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off about L1500. All things are exaggerated, I am supposed to
have won at least twice as much.' In 1765 he is said to have won
two thousand louis of a German at billiards. Writing to Selwyn,
Gilly Williams says of him: `I did not know he was more an adept
at that game than you are at any other, but I think you are both
said to be losers on the whole, at least Betty says that her
letters mention you as pillaged.'
Among the numerous occasions on which the name of the Duke of
Queensberry came before the public in connection with sporting
matters, may be mentioned the circumstance of the following
curious trial, which took place before Lord Mansfield in the
Court of King's Bench, in 1771. The Duke of Queensberry, then
Lord March, was the plaintiff, and a Mr Pigot the defendant. The
object of this trial was to recover the sum of five hundred
guineas, being the amount of a wager laid by the duke With Mr
Pigot--whether Sir William Codrington or _OLD_ Mr Pigot should
die first. It had singularly happened that Mr Pigot died
suddenly the _SAME MORNING_, of the gout in his head, but before
either of the parties interested in the result of the wager could
by any possibility have been made acquainted with the fact. In
the contemporary accounts of the trial, the Duke of Queensberry
is mentioned as having been accommodated with a seat on the
bench; while Lord Ossory, and several other noblemen, were
examined on the merits of the case. By the counsel for the
defendant it was argued that (as in the case of a horse dying
before the day on which he was to be run) the wager was invalid
and annulled. Lord Mansfield, however, was of a different
opinion; and after a brief charge from that great lawyer, the
jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff for five hundred
guineas, and he sentenced the defendant to defray the costs of
the suit.[143]
[143] Jesse, George Selwyn and his Contemporaries, vol. i. p.
194.
This prince of debauchees seems to have surpassed every
model of the kind, ancient or modern. In his prime he reproduced
in his own drawing-room the scene of Paris and the Goddesses,
exactly as we see it in classic pictures, three of the most
beautiful women of London representing the divinities as they
appeared to Paris on Mount Ida, while he himself, dressed as the
Dardan shepherdholding a _GILDED_ apple (it should have been
really golden) in his hand, conferred the prize on her whom he
deemed the fairest. In his decrepit old age it was his custom,
in fine sunny weather, to seat himself in his balcony in
Piccadilly, where his figure was familiar to every person who was
in the habit of passing through that great thoroughfare. Here
(his emaciated figure rendered the more conspicuous from his
custom of holding a parasol over his head) he was in the habit of
watching every attractivefemale form, and ogling every pretty
face that met his eye. He is said, indeed, to have kept a pony
and a servant in constantreadiness, in order to follow and
ascertain the residence of any fair girl whose attractions
particularly caught his fancy! At this period the old man was
deaf with one ear, blind with one eye, nearly toothless, and
labouring under multiplied infirmities. But the hideous
propensities of his prime still pursued him when all enjoyment
was impossible. Can there be a greater penalty for unbridled
licentiousness?
MR LUMSDEN.
Mr Lumsden, whose inveterate love of gambling eventually caused
his ruin, was to be seen every day at Frascati's, the celebrated
gambling house kept by Mme Dunan, where some of the most
celebrated women of the _demi-monde_ usually congregated. He was
a martyr to the gout, and his hands and knuckles were a mass of
chalk-stones. He stuck to the _Rouge et Noir_ table until
everybody had left; and while playing would take from his pocket
a small slate, upon which he would rub his chalk-stones until
blood flowed. `Having on one occasion been placed near him at
the _Rouge et Noir_ table, I ventured,' says Captain Gronow, `to
expostulate with him for rubbing his knuckles against his slate.
He coolly answered, "I feel relieved when I see the blood ooze
out." '
Mr Lumsden was remarkable for his courtly manners; but his
absence of mind was astonishing, for he would frequently ask
his neighbour _WHERE HE WAS_! Crowds of men and women would
congregate behind his chair, to look at `the mad Englishman,' as
have won at least twice as much.' In 1765 he is said to have won
two thousand louis of a German at billiards. Writing to Selwyn,
Gilly Williams says of him: `I did not know he was more an adept
at that game than you are at any other, but I think you are both
said to be losers on the whole, at least Betty says that her
letters mention you as pillaged.'
Among the numerous occasions on which the name of the Duke of
Queensberry came before the public in connection with sporting
matters, may be mentioned the circumstance of the following
curious trial, which took place before Lord Mansfield in the
Court of King's Bench, in 1771. The Duke of Queensberry, then
Lord March, was the plaintiff, and a Mr Pigot the defendant. The
object of this trial was to recover the sum of five hundred
guineas, being the amount of a wager laid by the duke With Mr
Pigot--whether Sir William Codrington or _OLD_ Mr Pigot should
die first. It had singularly happened that Mr Pigot died
suddenly the _SAME MORNING_, of the gout in his head, but before
either of the parties interested in the result of the wager could
by any possibility have been made acquainted with the fact. In
the contemporary accounts of the trial, the Duke of Queensberry
is mentioned as having been accommodated with a seat on the
bench; while Lord Ossory, and several other noblemen, were
examined on the merits of the case. By the counsel for the
defendant it was argued that (as in the case of a horse dying
before the day on which he was to be run) the wager was invalid
and annulled. Lord Mansfield, however, was of a different
opinion; and after a brief charge from that great lawyer, the
jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff for five hundred
guineas, and he sentenced the defendant to defray the costs of
the suit.[143]
[143] Jesse, George Selwyn and his Contemporaries, vol. i. p.
194.
This prince of debauchees seems to have surpassed every
model of the kind, ancient or modern. In his prime he reproduced
in his own drawing-room the scene of Paris and the Goddesses,
exactly as we see it in classic pictures, three of the most
beautiful women of London representing the divinities as they
appeared to Paris on Mount Ida, while he himself, dressed as the
Dardan shepherdholding a _GILDED_ apple (it should have been
really golden) in his hand, conferred the prize on her whom he
deemed the fairest. In his decrepit old age it was his custom,
in fine sunny weather, to seat himself in his balcony in
Piccadilly, where his figure was familiar to every person who was
in the habit of passing through that great thoroughfare. Here
(his emaciated figure rendered the more conspicuous from his
custom of holding a parasol over his head) he was in the habit of
watching every attractivefemale form, and ogling every pretty
face that met his eye. He is said, indeed, to have kept a pony
and a servant in constantreadiness, in order to follow and
ascertain the residence of any fair girl whose attractions
particularly caught his fancy! At this period the old man was
deaf with one ear, blind with one eye, nearly toothless, and
labouring under multiplied infirmities. But the hideous
propensities of his prime still pursued him when all enjoyment
was impossible. Can there be a greater penalty for unbridled
licentiousness?
MR LUMSDEN.
Mr Lumsden, whose inveterate love of gambling eventually caused
his ruin, was to be seen every day at Frascati's, the celebrated
gambling house kept by Mme Dunan, where some of the most
celebrated women of the _demi-monde_ usually congregated. He was
a martyr to the gout, and his hands and knuckles were a mass of
chalk-stones. He stuck to the _Rouge et Noir_ table until
everybody had left; and while playing would take from his pocket
a small slate, upon which he would rub his chalk-stones until
blood flowed. `Having on one occasion been placed near him at
the _Rouge et Noir_ table, I ventured,' says Captain Gronow, `to
expostulate with him for rubbing his knuckles against his slate.
He coolly answered, "I feel relieved when I see the blood ooze
out." '
Mr Lumsden was remarkable for his courtly manners; but his
absence of mind was astonishing, for he would frequently ask
his neighbour _WHERE HE WAS_! Crowds of men and women would
congregate behind his chair, to look at `the mad Englishman,' as
- beginning [bi´giniŋ]
n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词) - immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)
- dispose [di´spəuz] v.处置；安排；布置 (初中英语单词)
- phrase [freiz] n.短语；词组；措词 (初中英语单词)
- passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)
- inspect [in´spekt] v.检查；视察；检阅 (初中英语单词)
- disgrace [dis´greis] n.耻辱 vt.玷辱；贬黜 (初中英语单词)
- obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)
- thereby [´ðeəbai] ad.因此，由此 (初中英语单词)
- writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)
- principal [´prinsəpəl] a.主要的 n.负责人 (初中英语单词)
- wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)
- parliament [´pɑ:ləmənt] n.议(国)会 (初中英语单词)
- extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)
- extreme [ik´stri:m] a.尽头的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)
- observation [,ɔbzə´veiʃən] n.观测；注意；意义 (初中英语单词)
- curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)
- player [´pleiə] n.游戏的人；选手 (初中英语单词)
- supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)
- connection [kə´nekʃən] n.联系；关系；联运 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- possibility [,pɔsə´biliti] n.可能(性)；希望；前途 (初中英语单词)
- counsel [´kaunsəl] n.商议；劝告；律师 (初中英语单词)
- charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
- lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)
- prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)
- shepherd [´ʃepəd] n.牧羊人 vt.带领 (初中英语单词)
- attractive [ə´træktiv] a.有吸引力；诱人的 (初中英语单词)
- female [´fi:meil] a.女(性)的 n.女人 (初中英语单词)
- constant [´kɔnstənt] a.坚定的；坚贞的 (初中英语单词)
- residence [´rezidəns] n.居住(期间)；住宅 (初中英语单词)
- remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)
- colonel [´kə:nəl] n.海(陆)军上校 (高中英语单词)
- positively [´pɔzətivli] ad.确实；断然；绝对 (高中英语单词)
- hazard [´hæzəd] n.危险 vt.冒…险 (高中英语单词)
- fortunately [´fɔ:tʃənətli] ad.幸运地 (高中英语单词)
- scanty [´skænti] a.贫乏的；节省的 (高中英语单词)
- fashionable [´fæʃənəbəl] a.流行的，时髦的 (高中英语单词)
- steward [´stju:əd] n.管家；服务员 (高中英语单词)
- conspiracy [kən´spirəsi] n.密谋；协同作用 (高中英语单词)
- finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)
- remainder [ri´meində] n.剩余物；残余部分 (高中英语单词)
- amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
- astonishing [əs´tɔniʃiŋ] a.令人惊讶的 (高中英语单词)
- boyhood [´bɔihud] n.少年时代(期) (高中英语单词)
- contemporary [kən´tempərəri] a.&n.同时代的(人) (高中英语单词)
- classic [´klæsik] a.第一流的 n.杰作 (高中英语单词)
- conspicuous [kən´spikjuəs] a.显著的；出众的 (高中英语单词)
- penalty [´penlti] n.刑罚；惩罚；障碍 (高中英语单词)
- martyr [´mɑ:tə] n.烈士；殉难者 (高中英语单词)
- coachman [´kəutʃmən] n.赶马车人 (英语四级单词)
- contentment [kən´tentmənt] n.满足；使人满意的事 (英语四级单词)
- tradesman [´treidzmən] n.店主；商人 (英语四级单词)
- reluctantly [ri´lʌktəntli] a.不情愿地；勉强地 (英语四级单词)
- anecdote [´ænikdəut] n.轶事；趣闻 (英语四级单词)
- afloat [ə´fləut] ad.&a.漂浮；在海上 (英语四级单词)
- consistent [kən´sistənt] a.一致的；始终如一的 (英语四级单词)
- personage [´pə:sənidʒ] n.名流；人物，角色 (英语四级单词)
- accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)
- verdict [´və:dikt] n.裁决，判决；判定 (英语四级单词)
- balcony [´bælkəni] n.阳台；(戏院的)楼厅 (英语四级单词)
- readiness [´redinis] n.准备就绪；愿意 (英语四级单词)
- eventually [i´ventʃuəli] ad.最后，终于 (英语四级单词)
- coolly [´ku:li] ad.冷(静地)，沉着地 (英语四级单词)
- transact [træn´zækt] v.处理；做交易；谈判 (英语六级单词)
- retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)
- farthing [´fɑ:ðiŋ] n.法新 (英语六级单词)
- coolness [´ku:lnis] n.凉，凉爽；冷静 (英语六级单词)
- defendant [di´fendənt] n.&a.被告(人)(的) (英语六级单词)
- holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
- thoroughfare [´θʌrəfeə] n.大路；干道；通道 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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