nany poo! fo the day rofs fi who and ni people, the ༄རoode almost ine [fee very offenfive: com mon God kn spirit of but ther againft Madam Lad D y tim not are en th af 744 whom I knew in London, when her roReft on the ELEGANT EPISTINE Lufband was that court. The Countofs of Cozelle is kept prifover is a melancholy cattle, fome leagues from hence, and I cannot forbear telling you what I have heard of her, becaufe it feem, to me very extraordinary, though I for fee I fhall well my letter to the fize of a pacquet.-She was miftrefs to the King of Poland (Elector of Saxony), with fo late a dominion over him, that never any lady had fo much power in of his majetty's first declaration of love, which he made in a vifit to her, bringing They tell a pleafant flory in ene hand a bag of a hundred thoufand crowns, and in the other a horie-fhoe, which he fnopped afunder before her face, leaving her to draw the confequences of fuch remarkable proofs of ftrength and liberality. I know not which charmed her moit, but the confented to leave her hulband and to give herfelf up to him enthely, being divorced publicly, in fuca a manner as by their laws, permits either party to marry again. God knows whether it was at this time, or in fome other fond ft, bat 'tis certain the King had the weaknefs to make her a formal contract of marriage; which, though it could fignify nothing during the life of the Queen, pleafed her fo well, that he could not be contented, without telling it to all the people the faw, and giving hertelf the airs of a Queen. Men endure every thing while they are in love; but when the excefs of paflion was cooled by long polellion, his Majesty began to 5 to have a chofe to endure di of his arg bufinefs had permitted they profefs the proteftant filter. T2 TER XVI. ontague to the Countess of —. fwick, Nov. 23, O. S. 1716. me to Brunswick, a very but which has the advanthe capital of the Duke of 's dominions, a family (not ts ancient honours) illuftriing its younger branch on f England, and having given, es to Germany. I have not ink your health here in mum, k very well deferves its repueing the best in the world. is the third I have writ to my journey, and I declare to f you don't fend me immediateand true account of all the 2nd chances amongst our London Face, I will not write you any n of Hanover (where I hope to ht), though I know you have iofity to hear of that place than r. LETTER XVII. be fame to the Countess of B. Hanover, Nov. 25, O. S. 1716. judgment of his genius, by hearing him fpeak without conftraint; and I was furprifed at the quickness and politeness that appeared in every thing he faid, joined to a perfon perfectly agreeable, and the fine fair hair of the Princefs. This town is neither large nor handfome; but the palace is capable of holding a much greater court than that of St. James. The King has had the goodnefs to appoint us a lodging in one part of it, without which we fl.ould have been very ill accommodated; for the vast number of English crowds the town fo much, 'tis very good luck to get one forry room in a miferable tavern. I dined to day with the Portuguese Ambalador, who thinks himself very happy to have two wretched parlours in an inn. I have now made the Tour of Germany, and cannot help obferving a confiderable difference between travelling here and in England. One fees none of thofe fine feats of noblemen, fo common among us, nor any thing like a country gentleman's houfe, though they have many fituations perfectly fine. But the whole people are divided into abfolute fovereignties, where all the riches and magnificence are at court, or into communities of merchants, fuch as Nurenburg and Frankfort, where they live always in town for the convenience of trade. The King's company of French comedians play here every night. They are very well dreffed, and fome of them not ill actors. His Majefty dines and fups conftantly in public. The court is very numerous, and his affability and gocdaefs makes it one of the moft agreeable places in the world. Dear Madam, your L. &c. &c. CEIVED your ladyship's letter the day before I left Vienna, 1, by the date, I ought to have much fooner; but nothing was worfe regulated than the poft in parts of Germany. I can affure the pacquet at Prague was behind haife, and in that manner conveyed Drefden, fo that the fecrets of half country were at my mercy, if I had any curiofity for them. I would longer delay my thanks for yours, ugh the number of my acquaintances e, and my duty of attending at court, ves me hardly any time to difpo' of. am extremely pleafed that I can tell u, without flattery or partiality, that ir young Prince, has all the accomafments that 'tis poffible to have at his ge, with an air of sprightlinefs and unerstanding, and fomething fo very engaging and caly in his behaviour, that he needs not the advantage of his rauk to appear charming. I had the honour of a long convertation with him at night, before the King came in. His governor retired on purpote (as he told me afterwards) that I might make fome I LETTER XVIII. The fame to the Lady R. Fianover, &. 1, O. S. 1716. AM very glad, my dear Lady R. that you have been to well pleafed, as you tell me, at the report of my returning to England; though, like other pleafures, I can affure you it has no real founation. I hope you know me enough to take my word againit any report concerning me. 'Tis true, as to distance of place, I am much nearer to London than I was fome weeks ago; but as to the thoughts of a return, I never was farther off in my life. I own, I could with great All liar an expreflion), and if I had not, I should have been very much moved the tragical end of an only foc, born afte being fo long defired, and at length ed by want of good management, wea ing him in the beginning of the wint Adieu, dear Lady R, continue a write to me, and believe none of you goodness is loft upon your, &c. LETTER XIX. the women have, literally, roly checks, Lady M. W. Montague to the County f fnowy foreheads and bofoms, jet eycbrows, and fcarlet lips, to which they generally add coal-black hair. Thofe per fections never leave them till the hour of their deaths, and have a very fine effect by candle light; but I could with they were handfome with a little more variety. They refemble one another as much as Mrs. Salmon's court of Great-Britain, and are in as much danger of melting away, by too near approaching the fire, which they, for that reafon, carefully avoid, though 'tis now fuch exceffive cold weather, that I believe they fuffer extremely by that piece of felf-denial. The fnow is already very deep, and the people begin to flide about in their traineaus, This is a favourite diverfion all over Ger. many. They are little machines fixed upon a fledge, that hold a lady and a gentleman, and are drawn by one horfe. The gentleman has the honour of driving, and they move with a prodigious fwiftnefs. The lady, the horfe, and the traineu, are all as fine as they can be made, and when there are many of them together, 'tis a very agreeable fhow. At Vienna, where all pieces of magnificence are carried to excefs, there are fometimes machines of this kind, that coft five or fix hundred pounds English. The Duke of Wolfenbuttle is now at this court; you know he is nearly related to our King, and uncle to the remaining emprefs, who is, I believe, the most beautiful princefs upon earth. She is now with child, which is all the confolation of the Imperial Court for the lofs of the arch-duke. I took my leave of her the day before I left Vienna, and he begun to fpeak to me with fo much grief and tendernefs of the death of that young prince, I had much ado to with-hold my tears. You know that I am not at all partial to people for their titles; but I own that I love that charming princefs (if I may ufe fo fami I Blanckenburg, Oct. 17, 0. S. 17t RECEIVED yours, dear filter, very day I left Hanover. You a cafily imagine I was then in too gre hurry to answer it; but you fee I t first opportunity of doing myself that piz fure. I came here the 15th, very an night, after a terrible journey, in wort roads and weather that ever par traveller fuffered. I have taken this fatigue, merely to oblige the reig emprefs, and carry a meilage from Imperial Majefty to the Duchess Blanckenburg, her mother, who is a pr cefs of great addrefs and good breed and may be fill called a fine w It was fo late when I came to this to I did not think it proper to dir Duke and Duchefs with the news of arrival; fo I took up my quarters i miferable inn; but as foon as I had i my compliments to their Highneffes, immediately fent me their own coach fix horfes, which had however enough do to draw us up the very high hi which the caftle is fituated. The Da efs is extremely obliging to me, and little court is not without its diver The Duke taillys at baffet every and the Duchefs tells me, the is fo pleafed with my company, that it ma her play lefs than the ufed to de fhould find it very difficult to teal ti to write, if fhe was not now at churc where I cannot wait on her, not cr ftanding the language enough to pay devotions in it. You will not forgive m if I do not fay fomething of Hanover I cannot tell you that the town is eit large or magnificent. The opera-he which was built by the late elector, much finer than that of Vienna. I wa very forry that the ill weather did permit me to fee Hernhauten in all is beauty; but in fpite of the few. ! thought hought the gardens very fine. I was particularly furprised at the vaft number of orange trees, much larger than any I have ever feen in England, though this climate is certainly colder. But I had nore reason to wonder, that night at the King's table, to fee a prefent from a gentleman of this country, of two large afkets full of ripe oranges and lemons of different forts, many of which were quite new to me; and what I thought worth all he reft, two ripe Ananaffes, which, to my aite, are a fruit perfectly delicious. You now they are naturally the growth of Brazil, and I could not imagine how they came here but by enchantment. Upon inquiry, I learnt that they have brought their ftoves to fuch perfection, they lengthen their fummer as long as they pleafe, giving to every plant the degree of heat it would receive from the fun in ts native foil. The effect is very near the fame; I am furprifed we do not practife, in England, fo useful an invention. This reflection leads me to confider our obftinacy in fhaking with cold, five months in the year, rather than make ufe of stoves, which are certainly one of the greatest conveniencies of life. Befides, they are fo far from spoiling the form of a room, that they add very much to the magnificence of it, when they are painted and gilt, as they are at Vienna, or at Drefden, where they are often in the thapes of china jars, statues, or fine cabinets, fo naturally reprefented, that they are not to be diftinguished. If ever I return, in defiance to the fashion, you fhall certainly fee one in the chamber of, dear filter, your, &c. I will write often, fince you defire it; but I must beg you to be a little more particular in yours; you fancy me at forty miles diftance, and forget, that, after fo long an abfence, I can't understand hints. ed return a mystery to you, when you fay, all the world are informed of it. You may tell all the world in my name, that they are never fo well informed of my affairs as I am myfelf, that I am very pofitive I am at this time at Vienna, where the carnaval is begun, and all forts of diverfions are carried to the greatest height, except that of mafquing, which is never permitted during a war with the Turks. The balls are in public places, where the men pay a gold ducat at entrance, but the ladies nothing. I am told that these houfes get fometimes a thousand ducats in a night. They are very magnificently furnished, and the mufic good, if they had not that deteftable cuftom of mixing hunting horns with it, that almost deafen the company. But that noife is so agreeable here, they never make a concert without them. The ball always concludes with English country dances, to the number of thirty or forty couple, and fo ill danced, that there is very little pleasure in them. They know but half a dozen, and they have danced them over and over thefe fifty years. I would fain have taught them fome new ones, but I found it would be fome months labour to make them comprehend them. Laft night there was an Italian comedy acted at court. The fcenes were pretty, but the comedy itself fuch intolerable low farce, without either wit or humour, that 1 was surprised how all the court could fit there attentive. ly for four hours together. are fuffered to act on the ftage, and the men dreffed like them were fuch awkward figures, they very much added to the ridicule of the fpectacle. What completed the diverfion was the exceffive cold, which was fo great I thought I should have died there. It is now the very extremity of the winter here; the Danube is entirely frozen, and the weather not to be fupported without ftoves and furs; but, however, the air fo clear, almost every body is well, and colds not half fo common as in England. I am perfuaded there cannot be a purer air, nor more wholefome, than that of Vienna. The plenty and excellence of all forts of provifions are greater here than in any place I ever was before, and 'tis not very expenfive to keep a fplendid table. ''Tis really a pleasure to pass through the markets, and fee the abundance of what we fhould think rarities, of fowls and veni3 C No women fon, fon, that are daily brought in from Hungary and Bohemia. They want nothing but fhell fish, and are fo fond of oyfters, that they have them fent from Venice, and eat them very greedily, flink or not ftink. Thus I obey your commands, Madam, in giving you an account of Vienna, though I know you will not be fatisfied with it. You chide me for my laziness in not telling you a thousand agrecable and furprizing things, that you day you are fure I have feen and heard. Upon my word, Madam, 'tis my regard to truth, and not laziness, that I do not entertain you with as many prodigies as other travellers ufe to divert their readers with. I might eafily pick up wonders in every town I pafs through, or tell you a long feries of Popith miracles, but I cannot fancy that there is any thing new in letting you know, that priests will lie, and the mob believe, all the world over. Then as for news, that you are fo inquifitive about, how can it be entertaining to you (that don't know the people), that has forfaken the Countefs of- ? or that the Prince fuch a one has an intrigue with Count fuch a one? Would you have me write novels like the Counters of D'? and is it not better to tell you a plain truth, that I am, the Prince of &c.? LETTER XXI. Lady M. W. Montague to the Countess of I Vienna, Jan. 16, O. S. 1717. AM now, dear fifter, to take leave of you for a long time, and of Vienna for ever, defigning, to-morrow, to begin my journey through Hungary in fpite of the exceffive cold and deep fnows, which is enough to damp a greater courage than I am mifirefs of. But my principle of paffive obedience carries me through every thing. I have had my audience of leave of the Emprefs. His Imperial Ma. jefty was pleafed to be prefent, when I waited on the reigning Emprefs, and, after a very obliging converfation, both their Imperial Majesties invited me to take Vienna in my road back; but I have no thoughts of enduring, over again, fo great a fatigue. I delivered a letter from the Duchefs of Blankenburg. I ftaid but a few days at that court, though her Highness prefed me very much to flay; and when I left her, engaged me to write to her. I wrote you a long letterin that 'tis below them to converic them. chamber by a fore throat, and an I am at prefent confined w glad of the excufe to avoid feeing pe that I love well enough, to be very mortified when I think I am go part with them for ev ever. 'Tis tre Auftrians are not commonly the mif lite people in the world, nor the agreeable. But Vienna is inhabited a'l nations, and I had formed to a little fociety of fuch as were perit to my own tafte. And though the ber was not very great, I could a pick up, in any other place, fuch a ber of reasonable agreeable people. were almost always together, and youk I have ever been of opinion, that a che converfation, compofed of a few that effecms, is the greatest happiness of lin Here are fome Spaniards of both fer that have all the vivacity and generat of fentiments anciently afcribed to t nation; and could I believe that whole kingdom were like them, I th with nothing more than to end my di there. The ladies of my acquainta have fo much goodness for me, they cr whenever they fee me, fince I am mined to undertake this journey. As indeed I am not very easy when I refe on what I am going to fuffer. Al deter |