The Prince as a musician--A _bon-mot_ of his--Lady Lade--Her husband,
Sir John--The Prince's pecuniary difficulties--His dealings with his
jeweller--The latter's story--Another financial mess.
The King being ordered to Weymouth, the Prince left, early in July, for
Brighton. We do not hear much of him there, and more of what we read is
pleasant. Fitzgerald[53] says: 'On one of the evenings at the Pavilion
(one of Sir P. Francis's daughters reports) his Royal Highness,
after dinner, having proposed music, and being actively engaged in
performing, with Mr. Francis and some other person, the pretty hunting
trio of "Azioli," of which the burden is _Ritorneremo a Clori_. But the
story is amusing, and bears such a favourable testimony to the Prince's
good humour, that the lady must be allowed to tell it herself.
'"It is well known that, to an excessive love of music, he added much
real taste as an amateur, and some power as a performer; but his
execution was not particularly good, and Mr. Francis, Sir Philip's
son, with whom he frequently sang, was, sometimes, comically struck
by the loudness of his voice, and his peculiar manner. On one of the
above-mentioned evenings at the Pavilion, his Royal Highness, after
dinner, having proposed music, and being actually engaged in performing
with Mr. Francis and some other person the pretty hunting trio of
'Azioli,' of which the burden is _Ritorneremo a Clori al tramontar
del di_, Mr. Francis suddenly found the full face of the Prince,
somewhat heated by the eagerness of his performance, in immediate
contact with his own; and this circumstance, combined with that of
the loud bass tones in which his Royal Highness was singing the words
_Ritorneremo a Clori_, striking him in some ludicrous point of view,
he became absolutely unable to resist the effect on his nerves, and
burst out laughing. The Prince evidently perceived that his own singing
had produced the unseasonable laughter; but, instead of showing a
displeasure at a rudeness which, however involuntary, would have been
resented by many far less illustrious persons, he only called the
offender to order with the words 'Come, come, Philip!' his countenance
betraying, at the same time, a strong inclination to join in the laugh
himself; and the trio proceeded to a conclusion. Sir Philip (adds his
daughter) by his original humour, and great powers of conversation,
was, often, the life of the Pavilion; though his temperate habits made
the excesses occasionally committed at the Prince's table distasteful
to him; and his royal host, perceiving him ready to drop asleep when
the revels were long protracted, would say, 'We must carry grandpapa
away to bed.'"'
The same ready good humour is shown in a pleasant scene which took
place at the Pavilion. Cricket was often played on the lawn, and
the dinner which followed was served in a marquee. On one of these
occasions the Duke of York and Sheridan fell into dispute on some point
of the game. Sheridan at length angrily told the Duke 'that he was not
to be talked out of his opinion there, or anywhere else; and that, at
play, all men were on a par.' The Duke was evidently about to make some
peculiarly indignant reply, when the Prince stood up and addressed them
both.
Dr. Croly, in his 'Life of George IV.,' tells the remainder of the
story: 'The narrator of the circumstance, a person of rank, who was
present, himself one of the most attractive public speakers of the day,
has often declared that he never, on any occasion, saw any individual,
under the circumstances, acquit himself with more ability. The speech
was of some length--ten or fifteen minutes; it was alternately playful
and grave, expressed with perfect self-possession, and touching on the
occurrence of the game, the characters of both disputants, and the
conversation at the table, with the happiest delicacy and dexterity.
Among other points, the Prince made a laughing apology for Sheridan's
use of the phrase "on a par," by bidding his brother remember that
the impressions of school were not easily effaced; that Dr. Parr
had inflicted learning upon Sheridan; and that, like the lover in
_The Wonder_,[54] who mixes his mistress's name with everything,
and calls to his valet, "Roast me these Violantes," the name of Parr
was uppermost in Sheridan's sleep: he then ran into a succession of
sportive quotations of the word _par_, in the style of _Ludere par
impar, equitare in arundina longâ_, until the speech was concluded in
general gaiety, and the dispute was thought of no more.'
The rupture between the Prince and his father was complete, the Prince
refusing to visit him while he was stopping at Weymouth, but sending
the Duke of York instead; he pursued his course of folly at Brighton,
where Fox visited him, and they went to Lewes Races, where the Prince
was received by the High Sheriff of the county, attended by a host of
javelin men. Three ladies were conspicuous at these races for their
equipages, each drawn by four gray ponies--Mrs. Fitzherbert, the
Duchess of Rutland, and Lady Lade.
This latter was no fit companion for any decent woman. The first heard
of her was in St. Giles's, where she was said to be the mistress of
Jack Rann, commonly known as Sixteen String Jack, a highwayman, who was
executed in 1774. She married Sir John Lade, a boon companion of the
Prince, and his tutor in the art of driving. She was famous for her bad
language and skill in riding and driving. Of her the following lines
were written:
'More than one steed Letitia's empire feels,
Who sits triumphant o'er the flying wheels;
And, as she guides them through th' admiring throng,
With what an air she smacks the silken thong!
Graceful as John, she moderates the reins;
And whistles sweet her diuretic strains;
Sesostris like, such charioteers as these,
May drive six harness'd monarchs, if they please.'
Sir John Lade, of Haremere, was a mere country squire who, when he came
of age, inherited a fair fortune, which he soon dissipated. Mrs. Thrale
was his guardian, and it was when he attained his majority in 1780 that
Dr. Johnson wrote the following prophetic verses:
'Long expected one and twenty,
Ling'ring year, at length, is flown;
Pride and pleasure, pomp and plenty,
Great Sir John, are now your own.
'Loosen'd from the minor's tether,
Free to mortgage, or to sell;
Wild as wind, and light as feather,
Bid the sons of thrift farewell.
'Call the Betsies, Kates and Jennies,
All the names that banish care;
Lavish of your grandsire's guineas,
Show the spirit of an heir.
'All that prey on vice and folly,
Joy to see their quarry fly;
There the gamester, light and jolly,
There the lender, grave and sly.
'Wealth, my lad, was made to wander,
Let it wander as it will;
Call the jockey, call the pander,
Bid them come and take their fill.
'When the bonny blade carouses,
Pockets full--and spirits high--
What are acres? What are houses?
Only dirt, or wet and dry.
'Should the guardian friend or mother
Tell the woes of wilful waste;
Scorn their counsels, scorn their pother,
You can hang, or drown, at last.'
He kept race-horses, and lost. He gambled and betted on anything. One
of his bets is somewhat amusing. It is in the _Times_ of October 2,
1795: 'A curious circumstance occurred here (Brighton) yesterday. Sir
JOHN LADE, for a trifling wager, undertook to carry Lord CHOLMONDELY,
on _his back_, from opposite the Pavilion, twice round the Steine.
Several ladies attended to be the spectators of this extraordinary
feat of the dwarf carrying a giant. When his Lordship declared
himself ready, Sir JOHN desired him to STRIP. "Strip!" exclaimed the
other: "why, surely you promised to carry me in my clothes!" "By no
means," exclaimed the Baronet. "I engaged to carry _you_, but not an
inch of clothes. So, therefore, my Lord, make ready, and let us not
_disappoint_ the ladies." After much laughable altercation, it was, at
length, decided that Sir JOHN had won his wager, the Peer declining to
exhibit _in puris naturalibus_.'
When he got poor, I presume the Prince cut him, for he ended his days
as groom and coachman to the Earl of Anglesey.
The two following paragraphs from the _St. James's Chronicle_ for 1789
tell us something about the Prince's doings at Brighton:
_August 13-15._--'The Prince of Wales's birthday, on Thursday, was very
splendidly celebrated at Brighthelmstone.--_St. George_, the famous
fencing master, exhibited several trials of his skill, with two French
masters, before the Prince and a large company, in a pavilion and
marquees pitched about a mile from the town: an ox was roasted whole,
and given to the populace. The Duke of Clarence gave prizes to several
sailing boats, which afforded much diversion--the company dined in
the pavilion, and the evening concluded with a supper and ball at the
Castle Inn, given by the Dukes of York and Clarence.--The illuminations
were universal and elegant.'
_September 5-8._--'The foundation for the Prince's dog-kennel was laid,
last week, in the _North fields_ near Brighton.--Six or seven acres of
these fields are to be inclosed as a paddock, with the building in the
centre, which is to be finished in a month.'
Yes, the repentant prodigal had forgotten all his promises of never
again running into debt. He was deeply dipped, and yet he kept altering
his 'Marine Pavilion,' and now was building most expensive stables.
He tried to borrow money on post-obits, and Weltje was the go-between
with the money-lenders. A Mr. Cator lent £10,000 on condition of being
repaid treble the amount, and about £30,000 was raised in £100 bonds,
repayable in twelve years, which bonds were signed by the Prince,
the Duke of York, and Prince William. They then tried to raise about
£350,000 abroad on the security of the Duchy of Cornwall and the
Bishopric of Osnaburg, and it is said they received over £100,000 in
cash and jewels; but the story of this loan is a long one, and does not
come within the scope of this book.
Here is a story of his dealings with his jeweller Jefferys, whom he
eventually ruined by not paying him, told by himself.[55] He was
appointed jeweller to the Prince in 1788 or 1789.
'About the period to which I allude, the Prince of Wales (upon Mr.
Gray[56] requiring a settlement of the great demands he had upon his
Royal Highness) was so much displeased at that circumstance, as to
cease giving him farther employment. His Royal Highness then sent for
me to Carlton House, and conferred upon me (most unfortunately) the
favour which he had withdrawn from Mr. Gray. From this time, not a day
passed, for several years, in which, neglecting any general business, I
did not spend half my time at Carlton House; and in which some entries
were not made in my books of large amounts for goods sold to his Royal
Highness.
* * * * *
'On the twenty eighth day of January, One Thousand Seven Hundred and
Ninety, the Prince of Wales sent for me to Carlton House, at a much
earlier hour in the morning than he was accustomed to do; and, taking
me into an inner apartment, with very visible marks of agitation in
his countenance and manner, said, he had a great favour to ask of me,
which, if I could accomplish, would be doing him the greatest service,
and he should ever consider it accordingly. I replied, that I feared
what his Royal Highness might consider a great favour done towards him,
must be more than my limited means could accomplish; but, in all that
I could do, I was entirely at his service, and requested his Royal
Highness to name his commands.
'His Royal Highness then proceeded to state, that a creditor of Mrs.
Fitzherbert had made a very peremptory demand for the payment of about
sixteen hundred pounds: that Mr. Weltje had been sent by his Royal
Highness to the creditor making such demand, to desire that it might
be placed to the Prince's account: this, the creditor refused to do,
on the ground that Mrs. Fitzherbert, _being a woman of no rank, or
consideration, in the eye of the law, as to personal privilege, was
amenable to an immediate process_, which was not the case with his
Royal Highness. This, the Prince stated, to have caused in his mind the
greatest uneasiness, for fear of the consequences that might ensue; as
it was not in the power of his Royal Highness to pay the money then,
or to name an earlier period for so doing than three or four months.
The request, therefore, that his Royal Highness had to make to me was,
that I would interfere upon the occasion, and prevent, if possible, any
personal inconvenience to Mrs. Fitzherbert, which would be attended
with extreme mortification to the feelings of his Royal Highness.
'I assured his Royal Highness that I would do all I could in the
business; and I was appointed to attend, with the result of my
endeavours, at Carlton House, the next morning. I did attend, as
appointed, and presented the Prince of Wales with a receipt for the
whole sum:--_fifteen hundred and eighty-five pounds, eleven shillings,
and sevenpence, which I had, that morning, paid, being the only
effectual means of pacifying the creditor, and removing from the mind
of his Royal Highness, the anxiety he appeared so strongly to labor
under_.
'His Royal Highness was unbounded in his expressions of satisfaction at
what I had so promptly accomplished, and in his assurances of future
support, a support so strongly made, and so frequently repeated, as
well as accompanied with such _apparent_ marks of sincerity, as to have
fixed my faith, (even had it been wavering) in the entire confidence I
might place in all his promises and assurances.
'But what will the world think, or say, when I inform them, that in ten
long years of the most bitter adversity, occasioned by a continuance of
similar confidence, I have repeatedly applied, in vain, to his Royal
Highness for relief, even in any degree to which he might have been
induced, or enabled to have afforded it me, but he has ever been deaf
to my entreaties.
'The moment misfortune overtook me, the Prince of Wales totally
deserted me; and my services, and his promises, were then alike
forgotten.
* * * * *
'In the afternoon of the same day on which I had so highly gratified
the Prince, and heard from his lips such kind expressions of regard;
the Prince of Wales came to my house, in Piccadilly, and brought with
him, Mrs. Fitzherbert, for the express purpose, as His Royal Highness
condescendingly said, that she might, herself, thank me for the great
and essential service I had, that morning, rendered to her, by the
relief my exertions had produced on the minds of his Royal Highness and
Mrs. Fitzherbert. And his Royal Highness continued to repeat the same
expressions of satisfaction, and assurances of support, which he had
so abundantly made use of, in the former part of the day.'
Huish[57] is responsible for the following: 'The person of Mrs.
Fitzherbert was, one morning, taken in execution for a debt of £1,825,
_the Prince of Wales being in the house at the time_. The writ being
returnable on the morrow, and no bail being available, the money must
be paid, or the lady conveyed to prison. The Prince lost not a moment
in making the application to his customary resources, but they appeared
to be, most unaccountably, hermetically closed against him. In some
instances, the most shallow excuses were returned; in others, the
impossibility of supplying so large a sum on so short a notice; all of
which the Prince knew to be false, and, therefore, he began, justly,
to suspect that there was some secret machinery at work to prevent the
necessary supplies from being advanced.
'In this emergency, Mr. C----l was despatched to an eminent pawnbroker
in Fleet Street, who at that time was in the habit of lending large
sums of money to the nobility, on their plate and jewels, and who
was the actual holder of the celebrated jewels of the Duchess of
Devonshire, the publicity of which hurried her prematurely to the
grave. On the present occasion, Mr. Parker, the pawnbroker, lost no
time in repairing to Park Lane, where the unfortunate lady was in
the custody of the sheriff's officers; and, here, a new difficulty
presented itself in the way of her emancipation. The harpies of the
law objected to any part of the plate or jewels being deposited in
the hands of Mr. Parker, until their demand was satisfied. On the
other hand, the wily pawnbroker refused to advance the money until
the property was placed in his hands, as he did not know but what
there might be other actions in reserve, for the liquidation of
which the property in the house might prove inadequate. Under these
circumstances, C----l was secretly despatched to Carlton House,
with instructions to bring away with him a particular casket, which
contained the Prince's state jewels, which, although exceeding in value
ten times the amount of the sum which he had to pay, was borne away by
the pawnbroker to his depository in Fleet Street, but which, however,
was redeemed on the following day by an advance which the Prince
obtained from the wealthy Jew in St. Mary Axe.'
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FOOTNOTES:
[53] 'Life of George IV.,' by Percy Fitzgerald; London, 1881, 8vo.,
vol. i., p. 238.
[54] By Mrs. Centlivre, 1714. Revived by Garrick in 1757.
[55] 'A Review of the Conduct of the Prince of Wales in his various
transactions with Mr. Jefferys,' by N. Jefferys; London, 1806, 8vo.,
eighth edition.
[56] The Prince's former jeweller.
[57] 'Memoirs of George IV.,' vol. i., p. 266.
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