always at the bottom of your letter,
as well as the top, that I may know when you send it; your last is
of November 3, yet I had others at the same time, written a fortnight
after. Whenever you would have any money, send me word three weeks
before, and in that time you will certainly have an answer, with a bill
on Parvisol: pray do this; for my head is full, and it will ease my
memory. Why, I think I quoted to you some of ----'s letter, so you may
imagine how witty the rest was; for it was all of a bunch, as Goodman
Peesley(28) says. Pray let us have no more bussiness, but busyness:
the deuce take me if I know how to spell it; your wrong spelling, Madam
Stella, has put me out: it does not look right; let me see, bussiness,
busyness, business, bisyness, bisness, bysness; faith, I know not which
is right, I think the second; I believe I never writ the word in my life
before; yes, sure I must, though; business, busyness, bisyness.--I have
perplexed myself, and can't do it. Prithee ask Walls. Business, I fancy
that's right. Yes it is; I looked in my own pamphlet, and found it twice
in ten lines, to convince you that I never writ it before. Oh, now I see
it as plain as can be; so yours is only an _s_ too much. The Parliament
will certainly meet on Friday next: the Whigs will have a great majority
in the House of Lords, no care is taken to prevent it; there is too
much neglect; they are warned of it, and that signifies nothing: it
was feared there would be some peevish address from the Lords against a
peace. 'Tis said about the town that several of the Allies begin now to
be content that a peace should be treated. This is all the news I have.
The Queen is pretty well: and so now I bid poor dearest MD farewell till
to-night; then I will talk with them again.

The fifteen images that I saw were not worth forty pounds, so I
stretched a little when I said a thousand. The Grub Street account of
that tumult is published. The Devil is not like Lord Treasurer: they
were all in your odd antic masks, bought in common shops.(29) I fear
Prior will not be one of the plenipotentiaries.

I was looking over this letter, and find I make many mistakes of
leaving out words; so 'tis impossible to find my meaning, unless you be
conjurers. I will take more care for the future, and read over every day
just what I have written that day, which will take up no time to speak
of.

LETTER 36.

LONDON, Dec. 1, 1711.

My last was put in this e