Sir William Stanhope has just given a great ball to Lady Petersham, to whom he takes extremely, since his daughter married herself to Mr. Ellis,(1438) and as the Petershams are relations, they propose to be his heirs.  The Chuteheds agreed with me, that the house, which is most magnificently furnished, all the ornaments designed by Kent, and the whole festino, puts us more in mind of Florence, than any thing we had seen here.  There were silver-pharaoh and whist for the ladies that did not dance, deep basset and quinze for the men; the supper very fine.

I am now returning to my villa, where I have been making some alterations:  you shall hear from me from Strawberry Hill, which I have found out in my lease is the old name of my house; so pray, never call it Twickenham again.  I like to be there better than I have liked being any where since I came to England.  I sigh after Florence, and wind up all my prospects with the thought of returning there.  I have days when I even set about contriving a scheme for going to you, and though I don’t love to put you upon expecting me, I cannot help telling you, that I wish more than ever to be with you again.  I can truly say, that I never was happy but at Florence, and you must allow that it is very natural to wish to be happy once more.  Adieu!

(1438) The Right Hon. Welbore Ellis, afterwards created Lord Mendip.  His first wife was Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir William Stanhope, K. B. She died in 1761.-D.

553 Letter 254 To The Hon. H. S. Conway.(1439) Strawberry Hill, June 27th, 1748.

Dear Harry, I have full as little matter for writing as you can find in a camp.  I do not call myself farmer or country gentleman; for though I have all the ingredients to compose those characters, yet, like the ten pieces of card in the trick you found out, I don’t know how to put them together.  But, in short, planting and fowls and cows and sheep are my whole business, and as little amusing to relate to anybody else as the events of a stillborn campaign.  If I write to any body, I am forced to live upon what news I hoarded before I came out of town; and the first article of that, as I believe it is in every body’s gazette, must be about my Lord Coke.  They say, that since he has been at Sunning Hill with Lady Mary,(1440 she has made him a declaration in form, that she hates him, that she always did, and that she always will.  This seems to have been a very unnecessary notification.  However, as you know his part is to be extremely in love, he is very miserable upon it; and relating his woes at White’s, probably at seven in the morning, he was advised to put an end to all this history and shoot himself-an advice they would not have given him if he were not insolvent.  He has promised to consider of it.