e made up
his mind to resign; and that the knowledge of his intention put such
heart into those who were falling away from him as to bring about the
marked increase which was presently to take place in the majority
against him. We are inclined to think that he even still hesitated,
and that his hesitation caused the increase in the hostile majority.
He must go--he has to go--people said; and the sooner we make this
clear to him the better. Anyhow, the end was near. The Chippenham
election was carried against him by a majority of sixteen--241 votes
against 225. A note at the bottom of the page of the Parliamentary
Debates for that day says: "The Chippenham election being thus carried
in favor of the sitting members, it was reported that Sir Robert
Walpole publicly declared he would never enter the House of Commons
more." This was on February 2, 1742. Next day the Lord Chancellor
signified the pleasure of the King that both Houses of Parliament
should adjourn until the eighteenth of the month. Everybody knew what
had happened. The long administration of twenty years was over; the
great minister had fallen, never to lift his head again. The
Parliamentary record thus tells us what had happened: "The same evening
the Right Honorable Sir Robert Walpole resigned his place of First
Commissioner of the Treasury and Chancellor and Under-Treasurer of the
Exchequer, which he had held ever since April 4, 1721, in the former of
which he succeeded the Earl of Sunderland, and in the latter Mr.
Aislabie."

That, however, was not the deepest depth of the fall. The same record
announces that "three days afterwards his Majesty was pleased to create
him Earl of Orford, Viscount Walpole, and Baron of Houghton."
"Posterity," says Macaulay, "has obstinately refused to degrade Francis
Bacon into Viscount St. Albans." Posterity has in like manner
obstinately refused to degrade Robert Walpole into the Earl of Orford.
He will be known {191} as Robert Walpole so long as English history
itself is known.

[Sidenote: 1742--The new Administration]

Walpole, then, was on the ground--down in the dust--never to rise
again. Surely it would seem the close of his career as a
Prime-minister must be the opening of that of his rival and conqueror.
Any one now--supposing there could be some one entirely ignorant of
what did really happen--would assume, as a matter of course, that
Pulteney would at once become Prime-minister and proceed to form an