house of lords the removal of Mrs. Masham,

ordered Godolphin to inform Marlborough, that he might dispose of the regiment. In reply to his letter, she also expressed her concern at what had passed, and by this condescension engaged him to continue the command of the army in Flanders. But although the queen yielded in this instance, she persevered in her intentions, and soon afterwards gave unequivocal proofs of her resolution, by dismissing the marquis of Kent from the post of lord chamberlain, and conferring that office on the duke of Shrewsbury, without even the knowledge of the ministry.

During these transactions Walpole maintained an official and confidential correspondence with the duke of Marlborough, while absent from England; with Lord Townshend, plenipotentiary at the congress of Gertruydenberg; and with his brother Horace Walpole, private secretary to Lord Townshend. The whole of this interesting correspondence is not extant, but a sufficient part is still preserved to do honour to the persons who were engaged in it, to throw a new light over the transactions of that period, and to illustrate the conduct of the ministers on that memorable occasion. It shews that their fall was owing no less to their own disunion, than to the intrigues of Mrs. Masham and Harley, and the opposition of the Tories. It plainly appears to have been the opinion of Walpole, that more active and decisive measures should

* See Correspondence, Period I.

have been pursued before the removal of Sunderland. He lamented the division of the ministry, the jealousy and coldness of Godolphin, and he conjectured that the disgrace of Sunderland, would be followed by the dismission of Godolphin and Marlborough, which they perhaps did not foresee.

Walpole was at that time in a subordinate situation. He had great obligations both to Godolphin and Marlborough, and he was joined in opinion with the Whig leaders. He had therefore a very delicate part to act; yet he wrote to Marlborough with great spirit and freedom; and even ventured to advise him not to offend the queen, by refusing obstinately to promote the husband and brother of Mrs. Masham; although such advice was most likely to offend, as in fact it did offend, the duchess of Marlborough. It appears also from these letters, that Marlborough and Godolphin tampered with the duke of Shrewsbury, and attempted, through his influence over the queen, to prevent the dissolution of the parliament; instead of boldly and manfully coming forward, they acted this underhand part, and by this dilatory and equivocal conduct, suffered Harley to divide and disunite the Whigs.

Perhaps it may be conjectured, that if on the dismission of Sunderland, which was sure to be followed by other changes, notwithstanding the positive assurances of the queen to the contrary, Godolphin and all his friends had instantly resigned their places, and if the duke of

Marlborough had given up his command of the army, so unanimous and bold a measure would have dispirited the queen, and alarmed th Tories. Under these impressions she could not have ventured to make a sudden and total change; she would probably have been checked by the apprehension of alienating the whole party of the Whigs, who then formed a large majority in parliament, and of disgusting the monied men, many of whom made the public credit personal to Godolphin, and scrupling to advance money upon the faith of the nation, offered it upon his single word.* She would have dreaded the remonstrances of the emperor and the Dutch, who justly considered the great successes of the war as principally owing to the military talents of Marlborough.

Such was the opinion of Walpole; and Sir Richard Temple, afterwards Lord Cobham, expressed his own sentiments in favour of a general resignation, in a spirited letter to his friend Walpole, with whom he then acted. But both Walpole and his brother Horace foresaw and lamented that the Whigs, instead of adopting this decisive and manly conduct, would be divided among themselves, and that several would listen to the insidious overtures of Harley. In effect, that artful minister flattered them with the hopes that the parliament would not be dissolved, and representing the danger which would threaten the constitution and religion, should their whole body desert the

• Life of the Duke of Shrewsbury.

queen; he used the remarkable expressions, "That a Whig game was intended at the bottom," and his great object would be to promote the Protestant succession.*

These representations and promises had a due effect, and helped to break the phalanx, which, had it remained firm and compact, must have been invincible.

Many of the Whigs hesitated, and delayed their resignation. Newcastle remained in power. The duke of Somerset was persuaded by the queen to keep his place, but affected to declare that he would not attend the privy council. Even Halifax, the champion of the party, is said to have availed himself of his long acquaintance with Harley, and to have so effectually treated with him in private, that none of his own relations were displaced.† Marlborough, who was over-ruled by the opinion of Godolphin and his Whig friends, retained the command of the army only to be dismissed with ignominy, when his services were no longer thought necessary. Devonshire, Henry Boyle, Wharton, Somers, and Cowper, were among the few leaders who resigned with spirit and dignity.

Lord Chancellor Cowper, in particular, be

* Cowper's Diary; Hardwicke Papers.

+ Cunningham's History of Great Britain, vol. 2, p. 305. Letter from Horace Walpole to Etough, September 21st, 1752. See Correspondence, Period II.

The manner in which Marlborough was treated by the new mínistry, appears by two letters from Bolingbroke to Drummond. See Correspondence, Period I. 1711.

haved with unexampled firmness and honour. He rejected with scorn all the overtures which Harley made, in the most humble and supplicating manner, to induce him to continue in office. When he waited on the queen to resign, she strongly opposed his resolution, and returned the seals three times, after he had laid them down. At last, when she could not prevail, she commanded him to take them; adding, "I beg it as a favour of you, if I may use that expression." Cowper could not refuse to obey her commands; but after a short pause, taking up the seals, he said, that he would not carry them out of the palace, except on the promise, that the surrender of them would be accepted on the morrow. "The arguments on my side," to use the words of Lord Cowper himself," and professions, and "the repeated importunities of her majesty, "drew this audience into the length of three

quarters of an hour."* On the following day, his resignation was accepted, and soon afterwards the seals were given to Sir Simon Har

court.

Walpole acted on this occasion an honourable and disinterested part. In the wreck of this great administration, Harley, desirous of retaining in power several of the Whigs, with a view to counterbalance the credit of St. John and Harcourt, who already began to give him umbrage, endeavoured to gain Walpole. He made very flattering advances; told him that

*Cowper's Diary.