WILLIAM AND MAltY.

51

their royal masters, called Jack or Harry, congratulated aboutrace cups or rallied about actresses. The women missed the -homage due to their sex. They observed that the King spokein a somewhat imperious tone even to the wife to whom he owedso much, and whom he sincerely loved and esteemed.* Theywere amused and shocked to see him, when the Princess Annadined with him, and when the first green peas of the year wereput on the table, devour the whole dish without offering aspoonful to her Royal Highness; and they pronounced thatthis great soldier and politician was no better than a Low Dutchbear.**

One misfortune, which was imputed to him as a crime, washis bad English. He spoke our language, but not well. Hisaccent was foreign: his diction was inelegant; and his vocabu-lary seems to have been no larger than was necessary for thetransaction of business. To the difficulty which he felt in ex-pressing himself, and to his consciousness that his pronun-ciation was bad, must be partly ascribed the taciturnity and theshort answers which g^ve so much offence. Our literature hewas incapable of enjoying or of understanding. Pie never once,

* There is abundant proof that William, though a very affectionate,was not always a polite husband. Iiut no credit is duo to the story con-tained in the letter which Dalrymplc was foolish enough to publish as Not-tingham's in 1773, and wise enough to omit in the edition of 1790. Howany person who knew any thing of the history of those times could be sostrangely deceived, it is not easy to understand, particularly as the hand-writing bears no resemblance to Nottingham’s, with which Dalrymple wasfamiliar. The letter is evidently a common newsletter, written by ascribbler, who had never seen the King and Queen except at some publicplace, and whose anecdotes of their private life rested on no betterauthority than coffeehouse gossip.

** Ronquillo; Burnet, ii. 2.; Duchess of Marlborough’s Vindication.In a pastoral dialogue between Philander and Palsemon, published in 1631,the dislike with which women of fashion regarded William is mentioned.Philander says:

“But man methinks his reason should recall,

Nor let frail woman work hia second fall.”

4 *

CHAP

XI.

Tcay.