So ended these remarkable scenes between the favourite lady of queen Anne and the envoy of Louis XIV.; notwithstanding some discrepancies, there are coincidences between the despatches of the marquis de Torcy, the minister of Louis XIV. and this narrative, which render it, in the main, worthy of historical credit. Mesnager departed to France next day, held his conference with Louis XIV., and joined the congress at Utrecht, as a French plenipotentiary, January 18, 1712. One of the most remarkable features of the new administration was, that the queen had appointed a clergyman as her principal palace-minister, by placing the privy-seal in the hands of Dr. John Robinson, bishop of Bristol. It was likewise her wish that, through the agency of a prelate of the church of England, her war-wearied people should receive the blessings of peace. It was the first instance of a church-of-England clergyman holding any office in the government of the country since the reign of Charles I.' An odd circumstance marked the appointment of bishop Robinson, lord-privy-seal, to negotiate the peace at Utrecht; -in his short voyage between England and the Low Countries, he experienced a very extraordinary loss: he lost New Year's Day, the New Year's Day of 1712; for he set sail on the 29th December, Old Style, and he found himself after two days' prosperous voyage at his journey's end, considerably advanced in the month of January; for the congress at Utrecht reckoned, like all the Christian world except England and Russia, by the New Style. The incident is touched upon in his Windsor Prophecy, with humorous quaintness by Swift, who declared that when the holy plenipotentiary "Shall not see New-year's Day in all that year, Speak against peace full many a word." It is true that archbishop Tennison had been named as one of the nine regents repeatedly, in the absences of William III., but he took little part in government. 2 Dr. Robinson was dean of Windsor, as well as bishop of Bristol, and the peace-congress of Utrecht was of course held in the Low Countries. The earl of Nottingham's tall, dark person is here designated by the allusion to his family name of Finch. It seems he was still most vehement against peace. The ratification of the peace of Utrecht, perhaps the most trite subject in modern history, cannot occupy much room in these pages, although its heavy memory has been awakened from the sleep into which its own ineffable dulness had consigned it, together with the works of its contemporary historians for nearly a century, by the cry lately raised in its name against the marriage of the duke of Montpensier and the second daughter of Spain. ANNE, QUEEN REGNANT OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. CHAPTER XI. Queen Anne receives an unwelcome ambassador-Her disgust at his tie-wigQueen's Tory drawing-room-Queen presents prince Eugene with a sword worth 40002.-The Whig ladies desert the queen's drawing-room-Queen's operatic entertainments-Conspiracy to depose or control the queen-Her farewell audience of prince Eugene-Queen witnesses an expounding of prophecy-Receives a Scottish antiquary-Orders the performance of the tragedy of "Mary Queen of Scots"-Receives news of the death of her sister, Louisa Stuart-Shows lord Dartmouth a letter from Louis XIV. on this event-Queen's intentions for this princess-Queen ill with an autumn fever-She is informed of the death of lord Godolphin-Discusses his character with lord Dartmouth-Her reminiscences concerning the revolution -Other gossiping conversations of the queen with Dartmouth-Threats of the duchess of Marlborough to disgrace the queen-Queen protected by her premier, who forces Marlborough to leave England-His duchess gives away the queen's picture and departs - Threatens the queen with printing her letters in Holland-Jacobites in the queen's palace Honours and favour bestowed by the queen on the duke of Hamilton-Her plans reversed by his tragical death-Queen engaged in a dispute regarding the bishopric of Hereford-Her partiality to the duchess of Somerset-Jest on the queen's speech to parliament-Her speech delayed by ill health-Queen announces the peace of Utrecht to parliament-Statistics of her reign Her letters of remonstrance against executions Queen appoints Swift as dean of St. Patrick's-Alarming illness of the queen-Reports of her death-Her letters to Hanover-Rewards d'Urfey for satirizing the electress Sophia, &c. THE queen's firmness had to stand a new trial, before the final dismissal of the remnant of the Marlborough faction. When the treaty of peace seemed to progress in a decidedly favourable manner before the congress at Utrecht, prince Eugene was sent by the new emperor to England, ostensibly with compliments regarding his election; likewise, to use his powers of persuasion to induce the queen to continue the war at her own expense. It was well known, that prince Eugene meant to exert, to the utmost, his military popularity with the English, as the colleague of Marlborough in most of his victories, to support the war-faction against the queen. Dark hints are thrown out by most contemporaries relative to the intrigues used by this imperial general and ambassador during his sojourn in London. It is certain, that the queen made every possible excuse to delay his visit; and the admiral of her majesty's fleet on the Dutch coast, to avoid sailing, pleaded the contrariety of wind and weather; but the prince came on board, complaining of the loss of his time, and was safely landed at Greenwich, January 6, 1712, despite of all impediments.' Leicester House, Leicester-square, was the abode assigned to prince Eugene by her majesty." "He was not to see the queen till six this evening," wrote Swift, January 7th. "I hope and believe he comes too late to do the Whig cause any good. I went at six to see him at court, but he was gone in to the queen, and when he came out, Mr. Secretary St. John, who introduced him to her majesty, walked so near him, that he quite screened him with his great periwig." The wig costume of the court of the royal Anne was, throughout his visit, a source of no little tribulation to Eugene of Savoy: the eclipse of his person, by the flowing periwig of Mr. Secretary St. John, was the least of his mortifications. He was very soon made sensible that her Britannic majesty had taken offence at his venturing into her august presence without being adorned in one of these formidable appendages. Eugene of Savoy had committed this outrage knowingly and wilfully; for Hoffman, his imperial master's resident minister, had solemnly warned him of the result before he entered the presence-chamber at St. James's-"That queen Anne could not abide any one that was presented to her without a fullbottomed periwig, whereas his wig was a tied-up wig." The prince, who was already in the royal ante-chamber, 1 Cunningham's History of England, vol. ii. p. 402. * Swift's Journal, Feb. 1711-12. 1 exclaimed, "I know not what to do; I never had a long periwig in my life, and I have sent to all my valets and footmen to know whether any of them have one, that I might borrow it, but not one has such a thing!" He spoke with impatience and contempt, which being duly reported to queen Anne, increased her indignation at the intrusion of a tie-wig. The poor queen was, in truth, most unwilling to receive, yet dared not decline, the visit of this unwelcome guest. Forced to treat him publicly with every demonstration of respect, and to order the preparation of costly gifts for his acceptance, yet Anne, in private, gave many indications of sadness and sullenness, and vented her temper to her familiar friends, by captious remarks on his dress, especially concerning the improper species of periwig which the Italian hero audaciously carried into her august presence. The beauty of prince Eugene was not sufficiently remarkable to authorize the queen's extreme solicitude respecting his outward adornments; for Swift adds to his description of her warlike visitor: "I saw prince Eugene at court to-day; he is plaguy yellow, and literally ugly besides." 2 The queen was, soon after, taken with a fit of gout, kept from chapel all Sunday, and was supposed to be politically indisposed. "If the queen's gout increases, it will spoil sport," wrote Swift; "for prince Eugene has two fine suits made up against her birth-day, and her majesty is to present him then with a sword worth 40007., the diamonds set transparent." The queen's recovery, however, enabled her to keep this remarkable birth-day according to the splendid preparations made for its celebration. All the Whig officials, ladies and lords, had been cleared out of the court-places, in pursuance of Swift's recent advice, and the new occupants were to be presented to her on their appointments. "The vicechamberlain told me," wrote Swift, "a few days previously, that lady Rialton, Marlborough's eldest daughter, had yesterday resigned her employment of lady of the bed-chamber, and that lady Jane Hyde, lord Rochester's daughter (a mighty pretty girl) is to succeed. Lady Sunderland, the 1 Swift's Journal, January 7, 1711-12; likewise Correspondence. Ibid., Feb. 1711-12. |