[Footnote 1:  Walpole’s quotation, however, is incorrect; the poet wrote: 

    Urge the warm bowl, and ruddy fire.]

There is a very good quarrel on foot between two duchesses:  she of Queensberry sent to invite Lady Emily Lenox to a ball:  her Grace of Richmond, who is wonderfully cautious since Lady Caroline’s elopement [with Mr. Fox], sent word, “she could not determine.”  The other sent again the same night:  the same answer.  The Queensberry then sent word, that she had made up her company, and desired to be excused from having Lady Emily’s:  but at the bottom of the card wrote, “too great a trust.”  You know how mad she is, and how capable of such a stroke.  There is no declaration of war come out from the other Duchess; but, I believe it will be made a national quarrel of the whole illegitimate royal family.

It is the present fashion to make conundrums:  there are books of them printed, and produced at all assemblies:  they are full silly enough to be made a fashion.  I will tell you the most renowned:  “Why is my uncle Horace like two people conversing?—­Because he is both teller and auditor.”  This was Winnington’s....

I will take the first opportunity to send Dr. Cocchi his translated book; I have not yet seen it myself.

Adieu! my dearest child!  I write with a house full of relations, and must conclude.  Heaven preserve you and Tuscany.

BATTLE OF FONTENOY—­THE BALLAD OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.

TO SIR HORACE MANN.

ARLINGTON STREET, May 11, 1745.

I stayed till to-day, to be able to give you some account of the battle of Tournay:  the outlines you will have heard already.  We don’t allow it to be a victory on the French side:  but that is, just as a woman is not called Mrs. till she is married, though she may have had half-a-dozen natural children.  In short, we remained upon the field of battle three hours; I fear, too many of us remain there still! without palliating, it is certainly a heavy stroke.  We never lost near so many officers.  I pity the Duke [of Cumberland], for it is almost the first battle of consequence that we ever lost.  By the letters arrived to-day, we find that Tournay still holds out.  There are certainly killed Sir James Campbell, General Ponsonby, Colonel Carpenter, Colonel Douglas, young Ross, Colonel Montagu, Gee, Berkeley, and Kellet.  Mr. Vanburgh is since dead.  Most of the young men of quality in the Guards are wounded.  I have had the vast fortune to have nobody hurt, for whom I was in the least interested.  Mr. Conway, in particular, has highly distinguished himself; he and Lord Petersham, who is slightly wounded, are most commended; though none behaved ill but the Dutch horse.  There has been but very little consternation here:  the King minded it so little, that being set out for Hanover, and blown back into Harwich roads since the news came, he could not be persuaded to return, but sailed yesterday with the fair wind.  I believe you will have the Gazette sent to-night; but lest it should not be printed time enough, here is a list of the numbers, as it came over this morning: