18

LIFE &C.

reasoner. Nothing exceeds the glowing animation of hiseyes. In his conversation and manner, he is quite the politegentleman; civil, but cold. He speaks French with elegance ;and, which is truly surprising in an Englishman, pronounces itnearly like a Parisian man of letters. He listens to his ownaccents with great complacency, and talks slowly, as if care-fully examining each phrase before he gives it utterance.With the same composed countenance he speaks on agreeableand on disagreeable subjects, on joyful and on melancholyevents. During the whole of our conversation, the musclesof his face remained unaltered ; though a very ludicrous inci-dent, which he had occasion to relate, might naturally havedrawn a smile from him. In his house the strictest punctu.ality and order prevail; and his domestics must expect tobe dismissed if they perform not their business almost atthe stated moment. Of this exactness, he sets them the ex-ample himself. His day is divided like that of king Alfred.As the clock strikes, he goes to business, to dinner, or seescompany; always taking the utmost care not to spend oneminute beyond the time set apart for the occasion.” Uponthe whole, with all his faults and failings, foibles and mis-takes, Mr. Gibbon might be considered as one of the first li-terary characters which illumined and adorned the eighteenthcentury