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Article MEMOIRS OF THE REV. WILLIAM PETERS, L.L.B. ← Page 4 of 5 →
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Memoirs Of The Rev. William Peters, L.L.B.
was an honour to Britain , poor Wilson never expended more than a shilling a nig ht at his usual p lace of resort , the Turk ' s Head in G . errard-street , . ~ - " Blush , grandeur , blush 1 " At the desire of his patron , the late Duke of RUTLAND , Mr . Peterswent to Paris in the year 1782 to copy the famous picture by LE
BRUN in the Carmelite Church , the subject of which was Madame DE LA VALLIERE at the moment of her conversion , tearing off her jewels and finery , and preparing for that austere life which she led ever after in the convent of that order with unabated rigour and p iety . The copy which Mr . Peters made from this picture is now at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire ; and its value is much increased as the
original has probably been destroyed amidst the ravage and confusion that have marked the revolution in France . There is no other correct copy of that celebrated picture . A circumstance happened while Mr . Peters was at Paris on this occasion which deserves to be mentioned , as it shews what , a surprising change has since taken place in that country . The Duke
of MANCHESTER wis at this period ambassador from England to the court of France , and an acquaintance commenced between his grace and Mr . Peters which only ended with the life of the former . While the duke was in Paris he asked permission of the QUEEN OF FRANCE for Mr . Peters to paint a portrait of the DAUPHIN . Trifling as . this
request seemed to be it occasioned A COUNCIL to be held , in which it was debated whether the health of the Dauphin might be affected by the smell of even the small quantity of paint which would necessarily lie upon the pallet while the picture was proceeding . This important point was decided in the affirmative , notice of which was sent in a complimentry card from Ma'dame de POLIGNAC to the Duke of Manchester in the name of'the Queen . What a dreadful
proof of the vicissitudes of life and the instability of fortune has been seen in the fate of that queen and her family within the space of twelye years ! O 11 the return of the Duke of Manchester to London , he asked and obtained from the PRINCE OF WALES the appointment of one of the Chaplains in ordinary to his Royal Highness for Mr . Peters . When
the prince accepted the Chair of GKAND MASTER of the most antient and honourable Society of FREE and ACCEPTED MASONS , his Royal Hi g hness conferred on Mr . Peters the dignity of PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER for the county of Lincoln , which situation he now holds with unceasing endeavours to promote the prosperity of those Lodges over which he presidesand to unite them as men and Masons in
, support of our happy establishment , and in grateful submission to that government which , confiding in their loyalty and honour , permits them in this moment of danger to meet with their accustomed secresy , and pursue their private Masonic occupations without restriction or reserve .
It is proper , however , that we should notice the pictures in Freemasons' Hall which do so much credit to the pencil of Mr . Peters . They are four in number , viz . The Prince , of Wales , the late Duke
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Rev. William Peters, L.L.B.
was an honour to Britain , poor Wilson never expended more than a shilling a nig ht at his usual p lace of resort , the Turk ' s Head in G . errard-street , . ~ - " Blush , grandeur , blush 1 " At the desire of his patron , the late Duke of RUTLAND , Mr . Peterswent to Paris in the year 1782 to copy the famous picture by LE
BRUN in the Carmelite Church , the subject of which was Madame DE LA VALLIERE at the moment of her conversion , tearing off her jewels and finery , and preparing for that austere life which she led ever after in the convent of that order with unabated rigour and p iety . The copy which Mr . Peters made from this picture is now at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire ; and its value is much increased as the
original has probably been destroyed amidst the ravage and confusion that have marked the revolution in France . There is no other correct copy of that celebrated picture . A circumstance happened while Mr . Peters was at Paris on this occasion which deserves to be mentioned , as it shews what , a surprising change has since taken place in that country . The Duke
of MANCHESTER wis at this period ambassador from England to the court of France , and an acquaintance commenced between his grace and Mr . Peters which only ended with the life of the former . While the duke was in Paris he asked permission of the QUEEN OF FRANCE for Mr . Peters to paint a portrait of the DAUPHIN . Trifling as . this
request seemed to be it occasioned A COUNCIL to be held , in which it was debated whether the health of the Dauphin might be affected by the smell of even the small quantity of paint which would necessarily lie upon the pallet while the picture was proceeding . This important point was decided in the affirmative , notice of which was sent in a complimentry card from Ma'dame de POLIGNAC to the Duke of Manchester in the name of'the Queen . What a dreadful
proof of the vicissitudes of life and the instability of fortune has been seen in the fate of that queen and her family within the space of twelye years ! O 11 the return of the Duke of Manchester to London , he asked and obtained from the PRINCE OF WALES the appointment of one of the Chaplains in ordinary to his Royal Highness for Mr . Peters . When
the prince accepted the Chair of GKAND MASTER of the most antient and honourable Society of FREE and ACCEPTED MASONS , his Royal Hi g hness conferred on Mr . Peters the dignity of PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER for the county of Lincoln , which situation he now holds with unceasing endeavours to promote the prosperity of those Lodges over which he presidesand to unite them as men and Masons in
, support of our happy establishment , and in grateful submission to that government which , confiding in their loyalty and honour , permits them in this moment of danger to meet with their accustomed secresy , and pursue their private Masonic occupations without restriction or reserve .
It is proper , however , that we should notice the pictures in Freemasons' Hall which do so much credit to the pencil of Mr . Peters . They are four in number , viz . The Prince , of Wales , the late Duke