4

women: it was Jane Shore; Mr. Price, lord Barrington's nephew, was Gloster, and acted better than three parts of the comedians. Charles Fox, Hastings; a little Nichols, who spoke well, Belmour; lord Ofaly,5 lord Ashbroke, and other boys, did the rest: but the two girls were delightful, and acted with so much nature and simplicity, that they appeared the very things they represented. Lady Sarah was more beautiful than you can conceive, and her very awkwardness gave an air of truth to the shame of the part, and the antiquity of the time, which was kept up by her dress, taken out of Montfaucon. Lady Susan was dressed from Jane Seymour, and all the parts were clothed in ancient habits, and with the most minute propriety. I was infinitely more struck with the last scene between the two women, than ever I was when I have seen it on the stage. When lady Sarah was in white, with her hair about her ears and on the ground, no Magdalen by Corregio was half so lovely and expressive. You would have been charmed, too, with seeing Mr. Fox's little boy of six years old, who is beautiful, and acted the bishop of Ely, drest in lawn sleeves and with a square cap; they had inserted two lines for him, which he could hardly speak plainly. Francis had given them a pretty prologue.

You give me no account from Mr. Whistler of the painted glass; do press him for an answer.

Adieu !

Yours ever.

To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq.

Arlington-street, Feb. 7, 1761.

I HAVE not written to you lately, expecting your arrival. As you are not come yet, you need not come these ten days, if you please, for I go next week into Norfolk, that my subjects of Lynn

4 Charles James Fox, third son of the first lord Holland, the celebrated leader of the Whig party, who died 13th September 1806; he was then just twelve years of age. [Ed.]

5 George lord Offaley, eldest son of James Fitzgerald, marquis of Kildare, and viscount Leinster, created in 1766 duke of Leinster, by the lady Mary Lennox, daughter of Charles second duke of Richmond, born 15th January 1748, died 26th September 1765. [Ed.]

6 The Hon. General Henry Edward Fox, born 4th March 1755, died 18th July 1811, having married 14th November 1786, Marian, second daughter of William Clayton, esq. [Ed.]

may at least once in their lives see me. 'Tis a horrible thing to dine with a mayor! I shall profane king John's cup, and taste nothing but water out of it, as if it were St. John Baptist's.

Prepare yourself for crowds, multitudes. In this reign all the world lives in one room. The capital is as vulgar as a country town in the season of horse-races. There were no fewer than four of these throngs on Tuesday last, at the duke of Cumberland's, princess Emily's, the opera, and lady Northumberland's; for even operas, Tuesday's operas, are crowded now. There is nothing else new. Last week there was a magnificent ball at Carleton-house: the two royal dukes and princess Emily were there. He of York danced; the other and his sister had each their table at loo. I played at her's, and am grown a favourite; nay, have been at her private party, and was asked again last Wednesday, but took the liberty to excuse myself, and yet am again summoned for Tuesday. It is triste enough : nobody sits till the game begins, and then she and the company are all on stools. At Norfolk-house, were two arm-chairs placed for her and the duke of Cumberland, the duke of York being supposed a dancer, but they would not use them. Lord Huntingdon arrived in a frock, pretending he was just come out of the country; unluckily, he had been at court, full dressed, in the morning. No foreigners were there but the son and daughterin-law of Monsieur de Fuentes: the duchess told the duchess of Bedford that she had not invited the ambassadress, because her rank is disputed here. You remember the Bedford took place of Madame de Mirepoix; but Madame de Mora danced first, the duchess of Norfolk saying she supposed that was of no consequence.

Have you heard what immense riches old Wortley1 has left? One million three hundred and fifty thousand pounds. It is all to centre in my lady Bute; her husband is one of fortune's prodigies. They talk of a print, in which her mistress is reprimanding Miss Chudleigh, the latter curtsies and replies, " Madame, chacun a son but."

1 The Hon. Edward Wortley Montagu, uncle to the earl of Sandwich, husband of the celebrated Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, by whom he had two children, a son Edward, who was disinherited, and died without issue in 1776, and a daughter Mary, married to John third earl of Bute, and created baroness Mount-Stuart, with remainder to her issue male by the earl. [Ed.}

Have you seen a scandalous letter in print, from Miss F * * * *2 to lord Jersey, with the history of a boar's head? George Selwyn calls him Meleager. Adieu! this is positively my last. Yours ever.

TO THE HON. H. S. CONWAY.

Monday, five o'clock, February, 1761.

I AM a little peevish with you-I told you on Thursday night that I had a mind to go to Strawberry on Friday without staying for the qualification-bill. You said it did not signifyNo! What if you intended to speak on it? Am I indifferent to hearing you?-More-Am I indifferent about acting with you? Would not I follow you in any thing in the world?—This is saying no profligate thing. Is there any thing I might not follow you in? You even did not tell me yesterday that you had spoken. Yet I will tell you all I have heard; though if there was a point in the world in which I could not wish you to succeed where you wish yourself, perhaps it would be in having you employed. I cannot be cool about your danger; yet I cannot know any thing that concerns you, and keep it from you. Charles Townshend called here just after I came to town to-day. Among other

? Miss Ford, the writer of the letter in question, appears to have been the object of an illicit, but unsuccessful attachment on the part of Lord Jersey, whose advances if not sanctioned by the lady, appear to have been sanctioned by her father, who told her she might have acccepted the settlement his lordship offered her, and yet not have complied with his terms. The following strange extracts from the letter will explain the history alluded to by Walpole.

"However I must do your lordship the justice to say, that as you conceived this meeting (one with a noble personage which Lord Jersey had desired her not to make) would have been most pleasing to me, and perhaps of some advantage, your lordship did (in consideration of so great a disappointment) send me, a few days after, a present of a boar's head, which I had often had the honour to meet at your lordship's table before. It was rather an odd first, and only present from a lord to his beloved mistress; but its coming from your lordship gave it an additional value, which it had not in itself; and I received it with the regard I thought due to every thing coming from your lordship, and would have eat it, had it been entable. ***** I am impatient to acquit your lordship and myself, by showing that as your lordship's eight hundred pounds a year did not purchase my person, the boar's head did not purchase my silence." [Ed.]

discourse he told me of your speaking on Friday, and that your speech was reckoned hostile to the duke of Newcastle. Then talking of regiments going abroad, he said, * * * *

With regard to your reserve to me, I can easily believe that your natural modesty made you unwilling to talk of yourself to me. I don't suspect you of any reserve to me: I only mention it now for an occasion of telling you that I don't like to have any body think that I would not do whatever you do. I am of no consequence: but at least it would give me some, to act invariably with you; and that I shall most certainly be ever ready to do. Adieu ! Yours ever.

To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq.

Arlington-street, March 7, 1761.

I REJOICE, you know, in whatever rejoices you, and, though I am not certain what your situation' is to be, I am glad you go as you like it. I am told it is black rod. Lady Anne Jekyll2 said, she had written to you on Saturday night. I asked when her brother was to go, if before August; she answered: Yes, if possible." Long before October you may depend upon it; in the quietest times no lord lieutenant ever went so late as that. Shall not you come to town first? You cannot pack up yourself, and all you will want, at Greatworth.

We are in the utmost hopes of a peace; a congress is agreed upon at Augsbourg, but yesterday's mail brought bad news. Prince Ferdinand has been obliged to raise the siege of Cassel, and to retire to Paderborn; the hereditary prince having been again defeated, with the loss of two generals, and to the value of five thousand men, in prisoners and exchanged. If this defers the peace it will be grievous news to me, now Mr. Conway is gone to the army.

The town talks of nothing but an immediate queen, yet I am certain the ministers know not of it. Her picture is come, and lists of her family given about; but the latter I do not send you, as I believe it apocryphal. Adieu!

Yours ever.

1 Mr. Montagu was appointed usher of the black rod in Ireland. [Or.] 2 Sister of the earl of Halifax. [Or.]

P. S. Have you seen the advertisement of a new noble author? A Treatise of Horsemanship, by Henry earl of Pembroke! As George Selwyn said of Mr. Greville; "so far from being a writer, I thought he was scarce a courteous reader.”

To GEORGE MONTAGU, Esq.

Arlington-street, March 17, 1761.

If my last letter raised your wonder, this will not allay it. Lord Talbot is lord steward! The stone, which the builders refused, is become the head-stone of the corner. My lady Talbot, I suppose, would have found no charms in cardinal Mazarin. As the duke of Leeds was forced to give way to Jemmy Grenville, the duke of Rutland has been obliged to make room for this new earl. Lord Huntingdon is groom of the stole, and the last duke I have named, master of the horse: the red liveries cost lord Huntingdon a pang. Lord Holderness has the reversion of the Cinque ports for life, and I think may pardon his expulsion.

If you propose a fashionable assembly, you must send cards to lord Spenser, lord Grosvenor, lord Melcomb, lord Grantham, lord Boston, lord Scarsdale, lady Mountstuart, the earl of Tyrconnell, and lord Wintertown. The two last you will meet in Ireland. No joy ever exceeded your cousin's or Doddington's: the former came last night to lady Hilsborough's to display his triumph; the latter, too, was there, and advanced to me. I said, "I was coming to wish you joy"—" I concluded so," replied he,

3 It was under the patronage and advice of this nobleman that Mr. Davis, who was for so many years the respected proprietor of Astley's amphitheatre, acquired his unequalled knowledge of the " Manège." [Ed.]

1 His lordship was appointed Lord Steward, and received the earldom on the occasion. He married, February 1734, Mary, daughter and sole heir of Adam de Cardonell, esq., by whom, who died 5th April, 1787, he had a son, William lord Hensol, born November 5th, 1739, died and an only surviving daughter Lady Cecil. His lordship was created in 1780, baron Dynevor, with remainder failing his issue male, to his daughter Cecil and her issue male: and dying in 1782, the earldom became extinct, the barony of Talbot devolved on his nephew John Chetwynd, third lord, in whose favour the earldom was revived, and the barony of Dynevor on his daughter. [Ed.]