'
The king, who had long since guessed at the queen's disease, urged her
now to permit him to name it to her physicians. She begged him not to do
so; and for the first time, and the last, the unhappy woman spoke
peevishly and warmly. Then Ranby, the house-surgeon, who had by this
time discovered the truth, said, 'There is no more time to be lost; your
majesty has concealed the truth too long: I beg another surgeon may be
called in immediately.'
The queen, who had, in her passion, started up in her bed, lay down
again, turned her head on the other side, and, as the king told Lord
Hervey, 'shed the only tear he ever saw her shed whilst she was ill.'
At length, too late, other and more sensible means were resorted to: but
the queen's strength was failing fast. It must have been a strange scene
in that chamber of death. Much as the king really grieved for the
queen's state, he was still sufficiently collected to grieve also lest
Richmond Lodge, which was settled on the queen, should go to the hated
_Griff_:[22] and he actually sent Lord Hervey to the lord chancellor to
inquire about that point. It was decided that the queen could make a
will, so the king informed her of his inquiries, in order to set her
mind at ease, and to assure her it was impossible that the prince could
in any way benefit pecuniarily from her death.
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