Page:The Wentworth Papers 1715-1739.djvu/148

 132 THE WENTWORTH PArERS.

Lord Paulet is thought a man of very good sense as well as estate, he has never been in affairs but has always been much favoured by Mr. Harley, who got him made an Earl in this Queen's time before the Union ; and he was to have been Secretary of State in Mr. Harley's former project, when Lord Treasurer and the Duke of Marlborough got the better of him. Upon the remove of Lord Sunderland he refused being Secretary of State and after got this employment [as Com- missioner of the Treasury ?].

Mr. Harley is generally allowed as cunning a man as any in England, and has been always employing spies and in- spectors into every office to have a general information of everything. In King William's time he was always against the court, and I heard it then said that though he had but 500/. a year he spent half of it in clerks to copy out what papers were given into the House of Commons concerning treaties, &c., so that Mr. Blathwaite and others of the King's people were almost afraid to speak before him. When he was chosen Speaker the King used him with great civilities. Some time after the Queen's coming to the crown he was made Secretary of State, I think in the room of Lord Not- tingham. During which time it was said he sent Toland about to inspect the foreign courts and give him the charac- ters of the Queen's ministers abroad. He got in with Mrs. Masham, promoted her marriage, and got her husband which was to be, the Regiment of horse of Lord Windsor, whom he got Lords Marlborough and Treasurer to put out, because he had opposed the election of Lord Treasurer's son at Cam- bridge in favour of Mr. Windsor his brother. But the Duke of Marlborough and Lord Treasurer finding his greatness with the Queen, and by what means, got him removed, not without great pains ; and, had not the Duke of Marlborough offered to lay down. Lord Treasurer would have sooner lost his staff than he his employment. Since that time the Queen was never rightly well with those two Lords. They would have recalled Mr. Harley's plate as Secretary, but the Queen gave him a privy seal for it. The Pretender's descent

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