At night, the stage paid its first homage to the new sovereign. Graceful Wilks spoke an ‘occasional prologue’ at the theatre in Drury Lane; and loyal and dramatic people bought it in the house or at Jacob Tonson’s over against Catherine Street, Strand, for twopence. But while Wilks was loyal, he had an Irish Roman Catholic servant, who was so outspokenly Jacobite, that the player discharged him, lest evil might follow to himself. The fellow, however, had what the French call ‘the courage of his opinions,’ but not the discretion which many had who shared them. He went down to the colour-yard at St. James’s, drew his sword upon the flag, abused the new king, gave a tipsy hurrah for his ‘lawful sovereign,’ and knew little more till he found himself next morning aroused from the straw to answer a charge of treason. He pleaded ‘liquor,’ and was allowed the benefit of his hard-drinking.
THE AFFAIRS OF SCOTLAND.
The press at this moment burst into unusual activity. There was especially great activity in and about the Black Boy, in Paternoster Row. It was from under that well-known literary emblem that Baker, the publisher, issued the popular edition of a work that all the world was soon reading, for exactly opposite reasons. Baker had, somehow, got possession of the Jacobite Lockhart’s manuscript of his ‘Memoirs concerning the Affairs of Scotland, from Queen Anne’s Accession to the Throne to the commencement of the Union of the two kingdoms of Scotland and England, in May, 1707. With an Account of the Origin and Progress of the designed Invasion from France, in March, 1708. And some Reflections on the Ancient State of Scotland.’ On the same title-page, notice was made of ‘an Introduction, showing the reason for publishing these Memoirs at this juncture.’
These Memoirs treat with immense severity all the leading Whig noblemen and gentlemen of Scotland. The book was therefore read with avidity, by the Tories, or Jacobites. But many Tories who had rallied from the Whig or Hanoverian side were handled quite as roughly, to the great delight of their former colleagues, and to a certain satisfaction on the part of present confederates. The volume showed both Whigs and Tories where their enemies were to be found, and it was accordingly read by both to the same end. But, it also recognised no other king than James the Third of England, and Eighth of Scotland, and, therefore, crafty Baker had an introduction written for the Whig party; that is to say, it warned all loyal people to put no trust now in men who had pretended to reconcile a sham fidelity to Queen Anne with a real one to her brother; men who, in 1708, had hoped to set aside the Protestant succession. ‘And if,’ says the last paragraph of the Introduction, ‘a rebellion of that Black Dye was carried on against a Queen of the greatest Indulgence to their Follies, and who was wickedly represented by them as having concealed Inclinations to serve their Interest, and keep the Crown in trust for their King, what Rancour, what Hellish Malice, may not King George expect from a Faction who put their Country in a Flame to oppose his Succession, and were reducing it to a Heap of Ruins to prevent his being Sovereign of the Soil!’
A ROYAL PROCLAMATION.
One of King George’s first acts was to issue a proclamation against the ‘Pretender,’ in which the reward of 100,000l. was promised to any person who should apprehend him, if he attempted to land in the British dominions.
