The treachery was discovered by the Secretary himself, and such steps were taken to lessen the mischief as the case admitted. Much excitement naturally followed upon the publicity of the crime. The least scrupulous of HARLEY’S enemies conceived a hope that the traitor who had served the public enemy for a bribe might also be tempted to ruin his master for another and greater bribe. Means were found to convey to GREGG strong assurances of a certain escape, and of a wealthy exile, if he would but declare that he had copied the despatches, and forwarded the transcripts, by the Secretary’s direction. Pending the attempt, they circulated throughout the country a report that such a declaration had actually been made, and that the Secretary was to be impeached. But the clerk, instead of betraying his master, exposed his temptors. [Sidenote: Appendix to Gregg’s Trial, &c., in _State Trials_, vol. xii, pp. 694 seqq.] His first emphatic declaration of HARLEY’S innocence was repeated immediately before his death in these words:—‘As I shall answer it before the judgment seat of Christ, the gentleman aforesaid [_i. e._ HARLEY] was not privy to my writing to France, neither directly nor indirectly.’ HARLEY himself, and also his nearest friends, were wont to speak of this affair as one that had brought his life into real peril. It is certain that the incident and its consequences helped materially to make his continuance in office impossible. But he struggled hard. Meanwhile, the dissensions in the Ministry were daily increasing. [Sidenote: DISMISSED FROM OFFICE. Feb., 1708.] They became so bitter as to lead to personal altercations at the Council Board, even when the Queen herself was present. On one such occasion (February, 1708) GODOLPHIN and MARLBOROUGH went together to the Queen a little before the hour at which a Cabinet Council had been summoned. They told her they must quit her service, since they saw that she was resolved not to part with HARLEY. ‘She seemed,’ says Bishop BURNET, ‘not much concerned at the Lord GODOLPHIN’S offering to lay down; and it was believed to be a part of HARLEY’S new scheme to remove him. But she was much touched with the Duke of MARLBOROUGH’S offering to quit, and studied, with some soft expressions, to divert him from that resolution; but he was firm; and she did not yield to them.’ [Sidenote: Burnet, _History of his own Time_, vol. v, pp. 343, 344 (edit. 1823).] So they both went away, without attending the Council, ‘to the wonder of the whole Court.’