uthor of these valuable performances, and everybody is at liberty
to bestow the laurel as they please."

Pope was furious, and there is a story that he invited Curll to drink
wine with him at a coffee-house, and put in his glass some poison that
acted as an emetic. What is certain is that the poet wrote a pamphlet
with the title, "A full and true Account of a horrid and barbarous
Revenge by Poison on the body of Edmund Curll."

The three pieces in _Court Poems_ were claimed by Lady Mary as her own,
but this claim was disputed. Pope declared himself the author of "The
Basset Table," and it was printed among his works, and he asserted that
"'The Toilet' is almost wholly Gay's," there being "only five or six
lines in it by that lady." "The Toilet" is included in his collected
edition of Gay's poems.

The whole matter is best explained by that sound student of the
eighteenth century, "George Paston," who suggests that the truth seems
to be that the verses were handed round in manuscript to be read and
corrected by the writer's literary friends, and therefore they owe
something to the different hands. "George Paston" goes on to say: "Lady
Mary was not unaware of the danger of this proceeding, for Richardson
the painter relates that on one occasion she showed Pope a copy of her
verses in which she intended to make some trifling alterations, but
refused his help, saying, 'No, Pope, no touching, for then whatever is
good for anything will pass for yours, and the rest for mine.'"

CHAPTER VIII

THE EMBASSY TO THE PORTE--I (1716)

Montagu loses his place at the Treasury--His antagonism against
Walpole--Lady Mary, "Dolly" Walpole, and Molly Skerritt--The Earl and
Countess of Mar leave England--Montagu appointed Ambassador to the
Porte--Leaves England for Constantinople, accompanied by his
wife--Letters during the Embassy to Constantinople--Rotterdam--Vienna--
Lady Mary at Court--Her gown--Her interest in clothes--Viennese
society--Gallantry--Lady Mary's experience--Count Tarrocco--Precedence
at Vienna--A nunnery--The Montagus visit the German Courts--A dangerous
drive--Prince Frederick (afterwards Prince of Wales)--Herrenhausen.

Edward Wortley Montagu did not long hold office. Lord Halifax, First
Lord of the Treasury in the Townshend Administration, died in May, 1715,
when his place was taken by Lord Carlisle, who, however, held it only
until the following October. Carlisle was succeeded by Sir Robert
Walpole, p