_Sunday_.--We had an excellent sermon from the Bishop of Peterborough,
who preached merely at the request of Mrs. Thrale.
At dinner we had the bishop and Dr. Harrington; and the bishop, who was
in very high spirits, proposed a frolic, which was, that we should all
go to Spring Gardens, where he should give us tea, and thence proceed to
Mr. Ferry's, to see a very curious house and garden. Mrs. Thrale pleaded
that she had invited company to tea at home, but the bishop said
we would go early, and should return in time, and was so gaily
authoritative that he gained his point. He had been so long accustomed
to command, as master of Westminster school, that he cannot prevail with
himself, I believe, ever to be overcome.
Dr. Harrington was engaged to a patient, and could not be of our party.
But the three Thrales, the bishop and I, pursued our scheme, crossed
the Avon, had a sweet walk through the meadows, and drank tea at Spring
Gardens, where the bishop did the honours with a spirit, a gaiety, and
an activity that jovialised us all, and really we were prodigiously
lively. We then walked on to Mr. Ferry's habitation.
Mr. Ferry is a Bath alderman; his house and garden exhibit the house and
garden of Mr. Tattersall, enlarged. Just the same taste prevails, the
same paltry ornaments, the same crowd of buildings, the same unmeaning
decorations, and the same unsuccessful attempts at making something of
nothing.
They kept us half an hour in the garden, while they were preparing for
our reception in the house, where after parading through four or five
little vulgarly showy closets, not rooms, we were conducted into a very
gaudy little apartment, where the master of the house sat reclining on
his arm, as if in contemplation, though everything conspired to show
that the house and its inhabitants were carefully arranged for our
reception. The bishop had sent in his name by way of gaining admission.
The bishop, with a gravity of demeanour difficult to himself to sustain,
apologised for our intrusion, and returned thanks for seeing the house
and garden. Mr. Ferry started from his pensive attitude, and begged us
to be seated, and then a curtain was drawn, and we perceived through
a glass a perspective view of ships, boats, and water. This raree-show
over, the maid who officiated as show-woman had a hint given her and
presently a trap-door opened, and up jumped a covered table, ornamented
with various devices. When we had expressed our delight at this long
enough to satisfy Mr. Ferry, another hint was given, and presently down
dropped an eagle from the ceiling whose talons were put into a certain
hook in the top of the covering of the table, and when the admiration
at this was over, up again flew the eagle, conveying in his talons the
cover, and leaving under it a repast of cakes, sweetmeats, oranges, and
jellies.
When our raptures upon this feat subsided, the maid received another
signal, and then seated herself in an armchair, which presently sank
down underground, and up in its room came a barber's block, with a vast
quantity of black wool on it, and a high head-dress.
This, you may be sure, was more applauded than all the rest; we were
en extase, and having properly expressed our gratitude, were soon after
suffered to decamp.