4

3

out a thousand beauties. We went to Blenheim and saw all Vanbrugh's quarries, all the acts of parliament and gazettes on the duke in inscriptions, and all the old flock chairs, wainscot tables, and gowns and petticoats of queen Anne, that old Sarah could crowd among blocks of marble. It looks like the palace of an auctioneer, who has been chosen king of Poland, and furnished his apartments with obsolete trophies, rubbish that nobody bid for, and a dozen pictures, that he had stolen from the inventories of different families. The place is as ugly as the house, and the bridge, like the beggars at the old duchess's gate, begs for a drop of water, and is refused. We went to Ditchley, which is a good house, well furnished, has good portraits, a wretched saloon, and one handsome scene behind the house. There are portraits of the Litchfield hunt, in true blue frocks, with ermine capes. One of the colleges has exerted this loyal pun, and made their east window entirely of blue glass. But the greatest pleasure we had, was in seeing sir Charles Cotterel's 5 at Rousham; it reinstated Kent with me; he has no where shewn so much taste. The house is old, and was bad; he has improved it, stuck as close as he could to Gothic, has made a delightful library, and the whole is comfortable. The garden is Daphne in little; the sweetest little groves, streams, glades, porticoes, cascades, and river, imaginable; all the scenes are perfectly classic. Well, if I had such a house, such a library, so pretty a place, and so pretty a wife, I think I should let king ***** send to Herenhausen for a master of the ceremonies.

2 The gift of the nation to John, duke of Marlborough Marlborough's glory and of Britain's gratitude." [Ed.]

66 a monument of

3 The celebrated Sarah, duchess of Marlborough, a woman of great abilities and haughtiness, whose influence for some years over the mind of Queen Anne was eminently serviceable in promoting the political views of her husband at home, while he was conquering the enemies of the country abroad. The queen at length cast off the bondage in which her friend and favorite had enthralled her, and the downfall of the Marlborough and Whig party necessarily followed. She was the Atossa of Pope's epistle on the characters of women, who was falsely accused of receiving a bribe to to suppress the passage and afterwards publishing it. [Ed.]

4 The seat of lord Lichfield, about three miles from Blenheim. [Ed.]

5 Son of Pope's friend, to whom he addressed his Second Epistle of the Second Book of Horace.

Dear Colonel, Cobham's and your country's friend.' [Ed.]

Make many compliments to all your family for me; lord Beauchamp was much obliged by your invitation. I shall certainly accept it, as I return from the north; in the mean time, find out how Drayton and Althorp lie according to your scale. · Adieu !

Yours most sincerely.

To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq.

Strawberry-hill, July 20, 1760.

I SHALL be very sorry if I don't see you at Oxford on Tuesday next; but what can I say if your Wetenhalls will break into my almanack, and take my very day, can I help it? I must own I shall be glad if their coach-horse is laid up with the fashionable sore throat and fever can you recommend no coachman to them like Dr. Wilmot, who will dispatch it in three days? If I don't see you at Oxford, I don't think I shall at Greatworth till my return from the north, which will be about the 20th or 22d of August. Drayton, be it known to you, is lady Betty Germain's, is in your own county, was the old mansion of the Mordaunts, and is crammed with whatever sir John could get from them and the Norfolks. Adieu! Yours ever.

To the EARL of STRAFFORD.

MY DEAR LORD,

Strawberry-hill, Aug. 7, 1760.

You will laugh, but I am ready to cry, when I tell you that I have no notion when I shall be able to wait on you.—

1 Drayton, in Northamptonshire, the seat of Sir John Germain, Bart., by whose will and that of his widow, lady Betty, his noble property devolved upon the celebrated Lord George Sackville, who, in consequence, assumed the name of Germain in 1770 by Act of Parliament. It is now the residence of Lord George, grandson of Charles, fifth duke of Dorset, who succeeded to the title on 14th February 1815, on the death of his cousin, George John Frederick, fourth duke. [Ed.]

Such a calamity!-My tower, is not fallen down, nor Lady Fanny Shirley run away with another printer: nor has my lady D** ** insisted on living with me as half-way to Weybridge. Something more disgraceful than all these, and wofully mortifying for a young creature, who is at the same time in love with lady Mary Coke, and following the duchess of Grafton and Loo all over the kingdom. In short, my lord, I have got the goutyes, the gout in earnest. I was seized on Monday morning, suffered dismally all night, am now wrapped in flannels like the picture of a Morocco ambassador, and am carried to bed by two servants. You see virtue and leanness are no preservatives. I write this now to your lordship, because I think it totally impossible that I should be able to set out the day after tomorrow, as I intended. The moment I can, I will; but this is a tyrant that will not let one name a day. All I know is, that it may abridge my other parties, but shall not my stay at Wentworth castle. The duke of Devonshire was so good as to ask me to be at Chatsworth yesterday, but I did not know it time enough. As it happens, I must have disappointed him. At present I look like Pam's father more than one of his subjects: only one of my legs appears:

The rest my party-coloured robe conceals.

Adieu, my dear lord!

Yours most faithfully.

TO THE HON. H. S. CONWAY.

Strawberry-hill, Aug. 7, 1760.

I CAN give you but an unpleasant account of myself, I mean unpleasant for me; every body else I suppose it will make laugh. Come, laugh at once! I am laid up with the gout, am an absolute cripple, am carried up to bed by two men, and could walk to China as soon as cross the room. In short, here is my history: I have been out of order this fortnight, without knowing what was the matter with me; pains in my head, sicknesses at my stomach, dispiritedness, and a return of the nightly fever I had in the winter. I concluded a northern journey would take all this off-but, behold, on Monday morning I was seized

as I thought with the cramp in my left foot; however, I walked about all day: towards evening, it discovered itself by its true name, and that night I suffered a great deal. However, on Tuesday I was again able to go about the house; but since Tuesday I have not been able to stir, and am wrapped in flannels and swathed like Sir Paul Pliant on his wedding night. I expect to hear that there is a bet at Arthur's, which runs fastest, Jack Harris or I. Nobody would believe me six years ago when I said I had the gout. They would do leanness and temperance honours to which they have not the least claim.

1

I don't yet give up my expedition; as my foot is much swelled, I trust this alderman distemper is going: I shall set out the instant I am able; but I much question whether it will be soon enough for me to get to Ragley by the time the clock strikes Loo. I find I grow too old to make the circuit with the charming duchess, 3

I did not tell you about German skirmishes, for I knew nothing of them: when two vast armies only scratch one another's faces, it gives me no attention. My gazette never contains above one or two casualties of foreign politics;-overlaid, one king; dead of convulsions, an electorate; burnt to death, Dresden.4

I wish you joy of all your purchases; why, you sound as rich as if you had had the gout these ten years. I beg their pardon; but, just at present, I am very glad not to be near the vivacity of either Missy or Peter. I agree with you much about the Minor:5 there are certainly parts and wit in it. Adieu !

Yours ever.

1 John Harris, of Hayne, in Devonshire, married to Mr. Conway's eldest sister. [Ed.]

2 Ragley, in Warwickshire, the seat of the earl of Hertford. [Ed.]

3 Anne Liddell, duchess of Grafton. [Ed.]

4 Burnt by the Prussians 18th July, 1760. Walpole alludes to the king of Poland, who was at the same time elector of Saxony. [Ed.]

5 A comedy in three acts by Foote. [Ed.]

To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq.

Strawberry-hill, August 12, 1760.

IN what part of the island you are just now, I don't know; flying about somewhere or other, I suppose. Well, it is charming to be so young! Here am I lying upon a couch, wrapped up in flannels, with the gout in both feet-oh yes, gout in all the forms. Six years ago I had it, and nobody would believe me. Now they may have proof. My legs are as big as your cousin Guildford's,' and they don't use to be quite so large. I was seized yesterday se'nnight; have had little pain in the day, but most uncomfortable nights; however, I move about again a little with a stick. If either my father or mother had had it, I should not dislike it so much. I am herald enough to approve of it if descended genealogically; but it is an absolute upstart in me, and what is more provoking, I had trusted to my great abstinence for keeping me from it: but thus it is, if I had had any gentleman-like virtue, as patriotism or loyalty, I might have got something by them; I had nothing but that beggarly virtue temperance, and she had not interest enough to keep me from a fit of the gout. Another plague is, that every body that ever knew any body that had it, is so good as to come with advice, and direct me how to manage it; that is, how to contrive to have it for a great many years. I am very refractory; I say to the gout, as great personages do to the executioners, "Friend, do your work as quick as you can." They tell me of wine to keep it out of my stomach; but I will starve temperance itself; I will be virtuous indeed-that is, I will stick to virtue, though I find it is not its own reward.

This confinement has kept me from Yorkshire; I hope however to be at Ragley by the 20th, from whence I shall still go to lord Strafford's, and by this delay you may possibly be at Greatworth by my return, which will be about the beginning of September. Write me a line as soon as you receive this; direct it to Arlington-street, it will be sent after me.

Adieu !

Yours ever.

1 Francis Lord North, created earl of Guildford 8th April, 1752. [Ed.]