It only remained to remove the duke of Marlborough from his poft, as he would endeavour to traverse all their negociations. But here again a difficulty started; this ftep could not be taken without giving offence to the Dutch, who placed entire confidence in him; they were obliged, therefore, to wait for fome convenient occafion. Upon his return from this campaign he was accused of having taken a bribe of fix thoufand pounds a-year from a Jew, who contracted to fupply the army with bread; and the queen thought proper to difmifs him from all his employments. This was the pretext made ufe of, though his fall had been predetermined, and though his receiv ing fuch a bribe was not the real caufe of his removal, yet candour must confefs that it ought to have been so.

In the mean time Prior, much more famous as a poet than a statesman, was fent over with proposals to France; and Menager, a man of no great ftation, returned with Prior to London, with full powers to treat upon the preliminaries.

The miniftry having got thus far, the great difficulty fill lay before them, of making the terms of peace agree able to all the confederates. The Earl of Stafford, who had been lately recalled from the Hague, where he refided as ambassador, was now fent back to Holland, with orders to communicate to the penfionary Heinfius the preliminary propofals, to fignify the queen's approbation of them, and to propofe a place where the plenipotentiaries fhould affemble. The Dutch were very averse to begin the conference, upon the inspection of the prelimimaries. They fent over an envoy to attempt to turn the queen from her refolution, but finding their efforts vain, they fixed upon Utrecht as the place of general conference, and they granted paffports to the French minifters. accordingly.

The conference began at Utrecht under the conduct of Robinfon, bishop of Bristol, lord privy-feal, and the earl of Stafford, on the fide of the English; of Buys and Vanderduffen on the part of the Dutch; and of the marfhal d'Uxelles, the cardinal Polignac, and Mr. Menager, in behalf of France. The ministers of the Emperor and Savoy affifted, and the other allies fent alfo plenipoten

tiaries,

tiaries, though with the utmost reluctance. As England and France were the only two powers that were seriously inclined to peace, it may be fuppofed that all the other deputies ferved rather to retard than advance its progrefs. They met rather to ftart new difficulties, and widen the breach, than to quiet the diffentions of Europe.

The English minifters, therefore, finding multiplied obftructions from the deliberations of their allies, fet on foot a private negociation with France. They ftipulated certain advantages for the fubjects of Great Britain in a concerted plan of peace. They refolved to enter into fuch mutual confidence with the French, as would anticipate all clandeftine tranfactions to the prejudice of the coalition.

In the beginning of Auguft, fecretary St. John, A. D. who had been created lord viscount Bolingbroke, 1712. was fent to the court of Versailles to remove all obftructions to the feparate treaty. He was accompanied by Mr. Prior, and the Abbe Gualtier, and treated with the utmoft diftinguished marks of respect. He was careffed by the French king, and the marquis de Torcy, with whom he adjusted the principal interests of the duke of Savoy, and the elector of Bavaria.

At length the treaties of peace and commerce between England and France being agreed on by the plenipotentiaries on either fide, and ratified by the queen, she acquainted her parliament of the fteps fhe had taken.

The articles of this famous treaty were longer canvaffed, and more warmly debated, than thofe of any other treaty read of in hiftory. The number of different interefts concerned, and the great enmity and jealoufy fubfifting be tween all, made it impoffible that all could be satisfied; and indeed there feemed no other method of obtaining peace but that which was taken, for the two principal powers concerned to make their own articles, and to leave the reft for a subject of future difcuffion.

The firft ftipulation was, that Philip, now acknowledged king of Spain, fhould renounce all right to the crown of France, the union of two fuch powerful kingdoms being thought dangerous to the liberties of Europe. It was agreed that the duke of Berry, Philip's brother,

and

and after him in fucceffion, should also renounce his right to the crown of Spain, in cafe he became king of France. It was ftipulated, that the duke of Savoy fhould poffefs the island of Sicily, with the title of king, together with Feneftrelles, and other places on the continent, which increase of dominion was in fome measure made out of the fpoils of the French monarchy. The Dutch had that barrier granted them, which they fo long fought after; and if the crown of France was deprived of fome dominions to enrich the duke of Savoy, on the other hand the houfe of Auftria was taxed to fupply the wants of the Hollanders, who were put in poffeffion of the ftrongest towns in Flanders. With regard to England, its glory and its interefts were fecured. The fortifications of Dunkirk, an harbour that might be dangerous to their trade, in time of war, were ordered to be demolished, and its port deftroyed. Spain gave up all right to Gibraltar, and the ifland of Minorca. France refigned her pretenfions to Hudfon's bay, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland; but they were left in poffeffion of Cape Breton, and the liberty of drying their fish upon the thore. Among these articles, glorious to the English nation, their fetting free the French Proteftants, confined in the prifons and galleys for their religion, was not the leaft meritorious.For the Emperor, it was ftipulated, that he fhould poffefs the kingdom of Naples, the dutchy of Milan, and the Netherlands. The king of Pruffia was to have Upper Guelder; and a time was fixed for the Emperor's ac ceding to thefe articles, as he had for fome time obftinately refused to affift at the negociation. Thus Europe feemed to be formed into one great republic, the different members of which were cantoned out to different governors, and the ambition of any one state amenable to the tribunal of all. Thus is appears that the English miniftry did juftice to all the world; but their country denied that juftice to them..

But while the Whigs were attacking the Tory ministers from without, thefe were in much greater danger from their own internal diffentions. Lord Oxford and lord Bolingbroke, though they had ftarted with the fame principles and defigns, yet having vanquished other oppofers,

now

now began to turn their ftrength against each other. Both began to form separate interefts, and to adopt different principles. Oxford's plan was the more moderate, Bolingbroke's the more vigorous, but the more fecure. Oxford it was thought was entirely for the Hanover fucceffion; Bolingbroke had fome hopes of bringing in the Pretender. But though they hated each other moft fincerely, yet they were for a while kept together by the good offices of their friends and adherents, who had the melancholy profpect of feeing the citadel of their hopes, while openly befieged from without, fecretly undermin ing within.

This was a mortifying profpect to the Tories; but it was more particularly difpleafing to the queen, who daily faw her favourite miniftry declining, while her own health kept pace with their contentions. Her conftitution was now quite broken. One fit of fickness fuc

ceeded another; and what completed the ruin of her health, was the anxiety of her mind. Thefe diffentions had fuch an effect upon her fpirits and constitution, that fhe declared the could not outlive it, and immediately funk into a state of legarthic infenfibility. Notwith

ftanding all the medicines which the phyficians July 30, could preferibe, the diftemper gained ground 1714. fo faft, that the day after they defpaired of her life, and the privy-council was affembled on the occafion.

All the members, without diftinction, being fummoned from the different parts of the kingdom, began to provide for the fecurity of the conftitution. They fent a letter to the elector of Hanover, informing him of the queen's defperate fituation, and defiring him to repair to Holland, where he would be attended by a British fquadron to convey him to England. At the fame time they difpatched inftructions to the earl of Stafford, at the Hague, to defire the ftates general to be ready to perform the guarantee of the Proteftant fucceffion. Precautions were taken to fecure the fea-ports; and the command of the fleet was bestowed upon the earl of Berkeley, a profeffed Whig. These measures, which were all diftated

N

dictated by that party, anfwered a double end. It argued their own alacrity in the cause of their new fovereign, and feemed to imply a danger to the ftate from the difaffection of the oppofite intereft.

On the thirtieth of July, the queen feemed fomewhat relieved by medicines, rofe from her bed about eight o'clock, and walked a little. After fome time, cafting her eyes on a clock that ftood in her chamber, the continued to gaze at it for fome minutes. One of the ladies in waiting asked her what she saw there more than ufual; to which the queen only answered, by turning her eyes upon her with a dying look. She was foon after feized with a fit of the apoplexy: the continued all night in a ftate of ftupefaction, and expired the following morning, in the forty-ninth year of her age. She reigned more than twelve years, over a people that was now rifen to the higheft pitch of refinement; that had at. tained, by their wifdom, all the advantages of opulence, and by their valour all the happiness of security and conqueft.

CHAP.