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sham rises

with the

Queen.

BOOK V. the court-Mrs. Masham, a relation of the du1707. chess of Marlborough, and introduced by her to the queen; over whom she had, by her soft and insinuating manners, so opposite to the imperious. deportment of the duchess, acquired such an ascendency, that her grace was absolutely supplanted before she was apprised of the danger. Mrs. Mrs. Mar- Masham had formed a strict connection with the into favour secretary of state, Harley, who had in conjunction with her devised a project of raising himself to the summit of power on the ruins of the present ministry, whose whole system of politics he found secretly distasteful to the queen. The sccretary had been frequently introduced by the favorite to private audiences of the queen, in which he represented to her, who was extremely jealous of her authority, the political thraldom in which she was held by the Marlborough family; and he practised on the goodness and humanity of the queen's disposition, by reprobating the boundless ambition and avarice which prompted the general to continue a war so fruitful of misery and calamity—a war which might indeed be necessary to his greatness, but which it would be easy to terminate on very advantageous and honorable terms for the sovereign and nation. "Though the queen," says a cotemporary author, "had no dislike to the triumphs of a thanksgiving day, she ever thought it purchased much

too dearly by the lives of her subjects. She had a heart which overflowed with humanity: the lists of the slain and wounded were seldom laid before her, but her eyes swam with tears, which neither the joy of victory nor the formality of congratulation could restrain*." The advancement of Sunderland would of course tend to strengthen that influence, which the queen had now learned to dread; and the personal consequence of Harley, who feared not the competition of sir Charles Hedges, would be greatly eclipsed by the promotion of a man of Sunderland's high rank, connections, and political ability, of which he had already given in a late embassy to Vienna very demonstrative proofs. After a long and obstinate resistance, the queen thought proper to yield the point in contest; and the earl of Sunderland was declared secretary of state in December 1706. But from this moment the Marlborough interest was undermined, and in imminent danger of eventual subversion.

BOOK V.

1707.

* Other Side of the Question.

BOOK VI.

Embassy of the Duke of Marlborough to the King of Sweden. Campaign in Flanders and Germany, A. D. 1707. Unsuccessful Attempt on Toulon. Battle of Almanza. Shipwreck of Sir Cloudesley Shovel. First Parliament of Great Britain convened. Debates respecting the War in Spain. Privy Council of Scotland abolished. Secretary Harley dismissed. Whigs lose the Favor of the Queen. Invasion of Scotland by the Pretender. Campaign in Flanders, &c. A. D. 1703. Battle of Oudenard. Conquest of Lisle. Sardinia and Minorca reduced. Singular Contest with the Court of Russia. Death of the Prince of Denmark. Session of Parliament. Act of Grace. Conferences for Peace opened at the Hague. War becomes unpopular in England. Campaign in Flanders, A. D. 1709. Battle of Malplaquet. Military Operations in Spain. Extraordinary Defence of the Castle of Alicant. King of Sweden defeated at Pultowa. New Overtures of Peace made by France. Session of Parliament. Trial of Sacheverel. Great Popularity of the Tories. Entire Change of Administration. Conferences of Peace revived at Gertruydenberg. Campaign in Flanders, A. D. 1710.—and in Spain. Victories of Almanara and Saragossa. Reverse of Fortune. Disaster at Brihuega. Session of Parliament. Violence of the Tories. Proceedings of the Convocation against Whiston. Death of the Emperor Joseph—and of the Dauphin. State of Politics on the Continent. Campaign in Flanders, A. D. 1711. Capture of Bouchaine. Archduke Charles elected Emperor. Naval transactions. Ill-concerted Attempt against Quebec,

Clandestine Negociations with

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France.

Bill passed.

Session of Parliament.

Occasional Conformity Duke of Marlborough dismissed from his Employments. Creation of Twelve Peers. Debates on the Barrier Treaty. Scottish Toleration Bill. Congress held at Utrecht. Campaign, A. D. 1712, in Flanders. Fatal Cessation of Arms. Disasters of the Allies. Treaty of Utrecht signed. Session of Parliament. Attempt to dissolve the

Union. Debts of the Crown discharged. Ministerial Dis-
putes and Cabals. Affairs of Ireland. State of Europe.
Treaty of Rastadt. Session of Parliament. Debates on the
Danger of the Protestant Succession. Writ demanded for the
Electoral Prince. Death of the Princess Sophia. Schism
Bill passed. Measures of the Court hostile to the Pretender.
Dismission of the Earl of Oxford. Death of the Queen.
Review of her Character.

BOOK VI. IN the spring of the present year, 1707, the 1707. duke of Marlborough, whose talents were equalEmbassy of

Marlbo

rough to

King of
Sweden.

the Duke of ly adapted to the cabinet and the field, was the invested with a very important embassy to the king of Sweden. This monarch, after forcing, as has been related, the Danish court to a separate peace at Travendahl, passed over into Ingria, where the czar Peter was engaged in the siege of Narva at the head of an army of 80,000 Russians. Leading without hesitation to the attack a body of troops not exceeding 10,000 men, he gave the czar a total and memorable defeat. Believing the Swedish provinces on that side secure, and despising so imbecile an enemy, he advanced into Livonia, and compelled the king of Poland to raise the siege of Riga. Afterwards attacking the united army of Poles and Saxons on the banks

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