Your brother would have me say something of my opinion about your idea of taking the name of Guise;(450) but he has written so fully that I can only assure you in addition, that I am stronger even than he is against it, and cannot allow of your reasoning on families, because, however families may be prejudiced about them, and however foreigners (I mean, great foreigners) here may have those prejudices too, vet they never operate here, where there is any one reason to counterbalance them.  A minister who has the least disposition to promote a creature of his, and to set aside a Talbot or a Nevil, will at one breath puff away a genealogy that would reach from hence to Herenhausen.  I know a great foreigner, who always says that my Lord Denbigh is the best gentleman in England, because he is descended from the old Counts of Hapsburg; and yet my Lord Denbigh, (and though he is descended from what one should think of much more consequence here, the old Counts of Denbigh,) has for many years wanted a place or a pension, as much as if he were only what I think the first Count of Hapsburg was, the Emperor’s butler.  Your instance of the Venetians refusing to receive Valenti can have no weight:  Venice might bully a Duke of Mantua, but what would all her heralds signify against a British envoy?  In short, what weight do you think family has here, when the very last minister whom we have despatched is Sir James Gray,—­nay, and who has already been in a public character at Venice!  His father was first a box-keeper, and then footman to James the Second; and this is the man exchanged against the Prince de San Severino!  One of my father’s maxims was quieta non movere; and he was a wise man in that his day.  My dear child, if you will suffer me to conclude with a pun, content yourself with your Manhood and Tuscany:  it would be thought injustice to remove you from thence for any body else:  when once you shift about, you lose the benefit of prescription, and subject yourself to a thousand accidents.  I speak very seriously; I know the carte du pais.

We have no news:  the flames in Ireland are stifled, I don’t say extinguished, by adjourning the Parliament, which is to be prorogued.  A catalogue of dismissions was sent over thither, but the Lord Lieutenant durst not venture to put them in execution.  We are sending a strong squadron to the East Indies, which may possibly bring back a war with France, especially as we are going to ask money of our Parliament for the equipment.  We abound in diversions, which flourish exceedingly on the demise of politics.  There are no less than five operas every week, three of which are burlettas; a very bad company, except the Niccolina, who beats all the actors and actresses I ever saw for vivacity and variety.  We had a good set four years ago, which did not take at all; but these being at the playhouse, and at play prices, the people, instead of resenting it, as was expected, are transported with them, call them their own operas, and I will not swear that they do not take them for English operas.  They huzzaed the King twice the other night, for bespeaking one on the night of the Haymarket opera.