at the Duke of Argyll, and am particularly pleased with the Jesus Rex noster.' Chevert, the best and most sensible of the French officers, has been beat by a much smaller number under the command of Imhoff, who, I am told would be very stupid, if a German could be so.-I think they hope a little still for Hanover, from this success. Of the King of Prussia-not a word. My Lady Bath has had a paralytic stroke, which drew her mouth aside and took away her speech.—I never heard a greater instance of cool sense; she made signs for a pen and ink, and wrote Palsy. They got immediate assistance, and she is recovered.' As I wrote to you but a minute ago, I boldly conclude this already. Adieu ! DEAR SIR: 569. TO GROSVENOR BEDFORD, ESQ.3 Strawberry Hill, Aug. 29, 1758. As you know a great deal more of Somerset House than I do, I will beg you some day as you go by to call there, and inquire carefully of the keeper of the King's pictures, or of the house-keeper, if there is any such thing as a picture of Lord Wimbledon there. In an old MS. of Vertue, I find this memorandum : "Among the King's pictures at Somerset House, a picture of Colonel Cecil Viscount Wimbledon, ætat: 37, anno 1610. Corn. Johnson pinx." You may imagine why I am solicitous to see this portrait. Adieu, dear Sir, H. WALPOLE. 570. TO THE HON. H. S. CONWAY. Strawberry Hill, Sept. 2, 1758. Ir is well I have got something to pay you for the best letter that ever was! A vast victory, I own, does not entertain me so much as 1 Inscription on a silver coin of the republic of Florence, who declared Jesus Christ their King, to prevent the usurpation of Pope Clement VII.-WALPOLE. 2 Lady Bath died three weeks after the date of this letter, September 14, 1758.CUNNINGHAM. 3 Now first printed.-CUNNINGHAM. 1 a good letter; but you are bound to like anything military better than your own wit, and therefore I hope you will think a defeat of the Russians a better bon-mot than any you sent me. Should you think it clever if the King of Prussia has beaten them? How much cleverer if he has taken three lieutenantgenerals and an hundred pieces of cannon? How much cleverer still, if he has left fifteen thousand Muscovites dead on the spot ? Does the loss of only three thousand of his own men take off from or sharpen the sting of this joke? In short, all this is fact, as a courier arrived at Sion Hill this morning affirms. The city, I suppose, expect that his Majesty will now be at leisure to step to Ticonderoga and repair our mishap. But I shall talk no more politics; if this finds you at Chatworth, as I suppose it will, you will be better informed than from me. 2 Lady Mary Coke arrived at Ragley between two and three in the morning; how unlucky that I was not there to offer her part of an aired bed! But how could you think of the proposal you have made me? Am not I already in love with "the youngest, handsomest, and wittiest widow in England ?" As Herculean a labourer as I am, as Tom Hervey says, I don't choose another. I am still in the height of my impatience for the chest of old papers from Ragley, which, either by the fault of their servants, or of the waggoner is not yet arrived. I shall go to London again on Monday in quest of it; and in truth think so much of it, that, when I first heard of the victory this morning, I rejoiced, as we were likely now to recover the Palatinate. Good night! DEAR SIR: 571. TO DAVID MALLET, ESQ.3 Strawberry Hill, Sept. 8, 1758. THE pamphlet I mentioned to you t'other day, of which I could not remember the title, is called 'Reflections concerning Innate Moral Principles,' written in French by the late Lord Bolingbroke, and translated into English. Printed in both languages 1752. May I mention this as Lord Bolingbroke's? Be so good as to tell Mrs. Mallet how extremely obliged I am for her note, and I hope she knows that I have scarce been in town two' 1 The defeat of the Russians at Zorndorf.-WALPOLE. 2 The repulse of General Abercrombie at Ticonderoga.—WALPOLE. 3 Now first printed.-CUNNINGHAM. days this whole summer. When she returns she shall have no reason to think me insensible to her goodness. I am, Sir, Hers and your most Obedient HOR. WALPOLE. 572. TO SIR HORACE MANN. Strawberry Hill, Sept. 9, 1758. WELL! the King of Prussia is found again-where do you think? only in Poland, up to the chin in Russians! Was ever such a man! He was riding home from Olmutz; they ran and told him of an army of Muscovites,' as you would of a covey of partridges; he galloped thither, and shot them. But what news I am telling you! -I forgot that all ours comes by water-carriage, and that you must know everything a fortnight before us. It is incredible how popular he is here; except a few, who take him for the same person with Mr. Pitt, the lowest of the people are perfectly acquainted with him : as I was walking by the river the other night, a bargeman asked me for something to drink the King of Prussia's health. Yet Mr. Pitt specifies his own glory as much as he can: the standards taken at Louisbourg have been carried to St. Paul's with much parade; and this week, after bringing it by land from Portsmouth, they have dragged the cannon of Cherbourg into Hyde Park, on pretence of diverting a man,' at whom, in former days, I believe, Mr. Pitt has laughed for loving such rattles as drums and trumpets. Our expedition, since breaking a basin at Cherbourg, has done nothing, but are dodging about still. Prince Edward gave one hundred guineas to the poor of Cherbourg, and the General and Admiral twenty-five a-piece. I love charity, but sure this is excess of it, to lay out thousands, and venture so many lives, for the opportunity of giving a Christmas-box to your enemies! Instead of beacons, I suppose, the coast of France will be hung with pewter-pots with a slit in them, as prisons are, to receive our alms. Don't trouble yourself about the Pope: I am content to find that he will by no means eclipse my friend. You please me with telling 1 This was the battle of Zorndorf, fought on the 25th of August 1758, and gained by the King of Prussia over the Russians, commanded by Count Fermor.-DOVER. 2 The King.-WALPOLE, me of a collection of medals bought for the Prince of Wales. I hope it is his own taste; if it is only thought right that he should have it, I am glad. I am again got into the hands of builders, though this time to a very small extent; only the addition of a little cloister and bedchamber. A day may come that will produce a gallery, a round tower, a larger cloister, and a cabinet, in the manner of a little chapel but I am too poor for these ambitious designs yet, and I have so many ways of dispersing my money, that I don't know when I shall be richer. However, I amuse myself infinitely; besides my printing-house, which is constantly at work, besides such a treasure of taste and drawing as my friend Mr. Bentley, I have a painter [Mr. Müntz] in the house, who is an engraver too, a mechanic, and everything. He was a Swiss engineer in the French service; but his regiment being broken at the peace, Mr. Bentley found him in the isle of Jersey and fixed him with me. He has an astonishing genius for landscape, and added to that, all the industry and patience of a German. We are just now practising, and have succeeded surprisingly in a new method of painting, discovered at Paris by Count Caylus, and intended to be the encaustic method of the ancients. My Swiss has painted, I am writing the account,' and my press is to notify our improvements. As you will know that way, I will not tell you here at large. In short, to finish all the works I have in hand, and all the schemes I have in my head, I cannot afford to live less than fifty years more. What pleasure it would give me to see you here for a moment! I should think I saw you and your dear brother at once! Can't you form some violent secret expedition against Corsica or Port-Mahon, which may make it necessary for you to come and settle here? Are we to correspond till we meet in some unknown world? Alas! I fear so; my dear Sir, you are as little likely to save money as I am—would you could afford to resign your crown and be a subject at Strawberry Hill! Adieu! P.S. I have forgot to tell you of a wedding in our family; my brother's eldest daughter is to be married to-morrow to Lord Albemarle's third brother, a canon of Windsor. We are very happy with the match. The bride is very agreeable, and sensible, and good; not so handsome as her sisters, but farther from ugliness than 1 Müntz left Mr. Walpole, and published another account himself.—WALPOLE. beauty. It is the second, Maria,' who is beauty itself! her face, bloom, eyes, hair, teeth, and person are all perfect. You may imagine how charming she is, when her only fault, if one must find one, is, that her face is rather too round. She has a great deal of wit and vivacity, with perfect modesty. I must tell you too of their brother: he was on the expedition to St. Maloes; a party of fifty men appearing on a hill, he was dispatched to reconnoitre with only eight men. Being stopped by a brook, he prepared to leap it; an old serjeant dissuaded him, from the inequality of the numbers. "Oh!" said the boy, "I will tell you what; our profession is bred up to so much regularity that any novelty terrifies them-with our light English horses we will leap the stream; and I'll be dd if they don't run." He did so and they did so. However, he was not content; but insisted that each of his party should carry back a prisoner before them. They had got eight, when they overtook an elderly man, to whom they offered quarter, bidding him lay down his arms. He replied, "they were English, the enemies of his King and country; that he hated them, and had rather be killed." My nephew hesitated a minute, and then said, “I see you are a brave fellow, and don't fear death, but very likely you fear a beating -if you don't lay down your arms this instant, my men shall drub you as long as they can stand over you." The fellow directly flung down his arms in a passion. The Duke of Marlborough sent my brother word of this, adding, it was the only clever action in their whole exploit. Indeed I am pleased with it; for besides his spirit, I don't see, with this thought and presence of mind, why he should not make a general. I return to one little word of the King of Prussia -shall I tell you? I fear all this time he is only fattening himself with glory for Marshal Daun, who will demolish him at last, and then, for such service, be shut up in some fortress or in the inquisition-for it is impossible but the house of Austria must indemnify themselves for so many mortifications by some horrid ingratitude! 1 Maria, second daughter of Sir Edward Walpole, married first to James second Earl of Waldegrave, and afterwards to William Henry Duke of Gloucester, brother to King George III.-WALPOLE. 2 Edward, only son of Sir Edward Walpole. He died young.-WALPOLE. |