some extent true, though it is certain that other spirits contributed in
no small degree to the excesses of his temper and the peculiarities of
his taste. He was addicted to drunkenness, and with his son and other
companions, kept up his revels in the best apartments of his house,
by which in a very short time, all his costly furniture was ruined,
or very much injured.
"Not insensible that he must share the common lot, Dexter, many years
before his death, prepared himself a tomb. It was the basement story of
his summer-house, magnificently fitted, and open to the light of day. His
coffin, made of the best mahogany which he could find, superbly lined,
and adorned with silver handles, he kept in a room of the house, and
took great pleasure in exhibiting it to visitors--at other times it was
locked up. Soon after his death apparatus was prepared, Dexter got up a
mock funeral, which with all but his family and a few associates was to
pass as real. Various people in the town were invited by card, who came
and found the family clad in mourning, and preparations for the funeral
going forward. The burial service was read by a wag, who then pronounced
a bombastic eulogy upon the deceased. The mourners moved in procession to
the tomb in the garden, the coffin was deposited, and they returned to
the large hall, where a sumptuous entertainment was provided. While the
feast was going on, a loud noise attracted the guests to the kitchen,
where they beheld the arisen Lord caning his wife for not having shed
a tear during the ceremony! He entered the hall with the astonished
mourners, in high spirits, joined in the rout, threw money from the
window to the crowd of boys, and expressed his satisfaction with every
thing except the indifference of his wife, and the silence of the bells."
Lord Dexter died at his house, on the 26th of October, 1806, in his 60th
year, and by direction of the Board of Health, his remains were interred
in the common burying place. His grave is marked by a simple stone.
The Dexter mansion, is yet standing, and is a very fine tenement, but
retains few traces of the whims of its late proprietor. Of the images,
upwards of forty in number, only the three Presidents now remain, the
others having been cast down by the resistless hand of time. Some of
them were blown down in the great gale of September, 1815, and were sold
at auction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account