26 KEW GARDENS 



was a Wilkesite," said Wilkes ; but poor George 

 was at least honest in his notions of governing. 

 It looks like a satire on the British Constitution 

 that our most virtuous and well-meaning kings 

 have usually been those who did us most mischief. 

 At that time a puppet would have been more 

 welcome than a patriot king, but not a puppet 

 whose wires were pulled by Bute. 



One thing cannot be denied by his worst 

 enemies, that this king made an honest effort to 

 rule himself, to lead a clean, simple and wholesome 

 life, which did so much in the end to win back 

 respect for royalty among the respectable classes. 

 At the outset of his reign he seems ready to 

 have married for love of the bewitching siren, 

 Lady Sarah Lennox, who took care to be seen 

 making hay on the lawn of Holland House, as 

 the young king rode by on the road to Kew. 

 But that mock- Arcadian romance was nipped in 

 the bud by his managing mother, who made 

 haste to look out a wife for him among the 

 Protestant princesses of Germany. George 

 " sighed as a lover, but obeyed as a son." Lady 

 Sarah, great-grand-daughter of Charles II. as she 

 was, had to content herself with serving as brides- 

 maid to the new queen. She soon got over 



