ver be aggrandizement, such as it has since
occurred.

Lord Stormont at school began his knack of oral imitations, and when
a child, could speak quite as well as afterwards; after his uncle, the
disgusting pronunciation of the letter o then too infected his language;
he made it come to the ear like an a. Humorously glancing at this
affectation, Onslow or Stanhope said "Murray's horse is an ass."

Markham, the Archbishop of York, made an early display of classical
taste, and the diligent cultivation of it. Some of his school exercises
are extant, and show more than a promise of that refinement and
exactness, which afterwards distinguished his performances at Christ
Church. The Latin version of the fragment of Simonides, as beautiful as
any thing in the whole range of poetical imitation, though published
in the Oxford Lachrymo as Mr. Bournes, is known to be written by Mr.
Markham.

At school, too, Markham's conversation had a particularity known to
distinguish it. War was his favourite topic, and caught, perhaps, from
the worthy major, his father, and from his crony Webb, afterwards the
general. It was apparent upon all occasions; when he was to choose his
reading as a private study, in the sixth form, Caesar was his first book;
and so continuing through most of his leisure time addicted to this
sort of inquiry, the archbishop was afterwards able to talk war with any
soldier in England. But, indeed, what is there he could not talk
equal to any competitor? To the Archbishop Markham, and through him to
Westminster, attach the credit of the good scholarship of the present
king. This is little less than a credit to the country.

The Marquis of Stafford had fame for his English exercises; and after
saying this of his Wednesday nights' themes, let it also be noted, that
he had fame for other exercises of old England. He could ride, run, row,
and bat better than most of his comtemporaries; in his potations, too,
he was rather deep; but though deep, yet clear; and though gentle, yet
not dull. At once a most jolly fellow, and the most magnificent of his
time,--and so "_ab incepto processerit_."

The Duke of Dorset, then Sackville, (since dead) was good-humoured,
manly, frank, and passionately fond of various school ~77~~exercises; as
billiards, at the alehouse in Union-street, (then perhaps a tavern)
and _double-fives_ between the two walls at the school-door. For
Tothill-fields fame as to cricket, he was yet more renowned: t