hen the
Duke of Newcastle was going to Windsor with a mob at his heels to
present a petition (during the late discussions) I went down to
him and showed him the petition, and told him that they ought to
be prevented from coming. He went off and talked upon every
subject but that which I had come about, for an hour and a half.
I let him go on till he was tired, and then I said, "But the
petition, sir; here it is, and an answer must be sent. I had
better write to the Duke of Newcastle and tell him your Majesty
will receive it through the Secretary of State; and, if you
please, I will write the letter before I leave the house." This I
did, finished my business in five minutes, and went away with the
letter in my pocket. I know him so well that I can deal with him
easily, but anybody who does not know him, and who is afraid of
him, would have the greatest difficulty in getting on with him.
One extraordinary peculiarity about him is, that the only thing
he fears is ridicule. He is afraid of nothing which is hazardous,
perilous, or uncertain; on the contrary, he is all for braving
difficulties; but he dreads ridicule, and this is the reason why
the Duke of Cumberland, whose sarcasms he dreads, has such power
over him, and Lord Anglesey likewise; both of them he hates in
proportion as he fears them.' I said I was very much, surprised
to hear this, as neither of these men were wits, or likely to
make him ridiculous; that if he had been afraid of Sefton or
Alvanley it could have been understood. 'But,' rejoined the Duke,
'he never sees these men, and he does not mind anybody he does
not see; but the Duke of Cumberland and Lord Anglesey he cannot
avoid seeing, and the fear he has of what they may say to him, as
well as of him, keeps him in awe of them. No man, however, knows
the Duke of Cumberland better than he does; indeed, all I know of
the Duke of Cumberland I know from him, and so I told him one
day. I remember asking him why the Duke of Cumberland was so
unpopular, and he said, "Because there never was a father well
with his son, or husband with his wife, or lover with his
mistress, or a friend with his friend, that he did not try to
make mischief between them." And yet he suffers this man to have
constant access to him, to say what he will to him, and often
acts under his influence.' I said, 'You and the Duke of
Cumberland speak now, don't you?' 'Yes, we speak. The King spoke
to me about it, and wanted me to make him an