from Windfor; and I am not forry, fince it become fo mingled an affembly, and of fo little ufe either to bufinefs or converfation: So that I was content to read your queries to our two great friends. The Treasurer ftuck at them all; but the Secretary acquitted himself of the first, by affuring me he had often written to your Excellency,

I was told the other day, of an answer you made to fomebody abroad, who enquired of you the ftate and difpofitions of our Court: That you could not tell, for you had been out of England a fortnight. In your letter, you mention the World of the Moon, and apply it to England; but the moon changes but once in four weeks. By both these inftances, it appears you have a better opinion of our steadiness than we deferve; for I do not remember, fince you left us, that we have continued above four days in the fame view, or four minutes with any manner of concert. I affure you, my Lord, for the concern I have for the common caufe, with relation to affairs both at home and abroad, and from the perfonal love I bear to our friends in power, I never led a life fo thoroughly uneafy as I do at prefent. Our fituation is

fo bad, that our enemies could not, without abundance of invention and ability, have placed us fo ill, if we had left it entirely to their management. For my own part, my head turns round; and, after every conversation, I come away just one degree worse informed than I went. I am glad, for the honour of our nation, to find by your Excellency's letter, that fome other courts have a share of frenzy, though not equal, nor of the fame nature with ours. The height of honest mens wishes at prefent is to rub off this feffion; after which, no body has the impudence to expect that we shall not immediately fall to pieces: Nor is any thing I write the leaft fecret, even to a Whig footman.

The Queen is pretty well at prefent; but the leaft diforder fhe has, puts all in alarm; and, when it is over, we act as if she were immortal. Neither is it poffible to perfuade people to make any preparations against an evil day. There is a negotiation now in hand, which, I hope, will not be abortive: The States-General are willing to declare themselves fully fatiffied with the peace and Queen's measures,

c. and that is too popular a matter to flight. It is impoffible to tell you whether

ther the Prince of Hanover intends to come over or no. I should think the latter, by the accounts I have feen; yet our adverfaries continue ftrenuously to affert otherwife, and very induftriously give out, that the Lord Treafurer is at bottom; which has given fome jealousies not only to his best friends, but to fome I fhall not name; yet I am confident they do him wrong. This formidable journey is the perpetual fubject both of Court and coffee-house chat.

Our mysterious and unconcerted ways of proceeding have, as it is natural, taught every body to be refiners, and to reafon themfelves into a thousand various conjectures: Even I, who converse most with people in power, am not free from this evil: And, particularly, I thought myself twenty times in the right, by drawing conclusions very regularly from premises which have proved wholly wrong. I think this, however, to be a plain proof that we act altogether by chance, and that the game, such as it is, plays itself.

By the prefent enclosed in your Excellency's letter, I find the Sicilians to be bad delineators, and worfe poets. As fneakingly as the Prince looks at the Bishop's foot, I could have made him look ten times

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times worse; and have done more right to the piece, by placing your Excellency there reprefenting your Mistress the Queen, and delivering the crown to the Bishop, with orders where to place it. I should like your new King very well, if he would make Sicily his conftant refidence, and use Savoy only as a commendam. Old books have given me great ideas of that island. I imagine every acre there worth three in England; and that a wife prince, in fuch a fituation, would, after fome years, be able to make what figure he pleased in the Mediterranean.

The Duke of Shrewsbury, not liking the weather on our fide the water, continues in Ireland, although he formally took his leave there fix weeks ago. Tom Harley is every hour expected here, and writes me word, he has fucceeded at Hanover to his wifhes. Lord Strafford writes the fame, and gives himself no little merit upon it.

Barber the printer was, fome time ago, in great diarefs, upon printing a pamphlet, of which evil tongues would needs call me the author: He was brought before your Houle, which addreffed the Queen in a body, who kindly published a procla*The Public Spirit of the Whigs.

mation,

mation, with 300 l. to difcover. The fault was calling the Scots a fierce poor northern people. So well protected are those who fcribble for the Government. Upon which, I now put one query to your Excellency, What has a man without employment to do among minifters, when he can neither serve himself, his friends, nor the public?

In my former letter, which I suppose was fent to Paris to meet you there, I gave you joy of the government of Minorca. One advantage you have by being abroad, that you keep your friends; and I can name almost a dozen great men who thoroughly hate one another, yet all love your Lordship. If you have a mind to preserve their friendship, keep at a distance; or come over and fhew your power, by reconciling at least two of them; and remember, at the fame time, that this laft is an impoffibility. If your Excellency were here, I would fpeak to you without any conflraint; but the fear of accidents, in the conveyance of this letter, makes me keep to generals. I am fure you would have prevented a great deal of ill, if you had continued among us; but people of my level muft be content to have their opinion afked, and to fee it not followed; al

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though