156 THE WENTWORTH PAPERS.
that had a just accation of being absent from the first Sessions of this Parhament ; but I told him he knew the Queen had given you leave to come over and I did not see how you cou'd avoid it. He said the leave was worded in such terms that it left you absolute master of coming or staying as you thought best, and by some of your letters to him he judged you was not fully determin'd to come over, for you had only writ to Lord Rivers to ask his advise as a friend whether you had best ask leave or no, and he immediately writ to Mr. St. Johns to get leave for you. You know I sent you word Mr. Harley took your poump to him in the same manner for a desire to come over and wou'd ask it of the Queen for you, so that there wou'd be no way to avoid it but fresh business arising or this court being perswaded that Berlin is such an intriguing court, that no stranger tho' never so able a man cou'd tell how to manage them. I told him I found that here people had a notion that, he was no more to the Allies then
Elector of B and that an Envoy wou'd do as well there,
I found he spoke pretty much upon the caution with me so I wou'd not name any bodys name, but he told me let those people be who they wou'd they were much out in their judge- ment, and if he was to talk with them he wou'd make it plain the King of Prussia was to be courted at this juncture, and the recalling an Ambassador and sending but an Envoy he believed wou'd be resented ill there, and your coming over he seem'd to think wou'd end in that, tho' at this time he thought it wou'd not be right. Company came in so I had not time to sound him if he had heard of any thing of a designe of your being Plenipo and Ambassador in Holland, wch, to tell you my poor thoughts, I don't like so well as I did at first, for by all report every thing at the Hague is so much dearer and the constant company that's unavoidable to have there is enough to swollow up twice the profit of the 30/. a week more that you have there. Every body says that Lord Townsend runs out. If you are sent in his room you by that are made a declared enemy to the juncto, and ruin'd with the Whigs for ever, and the Tories are not noted to stick so fast to their friends as th' others, and besides if
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