25. I was early with the Secretary to−day, but he was gone to his devotions, and to receive the sacrament: several rakes did the same; it was not for piety, but employments; according to Act of Parliament. I dined with Lady Mary Dudley;[10] and passed my time since insipidly, only I was at Court at noon, and saw fifty acquaintance I had not met this long time: that is the advantage of a Court, and I fancy I am better known than any man that goes there. Sir John Walter’s[11] quarrel with me has entertained the town ever since; and LETTER 35.
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yet we never had a word, only he railed at me behind my back. The Parliament is again to be prorogued for eight or nine days, for the Whigs are too strong in the House of Lords: other reasons are pretended, but that is the truth. The prorogation is not yet known, but will be to−morrow.
26. Mr. Lewis and I dined with a friend of his, and unexpectedly there dined with us an Irish knight, one Sir John St. Leger,[12] who follows the law here, but at a great distance: he was so pert, I was forced to take him down more than once. I saw to−day the Pope, and Devil, and the other figures of cardinals, etc., fifteen in all, which have made such a noise. I have put an under−strapper upon writing a twopenny pamphlet[13] to give an account of the whole design. My large pamphlet[14] will be published to−morrow; copies are sent to the great men this night. Domville[15] is come home from his travels; I am vexed at it: I have not seen him yet; I design to present him to all the great men.
27. Domville came to me this morning, and we dined at Pontack’s, and were all day together, till six this evening: he is perfectly as fine a gentleman as I know; he set me down at Lord Treasurer’s, with whom I stayed about an hour, till Monsieur Buys, the Dutch Envoy, came to him about business. My Lord Treasurer is pretty well, but stiff in the hips with the remains of the rheumatism. I am to bring Domville to my Lord Harley in a day or two. It was the dirtiest rainy day that ever I saw. The pamphlet is published; Lord Treasurer had it by him on the table, and was asking me about the mottoes in the title−page; he gave me one of them himself.[16] I must send you the pamphlet, if I can.
28. Mrs. Van sent to me to dine with her to−day, because some ladies of my acquaintance were to be there; and there I dined. I was this morning to return Domville his visit, and went to visit Mrs. Masham, who was not within. I am turned out of my lodging by my landlady: it seems her husband and her son are coming home; but I have taken another lodging hard by, in Leicester Fields. I presented Mr. Domville to Mr. Lewis and Mr. Prior this morning. Prior and I are called the two Sosias,[17] in a Whig newspaper. Sosias, can you read it? The pamphlet begins to make a noise: I was asked by several whether I had seen it, and they advised me to read it, for it was something very extraordinary. I shall be suspected; and it will have several paltry answers. It must take its fate, as Savage[18] said of his sermon that he preached at Farnham on Sir William Temple’s death. Domville saw Savage in Italy, and says he is a coxcomb, and half mad: he goes in red, and with yellow waistcoats, and was at ceremony kneeling to the Pope on a Palm Sunday, which is much more than kissing his toe; and I believe it will ruin him here when ’tis told. I’ll answer your letter in my new lodgings: I have hardly room; I must borrow from the other side.
29. New lodgings. My printer came this morning to tell me he must immediately print a second edition,[19]
and Lord Treasurer made one or two small additions: they must work day and night to have it out on Saturday; they sold a thousand in two days. Our Society met to−day; nine of us were present: we dined at our brother Bathurst’s.[20] We made several regulations, and have chosen three new members, Lord Orrery,[21]
Jack Hill, who is Mrs. Masham’s brother, he that lately miscarried in the expedition to Quebec, and one Colonel Disney.[22]We have taken a room in a house near St. James’s to meet in. I left them early about correcting the pamphlet, etc., and am now got home, etc.
30. This morning I carried Domville to see my Lord Harley, and I did some business with Lord Treasurer, and have been all this afternoon with the printer, adding something to the second edition. I dined with the printer: the pamphlet makes a world of noise, and will do a great deal of good; it tells abundance of most important facts which were not at all known. I’ll answer your letter to−morrow morning; or suppose I answer it just now, though it is pretty late. Come then.You say you are busy with Parliaments, etc.; that’s more than ever I will be when I come back; but you will have none these two years. Lord Santry, etc., yes, I have had enough on’t.[23] I am glad Dilly is mended; does not he thank me for showing him the Court and the great people’s faces? He had his glass out at the Queen and the rest. ‘Tis right what Dilly says: I depend upon nothing from my friends, but to go back as I came. Never fear Laracor, ’twill mend with a peace, or surely they’ll give me the Dublin parish. Stella is in the right: the Bishop of Ossory[24] is the silliest, best−natured LETTER 35.
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wretch breathing, of as little consequence as an egg− shell. Well, the spelling I have mentioned before; only the next time say AT LEAST, and not AT LEST. Pox on your Newbury![25] what can I do for him? I’ll give his case (I am glad it is not a woman’s) to what members I know; that’s all I can do. Lord Treasurer’s lameness goes off daily. Pray God preserve poor good Mrs. Stoyte; she would be a great loss to us all: pray give her my service, and tell her she has my heartiest prayers. I pity poor Mrs. Manley; but I think the child is happy to die, considering how little provision it would have had.Poh, every pamphlet abuses me, and for things that I never writ. Joe[26] should have written me thanks for his two hundred pounds: I reckon he got it by my means; and I must thank the Duke of Ormond, who I dare swear will say he did it on my account. Are they golden pippins, those seven apples? We have had much rain every day as well as you. 7 pounds, 17
shillings, 8 pence, old blunderer, not 18 shillings: I have reckoned it eighteen times. Hawkshaw’s eight pounds is not reckoned and if it be secure, it may lie where it is, unless they desire to pay it: so Parvisol may let it drop till further orders; for I have put Mrs. Wesley’s money into the Bank, and will pay her with Hawkshaw’s.I mean that Hawkshaw’s money goes for an addition to MD, you know; but be good housewives. Bernage never comes now to see me; he has no more to ask; but I hear he has been ill.A pox on Mrs. South’s[27] affair; I can do nothing in it, but by way of assisting anybody else that solicits it, by dropping a favourable word, if it comes in my way. Tell Walls I do no more for anybody with my Lord Treasurer, especially a thing of this kind. Tell him I have spent all my discretion, and have no more to use.And so I have answered your letter fully and plainly.And so I have got to the third side of my paper, which is more than belongs to you, young women.
It goes to−morrow,
To nobody’s sorrow.
You are silly, not I; I’m a poet, if I had but, etc.Who’s silly now? rogues and lasses, tinderboxes and buzzards. O Lord, I am in a high vein of silliness; methought I was speaking to dearest little MD face to face.
There; so, lads, enough for to−night; to cards with the blackguards. Goodnight, my delight, etc.
Dec. 1. Pish, sirrahs, put a date always at the bottom of your letter, as well as the top, that I may know when you send it; your last is of November 3, yet I had others at the same time, written a fortnight after. Whenever you would have any money, send me word three weeks before, and in that time you will certainly have an answer, with a bill on Parvisol: pray do this; for my head is full, and it will ease my memory. Why, I think I quoted to you some of ‘s letter, so you may imagine how witty the rest was; for it was all of a bunch, as Goodman Peesley[28] says. Pray let us have no more bussiness, but busyness: the deuce take me if I know how to spell it; your wrong spelling, Madam Stella, has put me out: it does not look right; let me see, bussiness, busyness, business, bisyness, bisness, bysness; faith, I know not which is right, I think the second; I believe I never writ the word in my life before; yes, sure I must, though; business, busyness, bisyness.I have perplexed myself, and can’t do it. Prithee ask Walls. Business, I fancy that’s right. Yes it is; I looked in my own pamphlet, and found it twice in ten lines, to convince you that I never writ it before. Oh, now I see it as plain as can be; so yours is only an _s_ too much. The Parliament will certainly meet on Friday next: the Whigs will have a great majority in the House of Lords, no care is taken to prevent it; there is too much neglect; they are warned of it, and that signifies nothing: it was feared there would be some peevish address from the Lords against a peace. ‘Tis said about the town that several of the Allies begin now to be content that a peace should be treated. This is all the news I have. The Queen is pretty well: and so now I bid poor dearest MD farewell till to−night; then I will talk with them again.