706 ENGLAND. 
bad contrived to infinuate himfelf into the queen's good 
opinion, determined to fap the credit of the duke of 
Marlborough, and of lord Godolphin, his fon-in-law, 
w ho was at the head of the treafury. His aim was to 
unite the tory intereft, and expel the whigs. Harley, 
better known afterwards as lord Oxford, was a man of 
uncommon erudition, great knowledge, and equal perfe- 
verance. He chofe for his coadjutor Henry St. John, 
afterwards the famous lord Bolingbroke, a man of great 
eloquence, and of fome wit, but little principle. This 
ffatefman was at fuff extremely fubfervient to Oxford’s 
defigns: but when he came to underffand the full extent 
of his own influence, he had the ambition to aim at being 
premier, and afpired to deprefs his original patron. To 
this junto was added fir Simon Harcourt, a lawyer of con- 
liderable abilities. Thefe uniting, exerted their endea¬ 
vours to reconcile the fcattered body of the tories; and 
diffufed affurances among their partizans, that the queen 
would no longer bear the tyranny of a whig miniftry. 
She had ever been, they faid, a friend in her heart to the 
high-church party, by which appellation the tory fattion 
now came to be diftinguifhed ; and to convince the world 
of the truth of their aflertions, the queen thortly after be- 
ffowed two bifiioprics on clergymen who had openly con- 
demned the revolution. 
At length the whig party in the miniftry opened their 
eyes to the intrigues of their adverfaries ; and the duke 
of Marlborough had no other means of fupporting his 
credit but by openly oppofing lord Oxford, whom he was 
determined to difplace. The fecretary had lately in¬ 
curred fome fufpicions, from the fecret correfpondence 
which one Gregg, an under-clerk in his office, kept up 
with the court of France. Gregg was executed, and the 
duke of Marlborough was willing to take advantage of 
this opportunity to remove lord Oxford. He accordingly 
wrote to the queen, that he and lord Godolphin could 
ferve her majefty no longer, (hould the prefent fecretary 
be continued in his place. The queen difregarding the 
fecret intrigues of her minifters, wa.-> willing to keep them 
all in friendfhip, and endeavoured to appeafe the duke’s 
refentment by every art of diffimulation. But he was too 
confident of his own power, and continued obftinate in 
his refufal. The earl of Godolphin and the duke went 
fo far as to retire from court, and the queen faw herfelf 
in danger of being deferred by her miniftry. A fullen 
filence prevailed through the cabinet, and fome were 
even heard to fay, “ that no deliberations could be pur- 
fued in the abfence of the duke and the lord-treafurer.” 
The queen, therefore, fent for the duke of Marlborough, 
and told him that Harley (hould immediately refign his 
office ; a'nd it was accordingly conferred on Mr. Henry 
Boyle, chancellor of the exchequer. 
The firft efforts of the tory party being thus fruftrated, 
Bolingbroke was refolved to (hare in his friend Harley’s 
difgrace ; as were alfo fir Simon Harcourt, attorney-ge- 
tieral, and fir Thomas Manfell, comptroller of the houfe- 
hold, who relinquifhed their employments. Bolingbroke, 
as fecretary at war, was fucceeded by Robert Walpole, 
who made fo confiderable a figure in the tw T o fucceeding 
reigns. The duke thus feemed to triumph in his refent- 
ment; after which he returned to profecute his victories 
on the continent, where a new harveft of glory attended 
him. By his abfence, however, Harley was enabled to 
throw off the raafk, and to take more vigorous meafures 
for profecuting his defigns. In him the queen repofed 
all her truft, notwithftanding he had no vifible concern 
in tne adminiftration. The firft triumph of the tories, 
in which the queen difcovered an open partiality in their 
favour, was feen in the following tranfadfion ;—of no 
great importance in itfelf, indeed, but remarkable only 
from the confequences it produced. 
Henry Sacheverel, a clergyman bred at Oxford, had 
for fome time diftinguiihed himfelf by his adherence to 
the tories or high-church men, and by conftantly inveigh¬ 
ing againft the difienters. At the fummer aflizes at 
i 
Derby, be held forth in that fame drain before the judge's* 
On the fifth of November-following, he declaimed vio. 
lently in St. Paul’s church, defended the dodlrine of non. 
refiftance, inveighed againft the toleration of difienters, 
declared the church in danger from its enemies, and 
negledled by its friends. Sir Samuel Gerrard, lord-mayor 
of London, countenanced this harangue, which, though 
very weak both in the matter and ftyle, was publiftied' 
under his proteftion, and extolled by the tories. Thefe 
fermons owed all their celebrity to the complexion of 
the times, and are now defervedly negledted. Mr. Dol- 
ben, fon to the archbiffiop of York, laid a complaint be¬ 
fore the houfe of commons againft thefe infidious rhap. 
fodies, and thus gave force to what would have foon been 
forgotten. The moft obnoxious paragraphs were read ; 
u v on which the fermons were voted feditious libels. 
S. cheverel was brought to the bar of the boufe; where 
he openly avowed himfelf as the author, and gloried 
in what he had done. Being ordered to withdraw, it 
was refolved to impeach him of high crimes and mif- 
demeanors at the bar of the houfe of lords;, and Mr. 
Dolben was diredfed to condudt the profecution, in the 
name of the commons of all England. A committee was 
appointed to draw up articles of impeachment; Sache¬ 
verel was taken into cuftody, and a day appointed for his 
trial in Weftminfter-hall. 
The eyes of the whole kingdom w'ere turned upon this 
very extraordinary trial, which lafted three weeks ; and 
the queen was every day prefent as a private (pedfator. 
The managers for the commons were fir Jofeph Jekyl, 
Mr. Eyre, folicitor-general, fir Peter King, recorder, ge¬ 
neral Stanhope, fir Thomas Parker, and Mr. Walpole,. 
The dodtor was defended by fir Simon Harcourt, Mr. 
Phipps, Dr. Atterbury, Dr. Smallridge, and Dr. Freind. 
While the trial continued, nothing could exc eed the out¬ 
rage of the populace. They furrounded the queen’s 
fedan, exclaiming, “ God blefs your majefty and the 
church ! we hope your majefty is for dodtor Sacheverel.” 
They deftroyed feveral meeting-houfes, plundered the 
dwellings of many eminent difienters, and even prupofed 
to attack the Bank. The queen, in compliance with the 
requeft of the commons, publiftied a proclamation for 
lupprefling the tumults; and feveral perfons being yp„. 
prehended, were tried for high treafon. Two were con- 
vidted, and fentenced to die ; but were pardoned. 
Thofe who are removed from the interefts of that 
period, will wonder at fo great a conteft from fo (light a- 
caufe ; but, in fadt, the fpirit of contention had been 
previoufly laid in the nation, and this declaimer only 
happened to fet fire to the train. The lords, when they 
retired to confult upon his fentence, were divided, and 
continued undetermined for fome time. At length, after 
much obftinate difpute and altercation, Sacheverel was 
found guilty by a majority of feventeen voices ; but no lefa 
than thirtv-four peers entered a proteft againft the verdidf.. 
He was prohibited from preaching for three years ; and 
his two fermons were ordered to be burnt by the hands 
of the common hangman. Yet Sacheverel was foon after 
prefented to a benefice in North Wales, where he was re¬ 
ceived with every mark of public approbation. 
The duke of Marlborough, in the mean time, was 
leading forward the armies of England and her allies in 
Flanders, to many new and important vidtories. The 
French were now difpirited, and kept upon the defend ve; 
but (till, when forced to engage, they fought with great 
obftinacy, and difputed every inch of ground. Peace had 
more than once been folicited, and treaties entered upon, 
and fruftrated. The duke was therefore refolved to pufti 
his good fortune. At the head of a numerous army he 
approached the village of Oudenarde, where the French, 
in equal numbers, were ported. A furious engagement en- 
fued, in which the French were as ufual obliged to retire, 
and took the advantage of the night to fecure their retreat. 
Three thoufand were left dead on the field of battle, and 
feven thoufand taken prifoners. In confequence of this 
victory. 
