By early in 1710 it had become obvious that the Whig Ministry of SidneyGodolphin was unable or unwilling to negotiate an end to the long expensiveand consequent... » 

By early in 1710 it had become obvious that the Whig Ministry of SidneyGodolphin was unable or unwilling to negotiate an end to the long expensiveand consequently unpopular war with France. The quarrel between Queen Anne andher confidante the Duchess of Marlborough smoldered until on 6 April 1710the breach between them became final. Atalantis Major is a thinly veiledallegory describing the November 1710 election of the representative Scottishpeers. The circumstances which surrounded this election were produced by theoutcome of the previous months General Election a landslide for the Tories and to understand these circumstances the impact of that Tory victory mustbe seen within the context of the political events of 1710. . . . From JohnJ. Perrys Introduction «