Page:Life of William Shelburne (vol 1).djvu/146

120 undertake the ungrateful task, once more commissioned Shelburne to negotiate on his behalf, holding out a peerage as the reward which Fox was to receive for his services. The negotiation was at once entered on, and Shelburne, before the close of the month, wrote to Bute "that every step possible was taken to prepossess Fox in favour of what was proposed, and that he did not think he could refuse taking on him the lead of the House of Commons." At the same moment that Bute was looking for a leader, he had also to find a new Secretary of State, for Grenville had resigned the seals in consequence of the differences of opinion which existed between himself and his chief on the subject of the peace. The seals were in consequence offered to Fox with the lead of the House. After considering these offers Fox embodied his own opinion on them in a memorandum which he sent to Shelburne through, running in these terms:

"Secretary of State I cannot be; it would be adding much other business to what without it I can hardly go through.

"Let Lord Bute divest himself of any idea that I am thinking of the Duke of Cumberland's wishes in what I propose. I shall never mention it again. I would no more have the King bend the knee to the Duke of Cumberland than to any other man, and to save him from such disgrace, I would undertake anything that I could go through with; and He may command me in what there is a possibility of my doing.

"To undertake and fail would be making His Majesty's disgrace sure. Mine, upon my word, I do not think of. I will make two suppositions: suppose the Seals given to Charles Townshend, a Peace made, to be defended in the House of Commons; in the next place, suppose if friends as well as foes are drunk with