Life of Johnson.
'pHE GENERAL told us, that when he was a very young man, I think only fifteen, serving under Prince Eugene of Savoy’, he was sitting in a company’ at table with a Prince of Wirtemberg. The Prince took up a glass of wine, and. by a fillip, made some of it fly in Oglethorpe’s face. Here was a nice dilemma. To have challenged him instantly, might have fixed a quarrelsome character upon the young soldier: to .have taken no notice of it might have been considered as cowardice. Oglethorpe, therefore, keeping his eye upon the Prince, and smiling all the time, as if he took what his Highness had done in jest, said “ Mon Prince, ” (I forget the French words he used, the purport however was) “ That’s a good joke; but we do it much better in England;” and threw a whole glass of wine in the Prince’s face. An old General who sat by', said, “II a bien fait, mon Prince, vous l’avcz commence:” and thus all ended in good humoui. He would not allow Scotland to derive any credit from Lord Mansfield; for he was educated in England. “Much (said he) may’ be made of a Scotchman, if he be caught young.”
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS19340321.2.92
Bibliographic details
Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20260, 21 March 1934, Page 6
Word Count
207Life of Johnson. Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20260, 21 March 1934, Page 6
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