well, that in your heart you cared not whether it was fo or no, that this bufinefs fetting on foot by the Chevalier. Upon which the king told him, that if he fhould fhow him any letters of the Chevalier de Chatilion to that purpose, he fhould then know what he had to fay to him; but that till he faw the difpleasure of lofing his place, and being forbid the court; for that he was fure you expected this from him. Upon which the king told him, that he could not do any thing of this nature: for that this was a private matter, and not for him to take notice of. And that he could not imagine that you ought to be fo angry, or indeed be thofe letters, he would not punish at all concerned; for that all the world knew, that now all things of gallantry were at an end with you and I. And that being fo, and fo public, he did not fee why you fhould be offended at my loving any body. That it was a thing fo common now-a-days to have a gallantry, that he did not wonder at any thing of this nature. And when he faw the King take the thing thus, he told him if he would not be fevere with the Chevalier de Chatilion upon your account, he fuppofed he would be fo upon his own: for that, in the letters he had difcovered, he found that the Chevalier had propofed to me the engaging of you in the marriage of the Dauphin and Mademoifelle*: and that was my greatest bufinefs into England t. That before I went over, I had fpoke to him of the thing, and would have engaged him in it, but that he refufed it: for that he knew very well the indifference you fhewed whether it was fo or no, and how little you cared how Mademoiselle was married: that fince I went into England it was poffible I might engage fomebody to or other in this matter to prefs it to you; but that he knew very Mademoiselle was the daught Sifter to King Charles II. fo? because people lived with produce hay, pafture your horfes, and fupply you with grain; the confequence of which is, you more frugality, and the confumption was lefs: a city-haberdasher, in thofe days, would have thought he had entertained his friends nobly with a piece of beef and potatoes in the pan; but I fee fourteen dishes, in thefe luxurious times, are fcarcely fufficient. If your father, even in thofe cheaper times, had furnished his table like the prodigals of the prefent, he muft, inftead of leaving ten thousand pounds, have ftarved and died a beggar; your father had no country-houfe; he had a faying, that Those who do two houses keep, Though the verfe is not extraordinary, the moral is good; he had no coach, therefore the price of oats or hay hurt not him; he neither fubfcribed to, nor idled his time at public affemblies; I may fay to you as the friend in Dan Prior fays to the fat man, You are making the very evil you complain of. In my younger days there wan't a fhopkeeper in London kept his coach; now fcarce one is to be found who condefcends to walk; and not only shopkeepers, but whores, dancing - mafters, and fiddlers have their equipages; you ufe an hundred times as much butter as was used formerly, with your fauces, fricaffees, and tea; your vanity employs five hundred times the horses; you confound more of God's good creatures at one dinner, than would have feafted your ancestors for a month, and yet pretend to be amazed that things are not fo plenty as they were the fame ground can't keep cow's, grow oats, breed cattle, fetch your luxuries at great expence from feventy miles distance; whereas, in our time, ten miles round London fupplied the town with all neceffaries." I was going on, when Mr. Pattypan yawn'd, and faid, "he did not come here for a lecture;" and before I could anfwer him, Mr. Jackanapes, the haberdasher, faid, "Let's take a turn in the garden, and leave old Square-toes to fwallow his fpittle.” I here grew too angry to stay with the empty coxcombs; I took up my hat and cane, and marched to the door; when the pastry-cook called out, "You had better go back in Mr. Holland's coach, for it is too late to walk, and it will break your frugal heart to spend a fhilling for a place in the flage." (Says I), "No, Mr. Puff paste, though I am an enemy to profufion, I spend my money as chearfully as any body, when my convenience requires it. Though I can't live at the expence of either of you, I believe I have eftate enough to buy all the pyes and tapes in your two shops. I mean to live, and give my children fomething at my death, but you can't fupport your profufion long, you'll be bankrupts foon, and cheat your creditors out of nineteen fhillings in the pound. You'll live to feast on gravy beef instead of having fauces, and at laft die in a goal, or feed hogs and eat the hufks, like your brother prodigal in the gofpel." Here { flounced out of the room, and fo ended our fcolding. I am, Sir, Yours, &c. HE violence of the fit of the ftone, which has tormented me for fome days, is now so far abated, that although it will not permit me to have the honour of waiting on your Majefly, is yet kind enough to enable me fo far to obey your orders, as to write my fentiments concerning that troublefome man Mr. Pultney; and to point out (what I conceive to be) the most effectual method to make him fectly quiet. per Your Majefty well knows how, by the dint of his eloquence, he has fo captivated the mob, and attained an unbounded popularity, that the most manifeft wrong appears right, when adopted and urged by him. Hence it is, that he is become not only troublesome, but even dangerous. The unthinking multitude believe he has no one object but the public good, although, if they would reflect a little, they would foon perceive, that fpleen against thofe your Majefty has honoured with your confidence has greater weight with him than real patriotism; fince, let any measure be proposed, however falutary, if he thinks it comes from me, it is fufficient for him to oppofe it. Thus, Sir, you fee, that affairs of the moft momentous concern are fubject to the caprice of that popular man, and he has no. thing to do but declare it a miniterial project, and hellow out the word favourite, to have an hundred pens drawn against it, and a thoufand mouths open to contradict it. Under thefe circumftances he bears up against the miniftry, (and let me add, against your Majefty yourfelf;) and every ufeful scheme muft be either abandoned; or, if it is carried in either houfe, the public is made to believe it is done by a corrupt majority. Since then things are thus circumftanced, it is become abfolutely neceffary for the public tranquillity that he should be made quiet; and the only method to do that effectually, is to destroy his popularity, and ruin the good belief the people have in him. In order to do this, he must be invited to court; your Majefty must condefcend to fpeak to him in the most favourable and distinguishing manner; you must make him believe that he is the only perfon upon whose opinion you can rely, and to whom your people look up for useful measures. As he has already several times refused to take the lead in the administration, unless it was totally modelled to his fancy, your Majefty fhould clofe in with his advice, and give him leave to arrange the adminiftration as he pleases, and put whom he chufes in office: (there can be no danger in that, as you can difmifs him then when you think fit.) When he has got thus far, (to which his extreme felf-love, and the high opinion he entertains of his own importance, will easily conduce,) it will be neceffary that your Majefty fhould feem to have a great regard for his health; fignify to him, that your affairs will be ruined if he should die; that you want to have him conftantly near you, and have his fage advice; and that, therefore, as he is much difordered in body, and fomething infirm, it will be neceffary for his prefer vation, vation, for him to quit the houfe of Commons, (where malevolent tempers will be continually fret ting him, and where indeed his prefence will be needlefs, as no ftep will be taken but according to his advice); and that he will let you give him a distinguishing mark of your approbation, by creating him a Peer. This he may be brought to: for, if I know any thing of mankind, he has a love for honours and money; and notwithstanding his great haughtiness, and feeming contempt of honour, may be won, if it is done with dexterity; for, as the poet Felton he faid, If your Majefty can once bring him to accept of a coronet, all will be over with him; the changing multitude will ceafe to have any confidence in him; and when you fee that your Majefty may turn your back on him, dismiss him from his poft, turn out his meddling partifans, and restore things to quiet. For then, if he complains, it can be of no avail; the bee will have lost his fting, and become a drone, whose buzzing nobody heeds. Your Majesty will pardon me for the freedom with which I have given my fentiments and advice; which I fhould not have done had not you commanded it; and had I not been certain, that your peace is much difturbed by the contrivances of this turbulent man. hall only add, that I will difpofe I feveral, whom I know to wish him well, to folicit for his eftablishment in power, that you may feem to yield to their intreaties, and the fineffe be the lefs liable to be difVOL. IX. SIR, T HE ear of the public has for fome years paft been daily ftunned with loud and violent com plaints of male adminiftration; I would therefore humbly propose, if it were but for the fake of variety, that a female administration should for once take its turn, and be allowed a fair and candid trial on the flippery pinnacle of power. The worshipful company of barbers have familiarly approached the throne, and offered advice in matters of capital concern. The ftill more worshipful the c-n chave likewife, on feveral occafions, conveyed their disinterested counfels to the royal ear. terested, because frequently relat I fay difining to matters in which they had no earthly concern: but in the prefent cafe, as fo near, fo dear, and so confiderable a part of them (viz. their wives) are very deeply interefted, I make no doubt but that refpectable body will ufe its utmost influence to promote this mok falutary and patriotic scheme. telligent leaders of that body in I need not point out to the inwhat manner its influence may be moft effectually exerted. Some occafion of congratulation or condolence may foon offer when they P can can introduce a recommendation of this fcheme, with their usual propriety; and its being entirely foreign to the purpofe of fuch congratulation or condolence, will only make it the more remarkable, and lefs liable to be overlooked. No man can deny, that England made its greatest and most illuftrious figure during two female reigns; and therefore it is naturally to be prefumed, that a female miniftry may reftore our decayed conftitution, and enable it to exert its priftine vigour. I forefee many good confequences refulting from this fcheme; one of which is, that it will infallibly put a ftop to those political bickerings which, to the difgrace of the prefent age, have been carried on with a virulence and malignity unknown to former times. I take it for granted, Sir, that most of the prefent writers againft the miniftry confift of discarded courtiers, or military gentlemen, difappointed of preferment. Now, all thefe perfonages being remarkable for their complaifance to the fair fex, can't in honour draw their pens against a female adminiftration; fo that we fhall no longer be distracted with reading the feveral fides of political controverfy; the wheels of government will be unclogged, the bufinefs of the ftate will go fmoothly on, commerce will flourish anew, and the weavers inftead of idly parading in Bloomfbury Square, will find fufficient employment in Spital-fields. The real ftrength and riches of a ftate confift in the number and industry of its inhabitants. To increase the number of people, and to find them fufficient employment, will naturally be the great objects of a female adminiftration. AŬ fine-cure places will be abolished, all unneceffary restrictions and bars on the matrimonial road will be removed; the marriage-act will be repealed, with fome other acts, which moftly affect the poor; and the deficiency in the funds made up, by a heavy tax on bachelors; as alfo on dogs and horses for sport, which would contribute more to the prefervation of the game, than any method our male administrators have yet difcovered, though they feem to have confidered this point of greater national importance than the increase of popularity. I am very fenfible that many objections may be brought againft every fcheme that is offered for the public good As to this my fcheme, I fhall be told, that women in general want learning, and have no heads for bufinefs. In anfwer to the firft, I have never heard much of the learning of any one of our minifters, during three administrations. The fecond objection is, that women have no heads for business. We all know (whatever the men may pretend) it requires juration, or mighty magic" to go through the common routine bufinefs of office. 'Tis true, that difficult negotiations may fometimes occur, in the conduct of which finesse and intrigue are neceffary. But furely the men will not pretend to excel in either of thofe arts. It may be urged, perhaps, in behalf of fome veteran minifters and placemen, that having spent the greateft part of their lives in fome office or other about the court, they have contracted cer |