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The Life of George Brummell, Esq., Commonly Called Beau Brummell
The Life of George Brummell Esq Commonly Called Beau Brummell Author:William Jesse Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Buck Brummell at Eton—His gentlemanly deportment—The Windsor Bargeman—The sporting High Sheriff—His novel estimate of character—Dame Young—Descri... more »ption of George by the Captain of her house—His great dexterity in toasting cheese—His peccadilloes—Dr. L.—Brummell enters at Oriel College, Oxford—His consumption of midnight oil there— Leaves the University—Is Gazetted to a Cornetcy in the Tenth—Introduced to the Prince of Wales—In attendance on His Royal Highness at his marriage—The Blue nose—Reasons for disliking the Army—Retires from the service. At Eton, to which his father sent him in 1790, at least he appears in the list of the lower school for that year, George Brummell was remarkable for his quiet gentlemanly manners and ready wit, as well as for the excessive neatness of his personal appearance. At that time the term " dandy" was not the vogue : " bucks," and " macaronies," were then the nick-names of such as affected peculiar elegance in their dress; and, according to one authority now living at Eton, he was distinguished from his fellows by the sobriquet of " Buck Brummell." The anxiety with which he eschewed the dirty streets on a rainy day, his white stock with a bright gold buckle behind, and the measured dignity of his step, are remembered by his contemporaries who still survive ; his language, dress, and deportment, were in this respect always in perfect-keeping. It frequently happened that a contest took place between the boys and the Windsor bargemen, and on one of these occasions, an unhappy bargee fell into the hands of the exasperated lads, who having been in a former row very roughly handled by these Jacob Faithfuls, gave momentary way to passion, and were literally contemplating throwing him over the bridge into the Thames. In the midst of th...« less