For your part, you will be content though the house of Montagu has not made an advantageous figure in this political warfare; yet it is crowned with victory, and laurels you know compensate for every scar.  You went out of town frightened out of your senses at the giant prerogative:  alack! he is grown so tame, that, as you said of our earthquake, you may stroke him.(842) The Regency-bill, not quite calculated with that intent, has produced four regents, King Bedford, king Grenville, King Halifax, and king Twitcher.(843) Lord Holland is turned out, and Stuart Mackenzie.  Charles Townshend is paymaster, and Lord Bute annihilated; and all done without the help of the Whigs.  You love to guess what one is going to say.  Now you may what I am not going to say. your newspapers perhaps have given you a long roll of opposition names, who were coming into place, and so all the world thought; but the Wind turned quite round, and left them on the strand, and just where they were, except in opposition which is declared to be at an end.  Enigma as all this may sound, the key would open it all to you in the twinkling of an administration.  In the mean time we have family reconciliations without end.  The King and the Duke of Cumberland have been shut up together day and night; Lord Temple and George Grenville are sworn brothers; well, but Mr. Pitt, where is he?  In the clouds, for aught I know; in one of which he may descend like the kings of Bantam, and take quiet possession of the throne again.

As a thorough-bass to these squabbles, we have had an insurrection and a siege.  Bedford-house, though garrisoned by horse and foot guards, was on the point of being taken.  The besieged are in their turn triumphant; and, if any body now was to publish “Droit le Duc,"(844) I do not think the House of Lords would censure his book.  Indeed the regents may do what they please, and turn out whom they will; I see nothing to resist them.  Lord Bute will not easily be tempted to rebel when the last struggle has cost him so dear.

I am sorry for some of my friends, to whom I wished more fortune.  For myself, I am but just where I should have been had they succeeded.  It is satisfaction enough to me to be delivered from politics; which you know I have long detested.  When I was tranquil enough to write Castles of Otranto in the midst of grave nonsense and foolish councils of war, I am not likely to disturb myself with the diversions of the court where I am not connected with a soul.  As it has proved to be the interest of the present ministers, however contrary to their torturer views, to lower the crown, they will scarce be in a hurry to aggrandize it again.  That will satisfy you; and I, you know, am satisfied if I have any thing to laugh at—­’tis a lucky age for a man who is so easily contented!

The poor Chute has had another relapse, but is out of bed again.  I am thinking of my journey to France; but, as Mr. Conway has a mind I should wait for him, I don’t know whether it will take place before the autumn.  I will by no means release you from your promise of making me a visit here before I go.