when a king of the house of Hanover
surveys his navies, reviews his troops, or examines his revenue,
beholds the splendour of his court, or contemplates the extent of his
dominions, he cannot but sometimes, however unwillingly, compare his
present state with that of his ancestors; and that when he gives
audience to the ambassadours of princes, who, perhaps, never heard of
Hanover, and directs the payment of sums, by the smallest of which all
his ancient inheritance would be dearly purchased; and reflects, as
surely he sometimes will, that all these honours and riches, this
reverence from foreign powers, and his domestick splendour, are the
gratuitous and voluntary gifts of the mighty people of Britain, he
should find his heart overflowing with unlimited gratitude, and should
be ready to sacrifice to the happiness of his benefactors, not only
every petty interest, or accidental inclination, but even his repose,
his safety, or his life; that he should be ready to ease them of every
burden before they complained, and to aid them with all his power
before they requested his assistance; that he should consider his
little territories as only a contemptible province to his British
empire, a kind of nursery for troops to be employed without harassing
his more valuable subjects.

It might be at least hoped, my lords, that the princes of the house of
Hanover might have the same regard to this nation as to kings from
whom they never received any benefit, and whom they ought in reality
always to have considered as enemies, yet even from such levy-money
was not always required; or if required, was not always received.

There was once a time, my lords, before any of this race wore the
crown of Britain; when the great French monarch, Lewis the fourteenth,
being under a necessity of hiring auxiliary troops, applied to the
duke of Hanover, as a prince whose necessities would naturally incline
him to set the lives of his subjects at a cheap rate. The duke,
pleased with an opportunity of trafficking with so wealthy a monarch,
readily promised a supply of troops; and demanded levy-money to be
paid him, that he might be enabled to raise them. But Hanoverian
reputation was not then raised so high, as that the French king should
trust him with his money. Lewis suspected, and made no scruple of
declaring his suspicion, that the demand of levy-money was only a
pretence to obtain a sum which would never afterwards be repaid, and
for which no