The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-03

| An amateur was necessarily suppneu
| Macready's agony was intense. On re-
turning to Bath some months later as
visitor 10 the baths the mournful Iago
| who had supported him sought renewal
| of the great actors acquaintance. VI had
the honor OF playing Iago to your Othello
at the TLeater Royal; don't you remem-
Der me, sirf"
Remember you, sir'-remember youP
thundered the irate tragedian. "how
shall ever forget yoaH
John Kemble, while visitor at Bath
and when bestowing a farthing on beg
gar. gave TO literature this imperishable
satire upon the parsimony Of the nobility;
'Friend.p he said with the dignity Of a
! Coriolanus, I'VE give but seldom, but When
we do give We giUe The princes"
Garrick wrote some Of his finest satires
at Bath. Tie great mimic, Foote, was
nearly always 10 De found in his company.
| Sheridan. when but a youth Of twenty, was
one Of the lions Of Bath. He wrote here
and contributed the same to "A sort OF
| literary "fair Of Parnassus" instituted by
Lady Miller, so admirably described TO us
by Horace Walpole. those exquisite stanzas
beginning:
Dry be that tear, my gentlost love;
and Gainsborough's celebrated painting OF
| Sheridan was also done ia this city Quin
! lived longer in Bath than any other Of his
profession. When the famous comedian
| for inc last time played Falstaf and re-
tired from the stage, in l753 he came 10
Bath TO pass bis Remaining days, because, as
he said, ne did not know better place for
an old cock 10 rOost in" He lived for
thirteen years and died in biz lodgings at
Chesterfield House, Pierrepont street, and
In the north aisle Of the choir Of Bath
abbey is a marble tablet with striking
likeness Of the great comedian.
In addition to Mrs. Siddons some Of the
famous women who made winsome the
society Of Bath during this brilliant period
were Queen Charlotte, wife Of George III;
Mrs. Piozzi, the celebrated companion of
DR.. Johnson; Lady Miller, Sarah Fielding
and Nine. D'Arblay.
Mrs. PiozZi was one of the most beauti-
full and accomplished women Of England
She first married rich brewer named
Thrale. The couple lived in great splendor
at Bath. and DR.. Johnson was the lady's
acknowledged chief admirer Shortly
after the death Of Mr.. Thrale the sprightly
widow tired OF the ponderous devotion Of
DR.. johnson and became the wife of a mu-
sic master named Piozzi. a. complete rup-
ture with johnson was the consequence,
and the famous photographer was ever af-
ter a misanthrope regarding all woman
kind. Her Anecdotes Of Johnson" and
her own Literary Remains" are among
the most piquant tidbits of biographical
literature
Lady Miller was a conspicuous figure at
Bath in these good old times. Wapole
and Nine. D'Arblay both charmingly
describe the fair of Parnassus," sort of
literary tournament instituted at her
noted residence, Batheaston Villa. A Ro-
man vase. dressed with laces, costly rib
bons and myrtle, received the poetry,
which was drawn at every festival by six
Judges, who read all the compositions and
announced the successful competitor The
latter was crowned with myrtle and per
mitted to kneel and kiss the fat and
freckled hand of Lady Miller, who was
'coarse, plump looking dame, whose aim
IL was to appear woman Of fashion and
patroness Of letters" 1t was Garrick who
slipped the following effusion into the
sacred urn:
The Vase. speaking
For heavens sake, bestow on me
A little wit-and that would be
Indeed an act Of charityl
In the residence Of famous literary men
Bath was immensely fortunate Chris
TOPPER Anstey, the poet, lived nearly all
his life in Bath. William BeckfOrd, at one
time the richest and most luxurious man
in England. who expended nearly 81 1900
600 on i'll fated Fonthill abbey alone, but
whose enduring fame will rest on the
authorship Of that most wonderful Of all
oriental tales, "Vathek," was for many
years a citizen Of Bath, and built the paa-
tial tower on Lansdown, beneath whose
shadows his body now lies.
The memories of DR.. johnson are so rife
in the old Pelican inn that in passing
through its oaken paneled rooms one can
almost scent the musty aroma of his candle
scorched wigs and see the ludicrous pic
ture of Frank, the servant, lying in wait
TO clap fresh one on his hard old head
the moment caller was announced below
Samuel T. Coleridge often preached at
the Sawclose chapel here. 1t was when
referring TO these days here he said to
Charles Lamb, II think, Charles, you
never heard me preach" My dear boy"
replied Lamb, Il never heard you do any
thing else"
Alexander Pope lived on the bounty of
the rich philanthropist Allen here for
years, only leaving, like the ugly little wasp
ne was, when his host refused to grant him
his manor house at Bathampton for the
use of his paramount Tobias Smollett was
for long time one of the literati assembled
here and every reader of "Peregrine
Pickle" and Humphrey Clinker" is ia
vored with pictures of Bath associations,
customs and habits of that time.
Oliver Goldsmith visited Bath in I'M,
with the literary result of 1.-The Life of
Richard Nash, hardly a fitting subject
for the pen of the author of '"The Vicar of
Wakefield" but through this event Beau
Nashs memory became more imperishable
than through all the monuments, epitaphs
ind paintings to be found TO his honor in
the ancient city. and if you tire of identi-
fying the great of olden times with their
ancient habitations here, a pleasant walk
of two miles TO the west of the city will
bring you to the little village of Twerton.
Here, in q tiny, neat cottage, now known
as Fielding's House, Fielding's Terrace,
was chiefly written tom Jones'" for
which, through its first reading in manu-
script by the wife Of Andrew Millar, the
great London publisher, Fielding secured
the Ito him) incredible sum of GOO, which
so astounded him that for himself, the
publisher (who afterward cleared alS,000
h. ia - el,nx frl III te -.