'Say, what gave Camelford his wished for rank?Did he devote old Sarum to the Bank?Or did he not, that envied rank to gain,Transfer the victim to the Treasury's fame?' (sic)
'Say, what gave Camelford his wished for rank?Did he devote old Sarum to the Bank?Or did he not, that envied rank to gain,Transfer the victim to the Treasury's fame?' (sic)
But, though he was by no means destitute of the family characteristics, this Thomas was a man of high honour, character and charm. He won the heart of Horace Walpole, whose neighbour he was, until they quarrelled, as of course they were sure to do. But for a time Horace, whose affection was not often or easilygiven and whose confidence in matters of taste was fastidious, gave both affection and confidence unstintedly to this young man. He attracted, too, the still rarer tenderness of his uncle William. To him Chatham addressed the well-known letters on education which he found time to write in all the business of office; though Thomas on attaining manhood repaid him with the most cordial aversion. This sentiment, which seems at first to savour of ingratitude, is not in reality difficult to explain. In the first place, the uncle was to some extent involved in those financial questions connected with the paternal inheritance in which the father played, as we have seen, so intrepid though unscrupulous a part. Mutual aversion facilitated mutual disagreement in matters always fertile of friction; and the younger Thomas, though he had an ill opinion of his father, sided with him as against his uncle. We cannot, even on Thomas's own showing, blame the uncle in these rather petty transactions, and William's besetting sin was certainly not avarice; but neither can we blame the son for siding with the father. On an impartial survey we may conclude that disputes between two Pitts who were near descendants of the Governor were incapable of an amicable solution.
But there was more than this. William, for some purpose of persuasion, says Lord Camelford, informed Thomas that his nephew, the younger Thomas (Lord Camelford himself), would be his heir. This was a considerable, almost a magnificent, prospect. William was then middle-aged and unmarried, his position and future were alike splendid, and high office might in those days lead to wealth. His career had, moreover, brought him a legacy of 10,000l.fromSarah, Duchess of Marlborough. But, far beyond that there was the reversion of the great Althorp inheritance, between which and William there were only the lives of the short-lived possessor and his sickly child. That William held out this expectation we think so probable that we do not even question it. He had all his life been half an invalid, and never seems to have contemplated marriage till he did marry, at the age of forty-eight. He, moreover, loved his nephew with sincere and proved tenderness. Why, then, should it be doubted that he indicated him as his heir, when, in truth, he had no other? But that he did this with an unworthy motive or for the purpose of deception there is neither proof nor probability. The episode probably furnished matter for his brother's maudlin ravings at Utrecht, but we do not think that it materially influenced the opinions of his nephew.
The true reason for Camelford's hatred of his uncle was that he fell under the influence of George Grenville at a time when Grenville had broken for ever with Pitt. The estimable qualities of Grenville have been described with a colour and exuberance which could only proceed from the glowing imagination of Burke. But, with all allowance for what Burke saw in this able, narrow, and laborious person, it cannot be denied that the foundation of his qualities was a stubborn self-esteem which necessarily led to stubborn hatreds. Grenville came to hate Bute, to hate the King, to hate the Duke of Cumberland; but it may be doubted if all his other accumulated hatreds equalled that which he felt for his brother-in-law. Pitt, while in office, had kept Grenville in a subordinate position, and had apparentlythought it adequate to his deserts. When Grenville was Minister, Pitt had negotiated with the King to overthrow him. In the schism produced by Pitt's resignation, Temple had sided with Pitt and quarrelled with his brother George. But, worst of all, Pitt had held Grenville up, not unsuccessfully, to public ridicule and contempt. Now, a Grenville to himself was not as other men are; he was something sacred and ineffable. Neither Temple nor George ever doubted that they were the equals, nay, the superiors, of their brother-in-law, whom in their hearts they regarded as only a brilliant adventurer, useful, under careful guidance, to the Grenville scheme of creation. When, therefore, Pitt quizzed and thwarted George, he raised an implacable enemy. Later on, they might affect reconciliation, and Temple might pompously announce to the world that the Brethren were reunited. But George's undying resentment against Pitt never flagged to the hour of his death.
Thomas Pitt came under Grenville's influence at the fiercest moment of this rancour, and seems to have been the only person on record who was fascinated by him. Thomas writes of him with affectionate enthusiasm long after his death, and in his life waged his wars with zeal. One of these led to a quarrel with Horace Walpole, arising out of the dismissal of Conway, which produced a lengthy correspondence, still extant. But to become the disciple of George Grenville it was necessary to abhor William Pitt. Thomas took the test without difficulty, and adhered to it conscientiously. His father's influence, such as it was, tended in the same direction. So, though Thomas specifically places his uncle at the head of all British statesmen,and although he besought Chatham to sit to Reynolds for the gallery at Boconnoc, and though he displayed grief, real or ostentatious, at Chatham's death, going the quaint length of asking every one to dinner who spoke sympathetically in either House on the occasion; in spite of all this, he retails aversion in every sentence that he writes; aversion of which the obvious source is devotion to Grenville. It is necessary to explain this because Camelford's manuscript notes would otherwise be inexplicable. Putting this violent prejudice on one side, this memorial drawn up by Camelford for his son, though too intimate for complete publication, is a priceless document. Let all be forgiven him for the sake of this manuscript. It may be inaccurate, and biassed and acrid, but it presents the family circle from within by one of themselves, and no more vivid picture can exist of that strange cockatrice brood of Pitts.
The son for whom it was written grew up a spitfire, not less eccentric than his sires, and became notorious as the second Lord Camelford. His was a turbulent, rakehelly, demented existence, the theme of many newspaper paragraphs. He revived in his person all the pranks and outrage of the Mohawks. Bull-terriers, bludgeons, fighting of all kinds were associated with him; riots of all kinds were as the breath of his nostrils, more especially theatrical tumults. One of these latter contests brought him into contact with the pacific authors of the 'Rejected Addresses,' who were admitted, not without trepidation, to his apartment, which was almost an arsenal. It can scarcely be doubted that the lurking madness of the Pitts found a full expression in him. As an officer in the Navy, commanding a sloop in the West Indies, his conductfell little if at all short of insanity. It is not easy to understand how even in those more facile times he escaped disgrace.
Eventually, at the age of twenty-nine he was killed in a wanton duel with a Mr. Best. The circumstances of this mortal combat show that he was a true Pitt of the Governor's headstrong breed. Both before the duel and afterwards, on his death-bed, he acknowledged that he was the sole wanton aggressor, and that his antagonist was blameless. But as Mr. Best was reported the best pistol-shot in England, his pride would not allow him to lend himself, however indirectly, to any sort of accommodation. So he died, and with him died the eldest line of the Governor's branch of Pitts. Boconnoc passed to his sister, Lady Grenville, wife of the minister who was Chatham's nephew. The relations of the brothers-in-law seem to have been on the Pitt model. 'Pique against Lord Grenville explains his (Lord Camelford's) conduct,' writes Lady Holland.[19]Despite all their idiosyncrasies it seemed impossible to keep the Pitts and Grenvilles from quarrelling and blending.
All this may seem trivial enough, but it has an important, indeed necessary, bearing on the story of William's life, as showing the stock from which he sprang.
The harsh passions of the Governor and the petulant violence of his heirs seem so outrageous and uncontrolled as to verge on actual insanity. Shelburne explicitly states that 'there was a great deal of madness in the family.' Every indication confirms this statement. What seemedin the Governor brutality and excess, frequently developed in his descendants into something little if at all short of mental disorder. We thus trace to their source the germs of that haughty, impossible, anomalous character, distempered at times beyond the confines of reason, which made William so difficult to calculate or comprehend.
Andnow we come by a process of exhaustion to the subject of this book.
William Pitt, the elder statesman of that name, was born in London, in the parish of St. James's, November 15, 1708. It does not now seem possible to trace the house of his nativity, but it was probably in Pall Mall, where his father then or afterwards resided. We are limited to the information that his godfathers were 'Cousin Pitt' (probably George Pitt of Strathfieldsaye) and General Stewart, after the latter of whom he was named. General Stewart was the second husband of William's grandmother, Lady Grandison.[20]
It may be well to recall here that William was the second son of Robert Pitt, the Governor's eldest son, and his wife, Harriot Villiers, fourth daughter of Catherine, Viscountess Grandison, and her husband the Hon. Edward Villiers Fitzgerald, who was descended from a brother of the first Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.
Of his childhood we catch but occasional and remote glimpses.
His grandfather, as we have seen, had early marked him. The shrewd old nabob had discerned the boy's possibilities, but seems also to have determined that his energies should not be relaxed by wealth. At any rate, the Governor refrained from any special sign of favour, and bequeathedthe lad only an annuity of 100l.a year. This was William's sole patrimony, for he seems to have received nothing from his father.
He was sent to Eton, or, as William always spells it, 'Eaton,' at an early age; the exact period does not seem to be ascertainable. Here he had notable contemporaries: Henry Fox, George Lyttelton, Charles Pratt, Hanbury Williams, and Fielding.
'Thee,' said this last, addressing Learning, 'in the favourite fields, where the limpid gently rolling Thames washes thy Etonian banks, in early youth I have worshipped. To thee, at thy birchen altar, with true Spartan devotion I have sacrificed my blood.'[21]Pitt could have echoed his schoolfellow's apostrophe if the not improbable legend be true that he underwent an unusually severe flogging for having been caught out of bounds. But even without this, his experiences were no doubt poignant enough; for, though the son of a wealthy father, he was placed on the foundation, and the Eton of those days afforded to its King's Scholars no lap of luxury. The horrors and hardships of Long Chamber, the immense dormitory of these lads, have come down to us in a whisper of awful tradition, and it is therefore no matter for surprise, though it is for regret, that William did not share the passionate devotion of most Etonians for their illustrious college. He is credited indeed with saying that he had scarcely ever observed a boy who was not cowed for life at Eton[22]: a sweeping condemnation which sounds strange in these days, but which is easily explained by the miserythat he, as a sickly boy, may well have undergone in that petty Lacedæmon. For his health deprived him of all the pleasures of his age, as he was already a martyr to gout. That hereditary malady which cut him off from the sports of the school impelled him to study, and so served his career. Mr. Thackeray, who wrote his biography in quarto and who may be discriminated without difficulty from the genius of that name, deposes vaguely that 'Dr. Bland, at that time the headmaster of Eton, is said to have highly valued the attainments of his pupil.' We rest more securely on a letter of his Eton tutor, Mr. Burchett, of which the last sentence need only be quoted here, as it is all that relates to William.
Mr. Burchett to Mr. Pitt.Yryounger Son has made a great Progress since his coming hither, indeed I never was concern'd with a young Gentleman of so good Abilities, & at the same time of so good a disposition, and there is no question to be made but he will answer all yrHopes.I am, Sr,Yrmost Obedient & most Humble Servant,Will. Burchett.[23]
Mr. Burchett to Mr. Pitt.
Yryounger Son has made a great Progress since his coming hither, indeed I never was concern'd with a young Gentleman of so good Abilities, & at the same time of so good a disposition, and there is no question to be made but he will answer all yrHopes.
I am, Sr,
Yrmost Obedient & most Humble Servant,
Will. Burchett.[23]
This reference under the hand of an Eton tutor is exuberant enough. But no doubt rests on Pitt's school reputation. It survived even to the time of Shelburne, who speaks of him as distinguished at Eton. Lyttelton wrote of him while still there: 'This (good-humour) to Pitt's genius adds a brighter grace;'[24]a remarkable tributefrom one Eton boy to another. More striking still is the tradition preserved by an unfriendly witness, William's nephew, Camelford. 'The surprising Genius of Lord Chatham,' he writes, 'distinguished him as early as at Eaton School, where he and his friend Lord Lyttelton in different ways were looked up to as prodigies.' School prodigies rarely mellow into remarkable men; though remarkable men are often credited, when their reputation is secure, with having been school prodigies. But the contemporary letter of Burchett and the reluctant testimony of Camelford admit of no doubts. Most significant, perhaps, of all is the preservation of the flotsam of school life, a couple of school bills, the tutor's letter, another from the boy himself. This last, which took eleven days in transmission, is here given. The bills have been already published by Sir Henry Lyte in his History of Eton.
William Pitt to his Father.Eaton, Septembrye29th.HonedSr,—I write this to pay my duty to you, and to lett you know that I am well, I hope you and my mama have found a great benefit from the Bath, and it would be a very great satisfaction to me, to hear how you do, I was in hopes of an answer to my last letter, to have heard how you both did, and I should direct my letters, to you; for not knowing how to direct my letters, has hindered me writing to you. my time has been pretty much taken up for this three weeks, in my trying for to gett into the fiveth form, And I am now removed into it; pray my duty to my mama and service to my uncle and aunt Stuart if now att the Bath. I am with great respect,HonedSr, Your most dutiful Son,W. Pitt.[25]
William Pitt to his Father.
Eaton, Septembrye29th.
HonedSr,—I write this to pay my duty to you, and to lett you know that I am well, I hope you and my mama have found a great benefit from the Bath, and it would be a very great satisfaction to me, to hear how you do, I was in hopes of an answer to my last letter, to have heard how you both did, and I should direct my letters, to you; for not knowing how to direct my letters, has hindered me writing to you. my time has been pretty much taken up for this three weeks, in my trying for to gett into the fiveth form, And I am now removed into it; pray my duty to my mama and service to my uncle and aunt Stuart if now att the Bath. I am with great respect,
HonedSr, Your most dutiful Son,
W. Pitt.[25]
This is the whole record extant of William's Eton life; to so many lads the happiest period of their existence, but not to him. An invalid, and so disabled for games, a recluse, perhaps a victim, he had no pleasant memories of Eton. But there, in all probability, he laid the foundations of character and intellect on which his fame was to be reared. It is not usually profitable to imagine pictures of the past, but it may not be amiss to evoke, in passing, the shadow of the lean, saturnine boy as he limped by the Thames, shaping a career, or pondering on life and destiny, dreaming of greatness where so many have dreamed, while he watched, half enviously, half scornfully, the sports in which he might not join. He is not the first, and will not be the last, to find his school a salutary school of adversity. He looked back to it with no gratitude. But Eton claims him for her own; and long generations of reluctant students have whiled away the reputed hours of learning or examination by gazing at his bust in Upper School, and dreamily conjecturing why so great a glamour still hangs about his name.
With these few remnants and this vague surmise ends all that is, or will probably ever be, known of William's childhood. Little enough if we compare it to the copious details furnished by modern autobiographers. But self-revelation was not the fashion of the eighteenth century, and childhood then furnished less to record. Boys were in the background, repressing their emotions, and inured to a rugged discipline which, though odious to the sympathetic delicacy of modern civilisation, produced the men who made the Empire.
From Eton, Pitt proceeded to Oxford, where he was admitted a Gentleman Commoner at Trinity College onJanuary 10th, 1726 (o.s.), guided thither, probably, by the fact that his uncle, Lord Stanhope, had been a member of that society. There are indications that at this time he was destined, like a great minister of a recent day, for the Church, but the gout attacked him with such violence as to compel him to leave the University without taking his degree. We have, however, an indirect proof of the reputation which he brought to Oxford in a letter from a Mr. Stockwell, who, although he had determined to give up tuition, consents to take William as his pupil, partly as a 'Salsbury man,' and so owing respect to the Pitt family; partly because of 'the character I hear of Mr. Pitt on all hands.'
William's only public achievement at Oxford was a copy of Latin verses which he published on the death of George I. They are artificial and uncandid, as is the nature of such compositions, and have been justly ridiculed by Lord Macaulay. But the performance is at least an early mark of ambition. If this be all, and it is all, that we know of this period of William's life, it seems worth while to print the two letters written by Mr. Stockwell to Robert Pitt, the more as they throw some light on bygone Oxford, a topic of evergreen interest.
Mr. I. Stockwell to Robert Pitt.HonedSr,—I had long since determin'd, not to engage any more in a Trust of so much consequence, as the Care of a young Gentleman of Fortune is, & have in fact refus'd many offers of that sort: but the great Regard, that every Salsbury-Man must have for your Family, and the Character I hear of MrPitt from All Hands, put it out of my Power to decline a Proposal of so much Credit & Advantage to Myself & the College. I heartily wish your Business and Health wouldhave allow'd you to have seen him settled here, because I flatter Myself, that you would have left Him in Our Society with some Degree of Satisfaction; as That can't be hop'd for, You will assure Yourself that everything shall be done with the exactest Care and Fidelity.I have secur'd a very good Room for MrPitt, which is just now left by a Gentleman of Great Fortune, who is gone to the Temple. Tis thoroughly furnish't & with All necessarys, but perhaps may require some little Additional Expence for Ornament or Change of Furniture. The method of paying for the Goods of any Room in the University is, that Every Person leaving the College receives of his Successor Two Thirds of what He has expended. On this foot the Mony to be paid by MrPitt to the Gentleman who possess't the Room last, is 43l, Two thirds of which, as likewise of whatever Addition He shall please to make to the Furniture, He is to receive again of the Person, who succeeds Him.Tis usual for Young Gentlemen of Figure to have a small quantity of Table-Linnen, & sometimes some particular peices of plate, for the reception of Any Friend in their Rooms, but everything of that sort for Common & Publick Uses is provided by the College.If you please to send me the Servitor's Name, I will immediately procure His admission into the College, & show Him all the Kindness in my Power, but as to His attendance on MrPitt it is not now usual in the University, nor, as I apprehend, can be of any Service. Tis much more Customary & Creditable to a Gentleman of Family to be attended by a Footman—But this I barely mention.The other Expences of MrPitt's Admission will be in the following Articles:aution Mony (to be return'd again)1000Benefaction to the College1000For Admission to the Fellow's Common Room200Fee for the Use of the College Plate, &c.200College ServtsFees1150University Fees0160I have stated MrPitt's Benefaction at Ten Pounds, because that is what we require & receive of every Gentleman-Commoner, & of very many Commoners; but I know Srthat you will excuse me for mentioning, that several Young Gentlemen of MrPitt's Gown have besides made the College a Present of a Peice of Plate of 10, or 12l. I am thus particular only in Obedience to Your Orders. I believe Srif You please to remit a Bill of An Hundred Pounds, it will answer the whole expence of Mr. Pitt's settlement here and I shall have the Honour to send you a particular Account of the disposal of it. As I am debarr'd the Pleasure of waiting on You by a little Office, that Confines me to the College in Termtime, I shall take it a very great Favour, if you please to let me know at what time I may hope to see MrPitt here.I beg my Humble Duty to Your Good Lady, & my Humble Service & Respects to MrPitt, and am with the highest RespectSrYrmost Oblig'd & Obedient ServtIos. Stockwell.[26]
Mr. I. Stockwell to Robert Pitt.
HonedSr,—I had long since determin'd, not to engage any more in a Trust of so much consequence, as the Care of a young Gentleman of Fortune is, & have in fact refus'd many offers of that sort: but the great Regard, that every Salsbury-Man must have for your Family, and the Character I hear of MrPitt from All Hands, put it out of my Power to decline a Proposal of so much Credit & Advantage to Myself & the College. I heartily wish your Business and Health wouldhave allow'd you to have seen him settled here, because I flatter Myself, that you would have left Him in Our Society with some Degree of Satisfaction; as That can't be hop'd for, You will assure Yourself that everything shall be done with the exactest Care and Fidelity.
I have secur'd a very good Room for MrPitt, which is just now left by a Gentleman of Great Fortune, who is gone to the Temple. Tis thoroughly furnish't & with All necessarys, but perhaps may require some little Additional Expence for Ornament or Change of Furniture. The method of paying for the Goods of any Room in the University is, that Every Person leaving the College receives of his Successor Two Thirds of what He has expended. On this foot the Mony to be paid by MrPitt to the Gentleman who possess't the Room last, is 43l, Two thirds of which, as likewise of whatever Addition He shall please to make to the Furniture, He is to receive again of the Person, who succeeds Him.
Tis usual for Young Gentlemen of Figure to have a small quantity of Table-Linnen, & sometimes some particular peices of plate, for the reception of Any Friend in their Rooms, but everything of that sort for Common & Publick Uses is provided by the College.
If you please to send me the Servitor's Name, I will immediately procure His admission into the College, & show Him all the Kindness in my Power, but as to His attendance on MrPitt it is not now usual in the University, nor, as I apprehend, can be of any Service. Tis much more Customary & Creditable to a Gentleman of Family to be attended by a Footman—But this I barely mention.
The other Expences of MrPitt's Admission will be in the following Articles:
aution Mony (to be return'd again)1000Benefaction to the College1000For Admission to the Fellow's Common Room200Fee for the Use of the College Plate, &c.200College ServtsFees1150University Fees0160
I have stated MrPitt's Benefaction at Ten Pounds, because that is what we require & receive of every Gentleman-Commoner, & of very many Commoners; but I know Srthat you will excuse me for mentioning, that several Young Gentlemen of MrPitt's Gown have besides made the College a Present of a Peice of Plate of 10, or 12l. I am thus particular only in Obedience to Your Orders. I believe Srif You please to remit a Bill of An Hundred Pounds, it will answer the whole expence of Mr. Pitt's settlement here and I shall have the Honour to send you a particular Account of the disposal of it. As I am debarr'd the Pleasure of waiting on You by a little Office, that Confines me to the College in Termtime, I shall take it a very great Favour, if you please to let me know at what time I may hope to see MrPitt here.
I beg my Humble Duty to Your Good Lady, & my Humble Service & Respects to MrPitt, and am with the highest Respect
SrYrmost Oblig'd & Obedient Servt
Ios. Stockwell.[26]
Mr. Stockwell to Robert Pitt, 'at Swallowfieldnear Reading, Berks.'Trin: Coll: Oxon: Decr22. 1726.HonrdSr,—Upon receiving the favour of Yours & finding that it was your Intention that MrPitt should keep a Servant, I have made choice of Another Room much more Convenient for that Purpose, as it supply's a Lodging for His Footman. I have employ'd some Workmen in it to make some necessary alterations; but the whole expence will not amount to the Charge of the Chamber, I had mention'd to you before. As I am not willing, MrPitt should be put to the distress of lying One Night in an Inn, I will take Care, it shall be fit for his Reception by New Years Day, & I am sure He will like it very well.I proposed so large a Sum, because I had not mention'd the Articles of Gown, Cap Bands, Tea-Furniture, & someother little Ornaments & Conveniences that young Gentlemen don't care to be without. You will be pleas'd to mention, in what degree of mourning[27]His Gown must be made; & I will send you an exact Account of the whole expence. There is no need of remitting any Mony, till He comes.If You are willing to recommend the Servitor You spoke of, who may live here at a very easy rate (I believe very well for 15lp. Ann) I have bespoke a place for him, & He may be admitted when you please. I beg My Humble Duty to Your Good Lady, & my Humble Service & Respects to Your Good Family, & amSrYrmost Obliged & Obedient ServtIos. Stockwell.[28]
Mr. Stockwell to Robert Pitt, 'at Swallowfieldnear Reading, Berks.'
Trin: Coll: Oxon: Decr22. 1726.
HonrdSr,—Upon receiving the favour of Yours & finding that it was your Intention that MrPitt should keep a Servant, I have made choice of Another Room much more Convenient for that Purpose, as it supply's a Lodging for His Footman. I have employ'd some Workmen in it to make some necessary alterations; but the whole expence will not amount to the Charge of the Chamber, I had mention'd to you before. As I am not willing, MrPitt should be put to the distress of lying One Night in an Inn, I will take Care, it shall be fit for his Reception by New Years Day, & I am sure He will like it very well.
I proposed so large a Sum, because I had not mention'd the Articles of Gown, Cap Bands, Tea-Furniture, & someother little Ornaments & Conveniences that young Gentlemen don't care to be without. You will be pleas'd to mention, in what degree of mourning[27]His Gown must be made; & I will send you an exact Account of the whole expence. There is no need of remitting any Mony, till He comes.
If You are willing to recommend the Servitor You spoke of, who may live here at a very easy rate (I believe very well for 15lp. Ann) I have bespoke a place for him, & He may be admitted when you please. I beg My Humble Duty to Your Good Lady, & my Humble Service & Respects to Your Good Family, & am
SrYrmost Obliged & Obedient Servt
Ios. Stockwell.[28]
Fortunately, too, a few of William's Oxford letters have also been preserved. The first apologetically continues Stockwell's tale of preliminary expenses, and endeavours to deprecate Robert Pitt's economical wrath.
William Pitt to his Father, in Pall Mall.Trin: Coll: JanryYe20th1726/7.HonedSr—After such delay, though not owing to any negligence on my Part, I am ashamed to send you yefollowing accompt, without first making great apologies for not executing yeCommands sooner.Matriculation Fees0166Caution money1000Benefaction1000Utensils of yeColl200Common Room200Coll: ServtsFees1150Paddesway[29]Gown850Cap070Tea Table, China ware, bands &c.650Glasses0110Thirds of Chamber & Furniture4178Teaspoons176————Summe total84148————Balance pdme by MrStockwell15054I have too much reason to fear you may think some of these articles too extravagant, as they really are, but all I have to say for it is humbly to beg you would not attribute it to my extravagance, but to yecustom of this Place; where we pay for most things too at a high rate.I must again repeat my wishes for yrhealth, hoping you have not been prevented by so painfull a delay as yegout from pursuing yrintended journey to Town I must beg leave to subjoin my Duty to my Mother & love to my Sistrsand am with all Possible respectSrYrmost dutyfull SonWm. Pitt.[30]
William Pitt to his Father, in Pall Mall.
Trin: Coll: JanryYe20th1726/7.
HonedSr—After such delay, though not owing to any negligence on my Part, I am ashamed to send you yefollowing accompt, without first making great apologies for not executing yeCommands sooner.
Matriculation Fees0166Caution money1000Benefaction1000Utensils of yeColl200Common Room200Coll: ServtsFees1150Paddesway[29]Gown850Cap070Tea Table, China ware, bands &c.650Glasses0110Thirds of Chamber & Furniture4178Teaspoons176————Summe total84148————Balance pdme by MrStockwell15054
I have too much reason to fear you may think some of these articles too extravagant, as they really are, but all I have to say for it is humbly to beg you would not attribute it to my extravagance, but to yecustom of this Place; where we pay for most things too at a high rate.
I must again repeat my wishes for yrhealth, hoping you have not been prevented by so painfull a delay as yegout from pursuing yrintended journey to Town I must beg leave to subjoin my Duty to my Mother & love to my Sistrsand am with all Possible respect
SrYrmost dutyfull Son
Wm. Pitt.[30]
The next is written after an evident explosion of that wrath. In the Pitt family, even more than in others, father and son viewed filial expenditure from opposite points of view. It is painful, then, but not surprising to find that Robert should have regarded William's washing bill as beyond the dreams of luxury.
William Pitt to his Father, 'in Pall Mall.'Trin: Coll: April ye29th.HonedSr,—I recdyrsof ye25thin which I find with yeutmost concern yedissatisfaction you express at my expences. To pretend to justify, or defend myself in this case would be, I fear, with reason thought impertinent; tis sufficient to convince meof the extravagance of my expences, that they have met with yrdisapprobation, but might I have leave to instance an Article or two, perhaps you may not think 'em so wild and boundless, as with all imaginable uneasiness, I see you do at present. Washing 2l.1s.0d., about 3s.6d.per wk, of which money half a dozen shirts at 4d.each comes to 2s.per wk, shoes and stockings 19s.0d.Three pairs of Shoes at 5s.each, two pair of Stockings, one silk, one worcestead, are all that make up this Article, but be it as it will, since, Sr, you judge my expence too great, I must endeavour for yefuture to lessen it, & shall be contented with whatever you please to allow me. one considerable article is a servant, an expence which many are not at, and which I shall be glad to spare, if you think it fitt, in hopes to convince you I desire nothing superfluous; as I have reason to think you will not deny me what is necessary. As you have been pleased to give me leave I shall draw upon you for 25lias soon as I have occasion. I beg my duty to my Mother & am with all possible respectHonedSr, yrmost Dutifull SonW. Pitt.
William Pitt to his Father, 'in Pall Mall.'
Trin: Coll: April ye29th.
HonedSr,—I recdyrsof ye25thin which I find with yeutmost concern yedissatisfaction you express at my expences. To pretend to justify, or defend myself in this case would be, I fear, with reason thought impertinent; tis sufficient to convince meof the extravagance of my expences, that they have met with yrdisapprobation, but might I have leave to instance an Article or two, perhaps you may not think 'em so wild and boundless, as with all imaginable uneasiness, I see you do at present. Washing 2l.1s.0d., about 3s.6d.per wk, of which money half a dozen shirts at 4d.each comes to 2s.per wk, shoes and stockings 19s.0d.Three pairs of Shoes at 5s.each, two pair of Stockings, one silk, one worcestead, are all that make up this Article, but be it as it will, since, Sr, you judge my expence too great, I must endeavour for yefuture to lessen it, & shall be contented with whatever you please to allow me. one considerable article is a servant, an expence which many are not at, and which I shall be glad to spare, if you think it fitt, in hopes to convince you I desire nothing superfluous; as I have reason to think you will not deny me what is necessary. As you have been pleased to give me leave I shall draw upon you for 25lias soon as I have occasion. I beg my duty to my Mother & am with all possible respect
HonedSr, yrmost Dutifull Son
W. Pitt.
The third is mysterious enough to us, but it expresses gratitude for some marks of kindness, whether to the writer or not, cannot now be known. It is difficult to imagine that Robert should have extended his beneficence to any one at Trinity but William, and yet it is not easy to depict the gratitude of a College for a favour done to one of their undergraduates by his father. In any case there remains no longer any trace of such benefaction at Trinity. The inevitable financial statement in which the bookseller's bill figures handsomely, not far behind the tailor's, is tactfully kept separate in a postscript. It is, however, well to know that this letter, the last in all probability that William wrote to his father, who died six weeks afterwards, is one of as much affection as the fashion of that day permitted.
William Pitt to his Father.Trin: Coll: April ye10th1727.HonedSr,—I hope you gott well to London yesterday as I did to this place, though too late to trouble you with a letter that Evening. I can not say how full of acknowledgements every one amongst us is for yefavryou confer'd upon one of their society. One could almost imagine by yegood wishes I hear express't toward you from all hands, you were rather a publick benefactor to yeCollege, than a Patron to any one member of it. I mention this because I believe it will not be unacceptable to you to hear yrfavrsare gratefully recd. I hope my Mother is well, to whom I beg my Duty: & am with all possible respect, Sr,Yrmost dutifull son,Wm. Pitt.Sr,—Finding yequarter just up I send you yefollowing accompt commencing Janryye9thto ye9thof this month.Battels1500Paid Lambert bdWages440Three months learning french & entrance220For a course of experimental Philosophy220For coat & breeches & making5180Booksellers bill500Cambrick for ruffles140Shoes, stockings1190Candles, coal, fagots3100Pockett money, Gloves, Powder, Tea, &c.440For washing220—————4750Remains9150[31]
William Pitt to his Father.
Trin: Coll: April ye10th1727.
HonedSr,—I hope you gott well to London yesterday as I did to this place, though too late to trouble you with a letter that Evening. I can not say how full of acknowledgements every one amongst us is for yefavryou confer'd upon one of their society. One could almost imagine by yegood wishes I hear express't toward you from all hands, you were rather a publick benefactor to yeCollege, than a Patron to any one member of it. I mention this because I believe it will not be unacceptable to you to hear yrfavrsare gratefully recd. I hope my Mother is well, to whom I beg my Duty: & am with all possible respect, Sr,
Yrmost dutifull son,
Wm. Pitt.
Sr,—Finding yequarter just up I send you yefollowing accompt commencing Janryye9thto ye9thof this month.
Battels1500Paid Lambert bdWages440Three months learning french & entrance220For a course of experimental Philosophy220For coat & breeches & making5180Booksellers bill500Cambrick for ruffles140Shoes, stockings1190Candles, coal, fagots3100Pockett money, Gloves, Powder, Tea, &c.440For washing220—————4750Remains9150[31]
Robert Pitt died in Paris, May 20, 1727, and the next letter is addressed to his widow at Bath. The eldest son, Thomas, already, it would appear, had played William false, and caused a coolness with the mother by not delivering a letter.
William Pitt to his Mother.Oxford July ye10th1727.HonedMadm,—Tis with no small impatience I have waited for yepleasure of hearing from you, but as that is denied me, I take this opportunity of repeating my Duty and enquiries after yrhealth. I wrote to you by return of yecoach, enclos'd to my Brother, to be forwarded by him, from whom I have also received no answer, which makes me imagine you may not have less reason to be angry with me for not paying my Duty to you, than I have to be sorry at not having yepleasure to hear from you, I mean my letter has not come into yrhands. I send this by yePost from hence, which I hope will find better luck, it will be a sensible pleasure to me to hear yewaters agree with you: for wchreason out of kindness to me, as also in regard to yrown quiet (lest I should trouble you every other post with an importuning epistle) be so good as to give yesatisfaction of hearing you are well; I am with all respect,Yrmost Dutifull Son,Wm. Pitt.
William Pitt to his Mother.
Oxford July ye10th1727.
HonedMadm,—Tis with no small impatience I have waited for yepleasure of hearing from you, but as that is denied me, I take this opportunity of repeating my Duty and enquiries after yrhealth. I wrote to you by return of yecoach, enclos'd to my Brother, to be forwarded by him, from whom I have also received no answer, which makes me imagine you may not have less reason to be angry with me for not paying my Duty to you, than I have to be sorry at not having yepleasure to hear from you, I mean my letter has not come into yrhands. I send this by yePost from hence, which I hope will find better luck, it will be a sensible pleasure to me to hear yewaters agree with you: for wchreason out of kindness to me, as also in regard to yrown quiet (lest I should trouble you every other post with an importuning epistle) be so good as to give yesatisfaction of hearing you are well; I am with all respect,
Yrmost Dutifull Son,
Wm. Pitt.
The following letter would seem to indicate that William was spending the Long Vacation at Oxford, while his mother as usual was spending hers at Bath. He appears to hint disapproval of an acquaintance she wished him to make, reversing the usual position of parent and son on such matters. There is again reproachful allusion to his brother; there are few indeed in any other tone throughout William's correspondence.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'at Bath.'Oxon Septrye17th1727.HonedMadm,—I rec'd yefavour of yrsby MrMayo and have waited on MrVesey as you order'd, with whom, had you not recommended him to me upon yeknowledge you have of his family, I should not have sought an acquaintance. I hope you will lett me hear soon yrintentions. If I am not to be happy in seeing you hear, yecertainty of it can not be more uneasy than the apprehension; if I am, I shall gain so much happiness, by yeforeknowledge of it. What part of yeworld my Brother is in or when he will be in Town, I know not. I hope to hear from him between this and yeCoronation. The only consideration ytcan make me give up quietly yepleasure I promis'd myself in seeing you here, is ytyou are employ'd in a more important care to yrself and Family, yepreservation of yrhealth. I have only to add my Love to my Sisterand am with all respect,Yrmost dutifull sonWm. Pitt.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'at Bath.'
Oxon Septrye17th1727.
HonedMadm,—I rec'd yefavour of yrsby MrMayo and have waited on MrVesey as you order'd, with whom, had you not recommended him to me upon yeknowledge you have of his family, I should not have sought an acquaintance. I hope you will lett me hear soon yrintentions. If I am not to be happy in seeing you hear, yecertainty of it can not be more uneasy than the apprehension; if I am, I shall gain so much happiness, by yeforeknowledge of it. What part of yeworld my Brother is in or when he will be in Town, I know not. I hope to hear from him between this and yeCoronation. The only consideration ytcan make me give up quietly yepleasure I promis'd myself in seeing you here, is ytyou are employ'd in a more important care to yrself and Family, yepreservation of yrhealth. I have only to add my Love to my Sisterand am with all respect,
Yrmost dutifull son
Wm. Pitt.
The gout, we have seen, drove William prematurely from Oxford, after a little more than a year of residence. Thence he proceeded to Utrecht, where it was then not unusual for young Englishmen and Scotsmen to complete their education. Here we find him in 1728 with his cousin Lord Villiers and Lord Buchan, father of the grotesque egotist of that name and of Henry and Thomas Erskine. Pitt writes in 1766 that Buchan was his intimate friend from the period that they were students together at Utrecht, and, when in office, he showed kindness on that ground to Lord Cardross, Buchan's eldest son, the egotist himself. Of this period some few letters to his mother survive, dutiful yet playful.
The first letter is of the formal kind then generalbetween sons and parents, mentioning his cousin Lord Villiers, for whom he puts in a good word, not unnecessarily, as we shall see presently.
William Pitt to his Mother.Utrecht, Febryye6thN.S. 1728.HonedMadm,—I have yepleasure to repeat my assurances of affection & duty to you, together with my wishes for yrhealth: I shall take all opportunities for paying my respects to you, I hope you will now and then favrme wtha line or two, especially since you have so good a Scribe as Miss Ann to ease you of yetrouble of writing yrself. My LdVilliers begs his Compliments may be acceptable to you, at yesame time I should not do my Ldjustice if I omitted saying something in his just praise, but as I can not say enough, I forbear to say more. My Love to my Sistrs& Compliments where due. I am with all resptYour dutiful SonWm. Pitt.
William Pitt to his Mother.
Utrecht, Febryye6thN.S. 1728.
HonedMadm,—I have yepleasure to repeat my assurances of affection & duty to you, together with my wishes for yrhealth: I shall take all opportunities for paying my respects to you, I hope you will now and then favrme wtha line or two, especially since you have so good a Scribe as Miss Ann to ease you of yetrouble of writing yrself. My LdVilliers begs his Compliments may be acceptable to you, at yesame time I should not do my Ldjustice if I omitted saying something in his just praise, but as I can not say enough, I forbear to say more. My Love to my Sistrs& Compliments where due. I am with all respt
Your dutiful Son
Wm. Pitt.
The next seems to denote a reluctant intention of returning to England to pay his family a visit.
William Pitt to his Mother.Utrecht Febryye13th1728.HonedMadm,—I hope I need not assure you yrletter gave me a very sensible pleasure in informing me of yrbetter health; I wish I may any way be able to contribute toward farther establishment of it by obeying a Command which tallies so well with my own Inclinations though at yesame time be assured, nothing less than yepleasure of seeing you should prevail upon me to repeat so much sickness & difficulty as I met with Coming over to Holland. I believe I shall not fail in my respects to you, as often as occasion permits,though I fear my letters are hardly worth postage: unless to one who I flatter myself believes me to behrmost Dutifull SonWm. Pitt.P.S. my Love to all yeFamily.
William Pitt to his Mother.
Utrecht Febryye13th1728.
HonedMadm,—I hope I need not assure you yrletter gave me a very sensible pleasure in informing me of yrbetter health; I wish I may any way be able to contribute toward farther establishment of it by obeying a Command which tallies so well with my own Inclinations though at yesame time be assured, nothing less than yepleasure of seeing you should prevail upon me to repeat so much sickness & difficulty as I met with Coming over to Holland. I believe I shall not fail in my respects to you, as often as occasion permits,though I fear my letters are hardly worth postage: unless to one who I flatter myself believes me to be
hrmost Dutifull Son
Wm. Pitt.
P.S. my Love to all yeFamily.
The next letter again pleads on behalf of my Lord Villiers, for whose excess of vivacity William feels obvious sympathy. He mentions, too, and characterises with a sure touch, his old Eton friend Lyttelton, who has fallen in love with Harriot Pitt, as he was afterwards to fall in love with Ann. Lyttelton was apparently determined that the Lytteltons and Pitts should be matrimonially connected as closely as possible, for two months afterwards we find him exclaiming in a letter to his father: 'Would to God Mr. (William) Pitt had a fortune equal to his brother's, that he might make a present of it to my pretty little Molly! But unhappily they have neither of them any portion but an uncommon share of merit, which the world will not think them much the richer for.'[32]As Thomas had just married Christian Lyttelton, it is clear that the writer meditated a triple alliance as the end to be aimed at. The peerage books tell us that this pretty little Molly died unmarried.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Pallmall, London.'Utrecht Feb: ye29thHonedMadm,—The return of my LdVilliers into England gives me an opportunity of assuring you of my respect & wishes for yrhealth; I can not omitt any occasion of shewing how sensible I am of yraffection, but must own I could have wish'd any other than this by which I am depriv'd of my LdVillier's Company, he is recall'd perhaps deservedly: if a little Indiscretion arising from too much vivacity be a fault, my Ldis undeniably blameable; but I doubt notbut my LdGrandison himself will find more to be pleas'd with in yeone than to correct in yeother respect. I have received so many Civilities from MrWaddel, who does me yehonrto be yebearer of this, ytI should not do him justice to omitt letting you know how much I am obliged to him. I hope yeFamily is well: Lyttelton prevented you in yeaccount of his own Madness. Sure there never was so much fine sense & Extravagance of Passion jumbled together in any one Man. Send him over to Holland: perhaps living in a republick may inspire him with a love of liberty & make him scorn his Chains. My love to all, who (a second time) I hope are well: & believe me with all respect & affectionYrmost Dutiful SonWm. Pitt.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Pallmall, London.'
Utrecht Feb: ye29th
HonedMadm,—The return of my LdVilliers into England gives me an opportunity of assuring you of my respect & wishes for yrhealth; I can not omitt any occasion of shewing how sensible I am of yraffection, but must own I could have wish'd any other than this by which I am depriv'd of my LdVillier's Company, he is recall'd perhaps deservedly: if a little Indiscretion arising from too much vivacity be a fault, my Ldis undeniably blameable; but I doubt notbut my LdGrandison himself will find more to be pleas'd with in yeone than to correct in yeother respect. I have received so many Civilities from MrWaddel, who does me yehonrto be yebearer of this, ytI should not do him justice to omitt letting you know how much I am obliged to him. I hope yeFamily is well: Lyttelton prevented you in yeaccount of his own Madness. Sure there never was so much fine sense & Extravagance of Passion jumbled together in any one Man. Send him over to Holland: perhaps living in a republick may inspire him with a love of liberty & make him scorn his Chains. My love to all, who (a second time) I hope are well: & believe me with all respect & affection
Yrmost Dutiful Son
Wm. Pitt.
The third contains, perhaps, the only token of kindness between the two brothers which survives. It also alludes to Lyttelton's passion for Harriot.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Pall Mall, London.'Utrecht April ye8thN.S. 1728.HonedMadm,—Yrletters must always give me so much pleasure, ytI beg no consideration may induce you to deprive me of it. they can never fail being an entertainment to me when they give me an opportunity of hearing you are well. I can not omitt thanking you for yeenquiry you make about my supplies from my Brother: neither should I do him justice, if I did not assure you I receiv'd yekindest letter in yeworld from him: wherein he gives me yeoffer of going where I think most for my improvement, and assures me nothing ytyeestate can afford shall be denied me for my advantage & education. I hope all yefamily is well. Miss Anne's time is so taken up with dansing & Italien ytI despair of hearing from her. I should be glad to hear what conquests miss Harriot made at yebirthday. if I had not a letter from one of yeThree, I must think they have forgott me. I am in pain for poor Lyttelton: I wishthere was leagues of sea between him & yeCharms of Miss Harriot. If he dies I shall sue her for yemurder of my Friend. This Place affords so little matter of entertainment, ytI shall only beg you to believe me with all respect,HonedMadm, Yrmost Dutifull SonWm. Pitt.My love & service to my Brother & Compliments to all yeFamily.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Pall Mall, London.'
Utrecht April ye8thN.S. 1728.
HonedMadm,—Yrletters must always give me so much pleasure, ytI beg no consideration may induce you to deprive me of it. they can never fail being an entertainment to me when they give me an opportunity of hearing you are well. I can not omitt thanking you for yeenquiry you make about my supplies from my Brother: neither should I do him justice, if I did not assure you I receiv'd yekindest letter in yeworld from him: wherein he gives me yeoffer of going where I think most for my improvement, and assures me nothing ytyeestate can afford shall be denied me for my advantage & education. I hope all yefamily is well. Miss Anne's time is so taken up with dansing & Italien ytI despair of hearing from her. I should be glad to hear what conquests miss Harriot made at yebirthday. if I had not a letter from one of yeThree, I must think they have forgott me. I am in pain for poor Lyttelton: I wishthere was leagues of sea between him & yeCharms of Miss Harriot. If he dies I shall sue her for yemurder of my Friend. This Place affords so little matter of entertainment, ytI shall only beg you to believe me with all respect,
HonedMadm, Yrmost Dutifull Son
Wm. Pitt.
My love & service to my Brother & Compliments to all yeFamily.
His stay at Utrecht was probably not protracted, as we find no more letters from thence. The next glimpse we have of him is in January 1730, at Boconnoc. He is now established at home, rather, perhaps, from economy than of his own free will, for he disrespectfully calls Boconnoc 'this cursed hiding-place;' living in Cornwall or at Swallowfield, near Reading, another of the family residences; or on military duty at 'North'ton,' evidently Northampton, which William, however, abbreviates differently in later letters. When we consider the elaborate style and formulas of the letters of this period there seems nothing so strange as the passion for abbreviation by apostrophe, such as 'do's' for 'does,' which seems to save neither time, trouble, nor space.
In February 1731 he received a commission in the 1st Dragoon Guards, then under the command of Lord Pembroke, and we find him in country quarters at Northampton and elsewhere. In the autumn we find him once more at Boconnoc, whence he writes this more genial note to his mother.
William Pitt to his Mother, at Bath.Bocconnock Octbrye17 1731.Dear Madam,—I am, after a long Confinement at Quarters, at present confined here, by disagreeable, dirtyweather, which makes us all prisoners in this little house. I knew nothing of your journey to Bath, when I came to Town, and was therefore disappointed of the pleasure of seeing you there. I see you have put a bill upon your door. Pray what do you intend to do with yourself this winter? I shou'd be mighty glad to know whether your affairs are near an Issue. I hope they will very soon leave you at Leisure to consult nothing but your health and Quiet. Be pleas'd to favour me with a Letter here, where I shall stay about a month longer; and give me the satisfaction of knowing how much you profit by the Waters. Believe me,Dear Madam, Your dutifull affectsonWm. Pitt.My service to the Col: and Mrs. Bouchier: I shall Be glad to hear he makes one at the Balls.
William Pitt to his Mother, at Bath.
Bocconnock Octbrye17 1731.
Dear Madam,—I am, after a long Confinement at Quarters, at present confined here, by disagreeable, dirtyweather, which makes us all prisoners in this little house. I knew nothing of your journey to Bath, when I came to Town, and was therefore disappointed of the pleasure of seeing you there. I see you have put a bill upon your door. Pray what do you intend to do with yourself this winter? I shou'd be mighty glad to know whether your affairs are near an Issue. I hope they will very soon leave you at Leisure to consult nothing but your health and Quiet. Be pleas'd to favour me with a Letter here, where I shall stay about a month longer; and give me the satisfaction of knowing how much you profit by the Waters. Believe me,
Dear Madam, Your dutifull affectson
Wm. Pitt.
My service to the Col: and Mrs. Bouchier: I shall Be glad to hear he makes one at the Balls.
In 1733 he set out on a foreign tour, of which we shall see more presently, and before leaving writes this note, which gives some ground for thinking that his brother helped him at least to meet the expenses of this voyage, as Lord Camelford thinks was actually the case.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Bateman Street, near Piccadilly, London.'Boconnock jan: 19: 1732/3.Dear Madam,—I hope Miss Kitty who is now upon yeRoad will get safe to You: I cant omit doing Justice To your goodness in making room for her, she no doubt wanting your care very much in the ill state she is in. I continue still here and shall not set out yet this month, haveing a design to go abroad then. It is however uncertain till I hear from my Brother after he gets to Town. Miss Harriot, by her letters, Is much recovered and I flatter myself your house will prove as lucky to Poor Kitty. I need not assure you of my wishesfor your health and speedy deliverance from the Misery of Late: my Love to my Sisters and believe meDear Madam Your most Dutifull SonWm. Pitt.Miss Nanny gives her Duty to you.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Bateman Street, near Piccadilly, London.'
Boconnock jan: 19: 1732/3.
Dear Madam,—I hope Miss Kitty who is now upon yeRoad will get safe to You: I cant omit doing Justice To your goodness in making room for her, she no doubt wanting your care very much in the ill state she is in. I continue still here and shall not set out yet this month, haveing a design to go abroad then. It is however uncertain till I hear from my Brother after he gets to Town. Miss Harriot, by her letters, Is much recovered and I flatter myself your house will prove as lucky to Poor Kitty. I need not assure you of my wishesfor your health and speedy deliverance from the Misery of Late: my Love to my Sisters and believe me
Dear Madam Your most Dutifull Son
Wm. Pitt.
Miss Nanny gives her Duty to you.
He visited Paris, and Geneva, Besançon (where he lost his heart for a time), Marseilles, and Montpelier, passing the winter at Luneville.
From Paris he again writes to his mother this letter, of no significance except dutiful affection; and another from Geneva which gives a strong proof of filial obedience in giving his consent, though with strong and obvious reluctance, to one of the bills filed by his mother and Lord Grandison in reference to his father's succession.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Bateman Street Near Piccadilly à Londres.'Paris May ye1 1733.Dear Madam,—Though I have nothing to say to you yet of the Place I am arrived at, I cant help giving you a bare account of my being got safe to Paris: You are pleased to give me so much reason to Think you interest yourself in my welfare That I cou'd not acquit myself of my Duty In not giving you this mark of my respect and the sense I have of your goodness. I shall make my stay as short here as possible. let me have the pleasure of hearing some account of your health and situation: be pleased to direct to me Chez Monsieur Alexandre Banquier, dans la Rue St. Appoline pres de la Porte St. Denis, à Paris. I amMadam Yrmost Dutifull SonWm. Pitt.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Bateman Street Near Piccadilly à Londres.'
Paris May ye1 1733.
Dear Madam,—Though I have nothing to say to you yet of the Place I am arrived at, I cant help giving you a bare account of my being got safe to Paris: You are pleased to give me so much reason to Think you interest yourself in my welfare That I cou'd not acquit myself of my Duty In not giving you this mark of my respect and the sense I have of your goodness. I shall make my stay as short here as possible. let me have the pleasure of hearing some account of your health and situation: be pleased to direct to me Chez Monsieur Alexandre Banquier, dans la Rue St. Appoline pres de la Porte St. Denis, à Paris. I am
Madam Yrmost Dutifull Son
Wm. Pitt.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Bateman Street Piccadilly London. Angleterre.'Geneva Seprye17: N.S. 1733.Dear Madam—I have just recdyefavour of your letter of ye7thaugust, with the answer to a bill of complaint of my LdGrandison and your self: I cou'd wish you had pleased to have let me know in general that that bill is, for at present I have no Idea of it. You assure me, Madam the answer you wou'd have me make is a form, and can lead me into no farther consequences, by engageing me In Law, or disobligeing My Brother; neither of which I am persuaded you wou'd upon any consideration involve me in: upon these grounds I readily send you my consent to the answer proposed By MrMartyn in your letter. I am sorry it did not come to my hands sooner, least my answer shou'd not be time enough; and that I shou'd, by that means, be any involuntary obstacle to your affairs which wou'd be a sensible concern toDear Madam Yrmost Dutyfull affeceSonWm. Pitt.I leave this Place shortly not knowing yet where I shall pass yewinter.
William Pitt to his Mother, 'in Bateman Street Piccadilly London. Angleterre.'
Geneva Seprye17: N.S. 1733.
Dear Madam—I have just recdyefavour of your letter of ye7thaugust, with the answer to a bill of complaint of my LdGrandison and your self: I cou'd wish you had pleased to have let me know in general that that bill is, for at present I have no Idea of it. You assure me, Madam the answer you wou'd have me make is a form, and can lead me into no farther consequences, by engageing me In Law, or disobligeing My Brother; neither of which I am persuaded you wou'd upon any consideration involve me in: upon these grounds I readily send you my consent to the answer proposed By MrMartyn in your letter. I am sorry it did not come to my hands sooner, least my answer shou'd not be time enough; and that I shou'd, by that means, be any involuntary obstacle to your affairs which wou'd be a sensible concern to
Dear Madam Yrmost Dutyfull affeceSon
Wm. Pitt.
I leave this Place shortly not knowing yet where I shall pass yewinter.
In 1734 he was back in England, doing duty with his regiment at Newbury.
It is unnecessary to speculate on the measure of success that William would have achieved in the army had he remained a soldier. That he had an early disposition to the career of arms seems probable, as his uncle, Lord Stanhope, a soldier himself, who died when William was twelve, used to call him 'the young Marshal.' It is useless to surmise; but had he not been so great an orator, one would be apt to imagine that his bent and talent lay in the direction of a military career. This at least is certain, that he sedulously employed his time, preserved from mess debauches and idleactivity by his guardian demon the gout. He told Shelburne that during the time he was a cornet of horse, there was not a military book that he had not read through. This is a large statement, but denotes at least unstinted application. So his career as a subaltern, though abruptly cut short, was probably fruitful, and these studies must have been useful to the future war minister. To paraphrase Gibbon's pompous and comical phrase, the cornet of dragoons may not have been useless to the history-maker of the British Empire. For his destiny was to plan and not to conduct campaigns, and he was now to be caught in the jealous embrace of parliamentary politics.
Butbefore he launches on that troubled career, it is well to catch what glimpses we can obtain of Pitt in private life. It is the more necessary as this aspect soon disappears from sight, and his letters begin to assume that pompous and obsequious tone which we have come to believe was his natural style, but which it is obvious was assumed and affected for purposes of his own. Until he passes on to the stage, he is as bright, as livery, and as affectionate as any lad of his generation. It is beyond measure refreshing to see him at this period bantering, falling in love, the participator of revels if not a reveller himself. For afterwards no one saw him behind the scenes, no one was admitted to his presence until every feature had been composed and his wig and his vesture dramatically arranged. To catch a glimpse of him before he played a part has been hitherto an unknown luxury. But to do this we must now for a moment consider his sisters.
There were five of these, and among them was to be found in abundance the strain of violence and eccentricity that distinguished the Pitts.
'The eldest, Harriot,' writes Lord Camelford, 'was one of the most beautiful women of her time, but little produced in the great world, and died very young from anxiety of mind in consequence of a foolish engagement she enteredinto with Mr. Corbett, son of Sir William Corbett, to whom she was privately married.' She secured for a while, as we have seen, Lyttelton's transient affections. 'The second daughter, Catherine, had much goodness, but neither beauty nor wit to boast of. She married Robert Nedham,[33]a man of uncommon endowments, but of good Irish family and property, by whom she had several children.' The third was Ann, of whom more presently; and the fifth Mary.
The fourth was Betty, of whom, unlike three of her sisters, we seem to know too much. The curse of the Pitt blood was strong in her. Lord Camelford, her nephew, speaks of her 'diabolical disposition,' and says concisely that 'she had the face of an angel and the heart of all the furies,' and that she 'formed the most complicated character of vice that I have ever met with.' Family testimony is not always the most charitable, but outside witnesses in no way mitigate these expressions. Lord Shelburne says that she was received nowhere, owing to her profligate life. Horace Walpole brings an infamous charge against her, which we may well hope is a distortion of the natural fact that for some time she took up her abode with her eldest brother Thomas; though Thomas on parting with her said that her staying with him was extremely distasteful to him. She, in any case, openly lived as his mistress with Lord Talbot, a peer as eccentric as herself, and who promised her marriage, she said, whenever he should be free from the incumbrance of Lady Talbot.[34]Afterwards she went to Italy, became a Roman Catholic, started from Florence with the declared intention of marryingMr. Preston, a Leghorn merchant, who seems however to have been unequal to the occasion.[35]Then she returned to England, virulent against her brother William, 'whose kindness to her,' says Horace Walpole, no biassed witness, 'has been excessive. She applies to all his enemies, and, as Mr. Fox told me, has even gone so far as to send a bundle of his letters to the author ofThe Test[36]to prove that Mr. Pitt has cheated her, as she calls it, out of a hundred a year, and which only prove that he once allowed her two, and, after all her wickedness, still allows her one.'[37]And yet on occasion she could call William the best of brothers and of men.[38]This, too, was characteristic of the breed.
At this period of her life she called herself, heaven knows why, Clara Villiers Pitt, or Villiers Clara Pitt (there is an engraving of her with the latter designation), and published a pamphlet recommending magazines of corn. Of her perhaps too much has been said; but it is necessary to demonstrate that William's family relations were not always easy: Thomas reviled him, Elizabeth reviled him, Ann, whoever was in fault, caused him much trouble, while Thomas's son, whom he peculiarly cherished, regarded him with peculiar animosity.
It should be mentioned, however, that Dutens met her in France some time during Pitt's paymastership, andgives us a picture of her, which also throws light on William's strong family affection. She was then handsome, with a fine figure, her face aflame with pride and intellect, her age apparently under thirty; she was abroad for her health. With her, as a companion, chosen by her brother, was a Miss Taylor, a much prettier girl, of whom Elizabeth was vigilantly jealous and with whom Dutens fell haplessly in love. Miss Pitt was then apparently on excellent terms with her illustrious brother, and gave Dutens a letter to him. She had indeed become enamoured of the young Frenchman, a passion which, we are not surprised to hear, she carried to indecorous lengths. He, however, escaped to England and presented his letter. Pitt called on him the same afternoon and thanked him for his attentions to a beloved sister. Dutens became intimate, showed the minister his compositions, and was favoured with an inspection of Pitt's. Then all suddenly changed, and he was denied access.[39]Betty had quarrelled with the family of Dutens, and had written to beg her brother to quarrel with Dutens.[40]Dutens, she said, had boasted in company that he was well with her, and that if her fortune and family answered expectation he might marry her. Consequently she desired her brother to order his footman to kick Dutens down stairs; in any case she implored him to quarrel with the young man. With this request Pitt unhesitatingly and unreasonably complied. We see here in one incident how warm were Pitt's family affections, and the difficulties under which they were cherished.
In 1761 she married John Hannan of the Middle Temple, 'of Sir William Hannan's family in Dorsetshire, a lawyer by profession, remarkable for his abilities, some years younger than myself, and possessed of a fortune superior to my own,' as Betty describes him in a hostile announcement of the engagement addressed to William. Nine years afterwards she died. Of Hannan, her husband, nothing further seems to be known; but it may be surmised that his lot was not enviable.
Mary, the youngest, seems to have been a spinster of no striking qualities. We know little of her, except that she was born in 1725 and died in 1782.[41]There exists one letter from William to her of the year 1753, and he mentions her in a letter, dated April 9, 1755, as living with him. And indeed he was always kind to her, as she seems to have habitually resided with him. Mrs. Montagu writes in July 1754: 'Miss Mary Pitt, youngest sister of Mr. Pitt, is come to stay a few days with me. She is a very sensible, modest, pretty sort of young woman, and as Mr. Pitt seem'd to take every civility shown to her as a favour, I thought this mark of respect to her one manner of returning my obligations to him.'[42]But even she, though colourless, seems not to have been wholly devoid of the Pitt temperament, though she seems to have always been on intimate terms with her family. 'She had,' says Lord Camelford, 'neither the beauty of two of her sisters, nor the wit and talents of her sister Ann, nor the diabolical dispositions of her sister Betty. She meant always, I believe, to do right to the best of her judgement, but that judgementwas liable to be warped by prejudice, and by a peculiar twist in her understanding which made it very dangerous to have transactions with her.' The 'peculiar twist,' which even Mary could not escape, was innate in most Pitts.
We have kept Ann to the last, though she was third of the sisterhood in point of age, being born in 1712, and so four years younger than William, whose peculiar pet and crony she was for the earlier part of their lives. She was in her way almost as notable as he, and she resembled him in genius and temper, as Horace Walpole wittily observed, 'comme deux gouttes de feu.' But drops of fire, did they exist, would probably not amalgamate for long, and one would guess that Ann and William were too much alike to remain in permanent harmony. Perhaps, too, their extreme intimacy made them too well acquainted with each other's tender points, a dangerous knowledge when coupled with great powers of sarcasm. One might surmise, too, that Pitt's wife, always apparently cold to Ann, might be disinclined to encourage the renewal of an intimacy which might once more attract William's closest confidence, though we have a letter[43]from Ann, dated 1757, in which she speaks with nothing less than rapture of Lady Hester's kindness to her. Lady Hester's immaculate caligraphy and frigid style give in our easier days an impression of distance and austerity.
Ann, when she was little more than twenty, may be said to have entered public life by becoming a maid of honour to Queen Caroline, the wife of George II. From this moment she became one of that group of distinguished women, not blue but brilliant, who adornedEngland in the eighteenth century by their idiosyncrasies as much as by their abilities. She was courted and beloved by characters so famous as Gay's Duchess of Queensberry and George the Second's Lady Suffolk, and by Mrs. Montagu, who was much more blue than brilliant; for her essay on Shakespeare, so much lauded by her contemporaries, has long been dead and buried. In her dear Mrs. Pitt's conversation, declared this paragon of pedants, she saw Minerva without the formal owl on her helmet.
Among men she corresponded with her neighbour, Horace Walpole (who felt for her an affection tempered with alarm), Lord Chesterfield, and Lord Mansfield. 'She had charms enough to kindle a passion in the celebrated Lord Lyttelton,' says Camelford; Dr. Ayscough, a coarse and crafty ecclesiastic, whose acquaintance Pitt and Lyttelton had made at Oxford, and who was a trusted adviser of Frederick, Prince of Wales, sought her in marriage;[44]but there seem no other traces of the tender passion in her life. For the whim, if it indeed were not a joke, which made her ask Lady Suffolk to assist her to secure the hand of Lord Bath (then about seventy, when she herself was forty-six), hardly comes under that description. Ann was, indeed, made rather for admiration than for love. Bolingbroke, who called William 'Sublimity Pitt,' called Ann 'Divinity Pitt.'[45]But she was, one may gather, destitute of beauty,[46]and hervigorous originality of character and conversation inspired, we suspect, more awe than affection. The delightful sprightliness of youth is apt with age or encouragement to sour into a blistering insolence, and Ann had all the sarcastic powers of her brother. For example, Chesterfield calling on her in his later life complained of decay. 'I fear,' he said, 'that I am growing an old woman.' 'I am glad of it,' briskly replied Ann, 'I was afraid you were growing an old man, which you know is a much worse thing.'[47]An attractive, even fascinating, member of society, she was something too formidable for the ordinary man to take to his bosom and his hearth. Reviewing her life, we think that the real and sole object of her love was her brother William, even when her love for the moment vented itself, as love sometimes does, in quarrel. Strife was necessary to the Pitts, and when they waged war with each other it was no battle of roses. The disputes of lovers and relatives, like amicable lawsuits, are apt to become serious affairs, and with this race they were conflicts of the tomahawk. Be that as it may, and whatever the cause, William and Ann adored each other, kept house together, and then quarrelled with prodigious violence and effect. At present we are not near that point. Ann is her brother's 'little Nan,' 'little Jug,' and he is writing her the delightful letters contained in this chapter, written, says Camelford, who preserved them, with the passion of a lover rather than that of a brother. To us they represent rather the special relation of a brother and sister, when affection and intimacy have grown with their growth, from the nursery and the schoolroom to riper years, notunfrequently the sweetest and tenderest of human connections. Our only regret must be that William did not cherish Ann's letters as she did his, for they may well have possessed her peculiar charm. 'She equalled her brother, Lord Chatham,' writes her nephew, who knew them both well, 'in quickness of parts, and exceeded him in wit and in all those nameless graces and attentions by which conversation is enlivened and endeared.' At the same time, one may reluctantly admit that such letters of hers as survive, give one little desire for more. The same, however, may be said of her great brother's habitual epistles (for they can be called nothing less); and their correspondence together was something apart, the gay and engaging eclogue of two young hearts; so that Ann, like William, must have been at her best in her early letters to him.
And so we set forth these delightful letters of a lad of twenty-two to his favourite sister. They need no comment; of the allusions no explanation can now be given or would be worth giving; but the letters speak for themselves.[48]
Boconnock, Jany3, 1730.Dear Nanny,—As you have degraded my sheets From yerank and Quality of a Letter, merely for Containing a few Innocent Questions, I am determin'd to avoid such rigour for the future by Confining myself to bare narration: first, Then we are to have a ball this week at Mr. Hawky's Child-feast, (a Heathenish Name for the Christian Institution of Baptism), where the Ladies intend to shine most irresistably, and like enfants perdus, thrust themselves in the very front of yeBattle, break some stubborn Tramontanne Hearts, or Die of the spleen upon the spot. The next thing I have to say,(Don't be afraid of a Question) Is, that we set out yeend of the same week, and propose seeing you about a week after our departure. I'l say no more, least I should forget yerestrictions I have Laid myself under and launch out into some Impious enquiries that don't suit my sex. Adieu, Dearest Nanny, till I have the pleasure of seeing you at Bath.[49]
Boconnock, Jany3, 1730.
Dear Nanny,—As you have degraded my sheets From yerank and Quality of a Letter, merely for Containing a few Innocent Questions, I am determin'd to avoid such rigour for the future by Confining myself to bare narration: first, Then we are to have a ball this week at Mr. Hawky's Child-feast, (a Heathenish Name for the Christian Institution of Baptism), where the Ladies intend to shine most irresistably, and like enfants perdus, thrust themselves in the very front of yeBattle, break some stubborn Tramontanne Hearts, or Die of the spleen upon the spot. The next thing I have to say,(Don't be afraid of a Question) Is, that we set out yeend of the same week, and propose seeing you about a week after our departure. I'l say no more, least I should forget yerestrictions I have Laid myself under and launch out into some Impious enquiries that don't suit my sex. Adieu, Dearest Nanny, till I have the pleasure of seeing you at Bath.[49]
The next letter is from Swallowfield, one of the Pitt houses. Ayscough has proposed to Ann. He is a favourite butt of William's, who seems to rejoice in his discomfiture.
Swallowfeild, Sep. ye29th, 1730.I am quite tired of waiting for a letter from my Dear Nanny, and am determin'd by way of revenge to fatigue you as much by obliging you to read a very long letter from myself, as you have me with the eager expectation of receiving one from you. The excuse you assign'd for not doing it sooner fills me with apprehensions for your health; Is it that you still converse only with Doctor Bave,[50]or that you have already changed the old Physician for the young Galant? Is it the want of conversation That denies you matter, or the entire engagement to it that won't allow you time for a letter? Be it as it will, I flatter myself into a beleif of the Latter, chusing rather to be very angry with you for your neglect of me, than sincerely afflicted for your want of health. I desire I may know from yourself what advances you make towards your recovery; you never can want a subject to write to me upon, while you have it in your power to entertain me with a prospect of seeing you perfectly restored to health, and in consequence of that to the sprightly exertion of your understanding and full display (as my Lady Lynn elegantly has it) of your Primitive Beauties. Why shou'd I mention Ayscough's overthrow! That is a conquest perhaps of a nature not so brilliant as to touch your heart with muchexultation; But lett me tell you, a man of his wit in one's suite has no Ill air; You may hear enough of eyes and flames and such gentle flows of tender nonsense from every Fop that can remember, but I can assure you Child, a man can think that declares his Passion by saying Tis not a sett of Features I admire, &c. Such a Lover is the Ridiculous Skew,[51]who Instead of whispering his soft Tale to the woods and lonely Rocks, proclaims to all the world he loves Miss Nanny—Fâth (sic)—with the same confidence He wou'd pronounce an Heretical Sermon at St. Mary's. I must quit your admirer to enquire after the condition of the Colonel and his Lady,[52]and to assure' em of my most hearty wishes for Their health and happiness. I beg leave to repeat the same to Miss Lenard, who I hope will recruit her spirits after so much affliction with yeholsome Application of a Fiddle. I shall communicate to you next Post a Translation of an Elegy of Tibullus By Lyttelton, who orders me to say it was done for you:[53]I shall then be able to say whether I go to Cornwall or no, so that you may know how to direct to me.I need not say what you are to do with the hair enclosed to you from Mrs. Pitt. Adieu dear Nanny.
Swallowfeild, Sep. ye29th, 1730.
I am quite tired of waiting for a letter from my Dear Nanny, and am determin'd by way of revenge to fatigue you as much by obliging you to read a very long letter from myself, as you have me with the eager expectation of receiving one from you. The excuse you assign'd for not doing it sooner fills me with apprehensions for your health; Is it that you still converse only with Doctor Bave,[50]or that you have already changed the old Physician for the young Galant? Is it the want of conversation That denies you matter, or the entire engagement to it that won't allow you time for a letter? Be it as it will, I flatter myself into a beleif of the Latter, chusing rather to be very angry with you for your neglect of me, than sincerely afflicted for your want of health. I desire I may know from yourself what advances you make towards your recovery; you never can want a subject to write to me upon, while you have it in your power to entertain me with a prospect of seeing you perfectly restored to health, and in consequence of that to the sprightly exertion of your understanding and full display (as my Lady Lynn elegantly has it) of your Primitive Beauties. Why shou'd I mention Ayscough's overthrow! That is a conquest perhaps of a nature not so brilliant as to touch your heart with muchexultation; But lett me tell you, a man of his wit in one's suite has no Ill air; You may hear enough of eyes and flames and such gentle flows of tender nonsense from every Fop that can remember, but I can assure you Child, a man can think that declares his Passion by saying Tis not a sett of Features I admire, &c. Such a Lover is the Ridiculous Skew,[51]who Instead of whispering his soft Tale to the woods and lonely Rocks, proclaims to all the world he loves Miss Nanny—Fâth (sic)—with the same confidence He wou'd pronounce an Heretical Sermon at St. Mary's. I must quit your admirer to enquire after the condition of the Colonel and his Lady,[52]and to assure' em of my most hearty wishes for Their health and happiness. I beg leave to repeat the same to Miss Lenard, who I hope will recruit her spirits after so much affliction with yeholsome Application of a Fiddle. I shall communicate to you next Post a Translation of an Elegy of Tibullus By Lyttelton, who orders me to say it was done for you:[53]I shall then be able to say whether I go to Cornwall or no, so that you may know how to direct to me.
I need not say what you are to do with the hair enclosed to you from Mrs. Pitt. Adieu dear Nanny.