Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-11-20
THE -FOUR GEORGES by Justin MCCARTHY
vol. pp. sal Published by Harper a Brothers,

VOL ~. sal, Published by Harper 4 Brothers,
Though to our thinking falling short in
this work Of the phenomenal standard Of
excellence attained in his masterpiece "a
History Of Our Own Times" yet, judging by
tue initial volume Of the four which are to be
devoted to the Georges of England, every
student Of history will find great deal in
this book to both entertain and instruct him.
MIR. McCarthy's reputation as discriminat.
ing, observing and brilliant historical writer
is too well known to need comment. Every.
thing that he writes is worthy of a Place in
the most exclusive library.
The present volume opens at the death bed
OF Queen Anne, in the summer OF l7I4.
Almost within the very presence OF the diving
queen, two strong parties are already con-
tending for the succession. The contest
promises to be bitter one the fate Of the
nation is hanging in delicate balance I;
civil war il almost certain whether the throne
be filled by Wing or Tory. The former is, as
viewed through the authors spectacies,
the party OF progress aud liberalism the
latter OF Jacobsen and bigotry.
| Queen Anne is departing without living
issue. or her IL or ID offspring ouly one,
the little Duke Of Gloucester, approached
| hlohhAALyg dhd l0 GApICu ulh 1Eln wear.
his brothers and sisters barely survived their
babyhood. The claimants to the throne are
George Louis, elector Of Hanover, the candi
date of the Wings, and James Stuart, 1.-THE
Pretender !" the Tory candidate. George, was
a grandson Of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen
OF Bohemia, and sister to Charles
l.; james was the reputed son
Of James II, by his second wife,
Maria ID Este. Over the legitimacy Of James
the pamphleteers Of the day had cast cloud
, OF Suspicion, alleging that he was really the
offspring Of miller, and had been surrep
: titio9sly conveyed in a warming pan into the
J royal chamber, This story Mr.. Mccarthy
scouts rs absurd, but it evertheless possessed
vitality enough to make the warming pan one
! Of the most familiar objects OF satirical
literature and art for generations after.
The contestants appear to have been NOT
very unequally matched in their hold upon
the men who shaped the politics Of the
England Of that day; James weakest point
was his sturdy Catholiclty. The historian
= says that he might have made his way tc
the throne with comparative ease, il be
I would only consent to change his religion
. and become u Protestant. II was again aud
again pressed upon him by his adherente,
even by such statesmen as Oxford
r and BolIngbroke, that, if he could moi
actually become Protestant, he should a,
least pretend to become one and give up all
outward show of his devotion to the Catholic
: church. 1t is to the everlasting credit OF
james Stuart who i'll many other matters
showed himself vacclllating and uncertain,
l that he steadily and decisively refused to
, stoop to UGH ignobllity to purchase crown.
The lncorruptibility of the Stuart in this
particular undoubtedly weakened his great
, champion, Bolingbroko and paved the way
for the audacious coup d'etat by which the
powerful dukes Of Argyll and Somerset
] coerced his consent to the capture by the
/ Gf ha I,rA l.,
} practicable for tho phlegmatic elector from
} herrenhausen to mount the throne without a
revolution. True, the peridiuus Boiling broke.
after vain effort TO curry favor with the
new king, allowed himself to be used by
James in stirring up strife in Scotland but
; the stuart instruction there was 10 badly
mismanaged that it almost fell through Of
itself
Nearly the whole OF this first volume is oc.
} cupied with the accession Of George and
the events OF his reign. He died of an apo.
pleetlc lit, in his carriage at Osnabruck, in
l727, after having ruled his adopted country
for ID years. He came to England athorough
German, ignorant even OF the language OF
l the people over whom he was called TO rule
and with no bond Of sympathy binding him
. to them, "To the last" says Mccarthy she
was faithful to Hanover. England was to
him AZ state wife whom for political
reasons he was compelled to marry Hanover
as the sweetheart and mistress OF his youth,
to whom his affections, such az they were,
always chung and whom he stole out to see at
every possible chance" Yet his reign, 40 a
whole, was fairly good one. Though in no
| way clever he possessed good stock OF
sturdy sense, and knew when to
leave the business of the state
in the hands OF those VINO
understood il better than he. He was like
wise unshrinkingly and plegmaticaly coura.
geous. never losing his head for moment in
the most critical mergency. The year OF his
death was made forever memorable by the
death OF far greater man than any crowned
, monarch-Sir Isaac Newton.
We receive the book thrnnrh q L nhnrnnn