PICTURE ME, CRISPY

as I look at a painting of Robert Banks Jenkinson, the 2nd Earl of Liverpool. He had nice, sandy hair and sideburns, peaches & cream complexion, and wore those great white silk scarves wrapped tightly around the neck. I bet you can tell we are in the 18th century.

There are two ways of looking at Robert Banks Jenkinson: one is to review his unquestionably distinguished accomplishments as a statesman in 18th century England, you know, the century with silk scarves and sideburns. The other way, and probably the better way, is to feel sorry for him, and say, “It wasn’t his fault.” It really wasn’t. It wasn’t his fault that his accomplishments were woven in a tapestry of lyricism. It wasn’t his fault that as you try to review his work, your mind wanders to the Elysian Fields, and sits down with a picnic basket and says “this is a good place for repose, or rest.” For if you were to go out for a stroll in the garden of verse, eager to pluck scented fleshy fruit for your heaven-sent picnic, you couldn’t do better than to go into the garden of the life of Robert Banks Jenkinson and commence to pluck. Or at the very least, you could do worse. And then, you could also not go on a picnic. But with Robert Banks Jenkinson by your side, can a picnic not be not far away? Since it is still early and warm on sunday before services, let’s try it and see what happens, shall we?

• Robert Banks Jenkinson entered the House of Commons for Rye

• Robert Banks Jenkinson quickly rose through the Tory ranks

• Robert Banks Jenkinson served as a Master of the Mint

• Robert Banks Jenkinson was summoned to the House of Lords through a Writ of Acceleration

• Wait. It gets better.

• Robert Banks Jenkinson was summoned to the House of Lords through a Writ of Acceleration in his father’s junior title of Baron Hawkesbury

• Robert Banks Jenkinson suspended Habeus Corpus in Britain

• Robert Banks Jenkinson imposed the repressive six acts after the Peterloo Massacre

• Robert Banks Jenkinson rose to the rank of Lord Liverpool

• Robert Banks Jenkinson had friends like William Wellesley Pole, Lord Sidmouth, and George Canning; he knew, though only distantly, George Child Villiers

• Robert Banks Jenkinson died of paralysis

• time to eat


Next week we will review the accomplishments of John Fane, Lord Privy Seal under Robert Banks Jenkinson, who was neither a Lord, nor a Privy, nor a Seal, and who, both coincidentally and lyrically, died on the 585th anniversary of Hulagu Khan capture and plundering of the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut.