begin my journey through
Hungary, in spite of the excessive cold, and deep snows, which are
enough to damp a greater courage than I am mistress of. But my
principles of _passive obedience_, carries me through every thing. I
have had my audience of leave of the empress. His imperial majesty
was pleased to be present, when I waited on the reigning empress;
and, after a very obliging conversation, both their imperial
majesties invited me to take Vienna in my road back; but I have no
thoughts of enduring, over again, so great a fatigue. I delivered a
letter from the duchess of Blankenburg. I stayed but a few days at
that court, though her highness pressed me very much to stay; and
when I left her, engaged me to write to her. I wrote you a long
letter from thence, which I hope you have received, though you don't
mention it; but I believe I forgot to tell you one curiosity in all
the German courts, which I cannot forbear taking notice of: All the
princes keep favourite dwarfs. The emperor and empress have two of
these little monsters, as ugly as devils, especially the female; but
they are all bedaubed with diamonds, and stand at her majesty's
elbow, in all public places. The duke of Wolfenbuttle has one, and
the duchess of Blankenburg is not without hers, but indeed the most
proportionable I ever saw. I am told the king of Denmark has so far
improved upon this fashion, that his dwarf is his chief minister. I
can assign no reason for their fondness for these pieces of
deformity, but the opinion all the absolute princes have, that it is
below them to converse with the rest of mankind; and not to be quite
alone, they are forced to seek their companions among the refuse of
human nature, these creatures being the only part of their court
privileged to talk freely to them. I am at present confined to my
chamber by a sore throat; and am really glad of the excuse, to avoid
seeing people, that I love well enough, to be very much mortified
when I think I am going to part with them for ever. 'Tis true, the
Austrians are not commonly the most polite people in the world, nor
the most agreeable. But Vienna is inhabited by all nations, and I
had formed to myself a little society of such as were perfectly to my
own taste. And though the number was not very great, I could never
pick up, in any other place, such a number of reasonable, agreeable
people. We were almost always together, and you know I have ever
been of opinion, t