and Mrs.
Masham's humble servant, Mr. Harley. Against their intrigues, our Duke
passed a great part of his time intriguing. Mr. Harley was got out
of office, and his Grace, in so far, had a victory. But her Majesty,
convinced against her will, was of that opinion still, of which the poet
says people are when so convinced, and Mr. Harley before long had his
revenge.

Meanwhile the business of fighting did not go on any way to the
satisfaction of Marlborough's gallant lieutenants. During all 1707,
with the French before us, we had never so much as a battle; our army in
Spain was utterly routed at Almanza by the gallant Duke of Berwick; and
we of Webb's, which regiment the young Duke had commanded before his
father's abdication, were a little proud to think that it was our
colonel who had achieved this victory. "I think if I had had Galway's
place, and my Fusileers," says our General, "we would not have laid down
our arms, even to our old colonel, as Galway did;" and Webb's officers
swore if we had had Webb, at least we would not have been taken
prisoners. Our dear old general talked incautiously of himself and of
others; a braver or a more brilliant soldier never lived than he; but
he blew his honest trumpet rather more loudly than became a commander of
his station, and, mighty man of valor as he was, shook his great spear
and blustered before the army too fiercely.

Mysterious Mr. Holtz went off on a secret expedition in the early part
of 1708, with great elation of spirits and a prophecy to Esmond that a
wonderful something was about to take place. This secret came out on
my friend's return to the army, whither he brought a most rueful and
dejected countenance, and owned that the great something he had been
engaged upon had failed utterly. He had been indeed with that luckless
expedition of the Chevalier de St. George, who was sent by the French
king with ships and an army from Dunkirk, and was to have invaded
and conquered Scotland. But that ill wind which ever opposed all the
projects upon which the Prince ever embarked, prevented the Chevalier's
invasion of Scotland, as 'tis known, and blew poor Monsieur von Holtz
back into our camp again, to scheme and foretell, and to pry about as
usual. The Chevalier (the king of England, as some of us held him) went
from Dunkirk to the French army to make the campaign against us. The
Duke of Burgundy had the command this year, having the Duke of Berry
with him, and the famous M