of Gloucester, his brother; of which a part may
be supposed due to the Duke's marriage with Lady Waldegrave, a
marriage which provoked the indignation of the King, and which once
threatened political evils of a formidable nature. Henry, the Duke of
Cumberland, was also an unfortunate specimen of the blood royal. He is
described as having the babbling loquacity of the Duke of York,
without his talents; as at once arrogant and low; presuming on his
rank as a prince, and degrading himself by an association with low
company. Still, we are to remember Walpole's propensity to sarcasm,
the enjoyment which he seems to have felt in shooting his brilliant
missiles at all ranks superior to his own; and his especial hostility
to George the Third, one of the honestest monarchs that ever sat upon
a throne.

In those days the composition of ministries depended altogether upon
the high families.--The peerage settled every thing amongst
themselves. A few of their dependents were occasionally taken into
office; but all the great places were distributed among a little
clique, who thus constituted themselves the real masters of the
empire. Walpole's work has its value, in letting us into the secrets
of a conclave, which at once shows us the singular emptiness of its
constituent parts, and the equally singular authority with which they
seem to have disposed of both the king and the people. We give a scene
from the _Historian_, which would make an admirable fragment of the
_Rehearsal_, and which wanted only the genius of Sheridan to be an
admirable pendant to Mr Puff's play in the _Critic_. "On the 20th a
meeting was held at the Duke of Newcastle's, of Lord Rockingham, the
Duke of Richmond, and of Dowdeswell, with Newcastle himself on one
part, and of the Duke of Bedford, Lord Weymouth, and Rigby on the
other. The Duke of Bedford had powers from Grenville to act for him;
but did not seem to like Lord Buckingham's taking on himself to name
to places. On the latter's asking what friends they wished to prefer,
Rigby said, with his cavalier bluntness--Take the _Court Calendar_ and
give them one, two, three thousand pounds a-year! Bedford
observed--They had said nothing on measures. Mr Grenville would insist
on the sovereignty of this country over America being asserted. Lord
Rockingham replied--He would never allow it to be a question whether
he had given up this country--he never had. The Duke insisted on a
declaration. The Duke of Richmond sa