English lady that comes thither; that he never intended to take any particular notice of her; nor had, nor would let my Lady Yarmouth. — In fact, my Lady Yarmouth peremptorily refused to carry her to court here:  and when she did go with my Lady Pomfret, the King but just spoke to her.  She declares her intention of staying in England, and protests against all lawsuits and violences; and says she only asks articles of separation, and to have her allowance settled by any two arbitrators chosen by my brother and herself.  I have met her twice at my Lady Townshend’s, just as I used at Florence.  She dresses English and plays at whist.  I forgot to tell a bon-mot of Leheup(1113) on her first coming over; he was asked if he would not go and see her?  He replied “No, I never visit modest women.”  Adieu! my dear child!  I flatter myself you will collect hopes from this letter.

(1111) Mr. Henry Fox, in letters to Sir C. H. Williams, of September 5th and 19th, writes, “England, Wade says, and I believe it, is for the first comer; and if you can tell whether the six thousand Dutch, and the ten battalions of English, or five thousand French or Spaniards will be here first, you know our fate.”  “The French are not come, God be thanked!  But had five thousand landed in any part of this island a week ago, I verily believe the entire conquest would not have cost them a battle."-B.

(1112) This plan of raising regiment,,; afterwards degenerated into a gross job.  Sir C. H. Williams gives an account of it in his ballad, entitled “The Herbes.”  To this Horace Walpole appended the following explanatory note..—­“In the time of the rebellion, these lords had proposed to raise regiments of their own dependents, and were allowed; Had they paid them too, the service had been noble:  being paid by Government, obscured a little the merit; being paid without raising them, would deserve too coarse a term.  It is certain, that not six regiments ever were raised:  not four of which were employed.  The chief persons who were at the head of this scheme were the Dukes of Bedford and Montagu; the Duke of Bedford actually and served with his regiment.”—­The other lords mentioned in the ballad are, the Duke of Bolton, Lord Granby, Lord Harcourt, Lord Halifax, Lord Falmouth, Lord Cholmondeley, and Lord Berkeley.  They were in all fifteen-

“Fifteen nobles of great fame,
All brib’d by one false muster."-D.

(1113) Isaac Leheup, brother-in-law of Horace Walpole the elder.  He was a man of great wit and greater brutality, and being minister at Hanover, was recalled for very indecent behaviour there.

441 Letter 181 To Sir Horace Mann.  Arlington Street, Sept. 27, 1745.