These letters are written, as the Prince wrote them in bad French badly spelt.
Lord Hervey states that the morning after these two epistles were received, was occupied with conversation between the King and Queen and Sir Robert Walpole, which on the part of His Majesty consisted largely of the following epithets which he applied to his son the Prince of Wales: “Scoundrel and Puppy!” “Knave and Fool!” “Liar and coward!” and no doubt many choice German expletives thrown in where English failed.
The King, eventually, however, commanded the following answer to be sent by the hands of Lord Essex, to his son’s happy announcement of the birth of his daughter. This is what Lord Essex read out to the Prince:
“The King has commanded me to acquaint your Royal Highness that His Majesty most heartily rejoices at the safe delivery of the Princess; but that your carrying away her Royal Highness from Hampton Court, the then residence of the King, the Queen and the Royal Family, under the pains—and certain indication of immediate labour to the imminent danger, and hazard both of the Princess and her child, and after sufficient warnings for a week before to have made the necessary preparations for the happy event without acquainting his Majesty or the Queen with the circumstances the Princess was in, or giving them the least notice of your departure, is looked upon by the King to be such a deliberate indignity offered to himself and the Queen, that he has commanded me to acquaint your Royal Highness that he resents it to the highest degree, and will not see you.”
But this time the worry proved too much for the Queen, whose health was fast failing, and she was seized with a violent attack of the gout.
However, she had her comforter in her close attendant, Lord Hervey; and this time she broke through all rules of etiquette and admitted him to the sick room to sit by her bed. Here he made himself agreeable and amusing as usual, and did not forget to keep alive the Queen’s resentment against her son.
The Prince of Wales very dutifully sent Lord North to inquire after his mother’s health. This message seemed to annoy Lord Hervey, who, in his petty way, was probably jealous. He offered to write a much more sincere message—from his point of view—than the Prince had really sent.
He went into the next room with the Princess Caroline and wrote the following abominable doggerel rhymes.
The Griff[46] to the Queen:
“From myself and my cub and eke from my wife