asty was pursuing its somber destiny, which had started with the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and continued with that of her grandson, Charles I, Anne's grandfather.

Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by his brother James II, but the latter's blunders, despotism and, above all, his Catholicism, rapidly made him extremely unpopular in spite undeniably positive of qualities such as his earnestness and loyalty. The Protestants, who were a vast majority in England, turned to William of Orange, a strong supporter of the Reformation and husband of Mary, the King's elder daughter. William. ambitious and cynical, negotiated with Parliament and the Anglican Bishop of London, landed at Brixham on November 5, 1688 with a small army, and pro. claimed his intention to depose his father-in-law and enforce the strictest Reformation.

This

situation was nothing of distressing short of to poor Princess Anne, who loved her father and was also very fond of her sister Mary However, she hated William. who had shown open dislike of Sarah. but she was a sincere Anglican and, in the civil war that was developing, the English people looked to her as the second heir to the throne. At this point it becomes rather difficult to ascertain the parts played by Sarah and John Churchill. There is no doubt. however, that John, who owed a large share of his fortune to James II, betrayed his lord and joined the party of William of Orange The King fled from London and began to prepare for the fight. The capital was abandoned

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completely, deserted by supporters of the King, yet not rallied to the cause of William. Anne, daughter of one and sister-inlaw of the other, remained a symbol of security for the people of London.

Churchill had joined forces with William, "the liberator", and his wife. Sarah began to feel that the ground of the "Cockpit" was becoming unpleasantly slippery. It was probably an easy matter to convince Anne to let the Bishop of London stage a quick, melodramatic abduction. As a matter of fact, Anne was now afraid that her back and father might come punish her for her neutral attitude and she was more than willing to escape. One evening she retired early, pretending a headache, and stayed in her room with her inseparable Sarah and another lady-in waiting At midnight someone whistled in a side street. It was the Bishop, in a comfortable carriage, well supplied with delicacies. Last min ute excitement, whispers in the concealed staircase, a woman's shoe lost in the mud (this was in November), and the carriage spirited Sarah away. This started quite a drama. Rather than be separated from her friend, Anne took refuge with the Duke of Somerset and Sarah soon joined her at his estate.

This resulted in further complication. William, infuriated,

withdrew from Anne all royal distinctions and honors, including her body-guards. The opposition had a field day when Anne was held up by a pack of ruffians on her way back from a visit to Hampton Court But the wheels of fortune kept turning.

martachine REVIEW

Mary died in 1694; William followed her to the grave in 1702; the Archibishop of Canterbury came, ceremoniously, to advise Her Royal Highness that she was now Queen Anne the First.

From 1702 the life of Anne and English politics are closely interwoven, but politics were to wreck the loving friendship between Mrs Morley and Mrs. Freeman.

For a while matters proceeded smoothly enough. The day after her coronation, Anne elevated John to the Knighthood of the Garter and showered him with distinctions, while Sarah was bcing treated with equal generosity.

During the wars with France, John Churchill proved himself one of the most brilliant generals in English History, so that his successes made the reign of Anne almost as glorious as that of Elizabeth I. The years 1702 to 1714 were marked by a series of victories. For his triumph at Blenheim in 1704. John received, as a gift from Parliament, Blenheim Castle, a magnificent residence; soon after he was given the title of Duke of Marlborough.

The relationship between Anne and Sarah, however, was losing most of its previous harmony. Anne supported the Tory party, while Sarah remained faithful to the Whigs, friends of her husband. Political arguments between the two friends were getting very frequent, and their were tempers not improving with time. Also, there was Miss Hill-Abigail Hill, a young cousin of Sarah who had been introduced to the Queen. Abigail soon became very close to the Queen and married her first secretary,

Mr. Masham.

There followed violent scenes such as the one that took place during a solemn Te Deum to celebrate the victory of the Duke of Marlborough at Oudenard in 1709. Lady Marlborough had selected the jewels the Queen was to wear, but Mrs. Masham did not agree with the choice, and the Queen sided with the latter There were very harsh words from Sarah

Soon after, the Queen made remarks about all the wealth bcstowed on the Churchills and about the ingratitude of this little Sarah Jennings who, "after all..

The Duchess replied

with some aggressive letters, threatening to publish her correspondence with the Queen.

The final rupture came after another impassioned argument The duchess moved out of the Royal Palace, taking with her the marble mantlepiece and the locks of her apartments.

even

Anne died in 1714 at the age of 50. a very heavy, bitter, and dispirited woman. Sarah, who had lost her only son but had married all of her daughters brilliantly, lived in a golden retirement with her husband, who never stopped worshipping her She died in 1744, at the age of 84. and was remembered as a rather peevish. unbearable, and unscrupulous old woman.

The liaison between Anne and Lady Marlborough is a historical fact, but precisely what was the nature of their relationship? The letters between Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freeman are undoub!edly love letters. Pamphleteers hostile to the Queen, or to the Churchills, promptly concluded that their friendship had not 19