and
Jacobites, who had helped so signally in the fight, were left out of
the spoils of victory. Bolingbroke found that he was no nearer to
power than he would have been if Walpole still were at the head of
affairs. Nothing was changed for him; only a stupid man had taken the
place of a statesman. Pulteney appears to have acted very generously
towards his immediate political colleagues, and to have remained in the
House of Commons, where he now had all the power, until he had got for
them the places they desired. Then he was gazetted as Earl of Bath;
and we {195} have all heard the famous anecdote of the first meeting in
the House of Lords between the man who had been Robert Walpole and the
man who had been William Pulteney, and the greeting given by the new
Lord Orford to the new Lord Bath; "Here we are, my lord, the two most
insignificant fellows in England." With these words the first great
leader of Opposition in the House of Commons, the man who may almost be
said to have created the parliamentary part of leader of Opposition,
may be allowed to pass out of the political history of his time.

Many attempts were made to impeach Walpole, as we still must call him.
Secret committees of inquiry were moved for. Horace Walpole, _the_
Horace Walpole, Sir Robert's youngest son, made his first speech in the
House of Commons, in defence of his father, against such a motion. A
secret committee was at last obtained, but it did not succeed, although
composed almost altogether of Walpole's enemies, in bringing out
anything very startling against him. Public money had been spent, no
doubt, here and there very freely for purely partisan work. There
could be no question that some of it had gone in political corruption.
But everybody had already felt sure that this had been done by all
ministries and parties. The report of the committee, when it came at
last, was received with cold indifference or unconcealed contempt.

[Sidenote: 1742-1745--Death of Walpole]

Walpole still kept a good deal in touch with the King. George
consulted him privately, and indeed with much mystery about the
consultations. The King sometimes sent a trusty messenger, who met
Walpole at midnight at the house of a friend. It was indeed a summons
from George which hastened the great statesman's death. The King
wished to consult Walpole, and Walpole hurried up from Houghton for the
purpose. The journey greatly increased a malady from which he
s