must be an indelible blot upon his memory; as a much later instance of his refusing to pardon a young man who had been condemned at Oxford for a most trifling forgery, contrary to all example when recommended to mercy by the judgemerely because Willes, who was attached to the Prince of Wales, had tried him, and assured him his pardon-will stamp his name with cruelty; though in general his disposition was merciful, if the offence was not murder. His avarice was much less equivocal than his courage: he had distinguished the latter early; it grew more doubtful afterwards; the former he distinguished very near as soon, and never deviated from it. His understanding was not near so defective as it was imagined; but though his character changed extremely in the world, it was without foundation; for whether he deserved to be so much ridiculed as he had been in the former part of his reign, or so respected as in the latter, hẹ was consistent in himself, and uniformly meritorious or absurd. His other passions were Germany, the army, and women. Both the latter had a mixture of parade in them: he treated my Lady Suffolk, and afterwards Lady Yarmouth, as his mistresses, while he admired only the queen; and never described what he thought was a handsome woman, but he drew her picture. Lady Suffolk was sensible, artful, and agreeable, but had neither sense nor art enough to make him think her so agreeable as his wife. When she had left him, tired of acting the mistress, while she had in reality all the slights of a wife, and no interest with him, the opposition

affected to cry up her virtue; and the obligations the king had to her for consenting to seem his mistress, while in reality she had confined him to mere friendship—a ridiculous pretence, as he was the last man in the world to have taste for talking sentiments, and that with a woman who was deaf. Lady Yarmouth was inoffensive, and attentive only to pleasing him, and to selling peerages whenever she had an opportunity. The queen had been admired and happy for governing him by address; and it was not then known how easily he was to be governed by fear. Indeed there were few arts by which he was not governed at some time or other of his life; for not to mention the Duke of Argyle, who grew a favou rite by imposing himself upon him for brave; nor Lord Wilmington, who imposed himself upon him for the Lord knows what: the queen governed him by dissimulation, by affected tenderness and deference; Sir Robert Walpole by abilities and influence in the House of Commons; Lord Granville by flattering him in his German politics; the duke of Newcastle by teasing and betraying him; Mr. Pelham by bullying him,— the only man by whom Mr. Pelham was not bullied himself. Who, indeed, had not sometimes weight with the king, except his children and his mistresses? With them he maintained all the reserve and majesty of his rank. He had the haughtiness of Henry the Eighth, without his spirit; the avarice of Henry the Seventh, without his exactions; the indignities of Charles the First, without his bigotry for his prerogative; the vexations of King William, with as little skill in the

management of parties; and the gross gallantry of his father, without his good nature or his honesty he might, perhaps, have been honest, if he had never hated his father, or had ever loved his son.

HORACE WALPOLE.

GEORGE III *.

His parts, though not excellent, will be found tolerable, if ever they are properly exercised.

He is strictly honest, but wants that frank and open behaviour which makes honesty appear amiable.

When he had a very scanty allowance, it was one of his favourite maxims, that men should be just before they are generous: his income is now very considerably augmented, but his generosity has not increased in proportion.

His religion is free from all hypocrisy, but is not of the most charitable sort; he has rather too much attention to the sins of his neighbour.

He has spirit, but not of the active kind; and does not want resolution, but it is mixed with too much obstinacy.

He has great command of his passions, and will seldom do wrong, except when he mistakes wrong for right; but as often as this shall happen, it will be difficult to undeceive him, because he is uncommonly indolent, and has strong prejudices.

His want of application and aversion to business would be far less dangerous was he eager in

* This was written when his late majesty was twenty-one. Lord Waldegrave had then been three years his governor,

the pursuit of pleasure; for the transition from pleasure to business is both shorter and easier than from a state of total inaction.

He has a kind of unhappiness in his temper, which, if it be not conquered before it has taken too deep a root, will be a source of frequent anxiety. Whenever he is displeased, his anger does not break out with heat and violence; but he becomes sullen and silent, and retires to his closet, not to compose his mind by study or contemplation, but merely to indulge the melancholy enjoyment of his own ill humour. Even when the fit is ended, unfavourable symptoms very frequently return, which indicate that on certain occasions his royal highness has too correct a memory.

Though I have mentioned his good and bad qualities, without flattery, and without aggravation, allowances should still be made, on account of his youth and his bad education: for though the bishop of Peterborough, now bishop of Salisbury, the preceptor; Mr. Stone, the sub-governor ; and Mr. Scott, the sub-preceptor, were men of sense, men of learning, and worthy good men, they had but little weight and influence. mother and the nursery always prevailed.

The

EARL OF WALDEGRAVE.

The public conduct of this prince, and the -tendencies of the political principles by which it was guided, might afford much scope for discussion, and will be differently estimated by opposite parties; but respecting his private and

domestic character, little variance of opinion has at any time existed among his contemporaries. Probity, and a strict sense of religious obligation, formed the basis of his moral character ;moderation and simplicity, of his habits and manners, and benevolence, of his disposition. A faithful and affectionate husband, a fond and assiduous parent, and a kind, considerate, and affable master, he secured the respect and attachment of all who beheld him nearly, and was approved by the moral feelings of the whole nation. His intellectual faculties, originally of no high order, were permanently clouded by the constitutional malady which first exhibited itself at an early period of his life. An inflexible persistence in the line of conduct which he had once judged it right to adopt,-an immoveable adherence to the maxims of government, instilled into him by his earliest instructors, formed the leading characteristic of his mental constitution, and that which influenced in the most important manner the destinies of his kingdoms.

In literary taste George III. was supposed to be somewhat deficient, though he collected one of the noblest libraries extant; but the fine arts, especially music and painting, he loved, patronised, and in a considerable degree understood. Agriculture also and some of the mechanic arts were among his pursuits; and hunting, till a late period of life, formed his principal amusement.

His firm attachment to the church of which he was the head was totally exempt from bigotVOL. II.

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