I would receive no favour from the Court, had no hope of fixing me to his measures by any offers he could make. Nor yet had he had reason to know I was averse to the preliminaries, on which I had kept silent. The truth was, I had been civilly treated on the King’s accession, and had so much disliked Newcastle and Hardwicke, that few men were better pleased than myself to see a new administration; and had not the standard of Prerogative been hoisted, and disgrace brought on this triumphant country, I should probably have remained a satisfied spectator. Yet was I not so steeled by the glories of the war as to be insensible to the yearnings of humanity; and therefore, ignominious as the articles were, my conscience would not suffer me to speak against a treaty that would stop such effusion of blood. Sentiments, I confess, most heroic: yet I blush not to own that they divided my sensations, and forbad my voting _against_ the preliminaries, though I was too much an Englishman to vote _for_ them, and accordingly left the House before the putting of the question. As doubtless I did not trust Fox with this situation of my breast, nor made my court on his new dignity, he concluded I was in the number of the disapprovers. Direct offers, or direct threats, would be vain: but to put me in mind of my dependence on my nephew, by whose interest I was chosen into Parliament,[264] and which dependence Fox ought to have remembered I had braved[265] for his sake; or of my dependence on the Treasury, which could hurt me severely[266] by stopping the payments of my place in the Treasury; he wrote me the following letter:-- Nov. 21, 1762. DEAR SIR, As soon as I heard that the Parks,[267] which Lord Ashburnham had quitted, were worth 2200_l._ a year (as they certainly are), I thought such an income might, if not prevent, at least procrastinate your nephew’s ruin.[268] I find nobody knows his Lordship’s[269] thoughts on the present state of politics. Perhaps he has none. Now, are you willing, and are you the proper person, to tell Lord Orford that I will do my best to procure this employment for him, if I can soon learn that he desires it? If he does choose it, I doubt not of his and his friend Boone’s[270] hearty assistance, and believe I shall see you too, much oftener in the House of Commons. This is offering you a bribe, but ’tis such a one as one honest good-natured man may without offence offer to another. If you undertake this, do it immediately, and have attention to my part in it, which is delicate. If you do not undertake it, let me know your thoughts of the proposal, whether I had better drop it entirely, or put it into other hands, and whose. You’ll believe me when I tell you that goodness of heart has as much share in this to the full as policy. Yours ever, H. FOX.