that the coin and commerce should be considered before it. In short, the oppositionists went through all the topics of obstruction. The object of the cavaliers was to prevent the settlement of the succession, and they, therefore, exerted themselves to carry the act for a treaty of limitation, and they succeeded. Then an act for triennial parliaments was attempted, but failed. Then Fletcher of Saltoun brought forward his republican theories, which would have reduced the crown to a mere nullity; and when the earl of Stair opposed it, Fletcher retorted that it was no wonder that he resisted such a scheme; for, had such an act existed, his lordship would long ago have been hanged for his concern in the massacre of Glencoe. Then they reverted to the conspiracy, and again demanded the documents concerning it; and copies of them being procured, they did nothing with them, except that the duke of Athol again reiterated his charges against the duke of Queensberry for attempting, in conjunction with Simon Frazer, to stamp disloyalty on her majesty's faithful subjects.
After having run the round of these stock complaints, they finally addressed themselves to the subject of the treaty for a union; and though some difficulties were raised as to the act in no way derogating from the rights and privileges of the people of Scotland, and demanding that no proceedings should be taken till the English parliament had rescinded their resolution that the subjects of Scotland should be adjudged aliens after the 25th of December; yet it was soon discovered that the ministers had a majority for the treaty of union; and all at once, to the extreme astonishment of every one, the duke of Hamilton moved that the nomination of the commissioners should be left to the queen. This was a wonderful finale of his continued and determined opposition. The fact was that every one now saw that the treaty would be carried, and was anxious to have the honour of being in the commission. The duke of Argyll promised Hamilton that he should be nominated; and when the queen did not consent to this, Argyll refused to allow his name to stand, and threatened to resign. Means, however, were found to appease him, as means had been found to appease the rancour of so many others. The great question of the treaty was carried; the parliament granted a supply of fifty thousand pounds, and the house adjourned to the 20th of December. This being done, the queen declared the earl of Mar secretary of state in the room of the marquis of Annandale, who was made lord president of the council; and thus wonderfully dissipated the angry clouds which for several sessions had hung so menacingly over Scotland.
Marlborough this year went early to the continent. On the 13th of March he embarked for the Hague. He had a splendid plan of operations for this campaign on the Moselle, but he found, notwithstanding his now grand reputation, the usual obstacles to daring action in the Dutch phlegm. Having conquered that, and obtained leave to convey the troops to the Moselle, he was met by a still more mortifying difficulty in the conduct of the prince of Baden, who was at the head of the German contingents. This man had never been cordial since the first successes of Marlborough. He was consumed with a deadly jealousy of his fame, and thought it no use fighting in company with him, as Marlborough would be sure to get all the honours. He therefore hung back from co-operation in Marlborough's plan, pretending illness; which, had the illness been real, should, at such a crisis for his country, have induced him to delegate the command of the forces for its defence to some other general. To add to the difficulties of Marlborough, the inferior French generals, Villeroi and others, who had risen into prominence through the interest of Madame de Maintenon and her priests and Jesuits, were removed from this quarter, and Villars, the most able commander now of the French, sent instead.
At this time died the emperor Leopold. This prince was praised as a very amiable and benevolent man; but his mind was feeble, and, like nearly all that family to the present time, he was the slave of Jesuits and confessors, who led him into persecutions of the protestants, which, with all his professed benevolence, never excited any pity in him. Under the sway of priests, his territories were most wretchedly governed, and his court and government were in the depth of poverty. The atrocities which were perpetrating in Hungary in the endeavour to put down a general insurrection excited by the worst of government, were a scandal to the empire. These circumstances had brought the empire to the very verge of ruin, and the best thing for the nation would have been to let Louis XIV. overrun Austria, and break up the whole imbecile family. In fighting to maintain Austria, we were fighting, not for protestantism, but for the most bigoted and desolating popery; and the only thing to have regenerated the Germans would have been to have allowed them to be trodden on and insulted by the French till their national spirit was aroused, as in after-days at Leipsic. They were numerous enough to defend themselves had they had independence of spirit enough, and princes honest and brave enough. But we were, in fact, endeavouring to prop up trees rotten at the root, and buildings without foundations. Joseph I., who succeeded to the empire, was equally celebrated for amiability, and was equally the weak tool of the Jesuits.
On the 15th of June the English troops under general Churchill crossed the Meuse and advanced towards the Moselle, whilst Marlborough posted to Kreutznach to try what he could do with the unwilling prince of Baden. In the end he seemed to have overcome his backwardness, and in a conference at Rastadt it was agreed general Thungen should be left to defend the lines at Lauterburg and Stollhoffen, and that the prince should join the duke with the main army on the Moselle. The confederate army, therefore, passed the Moselle in this confidence, and the Saar, also, in the beginning of June, and encamped at Elft in sight of the enemy, who retired with the greatest precipitation, and entrenched themselves in the neighbourhood of Königsmarcheren. The intention was to besiege Saar-Louis, but the wretched prince of Baden did not keep his engagement. He had advanced, not with a strong army, but only a small body of imperial troops, to Kreutznach, where he feigned illness, went off to the baths at Schlangenbad, and left the troops in the command of the count Friez. The defection was so barefaced that many began to suspect him of being corrupted by the French; but he was really sick—of Marlborough's renown.
