ling, he would send me an acquittance. As this was sending him several hundreds out of my own pocket, I absolutely refused it; and, in return, I have just received a threatening letter, to print I know not what stuff against me. I am too well acquainted with the world (of which poor Mrs. Murray's affair' is a fatal instance), not to know that the most groundless accusation is always of ill consequence to a woman; besides the cruel misfortunes it may bring upon me in my own family. If you have any compassion either for me or my innocent children, I am sure you will try to prevent it. The thing is too serious to be delayed. I think (to say nothing either of blood or affection), that humanity and Christianity are interested in my preservation. I am sure I can answer for my hearty gratitude and everlasting acknowledgment of a service much more important than that of saving my life. TO THE COUNTESS OF MAR. [April or May, 1722.2] I HAVE had no answer, dear sister, to a long letter that I writ to you a month ago; but, however, I shall continue letting you know (de temps en temps) what passes in this 1 Alluding to the affair of Arthur Grey the footman, whose attempt on Mrs. Murray made much noise at this time. The circumstance alluded to took place on the 1st of October, 1721. See "Select Trials," 12mo, 1742. Grey defended himself by making scandalous assertions as to Mrs. Murray's manner of life, which he afterwards acknowledged to be false. See "Introductory Anecdotes."-T. [See also the "Epistle' on the subject attributed to Lady Mary herself, and now included with her Poems in vol. ii.] 2 Mr. Dallaway and Lord Wharncliffe affixed to this letter the date of "Twickenham, 1720." The year was certainly incorrect. Lady Mar did not leave England to reside in Paris till January, 1721. Lady Mary's letters to her for some time afterwards are, as we have seen, entirely upon the Rémond affair. The "great minister," of whose death the papers" say so much," would not apply to Craggs, who died disgraced and unpopular on account of his connexion with the South Sea Bubble. I have no doubt that Lady Mary refers to Sunderland, who died on the 19th of April, 1722. The latter part of the verses was sent by Pope to Judith Cowper on the 5th of November, 1722, in a letter in which he asks, “Would you have me describe my solitude and grotto to you?"-T. Ꮓ corner of the world 'till you tell me 'tis disagreeable. I shall say little of the death of our great minister, because the newspapers say so much. I suppose the same faithful historians give you regular accounts of the growth and spreading of the inoculation of the small-pox, which is be come almost a general practice, attended with great success. I pass my time in a small snug set of dear intimates, and go very little into the grand monde, which has always had my hearty contempt. I see sometimes Mr. Congreve, and very seldom Mr. Pope, who continues to embellish his house at Twickenham. He has made a subterranean grotto, which he has furnished with looking-glass, and they tell me it has a very good effect. I here send you some verses addressed to Mr. Gay, who wrote him a congratulatory letter on the finishing his house. I stifled them here, and I beg they may die the same death at Paris, and never go further than your closet: "Ah, friend, 'tis true-this truth you lovers know— What is the gay parterre, the chequer❜d shade, To sigh unheard in, to the passing winds? 1 Lady Mary copied these lines into a common-place book, but they are there headed in her handwriting, "Pope to Arbuthnot." The words appear, from the colour of the ink, to have been written later than the verses. It will be observed that the name in the sixth line is only designated by the initial "WLady Mary undoubtedly believed the lines referred to her, and it must be so assumed; but it is remarkable that the opening lines could hardly be applied to a lady who, like Lady Mary, was a neighbour of Pope, and spent, as appears by these letters, much of her time at Twickenham.-T. [Lord Wharncliffe had a note here as follows:-" In Pope's Works the last eight lines only are published as a fragment. After his quarrel with Lady Mary, he disingenuously suppressed the compliment conveyed in the preceding."] My paper is done, and I will only put you in mind of my lutestring, which I beg you will send me plain, of what colour you please. TO THE COUNTESS OF MAR. I DEAR SISTER,-I am surprised at your silence, which has been very long, and I am sure is very tedious to me. I have writ three times; one of my letters I know you received long since, for Charles Churchill1 told me so at the Opera. At this instant I am at Twickenham; Mr. Wortley has purchased the small habitation where you saw me. We propose to make some small alterations. That and the education of my daughter are my chief amusements. hope yours is well, et ne fait que croître et embellir. I beg you would let me hear soon from you; and particularly if the approaching coronation at Paris raises the price of diamonds. I have some to sell, and cannot dispose of them here. I am afraid you have quite forgot my plain lutestring, which I am in great want of; and I can hardly think you can miss of opportunities to send it. dead season 'tis impossible to entertain you with news; and yet more impossible (with my dulness) to entertain you without it. The kindest thing I can do is to bring my letter to a speedy conclusion. I wish I had some better way of shewing you how sincerely I am yours. I am sure I never will slip any occasion of convincing you of it. TO THE COUNTESS OF MAR. At this [About Dec. 25, 1722.] I HAVE writ to you at least five-and-forty letters, dear sister, without receiving any answer, and resolved not to 1 Colonel Charles Churchill. He went to Paris in May, 1722, and his return is mentioned in the papers of June 9. The Jacobites maintained that his mission was to concert with Lord Mar and General Dillon for the betrayal of Atterbury. Mar was certainly the cause, and, as Atterbury always asserted, the wilful cause of the bishop's ruin. This letter, at all events, shows that Churchill when in Paris was in communication with Lady Mar. It must have been written between the date of Churchill's return (June) and the coronation of the French king, 14th of October, 1722.-T. 2 The rise in the price of diamonds was, I suppose, a matter of course confide in post-house fidelity any more; being firmly persuaded that they never came to your hands, or you would not refuse one line to let me know how you do, which is and ever will be of great importance to me. The freshest news in town is the fatal accident happened three nights ago to a very pretty young fellow, brother to Lord Finch, who was drinking with a dearly beloved drab, whom you may have heard of by the name of Sally Salisbury.1 In a jealous pique she stabbed him to the heart with a knife. He fell down dead immediately, but a surgeon being called for, and the knife drawn out of his body, he opened his eyes, and his first words were to beg her to be friends with him, and kissed her. She has since stayed by his bedside till last night, when he begged her to fly, for he thought he could not live; and she has taken his advice, and perhaps will honour you with her residence at Paris. Adieu, dear sister. I send you along with this letter the Count of Caylus, who if you do not know already, you will thank me for introducing to you; he is a Frenchman, and no fop; which, besides the curiosity of it, is one of the prettiest things in the world. Since you find it so dfficult to send me the lutestring that I asked for, I beg you would lay out my money in a nightgown ready made, there can be no difficulty in sending that by the first person that comes over; I shall like it the better for your having worn it one day, and then it may be answered for that it is not new. If this is also impossible, pray return me my money, deducting for the minunets 3 I have received. 3 on such occasions. Before the coronation of George II., the "Edinburgh Evening Courant" of September 26, 1727, announced in its news from London that "jewels for the ensuing coronation are lent out from two to five per cent."-T. 1 Sarah Pretteyn (or Prydden), alias Sally Salisbury. This affair, which gave much employment to Grub-street authors, took place on December 22, 1722, at the Three Tun Tavern, in Chandos-street, Coventgarden. Even Hearne, the learned antiquary, appears to have thought her adventures worthy of frequent entries in his Diary. She was tried, and sentenced to a fine of £100 and twelve months' imprisonment in Newgate, where she died of consumption and fever before her sentence expired.-T. 2 The well-known French writer.-T. 3 [See p. 335.] TO THE COUNTESS OF MAR. [April, 1723.] DEAR SISTER,-I am now so far recovered from the dangerous illness which I had when I received your letter, that I hope I may think of being once more a woman of this world. But I know not how to convey this letter to you. I intend to send it to Mrs. Murray. I have a great many reasons to believe the present direction 1 you have given me a very bad one; especially since you say that you never received one of the number of letters that I really have sent you. I suppose the public prints (if nobody else) have informed you of the sudden death of poor Lady [Dowager] Gower, which has made a large addition to Lord Gower's fortune, and utterly ruined Mrs. Proby's,3 who is now in very deplorable circumstances. 2 4 I see Mrs. Murray so seldom I can give little account of her, but I suppose her house is the same place it used to be. Operas flourish more than ever, and I have been in a tract of going every time. The people I live most with are none of your acquaintance; the Duchess of Montagu excepted, whom I continue to see often. Her daughter Belle is at this instant in the paradisal state of receiving visits every day from a passionate lover, who is her first love; whom she thinks the finest gentleman in Europe, and is, besides that, Duke of Manchester.5 Her mamma and I often laugh and sigh reflecting on her felicity, the consummation of which will be in a fortnight. In the mean time they are permitted to be alone together every day and all the day. These are lawful matters that one may talk of; but letters are so surely opened, I dare say nothing to you either of 2 She died in March, 1723.-T. 1 See note on next letter.-T. 3 Mrs. Proby was the wife of John Proby, of Elton Hall, in the county of Huntingdon, Esq., and sister of John Leveson Gower, Lord Gower, the first Earl.-W. 4 The Duchess of Montagu was the youngest daughter of John Duke of Marlborough.-T. 5 William Montagu, Duke of Manchester, married to the Lady Isabella Montagu, eldest daughter of John, Dake of Montagu, April 16, 1723.-W. 6 See next note.-T. |