Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/274

264 into ſuch inconveniencies, as rendered the remaining part of his life unhappy.

His lordſhip, as we have already obſerved, being very much diſguſted with his governor, left him at Geneva, and as if he had been flying from a peſtilence, ſet out poſt for Lyons, where he arrived about the middle of October 1716.

The author of the duke of Wharton’s life has informed us, that the reaſon of his lordſhip’s leaving his governor ſo abruptly, was on account of the freedom with which that gentleman treated him, a circumſtance very diſguſtful to a perſon of his quality. He took leave of him in the following manner.

His lordſhip ſomewhere in his travels had picked up a bear’s cub, of which he was very fond, and carried it about with him; but when he was determined to abandon his tutor, he left the cub behind him, with the following note addreſſed to him. "‘Being no longer able to bear with your ill-uſage, I think proper to be gone from you; however, that you may not want company, I have left you the bear, as the moſt ſuitable companion in the world, that could be picked out for you.’"

When the marquis was at Lyons he took a very ſtrange ſtep, little expected from him. He wrote a letter to the Chevalier de St. George, then reſiding at Avignon, to whom he preſented a very fine ſtone-horſe. Upon receiving this preſent, the Chevalier ſent a man of quality to the marquis, who carried him privately to his court, where he was received with the greateſt marks of eſteem, and had the title of duke of Northumberland conferred upon him. He remained there however but one day, and then returned poſt to Lyons; from whence he ſet out for Paris. He likewiſe made a viſit to