Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub
[blocks in formation]

1

For example, he says, that wool, to the value of 600,000l. Sterling, is imported yearly from Spain, and he talks, in an easy way, of prohibiting the importation of wool from Spain. Suppofing the value of wool imported to be just, he propofes the utter deftruction of the fine cloth manufactures of England; let him find wool in England or in the Highlands of Scotland, if he will, fit to fupply the demand for foreign wool, and then he may affure himfelf that no foreign wool will be imported.

His plan of a fnow plough will ferve to encourage the people in the

billy country, far from the fea, to breed fheep without a fufficiency of winter provifiop for them; an expe riment already proved to be fatal.

He forgets that the part of the grafs uncovered, will lofe the benefit of the winter fnow, and be good for nothing in the fpring; he alfo forgets, that the furface, thus uncovered, will become a plate of ice.

The moft fingular difficulty feems to be that of ascertaining what Shetland fheep are? he fays there are twa forts; perhaps there may be twenty ; but the only one he has to enquire after is the native or kindly theep. Surely they are no phenomenon in Md Lothian; the Duke of Buccleugh had them long; they are the most ungovernable of our country animals; they are fo fmall and fo nimble, that they will force their way through every hedge, and over walls too, if not very high. The late Lord Pigot procured a fcore of them in this country i an experienced perfon was engaged to drive them into Staffordfhe, and received a fum of money to account in a few hours he returned back with them, returned the money, and faid "I would as foon undertake to drive a flock of hares into Staffordshire." I believe that they must be confined as heretofore, to iflands. iflands. The fea is the only fit fence to keep them ia.

[ocr errors]

A

Account of Barjac, Valet de Chambre to Cardinal Fleury *.

T the fame time that the Abbé Polet lorded it over the confcience of Cardinal Fleury, a valet, named Barjac, ruled him in temporal matters. Luckily both Polet and Barjac were men of fenfe, of honour, and even of virtue.

Barjac had been long attached to Fleury, and in quality of valet de

chambre, had formerly been the cou fident of his pleafures and of his vexations. The public knew this, and people in place did not blush to vifit Barjac, or to treat him like a man of quality.

He lived in a fplendid file, and the Cardinal, who ftood upon little ceremony with certain courtiers, ufed

Memoirs du Marechal Duc de Richlieu.

[ocr errors]

to fay when his own table was too full, Well, do you go and dine with Barjac. This valet was fo accuftomed to be courted and careffed, that without growing infolent or forgetting himself, he affumed the tone of a great man, and interfered in ftate affairs, in matters of finances, and in the dif pofal of offices, like one of the Miniiters, and in the fame ftile, fpeaking of the proceedings of the Cardinal in the first perfon, and never failing to fay, I have given the Duc d'Antin fuch a commission: the Marechal de Villars gave me a call this morning: yesterday I had a deal of company with me at dinner and in many other fuch in ftances imitating the Cardinal.

In his letters he was not more re

fpectful; he always affected to put himfelf on an equality even with the Marechals of France, whom he never condefcended to treat with thofe long finales which cuftom and refpec demand, but merely fet his name at the end of his letters, like the Cardinal, and without any greater ceremony. Barjac had imitated fo fuccefsfully the beautiful fimplicity of his mafter, that his behaviour was not that of a valet; his manners were decent, and he knew the respect due to rank, to titles, and to people in place; and he did not fail to remind even courtiers, when they forgot themselves, of what they were; and repulfed, by affected complaifance, whoever came to him to talk of business in the ftile of a great lord, or man of importance.

But he would neither humble himfelf before the great, nor would he fuffer the great to humble themfelves before him; behaving to them always on a footing of equality, without affecting fuperiority, or departing from the rank he had affamed with them; never quitting it, except when others quitted it with regard to him, and becoming affectedly refpectful, when he was treated with haughtiness or with too great humility.

Barjac expected to be vifited, nay to be confulted, and he had a hand in the diftribution of all favours. Hé was juft in the patronage he beftowed, infifting on being made acquainted with the candidates for his protection, and excluding from employment thofe who did not perfonally wait on him. He ufed to fay, with great indifference, and in very laconic terms, I do not know him, when he was applied to on behalf of any perfon who did not vifit him.

The Cardinal in his youth had had wants known to few, and the valet bad been attached to him with a fidelity and a fecrecy not to be fhaken, He had always ferved his mafter in the different steps of his elevation; he had the fame turn of mind, the fame principles, the fame addrefs, the fame good nature with his mafter, together with all his little fubtleties and artifices, He exercised over him all the power which an old and faithful fervant has over his matter; but this power was always refpectful and friendly, and fuch as a man who had for fo long a time managed his bufinefs and his gallantries, night be expected to affume over a Cardinal now grown a Minifter and a devotee. Accordingly there were no affairs of ftate kept fecret from Barjac, and he fpoke of them with an a'r of importance, when he was with the Minilers, or with perfons entrusted with public bulineis, He alfo fpcke of them in the plural number, or in the firit perfon, as he did of the domeftic affairs of the Cardinal; and when hẹ had been in a more particular manner intrufted with the execution of any bufinefs, or when he had made choice of thofe who were to negociate i:, he expreffed himself with a ftill greater degree of egotifm, for he would then fay, I have done it; I have concluded it; I have finished the treaty and in this way he talked of the principal affairs of fate, which were all delibe

rated

rated upon in the clofet of the Cardinal, before they were laid before the council; the King in the mean time amufing himself with the famous Sifters, at Rambouillet, or in the chace. Thus Barjac governed a part of the affairs of France, and filled up vacant places; he even exacted of the fuperior officers in the army, of the minifters and prelates whom he had appointed, that they fhould give fuch and fuch offices to the perfons he recommended to them; fo that the pat. rorage of Barjac was more important than that of the minifters, or of the Cardinal himfelf. He often ordered the brevets that had been figned by the King and counter-figned by a minifter, to be brought to him, and had the places afterwards given away to others; he was always fure of a delay at least, if not of a total exclufion; and fometimes he accomplished the exclufion, though he did not get the giving away of the place; but it muft be owned, that he acted always with great juft ce, and had a clearer infight into bufinefs, and was a better judge of mens genius and merits than the Cardinal, who being fatisfied of his good fenfe and integrity, allowed him to govern.

It was, therefore, neceffary to be acquainted with Barjac before any one could be promoted, efpecially at the beginning, for afterwards he was fupplanted by Chauvelin: there was likewife a neceflity for paying him a fort of court, but in a delicate man ner, and with address: abje& behaviour in his prefence was fure to meet with a repulfe, and be then pretended to forget who he was, quitting the manners of an equal, and affuming thofe of a fervant, in order to raile

the perfon who abafed himself before him.

I happened one day, that a certain nobleman went to afk a favour of him. This favour he was particu larly anxious for, and in order to obtain it he ftept beyond the limits of that delicacy which was neceflary with Barjac, ftill more than with the Cardinal. The courtier treated him with fo much ceremony, respect, and complaifance, that Barjac was difgufted: The nobleman went farther; he invited himself to dinner, and fat down familiarly at his right hand, though it was the first time he had vifited him, and defcanting on the virtues and intelligence of Barjac, was attributing to him the whole profperity of France.

Barjac being able to bear this no longer, got up from his fea, took the napkin from his button-hole and whipt it under his arm, feired a plate from his fervant, and placing himself behind the Duke's chair, prepared to do the office of a waiter at the table, The other at this immediately got up, protefting that he would never fuffer fuch a degradation; but Barjac replied, that though a Duke and Peer of France might forget himfelt, Barjac ought not to forget what was due to fo high a rank, adding, that the Duke would not obtain the favour he wanted, unlefs he allowed himself to be ferved by Barjac. The whole Court, the King, and the Cardinal himself, were highly entertained with the account of this facetious reproof, and the great were taught by it, that though there was a neceffity for their paying court to Barjac, it was neceffary to do fo with delicacy and dif

cernment,

of

THE

Anecdotes of the late David Rofs, Eft.

HE father of Mr Rofs, was formerly a writer to the fignet at Edinburgh, but fettled in London in 1722, as a Solicitor of Appeals, in which profeffion he lived with confiderable credit.

David was born in the year 1728; but at the early age of thirteen he unfortunately loft his father's affections by fome indifcretions at Westminster fchool; which he was fo unhappy as never to regain and though in his letters the old gentleman attributes the caufe of his anger to his fon's heedleffnefs and inattention, yet fo far did he carry his refentment, as to be capable of fporting with his fon's misfortunes, in the hour of quitting this world, as will appear from the following injunction in his will; "And alfo "that the faid Elizabeth Rofs thall "be obliged to pay, or caufe to be "paid, to her faid brother David "Rofs, the fum of one fhilling upon "the first day of every month of May, "that being his birth-day, thereby to "put him in mind of the misfortune "he had to be born."

The late Mr Rofs came upon Corent-garden ftageabout the year 1753; and having the advantages of a good perfon, and good education, gave an carneft of thofe talents which afterwards, with close cultivation, raised bim to, at leaft, the fecond rank in tragedy and genteel comedy.

Pretty much about this period, it was that Lord Spr threw his eyes on him as a proper perfon to accomplish an act of benevolence and humanity, that will ever reflect the highest credit on his Lordship's heart; the celebrated Fanny Murray had been debauched by his father; to atone for fuch a fault, he confidered as an act of juftice; he therefore propofed her as a wife to Mr Rofs, with a fettlement of two hundred pounds per annum. Rofs's diffipations de

manded fuch an addition to his fortune, and as the lady retained nothing of her former fituation but her charms, the contract was figned, and the marriage celebrated.

Mr Rofs afterwards purchased the Edinburgh Patent, at which place he was obliged to refide in the course of his profeffion; and here it was fuggefted to him, that, by the laws of Scotland, a perfon could not wiis his eftate by mere words of exclusion, without an exprefs conveyance of inheritance at the fame time; which lat circumftance had been omitted by his father; accordingly he brought his action of reduction against his fifter, which, after being argued before Lord Kennett, Ordinary, December 1769, he gave the interlocutor in his favour. His fifter and her husband then applied by reprefentation, in which they were a fecond time worfted; they ultimately brought it before the Houfe of Lords in England, where the legality and juftice of Mr Rofs's title was fo ably pleaded by the Lord Advocate, and the Solicitor General, that their Lordfhips gave a decree in his favour, by which he recovered near fix thoufand pounds.

He now difpofed of the Edinburgh theatre to the late Mr Foote, for three years, and renewed his engagements at Covent-Garden. He uninterruptedly enjoyed this fituation until about twelve years ago, when being left out of the managerial arrange ment, he never afterwards recovered it; the accident of breaking his leg about two years fince decided his theatrical fate, and he lived principally upon an annuity which he derived from a mortgage on the Edinburgh theatre.

As an actor, Rofs had claims to great praife in tragic characters of the mixed paffions, as well as Lovers in

genteel

or the love of pleasure, he was not always equal to himfelf.

"Ross (a misfortune which we often meet)

genteel comedy; but from indolence fchool-fellows, as well as of other friends, whom he acquired in later life; amongst the former may be mentioned Lord Stormont, Lord On flow, Lord Sondes, the Hon. Daines Barrington, the Hon. Admiral Bar. rington, and George Dunbar, Efq. Amongst the latter the Hon. Mr Fitzwilliam, Mr Bofwell, Mr Murphy, Mr Cooke, Mr Lenfley, the India Director, and Mr Bentley, of Drury. lane theatre.

Was fast asleep at dear Statira's feet.”. This was one of Churchill's just criticisms; but when awake, he often gave the happieft effect to the writings of the poet.

As a companion, he may be confidered as the laft eleve of Quin, from whom he seemed to glean his relish for the table, together with his happy mander of relating anecdotes. The theory and practice of the first he well underfood; the fecond he executed with a neatnefs and retention of face well remembered by his friends and acquaintances.

Mr David Rofs had the credit and happineis of retaining the fteady regard of a moft refpectable number of

To this sketch of the character of a man "whofe life has contributed to the stock of harmless merriment," let it be recorded against those who too indifcriminately rail at the friendships of the world, that Rofs experienced to the contrary; that there were those who met his every misfortune with tenderness, and alleviated it with a liberality and delicacy, which mark the focial and elevated mind.

D

Anecdote of an American Quaker.

URING the American war, a party of British horse, being in want of forage, fet out one morning in queft of it; and in order to accomplish their purpose with speed and fuccefs, they refolved to force fome perfon to direct them to a proper place, where they meant (as unluckily fometimes happened) to cut down and carry off the corn, without afking the owner's leave, or troubling themselves about payment. They knocked at the door of a farmer who was a Quaker, and ordering him to mount a horse, they told him their purpose, and defired him to lead them. farmer fubmitted, and after a fhort ride they came to a field of corn, which the foldiers no fooner faw than they were about to difmount; but the Quaker begged them to proceed, and he would bring them to a field that would content them; they accordingly followed him, and arrived

The

at another field, which the Quaker alfo perfuaded them to pass; a third field prefented itself, and as they were preparing to cut it down, he eagerly requested them to forbear, telling them, at the fame time, that the field he was leading them to was an excellent one, and now at a very little diftance. They accordingly rode on, and foon arrived at the place. Their guide then difmounted, and telling them that this was the field he had intended to bring them to, des fired them to proceed and cut it down. "Why, faid the Commander "of the party, this is indeed an ex"cellent field of corn, but the others "that we paffed were nearly as good, "they would have answered our "purpose."-" It is true, returned "the honeft Quaker, they were near"ly as good, but they were met "mine"

Account

« ForrigeFortsæt »