of this empire. This
season your Royal Highness has chosen for treating me with great and
unprovoked indignity; and of all his Majesty's subjects, I alone am
prevented by your Royal Highness from appearing in my place, to partake
of the general joy, and am deprived of the indulgence of those feelings
of pride and affection permitted to every mother but me." Poor mother!
who may help pitying her! Her most prejudiced enemy will admit that this
was an eloquent and noble protest. Had she only maintained this language
and attitude, we should justly assign to her a place amongst the royal
martyrs of history. Naturally this barbarous, impolitic treatment soured
her, as it would sour even the sweetest disposition. In an evil hour for
her, and we may add for this country, she solicited and obtained
permission to travel abroad.

No sooner was she freed from the restraints which had surrounded her at
home, than her conduct not only makes us doubt whether she had any hand
in the composition of this maternal appeal, but appears to justify the
conclusions at which the commissioners of 1806 and 1813 seem to have
arrived. Her temper was obstinate and wilful. She knew that she was
watched; and from a spirit apparently of wanton mischief, designed with
the view doubtless of annoying her enemies, she indulged in a series of
the most extraordinary and undignified vagaries. She took into her
service and received into her closest confidence and favour persons of
the lowest position. It was impossible for rumours of her extraordinary
eccentricities not to reach, not only the ears of those who detested
her, but in an imperfect and incorrect degree those of the general
public. That this was the case is shown by a caricature entitled,
_Paving the way for a Royal Divorce_, published by Johnston on the 1st
of October, 1816, in which we see the corpulent Regent at table with
Lord Liverpool, "Old Bags"[33] (Chancellor Eldon), Lord Chief Justice
Ellenborough, Vansittart, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and another,
probably intended for Viscount Sidmouth. His Royal Highness is made by
the caricaturist to say that he and his sympathizers think "we shall now
succeed, having secured some evidence from the coast of Barbary.... I
have got everything as clear as the sun at noon-day.... Now for a
divorce as soon as possible." Lord Chancellor Eldon says, "I'll stick to
your Highness through thick and thin, or never call me 'Old Bags' again
as long as I live."