have a Monsieur Forzoni* to burn the wings of boisterous gnats-pray be more robust-do you hear!

One would think you had been describing our opera, not your own; we have just set out with one in, what they call, the French manner, but about as like it, as my Lady Pomfret's hash of plural persons and singular verbs or infinitive moods was to Italian. They sing to jigs, and dance to church music: Phaeton is run away with by horses that go a footpace, like the Electress's† coach, with such long traces, that the postillion was in one street, and the coachman in another-then comes Jupiter with a farthing-candle to light a squib and a half, and that they call fireworks. Reginello, the first man, is so old and so tall, that he seems to have been growing ever since the invention of operas. The first woman has had her mouth let out to show a fine set of teeth, but it lets out too much bad voice at the same time. Lord Middlesex, for his great prudence in having provided such very tractable steeds to Prince Phaeton's car, is going to be Master of the Horse to the Prince of Wales; and for his excellent economy in never paying the performers, is likely to continue in the treasury. The two Courts growl again; and the old question of settling the 50,000l. a-year talked of. The Tories don't list kindly under this new Opposition; though last week we had a warm day on a motion for inquiring into useless places and quarterings. Mr. Pitt was so well advised as to acquit my father pretty amply, in speaking of the Secret Committee. My Uncle Horace thanked him in a speech, and my brother Ned has been to visit him-Tant d'impressement, I think, rather shows an eagerness to catch at any opportunity of paying court to him; for I do not see the so vast merit in owning now for his interest, what for his honour he should have owned five years ago. This motion was spirited up by Lord Bath, who is raving again, upon losing the borough of Heydon, from which last week we threw his brother-in-law Gumley, and instated Luke Robinson, the old sufferer for my father, and the

* Her gentleman usher.

†The Electress Palatine Dowager, the last of the House of Medici; she lived at Florence.

colleague of Mr. Chute's brother; an incident that will not heighten your indifference, any more than it did mine.

Lord Kildare is married to the charming Lady Emily Lenox, who went the very next day to see her sister Lady Caroline Fox, to the great mortification of the haughty Duchessmother. They have not giving her a shilling, but the King endows her, by making Lord Kildare a Viscount Sterling ;* and they talk of giving him a pinchbeck-dukedom too, to keep him always first peer of Ireland. Sir Everard Falkener is married to Miss Churchill, and my sister is brought to-bed of a son.

Panciatici is arrived, extremely darkened in his person and enlivened in his manner. He was much in fashion at the Hague, but I don't know if he will succeed so well here; for in such great cities as this, you know people affect not to think themselves honoured by foreigners; and though we don't quite barbarize them as the French do, they are toujours des Etrangers. Mr. Chute thinks we have to the full all the politeness that can make a nation brutes to the rest of the world. He had an excellent adventure the other day with Lord Holderness, whom he met at a party at Lady Betty Germain's, but who could not possibly fatigue himself to recollect that they had ever met before in their lives. Towards the end of dinner Lady Betty mentioned remembering a grandmother of Mr. Chute who was a peeress; immediately the Earl grew as fond of him as if they had walked together at a coronation. He told me another good story last night of Lord Hervey,† who was going with them from the opera, and was so familiar as to beg they would not call him my Lord and your Lordship. The freedom proceeded; when on a sudden, he turned to Mr. Whithed, and with a distressed friendly voice, said, "Now have you no peerage that can come to you by any woman?"

Adieu! my dear Sir; I have no news to tell you. Here

* Meaning an English Viscount. He was created Viscount Lienster of Taplow in Bucks, Feb. 21st, 1747.-D.

George, eldest son of John Lord Hervey, and afterwards Earl of Bristol, and Minister at Turin and Madrid.

is another letter of Niccolini that has lain in my standish this fortnight.

LETTER CLXXIII.

Arlington-Street, March 20, 1747.

I HAVE been living at old Lovat's trial, and was willing to have it over before I talked to you of it. It lasted seven days; the evidence was as strong as possible; and after all he had denounced, he made no defence. The Solicitor-General,* who was one of the managers for the House of Commons, shone extremely; the Attorney-General, † who is a much greater lawyer, is cold and tedious. The old creature's behaviour has been foolish, and at last, indecent. I see little of parts in him, nor, attribute much to that cunning for which he is so famous; it might catch wild Highlanders; but the art of dissimulation and flattery is so refined and improved, that it is of little use now where it is not very delicate. His character seems a mixture of tyranny and pride in his villainy. I must make you a little acquainted with him. In his own domain he governed despotically, either burning or plundering the lands and houses of his open enemies, or taking off his secret ones by the assistance of his cook, who was his poisoner in chief. He had two servants who married without his consent: he said, "You shall have enough of each other," and stowed them in a dungeon, that had been a well, for three weeks. When he came to the Tower, he told them, that if he were not so old and infirm, they would find it difficult to keep him there. They told him they had kept much younger. "Yes," said he, "but they were inexperienced; they had not broke so many gaols as I have." At his own house he used to say, that for thirty years of his life he never saw a gallows but it made his neck ache. His last act was to shift his treason upon his eldest son, whom he forced into the rebellion. He told Williamson, the Lieutenant of the Tower, "We will hang my eldest son, and then my se

* William Murray.

† Sir Dudley Rider; afterwards Lord Chief Justice.

cond shall marry your niece." He has a sort of ready humour at repartee, not very well adapted to his situation. One day that Williamson complained that he could not sleep, he was so haunted with rats-he replied, "What do you say, that you are so haunted with Ratcliffes ?" The first day, as he was brought to his trial, a woman looked into the coach, and said, "You ugly old dog, don't you think you will have that frightful head cut off?" He replied, "You ugly old I believe I shall." At his trial he affected great weakness and infirmities, but often broke out into passions particularly at the first witness, who was his vassal: he asked him how he dared to come hither! the man replied, to satisfy his conscience. Murray, the Pretender's secretary, was the chief evidence, who, in the course of his information, mentioned Lord Traquair's having conversed with Lord Barrymore, Sir Watkyn Williams, and Sir John Cotton, on the Pretender's affairs, but that they were shy. He was proceeding to name others, but was stopped by Lord Talbot, and the Court acquiesced-I think very indecently. It is imagined the Duchess of Norfolk would have come next upon the stage. The two Knights were present, as was Macleod, against whom a bitter letter from Lovat was read, accusing him of breach of faith; and afterwards Lovat summoned him to answer some questions he had to ask; but did not. It is much expected that Lord Traquair, who is a great coward, will give ample information of the whole plot. When Sir Everard Falkener had been examined against Lovat, the Lord High Steward asked the latter if he had anything to say to Sir Everard? he replied, "No; but that he was his humble servant, and wished him joy of his young wife." The two last days he behaved ridiculously, joking, and making everybody laugh even at the sentence. He said to Lord Ilchester, who sat near the bar, " Je meurs pour ma patrie, et ne m'en soucie gueres." When he withdrew, he said, “Adieu ! my lords, we shall never meet again in the same place." He says he will be hanged, for that his neck is so short and

*

* He was Secretary to the Duke, whom he had attended into Scotland during the rebellion.

bended, that he should be struck in the shoulders. I did not think it possible to feel so little as I did at so melancholy a spectacle, but tyranny and villainy wound up by buffoonery took off all edge of concern. The foreigners were much struck; Niccolini seemed a great deal shocked, but he comforts himself with the knowledge he thinks he has gained of the English constitution.

Don't thank Riccardi for me; I don't feel obliged for his immoderate demand, but expect very soon to return him his goods, for I have no notion that the two Lords who are to see them next week, will rise near his price. We have nothing like news: all the world has been entirely taken up with the trial. Here is a letter from Mr. Whithed to Lord Hobart. Mr. Chute would have written to-night, if I had not; but will next post. Adieu!

LETTER CLXXIV.

Arlington-Street, April 10, 1747.

I DEFERRED writing to you as long as they deferred the execution of old Lovat, because I had a mind to send you some account of his death, as I had of his trial. He was beheaded yesterday, and died extremely well, without passion, affectation, buffoonery, or timidity: his behaviour was natural and intrepid. He professed himself a Jansenist; made no speech, but sat down a little while in a chair on the scaffold, and talked to the people round him. He said, "He was glad to suffer for his country, dulce est pro Patriâ mori: that he did not know how, but he had always loved it, nescio quâ natale solum, &c.; that he had never swerved from his principles; that this was the character of his family, who had been gentlemen for five hundred years." He lay down quietly, gave the sign soon, and was dispatched at a blow. believe it will strike some terror into the Highlands, when they hear there is any power great enough to bring so potent a tyrant to the block. A scaffold fell down, and killed several persons; one, a man that had rid post from Salisbury