did write a foolish letter to the Chevalier de Chatilion, which letter I fent inclofed to Madam de Pallas, and fent her's in a packet I fent to Lady Suflex by Sir Henry Tichborn; which letter he has either given to the ambaffador, or elfe he had it by his man, to whom Sir Harry Tichborn gave it, not finding my Lady Suflex. But as yet I do not know which of the ways he had it; but I fhall know as foon as I have fpoke with Sir Henry Tichborn. But the letter he has, and I doubt not but he has or will fend it to you. Now, all 1 have to fay for my felf is, that you know as to love, one is not miftrefs of one's felf, and that you ought not to be offended at me, fince all things of this nature is at an end with you and I. So that I could do you no prejudice. Nor will you, I hope, follow the advice of this i man, who in his heart I know hates you, and were it not for his intereft would ruin you too if he could. For he has neither confcience or honour, and has feveral times told me, that in his heart he defpifed vou and your brother; and that, for his part, he wifhed with all his heart that the parliament would fend you both to travell; for you were a dull governable fool, and the duke a wilful fool. So that it were yet better to have you than him, but that you always chofe a greater beat than yourlelf to govern you. And when I was to come over, he brought me two letters to bring to you, which he read both to me before he fealed them. The one was a man's, that he faid you had great faith in; for that he had at feveral times foretold things to you that were of confequence, and that you believed him in all things, like a changeling as you were: and that now he had wrote you word, that in a few months the King of France and his fon were threatened with death, or at leaft with a great fit of fickness, in which they would be in great danger, if they did not die: and that therefore he counfelled you to defer any refolutions either of war or peace till fome months were patt; for that if this happened, it would make a great change in France. The ambaffador, after he had read this to me, faid, "Now the good of this is," taid he, “ that I can do what I will with this man, for he is poor, and a good fum of money will make him write whatever I will." So he propofed to me that he and I fhould join toge ther in the ruin of my Lord Treafurer and the duchefs of Portfmouth, which might be done thus; the man, tho' he was infirm and ill, should go into England, and there after having been a little time to folicit you for money; for that you were lo bate, that though you employed him, you let him ftarve; fo that he was obliged to give him fifty pounds, and that the man had writ feveral times to you for money. "And," fays he, when he is in England, he hall tell the king things that he forefees will infallibly ruin him; and to with thole to be removed, as having an ill flar, that would be unfortunate to you, if they were not removed;" but if that were done, he was confident you would have the most glorious rega that ever was. “This," fays he, "I am fure I can order to as to bring to a Sec Burnct's Hiftory of his own Times, vol. i. p. 422. good Dod effect, if you will. And in le mean time I will try to get Seretary Coventry's place, which he as a mind to part with, but not › Sir William Temple; becaufe e is the Treasurer's creature, and e hates the Treasurer, and I have ready employed my fifter to talk with Mr. Cook, and to mind him engage Mr. Coventry not to art with it as yet, and he has afured my Lady Hervey he will not., And my Lord Treasurer's lady and Mr. Berree are both of them defious I fhould have it. And when I have it, I will be damned if I do not quickly get to be Lord Treafurer; and then you and your children fhall find fuch a friend as never was. And for the King, I will find a way to furnish him fo easily with money for his pocket and his wenches, that we will quickly out Bab. Nay, and lead the king by the nofe. So when I had heard him out, I told him, I thanked him, but that I would not meddle with any fuch thing: and that for my part I had no malice to my Lady Portfmouth, or to the Treasurer, and therefore would never be in any plot to deftroy them. But that I found the character, which the world gave of him was true, which was, that the devil was not more defigning than he was; and that I wondered at it, for fure all these things working in his brain, must make him very uneafy, and would at laft make him mad.-'Tis poffible you may think I fay all this out of malice. 'Tis true he has urged me beyond all patience but what I tell you here is most true; and I will take the facrament on it whenever you pleale. 'Tis certain I would not have been fo bate as to have in formed against him for what he faid before me, had he not provoked me to it in this violent way that he has. There is no ill thing which he has not done to me, and that without any provocation of mine, but that I would not love him. Now, as to what relates to my daughter Suflex and her behaviour to me, I must confefs that afflicts me beyond expreffion, and will do much more, if what he has done be by you orders. For though I have an entire fubmiflion to your will, and will not complain, whatever you inflict upon me; yet I cannot think you would have brought things to this extremity with me, and have it not in your nature ever to do cruel things to any thing living. I hope therefore you will not begin with me; and if the ambaffador has not received his orders from you, that you will feverely reprehend him for this inhuman proceeding. Befides, he has done what you ought to be very angry with him for; for he has been with the king of France, and told him that he had intercepted letters of mine by your order; by which he had been informed that there was a kindnels between me and the Chevalier de Chatilion; and therefore you bade him take a courfe in it, and top my letters; which accordingly he has done. And that upon this you ordered him to take my children from me, and to remove my Lady Suflex to another monaftery; and that you was resolved to flop all my penfions, and never to have any regard to me in any thing. And that if he would oblige your Majelty, he fhould forbid the Chevalier de Chatilion ever feeing me, upon the the difpleafure of lofing his place, and being forbid the court; for that he was fure you expected this from him. Upon which the king told him, that he could not do any thing of this nature; for that this was a private matter, and not for him to take notice of. And that he could not imagine that you onght to be fo angry, or indeed be at all concerned; for that all the world knew, that now all things of gallantry were at an und with you and I. And that being fo, and fo public, he did not fee why you fhould be offended at my loving any body. That it was a thing fo common now-a-days to have a gallantry, that he did not wonder at any thing of this nature, And when he faw the King take the thing thus, he told him, if he would not be fevere with the Chevalier de Chatilion upon your account, he fuppofed he would be fo upon his own: for that, in the letters he had difcovered, he found that the Chevalier had propofed to me the engaging of you in the marriage of the Dauphin and Mademoiselle: and that was my greatest bufinefs into England f. That before I went over, I had fpoke to him of the thing, and would have engaged him in it, but that he refuted it: for that he knew very well the indifference you fhewed whether it was fo or no, and how little you cared how Mademoiselle was married: that fince I went into England it was poffible I might engage fomebody or other in this matter to prefs it to you; but that he knew very well, that in your heart you cared not whether it was fo or no, that this bufinefs fetting on foot by the Chevalier. Upon which the king told him, that if he fhould fhow him any letters of the Chevalier de Chatilion to that purpofe, he fhould then know what he had to fay to him; but that till he faw thofe letters, he would not punith him without a proof for what he did. Upon which the ambaffador fhewed a letter, which he pretended one part of it was a double entendre. The king faid he could not fee that there was any thing relating to it, and fo left him, and faid to a perfon there, fure the ambaffador was the worst man that ever was; for because my Lady Cleveland will not love him, he ftrives to ruin her the baseft in the world; and would have me to facrifice the Chevalier de Chatilion to his revenge; which I fhall not do, till I fee better proofs of his having meddled in the marriage of the Dauphin and Mademoiselle than any yet the ambaffador has thewed me. This, methinks, is what you cannot but be offended at, and I hope you will be offended with him for his hulle proceeding to me, and let the world fee you will never countenance the actions of fo base and ill a man. I had forgot to tell you that he told the King of France, that many people had reported, that he had made love to me; but that there was nothing in it; for that he had too much refpect for you to think of any fuch thing. As for my Lady Suffex, I hope you will think • Mademoiselle was the daughter of Philip, Duke of Orleans, and Henrietta, Sifter to King Charles II. + This was Montague's own propofals, made to the king in his letter to him of Jan. 10, 1677-8, preferved in the Danby Papers, p. 48. 6t fit to fend for her over, for the is now might y difcourfed of for the ambasador. If you will not believe me in this, make enquiry into the thing, and you will find it to be true. I have defired Mr. Kemble to give you this letter, and to difcourfe with you at large upon this matter, to know your refolution, and whether I may expect that juftice and goodnefs from you which all the world does. 1 promife you that for my conduct, it thall be fuch, as that you nor nobody hall have occafion to blame me. And I hope you will be just to what you faid to me, which was at my houfe when you told me you had letters of mine; you faid, Madam, all I ask of you for your fake is, live fo for the future as to make the leaft noife you can, and I care not who you love." Oh! this noife, that it had never been, had it not been for the ambaflader's malice. cannot forbear once again faying, I hope you will not gratify his malice in my ruin. " I N. B. Anne Palmer, natural daughter by adoption of King Charles II. by Barbara, Duchefs of Cleveland, was married to Thomas Lennard, Lord Dacres, created earl of Suffolk by King Charles II. Hiftory of the Royal Family, p. 256. 8vo. London. 1713; and Wood's Fafti, vol. ii c. 154. I Good Sir, AM an old man, and little ufed to writing; but, Sir, as I fee you are fo obliging to others as to communicate their fentiments, and complaints to the world, I dare fay you will mine. I was for many years refident in London, but an old uncle, in the year 1729, dying and leaving me a tolerable estate in Gloucestershire, I preferred cafe to affluence, and retired from noife and bustle, to peace and quiet. Among my friends in town, was one Mr. Holland, a draper,`in Cheapfide; he was a good, honeft, pains-taking man: with him, a joint of meat and a if you dined pudding was the utmost of his entertainment: I never faw wine in his houfe but at Chriftmas, or on a wedding-day; we had a glafs of good ale, and after dinner, we went to our bufiness, and did not fit three or four hours as you do now. He wore his cap the eft part of the day, and wan't greatafhamed to take the broom and the fcraper, and clean before his door. He had a good understanding, and was honeft to a degree of admiration; I fear I shall never fee his like again; he is dead, poor man, died in July 1750, leaving ten thousand seven hundred pounds, all got by care and induftry, between leven children, fhare and fhare alike. Bufinefs, Mr. Printer, calling me to town this fpring, (my dangli ter's marriage, good Sir, if you must know,) I refolved to inquire after my old friend's family: he had three fons; the eldeft I found was ruined by horfe-racing, and went went to fettle at Lisbon; the next, Tom by name, became a bankrupt in fixty, by vice and extravagance, and went to America, where we must all go foon, at least the younger part of us. I got a direction for Jack, a haberdafher, near the 'Change; I trudged to fee him laft Wednesday morning; I afked for Mr. John Holland, and, to my great furprife, was introduced to a gentleman as fine as my Lord Cockatoo, and his hair dreffed as high and powdered as white; I begged pardon, and told him, I fuppofed the man had made a mistake; on which be, recollecting me, called me by my name, and run acrofs the room and kiffed me (the devil take his French fashions); he expreffed great joy indeed at feeing me, and infifted on my dining with him at his houfe in the country: "My coach," faid he, "will be at the door dire&tly; Mifs Patty pan and her papa, the great city-cook, will favour us with their company, and you fall make one." Not being engaged, curiofity induced me to take the fpare corner of the coach, and go with them into the country as they called it; that is, to Highgate. I will not trouble you with all the particulars of our journey and dinner, but only tell you, that it cut me to the heart to fee my friend's fon fo great a contraft to his father. On the road they entertained me with all that pafied in public; they all belonged, I underflood, to the city concert and the affem. bly; never failed at Mrs. Thing ary's in Sole fquere; had been at two ridotto's this winter, loved the opera; and Mits Patty, an ung as an Italian air; on udent mynx! I could have knocked her empty pate against her father's jolter! When we arrived, we were introduced to Madam Holland; how he was dressed in jewels and gold! and then her hair curled fix inches from her head, (God forgive me if I am mistaken, but I believe it was a wig.) Then, when the dinner came in, how was I amazed to fee the table covered with feven dishes, and more fo when I was told there was a fecond courfe! The turbot coft 18s. the turkeypolts 14s. Madam told us, for the gloried in her shame. I beg pardon, Sir, for having detained you thus long with fuch trifles, but you know old people will be prating. What I meant to tell you, was, our difcourfe after dinner. As I came from the coun try, Mr. Holland, and Mr. Pattypan attacked me on the high price of provifions: "An't it a flame (fays Mr. Holland) that we, poor Londoners, fhould be paying fuch extravagant prices, when we live in a land of plenty; poultry, meat, and butter, double the price they were twenty years ago; oats 20s. a quarter, hay 31. 10 s.: it cofts me more in one month than it did my father in a year. I hall, inftead of faving ten thoufand pounds, be obliged to run away; if fomething an't done to reduce the price of provifions." My blood boiled with indignation: I haftily replied, "Whether fome thing is done or not, Mr. Holland, you must run away if you live thus: don't name your poor father, his table would have been furnished for a week for the money your turbot coft; provifions were lels, you fay, by one half in your father's time, but why were they fo! |