derate in his dealings with some of the bishops, the King of
England, Defender of the Faith, told her he was sick of all that
foolish stuff, and added, "I wish with all my heart that the devil may
take all your bishops, and the devil take your minister, and the devil
take the Parliament, and the devil take the whole island, provided I
can get out of it and go to Hanover." Caroline herself could be sharp
enough in her tone with the bishops sometimes, but the manners of the
King seemed to her to go beyond the bounds of reason.

The King was determined to get back to Hanover by a certain date.
Walpole swore to some of his friends that the King should not go. The
King did go, however, and left the Queen to act as regent of the
kingdom during his absence. This time George was to be absent from his
wife on his birthday, and the poor Queen took this bitterly to heart.
She consulted Walpole, and Walpole was frank, although on this
particular occasion he does not seem to have been coarse. He reminded
the Queen that she was ceasing to be young and attractive, and, as it
was necessary that she must keep a hold over the King's regard, he
strongly urged her to write to George and ask him to bring Madame
Walmoden over to England with him. Even this the Queen, after some
moments of agonized mental struggle, consented to do. She wrote to the
{50} King, and she began to make preparations for the suitable
reception of the new sultana. She carried her complacency so far as
even to say that she would be willing to take Madame Walmoden into her
own service. Even Walpole thought this was carrying humbleness too
far. "Why not?" poor Caroline asked; was not Lady Suffolk, a former
mistress of the King, in the Queen's employment? Walpole pointed out,
with the worldly good-sense which belonged to him, that public opinion
would draw a great distinction between the scandal of the King's making
one of the Queen's servants his mistress and the Queen's taking one of
the King's mistresses into her service.

[Sidenote: 1736--Handelists and anti-Handelists]

The quarrels between the Prince of Wales and the other members of the
royal family kept on increasing in virulence. The prince surrounded
himself with the Patriots, and indeed openly put himself at their head.
The King and Queen would look at no one who was seen in the
companionship of the prince. The Queen is believed to have at one time
cherished some schemes for separating the Electo