banks of Venice, Genoa, and Amsterdam[1]? his stately movables, valuable paintings, costly jewels, and, in a word, those immense riches of which himself and his lady (as good an accomptant as she is) do not yet know the extent of? Are all these, I say, to be resumed, and nothing remaining but that edifice or memento of a subject's ambition, the stately walls of Blenheim, built while his gracious benefactress is contented to take up her residence in an old patched up palace, during the burden of a heavy war, without once desiring to rebuild Whitehall, till by the blessing of peace her subjects shall be capacitated to undergo the necessary taxes? I am ashamed to enumerate those obligations the duke has to his queen and country, while he has such wretched and ungrateful advocates, who bellow his uneasiness, and exaggerate his mortifications. It is the misfortune of the times, that we cannot explain to our own people the occasion we have for a peace, without letting our enemies into our necessities, by which they may rise in their demands. Could there be a poll made, and voices collected from house to house, we should quickly see how unanimous our people are for a peace; those excepted, who either gain by the war, or, concealing their hoards, pay but small proportions toward it; an art well known and practised in this great city, where a person worth many thousands shall get himself rated at but one, two, or
- ↑ Beside the precarious security of the two former of these banks, they gave but 3 percent interest at that time; when 8, 9, or 10 per cent was common in England. This proves either that the duke was not so good a "husband of his money," as he is above supposed to be; or that he was desirous of securing a fund abroad, in case of an emergency.
