all will, upon that subject.  Plead, as you truly may, your own ignorance; and say, that it is impossible to judge of those nice points, at such a distance, and without knowing all circumstances, which you cannot be supposed to do.  And as to the Duke’s resignation; you should, in my opinion, say, that perhaps there might be a little too much vivacity in the case, but that, upon the whole, you make no doubt of the thing’s being soon set right again; as, in truth, I dare say it will.  Upon these delicate occasions, you must practice the ministerial shrugs and ‘persiflage’; for silent gesticulations, which you would be most inclined to, would not be sufficient:  something must be said, but that something, when analyzed, must amount to nothing.  As for instance, ’Il est vrai qu’on s’y perd, mais que voulez-vous que je vous dise?—­il y a bien du pour et du contre; un petit Resident ne voit gueres le fond du sac.—­Il faut attendre.—­Those sort of expletives are of infinite use; and nine people in ten think they mean something.  But to the Landgrave of Hesse I think you would do well to say, in seeming confidence, that you have good reason to believe that the principal objection of his Majesty to the convention was that his Highness’s interests, and the affair of his troops, were not sufficiently considered in it.  To the Prussian Minister assert boldly that you know ‘de science certaine’, that the principal object of his Majesty’s and his British Ministry’s intention is not only to perform all their present engagements with his Master, but to take new and stronger ones for his support; for this is true—­at least at present.

You did very well in inviting Comte Bothmar to dine with you.  You see how minutely I am informed of your proceedings, though not from yourself.  Adieu.

I go to Bath next Saturday; but direct your letters, as usual, to London.

LETTER CCXI

Bath, October 26, 1757.

My dear friend:  I arrived here safe, but far from sound, last Sunday.  I have consequently drunk these waters but three days, and yet I find myself something better for them.  The night before I left London.  I was for some hours at Newcastle House, where the letters, which came that morning, lay upon the table:  and his Grace singled out yours with great approbation, and, at the same time, assured me of his Majesty’s approbation, too.  To these two approbations I truly add my own, which, ‘sans vanite’, may perhaps be near as good as the other two.  In that letter you venture ‘vos petits raisonnemens’ very properly, and then as properly make an excuse for doing so.  Go on so, with diligence, and you will be, what I began to despair of your ever being, somebody.  I am persuaded, if you would own the truth, that you feel yourself now much better satisfied with yourself than you were while you did nothing.