Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-01-12
The Four Georges.

"A late number OF the COrnhill Mag
azine has the first of Thackcray's cx-
cellent lectures on The Four Georges
Of England" The following extract
therefiUm relates to the life and times
of George I:
Delightful as London city was, King
George /. liked to be out Of it as much
as ever he could; and when there, pass
ed all of his time with his Germans. 1t
was with them as with Blucher, one
hundred years afterwards, when the
bold old reiter looked down from St.
Paul's and sighed out, "Was for Plum
der?" The German women plundcr-
ed; the German secretaries plundered;
the German cooks and intendants plum
dcred; even Mustapha and Mahomct,
the German negroes, had share of the
booty. Take what you can get, was
the old mOnarchs maxim. lie was
not lofty monarch, certainly; he was
not patron of the fine arts: but he was
not hypocrite, he was not revengeful,
he was not eXtravagant. Though a
dcspot in Hanover, he was moderate
ruler in England. His aim was to
leave it to itself as much as possible,
and to live out of it as much as he
could. His heart was in Hanover.
When taken ill on his last journey, as
he was passing through Holland, he
thrust his livid head out of the coach
window. gasping out, Osnaburg, Os-
naburg!" lie was more than fifty years
of age when he came amongst us; we
took him because we wanted him, be-
cause he served our turn; we laughed
at his uncouth German way, and snccr-
ed at him. He took our loyalty tor
what it was worth laid hands on what
money he could; kept Us assuredly
from Popery and wooden shoes. l,
for one, would have been on his side
in those days. Cynical and selfish as
he was, he was better than king out
of st. Gcrmains, with the French
kings orders in his pocket, aud a
swarm of Jesuits in his train.
The Fates are supposed to interest
themselves about royal pcrsonagcs; !;
so this one had omcns and prophecies
specially regarding him. He was said
to be much disturbed at a prophecy
that he should die very soon after his
wife, and sure enough paIlid. death,
having seized upon the luckless princess
in her castle of Ahlden. presently poun-
ced upon ii. NJ. King George |. in his
travelling chariot, on the Hanover road.
What position can outride that pale
horscman 1t is said, George promised
one of his lctt-handed widows to come
to her after death if leave were granted
to him to revisit the glmpses of the
moon; and soon after his demise, a
great raven actually flying or hopping
in at the Duchess Of Kcrdar's window at
Twickenham she chose to imagine the
kings spirit inhabited these plumes and
took special care of her sable visitor.
Affecting mctcmpsychosis--funcra
royal bird! How pathcticis the idea of
the Duchess weeping over it! When
this chastc addition to our English ar
istocracy died, all her jewels, plate and
plunder, went over to her relations in
Hanover. 1 wonder whether her heirs
took the bird. and whether it is still
tapping its wings over Herrcnhausen -?
The days are over in England of
that strange religion of king-worship,
when priests tlattcrcd princes in the
Temple Of God; when servility was
held to be ennobling duty; when beau
ty and youth tried eagerly for royal
favor, and woman's shame was held to
be no dishonor. Mendcd morals and
mendcd manners in courts and people,
arc among the priceless consequences
of the freedom which George l. came
to rescue and secure. He kept his
compact with his English subjects; and
if he escaped no more than other men
and monarchs from the vices Of his
age, at least we may thank him for pre-
serving and transmitting the liberties
of ours. In our free air, royal and
humble homes have alike been pu-
rifcd; and truth, the birthright OF
high and low among us, which quite
fearlessly judges our greatest person.
ages. can only speak of them now in
words of respect and regard. There
are stains in the portrait of the first
George, and traits in it which none OF
us need admire but among the nohler
features are justice, courage, modera-
tion-and these we may recognize ere
we turn the picture to the wall.
ny- Mrs. S. d. Curtis, a poctess of
some reputation, died at Madison, Wis,
lately. She was a native of Pomfret,
Conn, and had contributed to the
Boston Journal.