The Washington herald., 1912-06-23

I do not propose to be taken for an apol-
ogist Of King Henry VIII OF England. but
I do think that Il Is rather hard on the
man TO be commonly held up as q hor-
rible example and accepted everywhere
as the worst married man in history. He
certainly wasn't a suffering saint; moth
ing like It. But I honestly believe that
Merry King Hal was not half as bad as
George ". OF course, he did have the
heads OF two or three Of his wives cut on,
but this put them out Of their misery
quickly. The Fourth George OF Guelph
Hanover was not so merciful. He pro-
longed the agonIes OF his morganatic wife,
Mrs. FitEherbert. and Of his lawful wife,
Caroline OF Brunswick, as well, through
many years. He behaved like a mean
Boorish brute to them, especially to the
latter, and yet here he comes swagger-
ing down the centuries labeled as the first
gentleman in Europe"
No matter how moral or righteous We
may take ourselves to be, good many OF
US cherish a sneaking regard for Charles
II, because to begin with he would never
have gone astray had his spouse, the
proud Portuguese Catherine, treated him
a little better than a continuous frost, and
when, finding himself slIghted and being
far too proud to ask for that which ought
to have been his, IL his queen had been
possessed Of more common sense and OF
less religious ardOr for her Catholic
mother church, he looked about for
amusement. he carried or his vices with
a gay good humor, a debonair courtesy,
a certain grace, and careless kindness.
But the Fourth George had no redeem
ing qualities His immortalities were gross,
the politeness he practIced was thinly su-
perficial. He had no sensitiveness, no deli
cacy Of feeling, but was as crudely hog
gish as Henry VIII, without that mon
arch's one merit of executing his cruel
ties with promptness and dispatch
It is not a pretty tale, that story Of
Queen Caroline. And It is an old story.
Her married life was one long drawn out
tragedy Years after their separation,
after George had ascended the British
throne, and he and his satellites were try
ing to get a bill through Parliament to
dissolve the marriage, the Queen wrote
TO him. asking for justice, not because she
was a dutiful, faithful, and injured wife
but 'out OF consideration Of the honor and
dignity Of his throne"
When Caroline went from Brunswick
to England to marry him, George, then
the Prince of Wales, sent Lady Jersey
between whom and himself there had
been scandalous relations, to meet her
as lady-in-waiting, and when he welcom-
ed his bride IN Carlton House, he "em-
braced her, said scarcely a word. and
walked over TO the other end OF the
room" He complained OF not being well
and asked for a glass OF brandy. Prob
abIy his royal highness had had enough
brandy, because his friend and chum.
Lord Malmesbury, replied: Sir. hadn I
you better have a glass of water
No" said George, with an oath, I Will
go directly to the Queen" and on he
went 70 his mother, leaving the forlorn
and sighted foreign princess in bewilder-
ment alone in a strange land.
The prince had been drinking freely
Just before the marriage ceremony and
the princess later said to a friend:
Judge what it was to have drunken
husband on ones wedding day. and one
who passed the greater part OF his bridal
night in the CRATE, where he fell and
enough start The pair lived as husband
and wife for three weeks only, and short
ly after the birth OF their child, the
Princess Charlotte, George sent his wife
an insulting message that more than
Justified her in leaving his house. She
settled down at Blackheath and pro-
ceeded to make the best Of things. Sym
pathizsrs and friends gathered around
her, Byron, Fox. Lord Give, Rogers,
Lord Eldon, Canning. the best and most
brilliant persons in high society remain
ed on friendly terms with her, and were
glad TO be invited to her pleasant dinner
parties, for she was a genial, simple, So
ciable soul, with a somewhat freakish
sense Of humor, a dangerous habit Of
speaking freely TO every one. and a very
feminine delight in gossip.
The prince was far from pleased to see
her so popular. Hence he devoted him
self assIduously to harassing her with
petty annoyances. She had to accept
as Iadies-in-waiting persons who dis
liked her, who played the spy upon her,
who distorted her harmless follies and
spread even reports to her discredlt-
Then the prince shameIessly asserted
his right AMI deprived her Of the Gus
tody Of her child, prevented her from
attending the court drawing-rooms, and
Ignored her altogether II she did appear.
He would have tyranniZed over her still
more harshly had not the King. his
father, interposed and held him in check.
drunk or sober. Nothing Is more low
able and fragrant in the record of that
pathetic old monarch, George III, than
his fatherly protective kindness toward
his prosecuted daughter-in-law.
1t was part OF Caroline's womanly
weakness to be passionately fond OF
pretty children, and separated from her
own daughter she adopted some half
dozen little maids and boys, housed
them, provided for them, and occupied
much Of her time in personally attending
to their welfare. One Of these adopted
infants. William Austin, got her into
grave diflculty. Her neighbor, Lady