New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-04
STUDIES IN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
BY CHARLES I. coNGDoN.
IOHN TAYLOR.


rrra C,Ic,oiier John TAYLOR was. early in The last
,ertnrv an oculist of distinction IN England lie
had the honor and the tcmerity to prescribe I"' 'e
rovaI eyes of George the Second. morarch VINO
conld never see much further than his nose hV
che repular faculty of that time be was considered
N be ouack possibly with iniusticei ana MINK
nopc Tie worse OF him because he is sneered AT by
Horace Walpole in quatrain not particularly
brilliant His Treatise on The Human Eye was for a
long time quite an authority upon the Continent
and the tradition OF his skill must have been
respectable. since his son, also John Taylor was
oculst TO George Ill OF this Ophthalinic expert,
the John TAYLOR of whom am about 10 write was
the son. We shall have too much to do with him
to spare large room for his ancestors. The grand
father Taylor published bis own Memoirs, but /
have never leen so fortunate as TO meet with
them He is reputed by his grandson to have been
q n TALL handsome man, much addicted TO splendor
in dress and to an expensive style of domestic eN-
penditurc" If he had not wasted his money, he
would l." have left almost princely fortune 10 his
family" He was pronounced by The Monthly
Rerie1c " coxcomb" but a /" coxcomb of parts"
The John Taylor of whom and of whose book /
shall speak in this chapter was ocnlist to George
ILL., and subsequently TO George ~. He was
man. however early addicted to literary pursuits
In the ardor of his "reminiscences he foree's to tell
ing 10 inform us thai his mother " was allowed TO
have been very handsome in her early days" All
good sons remember their mothers handsome
Taylor's Records were published in London IN
1882: they were republished in New York in 1888.
by J. q J. Harper. This edition for some years
has been scarce and substantially out OF print.
There is no method in the volume. and particularly
there is no method of dates We shall be compelled
to stumble through it as best we may, with the
consolation that Taylor knew everybody OF his
time who was anybody. He even remembers
something of remarkable men who were before nus
time. Ollys. the antiquarian, still alectionately
considered 10y the collector, of books used TO
come to his fathers house and always preferred the
freside in the kitchen that he might not be Obliged
TO minrle with other visitors. He SO particular
in his habits that he could not smoke his pipe with
ease till his chair fixed to particular crack IN
the floor Oldys wrote that pretty anacreontic he
ginning: Busy, curious, thirsty fly ana II
have any book-lOvers among my readers. they VIII
be clad of this mention OF that man of manuscripts
Subsequently Taylor went everywhere. knew
everybody and was AT everybody's table. His
book is such mass of amusing anecdote that II Is
difficult TO know what to select lie does not hesl-
fate to let rs know how men talked of each other
Once for instance. DR.. Wolcott Peter Pndar had
met Curran. the Irish orator at dinner, and said of
ing her that fellows brains for dinner Again, IN
conversation Taylor heard CuTran speak OF a con
oatenated series of consecutive arguments; which
the reminiscent very properly considered TO be
redundant aud verbose" TAYLOR was deputcd,
when a bov, 10y a friend of his father to deliver
letter to Oliver Goldsmith; but the poet either
was not at home or thought it prudent 10 deny him
self even to a boy his circumstances were prob
ably quite pOetical." Once TAYLOR met John
Wilkes who corrected him for saying Serlngapa-
tam - instead Of Serngap0tam.' The last time
Taylor met Wilkes was i'll High Ilolborn The old
gladiator had lost his teeth, Of all things in the
world, and his remarks were unlntelllglble. Once
only Taylor saw the Earl of Chatham, who " was
dressed in a suit of black which by no means ap-
peared to he cew." II was during debate in the
House of Lords, and Taylor struck by the
force Of Chathams language and the variety OF his
expressions lie said Have we not resisted Gallo
invasions, Scottish iTruptOns British instructions,
Danish intrusiOns Irish rebellionsr he old lion
even then was sick, and closed his speech appa
rently more from fatigue than from having fully
expressed his sentiments" After the Duke of
Richmond had replied in an intemDeTate. hestatIng
and confused harangue, the Earl of Chatham arose
actually choked with passion" and fell helpless
This is the scene a Copleys fine picture Of " The
Death of Chatham; and Taylor, who a wit
racy of the representation. He speaks particularly
of Lord Mansfield looking with apparent indiiler
ence upon the faintng statesman, while all the
other lords we're crowding toward him with evident
eageIness and sOlicitude-remarking. without re-
greet the probable end of his powerful competitor.
Taylor observes that the picture of COpey is in
one respect erroneous The Lords never debate in
their robes. But did he think that COpey would
lose such an opportunity Of painting silk, satin,
velvet, tur and gold
Taylor knew Boswell the bioTapl er of Johnson,
very well. He met him one day at a dinner table
with Burke, who said: IL can account for Bos-
wells Jacobitism; which with ali his present
Loyalty he will never get rid Of; when he a
child he was taken to Prince Charles at Edln-
burgh. The sight of fine young man coming upon
great occasion, splendidly attired, with drums
and trumpcts surrounded 10y heroic chIeftaiGs and
all the pride pomp and circumstance of the scene,
made an impression upon his imagination that
never can be enaced" There is a droll and charac-
teristic remark which Boswell made to Taylor: " l
shall not die happy if do not see Grand Cairo"
He was of a rowing turn" says Taylor, and if he
had been gratifed by a sight Of that place he
would have been restless TIL he had beheld some
other" OF Professor Person, the great Greek
scholar, it is related that he did not, upon one
OCCASION once join in the conversation, but kept
playing with Httle dOg except When oysters anu
brandy-and- water were naturalization the dog |
was deserted and the oysters came into play. |
When he had finished with these he resorted to the |
brandy and resumed mis- attentions to the dog"
Taylor met Haydn, the celebrated composer, in |
London. lie did not then know a word of English |
but afterward he acquired something of the Ian
guage. Once when DR.. WOlcOtt praised in his |
presence with Incorporate zeal the cOncertos of |
Pleye the great Haydn only said But hope it |
will be remembered that lie was my puail." Taylor
speaks of Haydn as a modest. dilhdent and deli
cate man." who when his health was once given,
with three times three, "put his hands before his
race and was quite disconnected for some minutea"
OF theatrical people there is no end in these