The King was generally regarded as being governed by his wife, and the opinion was not the less general because the King constantly boasted of his own independence. One day, alluding to this subject, he said, “Charles I. was governed by his wife, Charles II. by his mistresses, James by his priests, William by his men-favourites, and Anne by her women-favourites.” He then turned with a significant and satisfied air, and asked, “Who do they say governs now?” The political squibs of the time were, however, of a different opinion from the King. For example—
“You may strut, dapper George, but ‘twill all be in vain,
We know ’tis Queen Caroline, not you, that reign—
You govern no more than Don Philip of Spain.
Then, if you would have us fall down and adore you,
Lock up your fat spouse, as your dad did before you.”
The “dapper” was an allusion to the King’s figure, which was much under size. The locking up was an allusion to the imprisonment of the wife of George I., whom, by an atrocious act of cruelty, he had shut up in one of his castles for thirty-two years. It argues something in favour of the progress of public opinion, that in our day the most despotic or powerful sovereign of Europe would not dare to commit an act, which was then committed with perfect impunity by a little German Elector. Another of those squibs began—
“Since England was England there never was seen
So strutting a King, and so prating a Queen.”
The first of those brought Lord Scarborough into a formidable scrape; for, being taxed by the King with having seen it, evidently in private, the King demanded to know who had shown it to him. Scarborough declared that he was on his honour, not to reveal it. On this the King became furious, and said to him, “Had I been Lord Scarborough in this situation, and you king, the man should have shot me, or I him, who had dared to affront me in the person of my master, by showing me such insolent nonsense!” His Lordship replied, that he never told his Majesty it was a man from whom he had it. He consequently left the King, (who never spoke to him for three months after,) almost as much irritated against him as the author.