Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 01.djvu/465

 cause, a story from such a source reached the ears of the Hanoverian agent Schütz that she was greatly touched by an affecting letter written to her by her father before his death, in which he recommended his family to her. ‘It was brought to her by Madame Oglethorpe, who went twice to France’ (Occasional Papers, ii. 504; the authority given by Schütz is the Jacobite Lord Portmore). Such a letter may have been written and received; and, at all events, shortly after the death of James II his widow wrote to the Princess Anne conveying to her his last blessing and forgiveness, with his prayer that God might convert her heart and confirm her in the resolution to ‘repair to his son the wrongs done to himself’ (, James II, ii. 601–2). But probably King James never saw reason to unsay his words to Lord Peterborough, that he could never have a good opinion of the Prince and Princess of Denmark, or put any confidence in them (Original Papers, i. 281). He had never, largely no doubt because of the difference of creed between him and his daughter, gained an ascendency over her mind, and its constitution was not such as to let it easily fall a prey to remorse. On receiving the news of her father's death she went into mourning and secluded herself. She cannot be supposed to have promoted the introduction by the tories into the bill for abjuring the Pretender of a clause making it high treason to compass her death, which clause was unanimously accepted. The bill passed on the last day of King William's life; on the following morning, 8 March 1701–2, he died.

When Queen Anne ascended the throne, the grand alliance, though not yet complete, had been knit, and the country was on the eve of the declaration of war against France (actually issued on 4 May following). A tory House of Commons had been followed by one in which parties seemed nearly balanced, but which had given in its adhesion to the policy of King William; in the lords the whig interest was still in the ascendant. On St. George's day, 23 April 1702, Anne was crowned.

Three days after her accession the queen made her first speech in parliament. Marlborough had carried the sword of state before her on the occasion, and the countess had of course accompanied her in her coach. The queen's declaration ‘that she knew her heart to be entirely English’ was resented by those who were loyal to the memory of the late king (, iii. 244, says that this and other expressions supposed to reflect upon him were ill received by ‘the public,’ but the words ‘entirely English’ were engraved on her coronation medal; see, xii. 66). The speech was, however, very warlike in tone, and also referred to the project, recommended by William III shortly before his death, of a union between England and Scotland. Parliament, though enabled by an act passed in the previous reign to sit for six months after the death of the sovereign, could hardly do more than approve the appointment of commissioners for giving effect to the proposal. Before parliament was prorogued in May with a view to its dissolution (2 July), it had granted to the queen the same revenue as that latterly enjoyed by her predecessor, and she had in return announced her intention to apply 100,000l. out of the first year's 700,000l. to the public service.

Anne did not wait for the election of her first parliament before making a series of appointments, on some of which her heart was set, while others followed almost as a necessary consequence. It was understood that Anne's first wish had been to associate her husband with herself in the regal dignity; but the parallel with her sister's case had not been considered to hold (Original Papers, i. 621;, v. 56; , i. 155). Nor was it possible for her to entrust to him the command in the Netherlands which he had desired; but he received the title of generalissimo of her majesty's forces, Marlborough declaring himself ‘ravished’ to serve under him, and the office of lord high admiral. Towards the end of the year, after considerable resistance in the lords, by taking a prominent part in which Sunderland incurred the queen's lasting resentment, a life annuity of 100,000l., double, says Burnet, of what any queen of England ever had in jointure, was granted to the prince, and he was also made constable of Dover and lord warden of the Cinque Ports. Next to her husband the man whom the queen delighted at last to have the opportunity of honouring was of course the Earl of Marlborough. Three days after her accession he received the long-delayed garter, and on the day following was, in accordance with King William's wish, made captain-general of the English forces at home and abroad, and soon afterwards master of the ordnance. To these offices was added the rangership of Windsor Park, a pleasant sinecure made doubly pleasant by the fact that the hated Portland had had to vacate it. The countess was made groom of the stole and mistress of the robes, and received the control of the privy purse. Other favours flowed in rapidly upon the Marlborough family and those connected with it (, i.