I have got no letter from you yet, the post should have brought it yesterday.  The Gazette says, that the cardinal (325) has declared that they will suffer no expedition against Tuscany.  I wish he had told me so! if they preserve this guarantee, personally, I can forgive their breaking the rest.  But I long for your letter; every letter now from each of us is material.  You will be almost as impatient to hear of the parliament, as I of Florence.  The lords on Friday went upon the King’s speech; Lord Chesterfield made a very fine speech against the address, all levelled at the House of Hanover.  Lord Cholmley, they say, answered him well.  Lord Halifax (326) spoke Very ill, and was answered by little Lord Raymond, (327) who always will answer him.  Your friend Lord Sandwich (328) affronted his grace of Grafton, (329) extremely, who was ill, and sat out of his place, by calling him to order; it was indecent in such a boy to a man of his age and rank:  the blood of Fitzroy will not easily pardon it.  The court had a majority of forty-one, with some converts.

On Tuesday we had the Speech; there were great differences among the party; the Jacobites, with Shippen (330) and Lord Noel Somerset at their head, were for a division, Pultney and the Patriots against one; (332) the ill success in the House of lords had frightened them; we had no division, but a very warm battle between Sir.  R. and Poltney.  The latter made a fine speech, very personal, on the state of affairs.  Sir R. with as much health, as much spirits, as much force and command as ever, answered him for an hour; said, He hadbeen taxed with all our misfortunes; but did he raise the war in Germany? or advise the war with Spain? did he kill the late Emperor or King of Prussia?’ did he counsel this King? or was he first minister to the King of Poland? did he kindle the war betwixt Muscovy and Sweden?” For our troubles at home, he said, “all the grievances of this nation were owing to the Patriots.”  They laughed much at this; but does he want proofs of it? he said, They talked much of an equilibrium in this parliament, (333) and of what they designed against him; if it was so, the sooner he knew it the better; and there-fore if any man would move for a day to examine the state of the nation, he would second it.”  Mr. Pultney did move for it; Sir R. did second it, and it is fixed for the twenty-first of January.  Sir R. repeated some words of Lord Chesterfield’s in the House of Lords, that this was a time for truth, for plain truth for English truth, and hinted at the reception (334) his lordship had met in France.  After these speeches of such consequence, and from such men, Mr. Lyttelton (335) got up to justify, or rather to flatter Lord Chesterfield, though every body then had forgot that he had been mentioned.  Danvers (336) who is a rough, rude beast, but now and then mouths out some humour, said, “that Mr. P. and Sir R. were like two old bawds, debauching young members.”