"and to omit nothing, that might contribute towards the "making him the moft fignal reparation that could be, ac❝cording to our law." Notwithstanding thefe affurances, the ambassador réfufed the ordinary prefents made to minifters of his character, which were offered him by the queen, and retired in difguft into Holland, from whence he tranfmitted a memorial, with a letter from the czar of Mufcovy to the queen, dated the 17th of September, wherein that prince demanded no lefs, than "that a capital pnnifhment, according "to the rigour of the law, be inflicted on all the accompli"ces of the indignity put upon the perfon of his ambaffa"dor; or, at leaft, fuch a one, as was adequate to the "nature of the affront, which every particular person put "upon the ambaffador." Such a punishment being altogether inconfiftent with the laws of England, this unlucky affair gave no fmall uneafinefs to the queen and minifters (c). 1708. On the 28th of October, about ten in the forenoon, The died prince George of Denmark, in the 56th year of his age, death of after he had been twenty-five years and fome months mar- prince ried to the queen. He had, for many years, been troubled George of with an afthma, and fometimes fpitting of blood, which of Denmark. ten indangered his life; and, about three months before, a dropfical humour, with which he had been formerly afflicted, feized his legs and moft parts of his body. This was attended with a fleepinefs, cough, and an increafe of the afthma; and, on Saturday the 23d of October, the violence of the (c) Mr. Addison gave the fol-payments, and had given orlowing account of this affair, inder, that this very fum should be paid the day after. How a letter to the earl of Manchester, and rudely treated by the bailiffs. He was then upon his ⚫ departure for his own country, ' and the fum under an hundred 'pounds that stopped him; and, what makes the bufinefs worfe he has been punctual in his under very little regulation in England; and I believe, that a bill will be promoted in the next parliament for setting them upon a certain foot; at leaft it is what we talk of in ⚫ both offices on this occafion.' Burnet.. 1708. Promo tions. Burnet. Hift. of Eur. cough produced a fpitting of blood, and an increase of the ' fleepiness, with an addition of convulfive motions of the tendons; which symptoms not yielding to the remedies adminiftred by his own and several other phyficians, he fell into a fuffocation, from which neither bleeding, nor a vomit, could relieve him, so that he foon after expired. The queen, who, during the whole course of her marriage, had been a moft tender and affectionate wife to him, in his laft illness, which lafted fome years, would never leave his bed, but fat up, fometimes half the night in the bed by him, with fuch care and concern, that fhe was looked on very defervedly as a pattern in this refpect. The prince was duke of Cumberland, lord high admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, generaliffimo of all her majefty's forces both by fea and land, and warden of the Cinque-ports. He had fhewed himself brave in the wars both in Denmark and in Ireland. His temper was mild and gentle. He had made a good progrefs in mathematics. He had travelled through France, Italy, and Germany, and knew much more than he could well exprefs; for he spoke acquired languages ill and ungracefully. He was free from all vice. He meddled little in bufinefs, even after the queen's acceffion to the crown. He was fo gained by the tories, by the act which they carried in his favour, that he was much in their intereft. He was unhappily prevailed with to take on him the poft of lord high admiral, of which he understood little, but was fatally led by thofe, that had credit with him, who had not all of them his good qualities, but had both an ill temper and bad principles. His being bred to the fea gained him fome credit in those matters. In the conduct of our affairs, as great errors were committed, fo great misfortunes had followed on them. As foon as the prince had refigned his laft breath, the queen came from Kenfington to her palace at St. James's, where fhe refided the whole winter. On the 11th of November, the body of his royal highness was carried from Kenfington, to the Painted Chamber, within the palace of Weft. minfter, where having lain in ftate till the 13th, it was that night interred in the Abbey-church, with all the pomp confiftent with a private funeral. The death of prince George occafioned fome alterations at court; for the earl of Pembroke was, on the 25th of November, advanced to the poft of lord high-admiral, which he entered on with great uneafinefs, and a juft apprehenfion of the difficulty of maintaining it well in a time of war. He was at that time both lord prefident of the council, and lord lord-lieutenant of Ireland. The earl of Wharton had the government of Ireland (who made Mr. A idifon his fecretary) and the lord Sommers was made lord-prefident of the council. The great capacity and inflexible integrity of the lord Sommers would have made his promotion to this poft very acceptable to the whigs at any juncture, but it was moft particu larly fo at this time; for it was expected, that propofitions for a general peace would be quickly made; and fo they rec koned, that the management of that, upon which not only the fafety of the nation, but of all Europe depended, was in fure hands, when he was fet at the head of the counfels, upon whom neither ill practices nor falfe colours were like to make any impreffion. Thus the minds of all thofe, who were truly zealous for the prefent conftitution, were much quieted by this promotion, though their jealoufies had a deep root, and were not eafily removed. 1708. It may here be obferved, that notwithstanding the duke The duke of Marlborough's fucceffes this year, and the queen's kind Marlbo letter to him on occafion of his victory at Oudenard, rough's (e) his intereft with her began greatly to decline, through intereft the with the (e) The letter is printed in the account of the duchefs of Marlborough's conduct, and was as follows: Windfor, July 6, 1708. I want words to exprefs the joy I have, that you are well, after your glorious fuccefs; for which, next to God Almighty, my thanks are due to you. And indeed I can never fay enough for all the great and faithful fervices you have ever done me. But be fo juft as to believe, I am as truly fenfible of them as a grateful heart can be, and shall be ready to fhew it upon all occaLions. I hope you cannot doubt of my esteem and friendship for you, nor think, that, because I differ with you in fome things, it is for want of either. No, I do affure you, if you were here, I am fure you would not think VOL. XVI. 1708. the intrigues of Mrs. Mafham and Mr. Harley all the fummer (f). As I had formerly told your I cannot help fending your majefty this letter, to fhew how exactly lord Marlborough agrees with me in my opinion, that he has now no inte eft with you: though when I faid fo in the church on Thursday (August 19, 1708,) you were pleafed to fay it was untrue. And yet I think he will be furprized to hear, that when I had taken fo much pains to put your jewels in a way, that I thought you would like, Mrs. ( to wear them in fo unkind a manner; because that was a power fhe had not thought fit 'to exercife before. I will make Your majefty fhall be convinced from this time, th t I have no ambition, or any thing to afk for myself or family. But I will end the few years, which I have to live, in endeavouring to ferve you, and to give God Almighty Matham could make you refufe thanks for his infinite goodnes to me. But, as I have taken this refolution to myfelf, give me leave to fay, that I think you are obliged in conference, and as a good chriftian, to forgive, and to have no more refentments to any particular person or party, but to make use of fuch as will carry on this just war with vigour; which is the only way to preferve our religion and liberties, and the crown on your head. Which that you may long enjoy, and be a bleffing to your people, fhall be the conftant wifh and prayer of him, that is with the greatest truth and duty, Madam, &c. no reflections upon it; only that I must needs obferve, that your majefty chofe a very wrong day to mortify me, when you were just going to return thanks for a victory obtained by lord Marlborough.' In answer to this the queen wrote the duchefs thefe few words: Sunday. After the commands you gave me on the thanksgivingday of not anfwering you, I fhould not have troubled you .. with At the fame time the lord Sommers was made prefident of 1708. the council, the archbishop of York, the dukes of Moun G 2 ⚫ with thefe lines, but to return the duke of Marlborough's letter safe into your hands, and for the fame reafon do not fay any thing to that, nor to yours, which inclosed it.' Upon receiving this letter, the duchefs wrote again as follows: 'I fhould not trouble your majefty with any answer to your last short letter, butto explain what you seem to mif tague duty to you, if I faw you fo much in the wrong, as without prejudice or paffion I really think you are in feveral particulars I have mentioned, and did not tell you of it; and the rather, because no body elfe cares to speak out upon fo ungrateful a fubject. The word command,which you use at the beginning of your letter, is very unfitly fuppofed to come from me. For though I have take in what I faid at church..always writ to you as a friend, I defired you not to answer me there, for fear of being over" heard. And this you interpret, as if I had desired you not to anfwer me at all, which was 'far from my intention. For the whole end of my writing to you so often, was to get your answer to several things, in which we differed, that, if I was in the wrong, you might convince me of it, and I should very readily have owned my miftakes. But, fince you have not been pleased to fhew them to me, I flatter myself, that I have said several things to you that are unanswerable. And, I hope, fome time or other you will find leisure to reflect upon them, and will convince lord Marlborough, that he is miftaken in thinking, that he has ⚫ no credit with you, by heark⚫ening sometimes to his advice; and then, I hope, you will never more be troubled with • disagreeable letters from me; for I fhould be much better pleafed to fay and do every thing you like. But I fhould think myself wanting in my and lived with you as fuch for 'fo many years, with all thetruth and honesty and zeal for your fervice, that was poffible; yet 'I fhall never forget, that I am your fubject, nor cease to be a 'faithful one.' Through the whole fummer after Mr. Harley's difmiffion, the queen continued to have fecret correfpondence with him. And, that this might be the better managed, the flaid all the fultry feafon, even when the prince was panting for breath in that fmall houfe the had formerly purchafed at Windfor, which though as hot as an oven, was then faid to be cool, because from the park fuch perfons, as Mrs. Maham had a mind to bring to her majesty, could be let in privately by the garden. And when, (continues the duchefs of Marlborough) upon the death of the prince, one ⚫ would have thought, that her majefty's real grief would have made her avoid every place ⚫ and every object, that might fenfibly revive the remem⚫ brance |