THE FEMALE CHARIOTEER. Qui cupit optatum cursu contingere metam. Sunt quos curriculo pulverum Olympicam Horace During our short colloquy, one of her beautiful horses became what she called fidgetty, for which she promised to pay him off in the park. The other, at starting, shewed ibid, symptoms of great friskiness, for which she gave him a few dexterous AFTER waiting an hour at the cuts, distorting, in a small degree, an old officer return- her features at the same time, as ed from India, whom I had not much as to say, "Will you? I'll be seen for many years, I was pro- your master (not mistress, there is ceeding across Bond Street, full of no such term in coachmanship yet;) my disappointment, and looking I'll teach you better manners; l'i back to the days of our childhood, bring you to a sense of your duty;" when first our intimacy commenced. or something to that purpose.13 Filled with these melancholy pleasing thoughts, I was almost stunned with the cry of "Hoy!" I turned round, and perceived a Groom ad I turned about, to view her as she went along. She had a small round riding-hat on; she sat in the most coachmanlike manner, handled vancing towards me on horseback, her whip in a very masterly style, and a curricle coming on me at the rate of nine miles per hour. The and had, altogether, something female, charioteer pulled up with quite gentlemanlike in her appear-1 I was now just out of the line of ance. She was going at a bold and difficulty, and, in doing so, quite brisk trot; and as she passed her altered the lines of a very comely countenance, for all was tugging numerous acquaintances, she was and muscular exertion. so intent upon the good management of her reins, and her eves so fixed upon her high-mettled cattle, that she gave a familiar, knowing, sideway, nod of her head, very similiar to what I have seen stage coachmen, hackneymen, and fash ionable ruilians, their copies, give a brother whip, passing on the road, danger, and the vehicle was abreast of me, when the other Groom touching his hat, and the lady recognis. ing me and smiling, I perceived that it was Lady, one of my best friends, who had nearly run over me. She apologised, was quite shocked, but could not con- or when they almost graze another's ceive how I could be so absent; and lastly, laid the blame on her horses, observing, that they had had so little work of late, that they were almost too much for her. A few civilities passed between us, with the usual barometrical and thermometrical observations of an English man, which are his great auxiliaries is the knowledge of driving obtained in conversation, and we parted. 3 wheel, or cut out a carriage, when This led me to general reflections on female charioteers in general. And first, to acquire any talent, it is necessary to learn the art. How by the fairer sex? masquerade disguise, which I should never wish to see her in, and which certainly is not calculated to capti If a lady take the reins from her that her driving-dress is a complete husband, her brother. or her lover, it is a strong emblem of assuming the masterv. If she have no cou rage, no muscular strength, and no vate a lover, nor to gain a husband, attention to the domination and unless the latter be a slave, who guidance of her studs, she becomes gives the whip-hand to his lady. no driver, no whip, and runs the risk of breaking the neck of self I now began to recollect the feand friends daily. If she do excel male whips of my acquaintance; and I found that I never could esin this study, she becomes immediately, masculine and severe: she teem one of them. A certain titled punishes, when occasion requires, lady, who shall be nameless, since the animals which come under ber she is no more, used to excel in 7 lash assumes a graceless attitude, driving four milk-white horses in hand. Her face was a perfect enheats her complexiop by exertion, loses her softness by virtue of her amel, something like china, from the paint which she used; and to office, runs the risk of hardening her hands, and may perchance hard. see the thong of her whip fly about the leaders, to behold her gather up her reins and square her elbows, was the delight of the ostlers and en her heart at all events, she gains unfeminine habits, and such as are not easily got rid of. If she learn of the family coach man, it must be allowed that it is no likely that he should give her any peculiar grace, nor teach her any thing polite. The pleasure of his company, whilst superintending her lesson, cannot much improve her mind; and the freedom of these hackney coachmen about town, who nevertheless spoke very lightly of her at the same time. I confess that she became a complete object of disgust to myself, and to many thinking inen of my acquaintance. She used frequently to drive out a male relation, which made the pic teachers of coachmanship may ture still more preposterous in my eyes; whilst the very praise of the prove offensive to her, which a gra- lower classes alluded to, sunk her dual loss of feeling, done away by in my estimation. the pride of excelling as a Whip, can alone render palatable. And why do coachmen and pu When the accomplishment of gilists, grooms and jockeys, praise driving is acquired, what does it the superiour ranks of society for tend to? A waste of time, a mas- excelling in driving, in boxing, in culine enjoyment, and loss of (I horse-racing, or in riding like post will not say moral, but) feminine boys? Because it reduces the highcharacter of that sweet, soft, and est to the level of the lowest, be overpowering submission to and de- cause (to adopt their own expres pendance on man, which whilst it sion, so often made use of by the claims our protection and awakens bargemen on the Thames, towards our dearest sympathies, our tender- a certain Duke) he's not proud, he est interests, enchants, attaches is just like one of us, he can tug at and subdues us. I have known la- his oar, smoke and drink beer dies so affected by an inordinate a man," aye, and take his own part. love for charioteering, that it has That such qualities may, upon an completely altered them, and they emergency, prove useful, I admit, at last became more at home in the but His Grace, as well as all female stable than in the drawing-room. charioteers, must excuse me from The very lady in question is so dif- considering them as any way ornaferent when dressed for dinner, mental. 66 like To return to my female driving with a masculine expression of counfriends. A certain fair daughter of tenance, and with a four-horse whip green Erin used formerly to drive in her hand; nor was it ever in mesont in her curricle: She is a tended that "those limbs, formed perfect whip; and has, from con- for the gentler offices of love," versing so much on the subject, and should be displayed behind prancing from seeing so much stable compa- coach-horses, with an unwieldy ny, assumed a tone, an attitude, whip in one hand, and a gross mass, and a language, most foreign to her of leather in the other. The very sex. Driving one day in the Cir- diamond itself is scarcely seemly, cular Road, near Dublin, her hor- when clad in its rough coat of earth, ses pulled very hard, and would and of uncouthness; 'tis the high have blistered common fingers, but, polish which it receives, which disprotected by the stiff York tan, and plays its hidden lustre, and which, hardened by the management of the reflecting its real worth, makes it so whip, she stood up and punished brilliant, and so eminently valuable. them, crying, "I'll take the shine Thus it is with woman: every out of you before I have done with thing which tends to divest her of you!" then "keeping them up to the asperity and ruggedness of the their work," as she called it, and inferiour part of our sex, augments fanning furiously along, she exult- her attractions: every thing which ingly exclaimed, all in a heat and can assimilate her to the harshness flurry herself, "There and be- of man, despoils her of her richest (1 looked thunder-struck)-be hang- ornaments, and lowers her in our, ed to you!" concluded she, smiling estimation. I remember once passat me, and resuming her sang froid. ing a lady in the King's Road, one A Commoner's lady was my of whose outriders had dismounted, third driving acquaintance: She and was adjusting something about was very bold; given to the joys of the reins, whilst the other was holdthe table; got lightly spoken of as ing his horse behind. The Lady, to reputation; and, after all, over- and the Groom, who appeared to be turned herself once, and broke her instructor in the art of coachher arm. My inquiries as to the manship, had much conversation recharacter of the other celebrated specting the cattle. The latter female Whips, have not obtained said, "Give him his hiding, my any information which could change Lady, and don't spare him." To my opinion as to the advantages of which, she elegantly replied, "D-n a lady's becoming a good Whip. It the little horse." This gave the militates against the softness, the finishing confirmation to my former delicacy, the beauty, and attrac- opinion. tions, of the sex. I would ask any I know that it will be objected to amateur, the greatest possible ad- me, that these vulgarities are not mirer of lovely woman, whether, general in high coachwomen, and her complexion being heated, her lips that they are not necessary; but to dry, and her features covered with this I beg leave to answer, that dust, as she returns from a horse- their very existence is preposterous, race or from a morning drive, are and that if on the one hand these circumstances of improvement to vices are not absolutely a part of her in any way? coachmanship, coachmanship or I doubt if our forefather Adam charioteering is not at all necessary could have been captivated with to a woman's accomplishments, nor Eve, had she appeared to him either even to her amusement. in a dream, or in coarse reality, THE HERMIT IN LONDON. 3687 VARIETIES From La Belle Assemblée. THE DUCHESS OF MODENA. which he had been carried for asWHEN the Duke of Modena was sistance.-James IV. fell in Flodre-established in his states, he was den Field.-James V. died of grief desirous of giving a ball on the oc- for the wilful ruin of his army at casion; but his Duchess declared Solway Moss.-Henry Stuart, Lord publicly at the Palais Royale, that Darnly, was assassinated and then his Highness had not money suffici- blown up in his retirement. Mary ent to clothe himself fit to dance Stuart was beheaded in England. one minuet. Indignant at seeing James I. of England and VI. of the luxury and expense of Madame Scotland, died not without suspide Pompadour, at that time, who cion of being poisoned by the Duke governed France in the name of of Buckingham.--Charles I. was Louis XV. while his people wanted beheaded.---Charles II. was exiled bread, the Princess actually went to for many years - James II. lost court without shoes, to show the his crown, and died in banishment. King the indigence she was reduced -Ann, after a reign which, though to by the war, and to what a mise. glorious, was continually rendered rable situation it had brought the unhappy by party disputes, died of states of Modena. "Madame," apopleptick grief, occasioned by said Louis to her, "I am not over- the quarrels of her most favoured much at my ease any more than servants. yourself; but I have still a shoemaker, and if you wish I will send him to you." THE UNFORTUNATE RACE OF THE STUARTS. ANECDOTE OF BONAPARTE IN EGYPT. Just as Bonaparte was inspecting the body of Turks he had drawn up to be shot at Jaffa, amounting to near five thousand men, the age and noble countenance of a Janissary attracted his observasion."Old man," said he sharply, "what do you do here ?"-The undaunted In one of our preceding Numbers we gave a detail of the misfortunes attending the race of the Capets: those of the Stuarts are not less remarkable, as may be seen by the following statement of those disas- Janissary replied, "I must answer ters that attended their family du- that question by asking you the ring three hundred and ninety same. Your answer will be that years. you came to serve your Sultan; so Robert III. died with grief, be- did I mine." The frankness and cause his eldest son, Robert, was intrepidity of the reply interested starved to death, and his youngest, every one in his favour. Bonaparte James, was made a captive. - smiled!" He will be saved," James I. after having beheaded whispered the Aides-de-camp.three of his nearest kindred, was "You know not Bonaparte," said assassinated by his own uncle, who one who had served with him in was tortured to death for the crime. Italy; "that smile does not pro-James II. was killed by the burst. ceed from benevolence: rememing of a piece of ordnance.-James ber what I say."- The opinion was III. when flying from the field of too true. The Janissary was left battle, was thrown from his horse, in the ranks, doomed to death, and and murdered in a cottage into suffered. MAGAZINE: A REPOSITORY OF ORIGINAL PAPERS, & SELECTIONS FROM ENGLISH MAGAZINES. Published every Saturday Morning, at Robinson's Circulating Library, No. 94, Baltimore-strest, VOL. L.] BALTIMORE, SATURDAY, DEC. 26, 1818. [No. 24. From the European Magazine, for Sept. 1818. EXTRACTS FROM A LAWYER'S PORTFOLIO. THE BROTHER'S HOUSE. It T has has pl pleased one of the merriest spots sanctified by their remains; of this age to call courts and the last inhabitant of the Broof law the chimnies of society, ther's House might have been misthrough which all the smoke and taken for one of their society. But black vapours find a vent; thence though his habits now appeared, so inferring, that the sweepers must simple and sequestered, he had acthave black hands. I am not quali ed a celebrated part on the grand fied to decide whether these chim- theatre of life. His genius and sennies of the moral world could be sibility had been blunted in his cleansed by besoms, or other ma- youth by too early inheritance of chines, as satisfactorily as by hu- rank and fortune, yet he did not man sweepers, alias lawyers. Let become, like the prodigal of the future parliaments consider this, seventeenth century, by turns "a as our's have bountifully compas- fidler, statesman, and buffoon:"sionated a fraternity of the same he only changed into a chemist, and colour, I comfort myself by re- employed the energies left by dismembering, that my profession ac- sipation, on gas, galvanism, merino quaints me particularly with the firesides of my fellow creatures, and that the stains on our hands may be washed away. fleeces, and human skulls. After amusing himself with more than the "Century of Inventions," dedicated by the Marquis of Worcester to King Charles, he suddenly sunk in the There was once in the North of England a half torsaken by-road, to an obscure and indolent solitude, which led the traveller round the adopting Paracelsus's maxim skirts of a wide woody garden, "Trees last longer than men, befrom whence a flight of stone steps cause they stand still." He ceased ascended to a green terrace, where to write, ate little, talked still less, t stood the remnant of an ancient and never moved mov beyond thresbuilding, called the Brother's House. hold of the Brother's House, in It owed this name to the appropria- which he settled himself without retion of the mansion in other times garding its dilapidated state, with to a Moravian fraternity, long since only one servant, a man as merry dissolved. A few flat tablets scat- and useful, but as oddly shaped and tered among the neglected flowers as much dreaded by the neighbourin the garden, distinguished the hood, as the lubber-fheud of Milson's VOL. I. 24. |