226 THE WENTWORTH PAPERS.
report everything as they wou'd have it. I was told by a famous Whig that he had it from one of the October club, that assur'd him as a friend that he might depend upon't my Lord Treasurer had assured him there shou'd not be a Whig in place by Lady-day, but withstanding this he wishes you well off of this business you are ingaged in. The Whigs are mightly disappointed that they won't see Prince Eugene. Mr. St. John told them in the house of Commons when mat- ter of the Peace was in debate that he knew of no preliminary articles only that the french had made proposals, wch the Queen thought sufficient to induce her to hearken to have a congress to have a good Peace agreed on ; and for what they talk't of going upon the preliminary articles that were agreed on by the Meeting that was at Gertrudenberg, tho it had been so often said in that house and else where that all but two of them were agreed, he cou'd assure that not one of them had been sign'd by the French King or any of his Ministers. 'Twas true the Queen was advised to sign them all, for what end he cou'd not Avell say, and shou'd be loath to guess what veiws some of the advisers had in't. This matter has been mightly debated in coffee houses since I have heard several offer to lay wagers that some of those articles were sign'd by Torcy,
some argue from the Emperor's late letter to the States G
that [he] desires to go on upon the same articles that were agreed to by the French, but tis answere the french Minister agreed to them in words, but never sign any.
��London, December 21, 171 1. Dear Brother,
Yesterday I was in the house of Lords to hear the debate of the Duke of Hambleton's Patent, the Queen was there all the while. First his Council was heard, wch was Sir Tho. Powis, and Sergant Prate,* they both seem'd as if they lay under difficulty, that they had no Lawyers to
- John Pratt, Seijeant-at-Law, member for Midhurst, who became
Lord Chief Justice in October, 17 14.
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