your Opinion, it was understood the Prince: had for her's; and that, in Effect, you had the Management of both.

We now come to the grand Event of all, that feparated the two Royal Sifters for the reft of their Lives; upon which your Grace having expatiated very largely, I fhall be obliged, against my Will, to do the fame.

'Notwithstanding all thefe Things (your Grace goes on) the Queen and Princess: lived, in Appearance, for fome Time after, as if nothing bad happened, till the King was pleafed (without PUBLICLY affigning any particular Reason) to remove my Lord • Marlborough from all his Employments. His Majefty fent Lord Nottingham to tell him, that he had no more Occafion for his Service. This Event might perhaps be well enough accounted for, by faying, that Lord Portland had ever a great Prejudice. to my Lord Marlborough, and that my • Lady Orkney (then Mrs. Villiers) though

I had never done her any Injury, except

not making Court to her, was my impla

cable Enemy. But, I think, it is not to be

C

doubted, that the principal Caufe of the King's Meffage, was the Court's Diflike

that any Body fhould have fo much Intereft "with the Princefs as I had; who would not implicitly obey every Command of the King and Queen. The Difgrace of my Lord Marlborough therefore was defigned as ca Step towards removing me from about her.

A Letter, from the Queen to her Sifter, which I shall presently give you, affords Ground for this Opinion. And the Beha viour of my Lord Rochefter, who was much in the Queen's Favour and Councils, confirms it. He had warmly oppofed my coming into the Princess's Family, and he now fhewed himself very defirous to have 'me removed, believing, without Question,

that, could this be compaffed, he should infallibly have the Government of both "Sifters: Though certainly, as to the Princefs, he never difcovered any fuch Regard for her, as fhould give him a Title to her Confidence?

I cannot proceed to wait on your Grace any farther, till I have touched on an. Efcape

or two which you have made in the laft Paragraph. You have, Madam,uniformly treated my Lord Rochester with all the Severity and Rancour you are Mistress of.-Behold the Reason explain'd by yourself. He oppofed your coming into the Princess's Family, and was defirous to have you removed. This might be Fact: But why did he oppofe your coming in, or defire your Removal? You anfwer, That he might have the Government of both Sisters. Here your Grace tacitly, though inadvertently, acknowledges you had the Government of ONE; And yet in the fame Breath declare, He never difcovered any fuch Regard to her, as should give him a Title to her Confidence; which is just as reasonable as to fay, That he travelled to York, without ftirring a Step of the Way.

But to

Your Grace proceeds, Page 44. come to the Sequel of the King's Meffage. I folemnly proteft, that the Lofs of my "Lord Marlborough's Employments would ' never have broke my Reft one fingle Night upon Account of Intereft; but, I confefs, "the being turned out is fomething very difagreeable

agreeable to my Temper. And, I believe "it was three Weeks, before my best Friends could perfuade me, that it was fit for me to go to a Court, which (as I thought) had ufed my Lord Marlborough very ILL. However at last they prevailed. And I remember the chief Argument was urged by my Lord Godolphin, who faid, that it could not be thought, I made any mean Court to 'the King and Queen, fince to attend the Princefs, was only paying my Duty where it was owing.'

Three remarkable Things occur in this Paffage One apocryphal; That the Lofs of Lord Marlborough's Employments gave your Grace no Pain on account of Intereft. One indifputable; that the being turned out was very disagreeable to your Temper. And one extremely artificial; that you were over-perfuaded to go to Court by your Friends. All of which will be sufficiently explained by the Sequel.

I waited therefore (your Grace goes on), on my Mistress to Kenfington. The Confe quence was fuch, as my Friends, having no

Reafon to apprehend it, had never thought of. The next Day the Queen wrote to her Sifter the following Letter.

Kensington, "Friday,
Friday, the th of Feb.

。

Having fomething to fay to you, which I know will not be very pleafing, I chufe rather to write it first, being unwilling to furprife you; though, I think, what I am going to tell you thould not, if you givę yourself the Time to think, that never any Body was fuffered to live at Court in my

Lord Marlborough's CIRCUMSTANCES. I need not REPEAT the CAUSE he has given the King to do what he has done, nor his Unwillingness at all Times to come to fuch Extremities, though People do DESERVE

it.

I hope, you do me the Juftice to believe, it is as much against my Will, that I tells mu you, that, after this, it is very un© fit Lady Marlborough should stay with you,

now

'fince that gives her Husband so just a Pretence of being where he ought no

on gr vu!

I think,