nking much about the impression which the offer would make on
the prince. The thought uppermost in his mind was of the impression it
would make on the House of Commons. Unless some new impression could
be made upon the House, the triumph of the prince was absolutely
certain; and Walpole felt sure that if any step could now alter the
condition of things in the House of Commons it would be the publication
of the fact that the King had spontaneously held out the olive-branch;
that {81} he had offered a fair compromise, and that the prince had
refused it.

Walpole had much trouble to prevail upon the King to make any offer of
compromise. Even Lord Hervey was strongly of opinion that the attempt
would be a failure, that the proffered concession would be wholly
thrown away; such a movement, he said, would neither put off the battle
nor gain the King one single desertion from the ranks of the enemy,
while to the King's own party it would seem something like a lowering
of the flag. Walpole, however, persevered, and he carried his point.
A deputation, headed by the new Lord Chancellor, Lord Hardwicke, who
had succeeded to the Great Seal on the death of his famous rival, Lord
Chancellor Talbot, was sent to wait on the prince and submit to him the
proposition of his father. The prince answered rather ungraciously
that the matter was entirely out of his hands now, and that therefore
he could give no answer to the Royal message. It must be gratifying to
every patriotic soul to know that his Royal Highness accompanied this
declaration with "many dutiful expressions" towards his father, and
that he even went so far as to say he was sorry it was not in his power
to do otherwise than as he had done. The dutiful expressions did not
by any means charm away the wrath either of the King or the Queen. The
two stormed and raged against Frederick, and called him by many very
hard names. Both were much disposed to storm against Walpole too, for
the advice he had given, and for his pertinacity in forcing them on to
a step which had brought nothing but humiliation. Walpole bore his
position with a kind of patience which might be called either proud or
stolid, according as one is pleased to look at it. With all his
courage, Walpole must have felt some qualms of uneasiness now and then,
but if he did feel he certainly did not show them.

{82}

CHAPTER XXVI.

A PERILOUS VICTORY.

[Sidenote: 1737--Incentives to valor]

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