191 CHAPTER VII. The King's Unpopularity-His Return-Court Reception on Sunday-The Poet Gay-The Duchess of Queensbury and the King-Dean Swift and her Grace-Her Majesty the Patroness of Poets-The Queen's Illness— 'An Ill that Nobody knows of'—Her Majesty's Farewell-Her Death—The King's Grief-Sir Robert Walpole and 'Moll Skerrett.' MEANWHILE the populace grew more and more dissatisfied at the king's prolonged absence. They said Parliament had given him a greater civil list than any previous monarch had enjoyed, in order that he might spend the money on his German mistress; the citizens complained that his remaining from the capital injured trade because the nobility stayed away likewise, and there was no court. Nothing is talked,' writes Lady Harriet Wentworth to her father, but the people's im patience for the king's arrival. The Prince was at the play two or three nights ago, and the people called out, "Crown him, crown him!" (as they did once before), upon which he went directly out of the house.' On the Royal Exchange a notice was posted stating, It is reported that His Hanoverian Majesty designs to visit his British Dominions for three months in the spring,' whilst on one of the gates of St. James's Palace the following advertisement was found: '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 churchwardens of St. James's Parish, so as he may be got again, shall receive four shillings and sixpence reward. N.B. This reward will not be increased, nobody judging him to deserve a crown.' The whole town in fact was filled with satirical pamphlets and lampoons ridiculing His Sacred Majesty and his new mistress, and abusing him in terms that correspond with the grossness of his conduct. After seven months' absence the king embarked for England; this was the occasion of BACK AT ST. JAMES'S. 193 his home-coming when it was feared he was lost at sea during the storm which overtook and compelled him to return to Helvoetsluys. However, he landed at Lowestoft on Friday the 14th of January, 1737, and, borrowing six horses of Lord Strafford, drove towards London until met by his own coach. He reached town on Saturday morning, unaccompanied by Madame Walmoden, who, at the last hour, had refused to trust herself to the queen's expressed generosity and goodness, preferring to remain in safety at Hanover. On his arrival at St. James's, Her Majesty and all the royal family received him as he alighted, and he greeted them all with great show of affection and delight. With the queen his conduct was as gentle as it had been illhumoured on his former return; he told her no man ever had so faithful and meritorious a wife, or so able a friend; his smiles were all sunshine, his speeches courteous, his manner unusually agreeable, and the poor queen's delight was as great as its cause was unexpected. He assured his minister that he was a great and a good man whom he should always love; this Sir Robert received with a smile, but he after VOL. II. wards said he knew His Majesty loved nobody. The day after his arrival a Drawing-room was held. A Sunday after church all the ladies was to be presented in the great drawing-room,' writes Lady Strafford, and there was a greater crowd than ever I see at a birthday, that the king began at the bottom and only kissed away as fast as he could without saying one word; but when the Duchess of Manchester said, "My Lady Strafford," he made a full stop and said, "My Lady Strafford, I can tell you I left my Lord Strafford in health, and he was so good as to lend me his horses." As soon as the queen could squeeze into the drawing-room (for she never got but a little within the door), Lady Charlotte told me she said to somebody, "Pray is my Lady Strafford here?" so somebody said yes, and pointed to the upper part of the room, where I stood, and the queen called quite out aloud, "My Lady Strafford, come, come to me, for I must speak with you," I was a good while before I could possibly get to her, but begged people's pardon and crowded away as fast as I could. So she said, "My Lady Strafford, I am, as well as the king, prodigiously obliged to my A SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH. 195 Lord Strafford for being so good as to lend the king his horses." So I told her the same speech as I made the king. "I was sure you were extremely happy that you happened to be in the country, if you could be of any service to the king. I wished her joy of His Majesty's safe arrival, and said I was very agreeably waked by the going off of the guns." She said (in quite an easy way)," To tell you the truth, I had the news at four o'clock in the morning, and they told me the king could not be here before ten; so I resolved to go to sleep again, but I found I couldn't for my life, so I got up at seven." I think I never see so much joy in any face as in the queen's, and she said to me, "You have put on your best clothes, so have I, in respect to the king." They dined in public, and they say there was a vast crowd. I was sorry to hear it, but I was told that on Saturday, when the king came upstairs, and vast joy was showed by his family on his arrival, “one person stood in the corner of the room, spoke to nobody, and looked quite glum." This one person' was of course the Prince of Wales. Madame Walmoden's name was never heard |