LONDON, _March_ 22, 1711–12.
UGLY, nasty weather. I was in the City to-day with Mrs. Wesley and Mrs.
Perceval, to get money from a banker for Mrs. Wesley, who goes to Bath on
Thursday. I left them there, and dined with a friend, and went to see
Lord Treasurer; but he had people with him I did not know: so I went to
Lady Masham’s, and lost a crown with her at picquet, and then sat with
Lord Masham and Lord Treasurer, etc., there till past one; but I had my
man with me, to come home. I gave in my forty-third, and one for the
Bishop of Clogher, to the post-office, as I came from the City; and so oo
know ’tis late now, and I have nothing to say for this day. Our Mohocks
are all vanished; however, I shall take care of my person. Nite my own
two deelest nuntyes MD.
23. I was this morning, before church, with the Secretary, about Lord
Abercorn’s business, and some others. My soliciting season is come, and
will last as long as the session. I went late to Court, and the company
was almost gone. The Court serves me for a coffee-house; once a week I
meet acquaintance there, that I should not otherwise see in a quarter.
There is a flying report that the French have offered a cessation of
arms, and to give us Dunkirk, and the Dutch Namur, for security, till the
peace is made. The Duke of Ormond, they say, goes in a week. Abundance
of his equipage is already gone. His {430a} friends are afraid the
expense of this employment will ruin him, since he must lose the
government of Ireland. I dined privately with a friend, and refused all
dinners offered me at Court; which, however, were but two, and I did not
like either. Did I tell you of a scoundrel about the Court that sells
employments to ignorant people, and cheats them of their money? He
lately made a bargain for the Vice-Chamberlain’s place, for seven
thousand pounds, and had received some guineas earnest; but the whole
thing was discovered t’other day, and examination taken of it by Lord
Dartmouth, and I hope he will be swinged. The Vice-Chamberlain told me
several particulars of it last night at Lord Masham’s. Can DD play at
ombre yet, enough to hold the cards while Ppt steps into the next room?
Nite deelest sollahs. {430b}
24. This morning I recommended Newcomb again to the Duke of Ormond, and
left Dick Stewart {431a} to do it further. Then I went to visit the
Duchess of Hamilton, who was not awake. So I went to the Duchess of
Shrewsbury, and sat an hour at her toilet. I talked to her about the
Duke’s being Lord Lieutenant. She said she knew nothing of it; but I
rallied her out of that, and she resolves not to stay behind the Duke. I
intend to recommend the Bishop of Clogher to her for an acquaintance. He
will like her very well: she is, indeed, a most agreeable woman, and a
great favourite of mine. I know not whether the ladies in Ireland will
like her. I was at the Court of Requests, to get some lords to be at a
committee to-morrow, about a friend’s Bill: and then the Duke of Beaufort
gave me a poem, finely bound in folio, printed at Stamford, and writ by a
country squire. Lord Exeter {431b} desired the Duke to give it the
Queen, because the author is his friend; but the Duke desired I would let
him know whether it was good for anything. I brought it home, and will
return it to-morrow, as the dullest thing I ever read; and advise the
Duke not to present it. I dined with Domville at his lodgings, by
invitation; for he goes in a few days for Ireland. Nite dee MD.
25. There is a mighty feast at a Tory sheriff’s to-day in the City:
twelve hundred dishes of meat.—Above five lords, and several hundred
gentlemen, will be there, and give four or five guineas apiece, according
to custom. Dr. Coghill and I dined, by invitation, at Mrs. Van’s. It
has rained or mizzled all day, as my pockets feel. There are two new
answers come out to the _Conduct of the Allies_. The last year’s
_Examiners_, printed together in a small volume, go off but slowly. The
printer over-printed himself by at least a thousand; so soon out of
fashion are party papers, however so well writ. The _Medleys_ are coming
out in the same volume, and perhaps may sell better. Our news about a
cessation of arms begins to flag, and I have not these three days seen
anybody in business to ask them about it. We had a terrible fire last
night in Drury Lane, or thereabouts, and three or four people destroyed.
One of the maids of honour has the smallpox; but the best is, she can
lose no beauty; and we have one new handsome maid of honour. Nite MD.
26. I forgot to tell you that on Sunday last, about seven at night, it
lightened above fifty times as I walked the Mall, which I think is
extraordinary at this time of the year, and the weather was very hot.
Had you anything of this in Dublin? I intended to dine with Lord
Treasurer to-day; but Lord Mansel and Mr. Lewis made me dine with them at
Kit Musgrave’s. {432a} I sat the evening with Mrs. Wesley, who goes
to-morrow morning to the Bath. She is much better than she was. The
news of the French desiring a cessation of arms, etc., was but town talk.
We shall know in a few days, as I am told, whether there will be a peace
or not. The Duke of Ormond will go in a week for Flanders, they say.
Our Mohocks go on still, and cut people’s faces every night; fais, they
shan’t cut mine, I like it better as it is. The dogs will cost me at
least a crown a week in chairs. I believe the souls of your houghers of
cattle have got into them, and now they don’t distinguish between a cow
and a Christian. I forgot to wish you yesterday a happy New Year. You
know the twenty-fifth of March is the first day of the year, and now you
must leave off cards, and put out your fire. I’ll put out mine the first
of April, cold or not cold. I believe I shall lose credit with you by
not coming over at the beginning of April; but I hoped the session would
be ended, and I must stay till then; yet I would fain be at the beginning
of my willows growing. Perceval tells me that the quicksets upon the
flat in the garden do not grow so well as those famous ones on the ditch.
They want digging about them. The cherry-trees, by the river-side, my
heart is set upon. Nite MD.
27. Society day. You know that, I suppose. Dr. Arthburnett {432b} was
President. His dinner was dressed in the Queen’s kitchen, and was mighty
fine. We ate it at Ozinda’s Chocolate-house, {433a} just by St. James’s.
We were never merrier, nor better company, and did not part till after
eleven. I did not summon Lord Lansdowne: he and I are fallen out. There
was something in an _Examiner_ a fortnight ago that he thought reflected
on the abuses in his office (he is Secretary at War), and he writ to the
Secretary that he heard I had inserted that paragraph. This I resented
highly, that he should complain of me before he spoke to me. I sent him
a peppering letter, and would not summon him by a note, as I did the
rest; nor ever will have anything to say to him, till he begs my pardon.
I met Lord Treasurer to-day at Lady Masham’s. He would fain have carried
me home to dinner, but I begged his pardon. What! upon a Society day!
No, no. ’Tis rate, sollahs. I an’t dlunk. Nite MD.
28. I was with my friend Lewis to-day, getting materials for a little
mischief; and I dined with Lord Treasurer, and three or four fellows I
never saw before. I left them at seven, and came home, and have been
writing to the Archbishop of Dublin, and cousin Deane, {433b} in answer
to one of his of four months old, that I spied by chance, routing among
my papers. I have a pain these two days exactly upon the top of my left
shoulder. I fear it is something rheumatic; it winches {433c} now and
then. Shall I put flannel to it? Domville is going to Ireland; he came
here this morning to take leave of me, but I shall dine with him
to-morrow. Does the Bishop of Clogher talk of coming for England this
summer? I think Lord Molesworth told me so about two months ago. The
weather is bad again; rainy and very cold this evening. Do you know what
the longitude is? A projector {433d} has been applying himself to me, to
recommend him to the Ministry, because he pretends to have found out the
longitude. I believe he has no more found it out than he has found out
mine . . . {434a} However, I will gravely hear what he says, and
discover him a knave or fool. Nite MD.
29. I am plagued with these pains in my shoulder; I believe it is
rheumatic; I will do something for it to-night. Mr. Lewis and I dined
with Mr. Domville, to take our leave of him. I drank three or four
glasses of champagne by perfect teasing, though it is bad for my pain;
but if it continue, I will not drink any wine without water till I am
well. The weather is abominably cold and wet. I am got into bed, and
have put some old flannel, for want of new, to my shoulder, and rubbed it
with Hungary water. {434b} It is plaguy hard. I never would drink any
wine, if it were not for my head, and drinking has given me this pain. I
will try abstemiousness for a while. How does MD do now; how does DD and
Ppt? You must know I hate pain, as the old woman said. But I’ll try to
go seep. My flesh sucks up Hungary water rarely. My man is an awkward
rascal, and makes me peevish. Do you know that t’other day he was forced
to beg my pardon, that he could not shave my head, his hand shook so? He
is drunk every day, and I design to turn him off soon as ever I get to
Ireland. I’ll write no more now, but go to sleep, and see whether sleep
and flannel will cure my shoulder. Nite deelest MD.
30. I was not able to go to church or Court to-day for my shoulder. The
pain has left my shoulder, and crept to my neck and collar-bone. It
makes me think of poo Ppt’s bladebone. Urge, urge, urge; dogs gnawing.
I went in a chair at two, and dined with Mrs. Van, where I could be easy,
and came back at seven. My Hungary water is gone; and to-night I use
spirits of wine, which my landlady tells me is very good. It has rained
terribly all day long, and is extremely cold. I am very uneasy, and such
cruel twinges every moment! Nite deelest MD.
31. April 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. All these days I have been extremely
ill, though I twice crawled out a week ago; but am now recovering, though
very weak. The violence of my pain abated the night before last: I will
just tell you how I was, and then send away this letter, which ought to
have gone Saturday last. The pain increased with mighty violence in my
left shoulder and collar-bone, and that side my neck. On Thursday
morning appeared great red spots in all those places where my pain was,
and the violence of the pain was confined to my neck behind, a little on
the left side; which was so violent that I had not a minute’s ease, nor
hardly a minute’s sleep in three days and nights. The spots increased
every day, and bred little pimples, which are now grown white, and full
of corruption, though small. The red still continues too, and most
prodigious hot and inflamed. The disease is the shingles. I eat nothing
but water-gruel; am very weak; but out of all violent pain. The doctors
say it would have ended in some violent disease if it had not come out
thus. I shall now recover fast. I have been in no danger of life, but
miserable torture. I must not write too much. So adieu, deelest MD MD
MD FW FW, ME ME ME, Lele. I can say lele yet, oo see. Fais, I don’t
conceal a bit, as hope saved. {435a}
I {435b} must purge and clyster after this; and my next letter will not
be in the old order of journal, till I have done with physic. An’t oo
surprised to see a letter want half a side?