Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-16
worse than the society journal of England

worse than the society journal of England
in the present day.
Gambling, also. was high, and so was
its twin sister, speculation. A certain NJ.
Bourchier, vino had begun life as foot
man, raised himself by success at the
gaming-table, and by the grand style in
which he operated, to the rank of great
social potentate. He went over to the
camp in Flanders with n magnificent
equipage, played with King William and
won of him i32 300, an incident not men
toned by Macaulay' He played at the
same time with the Duke of Bavaria ; the
Duke at last threw double or quits with
him for f15, 900. and "lost the money up
on reputation, with which Bourchier was
very well satisfied, as not doubling in the
least and so taking his leave of the King
and those uoblemen that were with him,
he departed" He died. Mr.. Ashton tells
us, very rich. The diversion of the
"Mohocks," as is well known, was filling
the streets with outrage by night and
though panic seems to have exaggerated
their atrocities, they appear undoubtedly
to have indulged in the merry practice of
Sitting peoples noses. Other gangs Of
upper-class scamps practiscd the same
'iihb Dut VI ull
the ferocities of the time, the worst was
clouded with fear the lives of the class
who were bound by honor to fight, if they
had not been as reckless as they were.
The Duke of Hamilton and Lord Mohun
are opposing parties il n lawsuit. They
meet in the chambers Of Master in
Chancery, and the Duke remarks of n wit
ness "There is no truth or justice in
him." Lord Mohuu replies 81 know
Mr.. Whitworth he is an honest man, and
has as much truth as your Grace" This
is enough : two days afterward His Grace
and my Lord go to Hyde Park and fight !;
their seconds fighting also, or, as they ex-
pressed it, taking their share i'll the
dance" Lord Mohun falls dead, and the
Duke on the top of him mortally woun-
ded. 1t was averrel that Lord Mohun's
second treacherously stabbed the Duke,
but this seems clearly to have been ii
calumny bred by the fury of the jacob
ties at the loss of the head of their party
i'll Scotland.
Amid all the savagcry and brutality Of
of these people, however, there shine
forth Enthusiastically immense vigor and
fortitude The army was recruited, rs
Mr.. Ashton shows, from the loose and
even from the criminal population but
it would be mistake to fancy that it was
a blackguard army. There were in larger
numbers two centuries ago than now, men
out of whom perhaps the nomad had not
been thoroughly worked, who were ont of
place in state of regular industry, yet
had their qualities, and made good sol
diers, though bad citizens. These men
service III an army, under great COM
mander, not only restraints and disciplines
but purities and eXalis. Marlborough
seems to have felt perfect confidence s. i'll
his men: no misgiving rs to their dis
cipline, any more than rs to their courage
made him hesitate in undertaking the
most daring and critical operations. He
found them trustworthy III the deadly
mines of Tournai as well as on the blood
stained slope of the Schcllenberg and in
the terrible passes OF Malplaquet. Uncle
Toby and Corporal Trim We're rough peo-
pie, but they had strong hearts in strong
bodies, and they did their duty without a
word. 1t was all the more to their credit,
because their officers had no title to their
confidence but valor, being generally des-
titutc of military education Marlbor-
ough, the grand exception, having been
trained in the French school. The SIM
plicity with which the victories Of Marl.
borough and his soldiers over the veteran
troops of the Great King were announced
and celebrated is thrown into strong relief
by the inordinate jubilation which has
followed triumph over the wretched
mercenaries of Arab, who fired one ran
dom volley and ran away. The seamei
rntul,nr thnh tla cplltarc
Benbow and Cloudesley Shovel were, NJ
doubt, ms coarse as the salt-iunk and groe
on which they lived, But they were he
roes, if by perfect fearlessness united Will
single hearted devotion to professional
duty man can deserve that name.
was French officer who said of them Il
the Prince do Condo, that they rode til,
sea in all seasons and in the worst weathe
with as much traquility as the swans
hoated on the lake at Chantilly. Nor haC
they, to sustain them, much hope of re
ward or honors. These old sea-lion
could not exist now they would be in
terviewed, feasted, photographed, decorat
ed, harangued, and shown about till the,
had lost the rough simplicity of thei
nature. However, i'll paying them du
honor, no Englishman would wish t.
return to their days, or to have 4 seaman
life made again the display of fortitnd
under every sort Of priyation and suffer
ing that it was in the days Of Anne, ant
even i'll much later times.
On the most important point, perhaps
of all. the relations between the sexes an
female character, there was little that wa
new to be said. The upper-class woma
of that period is perfectly known to us a
through the Spectator and other socii
literature. She was never Il Saint There
sa nor Mrs. Somervillc often she wa
n butterfly, sometimes she was naughty
and gambled at basset Her hours WEI
not later, the heels Of her shoes We're Ii,
higher, nor was her dress. even taking il
to account her patches, much more unn'