how it will end I am not at all certain; but I certainly wish it had never began, for it has occasioned a very great ferment, and given opportunity to a great many people to be impertinent who always had the inclination, but wanted the opportunity of shewing it. Upon the whole, the great majority in the House of Lords, which we had in the beginning of this sessions, encourages people' to commit follies, which however one can't convince them of till it is too late. I yesterday morning read your letter to the Queen, with the paper enclosed in it from Monsieur Gronken. She has allowed me to tell you, she thinks the King of Prussia's desires in both points very reasonable, and that you may answer for her part towards satisfying him in them as far as you shall judge proper. * * * * (After speaking about a meeting of the Cabinet Council, he adds) - What their opinion is like to be upon your joint letter with Lord Townshend to Mr. Secretary, I cannot yet yet tell you, but I am apt to think they will desire, in case a proposal is to be made to the Queen to recede from any point of the Spanish monarchy, that it should be as authentic as possible, and the security for the King of France's complying with all the other articles, as plain and as firm as it can be made; because, to lay it before the Parliament im * The Whigs. perfect or uncertain on any point will create new difficulties rather than give ease to those we have. Of this I shall be able to write more particularly after the Cabinet Council to-night; but I was willing to say thus much to-day, while I had time, being sure I shall have very little to-morrow or next day. The Queen has promised she will give strict orders to all the officers to be gone by the time you mention; and from all you have written in your last, I continue still in the opinion I have been of all this winter, that from the moment you go into the field, France will agree to such a peace as Holland desires you should be contented with, let Count Zinzendorff or Prince Eugene be never so averse to it. Sunday Night. I am come from the Cabinet Council. Mr. Secretary Boyle has orders to write no more at present, than that in case it should be proposed to you to recede from the entire monarchy of Spain, you should absolutely insist against any conclusion till you had time to acquaint the Queen with it, and to receive her commands upon it. I find they all seem to wish it may be plain and so particular, especially as to the security of performance from France, that it may be laid before Parliament without hazard of being ill received there, which I incline to believe it will not be, especially if it recedes only from Sicily, though amongst friends I am very apt to think the Duke of Anjou in Sicily will not be long without being master of Naples also, and therefore in that respect, as well as some others, Count Maffei's project* is more desirable, if there be any way of coming to it. This sorry trial of Sacheverel's will so far delay the rising of Parliament, that there's no danger of its being up before the time of your going into the field. Monday, March 6. I am now to acknowledge the favour of yours of the 14th, by which I am glad to find that the Pensionary is so clear sighted and so reasonably jealous of the sincerity of France; for it cannot be denied, that at the same time they pretend by yielding to him Naples and Sicily, to persuade him to give up Spain, they have been endeavouring for this whole twelvemonth to put it out of their own power to bring him from thence. These are certainly great arguments of the insincerity of the French, but at the same time, their own misery is so severe, that it makes me hope all other difficulties will be overcome by them. As to what you write of 62's mind about Sicily, I own myself to be of the same, but I am sensible that the Courts of Vienna and Turin will neither of them like this concession, and the mere apprehension of it is the true occasion of Count Maffei's proposal, as the only plausible means to hinder this other from taking place. Now as to the positive orders for which you. again repeat your desire of the 14th, I don't very well see how they are consistent with your other desire of having the terms of the peace offered by France laid before the Parliament, for we must not lay those terms before them as what is already agreed, but as what may be agreed if they like it ; for this reason it seems to me that you can have no other positive orders from hence at present, but to insist on so much time as is necessary to send to England for the Queen's approbation. And I shall venture to give you my own private opinion, that you have little reason to doubt of having it in case the matter turns only upon yielding Sicily to King Philip; but then, as I have already said in the former part of this letter, the manner of securing the performance of the whole ought to be made very plain and clear. I write this letter at home, having been forced away from the trial to-day with great pain of the gravel. I hope before the post goes out to be able to tell you I am a little more at ease. LORD GODOLPHIN TO THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. March 8th, 1709-10. Since my letter of yesterday the wind is so contrary and so high, that I have no hope of hearing from you before the next post goes from hence. I write therefore to suggest a notion which I take from what passed the last year, as you then agreed the preliminaries, and offered to France to take or refuse them, so if the French are now sincere in desiring to yield all the monarchy of Spain except Sicily, why might not some means be found to insinuate to them, that if they take the secure method and sign the treaty upon those terms first, there is ground to hope the allies may be brought to agree to it, allowing them a competent time to consider and judge of the security offered by France for the performance of them. Possibly this is no more than a notion, and never can be reduced to practice. However, there can be no harm in writing it to you. I have not mentioned it to any but to the Queen and to Lord Somers, who thinks, if it can be practicable, it would be the most desirable way that could be imagined of laying it before 88 (Parliament). Friday, March 10. This is the last day of Dr. Sacheverel's trial in Westminster Hall, but I am apt to think the debate of that matter in the House of Lords will require two days more at the least. In the mean time they will be going on in the House of Commons with the remainder of the supplies, and I hope all will be finished by Easter, so you may reckon there will be no room to bring any proposal to the Parliament after Easter-day, which is the 9-20th of April. The Duke of Queensbury presses me mightily to write to you, that Lord Dumbarton might be one of your aide-de-camps, which he says would be a great |