francoises, cela n'est pas a douter. La
Princesse de Carignan et Me. de Polignac en sont temoins.

Gregg has been here for (a) quarter of an hour; he came to desire
that I would meet Lord Ravensworth at dinner at his house next
Sunday. It is the day I go to Streatham. I have told you that I have
now fixed to be there from Saturday till Tuesday m(orning) each week
during my lease. I asked Gregg when he went into the North; he has
fixed no time. I asked him if he went alone; he said yes. It is an
idea of mine that he would not dislike the carrying Mrs. Gregg and
his daughter with him, if while he went into Cumberland he had your
permission to leave them at Castle Howard. I have thought it proper
to hint this to you, because, if you cho(o)se to make him that
offer, you may. He does not expect it; and I do assure you that I
will not say one single word to him to let him understand that I had
mentioned (it). I do not, indeed, believe that he would like that I
should; so whatever you do, I beg not to be committed.

I believe that I shall take it upon myself to speak to Charles about
these arrears, for he has that good humour in his composition, that
he never takes anything amiss that I say to him, and I am sometimes
very free in telling him how opposite my sentiments are to him, and
to his conduct. I should rather say to his conduct, for, personally,
I love him, as he would have had no doubt, if he had been like other
reasonable people; car avec les defauts les plus insignes il y a
quelque fois un brin de raison dans la pluspart des hommes; mais en
lui, ce qui est defectueux, l'est radicalement. He has adopted it
with so much earnestness that there is no room for reproof or hope
of correction.

(1781,) June 22, Friday.--I must begin my letter of to-day by
contradicting the piece of intelligence with which I concluded my
last. I went to Lady Betty's yesterday after dinner, who was gone
with Mr. Delme to Bray, till Wednesday. I saw your porter, who is
established there, and he told me that no letter from abroad was
come; so this came from the vague report of servants who never
comprehend truth, or tell it.

I went to White's, and there met with Lord Loughborough, who goes
the Oxford Circuit. He finishes at Stafford, and from thence goes to
Ireland. He desired me to go upstairs into the supper room with him,
to which I had consented, but Williams and Lord Ashburnham,(172) and
he and I assembled around the cold stove, til