Jan. 1, 1712-13.  A sousand melly new eels[25] to deelest richar MD.  Pray God Almighty bless you, and send you ever happy!  I forgot to tell you that yesterday Lord Abercorn was here, teasing me about his French duchy, and suspecting my partiality to the Hamilton family in such a whimsical manner that Dr. Pratt, who was by, thought he was mad.  He was no sooner gone but Lord Orkney sent to know whether he might come and sit with me half an hour upon some business.  I returned answer that I would wait on him; which I did.  We discoursed a while, and he left me with Lady Orkney; and in came the Earl of Selkirk, whom I had never seen before.  He is another brother of the Duke of Hamilton, and is going to France, by a power from his mother, the old Duchess,[26] to negotiate their pretensions to the duchy of Chatelherault.  He teased me for two hours in spite of my teeth, and held my hand when I offered to stir; would have had me engage the Ministry to favour him against Lord Abercorn, and to convince them that Lord Abercorn had no pretensions; and desired I would also convince Lord Abercorn himself so; and concluded he was sorry I was a greater friend to Abercorn than Hamilton.  I had no patience, and used him with some plainness.  Am not I purely handled between a couple of puppies?  Ay, says Ppt, you must be meddling in other folks’ affairs.  I appeal to the Bishop of Clogher whether Abercorn did not complain that I would not let him see me last year, and that he swore he would take no denial from my servant when he came again.  The Ministers gave me leave to tell the Hamilton family it was their opinion that they ought to agree with Abercorn.  Lord Anglesea was then by, and told Abercorn; upon which he gravely tells me I was commissioned by the Ministers, and ought to perform my commission, etc.—­ But I’ll have done with them.  I have warned Lord Treasurer and Lord Bolingbroke to beware of Selkirk’s teasing,; —­x on him!  Yet Abercorn vexes me more.  The whelp owes to me all the kind receptions he has had from the Ministry.  I dined to-day at Lord Treasurer’s with the young folks, and sat with Lord Treasurer till nine, and then was forced to Lady Masham’s, and sat there till twelve, talking of affairs, till I am out of humour, as everyone must that knows them inwardly.  A thousand things wrong, most of them easy to mend; yet our schemes availing at best but little, and sometimes nothing at all.  One evil, which I twice patched up with the hazard of all the credit I had, is now spread more than ever.[27] But burn politics, and send me from Courts and Ministers!  Nite deelest richar MD.

2.  I sauntered about this morning, and went with Dr. Pratt to a picture auction, where I had like to be drawn in to buy a picture that I was fond of, but, it seems, was good for nothing.  Pratt was there to buy some pictures for the Bishop of Clogher, who resolves to lay out ten pounds to furnish his house with curious pieces.  We dined with the Bishop, I being by chance disengaged.  And this evening I sat with the Bishop of Ossory,[28] who is laid up with the gout.  The French Ambassador, Duke d’Aumont,[29] came to town to-night; and the rabble conducted him home with shouts.  I cannot smell yet, though my cold begins to break.  It continues cruel hard frosty weather.  Go and be melly,. . . sollahs.[30]