The Expedition of Humphry Clinker

THE EXPEDITION OF HUMPHRY CLINKER 291
As it was but just turned of twelve, and the whole house was in
commotion to prepare a formal entertainment, I foresaw it would
be late before we dined, and proposed a walk to Mr. Baynard, that
we might converse together freely. In the course of this perambula-
tion, when I expressed some surprise that he had returned so soon
from Italy, he gave me to understand, that his going abroad had
not at all answered the purpose, for which he left England; that
although the expence of living was not so great in Italy as at home,
respect being had to the same rank of life in both countries, it had
been found necessary for him to lift himself above his usual stile,
that he might be on some footing with the counts, marquises, and
cavalieres, with whom he kept company—He was obliged to hire a
great number of servants, to take off a great variety of rich cloaths,
and to keep a sumptuous table for the fashionable scorocconi of
the country; who, without a consideration of this kind, would not
have paid any attention to an untitled foreigner, let his family or
fortune be ever so respectable—Besides, Mrs. Baynard was con-
tinually surrounded by a train of expensive loungers, under the
denominations of language-masters, musicians, painters, and
ciceroni; and had actually fallen into the disease of buying pictures
and antiques upon her own judgment, which was far from being
infallible—At length she met with an affront, which gave her a
disgust to Italy, and drove her back to England with some pre-
cipitation. By means of frequenting the dutchess of B——’s
conversazione, while her grace was at Rome, Mrs. Baynard became
acquainted with all the fashionable people of that city, and was
admitted to their assemblies without scruple—Thus favoured, she
conceived too great an idea of her own importance, and when the
duchess left Rome, resolved to have a conversazione that should
leave the Romans no room to regret her grace’s departure. She
provided hands for a musical entertainment, and sent biglietti of
invitation to every person of distinction; but not one Roman of the
female sex appeared at her assembly—She was that night seized
with a violent fit, and kept her bed three days, at the expiration of
which she declared that the air of Italy would be the ruin of her
constitution. In order to prevent this catastrophe, she was speedily
removed to Geneva, from whence they returned to England by way
of Lyons and Paris. By the time they arrived at Calais, she had pur-
chased such a quantity of silks, stuffs, and laces, that it was neces-
sary to hire a vessel to smuggle them over, and this vessel was taken