with　him。　　There　will　certainly　be　one；　but　of　what　kind　is　not　yet　fixed。　　Some　are　for　a　parliamentary　inquiry；　others　for　a　martial　one；　neither　will；　in　my　opinion；　discover　the　true　secret；　for　a　secret　there　most　unquestionably　is。　　Why　we　stayed　six　whole　days　in　the　island　of　Aix；　mortal　cannot　imagine；　which　time　the　French　employed；　as　it　was　obvious　they　would；　in　assembling　their　troops　in　the　neighborhood　of　Rochfort；　and　making　our　attempt　then　really　impracticable。　　The　day　after　we　had　taken　the　island　of　Aix；　your　friend；　Colonel　Wolf；　publicly　offered　to　do　the　business　with　five　hundred　men　and　three　ships　only。　　In　all　these　complicated　political　machines　there　are　so　many　wheels；　that　it　is　always　difficult；　and　sometimes　im　possible；　to　guess　which　of　them　gives　direction　to　the　whole。　　Mr。　Pitt　is　convinced　that　the　principal　wheels；　or；　if　you　will；　the　spoke　in　his　wheel；　came　from　Stade。　　This　is　certain；　at　least　that　Mt　was　the　man　of　confidence　with　that　person。　　Whatever　be　the　truth　of　the　case；　there　is；　to　be　sure；　hitherto　an　'hiatus　valde　deflendus'。
  The　meeting　of　the　parliament　will　certainly　be　very　numerous；　were　it　only　from　curiosity：　but　the　majority　on　the　side　of　the　Court　will；　I　dare　say；　be　a　great　one。　　The　people　of　the　late　Captain…general；　however　inclined　to　oppose；　will　be　obliged　to　concur。　　Their　commissions；　which　they　have　no　desire　to　lose；　will　make　them　tractable；　for　those　gentlemen；　though　all　men　of　honor；　are　of　Sosia's　mind；　'que　le　vrai　Amphitrion　est　celui　ou　l'on　dine'。　　The　Tories　and　the　city　have　engaged　to　support　Pitt；　the　Whigs；　the　Duke　of　Newcastle；　the　independent　and　the　impartial；　as　you　well　know；　are　not　worth　mentioning。　　It　is　said　that　the　Duke　intends　to　bring　the　affair　of　his　Convention　into　parliament；　for　his　own　justification；　I　can　hardly　believe　it；　as　I　cannot　conceive　that　transactions　so　merely　electoral　can　be　proper　objects　of　inquiry　or　deliberation　for　a　British　parliament；　and；　therefore；　should　such　a　motion　be　made；　I　presume　it　will　be　immediately　quashed。　　By　the　commission　lately　given　to　Sir　John　Ligonier；　of　General　and　Commander…in…chief　of　all　his　Majesty's　forces　in　Great　Britain；　the　door　seems　to　be　not　only　shut；　but　bolted；　against　his　Royal　Highness's　return；　and　I　have　good　reason　to　be　convinced　that　that　breach　is　irreparable。　　The　reports　of　changes　in　the　Ministry；　I　am　pretty　sure；　are　idle　and　groundless。　　The　Duke　of　Newcastle　and　Mr。　Pitt　really　agree　very　well；　not；　I　presume；　from　any　sentimental　tenderness　for　each　other；　but　from　a　sense　that　it　is　their　mutual　interest：　and；　as　the　late　Captain…general's　party　is　now　out　of　the　question；　I　do　not　see　what　should　produce　the　least　change。
  The　visit　made　lately　to　Berlin　was；　I　dare　say；　neither　a　friendly　nor　an　inoffensive　one。　　The　Austrians　always　leave　behind　them　pretty　lasting　monuments　of　their　visits；　or　rather　visitations：　not　so　much；　I　believe；　from　their　thirst　of　glory；　as　from　their　hunger　of　prey。
  This　winter；　I　take　for　granted；　must　produce　a　piece　of　some　kind　or　another；　a　bad　one　for　us；　no　doubt；　and　yet　perhaps　better　than　we　should　get　the　year　after。　　I　suppose　the　King　of　Prussia　is　negotiating　with　France；　and　endeavoring　by　those　means　to　get　out　of　the　scrape　with　the　loss　only　of　Silesia；　and　perhaps　Halberstadt；　by　way　of　indemnification　to　Saxony；　and；　considering　all　circumstances；　he　would　be　well　off　upon　those　terms。　　But　then　how　is　Sweden　to　be　satisfied？　Will　the　Russians　restore　Memel？　　Will　France　have　been　at　all　this　expense　'gratis'？　　Must　there　be　no　acquisition　for　them　in　Flanders？　I　dare　say　they　have　stipulated　something　of　that　sort　for　themselves；　by　the　additional　and　secret　treaty；　which　I　know　they　made；　last　May；　with　the　Queen　of　Hungary。　　Must　we　give　up　whatever　the　French　please　to　desire　in　America；　besides　the　cession　of　Minorca　in　perpetuity？　　I　fear　we　must；　or　else　raise　twelve　millions　more　next　year；　to　as　little　purpose　as　we　did　this；　and　have　consequently　a　worse　peace　afterward。　I　turn　my　eyes　away；　as　much　as　I　can；　from　this　miserable　prospect；　but；　as　a　citizen　and　member　of　society；　it　recurs　to　my　imagination；　notwithstanding　all　my　endeavors　to　banish　it　from　my　thoughts。　　I　can　do　myself　nor　my　country　no　good；　but　I　feel　the　wretched　situation　of　both；　the　state　of　the　latter　makes　me　better　bear　that　of　the　former；　and；　when　I　am　called　away　from　my　station　here；　I　shall　think　it　rather　（as　Cicero　says　of　Crassus）　'mors　donata　quam　vita　erepta'。
  I　have　often　desired；　but　in　vain；　the　favor　of　being　admitted　into　your　private　apartment　at；　Hamburg；　and　of　being　informed　of　your　private　life　there。　　Your　mornings；　I　hope　and　believe；　are　employed　in　business；　but　give　me　an　account　of　the　remainder　of　the　day；　which　I　suppose　is；　and　ought　to　be；　appropriated　to　amusements　and　pleasures。　　In　what　houses　are　you　domestic？　　Who　are　so　in　yours？　　In　short；　let　me　in；　and　do　not　be　denied　to　me。
  Here　I　am；　as　usual；　seeing　few　people；　and　hearing　fewer；　drinking　the　waters　regularly　to　a　minute；　and　am　something　the　better　for　them。　I　read　a　great　deal；　and　vary　occasionally　my　dead　company。　　I　converse　with　grave　folios　in　the　morning；　while　my　head　is　clearest　and　my　attention　strongest：　I　take　up　less　severe　quartos　after　dinner；　and　at　night　I　choose　the　mixed　company　and　amusing　chit…chat　of　octavos　and　duodecimos。　　'Ye　tire　parti　de　tout　ce　gue　je　puis'；　that　is　my　philosophy；　and　I　mitigate；　as　much　as　I　can；　my　physical　ills　by　diverting　my　attention　to　other　objects。
  Here　is　a　report　that　Admiral　Holborne's　fleet　is　destroyed；　in　a　manner；　by　a　storm：　I　hope　it　is　not　true；　in　the　full　extent　of　the　report；　but　I　believe　it　has　suffered。　　This　would　fill　up　the　measure　of　our　misfortunes。　　Adieu。
  LETTER　CCXIII
  BATH；　November　20；　1757
  MY　DEAR　FRIEND：　I　write　to　you　now；　because　I　love　to　write　to　you；　and　hope　that　my　letters　are　welcome　to　you；　for　otherwise　I　have　very　little　to　inform　you　of。　　The　King　of　Prussia's　late　victory　you　are　better　informed；　of　than　we　are　here。　　It　has　given　infinite　joy　to　the　unthinking　public；　who　are　not　aware　that　it　comes　too　late　in　the　year　and　too　late　in　the　war；　to　be　attended　with　any　very　great　consequences。　There　are　six　or　seven　thousand　of　the　human　species　less　than　there　were　a　month　ago；　and　that　seems　to　me　to　be　all。　　However；　I　am　glad　of　it；　upon　account　of　the　pleasure　and　the　glory　which　it　gives　the　King　of　Prussia；　to　whom　I　wish　well　as　a　man；　more　than　as　a　king。　　And　surely　he　is　so　great　a　man；　that　had　he　lived　seventeen　or　eighteen　hundred　years　ago；　and　his　life　been　transmitted　to　us　in　a　language　that　we　could　not　very　well　understandI　mean　either　Greek　or　Latinwe　should　have　talked　of　him　as　we　do　now　of　your　Alexanders；　your　Caesars；　and　others；　with　whom；　I　believe；　we　have　but　a　very　slight　acquaintance。　'Au　reste'；　I　do　not　see　that　his　affairs　are　much　mended　by　this　victory。　　The　same　combination　of　the　great　Powers　of　Europe　against　him　still　subsists；　and　must　at　last　prevail。　　I　believe　the　French　army　will　melt　away；　as　is　usual；　in　Germany；　but　this　army　is　extremely　diminished　by　battles；　fatigues；　and　desertion：　and　he　will　find　great　difficulties　in　recruiting　it　from　his　own　already　exhausted　dominions。　　He　must　therefore；　and　to　be　sure　will；　negotiate　privately　with　the　French；　and　get　better　terms　that　way　than　he　could　any　other。
  The　report　of　the　three　general　officers；　the　Duke　of　Marlborough；　Lord　George　Sackville；　and　General　Waldegrave；　was　laid　before　the　King　last　Saturday；　after　their　having　sat　four　days　upon　Mt's　affair：　nobody　yet　knows　what　it　is；　but　it　is　generally　believed　that　Mt　will　be　brought　to　a　court…martial。　　That　you　may　not　mistake　this　matter；　as　MOST　people　here　do；　I　must　explain　to　you；　that　this　examination　before　the　three　above…mentioned　general　officers；　was　by　no　means　a　trial；　but　only　a　previous　inquiry　into　his　conduct；　to　see　whether　there　was；　or　was　not；　cause　to　bring　him　to　a　regular　trial　before　a　court…martial。　The　case　is　exactly　parallel　to　that　of　a　grand　jury；　who；　upon　a　previous　and　general　examination；　find；　or　do　not　find；　a　bill　to　bring　the　matter　before　the　petty　jury；　where　the　fact　is　finally　tried。　　For　my　own　part；　my　opinion　is　fixed　upon　that　affair：　I　am　convinced　that　the　expedition　was　to　be　defeated；　and　nothing　that　can　appear　before　a　court…martial　can　make　me　alter　that　opinion。　　I　have　been　too　long　acquainted　with　human　nature　to　have　great　regard　for　human　testimony；　and　a　very　great　degree　of　probability；　supported　by　various　concurrent　circumstances；　conspiring　in　one　point；　will　have　much　greater　weight　with　me；　than　human　testimony　upon　oath；　or　even　upon　honor；　both　which　I　have　frequently　seen　considerably　warped　by　private　views。
  The　parliament；　which　now　stands　prorogued　to　the　first　of　next　month；　it　is　thought　will　be　put　off　for　some　time　longer；　till　we　know　in　what　light　to　lay　before　it　the　state　of　our　alliance　with　Prussia；　since　the　conclusion　of　the　Hanover　neutrality；　which；　if　it　did　not　quite　break　it；　made　at　least　a　great　flaw　in　it。
  The　birth…day　was　neither　fine