and was obliged to go out of town for three or four days to keep his senses, which I well remembering, was upon my guard when I found myself in somewhat of a similar situation in 1782. Mr. Garrick told me that in his long experience of the Play House, he could never judge whether a piece would succeed, except by experiment; that things which cost him the most to get up perpetually failed, and produced him nothing. On the other hand, very silly things from which he expected nothing, produced him a great deal. Lord Chatham told me that he could never be sure of the Publick passions, that all that he could do was to watch, and be the first to follow them.
"One day, some time after the House of Lords was up and the House empty, the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Hardwicke, and Mr. Pulteney were observed to have a long and warm conversation, which ended for that time by Mr. Pulteney's going away in a great passion and the others following him. One of the Clerks soon after perceived a paper torn into several pieces where they had been standing, which he was at the pains of putting together, and found it was the King's letter creating Mr. Pulteney Earl of Bath, to which, however, he was at last reconciled, and other arrangements soon followed more upon the principle of a borough Election than that of a Monarchy limited or unlimited. The terms obtained for the Publick only serve to show how very narrow and short-sighted were the views of all. The Court and the Publick, however, continued to be tossed about for some years[1] till such time as the Pelhams, with the assistance of the old Whig connections, their own rank, considerable property, generosity, and hospitality, and great deference to the public, more than any sort of talent, got the acknowledged ascendant. The King put himself into the hands of Lord Granville,[2] who had full powers for a
- ↑ I.e. from February 1742 to 1746. From the first of these Hates to August 25th, 1743, Lord Wilmington (Sir Spencer Compton) was at the head of the Treasury. He was succeeded by Mr. Pelham, between whom and Lord Carteret, the Secretary of State, the struggle continued till November in the following year.
- ↑ 1744 was a remarkable year in the life of Lord Carteret. In April he married his second wife, Lady Sophia Fermor, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Pomfret. She was the mother of the first Lady Shelburne. He became Lord Granville in
