I did not tell you what gave me a more than common horror of being shown civilities.  Elvas being the frontier town in Portugal, I was told to ask for a letter to the Governor, that my baggage might not be stopped. This happened to be a brother of old Mello’s, who was in England many years, and much at my father's house before you were born. Besides giving me a letter, he chose by way of a fine thing to write to the Governor his brother, who chose to order that I should be received with the honours of war. Some miles from the town I met a guard of thirty horsemen who escorted me, and I came into the town, drums beating, trumpets sounding, and cannon firing (it is literally true) […]