be fare. of relief. In fhort, we feem to have
a fecond deluge, not by the wickednefs, but
the folly of the people, and every one is
taking as much pains to perilli in it, as No-
ah and his family did to efcape it.
. The prelcnt thirll after this element,
which the phyficians have created, makes
it neceffary for them to fend their patients
to fome waters in vogue ; but the choice be-
ing left to the doftor, he is determined in
it by various circumilances : fometimes the
patient is fent where the bell: advice and af-
fiftance may be had, in cafe the diftemper
fhould increafe ; fometimes where the phy-
fician of the place is a coufin or a pupil of
the phyfician in town ; fcmetimes where the
doftqr has an eftate, in the neighbourhood ;
and I have more than once known a patient
fent to a place, for no other reafon, but be-
caufe the do£lor was born within four miles
of it.

I cannot eafily fuggeft to myfelf any rea-
fon, why phyficians in London are fond of
fending their patients to waters at the great-
elt diftance, whilft the country praftitioners
generally recommend the fprings in their
neighbourhood. I cannot come into the
notion that prevails among many perfons,
that fome of the faculty in London divide
the fees with thofe they recommend in the
country, like the lawyers who deal in agen-
cy ; hut I am induced to think that, as they
are confcious the waters are out of the cafe,
they hope the exercife and change of air in
a long journey will lay the ground-work of
that cure, which the temperance and diffi-
pation prefcribed by the doftor may poflibly
perform : on this account, they deline fend-
ing their patients to Sadlers-Wells, Powis-
Wells, Pancras-Wells, Adtbn- Wells, Bag-
nigge-Wells, the Dog and Duck, or Ifling-
tcm-Spa, which are as falutary as thofe of
Bath or Tunbridge for patients who live at
a diftance, and who can receive no benefit
from the wells and fpas in their i^ighbour-
hoo4.

Another circumftance confirms me in the



opinion, that the waters cf any fpa do no-
thing more towards the cure than what is
to be had fiom any pump whatfoever. I
never found the inhabitants of the place ap-
pear at the fprings and wells with the com-
pany of foreigners ; and I have feen many
invalids among them complaining of cho-
lics, aflhmas, gouts, &c. as. much as the vi-
fiters of the place : and if it is faid, that
many who come to Bath on crutches, go
away without them, I have feen, more than
once, thofe very crutches fuppoiting fome
miferable cripple of the town.

It may be urged, that many cures have
been performed at thefe public places ; but
whether they are to be attributed to the wa-
ters, or the air, exercife, and tem.perance
prefcribed by the dodlor, will appear from
the follov/ing ftory.

An honeft country baker having, by his
clofe and anxious application to bufinefs in
the day-time, and a very conftant attend-
ance at the Three Horfe-fhoes at night, con-
trafted a diftemper that is be ft underftood
by the names of the Hip or the Horrors, was
fo very miferable, that he had made two at-
tempts upon bis own life ; at length, by the
perfuafion of his friends, he applied to a
phyfician in the neighbourhood for advice;
the doctor (I fuppofe a quack, by the low
fee which he demanded) told him, he would
cure him in a month, if he would follow his
diredions ; but he expedled, in the meaa
time, anew quartern loaf whenever he fhould
fend for it. In return for the firft quartern,
he fent a box of pills, with direftions for
the baker to take three at fix in the morn-
ing fafting, after which to walk four miles ;
to take the fame number at fix in the even-
ing, and to walk the like number of miles ;
to repeat the fame number of pills at eight,
and to work them oft* with as pint of ale,
without the ufe of his pipe, and the like
number at ten o'clock, going to bed. The
baker kept his word with the doflor, and
the doftor kept his with the patient ; for, at
the end of the month, the honeft fellow was
in as good health, and enjoyed as high fpi-
rits, as when he was a boy. The cheap-
nefs of his cure induced the baker to en-
quire of his doftor, by what wonderful me-
dicine fo fpeedy and perfeft a cure had been
eiFedled. The doftor, which is another
proof of his not being regularly bred, told
him, the pills were made of his own
loaf, covered with gold-leaf; and added,
if he would take the fame medicine and
follow the fame dire6lions, whenever his
relapfmg into bis former courfc of life



Y 3



Ihould



326



ELEGANT EXTRACTS,



Book IV,



fhould bring on the like diforder, he might
be fure of as fpeedy and efl'eflual a cure.

I fhould however want gratitude, as well
as can;iour, if J did not acknowledge a very
lafting obligation.! lie under to Tunbridge
waters ; my wife and I had lamented, for
two or three years, that the very good eliate
which I enjoyed, would, probably, after my
death, go into another family, for want of
an heir in my own. IViy wife v/as advifed
to go to Tunbridge, and to drink the wa-
ters for eight or nine months : we were very
much grieved to part for fo long a time ;
but fuch has been our amazing fuccef?, that
the dear creature returned to me, at the end
of half a year, four months gone with child.
B. Thornicn.

% 138. The faint-hearted Lo'ver.
Sir,
I do not doubt, but every one of your
leaders will be able to judge of my cafe, as,
without queftion, every one of them either
has been, or is at prefent, as much in love
as your humble fervant. You muft know.
Sir, 1 am the very Mr. Faint -heart defcrib-
ed in the proverb, \v\\one - ver i/jon fair lady :
for though I have paid my addrefles to i't-
veral of the fex, I have gone about it in fo
meek and pitiful a manner, that it might
fairly be queftioned, whether I was in ear-
neft. One of my Dulcineas was taken, as
we catch mackerel, by a bit of fcailet ; an-
other was feduced from me by a fuit of em-
broidery ; and another furrendered, at the
firft attack, to the long fvvord of an Irifh-
man. My prefent fuit and fervice is paid
to a certain lady, who is as fearful of re-
ceiving any tokens of my affeftion, as I am
Of offering them. I am only permitted to
admire her at a diftarice; an'jogle or a ker
are all the advances J dare make ; if I move
but a finger, it puts her all in a fweat ; and,
like the fenfitive plant, fae would Ihrink and
die away at a touch. During our long court-
Ihip, I never offered to falute her but once;
and then (he made fuch a wriggling with
her body, fuch a ftruggiing with her arms,
and fuch a tolling and a twirling of her head
to and fro, that, inftead of touching her
lips, I was nearly in danger of carrying off
the tip of her nole. I even dared at another
time, to take her round the waiit; but fhe
bounced away from me, and fcreamed oat
as If r had aftually been going to commit a
ispe upon her. I alfo once plucked up
courage fufncient to attempt rquee7ing her
oy the hand, but fhe refilled my attack, by
ij duk a cIcGch of her M, that mv grafo



was prefented with nothing but iharp-point-
ed knuckles, and a long thumb-jiail; and
I was diredly afier faluted with a violent
ftroke on my jaw-bone. If I walk out with
her, I ufe all my endeavours to kesp clofe
at her fide ; but fhe whifics away from me,
as though I had fome catciiing diftemper
about me : if therj are but three of us, Ihe
eludes my deiign, by fklpping (bmetimes on
one lide aad fometimes on t'other, as I ap-
proach her; but when there are more of us
in company, fhe takes care to be fheltered
from me, by placing hsrfelf the very niid-
moll of the rank, li we ride in a coach
togeuier, I am not only debarred from fit-
ting on the fame lide, but I mult be fcated
on the furthermofl corner of the feat oppo-
fite to her, that our knees may not mee-:.
We are as much at a dirtance from one an-
other at dinner, aslf we were really man and
wife, whom cuftcm has direfted to be kept
afunder the whole length' of the table ; and
when we dnnk tea, Ihe would fooner run
the riik of having the contents fpitt over
her, than take the cup and faiicer from me
any nearer than at both our arms length. If
i mention a fyllable that in the leaft borders
upon love, Ihe imnfediately reddens a:*it as
much as if I had let drop a loofe or inde-
licate expreffion ; and when I defire to have
a little private converfation with her, fhe
wonders at my impudence, to think that fhe
could- trull: herfelf with a man alone. In
fhort. Sir, 1 begin to defpair of ever coming
to clofe contadl with her: but what is iiill
more provoking, though fhe keeps me at
fo refpeftful a diftance, Ihe tamely permits
a {trapping fellow of the guards to pat her
on the cheek, play with her hand, and even
approach her lips, and that too in my pre-
fence. If you, or any of your readers, can
advife me what to do in this cafe, it will be
a lafting oblgation conferred on

Your very humble fervant,

Timothy Mildman.
B. Thornton.

§ 139. A circmnfantial Detail of e^erj
Particular that poffed at the Coronation.

[In a Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend
iiTthe Country.]

Dear Sir,
Though I regret leaving you fo foon, af-
pecially as the weather has fince proved fo
fine, that it makes me long to be with you
in the country, yet I honelUy confefs, th<tt
I afti licartily ghid I came to town as I^id.
As I have feeti it, J declare I would not have

ndiia



Book IV.



NARRATIVES, DIALOGUES, &c.



3!^1



miffed the fight upon any confideration.
The friendlhipof Mr. Rolles, who procured
me a pafs-ticket, as they call it, enabled me
to be prefent both in the Hall and the Ab-
bey ; and as to the proceffion out of doors,
I had a fine view of it from a one-pair of
ftairs room, which your neighbour. Sir Ed-
ward, had hired, at the fmaU' price of one
hundred guineas, on purpjfe to oblige his
acquaintance. 1 wifh you had been with
me ; but as you have hvcn deprived of a
fight, which probably very few that were
prefent will ever lee again, I will endeavour
to defcribe it to you as minutely as I can,
while the circumftances are frefnin my me-
â–  mory, though my defcription muft fall very
ihorr of the reality. Firft, then, conceive
to yourfelf the fronts of the houfes, in all the
ftreets that could command the leaft point of
view, lined with fcaffoiding, like fo many
galleries or boxes raifed one above another
to the very roofs. • Thefe were covered with
carpets and cloths of different colours, which
prefcnted a pleafmg variety to the eye ; and
if you confider the brilliant appearance of
the fpedators who were feated in them
(many being richly dreffed) you will eafily
imagine thar this was no indifferent part of
the Ihovv. The mob underneath made a
pretty contrail to the reft of the company.
Add to this, that though we had nothing
but wet and cloudy weather for fome time
before, the day cleared up, and the fun
ihone aufpicioufly, as it were in compliment
to the grand feftival. The platform, on ac-
count of the uncertainty of the weather, had
a (helving roof, which was covered with a
kind of fail-cloth ; but near the place where
I was, an honeft Jack Tar climbed up to
die top and liripped off the covering, which
gave us not only a more extenfive view,
but let the light in upon every part of the
proceffion. 1 lliould tell you, that a rank
of foot-foldiers was placed on each fide
within the platform ; and it v/as not a little
furprifmg to fee the oiiicers familiarly con-
Vjerfmg and walking arm and arm \vith
many of them, till we v/ere let into the fe-
cret that they were gentlemen who had put
on the drefies of common foldiers, for what
purpofe I need not mention. On the out-
fide were Rationed, at proper diftances, fe-
veral parties of horfe-guards, whofe horfes,
indeed, fomewhat incommoded the people,
that preffed incefiantly upon them, by their
prancing and capering; though, luckily, I
do not hear of any great mifchief being
done. I muft confefs, it gave me much
pain, to fee the foldiers, both hcrfe and foot,



moft unmercifully belabouring the heads of
the mob with their broad-fwords, bayonets,
and mufquets ; but it was not unpleafant to
obferve feveral tipping the horfe-foldi(^rs
Ally from time to time (fome with half-
pence, and fome with filver, as they could
muller op the cafn) to let them pafs between
the horfes to get nearer the platform ; after "
which thefe unconfcionable gentry drove
them back again. As foon as it was day-
break (for Ithofe to go to my place over-
night) we were diverted with feeing the
coaches and chairs of the nobility and gen-
try pafling along wdth much ado ; and feve-
ral peribns, very richly dreffed, were obliged
to quit their equipages, and be efcorted by
the foldiers through the mob to their re-
fpeftive places. Several carriagcs> I am
told, received great damage : Mr. Jennings,
whom you know, had his chariot broke to
pieces ; but providentially neither he nor
Mrs. Jennings, who were in it, received
any hurt.

Their majefties (to the fhame of thofe be
it fpoken who were not fo pundu&I) came iit
their chairs from St. James's through the
Park to Weftminfter about, nine o'clock.
The king went into a room which they call
the Court of Wards, and the queen into that
belonging to the gentleman -uftier of the
black- rod. The nobility and others, who
were to walk in the proceffion, were muf-
tered and ranged by the officers of arms in
the Court of Requefts, Painted Chamber,
and Houfe of Lords, from whence the ca-
valcade was conduced into Weftminfter^
Hall. As you know all the avenues and
places about tlie Hall, you will not be at a
lofs to underftand me. My pafs-ticket
would have been of no fervice, if I had not
prevailed on one of the guards, by the ir-
fefiftible argument of h?.lf-a-crown, to make
way for me through the mob to the Hall-
gate, where I get admittance juft as their,
majefties ' were feated at the upper end,
under magnificent canopies. Her majefty's
chair wa;. on die left hand of his majefty ;
and they were attended by the great cliam-
beriain, lord high conftable, earl marrnal,-
and other great officers.. Four fwords, I
obfcrved, and as many fpurs, were prefented
in form, and then placed upon a table before
the king.

There was a regled, it feems, .fome-
v.'here, in not fending for the dean and pre-
bendaries of Weftminfter,' ^c. v/ho, not
finding themfelves fummoned,- came of their
own accord, preceded by the chorifters,
fmgerf, ^V. aniong whom was your fa-*
y 4 vourite,"



32S



ELEGANT EXTRACTS, Book IV,



vourite, as indeed he is of every one, Mr.
Beard. Ti e Hall- gate was now thrown
open to adir.il this lelji r proctlfion from the
• Abbey, when the biihop of Rochefter (that
is the vica-i) a:;d hi^ attendants brought the
Bible and the foliowii-g regalia of the king,
fiz. St. Edward's crown, relied on a cuiliion
of gold cloth, the orb with the crofs, a fcep-
trc wi:h the dove on the top, another tipt
with a Ciofs, and what they call St. Ed-
ward'b frafF. The queen's negalia were
brought at the fame time, ^iz. her crown,
upoii a culhion, a fceptre with a crois, and
a rod of ivory with a dove. Thefe were
fevetaiiy laid before their majellies, and af-
terwards delivered 10 the refpecflive officers
who were to bear them in the proceffion.

Confidering the iengih of the Cavaicade,
and the numbtrs that wer? to walk, it is no
wonder that there flioutd be much confufion
in marfhallirg the ranks. At lalt, however,
every thing was regilarly adjufted, and the
proceffion began to quit the Hall between
eleven and twelve. The platform, leading
to the weft door of the Abbey, wa^ covered
with blue baize for the train to walk on ;
but there feemed to me a defeft in not co-
vering the upright polls that fupported the
awning, as it is called (for they looked
mea!'. and naked) with that or fome other
coloured cloth. As I carry you along, I
Ihall wave mentioning the minute particulars
of the proceffion, and only obferve that the
nobility walked two by two. Being willing
to fee the proceffion pafs along the platform
through the ilreets, I haitened from the Hall,
and by the affiftance of a foldier made my
way 10 my farmer llation at the corner of
Eridge-ftreet, where the windows com-
manded a double view at the turning. I
ihall not attempt to defcribe the fplendor
and magnificence of the whole ; and words
muft fall Ihort of that innate joy and fatif-
faftion which the fpeftators felt and ex-
prefled, efpecial'y as their majellies pafied
by ; on whofe countenances a dignity fuit-
ed to their llaticn, tempered with the mofl
amiable complacency, was fenfibly impreff-
ed. It was obfervable, that as their m.aje-
fties and the nobility pafTed the corner which
commanded a profpecfl of Weilminfter-
bridge, they ftopped lliort, and turned back
to lock at the people, whofe appearance, as
they all had their hats ofF, and were thick

flanted on the ground, which rofe gradually,
can compare to nothing but a pavement of
heads and faces.

I had the misfortune not to be able to get
to the Abbey time enough to fee all that



pafied there ; nor, indeed, when I got in,
could I have fo diftinft a view as 1 could
have wifhed. But our friend Harry V/hi-
taker had the luck to be ftationed in the
iiril row of the gallery behind the feats al-
lotted for the nobility, clofe to the fquare
platform which was ere£led by the altar,
with an afcent of three fteps, for their ma-
jellies to be crowned on. You are obliged
to him, therefore, for feveral particulars
which I could nc»t otherwife have informed
you of. He tells me, as foon as their ma-
jellies entered the church, the choir llruck
up with an anthem ; and, after they were;
feated, and the ufual recognition and obla-
tior.s were made, the litany was chanted by
the bifhops of Chefter and Chicheiler, and
the refponfes made by the whole clioir, ac-
companied by the whole band of mulic.
Then the firil part of the communion fer-
vice was read ; after which a fermon was
preached by the bilhop of Salifbury, now
arcr.bifnop of York. I was not near enough
to hear it, nor, perhaps you will fay, did I
much dehre it ; but, by my watch, it lalled
only fifteen minutes. This dosie, Harry
fays he faw very diftinftly his majefty fub*
fcribe the declaration, and take the corona-
tion oatli, the folemnity of which llruck
him with an unfpeakable awe and reverence ;
and he could not help reflefting on the glo-
rious privilege which the Engiiih enjoy, of
binding their kings by the mod facred ties
of confcience and religion. The king was
then anointed by his grace of Canterbury
on the crown of his head, his breaft, and
the palms of his hands ; after which he was
prefented with the fpurs, and girt with the
fword, and was then invefted with the coro-
nation-robes, the armills, as they are called,
and the imperial pall. The orb with the
crofs was alfo prefented, and the ring v/as
put upon the fourth linger of his majelly's
right hand by the archbilhop, who then de-
livered the fceptre with the crofs, and the
other with the dove ; and being affifted by
feveral bilhops, he laftly placed the crown
reverently upon his majefty's head. A pro-
found awful filencc had reigned till this mo-
ment, when, at the very inllant the crown
was let fall on the king's head, a fellow
having been placed on the top of the Ab-
bey-dome, from whence he could look down
into the chancel, with a flag which he dropt
as a fignal, the Park and Tower guns be-
gan to lire, the trumpets founded, and the
Abbey echoed wl:h the repeated fhouts and
acclamations of the people. The peers,
who before this time had their coronets m

their'



Book IV,



NARRATIVES, DIALOGUES, Sec.



sn



their hands, now put them on, as the bi-
fhops did their caps, and the reprefentatives
of the dukes of Aquitair.e and Normandy
their hats. The knights of the Bath in
particular made a moll fplendid figure, when
they put on their caps, which were adorned
with large plumes of white feathers. It is
to be obferved, that ther^ were no com-
â–  moners knights of the Garter ; confequent-
ly, inilead of caps and veftments peculiar to
their order, they, being all peers, wore the
robes and coronets of their refpedive ranks.
I Ihould mention, that the kings of arms
alfo pu-t on coronets;

Silence again alTumed her reign, and the
fiiouts ceafmg, the archbifliop proceeded
with the reft of the divine fei vice ; and after
he had prefentcd the Bible to his majefiy,
and folemnly read the benediftions, his ma-
jefty kifl'ed the archbifhops and bifhops one
after another as they knelt before him. The
Te Deum was now performed, and this being
ended, his majelly was elevated on a fuperb
throne, which all the peers approached in
their order, and did their homages.

The coronation of the queen was per-
formed in nearly the fame manner with that
of his majefty ; the archbilhop anointed
her with the holy oil on the head and breaft,
and after he had put the crown upon her
h^ad, it was a fignal for princefs Augufta
and the peerefTes to put on their coronets.
Her majefty then received the fceptre with
the crofs, and the ivory rod with the dove,
and was conduced to a magnificent throne
en the left hand of his majefty.

I cannot but lament that I was not near
enough to obferve their majefties going
through the moft ferious and folemn afts of
devotion ; but I am told, that the reverent
attention which both paid, when (after hav-
ing made their fecond oblations) the next
ceremony was, their receiving the holy
communion, it brought to the mind of every
one near them, a proper recolleftion of the
confecrated place in which they were.
Prayers being over, the king and queen re-
tired into St. Edward's chapel, juft behind
the altar. You muft remember it — it is.
where the fuperftition of the -Roman Catho-
lics has robbed the tomb of that royal con-
fefibr of fome of its precious ornaments ;
here their majefties received each of them
a crown of ilate, as it is called, and a pro-
celTicn was made in the fame m.anner as be-
fore, except in fome trifling inftances, back
again to VVeftnnnftcr-hail, all wearing their
coronets, caps, i3c. You know 1 have often
laid, that jf one lofes ae hour in the morn-



ing, one may ride after it the whole day
without being able to overtake it. This
was the cafe in the prefent inftance ; for, to
whatever caufes it might be cwiag, the pro-
ceflion moft affu redly fet off too late : be-
fides, according to what Harry obferved,
there were fach long paufes between feme
of the ceremonies in the Abbey, as plainly
fhewed ail the .iftors were not perfedl in
their parts. Hou.ver it be, it is impoirible
to conceive the chagiin and difappointment
which the late return of the procefiion oc-
cailoned ; it being ib late indsed, that the
fpedators, even in the open air, had but a
very dim and gloomy view of it, while to
thoie who had fat patiently in Weftminfter-
hall, waiting its return for fix hours, fcarce
a glimpfe of it appeared, as the branches
were not lighted till juft upon his majefty's
entrance. I had fiattered myfelf that a
new fcene of fplendid grandeur would have
been prefented to us in the return of the
prcceffion, from the refleclion of the lights,
i^c. and had therefore polled back to the
Hall with all polhble expedition: but not
even the brilliancy of the ladies jewels, or
the greater luftre of their eyes, had the
power to render our darkncfs 'vifible ; the
whole was confufion, irregularity, and dif-
order.

Hov/ever, we were afterwards amply re»
compenfed for this partial eclipfe by the
bright pidure which the lighting of the
chandeliers prefented to us. Your unlucky
bv/fuit has made you tco well acquainted
with Weftminicer-hall for m.e to think of
defcribing it to you; but I afTure you the_
face of it was greatly altered from what'
it was when you attended to hear the ver-
dia given againft you. â–  Inftead of the in-
clofures for the courts of Chancery and
King's Bench at the upper end, which
were both removed, a platform was raifed
with feveral afcents of' Heps, where their
majefties in their chair of ftate, and the
royal family, fat at table. On each fide,
down the whole length of the Hall, the reft
of the company were feated '%&• long tables,
in the middle of v/hich were placed, on
elevations painted to reprefent marble, the
deferts, ^c. Conceive to yqurfelf, if you
can conceive, what I ov/n 1 am at a lofs to
• defcribe, fo magnificent a building as thai:
of Weilminfter-hall, lighted up with near
three thoufand wax-candles in moft fpletidid
branches; our crowned heads, and almoil