censure. They told me one story which I can't vouch for truth, but I think very probable, and it shows the Queen's spirits to the last. She say to Ranby that was come to make an incission in her side " before you begin let me have a full veiw of your comical face," and whilst he was cuting her she said "what wou'd you give now that you was cuting your wife "; Ranby, upon some jealousy, is seeking not only for a separation, but a divorse. They tell you several letters was writ by the Prince for admittance to see the Queen, but nobody dared to give the King the letters ; at last they
prevail with the Duke of C , the King bid him tell them
that gave the letter they shou'd have an answer in an hour's time which was ('twas not then convenient) very laconick, and as often as they sent after, that was the continual answer, so the Prince has not seen her.
��London, December lo, 1737.
. . . . ' I think 'twas bravely said of the King when they gave him an account of 12 or 13000 a year pensions the Queen gave in charity, which he knew nothing of, he said, besides paying all her servants, that charity shou'd be paid, for he wou'd have nobody feel her loss but himself*
- In many short letters written in 1738 Peter complains much of ill-
ness ; and in that of November 18, probably his last to his brother, Peter concludes : — " I can't imagine who puts it into your head that I fall out with people, there are people that have unaccountably fallen out with me, but 1 will fall out with nobody, nor is it tit I shou'd, for I am falling soon off this terestable Glob {sic) ; but I will mentain the post assigned me according to Sir R. Steel's Christian Hero, maugre the spite and malice of the world, and however you will be to me I assure you I am," diic.
On January 13, 1739, Lady Strafford, after writing that she will be going to Court as soon as her brother, meaning Peter, is buried, continues in a later part of the letter : — "My nephew [William] has just been here; I realy pitty him, but cant in the least wonder at his not going to the mews, when he gave me his reasons, for 1 fear his fathere's affairs are in a very bad way, and he is adviced by his friends not to goe into the house, and also to make a vollentary declaration in Docter's Common's that he will have nothing to doe with any of his late fathere's effects .... He had order'd the funerale to be just the same as his mothere's and he is to be bury'd to-morrow night. He sayd to besure he had a naturale
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