Salisbury's Ball, which the Essex's are so kind as to hand about for
him. The verses are not numerous. There are not above two stanzas,
and not good enough to suppose that they had been composed even in
his sleep; so much nonsense and obscurity and want of measure and
harmony I never saw in any composition before. But as they love to
laugh at his Lordship in that family, so, as he had the absurdity to
communicate them, they are determined that they shall not be
suppressed. . . .

Weltie's Club(203) is going to give a masquerade like that given by
the Tuesday Night's Club. I hear that all the different parties in
Opposition are determined to draw together in this Question, how
much soever they may differ afterwards, in hopes, I suppose, by
their united force, to destroy this Administration. Young Pitt has
formed a society of young Ministers, who are to fight under his
banner, and these are the Duke of Rutland, Mr. Banks, Lord Chatham,
&c., &c., and they assemble at Goostree's.(204)

To-morrow no post goes, as I am told, and on Thursday Storer shall
give you an account of what will have passed in the House; he will
do that better than I can. He attends at his Board very exactly. You
have done a great thing for him, and no one seems more sensible of
it. Lord Cov(entry) would have persuaded me to-day that things were
going very ill in Ireland, but till I hear it from you I shall not
believe it. All my accounts hitherto have had a different tendency.

I hear from one quarter that a change of some sort in Administration
is determined upon, and that the Chancellor has the task of
composing those jarring atoms to prevent the King's Cabinet from
being stormed. That Lord Shellbourne will be taken in, de quelque
maniere ou d'autre. Storming a Cabinet is a phrase coined in my
time, to express what I cannot pretend to say that I do not
understand, but how the fact is practicable, invito rege, will be
for ever a mystery to me, and if it happens with his consent I am
yet to learn how the Cabinet is storm(ed). I will never believe but
if a prince very early in his reign had a mind to set a mark upon
those who distinguish themselves in Opposition with that view, he
would never have the thin(g) attempted. It may be necessary to
change measures and men, but why it is necessary that particular men
must be fixed upon you, whether you will [or] not, I do not
conceive, nor will ever admit as [a] possibility, while the Laws and
Constituti