blame her. She met me in the street at noon, and engaged me to dine with her, which I did; and we talked an hour after dinner in her closet. If we miscarry on Wednesday, I believe it will be by some strange sort of neglect. They talk of making eight new lords, by calling up some peers' eldest sons; but they delay strangely. I saw Judge Coote to-day at the Duke of Ormond's: he desires to come and see me, to justify his principles.

29. Morning. This goes to-day. I will not answer yours, your 24th, till next, which shall begin to-night, as usual. Lord Shelburne has sent to invite me to dinner, but I am engaged with Lewis at Ned Southwell's. Lord Northampton and Lord Aylesbury's sons are both made peers; but we shall want more. I write this post to your dean. I owe the archbishop a letter this long time. All people that come from Ireland complain of him, and scold me for protecting him. Pray, Madam Dingley, let me know what Presto has received for this year, or whether any thing is due to him for last: I cannot look over your former letters now. As for Dingley's own account of her exchequer money, I will give it on t'other side. Farewell, my own dearest MD, and love Presto; and God ever bless dearest MD, &c. &c. I wish you many happy Christmasses and new years.

I have owned to the dean a letter I just had from you; but that I had not one this great while before.

DINGLEY'S ACCOUNT.

Received of Mr Tooke

Deducted for entering the letter of attor

£617 6

ney

026

Carried over, £7 0 0

Brought over, £700

For the three half crowns it is used to cost

you, I don't know why nor where

So there's your money, and we are both even: for I'll pay you no more than that eight pounds Irish, and pray be satisfied.

Churchwarden's accounts, boys.

She

Saturday night. I have broke open my letter, and tore it into the bargain, to let you know that we are all safe; the queen has made no less than twelve lords, to have a majority; nine new ones, the other three peers' sons; and has turned out the Duke of Somerset. is awaked at last, and so is lord-treasurer : I want nothing now but to see the duchess out. But we shall do without her. We are all extremely happy. Give me joy, sirrahs. This is written in a coffeehouse. Three of the new lords are of our society.

*

* The memorable Gazette by which this vigorous exertion of prerogative was announced to the public runs as follows:

، WHITEHALL, December 28.Her Majesty hath been pleased, by writ, to call to the House of Lords, James Lord Compton, eldest son to the Right Honourable George Earl of Northampton; and the Right Honourable Charles Lord Bruce, eldest son to the Right Honourable Thomas Earl of Ailesbury.

LETTER XXXVIII.

London, December 29, 1711.

I PUT my letter in this evening, after coming from dinner at Ned Southwell's, where I drank very good

"WHITEHALL, December 31.-Her Majesty has been pleased to create peers of Great Britain

George Hay, Esq. one of the four tellers of the receipt of her Majesty's exchequer, by the name, stile, and title of Baron Hay of Bedwarden, in the county of Hereford.

The Right Honourable Thomas Lord Viscount Windsor, in the kingdom of Ireland, by the name, stile, and title of Baron Mountjoy of the Isle of Wight, in the county of Southampton.

The Right Honourable Henry Pagett, Esq. son and heir-apparent of the Right Honourable William Lord Pagett, by the name, stile, and title of Baron Burton of Burton, in the county of Stafford.

The Right Honourable Sir Thomas Mansell, of Morgan, in the county of Glamorgan, Bart. by the name, stile, and title of Baron Mansell of Morgan, in the county of Glamorgan aforesaid.

Sir Thomas Willoughby of Wollaton, in the county of Nottingham, Bart. by the name, stile, and title of Baron Middleton of Middleton, in the county of Warwick.

The Right Honourable Sir Thomas Trevor, Knight, Chief Justice of her Majesty's Court of Common Pleas, by the name, stile, and title of Baron Trevor of Bromham, in the county of Bedford.

George Granville of Stow, in the county of Cornwall, Esq. by the name, stile, and title of Baron Lansdowne of Biddiford, in the county of Devon.

Samuel Massam of Oates, in the county of Essex, Esq. by the name, stile, and title of Baron Massam of Oates, in the county of Essex aforesaid.

Thomas Foley of Witley, in the county of Worcester, Esq. by the name, stile, and title of Baron Foley of Kidderminster, in the said county of Worcester. And,

Irish wine, and we are in great joy at this happy turn of affairs. The queen has been at last persuaded to her own interest and security, and I freely think she must have made both herself and kingdom very unhappy, if she had done otherwise. It is still a mighty secret that Masham is to be one of the new lords; they say he does not yet know it himself; but the queen is to surprise him with it. Mr Secretary will be a lord at the end of the session but they want him still in parliament. After all, it is a strange unhappy necessity of making so many peers together; but the queen has drawn it upon herself, by her confounded trimming and moderation. Three, as I told you, are of our society.

30. I writ the dean and you a lie yesterday; for the Duke of Somerset is not yet turned out. I was to-day at court, and resolved to be very civil to the Whigs; but saw few there. When I was in the bedchamber talking to Lord Rochester, he went up to Lady Burlington, who asked him who I was; and Lady Sunderland and she whispered about me: I desired Lord Rochester to tell Lady Sunderland, I doubted she was not as much in love with me as I was with her; but he would not deliver my message. The Duchess of Shrewsbury came running up to me, and clapped her fan up to hide us from the company, and we gave one another joy of this change; but sighed when we reflected on the Somerset family not being out. The secretary and I, and bro

Allen Bathurst of Battlesden, in the county of Bedford, Esq. by the name, stile, and title of Baron Bathurst of Battlesden, in the county of Bedford aforesaid.

HER MAJESTY HAS REMOVED THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH FROM ALL HIS EMPLOYMENTS."

ther Bathurst, and Lord Windsor, dined with the Duke of Ormond. Bathurst and Windsor are to be two of the new lords. I desired my Lord Radnor's brother, at court to-day, to let my lord know I would call on him at six, which I did, and was arguing with him three hours to bring him over to us, and I spoke so closely, that I believe he will be tractable; but he is a scoundrel, and though I said I only talked for my love to him, I told a lie; for I did not care if he were hanged: but every one gained over is of consequence. The Duke of Marlborough was at court to-day, and nobody hardly took notice of him. Masham's being a lord begins to take wind: nothing at court can be kept a secret. Wednesday will be a great day: you shall know more.

31. Our frost is broken since yesterday, and it is very slabbery; yet I walked to the city and dined, and ordered some things with the printer. I have settled Dr King in the Gazette; it will be worth two hundred pounds a-year to him. Our new lords' patents are passed: I don't like the expedient, if we could have found

* " This office, through the kind intercession of Swift, was bestowed upon King, in a manner most agreeable to his indolent temper, since he had not even the labour of solicitation. On the last day of September 1711, Swift, with Dr Freind, Prior, and several other Tory wits, came in a sort of procession, and delivered to King the key of the Gazetteer office, and of the Paper office; and the next day the new Gazetteer had the honour of dining with Mr St John, and thanking him for his patronage, over a table loaded with good cheer. But all these things profited nothing; for in a short half year, King found the drudgery of correcting the paper so very dissonant from his habits, that, in midsummer 1712, he fairly resigned an office sufficient to provide for necessities, which he hardly otherwise knew how to satisfy."-Life of Dr King, prefixed to the edition of his Works, 1776.