The Duchess of York gave a great entertainment at Oatlands on her Duke’s birthday; sent to his tradesmen in town to come to it, and allowed two guineas apiece to each for their carriage; gave them a dance, and opened the ball herself with the Prince of Wales.  A company of strollers came to Weybridge to act in a barn:  she was solicited to go to it, and did out of charity, and carried all her servants.  Next day a Methodist teacher came to preach a charity sermon in the same theatre, and she Consented to hear it on the same motive; but her servants desired to be excused, on not understanding English.  “Oh!” said the Duchess, “but you went to the comedy, which you understood less, and you shall go to the sermon;” to which she gave handsomely, and for them.  I like this.

Tack this to my other fragment, and then, I trust, I shall not be a defaulter in correspondence.  I own I am become an indolent poor creature:  but is that strange?  With seventy-five years over my head, or on the point of being so; with a chalk-stone in every finger; with feet so limping, that I have been but twice this whole summer round my own small garden, and so much weaker than I was, can I be very comfortable, but when sitting quiet and doing nothing?  All my strength consists in my sleep, which is as vigorous as at twenty:  but with regard to letter-writing, I have so many to write on business which I do not understand, since the unfortunate death of my nephew, that, though I make them as brief as possible, half-a-dozen short ones tire me as much as a long One to an old friend; and as the busy ones must be executed, I trespass on the others, and remit them to another day.  Norfolk has come very mal-apropos into the end of my life, and certainly never entered into my views and plans; and I, who could never learn the multiplication table, was not intended to transact leases.. direct repairs of farm-houses, settle fines for church lands, negotiate for lowering interest on mortgages, etc.  In short, as I was told formerly, though I know several things, I never understood any thing useful.  Apropos, the letter of which Lady Cecilia Johnstone told you is not at all worth your seeing.  It was an angry one to a parson who oppresses my tenants, and will go to law with them about tythes.  She came in as I was writing it; and as I took up the character of parson myself, and preached to him as pastor of a flock which it did not become him to lead into the paths of law, instead of those of peace, I thought it would divert and showed it to her.  Adieu!  I have been writing to you till midnight, and my poor fingers ache.  Yours ever.

Letter 400 To Miss Hannah More.  Berkeley Square, Feb. 9, 1793. (PAGE 535)