the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第38章

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country　gentleman；　honest；　good…natured；　sober；　religious。　　He　rose　early：　　he　dined　temperately：　　he　was　strictly　faithful　to　his　wife：　　he　never　missed　church；　and　at　church　he　never　missed　a　response。　　His　people　heartily　prayed　that　he　might　long　reign　over　them；　and　they　prayed　the　more　heartily　because　his　virtues　were　set　off　to　the　best　advantage　by　the　vices　and　follies　of　the　Prince　of　Wales；　who　lived　in　close　intimacy　with　the　chiefs　of　the　opposition。　How　strong　this　feeling　was　in　the　public　mind　appeared　signally　on　one　great　occasion。　　In　the　autumn　of　1788　the　King　became　insane。　　The　opposition；　eager　for　office；　committed　the　great　indiscretion　of　asserting　that　the　heir　apparent　had；　by　the　fundamental　laws　of　England；　a　right　to　be　Regent　with　the　full　powers　of　royalty。　　Pitt；　on　the　other　hand；　maintained　it　to　be　the　constitutional　doctrine　that；　when　a　Sovereign　is；　by　reason　of　infancy；　disease；　or　absence；　incapable　of　exercising　the　regal　functions；　it　belongs　to　the　Estates　of　the　realm　to　determine　who　shall　be　the　vicegerent　and　with　what　portion　of　the　executive　authority　such　vicegerent　shall　be　entrusted。　　A　long　and　violent　contest　followed；　in　which　Pitt　was　supported　by　the　great　body　of　the　people　with　as　much　enthusiasm　as　during　the　first　months　of　his　administration。　　Tories　with　one　voice　applauded　him　for　defending　the　sick…bed　of　a　virtuous　and　unhappy　Sovereign　against　a　disloyal　faction　and　an　undutiful　son。　　Not　a　few　Whigs　applauded　him　for　asserting　the　authority　of　Parliaments　and　the　principles　of　the　Revolution；　in　opposition　to　a　doctrine　which　seemed　to　have　too　much　affinity　with　the　servile　theory　of　indefeasible　hereditary　right。　　The　middle　class；　always　zealous　on　the　side　of　decency　and　the　domestic　virtues；　looked　forward　with　dismay　to　a　reign　resembling　that　of　Charles　II。　　The　palace；　which　had　now　been；　during　thirty　years；　the　pattern　of　an　English　home；　would　be　a　public　nuisance；　a　school　of　profligacy。　　To　the　good　King's　repast　of　mutton　and　lemonade；　despatched　at　three　o'clock；　would　succeed　midnight　banquets；　from　which　the　guests　would　be　carried　home　speechless。　　To　the　backgammon　board　at　which　the　good　King　played　for　a　little　silver　with　his　equerries；　would　succeed　faro　tables　from　which　young　patricians　who　had　sate　down　rich　would　rise　up　beggars。　　The　drawing…room；　from　which　the　frown　of　the　Queen　had　repelled　a　whole　generation　of　frail　beauties；　would　now　be　again　what　it　had　been　in　the　days　of　Barbara　Palmer　and　Louisa　de　Querouaille。　　Nay；　severely　as　the　public　reprobated　the　Prince's　many　illicit　attachments；　his　one　virtuous　attachment　was　reprobated　more　severely　still。　　Even　in　grave　and　pious　circles　his　Protestant　mistresses　gave　less　scandal　than　his　Popish　wife。　　That　he　must　be　Regent　nobody　ventured　to　deny。　　But　he　and　his　friends　were　so　unpopular　that　Pitt　could；　with　general　approbation；　propose　to　limit　the　powers　of　the　Regent　by　restrictions　to　which　it　would　have　been　impossible　to　subject　a　Prince　beloved　and　trusted　by　the　country。　　Some　interested　men；　fully　expecting　a　change　of　administration；　went　over　to　the　opposition。　　But　the　majority；　purified　by　these　desertions；　closed　its　ranks；　and　presented　a　more　firm　array　than　ever　to　the　enemy。　　In　every　division　Pitt　was　victorious。　　When　at　length；　after　a　stormy　interregnum　of　three　months；　it　was　announced；　on　the　very　eve　of　the　inauguration　of　the　Regent；　that　the　King　was　himself　again；　the　nation　was　wild　with　delight。　　On　the　evening　of　the　day　on　which　His　Majesty　resumed　his　functions；　a　spontaneous　illumination；　the　most　general　that　had　ever　been　seen　in　England；　brightened　the　whole　vast　space　from　Highgate　to　Tooting；　and　from　Hammersmith　to　Greenwich。　　On　the　day　on　which　he　returned　thanks　in　the　cathedral　of　his　capital；　all　the　horses　and　carriages　within　a　hundred　miles　of　London　were　too　few　for　the　multitudes　which　flocked　to　see　him　pass　through　the　streets。　　A　second　illumination　followed；　which　was　even　superior　to　the　first　in　magnificence。　　Pitt　with　difficulty　escaped　from　the　tumultuous　kindness　of　an　innumerable　multitude　which　insisted　on　drawing　his　coach　from　Saint　Paul's　Churchyard　to　Downing　Street。　　This　was　the　moment　at　which　his　fame　and　fortune　may　be　said　to　have　reached　the　zenith。　　His　influence　in　the　closet　was　as　great　as　that　of　Carr　or　Villiers　had　been。　　His　dominion　over　the　Parliament　was　more　absolute　than　that　of　Walpole　of　Pelham　had　been。　　He　was　at　the　same　time　as　high　in　the　favour　of　the　populace　as　ever　Wilkes　or　Sacheverell　had　been。　　Nothing　did　more　to　raise　his　character　than　his　noble　poverty。　　It　was　well…known　that；　if　he　had　been　dismissed　from　office　after　more　than　five　years　of　boundless　power；　he　would　hardly　have　carried　out　with　him　a　sum　sufficient　to　furnish　the　set　of　chambers　in　which；　as　he　cheerfully　declared；　he　meant　to　resume　the　practice　of　the　law。　　His　admirers；　however；　were　by　no　means　disposed　to　suffer　him　to　depend　on　daily　toil　for　his　daily　bread。　　The　voluntary　contributions　which　were　awaiting　his　acceptance　in　the　city　of　London　alone　would　have　sufficed　to　make　him　a　rich　man。　　But　it　may　be　doubted　whether　his　haughty　spirit　would　have　stooped　to　accept　a　provision　so　honourably　earned　and　so　honourably　bestowed。　To　such　a　height　of　power　and　glory　had　this　extraordinary　man　risen　at　twenty…nine　years　of　age。　　And　now　the　tide　was　on　the　turn。　　Only　ten　days　after　the　triumphal　procession　to　Saint　Paul's；　the　States…General　of　France；　after　an　interval　of　a　hundred　and　seventy…four　years；　met　at　Versailles。　The　nature　of　the　great　Revolution　which　followed　was　long　very　imperfectly　understood　in　this　country。　　Burke　saw　much　further　than　any　of　his　contemporaries：　　but　whatever　his　sagacity　descried　was　refracted　and　discoloured　by　his　passions　and　his　imagination。　　More　than　three　years　elapsed　before　the　principles　of　the　English　administration　underwent　any　material　change。　　Nothing　could　as　yet　be　milder　or　more　strictly　constitutional　than　the　minister's　domestic　policy。　　Not　a　single　act　indicating　an　arbitrary　temper　or　a　jealousy　of　the　people　could　be　imputed　to　him。　　He　had　never　applied　to　Parliament　for　any　extraordinary　powers。　　He　had　never　used　with　harshness　the　ordinary　powers　entrusted　by　the　constitution　to　the　executive　government。　　Not　a　single　state　prosecution　which　would　even　now　be　called　oppressive　had　been　instituted　by　him。　　Indeed；　the　only　oppressive　state　prosecution　instituted　during　the　first　eight　years　of　his　administration　was　that　of　Stockdale；　which　is　to　be　attributed　not　to　the　government；　but　to　the　chiefs　of　the　opposition。　　In　office　Pitt　had　redeemed　the　pledges　which　he　had；　at　his　entrance　into　public　life；　given　to　the　supporters　of　parliamentary　reform。　　He　had；　in　1785；　brought　forward　a　judicious　plan　for　the　improvement　of　the　representative　system；　and　had　prevailed　on　the　King；　not　only　to　refrain　from　talking　against　that　plan；　but　to　recommend　it　to　the　Houses　in　a　speech　from　the　throne。　　（The　speech　with　which　the　King　opened　the　session　of　1785；　concluded　with　an　assurance　that　His　Majesty　would　heartily　concur　in　every