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
“You all wish the accused may be cleared; assist me, my Lords, in
dragging into light every testimonial of their innocence: it is our
natural business; and at the same time no business more arduous
on which to give the King advice. Here he may want it; sinister
advices may make our unbiased, honest opinions more necessary,
more welcome.” The noble Lord who presided lately over the
education of the Prince, has been as well replaced as possible; the
choice was the more acceptable, as it was his Majesty’s own--_he_
can do no wrong; he always acts right, when he acts himself. The
time is proper for inquiring into this affair; it is no longer
under examination; nor could he be told, as he generally was,
“_we have a clue: don’t stop us: these are the King’s secrets_.”
This inquiry can be attended with no inconvenience; it may be
attended with good: the King desires to have the accused persons
cleared. For the papers that are denied, they must be produced
in Westminster-hall, if Fawcett is prosecuted--there _the King’s
secrets_ must come out. That now was not merely the proper, it
was the only time for searching into the character of the person
entrusted with the education of the Prince--should a minority
happen (and sorry he was he had not been able to be present and to
give his dissent to a Bill of so pernicious a precedent and nature
as the Regency Bill!) if that dreaded contingency should happen,
might not they who are possessed of the person and authority of the
King,--might not they, however suspected, however accused, shelter
themselves under the clause of præmunire; a clause calculated
not to guard the person of the Prince, but the persons of his
Governors from danger? He moved for all the papers, examinations,
and letters, that had been before the Cabinet Council.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account