asthma and other infirmities,2 which are the consequences of his

292
F R O M M A N N 19 M A Y
1759
asthma and other infirmities,2 which are the consequences of his
unhappy form, increase upon him, and he is grown almost quite
blind. S o m e days ago he was angry with his people for not opening
the shutters of his windows, which was the first indication of the
loss of the other eye. N o b o d y wishes h i m the recovery of it, as he
has threatened to dress all the paintings that show the least bit of
flesh. T h e y talk of covering some with strips of paper and painting
it with water-colours to save them from being spoiled. A n d his devotion is so great that he has ordered the w o m e n of all ranks to cover
their faces w h e n they go to the churches—so unlike a Saint Antonino,3 formerly Archbishop of Florence, w h o literally obliged the
w o m e n to uncover their breasts in those resorts of gallantry.*
Public report tells us that Admiral Boscawen is arrived at Hieres.s
I hope that fame will soon confirm it, for our fleets in these parts
have of late done nothing worthy of record. T h e conqueror of Louisbourg will deter the French from sending their Toulon squadron
to sea, nor will his cruisers permit their straggling ships to escape so
often. Captain Wilkinson6 of the Glascow, a twenty-gun ship, has
lately had a very smart engagement with the Oisseau, a French ship
of 26 guns which escaped into a port7 in Sardinia. T h e captain confessed that he owed his safety to his flight. Captain Wilkinson remained in the above port with him for some time, and they parted
good friends. T h e Glascow is in a bad condition and is come to Leghorne to repair.8
2. 'Rome, M a y 12. O n the 5th instant the erick are said to be, one on the coast of
Pope was seized with a fever and asthma' Spain, and the other at Hieres' (London
(Daily Adv. 6 June).
Chronicle 12-14 June, v. 565). 'Paris, June
3. St Antonino Pierozzi (i38g-i45g), 4. . . . Admiral Broderick's squadron still
O.S.D., A b p of Florence 1445-59 (P. B. cruises off Toulon' (ibid. 14-16 June, v.
Gams, Series episcoporum, Ratisbon, 1873, 570p. 748; Enciclopedia italiana).
6. Andrew Wilkinson (d. 1785), Capt.,
4. 'L'amour illicite etait ... si com1757 (John Charnock, Biographia navalis,
1
m u n a Florence, qu'un Prince ... or- 794~8» vi. 287). H e arrived at Leghorn 16
donna par une loi que les femmes seraient April (after his "smart engagement' with
obligees d'aller la gorge decouverte. Quoi- the French frigate Oiseau) to have the
qu'il en soit du fait, le propos semble an- Glasgow which 'has suffered much' renoncer qu'il fut un temps oil l'on eut paired (Daily Adv. 6 June, sub 'Florence,
besoin de rappeller le gout des h o m m e s M a y 19").
vers les objets que la nature seule aurait
7. 'St Pierre near Sardinia' (ibid.).
du leur designer' (J. J. Le Francais de
8. T h e Glasgow later had to go to Genoa
Lalande, Voyage d'un francais en Italie,'to purchase a mast (as there was none to
Venice, i76g, ii. 366-7).
be had at Leghorn)' (London Chronicle 195. 'Extract of a letter from Leghorn, 21 June, v. 583, sub Florence, 2 June).
M a y 25. T h e Admirals Boscawen and Brod-