(917) Mr. Bulkeley, an Irish Roman Catholic, married the widow Cantillon, mother of the Countess of Stafford.  He rose high in the French army, and had the cordon bleu:  his sister was second wife of the first Duke of Berwick.

(918)Afterwards Duke of Rohan Chabot.-D.

(919) Of Hanover.-D.

367 Letter 136
To Sir Horace Mann. 
London, April 15, 1744.

I could tell you a great deal of news, but it would not be what you would expect.  It is not of battles, sieges, and declarations of war; nor of invasions, insurrections, and addresses.  It is the god of love, not he of war, who reigns in the newspapers.  The town has made up a list of six and thirty weddings, which I shall not catalogue to you; for you would know, them no more than you do Antilochum, fortemque Gyan, fortemque Cloanthum.

But the chief entertainment has been the nuptials of our great Quixote and the fair Sophia.  On the point of matrimony she fell ill of a scarlet fever, and was given over, while he had the gout, but heroically sent her word, that if she was well, he would be so.  They corresponded every day, and he used to plague the cabinet council with reading her letters to them.  Last night they were married; and as all he does must have a particular air in it, they supped at Lord Pomfret’s:  at twelve, Lady Granville, his mother, and all his family went to bed, but the porter:  then my lord went home, and waited for her in the lodge:  she came alone in a hackney-chair, met him in the hall, and was led up the back stairs to bed.  What is ridiculously lucky is, that Lord Lincoln goes into waiting, to-day, and will be to present her!  On Tuesday she stands godmother with the King to Lady Dysart’s(920) child, her new grand-daughter.  I am impatient to see the whole m`enage; it will be admirable.  There is a wild young Venetian ambassadress(921) come, who is reckoned very pretty.  I don’t think so; she is foolish and childish to a degree.  She said, “Lord! the old secretary is going to be married!” hey told her he was but fifty-four.  “But fifty-four! why,” said she, “my husband is but two-and-forty, and I think him the oldest man in the world.”  Did I tell you that Lord Holderness(922) goes to Venice with the compliments of accommodation, and leaves Sir James Grey resident there?

The invasion from Dunkirk seems laid aside.  We talk little of our fleets — Sir John Norris has resigned -.  Lestock is coming home, and sent before him great complaints of Matthews; so that affair must be cleared up. the King talks much of going abroad, which will not be very prudent.  The campaign is not opened yet, but I suppose will disclose at once with great `eclat in several quarters.

I this instant receive your letter of March 31st, with the simple Demetrius, for which, however, I thank you.  I hope by this time you have received all my letters, and are at peace about the invasion; which we think so much over, that the Opposition are now breaking out about the Dutch troops, and call it the worst measure ever taken.  Those terms so generally dealt to every measure successively, will at least soften the Hanoverian history.