During Bolingbroke's brief term of ascendency, he had despatched the Earl of Anglesey on a mission to Ireland.

The Earl had hardly landed at Dublin when news followed him of the Queen's death, and he returned to act as one of the Lords Regent.

In the _Flying Post_ Defoe asserted that the object of his journey to Ireland was "to new model the Forces there, and particularly to break no less than seventy of the honest officers of the army, and to fill up their places with the tools and creatures of Con.

Phipps, and such a rabble of cut-throats as were fit for the work that they had for them to do." That there was some truth in the allegation is likely enough; Sir Constantine Phipps was, at least, shortly afterwards dismissed from his offices.

But Lord Anglesey at once took action against it as a scandalous libel.