CHAP. country with that zeal and faithfulness which becomes IX. an honest man, the favour I am to entreat of you is, 1711. that, when you make your report to the Parliament, you will lay this before them in its true light, so as that they may see this necessary and important part of the war has been provided for, and carried on, without any other expense to the public than the £10,000 a-year ; and I flatter myself that, when the accounts of the army in Flanders come under your consideration, you will be 10 Anne, sensible the service on this side has been carried on with 1711, vi. 1050, 1051. all the economy and good husbandry that was possible.— I am, Gentlemen, &c. 1 Parl. Hist. 40. Marlborough re MARLBOROUGH."1* Marlborough felt deeply chagrined at this clandestine negotiation, and the atrocious charges against himself, turns home intended to destroy his means of opposing it, which not at the clan- only deprived him of the main object for which, during deeply hurt destine ac commoda- his great career, he had been contending, but evinced tion. a duplicity and want of confidence on the part of his own Government, at its close, which was a melancholy return for his inestimable services.+ But it was of no avail the secession of England proved, as he had foreseen from the outset, a death-blow to the confederacy. Finding that nothing more was to be done, either at the head of the army or in directing the ne To this memorial was annexed the Queen's warrant, countersigned by Sir Charles Hedges, Secretary of State, authorising the retention of the 24 per cent.-Parl. Hist., vi. 1052. "As you have given me encouragement to enter into the strictest confidence with you, I beg your friendly advice in what manner I am to conduct myself. You cannot but imagine it would be a terrible mortification for me to pass by the Hague when our plenipotentiaries are there, and myself a stranger to their transactions; and what hopes can I have of any countenance at home, if I am not thought fit to be trusted abroad?"-Marlborough to the Lord-Treasurer, 21st Oct. 1711. IX. 1711. gotiations, he returned home by the Brille, after put- CHAP. ting his army into winter-quarters, and landed at Greenwich on the 17th November. Though well aware of the private envy, as well as political hostility, of which he was the object, and perfectly conscious that the charges against him had been brought forward with no other view but to overawe or neutralise his hostility to the treaty which was in dependence, he did nothing that could lower or compromise his high character and lofty position; but, in an interview with the Queen, fully expressed his opinion on the impolicy of the course which her ministers were now adopting.* He adopted the same manly course in the noble speech which he made in his place in Parliament, on the debate on the Address. Ministers had put into the royal speech the unworthy expression,—“I am glad to tell you, that, notwithstanding the arts of those who delight in war, both place and time are appointed for opening the treaty of a general peace." Lord Anglesea followed this up by declaring, broke's Letin the course of the debate, that the country might have Coxe, vi. enjoyed the blessing of peace soon after the battle of Parl. Hist. Ramilies, "if it had not been deferred by some person 1038. whose interest it was to prolong the war.' .”1 1 Boling ters, i. 480. 129-131. vi. 1037, rough's no Rising upon this, with inexpressible dignity, and 41. turning to where the Queen sat, Marlborough said-" I Marlboappeal to the Queen, whether I did not constantly, while ble speech I was plenipotentiary, give her Majesty and her Council House of an account of all the propositions which were made; 10, 1711. and whether I did not desire instruction for my conduct "I hear that, in his conversation with the Queen, the Duke of Marlborough has spoken against what we are doing; in short, his fate hangs heavy upon him, and he has of late pursued every counsel which was worst for him."-Bolingbroke's Letters, i. 480-Nov. 24, 1711. in the Peers, Dec. CHAP. IX. on this subject. I can declare with a good conscience, in the presence of her Majesty, of this illustrious assem1711. bly, and of God himself, who is infinitely superior to all the powers of the earth, and before whom, by the ordinary course of nature, I shall soon appear to render an account of my actions, that I was very desirous of a safe, honourable, and lasting peace, and was very far from wishing to prolong the war for my own private advantage, as several libels and discourses have most falsely insinuated. My great age, and my numerous fatigues in war, make me ardently wish for the power to enjoy a quiet repose, in order to think of eternity. As to other matters, I have not the least inducement, on any account, to desire the continuance of the war for my own interest, since my services have been so generously rewarded by her Majesty and her Parliament; but I think myself obliged to make such an acknowledgment to her Majesty and my country, that I am always ready to serve them, whenever my duty may require, to obtain an honourable and lasting peace. Yet I can by no means acquiesce in the measures that have been taken to enter into a negotiation of peace with France, upon the foot of some pretended preliminaries, which are now circulated; since my opinion is the same as that of most of the Allies, that to leave Spain and the West Indies to the house of Bourbon will be the entire ruin of Europe, which I have with all fidelity and humility declared to her Majesty, when I had the honour to wait upon her after my arrival from Holland."1 1 Parl. Hist. Dec. 10, 1711, vi. 1038. 42. carried This manly declaration, delivered in the most emResolution phatic manner, produced a great impression. It was against warmly supported by Cowper, Halifax, Bishop Burnet, in the Peers, and several other Peers. The defence of Ministers was very feeble it consisted merely in this-that, since peace ministers CHAP. 1711. and war were within the prerogative of the Crown, it was not proper to offer any advice or give any opinion on the subject. The Whig majority, however, was predominant in that assembly; and a resolution against Ministers, and an address embodying these sentiments, were carried in the House of Peers by a majority of twelve, the numbers being sixty-four to fifty-two. To this address the Queen replied, "I take your thanks kindly, but should be sorry that any one should think I would not do my utmost to recover Spain and the West Indies from the house of Bourbon." In the Commons, however, Ministers had a large majority: an amendment moved, "that the House did not doubt that care would be taken that Spain and the Indies should not be left in the hands of any branch of the house of Bourbon, which might endanger the safety of her Majesty's person and Government, the Protestant Succession, the house of Hanover, and the liberty of Europe, was negatived by two hundred and thirty-two votes to a hundred and six;” and an address containing expressions similar to those used by Lord Anglesea, reflecting on Marlborough, was introduced and carried. The words used were, "We presume to assure your Majesty we will take all possible care to preserve that unanimity your Majesty has recommended to us, and use our utmost endeavours to disappoint as well the arts and desires of those who delight in war, as the hopes the enemies may vainly have entertained of receiving advantage from any divi- vi. 1045. sions amongst us.' "1 The Whig majority, however, continued firm in the Upper House; and the leaders of that party began to entertain sanguine hopes of success. The Queen had let fall some peevish expressions in regard to her 1 Parl. Hist. CHAP. IX. 1711. 43. ministers. She had given her hand, in retiring from the House of Peers on the 15th December, to the Duke of Somerset, instead of her own Lord-Treasurer: it was Counter ad apprehended that her old partiality for Marlborough ried in the was about to return. Mrs Masham was in the greatest and irreso- alarm; and St John declared to Swift that the Queen the Queen. Was false. The ministers of the whole Alliance seconded dress car Commons, lution of the efforts of the Whigs, and strongly represented the injurious effects which would ensue to the cause of European independence in general, and the interests of England in particular, if the preliminaries which had been agreed to should be made the basis of a general peace. The Dutch made strong and repeated representations on the subject; and the Elector of Hanover delivered a memorial, strongly urging the danger which would ensue if Spain and the Indies were allowed to remain in the hands of a Bourbon Prince. These alarming symptoms soon produced their effect upon the selfish and timidthat is, the vast majority of men. The waverers showed themselves. The Duke of Somerset had already seceded from his new friends, and was openly decrying their measures. The Duke of Buckingham hung back, and scarcely defended the measures of Government. The Duke of Shrewsbury declined the difficult situation of minister plenipotentiary at the congress, and began to make secret advances to Marlborough. The coalition. was breaking up, the whole Tory party were in despair, 1 Conduct, and the indecision of the Queen proved that the crisis vi. 146, 147. had arrived which invariably proves fatal to weak 266. Coxe, minds.1 * SWIFT's Journal to Stella, Dec. 8, 1711.-Swift said to the LordTreasurer, in his usual ironical style, "If there is no remedy, your lordship will lose your head; but I shall only be hung, and so carry my body entire to the grave." |