“"Three orators in distant ages born,
Greece, Italy, and England did adorn;
The first in loftiness of thought surpass’d,
The next in language, but in- both the last: 
The power of Nature could no farther go;
To make a third, she join’d the former two.”

Indeed, we have wanted such an entertainment to enliven and make the fatigue supportable.  We sat on Wednesday till ten at night; on Friday till past three in the morning; on Monday till between nine and ten.(644) We have profusion of orators, and many very great, which is surprising so soon after the leaden age(645 of the late Right Honourable Henry Saturnus!(646) The majorities are as great as in Saturnus’s golden age.

Our changes are begun; but not being made at once, our very changes change.  Lord Duplin and Lord Darlington are made joint paymasters:  George Selwyn says, that no act ever showed so much the Duke of Newcastle’s absolute power as his being able to make Lord Darlington a paymaster.  That so often repatriated and reprostituted Doddington is again to be treasurer of the navy; and he again drags out Harry Furnese into the treasury.  The Duke of Leeds is to be cofferer, and Lord Sandwich emerges so far as to be chief justice in eyre.  The other parts by the comedians; I don’t repeat their names, because perhaps the fellow that to-day is designed to act Guildenstern, may to-morrow be destined to play half the part of the second grave-digger.(647) However, they are all to kiss hands on Saturday. mr.  Pitt told me to-day that he should not go to Bath till next week.  “I fancy,” said I, “you scarce stay to kiss hands.”

With regard to the invasion, which you are so glad to be allowed to fear, I must tell you that it is quite gone out of fashion again, and I really believe was dressed up for a vehicle (as the apothecaries call it) to make us swallow the treaties.  All along the coast of France they are much more afraid of an invasion than we are.

As obliging as you are in sending me plants, I am determined to thank you for nothing but drawings.  I am not to be bribed to silence, when you really disoblige me.  Mr. Muntz has ordered more cloths for you.  I even shall send you books unwillingly; and, indeed, why should I?  As you are stone-blind, what can you do with them?  The few I shall send you, for there are scarce any now, will be a pretty dialogue by Cr`ebillon; a strange imperfect poem, written by Voltaire when he was very young, which with some charming strokes has a great deal of humour manqu`e and of impiety estropi`ee; and an historical romance, by him too, of the last war, in which is so outrageous a lying anecdote of old Marlborough, as would have convinced her, that when poets write history they stick as little to truth in prose as in verse.  Adieu!