Are you most impatient to hear of a French war, or the event of the Mitchell election?  If the former is uppermost in your thoughts, I can tell you, you are very unfashionable.’  The Whigs and Tories at Rome, Athens, and Jerusalem never forgot national points with more zeal, to attend to private faction, than we have lately.  After triumphs repeated in the committee, Lord Sandwich and Mr. Fox were beaten largely on the report.  It was a most extraordinary day!  The Tories, who could not trust one another for two hours, had their last consult at the Horn Tavern just before the report, and all but nine or ten voted in a body (with the Duke of Newcastle) against agreeing to it:  then Sir John Philipps, one of them, moved for a void election, but was deserted by most of his clan.  We now begin to turn our hands to foreign war.  In the rebellion, the ministry was so unsettled that nobody seemed to care who was king.  Power is now so established that I must do the engrossers the justice to say, that they seem to be determined that their own King shall continue so.  Our fleet is great and well manned; we are raising men and money, and messages have been sent to both houses from St. James’s, which have been answered by very zealous cards.  In the mean time, sturdy mandates are arrived from France; however with a codicil of moderation, and power to Mirepoix still to treat.  He was told briskly “Your terms must come speedily; the fleets will sail very quickly; war cannot then be avoided.”

I have passed five entire days lately at Dr. Mead’s sale, where, however, I bought very little:  as extravagantly as he paid for every thing, his name has even resold them with interest.  Lord Rockingham gave two hundred and thirty guineas for the Antinous—­the dearest bust that, I believe, was ever sold; yet the nose and chin were repaired and very ill.  Lord Exeter bought the Homer for one hundred and thirty.  I must tell you a piece of fortune:  I supped the first night of the sale at Bedford-house, and found my Lord Gower dealing at silver pharaoh to the women.  “Oh!” said I laughing, “I laid out six-and-twenty pounds this morning, I will try if I can win it back,” and threw a shilling upon a card:  in five minutes I won a five-hundred leva, which was twenty-five pounds eleven shillings.  I have formerly won a thousand leva, and at another five hundred leva.  With such luck, shall not I be able to win you back again?

Last Wednesday I gave a feast in form to the Hertfords.  There was the Duke of Grafton, Lord and Lady Hertford, Mr. Conway, and Lady Ailesbury; in short, all the Conways in the world, my Lord Orford, and the Churchills.  We dined in the drawing-room below stairs, amidst the Eagle, Vespasian, etc.  You never saw so Roman a banquet; but withal my virt`u, the bridegroom seemed the most venerable piece of antiquity.  Good night!  The books go to Southampton on Monday.  Yours ever.

(557) A design for a chimney-piece, which, at Mr. Walpole’s desire, Mr. Bentley had made for Lord Strafford.