Ne feignez point, Iris, de ne pas nous entendre
Cc que vous inspirez, en Grec doit se comprendre. 
On vous l’a dit d’abord en Hollandois,
Et dans on langage plus tendre
Paris vous l’a repet`e mille fois. 
C’est de nos coeurs l’expression sinc`ere;
En tout climat, Iris, & toute heure, en tous lieux,
Par tout o`u brilleront vos yeux,
Vous apprendrez combien ils s`cavent plaire.

(287) La Comtesse de Boufflers, a lady of some literary pretensions, and celebrated as the intimate friend of the Prince de Conti, to whom she is said to have been united by a marriage de la main gauche.  During her stay in England she paid a visit to Dr. Johnson, of which Mr. Beauclerk gave the following account to Boswell:—­“When Madame de Boufflers was first in England, she was desirous to see Johnson; I accordingly went with her to his chambers in the Temple, where she was entertained with his conversation for some time.  When our visit was over, she and I left him, and were got into Inner-Temple-lane, when all at once I heard a voice like thunder.  This was occasioned by Johnson, who, it seem,;, upon a little reflection, had taken it into his head that he ought to have done the honours of his literary residence to a foreign lady of quality, and, eager to show himself a man of gallantry, was hurrying down the staircase in violent agitation.  He overtook us before we reached the Temple gate, and brushing in between me and Madame de Boufflers, seized her hand and conducted her to her coach.  His dress was a rusty-brown morning suit, a pair of old shoes by way of slippers, a little shrivelled wig sticking on the top of his head, and the sleeves of his shirt and the knees of his breeches hanging loose.  A considerable crowd of people gathered round, and were not a little struck by this singular appearance."-E.

(288) The Chevalier D’Eon, secretary to the Duke de Nivernois, the French ambassador, and, upon the Duke’s return to France, appointed minister plenipotentiary.  On the Comte de Guerchy being some time afterwards nominated ambassador, the Chevalier was ordered to resume his secretaryship; at which he was so much mortified that he libelled the Comte, for which he was indicted and found guilty in the court of king’s bench, in July 1764.  For a further account of this extraordinary personage, see post, letter 181 to Lord Hertford, of the 25th of November.-E.

(289) Duclos’s History of Louis XI. appeared in 1743.  He was also the author of several ingenious novels, and had a large share in the Dictionary of the Academy.  After his death, which took place in 1772, his Secret Memoirs of the Courts of Louis XIV. and Louis xv. appeared.  Rousseau describes him as a man “droit et adroit;” and D’Alembert said of him, “De tons les hommes que je connais, c’est lui qui a le plus d’esprit dans un temps donn`e."-E.

(290) Secretary to the Duc de Nivernois.

(291) Sister of Lord Chatham, whom she strikingly resembled in features as well as in talent.  She was remarkable, even to old age, for decision of character and sprightliness of conversation.  She died in 1780.-E.