Hester Thrale

Section 1 of Mrs. Pionzi's Thraliana, with numerous extracts hitherto unpublished by Charles Hughes.

Quote, strange that a woman should write such a book as this put down every occurrence of her life every emotion of her heart and call it a thraliana forsooth but then i mean to destroy it there are two authorities for dr johnson's conversations and especially for his conversations at streatham who have a claim to be considered by the side of boswell these are miss burney afterwards madame d'arblay and mrs thrale afterwards mrs yet i suppose that boswell has been read by fifty persons for every reader of madame d'arblay's diary and that madame d'arblay has been read by at least fifty for every faithful student who has read mrs piozzi's books or the two volumes published in eighteen sixty one by mr abraham heywood in which mrs piozzi obtains a full hearing and in which were first published extracts from there were two editions of mr heywood's work published in eighteen sixty one in the first a large slice of thraliana is inserted en masse and not properly incorporated with the work, it had evidently been received from Mr Salisbury, son of Piozzi's nephew and owner of the precious manuscript, just before publication.

For the second edition, a large edition had been received from Mr Salisbury, containing most intimate and vivid passages, and all these, and the preceding instalment of Thraliana, are incorporated in the first volume.

without speaking disrespectfully of heywood's work which was carried out under great difficulties it may be said that the contributions of mr salisbury far outweigh in value the rest of the volumes as new and authoritative matter interesting to the johnson boswell amateur they are absolutely necessary to any one who wishes to see boswell's johnson steadily and to see it whole Mr Salisbury told Mr Haywood that he deemed Threliana, quote, of too private and delicate a character to be submitted to strangers, unquote, and since he supplied those, quote, curious, unquote, passages, unquote, in 1861, no more of it has been published.

While Thrailiana was at my house, it was insured against fire for £5,000.

Nor could I say when I had perused it that the amount was excessive as things go today.

it is the intimate record of her life from seventeen seventy six to eighteen hundred nine by the bright and brilliant lady who was the hostess and caretaker of johnson for eighteen years and was the friend of johnson's friends reynolds garrick burke baretti burney boswell and whose second marriage with Piozzi was the result of an irresistible passion in no way discreditable to her, and based on mutual affection and esteem.

She was in a position to record interesting things, and she does record the most candidly and faithfully, and used to read and re-read Thraliana to the end of her life.

Dr. Johnson, blowing like a whale, retires.

Footman announces Mr. Piozzi, Mrs. Carter, Miss Streetfield.

Enter a distinguished foreign-looking gentleman who bows very low to Mrs. Thrale, a charming old lady in an elaborate cap, and a very beautiful young woman, whose chief accomplishment appears to have been ability to force real tears to run down her cheeks, much to the delight of Henry Thrale.

Buongiorno, signor.

I have tried, too, in my time to be a philosopher, but I don't know how.

Cheerfulness was always breaking in

Signor Piozzi has been good enough to yield to my persuasions and will play and sing for us that exquisite aria parlante, which is the talk of the town, if we may have a moment's quiet

Conversation ceases.

Dr. Johnson, blowing like a whale, retires.

Footman announces Mr. Piozzi, Mrs. Carter, Miss Streetfield.

Enter a distinguished foreign-looking gentleman who bows very low to Mrs. Thrail, a charming old lady in an elaborate cap and a very beautiful young woman whose chief accomplishment appears to have been ability to force real tears to run down her cheeks, much to the delight of Henry Thrail.

Buongiorno, signor.

I have tried, too, in my time to be a philosopher, but I don't know how.

Cheerfulness was always breaking in.

Signor Piozzi has been good enough to yield to my persuasions and will play and sing for us that exquisite aria parlante, which is the talk of the town, if we may have a moment's quiet.

Conversation ceases.