write a letter to me by Mr. Craggs to move the mad Address in the House of Commons, telling me that he was assured, if I would undertake it there, it could not fail of success there, or any where else.
Upon which, on the Sunday morning, I went down to his Grace at Windsor, and having, tho' with great difficulty, got him from my Lady Duchess (he not daring to talk with me before her), I did, by shewing him how barbarously he was betray'd in town whilst he stay'd in the country, and even by those who sent him and by their base artifices kept him there, and, by letting him see how wild and groundless his expectations were that either House of Parliament would interpose in the manner he was falsely made to believe they would, I persuaded him (notwithstanding all my Lady Marlborough could do to oppose it when she came to know his resolution) to come to town on the Monday, to go immediately to the Queen, and, in appearance at least, to seem fully satisfied with the expedient propos'd.
This, Sir, is the secret of that whole transaction wch laid the foundation of all our succeeding miseries, and was the fatal spring from whence even our present distractions and ruinous divisions flow.
This gave courage to the Queen openly to shew her hatred to your Majesty's family, and her inclinations to her brother; power to Harley and the rest of her traitorous advisers to resolve upon our immediate destruction; and created such an eternal distrust amongst those men who had managed the publick business so much to their own honour and the glory and safety of the nation for the seven preceding years, that the whole party, being thereby splinter'd into so many pieces, became entirely disabled from making any stand in opposition to the dangerous designs of theirs and the kingdom's enemies. And from this moment (your Majesty may depend upon it to be a most certain truth, for I presume to affirm it to be so upon my own knowledge), my Ld Godolphin (who had always been the greatest favourite of King James's Queen, and who had all along held correspondence with her, 'till the interest became directly opposite to the Marlborough family's greatness, wch was by Act of Parliament to descend to his son by his mariage with Lady Hariott, my Ld Marlborough's eldest daughter), finding the Duke and Duchesses interest with the Queen not only to be irrecoverably lost, but that her Majesty's former affection was turn'd into an absolute hatred and aversion to their very persons; and knowing how determin'd she was to have her pretended brother to succeed her; most certainly hearken'd to proposals brought to him by old Colll Graham (formerly Privy Purse to King James) from the heads of the High Church Party both of the Lords and Commons, that if he would leave
