" I verily believe, that, in the whole history of our European
wars, there never was such a compliment paid from the sovereign of one
state to a great chief of another. Not one ambassador from any one of
those powers who pretend to live in amity with this kingdom took the
least notice of that unheard-of declaration; nor will Great Britain,
till she is known with certainty to be true to her own dignity, find any
one disposed to feel for the indignities that are offered to her. To say
the truth, those miserable creatures were all silent under the insults
that were offered to themselves. They pocketed their epigrams, as
ambassadors formerly took the gold boxes and miniature pictures set in
diamonds presented them by sovereigns at whose courts they had resided.
It is to be presumed that by the next post they faithfully and promptly
transmitted to their masters the honors they had received. I can easily
conceive the epigram which will be presented to Lord Auckland, or to the
Duke of Bedford, as hereafter, according to circumstances, they may
happen to represent this kingdom. Few can have so little imagination as
not readily to conceive the nature of the boxes of epigrammatic lozenges
that will be presented to them.
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