In Banks's _Dormant Peerage_, vol. iii. p. 61., under the account of
_Pulteney, Earl of Bath_, is the following extraordinary letter, said to
be from Sir Robert Walpole to King George II., which is introduced as
serving to show the discernment of Walpole, as well as the disposition
of the persons by whom he was opposed, but evidently to expose the
vanity and weakness of Mr. Pulteney, by exhibiting the scheme which was
to entrap him into the acceptance of a peerage, and so destroy his
popularity. It is dated Jan. 24. 1741, but from _no place_, and has but
little appearance of authenticity.
"Most sacred,
"The violence of the fit of the stone, which has tormented me
for some days, is now so far abated, that, although it will not
permit me to have the honour to wait on your majesty, yet is
kind enough to enable me so far to obey your orders, as to write
my sentiments concerning that troublesome man, Mr. Pulteney; and
to point out (what I conceive to be) the most effectual method
to make him perfectly quiet. Your majesty well knows how by the
dint of his eloquence he has so captivated the mob, and attained
an unbounded popularity, that the most manifest wrong appears to
be right, when adopted and urged by him. Hence it is, that he
has become not only troublesome but dangerous. The inconsiderate
multitude think that he has not one object but public good in
view; although, if they would reflect a little, they would soon
perceive that spleen against those your majesty has honoured
with your confidence has greater weight with him than
patriotism. Since, let any measure be proposed, however
salutary, if he thinks it comes from me, it is sufficient for
him to oppose it. Thus, sir, you see the affairs of the most
momentous concern are subject to the caprice of that popular
man; and he has nothing to do but call it a ministerial project,
and bellow out the word _favourite_, to have an hundred pens
drawn against it, and a thousand mouths open to contradict it.
Under these circumstances, he bears up against the ministry
(and, let me add, against your majesty itself); and every useful
scheme must be either abandoned, or if it is carried in either
house, the public are made to believe it is done by a corrupted
majority. Since these things are thus circumstanced, it is
become necessary for the public tranquility that he should be
made quiet; and the only method to do that effectually is to
destroy his popularity, and ruin the good belief the people have
in him.
"In order to do this, he must be invited to court; your majesty
must condescend to speak to him in the most favourable and
distinguished manner; you must make him believe that he is the
only person upon whose opinion you can rely, and to whom your
people look up for useful measures. As he has already several
times refused to take the lead in the administration, unless it
was totally modelled to his fancy, your majesty should close in
with his advice, and give him leave to arrange the
administration as he pleases, and put whom he chooses into
office (there can be no danger in that as you can dismiss him
when you think fit); and when he has got thus far (to which his
extreme self-love and the high opinion he entertains of his own
importance, will easily conduce), it will be necessary that your
majesty should seem to have a great regard for his health;
signifying to him that your affairs will be ruined if he should
die; that you want to have him constantly near you, to have his
sage advice; and that therefore, as he is much disordered in
body, and something infirm, it will be necessary for his
preservation for him to quit the House of Commons, where
malevolent tempers will be continually fretting him, and where,
indeed, his presence will be needless, as no step will be taken
but according to his advice; and that he will let you give him a
distinguishing mark of your approbation, by creating him a peer.
This he may be brought to, for, if I know anything of mankind,
he has a love of honour and money; and, notwithstanding his
great haughtiness and seeming contempt for honour, he may be won
if it be done with dexterity. For, as the poet Fenton says,
'Flattery is an oil that softens the thoughtless fool.'
"If your majesty can once bring him to accept of a coronet, all
will be over with him; the changing multitude will cease to have
any confidence in him; and when you see that, your majesty may
turn your back to him, dismiss him from his post, turn out his
meddling partizans, and restore things to quiet; the bee will
have lost his sting, and become an idle drone whose buzzing
nobody heeds.
"Your majesty will pardon me for the freedom with which I have
given my sentiments and advice; which I should not have done,
had not your majesty commanded it, and had I not been certain
that your peace is much disturbed by the contrivance of that
turbulent man. I shall only add that I will dispose several whom
I know to wish him well to solicit for his establishment in
power, that you may seem to yield to their entreaties, and the
finesse be less liable to be discovered.
"I hope to have the honour to attend your majesty {305} in a few
days; which I will do privately, that my public presence may
give him no umbrage.
(Signed) ROBERT WALPOLE
"(Dated) 24. January, 1741."
As it seems incredible that Walpole could have written such a letter;
and the editor does not say where it is taken from, or where the
original is, I beg to ask any of your readers whether they have ever
seen the letter elsewhere, or attributed by any other writer to Walpole?
The editor adds, "accordingly, the scheme took place very soon after,
and Mr. Pulteney was in 1742 dignified with the titles before mentioned,
i.e. Earl of Bath, &c."