gentlemen and the devoted nursing of his mother prolonged the boy's life, but his strength was not sufficient to bear up under the disease, although he made a great struggle with death.

Sarah sent frequent expresses to inform her husband of the progress of the malady, for Marlborough was suffering intense anxiety. He wrote to his wife, "I am so troubled at the sad condition this poor child seems to be in that I know not what to do. I pray God to give you some comfort in this great affliction. If you think anything under heaven can be done, pray let me know of it, or if you think my coming can be of the least use, let me know it. I beg I may hear as soon as possible, for I have no thought but what is at Cambridge." He adds, "Before despatching the letter I writ to you this morning, and was in hopes I should have heard again before this time, for I hope the doctors were with you early this morning. If we must be so unhappy as to lose this poor child, I pray God to enable us both to behave ourselves with that resignation which we ought to do. If this uneasiness which I now lie under should last long, I think I could not live. For God's sake, if there be any hope of recovery let me know of it."

Within a few hours the unhappy father followed this letter to Cambridge, but arrived only in time to see his son expire on the morning of Saturday, February 20, 1703-4. Lord Blandford was interred in King's College Chapel, where a Latin inscription to his memory may be read.

In Sir Godfrey Kneller's portrait he appears of medium height, has large, expressive eyes and full lips, resembling his mother more than his father. Marlborough felt his son's death most keenly. He wrote to Lord Godolphin from abroad, where he had to hasten almost immediately, that his son was never out of his thoughts.

A private letter of the period, written by Lady Pye to Abigail Harley at Brampton, reads :—

"We hear the Duchess of Marlborough bears not her affliction like her mistress, if report be true that it hath near touched her head."

The devoted mother's intense sorrow and grief shows that Sarah had considerably more heart than her detractors would have us believe. The duchess's duties required her presence at St. James's, but her health most certainly failed at this time through all she had suffered. In her longing for seclusion, she used to spend hours in the cloisters at Westminster, dressed in the deepest mourning. The second Duke of Portland said that when a boy he saw her there grieving over her son.

In a letter dated St. James's, March 17, 1703-4, to the Earl of Tullibardine on some matter of business or favour she was to obtain for him from the Queen, the duchess expresses herself as "most happy to be of the least service," and condoles with him on some family bereavement he had sustained, continuing, “but this is of a sort that you had reason to expect, which ought to moderate your affliction, but I have been so unfortunate as to lose an only son with all the appearance of health and strength, at sixteen years old, with all the qualities that I could pray for. There is but one stroke of fortune that can be more severe; after naming it I can say no more." Probably the duchess here refers to the possibility of the duke's death.

CHAPTER VII

UNDER QUEEN ANNE
(1704-1708)

"Good actions crown themselves with lasting bays,
Who well deserves needs not another's praise."

-HEATH.

It was Sarah's fortune that her passionate nature should experience every emotion. To intense grief, succeeded gnawing anxiety, to be followed and crowned with joy and pride.

During the summer of 1704 apprehension was felt by all, and more especially by his wife, for the success of the Duke of Marlborough's campaign. The news arrived that Louis XIV. had sent the renowned Marshal Tallard with a large force to aid the Elector of Bavaria, the declared enemy of the allies.

The road being now open, it was feared Vienna would be captured and the war brought to an abrupt and unhappy conclusion. The Duke of Marlborough resolved to inflict a telling blow. He succeeded in joining forces with Prince Eugene, and on 12th August discovered the enemy, who greatly outnumbered his army, preparing a camp between Blenheim and Lutzingen, and on the 23rd, in spite of the difficulty of a swampy country and a river with muddy banks, Marlborough led his troops to the attack, and with great skill won the now famous battle of Blenheim.

Although greatly fatigued after sixteen hours in the

saddle, he immediately wrote the following letter to his wife:

"I have not time to say any more than to beg of you to present my humble duty to the Queen, and to let her know that her army has had a glorious victory. Monsieur Tallard and two other generals are in my coach, and I am following the rest. The bearer, my aide-de-camp, Colonel Pack, will give her Majesty an account of what has passed. I shall do it in a day or two by another mode more at large.

"MARLBOROUGH."

Our loss in the battle was 12,000 killed and wounded, the French losing 40,000 killed, wounded, and prisoners. Over a hundred standards and colours were taken from the enemy.

Queen Anne was sitting in a small turretted chamber overlooking Windsor Park when the Duchess of Marlborough announced the good news. Her Majesty at once desired to see Colonel Pack, and he was introduced in his travel-stained clothes, having ridden straight from the battlefield, night and day, to cover the distance in as short a time as possible.

The Queen offered to reward him handsomely, but he begged her Majesty would give him her portrait instead of money. Accordingly, in a few days the Queen presented him with her miniature set in diamonds.

Evelyn says: "On 7th September was celebrated the thanksgiving for the late victory of Blenheim; it was conducted with the utmost pomp and splendour, the Queen, the Court, Great Officers of State, and the Lord Mayor attended. The streets were scaffolded from Temple Bar, where the Lord Mayor presented the Queen with a sword, which she returned. The 1 Dumont, "History of the Duke of Marlborough."

Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, and Aldermen in scarlet robes with caparisoned horses, the Knight - Marshal on horseback, the Footguards, the Queen in a coach drawn by eight horses, none with her but the Duchess of Marlborough in a very plain garment, the Queen full of jewels."

A letter written in the Emperor Leopold's own hand, acknowledging that the Duke of Marlborough had saved the empire, was ordered by the Queen to be preserved among the records of the Tower. In this letter the Emperor gave the duke the title of Highness; her Majesty took the hint, and kindly sent to tell Marlborough that he might accept any honour the Emperor was pleased to bestow upon him. In a little while the news arrived that the Emperor had conferred the title of Prince of the Empire upon the duke.

On the 14th September Marlborough returned to England. Leaving Marshal Tallard and fifteen other French officers on board the yacht Catherine to await the Queen's pleasure, he went to St. James's, and was received there with every mark of honour. Her Majesty presented him with a "George" set in diamonds, worth £8000. On the same day a vote of thanks was passed by both Houses of Parliament.

At the invitation of the civic authorities, the duke and sixty other noblemen attended a banquet given in his honour. They were met at Temple Bar by the City Marshal, and conducted in state to the Goldsmiths' Hall; the Queen's band playing during the repast, which cost £800. Marshal Tallard and some other of the French prisoners were sent down to Nottingham; they were well treated, and allowed considerable liberty. On his way to his destination a butcher came up to Tallard and said, "You are welcome into England; I hope to see your master here next year."

K