Letters to His Son 1756-58 | Page 8

the side
of those who opposed the popular Militia Bill; and now it appears so
with a vengeance, in almost every county in England, by the tumults
and insurrections of the people, who swear that they will not be enlisted.
That silly scheme must therefore be dropped, as quietly as may be.
Now that I have told you all that I know, and almost all that I think, I
wish you a good supper and a good-night.

LETTER CCVIII
BLACKHEATH, September 30, 1757
MY DEAR FRIEND: I have so little to do, that I am surprised how I
can find time to write to you so often. Do not stare at the seeming
paradox; for it is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less
time one finds to do it in. One yawns, one procrastinates, one can do it
when one will, and therefore one seldom does it at all; whereas those
who have a great deal of business, must (to use a vulgar expression)
buckle to it; and then they always find time enough to do it in. I hope
your own experience has by this time convinced you of this truth.
I received your last of the 8th. It is now quite over with a very great
man, who will still be a very great man, though a very unfortunate one.
He has qualities of the mind that put him above the reach of these
misfortunes; and if reduced, as perhaps he may, to the 'marche' of
Brandenburg, he will always find in himself the comfort, and with all

the world the credit, of a philosopher, a legislator, a patron, and a
professor of arts and sciences. He will only lose the fame of a
conqueror; a cruel fame, that arises from the destruction of the human
species. Could it be any satisfaction to him to know, I could tell him,
that he is at this time the most popular man in this kingdom; the whole
nation being enraged at that neutrality which hastens and completes his
ruin. Between you and me, the King was not less enraged at it himself,
when he saw the terms of it; and it affected his health more than all that
had happened before. Indeed it seems to me a voluntary concession of
the very worst that could have happened in the worst event. We now
begin to think that our great and secret expedition is intended for
Martinico and St. Domingo; if that be true, and we succeed in the
attempt, we shall recover, and the French lose, one of the most valuable
branches of commerce--I mean sugar. The French now supply all the
foreign markets in Europe with that commodity; we only supply
ourselves with it. This would make us some amends for our ill luck, or
ill conduct in North America; where Lord Loudon, with twelve
thousand men, thought himself no match for the French with but seven;
and Admiral Holborne, with seventeen ships of the line, declined
attacking the French, because they had eighteen, and a greater weight
of METAL, according to the new sea-phrase, which was unknown to
Blake. I hear that letters have been sent to both with very severe
reprimands. I am told, and I believe it is true, that we are negotiating
with the Corsican, I will not say rebels, but asserters of their natural
rights; to receive them, and whatever form of government they think fit
to establish, under our protection, upon condition of their delivering up
to us Port Ajaccio; which may be made so strong and so good a one, as
to be a full equivalent for the loss of Port Mahon. This is, in my mind, a
very good scheme; for though the Corsicans are a parcel of cruel and
perfidious rascals, they will in this case be tied down to us by their own
interest and their own danger; a solid security with knaves, though none
with fools. His Royal Highness the Duke is hourly expected here: his
arrival will make some bustle; for I believe it is certain that he is
resolved to make a push at the Duke of N., Pitt and Co.; but it will be
ineffectual, if they continue to agree, as, to my CERTAIN
KNOWLEDGE, they do at present. This parliament is theirs, 'caetera
quis nescit'?

Now that I have told you all that I know or have heard, of public
matters, let us talk of private ones that more nearly and immediately
concern us. Admit me to your fire-side, in your little room; and as you
would converse with me there, write to me for the future from thence.
Are you completely 'nippe' yet? Have you formed what the world calls
connections? that is, a certain number of acquaintances