LETTER 37.
LONDON, Dec. 15, 1711.
I put in my letter this evening myself. I was to-day inquiring at the
Secretary's office of Mr. Lewis how things went: I there met Prior, who told
me he gave all for gone, etc., and was of opinion the whole Ministry would
give up their places next week: Lewis thinks they will not till spring, when
the session is over; both of them entirely despair. I went to see Mrs.
Masham, who invited me to dinner; but I was engaged to Lewis. At four I went
to Masham's. He came and whispered me that he had it from a very good hand
that all would be well, and I found them both very cheerful. The company was
going to the opera, but desired I would come and sup with them. I did so at
ten, and Lord Treasurer was there, and sat with us till past twelve, and was
more cheerful than I have seen him these ten days. Mrs. Masham told me he was
mightily cast down some days ago, and he could not indeed hide it from me.
Arbuthnot is in good hopes that the Queen has not betrayed us, but only has
been frightened, and flattered, etc. But I cannot yet be of his opinion,
whether my reasons are better, or that my fears are greater. I do resolve, if
they give up, or are turned out soon, to retire for some months, and I have
pitched upon the place already: but I will take methods for hearing from MD,
and writing to them. But I would be out of the way upon the first of the
ferment; for they lay all things on me, even some I have never read.
16. I took courage to-day, and went to Court with a very cheerful
countenance. It was mightily crowded; both parties coming to observe each
other's faces. I have avoided Lord Halifax's bow till he forced it on me; but
we did not talk together. I could not make less than fourscore bows, of which
about twenty might be to Whigs. The Duke of Somerset is gone to Petworth,
and, I hear, the Duchess too, of which I shall be very glad. Prince
Eugene,[1] who was expected here some days ago, we are now told, will not come
at all. The Whigs designed to have met him with forty thousand horse. Lord
Treasurer told me some days ago of his discourse with the Emperor's Resident,
that puppy Hoffman, about Prince Eugene's coming; by which I found my lord
would hinder it, if he could; and we shall be all glad if he does not come,
and think it a good point gained. Sir Andrew Fountaine, Ford, and I dined to-
day with Mrs. Van, by invitation.
17. I have mistaken the day of the month, and been forced to mend it thrice.
I dined to-day with Mr. Masham and his lady, by invitation. Lord Treasurer
was to be there, but came not. It was to entertain Buys, the Dutch Envoy, who
speaks English well enough: he was plaguily politic, telling a thousand lies,
of which none passed upon any of us. We are still in the condition of
suspense, and I think have little hopes. The Duchess of Somerset is not gone
to Petworth; only the Duke, and that is a poor sacrifice. I believe the Queen
certainly designs to change the Ministry, but perhaps may put it off till the
session is over: and I think they had better give up now, if she will not
deal openly; and then they need not answer for the consequences of a peace,
when it is in other hands, and may yet be broken. They say my Lord Privy Seal
sets out for Holland this week: so the peace goes on.
18. It has rained hard from morning till night, and cost me three shillings
in coach-hire. We have had abundance of wet weather. I dined in the City,
and was with the printer, who has now a fifth edition of the Conduct, etc.:
it is in small, and sold for sixpence; they have printed as many as three
editions, because they are to be sent in numbers into the country by great
men, etc., who subscribe for hundreds. It has been sent a fortnight ago to
Ireland: I suppose you will print it there. The Tory Lords and Commons in
Parliament argue all from it; and all agree that never anything of that kind
was of so great consequence, or made so many converts. By the time I have
sent this letter, I expect to hear from little MD: it will be a month, two
days hence, since I had your last, and I will allow ten days for accidents. I
cannot get rid of the leavings of a cold I got a month ago, or else it is a
new one. I have been writing letters all this evening till I am weary, and I
am sending out another little thing, which I hope to finish this week, and
design to send to the printer in an unknown hand. There was printed a Grub
Street speech of Lord Nottingham;[2] and he was such an owl to complain of it
in the House of Lords, who have taken up the printer for it. I heard at Court
that Walpole[3] (a great Whig member) said that I and my whimsical Club writ
it at one of our meetings, and that I should pay for it. He will find he
lies: and I shall let him know by a third hand my thoughts of him. He is to
be Secretary of State, if the Ministry changes; but he has lately had a bribe
proved against him in Parliament, while he was Secretary at War. He is one of
the Whigs' chief speakers.
19. Sad dismal weather. I went to the Secretary's office, and Lewis made me
dine with him. I intended to have dined with Lord Treasurer. I have not seen
the Secretary this week. Things do not mend at all. Lord Dartmouth despairs,
and is for giving up; Lewis is of the same mind; but Lord Treasurer only says,
"Poh, poh, all will be well." I am come home early to finish something I am
doing; but I find I want heart and humour, and would read any idle book that
came in my way. I have just sent away a penny paper to make a little
mischief. Patrick is gone to the burial of an Irish footman, who was Dr.
King's[4] servant; he died of a consumption, a fit death for a poor starving
wit's footman. The Irish servants always club to bury a countryman.
20. I was with the Secretary this morning, and, for aught I can see, we shall
have a languishing death: I can know nothing, nor themselves neither. I
dined, you know, with our Society, and that odious Secretary would make me
President next week; so I must entertain them this day se'nnight at the
Thatched House Tavern,[5] where we dined to-day: it will cost me five or six
pounds; yet the Secretary says he will give me wine. I found a letter when I
came home from the Bishop of Clogher.
21. This is the first time I ever got a new cold before the old one was
going: it came yesterday, and appeared in all due forms, eyes and nose
running, etc., and is now very bad; and I cannot tell how I got it. Sir
Andrew Fountaine and I were invited to dine with Mrs. Van. I was this morning
with the Duke of Ormond; and neither he nor I can think of anything to comfort
us in present affairs. We must certainly fall, if the Duchess of Somerset be
not turned out; and nobody believes the Queen will ever part with her. The
Duke and I were settling when Mr. Secretary and I should dine with him, and he
fixes upon Tuesday; and when I came away I remembered it was Christmas Day. I
was to see Lady ----, who is just up after lying-in; and the ugliest sight I
have seen, pale, dead, old and yellow, for want of her paint. She has turned
my stomach. But she will soon be painted, and a beauty again.
22. I find myself disordered with a pain all round the small of my back,
which I imputed to champagne I had drunk; but find it to have been only my new
cold. It was a fine frosty day, and I resolved to walk into the City. I
called at Lord Treasurer's at eleven, and stayed some time with him.--He
showed me a letter from a great Presbyterian parson[6] to him, complaining how
their friends had betrayed them by passing this Conformity Bill; and he showed
me the answer he had written, which his friends would not let him send; but
was a very good one. He is very cheerful; but gives one no hopes, nor has any
to give. I went into the City, and there I dined.
23. Morning. As I was dressing to go to church, a friend that was to see me
advised me not to stir out; so I shall keep at home to-day, and only eat some
broth, if I can get it. It is a terrible cold frost, and snow fell yesterday,
which still remains: look there, you may see it from the penthouses. The
Lords made yesterday two or three votes about peace, and Hanover, of a very
angry kind to vex the Ministry, and they will meet sooner by a fortnight than
the Commons; and they say, are preparing some knocking addresses. Morrow,
sirrahs. I'll sit at home, and when I go to bed I will tell you how I am.--I
have sat at home all day, and eaten only a mess of broth and a roll. I have
written a Prophecy,[7] which I design to print; I did it to-day, and some
other verses.
24. I went into the City to-day in a coach, and dined there. My cold is
going. It is now bitter hard frost, and has been so these three or four days.
My Prophecy is printed, and will be published after Christmas Day; I like it
mightily: I don't know how it will pass. You will never understand it at
your distance, without help. I believe everybody will guess it to be mine,
because it is somewhat in the same manner with that of "Merlin"[8] in the
Miscellanies. My Lord Privy Seal set out this day for Holland: he'll have a
cold journey. I gave Patrick half a crown for his Christmas box, on condition
he would be good, and he came home drunk at midnight. I have taken a
memorandum of it, because I never design to give him a groat more. 'Tis cruel
cold.
25. I wish MD a merry Christmas, and many a one; but mine is melancholy: I
durst not go to church to-day, finding myself a little out of order, and it
snowing prodigiously, and freezing. At noon I went to Mrs. Van, who had this
week engaged me to dine there to-day: and there I received the news that poor
Mrs. Long[9] died at Lynn in Norfolk on Saturday last, at four in the morning:
she was sick but four hours. We suppose it was the asthma, which she was
subject to as well as the dropsy, as she sent me word in her last letter,
written about five weeks ago; but then said she was recovered. I never was
more afflicted at any death. The poor creature had retired to Lynn two years
ago, to live cheap, and pay her debts. In her last letter she told me she
hoped to be easy by Christmas; and she kept her word, although she meant it
otherwise. She had all sorts of amiable qualities, and no ill ones, but the
indiscretion of too much neglecting her own affairs. She had two thousand
pounds left her by an old grandmother,[10] with which she intended to pay her
debts, and live on an annuity she had of one hundred pounds a year, and
Newburg House, which would be about sixty pounds more. That odious
grandmother living so long, forced her to retire; for the two thousand pounds
was settled on her after the old woman's death, yet her brute of a brother,
Sir James Long,[11] would not advance it for her; else she might have paid her
debts, and continued here, and lived still: I believe melancholy helped her
on to her grave. I have ordered a paragraph to be put in the Postboy,[12]
giving an account of her death, and making honourable mention of her; which is
all I can do to serve her memory: but one reason was spite; for her brother
would fain have her death a secret, to save the charge of bringing her up here
to bury her, or going into mourning. Pardon all this, for the sake of a poor
creature I had so much friendship for.
26. I went to Mr. Secretary this morning, and he would have me dine with him.
I called at noon at Mrs. Masham's, who desired me not to let the Prophecy be
published, for fear of angering the Queen about the Duchess of Somerset; so I
writ to the printer to stop them. They have been printed and given about, but
not sold. I saw Lord Treasurer there, who had been two hours with the Queen;
and Mrs. Masham is in hopes things will do well again. I went at night again,
and supped at Mr. Masham's, and Lord Treasurer sat with us till one o'clock.
So 'tis late, etc.
27. I entertained our Society at the Thatched House Tavern to-day at dinner;
but brother Bathurst sent for wine, the house affording none. The printer had
not received my letter, and so he brought up dozens apiece of the Prophecy;
but I ordered him to part with no more. 'Tis an admirable good one, and
people are mad for it. The frost still continues violently cold. Mrs. Masham
invited me to come to-night and play at cards; but our Society did not part
till nine. But I supped with Mrs. Hill, her sister, and there was Mrs. Masham
and Lord Treasurer, and we stayed till twelve. He is endeavouring to get a
majority against next Wednesday, when the House of Lords is to meet, and the
Whigs intend to make some violent addresses against a peace, if not prevented.
God knows what will become of us.--It is still prodigiously cold; but so I
told you already. We have eggs on the spit, I wish they may not be addled.
When I came home tonight I found, forsooth, a letter from MD, N.24, 24, 24,
24; there, do you know the numbers now? and at the same time one from Joe,[13]
full of thanks: let him know I have received it, and am glad of his success,
but won't put him to the charge of a letter. I had a letter some time ago
from Mr. Warburton,[14] and I beg one of you will copy out what I shall tell
you, and send it by some opportunity to Warburton. 'Tis as follows: The
Doctor has received Mr. Warburton's letter, and desires he will let the Doctor
know where[15] that accident he mentions is like soon to happen, and he will
do what he can in it.--And pray, madam, let them know that I do this to save
myself the trouble, and them the expense of a letter. And I think that this
is enough for one that comes home at twelve from a Lord Treasurer and Mrs.
Masham. Oh, I could tell you ten thousand things of our mad politics, upon
what small circumstances great affairs have turned. But I will go rest my
busy head.
28. I was this morning with brother Bathurst to see the Duke of Ormond. We
have given his Grace some hopes to be one of our Society. The Secretary and I
and Bathurst are to dine with him on Sunday next. The Duke is not in much
hopes, but has been very busy in endeavouring to bring over some lords against
next Wednesday. The Duchess caught me as I was going out; she is sadly in
fear about things, and blames me for not mending them by my credit with Lord
Treasurer; and I blame her. She met me in the street at noon, and engaged me
to dine with her, which I did; and we talked an hour after dinner in her
closet. If we miscarry on Wednesday, I believe it will be by some strange
sort of neglect. They talk of making eight new lords by calling up some
peers' eldest sons; but they delay strangely. I saw Judge Coote[16] to-day at
the Duke of Ormond's: he desires to come and see me, to justify his
principles.
29. Morning. This goes to-day. I will not answer yours, your 24th, till
next, which shall begin to-night, as usual. Lord Shelburne has sent to invite
me to dinner, but I am engaged with Lewis at Ned Southwell's. Lord
Northampton and Lord Aylesbury's sons[17] are both made peers; but we shall
want more. I write this post to your Dean. I owe the Archbishop a letter
this long time. All people that come from Ireland complain of him, and scold
me for protecting him. Pray, Madam Dingley, let me know what Presto has
received for this year, or whether anything is due to him for last: I cannot
look over your former letters now. As for Dingley's own account of her
exchequer money, I will give it on t'other side. Farewell, my own dearest MD,
and love Presto; and God ever bless dearest MD, etc. etc. I wish you many
happy Christmases and new years.
I have owned to the Dean a letter I just had from you, but that I had not one
this great while before.
DINGLEY'S ACCOUNT
Received of Mr. Tooke . . 6 17 6
Deducted for entering the letter of attorney . 0 2 6
For the three half-crowns it used to cost you,
I don't know why nor wherefore . . 0 7 6
For exchange to Ireland . . 0 10 0
For coach-hire. . 0 2 6
--------
In all, just 8 0 0
So there's your money, and we are both even: for I'll pay you no more than
that eight pounds Irish, and pray be satisfied.
Churchwarden's accounts, boys.
Saturday night. I have broke open my letter, and tore it into the bargain, to
let you know that we are all safe: the Queen has made no less than twelve
lords,[18] to have a majority; nine new ones, the other three peers' sons; and
has turned out the Duke of Somerset. She is awaked at last, and so is Lord
Treasurer: I want nothing now but to see the Duchess out. But we shall do
without her. We are all extremely happy. Give me joy, sirrahs. This is
written in a coffee-house. Three of the new lords are of our Society.
