"There is but one thing that pricks me. That villain John Dormay
has, as he schemed for, obtained possession of my estates, and has
been knighted for his distinguished services to the king. I heard
of this some time since, by a letter from one of our Jacobite
friends to whom I wrote, asking for news. He says that the new
knight has no great cause for enjoyment in his dignity and
possessions, because, not only do the Jacobite gentry turn their
backs upon him, when they meet him in the town, but the better
class of Whigs hold altogether aloof from him, regarding his
elevation, at the expense of his wife's kinsman, to be disgraceful,
although of course they have no idea of the evil plot by which he
brought about my ruin. There is great pity expressed for his wife,
who has not once stirred beyond the grounds at Lynnwood since he
took her there, and who is, they say, a shadow of her former self.
Ciceley, he hears, is well. That cub of a son is in London, and
there are reports that he is very wild, and puts his father to much
cost. As to the man himself, they say he is surrounded by the
lowest knaves, and it is rumoured that he has taken to drink for
want of better company. It is some comfort to me to think that,
although the villain has my estates, he is getting no enjoyment out
of them.
Pages:
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188