For this purpose a paper called the Examiner was periodically published, written, as it happened, by any wit of the party, and fometimes as is faid by Mrs. Manley. Some are owned by Swift; and one, in ridicule of Garth's verfes to Godolphin upon the lofs of his place, was written by Prior, and anfwered by Addifon, who appears to have known the author either by conjecture

or intelligence.

The Tories, who were now in power,' were in hafte to end the war; and Prior, being recalled (1710) to his former employment of making treaties, was fent (July 1711) privately to Paris with propofitions of peace. He was remembered at the French court; and return

ing in about a month brought with him M. Mesnager, a minifter from France, invefted with full powers, and the Abbé Gaultier.

This tranfaction not being avowed, Macky, the master of the Dover packetboat, either zealously or officioufly, feized Prior and his affociates at Canterbury. It is eafily fuppofed that they were foon released.

The negotiation was begun at Prior's houfe, where the Queen's minifters met Mefnager (September 20, 1711), and entered privately upon the great buf nefs. The importance of Prior appears from the mention made of him by St. John in his Letter to the Queen.

"My Lord Treasurer moved, and all

my Lords were of the fame opinion,

that Mr. Prior fhould be added to "those who are impowered to fign; the ❝reafon for which is, because he, having

perfonally treated with Monfieur de Torcy, is the beft witnefs we can pro"duce of the fenfe in which the general "preliminary engagements are entered "into: befides which, as he is the best " verfed in matters of trade of all your

Majefty's fervants who have been "trufted in this fecret, if you fhall think "fit to employ him in the future treaty "of commerce, it will be of^`confe

quence that he has been a party con"cerned in concluding that conven"tion, which must be the rule of this "treaty."

The

The affembly of this important night was in fome degree clandeftine, the defign of treating not being yet openly declared, and, when the Whigs returned to power, was aggravated to a charge of high treafon; though, as Prior remarks in his imperfect answer to the report of the Committee of Secrecy, no treaty ever was made without private interviews and preliminary difcuffions.

My business is not the hiftory of the peace, but the life of Prior. The conferences began at Utrecht on the first of January (1711-12), and the English plenipotentiaries arrived on the fifteenth. The minifters of the different potentates conferred and conferred; but the peace advanced fo flowly, that fpecdier meB 2 thods

thods were found neceffary, and Bolingbroke was fent to Paris to adjust differences with lefs formality; Prior either accompanied him or followed him; and after his departure had the appointments and authority of an ambaffador, though no publick character.

By fome mistake of the Queen's orders, the court of France had been difgufted; and Bolingbroke fays in his Letter, "Dear Mat, hide the nakedness "of thy country, and give the best turn

66

thy fertile brain will furnish thee with

"to the blunders of thy countrymen,

"who are not much better politicians

"than the French are poets.

Soon after the duke of Shrewsbury went on a formal embaffy to Paris. It is related