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The Green Bag.

world, you must not sup out!' Once, having waited till past midnight for her opinion, she departed furious and complaining. " I do not know, sir, who she was," said the trembling clerk, who, no doubt, had felt the rough side of the imperious tongue; " but "I had to-day a dozen billets doux she swore so dreadfully that I am sure she From fops and wits and Bow street beaux; Some from Whitehall, but from the Temple more, must be a lady of quality!" A Covent Garden porter brought me four."' We must not forget Bessie Surtees, a It should always be a matter of regret to famous beauty, who ran away to be married good Americans that on the day when Anne to the future Lord Eldon. (Templars have Bracegirdle first took the town by storm always had a weakness for elopements; the some misguided people were taking ship younger Colman and Sheridan are excellent examples). George III. told Eldon when for the new land called Pennsylvania — re joicing to leave a city where such heathen he received the seals that he owed his place practices were ripe. One could give no quite as much to his wife as himself. There higher praise to any woman than that her is a delightful story of the struggling years goodness impressed two such men as Wal- of the young couple, when the future Chan pole and Colley Cibber; and that praise is cellor undertook to read the lectures of the Mrs. Bracegirdle's. We must not forget an Vinerian Professor to the students. He re earlier name in this calendar — the only ceived the first only just before the time for hagiology in which Barbara, Duchess of its delivery, and proceeded, all unwittingly, to open a treatise on the statute, 4 and 5 Cleveland, will ever figure. Our only con cern with her now is that Voltaire, and after Phil, and M., cap. 8: "Of young men run him Leigh Hunt, tells the story of her visits ning away with maidens." " Fancy me to the young Templar, Wycherley, in the reading, with about 150 boys and young Inn, "dressed like a country maid in a straw men all giggling at the Professor." hat, with pattens on, and a basket in her There is Mary Lamb, too, who alone of hand." all these, can claim to have been born with The next visitor is a much more pompous in the precincts; and a daughter-in-law of and reputable dame, — no less than the Littleton who has the equally unique dis famous Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. tinction of being buried there. We had Her visits were all paid to the chambers of almost included sweet Ruth Pinch, to whom young William Murray, afterwards Lord Fountain Court is sacred, as the place where Mansfield, but then a rising junior living in she and John Westlock were wont to King's Bench Walk. The Duchess sent meet. Murray a retaining fee of one thousand In Queen Anne's day Hatton describes guineas, for the purpose, apparently, of giv the fountain jet as rising "to a vast and al ing him excellent advice at most unseason most incredible altitude." It is a tiny stream able hours. Often the lumbering Marl now, that bends at a height of some few borough coach, with its army of lackeys feet like a silver whip. Its fenced enclosure and link-bearers, would rumble down the and mimic fish pond, with the crowd of walk at ten o'clock at night and find Murray twittering sparrows that are always on its out, " drinking champagne with the wits." brim, make it the pleasantest spot of any in Her Grace would then invariably wait for the Temple, as it is the best known in song him, always with the same gruff rebuke : and story. "Young man, if you wish to rise in the As we leave the Temple, by Middle In her day Mrs. Braccgirdle's was a name to conjure with. She turned the heads and stormed the hearts of our forefathers for something like a quarter of a century. This is Dryden's toast for her : —