14.  To-day I took the circle of morning visits.  I went to the Duchess of Ormond, and there was she, and Lady Betty, and Lord Ashburnham together:  this was the first time the mother and daughter saw each other since Lady Ashburnham’s death.  They were both in tears, and I chid them for being together, and made Lady Betty go to her own chamber; then sat a while with the Duchess, and went after Lady Betty, and all was well.  There is something of farce in all these mournings, let them be ever so serious.  People will pretend to grieve more than they really do, and that takes off from their true grief.  I then went to the Duchess of Hamilton, who never grieved, but raged, and stormed, and railed.[18] She is pretty quiet now, but has a diabolical temper.  Lord Keeper and his son, and their two ladies, and I, dined to-day with Mr. Caesar,[19] Treasurer of the Navy, at his house in the City, where he keeps his office.  We happened to talk of Brutus, and I said something in his praise, when it struck me immediately that I had made a blunder in doing so; and, therefore, I recollected myself, and said, “Mr. Caesar, I beg your pardon.”  So we laughed, etc.  Nite, my own deelest richar logues, MD.

15.  I forgot to tell you that last night I had a present sent me (I found it, when I came home, in my chamber) of the finest wild fowl I ever saw, with the vilest letter, and from the vilest poet in the world, who sent it me as a bribe to get him an employment.  I knew not where the scoundrel lived, so I could not send them back, and therefore I gave them away as freely as I got them, and have ordered my man never to let up the poet when he comes.  The rogue should have kept the wings at least for his muse.  One of his fowls was a large capon pheasant, as fat as a pullet.  I ate share of it to-day with a friend.  We have now a Drawing-room every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at one o’clock.  The Queen does not come out; but all her Ministers, foreigners, and persons of quality are at it.  I was there to-day; and as Lord Treasurer came towards me, I avoided him, and he hunted me thrice about the room.  I affect never to take notice of him at church or Court.  He knows it, for I have told him so; and to-night, at Lord Masham’s, he gave an account of it to the company; but my reasons are, that people seeing me speak to him causes a great deal of teasing.  I tell you what comes into my head, that I never knew whether MD were Whigs or Tories, and I value our conversation the more that it never turned on that subject.  I have a fancy that Ppt is a Tory, and a violent one.  I don’t know why; but methinks she looks like one, and DD a sort of a Trimmer.  Am I right?  I gave the Examiner a hint about this prorogation, and to praise the Queen for her tenderness to the Dutch in giving them still more time to submit.[20] It fitted the occasions at present.  Nite MD.