I have not felt so pleasantly these three months as I do at present, though I have a great cold with coming into an unaired house, and have been forced to carry that cold to the King’s levee and the drawing-room.  There were so many new faces that I scarce knew where I was; I should have taken ’it for Carlton House, or my Lady Mayoress’s visiting-day, only the people did not seem enough at home, but rather as admitted to see the King dine in public.  ’Tis quite ridiculous to see the numbers of old ladies, who, from having been wives of patriots, have not been dressed these twenty years; out they come, in all the accoutrements that were in use in Queen Anne’s days.  Then the joy and awkward jollity of them is inexpressible!  They titter, and, wherever you meet them, are always going to court, and looking at their watches an hour before the time.  I met several on the birthday, (for I did not arrive time enough to make clothes,) and they were dressed in all the colours of the rainbow:  they seem to have said to themselves twenty years ago, ,Well, if ever I do go to court again, I will have a pink and silver, or a blue and silver,” and they keep their resolutions.- But here’s a letter from you, sent to me back from Houghton; I must stop to read it.-Well, I have read it, and am diverted with Madame Grifoni’s being with child; I hope she was too.  I don’t wonder that she hates the country; I dare to say her child does not owe its existence to the Villeggiatura.  When you wrote, it seems you had not heard what a speedy determination was put to Don Philip’s reign in Savoy.  I suppose he will retain the title:  you know great princes are fond of titles, which proves they are not so great as they once were.

I find a very different face of things from what we had conceived in the country.  There are, indeed, thoughts of renewing attacks on Lord Orford, and Of stepping the supplies; but the new ministry laugh at these threats, having secured a vast majority in the House:  the Opposition themselves own that the Court will have upwards of a hundred majority:  I don’t, indeed, conceive how; but they are confident of carrying every thing.  They talk of Lord Gower’s not keeping the privy seal; that he will either resign it, or have it taken away:  Lord Bath, who is entering into all the court measures, is most likely to succeed him.  The late Lord Privy Seal(728) has had a most ridiculous accident at Bath:  he used to play in a little inner room; but one night some ladies had got it, and he was reduced to the public room; but being extremely absent and deep in politics, he walked through the little room to a convenience behind the curtain, from whence (still absent) he produced himself in a situation extremely diverting to the women:  imagine his delicacy, and the passion he was in at their laughing!