expresses were
sent from Madrid to London, upon the apprehension that his grace was
received there in the character of an ambassador, upon which the duke
received a summons under the Privy Seal to return home. His behaviour
on this occasion was a sufficient indication that he never designed to
return to England, whilst affairs remained in the same state, and
the administration in the same hands they then were in. This he often
declared from his going abroad the second time, which, no doubt, was
the occasion of his treating that solemn order with so much indignity,
and endeavouring to enflame the Spanish court, not only against the
person who delivered the warrant, but against the court of Great
Britain itself, for exercising an act of power, as he was pleased to
call it, within the jurisdiction of his Catholic Majesty. After this
he acted openly in the service of the Pretender, and appeared at his
court, where he was received with great marks of favour.

While his grace was thus employed abroad, his duchess, who had been
neglected by him, died in England, on the 14th of April 1726, and left
no issue behind her. The lady's death gave the duke no great shock.
He was disencumbered of her and had now an opportunity of mending his
fortune by marriage.

Soon after this, the duke fell violently in love with Mademoiselle
Obern, a beautiful young lady at the Spanish court, who was then one
of the maids of honour to the Queen of Spain. She was daughter of an
Irish colonel in that service, who being dead, her mother lived upon
a pension the King allowed her, so that this lady's fortune consisted
chiefly in her personal accomplishments. Many arguments were used by
their friends on both sides to dissuade them from the marriage. The
Queen of Spain, when the duke asked her consent, represented to him
in the most lively terms, that the consequence of the match would be
misery to both, and absolutely refused her consent.

Having now no hopes of obtaining her, he fell into a violent
melancholy, which introduced a lingering fever, of which he languished
'till he was almost ready to drop into the ground. This circumstance
reaching her Majesty's ear, she was moved with his distress, and sent
him word to endeavour the recovery of his health, and as soon as he
was able to appear abroad, she would speak to him in a more favourable
manner, than at their last interview. The duke upon receiving this
news, imagined it the best way to take the