XV. 1757. CHAP expectation that, by permitting him to indulge in the exercife of his own opinions, he would precipitate his own exclufion from power, by drawing upon himself some capital difgrace; which they were confident would at the fame time restore to them the adminiftration of government*. The Duke of Cumberland returned to England, and finding that his conduct had met with the difapprobation of the King, who difavowed the convention of ClofterSeven, he inftantly refigned all his military employments, and retired to Windfor. * At this period, and for feveral months past, there had issued from the press a torrent of papers and pamphlets against Mr. Pitt, condemning his plans, his meafures, his principles, his politics, and even reviling his person, in which the King himself was not fpared, for having taken him into his service, and for not difmiffing him-all which were permitted to die unnoticed; he felt not the leaft fmart from any of them. One day when Mr. Grenville mentioned fome of them to him, he fimiled, and only faid, The prefs is like the air, a charter'd libertine*. Shakespeare-Henry V. CHAP. CHA P. XVI. The Battle of Rofbach, and its confequences.-Sudden prorogation of Parliament.-Union of the King and Mr. Pitt.-The King of Pruffia's recommendation.-Hanoverians refume their arms under Duke Ferdinand.-Obfervations on the German War. A XVI. 1757. Battle of Rofbach. fequences. LTHOUGH the operations of the war CHAP. are foreign to this work; yet thofe events from which important circumstances have arisen, and which have either been mifrepresented by other writers, or been entirely omitted, it is neceffary to mention. Of this nature was the King of Pruffia's great vic- and itscon tory at Rosbach over the French and Germans, on the 5th of November 1757. No event during the war was attended with fuch interesting confequences. This victory may be faid to have changed the fcene, the plan, and the principle of the war. Befides the emancipation which it immediately gave to the King of Prussia, its effects were no less instantaneous and powerful on the councils of Great Britain. The British minister pofsessed an understanding to distinguish, and a XVI. 1757• CHAP genus to feize, a fortunate circumflance, and to improve it to the utmoft advantage. Parliament had been appointed to meet on the 15th of November.-Intelligence of this victory arrived at St. James's on the 9th in the morning. The moment the dispatches were read, the minifter refolved to prorogue the Parliament for a fortnight, notwithstanding every preparation had been made for opening the feffion on the fifteenth. The reafon of this fudden prorogation was, to give time to concert a new plan of operations, and to write another fpeech for the King. Undoubtedly the fpecch that had been defigned would not apply to this great and unexpected change of affairs.--Whe ther there was any precedent for this extraordinary step, was not in the contemplation of the minifter. In taking a refolution that involved concerns of the greatest magnitude, he was not to be influenced by precedents. -Forty thousand Hanoverians, who had laid down their arms, but not surrendered them, compofed fuch an engine of power and strength, as might, if employed against France, not for Hanover; or to speak in more direct terms, if ordered to act offenfively inftead of defenfively, might divide her power, XVI. power, and thereby facilitate the conqueft CHAP. 1757. Union of the King George the Second, though not poffeffed of brilliant talents, yet, to a ftrong firmness of mind, he added a long experience of men and public affairs, with a fufficient fhare of penetration to distinguish, even in his present short acquaintance with Mr. Pitt, and particularly by his inftant refolu- P tion of proroguing the Parliament, that he was a bold and intelligent minister; qualities which were perfectly agreeable to the King, because the want of perfonal courage was not amongst his defects. The King himself first suggested to his minifter the refumption of his Hanoverian troops. It was the very measure which Mr. Pitt had refolved to propose, when he advised the prorogation of Parliament; and it was only by accident or chance that the propofition came first from the King. The King and his minister therefore, were in perfect unifon upon the first mention of this important fubject. From this moment the King gave his confidence to Mr. Pitt, and the latter, upon difcovering the whole of the King's views, faw he 1 XVI. 1757. CHAP. he could make them fecondary and fubfervient to the interefts of Great Britain. During the remainder of the reign, they acted together under the influence of the fame congeniality of fentiment, and thereby naturally fell into a perfect union and cordiality of opinion upon all public measures. The King of Pruffia's recom mendation Hanoveri ans refume their arms Immediately after the battle of Rofbach, the King of Pruffia wrote a letter to the King of England, in which he ftrongly recommended the resumption of the allied army, and Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick to the command of it; and he accompanied this letter with a plan of operations, in which he proposed to act in concert with the Duke. Independent of the policy of the measure, there were not wanting very fair and honourable means to fupport it. The French troops had repeatedly broken feveral articles of the convention, and had, in general, from the time they entered the Electorate, conducted themselves in a manner more like a banditti of barbarians, than an army of disciplined foldiers. Mr. Pitt adopted the whole of the King under D. of Pruffia's recommendation; but fo pour Ferdinand trayed |