THE ROUE HAS BECOME A VALETUDINARIAN.--NEWS.--A FORTUNETELLER. Meanwhile the graced Godolphin floated down the sunny tide of his prosperity. He lived chiefly with a knot of epicurean dalliers with the time, whom he had selected from the wittiest and the easiest of the London world. Dictator of theatres--patron of operas--oracle in music--mirror of entertainments and equipage--to these conditions had his natural genius and his once dreaming dispositions been bowed at last! A round of dissipation, however, left him no time for reflection; and he believed (perhaps he was not altogether wrong) that the best way to preserve the happy equilibrium of the heart is to blunt its susceptibilities. As the most uneven shapes, when whirled into rapid and ceaseless motion, will appear a perfect circle, so, once impelled in a career that admits no pause, our life loses its uneven angles, and glides on in smooth and rounded celerity, with false aspects more symmetrical than the truth. One day Godolphin visited Saville; who now, old, worn, and fast waning to the grave, cropped the few flowers on the margin, and jested, but with sourness, on his own decay. He found the actress (who had also come to visit the Man of Pleasure) sitting by the window, and rattling away with her usual vivacity, while she divided her attention with the labours of knitting a purse. “Heaven only knows,” said Saville, “what all these times will produce. I lose my head in the dizzy quickness of events. Fanny, hand me my snuff-box. Well, I fancy my last hour is not far distant; but I hope, at least, I shall die a gentleman. I have a great dislike to the thought of being revolutionised into a roturier. That’s the only kind of revolution I have any notion about. What do you say to all this, Godolphin? Every one else is turning politician; young Sunderland whirls his cab down to the House at four o’clock every day--dines at Bellamy’s on cold beef; and talks of nothing but that d----d good speech of Sir Robert’s’. Revolution! faith, the revolution is come already. Revolutions only change the aspect of society, is it not changed enough within the last six months? Bah! I suppose you are bit by the mania?” “Not I! while I live I will abjure the vulgar toil of ambition. Let others rule or ruin the state;--like the Duc de Lauzun, while the guillotine is preparing, I will think only of my oysters and my champagne.” “A noble creed!” said Fanny, smiling: “let the world go to wreck, and bring me my biscuit! That’s Godolphin’s motto.” “It is life’s motto.” “Yes--a gentleman’s life.”