To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq. Arlington-street, Thursday, Nov. 4. THE events of these last eight days will make you stare. This day se'nnight the duke of Devonshire' came to town, was flatly refused an audience, and gave up his key. Yesterday lord Rockingham resigned, and your cousin Manchester was named to the bedchamber. The **** then in council called for the book, and dashed out the duke of Devonshire's name. If you like spirit, en voila! Do you know I am sorry for all this? You will not suspect me of tenderness for his grace of Devonshire, nor, recollecting how the whole house of Cavendish treated me on my breach with my uncle, will any affronts that happen to them, call forth my tears. But I think the act too violent and too serious, and dipped in a deeper dye than I like in politics. Squabbles, and speeches, and virtue, and prostitution, amuse one sometimes; less and less indeed every day; but measures, from which you must advance and cannot retreat, is a game too deep; one neither knows who may be involved, nor where will be the end. It is not pleasant. Adieu! Yours ever. DEAR SIR, TO THE REV. MR. COLE. Strawberry-hill, Nov. 13, 1762. You will easily guess that my delay in answering your obliging letter, was solely owing to my not knowing whither to direct to you. I waited till I thought you may be returned home. Thank you for all the trouble you have given, and do give yourself for me; it is vastly more than I deserve. Duke Richard's portrait I willingly wave, at least for the pre 1 The duke of Devonshire resigned his office of lord chamberlain on the 31st October; and lord George Cavendish that of comptroller of the household; and lord Besborough that of one of the postmasters-general on the same day. [Ed.] sent, till one can find out who he is. I have more curiosity about the figures of Henry VII, at Christ's college. I shall be glad sometime or the other to visit them, to see how far either of them agree with his portrait in my picture of his marriage. reda was mighty welcome. St. Ethel We had variety of weather since I saw you, but I fear none of the patterns made your journey more agreeable. I am, sir, Your much obliged humble servant. To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq. Arlington-street, Dec. 20, 1762. As I am far from having been better since I wrote to you last, my post-chaise points more and more to Naples. Yet Strawberry, like a mistress, As oft as I descend the hill of health, Your company would have made me decide much faster, but I see I have little hopes of that, nor can I blame you; I don't use so rough a word with regard to myself, but to your pursuing your amusement, which I am sure the journey would be. I never doubted your kindness to me one moment; the affectionate manner in which you offered, three weeks ago, to accompany me to Bath, will never be forgotten. I do not think my complaint very serious, for how can it be so, when it has never confined me a whole day? But my mornings are so bad, and I have had so much more pain this last week, with restless nights, that I am convinced it must not be trifled with. Yet, I think Italy would be the last thing I would try, if it were not to avoid politics: yet I hear nothing else. The court and opposition both grow more violent every day from the same cause; the victory of the former. Both sides torment me with their affairs, though it is so plain I do not care a straw about either. I wish I were great enough to say, as a French officer on the stage at Paris said to 66 the pit, "Accordez vous, canaille!" Yet, to a man without ambition or interestedness, politicians are canaille. Nothing appears to me more ridiculous in my life than my having ever loved their squabbles, and that at an age when I loved better things, too! My poor neutrality, which thing I signed with all the world, subjects me, like other insignificant monarchs on parallel occasions, to affronts. On Thursday, I was summoned to princess E***'s loo. Loo she called it, politics it was. The second thing she said to me was, "How were you the two long days?" "Madam, I was only there the first." " And how did you vote?" "Madam, I went away." Upon my word that was carving well." Not a very pleasant apostrophe to one who certainly never was a time-server! Well, we sat down. She said, " I hear Wilkinson is turned out, and that sir Edward Winnington1 is to have his place; who is he?" addressing herself to me, who sat over against her. "He is the late Mr. Winnington's heir, madam." "Did you like that Winnington?" "I can't but say I did, madam." She shrugged up her shoulders, and continued; "Winnington originally was a great Tory; what do you think he was when he died?" "Madam, I believe what all people are in place." Pray, Mr. Montagu, do you perceive any thing rude or offensive in this? Hear then; she flew into the most outrageous passion, coloured like scarlet, and said, “ None of your wit; I don't understand joking on those subjects; what do you think your father would have said if he had heard you say so? He would have murdered you, and you would have deserved it." I was quite confounded and amazed; it was impossible to explain myself across a loo table, as she is so deaf: there was no making a reply to a woman and a princess, and particularly for me, who have made it a rule when I must converse with royalties, to treat them with the greatest respect, since it is all the court they will ever have from me. I said to those on each side on me, "What can I do? I cannot explain myself now." Well, I held my peace, and so did she for a quarter of an hour. Then she began with me 66 1 Sir Edward Winnington, grandson of sir Francis Winnington, knight, of Stanford Court, in the county of Worcester, an eminent lawyer, and solicitor-general to king James the second, and son of Walpole's friend, Thomas Winnington, esq., one of the lords of the Treasury, was created a baronet, 15th February 1755. [Ed.] again, examined me on the whole debate, and at last asked me directly, which I thought the best speaker, my father or Mr. Pitt. If possible, this was more distressing than her anger. I replied, it was impossible to compare two men so different; that I believed my father was more a man of business than Mr. Pitt. "Well, but Mr. Pitt's language?" "Madam," said I, "I have always been remarkable for admiring Mr. Pitt's language." At last, this unpleasant scene ended; but, as we were going away, I went close to her, and said, " Madam, I must beg leave to explain myself; your royal highness has seemed to be very angry with me, and I am sure I did not mean to offend you: all I intended to say was, that I supposed Tories were Whigs when they got places!" "Oh!" said she, "I am very much obliged to you, indeed I was very angry." Why she was angry, or what she thought I meaned, I do not know to this moment, unless she supposed that I would have hinted that the duke of Newcastle and the opposition were not men of consummate virtue, and had lost their places out of principle. The very reverse was at that time in my head, for I meaned Tories would be just as loyal as the Whigs, when they got any thing by it. You will laugh at my distresses, and in truth they are a little serious; yet they almost put me out of humour. If your cousin realises his fair words to you, I shall be very good-humoured again. I am not so morose as to dislike my friends for being in place. Indeed, if they are in great place, my friendship goes to sleep like a paroli at Pharaoh, and does not wake again till their deal is over. Good night! Yours ever. DEAR SIR, TO THE REV. MR. COLE. Arlington-street, Dec. 23, 1762. You are always abundantly kind to me, and pass my power of thanking you. You do nothing but give yourself trouble and me presents. My cousin Calthorp is a great rarity, and I think I ought, therefore, to return him to you, but that would not be treating him like a relation, or you like a friend. My ancestor's epitaph, too, was very agreable to me. I have not been at Strawberry-hill these three weeks. My maid is ill there, and I have not been well myself with the same flying gout in my stomach and breast, of which you heard me complain a little in the summer. I am much persuaded to go to a warmer climate, which often disperses these unsettled com. plaints. I do not care for it, nor can determine till I see I grow worse if I do go, I hope it will not be for long; and you shall certainly hear again before I set out. Your's most sincerely. TO THE HON. H. S. CONWAY. Strawberry-hill, February 28, 1763. YOUR letter of the 19th seems to postpone your arrival rather than advance it; yet lady Ailesbury tells me that to her you talk of being here in ten days. I wish devoutly to see you, though I am not departing myself; but I am impatient to have your disagreeable function at an end, and to know that you enjoy yourself after such fatigues, dangers, and ill-requited services. For any public satisfaction you will receive in being at home, you must not expect much. Your mind was not formed to float on the surface of a mercenary world. My prayer (and my belief) is, that you may always prefer what you always have preferred, your integrity, to success. You will then laugh, as I do, at the attacks and malice of faction or ministers. I taste of both; but, as my health is recovered, and my mind does not reproach me, they will perhaps only give me an opportunity, which I should never have sought, of proving that I have some virtue and it will not be proved in the way they probably expect. I have better evidence than by hanging out the tattered ensigns of patriotism. But this and a thousand other things I shall reserve for our meeting. Your brother has pressed me much to go with him, if he goes, to Paris. I take it very kindly, but have excused myself, though I have promised either to accompany him for a short time at first, or to go to him if he 1 The re-embarkation of the British troops from Flanders after the peace. [Or.] 2 As ambassador. [Or.] |