CHURi 
yet the great fervices he had done the nation, and the 
perfonal efteem the queen always had for him, procured 
him an universal good reception. The houfe of com¬ 
mons, in their addrefs to the queen, fpoke of the fuccels 
of the campaign in general, and of the duke of Mail- 
borough’s fiiare in particular, in the ftrongeft terms pof- 
fible ; and the day after urtanimoufly voted him their 
thanks, .as did the lords. They went ftill farther; for, 
December 17, they addrefled the queen for leave to bring 
in a bill to fettle the duke’s honours upon the male and 
female ifiue of his daughters. This was granted 5 and 
Blenheim-ho.ufe, with the manor of Woodllock, was, 
after the dece'ale of the dutchefs, upon whom they were 
"fettled in jointure, entailed in the fame manner with the 
honours. Two days after this, the Handards and colours 
taken at Ramifies being carried in Hate through the city 
to be hung up in the Guildhall, the duke was invited to 
dine with the lord-mayor, which he did. The laft day 
of the year was appointed for a general thah-k('giving,' and 
her majefty went in lfate to St. Paul’s; in which there 
was this 'Angularity obferved, that it was the fecond 
thankfgiving within the year. January 17, the houfe of 
commons prefented an addrefs to the queen, in which 
they fignified, that as her majefty had built the houfe of 
Blenheim to perpetuate the memory of the duke of Marl¬ 
borough’s fervices, and as the houle of lords had ordered 
a bill for continuing his honours, fo- they were defirous 
to make fome provifion for the more honourable fupport 
of his dignity. In consequence of this, and of the queen’s 
anl'wer, the peqfion of 50001.' per annum, from the poll- 
office was fettled in the manner the queen had formerly 
defired. 
Thefe points adjufted, the duke made hafte to return 
to diis charge, it being thought efpecially neceffary he 
fhould acquaint the foreign minifters at the Hague, that 
the queen of Great Britain would hearken to no propo- 
fals fora peace, out what would firmly fecure the general 
tranquillity of Europe. The campaign of the year 1707 
proved the molt barren one he ever made, which was 
chiefly owing to a failure on the part of the allies, who 
began to flag in fupporting the common caule. Nor did 
things go on more to his mind at home ; for upon his 
return to England, after the campaign was over, he found 
that the Are, which he fufpecled the year before, had 
broke out in his abfence ; that the queen had a female 
favourite, who was in a fair way of fupplanting the 
duchefs ; and that lhe liftened to the infinuations of a 
Hatefman who was no friend to him. He is faid to have 
borne all this with firmnefs and patience, though he eafily 
favv whither it tended; and went to Holland as ufual, early 
in the fpring of 170-8, arriving at the Hague March 1.9. 
The enfuing campaign was carried on by the duke, in 
conjunction with prince Eugene, with fuch prodigious 
fuccefs, that the French king thought fit, in the begin¬ 
ning of 1709, to feton foot a negotiation for peace. The 
houfe of commons this year gave an uncommon tefti- 
mony of their refpefit for the duke of Marlborough ; for, 
befides addreffing the queen, they, January 22, 1709, 
unanimoufly vofed him thanks, and ordered them to be 
tranfmitted to him abroad by the fpeaker. He returned 
to England February 25, and on his firft appearance in 
the houfe of lords, received the thanks of that auguft af- 
lembly. His Hay was fo very fhort, that we need not 
dwell upon what pafled in the winter. It is l'ufficient to 
fay, that they who feared the dangerous effects of thole 
artful propolals France had been making for the conclu- 
fton of a general peace, were alfo of opinion, that nobody 
was fo capable of fetting their danger in a true light in 
Holland as his grace of Marlborough. This induced the 
queen to fend him thither, at the end of March, with the 
character of her plenipotentiary, which contributed not 
a little to the enemy’s dilappointinent, by defeating all 
their projects. 
Marlhal Villars commanded the French army in the 
campaign of 1709; and Louis XIV, expreffed no fmall 
: H 1 L L. 583 
hopes of him, in faying that “ Villars Was never beat.” 
However the liege of Tournay, and the battle of Malpa- 
quef, convinced the monarch, that Villars was not invin¬ 
cible. Upon the news of the glorious victory, gained 
Augult 1, 1709, the city of London renewed their con¬ 
gratulatory addrefies to the queen; and her majefty in 
council, OCtober 3. ordered a proclamation for a general 
thankfgiving. The duke of Marlborough came to St. 
James’s November 10, and loon after received the thanks 
of both houfes : and the queen, as if delirous of any oc- 
cafion to ffiew her kindneis to him, appointed him lord 
lieutenant and cult s rotulorum of the county of Oxford. 
But amidft thefe honours, preferments, and favours, he 
was really chagrined to the laft degree. He perceived, 
that the French intrigues began to prevail both in Eng¬ 
land and Holland : the affair of Dr. Sacheverell had 
thrown the nation into a ferment; and the queen was not 
only efti'anged front the duchefs of Marlborough, but had 
taken Inch a dillike to her, that lhe feldom appeared at 
court. 
In the beginning of 1710, the French fet on foot a new 
negociation for a peace, which was commonly called the 
treaty of Gertruydenburg. The Hates upon this having 
fhewn an inclination to enter into conferences with the 
French -plenipotentiaries, the houfe of commons immedi¬ 
ately framed an addrefs to the queen, that lhe would be 
pleuf'ed to fend the duke of Marlborough over to the 
Hague. She did fo ; and towards the end of February 
he, went to the Hague, where he met with prince Eugene, 
and foon after fet out with'him for the army, which was 
aflembled in the neighbourhood of Tournay. This cam¬ 
paign was very fuccefsful, many towns being taken and 
fortrefles reduced : notwithftanding which, when the 
duke came over to England, as he did about the middle 
of December, he found his intereil declining, and his 
fervices fet at nought. The negociations for peace were 
carried on during a great part of the fummer, but ended 
at laft in nothing In the midll of the fummer, the queen 
began the great change in her miniftry, by removing the 
earl of Sunderland from being fecretary of ftate; and, on 
Auguft 8, the lord treafurer Godolphin waslikewife remo¬ 
ved. Upon the meeting of the parliament, no notice was 
taken in the addrefles of the duke of Marlborough's fuc¬ 
cefs : an attempt indeed was made to procure him the 
thanks of the houfe.of peers, but it was eagerly oppofed 
by the duke of Argyle. His grace was kindly received 
by the queen, who l'eemed defirous to have him live upon 
good terms with her new miniftry : but this was thought 
imprafticable, and it was every day expefiled that he 
would lay down his commiffion. He did not do this ; 
but he carried the golden key, the enlign of the duchefs 
of Marlborough’s office, January 19, 1711, to the queen, 
and refigned all her employments with great duty and 
fubmillion. With the lame firmnefs and compofure he 
confulted the neceffary meafures for the next campaign, 
with thofe whom he knew to be no friends of his : and 
treated all parties with candour and refpedh There is no 
doubt that the duke felt fome inward difquiet, though he 
fhewed no outward concern, at leaft for himfelf; but 
when the earl of Galway was very indecently treated in 
the houfe of lords, the cluke of Marlborough could not 
help faying, c{ it was fomewhat ftrange, that generals, , 
who had ailed according to the beft of their underftand- 
ings, and had loft their limbs in the fervice, Ihould be ex¬ 
amined like offenders about iniignificant things.*’ 
An exterior civility being eftablifhed with the new mi¬ 
niftry, the duke went over to the Hague, to prepare for 
the next campaign, which at the fame time he knew would 
be his laft. He exerted himfelf in an uncommon man¬ 
ner, and was attended with the fame luccefs as ufual. 
There was in this campaign a continued trial of fkill be-' 
tween the duke of Marlborough add marlhal Villars; 
and, as great a general as the latter was," he was obliged 
at length to fubmit to the former. He embarked for 
England when the campaign was over/and came to Lon- 
