advanced from Mons and were confronted by Marlborough from Brussels and Louvain. No battle, however, took place, though Marlborough was only prevented by the Dutch from attacking Vendôme on the field of Waterloo (Coxe, ii. 301), nor were the contemplated sieges of Tournay or Mons attempted. After long manoeuvring the French were forced to retreat with some loss, and ultimately fell back upon Lille at the end of the campaign.
Marlborough was still occupied in various negotiations. The erratic Peterborough, who; attributed the misfortunes in Spain toiis own absence, was rambling over Europe negotiating on his own account, and, after visiting Charles XII and the elector of Hanover,; pestered Marlborough in his camp by prolonged conversations. The death of Prince Louis of Baden (4 Jan. 1707) caused their transference of the command on the Rhine to the margrave of Bareuth, who was unable to resist Villars; and Marlborough had to manage long negotiations to secure the appointment of the elector of Hanover to replace the margrave. Charles XII again became troublesome; and Marlborough had to obtain satisfaction from various governments until the king was persuaded to take himself off into Russia in September. The expedition against Toulon had especially occupied Marlborough’s attention, but failed because the emperor, diverted by the scheme against Naples, would not support it with sufficient vigour. Marlborough, after making arrangements for the next campaign at the Hague and at Frankfort,where he met the elector of Hanover and the imperial minister. Count Wratislaw, returned to England on 7 Nov. to take part in the party struggles which had lasted through the summer. The whigs were still trying to force themselves into power. The duchess had introduced Abigail Hill, whose mother was one of the twenty-two children of the duchess’s grandfather, Sir John Jennings (Conduct, p. l77), to the queen’s service. She speedily rose in favour, and became the contidante of Harley in his communications with the queen. The duchess soon became jealous, appealed to her husband and Godolphin, and bitterly reproached the queen (see letter of 29 Oct. 1707, Private Correspondence, i. 88). The discovery of Abigail’s private marriage to Mr. Masham, who also owed a place in the household to the duchess, produced a violent quarrel, which was for the time smoothed over by the intervention of Godolphin. Godolphin and Marlborough became more suspicious of Harley, and drew nearer to the whig junto. The resolution of the queen to appoint two tory bishops (Blackaill and Sir Dawes) embittered the quarrel. The two ministers were suspected by the whigs of insincerity for their failure to coerce the queen, while their attempts at coercion only strengthened her regard for Harley; and the domineering duchess interfered at intervals to make thi worse. Harley continued to protest his fidelity to Marlborough and Godolphin, while the Dutch began to suppose that the power of the ministers was declining, and became more anxious for peace. These com licated intrigues produced their fruit on tllie meeting of parliament. Violent debates took place upon the discontent in Spain and the failures of the admiralty, where Marlborough’s brother, the admiral, was accused of corruption as well as Jacobitism. Whigs and tories joined for a time in attacking the ministry. In the house of peers a debate took place in which the tory Rochester joined with the whig Halifax to endorse the complaints of Peterborough and call for more vigorous action in Spain. Marlborough repli by explaining that measures ha been taken, in conjunction with the emperor, for a more vigorous prosecution of the Spanish war under the command of Eugene. His statement appears to have given satisfaction for the moment. A resolution was passed on the motion of Somers declaring that no peace would be satisfactory which left Spain and the Indies to the Bourbons. This was apparently understood as implying a reconciliation between the ministers and the whigs, who had sufficiently shown their power. The ministers now induced the queen to give assurances that she would make no more tory appointments; and the complaints in both houses were gradually dropped. The final seal was put upon the new understanding by the expulsion of Harley. His manœuvres were coming to light, and some unjust suspicion was cast upon him by the treachery of subordinates in his office. The queen still stood by him, while Marlborough and Godolphin demanded his dismissal. They absented themselves from a meeting of the cabinet held 19 Feb. 1708, at which Harley attended. The cabinet broke up on the ground that the absence of the two ministers made business impossible. After a violent discussion with Marlborough, the queen at last consented to dismiss Harley (11 Feb.), who was succeeded by Boyle, while St. John was replaced by Robert Walpole.
The Pretender’s attempted invasion of Scotland in the spring of 1708 roused the national spirit. Vigorous measures were passed, and Marlborough was active in providing for the defence of the country, and in supporting the Bank of England during a temporary
