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a strict accountant, and kept some, it might be, for special sharply within the terms of his warmth, but smiling blandly bargains; exacting notes of hand upon all. He was eminently the at each quarterly settle- gentleman of his time; and if ment for whatever the there is a hidden charm in his Æt. 35. balance might be, and ob-portraits, it is that. His own najecting to add to it by new pay-ture pervades them, and shines ments when it happened to be out from them still. He was now large. It is but to imagine a forty years old, being younger visit from Hogarth at such time. than Hogarth by a quarter of a If his goodnature wanted any century; was already in the restimulus, the thought of New- ceipt of nearly six thousand bery would give it. He had him- pounds a year; and had known self an old grudge against the nothing but uninterrupted prosbooksellers. He charges them perity. He had moved from in his autobiography with "cruel St. Martin's-lane into Newport"treatment" of his father, and street, and from Newport-street dilates on the bitterness they add into Leicester-square; he had to the hard necessity of earning raised his prices from five, ten, bread by the pen. But, though and twenty guineas (his earliest the copyrights of his prints were charge for the three sizes of a source of certain and not in- portraits), successively to ten, considerable income, his money twenty, and forty, to twelve, at command was scanty; and it twenty-four, and forty-eight, to would better suit his generous fifteen, thirty, and sixty, good-humour, as well as better twenty, forty, and eighty, and to serve his friend, to bring his twenty-five, fifty, and a hundred, easel in his coach some day, and the sums he now charged; he enthrone Mrs. Fleming by the had lately built a gallery for his side of it. So may the portrait works; and he had set up a gay have been painted; and much gilt coach, with the four seasons laughter there would be in its painted on its panels.* Yet, of progress, I do not doubt, at the very different sort of sitters and subjects whose coroneted coaches were crowding the west side of Leicester-square.

The good-humour of Reynolds was a different thing from that of Hogarth. It had no antagonism about it. Ill-humour with any other part of the world had nothing to do with it. It was gracious and diffused; singling out

to

*See Farington's Memoirs in the Works, I. CLXII, and the Life by Beechey, I. 124-5, 139-40. He greatly advanced his prices in later days. Mr. Croker states, in a note to his last edition of Boswell, (113): "I have been informed by Sir "Thomas Lawrence, his admirer and "rival (!), that in 1787 his prices were "length, one hundred for the half-length, "two hundred guineas for the whole"seventy for the kit-cat, and fifty for "what is called the three-quarters. But LL even "must have been made, as Horace Walon these prices some increase "pole said, "Sir Joshua, in his old age,

1763.

those to whom the man was have overrated the effects of really known, it may be doubted education, study, and the practice if there was one who grudged of schools; and it is matter of him a good fortune, which was much regret that he should worn with generosity and grace, never have thought of and justified by noble qualities; Hogarth but as a moral t. 35. while few indeed should have satirist and man of wit, or sought been the exceptions, whether for his favourite art the dignity among those who knew or those of a closer alliance with such who knew him not, to the feel- philosophy and genius. But the ing of pride that an Englishman difficult temper of Hogarth himhad at last arisen who could self cannot be kept out of view. measure himself successfully with His very virtues had a stubbornthe Dutch and the Italian.* ness and a dogmatism that re

This was what Reynolds had pelled. What Reynolds most striven for; and what common desired, to bring men of their men might suppose to be his common calling together, and, envy or self-sufficiency. Not with by consent and union, by study any sense of triumph over living and co-operation, establish claims competitors did he listen to the to respect and continuance,— praise he loved; not of being Hogarth had been all his life opbetter than Hogarth, or than posing; and was now, at the Gainsborough, or than his old close of life, standing of his own master Hudson, was he thinking free choice apart and alone. continually, but of the glory of Study the great works of the being one day placed by the side great masters for ever, said of Titian, Rubens, and Vandyke. Reynolds.* There is only one Undoubtedly he must be said to school, cried Hogarth, and that is kept by Nature. What was ""becomes avaricious. He had one thou-uttered on the one side of "sand guineas for my picture of the Leicester-square was pretty sure "three ladies Waldegrave.' Walpoliana." This latter picture contained half-lengths to be contradicted on the other; of the three ladies on one canvas. For and neither would make the adcurious lists of his prices, see Malone's

Account of Reynolds in the Works, I. vance which might have recon

LXII-LXXI, and Northcote, II. 347-56.

ciled the views of both.

Be it

"I remember once going through a remembered, at the same time, "suite of rooms where they were show- that Hogarth, in the daring con"ing me several fine Vandykes; and we came to one where there were some fidence of his more astonishing "children, by Sir Joshua, seen through a genius, kept himself at the "door: it was like looking at the reality, farthest extreme. "Talk of sense, they were so full of life; the branches

46

"of the trees waved over their heads, "and study, and all that," he "and the fresh air seemed to play on said to Walpole, "why, it is "their cheeks-I soon forgot Vandyke!"

Conversations of Northcote, 163, 164. This Close of the Sixth Discourse, Works, must have been at Wilton. I. 186.

"owing to the good sense of "the English that they have not "painted better. The people "who have studied paint"ing least are the best Et. 35. "judges of it.

1763.

There's

CHAPTER VIII.

The Club and its First Members.

1763.

THE association of celebrated "Reynolds, who certainly has men of this period known as the "genius; why but t'other day Literary Club did not receive "he offered a hundred pounds that name till many years after it "for a picture that I would not came into existence: but that "hang in my cellar."* Reynolds Reynolds was its Romulus (so might have some excuse if he Mrs. Thrale said Johnson called turned from this with a smile, him),* and this year of 1763 the and a supposed confirmation of year of its foundation, is unqueshis error that the critic was tionable, though the meetings himself no painter. Thus these did not begin till winter. Johngreat men lived separate to the son caught at the notion eagerly; last. The only feeling they suggested as its model a club he shared in common may have had himself founded in Ivy-lane been that kindness to Oliver some fourteen years before, and Goldsmith, which, after their re- which the deaths or dispersion spective fashion, each mani- of its members had now interfested well. The one, with his rupted for nearly seven years; ready help and robust example, and on this suggestion being would have strengthened him adopted, the members, as in the for life, as for a solitary war-earlier club, were limited to nine, fare which awaited every man of and Mr. Hawkins, as an original genius; the other, more gently, member of the Ivy-lane, was inwould have drawn him from vited to join. Topham Beauclerc contests and solitude, from dis- and Bennet Langton were also contents and low esteem, to the asked, and welcomed earnestly; sense that worldly considera- and, of course, Mr. Edmund tion and social respect might Burke. He had lately left Dublin gladden even literary toil. While and politics for a time, and reHogarth was propitiating and turned to literature in Queenpainting Mrs. Fleming, Rey

nolds was founding the Literary" else of the company called him so, Anecdotes, 122. "Or said somebody

Club.

*The whole dialogue from which these expressions are taken will be found in the Coll. Lett. IV. 141.

"which was more likely." It has been alleged that Reynolds, in making the proposal to Johnson, acted on a hint from Lord Charlemont; but I find no good authority for this, which the absence of Charlemont from the club until 1773, when he was elected on Beauclerc's nomination, renders otherwise very unlikely.

Anne-street; where a solid mark the limitation at first proposed of his patron Hamilton's satisfac- was thus of course done away tion had accompanied him, in with. A second limitation, howshape of a pension on the Irish ever, to the number of

1763.

Establishment of £300 a year. twelve, was definitively Æt. 35.

Perhaps it was ominous of the made on the occasion of mischances attending this pen- the second balloting, and will be sion, that it was entered in the duly described. The place of name of "William Birt:" the meeting was the Turk's-head name which was soon to be so tavern in Gerrard-street, Soho,* famous, having little familiarity

66

or fame as yet. The notion of each other sufficiently, without wishing the club delighted Burke; and for more company with whom to pass an evening. "This," writes Percy to Boshe asked admission for his well (Nichols's Illustrations, VII. 311), "I father-in-law, Doctor Nugent, "have heard Johnson mention as the an accomplished roman-catholic "small number of members to which for principal or avowed reason for the physician, who lived with him. "many years it was limited." And so Beauclerc in like manner sug- far Johnson was right in holding that gested his friend Chamier, then the club's adversity did not arrive till the numbers were large, and the members secretary in the war-office.* not very select; nor is it easy to imagine Oliver Goldsmith completed the that Lord Liverpool, in comparatively number. But another member recent days, when he found himself on one occasion solus at the dinner, was of the original Ivy-lane society, able to entertain himself sufficiently Samuel Dyer, ** making unex- without wishing for more company. The pected appearance from abroad nobody with them at sea but" themin the following year, was joyfully selves. admitted; and though it was resolved to make election difficult, and only for special reasons permit addition to their number, ***

* Chamier was not appointed undersecretary of state till 1775. In the account of the club there may still be one or two slight inaccuracies, though I have been at some pains to obtain correct information since my last edition. Obvious errors, indeed, exist in every description of this celebrated society, from the first supplied by Malone to the last furnished by Mr. Hatchett.

men are few who can afford to have

66

Here the club remained as long as the landlord died, and the hotel became Goldsmith lived, and until 1783, when a private house. Meanwhile the predominance of whig politics in it, in consequence of the remarkable prominence in its conversations of Burke, Fox, Lord Spencer, Sheridan, Dunning, and others (the Fox star and the Irish constella"tion," as Johnson phrased it, when he complained of Reynolds being "too "much under" those planets, Bos. VII. 96), had so thoroughly disgusted Johnson, that he almost wholly withdrew himself in the latter years of his life. "then," says Mrs. Piozzi, "loudly pro"claimed his carelessness who might be "admitted, when it was become a mere 'dinner-club." (Anecdotes, 122.) After *** It was intended, according to Ma- 1783 it removed to Prince's, in Sackvillelone (Account of Reynolds, LXXXIII), that street; and on his house being soon the club should consist of such men as afterwards shut up, it removed to Baxthat, if only two of them chanced to ter's, which subsequently became Thomeet, they should be able to entertain [mas's, in Dover-street. In January 1792

** For an interesting account of this remarkable man, see Malone's Life of Dryden, 181-5 (note).

66

"He

1763.

where, the chair being taken that politics reigned supreme at every Monday night at seven Wildman's or the Cocoa-tree. o'clock by a member in rotation, Not without advantage, let me all were expected to at- add, to the dignity and worldly tend and sup together. In consideration of men-of-letters Æt. 35. about the ninth year of themselves. "I believe Mr. Fox their existence, December 1772, "will allow me say," wrote the they changed their day of meet- Bishop of St. Asaph to Mr. Wiling to Friday; and, some years liam Jones, when the society was later (Percy and Malone say in not more than fifteen years old, 1775), * in place of their weekly "that the honour of being elected supper they resolved to dine to- "into the Turk's-head Club is gether once a fortnight during "not inferior to that of being the the meeting of parliament. Each "representative of Westminster member present was to bear his "or Surrey. The electors are share of the reckoning; and con- "certainly more disinterested; versation, from which politics "and I should say they were only were excluded, was kept up "much better judges of merit, if always to a late hour. "they had not rejected Lord

re

So originated and was formed "Camden and chosen me."* that famous club, which had Yet in those later days, when, on made itself a name in literary the same night of that election history long before it received, of the Bishop of St. Asaph, Lord at Garrick's funeral, the name of Camden and the Bishop of The Literary Club by which it is Chester were black-balled,** now known. Its meetings were the society had begun to lose the noised abroad; the fame of its high literary tone which made conversations received eager ad- its earlier days yet more dition from the difficulty of ob-markable. *** Shall we wonder taining admission to it; and it if distinction in such a society came to be as generally under- should open a new life to Goldstood that literature had fixed smith? her social head-quarters here, as it removed to Parsloe's, in St. James'sstreet; and on February 26, 1799, to the **When bishops and chancellors," Thatched-house in the same street, where says Jones, commenting on this fact, it remained till the tavern was pulled "honour us with offering to dine at a down, shortly after my last edition was "tavern, it seems very extraordinary published. Such as it now is, "a mere "that we should ever reject such an "miscellaneous collection of conspicuous" offer; but there is no reasoning on the "men, without any determinate charac-" caprice of men. Of our club I will only "ter," it meets at the Clarendon; and, "say that there is no branch of human appropriately enough, has for some time "knowledge on which some of our memdropt its prefix of "Literary" and again"bers are not capable of giving informacalls itself The Club. "tion." Teignmouth's Life, 1. 345.

*Percy Memoir, 73, and Malone's Account of Reynolds, LXXXIV.

*Teignmouth's Life and Correspondence of Sir William Jones, 1. 347.

*** See on the other hand what is said, post, Book IV. Chap. IV.