Mr. Bentley has sketched a very pretty Gothic room for Lord Holderness, and orders are gone to execute it directly in Yorkshire.  The first draught was Mason’s; but as he does not pretend to much skill, we were desired to correct it.  I say we, for I chose the ornaments.  Adieu!  Yours ever.

P. S. My Lady Ailesbury has been much diverted, and so will you too.  Gray is in @their neighbourhood.  My Lady Carlisle says, “he is extremely like me in his manner.”  They went a party to dine on a cold loaf, and passed the day; Lady A. protests he never opened his lips but once, and then only said, “Yes, my lady, I believe so."(81)

(81) Gray, in a letter to Dr. Clarke, of the 12th of August, says, “For me, I am come to my resting-place, and find it very necessary, after living for a month in a house with three women that laughed from morning till night, and would allow nothing to the sulkiness of my disposition.  Company and cards at home, parties by land and water abroad, and (what they call) doing something, that is, racketting about from morning to night, are occupations, I find, that wear out my spirits.”  Works, vol. iii. p. 253.-E.

Letter 33 To Sir Horace Mann.

Arlington Street, July 7, 1760. (page 74)

I shall write you but a short letter myself, because I make your brother, who has this moment been here, write to-night with all the particulars relating to the machine.  The ten guineas are included in the sixty; and the ship, which is not yet sailed, is insured.  My dear child, don’t think of making me any excuses about employing me; I owe you any trouble sure that I can possibly undertake, and do it most gladly; in this one instance I was sorry you had pitched upon me, because it was entirely out of my sphere, and I could not even judge whether I had served you well or not.  I am here again waiting for Dagge, whom it is more difficult to see than a minister; he disappointed me last time, but writ to me afterwards that he would immediately settle the affair for poor Sophia.

Quebec, you know, is saved; but our German histories don’t go on so well as our American.  Fouquet is beat, and has lost five out of twelve thousand men, after maintaining himself against thirty for seven hours—­he is grievously wounded, but not prisoner.  The Russians are pouring on—­adieu the King of Prussia, unless Prince Ferdinand’s battle, of which we have expected news for these four days, can turn the scale a little—­we have settled that he is so great a general, that you must not wonder if We expect that he should beat all the world in their turns.

There has been a woful fire at Portsmouth; they say occasioned by lightning; the shipping was saved, but vast quantities of stores are destroyed.

I shall be more easy about your nephew, since you don’t adopt my idea; and yet I can’t conceive with his gentle nature and your good sense but you would have sufficient authority over him.  I don’t know who your initials mean, Ld.  F. and Sr.  B. But don’t much signify, but consider by how many years I am removed from knowing the rising generation.