eng: 
victory, Lifl'e, -the ftrongeft garrifon in Flanders, was 
taken, after an obftinate fiege. Ghent followed ; while 
Bruges, and the other lefl’er towns in French Flanders, 
were abandoned by their defenders. Thus the campaign 
ended with fecuring a barrier to the Dutch, the principal 
caufe of the war; and the next objedt of the invincible 
Marlborough was to invade the enemy’s country. 
Tournay, one of the ftrongeft cities in French Flanders, 
was the fir ft objedt of the operations of the allied army, 
which now amounted to one hundred and ten thoufand 
fighting men. Though the garrifon did no exceed twelve 
rhbufand, yet the place was thought to be impregnable. 
The belieging army proceeded by lapping ; and their 
troops that were conducting the mines frequently met 
with thofe of the enemy underground, purfuing the fame 
plan of deltrudtion, and furioufly engaged in lubferranean 
Gonflidls. At length, after an obftinate reliftance, the 
city furrendered by capitul tion. 
The bloody battle of Malplaquet next followed. The 
French army, under the conduct of the celebrated marllial 
Villars, amounting to a hundred and twenty thoufand 
men, were polled behind the woods of La Merte and Ta- 
niers, in the vicinity of Malplaquet. They had fortified 
their polition in Inch a manner with lines, ravines, and 
trees laid acrofs, that it feemed to be quite impregnable. 
What were the duke’s motives for attacking the enemy 
under fuch a difadvantage, have never been explained; 
but certainly this was tire moll daring of all his exploits. 
On the eleventh of September, 1709, early in the tm rn- 
ing, the allied army, favoured by a thick fog, began the 
attack. The chief fury of their impreffion was made 
upon the left of the enemy, and with Inch luccefs, that, 
notwithftanding their impregnable bat rtcadoes, the French 
were in lets than an hour driven from their entrenchments. 
On the enemy’s right, the con.bat was fultained with 
much greater obltinacy. ’rite Du ch, who made the at¬ 
tack, drove them from their fir ft line, but were lepulled 
from the fecond, with great Daughter. The prince of 
Orange, who led the Dutch, rallied his men, and per¬ 
illed in his efforts with incredible perleveiante, tliongli 
two horfes had been killed under him, and the greater 
part of his officers (lain or dilabled. At lull, the French 
were obliged to yield to fuperior prowefs. Villars being 
dangeroully wounded, his army made an excellent retreat 
under the conduct of marfhal Boufflers, and took poll near 
Qjjefnoy and Valenciennes. The viftors took polfeffion 
of the field of battle, on which above twenty thoufand 
veteran troops of each army lay in promifeuous Daughter. 
The city of Mons fell in confequence of this fignal vic¬ 
tory, which concluded the campaign. 
In the mean time the queen, who was now wholly di¬ 
rected by the counfels of Harley, made an entire change 
in the adminiftration. She began by transferring the poll 
of lord-chamberlain from the duke of Kent to the duke 
of Shrew (bury. Soon after the earl of Sunderland, fecre- 
tary of (late, and fon-in-lavv to the duke of Marlborough, 
was difplaced, and the earl of Dartmouth put in his room. 
The earl of Godolphin was diverted of his office, and the 
treafury put in commiffion, (objected to the direction of 
Harley, who was appointed chancellor of the exchequer, 
and under-treafurer. The earl of Rochefter v\ as declared 
prefident of the council, in the room of lord Somers. 
The ftaff of lord-fteward being taken from - the duke of 
■DevonDrire, was given to the duke of Buckingham; and 
Mr. Boyle was removed from the fecretary’s office, to 
make way for Mr. Henry St. John. The lord-chancellor 
having refigned the great leal, it was firft pur in commif¬ 
fion, and then given to (ir Simon Harcourt. The earl of 
Wharton furrendered his commiffion of lord-lieutenant of 
Ireland, and that employment was conferred upon the 
duke of Ormond. Mr. George Grenville was appoin ed 
fecretary of war, in the room of Mr. Robert Walpole ; 
and, in a word, there was not one of the whig party letc 
in the office of the (late, except the duke of Marlborough. 
It now only remained to remove and diigrace. the> 
.AND. 707 
man who had fo long and fo nobly flood forth as the cham¬ 
pion of his country and its allies. But here a new dif¬ 
ficulty ftaited, and the ungrateful Itep could not be 
taken without giving offence to the Dutch, who placed 
every confidence in the victorious and illuftrious M.irl- 
botough. His enemies at home were therefore obliged 
to wait a more favourable opportunity for his difgrace. 
In the mean time, the duke led on his forces again ft 
marllial Villars, who feemed refolved to open the new 1 
campaign with the total overthrow of the allied ar¬ 
mies. But the duke of Marlborough is faid to have 
rifen higher in military tactics and martial renown, 
during this campaign, than he had Cver done before ; 
and in the field to have excelled every former exploit. 
The capture of Bouchain was the final refult, which 
capitulated after a fiege of twenty days ; and this was 
the laft fervice the duke of Marlborough ever per¬ 
formed. At the time this heroic and unparalleled gene¬ 
ral was invid'oully called off from his career of glory, he 
left the allies in poffeffion of a vaft tra£t of country, 
which might be truly faid to have been of his own con¬ 
quering. He had fubjedted to their command Spanilh 
Guelderland, Limbourg, Brabant, Flanders, and Hain- 
ault; he had made them mailers of the Scarpe ; and the 
capture of Bouchain had opened to them a way into the 
very heart of France. Upon his return from this cam¬ 
paign, his ungrateful country requited him with various 
unfounded and ridiculous charges of avarice and pecu¬ 
lation ; and the ungenerous queen of England thought 
proper to difmifs him from all his employments! 
For fome time before the difmifiion of Marlborough, 
a negociation for peace had been fecretly carried on be¬ 
tween the court of France, and the new miniftry. They 
had a double aim in bringing this defirable end about. 
Ii would ferve to mortify the whigs, and it would free 
the country from an xpenfive war. In order, therefore, 
to accomplifli the end in view, the earl of Jerfey, who 
aCted in concert with lord Oxford, fent a private meffage 
to the court of France, meanly importing the queen’s 
earned delire for peace, and her wilh for a conference, 
and celfanon of hollilities. This intimation was deli¬ 
vered by Gualtier, a-time-ferving prielt, who was chap¬ 
lain to the imperial ambalfador, and a fpy for the French 
court. The meffage was received with uncommon joy 
at the French court, and an anfwer was returned, ardent¬ 
ly and co: dially profefling'the fame inclinations. This 
kd the way to a reply, and foon after to a more defini¬ 
tive memorial front the court of France, which was im¬ 
mediately tranlmitted to the Dutch by the queen, for their 
approbation. 
The miniltry having got thus far, the great difficulty 
Hill exilted of making the terms of peace palatable to all 
the confederates. The earl of Stafford, who had been 
recalled from the Hague, was now fent back to Holland, 
with orders to communicate to the penlionary Heinfius 
thefe preliminary propofals, to lignify the queen’s appro¬ 
bation of them, and to propofe a place where the pleni- 
potentiaiies'lhould form a congrefs. The Dutch, upon 
the infpedtion of the preliminaries, were extremely averfe 
to the conference. They fent over an envoy purpofely 
to turn the queen fiom fo degrading a fubmifiion ; but 
finding their efforts vain, they fixed upon Utrecht as the 
place of genera; conference, and they granted palfports 
to the French minilters accordingly. 
Before we mention the refult of this celebrated con- 
grels, it may be neceffary to apprife the reader, that 
many of the motives which firli incited each party to 
take up arms, v\ ere now-no more. Charles of Aultria, 
in whole caufe England had (pent fo much blood and 
trealui e, w..s, by the death of his elder brother, the em¬ 
peror Joleplt, placed on the Imperial throne. There 
was, theiefoie, every reafon for not fupporting his pre- 
tenjions to the Spanilh monarchy; and tne lame political 
jealoufy which formerly made it defirable to place him 
n the throne of that kingdom, was now neceffary to be 
exerted 
