Moreover the writings of certain pamphleteers tended
much to damage the cause of the Whigs. Dean Swift was at once the
ablest and the bitterest of these. Harley managed to get Godolphin
dismissed from office. And one day, early in 1711, Anne suddenly took
from the Duchess her various offices at Court, while later in the same
year the Duke himself was deprived of his command of the army, and was
succeeded by the Irish peer Ormonde. He, however, was ordered to take
no active steps in the war which was still in theory going on. A
general election came soon after, and the Tories had a large majority
over the Whigs. The Tories came into office, and all Whig members of
the Whig ministry were dismissed. From that time to the present the
principle has obtained of having the King's Ministers, or the Cabinet,
with the other chief administrators, drawn from the same side in
politics.
The Tories now sought to bring to a close a war that had become so
unpopular. Louis XIV was also suing for peace. Then in 1711 the
Emperor Joseph died, and his brother the Archduke succeeded him as
Charles VI. It was now useless to trouble further to support or oppose
the claims of either candidate for the Spanish throne. Spain might as
well be in the hands of a Frenchman as be assigned to the powerful
Emperor.
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