Queen Street, Decr. 22
Lord Eglinton presents his compliments to Mr Boswell, and returns him a great many thanks for being so good as to teach him good breeding.
He did not know he had been upon cerimony with Mr Boswell otherwise he would have done himself the honor to have waited on Mr Boswell sooner.
Lord Eglinton may be mistaken (and submits it to Mr Boswels better judgement) but he always lookd on cerimony to be, certain rules for the conduct of those who had not sence to guide them: and never to be used by a man of true politeness but to keep impertinance at a distance.
As to the message sent Mr Boswel being wrot by his Secretary as he is pleasd to call it, Lord Eglinton begs leave to assure Mr Boswel it was not from want of respect, but as the Duke de Nivernoiz[,]1 the Duke of Kingston &c. &c. generally send messages to him wrot by the Footman or the porter he thought he might venture to send one to Mr Boswell wrot by his Vale de chamber.2
Lord Eglinton sends this by a Servant out of Livery.3
1. Duke de Nivernoiz: Louis-Jules-Barbon Mancini-Mazarini (1716–98), duc de Nivernais, French military leader, poet, historian and diplomat. At this time he was a negotiator on the French side of the peace treaties to end the Seven Years War, and had arrived in London on 12 September as ambassador and plenipotentiary.
2. Vale de chamber: Eglinton’s jocular (but irritated) jab here is that a valet de chambre (manservant and personal attendant) actually ranked lower in a noble household than a personal secretary.
3. a Servant out of Livery: ‘Livery’ was the distinctive clothing or badge worn by the servants of people of rank. A servant who performed duties ‘out of Livery’ had a slightly higher status than those in livery. The point of Eglinton’s jest is that he delivered this note to Boswell himself.