To the Hon. Henry Seymour Conway*
Arlington Street, June 29th, 1744.
THAT you may not think I employ my time as idly as the great men I have been talking of, you must be informed, that every night constantly I go to Ranelagh; which has totally beat Vauxhall. Nobody goes anywhere else — everybody goes there. My Lord Chesterfield is so fond of it,* that he says he has ordered all his letters to be directed thither.
If you had never seen it, I would make you a most pompous description of it, and tell you how the floor is all of beaten princes — that you can’t set your foot without treading on a Prince of Wales or Duke of Cumberland. The company is universal: there is from his Grace of Grafton* down to children out of the Foundling Hospital* — from my Lady Townshend* to the kitten* — from my Lord Sandys* to your humble cousin.
Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721-1795) was Horace Walpole’s cousin, a soldier who was engaged in the ongoing War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), and had fought at the near-disaster at Dettingen. Conway subsequently became Secretary of State for the Southern Department (i.e. Foreign Secretary) and Secretary of State for the Northern Department (i.e. Home Secretary), and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.
Philip Stanhope (1694-1773), 4th Earl of Chesterfield, an energetic politician who was a key player in Sir Robert Walpole’s fall from power as de facto Prime Minister in 1742. He spent some years in self-imposed exile in France, where he became friendly with Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (1689-1755) and François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), better known as Montesquieu and Voltaire.
The Foundling Hospital was founded in 1739 by merchant Thomas Coram to take in illegitimate children, foster them and as they grew up find them apprenticeships in useful trades. The hospital was home to fine art and music, and is best remembered for the annual charity concert organised by George Frideric Handel at which he conducted his oratorio ‘Messiah’ to raise funds.
Charles FitzRoy (1683-1657), 2nd Duke of Grafton, was a grandson of Charles II and a principal fund-raiser for the Foundling Hospital. His son Augustus FitzRoy served as Prime Minister from 1768 to 1770.
Audrey Ethelreda Townshend, née Harrison, wife of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend (1700-1764). Lady Townshend was known as a wit.
Walpole’s friend Richard Edgcumbe (1716–1761), 2nd Baron Edgcumbe, had conceived a passion for a young lady known to us only by her pet name, the Kitten. By September of that year, however, he was writing to Walpole to lament that they had had a falling out, which proved irreparable.
Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys (1695-1770) had succeeded Sir Robert Walpole as Chancellor of the Exchequer, when Walpole fell from power in 1742. He was MP for Winchester for over twenty years.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Every. Much. Set.
2 Degree. Else. Yet.
3 Everybody. Perceive. Warm.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Star. 2 Garden. 3 Order. 4 Talk. 5 Set. 6 Date. 7 Time. 8 Love. 9 Water.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
