The Drunken Feathers

Scene xxxvi

Windsor Castle, several days later. The exterior is shown for a moment, and then the interior. In the drawing room, PITT, LORD THURLOW, the MARQUESS OF CARMARTHEN, LORD SYDNEY, LORD STAFFORD, the DUKE OF RICHMOND, LORD BUCKINGHAM, and LORD CAMDEN are present. They sit silently and despondently, hardly lifting their eyes from the floor. Enter SERVANT #6 followed by LORD CHATHAM.

SERVANT #6: The Right Honorable Lord Chatham, John Pitt, the First Lord of the Admiralty, sir.

PITT: Thank you.

SERVANT #6 bows and exits. PITT stands and bows.

LORD CHATHAM: [Bows] Good evening, William.

PITT: Good evening, dear brother; you are performing a kind service indeed for joining us here at Windsor on such short notice. [To everyone] With us tonight are my Lord Chancellor, Lord Thurlow... my Foreign Secretary, the Marquess of Carmarthen... my Home Secretary, Lord Sydney... my Lord Privy Seal, Lord Stafford... my Master-General of the Ordinance, the Duke of Richmond... my Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Buckingham... and my Lord President of the Council, Lord Camden.

LORD CHATHAM bows to them, and he and PITT sit.

PITT: I am sorry, John, that the government is coming to an end scarcely five months after you became a part of it.

LORD CHATHAM: What can you mean?

PITT: The government shall soon fall into the hands of the Prince of Wales. He will dismiss us and place the Whigs in our positions, with the Duke of Portland at its head. Did you not hear that His Royal Highness was very likely going to be made Prince Regent?

LORD CHATHAM: I did, but that does not necessarily indicate that he shall obtain all of the monarch's powers and capabilities.

PITT: Does it not?

LORD CHATHAM: No- not if we introduce a bill that would restrict the reign of the Prince Regent, and forbid him from interfering excessively in government.

LORD THURLOW: But to limit the powers of a monarch, no matter how young and inexperienced, would be to disregard the beliefs that the Tory party has retained for over a century!

LORD CHATHAM: The Prince of Wales is not a monarch, nor will he be when he is Prince Regent.

LORD THURLOW: Would the Prince not have every right to assume full power?

LORD CHATHAM: Certainly not, sir. [Suspicious] It almost sounds, Lord Thurlow, as though it is your wish that the Prince of Wales should establish his own administration.

LORD THURLOW: [Lying] Of course not... [Noticing the time] My, where has the time gone? It has grown quite late. I must take my leave, gentlemen.

LORD SYDNEY: Late? It is hardly eight o'clock.

LORD THURLOW: Yes, but by the time my carriage is called for, and I am driven all the way across London, and I dress for bed, it will be no earlier than ten.

PITT: So be it, but meet us here again on Friday evening at the same time.

LORD THURLOW: Yes, of course, Mr. Pitt. [Stands up and looks at his seat] Where is my hat?

LORD STAFFORD: Did you not bring it in with you?

LORD THURLOW: I was sure I did.

MARQUESS OF CARMARTHEN: Can you describe its appearance?

LORD THURLOW: It was a gray tricorn hat.

PITT: Shall I call someone to fetch it?

LORD THURLOW: [Sitting down again] Please do.

PITT: [To SERVANT #6] Could you seek Lord Thurlow's hat?

LORD THURLOW: I might have dropped it in one of the corridors.

SERVANT #6: Certainly. [Bows and exits]

LORD CAMDEN: Now, Lord Chatham, what restrictions shall this Regency Bill impose upon the Prince Regent?

LORD CHATHAM: We must not allow His Royal Highness to interfere excessively with government, as I have already mentioned. He must also not hold the power to grant peerages outside of the Royal Family, and must be debarred from awarding any pensions, honors, and offices to anybody.

DUKE OF RICHMOND: This will prevent our government from being dissolved, and allow us to retain our posts!

PITT: [Smiling] I will not have to return to my career in the law! What an exciting notion.

LORD BUCKINGHAM: But what if the Opposition acquires the support of the Independents, and our bill is defeated?

LORD CHATHAM: My brother is the finest orator in the country. He shall persuade everyone to accept it.

PITT: But by what means? We have no other reason to impose this bill besides the fact that we wish to keep our positions.

LORD CHATHAM: Now, that is the delicate factor in all this.

SERVANT #6 reenters with LORD THURLOW'S hat.

LORD THURLOW: Ah, thank you, sir! Where did you discover it?

SERVANT #6: My Lord, I found it in the closet of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

The TORIES slowly turn their heads toward LORD THURLOW and glare at him. LORD THURLOW turns red with embarrassment, stands up, walks over to SERVANT #6, and puts the hat on his head.

LORD THURLOW: [Bows awkwardly] Good evening, gentlemen. [Exits]

PITT: [Gravely] It appears that, not only will it prove extraordinarily difficult to pass this Regency Bill, but we have a trader among us who is already smitten with the Whigs. With the support of a Tory, the Opposition cannot fail.

LORD CHATHAM: Then you must persuade Lord Thurlow that his place is here, with us.

PITT: How can I? He is one of those corrupt gentlemen who will do anything to obtain a position of power.

LORD CHATHAM: Those 'corrupt gentlemen' of which you speak are called politicians. We all must admit that there is nothing we desire more than acquiring as much jurisdiction as possible. However, there are two sorts of politicians. You represent the first sort, and Lord Thurlow represents the second sort. What puts you at variance with him is that you attain political prominence for the purpose of enforcing your beliefs upon the country for the good of its people, whereas Thurlow does this solely for his own benefit. Therefore, in order to win over the majority of the House, all we must do is convince them that we are placing forth our bill for the good of the King, the people, and their posterity.

PITT: [Smiles softly] Perhaps, with much effort, and even more prayer, they can be defeated...

LORD CHATHAM: [Smiles] We will defeat the opposition, with or without Lord Thurlow. In the end of it all, justice shall prevail. [He raises his glass] To justice!

ALL: [Raising their glasses] To justice!

Cut to ACT II, SCENE XXXVII.