The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford Volume II Part 42

648) Lord Edgec.u.mbe.

(649) Second daughter of Charles second Duke of Marlborough.-E.

298 Letter 166 To Sir Horace Mann.

Arlington Street, Dec. 12, 1755.

I am glad, my dear Sir, that you have not wasted many alarms on the invasion; it does not seem to have been ever intended by the French. Our ministers, who are not apt to have any intelligence, have now only had bad: they spread that idea; it took for some days, but is vanished. I believe we tremble more really for Hanover: I can't say I do; for while we have that to tremble for, we shall always be to tremble. Great expectations of a peace prevail; as it is not likely to be good, it is not a season for venturing a bad one. The opposition, though not numerous, is now composed of very determined and very great men; more united than the ministry, and at least as able. the resistance to the treaties has been made with immense capacity: Mr. Pitt has shone beyond the greatest horizon of his former l.u.s.tre. The Holidays are arrived, and now the changes are making; but many of the recruits, old deserters, old cas.h.i.+ered, old f.a.gots, add very little credit to the new coalition. The Duke of Newcastle and his coadjutor Mr. Fox squabble twice for agreeing once: as I wish so well to the latter, I lament what he must wade through to real power, if ever he should arrive there. Underneath I shall catalogue the alterations, with an additional letter to each name, to particularize the corps to which each belongs.

Sir George Lyttelton, N. chancellor of the exchequer, in the room of Mr. Legge, dismissed.

Duke of Leeds, N. Cofferer, in the room of Sir George Lyttelton,

Mr. T. Brudenell N., Deputy. in the room of mr. Clare.

Mr. Doddington, F. Treasurer of the Navy, in the room of Sir G. Grenville, dismissed.

Lords Darlington N. and Duplin N. Joint Paymasters, in the room of mr. Pitt, dismissed

Duke of Marlborough, F. Master of the Ordnance. Long Vacant.

Earl Gower, F., Lord Privy Seal, in the room of the duke of Marlborough.

Lord Gage, N., Paymaster of Pensions, in the room of Mr.

Compton, dead,

Mr. Obrien, N. and mr. Henry Furnese, Lords of the Treasury, in the room of Lord Darlington and Lord Duplin.

Lord Bateman, F., and Mr. Edgc.u.mbe, F. Lords of the Admiralty, in the room of mr. C. Townshend, dismissed and Mr. Ellis.

Judge Talbot Mr. S. Jennings, N. and mr. Rigby, F., Lords of Trade, in the room of Mr. J. Grenville, resigned, Mr. T. Pitt, dismissed, and Mr. Edgc.u.mbe.

mr. Arundel, N., Pension on Ireland.

Lord Hilsborough, F. Treasurer of Chambers, in the room of mr.

Arundel.

Lord Hobart, N., Comptroller of the Household, in the room of Lord Hilsborough.

George Selwyn, F., Paymaster of the Board of works, in the room of Mr. Denzil Onslow.

Lord cholmondeley, who had had half before to divide Vice- Treasurer of Ireland with Lord Sandwich, F., and Mr. Ellis, F.

in the room of Sir w. Yonge, deceased.

Lord Berkeley of Stratton, F., Treasurer of the Household, in the room of Lord Fitzwalter, dying.

Lord Sandys, N., Chief Justice in eyre, in the room of the duke of Leeds.

As numerous as these changes are, they are not so extraordinary as the number of times that each designation has been changed. The four last have not yet kissed hands, so I do not give you them for certain. You will smile at seeing Doddington again revolved to the court, and Lord Sandys and Harry Furnese, two of the most ridiculous objects in the succession to my father's ministry, again dragged out upon the stage: perhaps it may not give you too high an idea of the stability or dignity of the new arrangement; but as the Duke of Newcastle has so often turned in and out all men in England, he must employ some Of The same dukes over again. In short, I don't know whether all this will make your ministerial gravity smile, but it makes me laugh out. Adieu!

P. S. I must mention the case of my Lord Fitzwalter,(650) which all the faculty say exceeds any thing known in their practice: he is past eighty-four, was an old beau, and had scarce ever more sense than he has at present; he has lived many months upon fourteen barrels of oysters, four-and-twenty bottles of port, and some, I think seven, bottles of brandy per week. What will Dr. Cocchi, with his Vitto Pittagorico, say to this?

(650) Charles Mildmay, Earl Fitzwalter, so created May 14, 1730. He died without issue, Feb. 29, 1756, when his earldom became extinct; and the old barony of Fitzwalter fell into abeyance among females.-D.

299 Letter 167 To George Montagu, Esq.

Arlington Street, Dec. 30, 1755.

As I know how much you are my friend and take part in my joy, I cannot help communicating to you an incident that has given much pleasure. You know how much I love Mr. Mann-well, I don't enter into that, nor into a detail of many hards.h.i.+ps that he has suffered lately, which made me still more eager to serve him. As some regiments have been just given away, I cast my eyes about to see if I could not help him to clothing.

Among the rest, there was one new colonel,(651) whom I could not a.s.sume enough to call my friend, but who is much connected with one that is so. As the time pa.s.sed, I did not stay to go round about, but addressed myself directly to the person himself--but I was disappointed; the disaster was, that he had left his quarters and was come to town. Though I immediately gave it up in my own mind, knew how incessantly he would be pressed from much more powerful quarters, concluded he would be engaged, I wrote again; that letter was as useless as the first, and from what reason do you think? Why this person, in spite of all solicitations, nay previous to any, had already thought of Mr. Mann, and recollected it would oblige me and my friend in the country, and had actually given his clothing to Mr. Mann, before he received either of my letters. Judge how agreeably I have been surprised, and how much the manner has added to my obligation! You will be still more pleased when you hear the character of this officer, which I tell you willingly, because I know you country gentlemen are apt to contract prejudices, and to fancy that no virtues grow out of your own s.h.i.+re; yet by this one sample, you will find them connected with several circ.u.mstances that are apt to nip their growth. He is of as good a family as any in England, yet in this whole transaction he has treated me with as much humility is if I was of as good a family and as if I had obliged him, not he me. In the next place, I have no power to oblige him; then, though he is young and in the army, he is as good, as temperate, as meek, as if he was a curate on preferment; and yet with all these meek virtues, n.o.body has distinguished themselves by more personal bravery-and what is still more to his praise, though he has so greatly established his courage, he is as regular in his duty, and submits as patiently to all the tedious exiles and fatigues of it, as if he had no merit at all; but I will say no more, lest you imagine that the present warmth of my grat.i.tude makes me exaggerate. No, you will not, when you know that all I have said relates to your own brother, Colonel Charles Montagu. I did not think he could have added still to my satisfaction; but he has, by giving me hopes Of seeing you in town next week-till then, adieu! Yours as entirely as is consistent with my devotedness to your brother.

(651) Colonel Charles Montagu, this day appointed to the command of the 59th regiment of foot.-E.

300 Letter 168 To Richard Bentley, Esq.

Strawberry Hill, Jan. 6, 1756.

I am quite angry with you: you write me letters so entertaining that they make me almost forgive your not drawing: now, you know, next to being disagreeable, there is nothing so shocking as being too agreeable. However, as I am a true philosopher, and can resist any thing I like better, I declare, that if you don't coin the vast ingot of colours and cloth that I have sent you, I will burn your letters unopened.

Thank you for all your concern about my gout, but I shall not mind you; it shall appear in my stomach before I attempt to keep it out of it by a fortification of wine: I only drank a little two days after being very much fatigued in the House, and the worthy pioneer began to cry succour from my foot the next day. However, though I am determined to feel young still, I grow to take the hints age gives me; I come hither oftener, I leave the town to the young; and though the busy turn that the world has taken draws me back into it, I excuse it to myself, and call it retiring into politics. From hence I must retire, or I shall be drowned; my cellars are four feet under water, the Thames gives itself Rhone airs, and the meadows are more flooded than when you first saw this place and thought it so dreary. We seem to have taken out our earthquake in rain: since the third week in June, there have not been five days together of dry weather. They tell us that at Colnbrook and Stains they are forced to live in the first floor. Mr. Chute is at the Vine, but I don't expect to hear from him: no post but a dove can get from thence. Every post brings new earthquakes; they have felt them in France, Sweden, and Germany: what a convulsion there has been in nature! Sir Isaac Newton, somewhere in his works, has this beautiful expression, "The globe will want manum emendatricem."

I have been here this week with only Mr. Muntz; from whence you may conclude I have been employed--Memoirs thrive apace.

He seems to wonder (for he has not a little of your indolence, I am not surprised you took to him) that I am continually occupied every minute of the day, reading, writing, forming plans: in short, you know me. He is an inoffensive, good creature, but had rather ponder over a foreign gazette than a pallet.

I expect to find George Montagu in town to-morrow: his brother has at last got a regiment. Not content with having deserved it, before he got it, by distinguished bravery and indefatigable duty, he persists in meriting it still. He immediately, unasked, gave the chaplains.h.i.+p (which others always sell advantageously) to his brother's parson at Greatworth. I am almost afraid it will make my commendation of this really handsome action look interested, when I add, that he has obliged me in the same way by making Mr. Mann his clothier, before I had time to apply for it. Adieu! I find no news in town.

302 Letter 169 To The Hon. H. S. Conway.(652) Arlington Street, Jan. 22, 1756.

As my Lady Ailesbury is so taken up with turnpike-hills, Popish recusants, and Irish politics, and you are the only idle person in the family (for Missy I find is engaged too), I must return to correspond with you. But my letters will not be quite so lively as they have been: the Opposition, like schoolboys, don't know how to settle to their books again after the holidays. We have not had a division: nay, not a debate. Those that like it, are amusing themselves with the Appleby election. Now and then we draggle on a little militia. The recess has not produced even a pamphlet. In short, there are none but great outlines of politics: a memorial in French Billingsgate has been transmitted hither which has been answered very laconically. More agreeable is the guarantee signed with Prussia: M. Michel(653) is as fas.h.i.+onable as ever General Wall was. The Duke of c.u.mberland has kept his bed with a sore leg, but is better. Oh! I forgot, Sir Harry Erskine is dismissed from the army, and if you will suffer so low a pun, as upon his face, is a rubric martyr for his country: bad as it Is, this is the best bon-mot I have to send you: Ireland, which one did not suspect, is become the staple of wit, and, I find, coins bons-mots for our greatest men. I might not send you Mr. Fox's repartee, for I never heard it, nor has any body here: as you have, pray send it me. Charles Townshend t'other night hearing somebody say, that my Lady Falmouth, who had a great many diamonds on, had a Very fine stomach, replied, "By G.o.d! my lord has a better."

You will be entertained with the riot Charles makes in the sober house of Argyle: t'other night, on the d.u.c.h.ess's bawling to my Lady Suffolk,(654) he in the very same tone cried out, "Large stewing Oysters!" When he takes such liberties with his new parent, you may judge how little decency he observes with his wife: last week at dinner at Lord Strafford's, on my Lady Dalkeith's mentioning some dish that she loved, he replied before all the servants, "Yes, my Lady Dalkeith, you love it better than any thing but one!"

We were to have had a masquerade to-night, but the Bishops, who you know have always persisted in G.o.d's hating dominos, have made an earthquake point of it, and postponed it till after the fast.

Your brother has got a sixth infanta; at the christening night, Mr. Trail had got through two prayers before any body found out that the child was not brought down stairs. You see pauvret'e how little I have to say. Do accept the enclosed World(655) in part of payment for the remainder of a letter.

I must conclude with telling you, that though I know her but little, I admire my Lady Kildare as much as you do. She has writ volumes to Lady Caroline Fox in praise of you and your Countess: you are a good soul! I can't say so much for lady Ailesbury. As to Missy, I am afraid I must resign my claim: I never was very proper to contest with an Hibernian hero; and I don't know how, but I think my merit does not improve. Adieu!

(652) Now first printed.

(653) The Prussian charg'e d'affaires.

(654) The Countess of Suffolk was very deaf.-E.

(655) No.160. On attacks upon Licentiousness.--Story of Sir Eustace Drawbridge-court; written by Walpole.