cursed like an intoxicated
fish-wife. Pope, Swift, Gay, Hervey, flung metrical abuse about in the
coarsest fashion. There seemed to be hardly any pretence at accuracy
of description or epithet. If the poet or the poet's patron did not
like a man or woman, no word of abuse was too coarse or foul to be
employed against the odious personage. Women, indeed, got off rather
worse than men on the whole; even Lord Hervey did not suffer so much at
the hands of Pope as did Mary Wortley Montagu. The poets of one
faction did not spare even the princes and princesses, even the King or
Queen, of another. Furious and revolting lines were written about
George and his wife by one set of versifiers; about the Prince of Wales
by another. No hour, no event, was held sacred. Around a death-bed
the wits were firing off their sarcasms on its occupant. Some of the
verses written about Queen Caroline, verses often containing the
foulest and filthiest libels, followed her into the sick-chamber, {103}
the bed of death, the coffin, and the grave. One could easily
understand all this if the libellers had been vulgar and venal Grub
Street hacks who were paid to attack some enemy of their paymaster.
But the vilest calumnies of the time were penned by men of genius, by
men of the highest rank in literature; by men whose literary position
made them the daily companions of great nobles and of princes and
princesses. Political and social hatred seemed to level all
distinctions and to obliterate most of the Christian virtues.

{104}

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE BANISHED PRINCE.

[Sidenote: 1737--An important affair]

The conduct of the Prince of Wales was becoming more and more insolent
to the King and Queen every day. Perhaps King George was right in his
belief that Walpole's policy of compromise had made Frederick think
himself of some real account in public affairs. It is certain that he
began to act as if he were determined the whole nation should know how
thoroughly independent he was of the authority of his father and
mother. He had soon a peculiar opportunity of making a display of this
ferocious independence.

The Princess of Wales was about to have her first child. For some
reason, which no one could well explain, the news of the coming event
was not made known to the King and Queen until the hour of its coming
was very near. Even then there seems to have been some conscious or
unconscious misleading of the King and Queen a