The member for Durham.

~75~~Lord Deerhurst (now Earl of Coventry) had then, as now, very quick
parts, and early insight into beautiful composition. Whatever good thing
he met with, he was always ready with an immediate parallel; Latin,
Greek, or from honesty into English, nothing came amiss to him. He
had a quick sense of the ridiculous; and could scout a character at all
absurd and suspicious, with as much pleasant scurrility as a gentleman
need have.

Banks always made his own exercises, as his exercises have since made
him. He was a diligent and good boy; and though an early arithmetician,
and fond of numbers, he was as soon distinguished for very honourable
indifference to number one.

Douglas (now, I believe, Marquis of Queensberry) was remarkable for the
worst penmanship in the school, and the economy of last moments; till
then he seldom thought of an exercise. His favourite exercise was in
Tothill-fields; from whence returning once very late, he instantly
conceived and executed some verses, that were the best of his day. On
another day, he was as prompt, and thought to have been more lucky than
before; when, lo, the next morning he was flogged! for the exercise was
so ill written, that it was not legible even by himself.

Lord Maiden was remarkable for his powers of engaging, and he then, as
since, made some engagements, which might as well have been let alone.
He made an early promise of all he has since performed. He was very fond
of dramatic entertainments, and he enacted much; was accounted a good
actor; so was his crony, Jack Wilson, so well known at Mrs. Hobart's,
&c., for his fal de ral tit and for his duets with Lady Craven, Lady A.
Foley, &c, &c.

Lord MANSFIELD, then William Murray, here began his career. When at
school, he was not remarkable for personal courage, or for mental
bravery; though one of the stoutest boys of his standing, he was often
beat by boys a year or two below him; and though then acute and voluble,
his opinions were suppressed and retracted before minds less powerful
but more intrepid than his own. Of his money allowance he was always
so good a manager, ~70~~that he could lend to him who was in need. The
famous exercise which Nicois made such a rout about, was in praise of
abundance: an English theme on this thesis, from Horace--

"_Dulce est de magno tollore acervo_. "

He was in college; and no man on earth could conjecture that in his
own _acervo_ there would e