I asked a very intelligent person if there could be any foundation for the story of Niccolini’s banishment taking its rise from complaints of our court:  he answered very sensibly, that even if our court had complained, -which was most unlikely, it was not at all probable that the court of Vienna would have paid any regard to it.  There is another paragraph in your same letter in which I must set you right:  you talk Of the sudden change of my opinion about Lord Walpole:(1500) I never had but one opinion about him, and that was always most favourable:  nor can I imagine what occasioned your mistake, unless my calling him a wild boy, where I talked of the consequences of his father’s death.  I meant nothing in the world by wild, but the thoughtlessness of a boy of nineteen, who comes to the possession of a peerage and an estate.  My partiality, I am sure, could never let me say any thing else of him.

Mr. Chute’s sister is dead.  When I came from town Mr. Whithed had heard nothing of her will — she had about four thousand pounds.  The brother is so capricious a monster, that we almost hope she has not given the whole to our friend.

You will be diverted with a story I am going to tell You; it is very long, and so is my letter already; but you perceive I am in the country and have nothing to hurry me.  There is about town a Sir William Burdett,*1501) a man of a very good family, but most infamous character.  He formerly was at Paris with a Mrs. Penn, a Quaker’s wife, whom he there bequeathed to the public, and was afterwards a sharper at Brussels, and lately came to England to discover a plot for poisoning the Prince of Orange, in which I believe he was poisoner, poison, and informer all himself.  In short, to give you his character at once, there is a wager entered in the bet-book at White’s (a MS. of which I may one day or other give you an account), that the first baronet that will be hanged is this Sir William Burdett.  About two months ago he met at St. James’s, a Lord Castledurrow,(1502) a young Irishman, and no genius as you will find, and entered into conversation with him:  the Lord, seeing a gentleman, fine, polite, and acquainted with every body, invited him to dinner for next day, and a Captain Rodney,(1503) a young seaman, who has made a fortune by very gallant behaviour during the war.  At dinner it came out, that neither the Lord nor the Captain had ever been at any Pelham-levees.  “Good God!” said Sir William, “that must not be so any longer; I beg I may carry you to both the Duke and Mr. Pelham:  I flatter myself I am very well with both.”  The appointment was made for the next Wednesday and Friday; in the mean time, he invited the two young men to dine with him the next day.  When they came, he presented them to a lady, dressed foreign, as a princess of the house of’ Brandenburg:  she had a toadeater, and there was another man, who gave himself for a count.  After dinner Sir William looked at his watch, and said, “J-s! it is not