BC_1764_EMONTAGU_CL

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<Q A 1764 T CL EMONTAGU>
<X ELIZABETH MONTAGU>
[}ELIZABETH MONTAGU TO [CHARLES LYTTELTON]. AUGUST 1 1764. bMS ENG 1351 (15-16)}]
<P1>
Sandleford y=e= 1th of aug
1764
My Lord
   I was in Surry with my friend M=rs= Boscawen when I received the agreable & kind favour of your Lordships letter. Change of place & want of health & spirits made me delay answering it, as I was desirous not to do it till I could have the pleasure of writing you a long letter. My spirits & nerves suffer'd greatly from the agitation I was in during poor Lord Baths illness, & the sad conclusion of it your Lordship will believe was not likely to repair the mischief I had received by suspense & anxiety. It is true that his great age might have prepared me for the misfortune, but as his health seem'd every year to improve, as he retain'd not only the solid & strong faculties of his mind, but even the witt quickness & vivacity of youth, it seem'd as if he was [\not/] internaly decay'd, tho fourscore years had made external marks & impressions, nor indeed is there any reason to apprehend he sunk under the weight
<P2>
of years. He was perfectly well the morning he went to dine at Roehampton at Lord Besboroughs, he sat some time in the garden, & perhaps might take a nap as he returnd in the post chaise in the evening, as he w=d= sometimes [\do/] when he was alone. He was taken chilly, & the next morning with all the appearance of a cold: at night, with shiverings & a low fever, for which some warm medicine was given [\by ye faculty/] & then he fell into a violent fever & delirium, from which bleeding & some physick relieved him, & had he been evacuated perhaps had recoverd, but the Doctors thought his age made every fever fit very dangerous, D=r= Hebberden & Warren attended but w=d= not sit up with him, they orderd the apothecary to give ye bark if the fever went off, the apothecaries Son who sat up with him, did on a remission give the bark, the Doctors approved it, but finding it did not stay, gave laudanum; they pronounced for two days that he was out of danger, I never thought so as by the account even from them his head was not clear, on the tuesday bad
<P3>
symptoms appear_d, the Doctors despaird, they gave wormwood draughts, & he lay in this way for many days, no efforts of nature, for that could not be expected at his great age, & physicians will not hazard censure for the sake of a patient, so from tuesday till saturday he lay in a hopeless helpless state, dozing the whole time. I must say I think D=r= Warren, a young healthy man, able to bear fatigue, & who had had great obligations to Lord Bath, should have sat up with him, but he went every night to Claremont because the Duchess of Newcastle thought herself ill. If one would know the vanity of wealth & greatness, one need not wait for the stroke which equals the King & the beggar, the sick bed brings them nearly on a level, would not [\one/] think all the College of physicians would wait the crisis of the distemper? instead of that the Son of an apothecary decides on the important [\moment\] as much as for a poor man; & the state bed is not better attended by Doctors than ye hard couch & [\tape ty_d\] curtains, but as I do not wish to quarrel
<P4>
with these Gentlemen, I beg of you not say you had these circumstances from me. I cannot but resent them for if every thing had been done as it ought, & I had lost my friend, the stroke, tho heavy, would have appeard from a hand under whose chatisements [\SIC\] reason must bend with submission. My loss is indeed very great, for my Lord Bath had every thing that one could wish in a friend & a companion. His superiority of wisdom & fortune his extraordin=y= talents, his great age, did not make assume any thing in society; he was the most complaisant in his manners, most gentle in his opinions, & most polite in his behaviour of any [\one/] I ever saw. His sole defect (& who alas is perfect!) was, that his bounty was not equal to his fortune, at the same time he lived nobly, & often did very generous things. I never apply'd to him for any one in distress that he did not readily & generously relieve them, & to merit not well provided for I have seen him make noble presents. Your Lordship has been misinform'd as to his leaving D=r= Douglas
<P5>
the reversion of the Shropshire estate. He left ye Pulteney estate & all his money, & the Beddfort estate, to General Pulteney, but if the Gen=l= does not by deed or will dispose of ye Bradford estate, then it is to go to M=r= Coleman & his male heirs, but D=r= Douglas has nothing to do with it. To M=rs= Johnstone he left 4000=L=, to D=r= Douglas 500=L= & his library, to me, a pair of very fine diamond earrings & a ring he used to wear. His Lordship desired me to accept of all his jewels when L=d= Pulteney dyed, I refused them, & then he said he w=d= leave them to me, I begg'd he would not, for I told him I did not like that he should put it into any ones power to say I had ever desired any thing from his friendship but the honour & pleasure it communicated. Great indeed was the happiness I received from it, & the more as M=r= Montagu had so great a regard & so high a veneration for his Lordship. I could get leave to go to Tunbridge or Spa if Lord Bath was of the party, & his
<P6>
company made every society more agreable to M=r= Montagu. But I could easily part with all schemes of diversion, the loss of so kind so sincere, so amiable, so respectable a friend is a sad deprivation. My friend M=rs= Carter was so good as to come to me while I was in the cruel & dreadfull state of suspense, as soon as ever the fatal moment came, she went with me to my Brothers house at Ealing. I then went to M=rs= Boscawens for some days, return'd to London to prepare for my summers journey to Sandleford, where M=r= Montagu intends we should stay till the winter. He is now in Town on business, but comes here the end of this week. I am surprized \his Steward/ has not sent me an answer about ye matter he was to enquire into for y=r= Lordship; but he promises to get ample information. Lord Lyttelton has been entertaining all the Duchesses in the Peerage at Hagley, & indeed it is a place fit to entertain Princes
<P7>
and Princesses from its grandeur & elegance, at the same time, by its sweetness & amenity, it is just the situation in which Arcadians Nymphs & Swains w=d= wish to dwell. This is a very long letter, but I coud not but wish to renew a correspondence which always give me great pleasure. I hope I shall hear from your Lordship soon. M=rs= Carter begs to present her compliments. I am very happy in having her company, but fear she cannot stay with me much longer, as her youngest Sister being now married she has ye care of her Fathers house, & in spite of her learning, is an admirable house [\wife/] , can [\dearn\] a hole in a [\nap\] as well as she can make out a deficiency in the Hebrew text, or comment on a greek author. My health is better than when I came hither, but my strength is not equal to great shocks, however time I hope will do a great deal in restoring my health & spirits. I am with great esteem
   My Lord your Lordships
   most Obliged & Obed=t= H=ble= Ser=t=
   E: Montagu