The Prince of Wales was occasionally as cavalierly treated by the ladies as the princess by the men. One of the maids of honour of Caroline, the well-known Miss Bellenden, would boldly stand before him with her arms folded, and when asked why she did so, would toss her pretty head, and laughingly exclaim that she did so, not because she was cold, but that she chose to stand with her arms folded. When her own niece became maid of honour to Queen Caroline, and audacious Miss Bellenden was a grave married lady, she instructively warned her young relative not to be so imprudent a maid of honour as her aunt had been before her. But strange things were done by princes and princesses in those days, as well as by those who waited on them. For instance, in 1725, it is reported by Miss Dyves, maid of honour to the Princess Amelia, daughter of the Princess of Wales, that ‘the Prince, and everybody but myself, went last Friday to Bartholomew Fair. It was a fine day, so _he_ went by water; and I, being afraid, did not go; after the fair, they supped at the King’s Arms, and came home about four o’clock in the morning.’ An heir-apparent, and part of his family and consort, going by water from Richmond to ‘Bartlemy Fair,’ supping at a tavern, staying out all night, and returning home not long before honest men breakfasted, was not calculated to make royalty respectable. CHAPTER II. THE FIRST YEARS OF A REIGN. Death of George the First--Adroitness of Sir Robert Walpole--The first royal reception--Unceremonious treatment of the late King’s will--The coronation--Magnificent dress of Queen Caroline--Mrs. Oldfield, as Anne Boleyn, in ‘Henry VIII.’--The King’s revenue and the Queen’s jointure, the result of Walpole’s exertions--His success--Management of the King by Queen Caroline--Unseemly dialogue between Walpole and Lord Townshend--Gay’s ‘Beggars’ Opera,’ and satire on Walpole--Origin of the opera--Its great success--Gay’s cause espoused by the Duchess of Queensberry--Her smart reply to a royal message--The tragedy of ‘Frederick, Duke of Brunswick’--The Queen appointed Regent--Prince Frederick becomes chief of the opposition--His silly reflections on the King--Agitation about the repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts--The Queen’s ineffectual efforts to gain over Bishop Hoadly--Sir Robert extricates himself--The Church made the scapegoat--Queen Caroline earnest about trifles--Etiquette of the toilette--Fracas between Mr. Howard and the Queen--Modest request of Mrs. Howard--Lord Chesterfield’s description of her.