The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852 — John Shaqi
The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852Greville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
The most painful moment of his life, and the greatest humiliation
to which a king ever submitted, must have been when he again
received the Whig Ministers in 1835; but it is to the credit of
Lord Melbourne, as well as of the King, that their subsequent
personal intercourse was not disagreeable to either, and greatly
to the King's honour that he has never been accused or suspected
of any underhand or indirect proceeding for the purpose of
emancipating himself from a thraldom so galling. Of political
dexterity and artifice he was altogether incapable, and although,
if he had been false, able, and artful, he might have caused more
perplexity to his Whig Government and have played a better party
game, it is perhaps fortunate for the country, and certainly
happy for his own reputation, that his virtues thus predominated
over his talents. The most remarkable foible of the late King was
his passion for speechifying, and I have recorded some of his
curious exhibitions in this way. He had considerable facility in
expressing himself, but what he said was generally useless or
improper. He never received the homage of a Bishop without giving
him a lecture; and the custom he introduced of giving toasts and
making speeches at all his dinners was more suitable to a tavern
than to a palace. He was totally deficient in dignity or
refinement, and neither his elevation to the throne nor his
association with people of the most distinguished manners could
give him any tincture of the one or the other. Though a good-
natured and amiable man, he was passionate and hasty, and thus he
was led into those bickerings and quarrels with the Duchess of
Kent and with his own children, which were a perpetual source of
discomfort or disgrace to him, and all of which might have been
avoided by a more consistent course of firmness and temper on his
part. His sons generally behaved to him with great insolence and
ingratitude, except Adolphus. Of the daughters I know nothing.
[Page Head: POLITICAL EFFECTS OF THE KING'S DEATH.]
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