Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 2 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of EnglandWraxall, Lascelles, Sir
History
Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 2 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of England
Wraxall, Lascelles, Sir
Caroline Mathilde, Queen, consort of Christian VII, King of Denmark, 1751-1775; Denmark -- History -- Christian VII, 1766-1808
My intention is not at present to make you a Christian. It is only to
remind you of your duty--that duty by which even an honest heathen
thought himself bound toward his king, his country, himself, and his
family. The heathen even demanded this of every subject and of every
man who laid any claim to honour.
You see, sir, in what manner your king and benefactor is used.
You see the indecent things that are done before his eyes, and in
which you, yourself, are so much concerned. You see that in the
whole kingdom everything is turned upside down. Consider, sir, and
recover your senses, and you will not be at a loss how to act. If
it be true (and it is but too true) that the life of the king is in
danger, or at least that preparations are being made to take away
his liberty, you certainly must know it. The sense of the nation on
this head cannot be unknown to you, and that one time or another you
will have to account for the life and liberty of your sovereign.
You, sir, since you are constantly with him, and since you see and
know everybody, be assured that your head will be answerable for it
either sooner or later. Think of your own safety, I conjure you by
the friendship I entertain for you. It is in your power to do it. You
see plainly from the king's desire to avoid the place and company in
which he is ill-used, and from his aversion to return to it, that
he is sensible of the ill-treatment. Some day the king will deliver
himself from you, or good fortune will rid him of you, and what
will then be your fate? Would it not be best for you to save your
head and do your duty at the same time? To build your happiness on
a solid and noble foundation, which you will then owe to your zeal,
your faithfulness and attachment to your king, who will reward you
with riches and honour; and the nation will not think even this an
equivalent for your services. You and your present welfare depend on
the caprice of a wretch who will abandon you as soon as he is above
your assistance. At present he makes the same use of you as the
monkey did of the cat, and I fancy you have found this out more than
once, if you will not impose on yourself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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