usband lived very well for many years, as I have been
told, until turning projector, he brought ruin on himself and family.
But as this was long before I was born, I never knew there were such
people in the world till after the Princess Anne was married, and when
she lived at the Cockpit; at which time an acquaintance of mine came to
me and said, _she believed I did not know that I had relations who were
in want_, and she gave me an account of them. When she had finished her
story, I answered, _that indeed I had never heard before of any such
relations_, and immediately gave her out of my purse ten guineas for
their present relief, saying I would do what I could for them."

Not contented with conferring important benefits on Abigail's brothers
and sister, the Duchess tells us that even the _husband_ of Mrs. Masham
had several obligations to her. "It was at my instance," says the
indignant benefactress, "that he was first made a page, then an equerry,
and afterwards groom of the bedchamber to the Prince; for all which he
himself thanked me, as for favours procured by my means."

Towards the Queen, Mrs. Hill displayed a servile, humble, gentle, and
pliant manner, in singular contrast with that of the commanding and
haughty Duchess. Anne, accustomed to opposition and remonstrance, nay,
sometimes rebukes, upon certain points she had at heart, was delighted
to find that as regarded both religious opinions and politics, her lowly
attendant coincided with her. Mrs. Hill was, or pretended to be to serve
her purpose, an enemy to the Hanoverian succession, if not a partizan of
the exiled Stuarts--subjects on which the Queen and the Duchess were
known to have frequent controversies, which sometimes degenerated into
angry disputes. Such was the woman whom the Tories set up to oppose and
undermine the influence of the redoubtable Sarah. Mrs. Masham was able
to give them, by means of her court-appointment, continual access to the
Queen. She had neither the wit nor the intelligence of her rival, but
she pleased Anne by the simplicity of her manners and the amenity of
her temper. Moreover, two powerful ties, political and religious, though
strangely contradictory in their sympathies, attached her to her royal
mistress. An ardent Jacobite, she, equally with the Queen, desired the
return of the Pretender; like her, too, she was a zealous Protestant.

Carrying out Harley's injunctions, Mrs. Masham strove secretly
to sap the power and cre