sulting; but before we say that a man is insulted, we must consider what the man is; and not merely what his rank is, but what his character is, and what his conduct has been; and if we thus consider in this case, we cannot say that there could be an insult inflicted; for, what, alas! was that character, and what had been that conduct?

CHAPTER II.

From the Marriage of the King, in April, 1795, to the commencement of his Regency, in July, 1811.

53. It was not in reason nor in nature to expect, that a marriage, a marriage of mere state-policy, and attended by circumstances so mortifying to the husband as those detailed in the foregoing chapter, should be happy, especially when that husband had at his nod scores of women, equal in point of accomplishments and far surpassing in personal charms, the lady with whom it was his lot to be united; that such a marriage should be happy was not to be expected; but, it might have led to a life free from scandal, free from disgrace, free from cruelty to the disliked party, and free from measures throwing enormous burdens on the people; it might have been free from all these ; it might not have been made the cause of taking from the labour of the people a million of pounds, or thereabouts, in measures to bring

disgrace and infamy on this unfortunate lady; and it might not have been the cause of keeping millions of Catholics out of the enjoyment of their rights for, at least, twenty-four years, and thereby producing troubles, commotions, and bloodshed without end: it might have been free from all these consequences, and, as the sequel will most amply prove, it was productive of them all.

54. When we behold such mighty and fatal effects, arising, as we shall see these did, from the mortification, the caprice, or the antipathy, from the mere selfish passions, and, almost, from the animal feelings and propensities, of one single man; when we see a whole community thus afflicted, and its peace and even greatness endangered by such a cause, must we not be senseless indeed, must we not be something approaching to brutes, if we do not seek for some means of protecting ourselves against the like in future? This king has, by his parasites (and enough of them he always had), been called the "first gentleman in his kingdom." Gentleman is a very equivocal term; but, if its meaning be to be interpreted by the conduct of GEORGE IV., it will hardly be greatly coveted by the majority of mankind. He had, in this case, two duties to fulfil, both of a sacred nature; one towards his wife; and another towards that virtuous, industrious, forgiving, and too generous people,

from whose care and toil he had, for thirty-three years, derived the means of living in ease, splendour, and even extravagance.

55. With regard to the first of these duties, though the law restrained him in the choosing of a wife, this restraint was a condition upon which he was to enjoy royal magnificence and power; and, though it restrained him in his choice, it did not compel him to marry anybody. A good and dutiful son, even in the lowest walks of life, will hesitate long before he marry against the wish of his father and family. So that there is no excuse to be built on this ground. He was perfectly free to refuse the hand of the lady that had been chosen for him; to take that hand was his own voluntary act; therefore, he was bound by every tie that ought to bind a husband; and, though personal affection was wanting, were there not the dictates of justice? Was there not his solemn vow; did he not promise before God, that he would love and cherish and keep constant to this lady? Was there not, supposing a want of every-thing else, common humanity to tell him, that it was cruel to the last degree even to slight a person situated as the princess was, in a foreign country, cut off from home, parents, and friends, surrounded with envious rivals and satirists, and placed solely under his protection and at his mercy? Amongst the honest boasts of England,

is, that it possesses "manly hearts to guard the fair." As far as belonged to the people of England, the unfortunate CAROLINE experienced the literal truth of this poetic description; but, we shall presently see how it was exemplified in the conduct of him who was one day to be their king, and the mildness of whose reign and generosity of whose character have been extolled by those who were amongst his intimates and councillors.

of

56. As to his duty towards the nation, it bound him, in the first place, to refrain from any indulgence, from giving way to any passion, from doing any-thing which, operating in the way example, might be injurious to public morals. We are all aware of the powers of fashion; we know that in dress, in eating, in drinking, in sports and pastimes of all sorts, the high are followed as nearly as possible by the low. As the servant-maid imitates as nearly as possible the dress of her mistress, and the footman the airs of his master, so will a people imitate, in a greater or less degree, the example of their rulers. If snuff became sought after because it was by a shrewd tobacconist named "Prince's mixture," is it to be believed that ill-treatment of a wife at Carlton House would not have its pernicious influence on every man at all prone to disregard the marriage vow? Besides, for what had the nation given to this prince such enormous sums of money?