for though he is at Richmond, there is no keeping him from doing too much business. Dr. Cocchi has showed his usual sagacity; the case is pronounced entirely asthmatic. As they have acquitted him of a consumption, I feel easy, though the complaint he has is so uneasy to himself. You must not be discouraged by my accounts; for I see your brother so very often, that it is not possible for me to discern the progress of alteration in him.

You will not believe how little we have thought of the French lately! We are engaged in a civil war-not between St. James's and Leicester House, but between the Dukes of Grafton and Bedford, about a new turn-pike road on the back of the town: as you may imagine, it grows politics; and if it is not compromised during the recess, the French may march deep into the kingdom before they become greater politics.

We think them not ready for Minorca, and that we shall be prepared to receive them there. The Hessians are expected immediately; and soon after them, the Hanoverians; and soon after them, many jealousies and uneasinesses.

These are all the politics I can tell you; and I have as little else to tell you. Poor Lady Drumlanrig,' whose lord perished so unfortunately about a year and a half ago, is dead of a consumption from that shock; and Sir William Lowther, one of the two heirs of old Sir James, died two days ago of a fever. He was not above six-andtwenty, master of above twenty thousand pounds a-year; sixteen of which comes to young Sir James, who was equally rich: think what a fortune is here assembled-will any Florentine believe this when reduced to sequins or scudi?

I receive such packets of thanks from Lady Harry Beauclerc, transmitted to her from Mr. Dick, that you must bear to have some of them returned to you. I know you enough to believe that you will be still better pleased with new trouble than with my gratitude, therefore I will immediately flounce into more recommendation; but while I do recommend, I must send a bill of discount at the same time: in short, I have been pressed to mention a Sir Robert Davers to you; but as I have never seen him, I will not desire much more than your usual civility for him; sure, he may be content with that! I remember Sir William Maynard,' and am cautious.

Since I began this, I receive yours of April 2nd, full of uneasiness for your brother's quicksilver and its effects. I did not mention it to

1

1 Daughter of the Earl of Hopton.-CUNNINGHAM.

Whom Mr. Walpole recommended to Sir H. Mann, to whom Sir William, who us a Jacobite, behaved very impertinently.-WALpole.

you, because, though it put him back, his physicians were persuaded that he would not suffer, and he has not. As to reasoning with them, my dear child, it is impossible: I am more ignorant in physic than a child of six years old; if it were not for reverence for Dr. Cocchi, and out of gratitude to Dr. Pringle, who has been of such service to your brother, I should say, I am as ignorant as a physician. I am really so sensible of the good your brother has received from this doctor, that I myself am arrived so far towards being ill, that I now know, if I was to be ill, who should be my physician. The weather has been so wet and cold that your brother has received very little benefit from it: he talked to me again this morning of riding, but I don't yet think him able; if you had seen him as I saw him the day I wrote my first letter to you, you would be as happy as I am now; without that, I fear you would be shocked to see how he is emaciated; but his eyes, his spirits, his attention, give me great hopes, though I absolutely think it a tedious asthmatic case. Adieu! my dear child; be in better spirits, and don't expect either sudden amendment or worse change.

464. TO GEORGE MONTAGU, ESQ.

Arlington Street, April 20, 1756.

YOUR steward called on me just as I was going to keep my Newmarket at Strawberry Hill; he promised to leave me the direction to the statuary, but as I have not heard from him, I wish you would send it me.

The cold and the wet have driven me back to London, empty London! where we are more afraid of the deluge than of the invasion! The French are said to be sailed for Minorca, which I hold to be a good omen of their not coming hither; for if they took England, Port-Mahon, I should think, would scarcely hold out.

Pray don't die, like a country body, because it is the fashion for gentlefolks to die in London: it is the bon ton now to die; one can't show one's face without being a death's head. Mrs. Bethel and I are come strangely into fashion; but true critics in mode object to our having underjaws, and maintain that we are not dead comme il faut.'

1 The following letter (now first published) from the polite Lord Chesterfield to David Mallet, is written in Walpole's vein :

LORD CHESTERFIELD TO DAVID MALLET.

"Lord Chesterfield sends his compliments to Mr. Mallet, and he will be extremely glad to see him and Monsieur de Bussy at dinner next Wednesday; but he desires

The young Lady Exeter' died almost suddenly, and has handsomely confirmed her father's will, by leaving her money to her lord only for his life, and then to Thomas Townshend. Sir William Lowther has made a charming will, and been as generous at his death as he was in his short life; he has left thirteen legacies of five thousand pounds each to friends; of which you know by sight, Reynolds, Mrs. Brudenel's son,' and young Turner. He has given seventeen hundred pounds a-year; that is, I suppose, seventeen hundred pounds, to old Mrs. Lowther. What an odd circumstance! a woman passing an hundred years to receive a legacy from a man of twenty-seven: after her it goes to Lord George Cavendish. Six hundred pounds per year he gives to another Mrs. Lowther, to be divided afterwards between Lord Frederick and Lord John. Lord Charles, his uncle, is residuary legatee. But what do you think of young Mr. James Lowther, who not of age becomes master of one or two and forty thousand pounds a-year? England will become a Heptarchy, the property of six or seven people! The Duke of Bedford is fallen to be not above the fourth rich man in the island.

6

Poor Lord Digby is likely to escape happily at last, after being cut for the stone, and bearing the preparation and execution with such heroism, that waking with the noise of the surgeons, he asked if that was to be the day? "Yes."- "How soon will they be ready?"-"Not for some time."-"Then let me sleep till they He was cut by a new instrument of Hawkins,' which reduces an age of torture to but one minute.

are?"

The Duke had appeared in form on the causeway in Hyde Park with my Lady Coventry; it is the new office, where all lovers new are entered. How happy she must be with Billy and Bully! I

Mr. Mallet to inform Monsieur de Bussy previously, that Lord Chesterfield has been dead these twelve years, and has lost all the advantages of flesh and blood, without acquiring any of the singular privileges of a spirit.

"Blackheath, Sunday."

-CUNNINGHAM.

1 Daughter and heir of Horatio, son of the first Viscount Townshend.-ED. 1819. 2 The Honourable Thomas Townshend, second son of Charles, second Viscount Townshend, member for the University of Cambridge.-WRIGHT.

3 Francis Reynolds, of Strangeways, Esq.-WRIGHT.

4 George Brudenel, Esq., afterwards member for Rutlandshire, and equerry to George II.-WRIGHT.

Hannah, youngest daughter of Alderman Lowther. She had been maid of honour to Queens Mary and Anne, and died in 1757, at the age of a hundred and three.-WRIGHT.

Edward, sixth Lord Digby. He died in the following year-WRIGHT.

7 Cæsar Hawkins, the celebrated surgeon.-CUNNINGHAM.

The Duke of Cumberland and Lord Bolingbroke.—WRIGHT.

hope she will not mistake, and call the former by the nickname of the latter. At a great supper t'other night at Lord Hertford's, if she was not the best-humoured creature in the world, I should have made her angry: she said in a very vulgar accent, if she drank any more, she should be muckibus. "Lord!" said Lady Mary Coke, "what is that?"-"Oh! it is Irish for sentimental.”

There is a new Morocco ambassador, who declares for Lady Caroline Petersham, preferably to Lady Coventry.' Lady Caroline Fox says he is the best bred of all the foreign ministers, and at one dinner said more obliging things than Mirepoix did during his whole embassy. He is so fashionable that George Selwyn says he is sure my Lady Winchelsea will ogle him instead of Haslang.

I shall send you soon the fruits of my last party to Strawberry; Dick Edgecumbe, George Selwyn, and Williams were with me; we composed a coat of arms for the two clubs at White's, which is actually engraving from a very pretty painting of Edgecumbe, whom Mr. Chute, as Strawberry king at arms, has appointed our chief herald painter; here is the blazon :

Vert (for card-table), between three paroli's proper on a chevron table (for hazard-table) two rouleaus in saltire between two dice proper; in a canton, sable, a white ball (for election) argent.

Supporters. An old knave of clubs on the dexter; a young knave on the sinister side; both accoutred proper.

Crest. Issuing out of an earl's coronet (Lord Darlington) an arm shaking a dice-box, all proper.

Motto. (Alluding to the crest,) Cogit amor nummi. The arms encircled by a claret bottle ticket, by way of order.

By the time I hope to see you at Strawberry Hill, there will be a second volume of the "Horatiana" ready for the press; or "A full and true account of the bloody civil wars of the house of Walpole, being a narrative of the unhappy differences between Horatio and Horace Walpoles;" in short, the old wretch, who aspires to be one of the Heptarchy, and who I think will live as long as old Mrs. Lowther, has accomplished such a scene of abominable avarice and

1 There is a Prince of Nassau, a sovereign just arrived, who is much admired for his beauty, and a Morocco Ambassador, as much admired for his great politeness (though he does not speak a word in any known language); he gives the preference to Lady Caroline Petersham before Lady Coventry; he says she is a glorious creature, and handsomer than either of his three wives.-Mrs. George Grenville to her husband, April 20, 1756.-CUNNINGHAM.

This painting" of the Old and Young Club at Arthur's" was bought at the sale at Strawberry Hill by Arthur's Club House for twenty-two shillings.-CUNNINGHAM,

dirt, that I, notwithstanding my desire to veil the miscarriages of my race, have been obliged to drag him and all his doings into lightbut I won't anticipate. Adieu!

465. TO GEORGE MONTAGU, ESQ.

May 12, 1756.

DON'T imagine I write to you for anything but form; there is nothing like news, except the Prussian victories, which you see in the papers by next courier we expect he will send us at least a leg or an arm of the Empress Queen.

Our domestic politics are far from settled. The King is gone to Kensington, and when any ministry can be formed, it is to be sent after him. The Parliament draggles on, till any two of the factions can unite. I have not got my tickets yet, but will certainly reserve what you want. Adieu !

466. TO SIR HORACE MANN.

Strawberry Hill, May 16, 1756.

You will hear with great satisfaction that your brother rides out every day, and bears it pretty well. I sent to him yesterday morning, and my Swiss boy told me with great joy at his return, that he saw your brother's servant cutting a plate of bread and butter for him, big enough, said he, for you, Sir, and Mr. Bentley, and Mr. Müntz-who is a Swiss painter that I keep in the house—you perceive I deal much in Swiss. I saw your brother this morning myself; he does not mend so fast as I wish, but I still attribute it to the weather. I mentioned to him Dr. Cocchi's desire of seeing his case and regimen in writing by Dr. Pringle, but I found he did not care for it; and you may imagine I would not press it. I sifted Dr. Pringle himself, but he would not give me a positive answer; I fear he still thinks that it is not totally an asthma. If you had seen him so much worse, as I have, you would be tolerably comforted now. Lord Malpas saw him to-day for the first time, and

1 Walpole's Account of the Bloody Civil Wars, of the House of Walpole, will be first printed in the concludiug volume of this edition of his Letters.-CUNNINGHAM.

2 George, eldest son of George, third Earl of Cholmondeley, by Mary, daughter of Sir Robert Walpole: he died before his father, and was father of George, the fourth earl.-WALPOLE.