(360) Sir Francis Dashwood, Bart., afterwards Lord Le Despencer.  Under the administration of Lord Bute he was, for a short time, chancellor of the exchequer.-D.

(361) Sir Robert always went every Saturday to Newpark, Richmond, to hunt. (From his early youth, Sir Robert was fond of the diversions of the field.  He was accustomed to hunt in Richmond Park with a pack of beagles.  On receiving a packet of letters, he usually opened that from his gamekeeper first.] (362) Herbert Windsor Hickman, second Viscount Windsor in Ireland, and Baron Montjoy of the Isle of Wight. [His lordship died in 1758, when all his honours, in default of male issue, became extinct.]

201 Letter 48 To Sir Horace Mann.  Christmas eve, 1741.

My dearest child, if I had not heard regularly from you, what a shock it would have given me!  The other night at the opera, Mr. Worseley, with his peevish face, half smiling through ill-nature, told me (only mind!) by way of news, “that he heard Mr. Mann was dead at Florence!"’ How kind!  To entertain one with the chitchat of the town, a man comes and tells one that one’s dearest friend is dead!  I am sure he would have lost his speech if he had had any thing pleasurable to tell.  If ever there is a metempsychosis, his soul will pass into a vulture and prey upon carcases after a battle, and then go and bode at the windows of their relations.  But I will say no more of him; I will punish him sufficiently, if sufficiently there be, by telling him you are perfectly well:  you are, are you not?  Send me certificate signed by Dr. Cocchi,(363) and I will choke him with it:  another’s health must be venomous to him.

Sir Francis Dashwood too,-as you know all ill-natured people hear all ill news,-told me he heard you was ill:  I vowed you was grown as strong as the Farnese Hercules.  Then he desires you will send him four of the Volterra urns, of the chimney-piece size; send them with any of my things; do, or he will think I neglected it because he is our enemy; and I would not be peevish, not to be like them.  He is one of the most inveterate; they list under Sandys,(364) a parcel of them with no more brains than their general; but being malicious they pass for ingenious, as in these countries fogs are reckoned warm weather.  Did you ever hear what Earle said of Sandys? “that he never laughed but once, and that was when his best friend broke his thigh.”

Last Thursday I wrote you word of our losing the chairman of the committee.  This winter is to be all ups and downs.  The next day (Friday) we had a most complete victory.  Mr. Pultney moved for all papers and letters, etc. between the King and the Queen of Hungary and their ministers.  Sir R. agreed to give them all the papers relative to those transactions, only desiring to except the letters written by the two sovereigns themselves.  They divided, and we carried it, 237 against 227.  They moved to have those relations to France, Prussia,