1705. BOOK V. the demise of the late king, the present war would in all probability never have existed." By this motion the tory party fancied they had reduced the whigs to an exquisite dilemma. If they opposed the motion, they would essentially injure their reputation in the view of the nation. at large, and of the electoral family in particular. If they acquiesced in it, they would lose the favor of the queen. But they extricated themselves from this embarrassment with great dexterity and felicity. They represented in forcible language the inconveniences and jealousies which would arise from a rivalry between the two courts; and they asserted the propriety of keeping the successor in a state of dependence upon the reigning sovereign. The earl of Wharton declared, "that he had ever looked upon the protestant succession as essential to the national liberty and happiness; and it was to him a subject of deep regret, that there were so many who appeared to think differently. He had lately heard, with an emotion of delight, the queen recommend from the throne union and agreement to all her subjects. It was now evident that there was a divinity about her when she spoke. The cause was certainly supernatural, for we saw the miracle that was wrought by it. Now all were He rejoiced in for the protestant succession. their conversion, and confessed it was a miracle. 1705. Act of re ed. Like most other new converts, however, their BOOK v. zeal far exceeded their judgment and discretion. He commended the warmth they had displayed, though he could not adopt the proposition they had offered." In lieu of a measure so replete with mischief and danger, his lordship moved for a bill establishing an eventual council of regency, which should be empowered to act on the demise of the queen, previous to the arrival of the successor. And the archbishop of Canterbury, the geacy passlord chancellor or keeper, the lord president, the lord treasurer, the lord privy seal, the lord high admiral, and the lord chief justice of England, for the time being, were nominated for that high trust. Besides these, the successor was authorised, by a clause of the bill, to send over an instrument sealed up, containing the names of such persons as he thought proper to join in the same trust as co-regents. This bill was received with great applause, and soon passed, with a trifling and disgraceful opposition from the rival faction, into a law, to the great chagrin of the tories, who found not only their own schemes entirely disconcerted, but that the whigs had taken the advantage of them to raise their credit as well with the queen as with the public, and even with the electoral family; who, by another act, were endowed with all the privileges of naturalization, rendered yet more valuable, or at least BOOK V. more honorable, by the singular distinction of its 1705. extending to all the descendants of the princess Sophia wheresoever born. The queen was in person present at the debate, and expressed great indignation and amazement at the arguments made use of by the tory lordswho treated her royal person and authority with very little appearance of respect-the duke of Buckingham, as an argument for inviting a successor so much farther advanced in life than the queen, even supposing the case of her falling into a state of idiotism and dotage. It was upon this occasion, as the duchess of Marlborough informs us, that the queen gave the first indications of any thing like a real reconcilement to the whigs. "I believe," said the queen, in a letter to the duchess, that dear Mrs. Freeman and I shall not disagree as we have formerly done: for I am sensible of the services those people have done me that you have a good opinion of, and I will countenance them; and am thoroughly convinced of the malice and insolence of them that you have always been speaking against." And at this time it was that the queen authorised lord Godolphin to give assurances to the chief leaders of the whigs, that she would put herself and her affairs into such hands as they should approve*. The queen had from her infancy imbibed the most unconquerable prejudices against the whigs. She had been 1705. It appears that the princss Sophia, now 75 BOOK V. years of age, but unimpaired in health, vivacity, and intellect, would have had no objection to accept an invitation from the English nation to fix her residence in England-in which case it was understood that a royal appanage, and the title of princess of Wales, would have been conferred upon her. She even wrote a letter to the archbishop of Canterbury, one of the few whigs who supported the motion of lord Haversham, expresssing her suspicions of some who had been numbered amongst the friends of her family, for the part they had taken in opposition to it. The earl Ambassy of of Halifax being sent to Hanover with the two Halifax to acts of regency and naturalization, the duke of Marlborough, and the lords Cowper and Somers, &c. wrote letters to the electoral court in vindication of their late conduct, which appear to have given complete satisfaction. The electress declared herself "charmed to see the respect and taught to took upon them all not only as republicans, who hated the very shadow of regal authority, but as implacable enemies to the church of England." I had often tried her Majesty upon this subject, and when I found that she would not hear of the immediate successor's coming over, had pressed her that she would at least invite hither the young prince of Hanover, and that she would let him live here as her son; but her Majesty would listen to no proposal of this kind, in any shape whatever." Conduct of the Duchess of Marlborough, p. 123, 150, the earl of Hanover. 1705. BOOK V. affection shewn by the parliament to her majesty." And lord Somers very properly suggested, "that if the invitation had been assented to with reluctancy on the part of the queen, it might have given rise to unkindnesses which in the end might have proved very fatal." The order of the garter was also presented to the electoral prince by lord Halifax, accompanied by a gracious declaration of the royal favour to the house of Hanover ; and from this period the whigs appear to have enjoyed the exclusive confidence of the electoral family. Scottish The queen having laid before the two houses the repealed. addresses of the Scottish parliament, expressive of their resolution not to enter into any negotiation respecting a union with England, until the act declaring them aliens, &c. should be repealed; a motion for that purpose was accordingly made, and unanimously acceded to; and the way was now clear for the opening a treaty as soon as the session of parliament should terminate. Church de clared to be ger. Much having been said in the late debates rewat in dan lative to the danger of the church, which was used by the tories as the watch-word of the party, by which they strove in this decline of their influence and popularity to awaken the fears and excite the passions of the people, lord Halifax moved to appoint a day to enquire into the grounds of this pretended danger-when a most vehement debate |