Transcriber’s notes: In this e-text, paired underscores denote _italicised text_, and a ^ (caret) indicates superscripted text. Footnotes have been positioned below the relevant paragraphs. A small number of spelling and typographic errors have been corrected silently. _Some Eccentrics & a Woman_ _First Published in 1911_ [Illustration: A VIEW from the PUMP ROOM, BATH.] _Some Eccentrics & a Woman_ _By Lewis Melville_ _London_ _Martin Secker_ _Number Five John Street_ _Adelphi_ NOTE Of the eight papers printed here, “Some Eighteenth-Century Men About Town,” “A Forgotten Satirist: ‘Peter Pindar’,” “Sterne’s Eliza,” and “William Beckford, of Fonthill Abbey,” have appeared in the _Fortnightly Review_; “Charles James Fox” appeared in the _Monthly Review_, “Exquisites of the Regency” in _Chambers’s Journal_, and “The Demoniacs” in the American _Bookman_. To the editors of these periodicals I am indebted either for permission to reprint, or for their courtesy in having permitted me to reserve the right of publication in book form. “Philip, Duke of Wharton” is now printed for the first time. LEWIS MELVILLE _Contents_ PAGE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MEN ABOUT TOWN 13 SOME EXQUISITES OF THE REGENCY 47 A FORGOTTEN SATIRIST: “PETER PINDAR” 103 STERNE’S ELIZA 129 THE DEMONIACS 161 WILLIAM BECKFORD OF FONTHILL ABBEY 189 CHARLES JAMES FOX 219 PHILIP, DUKE OF WHARTON 253 INDEX 283 _List of Illustrations_ “A VIEW FROM THE PUMP ROOM, BATH” _Frontispiece_ _A Facsimile Reproduction of a Drawing by Richard Deighton_ SIR JOHN LADE _To face page_ 16 _From the Painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds_ THE PRINCE OF WALES " " 48 _From the Miniature by Cosway_ LUMLEY SKEFFINGTON " " 80 _From a Contemporary Miniature_ PETER PINDAR " " 112 _From the Painting by John Opie_ LAURENCE STERNE " " 144 _From the Painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds_ WILLIAM BECKFORD " " 192 _From the Painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds_