Are not they well enough to be done off-hand; for that is the meaning of the word extempore, which you did not know, did you?  I proposed that some company should dine with him on the 8th of March, which was the day he was wounded, but he says he designs that the Lords of the Cabinet, who then sat with him, should dine that day with him:[33] however, he has invited me too.  I am not got rid of my cold; it plagues me in the morning chiefly.  Nite, MD,

20.  After waiting to catch the Secretary coming out from Sir Thomas Hanmer, for two hours, in vain, about some business, I went into the City to my printer, to correct some sheets of the Barrier Treaty and Remarks, which must be finished to-morrow:  I have been horrible busy for some days past, with this and some other things; and I wanted some very necessary papers, which the Secretary was to give me, and the pamphlet must now be published without them.  But they are all busy too.  Sir Thomas Hanmer is Chairman of the Committee for drawing up a Representation of the state of the nation[34] to the Queen, where all the wrong steps of the Allies and late Ministry about the war will be mentioned.  The Secretary, I suppose, was helping him about it to-day; I believe it will be a pepperer.  Nite, deel MD.

21.  I have been six hours to-day morning writing nineteen pages of a letter to Lord Treasurer, about forming a Society or Academy to correct and fix the English language.[35] (Is English a speech or a language?) It will not be above five or six more.  I will send it to him to-morrow, and will print it, if he desires me.  I dined, you know, with our Society to-day:  Thursday is our day.  We had a new member admitted; it was the Duke of Beaufort.  We had thirteen met:  brother Ormond was not there, but sent his excuse that Prince Eugene dined with him.  I left them at seven, being engaged to go to Sir Thomas Hanmer, who desired I would see him at that hour.  His business was that I would hoenlbp ihainm itavoi dsroanws ubpl tohne sroegporaensiepnotlastoigobn,[36] which I consented to do; but know not whether I shall succeed, because it is a little out of my way.  However, I have taken my share.  Nite, MD.

22.  I finished the rest of my letter to Lord Treasurer today, and sent it to him about one o’clock; and then dined privately with my friend Mr. Lewis, to talk over some affairs of moment.  I had gotten the thirteenth volume of Rymer’s Collection of the Records of the Tower for the University of Dublin.[37] I have two volumes now.  I will write to the Provost, to know how I shall send them to him; no, I won’t, for I will bring them myself among my own books.  I was with Hanmer this morning, and there were the Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer[38] very busy with him, laying their heads together about the representation.  I went to Lord Masham’s to-night, and Lady Masham made me read to her a pretty twopenny pamphlet, called The St. Albans Ghost.[39] I thought I had writ it myself;