[I apprehend he is the same George Hamilton already described, who married Miss Jennings, and not the author of this work, as Lord Orford supposes.  In a letter from Arlington to Sir William Godolphin, dated September 7, 1671, it is said, “the Conde de Molina complains to us of certain levies Sir George Hamilton hath made in Ireland.  The king hath always told him he had no express license for it; and I have told the Conde he must not find it strange that a gentleman who had been bred the king’s page abroad, and losing his employment at home, for being a Roman Catholic, should have some more than ordinary connivance towards the making his fortune abroad by the countenance of his friends and relations in Ireland:  and yet take the matter in the worst sense he could give, it would not amount to the breach of any article betwixt the king my master and the court of Spain.”—­Arlington’s letters, vol. ii., p. 332.  In a letter from the same nobleman to Lord Sandwich, written about October, 1667, we find the cause of Sir George Hamilton’s entering into the French service “Concerning the reformadoes of, the guards of horse, his majesty thought fit, the other day, to have them dismissed, according to his promise, made to the parliament at the last session.  Mr. Hamilton had a secret overture made him, that he, with those men, should be welcome into the French service; his majesty, at their dismissal, having declared they should have leave to go abroad whither they pleased.  They accepted of Mr. Hamilton’s offer to carry them into France.  “Arlington’s Letters,” vol. i., p. 185.  Lodge, in his Peerage of Ireland, says, Sir George Hamilton died in 1667, which, from the first extract above, appears to be erroneous.  He has evidently confounded the father and son; the former of whom was the person who died in 1667.]

I know not whether poor Wetenhall took the blame upon herself; but it is certain, she was extremely mortified upon it.  Soon after being obliged to return to her cabbages and turkeys at Peckham, she had almost gone distracted:  that residence appeared a thousand times more dreadful to her, since she had been initiated into the amusements of London; but as the queen was to set out within a month for Tunbridge Wells, she was obliged to yield to necessity, and return to the philosopher, Wetenhall, with the consolation of having engaged Miss Hamilton to come and live at her house, which was within ten or twelve miles of Tunbridge, as long as the court remained there.

Miss Hamilton promised not to abandon her in her retirement, and further engaged to bring the Chevalier de Grammont along with her, whose humour and conversation extremely delighted her.  The Chevalier de Grammont, who on all occasions started agreeable raillery, engaged on his part to bring George Hamilton, which words overwhelmed her with blushes.  The court set out soon after to pass about two months in the place of all Europe the most rural and simple, and yet, at