Page:The Ancestor Number 1.djvu/45

 THE ANCESTOR 19 ' Hermes ' Harris was a devoted and regular attendant at the opera, and it is rather astonishing to observe that the opera season in his day was always in the winter. ' The opera next winter,' ^ writes the mother of the first Lord Malmesbury in April, 1769, ' is to be managed by Mr. G. Pitt and Mr. Hobart ; they talk of having the fbe "Guadagni," and the " Amicci," but I have lived long enough to know that spring talk and winter performances are not always the same. . . .' An ardent lover of the drama too, more than one note addressed to him by David Garrick is to be found among his correspondence. There is a letter still extant from the great actor, dated at Hampton, July 6, 1762, asking Mr. Harris' good offices and assistance in a particular matter connected with the stage :^ — Though I have had the honour [writes Garrick] of paying my respects to you at Salisbury, yet I know not how to make my excuses for the liberty I am going to take. A friend of mine who warmly recommended the musical talents of young Norris to me, and who has brought about an engagement with Mr. Stephens and the managers of Drury Lane Theatre, at the same time spoke highly of a pastoral, called ^ Damon and Amaryllis,' and which he told me was in your hands. As I would willingly exhibit the young man to the best advantage, and as I am assured that he cannot appear to more in any performance than in the pastoral I have mentioned, I have made bold, Sir, to request a great favour of you, that you would permit us to perform it at Drury Lane the next winter. Mr. Harris readily assented to this request, and two months later we find the dramatist taking his advice on one or two points of detail having reference to the production of this piece. While James Harris thus pursued the natural bent of his own mind and gave himself up, as far as was separable from his public duties, to his own inclinations, his wife and daughters appear to have thoroughly participated in all the social gaieties and intellectual attractions of a life in London. An extract quoted from a letter of Mrs. Harris describes the feelings just alluded to :^ — His Majesty's birthday was very brilliant. Lady Lincoln was fine and ele- gant. Mrs. Howard had a point-lace trimming that cost 500/. Gertrude got a pretty light brown coat for your father, lined with blue and trimmed with a gold net set on blue ribbon. We thought him quite gay till Lord Guildford came here to carry him to Court. His lordship was dressed in light green, the cuffs turned up with a flowered silk with silver pink and green flowers. ^ Malmeshury Letters (Bentley). 2 Yoidi. ^ Ibid.