Meeting of Parliament--Eugene's Visit to England--Ministerial Attacks on the Dutch--Meeting of the Negotiators at Utrecht--The Question of the Spanish Throne--Sham Fighting against the French--Debates on the Peace in Parliament--Withdrawal of the English Troops--Consequent Triumph of the French--Bolingbroke's Visit to Paris--Break-up of the Grand Alliance--More Negotiations with the Pretender--Death of Godolphin--Marlborough retires to the Continent--Signature of the Peace--The Treaty of Commerce--Its Rejection by the Commons--The Whereabouts of the Pretender--Dissolution of Parliament--The General Election--Intrigues with St. Germains--Bolingbroke's Activity--His Friends in Office--The Empire and Spain make Peace--The Pretender declines Overtures to Change his Religion--Illness of the Queen--Tax on Newspapers--Attack upon the "Public Spirit of the Whigs"--Steele expelled the House--Proposals against the Pretender and for bringing over the Electoral Prince--Counter-scheme for bringing over the Pretender--Obstacles to the Scheme--The Queen's Letter to the Elector--Death of the Electress Sophia--The Schism Bill--Its Progress through the Houses--Reward for the Apprehension of the Pretender--Fall of Oxford--Bolingbroke's Jacobite Cabinet--Illness of the Queen--The Whig _Coup d'État_--Ruin and Desperation of the Jacobites--Death of Anne--Proclamation of George I. The Houses of Parliament reassembled on the 17th of January, 1712, and Anne sent word that she was not able to attend in person, not having recovered sufficiently from her attack of the gout. She announced that the plenipotentiaries were now assembled at Utrecht, and were already engaged in endeavouring to procure just satisfaction to all the Allies according to their several treaties, and especially with relation to Spain and the Indies. This was a delusion, for, by our treaty with the Emperor, we had engaged to secure Spain and the Indies for his son; and it was now, notwithstanding the assurance in her message regarding them, fully determined to give them up to Philip. There was a strong protest in the message against the evil declarations that there had been an intention to make a separate peace, though nothing was more notorious than that the Ministers were resolved, if the Allies did not come to their terms, to go on without them. The message ended by recommending a measure for the restriction of the liberty of the press. Much alarm was expressed at the great licence in the publishing of false and scandalous libels, though the Ministers themselves did not scruple to employ the terrible pen of Swift.