DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51519#0180
154
NELL GWYNN.
“ elevation.” She carried with her into the court the careless
assurance of her stage manners, and, as Burnet says, continued
cc to hang on her clothes with the same slovenly negligencebut
she likewise carried there qualities even more rare in a court than
coarse manners and negligent attire.—the same frolic gaiety, the
same ingenuous nature., and the same kind and cordial benevolence,
which had rendered her adored among her comrades. Her wit
was as natural, and as peculiar to herself, as the perfume to the
flower. She seems to have been, as the Duchess de Chaulnes
expressed it, “ femme d’esprit, par la grace de Diem” Her bon-
mots, fell from her lips with such an unpremeditated felicity of
expression, and her turn of humour was so perfectly original,
that though it occasionally verged upon extravagance and
vulgarity, even her maddest flights became her ; “ as if,” says one
of her cotemporaries, c(she alone had the patent from heaven to
engross all hearts.” Burnet calls her “ the wildest and indis-
creetest creature that ever was in a court;” and speaking of the
King’s constant attachment to her, he adds, “ but, after all, he
never treated her with the decencies of a mistress.” This last
observation of the good bishop is certainly cc twisted into a phrase
of some obscurity :” the truth is, that Nell had a natural turn for
goodness, which survived all her excesses; she was wild and
extravagant, but not rapacious or selfish,—frail, not vicious; she
never meddled with politics, nor made herself the tool of ambitious
royal and beautiful stock,” &c. &c. Indeed, some passages in this extraordinary
address come so neai’ to blasphemy, that a mind, not overtinctured with piety,
must recoil from the repetition of them. “ So excellent and perfect a creature
as yourself, differs only from the Divine Powers in this,” &c.; and again, “ When
you [that is Nelly! !] speak, men crowd to listen with that awful reverence as to
holy oracles, or divine prophecies.” It is charitable to hope, that by ‘ Divine
Powers,’ the authoress insinuated nothing beyond the Paphian deities ; and by
‘ oracles and prophecies,’ meant only the responses of the Priestess of Cytherea.
We turn with pleasure to the social qualities of this divinity, which have never been
disputed, and are prettily touched upon in another part of this dedication. “ You
never appear, but you glad the hearts of all that have the happy fortune to see
you, as if you were made on purpose to put the whole world into good-
humour.”'
NELL GWYNN.
“ elevation.” She carried with her into the court the careless
assurance of her stage manners, and, as Burnet says, continued
cc to hang on her clothes with the same slovenly negligencebut
she likewise carried there qualities even more rare in a court than
coarse manners and negligent attire.—the same frolic gaiety, the
same ingenuous nature., and the same kind and cordial benevolence,
which had rendered her adored among her comrades. Her wit
was as natural, and as peculiar to herself, as the perfume to the
flower. She seems to have been, as the Duchess de Chaulnes
expressed it, “ femme d’esprit, par la grace de Diem” Her bon-
mots, fell from her lips with such an unpremeditated felicity of
expression, and her turn of humour was so perfectly original,
that though it occasionally verged upon extravagance and
vulgarity, even her maddest flights became her ; “ as if,” says one
of her cotemporaries, c(she alone had the patent from heaven to
engross all hearts.” Burnet calls her “ the wildest and indis-
creetest creature that ever was in a court;” and speaking of the
King’s constant attachment to her, he adds, “ but, after all, he
never treated her with the decencies of a mistress.” This last
observation of the good bishop is certainly cc twisted into a phrase
of some obscurity :” the truth is, that Nell had a natural turn for
goodness, which survived all her excesses; she was wild and
extravagant, but not rapacious or selfish,—frail, not vicious; she
never meddled with politics, nor made herself the tool of ambitious
royal and beautiful stock,” &c. &c. Indeed, some passages in this extraordinary
address come so neai’ to blasphemy, that a mind, not overtinctured with piety,
must recoil from the repetition of them. “ So excellent and perfect a creature
as yourself, differs only from the Divine Powers in this,” &c.; and again, “ When
you [that is Nelly! !] speak, men crowd to listen with that awful reverence as to
holy oracles, or divine prophecies.” It is charitable to hope, that by ‘ Divine
Powers,’ the authoress insinuated nothing beyond the Paphian deities ; and by
‘ oracles and prophecies,’ meant only the responses of the Priestess of Cytherea.
We turn with pleasure to the social qualities of this divinity, which have never been
disputed, and are prettily touched upon in another part of this dedication. “ You
never appear, but you glad the hearts of all that have the happy fortune to see
you, as if you were made on purpose to put the whole world into good-
humour.”'