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MINE FROM ME.(7) I told it Lord Treasurer and Bolingbroke. Parker would
not have known me, if several lords on the bench, and in the court,
bowing, had not turned everybody's eyes, and set them a whispering. I
owe the dog a spite, and will pay him in two months at furthest, if
I can. So much for that. But you must have chat, and I must say every
sorry thing that comes into my head. They say the Queen will stay a
month longer at Windsor. These devils of Grub Street rogues, that write
the Flying Post and Medley in one paper,(8) will not be quiet. They are
always mauling Lord Treasurer, Lord Bolingbroke, and me. We have the dog
under prosecution, but Bolingbroke is not active enough; but I hope
to swinge him. He is a Scotch rogue, one Ridpath.(9) They get out upon
bail, and write on. We take them again, and get fresh bail; so it goes
round. They say some learned Dutchman has wrote a book, proving by
civil law that we do them wrong by this peace; but I shall show by plain
reason that we have suffered the wrong, and not they. I toil like a
horse, and have hundreds of letters still to read and squeeze a line out
of each, or at least the seeds of a line. Strafford goes back to Holland
in a day or two, and I hope our peace is very near. I have about thirty
pages more to write (that is, to be extracted), which will be sixty in
print. It is the most troublesome part of all, and I cannot keep myself
private, though I stole into a room up two pair of stairs, when I came
from Windsor; but my present man has not yet learned his lesson of
denying me discreetly.

30. The Duchess of Ormond found me out to-day, and made me dine with
her. Lady Masham is still expecting. She has had a cruel cold. I could
not finish my letter last post for the soul of me. Lord Bolingbroke has
had my papers these six weeks, and done nothing to them. Is Tisdall
yet in the world? I propose writing controversies, to get a name with
posterity. The Duke of Ormond will not be over these three or four
days. I desire to make him join with me in settling all right among our
people. I have ordered the Duchess to let me have an hour with the Duke
at his first coming, to give him a true state of persons and things.
I believe the Duke of Shrewsbury will hardly be declared your Governor
yet; at least, I think so now; but resolutions alter very often. The
Duke of Hamilton gave me a pound of snuff to-day, admirable good. I wish
DD had it, and Ppt too, if she likes it. It