that the Princess of Wales should have no temptation to do a Job for her relations, by marrying her son to one of the Saxe Gotha family, who might not have the amiable accomplishments of the Princess of Wolfenbuttle.  The King’s intentions, it may easily be imagined, were not agreeable to the Princess of Wales.  She knew the temper of the Prince her son; that he was by nature indolent, hated business, but loved a domestic life, and would make an excellent husband.  She knew also that the young Princess, having merit and understanding equal to her beauty, must in a short time have the greatest influence over him.  In which circumstances, it may naturally be concluded that her Royal Highness did every thing in her Power to prevent the match.  The Prince of Wales was taught to believe that he was to be made a sacrifice merely to gratify the King’s private interest in the electorate of Hanover.  The young Princess was most cruelly misrepresented; many even of her perfections were aggravated into faults; his Royal Highness implicitly believing every idle tale and improbable assertion, till his prejudice against her amounted to aversion itself.”  Memoirs, p. 39.-E.

(622) The following is Dr. Burney’s account:—­“Upon the success of Jomelli’s ‘Andromaca’ a damp was thrown by the indisposition of Mingotti, during which Frasi was called upon to play her part in that opera; when suspicion arising, that Mingotti’s was a mere dramatic and political cold, the public was much out of humour, till she resumed her function in Metastasio’s admirable drama of ‘Demofoonte,’ in which she acquired more applause, and augmented her theatrical consequence beyond any period of her performance in England."-E.

(623) “Ricciarelli was a neat and pleasing performer, with a clear, flexible, and silver-toned voice; but so much inferior to Mingotti, both in singing and acting, that he was never in very high favour.”  Burney.-E.

(624) No. 146, Advice to the Ladies on their return to the country.-E.

(625) Alluding to the subject Mr. Walpole had proposed to him for a picture, in the letter of the 15th of August (letter 143), and to the then expected invasion of’ England by Louis xv.

284 Letter 155 To John Chute, Esq.(626) Arlington Street, October 20, 1755.

You know, my dear Sir, that I do not love to have you taken unprepared:  the last visit I announced to you was of the Lord Dacre of the South and of the Lady Baroness, his spouse:  the next company you may expect will be composed of the Prince of Soubise and twelve thousand French; though, as winter is coming on, they will scarce stay in the country, but hasten to London.  I need not protest to you I believe, that I am serious, and that an invasion before Christmas will certainly be attempted; you will believe me at the first word.  It is a little hard, however! they need not envy us General Braddock’s laurels; they were not in such quantity!