On this Day in History ... 25 August

Autobiograph Simon D'Ewes. 25 Aug 1622. On Sunday, the 25th day of this month, preached one Mr. Claydon, (minister of Hackney, near London,) at St. Paul's Cross [Map]; and cited a story out of our Chronicles, of a Spanish sheep, brought into England in Edward the First's time, which infected most of the sheep of England with a murrain, and prayed God no more such sheep might be brought over from thence hither; at which many of his bearers cried out "Amen." So much generally did all men fear that Prince Charles should marry¹ the King of Spain's (age 17) sister (age 16), as they ever hated that nation. He lay awhile in prison for his sermon, but was soon after set at liberty by the mediation of Sir John Ramsey (age 42), Knt., a Scotchman, Earl of Holderness, whose chaplain he was.

Note 1. In MS. Egerton 783, is a curious paper, entitled "A Private Consideration of the intended Marriage between Charles, Prince of Woles, and Mary of Austria, Daughter of the late Phillip the Third king of Spain."It commences as follows: - "The House of Parliament should once have been blown up, and now is supposed to be broken up for the averseness of the Commons to the Spanish match, for expressing their fears of danger and loss to the kingdom, both daily confirmed and increased by the acquires of the King of Spain, and prooeedings of the Spanish action; by our treative complements with Spain, and for protesting to preserve their rights and privileges." The proposed articles of marriage are given in the same volume.

The Early Diaries of Frances Burney May 1775. Mr. Jones, a Welsh harper, a silly young man, was also present. We had a great deal of conversation in parties, before the Concert began. I had the satisfaction to sit next to Mr. Harris (age 62), who is very cheerful and communicative, and his conversation was instructive and agreeable^58.5. Mr. Jones, the harper, began the Concert. He has a fine instrument of Merlin's construction; he plays with great neatness and delicacy; but as expression must have meaning, he does not abound in that commodity. After him, at the request of the Baronness Deiden, Mr. Burney went to the harpsichord. He played with his usual successful velocity and his usual applause. When he had received the compliments of the nobility and gentry, my father begged the Baronness to take his place; but she would not at first hear of it. She said in French, which she almost always speaks, that it was quite out of the question; and that it would be like a figurante's dancing after Heinel^59.1. However, Miss Phipps joined so warmly in my father's request, that she was at length prevailed with. The character she has acquired of being the first of lady harpsichord players, as far as I have heard or can judge, is well merited. She has a great deal of execution and fire, and plays with much meaning. She is, besides, extremely modest and unconscious. She declared she had never been so much frightened before in her life^59.2. When she had played a Lesson of Schobert's, my father asked her for another German composition, which he had heard her play at Lord Mulgrave's. She was going very obligingly to comply, when the Baron Deiden, looking at my sister, said, "Mais après, ma chère." "Eh bien!" cried Miss Phipps, "après Mrs. Burney."

Note 58.5. James Harris, of Salisbury (age 62), was nephew to that Earl of Shaftesbury who wrote "The Characteristics." He was First Lord of the Admiralty in 1762; a Lord of the Treasury afterwards. Dr. Johnson said that he was "a sound, solid scholar," but "a prig, and a bad prig," and "a coxcomb," who "did not understand his own system" in his own book, called "Hermes, an inquiry concerning universal grammar." We here see him in his pleasant, social aspect. Dr. Burney ranks him as a writer on music, in virtue of his three "Treatises on Art, Music, and History," 1774. When Mr. Harris took his seat in the House of Commons, Charles Townsend said to his next neighbour,-" Who is this man?"-" Who? why Harris that wrote one book about Grammar, and another about Virtue."-" What does he come here for? He will find neither Grammar nor Virtue here."

Note 59.1. Horace Walpole to Lord Strafford, August 25, 1771: "There is a finer dancer" (than Mlle. Guimard) "whom Mr. Hobart is to transport to London; a Mlle. Heinel or Ingle, a Fleming. She is tall, perfectly made, very handsome, and has a set of attitudes copied from the classics; she moves as gracefully slow as Pygmalion's statue when it was coming to life." She filled a before-deserted Opera House. The manager, Mr. Hobart, paid her six hundred pounds for the season, and the Maccaroni Club" complimented her with a regale of six hundred more."

Note 59.2. According to Horace Walpole, the Baron and Baroness Deiden were not personce gratis at the Court of St. James; being sent to England after the imprisonment of George III's (age 33) sister, Caroline Matilda, Queen of (age 20) Denmark. They were moved to the Papal Court, where Miss Berry met them a little later.