;,, ^OKAUFOte ^0 Slk S^\ §6
^clOS-ANGElfj^
-5 .1.
* M
MEMOIRS
O F T H E
LIFE and Minifterial CONDUCT,
WITH
Some free REMARKS
O N T H E
POLITICAL WRITINGS,
Of the LATE
Lord Vifc. Bolingbroks.
LONDON:
Printed for R. B A L D W I N. at the Refe, in
Pater-Nof;er-Row.
M.DCC.LIi.
DA
LETTER I.
rfhefirjl 'Thing to be confidered In the Memoirs of a great Man, is his Family. That of St. John more ancientthan ^Norman Con- queft. Titles of Honour frequent therein long oefore our 'Times, and the ancient Barony of Bletflio remaining. The Royal Houj'e of Tuther or Tudor, and the Family of St. John defcendedfrom tkefame Ltidy. The Lord St. John killed on the Side of the Par- liament, and three Brothers of the fame Fa- mily in the Kings Service, during the Civil War. Few Families more numerous or more flour ifhing than this. How the Branch of St. John of Batterfea is related to the Head of this Family. Deduction from this Inquiry, Page I
LETTER II.
Happy in having two Fathers to fuperintend his Education. Improbable that he was bred in Dijfenting Principles. Fir ft brought -tip at Eaton, then at Oxford. Difttnguified early by his furprizing Parts., which were never impaired thro his whole Life. Blejf- ed with Faculties that feem oppoftte and incompatible. His fir ft Friendjhips Jlcw he was in the Dawn of Life inclined to the Tories. His Youth not exempt fr(,;n Follies, A 2 and
131", ''110
CONTENTS.
and what they 'were. Marries the Daugh- ter and Coheirefs of Sir Henry Winchefr comb, dcfcended from Jack of Newbury. Is eleffedBurgefsforWottonBaffett, in the County of Wilts. NeceJJity of forming a right Judgment of Parties. Page 20
LETTER III.
*The real Meaning of the Words Party and Fac- tion. Difputes about Liberty no eway bene- ficial to the People. Title to the Crown a mere Cant-word ofFaflion. Religious Dif- putes abufed to the fame End. Queen Eli- zabeth governed by balancing Fa&ions. Factions in Effect govern King James . How the Conjiitution was overturned by them in the Reign of Charles I. Succeflion of Ty- rannies weary the Nation into rejtoring it. Hijiory of Faction during the Reign of Charles II. Digreffion as to the Spirit of Animoftty againjl the French. TheirBeha- •Diour to the Royal Family in Exile. Cajole Charles II. into the Sale e/ Dunkirk, and then expofe him. Deceive him, and ex- afperate his Subjects till his Death. King James II. the Author of his own Misfor- tunes at Home and Abroad. Took his In- Jlruments ofMale-adminiftration out of both Parties. Revolution a temporary
CONTENTS.
.fan of 'Parties , which revive gour, and difturb that whole Reign. Full Proof of this from the Proceedings on the Partition Treaties. Remarks upon thofe Proceedings, and practical Condnfion of this Difcourfe. Page 40
LETTER IV:
The Character of Mr. St. John not affectedly hisfetting out a Tory. The Houfe of Lords change their Notions as to the Succeffion of the Spanifh Monarchy. Infiji that the file Means of fe cur ing the BALANCE was to rejlore it to the Houfe o/'Auftria. Charge on Mr. St* John, that he voted againjl the Hanover SucceJJion in 1702, which he de- nies. Thofe who maintain that Charge^ re- fly to his Defence. Granting all they con- fend for will not fix the Charge. Mr. Man - way ring' s ft range Concejjion on this SubjecJ* Bijhop Burnett Account of the fame Mat- ter. Mr. St. John attends the ^ueen to Oxford, and is created Doctor of Laws. Tories refuje to fettle a Part of the Poft- Office Revenue on the Duke <?/"Marlborough. Mr. St. John one of the Managers for the Houfe of Commons, at the Conferences on the Bill for preventing Occafional Conformity, But votes againji tacking' that Bill in an- A 3 other
CONTENTS.
other SeJJion. Earls ^Rocheftcr and Not- tingham refign, which occafiomjbmeChangcs. Henry St. John, EJq-y made Secretary at War \ and of the Marines. Page 80
LETTER V. Mr. St. John becomes Secretary at Wary and of the Marines i by his Credit and Figure in the Houfe of Commons. Had a great Share in the Management of Affairs in that Houfe- during the Sejfion in Anno Dom. 1705. The 'Tories out of Power become zealous for the Houfe of Hanover,, and infolent towards Queen ANNE.. Mr. Secretary Harley and Mr. St. John keep Things ^ notwith- ftanding) quiet in the Houfe of Commons. The Parliament and the Adminijiration, as
. modelled in 1706* pronounced, the very be ft be ever jaw, by Bijhop Burnet. Our Suc-
. cefs in the Field injpires the French with
, Moderation, and extinguishes our own. The \Jnreafonablenefs of this Spirit confidered in a national Point of View. The Whigs re-
. Johe to pufo their Succefsy and tofeize the
Adminijlration entirely. The Face of Af-
• fairs abroad fufferfome confiderable Alter a-
•_ tions. Lajl SeJJion of a Parliament declared to be the jirjl Seffion of a new Parliament y which furpajed Mr. HarleyV Under/land- ing*
CONTENTS.
'ing. A fuccinft Account ofGrt^sBufinefs^, and the Refignation of Harley, St. John, Manfel, Gfo What were f aid to be the concealed Rea[b?2s of driving thefe Gentle- men out, by the mojl Intelligent amongfl the Whigs themfehes. The Faffs which they affumed as indubitable, are at be ft 'very in- certain. Remark on the Confequences of Power obtained by Faction. Page J °4
LETTER VI.
The Minijlry all of a Piece, and fupported by an unanimous Parliament. Their Proceed- ings in refpeft to domeflic Affairs, and the Concerns of the Britifh Nation . Their Con- duct in regard to the Allies and to the War. The Nature of the Difpute entirely changed, the End incertain, and the great Security of iSuccefs lojL By thefe Methods the War be- came unpopular in Britain, ana7 even in Hol- land, while the Spirits of the Frenchfeemed to revive. Thefe were Caufes adequate to the Effect \ and, therefore, mojl likely to be the true Caufes of the Miniflerial Re-volu- tion in Britain. What is f aid in Memoirs of the fecret Conferences of the Queen, fall- ing out of her Women, -ind impatient under Refiraint, unc qual to ji. gr, v. ; and bazar d+ Change. No Impuian «//; : /; the Whigs A 4 in
CONTENTS.
in particular, but a Conduct incident to, and
itifcpar able from a Spirit of Faction. Very
dextroujly and 'very ably managed by Mr*
Harley and bis Friends. Remarks on the
fatal Confequences that attend, and necef-
farily mujl attend, fuch Struggles. P. 134
LETTER VII.
'The great Importance of under/landing this Minif trial Revolution ', to a young Gentle- man qualified to fit in Parliament. The many Objiacles in the Way of thofe ivls laboured to overturn the Whig-Miniftry . Methods ufed tofecure the Queen, the Clergy, and the People. Oppojlte Meafurcs, though well conduced, fail and are retorted. 'The Bifiop of SarumV Doctrine, that a Par- liament chofen through Influence, is no legal Reprefentathe. The Parliament meets, and is ope tied by a very plaufible Speech from the Throne. Duke o/'MarlboroughV confum- mate Prudence in* his CotidutJ, on this cri- ticalOccafion. The fmgular Dexterity with 'which the Chaticellor of the Exchequer brought the unliquidated. Debts into a re- gular Order, and procured an immediate Supply from the monied Men, notwithftand- ing their contrary Engagements. The At- tempt of Guifeard on the Life of Mr. Har-
ley, and its Effects. *fhe lajl, and not leaft glorious Campaign of the Duke of Marl- borough, and the State of the War iniyn. Death of the Emperor Jofeph, and the In- fluence this Event had upon the Affairs of Europe. Our Minijlry bend their Atten- tion to a general Peace as early as their Neighbours. Project of reducing Quebec, concerted under the Aufpice of this Mini- jlry. Reafons which render it probable this Scheme was well intended. Objections clear- ed', and Cenfures anfwered, with a Hint of the true Caufes why it mifcarried. Fa- mous Charge of Corruption in the Conduct of this Expedition, which, however, is not Jo certain as it has been commonly be- lieved. How a thorough Knowledge may be acquired of the Cotiducl of Mr. Se- cretary St. John, in the Negotiation of Peace. Proceedings in the next SeJJion of Parliament, conducted chiejiy by Mr. Se- cretary St. John. Subjlance of their Re- prefentation to the Queen, as to the in- creajing Expence of the War. What was intended by, and what were the Confe- quences of this Reprefentation. Anfwered by the States-General, and replied to by Mr. Secretary St. John. Afuccintt View of his Behaviour in all the great Employ- ments
CONTENTS.
ments he discharged at this Juncture. Created Vifcount Bolingbroke, and Ba- ron St. John, with the Remainder of thoj'e Honours to his Father, Sir Henry St. John. Page 177
LETTER VIII.
Tloe Scope of thefe Letters does not require Striffnefs and a regular Method, farther than is necejfary to Connexion and Perfpi- cuity. The Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke'j Journey to Paris ; the Reafons fuggefted by the Whigs, and by Lord Oxford, compared with what appears on this Head from the Queens Inftr lift ions. 'The procuring Sicily for the Houfe of Savoy -, a Meafure of a public Nature, and for the common Eene- Jit of Europe, which 'was the Reafon her Majejly recommended it fo war?nly hi thefe Injiruffions. Upon what Motives the Queen would have consented that the IJland of Sardinia Jhovid have been given to the Eleflor of Bavaria : But though very attentive to the general Inter eft, jbe was very cautious of entering on every trifling Occajion into Guaranties, which muft put her People to frtfo Trouble and Expence. There is as little Probability as Evidence, that he held any Correfpondence-
with
CONTENTS.
with the Court of St. Germains, as has been fince reported, during his Stay at Plris . Methods praffifed by the Oppofition to render the Peace fufpecJedj and the Miniftry odious, while it was negotiating. Particular Injlances thereof ^ in regard to this Commiffion of his Lordfoip's. Sup- pofmg this fair during the Struggles of Parties, great Care faould be taken to pre- vent theje temporary Invajions of 'Truth from deceiving Pojlerity, and corrupting Hiftory. The more necejfary, becaufe if this Care be not taken, and taken in Time, it will certainly have this Effect y and en- gage the World hereafter to conjider as Caufes and Effects things utterly uncon- nected. Without removing thefe Notions, there is no coming at the important Quefti- cny what political Judgment ought to be formed of the Treaty of Utrecht ? This, notwithstanding all that has been faid and written, is a Subject far Jrom being ex- haufted. What are the proper Points to be regarded in this Inquiry. The previous Objection, that the Britifh Mini ft ers flood precluded by the grand Alliance, from re- ceiving any Propofitionsfrom France. An- fwers given to theje Objections upon the fame Principles on which it is founded. Other
Motives
CONTENTS.
Motives which might induce the Miniflry to go into this Negotiation. A View of the mofl exceptionable Circumftances attending it. What may be offered in Vindication of the Negotiators, the Syftem of the Treaty gf Utrecht/or the Security and Tranquillity of Europe. Satisfaction flipulated for the Houje of Auftria. Care taken of the Dutch, and of the reft of the Allies. Bene- fits ft ipulated for Great-Britain in Europe and in America. // is probable that more might have been obtained \ but this Pro- bability does not in the leaft diminifo the Value of what 'was obtained. What the Earl of Oxford promifed for this Treaty^ accomplijhed in two remarkable Inftances. Consequences of later Treaties have ftiewn, that the wifejl Men may be miftaken, and conjequently ought to teach themfome Tem- per\ in Regard to other Peoples Miflakes. But though the Plan of the Treaty of Utrecht may be defended, Irregularities in the Negotiations might be liable to Cenfure^ to which, from the jlrifteft Inquiry ', they were feverely expofed. Af- ter his Lordjhip's Return, and the Pro- clamation oj the Peace, the Difputes •with the Treafurer become public. What
'was
CONTENTS.
was the real Plan of Lord Oxford'! Adminijlration^ and why it was difap- f roved by the October Club. The Rea- fons why his Scheme failed, and why he was Jo heartily hated by both Faftions. Arthur Man waring, EJq; and ^ir Ri- chard Steele, acknowledged themfehes miftaken, as to his Character. Steps taken to remove the Treasurer ', who pro- traffis his Fall for fome I'imf, falls at laft> and the whole Syflem with him. Mifchiefs arijingfrom that Faction which oppofed him. Mifchiefs occafioned by tho/e who fupplanted him. The Cata- Jlrophe of this Struggle left the Tories at Mercy. Page 230
LETTER IX.
This Letter compofed rather of Faffs than Reflections. The Proclamation of King George I. fettled as foon as pofjible upon the Queens Deceafe, and fuhfcribed by the Vifcount Bolingbroke, and the reft of her late Majejlys Minifters. His Lordjhip is ft'verely mortified by the Regency, before Orders were received from Hanover for removing him from his Office. His Be- baviour in the Jhort Seffion after the
Queen's
CONTENTS.
Queen's Death. In the Jirfl Parliament of King George opposes in the Houje of Peers, an Addrefe which cenfured the Queens Miniftry and the Peace. Oppofed alfo by the Duke of Shrewfbury, Earl of StrafTord, and other Peers j but the Ad- drefs after all carried by a Majority of two to one. Lord Bolingbroke beginning thereupon to doubt the Safety of his Per- fon, judged it more prudent to •withdraw cut of the Kingdom. A Letter publijhed foon after, as if written by him to another noble Peer, containing the Reafons of his taking that Step. Some Remarks as to the Propriety of hi 3 Lord/hip's Conduct. Com- mencement and Proceedings of the Com- mittee of Secrecy. Debate upon the bring- ing up Articles of Impeachment againjl the Earl of Oxford, and Demand that he ftould be immediately fequejlrcd from Par- liament. His Lord/hip's admirable Speech for himfelf upon this Occafon. Committed to the Ujler of the Black-Rod the fame Night, and foon after to the Tower. The Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke and the Duke of Ormond attainted. No Mention made of any treafonable Correspondence, other than in negotiating the Peace, in thefe
CONTENTS.
of Attainder. At 'what T^ime, and a Conjecture by whofe Interejl, the former of thefe Peers was pardoned, and pro- mifed Marks of the Kings Favour. An Attempt to fix this Period 'with Certainty from his own Writings. His Senfe of this Royal Favour, and his Situation when be received it. An Application to Parlia- ment', in order to his enjoying the Benefits in- tended him by the Kings Pardon, fhis In- dulgence vehemently oppofed in the Houfe of Commons, and followed by Protefis in the Houfe of Lords. He once more takes up his Pen in Politicks, and his Apology for it. How relijhed by fome, and in what Light confidered by others. His great A- bilities as an Author generally acknow- ledged, and fuccefsfully employed. His Rank and high Employments, Jlrong Pre- judices in his Favour as a Writer. Ap- plies Hi/iory in general, and Englifh Hiftory more efpecially with great Dex- terity. His Writings to be read with much Attention, and no lefs Caution. Adopts, in order to Jlrengthcn his Friends in Oppofition, the Doctrine of the Earl of Oxford, under the Notion of a Coali- tion of Parties. Varies his Viewl with
tbf
CONTENTS.
the varying Circumftances of the Times, andjixes on a Right to Fame after Death. His Character drawn by a noble Pen. Time of his Death, and feme Particulars relating to it. A few practical Remarks en the winding tip thefe Letters, for the Ufe of the Perfon to whom they are ad-
Page 289
L E T^
LET T E R I.
Honeftiffimum enim eft m.ijorum veftigia fequi, ii modo redlo itinere pr^cefTcrmt.
PLIN. Lib. V. Epift. 4.
*fkejirft 'Thing to be confidered in the Memoirs of a great Man, is his Family. That of St. John more ancient than the Norman Con- quejL Titles of Honour frequent therein long before our Times, and the ancient Barony of Bletfho remaining. The Royal Houfe of Tuther or Tudor, and the Family of St. John defcendedfrom the fame Lady. The Lord St. John killed on the Side of the Par- liament^ and three Brothers of the fame Fa- milyr, in the King's Service, during the Civil War. Few Families more numerous or more flour ijhing than this. How the Branch of St. John of Batterfea is related to the Head of this Family. Deduction from this Inquiry.
f^~!T*\ HERE is nothing more natural,
or more laudable, than for a
JL Perfon of your Rank, Age and
Education to be deiirous of feeing a Work
B on
- 2 MEMOIRS of -the LIFE, &e. of
on fo important a Subject as the Ufe of Hijtory, written by an Author whofe Re- putation is fo great as a Statefman, a Phi- lofopher and a Man of fublime Senfe, joined with practical Talents ; all which rendered him equally able to direct others with Dig- nity, and to difpatch the moft difficult Af- fairs with much Facility to himfelf. Such a Work falling from the Pen of fuch a Man might well raife your Curioiity j and the Hiftory of him, and of his Writings, which I am on the Point of giving you, if not ably, at leafl impartially, will as well deferve your ferious Attention. It may not, indeed, be worthy of the Subject ; for a compleat Life of the late Lord Bolingbroke, (fo he wrote it) is, perhaps, what he alone could execute ; but I dare aflert it will an- f\ver all your Queries, hinder you from appearing ignorant to others, whofe Curio- iity may be, alib, awakened, or from be- ing liable to Impofition in your further En- quiries. In fhort, it will tell you what I know in the Language of Sincerity and Truth,
THE
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 3
. THE firft Thing to be considered when
we fpeak of a Man of Quality, is his Fa^ mily. For how lightly foever fome great and in other Refpe&s wife Men may treat it, yet fearch Things to the Bottom, and you will find, that no Man in an elevated Station defpifes Birth, but one, who is confcious to himfelf, that he is deficient in that Point. Merit may indeed fupply the Want of Birth, fo far as to deferve Efleem -, but where Merit and Birth unite, they claim not Efteem only, but Refpect, and this from all Ranks. An Obfervation fo much the more necelTary, as you have heard this great Man treated as the Inferior of fome whom you have mentioned, as a new Man in Point of Title -y and as one who fometimes aflumed rather too much on this Head amongft Foreigners, who could not be the proper Judges of that Deference to which he pretended.
THERE are, to fpeak ingenuoufly and
impartially, few or none, of thofe Charac-
B 2 teriftic
!
4 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
;
teriilic Marks of Diftinction, fettled by the Ufage of all civilized and polite Nati- ons, in refpect to Families, that may not with great Truth and Juftice be afcribed to this of SAINT JOHN, and that in a very eminent Degree. To fet this in a clear Light, let us firft confider what thefe Characteriftics are ; and that we may keep within fome Bounds upon fo copious a Topic, we will reftrain them to five the nioft confpicuous, and the lead difputed. Thefe are Antiquity, fupported by a clear Defcent > Dignity, arifmg from Titles of Honour j Splendour, fpringing jointly from Circumftances of Merit and Fortune ; Power, with which fuch Advantages muft be attended ; and large Poflefiions, to which the foregoing Circumllances arc commonly united.
IN reference to Antiquity, there is the fabulous and the hifloric. The former liawino; from Tradition and the Rumour
C1
of Things beyond Memory, to which fo- vcreign Houfes commonly pretend, and
to
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 5
, r
to whom it ought to be left by thole who carry their Claim no higher than Nobility. The latter is founded in Evidence ; and the clearer that Evidence is, the better the Title, By thefe Marks the Refbed due to Family mull be afcertained, if by any.
THIS Family derives its fir it Tefti- mony from the moft antient of our Au- thorities. The Doomfday-Book mews that the PORTS were Lords of Bajing, in Hamp/hirey before the Conqueft. The Roll of Battle-Abbey acquaints us, that William de St. John was Quarter-Mailer- General of the Army of William Duke of Normandy, when he acquired the Crowns of England by the Victory at HajUngs. This William de Sf. John was the Father of 'Thomas and yohn. The younger Bro- ther was one of thofe twelve Knights, who, in the Reign of William Rufusy made an Expedition again ft the Welch > by which he acquired the Caftle of Fahnont, in Glamor ganfoire. In Procefs of Time he became poflefTed of the Lands granted to B the
6 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
the Family in England^ and particularly of Stenton, in Oxford/lure^ in Bullington Hun- dred, five Miles North-Baft of Oxford^ and diftinguiihed by the Addition of St. Jobny as another Stanton in the fame County is by the Name of Har court ^ as, belonging to the Anceftors of that noble
0 o ' -
Family. Thefe Lands defcended to Mabil, who married Adam de Port, the Head of whofe Barony was at Bajtngl and whofc Anceltor was Proprietor of twenty-five Lordfhips befide at the Conqueft. Yet his chief Heir Male^ William y thought fit to affume the Sirname of St. John, and accordingly wrote himfelf Willielmus de Sanfto Jobaiin€y flius 6? hares Ad<z de Port. Thefe are Facts that ftand upon the fecurefl Bafis, that of Record ; and, therefore, the Antiquity of this Family is in no Danger of being controverted.
TITLES of Dignity, as connected with Property, were in this Family before it appeared in our Records ; for the forts were great Barons before the Con-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 7
queft, and the Sf. Johns became fo in Virtue of it. William Sf. John, before- mentioned, was Sheriff of the County of Southampton in the iixteenth and feven- teenth of King John. His Grandfon Jcbjij. in the Lifetime of his Father, was.fum- moned to Parliament the twenty-eighth of Edward the Firir,, by the Name of John Sf. John, junior, as Baron of jSafing.. . About the fame Time there was a Baron of the fame Name and Family, who was alfo fummoned to Parliament, and diflin- guilhed by the Title of Sf. John of Bcrr- /<?;;, in Oxfordfoire. The learned Dugdale makes him a different Perfon from John . Sf. John of Lagefam, who was likewiic fummoned to Parliament in the twenty- fifth of Edward the Firft ; but it feems . from certain Circumftances that he might be the fame j and if fo, he mufl have been one of thofe nine Perfons, who, after the Battle of Lewes* were appointed by the victorious Barons a Kind of Council of State j but in fucceeding Reigns his Poiicrity were not fummoned to Parlia- B 4 ment.
$ MEMOIRS of the. LIFE, &c. "of
.mem. Sir Oliver Sf. John, in the Reign :of Henry the Sixth, obtained the Lordfhip .•of Bletfcc, with the Manor of Ledyard 'Tre- goze, and various other Lands by the Mar- riage of Margaret, Sifter and fole Heireis of Sir John Beauchamp, of the Family of the old Earls of Warwick. His great Grandfon Oliver Sf. John, Efq; was by Letters Patents, dated in the fir ft Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, advanced to the Title of Baron St. John of Bletflo ; and his Grandfon, whofe Name was Oliver likewife, was in the twenty-fecond Year of James the Firft created Earl of Bolenbroke, which Title remained in his Family with- in our Memory ; Paulet St. John, the laft Earl of Boli'ngbroke, dying on the fifth of October, 1711. But the Barony of St. John of Bletfio ftill fubfifts. Befides thefe, there have been later Honours in this Family ; for Oliver Sf. John, a younger Son of a Branch of the BoKngbfoke Family, was created by King James the Firft, Vifcount Grandifon of Limerick, in the Kingdom of Ireland, and by King Charles the Firft
Baron
Lord Vifcount BODJNGBROKE. 9
•Baron of Tregoze, in the -County o in England. He died without IfTue, and fo the Barony became extinct ; but the Title of Vifcount Grandifon, being limited to the MTue of Sir Edizard Viliiers, Knight, by Barbara St. John, Niece to O/zvtr Lord Vifcount Grandifon, that Honour remains ftill in the Family of Filliers. . All this fhews that Titles were familiar to the Line of •&'. John, long before our Times.
IN Point of Splendour, there cannot be any Thing more remarkable, than that both the Families of Bletjko and Tregoze were founded by the Children, by her firft Mar- riage, of that Lady Margaret, who, being the Widow of their Father, married John Beaufort, Duke of Somerfet, and had by him the Lady Margaret, Counteis of Rich-. mondt Mother to King Henry the Seventh, who derived from her whatever Title he had from the Line of Lancajler. This Margaret^ Countefs of Richmond, was the Foundrefs of Chri/$ and St. John's Col- ' leges in Cambridge, and appointed Sir John
•• • St.
io MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
St. John, her Mother's Grandfon, by her 'fecond Son, Oliver St. Jobi, Efq; to whom {he had given her Manor of Ledyard Trc- goze, one of her Executors, who acquired uo fmall Honour by that Firmnefs and In- tegrity with which he executed his Truft. His Grandfon, Oliver, was a Student in one of the Inns of Court, and having un- fortunately a Quarrel with Mr. Bcft, Cap- tain of the Guard to Queen Elizabeth, lie killed him in a Duel, for which he was obliged to leave the Kingdom, ferved in the Low-Country Wars, under Sir Francis and Sir Horatio Fere, received the Honour of Knighthood ; and was then fent with his Regiment into Ireland, became Prefi- dent of Munjler, Vice-Prefident of Con- naughty and Mafler of the Ordnance ; at length, April 3 , 1 6 1 6, he was appointed I^ord Deputy of that Kingdom, which ex- pofed him to much Envy ; but after his Conduct, at his own Requeft, had been ftrictly examined, his Royal Matter, King "James, pronounced his Reputation without i and created him, fome Years af-
Lord Vifcdunt BOLINGBROKE. 1 1
terwards, Vifcount Grandifon. It would be an eaiy Matter to mention many- other Perfons of diftinguifhed Merit of the Name of St. yobnj but that would be befide my Purpofe, and intruding on the Province of Heralds and Hiftorians, who have already recorded them with the Praifes they de- fer ved*
THAT unfortunate Civil War, which was the Difgrace of the laft Century, and the bitter Effects of which have been felt in this, was a great Criterion of the Power of Families -, fince there was hardly one in any Degree confpicuous in this Ifland, which did not act either as Aggrefibrs with the Parliament, or in Defence of the Kin<r.
' C>
Many were divided in this Quarrel, as will be always the Cafe in fuch Quarrels, which pod avert ! and fought on both Sides. A very ftrong Inftance of this we have in the $t. John's j for not to mention one who had too much Hand in contriving and executing the political Schemes that at length plunged f;his Nation in Blood, the Earl of Baling-
broke
12 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
broke was from the Beginning very warm and zealous for the Parliament, . and fo was his Son, the Lord St. John of Bletfoo, whom the King had called by Writ into the Houfe of Peers, and to whom the Parliament gave a Commiffion to raife a Troop of Horfe j at the Head of which he was prefent in the Army of the Earl of EJ/ex> at the fir ft Battle of Edge-hill, and was the only Per- fon of Diftinction killed on that Side. On the other, Sir John St. John of Ledyard 'Tregoze, the Nephew of Oliver, Lord Vif- count Grandifon, to whom he left his Eftate at Eatterfea. and Wandfworth, and " himfelf a Baronet, fo created May 22, 1 6 1 1 , had no lefs than three Sons killed in the King's Service j viz. William, his fecond Son, under Prince Rupert, at the taking of Cirencejler in Gkucefterjhire -, Edward, his third Son, in the Battle of Newlnry -, and John, his fifth Son, in the Army under the Command of the Marquis of Newcaflle in the North. To all thefe Marks of Gran- deur we may very fafely add that of Pof-
to 3 Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE.
leffions, which is the laft Charafteriftic we
, mentioned.
:uU
FEW, very few Families of equal Note in this Kingdom have been fo numerous as the Sf. Johns j and yet almoft all the Branches of the Family were blefled with competent, feveral of them with large and opulent Eftates : The Barony of Blctfio de- volved, on the Extinction of the Earldom, upon St. Andrew Sf. John., Baronet ; the Lord Vifcount St. John was alfo a Baronet, and had a great Eftate when that Title was conferred upon him by the late King, who likewife created Francis Sf. John, Efq; of Longthorp, in Northa?nptonjhiret a Baronet, and there are yet feveral Gentlemen of very ancient Families, and very confiderable Fortunes difperfed through the midland Counties of England j fome of whom are defcended from, and have in their Poilef- ilon, Manors that were in the Hands of the old Sf. John's, of Bafing and Barton^ once fo confiderable by their extenfive Properties in Hampjbtre and Oxford/hire^
when
,
14 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
when Property and Power were always conjoined.
As to the immediate and direct Family of the late Lord Bolingbroke, it was con- nedted with thofe ancient Lines of which I have been fpeaking, thus. Nicholas St. John, of Ledyard T^regoze, Efq; was great Grandfon of Oliver St. John, Efq} the younger Son of Margaret, Duchefs of Somerfet. He efpoufed Elizabeth, Daugh- ter to Sir Richard Blunt, of Maple-Dur- ham, and by her had IfTue, two Sons, John and Oliver, who, as we have al- ready feen, was created Vifcount Grandifon, and Baron St. John of frtggze, John the elder Brother was knighted, and married Lucy, Daughter and Heir to Sir Walter Hungerford, of Farley, in the County of Wilts, by whom he had an only Son, and many Daughters. This Son of his, Sir John St. John, was created a Baronet at the firft Inftitution of the Order ; he married Anne, Daughter to Sir Thomas Leighton^ of Feckenham, in the County of Worcejler^
by
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 15
by whom he had one Daughter, Anne, married to Sir Francis Henry Lea, from whom the Earls of Litchjield are de- fcended, and a fecond.Time to Henry Wil- mot, Earl of Rocbcfter ; and feven Sons': Of thefe Oliver the eldeft married Catbe- riney Daughter and Co-heir of Horatio Verey Baron of tilbury ; three other Sons were killed, as we have before obferved,- in the Civil War ; the fourth died before his Father : The Name of the fixth was Wal- ter•, and of the youngeft Henry.
OLIVER St. John, Efqj died in the Lifetime of his Father, leaving by his Lady, beforementioned, an only Son, who fucceeded his Grandfather in his Title and Eftate, and was the fecond Sir John St. John of Ledyard T*regoze and Batterfea, Baronet j but dying before he was of Age, unmarried, his Uncle became Heir to the Honour and Eflates. This was Sir Walter St. John, Baronet, who aiarried "Johanna, one of the Daughters of the Lord Chief Juflice St. John ; as his youngeft Brother
Henry
i6 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Henry did another, whofe Name was Ka- tberiney by \vhom he had an only Daugh- ter, Anne, who efpoufed Anthony Boizyer, of Cambcri&tt} in the County of Surrey, Efqs This Sir Walter St. John and his Lady were Perfons very remarkable for iincere Piety ; and though very zealous for the Proteflant Religion, were very far from being fuch Bigots to Puritanifm as fome have reprefented them. The very learned and judicious Dr. Simon Patrick* fucceflively Bifhop of Chicbefter and of Ely, who was long their Chaplain, and lived many Years in their Family, always fpoke of them with the higheft Reverence as well as Gratitude, and gave publick Proofs of both in the Dedication of one of his learned Treatifes. Sir Walter reprefented the County of Wilts in two Parliaments in the Reign of King Charles the Second, and fiad the fame Honour in the fecond Parlia- ment, held by King William. He died in the eighty-feventh Year of his Age, July the 3d, 1708, and was interred in his own Parim Church near the Seat of his Family
at
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 17
at Batterfea, univerfally lamented, but more efpecially by the Poor, to whom he was very charitable. He had Iflue by his Lady one Son, tlenry, and one Daughter, Barbara, who married Sir John Top, Ba- ronet. He enjoyed to the Time of his De- mife a beneficial Office in th£ Law, given him by his Father-in-Law the Chief Juftice*
SIR Henry St. John, his Son, married firft the Lady Mary, fecond Daughter and Co-heirefs of Robert Rich, Earl of War* wick, by whom he had only one Son> Henry, who is the Subject of thefe Let- ters i and, fecondly, a French Lady, from whom defcends the prefent Vifcount St. "John of Batterfea. Thus I have conducted you through the genealogical Hiftory of this great Man, which will enable you to difcern the Miftakes of thofe who have fuggefted that the Title of Bolingbroke was only reftored to his Family by the Queen ; for you will perceive, that it was never in this Branch of the St. John's at all, though that of the Barony of fregoze, which he C likewife
i8 MEMOIRS of die LIFE, &c. of
likewife had, really was. You will like- wife difcern, that though he defcended from the Chief Juftice St. John, yet it was not in the Senfe that you have been told ; and you will alfo fee that his Grandfather did not only live to have the Pleafure of be- holding him a very eminent Member of the Houfe of Commons, and when firft employed in the Miniftry as Secretary at War and of the Marines ; but alfo to fee him refign thefe Offices, which will fatisfy you they are in the wrong, who have fup- pofed that he did not differ with Queen Annes firft Miniftry, till he was in no Danger of difpleafing fo near a Relation, to whom he was always very dear, and who had been particularly careful of his Edu- cation, and of the Manner in which he made his firft Appearance in the World, as I mall hereafter, perhaps, acquaint you more at large.
You will difcover, from what has been already faid, how much it becomes a Lover of Truth to be upon his Guard, even in
. refpect
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 19
refpedl to Things that may be eafily known, and which from thence one would imagine none would attempt to falfify or mifreprefent. Yet fo it falls out, that t; e higher a Man's Fame is, the more it is fab- jecl to thefe Kind of Injuries. For as there are few who care to fay plainly, that they know little or nothing of fuch a Perfon's Family ; they are apt to difguife their Ignorance, by afTerting whatever oc- curs to their Memory, and, perhaps, en- deavour to help that by Conjectures. Such Impofitions may the more eafily pafs upon you, as in a foreign Country you cannot have Recourfe to fuch Helps as might, and ought ever to be in your Power at Home. Thefe erroneous Notions once fettled, you will find it hard to remove, as not fuf- pecting them to be erroneous : And there- fore, I hope, the Pains taken on this Head will be acceptable and even agreeable, which will abundantly recompence the little Labour taken by one who is with Affection and Efleem, &c.
C 2 LET-
20 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of LETTER II.
Hoc Patrium eft, potius confuefacere filium Sua fponte rede facere, quam alieno mctu. Hoc Pater ac Dominus intereft: hoc qui nequit, Fateatur fe nefcire imperare liberis.
Terent. Adelph.
Happy in having two Fathers to fuperintend his Education. Improbable that he was bred in Dijjenting Principles. Firjl brought up •at Eaton, then at Oxford. Diftingtiijhed early by his fur prizing Parts, 'which were never impaired thro' his whole Life. Blejf- ed 'with Facilities that feem oppofite and incompatible. His fir ft FriendJJnps flew he was in the Dawn of Life inclined to the Tories. His Touth not exempt from Follies^ and what they were. Marries the Daugh- ter and Co-heir efi of Sir Henry Winchef- comb, defcended from Jack of Newbury. Is eletfedBurgefsforWottonBafiett, in the County of Wilts. NeceJJity of forming a right judgment of Parties.
A
S in my former I have endeavoured to give you a juft Notion of his Fa- mily,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 21
mily, fo in this, I fhall with the fame Impar- tiality fpeak of his Education, and Manner of coming into the World, in Refpect to v/hich, I find you are likewife under fome Difficulties. About the Clofe of the lad Dutch War, in the Reign of Charles the Second, Mr. Henry St. John was born, and as it was a very great Comfort to Sir Walter to fee his Son's Heir Apparent formed un- der his Eye, while he ftill enjoyed a firm State of Health, and the full Exercife of all his Faculties ; fo it was the peculiar Felicity of young Mr. Sf. John, that not only his Education, and his firft Settlement in the World, but even his firfl Entrance into publick Bulinefs, was under the Care and Jnfpe&ion of two Fathers, both Men of Character and Worth, and who had trod before him thofe Paths into which he was introduced, not by Dint of Money, or by his or their Dependance upon Men in Power, but by their natural Intereft in their Coun- try ; Sir Walter Sf. John, and his Son Henry Sf. John, Efq; having been both of them Knights of the Shire for the County of C 3 Wilts,
22 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
nj iiifT
Wilts, and the latter very often Burgefs for
Wotton-BaJfct, when the former fat for the County.
How common foever the Reports may have been, which you have heard, or upon whatever Authorities grounded ; there is, in Fact, no Realbn to believe that he was bred up in Diffenting Principles 3 or with a particular Spleen to the Church, which made the Zeal he afterwards ex- prefTed for it, appear not only very extra- ordinary, but a little unnatural, I do not fay, that the Gentleman who told you this fpoke without Book ; but I have good Grounds to believe, as I really do, that what he faid was without Truth. The Parifh Records, if I am rightly informed, at Batterfea, will fhew, that Sir Walter St, 'John was a thorough, though a moderate Churchman, by almoft every Kind of Tef- timony. He repaired that Fabric more than once, erected, in Virtue of a Faculty from the Bifhop, an entire new Gallery, and built and endowed a Charity-School,
all
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 23
all at his own Expence. But, fays a certain Writer, Mr. Henry St. John, the younger, . was well lectured by his Grandmother and her ConfefTor, Mr. Daniel Burgefs, in the Prefbyterian Way. It is true, indeed, that his Grandmother lived to 1 704 ; but if I , miftake not, me was a Contributer likewife to the Charity-School beforementioned, was a great Patronefs to Dr. Simon Patrick* who in the earlier Part of his Life, wrote a Book which gave great Offence to the Non-conformifls : And as to her Father, the Chief JufHce St. John, . whatever his religious Principles were, he was no Bigot, fince he preferved the Cathedral Church of Peterborough, when nobody elfe could have preferved it, that is, when Oliver Cromwell importuned the Parliament for a Grant of it, in confideration of his Services > and as to Daniel Burgefs, I doubt, it is not very certain that he was a Prefbyterian, though a DiiTenter he certainly was ; but a Man of more Wit and Parts than him who gives us this Intelligence ; and, there- fore, I conclude that thefe Lectures, if C 4 Mr.
24 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Mr. St. John really received any fuch, could not give him any Sournefs in refpecl to the eftablifhed Church, though they might have been employed in imprefling very ftrongly, on his tender Mind, the firft Notions of the Chriftian Faith ; and it would have been well for him, if they had funk deeper, and lafted longer than they did.
BUT whatever occafional Informations or Inflrudions he might receive from his Grandmother or her Friends, it is very certain that he had a regular and liberal Education, and having paffed through Eaton School was removed to Oxford, where it may be fairly inferred, from the Company lie kept and the Friendships he made, many of which fubMed in their full Strength, after he became very confpicu- ous in the World, that he foon rubbed off the Ruft of Puritanifm, if, indeed, he ever contracted it. This is not faid with a View of reflecting upon any Set of Peo- ple, but merely to prevent your being milled in a Point of Fact, by thofe who
would
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 25
would mifreprefent Mr. St. Jolm as fickle or falfe in the Beginning ; hafty in efpouf- ing Notions, and as haily in deferting them : Things eafily advanced, and by the dex- terous Application of a few colourable Cir- cumflances without Difficulty propagated, but which can hardly be received as Facts, if we confider how eafily thofe, who are faid to have lectured him in his Youth, could have hindered his going to Oxford, and how little it was confiftent with their Lectures to fend him thither. But as this is a Point of no very great Corifequence, J fhall not prefs it any farther.
BY that Time he left the Univerfity, Mr. St. John was defervedly confidered as one who had the faireft Opportunities of making a mining Figure in the World. He was in his Perfon wonderfully agreeable, he had a Dignity mixed with Sweetnefs in his Looks, and a Manner that would have captivated the Heart, if his Perfon had been ever fo indifferent ; he was remarka^ for his Vivacity, and had a prodigious i Memory,
26 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Memory. Whatever he read he retained, " and that in a very iingular Manner, for he made it entirely his own ; and whether he was to fpeak, or to write upon any Subject ; all he had ever read in his favourite Au- thors occurred to him juft as he had read it ; fo that he delivered this in Converfation, or threw it upon Paper, as if he had ths Book in his Hand j a Circumftance that it imports you to know, for otherwife you will frequently take for ftudied Affectation what was to him, and, perhaps, only him, perfectly natural. In the earlier Part of his Life he did not read much, or at lead many Books, for which he fometimes gave the fame Reafon that Menage did for not reading Moreri's Dictionary, that he was unwilling to fill his Head with what did not deferve a Place there, fince when it was once in, he knew not how to get it out again. In the fucceeding Part of his Life, when he had more Leifure, a greater Part of his Time was employed in reading, but ftill with much Caution j and he frequently complained of that Neceffity, which arofe
from
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 27
from political Controverfy, of being o- bliged to perufe a Multitude of miferable Performances, He had great Quicknefs and Penetration, could very happily diftin- guiih the real from the apparent View of polemical Writers, and had a Sprightlinefs and a Perfpicuity in delivering his own. Opinions, which was fure to entertain even thofe he did not convince. Thefe were Qualities that did not only adorn his ju- venile Years, but grew up and kept him company through all Stations, and under all Circumftances ; to which may be in fome Meafure attributed his being al- ways well received, and quickly gaining an Afcendancy wherever he came. But though thefe were very great, yet they were not his only Talents : He was blefled with Parts, and with Parts of different Kinds, even fuch as the Generality of the World are apt to confider as incompatible, at leaft, till Experience convinces them of the Contrary.
His
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r.?E, &c
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i eve |
rith a Si |
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hich are |
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o |
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ipeci |
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perhaps |
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a an in-
conceivable Dexterity in difplaying, or concealing, whatever he was inclined to make apparent, or to hide^ The great Earl of Straff ord is faid to have made ufe of the Works of a celebrated Popijh Au- thor to help him in making Diftinclions, Mr. St. John wanted no fuch Help. He pofleffed it, in that Faculty of reflecting, and after a little Thought, was able to treat any Subject in fo new and fingular a
Way,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 29
Way, that it feemed to be perfectly chang- ed by his Method of managing it, fo as to become fufceptible of new Arguments in its Favour, and to be no longer liable to thofe Objections with which it had been formerly oppofed. His Peculiarity of thinking had not that Imperfection with which Peculiarity of thinking is commonly attended. It did not at all affect his Man- ner of fpeaking, which was eafy, natural and flowing, and in this too, he very much refembled the Earl of Str afford -y for how- ever ftrong his Thoughts, however nice and refined his Diftindtions, his Language was always perfectly intelligible ; and though upon Recollection, his Words appeared to be very artfully chofen, yet in the Courfe of his Delivery, they feemed to be fuch as offered themfelves, and the firft that rofe in his Mind. He had, as I obferved before, Paufes of Reflection ; but when once his Thoughts came to be cloathed in Words there was no Hefltation, but the Difcourfe rolled on like a Stream from a perennial Spring ; ftrong, full,
clear,
30 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
clear, and filling equally the Ear and Mind $ for the Sound and Senfe were fo happily united, that you never difcovered trivial Sentiments veiled in elegant ExprefTions, or were able to difcern that the Sublimity of his Conceptions fuffered through any Want of Elocution in their Conveyance.
His early Tafte of Literature was not accompanied with that Forwardnefs, which young Men are too apt to (hew, in dif- playing their own Parts. His firft Turn was to Poetry, as appears from a Copy of Verfes of his to Mr. Dryden, and fome other Compofitions, which though not at all beneath him, for the Time in which they were wrote, he did not afterwards efteem. It is obferved by Mr. Pope, and very juflly obferved, that he was the Pa- tron, the Friend and the Protector of that great Poet beforementioned in the Decline of his Age, though not of his Parts, for the very laft Poems of Mr. Dryde?i are amonsit his beft. This too is a convin-
O
cing Proof that he was not affected with
Puritanifm
LordVifcount BOLINGBROKE. 31
Puritanifm in his Youth. If he had, he would not have fought, or have relifhed, Mr. Drydens Converfation, he would not have entered, as he did, into Familiarities with a certain Set of Men ; who, what- ever other Blemiihes they might have, were without Queftion free from that. Indeed his Humour was fo entirely re- moved from Stiffnefs, Formality, or Mo- rofenefs, or rather was fo much the Op- pofite of thefe, that we cannot but confi- der what fome malevolent Critics have infi- nuated of this Kind, as Fictions that took Birth from Conjecture, and ought, there- fore, to be buried in Oblivion. He was, indeed, from his Youth very unconfined in his Choice of Company. This arofe from a Variety of Motives, fome of them, perhaps, excufable only in a young Man. But whatever Motives they arofe from, they were of Ufe to him, for every Thing was fo, that he faw or heard ; and if it was not fo for the prefent, yet it dwelt upon his Memory till fome fit Occafion called it out, and then, at whatever Diftance
of
32 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
of Time, he could produce it with allrits Circumftances, as if it happened but the Day before. He was for this Reafon more improved by the good, and lefs hurt by the bad Company he kept. He lifted in his Hours of Leifure, Expreffions, Acci- dents, Events, and what efcaped others without thinking, was to him very fre- quently Matter of Thought, from which he extracted much more than ever occur- red to Themfelves. He had an Excellency in improving Hints that for a Time gave the higheft Pleafure, but in the End no lefs Pain to a certain Great Man, who loved Obfcurity too much, and could not bear at his Elbow one who was not only able to explain his Thoughts, when that was what he wifhed, but to penetrate what he took the greateft Pains to con- ceal.
THERE is no Defign, after all this, to perfuade you that Mr. Sf. John was fome- thing more than Man, or that in his Youth he had none of thofe Failings, or fell into
none
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 33
none of thofe Indifcretions which are fo common with young Men. The Truth is, and it is fit you mould know it, that his Character was in this Period of his Life ex- pofed thro' great Blemifhes, that is, from Libertinifm in a very high Degree. He was much addidted to Women, was apt to indulge himfelf in late Hours, with all thofe Excefles that ufually attend them. Thefe were his Failings, they have been publifhed by his Enemies ; the warmeft of his Ad- mirers cannot deny they were fo, but with all thefe Failings, his Genius and his Un- derftanding v/ere great. However, had he been free from thofe Failings, they would have feemed, and they would have been much greater ; but even this Diminution of Mr.St. John's Fame, if duly confidered, may be a Help to your own. Parts are fo far from excufing, that they expofe Follies. Weakneffes in weak Men are Nature, but the Foibles of Men diftinguifhed by their Abilities, as they can hardly be concealed, fo they can never be forgiven. It is a trite, but very trivial Apology that is D com-
34 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
commonly made upon thefe Occaiions. Youth is the Seafon of Pleafure, and grave Thoughts come Time enough with grey Hairs. But what becomes all this Time of that Pregnancy of Wit which confH- tutes a firft-rate Genius ? It is ken in a Poem, it animates a Speech, it flames in a bon Moft or it glitters in a Reply. But the great Bufmefs of a rational Mind is the Conduct of Life, the Glory of a fuperior Mind is to be bright and fteady like the Sun. It is a vain Thing to triumph on the PofTeffion of what we don't ufe. Mifers may as well boaft of their Feafts, which arc prodigal to a Proverb, as Men of Genius of their lucid Intervals. The Power of Wifdom is a poor Thing if it is not em- ployed : Men of moderate Capacities may plead, that Occafions call them to the Performance of Talks to which they are unequal ; but it is a difmal Reflection, that where Nature has made Men fit for all Things, they by their own Faults make wide Chafms in Life in which they are fit for nothing, or at leafl are fit only, like
other
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROK^
Other Criminals, to be hung up for Exa. pies, to fright others who arc ike \ : fome Refpects from being like their, in alL — You will think thefe Remains tedi- ous.— But think of them what you will. — Only do not forget them.— Your Modefty may tempt you to fay, My Parts are nut on a Level with Sf. Joh?2$. — It may be fo. — But you may ealily refemble him in his Follies.
WHATEVER Difcredit thefe Efcapes from Morals and good Senfe might bring upon him, they did great Honour to his Parents, who, though they had it always in their Power, yet would not produce him on the Stage of publick Life till every Method had been tried, and till a fufficient Time had been allowed to wear them, in fome meafure at leaft, away. But as foon as thefe Gufts feemed to be blown over, they procured him a Settlement in all Refpects fuitable to his Birth and Expectations, and married him to the Daughter and Co- heirefs, as I take it, of Sir Henry Winchef- D 2 comb)
36 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
0
comb, of Buckkbury,, in the County of Berks, Baronet ; a Gentleman of a very fair Fortune, which defcended to him from a Perfon famous in our old Story by the fa- miliar Name o£Jack ofNcubury. Such as pique themfelves on a graver Stile, would tell you that Mr. Jobti TPlnchcfcomb was a Clothier of that Town in the Reign of Henry the Eighth, that in thole Days he kept an Hundred Looms ; and that to (hew his Duty to his King, and his Love for his Country, lie marched \vith an Hundred of his Workmen, well cloathed at his own Expence, to Floddcn-Field ; and content with the Glory of having had a Share in that Victory, which coft the King of Scots his Life, returned with his little Army to his native Town, and quitting the Foil of Captain returned that of Citizen. He too, by the Way, was a Benefactor to the Church ; and as the People of Ncwbury formerly mewed his Houie, fo they dill point to the Pulpit and the Tower which were of his creeling. Upon this Marriage ' large Settlement was made, the good Ef-
fecls
Lord Vhcount BOLINGBROKK
• , . .
feels of which he felt in his old Age, though a great Part of what his Lady
O C? 'il) ^)
brought him was taken from him in con-
fequence of liis Attainder. 1
THE very fame Year he was elected with Henry Pymiel, Efq; for the Borough cSWol- ton-Bajjct, and fat in the fifth Parliament of King William the Third, which met on the tenth of February •, and in which Robert Harleyy Efq; was chofen, for the firft Time, Speaker. At this Juncture Mr. St. John was about twenty-fix Years of Age, and might be prefumed to take his Seat in the EngliJJj Senate, with as many Advantages as almoft any Gentleman that fat there ; and this being coniidered, you cannot pay any great Regard to the Stories you have been told of his being introduced to Places and Power by this or that great Man. He was not called to Employment haftily, he had Time to diftinguifh, and make himfelf known ; and therefore, when he arrived at an Employment we may prefume that he deferved it, or that he acquired it, as in D 3 thofe
38 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
thofe Days mofl People did, in Virtue of his Connections; which however, as you will hereafter fee, were with fuch People as could not by any Means look upon him as their Dependant.
BUT to give you a juft Notion of this Matter, and that your Mind may be guard- ed againfl thofe Prejudices which are fo early, and fo afliduouily infufed into young People, I muil take the Liberty of dif- courling largely upon Parties, yet without entering into any Detail of their Principles ; becaafe I pretend to mew you, that thefe are of no more Confequence than Field- Marks in a Day of Battle ; fo that it is not the quitting, but the being of a Party that is fcandalous. To mift from Faction to Fadion is inexcufable and infamous. A Man may be no worfe than a Fool who ad- heres to one Faction all his Life ; but he who fhifts from Side to Side, inftead of keeping in the Middle, as he ought, can be very little better than a Knave, let his Fa- mily, his Faculties, his Fortune, be what
they
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 39
••J s
they will, fmce all thefe are but accidental Advantages, for the PoiTeffion of which even this World will call him to an Ac- count. The only genuine Claims to Cha- racter are an honeft Heart, a candid Be- haviour, public Spirit, clean Hands, and a Conduct invariably upright, for all which, or rather from all which I moft ardently wifh to fee you diftinguifhed, and would therefore contribute to it all I could.
D 4 LET-
40 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of LETTER III.
Non eft magis vituperandus proditor Patrisv, quam communisUtilitatis aut Salutis defertor, proper fuam Utilitattm aut Salutem. Cic.
T^e real Meaning of the Words Party and Fac- tion. Difputes about Liberty no way bene- ficial to the People. 'Title to the Groiyn a mere Cant-word of Faction. Religious Dif- putes abufed to the fame End. Queen Eli- zabeth governed by balancing Factions. Factions in Effect govern King]zmes. Hoiv the Conftitution was overturned by them in the Reign of Charles I. SucceJJion of Ty- rannies weary the Nation into rejloring it. Hiftory of Faction during the Reign of Charles II. Digreffion as to the Spirit of Animofity againft the French. TheirBeha* viour to the Royal Family in Exile. Cajole Charles II. into the Sale of Dunkirk, and then expofe him. Deceive him, and ex- afperate his Subjects till his Death. King James II. the Author of his own Misfor- tunes at Home and Abroad. T^ook his In-
Jtruments,
Lord Vifcourrt BOLINGBROK.E; ' i-'^i Of
jlruments ofMak-adminijlration oiti of both Parties. Resolution a temporary Sufpen- fion of Parties, -which revive with frefhVi-
J . »/ *\f\ -.,.... , *y */ » 0
gour, and diflurl) float whole. Reign. Full Proof of this from the Proceedings on the '
</«'<./ • o
Partition Treaties. Remarks upon thofe Proceedings, and practical- Conclujion of this Difcourfe.
IT is far from being an eafy Matter to. ftate to you, fairly and clearly, what the Words Party and Faction really mean j the utmoft that it is in my Power to do is to tell you my own Sentiments of them, and then to lay before you the Evidence upon which my Notions are grounded. A Party then is, as I take it, a Set of Men connected together, in Virtue of their hav- ing, or, which in this Cafe is the fame Thing, pretending to havs the fame private Opinion with Refpect to public Concerns ; and while this is confined to Sentiment or Difcourfe, without interfering with the Ma- nagement of Affairs, I think it wears pro- perly that Denomination j but when it pro- ceeds
42 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
ceeds further, and influences Mens Con- duct, in any confiderable Degree, it becomes FaElion. In all fuch Cafes there are re- vealed Reafons, and a refer ved Mot I've. By revealed Reafons, I mean a certain Set of plaufible Doctrines which may be ftilcd the Creed of the Party ; but the referved Mo- tive belongs to Faction only, and is the THIRST of POWER. The Creeds of Parties vary like thofe of Sects ; but all Factions have the fame Motive, which never im- plies more or lefs than a Luft of Dominion^ though they may be, and generally are, co- vered with the fpecious Pretences of Self- ID eni a! y and that Vehemence referred to Zeal for the Public, which flows in Fact from Avarice, Self-Intereft, Refentment and other private Views.
WHAT induced me to take up thefe Sentiments, was the Confideration of our own Hiftory, which appears to me from the Comparifon of Meafures and Men to de- monflrate this beyond the Power of Denial, or even of Doubt. The firft Difputes af- ter the CoiKjueft, between the Crown and
the
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 43
the Barons, were about Liberty, a Word often abufed, and never more fo than in thofe Times, when the Condition of the Peo- ple was not in the leaf! mended, whether the King or whether the Barons prevailed. They {pent their Blood and Treafure indeed very freely on both Sides, though in Refpect to them, the Question was limply this, « hofe Chain they mould wear.
THE Dethroning of Richard II. intro- duced another plaufible Topic, which was that of Title to the Croivn ; but though this was preached up to gain fuch as really thought there was fomewhat in it, yet when- ever the Chiefs of a Party could convert it into a Faction, the referved Motive quickly appeared to be the real Rule of their Con- duct, as is evident from the Behaviour of Harry Hoffpur, Archbifhop Scroop, and the reft of their AfTociates, who had been for- ward enough in raifing Henry of Bolingbroke to the Title of Henry the Fourth, for which they expected to govern him j but he taking upon him, as a King, to govern them,
they
44 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of
they queftioned his Right to the Crown, and this being decided by Anns, he had the good Luck .to -kill fome in the Field, and brought the reft to the Block. The Debate about Title, however, was fo favourable a Pretence, for fuch as pretended to fet a Colour of public Spirit upon private View?, that it was flill kept alive, as long as the Factions of York zii&Lancafter rendered this fruitful Ifland a Field of Blood. But whatever Men of moderate Underftandinss
o
might think, we can hardly believe that the Great meant any thing beyond making, or continuing themfelves fuch. The fa- mous Earl of Warwick was on both Sides. He firft fought Henry the Sixth into a Pri- fon, then fought to fet him at Liberty, and died at laft in the Defence of a mixed Quarrel -y from a Defign he had of blending the Titles, and yet refer ve more than regal Power to himfelf, which, whatever it had in it of Equity or Right, or whether it had the fmallefl Portion of either, had at leait this in it of Propriety, that it was his own, and he not only proved it by his Actions, I but
Lord Vifcpunt BOLINGBROKE. 45
but fealed it with his Blood, that he would never adhere to any Title, or be quiet un- der any King, whom he could not direct. When Richard, Duke of Ghucefter, con- ceived a Project of becoming Richard the Third, the Duke of Buckingham entered into his Faction, but after his becoming un- grateful, that is, ungovernable, the Duke was iliarp-iighted enough, though fome fay he ufed the Help of Epifcopal Spectacles, to diicern a juft Title in the Houfe of Lan- cafter, which Difcovery coft firft his Life, and then the King's.
AT length even a difputed Title became fo thread-bare a Topic, that thofewhoafpired to Power found it neceflary to adopt a new Subject for Debate, and this was Religion, in which, the warmeft Sticklers on both Sides, were juft as fincere as they had been in their Loyalty. Gar -diner •, who was an able Man, and an excellent Politician, wrote, preached and acted for the King's Divorce, and againft the Pope's Supremacy, in or- der to gain a Place in Henry the Eighth's
Privv
46 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Privy Council ; but declared againft the Di- vorce, and was the great Champion of Po- pery, when he became Chancellor and Prime-Minifter to Mary. On the other Hand, 'John Dudley^ Earl of Warwick^ and Duke of Northumberland, who had been half a Proteilant in the Reign of Hen- ry the Eighth, and a zealous one in that of Edward the Sixth, died a Papift under Ma- ry, for the Good of his Family, and that his Sons might have an Opportunity of practi- iing the wife LeiTons he had taught him.
OUR Kings were fometimes made, and often over-ruled ; but Elizabeth was the nYft Englt/h Monarch, who undertook to govern by Factions. It was a dangerous but it was a neceiTary Meafure. She found them formed, and it was her Prudence to balance them. The Heads of thofe Fac- tions were able and enterprizing Men j but like the Heads of all Factions they kept their own Power conftantly in View, and they made no Scruple of purfuing it, by different, and even oppofite Methods. Ro*
bertj
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 47
y Earl of Leicefter., Son of Jchn Duke of Northumberland, took up his Father's Religion and Politics, as he left them on the Scaffold : He was a Papiil to pleafe Queen Mary, and profeffed great Refpect for the Spaniards, that he might be in the good Graces of King Philip. In this Situ- ation Elizabeth found him ; he feemed to make a clear Turn at her Acceffion, but in a little Time he came about again, {truck in with fuch as were popimly affected, was in the Secret of the Duke of Norfolk's De- iign of efpoufmg Mary Queen of Scofs, and zealous for her being declared the Queen's SuccefTor. That Scheme failing, he reverfed his Father's Plan, put himfelf at the Head of the Puritans, and under that Pretence, had like to have made himfelf a Prince in Holland, where, Camden fays, he formed a Project of feizing the Prince of Orange -, failing in that too, his Head was full of new Schemes, when furprized by Death, upon which the Remains of his Faction ad- hered to the Earl of EJjex. The great Lord at the Head of the other Faction was
fuppofed
48 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
fuppofed to have taken off" the Head of the Duke of Norfolk, and avowed the taking off that of the Queen of Scots, yet refolved to fecure the Succeflion to her Son, which was accomplished by his own, who tri- umphed over the oppofite Faction, gave Law, with little Ceremony, to his Royal Miftrefs, which loon broke her Spirits, and at laft her Heart.
IN the Reign of King James, Parties were very early formed, which were quick- ly converted into Factions. He wanted the Art, he wanted the Spirit of his Predecef- for j they were the Support of her Power, but the Bane of his. He was naturally pa- cific, and though this did not contribute * much to the G!ory, and, which is ftranger, could not fecure Quiet to his Adminiftra- tion, yet it was highly beneficial to his Sub- jects, who from thence were enabled to augment their Properties, and confequently to augment their Power. He was jealous himfelf of his Prerogative, and thereby excited a Jealoufy of it in his People, tho'
he
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 49
he never exercifed it in any Degree compa- rable to his Predeceflbr, as will appear clearly, by comparing the Proceedings in her Parliaments, and in his. Thofe Jea- loufies ferved to diflurb his Government, and made Way for a new Court Faction, which Elizabeth never wanted ; thefe were the Undertakers, who, upon Condition that their Terms were granted, promifed to make fair Weather with his Parliaments, which Scheme however proved abortive, and in reality produced foul. He was preffed on one Side to engage in a War for the Recovery of the Palatinate, and re- ftrained on the other, from obtaining Satis- faction for the Infults offered to his Subjects by the Dutch, in the Eaft-Indies, and this by the very fame Men. His Fears, and his falfe Politicks kept him in continual Dif- quiet, and yet, if we credit Sally's Memoirs, or Ralegh's Difcourfe of Parliaments, we mall find that he was not ignorant of his own Condition, or of the Arts by which he was fometimes diflrefTed by Faction, and almoft always enflaved. His Miftakes were E not
50 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
not only fatal to himfelf but his Son, arid to his Subjects. He weakened the Prero- gative, by claiming Rights which were not his j he expofed this Weaknefs, by defift- ing from thofe Claims whenever they came to be difputed j and provoked Multitudes by pretending to abiblute Power, while at the fame Time he was remifs in the proper Exercife of that Power, which he had by Law, and which, wifely managed, would have done more than the irregular Means he was inclined to ufe.
AT the Acceffion of Charles the Firft, there were Factions within Doors and with- out, that is, in the Court and in the Coun- try. The Favourite, Buckingham, lived in a State of War, fupported by his Crea- tures, whom he paid out of the Crown Re- venue, and covered by the Prerogative, which was conftantly exerted in his Defence* The Language of the Party formed againfl him, was very plaufible, and their Conduct in purfuing him had been laudable, if it had been (Incere, that is, if they had meant
nothing
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 5!
nothing more thin they pretended. Out of this Party the King took his next Minifter, Thomas, Earl of Sir afford, in Oppofition to whom his old AfTociates became an a- vowed and implacable Faction. That No* bleman was too wife not to incline to any Satisfaction they could afk ; but when he perceived that no Satisfaction could be given them, he recurred to what had pre- ferved his PredecefTor, which however could not preferve him, though it is probable his Mafter would have done it by a Com- promife, if it had not been for the Death of the Earl of Bedford. The Nature of this Compromife, which is recorded at large by the noble Hiftorian, is a Cafe in Point to my Purpofe, and will mew you, by what trivial Accidents, and upon what flight Grounds, that Civil War was begun, which overturned the Constitution. The Break- ing out of this War, which was the Work of Factions, was not likely to extinguifh them. They continued in Parliament and at Court ; the former had Friends at Ox* ford) and the latter did not want them at E 2 Lon-
52 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
London^ but they contributed only to widen the Breach, and inftead of foftening to ir- ritate both Parties. At length, a fmall Number of Perfons having got PoilerTion of the Army, and having aiTumed the Name of a Senate, triumphed over the King, and the Nobility, and over the People, and their Friends ; for thofe who began the War were at the End of it as little conftdered, as thofe againft whom it was begun. The great Leaders, in the firft Quarrel, are to be found amongft the excluded Members, who were become Spectators, and fome of them very forrowful Spectators, of that Scene of Ruin and Confufion they had helped to bring on.
THE Monarchy overthrown, a new Form of Rule flarted up, which by aa unaccountable Fatality was not only fub- verted by Cromwell^ but all the great Things they did, during the little Time they lafted, are moft falfly and unjuflly afcribed to him. The noble Writer I am going to put into your Hands, will tell you that Cromwell
chaf-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 53
chaftized the Dutch ; but when or where
did he chaftlze them ? The Dutch War was
-
in reality made by Oliver St. John, in Re- fentment of the ill Ufage he received, or thought he had received, in Holland ; it was carried on by the Rump, or, to fpeak decently of thofe who ufed their Power better than they obtained it, the Remnant of the Houfe of Commons, who feized the fupreme Authority towards the Clofe of the Civil War. All that Cromwell had to do with the Dutch was granting them a Peace upon much eaiier Terms than the Parliament would have done. I do not fend you for this to Clarendon or Warwick^ you will find it aflerted by Whitlock^ Lud- low, Rujhworthy Slingfiy Bethel, Coke> and by all the Writers on that Side. The Pro- tector could not extinguidi Parties, but he got the better of Factions. Thurloe, like Wal- Jinghamy had the wonderful Art of weaving Plots, in which bufy People were fo entang- led that they could never efcape, but were fometimes fpared upon Submiflion, at others, hanged for Examples. But with the E 3 Prot
I
54 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Protector, Oliver, this Spirit difappeared, and Faction crept immediately out of his Grave, with an hundred Heads, and an hundred Hands. If thefe had been Civil Factions only, Richard n light have reigned j but when they once took PofTeflion of Wai- lingford Houie, he thought, and perhaps he thought wifely, that it was high Time to retire. In this perplexed State of Things, thofe whom Oliver had turned out, re- fumed that Power which he had taken from them. Monk, who commanded the Army in Scotland, not knowing how they might ufe it in refpecl: to him, marched tlowly into England, and hearing the Peo- ple every where regret being fo often abufed, and abandoned, thought it beft for them, as well as fafeft for himfelf, to be advrfed by the general Whifper, that the old Govern- ment mould be reftored. The Populace, long drunk with Sound, were by fuccef- five Tyrants whipped into their Senfes.
AFTER the Return of King Charles the Second, the Nation had a Specimen of
true
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 55
• true Patriotifm in the Conduct of his Mi-
niflers, Clarendon and Southampton ; who thought a better Proof Loyalty to their Matter could not be given, than by a firm Adherence to the Conftitution. The Duke of Albemarle had the Honour of reftoring HIM, but to thefe two noble Earls indif- putably the Glory belongs of reftoring IT. Soon after the Death of the latter, a Fac- tion was formed, by a Coalition of Parties, againft the former, and the King, though he had feen the Error of his Father, in re- fpect to the Earl ofStraffbrd, acted the like Part with regard to the Earl of Clarendon ; one Circumftance only excepted, which was his concurring in that Meafure, to which his Father was forced. This Fac- tion, which, in the Guife of Patriots, had accomplifhed the Ruin of the Chancellor, came very foon after into Power, and were diftinguifhed, with great Propriety, by the Title of the Cabal. They firft endeavoured to fecure the King, by undertaking to put him in Poflemon of a Plenitude of Power ; but when he faw the Confequenccs attend- E 4 ing,
56 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc, of
ing, and that muft have attended, the Mea- fures they purfued, he Hopped fhort, for which they abufcd him ; and fome of them, difrniffed from his Service, put themfelves at the Head of an Opposition, conducted with great Violence, and v::ch fublifled as long as he lived. The chief Pretence for this was the King's ConiKxUon with France, into which however he was drawn by the Cabal, and his Want of Af- fection for the Dutch, which flowed from the fame Source. The Minifters, who had gone the greater!: Lengths with refpccl to both, one of whom had been EmbafTador to the French Monarch at Utrecht ; and the other, who, in exprefs Terms, declared that Holland ought to be deflroyed, and this to both Houfes of Parliament, were not a- fhamed to make their own Peace, by laying the whole Blame upon their Mailer. They went farther, and impeached the noble Per- fon who fucceeded them in Power, of en- gaging in a Negotiation with France, in which they knew he had little Share, and that what little Share he had, was againffc
his
Lord Viicount BOLINGB&OKE. 57
his Will ; at the fame Time they took in- to their Councils, the very Minifter who propofed and negotiated this Treaty, and whofe only Title to Favour, was imputing this Crime to another, who, upon the very Face of the Accufation, was more innocent of it than himfelf. In the Midft of the Ferment raifed by this political Clamour, the French Minifter, refiding at the King's Court, was taken into their Confultations, and had a great Share in directing that Cla- mour, which was principally founded up- on the King of Great-Britain's having too clofe a Correfpondence with the King his Mafter. There is in this fomething fo grofs, and fo contradictory, that it would be juftly exploded as an Abfurdity, if we had not indisputable Evidence of it, in the Letters and Memoirs of the Duke of Leeds ; and it is very poflible, that the World may receive ftill farther Information upon this Head, in cafe the Letters of a certain French Minifter mould, as it is confidently report- ed they will, very fhortly be produced to public View. A Circumftance that will j not
5§ MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
not only gratify our Curiofity, but, which is of far greater Importance, inform our Underftandings, and teach us what to think of French Politicks, when employed in the Direction either of our Patriots, or our Kings.
BUT this is a Point of great Confequence. There has been always a Spirit of Jealoufy of French Meafures, and of Animolity a- gainfl that Nation, predominant in this ; which at certain Times, and to ferve par- ticular Purpofes, has been treated as unjuft, barbarous, and very contrary to that good Senfe, and general Application to thinking, which the French themfelves, though not apt to flatter their Neighbours, have always allowed to the Inhabitants of Britain. That fuch a Spirit there is, I believe to be true ; nor can I bring myfelf to believe that it is groundlefs. In the Reign of King James the Firft, if we may believe Sully s Me- moirs, or rather thofe which pafs under that great Man's Name, Henry the Fourth took great Pains to engage him in that Syftem,
by
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 59
by which, being in no Condition to do it by Force, France was to be complimented with univerfal Influence, out of Refpect to her Moderation. The King treated this with Civility and Regard, but without be- ing the Dupe of it, or of many other Ne- gotiations, which were from Time to Time fet on Foot, to draw him into a clofe Con- nection with that Crown, under the fpe- cious Pretences of Deference for his Go- vernment, and Affection for his Perfon, though we have no real Inftance of the former, at leaft that is well fupported, and many blunt Jefls are recorded, that mani- feftly deftroy the latter. At the End of his Reign, a PafTage was denied to the Troops of Count Mansfield, through the Territories of France, which plainly dif- covered the Infmcerity of thofe Profeffions, made with great Warmth, and often re- peated. His Son Charles the Firfl defeated the Defign that was formed between the Fre?ich and Dutch for dividing the Low- Countries, -contrary to the Faith of Treaties, and the Intereft of this Nation, to maintain
the
60 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
the Balance of Power; for which the French Minifter, Richlieu, revenged himfelf by (lirring up Troubles in Scotland, and blow- ing the Embers of national Difcontent, into that Flame, which put it out of our Power to interpofe for many Years, in giving a Check to the ambitious Defigns of that da- ring and able Prieft, which have~prov'd the Source of alrnofl all the Troubles in Eu- rope, as might be made appear from our befl Hiftories, if the French themfelves were at any Pains to deny them ; but as they are not, and the Facts remain uncontroverted, it would be needlefs and therefore tedious.
J T is a Matter of Fact, alfo, notorious to all the World, that Mazarine preferring his own private Intereft, and the immediate Advantages that might be made by his Af- liftance, induced his Matter to enter into a clofe Alliance with the Protector Cromwell, to which he facrificed the Honour of the Crown of France, and the Refpect due to the Royal Family, by confenting to expel Princes, immediately defcended from Hen-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 6 1
ry the Fourth, merely to obtain the Good- will of Oliver, to whom he paid not on- ly the higheft Deference, but a Sort of fla- vim Obedience. Upon his Demife, his Minifter Lockhart was ftill fo much re- garded, that both Mazarine, and the Spa- mjh Prime-Minifter, Don Lewis De Haroy vifited him in Ceremony, while the Treaty of the Pyrenees was on the Carpet, at the fame Time that they declined feeing King Charles, who was in the Neighbourhood. The fame Motives which induced the French to take this Step, engaged them, as Mr. Locke aflures us, to tamper with Monk, as the Dutch had done with Cromwell, to fet up for himfelf, under a Promife of fup- porting him to the utmoft. The King him- felf was fo fenfible of all this, that he would not truft his Perfon in their Dominions, and probably would not have been reftored, or at leaft not fo eafily, if he had.
AFTER his Return to the Adminiftra- tion of the Government at Home, he was exceedingly carefTed by the French King',
who
62 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
who found Means to purchafe Dwikirk for a Song j the Stores, and other Things found there, being worth all that was paid for it, and no fooner had it in his Hands, than he caufed a Medal to be flruck, to proclaim his own Wifdom, and Charles s Folly. He encouraged the Dutch to un- dertake the firfl War in that Reign, that the Maritime Powers might weaken each other by Sea, and not only affifted them againft England, but treated with Mr. Al- gernon Sidney* and others of that Party, for reviving the Republic, as you may read in Lud/ow's Memoirs j in the Appendix to which there is the Copy of the PafTport, granted to that Gentleman, to facilitate his Journey to Paris. At die very fame Time he made an Offer to the King of his good Offices for concluding a Peace, and while this was adually treating at Breda, the French Court was privy to the Defign of the Expedition into the Thames, which was delayed for fome Days in Expectation of a French Squadron, that was to have afMed therein, but which never appeared, that
the
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 63
the Refentment of this Action might fall wholly upon the Dutch. To heighten this Refentment, an Account was printed at the End of Tavernier's Voyages, of the Man- ner in which the Servants of the Dutch EaJl-India Company at Gambron caufed King Charles the Second to be burnt in Ef- figy, and this notwithftanding the Governor of the Shah of Perjia did all that was in his Power to hinder it.
B Y this, and by various other Infinua- tions of the fame Kind, the Way was pre- pared for the fecond Dutch War, under- taken at the Inftigation of France -, in which a Squadron of their new Maritime Force was employd, on the Side, though not for the Affiftance of the Englijh, but to learn the Art of working Ships of War, and managing a Fight at Sea , and an Of- ficer, who, from mere Point of Honour, be- haved gallantly in one of thofe Engage- ments, was ill-treated for it at his Return. The Truth of thefe Fafts might poffibly have been queftioned, if the Succefs of the
French,
64 MEMOIRS of the^LiFE, &c. of
French, in their Endeavours, had not fo far taken from them all Senfe of Shame, as to engage them to boafl of thefe Practices, as the Effects of a refined and fuperior Policy, to which, in fome Meafure Lewis XIV. owed the Sirname of Great. But in order to attain this pompous Title, which has been often fatal, feldom fortunate, to thofe who wore it, he condefcended to Actions that were extremely little \ fuch as praftifing upon our King's warm Affection for his Sifter, and fending over with her a danger- ous Beauty, whofe Charms might fafcinate a Prince devoted to his Pleafures, and by becoming the Canal of French Counfels turn his private Misfortunes into a public Calamity. It appears therefore from this fuccinct and unexaggerated View of the In- juries we received from France, that if we are really, as they ftile us, a penetrating, thoughtful, and fpeculative Nation, we muft necerTarily acquire fuch a Spirit as has been before defcribed ; a Spirit which, by great Obligations, may pombly be quenched in particular Men ; a Spirit, which, to facili- tate
Lord Vifcouot BOLINGBRQKE. 65
tate their private Views, a Party may be brought to conceal, or even to diltemble ; but a Spirit which can never be eradicated from the Bofom of the People, who judge from Experience, and who, though they may be deceived in other SenfeSj are leafi of all to be impofed upon in refpect to their Feeling : And this is the Reafon that what- ever Party clamoured againft France -, has been alwavs fure of having the Nation on
J CJ
their Side, though they might be fome- times in the Wrong ; and whatever Party clofed with France^ has in the End, had the Voice of the Public againft them, tho' in fome Mcafurc in the Right; which Re^ mark, if you bear in Mind, will ferve to explain many Things with Eafe and Cer- tainty, which, confidered in any other Light, will appear equally extravagant, con- tradictory and unaccountable.
THESE Reflections bring me naturally back to that fliort Hiftory of Parties from which I digfefled ; and the firft Remark that I fhall make on the Reign, to which
F we
66 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
we are now arrived, will, I hope, fufficient- ly juftify that Digreflion. The Acceffion of King James the Second, to the Throne of thefe Kingdoms, was peaceable indeed, but withal it was very perplexed j fince, except thofe of his own Religion, his Subjects were, generally fpeaking, full of Appre- henlions. Yet his Declaration in Council, and his behaving at firft in a Cavalier Man- ner to the Court of France, had fuch an Effect, that if it had not been quickly can- celled by his fubfequent Behaviour, it would have filenced all Prejudices, and fecured him the Affections of his People. It is faid that Lewis himfelf was fenfible of this, and difcovered great Satisfaction, when, as he expreffed it, he found this King would take his Money, as well as his Brother. The King of England was not a Prince of great Addrefs, and was farther ftill from being a deep Politician -y . but he wanted not fome Qualities that might have rendered him ve- ry acceptable to the Bulk of the Nation. He was regular and punctual in every Thing, a great Oeconomift, loved Trade,
and
Lord Viicount BOLINGBROKE. 67
and underftood it •> but his Zeal for the Popilh Religion, and his Attachment to France, which was the Effect of that Zeal, very foon alienated the Hearts of the Peo- ple at Home, and excited many Enemies abroad. In Confequence of the former, an Attempt was made to deprive him of the Crown, almoft as foon as it was fixed upon his Head ; but it was the latter that depriv- ed him of his Dominions, when he thought himfelf fecure by the Defeat of that, which was ftiled Monmouttis Rebellion. His En- deavours to introduce Popery raifed a gene- ral Confirmation* which, however, might poffibly have fubfided, if he had not en- tered into a clofe Conjunction with France^ from a miftaken Notion, that this would promote it. The League of Augfiourgh was privately formed in order to curb the exorbitant Power of Lewis the Fourteenth. The Prince of Orange^ wlj was the Head, or rather the Soul of that Alliance, faw clearly, that the Ends of it could never be obtained, unlefs England could be detached from this unnatural Conjunction. This F 2
iaO/i! 68 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
; was attempted by the Imperial and Spa?rifo
Courts, with whom the Pope alfo eo- ope- rated. But 'James remained firm, or, to ufe a more proper Word, obftinate in his falfe Meafures. This delivered the Proteftant Religion from the greatcft Rifk, to which it had been expofed from the Time of its legal Eftabliiliment by Queen Eliza- beth. Another Circumftance concurred to his Deftruftion ; he endeavoured to con- ceal his Defign in Favour of Popery, by promoting a general Toleration, and that he might appear to be in earneft in this Rc- fpeft, he was indulgent to Diffenters of all Denominations, and remarkably kind to the French Proteftants, which in fome De- gree, anfwered his Purpofe at home, but had a very different Effect abroad. The Dutch, not without Reafon, fufpected he had no great Good-Will towards them, and perceiving, that whatever he meant, this Toleration, joined to the flourifliing Circumftances his Subjeds were in, would very foon prove fatal to their Commerce, (hewed a Readinefs to take any Step that
might
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 69
might prevent it. This fuggefted the Scheme of the Revolution, promoted the Execution, and fecured the Succefs of it. The Pope, the Emperor, the King of Spain, and feveral Princes of Germany, but parti- cularly the Elector of Erandenburgh lent their Affiftance willingly, and lent it to a Prince the in oft capable of managing fuch a Defign, with that Secrefy and Addrefs, which could alone hinder it from proving a- bortive. King James did not fufpect it till it was too late, and though Lewis the Four- teenth faw it earlier, and made fome At- tempts to prevent it ; yet thefe were fo far from having the intended Effects, that they only ierved to convince the Dutch of the Neceflity of Rifking all, to fave themfelves from the Confequences of having once em- barked in it.
IF this Series of Fads has not already fliewn you, that the fpecious Opinions of Party ferve only to fubjecl the public In- terefts to the Views of private Men, and are the Seeds of Factions, that aim at nothing F 3 mort;
70 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, Sec. of
more than thePofTeilion of Power; the fim~ pleConfideration of this Event will convince you. King James, mined by wrong Notions, as to the Nature of his own Authority, and the Obedience due from his Subjects, me- ditated the Subverfion of the Conftitution in Church and State. Did he want Inftru- ments in doing this ? Were his Miniflers all of one Party ? Did not fome, who be- fore, and after, bore the Appellation of Whigs, concur in his Meafures ? And was there not here and there a Tory who de- clined any Concurrence ? As all thefe Quef- tions mutt be anfwered in the Affirmative, you cannot but fee that Party Spirit and Public Spirit are very opposite Things. The former may be, and often is, very plaufible $ but the latter only is Praife-worthy. The one may contribute to enrich and to aggran- dize particular Perfons, but it is the Propa- gation of the other, that muft elevate Na- tions. When the Prince of Orange landed with an Army, and Reftraints were taken a- way, it prefently appeared, that, except Pa- sj almoil all who l^ad concurred with King
James
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE, 71
James did it from factious Views, other- wife they would not have deferted him. If, inftead of doing this then, they had done- it at his Acceffion, it would have done them infinitely more Honour, and perhaps their Country jnore Good. He muft then have feen the Notions that governed him in a true Light, and he muft have abandoned them, or he muft have abdicated, in the ftricr. and proper Senfe of the Word ; either gf which had faved a o;reat deal of Trou-
c>
ble and Confufion.
BUT to pufli this Matter ftill farther, when the Throne was declared vacant, and, in Confequence of it, the Prince and Prin- cefs of Orange were feated thereon, did this extino-Liifh parties ? Nothing like it.
O O
The Whigs were fometimes in Oppofition, the Tories had fometimes a Share in Power j . the fame Struggles that had diftrefTed and difturbed the Nation, in the Reign of King Charles the Second, diftrefled and difturbed it again, during the Reign of William the Third. The great Reproach, not of that F 4 Reign,
72 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Reign, but of the Nation in that Reign, was the contracting a heavy Debt, which, as it might have been forefeen, and was ac^ tually forefeen, has been increaling ever fince. But to what was that owing ? The Tories charge it upon the Whigs, who de^ vifed this Method of fupporting a Govern^ ment, in which Tome of the Tory Chiefs had however a Share. On the other Hand, the Whigs lay it at the Door of the Tories, who put it out of their Power to fupport the Government any other Way. The Truth is, it arofe from the Prevalence of Party Spirit, and from that Corruption which naturally attends it, which confifts in making the Interefts of the Public fub- fervient to the Views of particular Men. The Complaints of moft of the Hiftorians againft the Conduct of King William^ are, in Fact, his higheft Commendations -, for they charge him with an Indifference as to Parties; he laboured to confolidate them, and rinding that impracticable, he laboured to balance them, and in that he found very great Difficulties -, from which Difficulties,
however.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 73 -
however, he received fome temporary Relief, from the conciliating Temper of die Duke of Shrew/bury, the Firmnels of the Earl of Sunderland) (for the Earl of Sundcrland was again employed) from the Dexterity of Lord Hallifaxy from the Steadinefs of Lord Somers, and from the Fidelity of the Earl of Portland ; but after all, thefe were only temporary Reliefs, and the Storm of Faction from Time to Time darkened and disturbed the Administration of public Affairs, from the Day that he was declared King, to the very laft Year of his Reign, when the Scene began to clear up.
THE political Tempeft which concluded it, was an Attack upon himfelf and his Mi- nifters, in refpect to the Partition Treaties -3 which it is neceffary for me to mention here, in order to -illuftrate the Principles that I have advanced. The King reflecting on the many and grievous Difficulties to which he had been expofed, in carrying on the laft general War, and being fincerely
dif-
74 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
difpofed to take any Meafures conducive to the Tranquillity and Independency of Eu- rope, without running the Hazard of ano- ther, framed the Project of the firft Parti- tion Treaty, by which the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, the Places on the Coaft of Tufcany, the Town and Marquifate of Final, and the Province of Guipufcoa, were given to the Dauphin j the Dutchy of Mi- lan, to the Arch-duke Charles, Son to the Emperor Leopold, and the reft of the Do- minions of Spain to the Electoral Prince of Bavaria -, which Treaty was figned at the Hague, Qftober the nth, 1698, by Count Mallard, as Minifter Plenipotentiary for the French King and the Dauphin his Son ; by the Earl of Portland, on the Part of the King of Great-Britain, and by eight Pleni- potentiaries on the Behalf of the States-Ge- neral. The Death of the young Prince of "Bavaria, rendering this Scheme impracti- cable, a new Treaty was concluded upon the fame Principles, for dividing the Domi- nio*s of Spain between the Dauphin, and
the
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 75
the Arch-duke Charles of Aujlria, which Treaty was figned by the Earls of Portland and Jerjey. But his Catholic Majefty, Charles the Second, being himfelf very de- firous to prevent his Territories from be- ing difmembered, knowing this to be the Senfe of his Subjects, and being not igno- rant of the Step taken by the Allies, deter- mined to call Philip, Duke of Anjou^ the Dauphin's fecond Son, to the entire PofTef- fion of the Dominions belonging to the Crown of Spain -, which Will having been accepted by Lewis the Fourteenth, the Tories charged this upon the Partition Treaty, which they afferted to be repug- nant to the Rules of natural Juftice, deflruc- tive of the Balance of Power in Europe, and a direct Breach of the Grand Alliance, by a feparate Article to which, the Crown of Great-Britain and the States General had folemnly promifed to fupport the Claim of his Imperial Majefty, and the Houfe of Aujlria^ to the Spaniflj Monarchy, againfl the Pretenfions of the Houfe of Bourbon*
They
76 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
They attacked the King in the grofleft Man- ner, by affedling to call this a felonious ¥rea- ty> knowing that it fprung, originally, ra- ther from him than from his Minifters, and they impeached the Earl of Portland, the Lord Somers, and the Lord Hallifax, for the Share they had in the Matter * but in Regard that the Earl of Jerfey had quitted his old Connection, they over-looked him, though he had done as much as any of the reft ; and the Lord Haverftam having touched upon this, at a Conference, as hav- ing an Appearance of Partiality, they fent up a Charge to the Lords againfl him. But after all this Heat the Impeachments came to nothing, for the Lords put in their re- fpective Anfwers, and the Houfe of Peers, having appointed a Day for the Trial of the Lord Sowers, and the Houfe of Commons not appearing, he was acquitted of the Im- peachment, by Fifty-fix Votes againfl Thirty-one j and the reft of the Lords were foon after acquitted without any Divifion.
i THE
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE.
77
THE Points to be obferved, upon this Matter, are many ; I will enumerate only a few. Firft, That the Tories had exclaimed again ft the War, concluded by the Peace of Ryfwick, as burdenfome upon this Nation, and advantageous only to Foreigners, and infifted upon every Meafure that might dif- able the King from entering into another War j and yet now they cenfured the King, and impeached his Minifters, for endea- vouring, as far as was poffible, to preferve Peace. Secondly, Though there was no- thing clearer, than that the King, from a Principle of public Spirit, was content to negotiate with France, in reference to her Pretenlions on the Spdnijh Succeflion, in order to procure a reafonable Satisfaction for the Houfe of Auftria, yet the Houfe of Commons treated this as a high Prefump- tion, declaring the French King's Accep- tance of the Will, in Favour of the Duke of Anjou, a crying Act of Injuftice, and aflerting the whole Right to that Succeffion to be in the Emperor and his Defendants.
Though
78 MEMOIRS of die LIFE, &e. of
Though, after all, if the Kings of Great- Britain^ France, and Spain were not com- petent Judges of this Queftion, it would be no eafy Matter to affign Arguments to prove them fo. Laftfyy Here was the Pofition firft laid down, that no juft and honourable Treaty could be made, unlefs the Right of the Emperor, and the Houfe of Aujlria, to the whole Spanijh Succeffion, was main- tained and fupported : However, in making the next general Alliance, this peremptory t)ecifion was very prudently difregarded, and the Tories themfelves, afterwards, boafted of a Peace, that was made upon the Bafis of the Partition Treaties, when the Whigs took up their difcarded Doctrine a- bout the indefeazible Rights of the Houfe of Aujlria, and impeached the Makers of that Peace, though immediately after it was made, it received the Sanction of Parliament. The Conclufion I would have you draw from all this, is, that Party Pretences ought not to be the Rules of Adi ion to any wife or worthy Man ; »and therefore it is no Impu- tation
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 79
tation on any Man, that he has flighted or contemned them, and that true public Spi- rit, confifting in the invariable Purfuit of public Good, is the only certain Charade- riftic of a Patriot, whether it be difcovered by the Meafures to which he adheres in Power, or from the Oppolition he may be engaged in, to fuch as are purfued, when he is out.
LETTER
8:0 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
LETTER IV.
Jaudataque Virtus Crefcit & immenfum Gloria calcar habet.
Character of Mr. St. John not affected by 'bis f citing out a 'Tory. 'The Houfe of Lords change their Notions as to the SucceJJion of the Spanifh Monarchy. Injift that the f ok Means of fecuring /^BALANCE was to rejlore it to the Houfe of Auftria. Charge on Mr. St. John, that he voted againft the Hanover Succemon in 1702, which he de- nies. efhofe who maintain that Charge, re- fly to his Defence. Granting all they con- tend for will not fix the Charge. Mr. Man- vfaynngsftrange Cwceffion on this SubjecJ. Bifiop BurnetV Account of the fame Mat- ter. Mr. St. John attends the Queen to Oxford, and is created Doctor of Laws. 'Tories refitfe to fettle a Part of the Poji- Office Revenue on the Duke ^/"Marlborouo-h. Mr. St. John one of the Managers for the Houfe of Commons , at the Conferences on the ..Bill for preventing Occafional Conformity.
But
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 8 1
But votes agamft tacking that Bill in another Sejfion. Earls of Rochefter and Nottingham re/ign, 'which occafions fome Changes. Henry St. John, Efq-t made Secretary at War> and of the Marines.
TH E firft Parliament in which Mr. St. John fate was but of very mort Continuance, confuting of that fingle Sef- fion, which began, February 10, 1700, and ended, June 24, 1 70 1 . In my laft I touched the moil important Bufinefs that came be- fore both Houfes, which was the Impeach- ment of the King's Minifters, who were concerned in the Conclufion of the two Par- tition Treaties ; though nothing could be more notorious, or could indeed appear from more authentic Evidence, in Letters which the Houfe of Commons had laid before them, than that the King himfelf was the Author of thofe Treaties. To him there- fore the outrageous Epithets made ufe of in fpeaking of that Treaty were referred, as appears very clearly from the famous G Ktntifl
82 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Kentifi Petition. If therefore Mr. St. John went with the Majority, who, in thofe Days, were confidered as Tories, he mufl undoubtedly be looked upon as coming into the World under that Denomination ; and therefore thofe are clearly in the Wrong, who charge him with changing Sides, in the earlieft Part of his Life. His Conduct in this Refpecl will not certainly appear in- excufable even to fevere Judges, or fuch as have always efpoufed the Principles of the Whigs i iince, upon the Trial of the Lord Somers, we find the Duke of Somerfef, the Earl of Mar/borough, and the Lord Godol- phin againft him, and the two laft Lords generally concurred with the Tories, in their Protefts, in the Houfe of Peers. The Pro- ceedings of this Parliament were, without doubt, very diftafleful to the King, who from his natural Coolnefs and Patience bore every Thing with great Temper, and kept his fecret Refolution of being rid of them clofe in his own Breafl, till the eleventh of No- vember, when a Proclamation was irTued for diffolving this, and calling a new Parlia- ment
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 83
mcnt to meet on the thirtieth of December following.
IN this, which was the laft Parliament in the Reign of King William, and the firft in that of Queen Anne -, Henry St. John, Efq; and Thomas Jacob, Efqj were Mem- bers for Wotton-Baffet ; and Robert Harley, Efq; was again chofen Speaker. The King opened the Seffion by a very pathetic Speech, with the Contents of which you are fo well acquained, that it is not necef- fary I fhould put you in Mind of it ; but there is one Thing, which, it is very requi- fite, I fhould not let flip. The Houfe of Lords, who the Year before had rather inclined to favour the Partition Treaty, thought fit, in their firft Addrefs, to adopt the Doctrine, upon which the Houfe of Commons had founded their Impeach- ments, but laboured at the fame Time to reconcile it to their former Sentiments.
FOR after faying, " We efleem it a
" further good Fortune, in this Time of
G 2 " public
84 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of I v
" public Danger, that the French King has " taken thofe Meafures, which will make . ct it impoffible for him to impofe any more " upon the World by Treaties, fo often vio- " lated j neither can he hope, any longer, " to cover his ambitious Defigns, or juftify " his Ufurpation, under the fpecious Pre- cc tences of Peace}" and having mentioned the PafTage in his Majefty's Speech, relating to King Philip's taking PolTefTion of the Spanijh Monarchy, they then proceed ; '* And as the placing his Grandfon upon " the Throne of Spain, is vifibly to the " whole World, the Cauie of all thofe <{ Dangers, mentioned in your Majefty's " Speech, and of the Breach of the Ba- <c lance of Power in Europe, which the cc People of England zxs fo deeply engaged <c to prefer ve ; fo, we humbly conceive " the Remedy is as apparent as the Difeafe, ** and that your Majefly, your Subjects, •c and Allies, can never be fafe and fe- " cure, till the Houfe of Aiiftria be re- cc ftored to their Rights, and the Invader " of the Spanijh Monarchy brought to
" Reafon."
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE, 85
<* Reafon." You will eafily fee why I point this out to you, fo particularly, tho' it does not immediately relate to Mr. St. yohriy to whom we will now return, and coniider one of the moft material Tranfac- tions in his Life, and which has from thence been the moft controverted.
IT was put into the Number of Charges againft him, fo early as the Year 1710, and very frequently, and loudly repeated after, that he voted, this Year, againft the Succeffion in the Houfe of Hanover , which in a little Piece of his, published in 1731, when it was urged as a Thing notorious and undeniable, this noble Perfon calls afalfe and impudent Aflertion. He farther adds, that the Bill for fettling the Proteftant Succemon palled in 1701, and not in 1702 j he like- wife obferves, that, in the fame Year, a Bill was brought into Parliament, by Sir Charles Hedges and himfelf, entitled, ** A « Bill for the further Security of his Ma- " jefty's Perfon, and the Succemon of the <f Cro\vn in the Proteftant Line, and extin- G 3 " guiming
86 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
<f guiihing the Hopes of the pretended " Prince of Wales , and all other Preten- " ders, and their open and fecret Abettors." In the Progrefs of this Bill through the Houfe, though there were forne Debates and Divifions about particular Claufes and Amendments, yet the Bill was parTed with- out any Divifion. It is then obferved, that the Divifion referred to, of one hundred and feventeen, to one hundred and eigh- teen, happened upon a Claufe added by the Lords, to a Bill for " enlarging the Time " for taking the Oath of Abjuration," which Claufe regarded only fuch Per- fons, as had neglected to take the Abjura- tion Oath in Time, and provided, " that " if fuch Perfons had forfeited any Office, " Benefice, &c. to which any other Perfon " had been preferred, the former mould " not be reftored by taking the Advantage " of this Ad." At firft Sight, one would think this as full and clear an Anfwer as could be given, and yet fuch Difference there is in Mens Sentiments, that thofe who brought this Charge adhered to it, and
under-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 87
. undertook roundly to mew, that it was, in
reality, no Anfwer at all j and that you may have an Opportunity of coming at Truth, I (hall (late to you, as plainly, and as fuccindly, as I can, the Grounds upon which they went.
THEY affirmed that the Bill as it went from the Commons was framed by the To- ries, and calculated to give, fuch as could not hitherto digeft the Abjuration Oath, a Year's Refpite ; and the Reafon they give for it was, that fince the Acceffion of the Queen, many were inclined to come in, and take that Oath, who declined it before. When this Bill came up into the Houfe of Lords, three Claufes were added, by Way of Amendments, to this Bill. By the firft, it was provided that no Perfon, who had al- ready loft his Poft, or Employment, for want of taking that Oath, fhould be re- ftored, in Virtue of this Ad, in Cafe his Poft, or Employment, was pofTefled by another. The fecond Claufe made it High- Treafon for any Perfon, whatever, their G 4 Abet-
MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
Abettors, or Afliftants, to endeavour to de^ prive, or hinder any Perfon, next in Succef* ii0H to the Crown, for the Time being, ao cording to the Limitation contained in the two Acts pafled for regulating the Succef- fion. The -third Claule extended the Ab~ Duration A<5t to Ireland. Thefe were very warmly debated, when the Bill came down again, for the Concurrence of the Houfe of Commons. At length there was a Divifion upon the firft Amendment, and it was car- ried to agree with the Lords by a fingle Vote. The great Strefs of the Debate lay upon the fecond, which was the mod ma^ terial Amendment, and the only one in which the Succeffion had any Concern. Yet, according to the Reafon of Things, and the Practice of the Houfe, they divi- ded upon the Claufes made by the Lords as they flood in their Order, marked, A, B, C. The Firft marked A was that upon which this famous Divifion actually hap- pened, but it is urged, that the Tories only divided upon that to try their Strength, and having loft it, tho' by the fmalleft of Ma- i jorities,
Lord VifcountBOLINGBROKE.
jorities, were afraid to divide againft the reft) and it is alledged, that two Circumftanccsr put this Point of Fad out of doubt : Firftj That Mr. Granville faluted Sir Matthew Dudley when this Divifion was over, in thefe Words, How fare youy Mynheer Dud- ley ? To which Sir Matthew replied, Fort bten, Monfieur Granville : The Infinuation is fo plain, that I will not point it out. The other Circumftance was, that Mr. Dyer, who wrote a famous News-Letter at this Time, gave his Sentiments of the Matter, in thefe Words : The Prince of Wales loft it in the Houfe only by one Vote. This is the Evidence in Support of the Charge put in the ftrongefl Light poffible.
BUT tho' this Reply fliould be thought fufficient to difable the Anfwer, yet it may be worthy of your calm and ferious Confederation, whether it, beyond all Contradiction, fixes the Charge. For in all fuch Debates, it may be with great Probability afferted, that Men frame their Opinions from very different Motives, even
when
go MEMOIR? of the LIFE, &c. of
7
when they vote on the fame Side; and there- fore, tho' all the warm Men of both Parties might conceive the Succeffion deeply in- terefted, yet fome of more moderate Prin- ciples might have other Sentiments, and might alledge, in fupport of them, thefe two Arguments : Firft, That it was un- ufual and improper to introduce a Claufe of the higheft Importance, enacting a new Species of Treafon, in a Bill regarding a Matter of far lefs Weight ; and, Secondly, That whether thefe Claufes flood Part of the Bill or not, the Succeffion of the Houfe of Hanover would flill have remained fixed and eftablimed by Law. In Refped: to which Mr. St. John had been undeniably inftrumental, in drawing and bringing in the Bill that fixed it ; whereas, in this Cafe, his Oppofitionwas but conftruclive, at themoft; and this not againfl the Succeflion itfelf ; but againft the new Method of fecuring it. Neither will it appear abfurd to a Man of Candour, as well as Capacity, if we fhould fuggeft, that very poffibly Mr. St. John, from his Conduct in the former Point,
thought
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 91
thought himfelf the more at Liberty to aft as his Reafon dictated, as to the latter.
BUT that you may be fenfible I have not taken up your Time to little Purpofe, and to give you a juft Comprehenfion of the great Difficulty there is in coming at Fadts of this Nature as they really happen, you muft allow me to dwell upon it a little longer. In the Year 1710, there were pub- limed two Papers, one of which was called, The Teft offered to the Eledors o/'Great-Bri- tain j and the other, entitled, A Lift of the Honourable Houfe of Commons that voted for and again/I the Clmfefor the Hanover Succeffion, in 1702 ; the plain Defign of which was to exclude thofe who were in that Minority from ever fitting again. This produced a Vindication upon the Prin- ciples beforementioned. By way of Reply to this, there was publimed, A Letter from a Member, who then fat in Parliament, in- ferted by Oldmixon in his Hiftory, and af- ferted to have been written by Arthur Efq; in which there is the
folio win a o
92 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
following PalTage : " The Debate was " chiefly held upon the Subject Matter of f< the fecond Amendment, and thofe Gen- " tlemen that were againft giving that Se- " curity to the Houfe of Hanover, princi- tl pally infifted on the Danger of multiply- cc ing Treafons j the great Inconveniences " that might arife from making new Trea- <c fons j and other Arguments to that Ef- " feel:. But tho' hardly any Notice was cc taken of the firft Amendment, it was in " courfe to be put firfl. And now comes " the great Art and Parliamentary Skill of " thofe Perfons that were againfl the fecond " Amendment, They refolved, according «* to the moft ufual Piece of Management " in that Houfe, to try their Number, by " dividing upon the firft. But that was fo " little thought to be the Bufinefs of the cc Day, or, indeed, of the firfl Divifion it- " felf, that two or three ftaunch old Mem- <e bers went out juft before the Divtfiox, tc having fome particular Views at that Time, <e which made it inconvenient for them to « declare againft the j? rot eft ant Succeffion ; 7 *f and
. Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 93
" and thofe of their Friends, who ftaid the <f Divifion, and whofe Names are fet forth " in the printed Teft under the Title No's, _" againfl agreeing 'with the Lords, may " ftridly and properly be faid in Parliamen- .-" tary Language, to have divided againft " the Amendments ; the rather, becaufe " few Inftances can be given, that ever the tc weaker Side, upon lofingfuch a previous <c QtiefUon, divided again upon any fubfe- " quent Claufe that had been mixed in the " fame Debate." You cannot but fee, that this Argument proves too much, or avoid difcerning that it was the mofl abfurd Rea- fon in the World to exclude the Members of the Minority from ever fitting again, to affirm that they were in reality the Ma- jority. To all this let me add, that to infmuate, this Point was carried through Fear> and private Apprchenfwrti^ was a Conduct, that if this Gentleman had not eftablimed his Character as a flncere Con- fer-fy might ha've drawn upon him fome Sufpicion. But remember ! Party Zeal will tranfport even the muft able Maa
into
94 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
into wild and extravagant Expreffions, fome- times into fuch as betray the very Point he means to prove.
THE Account given of this Matter, by a Reverend Prelate, is ftill more extraordi- nary ; and that you may be fatisfied I deal fairly with you, you mail fee it in his own Words. " When the Bill, fays his Lord- " fhip, for thus prolonging the Time, was " brought up to the Lords, a Claufe was " added qualifying thofe Perfons, who ..•M fhould in the new Extent of Time, take " the Oaths, to return to their Benefices or " Employments, unlefs they were already " legally filled. When this was agreed, " two Claufes of much greater Confe- <{ quence were added to the Bill. One was " declaring it High Treafon to endeavour " to defeat the SuccefTion to the Crown, Cf as it was now limited by Law, or to fet " aiide the 'next SucceiTor^ this had a Pre- " cedent in the former Reign, fo it could " not be denied now : It feemed the more " neceffary, becaufe there was another Per-
" fon,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 95
" fon, who openly claimed the Crown ; <f fo that a further Security might well be " infifted on. This was a great Surprize " to many, who were vifibly uneafy at the " Motion, but were not prepared for it, t( and did not fee how it could be refitted. " The other Claufe was for fending the Ab- " juration to Ireland, and obliging all there, " (in the fame Manner, as in England) to " take it : This feemed the more reafona- " ble, confidering the Strength of the Po- " pifh Intereft there. Both Claufes pafT- *« ed in the Houfe of Lords, without any 4f Oppofition > but it was apprehended that " the Houfe of Commons, would not be " fo eafy ; yet when it was fent to them, <c they ftruggled only againft the firft " Claufe, that barred the Return of Per- " fons upon their taking the Oaths, into " Places that were already filled. The Par- " ty tried their Strength upon this, and up- " on their Succefs in it, they feemed re- <e folved to difpute the other Claufe ; but " it was carried, tho' only by one Voice, to " agree with the Lords." But though his
Lord/hip
96 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Lordmip is a little unlucky in moil of his Items, yet he has cafl up the whole Sum truly enough, as appears from his Conclu- fion. " All People, fays he, were furpri- " fed to fee a Bill, that was begun in favour " of the Jacobites, turned fo terribly upon " them, fince by it we had a new Securi- " ty given, both in England and Ireland^ " for a Proteftant Succeflbr." But it is Time now to return to Mr. St. John, the Fame of his Abilities, in the Senate, and the Rife of his Fortune at Court. A fure Sign, that at this Juncture, his Behaviour flood in no fuch terrible Light.
THE Queen thought proper, on the 2d of July, 1702, to diffolve the Parliament by Proclamation, and to appoint a new one to meet on the twentieth of Auguft. Hen- ry St. John, Efq; and Henry Pennell, Efq> were BurgefTes again for Wotton-Baffet \ The Queen, towards the End of the Month, made a Journey from Windfor to Bath, and taking Oxford in her Way was received with all imaginable Marks of Zeal and Af- fe&ion, by that Ancient and Loyal Univer-
fity,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 67
jfity, and who, on the 2jth of Augujl* con- ferred the Degree of Doftor of Laws, on the Duke of Somerfet, the Earl of- the Earl of Sandwich, the Lorc^ Sir Simon Har court, William Bromley ', Hen- ry St. John, Efqrs. and feveral other Pef- fons of Distinction, in which high Birth or perfonal Merit feem only to have been confidered.
THE Parliament having been firfl pro- rogued to the 8th and then to the 2oth of Qtiober , met at Weflminfler, and chofe Robert Har/ey, Efq; the third time, for their Speaker ; this was look'd upon as a Tory Parliament, and there happen'd in this firft Seflion two or three Things, which were very remarkable. Her Majefty fent a MefTage to the Houfe of Commons, on the loth of December, by Mr. Secretary Hed- ges, to acquaint them, that me had raifed the Earl of Marlborongh to the Rank of a Duke, and had granted him a Penfion for Life, out of the Poll-Office, of five thou- fand Pounds per Ann. being all it was in H her
98 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
her Power to do, and therefore, recom- mended it to them, to rind fome Way, to give the Penfion, and the Honour, the fame Term. But after mature Deliberation, the Houfe, in a wife and well penned Addrefs> excufed themfelves from making fuch a Pre- cedent, for the future Alienations of the Revenue of the Crown ; but at the fame Time, complimented the Queen highly, upon the Duke of Mar /borough's Behavi- our, and exprefled what infinite Pleafure they received from her gracious Acceptation of her Services, which mewed, that the only Way to obtain her Favour, was to de- ferve well from the Publick. In this they behaved with equal Duty to the Crown, and Juftice to their Conftituents.
THE Bill for preventing Occalional Con- formity occafioned one of the warmeft and moft remarkable Difputes, that during this Reign happened between the two Houfes j it was carried by a great Majority in the Houfe of Commons j it likewife pafled the Houfe of Lords, but with many Amend-
ments-
Lord Vifcoimt BOLINGBROKE. 99
ments. In both Houfes it was fupported by the Court ; and, which was thought not a little fingular, Prince George of Denmark voted for this Bill, though he was himfelf an occafional Conformift. The Confe- rences between the two Houfes attra&ed the Attention of the whole Nation ; and were certainly managed by fome of 'the ableft Men in it ; and particularly the free Conference, on the fixteenth of January, which was maintained on the one Side by the Duke of Devon/hire, the Earl of Peter- borough, the Bifhop of Salijbury, the Lord Sorners, and the Lord Halifax ; and on the Part of the Commons by Mr. Bromleyt Mr. St. Johny Mr. Finch, Sir Simon Har~ court) and Sir Thomas Powys. After all, the Peers adhering to their Amendments, and the Commons to their own Senfe of Things, the Bill was loft.
THE Defign of reprefenting thefe Mat- ters to you, is to make it evident from the clearer! and beft Authority, that Mr. St. John was not introduced, or held up by the H 2 Chin,
I o I 3 -HOJISOVILIOa » iflijo:> • ioo MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Chin, through the Intereft or x^fFedion of this or that great Man, but made his Way by his own Merit, and by a Difplay of thofe Talents, which are the moft eflential and the moft valuable in an Englifo Gentleman. I do not take upon me either to cenfure or to commend his Conduct •, I content myfelf with pointing out to you what it was, and of how great Confequence it made him j and having done this, I mail not fatigue either you or myfelf with following him for the future Step by Step, but mall briefly ob- ferve, that in the next Seffion of this Parlia- ment, when there was a Motion made to tack the Bill for Occafional Conformity, now carried a fccond Time, to a Money Bill, he oppofed and voted again ft it ; which /hews, that though he had hitherto gona with the fame Party, yet he was deter- mined not to go the utmoft Lengths, or to perplex the public Bufinefs of the Nation to ierve the Purpofes of any Body of Men. It is a Point of Jufticedue to his Character, and a Point that is commonly thrown into Shade by thofe, who, either from Fafhion or
Refent-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 101
Refentment, have from Time to Time taken the Liberty to abufe him \ which however . did them little Honour, and him little Hurt.
.
THE Earl of RocbeJIer, who was the Queen's Uncle, and who had been ap- pointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was fo little pleafed with the Confidence her Ma- jefty had in Marlborough, and fo much piqued at Godolphiris being made Trea- furer, which high Employment he had formerly enjoyed, that at length he declined this great Office, which he might have difcharged, and which was thereupon given to the Duke of Ormond. Some Time after this, the Earl of Nottingham, who was Secretary of State, finding himfelf uneafy in that Office, and afcribing it to the great Influence of the Dukes of Somerfe and Dfwnfttre^ infifted upon their being re- moved from the Cabinet- Council, in which not being able to prevail, he carried the Seals to the Queen, who defired him very gracioufly to confider of it, which he did, H 3 for
IGd jnuoctfi Y 102 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
for about twenty-four Hours, and then returning in the fame Difpofition, refigned diem. This was after the Clofe of the third SefTion of this Parliament, and after fome Deliberation it was refolved, that Robert Hartey, Efq; then Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, mould fucceed him. His Abilities were then at their Height ; he was, without Doubt, a Perfon of great Knowledge, perfectly well acquainted with our Conftitution, and believed to be as ca- pable as any Man of managing the Affairs of the Adminiftration in the Houfe of Commons. Such were the Merits, and fuch the Terms, upon which he came into Power ; and we mall have frequent Oc^ cafion hereafter to fpeak of the Steadinefs and Dexterity, vifible in his Management.
ON the twentieth of April, 1704, Henry $t. John, Efq; was made Secretary at War and of the Marines, in the Room of William Blathwayt, Efq; who had long enjoyed thofe Employments. It has been faid, that he was brought into the Employments by
the
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 103
f
the Favour of the Duke of Marlborough ; it has been insinuated that he owed them to the Friendmip of Mr. Harley. .It is much more probable, that he was indebted for them to the confpicuous Figure that he made in the Houfe of Commons ; and I will own to you freely, that this is what I believe, though at the fame Time I am very fenfible, that he was much in the Duke's good Graces ; and that there were few who flood higher in the Opinion of Mr. Harley. But thefe were as much the Confequences of his own Merit as the Places he obtained. In thofe Days Connection was avowed, but Dependance was by Men of Family and Fortune difdained.
H4 LETTER
104 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of
*^
LETTER V.
Boni nullo emolumento impelluntur in Frau- cm : Impii fepe parvo.
Cic. prt Mi 'one.
Mr. St. John becomes Secretary at War,, and of the Marines ^ by his Credit and Figure in the Houfe of Commons. Had a great Share in the Management of Affairs in that Houfe during the SeJJion in Anno Dom. 1705. The Tories out of Power become zealous for the Houfe c/'Hanover, and infoknt towards Queen ANNE. Mr. Secretary Harley and Mr. St. John keep Things ^ notwith- • Jlanding^ quiet in the Houfe of Commons. The Parliament and the Adminijlration^ as modelled in 1706, pro?2ounced the very beji he ever few, by Eijhop Burnet. Our Sue- cefs in the Field infpires the French with Moderation^ and extinguijhes our own. The Unreafmablenefs of this Spirit confidered in a national Point of View. The Whigs re- fohe to pujh their Succefs, and tofeize the Adminijlration entirely. The Face of Af- fair:
Lord Vifcount BOLINOBROKE. 105 ,
fair -s abroad fujferfome confulerable Altera- tions. La ft Sejfion of a Parliament declared to be the firft SeJJion of a new Parliament^ •which furpaffed Mr. HarleyV Under/land- ing. A fuccintt Account of Gregg sBufinefs, and the Refignations of Harley, St. John, Manfel, &c. IVliat were f aid to be the concealed Reafons of driving thefe Gentle- men oufy by the moft Intelligent amongfi the Whigs themfehes. T'he Fafts which they ajjumed as indubitable, are at befl but 'very uncertain. Remark on the Consequences of Power obtained by Faction.
THE Poft to which Mr. St. John was raifed by the Queen, had fo dole a Connexion, and created fo conftant a Cor- refpondence with his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, that we may reafonably pre- fume it to have been the principal Foundation for the Rumours raifed many Years after, that he was in a particular Manner attached to that noble Perfon. In fome Senfe, alfo, fhi's may be very true 5 for as the greateft
Events
io6 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of
Events of the War, fuch as the Battles of Blenheim and Ramellics, and feveral glorious Attempts, made by the Duke to fhorten the War by fome decifive Action, fell out within the Period of Time that Mr. St. John was Secretary at War ; as he had Oc- caiion more than once to juftify, or to ufe a more proper Expreffion, to fet his Grace's Conduct in a true Light : As for Inflance, in carrying through the Houfe the Act for fettling upon him the Honour and Manor of Woodftock, with the Penfion from the Poft- Office, and demonflrating that, be- fides all the great Things he did, he would certainly have attempted, and in all proba- bility performed, ftill greater, if he had not been restrained by the Dutch Deputies ; there might appear good Grounds to believe that nobody underflood the Duke's Beha- viour better, or was inclined to do more Juftice to his Intentions, as well as his Ac- tions, than this Gentleman. But notwith- ftanding thefe Facts, we muft allow a wide Difference between the lincere Admirer, and the fervile Creature of that great Man.
Mr.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 107
Mr. St. Jchny while Secretary at War, dif- tinguimed himfelf in the former Character and avowed it upon all Occasions, and even to the laft Moment of his Life, as thefe his Pofthumous Works will convince you. But he difclaimed the latter when the Duke was in the Zenith of his Power, nor was he then charged, or, as far as I know, ever charged by the Duke or Duchefs of Marl- borough with Ingratitude or Breach of En- gagements to them. In fucceeding Times, it is notorious, that fuch Charges were brought, repeated and averred, but they were unattended with Proofs, and, as I mail (hew you hereafter, had not fo much as Pro- bability to render them credible.
IN the Parliament, which met on the twenty-fifth ofOflober, 1705, he fat asBur- gefs for Wotton-Baflety with Francis Pop- ham, Efq; and found the publick Attention fixed upon the Choice of a Speaker, which it was imagined would make a clear Dif- covery of the Complexion of this Houfe of Commons. The Friends of the Admini-*
ftratiou
io8 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
. fixation named the Right Honourable
Smithy Efq; Member for Andover ; a Per- fon of unexceptionable Character, who had already borne great Offices with much Re- putation ; and though he had been always fleady in the oppofite Principles, yet was very far from being unacceptable to the Tories. On the other Side, fuch as were angry, and inclined to go into all the Lengths of an Oppofition, propofed Wil- liam Bromley, Efq; one of the Reprefenta- tives for the Univerfity of Oxford, who was alfo a Man of fpotlefs Reputation ; and, except being a high Tory, had no- thing that could be objected to him in refpect to public or private Life. Sir Edward Seymour recommended him with great Warmth and Eloquence, but with much Decency in refpecl: to his Competi- tor, againft whom he only objected, that he was a Privy-Counfellor. To this Mr. Har- ley replied, That himfelf had difcharged the Office of Speaker with great Dignity when he was alfo of the Privy-Council, in the Reign of King Charles the Second. Upon
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 109
a Divifion it was carried by a Majority of forty-four for the Right Honourable John Smith, Efqj who was accordingly placed in the Chair, and proved very acceptable to the Queen and her Adminiftration. In the Courfe of this Seffion, Mr. Sf. John had a great Share in the Management of the public Bufmefs in the Houfe of Com- mons, and difcharged his Duty in that Re- fpedt fo well, that a certain Prelate, who would not have lavished his Compliments to a Statefman of his independent Spirit, is, however, fo impartial as to own that he was a Perfon of much Activity.
BEFORE we part with this Seffion, it may not be amifs to obferve, that the Tories having thrown themfelves out at Court, be- came at this Time very zealous for the Hanover Succeffion ; and as an undeniable Proof of their Warmth, as well as Sincerity in this Meafure, they propofed inviting over the Princefs Sophia. It is indeed true, that Lord Haverfiam, who opened that Debate in the Houfe of Lords, was never i looked
i jo MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of T^jyraxjT i rzi^a
looked upon as a Tory, but quite die con- trary j but he was feconded by the Duke of Buckingbamfiire, and the Earls of Not" tingbam, Rochejler and Anglefey fpoke with great Earneftnefs in the Debate, at which the Queen was herfelf prefent, though incognito. This was thought very fingular, and many Reflections have been made upon it. I fhall therefore take the Liberty of making one. The Tories, very probably, looked upon their Cafe as a Party, in a Manner, defperate, as they were for the prefent {hut out of Power, and which was in Truth a very aggravating Circumftance, fhut out by a Princefs and by Minifters, whom they had always looked upon as of their own Principles. Their prefent Situa- tion was bad, but their Profpecl, with regard to Futurity, was worfe. The very Meafures they had taken to fecure them- felves in the good Graces of the Queen upon the Throne, had given their Oppo- nents an Opportunity, and to the Honour of their Opponents it mull be faid, that was what they never l&Jlip, of reprefent-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 1 1 1
ing them as very cool towards theProteftant Succeflion. If, therefore, this Opinion continued or prevailed, the Tories, under the great Difappointment of prefent Expec- tations, had the Misfortune of feeing their Hopes blafted, as far as human Forefight could reach. It was this, in my poor O- pinion, that determined them to the Mea- fures beforementioned ; which at once gra- tified their Refentment, and revived their Expectations. In refpect to the firft, like all exafperated Parties, they forgot that the Perfon again ft whom their Rage was pointed was their Miftrefs, and their Queen. Some of them forgot more, they forgot the Returns of Gratitude, and the Ties of Na- ture. The Duke of Biickinghamfoire, who made her the firft Compliment after her Acceflion, by replying, when her Majefty faid that the eighth of March, on which King William died, was a dull, cloudy Day ; for all that) Madam, it is the fineft / ever faw in my Life ; now loft all Decency, and faid in her hearing, that the Queen might become childifh, do nothing of her
own
ji2 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
own Head, but be entirely paffive under thofe in whofe Hands me was or might be. The Earl of Rochefter, who was her Uncle, refumed the fame Behaviour he had worn in the former Reign, and mewed the Rug* gednefs of his Nature in the coarfe Afperity of his Language. This did not ferve their Purpofe at home in any Degree, and for no Length of Time abroad. The Queen had great Goodnefs, but me was not infen- fible 5 the Junto Lords, as they were called, not only parried the Thruft, by which they preferved the Queen from ftill greater Mortification, but they pufhed at the fame Time} for upon this Motion, they grounded the Bill for a Regency, the only real Se- curity the Proteftant Succeffion wanted, which they knew not well how to obtain, and of which, though they made the Tories their Instruments, yet they took all the Merit to themfelves. At Hanover, indeed, they, I mean thofe eminent Politicians the Tories, made their Court to the Princefs Sophia, who, though far in Years, had great Vivacity of Temper, and would
not
Lord Vilcount BOLINGBROKE. 113
not have been difpleafed to contemplate nearer at Hand the Splendor of that Dia- dem, which it was not at all impomble (he might one Day wear. But even this, though it might confole them for the pre^ fent, was afterwards of little or no Service.
IN this political Tempeft Mr. St. Join did not ride in the Whirlwind, or direct the Storm but in Conjunction with Mr. Secretary Harleys when a Motion of the like Nature was made in the Houfe of Commons, in- lifted upon firft reading the Bill for a Re- gency that came from the Lords j and by this dextrous Management defeated it with- out a Diviiion or a Debate. The Lord High Treafurer, Godolpbin^ who naturally loved foft Meafures, was very well pleafed with a Method that did the Bufinefs, and faved Wrangling. If you have an Oppor- tunity of converting freely v/ith fuch as lived in thefe Times, and are inquiiitive in a proper Manner, you cannot but be in- formed that, if Secretary Harley or Mr. St. John had been inclined to fifh in trou- l bled
1 14 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
bled Waters, they had Opportunities e- nough ; and as inftead of doing this, they vifibly applied their Parts and Diligence in preventing Things from running into Heats and Diforders, we ought not to give any hafty Credit to Accufations unattended with Evidence, againft a Behaviour fo apparent- ly the Reverfe of what it is fuggefted to have been. The General and the Trea- furer, it is acknowledged, had at this Time no fuch Sufpicions, and this is a better Ar- gument, that they had no Caufe for them than any that has been hitherto produced on the other Side. But I proceed now to the enfuing Year, the moil glorious and the moil happy of that Reign.
THE Parliament rofe about the Middle of the Month of March, after having done every Thing the Government could defire in a mofl defireable Manner. I would not have you take .this upon my Credit, fince here is Bimop Burnet at my Elbow, ready to give his Teftimony in much ftronger Terras. " Thus this SefTion of Parlia-
" ment,
Lord Vifcount BOL1NGBROKE. tig
" ment, fays his Lordmip> came to a very " happy Concliiiion : There was in it the " beft Harmony within both Houfes, and f< between them as well as with the Crown, " and it was the beft applauded in the City " of London , over the whole Nation, and " indeed over all Europe^ of any Seffion " that I had ever feen : And when it was " confidered, that this was the firft of the " three, fo that we were to have two " other SefTions of the fame Members, it " gave an univerfal Satisfaction both to " our own People at home, and our Al- " lies "abroad ; and afforded a Profpect 11 of a happy End that mould be put to " this devouring War, which in all Pro- " bability, muft come to a Period before " the Ccnclufion of the prefent Parlia- " mcnt. This gave an unfpeakable Satis-
O X
<c faction to all wha loved their Country " and their Religion, who now hoped <c that we had in View a good and fafe " Peace." Hear his Lordfhip a Word or two more, in refpect to fuch as at this Juncture were intrufted with Power. " It I 2 " bred
u6 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
. .
t{ bred, fays he, a jufl Indignation in all, " who had a true Love to their Country, " to fee fome ufmg all poffible Methods to <c fliake the Adminiftration, which, not- " withftanding the Difficulties at home ". and abroad, was much the beft that had " been in the Memory of Man : And was " certainly not only eafy to the Subjects in " general, but gentle even towards thofe 11 who were endeavouring to undermine " it." Words could not eafily be found to fpeak his Meaning ftronger.
IN Confequence of that Harmony and Tranquillity which fubfifted at home, and the vafl Supplies that were afforded towards the Support of the War abroad, our Suc- ceffes, which had been already great and glorious, became now decifme, not in this or that, but in all the feveral Seats of this extended War. In Ifa/y, Prince Eugene beat the Duke of Orleans and Marefchal Mar/in, who commanded under, or rather over him before ^TnHfi9 raifed the Siege of that Capital, and obliged the Enemy to a
• Treaty
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 117
•3 1 i Treaty of Evacuation. In Spain, the Siege
of Barcelona was not only raifed with Cir- cumftances of Honour that are fcarce to be parallel'd in Hiftory, but a PafTage was opened to Madrid., and King Charles the Third might have proceeded to his Capital, if that had appeared of as great Importance to him as it did to us. In Flanders, the Elec- tor of Bavaria and Marmal Vilkroy were fo thoroughly beaten, and the Confequences of their Defeat were fo mortifying, that the Elector, at the Defire of the French King, wrote to ths Duke of Marlboronghy and to the States-General, to intreat them to think of Peace. As this was certainly to be made fome Time or other, and as France would very willingly have yielded all the Italian Provinces to the Houfe of Aujlria ; which in reality was what they wanted, rather than Spain and the Indies, without them ; would have given full Satis- faction to England and Holland, and would have fubmitted to whatever was prefcribed in refpect to the other Allies, it is not eafy to conceive why fo few of our Minifters I 3 inclined
j 1 8 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of 3GT/O
inclined to Peace ! But fo it was, as both
?• arties agree.
IT is true, that the Houfe of Lords in. the preceding Year had addrefled the Queen to carry on the War till the whole Spanifh Monarchy was in the Hands of the Houfe of Aujlrla •, but it does not appear how this was become of abfolute Neceflity to Great- Britain, or how it was to be effected, in fpite of 'the Affections of the Spanifi Na- tion, whom the Diftrcfles of their King and his Family had made fo dear to them, that nothing but an abfolute Conqueft, and a foreign Force fufficient to awe the Natives, coi|M have maintained King Charles upon the Throne, of which, as we mall pre- fently fee, his Brother, the Emperor Jofepb) either abfolutely defpaired, or to which he was not much inclined. It is likewife true, that the Reduction of the Power of France was laid down as a fufficient Motive for carrying on the War, This was a very Joofe, ambiguous Expreffion. Her Power was already very much reduced, and her
Dominions
' 1 1
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. IIQ
I
Dominions very much exhaufted in point of Men as well as Money. But Providence was not at our Command, and though con- tinuing the War was abfolutely in our Power, yet the continuing it with Succefs was not. Belides all this, the great nati- onal Point was not fufficiently attended to. While we were reducing France^ we were alfo reducing ourfelves j if France and Spain bled outwardly, Britain and Holland bled inwardly. Time and Induftry would in- fallibly fupply the Lofles of the Enemy ; but it might certainly have been forefeen then as well as felt fince, that when they had got over tbefe, we mould be flill la- bouring under our Debts, and be from thence put under the cruel Neceffity of running ourfelves, upon every frefh Emer- gency, more and more in Debt.
AT the very Clofe of this Year, fo fer- tile in great Events, an Alteration was made in the Adminiftration at home, by removing Sir Charles Hedges from being Secretary of State, in order to make Way I 4 for
120 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
for the Earl of Sunderland. You will find a very full, and, I believe, a very true Account of this Matter in the Memoirs of the Duchefs of Marlborcngh, But the Reafon I mention it here, is becaufe I take it to be the great Point upon which the Queen's Government turned. In the Be- ginning of her Reign me had given too much Countenance to . the Tories, who from thence, as was very natural, which fome may therefore think very excufable, framed Projects for preferving themfelves entirely, and, if that was poffible, eternally in Power. The Queen prevented this, and fecured herfelf. Her Miniftry was now fo poized that me commanded at leaft the beft Men of both Parties, and to this we ought to afcribe that Chearfulnefs and pub- lic Spirit which diftinguiihed the iaft Sef- iion of Parliament, and in the Space of two or three more might have brought off a great Majority from all Notions of Fac- tion. But the Whigs were now wild with the Thirft of Power, and infilled upon having one Secretary cf State in whom
they *
Lord Vifcoimt BOLINGBRO&E. . j 2 1 .
they could confide, and named the Earl of Sunder land as the Nail that would go j that is, whom his Father-in-Law, the Duke of Mar thorough, could drive with the Queen ; which, however, that great Statefman as well as General did very unwillingly. He faw the Confequences to himfelf, the Trea- furer, and the Queen, and he felt them almoft as foon as he faw them, fince the Way being once broke, the Tories were foon after driven out, and compelled to join their old Aflbciates, and to aft again as a Faction.
THE very next Year it became but too evident how ill they judged, who looked upon Profperity to be entailed upon their Arms, whatever Ufe was made of it. In Germany , Marfhal Villars carried all before him, rais'd prodigious Contributions as far as U/m, and was very near recovering Bavaria. In Flanders , the Duke of Vendome acted with fo great Judgment and Difcretion, that even the Duke of Marlborough found it jmpoflible to form a Siege, or to fight a
Battle,
Battle. In Spain, the Army of the Allies, under the Command of the Earl of Galivay, was totally defeated, and two Thirds of it deftroyed. At home it was given out, that the Army was compelled to fight to procure Subfiftance, and that King Charles had weakened his Forces by withdrawing feveral Thoufand Men, who returned, for the Security of his Perfon only, with him into Catalonia. But that Monarch, or at leafl his Minifters, publickly declared that the Battle was fought without any Ne- cemty againft the Advice of the King and his beffc Officers, that his whole Efcort amounted to no more than a fingle Regi- ment of Dragoons -, and that in the Lift of the Forces in Spain published in England, many of the Squadrons were purely ima- ginary, and feveral Battalions never ap- peared any where, except upon Paper. But even thefe LofTes and Difappointments, great as they were, feemed nothing when compared with the great Defign which had been fome Years concerting, and which alfo proved abortive. This was the bc-
fieging,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 123
fieging, and reducing Toulon. For this great, this unexpected, and this fatal Mif- carriage many Reafons have been affigned. Bifhop Burnet is fo ingenuous as to fay, that // failed chief y by the Emperor'.? Means, but he does not tell us how ; farther than, what all the World knew of his detaching twelve Thoufand Men from Prince Eu- genes Army to conquer the Kingdom of Naples. A Project which, it was faid, he had undertaken before his Affiftance was defired in the Bufinefs of Toulon, which might be Truth, and yet was not the whole Truth. Count Gallas, the Imperial Mini- fler here, had a Secretary, whofe Name, I think, was Primoli, a very fubtle, intri- guing Fellow, who wormed the Secret of Toulon out of the Secretary of the Duke of Savoy's Minifter here ; and as foon as this was known at the Court of Vienna, and that the Englijh Fleet was to be employed in that Defign, it fuggefted the Enterprize of Naples as a Thing that could not fail of Succefs, when the Enemy could not poffi- bly receive Succours. This is the Truth
of
124 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
of that Matter, as it appeared to the Earl of Sunderland by Primolz's Confeflion ; for he caufed him to be feized and examined, which Count Gallas, who was then at Vienna^ refented highly at his Return, though his Lordmip had taken the Pre- caution of defiring the Imperial Refident Hoffmann Confent, who, as he was out of the Secret, gave it without Difficulty. From hence it was plain that the Houfe of Aujlria had no Scruple in making the Common Caufe give Way, where its immediate Interejls were concerned. A Circumftance, that, as it might well be expf&td, was not buried in Oblivion by all who were then in Power.
THE Parliament had met upon a fliort Prorogation on the fourteenth of April, 1707, fat ten Days, and were then pro- rogued to April the thirtieth, at which Time tliey were difmiffed without Ad- journment, Prorogation or Diflblution, only the Lord Keeper told them that they were to meet again as Members on the Part of d) in the Parliament of Great Bri-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 1 25
tain, and that the Queen would fignify the Time of their Meeting by Proclamation, agreeable to the twenty-fecond Article of the Union. A Proclamation iflued for this Purpofe in June, directing the firft Parlia- ment of Great-Britain to aflemble at Weft- minfter on the twenty-third of OEtcber, up- on which a Queftion arofe, whether it was an old or a new Parliament ? Mr. Se- cretary Harky was fo unlucky as to think that the loft Seffion of a Parliament, which had already fat two Seffions, could not be a new one j and he farther thought, that new Writs and new Elections were eiTential, or at leaft ought to be confidered as eflential to the making a new Parliament j but he was confidered as a Man of Forms, and therefore the Men of Biifinefs over-ruled him j fo that when the Houfes met, the Commons were directed to chufe a new Speaker, and by the Help of this, and fome other Forms, it affumed the Face of a new Parliament, and this was ftiled the firft Seflion of the nrft Parliament of Great-Britain. Things were very far from
going
126 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of
going there fo eafily as they had done in the preceding Seffion. An Enquiry was made into the Affairs of Spain, upon which it clear- ly appeared, that out of near thirty Thou- fand EngHJh Troops provided for in Spain and Portugal, there was between eight and nineThoufand only at the Battle vfAlmanza, which at firft was very ill taken in the Houfe of Commons, but at length, upon certain Explanations, the Matter was let fall, which occafioned many Speculations, and gave very little Satisfaction. Bifhop Bur- net fays, that Mr. Harley and his Friends afted but faintly upon thisOccafionj which is very likely to be true, if they regarded either the public or their private Interefts. -
ABOUT this Time it was difcovered, that one Gregg, a Clerk in Secretary Harley's Office, had attempted to enter into a trea- fonable Correfpondence with the French Minifters. The Method he took was this : Marefchal Mallard, who had been a Pri- foner in England from the Time of the Battle of Blenheim, fent his Letters open to
the
LordVifcountBOLINGBROKE. 127
the Secretary's Office, where, after they had been perufed, they were fealed up and for- warded. This, it feems, was made Part of Gregg's Employment, who put into the Packet a Copy of the Letter that the Queen was to write in her own Hand to the Em- peror, diftinguiming what Parts were drawn by the Secretary, and what Additions were made by the Lord Treafurer. This Packet being opened in Flanders, and Gregg's Let- ter found, was tranfmitted to the Duke of Marlborough, and as foon as it was known from whom it came, the Man was feized, and made a full Confeffion, ^ upon which he was committed to Newgate, and in January Seffions arraigned at the Old- Bailey for High-Treafon, at which Time he pleaded Guilty. This unlucky Affair brought heavy Imputations upon the Se- cretary, and the General and Treafurer refufing to aflift at the Cabinet-Council while he continued in her Majefty's Service ; Mr. Harley, to deliver the Public from fuch a Dilemma, as well as the Queen, refigned the Seals on the eleventh of F<?-
bruary 3
128 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
brtiary, and foon after Henry St. John, Efq; Sir ^Thomas Manfel> and Sir Simon Har- court, who came in with him, laid down their refpeftive Employments. But though Gregg was fo foon condemned, yet he was not immediately executed. Bifliop Bur net tells us, that the Lords appointed a Com- mittee to examine him, who could not find out much by him j he had but newly be- gan his Delign of betraying Secrets, and he had no AfTociates with him in it. (He wrote his firft Letter on the twenty-fourth of Offober, and his Correfpondence was detected before the End of the Year.) Thefe Examinations lafbed for fome Weeks > when they were ended, a full Report was made of them to the Houfe of Lords, and they ordered the whole Report with all the Examinations to be laid before the Queen in an Addrefs, in which they reprefented to her the Neceffity of making Gregg a public Example ; upon which, (about the Middle of April,) he was executed. He continued to clear all other Perfons of any Acceflion to his Crime, of which he
feemed
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 129
feemed very fenfible, and died much bet- ter than he had lived, Belides this, the Lords found that Mr. Harley had em- ployed two very bad Men as Spies, which, whatever it might be then thought, will not at prefent appear any extraordinary Difcovery.
THE great Clamour that was raifed a- bout thefe Difcoveries ferved to counte- nance the Method that was taken to de- prive Mr. Harley of the Seals, and to drive him out of the Queen's Councils. But that this was not the real Motive of their Proceedings we have from the higheft Authority, that of a great Lady, from whom neither of the great Lords referved any of their Secrets. What then was the true Motive ? It was fufpected that the Queen converfed privately with Mr. Secretary Harley. It has been faid, though not upon fo good x^uthority, that thefe Sufpicions took Rife from an un- guarded Expreffion of Prince George of Denmark. The Queen had a Defluxion *K ja
130 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
in her Eyes, as to which there happened foma Difcourfe in the Houfe of Lords, upon this the Prince faid ' inadvertently, Her Majejly would foon, be free from that Malady, if fie did not fit upfo late ^/Nights, This occafioned much Speculation, many Enquiries, and in the Clofe, if we may believe the great Lady, beforementioned, and her Friends, feveral important Dif- coverks, which, however, ended in no- thing beyond this, that the Queen had prefumed to converfe with one Privy- Councellor without the Permiflion, and out of the Hearing of other Councellors : As a juft Punishment for which it was re- folved, that he mould be removed from that Poft he held in the Nation's Service, and the Queen forbid to converfe with him more at her Peril. A Decree worthy of Faction.,
0 f
and moft indignant to Royalty.
You will obferve, that I don't give you
all or any of this for Gofpel, it is what
was then faid, and what has been fince faid,,
and all that thofe People could, or, at
5
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 131
leaft, would fay, whofe Bufinefs it was to fet this Matter in the clearefl and beft Light. But as the oftenfible Reafon of Secretary Harley's being fufpected of cor- refponding with the French was quickly difcovered to be no better than a Falflood, fo that it is not at all impoflible that the concealed Motive then whifpered in Cabals, fince published in private Memoirs, might be in a" great Meafure, if not altogether, fictitious j nor have there been wanting fome who have fuggefted, that the Truth at the Bottom, was no more, than that thofe who had obliged the Duke of Marlborough, as the Duchefs herfelf owns, to force one Secretary upon the Queen againfl his as well as her Senfe of Things, gave him now to underftand, that it was Time to remove the other too, if he meant to retain their Affiftance. The Certainty of which is faid to have been collected from the manifeft Shifting of Votes in the Houfe of Commons , where fome who one Day helped to perplex, would concur the next to defend that Adminiftration. But be K 2 this
bos viJDfiqjO 132 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &cc. of
rf«"ifrft* -J*
^1 * • • Ml t f*s !/»•»«• »» r
tins as it will, the Removal of Mr, Harlty in fo fudden and flrange a Manner was fo far from giving general Satisfaction to that Houfe, that the Bill for the Supply was fuffered to lie feveral Days upon the Table, and the fame Deference or a greater was paid him by the moderate Men of all Parties, when he was out, than when he was in Power. His Friends, alfo, who upon this Occafion followed his Fortune, followed likewife his Example, and be- haved the whole Seffion with great Tem- per, Steadinefs and Decency, fo that they loft nothing by the fuperior Power of their Adverfaries except their Places.
UPON this give me Leave to make a fingle Remark, and to recommend it to your conftant Confederation. They are flrangely miftaken, who fancy that this World is governed by Chance, or that immoral A£ts of any Kind can be committed with- out drawing after them vindictive Confe- quences. Great Employments are equally beneficial and honourable, when difcharged
by
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 133
by Men of Capacity and Integrity, raifed to them purely by Merit, and keeping them by the fame Means through which they were attained. But Faction will ever fet at nought thefe Conditions, and intro- duce fuch Methods of riling, removing and retaining, as will render Security, and confequently Saving impracticable, fo that the very fame Motives which excite a cri- mind Appetite for Power and Places, will, as every criminal Appetite muft, defeat its own Gratification, by rendering them not worth the having. If you chufe to be con- vinced by Experience, look round upon the Defcendants of great Men in Diftrefs, who are numerous and notorious enough tofurnimas ftrong Proofs, in fupport of this Argument,' as either I need, or you caa require.
K \ L g T-
134 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
:03ir
LETTER VI.
In Rebus magnis, Memorisquedignis,Confilia primum, deinde Acla, poftea Eventus fpec- tantur.
Cic. dt Oral.
*fbe Minijlry all of a Piece, andfupported by an unanimous Parliament. 'Their Proceed- ings in refpeft to domeftic Affairs, and the Concerns of the Britifh Nation. Their Con- duft in regard to the Allies and to the War. The Nature of the Difpute entirely changed, the End in certain, and the great Security of Succefs loft. By thefe Methods the War be- . came unpopular in Britain, and even in Hol- land, while the Spirits of the Frcnchfeemcd to revive. Thefe were Caufes adequate to the EJfeff -, and, therefore, moft likely to be the true Caufes of the Minifterial Revolu- tion in Britain, lyhat is /aid in Memoirs ffthefecret Conferences of the Queen, fall- ing out of her Women, and impatient under Reftraint, unequal to fo great and bazar d-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 135
ous a Change. No Imputation on the Whigs
in particular, but a Conduct incident to, and
infeparable from a Spirit of Faction. Very
dextroiijly and very ably managed by Mr.
Harley and his Friends. Remarks on the
fatal Conferences that attend, and necef-
farily muft attend, fuch Struggles.
IMuft begin with putting you in Mind that the turning out Mr. Harley and his Friends did not produce any Bitternefs or Violence in the Houfe of Commons, and that in the new Parliament called by and chofen under the Influence of the new Miniftry, Mr. Sf. John was not a Member, which is a certain Indication, that though poflibly he might not be without Refentmcnt, yet he had not any Rancour again ft the great Men who were at the Head of the Queen's Miniftry. The Adminiftration, as the Whigs themfelves fay, and particularly their Right Reverend Hiftorian, was by this Means become entire and of a Piece, and the Manner in which Things were dit- pofed on the Vacancy of Prince George's, K 4 Places,
f the LIFE, &c. 'of
Places, might, if there was any Neceffity, furnifh a fufficient Proof of it. The Earl of Pembroke was made Lord High Ad- miral, the Lord Sowers, Prefident of the Council, and the Earl of Wbarton Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The Parliament alfo was entirely devoted to thefe Minifters, the Tories faw themfelves unable to oppofe with any Probability of Succefs, and tho' this did not bring them into a Concurrence with every Thing that was done, yet it cer- tainly difpiritcd them, and that to fuch a Degree, that they could neither difappoint, nor fo much as clog whatever Meafures their triumphant Adverfaries thought fit to purfue. From this Situation of Things the higheft Hopes were entertained, nor could they with any Propriety be fHled ianguine, fince that implies hoping with- out Grounds, which was not at all the Cafe here, more efpecially as the Allies had an entire Confidence in the Minifters, which arofe not only from the Reafon of Things, but from that Kind of Experience which is of all others the fureft Guide in Politicks.
Let
Lord Viicount BOLINGBROKE. 137-
Let us fee then what were the Fruits of. this Unanimity, what Steps were taken' to fatisfy the Nation in general, that the Glory and Intereft of Great-Britain was the fole Motive in Council and Action ; and what Progrefs was made in carrying on thofe great and falutary Deligns, with impeaching of which, thofe Gentleman had been charged, who were compelled to quit their Employments j that by a fteady and vi- gorous Purfuit of military Meafures, Things might be brought to a fpeedy Conclufion,and a profperous War determined by a Peace, which mould fix the Tranquillity of Europe, and the Safety of Britain, upon an ada- mantine Bafis,- that Time itfelf fliould be hardly able to undermine. Magnificent Promifes ! very publickly, perhaps, a little incautioufly thrown out, and which were not fo eafily executed as they \yere made. ~
AT home the Parliament, which was the fecond of Great-Btifafrt, though the firfl that was fummoned by the Queen's Writ, voted in their firfl: SefTion an Aug- mentation
ii8 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
J
mentation of the Britifh Forces of ten Thoufand Men, and granted for that Pur- pofe one Million, two Hundred and twenty Thoufand Pounds ; and as their Zeal led them to the like Liberality in whatever refpedted the War, fo that feven Millions were given this Seffion -, there followed a Neceffity of borrowing near Half the vafl Sums thus chearfully granted. Upon this the Vigour of public Credit difplayed itfelf in a mofl extraordinary Degree, the Capital of the Bank of England being doubled by a Subfcription, which was determined in four Hours. The fame Spirit animated the fecond Seffion of this Parliament, which invigorated the firft, and upwards of fix Millions Sterling were granted for the public Service in the Year 1709 ; which amazing Grants, in Com- parifon of former Times, being not levied with the fame Eafe that they were fiib- fcribed, being fubfcribed by one Interefl, and the Property of another Intereft being mortgaged for the Payment, together with the lengthened Profpect of the Continuance
of
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 139
of the War from the Contemplation of forne Votes relative to the Terms on which this Parliament conceived it ought to be end- ed, made many People very uneafy. Ano- ther Circumftance joined to this made them ilill more uneafy. There was an unujual " Unanimity in Parliament, very unlike that Harmony for which I quoted to you Biihop Burnet in a former Letter, and for which I muft quote him again, becaufe I would tell you nothing in the Courfe of thefe historical and political Memoirs as a Matter pf Fact, without an unexceptionable Wit- nefs to vouch it. Hear then that Right Reverend Prelate, who knew very well what he faid, and who was above hiding or difTembling the Truths he knew in fa- vour even of thofe to whom he always adhered. Speaking of the firft Seffion of this Parliament, he fays, " Things went fc on in both Houfes according to the <c DireSliom given at Court ; for the Court " being now joined with the Whigs, they " had a clear Majority in every Thing : All " Elettions were judged in Favour of the
" Whigs
140 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
<l
Whigs and Courtiers ; but with fo much Partiality ', that /#<?/£ who had formerly <( made loud Complaints of the Injuftice of " the TWtt1 in determining Elections, <e when they were a Majority^ were not fo " much as cztf of Countenance when they 4 c were reproached for the fame Thing : They " pretended they were in a State of War ft with the Tories t fo that it was reafon- " able to retaliate this to them on the Ac- *{ count of their former Proceedings : But (C this did not fatisfyy'z^/? xndvprtgbt Men, ee who would not do to 0//^r.f that which <c they had complained of when it was dW *c to them or to their Friends" This Ma- nagement naturally raifed a Clamour with-' out Doors, whatever Tranquillity it fecured within. Thofe who were injured, or who thought themfelves injured, reprefented this Conduct as flowing from a fettled Refolution of perpetuating that Power in the Party, to the Plenitude of which they were already arrived. Clamour begets Cla- mour, and a very indifcreet Contempt {hewn for the Clergy, upon a Suppofition that they
were,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 141
were, generally fpeaking, in the Tory In- tereftj ftirred up a Man of no great Note or Character to aim at Popularity by Ser- mons, in which the Sound was at leaft as much or more confidered than the Senfe, and all Defedts covered by a melodious Voice, good Figure and a graceful De- livery. He attained what he fought, and became the Darling of the Multitude. What there was of Art in this I dare not pretend to fay. In my own Opinion there was little or none ; for I mould much fooner fufpedt the Tories of admiring a Man, and a Clergyman efpecially, without Merit, very fincerely, than of pretending to admire him, that they might make a Tool of him, in order to outwit the Whigs. Be that as it will, the Whigs, to mew their Parliamentary Power, and to pafs a legal Cenfure upon a Dodlrine, which, from its Abfurdity, themfelves moil vehe- mently declared needed none, had Recourfe to an Impeachment, and in the midft of a War with France^ and when a great many other arduous Affairs called for the
whole
142 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
whole Attention of the public Councils^ diverted the Thoughts of the Nation to fuch Difputes as were of all others moft like to affect the public Peace. As they were in full Poffefiion of Power, they car- ried their Point in the firft Inftance, the Doctor was tried with great Solemnity, the Leaders of the Party made fine Speeches, the Lords found him Guilty, and a Sen- tence was paffed that did not affect the Criminal fo much as it did the Profecution. Or, as the noble Perfon's Expreffion is, whofe Writings have occafioned you this Trouble, The Whigs took it in their Heads to roajl a Parfon, and they did roaft him ; but their Zeal tempted them to make the Fire fo high) that they fcorched themfehes.
IT is now Time for us to look abroad* The Scheme they had formed required that the War mould proceed with greater Vigour, and, if poiTible, with greater Suc- ceis than before, in order to which they augmented our own national Troops, and infifted on keeping them compleat by Re- cruits
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 143
cruits from hence at their highefl Com- plement. But nowithftanding this Mea- fure, they continued the foreign Troops that were in Pay, augmented the Subfidies to fome of our foreign Allies, and laboured inceflantly to overpower France with Num- bers. At the fame Time, which is very extraordinary, they not only declined fend- ing any confiderable Squadrons to the Weft Indies, but even treated it in Print as a Thing very idle and inexpedient to trufl the Safety, the Balance, the Tranquillity of Europe to Expeditions that muft depend on the Winds and Waves. That they fet out in this Way of thinking I mall make very plain, to you, by obferving, that the incom- parable Addifon was prevailed upon to write a Pamphlet, which is preferved in his Works, in Support of this Syftem, in which every Thing is faid that could be faid for it j and faid with as much Senfe and Spirit> and with as much Elegance and Eafe, as either his Genius could dictate, or our Language exprefs. That they actually proceeded on this Plan, and did all and
even
J44 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
even more than I have advanced, you may be fatisfied from the Votes, from the Gazettes, and from the Hiftories of thofe Times. When you (hall have confidered this Evidence maturely, you will be eafily fatisfied that the Allies mull: approve and applaud this Adminiftration, and confide in it too without the leaft Scruple or Re- ferve ; and I prefume you will find no great Difficulty in conceiving, that this Ad- miniitration might, from thence very rati- onally, rely upon all the Support and Afllftance that the Allies could give, when- ever the Requifition of that became necef- fary or expedient. As thefe were Pur- pofes that might be anfwered, and as in Procefs of Time thefe Purpofes were ac- tually anfwered, we cannot be thought to attribute too much to their Penetration, in affirming, that they mufl have had them in View. But this will admit of flill farther Proof, and it will contribute not a little to the Illuftration of this Subject, if I lay it before you, which I (hall fo -endeavour to do as not to render it tedious.
2 A
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 145
A TEDIOUS, bloody and expenfive War, though attended with Succefs, muft na- turally create, in the Bofoms of wife and prudent People, in every Country, which had a Share therein, a Defire of being freed from the Maintenance even of ne- ceflary Burdens, and of fecuring the Fruits of Victory by a folid Peace. But the Allies, at leaft in general, mewed great Alacrity in continuing it, and the Motives to their Conduct were not at all impene- trable. The Dutch were in PofTeffion of a large and fine Country, conquered by the Confederate Arms, and had the Pro- fpect of an impregnable Barrier, by which their Safety and Profperity was to be afTured in all Time to come. The Emperor had • actually acquired all that was to be acquired on the Continent of Italy > and was in the full Perception of the Revenues of its richeft Provinces, together with foine con- tingent Advantages. The King of Spain, I mean Charles the Third, had the Princi- pality of Catalonia, with fome other Pro- L vinces,
146 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of rt vinces, and the Profpect of having the
whole Kingdom conquered for him, with a prefent Eftablifhment for the Support of his Court. Other Princes found their Ac- count in the Progrefs, at the fame Time that they flattered themfeives with the moft
J
fanguine Hopes upon the Conclufion of the War. But, except the Glory of con- tributing to this in a very high Proportion, our Gains were but very inconfiderablc. Add to all which, that by Degrees an avowed Change was made as to the very End of the War, or in other Words, the fole Condition that was to end it, which by this Time was very peremptorily de- clared to be the entire Recovery of the Spanifi Monarchy out of the Hands of the Houfe of Bourbon. The Work I now fend you exprelTes this Matter very clearly, in a very fhort ParTage, which I will trouble you to read. " Since, there- " fore, fays Lord B. by fuch Efforts as <c could not be continued any longer, with- " out oppreffing and impoveri filing thefe " Nations to a Degree that no Intereft, ex-
" cept
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 147
" cept that of their very Being, nor any Cf Engagement of amiting an Alliance, " totis Viribus, can require -y France was " reduced, and all the Ends of the War " were become attainable. It will be " worth your Lordfhip's while to confider " why the true Ufe was not made of the " Succefs of the Confederates againfl " France and Spain ^ and why a Peace " was not concluded in the fifth Year of " the War. When your Lordmip con- " fiders this, ypu will compare in your cc Thoughts what the State of Europe <f would have been, and that of your own " Country might have been, if the Plan " of the grand Alliance had been purfued " with the pomble, as well as certain, the '" contingent, as well as necefTary, Con- cc fequences of changing this Plan in the " Manner it was changed ; you will be c< of Opinion, I think, and it feems to me, " after more than twenty Years of Recol- " ledtion, Re-examination and Reflection, <{ that impartial Poflerity muft be of the " fame Opinion ; you will be of Opinion, L 2 "I
148 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
\5£ * '?JJrf
" I think, that the War was wife and " juft before the Change, becaufe necefTary " to maintain that Equality among the " Powers of Europe y on which the pub- " lie Peace and common Profperity de- " pends, and that it was unwife and unjuft, " after this Change, becaufe unnecefTary " to this End, and directed to other, and " to contrary Ends." Very fuccinct, and withal, very perfpicuous and very flrong.
BUT you may object, and it will be a very natural Objection, that this great Writer, how eloquent foever, is but a fuf- picious Witnefs in the prefent Cafe. I readily grant it. But I produce this Paf- fage, that you may compare it with another from a moft unexceptionable Witnefs, Bimop Hare, who, in his celebrated Trea* tife, entitled, The BARRIER TREATY vindicated, in order to mew the Right, the Maritime Powers had to fettle and adjuft fuch a Barrier, delivers himfelf thus : " This, fays he, will be made very evi- « dent by confidering the Defign and
" End
LordVifcountBOLINGBROKE. 149
I '"
" End of the grand Alliance, for which
" the Parties to it engaged in the prefent " War, and the Propofitions which Hoi- " land made to France to prevent the " War. Firjl, As to the grand Alliance, c< it was not made with any King of Spain " in PoiTeffion, nor any acknowledged or " declared King, nor with any Son of the " then Emperor, but with the Emperor " himfelf, who had indeed good and jufl " Pretenlions to the Spanijh Monarchy ; " but the Duke of Anjou had gotten Pof- " feflion, and both England and Holland " had acknowledged him in that Quality. " And the Allies then had little Reafon to <c hope for fo fuccefsful a War as mould " enable them to demand the Reflitution " of the whole Monarchy. Here is, " therefore, no King of Spain in View, " for whom the Netherlands are to be " recovered as a Part of the SfaniJJ} " Monarchy. The Treaty is between the <c Maritime Powers and the Emperor : " And though by the general Words, Sa- <c tisfadtion and Security, they are at Li- L 3 " berty
150 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
f< berty to extend their Demands as far as
u<cljuftice and their Succefs fhould enable
et them, yet what they ftipulate for, in
" exprefs Words, is only fo much as was
" absolutely neceffary to prevent the im-
" minent Dangers the Parties contracting
" were in from the Union of the Crown
<e of France with that of Spain. In mort,
" all they ftipulate for, except in Relation
" to Commerce, is, that the Netherlands
" fhall be recovered, not for the Emperor,
" nor for any King of Spain, but to be a
" Barrier to the States for the Security both
" of them and England, and that Af//<z», &c.
" fhall be recovered, not to remain as a Part
" of the Spanijh Monarchy, or as the
" Emperor was King of Spain, bub as a
" Fief of the Empire, and as contri-
ce buting to the Security of his Imperial
" Majefty's hereditary Countries. So that
" the Maritime Powers are by this Treaty
" to endeavour the Recovery of Milan,
" &c. for the Emperor, and the Emperor
Cf is to do the fame on his Part for the
" Recovery of the Lew Countries for them,
" that
LordVifcount BOLINGBROKE.. ,51
cc that the Maritime Powers, and particu- " larly the States, who are a Barrier to " England., may have them for their Bar- <£ rier. For though it be called a Barrier " for the States, as lying upon the Con-
c tinent between them and France, yet " docs England^ alfo, find in it its Security;
c and, therefore, the Language that runs " through the whole Treaty is, The ,ob- " taming a particular and fujflcient Sectt- " rity for the Kingdoms and Provinces, <c &c. of the King of Great-Britain and the " States-General." I need only add, that this Piece of the Bimop's was publiihed long after this Change was made, and the NecefTity of recovering Spain and the Indies out of the Hands of the Houfe of Bourbon, infilled upon before a good Peace could be made. But after all, it .muft be allowed, that many of thofe who infifted upon this, infifted, like wife, that it was the original Defign of the War, and faid many plaufible Things upon that Head. The Truth, however, lies within very narrow Bounds. It was not laid down by L 4 King
152 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
King tyifliatn, it was not provided for in
the grand Alliance, which, on the con-
trary, goes on the Principle of the Partition
Treaties. It was firft devifed, as I fhewed
you in its proper Place, out of pure Spite,
by that Tory Houfe of Commons, who
impeached the Authors of thofe Partition
Treaties. It was adopted, as I have alfo
mewn you before, by the Houfe of Peers,
who acquitted thofe Lords, that they might
have it in Readinefs upon any Occafion. It
was taken up by this Adminiflration as a
proper Bafis for their Proceedings ; and
thus in the Circle of a very few Years, the
Tories and Whigs changed Sides, with
Refpect to this Principle, and in the End,
the latter returned the Impeachment with
better Succefs upon the former, and Mr.
Ha r ley, when Lord Oxford t was acquitted
in much the fame Manner as Lord Somers,
upon a Charge for making the Treaty of
Utrecht upon the very Plan of the Partition
Treaty, for which, while a Commoner, he
had been very active in impeaching that
noble Peer. Such is the Connection be-
tween
LordVifcountBOLINGBROKE. 153
t tween Party and Principle ! and fo ealily
can Refpedl: to Intereft, Prejudice or Re- fentment prevail even on Men of Senfe, to vary, or at leaft feem to vary, their Notions of Right and Wrong, which, however, retain their Nature, notwith- ftanding thefe whimfical Mutations in po-^ pular or party Sentiment.
BUT even this was not all : For after thus Shifting the Terms, upon which the grand Alliance was made, which in itfelf was a very alarming Thing to fuch as had the Welfare of this Nation, and the Peace of Chriftendom fincerely in View, great Suf- picions arofe in regard to the Sincerity with which the new Terms were affigned. For if nothing could lead to a good Peace, but the Evacuation of Spain by King Philip^ it feemed infinitely more eafy to bring this about by accepting thofe Terms, to which Lewis the Fourteenth offered to fubmit. But his Sincerity was queftioned. True, and very juftly queftioned. Yet to remove this Difficulty, an Offer was made by Way
of
154 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
X* V*
of Security, which was equal to any ra- tional Profpect of Succefs from the Opera- tion of the Confederate Arms. Beyond this what was demanded ? That Lewis himfelf mould drive his Grandfon out of Spain. He offered Money for this Pur- pofe, and to contribute to the Expence, in that miferable State that his Affairs were in, of fubverting that Fabrick, for erecting which he had plunged himfelf into this Mifery. Even this was rejected, which being fo plain and practicable a Way of difpofTeffing King Philip, it could not fail of raifing Doubts, whether the DifpofTemng him was the real, or at leaft whether it was the only Point aimed at by thofe who refu- fed this Expedient. If that was not their Point, what was ? To continue a moil burthenfome and bloody War without any certain End propofed, gave vulgar Under- ftandings violent Apprehenfions, that the Defign was to make War 'without End. We need not wonder, therefore, that even in the Midft of Triumphs and Victories, Rejoicings and Thankfgivings, thofe who
bora-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 155
bore the Weight of this War, without reaping any Thing from the Advantages refulting from it, grew gradually out of Temper, and began to breathe out Wimes to be delivered from it. Befides, the Pro- bability of Succefs was daily leffened. France had fuffered feverely at the Be- ginning, for embracing an Undertaking fu- perior to her Forces ; the Confederates fuffered in the End, by not avoiding that falfe Step, to which they owed their firft Succefs. The French faved the Spanijh Monarchy by evacuating Italy ; the Con- federates miffed taking <Toulony by the Em- peror's undertaking to reduce Naples at the fame Time. The providing for the Con- tinuance of the War in fo many and fuch diftant Scenes of Action grew every Day more difficult and more expenfive, while all our Allies, except the Dutch, and they too eafed themfelves a little, did nothing beyond what they were paid for doing, and even made a Merit of doing that. On the other Hand, France and Spain were collected and united, drew immenfe Refources from
the
156 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
the Weft-Indies > and employed thofe Rc- fources purely for the Support of the War ; and not as they had formerly done, in Bribes, Penfions and other idle Expences. Their Wants were, notwithstanding, very great, but even thefe turned to our Difad- vantage. Their Troops were meanly paid, and poorly fed ; but ftill this pitiful Sub- fiflance was a great Relief to Multitudes that mufl otherwife have ilarved. It may feem a Paradox, but it is really a Truth, that in Proportion as their People diminished, they found their Armies more eafy to recruit. Corn, indeed, they were obliged to pay for ; but when they had paid for it, it was to be found in their Magazines, and fcarce any where elfe, which difpofed Numbers tofght that they mights/. After all, which is very fm- gular, amongft their Troops, but more e- efpecially amongft the Spaniards, Defertion was not the Confequence of Defpair.
THE Firmnefs of the Allies in their Adherence to each other, which was in
Part
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBRQKE. 1 5 7
Part owing to the Succefs of the War, and in Part to the vail Difproportion of what was contributed to the Support of it by the Maritime Powers, in Comparifon of the reft of the Potentates interefted therein, produced a greater Appearance of Unani- mity amongft the People of Holland and England, and this for a longer Time than either Experience could recollect, or Hi- ftory recorded. But towards the End, this gave Way. Some great and wife Men among the Dutch, were by no Means fatis- fied with the Hints frequently given by the Imperial Minifter at the Hague, while the Conferences were carried on, that if any Ceffion was to be made to the Duke of Anjou, either of the Kingdom of Arragon, or that of Naples, or of the lilands of Sicily and Sardinia, that his Mafter Would treat that Matter with the Enemy himfelf j and they were the lefs fatisfied with this, be- caufe they had a very good Opinion of that Minifter, and knew very well that when he talked in a high Tone, he did not talk near fo high as he was inftrufhd. The
fame
MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
fame Perfons were not a little difturbed at the peremptory Manner in which the King of Prujfia threatned to withdraw all hi; Troops by a certain Day, if the Town of Gueldres was not put into his Hands. There were other Points, in which 'they had been prefcribed to in a Manner that difpleafed them, and they were not difpleafed without Reafon. In Britain too, there were great Heartburnings and Jealoufies, which pro- ceeded from that cavalier Manner in which certain great Men and their Creatures treat- ed all who differed from them in Opinion, which the Duke of Marlborough and the Lord Treafurer, Men of great Wifdom and Moderation, faw with Regret, but were not able to hinder. The Haughtinefs, with which they pronounced their Sentiments as Oracles, to be received with Reverence, and not to be difcuffed, the Contempt with which they treated all Reprefentati- ons, as to the enormous Expence, and continual Augmentation of an immenfe Debt, and the vifible Intereft that thefe violent Advocates for War had in the Con- tinuance
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 1 59
tinuance of that War, as the Source of their Riches, and the Support of their Power, be- gan to make deep and extenfive Impreffions upon fuch as found themfelves pinched by the Taxes already laid, the Profpect of fee- ing them annually increafed, and the Fear of having this Load entailed upon their Po- fterity ; while, on the other Hand, that Spirit of Sedition, which had excited great Stirs in France, was in fome Meafure ftifled by the prudent and popular Application of the Grand Monarque, to his Subjects ; by which he laboured to perfuade them, that though he had offered to facrifice the Con- cerns of himfelf and his Family to procure Peace, it was in vain, and that not barely the Recovery of Spain, but the Abafe- ment, if not the Subverlion of the French Monarchy, was the Point now in Difpute. This Language had its Effects, and the Defpair of the Nation enabled Lewis the Fourteenth to make fuch Efforts as were beyond any that could have been the Re- fult of his Policy and Ambition. It was not for his Glory they fought now, but for
their
160 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
their own Safety j the Remembrance of what they had been, roufed them to a Degree of Madnefs j and what Wonder ? when from being the nrft in Europe, they were threatned they mould be no more a People.
IT was highly proper that you mould have the State of Tilings, at this critical Juncture, fet in a true Light, that you mould be made acquainted with the' real Caufes of the next, Miniflerial Revolution that happened, by which the Whigs were difcourted, and the Tories brought again in a Body into Places and Power, and that this mould be done in fuch a Manner as to make you clearly perceive, that you are rightly informed, becaufe your own good Senfe will enable you to difcover that thefe, and thefe only, were Motives potent enough to produce fo ftupendous an Event. You will find, in many Books of Memoirs and fecret Hiftory, a Variety of Tales and Stones, partly true, partly falfe, of Intrigues and Cabals, to which this mighty Change is
afcribed.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 161
afcribed. In that great Lady's Book, which I have more than once mentioned, who for a Series of Years was Miftrefs of the Se- crets, or rather of the Court itfelf, you will meet with many curious Particulars, which very well deferve your Notice, be- caufe they are Facts, about which it would be impertinent to form Doubts. But then I mufl intreat you to diftinguifh, if you mean to underftand this important Tranf- action clearly, between thole Things that diflurbed and difgufted the Queen, fo far as to incline her to change her Servants ; and the Meafures that produced thofe Events, which put it in her Power to execute that Defign, and to change them in the Manner which me did. There is no Queftion, that the poor Queen was fufficiently mortified and chagrined in her public Character, and in her domeftic Oeconomy. The great Lady tells us plain- ly, that (lie was lectured and lettered upon every Occafion. The Church, the State, the Army, and even the Houfhold, were the Peculiars of the Mini/try, with which M (he
162 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, Sec. of HaO/lIvIOa Jfujoahv b~
(lie had nothing to do, but to comply with the Recommendations {he received. There is no Doubt that this was irkfome enough to her, as a Woman, and as a Queen, She might, therefore, or rather (be muft, find this very difficult to bear ; and wim in her Heart to free herfelf from theie Con- ilraints. She might too, though with ^great Privacy, vent this to that Servant of hers, who was fnnple enough^ for it can- not be called Addrefs, to confider her, in that Court, as her Miftrefs, and to exert her utmoft Care and Diligence in doing her Duty, without carrying every Thing me i'uw and heard where other People carried it, and where if it had not been expected that me would have carried it, me had never been placed about her. It feems, from thole authentic Memoirs, that Prince G<'crge% in his laft Years, Sympathized with- his Con fort in Complaints, and that was all, and it would have been all that the Queen- could have done, even if Mr. Harley had now and then feen her in private, if pub- Ik Affairs had not taken the Turn they
did,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 163
did, and if Plenitude of Power had not, as is commonly the Cafe, turned the Heads of fome otherwife able Men.
You mufl not imagine from what I have faid, or from what I may fay, that I have any Intention to give you ill Im- preffions of the Whigs, and much lefs that I aim at defeating that Intention for which you were fent, where you now are, or would contribute to weaken your Affec- tion for Whig Principles. By no Means are thefe my Inclinations j and, therefore, I think it highly requifite to tell you fo in exprefs Terms. The fincere and generous Love of Liberty $ the manly Refolution of oppofing arbitrary Power wherever it appears ; a deep Veneration for our mild, our equal, our excellent Conftitution; a filial Reverence for the^Laws, as the Means of Happinefs, as well as the Meafure of our Obedience j and a Difpofition to prefer the Good of the Whole, to every private Confederation whatever ; are Principles, in- conteftably right, founded in Truth, in, M 2 Juftice,
1 64 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
i
Jullice, and in the Nature of Things, and which, therefore, are, and muft be for ever Rules of Conduct to him who would be a good Subject and a good Citizen. But what I aim at (hewing you is this, that as through Corruption the bed Things are con- verted into the worfl, fo Whigs acting upon factious Views are as much and as bad a Faction as any. In this I lay no more, than Bifhop Burnet has already faid, than every honefl Man ought to fay, and will fay, if he means to maintain that Charac- ter, and of the Truth of which if you •are not convinced, you may be very eaiily milled into the worfl of all Notions, which is that of believing you may be a good Whig without being a good Man. While the Adminiftration was compounded of the wife and able Men of both Parties, and fupported in Parliament by a Majority of moderate and difcreet Perfons, who made the Sentiments they had contracted in their Youth give Way, up.on all Occa- fions, to the public Intereft, Things were happily conducted, and fuch a Harmony
eftabliflied,
Lord Vifeount BOLINGBROKE. 1 6 c
•j
eftablimed, as in the Cornpafs of a very few Years would have produced a glorious Effect, that is, would have excited a pub- lic Spirit, that would have firft kept under, and in Procefs of Time eradicated all party Notions. This might be, and this pro-, bably was the Defign and Intention of the General and the Treafurer, who were thoroughly acquainted with both Parties, and who would willingly have felcdted whatever was juft and good from cither, and have rejected the reft. But as in the Be- ginning of the Queen's Reign, they were puzzled and embarraffed by one Set of Men, fo in the Middle of it they were hurried and driven on by another Set, both acting from the fame Paffion, that of obtaining an unlimited and excluiive PofTcf- lion of Power, which may, indeed, anfwer private Purpofes well, but never can an- fwer national Purpofes at all. It was this that was plainly, and beyond Contradiction, the Source of all thofe Miftakes that have been before pointed out. It was this that induced them to forget thofe juft and prac- M 3 ticable.
166 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
ticabk Ends, for attaining which the War was begun, and which are very clearly and exprelsly let forth in the grand Alliance, which ought to have been their unalterable Guide. It was this that induced them to flatter themfelves with the Hopes of ruin- ing, inflead of reducing France^ and hin- dered them from perceiving that the Mea- fures they were purfuing, in order to this, had a real Tendency to exhauft, and con- icquently to ruin themfelves. It was this, that inclined them to court, and to comply with fuch as concurred with them in thefe Meafures, without attending to the Mo- tives upon which they concurred, led them to make bad Bargains with fome of the Allies, and to loie their Intereft at home> with thofe who are and muft be the ftable and permanent Support of every Govern- ment, in order to obtain the Favour of fuch as will maintain and aflift any Adminiftra- tion while they are Gainers by it. In fine, it was this that put them upon perfecuting Opinions, which, ifabfurd, were not worth perfecuting, and, which if generally difT
fufed,
Lord Vifcount BOL1NGBROKE. 167
fufed, it was dangerous to perfecute,. but which at all Events it was indiicreet and imprudent, to bring before the highdl Tribunal, in order to make the World believe, that Superiority of Power can add any Sanction to Right or Reafon. Give me Leave to add at this Diftance of Time another Thing, that, perhaps, fince the World began there cannot be another In- ftance produced, where thofe who were pofTefled of Power, and exercifcd it with a high Hand, laboured at the fame Time to eftablim the Legality of Refinance, which after all that can be faid about it, mud be fubjedt to fo many Difficulties, that it is infinitely fafer and better, at leaft, for a Government to let the Difpute ileep, and to rule in fuch a Manner, as that their Subjects may never think of reviving it.
THOUGH this Subject has already com- pelled me to take up more of your Time than I inclined to do, and to give you my Thoughts more at length than my Cuflom has been upon other Occafions, yet I find M 4 myftlf
i68 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
myfelf (till under the Ncceffity of in- treating your Patience, in Rcfpect to a few Remarks, which, I apprehend, are yet wanting to make you fully comprehend an Event, which, if you would have a juft and practical Knowledge of our political Hiftory, can never be too well underftood. That the Whigs violated their Principles, when they became a Faction, has, I think, been made evident to you, and, confe- quently, that they acted amifs. But con- fldering them as a Faction and purfuing the Jingle Aim of every Faction, preferving and augmenting their Power, their Con- duct will (land in quite another Light. Men may act wrong upon right Principles, and they may act right upon wrong ones j and if this be any Merit, it ought in many Cafes to be allowed them. The great Point th,ey had to labour was, to cheii(h and keep up our national Averfion to France, for which I have already ac- counted, and have fhewn you that fuch as foothe it, cannot fail of deriving great Advantages from thence, and of being
thought^
Lord Vifcount BOL1NGBROKE. 169
thought, for a Time at leaft, found Pa- triots, though they (hould have fcarce any other Kind of Merit. This, therefore, was an eafy Tafk to manage, and manage it they did with all the Spirit and Addrefs imaginable. In Confequence of the fan- guine Notions advanced upon this Topic, they were obliged to pufh the War vi- goroufly in all the different Scenes of Ac- tion, and, beyond all Doubt, they did this likewife to the utmoft. In order to be able to do this, it was requiilte to employ very warm Profeflions of Refpedt and Kindneis for the Allies, and to make thefe appear the pure Effects of Sincerity, to ad upon cer- tain Occa lions with much Complaifance, in which they did not fail. To preferve their Influence at home, they were obliged in every Difpute to conlider rather the Merits of Men than the Merits of the Caufc, and though they could nqt but be fenfible of the great Injuftice of fuch a Proceeding, yet the fame Motives that compelled them to it, compelled them likewife to avow it, fince the great End of taking fuch bold
Steps
170 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of /
Steps would have been loft, if they had received any other Colour than that of ferv- ing the Party. They were conftrained to vindicate all Meafures taken, ecclefiaftical, military or civil, and to find Reafons for them, becaufe Infallibility belongs as much to a Faction, as to a Pope. Confeffing one wrong Step is admitting a Poffibility of Error, which a Faction never will do, be- caufe its own Intereft becomes the Stan- dard of Right and Wrong ; and, there- fore, if this be confulted, they cannot ad- mit of any Sort of Blame. This created an urgent Neceflity of feeking afliduoufly, and grafping tenacioufly every Thing that fell in their Reach, that by providing for their numerous Herd of Dependants, they might at once ftrengthen themfelves, and prevent any of contrary Sentiments from being the better for them. In reference to fuch a Syftem as theirs was then become, all this might be good Policy j but fup- pofe a Man at free Liberty to examine it, and to bring it to the true Tafte of pub- lic Utility, of Courfe it might be eaiily
expofed.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 171
expofed. In this, without Queftion, Mr. Harley and his Friends availed themfelves of their own Abilities, and fet the Pro- ceedings of their Adverfaries in whatever Point of View might contribute mod to leffen their Credit with the People. They hinted, that, notwithftanding all the Out- cries againft France, thofe who were for prolonging the War did. not fo much aim, at hurting her as at helping themfelves : That the Charge of the War had been continually increafing, and that though from the Beginning we bore a very large Proportion of the Expence, this Difpro*- portion had been fwelling all along between us and the Allies, fo that the more they got the lefs they fpent ; whereas, with re- gard to us, the more we had paid the more we might pay. They took, perhaps, in fome Cafes, Things by the wrong Handle, and imputed that as a Crime, which in Fact was only a Misfortune. For inftance, it was infinuated, that the making an offenfive War in Spain was equally againft the Rules pf good Senfe and the Laws of War, to
which
172 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c, of
which not only the Lofs of the fatal Battle of Almanza might be imputed, but even the Miicarriage at Tou/on, fince the Troops which the French had in Rottfillon were recalled for the Relief of that Place. But if they had continued upon the Defenfivq in that Kingdom, would not this have af- forded Room for as high or a higher Charge, had not this Charge been actually brought before an offenfive War was made io that Kingdom ? And if fo, how was it to be carried on without being liable to Cenfure ? If any of the Allies were remifs, or feemed to be remifs in the Profecution of the War, this fell upon the Adminiftration ; and yet if they had ventured upon any vigorous Step in Refentment of this, by which an Ally had been loft, the Outcry would have been ten Times ftronger. That the Dutch were gratified to the full Extent of their Demands, in the Bufinefs of their Barrier was made a great Offence ; and yet, the .procuring them fuch a Barrier was one of the original Caufes of the War, and one •of the few Points upon the Continent,
which
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 173
which might be called an Engtijh Point. But, as Bifhop Bur net has obferved, Facti- ons act agajnft each other as if they were in a State of War, and without confidering any Thing, except how it may ferve the Caule they have to promote. This was the moft extenfive, and for that Rea- fon the moft expenfive War, in which till this Time we had ever been engaged j im- menfe Sums were levied for the Support of it upon the People, and befides thefc, the Nation had incurred a heavy Debt. ASuf- picion that fome Part of thefe Sums might be funk or mifapplied improperly, or need- lefily beftowed, was eafily thrown out, and from that malicious Credulity which reigns, and will ever reign in the World, could not fail of meeting with Belief j fo that Materials were by no Means wanting to excite or to fupply that popular Clamour, which is equally neceflary to hunt out or to ufher in a Miniftry. By a dextrous Cir- culation, therefore, of true and falfe, jufl and unjuft, well and ill grounded Com- plaints, a Spirit was raifed, that by De- grees
174 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
grees gave fuch Tokens of its Strength, as fhewed it might be relied on, and that if any Alterations were made at Court, they would not fail of being ratified by the Voice of the Populace, and the Votes of the People.
THUS you will obferve, that in this Struggb, as in all Struggles of the like Nature, the Morals and the Interefts of the Nation were exceedingly expofed. Both Sides pleaded Neceffity, and though both deferved it, yet neither would fubmit to Blame. Thofe who were on the Point of lofing Power looked upon their own as the public Concern. Altering the Ad- miniftration, as it then flood, was treated by them as fubverting the Government, and all who concurred in it were branded with the moft odious Denominations. This Language was returned with equal Petu- lance and Fury, and the Charge of fab* verting the Government was retorted, by afTerting that a great Progrefs had been made in changing the Conftitution. But
weigh
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 175
weigh the Matter coolly, and you will find that the Tories purfued pretty near the fame Meafures that the Whigs had done before. When they took Umbrage at fome Notions of Mr. Har ley's, they blew up the Affair of Gregg, magnified certain Inadvertencies in his Office, and would willingly have reprefented him as a Friend to France, and inclined to make a Peace upon bad Terms. Upon this, fome Ferfons of the higheft Rank refufed to confult with him, and in the Midft of this dark and myfterious Cloud of Sufpicions, he was under the Neceflity of giving Way, that public Bufinefs might not ftand ftill. He did accordingly give Way, and his Friends followed him \ but now the Tables were turned, and new Doubts, new Jealoufies, new Sufpicions were raifed, they thought themfelves at Liberty, it feems, to apply the fame Means to eject others, that had been praclifed in ejecting them. Inftead of a fecret Cor- refpondence with France, they fuggefted, that the Interefts of this Nation -had been facrificed to Foreigners j inftead of al-
ledging
176 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
ledging any Defign of making a bad Peace, they gave broad Hints of a Refolution taken to make no Peace at all. The Church of England and the Conftitution was the Cry recommended to the People, and very fine founding Words they were ; fo that inflead of wondering how fo great an Impreflion was made, we have the ftrongeft Reafon to believe, that if the new Adminiftration had been really tinc- tured with that Spirit with which they have been fo loudly charged, they might have carried Things farther than they did. But all this will appear more clearly, when I come to give you a fuccinct Reprefentation of this Change, and of thofe Principles upon which it was really made, at leaft on the Part of the Queen, and thofe whom (he principally trufted and employed.
LET-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 177 LETTER VII.
Invidia Virtute parta, Gloria, non Invidia putanda eft.
C:c. in Catil.
great Importance of under/landing this Minijlerial Revolution, to a young Ge?itlc- man qualified to fit in Parliament. The many Obftacles in the Way of thofe 'who laboured to overturn the Whig-MiniJlry . Methods ufed tofecure the Queen, the Clergy, and the People. Oppofite Meafures, though well conducted, fail and are retorted. The Eijhop of Sarum'j Doftrine, that a Par- liament chofen through Influence, is no legal Reprefentative. The Parliament meets, and is opened by a very plaufible Speech from the Throne. Duke o/'MarlboroughV confum- mate Prudence in his Conduct, on this cri- tical Occafwn. Thefmgular Dexterity with 'which the Chancellor of the Exchequer brought the unliquidated Debts into a re- N guhr
178 MEMOIRS of the LII-E, &c. of
gular Order, and procured an immediate Supply from the mom ed Men, notwithjland- Ing their contrary Engagements. The At- tempt of Guifcard on the Life of Mr. Har- ley, and its Effects. The /afl, and not kafl glorious Campaign of the Duke of Marl- borough, and the State of the War in 171 1. Death of the Emperor Jofeph, and the In- fluence this Event had upon the Affairs of Europe. Our Mini/try bend their Atten- tion to a general Peace as early as their Neighbours. Project of reducing Quebec, concerted under the Aufpice of this Mini" jlry. Reafons which render it probable this, Scheme was well intended. Objections clear - ed> and Cerifures anfwered, with a Hint of the true Caufes why it mifcarried. Fa- mous Charge of Corruption in the Conduffi of this Expedition., which, however ; is not Jo certain as it has been commonly be- lieved. How a thorough Knowledge may be acquired of the Conduct of Mr. Se- cretary St. John, in the Negotiation of Peace. Proceedings in the next Sejfion of Parliament, conducted chiefly by Mr. Se*
cretary
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 179
cretary St. John. Sub/lance of their Rc- prefentation to the Queen, as to the in- creajing Expence of the War. IWiat was intended by, and 'what were the Conje- quences of this Reprefcntation. Anfivered by the States-General, and replied to by Mr. Secretary St. John. Afuccinft View of his Behaviour in all the great Employ- ments he difcharged at this Junfture. Created Vifcount Bolingbroke, and Ba- ron St. John, with the Remainder of thofe Honours to his Father, Sir Henry St. John.
IT is not eafy to name any Subject, that can be of greater Coniequence to a Perfon in your Situation, and of your Ex- pectation, than the Difcuffion of this Mini- fterial Revolution, fince there never happened any Change more remarkable in this Coun- try j from which you may be more inftrud- ed j or by which you may be better entertain- ed. We live at a fufficient Diftance from thofe Times, to be free, at leaft, from all per- fonal Prejudices ; we have ibfficient Lights
N 2 to
180 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
to inftruct us j and if with thefe Helps I fhould miflead you, it muft be the Effedts of my Want of Capacity, and not of Candour : For as I know there is nothing that can be worth your Attention but Ir-nth, fo I dare promife I {hall never abufe your Confi- dence, in demanding it for any Thing elfe.
WE have feen, in general, the Methods that were purfued, to dhTolve an Admini- (Iration, compofed of Perfons eminent for their Abilities, poflefled of large Fortunes, moft of them thoroughly acquainted with Bufinefs, and knowing how to draw from the Pofts they enjoyed, all the Helps, an extenfive Influence could give, towards pre- ferving them. An Adminiftration confided in by the Allies, befriended by what was filled the money d Intereft, high in Reputa- tion horn foreign, and if we may be al- lowed the Exprefiion, from domejlic Vidto- ries, and fecure of the Parliament then fit- ting. Thefe were Difficulties that Men muft have very great Courage, to entertain fo much as Hopes of overcoming > very
great
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 18 1
great Capacities, to frame a Scheme that had even a Probability of fucceeding ; and very great Coolnefs and Prefence of Mind, not to Ipfe or bewilder themfelves in the Execution : The very attempting it was a Boldnefs, bordering on Temerity ; the Proceeding hazardous in every Refpect ; and the Mifcarriage big with fo many fatal Confequences, that the fole Apprehenfion of them, might very eafily have produced a Dizzinefs, capable of difconcerting the beft adjufted Project-, iince human Wil- dom can contrive nothing out of the Reach of a Multitude of unforefeen Accidents. This is but a faint Picture of the Circum- ftances thofe Men were in, who under- took to bring about this Change j and you will eafily underftand from hence, how exalted a Compliment they make to the Memory of Mr. Harky, who affirm that he alone contrived and conducted it in the firft Digeftion ; and that others were no more than his Inftruments.
N i THE
182 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
THE firft Point, was abfolutely to fe- cure the Queen j that is, to fix in her a fteady and determined Refolution to purfue the Meafures fuggefted to her, not- \vithfl:anding all the Arguments and Ap- plications of every Kind, that it might, and muft be fbrefeen, would he offered to difcourage, difpirit, or divert her. Some have fuppofed, that the whole Scheme was not opened to her at once, but that (lie was gradually drawn from one Step to another. But the very Contrary of this feems infi- nitely more probable -3 for if fhe had not been promifed a total Deliverance, it is not to be conceived, what could be propounded to her, to balance the Hazards (lie ran, in a partial Removing of thofe who were grown difagreeable to her. In order to effect this, fhe was continually put in Mind of the Victory gained over her, in the Affair of Mr. Hill's Regiment, when by the Duke of Marlborougtis going out of Town, and the Menaces of an Addrefs from the Houfe of Commons to remove Mrs. Mafiam^ flie
was
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 183
was conftrained, by a Letter under her own Hand, to let his Grace know, that fhe gave up the Difpute, and that he might difpofe of the Regiment as he thought fit. She was put in Mind of her being carried to School every Day, for that was the Phrafe given to her Attendance on Sacbeverel's Trial, to hear Things that, confidering the Family from which flic fprung, and the Sentiments in which (he was bred, muft be extremely difagreeable to her j and the putting her in Mind of thefe, and many other Inflances of that ftrict Difcipline under which (he was kept, obliged that Princefs to recollect many offenfive and mortifying Paflages, to which even thefe private Friends of hers were Strangers. The next Thing was to fecure the People, and for this Purpofe, the moft effectual Meafures were taken both by Difcourfe and Writing. In the latter, fome of the greateft Men amongft thole, who aimed at an Alteration in the Miniilry, condefcended to employ their Pains and their Pens, which diftinguimed them from other Performances, N 4 and
184 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
and in Reference to the former, the Bulk of the Clergy, throughout the Kingdom, ferved them with great Induftry, and Zeal, from the Alarm taken at the Affair of Dr. Sacheverel. As foon as their Succefs in both thefc Points was thoroughly known to themfelves, it was judged for their In- tercfr, that it fhould be no longer a Secret to the World. They knew that the Repu- tation of Power is Power, they knew the Parliament, as it then flood, was againft them ; and, therefore, to balance this, they thought it necefiary to (hew they had the People. To do this effectually, and with Eclat, they procured Addrefles, pen- ned in the fafhionable Stile of the preceding Reigns of the Queen's Father and Uncle, and under Pretence of taking PofTeffion of a Living, the late Criminal^ now looked on as a Kind of Confeffor, made a Progrefs from Oxford to Wales, and was received and carefTed wherever he came, in a Manner that fed his own Vanity, and an- iwered their Purpofe. Such were the pre- vious Steps to this Revolution, which were
fo
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 18^
ib dextroufly managed, that they feemed to fife naturally from Events, and, confe- quently, were afTerted to be the fpontaneous Senfe of the Nation, manifefted in the Fulnefs of their Heart, and without any Management at all, which was denied and difclaimed with the very fame Warmth, with which it was exerted.
THE Parliament rofe, April 5, 1710, and the Lord High-Treafurer, Godolphin, went immediately after to New-Market. He was there when the Queen took the firft Step, about ten Days after the Proro- gation, which was giving the Marquifs of Kent's white Staff, as Lord Chamberlain, to the Duke of Shrew/bury. But at the fame Time, me created that Marquifs a Duke. Her Majefty fignified her Intention to the Treafurer, and told him that, She hoped he ivould approve of all her Actions j but the Anfwer he wrote her mewed that he did not, and {hewed it in very ftrong Terms. This, in thofe Days, was looked upon as an Ambiguous Meafure j but thofe who were
in
186 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, Sec. of
in the Secret, knew that it was the Signal. Things refted, however, for about two Months, and then the Earl of Sunderland, was removed from being Secretary of State, and the Seals given to the Lord Dartmouth. As this excited fome Alarm, the Queen directed Mr. Secretary Boyle to qualify it, by fome palliative Declarations to foreign Courts, that they might not apprehend any Alteration in her Meafures. In three Months Time very great Changes were made, the Treafurer was difmified from his high Office in the Beginning of Auguft, and a Commiflion appointed ; Mr.'Har/ey being one of the Lords, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. About a Month after, the Earl of Rochcfter, her Majefty's Uncle, was made Prefident of the Council, in the Room of Lord Sowers ; Henry St. John, Efq; Secretary of State, in the Place of Mr. Boyle ; Sir Simon Harcourt, Attorney- General, inilead of Sir James Montague -, and the Great-Seal being taken from Lord Gn0pert was for fome time put into Com- niifiion. On the 21 ft of September, a
2 Pro*
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 187
Proclamation iffued for diflblving the Parliament, and a few Days after, ano- ther for calling a new Parliament, which was to meet in November. All poffible Methods had been tried to make the Queen's Refolution. The Governor and fome of the Directors of the Bank, ac- quainted her with their Apprehenfions as to public Credit ; the Minifters of the Em- peror, and of the States- General, fuggefted the UneafinefTes thefe Changes muft infal- libly give to her Allies ; without Doubt, thefe made fome Impreffion, though not fo great as was expected ; on the other hand, great Pains were taken to perfuade the Nation, that thefe Hints to a crowned Head were very high Indignities, as they had a Tendency to take from the Queen, the free Choice of her own Servants.
AT a Juncture when Parties run fo high there can be no great Wonder made, at the Heats which appeared in fome Electi- ons. Bifhop Burnet fays, the Practice and Violence now ufed, went far beyond any
. Thing
i88 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Thing he had ever known in England, and adds thereupon this memorable Remark. " Byjucb Means, above three Parts in four " of the Members returned to Parliament, <c may at any Tiime be packed : And if free " Elections are necejfary to the Being of a ** Parliament, there was great Reafon to <c doubt, if this was a true Reprejentati've " duly elefted." The Right Honourable Henry St. John, Efq; was chofen Knight of the Shire for the County of Berks, with Sir John Stonebouje, Baronet, and alfo Bur* gefs for Wotton Baffet, with Richard God- 4ard, Efq; but made his Election for the County j and in general thofe, who were in Sentiments oppofite to the old Miniftry, were, upon the Returns, a great Majority, as in fuch a Situation of Things might be well expected. In a very little Time after the former Parliament was diffolved, and a new one called; the famous periodical Paper was fet up, entitled, %<? EXAMINER, the firft twelve Papers of which were fup- pofcd to be written by Mr. Secretary St. John, Dr. Atterbury, Mr. Prior, and
other
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 189
other Perfons of Diftin&ion, who were equally confpicuous for their great Capa- cities, and their thorough Knowledge of the then State of Things, which efta- blifhed the Reputation of that Perform- ance, and enabled it to operate powerfully upon Elections. Amongft thefe, there was one Paper which was fo generally attri- buted to the Secretary, that it was com- monly called Mr. St. John's Letter to the Examiner. I fend it you for that Rea- fon, and that you may difcern his keen Abilities as a Writer ; for in this fingle fhort Paper, are comprehended the Out-lines of that Defign, upon which fo great an Au- thor as Dr. Swift employed himfelf for near a Twelvemonth, did his Party infinite Service, and gave the Friends of the old Mi- niftry inexpreflible Difquiet. It is, without Queftion, a mafterly Performance in its Way, and in that Light worthy Notice.
His Grace the Duke of Marlborougb was at the Head of the Army, and in the Field, when thefe great Tranfaftious hap- pened.
190 MEMOIRS gt the LIFE, &c. of
pened. He had patted the French Lines, and had taken Doway, before he could have any pofitive Intelligence of them ; his Friends, Lord Coivper, Earl of Godol- phin, Lord Somers, Duke of Newcaflley Duke of Devonfoire, Earl of Orford, Lord Halifax, and Mr. Boyle, wrote to him in the ftrongeft Terms, not to refign his Command. This was acting like Friends and Patriots, but it (hews, at the fame Time, that they had no Apprehenfion of his Command being taken from him. His Grace followed their Advice, reduced Bethitne, St. Venant, and Aire j after which he put an End to the Campaign. In Spain the Allies were victorious in the Summer, and vanquiflied in the Autumn 9 the Battles of Almanara and Saragoffa, the .former won by General Stanhope, and the latter gained by Count Star ember g^ opened once more a Paflagc for King Charles to Madrid, where he met with a very cold Reception, and from which he was in a little Time forced to retreat. In that Re- treat eight Englift Battalions, and as many
Squadrons,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 19 1
Squadrons, were the Vidtims of the man General's Jealoufy, who fufFered them to be made Prifoners of War. Yet the very next Day he fought the Enemy upon un- equal Terms ; and though he claimed the Victory, yet he retired with his Army in a ruined Condition into Catalonia ; fo that by the Time the Parliament met, Things were pretty clear, as to the Poffibility of conquering Spam ; though the new Mini- ftry had appointed a public Thankfgiving for the Succefs of her Majefty 's Arms in Flanders, and the Victory gained in Sup- port of his Catholic Majefty ; which {hews, that they were defirous of carrying on a fuccefsful War, till the Enemy mould be obliged to put an End to it. Or, as the Examiner exprefled it by their Order a little before the SefTion, " We have not " the leaft Reafon to doubt, but the en- " fuing Parliament will affift her Majefty " with the utmoft Vigour, until her Ene- " mi.es again be brought to fue for Peace, " and again offer fuch Terms as will make " it both honour -able and lafling; only with
' " this
192 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
€C this Difference j that the Miniftry, per- " haps, will not again refufe them." At the Opening of this Parliament, the Queen made a Speech, fignifying her Refolution to fupport and encourage the Church of England, as by Law eftablifhed, to pre- fer ve the Britijh Conftitution, according to the Union, and to maintain the Indulgence, allowed by Law to fcrupulous Confciences. Sir Simon Harcourf, to whom the Queen had given the Great- Seal, with the Title of Lord Keeper, had previoufly directed, in her Name, the Commons to chufe a Speaker, and they accordingly elected Wil- liam Bromley i Efqj Member for the Uni- verflty of Oxford. As the Adminiftration had a clear Majority, they made very brifk Ufe of it, by voting forty Thoufand Men for the Sea Service, the like Number for the Army in Flanders j and pafled the Bill for a Land-Tax of four Shillings in the Pound before Cbriftmas. In all this, Mr. Secretary St. John made a great Figure, for hitherto the Minifter relied chiefly upon him 5 and his Vigilance and Vivacity were
univerfally
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 193
univerfally confeflcd, though not univer- fally applauded, by Men of both Parties.
THE Duke of Marlborough returned to- wards the Clofe of the Year, and finding the Earl of Orford removed from the Admiral- ty^ befides this the Earl of Wharton from the Lieutenancy of Ireland, and two great Men, who ftill continued in Power, alie- nated in their Affection ; he apprehended, with good Reafon, more Trouble from his Winter than from his Summer Campaign. His political like his military Conduct, was noble, fteady, and particularly diftinguimed by that Calmnefs, which can proceed only from the higheft Degree of Courage. He perceived, that the Duchefs had entirely loft that great Intereft (he once had in her Royal Miftrefs; he, therefore, carried a Refignation of all her Places to the Queen, who immediately beftowed her two great Offices of Groom of the Stole> and firfl Lady of the Bed- Chamber, on the Duchefs of Somerfef, and put the Privy-Purfe into the Hands of Mrs. Maflam. This wife O Conduct
194 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Conduct fecured his Grace from thofe per- petual Altercations, to which he muft have been otherwife expofed, and which would have added to thofe Difficulties he was al- ready under; whereas this had fo good an Effect, that her Majefty (hewed him all Marks of Civility and Efteem poffible, ex- horted him to live upon good Terms with her Minifters, and laboured to excufe forne Things which me knew muft make him uneafy. But though this was' necef- fary, fince by the Advice of his Friends, he determined not to refign his Poft, yet it did not at all reftrain him in the Houfe of Lords, where he fpoke his Sentiments freely in the Queen's Prefence, fupported his Friends firmly, and juftified the Earl of Sunderland's Letter, which produced the ofTenfive War in Spain, and the Battle of Almanza, by the only Argument that could juftify it, which was, that though the Charge on that Head was managed with great Heat, yet it would have been main- tained with equal Warmth, and better Arguments, if he had recommended a
defenfive
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 195
defenfive War ; and if either Minifters or Generals were to be cenfured from Events, v/hen it was evident that they had acted ac- cording to the beft of their Judgment, it would be impoffible to efcape Cenfure, be- caufe Events were not in the Power of Men, though Maturity in Deliberation, and Up- rightnefs in refolving were j and to expect more was equally unreafonable and un- '
IT was generally believed, and very much relied on by the Opponents of the new Miniftry, that they would find them- felves embarrafTed in raifing the Supplies, which (hews you what Things Parties are 5 for as hitherto they had mewn a good Dif- pofition to carry on the War, none that thought this a right Meafure, could wifh to fee them embarrafTed in this Particular. At their firft Entrance on Bufmefs, how- ever, they certainly were, but the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer was not deftitute of an able Operator in Funds, iince he had Mr. Blunt, afterwards the famous Sir John O 2 Blunt,
196 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
^ in his Service, who quickly removed thefe Difficulties, and by deviling a Me- thod .of fettling the unliquidated Debt, by the Creation of a South- Sea Company, and the never failing Scheme of a Lottery, en- abled his Matter to boaft of reftoring pub- lic Credit. In Return for this fhort Embar- raffment, and to (hew that all Parties, when they obtain Power, act alike ; they palled fome warm Votes, relating to many Millions unaccounted for, Frauds in the Vic- tualling the Navy, and other Things of the fame Nature j about which, though a great Noife was made, there was no great Matter at the Bottom j and this Nation might efteem herfelf happy, if me had any Security, that all who may meddle in her Finances, (hall be as free from Cor- ruption as the Eail of Godolphin and his Succeflbr, of whom we may fay, as the Queen did of the Duchefs of Marlborough^ tlkit Cheating was not their Crime. The Commons voted a Million more than was raifed : Strict Attention was paid to e- very Branch of the Service, and that they
might
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 197
might not feem to forget their Patriot Pro- miles upon becoming Minifters, a Law patted this Seflion for fixing the Qualifica- tions of Knights of the Shire and Bur- gefles as they now (land, from which great Things were expected, and by which it is very poffible that much more has been done than is commonly imagined. To (hew their Care of foreign as well as domeftic Affairs, the Earl of Peterborough was fent to Vienna, the Earl Rivers was defigned Minifter to Hanover , and the Earl of Orrery to the Hague. The Command of the Brt- tifo Forces in Portugal was given to the Earl of Portmore, and his Grace the Duke of Argyle was fent to command in Spain.
IN the Month of March, in the enfuing Year, and before the Parliament rofe, a very ftrange Accident happened, that made a great Noife in the World, and is faid to have had fome confiderable Confequences. The Marquifs Guifcard, a French Refugee, who had met with great Kindnefs and Favour here till it was difcovered that he did not O 3 deferve
198 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
deferve it, became fo much enraged at the Lofs of Part of the Appointments, which he formerly received, and all ProfpecT: of future Preferment, though by his own Fault, that he endeavoured to reconcile himfclf to the French Government, and was believed to have entertained a cruel Defign of taking away the Queen's Life. This Man's Treafons being difcovered, he was feized in the Park, by a Warrant from Mr. Secretary St. John, and carried to be examined by a Committee of Council to his Office, where having picked up a Penknife in an outer Room, he defited to fpeak with the Secretary in Private, which being re- fufed him, and that Gentleman fitting out of his Reach, he turned luddenly upon Mr. Harley^ and ftabbed him dangeroufly in the Breaft, repeating the Blow with a Purpofe of difpatching him, when his Weapon broke, and the Blade was left in the Wound. It was very evident, that in this wicked and barbarous Tranfaction, Mr. St. John, as well as Mr. Harleyt had a very narrow Efcape,' and the latter lay
fome
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 199
fome Time ill. When he came afterwards to the Houfe of Commons, the Speaker, by their Order, made him a Speech full of high Compliments, which was ridiculed by the Whigs, as an egregious Teftimony of the Meannefs of party Spirit, as it was very well known they were not Friends. How- ever, it feems to be agreed, that this Acci- dent had great Effects in that Gentleman's Favour, fince this, and the RefpecT: (hewn him by the Houfe of Commons, gave the Queen the Opportunity me wanted, and which (he readily embraced, of creating him Earl of Oxford, at the fame Time, be- ftowing upon him, the much envied Office of Lord High-Treafurer of Great-Britain. However, the Luftre of thefe new Honours drew after them very fpeedily the dark Shade of Envy, out of which he could never emerge.
THE Duke of Marlborough made, in
171 i, his laft Campaign, again ft the French,
with a View, as his Friends faid, to de-
monflrate his Zeal for his Queen, his Coun-
O 4 try,
2oo MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
try, and the common Giufe, His Conduct juftified all that his Friends faid to the lull ; for in Point of military Skill, few, if any, of his Campaigns were more glorious. Marmal Pillars, the mod able, and the only fortunate General the Prencb had, gave out in his frank Way, and, perhaps, it was neceflary to keep up the Spirits of his Troops, that his Lines had put a Stop to the Progrefs of the Allies, and that the Terror of the Duke of Marlborougtis Arms fhould reach no farther. His Grace, how- ever, on the 5th of Auguft, by mere Dint of fuperior Abilities in his Trade, paffed thofe Lines not only without Lofs, but without Refiftance; by which Villars was expofed to the Ridicule of the whole World, and even of his own Countrymen, whom Nature has fo much difpofed to Mirth, that upon this, as well as upon many oiher Occafions, they could not help mak- ing a Jeft of their own Misfortunes. After this Triumph over the beft General in France, the Duke may be faid to have ob- tained a greater Victory over hjmfelf. There
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 201
was nothing that could have contributed more to his Reputation, nothing that could have been more advantageous to the com- mon Caufe ; and, confequently, nothing that he more defired than to bring the French to a Battle j to which he was alfo prelTed by the Dutch Deputies, who had fo often retrained him upon more proper Occafions. But the Duke, confidering that his Troops, after all, were but Men, that his Cavalry had marched more than thirty Miles that Day, that the French Army was frefh and in good Order, and that the Ad- vantages arifing from a Victory, were not to be compared with the Difficulties, that, in Cafe of a Check, muft have attended his Retreat, through a Country every where in- terfected with Rivers, and in which he had not one good Poft, very wifely declined fighting. But that he might draw fome confiderable Benefit from the Situation his Army was then in, he refolved, contrary to the Sentiments of fome of the ableft Per- fons about him, and particularly of the Dutch Field Deputies, who yielded only
out
2O2 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
nut of Deference to his Judgment, to invert Bouchain. A Place well fortified, and almoft impregnable from its Situation in a Morafs, which, neverthelels, he re- duced in the Sight, and notwithftanding all the Oppofition that could be given him by the French Army. The Detachments he had been obliged to make, and the Neceffity there was of Prince Eugene's marching with the Imperial Troops to cover the Diet of Election at Francfort, put it out of his Power to do more ; and, in- deed, that he did fo much was equally the Wonder of his Friends, and of all the Can- did, and Impartial, amongft thofe whom Intereft, Prejudice, and the Violences of the Times had rendered his Enemies. In Savoy, in Spain, and on the Side of Portu- gal^ there was very little done, and though this farnimed Matter of Complaint to fome; yet fuch as confidered how unjuftifiable a Thing it is to be prodigal of human Blood, where there is little or no Profpect of any real Benefit to arife from fhedding it, were
fatisfied
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 203
fatisfied this Inactivity deferved no fuch Cenfure.
THE Death of the Emperor, which happened upon the i ith of April, had al- tered the Face of Affairs in general fo much, that all competent Judges of fuch Things, who were not biaffed by their In- tereft, faw plainly, that a Peace muft be fpeedily concluded, fince the Ends upon which it was begun could no longer be promoted by the Profecution of the War. The Duke of Savoy was aware of this, and began to have new Notions, as to the Safety of his own Dominions, and the Concerns of his Family j for though he had hazarded both to an extreme Degree for the common Caufe, yet he did not think fit to facrifice them, in order to ag- grandize any Power, or to gratify the Am- bition of any other Family whatever. In Spain, thofe who adhered to King Philip, jftuck to him more clofely than before ; and thofe who had fallen from him, endeavoured to reconcile themfelves as faft as they could,
being
204 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
being throughly fatisfied, that if Spain and the Indies remained to him, they mould in a little Time recover their Independency ; whereas, if they became Part of the here- ditary Dominions of the Houfe of Auftria, they were not fure, after the Demife of their prefent Monarch, Charles III. as he was then ftiled ; to whom they mould belong, but they were very fure they {hould be only a Province, let them belong to whom they would. The King of Por- tugal being fenfible of this, and from the perfect Knowledge he had of the World, no lefs fenfible that all Hopes of conquer- ing Spain, again ft the Intereft of the Con- querors, as well as again ft the Inclinations of the People, were entirely out of the Queftion, bethought himfelf how he might beft get out of the Situation he was in, and acquire, at leaft, a Part of thofe Advantages that had been promifed to bring the Crown of Portugal 'into it. All this was natural, and no Fault could be found with thefe Princes for entertaining fuch Sentiments.
THERE
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 205
THERE is no Doubt that our new Ad- miniftration had their Eyes turned to a general Peace, as foon as the reft of their Neighbours ; hut it is highly likely, alfo, that they did not lofe Sight, for all that, of the propereft Meafures for continu- ing the War, or for continuing it with Vigour, and in fuch a Manner, as might be moft for the Credit, and moft for the Advantage of .this Nation. It was very natural, it was very fit for them to do fo, fince there was nothing plainer, than that they could never expect to make a fafe and honourable Peace by any other Means. Harkyy St. John and Harcourt were never thought (hallow Fellows, and let them be fufpected of what they would, nobody ever entertained a Sufpicion, that they wanted Abilities for their refpeclive Places, or that they were content to hurt themfelves that they might vex the oppofite Faction, with- out any Refpect to the Welfare of their Country. For thefe Reafons, I think, I may demand your Belief, that fo long as i they
2o6 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
they found it necefTary to continue the War, which I grant was for as fhort a Sea- fon. as poffible, they likewife intended to carry it on with Succefs.
AMONGST other Projeds for this Pur- pofe, I reckon that in which Mr. Secretary St. John had a very great, if not a chief Hand, for reducing Quebec, and abridg- ing the French Power in North America. You way have heard this railed at and ridiculed as an idle Tory Project, foolifhly contrived, and madly executed ; nay, you may meet with fome, who will not blufli to afliire you, that it had not a worfe End than was expected, and that none were lefs affected by the Mifcarriage than the Au- thors of it. But, as thefe are wild and im- probable, if you conclude them alfo to be falie and groundlefs Reports, you will not, as far as I am able to learn, be very much in the Wrong, as I {hall endeavour to con- vince you in very few Words, and then you will know what to think of the Reprefen-
tations
Lord Vifccunt BOLINGBROKE. 207
rations one Party makes of the Defigns of another.
THERE had been a Defign of a like Nature attempted, under the Reign of King William^ as unprofperous as this; fo that failing in it could not be criminal. The very Scheme now carried into Execu- tion had been approved by the Lord Trea- furer, Godolphin ; and Sir Thomas Hardy and General Maccartney were to have com- manded the Fleet and the Forces, from whence we may conclude, it was not ei- ther a frivolous or a foolim Defign j and as to the Minifters, particularly Mr. Secre- tary St. John's* being in earned, you cannot eafily entertain any Doubt, if you read his Letters inferted in Sir Htrvendcn Walkers Account, and confider that the Command of the Troops was given to General Ht/l, Lady Mafbams Brother. They muft be ftrange Politicians indeed, who would plot againft themfelves, or even neglect any Precautions in their Power, for the Sup- port of an Enterprize, in which both their
Interefts
208 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Interefts and their Reputation were at Stake. Plaufible Arguments may incline us to be- lieve ftrange Things ; but there is no be- lieving on bare Suggeftion, backed by bold Afiertions, againft fuch conclufive Reafons.
BUT it has been faid, and I freely own to you, not without Truth, that there were fome confiderable Miftakes committed in the very firil Digeftion of this Defign. The Ships that were employed were too large j they had not any, or at leaft, they had not enough Perfons on Board, who were well acquainted with the Navigation of the River of St. Lawrence j and they made too long a Stay upon our own Coafts. Thefe, and fome leiTer Inconveniences might have been prevented, if the Admiralty had been confulted j but Secretary St. John, and his Friends were fo tenacious of their Secret, and had fo great a Confidence in fome, who were then intruded with the Manage- ment of publick Affairs, in the Northern Colonies of America, that they flattered themfelves with the Hopes of furprifing
both
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 209
both Friends and FoeSj by ftriking a great Stroke in that Part of the World, and of preferving the Conquefts that this Arma- ment mould make by the general Peace^ they had in View. If in this they were difappointed, they might be unfortunate^ but they were not culpable, even allowing the Miftakes they committedj fince they were fuch as they could not forefee, and after all, the Mifcarriages and Lofles of this Expedition were in Reality owing to Negli- gence, Inactivity, Backwardnefs and fome- thing worfe in certain Perfons in New-Eng- land, where'the French had their Agents, and where thofe Agents had but too much In- fluence. As the Succefs of this Defign would have done the Authors of it great Honour, fo the Want of it expofed them to much Reproach. They were charged with concerting this Enterprize while the Parliament was fitting, without afking their Advice, or even acquainting them therewith ; though it is evident, that if they had done fo, it muft have been di- vulged to all the World. They were cen- P fured
2io MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
fured for fending out a Squadron victualled for a fliort Time, when Provifions and Stores might have been furnifbed without any Difficulty ; but their Aim was to con- ceal their real Intention from the Enemy, by victualling the Fleet mort, upon a Sup- pofition, that they would find every Thing they could want provided for them in America. They were blamed for not hav- ing fkilful Pilots , and thefe too were to have been furnifhed in New-England, where there were ten People acquainted with the Navigation of the River of &t. Law- rence^ for one that could have been found here. And in fine, they were bitterly in- veighed again ft, for withdrawing a few Regiments from the Duke of Marlborough 's Army ; as if crufhing the French Power, and extending the Englifo Empire in Ame- rica^ had not been of as much Confe- quence, at leaft to this Nation, as having three or four Thoufand Men more or lefs in Flanders^ making Conquefts for our good Allies. Whatever Rectitude there was in their Intentions, they were unlucky
in
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 2 1 1
in the Execution of them ; and this, in that Time of Confufion, was fufficient to ex- pofe them to Clamour and Calumny e- nough j and, which is worfe, difabled them from doing that Service to the Nation, which ftill remained to be done. I mean reducing the French Power in Canada, or fettling on that Side a good Frontier for us.
•
THERE- is another Point relating to this Expedition, of which you have heard, or at leaft, will probably hear, if you converfe with fuch as lived in thefe Times, and were well acquainted with what was then doing. It is this, that the Sum of twenty Thoufand Pounds was gained from the Public, or, in plain Terms, that the Na- tion was cheated of that Sum, by the Con- trivance, or at lead, with the Knowledge of Mr. Secretary St. John. It is very cer- tain, that the then High Treafurer, the Earl of Oxford^ informed Queen Anne of this in a Paper addrefled to her Majefty, and likewife took to himfelf the Merit of pre- venting this from falling, in the next Sef- P a fion,
212 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
fion, under the Infpedion of the Houfe of Commons. Yet when this Aflertion of his was converted into an Article of Impeachment, and himfelf charged with impeding Juftice, by fuch a Concealment, he alledged in his own Defence, that the Reafon he hindered it from coming be- fore Parliament was, that upon a clofe Ex- amination,* the Proof was not clear, and he judged that a Seafon very improper for commencing fuch an Inquiry, when it could not be fully made out. He further adds, that the Papers upon which he grounded his Opinion, had been long in the Hands of the Houfe of Commons, which im- peached them both ; and he had not heard that they thought them fufficient Foundation for fuch a Charge. A Cir- cumftance, which rather proves his Miftake, than his Antagonift's Mifbehaviour. You will likewife confider, that at the Time the Earl's Paper was fent to the Queen, thefe two noble Perfons were at open Va- riance, which Circumftance might very poffibly give Things the Appearance of
Conviction,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 213
Conviction, that when more coolly con- fidered, did not rife quite fb high. As to this, however, the Facts being before you, it is not at all my Intention to give any Bias to your Judgment, but leave you free to de- cide, or to fufpend your Thoughts about it, as on the whole, (hall feem mod reafonable,
As foon as the Emperor's Death could be well known at Paris, Propofals were made by the French King to Great-Britain^ to put an End to a War that had already lafted as long as that of Troy, by a general Peace. Thefe Proportions, dated April 2, 1711, were figned by the Marquis de Torcy, and were tranfmitted as foon as poffible to the Queen's Minifter, then Lord Raby, at the Hague, with Orders to com- municate them to the States, who, by their Anfwer, did not feem to be at all dif- pleafed j but on the contrary, were very will- ing and ready to deliver themfelves from a Weight which they freely confefled, was too heavy for them to bear. It would require a Volume, inftead of a Letter, to P 3 difcufs
214 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
difcufs the Conduct of Mr. Secretary Sf. John, through the long Courfe of this per- plexed Negotiation, you cannot therefore expect it in a Letter : But that you may not complain of my leaving you in the Dark, in Reference to one of the moft material Tranfactions of his Life, I fend you a little Piece, in which his Conduct upon this Head is pretty fully reprefented j and by comparing it with the Reports of the Secret Committee, and taking in what you will find delivered relating to this Affair in his own Writings, I believe, you will be able to form as true a Judgment of his Conduct as any body ; and though, very poiTibly, it may not contribute to heighten your Sentiments of him as a Minifter and Negotiator, yet I am confident it will give you clearer Notions of the Peace of Utrecht, than otherwife you are like to acquire j and as in obtaining thefe you muft neceffarily get a clear Infight into the State of Europe, at that Juncture, the Interefts of its feverat Powers, the Time and Pains it will coit you, I dare promife you, will be well
employed.,
Lord Vifcoum BOLINGBROKE. 2 1 5
employed, as it will defend you from fall- ing into popular or party Snares, and teach you to think freely and juftly upon Topics that ought to be thoroughly underftood by every Gentleman of Family and Fortune in Great-Britain. A Thing, which duly at- tended to by fuch of our Youth, as have either a Certainty or Probability of coming into Parliament, would make us the great- eft and happieft Nation upon Earth.
THE next Seffion of Parliament began December 7, 1711, and in her Speech from the Throne, the Queen acquainted the two Houfes, that notwithflanding the Arts of thoje that delight in War> both c£ime and Place were appointed for the Opening of a Treaty. But in Spite of all this, which was indeed too much the Language of Party, an Addrefs was carried in the Houle of Lords, reprefenting it as their Opinion, <l That no Peace could be fafe or honoura- " bleto Great-Britain or Europe, if Spain " and the Weft-Indies were to be allotted to " any Branch of the Houfe of Bourbon ;" P 4 which
216 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
which has been generally confidered as the Reafon of her Majefty's calling up the Lords Compton and Bruce, and creating ten new Peers before the End of that Month. In the Houfe of Commons the Commiffioners of Accounts charged the Duke of Marlboroagb with taking a con- fiderable Sum annually from thofe who made the Bread Contradts, and Two and a Half per Cent, out of the Pay of the fo- reign Troops, which Sums amounted in the Whole, during his Command, to up- wards of Half a Million. In Refpect to the firft, the Duke acquainted them, that it was a Perquifite belonging to the Com- mander in Chief, and that in Regard to the latter, it was a free Gift from the fo- reign Troops, and was intended and em- ployed for gaining Intelligence, being lefs than was granted on that Head during King Williams War ; notwithstanding which they voted it public Money, and to be ac- counted for. Upon this, a Profecution was dire&ed, and under Colour of that Profe- cution, the Duke of Maryborough difmifled
from.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 217
from all his Employments. There is little Doubt to be made, that the Report which then prevailed of the Miniftry's being glad to lay the Duke afide, was not without Foundation ; and, therefore, they were forced to take up with this, fince upon the ftrideft Examination they could not find a better. The great Truft of managing the Affairs of the Adminiftration in Parlia- ment during this Seffions, was committed to Mr. Secretary St. John, who, to in- fluence the Nation in their Sentiments of the long Continuance of the War, and to excite the mod earneft Defire of Peace, employed himfelf with indefati- gable Diligence, in drawing up the moft accurate Computations, as to the Number of our own Troops, the Number of Fo- reigners, and the Sums paid by Way of Subfidies during the Courfe of the War j which was certainly as dextrous and as efficacious a Piece of Management as had, perhaps, till then been attempted in Par- liament, being a double-edged Weapon, that cut both Ways.
AFTER
218 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, Sec. of
AFTER much Debate, and after the moft mature Deliberation, the Houfe of Commons attended her Majefty with a Reprefentation, Shewing the Hardlhips the Allies had put upon England in carrying on this War, and of confequence how neceffary it was to come in Time at fome Relief. They (hewed firft, that the Ex- pence of England^ in the Beginning of the War, amounted to but about three Mil- lions, feven Hundred Thoufand Pounds ; but was now increased to fix Millions, nine Hundred Thoufand Pounds, and up- wards, chiefly by being obliged to fupply the Deficiencies of her Allies : That the States- General were frequently deficient two Thirds of the Quota of Shipping they ftipulated to provide, which not only in- creafed the Charge of the Englijh, but was the Occafion of great Damage to the Royal Navy, and the Deftru&ion of the Merchants Ships, which were deftroyed for Want of Convoys, the Englijh Men of War being employed in other Services;
and
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 219
and that the Dutch had alfo been deficient in the Netherlands, upwards of twenty Thoufand Men of their Quota of Troops ; that the whole Burthen of the War, almoft, in Spain and Portugal, had of late been thrown upon the Englifh ; the Dutch had every Year leflened their Troops in Spain and Portugal ; and the Emperor, who was moft nearly concerned, had no Troops at all in Pay there, till the laft Year of the War, and then but one (ingle Regiment $ that, on the contrary, the Englffi did not only maintain fixty Thoufand Men in the Spanijh War, but the Charges of the Ship- ping only employed in that Service, a- mounted to above eight Millions Sterling ; and in mort, that England had expended in the War beyond its Quota, above nineteen Millions of Money, all which the late Mi- niftry had not only connived at, but, in many Inftances, contrived and encouraged upon private Views. That the greater our Succefs had been, the heavier had been the Burthen on the Part of England, and that new Do- ptinions were daily conquered for the Allies,
while
220 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
while they abated their Share of the Ex- pence, and it could not be expected they {hould ever be weary of enlarging their Territories at the Charge of Englaud, efpe- cially when even the Revenues of the conquered Countries were not applied to the carrying on the War. That though Britain had borne as great a Share of the War as the whole Confederacy, no Advan- tages had been ftipulated for her ; but on the contrary, the late Barrier Treaty with the Dutch was deftructive to our Trade, and the putting Newport, and other Places in Flanders into their Hands, made the Trade of the Englijh to the (Spanijh) Netherlands precarious, and the Strength of that Country, which Britain had fo largely contributed to reduce, might here- after be employed againft Britain itfelf.
THE primary Defign of this Reprefen- tation, was to juftify the new Refolutions that had been taken, of obliging the States to compleat their Quota of Men and Ships, by declaring, that otherwife the Queen j would
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 221
would leflen her own Forces in a juft Pro portion. But betides this, it was calcu- lated to perfuade the Nation, that the clofe Connexion which had fubfifted, and which ftill continued to fubfift between the Friends of the old Miniftry, and the Allies was founded in their reciprocal In- terefts, to which that of Great-Britain was facrificed. It ferved farther to juftify the new Manner in which they pretended to carry on the War, in Cafe the Allies in- fifted upon carrying it on at all Events, by Great-Britain's fulfilling her Engagements, without going beyond them, and exacting from the reft of the Allies, that they fhould, alfo, perform theirs. This Scheme being very plaufible in itfelf, and coming to the Queen and her Subjects, backed with fo high an Authority, as the Reprefentation of the Houfe of Commons, gave great Countenance and Credit to their Proceed- ings, as they carried the Air of Inftructi- ons to thofe, by whom in Reality they were dictated.
IT
222 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
IT was fome Time before this long Re- prefentation could reach the Hands of the States, and it required fome Space to con- fider and frame an Anfwer to it j during which the Declarations were made, and the Meafures taken that were advifed there- in, and the Negotiations between Great- Britain and France were carried fo far, that the Queen, in a Speech to both Houfes, communicated the Plan upon which a general Peace might be made, at the very Time this Anfwer from the States- General arrived. It was certainly drawn up with much Clearnefs and Candour, and in Terms which demonftrated to impartial People, that the States, conlidered as Truf- tees for their own Nation, were very little to blame. Yet Mr. Secretary St. John drew up a fhort Reply to it, with fuch Spirit and Addrefs, as entirely enervated its Force. The States had alledged, that by the grand Alliance both Powers had engaged to exert their utmoft Force, and that, therefore, they had fully complied
with
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 223
with their Engagements in doing all that they could. They enlarged on the great Superiority of Britain, in Point of Wealth and Power, which made it reafonable for her to out-do her Allies. They difputed the Truth or rather the Method of fome Calculations, infifting that the Ships they employed in the North Sea, ought to be confidered as a Part of their Quota. They afferted, that Great-Britain had often ex- ceeded, more efpecially in the Mediter- ranean Service, in the Courfe of a Cam- paign, the Proportions fettled at the Be- ginning of the Campaign ; but that this ought to throw no Blame upon them, if their Quota was agreeable to the original Stipulation ; and they infifted, that the Revenue arifing from the Country in which their Barrier lay, was very much below what it had been reprefented. The Secre- tary extradted, from this Anfwer, fuch Principles as fell in with thofe of the Re- prefentation, as it is vifible many of them do, and concluded from thence, that if their High MightinefTes had afted with great
Prudence
224 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of
Prudence and Frugality during the Courfe of the War, it was high Time for Great- Britain to imitate their Conduct at the Clofe of it j and dwelt very flrongly upon their pathetic Remarks, as to the Weight of that Burthen which they had fuftained, inferring that it was high Time for the Maritime Powers, upon whom the whole Expence of the War now lay, to think of getting out of it as foon as they could, by a iafe and advantageous Peace.
THIS may ferve as a Specimen of the Secretary's Conduct, upon whom at this Juncture the great Weight of Bufinefs lay j and though it is generally faid, and which is more, as generally acknowledged, that even at this Time he gave a great Loofe to his Pleafures, and availed himfelf very little of thofe Helps to Bufinefs that arife from Method j yet his very Enemies even then allowed, and Events will ever prove the Truth of it to Pofterity, that he managed with great Dexterity, and execut- ed the feveralhigh Employments, in which
he
Lord Vifccunt BOLINGBROKE. 225
!he then afted, with (ingular Facility and Capacity. As a Statefman and a Minifter, he had prodigious Difficulties to ftruggle with. Moft of the foreign Courts we had any Tranfa&ions with, and of Confe- quence, their Minifters were continually prying into, and taking Exceptions to his Meafures, and that with a certain Fierce- ne/s, which fometimes drove him to Ex- tremities. The Bufinefs of Count Gallas, the Imperial Minifter, who printed, with- out Ceremony, whatever Papers were com. municated to him, and was continually complaining, if Papers were printed by any body elfe, made a great Noife, and he was at length forbid the Court. The Hanover i cm Minifter, Baron Bothmars Me- morial made ftill more Noife, and put the Secretary under yet gre'ater Inconveniences. The Letter from the States- General to the Queen, in Support of their Anfwer to the Reprefentation of the Houfe of Commons, out -did both thefe, and was like wife pub- li(hed from the Prefs. With all thefe Em- .barrafTments, the Weight of a moft intri-
cats
226 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
cate and important Negotiation lay upon his Shoulders, and while his whole Time might have been taken up in repelling thefe Attacks upon his Conduct at home, he was obliged to furnifh Inftruftions for the Queen's Minifters abroad, who could, and who would do nothing, but in Purfuance of his Directions. As an Orator in the Senate, he exerted every different Kind of Elo- quence ; he ftated all the great Points that were brought before the Houfe ; he per- fuaded, he illuftrated, he fupported the Reiblutions that were taken upon them ; he anfwered Objections that were made, and maintained by the acuteft Men in the Kingdom, and who, to their great Abili- ties in fpeaking, joined a perfect Acquaint- ance with Bufinefs, which affords an ai- med inexprefiible Weight to an Oppofition. As a Courtier too, he had many, and very nice Affairs upon his Hands, and was o- bliged to enter into, and manage private Intrigues of a very nice and delicate Nature, in the Midft of his Application to public fs. So that if you take into your
View
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 227
View the whole Circle of Concerns that occupied his Thoughts at this Juncture, and remember at the fame Time that he was not without his Foibles and his Vices, you cannot but conceive of him a very high and extraordinary Opinion ; and in- ftead of being furprized at thofe Irregulari- ties and Eccentricities that upon a very cri- tical Enquiry were difcovered in his Con- duct, you will rather (land amazed at the Succefs which attended his Endeavours, and that in Spite of the Imperfections, which even his Friends muft acknowledge in his Character, he was able to do what he did, and to fupport himfelf and his Party again ft fuch a Spirit of oppofing, fuch a Weight of Influence, and fuch a Torrent of Abufe as at this Juncture both they and he fuftained. He was, if you pleafe, a Leader of Faction, but he was a very able Leader j he was a Man of Plea- fure and Indifcretion, but he was, not- withftanding, a Man of vaft Abilities; he was, in (hort, after all that the fevereft Critics could fuggeft, and after all that Qji Envy
228 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Envy and Malice could invent, a very ex- traordinary Genius, whom while we blame, we muft admire, and whom, if any Refpect be due to Parts, to Application, or to the Power of atchieving great Things by Dint of them, we muft commend.
THE Parliament being prorogued in the Beginning of July, it was foon after known that her Majefty had been graciouily pleafed to lign a Warrant for a Patent's paffing the Great Seal, to create Mr. Sf. John a Peer. This Honour it ieems had been intended him before, but his Prefence being fo necef- fary in the Houfe of Commons, the Lord Treafurer prevailed upon him to remain there during that Seffion, upon a Promife that his Rank mould be preferved to him. Accordingly he was by Letters Patent, un- der the Great Seal, created Viicount .£?<?//#£- broke, and Baron St.yohn, of Lidyard Tre- goze, with Remainder, in Cafe he died without IfTue Male, to his Father, Sir Henry St. John, Baronet, and his Heirs Male. You will obferve, that I have before men- tioned
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 229
tioned to you, that Paulet Sf. John, Earl of Eolingbroke^ deceafed in the Month of OSlober preceding this Creation, by which the Earldom became extinct, though the Barony of Bletfljoe did not. It is not alto- gether improbable, that confidering the great Services he had done, and the great Clamours to which he had bsen expofed, Mr. Secretary St. John expected that the old Title fhould have been revived in his Favour; at leaft, it is certain, that he was not entirely fatisfied with his new Honour, which gave the Lord Treafurer, and the reft of the Miniftry no fmall Uneafinefsj the Confequences of which, as foon as I have a little Leifure, (hall be the Subject of another Letter.
0. 3 LET-
230 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of LETTER VIII.
Ut enim necefie eft Lnncem in Libra, Ponderi- bus impofitis deprimi ; fie Animum perfpi- cuis cedere.
The Scope of thcfe Letters does not require StricJnefs and a regular Method, farther than is necejjary to Connection and Pcrfpi- cuity. J'he Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke'j 'Journey to Paris j the Reafom fuggefted by the Whigs,, and by Lord Oxford, compared with 'what appears on this Head from the Queens Injlruclions. The procuring Sicily for the Houfe of Savoy j a Meafure of a public Nature y and for the common Bene*. fit of Europe, •which was the Reafon her Majefty recommended it fo war?nly in thefe InJirucJions. Upon what Motives the Qiteen would have consented that the IJland of Sardinia fiould have been given to the Elector of Bavaria : But though very attentive to the general Inter eft, fie very cautious of entering on every
trifling
V7 O
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 231
trifling Occafwn into Guaranties, which muft put her People to fref/j Trouble and Expence. There is as little Probability as Evidence, that he held any Correspondence with the Court of St, Germains, as has been Jince reported, during his Stay at Paris. Methods prattifed by the Opposition to render the Peace fufpefted, and the Minijlry odious, 'while it was negotiating. Particular Injlances thereof, in regard to this CommiJJion of his Lordfbip's. Stlp- pofmg this fair during the Struggles of Parties, great Care Jhoula1 be taken to pre- sent thefe temporary Invafions of 'Truth from deceiving Pojlerity, and corrupting Hiftory. 'The more mcejjary, bocaufe if this Care be not taken, and taken in Time, it will certainly have this Effetf, and en- gage the World hereafter to confuler as Caufes and Effects Things utterly uncon- nected. Without removing thefe Notions, there h no coming at the important ®uefti- cn, what political Judgment ought to be formed of the Treaty of Utrecht ? This, notivithflanding all that has been /hid and
wri/feu.
232 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
ti is a Subject far from being ex- haiifted. What are the prof"" Points t& be regarded in this Inquiry. The previous Obje-Hon, that the Biitiih Minijlers flood precluded by the grand Alliance, from re- ceiving any Proportions from Fra nee. An- fwt'rs given to this Objection upon the fame Principles on 'which it ^s founded. Other Motives which might induce the Minijlry to go into this Negotiation. A View of the mojl exceptionable Circumftances attending it. What may be offered in Vindication of the Negotiators. The Syftem of the Treaty o/* Utrecht/or the Security and Tranquillity of Europe. Satisfaction ftipulated for the Houfe of Auftria. Care tazen of the Dutch, and of the reft of the Allies. Bene- Jits ftipulated for Great-Britain in Europe and in America It is probable that more might have been obtained ; but this Pro- bability does not in the leaft diminifl} the Value of what was obtained. What the Earl of Oxford promifed for this Treaty, accomplished in two remarkable Inftances.
Confequences
Lord Vifcount BOL1NGBROKE. 233
Confequences of later Treaties have foewn, that the wife/I Men may be mijlaken, and conjequently ought to teach them Jbme Tern- per, in Regard to other Peoples Miflakes. But though the Plan of the Treaty of Utrecht may be defended, Irregularities in the Negotiations might be liable to Cenfttre, to which, from the jiricteft Inquiry, they 'were fever ely expofed. j%f- ter his Lordfoips Return, and the Pro- clamation of the Peace, the Difputes with the Treafurer become public. What •was the real Plan of Lord Oxford's Adminiftration, and why it was difap- proved by the October Club. The Rea- fons why his Scheme failed, and why he was fo heartily hated by both 'Factions. Arthur Man waring, Efq\ and Sir Ri- chard Steele, acknowledged themselves mijlakcn, as to his Character. Steps taken to remove the 'Treafurer, who protracts bis Fall for feme Time, falls at laft, and the whole Syftem with him. Mifchiefs arijingfrom that Faff ion which oppofed him, Mifchiefs eccafaned by thofe who
fupplanted
234 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of
fupplanted him. The Cataftropbe of this Struggle left the Tories at Mercy.
AS I propofe chiefly two Things in thefe Letters j firft, to give you, as far as I am able, a clear and impartial View of this great Man's political Conduct, while a Minifter ; and, fecondly, to place in the fulleft Light, that I can, thofe Points that have been either obfcured or mifrepre- fented by Parties ; I do not think myfelf obliged to follow that exacl: and regular Me- thod, which either an Hiftorian, or a Me- moir-Writer would purfue, in order to me- rit the Attention and Approbation of the Public. Such a one would think himfelf bound to oblerve great Meafures, in refpecl: to popular Opinion, and it would be Dif- cretion in him to think fo j but I venture to take greater Freedoms, and endeavour to point out to you Truth, where, or on which Side foever it lies. It is for this Reafon alfo, that I confine myfelf to a few capital Tranfa&ions, and leave you to con- ned thefe with the Series of lefs ftriking
Events
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 235
Events from the printed Hiflories of thofe Times, which I know you have in your Hands, and in perufing of which it is im- poffible you mould not find many things very obfcure.
THE next Point, therefore, that falls in my Way, confident with this Plan, is his Lordmip's Journey to France. Bifhop Burnef, and moft other Writers, even the Report of the Secret Committee, confider this as an Affair of great Importance, for which it is faid, that he had the Queen's fccret Inftruclions, and that the whole great Work of the Peace was left in his Hands. The Lord Treafurer Oxford had quite an- other Opinion of it and him. " There " happened, fays he, an Opportunity of <c fending him to France^ of which there " was not much Occafion ; but it was " hoped that this would have put him into " good Humour : And fo it did." In order to be clear in this Point, you need only confult the Queen's Inftruclions, dated & ^Wind/or, on the laft of July, 1712,
where
236 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c, of
where you will find, that he was fully au- thorized to fettle every Thing necefTary to remove the Obftrudions to a general Suf- penfion of Arms, and alfo to concert with the Minifters of Lewis XIV. the moftpro*. per Means for preventing fuch Differences as could be forefeen, and to put the Treaty of Peace into fuch a Courfe as might bring it to a happy and fpeedy Conclufion. It was particularly recommended to him, to take the greateft Care poffible of the Affairs of the Duke of Savoy j to fupport his Pre- tenfions to fuch a Barrier, as that Prince himfelt fhould think neceflary j to provide for the contingent Settlement of his Suc- ceflion to the Crown of Spain and the Indies, in the Terms fuggefted in the Me- morial of his Minifter, the Count Maffcei\ and to be very precife as to the Ceffion of the iQand of Sicily. To which, however, there is added a Caution that deferves your particular Regard. " And whereas, fay " thefe Inftru&ions, it has been furmifed, " that his Royal Highnefs might think of « exchanging Sicily for fome other Terri-
" tories
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 237
IC tories contiguous tg his own, which <c would by no means t}e agreeable to our tc Defign, or to the Interefts of our King- Cf doms; you may, therefore, confent to an " Article to prevent the Exchange or Alie- " nation of this Kingdom from the Houfe C{ of Savoy" This plainly (hews, that the procuring this Ifland for that Prince, was not a mere Act of Affection in the Queen towards a near Relation, or a Minifterial Artifice to attach that wife and brave Prince to the Queen's Party, but a great political Meafure, in which the Balance of Power, and the general Tranquillity of Europe, was principally confidered, and at the fame Time a proper Attention had to the Com- mercial Interefts of this Nation.
THE fame Thing appears ftill more clearly from another Point in thefe Inflruc- tions, in which Lord Eollngbroke is per- mitted, on the Part of the Queen, to con- fent, that the Ifland of Sardinia, in cafe other Powers came into it, mould be yield- ed to the Elector of Bavaria. The Queen
and
238 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
and her Minifters were convinced, that erecting thefe Iflands into feparate Sove- reignties, would be attended with many advantageous Conlequences, would make their refpective Inhabitants infinitely more eafy and happy, encourage Induftry, Arts and Sciences amongft them, promote and extend the Commerce of the Mediterra- nean, and gradually eftablifh Maritime Powers, whofe Intereft could never coin- cide with either of the two great Houfes of Aujlrla or Bourbon, and who, there- fore, as they owed their Erection, muft continually depend, for their Support and Prefervation, upon Great-Britain and Hol- land; and though we can only guefs now at what Effects this would have had, yet we may certainly determine, that thole who formed thefe Projects had the Freedom of Europe at Heart, and very juft Notions of the true Intereffo of their native Coun- try. To which, as it was their native Country, they held themfelves particularly bound.
THERE
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 239
THERE is yet another Paragraph in thofe Inftrudions, to which, from the Motive laft mentioned to you, and there cannot be one more important, it may not be amifs if you direct your Eye. The Words are, " In " treating of the feveral Matters intruded " to your Management, you are to have efpecial Care to avoid entangling us in any new Engagements j and for that Pur- pofe, you are to fay and to repeat, that we mall willingly enter into the common ft Guaranty for fupporting that Settlement <c of Europe, which {hall be eftabliflied by " the general Peace, but that we will not " be tied down to any Stipulation which { may oblige us to make War, and efpeci- " ally with our Old Allies, in order to pro- " cure this Settlement." The Nature of their Contents, and the Circumftances of Things at that Time, rendered it requifite and neceflary that thefe Inftrudtions fhould be fecret j but I perfuade myfelf, when you have perufed them, you will not find
any
<c
«
240 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
any Thing in them unworthy of being brought into the Light.
Vifcount Eolingbroke figned, on the 8th of duguji following, the Convention for a CefTation of Hoftilities, agreeable to thefe Instructions, and executed them in other Refpeds as far as lay in his Power. But as to the Stories you may have heard, fome of which are alfo in Print, that he con- verfed with the Perfon then ftiled the Cheva- lier, that he fat in the next Box to him at the Opera, and that he was indifcreet and for- ward in his Applications to him, are as im- probable as they are groundlefs ; and were not published, perhaps, were not invented, till many Years afterwards. For at the Time of this TranfacYion, it was very well known, that as Prudence and Policy requir- ed, this Perfon retired from Paris, and was not feen publickly any where, to prevent untoward Accidents, or malicious Mifre- prefentations. To fuch a Degree was this Fact then notorious, that thofe who difliked .the Vifcount's Journey to France, and his
Bufmeis
Lord Vifcount EOLINGBROKE. 241
Bufinefs there, and were very willing to give the World an ill ImprelTion of both ; talked in quite another Strain, comparing this Retreat of the Chevalier with the com- pelling Charles II. to quit Paris upon the coming thither of Cromwell's Minifter, Lock- hart -y and yet faid thofe who made this Comparifon, which I will undertake to (hew you whenever you are inclined to fee it, this very Mr. Lockhart lived afterwards to walk frequently in the Mall, between that King and his Brother, the Duke of York. Thus the higheft Prudence may be undermined by Spleen -, and, therefore, you may be fure, had any Caution been, at this Jundure, wanting, we mould have heard of it fooner, and with greater Certainty.
WHILE we are upon this Subject, it will, at leaft, ferve to divert, if not to inform you, if I mention a very fingular and dex- terous Piece of Management in thofe who had been lately driven out of Power, and were now labouring, with all their Might, to hoift thofe out of their Places who had R then,
242 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
then, by a lucky Turn of Management, found a Way to get in. This was by coin- ing Articles of foreign News, and pub- lifhing them in the publick Papers as authen- tic Pieces of Intelligence, that were really come from the Places whence they were dated. As for Inftance, a little before Lord Botingbrokes Journey, the following Extract of a private Letter was publifhed in the Flying-Poft, and did wonderful Exe- cution.
Pans, July 5, 1712.
H E Chevalier de St. George is at Cbailht, where he is to be re- tired fome Days, and lay afide the Title " of King. 'Tis not yet faid what other *' Title he will take ~f though it is not " doubted but it will be that of Prince of *c Wales, and that all this is done in Con- cc cert, becaufe it would not be convenient *' for him to go to England with the Title " of King, but with that of theprefump- ** five Heir, &c. 'Tis not known, whi-
" ther
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 243
€t ther he is to go from hence at firft, but " only that he is to fet out as foon as the " Peace {hall be declared."
WHILE his Lordfhip was actually in France t and carrying on a Negotiation there, under the Interactions beforemen- tioned, the Public had another {hrewu Hint, conveyed through the fame Canal, and dated from the fame Place. I fhall give you the Trouble of reading that too, which was thus exprefled.
Parist Sept. 4, 17125
T F the Allies don't come to a general JL Peace within four Months, a Peace " will be concluded betwixt France and " Great-Britain, exclufive of them. The " French flatter themfelves, that Great- " Britain will join with them to force the
" Allies to a Peace, and that the
" is to be affociated with *** ***** in " the Sovereignty."
R a Ws
244 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
WE will not enter into the Difcufiion, much lefs into the Decifion of fo knotty a Queftion, as whether thefe Artifices were juftifiable or not ; for I will own to you in- genuoufly, that 1 believe thofe who threw out thefe alarming Paragraphs, had been provoked by Things of a like Nature ; for the Secretary had his Paper as well as they, and knew as well how to manage it ; but if fuch Strokes of fictitious Intelligence did the Bufinefs at the Time, and gave fuch as had an Inclination an Opportunity of a- buting Lord Eolmgbroket as covering trea- ibnable Practices under his Minifterial Cha- racter, that furely was full enough, and it can never be reckoned fair at the Di fiance of many Years, and when fuch a Thing is worn in a Manner out of Memory, to convert the fatirical Strokes of a Party News Paper into Memoirs of thofe Times, or introduce feigned Articles, becaufe they were then publifhed, as Documents Effi- cient to fupport falfe Hiftory. This would bs putting out the Eyes of Pofterityy and
profcribing
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 245
profcribing 'Truth longer than is at all necef- lary even to the Views of Party.
THERE is the more Reafon to make you perfectly Matter of thefe Fadts, becaufe it was the great Endeavour of many at that Time, and the lame Defign, from Motives that may be eafily difcerned, has been in- duftrioufly profecuted ever fince, to con- found the Negotiations, previous to the Treaty of Utrecht, with the Practices that fome few of the Queen's Miniftry fell into after they were profecuted as well as dif- graced. That by blending thefe Things to- gether, the making that Peace may be under- ftood to be no more than a principal Branch of the great Syftem for changing the efta- blimed Conftitution. If this had been really fo, it would be juft and right to let it out in thefe Colours. But if it had been fok Proofs could never have been wanting through fo long a Courfe of Time. The Administration, who made the Peace, quickly broke to Pieces, and when they fell out amongft themfelves, told all of R 3
246 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
each other that they could tell. After this, their Conduct was lifted by one of the fevereft Enquiries, to which in this Country Minifteis were ever txpofed. In Confequence of this, that Delpair with which fome of them were poflcfTed, threw them actually into the Practices, with which they had been formerly charged. Yet fo it is, that through the Courfe of this vaft Variety of Events, there never appeared, I will not fay, any direct or convincing, but fo much as any probable Proofs of the Truth of that Charge at the Time it was brought. This was honourably as well as honeftly acknowledged, at the very Time fome of thefe Minifters were im- peached, by Men of the greateft Probity, amongft thofe in oppofite sentiments. It was conftantly affirmed by the noble Per- fon of whom I am fpeaking, in feveral oc- cafional Pieces, that he publimed, and no Teftimonies were ever brought to difprove what he alledged. Indeed the Thing itfelf with which they were charged, if coolly conftdered, is altogether incredible ; they
had
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 247
had enough to do to make the Peace j the necefTary Negotiations for that Purpofe where encumbered with a Multitude of troublefome Circum (lances, arid it muft have been a Species of Madnefs in them, to dip at this Juncture into fuch Intrigues, which at the fame Time were utterly in- confiftent with the Nature of the Treaty they made, and with their own Views and Intereft in making it, if Facts are allowed to be better Arguments than Surmifes.
THE Ufe I am to make of this Deduc- tion is, to engage you to throw all Notions of this Sort out of the Queftion, that you may be able, without Paffion or Prejudice, to canvafs the Treaty of Utrecht, and fee how far it was confident with the Views of the grand Alliance, with the real and ra- tional Interefts of the contracting Parties, and with the true and juft Claims that Great-Britain had, to avail herfelf of that immenfe Expence of Blood and Treafure which the War had coft, in order to fe- cure the prefent Eftablifhment, and her R 4 Liberties
248 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Liberties at home, and fuch a Degree of Weight and Influence abroad as might ena- ble her to hold the Balance in Time to come, and prevent the general Tranquillity from being difturbed, or at leaft, the common Security of Europe from fuffering through the intemperate, and all-grafping Ambi- tion of any Power whatever.
FOR after all that has been, after all that can be either faid or wrote, thefe, and thefe only, at this Time of Day more efpecially, are the Points worthy of wife Mens Con- fideration. The Makers of that Treaty are mod of them dead and gone, and fo alfo are moft of their Opponents. But we find the Effeds of the Treaty of Utrecht remain, and that it has been, and muft be the Bafis of future Treaties. It is, there- fore, extremely worth While to examine it attentively, to fee what were its real Flaws and Defects, and from whence they arofe. What Advantages, if any, have fprung from it, how they have been, or how they might have been improved, and
whether.,
Lord Vifcount BOL1NGBROKE. 249
whether, upon the Whole, the Mifchiefs and Misfortunes that have fince happened, have been in Reality produced from the Miftakes in this Treaty, or whether they have not rather arifen from throwing odious and un- juft Colours on the Syftem upon which it was made j and preferring a few fpecious Phrafes and popular Opinions, taken up originally to ferve private Purpofes, to the fenfible and folid Maxims which true Po- licy dictates, and by adhering to which only, the Liberties of Europe can be ren- dered fafe, and the Subjects of thefe King, doms great and happy. The former Points, which are likewife the Means of coming at the latter, I fliall make it my Bufinefs to explain, and without the leaft Dread of your going wrong, leave the reft to your own Penetration and Diligence, which can never be better employed, than in the Search of fuch Truths as regard the In- terefts of your Country. Some Studies may render you wifer, and fome better, but this alone can render you what I could wifli to fee you, that is, ufeful to
this
250 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
this Nation > and for Want of this Study, I have feen great and good Men miferably miftaken.
BEFORE we can properly be let into the Enquiry, we have propofed, there is a great Stumbling-Block in our Way, which muft be removed. It is faid, that the very entering into a Treaty with the Crown of France^ being contrary to the eighth Article of the grand Alliance, was a Breach of pub- lic Faitb ; that refolving to treat without a previous Stipulation, that Spain and the Indies mould not be left to the Houfe of Bourbon^ was contrary to a Vote of one of the Houfes of Parliament ; and that after the great and glorious Succeffes of the War, derived chiefly from the Unanimity of the Allies, it reflected indelible Infamy upon the Rritifo Nation to defer t this Al- liance, and conclude a Cejfation of Artm with the common Enemy before the Accep- tation of a general Peace. I think I have ftated this as fully and as clearly as it is poflible 5 and in like Manner I fhall offer to
your
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 251
your View, what has been urged on the other Side.
THE true, genuine, and indubitable Senfe of the grand Alliance was, that the contracting Parties (hould employ their joint and united Forces againft France, for their common Benefit in reducing her ex- orbitant Power, and for compelling her to do Juftice, particularly to each of thefe contracting Parties ; and for the Accom- plifhment of this great End, it was held requifite and neceffary, that none of the contracting Powers mould treat feparately or privately with France for her own Bene- fit, without the Participation of the other contracting Parties, or without Refpect had to their Claims and Interefts. But it did not follow from thence, that any of thefe Powers might not receive Propoiitions of Peace from France, if thofe Propofitions regarded the whole Alliance, and were com- municated to the Allies ; for otherwife, it is not eafy to conceive how any Peace was ever to be made. That this was the real
Senfe
252 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Scnfe of the Article, and fo underftood by the contracting Parties appeared from the Negotiation that had been managed fome Years before by the Dutch, and by certain Proportions which before that had been made by the Duke of Marlborough to the Elector of Bavaria, neither of which had been ever confidered as Breaches of this Article ; and therefore Proportions made by France to Great-Britain, when com- municated as they were to the Allies, mud be confidered in the fame Light. The Vote, with Tefpect to Spain and the Indies, could only be confidered as the Senfe of one Houfe of Parliament at the 'Time it was pan^d, and could not operate at all upon the grand Alliance, which was evidently grounded upon the contrary Principle, and required only, that the Houfe of Auftria (hould have a reasonable Satisfaction for their Claim to the Spanift Succeffion, that the Crowns of France and Spain fhould never be united, and that \\ieformer {hould be excluded from having any Thing to do with the Spamft Weft-Ind'm. It i$ true,
that
Lord Vifcomt BOLINGBROKE. 253
that the States of Holland had come to a Refolution of the fame Kind, but this could be no more binding than the other, for the fame Reafons. Befides it was fuggefted, that the States did not come into that fpon- taneoufly, but for the Sake of obtaining the Barrier treaty, which the Duke of Marlborough, who was one of the Plenipo- tentiaries, would never fign. It was farther afferted, that the original Proportions for carrying on the War had been gradually changed, till at length a very unequal Weight was laid upon Great-Britain, which it was not only unreafonable, but impofll- ble that (he mould bear. This indeed was denied by the Allies, who alledged, that our Wealth and Power juftified thefe Al- terations, and that we were very able to go on with the War on the Foot that it then flood, and feemed to expect it as a Matter of Right. But the Houfe of Com- mons, who were the proper Judges , at leaft for this Nation, thought otherwife, and concluded the public Debt, which they conlidered as a Mortgage upon the Lands
of
254 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
of England, was already become a Weight that themfelves and their Pofterity fhould find it difficult to difcharge ; and that if it was increafed by carying on the War, it would difable us, whatever future Occafions might require, to carry on another. Thofe therefore who argued in this Manner, con- cluded, that if Reafon could perfuade, if In- tereft could direct, or if Neceffity was to be avoided, we ought to improve the Sue- cefl'es of the War into the Means of pro- curing a fafe and fpeedy Peace ; without which, whatever the reft of the Allies might gain, there was nothing clearer or more certain than that we (hould be un- done.
BESIDES thefe, which were urged in An- fwer to thofe lofty and high flown Objecti- ons, by which, when examined by the ftrid: Eye of an impartial Judge, no more will be found meant, than that this free and great Nation was to be rendered refponfi- ble for her Conduct to Foreigners; there were various other Motives that, without
having
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 255
having Recourfe to Dreams and Sufpicions, might inftigate the Miniftry to enter, into a Treaty. The grand Alliance was in fome Meafure annihilated by the great Change which had been created from the Dccifion of Providence, in difpofing of the Em- peror Jofephy which had wrought fuch an apparent Alteration in the Interefts of ibme of our Allies, as made it unreafonable to expedl that they mould concur, to pleafe us, in Meafures contrary to their own Interefts, and to the Spirit of that Alliance. It was highly probable, that if the War had con- tinued, a new Minifterial Revolution muft have enfued, as every Year would have in- creafed the Power of the moneyed In- tereft, and depreffed that of the Land, for whofe Support, and it was a very feafona- ble Support, the Earl of Oxford procured the Law of Qualifications ; without which the moneyed Men might have taxed Land, and exempted Stock to the End of the Chapter. The taking the Lead, as the Phrafe now is, was a Point of great Con- fequence, and as we were allowed to con- tribute
256 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
tribute moft to the War, it feemed to bi our Right, more efpecially as we had paid a Compliment to the Dutch before, as the French had declared they would never treat lingly with that State again, and as it had been infinuated that their Deputies had taken the Advice of the Penfionary, before they reported the Subftance of their Con- ferences with the French Plenipotentiaries to the Minifters of the Allies. Thefe Particulars, taken together, will enable you to form a Judgment, how far they fpoke Truth, who aflerted that the Queen's Minifters had a Right to treat, and that they did well to make ufe of it.
IT is indeed very certain, that the pri- vate Conferences, fecret Correfpondencies, and great Referve of our Minifters to the Allies, were Circumftances that did not wear a very favourable Afpect, that the Lord Vifcount Bolingbrokes fhort Journey to France ', afforded a Colour of Sufpicion, that the Convention for a Ceffation of Hoftilities, and the Duke of Ormond's
feparating
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 257
fe para ting with the TLngKJh Troops from the Army of the Allies were unlocked for, and difagreeable Circumftances, and that the whole Management of the pacific Con- ferences at Utrecht, till towards the very laft, had an Air that was highly ungraceful ; fo that we need not at all wonder, more efpecially when we take in the Bias of this Nation againft the French, that Multitudes were difpleafed with this Negotiation in its Progrefs, and, judging entirely from Ap- pearances, as indeed how few are there who can or will judge from any Thing elfe ? looked upon the Inftruments in making of this Peace, as Betrayers of their Country.
BUT then, give me Leave to add, Equity requires you (hould confider this Peace in another Light. The Foreign Minifters in general fet themfelves a- gainft treating; whatever was communi- cated to them in their public Capacities, though in its Nature requiring Secrecy, they caufed to be printed immediately in the News Papers, that they might raife a S general
258 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 5cc. of
general Outcry abroad, and excite, ifpoffi* ble, Tumults at home ; which compelled the Miniftry to act as they did, and gave the French Advantages they could never other wife have had. The Memorials they prefented, the Letters they procured to the Queen, and the Remonftrances againft every Step that was taken, were very un- ufual, and confequently, in Perfons vefted with a public Character, unjuftifiable. The coming over of Prince Eugene, and the making ufe of his great Popularity was a very ftrong Proceeding ; and in Lord Bo- lingbrokes Letters now in your Hands, you will find fome other aggravating Circum- ftances, that may very poilibly induce you to believe, the Minifters, who were now under a NeceiTity of making a Peace, were alfo under a Neceffity of making it in the Manner they did ; which though I will not take upon me to fay, was fufficient to juftify them, yet I may be permitted to fuppofe, that it ought to go a great Way in their Excufe ; more efpccially, if upon examining the Contents of this Treaty, it {hall be found the common Concerns of the
' A11K9
Lord Vifcount BOIJNGBROKE. 259
Allies were not abandoned, the Balance of Power overthrown, or any Thing obtained in the Way of feparate Treaty, to which we were not fully and fairly entitled from the Share we had taken in the War, more efpecially in Spain, where though we fought purely for our Allies, we were in a great Meafure left by them, without any other Excufe, than that they had done all that was fit for them to do, and that we, as the moft able and enterprizing, and who had declared the Conqueft of that Country to be a Condition fine qua non of Peace, ought to do the reft.
WE may now come to the main Point, and enquire how far the great Ends propofed by the War were attained by the Peace. To prevent the Union of France and Spain, under the fame Prince, Philip V. renounced for himfelf and his SuccefTors, in Terms as clear, as ftrong, and as explicit as could be devifed, all Right of Succeifion to the Crown of France, which Renunciation was ratified, and con- firmed by the Cortes or Parliament of Spaing S a and
260 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
and at the fame Time, to mew how valid Ads of this Kind are efteemed in that Nation, they changed their own legal Order of Succeffion, preferring Heirs Male, though more remote in Blood, to Heirs Female, and allowing Females to inherit, only in Cafe of the Extinction of Heirs Male. The Crown of Spain was alfo entailed, in Failure of the prefent Royal Family, on the Houfe of Savoy. In France again, Philip Duke of Orleans renounced for himfelf, and his Defendants to Perpe- tuity, all Right to the Crown of Spain ; which Renunciation was confirmed by Letters Patents of Lewis XIV. regiftred in all the Parliaments of France. Thefe Renunciations were inferted in the Treaties of Peace, and fortified by the general Guaranty. It is indeed true, that in the Courfe of the Negotiation, fome of the French Statefmen alledged, that no Power upon Earth could alter their Rule of Suc- ceffion ; to which Lord Bolingbroke, in two Letters, gave a ftrong and fenfible An- fwer, intimating, that the Allies depended i upon
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 261
upon the Guaranty, which, whenever the Cafe in View became a Cafe in Fact, would at leaft create a divided Title, fupported by all the great Powers of Europe on one Side, againft fiich of the French as (houkl adhere to this fpeculative Right on the other. But the modern Notions, even in France, at this Time, are widely different, fince a very learned French Writer on the Droit Public^ has within thefe feven Years aflerted the Contrary, and offered thefe Reafonsj that the Authority of the French Nation is in the King, and that as the Nation makes fundamental Laws, it may alter them j that in the prefent Cafe, the fetting alide Phi- lip V. and his Pofterity, in Virtue of their Renunciation, may be confidered as a fim- ple Exception to the general Rule of Suc- ceffion ; and that if there be any who fcruple this abfolute Power in the French King, even this Scruple will be taken tiway by confidering, that no Oppofitiqn was made to the enregiftering this Edict in any of the Parliaments, which amounts to a tacit Confent of the French Nation.
S 3 A
262 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, £cc. of
A SATISFACTION was ftipulated for the Houfe of Auftria, viz. the PofTeffion of the 7ta//VztfDominions, which it was well known, if they had been to have made their Option, that Houfe would have chofen j and though the late Emperor ftood out at the Treaty of Utrecht, yet he had the Benefit of that Stipulation, which, if we confider the eighth Article of the grand Alliance, ap- pears to have been the original Aim and In- tention of the Confederacy. It is true, that fome Politicians here aiTerted, that he had a Right to the whole SpaMfh Monarchy, and that it ought to have been obtained for him ; but how far they were in earneft in this, you will eafily difcern, if you recol- lect how much the very fame Perfons were alarmed at the bare Probability of this coming to pafs, in cafe Don Carlos, the prefent King of Sicily, had married the prefent reigning Emprefs, and their IfTue had become the Heirs general of the Houfe of Auftria, and of the Spanifo Branch of Bourbon.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 263
THE Security of the United Provinces was provided for by their Barrier, and' their Rights, in refpect to Commerce, as in the Times of Charles II. of Spain, of which they availed themfelves againft the reigning Family in Spain, and the Houfe of rfuftria in procuring the Suppreffion of the Qftend Company as contrary to Treaties, of which I put you in Mind, that you may fee thefe Stipulations have actually operated, Sicily was given to the Duke of Savoy, who took Poffeffion of it, went thither, and was crowned King there. The reft of the Allies had alfo refpeclively Satisfaction for their Preteniions.
LET us now fee what we had.
THE Proteftant Succeflion, as by Law eftabliflied, as well as the reigning Queen's Title, was acknowledged by France. The Port of Dunkirk, which had given us fo much Trouble, was demolifhed, and we }iaye all the Security that Treaties can S 4 give
264 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
give us, that it (hall ever remain fo. It muft be our Fault, not that of the Treaty of Utrecht, if this is not complied with. For the Security of our Navigation in the Me- diterranean, we had the Fortrefs of Gibral- tar, and the Ifland of Minorca yielded to us, which we have hitherto kept, and may we ever keep them ! In America, we had Iludforis Bay reftored, Nova Scotia yielded to us, with forne other Advantages. We had alfo the Affiento Treaty taken from the French and given to us ; which, whatever we faid or thought of it, or however we managed it, was at that Time believed a Thing of fuch Confequence, that by fha- ring it with the Dutch, the Miniflry might have been eaied of their Oppofition. When all this is maturely confidered, we (hall certainly find, that the general Syftem of Power in Europe was very much altered by the Treaty of Utrecht from what it was at the Treaty ofRyfwickj and the Hands of the Houfe of Aujlria fo ftrengthened, that there was a very great Probability, and more than this can never be expected from
Treaties,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 265
Treaties, that the public Tranquillity might have fubfifted long, and a proper Balance been preferved.
BUT it has been faid, and very probably with Truth, that if it had not been for the un- happy Mifunderftandingamongft the Allies, much more might have been obtained j but what, has not been fpecified, except with regard to us ; for it was made one of the Articles of Impeachment againft the Earl of Oxford, that Cape-Breton was not yield- ed to us as a Part of Nova Scotia. There is great Reafon to believe, that this would have been infilled upon, if the Ministers who made the Peace had not been fo much diftrefled at home ; which (hews how much the Interefts of this poor Nation fuffer by the Appetite of private Men for Power, and by the inveterate Struggles of Factions. But admitting, and indeed Lord Bolingbroke admits it, that more might have been had : It does not follow that nothing was obtained, or that becaufe we did not get all we could wifli, we mould not fet a
juft
266 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
juft Value upon what we really did get, and remains flill in our Hands.
UPON the Conclufion of this Treaty, the Earl of Oxford faid, That it 'would exe- cute it/elf, and that whenever a new War broke out, it would be in Italy. He was right in both, for fince that Time, we have twice feen the Sfanijb Branch of the Houfe of Bourbon acting in direct Oppofi- tion to France ; once in an open War, and once by a folemn Treaty. We are at this Hour flattered with the Hopes of feeing fomething of the fame Kind a third Time. As to the War in Italy, and the Exchange of Sicily for Sardinia, thefe were the Ef- fects of the Quadruple Alliance, not made by the Minifters who negotiated the Treaty of Utrecht, but by fome of the Minifters who caufed them to be impeached, and who entered into that Alliance, in order to amend, and to fet right the Miftakes made by that Treaty fo heavily and loudly 4ecrjed;
BUT
lx>rd Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 267
BUT the wifeft and the beft Men may be miftaken ! fince from this correcting and Amending Alliance, almoft all the Difputes have arifen that have perplexed and dif- turbed Europe ever fince. It was in Confe- quence of that Alliance, that the Spanifo Branch of the Houfe of Bourbon had an Entrance given them into Italy, that a cer- tain Promife was made with refpect to G/- braltar \ that the prefent King of Sardinia was thrown into the Arms of the Houfe of Bourbon, which produced the great Change in the Syftem of Ital)\ by the Lofs of Naples and Sicily ; and many other Events, which it would be tedious and needlefs to recapitulate. One Thing only I will ob- ferve, that if all the Treaties which have been made fince, were to be expofed to as fevere an Enquiry as that which the Treaty of Utrecht met with, the Minifters that made them might have found a great deal pf Difficulty in defending themfelves. On this Subject enough has been laid, at }ea(l, in Conjunction with what you wilt
268 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
find in the latter Part of this noble Perfon's Letters, written with that Penetration and Judgment, that Vivacity and Eloquence, which were natural and peculiar to him, and which enabled him to fet any Thing he chofe to fet, in fo clear a Light, that all Endeavours to perplex and obfcure it again were fruitlefs.
WHAT I have been faying, you muft understand entirely of the Plan or Syftem of Politicks, with refpect to foreign Affairs, adopted by thofe who thought it Time to make a general Peace, after a War that had continued fo many Years, and which had coft I will not fay how many Millions. But with refpect to the Steps taken in the Management of the Negotiations that pro- duced it, I have already given you a Hint, where the beft Vindication of them may be found ; for that in the Situation this Mi. niftry was in, there might be many Things done irregularly is far from being improba- ble j and what was their great Misfortune, Thofe who, by a potent Oppofition, ma-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 269
naged with equal Spirit and Skill, drove them into thefe Irregularities, came after- wards into Power, and with great Strictnefs and Severity enquired into, difcovered, and fet in the ftrongeft Light, every Slip that had happened in a long Courfe of arduous and delicate Tran factions, incumbered throughout with the greateft Difficulties, both abroad and at home. To this there was added another, and flill a greater Mis- fortune, which was the national Prejudice againft fuch as were branded with the odious Appellation of Friends to the French Intereft, a Circumftance thatfome of them- felves afterwards experienced with a great Degree of Injuftice j for though it is by no Means eafy, and, perhaps, would not be prudent to remove this Prejudice from the Hearts of the People, yet Minifters {hould be entirely free from it, and take their Meafures, with refpect to Foreign Affairs, not from popular Affections, but from the true Interefts of this Nation, which in the Nature of Things muft fre- quently vary, and the Conduct of wife and
able
270 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
able Minifters with it. Let us now return from Reflection to Hiftory, and purfue* though very fuccinctly, the Steps of his Lordfbip's Conduct, while he continued a Minifter,
IN a few Weeks after his Return frorri France, her Majefty was pleafed to beftow the vacant Ribbons of the Order of the Garter upon the Dukes of Hamilton, Beau- Jort and Kent ; and the Earls Paulet, Oxford and Strfljford, with which it is faid, the Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke was far from being pleafed, as having himfelf an Ambi- tion to receive, as well as to deferve fuch an Inftance as this was of his Miftrefs's Grace; and Favour. In a fhort Time after, the firft of thofe noble Perfons, who had been appointed her Majefty 's EmbafTador Extraordinary to the Court of France, fell a Victim to the Rage of Party in Hyde- Park. His Lordfhip, it is thought, would not have been difpleafed, if he had been charged with that Embaffy; but the Duke of Shrew/bury was chofen, and went ac- cordingly.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 271
cordingly. The Authority is fo great, upon the Credit of which thefe Fafts are men- tioned, that one can fcarce call the Truth of them in Queftion. However, if he had really either, or both thefe Preferments in View, he had in Procefs of Time great Reafon to be reconciled to Fortune, for defeating his Inclinations, more efpecially as the Queen gave him about this Time a very conliderable Teftimony of her Efteem, in making him Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Effex, in the Room of the Earl of Rivers. The Duke of Sbrewjbury dif- charged the laft mentioned Truft with great Honour. The Peace was concluded in April, 1713, and immediately after the Parliament met, in which, though Things were tolerably well managed, yet difcern- ing People could not help perceiving, that the great Men had been rather too hafty in quitting the Houfe of Commons, and were much more to blame for difagreeing amongft themfelves. A Piece of ill Conduct which began early, and ended fatally. I will fpeak of it as I do of every Thing, freely,
and
272 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
and according to the beft Information I have received. You may very poffibly meet with Perfons better acquainted with thefe Tranfactions than I, and if they impart to you their Knowledge with the fame Can- dour, you cannot fail of receiving confi- derable Benefit from contemplating that Change, this Difference brought on in the Queen's Adminiftration, and which though but of four Days Continuance, ended with her Life.
IT has been already faid, that thefe Dif- putes commenced early ; it may be upon Mr. Harkys being railed to the Peerage, and declared High-Treafurer ; at lead, this was what that noble Perfon fufpefted, and was what induced him to put the famous Dr. Swift upon writing that conciliating Piece of political Cafuiftry, entitled* A Letter to the October Club. It feems, that while Mr. St. John directed Things in the Houfe of Commons with great Spirit and Ability, an Opinion was conceived that the Minifter, that is, the Lord-Treafurerj did
not
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 273
not proceed fo vigoroufly as he might have done, and as many of the Gentlemen who compofed that Club, thought they had Reafon to expert. You may fee by that Letter how little Minifters are to be envied, and what Troubles and Anxieties necefTa- rily attend on thofe who become the Lead- ers of Parties, who are often fullen or refractory while afpiring to Superiority, and almoft always impatient, mutinous and tur- bulent when that Superiority is attained. It is a natural Thing for Men to over-rate their own Merits in all Situations; but in the Dif- putes of Party this has been, and ever will be confpicuous in the higheft Degree. Thofe who complained of the Treafurer's Slownefs and Want of Spirit, expected a total Revolution, that all who were or were fuppofed to be Whigs mould be turned out of Employments, and replaced by Tories^ or thofe who would call them- felves fo, and act as fuch. The Treafurer thought this impracticable in fome Re- fpects, and very imprudent in others ; he was for doing the Queen's Bufinefs as T fmoothly
274 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
fmoothly as he could, and making an In- clination to do that, the Recommendation to Power, rather than the fpeaking the Language or wearing the Cognizance of any Party. This not a few who lived in thofe Times will deny ; but this I have many and ftrong Reafons to believe was the Truth, and no Motive in the World to tell you fo, except that of believing it firmly.
THE Scheme of the Treafurer was in- deed very difficult to execute, and expofed him alike to the violent Men of both Par- ties, without attaching to him, at.leaft clofely, any great Number of Friends. This will be always the Cafe in Countries where Parties have long raged with Violence j for a Minifter muft not only be Matter of great Prudence and Addrefs, but muftbealfo what no Minifter has it in his Power to be, very fortunate, who fliould bring fuch a Scheme to bear, that is, who mall be able to feledr. the wife and moderate Men of both Parties, engage them to abandon their
re/pective
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE, 275
refpedtive Notions of that Kind, and by uniting in the publick Service, acquire a Weight arid Influence fufficient to render ineffectual the Intrigues, and to repel the moft violent Attacks of Faction. The Lord High-Treafurer Oxford had a Capa- city as equal to fuch a Tafk as moft Mi- nifters we ever had, and if he had rifen to that Height of Power fomewhat earlier in his Life, might in all Probability have ac- complimed his Defign, and have eftablimed the State on-a firm Foundation, and there- by fecured his own Character. But as it was, he incurred the Hatred of both Par- ties ; the Whigs were his implacable Ene- mies for what l\e had done, and fome others became as inveterate for what he would not fuffer them to do. The Situa- tion he was in obliged him to be perpetually upon the Referve, and this gave a Colour to reprefent him as a Man dark, perplexed and unintelligible. His Fertility in Expe- dients fupported him long, and made even thofe who did not love him, conclude his Continuance in his Station abfolutely necef- T 2 fary.
Hj6 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
fary. It gave them, however, a Handle for reprefenting him as a Man of Art, and thus his Interefl was continually finking, even while he condudted all Things in Ap- pearance. But that he was mifunderfteod, both by Foes and Friends, appears, at leaft in my Judgment, very clearly from this, that while in the Height of Power he was never charged with Violence, and when his Conduit was expofed to the ftricteft Scrutiny, and himfelf to the fevereft Pro- kcution, there was no Difcovery of Cor- ruption. Give me Leave to add, that hie two warmeft Opponents, Arthur Mayn- rjaring, Efq; and Sir Richard Steek, were both overcome by his Moderation. The former fettled with him, the Duke of Marlborougb's Pafs for going abroad, which was accompanied with a Letter from the Queen, expreffing that whatever Tefti- monies of Efteem were paid him where- ever he came, would be very acceptable to her. As for Sir Richard Steele, as his Hoftilities were committed through the Prefs, he thought it juft to make his Atone- ment
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 277
ment the fame Way, and he did this when the Earl was out of Power, and when Sir Richard could have no other Motive, but the Love of Truth and Juftice. But for the Reafons I have given, you will very eafily difcern, whatever his Merit was, whatever his Intentions might be, it is rather wonderful he fuftained himfelf fo long, than that he funk at laft. In a Nation agitated by Factions, he who will not be of a Faction muft be crumed be- tween them.
THERE was a Scheme formed for his Exclufion at the Clofe of the fecond Sefii- on of Parliament after he came into Power ; but upon fome Trials that were made, it was found that the Queen could not be brought into it; (he had feen many of his Undertakings fucceed, which feveral of her Servants had treated as chimerical and impracticable ; and me had feen fome of their Projects fail, notwithstanding they were very plaufible in their Appearance j me was naturally afraid of Storms, and (he T 3 was
278 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
was very defirous of ending her Life in Quiet, if it was poffible. But by Degrees, and by the Lofs, as it is generally fa id, of the Favour of the Ladies, who were about her, the Treafurer began to decline in her Favour. There were at this Time three enterprizing Minifters, of whom the Lord Vifcourit Bolingbrokc was one who believed it practicable, by a thorough modelling of Places, to have eftablifhed fuch an extenfive Influence as muft have fupported them at ail Events, made the Remainder of the Queen's Reign perfectly eafy, and have made it clearly the Intereft of the Succeffor, upon her De- mife, to carefs and employ them. This, if you will examine their Conduct ftrict- ly 5 compare it. with the Writings of thofe who were mod in their Confidence, and one of the Pieces of this noble Perfon in the laft Collection, publifhed before his Death, will appear to be the Truth. In order to the Execution of this Plan, the Removal of the Treafurer was not only expedient, but neceiTary ; though it was not without great Difficulty that it was
effected.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 279
effected. The Earl of Oxford knew the Value of the White-Staff, and was not to be perfuaded or frighted out of it ; for his greateft Enemies have allowed that he had a Firmnefs of Mind in all Situations, which is hardly ever to be found in a bad Man. At length, on the ayth of July, 1714, the Staff was taken, or rather torn from him, and the Circumftances attending this Cabi- net Convulfion, are generally faid to have coft the Queen her Life. She was feized foon after with that violent Diftemper of which {he died, and in a (hort Interval of Senfe, at the Recommendation of the Privy-Council, delivered that Mark of the Treafurer's Office to the Duke of Sbrewf- bury, who was Lord Chamberlain, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland before. This was the IfTue of that Conteft, in which thofe who had laboured the Difgrace of the Treafurer ob- tained a compleat Victory, and met with a total Defeat almoft in the fame Breath.
THOUGH I am very (enfible of the
Length of this Letter, yet I cannot pre-
T 4 vail
280 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
vail upon myfclf toclofe it without making fome Reflections. There never was a Junc- ture, within the Memory of any who are now living, when the Rage of Parties ran higher than at this Time of which we are fpeaking, and, confequently, there never was a Time when the public Intereft fuf- fered more from the Spirit of Party. Thofe who fliled themfelves Patriots, and many of them certainly were fo, fuffered them- ielves to be drawn into a Notion, that be- caufe the Allies had fallen out with the Miniftry, they could never attach them- felves too zealouily to their Demands, by which they increafed an ill Humour, that would have run high enough without their Afliftance, gave Advantages to France, which otherwife me could never have had, and put fome of the Allies upon refuting what could not afterwards he obtained. By the finding Fault with every Thing in the Peace, and darting Objections and Ca- vils, even to the Advantages of it, they difcouraged and diftreffed the Miniftry to a Degree that was prejudicial to the Nation.
By
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 28*
By their heightening popular Difcontents, and by fuggefting Collufion with the French in every Thing, they threw the Adminiftra- tion, and particularly thofe who had more immediately engaged in managing the Treaty, into the Arms of France ', who, as it plainly appears, availed herfelf of their Difficulties, and of this violent Oppofition ; fo that their Hatred of 'France operated more in her Favour, than the Defire of Peace, in thofe, who for that Reafon, were moft in- vidioufly ftiled her Friends. By imputing dangerous and unconstitutional Defigns (when as far as has hitherto appeared, there were no fuch Defigns) they took the readi- eft Method to dictate them, and by a flrange and unparalleled Strain of Policy, exprefled their Zeal for the Succeffion in the illuftri- ous Houfe of Hanover, by driving thofe, who alone could attempt to hinder it, into Defpair ; and, laftly, which they after- wards found to their Coft, they eftablimed fuch ftrange Doctrines in Politicks, with refpect to the Obligation of Great-Britainy Always to efpoufe certain Interefls upon the
Continent,
282- MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Continent, as brought a Neceffity upon themfelves of taking Meafures when they came into Power, that they afterwards re- pented, and furnimed the Means of retort- ing this Odium upon them when they dif- covered their Repentance, and owned a Concurrence with France, when for any Thing that appeared, France had no bad Defigns. Such were the Effects of Party Spirit on this Side !
«
THEY were not at all lefs confpicuous, they were not at all lefs mifchievous on the other. The fmooth Language, which a due Senfe of their own deep Diftrefs had, in the Beginning, taught the French Mi- nifters, heightened by the rough Treat- ment they had received from thofe of the Allies^ deceived fome of our own. Can- dour, Generofity, Good-nature hindered them from dictating when they might ; and this Imprudence, for fuch it really was, put them afterwards under Difficulties, out of which they extricated themfelves with Pain, and by a moft unaccountable Fatality,
left
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 283
left the Monuments of this Pain and thofe Difficulties to appear. They chofe, when they found themfelves in this Dilemma, to derive Affiftance from their old Enemies, which, it may be, a little Condefcenfion would have purchaled from their old Friends. At home they depended too much upon the Influence of that Power they had fo lately acquired, and that popular Applaufe they had taken fo much Pains to obtain. But they had never con- iidered how fuddenly they might be ftripped of the one, and how little the other would avail them when that was gone. But the greateft of their political Errors, was their giving Encouragement to a Party they never meant to ferve \ whofe Affiftance did them very little Good, and by receiving which Affiftance, they fortified the Sug- geftions of their Opponents, and did more towards their own Deftruclion, than all the Skill and Addrefs of their Enemies, and they wanted neither, could ever have done. Such were their Errors, and fuch the Fruits of that Spirit of Party which
they
284 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
they encouraged! Between both, the Nation was for fome Years kept in a continual Flame, and while cant Exprefllons, and vain Pretences mifled Multitudes on both Sides, there were very few who under- flood, or confequently were in a Condition to mean, or to purfue the public Good ; and this at a Seafon (which was another great Misfortune to the Nation) when at home and abroad, it might have been pur- fued to the greatefl Advantage.
IT is the Strength and Security of Men, who acl: upon found and national Princi- ples, that whenever they are fortunate enough to gain the Afcendant, they are in very little Danger of lofing it. Whereas it is quite otherwife with Factions, even under the ableft Leaders ; for when once they grafp that Power, for which they eternally ftruggle, unlefs they can totally crufh their Opponents, it is impofiible they fliould keep it long. There were two Miniflers in thofe Days, I had like to have defcribed them more plainly, but it is as
well
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 285
well omitted, who were in Hopes of ferv- ing their Country, by felecting Men of Parts and Probity, and fharing the Adminiftra- tion amonft them, without regarding Fac- tions. They were both very near fuc- ceeding, but neither of them did fuc- ceed. They were both, in Spite of all they could do, carried away by the Stream of predominant Factions ; but with this Difference, that the one fell with, and the other by it. If either of them could have ftemmed the Tide even for a little Time, they would have done all they propofed. But as foon as they loft their Ports, and their Influence, all was to be begun again.
WHEN the Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke and his Friends undertook to eftablifh the 'Tory Syftemt and flaked their own Power and Safety upon that Attempt, they cer- tainly had much in their Hands, and a great Influence on the Bulk of the Britifo Nation. But they had not fufficiently con- fidered the Queen's ill State of Health, or the little Probability there was, that after
the
286 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
the laft new Revolution in the Miniftry, they mould be able (which it is laid they en- deavoured) to clofe with the Whigs. Thefe, when in Power, and when out of Power, had conducted themfelves with great Spirit and Unanimity, and though in wounding their Enemies, they had fometimes confi- dered the Interefl of the Nation but little, yet it muft be allowed they were never wanting to themfelves. They purfued in that Refpect a right Plan both at home and abroad, and they reaped the Fruits of it. They looked upon themfelves as fure of coming into Power again, if they kept in a Body, and they very wifely remained firm to that falutary and fenfible Refolu- tion. It is however true, that they were in fome Danger from the Lord Treafurer Oxford's Flan j but when it once appeared that he was infecure, and confequently in no Condition to execute it, they were im- mediately out of Danger, and out of all Apprehenfions. Thofe who had left them made hafte to return. Thofe who were about to leave them, relumed with recruited
Vigour
Lord Vifcount BOL1NGBROKE. 287
Vigour their old Conduct. The Leaders of the Whigs faw the Breach in the Ad- miniftration, and faw it with the utmoft Satisfaction. They knew they mould re- ceive Applications from both Sides, which they received coldly, and with an Air of Difdain, as being refolved to give Quarter to neither. This Scene was of a very fliort Continuance, but they made their Advan- tage of it, fhort as it was. They acted with Spirit and Dignity, and made their Conqueft fure and compleat, by putting themfelves in a Pofture to relieve all the Pofts while they were yet full, and by this bold Aflertion of their Right to Power, actually came into Poffeflion of it, before thofe who fan- cied they could contefl it with them were recovered from their Condensation. They did recover themfelves a little, as, if I have Leifure, I {hall (hew you ; but it was too late. The feeble Meafures they had taken to reconcile themfelves to the SuccefTor, upon a Suppofition, that when they had once eftablifhed their Power, he muft be obliged to court them, had no Effect, and i that
288 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
that Stand which they fancied they could make, proved but a Fancy. Here, as I believe you will think it high Time, I {hall conclude this very long Letter, with a hearty Wifh, that you may fee no fuch Times, be expofed to no fuch Trials, when by an artful Ufe of the Words, Steadinefs and Honour, Gentlemen were engaged to go all the Lengths of Party, to gratify the Avidity and Ambition of their Leaders, without confidering what national Interefts fuffered, or what national Expences were incurred !
LET-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 289
LETTER IX.
Mors terribilis eft iis quorum cum Vita omnia extinguuntur, non iis quorum Laus cmori non poteft.
This Letter compofed rather of Facts than Reflections. I'he Proclamation of King George I. fettled as foon as pojfible upon the Queen's Deceafe, and fubf crib ed by the Vifcount Bolingbroke, and the reft of her late Majeftys Minlfters. His Lordjhip is feverely mortified by the Regency, before Orders were received from Hanover for removing him from his Office. His Be- haviour in the Jhort SeJ/ion after the Queens Death. In the ftrft Parliament of King George oppofes in the Houfe of Peers, an Addrefs which cenfured the Queens Minijiry and the Peace. Oppofed alfo by the Duke of Shrewfbury, Earl of Strafford, and other Peers ; but the Ad- drefs after all carried by a Majority of U two
290 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
two to one. Lord Bolingbroke beginning thereupon to doubt the Safety of his Per- fon, judged it more prudent to withdraw out of the Kingdom. A Letter publified foon after, as if written by him to another noble Peer, containing the Reafom of his taking that Step. Some Remarks as to the Propriety of bis Lordfiip's ConducJ. Com- mencement and Proceedings of the Com- mittee of Secrecy. Debate upon the bring- ing up Articles of Impeachment againjl the Ear I of Oxford, a?id Demand that he Jhould be immediately fequejlred from Par- liament. His Lordfiifs admirable Speech for hi/life If upon this Qccafion. Committed to the Ufier of the Black-Rod the fame Night, and foon after to the Tower. 'The Lord Fij count Bolingbroke and the Duke o/'Ormond attainted. No Mention made of any treasonable Correfpondence, other than in negotiating the Peace, in theft Acts of Attainder. At what Time, and a Conjecture by ivhofe Intereft, the former of thefe Peers was pardoned, and pro- tnifed Marks of the Kings Favour. An
Attempt
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE, 291
Attempt tojix this Period with Certainty from his own Writings. His Senfe of this Royal Favour, and his Situation when he received it. An Application to Parlia- ment y in order to his enjoying the Benefits in- tended him by the King's Pardon. This In- dulgence vehemently oppofed in the Houfe of Commons, and followed by Protefts in the Houfe of Lords. He once more takes up his Pen in Politicks , and his Apology for it. How relijhed by feme, and in what Light confidered by others. His great A- bilities as an Author generally acknow- ledged^ and fuccefsfully employed. His Rank and high Employments, jlrong Pre- judices in his Favour as a Writer. Ap- plies Hijlory in general, and Engliih Hiflory more efpecially with great Dex- terity. His Writings to be read with much Attention, and no lefs Caution. Adopts, in order tojlrengthen his Friends in Oppofition, the Doftrine of the Earl of Oxford, under the Notion of a Coali- tion of Parties. Varies his Views 'with the varying Circumftances of the Times, U 2 and
292 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
and fixes on a Right to Fame after Death. His Character drawn by a noble Pen. 'Time of his Death, and feme Particulars relating to it. A few practical Remarks . on the winding up thefe Letters, for the life of the Perfon to whom they are ad- drejjed.
IN fome of my former, I am afraid that I have been a little troublefome to you by the Length of my Reflections, but at prefent I mall make you fome Amends ; for though it may be that this Letter will be as long as even my laft, yet mall it confift chiefly of Fads, with refpect to which I ihall leave you to your own Reflections ; and if we (hall live to converfe hereafter, .as I hope we fliall, upon thefe Topicks, upon imparting your Sentiments, I (hall make no Scruple of giving you mine.
THE dernier Fait of the Lord Vifcount .Bolingbroke's Miniftry, during the Life of his Royal Miftrefs, was informing her JViajefty in Conjunction with Mr. Bromley,
and
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 293
and the Earl of Mar, the other two Secre- taries of State, that the Privy-Council humbly recommended to her, the Duke of Shrewsbury for the Poft of Lord High- Treafurer. The Queen anfwered, They could not recommend a Perfonfoe liked better •, than the Duke of Shrewlbury ; adding, when the White-Staff was put into his Hands, Ufe it for the Good of my People, which was the laft Adi of her Reign. This was on the 3oth of July, and her Majefty continuing lethargic that Night, and the next Day, the Privy-Council wrote a Letter, fuitable to the Occafion, to the Elector of Brunfwick, and directed the neceflary Pre- parations for proclaiming him King. Her Majefty expiring on the ift of Augufl, 1714, a little after Seven in the Morning, the Regency was foon after declared, and according to the ufual Cuftom, the Procla- mation of the Succeflbr was figned by all the Perfons of Distinction then at Court, by the late Queen's Minifters particularly, and by the Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke amongft the reft.
U 3 ON
294 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
ON the i ft of Auguft the Queen died, and on the 31(1 of the fame Month, the Lord Vi (count Bolingbroke was removed from his Office of Secretary of State, and all the Papers in his faid Office fecured. But be- fore this, he had received, perhaps, a higher Mortification ; for upon the third of the fame Month, the Regency having made Choice of Jofeph Addifon, Efq; for their Secretary, they at the fame Time gave Di- rections to the Port- Mailer-General, to fend all Letters and Packets directed to the Secretaries of State, to the Secretary of the Regency. So that his Lordfhip was in Fadl removed from his high Office, that is, from the Execution of it in two Days after the Queen's Death. This muft have o- bliged his Lordfhip to make many ferious Reflections, the Chagrin of which was Continually heightened by the daily Humi- liation of waiting at the Door of the Apart- ment where the Regency fat, with a Bag in his Hand, and being all this Time, as it ~ were on Purpofe, expofed to the Infolence
of
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 295
of thofe who were tempted by their own Intemperance of Mind, or thought they might make their Court to others, by an Abufe of this fudden Turn of Fortune. It was, therefore, a Kind of Relief, when upon the Return of Mr. Murray^ who brought the Difpatch in Anfwer to that fent by Mr. Craggs (who carried the Privy- Council's Letters) to the King, he was difmifled from his Office, the Seals being demanded by the Dukes of Shrew/bury and Somet jet j or at leaft it would have ap- peared in this Light, if it had not been for the locking up the Doors of his Office, and putting Seals upon them, which might, and very probably did fugged to him what afterwards happened ; and all Things confi- dered, it is not improbable, that even this was likewife intended ; for fome who knew his Lordfhip's great Capacity were at this critical Juncture willing to difconcert and deprefs his Spirits, if they could.
HE was, however, far from difcovering any Signs of Apprehenfion at this Time U 4 bu
296 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
but on the Contrary, took frequent Occafi- ons to declare he was able to vindicate his own Conducl, and applied himfelf with much Induftry and Vigour to keep up the Spirit of the Friends to the late Adminiftrati- on, during that (hort Seflion of Parliament which followed the Queen's Death, in which nothing of Moment was done, except fettling the Civil Lift, and fome other Points that were abfolutely neceffary. Soon after that Sefilon was determined, the Parliament was duTolved, and a Proclamation iffued for calling another, before the Meeting of which the new Miniftry was fettled ; the Lord Vifcount Townjhend, James Stanhope, Efq; and the Duke of Montroje made Se- cretaries of State, in the Room of the Lord Vifcount Bohngbroke, Mr. Bromley , and the Earl of Mar.
THE new Parliament met on the i^thof March, when the Commons elected Spencer Compton, Efq; their Speaker. On the 21 ft the King came to the Houfe, and delivered his Speech to the Lord Chancellor Coivper3
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 297
by whom it was read to both Houfes. The next Day the Committee appointed by the Houfe of Lords to draw up an Addrcfs, reported it as ufual. After reading it, a warm Debate arofe, chiefly in regard to the following Expreffions, And Recover the Reputation of this Kingdom in foreign Parts, the Lofs of which we hope to convince the World by our Affions, is by no Means to be imputed to the Nation in general. The Lord Trevor, the Lord Vifcount Boling- broke, the Earl of Strafford, the Dukes of Buckingham and Shrewjbury, the Earl of Angkfey, the Archbimop of Tork, the Bifhops of London and Brijlol, and fpme other Peers excepted againft that Claufe, alledging among other Things, " That it " was injurious to the late Queen's Memo- <c ry, and even inconfiftent with that Part " of his Majefty's Speech, which recom- <c mended to both Houfes, the avoiding {t the unhappy Divifions of Parties." The Lord Bolingbroke in particular made a long Speech, wherein he exprefled, " The ?' heartieft and deepeft Concern for the
" Memory
298 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
c<
Memory of the late Queen, his moft ct excellent Miftrefs, which he faid he <e would do all in his Power to vindicate. <c That he had the Honour to be one of " her Servants, and if he had done any " Thing amifs, he would be contented to " be punimed for it j but that he thought " it very hard to be cenfured and con- " demned without being heard." His Lordfhip took this Occafion to fay a great deal in Praife of the King. " That his " Majefty had feveral Times exprefled a great Refpeft and Tendernefs for the late Queen's Memory, and was a Prince of fo great Wifdom, Equity and Juftice, " that he was fure his Majefty would not <c condemn any Man without hearing what " he had to fay for himfelf ; and that fo au- <e guft an Affembly ought to imitate fo great c{ a Pattern." In fine, it was upon thefe and other Reafons his Lordmip moved, that the Words Recover, &c. might be foftened into thofe of maintain the Reputation of this Kingdom, and that the reft of the Paragraph might be omitted.
THE
<c
<c
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 269
THE Earl of Str -afford alfo excepted againft that Claufe, amongft other Argu- ments, " Becaufe it would expofe the <f Honour of the Nation abroad, which f c he afierted he was fure had fufFered no " Diminution during his Negotiations." The Duke of Shrew/bury faid in particular, " That the Houfe of Peers ought on all " Occafions to be moft tender of the " Honour and Dignity of the Crown, " from which they derive their own Ho- " nourand Luftre: That, therefore, when ce the like Claufe was inferted in an Ad- " drefs of the Houfe of Commons to the " late Queen, upon the Death of King Wil- " Ham, he had exprefTed to feveral Mem- " bers of that Houfe his Diflike of it, be- <e caufe it reflected on the Memory of that ec Prince ; and for the fame Reafon, he was a- cc gain ft the fame Sort of Claufe now." Thefe and other Arguments urged on that Side were anfwered by the Marquefs of Wharton^ the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Nottingham^ and the Earl of Aifaford, the Duke of
Devonjhire,
300 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
Devon/hire, and fome other Peers, who exprefled all the Refpect and Reverence for the late Queen's Memory imaginable, dif- tinguimed between her and her Miniftry, and maintained the Claufe in Queftion, by Arguments drawn from the Mifmanage- ments of the latter, hinted at in his Ma- jefty's Speech. The Lord Chancellor in particular taking Notice of the Objections raifed by the Lord Bolingbrokey among other Things faid, " They did not condemn <c any particular Perfon, but only the Peace " in general, becaufe they felt the ill Con- " fequences of it j that they who advifed, <c and made fuch a Peace, deferved indeed " to be cenfured, but that the Words in <c the Addrefs being general, no private tc Perfon was affected by them ; and that " the Alteration of the Word Recover into " that of Maintain^ would fignify no " more towards the Juftification of the " Guilty, than the Word Recover towards " the Condemnation of the Innocent." Upon the whole Matter, the Queftion be- ing put, whether the Addrefs mould be
recom.-
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 301
recommitted or not, it was carried in the Negative, by a Majority of fixty-fix againft thirty-three.
IT may be reafonably fuppofed, that the Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke collected from the Nature and Ifliie of this Debate, that a Refolution was even at this Time taken to carry Things to Extremities, and that in fuch a Cafe, he might be more particularly in Danger. Various Reports there were upon this Subject, and amongft the reft, two, either of which had an Air of Pro- bability j one was, that a certain noble Perfon, who did not altogether approve violent Proceedings at the Opening of a new Reign, but was defirous rather that milder Meafures might be purfued, as moft likely to quiet the Minds of all his Majefty's Sub- jects, produce a gradual Extinction of Par- ties, and conciliate the Affections of the People in general to the Royal Family ; found his Councils over-ruled, and having intimated this to fome of his Friends, it came to Lord Bolingbroke 's Ear. The
other
302 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
other was, that a very great Man, to whom his Lordmip had been formerly dear, and to whom he had been for fome time recon- ciled, hinted to him, that of all the Queen's Minifters, he was like to meet with the kafl Favour. But whether both, or either, or neither of thefe Stories were true, fo it was, that his Lordmip thought fit to with- draw in a few Days, and going Port to D</very embarked there for Calaist where he landed fafely the next Day.
SOON after his Lordfhip's Departure, the following Letter, faid to have been written to the late Lord Lanfdown, was printed and handed about. As it is very confident with his Lordfhip's Conduct and Senti- ments, it is probably genuine, at leaft, it was not difown'd then, or denied fince.
Dover, March 27, 1715.
" MY LORD,
Left the Town fo abruptly that I had no Time to take Leave of you or " any of my Friends : You will excufe
" me
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 303
" me when you know that I had certain " and repeated Informations from fome " who are in the Secret of Affairs, That " a Refolution was taken by thofe who " have Power to execute, to purfue me to " the Scaffold. My Blood was to have " been the Cement of a new Alliance, nor " could my Innocence be any Securit yafter " it had been once demanded from abroad, " and refolved on at home, that it was ne- " ceflary to cut me of. Had there been the " leaft Reafon to hope for kfair and open " Trial, after having been already pre- " judged unheard, by two Houfes of Par- " liament, I fliould not have declined the " ftricleft Examination. I challenge the tc mod inveterate of my Enemies, to pro- ft duce any one Inftance of criminal Cor- " rejpondence, or the leaft Corruption in any " Part of the Adminiftration in which I " was concerned. If my Zeal for the " Honour and Dignity of my Royal Miftrefs, <c and the true Inter eft of my Country has cc any where tranfported me to let (lip a 1 warm or unguarded Exprefliont I hope the
" moft
304 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
" moft favourable Interpretation will be <c put upon it. It is a Comfort that will " remain with me in all my Misfortunes^ " that I ferved her Majefty faithfully and <c dutifully, in that efpecially which (he ec had moft at Heart, relieving her People *c from a bloody and expenfive War^ and that ** I have always been too much an Engliflj- tc man to facrifice the Jnterejl of my Coun- " try to any foreign Ally whatever, and it " is for this Crime only that I am now " driven from thence. You will hear more " at large from me fhortly.
" Tours, &c."
IF this was an exacl: Copy, or even if it contained the Subftance of his Lordfhip's Letter, it is very evident that he thought his Life in the utmoft Danger ; and as no body underftood parliamentary Management bet- ter, the carrying in that Aflembly, which was to be the laft Refort of Juftice, with- out Hearing, and without Evidence, a Cen- fure of the late Peace, and of the Conduct
of
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 305
of thofe who made it, feem'd to be luch a Specimen of their Sentiments as took from him all Hope. His Lordihip, indeed, might have confidered, that framing an Addrefs^ and deciding on an Impeachment are very different Things, that the lame Man may have feveral Opinions in Conle- queoce of his acting in different Capacities, and hat Perfons often defend, as Orators, Points that they would confider in another Light, if they were to pronounce as Judges. We need not, however, wonder, that in fuch Circumftances, Diftinctions of this Kind did not enter his Head* or if they did, that he was not fond of riflcing his Life and Fortune, upon Conjectures ; more efpecially if he had any fuch Hints given him as are before mentioned, or this Letter aflerts in flronger Terms, fince they muft have added great Weight to his Notion, that in Support of their own Sentiments, expreffed in a folemn Addrefs to the Throne, his Fate would not be fufficiently confidered j by thofe who were to require, or thoic who were to give Judgment.
X BUT
306 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, Sec. of
BUT this Manner of Proceeding, and the Murmurs of more vigorous Proceedings, had not the like Effect upon the reft of the Queen's Servants, who feemed determined to wait the Event. About the Beginning of April, the Committee of Secrecy was appointed, and chofe Robert Walfole^ E% for their Chairman. They continued fit- ting de Die in Diem for upwards of two Months, for it was not till the 9th of June that the Report was made. It was read a fecond Time, the next Day, when Mr. Walpok moved to impeach the Lord Vif- count Rolingbroke of High-Treafon, and other high Crimes and MiiBemeanors : At the fame Time, Lord Conlngjby moved to impeach the Earl of Oxford: On the 21 ft the Duke of Ormond was impeached of High-Treafon, and the Earl of Mr afford of high Crimes and Mifdemeanors. On the pth of July, the Lord Caningjby carried up Articles of Impeachment of High-Treafon, and other high Crimes and Mifdemeanors, againft the Earl of Oxford, to the Bar of the
Houfe
Lord Vifcount BOLIN7GBROKE. 307
Houfe of Lords, and demanded, that he might be fequeftred from Parliament, and committed to fafe* Cuftody, agreeable to the Cuftom (the only Law) of Parliament in fuch Cafes.
UPON this followed feveral warm De- bates in the Houfe of Peers, and two Queftions of lefs Confequence being car- ried againft the Earl, they came at length to the main Queftion, which was as to his Commitment. Upon this Occafion that noble Perfon judged it not only expedient but neceffary for him to fpeak for himfelf ; and as in the Courfe of thefe Letters, per- haps, I have given you a different Charac- ter of his Lord (hip than you may have met with elfewhere, I think it necefiaryto tranfcribe his Speech upon this Occafion, very critical in itfelf, which affected him very nearly, and fpoken under as violent a Fit of the Gravel as a Man could well endure. It has been faid, that he was a Man of a cloudy Understanding, confufed in his Ideas, and a perplexed Speaker j the X 2 Circum-
308 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Circumftances beforementioned were not like to help his Oratory much, and yet I am content that you (hall believe or difbe- lieve what I have faid of him from his Speech. It was addrefled to the Lord Chancellor Cowper, and conceived in the following Terms.
MY LORD,
" T T is a very great Misfortune for any ct A Man to fall under the Difpleafure of <c fo great and fo powerful a Body as the " Commons of Great-Britainy and this <c Misfortune is the heavier upon me, be- <f caufe I had the Honour to be placed at «' the Head of the late Miniftry, and muft " now, it feems, be made accountable for " all the Meafures that were then purfued : " But, on the other Hand, it is a very great " Comfort to me, under this Misfortune, " that I have the Honour to be a Member " of this auguft Aflembly : An Aflembly " which always fquares their Proceedings
" and
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 309
" and Judgment by the Rules of Honour, " Juftice and Equity, and is not to be " biafled by a Spirit of Party.
" My Lord,
" I COULD fay a great deal to clear my- <c felf of the Charge which is brought " againft me : But as I now labour " under an Indifpofition of Body, befides " the Fatigue of this long Sitting, I (hall
1 contract what I have to fay within a very <f narrow Compafs. This whole Accufa-
1 tion may, it feems, be reduced to the
c Negotiation and Conclufion of the Peace ;
That the Nation wanted a Peace nobody
" will deny, and I hope it will be as cafily
c made out, that the Conditions of this " Peace are as good as could be expeded, €t confidering the Circum dances wherein " it was made, and the Backwardnefs and " Reluclancy which fome of the Allies " fhewed to come into the Queen's Mea-r " fures. This is certain, that this Peace, " as bad as it is noxv reprefsnted, was ap- ** proved by two fucceflive Parliaments. X 3 "It
3 io MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
" It is indeed fuggefted againft this Peace, ' that it was a leparate one, but I hope, my " Lord, it will be made appear that it was " general, and that it was France, and not *c Greai-Britaint that made the firft Steps <c towards a Negotiation. And, my Lord, " I will be bold to fay, that during my " whole Adminiftration, the Sovereign " upon the Throne was loved at home, " and feared abroad.
" As to the Bufinefs of Tournay, which e< is made a capital Charge, I can fafely " aver that J had no Manner of Share in it, <e and that the lame was wholly tranfacted " by that unfortunate Nobleman, who " thought fit to ftep afide: But I dare fay " in his Behalf, that if this Charge could be ** proved, it would not amount to Treafon. " For my own Fart, as I always acted by " the immediate Directions and Commands " of the late Queen, and never offended " againft any known Law, I am juftified " in my own Confcience, and unconcerned ". for the Life of an infignificant old Man.
*' But
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 3 1 1
" But I cannot, without the higheft Ingra- " titude, be unconcerned for the bed of " Queens : A Queen who heaped upon me " Honours and Preferments, though I never " aiked for them ; and, therefore, I think " myfelf under an Obligation to vindicate " her Memory, and the Meafures (he pur- <c fued, to my dying Breath.
<{ Mv Lord,
*' IF Minifters of State, a&ing by the <f immediate Commands of their Sovereign, " are afterwards to be made accountable " for their Proceedings, it may one Day or " other be the Cafe of all the Members of <c this auguft AfTembly : I don't doubt, " therefore, that out of Regard to your- " felves, your Lorddiips will give me an <l equitable Hearing; and I hope that in " the Profecution of this Enquiry, it will " appear, that I have merited not only the " Indulgence, but likewife the Favour of " the Government.
X 4 " Mv
312 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
" MY Lord,
1 I AM now to take my Leave of your * Lordfhip, and of this honourable Houfe, " perhaps, for ever ! I mall lay down my " Life with Pleafure in a Caufe favoured ^c by my late dear Royal Miftrefs. And " when I confider that I am to be judged " by the Juftice, Honour and Virtue of *l my Peers, I (hall acquiefce and retire ?t with great Content : And, my Lords, " God's Will be done !"
HE withdrew after making this pathetic and fenfible Speech, which did not prevent his being committed that Night to the Cuftody of the Black-Rod, and on the 1 6th of the fame Month to the Tower. The Commons afterwards fent up additi- onal Articles, and his Lordfhip put in a, very long and very explicit Anfwer to the Whole, to which the Commons replied. Jle continued, however, a clofe Prifoner till the Middle of the Summer, 1717, when
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 313
a Day was appointed for his Trial in Weft- minjter-Hally but the Houfe of Peers re- folving, upon the Motion of the Lord Har- court, that the Commons fhould proceed firft upon the eleventh Article, which was that of High-Treafon, and they refufing to Comply with that Method, this noble Lord, on the i ft of Jufy, in the Year before- mentioned, was unanimoufly acquitted. Thus ende4 this Profecution in relpect to him !
IN regard to the Lord Vifcount Boting- kroke, on the 6th of Augujl, 1714, the Commons fent up Articles of Impeachment againft him, which were fix in Number, and demanded that he fhould be committed to fafe Cuftody j but being informed by a Meffage from the Houfe of Lords, that he was not to be found, they, on the loth of the fame Month, brought in a Bill to at- taint him of High-Treafon, in Cafe he did not furrender before the loth of September then next enfuing j and this Bill having pafled both Houfcs, and received the Royal
Aflent,
314 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Ailent, he became, after the Time elapfed, attainted, by which he loft his Honours, and an Eftate of about two Thoufand five Hundred Pounds a Year. The fame Me- thod was purfued, in all Refpects, againft the Duke of Ormond, who alfo withdrew, though there were many, and amongft them, fome very warm and feniihle Whigs, who thought he would not have been hurt if he had ftayed ; but fome who, in his Opinion, were his Friends, believed the Contrary.
IT is very remarkable, that after all that had been fuggefted, there is not a Word faid of any treafonable Correfpondencies in either of the A&s of Attainder. It was al- fo conceived at this Time, that it was a dan- gerous Precedent, to conflrue a Correfpon- dence with the Queen's Enemies, with her Knowledge and Confent, to be High-Trea- fon, more efpecially when it had been approved by two Parliaments. It was much infifted upon by the Earl of Oxford particularly, that if they had been in any
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 3 15
Degree confcious of Guilt, or of any In- difcretion, that might be {trained into an Appearance of Guilt, they might eafily have covered themfelves by an Act of Indemnity, which as a Proof of their In- nocence, they affirmed they had never fo much as alk'd or defired. We may far- ther remember, that in the fliort Seflion after the Queen's Death, in which thefe Minifters had a great Influence ; the civil Lift was fettled, the Pay of the Hanover Troops granted, and no other Mention made of the Pretender, than what was oc- cafioned by fetting a very high Price upon his Head j from all which it was inferred, that the reigning King, and his illuftrious Family, had no Reafon to take Offence againft either a Tory Miniftry, or a Tory Parliament. But the fuperior Order of Statelmen and their Friends, who had not yet had Leifure to fludy Englijh Parties, were entirely in another Way of thinking.
WHEN his Lordfhip was thus cut of? from his Majefty's Subjects, by an Act of
Attainder,
316 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Attainder, his Refentment led him to enter into the Service of the Pretender j but as he took thefe Engagements in a Heat, fo he quickly repented of and quitted them. This is the Account he gives himfelf, and it is all the Account that you can expect to have of it. His Enemies, indeed, carry it a Step farther ; they fay that having provoked his late Majefty by this Behaviour, he made his Peace by betraying him j but this he always pofitively denied, and put thofe who aflerted it upon the Proof of it. On the one Hand, he never juftified his own Conduct j fo far from it, that he owned Refentment, which was his only Motive, was a Motive of which he had Reafon to be amamed, but he did not think it necef- fary to add to this Confeffion, a Submiffion to the other Imputation, and therefore he averred it to be falfe. We can fcarce ex- pect to have a clear Account of thefe Mat- ters in our Times ; perhaps, there will never be any clear Account of them. But be that as it will, it certainly does Honour to the Companion and Clemency of the late
King
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 317
King George, that, notwithftanding this rafli Step, and without his taking any fuch Me- thod as his Enemies fuggeft, he was gra- cioufly pleafed to pardon him, or at leaft to receive his humble Offers of Duty and Obe- dience, and to afford him, in Return, a Pro- mife of Pardon. One of the brighteft a- mongft the Royal Virtues, is Mercy j and we can attribute no other Defign to the noble Perfon, of whom we are fpeaking, than a Defire to illuftrate that of his late Majefty in the higheft Degree, when he declared, in the mod exprefs and publick Manner, that it was extended to him unafked and unearned. We mall prefently fee, that this was carried ftill farther, with regard to the Extent of that Mercy, which his Majefty, out of his mere Goodnefs, meant to (hew him.
BUT there is fome Difficulty in fixing the Time when this Event happened. The following Paflage in one of his politi- cal Pieces, entitled, " A final Anfwer to ^ the Remarks on the Craftfman's Vindi-
" cation,"
318 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
" cation," may poflibly bring us pretty near it. His Words are thefe:
" The Craftfman faid, that tbe Mercy " of the late King was extended to tbe Gen-* " tleman we fpeak of, una/ked and un- " earned. That it was unearned the Re- " marker thinks probable, and in thinking " fo, he gives the Lie to all his Fellow " Scribblers, who have fo often affirmed " the Contrary. That it was una/kcd, he c fays, is a downright Falfehood. He " hath the Journal Book of the Houje of " Commons before him, and there he finds <c that tbe Houfe was acquainted by his late *c Majeftys Command, in April, 1725, that " this Gentleman had about feven Years <c before made his humble Application and SubmiJ/ion, &c. which his Majejly fo far accepted, as to give Encouragement to hope for Jome future Mark of his Ma-
jejlfs Favour and Goodnejs. Li this he
{ exults, but here again the Effrontery and
' Faljhcod which he charges on others will
" recoil on himfelf. Who drew this Mr-
" nijlerial
Lord Vifcount BOLTNGBROKE. 319
" nifterial Meflage, I know not, nor how " far the Style of it may be necefTary, ac- " cording to the Forms ufual on fuch Occa- " fions j but the Remarker might have " known, if he had confulted even his " Patrons, that his Majefty's Mercy had " been extended to this Gentleman two " Years before the Jeven there mentioned, " and that this Mercy did not confift in " Encouragement to hope for fome future " Mark of his Majeftf s Favour, andGood- " nefs, but in a gracious and abfolute Pro- " mife of his Favour, in the full Extent, " which the Circiimjlances of that Gentle- •c man required. I may be the more bold <c in affirming this Fact, becaufe the noble " Lord, who delivered the MeiTage I quote, " is ftill alive, as fome other Perfons are to " whom his late Majefty was pleafed to " own that this MeJJage had been delivered " by his Order, and to exprefs his gra- " cious Intention conformably to it."
BY comparing the Dates mentioned in this Paffage, it feems that he received this
Mark
320 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Mark of the King's Mildnefs and Cle- mency fome Time in the Year 1716, and, perhaps, this will appear the more proba- ble, if one confiders, that upon the fecond of Juty, in that Year, the King was graci- oufly pleafed, by his Letters Patents, to create his Father Sir Henry St. John, Ba- ronet, Viicount St. John, and Baron of Batterfea, by which the Lois which the Family fuffered by the Attainder was re- paired. But by what Application, or through what Interceflion thefe Favours, were obtained, I am able to give you very little or no Light. I have indeed heard, that an honourable Perfon, then in a great Employment, who had diftinguifhed himfelf as a General Officer in Spain, and who was afterwards created a Peer of this Realm, and was in high Favour with the King to the Time of his Death, had a very great Share therein ; and from fome proba- ble Circumftances, I am inclined to believe that this is not altogether deftitute of Truth. However, it was no lefs than nine Years, as I judge from a Letter written by Dean
Swift,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 321
Swiff, before he reaped the Fruit of his Mijefty's Indulgence, fo far as to be able to return into this Kingdom, and to bs put into a Condition of enjoying his Fa- ther's large Fortune, in cafe he furvived him, as he did. He paffed his Time while in France, partly in the Capital, and partly in the Country ; for his firft Lady .be- ing dead, he efpoufed a Lady of great Merit, Niece to the famous Madame de Maintenon, and who was the Widow of the Marquis de Villcttf, with whom he had a very Jarge Fortune, incumbered, however, with a long and troublefome Law-fuit. But with the Circumftances of his private Life we have nothing to do. Such Enquiries might indeed gratify our Curiofity, but it will not be a Curiofity which is laudable, becaufe no Man would approve fuch a Difpofition in another to pry into his Affairs. His fub- fequent Writings, and particularly thofe which have occafioned you this Trouble, very fully prove, that neither in his Exile nor in thofe Excurfions, which afterwards for the Sake of Amufement, Health, or Y Bufinefs
322 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Bufinefs he made into France, did he aban- don himfelf to Indolence, or endeavour to remove the Remembrance of his Misfor- tunes, by running into fuch a Variety of Amufements as might occafion a Diffipa- tion of his Ideas. On the Contrary it ap- pears, that they were always collected, often reviewed, and that with all the Advantages acquired by mature Reflection and great Experience, he ftill retained his former Sentiments, as to the Intereft of his native Country in refpect to foreign Affairs. But his Intereft and his Inclination leading him to think of obtaining, in an effectual Man- ner, the Benefits to which the King's Cle- mency gave him a Title, an Application was made on his Behalf to Parliament, as has been before hinted, and of which the following is a fuccinct Account from the only authentick Vouchers in fuch Cafes.
ON Tucfday^ the aoth of April> 1725, the then Lord Finch having offered a Peti- tion of Henry St. John, late Vifcount Bo- iingbroke, to be prefcnted to the Houfe j
Mr.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 323
Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Robert Walpole^ Efq; fignifted upon this Motion, that he had received his Majefty's Com- mands to acquaint the Houfe, " That the " Petitioner had {even Years fince made " his humble Application and Submimon " to his Majefty, with Aflurances of Duty, " Allegiance and Fidelity, which his Ma- " jefty lb far accepted, as to give him En- " couragement to hope for fome future " Marks of his Majefty 's Grace and Good- <£ nefs, and that his Majefty is fatisfied <c that the Petitioner's Behaviour has been " fuch as convinces his Majefty that he is " an Objedt of his Majefty 's Mercy, and cf his Majefty confents that this Petition be " prefented to this Houfe." After which the faid Petition was brought up and read, fetting forth, " That the Petitioner is truly cc concerned for his Offence, in not having " furrendered himfelf, purfuant to the " Directions of an Ad of the firft Year of cf his Majefty 's Reign, whereby the Peti- tc tioner was attainted of High-Treafon, c< and forfeited all his real and perfonal Y 2 « Eftate,
324 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
" Eftate, and by Reafon thereof, had fuf-
" fered very great LofTes. That upon the
" Petitioner's Marriage, in 1700, Sir/fW-
" ter St. John, Baronet, and the Right
" Honourable the Lord Vifcount St. John,
" the Petitioner's Grandfather and Father,
" together with the Petitioner, made a
<c Settlement of their Family Eftates, in the
<{ Counties of Wilts, Surrey, and Middle-
" fex, all which PremifTes, except a very
" fmall Part thereof, are now in the Pof-
" femon of the Petitioner's Father, and the
" Petitioner cannot become intitled thereto
" for his Life, until after his Father's De-
" ceafe : That the Petitioner hath in moft
" humble and dutiful Manner made his Sub-
" miffion to his Majefty, and given his Ma-
<c jefty the flrongeft Ailurances of his invio-
e£ lable Fidelity, and of his Zeal for his Ma-
" jelly's Service, and for the Support of the
" prefent happy Eftablimment, which his
*f Majefty hath been moft gracioufly pleafed
" to accept, and praying that Leave may
" be given to bring in a Bill, for enabling
t{ the Petitioner and the Heirs Male of his
" Body,
„ Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 325
" Body, notwithftanding his faid Attainder, " to take and enjoy the laid fettled Eftate, " according to the Limitations of the faid : Settlement, or other AfTurances therein : mentioned, and for enabling the Petiti- " oner to hold and enjoy any perfonal " Ertate, or Effects, whereof he now is, c or hereafter mall be polTeffed, and to : invert the fame in the Purchafe of any " real or perfonal Eftate within this King- " dom." After the reading of this Peti- tion, the Commons were fent for to at- tend his Majefty in the Houfe of Lords, and being returned to their own Houfe, the Lord Finch moved, that a Bill be brought in according to the Prayer of the lute Vifcount Bolingbroke'j Petition. This Motion was feconded by Mr. Chancellor of the Exche- quer, who having repeated Part of what he had already laid before the Houfe by the King's Command in the Petitioner's Be- half, added, he was fully fatisfied, that he had fufficiently atoned for his pad Offences, and therefore deferved* the Favour of that Houfe, fo far as to enable him to enjoy Y 3 the
326 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, Sec. of
the Family Inheritance that was fettled upon him, whicl} according to the Opinion of the beft Lawyers, he could not do by Virtue of his Majefty's moft gracious Par- don, without an Act of Parliament j the Truth of which was confirmed by the Attorney and Sollicitor General.
UPON this, there followed a very warm Debate, as feveral Members were extreamly againfl this Act of Indulgence ; whereas others, in a very pathetic Manner, in lifted upon the Refpect due to the Royal Mef- fage, and the Impropriety of labouring to defeat his Majefty's Mercy and Goodnefs, which had in Effect been only exaggerated by the ftrongeft Arguments offered on the other Side. It was at length carried upon the Queftion, by a Majority of one Hun- dred and feventeen, and a Bill purfuant to the Prayer of the Petition, was accordingly brought in by the noble Lord who made the Motion, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. On the 3oth of the fame £4prith, the Bill was read a fecond Time,
and
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 327
and committed to a Committee of the whole Houfe, who were ordered to receive proper Claufes for preferving the Inheri- tance of the Family Efhte to the IfTue Male of Henry Lord Vifcount St. John, in Cafe his eldefi Son fhould die without fuch Illue. On the 3d of May, the Houfe re- folved itfelf into a Committee upon the faid Bill; the Lord William Pallet moved, that a Claufe might be added to diiable the late Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke to fit in either Houfe of Parliament, or to enjoy any Place of Truft or Profit under his Majefty, but this being oppofed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was upon the Queftion re- jected by a Majority of feventy. On the 5th of May, the ingroflcd Bill was read a third Time, palled, and lent up to the Lords. It met, alfo, with forae Oppofttion there, and upon the pailing it there was one or two Protefts, by about Half a Dozen Lords; and yet by the End of the Month, it was carried through, and, with the reft of the Bills paffcd that Seflion, received the Royal Affent.
Y 4 IN
328 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, 6cc. of
IN the Year following this Tranfa6lion, he thought proper to embark again in po- litical Difputes; and wrote during the fhort Remainder of that Reign, and for many Years under the prefent, with great Free- dom and Boldnefs againft the Meafures that were purfued. This drew uppn him, as might be naturally expected, fome perfonal Attacks, in Anfwer to which, after ac- knowledging with Refpect and Humility the late King's Mercy and Goodnefs, he afcribed all the Effects he had met with from itfole/y to the King, affirming at the fame Time, that he had Reafon, if ever Man had Reafon, to difclaim all Obliga- tion to the Minifter j to whom, he faid, it was owing, that he did not receive all the Effects cf Royal Mercy that were intended him -t but what was intended by this, or what he farther expected, we no where find.
I HAVE not the leaft Inclination, and as little Capacity, to enter into this Difpute. Great Men have very often flrong Refent-
ments,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 329
ruents, and when thefe have rifen to a certain Height, -they are not to be either calmed or cooled. It becomes a Point of Honour to purfue them, and as every great Man, or great Genius never fails to have a Crowd of Dependants, who affect to be thought Men of Parts by applauding bis ; fo thole who Hand without the Influence of this Vortex^ contemplate the Motion of thefe Syftems at their Leifure, and think themfelves at Liberty to remark on their PbeKnemena^ without regarding any Thing but the Truth of their Remarks.
THIS Statefman, who was now become more able to afiift in this than in any former Oppofition, and who from the Circum- fhnces he was in, took that Share in it to which he was beft fuited, foon diftinguifhed himfelf by a Multitude of Pieces, which, as they are in every Body's Hands, I need not mention particularly, nor mould I have mentioned them at ill, but for the Sake of a few Obfervations, which I thinlc may ex- plain and illuftrate the Character I have at- tempted
330 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
tempted to draw for your Information, without Injury to his Memory of whom I am fpeaking, and who with all his Paffions and all his Faults, will be acknowledged by Pofterity in general, as I think he is by the Majority of the prefent Age, to have been in many Refpedts one of the moil ex- traordinary Perfons who adorned it..
WE generally, and indeed juflly, prefer fuch Writers as have an Opportunity of being practically as well as fpeculatively acquainted with the Subjects on which they write. Demoftbencs and Cicero were Statef- men as well as Orators. Ctffar was con-- fpicuous for his Learning as well as his Abi- lities in the Camp and in the Cabinet : His Commentaries are a Proof of it, and the Cri- tic fpoke truly, who faid, that he wrote with the fame Spirit with which he fought. Machiavel was alike verfed in Bufinefs and in Books, and that is the true Reafon why his Msrit is confefled even by thofe who abhor his Maxims. In our own Country, the Writings of Sfr Walter
Raleigh^
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 331
Raleigh, and the noble Hiftorian are juftly efteemed at a higher Rate than thofe of Men who had not the like Opportunities of penetrating to the very Bottom of the Springs and Caufes of thofe Tranfactions, which they undertook to examine and to criticize as well as to record. From the very fame Motives the Works of this in- genious Writer have merited, and in all Probability will continue to merit Atten- tion and Applaufe. He was a Statefman, an Orator, a Leader of a Party, was brought into Bufinefs early, purfued it through the mofb vigorous Part of his Life, enjoyed the Smiles, endured the Frowns of Fortune, and was befides a Man of Learning, Re- flection and Wit. With all thefe Qualities, and I think his Enemies will hardly deny that he had them all, he could fcarce write any Thing that did not deferve to be read, and to be ftudied. When I fay this, I con- fine myfelf to the Subjects to which thefe Characters belong, for he fometimes made Excurfions into others, of which he nei- ther was, nor could be expected to be a
perfect
332 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
perfect Matter, and upon them he wrote like other Men. I mould be forry that you took your Politicks from Priefts, but I mould be in more Pain if I thought you in any Danger of receiving your Religion from a Politician. I give you this Hint, and I need fay no more, for true Religion is the only Bafis upon which human Hap- pinefs can be founded. He who builds upon it, as the great Author of it truly faid, builds upon a Rock, againft which Storms and Tempefts beat in vain. He who builds upon another, will find it fooner or later a fandy Foundation, and great will
be his Fall. But to return to his
Writings.
THE great Ufe he makes of Hiftory, is a iignal Inftance of his having a true Ge- nius for Politicks ; for thofe are either Pe- dants, or Scholars of a lower Form, who endeavour to illuftrate general Maxims from hiftorical Facts, which they cannot be faid fo properly to bring as to bend them.
Our
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 333
Our noble Author takes quite another Road, and extracts his Maxims from Hif- tory, chiefly from our own Hiflory. Ma- chiavel did the fame by the Roman Hiftory, and wrote a Hiftory of his own Country, that carries in it a Vein of political Rea- foning, obvious to any competent Judge. But when I commend this Kind of Wri- ting, and inftance him as a very mafterly Writer in this Way ; I am very far from intending that you mould implicitly em- brace whatever he delivers. It is right to read an eminent Author with Reverence, it is wrong to carry this Notion higher, and venerate the Productions of any human Pen as if they were facred Scripture. The ableft Writers, and more efpecially politi- cal Writers, are Men of like Natures, and of like Paffions with ourfelves, and, confe- quently are far from being infallible. Our Author frequently gives us Inftances of this; he corrects the noble Hiftorian, for giving fuch a Character of the firft Duke of Bucking- ham as is incompatible with his Actions. It
may
334 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
may be you wijl find himfelf fometimes warping our Hiflory for his own Conveni- ency, and lefs follicitous to reprefent paft Events truly, than under Colour of relating them, to point out the Secret of fome far more modern Tranfaftions. You muft, therefore, take Care not to be the Dupe of fuch Inftn uations ; but muft keep your Eyes open, and Attention awake, remem- bering always, that whether you adopt or differ from his Notions, you are fure of being improved by the Peruial. Without this independent Spirit, there is nothing more dangerous than to take Books of this Kind into your Hand. There is no Kind of Servitude fo defpicable, as the Slavery of the Understanding. Be fure then to take nothing upon Truft, lift the Evidence of Facls to the Bottom, conficler what other Writers have faid, obferve the Connection of his Remarks, and don't be captivated with great Names. Study well his Method of Writing, review his Arguments, ftri&ly/ queftion his Conclufions freely, and bear it ponflantly in your Mind, that when I put i thefe
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 335
thefe Books into your Hands, it is that you may judge of the Sentiments they contain ; and not like a School- boy to learn your LefTon.
THESE Cautions you mutt, alfo, take along with you in reading his little Stories, Vifions and Allegories, which if you do not examine with Circumfpection, you may fometimes mifs his true Meaning, and where you reach that, may not be always in PofTeffion of the Truth. If you com- plain of this, as being an arduous and dif- ficult Tafk, and a Fatigue to which you are not willing to be expofed, you muft be content to quit this Kind of Reading. But if you take this Refolution, be fure to im- pute it to the right Caufe, that is, to your own Indolence, and not to the Author's Obfcurity. Men of mallow Underftandings, circumfcribed Knowledge, and who art? unacquainted with the Arts of Writing, will be puzzled and perplexed even in their Endeavours at Perfpicuity. But be affured
that
336 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
that an Author, who has Parts, Learning and ftrong Senfe, if he is ever dark, he is dark by Delign, tells Stories where he dares not relate Facts, gives you a Dream be- caufe he cannot give you a Defcription, and reprefents in Allegory, what the Cir- cumftances of the Times will not allow him to exprefs any other Way. Thofe who diflike the Spirit he endeavours to raife, will treat this as a Libel ; thofe who are in the fame Sentiment, will fee nothing but what is laudable in this latent Satire. To diftmguim which is in the Right, is the fiufinefs of a judicious R.eader ; but previous to this, he muft diflinguifli the apparent and the concealed Meaning. A Facility of doing this, will be of great Ufe in reading all Polemical Writings ; for they are miftaken, who fancy that the Chemifts only have their Cabala, for in Fad it be- longs more or lefs to moil other Sciences, to Politicks efpecialiy, and to Politicks in this Nation particularly. I fliould be forry to fee you employ your Pen in this
Way,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 337
Way, but to underftand a Parable, and to know the Senfe of hidden Say- ings, is very frequently a Thing of great Ufe. For now and then you will meet with Strokes of this Kind, in Books where you may very little fuf- pect them.
IN the Profecution of this laft Con- troverfy, he found himfelf obliged from the Beginning to recommend the Earl of Oxford's old Scheme, under the new Title of a Coalition of Parties j for the Tories were by this Time out of any Condition to aim at Places and Power, except as Auxiliaries ; and in doing this, many of them acted but with a bad Grace, more efpecially towards the lat- ter End of the Struggle, when they began to fufpect the Fidelity of their new Friends, and were a little fqueamiOi on behaving in direct Oppofition to their old Principles. His Lectures, however, were the principal Means of keeping Peo- ple together ; and it muft be confefled to
Z his
338 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
his Credit, as a political Writer, that he managed the whole Affair with the utmoft Dexterity, and very happily threw out a Syflem of Policy, fo curiouily con- trived, that a Man might enter into, and purfue the public Bufinefs of the Na- tion j if with any Propriety, a Con- troverfy carried on for the Sake of Power, by any Set of Men, in any Place what- ever, may be fo called j without defert- ing, in his own Opinion at leaft, his private Notions in Government. He was very fenlible, however, that though this was the heft Expedient, yet it was no more than an Expedient -, and that how well foever the Threads of Party might be twifted, they would infallibly feparate, and fhow themfelves when the Line of Oppofition was cut. He was too wife, too well verfed in Mankind not to fee it, and he did fee it ; for thus he exclaimed when that Cord was in a Man- ner between the Sheers : "I expected " little from the principal Actors that " tread the Stage at prefent. They are
" divided
Lord Vifcoiint BOLINGBROKE. 339
" divided not fo much as it has feemed, " and as they would have it believed, " about Meafures ; the true Divifion is " about their different Ends. Whilft " the Minifter was not hard pufhed, " nor the Profped: of fucceeding to him " near, they appeared to have but one <c End, the Reformation of the Govern- " ment. The Deftrudion of the Mi- " nifter was purfued only as a Prelimi- " nary, but of eifential and indifpen- " fable Neceffity to that End* But when " his Deftruction feemed to approach, " the Objecl: of his Succeflion interpofed c£ to the Sight of many, and the Re- " formation of the Government was no " longer their Point of View. They " divided the Skin, at leaft in their " Thoughts, before they had taken the <£ Beaft, and the common Fear of hunt- " ing him down for others, made them " all faint in the Chace."
BUT though he had too much Senfe,
ancj too much Experience to be de*
Z 2 ceived.
340 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
ceived, he had too high a Spirit to de- fpair. Almoft in the fame Breath with that Soliloquy, he fubjoins this Exhor- tation to his Pupil. " When I fay " that I expect little from the principal " Actors that tread the Stage at prefent, " I am far from applying to all of <f them, what I take to be true of the c< far greateft Part. There are Men a- <f mong them who certainly intend the " Good of their Country, and whom I " love and honour for that Reafon. But " thefe Men have been clogged, or mif- <£ led, or over-borne by others, and feduced c< by natural Temper to Inactivity, have " taken any Excufe, or yielded to any " Pretence that favoured it. That they
J
" mould roufe, therefore, in themfelves, <c or in any one elfe, the Spirit they " have fuffered, nay, helped to die a- <£ way, I do not expect. I turn my " Eves from the Generation that is go-
J O
<c ing off, to the Generation that is <c coming on the Stage. I expect Good " from them, and from none of them
" more
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 341
(f more than from you." Thus at the very Moment, you would think he had loft all his Hopes, he difcovers that he had conceived frefh, that he was content to vary his Direction, and to feek in a new Way, what could not be reached by the old. He explains this more fully at the Clofe of another little Piece. " Let me, therefore, conclude " by repeating, fays he, that Diviiion <c has caufed all the Mifchief we lament, " that Union can alone retrieve, and that tc a great Advance towards this Union, " was the Coalition of Parties, fo hap- " pily begun, fo fuccefsfully carried on, " and of late fo unaccountably neglected, " to fay no worfe. But let me add, Cf that this Union can never be com- " pleat, till it become an Union of the " Head with the Members, as well as " of die Members with one another, " and that fuch an Union can never be " expected till Patriotifm fills the Throne, " and Faction be banifhed from the Ad- " miniftration." At the Winding-up of Z 3 his
342 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
his Idea of a Patriot King, after a glo- rious Proipect of this, or indeed of any Country under fuch a Monarch, his lafl Raptures are thefe. <c Thofe who live " to fee fuch happy Days, and to act '* in fo glorious a Scene, will, perhaps, : call to Mind, with fome Tendernefs tl of Sentiment, when he is no more, " a Man, who contributed his Mite to '* carry on fo good a Work, and who tc defired Life for nothing, fo much as cc to fee a King of Great -Britain the " moft popular Man in his Country, " and a Patriot King at the Head of " an united People." What he meant, perhaps, as a Compliment, is become a Kind of Prophecy. It may ferve as a monumental Infcriptipn ; if it had been more extended, it would have been a Sort of Funeral Oration of himfelf up- on himfelf. It feems, he delighted to the lafl, in regarding diftant Profpects, and mut out the Idea of DhTolution, by contemplating the Effects of his po- litical Doctrines in Ages beyond his own.
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 343
In the fame Way Epicurus comforted himfelf under a Fit of the Stone ; the like Turn of Mind is difcoverable in Cicero, and others I could mention. In- deed if this were all, if Exigence ceaf- ed with the laft Gafp, the Obfervation at the Head of my Letter would be true, and in this Senfe is actually true of him, whatever fome may fancy, and others may affect to fancy ; for while either Fafiion or Freedom remains in this Country, this great Man's Wri- tings will have their Merit and their Ufe. ,
THIS they always had ; but what I would be underftood to mean is, that they will have it now in an advanced and ex- traordinary Degree. Death, in removing him out of the Reach of Envy, and the Rage of Jealoufy, has extended the Utility, and fixed the Immortality of his Writings. Their Reputation will now reft upon their own Merit, without fuffering any Dimi- nution from the Failings of their Author.
0
Z 4 Failings
344 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Failings he had ; and who has them not ? Were the Minifters he oppofed without Failings ? But thefe did not infect his Wri- tings, Thofe were Products of his cooler Hours, and mew us the noble Efforts of a great Genius, when conducted and fup- ported by Experience. They open to us, all the fecret Springs, and hidden Me- chanifm, not of our Conilitution, for that is nobly plain, and gracefully fimple ; but of the executive Powers, and the Admini- ftration of Government; how thefe may be difordered, fpoiled and broken ; how this may be difcerned from the Motions of the MACHINE, and how thefe Errors may be repaired or prevented. While he lived, his Teftimony was ever impeached by a Suggeflion, that his Aim was to have the Direaion of the P E N D U L U M. That can be faid no more. All his Skill, all his Acutenefs, all his Sagacity are now ufelefs to the A R T I S T : But we are confoled for this, by the Confederation that they may be fo much the more ufe-
ful to his and our Country. My
Pen
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 345
Pen has been employed in mewing you this is no Panegyrick j but a juft Tribute to Merit, and the reft of the World will gradually learn this from the Writings themfelves, which will be now read with lefs Prejudice and more Refpecl. His Writings are the MONUMENTS which he cpnfecrated to Pofterity ; and though he is now no more, THESE will laft FOR EVER.
IF, after this, you expect any farther Character of him from me, I know my own Abilities too well to make the At- tempt : But here is one drawn by an able and noble Pen, and which appeared about the Time he died, or, at leaft, a very little before it. " Lord Eolingbroke had lc early made himfelf Mailer of Books " and Men : But in his nrft Career of " Life, being immerfed at once in Bu- " iinefs and Pleafure, he ran through " a Variety of Scenes in a furprizing £c and eccentric Manner. When his Paf- '( fions fubfided by Years and Difap-
" pointments,
346 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
?{ pojntments, and when he improve4 ?' his rational Faculties by more grave " Studies and Reflection, he (hone out " in his Retirement, with a Luftre pe- " culiar to himfelf, though not feen " by vulgar Eyes. The gay Statefman " was changed into a Phjlofopher, equal " to any of the Sages of Antiquity. ft The Wifdom of Socrates, the Dig- " nity and Eafe of Pliny, and the Wit " of Horace appeared in all his Writings tc and Converfation." You cannot de- lire a Picture more highly fmifhed !
HE furvived his Father, Henry, Lord Vifcount St. Jobny nine Years and feven Months ; but he did not furvive to his Age by eleven Years j though at the Time of his Deceafe, he wanted but one of Fourfcore. He out-lived his fecond Lady, and all his Brothers. He re- iided for feveral Years, and breathed his Jaft in the ancient Family Seat at Bat- terfea -, a Circumflance he earneftly wifli- ed, and took Care, by his laft Will and
Teftament?
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 347
Teftament, to fecure his Writings from Oblivion or Interpolation. To thefe Par- ticulars, when I add that he died, No- vember the fifteenth, 1751, I hope I have fully difcharged my Promife, and given you all the Lights you can reafonably expect, with regard to his perfonal and political Hiftory. I am confident that I have done it with great Impartiality, as I mould be very forry either to injure the Dead or the Living in your Opinion, which I take to be the moft unwor- thy Method of repaying the Confidence repofed in their Seniors, by young Men, who are generally without Art themfelves, and, therefore, not fufpici- pus of it in others.
BEFORE I clofe this Epiftle, long as it is, permit me, at parting, to give you a little good Advice ; for that you will hear this patiently, believe it cor- dial, and life it as Occafion requires, is the only Reward I have ftipulated for my Pains. In the firft Place, then, be
true
348 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
true and fteady in your old fa/kioned Be- lief y and do not part with your Bible becaufe you cannot perfectly understand the Chronology or the Geography of it. The main Points, thofe that teach us to live happily here, and to hope more perfect Happinefs hereafter, are plain enough ; and though you were taught all this in the Nurfery, give me Leave to allure you, that it will give you much more Comfort on your Death- bed, than any of the new-fangled O- pinions. This Principle once fixed, there is no Fear of your being mined in your Notions of Patriotifm, for you will ne^ ver be brought tp think, that you may feem one Thing, and be another -y that it is worth while, for the Sake of any Thing that can be enjoyed in this tran- fitory State, to forego Peace of Mind, and the Pleafure of being Independant. In Reality, it is the forgetting we are not always to remain here, that in-
<f
duces Men to do what would fcarce be
excufable,
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 349
excufable, if it really was fo. But, per- haps, you may have Children, and you
would be glad to leave them,
the honeft Reputation, and the fair Ex- ample of their Father, I hope : I am fure you can leave them nothing bet- ter.
IT is poffible you may think it your Duty, to engage in Scenes of public Life. I will not deny that it may be fo, but give me Leave to put you in Mind, that this Notion ought to be very ftrictly lifted, for I have known many a young Man take the Whlfper of his own Vanity for the Voice of his Duty. Be fure, therefore, to be very clear in this Point, and be, alfo, fure of another, that it never can be a Man's Duty to under- take what, he has not Abilities to per- form. Thefe I am perfuaded are in your Power, but let them be in your Po/effion too before you embark in Bu- fmefs. To ferve the Public is a noble
Thing,
350 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c. of
Thing, Very true ! and, except the Ser- vice of G O D, it is the only Service that is noble. Be fure, therefore, if ever you enter into this Service, that you never let it efcape your Memory, you are a Servant, and that you cannot be an honeft Servant, if you either neglect or betray your Trujl. But as Service implies Dependance and Confinement, you will be fure, when you have done your Duty, to defire to become your own Mafter again. If you do not feel this Inclination, you may rely upon it, that you are not in Service; but have fome Way or other changed Stations, and are no longer under the Domini- on of thofe Principles upon which you fet out -, and to which, therefore, if you are prudent, you will make Hafte to return ; for if you do not, I can eafily forefee, the next Difcovery you make, will be, that you are in fome other Service, which, in the End, will be- get Difquiet and Difcredit, from which,
if
Lord Vifcount BOLINGBROKE. 351
if it be not your own Fault, you may be always free : Your Anceftor^. hav- ing, by their Attention and Kindnefs, left you without any Care but that of being true to yourfelf,
THERE are indeed Times, I hear- tily pray you may never fee fuch, when the Voice of Duty is too loud, and too dijlintf, either not to be heard, or to be miftaken. Times when national Li- berty is invaded, or the Government un- dermined. Times when the Conjlitution is in Danger and when no Man wor- thy the Name of a Briton can be tame and unconcerned. In fuch 'Times, if you mould ever fee them, follow the Dic- tates of your Confcience, and aft like a Man-, for when the Houfe is oji .Fire, it is not only rank Cowardice, but down- right Folly to fneak into a Clofet, and fancy you are fafe, becaufc you do not fee the Flames. In the Day of Tran- quillity, the Character of a loyal Sub-
352 MEMOIRS of the LIFE, &c.
jetf, and an boneji Gentleman is Fame fuf- Jicimi : If to this, when called to it by your Country, you add that of a difin- terejted and able SENATOR, I look upon your Happinefs fccure, and your Repu- tation at its full Extent,
FINIS.
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