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in it. A prince cannot make a minister a greater compliment than by making his measures his own. I have heard it has been no unuseful art, in some ministers, to give things that turn to their masters."

The King did not essentially differ from Mr. Pelham. He wished for a quiet life; he saw that the Duke of Bedford did not thwart Newcastle in the conduct of affairs; and he tried to quiet the irritable vanity of his minister, by telling him, that Mr. Pelham, the Chancellor, and he, had really the whole power, and that the rest of the cabinet were but cyphers. Still the perpetual droppings of discontent at length made their impression; Lady Yarmouth, who had taken the part of the Duke of Bedford, found that the King was disposed to make a change, and hinted the matter to Newcastle. He has himself recorded in his letters the progress of the intrigue. In August, 1750, he writes, that till within a few days the King had hardly made any observation on the Duke of Bedford. Nay, more -he had addressed to Mr. Stone the very natural remark, "What would you have him write about? There is nothing to do." But on another occasion, upon the usual report of Stone, that there were no letters from the Duke of Bedford, he said, "No: he does not much trouble his head about business; never man had an easier office than he has."

To so accomplished an intriguer as Newcastle, this hint was sufficient. He observes, with a sagacity which in higher matters and for better purposes would be commendable,

"I thought that very remarkable, and that things began to work. Upon the coming in of the last messenger without one single line from his Grace (for he very seldom writes at all by the messengers), talking a little upon his Grace's subject, the King said of himself, 'It is not to be borne; he never writes;' and then repeated, he has an easy office indeed,' or 'he receives his pay easily,' or to that purpose. I made no reply, but left it there; but I am persuaded, by the manner, I could that morning (last Thursday) have got any orders I pleased; but I chose to say nothing, not to seem pressing, and would not take any step in this affair without your advice; and that is my resolution, however things turn out here."

In a succeeding letter he says, upon the death of the Duke of Richmond, Master of the Horse, addressing Lord Hardwicke,

"I desired Stone to acquaint my brother by the last messenger, for I was not really then able to do it, that my Lady Yarmouth had told me she must speak to me, and took an opportunity to do it last Tuesday, in the great dining room, at the window. It is,' she said, 'par rapport au Duc de Bedford; le Roi veut faire quelque chose. He never writes; and, indeed, he does nothing,' says she, but ride post from Woburn. This I have from the Gazettes.' I asked if the King thought of doing any thing immediately. Oui, je le crois comme cela.' 'But,' said she of herself, will not this fâcheux accident furnish a means of finding an accommodation,' meaning the office of Master of the Horse. I said there were two vacancies, that and the President. No,' said she, cela il ne veut pas prendre. I will talk to the King,' says she,' and we will talk further of it at the Göhrde.' Since that she has told me the King did not like the Duke of Bedford to be

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Master of the Horse; but she believed he would give it to him, if he would take it."

Yet it was ten months from this time before the Duke of Bedford was removed. Mr. Pelham was surprised, and somewhat disconcerted, at the King's readiness to alter any part of his ministry. Speaking of the two persons mentioned by Newcastle to succeed the Duke, viz. Lord Holdernesse, then in Holland, and Lord Waldegrave, he says:

"He that is abroad* is very trifling in his manner and carriage: he does well where he is; but he has advantages there that we know not what use he makes of. The other f is as good-natured, worthy, and sensible a man as any in the kingdom, but totally surrendered to his pleasures; and I believe that mankind, and no one more so than himself, would be surprised to see him in such an office.

"I own, if my brother could away with it, I see nothing so safe as to continue as we are, provided the other vacant offices are filled up by men of weight in this country, and such as by themselves or family will give strength and credit to the administration. That is the way, in my humble opinion, to mortify the young gentry. Show them to be useless, and they will grow cheap; and when they are so in office, we shall have less to apprehend from them out. But if nothing can either persuade the King or my brother to keep things as they are, then I would suggest to his Grace whether Halifax, amongst the young ones, has not much the most efficient talents. He heartily hates the Duke of Bedford and his friend. I do not take that to be the case of the other two. I see many objections to them all, and some to this latter that are in neither of the former; but then there is something to set

Lord Holdernesse.

+ Lord Waldegrave.

against these objections which we shall have a difficulty to find in the others.

"Notwithstanding what I write now, I beg to be understood that I am neither an admirer of the measure nor of the man. You see I take for granted any proposed change will end in a breach; but, if not, where do we stand then? The Duke of Bedford will, it is true, be out of an office, in which he makes a bad figure; but he, his family, and friends, will be nearer court than ever. He will come there with the grace of obliging the King; and, if intrigues are what we fear, and nothing else do I see that is to be feared, how many more opportunities will they have for that purpose, and with what advantage will they pursue such a scheme when they have complied with the commands of the King cheerfully, and are in situations where they cannot offend, unless they desire it, but may, by obsequious and steady attendance, ingratiate themselves every day more and more.

"These are, upon reflection, my thoughts. I have some reason to think the office of Master of the Horse would not be disagreeable to his Grace; he cries it up as the properest for a man of great quality of any but Lord Chamberlain, and in some respects preferable to that; he talks much of the nearness it is to the King's person, and endeavours to make people think that is his principal view. But you will be surprised, after all this, when I tell you this is his scheme, provided Sandwich is Secretary of State; but, without that, he will undergo any thing rather than divide the administration and distress the

King's affairs. As I came to the knowledge of this but very lately, I could not acquaint my brother with it till and I must insist that it goes no farther than him and you; for, if it does, I shall never be able to gain him any more intelligence of this kind."

now,

The Duke of Newcastle wished to find how far it was intended by the King to allow the Duke of Bed

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ford to become Master of the Horse. In order to open this subject to the King, he showed him a letter from Earl Poulett, asking that office for himself.

"The King read my Lord Poulett's letter without emotion. I said his Lordship was never one I greatly admired, but that he had formerly been much cried up, which put him upon all these demands. Now to the point. The King said, in very good humour (as he was the whole time of this material conversation), I see (says he) your brother sees that things cannot continue as they are; and he will be proposing disagreeable exchanges to me, in order to prevent a rupture, or to keep things quiet.' (You see by this what turn the lady has given to her proposal of the Master of the Horse.) I replied, with great astonishment, My brother, sir, I am persuaded, has no thought of proposing any disagreeable exchanges to your Majesty. All that he has said to me upon the subject of the vacancies is, that there are now (and will probably be) three or four vacancies in the cabinet council; and he doubts not but your Majesty will fill them up with such persons as may be most for your service; but my brother has not so much as named one single person,'—as was then true, for I had not received your last letters.

6

The King then grew in very good humour, and entered into the character of the Duke of Bedford, and the nature of the office of Master of the Horse. He said the Duke of Bedford was proud, obstinate, haughty, and some epithets of that kind; that the office of Master of the Horse and that of Lord Chamberlain were very particular; that he could never replace the poor man that is gone; what should he do if an accident happened to the Duke of Grafton? and then many personal things of the dear Duke of Richmond and the Duke of Grafton.

"He ran out into great encomiums of my Lord Waldegrave; that he should be more than he was (in which I entirely agreed); that he would have sent Waldegrave to