The King of Prussia has had the victory, which you in some measure foretold; and as he has taken ‘la caisse militaire’, I presume ’Messieurs les Russes sont hors de combat pour cette campagne’; for ’point d’argent, point de Suisse’, is not truer of the laudable Helvetic body, than ’point d’argent, point de Russe’, is of the savages of the Two Russias, not even excepting the Autocratrice of them both.  Serbelloni, I believe, stands next in his Prussian Majesty’s list to be beaten; that is, if he will stand; as the Prince de Soubize does in Prince Ferdinand’s, upon the same condition.  If both these things happen, which is by no means improbable, we may hope for a tolerable peace this winter; for, ‘au bout du compte’, the King of Prussia cannot hold out another year; and therefore he should make the best of these favorable events, by way negotiation.

I think I have written a great deal, with an actual giddiness of head upon me.  So adieu.

I am glad you have received my letter of the Ides of July.

LETTER CCXXX

Blackheath, September 8, 1758.

My dear friend:  This letter shall be short, being only an explanatory note upon my last; for I am not learned enough, nor yet dull enough, to make my comment much longer than my text.  I told you then, in my former letter, that, with your leave (which I will suppose granted), I would add fifty pounds to your draught for that sum; now, lest you should misunderstand this, and wait for the remittance of that additional fifty from hence, know then my meaning was, that you should likewise draw upon me for it when you please; which I presume, will be more convenient to you.

Let the pedants, whose business it is to believe lies, or the poets, whose trade it is to invent them, match the King of Prussia With a hero in ancient or modern story, if they can.  He disgraces history, and makes one give some credit to romances.  Calprenede’s Juba does not now seem so absurd as formerly.

I have been extremely ill this whole summer; but am now something better.  However, I perceive, ‘que l’esprit et le corps baissent’; the former is the last thing that anybody will tell me; or own when I tell it them; but I know it is true.  Adieu.

LETTER CCXXXI

Blackheath, September 22, 1758

My dear friend:  I have received no letter from you since you left Hamburg; I presume that you are perfectly recovered, but it might not have been improper to have told me so.  I am very far from being recovered; on the contrary, I am worse and worse, weaker and weaker every day; for which reason I shall leave this place next Monday, and set out for Bath a few days afterward.  I should not take all this trouble merely to prolong the fag end of a life, from which I can expect no pleasure, and others no utility; but the cure, or at least the mitigation, of those physical ills which make that life a load while it does last, is worth any trouble and attention.