ibes his appearance. "A constant hurry in his walk, a
restlessness of place, a borrowed importance, gave him the perpetual air
of a solicitor. His habit of never finishing, which proceeded from his
beginning every thing twenty times over, gave rise to the famous bon-mot
of Lord Wilmington: 'The Duke of Newcastle always loses half an hour in
the morning, which he is running after for the rest of the day.' But he
began the world with advantages:--an estate of L30,000 a-year, great
borough and county interest, the heirship of his uncle, the old Duke of
Newcastle, and a new creation of the title in his person." Walpole
curiously describes the temperament of this singular man. "The Duke of
Newcastle had no pride, though infinite self-love. He always caressed
his enemies, to enlist them against his friends. There was no service
that he would not do for either, till either was above being served by
him.

"There was no expense to which he was not addicted, but generosity. His
houses, gardens, table, and equipage, swallowed immense treasures. The
sums which he owed were exceeded only by those which he wasted. He loved
business immoderately, yet was always only doing it, never did it. His
speeches in council and parliament were copious of words, but unmeaning.
He aimed at every thing, yet endeavoured nothing. A ridiculous fear was
predominant in him; he would venture the overthrow of the government,
rather than dare to open a letter that might discover a plot. He was a
secretary of state without intelligence, a man of infinite intrigue
without secrecy or policy, and a minister despised and hated by his
master, by all parties and ministers, without being turned out by any."
This faculty of retaining office is evidently the chief problem in
Walpole's eyes, and was as evidently the chief source of wrath, in the
eyes of his crowd of clever opponents.

But the duke must have had some qualities, for which his caricaturists
will not give him credit. He must have been shrewd, with all his oddity,
and well acquainted with the science of the world, with all his
trifling. He must have known the art of pulling the strings of
parliament, before he could have managed the puppet show of power with
such unfailing success. He must also have been dexterous in dealing with
wayward tempers, while he had to manage the suspicious spirit, stubborn
prejudices, and arrogant obstinacy of George II. It may be admitted that
he had great assistance in the s