Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 24.djvu/417

 address declaring 'that no peace could be safe or honourable to Great Britain or Europe if Spain and the West Indies were allotted to any branch of the house of Bourbon' (Parl. Hist. vi. 1035-9). 'This happened,' says Swift, 'entirely by my lord treasurer's neglect, who did not take timely care to make up all his strength, although every one of us gave him caution enough ... it is a mighty blow, and loss of reputation to lord treasurer, and may end in his ruin' (Works, ii. 427). Harley retaliated by persuading the queen to dismiss the Duke of Marlborough from all his employments, and to 'create twelve new peers in order to secure a majority for the peace in the upper house. Early in 1712 he introduced a bill giving precedence to the whole electoral family immediately after the queen. The bill was passed through both houses in two days (10 Anne, c. iv.), and Thomas Harley was despatched to Hanover with the news, by his cousin the treasurer. On 25 Oct. 1712 he was elected a knight of the Garter, and was installed at Windsor on 4 Aug. 1713. At length the tedious negotiations for peace were brought to an end, and the treaty of Utrecht was signed on 31 March 1713.

Though Harley was loud in his protestations of attachment to the electoral family, there is little doubt that on his accession to office in 1710 his intention had been to effect the restoration of the Stuarts as well as to make peace with France. His natural indolence, however, prevented him from making up his mind to take any active steps towards consolidating the tory party and preparing for the restoration of the Stuarts. St. John, who had been created Viscount Bolingbroke, and had long been jealous of Harley, became impatient of the delay which was threatening the success of his Jacobite schemes. Taking advantage of Lady Masham's quarrel with Harley, he obtained her assistance in condemning the lord treasurer's influence with the queen. In May Bolingbroke brought matters to a crisis by drawing up the Schism Bill, which reduced Harley to the dilemma of either breaking with the dissenters by supporting it or with the extreme tories by opposing it. In the same month Swift made his last attempt to reconcile his two friends, who were becoming more estranged every day, but found it of 10 avail (Works, xix. 159). When the Schism Bill came up from the commons, Bolingbroke expressed himself warmly in support of it, since it concerned the security of the church of England, the best and firmest support of he monarchy,' while Harley characteristically remarked that 'he had not yet considered of it ; but when he had, he would vote according as it should appear to him to be either for good or detriment of his country. And therefore he was for reading the bill a second time' (Parl. Hist. vi. 1351, 1354). On 9 June Harley wrote a letter to the queen enclosing a 'brief account of public affairs since 8 Aug. 1710, to this present 8 June 1714' (ib. vi. ccxliii-viii) and offered to resign. His resignation was not then accepted, but Lady Masham continued her appeals to the queen's high church propensities, and on 27 July Harley was dismissed, the queen assigning the following reasons of her parting with him, viz., ' that he neglected all business ; that he was seldom to be understood ; that when he did explain himself she could not depend upon the truth of what he said ; that he never came to her at the time she appointed ; that he often came drunk ; lastly, to crown all, he behaved himself towards her with bad manners, indecency, and disrespect' (, Works, xvi. 191-2). Bolingbroke's triumph was of brief duration, for Anne died on 1 Aug., and from George neither he nor Harley could hope for any favour.

Though Bolingbroke took the oaths in the new parliament, which met in March 1715, he fled to France a few days afterwards, but Harley with characteristic courage refused to leave the country, and on 11 April took his seat in the House of Lords. Two days afterwards a committee of secrecy was appointed by the House of Commons to inquire into the late peace and the conduct of the ministers (Journals, xviii. 59) ; on 9 June the report was received (ib. p. 165), and on the following day Lord Coningsby's motion that 'this house will impeach Robert, earl of Oxford and earl Mortimer, of high treason and other high crimes and misdemeanors,' was carried without a division (ib. p. 166). On 9 July Lord Coningsby exhibited the sixteen articles of impeachment against Harley, which had been carried in the commons by large majorities, at the bar of the House of Lords (Journals of the House of Lords, xx. 99-111). The greater number of these articles referred to Harley's conduct with regard to the treaty of Utrecht, while the sixteenth accused him of abusing his influence with the queen in persuading her to exercise her prerogative 'in the most unprecedented and dangerous manner,' by the creation of the twelve peers in December 1711. Harley asserted in his own defence that he 'had always acted by the immediate directions and commands of the queen, and never offended against any known law,' adding that he was ready to lay down his life with