Leeds

44. TO MANN, Oct. 24, 1758.—Walpole's Monument to Sir Horace's Brother—Attempted Assassination of the King of Portugal—Courtesy of the Duc D'Aiguillon to his English Prisoners

45. TO ZOUCH, Dec. 9, 1758.—A New Edition of Lucan—Comparison of "Pharsalea"—Criticism on the Poet, with the Aeneid—Helvetius's Work, "De L'Esprit"

46. TO CONWAY, Jan. 19, 1759.—State of the House of Commons

47. TO DALRYMPLE, Feb. 25, 1759.—Robertson's "History of Scotland"—Comparison of Ramsay and Reynolds as Portrait-Painters—Sir David's "History of the Gowrie Conspiracy"

48. TO THE SAME, July 11, 1759.—Writers of History: Goodall, Hume, Robertson—Queen Christina

49. TO CONWAY, Aug. 14, 1759.—The Battle of Minden—Lord G. Sackville

50. TO MANN, Sept. 13, 1759.—Admiral Boscawen's Victory—Defeat of the King of Prussia—Lord G. Sackville

51. TO MONTAGU, Oct. 21, 1759.—A Year of Triumphs

52. TO THE SAME, Nov. 8, 1759.—French Bankruptcy—French Epigram

53. TO THE SAME, Jan. 7, 1760.—He lives amongst Royalty—Commotions in Ireland

54. TO THE SAME, Jan. 14, 1760.—Severity of the Weather—Scarcity in Germany—A Party at Prince Edward's—Charles Townsend's Comments on La Fontaine

55. TO MANN, Feb. 28, 1760.—Capture of Carrickfergus

56. TO DALRYMPLE, April 4, 1760.—The Ballad of "Hardyknute"—Mr. Home's "Siege of Aquileia"—"Tristram Shandy"—Bishop Warburton's Praise of it

57. TO THE SAME, June 20, 1760.—Erse Poetry—"The Dialogues of the Dead"—"The Complete Angler"

58. TO MONTAGU, Sept. 1, 1760.—Visits in the Midland
Counties—Whichnovre—Sheffield—The new Art of
Plating—Chatsworth—Haddon Hall—Hardwicke—Apartments of Mary Queen of
Scots—Newstead—Althorp

59. TO THE SAME, April 16, 1761.—Gentleman's Dress—Influence of Lord Bute—Ode by Lord Middlesex—G. Selwyn's Quotation

60. TO THE SAME, May 5, 1761.—Capture of Belleisle—Gray's Poems—Hogarth's Vanity

61. TO THE SAME, May 22, 1761.—Intended Marriage of the King—Battles in Germany—Capture of Pondicherry—Burke

62. TO MANN, Sept. 10, 1761.—Arrival of the Princess of Mecklenburgh—The Royal Wedding—The Queen's Appearance and Behaviour

63. TO THE COUNTESS OF AILESBURY, Sept. 27, 1761.—The Coronation and subsequent Gaieties

64. TO THE SAME, Nov. 28, 1761.—A Court Ball—Pamphlets on Mr. Pitt—A Song by Gray

65. TO MANN, Jan. 29, 1762.—Death of the Czarina Elizabeth—The Cock-lane Ghost—Return to England of Lady Mary Wortley

66. TO ZOUCH, March 20, 1762.—His own "Anecdotes of Painting"—His Picture of the Wedding of Henry VII.—Burnet's Comparison of Tiberius and Charles II.—Addison's "Travels"

67. TO MANN, Aug. 12, 1762.—Birth of the Prince of Wales—The Czarina—Voltaire's Historical Criticisms—Immense Value of the Treasures brought over in the Hermione

68. TO CONWAY, Sept. 9, 1762.—Negotiations for Peace—Christening of the Prince of Wales

69. TO MANN, Oct. 3, 1762.—Treasures from the Havannah—The Royal Visit to Eton—Death of Lady Mary—Concealment of Her Works—Voltaire's "Universal History"

70. TO THE SAME, April 30, 1763.—Resignation of Lord Bute—French Visitors—Walpole and No. 45

71. TO MONTAGU, May 17, 1763.—A Party at "Straberri"—Work of his Printing Press—Epigrams—A Garden Party at Esher

72. TO CONWAY, May 21, 1763.—General Character of the French—Festivities on the Queen's Birthday

73. TO THE EARL OF HERTFORD, Dec. 29, 1763.—The ordinary way of Life in England—Wilkes—C. Townshend—Count Lally—Lord Clive—Lord Northington—Louis Le Bien Aimé—The Drama in France

74. TO MONTAGU, _Jan._11, 1764.—A New Year's Party at Lady Suffolk's—Lady Temple, Poetess Laureate to the Muses

75. TO MANN, Jan. 18, 1764.—Marriage of the Prince of Brunswick: His Popularity

76. TO THE EARL OF HERTFORD, Feb. 6, 1764.—Gambling Quarrels—Mr. Conway's Speech

77. TO THE SAME, Feb. 15, 1764.—Account of the Debate on the General Warrant

78. TO MANN, June 8, 1764.—Lord Clive—Mr. Hamilton, Ambassador to Naples—Speech of Louis XV.

79. TO THE SAME, Aug. 13, 1764.—The King of Poland—Catherine of Russia

80. TO THE EARL OF HERTFORD, Oct. 5, 1764.—Madame De Boufflers' Writings—King James's Journal

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

I. HORACE WALPOLE

From an engraving after a sketch by Sir THOS. LAWRENCE, P.R.A.

II. SIR HORACE MANN

III. STRAWBERRY HILL, FROM THE SOUTH-EAST

IV. GEORGE MONTAGU

V. THE LIBRARY, STRAWBERRY HILL

VI. HORACE WALPOLE

From a picture in the National Portrait Gallery, by NATHANIEL HONE, R.A.

INTRODUCTION.

It is creditable to our English nobility, and a feature in their character that distinguishes them from their fellows of most other nations, that, from the first revival of learning, the study of literature has been extensively cultivated by men of high birth, even by many who did not require literary fame to secure them a lasting remembrance; and they have not contented themselves with showing their appreciation of intellectual excellence by their patronage of humbler scholars, but have themselves afforded examples to other labourers in the hive, taking upon themselves the toils, and earning no small nor undeserved share of the honours of authorship. The very earliest of our poets, Chaucer, must have been a man of gentle birth, since he was employed on embassies of importance, and was married to the daughter of a French knight of distinction, and sister of the Duchess of Lancaster. The long civil wars of the fifteenth century prevented his having any immediate followers; but the sixteenth opened more propitiously. The conqueror of Flodden was also "Surrey of the deathless lay";[1] and from his time to the present day there is hardly a break in the long line of authors who have shown their feeling that noble birth and high position are no excuses for idleness, but that the highest rank gains additional illustration when it is shown to be united with brilliant talents worthily exercised. The earliest of our tragic poets was Sackville Earl of Dorset. The preux chevalier of Elizabeth's Court, the accomplished and high-minded Sidney, took up the lyre of Surrey: Lord St. Albans, more generally known by his family name of Bacon, "took all learning for his province"; and, though peaceful studies were again for a while rudely interrupted by the "dark deeds of horrid war," the restoration of peace was, as it had been before, a signal for the resumption of their studies by many of the best-born of the land. Another Earl of Dorset displayed his hereditary talent not less than his martial gallantry. Lord Roscommon well deserved the praises which Dryden and Pope, after his death, liberally bestowed. The great Lord Chancellor Clarendon devoted his declining years to a work of a grander