Mr. Pitt is again laid up with the gout, as the Duke of Bedford is confined in Ireland by it. — His grace, like other Kings I have known, is grown wonderfully popular there since he was taken prisoner and tied hand and foot.  To do faction justice, it is of no cowardly nature; it abuses while it attacks, and loads with panegyric those it defeats.  We have nothing in Parliament but a quiet straggle for an extension of the Habeas Corpus.(871) It passed our House swimmingly, but will be drowned with the same ease in the House of Lords.  On the new taxes we had an entertaining piece of pomp from the Speaker:  Lord Strange (it was in a committee) said, “I will bring him down from the gallery.” and proposed that the Speaker should be exempt from the place tax.  He came down, and besought not to be excepted—­lord Strange persisted-so did the Speaker.  After the debate, Lord Strange going out said, “Well, did I not show my dromedary well?” I should tell you that one of the fashionable sights of the winter has been a dromedary and camel, the proprietor of which has entertained the town with a droll variety of advertisements.

You would have been amazed, had you been here at Sir luke Schaub’s auction of pictures.  He had picked up some good old copies cheap when he was in Spain during the contentions there between the houses of Austria and Bourbon, and when many grandees being confiscated, the rest piqued themselves on not profiting of their spoils.  With these Sir Luke had some fine small ones, and a parcel of Flemish, good in their way.  The late Prince offered him twelve thousand pounds for the whole, leaving him the enjoyment for his life.  As he knew the twelve thousand would not be forthcoming, he artfully excused himself by saying he loved pictures so much that he knew he should fling away the money.  Indeed, could he have touched it, it had been well; the collection was indubitably not worth four thousand pounds.  It has sold for near eight!(872) A Copy(873) of the King of France’s Raphael went for seven hundred pounds.  A Segismonda, called by Corregio, but certainly by Furoni his scholar, was bought in at upwards of four hundred pounds.  In short, there is Sir James Lowther, Mr. Spencer, Sir Richard Grosvenor, boys with twenty and thirty thousand a-year, and the Duchess of Portland,(874) Lord Ashburnham, Lord Egremont, and others with near as much, who care not what they give.  I want to paint my coat and sell it off my back—­there never Was such a season.  I am mad to have the Houghton pictures sold now; what injury to the creditors to have them postponed, till half of these vast estates are spent, and the other half grown ten years older!

Lord Corke Is not the editor of Swift’s History;(875) but one Dr. Lucas, a physicianed apothecary, who some years ago made such factious noise in Ireland(876)—­the book is already fallen into the lowest contempt.  I wish you joy of the success of the Cocchi family; but how three hundred crowns a year sound after Sir Luke Schaub’s auction!  Adieu! my dear Sir.