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286 the obverse side a head of the pretender, with the words, "Cujus est?" and on the reverse the British isle and the word "Reddite." This they not only received, but sent hearty thanks to the duchess for it. The Hanoverian ambassador was made aware of it, and presented a memorial on the subject, which, however, only served to bring Sir David Dalrymple, a zealous whig and advocate for the protestant succession, into trouble, on the plea that he ought to have prosecuted Mr. Dundas of Arniston, for returning public thanks for the medal, whilst Arniston himself, who went on boldly, and published a vindication of his conduct, was suffered to escape.

On the opening of parliament on the 7th of December, the queen announced that "notwithstanding the arts of those who delighted in war, both time and place were appointed for opening the treaty for a general peace." This was carrying into the royal speech the animus which the tories had shown against the whigs in all their speeches and pamphlets lately. They had endeavoured to make the whigs odious to the nation as a faction that was bent on war solely for its own selfish interests, regardless of the interests of the nation or the sufferings of mankind. Though the speech contained other matters, everything else passed without thought or notice. This declaration produced a vehement sensation, and roused all the party fire on both sides. The ministers were astonished to see the earl of Nottingham, who had hitherto gone with them, now adopt the whig side, in a very vigorous and telling speech. He denounced the preliminaries as basely surrendering the great objects of the war, and moved that a clause should be inserted in the address to the effect, that no peace could be safe or honourable to Great Britain or to Europe, if Spain and the Indies should be allotted to any branch of the house of Bourbon. In the discussion it was shown that it was utterly untrue what had been said in the queen's speech, that the allies were all prepared to adopt the preliminaries. The earl of Anglesey contended, on the other side, that it was high time to ease the nation of the monstrous burthens of the war; and he aimed some heavy blows at the duke of Marlborough, affirming that a good peace might have been effected after the battle of Ramillies, but for the private interests of certain persons.

This called up Marlborough in his own defence. He bowed towards the place where the queen was listening to the debate incognito, and appealed to her, much to her embarrassment, whether, when he had the honour to serve her majesty as plenipotentiary as well as general, he had not always faithfully informed her and her council of all the proposals of peace which had been made, and had desired instructions for his guidance in such affairs. He appealed also to God, in whose presence he expected soon to stand, and who was infinitely above all the powers of the earth, whether he was not always anxious for a safe, honourable, and lasting peace, and whether he was not always very far from entertaining any design of prolonging the war for his own private advantage, as his enemies had most falsely insinuated. When the question was put, the amendment of the earl of Nottingham was carried by a majority of sixty-two to fifty-four, that is of only eight, notwithstanding all the exertions of the court party, and much to its astonishment. It was observed that Oxford was not in his place to support the original address, but was all the time conversing with the queen. There was probably great occasion for this, for from what we find in Swift's journal on this occasion, there is every reason to believe that Anne was greatly alarmed by the spirit and the decision come to by the lords, if she were not convinced for the moment that her tory ministers were leading her into a disgraceful peace. When she was about to retire from the house, the duke of Shrewsbury, as lord chamberlain, asked her majesty "whether he or the great chamberlain, Lindsay, should lead her out?" She replied very curtly, "Neither of you," and gave her hand to the duke of Somerset, who had been more urgent than any one of the peers against the conditions of peace. Swift, with Dr. Arbuthnot, the queen's favourite physician, hurried to St. James's and to Mrs. Masham, and told her that either she and the lord treasurer had joined with the queen to betray them, or that they too were betrayed by the queen, Mrs. Masham protested that it was not Oxford. When Oxford came in, Arbuthnot asked him how he had managed not to procure a majority. Oxford replied, how could he help it if people would lie and forswear. Swift thereupon asked Oxford to lend him his white staff, which he did in a joke, and then Swift said, "If I could but be secured in possession of this for one week, I would set all to rights." "How?" asked Oxford. "I would turn out Marlborough, his two daughters, the duke and duchess of Somerset, and lord Cholmondeley." Oxford only replied that the hearts of kings were unsearchable, and he went home, called for a court list, and marked every one for expulsion who voted against him. This view of the matter is confirmed by the manner in which the queen received the address of the lords. She said she should be sorry if any one could think that she would not do her utmost to recover Spain and the Indies from the house of Bourbon. In the commons, however, the ministry had a stronger party, and there they assured the queen in their address, that they would do all in their power to disappoint as well the acts and designs of those who for private views might delight in war, as the hopes of the enemy conceived from the divisions amongst themselves. Walpole moved an amendment similar to that of the lords, and it was lost by a majority of two hundred and thirty-two to one hundred and six against it.

The tory ministers were determined now to be rid of Marlborough. He not only stood at the head of the whigs at home, and threw his great military reputation into the scale against them in this question of peace or war, but whilst he retained his command of the army, he immensely strengthened the opposition of the allies to the present terms of pacification. It was resolved that he should be dismissed, a measure which they felt would destroy much of his influence. The whigs, moreover, at this crisis fell into a snare laid for them by the earl of Nottingham, which extremely damaged them, and in the same proportion benefited the tories. He persuaded them that if they would only consent to the passing of the occasional conformity bill, there were numerous persons of influence ready to quit the ranks of Oxford and St. John; and though they were entirely opposed in principle to the