Accession of George II.--Characters of the King and Queen--Adroit Tactics of Walpole--Rise and Fall of Compton--Attitude of the Opposition--Congress of Soissons--Causes of Dispute with Spain--Stanhope's successful Negotiations with King Philip--Retirement of Townshend--Walpole Supreme--Peace Abroad and at Home--Walpole's System of Wholesale Bribery and Corruption--The Public Prisons--Duel between Pulteney and Lord Hervey--The Excise Scheme--Great Outcry--Withdrawal of the Bill--Walpole's Vengeance--Attack on the Septennial Act--Wyndham's Speech--Depression of the Opposition--Definitive Peace of Vienna--Gin Act--The Porteous Riots--The Prince of Wales and the Opposition--Application for an Increase of his Allowance--Birth of George III.--Death of Queen Caroline--Attempt to Reduce the Army--Disputes with Spain--"Jenkins' Ear"--Walpole's Negotiations--Secession of the Opposition--Further Difficulties with Spain--Declaration of War--Privateers and Reprisals--Vernon's Victory--Frederick invades Silesia--Assistance of England--Parliament Meets--Sandys' Motion--Walpole's Defence--Disasters of Maria Theresa--She throws herself on the Magyars--Misfortunes of the English Fleets--Vernon Repulsed from Carthagena--Power slips from the Hands of Walpole--His Last Battles--The Chippenham Election Petition--His Fall. George II. was born in 1683, and was, consequently, in his forty-fourth year when he ascended the throne. In 1705 he married the Princess Caroline Wilhelmina of Anspach, who was born in the year before himself, by whom he had now four children--Frederick Prince of Wales, born in 1707, William Duke of Cumberland, born in 1721, and two daughters. George had, if anything, a narrower intellect than his father, but spoke English fluently, though with a foreign accent--a great advantage over his predecessor. He was small of stature, and subject to fits of violent passion, neither of which qualities was conducive to royal dignity. Nor did the attributes of his mind supply any gain calculated to remedy these defects. He was possessed of courage, which he had proved at the battle of Oudenarde, and displayed again at Dettingen, and he was praised for justice. Perhaps it was a love of order and etiquette rather than justice which distinguished him. For his sort of military precision and love of soldiers he was nicknamed the "Little Captain" by the Jacobites. But the worst trait of his disposition was his avarice. He admitted, says Lord Chesterfield, that he was much more affected by little things than great ones--the certain mark of a little mind; he therefore troubled himself very little about religion, but took it as he found it, without doubt, objection, or inquiry. He hated and despised all literature and intellectual pursuit, arts and sciences, and the professors of them.