Chapter I: Front Matter

MEMOIRS
OF
SARAH
DUCHESS OF MARLBOROUGH,
AND OF THE
COURT OF QUEEN ANNE

BY MRS. A. T. THOMSON,
AUTHORESS OF “MEMOIRS OF THE COURT OF HENRY THE EIGHTH,” “LIFE OF SIR
WALTER RALEIGH,” &c.

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. II.

LONDON:
HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER,
GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.
MDCCCXXXIX.

LONDON:
PRINTED BY IBOTSON AND PALMER,
SAVOY STREET.

CONTENTS
OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.

Character of Lord Peterborough—Of Lord Montague—Marriage of
the Lady Mary Churchill with Lord Monthermer—Character and
success of her husband—The violence of party spirit at this
era—Conduct of the Duchess in politics—Her dislike to Lord
Rochester—His character—Preferment of Harley to the
secretaryship—Views originally entertained by Marlborough
and Lord Godolphin—Anecdote of Lord Wharton at Bath—A proof
of political rancour _Page_ 1

CHAPTER II.

Conduct of Lord Sunderland—Influence of the Duchess understood
at foreign courts—Anecdote of Charles the Third of Spain 29

CHAPTER III.

Complete triumph of the Whigs—Attempts made to bring Lord
Sunderland into the Cabinet—Scheme for insuring the
Hanoverian succession—The Queen’s resentment at that measure 55

CHAPTER IV.

Decline of the Duchess’s influence—Her attempt in favour of
Lord Cowper—Singular Letter from Anne in
explanation—Intrigues of the Tories—Harley’s endeavours to
stimulate the Queen to independence 74

CHAPTER V.

State of parties—Friendship of Marlborough and
Godolphin—Discovery of Mr. Harley’s practices—Intrigues of
the Court 109

CHAPTER VI.

Vexations and disappointments which harassed the Duke and
Duchess of Marlborough—Vacillations of Anne—Her appointment
of Tory bishops 124

CHAPTER VII.

1708—Vacillation of Anne—Invasion of the Pretender—Results of
that event—Secret intrigues with Mrs. Masham—The death of
Prince George—The Duchess of Marlborough’s affectionate
attentions to the Queen on that occasion—Her disappointment 147

CHAPTER VIII.

Trial of Dr. Sacheverell—His solemn protestation of
innocence—Scene behind the curtain where the Queen sat—Fresh
offence given by the Duchess to Anne 164

CHAPTER IX.

Final separation between the Queen and the Duchess—Some
anecdotes of Dr. and Mrs. Burnet—Dr. Burnet remonstrates
with the Queen—The Queen’s obstinacy—Dismissal of Lord
Godolphin—Letter from the Duchess to the Queen 193

CHAPTER X.

Anecdotes of Swift and Addison—Publication of the
Examiner—Charge brought in the Examiner against the Duchess 212

CHAPTER XI.

Return of the Duke and Duchess—Their reception—The Duchess’s
advice to her husband—Political changes in which the Duke
and Duchess were partly concerned 256

CHAPTER XII.

Third Marriage of Lord Sunderland—Calumnies against the Duke
and Duchess of Marlborough—Interview between the Duchess and
George the First—The result—Her differences with Lord
Sunderland—Illness, death, and character of the Duke of
Marlborough 320

CHAPTER XIII.

Funeral of the Duke of Marlborough—His bequests to the
Duchess—Immediate proposals of marriage made for her in her
widowhood—Character and letters of Lord Coningsby—Character
of the Duke of Somerset—His Grace’s offer of marriage to the
Duchess 352

CHAPTER XIV.

Anecdotes of the Duchess of Marlborough and the Duchess of
Buckingham—Pope’s “Atossa”—Sir Robert Walpole—The Duchess’s
enmity towards that minister—Singular scene between them—The
Duchess’s causes of complaint enumerated 376

CHAPTER XV.

State of the Duchess of Marlborough with respect to her
family—Henrietta Duchess of Marlborough—Lord
Godolphin—Pelham Holles Duke of Newcastle—The Spencer
family—Charles Duke of Marlborough—His extravagance—John
Spencer—Anecdote of the Misses Trevor—Letter to Mr.
Scrope—Lawsuit 397

CHAPTER XVI.

The Duchess of Marlborough’s friends and contemporaries—Arthur
Maynwaring—Dr. Hare—Sir Samuel Garth—Pope—Lady Mary Wortley
Montague—Colley Cibber—Anecdote of Mrs. Oldfield; of Sir
Richard Steele 417

CHAPTER XVII.

The different places of residence which belonged to the
Duchess—Holywell-house, Wimbledon, Blenheim—Account of the
old mansion of Woodstock—Its projected destruction—Efforts
of Sir John Vanburgh to save it—Attack upon the Duchess,
relative to Blenheim, in the Examiner 436

CHAPTER XVIII.

Old age and decline of the Duchess—Her incessant wrangling
with Sir Robert Walpole—Her occupations—The compilation of
her Memoirs—Her death, and character 460

APPENDIX 507

MEMOIRS

OF THE

DUCHESS OF MARLBOROUGH.