George Ticknor, Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor
George Hillard, Ed.

[468] talked very well upon our early literature. The Prince talked a little about Dante, but of course made himself as agreeable as he could to the ladies. On the whole it was an exquisitely nice supper, and we enjoyed the conversation round our comfortable little table very much.

Soon after eleven the Regent rose, and returned to the ballroom. We all followed, and found that it had been aired, and that a new set, of about four hundred of the people, had been let in behind the barriers to see the show.

When one waltz was over we left it all, and reached home just before midnight, having been there, of course, nearly six hours, and yet not being very near the end of the whole matter. It was an elegant entertainment in all its parts,. .. . and the company had an air of quiet gentility and good taste about it which, I am sure, is rarely to be found anywhere.

January 11.—Count Baudissin came this morning and brought with him a volume of Shirley's Plays, where there were one or two passages he found it difficult to interpret. I found it hardly less so, but that did not prevent us from having a very agreeable literary conversation of an hour or two. He is the person, I find, who has completed, with Tieck, the translation of Shakespeare which was begun by Schlegel, and his portion is thought equally good with that of his predecessor.

The evening I divided between literary talk at Tieck's, which was more than commonly interesting, and a lounge at Count Stroganoff's; the whole, however, finished before half past 10.

January 14.—We passed an hour or two this morning in the gallery of pictures, looking almost the whole time at the works of Guercino and Guido .. . . . It was a most agreeable visit, for the weather for the last two or three days has been very mild, and the halls of the gallery, therefore, less painfully cold. I long for the spring and its warmth, that we may go every day to enjoy these admirable collections.

I dined with Prince John. The invitation was a verbal one, brought by one of the officers of his household this morning, and I went punctually at three o'clock. There was as little ceremony as possible. I found his grand-maitre in waiting, with one other person whom I did not know, but who was invited like myself, and was the only other guest. The Prince was informed we were there, and appeared, went into dinner alone, and asked for me, formally, to sit on his right hand. . . . He had a gold salt-cellar like a snuff-box,