Page:Footsteps of Dr. Johnson.djvu/319

 Rh John, the great duke, who broke the neck of the rebellion in 1715, and rendered desperate the cause of James II.'s son.

The room in which our travellers dined is much in the state in which they saw it; the walls panelled with the same festoons, and the chairs adorned with the same gilding and the same tapestry. But it is turned to other uses. No "splendid dinner" is served up in it such as Johnson enjoyed and praised; no "luxuries" such as

THE OLD DINING ROOM.

he defended. No Lady Betty Hamilton can quietly take her chair after dinner, and lean upon the back of it, as she listens eagerly to the great talker, who is unaware that she is just behind him. No Boswell can with a steady countenance have the satisfaction for once to look a duchess in the face, as with a respectful air he drinks to her good health. The tables are covered with books and magazines, and pamphlets, and correspondence. It is the duke's business-room where he sees his chamberlain, and where his librarian