Volume 1

The Farington diary / edited by James Greig.

  • Joseph Farington
Date:
[1922?-1928]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Farington diary / edited by James Greig. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    l7 94 Topharn Beauclerc and Burke July 31 .—At noon, I went with Lysons to Lord Orfords at Straw¬ berry Hill,—and stopped at Twickenham where we took boat and I made a drawing of Popes House, (now belonging to Welbore Ellis) [first Baron Mendip]. Lord Orford mentioned many particulars relative to the late Mr. Topharn Beauclerc [the celebrated wit]. He said He was the worst tempered man He ever knew.—Lady Di passed a most miserable life with him. Lord 0, out of regard to her invited them occasionally to pass a few days at Strawberry Hill.—They slept in separate beds.— Beauclerc was remarkably filthy in his person which generated vermin.— He took Laudanum regularly in vast quantities.—He seldom rose before one or two o’clock.—His principal delight was in disputing on subjects that occurred, this He did accutely.—Before He died He asked pardon of Lady Di, for his ill usage of her.—He had one son and two daughters by Lady Di.—One married Lord Herbert, the second went abroad with her Brother, Lord Bolingbroke. August 1.—Left Strawberry Hill at 7 o’clock, & breakfasted at Kew. Called on Zoffany [R.A.] & I made a drawing of Kew Bridge from his window.—He was painting on one of his Parisian subjects,— the woemen [sic] & sans culottes, dancing &c over the dead bodies of the Swiss Soldiers.—Zoffanys legs are much swelled by a scorbutic humour. August 3.—Richd. Burke, only child of Edmund, died yesterday. He had been elected member for Malton in the room of his Father 10 days since. August 9.—Marchi [assistant to Sir Joshua Reynolds] said the greif of Burke on the loss of his Son was excessive. He cd. not be kept from the room in which the corpse lay, and after viewing threw himself on the bed in agonies, and was so weakened by his greif He could scarcely stand.—Burkes servants thought the journey and business of the election in Yorkshire had hastened his end. He had sicknesses in the night which He desired his servant to conceal from his Father. He was 36 years old.