Captain Desborough, was sent to fetch him over. He was accompanied by Count de la Corfana, Count Nassau Wonderburgh, the Chevalier de Savoy, the prince's nephew, a son of the Count de Soissons, and his Highness's adjutant-general, the Baron de Hohendorf. A royal barge in the charge of Mr. Drummond met him at Gravesend, and landed him at Whitehall incognito, when the prince at once repaired to Leicester House. He notified his arrival the same evening to the officers of state, who soon after waited upon him; among them the Duke of Marlborough, of whose disgrace the prince had heard on landing. Mr. Drummond, it was reported, represented to the prince that the less he saw of the duke the better. His Highness was surprised at such an admonition, and replied, "The ministers may depend upon it, I shall not cabal against them; but I hope they do not expect me to forbear my usual familiarity with my good friend the Duke of Marlborough." Prince Eugene had come on a mission-to raise a loan in favour of the Emperor Charles of Austria for the continuance of the war; but this was not agreeable to the Queen and her advisers, so he was unsuccessful in his object. However, he had no reason to be dissatisfied with his reception, as the nobility vied with each other in order to show him honour. Harley, now Earl of Oxford, said when he dined with him, “That he looked upon that day as the happiest in the whole course of his life, since he had the honour to see in his house the greatest captain of the age." Upon which his Highness smartly answered, "If this is the case, it is wholly owing to your lordship that it is so," implying that Harley was the author of the Duke of Marlborough's 1 Twenty-three years later the Duchess of Marlborough had occasion to write to Prince Eugene. She uses almost the same expression, saying he the greatest general this age has produced." See Appendix VII. was disgrace, and had freed him from the only rival who could come in competition with him for military glory.1 We read in a gossipy letter of the period that Prince Eugene decorated six ladies and six gentlemen with an Order; of these, four were the Duke of Marlborough's daughters, the other two ladies were the Duchess of Bolton and Lady Berkeley. One side of the medal represented Cupid with a sword in one hand and a faun in the other, and on the reverse side Cupid with a bottle and a sword run through it, with a motto, L'un n'empêche pas l'autre. 1 Dumont, History. CHAPTER X UNDER QUEEN ANNE "Where I am, the great and noble Where I am all think me happy, None can guess, who smile around me, In the autumn of 1712, the duchess had the pain of losing two dear friends, who both died at her house near St. Albans. The first was Mr. Maynwaring, who had long acted as her secretary, keeping her informed of proceedings in Parliament and offering her sound political advice. He died in September, and in November he was followed to the grave by Lord Godolphin, aged sixty-seven, who caught cold while walking in the gardens at Holywell. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, a monument being erected there to his memory by his daughter-in-law, Henrietta. Sarah had often sought his advice during her husband's absence abroad; the pity was she did not always follow it. Her temper no doubt tried him sometimes, but he never "swerved from his staunch friendship for them both," and in return they had a deep affection for him. His death greatly affected the duke, already disturbed by other worries. He therefore determined to absent himself from England. Accordingly, he left for the Continent at the end of November 1712. On arriving at Ostend, the captain of the packetboat hoisted the ensign, as a signal that his Grace was on board, whereupon a salute was fired by the town, and another on his entering the harbour. The Duke of Marlborough was received on landing by the governor, and escorted to the burgomaster's, where he stayed the night. The next day he set out for Antwerp, where a banquet was given in his honour. From there he travelled by the most private roads to Maestricht. Cavalry detachments were stationed along the road, by order of the governor of Maestricht, to await his coming and to escort him into the town. On the duke's arrival there on the evening of the 19th December, amid the thunder of cannon, the streets, lined by the garrison under arms, were illuminated with lanterns, as is recorded in the archives of that town. On the duke's departure for Aix-la-Chapelle, early in January, as much respect was paid him as on his arrival at Maestricht. The country people flocked to behold the "Preserver of the Empire," and people of every nation bestowed their blessings on the hero and their execrations on his enemies. They were full of astonishment at his appearance, and said, "His looks, his air, and his address were full as conquering as his sword." In the archives of the town of Aix-la-Chapelle are to be found several minutes of the town council relating to the Duke of Marlborough's visit. It appears it had been proposed to send a Dutch detachment of 300 men from Maestricht to mount guard and occupy the posts, to ensure the safety of the Duke of Marlborough, the whole country being in a very unsettled state. This suggestion was submitted to the authorities at Aix-la-Chapelle, but "the honourable Small Council decided it was too much responsibility to accept so many foreign troops without first consulting "the honourable Grand Council." The latter therefore assembled on January 8 to discuss the proposal. It was determined to send two deputies to General Von Topff at Maestricht, to make arrangements with him about the guards. Two days later the council reassembled at Aix-laChapelle to hear the deputies' report. They brought word that the general only intended sending a sergeant or corporal with one or two men unarmed to watch the city gates, and prevent dangerous characters from entering. The council agreed to this proposal. The duke's stay at Aix-la-Chapelle on this occasion could not have been lengthy, as he writes from Maestricht on February 13, 1713, to the duchess, thanks her sincerely for her kindness in proposing to join him, and suggests taking her to Frankfort with as little delay as possible, as few conveniences were available at Maestricht. He writes, "I fear you will not be easy until we get to some place where we may be settled for some time, so that we may be in a methodical and orderly way of living, and if you are then contented I shall have nothing to trouble me." In another letter the following, "When you go to Brussels, I desire you will give yourself the trouble of going to see the hangings at Mr. de Blois; you may do it in half-an-hour, whilst they get the dinner ready. Cadogan has arranged to send me an express as soon as you land, by which you may give him two lines.—I am, ever yours, M." On leaving, the Duchess of Marlborough gave away some very valuable presents and several fine diamond. rings and other jewels of great value to her friends. Dr. Garth, who had probably attended Lord Godolphin in his |