rst never treated with an insulting enemy; the other never durst
break with a treacherous friend. The first thought it her glory to
command peace; the other thought it no dishonor to beg it. In her
reign every treaty was crowned with glory; in his no peace was attended
with tranquillity; in short, her care was to improve, his to depress
the true British spirit." Even the cool-headed and wise Sir John
Barnard cried out that "a dishonorable peace is worse than a
destructive war."

[Sidenote: 1738--Wyndham's taunts]

We need not go through all the series of debates in the Lords and
Commons. It is enough to say that every one of these debates made the
chances of a peaceful arrangement grow less and less. The impression
of the Patriots seemed to be that Walpole was to be held responsible
for every evasion, every delay, every rash act, and every denial of
justice on the part of Spain. With this conviction, it was clear to
them that the more they attacked the Spanish Government the more they
attacked and damaged Walpole. Full of this spirit, therefore, they
launched out in every debate about Spanish treachery, and Spanish
falsehood, and Spanish cruelty, and Spanish religious faith in a manner
that might have seemed deliberately designed to render a peaceful
settlement of any question impossible between England and Spain. Yet
we do not believe that the main object of the Patriots was to force
England into a war with Spain. Their main object was to force Walpole
out of office. They were for a long time under the impression that he
would resign rather than make war. Once he resigned, the Patriots
would very soon abate {158} their war fury, and try whether the quarrel
might not be settled in peace with honor. But they had allowed
themselves to be driven too far along the path of war; and they had not
taken account of the fact that the great peace Minister might, after
all, prefer staying in office and making war to going out of office and
leaving some rival to make it.

[Sidenote: 1738--Walpole almost alone]

Suddenly there came to the aid of the Patriots and their policy the
portentous story of Captain Jenkins and his ear. Captain Jenkins had
sailed on board his vessel, the _Rebecca_, from Jamaica for London, and
off the coast of Havana he was boarded by a revenue-cutter of Spain,
which proceeded to subject him and his vessel to the right of search.
Jenkins declared that he had been fearfully maltreated; that the