Nelson's Lady Hamilton by Meynell, Esther (surface ebook reader txt) 📕

by the same object. She is bold, forward, coarse, assuming and vain. Her figure is colossal, but, excepting her feet, which are hideous, well shaped. Her bones are large, and she is exceedingly embonpoint. She resembles the bust of Ariadne ; the shape of all her features is fine, as is the form of her head, and particularly her ears; her teeth are a little irregular, but tolerably white; her eyes light blue, with a brown spot in one, which, though a defect, takes nothing away from her beauty and expression; her eyebrows and hair are dark and her complexion coarse; her expression is strongly marked, variable, and interesting ; her movements in common life, ungraceful; her voice loud, yet not disagreeable. Lord Nelson is a little man, without any dignity; who, I suppose, must resemble what Suwarrow was in his youth, as he is like all the pictures I have seen of that general. Lady Hamilton takes possession of him, and he is a willing captive, the most submissive and devoted I have seen. Sir William is old, infirm, all admiration of his wife, and never spoke to-day

but to applaud her. Miss Cornelia Knight [who was travelling with them] seems the decided flatterer of the two, and never opens her mouth but to show forth their praise ; and Mrs. Cadogan, Lady Hamilton's mother, is what one might expect. After dinner we had several songs in honour of Lord Nelson, written by Miss Knight, and sung by Lady Hamilton. She puffs the incense full in his face; but he receives it with pleasure, and snuffs it up very cordially."

That would hardly be recognized as a picture of Romney's " divine lady." But, though tinged with malice and conscious superiority, and redeemed by no grace of kindly restraint, it is to be feared that Mrs. St. George gives a fairly true account of what Emma Hamilton had become.

A day or two later she wrote a description of the famous " Attitudes "—

" Breakfasted with Lady Hamilton, and saw her represent in succession the best statues and paintings extant. She assumes their attitude, expression, and drapery with great facility, swiftness, and accuracy. Several Indian shawls, a chair, some antique vases, a wreath of roses, a tambourine, and a few children are her whole apparatus. She stands at one end of the room, with a strong light to her left, and every other window closed. Her hair is short, dressed like an antique, and her gown a simple calico chemise,

FAREWELL TO ITALY 265

very easy, with loose sleeves to the wrist. She disposes the shawls so as to form Grecian, Turkish, and other drapery, as well as a variety of turbans. Her arrangement of the turbans is absolute sleight-of-hand ; she does it so quickly, so easily, and so well. It is a beautiful performance, amusing to the most ignorant, and highly interesting to the lovers of art. The chief of her imitations are from the antique. Each representation lasts about ten minutes. It is remarkable that, though coarse and ungraceful in common life, she becomes highly graceful, and even beautiful, during this performance. It is also singular that, in spite of the accuracy of her imitation of the finest ancient draperies, her usual dress is tasteless, vulgar, loaded, and unbecoming. She has borrowed several of my gowns, and much admires my dress, which cannot flatter, as her own is so frightful. Her waist is absolutely between her shoulders. After showing her attitudes, she sung, and I accompanied. Her voice is good, and very strong, but she is frequently out of tune ; her expression strongly marked and variable; and she has no shake, no flexibility, and no sweetness. She acts her songs, which I think the last degree of bad taste. All imperfect imitations are disagreeable, and to represent passion with the eyes fixed on a book and the person confined to a spot, must always be a poor piece of acting manqut* She continues her

266 NELSON'S LADY HAMILTON

demonstrations of friendship, and said many fine things about my accompanying her at sight. Still she does not gain upon me. I think her bold, daring, vain even to folly, and stamped with the manners of her first situation much more strongly than one would suppose, after having represented Majesty, and lived in good company fifteen years. Her ruling passions seem to me vanity, avarice, and love for the pleasures of the table. She shows a great avidity for presents, and has actually obtained some at Dresden by the common artifice of admiring and longing. Mr. Elliot says, * She will captivate the Prince of Wales, whose mind is as vulgar as her own, and play a great part in England.'"

It is evident that Lady Hamilton set Mrs. St. George's nerves on edge, but she seemed unable to keep away from the Nelson party, and has a good deal more to say in her Journal of their doings at Dresden. It appears that though, like most people, she admired the " Attitudes," yet Lady Hamilton " acted Nina intolerably ill." It will be remembered that the representation of this Nina had moved Romney almost to tears many years before, and Nelson at any rate admired it whole-heartedly, for while Emma acted, the dear uncritical admiral kept crying out with enthusiasm, " Mrs. Siddons be hanged!"

Even the last entry about Nelson and the Hamiltons in Mrs. St. George's Journal contains

a sting; she does not leave them a shred of dignity or restraint at parting.

" The moment they were on board/' she says she was told by Mr. Elliot, who saw them off, " there was an end of the fine arts, of the attitudes, of