ANTIc.i.p.aTED VISIT FROM MRS. MONTAGU.
["The great Mrs. Montagu" deserves a somewhat longer notice than can be conveniently compressed within the limits of a footnote. She was as indisputably, in public estimation, the leading literary lady of the time, as Johnson was the leading man of letters. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Robinson. She was born at York in the year 1720, and married, in 1742, Edward Montagu, grandson of the first Earl of Sandwich. Her husband"s death, in 1775, left her in the possession of a handsome fortune. Mrs. Montagu"s literary celebrity was by no means dearly bought, for it rested, almost exclusively, on her "Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear," published by Dodsley in 1769. Indeed, the only other writings which she committed to the press were three "Dialogues of the Dead," appended to the Well-known "Dialogues" of her friend, Lord Lyttelton. The "Essay" is an elegantly written little work, superficial when regarded in the light of modern criticism, but marked by good sense and discrimination. One of the chief objects of the auth.o.r.ess was to defend Shakespeare against the strictures of Voltaire, and in this not very difficult task she has undoubtedly succeeded. Johnson"s opinion of the "Essay" was unfavourable. To Sir Joshua Reynolds"s remark, that it did honour to its auth.o.r.ess, he replied: "Yes Sir: it does her honour, but it would do n.o.body else honour;" and he goes on to observe that "there is not one sentence of true criticism in the book." But if the general applause which the book had excited was out of all proportion to its merits, Johnson"s unqualified condemnation was more than equally disproportionate to its defects.
Of Mrs. Montagu"s conversational abilities Johnson entertained a higher opinion. "Sir," he would say, "that lady exerts more mind in conversation than any person I ever met with" (Miss Reynolds"s Recollections). It was probably, indeed, to the fame of her conversation, and of the has been parties which a.s.sembled at her house, that she owed the greater part of her reputation. She was the acknowledged "Queen of the Blue Stockings" although the epithet originated with a rival giver of literary parties, Mrs.
Vesey, who, replying to the apology of a gentleman who declined an invitation to one of her meetings on the plea of want of dress, exclaimed, "Pho, pho! don"t mind dress! Come in your blue stockings!" The term "Blue Stocking" (bas bleu) was thenceforward applied to the set which met at Mrs.
Vesey"s, and was gradually extended to other coteries of similar character.
The charitable and beneficient disposition of Mrs. Montagu was as notorious as her intellectual superiority. It may be interesting here to observe that after her husband"s death, in 1775, she doubled the income of poor Anna Williams, the blind poetess who resided with Dr. Johnson, by settling upon her an annuity of ten pounds. The publication of Johnson"s "Lives of the Poets," in 1781, occasioned a coolness between the doctor and Mrs. Montagu, on account of the severity with which, in that work, he had handled the character of Lord Lyttelton. In September, 1783, however, Dr. Johnson wrote to the lady to announce the death of her pensioner, Miss Williams; and shortly afterwards he informs Mrs. Thrale that he has received a reply "not only civil but tender; so I hope peace is proclaimed." Mrs. Montagu died at her house in Portman Square, in the year 1800.--ED.]
I was looking over the "Life of Cowley," which Dr. Johnson had himself given me to read, at the same time that he gave to Mrs. Thrale that of Waller. But he bade me put it away.
"Do," cried he, "put away that now, and prattle with us; I can"t make this little Burney prattle, and I am sure she prattles well; but I shall teach her another lesson than to sit thus silent before I have done with her."
"To talk," cried I, "is the only lesson I shall be backward to learn from you, sir."
"You shall give me," cried he, "a discourse upon the pa.s.sions: come, begin! Tell us the necessity of regulating them Watching over and curbing them! Did you ever read Norris"s "Theory of Love?"[67]
"No, sir," said I, laughing, yet staring a little.
Dr. J.-It is well worth your reading. He will make you see that inordinate love is the root of all evil, inordinate love of wealth brings on avarice; of wine, brings on intemperance; of power, brings on cruelty; and so on. He deduces from inordinate love all human frailty."
Mrs. T.-To-morrow, sir, Mrs. Montagu dines here, and then you will have talk enough.
Dr. Johnson began to see-saw, with a countenance strongly expressive of inward fun, and after enjoying it some time in silence, he suddenly, and with great animation, turned to me and cried,
"Down with her, Burney!--down with her!--spare her not!--attack her, fight her, and down with her at once! You are a rising wit, and she is at the top; and when I was beginning the world, and was nothing and n.o.body, the joy of my life was to fire at all the established wits! and then everybody loved to halloo me on. But there is no game now; every body would be glad to see me conquered: but then, when I was new, to vanquish the great ones was all the delight of my poor little dear soul!
So at her, Burney--at her, and down with her!"
Oh, how we were all amused! By the way I must tell you that Mrs. Montagu is in very great estimation here, even with Dr. Johnson himself, when others do not praise her improperly. Mrs. Thrale ranks her as the first of women in the literary way. I should have told you that Miss Gregory, daughter of the Gregory who wrote the "Letters," or, "Legacy of Advice,"
lives with Mrs. Montagu, and was invited to accompany her.[68]
"Mark now," said Dr. Johnson, "if I contradict her tomorrow. I am determined, let her say what she will, that I will not contradict her."
Mrs. T.-Why, to be sure, sir, you did put her a little out Of countenance the last time she came. Yet you were neither rough, nor cruel, nor ill-natured, but still, when a lady changes colour, we imagine her feelings are not quite composed.
Dr. J.-Why, madam, I won"t answer that I shan"t contradict her again, if she provokes me as she did then; but a less provocation I will withstand. I believe I am not high in her good graces already; and I begin, added he, laughing heartily, to tremble for my admission into her new house. I doubt I shall never see the inside of it.
(Mrs. Montagu is building a most superb house.)[69]
Mrs. T.-Oh, I warrant you, she fears you, indeed; but that, you know, is nothing uncommon: and dearly I love to hear your disquisitions; for certainly she is the first woman for literary knowledge in England, and if in England, I hope I may say in the world.
Dr. J.-I believe you may, madam. She diffuses more knowledge in her conversation than any woman I know, or, indeed, almost any man.
Mrs. T.-I declare I know no man equal to her, take away yourself and Burke, for that art. And you who love magnificence, won"t quarrel with her, as everybody else does, for her love of finery.
Dr. J.-No, I shall not quarrel with her upon that topic.
f.a.n.n.y BURNEY"S INTRODUCTION TO A CELEBRATED "BLUE-STOCKING."
_Wednesday_.--We could not prevail with Dr. Johnson to stay till Mrs.
Montagu arrived, though, by appointment, she came very early. She and Miss Gregory came by one o"clock.
There was no party to meet her. She is middle-sized, very thin, and looks infirm; she has a sensible and penetrating countenance, and the air and manner of a woman accustomed to being distinguished, and of great parts. Dr. Johnson, who agrees in this, told us that a Mrs.
Hervey, of his acquaintance, says she can remember Mrs. Montagu trying for this same air and manner. Mr. Crisp has said the same: however, n.o.body can now impartially see her, and not confess that she has extremely well succeeded.
My expectations, which were compounded of the praise of Mrs. Thrale, and the abuse of Mr. Crisp, were most exactly, answered, for I thought her in a medium way.
Miss Gregory is a fine young woman, and seems gentle and well-bred.
A bustle with the dog Presto--Mrs. Thrale"s favourite--at the entrance of these ladies into the library, prevented any formal reception; but as soon as Mrs. Montagu heard my name, she inquired very civilly after my father, and made many speeches concerning a volume of "Linguet,"[70]
which she has lost; but she hopes soon to be able to replace it. I am sure he is very high in her favour, because she did me the honour of addressing herself to me three or four times.
But my ease and tranquillity were soon disturbed: for she had not been in the room more than ten minutes, ere, turning to Mrs. Thrale, she said,
"Oh, ma"am--but your "Evelina"--I have not yet got it. I sent for it, but the bookseller had it not. However, I will certainly have it."
"Ay, I hope so," answered Mrs. Thrale, "and I hope you will like it too; for "tis a book to be liked."
I began now a vehement nose-blowing, for the benefit of handkerchiefing my face.
"I hope though," said Mrs. Montagu, drily, "it is not in verse? I can read anything in prose, but I have a great dread of a long story in verse."
"No, ma"am, no; "tis all in prose, I a.s.sure you. "Tis a novel; and an exceeding--but it does nothing good to be praised too much, so I will say nothing more about it: only this, that Mr. Burke sat up all night to read it."
"Indeed? Well, I propose myself great pleasure from it and I am gratified by hearing it is written by a woman."
"And Sir Joshua Reynolds," continued Mrs. Thrale, "has been offering fifty pounds to know the author."
"Well, I will have it to read on my journey; I am going to Berkshire, and it shall be my travelling book."
"No, ma"am if you please you shall have it now. Queeny, do look it for Mrs. Montagu, and let it be put in her carriage, and go to town with her."
Miss Thrale rose to look for it, and involuntarily I rose too, intending to walk off, for my situation was inexpressibly awkward; but then I recollected that if I went away, it might seem like giving Mrs. Thrale leave and opportunity to tell my tale, and therefore I stopped at a distant window, where I busied myself in contemplating the poultry.
"And Dr. Johnson, ma"am," added my kind puffer, "says Fielding never wrote so well--never wrote equal to this book; he says it is a better picture of life and manners than is to be found anywhere in Fielding."
"Indeed?" cried Mrs. Montagu, surprised; "that I did not expect, for I have been informed it is the work of a young lady and therefore, though I expected a very pretty book, I supposed it to be a work of mere imagination, and the name I thought attractive; but life and manners I never dreamt of finding."
"Well, ma"am, what I tell you is literally true; and for my part, I am never better pleased than when good girls write clever books--and that this is clever--But all this time we are killing Miss Burney, who wrote the book herself."
What a clap of thunder was this!--the last thing in the world I should have expected before my face? I know not what bewitched Mrs. Thrale, but this was carrying the jest further than ever. All retenu being now at an end, I fairly and abruptly took to my heels, and ran out of the room with the utmost trepidation, amidst astonished exclamations from Mrs.
Montagu and Miss Gregory.