Refreshments
are here constantly spread before the lingerer, tempting those (who
have not had a wink of sleep for weeks) to eat and enjoy themselves.
In this house one thing is remarkable, and I think it tends to confuse
the mind,--"the drawing-room" is on the ground-floor! Here the soothing
sorcerer over anguish and horror--receives his visitors; and here,
indeed, he sees company in due state. I merely took a glimpse at this
room, which was by no means so provocative of curiosity to me as was the
blue chamber to that of Fatima's.
A few _mems_ must close this weak and impotent description:--a few
recollections snatched amidst the fascination of the whole place! We
observed that the mode in which our artist expelled a troublesome
_double enemy_ put an end to the usual interpretation of Zanga's famous
exclamation,
"The flesh _will_ follow where the pincers tear!"
The _pincers_ might be used, but the flesh did _not_ follow,--the
eye-tooth came out as clean as a smelt. Mr. D. had several pictures
in _enamel_, which were much to be valued; and he had in his hall
a portrait by the late Sir Thomas Lawrence of Mr. Cartwright--and
likenesses by _H. B._ in one of his closets, of Howard, Imrie, Sanford,
Clarke, Jones, Parkinson, Hayes, Biggs, Rogers, &c. &c. which are
allowed to be, by all observers, admirable works of art. There is a
slight attempt at _Mallan_ in _mineral succedaneum_, which appears to be
falling away--we will not say decaying.
One nuisance there is, and we cannot as honest historians pass it
over; the street, in which our D. lives, is disturbed, distracted, by
an excess of music, amounting, arising indeed, into a decided case
of "_organic_ disease." The _grinders_ making a point--it would seem
a pointed point--of showing themselves in the very front of that
building,--which is opposed to anything defective in the front!
As we were about to depart from this attractive spot--not
_spot_--place,--we saw Charles Taylor or Tom Cooke slipping away with
every tooth perfect, and yet not without a _falsetto_. Some musical wag
however still remained, and by permission of the butler (a _drawer_ of
corks in large practice) we were allowed to hear the following song; and
we shall print it at once without comment, explanation, or excuse,
"For, oh! Sir Thomas's own sonnet
Beats all that we can say upon it."
SONG,
For the Private Theatre or the _Drawing_-room.
_Air--Not_ "Pull away, pull away, pull away, my hearties!"--DIBDIN.
Oh! this is the house for effects and for scenes,--
What is Drury, Ducrow's, Covent Garden, the Queen's?
Success at the one or the other will pause,
But in this house the manager constantly _draws_.--
Then let the Muse _be_ at her
Home, in this theatre;
Gain here, and glory, go snacks in applause.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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