Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and the Earl of Godolphin; which spread in time through all their allies and relations, particularly to the Earl of Hertford, whose ungovernable temper had made him fail in his personal respects to her majesty. This I take to have been the principal ground of the queen's resolutions to make a change of some officers both in her family and kingdom; and that these resolutions did not proceed from any real apprehension she had of danger to the church or monarchy for, although she had been strictly educated in the former, and very much approved its doctrine and discipline, yet she was not so ready to foresee any attempts against it by the party then presiding. But the fears that most influenced her were such as concerned her own power and prerogative, which those nearest about her were making daily encroachments upon, by their undutiful behaviour and unreasonable demands. The deportment of the Duchess of Marlborough, while the prince lay expiring, was of such a nature, that the queen, then in the height of grief, was not able to bear it; but with marks of displeasure in her countenance, she ordered the duchess to withdraw, and send Mrs Masham to her.

I forgot to relate an affair that happened, as I remember, about a twelvemonth before Prince George's death. This prince had long conceived an incurable aversion from that party, and was resolved to use his utmost credit with the queen his wife to get rid of them. There fell out an incident which seemed to favour this attempt; for the queen, resolving to bestow a regiment upon Mr Hill,* brother to Mrs Masham, signified her pleasure to

* The regiment of the deceased Earl of Essex. When the Duke

the Duke of Marlborough; who, in a manner not very dutiful, refused his consent, and retired in anger to the country. After some heats, the regiment was given to a third person. But the queen resented this matter so highly, which she thought had been promoted by the Earl of Godolphin, that she resolved immediately to remove the latter. I was told, and it was then generally reported, that Mr St John carried a letter from her majesty to the Duke of Marlborough, signifying her resolution to take the staff from the Earl of Godolphin, and that she expected his grace's compliance; to which the duke returned a very humble answer. I cannot engage

for this passage, it having never come into my head to ask Mr St John about it; but the account Mr Harley and he gave me was, That the Duke of Marlborough, and the Earl of Godolphin, had concerted with them upon a moderating scheme, wherein some of both parties should be employed, but with a more favourable aspect toward the church: That a meeting was appointed for completing this work: That, in the meantime, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and the Earl of Godolphin, were secretly using their utmost efforts with the queen, to turn Mr Harley (who was then secretary of

of Marlborough observed the queen determined to bestow the regiment upon Hill, brother of the rival favourite, he wrote to the queen a very haughty letter, saying, that this was but one of many mortifications to which he had been subjected, and that he begged her majesty to reflect what her subjects and the rest of the world must think, since the love, zeal, and duty with which he had served her, were unable to protect him against the malice of a bedchamber woman. And he concluded with praying leave to retire; a threat, which, though successful in this instance, he used so often as to destroy its terror.

state) and all his friends out of their employments: That the queen, on the other side, who had a great opinion of Mr Harley's integrity and abilities, would not consent, and was determined to remove the Earl of Godolphin. This was not above a month before the season of the year when the Duke of Marlborough was to embark for Flanders; and the very night in which Mr Harley and his friends had appointed to meet his grace and the Earl of Godolphin, George Churchill, the duke's brother, who was in good credit with the prince, told his highness, "That the duke was firmly determined to lay down his command, if the Earl of Godolphin went out, or Mr Harley and his friends were suffered to continue in." The prince, thus intimidated by Churchill, reported the matter to the queen; and, the time and service pressing, her majesty was unwillingly forced to yield. The two great lords failed the appointment; and the next morning, the duke, at his levee, said aloud, in a careless manner, to those who stood round him, "That Mr Harley was turned out."*

* The Duchess of Marlborough gives the following account of this intrigue:" Lord Marlborough and Lord Godolphin had often told the queen, in the most respectful manner, that it was impossible for them to do her any service while Mr Harley was in her confidence. Her majesty nevertheless seemed determined not to part with him, till at length these two lords, being urged by necessity to it, declared their resolution to serve no longer with him; and they absented themselves from the council. Mr Harley would have proceeded to business without them, when the council met; but the Duke of Somerset said, he did not see how it could be to any purpose, when neither the general nor the treasurer was present, whereupon the council immediately broke up. This had such an effect upon the queen, that very soon after Mr Harley was dismissed from his post." Page 212.

Upon the prince's death, November 1708, the two great lords so often mentioned, who had been for some years united with the low church party, and had long engaged to take them into power, were now in a capacity to make good their promises, which his highness had ever most strenuously opposed. The Lord Somers was made president of the council, the Earl of Wharton lieutenant of Ireland, and some others of the same stamp were put into considerable posts.

It should seem to me, that the duke and earl were not very willingly drawn to impart so much power to those of that party, who expected these removals for some years before, and were always put off upon pretence of the prince's unwillingness to have them employed. And I remember, some months before his highness's death, my Lord Somers, who is a person of reserve enough, complained to me, with great freedom, of the ingratitude of the duke and earl, who, after the service he and his friends had done them in making the Union, would hardly treat them with common civility. Neither shall I ever forget, that he readily owned to me, that the Union was of no other service to the nation, than by giving a remedy to that evil which my Lord Godolphin had brought upon us, by persuading the queen to pass the Scotch act of security.* But to return from this di gression.

Upon the admission of these men into employments,

* It was the opinion of Swift, how unjustly time has shown that the union with Scotland was no otherwise advantageous to England than as it secured her against the danger of the northern, part of the island passing to another sovereign. This he expressed so strongly in the "Public Spirit of the Whigs," as to bring on him the bitter resentment of all the Scottish peerage.

the court soon ran into extremity of low church measures; and although, in the House of Commons, Mr Harley, Sir Simon Harcourt, Mr St John, and some others, made great and bold stands in defence of the constitution, yet they were always borne down by a majority.

It was, I think, during this period of time, that the Duke of Marlborough, whether by a motive of ambition, or a love of money, or by the rash counsels of his wife the duchess, made that bold attempt, of desiring the queen to give him a commission to be general for life. Her majesty's answer was, "That she would take time to consider it ;" and, in the meanwhile, the duke advised with the Lord Cowper, then chancellor, about the form in which the commission should be drawn. The chancellor, very much to his honour, endeavoured to dissuade the duke from engaging in so dangerous an affair, and protested," he would never put the great seal to such a commission." But the queen was highly alarmed at this extraordinary proceeding in the duke; and talked to a person whom she had taken into confidence, as if she apprehended an attempt upon the crown. The Duke of Argyle, and one or two more lords, were (as I have been told) in a very private manner brought to the queen. This duke was under great obligations to the Duke of Marlborough, who had placed him in a high station in the army, preferred many of his friends, and procured him the garter. But his unquiet and ambitious spirit, never easy while there was any one above him, made him, upon some trifling resentments, conceive an inveterate hatred against his general.

*

The Duke of Argyle was once high in Swift's friendship, as