Slowly but surely his sight gave way, and in the winter of 1806 he was nearly blind. Pitt noted "a great change of handwriting ... it has grown much larger, and the characters are very indistinct and ill-formed;"[318] and in 1810 Lady Jerningham wrote, "John Bedingfield has shewn to me the poor King's signature, and it would be impossible to read in it _George Rex_ if the paper did not announce it had that official signature."[319] George bore the affliction bravely. "I am quite resigned," he said, "for what have we in this world to do, but to suffer and perform the will of the Almighty."[320] Soon he could ride only when the horse was led by a servant; while on foot he had to grope his way with a stick. In spite of his determination to bear his ills with fortitude he grew morbid, frequently asked to hear Handel's "Total Eclipse," and one day was overheard by the Queen to quote Milton's lines on his blindness:[321] "O! loss of sight, of thee I most complain! * * * * * O, dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse Without all hope of day! O, first created Beam, and thou great Word, 'Let there be light, and light was over all'; Why am I thus bereaved thy prime decree?" [318] Stanhope: _Life of Pitt_. [319] _Jerningham Letters._ [320] Galt: _George III, his Court and Family_. [321] _Relics of Royalty._ In 1810 the King was greatly worried by the failure of the Walcheren expedition, and the notorious "Duke and Darling" scandal that brought disgrace upon the Duke of York and resulted in his resignation of the office of Commander-in-Chief. On October 24 he was very unwell, and at the Drawing-room on the next day every one noticed his excited manner. On the 29th the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor visited him at Windsor, where they came to the conclusion that he was not in a fit state to discharge his kingly duties, and orders were given that only physicians and medical attendants should have access to the royal apartments. Then came the crowning blow in the form of the death of his youngest and favourite daughter, Amelia, on November 2. She was deeply attached to him, and placed on his finger a ring, containing a lock of her hair, enclosed under a crystal tablet and inscribed "Remember me." Even that inveterate opponent of royalty, "Peter Pindar," was touched, and commemorated the event in some of the worst lines he ever wrote. "With all the virtues blent, and every grace, To charm the world and dignify her race, Life's taper losing fail its feeble fire, The fair Amelia, thus bespoke her sire: Faint on the bed of sickness lying, My spirit from its mansion flying, Not long the light these languid eyes will see: My friend, my father, and my King, O, wear a daughter's mournful ring, Receive the token, and 'Remember me.'"