fortnight ago, the whole cabinet-council, except Lord Bath, Lord Winchilsea, Lord Tweedale, the Duke of Bolton, and my good brother-in-law,(987) (the two last severally bribed with the promise of Ireland,) did venture to let the King know, that he must part with them or with Lord Granville.  The monarch does not love to be forced, and his son is full as angry.  Both tried to avoid the rupture.  My father was sent for, but excused himself from coming till last Thursday, and even then would not ,go to the King; and at last gave his opinion very unwillingly.  But on Saturday it was finally determined:  Lord Granville resigned the seals, which are given back to my Lord President Harrington.  Lord Winchilsea quits too; but for all the rest of that connexion, they have agreed not to quit, but to be forced out:  so Mr. Pelham must have a new struggle to remove every one.  He can’t let them stay in; because, to secure his power, he must bring in Lord Chesterfield, Pitt, the chief patriots, and perhaps some Tories.  The King has declared that my Lord Granville has his opinion and affection-the Prince warmly and openly espouses him.  Judge how agreeably the two brothers will enjoy their ministry!  To-morrow the Parliament meets:  all in suspense! every body will be staring at each other!  I believe the war will still go on, but a little more Anglicized.  For my part, I behold all with great tranquillity; I cannot —­be sorry for Lord Granville,-for he certainly sacrificed everything to please the King; I cannot be glad for the Pelhams, for they sacrifice every thing to their own jealousy and ambition.

Who are mortified, are the fair Sophia and Queen Stanislaus.  However, the daughter carries it off heroically:  the very night of her fall she went to the Oratorio.  I talked to her much, and recollected all that had been said to me upon the like occasion three years ago:  I succeeded, and am invited to her assembly next Tuesday.  Tell Uguccioni that she still keeps conversazioni, or he will hang himself.  She had no court, but an ugly sister and the fair old-fashioned Duke of Bolton.  It put me in mind of a scene in Harry VIII., where Queen Catherine appears after her divorce, with Patience her waiting-maid, and Griffith her gentleman-usher.

My dear child, voil`a le monde! are you as great a philosopher about it as I am?  You cannot imagine how I entertain myself, especially as all the ignorant flock hither, and conclude that my lord must be minister again.  Yesterday, three bishops came to do him homage; and who should be one of them but Dr. Thomas.(988) the only man mitred by Lord Granville!  As I was not at all mortified with our fall, I am only diverted with this imaginary restoration.  They little think how incapable my lord is of business again.  He has this whole summer been troubled with bloody water upon the least motion; and to-day Ranby assured me, that he has a stone in his bladder, which he himself believed before:  so now he must never use the least exercise, never go into a chariot again; and if ever to Houghton, in a litter.  Though this account will grieve you, I tell it you, that you may know what to expect; yet it is common for people to live many years in his situation.