104 THE WENTWORTH PAPERS.
The Court is still in deep morning, wearing Cofifs upon their coats sleeves, wch will be till Lady day, and no Arms upon the Coachs ; the rule for the morning of this year is to be as for a Father. Long pockets in the summer were liked to have obtain'd being an universal fashion, but this Winter its totally out again, and theres no but young fellows in the Army, and the Smarts of them that wears those Coats with bottons up the arms.
London, 27 January, 17 10. Dear Brother,
The matter of dispute between the Q n and Duke
of M wch I writ you last post of with so much caution, I
find is talked about everywhere with a great deal of freedom, and every body is giving their opinion wch is right, and wch is wrong, even of some things wch are doubtfull whether they ever were in agitation, being reported to have been so but by one Party, the Tories, who say, the junto promised the Duke
of M to use all their Interest to have him made General
for life by the Queen, and then to have it confirm'd to him
by act of P ; but this is deny'd by the whigs, this I heard
one of the whigs own that at a meeting that lately was held of them, 'twas proposed that at the same time the Duke offer'd to lay down, all th' other great officers shou'd do so too, as Sir Simon Harcourt and Sir Tho. Mansel did when Harley and S* Georges [sic) were turn out, but Lord Summers and L Treasurers were absolutely against any such thing, and I don't hear of many of them that was in earness in doing of it, so it went off What was reported as to the Duke's friends sounding all the General Officers as to their inclinations of standing by him and that 'twas found he cou'd depend upon none but Codagan and Merideth is said to be
all false and an invention of the Tories to alarm the Q n
with designes of the Duke which he never had, and by the relation I am a going to give you, wch I have from a very good hand, you'l see that the Duke and his friends deny ever having any thoughts of having the Parliament address the Queen for the removal of Mrs. Masham. Thus I am told
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