Monday evening.

You are a delightful manager of the House of Commons, to reckon 540, instead of 565!  Sandwich was more accurate In lists, and would not have miscounted 25, which are something in a division.

(972) Mr. Conway had intimated to Walpole, that it was the wish of Lord Chatham, that he should move the address on the King’s speech at the opening of the session.-E.

(973) On the topic of ridicule, Walpole had, a few days before, thus expressed himself in a letter to Madame du Deffand:—­“Il y avoit longtemps avant la date de notre connaissance, que cette crainte de ridicule s’`etoit plant`ee dans mon esprit, et vous devez assur`ement vous ressouvenir a quel point elle me poss`edoit, et combien de fois je vous en ai entretenu.  N’allez pas lui chercher une naissance r`ecente.  D`es le moment que je cessais d’`etre jeune, j’ai eu une peur horrible de devenir un veillard ridicule.”  To this the lady replied—­“Vos craintes sur le ridicule sont des terreurs paniques, mais on ne gu`erit point de la peur; je n’ai point une semblable foiblesse; je sais qu’`a mon age on est `a l’abri de donner du scandale:  si l’on aime, on n’a point `a s’en cacher; l’amiti`e ne sera jamais un sentiment ridicule, quand elle ne fait pas faire des folies; mais gardons-nous d’en prof`erer le nom, puisque vous avez de si bonnes raisons de la vouloir proscrire."-E.

Letter 319 To George Montagu, Esq.  Strawberry Hill, Oct. 22, 1766. (page 492)

They may say what they will, but it does one ten times more good to leave Bath than to go to it.  I may sometimes drink the waters, as Mr. Bentley used to say I invited company hither that I did not care for, that I might enjoy the pleasure of their going away.  My health is certainly amended, but I did not feel the satisfaction of it till I got home.  I have still a little rheumatism in one shoulder, which was not dipped in Styx, and is still mortal; but, while I went to the rooms, or stayed in my chambers in a dull court, I thought I had twenty complaints.  I don’t perceive one of them.

Having no companion but such as the place afforded, and which I did not accept, my excursions were very few; besides that the city is so guarded with mountains, that I had not patience to be jolted like a pea in a drum, in my chaise alone.  I did go to Bristol, the dirtiest great shop I ever saw, with so foul a river, that, had I seen the least appearance of cleanliness, I should have concluded they washed all their linen in it, as they do at Paris.  Going into the town, I was struck with a large Gothic building, coal-black, and striped with white; I took it for the devil’s cathedral.  When I came nearer, I found it was a uniform castle, lately built, and serving for stables and offices to a smart false Gothic house on the other side of the road.