XXI. the moft liberal supplies for the enfuing campaign; LETTER and the emperor, emboldened by the alliance of Portugal, from which a paffage might be opened into the A.D. 1703. heart of the difputed monarchy, made his fon Charles affume the title of King of Spain, he himself and the King of the Romans renouncing all claim to any part of the fucceffion. Immediately after this ambitious ftep the archduke fet out for the Hague. From Holland, he paffed over to England; where he was treated with great respect, and conducted to Lisbon by a powerful fleet, having on board a confiderable body of land forces 22. WHILE the queen of England was exerting herself with fo much vigour in a foreign quarrel, in which her fubjects were little interested, the greatest diforders prevailed in her own dominions. The ferment in Scotland, occafioned by the mifcarriage of the fettlement at Darien, had never yet fully fubfided; and although that kingdom readily acknowledged the queen's authority, the hottest jealoufies there prevail. ed, among all ranks of men, refpecting the independency of their crown, and the freedom of their commerce. These jealousies were fomented by the infidious arts of the Jacobites, and the intrigues of the court of St. Germains, aided by a political oversight. WHEN the English legislature fettled the fucceffion of the crown on the house of Hanover, king William had neglected to take the fame precaution in regard to Scotland; fo that the fucceffion to that crown was still open. This circumftance was now eagerly feized by two fets of men :-by the adherents of the house of Stuart, who hoped to bring in the pretended prince of Wales; 22 Burnet. Voltaire. and A.D. 1703. PART II. and by fome real patriots, who meant to make use of it, in order to rescue their country from that abject dependence, and even flavery, into which it had fallen, and in which it had continued, ever fince its native fovereigns had added the weight of the crown of England to their ancient prerogative. Befide these men, many others, who were well difpofed toward the proteftant fucceffion, zealously oppofed the fettlement of the Scottish crown on the defcendants of the princefs Sophia, before the ratification of certain articles, which should provide for the independency of the kingdom, or unite it intimately with England 33. NOR was the English nation free from difcontents. The queen, by throwing herself entirely into the hands of the Tories, had roufed the refentment of the Whigs, who were in a manner profcribed, and debarred from office; and an ardent defire of accomplishing the purpose of the Grand Alliance, which they themselves had formed, only had prevented them hitherto from obftructing the measures of government. But their patience, under neglect, was at last worn out: they became jealous, and not without reafon, of defigns against the Proteftant fucceffion. The Tories, intoxicated with their good fortune, had revived all the exploded high monarchical and highchurch principles; and conjecturing that the queen muft naturally be difpofed to favour the fucceffion of her brother, feveral of her minifters held a fecret correfpondence with the court of St. Germains, and hopes were even entertained by that court of obtaining a speedy repeal of the Act of Settlement **, In order to forward these views, and to complete the ruin of their political opponents, the Tories pre23. Lockhart's Mem. Burnet, book vii. 24 Stuart Papers. tended, LETTER XXI. tended, that both the church and monarchy were in danger, from the prevalence of republican and pref byterian principles; and a bill against occafional conformity, which would have excluded all diffenters, and confequently a great number of the Whigs, from all civil offices and public employments, was twice prefented to parliament, and as often rejected 25. The failure of this favourite meafure, and feveral other A. D. 170p circumftances, indicating the ftrength of the Whigs, induced Marlborough and Godolphin, who are said to have been Tories, and even Jacobites in their hearts, to conceal their fentiments, and feek support from that powerful party. They forefaw a formidable oppofition, and perfuaded the queen, that it was neceffary to difpel the ftorm, by bringing fome of the more moderate Whigs into administration, and dismilling a few of the most violent Tories 26. Mr. Harley, speaker of the house of commons, afterward created earl of Oxford, and reputed a Whig, because bred a diffenter, was accordingly appointed fecretary of ftate, in the room of the earl of Nottingham; the office of comptroller-general was bestowed on his friend, Mr. Manfel; and, at his recommendation, Mr. St. John, since better known by the title of lord Viscount Bolingbroke, was advanced, while very young, to the lucrative place of fecretary at war 27. THIS expedient, however, would have been found infufficient to fecure the ministry against the violence of the Whigs, had not the extraordinary fuccefs of the next campaign filenced all oppofition. Marlborough having concerted with the ministers of the States, during the winter, the plan of operations, fet out early in the spring to carry it into execution. 25. Burnet, book vii, 26. Hanover Papers, 1704. 27. Ibid. As PART II. A. D. 1794. June 2. As the success of the two foregoing campaigns, by making the allies mafters of the Maife and Spanish Guelderland, had provided a ftrong barrier for the United Provinces, the English general propofed to march into the heart of Germany; in order to protect the emperor, now almoft befieged in his capital, by the Hungarian malcontents, on one fide, and by the French and Bavarians, on the other. In purfuance of this defign, but under colour of penetrating into France, he ordered the confederate forces to march towards Coblentz, where he joined them. Croffing the Rhine at that place, and fucceffively the Maine and the Neckar, he was met by prince Eugene at Mondelfheim. THE refult of the conference between these two great generals, was a junction of the allied army under Marlborough, with the Imperialists, commanded by the prince of Baden. That junction being effected, Marlborough forced, though with the lofs of five thousand men, the elector of Bavaria's entrenchments near Donawert, and obliged him to quit the field. In confequence of this victory, the allies got poffeffion of Donawert, and obtained a free paffage over the Danube. But as they were incapable, for want of magazines, either to continue long on the banks of that river, or to penetrate into Bavaria, their fituation was become very precarious, and they eagerly wished to give battle; when the enemy, being reinforced with thirty thousand men, under mareschal Tallard, refolved to afford them the opportunity they defired. Before the engagement, the duke of Marlborough was also joined by prince Eugene, with twenty thousand men, from the Upper Rhine; and, in order to free himfelf from the timid or treacherous coun counfels of the prince of Baden, he prevailed on him LETTER XXI. to befiege Ingolstadt. The oppofing armies were now nearly equal, each confifting of about eighty A. D. 1704 thousand men 28. But the French generals, Tallard and Marfin, though men of experience and abilities, were much inferior to those of the allies; [and the elector of Bavaria, though a brave prince, could not be confidered as a commander. THE French and Bavarians were advantageoufly posted on a hill, having the Danube and the village of Blenheim on their right: on their left, an extenfive and thick wood, from which ran a rivulet, along their front into the Danube. This rivulet, in its courfe through the plain, formed an almost continued morafs, the paffage of which might have been rendered very difficult, if it had been properly guarded. Twenty-eight battalions, and twelve fquadrons of dragoons, were thrown into the village of Blenheim: eight battalions were alfo placed in another village toward the centre'; in order to fall, in conjunction with thofe at Blenheim, upon the rear of the enemy, when they should pafs the rivulet. Their line, which confifted chiefly of cavalry, was weakened by these detachments; and by an unaccountable negligence, the allies were permitted not only to pass the brook, but to form without oppofition ". MARLBOROUGH, who commanded the left wing of August 13. the allies, having firft paffed the brook, ordered the two villages to be attacked by the infantry, while he himself led his cavalry against those of Tallard. The attack on the villages proved unfuccefsful; the Eng19. Id ibid. See alfo Kane's 28. Mem. da Marq. de Feuquieres. Campaigns. |