that come after me may be more capable of so great a trust as it has pleased God to put into my poor hands, I am sure they can never discharge it more faithfully than her that is sincerely your humble servant, A. R.”

To Marlborough, the loss of Godolphin was indeed a great one, more especially at this the crisis of his later fortunes. The Duke stood henceforward almost alone in politics, little relied on or consulted by either party, and in some doubt apparently as to his future course. Under such circumstances he deemed it politic to withdraw for a time from England. It was not without difficulty that he obtained a passport for the purpose. Thus does Gaultier explain the case to Torcy. "My Lord Bolingbroke bids me write to you to-day, and let you know from him that the Duke of Marlborough has asked permission from the Queen to quit the kingdom, and to travel in Italy, and that, after a good deal of contest and consideration, Her Majesty has given him leave. He is to pass by Ostend, Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, and Liege to his principality (of Mindelheim), thence through the Tyrol to Venice, and finally to Naples, where he is to sojourn as long as he pleases. Such is

the route which has been traced out for him, without permission to pass anywhere else. My Lord Bolingbroke adds, that you need feel no uneasiness as to this journey of the Duke, since it is no longer in his power to do harm to any one."3

An abstract or summary of the passport so obtained has been printed in Coxe's biography; it is quite general in its terms, and states no limits to His Grace's route or residence; so that the restrictions enjoined were verbal only. It would appear also that, in the Cabinet, the grant of this passport was forwarded by Oxford and opposed by Bolingbroke.*

Marlborough accordingly embarked in the course of November and landed at Ostend. But when once upon

the Continent he did not feel himself bound to adhere to the conditions under which the passport had been granted. From Aix-la-Chapelle he turned aside to Maestricht, where he was rejoined by his Duchess in the month of February following. After a short visit to the principality of Mindelheim so gloriously gained, he fixed his residence with Her Grace first at Frankfort and then at Antwerp, within easy reach of England.

The New Year found the Treaty of Peace by no means concluded-a matter of just surprise, since, as we have seen, an agreement had been long since arrived at on the principal points at issue between France and England. This delay was due in part to the smaller Princes who, after much wavering, wished to be included, and who were by no means moderate in their pretensions; and in part to some insidious attempts of the French Ministers to avail themselves of the discord among the members of the Grand Alliance, and obtain on several points more favourable terms than those they had recently accepted. And as the affairs of the Peace, so did those of the Pretender languish. The one indeed could

4 Coxe's Marlborough, vol. vi. p. 221.

only proceed in subordination and subsequently to the other. But the fault was also in part the Pretender's

own.

In the first place James had persisted in remaining on French territory to the great discomposure of his English friends. We find Gaultier, on the 31st of January New Style, write as follows on the subject to Torcy "It is absolutely necessary that the Chevalier de St. George should think of leaving the dominions of the King as soon as possible. I have orders from the Treasurer, and also from my Lord Bolingbroke, to let you know this very day that the Queen can never venture to sign the Peace so long as he continues in France. My Lord Bolingbroke told me this morning that he ought not to hesitate to go at once to Switzerland, if there continues to be any difficulty with the Emperor as to his safe-conduct to Lorraine."

But there were other points also on which James's conduct was complained of. Thus Gaultier goes on to say in the same letter, "Let Montgoulin know, if you please, that, in spite of the fine promises he made me, he has sent to this country-or, at least, there have been sent in his name-day by day, a number of priests, who spoil his business and cause him to be hated by all those to whom they speak of him. He ought to be very careful, and to send for some Protestants from hence to be about his person. It is too early as yet to think of his case; let him wait, and he shall be apprised when the right time comes. You may be sure that every measure taken in his favour shall pass through your hands as we had agreed."

Thus pressed in the strongest manner, both from London and Versailles, the Chevalier did at last decide. He appears to have left Chalons on the 20th of Fe

5

bruary, and he betook himself to Bar, in Lorraine. Even before this intelligence reached England, the Abbé asked the advice of his confidential friends-as to where whether at Bar or at Berne-James had best fix his residence in the next ensuing months. Here is the answer as reported to Torcy. "It matters little where the Chevalier may pass the winter, provided only he departs from France and does not go to any place where the Duke of Marlborough could meet him.” It would seem then that in England at this juncture the secret advisers of Gaultier suspected Marlborough of a design to make terms with the Pretender-terms, of course, on his own account, and not at all to their advantage.

As put in parallel with the Treasurer, the Secretary was at this time considered more especially the friend of France. We find Gaultier in his letters descant on "our incomparable Lord Bolingbroke, LE PHÉNIX DES ANGLAIS." It is therefore only just to the memory of a statesman, whose conduct on most points is not to be defended, to observe that, in this last conjuncture, Bolingbroke acted as became an English Minister. He hazarded his personal favor at the Court of Versailles rather than wink at its intrigues or submit to its dictation. So early as the 3rd of January he had expressed to the Earl of Strafford at the Hague his earnest desire of ending "this tedious, intricate, and so much traversed negotiation." But finding the French still chaffer on small points and shadowy distinctions, as though on purpose to gain time, and seeking to derive advantage from the variety of views expressed at Utrecht, Bolingbroke, on the 17th of February, addressed a despatch to

5 See a note in Macpherson's Original Papers, vol. ii. p. 384.

the Duke of Shrewsbury as ambassador at Paris—a despatch both haughty in its language and peremptory in its terms.6

In this despatch, of no common significance, Shrewsbury was directed to ask an immediate conference with the Ministers of France, and above all with M. de Torcy. He was to state to them that the Queen would endure no further suspense, nor consent much longer to postpone the meeting of her Parliament. At this meeting the result of the negotiations, one way or the other, ought to be, and it should be, explicitly declared. And, added Bolingbroke, "the fruit which the Queen expects from this full communication of her intentions is either by these means to hasten the conclusion of the General Peace between Her Majesty and the Crowns of France and Spain, or else at the worst to prevent at this season of the year and the approach of spring any surprise on either side."

With great ability and clearness Bolingbroke next proceeded to discuss the divers small articles not yet determined, and to declare the Queen's ultimatum upon each. There was a question as to the limits of the right of fishing on the coast of Nova Scotia, and the Queen insisted that the distance should be fixed at thirty leagues. The Queen persisted also in refusing the liberty claimed for the French subjects in the places to be ceded to sell their BONA IMMOBILIA. In regard to another privilege claimed for them, namely, the use of their own, the Roman Catholic, religion, the Queen would grant it only with this proviso, "as far as is consistent with the laws and policy of Great Britain." In the treaty with Portugal the Queen refused to allow

See Bolingbroke's Correspondence, vol. ii. p. 170 and 256.