Memoir of the life of John Law of Lauriston

OF LAURISTON. 79
whom, it appears, he was on very indifferent
terms.
" Supposing I had talents, and that I were
fitter to serve you at this court than ano-
ther, you will be obliged to change your mi-
nister. You may depend on it, this court,
with their fortune, will change their measures ;
and they will desire to have a man here that
they may be either able to gain or impose up-
on. You must henceforth look upon Law as
the first minister, whose daily discourse is, that
he will raise France to a greater height than
ever she was, upon the ruin of England and
Holland. You may easily imagine I shall not
be a minister for his purpose. He is very
much displeased with me already, because I
did not flatter his vanity by putting into Mis-
sisippi. I did not think it became the King's
ambassador to give countenance to such a
thing, or an example to others to withdraw
their effects from England to put them into
the stocks here, which would have been rea-
dily followed by many. I have been in the
wrong to myself to the value of thirty or forty
thousand pounds, which I might very easily
have gained if I had put myself, as others did,