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<h2> LETTER CCLXXVIII </h2>
<h3> BLACKHEATH, August 17, 1765 </h3>
<p>MY DEAR FRIEND: You are now two letters in my debt; and I fear the gout
has been the cause of your contracting that debt. When you are not able to
write yourself, let your Secretary send me two or three lines to acquaint
me how you are.</p>
<p>You have now seen by the London "Gazette," what changes have really been
made at court; but, at the same time, I believe you have seen that there
must be more, before a Ministry can be settled; what those will be, God
knows. Were I to conjecture, I should say that the whole will centre,
before it is long, in Mr. Pitt and Co., the present being an heterogeneous
jumble of youth and caducity, which cannot be efficient.</p>
<p>Charles Townshend calls the present a Lutestring Ministry; fit only for
the summer. The next session will be not only a warm, but a violent one,
as you will easily judge; if you look over the names of the INS and of the
OUTS.</p>
<p>I feel this beginning of the autumn, which is already very cold: the
leaves are withered, fall apace, and seem to intimate that I must follow
them; which I shall do without reluctance, being extremely weary of this
silly world. God bless you, both in it and after it!</p>
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<h2> LETTER CCLXXIX </h2>
<h3> BLACKHEATH, August 25, 1765 </h3>
<p>MY DEAR FRIEND: I received but four days ago your letter of the 2d
instant. I find by it that you are well, for you are in good spirits. Your
notion of the new birth or regeneration of the Ministry is a very just
one; and that they have not yet the true seal of the covenant is, I dare
say, very true; at least it is not in the possession of either of the
Secretaries of State, who have only the King's seal; nor do I believe
(whatever his Grace may imagine) that it is even in the possession of the
Lord Privy Seal. I own I am lost, in considering the present situation of
affairs; different conjectures present themselves to my mind, but none
that it can rest upon. The next session must necessarily clear up matters
a good deal; for I believe it will be the warmest and most acrimonious one
that has been known, since that of the Excise. The late Ministry, THE
PRESENT OPPOSITION, are determined to attack Lord B——-publicly
in parliament, and reduce the late Opposition, THE PRESENT MINISTRY, to
protect him publicly, in consequence of their supposed treaty with him.
'En attendant mieux', the paper war is carried on with much fury and
scurrility on all sides, to the great entertainment of such lazy and
impartial people as myself: I do not know whether you have the "Daily
Advertiser," and the "Public Advertiser," in which all political letters
are inserted, and some very well-written ones on both sides; but I know
that they amuse me, 'tant bien que mal', for an hour or two every morning.
Lord T———is the supposed author of the pamphlet you
mention; but I think it is above him. Perhaps his brother C——T———,
who is by no means satisfied with the present arrangement, may have
assisted him privately. As to this latter, there was a good ridiculous
paragraph in the newspapers two or three days ago. WE HEAR THAT THE RIGHT
HONORABLE MR. C——-T———IS INDISPOSED AT HIS
HOUSE IN OXFORDSHIRE, OF A PAIN IN HIS SIDE; BUT IT IS NOT SAID IN WHICH
SIDE.</p>
<p>I do not find that the Duke of York has yet visited you; if he should, it
may be expensive, 'mais on trouvera moyen'. As for the lady, if you should
be very sharp set for some English flesh, she has it amply in her power to
supply you if she pleases. Pray tell me in your next, what you think of,
and how you like, Prince Henry of Prussia. God bless you!</p>
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<h2> LETTER CCLXXX </h2>
<p>MY DEAR FRIEND: Your great character of Prince Henry, which I take to be a
very just one, lowers the King of Prussia's a great deal; and probably
that is the cause of their being so ill together. But the King of Prussia,
with his good parts, should reflect upon that trite and true maxim, 'Qui
invidet minor', or Mr. de la Rouchefoucault's, 'Que l'envie est la plus
basse de toutes les passions, puisqu'on avoue bien des crimes, mais que
personae n'avoue l'envie'. I thank God, I never was sensible of that dark
and vile passion, except that formerly I have sometimes envied a
successful rival with a fine woman. But now that cause is ceased, and
consequently the effects.</p>
<p>What shall I, or rather what can I tell you of the political world here?
The late Ministers accuse the present with having done nothing, the
present accuse the late ones with having done much worse than nothing.
Their writers abuse one another most scurrilously, but sometimes with wit.
I look upon this to be 'peloter en attendant partie', till battle begins
in St., Stephen's Chapel. How that will end, I protest I cannot
conjecture; any farther than this, that if Mr. Pitt does not come into the
assistance of the present ministers, they will have much to do to stand
their ground. C——-T———will play booty; and
who else have they? Nobody but C——-, who has only good sense,
but not the necessary talents nor experience, 'AEre ciere viros martemque
accendere cantu'. I never remember, in all my time, to have seen so
problematical a state of affairs, and a man would be much puzzled which
side to bet on.</p>
<p>Your guest, Miss C——-, is another problem which I cannot
solve. She no more wanted the waters of Carlsbadt than you did. Is it to
show the Duke of Kingston that he cannot live without her? a dangerous
experiment! which may possibly convince him that he can. There is a trick
no doubt in it; but what, I neither know nor care; you did very well to
show her civilities, 'cela ne gute jamais rien'. I will go to my waters,
that is, the Bath waters, in three weeks or a month, more for the sake of
bathing than of drinking. The hot bath always promotes my perspiration,
which is sluggish, and supples my stiff rheumatic limbs. 'D'ailleurs', I
am at present as well, and better than I could reasonably expect to be,
'annu septuagesimo primo'. May you be so as long, 'y mas'! God bless you!</p>
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