h e C h a n n e l , a n d t h r o u g h o u t the rest o f t h e s u m m e r a n d e a r l y a u t u m n she w a s c o n s t a n t l y b o t h e r i n g Perkins a b o u t her 'foreign C o r r e s p o n d e n c e ' . 3 W h e n the replies w e r e f e w a n d f a r b e t w e e n , a n o t h e r v e x a t i o n w a s a d d e d to h e r steadily m o u n t i n g woes. F a n n y Burney's diary gives a detailed a n d intimate a c c o u n t o f t h e life a t S t r e a t h a m d u r i n g the s u m m e r o f 1 7 8 1 , b u t little o f t h e i n n e r s t r u g g l e s o f h e r hostess. O n l y f r o m t h e p a g e s o f T h r a l i a n a a n d f r o m M r s . T h r a l e ' s letters d o w e g a i n a n y i n s i g h t i n t o t h e trials w h i c h k e p t h e r u p s e t a n d d e j e c t e d . F o r o n e t h i n g , C r u t c h l e y ' s a t t e n t i o n s to Q u e e n e y , i n s t e a d o f t o F a n n y , caused consternation. A s the former's reputed h a l f b r o t h e r , h e c o u l d n e v e r b e a n a c c e p t a b l e suitor. 4 T h e n e a r l y in S e p t e m b e r M r s . T h r a l e w a s t r o u b l e d w i t h a r a s h w h i c h p r o v e d to b e S t . A n t h o n y ' s F i r e , a n d t h e i n f l a m m a t i o n c o n t i n u e d f o r a w h o l e m o n t h . 5 F a n n y , t o o , fell ill, so t h a t S i r R i c h a r d J e b b w a s f o r c e d to m a k e m a n y trips to S t r e a t h a m to treat the t w o invalids.6 I n O c t o b e r , w h e n J o h n s o n set o u t f o r O x f o r d a n d L i c h f i e l d a n d F a n n y B u r n e y r e t i r e d to C h e s s i n g t o n f o r f u r t h e r w o r k o n Cecilia, M r s . T h r a l e w a s e v e n m o r e m e l a n c h o l y . O n t h e 2 1 s t she c o m p l a i n e d to J o h n s o n : I w a s m a n y Y e a r s before I felt Sickness, b u t it is now in no haste to leave m e , I must b e still L e a n e r before I venture to g r o w f a t ; I h a v e now pass'd seven W e e k s c o m p l e t e l y without one comfortable M e a l , & I think seven m o r e must be so spent before I recover. H e r ' s u l l e n ' spirits s e e m e d in n o h u r r y t o d e p a r t , a n d w i t h P e r k i n s sick i n S o u t h w a r k a n d J o h n s o n m o p i n g in L i c h f i e l d t h e r e w a s a 'general Gravedo\ A n o t h e r o l d c o m p a n i o n , t o o , w a s in d e s p e r a t e straits, as a p p e a r e d a f e w w e e k s l a t e r w h e n C a t o r 1 D'Arblay Diary, ii. 2 0 - 1 . Sacchini (1734-86) was a N e a p o l i t a n composer well k n o w n in his d a y . He later b e c a m e popular in Paris and received a pension from 1 M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 133. M a r i e Antoinette. 3 See Perkins M S S . « T h r a l i a n a , O c t . 15, 1781. 5 Letters to Perkins, Sept. 1781. ' Dvrford Papers, p. 70.

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c a l l c d w i t h a d e p l o r a b l e story o f B a r e t t i ' s p o v e r t y . T h e t i m b e r m e r c h a n t w a s a t t e m p t i n g to c o l l e c t a s m a l l f u n d to r e l i e v e the I t a l i a n ' s w a n t s , a n d M r s . T h r a l e g a v e five g u i n e a s as h e r share. T h e n e x t d a y she w r o t e to J o h n s o n : he w o u l d I think h a v e fain p e r s w a d e d m e to make m y five ten; but if o n e is to d o all one can do for a professed E n e m y — h o w docs o n e deserve to have a Friend? I t h o u g h t five enough. 1 O n O c t o b e r 12 she h a d n o t e d in T h r a l i a n a , ' Y e s t e r d a y w a s m y W e d d i n g D a y ; it w a s a m e l a n c h o l y T h i n g to m e t o pass it w i t h o u t t h e H u s b a n d o f m y Y o u t h ' ; y e t , a t the v e r y s a m e t i m e , she w a s f r e t t i n g a b o u t l a c k o f n e w s f r o m P i o z z i . C o n fidently e x p e c t i n g h i m b a c k in E n g l a n d the next m o n t h , she c o n t i n u e d to w o r r y b e c a u s e n o w o r d c a m e f r o m L y o n s t o say t h a t the A l p s w e r e safely crossed. 2 I t w a s n o t until the last o f N o v e m b e r t h a t the singer r e a p p e a r e d at S t r e a t h a m . M r s . T h r a l e c o n f i d e d in T h r a l i a n a o n N o v e m b e r 2 5 : ' I h a v e g o t m y P i o z z i h o m e at last, h e looks thin & b a t t e r e d , b u t a l w a y s kindly u p o n m e I think.' Piozzi brought with him some I t a l i a n p o e t r y , a n d in p a r t i c u l a r a s o n n e t w r i t t e n in his praise b y C a p e l l o . T h i s M r s . T h r a l e i m m e d i a t e l y t r a n s l a t e d , b u t so a f r a i d w a s he o f L o n d o n gossip t h a t h e p r u d e n t l y m a d e her destroy t h e o r i g i n a l . 3 N o t u n a w a r e o f the d e l i c a c y o f his position, P i o z z i tried his best to a v o i d a n y o v e r t act w h i c h m i j h t l e a d to s c a n d a l . W h e n J o h n s o n , in A s h b o u r n e , h e a r d o f the m u s i c i a n ' s e x p e c t e d r e t u r n , h e w r o t e : ' P i o z z i , I find, is c o m i n g . . . w h e n he c o m e s a n d / c o m e , y o u will h a v e t w o a b o u t y o u t h a t l o v e y o u . ' 4 A g a i n o n D e c e m b e r 3 he referred to Piozzi's a r r i v a l , and added: Pray contrive a m u l t i t u d e o f good things for us to d o w h e n w e meet. S o m e t h i n g that m a y hold all together; though if any thing makes me love y o u more, it is going from you. O n his w a y h o m e five d a y s later, J o h n s o n p l e a d e d , ' D o not n e g l e c t m e , nor r e l i n q u i s h m e . N o b o d y will e v e r l o v e y o u better or h o n o u r y o u m o r e t h a n . . . S a m : J o h n s o n . ' M a n y p e o p l e h a v e b e l i e v e d that J o h n s o n was in l o v e with M r s . T h r a l e , a n d it m u s t b e a d m i t t e d that there is m u c h ' S u n d a y , N o v . i 8 , 1781. Her letters to Perkins are full o f w o r r y because letters had not c o m e from Piozzi. O n N o v . 22, 1 7 8 1 , she wrote to F a n n y B u m e y that her heart had been 'pacified by a Paris letter* (D'Arblay Diary, ii. 53). N o n e of Piozzi's letters to his 5 Ibid., M a i n w a r i n g l'iozziana, ii. 4. future wife has survived. 2

4

Letters, No. 750; also 752 and 753.

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evidence to support such a belief. Y e t if he was, Johnson himself would have refused to admit it, in fact would probably not even have allowed himself to consider such a notion. Certainly theirs was a strong bond (her journals and his letters prove that); it was no light acquaintance, no casual friendship based on his fondness for good food and her relish for his talk. Nevertheless, the more than thirty years' difference in their ages, and his constant ill health, forbade a more tender relationship. 'Friend, Father, Guardian, Confident!' she wrote of him a few months later, 1 and Johnson would at once have agreed to this description. But if he refused to think of himself as her lover, he was unwilling to have anyone else usurp this position. He wanted the easy intimacy of the past years to continue; he wanted her to listen to his complaints, to ease his pain, and look after him through the dismal closing years of his existence. H e resented any possibility of change, and jealously chafed at every new intrusion. T h e tragedy of the next few years for Johnson was that life would not stand still. 2 He, too, had been ill during the autumn, and upon his return to London in December Mrs. Thrale found him much broken. Indeed, the old man's increasing infirmity made him more and more a care, and she confided in Thraliana: 'Queeney works hard with him at the Classicks, I hope she will be out of Leading-Strings at least before he gets into them, as poor Women say of their Children.^ Johnson's chief trouble was 'repelled gout', caused, she thought, by his trick of putting his feet in cold water, which drove the infection to his head and breast. 4 During the remainder of the winter much of her time was spent visiting him in Bolt Court or nursing him in her own house. Late in February Johnson wrote to M a l o n e : 'I have for many weeks been so much out of order, that I have gone out only in a coach to Mrs. Thrale's, where I can use all the freedom that sickness requires.'' For her part, Mrs. Thrale commented to her friend Mrs. Lambart, who the year before had gone to Brussels: 'Dr. Johnson has been very ill, & is sadly broken; was he either to die or recover a firm state of Health, I think I should try Continental Air for myself.' 6 A n y move depended Thraliana, Feb. 1, 1782. Sec a detailed discussion of the relations between Johnson and Mrs. Thrale by Sir Samuel Scott, in Nineteenth Century (Sept. 1934), pp. 308-18. 3 Dcc. 17, 1781. 4 Queeney Letters, p. 254; Hayward, i. 167. * Lift, iv. 141 (Adam collection). Johnson was at Mrs. Thrale's when Levett died. 6 R y 55°> '8- In January she had written in much the same mood in Thraliana 1

2

(Lift, iv. 502)-

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on Johnson: she felt she could not leave him behind, nor could she risk taking him with her. More and more she began to chafe, for the present arrangement, while ideal for the sickly Johnson, was hardly so for the lively widow. On the first day of 1782 Mrs. Thrale had taken a house in Harley Street for the winter season. Craving some company, and yet desirous of avoiding any censure because her year of mourning was not yet over, she was at first cautious in accepting invitations and refused a request from Pepys on J a n u a r y 14 to meet an army of Blues in YVimpole Street. 1 Since she felt that nearly everyone was watching her, trying to guess what she would do, she could ill afford to make a false move. She herself was actually drifting on a sea of indecision. Her own bad health, Johnson's illness, her interest in Piozzi, a wish to see Italy, dread of scandal, everything combined to keep her uncertain and vacillating. Nevertheless, by the 1st of March she finally decided to risk public disapproval by giving a large assembly at her own house. 2 The Blues came in great numbers, there was a whirl of conversation, and she was launched oncc more on the round of gaiety which she so enjoyed. Not long afterward the Morning Herald announced the 'Present state of literary parties—Mrs. Thrale for Variety; Dr. Johnson for Charity, Mrs. Ord for Brilliancy, Mrs. Montagu for Universality .3 Mrs. Thrale was included in a set of verses extolling the literary ladies, which was anonymously inserted in the Morning Herald of March 12 by Dr. Burney. The Doctor's characterization is interesting as showing how whole-hearted was his admiration at this time. Thrale, in whose expressive eyes, Sits a soul above disguise, Skill'd with wit and sense t'impart, Feelings of a generous heart.4 If the newspapers contained complimentary references, they were just as ready to insert gossip about her eagerness to wed again. Because of such printed reports she was finally forced to send a request to the Morning Herald asking it to say no more about her, 'good or bad'. 5 On April 17, oncc more back at 1

H a y w a r d , i. 165,. D'Arblay Diary, ii. 66. 74. F a n n y , on M a r . 1 5 , speaks of Mrs. Thrale'5 first 3 larc*e party as 'about a week ago'. M a r . 19. 1782. 4 D'Arblay Diary, ii. 78. In the R y l a n d s collection ( R y . C47, 22) there is a copy in Mrs. Thrale's hand. 5 T h r a l i a n a , Apr. 1782 (uncertain date). 2

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Streatham, in fair health and 'very sound of Heart', she wrote in Thraliana of her annoyance at the interest everyone was taking in her possible remarriage. Even Johnson, she insisted, had been joking about it, but she could see no compliment to her in all this bustle. W h a t had she to gain by rushing headlong into matrimony? She was still young, of 'passable Person', 'uncommon Talents', possessor of a large fortune, easily the equal of any man, with n o t h i n g to seek b u t r e t u r n o f A f f e c t i o n f r o m w h a t e v e r P a r t n e r S h e p i t c h e s o n . t o m a r r y for Love w o u l d t h e r e f o r e b e r a t i o n a l in m e , w h o w a n t n o A d v a n c e m e n t o f B i r t h o r F o r t u n e , a n d till I a m in L o v e , I will not m a r r y , nor p e r h a p s then.

This was the one passion in life which she had never experienced; why should she not find it now? According to Thraliana she was deluged with proposals; even Sir Philip Jennings Clerke, who was already married, made open advances. Tormented day and night with these new embarrassments, she found her only comfort in 'my Dear, my delicate, my disinterested P I O Z Z I ' . It is easy to see why Mrs. Thrale should have been attracted to Piozzi. A woman is apt, we know, to find a similarity between the man she loves and her own father; and from the first Mrs. Thrale had been struck by the physical resemblance of the Italian singer to John Salusbury. T h e n , too, his soft voice and manner were the exact antithesis of the brusque Thrale and the dogmatic Johnson. With such a man, she felt, it might be possible to capture the delights of romance, to experience that emotion which she had read about in literature, but which had so far escaped her in real life. She wisely kept these dreams to herself; but she could not keep others from wondering. Johnson may have accompanied Mrs. Thrale to Streatham in the middle of April, 1782, but if so they quarrelled soon afterwards, for he wrote later in the month from the city: I h a v e b e e n v e r y m u c h o u t o f o r d e r s i n c e y o u sent m e a w a y ; b u t w h y s h o u l d I tell y o u , w h o d o n o t c a r e , n o r d e s i r e t o k n o w ? . . . D o n o t let M r . P i o z z i n o r a n y b o d y else p u t m e q u i t e o u t o f y o u r h e a d , a n d d o n o t t h i n k t h a t a n y b o d y w i l l l o v e y o u like . .

He felt his dear Mistress was slipping away from him, but scarccly knew what to do to recapture the old comradeship. Even when Mrs. Thrale brought him back to Streatham on 1

Letters, No. 778, Apr. 24 or 25, 1782. See next note.

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M a y 9, he r e m a i n e d g l o o m y a n d m i s e r a b l e , for the tension b e t w e e n the t w o h a d not r e l a x e d . 1 I n c o n s e q u e n c e , a b o u t the m i d d l e o f J u n e h e m a d e a short trip to O x f o r d , h o p i n g that a c h a n g e o f scene w o u l d i m p r o v e his health. T h e rift a t S t r e a t h a m h a d u n d o u b t e d l y not e s c a p e d the c u r i o u s eyes o f o t h e r friends. It w a s p r o b a b l y at this t i m e that W i l l i a m S e w a r d w r o t e to M r s . T h r a l e : T h e whole world here say, you & Johnson h a v e quarrell'd about a sugar dish, pray put an affidavit in the M o r n i n g Herald to certify to all w h o m it may concern that you have not, I get no credit to my assertions that you are as well together, as you have ever been, or when he returns, get you both into an open chaise, & drive thro' Broad Street Cheapside, & Oxford R o a d , smiling & looking kind at each other . . F o r t u n a t e l y the visit to O x f o r d p r o v e d a tonic for J o h n s o n , w h i l e S e w a r d ' s letter w a s perhaps a w a r n i n g to M r s . T h r a l e . C e r t a i n l y for the rest of the s u m m e r they w e r e on the old f o o t i n g o f i n t i m a c y at S t r e a t h a m . A s a friendly gesture, M r s . T h r a l e sent t h e news o f J o h n s o n ' s better spirits to the distant Boswell, w h o she k n e w w o u l d b e d e l i g h t e d w i t h the news. H e replied i m m e d i a t e l y on J u l y 9 w i t h fulsome expressions o f j o y . 'I kissed the subscription H . L . T h r a l e w i t h f e r v e n c y ' , h e insisted, t h e n slyly a d d e d his usual wish that she w o u l d send h i m a n e c d o t e s o f their literary friends, ' p a r t i c u l a r l y o f o u r illustrious I m l a c ' . 3 O s t e n s i b l y on the best o f terms w i t h the Mistress o f S t r e a t h a m , Boswell m e a n t to miss no o p p o r t u n i t y o f p r e p a r i n g t h e w a y for a f u t u r e glimpse o f T h r a l i a n a . D u r i n g the s u m m e r of 1782 M r s . T h r a l e h a d time seriously to c o n s i d e r her situation, f a c e d as she w a s w i t h the m a j o r d e c i s i o n o f her life. A t forty-one, if she w e r e to find r o m a n c c for t h e first time, she c o u l d not d e l a y ; she must act q u i c k l y before it w a s too late. Y e t nursing J o h n s o n , w h o m i g h t c o n c e i v a b l y live ten years m o r e , w o u l d m e a n g i v i n g u p all h o p e of active life for herself. H o w different w o u l d be her c h a n c e s at fiftyo n e ! F u r t h e r m o r e , J o h n s o n ' s ill health h a d s h a r p e n e d the a c e r b i t y o f his t e m p e r , a n d his -idiosyncrasies h a d a far diff e r e n t c f f e c t on the sprightly w i d o w c o n t e m p l a t i n g a second m a r r i a g e than on the m a t r o n absorbed w i t h the v a r i e d carcs o f a f a m i l y . C o n d i t i o n s h a d c h a n g e d . S h e r c v e r e n c e d the 1 O n M a y 9, 1 7 8 2 , M r s . T h r a l e w r o t e in T h r a l i a n a , ' T o d a y I b r i n g h o m e to S t r e a t h a m m y p o o r D r . J o h n s o n ; h e w e n t to T o w n a W e e k a g o b y t h e ' w a y ol a m u s i n g h i m s e l f , & g o t so v e r y ill t h a t I t h o u g h t I s h o u l d n e v e r g e t h i m h o m e a l i v e . ' J o h n s o n r e t u r n e d t o L o n d o n o n M a y 18 (Diaries, Prayers, and Annals, e d . E. 1.. McAdam).

'

R y . 8 9 1 , 26 (no d a t e ) .

3

B r o a d l e y , p . 1 4 3 ; Boswell's

Utters,

ii. 3 1 2 - 1 ; ) .

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Sage as much as ever, but the irritable old man reminded her only too strongly of the passing years. In many ways the death of Thrale had made a great difference at Streatham. His firm command had kept order in the household, while his large income in the days of plenty had been sufficient for all their needs. Mrs. Thrale had neither the income nor the ability to enforce discipline. A great part of the fortune was now in trust for the girls, leaving only a small portion available for present expenses. T o maintain an expensive country estate, as well as a fashionable house in town, required more money than was available. Furthermore, she was threatened with a large loss of capital, because of a suit in Chancery instituted by L a d y Salusbury to collect the money paid out by Sir Thomas almost thirty years before to save the estate of Bach-y-Graig. 1 T h e suit had actually been hanging fire for several years, delayed by Thrale's lawyers, but it was always an ominous menace to his widow's peace of mind, and provided a further reason for immediate and rigid economy. A f t e r some hesitation she finally decided to give up the idea of a London house, to let Streatham, and later to take her three older daughters to the Continent, where they might live inexpensively and at the same time learn foreign languages. With fear and trembling she told Johnson of her scheme. What was her surprise to find him openly approving, apparently not at all upset over the prospect. For once, contrary to his usual habit, Johnson did not show his distress. H e r reaction was typically feminine, for she was now very much annoyed that he appeared so willing to allow her to go, and she vented her irritation in a long entry in Thraliana on August 22. 2 Others, including Cator, seemed favourable; only Crutchley, who she felt was in love with Queeney, violently opposed the move. O n c c the decision had been made, arrangements were speedily completed. Streatham was let to L o r d Shelburne for three years, and final packing and other preparations were hastened. On Sunday, October 6, Johnson, with a kiss, pathetically bade farewell to the Streatham Church, and dined for the last time in the home where his happiest days had been spent. 3 As he looked up at the portraits on the wall of the library, he must have realized that life was closing in. 1

See p. 19, n. I. For references to the suit see Queeney Letters, pp. 6o, 1 3 3 . She wrote: 'I fancied M r . Johnson could not have existed without me . . . Not a bit on't! he reels nothing in parting with me, nothing in the least; but thinks it a prudent Scheme, goes to his Book as usual. This is Philosophy & T r u t h ; he 1 always said lie haled a I-'celtr.' John. Misc. i. 1 0 8 - 1 0 ; Hayward, i. 1 7 7 - 9 . Mifi;>n O :

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G o l d s m i t h , G a r r i c k , T h r a l e w e r e g o n e — s o o n he t o o w o u l d b e w i t h t h e m . I n this spirit h e c o m p o s e d a p r a y e r c o m m e m o r a t i n g this f a r e w e l l to all h e h e l d so d e a r , to t h e p l a c e w h e r e h e h a d h o p e d to pass his d e c l i n i n g y e a r s . E a r l y t h e n e x t m o r n i n g h e d r o v e a w a y w i t h M r s . T h r a l e a n d h e r t h r e e d a u g h t e r s to Brighton. I t lias o f t e n b e e n s u s p e c t e d t h a t M r s . T h r a l e ' s p r i n c i p a l r e a s o n for l e a v i n g S t r e a t h a m w a s to g e t rid o f J o h n s o n , b u t this e x p l a n a t i o n is t o o s i m p l e . T h e r e w a s also, as h a s b e e n p o i n t e d o u t , a s e r i o u s financial r e a s o n . Y e t it m u s t b e a d m i t t e d t h a t possibly in t h e b a c k o f h e r m i n d she h a d d e c i d e d to p u r s u e y o u t h rather than cling to age. If the t w o could not be m a d e to h a r m o n i z e , t h e n a g e m u s t b e t h e o n e to b e s a c r i f i c e d . W h i l e s h e i n t e n d e d n o d r a s t i c , n o s u d d e n or s p e c t a c u l a r s e v e r a n c e o f f o r m e r ties, h e r f u t u r e h a p p i n e s s m u s t n o w b e c o n s i d e r e d . G i v i n g u p S t r e a t h a m w a s t h e first m o v e . J o h n s o n h a d b e e n a i l i n g a n d d i s c o u r a g e d b e f o r e g o i n g to B r i g h t o n , a n d t h e S u s s e x resort, w h i c h h e h e a r t i l y d i s l i k e d , d i d n o t i m p r o v e his ill h u m o u r . W h e n F a n n y B u r n e y j o i n e d t h e p a r t y o n O c t o b e r 26, she f o u n d h i m p r e t e n d i n g to b e g a y , b u t w i t h little success. F u r t h e r m o r e his b i t t e r t o n g u e h a d d r i v e n a w a y most o f t h e u s u a l visitors, a n d F a n n y c o m m e n t e d to h e r father: H e has raised such a general a l a r m that he is now omitted in all cards of invitation sent to the rest of us. . . . Poor M r . Pepys was so torn to pieces by h i m the other night, in a party at home, that he suddenly seized his hat, and a b r u p t l y walked out of the room in the middle of the discourse. . . . D r . D e l a p confesses himself afraid of c o m i n g as usual to the house . . T h e next m o n t h F a n n y a d d e d : M r . M e t c a l f is now the only person out of this house that voluntarily c o m m u n i c a t c s with the D o c t o r . H e has been in a terrible severe h u m o u r of late, and has really frightened all the people, till they almost ran from him. T o me only I think he is now kind, for Mrs. T h r a l e fares worse than a n y b o d y . 2 I f r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n J o h n s o n a n d his hostess w e r e b e c o m i n g strained, the general public h a d no inkling of the situation. T h e Morning Post o n O c t o b e r 15 a n n o u n c e d t h a t a t r e a t y o f C . Hill, House in St. Martin's Strut (1907), pp. 3 4 3 - 4 . D'Arblay Diary, ii. 122. O n N o v . 14 F a n n y w r o t e to her father, ' D r . Johnson w a s invited to L o r d De Frrrars, w h i c h is the only visit he has m a d e with us since m y a r r i v a l ! — y e t not one refused.' (Letter in possession of M r . A . C . T h o m a s , New York.) 1

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m a r r i a g e was said to be 'on tap' b e t w e e n D r . J o h n s o n and Mrs. T h r a l e , and on the 18th, with u n p a r d o n a b l e familiarity, described the c o m i n g event. It was stipulated by the L a d y , the p a p e r a d d e d , that the D o c t o r should i m m e d i a t e l y discard his bush-wig, w e a r a clean shirt and shave every d a y , give u p snuff, learn to eat vermicelli, a n d l e a v e o f f red flannel night caps. 1 In succeeding m o n t h s the papers continued with similar remarks. 2 In the circumstances these quips were particularly inept a n d did not help to c a l m the cross-currents in West Street, Brighton. Mrs. T h r a l e was considering m a t r i m o n y , b u t the newspapers, u n a w a r e of her r o m a n t i c disposition, had suggested the w r o n g m a n . A l l t h r o u g h the s u m m e r her fondness for her d a u g h t e r s ' music master, Piozzi, had so increased that every t h o u g h t , every action was centred in him. E v e n the proposed continental tour was rendered m o r e attractive b y the t h o u g h t of him as guide. O n the other h a n d , w e h a v e no u n p r e j u d i c e d e v i d e n c e of his attitude, for all w e k n o w of the a f f a i r comes from M r s . T h r a l e ' s o w n f r a g m e n t a r y a n d subjective j o u r n a l s . W a s Piozzi really in love with the w e a l t h y English w i d o w , w i t h w h o m he had practically no interest in c o m m o n ? D i d he ever declare his affection? O r did she m a k e all the a d v a n c e s ? A l l we m a y d o is to speculate. Y e t b y A u g u s t 28 there must h a v e been some sort of u n d e r s t a n d i n g , for she noted in T h r a l i a n a that Piozzi despondently t h o u g h t in the end she w o u l d g i v e him u p . T o this she a d d e d , ' & if Q u e e n e y m a d e herself m o r e a m i a b l e to me, & took the p r o p e r M e t h o d s — I suppose I should'. It was obvious that she could not l o n g keep others in the household i g n o r a n t of w h a t was g o i n g on, a n d late in S e p tember F a n n y B u r n e y o p e n l y accused her of b e i n g in l o v e with Piozzi. N o t too certain of herself, and to clarify her o w n feelings, Mrs. T h r a l e m a d e a l o n g entry in her j o u r n a l , 1 Repeated in the Morning Herald, Oct. 16, 1782. See also E. W e a d , Colophon, New Ser. i., No. 3 (1936), 449-52. 2 See Morning Herald, Dec. 2, 1782, and Morning Post, Dec. 11. Under the title 'Amatic Titular Sketches' appeared: 'Dr. Johnson—Timon of Athens, Mrs. T h — e — L o v e ' s Last Shift.' O n e amusing squib, which she believed to have been written by S o a m e j e n y n s , was: Cervisial coctor's viduate dame, Opinst thou this gigantick frame, Procumbing at thy shrine, Shall catenated by thy charms, A captive in thy ambient arms Perennially be thine? (Havward, i. 251.) T h e Hawkins family thought Johnson likely to marry Mrs. Thrale (L. M . Hawkins, Memoirs (1926 ed.), p. 56).

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considering the a f f a i r from every angle. Piozzi was amiable and honourable, but a R o m a n Catholic, and of neither high birth nor social position. If she became his wife, it would injure the prospects of her five daughters. Y e t she had married the first time to please her mother, w h y not the second time to satisfy herself? O v e r and over she repeated every argument for and against the step, in the end being as far from a conclusion as at the beginning. T o r n between two irreconcilable positions, she could find no answer to her problem. She was certain of one thing alone—that she had found the only m a n whom she might love. A t Brighton in N o v e m b e r she finally m a d e u p her mind to throw caution to the winds and declare her intention to wed Piozzi. L a y i n g aside all pride, she begged Queeney to give her consent. T h e n , after relieving her pent-up emotions by writing a long confession in T h r a l i a n a , she showed the passage both to Queeney and to F a n n y in a transport of passion. F a n n y Burney 'cried herself half blind over it; said there was no resisting such pathetic Eloquence'; but Queeney remained non-committal, though promising to go abroad the next spring. 1 Following this, on N o v e m b e r 20 they drove back to London, where Mrs. T h r a l e had rented a house in Argyle Street for the winter. Here on the 27th she wrote: ' I have given my Piozzi some hopes,—dear, generous, prudent, noble-minded Creature: he will hardly permit himself to believe it ever can be.' F o r the moment she was in an optimistic mood, feeling that all obstacles might somehow be overcome. T h o u g h temporarily buoyed by hope, she was still beset with problems, the chief of which was the debt to L a d y Salusbury. Cator felt that another appeal in the courts might be advantageous, but Mrs. T h r a l e was tired of the protracted suit which she seemed sure to lose. Since L a d y Salusbury had the documents proving the obligation, there was little prospect of avoiding the payment. R a t h e r , Mrs. T h r a l e favoured making a compromise offer of £ 7 , 5 0 0 . 2 After repeated conferences a settlement was finally agreed upon, but still there remained the puzzle of how the necessary cash could be secured. She had hoped to raise enough for the purpose by selling much of her 1

T h r a l i a n a , Nov. 19, 1782. Ry- 533. 5- T h i s is a d r a f t of a letter to D r . Pinfold, p l e a d i n g with h i m to a i d in effecting a c o m p r o m i s e . See also Queeney Letters, pp. 29, 60; a n d J o h n s o n ' s letters of Nov. 30 ( R y . 543, 8) a n d oi D e c . 11 (now in the M o r g a n L i b r a r y ) . 2

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plate, recovering the s u m lent to Perkins, and cutting the woods at B a c h - y - G r a i g ; but C r u t c h l e y , w h o had travelled to W a l e s to see w h a t could be secured speedily there, found it would take too l o n g to realize on the trees. 1 A s a substitute, the trustees suggested that the a m o u n t m i g h t be b o r r o w e d f r o m the inheritance of her daughters, g i v i n g as collateral security a m o r t g a g e on the W e l s h property. W h e n this was done, C r u t c h l e y , forgetting perhaps that the girls, as heirs, had some interest in saving the estate, brutally told Mrs. T h r a l e to thank her girls for keeping her 'out of a Gaol'.2 Ironically, after this burst of spleen by one of the trustees, none of the T h r a l e m o n e y had to be used, for C a t o r found the interest and security so f a v o u r a b l e that he supplied the necessary sum out of his o w n pocket. 3 H e failed to tell Mrs. T h r a l e w h a t he had done, however, perhaps thinking it w o u l d be salutary for her to consider herself under obligation to her children. H e r w o r r y meant nothing to C a t o r and C r u t c h l e y , w h o felt they could maintain better control over her actions b y keeping her ignorant of her o w n financial condition. T h r o u g h o u t D e c e m b e r 1782 M r s . T h r a l e was v e r y g a y , a n d F a n n y Burney's d i a r y gives an entertaining record of their m a n y social engagements. J o h n s o n spent part of his time in A r g y l e Street, w h e r e a semblance of the old friendliness still persisted; but for the most part he was fretful and g l u m . W h e n at his o w n home, he kept Mrs. T h r a l e a c q u a i n t e d with his condition by almost daily letters. T h u s he wrote plaintively to A r g y l e Street on D e c e m b e r 16, 17, 18, 20, and 21, each note full of his own illness and pain, but with occasional flashes of his earlier sprightliness. T h e d a y after Christmas he mentioned his visitors, and pathetically a d d e d : 'But I h a v e not seen those of w h o m I oncc hoped never to h a v e lost sight.' 4 Evidently the veiled reproach touched Mrs. T h r a l e ' s heart, for the next d a y F a n n y found him at A r g y l e Street, 'comic and g o o d humoured'. 5 L a t e r in the d a y , w h e n M r s . T h r a l e g a v e u p a ' M e n t i o n e d in a letter from E. E d w a r d s , Sept. 22, 1782 ( R y . 600, 4). ' T h r a l i a n a , A p r . 1783, Qttrtney Letters, p. 60; M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, i. 132. 1 T h r o u g h a c h a n g e in business conditions, h o w e v e r , C a t o r a c t u a l l y did not find the proposition to his u l t i m a t e a d v a n t a g e . In a letter to M r s . Piozzi, M a y 27, 1799 ( R y . 577, 20), J o h n G i l l o n wrote of a recent conversation with C a t o r , w h o complained that he had by ' l e n d i n g the M o n e y to p a y o f f L a d y S a l u s b u r y ' s C l a i m ' o s t £ 5 ° ° b y the Rise of the F u n d s . . .' In a letter to S a l u s b u r y , D e c . 15, 1810, Mrs. Piozzi recalled h o w C a t o r had d r a g g e d her o u t o f a sick bed to sign the m o r t g a g e ( R y . 586, 85), so that the intervening years h a d evidently m a d e the event srem even more horrible. See also R y . 586, 158. 4 J. D. W r i g h t , J. Rylands Bulletin, xvi. (1932), 39. s D'Arblay Diary, ii. 159-60.

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visit to Mrs. O r d ' s in order to stay at h o m e with h i m , his happiness was even further increased. W i t h q u i c k reversal of m o o d , J o h n s o n could still be roused f r o m depression b y the slightest consideration f r o m his d e a r Mistress. Mrs. T h r a l e , too, alternated b e t w e e n m o m e n t s of optimism a n d fits o f black despair. Still h o p i n g to reconcile her family and friends to Piozzi, she f o u n d the opposition too strong to be o v e r c o m e . H e r daughters, the trustees, everyone vigorously expressed disapproval. In order to forestall the proposed Italian j o u r n e y , C r u t c h l c y suggested that the T h r a l e heiresses b e m a d e w a r d s in C h a n c e r y , a provision stipulated in their father's will b u t never completely carried out. F a n n y B u r n e y , her most intimate confidant, continued to be shocked at the prospect. Y e a r s later F a n n y , reminded of this troubled time w h e n her friend h a d b e e n a g o n i z i n g l y trying to c o m e to some decision, w r o t e : Sometimes I prevailed entirely:—then she repented her compliance—then she repented her engagement, then her senses seemed to fail her;—then she raved—then she was seized with a sort of stupor—then she used to fall suddenly asleep, and talk aloud . . . frightful period! 1 V a c i l l a t i n g , s w a y e d first by one a r g u m e n t a n d then b y another, Mrs. T h r a l e could m a k e u p her mind neither to acccpt Piozzi nor to give him up. S h e needed to r e m e m b e r Johnson's advice to Miss R e y n o l d s on one o c c a s i o n : ' P o n d e r no more, R e n n y , — w h a t e v e r y o u do, do it, b u t p o n d e r no m o r e ! ' 2 H e r d a u g h t e r s ' antagonism is easily understood. A s handsome heiresses they h a d every expectation of m a r r y i n g into the nobility, or at least into one of the p r o m i n e n t families, and any mésalliance m a d e b y their m o t h e r w o u l d certainly prejudice their chances. T h e y h a d , m o r e o v e r , no real affection for her which w o u l d h a v e m o v e d t h e m to excuse or understand such w a y wardness. O n c e she had written in T h r a l i a n a : ' T h e y are five lovely C r e a t u r e s to be sure! b u t they love not me. Is it my fault or theirs!' 3 It was Q u e e n e y , of course, w h o took the lead, b u t the y o u n g e r sisters w e r e easily d o m i n a t e d b y her forceful d e t e r m i n a t i o n . K e p t a w a y at school for the most p a r t during their c h i l d h o o d , they never had been thrown so iptimately with their m o t h e r as h a d H a r r y , L u c y , a n d the other children 1 R. B. Johnson, Fanny Burney and the Burnrys (1926), p. 105. Undated lettert Mrs. Waddington, grand-niece of Mrs. Delany. See also Thraliana. 2 Quoted in a letter from M m e D'Arblay to Queeney, Mar. 23, 1799 (i.ans3 Sept. 1, 1781. downc MS.).

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l o n g since buried in the S t r e a t h a m c h u r c h y a r d . S e e i n g their m o t h e r a p p a r e n t l y s w a y e d b y e v e r y w h i m a n d passing f a n c y , they n a t u r a l l y t u r n e d to their firm eldest sister for g u i d a n c e . A n d she n o w stepped in ruthlessly to o p p o s e w h a t she c o n sidered her m o t h e r ' s i n e x c u s a b l e , d e g r a d i n g passion for a n u n w o r t h y foreign singer. C o n d i t i o n s in A r g y l e Street t h r o u g h J a n u a r y 1783 w e r e fast a p p r o a c h i n g a c l i m a x . T h e s u c c e e d i n g scenes, as disclosed in M r s . T h r a l e ' s j o u r n a l s , r e s e m b l e a distorted, o v e r a c t e d m e l o d r a m a . 1 O n the 2 5 t h C r u t c h l e y m a d e a last a p p e a l to g i v e u p all t h o u g h t o f t a k i n g h e r d a u g h t e r s to the C o n t i n e n t , a n d i n t i m a t e d that strange r u m o u r s w e r e a f l o a t in L o n d o n . T h e next d a y F a n n y B u r n e y insisted t h a t she m u s t either m a r r y Piozzi i m m e d i a t e l y or r e n o u n c e h i m , else h e r r e p u t a t i o n w o u l d b e i r r e t r i e v a b l y lost. W h e n L o n d o n gossips o n c e started t a l k i n g , no w o m a n ' s r e p u t a t i o n c o u l d l o n g w i t h s t a n d the assault. A s usual in times of stress, M r s . T h r a l e b e c a m e h y s t e r i c a l a n d t h r e w herself on the b e d , g r o a n i n g w i t h a n g u i s h , w h i l e Q u e e n e y stood by r e g a r d i n g this childish w e a k n e s s w i t h c o m p l e t e disa p p r o v a l . 'Susan & S o p h y said n o t h i n g a t a l l ; b u t they t a u g h t the t w o little ones to c r y w h e r e a r e y o u g o i n g M a m a ? w i l l y o u l e a v e us, a n d die as o u r p o o r p a p a d i d ? ' 2 M o v e d b y s u c h l a m e n t a t i o n s , M r s . T h r a l e f i n a l l y c o n s e n t e d to a b a n d o n t h e i d e a o f g o i n g a b r o a d . A note w a s d i s p a t c h e d to P i o z z i a s k i n g h i m to c o m e the n e x t d a y , her b i r t h d a y ; a n d a f t e r a l o n g n i g h t o f restless indecision a n d p r a y e r she p r e p a r e d to sacrifice all her hopes for the best interests o f h e r c h i l d r e n . O n the m o r n i n g o f t h e 27th, a f t e r a p r e l i m i n a r y e m e t i c , she saw Piozzi a n d t e a r f u l l y a n n o u n c e d h e r decision. I pleaded Attachment to Miss T h r a l e , and Entanglement in my M o n e y - M a t t e r s — & beg'd him stay Two Y e a r s till She should come of Age. No, N o ; he was in Earnest & he would himself speak to Miss Thrale. . . . I called her—said I had but one heart for both him & H e r — b u t that I would break it between them, & give Ciascheduno la Metà. After some Conversation I left them in my Dressing R o o m together; whcnce both of them came out with altered Looks. She had as I discovered afterwards, touch'd on the M a g i c String, by telling him My Honour was concerned in our immediate Separation : T h a t strange Stories were got about, & were finding their W a y into Newspapers (where our Enemies & their Emissaries were daily 1 T h e following account is based on T h r a l i a n a , J a n . 29, 1 7 8 3 ; Qutauy Litters, p. 61 ; M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, ii. 1 1 - 1 3 . S e v e r a l pages h a v e been torn out o f both T h r a l i a n a and Piozziana at this point, w h i c h renders the story incomplete. ' T h r a l i a n a , J a n . 29, 1783.

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putting them), that our Connection would be the ruin of their Family forsooth. 1 P i o z z i f o u n d such r e a s o n i n g u n a n s w e r a b l e , a n d y i e l d e d , went home to W i g m o r e Street at her C o m m a n d ; brought all my Letters Promises of M a r r i a g e & c put them into her H a n d — & Hinging mine from h i m ; cried ' T a k e your M a m a — a n d make it of her a C o u n t e s s — I t shall kill me never m i n d — b u t it shall kill her too!' T w o d a y s l a t e r she h y s t e r i c a l l y w r o t e : ' A d i e u to all t h a t ' s d e a r , to all t h a t ' s l o v e l y . I a m p a r t e d f r o m m y L i f e , m y S o u l ! my Piozzi.'2 T h e a r g u m e n t s used b y Q u c e n c y to inspire P i o z z i ' s c h i v a l r o u s self-sacrifice w e r e u n d o u b t e d l y c o g e n t . Even though Mrs. T h r a l e w a s p e r f e c t l y honest a n d o p e n in e v e r y t h i n g she d i d , h e r u n c o n c e a l e d passion for her d a u g h t e r s ' music t e a c h e r h a d set L o n d o n t o n g u e s w a g g i n g , a n d s c a n d a l m o n g e r s w e r e q u i c k to distort a n d m i s i n t e r p r e t . M a n y r u m o u r s w e r e a f l o a t . I f Baretti m a y b e b e l i e v e d , there was e v e n a preposterous story that P i o z z i w a s h e r h a l f - b r o t h e r , the i l l e g i t i m a t e son o f J o h n S a l u s b u r y a n d a n I t a l i a n m o t h e r . 3 A c c o r d i n g to Baretti, the first hint he h a d o f the tale c a m e f r o m D r . J o h n s o n himself. I n a d d i t i o n , the n e w s p a p e r s d e l i g h t e d in c o u p l i n g her n a m e w i t h sly, o b s c e n e r e m a r k s a b o u t I t a l i a n m a l e sopranos. 4 N o w o n d e r t h a t M r s . T h r a l e ' s f a m i l y a n d friends h a d b e e n dist u r b e d a n d u r g e d her to t a k e definite a c t i o n . I n an a t t e m p t to d i v e r t h e r m i n d f r o m the t h o u g h t o f her submission, M r s . T h r a l e m a d e s o m e p r e t c n c e , d u r i n g F e b r u a r y a n d M a r c h 1783, o f e n j o y i n g social ' F l a s h ' . H a n n a h M o r e w r o t e to her sister on M a r c h 7 that the F r i d a y before she h a d been at a fine p a r t y at L a d y R o t h e s ' , w h e r e she h a d f o u n d m a n y friends: Mrs. M o n t a g u , Boscawen, Carter, T h r a l e , Burney, and Lady D a r t r y ; in short, it was remarked that there was not a woman in London, w h o has been distinguished for taste and literature, that was absent. 5 But M r s . T h r a l e c o u l d find little p l e a s u r e in e n t e r t a i n m e n t , for she was e x h a u s t e d b y the intense e m o t i o n a l crisis t h r o u g h w h i c h she h a d passed. ' M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , ii. u . C o m p a r e w i t h H a y w a r d , ii. 5 2 . T h r a l i a n a , J a n . 29. ' T h e c l a i m is m a d e in B a r e t t i ' s t h i r d ' s t r i c t u r e ' in t h e European Magazine A u i ; . 1 7 8 8 . S e e p. 3 2 4 , 11. 1. 4 Morning Herald, F e b . 1 3 , 1 7 8 3 ; Morning Post, F e b . 19, 1783. //. More, Memoirs ( 1 8 3 4 ) , i. 2 7 4 . :

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F u r t h e r m o r e , even h e r p a r t i n g f r o m P i o z z i h a d not p r e v e n t e d the n e w s p a p e r s from k e e p i n g u p a s t r e a m o f i n a c c u r a t c c o m m e n t a b o u t her f u t u r e . O n M a r c h 8 the Morning Herald, w h i l e a n n o u n c i n g that 'the m a t c h b e t w e e n P i o z z i a n d M r s — ' h a d turned o u t to b e m e r e l y gossip, a d d e d t h a t M r s . T h r a l e w o u l d soon l e a v e for the C o n t i n e n t a c c o m p a n i e d p a r t o f the w a y b y D r . J o h n s o n . O n the 26th the s a m e p a p e r stated that she h a d a l r e a d y left E n g l a n d w i t h o u t h e r d a u g h t e r s , w h o h a d retired to B a t h . It h a d b e c o m e a p p a r e n t to e v e r y o n e t h a t she a n d h e r r e p u t e d lover c o u l d not be c o m p l e t e l y s e p a r a t e d w h i l e b o t h resided in L o n d o n . Piozzi, a c c o r d i n g l y , a g r e e d to l e a v e E n g l a n d p e r m a n e n t l y a n d , to p r o v e his g o o d f a i t h , r e m o v e d t h e savings o f a lifetime f r o m the stocks. T h e n h e g a l l a n t l y lent M r s . T h r a l e at least £ 1 , 0 0 0 f ° r h e r p r e s e n t n e e d s — q u i t e in c o n t r a s t to t h e r u m o u r that h e was b e i n g b r i b e d to l e a v e the c o u n t r y . 1 O n c e this was a c c o m p l i s h e d , a n d w i t h the p r o s p e c t o f h e r l o v e r b a n i s h e d to the C o n t i n e n t , M r s . T h r a l e d e s p a i r i n g l y p l a n n e d to l e a v e L o n d o n for B a t h , w h e r e she m i g h t live e c o n o m i c a l l y a n d try to regain her s h a t t e r e d h e a l t h . J u s t h o w m u c h J o h n s o n k n e w o f all this t u r m o i l is not c e r t a i n , since she w o u l d scarcely h a v e c o n f i d e d to h i m her f e e l i n g for Piozzi. B u t s p e n d i n g m u c h o f his t i m e w i t h t h e f a m i l y , h e c a n n o t h a v e b e e n o b l i v i o u s to w h a t w a s g o i n g o n . O n M a r c h 21 Boswell a r r i v e d in L o n d o n a n d f o u n d J o h n s o n w i t h M r s . T h r a l e in A r g y l e Street. She said she was very glad I was come, for she was going to Bath and should have been uneasy to leave Dr. Johnson till I came. H e had told me of her going to Bath, and said they had driven her out of London by attacks upon her which She had provoked by attacking every body. 2 W e k n o w also f r o m B o s w e l l ' s j o u r n a l t h a t J o h n s o n w a s e v e n m o r e depressed t h a n u s u a l . T h o u g h o n o c c a s i o n h e c o u l d rouse h i m s e l f to talk w i t h his a c c u s t o m e d v i v a c i t y , h e w o u l d o f t e n fall asleep after d i n n e r a n d h e s e e m e d m o r o s e a n d p e e v i s h . E v e n Boswell w a s s o m e t i m e s h u r t b y his churlish b e h a v i o u r . 3 J o h n s o n f o u n d his w o r l d t u m b l i n g in u p o n h i m a n d s h o w e d his irritation in h i s ' b a d t e m p e r . L a t e in M a r c h 1783 M r s . T h r a l e w a s s u d d e n l y forced to ' H a y w a r d , ii. 53; Queeney Letters, p. 6 1 . T h e canard that she paid Piozzi ¿ 8 0 0 a year while he was on the Continent was repeated in A . K . Elwood, Memoirs of the Literary Ladies of England (1843), ii. 16. ! Private Papers, xv. 174. 3 Ibid., pp. 176-95.

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change her plans because of the illness of her younger daughters. Cecilia went down with whooping-cough, and Harriett had a succession of ills—swollen glands, measles, and a cough. Mrs. Thrale herself had never had whooping-cough, and she had a mortal fear of the disease. 1 For this reason she arranged to have the girls stay with 'old Nurse' and Mrs. R a y at Streatham. F r o m her correspondence with Johnson, however, it appears probable that by April 1 both the girls were considered well enough for her to make the journey. On the 5th she took leave of Johnson, little realizing it was for the last time, and on the 6th parted again from Piozzi. As soon as he was gone, she rushed to pour her suppressed emotions into F a n n y Burney's sympathetic ear. Shortly afterwards, with Queeney, Susanna, and Sophia, she drove away to Bath. Mrs. Thrale expected to find a quiet refuge at the wateringplace, where she could forget London and all its complications, but fate was against her. Only a few days after her arrival word came that her daughters at Streatham were worse, and succeeding bulletins were more and more alarming. By Good F r i d a y , April 18, Harriett was dead and Cecilia reported dying. T h a t night, driven frantic by the repeated blows, Mrs. T h r a l e dashed off a note to J o h n s o n : ' M y Children, m y Income (of course) and my health are coming to an end D e a r Sir—not my vexations . . ,' 2 T h e next morning she added a postscript: 'I have just taken a Vomit, & just received your Letter; I will set out the first Moment I am able.' Leaving Bath at three o'clock, she reached R e a d i n g by eleven, and Streatham by nine on Easter Sunday.3 T o her relief she found Cecilia out of danger, but Harriett she laid beside the others in St. Leonard's Church. As soon as her sad errand was accomplished, Mrs. T h r a l e returned to Bath. While near London she had attempted to see Fanny Burney, who was out of town, and Piozzi, who refused to see her, prudently thinking there was no need to repeat painful scenes. Wishing only to forget, he was hastening to leave a land where he had received such unkind treatment. But Mrs. Thrale had no intention of allowing him to efface her memory, and as a parting message she sent him a set of verses 1 Nearly thirty years later she wrote to Q u e e n e y ( M a r . 28, 1812), ' M y H o r r o r of H o o p i n g Cough is such t h a t I actually left C h u r c h one D a y f r o m h e a r i n g the fatal Sound too n e a r m e ' ( L a n s d o w n e M S ) . 2 R y - 54°. ' 0 8 . T h i s a p p e a r s to be the original of the r e w r i t t e n version ( R y . 53^. -7)- See p. 301, n. 2. See also Queeney Letters, p. 62. 1 T h r a l i a n a , A p r . 1783.

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p r o b a b l y as b a d as a n y she h a d ever w r i t t e n . I n c l u d e d were the lines: Fondly to bless my wandering Lover A n d make him dote on dirty Dover. 1 M r s . T h r a l e ' s friends h a d doubtless felt that as soon as the m u s i c i a n h a d left the c o u n t r y she w o u l d return to sanity, b u t the s e p a r a t i o n b r o u g h t no happiness to the d e s p a i r i n g w o m a n . L a t e r she d e s c r i b e d her life at this time. I sate reading at home, or went wearying heav'n with Prayers to all the Churches & Chapels in t o w n — w a t c h i n g the Post too, & carrying my own long Letters to the Office. 2 O n o n e o c c a s i o n she n e g l e c t e d to p l a c e the p r o p e r postage for f o r e i g n c o r r e s p o n d e n c e , a n omission w h i c h resulted in an embarrassed a p o l o g y f r o m a g o v e r n m e n t official w h o h a d o p e n e d the epistle a n d thus b e c o m e a c o n f i d a n t o f her passion. F r o m then on she took m o r e p r e c a u t i o n s w i t h her letters. M e a n w h i l e in L o n d o n , o n t h e m o r n i n g o f J u n e 17, J o h n s o n suffered a stroke w h i c h t e m p o r a r i l y d e p r i v e d h i m o f speech. T h e next d a y T o m D a v i e s w r o t e to M r s . T h r a l e to a c q u a i n t her w i t h the news, a d d i n g p a t h e t i c a l l y , ' H e is really m u c h to b e pitied, H e has n o f e m a l e friend in his H o u s e that c a n d o h i m a n y service o n this o c c a s i o n . . C e r t a i n l y this w a s an o b v i o u s h i n t that her presence on the sccnc was desired! By the 19th, h o w e v e r , J o h n s o n h i m s e l f w a s so far r e c o v e r e d that he c o u l d w r i t e her a l o n g a c c o u n t o f his seizure. T h o u g h he w a s b e w i l d e r e d at h e r coldness, his h a b i t o f r e l y i n g u p o n her for c o m f o r t a n d a d v i c e w a s too strong t o b e b r o k e n q u i c k l y . I have loved you with virtuous affection; I have honoured you with sincere esteem. Let not all our endearments be forgotten, but let me have in this great distress your pity and your prayers. Y o u see I yet turn to you with my complaints as a settled and unalienable friend; do not, do not drive me from you, for I have not deserved either neglect or hatred. U n d e r o r d i n a r y c i r c u m s t a n c e s M r s . T h r a l e w o u l d h a v e flown to h e l p h i m , b u t she w a s n o w in the g r i p o f a severe h y p o c h o n d r i a . A s she later w r o t e , ' c o u l d I h a v e s u f f e r ' d for t w o P e o p l e at o n c e — I s h o u ' d h a v e sincerely g r i e v e d for him—but I w a s too u n h a p p y to fear m u c h for a n y t h i n g e x c e p t myself.' 4 1 1 3 4

H a y w a r d , i. Mainwaring R y - 536, 9Mainwaring

206; T h r a l i a n a , M a y 8, 1783. P i o z z i a n a , ii. 16; H a y w a r d , ii. 54. Printed in Life, ed. Powell, iv. 5 2 1 - 2 . Piozziana, ii. 19.

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H e r need was for a psychiatrist, not a physician. T h e a c t i v c , g e n e r o u s w o m a n o f the seventies h a d b e e n w a r p e d b y the last y e a r s into a listless, p s y c h o p a t h i c b u n d l e o f nerves. F r u s t r a t e d , as she t h o u g h t , in her c r a v i n g for love, a n d a f f l i c t e d b y a host o f i m a g i n a r y p h y s i c a l ills, she h a d d e v e l o p e d a n e x a g g e r a t e d case o f self-pity. C o u p l e d w i t h this w a s a persecution c o m p l c x , w h i c h k e p t her c o n v i n c e d that her d a u g h t e r s a n d friends w e r e c r u e l l y u n i t i n g o n all sides to t h w a r t her. 1 Consequently, J o h n s o n ' s t o u c h i n g a p p e a l s m a d e little impression. A f t e r one h a l f - h e a r t e d offer to c o m e to L o n d o n , she r e m a i n e d m o r b i d l y b r o o d i n g at B a t h . J o h n s o n h a d to c o n t e n t himself w i t h w r i t i n g f r e q u e n t a c c o u n t s o f his c o n d i t i o n to his distant, c a l l o u s Mistress. T h r o u g h o u t the s u m m e r of 1783 the situation r e m a i n e d u n c h a n g e d . H a v i n g lost interest in e v e r y t h i n g e x c e p t her o w n m i s e r y , she refused to take a n y p a r t in B a t h society, m u c h to t h e a n n o y a n c e o f her d a u g h t e r s , w h o w e r e c o m p l e t e l y b o r e d b y their dull existence. S h e described her u n h a p p y c o n d i t i o n in T h r a l i a n a : to teach without Authority, to be heard without Esteem; to be considered by them as their Inferior in Fortune, while I live by the M o n e y borrowed from them; and in good Sense when they have seen me submit my Judgment to theirs, tho' at the hazard of my Life & Wits. O h , 'tis a pleasant Situation! & whoever would wish as the Greek Lady phrased it to tcize himself & repent of his Sins:— let hiin borrow his Children's money, be in Love against their Interest & Prejudice, forbear to marry by their A d v i c e ; — a n d then shut himself up and live with them. 2 I n A u g u s t they m a d e a short visit to W e y m o u t h for sea b a t h i n g . W h i l e they w ere there, J o h n s o n c a m e to H e a l e , o n l y a short d i s t a n c e a w a y , to visit W i l l i a m B o w l e s ; b u t sensing his M i s tress's m o o d , as his host r e c o g n i z e d , he ' h a d no g r e a t m i n d to see' her. 3 N o r did she m a k e a n y m o v e to g o to h i m . F r o m F a n n y B u r n e y ' s letters to Q u e e n e y d u r i n g the next few m o n t h s it seems e v i d e n t that b o t h c o r r e s p o n d e n t s suspected t h a t M r s . T h r a l e was still d e t e r m i n e d some d a y to m a r r y P i o z z i . F a n n y w a s c o m p l e t e l y horrified at such u n g o v e r n a b l e passion. ' P o o r self-deluded M r s . T ' , ' D e a r , lost, i n f a t u a t e d S o u l ' ; on a n d on flow the expressions o f a f f e c t i o n a t e d i s m a y . 4 1 T h i s is o b v i o u s f r o m r e p e a t e d r e f e r e n c e s in T h r a l i a n a to h e r hard-hearted c o m p a n i o n s . S e e also h e r l e t t e r to C h a p p e l o w , M a r . 2, 1803 ( R y . 5 6 1 , 1 1 9 ) . 2 A u g . 14, 1 7 8 3 . 3 Life, e d . P o w e l l , iv. 5 2 3 ; see also Queeney Litters, p . 38. 4 Queeney Letters, p p . 72, 7 6 ; see also p p . 1 0 1 , 102. T h e s e letters to Q u e e n e y s h o w F a n n y B u r n e y a t her d u l l e s t . O n J u n e 13, 1 7 8 4 , she w r o t e t h a t D r . B u r n e y ' n e v e r s p e a k s t o m e o f the m a t t e r b u t w i t h a sigh for the f r a i l t y o f h u m a n n a t u r e ! ' (p. y y ; .

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' H o w can she suffer herself, noble-minded as she is, to be thus duped by ungovernable passions!' It would be better for Queeney, F a n n y advised, to 'live single for-cver' rather than follow the terrible example of her mother. 1 I n our day this outcry over the proposed remarriage of a widow of forty-two purely for love appears absurd; yet even to-day an alliance out of one's class is frowned upon. It is but recently that the prejudice against musicians as social eqiuils has been overcome. In the eighteenth century Lord Chesterfield actually forbade his son to learn a musical instrument, since a fiddler could never be considered quite a gentleman. 2 Piozzi was also at a disadvantage in Protestant Britain, as a m e m b e r of the R o m a n Catholic Church. Actually, however, the revulsion in the minds of her relatives and friends was d u e in even greater degree to the fact that throughout she had seemed to be the pursuer. H a d she been swept off her feet by persuasive wooing, there might have been only pity for her weak will; but for a rich matron to take the initiative was a sign of degradation. Conditions at Bath were fast leading u p to an explosion. Queeney and her mother had both consulted William Seward in O c t o b e r ; when he brutally expressed disapproval of her continued interest in Piozzi, Mrs. Thrale was highly incensed. 3 More and more she felt herself the pitiable object of cruel persecution. Only Mrs. Lewis proved a constant friend and comforter. T h e n in November Sophia fell desperately ill. Despite her own nervous debility, Mrs. T h r a l e nursed her child through a long, dangerous siege and then collapsed. This last ordeal had broken what little resistance there was left. For the first time Queeney became genuinely alarmed. All along she must have felt that her mother's melodramatic seizures were assumed for effect, but now there could be no doubt that her health was really undermined. As a result, Queeney capitulated, and at the advice of the physicians gave her consent to Piozzi's recall. If this was the only way to save her mother's life, she was willing to sacrifice her own best interests, though she would never conquer her repugnance to the alliance. A letter suggesting Piozzi's return was dispatched • Ibid., p. 70. Chesterfield's Letters, ed. Dobree (1932), ¡v. 1331. Though Piozzi was friendly with men of fashion, he was never accepted without condesccnsion. Thus George Selwyn wrote to Lady Carlisle on Dec. 11, 1781, of meeting 'an Italian fiddler, Piozzi, or some such name', Hist. MS. Comm. (1897), xv, App., part vi, p. 549. 3 Queeney Letters, p. 70. 2

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to Milan, late in November, and Mrs. Thrale began to improve. 1 But now another complication arose. Piozzi was reluctant to return to England without more certainty that his journey would not be in vain. Sophia sent a second urgent message early in January 1784, at Dr. Dobson's suggestion, but still Piozzi delayed. 2 He gave various excuses—the wintry roads, the danger of crossing the Alps, anything to gain time. K n o w ing too well the situation in England, he had no wish to rush headlong into a series of painful scenes similar to those of the year before. He was not a fearless man, and it required some determination to face the tide of slander and abuse which would be sure to greet his reappearance. Before he would leave agreeable Italy he must be absolutely sure all was well. So throughout the entire winter he lingered, while Mrs. Thrale fumed and fretted at Bath. A n d the seeming reluctance of her suitor only served to accentuate the distaste of Fanny Burney and her other friends for the match. 3 Mrs. Thrale still refused to have anything to do with the fashionable society of the watering-place. In her present plight she had no strength for 'Flash', but she did spend some amusing hours with the family of the painter, George James, where she probably met a young man named Samuel Lysons, who had a taste for drawing and literary conversation.* Books, however, were her constant resource. Since coming to Bath, she commented to Fanny Burney, she had read to her daughters the Bible from beginning to end, the Roman and English histories, Milton, Shakspere, Pope and Young's works from head to heel; Warton and Johnson's criticisms on the Poets; . . . and a hundred more.5 In spite of the strained relations with her children, she felt in duty bound to continue with their education. In the spring Piozzi at last prepared to answer the summons to come for his bride. In M a r c h he went to Quinzano to secure a certificate of his birth and christening, 6 but it was not until 1 M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , ii. 1 9 - 2 0 ; H a y w a r d , i. 2 1 9 ; ii. 58; Queeeney Letters, 1 Queeney Letters, p p . 64, 8 6 ; H a y w a r d , i. 2 2 0 - 1 . p. 63. 3 Queeney Letters, p. 86. 4 I have seen at M r . A l f r e d G o l d s m i t h ' s , N e w Y o r k , a copy of Pére Bouhours, Pmsíes Ingénieuses (Paris, 1692), presented b y S. L y s o n s to Mrs. T h r a l e at Bath in 1784. In later letters to Lysons Mrs. Piozzi refers constantly to the J a m e s family. 5 D'Arblay Diary, ii. 250 ( M a r . 23, 1784). See also T h r a l i a n a , M a r . 15, 1784. 6 T h e certificate w h i c h he secured at this time is n o w in my collection. The d o c u m e n t is dated M a r . 24, 1784, at Q u i n z a n o , a n d has the formal approval of the episcopal chancellery of Brcscia, d.itcd A p r . 6 , 1 7 8 4 . See also C h a p t e r I X , p. 188.

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late M a y or early J u n e that he finally set out. T i m o r o u s l y he waited until repeated letters let him k n o w that e v e r y t h i n g was prepared for his reception. Still f u m i n g at the d e l a y , Mrs. T h r a l e spent a few d a y s in L o n d o n a b o u t the middle of M a y m a k i n g arrangements. 1 She stayed quietly in M o r t i m e r Street, seeing only the Burneys, and possibly h a v i n g one last interview with Johnson. F a n n y still was a partial confidant, but their relationship was nearing a break. Mrs. T h r a l e was b e g i n n i n g to suspect that F a n n y m i g h t not be the loyal adherent she had formerly supposed. G r a d u a l l y she became convinced t h a t the sly Miss B u r n e y , w i t h her k n o w n dislike for the Piozzi m a r r i a g e , had from the beginning been encouraging Q u e e n e y in her o p p o s i t i o n — a suspicion w h i c h the existing correspondence goes far to justify. 2 T r y i n g to remain on good terms w i t h both m o t h e r and d a u g h t e r , F a n n y had acted as adviser for b o t h . P r o b a b l y she honestly 1 Qiieeney Letters, p. 9 7 ; D'Arblay Diary, ii. 2 5 7 - 8 . T h e exact dates o f the visit are not clear. Mrs. T h r a l e , on her arrival in L o n d o n , dispatched a note to F a n n y dated ' T u e s d a y N i g h t , M a y 1784'. O n M a y 17 F a n n y wrote to her sister 'the rest of that week I devoted almost w h o l l y to sweet M r s . T h r a l e ' . T h e previous published entry in the D'Arblay Diary h a d been on F r i d a y , M a y 7, so that it w o u l d be reasonable to suppose that M r s . T h r a l e arrived in L o n d o n on the following Tuesday, or M a y 11, and staved for the r e m a i n d e r of that week. She had definitely returned to Bath by the 23rd, w h e n she wrote in T h r a l i a n a a l x m l the trip. For the possible meeting with Johnson sec Thraliana, i. f>93. Queeney Letters, pp. 6 7 - 1 0 0 , a n d unpublished letters in the L a n s d o w n e collection. T h e disillusionment c a m e slowly a n d was not c o m p l e t e until after the marriage. By the following A u g u s t , h o w e v e r , F a n n y was definitely considered one of the 'Mischief-makers' w h o h a d opposed the union. F r o m M r s . Piozzi's letter to Q u e e n e y of A u g . 17, 1784, it w o u l d a p p e a r that perhaps Q u e e n e y h a d let slip something of Fanny's efforts on the other side. Piozzi, too, h a d further w i d e n e d the breach by c o m p l a i n i n g that D r . B u r n e y h a d n e v e r written to h i m all the time he was in Italy (see letter from Dr. B u r n e y on J u l y 30, 1784, e x p l a i n i n g his remissness: R y . 545, 12). F o r her part, F a n n y B u r n e y described again these last turbulent months in a letter to Q u e e n e y , J u l y 12, 1798. M r s . T h r a l e , she m a i n tained, bore all my o p p o s i t i o n — w h i c h was regularly the strongest the utmost efforts of my stretched faculties could g i v e — w i t h a gentleness, n a y , a deference the most touching to m e — t i l l the m a r r i a g e w a s o v e r — A n d t h e n — t o m y never e n d i n g astonishment, in return to the constrained & painful letter I forced myself to write of my good w i s h e s — s h e sent m e a cold, frigid, reproachful answer, in entirely a new style to a n y I h a d ever received from her, to u p b r a i d m e that m y congratulations wire not fiearty! A s if I could write congratulations at all! or meant to write! H o w gross must h a v e been such hypocrisy! . . . I wrote then, indeed, a n answer somewhat high, for I felt injured, & far from averse to letting her see my resentment. She sent m e a reply all kindness & returning a f f e c t i o n — t o that, you m a y believe, I wrote with w a r m t h & f r i e n d s h i p , — b u t I n e v e r h a v e heard from her since, in any w a y , good or b a d ! (Lansdowne M S . ) F a n n y suspected that either her last letter h a d never reached Mrs. Piozzi or that it was Piozzi who h a d stopped the correspondence. S o she wrote, ' I a m convinced from the moment o f the nuptials she shewed him all my Letters, ¿i probably attributed to me every obstacle that he had found in his w a y . '

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p l a y e d t h e d o u b l e r o l e b e c a u s e s h e t h o u g h t it b e s t f o r all t h o s e c o n c e r n e d , b u t M r s . T h r a l c c o u l d h a r d l y be e x p e c t e d to a p p r o v e s u c h a c o u r s e . F a n n y w a s m a r k e d d o w n as a t r a i t r e s s , a f a l s e c o m p a n i o n w h o h a d d e s e r t e d h e r in t h e t i m e o f n e e d . O n e o f M r s . T h r a l e ' s o b j e c t s in c o m i n g t o L o n d o n i n M a y h a d b e e n t o find a g o v e r n e s s a n d c h a p e r o n f o r h e r d a u g h t e r s . T h o u g h Q u e e n e y h a d given her consent to the m a r r i a g e to s a v e h e r m o t h e r ' s life, she h a d n o i n t e n t i o n o f a c c e p t i n g a m u s i c i a n as a s t e p f a t h e r . M r s . T h r a l e w a s c l e a r l y g i v e n to u n d e r s t a n d that b y her m a r r i a g e she w a s cutting herself o f f f r o m all f a m i l y a s s o c i a t i o n s . O r i g i n a l l y she h a d p l a n n e d t o take her d a u g h t e r s a b r o a d w i t h her, b u t the trustees h a d quickly vetoed the suggestion. She was m a r r y i n g a m e m b e r of a C h u r c h w h i c h w o u l d tolerate no other religion. Young, i m p r e s s i o n a b l e g i r l s m i g h t e a s i l y b e w o n to t h e o l d r e l i g i o n , a n d t h e p r o s p e c t o f o n e o f T h r a l e ' s heiresses in a c o n v e n t d i d not appeal to the blunt, insular Protestantism o f C a t o r and Crutchley. I f s h e p e r s i s t e d in h e r w i s h t o see h e r n e w h u s b a n d ' s c o u n t r y , she m u s t l e a v e h e r c h i l d r e n b e h i n d . T h e r e c a n b e little d o u b t t h a t a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r t h e a l t e r n a t i v e w a s p l a c e d s q u a r e l y b e f o r e h e r : she m u s t c h o o s e e i t h e r P i o z z i a n d I t a l y , o r h e r c h i l d r e n . F o r a w o m a n o v e r f o r t y , in l o v e f o r t h e first t i m e , t h e s e l e c t i o n w a s s p e e d i l y m a d e . She k n e w the girls w o u l d b e well cared for b y the trustees, a n d their a t t i t u d e t o w a r d s h e r p r o p o s e d s e c o n d h u s b a n d l e f t h e r little o p t i o n b u t to a c c e p t the t e m p o r a r y separation. L i k e her g r a n d m o t h e r a n d K a t h e r i n e o f B e r a i n e , she c h o s e l o v e r a t h e r t h a n m a t e r n a l duty. W h e n w o r d finally c a m e o n J u n e 24 t h a t P i o z z i w a s o n t h e w a y , 'the Misses' m a d e r e a d y to d e p a r t for Brighton, w h e r e they h a d d c c i d e d to spend the s u m m e r w i t h their n e w c o m panion, Miss Nicolson.1 O n the 26th M r s . T h r a l e d r o v e w i t h t h e m t h r o u g h W i l t o n a n d Fonthill to Salisbury, w h e r e m o t h e r and daughters parted with some show of affection. L a t e that n i g h t she w a s b a c k a t B a t h , t r e m u l o u s l y a w a i t i n g h e r l o v e r . L o n g , excited letters to Q u e e n e y d u r i n g the n e x t f e w d a y s s h o w e d t h e f r a y e d s t a t e o f h e r n e r v e s , as w e l l as t h o s e o f P i o z z i , w h o a t l e n g t h r e a c h e d B a t h o n J u l y 1. O n t h e n e x t d a y a f t e r his a r r i v a l she c o u l d w r i t e in T h r a l i a n a : ' T h e h a p p i e s t D a y o f m y w h o l e L i f e , I t h i n k — Y e s , quite t h e h a p p i e s t ; m y P i o z z i came home yesterday & dined with me.' 1 Queeney Letters, pp. 98, 99. For information about J a n e Nicolson see Sir H . J . C . Grierson's Sir Walter Scott, Bart., N e w Y o r k , 1938, p. 46.

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If, for over a year, Mrs. Thrale had seen Johnson only once, their correspondence had not lagged. Filled as his letters were with complaints of his own misery and his sleepless nights, there were occasional flashes of intense longing. 'Your letters give me a great part of the pleasure which a life of solitude admits,' he confessed. ' Y o u will never bestow any share of your good will on one who deserves better. Those that have loved longest love best.' 1 Suffering from dropsy, asthma, and a multitude of minor ills, a prey to brooding and regret, he was confined to the house for long periods of time. He cannot have been completely ignorant of the plans of his Mistress, but to the last he probably hoped for a changc of heart. Surely all this talk of Piozzi was mere gossip? As late as J u n e 26 he wrote asking for 'some words of comfort', apparently unaware of the situation at Bath. Then suddenly came the cruel shock. O n J u n e 30 Mrs. Thrale sent a formal notification to all the executors of her intentions to j e m a r r y , and at the same time enclosed a special apology to Johnson for so long concealing her plans from him. 2 Her only excuse, she maintained, was that she 'could not have borne to reject that Counsel it would have killed me to take'. Receipt of this letter roused the sick, irritable man to a pitch of frenzy. In his first outburst of wrath on J u l y 2 he sent the often-quoted note beginning, ' M a d a m , If I interpret your letter right, you are ignominiously married'. Y e t if she had not already abandoned her children and her religion and forfeited her fame, Johnson continued, he hoped she would grant him one last interview. ' I will come down, if you will permit it.' T o this rough expostulation, Mrs. Thrale replied on the 4th in a dignified but determined tone. ' T h e birth of my second husband is not meaner than that of my first; his sentiments are not meaner; his profession is not meaner, and his superiority in what he professes acknowledged by all mankind.' 3 Her own fame, she insisted, was 'as unsullied as snow'; and the letter ended, 'till you,have changed your opinion of M r . Piozzi let us converse no more. G o d bless you.' In order to forestall any attempt of Johnson to come to Bath, the message was hurriedly dispatched by coach instead of by the regular post. As always, Johnson was sure to suffer remorse for his first 1

2 Nov. 13, 1783. Queeney Letters, p p . 1-48-9. H a y w a r d , i. 240. T h e original letter is in the R . B. A d a m collection. T h e phrase 'his sentiments are not m e a n e r ' m a y h a v e been a d d e d later; it is in d i f f e r e n t ink a n d s o m e w h a t different h a n d , though obviously hers. T h e letter is unsigned, evidently to keep J o h n s o n f r o m knowing she was not yet married. 1

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angry words, and wrote again on July 8 to his once dear Mistress with tender affection. W h a t y o u h a v e d o n e , h o w e v e r I m a y l a m e n t it, I h a v e no p r e tence to resent, as it has n o t b e e n injurious t o m e : I therefore b r e a t h e out o n e sigh m o r e of tenderness, p e r h a p s useless, b u t at least sinccre. I wish t h a t G o d m a y g r a n t y o u e v e r y blessing, that y o u m a y b e h a p p y in this w o r l d for its short c o n t i n u a n c e , a n d eternally h a p p y in a better s t a t e ; a n d w h a t e v e r I c a n c o n t r i b u t e to y o u r happiness I a m v e r y r e a d y to r e p a y , for t h a t kindness w h i c h soothed t w e n t y years of a life r a d i c a l l y w r e t c h e d .

After advising her to prevail upon her husband to settle in England, and pointing out a dangerous parallel with M a r y Queen of Scots, he closed: ' T h e tears stand in my eyes. I am going into Derbyshire, and hope to be followed by your good wishes, for I am, with great affection . . .' This was the last letter she ever received from the man whom she had so admired and revered; yet he remained with her in spirit for the rest of her life. His influence on her mind could never be erased. Johnson's final benediction possibly reached her just before she was leaving Bath. It was necessary to wait twenty-six days before the wedding ceremony could be performed, and in the meantime there was nothing to do but fret and attend to necessary business details. Accordingly, on July 8 Piozzi signed a bond before the Bishop of Bath asserting that there was no lawful bar to the marriage, 1 and soon after drove with Mrs. Thrale to London, where his friend Borghi had prudently hired lodgings for them in different streets. It seems almost certain that they remained in London for at least ten days, consulting lawyers and making final arrangements for the wedding, 2 a fact which renders her last note to Johnson something of a mystery. Dated July 15, 1784, and post-marked Bath, and July 16, it cannot have been transmitted in the ordinary way. 3 How a woman in London could send a letter 1 A copy of this bond is in my possession. Perhaps it may be taken as further evidence of the insidious rumours which Baretti maintained were being circulated about Piozzi's paternity. See p. 218. 2 T h i s we know, since she wrote to Q u e c n e y from there on J u l y 12, 14, 15. T h e r e is no evidence that she went back to Bath between this time and the 23rd, when she was married in L o n d o n . O n J u l y 19 they signed their marriage settlement in L o n d o n ; so the assumption would be that they never left ( R y . Charter 1239). O n e pleasant feature of this tedious delay in London was that Greenland, her new attorney, in examining her business affairs, found out that a large sum of money was due from the cxecutors, part of which, either by ignorance or design, Cator had thought fit to keep from her ( H a y w a r d , ii. 59). 1 T h e original letter is addressed to Johnson at Bolt Court, and carries two postmarks, 'Bath' and 'July 16', the former applied in the country and the latter in

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from Bath is difficult to explain, perhaps indeed only by the assumption that it had either been left behind with instructions not to send it until later, or had been enclosed in another letter to friends at Bath, who in turn did the actual posting. One thing is certain—that she did not wish Johnson to know she was in London, still unmarried. T h e strain of a scene with him was more than she could endure. Instead, she wrote affectionately, with many wishes and prayers for his good health and reiterations of her faith in her new husband: H e is a religious M a n , a sober M a n , and a Thinking M a n — h e will not injure me, I a m sure he will not, let nobody injure him in your good Opinion.

Johnson never answered this defence. He wished only to drive her from his thoughts. On J u l y 23 she was married to Piozzi in London by a Roman Catholic chaplain; 1 they immediately afterward drove to Bath, where they repeated their vows on the 25th in St. James's English church. After the tension of the past month Piozzi shook so violently during the ceremony that even his bride felt sorry for him. But nothing could mar her thrill of the moment, for at last she was married to the man of her choice. As she wrote at once to Queeney, 'Oh what a disinterested! what a noble Heart has the Man to whom I was this day united.' 2 Even before the marriage took place, rumour was rife among her friends in the Blue-Stocking circle. On J u l y 15 Mrs. Montagu wrote to Mrs. Vesey. Mrs. Thrales marriage has taken such horrible possession of m y mind I cannot advert to any other subject. I a m sorry and feel the worst kind of sorrow, that which is blended with shame . . . I a m myself convinced that the poor W o m a n is m a d , and indeed h a v e long suspected her mind was disorderd. She w a s the best M o t h e r , the best Wife, the best friend, the most amiable member of Society. S h e gave the most prudent attentions to her Husbands business during his long state of imbecility and after his death, till she had an opportunity of disposing well of the great Brewery. I bring in m y verdict lunacy in this affair. 3 London on arrival. Thus it must necessarily have been posted at Bath only a day or so before the 16th. (Ry. 540, 110.) 1 Ry. Charter 124.2. The certificate of marriage was signed by Richard Smith, July 23, 1784, with an attestation by Jean Balthazar, comte D'Adhemar, July 27, 1784. See, however, N. & Q. (Dec. 3 1 , 1932), clxiii. 476. 1 Queenty Letters, pp. 1 7 0 - 1 . 1 R. Blunt, Mrs. Montagu, ii. 274. On July 19 Miss Carter wrote to Mrs. Montagu for confirmation of the rumour which seems to have spread even to Deal (Letters from Mrs. Elizabeth Carter to Airs. Montagu, ed. M. Pennington (1H17), iii. 215).

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M r s . V e s e y in her reply a d d e d the i n f o r m a t i o n : Her daughter has told her she can never acknowledge such a Father and she and her three sisters have taken refuge with their guardian at Brighthelmstone. She has cut down the trees on her estate in Wales and would have carried her daughters abroad if the trustees would have allowed . . I n a n o t h e r letter M r s . V e s e y told o f C r u t c h l e y ' s b r i n g i n g the f a t a l a n n o u n c e m e n t to D r . J o h n s o n , w h o burst i n t o tears a n d b e g g e d C r u t c h l e y to stay w i t h h i m . Piozzi she d e s c r i b e d as ' b l a c k u g l y a n d loves n o t h i n g b u t m o n e y ' . 2 T h e belief seemed g e n e r a l t h a t M r s . Piozzi h a d b e e n f o r c i b l y s e p a r a t e d f r o m her c h i l d r e n . M r s . S c o t t , w r i t i n g t o her sister, m a d e the assertion: As soon as the friends of the family learnt her fix'd purpose they informed her the Children must not remain with her, and fetched them from Brighthelmstone, where they were under the care of a Person little older than Miss Thrale. 5 E v e n the Morning Herald for A u g u s t 18 reiterated t h e c h a r g e : Mrs. Thrale, in consequcnce of her marriage with Piozzi, has the children taken away from her. This the guardians insisted on. T h e new married couple mean to pass the next winter abroad. N o o n e k n e w e x a c t l y w h a t h a d h a p p e n e d , b u t all r e a l i z e d t h a t b y h e r m i s a l l i a n c e M r s . T h r a l e h a d c u t herself o f f f r o m all her o l d associations. T h e l o v e a f f a i r o f the w e a l t h y w i d o w a n d h e r d a u g h t e r s ' music m a s t e r w a s seized on w i t h a v i d i t y b y the n e w s p a p e r s o f the d a y . J o k e s w e r e c r a c k e d a b o u t the profession o f the b r i d e g r o o m , a n d e v e r y f e w d a y s some n e w a b s u r d i t y w a s inserted in the c o l u m n s of the Morning Herald. O n A u g u s t 10 a p p e a r e d the j i n g l e : Lines on a Late Piozzified Marriage Most writers agree, and I know it a truth, W e all love a frolic in days of our youth, But what shall we say, when such grave ones engage A n d frolic in love, in the days of old age. 4 T h a t a w o m a n of forty-three should consider r o m a n c e i m p o r t a n t was astounding. T h e B l u e - S t o c k i n g s , too, w e r e o u t r a g e d b y t h e sight o f an Blunt, ii. 275. T h e original, now in the Johnson House in G o u g h Square, I,ondon, is merely 3 Blunt, ii. 175. dated ' M o n d a y 19'. 4 See also issues of A u g . 6, 12, 14, 17, 18, 2 7 ; Sept. 7 and 14. 1

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educated woman succumbing to passion. Mrs. Chapone on August 24 wrote to William Weller Pepys: there must be really some degree of Insanity in that case, for such mighty overbearing Passions are not natural in a 'Matron's bones'. T h e 4 daughters render it a most frightful instance of human wretchedness indeed! it has given great occasion to the Enemy to blaspheme and to triumph over the Bas Bleu Ladies. 1

The Queen of the Blues became so obsessed by the degradation of Mrs. Thrale's surrender that she wrote to her sister, Mrs. Scott: 'Mrs. Thrale is fallen below pity. I think the Women and Girls are run mad, Heaven be praised I have no Daughters.' 2 She confided to the same correspondent: 'Dr. Johnson says he did not think there had been so abandoned a Woman in the World.' It was freely suggested that Piozzi would spend his wife's money in riotous living, while she would weep her eyes out in distant Italy, a prey to bitter recollections, once 'her passions subside and give place to reason'. 3 Meanwhile, the newly married couple were quietly making preparations for their tour of Europe. After remaining in Bath for a few weeks, being entertained by the Jameses and receiving calls from several of their other friends, they came to London on August 11 for final conferences with Cator and the bankers. Further problems had to do with a special travelling carriage built by Hatchet, which Piozzi had ordered fitted with a small portable harpsichord which could be placed under orje of the seats. In this way he could carry wherever he went the means of playing the music he loved. 4 Throughout August Mrs. Piozzi's letters to Queeney kept up a forced gaiety. Although her health was still variable and there were a multitude of annoying arrangements to be made, she would not admit any dampened ardour. At the last, Sophy and Susan were allowed to come to see her, and, according to Thraliana, Queeney also called to bid her a not unkind farewell. 5 Late Friday night, September 3, the packing and financial details having been finally completed, found the Piozzis sitting on trunks, making ready to leave England the next day. The fateful step had been taken, and a new life stretched out before her. 1

A Later Ptpys, i. 408. Blunt, ii. 177, 182. See also E. and F. Anson, Mary Hamilton (1925), p. 223. Miss Carter felt that in spite of the great differences in their ages it would have been more suitable for Mrs. Thrale to have married Johnson (Letters from Eliz. Carter , 1 op. cit. iii. 221). Blunt, ii. 275. * Hayward, ii. 63; The Morning Herald, Aug. 6, 1784. 5 Qjrenry Letters, p. 185. 1

H E S T E R L Y N C H PIOZZI

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setting out on a honeymoon tour of Europe, M r s .

Piozzi characteristically selected a fresh note-book into w h i c h to set d o w n her observations and reflections. 1 T o such an inveterate diarist and c o m m e n t a t o r it was as important to confide in the written p a g e as to see and enjoy w h a t w e n t on a b o u t her. T h e first entry was m a d e at D o v e r on S u n d a y , S e p t e m b e r 5, 1784. Last night I arrived at this Place in Company with my dear Husband & faithful Maid,—having left my Daughters reconciled to my Choice, (all at least except the eldest who parted with me cooly, not unkindly:) and my Friends well pleased with my leaving London I fancy, where my Stay perplexed 'em, and entangled their Duty with their Interest. T h e next d a y they sailed for France, and after a windless passage o f twenty hours, reached Calais, where Mrs. Piozzi purchased some toys to be sent to her y o u n g e r daughters in E n g l a n d . A f t e r renewing former impressions of Calais, the c o u p l e d r o v e in a leisurely fashion to Paris b y w a y of Boulogne, M o n t r e u i l , Amiens, and C h a n t i l l y , reaching their destination late on S a t u r d a y night, the 1 ith, almost shaken to pieces f r o m j o l t i n g over stony roads. She was rapturously h a p p y . N o w that she had escaped f r o m the nerve-racking worries of L o n d o n , it was possible to relax and enjoy life again. But the contrast of present delights w i t h past afflictions almost overpowered her. A s she wrote on the 13th, her new husband's indulgence, the complete absence of anxiety, 'together with that recovered flow of Spirits that newfound health inspires, will go near to make me a Sensualist'. E v e n r e m e m b r a n c e of the birthdays of Q u e e n e y and Johnson only served to accentuate the happiness of the moment. 1 R y . 618. T h e French portion has been printed in French Journals, pp. 1 9 1 - 2 1 3 . T h i s j o u r n a l w a s later used as the basis for her Observations and Reflections (1789), but is very different from the printed version. In describing the Piozzis' travels in E u r o p e various authorities h a v e been used: her travel journals, T h r a l i a n a , M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a ; letters to Q u e e n e y , S. Lysons, & c .

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This is Dr. Johnson's Birthday: m a y G o d give him many & h a p p y returns of it; we used to spend these two Days in Mirth & G a y e t y at S t r e a t h a m : but Pride & Prejudice hindered m y longer Residence in a Place wch indeed had lost its Charms for me. I am Happier at this M o m e n t than I have been these T w o & T w e n t y Years. 1 A l l the h e c t i c m o n t h s o f d e s p e r a t i o n , the a g o n i e s o f u n c e r t a i n t y , t h e trials o f persecution w e r e a small p r i c e to p a y for s u c h exhilarating delight. Paris, n o n e the less, c o n t i n u a l l y b r o u g h t m e m o r i e s o f t h e visit o f 1 7 7 5 . S h e c a l l e d o n t h e n u n s a t Fossee, spent hours w i t h t h e p a i n t i n g s in t h e Palais R o y a l , a n d w a t c h e d a b a l l o o n ascent of t h e f a m o u s R o b e r t brothers. B e a u m a r c h a i s ' s c o m e d y , The Marriage of Figaro, at t h a t m o m e n t t h e r a g e o f Paris, she f o u n d i n d e c e n t , t h o u g h a d m i t t i n g its w i t a n d c l e v e r satire. O f n e w a c q u a i n t a n c e s m a d e , the c e l e b r a t e d I t a l i a n d r a m a t i s t , G o l d o n i , p r o v e d t h e most e x c i t i n g . Paris w a s f a s c i n a t i n g , b u t since I t a l y w a s their i m m e d i a t e g o a l , t h e y tore themselves a w a y late in S e p t e m b e r a n d d r o v e to L y o n s , w h e r e letters f r o m h e r y o u n g e r d a u g h t e r s c o n t r i b u t e d f u r t h e r t o her g o o d h u m o u r . T o o late in the y e a r to pass t h r o u g h S w i t z e r l a n d , t h e y p r o c e e d e d s l o w l y t h r o u g h S a v o y to M t . Cenis. S h e took p a s s i o n a t e d e l i g h t in the s c e n e r y a l o n g the route. W i t h a n e y e for c o l o u r , she n o t i c e d the c a r p e t o f r o y a l p u r p l e w i l d flowers, t h e b l u i s h w i l l o w s , the dull b e e c h e s a n d g o l d e n w a l n u t s b y t h e side o f t h e r i v e r Y o n n e , the t e n d e r green o f w i n t e r w h e a t in the v a l l e y s , c o n t r a s t i n g w i t h the a u t u m n tints on t h e v i n e y a r d - c o v e r e d hill-sides. W i t h an a p p r e c i a t i o n for the u n u s u a l , she n o t e d the torrents g u s h i n g f r o m the rocks, the little c h u r c h e s p e r c h e d h i g h o n ledges, w h o s e t i n k l i n g bells called the natives to p r a y e r . Passage o v e r the A l p s n a t u r a l l y thrilled the E n g l i s h traveller, a n d as soon as they r e a c h e d T u r i n she described her feelings to the artistic y o u n g S a m u e l L y s o n s : those four Days Journey from Pont Bon Voisin to Novalesa, would be enough I should think to make a C o x c o m b of Dr. Johnson, or a Pedant of M r . James. W e often wished for your C o m p a n y , & said how you would sit upon this R o c k & that R o c k , taking Views of the C o u n t r y : I j u m p e d out of the C o a c h myself at one Place to drink at a beautiful Cascade that came foaming down the Side of the Hill all tufted with various coloured Greens, where I followed Hyale among the Bushes (the yellow Butterfly with brown-edged Wings) but could not catch her. 2 1 :

French Journals, p. 203. Oct. 19, 1784. T h e majority of Mrs. Piozzi's letters to Lysons are now in the

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From Turin they proceeded in a roundabout way through Casale, Monferrato, Novi, Genoa, and Pa via to Milan. Piozzi considered Milan his home: here he had spent many of the happiest years of his life; here he wished to remain indefinitely with his new wife. Accordingly, they were soon settled in spacious quarters in one part of the large Casa Fidele, and Mrs. Piozzi described her domestic arrangements in a long letter to Queeney on November 19. We have a stately Stone Hall & Staircase with Glass Lamps &c. Eating Room, Dressing Room, Bed Chamber & Drawing Room; which in a House at the upper end of Piccadilly would be made to hold ten Card Tables commodiously . . . All this with coach-houses, servants' quarters, & c . , sumptuously decorated, for only £ 8 0 a year! T h e economical soul of her husband must indeed have been delighted. Mrs. Piozzi had a sentimental reason for wishing to like Italy, for it was her husband's country and should now be her own; nevertheless, the comments in her journal are often shrewd and penetrating. T o be sure, the petty inconveniences and annoyances which so enraged other British travellers she largely ignored. She saw no reason to grumble much at the lack of heating facilities, the diet, or the Italian food; these were part of the price one paid for travelling abroad. But however much she tried to keep any insular prejudices from marring her enjoyment and appreciation, there was one custom which, possibly from a lack of perfect understanding, she could not accept. T h e strange convention of the 'Cavaliere Servente' irritated and frightened her. Deeply in love with her own husband, she resented the necessity of appearing constantly in public with another man. Yet, according to the dictates of fashion, he for whom she had sacrificed so much could not now be her only regular public escort. Amusingly she showed her attitude, when pressed to choose a cavalier from among her husband's friends, by naming an old priest of eighty years. For the most part, however, she threw herself whole-heartedly into the gay life of the city, and occupied her spare time in writing and translating Italian verses. One of the inherent weaknesses of Mrs. Piozzi's character was an inordinate love of praise. She might be the first to laugh at any pretensions to wit or charm, but in her heart she always possession of M r . Lindsay Fleming, Bognor-Regis. M a n y were published in Bertley's Miscellany, xxviii (1850). In the following pages some quotations are made from the original manuscripts and some from the printed versions.

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longed for adulation. T h u s she w e l c o m e d the lavish h o m a g e of a g r o u p of minor I t a l i a n writers a n d church dignitaries w h o soon gathered round her. T h e e x t r a v a g a n t toasts offered to the wealthy English signora b y these obviously delightful people could not but strike a sympathetic chord. S h e later r e m e m b e r e d the g a y , amusing circle: T h e Marquis of Araciel, Piozzi's Patron, brought me Presents: The Abbé Bossi made Verses in my Praise, so did Abate Ravasi. I had all the Wits about me; T h e Abbé Brianconi was excessively civil—The Venetian Envoy Soderini sent to Venice for Fish for m e : Baron Cronthal of Brera gave m e free Access to the public Library— 1 It was a startling but agreeable contrast to her last d a y s in England. S h e could not, h o w e v e r , cut herself o f f completely f r o m the old life. I n G e n o a she had received a bitter, vituperative letter f r o m Baretti, accusing her of every crime, but though stung for a moment, she refused to let such taunts destroy her peace of mind. 2 Letters f r o m her daughters w e r e neither so frequent nor so affectionate as she w o u l d h a v e wished, but that was to be expected. I n compensation, there were a few friends in E n g l a n d , M r s . L e w i s , M r . J a m e s , Sir L u c a s Pepys, D r . L o r t , and her new-found disciple S a m u e l Lysons, w h o kept her supplied with news and kindly good wishes. T o these she replied with g a y b r a v a d o , emphasizing the civilities showered upon her by her husband's friends, a n d dwelling with pride on every attention of the talented Milanese. She hoped the news w o u l d be retold to those l u k e w a r m Blues w h o had so betrayed her. S h e still thought often of J o h n s o n . U n w i l l i n g to forgive the traitorous F a n n y B u r n e y and the others, she harboured no resentment towards the sick old m a n , whose anger she understood and w a s willing to forget. In a few years, when she returned to L o n d o n , there might even be a reconciliation a n d a return to the old relationship. O n D e c e m b e r 7 1 M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , ii. 2 7 . T h e M a r q u i s D ' A r a c i e l , a n o b l e m a n of S p a n i s h e x t r a c t i o n w h o lived in M i l a n , h a d aided Piozzi ever since as a y o u n g boy the m u s i c i a n h a d r u n a w a y f r o m h o m e to escape being m a d e a priest. Piozzi h a d been a guest in the P a l a z z o A r a c i e l i in 1 7 8 4 , w h e n recalled to E n g l a n d to m a r r y M r s . T h r a l e . S e e C o u n t e s s E v e l y n M a r t i n e n g o Cesaresco, G limp ¡es of Italian Society ( N e w Y o r k , 1 8 9 2 ) , p. 1 1 . T h e C o u n t e s s C>saresco also clearly explains M r s . Pinzzi's m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the purpose of tile custom of the Caialiere Seríente (pp. I 2 - I r>). * M a i n w a r i n g l ' i o z z i a n a , ii. 2 7 . The worst Baretti could say of Piozzi was that he h a d d i s p u t e d with a n i n n k e e p e r a b o u t a bill. S e e also R y . 5 5 2 , 4.

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she wrote to Lysons: ' D o not neglect Dr. Johnson, you will never see any other Mortal either so wise or so g o o d — I keep his Picture in my Chamber, and his Works on my Chimney.' 1 Meanwhile, in London the object of her thoughts was dejected and wholly miserable. Deserted by the woman he had adored, racked by pain and disease, Johnson sat and brooded over the faithlessness of the sex. He had written to Hawkins: 'She is now become a subject for her enemies to exult over, and for her friends, if she has any left, to forget or pity'; 2 and when Fanny Burney called to see him late in November, Johnson wretchedly confided to her: I drive her quite from m y mind. I f I meet with one of her letters, I burn it instantly. I h a v e burnt all I can find. I never speak of her, and I desire never to hear o f her more. I drive her, as I said, wholly from my mind. 1

It is easy to understand and sympathize with Johnson. His Mistress, so he thought, had deserted her children, her country, and her religion. He had done all he could to save her, but had been cast aside for a foreign musician. A n d this was the one whom he had often boasted to be the first of womankind. 4 Vainly he tried to throw off the oppressive gloom, to think of other things; but the time left him was too short. In spite of all the doctors and devoted friends could do, he was unable to rally. With a premonition of the end, he settled his remaining worldly affairs early in December, and on the 13th quietly passed away. T h e death of Dr. Johnson stirred up further gossip about the absent Mrs. Piozzi. Mrs. Montagu wrote: 'I am afraid Mrs. Thrales imprudent marriage shortend his life', and this view was accepted by many others. 5 Johnson's old friends held her responsible for much of the misery of his last years, and they never forgave what they considered her selfish abandonment of 1 Lysons had met Johnson only oncc, on June 26, 1784. Sec L . Fleming, Memoir and Select Litters of Samuel Lysons (1934), p. 7. 1 J . Hawkins, Life of Johnson (1787), p. 570. 3 D'Arblay Diary, ii. 271. He did not burn all Mrs. Thrale's letters. See p. 297. 4 See John. Misc. ii. 272; Letters, ii. 406. W . Shaw, in his Memoirs of Dr. Johnson (1785), p. 178, made the comment: No event since the decease of Mrs. Johnson so deeply affected him as the very unaccountable marriage of Mrs. Thrale. This woman he had frequently mentioned as the ornament and pattern of her sex. There was no virtue which she did not practice, no feminine accomplishment of which she was not a mistress, hardly any language or science, or art which she did not know. 5 R. Blunt, Mrs. Montagu, ii. 165; also Shaw (op. cit.).

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the d y i n g A l l the years o f c a r c a n d d e v o t i o n w h i c h she h a d lavished on the irritable old m a n w e r e f o r g o t t e n ; i n s t e a d , all t h a t w a s r e m e m b e r e d w a s her failure in his last d a y s . O c c a s i o n a l references a n d sly allusions a p p e a r e d in t h e n e w s papers, a n d m a n y a b s u r d r u m o u r s w e r e b a n d i e d a b o u t b y fashionable L o n d o n society. 2 M r s . M o n t a g u a c t u a l l y w r o t e : Her letters to her Friends from abroad were full of her felicity, it is said accounts are now come that she is confined in a convent at Milan. Her Husband says she is insane, he is the only Person in the World who can say it with an ill grace. 3 O n e w e l l - m e a n i n g friend carried the n e w s to t h e y o u n g e s t T h r a l e d a u g h t e r s t h a t P i o z z i , h a v i n g rid h i m s e l f of their m o t h e r , w a s riotously s p e n d i n g her fortune. 4 T h e news o f D r . J o h n s o n ' s d e a t h r e a c h e d M r s . P i o z z i in M i l a n as a shock a n d a sad r e m i n d e r o f the past. S h e h a d definitely b r o k e n w i t h the associations w h i c h b o u n d her to the old S t r e a t h a m c o t e r i e ; n o w in a m o m e n t she was hurled b a c k into the w o r l d she w a s t r y i n g to forget, a n d forced to m a k e decisions she h a d h o p e d to e v a d e for a few years at least. L y s o n s , w r i t i n g 1 T h e r e were others w h o defended Mrs. Piozzi. M a n y years later, on A p r . 24, 1792, R i c h a r d M u s g r a v e wrote to Mrs. Piozzi from I r e l a n d : I find that one ground of censure of your enemies has been y o u r not h a v i n g continued to keep Doctor Johnson under your roof. For my part I have e x pressed great astonishment at your having borne his singular nioroseness & peevishness so long. T h a t attention & I may say reverence w h i c h you shewed him on all occasions, was often treated with contemptuous petulance & sometimes with abuse. N o t h i n g could compensate the misery w h i c h you suffered. In my opinion the British nation are much indebted to you for h a v i n g kept him alive so long; for I a m convinced from the infirmities w h i c h he h a d j o y n e d to his singularities & the neglect of himself w h i c h were so well k n o w n that he w o u l d h a v e died m a n y years before he did but for y o u r unremitting care of his health. ( R y . 892, 27.) Herbert L a w r e n c e also referred to this criticism on M a r . 3, 1788, and a d d e d , 'I have often wonder'd how you bore with him so long: the coarseness and severity o f his Behavior to your Friends must have given you exquisite uneasiness' ( R y . 535. !))• 2 T h e European Mag. for O c t o b e r (pp. 320-1) had printed a selection from the Vanity of Human Wishes, as a pointed ' A d v i c e to the Fair S e x ' . T h e Gent. Mag. (1784), p. 893, printed a spurious copy of Johnson's letter to Mrs. T h r a l e , beginning ' I f you are already ignominiously married'. T h e original of this letter, of course, was in the possession of Mrs. Piozzi, but somehow rumours were afloat a b o u t it. O n Nov. 14, 1784, W m . H a y l e y wrote to A n n a S e w a r d , ' C a n you prevail on the O l d Lion to give you a copy or a sight of his Letter to the W i d o w T h r a l e ? It must be a delightful piece of unsuccessful eloquence.' (Adam Libr. iii. 123.) 1 R . Blunt (op. cit.), ii. 165. This same story kept c r o p p i n g u p for the next few months. T h e Morning Post, M a r . 4, 1785, printed: 'Signora Piozzi, late Mrs. T h r a l e , is at present immured in Italy by her husband, w h o h a v i n g possessed himself of about 30,ooo£ of her cash, is striving, with use of it, to dissipate the remains of 4 T h r a l i a n a , M a y 1, 1787. her affection!'

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on Dccembcr 29 of the plans of the various Johnson biographers, warned her that she would be besieged for anecdotes. His prediction was correct, and she was soon approached by the booksellers for anecdotes to be used in the official biography undertaken by Sir J o h n Hawkins. 1 She had, indeed, always planned to write the memoirs o f j o h n s o n herself, but his death at this time made it exceedingly difficult. Although she had been collecting material for twenty years with such a work in view, most of these miscellaneous papers and letters were safe in a bank vault in London, 2 and she had only Thraliana with her on which to draw for anecdotes. Of one thing she was certain—she was enjoying her Italian tour too much to consider any speedy return to England. As a result she was in a complete quandary, unable either to give up the idea or to throw herself wholeheartedly into active competition with the other biographers. Replying to Lysons on J a n u a r y 20, she insisted that she had not settled in her own mind what she would do, but asked him to get her all the anecdotes he could find of the early and late parts of Johnson's life, 'the middle of which no one knows as well as myself, nor half as well'. She warned him, however, that she did not want her intentions known. O n the 25th, still in doubt, she confided in T h r a l i a n a : I have recovered myself sufficiently to think what will be the Consequence to me of Johnson's Death, but must wait the Event as all Thoughts on the future in this World are vain. Six People have already undertaken to write his Life I hear of which Sir John Hawkins, Mr. Boswell, Tom Davies and Dr. Kippis are four. Piozzi says he would have me add to the Number, and so I would; but that I think my Anecdotes too few, & am afraid of saucy Answers if I send to England for others—the saucy Answers I should disregard but my heart is made vulnerable by my late Marriage, and I am certain that to spite me, they would insult my Husband. Poor Johnson! I see they will leave nothing untold that I laboured so long to keep secret; & I was so very delicate in trying to conceal his fancied Insanity, that I retained no Proofs of it—or hardly any —nor ever mentioned it in these Books, lest by my dying first they might be printed and the Secret (for such I thought it) discovered. I used to tell him in Jest that his Biographers would be at a Loss 1 T o Mrs. Piozzi from J a m e s Robson, J a n . 28, 1785, now in the possession of Ellis & Co., 29 New Bond St., London. 1 These papers included over 400 letters from Johnson, and at least 25 written to him by a variety of correspondents, including Lucy Porter, Fanny Burney, Charlotte Lennox, Boswell, Langton, & c . There were also the Children's Book and numerous small repositories, as well as miscellaneous loose papers on which she had written down poems and anecdotes.

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concerning some Orange-Peel he used to keep in his pocket, and many a Joke we had about the Lives that would be published: rescue me out of all their hands My dear, & do it yourself said he: 'Taylor, Adams, & Hector will furnish you with juvenile Anecdotes, & Baretti will give you all the rest that you have not already—for I think Baretti is a Lyar only when he speaks of himself. . . By the latter part ofJ a n u a r y newspapers and magazines from England had arrived in Milan full of allusions to the rccent death of the great lexicographer. These further stirred Mrs. Piozzi's ambition. One of the first in the field, Tom Tyers, published in the December number of the Gentleman's Magazine what he called a biographical sketch of Dr. Johnson. This sketch, which was highly complimentary to the Thrales, 1 was reviewed by an anonymous correspondent in the St. Jameses Chronicle of J a n u a r y 8, 1785, 2 who added sarcastic remarks about the cause of Thrale's death, together with insulting gibes at his widow's second marriage. The same unknown writer published a second review on the n t h , in which the Thrales were not mentioned, but in which Boswell's intended biography was highly praised. In far-off Italy Mrs. Piozzi had no means of identifying the author of these articles, whom we now know to have been George Steevens, the editor of Shakespeare; but she immediately suspected Boswell, and recorded her conjecture in Thraliana. The innocent Boswell, who had seen in Edinburgh the article in the St. James's Chronicle praising his forthcoming work, was as eager as she to find out the name of the author. Consequently, he wrote a highly characteristic letter to the printers of the paper, in which he thanked the anonymous writer for his compliments and asked him to come forward and avow his name. When Mrs. Piozzi saw this letter of Boswell's, she was convinced that the whole affair had been merely a stratagem of his to rouse public interest in himself. It was more than ever important that she rush into print to retaliate. Having decidcd to begin work immediately instead of waiting until her return to England, Mrs. Piozzi wrote to all her old acquaintances whom she could trust, asking for assistance. Lysons replied on February 25: 1 fear Anecdotes of the early part of Johnson's life will not be ' Gent. Mag. (1784), p. 904. Tyers quoted Johnson as saying of Mrs. Thrale, 'if she was not the wisest woman in the world, she was undoubtedly one of the wittiest'. He quoted Goldsmith as remarking that after one severe illness Johnson 'owed his recovery to her attention'. 2 For a more complete discussion of this episode see my article 'The Printing of Mrs. Piozzi's Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson', J . Rylands Bulletin, xx (1936), 157-72.

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very easily p r o c u r e d , t h o ' Sir J n o . H a w k i n s w h o is writing the life which is to be prefixed to the Edition of his Works, says that he has material sufficient to fill a n octavo volume, w h a t h e has will of course be kept close 'till the publication. Several others of t h e Doctor's friends, they say, intend publishing their scraps separate. 1 Lysons, later in the letter, copied out for her an epitaph 'just arrived from Lichfield', which Johnson was supposed to have written at the age of five, after treading on a duck. This somewhat dubious story she promptly incorporated in her manuscript. 2 On M a r c h 22nd she reported progress to the same correspondent: M y Book is getting f o r w a r d , & will r u n well enough a m o n g the rest; the Letters I h a v e of Dr. J o h n s o n ' s are two h u n d r e d at least I d a r e say, and some of those from Skie are delightful: they will carry my little V o l u m e u p o n their Back quite easily. D o you know w h o D r . T a y l o r gives his Anecdotes to? M r . J o h n s o n bid m c once ask him for M e m o i r s if I was the survivor, & so I would, b u t I a m a f r a i d of a Refusal, as I guess Sir J n o . H a w k i n s is already in possession of all that D r . T a y l o r has to bestow. T h e r e lives however at B i r m i n g h a m a Surgeon M r . E d w a r d Hector, w h o m likewise M r . J o h n s o n referred m e t o : h e once saw M r . T h r a l e & me, &, perhaps would be more kind, & m o r e likely to relate such Things as I wish to h e a r . — C o u l d you go between us? & coax h i m out of some I n t e l l i g e n c e , — T h e story of the Duck is i n c o m p a r a b l e . Sir Lucas Pepys advised m e not to declare to private Friends alone, b u t to publicly advertise my Intentions of writing Anecdotes concerning D r . J o h n s o n , you will therefore see it proclaimed in all the papers I hope. From the beginning Mrs. Piozzi had been undecided exactly what form her compilation should take, but she seems to have contemplated some combination of anecdotes and letters, possibly of the nature of Mason's Life of Gray. She constantly referred to her letters from Johnson as the most valuable part of her material. T h e last of April Mrs. Piozzi wrote to Lysons: M y Book is in very p r e t t y forwardness, b u t the Letters I have in E n g l a n d are m y best Possessions. A propos the Papers said t h a t Sir J o h n H a w k i n s has h a d his H o u s e b u r n e d d o w n , is it t r u e ? — Pray enquire for a letter w h i c h I know D r . J o h n s o n w r o t e to M r . Barnard the K i n g ' s librarian w h e n h e was in Italy looking for 1

Unless otherwise noted all letters from Lysons are in R y . 5 5 2 . John. Misc. i. 1 5 3 . Also, Life, i. 40. L u c y Porter always insisted this apocryphal story was true. T h e verses appeared in the Daily Universal Register, M a r . 5, 1785. T h e story may not have been new to Mrs. Piozzi, for she insisted in a later annotation to Boswell's Life, 'I do protest he told them to me himself as I printed them: & I believe he made them' (Isham copy). 2

244 THE FLORENCE MISCELLANY 1784curious Books; the Subject was wholly Literary and Controversial, and would be most interesting to the P u b l i c ; I would give any thing almost to obtain a C o p y now, and there was a T i m e w h e n I might h a v e taken twenty Copies. R e a l i z i n g h e r i g n o r a n c c o f J o h n s o n ' s e a r l y life, M r s . P i o z z i c o n s t a n t l y w r o t e to L y s o n s , to D r . L o r t , a n d S i r L u c a s P e p y s a s k i n g their aid in c o l l e c t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n . U n f o r t u n a t e l y these m e n w e r e t o o b u s y w i t h t h e i r o w n a f f a i r s to b e o f m u c h s e r v i c e . D r . L o r t , w h o h a d b e e n c o m m i s s i o n e d t o a p p l y to D r . A d a m s f o r a n e c d o t e s a b o u t his r e l a t i o n s w i t h J o h n s o n , r e p l i e d t h a t A d a m s h a d little o r n o t h i n g o f a n y c o n s e q u e n c e to o f f e r . 1 Lysons was able to report only that Hector h a d already given his stories to B o s w e l l , a n d t h a t S e w a r d ' s c o l l e c t i o n o f J o h n soniana had been 'perused by K i p p i s & squeezed again by H a w k i n s ' . 2 I t w a s o b v i o u s t h a t she c o u l d n e v e r h o p e to c o m p e t e b y p r o x y w i t h s u c h a c t i v e g l e a n e r s o f i n f o r m a t i o n as B o s w e l l a n d his rivals. L y s o n s , h o w e v e r , a d d e d as c o m pensation : I saw the Bishop of Peterborough a few d a y s since, he was much pleased when I told him of y o u r intentions, he thinks it will not be worth while for y o u to give yourself m u c h trouble in collecting early or late anecdotes of Johnson, for w h i c h you must depend on the m e m o r y of others, as they will not be expected in your account of him & as those you have, will be infinitely more interesting than any other Period of his life could be supposed to furnish. A c c o r d i n g l y , as she t r a v e l l e d a b o u t , M r s . P i o z z i w e n t a h e a d t r a n s c r i b i n g h e r o l d j o t t i n g s f r o m T h r a l i a n a , a n d r a c k i n g her b r a i n for f u r t h e r m e m o r i e s o f t h e g r e a t m a n . T h e n , as soon as t h e w o r k w a s d e f i n i t e l y b e g u n , she w a n t e d h e r i n t e n t i o n s w e l l a d v e r t i s e d . L a t e in M a r c h she h a d g i v e n L y s o n s a u t h o r i t y to see t h a t h e r p l a n s w e r e a n n o u n c e d in t h e p a p e r s , b u t in his replies d u r i n g A p r i l t h e r e is n o r e f e r e n c e to this r e q u e s t . T h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t d i d a p p e a r , h o w e v e r , in t h e St. Jameses Chronicle for A p r i l iG. L y s o n s w r o t e on M a y 20: Boswell intends publishing his H e b r i d i a n T o u r with anecdotes very soon, his Life in Q u a r t o docs not a p p e a r for some T i m e . I believe some o f Johnson's Biographers arc by no means pleased that you should be a d d e d to their n u m b e r — M a n y ill natured things have been said and a p a r a g r a p h inserted in the papers to tell the world that it could not be your advertizement, as you was not at present sufficiently at liberty to be the author of it . . . • R y . 544, 3 ; M a y 28,

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D r . L o r t also w r o t e o f the v e n o m o u s p a r a g r a p h in the p a p e r , 1 a n d j o i n e d w i t h L y s o n s in u r g i n g her to r e t u r n t o E n g l a n d as q u i c k l y as possible, since t h e o n l y w a y to p u t a stop to this c a n a r d o f her i n c a r c e r a t i o n w o u l d b e to a p p e a r o n t h e spot w i t h her o l d - t i m e h e a l t h a n d v i g o u r . B u t this M r s . P i o z z i w a s not y e t w i l l i n g to d o . A l t h o u g h d e t e r m i n e d to d o s o m e t h i n g w i t h h e r J o h n s o n i a n a , she h a d n o intention o f a l l o w i n g the w o r k to interfere w i t h h e r e n j o y m e n t of the l a n d o f r o m a n c e she h a d e n t e r e d . S h o r t l y a f t e r h e a r i n g o f t h e d e a t h o f J o h n s o n , she c e l e b r a t e d h e r b i r t h d a y on J a n u a r y 27, s u r r o u n d e d b y f u l s o m e I t a l i a n friends, w i t h a s u m p t u o u s d i n n e r a n d c o n c e r t . O f h e r n e w f o u n d j o y she w r o t e in T h r a l i a n a : but that of Course which most delights my Heart is the unfeigned Pleasure which I see my Piozzi takes in my C o m p a n y — G o d has heard my Prayers, and enabled me to make happy the most amiable of his S e x . — W a s I to wish for more, I might provoke Providence to lessen the Enjoyments I possess; let me suppress all inordinate Desire of a Child by the M a n I so love—that only could add to my happiness. So passes the happiest Birthday ever yet experienced by Hester L y n c h Piozzi. T h r o u g h o u t F e b r u a r y a n d M a r c h 1785 the Piozzis c o n t i n u e d their c a r e f r e e existence in M i l a n . A s she w r o t e t o her eldest d a u g h t e r on F e b r u a r y 25, e v e r y M o n d a y there w a s a c o n c e r t a t the ' C a s a P i o z z i ' w h i c h w a s t h r o n g e d b y I t a l i a n s o f all ranks. L i f e w a s v e r y p l e a s a n t , for ' t h e W o m e n kiss m e , & t h e M e n write Verses a b o u t me, & I translated a Sonnet upon an A i r B a l l o o n , & they all a d m i r e d at it'. A m o n g h e r guests w a s a t least one E n g l i s h m a n , W i l l i a m Parsons, w h o m she m e n t i o n e d as h a v i n g left c o m p l i m e n t a r y verses h i d d e n b e h i n d D r . J o h n son's p i c t u r e w h i c h h u n g , w i t h Q u e e n e y ' s , in t h e i r b r e a k f a s t room. O n e flaw, a n d o n l y o n e , m a r r e d t h e p e r f e c t i o n o f this i d e a l existence. O n t h e s u r f a c e e v e r y t h i n g m i g h t s e e m serene, b u t M r s . P i o z z i sensed u n e a s i l y t h a t in a c e r t a i n respect she w a s in a difficult position. D i f f e r e n c e o f r e l i g i o n in I t a l y w a s a m u c h m o r e vital c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h a n in E n g l a n d . S h e herself, t h o u g h b r o u g h t u p a Protestant, h a d , as she p u t it, a l w a y s ' b e e n p a r t i a l to Peter as elder B r o t h e r ' ; 2 n o w she f o u n d t h a t in t h e c o u n t r y o f her h u s b a n d t h e y r e c o g n i z e d n o o t h e r b r a n c h o f t h e C h u r c h . S h e h a d thus b e c o m e a n o b j e c t for the p r o s e l y t i z i n g z e a l o f t h e ' R y . 544, 3

1

Thraliana, Mar. 1785.

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ecclesiastics who frequented their company. A t first she took this zealous solicitation good-humouredly enough, and argued with them as she would have done with an English Bishop; but when she found all her ideas casually disdained, she commented in Thraliana, 'these People by treating my notions as Heretical, have made me a Protestant in despite of myself'. Gradually, too, she began to feel that the question was more serious than she had at first supposed: if she persisted in open heresy, her husband would be made to suffer; if she was permanently adamant, an attempt might even be made to wean him away from her. 1 T o a wife passionately in love such a prospect was a serious challenge. Y e t how could she escape from the zeal of the churchmen and still not alienate her husband? Clever woman that she was, she soon found a way to avoid this entanglement; by moving from place to place she would lessen the opportunities of the clerics and keep Piozzi to herself. Constant travel was her only hope. While announcing their intention of returning to Milan within a year, the Piozzis, after a stay of five months, prepared to depart on a tour of Italy. Leaving all their furniture, fine linen, china, & c . , under the care of the kind A b b e Bossi, they set out on April 6 for Venice. Long afterwards, remembering this departure, she wrote: W e l l ! N o w I did prepare to be h a p p y ; I had m y husband to myself iri the Coach w h i c h I b e g a n to consider as my favourite home; no W o m e n to be jealous of, no Priests to be afraid of. W e m a d e as short or as long J o u r n e y s as suited my health or m y C a p r i c e , and I think Lodi w a s our first Stage, & w e went to the O p e r a together at N i g h t : no Party to m a k e — n o L a d y to lament a b o u t , whether she went or no . . . but I had Piozzi with me, & he had his little Piano r f o r t e — & w h a t could w e w a n t ? T h e Places he took m e to, entertained me quite e n o u g h ; my R e m a r k s on them entertained him; though I believe he now & then wanted more A u d i t o r s than the G e n t l e m e n w h o showed us the Curiosities. 2

In a leisurely manner they drove through Cremona, Mantua, Verona, to Padua; and her journals, as usual, were filled with interesting comments on the way. In Padua the Piozzis visited 'Santa Grestina's fine Church', where she delighted to explain to her husband the Biblical carvings around the high altar. All her life a student of the Bible, she found this an excellent chance to display her knowledge. T h e old ecclesiastic ' M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , ii. 3 7 , 38. religious problem.

S h e c o n f i d e d to T h r a l i a n a m u c h a b o u t h e r 2 I b i d . ii. 4 0 - 1 .

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who guided them about the church was astounded, crossed himself, and at last exclaimed: 'Questo e pur un PortentoV Such knowledge of the Bible could only be the result of a miracle. But when Piozzi whispered to him that his wife was an Englishwoman and a heretic, an easy explanation of such erudition, the old priest cried out: 'God convert her! She has too great Talents for thy Enemies, O h Lord!' Mrs. Piozzi was much flattered and moved by this tribute, but her husband, seeing the ludicrous side of the incident, rushed out of the church unable to stifle his laughter. 1 At Padua the Piozzis left their coach and floated on a barge down the Brenta to Venice, accompanied by the music of Piozzi's little piano, which 'never sounded so sweet I think as on that Water, which is used to the Freightage of Musick'. 1 Mrs. Piozzi was completely charmed with Venice. So amiable were the inhabitants and so affectionate their treatment of her; so enchanting the architecture of Saint Mark's, with the moon rising out of the sea on one side and the setting sun gilding the bronze horses on the other; so magnificent the elegant family barges with eight gondoliers, offered by noble Venetians for her evening's entertainment; so amazing the conversations of literary people, who quoted Clarissa and repeated Pope's Essays', that she filled her letters with rhapsodies about the lovely city and state of Venice. Her journal, too, was crammed with the same encomiums. While in Venice she wrote more comments in five weeks than in five months in Milan. T h e famous pictures were a never-ending source of delight. She commented to Queeney, 'the Pictures here are all known in England I believe, but nothing can give one a just Idea of them except the Sight'. Such beauty she had long dreamed of, but never before experienced, and she added humourously: but as I never now speak my own Language except to My Maid, I am more in the way of resembling Mr. Johnson's Madman, who in order to attain perfection said if you remember that it was sufficient to pronounce the Word bel, bel, bel, bel, bel: and this Word occurs so often in this Country that I shall soon arrive at the State he wished for.

In Venice Mrs. Piozzi first met members of her husband's family. A younger brother, Giambattista, greeted them affectionately, but when he tried ineffectually to interest Gabriel in investing some of his wife's money in a speculative scheme, 1

Ibid. ii. 42.

1

Queeney Letters, 197. To Queeney, Apr. 22, 1785.

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cooled. 1

thc affection Never a gambler, Gabriel Piozzi had no interest in any wild plans; he was canny, careful and saving, more apt to err on the side of caution than daring. With regret, ' & almost with Tears', the Piozzis left Venice on M a y 21 and returned up the Brenta again to Padua, where they planned to reclaim their coach. Upon meeting the Professor of Natural History there, she was interested to find that he had been an old acquaintance of Dr. Johnson. 2 O n the evening of M a y 26 they set out under a full moon for Ferrara and Bologna. T h e latter place offered an opportunity to study the Carracci school of painting, which made an immediate appeal. Guercino, particularly, became her passion, and she filled the pages of her journal with descriptions of his pictures. 3 Early in June the Piozzis passed over the Apennines to Florence. Upon arrival they arranged to stay at a hotel kept by an Englishman and his wife named Meghitt, and Mrs. Piozzi many years afterward remembered how frantic with j o y her maid had been 'to see soft low Beds once again, a Dish of Beans & Bacon, & Currant Tart'. 4 T h e next morning they learned that 'the House was full of English Gentlemen & an English L a d y — W a r w i c k s h i r e People, Mr. & Mrs. Grcatheed: with the Same Friend M r . Parsons who had left the Verses behind Dr. Johnson's Portrait at Milan'. Then at breakfast time, w e r c c c i v e d the civillest o f all Notes f r o m o u r Fellow L o d g e r s — requesting the h o n o u r of o u r C o m p a n y — h o p i n g for our A c q u a i n t a n c e & c . Piozzi w a s n o w flattered in the w a y he w i s h e d — s a i d English P e o p l e a l o n e k n e w h o w to b e h a v e to him & to me. T h e I n t i m a c y w a s then f o r m e d , a n d a n A g r e e m e n t to dine e v e r y D a y t o g e t h e r w h i l e w e s t a i d — t h e G r e a t h e e d s , M r . M e r r y , M r . Bidd u l p h , a n d M r . Parsons; to w h o m L o r d P e m b r o k e a d d e d his request for admission, a n d the D i n n e r w a s a l w a y s in m y A p a r t m e n t or Mrs. Greatheeds.

After almost a year Mrs. Piozzi found herself again in a cultivated circle of her own countrymen. T h e men flattered her husband, complimented him on his playing and singing, and 1 Ry. 618. ' Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 44. Mrs. Piozzi was only following tradition when she went into transports over 'not half but wholey divine Guercino'. Lady Miller in her letters from Italy (1776) expressed the typical attitude of the English connoisseur of the period. Further evidence may be derived from a book of prints made by Arthur Pond (circa 1735) from the Italian School, where pictures by Carracci and Guercino predominate. (B.M.) In her taste in art, Mrs. Piozzi was not a pioneer, for she came near the end ol the English admiration for the Carracci school of painting. 4 Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 50-1. 1

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'laughed him out of one Prejudice after a n o t h e r ' ; for her part, she now had an E n g l i s h w o m a n to stay with w h e n the men went out riding, and a sympathetic g r o u p a l w a y s near by with w h o m to talk art and literature. It was a w e l c o m e c h a n g e from the constant strain of a c c o m m o d a t i n g herself to n e w customs and new modes of life. T h e three principal members of the g r o u p require some introduction. 1 W i l l i a m Parsons, 'of the Sussex M i l i t i a ' , the Piozzis had met both at M i l a n and V e n i c e . W e a k , unstable, inordinately conceited, he t h o u g h t himself a talented poet, and his head was full of grandiose literary schemes. His friend R o b e r t M e r r y had more ability if not stability. O f good f a m i l y , M e r r y had been e d u c a t e d at H a r r o w and C a m b r i d g e , w h i c h he left without a d e g r e e ; for a time he held a commission in the a r m y , and gambled a w a y a large fortune inherited from his father. H e was now settled in the British colony in Florence, carrying on an affair w i t h the notorious L a d y C o w p e r . M e r r y was undoubtedly e n d o w e d with some vein of genius, t h o u g h he never fulfilled the promise of his y o u t h . T h e third of the triumvirate was Bertie G r e a t h e e d , n e p h e w of the D u k e of Ancaster. His verses w e r e no better than those o f his c o m panions, but he was a m u c h more b a l a n c e d character. M a n y years later the poet T h o m a s C a m p b e l l wrote of h i m : ' H e w a s a courageous Liberal, at a time w h e n Liberalism was not so safe as at present; a practical philanthropist, and in every respect an estimable m a n . . . But he was not a m a n of genius.' 2 These three, with Mrs. G r e a t h e e d and the Piozzis, were the mainstays of the Florence coterie, but also included were a n u m b e r of others. Shortly after arriving in Florence M r s . Piozzi met her old friend M a n u c c i , w h o m the T h r a l e s had first seen on their trip to Paris in 1775. T h o u g h he had heard nothing of the Piozzi marriage, M a n u c c i , as an old friend o f the singer, c a m e naturally to p a y his respects, u p o n hearing of the latter's c o m i n g to Florence w i t h an English wife. W h e n he arrived Mrs. Piozzi was in her a p a r t m e n t ; so the t w o men talked awhile, renewing old a c q u a i n t a n c e . A s k i n g particularly for Mrs. T h r a l e , the C o u n t w o n d e r e d w h e t h e r she had married again. Piozzi evaded the question as best he c o u l d , until Mrs. Piozzi herself burst into the r o o m to the surprise and delight o f 1 For informalion about Parsons, Merry, and Greatheed, see R. Marshall, Italy in English Literature 1755-1815 (New York, 1934), and J. M . Longaker, The Delia Cruscans and William Gijford (Philadelphia, 1924). 1 T. Campbell, Life of Airs. Siddons (1834), ii. 124.

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the astounded Manucci. Over and over he exclaimed: 'Ah, Madame! quel Coup de Theatre!!' Manucci soon joined the agreeable company, the one representative of the old Streatham years. 1 A number of Italian writers and artists, of far greater merit and more lasting fame than their English friends, were constant guests. Ippolito Pindexnonte (by courtesy, The Marquis) was possibly at the time the best poet in Italy, while Count D'Elci and Lorenzo Pignotti were decidedly writers of the first rank. They fraternized with the English amateurs, translating each other's verses, and lauding in turn each new effusion. In 1784 some of this group had united in the publication of a slim volume which they called The Arno Miscellany,1 now they were again toying with the idea of a similar venture. They were all 'verse mad', Mrs. Piozzi wrote to Queeney, and she confided to Lysons on J u l y 27: 'I have been playing the baby, and writing nonsense to divert our English friends here, who do the same thing themselves, and swear they will print the collection.' Although busily copying out her anecdotes of Dr. Johnson, she was delighted to be included in such a project. For it she completed a long translation of Pindemonte's Ode in praise of England, 'Hymn to Calliope', in return for which he rendered into Italian her 'Three Warnings', 3 and in addition she hurriedly wrote a number of shorter poems. As the summer progressed, the collection began to take form, and possibly was in the hands of the printers some time in August. The title finally decided upon was The Florence Miscellany. The Florence Miscellany contains thirty-one contributions by Parsons, who was the moving spirit of the group and acted not only as editor but proof-reader as well, nineteen by Merry, ten by Mrs. Piozzi, six by Greatheed, and fourteen by their Italian colleagues. The book was privately printed, and the expense probably shared by various members of the group. The volume is not of great merit but, it must be admitted, has been much more harshly condemned than it deserves. Perhaps one reason has been its reputed connexion with the so-called 'DellaCruscan' school of poetry so violently attacked by Gifford in the Baviad and Maeviad. Strictly speaking, the little group in Florence should not be called 'Della-Cruscans', for it was not 1

Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 56; also Queeney Letters, p. 20C. Arno Miscellany Being a Collection of fugitive pieces ivritten by members of a society called the Oziosi at Florence, printed at the Stamperia Bonducciana, 1784. 1 Queeney Letters, p. 202. For Pindemonte's later remembrance of his friendship with Mrs. Piozzi see Byron's Works, ed. Moore ( 1 8 3 2 ) , iv. 32. 2

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until two years later that M e r r y , w h o had actually never been a member of the celebrated A c a d e m y , appropriated the signature 'Delia C r u s c a ' and thus g a v e a n a m e to the whole foolish school of poetry which a p p e a r e d in the columns of the World newspaper. G i f f o r d later admitted that he had not examined the Florence Miscellany thoroughly when he m a d e his first violent attack. 1 M r s . Piozzi has undoubtedly been responsible for m u c h of the misunderstanding of the purpose of the volume. H e r preface, while so amusingly written as to arouse the a d m i r a t i o n of H o r a c e VValpole, 2 shows that she herself had only a v a g u e appreciation of the aims of some of the members of the g r o u p . She apologetically explained their reason for printing the poems: we wrote them to divert ourselves, and to say kind things of each other; we collected them that our reciprocal expressions of kindness might not be lost, and we printed them because we had no reason to be ashamed of our mutual partiality. 3 W h a t interested her most were those florid effusions of mutual admiration which a p p e a r e d throughout the volume, and which she took to be characteristic of the entire work. S h e was completely oblivious of various undercurrents which influenced much of the writing of her fellow contributors. As D r . Roderick M a r s h a l l has pointed out, in order to understand the genesis of the Florence Miscellany one must take into consideration the political and social conditions in Florence at the time. 4 M a n y of the poems of the English writers and their Italian confrères h a v e a serious political purpose. T h e A c c a d e m i a della Crusca had been the c h a m p i o n of the I t a l i a n lang u a g e , the active defender of the g r e a t heritage of I t a l i a n literature, and when, in 1 7 8 3 , it w a s suppressed b y the G r a n d Duke Leopold of T u s c a n y , lovers of liberty and art e v e r y w h e r e were aroused. Parsons, M e r r y , and G r e a t h e e d , with the liberal enthusiasm of e m b r y o poets, w e r e enraged at this manifestation of despotic rule. E n c o u r a g e d p r o b a b l y by D ' E l c i , Pignotti, and P i n d e m o n t e , they determined to carry on the ideals of the suppressed A c a d e m y . T h e Florence Miscellany was in part the result of that determination. F o r while a portion of the work is typical vers de société, there can be little doubt that some of the authors, certainly the Italians, intended 1 R . Marshall, op. cit., p. 1 7 9 . VValpole, Letters, xiii. 3 7 1 . Florence Misc., p. 5. See R . Marshall, op. cit., p. 1 7 8 . Reprinted, Gent. Mag., 4 lvii ( 1 7 8 7 ) , 3. R . Marshall, op. cit., pp. 1 7 3 - 9 9 . 1

1

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thcir poems to be the expression of liberal, patriotic feeling. In opposition to the tyrannical, corrupted present, they would sing of Italy's greatness in the past, of the days when art and literature reigned supreme along the shores of the Mediterranean. It is possible, or so it seems to me, to see from the printing of the volume itself further evidence of this serious purpose. Realizing the danger they were encountering in publishing under the rigid censorship from which Florence suffered at the time, the authors arranged to have a number of poems printed with blank spaces at the more critical passages. For the intimate members of the group, slips were printed containing the excised passages, which when pasted in the proper places rendered the verses complete. Y e t outsiders, who might chance on a copy, would consider the gaps merely a typesetter's arrangement. Despite the fact that the cancelled lines do not seem to us very incendiary, those referring to the suppression of the Accademia della Crusca, on page 9, and the allusion to the baleful influence of the fierce Austrian Eagle, on page 27, might well have been considered dangerous to publish in a despotic state. 1 M u c h of the verse is certainly ingenuous and jejune, but mixed somehow with a strange seriousness. T h o u g h occasionally a genuine interest in nature appears, the unifying spirit throughout is a passionate admiration for Italy and its historic past. Even the verse forms, in part, were derived from old Italian rhymes and metres. Italian influence, to be sure, scarcely made itself felt in England until the next century, when Byron, Keats, and Shelley found a similar enchantment in these old rhythms; yet to Parsons and Merry must be given some credit for pointing the way to their more distinguished countrymen. T o o long disregarded by the critics bccause of 1 My copy of the Florence Misc., with the book-plate of Sir John Salusbury and probably once belonging to Mrs. Piozzi herself, has pasted slips 011 pages 9, 20, 27, and 2 1 5 . A copy in the Columbia Univ. Library has similar additions. One without the slips was sold as item 182 in the Ishain Sale, Anderson Galleries, May 4, 1933. In my copy Mrs. Piozzi's contributions are initialed throughout, and two additional lines in her hand have been added on p. 209. These occur after line 12 and read: 'Let these last Lines some Truths contain, More clear than bright, less sweet than plain.' Probably this volume is the one referred to by Mrs. Piozzi when writing to her adopted heir, Salusbury, on Apr. 14, 1O13. Is not Mr. Broster a famous Mortal to charge Mrs. Mostyn Ten Pounds for our Florence Misccllany? Pray take Care of that in the Drawer upstairs at Brynbclla; it will be worth 50/^ in Twenty Years more. (Ry. 586, 159.) Her prediction as to its ultimate worth has unfortunately fur me not been fulfilled.

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M e r r y ' s later connexion with w h a t is termed the 'Delia C r u s c a n M o v e m e n t ' , the Florence Miscellany has recently been called by Dr. Marshall 'probably the most important book of [English] poetry on Italian themes to appear in the eighteenth century'. 1 Just w h e n the Florence Miscellany appeared, or how m a n y copics were printed, is uncertain. 2 Since the book was privately printed and thus never published, there were 110 announcements in contemporary newspapers or magazines. From Mrs. Piozzi's correspondence, however, an approximate date m a y be determined. She wrote to Q u c c n c y on September 17, 1785, 'I shall m a y be send . . .'; to Lysons on N o v e m b e r 4 : 'I have sent a few copies to E n g l a n d ' ; at which time nineteen copics were dispatched b y the ship Roman Emperor to C a t o r to be distributed a m o n g the few friends w h o might be interested. T h e small stock of copies which the authors had immediately sent as gifts to friends and relatives was speedily exhausted, and in J a n u a r y 1786 M e r r y proposed reprinting the volume. 3 His English colleagues, on the other hand, were averse to further advertisement of their occasional verses, and nothing came of the suggestion. Nevertheless, the poems were not allowed to sink into oblivion so quickly. O n e of the copies of the Florence Miscellany w h i c h had been sent to E n g l a n d fell into the hands of an enterprising journalist, and excerpts were printed in the European Magazine for F e b r u a r y , M a r c h , A p r i l , M a y , and J u n e , 1 786, while some portions were repeated in the London Chronicle in F e b r u a r y , M a y , and J u n e . 4 W h e n Parsons heard the news, he wrote in haste to Mrs. Piozzi from Berne, quoting from a ietter he had just received: T h e Editors of the European Magazine have somehow got hold of the Florence Miscellany, and arc entertaining their readers every month with selections from it, this month they have inserted the Pleasures of Poetry & La Partenza, & I suppose will go through the volume. 5 R . Marshall, o p . cit., p. 173. Printed privately by G . C a m , Florence, 1785. T h e sire of the edition, which cannot have been very large, has not been ascertained. 3 T o Mrs. Piozzi, J a n 10, 1786 ( A d a m collection). A f t e r a long passage o f effusive c o m p l i m e n t , M e r r y amusingly a d d e d , 'don't suspect me of flattery; for I never use it'. 4 European Mag. (1786), 1 2 1 - 2 , 203-4, 286. 3 6 2 - 3 ; London Chronicle, Feb. 1 4 16, M a y 30-June 1, & c . , 1786; Cent. Mag. Ivii ( 1 7 8 7 ) , 2 5 7 - 8 . Because of her celebrity due to the publication of the Anecdotes nearly all of Mrs. Piozzi's contributions were reprinted in the magazines, but only a portion of those of the other authors of the Florence Misc. were included. 5 Original letter sold at Sotheby's, J a n . 22, 1907, lot 735. It is q u o t e d by 1

2

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Parsons added that he felt 'most sensibly the hardship of such hasty compositions being submitted to the perusal of the whole world without being at least allowed the liberty of correcting them'. He had written immediately to his friend in England to put a stop to this infringement of their literary rights. Parsons's anger was soon mollified, if indeed he had ever been even irritated, for upon his return to England the following autumn, he wrote to Mrs. Piozzi: I h a v e not h a d an o p p o r t u n i t y of hearing m u c h a b o u t our F l o r e n c e M i s c e l l a n y , most of m y Friends to w h o m I had sent copies b e i n g in the C o u n t r y , b u t w e m a k e a brilliant a p p e a r a n c e in t h e E u r o p e a n M a g a z i n e , w h i c h the Editors h a v e also e n r i c h ' d w i t h a n E n g r a v i n g & M e m o i r s of y o u r s e l f , — a distinction w h i c h they seem not to j u d g e the rest of us w o r t h y of. 1

This time he seemed more disturbed that one of his collaborators had received the most attention, than that his 'hasty compositions' had been blazoned to the public eye. T h e Florence Miscellany, in its original form, was never well known in England. Instead, it was chiefly through the excerpts reprinted by the magazines that English readers became acquainted with the verse of Merry, Parsons, Greatheed, and Mrs. Piozzi. These selections, unfortunately not always the best, were considered representative and have largely been used by later critics in an estimate of the publication itself. T h e contributions by Pindemonte and the other Italians have consequently been almost completely ignored. Mrs. Piozzi herself always wrote in an apologetic tone about the Florence Miscellany, for she had never taken the affair very seriously. While it had been delightful to return to the old occupation of writing and criticizing poetry, she was far more interested in an ambitious publication all her own. Johnson, not Italian politics, would be her stepping-stone to fame. E d m u n d T . Silk, ' A Critical Bibliography of Hester Lynch (Thrale) Piozzi', unpublished Master's Essay, Yale Univ., 1927. I am indebted to M r . Silk for 1 R y . 558, 17; O c t . 1, 1786. a n u m b e r of identifications.

XII ANECDOTES

I

SEPTEMBER

OF DR.

JOHNSON

1785-MAY

I 786

N the spring of 1785 Lysons had advised Mrs. Piozzi to select a publisher in London to take charge of the necessary advance notices of her Johnsonian volumes. Accordingly, on J u n e 7 she wrote to Thomas Cadell in the Strand, offering him her anecdotes, and adding:

A s I h a v e a large collection of his letters in E n g l a n d , besides s o m e verses, k n o w n only to myself, I wish to d e l a y printing till w e c a n m a k e t w o or three little volumes, not u n a c c e p t a b l e , perhaps, to the p u b l i c ; but I desire m y intention to be notified, for divers reasons, a n d , if y o u a p p r o v e of the scheme, should wish it to be i m m e d i a t e l y advertized.1

Cadell gladly accepted her commission, and in his letter of J u n e 28 enclosed a copy of the advertisement placed in the newspapers. P r e p a r i n g for the press a n d will be published with all possible Expedition A n e c d o t e s of the late S a m u e l J o h n s o n L L D d u r i n g the last t w e n t y Y e a r s of his L i f e B y M r s . H e s t e r L . Piozzi T o w h i c h will be a d d e d , A Collection of Letters a n d V e r s e s n e v e r before published. Printed for T . C a d e l l in the S t r a n d . 1

At the same time Cadell vigorously urged haste, that the publication might appear while the interest in Johnson was still at its height. He further made the suggestion, to facilitate completion of the work by the following winter, that her letters and manuscripts in England should be sent to Italy. T o this proposal, however, Mrs. Piozzi refused to assent. Since Johnson's verses and letters were locked up in a bank with her ' Hayward, i. 272. Mrs. Piozzi's letters to Cadell were first published in the Gent. Mag. (1852) (new series), pp. 1 3 6 - 7 , 2 3 2 - 3 . Lysons had suggested Cadell as a possible publisher in his letter of Apr. 15, 1785. 'Cadell told me one day he shod, not wish for a better publication than that of Dr. J ' s letters' (Ry. 552, 4). ' ^y- 554. ' 7- Among other papers, this appeared in the Morning Post, J u n e 29, 30, 1785, and the Public Advertiser, J u n e 30.

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OF DR. JOHNSON

i785-

own private papers, she was not willing to entrust the key to any stranger, to have any busy-body prying into her personal affairs. 1 As a compromise she proposed that the anecdotes should be published separately. Instead of the original plan for a combination of letters and anecdotes, she agreed to print at once the miscellaneous recollections and stories of J o h n s o n which she had been compiling during her travels about Italy. T o r n between two impulses, the desire for further travel and the wish to appear immediately before the public in her guise of a Johnsonian biographer, she accepted the publisher's lure, unfortunately for her future reputation, and impetuously set to work to complete the manuscript at once. Letters to Lysons constantly referred to the undertaking. In one she alluded to George Colman's fear that J o h n s o n ' s biographers would not show his weaknesses: Mr. Colman is right enough in his Conjectures I dare say, but those who had a true Knowledge of our great Man's Mind will remember that he prefer'd Veracity to Interest, Affection, or Resentment; nor suffer'd Partiality or prejudice to warp him from the Truth.—let Mr. Boswell be sure to keep that Example in V i e w ; his old Friend often recommended it to him. 2 T o find Mrs. Piozzi reporting that Dr. Johnson constantly held up before Boswell the necessity for veracity is amusing indeed. Boswell gives the impression that the advice was intended for her alone. Y o u n g Lysons tried his best to execute her commissions. Although unable to secure a copy ofJohnson's letter to B a r n a r d , the K i n g ' s librarian, one plum that all the rival biographers failed to secure, he did pass on a story told him by Boswell of Johnson's early laziness. 3 Whether the anccdotc was new to Mrs. Piozzi does not appear, but in any case she could not fail to be pleased at the opportunity to publish in advance one of her rival's discoveries. A n d Boswell's surprise and annoyance when he later read the passage can easily be imagined. Late in the summer of 1 7 8 5 Mrs. Piozzi was stricken with fever in Florence, and after ten days in bed decided to try a change of scene to restore her appetite. After making plans to rejoin the Greatheeds later in the south, and exchanging 1

Hayvvard, i. 2 7 3 ; Gent. Mag., op. cit., p. J u n e 1 4 , 1 7 8 5 . Boswell throughout the and indicates that J o h n s o n constantly spoke 3 See m y article, 'Further Letters of the xx ( 1 9 3 6 ) , 277. 2

136. Life impugns Mrs. Piozzi's accuracy, to her about it. J o h n s o n Circle', J . Rylands Bulletin,

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OF DR. JOHNSON

257

tearful farewells with Merry, who was sure they would never meet again, the Piozzis left Florence on September 12. L u c c a , the first stop, was rendered unendurable by swarms of gnats, scorpions, and spiders; Pisa proved more endurable, but on the 20th they proceeded to Leghorn, where sea air revived her health and spirits. A t Leghorn she finally completed the arrangement of her Johnsonian anecdotes, and a copyist was immediately found to transcribe a clear manuscript to be sent to England. 1 Once the hard labour was over, Mrs. Piozzi could scarcely wait to see the little volume in print. She wrote to Lysons on September 2 1 : Cadell will have his little Book to print in the Spring, or even earlier if he chooscs; the two Volumes of Letters & Verses may very well wait till my return:—People will see by this, that I am alive and at Liberty.

She later confided to the same correspondent the hope that her anecdotcs would be found 'less trivial than BosweHY, but pleaded as an excuse for even having written them down the fact that she had always felt any trifles connected with Johnson would be welcomed by the public. 2 T o Cadell she wrote that since she was 'wholly unused to the business of sending manuscripts to the press', she would rely on him to see that everything was done properly. 3 As soon as the copy had been dispatched to London, the Piozzis returned to Pisa, where about four miles from the city they found a little house at the foot of the Apennines near a fine cold bath. Here, at the Bagni di Pisa, Mrs. Piozzi wrote verses in admiration of the place and daily bathed in the cool refreshing water. Her pleasure, however, was shortlived, for Piozzi fell ill, and the insects and vermin were so annoying that the travellers packed their belongings and on. October 17 set out for R o m e . T h e Piozzis reached R o m e about a week later, and though far from well, immediately plunged into a round of sightseeing. Page after page of her journal was given over to descriptions of the ancient ruins, the fashions of the women, stories told her by the men, and the paintings and sculpture in the palaces. Y e t R o m e in many ways proved disappointing, possibly because her enthusiasm for ancient history had led her to expect too 1 This episode is described in my article, ' T h e Printing of M r s . Piozzi's Anecdotes of Dr. J o h n s o n ' , J. Rylands Bulletin, x x ( 1 9 3 6 ) , 1 6 3 . J - From R o m e , Nov. 4, 1785. H a y w a r d , i. 273.

258

ANECDOTES

OF DR. JOHNSON

1785-

much. T h e 'disgusting sight of that wretchedness and dirt, which is here everywhere mingled with the monuments of ancient magnificence' spoiled her enjoyment of the beautiful fountains and splendid buildings. T h e city was like R e m brandt's pictures, 'composed of the strongest lights and darkest shadows possible'. 1 After spending the month of November in the capital, the Piozzis drove south to Naples, which they entered during a violent electrical storm, while Vesuvius vomited fire and poured a torrent of hot lava down its sides. T h e y secured rooms with a full view of the volcano, to them a constant source of wonder and amazement. Later, like all tourists, they climbed to the top for a view of the smouldering crater, visited buried Herculaneum, wandered through the K i n g ' s menagerie, and inspected the churchcs and museums. Again Mrs. Piozzi found herself in a large company of English visitors. T h e Greatheeds, the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, George Coxe, brother of the historian, the Tighcs, and the Jervises were her constant companions. T h e pleasant days in Florence had shown how delightful it was to live with voluntary exiles like herself, and Piozzi found the matter of social distinctions less of a problem among the English than among his own compatriots. T h o u g h a gentleman of good birth, Piozzi did not belong to the nobility; consequently at many functions in Italy where his wife, as a foreigner, was welcome, he was excluded. In Florence old Sir Horace M a n n , the English Minister, had refused to break with tradition and invite the musician at the same time as his titled guests. But with most of the British travellers the distinction was ignored, so that, ironically enough, the man who had been so disdained by London socicty the year before, when he dared to marry the widow of a wealthy brewer, now found himself better treated by representatives of this same clique than by the lesser dignitaries of his own country. His wife commented on the fact in a letter to Lysons the last day of 1 7 8 5 : ' M r . Piozzi always finds friends among my countrymen, and prefers their acquaintance to that of the Italians in the town we reside at.' Anxiously Mrs. Piozzi awaited word that her Johnsonian manuscript had been delivered into the hands of the printers in England, but unforeseen delays kept it from reaching Cadell until early in 1786. Meanwhile, the reading public had not been allowed to forget Johnson and the Thrales. T h e great 1

T o Lysons, Nov. 4, 1785.

-1786

ANECDOTES

OF DR. JOHNSON

259

man's private prayers and meditations, many of them composed at Strcatham, were printed by Strahan for all to read, and late in September, 1785, Boswell published in London his Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Immediately there was a storm of protest in the newspapers and magazines. 1 Boswell's disclosures of Johnson's actual conversation and his physical idiosyncrasies were considered by many, if not sacrilegious, at least indecorous. What we to-day judge a masterpiece of biographical writing, Horace Walpole called a 'most absurd enormous book . . . It is the story of a mountebank and his zany', 2 and Wilkes is reported to have told the author 'that he had wounded Johnson with his pocket pistol & was about to despatch him with his blunderbuss when it should be let o f f ' . 3 Burke and others of the Doctor's friends were displeased with Boswell's delineation ofJohnson's actual behaviour and conversation. 4 J a m e s Beattie, writing to Sir William Forbes early in the next year, while agreeing that Boswell probably had meant no harm by his injudicious exposures, added: 'Johnson's faults were balanced by many and great virtues; and when that is the case, the virtues only should be remembered, and the faults entirely forgotten.' 5 T h e aim of biography, according to Beattie, was to embalm, not to recreate. T h e general public expected a biographical portrait to be formalized, and to be either panegyrical or openly antagonistic. This very human combination of merit and eccentricity was new and not wholly to their liking. Since Mrs. Piozzi had had no open quarrel with Boswell, she was treated with civility, but one reference caused immediate excitement and consternation in her old circle. T h e BlueStocking world was profoundly shocked to read that Johnson had admitted that neither he nor Mrs. T h r a l e had been able to read through Mrs. Montagu's Essay on Shakespeare.6 1 For examples, see the Morning Post for Oct. 1 , 5, 8, 10, 1 1 , 19, 1785, & c . On the ist came the comment, ' H a d Dr. Johnson been blessed with the gift of second-sight, how it would have tortured him to h a v e known the base advantages which have been taken of his celebrity to make money.' L a t e r references are in a 1 similar vein. Walpole, Letters, xiii. 337. ' M . Lort to Mrs. Piozzi, Dec. 3 1 , 1 7 8 5 ( R y . 544, 5). * Ibid. Lort commented: ' M r . E. Burke fell hard upon him for the absurdities 5 in that performance.' Sir W. Forbes, Life of Beattie (1806), ii. 184. 6 Sir Lucas Pepys wrote to Mrs. Piozzi, Dec. 1 5 , 1 7 8 5 , that the opinion 'must have given some Sleepless Hours to Mrs. M o n t a g u ' ( R y . 536, 2 7 ) ; and Dr. L o r t on the 31st added: 'Poor Mrs. Montagu is almost as much mortified by your opinion of her book as by M r . Cumberland's Character of her & her bluestocking Club drawn at length in a volume of Essays he has published called the Observer' (Ry- 544. 5)HllSf)0 T

260

ANECDOTES

OF DR. JOHNSON

1785-

Needless to say, M r s . P i o z z i w a s at o n c c i n f o r m e d o f the resentm e n t this q u o t a t i o n h a d a r o u s e d , a n d L y s o n s a n d Sir L u c a s P e p y s w r o t e u r g e n t letters a d v i s i n g c o m p l e t e d e n i a l . Y e t this she c o u l d n o t c o n s c i e n t i o u s l y d o . S h e h a d seen B o s w e l l ' s J o u r n a l in m a n u s c r i p t , a n d at the t i m e h a d m a d e n o o b j e c t i o n t o the o f f e n s i v e p a s s a g e . S h e w a s in a d i f f i c u l t position. A f t e r s o m e hesitation she w r o t e to L y s o n s : M r . Boswell did me very great Injustice in saying I could not get through Mrs. M o n t a g u ' s Performance, for the Elegance and Erudition of which I hope I am not wholly without T a s t e or C o g n i z a n c e ; and as for D r . Johnson, he had, to my certain K n o w ledge a true Respect for her Abilities, and a very great Regard & Esteem of her general Character. 1 W h i l e a t t a c k i n g Boswell's s t a t e m e n t , she did not refute w h a t she p r o b a b l y k n e w to h a v e b e e n J o h n s o n ' s d e c i d e d o p i n i o n o f the u n l u c k y essay. I n s t e a d she tried t o e v a d e t h e issue b y insisting o n her o w n p e r s o n a l d e v o t i o n to M r s . M o n t a g u . L a t e r she w r o t e a s i m i l a r d e n i a l to t h e Q u e e n o f the Blues herself, a n d q u a s i - r e f u t a t i o n s t o Sir L u c a s P e p y s a n d others, b e i n g a l w a y s c a r e f u l n o t to a t t a c k t h e v e r a c i t y o f B o s w e l l ' s s t a t e m e n t o f J o h n s o n ' s a c t u a l r e m a r k . B u t these g u a r d e d replies d i d not end the m a t t e r , for m a n y o f her w e l l - m e a n i n g friends, c h i c f l y the f a s h i o n a b l e p h y s i c i a n , Sir L u c a s Pepys, felt t h a t some p u b l i c d e n i a l s h o u l d b e i n c l u d e d in her f o r t h c o m i n g v o l u m e . T a k i n g a d v a n t a g e o f h e r expressed desire for disa v o w a l , P e p y s did not w a i t for f u r t h e r a u t h o r i z a t i o n . H e w r o t e to M r s . P i o z z i : W e agreed that a Postscript should be added to your A n e c d o t e s — & by making use entirely of your O w n Words in your letter to me, a Postscript is drawn up, which I think you will approve of, & which is sufficiently justified by their being your own Words though in a letter to m e . — I have taken C a r e likewise to have all this Business well explained to Mrs. M o n t a g u . 2 T h e p r i n t e d postscript, w h i c h a p p e a r e d a t the e n d o f her Anecdotes, r e p e a t e d the s a m e g u a r d e d d e n i a l t h a t she h a d w r i t t e n to Lysons. Sir L u c a s P e p y s , as he h a d h o p e d , stopped further dissension in the B l u e - S t o c k i n g ranks, b u t u n f o r t u n a t e l y , in so d o i n g , he p r e c i p i t a t e d M r s . P i o z z i into her first o p e n q u a r r e l w i t h Boswell. Sir L u c a s thus u n i n t e n t i o n a l l y fired the first g u n in the p u b l i c ' w a r s o f B o z z y a n d P i o z z i ' . ' From Naples, Dec. 31, 1785. Mar. 3, 1786 (Ry. 536, 28); see also ' T h e Printing of Mrs. Piozzi's Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson' .op. cit., p. 159. ;

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ANECDOTES

OF DR.

JOHNSON

261

Because of the slowness and irregularity of the sailing-vessels of the day, Mrs. Piozzi's manuscript was a long time in reaching the publisher. On the last day of 1785 Dr. Lort wrote that her memoirs were still 'performing quarantine' in the river Thames, and that 'all the world is impatient to see them in print'. 1 If Lort might be held guilty of gross exaggeration in saying that all the world was anxious to read Mrs. Piozzi's anecdotes of Dr. Johnson, it must be admitted that public interest in anything connected with the Doctor was still intense. For a number of reasons the general curiosity aroused by the announcement of her forthcoming publication was widespread. Becausc of her sensational marriage to Piozzi and the accompanying newspaper publicity, many people were anxious to read what she would say about Johnson's disapproval of her choice. And, in addition, it must have been generally felt that she had at her disposal a large mass of Johnsonian anecdotes and letters which would throw a new and intimate light on the personal character of the great man. Even though Boswell and Sir J o h n Hawkins were both preparing comprehensive biographies, the public was aware that the Thrales also had been diligent in collecting material. Only a short time after Johnson's death the Morning Chronicle had announced that there were in existence several voluminous records of Johnson's bons mots, formed in Thrale's house.2 According to this account Murphy, Goldsmith, and Hawkesworth had aided the brewer's family in filling the pages of their large blank book with anecdotes of the Doctor. As has been previously pointed out, the story is improbable, but to many readers of the newspapers in 1785 it might not have appeared so; and there can be little doubt that any publication from the Thrale sources was eagerly awaited. The newspapers, realizing this general interest, kept it alive by occasional bulletins and sarcastic comments over the delay. 3 As Lysons later wrote to Mrs. Piozzi, the copy had been so long on the way, 'that I began to fear it would never arrive, and the Papers began to be witty about it'. 4 The Morning Herald, when announcing on J a n u a r y 28 that the manuscript had finally been received from Florence, insisted that it contained 'many 1

2 Ry. 544, 5. J a n . 7, 1785. Sec also pp. 123-4. References to Mrs. Piozzi had appeared in the Morning Post intermittently throughout the autumn. The paper claimed on Oct. 1 that her desire to be remembered as 'the great Johnson's friend' was the sole motive behind her publication, and on the 19th added that 'The Piozzi is certainly coming with her brood, without father bred'. On Dec. 17 the paper asked the question: 'What have become olSignora Thrale's Memorabilia of Dr. Johnson, of which so much has been 4 said and so little known?' Feb. 7, 1786. 1

262

ANECDOTES

OF DR. JOHNSON

r?Sj-

curious particulars of the life of D o c t o r J o h n s o n f o r the last twenty-five y e a r s ' . A f e w d a y s later the same p a p e r p r e d i c t e d that 'Madame Piozzi's anecdotes', m a d e u p ' f r o m the dressingroom records of that l a d y ' , w o u l d a p p e a r in less t h a n a m o n t h , a n d characteristically a d d e d a c o m m e n t in dubious taste. Report frequently whispered that a connubial knot would be tied between Mrs. Thrale and Dr. Johnson;—that event never took place, and yet Mrs. Piozzi and the Doctor, it seems, are shortly to bt pressed in the same sheets.1 T h e absent signora was f a i r g a m e for all the slanderous r e m a r k s w h i c h might flow f r o m the scurrilous pen of the j o u r n a l i s t . Lysons chanced to be sitting with C a d e l l w h e n the p a c k a g c w a s at last delivered, but he had only a peep at the contents, for the publisher was anxious to rush the pages i m m e d i a t e l y to his compositors. T h r o u g h o u t the month of F e b r u a r y the printers w e r e h u r r y i n g publication of the Anecdotes, a n d it seems p r o b a b l e that by the ist of M a r c h the sheets w e r e all p r i n t e d . 1 T h e n for the first time Lysons was able to r e a d the account f r o m b e g i n n i n g to end. His attention was c a u g h t by one passage in p a r t i c u l a r . F o l l o w i n g her transcription of the L a t i n epitaph w h i c h J o h n s o n h a d written for T h r a l e , M r s . Piozzi had a d d e d the caustic c o m m c n t : Such was the Character of Henry Thrale, when given by Samuel Johnson: but what must be the Character of him, who in a Letter written to the Printer of the St. James's Chronicle—dated 8:th of J a n u a r y 1785 in order to distress the unoffending Survivor, dares even to deride the sacred Dead, and represent the greatest Writer of our Age and Nation, as a wretched Retailer of Latin Scraps, gather'd up to ridicule an Infirmity caused by his best Friend's Illness and ending in his Death! For this Letter too M r . Boswell is not ashamed I see to return his publick Thanks; accepting with apparent Pleasure the Praises of a Scribbler who delights in the Uneasiness that he can cause to a Family, where Mr. Boswell never received anything but Civilities. Surely such Men make Aaron the Moor a Model for their Imitation! I hoped it was reserved for him alone to say,— Oft have I digg'd up dead Men from their Graves, And set them upright at their dear Friends' Doors, Even when their .sorrow was almost forgot; 1 F e b . 1, 1 7 8 6 . O n F e b . 3 another reference in b a d taste a p p e a r e d : ' S i g n o r a P i o z d , finding the air ol Italy by no means so prolific as she e x p e c t e d , proposes with her cara sposa to people a Roman iolon}\ s o m e w h e r e in B r i t a i n ; — H a t h , or near it, is the elected spot.' ; Sec p. J j 7 , 11. 1.

-,7SC

ANECDOTES

OF

DR.

JOHXSON

2G3

And on their Skins as on the Bark of Trees, Have with my Knife carved in R o m a n Letters, Let not your Sorrows die tho' I be dead. 1 T h i s w a s her reply to the v e n o m o u s a t t a c k o f the y e a r before. L y s o n s was g a l v a n i z e d into action. I m a g i n i n g that Boswell m i g h t h a v e been perfectly i n n o c e n t o f a n y malice in his letter to the printer, M r . B a l d w i n , he felt that such a bitter rejoinder on her p a r t could only h a v e ill effects on all c o n c e r n e d . A f t e r m u c h difficulty lie f o u n d copies o f the St. James's Chronicle at the s t a m p office, a n d there verified his suspicions. U n d e r the c i r c u m s t a n c e s he was c o n v i n c e d that the passage o u g h t not to b e printed, a n d i m m e d i a t e l y consulted Sir L u c a s Pepys, the Bishop o f P e t e r b o r o u g h , a n d D r . L o r t , w h o all agreed w i t h h i m that the necessity o f the case was such that they should r u n the risk o f her displeasure b y l e a v i n g out the entire passage. S i n c e the sheets were printed, the v a c a n c y had to be filled, b u t this w a s d o n e by inserting a n English translation o f the e p i t a p h on T h r a l e hurriedly m a d e b y D r . L o r t . T h i s last-minute c h a n g e necessitated a c a n c e l l a t i o n . It seems p r o b a b l e that the entire sheet K , w h i c h i n c l u d e d the banished passage, w a s destroyed, a n d a new sheet * K substituted in its place. I n a s m u c h as the c a n c e l l a t i o n o f an entire sheet a n d a r r a n g i n g for the substitute took some weeks, the d a t e of p u b l i c a t i o n was thus f u r t h e r d e l a y e d . 2 T h e newspapers c o n t i n u a l l y referred to the long-expected p u b l i c a t i o n . O n F e b r u a r y 8 the Morning Herald c o m m e n t e d : ' M a d a m e Piozzi will not disgrace the D o c t o r b y her J o h n sonian A n e c d o t e s , as M r . C a d e l l ' s edition will soon evince. I f here a n d there the w i t is softened, it is not Italianized in a n y one i n s t a n c e ! ' O n M a r c h 15 the Morning Chronicle a n n o u n c e d that M r s . Piozzi's productions w o u l d soon see the l i g h t o f d a y , ' T h e J o h n s o n i a n a by themselves in o n e v o l u m e . T h e Bouts R h y m e e s w i t h the musick o f M r . P i o z z i , in a n o t h e r . ' N o o n e k n e w e x a c t l y w h a t w a s in prospect, b u t a n t i c i p a t i o n a n d curiosity were widespread. F i n a l l y on L a d y D a y , S a t u r d a y , M a r c h 25, 1786, the Anecdotes of the late Samuel Johnson LL.D. a p p e a r e d . 3 T h e r e was a n 1 Excised passage in holograph copy of the Anecdotes in the M o r g a n L i b r a r y , N e w Y o r k C i t y , p. 81. T h e quotation is from Titus Andronicus, v. 1. 135-40. Mrs. Piozzi evidently quoted from m e m o r y from a contemporary edition. O n e original sheet K , retaining this cancelled passage, has survived. See N . & (¿., 6th Ser. 2 See p. 257, n. 1. ii. 442 (Dec. 4, 1880). 3 Ibid. See also S. Lysons to Mrs. Piozzi, M a r . 28, 1786. In the A d a m collection is a small scrap upon which is written: ' M a r c h 24, 1 7 8 6 — M r s . Piozzi's

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immediate d e m a n d for the little volume, and before nightfall the first edition of a thousand copies was completely exhausted. E v e n before most of the papers could print an announcement of the publication, the book was out of print, and when the K i n g sent for a copy C a d e l l was forced to borrow one from a friend to send immediately to His Majesty. 1 T h e sale was so rapid that Lysons jubilantly compared it to the first rush to buy Fielding's Amelia, but since the original impression of Amelia was much larger than that of the Anecdotes, the comparison is hardly fair. 2 Since the d e m a n d for the book continued strong, Cadell had a second edition of a thousand copies ready on April 5 , and from the same type five hundred more as a so-called third edition on A p r i l 1 1 . These too were immediately sold, and he was forced to set up another edition, called the fourth, which appeared on M a y 5 . 3 T h e daily newspapers at once seized on the new publication and reprinted large portions of the text. While somewhat unfriendly, the Morning Herald ran for six numbers a series of excerpts called, 'LEAVES collected from the PIOZZIAN WREATH, lately woven to adorn the Shrine of the departed D r . J o h n s o n ' . T h e Public Advertiser, the Universal Daily Register, the London Chronicle, and other papers followed suit in selecting special quotations from the new work. 4 O n the whole the reception accorded the Anecdotes by the newspaper critics was favourable: the Public Advertiser for M a r c h 28, in making selections from Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson are proposed at 3/0—kept at 3/3—sells for 4/0—in Boards.' Following this is a list of the booksellers and the quantity each agreed to take. Cadell and Mrs. Piozzi seem to have had no stipulated agreement as to the exact price to be paid for the publishing rights. On Feb. 17, 1786, she wrote to him from Naples that she was perfectly willing to divide the profits equitably after print and paper were paid. Again, on M a y 20 she instructed him to pay whatever money came from her share to her banker in London (Gent. Mag. (1852), pp. 1 3 6 - 7 ) . Nor is it certain how much Cadell finally paid. In one place Mrs. Piozzi claims it to have been £ 1 3 0 (Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 72), but in others she lists the amount as £150. Possibly the first figure is the one originally decided upon, later raised after the rapid sale of the first four editions. 1 Hayward, i. 2 9 1 . C . Selwin wrote that 'the first Edition of your Anecdotes was sold in the space of three or four Hours' ( R y . 556, 1 7 1 ) . Selwin added that he had heard Mrs. Montagu 'mentioned it with great Encomiums'. 2 R y . 552, 9. See also Hayward, i. 290. 3 From T . Cadell, M a y 8, 1786 ( R y . 554, 18). In a well-meant bui somewhat abortive attempt to oblige the purchasers, an errata slip was printed, listing eleven mistakes in the first edition. This errata slip, however, is extremely rare. The mistakes were not rectified in the text until the 4th edition. 4 Morning Herald for M a r . 27, 28, 29, 30, and Apr. 4 and 7; Public Advertiser for M a r . 28, 3 1 , Apr. 6, 7, 8; Universal Daily Register for M a r . 29; London Chronicle for M a r . 30, Apr. 4, 1 5 , and 18. Other papers which printed excerpts from the publication are the St. James's Chronicle, the Morning Post, & c .

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'this d e l i g h t f u l little b o o k ' , w a s h i g h l y c o m p l i m e n t a r y ; t h e London Chronicle for M a r c h 30 c a l l e d it 'a v e r y l i v e l y e n t e r t a i n i n g m i s c e l l a n y ' , a n d insisted t h a t M r s . P i o z z i h a d g i v e n a t r u e p i c t u r e o f the real J o h n s o n . I t w a s o n l y w h e n t h e persons o f f a s h i o n b e g a n to v o i c e t h e i r c o m p l a i n t s t h a t t h e a t t i t u d e v e e r e d to o n e o f g e n e r a l d i s a p p r o b a t i o n . T h r o u g h o u t April Mrs. Piozzi's treatment of Dr. Johnson was a p o p u l a r topic o f c o n v e r s a t i o n . T h e B l u e - S t o c k i n g s , for o n e reason or a n o t h e r , w e r e all a n t a g o n i s t i c ; H a n n a h M o r e b e c a u s e o f the u n c o m p l i m e n t a r y r e m a r k s a b o u t G a r r i c k ; M r s . C h a p o n e because of the m o d e of writing and the writer; Sir W i l l i a m W e l l e r P c p y s ( t h o u g h h e h i m s e l f c u t a b e t t e r figure t h a n he h a d e x p e c t e d ) b c c a u s e o f t h e i n j u r i o u s r e m a r k s a b o u t his friends. 1 H o r a c e W a l p o l e , c o m m e n t i n g t o t h e u n f r i e n d l y Sir H o r a c e M a n n , c a l l e d it ' w r e t c h e d ; a h i g h - v a r n i s h e d p r e f a c e to a h e a p o f r u b b i s h , in a v e r y v u l g a r style, a n d t o o v o i d o f m e t h o d e v e n for s u c h a f a r r a g o ' . 2 T h e n h e a d d e d : ' H e r p a n e g y r i c is l o u d in p r a i s e o f h e r h e r o ; a n d a l m o s t e v e r y f a c t she relates disgraces h i m . ' W a l p o l e , in a f e w w o r d s , e x p r e s s e d t h e c h i e f o b j e c t i o n w h i c h m a n y p e o p l e felt to t h e p u b l i c a t i o n . W h i l e p r o t e s t i n g o p e n l y a n d c o n s t a n t l y her v e n e r a t i o n a n d a d m i r a t i o n for D r . J o h n s o n , M r s . P i o z z i yet r e p e a t e d a n e c d o t e a f t e r a n e c d o t c w h i c h d i d n o t r e d o u n d to his c r e d i t . T h e p u z z l e d r e a d e r s c o u l d find n o c o n s i s t e n c y w h a t s o e v e r a b o u t t h e w o r k ; n e a r l y e v e r y assertion as to his c h a r a c t e r w h i c h she m a d e w a s c o n t r a d i c t e d b y s o m e episode in the later p a g e s . M r s . C h a p o n e u n d o u b t e d l y v o i c e d the g e n e r a l f e e l i n g t h a t it was not handsome to repeat things o f h i m w h i c h she must know would mightily detract from the hyperbolical praise she affects to give him. I do not love such inconsistences, & such as blow hot & cold! defend me, w h e n dead from such friends! 3 Y e t these s a m e q u a l i t i e s w h i c h i r r i t a t e d J o h n s o n ' s c o n t e m p o r aries g i v e for m o d e r n r e a d e r s a d e l i g h t f u l l y h u m a n t o u c h t o t h e w r i t i n g . M r s . P i o z z i h a d a t t e m p t e d , t h o u g h n o t so s u c c e s s f u l l y , t h e s a m e t y p e o f b i o g r a p h i c a l m e t h o d as B o s w e l l , a n d w a s g r e e t e d w i t h similar c r i t i c i s m . ' T h i s n e w - f a s h i o n e d b i o g r a p h y ' , H. More, Memoirs, li. 15; Gaussen, .•! Later Pepys, i. 409; ii. 272. Walpole, Letters,xlii.372-3 (Mar. 28,1786). Yet Mrs. Fiozzi did not print all she remembered of Johnson's rough behaviour, for sometimes her own pride restrained her. Thus she wrote to Queeney, Sept. 17, 1794, referring to irate remarks at seeing a church turned into a stable in Denbigh in 1774: 'I would not record them in my Anecdotes of him for Shame.' (Lansdowne MS., Quteruy Letters, p. 253.) 3 Gaussen, A Later Pepys, i. 409. 1

2

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Hannah More wrote to her sister, forgetting the long passages of enthusiastic praise, 'seems to value itself upon perpetuating every thing that is injurious and detracting.' 1 The magazines were divided in opinion. T h e Gentleman1 s Magazine, while admitting that the publication would have been more agreeable 'if a few luxuriant shoots had judiciously been pruned', was on the whole complimentary: T h e foregoing A n e c d o t c s are e v i d e n t l y the p r o d u c t i o n o f a v i g o r o u s a n d c u l t i v a t e d u n d e r s t a n d i n g ; a n d t h o u g h the style, in some parts of the v o l u m e , bears the m a r k s of haste, the g e n e r a l e x e c u t i o n is w o r t h y o f t h e w r i t e r , a n d w i l l n o t d i s a p p o i n t t h e expectation of the p u b l i c k : a n d w h e n our readers recollect w h a t that expectation has been, a n d m o r e particularly the high estimat i o n in w h i c h t h e w r i t e r ' s l i t e r a r y p o w e r s h a v e b e e n h o l d e n , t h e y w i l l r e g a r d this as n o c o m m o n p r a i s e . -

The English Review was even more laudator)'. ' O f the nine lives of this giant in learning, as lie is called, which have been promised to the public, Mrs. Piozzi's is the fifth that has been published, and in our judgment the best.' 3 This reviewer pointed out the good sense which she had shown in developing the character of Johnson. The European Magazine, though scolding Mrs. Piozzi for relating Johnson's absurdities and follies, made no open attack. 4 Others were savagely abusive. Ironically, the abuse came from her former friends. Dr. Burney, in the Monthly Review for May, indignantly attacked her for 'exposing his [Johnson's] failings and his weaknesses, to the curious, yet fastidious eye of the Public'. 5 The Annual Register, w ith which Edmund Burke was connected, continued the arraignment. 6 The outcry occasioned by her portrayal of the rougher side of Johnson's nature is difficult for us to understand; the twentiethcentury psychological biography demands that the bitter be mingled with the sweet. Other objections appear to us more valid. Dr. Burney, in the Monthly Review, indicated what might to-day be considered the greatest defect in the Anecdotes, 1 H. More, Memoirs, ii. ]G. There were some, however, who took the position that recording Johnson's idiosyncrasies was in accord with his own oftenexpressed opinions about biography. See Olla i'odrida, No. 13 (OxfordJ, June y, .787. 2 Gent. Mag. lvi (1786), 328, 332. 1 English Review, vii (1786), 255. * European Mag. ix (1786), 142-4, 247-52, 317-18. But see x. 128-30. s Monthly Review, Ixxiv (1786), 374. For identification of Dr. Burney as the author, see B. Nangle, The Monthly Review (1934). 0 Annual Register (1786), Domestic Lit., p. 263.

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w h e n he asserted that the v o l u m e h a d been planned with only one thought in m i n d , to excuse the author's b e h a v i o u r b y showing how difficult it had been to live with Johnson. 1 For we m i g h t agree with Mrs. C h a p o n e that 'it was not h a n d s o m e to tell the W o r l d h o w insufferable the friend she had cherish'd & C o u r t e d so long w a s b e c o m e to her, & that she w e n t to Bath only to shake him o f f ' . 2 It was unfortunate in every w a y that Johnson's death occurred while Mrs. Piozzi was still smarting under the rebuffs occasioned by her second m a r r i a g e . In far-off Italy she had been kept well informed of the sneers and lies bandied a b o u t L o n d o n b y her former friends and a c q u a i n tances; she k n e w too well that m a n y people held her responsible for deserting the old m a n in his last illness. T h e r e is a possibility, too, that she did not feel herself entirely guiltless. T h u s it was perhaps in some measure to stifle her o w n q u a l m s of conscicnce that she attempted to vindicate her c o n d u c t as soon as possible. T h e scramble of rival J o h n s o n i a n biographers offered w h a t seemed a perfect o p p o r t u n i t y . T h e Anecdotes was consequently b e g u n by Mrs. Piozzi with a divided purpose: to justify her treatment of J o h n s o n , and to achieve f a m e as one of his biographers. Necessarily, the t w o plans at cross-purposes injured the quality of her work. As w e have seen, she had an a b u n d a n c e of genuine, a c c u r a t e anecdotes of D r . J o h n s o n ; 3 she had k n o w n him intimately for nearly eighteen y e a r s ; she had been his c o n f i d a n t and inspiration. H a d she been u n m o v e d b y prejudice, she could h a v e c o m p i l e d a v a l u a b l e record of his d e c l i n i n g y e a r s ; and h a d she returned to E n g l a n d and accepted the advice of her scholarly friends, she might easily h a v e written such a w o r k . Boswell, w e must remember, had a l w a y s at his side E d m o n d M a l o n e , one o f the finest scholars of the age, w h o willingly revised both the Tour to the Hebrides and the Life. Mrs. Piozzi had only the advice of her husband, w h o must h a v e a p p r o v e d of her intention to justify their marriage. Nearly all she wrote of J o h n s o n .is p r o b a b l y t r u e ; it is the emphasis that is objectionable. F r o m reports o f F a n n y B u r n e y , Boswell, and others w e k n o w that the D o c t o r in his last years was often an irascible and difficult c o m p a n i o n ; 4 yet for years Mrs. T h r a l e had endured his foibles w i t h o u t c o m p l a i n t for the O p . cit. Ixxiv. 373. Gaussen, op. cit. i. 409. 1 These were recorded in the Children's Book, in the early journals (now lost), and in the first volumes of T h r a l i a n a . ' See p. 21 2, n. 2; p. 219, n. 3; p. 240, 11. 1. 1

2

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sake of his sage advice and stimulating conversation. There can be little doubt that under normal conditions the irritable last years would have been forgotten in the recollection of the earlier happy days at Streatham. Her over-emphasis on this querulousness, because it was serviceable in explaining their final quarrel and separation, is the most serious blot on the Anecdotes. The loyal friends of Dr. Johnson were quick to rush to his defence. They had disliked Mrs. Piozzi for deserting their idol ; they now detested her for trying to excuse herself by misrepresenting him. They vociferously asserted that she was 'inaccurate', a claim which Boswell reiterated so often in the Life that to this day it is the adjective most often applied to her as a writer. 1 Nevertheless, if we are to accept this characterization of her writing, we must be careful to define the word 'inaccurate'. If by this word we imply a constitutional inability to tell the truth, the epithet was inapplicable. T o be sure, Mrs. Piozzi was careless in the matter of dates and figures, but a large portion of her recollections of Johnson are based on first-hand information just as authentic and contemporary as that of Boswell. She kept records of his conversations from the earliest years of their acquaintance, so that much of her volume need not be questioned. If, on the other hand, by 'inaccurate' we mean an occasional willingness in this one book to twist evidence in order to further her own ends, there may be some justification for the term. 2 She was also willing, in some instances, to trust to memory rather than to search for further details. One example may be found in a certain rough rebuke supposed to have been administered by Johnson to Thrale when in Rouen in 1775. 3 In remembering the former trip, away from 1 Boswell's aspersions appear throughout the Life. Miss Laetitia Matilda Hawkins in her Memoirs (i. 65) has reiterated the charge of inaccuracy. She quoted second hand the claim of the Reverend M r . Evans, the rector of St. Olave's in Tooley St.

In reading her [Mrs. Piozzi's] representation of facts, as they occurred under his own knowledge, and her report of things said in his hearing, he declared against the fidelity of both; and when reduced to fact, it was often observable, certainly to the credit of her invention but at the expense of her correctness, that the worth of a tale, or the wit of a repartee was furnished by herself. Miss Hawkins wrote many years after Boswell had made his charge of inaccuracy, and doubtless her attitude was influenced by the generally accepted view. ' Miss K . C . Balderston has discovered several examples of real distortion, even amounting to actual shifting of speakers. See the Preface to her edition of Thraliana. 1 See John. Misc. i. ¿ 1 6 , and French Journals, pp. 46-7, 8 3 - 5 . Always to be remembered is the fact that Johnson's remark was in English, a language which the Abbé Roflette obviously did not understand.

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her contemporary records, Mrs. Piozzi was unable to describe the a f f a i r with accuracy. Actually the impolite remark was not even mentioned in her original j o u r n a l of 1 7 7 5 , a fact which may be explained by the supposition that the entries m a y occasionally have been read by J o h n s o n and other members of the party. Probably the rebuke did occur at some time during the French tour and had been treasured up in her memory as an example of Johnson's rudeness. 1 One thing is certain: rather than omit the incident altogether, Mrs. Piozzi, in this instance, was willing to print a somewhat garbled account, in order to stress the more disagreeable side of Johnson's character. Certain of Mrs. Piozzi's idiosyncrasies must also be kept in mind when reading the Anecdotes. In matters of age she was apt to be vague, but in some cases what appears on the surface to be a mistake actually confirms the accepted figures, when rightly interpreted. In later life she held the opinion that a person's age should be counted in the same manner as the centuries. Consequently, when a child was one y e a r old, she would speak of his celebrating his second birthday, and from then on he would be in his second year. In the Anecdotes Mrs. Piozzi stated that J o h n s o n went to school when 'eight years old', yet other evidence seems to prove conclusively that it was after what we should call his seventh birthday. 2 Again she gives the age of Johnson's father when he died as seventy-six. Actually he was seventy-five. As an old lady Mrs. Piozzi consistently considered herself a year older than we to-day should calculate. M a n y statements in the Anecdotes are more vague and questionable than they would have been had she been able to 1 The Welsh journal of the year before has no mention whatsoever of any meeting with Windham and Cholmondcley, yet the evidence of Windham himself seems to give support to her other story in the Anecdotes of Johnson's rudeness to the two travellers in Derbyshire (John. Misc. i. 3 1 9 ; also see p. 271). Compare with R . W. Ketton-Cremer, The Early Life and Diaries of William Windham (1930), pp. 145, 255. Mr. Ketton-Cremer indicates that Windham's diary reveals some ire occasioned by the meeting with Johnson, so that in this instance Mrs. Piozzi was probably right, and Boswell's suspicion unjustified. See also Life of Johnson, ed. E. G. Fletcher, iii. 400. Remarks of this sort might easily be treasured as amusing anecdotes in the Thrale family and still not find permanent record in her diaries or journals. Boswell in his original notes did not always record Johnson's roughest remarks, yet they were sometimes remembered and printed in the Life. See Private Papers, vi. 132 (May 7, 1773); Life, ii. 247. Johnson's term 'whore', as applied to Lady Di Beauclerk, does not appear in the original version written down by Boswell. See also Essays and Studies of Eng. Ass'n. xxiii. 58-69. 1 John. Misc. i. 157; also A. L. Reade, Gleanings, iii. 84; see also John. Misc. i. 1 5 1 .

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consult all the evidence in her possession in England. F o r example, in printing the Latin inscription made by J o h n s o n to put on the collar of Sir Joseph Banks's goat, she v aguely remarked that it 'was given me by Johnson in the year 1 7 7 7 I think'. This may have been true, but on a separate sheet of p a p e r in her collection she had written down a date for its composition in 1 7 7 2 . ' In her meagre account of Johnson's early years there are obviously many mistakes. She was forccd to rely largely upon other people for her record of these years, and it is not surprising that errors should have crept in. A typical example is the confusion she made between Johnson's nurse who helped him to learn to read and the later Catherine Chambers who lived with his family. 2 A number of other early anccdotes arc also questionable, but so are some of Boswell's for the same period. 3 In a number of cases what appeared to be an impossible story has by further evidence been shown to have definite basis in fact. 4 In preparing her anecdotes for publication Mrs. Piozzi did not merely copy her original journal. Like her rival, she revised the material to accord with her later ideas. Boswell, with the hand of genius, in the final reshaping of his early notes was able to 'Johnsonize' the whole, so that the later wording was even more typical than the first note. 5 His quotations may not represent the actual words used, but they arc always in character. Mrs. Piozzi, on the other hand, as she rewrote her early paragraphs was more concerned with her own style than with the reproduction of Johnson's remarks with perfect fidelity. Changes in phrase and wording, she felt, were immaterial so long as the essential point of the story was retained. For example, in one of her early note-books she 1 John Muc., p. 1(15, a n < ^ Ry- 543' 2 7- A further example is the death of her mother, Mrs. Salusbury. In the Children's Book she had a full account of all that happened at that time, and Johnson's behaviour, but not having this journal with her in Italy her reference in the Anecdotes is extremely vague. See also her mistake a b o u t the Preface to Harris's Hrrmrs (p. 27, n. •->). 2 See A. I - Reade, Cleanings, iii. 77. 3 For possible examples see A. I.. Reade, Cleanings, iii. 78 a n d 102; vi. 23, 794 One instance is the story of Johnson's father locking the front door of his workshop when the back was all open. This referred not to his book-shop, but to his p a r c h m e n t factory (A. L. Reade, Gleanings, iii. 95). Another example may be found in Cleanings, iii. 124. A third is the misunderstanding a b o u t the career of Joseph Simpson (Gleanings, iv. 156; viii. 66—9). For explanation see ' F u r t h e r Letters of the Johnson Circle' (op. cit., p. 28;). 5 See editorial comments by Geoffrey Scott and Frederick Pottle in Boswell's Private Papers, particularly in vol. vi.

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had recorded Johnson's remarks on the vacuity of life, which began: one w a s v i c i o u s — f o l l o w ' d W o m e n or d r a n k D r a m s in a C o r n e r — he w a s I d l e says J o h n s o n & L i f e must be fill'd up, a m a n must d o s o m e t h i n g & he could think of nothing good that w a s good to d o . '

After several rewritings the version appeared in the Anecdotes: O n e m a n , for e x a m p l e , w a s profligate a n d w i l d , as w e call it, followed the girls, or sat still at the g a m i n g - t a b l e . ' W h y , life must be filled u p (says J o h n s o n ) , a n d the m a n w h o is not c a p a b l e of intellectual pleasures must content himself with such as his senses can afford.'2

M a n y of the anecdotcs in the volume have the true Johnsonian ring. Surely we should not wish to be without the amusing anecdote of his reply to the young man who asked about the advisability of marrying. 3 Others have a definite place in the genuine canon of Johnsonian remarks. Characteristic was his account to Mrs. Thrale of a gentleman with whom she was unacquainted. 'He talked to mc at club one day (replies our Doctor) concerning Catiline's conspiracy—so I withdrew my attention, and thought about T o m T h u m b . O n another occasion, during the tour to Wales in 1774, he and the Thrales were met by two gentlemen of their acquaintance on the road. Johnson, who was absorbed in reading a book when the travellers approached, seemed oblivious of their presence. When one of them tapped him gently on the shoulder and T h r a l e told him who it was, Johnson sternly replied: 'Well, Sir! and what if it is M r . Ch-lm-ley!' hardly lifting his eyes from his book. 5 In spite of Boswell's insinuations, this retort is no more rude than many recorded in his Life, and there seems no valid reason for suspecting its genuineness. Space does not permit a more detailed discussion of the validity of each individual anecdote. 6 Suffice it to say that Mrs. Piozzi was not essentially untruthful or inaccurate. Her contemporary records can almost invariably be trusted. T h e Anecdotes, on the contrary, was produced under extremely unfavourable circumstances, and cannot be accepted without ' R y . 629, 7. John. Misc. i. 2 5 1 . For a sample of Mrs. Piozzi's accuracy in the Anecdotes see Philological Quarterly, xviii (July, 1939), 3 1 8 - 2 0 . 3 See pp. 1 7 0 - 1 , Chap. V I I I ; John. Misc. i. 2 1 3 . 4 Ibid. i. 202-3. s Ibid., i. 3 1 9 ; Lift, iv. 345. 6 For a more complete discussion of the accuracy of Mrs. Piozzi's anecdotes sec Thraliana, edited by Miss Katharine C. Balderston. 1

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r e s e r v a t i o n . B u t i n s p i t e o f its d e f i c i e n c i e s t h e little v o l u m e h a s value for J o h n s o n i a n scholars. It has been our chief authority for m a n y o f J o h n s o n ' s m i n o r p o e m s ; it p r o v i d e s e v i d e n c e o f m a n y facets in the g r e a t m a n ' s c h a r a c t e r altogether ignored b y B o s w e l l . I t is f i l l e d w i t h i n f o r m a t i o n w h i c h m a y in g e n e r a l b e relied u p o n , if o n l y a l l o w a n c e b e m a d e for M r s . Piozzi's motives at the time a n d for the conditions under w h i c h the writing was done. T h e postscript w h i c h Sir L u c a s P e p y s h a d inserted at the end o f t h e Anecdotes, r e f e r r i n g t o B o s w e l l ' s s t a t e m e n t a b o u t M r s . M o n t a g u ' s Essay on Shakespeare, a p p e a r e d t o B o s w e l l a n a t t a c k o n his o w n v e r a c i t y . Y e t he d i d n o t rush i m m e d i a t e l y into t h e f r a y , for he w i s h e d his a n s w e r to b e conclusive. A w a y f r o m L o n d o n w h e n the b o o k a p p e a r e d , Boswell did not return until A p r i l 10. O n S a t u r d a y t h e 1 5 t h h e b r e a k f a s t e d w i t h M a l o n e and C o u r t c n a y , and with their aid fashioned a reply which a p p e a r e d in t h e St. James's Chronicle a n d o t h e r p a p e r s o f t h e 1 8 t h . 1 I n t h i s h e i n s i s t e d t h a t M r s . P i o z z i in h e r p o s t s c r i p t h a d n o t a c t u a l l y d e n i e d t h e t r u t h o f h i s a l l e g a t i o n , in f a c t h a d m e r e l y d o d g e d the issue; f u r t h e r m o r e , he pointed out that years b e f o r e s h e h a d r e a d t h r o u g h h i s j o u r n a l in m a n u s c r i p t a n d h a d m a d e no criticism of the passage at that time. T o m a n y readers Boswell's a r g u m e n t s seemed irrefutable, t h o u g h others p r o b a b l y felt t h a t M r s . T h r a l e ' s failure to o b j e c t to the passage m i g h t h a v e b e e n d u e to a d i s i n c l i n a t i o n to o f f e n d J o h n s o n . I n a n y case, as t h e Public Advertiser o f A p r i l 21 n o t e d , t h e r e t o r t o n l y s e r v e d t o s p r e a d f u r t h e r c o n s t e r n a t i o n in t h e B l u e - S t o c k i n g r a n k s . M r . Boswell's retort c o u r t e o u s to the stiletto postscript, has p l a y e d the v e r y devil in the a s s e m b l y o f stockings, w h o s e colour shall be nameless. It has r u n a m o n g s t the l e a r n e d legs, flaming a n d hissing like a well c h a r g e d cracker. M r s . M o n t a g u , a b o u t t h i s t i m e , r e p l i e d t o M r s . P i o z z i in a l e n g t h y , d i g n i f i e d l e t t e r in w h i c h she a c c e p t e d h e r e x p l a n a t i o n o f t h e a f f a i r a n d c o m p l e t e l y d i s a v o w e d a l l b e l i e f in t h e t r o u b l e some Boswell.2 T h i s doubtless pleased Mrs. Piozzi, but had ' Private Papers, xvi. 184-5. Sec A Trifle, p r i v a t e l y p r i n t e d by M r . R . B. A d a m , B u f f a l o , N . Y . , A u g . 1927, b e i n g a facsimile of a m a n u s c r i p t v e r s i o n of t h e letter w r i t t e n o n t h e last p a g e s of a c o p y of t h e Anecdotes. St. James's Chronicle, A p r . 1 5 18; London Chronicle, A p r . 18-20; Public Advertiser, A p r . 18, 1786, & c . 1 Ry- 5 5 1 ) 2. A n e x t r a c t is p r i n t e d in French Journals, p. 43. A v e r y similar l e t t e r , or d r a f t of a l e t t e r , f r o m M r s . M o n t a g u to M r s . Piozzi ( w i t h n o d a t e ) h a s b e e n p r e s e n t e d to m e b y D r . A m o s A . E t t i n g e r . M r s . M o n t a g u w r o t e : I m u s t confess 1 s h o u l d h a v e b e e n m o r t i f i e d n o t o n l y t h a t a P e r s o n of y o u r taste s h o u l d h a v e f o u n d m y w o r k d u l l b u t t h a t o n e in w h o s e c o n v e r s a t i o n I h a d e n j o y ' d so m a n y a g r e a b l e h o u r s s h o u l d h a v e . . . p a s s ' d s o m e u n p l e a s a n t ones

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little cfTcct in quashing the excited gossip in the London salons. For the next few weeks the chief topic of conversation was the merits and quarrels of the rival biographers. Hannah M o r e wrote that the controversy had spoiled all conversation and ruined a very good evening at Sir William Pepys's, 1 and Walpole and others testify to the widespread preoccupation with this somewhat petty topic. T h e general public, too, found much to interest and amuse them in the quarrel. Combined with the argument as to the good taste involved in printing accounts of Johnson's idiosyncrasies, it provided endless opportunity for humorous squibs and epigrams; and the newspapers and journals of the day were filled with attacks and occasional compliments. 2 Walpole wrote to Sir Horace M a n n that the rival biographers and their hero were 'the joke of the public'; 3 George Colman pointed out that Johnson while alive had written the life of a Savage, but now many a savage wrote his; 4 Soame J e n y n s ended an unfavourable epitaph with the lines: Boswell and Thrale, retailers of his wit, Will tell you how he wrote, and talked, and coughed, and spit.5 M a n y and various were the overt attacks contained in the newspapers. Philip Thicknesse published a letter in the St. James's Chronicle of April 15, signed 'All my E y e ' , in which he made the absurd claim that Mrs. T h r a l e before her marriage had been a mantua-maker of mean extraction. 6 Boswell himself arranged in doggerel a number of the Piozzian anecdotes over some pages of m y E s s a y , h o w e v e r I will confess m y mortification w a s mitigated by the very m o d e r a t e d e g r e e of credit I g a v e to all M r . Boswell h a d ascribed to D r . J o h n s o n . I n the first p l a c e poor M r . Boswell is v e r y often in that condition in w h i c h men a r e said to see d o u b l e ; p e r h a p s in such c i r c u m s t a n c e their hearing is so much d i s o r d e r e d , & then w h a t is still stronger objection to his testimony, he could h a r d l y h a v e h a d a n y m o t i v e for his p u b l i c a t i o n but that of m a k i n g it the vehicle of c c n s u r e & s c a n d a l . 1 H. M o r e , Memoirs, ii. 1 6 . T h e c o n t r o v e r s y s t i m u l a t e d interest in M r s . M o n tagu's Essay, a n d the booksellers b r o u g h t out a 5th edition on A p r . 26. 2 O n e c o m p l i m e n t a r y e f f u s i o n a p p e a r e d in the Cent. A fag. Ivi ( 1 7 8 6 ) , 3 4 0 . T h e verses, signed A . B . , end with the lines: ' F o r , in the pleasing composition, meet I.ike p u n c h , the strong, the w e a k , the sour, the s w e e t . ' M r s . Piozzi a l w a y s suspccted Sir Herbert C r o f t was the a u t h o r . T h e n e w s p a p e r s w e r e filled with attacks. S e e letter signed Z e d in St. James's Chronicle of A p r . 8. T h e Morning Post a n d the Herald, as usual, led the attack. Repercussions a p p e a r e d in v a r i o u s printed works. See J. M o i r , Cleanings or Fugitive Pieces (no d a t e ) , i . 6 0 ; J . T o w e r s , Essay on Life, 3 elc. of Dr. Samuel Johnson ( 1 7 8 6 ) , p. 1 9 . W a l p o l e , Letters, xiii. 3 7 9 . * Town and Country Mag. xviii ( 1 7 8 6 ) , 3 8 4 . I n S . L y s o n s ' s s c r a p - b o o k (see p. 1 2 4 , n. 1 ) the verses are ascribed to C o l m a n . 5 Autobiography of Mrs. Delany, ed. L a d y L l a n o v c r ( 1 8 6 2 ) , vi. 3 4 8 . 6 St. James's Chronirlc. A p r . 1 5 , 1 786. A s c r i p t i o n to P h i l i p Thicknesse is d e r i v e d from Lysons's scrap-book. S e c a b o v e .

274

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of Johnson and inserted them anonymously in the London Chronicle.1 As soon as they were in print, he rushed to Malone's to see if he or Courtenay could guess the authorship. In his journal for the day, sifter recording his triumph, Boswell complacently added, 'Both liked T h e m . ' Mrs. Piozzi had been an easy mark for gossip and innuendo in the years of her widowhood and just following her second marriage; now she was again the subject of caricature and open attack. O f the many anonymous attempts at ridicule, one typical example may be selected: A Poetical Epistle from the Ghost of Dr. Johnson to his Four Friends The Rev. Mr. Strahan, James Boswell Esq., Mrs. Piozzi, J• Courtenay Esq. M.P. from the Original Copy in the Possession of the Editor with Notes Critical, Biographical, Historical, and Explanatory.1 In this amusing skit the anonymous editor described a visit to the Elysian fields to find the ghost of Dr. Johnson. Written in doggerel, and illustrated by quotations from the works of the four writers, the epistle attacked Mrs. Piozzi in the usual way. Further proof of continued interest is given by a calendar for the year 1787, printed by Thomas Carnan in St. Paul's Y a r d . A single sheet, this almanac, as it is styled, had at the top four portraits, ostensibly of the best-known characters of the day: T h e Prince of Wales, Mrs. Fitzherbert, Dr. Johnson, and Mrs. Piozzi. 3 T h e most pretentious, and in many ways the most amusing, of the parodies of the Boswell-Piozzi feud appeared on April 24. This came from the prolific pen of Peter Pindar (Dr. Wolcot), and was called 'Bozzy and Piozzi, a T o w n Eclogue'. With his usual predilection for a salty story, Wolcot turned from deriding the simple follies of the royal family to the popular quarrels of the Johnsonian biographers. Wolcot imagined Sir John Hawkins, who as yet had not appeared in the lists but was known to be at work on a complete biography, sitting in judgement while Boswell and Mrs. Piozzi engaged in a personal argument, illustrated with all the silliest anecdotes each had recorded of Johnson. An example, to indicate the easy flow and pungency of this popular lampoon, follows: Bozzy H o w could y o u r folly tell, so void of truth T h a t miserable story of the youth, 1 Private Papers, xvi. 185; London Chronicle, A p r . 20, 1786. T h e verses signed ' O l d S a l u s b u r y Briar' were also reprinted in the Morning Herald, A p r . i t , 1786. 1 Printed for Harrison & C o . , L o n d o n , 1786. ' A r o p y is a m o n g M r s . Piozzi's papers in the J o h n R y l a n d s L i b r a r y .

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Who, in your book, of Dr. Johnson begs Most seriously to know if cats laid eggs! M a d a m e Piozzi W h o told of Mistress Montagu the lie So palpable a falsehood ?—Bozzy fie! Bozzy W h o madd'ning with an anecdotic itch, Declar'd that Johnson call'd his mother 'b-tch?' M a d a m e Piozzi Who, from M'Donald's rage to save his snout, Cut twenty lines of defamation out? Bozzy W h o would have said a word about Sam's wig, O r told the story of the peas and pig? W h o would have told a tale so very flat, O f Frank the Black, and Hodge the mangy cat? Madame Piozzi Good me! you're grown at once confounded tender O f Doctor Johnson's fame a fierce defender: I'm sure you've mentioned many a pretty story Not much redounding to the Doctor's glory. Now for a saint upon us you would palm h i m — First murder the poor man, and then embalm him! Bozzy Well. M a ' a m ! Since all that Johnson said or wrote, You hold so sacred, how have you forgot T o grant the wonder-hunting world a reading O f Sam's Epistle, just before your wedding; Beginning thus (in strains not formed to flatter) 'Madame, If that most ignominious matter Be not concluded' Further shall I say? N o — w e shall have it from yourself some day, T o justify your passion for the Youth, With all the charms of eloquence and truth. M a d a m e Piozzi What was my marriage, Sir, to you or him? He tell me what to d o ! — a pretty whim. He, to propriety (the beast) resort! As well might elephants preside at court. *iii'.:>o U

275

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1785-6

Lord! let the world to damn my match agree; Good G o d ! James Boswell, what's that world to me? T h e folks who paid respects to Mistress Thrale, Fed on her pork, poor souls, and swilled her ale, M a y sicken at Piozzi, nine in t e n — Turn up the nose of scorn—Good G o d ! what then? For me, the Devil may fetch their souls so great; T h e y keep their homes, and I, thank God, my meat. When they, poor owls, shall beat their cage, a jail, I, unconfined, shall spread my peacock tail; Free as the birds of air, enjoy my ease, Choose my own food, and see what climes I please. I suffer only—if I'm in the wrong: So, now, you prating puppy, hold your tongue. 1 W o l c o t u n d o u b t e d l y c a u g h t Mrs. Piozzi's defiant attitude towards the detractors of her second husband. I f she ever regretted b r e a k i n g the rules of English caste, she never admitted it publicly or privately. In her happiness she was callous to w h a t others m i g h t think or say. T r a v e l l i n g a b o u t sunny Italy w i t h her caro sposo was the realization of her fondest dreams, and she could well afford to ignore the c a r p i n g criticism at home. '

Works of PcUr Pindar

(1797), i. 218-51.

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1 7 8 6 - M A R C H

CONTINENT I 7 8 7

I

N Italy Mrs. Piozzi was oblivious of the controversy aroused

by her little v o l u m e . A f t e r spending the early part of the winter in Naples, e n j o y i n g the mild climate a n d interesting surroundings, she and her husband, on F e b r u a r y 22, 1786, turned their faces n o r t h w a r d . T h e y found R o m e in the last throes of carnival week, and Mrs. Piozzi's English sense of d e c o r u m was o f f e n d e d b y w h a t she considered the v u l g a r spirit applied to a semi-religious festival. In the I m p e r i a l C i t y she saw little of the better class of society, for Piozzi seems to h a v e had few friends there, and social distinctions were even m o r e stringently observed than in northern Italy. W a s t i n g no time in useless lamentation, h o w e v e r , she threw herself, as usual, into the one o c c u p a t i o n a l w a y s open to her. I have now returned to my old Employment of seeing Palaces & Churches; examining Statues, Pictures &c. and find the Doria & Colonna Palaces exceed all possibility of expectation. 1 R o m e offered a splendid o p p o r t u n i t y to i n d u l g e her passion for painting, and she wrote to Q u e e n e y : I passed two Mornings in looking at the pictures of Sasso Ferrato and Andrea Mantegna, Names which I used to know only in Books: the Works of Guido Reni as the Italians always call him however, give one the real, & true, & unaffected Delight which that Art can afford—and as Goldsmith used to say the way to set up for a Conoscente was to talk a great deal about Pietro Perugino, I assure you that in that Merit I have already made many advances. 2 S h e was astounded, too, b y the profusion and excellence of the sculpture e v e r y w h e r e in the city. 1 R y . 618, spread 75. T h e following description of the Piozzis' travels a b o u t the Continent is derived f r o m a variety of sources: M r s . Piozzi's original travel j o u r n a l s ( R y . 6 1 8 ) ; the published Observations and Reflections ( 1 7 8 9 ) ; M a i n w a n n g P i o z z i a n a ; letters to Q u e e n e y a n d S. Lysons, & c . T h e best discussion o f M r s . P i o z z i as a traveller m a y be f o u n d in the I n t r o d u c t i o n b y the Countess E v e l y n M a r t i n e n g o Cesaresco to Glimpses of Italian Society, etc. ( N e w Y o r k , 1892), pp. 1 - 4 1 . 2 Queeney Letters, pp. 2 1 9 - 2 1 .

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It was said by Vopiscus you remember that there were more statues than Men at Rome in his T i m e ; and as the People are daily popping their heads under Ground, & the Statues peeping theirs above G r o u n d , — I fancy they now nearly double the Number of the Inhabitants. Seven weeks of sightseeing in the capital proved very pleasant, but on A p r i l 19 the Piozzis set out again for V e n i c e . N e a r Spoleto, high in the A p e n n i n e s , their c o a c h broke d o w n . Providentially, so it seemed, just at this m o m e n t t w o English g e n t l e m e n , a M r . S h a r d a n d the R e v . L e o n a r d C h a p p e l o w , d r o v e u p a n d offered their assistance. T h i s offer was g l a d l y accepted, the c o a c h w a s finally tied together with ropes, and slowly and laboriously they crawled on through Foligno, A n c o n a , R i m i n i , and R a v e n n a to Bologna. Mrs. Piozzi was i m m e d i a t e l y attracted to C h a p p e l o w , one of their rescuers, and he was e q u a l l y d r a w n to the clever, wellinformed E n g l i s h w o m a n . A former librarian o f T r i n i t y C o l l e g e , C a m b r i d g e , a fine classical scholar, naturalist, and w o u l d - b e poet, he p r o v e d a c o n g e n i a l c o m p a n i o n and later a delightful correspondent. 1 For the rest o f his life he was one of M r s . Piozzi's most intimate friends. T o the Piozzis' g r e a t a n n o y a n c e , their broken c o a c h could not be satisfactorily repaired in Bologna, but C h a p p e l o w and his c o m p a n i o n insisted that Mrs. Piozzi and her maid set o u t for Ferrara in their post-chaise, while they followed behind in the patched up c o a c h with her husband. Ironically e n o u g h , the post-chaise lost its hind wheel in the first quarter of an hour, and the w o m e n were forced to return to the c o a c h and creep slowly into F e r r a r a . T h i s latter place she found deserted, and could not but r e m e m b e r how the improvisatore Talassi, in an a c c o u n t of a visit to the T h r a l e s , had written of the village of S t r e a t h a m as a populous place. N o w she found the description less laughable, h a v i n g seen the e m p t y streets of his native city. In Bologna Mrs. Piozzi had fallen again under the spell of her favourite painter, G u e r c i n o , and was determined to see his birthplace at Cento. A c c o r d i n g l y , she and her husband parted from their new-found friends, a r r a n g i n g to meet t h e m in P a d u a , and m a d e a detour to see h o w the painter had decorated his 1 Both sides of the long correspondence are now in the R y l a n d s collection ( R y . 5 5 9 - 6 3 ) . C h a p p e l o w h a d just p u b l i s h e d , in 1784, a little v o l u m e , The Looking Glass, containing imitations of selected fables of Fontaine, ' w i t h A d d i t i o n a l T h o u g h t s ' , & c . A copy presented by the author to H. L . P. in 1792 is now in the R y l a n d s library.

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n a t i v e t o w n . H e r e x p e c t a t i o n s w e r e not d i s a p p o i n t e d , t h o u g h she c o u l d not restrain her i n d i g n a t i o n at t h e w a y h e h a d represented his real n a m e o f B a r b i e r o v e r the a l t a r w h e r e he was b a p t i z e d , b y d r a w i n g G o d the F a t h e r w i t h a l o n g b e a r d . F r o m C e n t o it w a s a short j o u r n e y to P a d u a , w h e r e t h e y rejoined the G r e a t h e e d s , w h o h a d c o m e n o r t h t h r o u g h P e r u g i a , a n d t o g e t h e r o n c e m o r e sailed b y b a r g e d o w n the B r e n t a to V e n i c e . A s they floated a l o n g , s o m e o n e in the p a r t y r e a d M e r r y ' s p o e m ' P a u l i n a ' , until the Q u e e n o f the A d r i a t i c herself d r o v e all o t h e r t h o u g h t s f r o m their minds. In V e n i c e M r s . Piozzi d e c i d e d to g r a t i f y her l o v e for p a i n t i n g in a m o r e substantial w a y t h a n m e r e l y b y g a l l e r y a t t e n d a n c e . I n R o m e she h a d p u r c h a s e d a v i e w o f St. M a r k ' s b y C a n a l e t t o ; n o w she b o u g h t a n o r i g i n a l sketch o f G u i d o ' s A u r o r a a n d a n u m b e r o f pictures b y s u c h artists as C a n a l e t t o , S a l v i a t i , D o m e n i c h i n o , A m i g o n i , a n d B a s s a n o . ' S h e must h a v e y e a r n e d for one b y her f a v o u r i t e G u e r c i n o , b u t f a i l i n g this she w a s g l a d to a c q u i r e a n u m b e r of l a r g e canvasses o f the n o r t h - I t a l i a n school o f p a i n t i n g w i t h w h i c h to d e c o r a t e her house a t S t r e a t h a m . I n V e n i c e she first h e a r d o f the success o f h e r Anecdotes', y e t her letters to Q u e e n e y a n d others h a d a n a p o l o g e t i c tone, a n d she insisted on e m p h a s i z i n g the difficulties u n d e r w h i c h the v o l u m e was p r o d u c e d . ' T h e s e p o o r A n e c d o t e s ' , she w r o t e to Lysons, ' h a v e been p u b l i s h e d as P h i l i d o r is said to m a k e his M o v e s at Chess, whilst h e h i m s e l f is p l a y i n g o n t h e F i d d l e in another Room.'2 G r a d u a l l y , h o w e v e r , the c o m p l i m e n t a r y letters f r o m her friends a n d the u n d o u b t e d l y s p e c t a c u l a r sale o f the little v o l u m e raised her spirits, a n d she soon ceased all a p o l o g y for the q u a l i t y o f the w r i t i n g or the n u m e r o u s errors. A l t h o u g h she herself h a d not as y e t seen a c o p y , she c o u l d n o w pose as a successful authoress. Heedless o f all L o n d o n disputes, she c o u l d e n j o y her i m a g i n a r y f a m e , u n r u f f l e d b y the 'poisoned arrows of private malignity' w h i c h had driven her from her o w n shores. T h r o u g h o u t the later p a r t o f M a y a n d the e a r l y w e e k s in J u n e 1786 the Piozzis r e m a i n e d in V e n i c e . D e s p i t e the fact that her z e a l for seeing e v e r y t h i n g w a s b e g i n n i n g to w a n e , M r s . P i o z z i still spent most o f h e r t i m e e x a m i n i n g fine pictures a n d libraries w i t h her English friends, D r . a n d M r s . W h a l l e y ( w h o m T h e s e pictures were later sold at p u b l i c auction at B r y n b e l l a , A p r . 1 3 - 1 5 , 1836. In the catalogue o f the sale it was stated that Mrs. Piozzi had purchased the lot in V e n i c e about the year 178G. 2 M a y 26, 1786. See p. 236, n. 2.

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she had known at Bath), Chappelow, and the Greatheeds. T h e heat, however, was growing unbearable, and when this, combined with the stench from the small canals, made her ill, they decided to return to Milan. On J u n e 12, the day after the Doge's dinner, they returned to Padua, where they found their coach fully repaired and ready, so the man insisted, to carry them safely round the world should they so please. T h e y found the road to Verona exceedingly rough, like all those in the Venetian state. As Mrs. Piozzi shrewdly guessed, the senators of Venice, preoccupied with maritime affairs, gave little thought to the comfort of those who chose to travel by land. 'Petruchio & Catherine might well tumble out of their saddles into the Dirt between Padua & Verona.' She was constantly reminded of Shakespearian scenes and characters in northern Italy, and her feeling on passing later through M a n t u a was to agree with Romeo in lamenting banishment from Verona to this 'disagreeable' town. Verona she found completely enchanting, with an agreeable society of educated ladies, who applauded her husband's playing on the pianoforte and wrote impromptu verses in each other's praise. Mrs. Piozzi preserved a number which she wrote herself, as well as a fine fable presented by the Abbate Bertola to be translated for her daughters. While they were in Verona, a group of Piozzi's friends and relatives came from Quinzano to see him. Although only a j o u r n e y of twenty miles, Mrs. Piozzi laughingly recorded, it was considered in the Venetian territory a fearsome trip indeed. Probably the condition of the roads is some explanation of the fact that Piozzi did not take his wife to see his own birthplace; nor did he introduce her to his old father at Brescia. Perhaps he was not anxious to parade his numerous poor relatives before the wealthy Englishwoman, and the difficulty of travelling may have been rather a plausible excuse than an insurmountable obstacle. T h e Piozzis moved westward by easy stages and reached Milan on J u n e 2 1 , after an absence of fourteen months. T o return again to their own belongings was pleasant, but shortly afterwards the quiet of Casa Fidele was rudely disturbed, when they were nearly robbed by a young Florentine, who had followed them about and attempted to obtain service in their household. In the excitement of the moment Mrs. Piozzi locked herself in a closet for protection against the cut-throats, and remained there until rescued by the police. It all ended like a scene from a comic opera: with the master in mortal

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t e r r o r b c c a u s e h e was u n a r m e d , t h e mistress in hysterics, a n d t h e villains c a l m l y dismissed b y t h e l e n i e n t a u t h o r i t i e s . L o o k i n g b a c k m a n y y e a r s l a t e r M r s . Piozzi c o u l d see t h e h u m o r o u s side of t h e i n c i d e n t , b u t a t t h e t i m e it was a distinct shock t o h e r nerves, 1 a n d a visit to t h e n o r t h e r n lakes was n e e d e d t o r e s t o r e her equanimity. T h r o u g h t h e h e a t of J u l y t h e y w e r e n e a r V a r e s e , s u r r o u n d e d b y a c r o w d of g a y , c a r e - f r e e f r i e n d s , e x p e r i e n c i n g a t r u e I t a l i a n villeggiatura. T h e y n e v e r , she w r o t e , sat d o w n f e w e r t h a n f o u r t e e n o r fifteen a t t h e t a b l e , a n d t h e g e n t l e m e n w i t h g o o d h u m o u r e d gaiety composed i m p r o m p t u rhymes, m a d e comical faces, a n d e n g a g e d in a r o u n d of s i m p l e a n d u n a f f e c t e d a m u s e m e n t s . S h e was c h a r m e d w i t h t h e lack of r e s t r a i n t in s u c h a g a t h e r i n g a n d c o u l d n o t b u t c o m p a r e it w i t h t h e m o r e s e d a t e p l e a s u r e s of h e r o w n c o u n t r y . L a t e r C o u n t B o r r o m e o e x t e n d e d to t h e travellers a n i n v i t a t i o n for a w e e k ' s s t a y a t his p a l a c e o n Isola Bella in L a k e M a g g i o r e . Guess you [Mrs. Piozzi wrote to Queeney] if we made Lago Maggiore resound? having one Barge-full of Friends, another with a band of nine performers the best in Italy, to divert us and them upon the Water. And of an Evening when by Moonlight we returned home to our Calypso-like Dominion, & the Fragrance of the Orange Grove met us by the Time we were halfway thither, I really fancied myself in a sort of Mahomet's Paradise. 2 H e r e , in c e l e b r a t i o n of t h e Piozzis' s e c o n d w e d d i n g a n n i v e r s a r y , the M a r q u i s D'Araciel composed a glowing E p i t h a l a m i u m w h i c h was s u n g b y t h e b a n d of m u s i c i a n s . I n a d d i t i o n t h e M a r q u i s h a d t h e verses p r i n t e d in M i l a n , a n d p r e s e n t e d copies to t h e h a p p y c o u p l e a n d t h e i r friends. 3 E v e n in s u c h s u r r o u n d i n g s , in a s p o t so p e r f e c t t h a t h e r m a i d t h o u g h t it h a r d l y real a n d c o n f i d e n t l y e x p e c t e d t h e p a l a c e t o d i s a p p e a r b y m a g i c , M r s . Piozzi w a s n o t a l l o w e d to f o r g e t h e r a f f a i r s in E n g l a n d . F r i e n d s t h e r e w r o t e c o n s t a n t l y a b o u t t h e p u b l i c r e c e p t i o n of h e r Anecdotes, a n d she r e p l i e d w i t h f e r v e n t t h a n k s for t h e i r aid w i t h t h e c a n c e l l e d p a r a g r a p h a n d t h e p o s t s c r i p t . 4 A l t h o u g h t h e little v o l u m e h a d b e e n p u b l i s h e d a t 2 ' Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 85. Queeney Letters, pp. 228-9. A copy is in the Kylands collection. On the outside is 'PEI. FALSTO GIORNO

3

DELLE

NOZZE

AVVENUTE

IN L O N D R A

DEGLI

ORNATISSIMI SPOSI

PLOZZI.

CANTATA

EPITALAMICA'. T h e verses are dated 'Varese 25 Luglio 1786' and signed ' I n attestato di vera stima ed amicizia I I MARCHESE DE ARACIEL Ciamberlano di S . M . I . R . A . ' T h e poem was printed in Milan, 'Per Cesare Orena nella Stamperia Malatesta'. 4 T o Lysons, Mar. 25, 1786. See also J. Rylands Bulletin, xx (1936), 1 7 1

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the end of M a r c h , she herself had not even seen a c o p y by J u l y . As she wrote to Lysons, J u l y 6, 'tis a great P l a g u e really not to see how the Book looks'. M o r e of a w o r r y , h o w e v e r , w a s her proposed edition of J o h n s o n ' s letters. She h a d promised the publishing rights to C a d e l l , w h o had aroused p u b l i c expectation by advertisements in the n e w s p a p e r s ; consequently she added to Lysons that if her friends thought it advisable she a n d her husband could hurry to E n g l a n d d u r i n g the a u t u m n . W h a t was her delight to receivc Lysons's reply of J u l y 3 1 , advising the w i t h h o l d i n g of J o h n s o n ' s correspondence until after the a p p e a r a n c e of the official edition of his works. Almost as pleasing was the a p p r o b a t i o n of Sir J o s h u a R e y n o l d s , related in the same letter. I talked with Dr. Lort about the publication of the Letters, and told him what Cadell said on that subject, he thinks you should not publish them 'till after Sir J o h n Hawkins's Edition of Dr. Johnson's Works, unless you wish them to be serviceable to the Knight, in his compilations—By the way, no great Matters are expected from this promised piece of Biography—I met Sir Joshua Reynolds yesterday at Sir Joseph Banks; and he told me that Dr. Johnson's works were quite printed and that he supposed they would be published on the meeting of Parliament in the Autumn, I was much pleased with Sir Joshua whom I had never before known, he overtook me this morning near Fulham and brought me to Town in his can ¡age, he speaks very handsomely of your anecdotes, and says he is sure the Letters will be a very valuable publication. H o w e v e r pleased she m a y h a v e been that her presence was not immediately required in E n g l a n d , M r s . Piozzi was determined not to remain p e r m a n e n t l y in I t a l y . T h e constant strain of the ardent proselytizing, which was becoming e v e r y d a y more harassing, and the irritating social distinctions combined to render her position even more insecure than in her native land. B u t she was too clever to attempt to force a n y decision on an unwilling h u s b a n d . S h e had, indeed, in her last letter to D r . J o h n s o n expressed the conviction that Piozzi w o u l d require little persuasion to settle in E n g l a n d . W h a t was her surprise and delight to learn that he was quite as eager as she to make L o n d o n their p e r m a n e n t h o m e : he [PiozziJ had always thought even when a Boy that England should be his home. Milan & even Paris had spread their Charms in vain,—London was the Place he had always wished to shine in:— and to London he would go. 1 1

M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , ii. 8 8 .

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Once the decision was made, however, she was in no hurry to hasten home. Before leaving she wanted to see the Tyrolean Alps, Vienna, Prague, Germany, Belgium. If only she could get rid of her present difficulties by travelling, she did not care how long their return was delayed. Wandering about on the Continent, Mrs. Piozzi had been unable to keep closely in touch with her daughters. T h e youngest, Cecilia, had been left in school at Streatham, while Susanna and Sophia were under the care of a Mrs. M u r r a y in Kensington. Queeney, the eldest, went her own way, and lived in Brighton with an elderly widow, a Mrs. Cochrane, as chaperon. O n coming of age (in September 1785) she rented a house in Wimpole Street, thereafter dividing her time between Sussex and London. T h e younger sisters spent their vacations with the Cators at Beckenham Place and with Q^ueeney in Brighton. 1 T h e girls were never very faithful in writing to their distant mother, much to the latter's disappointment. Once she complained to Queeney: what can be become of dear Susan & Sophy? who never write themselves, & of whom you say not a Syllable, tho' Mr. Cator's last Letters tell me they are under your Care. Why do you my sweetest Girl, write so coldly and so queerly? & why do you hinder your Sisters from writing at all? is it because I am married to Mr. Piozzi? that Reason (as Shakespear says) is somewhat musty . . .2 Some weeks later, when the requested letters had arrived, 'in Consequence of my Lamentations', Mrs. Piozzi wrote again to Queeney: they protest it was nobody's fault but their own that I remained 12 Weeks without hearing of 'em, and when you say it was not yours, I hold myself bound to believe it. That My Name should never be named among you, is too probable for me to doubt; but I must assure you in Confidence that the Ladies did do me the favour to write very fondly & familiarly after our parting, & indeed till I left Milan I had perpetual Letters from them, begging me to return, & perswading Mr Piozzi to bring me back. This is my Excuse for having written fondly & familiarly to them . . ,3 Some of her disaffected friends had evidently poisoned the minds of the younger girls against her; nevertheless she continued to send presents to them whenever she found an opportunity, and besought any friend going back to England to see 1 1

Sec letters from Cator (Ry. 622, 1, 2, 6). From Florence, July 26, 1785.

3

From Pisa, Sept. 17, 1783.

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her d a u g h t e r s i m m e d i a t e l y a n d r e p o r t their c o n d i t i o n . one o f these, w r o t e on J u l y 1 1 , 1 7 8 6 :

I78&Shard,

M r Chappelow & I took the first Opportunity of making use of your kind introduction to Kensington & were very happy to find both the Miss Thrales well. T h e y inquired very kindly & particularly about you. M r . C . has hardly recovered the Impression the Eyes of the youngest L a d y made upon him & I was equally struck with the mild & pleasing behaviour (for all D r Johnson says that word has no meaning) of your favorite Sophy . . I f the c o n n e x i o n w i t h her d a u g h t e r s w a s only a slender t h r e a d , M r s . Piozzi was d e t e r m i n e d not to b e the one to b r e a k it. S o in answer to a request f r o m S u s a n n a , a n d possibly also as a release for p e n t - u p emotions resulting f r o m the r e c e n t solicitations of the R o m a n C a t h o l i c s , she b e g a n on A u g u s t 13, 1786, a series o f short disquisitions on the f u n d a m e n t a l tenets o f the English C h u r c h . T h i s strange w o r k , w h i c h consisted o f ten chapters discussing the creeds, sacraments, c e r e m o n i e s , m y s teries, a n d so forth, o p e n e d w i t h a p r e f a c e in t h e f o r m o f a letter to her d a u g h t e r . M y dear S u s a n n a — Your Request must be my Excuse for meddling with Subjects which it is the peculiar Province of the Clergy to discuss and to explain; God forbid that I should have an Idea of intruding upon a Profession wch. it is our indispensable Duty to revere; but you used to say my Preachments were the clearest, & that from being accustomed to my Manner of talking on serious Subjects you came away better informed than after listening to Discourses more elaborate, from Lips more learned than mine. T h e Distance we have now been so long T i m e from each other, must serve as another Excuse, since we cannot converse as formerly, when ev'ry Sunday Evening glided away in a sort of grave but useful T a l k , for which to say the Truth, I have found few People of your Age express so much Taste as yourself. . . ,2 H a v i n g increased her f u n d of religious i n f o r m a t i o n o n her recent travels, she a d d e d , she w a s m u c h better fitted to a c c o m p l i s h the task she had in m i n d . T h e exposition, w h e n c o m p l e t e d , filled over forty folio pages, b u t w h e t h e r it w a s ever presented to S u s a n n a c a n n o t be d e t e r m i n e d w i t h certainty. T h e f a c t that she took so m u c h time to write o u t the a c c o u n t , h o w e v e r , provides further light on her m a n y - s i d e d c h a r a c t e r . 1 Ry. 892, 7. See also from Chappelow, July 4, 1786 (Ry. 562, i ) ; from Parsons, Oct. 1, 1786 (Ry. 558, 17); and lo Queeney, Sept. 27, 1786, concerning a visit 2 Ry. 634. from Mrs. Greatheed.

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Late in August 1786 the Marquis D'Aracicl invited the Piozzis to his palace at Bergamo for a week's visit. It was there that she had another glimpse of Piozzi's brother Giambattista who had come to bid them farewell. He came into the Assembly,—I was dancing; & kiss'd my hand to him, tho' the other was held by a Man of Quality—This occasioned a Stir, but never mind; It is my Brother said I—& I will kiss my hand to Him. 1 It was particularly hard for an Englishwoman to understand the great gulf which separated men of quality in Italy from the ordinary professional and merchant class. As a foreigner, though, she was able to break social conventions with some impunity, and she naively added, ' T h e y admir'd, condemn'd, & ador'd me all at once.' T h e Piozzis had brought a large quantity of furniture, plate, and table service from England, and had made other purchases on their travels. Confidently expecting to return to Italy for long visits in the future, they decided to leave the greater part of these belongings in care of Piozzi's brother. 2 Packing and farewells occupied the early part of September, so that it was not until the 22nd that the Piozzis left Milan, and she found herself, as she expressed it, again with a coach for her home. Before starting across the Tyrolean Alps, the travellers spent a few days in Verona. Life here she found as delectable as ever: the Abbé Bertola made impromptu verses, Pindemonte conversed, Piozzi played and sang, while the charming hostesses engaged in a kind of group improvization. This was Mrs. Piozzi's final taste of Italian society, her last opportunity to enjoy the unaffected camaraderie which she felt was this country's most engaging trait. She would always remember Verona as the epitome of all she liked best in Italy. Although sorry to leave such agreeable company, the Piozzis finally drove north through the mountains to Trent, which they reached on October 3. T h e next important stop was at Innsbruck, where, in commenting on the increase in cleanliness and comfort as they proceeded northward, she wrote in her j o u r n a l : 'Here we have all that English People wish for except Language, wch. neither M r . Piozzi nor I unluckily possess.' Twenty-four hours of hard driving from here brought the travellers to Munich. Upon their arrival they found that the 1

M a i n w a r i n g Piozziana, ii. 89. Included were some portraits of the Piozzis themselves. T h e s e are r e p r o d u c e d in Glimpsts of Italian Socicty (op. cit.), p. 4. 2

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M a r q u i s Trotti, w h o m she had met in Paris in 1 7 7 5 , was staying in the same inn, and with him she immediately rushed out to view the picture galleries, recalling her first initiation into the delights of great painting eleven years before. A f t e r the expansive paintings of C a r r a c c i and G u e r c i n o , h o w e v e r , she found G e r m a n art dull and laboured, ' I t a l i a n S u b l i m i t y sinking ofTinto G e r m a n Minuteness'. 1 Breughel, she m a i n t a i n e d , 'seems to pique himself on putting upon a 1 5 Inch B o a r d more than C l a u d e or Poussin would have found sufficient for six large Pictures of four Feet each'. Still more was she discontented with the buildings: 'no more beautiful Architecture, no more half-breathing Statues—but m a n y Figures of J u n o & D i a n a , all of Gilt L e a d as the M a n w h o shews 'em off told me with a p p a r e n t Satisfaction: I thought them a good E m b l e m of the whole Nation for my part.' M r s . Piozzi had felt an obligation to understand and admire Italy, her husband's c o u n t r y ; she had no similar incentive for G e r m a n y and Austria, and allowed her pen considerable liberty in caustic criticism. O n the whole, however, her comments and observations in her journals and in her letters were shrewd and understanding. If she was at first bored and disgusted with the matter-of-fact stolidity of the art and the people, she also found much to admire. F r o m M u n i c h the Piozzis went somewhat out of their w a y to S a l z b u r g , where M r s . Piozzi made interesting investigations into her own descent, and firmly believed that she had traced her ancestry back to the original A d a m de Salzburg. T h e n , about the middle of October, they drove on to V i e n n a . O n the very d a y which brought the travellers to V i e n n a , Prince Lichtenstein's favourite Spitzberger lapdog presented him with a fine litter of puppies. O n e of these he gave to the visiting E n g l i s h w o m a n , and for the remainder of the tour M r s . Piozzi carried with her everywhere she went this new successor to a long line of favourite pets. Flo, as the dog was called, continued for many years a pampered member of the Piozzi household. In V i e n n a she was startled by the living conditions: 'five, or six, or seven families all in one house; every one shutting his a p a r t m e n t , or set of apartments, out from the others, by a great iron door, or grate.' 2 She was delighted to find that the public library had sent for copies of her J o h n s o n i a n Anecdotes, and still more flattered to be told that the book was to be translated into ' Qjifrnry Ltlters, p. 235. :

To Lysoru, Nov. 29, 1786.

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G e r m a n . ' As an established collector of anecdotes, she thought it her duty to transcribe into her journals numerous stories of the Emperor and of the celebrated poet Metastasio. T h e music of V i e n n a made little appeal to her, though her husband must have revelled in the opportunities it afTorded. She never acquired any enthusiasm for serious music. Pictorial art was her passion; melody and harmony made little impression upon her feelings. T h u s it is strange for us to find that the one acquaintance which she made in Vienna of whom we would like to know more, she does not even mention in her journals. In the spring of this year Mozart had produced his Marriage of Figaro in Vienna, and was still living in that city. W e have evidence that he and the Piozzis were occasionally at the same parties, but the musician whom we think the greatest of his time made little impression upon the unmusical Englishwoman. If her husband had kept a diary the tale would have been different. W e know of the meetings of Mozart and the Piozzis, not from their own records but from the reminiscences of the singer Michael Kelly. Kelly, writing many years later of the celebrated M m e Martines, whose literary and artistic parties were popular in V i e n n a at the time, added: Mozart was an almost constant attendant at her parties, and I have heard him play duets on the piano-forte with her, of his own composition. She was a great favourite of his. At one of her parties I had the pleasure to be introduced to Mrs. Piozzi, who, with her husband, was travelling on the Continent; there appeared to me a great similarity in the manners of these two gifted women, who conversed with all around them without pedantry or affectation. It was certainly an epoch, not to be forgotten, to have had the good fortune, on the same evening, to be in the company with the favourites of Metastasio and Dr. Johnson; and last, not least, with Mozart himself.2 Piozzi's one great desire was to see and hear Haydn. Being so near, he planned a little excursion late in October into H u n g a r y , where he meant to visit the great composer at Esterhazy. Unfortunately, in a little country town called Edenbourg Mrs. Piozzi was taken suddenly ill, and they were forced to return to V i e n n a , disappointed of this ambition. W i t h her passion for history, Mrs. Piozzi was more interested in her proximity to the Turkish Empire than to that of the great musician. 1 Queeney Letters, p. 239. I h a v e been unable so far to find any G e r m a n translation of the AneedoUs. * Reminiscences of Michael Kelly (1826), 2nd ed. i. 249-50.

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A f t e r t h e m a d d e n i n g e x p e r i e n c e o f h a v i n g all her furs c o n f i s c a t e d b y the c u s t o m s officials, 1 M r s . P i o z z i left V i e n n a o n N o v e m b e r 23 for P r a g u e , w h e r e she w r o t e to Lysons on the 29th c o m m e n t i n g o n t h e m i s e r a b l e h o u s i n g . B u t even her i n s a t i a b l e curiosity w a s n o w b e g i n n i n g to w e a r o u t , a n d , f o l l o w i n g a discussion o f their p r o p o s e d r o u t e h o m e , she a d d e d : O u r coach will hardly hold out more frisks, and one grows tired of seeing the library, and the museum, and the same stuff over again at every place. M r . M u r p h y used to say, when we asked him to go with us to look at some gentleman's seat, I remember. 'No, do let me alone,' says he, 'I'll describe it to you when you come home just as exact.' Accordingly, when we returned, he was ready to receive us. ' A n d well,' says he, 'you ran up a flight of stonestairs, did not y o u ; turned into an Egyptian hall; then through a magnificent corridor to the picture gallery; the library is in the other wing & c . ' I begin now to be of his mind, and think it would [be] a comfortable thing to sit quiet and stir the fire; a pleasure we never enjoy, for the stoves here w a r m , but do not divert m e ; and the double windows tease me to death, I can never get a good look out in the street . . . F r o m P r a g u e t h e travellers t u r n e d n o r t h to D r e s d e n , b u t finding the roads almost impassible, they put their c o a c h on b o a r d a b o a t a n d f l o a t e d d o w n the E l b e for the rest o f the j o u r n e y . S h e liked D r e s d e n better t h a n a n y other G e r m a n city. T h e f a m o u s G a l l e r y w i t h t h e fine C o r r e g g i o s , the c l e a n streets a n d squares, the g a i e t y a n d g o o d h u m o u r o f the C o u r t s , all m a d e an instant a p p e a l . A s a result, t h e Piozzis r e m a i n e d nearly a m o n t h , not l e a v i n g until J a n u a r y 1, 1787. O n Christmas d a y Mrs. Piozzi was delighted when a French Protestant pastor h a d a l o n g talk w i t h her h u s b a n d a n d g a v e h i m a b o o k o f d e v o t i o n a l exerciscs. In spite o f the fact t h a t she h a d been m u c h exercised o v e r the efforts o f the R o m a n i s t s to c o n v e r t her to P i o z z i ' s religion, she w a s i n w a r d l y pleased to think o f h i m as a p r o s e l y t e to her o w n . S h e w a s h a p p y to note that her h u s b a n d n e v e r ' c o m m u n i c a t e d w i t h the R o m a n i s t s from the H o u r o f this S w e e t C o n v e r s a t i o n in S a x o n y ' , 2 a l t h o u g h it was some t i m e b e f o r e he a c t u a l l y b e c a m e a m e m b e r of the English C h u r c h . Y e a r s later, l o o k i n g b a c k at her stay in D r e s d e n , she c o u l d w r i t e t h a t this C h r i s t m a s ' w a s t h e happiest o f m y Life'. 3 ' Queeney Letters, p . 2 3 7 . M r s . P i o z z i ' s letters to R o b e r t M u r r a y K e i t h , British A m b a s s a d o r a t V i e n n a , w h o finally r e s c u e d t h e f u r s , m a y b e f o u n d in the British M u s e u m ( A d d . M.S. 3 3 5 3 8 - 7 0 , 2 2 7 ) . O n e o f his r e p l i e s is in R y . 892. J - M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , ii. 9 2 . Ibid.

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It was probably in Dresden that M r s . Piozzi received a letter from Sir L u c a s Pepys, written on N o v e m b e r 30, containing several suggestions which must have m a d e her indignant. O n her return to E n g l a n d , Pepys w a r n e d her, she must r e m e m b e r that m a n y of her old acquaintances would not be pleased. But public opinion might be placated to some degree if she could get her y o u n g e r daughters to share a house in L o n d o n ; or 'perhaps y o u will find it m u c h more C o m f o r t a b l e to go First to Bath, & not settle in L o n d o n for the first 6 Weeks or T w o Months'. 1 S h e should crawl back with humility and patiently wait the forgiveness of outraged society. T h i s was unwelcome advice to the w o m a n w h o not only felt no shame but rather gloried in her second m a r r i a g e , but Pepys went even further and committed the fatal error of attacking Piozzi's name. It has been said that an Italian Name makes an awkward J u m b l e with the Smiths, Thomsons, Jacksons & all the Usual Names of John Bull's Children, & that You being aware of This have Thoughts of getting your Name changed to your Mothers Name of Salisbury; An Excellent Idea & Mr. Cater could get it done for you before you arrive. Pepys's advice might be safe and discreet, but it did not agree with her belligerent disposition. N e v e r ashamed of her husband's foreign n a m e , she rather insisted on using it at every t u r n ; T h r a l e was forgotten; for the rest of her life she was H. L . Piozzi, or simply H . L . P. Consequently Pepys's advice fell on stony ground, and though he had proffered the counsel with m a n y protestations of reluctance and hesitancy, it is very probable that the l a d y never f o r g a v e him for his impertinence. Perhaps it is only a coincidence, but in the correspondence from Sir Lucas Pepys now in the J o h n R y l a n d s L i b r a r y , this letter of advice is the last for m a n y years. From Dresden the Piozzis crawled along over j o l t i n g roads, 'ten Miles o' D a y or 1 5 at the very most', to Berlin, and from there through B r a n d e n b u r g , Brunswick, H a n o v e r , Münster, Düsseldorf, into the L o w Countries. Berlin itself proved a disappointment, being the only place of a n y consequence f r o m which she felt in a hurry to run a w a y , but Potsdam and the palace of Frederick the G r e a t she found a perfect combination 1 Ry- 53^> 2 9- ' n ' h e b i o g r a p h i c a l a c c o u n t of M r s . Piozzi p u b l i s h e d by t h e F.uropean Mag. x (1786), p p . 5 - 6 , the s t a t e m e n t h a d been m a d e t h a t ' P u b l i c report hints, t h a t Mrs. Piozzi will r e t u r n to E n g l a n d in the course of next w i n t e r , a n d tHat her h u s b a n d will t h e n be n a t u r a l i z e d , a n d assume t h e n a m e of Salisbury".

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o f ' m a g n i f i c e n c e , taste, a n d s p l e n d o u r ' . E v e r y t h i n g n o w w a s seen w i t h j a d e d eyes, for n o t h i n g m u c h m a t t e r e d e x c e p t the p r o s p e c t o f letters a n d news f r o m E n g l a n d . T h e y hurried a l o n g as fast as possible t h r o u g h L i è g e a n d L o u v a i n , a r r i v i n g in Brussels at the b e g i n n i n g o f F e b r u a r y 1787. I n Brussels the travellers f o u n d a stack o f letters f r o m L o n d o n , a n d w e r e c o r d i a l l y greeted b y a large n u m b e r o f E n g l i s h visitors, a m o n g w h o m w e r e D r . and M r s . W h a l l e y , L o r d a n d L a d y T o r r i n g t o n , a n d R o b e r t M e r r y , w h o in F l o r e n c e h a d b e e n so sure they w o u l d n e v e r m e e t a g a i n . W e a r y o f b o u n c i n g all w i n t e r o n G e r m a n roads, the Piozzis w e r e a n x i o u s t o r e t u r n h o m e , b u t the a g r e e a b l e c o m p a n y p r o v e d so d i v e r t i n g t h a t t h e y stayed n e a r l y a m o n t h . T h e r e was o n l y one d r a w b a c k , as she w r o t e to Q u e e n e y on F e b r u a r y 5, telling o f their r e c e n t travels a n d o f the present delights o f Brussels society. W e talk nothing but French here, & 'tis quite odd to me who have so long lived in I t a l y — v e r y mortifying, an't it, to have my Husband speak two Languages better than myself—but I shall catch him in my own Country one of these Days. M r s . Piozzi's a c c o u n t s o f their reception in Brussels, as well as e l s e w h e r e on the C o n t i n e n t , must c e r t a i n l y be taken w i t h a g r a i n o f s a l t ; a n d w e m a y be a l l o w e d to d o u b t w h e t h e r the A r c h d u c h e s s forced her o w n children to practise r e a d i n g E n g l i s h o u t o f the Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson, or w h e t h e r the n o b i l i t y w e r e so c o m p l e t e l y o v e r c o m e b y Piozzi's singing, as t h e diarist later insisted. T h e r e [Brussels] we were fondled & petted till we were proud and ashamed and delighted all at once. T h e Arch Duchess herself— Gouvernante of the Low Countries—personally invited our Stay . . . no Music pleased her but that of M r . Piozzi, who told her how good T h e Q u e e n of France (her Highness's Sister) had been to him; Prince Albert stood behind him while He sang at the Due D'Arenberg's, and turned over the Book for him. Princess Pauline . . . learn'd his Sonatas; and Lord and L a d y Torington could with Difficulty keep up with the Foreigners in paying us every Attention.' I n letters to Q u e e n e y a n d others across the C h a n n e l , M r s . Piozzi w a s n a t u r a l l y trying to contrast her r a p t u r o u s a c c e p t a n c e b y the p e o p l e o f rank in E u r o p e w ith the cold sneers o f her English a c q u a i n t a n c e s ; y e t in her o w n diaries a n d j o u r n a l s she can h a r d l y h a v e h a d the same purpose, a n d it was not her p r a c t i c e to shirk r e c o r d i n g the u n p l e a s a n t . U n d o u b t e d l y they w e r e 1

M a i n w a r i n g P i o z z i a n a , ii. 95.

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well treated b y c o n t i n e n t a l society, a n d it w a s flattering to h e r e g o t i s m t o r e c o r d these p l e a s a n t associations as o v e r w h e l m i n g t r i u m p h s . T h a t they w e r e not entirely a figment o f her o w n i m a g i n a t i o n is s h o w n b y c o n t e m p o r a r y foreign dispatches in t h e E n g l i s h p a p e r s . P i o z z i p l a y e d a n d s a n g at a g r a n d c o n c e r t in F e b r u a r y ; several m o n t h s later t h e World, n e w s p a p e r in L o n d o n p r i n t e d a c o m m u n i c a t i o n f r o m Brussels m e n t i o n i n g t h e singer, a n d e n d i n g w i t h the phrase, ' H i s p e r f o r m a n c e a t t h e D u k e d ' A r e m b e r g ' s , is still the topic'. 1 T h e Piozzis themselves g a v e a s u p p e r a n d c o n c e r t in Brussels a t t e n d e d b y sixty-four English visitors, as well as a large n u m b e r o f t h e local haut-monde. W i t h concerts a n d balls, interspersed w i t h literary c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h the p o e t M e r r y a n d D r . W h a l l e y , the d a y s passed q u i c k l y . I n Brussels she read for t h e first t i m e the p o e m s o f a n e w E n g l i s h p o e t w h o a p p e a l e d to h e r i m m e d i a t e l y . A s she c o m m e n t e d to C h a p p e l o w on F e b r u a r y 1 3 : A t this place I have read some of your Friend M r . Cowper's Poems, with sincere Delight to think that there is in the World so good a man, w h o writes so well, now Johnson has left it. 2 E n g l a n d u r g e n t l y b e c k o n e d across the C h a n n e l . Conseq u e n t l y , on t h e 1st o f M a r c h the Piozzis d r o v e on to A n t w e r p to see R u b e n s ' s ' D e s c e n t f r o m the Cross', p l a n n i n g to g o f r o m there to G h e n t , w h e r e they w o u l d cross the S c h e l d t b y boat. F r o m A n t w e r p M r s . Piozzi d i s p a t c h e d a j i n g l i n g epistle to M r s . Whalley, beginning: W h e n I rose to leave Brussels, this morning, I found T h a t my lips could not utter one audible sound, For the cold, which had seized on my voice and my hearing, H a d made me a figure not fit for appearing. 3 T o describe all the v a r i o u s sights a l r e a d y seen, she e x p l a i n e d : As my list was so long, then, so straitened m y time, I thought 'twould be easiest to write it in r h y m e ; For though M r . H a y l e y may think himself clever T o canter in couplets for ever and ever, I think there is nobody else but what knows Bad verses are much sooner writ than good prose. E v e n w h e n rendered almost speechless w i t h a c o l d , M r s . P i o z z i c o u l d still d e l i g h t in s c r i b b l i n g English verses o n a n y a n d e v e r y occasion. 1

World, May 25, 1787; see also issue of Mar. 8, 1787.

2

Ry- 559. 5-

J

Whalley Corr. ii. 5-6. The letter is dated Antwerp, Thursday, Mar. 1, 1787.

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Because of a high wind they were not able to cross the Scheldt as they planned, and were forced instead to return to Brussels, whence by way of Lille they drove to Calais. T h e crossing was hurriedly accomplished, and it was with fast-beating heart that Mrs. Piozzi drove along the road from Dover to London. She and her husband had been absent from England for two and a half years; she had seen most of the proudest capitals of Europe; but the fog-wrapped spires of London were in the end the most satisfying sight of them all.

XIV ENGLAND MARCH

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T

HE Piozzis returned to London on Saturday, March 10, 1787. Having established themselves at the Royal Hotel in Pall Mall, they found it was still early, and Mrs. Piozzi suggested going to the play.

There was a small front box, in those days, which held only two; it made the division, or connexion, with the side boxes, and, being unoccupied, we sat in it, and saw Mrs. Siddons act Imogen, I well remember, and Mrs. Jordan, Priscilla Tomboy. Mr. Piozzi was amused, and the next day was spent in looking at houses, counting the cards left by old acquaintances, &c.'

This was her answer to Sir Lucas Pepys and his prudent suggestions. The next morning she sent a note to Queeney, announcing their arrival and explaining that, owing to the confusion and bustle of getting settled, she would be unable to come to see her at once. 2 The truth is, Mrs. Piozzi was somewhat dubious of the way her daughters would view her return; but Queeney and the older girls—always proper and punctilious—soon called and were apparently friendly. Inwardly, however, Queeney had not forgiven her mother for marrying Piozzi, and thoroughly disapproved of her spectacular defiance of London opinion. The first week was spent in receiving old friends and recent acquaintances, and in making plans for the future. A few of the Streatham coterie were still loyal—Dr. Lort, the Bishop of Peterborough, the banker Selwin—in contrast to Burke, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and others who refused to be cordial to the woman who had treated their friend so shabbily. As she feared, the Blue-Stockings made no move towards reconciliation, and the salons of Mrs. Montagu and her hangers-on were closed to the former Mrs. Thrale. One, and only one, of her former feminine friends seems to have rushed to greet her. Mrs. 1

Hayward, i. 305.

' Queeney Letters, p. 248; Sunday, M a r . 1 1 , 1787.

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Lewis, widow of the Dean of Ossory, came in from R e a d i n g with her daughter, then suddenly fell ill, and Mrs. Piozzi was forced to nurse an invalid instead of repaying calls. 1 While some were cold and indifferent, others publicly showed their partiality. O n the 17th Dr. Lort gave an entertainment in her honour, to which he asked a number of common friends. 2 Chappelow, the Greatheeds, and Parsons of her gay companions on the Continent eagerly welcomed her return and were just as friendly in England as they had been in Italy. These, combined with the staunch little remnant of her former coterie, made up the nucleus of a very agreeable group. Mrs. Piozzi had no reason to complain of lack of engagements. O f chief importance was the selection of a suitable home. If she was to brave society, as she planned, her principal need was a large house in a fashionable district where she could entertain in a lavish manner. Streatham was still let, and besides a London house was much more to her purpose. After some search, a satisfactory one was found, and the World of M a r c h 27 announced: 'Mrs. Piozzi has taken a house in Hanoversquare. Mrs. Piozzi, if not again admitted to the Blue-Stockings, will probably establish a similar meeting of her own. T h e intervals of Conversation to be relieved Music.' Although the house was secured in the first weeks after their return, Mrs. Piozzi was in no hurry to engage in any extensive entertainments, for she wished to decorate and furnish it first as sumptuously as possible, and this involved unpacking and arranging the paintings and works of art sent home from the Continent. Besides, it was desirable to find out the extent of the sentiment against her before risking any avoidable slights. As might have been expected, the London newspapers hailed her arrival with their usual quips. 3 T h e Morning Herald ' See letters to Perkins, A p r . 24, 1787, and one undated a few d a y s later. Mrs. P i o z z i was forced to decline dining with Perkins in S o u t h w a r k because she could not leave her sick friend. 2 H a y w a r d , i. 298. 3 E v e n before her arrival the papers had been full of their usual incorrect prognostications. T h e World, M a r . 9, 1787, c o n t a i n e d the p a r a g r a p h : M r s . Piozzi brings with her the collection of Sam Johnson's Letters & c . in m u c h r e a d i n e s s — t h e Little Florence M i s c e l l a n y by herself, M r . G r e a t h e e d , Sir H o r a c e , a n d M r . Piozzi, will p r o b a b l y be reprinted in L o n d o n . — T h i s will be no small c u r i o s i t y ; — y e t , w h a t will be m u c h m o r e curious, w o u l d be a p u b l i c a t i o n o f her travelling anecdotes and observations! N e a r l y every point in this account is w r o n g , but it is possible that the last phrase m a y h a v e suggested the later title for her travel book. O t h e r references to Mrs. Piozzi a p p e a r e d in the World for M a r . 8, 17, 22, 27. See also the General Evening Post, M a r . 20 a n d A p r . 7; Public Adieitiser, Feb. 24, 1787, & c .

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of M a r c h 17 c o m m e n t e d : ' T h e lady's visit is highly seasonable at this time, as she m a y survey her learned friend Dr. Johnson laid in state by that grave undertaker Sir J o h n Hawkins.' Hawkins's official biography was one book she p r o b a b l y found time to read in these first weeks in London, and she cannot have been well pleased. Aside f r o m the naturally jealous reactions of a rival author, there were personal reasons which swayed her j u d g e m e n t , for Hawkins openly discussed the anguish stirred up in the heart of the dying J o h n s o n by w h a t he considered her ignominious marriage. Not very agreeable reading for the lady herself; not very pleasant to have memories of the past so spitefully resurrected. Mrs. Piozzi was not alone in her distaste for Hawkins's work. T h e knight's heavy style and his fondness for long digressions were hardly likely to m a k e his book popular. T h e general attitude m a y be inferred from a sentence in one of the p a p e r s : 'A gentleman, lately arrived in town, has been for several days past afflicted with a lethargy owing to the perusal of three chapters in Hawkins' Life of Johnson.'• Yet in spite of the almost complete disapprobation, the work is a very valuable one, since it represents the one contemporary biography written after a study of Dr. J o h n s o n ' s private papers. With the final a p p e a r a n c e of the official edition of J o h n s o n ' s works, there was nothing now to retard Mrs. Piozzi's own printing of his correspondence. D r . Lort, writing to T h o m a s Percy of his e n t e r t a i n m e n t for the Piozzis, added t h a t she 'told me she had been t h a t m o r n i n g at the bank to get "Johnson's Correspondence" amongst other papers, which she means forthwith to commit to the press'. 2 No time was to be lost in beginning the work which h a d been her ostensible reason for returning to England. Actually Cadell h a d been one of the first visitors she h a d received at the Royal Hotel, and the newspapers printed an amusing fiction t h a t u p o n his arrival she had failed to rise to greet him, being seated with one foot on Boswell's Tour to the Hebrides and the other on Hawkins's Life.3 Cadell immediately offered her five h u n d r e d pounds for the right to publish J o h n s o n ' s correspondence, which was at once accepted. 4 F u r t h e r m o r e , he urged i m m e d i a t e action 1

From S. Lysons's scrap-book. See p. 124, n. 1. See also World, Mar. 22, 1788. Hayward, i. 298. Morning Post, Mar. 16, 1787. 4 Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 96. In Thraliana Oct. 26, 1787, she claimed that her bargain was for 500 guineas, with £ 5 0 additional should there be a second edition. 2 1

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— t o l a u n c h while the w a v e of J o h n s o n i a n interest was still at its crest. H e e m p h a s i z e d that if the p u b l i c a t i o n w a s to a p p e a r at all that y e a r it w a s a d v i s a b l e it should b e before the summ e r holidays. M r s . Piozzi a g r e e d , w i t h the result that even before she w a s c o m f o r t a b l y settled in her o w n house she was p l u n g e d into a frenzied a t t e m p t to get the m a t e r i a l r e a d y for the press. H a v i n g been g r e a t l y pleased with the c a p a b l e assistance of y o u n g S a m u e l L y s o n s at the time of the p u b l i c a t i o n of her Anecdotes, she d e c i d e d to ask his a i d in the a r r a n g e m e n t of the correspondence. L y s o n s , delighted to h a v e his finger in such a controversial pie, e a g e r l y a c c e p t e d the p r o f f e r e d commission. W h i c h of J o h n s o n ' s letters to publish w a s the first i m p o r t a n t p r o b l e m ; some w e r e too deficient in literary interest, some too short, some too m u c h i n v o l v e d in business matters. S i n c e the success of the v e n t u r e d e p e n d e d upon the g e n e r a l interest of the p u b l i c , it was necessary that these should be e l i m i n a t e d , a n d she w e l c o m e d a m a n ' s a d v i c e in m a k i n g the choice. It seems e v i d e n t that she p r a c t i c a l l y constituted L y s o n s as final arbiter, with full p o w e r to select a n d t h r o w out letters, a f t e r conferences with herself. S h e w r o t e to h i m at the b e g i n n i n g : I enclose you some trifling Letters from J o h n s o n — & some too melancholy for me to endure the reading o f — t h e y are on m y dear S o n ' s D e a t h : if y o u r Heart is as hard as that Alexanders w e talk so m u c h of in our Letters,you perhaps m a y like them. Write me w o r d w h a t you do with my S t u f f , & pray take care to scratch N a m e s out. Y o u r s is a very serious T r u s t , & tho' you live to be L d . T e t b u r y , you will never again h a v e the heart of a n y one so completely in y o u r h a n d to r u m m a g e every S o r r o w out, as you now have that ol your . .

In addition to selecting the letters to be used, it is evident that L y s o n s also helped to erase n a m e s f r o m the manuscripts p r e p a r a t o r y to p u b l i c a t i o n . Present-day scholarly consciences are horrified at such a casual t r e a t m e n t of original sources, but this w a s the usual m e t h o d of the time, a n d it w o u l d h a v e been surprising h a d the letters been p r i n t e d intact. T h e chief p r o b l e m of an eighteenth-century editor w a s to know how much to delete r a t h e r than to p r o d u c e an a c c u r a t e text. 1 A m o n g the bundles of J o h n s o n ' s letters e x a m i n e d by Cadell a n d L y s o n s was a p a c k e t of her replies. T h e i r presence with 1

S e e p. 2 3 6 , n. 2. A discussion of the a c t u a l treatment of the text will be f o u n d in the next chapter. 2

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her papers requires an explanation. During the long years of friendship with Mrs. Thrale Johnson had carefully saved many of her lively notes; and though he burned a number in the dark months following her second marriage, over a hundred escaped the flames and were found by his executors. According to custom, Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1785 had delivered the sealed parcel to Cator, who placed it with Mrs. Piozzi's other effects. 1 As soon as Cadell saw the package, he immediately insisted that some of her own letters should be included with those of her correspondent, having visions of a more varied and sensational production. Mrs. Piozzi, however, though naturally much pleased at the compliment, was doubtful how her notes would be received by the public. Y e t another reason for including some of her own letters was the fact that those from Johnson were not sufficient to fill two octavo volumes. O n second thought Mrs. Piozzi was convinced that somewhere she had more of the correspondence than had so far been discovered. It comes in my head seeing these Letters from me dated Bath, that I must have a H e a p from him some where which we have not yet looked over: When I have a quiet M o m e n t I'll Search a g a i n — and then if we find enough of his mine m a y be excused.

Mrs. Piozzi had in her possession, she knew, all the letters written by Johnson to the Thrale household, with the exception of those directed to her eldest daughter. These last, amounting to over thirty, might provide just the additional number to fill out the volumes; however Queeney coldly refused to surrender them. Her mother visited her on M a r c h 24, but to no avail. Queeney deprecated the notoriety attending any literary enterprise, and remained wholly unsympathetic. 2 Nevertheless, Mrs. Piozzi continued her search. O n April 5, Holy Thursday, she wrote jubilantly to Lysons: I have found about which m a y very well be and of the best sort. I them vastly, but will

forty Letters of Johnson's in the old Trunk, printed; some of them exceedingly long ones, read two or three to M r . Cadell, & he liked not abate of mine, and for the sake of his

1 See letters from the banker C. Selwin to Mrs. Piozzi, Apr. 19, Aug. 30, 1785 (Ry. 556, 167, 168). ' Queeney Lelters, p. 249. A draft of a letter to Queeney evidently never delivered. Mrs. Piozzi asked whether she should scratch out the name of Queeney or put in 'Miss T ' , in Johnson's letters. The Morning Post, Mar. 25, 1788, announced that Miss Thrale was in possession of letters 'from the Rambler, infinitely superior to those of her Mother . . . but Aliss Thrale with a resolution that does honour to her delicacy, however unfortunate it may be for the Public, has declared that these Testimonies of Confidence shall never see the light'.

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partiality I am now resolved to be patiently ty'd to the Stake, and if we can find six or seven tolerable ones for each Volume, he shall have them, but let me look them over once again. N o need to expunge with Salt of Lemons all the Names I have cross'd—let the Initials stand; 'tis enough that I do not name them out; Civility is all I owe them, and my Attention not to offend is shewn by the Dash. T h e Preface is written, & when I get the Verses from Dr. Lort I will not be dilatory, for I have got a nice little Writing Room, and a very Gentlemanlike M a n to deal with in Mr. Cadell. In spite of her discovery, C a d e l l and Lysons were still disc o u r a g e d over the lack of good material to fill two volumes of normal size. T o print m a n y of J o h n s o n ' s shorter notes, largely concerned with intimate details of his o w n health and medical treatment, h a v i n g d o u b t f u l literary or topical value, w o u l d tend to lessen public interest in the edition. A n d in the four hundred or more letters in M r s . Piozzi's possession there w e r e m a n y of this type. F o r all that, she refused to be disheartened, and wrote again on the 1 2 t h : D o not dispirit us, all will do very well; and we will have lines enough; I have a deal to tell you which I should not quite like to write. Come on Tuesday morning, do, at nine o'clock, and bring all the letters, and let us have a good sitting to them; wherever the names can carry displeasure, we will dash them. Miss Thrale refuses her assistance, but we will do without, and very well too. 1 J u s t w h a t M r s . Piozzi had to tell Lysons which she dared not write, we m a y never know, but in the light of our present knowledge of the publication it is tempting to suppose that it was her proposal to revise and a m p l i f y those of her own letters to J o h n s o n which she intended to print. While Lysons was busy with the editing, and D r . L o r t with the poetry, she was weighing carefully C a d e l l ' s wish to include some of her own answers. T h e originals of over a h u n d r e d were there in her hands. W h y not reword some of them, correcting the g r a m m a r , and m a k e them more interesting for the reading p u b l i c ? A s f a r as she could see this procedure would injure no one, and might enhance her own reputation. Furthermore, it would provide an easy w a y to fill the f o r t h c o m i n g volumes. T h e r e can be little d o u b t that she s u c c u m b e d to this temptation, and some time d u r i n g the following months completely rewrote a n u m b e r of her earlier letters. I n some cases they were merely e x p a n d e d , by rendering the style more literary and f o r m a l , while in others whole anecdotes and c o n t e m p o r a r y stories culled from T h r a l i a n a 1

Bentley's Misc.

xxviii (1850), 5 4 1 .

I h a v e not seen the original of this letter.

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were inserted to fill more space. It seems probable, in one instance, that several shorter notes were combined into one long one. Possibly when she began the elaboration nothing quite so drastic was intended, but as she proceeded, the desire to make a good impression became too strong to resist. It was common practice in that day to rewrite one's own letters before publication. It seems probable that A n n a Seward completely revised all of hers, and Boswell himself could not withstand the temptation to edit certain passages in his letters to Johnson before printing them in the Life.1 Even in her own day some readers suspected what Mrs. Piozzi had done. Boswell intimated his distrust in the Life; and nineteenth-century editors were willing, for the most part, to follow suit.2 Y e t until recently there has been no definite evidence upon which to base this vague scepticism. N o w , however, with the discovery of Mrs. Piozzi's private papers, the problem has been examined by Dr. R . W . C h a p m a n and Dr. Moses Tyson, who have followed clues as devious and intricate as those of a detective thriller, but in the end have gathered a body of proof which is decisive. W h a t follows is a short summary of their findings.3 In the John Rylands Collection there are approximately 134 letters, or autograph copies of letters, from Mrs. Thrale to Johnson. 4 O f these, twenty-eight represent the manuscript versions used by Cadell's printers. A careful comparison with the 106 unprinted letters leads to some interesting conclusions. In general, the two classes of manuscripts, the printed and the unprinted, differ both in style and in their actual physical appearance. T h e majority of those not published are fairly short and deal with personal, family, and business matters; about half show some address, about a quarter bear postmarks, and several have endorsements in Johnson's hand. O n the other hand, the published versions are usually longer, in a more literary style; they abound in quotations, allusions, and disquisitions; only one of the twenty-eight bears a 'direction'; none have postmarks or notations in Johnson's hand. Nearly all begin high on the page, as compared with Mrs. Thrale's ' Boswfll's Letters, i. 1 8 5 - 7 ; Life, ii. 1 4 4 - 5 . Amusingly enough, some of the excised phrases referred to the Thrales. 2 Life, iii. 4 2 1 - 3 . Boswell inferred that the published versions had been rewritten from a comparison with the style of the one original he had secured. 3 T h e following discussion is based almost entirely on unpublished notes by D r s . C h a p m a n and Tyson which tlicy have very kindly placed at my disposal. ' R y . 538-40-

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usual practice of leaving some space at the top of her notes. Yet all this is not necessarily conclusive, for eighteenthcentury letters, when franked, were often enclosed in a wrapper, so that the original might not preserve any address or postmark. 1 And with longer dispatches Mrs. Thrale would obviously begin higher on the sheet of paper. Preparation of the manuscripts for the printers offers mixed evidence. Many names are reduced by erasure in a similar manner to that employed with Johnson's original letters, but in a number of cases, ' M r ' is so written, where the full name might have been expected. 2 T w o of the letters make definite claims to be original. One begins, 'I can find no paper readily, but what is ruled for Children's use'; it is actually written on ruled paper. Another has a postscript (unpublished), 'Here is some confusion with the paper . . . but I stick it together with Thread'; the manuscript still retains some traces of having been sewed.3 Internal evidence is more revealing. In the letter written on ruled paper, of February 16, 1782, appears a story first recorded in Thraliana in March 1785 as one of a series picked up in Milan. 4 Another contains a passage resembling an entry in her diary made seven years later. In other cases the wording of a passage, or the implication of meaning, leads to the conviction that it was written by Mrs. Piozzi rather than Mrs. Thrale. Furthermore, an analysis of Johnson's correspondence from Scodand in 1773 would seem to indicate that her printed replies for this period are actually anthologies, made up possibly by combining a number of shorter notes into a longer, more finished production. All this evidence is presumptive and might possibly be explained away. But a more decisive proof, which cannot by any stretch of the imagination be dismissed, comes from an examination of the paper. A classification and comparison of the watermarks of all the manuscript letters leaves little doubt that a large percentage of those published are late copies. The ' M o s t of M r s . T h r a l e ' s letters f r o m S o u t h w a r k or S t r e a t h a m to Fleet Street w e r e p r o b a b l y sent by h a n d , a n d so w o u l d h a v e no postmark. T h o s e sent to a distant address were usually f r a n k e d , a n d if h e a v y w o u l d p r o b a b l y be enclosed in a cover. 1 M r s . Piozzi m a y h a v e m a d e her revisions thinking only of i m p r o v i n g the literary style, and a f t e r w a r d s excised the names f r o m the copies b e f o r e publication. 1 R y - 538> 2 5 , 1 3 . A possible suggestion might be that the use of the r u l e d p a p e r a n d thread was merely a s u b t e r f u g e to stop suspicion, but since only printer's compositors w o u l d see the evidence, this is difficult to believe. 4 R y - 5 3 8 , 2 5 ¡ T h r a l i a n a , M a r . 1, 1 783. C o m p a r e also R y . 5 3 8 , 1 5 a n d T h r a l i a n a . J u n e 8, 1 7 8 3 .

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p a p e r does not agree with that used during the T h r a l e years, but is definitely that in use in 1787. Eight of the versions a r e written on the same p a p e r as the first d r a f t of the Preface f o r the edition of J o h n s o n ' s letters; others c o m p a r e exactly with miscellaneous scraps in her hand for notes to the volumes. T o be sure, not all the twenty-eight published letters are revisions. F o u r seem to be genuine originals, and a number of others m a y be.' T h e remainder, however, cannot be the actual versions read by J o h n s o n . M r s . Piozzi had not been able to withstand the temptation to augment her literary reputation at the expense of accuracy. Y e t with all her careful planning to escape detection, all her devious shifts to fool Cadell's compositors, she forgot one thing—the paper she was using. J u s t w h a t happened to the originals when the copies were m a d e cannot be determined, but it seems probable that they were destroyed. In one instance, however, it appears that, whether by accident or by some mischievous trick of fortune, both the first letter and the later revision have survived. 2 T w o versions written G o o d F r i d a y night, April 18, 1 7 8 3 , contain the same information but differently w o r d e d ; 'a V o m i t ' becomes 'an E m e t i c ' , and 'Vexations' is turned into 'Sorrows'. The second version is amplified to more than twice the length of the first, by describing her illnesses and cares in a more discursive manner. Mrs. Piozzi undoubtedly had the general public in mind rather than J o h n s o n when she prepared the copy to be printed. O n c e the decision to rewrite her own side of the correspondence had been made, p r o b a b l y in April 1 7 8 7 , M r s . Piozzi realized that she needed more time to complete the task. 1 After examining and tabulating the various watermarks, I feel reasonably sure that the evidence is conclusive for at least half of the published versions. T w o watermarks, 'PRO PATRIA', and 'C PATCH', appearing on fourteen letters, d o not appear in any letter before 1787. O n e other, 'J W", appearing on four letters, possibly represents a completely new paper, since in that exact form it does not appear in any of the genuine Thrale letters. I would tentatively list the letters of J u l y 17, 1770 (538, 3), May 1 7 7 3 (538, 4), Friday (June 1773) (538. 6), and that of no date [July 1 3 , 1 7 7 5 ] (538, 13) as genuine originals. Those of Nov. 2, 1781 (538, 24), and Aug. 30, 1783 (538, 29) are merely suspicious. Those of Aug. q, ' 7 7 5 (53 8 » 14). J une 14, 1782 (538, 26), and June 30, 1784 (538, 32) may possibly be original. 2 Ry- 5 3 8 ' 27; 54°. I o 8 - T h e unpublished version is postmarked, 'Ap. 2 1 ' and 'Bath', definitely directed to Johnson at Bolt Court, and is undoubtedly the letter actually sent. It contains about 130 words, while the published version has over 350. In one other instance the genuine letter may have been found. Mrs. Thrale's letter of Oct. 2, 1777 (see p. 1 5 5 , Chap. V I I ) seems to be the first letter written after their arrival at Brighton, and would cast grave doubt on the printed leiicr of Oct. 1, 1777 (538, 17).

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Moreover, Lysons, her conscientious co-editor, was still not satisfied with the amount of good material so far unearthed, and urged her to secure additional letters from Johnson to other people. 1 Both of them, therefore, willingly agreed to put off the publication until the next winter. A b o u t the 1st of M a y the work was temporarily laid aside, and Mrs. Piozzi was free to give thought to other matters. In the first place, her business affairs needed attention. During the Piozzis' sojourn on the Continent Cator had acted as agent, collecting their income and forwarding enough for necessary expenses. Because of Piozzi's thrift the disbursements for their travel had been less than the receipts, so that in the two and a half years a considerable sum had accumulated with which to relieve the estate from debt. Consequently, early in M a y she was able to pay the mortgage assumed in 1 7 8 2 to settle L a d y Salusbury's claim, and she was amazed to learn that the money had not been borrowed from her daughters' inheritance as she had always understood. 2 This concealment, which necessarily engendered some suspicion of Cator's integrity, probably also suggested the advisability of a thorough investigation of her financial condition. T h e report later showed that the Piozzis, in addition to receiving income from landed property at Streatham, in Wales, and Oxfordshire, were possessed of a liquid capital of over £ 6 5 , 0 0 0 in the Funds. 3 There was therefore no lack of money to finance her intended 1 T h e editors sometimes could not make up their minds which letters to use, changes being made in two instances even after the sheets were printed. This involved later cancellation of sheet F in volume i, and sheet C in volume ii. Letters 300, 3 0 1 , 302 were substituted for 285. 1 , 286. 1 , 289. 2 in volume i; and 576, 583 for 5 6 1 . I, 660. 1 in volume ii. Pages from the original cancelled sheets are bound up in Samuel Lysons's copy, now in the possession of Ix)rd Harmsworth. T h e excised letters have been published in Broadley, pp. 1 1 1 - 1 5 . Unfortunately it is impossible to tell just when these changes were made, but it was probably in the autumn of 1787. 1 Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 97. For the date of the meeting see Thraliana. T h e passage in Mainwaring Piozziana telling of what occurred, together wiih all paragraphs of a controversial nature referring to her daughters, has been crossed out, presumably at some later date. With care, however, the original entry can bo deciphered under the erasures. See also p. 2 1 5 , n. 3. 1 Shortly after, Piozzi began to investigate the exact state of his finances. On J a n u a r y 26, 1788, J . Madison wrote from Charing Cross: According to your Request I have examined the Books of the Transfer officers at the Bank respecting the £ 3 0 , 0 0 0 , money which was to be invested in the Funds, and I find that that sum, has produced a Capital in the 3 P. cent. Consolidated Annuities of £ 5 1 , 8 6 5 " 1 " 8 >• the half-yearly Dividend of which amounts to £ 7 7 7 - 19 » 6. ( R y . 6 0 1 , 3 1 . ) In addition there was £ 1 3 , 4 0 0 in the reduced funds, so that the Piozzis' liquid capital was well over £ 6 5 , 0 0 0 .

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on the stronghold of British society. While she realized would not be an easy conquest and w o u l d perhaps take time, by M a y 1 she began to feel reasonably sure of the She wrote in T h r a l i a n a :

It was not wrong to come home after all, but very right. T h e Italians would have said we were afraid to face England, & the English would have said we were confined abroad in Prisons or Convents or Seraglios or some Stuff. 1 T h r o u g h o u t April and M a y she had been gathering a g r o u p of friends, old and new, upon w h o m she might depend for support, and by the middle of M a y w a s confident enough to plan a spectacular entertainment as a test of strength. D r . Lort, writing to T h o m a s Percy of the c o m i n g rout, c o m m e n t e d : 'then will be seen w h o of her old a c q u a i n t a n c e continue s u c h . ' 1 O n the 18th the day a r r i v e d , and M r s . Piozzi's first large public assembly proved a distinct success. I n T h r a l i a n a the next d a y she made the e n t r y : We had a very fine Assembly last Night indeed, in my best Days I never had finer; there were near a Hundred people in the Rooms which were besides much admired. Several days later the World carried the statement that ' M r s . Piozzi's assembly, the other night, was one of the fullest private meetings, this year has seen at a n y private house'. 3 P r o b a b l y curiosity brought m a n y of the guests, curiosity to see the notorious l a d y and her house, but m a n y w h o c a m e were connexions and acquaintances m a d e d u r i n g the recent years in E u r o p e . A l w a y s adept at m a k i n g friends, w h y should she despair if the old S t r c a t h a m companions refused to reinstate h e r ? She felt perfectly c a p a b l e of gathering another circle about her, j u s t as interesting and even more distinguished socially. O n e disappointment rankled d e e p l y — t h e abscnce of her d a u g h t e r s — w h o instead of accepting their mother's invitation insultingly drove by the door on their w a y to another a f f a i r . 4 T h e girls had decided to hold themselves aloof f r o m her ostentatious hospitalities. T h e y had done their duty in calling, but hesitated to risk their own social positions by a n y further 1 At the same time Mrs. Piozzi noted what Cecilia confided to her that Mr. Smith, one of the guardians, had actually insisted the year before that her mother was locked up in Milan and fed on bread and water. 2 Hayward, i. 299. The date should be May 13, 1787. 3 May 25, 1787. 4 Mainwaring Piozziana, ii. 97.

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connexion. Mrs. Piozzi had ironically commented in Thraliana some weeks before: A s for seeing our Daughters w h y we never do see them here, more than when the Sea parted us—or hardly. T h e eldest called twice, and we have called twice on Susan & Sophy, refused dining here at our Invitation; perhaps from an Idea they are superior to the petty Sovereigns of Germany. 1

any has who that

Though the elder daughters resisted her authority, Cecilia, the youngest, was only ten years old, and legally still under her mother's control. Mrs. Piozzi was determined to assert this right, even if it meant a quarrel with Queeney, who during her mother's absence had constituted herself guardian of all the sisters. Cecilia was accordingly brought from school to become a member of the household in Hanover Square. 2 Mrs. Piozzi's one pretentious assembly in the waning London season having proved reasonably successful, she set out in the middle ofJ u n e 1787 with her husband and Count Martenengo, one of their continental friends, for Bath, where she found Mrs. Byron not completely estranged and many others openly glad to see her. Cecilia had been left in school at Streatham, but Queeney, seizing the opportunity to outwit her mother, removed her sister to London, where the child fell ill. When Mrs. Piozzi heard the news she was furious. Resentfully she wrote to Queeney on J u l y 7: If London however disagrees with h e r — w h y is She there? I left her in the Country at Mrs. R a y & Fry's School Streatham, where She enjoyed the A i r of her native Place, and if you removed her thence, on pretence of Improvements which you now say are Trifling Matters at so early an A g e — i t will be found necessary perhaps some D a y for you to produce your Authority for so doing. T h a t I am her Mother & Guardian appears by her Father's Will, which expresses that no Marriage made by her while under A g e shall be held legal if it has not my Consent: and it is no longer ago than last Month, that I was called with M r . Piozzi to the Chambers of an Attorney to sign Settlements & Papers relative to her Fortune.

Mrs. Piozzi was not to be tricked out of her right to Cecilia. Feeling that having one daughter under her roof might be a partial sop to convention, she would allow nothing, not even her desire to be friendly with Queeney, to stand in the way. As it happened, the dispute resulted in so wide a rupture that 1 T h r a l i a n a , A p r . 29, 1 7 8 7 . ' On A p r . 24 M r s . Piozzi g a v e a children's party in their H a n o v e r S q u a r e house especially for C e c i l i a . See letter to Lysons, A p r . 2 3 , 1 7 8 7 .

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there was no communication between the mother and her cider daughters for many years. Queeney's attitude may be guessed from her correspondence with Fanny Burney. She angrily asserted that the little Cecilia would be corrupted by the insidious influence of her mother, an idea which shocked even the pliant Miss Burney, who wrote early the next year protesting that she could hardly see how Cecilia was irretrievably lost; the old scandal was now safely buried in the past, and there was no new stain to render Mrs. Piozzi a dangerous guardian. 1 But Queeney stubbornly refused to change her opinion, and Fanny was forced to write again: I h a v e d o n e , m y d e a r Miss T h r a l e , c o m p l e a t l y d o n e , — u p o n this u n h a p p y subject y o u h a v e n o w finished m y interference. T h e w o r d corrupt must silence m e for-ever, unless I h a d the means with the wishes o f w a s h i n g it a w a y , & o b l i t e r a t i n g the d r e a d f u l i m a g e it brings to v i e w . — C o r r u p t , i n d e e d , I d i d not think h e r ! 2

All Fanny's objections only seemed to irritate the determined Queeney, who now accused her of wavering in her allegiance, and intimated that any further defence of the former Mrs. Thrale must necessarily end their intimacy. Fanny pathetically ended her letter: 'Favour me with an answer to this, my Dear Miss Thrale & let me not have the grief to find that in trying to unite Both, I have been able to retain neither?' Irony of ironies! T h e author of Evelina, who had wished to act as mediator between Mrs. Piozzi and her daughter, was now considered a traitress by both. It is perhaps significant that in the correspondence of the former confidants there is a gap of five years after this letter. The uncompromising Miss Thrale would brook no disaffection. T h e tragic part of the affair was that Mrs. Piozzi never knew of this attempt of Fanny's to act as her advocate, and continued to consider all the Burneys as her bitter enemies. Because of the news of Cecilia, the Piozzis were forced to return to London in July. 3 A t Hanover Square on the 25th they celebrated their third wedding anniversary with the few friends who still remained in town. Shortly afterwards they set out again for the west of England, this time accompanied L a n s d o w n e M S . J a n . 5 , 1788. I b i d . , M a r . 22, 1788. F a n n y s u g g e s t e d t h a t t h e y c o m e to a t a c i t c o m p r o m i s e , a n d ' p r e s e r v e f o r e a c h o t h e r the g o o d w i l l so l o n g h e l d , t h a t w e m u t u a l l y m a k e a l l o w a n c e s f o r the d i f f e r e n c e o f o u r s e n t i m e n t s , & t h a t w e a g r e e to m a i n t a i n o u r f r i e n d s h i p & r e g a r d , h o w e v e r w e m a y dissent u p o n H e r w h o first b r o u g h t us together'. J S e c letter to S . L y s o n s , J u l y 17, 1 7 8 7 . 1

2

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b y C e c i l i a , w h o m M r s . Piozzi w o u l d not risk leaving behind again. F o r several weeks in A u g u s t they visited the Greatheeds at G u y ' s C l i f f e in W a r w i c k s h i r e . D u r i n g their stay G r e a t h e e d read to his guests a poetic t r a g e d y he had written, which m a d e such an impression on M r s . Piozzi that she urged him to take it to L o n d o n to show to the m a n a g e r s . F r o m G u y ' s C l i f f e M r s . Piozzi led her husband on to see H a g l e y , T h e Leasowes, and the other show places which had so pleased her in the past. B y A u g u s t 2 2 they h a d c o m e to the S w a n I n n in Lichfield, where she had stopped with D r . J o h n s o n in 1 7 7 4 . M r s . Piozzi's chief purpose in c o m i n g to Lichfield was to secure more of D r . J o h n s o n ' s letters to fill u p the second volume of her proposed edition. Lysons had written on the 16th that the first v o l u m e was almost printed, but that without resorting to typographical devices of 'driving out' there was not enough left to fill a similar second volume. 1 H e urged her 'to procure some of these Lichfield Letters'. H e r first move, therefore, was to get in touch with all the old friends and acquaintances of the Doctor. T h e belle of Lichfield's social and literary society was the sparkling but sarcastic A n n a S e w a r d . F o r various reasons M r s . Piozzi and the so-called ' S w a n of L i c h f i e l d ' had never met, though each was anxious to sample the other's conversation. T h e i r c o m m o n friend D r . W h a l l e y had promised to write a f o r m a l introduction, but unfortunately he was dilatory, and the Piozzis arrived in Lichfield before the letter. Miss S e w a r d was in a q u a n d a r y : uncertain whether to break the laws of etiquette, or to lose the pleasure of the travellers' c o m p a n y . Fortunately her q u a l m s w e r e soon overcome, and at the insistence of several local friends she m a d e the first move of welcomc. As a result, the Piozzis spent the evening of August 22 at the S e w a r d home, where a n u m b e r of the local literati were invited to meet them. In a later letter to D r . W h a l l e y , A n n a S e w a r d described some of the guests w h o that night had a p p l a u d e d Piozzi's singing and his wife's ready wit. 2 O n e was her cousin H e n r y White, who, she wrote, 'when perfectly a w a k e from an intellectual torpor, which is a p t to overcloud him, is very ingenious'; 1 R y . 5 5 2 , 1 3 . M a l o n e kept Boswell, w h o h a d himself been scouring the country for J o h n s o n i a n a , i n f o r m e d of his r i v a l ' s search. S e e FelUrcairn Cat., No. 560. 1 Letters of Anna Seward ( 1 8 1 0 . i. 3 3 5 . T h i s letter to W h a l l e y is dated O c t . 6, 17U7, but obviously must h a v e been written late in A u g u s t or e a r l y in S e p t e m b e r . F o r the question of the dates of A n n a S e w a r d ' s letters, see also p. x i v , n. 2.

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another was Colonel Barry of Worcester, a successor of the unfortunate Major André both in his passion for Honora Sneyd and in his appointments in America. Ending her description, Miss Seward used the characteristic phrase, 'The evening was Attic'. The next day, Henry White, who had evidendy dispersed the torpor which was 'apt to overcloud him', invited the Piozzis to his house, but they were forced to decline since they were engaged to drink tea in the forenoon with Mr. Peter Garrick. Instead they invited White to call upon them later at their inn. 1 Anna Seward, too, wishing to see more of the charming visitors, brought other friends to call, and the second evening was spent like the first with music and stimulating talk. Piozzi, as a musician, made a great impression on Miss Seward. She confessed to Dr. Whalley that she had been 'charmed with his perfect expression on his instrument, and with the touching and ever-varying grace with which he sings'. 'Surely,' she continued, 'the finest sensibilities must vibrate through his frame, since they breathe so sweetly through his song, though his imperfect knowledge of our language prevents their appearing in conversation.' Writing to the poet Hayley, she repeated her eulogium: Dr. Johnson told me truth when he said she had more colloquial wit than most of our literary women. It is indeed a fountain of perpetual flow;—but he did not tell me truth when he asserted that Piozzi was an ugly dog, without particular skill in his profession. Mr. Piozzi is an handsome man, in middle life, with gentle, pleasing, and unaffected manners, and with very eminent skill in his profession.2 It must be admitted that Anna Seward is not an unbiased witness, wholly to be believed, when writing about Dr. Johnson or his friends. Her rapturous descriptions of Piozzi may have been written more to prove Johnson wrong than to express her true feelings. One thing, however, is certain; the two literary ladies were much pleased with each other, and their letters during the next year are full of reciprocal compliments. Mrs. Piozzi's reason for visiting Lichfield had not been 1 Mrs. Piozzi to Henry White, Thursday, Aug. 23. Original at Dr. Johnson's Birthplace, Lichfield. See Life, iv. 372, for references to White. 2 Op. cit. i. 339-40. This letter, like that to Dr. Whalley, is obviously misdated and probably rewritten. The wording, therefore, may not be exact. See also i. 3977BLOOM, EDWARD A . a n d LILLIAN D. BLOOM. 'Portrait o f a G e o r g i a n L a d y : T h e Letters o f H e s t e r L y n c h ( T h r a l e ) P i o z z i , 1 7 8 4 - 1 8 2 1 ' , Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, lx, N o . 2, ( S p r i n g ,

1978), pp.

303-38.

BROWNLEY, MARTINE WATSON. ' " U n d e r t h e D o m i n i o n of Some W o m a n " : T h e Friendship of Samuel J o h n s o n and Hester T h r a l e ' , in Mothering the Mind, ed. R u t h Perry a n d M a r t i n e Watson Brownley. N e w York and London: H o l m e s & Meier, 1984, pp.

64-79.

MCCARTHY, WILLIAM. ' H e s t e r Piozzi' e n t r y in A Dictionary of British and American Women Writers 1660-1800, e d . J a n e t T o d d . L o n d o n : M e t h u e n & C o . , Ltd.; N e w York: R o w m a n & A l l a n h e l d , 1984, pp.

253-6.

MCCARTHY, WILLIAM. Hester Thrale Piozzi-' Portrait of a Literary Woman. C h a p e l Hill, N . C . : U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a Press, '985BLOOM, E D W A R D A . a n d L I L L I A N D . BLOOM. The Letters of Hester

Lynch

(Thrale) Piozzi• N e w a r k , D e l . : U n i v e r s i t y o f D e l a w a r e Press; L o n d o n a n d T o r o n t o : A s s o c i a t e d U n i v e r s i t y Presses. F o r t h c o m ing.

INDEX Abbas and Mir za, 6 1 . A.B.C. Dario Musico, 1 8 8 . Abergele, 4 1 1 - 1 2 . A b i n g d o n , 36, 394. Abingdon, Mr., i n . A b r a x a s stone, 398. A d a m d e S a l z b u r g , 4, 286. A d a m s , William, 242, 244. A d d i s o n , J o s e p h , 1 2 , 56, 3 4 4 , 3 4 7 , 3 6 1 , 438. A d e y , M a r y , 308, 3 1 0 . Albion Manor, 3 7 . A l e x a n d e r , M r . , 97, 296. Amiens, 235. A m i g o n i , J a c o p o , 279. A n c o n a , 278. André, J o h n , 307. Andriani, Count, 334. AnicdoUs of Dr. Johnson, see Piozzi, Hester L y n c h . A n n a M a t i l d a ( p s e u d o n y m of H a n n a h Cowley), 337-9. A n s t e y , Christopher, 1 4 1 , 1 8 3 . Antwerp, 291. Araciel Marquis, d', 188, 238, 281, 285. A r b l a y , Alexander d', 447. A r b l a y , M m e d ' , see B u r n e y , Frances. A r c h e r , L a d y Betty, 2 2 . Arenbcrg, Duke d', 2 9 0 - 1 . A r n e , T h o m a s , 3 7 , 89. Arno Miscellany, The, 2 5 0 . A s h b o u r n e , 1 1 4 , 308, 3 1 1 . Ashhurst, L a d y , 3 3 4 . A s h h u r s t , Sir W i l l i a m H e n r y , 3 3 4 . Athens, 394. Atkins, A b r a m , 4 3 1 . Austria, 286-7. B a c h - y - G r a i g , 7 - 9 , 1 1 , 1 1 4 , 308, 3 5 0 , 3 7 5 - 6 . 434. 4 4 6 . 4 5 5 i description, 5, 19, 1 6 6 ; inheritance, 39, 4 1 , 106, 1 2 8 ; J o h n s o n trustee f o r , 1 2 9 ; mortg a g e , 19, 2 1 1 , 2 1 5 ; r e p a i r e d , 4 0 7 - 8 ; threatened loss, 1 3 , 1 6 , 1 9 ; woods at, 1 6 5 , 2 1 5 , 440. Bagot, L e w i s , Bishop of S t . A s a p h , 386. Baillie, J o a n n a , 428. B a l d w i n , H e n r y , 263. B a l t h a z a r . J e a n , 229 Bnnll, 1117.

Banks, Sir Joseph, 270, 282 B a r b e r , F r a n c i s , 2 7 5 , 3 1 1 , 426. Barclay, David, 2 0 1 , 203. B a r c l a y , R o b e r t , 203. Baretti, J o s e p h , 66, 74, 1 0 1 , 1 1 8 , 1 2 1 , 1 2 2 , 1 2 5 , 136, 140, 157, 1 6 1 , 179, 1 9 8 , 2 2 8 , 4 3 2 ; annotations, 67, 96, 3 2 4 - 5 ; p o v e r t y , 206, 3 2 5 ; c h a r a c t e r , 2 4 2 , 3 2 3 , 3 2 5 , 3 2 7 - 8 ; death, 3 2 5 - 6 , 3 2 8 ; letters f r o m , 1 0 7 , 1 1 4 , 1 4 0 , 2 3 8 , 4 6 8 ; n e w s p a p e r attacks on, 3 2 5 - 6 , 3 2 8 ; on M r s . S a l u s b u r y ' s fatal illness, 103; Episiolario, 114, 134; Prefaziom e Polemichi, 1 3 7 - 8 , 3 2 2 ; Sentimental Mother, 3 2 6 - 7 . — a n d the T h r a l e s : early relations, 1 0 9 , 3 2 5 ; teaches languages, 1 0 9 , t i t , 1 4 2 , 144, 3 2 5 ; c a r e for the children, 1 1 4 , 1 1 6 , 1 2 8 , 1 4 0 ; describes H a r r y ' s death, 1 3 6 ; attacks a n d strictures on H . L . P . , 1 1 3 , 1 3 7 , 2 1 8 , 2 3 8 , 3 2 2 - 8 , 3 3 0 ; trip to B a t h with H . L . T . , 1 3 7 - 8 ; F r e n c h a n d Italian tours, 1 2 9 - 3 2 , 1 3 4 , 1 3 8 - 9 ; rupture with, 1 4 3 - 4 . B a r n a r d , M m e , 36. B a r n a r d , S i r Frederick A u g u s t a , 2 4 3 , 256. 3 " B a r n a r d , T h o m a s , Bishop of K j l l a l o e , 334. 4'4Barrett, C h a r l o t t e Frances, 4 2 7 , 470. B a r r y , C o l . H e n r y ( ? ) , 307, 3 3 4 . Barlolozzi, Francesco, 3 3 4 . Bassano, J a c o p o (da Ponte), 279. Bates, friend of J o h n s o n , 89. B a t h , 2 3 , 8 2 , 1 8 8 , 1 9 3 , 289, 2 9 7 ; A l f r e d S t . , 3 1 1 ; Bishop of, 2 2 8 ; G a y Street, 4 4 2 , 446, 4 5 3 ; N e w K i n g Street, 4 3 5 , 438, 4 4 2 ; H . L . P . at, 1 3 7 - 4 0 , 1 8 2 - 5 , 2 1 9 - 3 ' . 34-5. 3 " - ' 2 > 3 2 3 . 3 3 9 . 3 4 1 - 2 . 3 5 1 , 3 5 5 , 3 8 6 , 398, 4 0 1 - 3 , 406-8, 4 1 1 - 1 4 , 4 2 1 , 4 3 0 - ' . 4 3 5 - 5 3 ; houses occupied by T h r a l e s , 1 3 9 , 1 8 3 , 3 1 1 , 4 3 5 , 4 4 2 ; J o h n s o n at, 1 3 9 4 0 ; Pulteney Street, 4 3 5 . Bathurst, D r . R i c h a r d , 88. Batton, C a p t . , 22. Baviad, The, 2 5 0 . Beaconsfield, 1 1 6 . Beattie, J a m e s , 9 1 , 1 0 1 , 1 0 4 , 106, 1 0 9 , 1 2 1 , 1 5 ' , 259, 469. Beauclt rk, L a d y D i a n a , 269.

478

INDEX

Beauderk, Topham, 156, 172. Beaumarchais, P. A. C., 336. Beaumaris, Anglesey, 386, 395. Beaumont, Sir George, 358. Beckenham Place, 179, 283. Becket, Thomas k, 395. Beckford, William, 347. Bedford, Francis Russell, 5th Duke of, 383. Bedford, John Russell, 4th Duke of, 34. Belgium, 283. Belle, Mrs. Salusbury's dog, 67, 70. Belvedere, suggested name for BrynbeUat 377. Bendey, Richard, 404. Bergamo, 285. Berkeley, Bishop George, 25. Berlin, 289. Berne, 253. Berry, Mary, 359, 373. Bertola, Abbate, 280, 285. Bevan, Sylvanus, 203. Biddulph, Mr., 248. Billinge, Richard, 3. Billinge, Thomas, 3. Birmingham, 96, 448, 452. Blair, Hugh, 348. Slake, a boy from Loughborough school, •34Blue-Stockings, 122, 150, 172, 174, 2293 1 , 259-60, 265-6, 272-3, 293-4, 3 ' 9 , 334Bodens, George, 53, 191. Bodvary estate, 166. Bodvel Hall, 8, 9, 10, 14, 103, 378, 455. Bodylwyddan, 384-5, 423, 427, 429, 458. Boethius, 57-8, 3 1 2 , 3 1 5 . Boileau's Epistle to his Gardener, 61. Bologna, 248, 278. Bolognese school of painting, 132. Booth. Mr., 142. Boothby, Sir Brooke, the elder, 67, 308, 310. Boothby, Sir Brooke, the younger, 310. Boothby, Hill, 308-10. Borghi, Luigi, 228, 334. Borromeo, Count, 281. Boscawen, Mrs. Frances, 150, 218. Bossi, Abbé, 238, 246. Boswell, James, 64, 69, 75, 76, 88, 91, 103, i n , 1 1 3 , 1 1 7 , 1 2 1 , 134, 135, 137, 143, 158, 166, 189, 196, 241, 261, 265, 267, 328-30, 436,458-9,466 ; characterizes Goldsmith, 86; biographical style, 259, 357-8; contemporary suspicions of, 273, 358; accuracy, 319, 358; letters from, 468; Life of Johnson, xiv, 267, 270, 299, 3 1 1 , 321, 355-9;

Tour to the Hebrides, xv, 75, 105, 106, 244, 259-60, 267, 295, 3 ' 8 . 349— visits: Hebrides, xv, 105-6, 125, 348-9; Southward, 92, 1 2 2 - 5 ; Streatham, 78, 84, 166; Bath (1776), 1 3 9 40; Grosvenor Sq., 197; Argyle St., 219. — and the Thrales; early attitude, 92, 105, 123-5, 2 I ° i fi"' meeting with H.L.T., 77; reaction to J . ' s letters to H.L.T., 3 1 3 , 3 2 0 - 1 , 356; attacks H.L.P.'s accuracy, 256, 268, 2 7 1 , 347. 358-9, 471 ; and her scholarship, 76, ¿49; rivalry with H.L.P. after J . ' s death, 2 4 1 - 2 , 244, 256-7, 25»60, 272-6, 295, 306, 308, 3 1 0 - 1 1 , 3 2 1 - 2 , 330, 338, 355-9; Ode on J . and Mrs. Thrale, 199-200, 3 2 1 - 2 ; Piozzian verses, 273-4. — Letters, 77, 92, 210, 299, 3 1 3 . Boswell, Mrs. Margaret, 75, 92. Bouhours, Père, 224. Boulogne, 235. Bowdler, Thomas, 183, 195. Bowles, William, 222. Bowood, 3 7 1 , 419. Boizy and Piozti, 274-6. Bradford, Lucy Elizabeth, Countess of, 427. Brandenburg, 289. Brent, Charlotte, 8g. Brenta, the, 247-8, 279. Brescia, 224, 280, 392, 461. Breughel, J a n , 286. Brianconi, Abbé, 238. Bridge, Miss, 13. Bridges, Edward, 1 2 - 1 7 , 19, 23, 3 1 - 2 , 38, 53, 106-8, 1 1 4 . Bright, Henry, 80, 88. Brighton, 58, 59, 8 1 , 84, g3, 126-9, 148, 155-6, 1 6 1 , 163, 166, 172-5, 180, 186-9, '9 2 _ 3> 199-200, 2 1 2 - 1 4 , 226, 283, 301, 400, 461 ; home of Thrales in West Street, 8 1 , 155. Bristol, 109, 412. Bristol, Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of, 326. British Synonymy, see Piozzi, H. L. Broadhead, Mary, 427. Bromheld, Robert, 110, 119, 120, 13G, 176. Brooke, Francis, 75. Brooke's Menagerie, 135. Broster, Mr., of Chester, 27, 252 Brunswick, 289. Brussels, 207, 290-2. Brynbella, see Piozzi, Hester Lynch. Buchclii, Abbe de, 362. Bulkclcy, Lord, 395.

INDEX Bull, of Bath library, 398. Bunbury, Mrs. Catherine, 334. Burgoyne, General John, 351. Burke family, 116, 151. Burke, E d m u n d , 151, 361, 375, 395; portrait by Reynolds, 157; and Boswell, 259; and Johnson, 64, 84, 316; and Mrs. Siddons, 336; and the Thrales, 66, 85, 96, 116, l a i , 179, 266, 293, 468. Burney, Dr. Charles, 147, 154-5. '57. 166, 169, 175-6, 187, 192, 432; criticizes Anecdotes, 266-7; pleasant companion, 149, 414; verses in Morning Herald, 208; and J . , 151-2, 155» ' 5 8 - 9 ; and the Thrales, 149, 151-2, 155, 158-9, 193; and Piozzi, 188, 222, 225, 330, 413, 414; and H.L.P., 158, 174, 179, 330, 413-14, 468. Burney, Charles, the younger, 323, 398, 4 2 9Burney, Charlotte Ann, 158, 160, 161, 188. Burney, Frances (Mme d ' Arblay), 69, 94, 160, 186, 194, 198, 215, 218, 220, 267, 358, 414, 458; at Chessington, ' 9 ° . '95. 205; letters, 199, 216, 241, 468, 473; Camilla, 395; Cecilia, 192, 205; Diary, ix, xiv, 115, 168 etpassim; Evelina, 169, 183, 192, 305. — and J . , 197, 239, 316-17. — and the Thrales: at Bath, 182-5; a t Brighton, 175, 180-1, 212-14; relations with Queeney, 161, 222-3, 3°5> 3 ' 6 , 335, 428-9; description of Thrale, 56-7. — and H.L.P.: first meeting, 151-2; first visit to Streatham, 169-71; later visits, 174-5, 177-8, 200-1, 205; nursed by, 178, 181, 205; deplores her gifts, 178; and Piozzi marriage, 213-14, 216-17, 222-5; break with, 225-6, 447; defence of, 305, 335; later meetings, 335, 447; compares to M m e de Stael, 457. Burney, James, 194. Burney, Richard, 158. Burney, Sarah Harriet (?), 427. Bumey, Susan, 49, 143, 188, 194. Burroughs, Samuel, 33. Burrows, 191. Bushe, Charles K., 418-19. Bute, J o h n Stuart, 3rd Earl of, 37. Butler, Lady Eleanor, see Llangollen. Buxton, 308. fi yng. —. 334Byron, Lord, 150, 252, 438-9. Byron, Sophia, wife of Admiral Byron,

470 •72, 183, 304. 3 " . 334. 355. 439; letters from, 179, 468; letters to, 323, 336,339-4 1 .348-5 1 .466; tellsH.L.T. Piozzi is in love with her, 198. Cadell, Thomas, publisher, 255, 2578, 262-4, 282, 295-301, 308^-9, 311- 1 2 . 3 ' 4 . 3 ' 7 - > 8 , 34 I _ 2 > 34 6 . 4 7 ' Calais, 235, 292. Calvert, Felix, 165. Cam, G., 253, 461. Cambray, 132. Campbell, —, 348. Campbell, Thomas, 249, 336, 415. Campbell, Rev. Thomas, 74, 122, 123, '25, 309, 362-3C.analetto, Antonio, 279, 352. Capello, 206. Carlisle, Caroline, Countess of, 223, 345Carlton House, 443. Carnan, Thomas, 274. Carracci, Lodovico, 286. Carracci school of painting, 248. Carter, Elizabeth, 150, 151, 183, 218, 229. 231, 324. 334. 343Carter, —, 119-21, 126. Casa Fidele, Milan, 237, 245, 280. Casale, 237. Castiglione, Prince Gonzaga di, 370. Cathron, J . , 443, 452-3. Cator, J o h n , trustee for Welsh property, 128, 166; friendship for Baretti, 143, 205-6, 325; character in H.L.T.'s dialogues, 179-80; executor for Thrale, 200, 204-6, 211, 214-15, 226, 228, 231; agent for H.L.P., 253, 289, 297, 352; takes care of T h r a l e daughters, 283; later financial quarrels with H.L.P., 302, 354, 388-90; and Mostyn, 388-90; death, 413; letters from, 468. 'Cavalier Servente', 237. Cento, 278. Cervantes, Life of, 21. Chambers, Catherine, 71, 270. Chambers, Sir Robert, 104, 105, 157; his wife, 325. Champneys, Lady, 188. Chantilly, 132, 235. Chapone, Hester, 150, 151, 182, 231, 265, 267. Chappelow, Leonard, meets H.L.P., 278, 280; friendship for H.L.P., 294, 334. 355. 4'°> 4 i 6 > 4 2 7 i v i s i t s Brynbella, 385, 415-16, 429; on H.L.P.'s style, 345; aids H.L.P. with publications, 373, 399-403; visits Thrale daughters, 284; friendship for

48O

INDEX

Cowper, 291; letters from, 61, 468; letters to, 222, 308, 309, 3 1 1 , 380, 386, 389, 466; The Looking Glass, 278; The Sentimental Naturalist, 429. Charlemont, J a m e s Caulfield, 1st Earl of, 23, 24. Charles, B. G., 140, 473. Cheltenham, 412, 419, 430, 461. Chessington, 190-1, 195, 205. Chester, 308, 383, 410, 421, 426, 448-9. Chester, Bishop of, set Porteus. Cholmondeley, George James, 269,271. Cibber, Colley, 122. Cipriani, Giovanni Battista, 352. Clarges, William, 415. Clarke, Rrv. Edward, 22, 27. C l a u d e Lorrain, 286 Gierke, Sir Philip Jennings, 174-5, 1 77, 179, 183, 186, 1 9 5 - 6 , 198, 209, 469.

Clifford, Mr., 22, 32. Clifton, 450-6, 461. Clinton, I,ord John, 195. Clive, Lady, 334. Clones, 309. Clough family, 10. Clough, Sir Richard, 4, 5, 376. Clvvyd, Vale of, xii, 114, 308, 350-1, 376, 383. 385-6, 4 ' 5 . 443> 457Cobb, Mrs. M a r y , 308. Cobhain, Richard Temple,Baron. 14,35. Cochrane, Mrs., 283. Coleridge, Samuel, 438. Collier, Dr. Arthur. 25, 56, 168, 336, 435. 438; and H.L.S., 26, 27, 36, 39-43. 344. 455; letters to H.L.S., 22, 37-43. • ' 4 . 468Collier, J a n e , 25. Collier, Margaret, 25. Golman, George, the elder, 76, 256, 273. 330. 469Combermere, 11, 114. Condover Park, 430, 434. Conway, Lord William. 451. Conway, W illiam Augustus. 440,451-6, 469, 4 7 1 .

Cooke. Miss Kitty, 191. Cork and Orrery, Mary, Countess of, 4 ' 5C'ornwallis, Hon. Edward, 14. Correggio, Antnnio Allegri, 288. Corsica, 77, 78. Cnsway, Richard, 334. Cotterell, Charlotte, see Lewis, Charlotte. Cotton. Llizal>eth Abigail, wife of Sir Lynch. '-"J. 115. 142, 163. Cotton, Harry, 1*13. Cotton, Hesicr. cousin of H.L.S., see Davenant, Hester.

Cotton, Hester M a r i a , see Salusbury, Hester M a r i a . Cotton, Sir Lynch, 13, 14, 15, "22, 38, 4 ' . 44. 45. 53. " 4 Cotton, Dame Philadelphia Lynch, grandmother of H . L . S . , 7, 8, 15, 18, 3'Cotton, Sir Robert Salusbury, uncle of H.L.S., 5-8, 1 0 - 1 3 . Cotton, Sir Robert Salusbury, son of Sir Lynch Cotton, 133, 135, 166. Cotton, Sidney Arabella, aunt of H.L.S., 40. 45.Sophia, 52. 81, aunt 193- of H.L.S., 40, 52. Cotton, Cotton, Thomas, cousin of H.L.S., 21, •33Cotton, Thomas Salusbury-, 15. Coulson, Rev. John (?), 89. [356. Courlcnay, J o h n , 272, 274, 320, 329. Cowley, Hannah, 337-9. Cowper, Lady, 249. C.owper, W i l l i a m , 291, 316, 334, 345, 448.

Coxe, George, 258. Crabbe, George, 439. Cradock, Joseph, 56. Crane, Dr. E., Prebendary of Westminster, 14, 22, 38-g, 107. Cremona, 246. Crewe, Mrs. Frances Anne, 158. Crisp, Samuel, 152, 190-2. Croft, Sir Herbert, 273, 330. Cronthal, Baron, of Brera, 238. Crossby, 121. Crowmarsh estate, Oxfordshire, 45, 200, 302, 3 8 1 , 390.

Croxall, Samuel, 120. Croydon, 51, 83. Crutchley, J e r e m i a h , 98, 200, 203-5, 2 1 1 , 2 1 5 - 1 7 , 226, 230, 469.

Cullen, William, 348. Cumberland, Anne, Duchess of, 25R. Cumberland, Henry Frederick, Duke of, 258. Cumberland, Richard, 259, 415, 427. Cumberland lakes, 350. Curnyns, Mrs., i n , 114, 117, 135. D—g, Sir Edward, 98. D—n, Mrs., 98. Dalryrrrple, M a j . Gen. William, 352. Damer, Hon. Mrs., 332. Dance, George, 376. Dann, Count, 28. Daran, Dr., 98. Dartry, Lady, 218. Davenant, Corbet, 193, 194. Davenant, Hester, 49, 193, 194-5.

INDEX Davirs, Rev. Reynold, 3 9 1 - 2 , 395, 399, 4 1 0 , 418, 449, 469. Davies, Thomas, 221, 2 4 1 , 469. Dead-Man's Place, Southwark, 52. Deal. 229. Deerhurst, George William, Lord, 427. Delany, Mrs. Mary, 150, 1 5 1 , 1 6 0 , 2 1 6 . Delap, R e v . John, 64, 175, 177, 195, 2>2, 334. 468Delia Cruscan school of poetry, 250-2, 3 3 7 - 9 . 347. 361, 373. 397Denbigh, 4, 265, 308, 350, 363, 3 7 8 - 8 1 . Denbigh Castle, 377-8. Derby, Edward Stanley, 12th Earl of, 332. Derry, Dean of, see Barnard. Devizes, 182. Devonshire, Gcorgiana, Duchess of, 172. Devonshire House, 153. Dilly, Charles, 137, 320. Dobson, Matthew, 224. Dr. Anecdote, and Mrs. Thralia, a dialogue, 121. Dodsley, Robert, 367. Dodson, Miss, 179. Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri), 279. 352Donkin, General Sir Rufanc Shaw, 440. Dornford, Josiah, 81. Douay, 132. Dover, 2 2 1 , 235, 292. Downing, home of Thomas Pennant, 384Dresden, 288-9. Droz, Jacquet, 174. Drydcn, John, 30, 80, 356. Dudley, J u l i a , Viscountess, 334. Dudley and Ward, William Ward, 3rd Viscount, 334. Dusseldorf, 289. Dunquerque, 132. Dunscombe, Piozzi's attendant, 4 2 1 , 423Dunstable, 426. Duppa, Richard, 445, 469-70. Durand, J o h n , 120. Durant, Mr., 59. Durham, 348. Dymerchion, see Tremcirchion. I'.ast Hyde, Bedfordshire, 15, 16, 103. Kdenbourg, 287. Edinburgh, 242, 348-50. Edwards, Edward, 2 1 5 . Edwards, Frances, 193. Effingham, Catharine, Countess of, 1 2 1 , Elba,' 437. Elba river, 288. Elci, Count Angelo d' ( 2 5 0 - 1 , 254.

48. Elliott, Robert, 442. Elphinstone, George Keith, see Keith. Elphinstone, Hester M a r i a , see Thrale. Enborne, 418. Endovellicus, 2 1 . Erskine, Thomas, u t Baron, 334, 336, 348, 430. Este, Charles, 3 1 4 - 1 5 , 328, 3 3 1 , 334, 3 3 7 - 4 ' . 3 4 9 - 5 ' . 469Evans, Herbert, 377. Evans, Mrs. Herbert, 60, 70, 130, 377, 4t>7. 423. 426. Evans, Rev. Mr., 268. Exeter, 339, 3 4 1 , 454. Exmouth, 3 3 9 - 4 1 . Farington, Joseph, 376. Ferrars, Lord De, 2 1 2 . Farren, Elizabeth (later Countess of Derby), 334. Fector, Mr., 333. Fellowes, Sir James, 5, 6, 63, 98, 435-6, 441, 447, 454, 457-8, 467, 469, 4 7 1 . Ferrara, 248, 278. Fielding, Henry, 25, 1 3 3 , 264. Fielding, Sarah, 25, 27. Fife, James Duff, 2nd Earl of, 323, 334. Fisher, Canon, 335. Fitzgerald, Lady Charlotte, 448. Fitzherbert, Maria Anne, 274. F'itzpatrick, Dr., 53. Fleming, Lyndsay, 58, 73, 237, 239, 466. Fletcher, Edward G . , 269, 449, 473. Flint, 308. Flo, Mrs. Piozzi's dog, 286, 348. Florence, 248-50, 252, 256-7, 409. Florence Miscellany, 250-4, 294, 337, 354, 462. Foligno, 278. Fonthill, 226. Foote, Samuel, 180, 3 7 1 - 2 . Forbes, Dr., of Pcnzance, 453 -4. Forster, Georg, 347, 462. Fossee, Austin nuns at, 236. Fox, Charles James, 440. Francis, Clement, 447, 469. Francis, Marianne, 358, 414, 427, 430, 447. 469Francis, Sir Philip, 386. Frankfurt, 347. Friend, Thomas, 8 1 . Frieri, Count, 334. Fry, Elizabeth, 469. Fuller, Stephen, 189. Gainsborough, Thomas, 419. Gardenstonc, Francis Garden, 328.

Lord,

482

INDEX

Garrick, D a v i d , 12, 3 5 , 78, 80, 84, 96, ' 5 3 - 4 . " 5 7 . 2>2. »65, 3 6 1 , 468. Garrick, Mrs., 1 5 3 - 4 , 3 3 4 ~ 5 . 4 ° 7 . 447Garrick, Peter, 307. G a s c o y n e , Bamber, 184. Gawler, Mr., 325. G e n e s t , 196. Genoa, 237-8. G e o r g e I I I , 36, 3 7 , 86, 1 1 8 , 132, 157, 264, 3 4 2 . G e o r g e I V , 274, 342, 383. G e r m a n y , 2 8 3 , 288-9. Ghent, 291. G i b b e s , Sir George Smith, 446, 456. G i b b o n , E d w a r d , 324, 393. G i f f o r d , W i l l i a m , 2 5 0 - 1 , 3 4 7 , 3 7 3 , 393, 4'3Gilbert, Charles, 8 i . Giles, M r . , 398, 400, 4 3 1 . Gillon, J o h n , 2 1 5 , 397, 4 0 1 , 469. G i l p i n , K a t h e r i n e (?), 427. G l a s g o w , 350. G l e n c o e , 350. G o l d o n i , Carlo, 236. G o l d s m i t h , Alfred, 224. G o l d s m i t h , Oliver, 106, 124, 1 5 7 , 2 1 2 , 2 4 2 , 2 6 1 , 2 7 7 , 3 7 2 , 4 3 2 , 4 6 8 ; friend of, J . , 64, 8 5 ; weakness in conversation, 8 6 ; death, 1 2 1 , 199; life by C a m p b e l l and Percy, 363. — a n d the Thrales, 66, 80, 84, 96, 99, 106, 109.

— Good Natur'd Man, first night, 3 6 3 ; Vicar of Wakefield, 3 6 4 ; Works, 8 5 ; Letters, 91. G o r d o n riots, 185-6. Graves, Richard, 4 1 3 - 1 4 , 469. Gray, Robert, 3 7 3 , 4 1 5 , 4 2 7 , 4 3 3 - 4 , 4 6 7 , 4^9> 4 7 ' G r a y , T h o m a s , 30, 1 2 3 , 1 9 7 , 3 1 9 , 448. G r e a t h e e d , Bertie, described, 2 4 8 - 9 ; friendship for Piozzis, 258, 2 7 9 - 8 0 , 2 9 4 , 3 0 6 , 3 3 4 , 3 3 7 , 3 3 9 , 3 3 1 ; compositions for Florence Miscellany, 2 5 0 1 , 2 5 4 ; The Regent, 306, 309, 3 1 1 , 3 3 1 - 2 , 3 4 2 ; suspected o f b e i n g author of Sentimental Mother, 3 2 6 ; letters from, 469. G r e a t h e e d , Mrs., wife of Bertie Greath e e d , 2 4 8 - 9 , 258, 2 7 9 - 8 0 , 284, 294, 306, 309, 3 3 3 - 4 , 337.

G r e a t h e e d , Richard, 365. Green, T h o m a s , 3 1 6 , 347. G r e e n l a n d , Angus, 228. G r e t n a Green, 3 8 1 - 2 . Greville, Mr., 334. Greville, Fulke, 158. G u a d a g n i , Italian singer, 89.

G u e r c i n o ( G i o v a n n i Francesco Barbieri), 248, 2 7 8 - 9 , 286. G u i d o R e n i , 2 7 7 , 279. G u n n i n g , Elizabeth a n d Maria, 35. Guy's Cliffe, Warwickshire, 306, 3 0 8 - 9 , 3 3 ' . 3 5 ' . 363G w a y n y n o g , 378. G w y d y r , Peter Burrell, Baron, 439. H a g l e y Park, 3 5 , 116, 306, Halifax, George M o n t a g u D u n k , 2nd Earl of, 1 3 - 1 4 , 1 7 - 1 8 , 22, 32, 3 8 - 3 9 , 44Halifax, N o v a Scotia, 18, 3 5 3 . Halley, E d m u n d , 6. Halsey, E d m u n d , 34. H a m i l t o n , D o u g l a s Alexander, D u k e of, 409. H a m i l t o n , J a n e , 3 3 2 , 3 8 5 , 409, 4 2 7 , 469.

H a m i l t o n , W i l l i a m Gerard, 82, 1 7 2 . H a m i l t o n , Mrs., 3 3 4 , 385. H a m i l t o n , Mrs., of Chessington, 1 9 1 . H a m p s t e a d , 15. H a n m e r , Sir T h o m a s , 8. H a n k i n , M r . , 104. Hanover, 289. Hanson, R i c h a r d Locke, 21. H a r d h a m , Mr., 3 6 7 . Harley, ( T h o m a s ? ) , 1 1 9 . Harris, J a m e s , 26, 2 7 , 5 5 , 86, 1 5 1 , 3 5 6 ; Hermes, 2 7 , 270, 3 5 6 . Harris, Mrs. J a m e s , 5 5 , 56, 1 2 2 , 1 5 1 , 191.

Harrow, 50, 249. Hart, Polly, 51, 98. Hartley, Miss, 3 4 1 . Hastings, Warren, 313. Hawkesworth, J o h n , 1 2 4 , 2 6 1 . Hawkins, Sir J o h n , 74, 2 1 3 , 239, 2 4 ! , 243-4,

a6l

>

2

74> 282, 295,

329-30,

358. 359H a y d n , J o s e p h , 1 8 9 , 2 8 7 , 406. H a y l e y , W i l l i a m , 240, 2 9 1 , 3 0 7 , 324. H a y n e , Mrs., 1 5 . H a y m a n , Frank, 439. H a y w a r d , A b r a h a m , 399, 458. Heale, 222. H e a t o n , Mrs., 393. Hebden, 12. Heberden, William, 1 7 6 . Hebrides, Johnson's j o u r n e y 103,

105,

106,

125,

to,

348-50,

Q u e e n e y ' s visit to, 4 1 6 . Hector, E d m u n d , 1 2 3 , 2 4 2 - 4 . Henderson, Thrale's valet, 203. H e m e , William, 120. Hervey, M r . , 1 3 5 . Hesketh, Mrs. Harriet, 3 3 4 .

xv, 450,

INDEX Hills of Tern, Lord Berwick's family, 12. MinchlifTe, John, bishop of Peterborough, 175, 182-3, '98, 244. 263, 293, 334, 469. Hoare, Henry M e n i c k , 419, 422, 427, 435. 44'• Hobart, Mrs., 333-4. Hodge, Dr. Johnson's cat, 275. Hogarth, William, 23-4. Hogmore Lane, 117. Holman, Joseph George, 61, 409. Holman, Mrs., su Hamilton, Jane. Holroyd, John Baker, first Earl of Sheffield, 163. Holywell, 384. Horneck, Mrs., 151, 334. Horneck, Miss, 151. Hotham, Sir Charles and Lady, 334. Houghton, Richard Monckton Milnes, first Baron, 105. Hudson, Thomas, 24. Hume, Alexander, 5g. Hunter, John, 119, 120. Huntingdon, Lord, 183, 334, 340, 469. Innsbruck, 285. Inveraray, 350. Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore, 281. Jackson, Humphrey, g3, 97. Jackson, John, 427, 430. James, George, 224, 231, 236, 238, 469. James, Robert, 110. Jebb, Sir Richard, 136, 137, 150, 179, 205. Jenkinson, Charles, 193, 196. Jenning's Free School in Southwark, 133Jenyns, Soame, 150, 213, 273. Jerningham, Edward, 183, 334. Jervis, Mr., 258. Jervis, Mrs. Sophy, 258. Johnson, Samuel, 85, 109, 110, 121, 142, 145, 147, 161, 236, 284, 287, 344. 3 6 ' . 367. 393. 4°4> 4'7> 435-6. 438. 444. 447-8; described by Hogarth, 24; character, 55, 56, 195, 310; physical appearance, 55, 68; melancholia, 64, 75, 102-3; fabricated story of battle between Russians and Turks, 67; roughness in conversation, 68, 170-1, 182, 240, 265, 268-g, 271; possible place in Parliament, 74; fears of insanity, 75, 241-2; riding and swimming ability, 82, 155; distaste for music, 89, 158, 191; scientific experiments, 90-1; illness, 96, I o f , 141, 149, 151, 205, 207, 208, 221, 227; eye trouble, 101;

483

Doctor of Laws, 123; refusal to speak French, 130; late hour», [49; portrait by Reynolds, 157, 372, 432; kindness, 171; newspaper gossip about, 208, 213, 328; bad temper, 212, 219, 240; paralytic stroke, 221; dealh, 239; anecdotes in British Synonymy, 360-2. — trips to Brighton, 59, 81-2, 84, 148, 156, 192-3, 212-14; journey to the Hebrides, xv, 103, 105, 106, 125, 348-50, 450; preparations for Italian tour, 134-5; life in Grosvenor Sq., 196-8; life in Argyle St., 215, 219. — opinions: on Addison, 56; Baretti and the Thrales, 143, 322-3; Bath, 140; being mistaken for Ben Jonson, 372; Boswell, 318; Brighton, 155, 192; children's education, 162; Clarissa, 437; counting birthdays, 450; dreams, 112; expressing feelings, 2 1 1 ; Foote's conversation, 3 7 1 - 2 ; Goldsmith's conversation, 86; James Harris, 27; heaven's joys, 112; history, 449; indulging grief, 139; Macbean's geographical dictionary, 394; madman, 247; marriage, 171, 271; Milton, 56; negative comforts, 450; reading, 76, 112; revisal of past life, 148; scenery, 115; smoking, 1 7 1 ; suitability of Christian names, 436; T o m T h u m b , 271; using an attorney, 449; vacuity of life, 130, 271; veracity in biography, 256; wasting sympathy on a man in the pillory, 449— relations with others: Blue-Stockings, 122, 152, 196-7, 259-60; Bowles, 222; Burney, 149, 152, 15B-9; Fanny Burney, 170-1, 191; Carter, 120, 126; Prince Castiglione, 370; Cholmondeley, 271; Lady Cotton, 163; Delap, 177, 195; Mrs. Montagu, 152, 197,259-60,318-19; Arthur Murphy, 54, 123; Nollekens, 157; W . W . Pepys, 179, 182; Ralph Plumbe, 88; Anna Williams, 61-3. Mrs. Salusbury: early jealousy of, 67; later concern about, 94-5, 97, 103, 318; present from, 95, 426; remarks during her last hours, 103; epitaph for, 126. Thrale family: introduction to, 54-6; love for the children, 69-70, 8 1 , 9 1 , 112, 133-4, 137; at Streatham Park, 64, 65, 67, 69, 74, 78, 84, 85, 96, 104, 106, 166, 169, 2 1 1 - 1 2 , 236, 352; in Wales, 113-16, 308, 375, 420.

484

INDEX

H e n r y : epitaph for, 34, 2 6 2 ; misspells his name, 5 5 ; his conversation, 5 7 : political aid for, 59, 60, 7 2 - 4 , 1 1 6 - 1 7 , ' 8 4 - 5 . 1 8 9 - 9 0 ; respect for, 68, 9 1 , 98, 1 7 6 , 199; business aid for, 9 3 - 4 , 97, 104, 1 6 5 - 8 , 2 0 0 - 2 , 3 1 8 ; called Bulldog bv, 1 6 5 ; legal matters for, 1 8 0 ; sorrow at death of, 1 9 8 - 9 ; executor for, 200, 2 0 3 ; legacy f r o m , 200; and sale of brewery, 201-2. Hester L y n c h : opinion of her poetry, 36, 5 0 ; compliments her, 58, 68, 74, 1 0 1 , 1 1 5 , 1 1 8 , 1 5 5 , 1 9 7 , 239, 242, 307, 3 5 6 ; dependence on, 74, : o i , 1 1 1 , 149, 2 1 5 - 1 6 , 2 2 1 , 227, 2 4 2 ; on her learning, 76; gives comfort to, 83, 1 1 8 , 1 2 5 ; affection for, 88, 1 0 5 , 1 3 2 , 1 5 2 , 200, 2 0 6 - 7 , 2 °9> 2 I 5 > 2 2 1 , 2 2 7 - 8 ; scandal about, 99, 199, 200, 2 1 2 , 2 1 3 , 2 1 8 , 262, 274, 3 2 8 ; letters in French to, 1 0 2 ; help in her benefactions, 1 1 8 - 2 1 ; trustees of her Welsh property, 1 2 8 - 9 , 166, 4 3 2 ; on correspondence with, 1 2 9 ; advises her on keeping a j o u r n a l , 1 4 5 , 1 4 6 ; on her social ambitions, 1 5 3 ; on her accuracy of narration, 166, 1 9 7 ; on her good nature, 1 7 0 , 4 4 8 9 ; J . characterized in her dialogues, 1 7 9 - 8 0 ; jealousy of other admirers of, 196, 206, 209, 227, 3 0 7 ; harshness to, 1 9 7 , 2 1 2 , 227, 2 3 1 , 240; break with, 209-10, 212, 215, 219, 221-2, 2258, 2 3 9 , 3 2 8 ; farewell to, 2 2 0 ; letters on her second marriage, 2 2 7 - 9 , 2 4°> 2 7 5 ; later grief over her marriage, 2 3 0 , 239. — — Hester M a r i a (Queeney): interest in, 9 1 , 109, 1 1 2 , 1 7 7 , 2 0 7 ; tutors her and Fanny in Latin, 1 7 7 , 207. L u c y Elizabeth: sponsor for, 8 1 , 8 4-. . — writings: inscription for Sir J o s e p h Banks's goat, 270; translations of Boethius, 5 7 - 8 , 3 1 2 , 3 1 5 ; life of C o n g r e v e , 1 8 5 ; The False Alarm, 73, 7 4 ; The Fountains, 6 1 , 63, 3 3 3 , 4 1 4 , 4 3 6 ; In Theatro, 89, 3 5 1 ; Journey to the Western Islands, 1 1 8 , 3 4 9 ; Latin ode to H . L . T . , 1 0 5 ; Lives of the Poets, 1 5 5 , 1 7 2 , 1 7 7 , 192, 196, 2 2 4 ; Patriot, 117; Prayers and Meditations, 2 5 9 ; Rambler, 171; Rasselas, 66, 100, 2 0 4 ; Salusbury family papers, notes on, 4, 6 , 1 1 , 1 7 - 1 8 , 3 7 , 5 1 , 60, 1 1 4 ; Shakespeare Preface, 5 8 ; Taxation no Tyranny, 118; Vanity of Human

Wishes, 2 4 0 ; Verses, 90, 2 4 3 , 2 5 5 ; Welsh j o u r n a l , 1 1 4 , 445. — Letters to and from ( 1 7 8 8 ) , I 0 I - 2 , 1 3 8 ; H . L . P . ' s bargain with C a d e l l , 295, 3 3 0 ; Boethius excerpts in, 5 7 ; cancellations in, 5 7 - 8 , 3 0 2 , 3 1 2 ; collecting material for, 3 0 6 - 1 3 ; editions of, 4 6 2 ; errata slip f o r , 3 1 5 ; preparations for, 243, 2 5 5 , 2 5 7 , 282, 2 9 4 - 3 0 2 , 3 0 6 - 1 3 , 3 2 2 ; printing of, 3 1 4 , 3 4 7 ; criticisms of, 3 1 0 , 3 1 4 - 1 7 , 322-3, 328-9. J o n s o n , Ben, 3 7 2 . J o r d a n , Dorothea Bland, 293. J u n i u s , 386. K a t h e r i n e of Beraine, 3, 4, 34, 226. Keats, J o h n , 2 5 2 , 438. Keith, George Keith Elphinstonc, Vise., 3 , 4 1 9 , 4 2 7 , 4 3 1 - 2 , 4 4 1 , 4 5 5 . K e i t h , Viscountess, see T h r a l e , Hester Maria. K e i t h , R o b e r t M u r r a y , 288. K e l l y , M i c h a e l , 287. K e l l y , L o r d , 156. K e m b l e , J o h n Philip, 3 3 1 , 3 3 3 - 4 . 337» 350, 4 1 5 , 469. K e m b l e , M r s . , 3 3 4 , 350, 4 1 5 . K e n d a l , 3 5 0 , 382. Kennington C o m m o n , 5 1 . Kensington, 1 1 4 , 1 1 7 , 1 3 7 , 140, 2 8 3 , 284. Killaloe, Bishop of, see B a r n a r d . K i n g , Cotton, 3 1 . K i n g , M r s . S a r a h , see Salusbury, S a r a h . King, Hon. William, 33. King, Captain, 15. K i n g , M r s . , see Cotton, L a d y . Kingston, L o r d , 3 3 . Kippis, A n d r e w , 2 4 1 , 244. K i r k w a l l , A n n a M a r i a , L a d y , 408, 4 1 1 , .433K i r k w a l l , J o h n , Viscount, 409. Knockholt, K e n t , 4 6 1 . Knollys, M r s . William E d w a r d , 3. Kollock, S . , 320. L a d e , A n n e , sister of Henry T h r a l e , 5 3 , 93, 104, 106, 1 3 7 , 162, 179. L a d e , Sir J o h n , nephew of T h r a l e , 88, 1 7 " . 371» 427L a m b a r t , M r s . (née J e n n i n g s ) , sister of Sir Philip J e n n i n g s Cierke, 1 8 3 , 1 8 5 - 7 , 190, 1 9 2 - 6 , 2 0 1 - 2 , 207, 3 1 1 , 334» 3 3 9 . 466Lambeth, 325. Lancaster, 3 8 2 . L a n e , M r . , 22.

INDEX L a n g t o n , Bennet, 64, 94, 95, 154, 241, 32 I. L a n g t o n , George, 154. L a n g t o n , Miss, 154. L a n s d o w n e , H e n r y Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd M a r q u i s of, 39g. L a m a Chapci, Bath, 438. Lawrence, Herbert, 19, 37, 38, 73, 240, 468. Lawrence, Lucy, m o t h e r of the artist, 183. Lawrence, Sir T h o m a s , 183. Lawrence, Dr. T h o m a s , 102, 110, 133, 136. 150. Leak, Alexander, 4 3 1 , 440, 442, 467, 4&9Leasowes, 306. Lee, Harriet, 3 1 2 , 3 4 1 , 355, 362, 415, 469. Lee, Nathaniel, 332. Lee, Sophia, 3 1 2 , 355, 4 1 4 - 1 5 . Leeds, T h o m a s , 4th D u k e of, 12. Leghorn, 257. Lennox, Charlotte, 241. Leopold, G r a n d Duke of Tuscany, 251. Lester, brewery clerk, 99. Le Texier, M . , 3 3 3 - 4 . Ixrvett, Robert, 207. Leviez, Mr., 22, 111. Lewis, Charlotte, wife of the Dean of Ossory, 183, 2 2 3 , 2 3 8 , 294, 3 1 2 , 334, 3 4 2 . 35'» 358, 469Lewis, J o h n , Dean of Ossory, 183. Lewis, Mrs., of Bloomsbury, 7. Lichfield, 63, 165, 3 1 8 ; J o h n s o n at, 91, 9 5 , 9 6 , 114, 126, 129, 134, 137, 154, 1 7 5 - 6 , 205, 306; H . L . T . at, 114, 306-8, 3 1 1 , 344, 426. Lichtenstein, Prince, 286. Liège, 290. Lieven, Count, 435, 440. Lille, 132, 292. Linwood, Miss, 43g. Little, David M., 153. Liverpool, 308, 350. Liverpool, Lord, set Jenkinson. Llangollen, Ladies of ( L a d y Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby), 396, 4 I 2 . 4 ' 8 . 433.469Llanner church, 8, 461. Lleweney, 5, io, 12, 1 1 4 , 1 1 5 , 408-9, 455Lloyd, Mr., 384-5. Lloyd, R i c h a r d , 9, 44, 1 1 4 . Lloyd, T h o m a s , 377, 469. Loch Lomond, 350. Lock (or Locke), Mrs., 335. Lodi, 246. Lombardy, 308.

485 London. Argyle St., 214, 2 1 7 ; Broad St., Cheapside, 2 1 0 ; Charing Cross, 302; Charles St., St. James's Sq., 1 5 ; Dean St., Soho, 19, 52, 83; Duke St., Manchester Sq., 426; Fleet St., 6 1 , 300; Great Q u e e n St., 13; Grosvenor Sq., 194, 196-8, 4 6 1 ; Hanover Sq., 2 9 4 . 304-5.309. 326, 342, 3 5 1 - 2 , 355, 369, 382, 455; Harley St., 196, 208; Johnson's Court, 64, 77, 96; J e r m y n St., 19; King St., Soho, 11; Leicester Sq., 400; Lincoln's Inn, 424; Masefield St., St. Anne's, 36; M o r t i m e r St., 225; Oxford R o a d , 2 1 0 ; Parliament St., 149; Paternoster R o w , 368; Piccadilly, 400; Red Lion Sq., 194; St. James's Sq., 326; VVimpole St., 208, 283. Lort, Michael, 1 2 1 , 238, 244-5, 348; aids with Anecdotes, 244-5, 261, 263; with Letters, 282, 295, 298, 3 1 0 ; letters from, 259, 348, 468; loyal to H.L.P., 293-4, 3°3. 334; death, 355. Lort, Mrs. Michael, 334. Loughborough, Alexander W e d d e r burn, 1st Baron, 380, 387. Loughborough School, 133. Louis X V I , King of France, 130-1. Louvain, 290. Lucas, Charles (?), 447. Lucca, 257. Luttrell, Henry Lawes, 53, 73. Luttrell, Simon, 53. Lutwyche, Mary, 435. Lysons, Samuel, 253, 277, 279, 281, 282, 334, 348, 355, 376, 3 8 5 - 6 , 400, 415, 427; aids with Anecdotes, 2 4 1 - 5 , 255-7, 260-3; Letters, 282, 296-8, 3 ° 2 , 306, 3 1 2 , 3 1 7 , 3 1 9 , 3 2 1 ; his 1788 copy, 57, 302; on Baretti's annotations, 3 2 4 - 5 ; his scrap book, 6 3 ; first meets H . L . T . , 224; p a r t y for Piozzis, 3 3 7 ; letters to, 2 3 5 - 7 , 34°. 466, 471, passim', letters from, 238, 243, 468. Lyttelton family of Hagley, 116. Lyttelton, George, 1st Baron, 197, 3 1 5 . Lyttelton, William Henry, Baron, 35, 157, '84. M c A d a m , E d w a r d L., 55, 58, 90, 210. Macaulay, Mrs. Catharine, 140. Macaulay, T h o m a s Babington, 64, 459, 471. M a c b e a n , Alexander, 394. M c D o n a l d , Sir Alexander, 275. Maclean family, xv. M a c N a m a r a , M r . , 383. Macpherson, James, 37.

486

INDEX

Madison, J o h n , 302. Maeviad, The, 2 5 0 . Maggiorc, Lago, 281. Maidenhead Bridge, 182. Mainwaring, Sir Watkin Randle K y n a s t o n , 70, 1 3 3 , 3 8 4 , 4 1 3 , 4 3 0 , 4 6 4 - 5 , 467. M a i n z , 347. Malonc, Edmond, 207, 267, 272, 274, 306, 320, 3 2 5 , 336. M a l v e r n w a t e r , 95. M a l z a n , Count de, 189. Manchester, 308, 458. Mandeville, Bernard, 3 6 1 . M a n g i n , R e v . E d w a r d , 2 4 , 76, 4 3 7 , 4 5 0 , 4 5 7 - f l , 460, 4 6 7 . 4 6 9 - 7 0 ; tiscellaneous Essays, 4 7 1 ; Ptozziana, 2 3 . 76, 98, 3 2 8 . 3 3 3 . 4 3 7 . 4 4 6 . 4 1 9 i teaches Queeney, •93. ' 9 8 . 4>9! singing, 195, 290, 3 0 6 - 7 , 376; early trips to Italy, 2 0 4 6; attitude towards society, 223, 230, 293-4, 37®! recall to England, 223, 238; portable piano, 2 3 1 , 246-7, 424-5 ; thrifty disposition, 2 3 7 - 8 , 2 4 8 , 302, 323, 353, 395, 407, 4 1 5 ; religion, 246-7, 288, 406, 4 2 1 ; relations with his own family, 247-8, 280, 285; social barriers against in Italy, 258, 277, 285; preference for London, 282; fondness for Wales, 350, 3 7 5 - 6 ; spending, 3 5 2 - 3 , 4 0 7 - 8 ; attacks of gout, 369, 378-9, 383, 398, 406, 40813, 415, 4 2 0 - 4 ; lack of English culture, 376, 399, 407; diaries, 386, 389, 407, 409, 418, 420; interest in the poor, 407, 4 1 1 ; naturalization, 406; death, 424, 4 6 1 ; his will, 427. — and H . L . T . , 198, 205-6, 2 1 3 , 2 1 7 , 245; first meeting, 1 5 8 - 9 ; lends her money, 219; renounces her, 217-21 ; marriage, 229; loss of their child, 312. Piozzi, Giambattista, 247-8, 285, 391, .397Piozzi, Hester L y n c h : genealogical claims, 3; birth, 8, 90, 269, 450, 461 ; early education, 9, 15; personal appearance, 23, 118, 160; model for Hogarth, 2 3 - 4 ; learns Latin, 26; inheritances, 27, 39, 52, 107, 200, 427; finances, 3 1 , 2 0 0 , 2 0 4 , 2 5 2 - 3 , 3 0 2 , 3 5 0 , 354» 435. 4 4 0 - 2 ; suitors. 3 1 - 3 , 44,

209; marriages: T h r a l e , 46; Piozzi, 229; m a r r i a g e bond a n d settlement: T h r a l e , 45, 1 2 8 - 9 , 2 ° ° > 204, 381, 390, 432; Piozzi, 228; brewery business, 92, 94, 9 6 - 7 , 104, 107, 1 6 6 8, 177, 180, 195, 2 0 0 - 3 ; brewery, 2 0 1 - 2 ; attempts at economy, 95, 1 6 6 - 7 , 204, 435, 4 5 3 - 4 ; scandal a b o u t her, 99, 2 1 7 - 1 9 , 240, 262, 273, 303, 3 2 4 - 6 , 4 4 5 - 6 ; illnesses, 105, 141, 1 7 7 - 8 1 , 200-2, 205, 2 2 2 - 3 , 4 2 6 - 7 , 4 5 4 - 6 ; travel, 1 1 3 - 1 6 , 207-8, 2 3 5 - « , 2 4 5 - 8 , 2 5 7 - 8 , 2 7 7 - 9 2 , 348-50, 420; revisal of past life, 148; morbid mental condition, 149, 203, 2 2 1 - 3 ; clothes a n d personal a p p e a r ance, 153, 1 5 6 - 7 , 194, 406; portraits, >57. 254, 285, 374, 401, 430, 472; miscarriages, 178, 312; income after T h r a l e ' s d e a t h , 204; newspaper attacks, 208, 2 1 3 , 2 1 8 - 1 9 , 230, 240, 242, 2 4 4 - 5 , 2 6 1 - 3 , 3 1 4 , 328; fear of whooping cough, 220; newspaper compliments, 303, 3 1 4 - 1 5 ; sale of pictures, 279, 352, 458; r u m o u r e d change of n a m e , 289; grandchildren, 38g, 428, 430; described in Sentimental Mother, 3 2 6 - 7 ; disillusioned by society, 3 7 5 - 6 ; eightieth birthday celebrations, 4 5 0 - 1 ; d e a t h , 454-6; burial, 457, 4 6 1 ; possible epitaph, 149— character, xi-xiv, 49, 122, 125, 127, 156, 162, 177, 2 1 7 , 414, 4 1 7 - 1 8 , 420-1, 428, 434, 451, 459-60; described by others, 1 5 1 - 2 , 157, 160, 169-70, 184, 197, 208, 2 1 6 , 229, 323, 327. 399. 406, 414, 4 3 1 - 2 , 445, 448; accuracy of narration, xiii-xiv, 103, 147, 166, 243, 256, 2 6 5 - 7 2 , pride in Welsh ancestry, 3, 115, 308, 350, 375, 407, 443; youthful precocity, 9 - 1 0 , 12, 28; scholarly attainments, 7 6 - 7 , 373. 4 4 9 - 5 ° ; t a s t e i n w i t . '32, 4 3 9 40; sentimentality, 147, 327, 362; social ambitions, 153, 172, 181, 1 9 4 5. 294, 303. 332, 334. 339. 3 7 5 " ^ ; conversational ability, 183-4, 3°7> 446; flattery, delight in, 237, 447; reaction to death, 199; need of heroworship, 336, 4 3 5 ; love, attitude towards, 204, 209; dependence on reading, 4 2 1 - 2 , 429. — interests, & c . : Bible, 134, 224, 2 4 6 7, 417, 450; card playing, 156; etymology, 3 7 0 - 1 ; foreign languages, difficulties with, 130, 134, 285, 290; French, 11, 12, 15, 20, 27, 61, 130; Greek, 26, 76, 450; H e b r e w , 4 1 7 ,

INDEX 437. 4 5 ° ; Italian, 2 0 - 3 1 , 193, 206, 2 45> 250, 397; Italian society, 2 3 7 - 8 , 245, 280-1, 285; music, lack of interest, 89, 158, 287; names, 4 3 6 - 8 ; painting, 132, 236, 2 7 7 - 9 , 286-7, 4 1 5 ; philanthropy, 1 1 8 - 2 1 , 158, 193, 444; religion, 2 4 5 - 7 , 282, 284, 288; science, 90, 4 1 3 , 4 1 8 ; sea bathing, love of, 81, 155, 340, 450, 453; of sightseeing, 277-80, 288; Spanish literature, 20; speech, 112, 179, 3 6 6 7, 3 7 1 ; the theatre, 1 9 5 - 6 , 3 3 1 - 3 . - relations with others: - — Baretti, 109, 118, 128, 1 3 7 ; gifts to, 138, 206; early r u p t u r e with, 1 4 3 - 4 ; later attacks of, 238, 3 2 2 - 8 ; final estimate of, 328. - - - B l u e - S t o c k i n g s , 122, 150-1, 182, i 3 , ' 3 3 . ' 3 6 . ' 4 4 . 222, 224, 340-1, 392, 432; occasional harshness to, 95, 1 1 3 . 143. 323; changing attitude towards, 144-5, 2 1 6 , 222, 226; their opposition to h e r second marriage, 2 1 6 - 1 8 , 2 2 2 , 3 4 9 ; reconciliation marriage, 2 3 1 , 235, 2 8 3 - 4 , 293. 3 ° 3 ~ with, 3 6 5 - 6 ; relations after second 5. 336, 349. 364-6. 380-4. 3 8 7 - 9 ' . 398. 4 ' 5 . 4 ' 8 - 1 9 , 424. 426-7, 434. 444. 455-7Collier: affection for, 3 2 ; letters from, 2 5 - 6 , 3 7 - 4 3 . Cotton, Sir R o b e r t , 10-11. Cowper, 291. Delia Cruscans, 248-54, 3 3 7 - 9 , 349. 373Fellowes, 435-6. Hawkins, 295. J o h n s o n : discusses family papers with, 4; J . suspected of literary help, 62-3, 368, 3 7 2 ; at S t r e a t h a m , 64-5;

•iBQ attempts to alleviate his melancholia, 64, 75, 102, 355; his effect on her, 6 6 7; collecting anecdotes of, 7 5 - 6 , 173, 241, 257, 268, 3 1 1 ; disputes with, 78, 123, 1 3 2 ; affection for, 88, 187, 207, 2 3 9 - 4 0 ; feeling for, 200, 207, 2 1 1 , 336; dependence on, 9 6 - 7 , 99, 128, 176; amanuensis for Lives of the Poets, 196; gossip, 199-200, 2 1 3 , 2 1 9 ; gradual break, 2 0 8 - 1 0 , 2 1 2 - 1 3 , 2 1 5 , 219, 2 2 1 - 2 , 225-8, 328; leave-taking, 220; her forgiveness, 238-9, 2 9 1 ; blamed for J . ' s death, 239-40, 334; letters to, 91, 297, et passim-, letters from, 2 2 7 - 9 , 2 4 ° . 275, 296, 298, 317— '9Lysons, 239, 3 3 6 - 7 . Marriott, J a m e s , c o u r t e d by, 30-1. Mrs. M o n t a g u : friendship with, 1 5 1 - 2 , 3 3 5 ; compliments from, 152, 264; compared with, 153, 428, 445. Moore, T o m , visited by, 448. — -— Mostyn, quarrel with, 386-90. her mother, affection for, 32, 45, 103-4. Mozart, meeting with, 287. Piozzi: first meeting, 1 5 8 - 9 ; letters to, 205, 2 2 1 ; marriage, 229. Salusbury, Sir J o h n , 391, 434. Salusbury, Lady, 19, 53, 106-8, 2 1 1 , 2 1 4 - 1 5 , 302, 354. Seward, 223. Streatfeild, Sophy, 173, 175. Thrale, 49-50, 97, 104, 126, 142, 163-4, 206, 3 2 7 ; his courtship, 36-8, 4 3 - 5 ; marriage, 46; political aid to, 73, 1 1 7 , 182, 184-5, '89-90. Thrale's nephews, 88. Wilkes, meeting with, 156. W r a x a l l : on his conversation, 181-2. — places: Bach-y-Graig: entail of, 19; her feeling for the woods of, 1 6 5 - 6 , 4 4 0 1. 443B a t h : love of, 3 5 1 , 435, 444, 446 G a y St. House, 442. — — Brighton: house at, 8 1 , 155, '75Brynbella: building, 376-8, 3 8 2 3. 3 9 5 . 4 ° 7 . 4 4 ' ; choice of name, 3 7 7 ; move to, 3 8 2 - 3 ; life at, 3 8 3 - 7 , 389, 399. 4 0 7 - " . 4 ' 5 - ' 8 , 42»-3. 428-30, 442-4. L o n d o n : residences in, 11-13, 15, ' 9 . 36, ' 9 4 . 208, 214, 294; going to court, 153, 157, 194; return to, from the Continent, 289, 2 9 2 - 3 . S t r e a t h a m P a r k : redecorating

400

INDEX

and repairing, 3 5 2 - 3 , 4 3 1 - 3 ; tenants, 2 1 1 , 294. 35». 4 3 ' . 435. 44°. 4 4 2 ; sale of contents, 440-2. — writings: biographical method, 265, 270; prose style, 265, 3 1 9 , 3 4 3 - 6 , 360, 3 7 3 - 4 , 4 0 3 - 4 ; proof correcting, 3 1 2 , 369, 400; marginal annotations in books, 243, 359, 449; disposition of her papers, xii, 458-^. 'Albion M a n o r ' , 37. Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson, 5 5 , 5 9 , 8 6 , 106, 253, 279, 2 8 1 - 2 , 286, 290, 3 1 4 , 328, 3 4 1 , 348, 3 7 1 ; composition, 2 4 1 - 5 . 250, 2 5 5 - 7 , 265, 267, 270, 279; printing, 260, 2 6 2 - 3 ; editions, 264, 287, 462, errata slip, 264; cancelled sheet K , 2 6 2 - 3 ; financial agreement, 2 6 4 ; newspaper references, 244, 255, 2 6 1 - 5 , 2 7 2 - 4 ; criticism, published, 264-7, 2 7 3 - 6 , 356, 3 3 7 ; style criticized, 343. literary autobiography written, xiii, 429-30. biographical sketch for Sir J a m e s Fellowes, 5, 1 3 , 436. biographical sketch for Monthly Review, 397. Boethius, translations of, 57-8, 3'2, 315. Boileau, translation of, 6 1 . British Synonymy, 393, 395, 397, 399, 436, 462; composition of, 3 6 6 9; contract for, 368; publication date, 3 6 9 - 7 0 ; Paris edition of, 374, 462; published criticisms, 3 7 2 - 4 . Children's Book, xiii, 70, 1 7 3 , et passim. daily diaries, 22, 426, 438, 464-5, et passim -, later censorship of, 148, 19&, 2 1 7 , 302. dialogues on her own death, 179— 80. Dumouriez's Sketch of Europe, translation of, 4 1 6 . • engagement books, 332, 334, 354, 464. Exmouth Theatre, prologue for, 340-1Florence Miscellany, 250-4, 294, 337. 354. 462. journals, early, 76, 85-8, 1 2 4 - 5 , 148, 464. letters, ix, xiii, 448, 466-7 et passim; to the Burneys, 466; to and from Johnson, see Johnson: to J o h n son, 9 1 , 297, 3 1 1 , et passim; some rewritten, 220, 2 9 7 - 3 0 1 , 3 1 1 - 1 2 , 319— 20, 339, 466; to Piozzi, 205, 2 2 1 ; to

Queeney, 367 et passim; to J a c k Rice, 1 0 1 , 320. Lyford Redivivus, 436-8, 458. Minced M e a t for Pyes, 464, 473. New Common Place Book, xiii, 23. 98, 1 1 2 - 1 3 , 1 7 1 , 182, 3 3 3 , 3 3 7 , 4 1 4 , 422, 43&-40, 444-5, 447, 464Nova Scotian journals, her father's marked by, 1 7 , 1 1 4 . Observations and Reflections, 235, 277; composition, 3 3 9 - 4 2 ; German translation, 347, 462; literary style, 3 4 3 - 6 ; publication, 343, 462; published criticisms, 3 4 3 - 8 , 3 9 7 - 8 ; worth of, 346, 348. political satires, 37, 73, 174, 378, 395-6. prayers, 82, 83. Racine, translation of, 27-8. Regent, epilogue for, 309, 3 3 1 . Retrospection, 4 1 7 , 453, 462; plans f° r > 379. 385. 3 9 3 - 4 ; composition, 3 9 3 - 5 , 3 9 8 , 4 0 0 ; typographical errors, 4 0 1 - 2 ; publication, 4 0 1 , 405; style of, 402-4; published criticisms, 403-4. Scottish journal, 349, 464. Spanish, translations, from, 20-2. travel journals, 1 1 5 , 130, 235 ff., 286, 3 3 9 - 4 1 , 346, 349, 464. Thraliana, xii, 1 4 5 - 8 , 1 7 3 , 4 1 7 - 1 8 , 430, 444-5, 458, 464, 4 7 1 . Three Warnings to John Bull, 3967. 4 6 2. Una and Duessa, 3 6 0 - 2 , 3 6 6 , 395. Verse; on an Air Balloon, 245, 3 1 3 ; on Ash T r e e at Offley, 29; on Blessings of Peace, 3 7 ; at Calais, 3 4 1 ; on Collier's dog Pompey, 36, at Dover, 3 4 1 ; on the English Poets, 2 9 - 3 0 ; Enigma, 3 1 3 ; on Forrester, 29, 378; In Theatro, translation of, 89. 3 5 ' ; on Offley Park, 36; on Peter Pindar, 3 2 9 - 3 0 ; to Piozzi at Dover, 2 2 1 ; for Richmond House, 3 3 2 ; on Robin Redbreast, 5 1 ; on Streatham portraits, 1 8 6 - 7 ; Three Warnings, 6 1 - 2 , 250, 462; T w o Fountains, 3 3 3 ; Winter in Wales, 4 1 9 ; youthful verses, 2 8 - 3 0 ; nursery rhymes, 73; epistles, 1 4 1 - 2 , 2 9 1 ; later verses, 4 1 1 . Pisa, 257. Pitches, Peggy, later L a d y Deerhurst, 161. Pitt, Miss, 334. Plumbe, Fanny, 9 9 - 1 0 1 , 1 2 1 , 320, 466. Plumbe, Ralph, 88. Plu mbe, Alderman Samuel, 7 1 , 99-1 o : . Plumbe, Mrs. Samuel, 53, 100. Plymouth, 14, 18, 3 4 1 .

INDEX Ponsonby, Sarah, see Llangollen. Poole, Lady, 163. Pope, Alexander, 28, 30, 34, 79, 80,102, 196, 224, 247, 438. Porter, Lucy, 67, 96, 241, 243. Porteus, BeUby, Bishop of Chester, 183, 334Portsmouth, 141. Postmarks, 228-9, 3 OJ • Potsdam, 289. Pott, Percivall, surgeon, 125. Poussin, Nicolas, 286. Prague, 283, 288. Prestatyn, 4 1 1 . Prior, Matthew, 28, 78. Pwllheli, 8, 10, 114, 1 1 5 , 420. Queeney, see Thrale, Hester Maria. Quin, James, 12. Quinzano, 188, 224, 280, 461. R.—?, Mrs., 99. R-d-h, Mrs., 98. Racine, Louis, 27, 28. Radcliffe, Ann, 347, 379. Ranelagh, 37, 128. Rauzzini, Venanzio, 412. Ravasi, Abate, 238. Ravenna, 278. Ray, Robert, 381, 391. Ray, Mrs., at Streatham, 220. Ray and Fry's school, Streatham, 304. Raymond, Samuel, 122. Reading, 220, 312, 339, 342, 401. Regent, The, 309, 3 3 1 - 2 , 342. Reigate, 180. Reynolds, Frances, 151, 154, 216, 356. Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 358, 375, 448; Johnson's friend, 64, 84, 293; first meeting with Thrales, 66; note books, 66, 194; entertains Thrales, 96, 122, '5'» I54> 372; Oxford degree, 104; at Streatham, 106, 1 2 1 ; Streatham portraits, 157, 186, 432, 441; friend of Mrs. Siddons, 336; approves of Anecdotes, 282; Johnson's executor, 297; letter to H.L.T., 468. Rice, Fanny, see Plumbe. Rice, Jack, 99-101, 1 2 1 , 320, 466. Richardson, Mr., 22. Richardson, Samuel, 150, 247, 437. Richmond, Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of, 332. 337Richmond and Gordon, Duke of, 24. Richmond, Surrey, 105. Richmond House, 332. Rickmansworth, 141. Ridgwav, James, 326.

49'

Rimini, 278. Robert brothers, 236. Roberts, John, 384, 417, 458, 467. Robertson, William, 348-g. Robinson, Mr., 432. Robinson, George, 368-9, 399-400. Robson, Bateman, 107, 129, 432. Robson, James, 241, 403. Roch, S. T., 472. Rochester, 154. Roffette, Abbé, 130, 268. Rogers, Samuel, 34&~9, 364, 427. Rome, 113, 257-8, 277-8. Rose, William, 345. Rothes, Mary, Countess of, wife of Bennet Langton, 154, 358. Rothes, Lady, wife of Sir Lucas Pepys, 195, 218, 427. Rouen, 130, 268. Rousseau, Jean Jacques, 28, 327. Rudd, Mis., 451, 453-6. Rush, Mr., 93. Russell, Samuel Thomas, 417. Ruysdael, Jacob, 352. Sacchini, Antonio Maria G aspar o, 204-5, 332. St. Albans, 34. St. Asaph, Dean of, 386, 407. Salisbury, 185, 226. Salisbury, misspelling for Salusbury, 289. Sally, Thrale's maid, 106. Salusbury family history, 3 - 5 . Salusbury, Anna Maria (nie Penrice), first wife of Sir Thomas, 1 6 - 1 8 , 20, 21, 25, 31, 36, 72. Salusbury, Rev. Augustus, 471. Salusbury, Harriet Pemberton, wife of Sir John Salusbury, 434, 450, 467. Salusbury, Harry, 5, 6. Salusbury, Hester Lynch, set Pifczzi, Hester Lynch. Salusbury, Hester Maria (nie Cotton), mother of H.L.S. : family history, 3 - 5 , 7; description, 5; marriage, 7; at Bodvel, 8 - 1 0 ; birth of daughter, 8; reconciled to brother, 10, 11; in London, 1 2 - 1 5 ; educates daughter, 15, 25; forces her marriage to Thrale, 4 3 - 5 ; health, 15, 91, 94, 97; fatal illness, 94-5, 97, 103, 3 1 8 ; divides possessions, 95, 426; death, 103, 270; epitaph by Johnson, 126. — at Streatham with Thrales, 49, 53 ; and Dr. Collier, 43; annuity not paid, 53; and Johnson, 67; and grandchildren, 71, 8 1 - 3 ; savings lent to Thrale, 93.

INDEX 492 Salusbury, J o h n , father of H . L . S . , 4, Salzburg, 286. 4 1 , 145, 166, 187, 2og, 2 1 8 , 3 8 0 ; Salzburg, A d a m de, 4, 286. birth and education, 5 ; youthful Sam, servant of Thralcs, 175. adventures, 6, 7; marriage, 7 ; life at Sandgate, 4 6 1 . Bodvel, 8 ; quarrels with Sir Robert Sandwich, J o h n Montagu, 4th Earl of, Cotton and Sir T h o m a s Salusbury, '931 1 , 3 6 ; lead mine, 1 2 ; letters and Sandys, L o r d , 157. journals, 1 4 , 1 6 - 1 9 , 22, 1 1 4 ; exSasso Ferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi), periences in N o v a Scotia, 1 6 - 1 9 , 2773 5 3 ; debts paid by brother, 1 9 ; Sastres, Francesco, 3 1 2 , 334. friendship with Hogarth, 2 3 ; opSaurin, Jacques, 69. poses daughter's suitors, 3 1 ; death, Savage, Richard, 2 7 3 , 4 5 1 . 3 8 ; misrepresented in T h r a l i a n a , Savoy, 236. 147. Scarborough, 348. Salusbury, Sir J o h n , husband of Scarlett, Miss, 22. Katherine of Beraine, 4, 5. Scheldt, river, 2 9 1 - 2 . Salusbury, Sir J o h n Salusbury Piozzi, Scott, Sir Samuel, 207. nephew of Piozzi: birth, 4 6 1 ; adopScott, Sarah Robinson, sister of Mrs. tion, 3 9 1 - 2 ; education, 392, 4 1 8 , Montagu, 1 8 1 - 2 , 2 3 0 - 1 . 4 3 3 - 4 ; naturalization, 4 2 7 ; marScott, Sir Walter, 422, 428, 438-9. riage, 434; negotiations for baronetcy, Scott, Sir William, later Baron Stowell, 443. 4 5 2 - 3 ; knighted, 4 4 3 ; letters 200. from, 469; letters to, 2 1 5 , 4 1 8 , 4 2 1 , Scrase, Charles, 8 1 , 93, 104, 1 2 8 - 2 9 , 423- 433. 449. 467i his copy of 166, 180, 199, 2 0 1 . Florence Misc., 252. Segroid, Mostyn residence, 380, 3 8 3 , — and H . L . P . : her executor, 4 5 7 - 8 ; 387, 389, 430. her affection for him, 4 1 0 , 4 3 3 ; at Selwin, Charles, 264, 293, 297, 334. her birthday celebration, 4 5 0 - 1 ; his Selwyn, George, 2 2 3 , 345. lack of sympathy with her, 440, Sevenoaks, 180. 442-4, 452, 4 5 4 - 5 , 4 5 8 ; with h c r >n Severn river, 454. Wales, 4 1 8 , 422, 4 2 4 - 5 , 428, 4 4 2 - 4 ; Seward, A n n a , 1 8 3 , 240, 3 5 5 ; anger at attitude towards her writing, 4 2 9 Baretti's strictures, 3 2 4 ; entertains 3 ° . 444Salusbury, L u c y , 5, 6, 7, 9. Salusbury, Sarah (formerly K i n g ) , second wife of Sir Thomas, 19, 33, 36, 38, 4 1 , 53, 106, 1 0 8 , 2 1 1 , 2 1 4 - 1 5 , 302. 354Salusbury, R e v . Thelwall, 3 2 , 36. Salusbury, Sir Thomas, uncle of H . L . S . , 14. 22, 25, 30, 32, 46, 72, 106, 426; birth, 5 ; education, 6; death, 1 0 7 ; Welsh family debts, 7, 9, 1 3 ; marriage to Miss Penrice, 1 6 ; inherits Offley, 1 8 ; pays off Bach-y-Graig mortgage, 19, 108, 2 1 1 ; and the widow K i n g , 3 3 , 36, 38, 4 1 ; his marriage to her, 5 3 ; financial support to brother's family, 3 1 , 39, 4 1 , 44, 4 5 ; introduces T h r a l e to Salusburys, 3 3 ; negotiations with Collier about H . L . S . ' s fortune, 4 1 - 4 ; encourages H . L . S . in poetry, 29, 3 2 , 3 7 8 ; relations with H . L . T . , 53, 104, 106-8. Salusbury, T h o m a s (15th century), 3. Salusbury, William, 5. Salusbury-Cotton, Thomas, 1 5 . Salviati, Franceso Rossi, 279.

Piozzis in Lichfield, 3 0 6 - 7 ; aids with Johnson's Letters, 3 0 8 - 1 0 ; her own letters rewritten, xiv, 299, 3 1 7 ; letters to H . L . P . , 468; on H . L . P . ' s style, 344; suspectcd of being A n n a Matilda, 338. Seward, William, 124, 150, 1 7 7 , 179, 2 1 0 , 2 2 3 , 244, 4 1 4 , 468. Shackfield, William, 377. Shakerley, George, 9. Shakespeare, William, 30, 52, 58, 224, 280, 283, 447. Shard, Charles, 278, 284. Sharpe, Samuel, 347. Sheffield, home of the Holroyds, 163. Shelbume, William Petty, Earl, 1st Marquis of Lansdowne, 2 1 1 , 352. Shelley, Sir J o h n , 1 7 2 , 189. Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 252, 438, 448. Shelley, Miss, of Sussex, 334. Shenstone, William, 4 1 3 . Shephard, Charles Mitchell Smith, 424-5, 4 2 7 , 4 3 1 - 2 . Shephard, Thomas, 4 1 8 . Sheridan, R i c h a r d Brinsley, 1 5 3 , 195, 333. 336, 469Shrewsbury, 308-9, 362, 4 1 2 , 430, 434.

INDEX Sirldons, Sally, 363, 377, 383. Siddons, S a r a h , 147, 3 3 3 - 4 , 3 6 ' . 3 6 5> 389, 398, 400, 4 1 5 , 4 2 6 - 7 , 430; at Bath. 183, 3 5 1 ; at N u n e h a m , 362; admired by H . L . P . , 336, 435; affection for H . L . P . , 355, 385, 547; letters to H . L . P . , 469; reading British Synonymy, 3 7 3 ; as I m o g e n , 293; in I 'mice Preserved, 183; in The Regent, 3n9>

33

Siddons, W i l l i a m , 334, 373, 4 1 5 , 469. Silk, E d m u n d T . , 254. Simpson, Joseph, 270, 310. Skeffington, L u m l e y St. G e o r g e , 4 1 6 17, 427, 469. Skye, 105, 243. Smith, A d a m , 349. Smith, H e n r y , 200, 303. Smith, R i c h a r d , 229. Smollett, T o b i a s G e o r g e , 347. S n r y d , H o n o r a , 307. Snowdonia, 377. Soderini, M . , 238. S o u t h a m p t o n , 141, 368. Southey, R o b e r t , 438-9. S o u t h w a r k , 68 et passim. Speen Hill, 182. Spoleto, 278. Squibb, auctioneer, 441. Stael, M m e de, 457. Stafford, G e o r g e G r a n v i l l e , Marquis of, 4 ' 5 . 43 2 Stalker, M r . , 330. Steele, T h o m a s , 352. Steevens, G e o r g e , 73, 242, 324. Stella (Esther Johnson), 316. Sterne, L a u r e n c e , 327, 344. Stillman, M . S., 348. Stockdale, J o h n , 400-5. Stonehenge, 141. Stowe, 34, 35. Strahan, G e o r g e , 259, 274. Strahan, W i l l i a m , 166. Stratton, Charlotte, 4 5 1 - 2 . Stratton, M r s . , 452. Streatfeild, S o p h i a , 168, 172-3, 177, 180, 195, 4 1 5 . Streatham Park, or Streatham Place, description of, 50, 104, 151, 165, 169, 3 5 2 - 3 ; reopened by H . L . P . , 352-3, 435; later repairs, 3 5 2 - 3 , 4 3 1 - 3 ; 1816 sale of contents, 169, 440-2; secured by R a l p h T h r a l e , 34; tenants, 2i>, 294, 352, 383, 398, 4 3 1 , 435, 440, 442. 'Streatham University,' 392, 410, 418. Strickland, M r s . C e c i l i a , 150, 350, 382. Stuart, J a m e s ( A t h e n i a n ) , 439.

493

S u r m a n , E l i z a b e t h , 54. S w a l e , M r . , 334. ' S w a n of L i c h f i e l d ' , see S e w a r d , A n n . Swift, J o n a t h a n , 25, 174, 179, 3 1 6 , 4 3 8 , 454Talassi, A n g e l o , 153, 278. Tasso, T o r q u a t o , 20, 3 1 2 . T a y l o r , G e o r g e W a t s o n , 442. T a y l o r , J o h n , 96, 126, 140, 153, 2 4 2 - 3 , 308, 3 1 0 , 469. T e n b y , 412. T e t b u r y , L o r d , i m a g i n a r y title for Lysons, 296. Thackeray, Dr. W . M . , 378-9, 381, 4 0 9 - 1 0 , 4 2 0 - 4 , 427, 4 3 1 , 467, 469. T h a m e s regatta, 1 7 7 5 , 126, 320. T h e a t r e s : D r u r y L a n e , 1 9 5 - 6 , 331, 3 4 2 ; G l o b e , 52. T h e l w a l l , E d w a r d , 4. T h e o b a l d , L e w i s , 358. Thicknesse, Philip, 273. T h o m a s , D r . , 97, 100, i l l , 114. T h r a l e , A n n a M a r i a , 72, 74, 80, 8 1 , 82, 83. 84. ' 2 7 , 145, 4 6 1 . T h r a l e , C e c i l i a M a r g a r e t t a , 81, 2 1 7 , 252, 283, 303, 3 3 9 - 4 ' . 3 7 7 . 4>°. 4 ' 8 , 452, 4 6 1 ; birth, 1 5 0 ; illnesses, 220, 304, 363, 38s, 389; g u a r d i a n s h i p b y h e r m o t h e r , 304-6, 348; c h a r a c t e r i z e d , 336, 3 7 8 - 8 0 ; e d u c a t i o n , 340-1 ; admirers, 3 6 3 - 4 ; h i g h spirits, 364, 366, 3 7 9 - 8 0 ; e l o p e m e n t , 381-2; q u a r r e l s over her fortune, 3 8 6 - 9 0 ; h u s b a n d ' s unkind treatment, 4 1 8 19; h e r boys, 4 1 5 , 4 1 8 , 430; distaste for D e n b i g h , 3 7 9 - 8 0 ; in W a l e s , 3 8 3 4. 387. 389, 4 ' 8 , 422. 430; >n I t a l y , 450, 4 5 5 ; her c o p y of Y o r k e ' s Royal Tribes of Wales, 3 ; sale o f her effects, 69. ' 5 5 . ' 6 3 . T h r a l e , Frances, 59, 64, 461. T h r a l e , Frances A n n , 126, 1 3 2 - 3 3 , 461. T h r a l e , Henrietta S o p h i a ( H a r r i e t ) , 1 6 7 - 8 , 2 1 7 , 220, 4 6 1 . T h r a l e , H e n r y , birth, 34, 461 ; c h a r a c ter. 49. 5 5 - 7 . 9 2 , 9 4 - 5 . 9 7 - 9 . 108, 1 1 5 , 119, 126, 128, 134, 149, 157, 1 6 2 - 4 , 166, 192, 1 9 5 ; venereal complaints, 98, 144, 164; mental depression, 167, 172, 176, 1 7 8 - 9 , 190, 198, 2 1 6 ; strokes, 1 7 5 - 6 , 1 8 0 - 1 , 189-90, 1 9 8 9 ; d e a t h , 1 9 g ; funeral, 199; will, 180, 200, 352, 390, 4 3 1 . — introduction to Salusburys, 3 3 ; life after college, 35 ; parliamentary career, 3 5 - 6 , 59-60, 7 1 - 4 , 1 1 6 - 1 7 , 132, 182, 184-5, 1 8 9 - 9 0 ; election

INDEX 494 4 3 1 - 2 ; later help for, 384, 3 9 3 - 5 , addresses, 59-60, 72, 1 1 6 - 1 7 , ' 8 9 - 9 0 ; 4 1 6 ; Retrospection discussed with, 4 0 1 robbed on highroad, 5 1 ; mistresses, 4; with her at death, 4 5 5 - 6 ; letters 5 1 , 98-9; interest in eating, 5 1 , 176, from, 367 et passim. 184, 1 9 1 - 3 , 198; in hunting, 5 1 , 8 1 , 180; rakish friends, 53, 66, 156; — and Cecilia, 304-5, 3 8 2 - 3 , 387-90, power over Johnson, 68, 9 1 ; pur428. chase of Brighton house, 8 1 ; business Thrale, Lucy Elizabeth, 79, 81, 84, 1 1 0 , speculation, 92-4, 164-8; brewing 127. ' 3 3 . '44. ' 4 5 . 455. 4 6 1 . experiments, 93, 104; newspaper Thrale, Margaret, 33. scandal about, 9 7 - 9 ; degree of Thrale, Penelope, 94, 461. D . C . L . , 104; sociaJ interests, 156, Thrale, Ralph, Sr., 34, 35, 93. 177, 1 9 4 - 5 ; fondness for Sophy Thrale, Ralph, 107, 1 1 5 , 118, 1 2 5 - 8 , Streatfeild, 173, 1 7 5 ; learns Spanish, 461. 109, 3 2 5 ; plans for Italian journey, Thrale, Sophia, 139, 145, 1 5 7 ; birth, 1 1 3 , 187, 198; presents address to 9 1 , 4 6 1 ; at Mrs. Cumyns'sschool, 1 1 7 ; the king, 1 3 2 ; extravagant spending, at Brighton, 175, 186; and the Piozzi 165; portrait by Reynolds, 157, 442; marriage, 217, 224, 2 3 1 , 283, 293, partiality for Girard's Synonymy, 372. 3 0 3 - 4 ; at Bath, 220, 2 2 3 - 4 ; under — and H . L . S . : courtship, 36-8, 4 3 - 4 ; care of Mrs. Murray, 2 8 3 ; Chappelow reasons for choice of, 5 2 ; marriage, visits, 284; at Brynbella, 383-4, 422; 46; marriage settlement, 45, 381, marriage, 419; quarrels about Streat390; affection for, 118. ham, 435, 441. Thrale, Henry Salusbury, (Harry) 84, — and her mother: taught by her, 136, 103, 106, 1 1 5 , 119, 127, 145, 151, 144; reconciliation with, 3 6 5 - 6 ; 216, 455; birth, 71, 4 6 1 ; amiable kindness to, 4 1 5 ; letters from, 466; disposition, 80, 1 3 3 ; measles, 105; with her at death, 4 5 5 - 6 . education, M i , 1 1 4 ; birthday party, Thrale, Susanna Arabella, 84, 145, 1 1 3 3 - 4 ; l ^ illness and death, 1 3 5 - 7 , ' 5 7 . 4 ' 9 . 453. 473! birth, 83, 4 6 1 ; ' 4 4 . ' 5 3 . 3 2 3 ; a n d Johnson, 91, 1 1 2 ; sponsor for Francis Brooke, 7 5 ; at hatred ofGoldsmith, 109; his mother's Mrs. Cumyns'sschool, " 1, 1 1 7 , 135; favourite, n o , 145, 3 9 1 ; letters from, one of Johnson's favourites, 1 1 2 ; at '33.469Brighton, 175, 186; and Piozzi marThrale, Hester L y n c h , « « Piozzi, Hester riage, 2 1 7 , 231, 283, 3 0 3 - 4 ; at Bath, Lynch. 220; interest in religion, 284; at T h r a l e , Hester M a r i a (Queeney), Brynbella, 3 8 3 - 4 ; and her mother, birth, 54, 37O, 4 6 1 ; Johnson's in3 6 5 " 6 . 455-6, 466. terest in, 69-70, 1 1 2 , 297; makes The Three Warnings, 6 1 - 2 , 250, 462. purse for Johnson, 80; in Children's Tibson, 'Old Nurse', 106, 1 1 4 , 220. Book, 70-1, 78-80, 1 0 9 - 1 1 , 145, 160Tighe, M r . and Mrs., 258. 1 ; character, 79-80, 1 6 1 - 2 , 305; Tollemache, Lady Betty, wife of Sir clever remarks, 79-80, 109, 139-40, Robert Cotton, 5. 154; letters from, 91, 297, 473; Tooke, J o h n Home, 3 7 1 . letters to, 32, 38, 69, 473; her tutors, Torrington, Lord and L a d y , in Brussels, 109, 134, 142, 177, 207; Baretti, 109, 290. 134, 142; feeling for Baretti, 143; Townmalling, Kent, 75. dislike of Goldsmith, 109; illnesses, Townsend, —, 94. 135-8, 150; opinion of Bath, 140; Townshend, Charles, 27. musical study, 149, 193, 198, 4 1 9 ; Tremeirchion, 17, 350, 376. clandestine letters, 1 6 1 - 2 ; letters Tremeirchion church, 384, 408, 417, from Fanny Bumey, 178, 222-3, 305, 424. 457. 46'. 316, 447; love of society, 172, 2 1 6 ; Trent, 285. opposition to Piozzi, 2 1 3 - 1 4 , 2 1 6 - 1 8 , Trevor, Mrs., 163. 2 2 2 - 3 , 2 2 6 , 293; visits Hebrides, 4 1 6 ; Trotti, Marquis, 286, 362. marriage, 4 1 9 ; her child, 428, 430. Tulip, Thrale's dog, 142. — and her mother: given ornaments Tunbridge Wells, 172, 180. by, 2 1 ; opinion of, 1 6 1 - 2 , 216, 305, Turin, 236-7. 336, 3°9. 4 2 8 - 9 . 4 3 i ; parting from, Tusculum, 352. 226, 230— 1 ; later reconciliation, 365; Ty-coch, 16. business quarrels with, 381, 390, Tyers, Thomas, 242.

INDEX Ty-mawr, 16. Tyrolean Alps, 283, 285.

first met H.L.P., 183, friendship for, 355. 427= 43°Whalley, Mr?, {nit Jones), 279, 290-1. Una & Duessa, see Piozzi, H.L. Whalley, Mrs. (widow of General Homeck), 446. Vandercom, J . F., 354, 396, 469. Whitbread, Samuel, 165. Vanessa (Hester Vanhomrigh), 26. Whitchurch School, 5. White, Henry, 306-7. Vansittart, Robert, 142. Whitefield, George, 78. Varese, 281. Wickham, H., 451, 472. Venice, 188, 247-8, 278-80, 397. Wilkes, John, 37, 40, 53, 72, 73, 116, Vernon, Frederick, 19. Verona, 246, 280, 285. '56, 259. 3 2 1 . 358Versailles, 1 3 1 . Williams family, 384, 413. Vesey, Elizabeth, 150, 1 5 1 , 177, 179, Williams, Lady, of Bodylwyddan, 392, 229-30. 397. 404. 423. 427. 430. 458, 467. Vesuvius, 258. Williams, Miss, sister of Sir John Vienna, 283, 286-8. Williams, 4 1 3 , 4 1 5 , 421, 4 3 1 , 433-4, Viry, Fran^ois-Marie-Joseph, Comte 436, 449. 452, 45 8 . 467cle, 104. Williams, Rev. Mr., 3 3 1 . Williams, Anna, 6 1 - 3 , 63, 93, 1 r9, 462. Waddington, Mrs. M . A. Port, 160, Williams, Helen Maria, 307, 334, 355, 316. 360, 469. Wager, Sir Charles, 62. Williams, Sir John of Bodylwyddan, Waldegrave, Lady Caroline, 188. 385, 413, 458, 467. Walker, Joseph Cooper, 469. Williams, John, son of prec., 429, 436, Walpole, Horace, friend of Blue458Stockings, 150; criticisms of Anecdotes, Willoughby, Miss, 82, 453-4. 265, 273, 343; of BoswelPs Tour to Wilson, Dr. Bernard, 14, 27. the Hebrides, 259; of Life, 359; of Wilton, 226. British Synonymy, 370, 373; of Florence Winchester, Dean of, 188. Miscellany, 2 5 1 ; of Johnson's Letters, Windham, William, 269, 271, 334. 3 1 6 ; of Observations and Reflections, 343; Windsor, 106, 316, 335. at Richmond House, 332. Woburn Abbey, 34. Wansey, Henry, 445. Wolcot, John, 274-6, 329-30. Warburton, William, 19, 20. Wood, John, 442. Ward, J . , 469. Woodhouse, James, 55, 56. Warton, Thomas, 224. Wordsworth, William, 438. Watermarks, 300-2, 3 1 1 , 320. Wraxall, Sir Nathaniel, 1 8 1 - 2 , 445. Welcker, John, 188. Wrexham, 308. Wellbury, 33. Wright, J . £>., 88, 102, 2 1 5 , 349. Wellington, Duke of, 439. Wycombe, 1 4 1 - 2 . Westcote (William Henry Lyttelton), Wynn, Morris, 4. Baron, 35, 157, 184. Wynn, Lady, 22. Weston, 52. Wynnstay, 406. Weston, Jacob, coachman, 363, 391, 467. Yorke, Charles, 86. Weston, Sophia, see Pennington. Young, Arthur, 347. Young, Edward, 224, 333, 438. Weston-super-Mare, 450, 453, 470. Young, Owen D., 466. Weymouth, 19, 20, 222, 470. ' Whalley, Thomas Sedgewick, 306, 324, Zamick, M., 179. 406, 446; in Brussels, 2 9 0 - 1 ; at Zeluco, 348. Brynbella, 4 1 5 , 4 2 1 ; in Venice, 279; Zenobio, Count, 334. letters from, 468; letters from H.L.P. Zoffany, J o h n , 70. to, 466, about Streatham, 4 3 1 , 4 4 0 - 2 ;