Our charming Mr. Bentley is doing Gray as much more honour as he deserves than Spencer.  He is drawing vignettes for his Odes; what a valuable ms. I shall have!  Warburton publishes his edition of Pope next week, with the famous piece of prose on Lord Hervey,(252) which he formerly suppressed at my uncle’s desire; who had got an abbey from Cardinal Fleury for one Southcote, a friend of Pope’s.(253) My Lord Hervey pretended not to thank him.  I am told the edition has waited, because Warburton has cancelled above a hundred sheets (in which he had inserted notes) since the publication of the Canons of Criticism.(254) The new history of Christina is a most wretched piece of trumpery, stuffed with foolish letters and confutations of Mademoiselle de Montpensier and Madame de Motteville.  Adieu!  Yours ever.

(251) John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich.

(252) Entitled “A Letter to a Noble Lord, on occasion of some libels written and propagated at court, in the year 1732-3."-E.

(253) According to Spence, the application was made by Pope to Sir Robert Walpole; but Dr. Warton states, that, “in gratitude for the favour conferred on his friend, Pope presented to Horatio Walpole, afterwards Lord Walpole, a set of his works in quarto, richly bound; which are now in the library at Wollerton."-E.

(254) Edwards’s “Canons of Criticism;” a series of notes on Warburton’s edition of Shakspeare.  Johnson thought well of it; but upon some one endeavouring to put the author upon a level with Warburton, “Nay,” said the Doctor, “he has given him some smart hits, but the two men must not be named together:  a fly, sir, may sting a stately horse, and make him wince; but one is but an insect, and the other is a horse still."-E.

107 Letter 44 To Sir Horace Mann.  Arlington Street, June 18, 1751.

I sent my letter as usual from the secretary’s office, but of what secretary I don’t know.  Lord Sandwich last week received his dismission, on which the Duke of Bedford resigned the next day, and Lord Trentham with him, both breaking with old Gower, who is entirely in the hands of the Pelhams, and made to declare his quarrel with Lord Sandwich (who gave away his daughter to Colonel Waldegrave) the foundation 4 his detaching himself from the Bedfords.  Your friend Lord Fane(255) comforts Lord Sandwich with an annuity of a thousand a-year-scarcely for his handsome behaviour to his sister!  Lord Hartington is to be master of the horse, and Lord Albemarle groom of the stole; Lord Granville is actually lord president, and, by all outward and visible signs, something more-in short, if he don’t overshoot himself, the Pelhams have; the King’s favour to him is visible, and so much credited, that all the incense is offered to him.  It is believed that Impresario Holderness will succeed the Bedford in the foreign seals, and Lord Halifax in those for the plantations.  If the former does, you will have ample instructions to negotiate for singers and dancers!  Here is an epigram made upon his directorship.