of the law in execution.  You will wonder at this sentence out of my mouth,(560) but not when you have heard my reason.  The liberty of the press has been so much abused, that almost all men, especially such as have weight, I mean, grave hypocrites and men of arbitrary principles, are ready to demand a restraint.  I would therefore show, that the law, as it already stands, is efficacious enough to repress enormities.  I hope so, particularly in Monsieur de Guerchy’s case, or I do not see how a foreign minister can come hither; if, while their persons are called sacred, their characters are at the mercy of every servant that can pick a lock and pay for printing a letter.  It is an odd coincidence of accidents that has produced abuse on you and your tally in the same week—­but yours was a flea-bite.

Thank you, my dear lord, for your anecdotes relative to Madame Pompadour, her illness, and the pretenders to her succession.  I hope she may live till I see her; she is one of the greatest curiosities of the age, and I am a pretty universal virtuoso.  The match Of My niece with the Duke of Portland(561) was, I own, what I hinted at, and what I then believed likely to happen.  It is now quite off, and with very extraordinary circumstances; but if I tell it you at all, it Must not be in a letter, especially when D’Eons steal letters and print them.  It is a secret, and so little to the lover’s advantage, that I, who have a great regard for his family, shall not be the first to divulge it.

We had last night, a magnificent ball at Lady Cardigan’s;(562) three sumptuous suppers in three rooms.  The house, you know, is crammed with fine things, pictures, china, japan, vases, and every species of curiosities.  These are much increased even since I was in favour there, particularly by Lord Montagu’s importations.  I was curious to see how many quarrels my lady must have gulped before she could fill her house—­truly, not many, (though some,) for there were very few of her own acquaintance, chiefly recruits of her son and daughter.  There was not the soup`con of a Bedford, though the town has married Lord Tavistock and Lady Betty(563)—­but he is coming to you to France.  The Duchess of Bedford told me how hard it was, that I, who had personally offended my Lady Cardigan, should be invited, and that she, who had done nothing, and yet had tried to be reconciled, should not be asked.  “Oh, Madam,” said I, “be easy as to that point, for though she has invited me, she will scarce speak to me but I let all such quarrels come and go as they please:  if people, so indifferent to me, quarrel with me, it is no reason why I should quarrel with them, and they have my full leave to be reconciled when they please.”