Page:The Wentworth Papers 1715-1739.djvu/249

 mitted. This work't so much that a letter was writ to dis- miss him, and given the Dutchess to send him, at the sam.c time significing the desire to have her keep her place ; but

the answcrc was he wou'd never leave her M till she

dismist him, and when ever that was her Pleasure, he must have the Dutchess. Upon that there has been a demure, and till to day it has been the talk of the town this was a remove cou'd not be made, but there's come out a Prophecy, wch I here send inclosed, and the Dutchess of Sommerset is gone for Pettworth to day, and the report is they have carried the point for the removal of them both. How their Places are to be fill'd is not certainly known. The talk is by the Duke and Dutchess of Ormond, and the Duke of Shrewsbury Lord Lieut, of Ireland, the Duke of Beauford Lord Chamberlain, Sir 'Thomas Handmerc Capt. of the Band of Pentioners in the room of the Duke of St. Albans. I think I writ you word that they had talk'd my Lord Dartmouth out, and to day I heard, he was by an accident mightily alarm'd the next day that he had voted against the Patent ; he came to speak with the Queen, and was told he cou'd not speak to her. The report of his being out came into his mind and put him to some confussion ; after some time he recover'd himself in- quired how her majesty did, heard she got cold and a toutch of the Gout, so concluded 'twas her indisposition and not any offence he had given prevented his seeing the Queen.

There was a long cabinet Council last night, the result of wch you'll know soon, for there goes a messenger for Holland

to day. I was told to day by a friend of the Duke of M

that he never till now had mist of having some letters from Holland, but by these three mails he had none, intimating as if there was a suspicion that his letters were intercepted. If good words will bring him into favour again, he bids fair for't. People does not know what to make of his friend Walpoole's being so ready to have those affidavits read in the house, the consequence of there being read there is, that they are in the votes ; wch for this three weeks at least will leave an im- pression upon people's mind in the country that his Grace and Walpool has been guilty of notorious bribery, and tho'

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