literally alone, when, to excuse his coming, I was obliged to tell them that he could not stay, they sank at once from their hopes, and that which generally happens happened in this case:  because they had had too good an opinion of the cause, they began to form too bad a one.  Before this time, if they had no friendship for the Tories, they had at least some consideration and esteem.  After this, I saw nothing but compassion in the best of them, and contempt in the others.

When I arrived at Paris, the King was already gone to Marly, where the indisposition which he had begun to feel at Versailles increased upon him.  He was the best friend the Chevalier had:  and when I engaged in this business, my principal dependence was on his personal character.  This failed me to a great degree; he was not in a condition to exert the same vigour as formerly.  The Ministers who saw so great an event as his death to be probably at hand, a certain minority, an uncertain regency, perhaps confusion, at best a new face of Government and a new system of affairs, would not, for their own sakes, as well as for the sake of the public, venture to engage far in any new measures.  All I had to negotiate by myself first, and in conjunction with the Duke of Ormond soon afterwards, languished with the King.  My hopes sank as he declined, and died when he expired.  The event of things has sufficiently shown that all those which were entertained by the duke and the Jacobite party under the Regency, were founded on the grossest delusions imaginable.  Thus was the project become impracticable before the time arrived which was fixed by those who directed things in England for putting it in execution.

The new Government of France appeared to me like a strange country.  I was little acquainted with the roads.  Most of the faces I met with were unknown to me, and I hardly understood the language of the people.  Of the men who had been in power under the late reign, many were discarded, and most of the others were too much taken up with the thoughts of securing themselves under this, to receive applications in favour of the Pretender.  The two men who had the greatest appearance of favour and power were D’Aguesseau and Noailles.  One was made Chancellor, on the death of Voisin, from Attorney-General; and the other was placed at the head of the Treasury.  The first passes for a man of parts, but he never acted out of the sphere of the law:  I had no acquaintance with him before this time; and when you consider his circumstances and mine, you will not think it could be very easy for me to get access to him now.  The latter I had known extremely well whilst the late King lived:  and from the same Court principle, as he was glad to be well with me then, he would hardly know me now.  The Minister who had the principal direction of foreign affairs I lived in friendship with, and I must own, to his honour, that he never encouraged a design which he knew that his Court had no intention of supporting.