PRIVATE LETTERS
OF
EDWARD GIBBON.
[Illustration: SILHOUETTE PORTRAIT OF EDWARD GIBBON.
_Frontispiece, Vol. II._]
PRIVATE LETTERS
OF
EDWARD GIBBON
(1753-1794).
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
THE EARL OF SHEFFIELD.
EDITED BY
ROWLAND E. PROTHERO,
BARRISTER-AT-LAW, SOME-TIME FELLOW OF ALL SOULS' COLLEGE, OXFORD.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1896.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED.
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
GIBBON'S CORRESPONDENCE.
1753-1794.
418.
_To his Stepmother._
Bentinck Street, July 3rd, 1781.
DEAR MADAM,
Though your kind impatience might make the time appear tedious, there
has been no other delay in my business, than the necessary forms of
Election. My new constituents of Lymington obligingly chose me in my
absence. I took my seat last Wednesday, and am now so old a member
that I begin to complain of the heat and length of the Session. So
much for Parliament. With regard to the board of trade, I am ignorant
of your friend's meaning, and possibly she may be so herself. There
has not been (to my knowledge) the most distant idea of my leaving
it, and indeed there are few places within the compass of any
rational ambition that I should like so well.
In a few days, as soon as we are relieved from public business, I
shall go down to my Country house for the summer. Do not stare.
I say my Country house. Notwithstanding Caplin's very diligent
enquiries, I have not been able to please myself with anything in the
neighbourhood of London, and have therefore hired for three months
a small pleasant house at Brighthelmstone. I flatter myself that in
that admirable sea-air, with the vicinity of Sheffield place, and a
proper mixture of light study in the morning and good company in the
evening, the summer may roll away not disagreably.--As I know your
tender apprehensions, I promise you not to bathe in the sea without
due preparation and advice.
Mrs. Porten has chosen, not for health but pleasure, a different
sea-shore: she has been some weeks at Margate, and will scarcely
return to town before my departure. I sincerely sympathize in all
the melancholy scenes which have afflicted your sensibility, and am
more particularly concerned about poor Miss Gould, to whom I wish
to express the thoughts and hopes of friendship on this melancholy
occasion. Lady Miller's[1] sudden death has excited some attention
even in this busy World, her foibles are mentioned with general
regard. Adieu, Dear Madam, and do not let Mrs. Ravaud tempt you into
Elysium: we are tolerably well here.
I am
Ever yours,
E. GIBBON.
[1] Anna, Lady Miller (1741-1781), author of _Letters from Italy,
by an Englishwoman_ (1776), a verse-writer and a well-known
character at Bath, held a literary salon at her villa at
Batheaston. She held, writes Walpole, January 15, 1775, "a
Parnassus-fair every Thursday, gives out rhymes and themes, and
all the flux of quality at Bath contend for the prizes." An
antique vase, purchased in Italy, was placed on a modern altar
decorated with laurel, and each guest was invited to place in
the urn an original composition in verse. The author of the one
declared to be the best was crowned by Lady Miller with a wreath
of myrtle. Selections from these compositions were published at
intervals. "Nothing here," said Miss Burney in 1780, "is more
tonish than to visit Lady Miller." Lady Miller died suddenly at
Bristol Hot Wells on June 24, 1781. Her husband, Sir John Riggs
Miller, died in 1798.
419.
_To his Stepmother._
Bentinck Street, July 9th, 1781.
Dear Madam,
Nothing but my absence (on a visit to Mr. Jenkinson[2] in Surrey)
should have prevented me from writing by the _first_ post to
remove those fears which could be suggested only by too exquisite
a sensibility. I am well and happy; the modest expression of
_tolerably_ was intended to express a very high degree of content,
and I most sincerely assure you that my journey to Brighthelmstone is
in search not of health but of amusement and society.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours,
E. GIBBON.
[2] Probably C. Jenkinson, M.P. for Saltash and Secretary at War;
afterwards Earl of Liverpool.
420.
_To his Stepmother._
Brighthelmstone, July 26th, 1781.
DEAR MADAM,
[Sidenote: HIS HOUSE AT BRIGHTON.]
After a short visit to Sheffield I came to this place last Sunday
evening, and think it will answer my expectations. My house, which is
not much bigger than yours, has a full prospect of the sea and enjoys
a temperate climate in the most sultry days. The air gives health,
spirits and a ravenous appetite. I walk sufficiently morning and
evening, lounge in the middle of the day on the Steyne, booksellers'
shops, &c., and by the help of a pair of horses can make more distant
excursions. The society is good and easy, and though I have a large
provision of books for my amusement, I shall not undertake any deep
studies or laborious compositions this summer. You will rejoyce, I am
sure, in hearing so favourable an account of my situation, and I wish
I could propose to you to share it with me.
I am, Dear Madam,
Most truly yours,
E. GIBBON.
421.
_To his Stepmother._
Brighthelmstone, August 24th, 1781.
DEAR MADAM,
Of all mortals I have the least right to complain of a friend's
silence, but yours has been so _long_ and so _unnatural_ that I am
seriously alarmed. If you can assure me by a line that it does not
proceed from want of health or spirits, I shall be perfectly at
ease. Notwithstanding our princely visitors (the Cumberlands) who
are troublesome, I like the air and society so well that I shall
certainly stay here at least till the end of September. Adieu.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours,
E. G.
422.
_To Lord Sheffield._
Brooke's, Thursday Evening, 1781.
What I _hear_ would fill volumes, what I _know_ does not amount to
half a line.--All is expectation: but I fear that our enemies are
more active than our friend. _He_[3] is still at Bushy; a meeting
is held next Saturday morn at eleven o'clock, but I think you need
not hurry yourself. According to Louisa's phrase, I will be your
grandfather. The black Patriot[4] is now walking and declaiming in
this room with a train at his heels. Adieu. No news.
E. G.
If there is another meeting Sunday evening you shall find a note. I
have not seen Lord Loughborough, but understand he has preached war
and any coalition against the Minister.
[3] Lord North resided at Bushy, Lady North having been appointed
in July, 1771, Keeper and Ranger of Bushy Park.
[4] Probably C. J. Fox.
423.
_To Lord Sheffield._
1781.
Mrs. Williams, No. 8, Downing Street, will embrace Lord S., Mr.
Purden and Co. for two Guineas and a half per week. The stables
and _Coach houses_ will be empty, and Mr. Collier will provide
the needful refreshments.--Sir R[ichard] W[orsley] has opened the
trenches in Doctors Commons, and cryed down his wife's credit with
tradesmen, &c. I supped last night at Lord L[oughborough]'s with Mrs.
Abingdon,[5]--a judge and an actress; what would Sir Roger Hill[6]
say? Dinner will be on table at five o'clock next Monday in Bentinck
Street.
Saturday night. Brookes's absolutely alone. The town even yet very
empty.
[5] Fanny Barton, Mrs. Abington, first appeared on the stage at
the Haymarket in 1755. Her great success was, however, gained at
Drury Lane, after her return from Dublin, from 1764 onwards. She
was the first Lady Teazle, and acted Ophelia to Garrick's Hamlet.
She died in 1815.
[6] Sir Roger Hill was a Baron of the Court of Exchequer at the
time of the Commonwealth, and therefore, it is suggested, would
have shrunk from contact with a player. He was an ancestor of
Lady Sheffield.
424.
_To Lord Sheffield._
Friday, two o'clock, 7th Sept., 1781.
[Sidenote: FRENCH AND SPANISH FLEETS IN THE CHANNEL.]
Lord Hillsborough[7] tells me that himself and Co. believe that the
combined fleets are gone into Brest. Expresses that left Bristol
yesterday, and Plymouth, Wednesday, cannot give the least account of
them, and a Portuguese ship from Lisbon the 23rd last month, beat
several days between Scilly and the Land's end without seeing or
hearing of them. However, at all events more than twenty-five swift
sailing vessels had been sent out to meet and warn the West India
fleets. Adieu.
We shall meet at Brighton on Monday.
E. G.
[7] Wills Hill, second Viscount Hillsborough, in 1789 created
first Marquis of Downshire (1718-1793). In November, 1779, he
succeeded Lord Weymouth as Secretary of State for the northern
department, and held that office till the resignation of the
Government in March, 1782. Walpole, writing on September 11, says
the combined French and Spanish fleets were at the entrance of
the Channel, "where they certainly will not venture to stay long."
425.
_To Lady Sheffield._
Bentinck Street, Friday evening, ten o'clock, 1781.
*Oh, ho! I have given you the slip; saved thirty miles, by proceeding
directly this day from Eartham to town, and am now _comfortably_
seated in my library, in _my own_ easy chair, and before _my own_
fire; a style which you understand, though it is unintelligible to
your Lord. The town is empty; but I am surrounded with a thousand old
acquaintance of all ages and characters, who are ready to answer a
thousand questions which I am impatient to ask. I shall not easily
be tired of their Company; yet I still remember, and will honourably
execute, my promise of visiting you at Brighton about the middle of
next month. I have seen nobody, nor learned anything, in four hours
of a town life; but I can inform you, that Lady * * * [erased] is
now the declared mistress of Prince Henry of Prussia, whom she
encountered at Spa; and that the Emperor has invited this amiable
Couple to pass the winter at Vienna; fine encouragement for married
women who behave themselves properly! I spent a very pleasant day in
the little paradise of Eartham, and the hermit expressed a desire
(no vulgar compliment) to see and to know Lord S. Adieu. I cordially
embrace, &c.*
426.
_To his Stepmother._
Bentinck Street, October 6th, 1781.
DEAR MADAM,
I have meditated a letter many posts, and the bell of Saturday
evening now admonishes or rather reproaches. Allow me only to say
that I am perfectly well, and expect very soon some more lines. The
season no longer invites me to Brighthelmston, but the Sheffields,
&c., insist on my passing another fortnight there, which will carry
me (as I shall not go till Sunday seven-night) to the end of the
month.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours,
E. GIBBON.
427.
_To Lord Sheffield_.
Bentinck Street, Oct. 21st, 1781.
The last ten years by your advice I ensured my farm buildings at
Buriton and no accident happened. This year after your example I have
ceased my insurance, and--read Hugonin's two letters, which I have
just received and answered. I thank him for undertaking the necessary
work, press for Harris's immediate resignation, and propose to weigh
during the Winter the choice of tenants and the scale of repairs. The
present rent is only £50.--If any ideas occur to you, communicate
your instructions, and _he_ will receave them with deference, but
the subject makes _me heavy_. The time is ill chosen. If you go to
Coventry you must pass through town--when? But I have _almost_ done
with Hampton Court. I may see Lord Beauchamp, but do not understand
that I have anything to say to him from you. His brother may be a
tolerable accession to the Party,[8] and let me tell you it is no
contemptible one. I mean the party of the H. of C. If we ever meet at
S. P. you will introduce me to the Lady of whom I hear a very amiable
character. Adieu. I arrived this morn from Eden's. Lord Loughborough
does not arrive this week. From Cambridge I understand that you have
suffered by the fatigues of the Camp.
Inform me of your health.
E. G.
[8] The Hon. William Conway, afterwards Lord Sheffield's
colleague in the representation of Coventry.
428.
_To his Stepmother._
Brighthelmstone, Nov. 2nd, 1781.
DEAR MADAM,
If I had not been fortified by the friendly assurances which you sent
me, I should indeed have been alarmed by the melancholy account that
I heard of your health as soon as I arrived in Sussex. Since that
time (an interval somewhat too long) I have been gradually better
satisfied with the frequent and favourable dispatches from Bath, and
I have now the satisfaction to find (however I might suspect your own
friendly dissimulation) that even in Mr. H.'s apprehensive fancy you
have in a great measure recovered that situation which I wish you
long to preserve.
[Sidenote: BRIGHTON IN NOVEMBER.]
*I returned to this place with Lord and Lady Sheffield, with the
design of passing two or three weeks in a situation which had so
highly delighted me. But how vain are all sublunary hopes! I had
forgot that there is some difference between the sunshine of August
and the cold fogs (though we have uncommon good weather) of November.
Instead of my beautiful sea-shore, I am confined to a dark lodging
in the middle of the town; for the place is still full, and our time
is now spent in the dull imitation of a London life. To compleat my
misfortunes, Lord S. was hastily ordered to Canterbury, to suppress
smuggling, and I was left almost alone with My Lady, in the servile
state of a married man. But he returns to-day, and I hope to be
seated in my own library by the middle of next week. However, you
will not be sorry to hear that I have refreshed myself by a very
_idle_ summer, and indeed a much idler and more pleasant winter than
the house of Commons will ever allow me to enjoy again.*
I hear of no public changes of administration, but you are perhaps
already informed that a grand officer of my household (Mrs. Ford) at
length retires on a pension, her wages for her life, with which she
seems well contented, though I am ignorant of her plans. Mrs. Porten
opened the business to her, but I have not yet sustained the last
tender interview which I really dislike very much. Caplin assumes
with pleasure the office of prime minister, and we hope that some
lessons at White's will turn the housemaid (Edward's sister) into a
good Cook for private ordinary days.
*I had almost forgot Mr. Hayley; ungratefully enough, since I really
past a very simple, but entertaining day with him. His place, though
small, is elegant as his mind, which I value much more highly.* And
Adam might be happy if Eve had never been admitted into the paradise
of Eartham. She is resolved (the air of Eartham after fifteen years'
residence is found to be too cold) to eat another Bath apple, which
as you properly apprehend will not be very wholesome either for her
fame or his fortune. *Mrs. H. wrote a melancholy story of an American
mother, a friend of her friend, who in a short time had lost three
sons: one killed by the savages, one run mad from the fright at that
accident, and the third taken at sea, now in England a prisoner in
Forton hospital. For _him_ something might perhaps be done. Your
humanity will prompt you to obtain from Mrs. H. a more accurate
account of names, dates, and circumstances; but you will prudently
suppress my request, lest I should raise hopes which it may not be in
my power to gratify. Lady S. begs to send her kindest Compliments to
you.* The persons of Bath by whom and to whom I wish to be remembered
are Mrs. Ravaud and the Goulds. What is become of poor Sir John
Miller? I foresee very little prospect of visiting Bath at Christmas,
but I depend, perhaps with too much confidence, on next Easter.
I am, dear Madam,
Ever yours.
429.
_To Lord Sheffield._
Bentinck Street, ¼ before five, 1781.
[Sidenote: HIS ADVICE IN A QUARREL.]
I have seen the General. You are both wrong; he first in lending your
papers without _special_ leave, and then in the real or apparent
slight of your messages; you in the serious anger which you expressed
on so trifling a business. Unless you wish that this slight scratch
should inflame into an incurable sore, embrace the lucky opportunity
of his illness and confinement, which will excuse your dignity and
should assuage your resentment. Call on him this evening, give and
receive, between jest and earnest, a volley of _damns_, and then let
the whole affair be no more remembered than it deserves. _Dixi et
liberavi animam meam._
430.
_To Lord Sheffield._
Bentinck Street, November 20th, 1781.
I came yesterday from Jenkinson's (near Croydon), where I had spent
two very agreeable days. We all tremble on the edge of a precipice,
and whatever may be the event, the American war seems now to be
reduced to very narrow compass both of time and place.
This morning Caplin was sent to reconnoitre: he reports that
the _stables_ are empty, but as the _coach-house_ is full, the
close alliance between carriage and horses will render the former
circumstance of little avail. Nothing can be had in Parliament
Street or the large streets adjoining except one whole house at four
Guineas per week. In Fludyer and Downing-streets several indifferent
and gloomy lodgings are at your service, but as I should prefer a
Pall Mall, &c. situation, Caplin has paused till you send him more
peremptory commands.--Your Monday dinner will be ready at five, and
Adam, perhaps Batt, will be of the party.
Your Greeks were not carried from Brighton through carelessness, but
as you are _seriously_ absurd about lending books, I have directed
Caplin to send them to S. P. per coach. By way of revenge I may
inform you that I have now purchased a copy of Stephen's Greek Poets
compared to which yours is very little more than waste paper. Adieu.
I embrace my Lady. I do not approve of her being called _Cat_.
E. G.
431.
_To his Stepmother._
H. of Commons, December 6th, 1781.
DEAR MADAM,
I wish most sincerely that it were in my power to give you or myself
any comfort on the present state of public affairs, which is indeed
deplorable and I fear _hopeless_. But at last I can send you a
favourable account of myself: the late, hot, melancholy hours of the
house of Commons,[9] which seem to oppress every body round me, have
no effect on my health or spirits, and I feel myself heartily tired
(_ennuyé_) without being in the least fatigued. Of Mrs. P. I shall
say nothing, as by this time you will have seen her brother and his
wife, who set out this morning for Bath. A month without business
will be a new and wholesome scene for Sir Stanier. I hear nothing,
and want to hear something of Mrs. Hayley. You have heard of Lady
Worsley; your old acquaintance Sir Richard labours with copious
materials for a divorce.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours,
E. G.
Thanks for the Carpet.
[9] Parliament met November 27, 1781, and sat till December 20.
432.
_To his Stepmother._
Bentinck Street, December 26th, 1781.
DEAR MADAM,
Will you excuse my only transmitting the _needful_, with the
necessary assurance that I am well and happy, and the unnecessary
addition, that I wish you long to remain so? I envy Sir Stanier
and Lady Porten the pleasure which I shall not enjoy till Easter:
pray give my love to them. I pity poor Delacour and his friends,
above all his Christian wife or daughter. Give my compliments to
Mrs. Hayley, and tell her that both song and music have been much
applauded. Will she accept this notice as a letter? Adieu, Dear
Madam. Believe me,
Most truly yours,
E. GIBBON.
433.
_To Lady Sheffield._
Bentinck Street, Dec. 29, 1781.
[Sidenote: NOISE AND NONSENSE OF PARLIAMENT.]
As Sheffelina has modernized herself by securing an unknown Cicisbeo,
I have a great mind to propose a partie quarrée which might be easily
furnished from Ickworth. If that project is rejected and I must
make a solitary visit, I shall still obey the gracious mandate, but
instead of the third day of the year (may it be more auspicious)
1782, I must delay my attendance till about the 8th or even the
tenth, which will still allow me eight or ten days of fresh air and
friendly converse, before I again descend into the noise and nonsense
of the Pandemonium. At present we are as quiet in London as you can
be in Sussex. Mrs. Stuart's shocking adventure is the only event
that enlivens conversation; the family whisper insanity (a terrible
resource), and strive without success to persuade that the whole
scene passed only in her imagination--yet she certainly passed the
whole night abroad. I did suppose that the Baron would be tired of
his home in a week, but as this visit to the Regiment will abridge
the remaining interval he may possibly support it. I hear nothing
more of the house in D. S., but still believe that the minister will
retire before your superior majesty;[10] the last time I saw him he
expressed great apprehension of your displeasure. I too am in pursuit
of a house, in Harley Street, somewhat further in the country than
my own: it has but one fault, a steep narrow staircase, but where
must we seek (except at ----) either a house or a wife without _one_
fault? I embrace the Angels, Princesses, &c. I believe the elder had
rather be a Princess than an Angel. Adieu.
LE GRAND GIBBON.
[10] Lord North, while his own house was under repair, occupied
Lord Sheffield's house in Downing Street.
434.
_To his Stepmother._
Jan. 23rd, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
I am not sorry that the indiscretion of certain female correspondents
should give the opportunity of sending you a very fair but not
flattering picture of myself.--It is very true that I have had a fit
of the Gout; but if the name of agreable can ever be applied to the
ugly monster, my Gout has deserved it on this occasion. It lasted on
the whole no more than ten days, attacked only one foot, was attended
with scarcely any fever, loss of appetite, or lowness of spirits, and
has left me in perfect health both of mind and body.--Our busy scene
commences to-morrow;[11] and I am now entering into the hurry of the
winter: but I will write again soon.
I am
Most truly yours,
E. G.
[11] Parliament met January 21, 1782.
435.
_To his Stepmother._
March 2nd, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
I am much afraid that I have lost all credit by repeated promises and
repeated neglects, yet I still persuade myself that you are glad to
hear, though in two lines, of my health and good spirits, and that
you will postpone more ample conversations to the Easter Holydays,
when I can talk more in an hour than I could write in a month.
Perhaps I should even have delayed this scrap of an Epistle, were I
not apprehensive that the parliamentary events of this week would
have given you some uneasiness both on a private and public account.
Though I am not in the secret, especially of the adverse party, yet I
know more than it is proper to trust to paper.[12]
The situation of the administration, though dangerous, is not
_absolutely_ desperate, and with some concessions I still think that
Lord N. may survive the impending storm of the next fortnight. At all
events, if we fall (for, inconsiderable as I am, I am sure of being
one of the first victims) I shall meet my fate with resolution.--I
remember you asked me an age ago about a report of my having got a
house in Harley Street and a wreck of wine on the Coast of Sussex:
the former was a fruitless negociation, the latter related to my
aunt's manor of Newhaven, but the wine is contested by the King's
officers, and the litigation, if pursued, may cost her more than
the object is worth. Adieu. My Dear Madam, on every account I am
impatient for the Easter holydays.
I am
Ever yours,
E. G.
[12] Lord North resigned on March 20, and the new ministry, with
the Marquis of Rockingham as first Lord of the Treasury, was
finally settled on Sunday, March 24.
The new Cabinet consisted of the following ministers:--
Marquis of Rockingham First Lord of the Treasury.
Lord Thurlow, to continue Lord Chancellor.
Earl of Shelburne } Principal Secretaries of State.
Charles James Fox }
Lord J. Cavendish Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Admiral Lord Keppel First Lord of the Admiralty.
Duke of Grafton Lord Privy Seal.
Lord Camden President of the Council.
Duke of Richmond Master-General of the Ordnance.
General Conway Commander-in-Chief.
John Dunning (Lord Ashburton) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
436.
_To his Stepmother._
March 20th, 1782.
MY DEAR MADAM,
[Sidenote: FALL OF LORD NORTH'S MINISTRY.]
All is now over, and Lord North is no more. This day when the
armies in the H. of C. were ready to engage, he gave solemn
notice that the whole administration was dissolved, and the
House has adjourned till Monday next to allow time for the new
arrangements. Complaints are vain and useless for the past, and
futurity is dark and dismal. It is my intention, unless I should
be detained either by _serious_ business, or by some threatening
symptoms of the Gout, to visit Bath about Sunday sennight, when
we may discuss freely and fully the strange events of the times.
Till then Adieu. Remember me to Mrs. Hayley. The Eliots whom I
see _sometimes_ are well, and as you may suppose triumphant.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours,
E. G.
437.
_To his Stepmother._
Bentinck Street, March 28th, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
In our common disappointment you will be pleased to hear that
the Gout has totally left me, and that it is only the extreme
shortness of our adjournment and the busy uncertainty of the
times that have prevented my Easter visit to Bath. I am satisfied
that Bath is very pleasant in the months of May and June, and
you may be assured that I will come down, as soon as our fate is
determined and the busyness of parliament has begun to subside.
Pray give my compliments to Mrs. Hayley. I fear she will be gone
before my arrival.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours,
E. G.
438.
_To his Stepmother._
May 4th, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
[Sidenote: HIS LOSS OF OFFICE.]
The thunder-bolt has fallen, and I have received one of the
circular letters from Lord Shelburne to inform me that the board
of trade will be suppressed and that his Majesty has no further
occasion for my services. I have been prepared for this event
and can support it with firmness. I enjoy health, friends,
reputation, and a perpetual fund of domestic amusement: I am
not without resources, and my best resource, which shall never
desert me, is in the chearfullness and tranquillity of a mind
which in any place and in any situation can always secure its
own independent happyness. The business of the House of Commons
still continues, and indeed encreases, and though I am heartily
tired of the scene, some serious reasons prevent me from retiring
at the present season. Yet I still cast a longing eye towards
Bath, and though I find it difficult, or rather impossible, to
fix the moment of my summer visit, I can most sincerely promise
that it will be the first use which I shall make of my freedom.
As I have only _one_ object, it will be perfectly indifferent
to me whether the place be full or empty, dully or lively. Mrs.
Holroyd, I suppose, has found, and Mrs. Hayley has left, you. Are
you acquainted with Lady Eliza Foster,[13] a bewitching animal?
You have heard of my Gouts, they are vanished, and I feel myself
five and twenty years old. Can you say as much? I hope you can.
Adieu. Recommend me to the Goulds.
I am
Most truly yours,
E. G.
Next Wednesday I conclude my forty-fifth year, and in spite of
the changes of Kings and Ministers, I am very glad that I was
born.
[13] Lady Elizabeth Hervey, daughter of Frederick, Earl of
Bristol, and Bishop of Derry, married, in 1776, John Thomas
Foster. Her father, says Walpole to Mann in December, 1783,
though a rich man, allowed her to be governess to a natural
daughter of the Duke of Devonshire. Lady Elizabeth Foster, writes
Miss Burney (_Diary and Letters of Madame d'Arblay_, vol. v. p.
225), "has the character of being so alluring, that Mrs. Holroyd
told me it was the opinion of Mr. Gibbon no man could withstand
her, and that, if she chose to beckon the Lord Chancellor from
his woolsack, in full sight of the world, he could not resist
obedience." Lady Elizabeth, who, in October, 1809, married as her
second husband William, fifth Duke of Devonshire, died March 30,
1824.
439.
_To his Stepmother._
Bentinck Street, May 29th, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
From the very strong expressions of _anxious expectation_and frequent
disappointments, I must think that I am much more guilty than I
conceived myself to be on account of my silence. Your apparent
indulgence had taught me to believe that you were accustomed to my
faults, that you kindly forgave them, and that without the aid of the
pen or the post your own heart would inform you of the sentiments of
mine. Since my last letter nothing has happened, indeed nothing can
happen to affect my situation: in the midst of a plague (such is the
present influenza) my health and spirits are perfectly good, and in
that tranquil state Saturdays and _Mondays_ pass away without waking
me from my gentle slumber. Even my curiosity is not excited, as I
have frequent opportunities of hearing circumstantial and impartial
accounts of the only object that interests me at Bath.
You ask with some anxiety when you may hope to see me. I know
not what to say. Though I always foresee and recollect with
heartfelt satisfaction the time which I spend at the Belvidere,
yet the convenient season of my visit seems to retire before me.
Public events have immoderately protracted the present session of
Parliament; it will certainly continue the whole of June and a
considerable part of July, and as it was my intention to attend it
to the last, I began to think that you would excuse me if I delayed
my journey (which would suit me far better) till the beginning of
Autumn. But if you have any particular reasons that make you wish to
see me sooner, say it in ten lines, and I will set off in ten days.
I rejoyce in every subject of your joy both private and public, and
I am better pleased to hear that you are free from pain than that
Rodney has destroyed a French fleet.[14] Alas! had he done it two
months sooner our poor administration would have stood. Every person
of every party is provoked with our new Governors for taking the
truncheon from the hand of a victorious Admiral, in whose place they
have sent a Commander without experience or abilities.[15] To-morrow
they will be exposed to a small fire in the H. of C. on that popular
topic. Adieu, Dear Madam, in this sickly season all my acquaintance
(masters, mistresses and servants) are laid up except _young_ Mrs.
Porten and myself.
I am
Most truly yours,
E. G.
[14] On April 12, 1782, Admiral Sir George Rodney "broke the
line," and defeated the French under the Comte de Grasse in the
West Indies, the French Admiral and his flagship the _Ville de
Paris_, the largest ship afloat and the present of the city of
Paris to Louis XVI., being taken. "The late Ministry are thus
robbed of a victory that ought to have been theirs; but the mob
do not look into the almanac" (Walpole to Sir H. Mann, May 18,
1782).
[15] Rodney was superseded by Admiral Pigot, who was one of the
Lords of the Admiralty in the new administration.
440.
_To his Stepmother._
July 3rd, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
[Sidenote: DEATH OF LORD ROCKINGHAM.]
*I hope you have not had a moment's uneasiness about the delay of my
Midsummer letter. Whatever may happen, you may rest fully secure,
that the materials of it shall always be _found_. But on this
occasion I have missed four or five posts; postponing, as usual, from
morning to the evening bell, which now rings, till it has occurred to
me, that it might not be amiss to inclose the two essential lines,
if I only added that the Influenza has been known to me only by
the report of others. Lord Rockingham[16] is at last dead; a good
man, though a feeble minister: his successor is not yet named, and
divisions in the Cabinet are suspected. If Lord Shelburne should be
the Man, as I think he will, the friends of his predecessor will
quarrel with him before Christmas. At all events, I foresee much
tumult and strong opposition, from which I should be very glad to
extricate myself, by quitting the H. of C. with honour and without
loss. Whatever you may hear, I believe there is not the least
intention of dissolving Parliament, which would indeed be a rash and
dangerous measure.
I hope you like Mr. Hayley's poem;[17] he rises with his subject, and
since Pope's death, I am satisfied that England has not seen so happy
a mixture of strong sense and flowing numbers. Are you not delighted
with his address to his mother? I understand that She was, in plain
prose, every thing that he speaks her in verse. This summer I shall
stay in town, and work at my trade, till I make some Holydays for my
Bath excursion. Lady S. is at Brighton, and he lives under tents,
like the wild Arabs; so that my Country house is shut up. Kitty
Porten is gone on a fortnight's frolick to lodge at Windsor.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours.
[16] The Marquis of Rockingham died July 2, 1782, aged fifty-two.
[17] The poem to which Gibbon alludes is the _Essay on Epic
Poetry in five Epistles to the Rev. Mr. Mason_ (London, 1782).
Hayley's mother was Mary Yates (1718-1775), who married Thomas
Hayley in 1740, and died in 1775. The lines to which Gibbon
alludes occur in the fourth epistle (ll. 439 to end).
"Nature, who deck'd thy form with Beauty's flowers,
Exhausted on thy soul her finer powers;
Taught it with all her energy to feel
Love's melting softness, Friendship's fervid zeal,
The generous purpose, and the active thought,
With Charity's diffusive spirit fraught;
There all the best of mental gifts she plac'd,
Vigor of judgment, purity of Taste,
Superior parts, without their spleenful leaven,
Kindness to Earth, and confidence in Heaven."
441.
_To Lord Sheffield, at Coxheath Camp._
Saturday night, Bentinck Street, 1782.
*I sympathise with your fatigues; yet Alexander, Hannibal, &c.
have suffered hardships almost equal to yours. At such a moment
it is disagreeable (besides laziness) to write, because every
hour teems with a new lye. As yet, however, only Charles[18] has
formally resigned; but Lord John, Burke, Keppel, Lord Althorpe,
&c. certainly follow; your Commander-in-chief stays, and they are
furious against the Duke of Richmond.*[19] Why will he not go
out with Fox? said somebody; because, replies a friend, he does
not like to _go out_ with any man. *In short, three months of
prosperity has dissolved a Phalanx, which had stood ten years'
adversity. Next Tuesday, Fox will give his reasons, and possibly
be encountered by Pitt, the new Secretary, or Chancellor, at
three and twenty. The day will be rare and curious, and, if
I were a light Dragoon, I would take a gallop on purpose to
Westminster. Adieu. I hear the bell. How could I write before I
knew where you dwelt?*
E. G.
[18] On the death of Lord Rockingham, Fox endeavoured to force on
the King, as the new Premier, the Duke of Portland, "a dull man,
but a convenient block to hang Whigs on." Failing in his attempt,
he resigned.
[19] Lord John Cavendish and Lord Althorpe, two of the Lords of
the Treasury, Burke, Paymaster-General, Lord Duncannon and the
Hon. John Townshend, Lords of the Admiralty, retired with Fox.
Lord Keppel and General Conway continued in office; also the Duke
of Richmond, Fox's uncle.
442.
_To Lord Sheffield._
July 10th, 1782.
[Sidenote: LORD SHELBURNE'S MINISTRY.]
_Authentic List._[20]
Treasury {Lord S[helburne].
{W. Pitt, Chancellor [of the Exchequer].
{James Grenville.
{Richard Jackson.
{Ed. Eliot, Junior, of Port Eliot.
Admiralty {Aubrey Duncannon } Lord Keppel has
{ vice }
{Pratt Jack Townshend} not yet resign'd
Secretaries of {Lord Grantham.
State {T. Townshend.
---- of War. Sir George Young.
Treasurer of Navy. Barré remain.
Paymaster. Perhaps Advocate.
Ireland. Lord Temple.
Yesterday _was_ a rare day.
Vera Cop,
E. G.
[20] Parliament was prorogued on July 11 till December 5, 1782.
Gibbon's list of the new Ministry is accurate, except that the
Lord Advocate, the Hon. Henry Dundas (afterwards Lord Melville),
became Treasurer of the Navy, _vice_ Colonel Isaac Barré,
who became Paymaster of the Forces. "Places are cheaper than
mackerel," writes Lord Loughborough to his cousin William Eden,
July 4, 1782 (_Lord Auckland's Journal and Correspondence_, vol.
i. p. 2).
443.
_To Lord Sheffield._
July 23rd, 1782.
The papers say you are at Coxheath. Write. Bad news from India; I am
afraid that we have lost a ship and that Hyder has won a battle.[21]
None, therefore good, from Lord Howe since every day fortifies
him.[22] Within this last fortnight prodigious exertions by the
Admiralty, till then they were fast asleep. The Advocate arrived last
night, but has not _yet_ accepted. To-morrow I visit Eden at his
farm near Bromley. If you and my Lady could give me a meeting in a
_house_, I would run down even for three or four days: but I do not
admire canvass. Adieu.
E. G.
Aunt Hester seems to want some intelligence.
[21] Gibbon probably refers to the defeat of Colonel Brathwaite
in the Tanjore district (February, 1782), by Tippoo, Hyder's son,
and M. Lally.
[22] The combined French and Spanish fleets were collected in the
Channel, intending to prevent the relief of Gibraltar and effect
a junction with the Dutch. Lord Howe had already driven the Dutch
into the Texel, and he now sailed to protect the Jamaica convoy,
and watch the enemy, single ships being sent to reinforce him
as they could be made ready. On September 11, Lord Howe sailed
with a powerful fleet for the relief of Gibraltar, and landed his
troops and stores October 13-18.
444.
_To his Stepmother._
August 10th, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
A person whom you would scarcely suspect, General Conway as commander
in Chief, is the real author of my silence, which as usual has
insensibly lasted far beyond my first intentions. Lord Sheffield is
a slave, his master's resolutions are obscure and fluctuating, and I
have waited from post to post till he could mark some week for our
meeting in Sussex, which might leave the rest of my time at liberty
for my Bath expedition. Though I can obtain no satisfaction from
him, I must not suffer another _Monday_ to slide away without saying
that I am alive, well, and unless the Arab should seize (_he_ has no
choice) that particular moment, in full expectation of gratifying my
wishes by a visit to Bath about the 20th of next month. I flatter
myself that I shall find you not affected by the long winter which we
still feel, though a friend of mine, an Astronomer, assured me that
yesterday was the last of the dog days.
It is impossible to know what to say of our public affairs, and the
most knowing are only such by the knowledge of their ignorance. The
next session of Parliament will be the warmest and most irregular
battle that has ever been fought in that place, and each man
(except some leaders) is at the moment uncertain of the party which
inclination, opinion, or connection will prompt him to embrace. You
see that Mr. Eliot, or at least his family, are become courtiers; his
son (a very unmeaning youth) is a Lord of the Treasury, an office
which was formerly the reward of twenty years' able and faithful
service. The Minister has not lost, for he never possessed, the
public confidence, and Lord N[orth], if he chuses to act, has the
balance of the country in his hands. A propos of the Eliots they are
still in town. We meet seldom, but with the utmost propriety and
equal regard.
[Sidenote: IMMERSED IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE.]
My private life is a gentle and not unpleasing continuation of my
old labours, and I am again involved, as I shall be for some years,
in the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Some fame, some profit,
and the assurance of daily amusement encourage me to persist. I
am glad you are pleased with Mr. Hayley's poem; perhaps he might
have been less diffuse, but his sense is fine and his verse is
harmonious.--Mrs. Porten is just returned from a six weeks' excursion
in lodgings at Windsor, which she enjoyed (the Terrace, the Air, and
the Royal family) with all the spirit of youth. Her elder brother is
quiet in his new employment and apartments in Kensington palace. I
envy him the latter, and had there been no Revolution I might have
obtained a similar advantage. At present I am on the ground, but the
weather may change, and compared with recent darkness, the clouds are
beginning to break away.
I am, Dear Madam,
Ever yours,
E. G.
445.
_To his Stepmother._
Bentinck Street, Sept. 14, 1782.
DEAR MADAM,
As you suffered by the long winter, I may reasonably, as I warmly,
hope that your health and spirits have been permanently restored by
the milder Spring or Autumn which this month has introduced:--For
many reasons you will be surprised, though I think pleased, to hear
that I have fixed myself for this season in a country villa of
Hampton court. My friend Mr. Hamilton (I must distinguish him by the
impertinent epithet of 'single speech') has very obligingly lent me a
ready furnished house close to the Palace, and opening by a private
door into the Royal garden, which is maintained for my use but not
at my expence. The air and exercise, good roads and neighbourhood,
the opportunity of being in London at any time in two hours, and the
temperate mixture of society and study, adapt this new scene very
much to my wishes, and must entirely remove your kind apprehensions
of my injuring my health (which I have never done) by excessive
labour. I find or make many acquaintance, and among others I have
visited your old friend Mrs. Manhood (Ashby) at Isleworth in her
pleasant summer-house on the Thames. She overwhelms me with civility,
but you need not indulge either hopes or fears: as I hear she is
going to accept Sir William Draper[23] for her third husband.
You will naturally suppose, and will not I think be displeased that
I should enjoy this new and unexpected situation as long as the fine
weather continues, and our past hardships encourage us to depend
on the favour, at least the first favours of the month of October.
Beyond that period the prospect in every sense of the word is cloudy,
and my future motions will be partly regulated by parliament, and
the intanglement of some private pursuits with public affairs. I
still flatter myself with the hope of securing two or three weeks
for Bath; but if I should _again_ delay that visit till Christmas, I
shall prove my perfect confidence in your indulgent friendship, and
in your firm belief of my tender attachment, which can alone justify
such freedom of conduct. Of the Sheffields I know little, seldom hear
from, and am totally ignorant when I shall see them. The Eliots are
gone into Cornwall. They _say_ that the son is going to marry Lady
Sarah Pitt,[24] sister to his intimate friend the Chancellor of the
Exchequer.
From the little I have read I agree with you about Gilbert
Stuart's[25] book, but I cannot forgive your indifference and almost
aversion to one of the most amiable men, and masterly compositions in
the world.
I am, Dear Madam,
Most truly yours,
E. G.
I lay in town last night, and am just setting out for Hampton Court.
N.B.--I never travel after dark, but our dangers are almost over.
[23] General Sir William Draper is best known from the attack
upon him by Junius, his share in the defence of Fort St. Philip
in Minorca (1781-2), and his subsequent charges against the
Governor. He was twice married, but, after the death of his
second wife in 1778, remained a widower. He died at Bath in 1787.
[24] Edward James Eliot married, in September, 1785, Lady Harriet
Pitt, second daughter of the first Earl of Chatham. She died
September 25, 1786, leaving a daughter, born September 20, 1786.
Edward Eliot died in 1797, predeceasing his father.
[25] Gilbert Stuart (1742-1786) published in 1780 his _History
of the Establishment of Religion in Scotland_, 1517-1561; and in
1782 the _History of Scotland from the Reformation till the Death
of Queen Mary_. His best-known work was his _View of Society in
Europe_ (1778). The story of his attack on Robert Henry, and his
attempt to ruin him, are related in Disraeli's _Calamities of
Authors_. If Gibbon alludes to Stuart, Mrs. Gibbon seems to have
been justified in her prejudice.
446.
_To Lord Sheffield._
September 29th, 1782.
[Sidenote: HIS HAMPTON COURT VILLA.]
I should like sometimes to hear whether you survive the scenes of
action and danger in which a Dragoon is continually involved. What a
difference between the life of a Dragoon and that of a Philosopher!
and I will freely own that I (the Philosopher) am much better
satisfied with my own independent and tranquil situation, in which
I have always something to do, without ever being obliged to do any
thing. The Hampton Court Villa has answered my expectation, and
proved no small addition to my comforts; so that I am resolved next
summer to hire, borrow, or steal, either the same, or something of
the same kind. Every morning I walk a mile or more before breakfast,
read and write _quantum sufficit_, mount my chaise and visit in
the neighbourhood, accept some invitations, and escape others, use
the Lucans as my daily bread, dine pleasantly at home or sociably
abroad, reserve for study an hour or two in the evening, lye in
town regularly once a week, &c. &c. &c. I have anounced to Mrs. G.
my new Arrangements; the certainty that October will be fine, and
my encreasing doubts whether I shall be able to reach Bath before
Christmas. Do you intend (but how can you _intend_ any thing?) to
pass the winter under Canvas? Perhaps under the veil of Hampton Court
I may lurk ten days or a fortnight at Sheffield, if the enraged Lady
or cat does not shut the doors against me.
The Warden[26] passed through in his way to Dover. He is not so
fat, and more chearful than ever. I had not any private conversation
with him; but he clearly holds the balance; unless he falls asleep
and lets it fall from his hand. The Pandæmonium (as I understand)
does not meet till the 26th of November. I feel with you that a
nich is grown of higher value, but think _that_ only an additional
argument for disposing of it. And so by this time Lord L.[27] is
actually turned off. Do you know his partner (Miss Courtenay, the
Lord's sister), about thirty, only £4000, not handsome, but very
pleasant. I am at a loss where to address my condoleance, I would say
congratulation. Town is more a desert than I ever knew it. I arrived
yesterday, dined at Sir Joshua's with a tolerable party; the chaise
is now at the door; I dine at Richmond, lye at Hampton, &c. Adieu.
E. G.
[26] Lord North was Warden of the Cinque Ports.
[27] Lord Loughborough married as his second wife, on September
12, 1782, the Hon. Charlotte Courtenay, daughter of the first
Viscount Courtenay.
447.
_To his Stepmother._
Hampton Court, October 1st, 1782.
MY DEAR MADAM,
I feel your anxiety, and am impatient to assure you that the report
of your officious visitor is absolutely without foundation. I had
not any complaints when I came down to this place; but the air,
exercise and dissipation have given me fresh spirits; and I should be
apt to fix on the last month as the part of my life in which I have
enjoyed the most perfect health. You may depend on my word of honour,
that in case of any real alarm, you shall hear from myself or from
Caplen.--Excuse brevity, as I save a day, perhaps more, by sending
Caplen with Duplicates to London, one copy for the post, the other to
take the chance of greater dispatch by the coach. I wish to know what
you think of me and my schemes; if you are not perfectly satisfied
with my confidence, you may be somewhat displeased with my seeming
neglect. I fear we shall not meet till Christmas.
I am
Ever yours,
E. GIBBON.
448.
_To Lord Sheffield at Coxheath Camp._
Bentinck Street, October 14th, 1782.
[Sidenote: RELIEF OF GIBRALTAR.]
*On the approach of winter, my paper house of Hampton becomes less
comfortable; my visits to Bentinck Street grow longer and more
frequent, and the end of next week will restore me to the town,
with a lively wish, however, to repeat the same, or a similar
experiment, next Summer. I admire the assurance with which you
propose a month's residence at Sheffield, when you are not sure of
being allowed three days. Here it is currently reported, that Camps
will not separate till Lord Howe's _return_ from Gibraltar,[28]
and as yet we have no news of his arrival. Perhaps, indeed, you
have more intimate correspondence with your old school-fellow, Lord
Shelburne, and already know the hour of your deliverance. I should
like to be informed. As Lady S. has entirely forgot me, I shall have
the pleasure of forming a new acquaintance. I have often thought of
writing, but it is now too late to repent.