| Citation |
PP-P.780.121
5 Dec 1780:21 (685)
London, August 20. When the King was informed of the
capture of the Ease and West-India fleet, by Don Louis de
Cordova, he was immediately seized with horrid paroxysms,
indicating the most violent symptoms of that species of
madness, which attends persons in the east, when bit by a
tarantula. Lord North, the chief physician in politics,
sent directly for the band of state fidlers, who having, as
on such occasions is usual, played over several delectable
tunes to humour his Majesty's disorder: they at last fiddled
him into his senses, but he unfortunately relapsed again--
Lord North caught the disorder, and in a moment, with
epidemic swiftness, the whole court by its baneful
influence, were in a state of lunacy-- Her Majesty the Queen
leaped out of bed naked as Venus: the Prince of Wales
appeared bare as Apollo of Delphi-- The maids of honour
forgot their modesty; the lords in waiting forgot their
breeches. A general tumult ensued.-- The guards-- the
menial domesticks-- and the lords of the council, with their
secretaries, mingled together in the great anti-chamber,
tag-rag and bobtail, where they danced and capered to and
fro, belly to belly, back to back, right and left, hand
across, &c. The doctors are disputing on the nature of the
distemper-- The doctors of divinity are preparing to
exercise the spirit of madness which possessed the court--
the doctors of law are taking down notes of the case-- the
doctors of physick are preparing clysters and emeticks, to
drive the distemper up and down, and the undertakers of the
Kingdom are snuffing for the funerals of such as might
become defunct.
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