as we have notice, we may possibly throw it out; else they will hurry on to a breach with the Lords.  Pultney was not in the House:  he was riding the other day, and met the King’s coach; endeavouring to turn out of the way, his horse started, flung him, and fell upon him:  he is much bruised but not at all dangerously.  On this occasion, there was an epigram fixed to a list, which I will explain to you afterwards it is not known who wrote it, but it was addressed to him: 

“Thy horse does things by halves, like thee: 
Thou, with irresolution,
Hurt’st friend and foe, thyself and me,
The King and Constitution.”

The list I meant:  you must know, some time ago, before the change, they had moved for a committee to examine, and state the public accounts:  It was passed.  Finding how little success they had with their Secret Committee, they have set this on foot, and we were to ballot for seven commissioners, who are to have a thousand a-year; We balloted yesterday:  on our lists were Sir Richard Corbet,(598) Charles Hamilton (599) Lady Archibald’s brother,) Sir William Middleton,(600) Mr. West, Mr. Fonnereau, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Ellis.(601) On theirs Mr. Bance, George Grenville, Mr. Hooper, Sir Charles Mordaunt,(602) Mr, Phillips, Mr. Pitt, and Mr. Stuart.  On casting up the numbers, the four first on ours, and the three first on their list, appeared to have the majority,:  so no great harm will come from this, should it pass the Lords; which it is not likely to do.  I have now told you, I think, all the political news, except that the troops continue going to Flanders, though we hear no good news yet from Holland.  If we can prevent any dispute between the two Houses, it is believed and much hoped by the Court, that the Secret Committee will desire to be dissolved:  if it does, there is an end of all this tempest!

I must tell you an ingenuity of Lord Raymond,(603) an epitaph on the Indemnifying Bill-I believe you would guess the author:-

“Interr’d beneath this marble stone doth lie
The Bill of Indemnity;
To show the good for which it was designed,
It died itself to save mankind.”

My Lady Townshend made me laugh the other night about your old acquaintance, Miss Edwin; who, by the way, is grown almost a Methodist.  My lady says she was forced to have an issue made on one side of her head, for her eyes, and that Kent(604) advised her to have another on the other side for symmetry.  There has lately been published one of the most impudent things that ever was printed; it is called “The Irish Recister,” and is a list of all the unmarried women of any fashion in England, ranked in order, duchesses-dowager, ladies, widows, misses, etc. with their names at length, for the benefit of Irish fortune-hunters, or as it is said, for the incorporating and manufacturing of British commodities.  Miss Edwards(605) is the only one printed with a dash, because they have placed her among the widows.  I will send you this, “Miss Lucy in Town,” and the magazines, by the first opportunity, as I should the other things, but your brother tells me you have had then) by another hand.  I received the cedarati, for which I have already thanked you:  but I have been so much thanked by several people to whom I gave some, that I can very well afford to thank you again.