Letters from Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer to Mr Henry Boyle

These letters from Robert Harley to Henry Boyle include the following topics: return of winter and good company to London; the elections being unremarkable and had there been more time there would have been more changes; his time in the country spent hunting, shooting and fishing; his concealment of the fact he was a member of the last parliament whilst in the country [Herefordshire]; change of the chair from Mr Poley to Sir T.L; the court being sure of the house; any changes in the house likely to be driven by the old members changing opinions (due to general complaints and increasing poverty) rather than new members; his assumption that Henry Boyle has retreated to the country to recover his Greek; news from Calais concerning a battle fought by the Duke of Orleans in which his army lost 8,000 men; Harley's determination to persuade Henry Boyle on a matter to which he objects; the Chancellor of the Exchequer; matters arising as Lord Treasurer such as the D[uke] of Queensberry's arrears of salary and a secret service sum to be paid without setting a precedent.

Harley, Robert 1661 - 1724 [cr.(1711) Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer] DNB: xxiv.399