LETTER had been fecured in the house of lords, by the introduction of the twelve new peers. That great man was therefore obliged to return to the continent, with A. D. 1712. out being able to do any thing for the intereft of the allies; though, during his ftay in England, it is affirmed that he fuggefted many defperate expedients, and fome violent, and even inhuman measures, for depriving the Tories of the adminiftration 33. But thefe were all prudently rejted by the Hanoverian refident and the leaders of the Whigs; as an infurrection, or popular tumult, if not finally fuccefsful, befide the mifchief it might otherwife have occafioned, would have endangered the Proteftant Succeffion. They refused to employ any but legal means. DURING thofe ineffectual intrigues, the English ministry gained a new victory over their political adverfaries. Lord Townfhend, who had been employed in the negociations for peace, in 1709, had concluded a treaty with the States of the United Provinces, by which Lifle, Tournay, Menin, Douay, and feveral places on the Lys and the Scheld, were guarantied to the Dutch as a barrier, at the end of the war. And they undertook to guaranty, in return, the Proteftant Succeffion; to aid with their fleets and armies the Prefumptive Heirs of the British Crown, whenever that Sucesion fhould appear to be in danger 39. 38. Mem. de Torcy, tom. ii. Stuart papers, 1713. He is faid to have propot d to fet fire to London, in different places, in the night; that, in the aid of the confufion, the duke of Marlborough should appear at the head of a party in arms; that he should firft poffels himfelf of the Tower, the Bank, the Exchequer, and then feize the perfon of the queen; force her to diffolve the parliament, to call a rew r. presentative, to make a free inquiry into the clandeftine correl refpondence with France, and to punish the guilty with death. Id. ibid. 39. Mem de Torcy, tom. ii. Burnet, book vii. THESE PART II. A. D. 1712. THESE engagements were perfectly conformable to the declared views of the late miniftry, who had ratified the treaty, but utterly inconfiftent with those of the prefent, as well as with their fafety. They were not ignorant that the Whigs, and perhaps even the States, pretended that this perilous period was already arrived. They were alfo fenfible, that France would with difficulty yield cities and towns that were.effential to their own defence. And being determined to remove every obftacle that might retard the peace, they brought the Barrier Treaty, and all the tranfactions relative to it, before the House of Commons, under pretence that Townshend had exceeded his inftructions. The commons, entirely governed by the court, voted that feveral articles of the treaty were deftruc. tive to the interefts of Great Britain; and therefore, that he who negociated and figned the treaty, having no authority to infert thofe pernicious articles, was an enemy to the queen and the kingdom. Ir is not a little furprifing, that at the fame time the late ministry were concluding this treaty, which had folely for its object, on the part of Great Britain, the fecurity of the Hanoverian fucceffion, Mariborough and Godolphin, who directed the meafare, were still holding out hopes to the court of St. Germains. Godolphin is faid only to have regretted his fall, as it deprived him of the power of serving effectually the excluded family. “Harley, I hope," faid he, "will reftore the King," for fo he called the Pretender-"but he will make France neceffary to that "measure: I defigned to have done the business 2lone 41." 41. Stuart Paperi, 1709. MARL LETTER XXIII, MARLBOROUGH, though perhaps lefs fincere in his profeffions, was more liberal in his promises of fuccefs. While he lamented, that he was not likely A. D.1712. to be employed in concluding the peace, as he might, in that cafe, he faid, have done effential fervice to the old caufe, he affured the court of St. Germains, that the eyes of the people would be gradually opened. They "will fee their intereft," added he, "in refloring "their King. I perceive fuch a change in his favour, "that I think it impoffible but he must fucceed; "but when he fhall fucceed, let there be no retrof"pect. All that has been done fince the Revolution "must be confirmed. His bufinefs is to gain all, by "offending none. As for myself," continues Marlborough, "I take God to witnefs, that what I have "done for many years," confcious that his original defertion of his benefactor could not be vindicated, was neither from fpleen to the ROYAL FAMILY, "nor ill-will to their caufe, but to humble the power "of France; a fervice as useful to the KING, as it "is beneficial to his kingdom +2." 42 THESE extracts feem to prove, That although both the late and the prefent minifters, Oxford excepted, intended to call the Pretender to the throne, their views in regard to that measure were very different. The former meant to connect it with the aggrandifement of Great Britain, and the humiliation of France; the latter, to lean upon France for fupport. And for that fupport they were willing to facrifice the honour and intereft of the nation; to defert the true system of European policy, under pretence of ceconomy, and to fink into that ftate of abject dependence upon a 42. Stuart Papers, 110 PART. II. rival power, which had difgraced the reigns of the fecond Charles and the fecond James. LA A. D. 1712 Jan. 18. BUT fuch obfervations apart, my dear Philip, the politics of England, during this period, afford an object for philofophic curiofity, to which there is perhaps no parallel in the annals of mankind. That Marlborough and Godolphin, the great leaders of the Whigs, while pursuing with zeal the views of that party, had always in contemplation the re-establi ment of the family of Stuart! and that Oxford, the head of the Tories, and a reputed Jacobite, fhould ftcure, by his addrefs, the fucceffion of the houfe of Brunswick, without being able to acquire their confidence, and while he was known to be at bottom a Whig by the queen and the court of St. Germains, whofe confidence he was thought to poffefs, and whese views he was fuppofed to promote 43! are fingular particulars in the hiftory of human nature. WHILE the English miniflry were smoothing at home the road to peace, general conferences were opened at Utrecht, for reftoring tranquillity to Lurope. And the earl of Strafford and the bishop of Bristol, the plenipotentiaries of Great Britain, in order to reconcile the confederates to the negociation, declared that the preliminaries figned by Menager, and accepted by St. John, to which they artfully gave the name of propefals, were neither binding on the queen for her allies <*. This declaration com pofed the fpirits of the confederates in fome degree. But before any progrefs could be made in the treaty, certain unexpected incidents gave a new turn to the negociations, and alarmed queen Anne and her Tory 44. Burnet, book, vä. 43. Compare Stuart and Hanover Papers, miniftry miniftry for the fate of that peace which they had fo LETTER much as heart. XXIII. A. D. 1712. THE Dauphin of France, the only legitimate fon of Lewis XIV. having died the preceding year, had been fucceeded in his title, as heir to the French monarchy, by his eideft fon, the duke of Burgundy. That prince alfo died early in the prefent year; and, in three weeks after, his fon, the duke of Brittany. Feb. 13. In confequence of this uncommon mortality, which has been afcribed to the ambitious intrigues of the duke of Orleans, the duke of Anjou, a fickly infant, the fole furviving fon of the duke of Burgundy, only ftood between the king of Spain and the crown of France. The confederates were, therefore, filled with reasonable apprehenfions, left that union of the two monarchs, which it had been the chief objec of the war to prevent, should at last be completed, after all their fucceffes, by the death of a puny child, and the lukewarmaefs, if not treachery, of a principal ally. And the queen of England and her minifters were not a little at a lofs how to quiet thefe well grounded fears. EXTRAORDINARY as it may feem, the British miniftry had not hitherto furnished their plenipotensiaries with inftructions relative to the Spanish fucceffion 42. These were referved for a confidential envoy, iatended to be joined with the two former, and who had been employed in the fecret negociations with France 43. Though the earl of Strafford and the bifhop of Bristol were Tories, and wholly devoted to the 42. Swift's Hijl, of the four loft Years of Queen Anne. 43. Mr. Prior, fo well known by his fprightly poems, and who had a principal fhare in all the negociations relative to the peace of Utrecht. VOL. IV. Ff court, |