Lord Hervey describes the following conversation with her when he entered the rooms:
“Is it not intolerable,” she said, “at my age to be plagued with a new distemper? Here is that nasty cholic I had at Hampton Court come again.”
She looked extremely ill, and telling him the incidents of the morning Lord Hervey became alarmed.
“For God’s sake, Madam,” he said, “go to your room, what have you to do here?”
She went and talked a little to the people and then came back again to Hervey.
“I am not able to entertain people,” she said.
“Would to God,” he replied, impatiently, “the King would have done talking of the ‘Dragon of Wantley,’ and release you!”
This was a new silly farce, which no doubt just suited the King who was for ever talking about it. It was a burlesque on the Italian Opera, by Henry Carey, and first played at Covent Garden the 26th October, 1737.
At last the King had said his last word on this entertaining subject and left, giving the Queen the chance which both she and Lord Hervey desired, for her to get away.
