The entire number of manuscript volumes discovered was twenty-eight, containing, besides the letters of the Duke, those, almost equally numerous, of his secretary, Mr. Cardonnel, and the journal just alluded to of Dr. Hare; the Duke's letters having been transcribed into the volumes at the time of the originals being despatched. The whole of the volumes, in the exact state found, were placed in the hands of the editor, with full authority for their publication. The principle which Sir George laid down in the execution of his editorial trust has been, that nothing should be withheld from publication which can contribute to throw light upon any transaction of the period which is deserving of notice.' (Introduction.) The editor has rather exceeded than fallen short of his rule, having published many letters-three-fourths, we think, of the mass-that might have been advantageously omitted. They throw no light, that we can discern, upon any 'transaction of the period,' any more than the old militia accounts stored up at Hensington, being merely congratulatory or complimentary epistles, as guiltless of significancy as the courtesy of your most humble and obedient servant.'

But as to the novelty of this historical treasure-trove, it is singular it should have been overlooked by Marlborough's biographers. His celebrated Duchess, so famous in Queen Anne's Court for wit, beauty, ambition, and irascibility, long survived him, and was jealous of her own fame and that of her husband. On her death she left large sums for the maintenance of both, and she must have known of the existence of the present collection, but from some caprice may have withheld it from the public. Mallet and Grainger were selected to write the Duke's life, but it was never executed. Mallet, a hireling Scotchman, got his share of the money, and never wrote a line of it. It must not be understood that the whole of the documents given are new to the world. Dr. Hare's journal, for example, is enumerated by the editor among the documents at Hensington, but that is no new discovery, it having long been in the British Museum, and has been freely used by Coxe in compiling the Duke's Memoirs.

We shall make a few selections from the correspondence to exemplify Marlborough's confederates in the war, and the estimate given of his character. He is the driest and most formal of letter-writers; rarely indulging in general or speculative reflections, or deviating into wit or playfulness. Yet, occasions were open to him in the presents of Tokay wine he received, in his purchase of French looking-glasses, and

gallantry to ladies. But all was business with the Duke, and he treated it in a business manner.

Marlborough seems not to have been void of humanity. Prior to the desperate attack on the Schellenberg he had hospitals provided for the wounded-a precaution not usually taken. The following, dated September 25th, 1704, shows he was attentive to the treatment of prisoners of war :—

Yesterday evening L'Orange gave me the letter which you did me the honour to write, touching the exchange of our prisoners of war, and I assure you that I am deeply moved by the distress to which these poor people are exposed. I feel real pleasure in exerting myself to afford them relief, and with this view I have offered M. Tallard all the credit which he could require for their subsistence until he hears from France. I have even signed the contract which he made with our commissary, M. Vanderkaa, to furnish them with bread wherever they may be, and thus I am surprised to hear from you that they have been in want. I have just spoken on the subject with Prince Eugene, and we cannot believe that there has been any deficiency of supply; but, to show you that we are ready to afford all the facilities which you can desire on this occasion, we shall be glad of your sending a commissioner to regulate every thing necessary for the subsistence of those poor people both in Germany and Holland.'

It was objected by Napoleon, that Marlborough did not follow up his battles and reap the fruits of his victories. But the secret of more recent warfare, of masking fortified places, and dashing forward to the capital cities, had not been revealed. Even the decisive day of Blenheim had no vital issue, though it left Bavaria at the mercy of the victors, and forced the Elector to seek refuge in Flanders. All that Eugene and the Duke did, the rest of the campaign, was to cover the sieges of Landau and Traerbach. For such shortcomings excuses may be found in the want of exclusive command in the generals, and firmness to their engagements by the allies. The Dutch were timid, but punctual in furnishing the stipulated supplies of men and money; not so the Emperor and German princes, who were unblushing defaulters. On the 9th of June, 1705, Marlborough wrote to Secretary Harley :—

'Hitherto I have not one man with me but what is in the English and Dutch pay, and by a letter I had yesterday from Comte de Frise, who commands the troops that are coming from Prince Louis, I find it will be at least the 21st instead of the 10th before these troops will be with me; and some of the Prussians, I fear, will be yet later; so that you see, though by my march hither I find myself so placed as to be able to begin the siege of Saar-Louis, yet for want of these troops we are obliged to be idle a good part of the campaign, while the enemy are pursuing their designs without any manner of interruption. M. de Villars continues to intrench himself, notwithstanding his superiority; so that it is plain his whole aim is to give time to the Maréchal de Villeroi to act on the Meuse, where I find he has already alarmed them to such a degree in Holland that I dread the consequences of it, and am apprehensive every day of receiving such resolutions from the States as may entirely defeat all our projects on this side. I have not failed to represent this in very plain terms to the Emperor, that he may see where the fault lies, though I fear it will be too late for that Court to give us any relief.'

The Duke had need of Job's patience. In 1705 he was compelled to waste a whole fortnight in his camp at Elft, without being joined by a single man of the German reinforcements, that had been promised to be quite ready two months before. At last, towards the end of June-the best season for active hostilities—he received an intimation that he must wait six weeks longer, at the least, before the German auxiliaries could be ready. He thus laments his disappointments and annoyances to Prince Eugene :

If I could have had the honour of a conversation with your Highness, I could mention many other matters of which your Highness would see that I have had reason to complain. I had ninety-four squadrons and seventy-two battalions, all in the pay of England and the States-General, so that if we had been fairly seconded and supported, we should have had one of the most glorious campaigns that could have been desired. After such treatment as I have experienced, your Highness, I am sure, would not have blamed me if I had taken a determination to quit the service, as indeed I can assure you that I intend to do after this campaign, unless I have the power of concerting measures with the Emperor on which I can place implicit reliance.'

On the 18th of July, 1705, the Duke forced the French lines at Tirlemont, and defeated a large body of troops that came up for their defence. He intended to follow up these advantages by attacking the French in their intrenched camp at Parke, but the Dutch deputies refused to allow their troops to join in the attack. Against this interference he remonstrated to the Grand Pensionary of Holland, making pointed strictures on the obstructiveness of councils of war.

'Meldert, 2nd August, 1705.

'Sir-I am very uneasy in my own mind to see how every thing here is like to go, notwithstanding the superiority and goodness of our troops, which ought to make us not doubt of success. However, it is certain that if affairs continue on the same footing they now are, it will be impossible to attempt any thing considerable with success or advantage, since councils of war must be called on every occasion, which entirely destroys the secrecy and despatch upon which all great undertakings depend; and has unavoidably another very unhappy effect, for the private animosities between so many persons as have to be assembled being so great, and their inclinations and interests so different, as always to make one party oppose what the other advises, they consequently never agree. I do not say this because I have the honour of being at the head of the army; but it is absolutely necessary that such power be lodged with the general as may enable him to act as he thinks proper, according to the best of his judgment, without being obliged ever to communicate what he intends further than he thinks convenient. The success of the last campaign, with the blessing of God, was owing to that power which I wish you would now give, for the good of the public, and that of the States in particular. And if you think anybody can execute it better than myself, I shall be willing to stay in any of the towns here, having a very good pretext, for I really am sick.'

Other troubles pressed upon the Duke besides military councils. Here is his endeavour to bring Sir J. Wood to reason, and discharge more considerately his matrimonial obligations:

'Hague, 1st May, 1705.

6 Sir,-Application having been made to me by several persons in behalf of my Lady Wood, your wife, who is represented with her children to be reduced to a very low condition through your unkindness, without any reproach that I can understand of her side, the friendship I have for you obliges me to give you notice thereof, and to advise you, by continuing to her the allowance of five pounds a month, and paying her what is in arrear, to put a stop to her further solicitations; which, if she should be provoked to carry so far as to her Majesty or the States, it is easy to foresee the consequence will prove to your disservice and the dissatisfaction of those who wish you well; among whom you may always reckon,

Sir, yours, &c.

'M.'

In the control of the affairs of the army, as long as he held it, Wellington was not more inflexibly just. The fair claims of service, and especial attention to the ranks, were his continual care. He thus replies to the Duke of Shrewsbury's earnest intercession for Lord Royalton's son:

'I have received the honour of your Grace's letter of the 1st instant, and Mr. Irons has been with me since, and delivered me your other letter. I told him it would not be easy to give him a company in an old regiment while there were so many pretenders who had served long in hopes of preferment; but that I would favour him as far as I could when any vacancy happened, of which I pray your Grace will likewise assure his father.'

Marlborough was tolerant in religion, and without antiCatholic antipathies. It may be doubted whether he did not view indulgently the monastic life, from the following brief letter to Mr. R. Graham, Provincial of the English Dominicans at Aix-la-Chapelle :

" Camp at Tongres, 18th May, 1706.

'Sir, I have received your letter of the 14th instant, and send you herewith the sauvegarde you desire for the English convent of Bornheim, as a mark of the regard I shall be always glad to show not only to my countrymen, but in a particular manner to all such others for whose unfortunate circumstances the piety of well-disposed persons may have designed quiet and peaceable retirements.'

He assures the English nuns at Mindelheim that they should not be disturbed in their possessions :

6 Camp at Rousselaer, June 28, 1706. 'Mesdemoiselles,-I have received your letter of the 25th of the last month, and assure you that ever since the principality of Mindelheim has by H. I. M.'s great goodness fallen to me, it has been my intention that none of its members, much less those of my own country, whom Providence has placed there, should have any just reason to complain of the change. I have, therefore, given orders, that your allowance be continued to you, and shall be glad to give you such further encouragement as may be in the power of your assured friend to serve you.'

Some of the letters are in Latin, many in French. We add another proof of the writer's gallantry, when beset by weightier affairs, in his interference with the authorities, at the request of the ladies, for the re-opening of the Brussels theatre.

'Les dames de Bruxelles s'étant adressées à moi pour que je voulusse m'employer auprès du Conseil d'Etat afin qu'elles puissent avoir le plaisir de la

comédie, qu'on me mande que ces Messieurs ont interdit, et quoique je n'aie pas voulu m'en mêler, ne sachant pas les raisons que le Conseil pourra avoir pour cette interdiction, j'ai bien voulu pourtant vous en écrire, afin que, s'il ne s'y trouve aucun inconvénient, vous puissiez, s'il vous plaît, faire votre cour à ces belles, en vous employant en leur faveur.'

For the present we must stop. The third volume closes with the campaign of 1707-a dull and fruitless game, Vendôme, who commanded the French, proving so skilful of fence, that Marlborough was unable to get a blow at him. Four years' despatches remain to be published in another volume, which we candidly own we are not impatient to see. The present collection is void of entertainment, almost of interest, and contains nothing to alter former historical impressions, either of events or individuals. Unquestionably, Marlborough ranks among the first of English captains and diplomatists; but his life had one great failure, in being pregnant with no abiding result of magnitude. Great battles were won; intricate negotiations skilfully managed; many conflicting agencies dexterously harmonized; but no thrones were overturned no states revolutionized nor a single national occurrence diverted from its ordinary issue. This impotent conclusion had obviously not its origin, either in the misconduct or incapacity of his Grace, but was the fatality of circumstances, and the age he lived in.

We regret we cannot highly compliment the respectable editor on the skill or labour yet bestowed in the execution of his task; more, however, is promised hereafter. The Introduction is obscurely and carelessly written, and Sir George's annotatory elucidations are few, and those neither rich nor rare. Again we beg to suggest a more choice and sparing selection; most of the letters now published are really of no more worth than a ship's log-book after the completion of her voyage. To the publisher every praise is due; the work is put forth in splendid crimson binding, glittering with emblematical devices of war and royalty, that dazzle the eyes and almost fire the soul!

An exclusive classic, or worshipper of antiquity, stands, as it were, in the shoes of the ancients, and is hardly more competent judge of modern life, usages, and institutions than Julius Cæsar would be.

If your

Faith, like chastity, is apt to be endangered if reasoned upon. conduct and convictions are the result of habit, temperament, or tradition, there is hardly any point open to attack, to dispute, logic, or cavilling. If no reason be alleged, none can be controverted. Hence believing on authority is very favourable to ease and tranquillity of mind, saving us from the labour of thought, the anxiety of doubt, and the excitement of controversy.