fortune, and would willingly depend on her father; but for her child, she had nothing left to do but to take care of that, and would not part with it; so she keeps both, and I suppose will soon have her lover again, too, for * 1 * * T'other sister has been sitting to Reynolds, who by her husband's direction has made a speaking picture. Lord Bolingbroke said to him, "You must give the eyes something of Nelly O'Brien, or it will not do." As he has given Nelly something of his wife's, it was but fair to give her something of Nelly's, and my lady will not throw away the present! I am going to Strawberry for a few days, pour faire mes paques. The gallery advances rapidly. The ceiling is Harry the Seventh's chapel in propriâ personá; the canopies are all placed; I think three months will quite complete it. I have bought at lord Granville's sale the original picture of Charles Brandon 2 and his queen; and have to-day received from France a copy of madame Maintenon, which with my La Valiére, and copies of madame Grammont, and of the charming portrait of the Mazarine at the duke of St. Alban's, is to accompany Bianca Capello and Ninon L'Enclos in the round tower. I hope now there will never be another auction, for I have not an inch of space, or a farthing left. As I have some remains of paper, I will fill it up with a song that I made t'other day in the post-chaise, after a particular conversation that I had with miss Pelham, the night before, at the duke of Richmond's. THE ADVICE: The bus'ness of woman, dear Chloe, is pleasure, And by love ev'ry fair one her minutes should measure. Nor would I rob the gentle fond god of his due. 1 Lady Bolingbroke and the countess of Pembroke were sisters, being daughters of Charles, second duke of Marlborough. Lord Bolingbroke's marriage was dissolved by parliament in 1768, and the lady married the hon. Topham Beauclerke. [Ed.] 2 Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, who married La Reine Blanche Mary of England, sister of Henry VIII. and widow of Louis XII. of France. [Ed.] II. True passion insensibly leads to the joy, And grateful esteem bids its pleasures ne'er cloy. That poor men, by your visions and jealousy worried, Adieu! till Midsummer-day. Yours ever. 66. To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq. Arlington-street, April 6, 1763. You will pity my distress when I tell you that lord Waldegrave has got the small-pox, and a bad sort. This day se'nnight, in the evening, I met him at Arthur's: he complained to me of the head-ache, and a sickness in the stomach. I said, My dear lord, why don't you go home, and take James's powder, you will be well in the morning." He thanked me, said he was glad I had put him in mind of it, and he would take my advice. I sent in the morning; my niece said he had taken the powder, and that James thought he had no fever, but that she found him very low. As he had no fever, I had no apprehension. At eight o'clock on Friday night, I was told abruptly at Arthur's, that lord Waldegrave had the small-pox. I was excessively shocked, not knowing if the powder was good or bad for it. I went instantly to the house; at the door I was met by a servant of lady Ailesbury, sent to tell me that Mr. Conway was arrived. These two opposite strokes of terror and joy overcame me so much, that when I got to Mr. Conway's I could not speak to him, but burst into a flood of tears. The next morning, lord Waldegrave hearing I was there, desired to speak to me alone. I should tell you, that the moment he knew it was the small-pox, he signed his will. This has been the unvaried tenor of his behaviour, doing just what is wise and necessary, and nothing more. He told me, he knew how great the chance was against his living through that distemper at his age. That, to be sure, he should like to have lived a few years longer, but if he did not, he should submit patiently. That all he desired was, that if he should fail, we would do our utmost to comfort his wife, who, he feared, was breeding, and who, he added, was the best woman in the world. I told him he could not doubt our attention to her, but that at present all our attention was fixed on him. That the great difference between having the smallpox young, or more advanced in years, consisted in the fear of the latter, but that as I had so often heard him say, and now saw, that he had none of those fears, the danger of age was con siderably lessened. Dr. Wilmot says, that if any thing saves him, it will be his tranquillity. To my comfort I am told, that James's powder has probably been a material ingredient towards his recovery. In the mean time, the universal anxiety about him is incredible. Dr. Barnard, the master of Eton, who is in town for the holidays, says, that, from his situation, he is naturally invited to houses of all ranks and parties, and that the concern is general in all. I cannot say so much of my lord, and not do a little justice to my niece, too. Her tenderness, fondness, attention, and courage are surprising. She has no fears to become: her, nor heroism for parade. I could not help saying to her, "There never was a nurse of your age had such attention." She replied, There never was a nurse of my age had such an object." It is this astonishes one, to see so much beauty sincerely devoted to a man so unlovely in his person; but if Adonis was sick, she could not stir seldomer out of his bedchamber. The physicians seem to have little hopes, but, as their arguments are not near so strong as their alarms, I own I do not give it up, and yet I look on it in a very dangerous light. I know nothing of news and the world, for I go to Albemarlestreet early in the morning, and don't come home till late at night. Young Mr. Pitt has been dying of a fever in Bedfordshire. The bishop of Carlisle,' whom I have appointed visitor of Strawberry, is gone down to him. You will be much disappointed if you expect to find the gallery near finished. They threaten me with three months before the gilding can be begun. 1 Dr. Charles Lyttelton, president of the society of Antiquaries, was consecrated bishop of Carlisle in 1762, in the room of Dr. Osbaldeston, translated to the see of London. [Ed.] Twenty points are at a stand by my present confinement, and I have a melancholy prospect of being forced to carry my niece thither the next time I go. The duc de Nivernois, in return for a set of the Strawberry editions, has sent me four seasons, which, I conclude, he thought very good, but they shall pass their whole round in London, for they have not even the merit of being badly old enough for Strawberry. Mr. Bentley's epistle to lord Melcomb has been published in a magazine. It has less wit by far than I expected from him, and to the full as bad English. The thoughts are old Strawberry phrases; so are not the panegyrics. Here are six lines written extempore by lady Temple, on lady Mary Coke, easy and genteel, and almost true: There has been tough doings in parliament about the tax on cyder:2 and in the western counties the discontent is so great, that if Mr. Wilkes will turn patriot-hero, or patriot-incendiary in earnest, and put himself at their head, he may obtain a rope of martyrdom before the summer is over. Adieu! I tell you my sorrows, because, if I escape them, I am sure nobody will rejoice more. Yours ever. 2 A tax on cyder of four shillings a hogshead at the pound's mouth, which was this year laid on, created such dissatisfaction that many of the apple growers threatened to demolish their orchards and convert them into pasture. It was during the debate on the subject of the cyder tax that Mr. Grenville acquired the name of the Gentle Shepherd. He was contending, in answer to Mr. Pitt, that such a measure was unavoidable, as government knew not where to impose another tax of equal efficiency." The right honourable gentleman" said he "complains of the severity of the tax; why does he not propose another tax instead of it. Tell me where, tell me where," this he repeated several times with great energy: "tell me where you can lay another tax?" "Gentle Shepherd, tell me where!" replied Mr. Pitt, in a musical tone, repeating the words of a popular canzonet; immoderate bursts of laughter followed, and Mr. Grenville retained for ever the name of The Gentle Shepherd. [Ed.] 66 ¥g-- •n ཝཱ 1 ༈༙?༽rs!༼3 Arlington street, Friday night, late. Well," said he, 66 66 the AMIDST all my own grief and all the distress, which I have this moment left, I cannot forget you, who have so long been my steady and invariable friend. I cannot leave it to newspapers and correspondents to tell you my loss. Lord Waldegrave1 died to-day. Last night he had some glimmerings of hope. The most desponding of the faculty flattered us a little. He himself joked with the physicians, and expressed himself in this engaging manner; asking what day of the week it was; they told him Thursday: "Sure," said he, "it is Friday." No, my lord, indeed it is Thursday." see what a rogue this distemper makes one; I want to steal nothing but a day?" By the help of opiates, with which, for two or three days, they had numbed his sufferings, he rested well. This morning he had no worse symptoms. I told lady Waldegrave, that as no material alteration was expected before Sunday, I would go to dine at Strawberry, and return in time to meet the physicians in the evening; in truth, I was worn out with anxiety and attendance, and wanted an hour or two of fresh air. I left her at twelve, and had ordered dinner at three, that I might be back early. I had not risen from table when I received an express from lady Betty Waldegrave, to tell me that a sudden change had hap pened, that they had given him James's powder, but that they feared it was too late, and that he probably would be dead before I could come to my niece, for whose sake she begged I would return immediately. It was indeed too late! too late for every 1 James Waldegrave, second earl Waldegrave, born 4th March 1714-15. He was appointed, 18th December 1752, governor and privy purse to his majesty king George III., then prince of Wales, and to prince Edward, duke of York; and in two days afterwards, being sworn of the privy council, took his seat at the board accordingly. In 1575, the earl was installed a knight of the garter, and in the same year appointed one of the tellers of) the Exchequer. His lordship married, in 1759, Maria, second illegitimate daughter of sir Edward Walpole, K.B., by whom he had three daughters only. Her ladyship, after the earl's decease, which took place on the 8th of April 1763, became the wife of his royal highness William Henry duke of Gloucester, by whom she was mother of the late duke of Gloucester, and of her royal highness the princess Sophia of Gloucester. [Ed.] |