Portraits of Curious Characters in London, &c. &c.: With Descriptive and Entertaining Ancedotes.Anonymous
General
Portraits of Curious Characters in London, &c. &c.: With Descriptive and Entertaining Ancedotes.
Anonymous
London (England) -- Biography
She had a good knowledge of English books; many persons entertained
her for her advice, relative to purchasing them. She obtained a
comfortable subsistence from teaching and translating foreign
languages, and by selling books chiefly in foreign literature. She
taught the Duke of Portland the German language, and was always
welcomed to his house; the Prussian Ambassador to our court received
from her a knowledge of the English language; and several
distinguished noblemen she frequently visited to instruct them in the
French tongue; she also taught Edward Gibbon, the celebrated Roman
historian, the German language, previous to his visiting that country.
This extraordinary female has never been known to have appeared in any
other but the male dress since her arrival in England, where she
remained upwards of thirty years; and upon occasions she would attend
at court, decked in very superb attire; and was well remembered about
the streets of London; and particularly frequent in attending book
auctions, and would buy to a large amount, sometimes a coach load, &c.
Here her singular figure generally made her the jest of the company.
Her general purchase at these sales was odd volumes; which she used to
carry to other booksellers, and endeavour to sell, or exchange for
other books. She was also a considerable collector of medals and
foreign coins of gold and silver; but none of these were found after
her decease. She frequented the Furnival's Inn coffee house, in
Holborn, dining there almost every day; she would have the first of
every thing in season, and was as strenuous for a large quantity, as
she was dainty in the quality of what she chose for her table. At
times, it is well known, she could dispense with three pounds of solid
meat; and, we are sorry to say, she was much inclined to extravagant
drinking.
The disorder of a cancer in her breast, occasioned by falling down
stairs, she was, after much affliction, _at length compelled_ to
make known to a German physician, who prescribed for her; when the
disorder turned to a dropsy, defied all cure, and finished the career
of so remarkable a lady.
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