As Lewis XIV. professed a readiness for peace, the English, at last consented to a negociation, and the conferences were held at Gertrudenburgh 1710. They were managed on the part of England by the duke of Marlborough, and by the Marquis de Torcy for the French. All his offers were rejected by the Duke as only designed to amuse and divide the allies, and the war was continued.

This unreasonable haughtiness of the Duke, at last opened the eyes of the English nation to their true interest for though their warlike reputation had never risen to a greater height than under his auspices, yet as it too often happens, even in the most successful wars, the burthens of the community were greatly increased, and thousands of innocent victims were annually immolated for the purpose of promoting the views of a few individuals, actuated by the baleful motives of avarice or ambition. Awakened by these sentiments, peace became the favourite wish of the people; and as it was universally understood, that Marlborough was opposed to that measure, he now lost all his popularity.

Means were found to convince the queen, that the war, if continued, must prove ruinous to herself and people; her affections became entirely alienated from the Dutchess of Marlborough, whose friends, in consequence thereof, lost their places. In the House of Lords, where the Duke's conduct had so often been the subject of the highest eulogium, he was now accused to his face of having unnecessarily protracted the war; and an enquiry was promoted in the House of Commons, with a view to fix an imputation upon him, of having appropriated large sums of the public money to his own use. When a question to that purhad been carried in the house, the queen by a pose letter conceived in very obscure terms, acquainted him with her having no farther occasion for his services, and dismissed him from all his employments.

His situation became now extremely unpleasant, in his native country: on the one hand, he was attacked by the clamours of the populace, and by an host of writers, who will ever be ready to vilify those, whom they can insult with impunity on the other hand, a prosecution was commenced against him by the attorney general, for applying public money to his private use; and the workmen employed in building Blenheim-house, though set at work by the crown, were encouraged to sue him for the money, which was due to them. This uneasiness, at last induced him to gratify his enemies by going into a voluntary exile: he accordingly embarked for the continent, in Nov. 1712; from whence, after he had resided some time on his principality at Mildenheim, he returned to England 4th August, 1714.

He was received with every possible demonstration of joy, by those, who upon the decease of the queen, which had happened upon the 1st August, were entrusted with the government; and, upon the arrival of George I. was particularly distinguished by acts of royal favour, for he was again declared captain-general and commander in chief of all his majesty's land forces, and master of the ordnance.

His advice was of great use in concerting those measures, by which the rebellion in 1715 was crushed; and this was the last effort he made in respect to public affairs: for his infirmities increasing with his years, he retired from business, and spent the greatest part of his time, during the remainder of his life, at one or other of his country houses. He died at Windsor Lodge, June 16th 1722, aged 72. Upon his demise, all parties united in doing honour, or rather justice to his merit; for whatever vices might sully his private character, so numerous had been his successes, and so great his reputation as a general, that his very name was almost equivalent to an army. The noble pile near Woodstock, which bears the name of Blenheim-house, may justly be stiled his monu

ment; but without pretending to the gift of prophe cy, one may venture to predict, that the fame of his military exploits will long survive that structure. If he had foibles, as these are inseparable from human nature, they were so hidden by the glare of his exploits, as to be scarcely perceptible. A certain parasite, who thought to please Lord Bolingbroke by ridiculing the avarice of the Duke, was stopt short by his lordship, who said "He was so very great a man, that I had almost forgot he had that vice."

Out of a variety of anecdotes and testimonies concerning this illustrious personage, the following selection may serve to illustrate his ruling passion and character.

One of the first things which he did, when very young, was to purchase a box, to put his money in: a strong indication of the economical, not to say, avaricious temper, which accompanied him through life. Dr. Joseph Wharton relates, that on the evening of a very important battle, the Duke was heard to chide his servant for having been so extravagant as to light four candles in his tent, when prince Eugene came to confer with him. When any of his officers had solicited him for a favour, in order to save himself some expences, he would tell them in the most obliging manner, that he would consider the business and come and dine with them. If he was mercenary himself, he was well matched in his Dutchess, whose disposition was equally sordid. She had long possessed the greatest ascendancy over the queen, in consequence of which, most offices were obtained through her means; but her patronage could seldom be purchased without a pecuniary compensation.

Dean Swift, in one of his letters to Stella, relates the following particulars of the Duke of Marlborough: "I was early this morning with Secretary St. John, &c. He told me, he had been with the Duke of Marlborough, who was lamenting his former wrong steps in joining with the Whigs, and said, he was

worn out with age, fatigue and misfortunes. I swear it pitied me; and I really think they will not do well in too much mortifying that man, although, indeed, it is his own fault. He is covetous as hell, and ambitious as the prince of it: he would fain have been general for life, and has broken all endeavours for peace, to keep his greatness and get money. He told the queen he was neither covetous nor ambitions.' She said, "if she could have conveniently turned about, she would have laughed, and could hardly forbear it in his face. He fell in with all the abominable measures of the late ministry, because they gratified him for their own designs: yet he has been a successful general, and, I hope he will continue his command."

Lord Bolingbroke, in his letters on the study and use of history, when speaking of the consternation raised among the allies, by the death of King William, and of the joy, which that event gave to the French, observes, "that a short time shewed how vain the fears of some and the hopes of others were. By his death, the duke of Marlborough was raised to the head of the army, and, indeed, of the confederacy; where he, a new, a private man, a subject acquired by merit and by management, a more decided influence than high birth, confirmed authority and even the crown of Great Britain had given to king William. Not only all the parts of that vast machine, the grand alliance, were kept more compact and entire, but a more rapid and vigorous motion was given to the whole and, instead of languishing and disastrous campaigns, we saw every scene of the war full of action. All those wherein he appeared, and many of those, wherein he was not then an actor, but an abettor, were crowned with the most triumphant success. I take, with pleasure, this opportunity of doing justice to that great man, whose faults I knew, whose virtues I admired, and whose memo ry, as the greatest general and as the greatest minis

ter, that our country, or, perhaps, any other has produced, I honour.'

Of Marlborough's exterior accomplishments, the Earl of Chesterfield, in his letters to his son, says, that of all the men he ever knew, the Duke possessed the graces, in the highest degree; and to those graces, he ventures to ascribe the better half of his greatness and riches. "He was," says he, "eminently illiterate, wrote bad English, and spelt it still worse. He had no share of what is commonly called parts; that is, he had no brightness, nothing shewing in his genius. He had, most undoubtedly, an excellent good plain understanding, with sound judgment; but these alone would have probably raised him but something higher than they found him, which was page to king James II.s queen. There the graces protected and promoted him; for whilst he was an ensign of the guards, the Dutchess of Cleveland, then favourite mistress to king Charles II. struck by those very graces, gave him L.5000 (22,200 dollars,) with which he immediately bought an annuity for his life of 2,200 dollars and this was the foundation of his subsequent fortune. His figure was beautiful; but his manner was irresistible either by man or woman. It was by this engaging, graceful manner, that he was enabled dur ing all his wars, to connect the various jarring powers of the grand alliance, and to carry them on to the grand object of the war, notwithstanding their private and separate views, jealousies and wrongheadednesses." He afterwards adds, "He was always cool, and nobody ever observed the least variation in his countenance he could refuse more gracefully than other people could grant; and those, who went away from him the most dissatisfied as to the substance of their business, were yet personally charmed with him, and in some degree comforted by his manner."

How much he has been celebrated by the English poets, may be known by "Addison's Campaign," Philip's Blenheim," &c.