GEORGE SELWYN.

A Love of Horrors.—­Anecdotes of Selwyn’s Mother.—­Selwyn’s College
Days.—­Orator Henley.—­Selwyn’s Blasphemous Freak.—­The Profession of a
Wit.—­The Thirst for Hazard.—­Reynolds’s Conversation-Piece.—­Selwyn’s
Eccentricities and Witticisms.—­A most Important Communication.—­An
Amateur Headsman.—­The Eloquence of Indifference.—­Catching a
Housebreaker.—­The Family of the Selwyns.—­The Man of the People.—­
Selwyn’s Parliamentary Career.—­True Wit.—­Some of Selwyn’s Witty
Sayings.—­The Sovereignty of the People.—­On two kinds of Wit.—­Selwyn’s
Home for Children.—­Mie-Mie, the Little Italian.—­Selwyn’s Little
Companion taken from him.—­His Later Days and Death.

RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN.

Sheridan a Dunce.—­Boyish Dreams of Literary Fame.—­Sheridan in Love.—­A Nest of Nightingales.—­The ’Maid of Bath.’—­Captivated by Genius.—­ Sheridan’s Elopement with ’Cecilia.’—­His Duel with Captain Matthews.—­ Standards of Ridicule.—­Painful Family Estrangements.—­Enters Drury Lane.—­Success of the Famous ’School for Scandal.’—­Opinions of Sheridan and his Influence.—­The Literary Club.—­Anecdote of Garrick’s Admittance.—­Origin of the ’Rejected Addresses.’—­New Flights.—­Political Ambition.—­The Gaming Mania.—­Almacks’.—­Brookes’.—­Black-balled.—­Two Versions of the Election Trick.—­St. Stephen’s Won.—­Vocal Difficulties.—­ Leads a Double Life.—­Pitt’s Vulgar Attack.—­Sheridan’s Happy Retort—­ Grattan’s Quip.—­Sheridan’s Sallies.—­The Trial of Warren Hastings.—­ Wonderful Effect of Sheridan’s Eloquence.—­The Supreme Effort.—­The Star Culminates.—­Native Taste for Swindling.—­A Shrewd but Graceless Oxonian.—­Duns Outwitted.—­The Lawyer Jockeyed.—­Adventures with Bailiffs.—­Sheridan’s Powers of Persuasion.—­House of Commons Greek.—­ Curious Mimicry.—­The Royal Boon Company.—­Street Frolics at Night.—­
An Old Tale.—­’All’s well that ends well.’—­The Fray in St. Giles’.—­
Unopened Letters.—­An Odd Incident.—­Reckless Extravagance,—­Sporting
Ambition.—­Like Father like Son.—­A Severe and Witty Rebuke.—­
Intemperance.—­Convivial Excesses of a Past Day.—­Worth wins at last.—­
Bitter Pangs.—­The Scythe of Death.—­Sheridan’s Second Wife.—­Debts of
Honour.—­Drury Lane Burnt.—­The Owner’s Serenity.—­Misfortunes never come
Singly.—­The Whitbread Quarrel.—­Ruined.—­Undone and almost Forsaken.—­
The Dead Man Arrested.—­The Stories fixed on Sheridan.—­Extempore Wit and
Inveterate Talkers.

BEAU BRUMMELL.

Two popular Sciences.—­’Buck Brummell’ at Eton.—­Investing his Capital.—­
Young Cornet Brummell.—­The Beau’s Studio.—­The Toilet.—­’Creasing
Down.’—­Devotion to Dress.—­A Great Gentleman.—­Anecdotes of Brummell.—­
’Don’t forget, Brum:  Goose at Four’—­Offers of Intimacy resented.—­