VOLUME 14

CHAPTER CV

For a long time a species of war had been declared between the King of England and his son, the Prince of Wales, which had caused much scandal; and which had enlisted the Court on one side, and made much stir in the Parliament.  George had more than once broken out with indecency against his son; he had long since driven him from the palace, and would not see him.  He had so cut down his income that he could scarcely subsist.  The father never could endure this son, because he did not believe him to be his own.  He had more than suspected the Duchess, his wife, to be in relations with Count Konigsmarck.  He surprised him one morning leaving her chamber; threw him into a hot oven, and shut up his wife in a chateau for the rest of her days.  The Prince of Wales, who found himself ill-treated for a cause of which he was personally innocent, had always borne with impatience the presence of his mother and the aversion of his father.  The Princess of Wales, who had much sense, intelligence, grace, and art, had softened things as much as possible; and the King was unable to refuse her his esteem, or avoid loving her.  She had conciliated all England; and her Court, always large, boasted of the presence of the most accredited and the most distinguished persons.  The Prince of Wales feeling his strength, no longer studied his father, and blamed the ministers with words that at least alarmed them.  They feared the credit of the Princess of Wales; feared lest they should be attacked by the Parliament, which often indulges in this pleasure.  These considerations became more and more pressing as they discovered what was brewing against them; plans such as would necessarily have rebounded upon the King.  They communicated their fears to him, and indeed tried to make it up with his son, on certain conditions, through the medium of the Princess of Wales, who, on her side, felt all the consciousness of sustaining a party against the King, and who always had sincerely desired peace in the royal family.  She profited by this conjuncture; made use of the ascendency she had over her husband, and the reconciliation was concluded.  The King gave a large sum to the Prince of Wales, and consented to see him.  The ministers were saved, and all appeared forgotten.

The excess to which things had been carried between father and son had not only kept the entire nation attentive to the intestine disorders ready to arise, but had made a great stir all over Europe; each power tried to blow this fire into a blaze, or to stifle it according as interest suggested.  The Archbishop of Cambrai, whom I shall continue to call the Abbe Dubois, was just then very anxiously looking out for his cardinal’s hat, which he was to obtain through the favour of England, acting upon that of the Emperor with the Court of Rome.  Dubois, overjoyed at the reconciliation which had taken place, wished to show this in a striking manner, in order to pay his court to the King of England.  He named, therefore, the Duc de la Force to go to England, and compliment King George on the happy event that had occurred.