The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-17 00:00:00

MR. THACKERAY'S

GEORGE THE SECOND.

Mr. Thackeray delivered the second of his course oi,
lectures at the Philharmonic Hall last night. The subject'
was, " George the Second." There was a considerably
larger audience than at the delivery of the first lecture.,
Mr, Thackeray commenced by requesting the audience tO
imagine, after the manner in which a favourite novelist
usually opened his romance, two horsemen riding all
the road leading from London to Richmond. One attir
in the jackboots of the period, was Sir Robert•wsipole;
hit
whose ride the lecturer humorously sketched, and -
visit to Richmond, to inform the Prince of Wales that
hSS
father had died at Osnaberg. The Prince rose from hiti
bed with many oaths, exclaiming in a strong 'aernil
accent in reply to the courtier's announcement,
was thy
is vn bg lie I'f (Laughter.) Nevertheless, it
fact tohati that little gentleman was King of England thee
for 33 years afterwards. Here the lecturer outlined the
c'iaracter of George the Second and the Points
which he resembled his father—his coarseness, "se
sensuality, his low estimate of men—so low that 0,211
was pained to think how true it was of those aroaTLi
him, He was not a hypocrite ; he did not c 4re;
for 'the fine arts; but he never pretended to
"
so. Careless as he was of religion, he affected little reve
ence for the bowing bishops around him. It was, Perhalil
not unlucky for England that the first Georges were
.11.00
ambitious and un English, because they left Englata
herself. Our troubles chiefly began wilen wandme to 1380
a king who boasted that he was a Britort; because Se
had been born in the country, assumed at, new
her government. Of Queen Caroline, me: Thackeer
spoke as a woman who was accomplished Anu,,
hearted, rejecting even the hand of an archduke, ad"; of
sequent emperor, when proffered, with the coditional:if,
changing her religion, even although her own Protest,aa
relations most urged it on her; as a woman who Wag slast
and faithful to her husband, as he in his own brutal fad
was to her, even to the last. She was a pleasant fait,‘
P
a court where one saw few pleasant faces. Cllll
attachment was something quite extraordinary gio
charm had the red-faced little princeling, for vet her
had rejected one who was to be an emperor, over 11e*,,,
fee -
When suffering from gout she used to bathe her 17,
cold water, at risk of her life, to_ walk with him; as -1; •
companied him through life with one unbroken, anseltis4
uncomplaining love. Dr. Young, the celebrated actillaui
" Night Thoughts," absolutely burst into tears 10, or
Pulpit, because the defender of the faith and elisPssesa. st'
bishoprics fell asleep during one of his long sermons:" So
the heavens and stars, and the vanities of the worIZ aoief
wonder that, amidst all this levity in high places, "„icale.
left the insulted temple to worship on the b'nbis
(Cheers.) One was scared as he looked arattlittig•
society—at this flaunting vice. Whit with
starts
cassocked harpies, ever hanging round the lott
the palace, ready to fawn or bribe themseive6t4 ofolf
bishoprics ; women intriguing, and courtiers f the
down in solemn reverence before the picture' 04ais#
King and Queen, sneering at her lady in waiting IN ocgo
a basin for her on her knees ; the very air stifles' $o
with a sickly perfume. In contrast to all this'Ars
Thackeray paid a just tribute to the altered niall°' aloe
the present court. There were some absurd cereal 000
about our court at the present day, at which he oulat the
but laugh, but he added—as an Englishman looking 70e11
past, shall I not acknowledge the change that has 'debt
place ? What a contrast does such a court and,stos tit
Queen present to that in England now. The niis",e. Lb*
St. James's passes me to-day; and there I see atll
good mother, the good queen, the accomplished 'a ftiitne tbl
enlightened friend of art, the tender sympathiser W;ongsd
glories and griefs of her people ! " (Loud aisd Prtue,tet,
cheers.) The lecturer then turned to some pleasanttlito
of the time, introducing the maids of honour josa
' period, who smile at us out of history. But still, Floacti
was a pleasanter place then than now. When one at,
of the games at tennis and cricket which came o
rs, 1 00
James's Park, with kings and ministers as PlnYefand
wonders how they get through with their business',
Lord Palmerston playing, with his coat off, at hoenefosif
St. James's Park, and Lord John Russell throvringood
the ball. (Laughter.) Yet that was the fashion 400ese
statesmen then. Then there were merry fairs anger ogate
and Maypoles, round which the girls ran races in veil, aecT,
attire, and bears danced, and parsons looked of
thought it no particular harm. And there was %Lobe
wainscotted room, and a fiddler, and a beau takiligh tbelt
women, one at a time, and dancing solemnly 1;;:"
The watering places round the English coast welobo
all the fashion, and at Bath might be seen--throu,r
t tar r,
window of his chair as he passed—the awful, gaUL sot
terrible frown, and terrible Roman nose of the 'alto
d bar- tot
commoner, the elder Pitt. All history went an aiaat
there—Chesterfield and Harvey, Pope and Swift,' tbe
Smollett leaning on the arm of Quin the actor-"4"eto 110
lecturer, in his own unapproachable style, Molesdient*
and move, to be witty and trifling, before the a' nick*
He then read passages from several quaint old chr°4 it'
showing the fearful severity of punishment toed,
fantastic discrepancy, men and women 4" waerg
attorneys in the pillory, a duel of three in Prelatic'. doe.
enemies who had been vainly bound over Of* aes4,
to keep the peace discharged their pistols, and all fell
to the great advantage of their neighbours; a e°,,,le be
transport, liberated from the hulks, bcause "an es,- toss
been left him ;" and, finally, even the prices of ene,
and sugar. Of the court and its heartless and jai".
groups, Mr. Thackeray drew a picture almost hot°
impressive. The deathbed scene of the Queen was aaPef taus
the colours of which looked ghastly from the h',ll':ng
artist. lie went on to say that the old Pagan•hang
his promise to his dying wife, and never marrieu b_Ar
Bat, at sixty years of age, he gave fetes in bonne
favourite Lads, Yarmouth, in which be himself oPri t 1514
see
dressed as a Turk, she figuring as the Sultana. a,sitew
Turkish kind of lie went on till he was finally found:it:oo
But he never lost his love for his wife through all %a $lO
frailty. He said be had never seen the We whey dfit
worthy to tie the shoes of Caroline, and 97"`" v.,‘"
ordered a side of each of 4..eir coffins to be taken en sew
the 17th of Oc'ober, 1760, when he was seventy.sefe" 'll.O
of age, this little unconscionable Bajezet passed egigi
page went in with a cup of chocolate, and, bell 4 001
most religious gracious king was lying on the floor-ad, Go;
Majesty was but a lifeless corpse. The King was fled
save the Bing! But, of Course, there were poets en,ons,
duel gt
who duly bewailed the dead one in verse or seorruieottl;
which we can only laugh or be sad. One Pr. Fnie Sitt,6o
learned divine, and afterwards a bishop, in s'—e fra
verses, west so far as to describe his life on eart"01000
which came nearest to heaven. It he bad beer:AAP:O
just, and pure in life, and wise in council, coll' goo teAog
and divines have said much more ? Clergymen csietabe.sai
grave, and claimed heaven for the poor old itielt; pot ;he,
below. Here was a man who had neither
nor learning—who tainted society by his bad es""'his tj•
was neither a good husband, nor a good father it!dsenrij
dren or people—who, even in old age, was low °not' Frio
and yet, according to Dr. Porteous, earth lets, n• sd
enough for him, and his only place Wee hu; sebooblo
Thackeray concludei a lecture, which coolie" only ;0,
hour in delivery, and of which we have betake ttic.
to present bat a very feeble shadow, amid gen ,grateciso
Many of the most sparkling, many of the most 0; we
incisive, and truthfully inspired satirical P3ss9ge,
had to leave wholly a unnoticed. ee to ge ° :
It may be well to add that much dvall'a0 ts.
re 4
comfort would be felt if many of the audience the ov
punctual in attendance, and did not interruPt
and the listeners by crowding in after the lecture

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