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departure, the death of the emperor Leopold rendered it necessary to depute an embassador of rank and consequence to Vienna, to cement the political relations of the two countries. The whigs instantly redoubled their efforts to procure an office for Sunderland, which though no way connected with the home administration, they hoped to render a preparatory step to the secretaryship of state. They were warmly seconded by the duchess, and at length even by Godolphin, who considered such a concession as a proper recompense for their support; and Marlborough was finally obliged to yield to a claim, which he could no longer combat, without incurring the imputation of an ill founded and unnatural prejudice.

These feuds of the contending parties, and the cabals of their agents, continued to perplex the duke in the midst of his military operations; for to him an appeal was made, generally and individually, from the sovereign herself to the meanest candidate for office. The moderate tories, through the medium of Harley, deprecated the gradual encroachments of the whigs; while the latter recriminated, through the agency of Sunderland and the duchess. Godolphin recurred to him for consolation and advice, in his contentions with the rival chiefs, as well as in his frequent struggles against the antipathies of the sovereign. The queen herself also resorted to him, as to a servant of congenial sentiments and approved fidelity, and solicited his interposition to defend her prerogative, and rescue her from what she deemed personal degradation. Above all, the duchess expatiated on the ill rewarded zeal and steady patriotism of the whigs, and lavished her sarcastic reflections on his political infatuation, and imprudent partiality to his tory friends.

In these circumstances we find him constantly employed in parrying the suggestions of Sunderland, soothing the complaints of Harley, encouraging and tranquillising Godolphin, exhorting the queen to submit to the necessity of her affairs, and above all, in combating the arguments, and repelling the acrimonious taunts of the duchess.

In fact the sarcastic reflections of his wife made a deeper

impression on his sensitive mind, than all his other embarrassments; and in his correspondence with her we trace a perpetual struggle between his irritability and conjugal tenderness. Two extracts will sufficiently indicate the tone which occasionally prevailed in their epistolary intercourse.

"Meldert, August 3.

"I received your's of the 17th yesterday, in which you complain of my having writ a cold letter, which you think may be occasioned by one I had then received from you. It is most certain that upon many occasions I have the spleen, and am weary of my life; for my friends give me much more uneasiness than my enemies, as you may guess by a copy of a letter I have sent to my lord treasurer. But for you, my dearest life, I love you so well, and have placed all my happiness in ending my days with you, that I would venture ten thousand lives to preserve your good opinion. You sometimes use the expression of my tory friends. As I never will enter into party and faction, I beg you will be so kind and just to me, as to believe that I will have no friends but such as will support the queen and government.-Your's of the 13th, which had the draught of the house and gardens, I received but this day, the french having taken the postillion, but they sent the letters back unopened.-I hope some time this summer you will go down to Woodstock for three or four days, and that you will let me know if Mr. Wise be still of the opinion that he shall be able to make all the plantations this next season, which would be a great pleasure to me at my return, if I could see the walks in the park planted."

"Corbais, August 24.

"I have this day received your's of the 5th and 6th from Tunbridge, as also one from lady Sunderland, which tells me that you are in good health, which I am extremely glad of; for I wish you all the happiness this world is capable of giving.-I have received the Observator, and am of your mind. When I differ from you it is not that I think those are in the right whom you say are always in the wrong; but it is that I would be glad not to enter into the unreasonable reasoning of either party, for I have trouble enough for

my

little head, in the business which of necessity I must do here. I thank you for the piece of a letter you sent me, for I own to you that I have a very great desire to have that work of Woodstock finished; and if I can be so happy as to live some years in quietness there with my dear soul, I shall think myself fully recompensed for all the vexations and troubles I am now obliged to undergo. I can never regret too much the last disappointment ; since I am every day more and more persuaded that we should have had good success, which must have put a good and speedy end to this war. I hope the Spa waters, which. I intend to take the beginning of this next month, will do my eyes good, since I am persuaded it is the heat of my blood which has occasioned their being sore."

These letters lead us to notice an erroneous opinion which has been sanctioned by history. It has been generally asserted that Marlborough evinced the same weakness as Belisarius, in submitting to the government of his wife. It cannot indeed be denied that in domestic life he indulged her caprices; and that in conferring offices of more emolument than trust, he occasionally listened to her recommendation. But the whole series of his correspondence shews that she possessed no influence in political affairs of importance, and was suffered to take no share in those arrangements which give character to the administration of government. The whigs, whose interest she particularly claims the merit of promoting, were little indebted to her importunities, and owed their introduction to power to the fears of the treasurer, to their strength in parliament, and above all to the conviction of Marlborough, that the war could not be vigorously prosecuted without their support.

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CHAPTER 33.

1705.

Marlborough arrives at the Hague-Difficulty in obtaining the consent of the dutch to his intended plan of operations-Obstacles derived from the circumstances of the court of Vienna, and the jealousy of the margrave of Baden-Death of the emperor Leopold, and accession of Joseph-Interview of Marlborough with the margrave of Baden at Rastadt-March of the troops to the Moselle.

NOTHING now remained to detain Marlborough in England;

for the supplies had been granted at an early period of the session, and the military preparations were matured. He therefore embarked at Harwich on the 31st of March, in one of the royal yachts, under the protection of a squadron commanded by the marquis of Caermarthen, and after a troublesome and dangerous passage, entered the mouth of the Meuse. He experienced considerable difficulty in ascending the river; several of the yachts falling among the sands. At length he entered an open boat, and after four hours labour against wind and tide, he reached the Brill towards midnight. Impatient to arrive at the Hague, he re-embarked at five in the morning, and soon effected the passage of the Meuse. He was, however, so fatigued by his exertions, that Cardonnel was commissioned to announce his arrival to secretary Harley, and he wrote only a few hasty lines to the duchess.*

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"I have been so very sick at sea, that my blood is as hot as if I were in a fever, which makes my head ache extremely, so that I

State Paper Office.

beg you will make my excuse to lord treasurer, for I can write to no body but my dear soul, whom I love above my life. I am now just going to bed, although I know I cannot sleep, yet I know it. will do me good, so that you will excuse me for saying no more till next post."

His first business was to communicate to the States the plan for the ensuing campaign, which had been secretly concerted with prince Eugene at the siege of Landau, and approved by the cabinet in England. It was to invade France on the side of the Moselle, which was the least defensible part of the frontier, and to penetrate into Lorrain, the sovereign of which duchy was, to use Marlborough's own words, "heart and soul with the allies," and the inhabitants eager to take arms in behalf of the house of Austria. The final operations of the last campaign had been preparatory to this object. As Treves and Traerbach afforded secure places of arms, the magazines were to be there collected; and early in the spring the combined army, amounting to no less than 90,000 men, was to assemble between the Saar and the Moselle, and to commence the siege of Saar Louis, before the french could take the field. Marlborough, with the native and auxiliary troops in the pay of the maritime powers, was to penetrate along the Moselle, while the margrave of Baden with an austrian force and the contingents of the circles, was to act on the side of the Saar, and co-operate in the grand attack. The imperial ministers had solemnly engaged that their forces should be ready to take the field early in the spring, and similar promises were made by the german princes, to furnish the requisite horses and artillery.

From his recent success, Marlborough naturally conceived hopes of obtaining the immediate acquiescence of the dutch. But he found at this time the same weakness of government, the same discordance of views, and the same factious opposition as he had before experienced from the parties in Holland. Although eager to repair to the theatre of action, he was detained at the Hague, in combating the timid or frivolous objections of the dutch government; and his impatience breaks forth in his correspondence.

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