his Dutch guards: for he was one of the few confidential
persons to whom the king, in the anguish of his heart, im-
parted the design of renouncing a throne, which had exposed
him to accumulated mortifications; and of withdrawing from
a country, where his patriotic designs were thwarted by
party violence.

The question in which Marlborough was particularly in-
terested, was that on the liquidation of the debt due to the
prince of Denmark.

For the purpose of accelerating an accommodation be-
tween Sweden and Denmark, during the late war, the king
had persuaded Prince George to surrender the isle of Yani-
meren, and the bailiwicks of Transbottel and Steinholst, on
which he held a mortgage amounting to 85,000l. sterling, to
the duke of Holstein. In return the king charged himself
with the mortgage, and, till it was liquidated, engaged to pay
the interest of six per cent. The prince being anxious for
the repayment of the money, the king, in compliance with
his repeated solicitations, at length imparted the matter to
parliament, in his speech of November, 1699, when he re-
commended the discharge of the public debt. It was ac-
cordingly taken into consideration, and made the theme for
reflections in the highest degree offensive to the king. In
January, 1700, a supply was voted for the purpose; but
clogged with the condition that the money should be vested
in the purchase of lands, which were to be settled on the
prince and princess, and their issue, in conformity with their
marriage contract. Other objections were afterwards ad-
vanced; but the money was finally repaid, because the most
violent of the opposition were desirous to gratify the prince
at the expense of the king. The zeal which Marlborough
and his lady had manifested in the promotion of this object,
was gratefully acknowledged by the princess in a letter of
thanks, written in the warmest style of regard, and ascribing
the success of the measure solely to their interference.

Although Marlborough had not entered into the factious
discussions which arose from this question, the king was too
jealous of the slightest interference in behalf of the prince,
to regard his conduct without dissatisfaction. The im-
pression was, however, only transient; for Vernon, in a letter
to the duke of Shrewsbury, written in the same month, ob-

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