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1708.

"majefty, his mafter, as the protector of his injured honour, "and of his abused minifter."

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At the fame time count Gallas, the emperor's envoy, the baron Spanheim, ambaffador from the king of Pruffia, and several other foreign minifters, thinking themselves conconcerned in the affront put upon their character, demanded a due reparation for the fame: all which having been laid before the queen, who ftill continued at Windfor, fhe expreffed a very great refentment for the indignity offered to the Mufcovite ambaffador, and commanded an extraordinary council to be fummoned on the 25th of July on that occafion. Mr. Morton, and fome other creditors, with the attorney, bailiffs, and other perfons concerned in the arreft of the ambaffador, having been examined, were committed to the cuftody of feveral meffengers, and ordered to be prosecuted with the utmost severity, according to law. The next day, before Mr. Boyle was returned from Windfor, the Muscovite ambaffador wrote to him another letter, importing, "That, as he had not received any teftimony of concern, or re66 gret, either from the queen, or any of her minifters, fince " he had fent him his complaints in writing, he found him"felf obliged to prefs for his departure; and therefore in"treated Mr. fecretary to get a passport for him as soon as "poffible." Mr. Boyle acquainted the ambaffador, "That "feven of the principal accomplices, in the desperate at"tempt upon his perfon, were committed to prison, and "under profecution, by order of the privy-council, who were "to meet again about that affair as foon as poffible." But the ambaffador, being impatient to leave the kingdom, wrote a third letter on the 27th of July to Mr. fecretary, for a passport for himself and family. Mr. Boyle wrote, two days after, a letter to the ambassador, acquainting him, “That " he had that morning fent him the paffport he defired: that "orders had been iffued out to the officers of the custom"houfe to wait on him, to cause his equipages to be trans"ported without any moleftation; and he hoped, they had "already done that to his fatisfaction: that an extraordinary meeting of the queen's privy-council was to be held that 66 day, to inquire further into the circumstances of that "difmal affair: that they had made a ftrict fearch after those, "who were any ways concerned therein; and had caused "ten others to be apprehended: that exprefs orders had "been given again to the attorney-general, to profecute the "feventeen perfons now confined, with the utmost rigour;

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and

"and to omit nothing, that might contribute towards the "making him the moft fignal reparation, that could be, ac"cording to our law." Notwithstanding these afsurances, the ambassador refufed the ordinary prefents made to minifters of his character, which were offered him by the queen, and retired in disgust into Holland, from whence he transmitted a memorial, with a letter from the czar of Muscovy to the queen, dated the 17th of September, wherein that prince demanded no lefs, than "that a capital punishment, according "to the rigour of the law, be inflicted on all the accompli"ces of the indignity put upon the perfon of his ambassa"dor; or, at leaft, fuch a one, as was adequate to the "nature of the affront, which every particular perfon put upon the ambaffador." Such a punishment being altogether inconfiftent with the laws of England, this unlucky affair gave no small uneafinefs to the queen and minifters (c).

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1708.

Denmark.

On the 28th of October, about ten in the forenoon, The death of died prince George of Denmark, in the 56th year of his age, prince after he had been twenty-five years and fome months marri- George of ed to the queen. He had, for many years, been troubled Burnet, with an asthma, and fometimes fpitting of blood, which often 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 fleepiness, cough, and an increase of the asthma; and, on Saturday the 23d of October, the violence of the

(c) Mr. Addison gave the following account of this affair, in a letter to the earl of Manchester, dated at the Cock-pit, July 23, 1708, O. S. and published in Cole's Memoirs of Affairs of State, p. 546. We had an unlucky bufinefs about two days ago, that befel the Muf. covite ambaffador, who was • arrested going out of his house, and rudely treated by the bailiffs. He was then upon his • departure for his own country, • and the fum under an hundred

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payments, and had given or• der, that this very fum should be paid the day after. However, as he is very well convinced, that the government intirely difapproves fuch a proceeding, there are no ill confequences apprehended from it. Your lordship knows, that the privileges of ambaffadors are ' under very little regulation in England; and I believe, that ⚫ a bill will be promoted in the next parliament for fetting them upon a certain foot; at least it is what we talk of in both 'offices on this occafion.'

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cough

1708. cough produced a spitting of blood, and an increase of the fleepiness, with an addition of convulfive motions of the tendons; which fymptoms not yielding to the remedies adminiftred by his own and several other physicians, he fell into a fuffocation, and which neither bleeding, nor a vomit, could relieve him, fo 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 such care and concern, that she was looked on very deservedly as a pattern in this refpect. The prince was duke of Cumberland, lord high-admiral of Great-Britain and Ireland, generaliffimo of all her majesty'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 progress in mathematics. He had travelled through France, Italy, and Germany, and knew much more than he could well exprefs; for he fpoke 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 bread 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 highne's was carried from Kenfington, to the Painted Chamber, within the palace of Weftminfter, 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.

Promotions.

Burnet.

The death of prince George occafioned fome alterations Hift. of Eur, 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. was at that time both lord-prefident of the council, and

He

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ford-lieutenant of Ireland. The earl of Wharton had the 1708. government of Ireland (who made Mr. Addison 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 post very acceptable to the whigs at any juncture, but it was most particularly fo at this time; for it was expected, that propofitions for a general peace would be quickly made; and so they reckoned, that the management of that, upon which not only the safety of the nation, but of all Europe depending, 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 those, 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.

Marlbo

It may here be obferved, that, notwithstanding the duke The duke of of Marlborough's fucceffes this year, and the queen's kind rough's inte letter to him on occafion of his victory at Oudenard reft with the (e) his intereft with her began greatly to decline, through queen began

(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 occafions. 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. XVII.

the to decline.

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1708. the intrigues of Mrs. Mafham and Mr. Harley all the ~summer (f).

As I had formerly told your majefty, that I am defirous to ferve you in the army, but not as a minister, I am every day more and more confirmed in that opinion. And I think myself obliged upon all accounts on this occafion to speak my mind freely to you. The circumftances in this laft battle, I think, fhew the hand of God; for we were obliged, not only to march five leagues that moraing, but to pafs a river before the enemy, and to engage them before the whole army was paffed, which was a visible mark of the favour of heaven to you and your arms.

you are

Your majefty fhall be convinced from this time, that 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 thanks for his infinite goodness to me. But, as I have taken this refolution to myself, give me leave to fay, that I think obliged in confcience, and as a good chriftian, to forgive, and to have no more refentments to any particular perfon or party, but to make ufe of fuch as will carry on this juft 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.

At

(f) The duchefs of Marlborough, in the account of her conduct, p. 206, obferves, that the duke was perfectly fenfible of the change in her majefty towards him; and, having complained of it in a letter to the duchefs, fhe fent that letter to the queen, inclofed in the following one from herself:

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• I cannot help fending your • majelly this letter, to fhew how exactly lord Marlborough agree with me in my opinion, that he as now no intereft with you though when I faid fo in the church on Thursday (Auguft 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 pain to put your jewels in a way, that I thought you would like, Mrs. 'Mafham could make you refuse 6 to wear them in fo unkind a manner; because that was a power fhe had not thought fit to exercife before. I will make no reflections upon it; only that I muft 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.'

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