Graves, Richard (1715-1804)

The Spiritual Quixote

London

Printed for J. Dodsley

1773

One's judgment may appear to be "sometimes almost eclipsed by the brilliancy of her imagination"

Lady Sherwood was of an ancient and noble family, and wife to a Peer of the realm. She was a woman of fine understanding, though her judgment appeared sometimes almost eclipsed by the brilliancy of her imagination. Her Ladyship was now past her bloom; yet in her youth she had been tolerably handsome, and made a splendid appearance in the great world. But her Lord, either from some disgust, or from a fondness for retirement, having early in life withdrawn from the Court, Lady Sherwood had entirely conformed to his humour. And, to amuse herself in her solitary situation, she had formerly indulged the suggestions of her fancy, and turned my Lord's Park into a poetical Arcadia: where her Ladyship and a female companion or two lived almost the whole summer a mere pastoral life; and ranged about, with their crooks in their hands, like so many Grecian shepherdesses. Garlands of flowers, or baskets of fruit, were seen suspended on every beautiful oak, with rustic pipes, rakes, pitch-forks, and other rural implements, disposed in a picturesque manner, in different parts of the Park. Nay, the poor Chaplain was forced to leave his bottle and his pipe, and back-gammon table, with my Lord; and even neglect his pastoral function assigned him by the Bishop, to attend her Ladyship and her bleating lambkins; and to sit whole afternoons under a spreading tree, to entertain them with his flute. For the Steward had actually bought her Ladyship "a score of sheep at Banbury-fair" (according to Justice Shallow's expression) for this romantic purpose.
(pp. 338-9)

Light::Eclipse

Searching in HDIS (Prose)

At least 5 entries in the ESTC (1755, 1773, 1774, 1783)

The Spiritual Quixote: or, the Summer's Ramble of Mr. Geoffry Wildgoose. A Comic Romance. 3 vols. (London: Printed for J. Dodsley, 1773). <Link to ECCO>

Wit and Judgment

11/17/2004