Abigail's Cousin (29 page)

"This is a
disgrace. If it continues I shall suspend the sitting. I warn the
House. If this disgraceful behaviour does not end, I shall advise
her majesty that this House must be prorogued." At once there was
silence followed by whispering and the Speaker invited St John to
continue.

"Mr Speaker,"
began St. John, and before proceeding he scanned the whole chamber,
and said: "I assure the House that in those disreputable
coffee-houses where Whigs like to congregate," this provoked
laughter, "to discuss their latest financial coups, the bloodbath
of Malpalquet was the occasion for rejoicing because the Whigs were
busy calculating future profits for new uniforms..." He stopped
again, and added: "I give way to the honourable member."

It was
Mainwaring again. He said: "By talking in such a way, Mr Speaker,
the honourable member for Bristol is debasing this debate. Let me
remind the honourable member, Mr Speaker, that after Malplaquet,
however he likes to describe it, the allied army advanced and the
French retreated."

St. John got to his feet impatient for the
Speaker's call to continue. Once again he surveyed the chamber and
then declaimed:
"There
you have it, Mr Speaker. The honourable member reports an advance
of a few yards costing thousands of allied lives yet thousands of
pounds added to bank balances of Whig bankers and
money-lenders."

He stopped in full flow and irritably
turned round whereupon he is handed a note and addresses the chair:
"Mr Speaker, I beg the indulgence of the House. An urgent matter
has arisen and I beg leave to depart the Chamber."

The Speaker accedes to the request and
looks down at a sheet of paper before him lifting up his head to
speak:
"I call upon the
honourable member for Chippenham, Mr Robert Walpole."

The man who
rose from his seat occupied a stall on the opposite side to Henry
St John. He was in his early thirties and belonged to the so-called
Court Whigs who had surrounded William III. Until now they had
given their support for the War though being mostly landowners had
no need to join the ranks of merchant adventurers in pursuit of
trade for their land provided them with sufficient income to be
above the hurly-burley of commerce. But like many High Tories were
beginning to feel the impact of higher land taxes. Mr Walpole
addressed the chamber confidently:

"Mr Speaker!
The honourable member has accused the Whig ministry of prolonging
the war and on behalf of my honourable colleagues, I refute the
charge utterly. I would remind the honourable member for Bristol
that Louis issued a decree in 1701 that his grandson was eligible
for the throne of Spain thus raising the spectre of both kingdoms
under one monarch in direct contravention of the Second Partition
Treaty of 1700, the previous year. So much for Louis’s
promises!"

Walpole paused
to allow his words to sink in and he was gratified by applause on
his side whereas the opposing members were mute. He smiled and went
on:

"Moreover this
same king, this Louis, in that same treaty, recognised our late
king William as the rightful King of England yet a year later had
hailed the exiled Prince of Wales as James III. So much for Louis'
s solemn undertakings."

Many feet
stamped upon the floor and cheers echoed around him while the
opposite benches remained silent. He turned his head to sweep the
opposite benches filled with glum faces, and was heartened by the
smiling faces of his colleagues. They were enjoying the
discomfiture on the opposite benches and knew there was more to
come. Walpole resumed:

“
Yet this is the monarch the Tories want to
trust in giving a solemn promise to persuade Philip of Anjou, his
grandson, to va
cate the
Spanish throne. Were a member of this House guilty of such perfidy,
the honourable members opposite would impeach him. The very same
penalty, I would remind the House, those Tories moved to do against
four members of parliament for their part in that same Partition
Treaty."

Again Walpole's voice was drowned in the
stamping of feet from his side; there were cheers of 'bravo',
'hear, hear' and such like though not so loud as the warning of the
Speaker was still uppermost in members' minds.
Walpole paused long after the noise had
subsided, and when the chamber was silent, he began
again:

"Yet, Mr
Speaker, I can name a not so honourable member of this House who
did no less than Louis..." He got no further as uproar drowned his
voice. There were cries of 'disgraceful', 'name him', 'withdraw',
'hear, hear', 'point of order' and many boos, cheers and stamping
of feet. The Speaker shouted for order but it was minutes before it
was restored. He said sternly:

"I must remind the House of my earlier
warning. I must further remind the honourable member to beware of
un-parliamentary language. Mr Walpole, pray continue. Walpole began
quietly, almost confidentially:

"Mr Speaker, I
beg your indulgence for you see I am trying to recall the name of
this honourable member. Perhaps other members may assist me in this
respect for this particular honourable member has a certain style
of speech. Now what would that be? What is the name of the
honourable member who sits on the opposite benches who assured me,
who assured other honourable members of his good intentions? Indeed
may I venture to suggest that before the late election there were
those who believed his assurances, and, as a result are no longer
members of this House."

Laughter had
drowned out Walpole's words and he heard encouraging calls from his
side whereas members opposite were squirming in their seats. He
waited for silence, and then dropped his bombshell:

"Who assured
me of other people's intentions? Now what were his words exactly?
Let me see. Ah, I do recall, it's a Tory game intended at bottom."
Walpole again paused to allow laughter to subside and could not
help smiling himself before proceeding: "I thought so too and
shared his joke as we shared views for this honourable member sat
on this side of the House. Like another gentleman in Versailles I
have mentioned, this honourable member is capable of somersaults.
And I would ask the House, Mr Speaker, if peace is any safer in the
hands of this turncoat?"

Uproar broke
out from the opposite benches and cries of, 'disgraceful',
'withdraw', but finally a Tory arose waving his order paper
shouting against the hubbub, 'point of order, Mr Speaker', who
finally heard it and called:

"Your point of
order, Sir Charles."

Sir Charles
Hedges spoke to him directly: "Is the word 'turncoat' a fit
expression for one honourable member to call another?"

The Speaker
addressed Walpole gravely: "Mr Walpole, will you withdraw the word
'turncoat' or substitute another?"

Walpole got up
and looked at Robert Harley and said: "I withdraw the word, Mr
Speaker, as I can find no suitable alternative to describe the
status of the honourable member." He stopped as the Speaker held up
his hand and sat down whereupon the Speaker addressed the
chamber:

"I beg the
indulgence of the House. I am suspending the sitting for an hour.
Will the honourable member for Chippenham wait upon me in my
chamber. Thank you!"

With that he
gathered up his papers, left his chair and departed. Silence was
followed by a flurry of activity as members left their seats.
Walpole did likewise but was stopped by a member who whispered:

"If you care to repeat the charge outside
the House, sir, count upon any of us to act as your second,
and
we should be
honoured so to do."

Walpole said nothing. He had much to think
about, but his first call must be upon the Speaker,
and he proceeded to his
office.

Being a former
chapel, St Stephen's, converted after the reformation as a meeting
place and later, as a debating chamber, the various needs of the
House of Commons were perforce accommodated in various ways. The
ante-chapel for instance also called a foyer was adapted for use as
a lobby where Members of Parliament registered their votes as Ayes
whereas those remaining in the chamber were counted as Noes or
Abstentions. Storage became an increasing requirement for keeping
records of Bills and Acts of Parliament and for verbatim accounts
of parliamentary debates so the crypt became their repository. Yet
after all the various former and unused religious sections had been
exhausted, a petition was laid before the monarch of the day for
permission to erect purpose-built structures, ie private rooms, to
which members could return after their meetings in the chamber for
the purpose of dealing with the affairs of their constituent
voters, the people who had elected them to parliament to serve
their needs, and hence that of the government; the government
elected by the People for the People.

In one such
private room on January 20th of 1711, fellow MPs Robert Harley and
Henry St. John met in private conference. Bad news had reached the
government from Spain where the English Expeditionary Force was
becoming increasingly dispirited through poor leadership,
inadequate supplies and appalling accommodation, very often in
tents on sites located on flood plains during the rainy season. It
did not help the situation that in le Marechal Berwick the
Franco-Spanish alliance had found a commander to rival Marlborough,
in fact le marechal was the duke's nephew through his sister's
marriage to a Stuart. Harley believed something might be rescued
from the debacle and he spoke to St John:

"We need to
act as one, Henry, especially now that Spain appears irretrievably
lost to the allies." His companion tried to be sanguine: "The
Frenchies have lost every engagement in their own country so it is
little wonder they are hailing their latest victory there as a
major triumph, but I ask you Robert, whoever has heard of Brihuega
and even when they read about it in the Examiner, it demands all of
Jonathon Swift's creative genius to turn what was a skirmish into a
battle."

"You have a
p-point Henry," affirmed Harley. "If the duke is successful at
B-bouchain, it will be a mighty b-blow to Louis XIV as it seems the
allied army will be poised to march on Paris in the Spring."

If he enters
Paris," said St. John, "he will be able to dictate terms whatever
the outcome in Spain."

"It hardly
helps our cause Henry. Do we want p-peace - or not? If he should
reach P-paris, what do you think are your chances of high
office?"

St John was
silent, morose even and said gloomily: "I'm afraid you're right,
Robert."

Harley slapped
his companion on the knee, saying gleefully: "My how easy it is for
me, Henry to turn you to gloom. Let's look on the b-bright side.
If, my p-plan goes through, I p-promise you the earldom of
B-bolingbroke. What say you to that" Your House will hold you up to
p-posterity as one of their great ancestors."

St John's
smile went from ear to ear and grasped Harley firmly and almost
cried triumphantly: "Dear Master, you know too well my tender
spot."

"To b-business
then," said Harley, "we can now muster a majority of Tories to vote
against the next supply b-bill which will scupper the duke's
campaign from June, at least."

"If I remember
aright," said St John, "last years campaigning started in April so
the duke still has two months before supplies dry up."

Harley smiled triumphantly: "I know the
duke. He will not embark on a major campaign unless
h
e can p-plan six months
ahead."

St John looked
at the urbane Harley. He exuded confidence of one who had never
been on campaign. The sedan-soldier who believed military campaigns
were somehow planned and plotted on paper and then executed
according to the model. He said: "On paper, Robert, on paper. I
would not depend too much on paper predictions. He has an excellent
quarter-master general. Who knows what he has in his locker!"

Harley examined his friend with amusement
and said: "I know the man. We've met; Colonel Cadogan, I think,
though he is likely a b-brigadier b-by now."
St John eyed his friend with new respect
as Harley continued: "I well remember the duke telling me a story
after Flanders when the Dutch refused to agree to the duke's demand
for a b-battle."

St John said:
"It must have been galling for the duke to observe the thousands of
French soldiers escaping from his Flanders trap."

"That's where Cadogan comes in. He told
the duke there and then to look on the p-positive side. The tons of
p-provisions not needed to feed those French p-p
risoners."

"That was
nearly a decade ago," said St. John, "now on the battlements of
Bouchain, a dicky bird tells me that the duke can see the spires of
Paris, on a clear day."

Harley was
sceptical: "I b-believe the duke sees what he want to see. My dicky
b-bird tells me Louis can see the Tower of London through his
telescope. Honestly Henry you listen to too much idle chatter in
the Kit-Cat. Perhaps you are supping too much coffee. I saw a
leaflet circa 1674 regarding women’s petition against coffee."

St John
smiled: "I must ask my Belle whether she has noticed any difference
in my performance."

Harley gave a
grunt of distaste: "As long as you keep those affairs from the ears
of her majesty."

St John could
not forbear making a tasteless joke: "I assure you one thing
Robert, that I shall keep them from her eyes."

Harley
appeared not to have noticed. Impatiently he changed the subject:
"How do you get on with Jersey, Henry?"