probable her majesty may not find that out, so I'll run the risk!'"

However paltry the queen's conduct may have been with regard to trifles, no doubt exists of her great liberality to the distressed. She disbursed at least £5000 a year, and frequently more, in charitable donations. Numerous intances of her benevolence have been recorded, which are as creditable to her judgment as to her feelings. She particularly directed her attention towards the relief of those of her own sex; among the most favoured objects of her charity, were respectable widows, whom misfortunes had reduced to a state of poverty, and the destitute daughters of naval and military officers, who had died in the service of their country. Her benevolence was altogether devoid of ostentation: had it been more notorious, the queen would, in all probability, have been more highly esteemed; for during a considerable period, she was unpopular, solely, or at least principally, on account of her domestic parsimony.

At one time she suffered much in the estimation of a large portion of the public, through her alleged unjust harshness towards the Princess of Wales; and at another, she was severely censured for not having been present at the fatal accouchement of her grand-daughter. But the queen's advocates justify her conduct in the one case, by pleading the suspicions attached to the character of her daughter-in-law, and her constant practice of not countenancing any woman, however exalted or nearly allied to her, whose reputation was sullied even by the breath of slander; and on the other, by positively affirming, that the queen had expressed a strong desire to attend her grand-daughter's accouchement, but that the Princess Charlotte personally besought her in the most urgent manner, to follow the recommendation of the royal physicians, who had advised her to have recourse to the Bath waters without the least delay.

To conclude, Queen Charlotte appears to have been rather severely correct than amiable in her conduct. Rigidly virtuous herself, she could not overlook the slightest blemish in the reputation of others. She might perhaps have been more lenient, had her rank been less exalted: but feeling

the importance of her situation, and the effect her example might have upon society, she refused to allow not only the dissolute, but the suspected, to enjoy the honours accorded to those who were either pure or fortunate enough to be free from reproach. To her high honour, it may be said, that she was one of the best wives and mothers in the king's dominions; and by the force of her example, domestic duties became fashionable. She laudably forbore to meddle with politics; never attempting to exercise any improper influence over the king's mind with regard to public affairs. She indulged in no unwarrantable luxuries, and set no bad example, except that of taking snuff, for which she was most liberally censured and nicknamed. She was accomplished, industrious, a lover of science, and to some extent, an admirer of the arts. She was mean, rather than avaricious; but her amusing parsimony was more than extenuated by her unobtrusive benevolence.

He

George the Third never became acquainted with the queen's death, or the subsequent appointment of the Duke of York to the office of custos of his person. He now occupied a long suite of rooms, in which were placed several pianofortes and harpsichords: at these he would frequently stop during his walks, play a few notes from Handel, and then stroll on. ate with a good appetite, and his bodily health was unimpaired. He generally wore a blue robe de chambre, tied with a belt, in the morning; and a silk plaid dress in the afternoon. He seemed cheerful, and would sometimes talk aloud, as if addressing some nobleman; but his discourse bore reference only to past events; for he had no knowledge of recent circumstances, either political or domestic.

In 1819, the following account of him appeared in a French paper:"The august old man has been long deprived of sight, and wears a long floating beard. He wanders constantly through his apartments amidst the phantoms of his fancy, which represent to him all the beings that were dear to him. He speaks and replies to them. Sometimes he sits for hours with his head resting on both hands: then he recovers, and thinks himself among

celestial spirits, rushes forward, and sinks exhausted with his feelings. Formerly, he would make his servants sit down before him; and imagining himself in parliament, would address them vehemently, until he fell into a kind of delirium. When at his meals, he supposed himself surrounded by his family; and, preserving his love of music, he would go to the pianoforte, or catch up a violin, and execute pieces from memory with astonishing precision." This is, perhaps, a fancy sketch, yet it agrees, in most particulars, with ascertained facts.

At the latter end of the year, his appetite began to fail, and he appeared to derive but little nourishment from his food. In January, 1820, it was found impossible to keep him warm; his remaining teeth dropped out, and he was almost reduced to a skeleton. His weakness rapidly increased; on Thursday, the 27th, he was wholly confined to his bed; and, at thirty-five minutes past eight, on the evening of Saturday, the 29th of January, 1820, he breathed his last, without the slightest convulsion or apparent pain. At the time of his death he was in the eightysecond year of his age. His remains were interred in the royal vault at Windsor.

In

In stature, George the Third was somewhat above the middle size. consequence of a slight bend in the knee-joints, he looked best on horseback. In his youth he had been accounted handsome: his eyes were blue, his hair was particularly light, his countenance florid, and his demeanour prepossessing.

In a memoir of this monarch, written shortly after his demise, it is stated, that Lord Camden, soon after his accession, said, "I see already that this will be a weak and inglorious reign;" and that when the famous Charles Townshend was asked for a character of the new monarch, he replied, "He is very obstinate." These opinions were, to a certain extent at least, prophetic. His mother, the princess dowager, disgusted at the controul which English ministers exercised over the sovereign, had continually impressed on her son this lesson:" George, be king!" He endeavoured, apparently, to act up to her advice: it was his continual wish to

exercise his authority personally, and to be his own minister. No limited monarch ever had a more decided influence on public affairs: he repeatedly brought into operation the most dangerous prerogatives of the crown; changed ministers and dissolved parliaments with unwavering boldness; and, rather than give up an idea, or change an opinion, whether right or wrong, was prepared to descend from his throne, or lay his head on the block. The result of his councils was the loss of America, and the creation of an enormous national debt. But the disasters of his reign were, perhaps, more than balanced by its glories: if the nation lost her colonies in the west, she gained an immense empire in the east. The triumphs of Rodney, Duncan, Howe, St. Vincent, Nelson, Abercrombie, and others, which took place while he exercised the kingly functions, would have increased the splendour of the brightest era in history; and if he be made to incur much of the odium attendant on the misfortunes, he certainly ought, on the other hand, to derive some credit for the splendid successes, of his reign.

Of the excellence of his intentions, both to the public and to his family, there can be no doubt. He was, unquestionably, a good husband; and, according to his judgment, he acted, as a monarch and a father, in the manner that was most conducive to the welfare of his subjects, and the honour and happiness of his children. He had many fine redeeming qualities: his disposition was benevolent, his probity unimpeachable, and his manners approaching almost to patriarchal simplicity. If his obstinacy were censurable on some occasions, his unflinching firmness, even in the face of danger, was truly admirable on others. Few monarchs have exhibited more lofty, and, at the same time, unostentatious heroism, than George the Third did, during the factious and malignant opposition of Fox and Lord North to the administration of Pitt. He appears to have invariably acted up to the dictates of his conscience; and was, on more than one occasion, willing to risk his crown rather than swerve from that course which appeared to him to be lawful and just. Many of his faults, a few of his virtues, and the great

mass of prejudice existing against him during the early part of his reign, are to be ascribed to the peculiarity of his education. His mother and Lord Bute so unwarrantably protracted his puerile thraldom, that he may almost be said to have stepped from his leading strings to a throne. The manner in which he conducted himself on his accession, tends materially to prove that, with better preceptors, he would have become a better king. He possessed a large share of the personal courage which has been ascribed, with some truth, to his family in general; and the morality and decorum of his conduct afforded a happy contrast to the extraordinary lewdness and gross profligacy of his predecessors. He was eminently pious; and once gave utterance to the noble wish," that the day might come in which every poor child in his dominions would be able to read the Bible!" His reverence for religious ceremonies was strongly evinced during the preparations for an installation: a nobleman having carelessly inquired if the new knights would be obliged to take the sacrament, the king, with a very severe countenance, replied, "No; that religious institution is not to be mixed with our profane ceremonies. Even at the time of my coronation, I was very unwilling to take the sacrament; but when I was assured that it was indispensable, and that I must receive it, I took off the bauble from my head, before I even approached the communion table. The sacrament, my lord, is not to be profaned by our Gothic institutions."

In the book of common prayer which he ordinarily used, at the passage, "Guide and defend our most gracious sovereign lord, King George," he had effaced the words, " King George," and written, "thy servant." He would not tolerate the slightest inattention in a place of worship. It was his custom to roll up the printed form of prayer, and beat time with it to the music of the choir; and, occasionally, he would point with it to portions of the service, when any of his attendants seemed negligent. One Sunday, during the performance of divine service at the chapel royal, Sir Sydney Smith, who was present, appeared very restless, changed his

position repeatedly, and, at length, placed himself immediately before the royal desk, when the king gave him a tap on the head with his paper scroll, to remind him of his inattention.

An eminent divine having suffered some fashionable assemblies to take place under his roof, the king is said to have rebuked him, by letter, in the following terms:

"My good Lord Primate,

"I could not delay giving you the notification of the grief and concern with which my breast was affected, at receiving an authentic information that routs have made their way into your palace. At the same time, I must signify to you my sentiments on this subject, which hold these levities and vain dissipations as utterly inexpedient, if not unlawful, to pass in a residence for many centuries devoted to divine studies, religious retirement, and the extensive exercise of charity and benevolence ;-I add,-in a place where so many of your predecessors have led their lives in such sanctity as has thrown lustre on the pure religion they professed and adorned. From the dissatisfaction with which you must perceive I behold these improprieties, not to speak in harsher terms, and still more pious principles, I trust you will suppress them immediately; so that I may not have occasion to shew any further marks of my displeasure, or to interpose in a different manner. May God take your grace into his Almighty protection!-I remain, &c."

The king is said to have been very well acquainted with the works of many of the old divines. He once asked a young clergyman, if he were familiar with the writings of Bishop Andrews and Jeremy Taylor. The clergyman replied, that his attention had been chiefly directed to the productions of more recent divines. "Sir," exclaimed the king, with great warmth, "there were giants in those days!"

Although decidedly averse to the admission of Catholics to political power, he was a warm advocate for toleration. Many of his own servants were dissenters. "The Methodists," said he, "are a very quiet kind of people, and will disturb nobody; and if I learn that any person in my employ disturbs them, he shall instantly be dismissed."

Malowny, a priest, having been convicted of celebrating mass in the county of Surrey, and the judge who tried him having humanely recommended him as a proper object for royal mercy, the king said, "God forbid that difference in religious opinion should sanction persecution, or admit of one man within my realms suffering unjustly. Issue a pardon for Mr. Malowny, and see that he be set at liberty."

In 1802, a dignified churchman, while preaching before the king, quoted a passage, which so struck his majesty, that he subsequently inquired the name of its author; who, it appeared, was the minister of a Baptist congregation in some part of Yorkshire. The king immediately procured the sermon from which the extract in question had been taken, and perused the whole composition with such extraordinary pleasure, that he expressed a strong wish to confer some benefit on its author. Shortly afterwards, a merchant's clerk was found guilty of forgery at the York assizes, and sentenced to death; but, at the earnest intercession of the Baptist minister, and although the two Perreaus, Dodd, and others, had previously suffered for the same offence, the criminal's life was spared.

George the Third's temperance has been attributed to the advice of his uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, who is reported to have said to him, "You will certainly become as obese and unwieldy as myself, long before you attain my age, unless you not only take much exercise, but be rigidly abstinent." From that day, it is added, the king imposed a very severe restraint on his appetite: he generally dined alone, and partook only of the plainest food, of which he restricted himself to a comparatively small quantity. A leg of mutton and caper-sauce was his favourite dish: of cheesecakes he was particularly fond; and a cherry-pie was served at his table every day in the year. He drank but little; and, for a considerable period of his life, the small quantity of wine which he took was invariably diluted. The only appearance of state at his private dinners was the regular attendance of the master-cook, who tasted every dish before it was carried away by the pages in waiting. The royal children were rarely

indulged with delicacies: their food being generally of a remarkably plain description. The Duke of Montague having stated, in reply to an inquiry made by the king as to the health of his grace's grand-children, that they were all doing remarkably well, and that he had just left them heartily enjoying their oatmeal pottage, his majesty directed that the young princes and princesses should breakfast on that simple dish for the future. The maids of honour were, for a long period, sent to bed supperless, until at length they made a complaint on the subject to the lord steward; which, coming to the king's knowledge, his majesty said, that the regimen adopted by himself and the queen could not be altered; " but," added he, "I shall order such an addition to be made to their salaries, as will enable them to provide themselves with moderate suppers for the future."

No doubt exists of the domestic frugality of the queen; and, it is said, that the monarch was so thoroughly converted to her majesty's economical opinions, as to have become a mean man by his own fireside. Reynolds states, that having written an interlude, by royal command, for private performance at the palace, after a considerable delay, he was presented with five pounds as the price of his labours; although he could have obtained at least thrice that amount for the production from the managers of one of the public theatres. He returned the money; and, on being afterwards requested to write another piece for a similar purpose, respectfully declined the order.

Nicolai, the singer, appears, from the following anecdote, to have had even greater reason to complain of their majesties than Reynolds: - A royal page called on Nicolai one day to require his attendance at an evening concert, to be given at Buckinghamhouse. "What!" exclaimed Nicolai, "on the old terms, I suppose !-Nothing!-My compliments to the king and queen, and tell them I am better engaged."

In his agricultural pursuits, the king has been accused of exhibiting a paltry desire for gain that was altogether beneath the dignity of a monarch. He converted large portions of his parks

into farms; the produce of which he regularly sent to market, and sold. His land is said to have been so well managed, that it yielded him a very considerable profit; and he acquired the reputation of being a good practical farmer. He was even a contributor to Arthur Young's Annals of Agriculture; and his communications, which were signed Ralph Robinson, Windsor, are stated to have contained many judicious remarks. He imported a number of Merino sheep from Spain; and demeaned himself so far as annually to dispose of a certain portion of his flock by public auction. As long as the speculation was profitable, he persuaded himself that it was better to sell his rams than to give them away; because," as he said, "any body might accept a sheep and neglect it; but nobody would buy one who did not mean to take care of it."

Although the king was the reverse of munificent in his agricultural pursuits, and, at least, countenanced an undignified parsimony in his palace, on numberless occasions he exhibited an exalted degree of generosity and benevolence. He was not only charitable to the distressed; liberal, in many instances, to the talented; but bounteous and kind to the enemies of his house. He is said to have contributed largely to the maintenance of the Pretender; and to have allowed Cardinal York, the last of the Stuarts, a pension of £4000 per annum. He sent the following message to a gentleman in Perthshire, who, as he heard, had absolutely refused to take the oath of supremacy :-" Carry my compliments to him,-but what?stop!-no-he may, perhaps, not receive my compliments as King of England ;-give him the Elector of Hanover's compliments, and tell him, that he respects the steadiness of his principles."

Among the literary men on whom he conferred benefits, were Johnson, Sheridan, Beattie, Blair, and Rousseau, to each of whom he granted a pension. Of the opinions of the latter, however, he is said to have disapproved; but Johnson's talents he appears to have held in considerable estimation. Johnson occasionally visited the library at the queen's house; and one day, while he was there, the king unexpectedly

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entered; having come for the purpose of seeing Johnson, with whom he immediately entered into conversation. The king inquired about the libraries at Oxford, where Johnson had lately been, and asked the doctor if he was then engaged in any literary work. Johnson replied in the negative, adding, "I have already told the world what I know, and must now read to acquire more knowledge." The king said, You do not borrow much from any body." Johnson replied, that he thought he had done his part as a writer. "I should have thought so too," rejoined the king, "if you had not written so well!" The king then observed, that Johnson must have read a great deal. "I think more than I read," said Johnson; "in the early part of my life I read a great deal, but having grown ailing, I have not read much, compared with others,-Dr. Warburton, for instance." The king said, he had heard Warburton's knowledge was so vast, that he was equally qualified to speak on all subjects, his learning being like Garrick's acting, universal. His majesty then spoke of the controversy between Warburton and Louth, and asked what Johnson thought of it. "Warburton," replied the doctor," has most generalmost scholastic learning; Louth is the more correct scholar. I do not know which of them calls names best." The king said, "I am of the same opinion. You do not think, then," continued his majesty, "there was much argument in the case?" Johnson replied, he thought not. "Why, truly," said the king, "when once it comes to calling names, argument is pretty well at an end." The king next asked, what Johnson thought of Lyttleton's History, then newly published. Johnson said, he considered the style pretty good, but that Lyttleton had blamed Henry too much. "Why," said the king, "they seldom do those things by halves." "No, sir," replied Johnson, "not to kings." But, fearing to be misunderstood, he added, "That for those who spoke worse of kings than they deserved, he could find no excuse; but that he could more easily conceive how some might speak better of them than they deserved, without any ill intention; for as kings had much in their power to give, those who were favoured by them would