| Citation |
CJ-NH.780.028
21 Dec 1780:11 (686)
London, August 20. When the King was informed of the
capture of the East and West India fleet, by Don Louis
deCordova, 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 as 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
epedemic 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; and the Prince of Wales
appeared as bare as the 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 & bobtail, where they danced and capered to and fro,
belly to belly, back to back, right and left, hands 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
disorder up and down, and the undertakers of the Kingdom are
snuffing for the funerals of such as might become defunct.
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