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Page 35
"Oh, I should like to wear a sword!" cried Charley.
"And an embroidered crimson velvet coat," said Clara, laughing, "and a
gold brocade waistcoat down to your knees!"
"And knee-buckles and shoe-buckles," said Laurence, laughing also.
"And a periwig," added little Alice, soberly, not knowing what was the
article of dress, which she recommended to our friend Charley.
Grandfather smiled at the idea of Charley's sturdy little figure in such
a grotesque caparison. He then went on with the history of the chair,
and told the children, that, in 1730, King George the Second appointed
Jonathan Belcher to be governor of Massachusetts, in place of the
deceased Governor Burnet. Mr. Belcher was a native of the province, but
had spent much of his life in Europe.
The new governor found Grandfather's chair in the Province House, he was
struck with its noble and stately aspect, but was of opinion, that age
and hard services had made it scarcely so fit for courtly company, as
when it stood in the Earl of Lincoln's hall. Wherefore, as Governor
Belcher was fond of splendor, he employed a skilful artist to beautify
the chair. This was done by polishing and varnishing it, and by gilding
the carved work of the elbows, and likewise the oaken flowers of the
back. The lion's head now shone like a veritable lump of gold. Finally,
Governor Belcher gave the chair a cushion of blue damask, with a rich
golden fringe.
"Our good old chair being thus glorified," proceeded Grandfather, "it
glittered with a great deal more splendor than it had exhibited just a
century before, when the Lady Arbella brought it over from England. Most
people mistook it for a chair of the latest London fashion. And this may
serve for an example, that there is almost always an old and time-worn
substance under all the glittering show of new invention."
"Grandfather, I cannot see any of the gilding," remarked Charley, who
had been examining the chair very minutely.
"You will not wonder that it has been rubbed off," replied Grandfather,
"when you hear all the adventures that have since befallen the chair.
Gilded it was; and the handsomest room in the Province House was adorned
by it."
There was not much to interest the children, in what happened during the
years that Governor Belcher remained in the chair. At first, like
Colonel Shute and Governor Burnet, he was engaged in disputing with the
legislature about his salary. But, as he found it impossible to get a
fixed sum, he finally obtained the king's leave to accept whatever the
legislature chose to give him. And thus the people triumphed, after this
long contest for the privilege of expending their own money as they saw
fit.
The remainder of Governor Belcher's term of office was principally taken
up in endeavoring to settle the currency. Honest John Hull's pine-tree
shillings had long ago been worn out, or lost, or melted down again, and
their place was supplied by bills of paper or parchment, which were
nominally valued at three pence and upwards. The value of these bills
kept continually sinking, because the real hard money could not be
obtained for them. They were a great deal worse than the old Indian
currency of clam-shells. These disorders of the circulating medium were
a source of endless plague and perplexity to the rulers and legislators,
not only in Governor Belcher's days, but for many years before and
afterwards.
Finally, the people suspected that Governor Belcher was secretly
endeavoring to establish the Episcopal mode of worship in the provinces.
There was enough of the old Puritan spirit remaining, to cause most of
the true sons of New England to look with horror upon such an attempt.
Great exertions were made, to induce the king to remove the governor.
Accordingly, in 1740, he was compelled to resign his office, and
Grandfather's chair into the bargain, to Mr. Shirley.
CHAPTER VIII
"William Shirley," said Grandfather, "had come from England a few years
before, and begun to practise law in Boston. You will think, perhaps,
that, as he had been a lawyer, the new governor used to sit in our great
chair, reading heavy law-books from morning till night. On the contrary,
he was as stirring and active a governor as Massachusetts ever had. Even
Sir William Phips hardly equalled him. The first year or two of his
administration was spent in trying to regulate the currency. But, in
1744, after a peace of more than thirty years, war broke out between
France and England."
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