ses, of all the coquettes in England, pays his addresses to the
maids of honour, one after the other, and at present places his whole
ambition and desires in the conquest of that ugly skeleton, Churchill?
What! Madam, must then your prime of life be spent in a sort of
widowhood in deploring your misfortunes, without ever being permitted
to make use of any remedy that may offer? A woman must be endowed with
insuperable patience, or with an inexhaustible degree of resignation, to
bear this. Can a husband, who disregards you both night and day, really
suppose, because his wife eats and drinks heartily, as, God be thanked,
your royal highness does, that she wants nothing else than to sleep well
too? Faith, such conduct is too bad: I therefore once more repeat that
there is not a princess in the universe who would refuse the homage of a
man like Sidney, when a husband pays his addresses elsewhere."

These reasons were certainly not morally good; but had they been still
worse the duchess would have yielded to them, so much did her heart act
in concert with Miss Hobart, to overthrow her discretion and prudence.

This intrigue began at the very time that Miss Hobart advised Miss
Temple not to give any encouragement to the addresses of the handsome
Sidney. As for him, no sooner was he informed by the confidant Hobart
that the goddess accepted his adoration than he immediately began to
be particularly reserved and circumspect in his behaviour, in order
to divert the attention of the public; but the public is not so easily
deceived as some people imagine.

As there were too many spies, too many inquisitive people and critics,
in a numerous court, residing in the midst of a populous city, the
duchess to avoid exposing the inclinations of her heart to the scrutiny
of so many inquisitors, engaged the Duke of York to undertake the
journey before mentioned, whilst the queen and her court were at
Tunbridge.

This conduct was prudent; and, if agreeable to her, was far from
displeasing to any of her court, except Miss Jennings: Jermyn was not of
the party; and, in her opinion, every party was insipid in which he was
not one of the company. He had engaged himself in an enterprise above
his strength, in laying a wager which the Chevalier de Grammont had
laid before, and lost. He betted five hundred guineas that he would ride
twenty miles in one hour upon the same horse, in the high road. The day
he had fixed upon for this race was the ve