Thus was finally ended the memorable friendship between Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freeman, which had continued for twenty-seven years.  The Queen and Duchess never met again.  Soon after, in 1710, followed the dismissal of Lord Godolphin, as lord treasurer, who was succeeded by Harley, created Earl of Oxford.  Sunderland, too, was dismissed, and his post of secretary of state was given to St. John, created Viscount Bolingbroke.  Lord Cowper resigned the seals, and Sir Simon Harcourt, an avowed adherent of the Pretender, became lord chancellor.  The Earl of Rochester, the bitterest of all the Tories, was appointed president of the council.  The Duke of Marlborough, however, was not dismissed from his high command until 1711.  One reason for his dismissal was that he was suspected of aiming to make himself supreme.  On his return from the battle of Malplaquet, he had coolly demanded to be made captain-general for life.  Such a haughty demand would have been regarded as dangerous in a great crisis; it was absurd when public dangers had passed away.  Even Lord Cowper. his friend the chancellor, shrunk from it with amazement.  Such a demand would have been deemed arrogant in Wallenstein, amid the successes of Gustavus Adolphus.

No insignificant cause of the triumph of the Tory party at this time was the patronage which the Tory leaders extended to men of letters, and the bitter political tracts which these literary men wrote and for which they were paid.  In that age the speeches of members of Parliament were not reported or published, and hence had but little influence on public opinion.  Even ministers resorted to political tracts to sustain their power, or to undermine that of their opponents; and these were more efficient than speeches in the House of Commons.  Bolingbroke was the most eloquent orator of his day; but no orators arose in Anne’s reign equal to Pitt and Fox in the reign of George III.  Hence the political leaders availed themselves of the writings of men of letters, with whom they freely associated.  And this intercourse was deemed a great condescension on the part of nobles and cabinet ministers.  In that age great men were not those who were famous for genius, but those who were exalted in social position.  Still, genius was held in high honor by those who controlled public affairs, whenever it could be made subservient to their interests.

Foremost among the men of genius who lent their pen to the service of nobles and statesmen was Jonathan Swift,—­clergyman, poet, and satirist.  But he was more famous for his satire than for his sermons or his poetry.  Everybody winced under his terrible assaults.  He was both feared and hated, especially by the “great;” hence they flattered him and courted his society.  He became the intimate friend and companion of Oxford and Bolingbroke.  He dined with the prime minister every Sunday, and in fact as often as he pleased.  He rarely dined at home, and almost lived in the houses