Fitzherbert, Maria Anne, 1756-1837; George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830
'The Duke of Cumberland dropped that he meant by this outrageous
behaviour to force the King to yield to terms in favour of his Duchess,
having gotten entire command over the Prince. The latter, however, had
something of the duplicity of his grandfather, Prince Frederick, and,
after drawing in persons to abuse the King, would betray them to the
King. Nor in other respects did his heart turn to good. In his letters
to Mrs. Robinson, his mistress, he called his sister, the Princess
Royal, a poor child, "_that bandy-legged b--- h, my sister_;" and,
while he was talking of Lord Chesterfield in the most opprobrious
terms, he was sending courier after courier to fetch him to town. That
Lord's return produced a scene that divulged all that till now had been
only whispered.
'One night, as soon as the King was gone to bed, the Prince, with
St. Leger and Charles Windham, his chief favourites, and some of his
younger servants, the Duke of Cumberland, and George Pitt, son of Lord
Rivers, went to Blackheath to sup with Lord Chesterfield, who, being
married, would not consent to send for the company the Prince required.
They all got immediately drunk, and the Prince was forced to lie down
on a bed for some time. On his return, one of the company proposed as
a toast, "_A short reign to the King_." The Prince, probably a little
come to himself, was offended, rose and drank a bumper to "_Long
live the King_." The next exploit was to let loose a large fierce
house-dog, and George Pitt, of remarkable strength, attempted to tear
out its tongue. The dog broke from him, wounded Windham's arm, and
tore a servant's leg. At six in the morning, when the Prince was to
return, Lord Chesterfield took up a candle to light him, but was so
drunk that he fell down the steps into the area, and, it was thought,
had fractured his skull. That accident spread the whole history of the
debauch, and the King was so shocked that he fell ill on it, and told
the Duke of Gloucester that he had not slept for ten nights, and that
whenever he fretted, the bile fell on his breast. As he was not ill
on any of the disgraces of the war, he showed how little he had taken
them to heart. Soon after this adventure, the King being to review a
regiment on Blackheath, Lord Chesterfield offered him a breakfast, but
the late affair had made such a noise that he did not think it decent
to accept it.
'FOR THE "PUBLIC ADVERTISER," 1782.
MODERN WIT--(BLACKHEATH).
'Drink _like_ a Lord, and _with_ him, if you will.
Deep be the bumper: let no liquor spill;
No _daylight_ in the glass, though through the night
You soak your senses till the morning light;
Then stupid rise, and with the rising sun
Drive the high car, a second _Phaeton_.
Let these exploits your fertile wit evince:
_Drunk as a Lord, and happy as a Prince!_'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account