Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-04-25
About the Bed.

A Spanish minister signalized his ac-
cession to power by going straightway
to bed and staying there, lest he should
be expected to do something. No
English minister ever adopted that
ignoble expedient TO escape performing
his duties; but Walpole relates that
William Pitt and the Duke of Newcastle
once held counsel together in bed.
Pitt had the gout, and, as was his
custom when so afflicted, lay under a
pile of bed-clothes in a fireless room.
The Duke, who was terribly afraid of
catching cold, first sat down upon
another bed as the warmest place
available, drew his legs into it as he
grew colder, and at last fairly lodged
Himself under the bed clothes. Some
body coming in suddenly beheld "the
two ministers in bed at the two ends of
the room, while Pitts long nose and
black beard, unshaved for some time,
added TO the grotesque nature of the
scene."
The great Commoner was abed and
asleep when Wyndham and others of
IoOlA
shook their chief out of his slumbers
to tell him there was mutiny i'll the
feet, that tie Admiral was a prisoner
on board his own ship. and in danger
of death. Sitting up III bed, Pitt asked
for pen, ink and paper, and wrote:
IF the Admiral is not released, fire
upon the ship from the batteries" and
turned over ON hh pillow, and was In a
sound sleep few minutes later.
When, in 1914, the military affairs of
the allies looked somewhat unpromis-
ing, it was around the bed of General
Knesbech, at Barsur-Aube, that the
Emperors of Russia and Austria, the
King of Prussia, Hardenberg, Vol
kousky, Schwartzenberg, Metternich,
Radetsky, Diebitsch, Nesseirode, and
Castlereagh held their council If war;
and the issue of the campaign culmi-
mating III the occupation of Paris was
virtually decided by Castlereagh in
sisting upon the immediate transfer
ence of wavering Bernadotte's battalions
70 Blucher's command, and taking the
responsibility upon his own shoulders.
1t was III bed, at the little inn at
Waterloo, that Wellington received the
terrible casualty-list of the memorable
18th If June; and rs name after name
fell from DR., Hume's lips, he threw
himself back ON the pillow and groaned
out: ''What victory is not too dearly
purchased at such a cost?" Wellington,
who possessed the faculty of sleeping
at will, held that when it was time to
turn over it was time to turn out.
Napoleon. a man of another tempera-
ment, provided for wakefulness by
keeping the returns of his army under
his pillow, to be cOnned and considered
when tired natures sweet restorer re-
fused to share his ''bed malestical.
One of Johnsou's earliest ventures in
book making was the translatiDg OF
Lobos Voyage to Abyssinia," whicn
put fifty dollars into his pocket. Lying
in bed, he dictated sheet after sheet to
his friend Hector, who carried them off
to the printer without waiting for john
son to look over them.
When the fit was on him. Rousseau
remained in bed. carefully drawing his
curtains to keep out the daylight, and
gave himself up to the fascinating
delights of composition.
In bed, PaesielIo composed his
''Barbiere di Seviglia' and La Moli-
n1ra." One at least of Rossini's operas
was composed under the same condi-
tions.
Swift, fond as he was of lying III bed
OF morning thinking of wit for the
day, wrote to his friend Sheridan: !:
''Pray do not employ your time in loll-
ing abed till noon to read Homer" J"
Better, perhaps, do that than initiate
George w., aud lie IN bed devouring
newspapers the best pant of the day.
Many very clever leople, however, have
secuted the idea of health, wealth and
wisdom coming of early rising.
Macauley read much in bed, and
anxious to keep up his German, I'M
posed upon himself the task of peruslng
twenty pages of Schiller every day
before getting up.
Maule won his senior-wrangieship by
studying hard, long after ordinary folk
were up and about, snugly esconced
under the blankets.
JOHH OSttI tuOu5ut llS stiHoAS Oh'
in bed; methodIcal Anthony Trollope
regularly read for an hour before rising;
and Mary Somerville made it a rule not
10 get up before twelve or one, although
she began work at eight; reading. writ
ing, and calculating hard-with her pet
sparrow upon her arm-four or five
hours every day, but those four or five
hours were spent in bed.