dy Huntingdon's day. The prominent
part which she took in the Evangelical Revival exposed her to that
contempt and ridicule from her own order which are to many harder to
bear than actual persecution. To the credit, however, of the nobility,
it must be added that most of them learnt to respect Lady Huntingdon's
character and motives, though they could not be persuaded to embrace her
opinions. With a few exceptions, chiefly among her own sex, Lady
Huntingdon was not very successful in her attempts to affect, to any
practical purpose, the class to which she belonged; but she was
marvellously successful in persuading the most distinguished persons in
the intellectual as well as the social world to come and hear her
favourite preachers. No ball or masquerade brought together more
brilliant assemblies than those which met in her drawing-room at
Chelsea, or her chapel at Bath, or in the Tabernacle itself, to hear
Whitefield and others preach. To enumerate the company would be to
enumerate the most illustrious men and women of the day. The Earl of
Chatham, Lord North, the Earl of Sandwich, Bubb Doddington, George
Selwyn, Charles Townshend, Horace Walpole, Lord Camden, Lord
Northington, the Earl of Chesterfield, Viscount Bolingbroke, the Earl of
Bath, Frederick, Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cumberland, John, Lord
Hervey, the Duke of Bolton, the Duke of Grafton, Sarah, Duchess of
Marlborough, the Duchess of Buckingham, Lady Townshend, were at
different times among the hearers.[758] Horace Walpole tells us that in
1766 it was quite the rage at Bath among persons in high life to form
parties to hear the different preachers who 'supplied' the chapel. The
bishops themselves did not disdain to attend 'incognito;' curtained
seats were placed immediately inside the door, where the prelates were
smuggled in; and this was wittily called 'Nicodemus's corner.' The
Duchess of Buckingham accepted an invitation from Lady Huntingdon to
attend her chapel at Bath in the following words: 'I thank your ladyship
for the information concerning the Methodist preachers; their doctrines
are most repulsive and strongly tinctured with impertinence and
disrespect towards their superiors, in perpetually endeavouring to level
all ranks and do away with all distinctions. It is monstrous to be told
you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the
earth. This is highly offensive and insulting; and I cannot but wonder
that your ladyship should