Sir JOHN DINELY, Baronet,
_One of the Knights of Windsor_.
"Take him for all in all,
We ne'er shall look upon his like again."
Sir John Dinely is descended from a very illustrious family, which
continued to flourish in great repute in Worcestershire, till the late
century, when they expired in the person of Sir Edward Dinely, Knight.
The present heroic Sir John Dinely has, however, made his name
conspicuous by stepping into a new road of fancy, by his poetic
effusions, by his curious advertisements for a wife, and by the
singularity of his dress and appearance.
Sir John now lives at Windsor, in one of the habitations appropriated
to reduced gentlemen of his description. His fortune he estimates at
three hundred thousand pounds, _if he could recover it_!
In dress, Sir John is no changeling; for nearly twenty years past he
has been the faithful resemblance of the engraving accompanying this
account. He is uncommonly loquacious, his conversation is overcharged
with egotism, and such a mixture of repartee and evasion, as to excite
doubts, in the minds of superficial observers, as to the reality of
his character and abilities. With respect to his exterior, it is
really laughable to observe him, when he is known to be going to some
public place to exhibit his person; he is then decked out with a
full-bottomed wig, a velvet embroidered waistcoat, satin breeches and
silk stockings. On such occasions as these, not a little inflated with
family pride, he seems to imagine himself as great as any lordling:
but on the day following, he may be seen slowly pacing from the
chandler's shop with a penny loaf in one pocket, a morsel of butter, a
quartern of sugar, and a three-farthing candle in the other.
[Illustration]
He is still receiving epistles in answer to his advertisements, and
several whimsical interviews and ludicrous adventures have occurred in
consequence. He has, more than once, paid his addresses to one of his
own sex, dressed as a fine lady: at other times, when he has expected
to see his fair enamorata at a window, he has been rudely saluted with
the contents of very different compliments. One would suppose these
accidents would operate as a cooler, and allay in some degree the
warmth of his passion. But our heroic veteran still triumphs over
every obstacle, and the hey-day of his blood still beats high; as may
be seen by the following advertisement for a wife, in the Reading
Mercury, May 24, 1802:
"Miss in her Teens--let not this sacred offer escape your eye. I
now call all qualified ladies, marriageable, to chocolate at my
house every day at your own hour.--With tears in my eyes, I must
tell you, that sound reason commands me to give you but one
month's notice before I part with my chance of an infant baronet
for ever: for you may readily hear that three widows and old
maids, all aged above fifty, near my door, are now pulling caps
for me. Pray, my young charmers, give me a fair hearing; do not
let your avaricious guardians unjustly fright you with a false
account of a forfeiture, but let the great Sewel and Rivet's
opinions convince you to the contrary; and that I am now in legal
possession of these estates; and with the spirit of an heroine
command my three thousand pounds, and rank above half the ladies
in our imperial kingdom. By your ladyship's directing a favourable
line to me, Sir John Dinely, Baronet, at my house in Windsor
Castle, your attorney will satisfy you, that, if I live but a
month, eleven thousand pounds a year will be your ladyship's for
ever."
Sir John does not forget to attend twice or thrice a year at Vauxhall
and the theatres, according to appointments in the most fashionable
daily papers. He parades the most conspicuous parts of Vauxhall, and
is also seen in the front row of the pit in the theatres; whenever it
is known he is to be there, the house is sure, especially by the
females, to be well attended. Of late, Sir John has added a piece of
stay-tape to his wig, which passes under his chin; from this
circumstance, some persons might infer that he is rather chop-fallen;
an inference by no means fair, if we still consider the gay complexion
of his advertisements and addresses to the ladies.