Orders
were, indeed, sent to stop her if she set out. She came, however, on
pretence of taking the Bath waters; but George II., furious at her
disobedience, obliged her to go direct to and from Bath without
stopping, and never forgave her.
Notwithstanding her predictions, the queen survived the fatal Wednesday.
Until this time no prelate had been called in to pray by her majesty,
nor to administer the Holy Communion and as people about the court began
to be scandalized by this omission, Sir Robert Walpole advised that the
Archbishop of Canterbury should be sent for: his opinion was couched in
the following terms, characteristic at once of the man, the times, and
the court:--
'Pray, madam,' he said to the Princess Emily, 'let this farce be played;
the archbishop will act it very well. You may bid him be as short as you
will: it will do the queen no hurt, no more than any good; and it will
satisfy all the wise and good fools, who will call us atheists if we
don't pretend to be as great fools as they are.'
Unhappily, Lord Hervey, who relates this anecdote, was himself an
unbeliever; yet the scoffing tone adopted by Sir Robert seems to have
shocked even him.
In consequence of this advice, Archbishop Potter prayed by the queen
morning and evening, the king always quitting the room when his grace
entered it.
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