Since my arrival in England I have accomplished what I had very much at
heart, viz., providing for the inhabitant of the Cheese Island, whom
I had brought with me. My old friend, Sir William Chambers, who is
entirely indebted to me for all his ideas of Chinese gardening, by
a description of which he has gained such high reputation; I say,
gentlemen, in a discourse which I had with this gentlemen, he seemed
much distressed for a contrivance to light the lamps at the new
buildings, Somerset House; the common mode with ladders, he observed,
was both dirty and inconvenient. My native of the Cheese Island popped
into my head; he was only nine feet high when I first brought him from
his own country, but was now increased to ten and a half: I introduced
him to Sir William, and he is appointed to that honourable office. He
is also to carry, under a large cloak, a utensil in each coat pocket,
instead of those four which Sir William has _very properly_ fixed for
private purposes in so conspicuous a situation, the great quadrangle.
He has also obtained from Mr. PITT the situation of messenger to his
Majesty's lords of the bed-chamber, whose principal employment will
_now_ be, divulging the secrets of the Royal household to their _worthy_
Patron.
SUPPLEMENT
_Extraordinary flight on the back of an eagle, over France to Gibraltar,
South and North America, the Polar Regions, and back to England, within
six-and-thirty hours._
About the beginning of his present Majesty's reign I had some business
with a distant relation who then lived on the Isle of Thanet; it was a
family dispute, and not likely to be finished soon. I made it a practice
during my residence there, the weather being fine, to walk out every
morning. After a few of these excursions I observed an object upon a
great eminence about three miles distant: I extended my walk to it, and
found the ruins of an ancient temple: I approached it with admiration
and astonishment; the traces of grandeur and magnificence which yet
remained were evident proofs of its former splendour: here I could not
help lamenting the ravages and devastations of time, of which that once
noble structure exhibited such a melancholy proof. I walked round it
several times, meditating on the fleeting and transitory nature of
all terrestrial things; on the eastern end were the remains of a lofty
tower, near forty feet high, overgrown with ivy, the top apparently
flat; I surveyed it on every side very minutely, thinking that if I
could gain its summit I should enjoy the most delightful prospect of the
circumjacent country. Animated with this hope, I resolved, if possible,
to gain the summit, which I at length effected by means of the ivy,
though not without great difficulty and danger; the top I found covered
with this evergreen, except a large chasm in the middle. After I had
surveyed with pleasing wonder the beauties of art and nature that
conspired to enrich the scene, curiosity prompted me to sound the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account