The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford Volume I Part 43

October 9th.

Well! I have waited till this morning, but have no letter from you; what can be the meaning of it? Sure, if you was ill, Mr.

Chute would write to me! Your brother protests he never lets your letters lie at the office.

Sa Majest'e Patapanique(721) has had a dreadful misfortune!-not lost his first minister, nor his purse--nor had part of his camp equipage burned in the river, nor waited for his secretary of state, who is perhaps blown to Flanders--nay, nor had his chair pulled from under him-worse!

worse! quarrelling with a great pointer last night about their countesses, he received a terrible shake by the back and a bruise on the left eye--poor dear Pat! you never saw such universal consternation! it was at supper. Sir Robert, who makes as much rout with him as I do, says, he never saw ten people show so much real concern! Adieu! Yours, ever and ever-but write to me.

(714) The Marshal de Maillebois and the Count de Saxe had been sent with reinforcements from France, to deliver the Marshal de Broglio and the Marshal de Belleisle, who, with their army, were shut up in Prague, and surrounded by the superior forces of the Queen of Hungary, commanded by Prince Charles of Lorraine. They succeeded in facilitating the escape of the Marshal de Broglio, and of a portion of the French troops; but the Marshal de Belleisle continued to be blockaded in Prague with twenty-two thousand men, till December 1742, when he made his escape to Egra.-D.

(715) Felton Hervey, tenth son of John, first Earl of Bristol; in 1737, appointed groom of the bedchamber to the Duke of c.u.mberland. He died in 1775.-E.

(716) These are "The Capuchin," and the ode beginning, "'Great Earl of Bath, your reign is o'er;" As they have been frequently published, they are omitted. The "Nova Progenies"

is the well-known ode beginning, "See, a new progeny descends."-D.

(717) Eldest son of old Horace Walpole. [Afterwards the second Lord Walpole of Wolterton, and in 1806, at the age of eighty-three created Earl of Orford. He died in 1809.-E.]

(718) The Princesses, daughters of George II.-D.

(719) Elizabeth Fenwick, widow of Henry Scott, third Earl of Deloraine. She was a favourite of George II. and lived much in his intimate society. From the ironical epithets applied to her in Lord Hervey's ballad in the subsequent letter, it would appear, that her general conduct was not considered to be very exemplary. She died in 1794.-D.

(720) Lady Yarmouth.

289 Letter 86 To Sir Horace Mann.

Houghton, Oct. 18, 1742.

I have received two letters from you since last post; I suppose the wind stopped the packet-boat.

Well! was not I in the right to persist in buying the Dominichin? don't you laugh at those wise connoisseurs, who p.r.o.nounced it a copy? If it is one, where is the original? or who was that so great master that could equal Dominichin? Your brother has received the money for it, and Lord Orford is in great impatience for it; yet he begs, if you can find any opportunity, that it may be sent in a man-of-war. I must desire that the statue may be sent to Leghorn, to be s.h.i.+pped with it, and that you will get Campagni and Libri to transact the payment as they did for the picture, and I will pay your brother.

Villettes' important despatches to you are as ridiculous as good Mr. Matthews's devotion. - I fancy Mr. Matthews's own G.o.d (722) would make as foolish a figure about a monkey's neck, as a Roman Catholic one. You know, Sir Francis Dashwood used to say that Lord Shrewsbury's providence was an old angry man in a blue cloak: another person-that I knew, believed providence was like a mouse, because he is invisible. I dare to say Matthews believes, that providence lives upon beef and pudding, loves prize-fighting and bull-baiting, and drinks fog to the health of Old England.

I go to London in a week, and then will send you cart-loads of news: I know none now, but that we hear to-day of the arrival of Duc d'Aremberg-I suppose to return my Lord Carteret's visit. The latter was near being lost; he told the King that being in a storm, he had thought it safest to put into Yarmouth roads, at which he laughed, hoh! hoh! hoh!

For want of news, I live upon ballads to you; here is one that has made a vast noise, and by Lord Hervey's taking great pains to disperse it, has been thought his own-if it is,(723) he has taken true care to disguise the niceness of his style.

1. O England, attend. while thy fate I deplore, Rehearsing the schemes and the conduct of power.

And since only of those who have power I sing, I am sure none can think that I hint at the King.

2. From the time his son made him old Robin depose, All the power of a King he was well-known to lose; But of all but the name and the badges bereft, Like old women, his paraphernalia are left.

3. To tell how he shook in St. James's for fear, When first these new Ministers bullied him there, Makes my blood boil with rage, to think what a thing They have made of a man We 'obey as a King.

4. Whom they pleas'd they put in, whom they pleas'd they put out, And just like a top they all lash'd him about, Whilst he like a top with a murmuring noise, Seem'd to grumble, but turn'd to these rude las.h.i.+ng boys.

5. At last Carteret arriving, spoke thus to his grief, If you'll make me your Doctor, I'll bring you relief; You see to your closet familiar I come, And seem like my wife in the circle-at home."

6. Quoth the King, "My good Lord, perhaps you've been told, That I used to abuse you a little of old; 'But now bring whom you will, and eke turn away, But let me and my money, and Walmoden(724) stay."

7." For you and Walmoden, I freely consent, But as for your money, I must have it spent; I have promised your son (nay, no frowns,) shall have some, Nor think 'tis for nothing we patriots are come.

8. "But, however, little King, since I find you so good, Thus stooping below your high courage and blood, Put yourself in my hands, and I'll do what I can, To make you look yet like a King and a man.

9. "At your Admiralty and your Treasury-board, To save one single man y; u shan't say a word, For, by G.o.d! all your rubbish front both you shall shoot, Walpole's ciphers and Gasherry'S(725) va.s.sals to boot.

10. "And to guard Prince's ears, as all Statesmen take care, So, long as yours are-not one man shall come near; For of all your Court-crew we'll leave only those Who we know never dare to say boh! to a goose.

11. "So your friend b.o.o.by Grafton I'll e'en let you keep, Awake he can't hurt, and is still half asleep; Nor ever was dangerous, but to womankind, And his body's as impotent now as his mind.

12. "There's another Court-b.o.o.by, at once hot and dull, Your pious pimp, Schutz, a mean, Hanover tool; For your card-play at night he too shall remain, With virtuous and sober, and wise Deloraine.(726)

13. "And for all your Court-n.o.bles who can't write or read, As of such t.i.tled ciphers all courts stand in need, Who, like parliament-Swiss, vote and fight for their pay, They're as good as a new set to cry yea and nay.

14. "Though Newcastle's as false, as he's silly, I know, By betraying old Robin to me long ago, As well as all those who employed him before, Yet I leave him in place, but I leave him no power.

15. "For granting his heart is as black as his hat, With no more truth in this, than there's sense beneath that; Yet as he's a coward, he'll shake when I frown; You call'd him a rascal, I'll use him like one,

16. "And since his estate at elections he'll spend, And beggar himself, without making a friend; So whilst the extravagant fool has a sous, As his brains I can't fear, so his fortune I'll use,

17. "And as miser Hardwicke, with all courts will draw, He too may remain, but shall stick to his law; For of foreign affairs, when he talks like a fool, I'll laugh in his face,, and will cry 'Go to school!'

18. "The Countess of Wilmington, excellent nurse, I'll trust with the Treasury, not with its purse, For nothing by her I've resolved shall be done, She shall sit at that board, as you sit on the throne.

19. "Perhaps now, you expect that I should begin To tell you the men I design to bring in; But we're not yet determined on all their demands -And you'll know soon enough, when they come to kiss hands.

20. "All that weatherc.o.c.k Pultney shall ask, we must grant, For to make him a great n.o.ble nothing, I want; And to cheat such a man, demands all my arts, For though he's a fool, he's a fool with great parts,

21. "And as popular Clodius, the Pultney of Rome, >From a n.o.ble, for power did plebeian become, So this Clodius to be a Patrician shall choose, Till what one got by changing, the other shall lose.

22. "Thus flatter'd and courted, and gaz'd at by all, Like Phaeton, rais'd for a day, he shall fall, Put the world in a flame, and show he did strive To get reins in his hand, though 'tis plain he can't drive.

23. "For your foreign affairs, howe'er they turn out, At least I'll take care you shall make a great rout: Then c.o.c.k your great hat, strut, bounce, and look bluff, For though kick'd and cuffd here, you shall there kick and cuff.

24. "That Walpole did nothing they all used to say, So I'll do enough, but I'll make the dogs pay; Great fleets I'll provide, and great armies engage, Whate'er debts we make, or whate'er wars we wage."

25. With cordials like these the Monarch's new guest Revived his sunk spirits and gladden'd his heart; Till in raptures he cried, " y dear Lord, you shall do Whatever you will, give me troops to review.

26. "But oh! my dear England, since this is thy state, Who is there that loves thee but weeps at thy fate?

Since in changing thy masters, thou art just like old Rome, Whilst Faction, Oppression, and Slavery's thy doom.

27. "For though you have made that rogue Walpole retire, You're out of the frying-pan into the fire!

But since to the Protestant line I'm a friend, I tremble to think where these changes may end!"

This has not been printed. You see the burthen of all the songs Is the rogue Walpole, which he has observed himself, but I believe is content, as long as they pay off his arrears to those that began the tune. Adieu!

(722) Admiral Matthews's crew having disturbed some Roman Catholic ceremonies in a little island on the coast of Italy, hung a crucifix about a monkey's neck.