ROYALTY.
Lives of the Georges, and their families, have been written ad nauseam, and I did not intend making any notes upon the Royal personages, then living—but I found some few paragraphs, which lie outside regular history, and may interest my readers.
"It was rather unfortunate for the Prince of Wales's proxy at the Court of Brunswick, that he should be attacked with the Gout, on the night of the marriage ceremony! Lord Malmesbury continued to be confined to his room when the last accounts came from Brunswick."—(Times, Dec. 15, 1794.)
"TO LORD MALMESBURY,
"On his being attacked by the Gout, the day he represented the Prince of Wales, in marriage with the Princess of Brunswick:—
"At such a time, the Gout to have,
Is much to be lamented,
What must the Royal Bride conceive
Of him you represented? CUPID."
—(Times, Dec. 16, 1794.)
"LORD MALMESBURY'S GOUT.
"His Lordship's sent to Brunswick's Court
By Proxy, there to wed
A Royal Princess: as Consort
To George, our Prince's, bed.
But charms like hers, in bloom of life,
Too strong for age to meet:
As he approached th' intended wife:
Deprived him of his feet."
—(Times, Dec. 17, 1794.)
"THE LAME LOVER, or BRITISH AND FRENCH SYNONIMY.
"With coach and six, with servants eight,
With liveries spic and span;
Too sure, alas! a wretched fate
Befel the splendid, happy man.
At such a time, as this, the Gout!
'Twas pity, Sirs, and yet 'tis true:
The Proxy's good, if Fame's not out—
His Royal Highness has a Gout."
—(Times, Dec. 18, 1794.)
"Her Majesty is very busily employed in embroidering a coat and waistcoat, for his Majesty, which are to be worn at the approaching nuptials of the Prince, and Princess of Wales. The coat is made of garter blue, broad cloth, and the waistcoat of white satin. The ornamental part is spoken of as being extremely beautiful."—(Times, Jan. 13, 1795.)
"The usual dress liveries of the Prince of Wales, while a bachelor, cost fifty guineas each: those, in which they will appear before the Princess, have cost one hundred guineas each."—(Times, March 17, 1795.)
"Amidst the curious bills which are daily being brought to light, under the investigation of the Prince's Trustees, is one of Mr. Layton the farrier, which, for the last seven years, amounts to no less than £17,500!"—(Times, Aug. 29, 1795.)
"The King being prevented, by the severity of the weather, from taking his usual diversion of hunting, at Windsor, his Majesty, with his usual suite, makes daily pedestrian excursions, some of which amount to a route little short of 20 miles."—(Times, Dec. 9, 1796.)
The Times of Jan. 17, 1798, contains a paragraph, showing the domesticity, and simplicity of life, in the Royal Family.
"The Princess of Wirtemberg expects to lie in, towards the latter end of next month; and her Majesty, and the Princesses, are very busily employed in making the childbed linen, which is to be a present from the Queen."
(The Queen's Birthday.)
"The BALL-ROOM. The Ball was the thinnest, in company, that we have ever witnessed, there being only two Ladies on the benches allotted for those who dance. Neither the Prince, nor Princess, of Wales, the Duke, or Duchess of York, were present. Soon after nine o'clock, their Majesties entered the Ball-room. The Duke of Clarence danced the two first minuets with the Princess Augusta, and two more with the Princess Elizabeth, which is very unusual. Prince William danced the next two with the Princess Mary, and two more with the Princess Sophia. Lord Morton then danced two dances with Lady Murray, daughter to the Duke of Athol, and two more with Lady M. Thynne. There were four country Dances, but only six couple. The Ball broke up soon after 11 o'clock."—(Times, Jan. 19, 1798.)
Here is a specimen of Royal economy, which was certainly unpopular:—
"Some of the cream-coloured horses formerly attached to the Royal Coach, and which were only used on state days, are now employed in the daily drudgery of hackney coaches. The present proprietor values them very highly, and thinks, from their great receipt of custom, that they will draw him into an easy fortune."—(Times, Aug. 10, 1796.)
"To the CONDUCTOR of the TIMES.
"Sir,—Among many others, I was yesterday a spectator of what you notice in your paper of this morning. A pair of those noble animals, which, for several years, have drawn his Majesty's State Coach, degraded to a hack. The spectacle really gave me concern, and must certainly reflect disgrace somewhere. It necessarily suggests two considerations, one relative to the dignity of Majesty itself, the other to the natural emotions of sensibility. What! say the vulgar, are the King's State Horses come to this? Oh! what a pity! says the man of sensibility, that these poor creatures recently, and habitually, so caressed, and pampered, should experience such a lamentable reverse! How fallen, how abused, how galled! I assure you, Mr. Editor, they are literally, and grievously, galled. Surely his Majesty must be a stranger to all this: and it would be of no dis-service to him, to let the Public know that he is so. Those who love him, cannot but feel for his horses, nor refrain from thinking that his sensibility, as a man, must be hurt, at hearing of the sufferings of those stately animals, which once contributed to his most magnificent public appearance.
A Dutiful Subject."
—(Times, Aug. 12, 1796.)
Here is a bit of Satire on the Prince of Wales, who was notoriously at variance with both his father and mother.
"An illustrious Personage is now engaged in making a collection of the profile likenesses of his friends. The number already collected is stated to amount to fifty. His friends are certainly more numerous than those of almost any Prince we ever heard of, except our own Sovereign. The wealthy Crœsus had but one friend, and that was his son."—(Times, Nov. 6, 1799.)