him his due, he desired that I would make up the party myself, so I asked Alvanley, Mills, Pierrepoint, and a few others, and I assure you, the affair turned out quite unique; there was every delicacy in, or out of season; the Sillery was perfect, and not a wish remained ungratified; but, my dear fellow, conceive my astonishment when I tell you, that Mr. Rs had the assurance to sit down, and dine with us!"

On another occasion, a wealthy young gentleman then commencing life, and now a member for an eastern borough, being very anxious to be well placed in Brummell's world, asked him and a large party to dine; the Beau went, and a few minutes before they separated, he, addressing the company, requested to know, who was to have the honour of taking him to Lady Jersey's, that evening? "I will," said his host, delighted at the prospect of being seen to enter her ladyship's drawing-room in his company, "wait till my guests are gone, and my carriage is quite at your service." "Thank you exceedingly," replied Brummell, pretending to take the offer in a literal sense, very kind of you, indeed! But D-k," and he assumed an air of great gravity, "pray how are you to go? you surely would not like to get up behind? No, that would not be right, and yet it will scarcely do for me

to be seen in the same carriage with you." There was an involuntary roar from all present, in which Mr. D—k, with great good nature, joined heartily.

But Brummell could not always procure a cast in a friend's carriage, particularly if the friend had to call for him; and one night being disappointed of a chance that he had calculated upon, when it was too late to send for a glass coach, he was unwillingly obliged to despatch his servant to the nearest stand, with many injunctions as to the selection he should make. In a few minutes, No. 1803 was at his door, and soon after Brummell, who had alighted a little distance from the house, found himself ascending Lady Dungannon's staircase; he had in fact reached the summit, and was on the eve of entering her splendid drawing-room already filled with guests, when a servant touched him gently on the arm, and to his horror and amazement, for he thought he had effected his purpose undiscovered, said, Beg pardon, Sir, perhaps you are not aware of it, but there is a straw in your shoe."

While we have Brummell's name in connexion with hackney coaches, it may not be mal-à-propos to introduce a rather amusing puff, which was inserted some years ago in a weekly paper, by a man who wished to recommend a patent carriage step.

To effect his object, he calls the Beau's influence to aid his manoeuvre, and gives a very glowing description of his locomotive comforts, not a little in contrast with the preceding anecdote. commences with the following axiom :

The

"There is an art in everything, and whatever is worthy of being learnt, cannot be unworthy of a teacher.' Such was the logical argument of the professor of the Art of Stepping in and out of a Carriage, who represented himself as much patronized by the sublime Beau Brummell, whose deprecation of those horrid coach steps he would repeat with great delight. Mr. Brummell,' he used to say, 'considered the sedan was the only vehicle for a gentleman, it having no steps;-and he invariably had his own chair, which was lined with white satin quilted, had down squabs, and a white sheepskin rug at the bottom brought to the door of his dressing-room, on that account, always on the ground floor,' from whence it was transferred with its owner to the foot of the staircase of the house that he condescended to visit. Mr. Brummell has told me, continued the professor, that to enter a coach was torture torture to him. 'Conceive,' said he, the horror of sitting in a carriage with an iron apparatus, afflicted with the dreadful thought, the cruel apprehension, of hav

112

THE LIFE OF GEORGE BRUMMELL.

ing one's leg crushed by the machinery! Why are not the steps made to fold outside? The only detraction from the luxury of a vis-a-vis, is the double distress! for both legs-excruciating idea!'"

CHAPTER VIII.

Practical jokes.-The Emigré-Mr. Snodgrass-The Beau's canine friend -Affectation - J. W. C―r, and Bloomsbury-square- Brummell's mots-A travelled bore-Vegetable diet-A limping lounger-A new way of accounting for a cold-A bad summer-The advantages of civility -Prince Boothby and Mrs. Clopton Parthericke-Sheridan's bet.

In the commencement of the last chapter I alluded to the tricks that Brummell played, meaning thereby practical jokes,-a species of frolic highly amusing to the bystanders, until it is their turn to suffer, and in which he excelled. His predecessor, George Selwyn, and his contemporary, Sheridan, who loved one another as cordially as wits generally do, were also adepts in puerilities of this kind. Mr. Moore, in his Life of Sheridan, says that he once induced Tickell to run after him into a dark passage, which he had covered with plates, having, however, taken good care to leave a path for him self. Tickell was much cut; but, when Lord John Townshend came to condole with him, after a little show of indignation against his friend, he could not help exclaiming, "But how amazingly well it was done!" Brummell's jokes in this way