Briefwisseling en aantekeningen. Deel 1

CXXXIV.
Willem Bentinck aan de gravin van Portland.

[B.M., Eg. 1713]

Den Haag, 2 November 1745.

(Ontvangen uw twee brieven met insluitsel van Sis Kent) and Hop's witt³⁾. I could easily forgive him as having no witt, and fancying he has, if I could do him the favour of thinking him otherwise than he is in his post. I know others worse by much than he is. As we have been taken up all this morning with other business, I have not been today at the assembly of States General, and have not seen the speech⁴⁾. The silence about foreign affairs at a time when England is in open warr with

3) Die brieven niet bewaard; vgl. hiervóór, blz. 65.

4) De Engelsche troonrede.

[p. 147]

France and Spain, would alone suffice to open everybody's eyes, if people were not resolved to be blind, and to be led by the nose by those who dare not own the true reasons for their doing so.

I am very glad the Duke is safe arrived in England, but very sorry that Mr. Trevor spoke to him at Helvoetsluis. I cannot tell you my reason for this: but doubt not that those who have seen the inside of the two mails fallen in the hands of the French could easily give you the explication of it¹⁾... The Prince of Orange is come back again from Germany to Loo. I received a letter from him desiring me to go to Loo, where he will give me an account of a great many things he has seen and heard at Francfort and which he tells me it will be very useful for me to know. I shall make use of the first leisure to go there; and shall even quitt other things for it......

1) B. bedoelt dat Trevor zich in die brieven als onvoldoende oorlogsgezind doet kennen.