Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Second, Volume 1 (of 3)Walpole, Horace
History
Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Second, Volume 1 (of 3)
Walpole, Horace
Great Britain -- History -- George II, 1727-1760
In the former part of these Memoirs, it has been mentioned, that
the young Prince of Wales, on the death of his father, was placed
by the King under the care of the Earl of Harcourt, as Governor;
of Dr. Hayter, Bishop of Norwich, as Preceptor; and of Mr. Stone
and Mr. Scott, as Sub-governor and Sub-preceptor. The two former
were favourites of Lord Lincoln, the ministerial nephew: Stone
was the bosom-confidant of the Duke of Newcastle: Scott, as well
as the Solicitor-General, Murray, and Cresset, the favourite of
the Princess, were disciples of Lord Bolingbroke, and his bequest
to the late Prince. Stone, in general a cold, mysterious man, of
little plausibility, had always confined his arts, his application,
and probably his views, to one or two great objects. The Princess
could answer to all these lights: with her, he soon ingratiated
himself deeply. Lord Harcourt was minute and strict in trifles; and
thinking that he discharged his trust conscientiously, if on no
account he neglected to make the Prince turn out his toes, he gave
himself little trouble to respect the Princess, or to condescend
to the Sub-governor. The Bishop, thinking himself already Minister
to the future King, expected dependence from, never once thought
of depending upon, the inferior Governors. In the education of the
two Princes, he was sincerely honest and zealous; and soon grew to
thwart the Princess, whenever, as an indulgent, or perhaps a little
as an ambitious mother, (and this happened but too frequently),
she was willing to relax the application of her sons. These jars
appeared soon after the King’s going to Hanover: and by the season
of his return, they were ripe for his interposition.
The English Court at Rome was as little free from intestine
divisions as the Hanoverian Court at London. The Cardinal of York,
whose devotion preserved him from disobedience to his father
as little as his Princely character had preserved him from
devotion, had entirely abandoned himself to the government of an
Abbé, who soon grew displeasing to the old Pretender. Commands,
remonstrances, requests, had no effect on the obstinacy of the
young Cardinal. The father, whose genius never veered towards
compliance, insisted on the dismission of the Abbé. Instead of
parting with his favourite, the young Cardinal with his minion
left Rome abruptly, and with little regard to the dignity of his
Purple. The Holy See, which was sunk to having few more important
negotiations to manage, interested itself in the reconciliation,
and the haughty young Eminence of York was induced to return to his
father, but without being obliged to sacrifice his Abbé. As I shall
not often have occasion to mention this imaginary Court, I will
here give a cursory picture of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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