The articles of union were approved of in the Eng lish parliament by a large majority, in spite of the op position of the Tories. Addresses and rejoicings fol lowed it in England, out a sullen and inflexible silence was observed in Scotland ; and instead of the union, the Pretender's birth-day was publicly celebrated. An in flux of English revenue officers overspread the country, which, till then, had been unacquainted with the op pressive laws of revenue. Whatever were the merits of the union, it would have left Scotland in a worse situa tion than before, if the Scottish privy council had not been abolished; a body which, acting without the re straint of a native parliament, would have soon degene rated into the tyranny of former reigns. From the same enlightened views which produced the union, the abro gation of this body was concerted by lord Somers and the principal Whigs, and was accomplished by a bill which passed both houses in the succeeding year, for "rendering the union more entire and complete." Meanwhile the importunities of the Jacobites, and the indignation of Scotland, had roused the attention of the French court. A naval expedition was prepared at Dun kirk, but its destination was prematurely discovered by the Pretender's arrival. The French squadron, how ever, reached the Scottish coast, and was only prevented by overshooting the Forth in the dark, from landing the Pretender with 5,000 regular troops at a time when there were not half that number of British forces in Scotland ; when the fortresses were in doubtful hands ; and when the equivalent was in Edinburgh castle, then unprovid ed for defence. The northern nobility, Gordon, Athol, Errol, Panmure, and others, had engaged to take arms ; but the French retired on descrying the English fleet, and the prisons were immediately crowded with sus pected persons. Among these, were Belhaven and Fletcher, who were conveyed to London ; and the pros trate nation was unnecessarily insulted with the specta cle of its nobility, its gentry, and its patriots, led in os tentatious triumph to the English capital. Belhaven did not long survive his country's and his own disgrace, but died soon after his release of grief and indignation. A few who were remanded for trial to Scotland were ac quitted by the justiciary court, in consequence of a list of witnesses having been refused to them ; an acquittal which disappointed and enraged the English ministry, and occasioned their obtaining a bill in the succeeding parliament, for extending the English treason laws to Scotland.
The triumphs of the Whigs were carried still higher after the union by the successes of the allies in Ger many. In 1703, the allied and French armies met at Oudenarde, on the Scheldt, where the latter were de feated with immense loss ; and Lisle, Ghent, Bruges, and the other strongest towns of Flanders, fell into the hands of the victors. The campaign secured the Dutch frontier, and left France open to invasion.
The French monarch, long persecuted by fortune, and every hour fearing for his capital, once more peti tioned for peace. The Tories, some from a partiality to France, and others from conceiving the war unnecessa ry for national advantage, were desirous to put an end to it ; but when conferences were at length begun at Uertruydenberg, they were conducted under the influ ence of Marlborough, Eugene, and Linzendorf, all three entirely averse to the treaty. The French ministers were subjected to every species of mortification, their nonduct narrowly watched, their master insulted, their letters opened. They offered the utmost concessions •_o abandon Philip, and even to aid in dethroning him, .7d to grant the Dutch a large barrier ; but the confer ence was broken off, and Louis resolved to hazard ano ther campaign.
The first attempt of the allies in the campaign of 1710, was on the city of Tournay, strong by art and nature, and garrisoned by 12,000 men, which surrendered after a dreadful siege of 21 days. They concluded the cam paign by taking possession of Mons after the battle of Malplaquet, in which the French, 120,000 strong, were posted behind the woods of La Merte and Tanieres, in a camp that seemed impregnable with triple entrench ments. On the llth of September, Marlborough led the allies to storm this position, and drove the French at last from it after a dreadful carnage, in which the allies lost not less than twenty thousand men.
But in spite of splendid victories, the influence of Marlborough and the Whigs was declining. The in fluence of the duchess of Marlborough, which had long been almost despotic over the queen, was sup planted by another favourite, Mrs Masham, whom the duchess herself had raised to favour. Mr Hill, the hrothrr of the now favourite, being appointed by the queen to the command of a regiment, the duke of Marl borough sent a letter to the queen, desiring she would permit him to retire from his employments. This was the conjuncture for which the Tories had long wished, and with which the queen herself was secretly pleased ; and she was exhorted by the Tories to set herself free from an arbitrary party, by which she had been long kept in dependence. The earl of Godolphin, the duke's son in-law, was divested of his office, and the treasury was submitted to Harley. Lord Somers was dismissed from being president of the council, and the earl of Roches ter appointed in his room : not a Whig was left in office, except Marlborough himself, who retained his em ployments for some time, the object of envy and re proach.
The last campaign, however, of this great comman der, exceeded, if possible, his other exploits. Villars, the French commander, had prepared for the campaign of 1711, by fortifying his lines from Bouchain, on the Scheldt, along the Sanset and the Scarpe, so strongly, that he pronounced them impregnable, and called them the ne plus ultra of Marlborough. Marlborough, how ever, crossed them without the loss of a man, by making a dextrous feint of attacking them in one quarter, and suddenly marching to surprise them in another. After taking possession of the enemy's lines, lie besieged Bouchain, and obliged the garrison to surrender prison ers of war. This was Marlborough's last exploit : He had never fought a battle which he did not win, nor laid siege to a place which lie did not take. By his final campaign, he left the allies in possession of the Macse almost as far as the Sambre, of the Scheldt from Tour nay, and of the Lys as far as it is navigable. They had reduced Spanish Guelderland. Limbourg,Brabant,Flan ders, and the greatest part of Ilainault, and had opened a way into the very heart of France. The duke return ed to England, after humbling her proudest enemy, to receive in his own person every indignity that party spirit and ingratitude could attach to him. He was ac cused of having taken a bribe from a Jew-, who contract ed to furnish the army with bread ; and with having ap propriated 21 per cent. from the pay of the foreign troops. The present from the Jew was a customary perquisite, and the per ccntage had been granted by an express warrant from the queen. The money had been expend ed in procuring private intelligence for the army ; and the value of the intelligence which the duke had always procured, may be best estimated by his successes. He was, however, dismissed from his employments.