DIGITISED MANUSCRIPTS

( 21) Jingoism of the day, and was opposed by the peace- at-all-price party, who, in the face of the most brilliant successes, hampered his progress, and by disgusting the nation with war, forced on it the most inglorious peace that was ever concluded. It is hardly credible that, simply in order to make peace, England, while having it in her power to obtain anything she chose from France, renounced every one of her Continental conquests, with the sole exception of Gibraltar; and this was not due to Marlborough, but to Sir George Rooke, who had surprised it with a mere handful of men. In the days of Queen Anne, the advocates for peace at any price were the Tories; and as Marl- borough headed the Whig faction, the Tories, in order to achieve their object, had, first of all, to get rid of the victorious general. Had they relied on their political power only they would not have succeeded. True enough, by levelling against Marlborough the severest accusations of bribery and peculation they destroyed his popularity, and raised a universal cry for peace. But the assent of the Queen was required to deprive him of his command and to consent to a treaty with France. To obtain this assent the Tories well knew they must, first of all, destroy the influence of the Duchess of Marlborough—which, luckily for