his deadliest enemies. Dr. King observes, in his curious "Anecdotes of his own Times,"" I was talking with the old Lord Granard, whom I knew formerly in Ireland, concerning the Revolution. He told me that the first night he arrived at the camp on Salisbury Plain, where King James was then with his army, and where my Lord Granard had the command of a regiment, that Churchill, and some other colonels, invited him to supper, and opened to him their design of deserting to the Prince of Orange. My Lord Granard did not only refuse to enter the confederacy, but went immediately to the King, and told him he was betrayed, acquainting him with the discourse which had passed at supper. At the same time he advised the King to seize all the conspirators, and give their commands to other officers, of whose fidelity he could be well assured. If this advice had been followed, King William's attempt had probably been defeated; but the King did not seem to give any credit to my Lord Granard's story, and neglected to make a present inquiry into an affair of such great importance. The next morning he was convinced of his error, when it was too late to apply a remedy." The truth of this story is not only corroborated by Father Orleans, in his "History of the Revolutions in England," but King James himself, in his Memoirs, unhesitatingly affirms that he received intimation of Lord Churchill's designs, and was recommended to seize his person, but that he

unfortunately neglected to avail himself of the

advice.*

It is to be regretted that Coxe, in his Memoirs of the Duke of Marlborough, should content himself with noticing these very grave accusations with merely a passing sneer. "Such tales," he says, "may find a momentary credit, when the passions of men are heated; but, at present, to mention is to refute them." Surely there is evidence enough in the matter which we have brought forward, to render it worthy of more consideration than to be regarded as a mere "tale; and we cannot but lament that one who had so many opportunities afforded him of ascertaining the truth, should either have taken very little trouble in the investigation, or have contented himself with regarding the innocence of the Duke of Marlborough as a matter of course. It must be admitted, however, that James, confident as he appears to have been of the reality of Churchill's design of seizing his person, yet, as concerns the graver charge of assassination, makes not the slightest allusion to the circumstance.

That William regarded the conduct of the Duke of Marlborough, in deserting his unfortunate master, with the utmost abhorrence, is greatly to the credit of that Prince. Speaking incidentally of the Duke's character to the Prince

* Further evidence of Marlborough's treachery will be found in the Clarendon and Rochester Correspondence, vol. ii. pp. 211, 214; and in Sir John Reresby's Memoirs, p. 369.

VOL. I.

2 A

Vaudemont,-a natural son of the Duke of Lorraine, "The Duke of Marlborough," he said, "has the best talents for a general of any man in England; but he is a vile man, and I hate him, for though I can profit by treasons, I cannot bear the traitor."

In an account given to Carte by General Dillon, we have further evidence of the very slighting manner in which the Duke was treated by King William. Dillon, who was afterwards an active agent for the exiled family at St. Germains, had frequent opportunities, on the first accession of William to the throne, of being present at the state dinners at St. James's Palace. "He never," he said, "saw any English nobleman dine with the Prince of Orange, but only the Duke of Schomberg, who was always placed at his right hand, and his Dutch General officers. That the English noblemen, that were there, stood behind the Prince of Orange's chair; but never were admitted to eat and sit. He particularly mentioned the Duke of Marlborough and the Earl of Clarendon; but they went away when the dinner was half over. That the Prince of Orange would not look at the Duke of Marlborough; and that he never saw a man so neglected, as the Duke was. That, when they came home, the Duchess would ask Mr. Dillon, what treatment the Duke had met with; and on hearing the account, said to the Duke it was what he deserved: he ought to have considered how good his settlement was, some

months before; a reproach which, the C-SS of Sch said then, was not so proper for her Grace to make; since, to her knowledge, it was the Duchess that debauched the Princess Anne, and persuaded her to that defection from the King, which ruined him.”* But the most severe reproof was that which Lord Churchill received from the gallant veteran, Marshal Schomberg. When the traitor arrived in the camp of the Prince of Orange,-(notwithstanding the defection of a man of his high rank was of the utmost importance to the cause of the Prince) -Schomberg was unable to conceal his abhorrence of the act,-"You are the first LieutenantGeneral," he said, "whom I ever remember to have deserted his colours."

Macpherson, Orig. Papers, vol. i. p. 284.

CHAPTER II.

Lord Churchill created Earl of Marlborough by William III. and sent to Holland in command of the English forces.-Present at the battle of Walcourt. Goes over to Ireland, and reduces the towns of Cork and Kinsale.-Anecdote of the Duke of Wirtenburg.-Prince Vaudemont's character of Marlborough. Deprived of all his appointments, and arrested by order of King William.-Proved to have maintained a close correspondence with the exiled Court, at the period of his arrest. His avarice and ambition.-Betrays to James II. the project of the English Government to destroy the French ships in the harbour of Brest.-Restored to all his honours by King William, and appointed Governor to the young Duke of Gloucester, and, soon afterwards, Ambassador Extraordinary to the States.-Made a Knight of the Garter, and Captain-General of the Queen's forces in England and elsewhere. His successes in the campaign against France, for which he is created Marquis of Blandford, and Duke of Marlborough.-Pension of five thousand per annum also conferred on him.-Death of his only son at Cambridge.

UNFAVOURABLE as was the opinion which the Prince of Orange appears to have entertained of Lord Churchill's character, he was, nevertheless, a person of too much importance, and had laid the Prince under obligations of too grave a character, to allow of his services or his interests

being overlooked. Accordingly, immediately after the accession of William, he was advanced to a higher rank in his profession; he was in