ilt by her lover to gratify her caprice. The very furniture of
the chimney was massy silver. Several fine paintings, which properly
belonged to the Queen, had been transferred to the dwelling of the
mistress. The sideboards were piled with richly wrought plate. In
the niches stood cabinets, the masterpieces of Japanese art. On the
hangings, fresh from the looms of Paris, were depicted, in tints which
no English tapestry could rival, birds of gorgeous plumage, landscapes,
hunting matches, the lordly terrace of Saint Germains, the statues and
fountains of Versailles. [216] In the midst of this splendour, purchased
by guilt and shame, the unhappy woman gave herself up to an agony of
grief, which, to do her justice, was not wholly selfish.

And now the gates of Whitehall, which ordinarily stood open to all
comers, were closed. But persons whose faces were known were still
permitted to enter. The antechambers and galleries were soon filled
to overflowing; and even the sick room was crowded with peers, privy
councillors, and foreign ministers. All the medical men of note in
London were summoned. So high did political animosities run that the
presence of some Whig physicians was regarded as an extraordinary
circumstance. [217] One Roman Catholic, whose skill was then widely
renowned, Doctor Thomas Short, was in attendance. Several of the
prescriptions have been preserved. One of them is signed by fourteen
Doctors. The patient was bled largely. Hot iron was applied to his head.
A loathsome volatile salt, extracted from human skulls, was forced into
his mouth. He recovered his senses; but he was evidently in a situation
of extreme danger.

The Queen was for a time assiduous in her attendance. The Duke of York
scarcely left his brother's bedside. The Primate and four other bishops
were then in London. They remained at Whitehall all day, and took it
by turns to sit up at night in the King's room. The news of his illness
filled the capital with sorrow and dismay. For his easy temper and
affable manners had won the affection of a large part of the nation;
and those who most disliked him preferred his unprincipled levity to the
stern and earnest bigotry of his brother.

On the morning of Thursday the fifth of February, the London Gazette
announced that His Majesty was going on well, and was thought by the
physicians to be out of danger. The bells of all the churches rang
merrily; and preparations for bonfires were made in the stree