Retrospect of French Literature—Biography. | 653 
means of Mrs. Mastam, to keep up his 
intercourse, and increase his favour 
with the queen; but a mutual jealousy 
already. subsisted between him and the 
First Lord of the Treasury, which it was 
never in the power of Dr. Swift, the 
common friend of both, to eradicate; al- 
though, perhaps, he might tend to mode- 
rate it. 
A pacification was at this period the 
grand object of the new administration, 
and for that purpose they immediately 
convoked a parliament more devoted to 
them, and less attached to the Whigs, than 
the preceding one. ‘*St, John now pub- 
licly declared, that the glory of taking 
cities, and gaining battles, ought to be 
measured by the degree of utility result- 
ing from these splendid achievements, 
which at one and the same time might 
reflect honour on the arms, and shame on 
the councils, of a nation; that the wis- 
dom of a government consists in_regala. 
ting its projects by its interests and its 
strength, and in_ proportioning the 
means of execution to the object which 
it proposes, and the vigour it is to display. 
He declared that England iad lest sight 
of those rules, and that motives of self- 
ishness and ambition, had seduced the 
grand part of the alliance to depart 
~from the principles which had been 
agreed upon. He added, that all ideas 
of conqgering Spain ought to be renoun- 
ced and relinquished,as (seneral Stanhope 
had just declared, that the people were 
so attached to Philip V. and professed 
such a degree of aversion to the Arch- 
duke, that the coifntry might be over- 
run ‘until the day of judgment,’ with- 
out being conquered. As Spain was 
the object of the war, and its subversion 
hopeless, it was therefore his opinion, 
that peace ought to be instantly thought 
of.” 3 
St. John perceiving that the new par- 
hiament was favourable. to Ins views, 
sent over the Abbe Gaultier to Paris in 
1711, aud by means of his agency, and 
that of Mr; Prior, he carried on a corre- 
‘spondence with M, de Torcy, and signi- 
fied to the French minister, that England 
would treat independently of, and with- 
out the concurrence, of Holland. 
No sooner did the Dutch learn that 
the English had commenced a negocia- 
tion for peace, than they themselves 
wished to renew the conferences for a 
treaty; but their ministers were repulsed, 
and obliged to solicit'a participation in 
the diplomatic engagements of England. 
Meanwhile the queen was so well 
Nontacy Mac, No, 201, 
pleased with the conduct of her ministers, 
that Harley was created an earl, and no- 
minated First Lord of the Treasury, in 
addition to his former office of Chancel. 
lorsof the Exchequer. Although St. 
John had been overlooked on this occas 
sion, yet he determined to press tne bus 
siness of peace, and accordingly sent 
Prior the poet, once more te the court 
of Versailles, with a memorial, in which. 
he Jaid down the principles on which it 
could alone be obtained. That gentles— 
man accordingly repaired to Fontain- 
bleau at the latter end of July 1711, 
and having ascertained that Louis XIV. 
had received full powers from his wrand- 
son, Philip 'V. returned immediately with 
Mousieur Mesnager, to whom the Eng= 
lish Secretary for Foreign Affairs ob- 
served: ‘* We desire-pegce, and France, 
stands in need of it; to obtain this, all 
intrigue and finesse must be banished. 
England will not either resume or re- 
new the insupportable pretensions main-. 
tamed by the Dutch at the former con. 
ferences, but she expects a reasonable 
compensation for herself on account of 
her expences, and equitable advantages 
for her allies; in fine, such terms as may 
be required for their own security, and 
such indeed as the present situation of 
affairs entitle them to.” 
A provisional negociation was the con- 
sequence; and preliminaries of peace 
between England and France were 
signed soon after, on the part of St. John 
and the Earl of Dartmouth on one side, 
and the French Envoy on the other, 
Next day Mesnager was introduced to 
the queen, who received him in a private 
Manverat Windsor.’ 
On the $0th of November, the Secre- 
tary for Foreign Affairs notified to the | 
diffevent ministers at the court of London, 
that negotiations for peate were about 
to take place at Utrecht; and notwith- ° 
standing the violent opposition that en- 
sued on the part*of the Count de Gal-_ 
lasch, the Austrian minister, and the 
Baunde Bothmar, Envoy from the court 
of Hanover; nay, although the Duke 
and Dnaehess of Marlborough, with all - 
the Whigs, together with the States Ge- 
neral, resolutely opposed the measure,. 
yet Anne and her ministers, as is weil 
Known, succeeded in the project for a 
peace. 
The ‘services of St. John upon this 
occasion were not forgotten, and ac-_ 
cordingly her majesty, on the 14th of 
July, 1712, was pleased to create him a 
peer of England, by the style and ttle 
4 P of 
