Chapter III: The Marriage of the Princess Anne

Violent opposition to the King by Prince Frederick--Readings
at Windsor Castle--The Queen’s patronage of Stephen Duck--
His melancholy end--Glance at passing events--Precipitate
flight of Dr. Nichols--Princess Anne’s determination to
get a husband--Louis XV. proposed as a suitor: negotiation
broken off--The Prince of Orange’s offer accepted--Ugly
and deformed--The King and Queen averse to the union--
Dowry settled on the Princess--Anecdote of the Duchess
of Marlborough--Illness of the bridegroom--Ceremonies
attendant on the marriage--Mortification of the Queen--
The public nuptial chamber--Offence given to the Irish
peers--The Queen and Lady Suffolk--Homage paid by the
Princess to her deformed husband--Discontent of Prince
Frederick--His anxiety not unnatural--Congratulatory
addresses by the Lords and Commons--Spirited conduct of
the Queen--Lord Chesterfield--Agitations on Walpole’s
celebrated Excise scheme--Lord Stair delegated to
remonstrate with the Queen--Awkward performance of his
mission--Sharply rebuked by the Queen--Details of the
interview--The Queen’s success in overcoming the King’s
antipathy to Walpole--Comments of the populace--Royal
interview with a bishop 200

CHAPTER IV.

FAMILY AND NATIONAL QUARRELS.

Retirement of Lady Suffolk--Tact of Queen Caroline--
Arrogance of Princess Anne--Private life of the royal
family--The Count de Roncy, the French refugee--German
predilections of the Queen--A scene at Court--Queen
Caroline’s declining health--Ambitious aspirations of
Princess Anne--Bishop Hoadly and the see of Winchester--
The Queen and the clergy--The Queen appointed Regent--The
King and Madame Walmoden--Lord Hervey’s imaginary post-obit
diary--The Queen’s farewell interview with Lady Suffolk
--Grief made fashionable--The temper of the King on his
return--A scene: _dramatis personæ_, the King, Queen,
and Lord Hervey--Lady Deloraine (Pope’s _Delia_) a royal
favourite--An angry scene; between the King and Queen--
The King’s opinion of Bishop Hoadly--Dissension between the
King and Prince--The royal libertine at Hanover--Court
revels--Lady Bolingbroke and the Queen 223

CHAPTER V.

THE MARRIAGE OF FREDERICK, PRINCE OF WALES.

The Queen’s cleverness--Princess Augusta of Saxe Gotha,
the selected bride of Prince Frederick--Spirited conduct
of Miss Vane, the Prince’s mistress--The King anxious
for a matrimonial alliance with the Court of Prussia--
Prussian intrigue to prevent this--The Prussian _mandats_
for entrapping recruits--Quarrels and challenge to duel,
between King George and the Prussian monarch--The silly
duel prevented--Arrival of the bride--The royal lovers
--Disgraceful squabbles of the Princes and Princesses
--The marriage--Brilliant assemblage in the bridal
chamber--Lady Diana Spencer proposed as a match for the
Prince--_Débût_ of Mr. Pitt, afterwards Lord Chatham, in the
House of Commons--Riot of the footmen at Drury Lane Theatre
--Ill-humour exhibited by the Prince towards the Queen 262