“Wit, beauty, goodness, sentiment refin’d, The brightest genius, with the purest mind; Quick nerves, to sympathy too nicely strung, And sportive innocence for ever young; Gay beaming smiles, and each still varying grace, Accordant harmony of voice and face; Sweet chat, that might despairing anguish soothe; A soul all energy, a heart all truth;— Give it but wings, ’tis angel, goddess, Elf; Or add caprice and—ELLA—’tis thyself.” Idem semper erit quoniam semper fuit idem. CHAPTER LVII. In the preceding narrative, the name of a very celebrated lady has been introduced, who, for a long series of years, greatly attracted public notice, and concerning whom, the loudest praises and the bitterest censures have been scattered about with unsparing profuseness. This lady was MRS. P⸺. She seems introduced in the Recollections merely as one of those to whom a certain degree of reputation in the literary world obtained an easy introduction, but by no means from any admiration either of her talents, or her conduct. A long interval of time elapsed between the first commencement of acquaintance with this lady, and its last renewal; but the impression concerning her, remained the same—unaltered and unalterable. Her great characteristic was vanity; acute, ingenious, and variously informed, she undoubtedly was; but there was a pert levity about her, which induced a perpetual suspicion of her accuracy, and an affectation also, which it seems wonderful that Dr. Johnson could ever have endured. The fraternity who used to assemble at her parties, had certain cant words and expressions among them, perfectly characteristic of their numerous but fantastical school. Every body admitted to their familiarity was termed _Dear_. _Dear_ Anna Seward, _Dear_ Dr. Darwin, _Dear_ Mrs. Siddons, _Dear_ Sir Lucas Pepys, were terms perpetually vibrated in gentle undulations round the drawing-room. No person seems better to have understood this lady’s character than Boswell. The term _Lively Lady_, in the sense in which he used it, was admirably descriptive of her mind and manner, both in writing and conversation. But her works and her character have long been before the public, who have formed an adequate estimate of both. It is not perhaps generally known, that her decline of life was characterized with one of those extraordinary and preposterous acts, that fortunately do not often occur in society, but when they do, are invariably animadverted upon with the asperity they deserve. It is very notorious that Mrs. P. had several children, and many grand-children. It is equally well known that she possesses considerable hereditary landed property, to the amount of not much, if at all less than four thousand pounds a-year.