1710-11. thought it was an artifice, to make it feem more dangerous than indeed it was. Guifcard's wounds were deeper, and not eafily managed; for at firft he was fullen, and feemed refolved to die; yet after a day he fubmitted himself to the furgeons but did not complain of a wound in his back till it gangrened; and of that he died. It was not known what particulars were in his letters, nor was it known what he confeffed. This at tempt turns vantage. Furnet. This accident was of great ufe to Mr. Harley; for the to his ad-party formed against him were afhamed to push a man, who was thus affaffinated by one, that was studying to recommend himself to the court of France, and who was believed to have formed a design against the queen's perfon (x); whose health was at this time much fhaken, fhe having had three fits of an ague, and the last a severe one; but the progrefs of the disease was stopped by the bark. Ir. H. C. 6 The day after Mr. Harley received his wound, both houses of parliament agreed upon an addrefs to the queen, wherein they expreffed their great concern for the most barbarous and villainous attempt made upon the perfon of Mr. Harley; adding, That they had reafon to believe, that his fidelity to her majefty, and zeal for her service, had drawn upon him the hatred of all the abettors of popery and faction; and befought her majefty to take all poffible care of her facred perfon; and, for that purpose, to give directions for caufing papifts to be removed from the cities of London • and Westminster.' The queen took this advice very kindly, promised to give the proper directions, according to the defire of both houses, and recommended to them to make a law, to punish with death fuch villainous attempts on the lives of magiftrates in the lawful execution of the office, though the mischiefs defigned should not take effect. Upon which an act was paffed this feffion, to make an attempt on the life of a privy-counsellor to be felony without benefit of the clergy.' On the other hand, a proclamation was published, ftrictly to put in execution the laws against papists.' And, when Mr. Harley came firft to the house of commons after his recovery, he was by their order congratulated upon it by Mr. Bromley, their speaker, in a set flattering fpeech, wherein he prayed, That the fame providence, that had wonderfully preferved him from fome un 6 (x) For he had tried, by all the ways he could contrive, to be admitted to fpeak with her in private, which he had attempted that very morning. Burnet, II. 565. • paralleled paralleled attempts, and had raised him up to be an inftrument of great good at a very critical juncture, when it K was much wanted, might continue ftill to preserve so invaluable a life, for the perfecting of what was fo happily < begun; that they might owe to his counfels, and to his conduct, the maintenance and firm establishment of our • conftitution in church and state.' 1711. chefter. treasurer. In the beginning of May, died fuddenly the earl of Ro- Death of the chefter, the queen's uncle, and Mr. Harley, being rid of earl of Rothe only competitor in her favour, foon became the prime May 2. minifter. Upon his recovery fhe created him baron of Wig- Harley made more, and earl of Oxford and Mortimer, two of the moft earl and lordnoble titles in the English heraldry. The Veres had been Burnet. earls of Oxford many ages, and the title of Mortimer had been in the royal family. Preambles to patents of honour usually carry in them a fhort account of the dignity of the family, and of the fervices of the perfon advanced but his preamble was very pompous, and fet him out in the most extravagant characters that flatterers could invent; in particular it faid, that he had redeemed the nation from robbery, had reftored credit, and had rendered the public great service in a courfe of many years: all this was set out in too fulfome rhetoric, and, being prepared by his own direction, pleased him fo much, that, whereas all other patents had been only read in the house of lords, this was printed. He was also made lord-treasurer, (y) and he had 1711. the chief, if not the fole, direction of every thing. It foon appeared that his ftrength lay principally in managing parties, and in engaging weak people, by rewards and promifes, to depend upon him; but that he neither thoroughly understood the bufinefs of the treafury, nor the conduct of foreign affairs. But he trufted to his intereft in the queen, and her favourite Mrs. Masham. A design a gainst king grants mif William's carries. Burnet. Pr. H. L. The tories still continued to pursue the memory of king William; they complained of the grants made by him, though these were far fhort of thofe, that had been made by king Charles the IId; but that they might diftinguish betweent thofe, whom they intended to favour, and others, against whom they were fet, they brought in a bill, impowering fome perfons to examine all the grants made by him, and to report both the value of them, and the confiderations upon which they were made: this was the method, that had fucceeded with them before, with relation to Ireland; so the bringing in this bill was looked on, as a fure ftep, for carrying the resumption of all the grants, that they had a mind to make void. When the bill was fent up to the lords, the defign appeared to be an unjust malice, both against the memory of king William, and against those who had best ferved him; and therefore, upon the firft reading, the bill Inquiries in- was rejected (z). to the public The commons turned their malice next against the earl of Godolphin. A committee (of which, Mr. Edward Harley, accounts. Burnet. Pr. H. C. auditor of the impreft was chairman) having been appointed 1711. to inquire how far the feveral impreft accomptants had paffed their respective accounts; the commons found by their report, that the fupplies given by parliament were not all returned, and accounts of many millions were not yet paffed in the exchequer; therefore they pafled a vote, that of the 'monies granted by parliament, and iffued for the public fervice to Christmas 1710, there remains unaccounted for, the fum of above thirty-five millions, for great part of which no account has fo much as been laid before the auditors, and the reft not profecuted by the accomptants and • finished.' : This was a vaft fum; but, to make it up, fome accounts in king Charles's time were thrown into the heap; the lord Ranelagh's accounts of the former reign were the greatest part; and it appeared, that in no time accounts were fo regularly brought up, as in the queen's reign. Mr. Bridges's accounts, of fourteen or fifteen millions, were the great item, of which, not above half a million was paffed but there were accounts of above eleven millions brought in, though not paffed in form, through the great caution and exactness of the duke of Newcastle, at whofe office they were to pafs; and he was very flow, and would allow nothing, without hearing counfel on every article. The truth is, the methods of paffing accounts were fo fure, that they were very flow; and it was not poffible, for the proper officers, to find time and leisure to pass the accounts that were already in their hands. Upon this, though the earl of Godolphin had managed the treasury, with an uncorruptedness, fidelity, and diligence, that were fo unexceptionable, that it was not poffible to fix any cenfure on his administration; yet, because many accounts flood out, the commons paffed feveral angry votes on that fubject: but, however, fince nothing had appeared in all the examination made by the committee, that reflected on him, or on any of the whigs, they would not publifh the report, though it was ordered to be printed; for by that it would have appeared who had * See Pr. H. ferved well, and who had ferved ill (a). C. IV. 206. In the beginning of April, the dauphin of France and the The emperor emperor Jofeph both died of the finall pox. When notice dies. April 6. (a) Mr. Maynwaring, the other auditor of the impret, has given the true ftate of these thirty-five Came millions, the chief articles of Z3 The. |