Volume 1

Records of my life / By the late John Taylor, esquire.

  • John Taylor
Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Records of my life / By the late John Taylor, esquire. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    attended to as he ought to have been, as his under¬ standing was sound, and his matter always solid. The inequality of his tones in Parliament procured him, as I have heard, the name of “ Bubble and Squeak. He was, however, an excellent man, and I revere his memory. I have some pride in recol¬ lecting, that on account of the good terms in which I lived with politicians whom I knew on both sides, he gave me the name of “ Atticus,” of which, how¬ ever undeserving, I am proud as the flattering desig¬ nation of a friend. It is certain that while I was kindly received by some distinguished members of the Pitt party, I was upon the most intimate footing with Sheridan, Richardson, and their political asso¬ ciates. Dr. Monsey and the celebrated Mrs. Montague lived long in intimate friendship, and kept up a sort of ludicrous gallantry with each other. I remember I once had the pleasure of meeting her at Dr. Mon- sey’s, and of handing her to her carriage. I said, as we went down stairs, “ Are you not afraid, madam, of being known to visit a gentleman in his cham¬ bers ?” “ Why, yes,” said she, “ considering my youth and beauty, and the youth of the gallant. I hope the meeting will not get into The Morning Post.” The published letters of this lady are admirable, and her Essay on Shakspeare is a valuable vindication of our great bard from the strictures of Voltaire. It was supposed that at an early period of her life, she had been attached to the venerable Lord Lyt¬ telton, beyond the limits of platonism ; but Monsey, who would not credit any imputation upon her moral character, said that, if such a supposition could possi¬ bly have any foundation, it rather applied to Lord
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