T i iM The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028146334 Cornell University Library DA 501.W2E94 Sir Robert Walpole 3 1924 028 146 334 SIR ROBERT WALPOLE SIR ROBERT WALPOLE A POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY 1676— 1745 By ALEX. CHARLES EWALD, F.S.A. AUTHOR OF "THE LIFE OF PRINCE CHART.ES STUART," "LIFE AND TIMES OF ALGERNON SVI3NEY," EIC. " Amicus dulcis, ut aequum est, Cum mca compcnset vitiis bona, pluribus hisce {Si modo plura mihi bona sunt) incliuet : amari iii volet hac lege, in trutina ponetur eadem." Horace, Saiires, Book i LONDON CHAPjMAN and HALL, 193, PICCx\DILLY 1S78 LONDON FEINTED BY VIRTUE AND CO., CITY liOAD. pre:^ace. The materials for a Life of Sir Robert Walpole are to be found and only to be found in the valuable collection of papers brought together by Archdeacon Coxe, and inserted in his well-known work, the " Memoirs of the Life and Administration of Sir Eobert "Walpole." Among the manuscripts of the descendants of the great Minister of the first two Georges, nothing of importance has been overlooked by the careful and laborious Archdeacon. The future biographer of Sir Eobert "Walpole is therefore unable to add new matter to the materials already known to exist ; he may re-write the life and character of the statesman, but for his facts he must be indebted to the industry and research of Archdeacon Coxe. The mine has been exhausted ; to re-fashion its produce is all that can be done. The period embraced by the political rule of "Walpole has long been a favourite with me. In the whole range of English history it would be difficult to find matter more interesting to the political student than is to be obtained during the reigns of our first two Georges. The gradual growth of our parliamentary institutions, the jealousies between "Whig and Tory, the intrigues in the Cabinet, the state of foreign politics, the feuds between the King and VI PREFACE. tlie lieir-apparent, the tactics of the Opposition, and above all the consummate mastery over the difBeulties and hos- tilities of his time of the man who was the first to create the office of Prime Minister — all tend to give a special interest to the rule of the House of Hanover during the earlier half of the eighteenth century. Added to these topics of note, what literature is more interesting or amus- ing than the literature which adorned the long interval between the rise and fall of Walpole ? Can finer reading be found in the English language than the essays of Addison, the satires of Swift, the rejoinders of Steele, the historical tracts and pamphlets of the day, the essays of Locke and Bolingbroke, Hume and Berkeley, the classical criticisms of the great Bentley, the novels of Richardson and Fielding, Smollett and Sterne, the poetry of Pope and Prior, the comedies of Congreve, Vanbrugh, Steele, and Cibber ? In studying the pages of Coxe, it seems to me — if the remark may be made with all modesty and without dis- loyalty to the author to whose labours I am entirely in- debted for my information — that in his biography of Sir Eobert "Walpole the Archdeacon has not made the best use of the abundant materials his industry and research have collected. Between the narrative of his Memoir and the valuable Walpole correspondence there are gaps which it appears to me unwise to create. Instead of the letters of Walpole, Townshend, Bolingbroke, and others being woven into the story of the Minister's life, they almost constitute a separate work. The reader has first to peruse the Archdeacon's Biography and then to refer to the Walpole Papers to complete the account of the events recorded. Again, much that Archdeacon Coxe considers PREFA CE. Vii important in the history of "Walpole appears to me at this distance of time of little value, whilst various incidents in the career of the great statesman well worthy of mention are, if not altogether omitted, only slightly alluded to. It will also he seen that my views of the character of Walpole, and of the motives which influenced his ambition, differ considerably from those of Archdeacon Coxe. In the following pages I have endeavoured to write the political life of Sir Eobert Walpole as interpreted by his policy and correspondence. All letters of historical interest, or which tend to throw light upon the actions of the Minister or of his opponents, have been incorporated in the body of my narrative. The contents of various historical tracts and contemporary pamphlets have also been studied. This volume would have been more complete had the death of the late Hon. Frederick Walpole, M.P., not so suddenly occurred. Mr. Walpole took a keen interest in the appearance of a new biography of his ancestor, and his comments and approval encouraged me to continue my task. Unfortunately, when in the middle of my labours, Mr. Walpole died, and I lost not only the co-operation of one specially acquainted with my subject, but also a valuable collection of notes made by Mr. Walpole, on which I had set much store, relating to the later periods of the states- man's career, but which, after the death of Mr. Walpole, could not be discovered among his papers. I have here to thank the late Hon. Henry Walpole and also Sir Hemy Drummond Wolff for answers kindly given to various queries. The printed books to which I am indebted are acknow- ledged in the text of my volume. Among the works from vni PREFACE. which I have not directly quoted, but which have in- fluenced my judgment, are Mr. E. A. Freeman's Essays on the "Growth of the English Constitution," Mr. Alpheus Todd " On Parliamentary Government," and Cooke's " History of Party." A. C. E. London, October, 1877. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. EARLY DAYS. 1676—1702. FAas The office of Prime Minister — Walpole the first to create the office — Birth of Walpole — His father — la sent to Cambridge — Life at Houghton — Marries Catherine Shuter — Enters Parliament — State of politics — Henry St. John — Walpole's maiden speech — Mainwaring's prophecy — Death of James II. — The Pretender — Act of Abjuration — Disapproval of, by the University of Cambridge — Death of William III 1 CHAPTER II. THE SECRETARY AT WAR. 1702—1710. Abilities of Walpole — Rises in the estimation of the House of Commons — The Aylesbury election — Conduct of Walpole — The Tories and the Whigs — • A coalition— Walpole at the Admiralty — Abuses in naval administration — Grodolphin— 'Harley — Triumph of the Whigs — Walpole Secretary at War — His able perfonnance of the duties — Leader of the House of Commons — The Sacheverell Trial — Speech of Walpole — His pamphlet on the Trial— Mr. Hill — The Queen and Mrs. Masham — Policy of Harley — The advice of Walpole — Marlborough humiliated — Lettei-s of Walpole — Overthrow of the MTiig's — Walpole out of office . . , , .21 CHAPTER m. OPPOSITION. 1710—1714. Weakness of the Opposition — Conduct of the late Government attacked by Henry St. John — Defended by Walpole — Committee of Inquiry ap- pointed — Result of the inquiry — Hatred between Whigs and Tories — The age of pamphlets — Vindication of his party by Walpole — Accusation of peculation — Case of Walpole — Expelled the House and committed to the Tower — Guilty or not guilty ? — A martyr to the Whig cause — Unites with Steele and attacks the Government — Member for Lynn Regis — " A Short History of the Late Parliament " — Literary warfare — Treaty of I^trecht — Walpole's defence of Steele — The Tories nonplussed — Death of the Queen ....... ... .51 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. MINISTERIAL INTRIGUES. 17U— 1717. PAOE Accession of George I. — His character — A Whig administration — Walpole's report— The Jacobite rehellion — The Septennial Bill — George I. and his son — The King returns to Hanover — Jealousy of Sunderland — The German Junto — Conduct of the Prince of Wales — Position of Townshend and Walpole — Extracts from the letters of Walpole to Stanhope — In- trigues of the Tories — Alliance between England and France — Annexa- tion of Bremen and Verden — Peter the Great and the Elector of Hanover — Irritation of the King against Townshend and Walpole — Tactics of Sunderland — ^Dismissal of Townshend — Resignation of Walpole — Charges against the Townshend- Walpole Ministry — Refuted by the Walpole correspondence . 79 CHAPTER V. FINANCIAL MEASURES. 1717—1720. Influence of Walpole — His financial ability — Scheme fur the Reduction of the National Debt — Coldness between Walpole and Stanhope — Walpole's reply to taunt of Stanhope — Places held by the Walpole family — Factious conduct of AValpole in opposition — Attacks every measure of Stanhope's — The Quadruple AUiance — The Peerage Bill — Opposition of Walpole to it — His brilliant speech — Defeat of the Government — Humiliating surrender of Walpole — Return of Townshend and Walpole to oiEce — The South Sea Bubble — Financial collapse — Walpole summoned to restore the national credit — His measures — Rage against the South Sea Directors — Tiie punishment dealt out to them — Accusations againat Walpole — Their false and malicious character . . . . .113 CHAPTER VI. PILOT OF THE REALM. 1720-1727. Walpole at the head of the Treasury- His commercial reforms— Birth of the young Pretender— Movements of the Jacobites— Checkmated by Wal- pole— Estates of Non-jurors and Roman Catholics taxed— Walpole de- clines a peerage — His eldest son created Baron Walpole— Intrigues of Carteret — Townshend's coirespondence — Sir Luke Schaub — A marriage arranged between the daughter of Madame de Platen and the Count St. Floreutin— Horace Walpole— The Duke of Orleans— The Duke of Bourbon — Fall of Schaub, who is succeeded by Horace "SValpole Car- teret, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland- Wood's half-pence— The Drapier Letters- Views of Walpole upon the Irish agitation— Opposition in Scotland to the Malt Tax— Dismissal of Roxburgh— Loid Isla— Walpole receives the Garter— Rupture of the union between the Infanta and Louis X"V.— Alliance between Spain and the Empire— Secret articles against England— The Treaty of A'ieniia— English and Hanoverian oppo- sition to the Treaty— Opinion of ^\'alpole upon it— Death of George I. . 150 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER VII. THE EXCISE BILL. 1727—1733. PAoa Accession of George II. — His character— The Opposition — Bolingbroke — Pulteney — The Craftsman — Walpole repulsed by the King — Sir Spencer Compton — Caroline of Anspach — T\''alpole and the Queen — Horace Walpole and Cardinal Fleury — Restoration of the Walpoles — Mortifica- tion of the Opposition — Debate upon the Hessian troops — Inquiry into the Secret Service — Happy reply of Walpole — Act of the Pardo — Gibraltar — Debate upon the cession of the fortress — Treaty of Seville — Jealousy between Townshend and Walpole — The causes -which led to it — Quarrel between Townshend and Walpole — Resignation of Townshend — Recall of Horace Walpole — The Sinking Fund — Why Walpole borrowed from it — Satisfaction of the nation at his proceedings — Excise duties — Walpole's Excise Bill — His speech introducing it — Opposition to the BiU — The Bill a sound and wise measure — Withdrawal of the Bill — Reasons which induced Walpole to adopt that course^Delight of the nation . . 194 CHAPTER VIII. THE MINISTER OF PEACE. 1733-1736. AValpole dismisses several of his colleagues — Increased strength of the Oppo- sition — Motion of Lord Morpeth — Reply of Walpole — Debate upon the repeal of the Septi'nnuil Bill — Bitter attack of Wy ndham upon Walpole — The rejoinder of Walpole — Defeat of the Opposition — Foreign affairs — Pacific policy of Walpole — The House of Austria and the House of Bourbon — The general ' Election — Meeting of the new Parliament — International negotiations — Wisdom of Walpole — The Gin Act — The Dissenters and the Test Act — The Quakers' Bill — The Porteous Riot — Failure of Lord Isla's mission — Anger of the Queen — The Government Bill ... .... .... 243 CHAPTER IX. A DOMESTIC FEUD. 1737. George II. and the Prince of AA'ales — Character of Frederick — Income of the Prince of Wales — Advice of Walpole — Debate upon the motion that the King should settle £100,000 a year on the Prince — Walpole opposes the motion — Barnard's scheme — Condition of the stage — The Playhouse Bill — The removal of the Princess of Wales from Hampton Court — Anger of the King — Breach between father and son — Death of Lady Walpole — Wal- pole's children — Maria Skerritt — Illness of the Queen — Her death . . 201 CHAPTER X. THE RIGHT OF SEARCH. 1738—1739. Anticipation of the Opposition — Sophia de Walmoden — Disgraceful policy of Walpole — Programme of the Opposition — Shippen and the military estimates — Speech of \\'alpole — Indiscretion of Colonel Mordauut — Spain xii CONTENTS. and Great Britain— The Right of Search— Spanish and English abuses- Agitation in England—" The Fable of Jenkins' Ears "— Walpole and the Duke of Newcastle — The Convention between Spain and Great Britain —It is warmly attacked by the Opposition — Defended by Walpole — Secession of Wyndham — Spanish irritation — Agitation in England — War declared between the two countries — Conduct of Walpole and of the Opposition examined — Kemarks of Burke ....... 322 CHAPTER XI. A PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY. 1739—1741. Return of the Seceders — Organized hostility towards Walpole — Advice of Bolingbroke to Wyndham — Submission of Walpole — Capture of Porto Eello — Disputes between Walpole and Newcastle — ^Walpole's overtures to the Pretender — Discontent of the country at the conduct of the war — Administration of Walpole attacked by Sandys and others — The Oppo- sition not united — Reply of Walpole to the charges of Sandys — Motion of Sandys lost by a large majority — Subsidy granted to the Queen of Hungary 359 CHAPTEE XII. RESIGNATION. 1741—1745. Dissolution of Parliament — The Westminster Election — Tactics of the Oppo- sition — Meeting of Parliament — Trial of Election Petitions — Decline of Walpole — His struggle to continue in power — Attack of Pulteney — Resignation of Walpole — Is created Earl of Orford— Pulteney — Lord Wilmington — Discontent of the Opposition — Measures of Walpole — Pulteney created Earl of Bath — Fears of Walpole as to a prosecution — Inquiry into the last ten years of the Walpole Administration — Result of the Inquiry — Remarks upon the Inquiry — Walpole still the confidential adviser of the King — Illness of Walpole — His Death .... 404 CHAPTER XIII. HIS CHARACTER. Prejudices against Walpole — Not the monster he has been represented — His cynical views of life — Statement by Lord Brougham — Walpole's neglect of literature — His talents — His abilities for finance— His eloquence Sir Robert Peel upon the charges of corruption against Walpole — " Every Man has his Price" — Walpole's lavish expenditure accounted for — The Houghton " Meetings " — Character of Walpole as a man and » statesman — Burke's estimate of Walpole . . 444 SIE ROBERT WALPOLE. CHAPTER I. EARLY DAYS. 1676—1702. There are few things more strange in the English system of administration than the power and position of the Prime Minister. Holding an ofl&ce unknown to the law, the head of a political coterie equally unknown to the law, he rules the country with an authority which is never called in question, and which commands the obedi- ence of all. Yet, strictly speaking, there is legally no such body as the Cabinet, no such post as that of Prime Minister. Both are unknown to the British Constitution, and exist only in virtue of a tacit understanding between the Crown and its advisers. In the eye of the law the Cabinet is an unrecognised committee of the Privy Council, and the Premier an unrecognised chief among his brother Privy Councillors. However familiar to an Englishman's ears are the words Cabinet and Prime Minister, they are not to be found in any legal or official document. They are unknown to the official phraseology of the London Gazette or to the careful wording of a State paper. B ! SIJ? ROBERT WALPOLE. And yet, anomalous as is the position of tlie Cabinet and its chief, it is the natural result of our transition from government by prerogative to government by parlia- ment. Under the Tudors and the Stuarts the ministers were the rulers or the creatures of the Crown accord- ing to the weakness or ability of the sovereign. They were responsible to the monarch alone, they did not sit in Parliament, nor were they required to act on any basis of political unanimity. They were ministers, not a ministry. On the accession of William III. the British Consti- tution was restored to its first principles, for the theory of our constitution always was that the Crown was limited, and that its powers were checked by the Houses of Parliament. The Eevolution of 1688 brought the theory and the practice into harmony. The majesty of the Crown was retained, whilst its powers were distributed through the channel of its advisers. Ministers were obliged to sit in Parliament, in order to explain or defend their policy. Their position was dependent upon the parliamentary support they could secure, and not upon the mere possession of the royal good-will. Gradually the Cabinet, instead of being composed of hostile elements, each independent of the other and bound by no ties of union, settled down into a business-like committee, the members of which were in political accord and responsible in common for the work undertaken. An injudicious minister, therefore, not only brought ruin upon himself but upon his colleagues. Thus, from the gradual development of political circum- stances, a post of great power and influence was brought into existence. The Prime Minister was no longer an independent statesman, often at war with his colleagues, EARLY DAYS. 3 and bowing before an adverse vote of Parliament merely by his own withdrawal from office, but he became the recognised leader of the Cabinet, responsible for its actions, the channel of communication between it and the sovereign, and dissolved the entire Ministry at his resigna- tion. Under the Stuarts needy sycophants and hungry place-hunters crowded the court of the King, under the Georges they thronged the reception-rooms of the Prime Minister. It was not the sovereign but the premier who could raise a man to the bench, appoint him to an embassy, promote him to a regiment, or offer him a safe and lucrative post in the civil service. Thus, step by step, as the House of Commons became more and more the assembly of the nation and less and less the council of a political coterie, the post of Prime Minister developed in power and authority till it assumed its present semi-royal position. But the development was slow and gradual. The first who made the office, such as we now understand it to be, was the subject of this biography. It was not until the rise of Sir Eobert "Walpole that the Prime Minister began to be regarded as the recognised leader of his party, the responsible adviser of the Crown, and the head of the Cabinet. The history of the great "minister of peace " is the history of a man who understood to the full the nature of the change from government by prerogative to govern- ment by parliament, who saw that parliamentary govern- ment and government by party were synonymous terms, and who had deeply studied the then new political doctrine that power was not dependent upon the royal approval, upon the intrinsic excellence of the measures introduced, upon ability or popularity, but upon the skilful working of B 2 4 SIJi ROBERT WALPOLE. a parliamentary majority. He was the first of Englisli statesmen to recognise the advantages of a united Cabinet, and he gave proof of the light in which he regarded the influence of the House of Commons by being the first of our line of Premiers who resigned office in obedience to an adverse vote of the Lower House. With the career of Sir Eobert Walpole begins the history of the faults and the advantages, the patriotism and the selfishness, of govern- ment by parliament. Unlike some of his successors who, unaided by the powerful advantages of birth and connections, have, solely by their brilliant talents and unwearied persever- ance, attained to the highest prizes in the gift of the State, Walpole came of a good old stock that could trace its succession in unbroken descent from the days of the Conquest. His ancestors took the name, which he has made illustrious, from the small town of Walpole, in Norfolk, on the borders of Lincolnshire, where they at one time held a manor-house, which was afterwards exchanged for the property of Houghton, in the same county. For two generations the Walpoles had been actively engaged in politics. Sir Edward, the grandfather of the future statesman, was returned by the borough of Lynn Eegis to the Convention Parliament of April, 1660, which voted for the Eestoration. A man of brilliant parts, an eloquent speaker, and a stanch adherent of the Stuarts, Sir Edward threw all his weight and influence into the royal cause, and received from the hands of a monarch who seldom rewarded those who had served him best the Order of the Bath. Disgusted with the conduct of James II., his tyranny, obstinacy, and short-sighted bigotry, Eobert, the eldest son of Sir Edward Walpole, EARLY DAYS. 5 declined to walk in the footsteps of his sire, but became a Whig of the most vehement type, and was as active in bringing about the Eevolution as his father before him had been in effecting the Eestoration. On the accession of "William and Mary he sat in Parliament for Castle Eising, and took a prominent part in aU the legislative measures which, immediately succeeded the expulsion of the Stuarts. A keen man of business, a sharp landlord, with a natural taste for country pursuits, and an Englishman's love for sport, Eobert Walpole spent all the time th.at was not devoted to his parliamentary duties in improving Hough- ton. The change from debates on the Bill of Eights and Triennial Parliaments to the consideration of soils and subsoils, irrigation and top-dressing, the manufacture of manure, and the breeding of stock, became at last so agreeable that, tbougb he represented Castle Eising till his death, be gradually merged the legislator iato the gentleman-farmer. His farm was the best managed in the county. London dealers came down to Norfolk and offered high prices for his thoroughbred yearlings. Shrewd men from the North competed for his well-conditioned stock. The graziers around, though they knew the Squire was a little hard at a bargain, knew also that he was true and just in all his dealings, and that what he sold could always command its value. A jovial, rough, roystering, hard- drinking man was this Eobert "Walpole, and as popular with the farmers as he was with the neighbouring gentry, Lilie his father before him, he was hospitality itself, and Houghton was seldom free from visitors. Open house was kept well-nigh throughout the year, and whether the guests were members of the October Club or supporters 6 Sm ROBERT WALPOLE. of the Hanover, leaders at Newmarket or pillars of the Church, peers or adventurers, all were welcome and freely entertained. If not a fine old English gentleman, Eobert "Walpole was certainly a generous and a kindly one. That farming should be not only a pleasure but a pro- fitable occupation was a matter of some moment to the open-handed Squire of Houghton. At an early age he had married one Mary, only daughter of Sir Jeffery Burwell of Eougham, in Suffolk, and, though the lady had not come to him dowerless, yet, as she made him in the course of years the father of nineteen children, there was need that the tenants should pay good rents and the kine command high prices. Fortunately the property was quite as fruitful as its mistress, and there was no necessity for stint or harsh economy in the old hall at Houghton. In spite of his numerous progeny the Squire could still entertain as freely as ever, could still keep his pack of hounds, and educate and portion off his children in a manner not unbecoming their position and descent. Of this large family the future statesman was the third son and fifth child. He was born at Houghton on the 26th of August, 1676, and, after a preparatory education at a private school at Massingham, was sent to Eton. Like many men who have afterwards become distin- guished, young Eobert Walpole did not display in his boyhood any unusual signs of ability. He cared little for books and subjects that can be learnt only from books. He disliked history, foreign languages, and mathematics ; but he was j)recociously fond of an argument, was fidl of ready humour, and had an insight into character which only requu'ed experieuco to become profound. His good temper, courage, and natural kindliness of disposition EARLY DAYS. 7 made Mm popular with his fellows, and he carried up with him to Cambridge, both from tutors and boys, the best wishes for his future success. The University was but a repetition of Eton. Walpole had been entered at King's College, but he did not apply himself with any great assiduity to the subjects set before him. With the exception of giving him a knowledge of the classics sufficient to enable him to enjoy the works of Horace — the author of the past he, in common with all fond of the study of character and prone to genial satire, most appreciated — books had taught him little. But to discuss the political questions of the day, to analyze with no sparing criticism the motives and manoeuvres of Tory policy, to prove in warm and pas- sionate arguments the benefit that arose from the Eevo- lution and the establishment of the Protestant Succession, to seize upon the weak points of an adversary, and subject him to a crushing defeat amid humorous illustrations and witty rejoinders, always to be arguing, disputing, and assailing, and yet with such tact and good temper as never to make an enemy or wound a friend — these he loved and these he excelled in. When his Eton tutor heard that he had been returned by the family borough to the House of Commons, he wrote to a friend, " I am most anxious to hear that Eobert Walpole has spoken, for I am convinced he will be a good orator." Shortly after entering upon residence at Cambridge Walpole was seized with small-pox of the most malig- nant type. He was attended by Dr. Brady, the famous historical advocate of Toryism, who treated him with the most sedulous attention. " We must take care to save this young man," said the doctor, " or we shall be accused 8 SIjR ROBERT WALPOLE. of having purposely neglected him because he is so violent a Whig ! " The illness was sharp, and at one time his life was despaired of. The vigour of his constitution, however, happily proved sufficient to throw off the poison, and he recovered without a blemish. "His siugular escape," said Brady, " seems to me a sure indication that he is reserved for important purposes." The doctor's augury did not deceive him. But Walpole's University career was to come to a sudden termination. His eldest brother, Edward, after a short illness, had died some months ago, leaving the second son, Burwell, heir to the lands of Houghton. The old Squire had told Eobert when going up to the University that the estate was already heavUy charged with portions for his sisters, and that he would have to be greatly dependent on his own exertions for his future career. The Church offeriug in those days no mean provision for a younger son who was well connected and not over- scrupulous, Walpole was destined to take Holy Orders, and on quitting the University would have been or- dained. But this scheme was frustrated by an unexpected event. Whilst reading in his rooms at King's Walpole received the intelligence that his brother Burwell had suddenly breathed his last, and that, as now no one stood between him and the property, it was desirable for him to quit college and take up his abode at Houghton. In after-life, with the confidence in his own powers that great ability sometimes inspires, Walpole was accus- tomed to say that, had he not become an eldest son, he would have been installed as Archbishop of Canterbury instead of holding the seals as Prime Minister. During the next two years Walpole remained at EARLY DAYS. g Houghton, His education was, however, not neglected. His jovial father bade him give up his books and study- less, as became an eldest son and heir to a good property. He introduced him to the gentry around, initiated him into the mysteries of what would now-a-days be called high farming, interested him in the improvements on the estate, and encouraged him in sport of every kind. It was not long before the "young Squire," as he was named, acquired a reputation in the county. His parts not being considered inordinately brilliant did not create jealousy, but he was credited with great shrewdness and sound common sense. He could talk well, dearly loved an argument with some old gentlemen whose principles were those of the October Club, was not afraid of the ladies, and when occasion required could sing a good song and tell a better story. Thus he was deemed excellent company. The old Squii'e was no austere moralist, and when he heard that his son was not averse to affairs of gallantry he chuckled with satisfaction and congratulated himself that the lad was no milksop. These were the days of hard drinking, days when after the ladies had retired from the table the men were seldom content till they fell under it. The father of the future statesman was not above following this gross fashion, and indulged very freely in the claret and burgundy plentifully stored in the cellars of Houghton. Nor would he sit over the bottle by himself. His son and heir was now his con- stant companion, and he encouraged him of an evening to imitate the parental example. " Come, Eobert," said he, as he passed the decanters, " you must drink two glasses to my one ; for, as you are younger and stronger 10 Slli ROBERT WALPOLE. than I am, you ought to be able to put all the more liquor under your belt, and I am not going to have a son of mine to sit here as sober as a judge whilst his old father is enjoying himself! " This excellent advice was not thrown away, and the teacher had little cause to complain of the inaptitude of the pupil. Had it not been for Eobert Walpole's vigorous constitution and his passion for sport, politics might never have claimed him for their own ; he drank deeply, yet, we are told, he was able to shake off all effects of the potations of the previous night, and appear the next morning fresh, clear-eyed, and unshaken, as if sobriety had never seen him reject its counsels. But it was not only before the shrines of Bacchus and of Venus that the late candidate for Holy Orders bent the knee. The young man had all his father's keenness after business. If a tenant was remiss in his rent, he was soon reminded of the fact. If there was an item wrongly inserted in the labour-book, the mistake was quickly detected. On market-days the farmers around knew that there were few better men in estimating the worth of samples or in driving a hard bargain than the young Squire. Not a day passed without his visiting one or more of the outlying farms, inspecting the stock, and seeing that the hinds did not neglect their work or rob their master. Like his father, Eobert Walpole had a natural taste for the pursuits and amusements of the country. He rode well to hounds, was an excellent shot, and could impart much valuable information when the conversation turned upon purely agricultural topics. Delighted that he had a son so exactly after his own heart, the old Squire, who was now beginning to be troubled with a painful disease, placed much of the EARLY DAYS. 1 1 actual management of the property in the hands of his son. Young "Walpole thus, at an early age, became acquainted with a mass of information which no amount of reading or college lectures could have taught him. His convivial tastes and love of sport made him welcome in the different country-houses around, where he saw life, studied character, and acquired that knowledge of the ways of the world which afterwards stood him in. such good stead. His keen, genial, calculating nature was ever watching, fathoming, criticising; nor had it any lack, in the society with which it came in contact, of subjects for mental dissection. Thus, at an age when most men are diffident, self-conscious, and draw upon their imagination for their experiences, Eobert Walpole was calm, confident, and a thorough man of the world. His practical know- ledge of agricultural pursuits made him acquainted with the woes and wants of the landed interest, with the crabbed views of the farmer and the crabbed condition of the peasant. His management of Houghton gave him habits of business and a knowledge of men and things which can only be acquired by experience. His was a traiuiag not generally undergone by those who embrace parliamentary life as a profession, but he had little cause afterwards to regret the nature of its .teaching. Whilst spending a short season in London Walpole made the acquaintance of a Miss Catherine Shuter, the daughter of Sir John Shuter, the then Lord Mayor. A beauty, an heiress, and gifted with great powers of fasci- nation, the young man saw in the civic damsel a fitting mistress to grace the old hall at Houghton. He followed in her train, pressed his suit, and was accepted. They were married at Knightsbridge Chapel on the 80th of 12 SIR ROBERT WALPOLE. July, 1700, and went down to Norfolk for their honey- moon. It was evident to the young couple that the time was not far distant when the property of Houghton would fall into their own hands. The Squire was breaking fast, the malady that had afflicted him was daily becom- ing more serious ; and, in addition to failing health and a painful disease, the old man was accelerating his descent into the tomb of his forefathers by his fondness for the bottle, which he declined to abandon. At last drink, disease, and debility did their work, and on the 28th of November of the same year that had seen his son linked in the ties of matrimony Eobert Walpole of Houghton passed to his rest. Of so kind a host, so good a friend, and one so just and honourable accord- ing to his light in all his dealings, it is to be wished more could be said than has been said. He was reared in the teaching of the school of his day, and he declined to depart from its instructions. The pupil deserves cen- sure, but surely the master is not wholly blameless. A man of fair fortune, of good birth, and conscious of his ability, it was not surprising that the new Squire of Houghton, with three boroughs in his gift, should now turn his attention to politics. He was nominated for his father's late constituency, and was duly returned member for Castle Kising. The period in which he made his entrance into Parliament was not unevent- ful. King "William III., the Deliverer, in spite of intrigue and faction, was firmly seated on the English throne. The doctrines of divine right and of passive obedience were spurned with the contempt they deserved and the principles of parliamentary government reigned EARLY DAYS. 13 in their stead. Imperious ministers, hostile to each other, and too frequently identifying their own interests with those of the nation, had giyen place to a Ministry repre- senting the Crown and responsible to Parliament. Yet one great question agitated the public mind. The intrigues of the Papists and the hopes of the Court of St. Germain had been crushed by the clause in the Bill of Eights disqualifying all Eoman Catholics, and such as should marry Eoman Catholics, from succeeding to the throne. The death of the Duke of Gloucester, however, reanimated the waning hopes of the disaffected. Both at home and abroad the Jacobites were busy with their bribes, their promises, and their plots. The Tories were in favour of the exiled House, and showed themselves not unwilling to be led. The "Whigs alone were in stern earnest for the House of Brunswick and the maintenance of the Protestant religion. Still the King had need of all his astute- ness. Pitting party against party, gratifying the Tories with, office, flattering the "Whigs, and humouring the agitators, William cleverly managed to pass the Act of Settlement, which secured the succession in the Hano- verian line and established Protestantism as the religion of the country. The Jacobites were in despair, the Tories were sulky and discontented at their interested passiveness, whilst the "Whigs, eager, loyal, and biding their time, watched the current of events full of hope. Such was the state of affairs when Walpole entered the House of Commons. As was to be expected from his birth and opinions, he took his seat among the Whigs, and warmly espoused their cause. With that shrewd common sense, which was in him what genius is in another man, he had resolved before attempting to take H SIR ROBERT WALPOLE. an active part in debate, to habituate himself to the atmosphere of the chamber, to learn the tricks of oratory, and to watch what to imitate and what to avoid. But a spirit of rivalry, as natural as it was impulsive, tempted him to fly before he had proved the strength of his pinions. Almost at the same time as he had taken his seat for Castle Eising, Henry St. John, afterwards the brilliant Bolingbroke, had been elected for Wootton Bassett. Be- tween Walpole and St. John the seeds of that bitter animosity, which was afterwards to develop into the keenest political hatred, had already been sown in the playing fields at Eton. As boys, a spontaneous aversion, the more intense because unaccountable, had blackened the heart of each towards the other, and when the two now met as men in the arena of the Legislature they were prepared to cross swords. But their relative positions were now reversed. At Eton "Walpole was the superior boy, quicker in brain, readier in tongue, and in a higher form. St. John, on the contrary, was a quiet, eifeminate, almost dull lad. In the interval between boyhood and manhood the latter had, however, apparently so out- stripped his rival as to render any comparison between the two out of the question. St. John was the very type of the haughty patrician : tall, graceful, with hand- some features lit up from time to time by the fire in his magnificent eyes or by his bright winning smile. Already had he spoken frequently in the House, and by his well- chosen words gained the ear of his audience and the applause of his party. Already in his oratory there could be distinguished the promise of that classic eloquence which was afterwards to charm his hearers and cause posterity to regret the loss of his speeches as a misfortune EARLY DA VS. JS greater than any that literature has had to sustain. He was regarded as a rising man, and it was confidently expected that he would soon hold high office. With "Walpole nature had been less kindly. His appearance — no small matter in an age which set much stol'e upon externals — was against him. He looked like a man who had been taken from the farm. His figure was more remarkable for its breadth of chest and strength of limb than for grace and elegance. His complexion was coarse, rude, and healthy. Save for the intellect that gleamed in his little eyes, and the thought that hung upon his massive brow, his features were heavy, common- place, and vulgar. He wanted style, refinement, and repose ; there was nothing in his manner, appearance, or conversation to bear witness to the fact that he was the representative of a family that had been gentle for centuries. What comparison then could there be between the burly youth who dressed and looked like a yeoman and the elegant dandy who had race stamped in every feature and fashion in every movement ? The member for Castle Eising was, however, determined to enter the lists with his rival. He had sat amongst his party unheeded, almost unknown, whilst the graceful rhetoric of St. John was winning golden opinions from both sides of the House, Walpole had as yet never opened his lips, contenting himself with taking notes, recording his vote, and a diligent attendance at his post. He resolved now that this silence should cease, and his party be made conscious of the suppressed ability working within him. He rose up and delivered his prepared oration. What was the subject of his speech or the occasion that drew it forth we know not. It was an utter failure. His style 1 6 S/Ji ROBERT WALPOLE. was stiff, forced, and artificial; his gestures were un- graceful, his arguments laboured, dull, and confused; his wit fell flat. Except the first encouraging applause that greeted his appearance as a new member, he was listened to in silence, and sat down painfully conscious that he had made an unfavourable impression. To argue with the undergraduates in the common room at King's, or to hold forth across the dinner-table before a few of the Norfolk squires, in whom their third bottle of claret was working pleasant confusion, was a very different matter from rising in his place to address the hardest, coldest, most practical audience in Europe. Still, in spite of his wandering arguments, his turgid oratory and graceless gestures, men accustomed to discern talent and to appraise at their full value the triumphs or failures of first attempts, saw of what he was capable. Another young member had risen that night to make his maiden speech, and had sat down much applauded. A comparison was instituted between the two young men, and Walpole was judged somewhat harshly. " You may applaud the one," said Arthur Mainwaring, a member of some note, " and ridicule the other, as much as you please, but depend upon it that the spruce gentleman who made the set speech will never improve, and that Walpole in time will become an excellent speaker." That prophecy was soon to be fulfilled. Mortified by his failure, Walpole now for a time con- tented himself with studying the business of the House, and making himself familiar with its ways and modes of practice. He served upon various committees, and gradu- ally began to acquire confidence in himself from the examination of the different witnesses. He took a deep EARLY DAYS. 17 interest in the affairs of his county, and was particularly active in matters relating to' the trade of Norwich. All questions touching the commerce and revenue of England and the maintenance of the Protestant religion he made his special study, and on more than one occa- sion he was appointed as the teller of his party during a division. He opposed the impeachment of Lord Somers, who was accused of concluding the Treaty of Partition, by which large territories of the Spanish monarchy were to be handed over to France, and took no unimportant part in the defence of that great and wise man. Before he had been a year in Parliament Walpole had accustomed himself to the atmosphere of the chamber, and was now prepared to do battle for the cause he affected. An opportunity soon offered itself. During the autumn of the year 1701 James II., worn out with disease and disappointment, breathed his last at St. Germain's, and Louis XIV., in direct violation of the Treaty of Eyswick, at once acknowledged the son of the exiled monarch as James III., King of England. Never did sovereign make a falser move. The English, save a few Jacobites whose party feeliag was stronger than their nationality, rose up as one man, hot with indignation at having a king nomi- nated by their hated rival across the Channel. It was one of those moments when a people forget their political differences and resolve to act only as a nation and not as a party. Nothing that the Whigs could have conceived did better service to their cause than this step on the part of the Grand Monarque. The Tory remembered no more his dislike to the new line, the Whig remembered no more his dislike to the royal prerogative, both thought only of their insulted honoiir and their common enemy. c i8 SIR ROBERT WALPOLE. William saw his opportunity, and availed himself of it. His ambassador was ordered to quit France, and in the Parliament which had been recently elected, and in which the Tories were no longer in possession of their formidable majority, the King said he " need not press them to lay seriously to heait, and to consider what further means might be used for securing the succession of the Crown in the Protestant line, and extinguishing the hopes of all pretenders and their open and secret abettors." His reliance was not misplaced. In reply the Commons addressed the Crown not to make peace with Prance until Louis had offered the fullest reparation for the insult he had passed upon the nation. A bill attainting the pretended Prince of Wales for high treason was brought in and carried with but little opposition through both Houses. A more critical measure was then announced. An Act of Abjuration was introduced, requiring all subjects to swear allegiance to William by the title of lawful and rightful King, and to his heirs according to the Act of Settlement. The oath was to be taken by all persons holding any public office, and to be exacted from all suspeeted of disaffection. With regard to the main features of the bill no opposition was encountered, but a hot contest arose as to the interpretation to be put upon the word abjuration. Was the oath to be compulsory or free ? That was the question, and party tactics were exerted to the utmost in the debate that followed. The Tories, and with them of course the Jacobites, declared to a man that the oath should be voluntary, and ought not to be imposed by force. So keen was the conflict that the clause was only carried by one vote — 188 to 187. The next step was to bind the clergy, always friendly EARLY DAYS. 19 to the House of Stuart, by the same tie as restrained the laity. It was deemed desirable that all ecclesiastics, heads of colleges, and members of the universities should take the Oath of Abjuration. An amendment was accordingly moved to this effect, and seconded by Walpole, who, duriag his residence at King's, had noticed how few of the Cambridge authorities had even taken the Oath of Allegiance. This amendment passed without a division. The indignation of his old University was extreme, and the name of "Walpole was a subject of much bitter dis- cussion at the tables of certain dons and in the rooms of the non-juring undergraduates. "No sooner had I inquired," writes his brother Horace, afterwards the able diplomatist, who was then on a visit at St. John's, Cambridge,* " whether I should be expelled for staying so long but I was told that you would be excommunicated ; for the Master, tutor, pupils, sophs, bachelors, and all that are Non-jurors of St. John's, or all that are as bad as Non-jurors, are resolved to issue a bull against you for speeching it against them and their little dapper King the other side of the water : some say you moved, but no one seconded you; others that you moved, but the Speaker reprimanded you, with a long speech in commendation of Dr. G . But I am told that Mr. H 's account is, that you vehemently in- veighed against Dr. G , that though Master of a college he never took the oaths himself, and tolerated thirty-five Non-jurors Fellows of the college. As soon as I recovered myself from this violent attack, and with a mouthful of sweet air was refreshed from the strong Jacobitical blast, I answered, I was sure my brother would * "Walpole Papers," Feb. 28, 1701-2. Coxe. 2 SIJ? ROBERT WALPOLE. never be ashamed to own out of the House what he had spoke within, especially in supporting this government, and removing all obstacles against it ; that there was no need of fathering lies upon him, for I believe he had said truth enough to do the Non-jurors' business ; that you seconded the motion for their taking the Oath of Abjura- tion, and it passed without opposition at all ; and lastly assured them this House of Commons was no whetstone for Jaeobitical teeth, and therefore they might bark long enough without biting ; and by a late* instance their strength proved so weak in this University that all they could say or do would make them no dangerous enemies to any but themselves, and so left them to consider whether they could not swallow an oath for excluding a fictitious Prince, and Popish superstition hereafter, as well as they could lies and scandal against those that are for maintaining the present lawful King and the Pro- testant religion, and I believe they are not better satisfied with my defence of you than they were before with Mr. H 's accusation." King William was painfully breathing his last amid the fogs of Kensington when the bill, which had excited so much controversy, was brought in to him to receive the royal assent. He smiled as its provisions were read to him, and then faintly articulated his approval. It was the last act he was called upon to fulfil. Within a few hours of the Oath of Abjuration becoming law his sufferings were over. It was not without good reason that the Jacobites termed this, the first exercise of the royal pre- rogative, his " cursed legacy." * Alluding to the election of Henry Boyle, chos