Period IV. at the head of the Hanoverian dragoons, and had 2727 to 1730. his horfe fhot under him *. In 1708, he was created duke of Cambridge, and knight of the garter; and at the acceffion of George the First, was fo elated, that he faid to an English gentleman, "I have not one drop of blood in my veins. which is not English, and at the service of my father's fubjects." He accompanied the king to England; foon after he had taken his feat in the privy council, was created prince of Wales; and during the king's abfence in 1716, was appointed guardian and lieutenant of the realm.

The unfortunate misunderstanding which took place between him and his father, has been already related; and although a reconciliation was effected through the interpofition of Devonshire and Walpole, yet it was more apparent than real: the king gave a strong proof that his jealousy was not abated, by never again configning to him the government of affairs during his absence. Notwithstanding this cause of diffatisfaction, the prince, from the period of the reconciliation, feldom formally oppofed his father's government; but paffed a retired life, confining himself principally to a small circle of select friends, with whom he lived in habits of strict intimacy of thefe, the earl of Scarborough and Sir Spencer Compton were the moft favoured.

George the Second was, at the time of his acceffion, in the 45th year of his age; and bore the character

Rimius's Memoirs of the House of Brunswick.

† Polnitz, vol. iv. p. 230. 232.

1727.

character of a prince of high integrity, honour, and Chapter 31.
veracity. His countenance was pleasing, dignified,
and expreffive, with prominent eyes, and a Ro-
man nose. In perfon he was well proportioned,
but much below the middle fize; to which the
ballad on the seven wife men alludes, fpeaking of
Richard, afterwards lord Edgecumbe, who was
very diminutive:

"When Edgecumbe spoke, the prince in fport
Laugh'd at the merry elf;
Rejoic'd to fee within his court

One shorter than himself.

I am glad. (cry'd out the quibbling fquire)
My lowness makes your highness higher."

He poffeffed one great advantage over his fa-
ther, that he was not ignorant of the language and
constitution of England, although his knowledge
of both was limited. He was naturally referved,
except to those who belonged to his houfehold,
or were admitted to his familiar fociety, fond of
bufinefs, and of great application whenever appli-
cation was neceffary; well acquainted with the
ftate of foreign affairs; and his obfervations, and
replies to the notes of his ministers, dictated by
the occafion, prove good fenfe, judgment, and rec-
titude of intentions *. His temper was warm, ve-
hement, and irritable; prone to fudden emotions
of anger, and not eafily appeased. He was flow in
deliberation, cautious in decifion; but his opinion
once formed, he became inflexible, and impatient
' of

*Correspondence, Period IV,

Period IV. of remonftrance. He was ftrictly economical, 1727 to 1730. punctual in the discharge of his expences; fo pe

culiarly methodical in all his actions and occupa

tions, that, to use the expreffion of a nobleman much about his perfon, "he feemed to think his having done a thing to-day, an unanswerable reafon for his doing it to-morrow *." He was rigidly attached to etiquette and punctilious forms, and fond of military parade; without the smallest taste for the arts, or love of fcience, like his father, he gave no patronage to literature, unless from the fuggeftions of his queen, or the interceffion of his minifters. Cold and phlegmatic in his general appearance, he at the fame time poffeffed a high degree of fenfibility; of which he gave many proofs, particularly on the death of his queen, and the refignation of Sir Robert Walpole, which would appear incredible to those who are not acquainted with his domeftic character. The lové of women was his predominant weakness; but it did not lead him into any exceffes which affected his public character, or interfered with the interefts of his kingdom. He had feen, and lamented, that his father had been governed by his mistreffes; and was fo extremely cautious to avoid a fimilar error, that the countefs of Yarmouth, the only one among them who poffeffed any real influence over him, could feldom venture to exert her interest in public concerns. She once requested Horace Walpole to procure a trifling place for one of her fervants,

* Lord Hervey to H. Walpole, O&. 31, 1735.

1727.

fervants, but charged him not to mention to the Chapter 31. king that it was at her requeft; "because (fhe added) if it is known that I have applied, I have no chance of fucceeding *.

line.

But his conduct was far different in regard to Conduct to queen Caroline, of whofe judgment and good fenfe queen Carohe had the highest opinion, and in whom he ever placed the most implicit confidence. Some of the French writers call hiftory la fable convenue, and not without fome degree of reafon; for most histories are written either by authors who have been themselves interested in the events which they relate, and glofs over the transactions of their own party, or are composed by writers who have not access to original papers, know little more than common occurrences, and derive the principal information from uncertain publications, traditional reports, gazettes, and news-papers. The perfonage whose character I am attempting to delineate, will afford a striking example of the truth of these observations; for it is a remarkable fact, that the hiftorians of the reign of George the Second, fcarcely mention the name of queen Caroline, who almost entirely governed the king during the first ten years of his reign; who bore her faculties fo meekly, and with fuch extraordinary prudence, as never to excite the leaft uneafinefs even in a fovereign highly tenacious of his authority, but contrived that her opinion should appear as if it had been his own; who folely occafioned

* From Lord Walpole.

the

Period IV. the continuance of Sir Robert Walpole in the mi1727 to 1730. niftry; who patronifed and promoted Herring, Hoadley, Clarke, Hare, Sherlocke, Butler, and Pearce; and without whose recommendation or concurrence, scarely any fituation in church or ftate was conferred.

Her education, character, and

perfon.

Carolina Wilhelmina, daughter of John Frederic, Margrave of Anfpach, by the princess of Saxe-Eyfenach, was born in 1683. Having loft her father when she was very young, and her mother marrying John George the Fourth, elector of Saxony, fhe was left under the guardianship of Frederic, elector of Brandenburgh, afterwards king of Pruffia; paffed part of her early days at the court of Berlin*, and received her education under the fuperintendance of her aunt, the accomplished Sophia Charlotte, fifter of George the Firft,

Polnitz.

+ Sophia Charlotte, the fecond wife of Frederic, was the daughter of Erneft Auguftus, elector of Hanover. This elegant and accomplished princess was born in 1668; and in 1681, having espoused Frederic, then electoral prince, became, on his acceffion to the throne, the great ornament of his fplendid court. Her features were regular, yet expreffive; her form, though below the middle ftature, was elegant and graceful; her demeanour dignified and polite; and her conduct ever irreproachable. She never interfered in affairs of state, though always ready, when called upon, to aid with her counfels, journies, and correfpondence, the views of the king. Her understanding was highly cultivated; the spoke the principal languages of Europe with fuch ease and fluency, that the ufually addreffed herself to foreigners in their refpective tongues; fhe was well versed in hiftory, converfant in different branches of natural philofophy, and not unacquainted even with fcholaftic divinity. Though her learning was fo profound, that the was ftiled the Female Philofopher, fhe was not only extremely diffident, but careful to avoid the affectation of wishing to difplay her multifarious acquirements. She was no ftranger to the polite accomplishments, fond of dancing, and did not difdain to be an actress in plays which were performed by her command: the excelled in mufic, fung and composed with tafte; and was the great patronefs of fcience and the arts. She drew Leibnitz to Berlin, and aftonished that great philofopher with the extent of her capacity, the depth of her researches, and the folidity of her obfervations.

9