ll convince
me of his sincerity. I have not answered his letter, nor will not, till
I have your orders what to say to him."

[Avignon] May 6 [1742].

"I here send you enclosed the letter I mentioned of your son's; the
packet in which it was put was mislaid in the journey; it will serve to
show you how little he is to be depended on. I saw a Savoyard man of
quality at Chambery, who knew him at Venice, and afterwards at Genoa,
who asked me (not suspecting him for my son) if he was related to my
family. I made answer he was some relation. He told me several tricks of
his. He said, that at Genoa he had told him that an uncle of his was
dead and had left him L5,000 or L6,000 per annum, and that he was
returning to England to take possession of his estate; in the meantime
he wanted money; and would have borrowed some of him, which he refused.
I made answer that he did very well. I have heard of this sort of
conduct in other places; and by the Dutch letters you have sent me I am
persuaded he continues the same method of lying which convinces me that
his pretended enthusiasm is only to cheat those that can be imposed on
by it. However, I think he should not be hindered accepting a
commission. I do not doubt it will be pawned or sold in a twelvemonth;
which will prove to those that now protect him how little he deserves
it. I am now at Avignon, which is within one day's journey of Valence."

"Avignon, May 23 [1742].

"I received this morning yours of April 12 and 29th, and at the same
time one from my son at Paris, dated the 4th instant. I have wrote to
him this day, that on his answer I will immediately set out to Valence,
and shall be glad to see him there. I suppose you are now convinced I
have never been mistaken in his character; which remains unchanged, and
what is yet worse, I think is unchangeable. I never saw such a
complication of folly and falsity as in his letter to Mr. Gibson.
Nothing is cheaper than living in an inn in a country town in France;
they being obliged to ask no more than twenty-five sous for dinner, and
thirty for supper and lodging, of those that eat at the public table;
which all the young men of quality I have met have always done. It is
true I am forced to pay double, because I think the decency of my sex
confines me to eat in my chamber. I will not trouble you with detecting
a number of other falsehoods that are in his letters. My opinion on the
whole (since you give me leave to tell it) is