He rarely spared any one, and on Nollekens he was frequently merciless;
he disliked him for his close and parsimonious nature, and rarely failed
to hit him under the fifth rib. Once, at the table of Mr. Coutts the
banker, Mrs. Coutts, dressed like Morgiana, came dancing in, presenting
her dagger at every breast. As she confronted the sculptor, Fuseli
called out, "Strike--strike--there's no fear; Nolly was never known to
bleed!" When Blake, a man infinitely more wild in conception than Fuseli
himself, showed him one of his strange productions, he said, "Now some
one has told you this is very fine." "Yes," said Blake, "the Virgin Mary
appeared to me and told me it was very fine; what can you say to that?"
"Say!" exclaimed Fuseli, "why nothing--only her ladyship has not an
immaculate taste."
Fuseli had aided Northcote and Opie in obtaining admission to the
Academy, and when he desired some station for himself, he naturally
expected their assistance--they voted against him, and next morning went
together to his house to offer an explanation. He saw them coming--he
opened the door as they were scraping their shoes, and said, "Come
in--come in--for the love of heaven come in, else you will ruin me
entirely." "How so?" cried Opie "Marry, thus," replied the other, "my
neighbors over the way will see you, and say, 'Fuseli's _done_,--for
there's a bum bailiff,'" he looked at Opie, "'going to seize his person;
and a little Jew broker,'" he looked at Northcote, "'going to take his
furniture,--so come in I tell you--come in!'"