2, Greville has some notes which well
deserve quotation: "The joy of the King at what he thought to be his
deliverance from the Whigs was unbounded. He lost no time in putting
the Duke of Wellington in possession of everything which had taken
place between him and them upon the subject of reform and with regard
to the creation of peers, admitting that he had consented, but saying
he had been subjected to every species of persecution. His ignorance
and levity put him in a miserable light and proved him to be one of the
silliest old gentlemen in his dominions." Greville goes on to say:
"But I believe he is mad, for yesterday he gave a dinner to the Jockey
Club, {176} at which, notwithstanding his cares, he seemed to be in
excellent spirits, and after dinner he made a number of speeches so
ridiculous and nonsensical beyond all belief but to those who heard
them, rambling from one subject to another, repeating the same thing
over and over again, and altogether such a mass of confusion, trash,
and imbecility, as made one laugh and blush at the same time."

[Sidenote: 1832--The King seeks a Prime Minister]

The poor muddled-headed old King in fact could not understand that the
question submitted to him allowed of no middle course of compromise.
He seemed to think he had gone far enough in the way of conciliation
when he offered to allow his ministers to create a certain number of
peers. No concession, however, could be of the slightest use to the
Ministry unless the power were conceded to them to create as many new
peers as might be necessary to overbear all opposition to the Reform
Bill. The struggle was in fact between the existing House of Lords and
the vast majority of the nation. One or other must conquer. The only
constitutional way in which the existing opposition of the House of
Lords could be overborne was by the creation of a number of new peers
great enough to turn the majority of the House of Lords into a minority.

Lord Grey and Lord Althorp were not, it is hardly necessary to say, men
who shared in the popular sentiment, which would, if it could, have
abolished altogether the hereditary principle in legislation. But Lord
Grey and Lord Althorp read the signs of the times, and saw clearly
enough that if the House of Lords were allowed to stand much longer in
the way of the Reform Bill the result would be probably a political
revolution which would abolish the House of Lords altogether.
Therefore the mini