again
you shall hear of it. Nite dee logues.

26. This morning I felt a little touch of giddiness, which has
disordered and weakened me with its ugly remains all this day. Pity
Pdfr. After dinner at Lord Treasurer's, the French Ambassador, Duke
d'Aumont, sent Lord Treasurer word that his house was burnt down to the
ground. It took fire in the upper rooms, while he was at dinner with
Monteleon, the Spanish Ambassador, and other persons; and soon after
Lord Bolingbroke came to us with the same story. We are full of
speculations upon it, but I believe it was the carelessness of his
French rascally servants. 'Tis odd that this very day Lord Somers,
Wharton, Sunderland, Halifax, and the whole club of Whig lords, dined at
Pontack's(3) in the City, as I received private notice. They have some
damned design. I tell you another odd thing; I was observing it to Lord
Treasurer, that he was stabbed on the day King William died; and the
day I saved his life, by opening the bandbox,(4) was King William's
birthday. My friend Mr. Lewis has had a lie spread on him by the mistake
of a man, who went to another of his name, to give him thanks for
passing his Privy Seal to come from France.(5) That other Lewis spread
about that the man brought him thanks from Lord Perth and Lord Melfort
(two lords with the Pretender), for his great services, etc. The Lords
will examine that t'other Lewis to-morrow in council; and I believe
you will hear of it in the prints, for I will make Abel Roper give
a relation of it. Pray tell me if it be necessary to write a little
plainer; for I looked over a bit of my last letter, and could hardly
read it. I'll mend my hand, if oo please: but you are more used to it
nor I, as Mr. Raymond says. Nite MD.

27. I dined to-day with Lord Treasurer: this makes four days together;
and he has invited me again to-morrow, but I absolutely refused him.
I was this evening at a christening with him of Lord Dupplin's(6)
daughter. He went away at ten; but they kept me and some others till
past twelve; so you may be sure 'tis late, as they say. We have now
stronger suspicions that the Duke d'Aumont's house was set on fire by
malice. I was to-day to see Lord Keeper, who has quite lost his voice
with a cold. There Dr. Radcliffe told me that it was the Ambassador's
confectioner set the house on fire by boiling sugar, and going down and
letting it boil over. Yet others still think differently; so I know not
what to judge. Nite my own