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more importance than a personal quarrel; he therefore persisted in his purpose, by saying, "strike, again, if you will but hear me." And—let us not omit the Great Captain of the age, who is eminently distinguished by this virtue in the field:[1] but if the appeal is to those that wore the diadem, and more especially to our own annals, it becomes difficult to name any monarch in the list, from Egbert the Great, excepting Alfred, and (perhaps) Edward VI., worthy of being placed with George 3rd at the same elevation in the temple of honour.[2] Charles II. being ungovernably incensed, on an occasion totally different, and by no means reputable, has never been acquitted of participating in the murder of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey; and the
- ↑ And certainly, at Waterloo, the absurd conduct of the Colonel commandant of a regiment of Volunteer Cavalry, from Brussels, which reminds us of Sir John Suckling's campaign, was well calculated to try a gallant soldier's patience.
- ↑ But though George 3rd possessed that most useful, and often invaluable quality of self-command, in an eminent degree, on important occasions, he did not constrain himself to a stoic's demeanour in ordinary and trifling occurrences.—A friend of the Author chanced to be present at the following incident.—His Majesty (always an early riser) was one morning, about seven o'clock, engaged in driving a number of deer from one paddock to another, in Windsor great Park. Among the idlers that gathered along, and followed his motions, was Dick Such-a-one, a barber at Windsor, who was mightily officious in insisting to drive the deer, but, as is often the case in an overacted part, doing a deal more harm than good; till at length, the King growing impatient at the ill-timed efforts
