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CHAP.

XII.

the benefit of previous experience in war, adequate to the conquest, on land, even of the most warlike Continental military nations? Is it that the quality of dogWhat have ged resolution, determination not to be conquered,

1714.

69.

been the

causes of

this?

bottom, in the familiar English phrase, is of such value in war that it compensates almost any degree of inferiority in the practical acquaintance with war? Is it that the North brings forth a bolder race of men than the South, and that, other things being equal, the people nursed under a more rigorous climate will vanquish those of a more genial? Is it that the free spirit which, in every age, has distinguished the English people, has communicated a degree of vigour and resolution to their warlike operations, which has rendered them so often victorious in land fights, albeit nautical and commercial in their ideas, over their military neighbours? Or is it that this courage in war, and this vigour in peace, and this passion for freedom at all times, arise from, and are but symptoms of, an ardent and aspiring disposition, imprinted by Nature on the race to whom the dominion of half the globe has been destined? Experience has not yet determined to which of these causes this most extraordinary fact has been owing; but it is one upon which our military neighbours, and especially the French, would do well to ponder, now that the population of the British Isles has turned eight-and-twenty millions. If England has done such things in Continental warfare, with an army which never brought fifty thousand native British sabres and bayonets into the field, what would be the result if national distress, or necessities, or a change in the objects of national desire, were to send two hundred thousand?

It is observed by the very eminent historian whose

CHAP.

XII.

1714.

70.

contempo

spondence

ing historic

labours have thrown such an imperishable light on the history of Scotland,* that "historic truth is a plant of the slowest growth: it generally takes several ages for its development; and when it does reach maturity, it is Value of chiefly from the influence of the light of contemporary rary correletters." Never was the justice of this remark more in establishclearly evinced than in the history of the illustrious hero truth. whose biography has now been brought to a close. More perhaps than any other man, Marlborough was the architect of the marvellous edifice of England's greatness; for he at once established on a solid basis the Protestant succession, which secured its religious freedom, and vanquished the formidable enemy which threatened its national independence. His mighty arm bequeathed to his country the honours and the happiness of the eighteenth century: the happiest period, by the admission of all historians, which has dawned upon the world since that of the Antonines in ancient story.

71.

effect on

rough's

He laid the foundation-in preserving and raising its place among the nations, and securing the freedom which Its vast vivified its exertions-of the colonial empire which is Marlbodestined to spread its descendants over half the globe. memory. Nelson and Wellington themselves were less instrumental in producing its greatness. They upheld--but he created. Yet was this mighty genius and noble character the object of unmeasured obloquy in the generation which he had illustrated, and among the people whom he had saved. If there is any contrast more striking than another, it is between Marlborough as drawn by the party writers of the day, and Marlborough as now revealed by the impartial record of his actions, and the unerring testimony of his confidential correspondence.

* Mr Tytler.

CHAP.

XII.

1714.

438

THE LIFE OF MARLBOROUGH.

It is the fate of all men, in a world so largely influenced by passion and selfishness, who have made a great and lasting impression on human affairs, to be for a season borne down by such calumnies. Marlborough only underwent the fate which had been undergone by Cæsar, and was reserved for Napoleon. If the preceding pages shall contribute in any degree to aid in the illustration of so great a character, and to shed the light of historic truth on the actions of one of the most illustrious men whom the world has ever produced, the author's labours will not have been incurred in vain.

INDEX.

I

ABINGDON, lord, ii. 162.
Academies, the French, origin of the,
with Louis XIV., i. 57.

Act of Association, the, in favour of
William III., i. 18.

Act of Settlement, the British, i. 46.
Adda, check of Prince Eugene on the,
i. 231.

Administration, the system of, in France,
under Louis XIV., i. 56.

Agincourt, small force at the battle of,
i. 309.

Aicha, capture of, by Marlborough, i. 155.
Airè, siege and capture of, by the Allies,

ii. 128-restored to France by the
treaty of Utrecht, 232.
Aix-la-Chapelle, treaty of, i. 33-recep-
tion of Marlborough at, in 1713, ii. 247.
Albemarle, lord, defeated and compelled
to surrender at Denain, ii. 231
anecdote of, at the battle of Fontenoy,
311.

-

Albergotti, the marquis, defence of Douai

by, ii. 117, 122-operations under him
to arrest the siege of Bouchain, 196.
Albert, fort, capture of, by the French,
i. 409.

Alexander, the emperor, his measures

for the civilisation of Russia, ii. 100.
Alfarez, success of the Allies at, ii. 173.
Alicante, siege of, by the French, ii. 3.
Allegré, the marquis, defence of Bonn by,
i. 127 at the forcing of the lines of
the Meuse, 215-he is made prisoner
there, 216-overtures for peace made
through him in 1706, 278.
Alliance, first formation of the, by Marl-
borough, i. 28 et seq.-re-formation of
it after the death of William III., and
its forces, 47-talent of Marlborough
as shown in keeping it together, 197
-its fall simultaneous with his, ii. 172.

Allies, forces of the, at the commence
ment of the war, i. 81—their divisions
and weakness which arose from these
82-their difficulties regarding a com
mander-in-chief, and Marlborough at
last appointed, 86-their forces and
plans at the opening of the war, 92-
their gains by the campaign of 1702,
106-they are joined by Portugal, 123
-disasters sustained by them, 1703, on
the Upper Rhine and in Bavaria, 138
-they are joined by the Duke of
Savoy, 142-gains of the, by the cam-
paign of 1704, 186-their parsimony
after the battle of Blenheim, and its
injurious results, 194, 195-their su
pineness after the campaign of Blen-
heim, 202-their backwardness, &c. at
the opening of the campaign of 1706,
239-difficulties of Marlborough from
this, 240 dissensions among them
after the campaign of 1706, 280 —
threatened dissolution of their union,
284-successful efforts of Marlborough
to prevent this, 285-negotiations be-
tween them and France broken off, ib.
-advantages gained by them by the
campaign of 1706, and their position
at the opening of that of 1707, 292-
their efforts to secure Charles XII. of
Sweden, 298-their renewed jealousies
and procrastinations, 303-their de-
feat at Almanza, &c., 305-continued
disasters sustained by them in Spain
and on the Rhine in 1707, 321-their
invasion of Provence and its failure,
324 et seq. their forces for the cam-
paign of 1708, 378.

Their successes in the Mediterranean
and on the Rhine in 1708, ii. 1—their
jealousies, &c. in Italy in 1708, 4—
concessions offered by France to them

Allies, continued.

in 1709, 11-their counter proposals,
12-progress of the negotiations, 13-
their ultimatum, 16-their resolution
on the rupture of the negotiations, 19
-their conduct with regard to them,
20-losses sustained by them at Mal-
plaquet, 61-effects of their jealousies
in 1709, on the campaign on the Rhine,
100 continued jealousies among
them, and Marlborough's difficulties
with regard to these, 106-the con-
ferences for peace at Gertruydenberg,
108 their demands there, 109-and
causes of the rupture of the negotia-
tions, 110-their plans for the cam-
paign of 1710, 112-remonstrances by
them against the conclusion of peace
by England, 211-their forces in Flan-
ders for the campaign of 1712, 219—
their indignation at the defection of
England, 222-withdrawal of the Eng-
lish troops from theirs, 228-their
continued losses and failures after the
defection of England, 230 et seq.-final
dissolution of their alliance, 232.
Allies, objects for which they fought in

the wars of the Succession and of the
French revolution, ii. 324 et seq.
Allies, the, their invasion of France in
1814 and 1815 not parallel to Marl-
borough's, ii. 387.

Almanza, the battle of, i. 305-great re-
sults which followed it, 309-erroneous
tactics to which the greatness of its
results was due, 310-analogy between

it and the battle of Salamanca, ii. 85.
Almarez, capture of, by the French, ii. 177.
Alort, surrender of, to the Allies, i. 253.
Alps, passes of the, secured by the Allies,
ii. 4.

Alsace, the conquest of, by France, i. 33
-operations in, 1709, ii. 101.
American revolution, danger to Great
Britain during the, from the union of
France and Spain, ii. 352.
Amsterdam, anxiety for peace in, 1708,
i. 380.

Andalusia, support of the Bourbons in,

i. 273-enthusiasm in, in favour of
them, 1709, ii. 103.

Anglesea, lord, ii. 208, 210--appointed
vice-treasurer of Ireland, 153.
Anhalt, the prince of, at the siege of
Douai, ii. 122.

Anjou, the duke of, grandson of Louis

XIV., bequest of the crown of Spain
to him, i. 27, 38, 41-crowned king of
Spain as Philip V., 42, 43. See further
Philip V.

Anne, queen, Sarah Jennings lady-in-
waiting to her while princess, i. 9-her
expressed resolution to abandon her
father, 13-her desertion of him, 17-
settlement on her as princess after the
Revolution, 19-the debates regarding
her succession, 25-Marlborough pre-
ceptor to her son, ib.-her generosity
to Marlborough's daughters, 26-dying
recommendation by William III. to
her, 45-her accession, and confidence
reposed in Marlborough by her, 28, 46
-sketch of her character, 75—her first
cabinet chiefly composed of Tories, 85
-efforts to have her husband made
commander-in-chief of the allies, 86-
honours conferred by her on Marl-
borough after the campaign of 1702,
105-munificent offer to Marlborough
by her, 118-letter from her to the
duchess on the death of the marquis
of Blandford, 121-marriage portions
given by her to Marlborough's daugh-
ters, 122-her early attachment to the
duke and duchess of Marlborough,
336-her general character, ib.-causes
of her estrangement from them, 337-
her attachment to high-church prin-
ciples, ib.-and to the Tories, 338-
her estrangement from them increased
by the character of the duchess, Marl-
borough's absence, &c., 339-her va-
cillation and inconsistency, 340-the
appointment of lord Sunderland forced
by the Whigs upon her, 341-causes
of her dislike to him, 342-long holds
out against his appointment, but at
last yields, 344 et seq.-her continued
leaning toward the Tories, 350-mani-
festations of this in her ecclesiastical
preferments, 351-rise of Mrs Masham
(Abigail Hill) into influence with her,
353, 354-mutual recriminations be-
tween her and the duchess of Marl-
borough, 356-at first resists the dis-
missal of Harley, 364-but is at last
compelled to yield, 365-in secret is
ruled by Harley and Mrs Masham,
368-interview between her and the
duchess, 371.

Her increasing alienation from Marl-
borough, ii. 6-death of her husband,
and her reception of the duchess of
Marlborough on the occasion, 9— her
increasing coldness toward the duchess,
70-her conduct with regard to the
battle of Malplaquet, 72-her recep
tion of Marlborough's request to be
made captain-general for life, ib, et seq.—-
her speech on the battle of Malplaquet,

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