one, which for its Antiquity, I believe, has not its Equal, it being the
Stone which served for _Jacob_'s Pillar, when he dreamt of that mysterious
Ladder which reached up to Heaven. This precious Relique is very much
neglected, and I cannot imagine how it came to be so abandoned by that
pious King _James_ II. The _English_ would do well to make a Present of it
to the Republic of _Venice_, where this Stone would quadrate exactly with
the Piece of _Moses_'s Rock in St. _Mark_'s Church. The Cardinal
_Cienfuegos_ shew'd me a Piece of it, when I was last at _Rome_: He told
me, that he stole it in his Return from _Portugal_, where he had been
Ambassador, when he came to _London_ with a Commission from the Emperor to
King _George_ I. He added, that it was the only Robbery he was ever guilty
of in his Life; and that he should have been exceeding scrupulous of
committing it, if this Stone had been as much honour'd in _England_ as it
deserved; but that finding it neglected and despised, he could not help
filching a Piece of it, which he was so fortunate as to strike off with a
Key, at the very Nick of Time when the Keeper of it happen'd to be looking
another way. I told him, that I did not think that he needed to have been
so very scrupulous of this Theft; that I was persuaded, that if he had
given the Keeper a Guinea at most, he might have had a much greater Piece;
and that perhaps for a Trifle more he might have brought away the whole
Stone. O Lord! cry'd the Cardinal, lifting up his Eyes to Heaven, I wish
then I had purchased it.
In _Westminster_ Abbey I also saw the Stone Chair which _Edward_ I. that
proud Conqueror of _Scotland_, caused to be brought from the Abbey of
_Scoon_ to that of _Westminster_, in order to give the _Scots_ to
understand that they had no longer any Sovereign Power in their Country.
Ever since that Time the Kings of _England_ have made it a Rule to be
seated in that Chair on the Day of their Coronation.
The Palace of _Westminster_, tho' formerly noted for the Residence of the
Kings, and now for the Assembly of the Parliament, is altogether plain.
The Hall where the Royal Feast is celebrated on the Coronation-Day, is one
of the largest in _Europe_.
The Room where the Lords meet, which is called the House of Peers, is not
much ornamented, nor is the King's Throne in it at all magnificent: They
say, that a new Parliament-House is speedily to be erected; which is an
Undertaking that deserves an able Hand to conduct it, the Parliament of
_Great Britain_ being, next to the Dyet of the Empire, the most august
Body in the Universe.
When the King goes to meet his Parliament, 'tis with all the Splendor of
Royalty, and he appears there with the Crown on his Head, dress'd in Royal
Robes. His Throne is at the Bottom of the Room, whereas that of the King
of _France_, when he holds his Courts of Justice, is plac'd in a Corner,
with his Peers on each Side of him. But here the Prince of _Wales_ alone,
as Heir of the Crown, sits in the same Line with the King, and the Peers
sit upon Benches by the Sides of the Room, and across it. I have not yet
had the Honour to see his present Majesty in his Parliament; but I saw the
late King his Father there; and I assure you, that the Sight of this
august Assembly inspired me with such Sentiments of Respect, as I don't
know that I was ever impress'd with before. When I saw that King, the Best
and most Just of Monarchs, come to give the Royal Assent to what the Peers
of the Kingdom, or rather the Fathers of the People, had agreed to, I
thought I saw _Augustus_ in the Capitol approving the Decrees of the
Senate, and the Senate applauding the Actions of the Emperor. Nevertheless
the Parliament does not always applaud the King's Measures; but on the
contrary makes a noble Stand against them when they tend to incroach upon
the public Liberty. 'Tis true, that since the late Revolution, which
depriv'd the _Stuart_ Family of the Throne, the Kings and their
Parliaments have always agreed very well. Such is the Genius of the
Nation, that a mild just King is sure of their Love and Respect, and he
finds them as obedient to his Will, as a Tyrant King finds them reluctant.
All that find Fault with the _English_ for Disaffection to their Kings,
have not duly read their History, or are fond of Slavery; and they who
think a King of _Great Britain_ is to be pity'd because he is not
absolute, have a false Notion of kingly Power. A Monarch of _England_ is
capable of doing as much Good as any King in the World; but he can do no
Wrong. And what can a King, if he be an honest Man, (pardon me this
Expression, 'tis a Character not unworthy of a King) desire more? What
needs there more to satisfy his Ambition? And is it possible, that a Man
can be pitied, because 'tis not in his Power to make Millions of People
miserable? For my part, I think that the _English_, who do not stand up
for their Laws and Liberties, are altogether as criminal, as they who
oppose the Will of their Sovereign in a State where Arbitrary Power is
once established.
What I admire in the _English_, is not only the Firmness with which they
plead for their Rights, but their Manner of doing it. In other Nations we
see Deputies from Parliaments or States makeing Remonstrances to their
Sovereign, which are studied and concerted. An _Englishman_, on the
contrary, makes his upon the Spot: He first hearkens attentively to what
the Court Party has to propose, and if he finds it detrimental to the
State, he opposes it solidly; not with Expressions that are flourish'd and
far-fetch'd, but strongly represents the Inconveniencies of the Thing, and
enforces what he says by the Quotation of Laws and Precedents. A true
_English_ Nobleman or Gentleman sacrifices every thing he has, for his
Country: The Court and its Favours are not strong enough to captivate him:
He can renounce both, when he thinks himself engaged in Honour to oppose
the Court Measures in Parliament, and he lays down his Employments. A King
has seldom the Pleasure of turning a Man out, and much less that of being
solicited by the Person in Disgrace to restore him to Favour. An
_Englishman_ who should write such Letters as _Bussi Rabutin_ wrote to
_Lewis_ XIV. would, I believe, be as much despised in _England_, as
_Bussi_ was esteemed in _France_. They that are out of Favour, are not
shunn'd here as they are elsewhere; and they are so far from being
abandoned by their Friends, that a Nobleman has often a greater Levee in
his Disgrace than he had when in Favour. At the same Time I can't but
think, that this Indifference for standing well or ill with the Court, is
sometimes push'd too far. I have been told, _a propos_, that Queen
_Catharine_ of _Portugal_, Wife of _Charles_ II. having forbad a certain
Lady to come to Court, for having behav'd in a Manner that gave Offence,
the Lady made her Answer, That she would obey her, and that she assured
her Majesty, she would never give herself the Trouble to visit her again,
'till she could see her for Six-pence; by which she meant, when the Queen
was dead, and exposed to View at _Westminster_.
His present Majesty having some Years ago forbad the D----ess of _Q----y_
to come to Court, for some disrespectful Behaviour, the Duke who was that
Lady's Husband, and likewise disapproved her Conduct, immediately resign'd
his Employment of V----e A----l of _Sc----d_, and absented himself from
Court; but the D----ss and he were nevertheless seen as public Abroad as
ever, and received abundance of Visits at Home. In short, a Man is only
shunn'd here for being a Criminal, or a Coward.
There's no King serv'd with greater Respect than a King of _Great
Britain_: Even the Peers minister to him upon the Knee. His Family is very
numerous; his Guards, which are spruce, form a considerable Body; his
Court is always very much throng'd; and in short, he wants nothing of the
Honours of Royalty. Since the late Revolution, a King is not accountable
for any Thing he does; and the Ministers alone are culpable, and
responsible to the Parliament for any Thing that happens wrong.
The present King is not tall, but very well shap'd, has a stately Port, a
very grave Countenance, and speaks little, but with great Propriety. The
_French_, _English_, and the _Italian_ Languages are as familiar to him as
the _German_. He reads a vast deal, and knows more than most do, who wear
the Royal Diadem. Being not puffed up with Pageantry, and vain Grandeur,
he does not give into superfluous Magnificence; but is an [OE]conomist,
without Avarice; liberal, without being profuse; an Enemy to Vice, and a
Friend to Virtue; sober and regular in his Ways and Manners; of a lively
Temper, full of Spirit and Ambition, but submitting both the one and the
other to Reason. He is active and laborious; understands Affairs, has a
quick Apprehension, and a wonderful Memory. As Electoral Prince of
_Hanover_, he gave Proofs of his Valour in the _Netherlands_ at the
Battles of _Oudenarde_ and _Malplaquet_; as Prince of _Wales_, he shew'd
that Adversity could not abate his Courage; and as King and Elector, he
makes it evident, that he can both forgive an Injury, and forget it. His
People are happy under his Reign. In _England_ his only Study is to
maintain the Peace and Balance of _Europe_, to make Commerce flourish, and
to render the Nation one of the most powerful in the World. At _Hanover_
he endeavours, by good Offices to his Subjects there, to alleviate their
Sorrow for his Absence. He has not made any miserable since he begun his
Reign; and if the Blessings of the People help to prolong the Days of
their Kings, his _Britannic_ Majesty may hope for one of the longest of
Reigns.
The Queen is a Princess in whose Person every thing that challenges
Respect does at the same time command Affection. Her Presence is majestic,
but accompany'd with Modesty and Good-nature; her Behaviour is the most
courteous that can be; and her Wit, which is both solid and sparkling, is
adorn'd with a thousand fine Accomplishments. She ever look'd upon all the
trifling Amusements of her Sex with Disdain; and particularly never
affected Ornament in Dress. The reading of choice Authors was always one
of her greatest Pleasures; and her Majesty may be said to be one of the
most learned Princesses in _Europe_. Having lost the Margrave of
_Brandenburg Anspach_ her Father, when she was very young, and her Mother
the Princess of _Saxe-Eysenach_ marrying again to _John George_ IV.
Elector of _Saxony_, she was left under the Guardianship of _Frederic_
Elector of _Brandenburg_, afterwards King of _Prussia_; by which means she
spent Part of her early Days at the Court of _Berlin_, where the
Electoress, who was Sister to the late King _George_ I. gave her a
Tincture of her own Politeness, and inspired her with those sublime
Sentiments, for which she was admired by all that approach'd her. The
young Princess of _Anspach_ had at that time all the Charms of Nature; and
the Fame of her Beauty attracted the Addresses of _Charles_ III. King of
_Spain_, our august Emperor, who offered her his Hand and his Crown: But
the Princess was so strongly attach'd to her Religion, that she refused
both. God reserv'd her, no doubt, to make _Great Britain_ happy, and she
married the Electoral Prince of _Brunswic-Lunenbourg_. Not many Years
after this, she saw (but without any visible Emotion of Joy) her
Father-in-Law and her Husband call'd to the Possession of one of the chief
Thrones in the World. I was then at _Hanover_, and will venture to assure
you, that the whole Electoral Family heard of this new Addition to their
Greatness with a Moderation which render'd them worthy of their Fortune;
and the Princess in particular demonstrated, that she was thoroughly
satisfy'd in her Mind, that she could be happy without a Crown, and that
both her Father-in-Law and her Husband were already Kings in her Eye,
because they so highly deserved that Title. When she became Princess of
_Wales_, she was so prudent as to keep fair with both the Parties which
then divided the Royal Family. The late King had a sincere Esteem for her,
and she in return paid him very great Respect. And[124]now that she is
Queen, her Majesty contributes all that's in her Power to make the
Subjects happy. The King lets her into a Share of Affairs, and leaves the
Regency of the Kingdom to her in his Absence.
Among the Joys of their _Britannic_ Majesties we ought to reckon the
numerous Family with which Heaven has bless'd 'em. It consists of two
Princes and five Princesses. The eldest, who has the Style and Title of
Prince of _Wales_, tho' he is not very tall, has a majestic Air, and when
among the Courtiers, is easily distinguish'd to be the chief Personage. He
is extremely civil, affable, good-natured and polite. It may be truly said
of him, that he has the Soul of a King; for few Princes are more generous.
He loves Pleasures and Magnificence; he is gallant, has a penetrating
Genius, talks very much, but always with Judgment, and to the Point. He is
Master of several Languages, and understands History and Geography. He is
perfect in all his Exercises, and really is not ignorant of any one Thing
that a Prince of his Rank ought to know. The _Hanoverians_, among whom he
was educated, ador'd him, and the _English_ seem altogether as fond of
him.
The young Duke of _Cumberland_, second Son to their Majesties, resembles
what the Painters represent to us by the Name of _Cupid_. He has Sense
infinitely superior to his Age, is very dexterous, and an apt Scholar. He
speaks _English_, _High-Dutch_, _Latin_, and _French_; and I think more
than this cannot be expected of a Prince who is not yet full thirteen
Years of Age[125].
Of the five Princesses I shall only mention the three eldest, the other
two being as yet too young for a Character. The eldest, whom they call the
_Princess Royal_[126], has an excellent Shape, and an Aspect of Modesty
and Goodness, which wins the Hearts of all that see her. Her Temper is as
engaging as her Physiognomy; and her Mind, which is disengaged from all
Trifles, is more solid than might be expected from her Age. The reading of
good Books, Conversation with Persons of Merit, and her Application to
Music, are her chief Employments. She is extremely civil, and obligeing;
and they say, she is generous and beneficent. 'Tis a Pleasure to see her
on Horseback; she dances with a very good Grace, and really has all the
Virtues becoming her high Birth.
The Princesses _Amelia_ and _Caroline_, were they not the most shining
Beauties, have personal Charms, and such Qualities of the Mind as cannot
fail in time of making some Prince or other happy.
With these Characters of the Royal Family I shall conclude my Letter,
which is already long enough: I shall give you the rest of my Remarks
without Delay. In the mean time be assured, that I am always with an
inviolable Attachment, &c.
[Illustration]
LETTER LIV.
_SIR_, _London, May 4, 1733._
The last brought us to the Royal Family, and what relates to the Court.
The latter is more numerous than brilliant, if it be certain that
Pleasures form the Splendor of a Court. Of these their Majesties don't
seem to be fond, at least of those noisy Pleasures, that instead of
unbending the Mind, which ought to be the Aim of all Pleasures, only serve
to fatigue it.
'Tis very easy to obtain the Honour of being introduced to their
Majesties, and the Royal Family, nothing more being necessary, than to
send in one's Name to the Duke of _Grafton_, his Majesty's Lord
Chamberlain, and my Lord _Grantham_, the Queen's Master of the Horse.
People go to the King's Levee, and the Queen's Drawing-Room, as they do in
_France_. Their Majesties dine in Public only upon _Sundays_, when none
eat with 'em but their Children. The Table is in Form of an oblong Square,
in the Middle of which sit the King and Queen, with the Prince of _Wales_
on the Right, and the three eldest Princesses on the Left. The Service
here is performed in the same Manner as it is in _France_. The Table is
plac'd in the midst of a Hall, surrounded with Benches to the very
Cieling, which are fill'd with an infinite Number of Spectators. The same
Room serves also for the Balls, when there are any at Court. Three times
a Week there's an Apartment here, called the _Drawing-Room_, which is
open'd at Ten o'Clock at Night. About this Hour the Ladies repair to the
said Apartment, which consists of three great Salons, made by the
Direction of Queen _Anne_, which are the only tolerable Rooms in all St.
_James_'s Palace. The King comes to it attended not only by the Queen, who
is led by the Prince of _Wales_, but by the Princesses her Daughters.
Their Majesties converse there for a few Moments with such Persons as they
are pleased to distinguish; after which the Queen makes a profound Curtsy
to the King, and goes to play for about an Hour with the Princess-Royal,
and two Ladies, whom her Majesty singles out of the Company, and a little
before Midnight their Majesties retire. Upon those Days that there's no
Drawing-Room, the King and Queen are generally at the Opera, or the
Play-house. In fine Weather they take the Air in St. _James_'s Park, or
the Suburbs of _London_. In Summer-time their Majesties are for the most
part at _Kensington_, _Windsor_, or _Hampton-Court_, the two last of which
Palaces are beautiful. The first of these was built by the famous Cardinal
_Wolsey_, the Favourite of King _Henry_ VIII. and before _Lewis_ XIV.
began to build; was reckon'd the finest Palace in _Europe_.
The King does not hunt much, but employs most of his Time with his
Ministers, consulting the Welfare of his Dominions. Of these Sir ROBERT
WALPOLE is the Principal, and he is the only Commoner in _Great Britain_
that is honoured with the Order of the Garter. This Minister, who is not
less applauded by the Court Party, than he is censured by the contrary
Faction, has the general Veneration and Esteem of all the Courts of
_Europe_; where 'tis confess'd to be owing to his Direction that the
Cabinet of St. _James_'s gives Motion at this Time to all _Europe_, and
that he is the Soul of all Councils, all Deliberations, and all
Resolutions. Sir _Robert Walpole_ seems, in my Opinion, to be attended
with the Fate of my Lord Duke of _Marlborough_, who, tho' admir'd by the
whole World, and even by those to whom he did most Mischief, was hardly
valued in his own Country, which he crown'd with Glory and Prosperity. I
shall say nothing to you at present of this Gentleman's private Character,
because I am not yet well enough acquainted with it. As I have no Business
with him, I see him pass along; and that's all. I want some Neutral Man
(that is to say, one who is neither for nor against this Minister) that
knows him well, and will let me into the Knowledge of him too. If I am so
fortunate as to find out such a Person, I will impart to you such Lights
as he shall give me. Mean time I hear him talk'd of in Public as one that
understands the Constitution of the Kingdom better than any Man in it, who
thoroughly knows the Strength and Weakness of the State, and one whom
nothing terrifies, nothing astonishes: And I may add, there's no Man more
bold and enterprizing. He perfectly knows his Countrymen, and has the true
Art of Government: And no Body speaks with more Eloquence in Parliament;
where whatever he proposes seldom fails of being pass'd; and the
Lower-house is, as one may say, determined by him.
His greatest Opponents in Parliament are Mr. _P----y_ in the House of
Commons, and my Lord _St----d_ in the House of Peers. This Lord, you know,
was for a long time Ambassador from Queen _Anne_ to the Court of _Berlin_,
and afterwards to the States General; and that it was he that sign'd the
Treaty of Peace at _Utrecht_: He was a Member of the Privy Council when
the Queen died; but King _George_ I. did not think fit continue him; at
which his Lordship being disgusted, absented from Court, and became in
Parliament the Censor of the Ministers. After the Death of King _George_
I. the Earl paid his Respects to their present Majesties, who received him
with very great Marks of Distinction; which however did not hinder his
constant Opposition to the Measures of the Court: Yet it cannot be deny'd
that his Lordship behav'd with very great Prudence in the Changes that
happened upon the Accession of the _Brunswic_ Family to the Throne. This
Lord, speaking to me one Day of those Alterations, in the Voyage which I
made hither in 1728, told me, that if he had been rul'd by the Duke of
_Ormond_, he would have been in the same miserable Circumstances as that
Duke. "He did all he could, _said he_, to persuade me to quit the Kingdom
with him; but he was so far from decoying me away, that I made use of all
the Rhetoric I was Master of, to persuade him to stay at home, because we
had neither of us done any thing but by Order of the Queen our Mistress;
that therefore we had nothing to fear, and that the worst that could
happen to us would be a Censure. But the Duke had such a Terror upon him,
that all these Arguments were not powerful enough to encourage him; and
but a few Hours before he went off, he came and conjured me to leave the
Kingdom with him. I made him this Answer: _I have nothing to reproach
myself with_, my Lord, _I have obeyed the Queen, and I have too high an
Opinion of the Justice of my Country, and too great a Confidence in the
Equity of the King, to fear any Thing_. The Answer which the Duke made me
was, _Well then_, my Lord, _I must take the same Farewel of you as the_
Prince of Orange _did of_ Count Egmont. FAREWEL, COUNT WITHOUT A HEAD. To
which I replied, FAREWEL, DUKE WITHOUT A DUCHY. The Event has shewn, that
I was a better Prophet than the Duke of _Ormond_: For I enjoy my Estate in
Peace, whereas what he had is taken from him." In the same Conversation
the Earl talked a great deal to me of their Majesties, and in Terms of the
profoundest Respect. He expressed an infinite Value for the King, who when
Prince of _Wales_, said he, always treated him with very great Regard and
Goodness. Nevertheless this Lord seldom appears at Court: He spends the
Summer in the Country, and the Winter at _London_, where once a Week he
has an Assembly; but in other respects he lives very retired, and at no
great Expence.
The Duke of _Newcastle_ is Secretary of State. This Nobleman is extremely
civil, very rich, and lives grand. He has the Province of foreign Affairs,
in Conjunction with my Lord _Harrington_, who, when he was only Colonel
_Stanhope_, gain'd Reputation as Ambassador in _Spain_, and at the
Congress of _Soissons_. I knew this Minister at _Madrid_ in 1719, and can
vouch for him, that he is one of the worthiest and soberest Men in the
World. He is good-natur'd, modest, generous, and mighty sincere. He is shy
of new Acquaintance, but when once a Man knows him, the better he will
like him.
I don't think that the Ministers of this Country, or the Nobility, are so
haughty as they are represented in our Country; and have Reason to think,
that they who say the _English_ are not civil to Foreigners, have not been
very conversant with 'em. 'Tis true, they are not so engaging as the
_French_; but when a Man is known among them, gives into their Ways, and
courts their Favour, in short, they are, methinks, as courteous and civil
as any other People in the World. An _Englishman_ won't be saying at every
Turn, _That he has the Honour to be your most humble Servant; that he has
the Honour to say, to hear_, and so of the rest. He will say it perhaps
once in a Conversation, and that's all; nor, on the other hand, does he
want to be loaded with Compliments, Acknowledgments, and impertinent Bows.
As he is above Trifles, he looks upon all those frothy Expressions as
frivolous; and this it is that makes our young Travellers think, that the
_English_ are not polite. Such far-fetcht and bombast Phrases are commonly
all that those Sparks have learnt at a great deal of Expence in their
Travels to _France_, and they are perfectly astonished, when they come
into a Land of good Sense, and see so little Notice taken of what they
have paid for so dear, and what has cost them so much Pains to acquire.