which those designs might have been nipped in the bud, or else by
which the persons who promoted them might have been induced to lay
them aside. But that fatal irresolution inherent to the Stuart race
hung upon her. She felt too much inward resentment to be able to
conceal his disgrace from him; yet, after he had made this
discovery, she continued to trust all her power in his hands.

No people ever were in such a condition as ours continued to be from
the autumn of 1713 to the summer following. The Queen's health sank
every day. The attack which she had in the winter at Windsor served
as a warning both to those who wished, and to those who feared her
death, to expect it. The party which opposed the court had been
continually gaining strength by the weakness of our administration:
and at this time their numbers were vastly increased, and their
spirit was raised by the near prospect of the succession taking
place. We were not at liberty to exert the strength we had. We saw
our danger, and many of us saw the true means of avoiding it; but
whilst the magic wand was in the same hands, this knowledge served
only to increase our uneasiness; and, whether we would or no, we
were forced with our eyes open to walk on towards the precipice.
Every moment we became less able, if the Queen lived, to support her
Government; if she died, to secure ourselves. One side was united
in a common view, and acted upon a uniform plan: the other had
really none at all. We knew that we were out of favour at the Court
of Hanover, that we were represented there as Jacobites, and that
the Elector, his present Majesty, had been rendered publicly a party
to that opposition, in spite of which we made the peace: and yet we
neither had taken, nor could take in our present circumstances, any
measures to be better or worse there. Thus we languished till the
27th of July, 1714, when the Queen dismissed the Treasurer. On the