"Paul Clifford", Chapter 13, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

What is here?-

Gold?

Thus much of this will make black white, foul fair.

Timon of Athens.

Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drest,
Fresh as a bridegroom.

Henry the Fourth.

I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius!
He reads much. He is a great observer; and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men.
Often he smiles; but smiles in such a sort,
As if he mocked himself or scorned his spirit,
That could be moved to smile at anything.

Julius Caesar.

----

£60,000 in 1800 would today be worth millions. Depending on how you calculate it, based on real wages it would be just over £5 million, but by other measures could be £70 million or even hundreds of millions. But even just £5 million is a crazy lot of money! (Also, for you Brits in the audience, think about just how much that means your currency has been devalued: almost 99%. Of course, the USA is at about the same rate of currency debasement as well, so it's a global phenomena, nothing specific to the UK, but something to cogitate upon!)

demirep: a woman of doubtful reputation or suspected character

Church living, or benefice: a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services

opprobrious: expressing scorn or criticism

approbation: approval or praise

horrent: (of a person's hair) standing on end

abstemious: marked by restraint especially in the eating of food or drinking of alcohol

roquelaire: a knee-length cloak

homard: lobster

King Bladud: a legendary king of the Britons

tic douloureux: trigeminal neuralgia, a severe, stabbing pain to one side of the face

There is one flagrantly obvious error in the text which I corrected in my recording, where the text says "Wilson Street", in connection with Bath, which clearly should be "Milsom Street".

The picture used is Milsom Street, from Bath Illustrated by John Claude Nattes.

To follow along: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7735/7735-h/7735-h.htm#link2HCH0013