TALBOT2090

Lacock
Wednesday 1^st December

My dear Mother

Methuen ¹ called today: he is in high glee, at having dispersed an assemblage at Christian Malford by the mere force of his eloquence, one of the mob ² having interrupted his harangue, What! he exclaimed, will you suffer such a fellow as that, to snatch out of my hands the Olive Branch of Peace! . . . . which highsounding words had such an effect on the multitude that they actually took the disturber into custody – Methuen patrols Corsham every evening, & at 11 o’clock supper is laid for forty in his hall so that the whole neighbourhood has become anxious to enlist themselves as “his men.” Bowles, he says, has decamped … could stand it no longer … I wonder whether that is true, for he is very fond of having a fling at Bowles. The masons here have done some mischief to the tomb of Ela; ³ I was very angry with them for not covering it as before with sawdust and planks; had I had the least idea they were going to work in that part of the cloisters, I would have written work about it long ago.

The Poachers ⁴ from Chippenham come in such gangs that Cattle⁵ can’t resist them. The other day they gave his two assistants a beating – The magistrates are too much occupied this winter to try poachers, even if arrested; – I have directed Cattle to kill a great many Pheasants, preferring to have them myself, to letting the Poachers have them: particularly as I expect no shooting party this winter – I sent you 2 and a woodcock yesterday – Wright sent the plate off by the waggon this evening: he booked it, & you will have it on Saturday morning.

Your aff^te Son
Henry Talbot

Ask my sisters ⁶ to write and amuse me.

Lady E. Feilding
31 Sackville S^t
London