The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-05-18
Breakfast with Sam Rogers.

Many persons have heard Of the breakfast
table q Mr.. Samuel Rogers, where, during
u last city year., have been seated so many
-~dstinGhishad men Of all nations. Fond Of
society, and most agreeable himself in con.
versation, be has been for years tho centre Of
q Of the pleAsantest circles In London. H
ssems 70 have been attracted towards ever
zhan distinguished either by force Of interf
Sencs orforco Of character, and hfs tastes nrt
% various, TINT there is room ut his small
brnakfanttable for tho greatest diversity Of
guests, from the Duke Of Wellington TO tho
last young poet, whose tinid volume has Just
been launched into tho sea Of literature. Mr..
Rogers, who seems fond Of Americans, WINS
especially fond Of Mrs. Bancroft and SO I
received, by her means, ON invitation to his
breakfasttAble. On Wednesday, August 10,
at 10 A. NJ, I found myself at that classic
board with four good guests. Mr.. Rogers ]
found . charming old man Of eighty-seven
year, and except q little deafness, as active in
lbody and mind ~ ever. He talked on all
subtscts, changing from grave to gay. He
spoke Of art and society, of time and eternity,
but mostly he talked ofjpoetry, and read add
recited many things. He quoted lines from
HaIlech, and then calling for the work, he
road the poem beginning Green be the turf
above thee" and said, NO man iSip& cab
write such verses now" He recit6d,- with
much feeling, passages from Gray and from
Ailton's Paradise Lost He thought TINT
Milton had put a argumentin The mouth Of
Adam, complaining Of his punishment, which
he bad not answered. There's no answering
that" said he, there's no answering that
except, indeed" he added, ''wc admit that
J I'll punishm emit ia corrective He liked
Qny's letters better than his poetry, aud
thought good prose usually better than bis
poetry. He spoke Of life, and compared il 70
. river. fastening 10 its fall. At the end Il
7hurrics rs along SO that we cannot notice
b we are passing. How well" said ho,
II remember what I saw in my youth, when
1 went TO the opern at Milun, m the evening",
and said, tomorrow l shall be sailing on
Lake Como Sixty years ago I dined with
tho Duke of Rochefoucault and twelve others:
In one year nine Of them had died by the
guillotine, or some violent death. LAFAYETTE
l saw every day." He said it was ono evf
attending success in life, that II Is apt 70 scpa-
rate us from our families. Said he, fSir
Thomas Lawrence told me, The day I got fdy
medal, Iput 1t on and went down stairs. 6Gt
not one Of my brothers asked mo what II VIE.
! want up to my room and cried. III speak
Of distinguished person, they say, You
told % that before" Tho conversation fall
upon Curran. Mr.. Rogers said he was acous-
toned to use the most extrayagant language.
Il was walking with him in London, and he
said. i had rather be hung on ten gibbets.'
A girl passing by said, Would not one Be
enough p" In this pleasant talk the hours
1ew BY, and 1t was one o'clock before we
knew il. But when the Indies rose to 90, be
asked me il ! had seen the pictures in the
British Institution, and said to Lord G., 'Let
Ms go there" After walking through the
sooms, and pointing out to me some Of his
favorite pictures, he asked me, If 1 was not
engaged elsewhere, to breakfast with him
again toe next morning, to which I gladly
consented -Erchaaoe.