548 PI 
exhibit the ardour of his mind, and the com prehen fivenefs 
of his views as a young but truly enlightened ftatefman; 
but his molt important fpeech at this period of his life, 
was in fupport of a motion for enquiry into fir Robert 
Walpole’s (then earl of Orford) conduCt. The motion 
was at firft loft, and, when introduced a fecond time, 
limiting the retrofpeCl to the laft ten years, it was 
carried ; but by a minifterial manoeuvre the inquiry was 
defeated. To popular, applaufe was added a more fub- 
ftantial teftimony of approbation of his conduCt, bjf 
Sarah duchefs of Marlborough, who, in a codicil to her 
will, dated in 1744, bequeathed him the fum of ten 
thoufand pounds on the grounds of his public fervices. 
In 1745 Mr-' Pitt was mentioned to the king, George II. 
by the duke of Newcaftle, as a proper perfon to fill the 
office of fecretary at war; but fo obnoxious was his name 
to his majefty, probably on account of his conftant 
oppofition to Hanoverian politics, that he was decidedly, 
and at once, rejected ; and a general refignation of the 
Pelham party followed. In the following year they were 
reinftated, and (Feb. 1746.) Mr. Pitt was appointed to 
the office of vice-treafurer of Ireland. He foon after 
fucceeded to the lucrative place of paymafter of the 
forces, which gave him the opportunity of Ihowing how 
difinterefted he was with regard to pecuniary concerns. 
His predeceffors had always held very large fums of the 
public money in their hands, of which they made 
advantage by means of the funds : Mr. Pitt, on the 
contrary, placed whatever fums belonged to his office in 
the Bank, that they might be ready for the public 
fervice ; and never availed himfelf of the leaft portion 
for his private emolument. He alfo refufed the 
nfual perquilite upon a fubfidy voted to the king of 
Sardinia, much to the furprife of that fovereign, who 
offered him an equivalent prefent, which was likewife 
declined. 
In 1754 Mr. Pitt married Hefter, daughter of Richard 
Grenville, efq. of Wotton, Bucks, a lady of great 
merit, with whom he palled his life in uninterrupted 
harmony. 
His difappointment with refpeCt to the poft of fecretary 
of ftate, with his want of confidence in a weak and 
divided miniftry, rendered him indifferent about keeping 
his place; and when the king, in 17j5, returned from 
Hanover, bringing fubfidiary treaties with Heffe-Caffel 
and Ruff a for its defence, he did not fcruple to join Mr. 
Legge in oppofing their ratification by parliament. On 
this account they were both difmiffed, together with 
Meffrs. George and Richard Grenville. Mr. Pitt was 
now an eager oppofitionift, and fpoke with honeft indig¬ 
nation again ft the favourite mealures of introducing 
foreign troops for the defence of the kingdom, and pro¬ 
tecting Hanover by fubfidies. The natural force of the 
nation, he faid, was fufficient to repel any attack of the 
enemy. That ftate alone is worthy of being denominated 
a fovereign ftate, qui Jiiis fiat viribus, non alieno pendet 
arbitrio: “ which depends on its own ftrength, and not 
01 foreign affiftance.” 
The difafters with which the new war began occafioned 
great diffatisfaCtion, and the nation eagerly expected 
a change of men and meafures. After the duke of 
Newcaftle had in vain attempted to engage Mr. Pitt to 
form a part of the miniftry with him, that nobleman and 
Mr. Fox refigned, and a new adminiftration was formed 
in. the autumn of 1756, in which Mr. Pitt took the place 
of fecretary of ftate. The vigour infufed into the public 
councils became immediately apparent by the formation 
of a national militia, to which the internal defence of the 
country was entrufted, whilft the foreign mercenaries 
were fent away ; by the levying of a body of Highlanders 
to ferve in North America 7 by the difpatching of 
Iquadrons of men of war to the Eaft and Weft Indies ; 
and by a fuccefsful expedition to Goree on the African 
coaft. The pew fecretary was (till hoftile to the war in 
Germany, at leaft under the conduct of the duke of 
T T. 
Cumberland j and thereby incurred the royal difplealure- 
in fuch a degree, that in April 1757 he was again difmiffed 
from his office, with his friends Lord Temple and Mr. 
Legge. The public difcontent at this hafty meafure was 
fo Itrongly marked, that the reinftatement of Mr. Pitt 
appeared abfolutely neceffary; and the duke of New¬ 
caftle was commiffioned by the king to offer him his own 
terms. He refumed his poft of fecretary, and arranged a 
miniftry according to his conceptions of the public 
fervice: it was that which raifed the Britifh nation from 
a ftate of depreflion and difgrace, to the higheft pitch of 
glory and fuccefs. Of this adminiftration he was the 
foul, and he diffufed his own fpirit through every depart¬ 
ment of the ftate. His fundamental principle was to dif- 
regard all party-diftinftions, all family-interefts, and to 
employ talents wherever he detected them. Inftead of 
the inactive and incapable commanders whom he found 
in the fervice, he filled the army and navy with men 
raifed to notice by their abilities and exertions. By a 
perpetual feries of enterprifes he kept all the national 
faculties upon the alert, and affaulted the enemy in every 
quarter of the globe. In the duties of his office he was 
punctual, exaCt, and diligent beyond example; he gave 
all his time to bufinefs and none to parade, not holding 
a fingle levee during his fecretary (hip. He was 
peremptory in his orders, but took care to be well 
informed of their practicability; and he provided with 
admirable forefight againft every emergency. Never did 
any minifter pollefs more of the public confidence, and 
during a confiderable period oppofition was fcarcely 
heard of; yet the art of managing a parliament was the 
leaft part of his ftudy. 
The hiftory of Pitt’s war-adminiftration is that of pub¬ 
lic events fo well known that it will here fuffice merely 
to enumerate the mod important; and previoufly to this 
we may fliow the extent of his minifterial influence on his 
fecond promotion to the adminiftration in 1757, of which 
we are now fpeaking. Mr. Pitt’s firft propofition, fays 
the author of the Anecdotes, was the exclufion of lord 
Anfon from the cabinet. The duke of Newcaftle pleaded 
earneftly to have lord Hardwicke in the cabinet, he faid 
it was the king’s requeft. Mr. Pitt confented, on condi¬ 
tion that fir Robert Henley had the great feal: this ftipu- 
lation was defired by Leicefter-houfe. Lord Temple was 
to be privy feal : himfelf fecretary of ftate. The duke 
of Newcaftle offered lord Temple the treafury : Mr. Pitt 
interpofed, and faid it could not be, his grace muft go 
there himfelf; hut if, at any time hereafter, he ftiould 
think proper to retire, lord Temple ftiould fucceed him. 
Lord Anfon was propofed for the admiralty; Mr. Pitt 
declared that lord Anfon ftiould never have the corre- 
fpondence. The duke replied that fuch an alteration 
could not be made without his majefty’s confent. Here 
the conference broke off. Mr. Pitt foon after had an au¬ 
dience with the king, when he laid before him the dif¬ 
ference that had occurred between the duke of Newcaftle 
and himfelf, concerning the admiralty. The' king im¬ 
mediately confented that the correfpondence with the 
naval officers, ufually in the board of admiralty, ftiould 
be given to Mr. Pitt, and that the board ftiould fign the 
defpatclies without being privy to their contents. It was at 
this audience Mr. Pitt laid, “Sire, give me your confi¬ 
dence, and I will deferve it;” to which the king very 
properly anfwered, “ Deferve my confidence, and you 
(hall have it.” 
At the period we are fpeaking of, the duke of Cumber¬ 
land had utterly failed in the attempt to refcue Hanover 
from the French, and had been obliged to make the dis¬ 
graceful convention of Clofter Seven. T. his, for a mo¬ 
ment, feemed to be a termination of the Englifh interfer¬ 
ence in German affairs; but the king’s predilections were 
not to be fo defeated: he refufed to ratify the convention, 
and was intent upon fome opportunity for renewing mi¬ 
litary operations in that country; and to this, upon the 
victory of the king of Prulfia over the French, the mi¬ 
nifies 
