Anne. Conduct of the duchefs of Marlb. Upon the princess's marriage, the lady Churchill (after1701-2. wards duchefs of Marlborough) was, at the princess's earnest request to her father, made one of the ladies of her bedchamber, and was at length diftinguished by fo high a place in her favour, as perhaps no perfon ever arrived at a higher with queen or princefs. She had an afcendant over the princess in every thing: She was a woman of little knowledge, but of a clear apprehenfion, and a true judgment; a warm and hearty friend, violent and fudden in her refolutions, and impetuous in her way of speaking. She was thought proud and infolent on her favour, though the ufed none of the common arts of a court to maintain it: For fhe did not befet the princess, nor flatter her. She staid much at home, and looked carefully after the education of her children. The beginning of the princefs's kindness for her had a much earlier date than her entrance into her service. They had used to be together, when children, and the princefs even then expreffed a particular fondness for her. This inclination increafed with their years; and the princess always diftinguished her by the pleasure she took in her conversation and confidence. Hence it was, that, upon her marriage, fhe was fo defirous to have her near her perfon (h). Whitehall the 2d of June, 1685, (h) Sarah Jennings, daugh- After Richard Jennings, of Sandridge in Hertfordshire, Efq: by his wife Frances, daughter and heirefs of Sir Gifford Thornhurft of Agnes-Court in Kent, baronet, was born on the 29th of May, 1650, the day of king Charles's reitoration, and in 1681 married to John Churchill (then a colonel of dragoons, and afterwards duke of Marlborough). She was at that time in great favour with the princess Anne, of which fhe herfelf gives the following account: The beginning of the princefs's kindness for me had a much earlier date than my entrance into her fervice. My promotion to this honour was wholly owing to impreffions fhe had before received to my advantage; we had used to play together, when he was a child, and After her father king James's acceffion to the throne, the Anne. princefs, during his whole reign, kept her court as private as 1701-2. The and fhe even then expreffed a particular fondnefs for me. This inclination increafed with our years. I was often at cou t, and the princefs always diftinguished me by the pleasure the took to honour me, preferably to others, with her converfation and confidence. In all her parties for amusement, I was fure, by her choice, to be one; and fo defirous fhe became of having me always near her, that, upon her marriage with the prince of Denmark in 1683, it was, at her own earnest request to her father, I was made one of the ladies of her bed-chamber. What conduced to render me the more agreeable to her in this flation was, doubtless, the diflike fhe had conceived to maft of the other perfons about her, and particularly to her firft lady of the bed-chamber, the countefs of Clarendon; a lady, whofe difcourfe and manner (though the princefs thought they agreed very well together) could not poffibly recommend her to fo young a mistress: for he looked like a mad-woman, and talked like a fcholar. Indeed her highness's court was throughout fo oddly compofed, that I think it would be making myfelf no great compliment, if I fhould fay, her chufing to spend more of her time with me, than with any of her other fervants, did. no difcredit to her tafte. Be that as it will, it is certain fhe at length diftinguifhed me by fo high a place in her favour, as perhaps no perfon ever arrived at a higher with queen or prin- Young as I was, when I first Favour with a princefs upon thefe terms, engaged me to her in the manner that it ought; I mean, by a fentiment which I chufe Anne. fhe could, confiftent with her station. When the king's designs 1701-2. were discovered, and Popish counfels began to prevail,attempts were made to draw the princefs into them. The king indeed ufed no harshness with her; he only discovered his wishes, by putting into her hands fome books and papers, which he hoped might chufe to call Honour, rather than Gratitude or Duty, becaufe, while it employs all the justice and affection of thefe, it feems to exprefs a more difinterested principle of action. For I can truly affirm, that I never confidered myself on any occafion where her intereft or glory was concerned, nor had I any idea of a mifery which I would not have fooner incurred, than the inward shame of being confcious of a failure in this refpect. The facts themselves, which I am going to relate, will in a great degree evince the truth of what I fay; and that the princefs was perfectly perfuaded of it, is, I think, fufficiently manifeft both from her letters to me, and from that unreferved intimacy of friendship, in which we for many years lived toge ther. Kings and princes, for the most part, imagine they have a dignity peculiar to their birth and station, which ought to raise them above all connexion of friendship with an inferior. Their paffion is to be admired and feared, to have fubjects awfully obedient, and fervants blindly obfequious to their pleafure. Friendship is an offenfive word, it imports a kind of equality between the parties; it fuggefts nothing to the minds of crowns or thrones, high titles or immenfe revenues, foun tains of honour or fountains of riches; prerogatives which the poffeffors would have always uppermoft in the thoughts of thofe who are permitted to approach them. The princess had a different tafte. A friend was what she molt coveted; and for the fake of friendship (a relation which she did not difdain to have with me) fhe was fond even of that Equality which the thought belonged to it. She grew uneafy to be treated by me with the form and ceremony due to her rank; nor could the bear from me the found of words which implied in them distance and fuperiority. It was this turn of mind, which made her one day propofe to me, that, whenever I fhould happen to be abfent from her, we might in all our letters write ourselves by feigned names, fuch as would import nothing of diftinction of rank. between us. Morley and Freeman were the names her fancy hit upon; and the left me to chufe by which of them I would be called. My frank open temper naturally led me to pitch. upon Freeman, and fo the princefs took the other; and from this time Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freeman began to converfe as equals, made fo by affection and friendship. • Conduct of the duchefs of Marlborough, p. 9, &c.' might induce her to a change of religion (i). Lord Tyrcon- Anne. nel alfo took fome pains with his fifter-in-law, the lady 1701-2. Churchill, to engage her, if poffible, to make use, for the fame end, of that great favour he knew the enjoyed with the princefs; but all these endeavours proved fruitless, and the prince and princess of Denmark remained firm to their religion. Though the queen, after he had declared herfelf with child, declined giving the princefs of Denmark any fatisfaction in that matter, yet it does not appear that she thought it an imposture; nor did fhe, in her letter to the queen, when she left the court, give the leaft hint of fuch a fufpicion. Upon the landing of the prince of Orange, in 1688, the king went down to Salisbury to his army, and the prince of Denmark with him: But the news quickly came from thence, that the prince of Denmark had deferted the king and joined the prince of Orange, and that the king was returning to London. The princefs was fo ftruck with the apprehenfions of the king's displeasure, that fhe told the lady Churchill, she could not bear the thoughts of it, and declared, rather than fee her father, fhe would jump out at the window. The bishop of London (who, in that critical time, abfconded) was then lodged fecretly in Suffolk-ftreet. The princefs immediately fent the lady Churchill (who knew where he was) to concert measures with the bishop, how the fhould with- of Marlb, draw from the court. It was agreed, that he should come about midnight in a hackney-coach near the Cockpit, in order to convey the princess to fome place where fhe might be private and fafe. The princefs went to bed at the ufual time to prevent fufpicion. Lady Churchill came to her foon after; and, with her and lady Fitzharding, and one fervant, the princefs, by the back-ftairs which went down from her closet, walked to the coach, where they found the bishop and the earl of Dorfet. They conducted them that night to the bishop's houfe in the city, and the next day to the lord Dorfet's at CoptHall, from whence they went to Nottingham, where the country gathered about the princefs, and forming themselves (i) The duchess of Marlborough obferves here, that, had the princess had any inclination to change her religion, the chaplains about her were fuch divines as could have faid but into little in defence of their own re- Conduct of the duchess Anne. into a little army, chofe to be commanded by the bishop of 1701-2. London, which he too eafily accepted; but the princess did not think herself safe, till fhe was furrounded by the prince of Orange's friends. Rife and character of the earl of Marlborough. Burnet. Boyer. Quickly after this the king fled into France, and, the throne being declared vacant, was prefently filled with the prince and princefs of Orange. The parliament thought proper to settle the crown on king William for life, and the princefs of Denmark gave her confent to it. The lady Churchill at firft took a great deal of pains (which the believed the king and queen never forgot) to perfuade her against it; but, finding that all the principal men, except the Jacobites, were for king William, and Dr. Tillotfon (whom she confulted) having convinced her of the expediency of the fettlement propofed, fhe advised the princefs to acquiefce in it, and carried Dr. Tillotfon to her to fecond her advice. Upon what the doctor faid to her, the princefs took care that no difturbance fhould be made by her pretended friends the Jacobites, who had preffed her earnestly to form an oppofition. Not long after the advancement of king William to the throne, the misunderstanding between not only the king, but alfo the queen and the princefs of Denmark, broke out, of which a large account has been given. Though, after queen Mary's death, there was (as has been faid) a reconciliation, yet it went not much farther than what civility and decency required; and fuch a coldnefs had continued between the king and the princefs, that she was not made acquainted with public affairs, or encouraged to recommend any to pofts of truft and advantage: Neither had the ministry orders to inform her how matters went, or to oblige those about her. Only the earl of Marlborough, after fome years of difgrace, had been taken again into favour; and nothing had contented him better, than the command he had the former year of the troops which were fent to the affiftance of the States. As he afterwards became the greatest general of the age, it will be proper to give a brief account of his rife and character. John Churchill, earl (afterwards duke) of Marlborough, was fecond fon of Sir Winston Churchill, of Wotton Baffet in Wiltshire, by Elizabeth,daughter of Sir John Drake, of Ashe, in the parish of Mufbury in Devonshire (k). He was born at (k) His original is traced up to Roger de Courcil, a younger Afhe |