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Chap. XXV. HISTORIC PORTRAIT GALLERY. 395
the companion of Rostgaard, and his wife; he lived to
die a bishop. Old Pontoppidan, Archbishop of Tronyem,
without whom we should have known but little of
Denmark and her dominions, with his long moustache,
ruff, and flowing locks, by Abraham Wuchter: there
is much character in his countenance and beetling brow,
well engraved by Haelwech. Niels Juel, the gallant
admiral, in full gala costume as Knight of the Elephant.
Then later we have the ministers and admirals of the
day, Tordenskiold and others, all by Denner, painted,
as you may imagine, in full powdered wigs to the very
life. Among them is the portrait of Osten, a diplomat
of Christian VII.’s time, Knight of the Dannebrog,
Knight also of the Elephant: as regards the blue ribbon
there hangs a tale. When Christian VII. was in one
of his fits of madness, his delight consisted in being
wheeled about by his courtiers in a barrow. Osten one
day was requested by the monarch to give him “a ride.”
To preserve his hands from injury the diplomat fastened
his white ribbon round one handle of the barrow: the
vehicle, unequally poised, nearly upset, and the king
cried out, “ Why, Osten, you’ll overturn me !”—“ How
can I roll your Majesty properly,” replied he, “ when I
have only one ribbon to attach to the handle of the
barrow ?” So the king took off his own blue ribbon and
presented it to the minister. When the ride was at an
end, Christian asked for his ribbon back again. “No,”
says Osten; “ what’s once given can never be taken
away: I’m Knight of the Elephantand so he
remained. More riff-raff of the period : Schimmelmann;
le petit Hoik; Guldberg, enemy of Caroline Matilda.
Struensee, fine featured, but of a discontented expression;
his memory should be popular with a certain party in
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