150 Letter 21 To The Hon. H. S. Conway.  Rome, April, 23, 1740, N. S.

As I have wrote you two such long letters lately, my dear Hal, I did not hurry myself to answer your last; but choose to write to poor SelWyn (188) Upon his illness.  I pity you excessively upon finding him in such a situation- what a shock it must have been to you!  He deserves so much love from all that know him, and you owe him so much friendship, that I can scarce conceive a greater shock.  I am very glad you did not write to me till he was out of danger; for this great distance would have added to my pain, as I must have waited so long for another letter.  I charge you, don’t let him relapse into balls:  he does not love them, and, if you please, your example may keep him out of them.  You are extremely pretty people to be dancing and trading with French poulterers and pastry cooks, when a hard frost is starving half the nation, and the Spanish war ought to be employing the other half.  We are much more public spirited here; we live upon the public news, and triumph abundantly upon the taking Porto-Bello.  If you are not entirely debauched with your balls, you must be pleased with an answer of Lord Harrington’s (189) to the governor of Rome.  He asked him what they had determined about the vessel that the Spaniards took under the canon of Civita Vecchia, whether they had restored it to the English?  The governor said, they had done justice.  My lord replied, “If you had not, we should have’ done it ourselves.”  Pray reverence our spirit, Lieutenant Hal.

Sir, MoscovitEO (190) is not a pretty woman, and she does sing ill; that’s all.

My dear Harry, I must now tell you a little about myself, and answer your questions.  How I like the inanimate part of Rome you will soon perceive at my arrival in England; I am far gone in medals, lamps, idols, prints, etc.” and all the small commodities to the purchase of which I can attain; I would buy the Coliseum if I could:  Judge.  My mornings are spent in the most agreeable manner; my evenings ill enough.  Roman conversations are dreadful things! such untoward mawkins as the princesses! and the princes are worse.  Then the whole city is littered with French and German abb`es, who make up a dismal contrast with the inhabitants.  The conclave is far from enlivening us; its secrets don’t transpire.  I could give you names of this cardinal and that, that are talked of, but each is contradicted the next hour.  I was there t’other day to visit one of them, and one of the most agreeable, Alexander Albani.  I had the opportunity of two cardinals making their entry:  upon that occasion the gate is unlocked, and their eminences come to talk to their acquaintance over the threshold.  I have received great civilities from him I named to you, and I wish he were out, that I might receive greater:  a friend of his does the honours of Rome for him; but you know that it is unpleasant to visit by proxy.  Cardinal Delei, the object of the Corsini faction, is dying; the hot weather will probably despatch half a dozen more.  Not that it is hot yet; I am now writing to you by my fireside.