The British essayists; with prefaces by A. Chalmers, Volume 26 |
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acquaintance act of parliament amusement appear assure BAGNIOS beauty behaviour called character Chinese architecture Corsica daugh daughter Dodsley dress EARL of CORK elegant endeavoured English entertainment expence fashion favour FELICIA FITZ-ADAM follies fortune French FRETTERS genteel gentleman give Glastonbury thorn happened happy heart honour hope horses humble servant humour husband imagine jacobite kind king lady late learning least letter lived lodgings Lord Lord CHESTERFIELD lover Luke Hansard madam manner married ment misfortune mistress moral nature neral never obliged observed occasion opinion PANTOMIME paper passion persons pleased pleasure polite pounds present racter readers reason RICHARD OWEN CAMBRIDGE ridicule ROBERT DODSLEY shew sion surprize taste tell thing thought thousand THURSDAY tion told town Truman truth virtue whole wife Wilson WITCHCRAFT woman words writing XXVI young
Popular passages
Page xliv - An Inquiry into the Secondary Causes which Mr. Gibbon has assigned for the rapid growth of Christianity.
Page 68 - Any thing to please," says the owner ; and, alighting with his son, they tied the legs of the ass together, and by the help of a pole endeavoured to carry him upon their shoulders over the bridge that led to the town. This was so entertaining a sight, that the people ran in crowds to laugh at it ; till the ass...
Page xlv - Lord Hailes's Annals of Scotland have not that painted form which is the taste of this age ; but it is a book which will always sell, it has such a stability of dates, such a certainty of facts, and such a punctuality of citation. I never before read Scotch history with certainty.
Page 49 - Geese are in their highest perfection ; it was replied, that such a propriety was merely imaginary, and would be lost of itself, even without any alteration of the Calendar by authority ; for if the errors in it were suffered to go on, they would in a certain number of years produce such a variation, that we should be mourning for good King Charles on a false thirtieth of January, at a time of year when our ancestors used to be tumbling over head and heels in Greenwich Park in honour of Whitsuntide...
Page 99 - ... which I had already seen, and upon the still greater which I had but too much reason to dread. ' From this period to the time of our return to England, every day produced some new and shining folly, and some improper expense.
Page 98 - As I found that the name of Sysigambis, carrying an idea of age along with it, was offensive to my wife, I waved the parallel; and addressing myself in common to my wife and daughter, I told them, " I perceived that there was a painter now at Paris, who coloured much higher than Rigault, though he did not paint near so like; for that I could hardly have guessed them to be the pictures of themselves.
Page 51 - I venture to prognosticate will not attend the erroneous calculation of the present system. The day I mean is the first of April. The oldest tradition affirms that such an infatuation attends the first day of that month, as no foresight can escape, no vigilance can defeat. Deceit is successful on that day out of the mouths of babes and sucklings. Grave citizens have been bit upon it; usurers have lent their money on bad security; experienced matrons have married very disappointing young fellows;...
Page 280 - Nor if in labour, spleen, or trance, Fetch her Sir Thomas for Sir Hans ; Nor bid his coachman drive o' nights To parish-church instead of White's ; Nor make his party or his bets With those who never pay their debts; Nor at dessert of wax and china Neglect the eatables, if any, To smell the chaplet in the middle, Or taste the Chelsea-china fiddle.
Page 49 - When the reformation of the calendar was in agitation, to the great disgust of many worthy persons, who urged how great the harmony was, in the old establishment, between the holidays and their attributes (if I may call them so), and what...
Page 73 - Je envoye sur ce ung poste devers le roy d'Arogon pour ly prier quy nous voulle ayder pour à ce parvenir dont yl est aussy contant, moynant que je résingne l'empir à nostre commun fyls, Charles.