Litchfield enquirer., 1872-12-19


 and drunkenness, all clashing theix cyila- bsls and bidding him to come on
 We first hear of waEb1ing sentimental dtties under the walls of Kew Palace by the moonlight banks of Thames. with Iars Eiseount LeporeIlo keeping watch iezsF the masic should be disturbed.
 Singing after dinner and supper was the universal fashion of the day. You may fancy all England sounding with chOruses, some fibald, some harmless, but all occasioned the consumption of a prodigious deal of fermented liquor.
 The jolly muse her wings to try no frolic flights
 need take,
 But roand the bowl would dip and fly, like swal-
 . lows round a lake,"
 saRg Morris in one of his gallant Anacre- ontics. to which the prince many a time joined in chorus, and of which the bur den is,
 ssAnd that thinks & reason fair to drink and
 fill again.
 This delightful boon companion of the prince's found Ca reason fair" to forego filling and drinkin saw the error of his ways, gave up the bowl and chorus, and died retired and religious. The princes table, no doubt. was very tempting one. The wits came and did their utmost to amuse, him. It is wonderful how the spirits rise. the wits brighten, the wine has an aroma, when great man is at the head of the table. Scott, the loyal cava- her, the kings true hegeman, the very best raconteur of his time, poured out with an endless generosity his store of old world learning. kindness, and humor Grattan contributed to it his wondrous eloquence. fancy, feeling. Tom Moore perched upon 1t for while, and piped his most exquisite little love-tunes on it. flying away In a twitter of indignation af- terward, and attacking the prince with bill and claw. In such society no wonder the sitting was long, and the butler tired of drawing, corks. Remember what the liam Pitt, coming to the House of Con- mons after having drunk bottle of port wine at his own house, would go into Bellamy's with Dundas, and help finish 8 couple more.
 You peruse volumes after volumes about our prince, and find some half-dozen stock stories-indeed not many more-common to all the histories. He was good natur- ed; an indolent, voluptuous prince, not unkindly. One story, the most favorable v A-AAA oA oh POAAaPSs AS tuht aS T ItuCc Regent, he was eager to hear all that could be said in behalf of prisoners con demned to death ,and anxious, if possible, to remit the capital sentence. He was kind to his servants. There is story con- mon to all the biographies, of Molly the housemaid, who, when his household was to be broken up, owing to some reforms which he tried absurdly to practice, was yso6 ,1, I'd -l> because she was to leave 8 master who had kind word for all hls servants. An other tale IS that of groom of the prince's being discovered in corn and oat pecula- tIon, and dismissed by the parsonage at the head of the stables; the prince had word of Johns disgrace, remonstrated with him very kindly, generously rein stated him, and bade him promise to sin no more-a promise which John kept. Another story Is very fondly told of the prince as 8 young man hearing of an off cer's family in distress, and how he dred pounds, put his long, fair hair under his hat, and so disguised carried the mon ey to the starving family. He sent mon- ey, too, to Sheridan on his death-bed, ani would have sent more had not death end- ed the career of that man of genius. Be- sides these, there are few pretty speech es, kind and graceful, to persons with whom he was brought in contact. But he turned upon twenty friends. He was fond and familiar with them one day, and passed them on the next without recogni- tion. He used them, liked them, loved them perhaps in his way, and then separ- ated from them. On Monday he kissed and fondled poor Perdita, and on Tues day he met her and did not know her. On Wednesday he was very affectionate with that wretched Brummel, and on Thursday forgot him; cheated him even out of a snuf-box which he owed the poor dandy; saw him, years afterward, in his downfall and poverty, when the bankrupt Beau sent him another snuff-box, with some of the snuff be used to love, as a piteous token of remembrance and sub and the king took the snuff, and ordered his horses and drove on, and had not the grace to notice his old companion, favorite, rival, enemy, superior. In Wrax- all there is some gossip about him. When the charming, beautiful, generous Duch- ess of Devonshire died-the lovely lady whom he used to call his dearest duchess once, and pretend to admire as all English society admired her-he said, 'sThen we have lost the best bred woman in Eng land" ''Then we have lost the kindest heart in England" said noble Charles Fox. On another occasion, when three noblemen were to receive the Garter, says Wraxall, Ca great parsonage observed that never did three men receive the order in so characteristic manner. The Duke of A. advanced to. the sovereign with a phle gmatic, cold, awkward air, like a clown; Lord B. came forward fawning and smiling like courier, Lord c. presented himself easy, unembarrassed, like gen. man." These are the stories one has to recall about the prince and king-kind- ness to a housemaid, generosity to a groom, criticism on bow. There are no better stories about him: they are trivial, and they characterize him. The great war of empires and giants goes on. Day by day victories are won and lost by the brave. Torn, smoky flags and battered eagles are wrenched from the heroic ene- my and laid at his feet and hesits there on his throne and smiles, and gives the guerdon of valor to the conqueror. He! Elliston the actor. when the Coronation was performed, in which he took the prin- cipal part, used to fancy himself the king, burst into tears, and hiccup blessing on the people. I believe it is certain about George ". that he had heard so much of the war, knighted so many people, and worn such a prodigious quantity of mar shal's uniforms, cooked hats, cocks feath- CTS, scarlet and bullion in general, that he actually fancied he had been present in some campaigns, and, under the name of General Brock, led tremendous charge of the German legion at Waterloo.
 He is dead but thirty years, and one asks how great society could have toler- ated him Would we bear him now? In this quarter of a century what silent rev. olution has been working! How it has us from old times and manners! How it has changed men themselves I can see old gentlemen now among us, of perfect good breeding, of quiet lives, with venerable gray heads, ,fondling their grand children; and look at them, and wonder at what they. were once. That gentleman of the grand old school, when he was in the 10th Hussars, and dined at the princes table, would fall under it night after night.