|The health of the king did not improve; and, as the prince-regent now held the reins of government, a separate maintenance was provided for the queen and princesses. This was quite necessary, because the prince was on bad terms with all his family; besides, he was thinking seriously of a divorce from Princess Caroline, which he felt more sure of getting because of his father's inability to protect her. But that matter had to rest for a while, because his mind was so filled with political disturbances, the Catholic question, changes in the ministry, and at last the assassination of Mr. Perceval in the House of Commons. The prince was entirely under the control of men of small ability, who advised him so badly that he became exceedingly unpopular, and attacks of the most stinging and bitter character were made against him in the papers. Such men as Moore, Charles Lamb, Cruikshank, and Home held him up to ridicule in the most merciless manner, and, as he was vain and sensitive, it must have been very galling. Here is one of the verses written by Charles Lamb, which leaves no doubt to whom it refers:-- THE TRIUMPH OF THE WHALE. "Io! Paean! Io! sing, To the finny people's king, Not a mightier whale than this, In the vast Atlantic is; {256} Not a fatter fish than he Flounders round the Polar sea: See his blubber at his gills,-- What a world of drink he swills!-- Such a person,--next declare, Muse, who his companions are: Every fish of generous kind Stands aside or drinks behind. Name or title, what was he? Is he Regent of the sea? By his bulk and by his size, By his oily qualities, This (or else my eyesight fails), This should be the Prince of Whales."