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308 Letters Historical and Galant Vol. 5

"The Dutchess of ** the other day entertained us with a pleasant Scene enough here, or at least gave
" occasion for one. The Dutchess of Burgundy heard talk of the merry Conceits of that Ladies Parrot, and longed to
" see it. A Page was immediately dispatched for it. It rained very hard, and he had a great way to go. All this
" made the Page's Commission very disagreeable to him. However obey he must. The Parrot Cage was covered to
" keep it from the Injuries of the weather, and the Page who was exposed to all the rain, did nothing but curse all
" the Way. The Parrot did not lose a word of all this fine discourse, which he took for a Lesson, especially as he
" was covered up, and they used to put him in the Dark to make him learn them; so as he was very apt, he did not
" fail repeating them; And as soon as he was put in the Dutchess of Burgundy's Chamber, and every body had surroun
" ded the Table he was upon, he cryed out when the Tapestery was taken off the Cage: A curse on the Whores
" that have been the Cause of my being all Wet, with all the other Impertinences the Page had taken the
" Liberty to say in the road, among which were a great number of filthy Expressions. The Dutchess of Burgundy
" was offended, and turning to the Dutchess of **: Is this the Way, Madam, said she to her, you teach
" your Parrot?" The other protested, in great confusion, that it was some new Lesson he had Got, and they found
" out afterwards, that it was the Page had been his Preceptor; and laughed greatly. But those are only little
" momentary pleasures, which we must take as they were for want of better. Adieu till next Month."

End of the Mercury for November 1710.

You see, Madam, I have fulfilled my Commission; I believe this Letter is Long enough, and tis time
to bid you good night. If this first Mercury pleases you, I have another at your Service; but that is all, for
the Bookseller dyed after publishing the Second, and Work dropp'd with him. I am always, Your
most humble Servant &c.

Letter lxxxii. From Paris.

You may say what you will, Madam, that we should not be so much the better for the Death of the Emperor. However
we hope that the Elector of Bavaria will make a terrible Diversion in Germany, and reenter his Estates at the head of an
Army, which the King has given him the Command of; He thinks too of getting the Bann of the Empire taken off, under
which he imagines he was very unjustly put, as well as the Elector of Cologne his Brother. They have written both of them
to the Pope upon it; to desire his Intercession with the other Electors their Brethren, and to engage the Holy Father to enter
into their Interests. They make a Religious affair of it, and say, that if they have not a Voice in Chapter, the Hugue-
not party may happen to become the Strongest in Germany. We shall see what attention the Holy Father will give to
their Remonstrances, and 'tis most sure that if those two Electors enter into their ancient Rights, Charles the Third
will not be as near the Imperial Throne as you imagine; and let the thing turn as it will, we cant but be much the
better for it. For whilst we have a Powerful Army upon the Rhine, the Allies will be obliged to weaken theirs in
Flanders, to Oppose the Duke of Bavaria's Passage, and hinder him from entring his Ancient Estates. So that
on one side or other we shall hold them in play. Besides, we endeavour by our Intrigues to sow Envy and Dis-
cord among the Electors, and while we embroil things within, Our Army will approach the place where the Election
is to be made, and endeavour to trouble it by spreading Terror through the Country: and, in short, if all this does not
succeed, and that ^in spite of wind and Weather, Charles should be elected Emperor, our last refuge is to make our
selves Masters of Spain, whilst he goes to take possession of the Imperial Crown. This, madam, our Politicians
reason; for, for my part, I wait very patiently for destiny to decide it, and have taken no party about it. I am less
Capable too of rejoicing at the Emperor's Death, tho it brought us all the advantages possible; and I blame the Indiscreet
Zeal of some people, that publickly expressed their Joy for it, and made matter of it for thanksgivings. For besides
that Such Sentiments are neither humane nor Christian, tis in some measure putting too much trust in the Arm of
the Flesh, and prescribing Means to God, who has a thousand in his hand to relieve us or sink us, without the
assistance of our feeble Lights, and weak Efforts: So, without Examining the Consequences of this accident. I con
sult nothing but the Sensibility of my heart, which makes me take part in the death of a Prince that had a thousand
good qualities, by the Confession of his Enemies, and whom Heaven and his birth had placed on the Throne of a
Christian Empire.

Nay, I have got such a habit of being concerned for dead folks, that I am very sorry even for the very Book
seller