t for
granted that till this morning that he set out for London his hands
were full of business, and the two men condemned were his clients,
who were condemned only par provision till he had drawn up the case.

This town has been very full of the neighbouring gentlemen, and I
suppose the approaching elections have been the cause of it. I am
not personally menaced with any opposition, but have a great dread
of one, because the contentions among those who live in the country
and have nothing else to do but to quarrel, are so great, that
without intending to hurt me, they will stir up trouble and
opposition, which will be both hazardous and expensive. I am
tormented to take a part in I know not what, and with I know not
whom, and my difficulty is to keep off the solicitation of my
friends, as they call themselves, who want a bustle, the expense of
which is not to be defrayed by themselves.

I do assure you that it is a monstrous oppression of spirits which I
feel, and which I would not feel for an hour if I had nobody's
happiness to think of but my own, which would be much more secured
by a total renunciation of Parliament, Ministers, and Boroughs than
by pursuing the emoluments attached to those connections. However,
as it is the last time that I shall ever have anything to do of this
kind, I will endeavour to keep up my spirits as well as I can; but I
must declare to you that it is an undertaking that is most grievous
to me, that I am ashamed of, and that neither the established
custom of the country [n]or the nature of our Government does by any
means reconcile to me.

I have dinners of one sort or other till Tuesday, and then I purpose
to set out for London, unless some unforeseen event prevents me.
Horry Walpole has a project of coming into this part of the world
the end of this week, and, if he does, of coming to me on Saturday.
I shall be glad to converse with anybody whose ideas are more
intelligible than those of the persons I am now with. But I do not
depend much upon seeing him.

The weather is very fine, and Matson in as great beauty as a place
can be in, but the beauties of it make very little impression upon
me. In short, there is nothing in this eccentric situation in which
I am now that can afford me the least pleasure, and everything I
love to see in the world is at a distance from me. All I do is so
par maniere d'acquit, et de si mauvaise grace, that I am surprised
at the civility with which I am tr