Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 3. (of 3) Abridged and Fully Illustrated

Agnes Strickland'S Queens Of England

Abridged

By Rosalie Kaufman

Vol. III. (Of III)

Fully Illustrated

Boston

Estes & Lauriat

1882

Note.

In presenting this last volume of Queens of England to our readers, we are glad to say that we have been permitted to carry the story through the entire history of that country, from the Conquest to the present day. We present a more complete, although less extended account than is given in any volume or series of volumes now before the public. We feel sure that the interest has been continued unabated from the beginning, and that not only pleasure but real profit will be derived from a careful perusal of every page of these three volumes. It is true that some eminent names and many noteworthy events have been sacrificed; but nothing has been omitted which has been requisite for the comprehension of events which have depended upon them. Those who follow carefully the story of these famous characters, will find suggestions which will prompt them to independent inquiry and landmarks which will indicate a more elaborate and complete course of study.

List Of Illustrations.

Sebastopol...........................................Frontispiece

India.........................................................014

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes,............................017

Zell..........................................................025

Sophia Dorothea of Zell.......................................033

The Bower.....................................................039

George I......................................................053

Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach.......................061

Lady Walpole's Reception......................................069

Sir Robert Walpole............................................083

George II.....................................................101

Kensington Palace.............................................115

Landing of George II..........................................121

Stoke Pogis Church............................................125

The Ivy Tower.................................................127

Charlotte Sophia..............................................137

William Pitt..................................................145

Garrick's Villa...............................................153

George III....................................................157

Cedar from Kew Gardens........................................163

Carlton House.................................................173

Pox...........................................................175

William Pitt the Younger......................................183

What a Little Place you Occupy................................195

Caroline of Brunswick.........................................205

Cowley's House................................................217

Country-scat..................................................223

View from Richmond Hill.......................................229

Hampton Court.................................................237

George IV.....................................................245

The Grotto....................................................231

Warwick Castle................................................259

Kensington Gardens............................................269

Caroline Refused Admittance to Westminster Abbey..............277

Adelaide Louisa...............................................281

O'Connell Haranguing the People...............................287

Lafayette.....................................................303

Queen Victoria................................................311

Victoria at the age of Eight..................................318

Marshal Soult.................................................325

The Youthful Queen............................................328

Street in Coburg..............................................335

Sir Robert Peel...............................................345

Houses of Parliament..........................................357

Beethoven's House at Bonn.....................................365

Castle of Coburg..............................................369

Lord John Russell.............................................373

Orleans House.................................................376

Drawing-room at Balmoral......................................379

Scene in Ireland..............................................385

Duke of Wellington............................................395

Lord Aberdeen.................................................403

Custom-House, Dublin..........................................408

Charge of the Light Brigade...................................413

Park of St. Cloud.............................................419

Capture of the Malakoff.......................................423

Calcutta......................................................433

Sans-Souci....................................................441

Frankfort-on-the-Main.........................................451

Windsor Castle................................................459

An old Castle on the Thames...................................463

The "San Jacinto" stopping the "Trent"........................465

Queen Victoria................................................473

Stories Of The Lives Of The Queens Of England.

Compiled From Agnes Strickland, For Young People, By Rosalie Kaufman {014}

[Illustration: 0020]

The Queens Of England. {015}

Chapter I. Sophia Dorothea Of Zell, Wife Of George I.

(A.D. 1666-1726.)

|When the Edict of Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV., of which mention has been made in a previous reign, persecutions that equalled the never-to-be-forgotten St. Bartholomew, followed, and being spread over a longer period, affected a larger number of victims. This Edict had permitted to Protestants the free observance of their religion so long that when it was repealed it was a cruel blow, though perhaps a triumph to Roman Catholics. Those faithful adherents to Protestantism who refused to become converts were executed or imprisoned; but thousands escaped and fled, leaving their property to be confiscated to the crown, while they sought refuge, strangers in a strange land, with poverty staring them in the face. Those were times when horrors unspeakable were of daily occurrence. Armed bodies of dragoons went from town to town in France, barbarously butchering the terror-stricken men, women, and children, who had failed to confess and receive the sacrament according to the mode prescribed by the king; while thousands hastened at the point of the sword to do so, pretending, in order to escape massacre, that {016}they had suddenly awakened to the error of their former ways.

When the report of these conversions--if we may so call the cowardice that compelled myriads to take false oaths out of sheer desperation--was carried to the willingly-duped King of France, he raised his eyes to Heaven, amazed at the miracle, which he pronounced, in the presence of his fawning courtiers, more wonderful than many of those recounted in Scripture. But he knew as well as his bishops did, that "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."

We have said that some of the Protestants escaped their persecutors; among the number of these lucky beings was Alexander D'Esmiers, Marquis D'Olbreuse, a gallant gentleman of Poictiers, who, with his daughter, Eleanora, sought refuge in Brussels. It was not long before this beautiful, accomplished French girl was introduced into the gay society of that gay city, where she was courted and admired by many of the beaux, and no doubt envied and criticized by the belles.

[[A.D. 1665.]] It was at a grand court ball that this young girl first became acquainted with Duke George William, second son of George, Duke of Brunswick-Lunebourg, and heir to the dukedom of Zell. The duke fell violently in love, for the first time in his life, though he had been a traveller for some years, and was noted for his gallantry among the ladies with whom he had flirted in various parts of the world. With the awakening of this sentiment, George William, who had been rather a taciturn man, became eloquent in his love-pleadings; he had never cared to study, but a sudden desire to perfect himself in the French language took hold of him, and he begged the beautiful Eleanora to assist him with the intricacies of her native tongue. She consented, and throughout the bright,

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[Illustration: 0023]

{019}warm summer days, this youthful teacher and pupil were seen strolling together in the park, or seated, books in hand, beneath the shade of some wide-spreading tree, industriously pursuing their studies.

But of all the verbs in the language, the one which most interested this pair was _aimer_, "to love," and they learned to conjugate its various moods and tenses, which led, in their regular course, at last, to marriage. This took place in the autumn of 1665, when Eleanora was twenty-six years of age. Her title then became Lady Von Harburg, from an estate so called, belonging to the duke.

This union proved a most happy one; for, with mutual affection, confidence, and respect, the duke and his wife held their little court free from the intrigues and anxieties that ruffled the peace and happiness of most of the more important ones of their day. The only fault that her subjects ever found with the high-minded, estimable Lady Von Harburg was, that she surrounded herself with French attendants; but it is no wonder she preferred to do so, if we consider that she was always regarded by the jealous Germans as an intruder, even though she had united her interest with theirs by marrying one of their countrymen. So long as her husband approved of her choice of attendants, Eleanora heeded not the railings of the envious; but occupied her mind and time with wholesome, sensible pursuits.

[[A.D. 1666.]] Her first child, the subject of this history, was born on the fifteenth of September, 1666. She was named Sophia Dorothea, which means, Wisdom, the gift of God, and she needed an unusual amount of this endowment, when she became a woman, to support her under the miserable trials a cruel husband laid upon her. But we must not tell about that yet. As a child, Sophia Dorothea was a source of delight to her fond parents, and filled {020}their home with sunshine and happiness. Alas! if they could have looked into the future, sooner would they have laid their little darling in the grave than see her live to drag out a weary existence to its bitter end. Perhaps it is well that they could not, for they had three other children that died in infancy; and consolation for their loss was always to be found in the possession of their charming, interesting, constantly improving little Sophia Dorothea.

Under all her trials, the mother proved herself a true woman, and so increased her husband's respect and esteem for her that he became anxious to have her title equal to his own; for, at the time of their marriage, there had been some complications that prevented. So he set to work to accomplish this, and after a vast amount of trouble, petitioning, delay and expense, at last succeeded. Then the Lady von Harburg became Countess von Wilhelmsburg and Duchess of Zell. This gratified the duke, though it did not enhance his wife's happiness, for she had been perfectly contented before, and craved no title more lofty than the one she had.

Nothing ever interfered with the care for her little daughter, who was tenderly and religiously trained; and unspoiled by the flattery that would have been showered upon her, had anybody suspected that she was one day to become Queen of England. When Sophia Dorothea was about seven years of age, she had for a playfellow, Philip von Kônigsmark, whose father was a warm personal friend to the duke. Philip was at Zell, at the time of which we speak, for purposes of education, and spent most of his leisure hours with the little girl in the garden of the palace. These two children became very fond of each other, and the gossips about the court shook their heads knowingly as they prophesied a future marriage, in an undertone. But they were false prophets, for a very different fate awaited the two guileless, happy children.

[[A.D. 1673.]] {021}Before Sophia Dorothea had reached the age of ten, Philip was called back to his old home, and for awhile he passes out of our story, although we shall hear more of him some years later. The little girl missed him sadly at first, but other companions were provided for her, and she soon became reconciled to the absence of Philip. She continued her studies, and gave early promise of becoming a handsome, virtuous, accomplished woman. She was an heiress too, and that by no means diminished her attractions. To be sure, her fortune was not large; but fifteen thousand pounds was better than nothing,--at least so thought her cousin, Augustus Frederick, Crown-Prince of Brunswick-Wôlfenbuttel, who sought her hand a few months after the departure of Philip von Konigsmark. Sophia Dorothea was fond of this young kinsman after her child fashion, and so a formal betrothal took place. But Augustus Frederick was a soldier, and according to his ideas of chivalry, he could not claim his lady love until he had distinguished himself on the battle-field; so, filled with courage and hope, he bade farewell to the little girl, and marched to the siege of Philipsburg. He fought valiantly, and, like a true knight, proved himself worthy of the little lady of his choice; but alas! towards the close of the battle, a fatal bullet put an end to his existence. Thus was Sophia Dorothea deprived of a husband whose death affected her only slightly at the time, but whom she learned to regret many years later, and no doubt thought with the poet:--

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: 'It might have been.'"

[[A.D. 1676.]] Now we must leave Sophia Dorothea, and while she is developing into womanhood, tell about people who became closely connected with the vicissitudes of her life after she was deprived of a mother's care.

[[A.D. 1678.]] {022}The Duke of Zell had a brother, older than himself, who was married to Sophia, daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth, the short-lived King and Queen of Bohemia. This Sophia is the electress of Hanover, mentioned in Queen Anne's reign as Protestant heiress to the throne of England through her descent from James I. Ernest Augustus, first Duke of Hanover, husband to this lady, was a pompous, ostentatious man, who took Louis XIV. for his model in life, but in so doing imitated his vices rather than his virtues, and became an unfaithful, neglectful husband to a good woman. But Sophia was a person of rare intellect and common sense, and though not unmindful of the duke's neglect, she managed to forget her wrongs by occupying herself with literary and other pursuits.

Ernest Augustus was almost as much under the influence of a woman as we have seen that Queen Anne was during the early part of her reign; but this one managed more adroitly than did the imperious, hot-headed Duchess of Marlborough, and so retained her position.

[[A.D. 1680.]] Catherine and Elizabeth von Meissengen were two bright, lively, ambitious sisters, who made their appearance at the Court of Hanover, where they excited a great deal of curiosity and interest. Both were handsome, and dressed so well that the German ladies accepted their pretty, tasteful costumes as models for their own, while the gentlemen flocked to the drawing-room of these sisters, who gave entertainments so delightful in their character as to attract young and old, men and women. Even the members of the royal family honored these witty, fascinating ladies with their visits, and so for a time they became the lionesses of Hanover.

We have said that the Von Meissengen ladies were ambitious, and so they were; they had come to court to seek {023}their fortunes, and aimed so high as the heir to the throne himself. But that young man, whose name was George Louis, was not to be won by their wiles, and so in course of time they began to look lower, and succeeded in captivating the private tutors of the Hanover princes. Everybody was astonished when, at the close of a short summer vacation, Catherine von Meissengen reappeared in society as Madame Busche, and her sister Elizabeth as Madame von Platen.

[[A.D. 1681.]] Having secured these learned men for husbands was all very well so far as it went, but Elizabeth immediately began to plan and intrigue until she succeeded in getting her husband appointed prime minister to Ernest Augustus. That made her mistress of the situation, for though Von Platen was not weak-minded, his wife was strong, and not only ruled him but the sovereign besides. We have related so much about this woman, an _intriguante_ of the deepest dye, because it was she who chiefly controlled the destiny of poor Sophia Dorothea.

The routine of the court of Zell continued with little variation from year to year, the monotony being broken only now and then by the arrival of some guest. One of these was Prince Augustus William von Wôlfenbuttel, brother of the soldier who had early courted little Sophia Dorothea, and who lost his life on the battle-field of Philipsburg.

This young man was not rich, but he was handsome, and his position and character were excellent. He owned a small estate, sufficient to insure the comfort of himself and wife as soon as he could find one whom he could fancy, and who would accept him. His choice fell on his cousin, Sophia Dorothea, and he had an eye, too, to her dower, which, though not large, would help to maintain his princely state. So he wooed her, and soon won her heart. But the {024}course of true-love did not run smooth, for the Duke of Zell objected to the match, which of course only served to increase the passion of the lovers. To be sure Sophia Dorothea was a dutiful daughter, and would have yielded to her father's objections had they been reasonable; but he was forced to admit that the lovers were well-suited to each other, and only opposed their marriage because, like many Germans of his day, he was absurdly superstitious. It seemed to him a sacrilege for his daughter to wed the brother of her dead lover, and he did not see how anything but bad luck could result from such a step. So the young girl begged her mother to intercede for her, and the worthy lady proved such a powerful mediator that her husband's consent was finally won.

[[A.D. 1682.]] Even then matters were by no means settled to the satisfaction of the lovers, for Madame von Platen had something to say on the subject. Several times had this female prime minister consulted with Ernest Augustus as to the most advisable manner of disposing of the hand of his son, George Louis, in marriage, providing the proper person could be found. In an evil hour for Sophia Dorothea, the worthy pair decided that greater importance would accrue to the electorate of Hanover by the acquisition of the broad acres of Zell. That was enough; for with Madame von Platen to desire was to have, and no obstacle could stand in the way of anything she had set her heart on. Sophia Dorothea was engaged certainly, but that made no difference; everything, hearts, hopes, happiness, must give way to political ambition. So a regular plot was laid to destroy the bond that existed between Augustus William and his lady-love.

Let us take a look at the young man who was to be substituted for the handsome, noble, brilliant, and fondly loved Augustus William of Wolfenbuttel. At the time of which

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[Illustration: 0031]

{027}we speak, George Louis was twenty-two years of age, undersized, coarse-minded, ungentlemanly, and mean-spirited. He was good-natured, to be sure; and, like all the princes of the House of Brunswick, he was brave on the battle-field, but he had no sympathy with suffering and sorrow, and none of the qualities that are apt to attract a young girl.

He was in England when the powers at Hanover decided to marry him to poor, innocent little Sophia Dorothea, and as ignorant of the plot as she was. On his way thither he had visited William of Orange, to whom he confided the object of his journey. This was to offer his hand and heart to Princess Anne, and it is easy to believe what is generally suspected: that William himself encouraged Madame Von Platen in the intrigues that recalled George Louis and brought about the marriage that caused so much misery. The reason why it is probable that William of Orange would endeavor to prevent a union between George Louis and Princess Anne is, that although his wife was heiress presumptive to the throne, in the event of her death, which, as we know, occurred before his, he would not have been permitted to govern alone had the House of Brunswick been so powerfully represented in England, and to avoid complications, he preferred to have George Louis safely married and settled out of the way.

Meanwhile, with the firm conviction that in William of Orange he had a friend ready to further his cause, George of Hanover arrived in England, and was received as befitted his rank by Charles II., and entertained at Whitehall Palace, where apartments had been prepared for him. Then he was introduced to the Princess Anne; but it is not probable that he made a very favorable impression on her, for she afterwards married Prince George of Denmark, with whom she lived happily until the day of his death. {028}It is certain, however, that George Louis had some hopes of success with Anne, for when he was suddenly and most unexpectedly recalled home, he was dreadfully perplexed. Nevertheless, he obeyed the summons of his royal father without suspecting the cause of it. He must have been somewhat astonished when it was announced to him that he was to transfer his ideas of matrimony from one object to another.

Having made up his mind that an alliance with the House of Zell would be advantageous to that of Hanover, Ernest Augustus found no difficulty in persuading his brother to postpone the marriage of his daughter, Sophia Dorothea, with Augustus of Wôlfenbuttel on the score of her youth, as she was only fifteen years of age, he argued, and too young to become a wife. Anxious as he was to retain possession of his child for another year, the Duke of Zell was only too willing to listen to any argument that would accomplish that object, so he consented to a betrothal only, and postponed the marriage for a year. What reasoning he employed to make the young lovers agree to this arrangement, is not known; but Augustus went off evidently satisfied that the prize he was to get was worth waiting for, and with no suspicion that treachery would deprive him of his lady love.

No sooner was he well out of the way, than Ernest Augustus, Madame Von Platen, and others busied themselves in endeavoring to bring their plot to a climax. Months rolled by, Sophia Dorothea celebrated her sixteenth birthday; George Louis visited her from time to time, but he had made no impression whatever on the young girl, and the series of intrigues concocted by the old heads for the ruin of young hearts would have been utterly worthless had it not been for the active and efficient zeal of one person, who, just when failure seemed {029}imminent, stepped in to prove the worth of her energy and power. That person was Sophia, mother to George Louis, a crafty, designing woman, ambitious as any of her family, who, having seen the advantage to be derived from the marriage of her son with her niece Sophia Dorothea, was determined that it should take place.

She had heard rumors of an engagement with Augustus of Wôlfenbuttel; but that was a matter of small consideration in her eyes, and so long as no marriage had taken place, it was not too late for her son to supplant the favored lover. The great, heavy family coach was therefore ordered to be put in readiness for a journey of about thirty miles, which an ordinary railway train of to-day would make in an hour. But two centuries ago travelling was a more serious matter, and it took the duchess all night to reach the ducal palace of Zell.

The sleepy sentinel was astonished when the lady pushed past him, and, totally regardless of anything like ceremony, breathlessly requested the servants she met in the hall to conduct her at once to the duke. She was told that he was dressing, but would soon come down stairs to see her if she would have the goodness to wait in a' reception-room.

But the lady was too impatient to lose a moment, so mounted the stairs, and bade the groom of the bed-chamber to point out the door of the duke's dressing-room. Without going through the formality of an announcement, or making known her presence by a knock, the duchess unceremoniously pushed open the door, while the scarcely half-dressed duke gazed at the intruder in amazement.

Without deigning to apologize for her abrupt entrance, the sister-in-law bounced herself into a chair, and having remarked that she had come on important business, asked suddenly: "Where is your wife?" The Duke of Zell had {030}not recovered his composure sufficiently to reply, but pointed to the adjoining chamber, through the open door of which a large bed was visible, where, beneath the covers, Duchess Eleanora lay safely ensconced, wondering what could have prompted so early a visit. But although she strained her ears to listen, she was not soon to be gratified; for "Old Sophia," who had begun her interview in French, at once changed to German, when she remembered how imperfectly the Duchess of Zell understood that language.

The less she comprehended of the argument that the wife of Ernest Augustus was so impressively setting forth, the more did she endeavor to catch a word here and there; and when she heard the name of her daughter coupled with that of George Louis again and again, she began to understand as well as though the whole case had been put in her own native tongue.

The Duke of Zell was easily convinced, particularly as he had never favored his daughter's marriage with the brother of her dead lover; and the mother of George Louis eloquently set forth the advantages to be derived from a union between the heir of Hanover and the heiress of Zell, adding the possibility of Sophia Dorothea some day becoming Queen of England. The clever sister-in-law completely dazzled her listener with all the bright hopes she held out, and returned to Hanover after having obtained the Duke of Zell's solemn promise that he would break off his daughter's match with her lover, and bestow her hand upon George Louis.

That morning's work rendered three people miserable,--the loving mother, the young girl, and the lover, whose happiness was sacrificed to increase the territory of one heartless man and to gratify the ambition of another. The duke loved his daughter; but all her prayers, sobs, and entreaties {031}failed to weigh against his sinful ambition. He turned a deaf ear to his wife, too, who assured him that their child detested George Louis, and that he had neither respect nor affection for _her_. It was a pitiable case, for had the people who planned this hateful match set out with no other motive than the breaking of a young girl's heart, and the utter destruction of all her bright hopes, they could not more thoroughly have succeeded.

It would be needless to follow all the arrangements and make-believe courtship that followed the visit of Duchess Sophia, and it would be too painful to recount the sufferings of the poor child of sixteen, who, with her heart filled with the image of the man she had promised to marry, was forced to give her hand to one of the least attractive creatures she had ever beheld.

Suffice it to say that the marriage between George Louis of Hanover and Sophia Dorothea of Zell was celebrated with unusual splendor, on the twenty-first of November; and the Electress Sophia congratulated herself on the success of her undertaking. She had brought about the marriage that was deemed advisable. The bride's toilet was superb, and every detail of the nuptial festivities was carried out with more than ordinary pains; what cared she then, though the tear-stained face of the bride told of her sufferings? She had achieved a triumph, and that was sufficient; for the Electress Sophia was not honorable enough to feel that any wrong had been done to the deserted lover of her niece, and she was never known to hesitate to employ any means, just or otherwise, for the attainment of her ends. Yet she was a woman much admired in society, witty, brilliant in conversation, and handsome. Men of ability were pleased to talk with her, and she was remarkable for her logical style of argument, often coming off victorious in the war of words. Even Leibnitz, the {032}great German philosopher, was proud of her friendship, and often laughingly said of her "that she not only invariably asked _why_, but the _why_ of whys." He meant that she would accept no reason that she did not clearly comprehend. In this respect she is certainly worthy of imitation.

But to return to the little bride. The parting from her mother was a sore trial to both, and one from which the latter never recovered, for she always appeared like a person bowed down beneath the weight of a great sorrow. As for the daughter, she went to Hanover, where for a time she was at least less unhappy than at any future period of her life. Her husband treated her shamefully from the first, but she did not love him enough to be wounded by his neglect, and she found solace in the regard shown her by her father-in-law, Ernest Augustus, who esteemed her very highly.

[[A.D. 1683.]] Another comfort that Sophia Dorothea had in course of time was a little boy, who was born on the thirtieth of October, 1683. He was named George Augustus, and many years later ascended the throne of England as George II. In 1684 a little daughter was added to the family. She was named for her mother, and like her brother ascended a throne, but it was as the wife of a King of Prussia.

[[A.D. 1684.]] She had contrived to win the good opinion of Ernest Augustus as well as his wife, both of whom regarded her as an ornament to their court. They treated her with a great deal of consideration, and no doubt sympathized with her because of the selfish, brutal behavior of their son towards her. But Ernest Augustus was so indiscreet as to praise her on several occasions, and that was more than Madame von Platen could stand. He even went so far as to consult her, and such a proceeding filled the soul of Madame, the prime minister, with hatred.

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[Illustration: 0039]

{035}Not only did she hate Sophia Dorothea, because she was in favor with Ernest Augustus, but for another and a very unjust reason, as it was connected with the Duchess of Zell, and her daughter could not possibly have had any hand in the affair.

One day Ernest Augustus went to make a call at the house of Madame von Platen, as he frequently did; the lady was not at home, but her pretty, bright, rather forward maid was, and in the absence of her mistress set herself out to entertain the old elector. "Use"--that was the name of the girl, and quite an appropriate one--had a remarkable talent for story-telling, and had just completed one of the most brilliant she knew, for the entertainment of her royal listener, who was laughing heartily when Madame von Platen suddenly stood before them. The lady was not more shocked at the elector's lack of dignity than at the servant's audacity. The one she dared not attack, the other she could, and most certainly would, punish forthwith.

However, for the moment she only "looked daggers," and the royal visitor soon took his departure. The next day he went to one of his palaces in the country to spend a few weeks. What Madame von Platen said to her pert handmaid is not recorded; but so great was her influence in Hanover, that during the elector's absence, she had the girl locked up in jail on a charge of scandalous conduct. Poor Use was treated very unkindly while a captive, and at last in obedience to her mistress's order, actually drummed out of the town.

Now one would suppose that the wife of the elector might have interfered to prevent such harsh treatment; but she was too much occupied with her studies to take interest in such matters, and even if she had, she would have found how much greater was Madame von Platen's power than her own. {036}So poor Use found herself outside the city walls, penniless, disgraced, friendless. She wandered through the country until, footsore and hungry, she arrived at the palace of Zell, where, upon being admitted, she frankly related her troubles to the duchess. That lady's sympathy was at once aroused, and although she told the giddy girl that she had done wrong, she could not but own to herself that the punishment for so slight an offence had been very heavy. Therefore, after due consideration and a short consultation with her husband, she gave the girl an asylum and employment in her household.

This was the head and front of the Duchess of Zell's offending, so far as Madame von Platen was concerned, and this was the insult that she resolved to revenge on the head of poor Sophia Dorothea.

[[A.D. 1686.]] George Louis had for a long time been encouraged in his ill-treatment of his wife, not only by the vile Madame von Platen, but by her equally vile sister, Madame von Busche, of whom we have not spoken since her marriage. Her husband had died meanwhile, and it was on the occasion of her second marriage with General Wreyke that the two sisters had arranged to complete the unhappiness of Sophia Dorothea. Previously they had invited a certain young lady to their fêtes, and presented her to George Louis, with the understanding that she was to captivate him, and as she had not much wit but a great deal of shrewdness and some skill as a flatterer, there was little doubt that she would succeed. This girl was so tall that she was called the "Maypole," and she had a very long name--it was Ermengarda Melusina von Schulem-berg. She courted and cajoled George Louis until he really began to believe that he could not exist without her.

It was a curious state of morals when a prince could unite himself by what was called a left-hand marriage to {037}two or three women after he had one wife, as if it could possibly make any actual difference on which hand the wedding-ring was placed. Yet, so it was with George Louis, who was just on the eve of contracting a left-hand marriage with Ermengarda, when Madame von Busche celebrated her second nuptials. This ceremony took place at the house of her sister, Madame von Platen; Sophia Dorothea was invited, and it was all arranged that as soon as she entered the drawing-room, George Louis was to open the ball with Ermengarda, whose intimacy was to be made so clear to the injured wife that she could not misunderstand.

But there were too many in the secret, Sophia Dorothea got wind of it and remained at home, though she sent her lady of honor, the Countess von Knesebeck, to make her apologies on the score of illness. It need scarcely be said that this lady reported all that happened at the ball, and that the neglected wife was not less miserable because she had not been an eye-witness to it.

Before we can tell more about her it is necessary to speak of others whose lives were connected with hers, and we will begin with her playmate of early days, Philip von Kônigsmark.

After his departure from Zell he lived with various members of his family, travelled about with them, and returned at intervals to reside with his mother, who lived to witness the many misfortunes that overtook her children. Charles John was Philip's older brother, and often visited at the Court of England, where his brilliant qualities rendered him a welcome guest. In course of time Philip joined him in that country, and was placed at college to complete his education. Leaving him there, Charles John visited at the various courts of Europe, where he excited the admiration of the women and the envy of the men. At the age of twenty-two he joined an expedition against Tangier, {038}distinguished himself on the battle-field, and return to to England a hero.

This young man was, like his brother, a beauty, but he was also a worthless, wicked scoundrel. He did not excel Philip in crime, however, for he was one of the greatest scamps of the seventeenth century, and the two brothers assassinated Tom Thynne of Longleat, one Sunday evening when he was riding along in his carriage, though the poor man had given them no provocation. This was in 1682, and the dreadful deed created great excitement for a time. Philip von Kônigsmark managed to make his escape, but the bolder Charles John pleaded his own cause before a jury and was acquitted, only because he was in favor at court, while his assistants were executed. He knew that a stigma rested on his name, but he was too barefaced to care for that. "Tut," he said, "it will all be wiped out by some dazzling action in war," and so he went to France and joined a regiment, and during the next few years he was frequently heard of on the various battle-fields. The blot on the name of Kônigsmark remained, but Charles John was sent out of the world by a bullet that put an end to his existence in 1686 when he was in the service of the Venetians.

Now let us see what became of Philip. Shortly after the murder of Thynne he arrived in Hanover, where he was soon appointed to the post of Colonel of the Guards. He was considered the handsomest and richest colonel in the army, and displayed exquisite taste in his dress and his equipages. With wonderfully fascinating manners, a good education, ready wit, and considerable experience, he made himself agreeable to a great variety of people. Among those was his old friend and playfellow, Sophia Dorothea, and it is not at all unnatural that she should have been pleased to see him. But Madame von Platen was in love with him,

[[A.D. 1690.]] One day the princess had been walking in the garden when she met her little boy, George Augustus, {039}herself, and jealously watched every interview he had with the wife of George Louis, with the intention of making mischief.

[Illustration: 0045]

{040}and taking him from his attendant, began to mount the stairs which led to her own apartments, with the child in her arms. When half-way up she met Philip Konigsmark, who seeing that the lady's burden was heavier than she could bear, gallantly took the future King of England from his mother's arms and bore him to the door of her apartments. After exchanging a few commonplace remarks he returned the child and departed, but not before Madame von Platen had seen enough to form a groundwork for her plot. She ran, without a moment's delay, to Ernest Augustus, and made out a long story, the result of which was a scolding for Sophia Dorothea, though she could not see that it was deserved, for she had done no harm.

At another time Madame von Platen managed to make George Louis find a glove that had his wife's initials embroidered on it, in a bower from which he had seen Philip hastily take his departure; but the wicked woman did not tell him that it was she who had been there with the young man, or that she had previously procured the glove on purpose to excite his suspicion against his wife. Everything that Sophia Dorothea did was distorted to such a degree that little by little the hatred of the once friendly Ernest Augustus and his wife was aroused against her. No doubt she often acted imprudently, but certainly her husband was to blame for neglecting her as he did. At last driven to desperation by the angry glances and unkind remarks of those who had been friendly, she began secretly to make plans with Philip von Konigsmark for her escape to Paris. This led to a correspondence, and Philip, who was vain as he was bad, boasted among his friends of the confidence reposed in him by Sophia Dorothea.

[[A.D. 1693.]] The Duke of Zell had been duly informed that his daughter was obstinate, disrespectful to the elector, undutiful as a wife and mother. Inquiry among her enemies {041}only served to confirm the report, and, to his eternal shame be it said, the father turned against his child. Not so the mother: she knew the disposition of Sophia Dorothea too well to credit the dreadful charges brought against her, and longed to take her back home and shield her from all harm. The young woman was permitted at last to make a visit to Zell, where she would gladly have remained, but although George Louis had almost strangled her to death in a fit of temper, just before she left Hanover, her father insisted that she should return, and in order to insure obedience, attacked her in her most tender point. He told her that unless she went back at once to her husband, she should be deprived of her children; then she no longer asked to remain.

[[A.D. 1694.]] Philip von Konigsmark had been on a visit to Dresden, but returned to Hanover shortly after Sophia Dorothea got back there. He was surprised one day at receiving a note signed by her, requesting him to come to her room. He obeyed without suspecting that the note had been forged by Madame von Platen. The lady-of-honor admitted him, as much surprised as was her mistress, the visit being made at rather an unseemly hour. Sophia Dorothea remarked upon it, whereupon Philip produced the note which the lady at once declared she had not written. Of course he should immediately have taken his departure, but Sophia Dorothea began to talk about her domestic troubles and the unkind treatment to which she had been subjected even at Zell, whereupon Philip advised her to run away, and so these two talked on, in the presence of the lady-of-honor, for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, Madame von Platen was by no means idle. She had her own reasons for hating Philip von Konigsmark, which need not be recounted, but that she really did hate him intensely, her conduct proves only too clearly. She {042}had watched him until she was sure of his whereabouts, then rushed to the old elector with a tale that she embellished and adorned, until she got permission to have Philip arrested and locked up. To nothing else would the old man consent, for he really believed no harm of his daughter-in-law, but thinking that he would not lose this opportunity of teaching the young gallant a lesson that he would not soon forget, he gave Madame von Platen a written warrant for his arrest, playfully adding as he did so: "I know that although you seem to be so angry with Kônigsmark, he is too handsome a man to receive ill-treatment at your hands."

Truly has a well-known English writer said: "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned." Madame von Platen verified this in the desperate means she employed to bring down her victim. Armed with the warrant bearing the elector's signature, she proceeded to the soldiers' quarters and demanded a guard of four or five men to do something that she would explain to them. She led them to the Hall of Knights, through which Kônigsmark was obliged to pass, when he left the princess's apartment, and there, after bribing each man with a handful of gold pieces, gave her instructions.

They were to arrest a criminal whose person was minutely described, and he was on no account to be permitted to escape. If he used violence he was to be slain on the spot, and the men were not only provided with weapons for that purpose, but several bottles of wine to enable them to "screw their courage to the sticking-place." They promised to obey, and Madame von Platen left them.

In the Hall of Knights was one of those enormous white porcelain stoves, reaching from the floor to the ceiling, that every one who has visited Germany must have seen. Behind this the soldiers ensconced themselves. Just as the tower {043}clock struck twelve, Kônigsmark approached, unsuspicious of danger, and had just passed the stove when he was seized from behind. He drew his sword and tried to defend himself, but what chance had one man against four well-armed ones? After a little skirmishing, a powerful stroke from an old-fashioned battle-axe, in the hands of one of the guards, felled him to the floor. With his last breath the wounded man faintly said, "Spare the innocent princess," and expired.

The matter was hushed up, and no one, excepting those engaged in the crime, knew what had become of the handsome, accomplished Philip von Kônigsmark. Some years later his body was found under the floor of one of the rooms just off the hall in which the murder took place.

Of course Sophia Dorothea was kept in ignorance of the assassination. She was depending upon Kônigsmark to complete the arrangements for her escape to Paris, and wondered what could have become of him. She asked no questions, and would have received no satisfaction if she had done so; for those who knew would have given her no information, and those who were not in the secret wondered almost as much as she did. Suddenly suspense gave place to alarm when she heard that all the papers belonging to the murdered man had been seized and carried to the elector for examination. Her notes regarding her intended escape were, of course, among them. No wonder she was alarmed!

Madame von Platen read these notes with the elector, and so interpreted the most trifling sentences as to give them a false meaning,--it required no uncommon ingenuity to do that,--and von Platen it was who informed Sophia Dorothea of the death of her friend Philip, though not the manner of it. She was shocked and grieved, and naturally turned to Mademoiselle von Knesebeck, the only friend left to her, for consolation. {044}This lady-in-waiting was so much disposed to defend her mistress, whom she loved, that it was deemed desirable that she should be put out of the way; so she was arrested and locked up in the Castle of Schwartzfeld, in the Hartz Mountains, where she remained for several years. At last she escaped through the roof in a manner that appeared so miraculous to the governor of the jail that he declared some of the demons of the adjacent mountains had spirited her off.

Sophia Dorothea's one desire was to get away from Hanover, where she knew that she was surrounded by enemies and spies ready to misconstrue every action. At last, after a great deal of persuasion on her part, she was permitted to withdraw to Lauenau, but not to take her children with her. This was a sad deprivation to the poor young mother, and it almost broke her heart to part with the little ones, whom she feared she should never more behold; but go she would, for she had too much spirit to remain in a place where she was daily subjected to the most shameful insults.

After her departure a kind of a court, composed of church and state officers, was formed to patch up a reconciliation between George Louis and his wife. They did not accuse the princess of any dreadful crimes, but of incompatibility of temper and little failings of character. One would think that the husband and wife might have settled such differences without the interference of a council of wise-acres. So they might if they loved and respected each other, but, unfortunately, such had never been the case.

Well, the lawyers waited on Sophia Dorothea by twos and threes, and tried all the arguments they could devise to make her own that she was wrong, and to show her how a dutiful, obedient wife ought to behave. But {045}unlike Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin, she would not confess faults that she had not committed. All the learned men of the court could make no impression on the young woman, who felt that she had been shamefully, wickedly wronged and neglected. Her husband was a bad man, and nobody knew it better than she did; and all the lecturing, coaxing, and manoeuvring of those who visited Sophia Dorothea at Lauenau could bring from her no reply but this: "If I am guilty I am unworthy of the prince. If I am innocent he is unworthy of me." She was right, and they could only admire the dignity and purity of character that prompted such an answer.

Nevertheless, before the end of the year sentence of divorce was pronounced, on the plea of incompatibility of temper, and George Louis was considered quite an injured individual. By way of consolation all the property of his wife was transferred to him in trust for his children; and with an annual pension of about ten thousand thalers, the princess was condemned to close captivity in the castle of Ahlden, near Zell, with a retinue of domestics who were to act as spies on her actions, and a body of armed jailers to see that she did not escape.

Henry VIII. would have made shorter work of this matter, and simply have chopped off his wife's head when he was tired of her; but George Louis preferred to keep his shut up in a lonely castle for thirty-two years. It is a question which was the more merciful, but certain it is, that all Germany was scandalized at the decree of the court.

To such persecutions had Sophia Dorothea been subjected in Hanover that she probably felt the truth of the verse which begins thus:--

"Stone walls do not a prison make,

Nor iron bars a cage--"

for she entered upon her imprisonment with a certain {046}sense of calmness and repose in contrast to the weeks and months of misery, excitement, and despair that she had endured.

[[A.D. 1699]]. Thenceforth she was known as the Princess of Ahlden, though she was the only person deprived of liberty in the place. She had a little court, and held her levees, which were attended by the officers of the town, the clergy, the nobility, and gentry. All treated her with great respect. For the first few years her captivity was not very irksome, but after the escape of Mademoiselle Knesebeck she was never allowed to walk in the gardens of the castle without a guard, or to drive through the neighboring woods without an armed mounted escort. Certain parts of the castle were even forbidden to her; and so much importance was attached to this point that, on one occasion when a fire broke out in the portion of the building where her apartments were situated, she ran to the entrance of a certain gallery, where she stood in fear and trembling, with her jewel-box in her hand, until permission from the proper authorities was obtained for her to advance.

Time did not hang so heavily on the hands of the Princess of Ahlden as one might suppose, for every hour had its occupation. She superintended her estate, overlooked, the work of each of her servants, and gave personal instructions to them, kept a diary of her thoughts and actions, wrote a number of letters, and devoted much time to charity. She was the Lady Bountiful of the district, and spent half her income in supplying the wants of the poor.

There was a church in the village in a very dilapidated condition when Sophia Dorothea went to Ahlden. She put it in thorough repair, had it handsomely decorated, and supplied it with an organ; but no sooner was it all in order than a chaplain was provided for her household, and she was forbidden to attend the place of worship that she had {047}felt such pleasure in fitting up. This was a serious disappointment, but by no means the greatest of her trials; for she was not permitted to see any of her relations,--only an occasional open letter was allowed to pass between her and her mother, and she heard no more of her children than if they had been dead and buried. The prince and princess were forbidden to mention their mother or to think of her, and were threatened with severe punishment if ever they did so.

In course of time the heart of the old elector warmed towards the lonely prisoner of Ahlden, and he wrote her several letters; her father did likewise, but he was a weak-hearted, weak-minded man who was easily frightened into silence by certain ominous threats. He consoled himself by making a will in which he bequeathed money, jewels, and lands to his only daughter, and then left her to her fate.

[[A.D. 1700.]] There was great rejoicing at Hanover when the English Parliament fixed upon the Electress Sophia as successor to Queen Anne. The deputation that went from England to announce the welcome news was received by the highest officials, lodged in the finest palace in Hanover, and entertained in the most sumptuous manner, entirely at the expense of George Louis. Grand balls and feasts were given in their honor, and they went back home loaded with rare and costly presents.

[[A.D. 1705.]] A few years later Parliament passed an act naturalizing the Princess Sophia and her family, and this made George Louis an Englishman. Shortly after Hanover was in danger on account of the approach of the French army, and then for a brief period the captive of Ahlden was permitted to visit her parents at Zell. They wanted to keep her with them always, and she begged to be allowed to stay, but was refused. Her father had {048}treated her so affectionately during this visit at his castle that his death, which occurred a few months after her return to Ahlden, was a severe grief to her. An occasional interview with her mother was always a solace to the prisoner, but any appeal for a sight of her children was sternly refused. That was a bitter sorrow.

Prince George Augustus had been commanded to forget his mother, but he did not obey; and one day, when he was hunting in the neighborhood of her prison, he resolved to visit her, and brave the anger of his father and the government. So he put spurs to his horse and galloped full speed toward Ahlden. His attendants were astonished, but soon suspected his intention and followed him. He went flying over the fields; but two of his followers, who were better mounted than he was, overtook him at the outskirts of the wood not far from the castle of Ahlden, and after a great deal of coaxing and argument persuaded him to go back home. Probably he was closely watched after that, for he does not seem to have made another attempt to see his mother. It is to be hoped she never knew how near he was to her that day, when a swifter steed might have been the means of adding a ray of bright sunshine to her sad and lonely existence. What would she not have given to gaze upon her boy and press him to her heart? We wonder how even her enemies could have denied her that comfort.

George Augustus was not shut up in a prison for disobedience; but, with the hope of turning his thoughts away from his mother, a wife was provided for him. Although his father had been so unfortunate as to marry a woman he never loved, he did not take the precaution to insure a better fate for his son. But we will consider his case hereafter. For the present, it is only necessary to say that he was married to Caroline, daughter of John Frederick, {049}Margrave of Anspach,--a bright, lively, clever girl, the same age as himself.

The little court of Hanover was very gay that year, particularly when the marriage of George Augustus was followed by that of his sister, who became the wife of Frederick William, Crown Prince of Prussia. But the young Sophia Dorothea had little happiness afterwards; for her husband was a cruel brute, who governed his wife and children with a word and a blow,--the-blow generally coming first. This couple made a bridal tour to Brussels, where they remained for several days awaiting an invitation from Queen Anne to visit her in England; but they waited in vain, for her majesty took no notice of them whatever.

There existed at that time a strong party in England desirous that the Electress of Hanover should visit them; but she preferred to stay where she was and enjoy her books, cards, and philosophical studies with the learned Leibnitz, until she should be summoned as queen. This suited Queen Anne precisely, for she wanted no representative of the House of Hanover in her dominion. She feared the effect of their presence upon her subjects, and so used every effort in her power to keep them away. Although Sophia did not desire to go to England herself just then she was very much distressed because her son, who had been created Duke of Cambridge, was prevented from taking his seat in the House of Peers. The old lady often said that she cared not when she died, if on her tomb could be recorded that "she was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland." Queen Anne was very much offended when she heard these words, and it was to appease her anger that Tom D'Urfey wrote the verse, given in the last reign, for which he was rewarded with fifty pounds.

[[A.D 1714.]] The tomb of Electress Sophia never bore {050}the record she sighed for, because on the 10th of June, 1714, she died, quite suddenly. The old lady had been walking in her garden for an hour, when a shower of rain came up, and she quickened her speed to get to a place of shelter. One of her attendants, observing that she was out of breath, warned her that she was exerting herself too much. "I believe I am," she replied, with a gasp, as she dropped to the earth. Those were the last words she ever uttered, for all efforts failed to restore her to consciousness.

Meanwhile Sophia Dorothea remained at her castle of Ahlden, forgotten excepting by her son-in-law, who wrote her numerous and most dutiful letters, until he succeeded in securing the inheritance of all her property for his wife beyond the shadow of a doubt. No sooner was that accomplished than he not only ceased to write, but put a stop to all communications of any sort between the mother and daughter. Thus was the prisoner, who had not seen her child for many years, deprived of the poor satisfaction of even an occasional letter from her. The daughter had managed once, with the assistance of a confederate, to convey a portrait of herself to the Princess of Ahlden, at another time a watch, then some little trinket, accompanied by a letter containing words of affection and hope; but the tyrant of a husband, Frederick William, found it out, and of course put a stop to it.

Queen Anne's death occurred shortly after that of the Electress Sophia, and the different political parties waited for her last breath, each ready to proclaim a different successor; but while the Jacobites hesitated, the Whigs were prompt to act, and the proclamation of George I. took place in the presence of a vast concourse of people.

The news was carried to the imprisoned wife by one who, while professing to be her friend, was acting as a spy. Again, {051}it is said, was an attempt made at reconciliation on the part of George Louis; but his injured wife repeated as before: "If I am guilty I am not worthy of him; if I am innocent he is not worthy of me." Even with the prospect of going to England as queen Sophia Dorothea could not descend to her husband's level, and she never landed on the shores of that country of which she was sovereign only in name.

As soon as George I. was proclaimed, a fleet was sent to convey him to England, and he leisurely began his preparations for the voyage. Meanwhile the Pretender implored Louis XIV. to publicly acknowledge _him_ King of England, but that sovereign was under certain engagements with the House of Hanover which prevented; and so the son of James II. was deprived of his last chance, small as it was, in the accession.

There was great excitement in London when, on the 5th of September, it was announced that George I. had arrived at the Hague. He had wept when taking leave of his Hanoverian subjects, who were really fond of him, and showed no anxiety to get to his new realm. However, he arrived at Greenwich on the 18th of September, and various officials waited on him at once. Some of them were very much disgusted at the new sovereign's discourtesy, and left him with a secret wish that the Pretender were in his place. However, it was too late to lament, so those who had received the worst treatment revenged themselves by making fun of the ugly German women who accompanied George. Among these were Ermengarda, the left-hand wife, called the Maypole, because she was so tall and lank; Madame Kielmansegge, daughter of Madame von Platen, called the elephant, because she was so fat and coarse, and their retinues.

The Londoners had been so heavily taxed on account of {052}the dishonesty of certain public officers that so large a train of followers as George took over with him created some dissatisfaction; and once, when Madame Kielmansegge was driving out in grand style, a crowd hooted at her, whereupon she leaned out of the carriage window and said in broken English, "Vordy folks! Vy you abuse us? Ve come here for all your goots."

"Oh, yes," roared a man in the crowd, "and for our chattels, too." There was truth in the remark, for the populace groaned beneath the weight of taxation necessary to support King George's household.

Well, George I. made his public entry into London with as much splendor as ever attended such an event, and the next day he held a grand reception. His coronation took place on the twentieth of October, and all the lords attended the ceremony. Soon after Ermengarda von Schulemberg was created Duchess of Kendal, and Madame Kielmansegge was raised to the rank of Countess of Darlington.

[[A.D. 1715.]] There were riots at Bristol and elsewhere on the night of the king's coronation, and political excitement ran high the following spring, when three of Queen Anne's late ministers were accused of high treason. The Duke of Marlborough made a grand triumphal entry into London, attended by thousands of gentlemen on horseback, three days after the queen's death. But his sun had set. Thackeray says of him: "Marlborough, the greatest warrior that ever lived, betrayed William III., James II., Queen Anne, England to France, the Elector to the Pretender, the Pretender to the Elector." He was to be trusted no more, though he was elected to some of his former offices.

Let us see how George got along with his new subjects. He began by liking neither them nor their manners.

{053}

[Illustration: 0059]

{055}"This is a strange country," he said. "The first morning after my arrival at St. James's, I looked out of the window and saw a park with walks, a canal, and so forth, which they told me were mine. The next day Lord Chetwynd, the ranger of _my_ park, sent me a fine brace of carp out of _my_ canal, and I was told that I must give five guineas to Lord Chetwynd's servant for bringing me my own carp, out of my own canal, in my own park."

George I. showed uncommon prudence in his management of public affairs. He always seemed to regard himself merely as a lodger at St. James's, who might be turned out at any time, and who was therefore determined to make the best of his brief stay there. He chose to be away from England as much as possible, but when obliged to be there passed all his time with his German followers, and never even took the trouble to learn the language of the country he ruled. His aim was to lead a quiet, peaceable sort of life, and leave England to itself. He made no parade of royalty, was not hypocritical nor lofty, cared nothing for art, and studied economy. He was good-natured, too, as this story, related by Horace Walpole, goes to prove:--On one of King George's journeys to Hanover his coach broke down, and he was obliged to send for assistance to a castle near by, owned by a German nobleman of some note. The possessor begged his majesty to do him the honor of accepting a dinner at his house while the necessary repairs were being made to the coach. While waiting for the dinner to be served the host led the royal guest to his picture gallery, where he had a fine collection of paintings formed in several tours through Italy. Suddenly the king stepped before the full length portrait of a young man in the robes and regalia of a sovereign of Great Britain; he asked whom it represented. The nobleman colored, and replied with an air of embarrassment that it {056}was the Chevalier de St. George, or the Pretender, as he was usually called, whose acquaintance he had made when in Italy, and who had done him the honor of sending him that picture. "Upon my word, it is very like the family!" exclaimed the king and moved on, thus relieving the host from his awkward position.

This anecdote shows that he bore no ill-will to the unfortunate Stuarts, and he was generous in excusing those who evinced attachment for them.

At the first masquerade he attended as king, a lady in domino approached and asked him to drink a glass of wine with her at a side table; he assented, and, filling two glasses, the lady handed him one, saying, "Here's to the Pretender's health."

"I drink with all my heart to the health of every unfortunate prince," replied King George, with a smile.

He was not so merciful after the failure of the Scotch rebellion, for executions were of daily occurrence, and those who were spared perished miserably in prison. The wearing of oak-branches,--a Stuart emblem,--was considered an insult to the government, and two soldiers were whipped almost to death in Hyde Park for appearing with them on the twenty-ninth of May, in memory of the Restoration; while others were actually shot down for wearing white-rose badges, which they refused to surrender.

[[A.D. 1717.]] The Princess of Wales had gone to London with her daughters shortly after the accession of George I., and lived at St. James's Palace. Three years later she had a son, who was christened George William. The king and the Duke of Newcastle were godfathers, and the Duchess of St. Albans was godmother. But we must relate an incident that occurred at the time this ceremony was performed. The Prince of Wales wanted his uncle, the Duke of York, to be sponsor for his boy with the king. {057}George I. said that the Duke of Newcastle should share the office with him, and peremptorily insisted that it should be so. The prince was forced to yield, though he hated the duke, who always treated him with studied neglect. Just after the christening had been performed, the prince crossed the room, and, shaking his finger in the face of the Duke of Newcastle, said, "You are a rascal, and I shall find a time to be revenged." The king understood this to mean a challenge to fight, so placed his son under arrest, but soon released him, and turned him and the princess out of the palace, though their three daughters lived with him until he died.

Not only did George I. banish his son from his palace, but forbade all those who visited at the court of the Prince and Princess of Wales ever to come into his presence. The fact is that he had never loved his son since he had made the attempt to visit his mother when he was hunting in the neighborhood of Ahlden; and it has been asserted that he at one time thought of having the prince captured and sent off to America, without letting it be known what had become of him.

[[A.D. 1720.]] One of the most remarkable circumstances of the reign of George I. was the formation and bursting of a gigantic speculation known as the South-Sea Company, that being the name of the organization by which the scheme was manipulated. As in all such cases, a few people realized immense fortunes by the sudden rise of the stock,--that is, those who were in the secret of the plot and knew when to sell. In a few months thousands of victims were reduced to a deplorable state of misery and ruin by the decline of the stock, which, was much more rapid than the rise had been.

The king was in Germany when this catastrophe happened; but he was summoned to England to discuss with {058}his ministers some means for quelling the disturbance it had caused. A committee from the House of Commons was appointed to investigate the affair. They pronounced it the most villanous fraud that had ever been contrived for the ruin of a nation. Many members of parliament were implicated in the disastrous affair, and the profits of the South-Sea Company were found to amount to thirteen millions of pounds. It was many years before the country recovered from the dreadful effects of this unparalleled swindle.

It was not only the officials who cheated; this propensity extended to the menials also. Once a Hanoverian cook complained in person to the king that all his assistants helped themselves so freely they left him no chance whatever. He was honest, he declared, but such was not the case with any other servant in the royal household. "Embezzlement is rife in the kitchen in despite all I can do," he said. "When the dishes are brought from your majesty's table, one steals a fowl, another a pig, a third a joint of meat, another a pie, and so on till there is nothing left." George, who saw that the trouble lay in the fact of there being nothing left to steal, answered, "I can put up with these things; and my advice to you is, to go and steal like the rest, and to remember to take enough." This was very bad advice, for the fellow became an accomplished thief, though probably if he had not inclined in that direction he would not have taken his master at his word.

[[A.D. 1726.]] And now we have only to record the death of the poor prisoner of Ahlden, after a captivity of more than thirty years. She had been ill for a long time, and became worse as the hopes she had entertained of escape gradually grew fainter. Through the long weary years she had been a model of patience, mildness, and dignity, and she died asserting her innocence, commending {059}herself to God, mentioning her children with tenderness, and pardoning her oppressors.

[[A.D. 1727.]] Six months later King George I. set out for Hanover, and by the end of a week he was dead. He had landed in Holland and travelled quickly through the country, eating heartily wherever he stopped, and taking no heed of the violent pains that frequently attacked him after doing so. As he approached Osnaburg he became worse, and fell forward in his carriage, saying to his attendant, "I am a dead man!" He was carried to Osnaburg in an unconscious state, and died there on the eleventh of June, 1727, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. He was buried at Hanover.

He had once promised the Duchess of Kendal that if it were possible for the departed to return to this world, he would visit her after his death. So when a large black raven flew in at that lady's window at Isleworth, she was so convinced that it was the soul of the departed monarch that she treated the bird with great tenderness and respect.

{060}

Chapter II. Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea, Wife Of George II.

(A.D. 1683-1737.)

|Caroline of Anspach, whose name appears in full in the heading of this reign, was a highly accomplished young lady. This was due partly to her excellent training and careful education, and partly to her naturally quick, inquiring mind; for she learned easily, seldom forgot anything worth remembering, and was a good judge of books and people. She loved philosophical studies, yet she was not at all pedantic. She was lively, witty, an excellent conversationist, and spoke several languages fluently.

Her father died when she was still a child, and her mother marrying again not long afterwards, the young girl went to live with her guardians, the King and Queen of Prussia. This queen was the sister of George I., and daughter of Sophia Charlotte, Electress of Bradenburg, mentioned in the last reign. Caroline was fortunate in falling into the hands of so good and sensible a lady, to whom she was indebted for the formation of certain traits that made her remarkable when she grew to womanhood.

Caroline was born in the year 1683, and spent her childhood at the court of Berlin, where she pursued her studies with little interruption. When she was about twenty-one years of age an embassy was sent from Lisbon to demand her hand in marriage for King Charles of Spain, who had seen her a short time before. Religion prevented this

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{063}union; for Charles was a Catholic, and the Princess of Anspach refused him on that account. Even the prospect of filling so lofty a position as that of Queen of Spain was not so dazzling as to tempt her to renounce her Protestant faith.

[[A.D. 1705.]] Shortly after she became the wife of the Electoral Prince of Hanover, and then it was said that heaven had especially reserved her to make Great Britain happy. But that was looking ahead, for she did not become queen until many years had elapsed.

[[A.D. 1715.]] Caroline went to England, as Princess of Wales, a little while after her father-in-law, George I., ascended the throne. Her two daughters, Anne and Caroline Elizabeth, accompanied her; but the only son she had at that time, whose name was Frederick Louis, remained in Germany. We shall have more to say about these children as well as those that were born in England, hereafter.

George I. never loved his son, the Prince of Wales, and always designated the princess as "that she-devil." This was because she was high-spirited and had a will of her own; not that she was disrespectful, but George was unamiable, and had little respect for women, particularly for those who possessed brains.

[[A.D. 1717.]] When the Prince and Princess of Wales were ordered to withdraw from St. James's Palace, they established a home of their own at Leicester House, where their court was noted for its brilliancy. It was made up of the most promising men and the prettiest and liveliest women of the day. The apartments of the bed-chamber ladies became the resort of the noted wits and beaux, who would congregate of an evening for conversation and all sorts of gay amusements.

Among these were Lord Chesterfield, Lord Scarborough, Lord Hervey, Charles Churchill, and many others. The {064}principal ladies were Lady Hervey, Lady Walpole, Mrs. Selwyn, Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Clayton, and Miss Bellenden. Three of these must each have a separate paragraph in order to introduce them properly; and, as they will appeal (at least two of them) frequently throughout this reign, they ought to be known.

To begin then with the liveliest, most beautiful, most charming,--Miss Bellenden. She was one of the maids-of-honor, and such a fascinating creature that the Prince of Wales was early attracted towards her, and very much inclined to flirt. Perhaps he dreamed of a left-hand marriage, but the lady did not, and saw nothing to admire in the fair-haired little prince. It was Colonel John Campbell who won her heart and married her, without ever consulting the Prince of Wales, who was so indignant that he never forgave Miss Bellenden. It is probable she never asked to be forgiven, seeing that she had done no wrong.

Mrs. Howard was a daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, a Knight of the Bath. Early in life she married Mr. Howard, who became, by the death of his older brothers, Earl of Suffolk. When this marriage took place the young couple had very little money; and, seeing no chance of improving their fortunes at the court of Queen Anne, they went over to Hanover, where they were kindly welcomed by the Electress Sophia.

Once this pair of adventurers were very anxious to entertain the Hanoverian minister; but how could they do so when they had no money? Mrs. Howard's mother-wit helped them out of the dilemma in this way. It was an era when full-bottomed wigs were worn, each of which cost from twenty to thirty guineas, and often perplexed barbers to know where to turn for all the material they needed. So Mrs. Howard, who had a splendid head of light-brown hair, decided to sell it. The sacrifice enabled her to win {065}the good graces of the minister and his half-dozen secretaries, through the instrumentality of a good dinner, and gratified her ambition by securing for her a position in the Princess of Wales's household. Mrs. Howard was a woman of medium height, well-formed, and extremely fair; her features were regular, and she was generally considered very pretty, though not beautiful. She always dressed with the simplicity that good taste prompts; but the most remarkable feature about her was, that at the age of seventy-nine she was still good-looking, and her eyes still preserved the mild, grave expression that characterized them in her youth. Her husband, who was a gambler and a drunkard, left her as soon as she was fairly established in the royal household.

Mrs. Clayton, another lady of the bed-chamber, was a _protégé_ of the Duchess of Marlborough, through whose influence she obtained her position. She was of humble birth, but married Sir Robert Clayton, one of the managers of the Marlborough estate, in the duke's absence. She was a woman of some accomplishments, ordinary intelligence, and very bad temper, which often led her to make remarks which had better have been left unsaid. Mrs. Howard and she were bitter enemies always, and hated each other intensely. This may have been, in part, owing to the fact that Mrs. Clayton had considerable influence with Caroline, and thereby excited the envy of the other lady. It was her duty to introduce works of merit or petitions for relief. She acted as mediator between Caroline and those who desired favors of any description; consequently, she was flattered on all sides by various classes of people, who were very apt to exaggerate her power when seeking her good offices.

The Princess of Wales desired popularity above all things, and for that reason presided over the round of {066}pleasures, and set the fashions at her court. Every morning she held a reception or drawing-room, as it was called; and on two evenings in the week there was a reunion in her apartments, which gradually increased in dimensions until they became crowded balls, or masquerades. On other evenings the fashionable world attended plays and operas. This gayety was carried on at Leicester House, but for an occasional repose Caroline would retire to Richmond Lodge, her country retreat.

There was one person at court with whom Caroline was frequently at odds. That was Lord Chesterfield, gentleman of the bed-chamber to the prince. Dr. Johnson said of him, "that he was a wit among lords, but a lord among wits." He possessed an uncontrollable desire to turn the princess into ridicule, and some amiable friend early informed her of it. She did not desire to quarrel, because at that period it was her policy to retain as many friends for her husband as possible; but she told Lord Chesterfield, half in jest and half in earnest, that he had better not provoke her, for although he had a witty tongue she had a bitter one, and would pay him back with interest whatever debt he put upon her. The noble lord was not above "fibbing," and declared that he would not presume to ridicule the princess; but no sooner was her back turned than he would mimic her, and make everybody laugh at her expense.

Caroline had, as she said, a bitter tongue, and could say sharp things when she chose, but she knew how to control herself. This is shown by the way she managed her husband, for she ruled in seeming to obey, and he never suspected it. She could even laugh heartily at him without hurting his feelings, for her tact always led her to say something that would excite his laughter at the same time.

When the Prince and Princess of Wales were driven from {067}St. James's Palace by the king; they were not permitted to take their daughters with them, and the son, who was the innocent cause of the quarrel, died three months later. Frederick, their eldest son, was an object of dislike to both parents, and was therefore left in Hanover when they went to England. Frederick was noted as a child for his cunning and his spiteful disposition. He disliked all kinds of study, and made very little progress in consequence. At an early age he drank, gambled, and gave every evidence of having a vicious character. When his governor complained, Caroline, who cared too little for him to correct him properly, said that his were only boy's tricks. "Would to heaven they were no more!" exclaimed the worthy governor, "but in truth they are the tricks of scoundrels."

Though this prince was not allowed to appear in England before his father ascended the throne, a title or two was sent over to him merely to prove that he was not forgotten. Thus he was created Duke of Gloucester, Knight of the Garter, and in 1726 he became Duke of Edinburgh.

[[A.D. 1721]]. In 1721 the Princess of Wales had a son who was christened William Augustus. Later he was created Duke of Cumberland, and was so much more beloved by his parents than Frederick was that they were desirous of securing the throne of England to him, and making over the electorate of Hanover to Frederick, but the law would not permit that exchange.

We must not omit to mention a circumstance of the utmost importance that took place at this period. Lady Mary Wortley Montague had just returned from Constantinople, where she had witnessed inoculation for small-pox, and reported the successful results. Dr. Mead was ordered by the prince to try the experiment on six criminals who had been condemned to death, but whose lives were spared for this purpose. The success was so satis- {068}factory that Caroline ordered her two daughters to be inoculated during the following year. If we recall how this dreadful disease attacked numerous members of the royal family during the previous century, we will understand the blessing of this discovery. But it was reserved for Dr. Jenner to discover vaccination, which he did by a merely accidental observation some years later. This circumstance is so well known that it is unnecessary to relate it.

[[A. D. 1727.]] Now we come to a most important period of this history, when the Princess of Wales becomes Queen of England. It was on the afternoon of June 14, 1727, that Sir Robert Walpole, the prime minister, received intelligence of the death of George I., and hastened to do homage to the new sovereigns, George and Caroline. On that occasion he asked who would be selected to draw up the usual address to the privy council, no doubt thinking it would be himself. George II. named Sir Spenser Compton, speaker of the House of Commons.

That was a polite way of informing Sir Robert that he was dismissed. He was, of course, by no means pleased, but showed no resentment toward his successor, because he was not narrow-minded enough for that; besides, he knew that Sir Spenser was incompetent, and said to a friend who was also turned out of office: "I shall go out; but let me advise you not to go into violent opposition, as we must soon come in again."

The fact is that Sir Robert had very unwisely offended the queen when she was Princess of Wales by speaking of her as "that fat beast, the prince's wife." Nevertheless, he was determined, if possible, to retain his position, and knowing the queen's influence over her husband, it was through her that he decided to manage it. So he ascertained that Sir Spenser Compton intended to propose to

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{071}parliament an allowance of sixty thousand pounds per annum for the queen, and then informed her, through a friend, that if he were retained in office he should make it one hundred thousand pounds.

Caroline was delighted, and intimated that Sir Robert might be sure "the fat beast" had kindly feeling enough towards him to induce her to secure for herself the extra forty thousand pounds; so she hastened to the king, and pointed out to him the advantages of retaining in office so able a man as Sir Robert, and the utter incompetency of Compton.

The king was soon convinced, Sir Robert was reappointed prime minister, and Sir Spenser was made president of the council. Not only did Sir Robert secure the promised sum for the queen, but he persuaded parliament to add a hundred and thirty thousand pounds a year to the king's revenue besides. This made him a most popular officer with the royal couple, of course.

At the queen's first drawing-room, before the office of prime minister had been decided upon, Lady Walpole was among the guests; but as her husband was not supposed to be a candidate for royal favor, nobody made way for her, as they had done on previous occasions, when he occupied his lofty position, and she could not approach her majesty nearer than the third or fourth row. With her usual amiability, Queen Caroline no sooner espied Lady Walpole, than she said, aloud: "Ah, there I am sure I see a friend!" Thereupon the crowd made way for the lady, who declared that, "as she came away, she might have walked over their heads had she pleased."

When George I. died he left a will which he certainly supposed his successor would respect; but he made a mistake; for when Dr. Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury, appeared before the king with the precious document that {072}had been intrusted to him, and prepared himself to hear the instructions contained therein, George II. astonished him by quietly putting the paper in his pocket without looking at it, and then walking out of the room. Afterwards he dropped it into the fire. This was only following the example of his sire, who had treated in like manner the wills of the Duke of Zell and Sophia Dorothea. George I. must have suspected that his son would imitate him in this matter, for he left two copies of his will in Germany, but both were in course of time secured by the son and consigned to the flames, as the original had been.

When George II. ascended the throne he was very popular, being generally regarded as a man of honor and integrity. There is little doubt that had his poor injured mother lived until that time he would have called her to England, for when Lady Suffolk entered the new queen's room, on the day after the king died, she was surprised to see the full-length portrait of a beautiful lady in royal robes, and over the bed in the adjoining apartment a smaller picture of the same person. These Queen Caroline told her were portraits of her husband's mother, that had been kept concealed so long as George I. lived. Who can help regretting that the poor lonely prisoner of Ahlden did not stay on earth long enough to enjoy her son's society and affection? It is certain that he loved her a great deal better than he ever did his father, and very little doubt can be entertained that it was the knowledge of that fact which increased the enmity the old king felt towards his son.

The new sovereigns were duly crowned, and every part of the ceremony was performed on a scale of magnificence that had not been seen for many years.

Although George II. was a small man, with light hair, he presented a very dignified appearance in his royal robes, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole coronation ceremony {073}from beginning to end. At the time of his father's accession he had said to an English nobleman: "I have not one drop of blood in my veins which is not English, and at the service of my father's subjects." He was now to have an opportunity of proving whether he was sincere when he made that popular remark.

Parliament was surprised when, after assuring them that he was determined to secure the civil and religious rights of the people, George II. announced the reappointment of the old ministers, for the opposition party had flattered themselves that they were to have a chance under the new sovereign. Even the Duke of Newcastle, in whose face George had shaken his fist, and whom he had called an "impertinent fool," when William, Duke of Cumberland, was christened, was retained in office.

Of course, Sir Robert Walpole had great influence after he had managed to retain the former officials at their post. He was called the queen's minister; and it was generally understood that she distinguished those whom he favored. He knew the importance of Queen Caroline's confidence, because she was really the ruler of the kingdom. She ruled, but did so with such exquisite tact that her feebleminded lord never suspected it. She never spoke to him about public affairs when any one was present, but if she by chance ventured to do so, when off her guard, a rebuke was sure to follow. She even went so far as to rise and offer to leave the room whenever an interview took place between the king and one of his ministers, and George prided himself upon "being under the control of no woman." He had lost sight of the fact that it was entirely owing to his wife's interference that Walpole had been reinstated. After praising the ability of the minister, the principal argument she had brought forward was that he was rich enough to be honest, and having no private business {074}of his own, he would have more time to devote to that of the government. So George had followed her counsel, as he always did unconsciously, and when speaking to his courtiers with scorn of sovereigns who had been controlled by women he would look about, and, with a pompous air, ask, "Who governs now?" Nobody ventured to enlighten him as to who did not, but one of the wits answered rather roughly on paper,--

"You may strut, dapper George, but 'twill all be in vain;

We know't is Queen Caroline, not you that reign--

You govern no more than Don Philip of Spain.

Then, if you would have us fall down and adore you,

Lock up your fat spouse, as your dad did before you."

Queen Caroline never claimed credit for showing her husband the right course, and she had the rare good sense to see and acknowledge her own errors. Once she formed a design to shut up St. James's Park for some reason, and asked Sir Robert Walpole what it would cost to do it.

"Only a crown, madam," was the reply; whereupon she laughed good-naturedly, and at once abandoned her idea.

George II. had so much respect for his wife's ability, that when he made a visit to Hanover he appointed her regent during his absence. Frederick, Prince of Wales, was in the kingdom at the time; but, as he made no secret of hating both his parents, and favored the party opposed to them in politics, he was not to be trusted. Besides, he had a disgraceful way of finding fault with his father's management of public affairs, and talked loudly of what _he_ would have done in similar circumstances. But he would certainly have governed less well than his mother did, for she gave universal satisfaction. She had the benefit of Sir Robert Walpole's counsel, and understood, as he did, not only how to let well enough alone, but the wisdom of not interfering with parliamentary government, and of keeping the nation at peace with its neighbors. {075}Queen Caroline's mind was not entirely occupied with the affairs of the nation, for she kept up the brilliancy of her court, and was greatly interested in everybody connected with it. She took wicked delight in teasing Mrs. Howard, who was always precise, ladylike, and self-possessed to a degree that must have been provoking at times.

At an early period of the reign she was required to present the basin for the queen to wash her hands, and to do so kneeling. A page brought the pitcher and basin, and placed both upon a table; then it became the duty of the bed-chamber woman to pour water into the basin, place it before the queen, and remain on her knees, close by the stand, while her majesty performed her ablution. Mrs. Howard objected to so humble an office; but we will let Queen Caroline tell of it in her own words: "When I requested Mrs. Howard to bring me the basin, she proceeded to tell me, with her little fierce eyes, and cheeks as red as a beet, that positively she would not do it; to which I made no answer for a moment, then spoke calmly, as I would to a naughty child: 'Yes, my dear Howard, I am sure you will. I know you will. Go,--go; fie! for shame! Go, my good Howard; we will talk of this another time!' Mrs. Howard did come round, and I told her I knew we should be good friends again; but that of all my servants I had least expected such treatment of her."

[[A.D. 1728.]] Queen Caroline also describes a personal interview with Mr. Howard, who wanted to claim his wife, after having left her for several years. He said that he should not hesitate to drag his wife out of her majesty's coach if ever he met her in it. Caroline replied, "Do it if you dare;" though she added, when relating it afterwards, "I was horribly afraid of him all the time I was playing the bully, particularly as I knew him to be brutal, a little mad, and seldom quite sober; so I got as near to the door {076}as possible, fearing that he might take it into his head to pitch me out of the window, which was wide open. Then I resumed my lofty air, and said: 'I would be glad to see any one who would dare to open my coach door and take out one of my servants,' though I knew perfectly well that he might do so if he chose, and nobody could prevent him. Then I told him positively, 'that I would neither force his wife to go to him if she did not wish, nor keep her if she did.' He said he would complain to the king. I told him 'the king had no control over my servants, and he might save himself the trouble, as I was sure the king would give him no answer, but that it was none of his business to concern himself with my family'; and after a good deal more conversation of this sort,--I standing close to the door all the while, to give me courage,--Mr. Howard and I bade each other _good morning_, and he withdrew."

[[A.D. 1731.]] Frederick, Prince of Wales, had joined his parents in England without their desire, and he gave them no pleasure. His vices increased with age to such a degree that his friends could only excuse him by declaring that his intellect was weak. Nevertheless, he won. popularity, and placed himself in course of time at the head of the opposition party. George II. had no more violent or powerful an enemy than this son. It was hoped that, if he could get a good wife, he would improve in his morals, so Sir Charles Hotham was sent to Berlin to negotiate two marriages. One was between the Prince of Wales and the eldest daughter of the King of Prussia; the other between the crown Prince of Prussia and Queen Caroline's second daughter.

Both matches fell through, and so much angry feeling arose that the two monarchs came near fighting a duel to settle the dispute. George was in Hanover at the time, and his royal brother-in-law, the King of Prussia, was at {077}Saltzdahl, near Brunswick. General Sutton was selected to act as second for George, and Colonel Derscheim for Frederick. Meanwhile Borck, who had been ambassador from Prussia to the court of St. James, hastened to Saltzdahl, hoping to be able to put a stop to the disgraceful affair; but the king was in such a fury that he could not be open with him. He therefore pretended to approve of the duel, and offered to be the bearer of the challenge. After that important document had been duly prepared, the king became somewhat calmer, and then Borck ventured to reason with him.

"Sire," he said, "I allow that your majesty's quarrel is not to be terminated any other way than by a duel; but your majesty being just recovered from a most serious illness, and your health not being yet by any means reestablished, a relapse may occur on the day before or perhaps at the very hour of the important meeting; and in that case, what would the world say? How the King of England would boast? What scandalous constructions might be put on the circumstance! What an odious suspicion of your majesty's courage might ensue! Therefore I ask if you do not think it would be better to take no steps in the affair for a fortnight?"

Thus was the king talked into delay; the challenge was not sent, and so the ministers on both sides gained sufficient time to effect a reconciliation.

[[A.D. 1733.]] The English court was soon busy with another marriage,--that of Queen Caroline's eldest daughter, the Princess Anne. This young lady had reached the age of twenty-four, and it was thought high time for her to be married. When she was not more than sixteen Louis XV. proposed for her hand; but, being the representative of a Protestant family, she could not marry him, though she was so proud and ambitious that she was heard to say, {078}"I would die to-morrow to be queen to-day." She never loved her brothers, because she felt that their birth had deprived her of ever ascending the throne, and she often declared that she wished they had never appeared in the world. As she could not become a queen, she decided to descend a step, and accept the hand of the Prince of Orange. She had never seen him, but she was satisfied to know that his was an exalted station. The king and queen opposed the royal suitor because he was lame, his neck was crooked, he was otherwise dreadfully deformed, and he was one of the ugliest men in Europe. George told his daughter this, and added that she must not be deceived by the pictures the ambassadors had brought of him, because, although he was repulsive looking enough in them, they were nevertheless flattering. "I do not care how ugly he may be," she declared. "If he were a Dutch baboon I would marry him." This obstinacy made the king very angry, and he replied with his strong German accent, "Nay, then, have your way, have your way; you will find baboon enough, I promise you."

So the Prince of Orange was accepted, and it is to be hoped he never heard the unkind remarks that the bride's family made behind his back, for the queen always spoke of him as "the animal," and everybody ridiculed him. The arrangements for the marriage could not be completed without application to parliament for a dower. A committee was appointed to provide one, and they resolved to sell lands in the island of St. Christopher to the amount of eighty thousand pounds, and to make over that sum to the king for his eldest daughter. As soon as the bridegroom was informed that this important matter had been settled, he repaired to England, and went direct to Somerset House, which had been prepared for him and his attendants. Princess Anne was not flurried in the least, {079}when she was informed of his arrival. She was playing on the harpsichord at the time, and went on as though nothing unusual had happened. If she felt any curiosity to behold the man she was to marry, she certainly did not betray it, but appeared remarkably indifferent, and proved herself an uncommonly strong-minded young woman.

A few days after his arrival in England the Prince of Orange was attacked with a severe illness, which confined him to his bed for many weeks. During the whole of that time not a single member of the royal family went near him, and it seemed to concern Princess Anne very little to know whether he were well or ill. The prince made no complaint about this shabby treatment, but his attendants did, and all they made by it was being called "Dutch boobies." The marriage was to have taken place before the end of the year, but it had to be postponed until the following March, and during the interval some of the arrangements that had been begun had to be left as they stood, half completed. No one was more annoyed by this postponement than the Duchess of Marlborough, for an enclosed passage way through which the wedding procession was to pass had been built up close to the windows of Marlborough House, and completely darkened the rooms. There it had to stay for four months, and the duchess frequently looked up at the boards, and said: "I do wish the princess would oblige me by taking away her _orange_ chest!"

[[A.D. 1734.]] It was January before the bridegroom was well enough to be removed to Bath, and a couple of months later before his health was entirely restored. At last, on the fourteenth of March, the marriage was solemnized at St. James's Chapel by the Bishop of London.

Everything was conducted with great splendor, and the groom was attired in a complete suit of cloth of gold, in {080}which the royal parents thought he looked more like a baboon than ever. The bride wore a robe of silver tissue, with a train six yards long, which was supported by ten young ladies of noble birth, all dressed in the same gorgeous material. The ceremony took place in the evening, and was succeeded by a grand public banquet, the festivities being kept up until long after midnight. Queen Caroline wept as she walked in the procession through the brilliantly lighted gallery, and observed the deformed bit of humanity that her daughter had accepted for a husband. To be sure Anne was by no means a beauty; but she was a well-developed, fair complexioned, bright-eyed young woman, though perhaps too stout. But the bridegroom's ugliness was extraordinary. If you looked at him from behind he appeared to have no head, and from before, he seemed possessed of neither neck nor legs; besides, there was something disgusting about him which gave the idea of uncleanliness,--a very offensive breath. Strange to say, Anne adored her "monster" after a time, though he never cared particularly about her. She treated him with the utmost consideration and respect, addressed all her remarks to him, and applauded whatever he said. Perhaps she did this to pretend that she was perfectly happy; but certain it is, that the homage she showed her little husband was perfectly absurd.

During the week following the marriage Frederick, Prince of Wales, took it upon himself to show the bridegroom the sights of London; and then it suddenly struck the government that, as he was now son-in-law to the king, he ought to be naturalized. Accordingly, the necessary bill was made out and passed unanimously; but the prince received the announcement that he had become an Englishman with an indifference that proved how little he appreciated the honor. It was much more gratifying to him when he heard that the {081}king had sent a message to the House of Commons that he had settled five thousand pounds a year on Princess Anne for life.

The bride and groom set out for Holland on the tenth of April, and before three months had elapsed Anne was back in England, where she seemed determined to remain. Neither of her parents desired her presence; but they could not prevail upon her to return to her new home until towards the close of the year. Just at that time Queen Caroline dismissed Lady Suffolk from her office of mistress of the robes, and appointed the Countess of Tankerville in her stead.

Prince Frederick was very much displeased with his sister for marrying before he did, but still more so with his father for settling a sum of money on her when he had not been so favored. The great trouble with him was that he was heavily in debt; and, out of the hundred thousand pounds granted to him by parliament, the king allowed him only thirty-six thousand, appropriating the rest himself. No doubt he allowed the prince little or much money, according as he behaved well or ill; and this was certainly humiliating to one of his station.

Her son's conduct was the more painful to Queen Caroline because she was so kind and considerate of others herself. Here is a little anecdote in proof of this. One of the princesses had suffered a lady-in-waiting to stand behind her chair one morning for nearly an hour without the least occasion; the queen observed this lack of consideration, but said nothing at the moment. The same evening the princess was made to stand while reading to her mother until she was well-nigh exhausted; then, after explaining why she had permitted her to remain in that position so long, Queen Caroline added: "You are now, my dear, capable of feeling how improper it is, unnecessarily, {082}to make those who are about you the victims of etiquette." A lesson so taught was not likely to be disregarded.

About this time Queen Caroline's mind was occupied with a matter that caused intense excitement in England. This was Sir Robert Walpole's excise scheme, which can be explained in a few words. After the civil war certain articles, such as beer, ale, cider, tea, coffee, wine, vinegar, tobacco, and sugar, had been subject to duty for the purpose of supplying the government with money. This was not in favor with the populace, because it increased the price of such articles as were taxed, and made the cost of living higher than it had been before. Then certain tradesmen, rather than pay the duty, organized a system of smuggling, which was done with the aid of gangs of armed men, who beat, abused, and even murdered those custom-house officers who insisted on performing their duty. Walpole organized a plan to prevent the smuggling and the recurrence of these outrages. It is not necessary to enter into the details of his scheme, but no sooner was it made public than the agitation became intense. Taxation in any form was regarded in the light of tyranny, and the mob that gathered around the doors of the House of Commons during the fierce debates, which lasted for three weeks, declared that they would not submit to slavery,--for so it appeared to them. Walpole's proposition was not really unreasonable at all, but the populace were driven to madness by pamphlets and ballads distributed among them by those who desired to further their own personal interests in one way or another. Riots threatened on all sides, and even the soldiers, who had got the idea that the minister's excise scheme would raise the price of tobacco, cursed parliament and the administration, and murmurs of treason reached to the very palace walls. Bonfires and illumina-

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tions {085}lighted up the towns, and cockades were worn on which was inscribed, "Liberty, Property, and no Excise." In the city of London the mob hung Sir Robert Walpole and a _fat woman_, meant to represent the queen, in effigy.

Feeling that the government was in danger on his account, the prime minister sought the queen, and offered to surrender his office, but she would not permit him to do so. Both she and the king declared that they would not be so cowardly nor so ungrateful as to part with him at such a crisis. George had often called Walpole hard names, but under his wife's influence he had learned to love the man whom he had several times pronounced "a noble fellow" on being told what a firm stand he had made against the enemies of the government.

Walpole had to withdraw his scheme at last, although he felt sure that it would have been most beneficial to the interest of the nation; and at the next meeting of the parliament, when the question of the tax on tea came up, he declared that he would never again engage in anything that bore the least resemblance to excise. King George revenged himself by having the names of the peers who had opposed his minister read to him, and calling each in turn by some angry epithet. The love that George II. bore towards Walpole, whom he had begun his reign by thoroughly hating, is one of the best proofs of Queen Caroline's power over him; but there are many others besides.

We have seen how much enmity existed between Prince Frederick and the king. On New Year's Day there was a grand levee held at the palace, which the prince attended; not because he desired to show proper respect to his royal parents, but for the purpose of appearing in the light of an ill-used son, if, as was usually the case, the king refused to speak to him. He was not to be gratified in this particular however, for Queen Caroline had persuaded her husband {086}to address Frederick kindly in public, and he complied! The ill-feeling remained, however, and the queen always opposed the settlement of an income on her son, whom she did not hesitate to call an extravagant, unprincipled fool. She thought him good-hearted, but weak, easily led, and obstinate. It was said of him that he was more German than English, but so was his mother, for that matter; and she was ever ready to sacrifice the interests of England to those of her native land. But Walpole was determined to preserve peace, though the king told him daily, "that it was with the sword alone he desired to keep the balance of Europe." This was while France, Spain, and Germany were at war, and George could not bear to be left out of the contest; but towards the end of the year he said: "I have followed your advice, Walpole, in keeping quiet,--contrary often to my own opinion, and sometimes, I have thought, contrary even to my honor; but I am convinced you advised me well." It must not be supposed that George II. spoke English as well as this speech makes him appear to have done, for he never lost his strong German accent as long as he lived.

When the Prince of Orange joined his army Princess Anne went to England on a visit. She was as arrogant as ever, and, like her brother Frederick, despised her father, of whom she too frequently spoke with the utmost disrespect. One evening Lord Hervey was escorting her from the drawing-room to her own apartments;--news of the surrender of Phillipsburg had just been received. The princess was speaking on this subject, and then said: Was there ever anything so unaccountable as the temper of papa? He has been snapping and snubbing every mortal for a week, because he began to think Phillipsburg would be taken; and this very day, that he actually hears it is taken, he is in as good humor as I ever saw him in my life. {087}"To tell you the truth," she added, in French, though it was quite as disrespectful as though uttered in German, "I find that so whimsical, and (_entre nous_) so utterly foolish, that I am more enraged by his good than I was before by his bad humor."

"Perhaps," answered Lord Hervey, "he may be about Phillipsburg as David was about the child, who, whilst it was sick, fasted, lay upon the earth, and covered himself with ashes, but the moment it was dead, got up, shaved his beard, and drank wine."

"Well, it may be like David," said the princess, "but I am sure it is not like Solomon."

Having mentioned Lord Hervey, we must tell how he stood at court. He was a great favorite with Queen Caroline, and, being many years younger than she, he was called "her child, her pupil, her charge." He generally rode by her carriage when she went hunting, on a horse that she had given him, and on such occasions they discussed politics and other matters. Hervey was treated like a pet child, and allowed to say what would have been regarded as impertinence coming from any one else; but Queen Caroline encouraged him by laughing at him, and kept him with her as much as possible. He always sat and talked to her while she ate breakfast, and presumed to give her advice on every conceivable subject, often flatly contradicting her, whereupon she would good naturedly declare that he took such liberties because he knew she could not possibly live without him. It is to the memoirs left by this lord that we are indebted for our knowledge of much of the private life of Queen Caroline. A letter which he addressed to her one summer when he was visiting at some distance in the country will give the best idea of the nature of his position in the royal household. He begins by imagining that he died on the day he left the queen, and proceeds to recount how he serves her in spirit:--{088}"On Monday, whilst you walked, my _shade_ turned on the side of the sun to guard you from its beams.

"On Tuesday morning, at breakfast, I brushed away a fly that was just going to taste your chocolate.

"On Wednesday, in the afternoon, I took off the chilliness of some strawberry-water your majesty was going to drink, as you came in hot from, walking; and at night I hunted a bat out of your bed-chamber, and shut a sash just as you fell asleep, which your majesty had indiscreetly ordered Mrs. Purcel to leave open.

"On Thursday, in the drawing-room, I took the forms and voices of several of my acquaintances, made strange faces, put myself into awkward postures, and talked a good deal of nonsense, whilst your majesty entertained me very gravely, _recommended_ me very graciously, and laughed at me internally very heartily.

"On Friday, being-post day, I proposed to get the best pen in the other world for your majesty's use, and slip it invisibly into your portfolio just as Mr. Shaw was bringing it into your gallery for you to write; and accordingly I went to _Voiture_, and desired him to hand me his pen; but when I told him for whom it was designed, he only laughed at me for a blockhead, and asked me if I had been at court for four years to so little purpose as not to know that your majesty had a much better of your own.

"On Saturday, I went on the shaft of your majesty's chaise to Richmond; as you walked there I went before you, and with an invisible wand I brushed the dew and the worms out of your path all the way, and several times uncrumpled your majesty's stocking.

"Sunday--This very day, at chapel, I did your majesty some service, by tearing six leaves out of the parson's sermon, and shortening his discourse six minutes."

If Queen Caroline's young friend really performed such {089}varied and such important services for her, she must have missed him, indeed, when he was absent from home. He gives an instance, in his memoirs, of how much Queen Caroline endured for the sake of her husband, in these words: "She works harder than any of the court drudges in one respect, for she passes seven or eight hours _tête-à-tête_ with the king every day, generally saying what she does not think, and forced, like a spider, to spin out of her own bowels all the conversation with which the fly is taken."

The queen's health was undoubtedly poor at this time; but in spite of that, after an acute attack of cold and fever, for which she had twice been bled, George insisted on her going from Kensington to London to celebrate his birthday, and made her accompany him to the opera the same night. To be sure, this was not so inconsiderate as it appears; for George II. thought so little of illness himself that he would rise from a sick-bed to hold a levee when he could scarcely keep up his head, and go back as soon as it was over. He did not see why his wife should not sacrifice herself as he did. She came very near swooning on the morning of the birthday drawing-room, and sent one of her attendants to beg the king to retire, saying: "That she was unable to stand any longer;" but, for all that, he obliged her to attend a crowded ball in the evening, and kept her there until after eleven o'clock.

Sir Robert Walpole urged Queen Caroline to take care of herself, assuring her that England would fall into great danger if deprived of her presence, and addressing her as though she was the governing sovereign,--which she was in fact, though not in name.

[[A.D. 1734.]] When the Bishop of Winchester was stricken with apoplexy, Lord Hervey announced it to Hoadly, Bishop of Salisbury, and urged him in the strongest {090}terms to apply for the See, which would surely be vacant within a few days, because the bishop's attack would without doubt prove fatal. Now this promotion had been promised to Hoadly by the king, the queen, and Walpole at various times, and he felt no doubt that he would get it, but Hervey knew better; so he wrote the bishop to apply to the king at once through his "two ears"--the queen and Walpole--and make his request as though it were according to an agreement. Caroline disliked Hoadly, and pronounced his letter indelicate and ill-timed; but he had followed Hervey's instructions so accurately that he got the appointment. When he went to make an acknowledgment of his advancement, the king, who hated him too, treated him with incivility that was at least honest; but Caroline showered congratulations and compliments on him, not one of which was sincere. Walpole did worse, for he hated the man more than either of the sovereigns did; but, leading the new Bishop of Winchester aside, he deceitfully pressed his hand, and with warm congratulations assured him that his elevation was entirely due to the efforts of himself, Sir Robert. The minister was not aware of the part Lord Hervey had played, or he would not have said that, and the bishop did not tell him.

[[A.D. 1735.]] Shortly after this the king set out for Hanover, and Caroline rejoiced at the extra power his absence would give her, but still more at the idea of being relieved from the dreary task of entertaining him for hours at a time. But a few months later he returned, quite suddenly and unexpectedly. The queen and her court had just left the chapel at Kensington on Sunday, October 26, when it was announced that the king was driving up the road. Her majesty went quickly to the gate, with her ladies and gentlemen, to receive her husband, who, after condescendingly permitting her to kiss him, led her up stairs {091}with stately formality. George had returned in a bad humor, which he took no pains to conceal. Besides, he was ill, and very much fatigued from travelling, so he conversed with everybody but the queen, just as though she were to blame for it all. She understood him perfectly, and knew what a trial it always was to him to leave his dear Hanover, where he thought everything and everybody perfection as compared with England. She therefore bore his ill-nature with wonderful patience, which only seemed to increase the king's crossness and brutality.

He found fault with everything Queen Caroline had done in his absence; and, when Lord Hervey ventured to defend her for removing some inferior pictures and statues and replacing them by works of art, he said: "I suppose you assisted the queen with your fine advice when she was pulling my house to pieces and spoiling my furniture. Thank God! at least she has left the walls standing!" He then ordered that several old daubs of paintings should be restored to their places before his departure for London the next day, adding that "otherwise he knew it would not be done at all."

A night's repose did not restore King George's temper. When he made his appearance in the queen's morning-room, she was drinking chocolate with her two daughters, the Princess Amelia and Princess Caroline, while the Duke of Cumberland, her son, stood at her side. Princess Anne had returned to Holland some weeks previously, much to the satisfaction of her parents. The father of the family only stopped in their midst long enough to tell the queen that she was always stuffing; to scold Princess Amelia, who was slightly deaf, for not hearing him; to ridicule Princess Caroline for growing fat, and, finally, to abuse the Duke of Cumberland for standing awkwardly. Then having made himself thoroughly hateful, he requested his wife to go for a walk in the garden. {092}In the evening he was sauntering backwards and forwards in the queen's apartment, while she was engaged with some fancy work. Presently Lord Hervey entered, and the queen laughingly began to tease him about an answer that had just appeared to a book written by his friend, Bishop Hoadly, in which the bishop was rather roughly handled. Before she had half finished what she wanted to say, her ill-natured husband interrupted her, and told her "she was always talking such nonsense about things she did not understand;" and added, "that if it were not for such foolish people loving to talk of these things when they were written, the fools who wrote such nonsense would never think of publishing it." The queen bowed, and said, "Sir, I only wanted to let Lord Hervey know that his friend's book had not met with the general approbation he had pretended."

"A pretty fellow for a friend," said the king, turning to Lord Hervey. "Pray, what is it that charms you in him? His pretty limping gait?" and then he mimicked the bishop's lameness, besides other defects, and wound up by saying: "If the Bishop of Winchester is your friend, all I have to say is, that you have a great puppy, a very dull fellow, and a very great rascal for your friend. He is just the same thing in the church that he is in the government, and as ready to receive the best pay for preaching the Bible, though he does not believe a word of it, as he is to take favor from the crown, though he would be glad to abolish its power." It was dreadful for the king to say such things; for if he did not think Hoadly a proper person to be at the head of the church, he had no business to appoint him. The queen kept smiling and nodding her head all the time he was delivering this most disgraceful, undignified speech, and wishing with all her heart that he would stop. Lord Hervey tried to introduce another topic, but that was unfortunate, {093}and only set his majesty off in a different direction, though he continued to be equally violent and insulting. At last the queen began to talk of the custom of feeing servants in private houses where one happened to be visiting, and said that it had been a great expense to her when she visited in town during the previous summer. "That is your own fault," growled George, "for my father when he went to people's houses in town, never was fool enough to give away his money."

"But I only gave what my chamberlain, Lord Grantham, informed me was customary," meekly replied Caroline. "Oh yes," returned George, "always asking some fool or another what to do; only a fool would ask another fool's advice. Stay at home, as I do; you do not see me running into every puppy's house to see his new chairs and tables, and you need not be poking your nose everywhere, and trotting about wherever you can get bread and butter." Finding that he could not be sufficiently abusive with his broken English,--though we think he was,--George had recourse to German, and poured a torrent of unpronounceable words on the head of the unoffending queen, who kept on with her work, then snuffed the candles, and was taken to task for putting one of them out. Such scenes as this were of frequent occurrence; and the king seemed never so happy as when he was raving like a madman, and making every one near him uncomfortable.

Strange as it may seem, English literature began to rise in this reign from the low state into which it had fallen under George I. Queen Caroline laughed heartily over the "Travels of Gulliver," in which Swift ridiculed statesmen, scholars, and men of every class of society. Pope wrote a satire upon the literature of his time, which he called the "Dunciad." It created a tremendous uproar among men of letters, and he was assailed in all the news- {094}papers for having produced such a work. His personal appearance was ridiculed, too, for he was anything but prepossessing; and he was represented with a perfect likeness of his head and face on the body of a repulsive-looking monkey, with its long, bony arms embracing a huge pile of ponderous volumes. A weekly journal published this:--

A Receipt Against Pope-Ish Poetry.

"Select a wreath of withered bays,

And place it on the brow of Pope;

Then, as reward for stolen lays,

His neck encircle with a rope.

When this is done, his look will show it,

Which he's most like,--a thief or poet."

Besides card-playing and court receptions, there were operas and dramas, and of these the king and his whole court were very fond. We must give an account of a funny scene that took place one night at a theatre. John James Heidegger, was a Swiss, who lived in England and superintended operas and masquerades. He soon amassed a fortune, and made himself very popular by devoting part of it to charity. He lived extravagantly, dressed well, and visited in the best society; but he was so eccentric that he was occasionally made the victim of practical jokes. Once he was invited to an entertainment given by the Duke of Montague, and the wine, of which he drank freely, was drugged so that he soon fell sound asleep. He was then placed upon a bed, and a cast was taken of his face and made into a mask. This was done without Heidegger's being aware of it.

The duke then hired a man just the size of the manager, dressed him the same, put the mask on him, and took him to the next masquerade, when the king, who had been previously apprised of the plot, was to be present. As his {095}majesty entered, Heidegger ordered the orchestra to play "God save the King." No sooner was his back turned than the impostor, imitating his voice and manner, ordered "Charlie over the Water,"--a song that referred to Charles Edward, the Pretender, and ought certainly not to have been played in presence of George. Heidegger was horrified; he raved and swore at the musicians, and made them recommence the loyal tune. A few bars of "God save the King" were no sooner performed than the impostor found an opportunity to again order "Charlie over the Water." The orchestra thought their master must be drunk, but obeyed. By this time the house was in a perfect uproar, and cries of "Shame! shame!" arose from every part of it. The king's officers wanted to kick the musicians out; but the Duke of Cumberland, who was in the secret, restrained them.

Heidegger was beside himself with rage and fright, but he came boldly forward and offered to discharge the band, then and there. The impostor appeared at his side and said, in a plaintive voice, looking toward the king: "Sire, the whole fault lies with that devil in my likeness."

That was too much. Poor Heidegger fairly gasped for breath when he gazed upon his double. He turned pale and stared; astonishment had struck him dumb. At last, thinking that his joke had been carried far enough, the Duke of Montague ordered his man to unmask, and the mystery was explained. Heidegger was in a perfect frenzy; he stamped his feet, retired from the stage, and fell, in a state of exhaustion, into an arm-chair, then commanded his servants to extinguish the lights at once, swearing that he would never again superintend a masquerade until that mask lay crushed to atoms at his feet.

[[A.D. 1735.]] Queen Caroline had made up her mind that the Prince of Wales should marry; so, after gaining {096}the king's consent, she employed Lord Hervey to tell the prince of his intended fate. There was no princess in view; but the queen spoke about the coming marriage just as though there was, purchased clothing for the wedding, and ordered several costly presents for the bride, from various, jewellers. The king was then in Hanover, and so it was arranged that he was to see Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and if he liked her then negotiations for a marriage with the heir-apparent would be begun. He sent a favorable report a few weeks later, and Frederick was told to prepare for the reception of his bride. He received the order with an indifferent sort of resignation, but obeyed. This gratified the queen, because her son had such contradictory qualities that he was never to be counted on. There was nothing either to admire or to hate in him. He was neither great nor vicious, and his behavior was such that although he gained good wishes, no one esteemed him, for he was false and deceitful; and it was suspected that his supremely condescending manners were prompted by a desire for popularity. His heart was bad; his head was weak; and he was unfortunate in having a father who abhorred him, a mother who despised him, sisters who betrayed him, a brother set up against him in public life, and servants who neglected him, and were incapable of being useful to him.

[[A.D. 1736.]] Lord Delawar was sent to demand the hand of Princess Augusta from her brother, the Duke of Saxe-Gotha. As the young lady, who was very bright and pretty, could speak neither English nor French, it was suggested to her mother that it would be well for her to take a few lessons in both languages. But as the Hanoverian family had been on the throne of England for a score of years or more, the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha concluded that all the people there spoke or understood German, and {097}would not bother her child to study two languages that seemed to her not worth the pains spent upon the work.

Prince Frederick showed no desire to seek the lady he was to marry, but dutifully remarked that "whoever his majesty thought a proper match for his son would be agreeable to him"; and the princess submitted joyfully to the custom among the royalty of marrying people they had never seen. She was willing to go to the prince, since he was not gallant enough to travel to Germany to win her, and probably rejoiced at the idea of one day becoming Queen of England. She sailed in the month of April in the royal yacht "William and Mary," and landed at Greenwich on St. George's day, twenty-fifth. The bride was just seventeen years of age, and excited much admiration on account of her graceful, girlish air, her good humor, and tasteful attire.

She was conducted to the Queen's House in the park, where one would naturally suppose that all the royal family would assemble to welcome her; but such was not the case, for there were only the solemn officers of state and ladies-in-waiting to meet her. The people had gathered in crowds to have a look at the princess, and as she sat on the balcony overlooking the park they shouted themselves hoarse in her praise. At last Prince Frederick made his appearance alone, and brought the "compliments of the king, queen, duke, and princesses, who hoped the bride was well." They could scarcely have done less, but certainly might, and ought, to have done more to welcome a young girl who had come to their shores under such circumstances. But she does not seem to have complained, and no doubt contented herself with the belief that she was only submitting to the custom of a strange country.

Greenwich looked very bright and gay on the following {098}day; for the prince and princess dined in public, and a crowd gathered to witness that important ceremony. Then the royal pair drove down to the river, and entered a beautifully decorated barge that awaited them, and were rowed up and down, while horns were blown, guns fired, and bands of music performed on the boats and at different points along the banks of the river. On the next day, which was Tuesday, Frederick awaited his bride, with whom he had fallen in love at first sight, in London. She left Greenwich in one of the royal carriages, alighted at Lambeth, and then crossed over to Whitehall in a boat. Entering one of Queen Caroline's state-chairs, the princess was carried by two stout yeomen to St. James's Palace, where everything was arranged in a tasteful, magnificent manner for her reception. Prince Frederick received his bride as she stepped from the chair, and drawing her to him, pressed her in his arms and gave her two affectionate kisses; then, taking her by the hand, he led her up the grand staircase, and into the presence of a splendid and numerous assemblage of court ladies and gentlemen. She was first presented to the king, who would not permit her to kneel, but, putting his arm around her, kissed her cheek and said a few kind words. Queen Caroline greeted her warmly, and her example was followed by her daughters and the Duke of Cumberland.

The king had grown so impatient at being detained in England for the wedding, when he wanted to get back to his beloved Hanover, that he had declared if they did not make haste with it they would have to dispense with his presence altogether at the ceremony. But he was so well pleased at the appearance and behavior of the young bride that he was completely mollified. She was modest, but at the same time self-possessed to a degree that proved her to be thoroughly well-bred and sensible. In this respect she {099}formed quite a contrast to the young people whose family she was entering, for they squabbled about the most trifling points of etiquette, which proved the littleness of their minds as well as their faulty training. For example, the prince thought that on such an important occasion as that of his marriage, he and his bride should take precedence of others of equal rank, and that his brother and sisters should be satisfied with stools at the dinner-table, while he and Princess Augusta occupied chairs, also that they should be served with somewhat less ceremony and respect. But they absolutely refused to enter the dining-room until the stools had been replaced by chairs as large and luxurious as those intended for the bride and groom, and insisted upon being waited on by their respective servants, who had orders to imitate those of the Prince of Wales in every ceremony used at table. Later in the evening, when coffee was brought around in the drawing-room by Frederick's servants, the Duke of Cumberland and the princesses all declined it, because, as they said, "they were afraid instructions had been given to inflict some disgrace in the manner of handing the beverage had they accepted of any." They certainly did not deserve to partake of the coffee, or anything else that was good, as long as they were so petty and narrow-minded.

On the day after the arrival of the bride at St. James's, there was a grand state-dinner, after which costumes were rearranged, and the marriage ceremony was performed, while several salutes were fired by the artillery at various stages of the proceedings. The bride wore no wig, but had her own hair tastefully dressed and surmounted by a crown studded with diamonds, of which gems she wore a profusion, besides on different parts of her person and dress. Brides and babies ought always to wear white; but a different rule guided the Princess of Wales, whose robe {100}at her wedding ceremony was of crimson velvet, bordered with ermine. A long, full train, that hung from the shoulders, where it was attached by diamond clasps, was supported by four young ladies, who wore silver gauge dresses and diamonds valued at from twenty to thirty thousand pounds each.

The Duke of Cumberland gave the bride away, and the Duke of Grafton and Lord Hervey, lord and vice-chamberlains of the royal household, acted as ushers. All the noble ladies and gentlemen of the court accompanied the bride and groom in procession to the Chapel Royal, where the ceremony was performed by the Lord Bishop of London. At its completion there was a grand flourish of trumpets, and a deafening beating of drums, followed by the music of a brass band, and the thundering of cannon in the park, that announced to Londoners the conclusion of the compact. Then the bridal party proceeded to the king's drawing-room, where his majesty and Queen Caroline were seated on a dais under a richly-draped canopy. The newly-wedded couple walked hand in hand the entire length of the room, and knelt before the royal parents, who solemnly blessed their children.

A grand banquet was served at ten o'clock, and was attended by much gaiety and joviality. Speeches were made, healths were drunk, and everybody seemed happy.

{101}

[Illustration: 0107]

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Chapter III.

|In spite of Sir Robert Walpole's persuasions to the contrary, the king went back to Hanover a week after his son's marriage. Previous to his departure from England he appointed Queen Caroline regent, much to the dissatisfaction of the Prince of Wales; but he went further, for he sent word to the prince that wherever the queen resided _there_ would always be apartments for himself and the princess. In other words, Frederick was to be treated as a sort of a prisoner without the privilege of a separate court of his own. This was most humiliating, and a condition of affairs that naturally led to disobedience and deceit; for when Queen Caroline removed from one residence to another her son would pretend to be making preparations to follow, and then contrive some excuse for not doing so. Once he pleaded illness of the princess, although she was perfectly well, then the queen feigned anxiety and went to visit the make-believe invalid, who received her in a darkened room, and said she was suffering from measles, although the doctors could not be induced to back her up in her lie. The queen went to live at Kensington, as she always did during her husband's absence, and every time she held a council meeting there Frederick contrived to arrive just as the business was concluded. This he did on purpose to annoy his mother, and to show his displeasure at her being regent, when he {104}thought that position ought to have been assigned to him.

It would have been a great deal better for all the members of the royal family if the king had been more contented to remain in England; but he spent months at a time in Hanover, and was only prevented at last from indulging in this amusement by the breaking out of the seven years' war. Everybody expressed his opinion very freely on the subject of King George's love for Germany, and made that the ostensible reason for complaint, no matter what it was really. One day a poor, lean, lame, blind, old horse was turned loose into the streets with a shabby, broken saddle on his back, and a paper fastened to his head, on which was this inscription: "Let nobody stop me: I am the King's Hanover Equipage going to fetch his Majesty to England."

At the Royal Exchange a placard was posted up with this notice: "It is reported that his Hanover Majesty designs to visit his British dominions for three months in the Spring." On the gate of St. James's Palace appeared this advertisement: "Lost or strayed out of this house, a man who has left a wife and six children on the parish; whoever will give any tidings of him to the church wardens of St. James's Parish, so as he maybe got again, shall receive four shillings and sixpence reward.

"N.B. This reward will not be increased, nobody judging him to deserve a crown." There were many more such notices; but we have quoted enough to give an idea of what complaining there was because King George loved Germany, and did not take the pains to conceal it.

During the king's absence Queen Caroline governed, with Walpole for adviser and assistant; but every measure they decided upon was submitted to the Cabinet Council, who were required to sanction and sign each document before it was carried into effect. This was wise management, {105}because the responsibility was thus shared by a number of people, though Walpole acted quite independently. In 1736 the queen had a great deal of trouble as regent, for there were corn-riots in the West, labor-riots in London, because there were so many Irishmen there who were willing to work at cheaper rates than the English, and smugglers on the coasts who were in league with the peasantry. This class of people gave special uneasiness, because whenever they were opposed they cursed the queen, as well as "the foreign prince," as they called the king, and cheered for James III. The disturbance became so great that the guard around Kensington Palace had to be doubled, the person of the queen not being considered safe. A large part of the trouble was due to intoxication, which increased depravity among the lower orders to an alarming degree.

So a bill was introduced before parliament to prohibit the sale of gin. It did little good, however; for the horrid stuff was sold under such names as Sangree, Tom Row, Cuckold's Comfort, Parliament Gin, Make Shift, The Last Shift, Ladies' Delight, King Theodore, Cholic and Gripe Waters. Gin-shops disappeared and gave place to chemists, who had whole rows of bottles labelled, "Take two or three spoonfuls of this four or five times a day, or as often as the fit takes you." When these people were arrested and brought before the courts, they said that apothecary-shops were more in demand than ever before, because the "late act of parliament had caused people to suffer so much from cholic that they had constantly to buy medicine." There were those who informed against others for selling gin, either privately or under a false name, merely for the gratification of some spite, or from a feeling of envy; but when they fell into the hands of the mob they paid dearly for it, for they were beaten, rolled in the dirt, held under a pump, or ducked in the horse-pond or in the Thames. {106}There were disturbances in Scotland, too, the most formidable of which was known as the Porteous riot, because a captain of that name was one of the principal victims of it. Sir Walter Scott has given an excellent and most interesting account of this riot in one of the most popular of his novels. He says that Captain John Porteous was the son of a citizen of Edinburgh, who did all in his power to bring him up to an honest trade; but the boy was so wild and dissipated that at last he was sent to join the army in Holland, with the hope that the discipline would improve his morals. Some years later he returned to his native city, where he was employed by the magistrates to drill the City Guard, because he was supposed to possess military skill. It was not long before he was made captain, and his very name became a terror to all disturbers of the public peace, because he was so harsh and severe. He commanded a corps of a hundred and twenty soldiers, whose duty it was to preserve order, and prevent street robberies and mobs; yet whenever there was a public holiday there was sure to be a skirmish between the City Guard and the rabble of Edinburgh, who really hated them.

Among the smugglers that abounded all along the coast of Scotland was one Andrew Wilson, a man possessed of so much strength, courage, and cunning, that he did not hesitate to conduct the most desperate enterprises. He frequently managed to escape the king's officers; but they watched him so closely that they were able to seize all the wares he smuggled into the country and completely ruined him. He, like many others, could not see the justice of taxation, and looked upon himself as a man deprived of his honest dues, and resolved to get back what he could, in one way or another, from the government. So, hearing that a tax collector had come to the town, with a considerable sum of public money, Wilson decided to seize him and {107}take from him just the amount of which he had been deprived. He associated himself for this purpose with a young man named Robertson and two others, who, after carefully watching the movements of the collector, broke into the house where he lodged, and entered his apartment. As soon as the collector beheld three armed men,--for Robertson, the fourth, kept watch at the house-door,--he suspected that his life was in danger, and jumped out of the window in his night-shirt. The plunderers then helped themselves to two hundred pounds; but no sooner had they made their escape than one of the accomplices gave the alarm; the military were called in, Wilson and Robertson were caught with the money concealed about their persons; both were tried and condemned to death. As public sympathy was always with smugglers, and they were generally regarded by the country people along the coast as brave, worthy traders, this sentence was considered too severe. On the other hand, the act had been so audacious that it was thought proper to make an example of the culprits. When it seemed certain that sentence of death was really to be executed, files and other implements were conveyed secretly to the prisoners to enable them to escape. Thus provided, they cut through a bar of one of the prison windows, and might have got off, had it not been for Wilson's obstinacy. Robertson was a young, slender man, and knew that he could pass through the opening, when he proposed to enlarge it from the outside, to enable Wilson, who was very fat, to pass also. Wilson insisted on going first; but all the pushing and squeezing in the world availed nothing, and the poor man stuck fast half way, without being able to advance or recede. In this plight he was discovered by the jailer, who took the necessary precautions to prevent the recurrence of such an attempt. Robertson did not once reproach his companion; but Wilson {108}was greatly distressed, because he knew that but for him Robertson would not have got into trouble at all, and that he had injured him a second time by not permitting him to pass through the window first, when he might have escaped. So his whole thought was turned towards devising some means for the rescue of the young man, for he cared nothing about his own fate.

Next to the Edinburgh city jail was a church, to which criminals under sentence of death were led by a strong guard on the Sunday previous to their execution. Wilson and Robertson, each between two soldiers of the City Guard, sat in the pew set apart for persons in their unfortunate situation on a certain Sunday, while the officiating clergyman preached an affecting sermon, part of which was ad#-dressed to the prisoners. Robertson wept, but Wilson's countenance bore a look of fixed determination, and his thoughts seemed far away. The congregation glanced towards the two men, but their suspicion was not excited by anything they saw; on the contrary, compassion was aroused, and after the benediction had been pronounced, many lingered to take a last look, as they supposed, at the unfortunate criminals. Suddenly Wilson seized two of the soldiers, one with each hand, called to his companion, "Run, Geordie, run!" threw himself on the third, and fastened his teeth in the collar of his coat. For an instant Robertson was so taken aback that he did not stir, but the cry of "Run, run!" that arose from every part of the church recalled him to himself; so he shook off the grasp of the fourth soldier, jumped over the pew-railing, and disappeared through the church door, the crowd making way for him, and covering his retreat. From that time the practice of taking culprits to church has been discontinued.

Now Wilson was looked upon as a hero, and it was whispered that the mob of Edinburgh, who always favored {109}such offenders, would help him to escape also. Murmurs to this effect reached the ears of the magistrates, who ordered John Porteous to be at the place of execution with the City Guard at the time appointed for Wilson to expiate his crime. This defence not being deemed sufficient, a regular infantry regiment besides was drawn up on the principal streets of the city, to intimidate the people in case they purposed any interference with the officers of justice.

John Porteous became most indignant at this arrangement, for he was jealous of the sound of any drums besides his own within the city limits. He could not vent his ill-humor on the magistrates, but resolved to do so on poor Wilson, whom he ordered to be manacled as soon as he was delivered over to his charge by the prison keeper. This was done to prevent any possibility of escape, but the handcuffs were too small for the wrists of so powerful a man as Wilson, so the captain forced them on with his own hands until they clasped, and tortured the criminal dreadfully. Wilson remonstrated against such barbarity, and declared that the pain distracted his thoughts from their proper course at such a solemn moment.

"It signifies little," replied Captain Porteous; "your pain will soon be at an end."

"Your cruelty is great," answered the sufferer. "You know not how soon you yourself may have occasion to ask the mercy which you are now refusing to a fellow-creature. May God forgive you."

As these words were repeated among the crowd, compassion for Wilson was increased with a proportionate degree of indignation against Porteous, who was much disliked by the common people. When the criminal arrived at the Grass-market, the place of execution, the multitude attempted no violence, and the sentence of the law was fulfilled in due form. {110}No sooner was life extinct than by a sudden impulse, angry murmurs filled the air, which increased to whoops, howls, and yells, while the mob pressed forward and threw stones at Porteous and his men. One young man with a cap slouched over his face jumped upon the scaffold and cut down the body dangling there, while others approached to carry it off. This excited the fury of Captain Porteous, who snatched a musket from one of his soldiers, gave the order to fire, and set the example by shooting a man dead on the spot. Six or seven others were slain, and a great many were wounded. This was an unjustifiable act of violence on the part of a man whose duty it was to preserve peace and order, and he recognized it as such when his rage had subsided.

On his return to the guard-house Porteous dismissed his men, and went to make his report of the day's proceedings to the magistrates, glossing over his own part in them as much as possible. The public indignation was great, and before it had time to cool Captain Porteous was brought up for trial before the High Court of Justiciary. There was so much conflicting evidence that the jury had a long and tedious task; but at the end their verdict was such that the captain was condemned to be hanged on September 8, and all his movable property confiscated to the crown, according to the Scottish law in cases of wilful murder.

On the day appointed for the execution, Grass-market was crowded almost to suffocation, and every window of the surrounding tenement-houses was filled with spectators. Few words were spoken, but there was an expression in men's faces that showed determination as they watched for the approach of the criminal with a feeling of triumphant revenge. Had the captain appeared upon the scaffold some sympathy might have been awakened in his behalf, but the longer the delay the greater became the {111}animosity against him. Among the magistrates and the better class of the Scotch people Porteous had been a favorite officer, for he had proved himself a reliable man in cases of