Ranelagh looks like the inchanted palace of a genie, adorned with
the most exquisite performances of painting, carving, and
gilding, enlightened with a thousand golden lamps, that emulate
the noon-day sun; crowded with the great, the rich, the gay, the
happy, and the fair; glittering with cloth of gold and silver,
lace, embroidery, and precious stones. While these exulting sons
and daughters of felicity tread this round of pleasure, or regale
in different parties, and separate lodges, with fine imperial tea
and other delicious refreshments, their ears are entertained with
the most ravishing delights of music, both instrumental and
vocal. There I heard the famous Tenducci, a thing from Italy -- It
looks for all the world like a man, though they say it is not.
The voice, to be sure, is neither man's nor woman's; but it is
more melodious than either; and it warbled so divinely, that,
while I listened, I really thought myself in paradise.
At nine o'clock, in a charming moonlight evening, we embarked at
Ranelagh for Vauxhall, in a wherry so light and slender that we
looked like so many fairies sailing in a nutshell. My uncle,
being apprehensive of catching cold upon the water, went round in
the coach, and my aunt would have accompanied him, but he would
not suffer me to go by water if she went by land; and therefore
she favoured us with her company, as she perceived I had a
curiosity to make this agreeable voyage -- After all, the vessel
was sufficiently loaded; for, besides the waterman, there was my
brother Jery, and a friend of his, one Mr Barton, a country
gentleman, of a good fortune, who had dined at our house -- The
pleasure of this little excursion was, however, damped, by my
being sadly frighted at our landing; where there was a terrible
confusion of wherries and a crowd of people bawling, and
swearing, and quarrelling, nay, a parcel of ugly-looking fellows
came running into the water, and laid hold of our boat with great
violence, to pull it a-shore; nor would they quit their hold till
my brother struck one of them over the head with his cane.
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