sed, I cannot help loving you tenderly."

Thus Portland retired to enjoy at his ease immense estates scattered
over half the shires of England, and a hoard of ready money, such, it
was said, as no other private man in Europe possessed. His fortune still
continued to grow. For, though, after the fashion of his countrymen,
he laid out large sums on the interior decoration of his houses, on his
gardens, and on his aviaries, his other expenses were regulated with
strict frugality. His repose was, however, during some years not
uninterrupted. He had been trusted with such grave secrets, and
employed in such high missions, that his assistance was still frequently
necessary to the government; and that assistance was given, not, as
formerly, with the ardour of a devoted friend, but with the exactness
of a conscientious servant. He still continued to receive letters from
William; letters no longer indeed overflowing with kindness, but always
indicative of perfect confidence and esteem.

The chief subject of those letters was the question which had been for a
time settled in the previous autumn at Loo, and which had been reopened
in the spring by the death of the Electoral Prince of Bavaria.

As soon as that event was known at Paris, Lewis directed Tallard to
sound William as to a new treaty. The first thought which occurred to
William was that it might be possible to put the Elector of Bavaria in
his son's place. But this suggestion was coldly received at Versailles,
and not without reason. If, indeed, the young Francis Joseph had lived
to succeed Charles, and had then died a minor without issue, the
case would have been very different. Then the Elector would have been
actually administering the government of the Spanish monarchy, and,
supported by France, England and the United Provinces, might without
much difficulty have continued to rule as King the empire which he had
begun to rule as Regent. He would have had also, not indeed a right, but
something which to the vulgar would have looked like a right, to be his
son's heir. Now he was altogether unconnected with Spain. No more
reason could be given for selecting him to be the Catholic King than for
selecting the Margrave of Baden or the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Something
was said about Victor Amadeus of Savoy, and something about the King of
Portugal; but to both there were insurmountable objections. It seemed,
therefore, that the only choice was between a French Prince and an