after Bolingbroke's dismissal from the service of James in 1716. The
pamphlet was suppressed immediately on its appearance, but its contents
have been republished, and they were certainly not of a character to
render Bolingbroke any the less unpopular among Englishmen.

The correspondence consisted in a series of letters that passed between
Bolingbroke, through his secretary, and Mr. James Murray, acting on
behalf of James Stuart, from whom he afterwards received the title of
Earl of Dunbar.

The letters are little more than mere recriminations. Bolingbroke is
accused of having brought about the failure of the insurrection of 1715
by weakness, folly, and {19} even downright treachery. Bolingbroke
flings back the charges at the head of James's friends, and even of
James himself. There was nothing brought out in 1734 and 1735 to
affect the career and conduct of Bolingbroke which all England did not
know pretty well already. Still, the revival of these old stories must
have seemed to Bolingbroke very inconvenient and dangerous at such a
time. The correspondence reminded England once more that Bolingbroke
had been the agent of the exiled Stuarts in the work of stirring up a
civil war for the overthrow of the House of Hanover. No doubt the
publication quickened Bolingbroke's desire to get out of England. But
he would have gone, in any case; he would have had to go. The whole
cabal with Pulteney had been a failure; Bolingbroke would thenceforward
be a hinderance rather than a help to the Patriots. His counsel was of
no further avail, and he only brought odium on them; indeed, his advice
had from first to last been misleading and ill-omened. The Patriots
were now only anxious to get rid of him; Pulteney gave Bolingbroke
pretty clearly to understand that they wanted him to go, and he went.

Walpole's speech, and the whole of the debate of which it made so
striking a feature, could not but have a powerful effect on the general
elections. Parliament was dissolved on April 10, 1734, after having
nearly run the full course of seven years. Seldom has a general
election been contested with such a prodigality of partisan fury and
public corruption. Walpole scattered his purchase-money everywhere; he
sowed with the sack and not with the hand, to adopt the famous saying
applied by a Greek poetess to Pindar. In supporting two candidates for
Norfolk, who were both beaten, despite his support, he spent out of his
private