iary force which, by King Charles's disgraceful bargain, co-operated with the French army in Flanders, in their campaigns against the Dutch. For exploits here the young soldier was publicly thanked by Louis XIV., at the head of his army; and Marshal Turenne, who commanded it, prophesied that "the handsome Englishman would one day make a great general." Four campaigns under Turenne followed, in which, as he ever after admitted, he learned the art of war. From Flanders Churchill returned to London, with the strongest possible recommendations from Louis XIV. and Turenne to the King of England. He rapidly rose in the Guards, and was soon promoted to the command of a regiment.

The hero's charms of manner and personal beauty won the heart of Sarah Jennings, one of the maids of honor to the Princess Anne, who afterwards became queen. His marriage with her took place in 1678, and thenceforth his wife exercised an unbounded influence on his life and fortunes. Though she had as little money as her husband, she was beautiful, high-spirited and ambitious, with great talents for conversation as well as intrigue: At the same time she was arrogant, overbearing, and irascible. It is hard to say whether her husband's fortunes were aided most by her influence at court, or marred by her supercilious demeanor which involved her in continual quarrels, and finally alienated the affections of the queen. Though a courtier, and indebted for his first rise to the favor of the Duke of York, who continued his kindness to him when he became king, yet Churchill was a staunch Protestant, and saw clearly the inevitable result of the headlong course which James II. pursued soon after his accession to the throne, in order to re-establish the Roman Catholic faith in his dominions. When the English people, driven to desperation by his measures, invited William of Orange over in 1688, Churchill deserted his early patron and welcomed his rival. This transfer of allegiance, whatever be its palliation, was so performed as to be an indelible blot on his memory. He did not resign his appointment, and then appear in arms against him, but dishonorably retained his commission in the Guards, and exerted his influence to induce them to pass over to the enemy.

After the flight of James II., Churchill was taken into favor with William III., was created Earl of Marlborough, and was employed in the south of Ireland in command of the royal forces. He rendered good service to his new master by the reduction of Cork and other strongholds. But, soon disgusted with the preference shown to the Dutch officers, and the insensibility of William, he fell into a correspondence with some of the Jacobites abroad. His wife induced the Princess Anne to put herself in opposition to her sister, the queen. He was arrested in 1692, on a charge of high treason, and deprived of his honors and employments; yet he was soon after liberated, as the evidence was insufficient to authorize his detention. Churchill labored long under the suspicion of the court, and it was not till 1696 that he was restored to his rank as privy-councillor, and appointed preceptor to the Duke of Gloucester, the heir-apparent to the throne. "Make him like yourself," said William III., in conferring upon him the appointment, “and you will leave me nothing further to desire."

The King of Spain, dying childless, had bequeathed immense dominions to the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV. This tremendous addition to the power of France involved Europe in a general war. The Earl of Marlborough was thus called to act on a greater theatre, on which he acquired lasting renown. Anne appointed him commander-inchief of the allied army, 60,000 strong. War having been declared in May, 1702, he repaired to the camp near Nimeguen, to which place the army had retired before the superior forces of Louis XIV. The arrival of Marlborough, however, soon altered the state of affairs. He instantly took the initiative, threw the enemy into retreat, and followed up his successes by the capture of four of their most important strongholds before the campaign was over. Such was the vigor of

his measures, and the skill with which they were taken, that he succeeded in capturing the strong fortresses of Roermonde, Liège, and Mæstricht in a few months. The possession of the last-named gave him the entire control of the river Meuse, on which it stands, and the great advantage of water communication into the very heart of Flanders.