The Line of Battle for the Marechal of Villeroy's Army for the Year 1697.

[Page 36]

[Page 37]

According to this Line of Battle the Marechal of Villeroy had 56 Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons in his Right Wing, and 50 in his Left, in all 106; which at 120 per Squadron one with another, makes 12720 Horse and Dragoons. In the Body of Foot 76 Bat­tallions and two in Reserve, in all 78; which, at 550 Men per Bat­tallion, amounts to 42900 Foot, from whence the Sum Total of this Army arises to 55620 Men, Horse, Foot and Dragoons. Next follows the Line of Battle for the Marechal of Bouflers Army.

The Line of Battle for the Marechal of Boufler's Army.

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By this List it appears that the Marechal of Bouflers had 49 Squa­drons of Horse and Dragoons in his Right Wing, and 58 in his Left and Reserve, in all 107; which at 120 per Squadron, makes 12840 Horse and Dragoons in his Army: In the Body of Foot 77 Battallions, and one of Artillery in the Reserve, in all 78, which at 550 per Battallion, amount to 42900 Foot; all this joyn'd together makes the Total of the Marechal of Boufler's Army to consist of 55740 Men. None of the Princes of the Blood serv'd this Campagne except the Count de Toulouse; the Prince of Conti stood Candidate for the Crown of Poland, and therefore could not appear in the Field but at the Head of an Army. The Dukes of Chartres, Bourbon and Du Maine, kept with the Court the whole Summer.

[Page 41] The Troops which compos'd the Army of the Lys consisted of the Regiments following, which I could not get Marshal'd into a Line of Battle, because this Army divided immediately after the General Rendezvous; the main going with the Marechal of Catinat for the Siege of Ath, and the rest dividing part for the Guard of the Lines under the Count de Montrevel at Courtray, and part with the Marquis de la Mothe Houdancourt about Ipres and Furnes.

A LIST of the Troops which did compose the Army of the Lys under the Command of the Marechal of Catinat.

Nota, That the Regiments mark'd with an Asterism, are those which march'd with Catinat and incamp'd within the Line of Circum­vallation before Ath, the rest making up the Flying Camps under the Count de Montrevel and the Marquis de la Mothe.

The Marechal of Catinat's Army as it was upon the Lys before the Siege of Ath, consisted (according to this account) of 50 Bat­tallions, which, at 550 per Battallion, makes 27550 Foot; and 49 [Page 42] Squadrons, at 120 per Squadron, amount to 5880 Horse and Dra­goons, which together makes the Sum of this Army to be 33430 Men; from whence it appears, that the three Armies of France de­sign'd to act against His Majesty and the Allies in Flanders made no less than 144790 effective Men, besides the flying Camp command­ed by the Marquis de Harcourt with which he march'd from the Moselle to the Meuse and the Sambre, which I could not get a List of, but if computed at 6000 Men, will make the French to have been at least 150000 strong this Campagne in Flanders; I have seen a Letter from Paris wherein their Forces on this side were given out for no less than 168000 Men; but I will charge them no higher than can fairly appear by their several Lines of Battle.

But now to return to Catinat's Army and the Siege of Ath; whereas this Marechal had march'd over the Scheld (as it appears by the List now mention'd) onely with 25 Battallions and 40 Squadrons, he was reinforc'd from the Marechal of Villeroy's Army, with the three intire Brigades of Salisch, Bligny and Vlbray, and the Regiments of Lorrain and Choisinet making together 24 Battallions; the two Regiments of Horse of La Tournelle and Bissy, and the Dragoons of Berteuil, Hautefort and Gouffier, consisting together of 15 Squa­drons. These being joyn'd with the Forces the Marechal of Catinat brought over the Scheld, form'd the Siege of Ath and took up the compass of the Line of Circumvallation according to the disposition following, being divided into three General Quarters by three Bridges of Communication, one upon the River of Irchonwelz, the Second upon the Upper Dender and the Third upon the Lower Dender.

Between the River of Irchonwelz, and the upper Dender was the Marechal of Catinat's quarter at Villers-St. Amand; of this reparti­tion were the Count de Tessé, the Chevalier de Tessé, and the Mar­quis de Gassion Lieutenant Generals; the Count de Marsin and Monsieur de Vilpion Major Generals, with the Regiments of Horse of Bissy and La Tournelle; Dragoons, Marsan and Gouffier; Foot, Navarre, Lee, Artois, Tournesis, Vexin, Pery, Vermandois, La Marche and Bugey.

Between the Upper and the Lower Dender were Posted the Mar­quis de Larrey and Monsieur de Bachevilliers Lieutenant Generals; the Marquis de Clerambault and Monsieur de Greder Major Generals, with the Regiments, of Dragoons, of the King's and Hautefort; Of [Page 43] Horse, Royal Allemand, Vaillao, Furstemberg and Rozen; Foot, Poitou, Surlauben, Catinat, Humieres, Fuziliers of Tessé, D'Enonville, Maulevrier, Xaintonge, Angoumois and Santerre.

Between the Lower Dender and the River of Irchonwels being the Quarter towards Audenarde and Tournay were Posted the Mar­quis, de Vins and Monsieur de Vauban Lieutenant Generals, and Messieurs de Grancey, Hautefort and Salisch, Major Generals, with the Regiments of Dragoons of the Colonel General, Catinat and Berteuil; Horse, Cravates, Molac, Conde and La Valiere; Foot, Anjou, Lorrain, Boulonois, Hautefort, Mouchy, Choisinet, Surbeck, Stouppa and Salisch: a Battallion of Royal Artillery, incamp'd with the Artillery.

The Marechal of Catinat having dispos'd his Troops thus in the Line of Circumvallation (which they work'd with all diligence up­on to finish them in five or six dayes) 'twas now the Marechals of Villeroy's and Bouflers Business to observe our two Armies, and hin­der them from pretending to raise this Siege; Villeroy's Army there­fore march'd on the 8th, onely to come nearer Ath and bring the Head-quarter at Lignes; the Marechal of Boufler march'd the same day from St. Vaast and Haine St. Pierre, and came to incamp be­tween Roeux and Mons, his Right at Thieux and Left at Thieusies: In the mean while several Battering Pieces, Mortars and abundance of Pouder came daily from Doway (which is the Arsenal of Flan­ders) by Tournay to the Camp before Ath; the rest came from Mons and Condè, and about 2000 Waggons of Bombs, Balls and other Ammunitions to carry on this Siege; where they had now 20000 Pioniers on work upon the Lines of Circumvallation, and to prepare every thing for the opening of the Trenches. The 10th the Ma­rechal of Villeroy's Army march'd upon the Left to cover this Siege by Posting himself upon the Lower Dender towards Audenarde and the Spanish Flanders, where he incamp'd with his Right at Papigny upon the Dender between Ath and Lessines and his Left at Hamedê towards the Scheld, and the Head-quarter at Ostiche to hinder the Elector's Army from attempting the Relief of Ath on this side, this being a Camp by which our Army must pass from Flanders to go to Ath, and therefore fit to be secur'd first by the French upon the undertaking of this Siege. The 11th the Marechal of Bousters march'd likewise with his Army to come nearer the Dender on this side, and came to Post himself at the Camp of Soignies: For the [Page 44] Town of Ath could not be reliev'd at present by us, but by one side of the Dender towards the Scheld or the other towards Brabant whilst the French were Masters of Mons and Tournay, which hin­der'd any Relief on the side of Leuse and Lignes: In the first Case our Army must have march'd by the Camps of Ninove, Grammont, and Lessines and endeavour to gain the Height of Rebay, which was now cover'd by Villeroy's Posting himself at Ostiche between Papigny and Hamedê: In the Second our Army must have march'd to Enghien in order to attack the Line of Circumvallation between the Upper and Lower Dender; but the Marechal of Bouflers being at Soignies, he was now at hand to Seize this Post before us and hinder any at­tempt for a Relief on that side: For the Prince could not stir from Bois-Seigneur-Isaac without leaving Namur and Brussels expos'd to the Marechal of Bouflers, if he had offer'd to get before the French to the Camps of Enghien or Ghislenghien, and 'twas better run the risk of Ath than of either of these places.

It is not necessary to give a description of the Town Ath, before I run into the particulars of this Siege, having already given an Ac­count of it in some of the precedent Histories; I shall onely say at present, that Ath is a Fortification of Eight Bastion upon seven sides of a Polygone, that, towards Tournay and Leuse, being much lon­ger than any of the other sides (which are almost equal) has a flat Bastion upon the Center of it; all the Bastions and Half-moons are fac'd with good Stone, and 'tis enough to set forth the goodness and fineness of all these Works to say that they were the Contrivance of Monsieur de Vauban; but, notwithstanding all the pains which the French took in fortifying of this place whilst it was in their Posses­sion for 20 years together between the Treaties of Aix la Chapelle and Nimeguen, yet the situation of it is very weak and disadvantagious, being commanded on one side of it towards the Scheld and Flanders, by a high and rising ground which comes to the very Palissades, from whence you may look into the Streets of the Town; and besides this disadvantage, all the Ground hereabouts is of a very easie Mould and Commodious for the making of Trenches, and cannot give much Pain and Labour to the Pioniers in digging. The Garrison of it was not very strong, consisting of the Regiments of Anhalt, Slabendorf and Schellinga, three Regiments of the States, which onely could be called Regiments; the rest being Italians and Walloons in the Spanish service, and every one that has been in Flanders knows the strength [Page 45] and condition of those Regiments; but such as they are 'tis not their fault if they are not better, and their service has generally been very good upon occasion and not at all answerable to the state they are in: Of these Regiments in the Spanish servive there was the Italian Re­giment of Aquaviva, the three Walloon Regiments of Grobendonck, d'Odrignies and Maucron, being Foot; the Regiment of Horse of the Prince of Chimay, and the Dragoons of Rysbourg, neither of which must be reckon'd a Squadron, as any one may see by the List of Spanish Horse and Dragoons in our Lines of Battle. The three Re­giments of Foot in the States service being commanded by the Prince of Anhalt Brigadier, may be computed at 600 Effective Men one with another, which (I am sure) was the most; as for the rest, I dare say, they did not make upwards of 700 Men together; which makes the Garrison to consist at the beginning of this Siege of about 2500 Effective Men under the Command of the Count de Roeux Governour of the place, a Gentleman of the House of Croye. The Prince of Chimay, the Marquis of Rysbourg and the Count d'Aqua­viva were at the Electors Court when Ath was invested, but upon the News of it, went immediately to endeavour to throw themselves into the place and serve at the head of their Regiments; the Prince of Chimay luckily got in disguiz'd like a Boor following of a Cart, Load of Beer to sell in the French Camp, but the Marquis of Rys­bourg and Count Aquaviva were made Prisoners in endeavouring to get in.

Upon the first News of this Siege there was a project form'd in the Electors Army of endeavouring to make a diversion by the At­tack of the Lines, or Courtray; and a disposition was made thereupon for the Army to have march'd that way; in which Case it was to be joyn'd by all the English Horse in Quarters at Ghendt, and the Dragoons cantoon'd between Nevel and Marykirk, the four Battal­lions of Bavaria, and the Bavarian Cuirassiers and Dragoons now incamp'd at Marykirk under the Count d'Arco, and the Dutch Ca­valry, which was still cantoon'd hereabouts: The design was to have pass'd the Lys at Deinse upon several Bridges of Boats laid be­tween this place and Bachtem, from whence the Army was to have march'd with all diligence and secresie by Mackelen, Zult, Vive St. Eloy and Harlebeck towards Courtray; but Montrevel having al­ready a pretty good Body at Courtray for the defence of the Lines, besides the Marquis de la Mothe, who upon such an occasion could [Page 46] have detach'd several Battallions from his Camp between Ipres and Furnes, and the Marquis de Crequi at Celles, near the Scheld where he was at hand to get within the Lines, and that Succours could be sent thither very easily from the Marechal of Villeroy's Army; this design was therefore thought impracticable, and so laid aside, and the French could not be hinder'd from carrying on this Siege, for which no other expedient was left but the junction of our two Ar­mies; but before I bring them together it is necessary to enter into the Siege of Ath.

The Marechal of Catinat having spent some days in making up the Line of Circumvallation, laying of Bridges for the communica­tion of Quarters, and the bringing in of great quantities of Fascines; and several Battering pieces and Morters with great quantities of Ammunitions being come into the Camp the 11th, every thing was ready on the 12th for the opening of the Trenches, which the Be­siegers resolv'd to do before the Brussels porte in two places, one upon the right (according to the facing of the works) against the Bastion of Namur, and the other upon the Left against that of Limbourg; and that a Lieutenant General and a Brigadier should mount upon the Right with three Battallions, a Marechal de Camp or Major General with as many Battallions upon the Left, and that a Brigade of Ingeniers should be every Night in the Trenches at each of those two Attacks. According to these Resolutions the Trenches were open'd the 12th in the Night by Count Tessè Lieute [...]ant Ge­neral on the Right and Brigadier Salisch, with three Battallions of the Regiment of Navarre; on the Left, by Count de Marsin Major General with two Battallions of Poitou and one of La Marche; they work'd this first Night no less than 500 Fathoms of Trenches upon the Right and Left, which they joyn'd the next Morning by a Pa­rallel, which embrac'd the whole Attack before Brussels porte from the Bastion of Namur on the Right to that of Limbourg on the left: The Besiegers thought it convenient to make their Attack this way, because the Batardeau or Damme, which keeps up the Water in the Fossé was near this Gate, and therefore they could not propose to drain the Ditch in order to a General Assault till they had ruin'd the the Damme; some people thought that Monsieur de Vauban got the Attack to be made this way (though not the weakest) for the Hon­our of his own work which he would have to hold out for some time and not be forc'd to Surrender over soon, after such vast Sums of [Page 47] Money laid out by the French King for the Fortification of it. The 13th, a Convoy of 10 pieces of Cannon and 400 Waggons of Am­munitions and Officers Baggage came into the Camp, having been Attack'd at the Village of Maude coming from Tournay by a Walloon Captain of an independent Company of Fusiliers of the Garrison of Ghendt with 100 Men, joyn'd by 24 Horse of the Garrison of Aude­narde; and though the Convoy had a very strong Escorte, yet the Party was so lucky as to bring off 62 Horses and 30 Prisoners which they had safe into Ghendt after having fought very hard to preserve their Booty, and kill'd and wounded several of the French. In the Evening the Marquis de Vins Lieutenant General and the Marquis de Vibray Brigadier, mounted the Trenches upon the right with two Battallions of Anjou and one of Tournesis; Count de Grancey Major General upon the Left with the two Battallions of Humieres and one of Vexin. The Trenches were brought this Night within 200 Fa­thoms of the Glacis of the Place, and joyn'd the 14th in the Morning by a Parallel; The same day the Marquis de Conflans was taken Pri­soner in the French Camp as he was endeavouring to get into the Place: In the Evening the Marquis de Larrey Lieutenant General had the Trenches upon the Right with Brigadier Lee and the Battal­lions of Artois, Catinat and Pery; the Marquis de Clerambaut Major General on the Left with two Battallions of Vermandois and one of Bugey: The Trenches were advanc'd this Night very near the Foot of the Glacis, but the Besiegers had several Soldiers kill'd and woun­ded, a Lieutenant of Bugey being among the latter.

I must now leave this Siege for a while to speak of the Motions made by the Allies in such a Conjuncture. Prince Vaudemont was still in his Camp of Bois-siegneur-Isaac where little extraordinary happen'd to relate at present, but that, upon the Marechal of Bou­flers coming with his Army between Mons and Soignie, the Prince detach'd Bannier's Brigade of Foot to Post it self at Braine le Chateau and secure thereby our March to the Camp of Halle, which we could not have done if this pass had once been in the hands of the French: And that there might be an exact Correspondence in the Motions of the two Armies whilst the French were ingag'd in the Siege of Ath, the Prince dispatch'd Quarter-master-General Dopft to the Elector of Bavaria at Nevel; where, upon his Arrival a great Council of War was held to settle the Marches of the two Armies, which (may be) put a stop to the Project above-mention'd of at­tempting [Page 48] a diversion upon the Lines or Courtray; from hence Quater-Master-General Dopft went the same day Post to Breda, where the King was now expected from Zuylenstein: for the French under­taking the Siege of Ath at this time, had prevented His Majesty's going to Loo. On the 11th Messieurs Ivoy and Verboom, the first Quarter-Master-Ceneral under the Prince of Nassau-Sarbruck and the second of the Electors Troops, were sent to Antwerp to meet Quarter-Master-General Dopft, who return'd this Evening from Breda with His Majesty's Resolutions about the march of the two Armies, which were, that they should both joyn together and attempt the Re­lief of Ath; and accordingly they drew up a Scheme of the Marches which both the Armies should make in order to a junction, and then went back each to their respective Camps to Communicate them to the Generals.

The 13th the Electors Army begun first to march from the Camp at Nevel, upon the Left; the first Line with the Artillery and Bag­gage march'd through the Town of Ghendt towards Dendermond, and the second pass'd the Canal of Bruges at Marykirk, and that of the Sas of Ghendt at Mulestien, and so on towards the Scheld, but all the heavy Baggage was order'd to remain at Dislelberg near Ghendt till further orders: The English Horse in Quarters at Ghendt, and Dragoons cantoon'd thereabouts, together with the Bavarians in­camp'd at Marykirk, march'd in the Van by break of day, directing their march to pass the Scheld the next day; the whole incamp'd by Brigades here and there, as conveniency could be found without doing any dammage to the Countrey; the Elector's Quarter was this Night at Overmeer, the English under the Command of General Auer­querque at Grimberg Opsandt, and the Prince of Nassau Sarbruck at Calcken; the Horse had express Orders to meddle with no Forrage but Clover, and the Foot not to molest any Boors House, nor to cut down any Wood upon pain of Death; Major General Fagel had the Care left to him of covering the Countrey behind the Canals from Bellem to Newport, whilst the Electors Army should be on the other side of the Sheld. The 14th the Electors Army pass'd the Scheld, the English Horse and Dragoons at Dendermond, being fol­low'd by the Bavarian Troops and the Dutch Horse; the Infantry pass'd the Scheld at Appels and the Dender near the Dermonde at Wiese, and so went on by Maseel towards Asche, follow'd by the Baggage of the Generals and light Baggage of the Army; as for the Artillery, [Page 49] which the day before had got no further than the other side of Ghendt and incamp'd between the Castle and the Scheld, it came this day to Grimberg-Opsandt: All the Electors forces having pass'd the Scheld (as we have now said it) incamp'd regularly with the Right at Merchtem which was the Electors Quarters, and the Left towards Asche within two Leagues and a half of Brussels. 'Tis true there was a shorter Cut for the Electors Army to joyn that of the Prince, viz. by Gavre, Ninove and St Quintin Linneck, but Villeroy being incamp'd near Lessines who upon such an occasion might have had Rein­forcements out of the Line of Circumvallation to Attack the Elector, this last way, which the Army took, was preferr'd before it. The Electors Army halted at Merchtem and Asche the next day being 15th, and the Artillery came up to the Camp from Grimberg Opsandt with the Dragoons of Holstein-Ploen.

Having brought the Elector thus far in order to the joyning of the two Armies, I shall proceed to speak of our Motions in Brabant, where the King was hastening to Command the Army on that side in Person, and was now come up as far as Breda. The 12th Lieutenant General Heyden came from the Meuse to the Neighbourhood of Brussels with the Brandenbourg Gens d'Armes, Carrabiniers, Light Horse, &c. in all 21 Squadrons being the remainder of the Brandenbourg Troops that were to pass the Campagne in Flanders. The 13th Prince Cerclas of Tilly Ge­neral of the Liege and Cologne Troops came near the same place with the Horse and Dragoons of these two Countreys, but the Foot did not come up; though four Battallions of them were rec­kon'd into the Elector's Line of Battle at his first taking of the Field, whether it was that they were left for the security of the Garrisons on the Meuse upon Harcourt's marching that way from the Moselle, or that they were not yet in a readiness and so we were depriv'd of that Reinforcement for the present. The same day the Prince's Army incamp'd at Bois-Seigneur-Isaac and Braine la Leu had orders to be in a readiness to march, and the King came from Breda to Malines in the evening in order to joyn the Army the next day at Halle; The Artillery and heavy Baggage was sent away this Evening, by Waterlo and the Bois-de-Sogne, to Brussels under the Escorte of Prince Charles's Regiment of Danes (which was commanded this way for the Guard of the Town) the pass of Braine le Chateau be­ing too difficult for wheel Baggage; a Body of Horse was command­ded [Page 50] out at the same time to pass Nostredame de Halle and post it self upon the Height of Vlieringon from whence it was to make detach­ments as far as Tubise and St. Arnelle, and towards Hautecroix, to get intelligence of the Motions of the Marechal of Bouflers and cover the March of our Army. The 14th the Princes Army began to file off very early upon the Right from the Camp of Bois-Seigneur-Isaac, the Right Wing of Horse first upon one Column, and the Left upon another, follow'd by the Body of Foot; and having pass'd the little River Braine at Braine la Chateau, the Foot upon the Bridges laid over the River upon the Right, and the Horse over the Wooden Bridge by the Village, they come to pass the Senne, the first Line at Halle and the second below at a Bridge of Boats laid at the Village of Busingen; Bannier's Brigade, that had incamp'd at Braine la Chateau for the Guard of that pass, joyn'd the Body of Foot in its proper Post upon the march, and so the Army incamp'd this day with the Right at the Chateau of Pepinghen towards St. Quintin-Linnecke and the Left be­yond Halle upon the way to Brussels and Anderlecht, in the Figure of a Half Moon, the Town of Halle remaining before the Convex of the Camp; His Majesty's Quarter was in the Town, as also that of Prince Vaudemont, which, to cover on the other side towards Braine le Chateau, the Brigade of Guards and the first Battallion of the Royal Regiment of Foot were order'd to incamp just on the other side of the Town. The Artillery and heavy Baggage which had incamp'd the over-night at the Fauxbourg of Ixelles near Brussels joyn'd us this day, the Cologne and Liege Troops under Prince Cerclas of Tilly and those of Brandenbourg under Lieutenant General Heyden having march'd at the same time from Brussels to St. Pieters Leuwe near St. Martin Linneck; And the Army was reinforc'd with seve­ral Battallions from the Garrison of Namur under the Command of Lieutenant General Cohorne, which (upon Bouflers passing the Sambre and marching towards Ath) could now be drawn out of that Garrison: But the best Reinforcement was that of His Majesties Per­son, who having come from Malines this day by the way of Vilvorde, arriv'd betimes in the Camp, upon which occasion all our Artillery was fir'd thrice round, in the Evening.

The 15th His Majesty's Army halted in this Camp, because the Electors Artillery came up to him from Dendermond but this day, and therefore he could not march on his part in order to the joyning together, which therefore was deferr'd till the next day, [Page 51] and the Elector took hold of this occasion to come and pay a Visit to His Majesty at Halle, and went back to his Camp that Even­ing. The 16th both Armies march'd at the same time, the Kings upon the Right and the Electors upon the Left, to joyn together at the Camp of St. Quintin Linneck; all the Brandenbourg Forces march'd first clear out of the Camp of Halle to enter that day in the Electors Line of Battle, as did all the Troops upon English Pay, out of the Electors Army to come into His Majesties, except the Wolfembuttle Guards, the Regiments of Hering and Willekens, and the Dragoons of Jedborough, which remain'd with the Elector. The Brandenbourgs having clear'd the Camp, the rest of the Army follow'd, the Right marching in one Line upon the Right by the Defile of St. Pierre and Elingen, the Left likewise in one Line by the Village of Breet-hout and the Panebrugghe, to the Camp having the Right at Iseringhen where was the King's Quarter, and the Left beyond St. Quintin Linneck near the defile of St. Pierre extending it self toward Halle; the Chappel of Savelberg was in the Front of the Body of Foot, where the Left made an obtuse Angle upon the Right: The Artillery came to the Camp by St. Pieters Leuwe, from whence Prince Cerclas of Tilly and Lieutenant General Heyden had march'd to joyn the Elector: The King's Quarter being at Iseringhen, became, upon the coming up of the Elector's Army, the Center of the whole, and the Brigade of Guards incamp'd before this place, as the Life-Guards were to do at their coming up to the Camp; the Princes Quarter was at St. Quintin Linneck.

The same day that the King's Army march'd from the Camp of Halle to Iseringhen and St. Quintin Linneck, the Elector's Army march'd upon the Left and came to incamp with the Right beyond Ternath extending it self something towards Asche, and the Left just upon the King's Quarter and the Right of his Army, at Iseringhen; The Elector's Quarter was at Ternath, where he was joyn'd, at his coming, by all the Troops of Brandenbourg commanded by Gene­ral Heyden, and those of Cologne and Liege under the Command of Prince Cerclas of Tilly: His Majesty in the Evening went to Visit the Elector at his Quarter and to see that Camp. Both our Armies be­ing form'd now as they were design'd to act for all the Campagne following, this is the most proper place for me to insert their seve­ral Lines of Battle.

The Line of Battle of His Majesty of Great Britain's Army for the Campagne 1697.

[Page 53]

The King's Army (as it appears by this Line of Battle) con­sisted of 102 Squadrons of Horse, which at 150 per Squadron makes 15300 Horse, and 51 Squadrons of Dragoons, at 100 each Squadron, amounts to 5100 Dragoons, from whence the Summe of Horse and Dragoons arises to 20400; and 70 Battallions, which (deducting the Companies left in Garrison) cannot be reckon'd more than 550 in each Battallion one with another, this amounts to 38000 Foot: All which joyn'd together made the Total of His Majesty's Army to be 58400 Men.

The Line of Battle for the Elector of Bavaria's Army as it was in the Campagne 1697.

Nota, That Count d'Arco commanded the Troops of Bavaria as Velt-Marechal, General Heyden those of Brandenbourg, and Prince Cerclas of Tilly those of Liege in the same Quality.

[Page 57]

[Page 58]

This Army commanded by the Elector of Bavaria (according to their Line of Battle) consisted of 63 Squadrons of Horse which at 150 per Squadron makes 9456, and 27 Squadrons of Dragoons amounting to 2700, which added together produces 12156 Horse and Dragoons; and 52 Battallions at 550 each Battallion one with another, comes to 28600 Foot. Besides these Troops mention'd in the Line of Battle Major General Fagel commanded a Body of Ten Battallions behind the Canal of Newport, being the Regiments of Buchan, Lorne, Hanover-Guards, Hulsen, St. Paul, Cinqvilles, St. Amand, Soutlandt, Beima of Groningen, and Swansbeck, which were to receive the Electors orders as much as if they had actually in­camp'd in his Line of Battle, and therefore may properly be rec­kon'd a part of his Army: These Ten Battallions at 550 per Battal­lion [Page 59] made 5500 Foot, and all these Troops being joyn'd together in one Sum made the Elector 46256 Effective Men strong

Having now given an account of the strength of the several Ar­mies in the Field in this Countrey for the Campagne 1697, we must compare them together to find the Ballance. The Sum of the King's and the Elector's Armies, which were all the Troops we could command at present during the Siege of Ath, amounts to 104756 Effective Men including the Ten Battallions under Major General Fagel, but the French had at this time, besides the Body commanded by the Marquis de Harcourt, 144790 Men; from whence it appears that they were now during the Siege of Ath no less than 40034 Men stronger than the Allies, which (if duly consi­der'd) it must then be no wonder if the French besieg'd Ath and we could not relieve it; but it must be a wonder that with little more than half this difference by which we out-number'd the French in the Year 1695. His Majesty besieg'd and took Namur the strongest Town in the Low Countreys, and one of the most impregnable Places of Europe.

These Motions of our Armies, which were now joyn'd together at Iseringhen and Ternath between Brussels and Ath, shew'd plainly a design to endeavour the Relief of this last place if possible; But the French, having notice of our Motions to bring our Armies together, took the same Method with their Armies for the covering the Siege, and to prevent our Relieving of it: The Marechal of Villeroy was already posted at Ostiche near Lessines to hinder the raising of the Siege on that side of the Dender, but the Marquis de Crequi, who was incamp'd at Celles near the Scheld, to be ready to reinforce Mon­trevel at Courtray if the Elector had a mind to try a diversion that way, had now orders, upon the Electors march towards Brabant and joyning the Kings Army, to come and reinforce that of Villeroy, Montrevel left Courtray at the same time and pass'd the Scheld at Pottes to come and incamp at Celles in the place of Crequi, where he was ready to march up to Villeroy's Assistance if it had come to a Battle for the Succour of Ath: The Marechal of Bouflers on his side, being joyn'd with the Body commanded by Count Tallard, march'd from the Camp of Thieux and Thieusies, to secure the Camp of Silly and Ghislen­ghien as His Majesty came to that of Iseringhen and St. Quintin-Linneck, and incamp'd with his right upon the Height of Silly before the Wood of Touricourt and left towards Villeroy's Army and the [Page 60] lower Dender, his head Quarter being at Silly. Bridges were laid at the same time over the lower Dender for a Communication between the two Armies; and the Marechal of Villeroy fell on Fortifying the Castle of Hamedê upon his left for the security of his Camp on that side; And ever since the Siege, the French had Six Battallions and a Regiment of Dragoons posted in the Abbey of Crambron where they had orders to intrench themselves, and another Body at Lens upon the upper Dender to defend this passage into the Plain of Cambron, and shut up any relief from coming to the besieged on that side.

During these Motions on both sides, to cover the Siege of Ath and to attempt the Relief of it, the Marechal of Catinat was carry­ing on this Siege very quietly; for hitherto the French had not fir'd one piece of Cannon against it, and no firing was heard amongst us but that of some single Cannon Shots from time to time by the Be­sieged, which did the Besiers no considerable damage onely at first in bringing up of their Fascines to have them ready for the making of the Trenches, in which Work the French lost several Men. The 15th at Night the Chevalier de Tesse Lieutenant General and Mon­sieur de Bligny Brigadier mounted the Trenches on the Right with three Battallions of Stouppa, and the Marquis de Villepion with one Battallion of Stouppa and two of Salisch mounted upon the Left; the Besiegers work'd this Night at a parallel between the two Attacks near the foot of the Glacis from the Bastion of Namur on the Right to that of Limbeurg on the Left, and the Chevalier de Tessé receiv'd this Night a small Wound or Contusion on his side; but hitherto the Besiegers, according to their accounts, had lost but fifteen or sixteen Soldiers, among whom two Officers were included. The Trenches being advanc'd to the foot of the Glacis, this Parallel was made to cover the Batteries which the Besiegers design'd to make close to the Glacis, in order to Batter the place effectually at the very first service of their Cannon; And if the account which the French have given of their Losses to this day be true, I believe that Trenches were never car­ried on so quietly, with so little Loss, and without firing of Cannon to the very Glacis of such Fortifications as those of Ath before; and indeed the Besiegers made so little a Noise that all the Discourse in our Camp was of a General Cessation of Arms (and that the French had thereupon suspended their proceedings in this Siege) which had been propos'd by the Plenipotentiaries of that Nation at Ryswick, [Page 61] both By Land and Sea, and to open at the same time the Ports and Harbours on all sides for a free Trade and Commerce as before the War. These are the Terms (according to publick Reports) upon which the French propos'd a Truce during the Treaty, which the Allies would willingly consent to in relation to the suspension of Armes, but not to the opening of an immediate Trade thereupon; because the French Ports would soon have fill'd with the Allies Ships, whereas few of theirs would have come for Trade in the Allies Ports, the French Commerce being very small in proportion to England and Holland; and therefore if the Treaty had broke off, the French King could then have Seiz'd all the Allies Ships in his Harbours for his own use, or having so many of them in his power, he might for that very reason have stood upon so much the higher Terms in the Treaty; this oblig'd the Allies not to consent to a Cessation of Arms as it was propos'd by the French, and the French on their side would not consent to it without this last Condition, when they had all the advantages of the Campagne: These were the pub­lick Discourses about a Truce, and I do not pretend to say anything about this matter of any farther Authority; however these Discourses, grounded upon the silence of the French before Ath, soon ceas'd in our Camp, when we heard the Batteries of the Besiegers Cannon, which they work'd upon, as soon as they had finish'd the parallel we have now spoken of.

The 16th in the Evening, the Marquis de Gassion Lieutenant-Gene­ral, and the Marquis of Biron Brigadier had the Trenches on the Right with two Battallions of Maulevrier and one of Nice, and the Marquis de Hautesort Major General on the Left with three Bat­tallions of Surbeck; the Besiegers work'd very hard this Night to finish five Batteries of Cannon they had begun just before the parallel now mention'd, in order to have them ready the next Morning; and accordingly the 17th in the Morning the French Cannon began to Roar against Ath, and fir'd the whole day without intermission and so much to the purpose that before Night they dismounted all the Can­non, but two pieces, upon the attacqu'd Bastions: And may be, the reason why the French defer'd to fire their Cannon till this time was, because Ath, being commanded by the Height of the Ground on this side of the Dender to the very Palissades, and the Bastions being consequently sunk, their Battaries could not be brought to bear a­gainst them, unless they made them so near as this to the Body of the place.

[Page 62] The Noise of the Besiegers Artillery press'd the Allies so much the more to endeavour the Relief of Ath, and it was concluded by the King and the Elector, that both Armies should march in the same order as they were now, the Electors upon the Right and the Kings upon the Left, to come up close to the French and see what could be done for the succour of the place: In pursuance of this Resolution Major General Dopft Quarter-Master General of the States Armies was order'd by the King to go and view the ways from our Camp to Enghien, under an Ecorte of 600 Horse and Dragoons and 200 Foot, commanded by Brigadier Lumley, and make them ready for our March: Brigadier Lumley met early in the Morn­ing near Enghien with a Detachment of the French commanded by the Colonel of the Hussars, consisting of 100 Carabiniers, 50 Dragoons and 50 Hussars, which he defeated, the French being decoy'd into the Body of our Party that lay in Ambuscade, by the Vanguard, where commanded Sir William Russel of Colonel Coy's Regiment, according to the orders he had receiv'd upon this occasion; and the Colonel of the Hussars with two Lieutenants, a Cornet and 40 Troopers were made Prisoners, about as many Horses taken, and ten or twelve of the French kill'd upon the spot and the rest fled as well as they could, without any loss on our side worth mentioning: The Colonel of the Hussars, Monsieur de Mortagne by Name, and the three Officers were treated very civilly and sent prisoners to Brussels in General Auerquerque's Coach. At the same time that Major General Dopst was commanded from our Army to view the Countrey and repair the ways towards Enghien, Monsieur Ivoy, Quarter-Master General to the Prince of Nassau Sarbruck, was sent upon the same design for the Electros Army towards the Wood of Lessines; and a great Council of War being held, a disposition was made for the two Armies to march the next day, the Kings, to the Camp of Enghien with the Right at the Village of Marck and the Left behind this place where the Kings Quarter was appointed; and the Elector's, between the Wood of Lessines upon the Right and the Village of Marck upon the Left, and orders were given to march the next day; But that very Night it began to Rain in such abundance, that our workmen for the repairing of the ways had much ado to get home, and the Rain continuing all the dayfollowing, which by that time had spoil'd all the ways in this deep Countrey, the Order was countermanded and the Armies were forc'd to continue where they were.

[Page 63] The 17th in the Evening Monsieur de Vauban Lieutenant Gene­ral and the Count de Mornay Brigadier reliev'd the Trenches upon the Right with two Battallions of Surlanbe and the Regiment of Hautefort; Major General Greder upon the Left, with a Battallion of Lorrain and two of Tessé; the Besiegers work'd this Night upon three Batteries of Mortars, one upon the Right and a second upon the Left of Twelve Mortars, each carrying Bombs of 150 weight, to fire them into the attacqu'd Works (for the Marechal of Catinat had given orders to do as little damage to the Town as was possible) and the third in the Center which consisted of 3 large Mortars carrying Bombs of 500 weight to throw them upon the Batardeau or Damme, that held up the Water in the Ditch, in order to destroy it, being a very good and strong Stone Work; for the Besieged had so stop't up the Water by the help of this Damme, that they had Eight Foot of Water in the Fossé, and the Meadows on both sides the upper Dender near the Town were all overflow'd. The 15th, all these Mortars began to fire very violently, which with the Batte­ries of Cannon augmented very much the Noise and Thunder of the Besiegers; at Night Monsieur de Bachevilliers Lieutenant Gene­ral had the Trenches on the Right with the Duke de Humieres Bri­gadier and the Regiments of Boulenois, Xaintonge and Mouchy; Mon­sieur de Sailly Major General on the left with the Regiments of An­goumois, d'Enonville and Choisinet, the Besiegers fir'd their Bombs without intermission this night, and the day following their Cannon play'd very hard to ruin the Defences of the Besieged and silence their Cannon, which by this time were almost all dismounted, so that they fir'd very seldom but in the Night, and that with small Shot; The French brought their Trenches this Night within 12 fa­thoms of the Points of the Salliant Angles of the cover'd way and made every thing ready for the Attack of the Counterscarp the next Evening.

The 19th Count Tessê Lieutenant General mounted the Trenches for the second time on the Right, and Brigadier d'Orgemant, with the first Battallion of Surbeck and the first and last of Salisch; Count Marsin Major General mounted likewise for the second time on the Left with the three Irish Battallions of Lee: The Besiegers made an Assault this Evening upon the Counterscarp, which they carried after a short Resistance (the Besieged retiring along the cover'd way upon the Right and Left) and made three Lodgments upon the Salliant [Page 64] Angles of the cover'd way, before the Bastion of Namur, the Half-moon of Barbanson that covers the Brusselles Porte, and the Bastion of Limbourg; the French according to their Accounts receiv'd but very little Damage in this Business, having had only three Soldiers kill'd and eight wounded, Messieurs de Joinville an Ingenier and d'Emonin Captain of the Artillery Waggons were dangerously wounded, the Chevalier de Pizy was shot through the Arm, and Monsieur Vialis (both Ingeniers) had his right Thumb shot off. Monsieur de Vauban whose presence was necessary in such an occasion receiv'd a slight Contusion on his left Shoulder, which, however did not oblige him to leave the Trenches, but continued the whole Night to give his orders about the making and finishing of the Lodgments upon the Counter­scarp, and the Marechal of Catinat himself was in the Trenches till four the next Morning. The French were now oblig'd to exchange all their Batteries and bring them upon the very cover'd way to Bat­ter more effectually the attack'd Bastions and Half-Moons and make a Breach, which hitherto they could not do, but had onely dismoun­ted the Cannon of the Besieged with their former Batteries, for the reason we have before given of the Height of the ground round the Ramparts of Ath on this side of the Dender.

The great silence of the French Artillery on the 20th after the Noise it had made for the three precedent dayes, occasion'd a Dis­course in our Camp that Ath was already Surrender'd; and our Generals themselves were not a little surpriz'd at it till they had advice of the meaning of it, that the Cannon had ceas'd to play upon the carrying of the Counterscarp, which now oblig'd the Besiegers to advance their Batteries upon the very cover'd way. The day before having been tolerably fair, the Earl of Athlone took hold on that occasion to review all the Dutch Horse both in the King's and the Elector's Armies; and as if the design had still continued to attempt the Raising of the Siege, our Pioniers were again set on work to repair the ways for the March of the Armies towards Enghten and the Bois de Lessines, and the King declar'd se­veral General Officers; Monsieur d Auerquerque was declar'd Gene­ral of the English Horse, the Earl of Rivers Lieutenant General, Brigadier Lumley Major General, and the Earl of Albemarle Major General of the Dutch Army: My Lord Portland being very much troubled with the Gravel was forc'd to leave the Camp and go to Brussels, but the thoughts of Relieving the Town of Ath were at [Page 65] last altogether laid aside: For the French out-number'd us so much, and the Match consequently so unequal; and Bridges of Communi­cation being laid over the Dender between the Marechals of Boufler s and Villeroy's Armies, so that we could not attack Boufler's in his Camp at Silly and Ghislenghien without having Villeroy's Army upon our hands besides reinforcements from the Line of Circumvallation, which (considering the weakness of the Garrison) could have been safely made from thence; and the ways grown very difficult by the bad Weather we had for two or three days together; and a Treaty of Peace being now on foot at Ryswick, which (if affairs had gone a­miss in this great Attempt) must have turn'd vastly to the Prejudice of the Allies: These were certainly very strong Reasons for aban­doning the thoughts of attacking the French in so dangerous a con­juncture and so unlikely to promise any good Success for us, and yet this was the onely expedient that could be thought on now: For the French having two such Armies as those of Boufler's and Villeroy, besides Catinat to carry on the Siege, it was impossible for us to at­tempt a diversion either towards Flanders by the Elector of Bava­ria, or towards the Sambre by his Majesty; neither could we re­main in this Camp, and hinder the French of the advantage they other­wise gain'd by the taking of Ath, of subsisting afterward in the Countrey of Alost; because then, after the taking of Ath, they could have taken the Camp of Nevel before the Elector, which would have been of a far worse Consequence for the safety of Bruges and Newport.

The King and the Elector resolv'd upon such weighty reasons to separate, and that the Elector should March back with all diligence to his former camp at Nevel. On the 21th by break of day the Electors Army began to march towards the Scheld, dividing for the more expedition on this manner; all the Cavalry and Dragoons, ex­cept two Regiments of Horse and the Dragoons of Holstein-Ploen, march'd directly by Alost for Ghendt, in order to secure the Post of Nevel the very next day; and came this day to incamp at Mellem upon the Scheld within a League of Ghendt, being commanded by the Prince of Tilly and Lieutenant Generals Dupuy and Opdam: As for the Foot of the Elector's Army and the two Regiments of Horse and one of Dragoons, they came to incamp at Bardeghem, in order to march by Dendermond, and the Artillery and Baggage at Maseel, near the Windmill of Bardeghem. The 22th the Cavalry and Dra­goons [Page 66] of the Electors Army march'd by the Brusselles porte through the Town of Ghendt and got into the Camp of Nevel, where they posted themselves upon the Right and Left according to the dispo­sition of the Line of Battle; but the Infantry pass'd the Scheld at Appels upon a Bridge of Boats and incamp'd at Calcken and Berleer, the first being the Electors Quarter, and the second that of the Prince of Nassau-Sarbrack, the Artillery pass'd the Scheld at Dendermond and incamp'd at Grimberg Opsandt; and Crassau's Regiment was or­der d; upon the march, to this place to reinforce the Garrison, because there was some reason to expect that the French, as soon as they had taken Ath, would march to subsist their Armies in the Pays d'Alost, and therefore 'twas necessary to have a good Garrison in this place, where the Prince of Nassau took occasion, upon the march, to go and see the Fortifications. The 23th the Infantry march d from Calcken and Berleer by Distelberg, being follow'd by the Artillery from Grim­bourg Opsandt, and having pass'd the Canal of the Sas at Mulenstein came to incamp within the Retrenchments of Marykirk behind the Canal of Bruges; Brigadler Sparre was detach'd upon this march with the Battallions of Wolfembuttle-Guards Hering, Sparre and Ten­ham to put himself into Audenarde (taking his way through the Town of Ghendt) in order to have a very strong Garrison there, such as might make a vigorous defence in case the French had a fancy to Besiege it after the taking of Ath: And indeed Audenarde was at present reckon'd in some danger, that there was but a weak Garri­son in it if Villeroy had march'd towards the Scheld at the same time that our Armies separated from Iseringhem and Ternath, but Villeroy still remain'd in his old Camp of Ostiche, and so gave us the oppor­tunity to put this strong reinforcement into Audenarde; which could not be sent thither till the Elector had pass'd the Scheld, because it had been otherwise in danger of being cut off, if sent directly thi­ther upon the breaking up of our two Armies from the Neighbour­hood of St. Quintin-Linneck. The 24th the Foot (having receiv'd Straw from Ghendt for their Tents in a Camp where they were now like to continue again for a while) pass'd the Canal at Marykirk upon Bridges laid there the over-night, and came to incamp as before with the Right at Nevel and left at Bachtem upon the Lys, where all the Cavalry and Dragoons was already incamp'd upon the Right and Left since the 22th. All the Cavalry and Dragoons incamping at present in the Line extended the Elector's Army more to the Right, [Page 67] than it was before, and the Brigades of Holstein-Norbourg and Ran­saw were for this reason order'd to incamp upon the Right of all between Landeghem and Ansbeck upon the Canal of Bruges, where they made not only room for the Horse in the Camp of Nevel but were likewise in a readiness to pass the Canal upon any motion of the French towards Bruges: All the Posts were taken for the security of this Camp as before, and a Command of 1000 Men put into Garrison at Deinse. And here I shall leave the Elector foraging at first between the Lys and the Scheld, to come and speak of the Mo­tions of His Majesty's Army in Brabant, which was to march back at the same time upon the Left towards Halle, as the Electors did up­on the Right towards Dendermond and the Scheld.

Accordingly on the 20th in the Evening, all the Artillery and hea­vy Baggage was commanded away for Brussels, and the Army had orders to march the next day: A French Lieutenant was brought Prisoner this Night in our Camp with his Party, and prov'd one that had been a Lieutenant in Brigadier Belcastel's Regiment, which he had left after the Siege of Namur; and it appearing that he had fairly laid down his Commission, he had all the advantages of the Cartel, and was set at Liberty upon the paying of his Ransom or Exchange. The 21th the Brigade of Life-Guards and that of Foot Guards march'd by break of day from the Right of all at Iseringhen to get at the Head of the Army, being to incamp this day at the King's Quarter which was to be upon the Left at Braine la Chateau; the Army march d upon the same hand in two Columnes being joyn'd by my Lord Jedboroughs Dragoons from the Electors Army, and having pass'd the Senne upon the Bridges of Boats laid between Halle and Businguen, it came to incamp with the Right at Halle and the Left at Braine la Chateau, the Kings Quarter being in the Castle of Braine and the Prince's in the Village; the Horse and Foot Guards and the first Battallion of the Royal Regiment were posted here to cover the King's Quarter. This is one of the strongest Camps in all Flanders having the River Senne to cover the right and part of the Front, the Left upon the difficult passage of Braine le Chateau; and both Front and Rear being nothing but Woods and close Desilés; but if this be a good Camp for strength, it is a very inconvenient one another way upon the account of Forrage and Convoy's, for which 'tis very ill situated. The Artillery and heavy Baggage pass'd this evening through the Town of Brussels and came to incamp with­out [Page 68] Halie porte in the Retrenchments before the Fort of Montercy. The 22th the King's Army continu'd to march upon the Left, the Left Wing of Horse pass'd the River Braine at the ordinary Bridge in the Village, and the Foot upon the Bridges laid below the Village for this occasion, and the Right Wing follow'd the march of the Foot; and so having gain'd the plain of Bois-Seigneur Isaac, the whole came to incamp with the Right at the Cense d'Elincourt and so to Promelles (being the Kings and the Princes Quarter) facing toward Nivelle and the Wood of the Commandery of Maltha, and from thence the rest of the Army made almost a right Angle with the Right Wing, turning down along the Dyle which was before the Camp, and extending it self above an English Mile below Genap. The Life and Foot Guards and first Battallion of the Royal Regiment incamp'd before Promelles to cover the Kings and Princes Quarter (which was now in the Front) towards the Wood before mention'd. Most of the Generals were Quarter'd in Genap, which was now just be­fore the Left of the Foot; the Artillery and heavy Baggage joyn'd us here this day, being come by the Bois-de-Sogne and Waterlo from Brussells: And as the Elector of Bavaria was conveniently posted at Nevel for the Defence of Ghendt, Bruges and Newport, so was the King in this Camp, to cover equally Brussells and Namur, in this conjuncture that France had such powerful and numerous Armies to Act against us.

Upon this separation of our two Armies, the Electors to go back to his former Camp of Deinse and Nevel, and the Kings to come to Genap and Promelles, the Count de Montrevel and the Marquis de Crequi repair'd to their former Posts to observe the Elector of Bava­ria, the first coming into the Lines of Courtray (after he had repass'd the Scheld) from Celles, and the second leaving Villeroy's Army to post himself at Celles as before: The Marechal of Bouslers march'd with his Army from Silly and Chistenghien upon the right, towards the Sambre, at the same time that His Majesties march'd upon the Left from Iseringhen towards Genap; but finding that the King stopt at Promelles and Genap (as indeed we were not in a Condition to think of any diversion towards the Sambre without leaving Brussells naked, or the Elector Expos'd to the two Armies of Villeroy and Catinat after the taking of Ath) so he (the Marechal of Bouflers) pitch'd his Camp in the same ground he had taken before at Thieusies, which was still his Head Quarter, between Mesnil St. Jean and St. Denis, hav­ing [Page 69] Soignies in his Front and Mons in his Rear almost at an equal di­stance. But as for the Marechal of Villeroy he continued incamp'd at Ostiche between Papigny and Hamedè to cover the Siege of Ath, where he had great detachments under Catinat in the Line of Circumvalla­tion; and this brings me to pursue the Relation of this Siege, where we had left the French Masters of the Counterscarp, which they car­ried the 19th in the Evening, as we have had it before.

The 20th at Night, the Marquis de Vins Lieutenant General reliev'd the Trenches on the Right with Monsieur de Maisoncelle Brigadier and the three Battallions of Navarre; and Count de Grancey Major General on the Left at the head of the two Battallions of Pottou and that of la Marche: The Besiegers work'd this Night at a new Battery of Cannon upon the Counterscarp to begin to play against the Half-Moon of Barbanson, and endeavour to break the Bridge of Com­munication it had with the Town; and brought great quantities of Fascines in order to make a descent in the Fosse, as soon as they could break the Damme and let some of the Water out; for which pur­pose their Bombs play'd upon it continually, and one fell so luckily this Night as to break the Vault that cover'd the Sluy's and the Water fell three Foot the next day in the Ditch. The 21th in the Evening the Marquis de Larrey Lieutenant-General, Brigadier Salisch, and two Battallions of Anjou with that of Tournesis had the Trenches on the Right; the Marquis de Clerambault Major General, and two Battalli­ons of Humieres, and one of Vexin on the Left: The Besiegers hav­ing finish'd the Battery now mention'd, begun this day to play with their Cannon against the Half-Moon of Barbanson where they made a considerable Breach; and in the Night they flung Fascines in the Fossé before the Half-Moon to fill it, the Bombs having at last so shatter'd and ruin'd the Batardean that there remain'd but three Foot Water in the Ditch the next Morning: Monsieur de Salmon an Iugenier was dangerously wounded this Night, having been shot in the Thigh, and six or seven Soldiers kill'd and wounded. The 22th in the Evening the Marquis de Gassion Leiutenant General and Monsieur de Vibray Brigadier mounted the Trenches upon the Right, with the Regiments of Artois, Catinat and Fery; and Monsieur de Vilpion Major General on the Left with two Battallions of Vermandois and the Regiment of Bugey: The Bridge of Fascines being finish'd and the Water low enough in the Ditch, it was resolv'd to attack the Half-Moon of Bar­banson this Evening, the Breach being now large enough for it: The [Page 70] Grenadiers of Vermandois had this command, which they executed with such Vigour, that they lodg'd themselves upon the point of this Work, and forc'd a Captain and 60 Men of the Besieged to aban­don it and retire in a Brick Reduit inviron'd with Water behind the Gorge; after which they lodg'd themselves upon the Half-Moon and remain'd Masters of it, having had onely two Grenadiers kill'd up­on this occasion, and a Captain of Vermandois and five Soldiers wounded; The Marechal of Catinat himself and Monsieur de Vauban repaired to this work, as soon as it was carried, to give necessary or­ders for a good Lodgment: About two hours after in the Night the Besieged endeavour'd to regain this Post, for which purpose, they lin'd all the opposite Courtin and Flanks of the two Bastions of Na­mur and Limbourg with small shot, which fir'd very hard upon the Half-Moon for an hour and a half together, notwithstanding the noise of all the Besiegers Cannon and Bombs playing at the same time very quick about them; but it was too late, the Besiegers were lodg'd and all this fire from the Rampart could do them no harm; the remain­der of the Night was imploy'd, after the finishing of this Lodgement, in bringing Fascines ready upon the Counterscarp to fill the Fossé of the Body of the place before the attack'd Bastions, and this Night Monsieur de Courtin an Ingenier was kill'd, and Monsieur Mercier, likewise an Ingenier, Wounded.

The 23 the Trenches were reliev'd in the Evening by Monsieur de Vauban Lieutenant General on the Right with Brigadier Lee and three Battallions of Stouppa; and Monsieur de Hautefort Major Ge­neral on the Left with a Battallion of Stouppa and two of Salisch; the Besiegers work'd this Night at two Batteries of 20 pieces of Cannon each, upon the cover'd way, one upon the Right against the the Bastion of Namur and t'other upon the Left against the Bastion of Limbourg, in order to make a Breach and ruin the opposite Faces and Flanks of the said Bastions, being the only defence that was left to the Town, but the Mortars still continued to fire upon the Stone Damme and the attack'd Works, and especially the Reduit (where the Cap­tain and 60 Men before mention'd had retir'd upon the taking of the Half-Moon of Barbanson) in order to ruin it and break the Bridge between them and the Town; and the Besiegers had two Ingeniers wounded in the Work of this Night. The 24th the Battery's made the over-night began to open very furiously against the Bastions of Namur and Limbourg, and with such Success that [Page 71] before Night, the left Face of the first fell to the waste the length of about 20 Fathoms; and the Bridge of Communication being now broke down between the Reduit and the Courtin, the Captain and 53 Men that were in it were forc'd to surrender themselves Priso­ners. In the Evening Monsieur de Bachevilliers Lieutenant General and Monsieur de Bligny Brigadier mounted the Trenches upon the Right, with two Battallions of Maulevrier and one of Nice; and Monsieur de Greder Major-General on the Left with three Battallions of Surbeck; the Besiegers work'd very hard this Night, in making of a descent in the Fosse of the Body of the Place before the attack'd Bastions, which they had almost finish'd before morning. The 25th the Batteries continued to play very hard against the foresaid Bastions, and the Right face of that of Limbourg fell the length of 14 or 15 fathoms; this made the Besiegers so much the more eager in firing their Batteries to widen and level the Breaches for a General assault; but especially the Morters, which play'd without ceasing upon the attack'd Bastions, to hinder the Besieged from working at any retrenchment within the Ruins of them; for all the Bastions of Ath are very large and capacious: In the Night the Besiegers work'd to finish the descent in the Ditch, and the 26th in the Morning the Breaches being found wide enough, for 30 Men abrest to march up up­on the Bastion of Namur, and 25 upon that of Limbourg, and the Ditch being fill'd with Fascines and the Ruines of the faces of these Bastions, it was concluded by the Besiegers to give this day a Gene­ral assault, Monsieur de Tessé Lieutenant General and the Count de Marsin Major-General having then the Trenches which they had reliev'd the over-night; for which end a disposition was made for twenty Companies of Grenadiers, commanded by the Count de Mar­sin, to make an assault upon the Breaches in the Afternoon, and carry the Town in it: But the Besieged did not think fit to run the Risk of a General Assault, and as they could expect no relief from without, so about two of the Clock this Afternoon they Beat the Chamade, and Hostages being exchang'd, they enter'd upon the Capitulation which was sign'd that very Evening, of which this was the substance.

• 1. That the Besieged should deliver up by Six of the Clock the next Morning one of the Gates of the Town to the Besiegers.
• 2. That the Garrison should march out of the place the 28th at Ten in the Morning to be conducted in three days to Dendermond, [Page 72] the first to Grammont, the second to Alost, and the third to that place.
• 3. That they should March out of the Breach with their Arms, Drums beating, Colours flying, and all other marks of Honour; except Cannon and Mortars, which were deny'd them.
• 4. That they should have fifty Waggons allow'd them for the trans­porting of their Sick and Wounded and their Baggage.
• 5. That they should have Six Waggons cover'd but liable to be visited, and that they should deliver up all the deserters they had amongst them.
• Lastly, That all Prisoners made on both sides during the Siege should be set at Liberty. This Capitulation was Sign'd the 5th of June New Style by the Marechal of Catinat, and Count de Roeux Go­vernour of the Place.

Immediately after the Signing of the Capitulation, the Marechal of Catinat dispatch'd Monsieur d'Orgemont, a Brigadier of the Army and his Nephew, Express to Court to give an Account of it to the French King; and the day after the French took Possession of one of the Gates according to Agreement, being Corpus Christi Day, upon which (as it was reported) Monsieur de Vauban had promis'd the Marechal of Catinat, that he should hear Mass and assist at the great Procession of the Sacrament in Ath; and he did not fall very short of his Calcula­tion, the Town having been evacuated and deliver'd up into the Pos­session of the French the day following, when in pursuance of the Capitulation the Garrison march'd out of the Breach, the Count de Roeux Governour and the Prince of Anhalt Brigadier and Commander in Chief of the States Forces in this Siege, being at the head of it, who at their going out saluted the Marechal of Catinat and the Count de Toulouse. The French retain'd five of the Chief Officers of the Spa­nish Troops for Hostages, under pretext of Reprisal for as many Hostages of the French that were still detain'd in the Citadel of Ant­werp ever since the taking of Namur, for the payment of the Debts which the French had contracted among the Burghers of this place whilst they were Masters of it: These Hostages were the Prince of Chimay Knight of the Golden Fleece and Colonel of a Walloon Regi­ment of Horse, Monsieur de la Catoire his Lieutenant Colonel, a Ma­jor and two Captains, which were that very day sent Prisoners to Valenciennes. A great many Italian Soldiers of the Terce of Aqua­viva [Page 73] deserted over to the French in the marching out, and the Garri­son was sent with an Escorte to Dendermond, according to the Route specified in the Capitulation: The Besieged had at first demanded to go to Brussels or Audenarde, but the French would not grant it, espe­cially for Audonarde, which (if they undertook any more Sieges this Campagne) was the onely Town they could attack, and there­fore would not put, by this means, a reinforcement into it.

After the French had taken possession of Ath, the Magistrates went in a Body to Compliment the Marechal of Catinat for his goodness in sparing the Buildings of the Town, and doing as little dammage as was possible during the Siege, he having given express orders not to fire Bombs into the Place; The Government of which was given to the Chevalier de Tessé Lieutenant General by the Ma­rechal of Catinat, and was confirm'd to him afterwards by the French King. Thus (to use the Terms of the Paris Gazettier) Ath, one of the strongest and the most murdering places of Europe has been taken in thirteen days Siege from the opening of the Trenches, with the Loss of onely about 50 Soldiers kill'd, the Sieurs Courtin Ingenier, du Frêne Master of the Horse to the Marechal of Villeroy, and Emonin Captain of the Artillery Waggons dead of their wounds; and 150 wounded, among whom were a Captain of Grenadiers of the Regiment of Vermandois, a Lieutenant and seven Ingeniers: The loss of the Besieged was as inconsiderable, and the whole on both sides did not exceed 400 Men kill'd and wounded, which is but very little for one of the strongest and most murdering Places of Europe.

Immediately after the taking of Ath the Marechal of Catinat gave orders for the Levelling of the Line of Circumvallation, and repair­ing of the Breaches, which oblig'd him to continue still some day's in the Camp before the Town; but the Marechal of Villeroy pass'd the Dender with his Army between Ath and Lessines and came to in­camp with his right upon the Wood of Lessines towards Ghislenghien and his Left upon the Dender towards Papignies, where, the Troops that had been detach'd from his Army to carry on the Siege of Ath under the Marechal of Catinat joyn'd him and came again into his Line of Battle. The Second of June 650 Waggons of the Province of Flanders came to Ath (of which about 200 were loaden with Nine Sacks of Meal a piece for the use of the Garrison and the Army) [Page 74] for to carry back all the Ammunitions and Stores which the French had provided for this Siege, having spent onely 4000 Balls of 15000 they had ready, and 400 Bombs of 5000 or thereabouts: The Marechal of Catinat sent likewise all the Pontoons or Tinboats that had been made use of in the Siege for the Communication of Quar­ters upon the upper and lower Dender and River of Irchenwebz, to the Marechal of Villeroy, and others were sent from Doway by Water to Pottes and Canaffe for the use of his Army, being now design'd to march into Flanders as I shall tell it by and by. After the taking of Ath the three Marechals of France had a Feu de joye in each of their Camps for this Conquest, all their Artillery and small Shot having fir'd thrice round in their several Armies; in Bouflers the First of June, in Ville­roy's the Second, and the Fourth in Catinat's; And the Lines of Circumvallation being levell'd, the Breaches sufficiently repair'd and all the Ammunitions and Stores, remaining after the Siege, sent away, the Marechal of Catinat march'd from Ath the 9th. of June and incamp'd at Lignes; his right near the River of Irchonwelz, and left towards Fresne and the Scheld. In this posture I shall now leave the French to speak of the affairs of the Allies.

The King was incamp'd at Promellos since the 23th where I shall not concern my self with the journal of that Camp to speak of For­rages and such other daily business of Armies, but onely of what re­lates to the main drift of the Campagne. The 27th of May His Majesty had an account of the Capitulating of Ath, whereupon Major General de Bay was commanded out the next day towards Binch and Herlaymont-Capelle with seven Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons to get intelligence of the Marechal of Bouflers Motions, who upon the taking of Ath might have march'd towards Pieton or the Sambre; Colonel Lloyd of the Queens Dragoons commanded the Vanguard of this Detachment with which he defeated a party of Carabiniers of Boufler's Army, took Seventeen Prisoners, several Horses, and one or two Subaltern Officers, the rest were put to flight. The 29th Brigadier Maitland was commanded to go to Brussels with his Regiment and that of Denhoff, where he was joyn'd with the Danish Battallion of Prince Charles (that had been there since the march from Bois-Seigneur-Isaac to Iseringhen) to post him­self between this place and Vilvorde for the defence of the Canal and especially the Fort des trois Trous. The same day Captain Hunter Major of the first Brigade of Dragoons lost his Horses by the Perfidy [Page 75] of his Servants, who brought a French Party to take them whilst they were grazing, but Prince Vaudemont having inform'd the Ma­rechal of Bouflers of the Truth of the Matter, he very freely sent them back again although some of them were already Sold, adding, That he hop'd the same Justice would be observ'd on our side to prevent the Villany of Servants. The 31th the Army having Forag'd upon the Left along the Dyle towards Wavre and the King being present, His Majesty at his return to the Camp gave the Royal Regiment of Dragoons (vacant by the Death of Brigadier Matthews) to my Lord Raby, and the Regiment of Foot (vacant by the Death of Colonel Aeneas Mackay) to Colonel Robert Murray Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment of Scotch Guards, Brigadier Matthew's and Colonel Mackay being dead some days before in London. That Evening the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst came to the Camp at Promelles where he gave His Majesty an account of the Siege of Ath, having Com­manded the Dutch Forces in Garrison in this place during the Siege.

June the 2d. Prince Cerclas of Tilly came to Brussels from the E­lectors June. Army with the Liege Horse and Dragoons, the four Battalli­ons of Foot that were design'd to have acted in the Electors Army being still in the Liege Garrisons upon the Meuse; for the Marquis de Harcourt was now upon his March towards this Countrey, hav­ing left Montroyal the 31th of May (after he had detach'd the Marquis de Lomaria Major General with ten Battallions and nine Squadrons to reinforce the Marechal of Choiseul upon the Rhine) to march himself with six Battallions and eight Squadrons through the Countrey of Luxembourg towards the Meuse and the Sambre. The French being now Masters of Ath, we did seem to design a third Army about Brussels to put our selves in a condition to cover the Countrey between this place and the Scheld, where, if our Troops appointed to form it had come sooner, we could have kept the Field between Brussels and Alost, and secur'd the Forage of that Countrey to our selves which the French have all consum'd in the sequel of the Campagne; or if the Marechal of Bouflers had march'd towards Namur, the King's Army could have taken the Camp of Fleury to co­ver it without hazarding of Brussels: But now as our affairs were, the Kings Army could not stir from the Camp of Promelles and Genap neither one way nor t'other; not towards the Plain of Fleury or Corbais, for fear of leaving Brussels open, nor back towards Halle [Page 76] and St. Quintin for fear of leaving Namur expos'd to a Siege; and thus we were oblig'd to continue in this Camp and wait for the mo­tions of the French after the reduction of Ath, and to guide ours accordingly, either for the cover of Brussels or Namur. But to re­turn to the Prince of Tilly, he had been detach'd from the Elector's Army after the News of the taking of Ath; because now both Ville­roy and Bouflers could joyn their Forces together and march towards Brussels, and therefore a reinforcement was necessary here for our Brabant Army; Prince Cerclas of Tilly being come to this place, posted himself upon the height within the retrenchment made, when the French Bombarded Brussels, before the Fort of Monterey. The 3d, Lieutenant General Cohorne was sent to Brussels with several Ingeniers to trace out a Line before the Flanders Porte to cover Brussels from Anderlecht to the Canal: Eight Battallions were expected hourly at this time from England, and the Lunenbourg, Munster and Hesse Troops from the Rhine; but not having as yet any competent num­ber of Forces about this Town, nothing was made of this Line at present more than the Plan, for want of Men to work about it; which if it had been put forthwith in any tolerable posture of de­fence, would have given the King's Army a great deal more liberty of marching for the conveniency of Camps and Forrage: And indeed we have had about the middle of the Campagne a sufficient number of Troops to have put not onely Namur and Brussels, but the whole Countrey in a posture of defence, if they could have been brought into the Countrey at the beginning. We have had 17 Battallions from the Rhine, Eight from England, and Three from Bavaria, and these, if they had been ready in the Countrey at the beginning to take the Camp of Mazy near Namur, could have then been reinforc'd by seven or eight Battallions of this Garrison which could have been spar'd over and above those that came to the King's Army from thence; and four Battallions of the Elector of Cologne's Forces, which (the Meuse being secur'd by this Army) could have march'd out of the Liege Garrisons: By which Computation this Army would have con­sisted of about 40 Battallions, besides all the German Horse and what could have been detach'd from the Brabant Army, where we were stronger in Horse than the French: In this case Prince Vaudemont could then have march'd from Bois-Seigneur-Isaac to Ghislenghien and cover'd both Ath and Audenarde too; but 'tis to be presum'd that the Ne­cessity of our Affairs in relation to Money was not only the cause of [Page 77] the late coming of our Reinforcement from England, but likewise in some measure of that of the Lunenbourg, Munster and Hesse Troops; and the French had the time both to take Ath and to pen us up under the Walls of Brussels, whilst they had the whole Country between the Canal and the Scheld to range freely in and Forrage at their plea­sure, as it shall appear in the Sequel of this History.

The Third, a French Ingenier deserted over to us that had serv'd in the Siege of Ath, pretending to have fought a Duel which oblig'd him to fly for his Life; he gave an account of the little loss there had been in this Siege, the whole on both sides of kill'd and wounded not exceeding 400 Men: The same Evening my Lord Portland, being recover'd of his late Indisposition that had made him go for Brussels, came back to the Camp in good Health, and His Majesty was pleas'd to declare him General of Horse in his Armies. The Fifth, Colonels Cholmley, Langston and Windham were declar'd Brigadiers of Horse at the Orders, the first being made Brigadier of the Brigade of Life-Guards; Colonel Coy dispos'd afterwards of his Regiment to my Lord of Arran Brother to His Grace the Duke of Ormond, and Colonel Harvey Lieutenant of one of the Troops of Life-Guards, got the Earl of Arran's Regiment of Horse in England: This day five Bat­tallions landed at Willemstadt from England being the second Battallion of Scots Guards, Colonel Columbine's, Sir Bevil Granville's, Colonel Murray's and the Marquis of Puizars, where they met with a Route to march forthwith to Brussels by Liere and Malines. The Sixth, The Troops of Brunswick and Lunenbourg under the Command of Lieute­nant General Ohr consisting of eight Battallions and twelve Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons pass'd the Meuse, coming from the Rhine, the Foot at Maestricht and the Horse and Dragoons at Maseick and in­camp'd this day near Tongres, and came the Eighth to Tirlemont where they had Orders to halt, the French having made yet no man­ner of Motion since the taking of Ath, and therefore 'twas not yet re­solv'd where to dispose of this Reinforcement; as for the Hesse and Munster Troops, they follow'd, but did not come up till the French had brought us under the Walls of Brussels for the Safety of that place, as I am now going to give an account of it; only I must see first what was transacting in the Elector of Bavaria's Camp in Flanders after the loss of Ath.

The greatest Advantage the French had by the taking of this place was, that now they could march with their Armies in the Pays [Page 78] d'Alost, and Forrage all the Country to the very Walls of Dender­mond and the Banks of the Scheld, the Rupelle and the Canal of Brus­sels; and that in having their Armies here, they made the Commu­nication between Brabant and Flanders very difficult for the Allies, who in such a case could not march any Troops from the one to the other but by the Canal of Brussels, Rupelmonde and so by the Pays-de Waes behind the Scheld; and if the War had lasted another Cam­pagne we should have felt the Inconveniency of a French Army in the Pays-d'Alost yet more than we did this, unless we had been much stronger in the Field than we were this Year to secure this Camp be­fore them. This Consideration, that the French were now Masters of the Country to incamp where they pleas'd about Alost, oblig'd the Elector to provide betimes for the Safety of Dendermond and Pays-de-Waes, thereupon after the News of the Surrender of Ath, he com­manded the Regiment of Horse of Bunau and the Liege Dragoons of Rost and Jamar with the two Battallions of the Electoral Prince of Bavaria to march towards that place for its defence, and to hinder the French Parties from passing the Scheld to raise Contributions in that Countrey; but the Allies having a design to make up a third Army about Brussels at this time if it could be brought together time enough to prevent the French on this side; and besides, Brussels being expos'd, without any considerable Troops about it since the loss of Ath, Prince Cerclas of Tilly was order'd away for Brussels from the Elector's Army that same night, being the 29th of May, with the Liege Cavalry and Dragoons, and took the two Regiments of Dragoons of Jamar and Rost, sent to Dendermond; in his way; and so the Regiment of Horse of Bunau and the two Battallions of the Electoral Prince remain'd about Dendermond, but Prince Cerclas of Tilly came to Brussels the beginning of June, where he incamp'd be­fore the Fort of Montery as we have said it above.

The Elector's Army had been in this Camp ever since our early taking of the Field (except the little time it was with the King's Army at Ternath and Iseringhen) which made Forrage very scarce about his Army; several great Detachments were therefore made to look for Forrage between the Lys and the Scheld some towards Warreghem and Vive St. Eloy up along the Lys, and others towards Nassaret and Gavre upon the Scheld, one of which Detachments beat a Party of the Enemies at Cruyshoutem. The third of June, it was pro­pos'd to have march'd with the Army between the Lys and the Scheld [Page 79] and a Camp was mark'd at Nassaret, but Forrage was very scarce and the Army could subsist but very few days in this place, and therefore 'twas thought necessary to oblige the Country of Flanders behind the Canals to have dry Forrage ready at this time for the Subsistence of the Army. The Seventh, the Elector's Army made one general Forrage more about Wacken on both sides of the River Mandel, which falls into the Scheld at this place; the Marquis de Montrevel, being incamp'd with the Body under his command within the Lines near Courtray, having intelligence of it, march'd with a Body of Horse from this place to interrupt our Forrage between the Lys and the Mandel: We had on our side three Field-pieces at the Mills of Wacken upon the River and Detachments all along as far as the Bridge of Colberg and from thence between the Mandel and the Lys all along the way to Bassevive upon this last River; Montrevel had about 3 or 400 Horse, and having advanc'd pretty far between these two Rivers he met with an Out-guard of ours of 30 Horse com­manded by a Spanish Lieutenant, which were soon oblig'd to fly for their main Body, being under the Command of a Colonel; these were likewise driven from their Post and forc'd to retire, being pursued by the French as far as an Inn call'd the Hive, where Major General Salisch (who commanded the Forrage this day) was posted, with about 1300 Men; The French did not think it safe to venture any farther, but went back to Courtray having about 40 Prisoners and 30 of our Horses along with them. The Tenth, the Country of Flanders began to furnish the Army with dry Forrage according to the Elector's orders, which could not subsist any longer at Nevel without it: And the Marechal of Catinat having level'd the Lines and repair'd the Breaches of Ath, and being now upon his March to­wards the Scheld, and it being uncertain as yet which way the Mare­chal of Villeroy would turn, whither towards Brabant or Flanders; a Council of War was call'd the 12th at the Elector's Camp to con­cert what was to be done if both the Marechals of Villeroy and Catinat should bring their Armies into Flanders, either at Thilt or Rousselar; it was propos'd in that case to bring the Elector's Army behind the Canal of Bruges, to march, in order to that, upon the Right and pass the Canal at Ansbeck, and observe the same Method that was fol­low'd last Year by the Prince of Vaudemont; three Battallions were commanded from Major General Fagel's Body at Newport to come and poste themselves about Bruges to be in a readiness to reinforce [Page 80] the Elector, that of Lorne, upon the Canal of Ostend near Schipstal, Buchan at Steinbrugghe upon the Canal of Bruges, and St. Amand at Moorbrugghe; Colonel Reinard's Regiment of the Elector's Army had been upon the Canal ever since the coming back of the Elector to this Camp of Nevel and a Regiment of the Brandenbourg Troops, which upon this Disposition were order'd to post themselves the first at Rostein, and the second at St. George upon the same Canal something nearer to Bruges, thus to give or receive Reinforcements to and from Major General Fagel according to the Motions of the French.

These were the Precautions taken by our Army in Flanders during the Uncertainty of the Enemies Designs after their taking of Ath; for then, either Villeroy and Catinat could have march'd into Flanders and endeavour to attack Newport, or pass the Canals, or oblige the Elector, by their coming to Thilt or Rousselar, to get behind them him­self and subsist his Army with dry Forrage at the Expence of the Country; or else the Marechals of Villeroy and Bouflers could joyn together and subsist their Armies in the Country about Alost and be­tween Brussels and the Scheld, which since they were Masters of Ath was now at their Devotion; or else the Marechal of Villeroy could have march'd himself about Alost and the Marechal of Bouflers towards the Camp of Pieton, which would have oblig'd His Majesty equally to provide for the Defence of Brussels and Namur; or lastly the Marechal of Villeroy could have besieg'd Audenarde, whilst Bouflers should ob­serve our Brabant Army, and Catinat that of Flanders. In the first of these cases, we were too watchful for Newport, and the letting out of the Waters could hinder the French from coming near it; and this Advantage, with the Troops we had on this side, seem'd sufficient to cover the Country between Bruges and Newport and behind the Canal of Bruges, so that it would be too much Hazard to attempt any thing on this side; where, besides, in such an occasion the King could have sent good Reinforcements directly to Ghendt, especially now that our German Forces were on their March and Lieutenant General Ohr actually come into Brabant: As for the Subsisting of their Armies about Thilt, Rousselar and Torhout, and the driving of the Elector behind the Canals, this Country had been so Harrass'd and Plunder'd in the two preceding Campagnes, that no Forrage could be expected here for the Maintenance of such Armies, and therefore if both march'd that way one at least would be oblig'd to march back again in a little time. The second Proposition of Villeroy's and Boufler's joyning to [Page 81] march into the Pays d'Alost seem'd to be the most advantagious and safe, because this Countrey, especially the bottom of it, between the Rupelle and the (Scheld from Willebrook upon the Canal of Brussels to Dendermond) had hardly been molested by any Armies all this War, and therefore their two Armies could live here a long time very con­veniently in the midst of plenty in relation to Forrage of all sorts: As for the third, the Seige of Namur could be but a Dream, now that we were going to have such a reinforcement from England and the Rhine: 'Tis true that we could not hinder them from besieging of Audenarde, but the situation of it is naturally very strong upon the account of the Scheld, which, with the keeping up of the Sluces in the Town, overflows all the Meadows about it, leaving no access for Trenches but before the Gate that leads to Courtray and Deinse, and there was a very great Garrison in it, so that they could not think of having it at so cheap a rate as Ath, but must ex­pect to loose a great many Men in the taking of it; which they did not think convenient to do at a time, when the Negotiations of a Ge­neral Peace seem'd to be in a very hopeful forwardness; and besides, the Communications upon the River, which is very large, are very difficult, and easily broken upon the lower Scheld by the letting out of the Sluces; and therefore it would not be very difficult to raise the Siege, by attacking them in one Quarter or other; these Considera­tions made the French prefer to march into the Countrey of Alost, with the Armies of Bouflers and Villeroy joyn'd together, to any other de­sign they could propose to themselves; and the rather, because His Majesty's Army had a very long and difficult march, and a close de­file for near 3 Leagues thro' the Bois de Sogne to come to Brussels, and therefore if the Marechal of Bouflers could but gain one march upon the King, he might have pretended to the Camp of Anderlecht before our Army in Brabant, and then Brussels would have been once more expos'd to the Fury of the French Bombs, after all the Charges that had been spent to raise it out of its ruines much more stately and magnificent than it was before; and if the French in such a Case would have been inclin'd to accept a Summe of Money to spare the Town, either of them would have made a very great noise in the World, when done in the presence of such an Army as we had then incamp'd at Promelles and Genap commanded by the King in Person, and it would have been as inglorious for the Allies and especially His Majesty, as a great and happy undertaking for the French; and there­fore [Page 82] we find that their first motions seem'd to be levell'd at this place, as I am now going to tell it.

The Marechal of Bouflers Army having taken Bread for six Days, march'd on the 12th upon the Left from the Camp of Thieusies to­wards Halle and came this day to incamp with the Right at Steinkirk and the Left extending it self towards the Village of Marck beyond Enghien: The same day the Marechal of Villeroy (having been re­inforc'd the day before with the Body commanded by the Marquis de Crequi at Celles) march'd with the Army under his Command, and having pass'd the Wood of Lessines came to incamp with his Right at Castergat towards Haute Croix and Enghien and his Left at Gamerage towards Grammont. It was about Twelve of the Clock this day be­fore the King had an account of these motions of the French, upon notice of which, the Chief Generals were immediately sent for to Court and a Council of War being held it was resolv'd that the Army should march that very Evening for Brussels, though it was then very rainy Weather, and had been so the day before: If the march had been delay'd till the next day, the Marechal of Bouflers might have gain'd the Camp of Anderlecht, as soon as we, and therefore there was a necessity of marching forthwith; and accordingly the two Bri­gades of Foot of Belcastel and Oxenstern were order'd to march a­bout Five this Afternoon for Waterlo to cover the Artillery and heavy Baggage that was sent before to Brussels by the Grand-chausseé through the Wood, which was the onely way we had for the Ar­tillery and Baggage, and both the Columnes of our Army, to march by, and therefore made it very difficult and tedious; and indeed, had it not been for the great Rains that had fallen both this and the day before, which render'd the ways almost unpassable for the French Artillery and Army (whereas, though we had a long defile to pass through the Wood, yet it was a very good stone Caussey, with­out which it had been impossible to have march'd the whole Army and Artillery quick enough to get on the other side of Brussels in such Weather) I do not know but the French might have come up time enough to have disputed us the Camp of Anderlecht with much Superior Forces, but the Rain, which happily Clogg'd the march of the French at this time, did not very much retard ours, because we had, for the most part of the way, a very good Stone Caussey for the Army and especially the Artillery to march upon.

[Page 83] About Ten at Night, the whole Army began to follow the march of the Artillery and heavy Baggage according to this disposition, it being then a very dark night and bad Weather; the Infantry march'd first in two Columnes upon the Right towards the Koning's Huys there to gain the Great Caussey for Waterlo and so through the Bois-de-Sogne to Brussels, the Right Wing of Horse was to follow the same way and then the Left Wing; all the Cavalry being order'd to march in the Rear, not onely for a Rear-Guard to see the Body of Foot safe into the Wood, but also because of the great darkness of the Night whereby several People might have been otherwise troden un­der Foot by the Horse: About Midnight the King left his Quarters at Promelles attended by Prince Vaudemont to go to Brussels, the King and Prince were in their Coaches having a great many Flambeaus to light them, without which it had been almost impossible to see the way; the Brigade of Guards march'd about break of day, from the King's Quarter and got in the Rear of the Body of Foot, the Front of which was by this time advanc'd almost as far as Waterlo; it was full day before the Horse began to march, having orders to make several detachments, from Height to Height in the Plain, to cover our march till the whole Army was got into the Wood, where Colo­nel Gohr's Regiment of Foot was order'd to post it self for the Rear Guard of the Artillery and Baggage, and to bring up all the strag­gling or wearied Soldiers that could not keep up with the Army in so long and tedious a March. The King and Prince got very early on the 13th through Brussells, with Quarter-master General Dopft along with them, to visit the ground between Anderlecht and the Canal of Brussells and chuse the strongest and the most defensible Camp; the Prince of Tilly had orders the over night from the King to get on the other side of Brussells with the Horse and Dragoons under his Command, and accordingly had march'd that same Night from the Fort of Monterey without Halle-porte through the Town, and in­camp'd on the other side between the Flanders porte and that of Ander­lecht; from whence he sent several detachments towards Hall, St. Quintin-Linneck and Asche, both to get Intelligence of the French motions, and cover the Countrey hereabouts (till the coming up of the Army) for an Escorte to His Majesty, who was now visiting all the posts hereabouts and the Avenues and Approaches to Brussells, for the taking up of a good Camp and frustrating the Designs of the Ene­mies: The Van of the Body of Foot got to the Height of the Faux­bourg [Page 84] of Ixelles without Namur porte the 13th by Ten in the morn­ing, where it was order'd to halt till the Camp should be mark'd; for all the Quarter-masters were still here with their Field Colours wait­ing for Quarter-master General Dopft's Orders, who was with the King, as we have now said it, on the other side; but as soon as the Body of Foot was come up so near Brussells they were sent for to come and mark the Camp; and about one the Army had orders to march by the Namur porte, the right of the Body of Foot through the Town by the Laacken porte and so to gain the Height between Ganshoren and the Canal, and the Left round the Rampart by the Gate of Anderlecht to that of Flanders, and so to incamp with the Right at Berchom, and Left close upon the Town, between the Flanders-porte and that of Anderlecht facing towards this place and Dilbeck, as the Right did (from Berchom to Laacken upon the Ca­nal) towards Asche, Wemmel and Grimberg. We were to incamp, according no this disposition, in the figure of an acute Angle, fix'd with one Leg at the Village of Laacken upon the Canal of Brussells where was the Right, and to'ther between the Flanders and Ander­lecht-portes being the Left, and the Vertex or point at Berchom, to have by this means the advantage of the Brook of Zellich to cover our Right, which runs through a bottom before the Villages of Ganshoren and Jette and the Chasteau de Riviere, and so falls near Laacken into a branch of the Senne (that goes all along the Canal on this side as far as the Fort-des-trois-Trous) forming several Fish-ponds from the Chasteau de Riviere to the Village of Jette, and so to that of Laacken; This made the right of our Camp very strong, the Brook of Zellich being stopt up upon this occasion to make an inundation in the bot­tom before our Right between Jette and Laacken; and in General all the approaches to our Camp on this side were through strong defile's caus'd by the Woods about the Abbey of Dillighem, the passages over this Rivulet, and the several Villages before us. Our Left, which turn'd down from Berchom to the Town of Brussells, facing to­wards Anderlecht and Dilbeck, was cover'd by a bottom which be­gan near the Village of Berchom and so continued to the very Ram­parts of the Town, having several Fishponds in it, with deep and hol­low ways, which made it very difficult to attack us on that side; we left indeed the Height between Anderlecht and Dilbeck open, from whence the French Bombarded Brussells in the Year 1695, because of the weakness of the Ground to defend it; but as we were incamp'd, [Page 85] we could hinder them from coming near enough to do any dammage to the Town.

All the Foot being got through Brussells about five or six in the E­vening, it began to incamp according as we have now describ'd it, and the King and Prince took their Quarters in the Fauxbourg of Cockelbergh just without the Flanders-porte; But the Cavalry did not come into their ground till 'twas in the Night, all the Dutch Horse incamping upon the right near the Village of Laacken, except the Brigades of Dompré and Chauviré under the Command of Major-General Hubert, which interlin'd with the Body of Foot upon the Left of Ingoldesby's and Belcastel's Brigades behind the Village of Ganshoren, the most open passage to our Camp upon the Right being hereabouts; Prince Cerclas of Tilly incamp'd upon the left with the Liege Horse and Dragoons, but all the English Cavalry march'd through Brussells by the Scarbeck-porte and incamp'd on the other side of the Canal, with the Right at Ever, where General Auer­querque was Quarter'd, and the Left at Diegom upon the way to Louvain, except the Dragoons of Tiviot, Rosse and Jedborough which were posted between Vilvorde and the Burnt-bridge upon the Canal of Brussells, and those of Eppinger and Lloyd which were mix'd with the Foot at the Camp of Cockelbergh: Anhalt's Brigade being compos'd of the three Battallions of Anhalt, Scheltinga and Slabendorf lately come to Brussells from the Siege of Ath, and the two Battallions of Els and Essen detach'd from our Army, incamp'd on the other side of Brussells before the Fort of Monterey: This was the state of our Army about the Town at our first coming to this Camp, where we were very conveniently posted to expect the French, if they would have attack'd us, and no stronger camp could have been found out to cover the Town and secure our selves at once; but because we were likely to have to do with two powerful Armies joyn'd together, and that too much care could not be taken for our Safety, especially at our first coming, that we had not as yet those considerable reinforcements, which joyn'd us soon after from England and the Rhine, therefore as soon as the Army began to incamp, fifty men out of each Battallion were commanded to work that very Night, being about 3400 men, at a Retrenchment upon the Left of the Village of Berchom where was an open ground about a quarter of an English Mile over, that joyn'd to the Height of Dilbeck and commanded this part of our Camp, and was the weakest post we had to defend, and the most dangerous inlet [Page 86] into our Camp in case of an attack, and therefore special care was taken to Fortisie immediately this Avenue; My Lord Cutts was then Major of the day, and was, by the King's order, upon the work all Night to for­ward it by his Care and Presence; and by the next Morning it was consi­derably advanc'd and in a state not to be easily carried by an Enemy. This Retrenchment was a Redan or work of Salliant Angles with a large Fossè and cover'd way, the Glacis of which was senc'd with an outer Ditch, being stuck all over at the bottom with short Palissades, or sharp wooden Spikes, having their points upwards to hinder the Enemy from getting into it.

As His Majesty's Army came to this Camp the 13th, that of the Marechal of Bouflers was at the same time upon the march from Stein­kirk towards Nostredame de Halle, where he incamp'd this Evening with his Right at Lembeck upon the Senne, and his Left at the Brook of Pepinghen towards St. Quintin-Linneck, the Head-quarter being at St. Arnelle in the Rear, upon the way that goes from Halle to Eng­hien; as soon as the Mareschal of Bouflers was come up to this Camp he immediately detach'd the Chevalier de Nesle with 150 Horse to­wards Anderlecht to get intelligence of our motions, and whether our Army was yet got to this side of Brussells; the Chevalier de Nesle advanc'd with his Party almost as far as Dilbeck this Night, and met hereabouts, upon the way to Halle, with a Party of 30 Liege Horse commanded by a Cornet, which Monsieur de Sainfal, a reform'd Captain in the French Life Guards, attack'd with a Squadron of 50 and defeated him, killing four upon the spot, and took eleven Pri­soners with fifteen Horses: 'Twas by the meeting and defeat of this Party that the Chevalier de Nesle was inform'd of all our Armies being incamp'd on this side of Brussels between the Flanders-porte and the Canal: But the Marechal of Villeroy who had march'd through the Wood of Lessines on the 12th to incamp between Castergat and Gamerage, was forc'd to halt the next day, the Weather having been so very bad the 11th and 12th, and the ways grown so difficult, that his Artillery and Wheel Baggage could not come up to march the 13th, being to pass through the desiles of the Wood of Lessines; but on the 14th this Army march'd and came to incamp with the Right beyond Goick towards St. Quintin-Linneck within three Quarters of a League of Bouflers Left, and the Left towards the Dender beyond Strithem, the Head-quarter being at this last place: And if the French had at first any design upon Brussells and our Army, it was this halting of [Page 87] Villeroy's Army that prevented it, and gave us time to Fortifie our Camp before the Town, and receive considerable reinforcements; for the Marechal of Bouflers was not strong enough to pretend to at­tack us himself, and therefore could not march up to us on the 14th before we had sufficiently Fortified our Camp; and Villeroy coming but this day to the Neighbourhood of St. Quintin-Linneck, the two Marechals could not joyn together till the 15th, and consequently could not attack us well till the 16th in the morning, when we could not be in a condition to apprehend their coming; therefore the French were oblig'd to think of nothing else at present but the subsist­ing of these two great Armies in the Countrey between the Senne and the Dender, where they reach'd almost from the one River to the other, being upwards of three Leagues distance; and here I shall leave them to return to His Majesties Camp near Brussells.

The 14th the King and Prince went out very early to see the Re­trenchment we had work'd upon in the Night, and the avenues to the Height of Dillebeck, where, having heard of the defeat of our Party of Liege Horse the overnight so near our Camp, all the out-posts were thereupon order'd to be reinforc'd, in all the Villages before the Camp, as in the Villages of Berchom, Ganshoren, Jette and Laacken, and the Abbey of Dilleghem and Castle of Riviere; these two last places commanding a pass in the bottom over the Rivulet of Zellich, the first on one side towards Wemmel, and the last on the o­ther towards Brussells; a Field Officer with two or 300 men was posted in the Abbey before our Right, and in the Villages of Dilbeck and Anderlecht before our Left; and that the Retrenchment, we were working upon since the overnight to stop up the passage into our Camp from the Height of Dillebeck, might be finish'd with all Expe­dition, 30 Men more were commanded out of every Battallion (being now between five and 6000 persons) to work upon it, and His Majesty, in his Riding out this morning, saw the Marechal of Bou­fler's Army incamp'd at Halle. In the Evening Lieutenant General Ohr (having receiv'd an Express from His Majesty at Tirlemont the 12th at Night to come and joyn him here) pass'd through the Town of Brussells, and incamp'd in the first Line upon the Left of all (with­out the Flanders-porte, his Left being upon the way that goes from the Fauxbourg of Cockelberg to Anderlecht) with 8 Battallions, be­ing those of Ohr, Witgenstein, Wey, Dedem, and Heydemale of the Troops of Hanover, and those of Tozen, Ransaw, and La Motthe [Page 88] of Zell, and 12 Field Pieces; His Horse, being the Regiments of the Electoral Prince of Hanouer, Appel, Bottmer and Bulaw, and the Dragoons of Zell Guards and Lieutenant General Ohr, in all twelve Squadrons, incamp'd before the Fort of Monterey near An­halt's Brigade under the command of Major General Bulaw; and at the same time the second Battallion of Scots Guards, and the Battal­lions of Columbine, Granville, and Puizar lately arriv'd from Eng­land at Willemstadt, came to incamp in the cover'd way before the Scarbeck-porte, but Colonel Murray's Regiment was order'd upon the Canal near Vilvorde. The same Evening all our General Officers met at the Windmill of Ganshoren, where our Artillery was drawn up upon the Height, to divide the Posts for the Army in case of an Alarm, which the Quarter-masters mark'd the next morning with Field colours, for every Regiment to know his post; and this day Colonel Gohr's Regiment, that had been left in the Bois-de-Sogne for the Guard of the Baggage, came into the Camp, all the Baggage not having been able to get up to us till this day. The 16th, Bel­castel's Brigade was commanded out of the second Line, to go and incamp upon the right of all in the Village of Laacken, and secure that passage which cover'd our Right Wing of Horse, and was no proper post to be defended by it; and the four Battallions now men­tion'd that incamp'd in the Counterscarp of Scarbeck-porte were or­der'd to come into the Line, where the three last of those four Bat­tallions made up Fairfaxes Brigade, in the place of Belcastel's. The 17th the Retrenchment to stop the passage into our Camp from the Height of Dillebeck, being very near finish'd, and being thus pretty secure on this (though the most dangerous) side, the Army work'd at a General Retrenchment from the Height of the Village of Berchom to the Canal at Laacken, taking in the little plains between Berchom and Ganshoren, Ganshoren and Jette, and Jette and Laacken, which quite shut up our Camp and render'd it not onely inaccessible to the French with the many defilés and difficult passages before us, but likewise kept the Soldiers in it, out of which they could not easily stir to Marode or Desert, and this (may be) was the thing chiefly design'd in the making of it; for it is hardly probable, that the French would have come to attack us, though we had not made this Retrenchment, considering the difficulty of the avenues into our Camp every way, and the great Army we were now going to have by the joyning of the Rhine Troops. The 18th, the Army con­tinued [Page 89] to work at the great Retrenchment, the same day, the Mun­ster Troops commanded by Brigadier Corfay pass'd through the Town of Brussells to incamp before the Fort of Monterey, consisting of Four Battallions, being those of Conaritz, Corfay, Landsberg and Schwarts, and the Three Regiments of Horse of Heytersleben, Raf­feldt and Haenstein, making Six Squaprons: In the Evening, the King went to visit the Electrice of Bavaria at the Palace, where His Majesty was receiv'd by the Count de Prysingen at the Head of all the Gentlemen of the Palace, and conducted through the Guard Chamber, where all the Halbardiers were drawn up in two Lines, to the Electrice's Apartment, where her Highness, being then big with Child and pretty near her time, receiv'd the Kings Visit in her Bed of State, His Majesty being attended by most of the Chief Offi­cers of the Army; Madame de Lede Lady Governess presented the Electoral Princess to the King, being then an Infant of about a Twelve Month Old: After this His Majesty went to see the Elect­rice's Apartments, and so was conducted back to his Coach by the Count de Prysingen with the same Ceremony as before, and from thence the King went to visit the Princess of Vaudemont. The 19th, the great Retrenchment being finish'd before our Army and the Ar­tillery dispers'd all along into several Batteries, we had the leasure to work at the Line, design'd by Lieutenant General Cohorne to cover Brussells for the future with a small Army from being Bombarded; and it was accordingly trac'd out this day after this manner, a Work upon the Right of the Height before Anderlecht-porte (a deep bot­tom, hollow ways, and Fishponds remaining between it and Cockel­bergh) and another upon the Left just by the Village of Anderlecht where it fell upon the Caussey that goes from thence to Brussells through the Meadows caus'd by the Neighbourhood of the Senne, and which can be over flow'd by it, and these two Works are joyn'd together by a Line of Communication over the Height of Anderlecht; again, to cover the Town on the other side of the bottom and Fish-ponds now mention'd, and so on as far as the Canal, against a Bom­bardment from the Height of Cockelberg (as the other did from the Height of Anderlecht) a Retrenchment was made to include the Fauxbourgs of Cockelberg and Malenbeck, with the Left upon the bottom and Fishponds, that continued the defence to the Works upon the Height of Anderlecht, and the Right upon the Meadows along the Canal between Brussells and Laacken; and the Banks of the [Page 90] Canal on this side being cover'd (as it has been said before) by a Branch of the Senne, the Retrenchment terminating upon the Mea­dows, and the Banks of the Canal so flank'd one another, that no Lodgement could be made in them near enough to Bombard the Town from thence; and besides, I believe that these Meadows can be overflow'd by stopping up of the River at the Fort des Trois Trous upon the Canal This is a very strong Retrenchment and of as large dimensions as the Ramparts of a Town, being a Redan or work with Salliant Angles, (most of them being right or as near right as could be) flanking one another, and so were the Works upon the Height of Anderlecht, with a good Fosse, Counterscarp, and Glacis with an outer Ditch before it: The Army work'd at this Line from this day till the end of the Campagne every day more or less (if not prevented by Foul Weather) and compleated it all but the Palissad­ing of it; and though it has cost the Town a great deal of Money, yet Peace being concluded between France and the Allies soon after, we may reckon it as a Work lost, and that it will soon run to Ruin, though 'tis very necessary for the safety of Brussells in any War be­tween Spain and France, whilst Mons and Ath are the onely Fron­tier Towns that cover it, and either of them being taken, the French can come to the very Walls of Brussells.

The same day that we begun to work at this Line being the 19th, two Battallions of the Duke of Holstein came up to the Camp from Germany and took their Post upon the Left of the Second Line near the Flanders porte: The Hesse Troops Commanded by Velt-Marshal Count de Lippe came up to Diegom, and the Hereditary Prince of Hesse came to Court to wait upon His Majesty: The 20th the Hesse Troops march'd through Brussells to incamp without Halle porte before the Fort of Monterey being compos'd of Four Battallions, viz. one of the Life Regiment, one of Grenadiers, and two of Blixen-croon, and the Regiments of Horse of Spiegel and Garstenbroeck, and those of Dragoons of the Prince of Hombourg and the Prince of Hesse, making together Eight Squadrons; so that we had now a reinforce­ment of 18 Battallions and 26 Squadrons from the Rhine, and Five Battallions from England, which were soon follow'd by Three more, and Three Battallions of the Garrison of Ath, being in all 29 Bat­tallions, which having left no detach'd Companies, but being full Regiments, may be reckon'd at 600 men one with another, amount­ing in all to 17400 Foot; and 2900 Horse and Dragoons, all which [Page 91] together made 20300 men; Add this to the Sum of His Majesties and the Elector's Armies, and it made the Allies about 125000 strong in the Field now in Flanders, out of which our Army about Brussells consisted of no less than 99 Battallions and 175 Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons, being so posted that they in a manner invested the Town: The Main of the Army incamp'd between the Senne and the Canal, Eight Battallions of Hesse and Munster, and Five of Anhalt's Brigade, and 26 Squadrons of German Horse and Dragoons were on the other side of the Senne upon the Height before the Fort of Monterey under the Command of Velt-Marechal General Count de Lippe, where they made a very good Line to cover the Town on that side, almost in the same place with the Retrenchment as Prince Vau­demont made in the Year 1695; General Auerquerque incamp'd with the English Cavalry and Dragoons at Ever and Diegom on that side of Brussells which is towards Malines and Lonvain; the Wood of Sogne cover'd the rest: By this disposition, if the Marechal of Bou­flers had pass'd the Senne with his Army from the Camp of Halle to march towards Genap and Nivelle, we had all the Troops incamp'd at Diegom and without the Fort of Monterey to joyn in one march about Wavre; the first by Neer-Ische and the second through the Bois­de-Sogne, which together would have made above 100 Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons, and 13 Battallions which could have been con­siderably reinforc'd with Infantry from the Garrison of Namur and the Army at Cockelberg, and thus the next day we could have secur'd the Camp of Masy and cover'd this Important Place; for it was the opinion of some People that the Marechal of Bouflers (after the French had wedg'd our Army between the Senne and the Canal at Brussells) would have march'd towards Namur to get between this Place and the Allies; but, as His Majesty had dispos'd his Army a­bout Brussells, we could reach the Camp of Masy as soon as Bouflers could come to the Plain of Fleury, and thus cover at once both Na­mur and Brussells, the first against the Marechal of Bouflers, and the second against that of Villeroy; and indeed (as I have said it before) if the Allies had had all the Troops in the Field in the beginning of the Campagne which they had now, 'tis a question whether the French could have Besieg'd even Ath it self, notwithstanding their 150000 Men.

The Marquis de Harcourt, who had march'd from Montroyal with his flying Camp towards the Low-Countreys on the 31th. of May, [Page 92] to observe the motions of the Troops which the Allies expected there from the Rhine, pass'd the Meuse at Givet the 15th of June about the same time that the German Reinforcement was getting up to our Camp about Brussells; the 16th he march'd to Phillipville from whence he was to pass the Sambre and joyn the Marechal of Bouflers; who as well as the Marechal of Villeroy was now at a stand upon the Measures that had been taken by His Majesty in bringing off his Army with so much expedition, and posting of it so strongly and conveniently about Brussells; and the French seem'd at present to have no other design with these two Armies but to Forrage and waste all the Countrey along the Dender and between the Scheld and the Canal of Brussells.

As for the Marechal of Catinat, we have left him incamp'd at Lignes, where he came with his Army after the Siege of Ath, (and that he had repair'd the Breaches and levell'd the Line of Circum­vallation) on the 9th Instant, in order to march into Flanders: The 12th this Army advanc'd towards the Scheld and came to incamp along the Ronne between Anvain and Cordes, the Marechal of Cati­nat's Quarter being in the last of these places. The 13th he march'd to come up close to the Scheld, and the Head Quarter was at Herines; all the Artillery and heavy Baggage was order'd to pass the Scheld this very Evening, at the Bridge of Boats made since the Campagne between Pottes and Canaffe, and the Army pass'd the River the next day upon this, and another Bridge made for this occasion with Boats that were sent from Doway after the Siege of Ath for the use of this Army, which incamp'd this day about half way between the Lys and the Scheld. The 15th the Marechal of Catinat march'd on to­wards the Lys, and came to incamp at Vive St. Eloy, where he was joyn'd the same day by the Forces that had been posted within the Lines of Courtray under the Command of Monsieur de Montrevel, and this Army, according to the French accounts, consisted of 52 Battallions and 69 Squadrons; but the Marechal of Catinat having sent back all the Reinforcements he had from the Marechal of Villeroy at the Siege of Ath, the most that he could have at the repassing of the Scheld must be but 25 Battallions, and when joyn'd by Montrevel his Army could not well exceed Forty; but whatever his Strength was at present, he ventur'd to march with it close to the Elector's Army, and came the 17th to incamp between Cruy's houtem and the Lys, within a League and a half of Deinse, his Right being at [Page 93] Nackeren and Left at Zulte upon this River, where the General Quar­ter was; so near the Marechal of Catinat incamp'd now to the Elector of Bavaria, only the Lys remain'd between them.

This March of the Marechal of Catinat so near to Deinse oblig'd the Elector to look about him, and this made his Electoral Highness call a Council of War upon these Motions of the French towards him, to consult what was to be done in the present Conjuncture; his Army consisted of about 43 Battallions including the Brigades of Holstein-Norburg and Ransaw that were incampd upon the Right of all between Landeghem and Ansbeck and eighty five or six Squadrons; Four Battallions had been detach d under Baron Sparre, since the com­ing back of the Army from Brabant to Audenarde; three at Dender­mond and in the Pays de Waes, and two behind the Canal of Bruges which made the remainder 43 Battallions; the Marechal of Catinat's true strength was not at first known, some made him stronger than he was and others weaker which accordingly caus'd a variety of Opi­nions; and the Elector sent Monsieur Verboom his Quarter-Master General, to the King to give His Majesty an account of it, and it was resolv'd in the mean time to fortifie the Bridge of Deinse at Peteghem and to have a very strong Guard there, being the next Post to the Marechal of Catinat, and to lay Bridges over the Canal, one at Ansbeck and another lower at Dorme either to receive Reinforcements that way if Catinat came to attack the Elector, or to be ready to march behind the Canal if Catinat should march towards Bruges or Newport. In the midst of these Doubts the Elector had Advice that the Marechal of Catinat's Army at his coming to Zulte, had but four­teen Battallions in the first Line and fewer in the second, and that he was but weak in Horse and Dragoons; this made His Highness very desirous to pay a Visit with his Army to the Marechal of Catinat, but he had a mind first to know the Truth of the Matter, for though the Camp was very strong where Catinat was posted, yet it could hardly be imagin'd that he would have ventur'd so near the Elector with so inconsiderable an Army: The Elector therefore sent that very Night to Newport for Major General Fagel, and order'd the three Battallions of Lorne, Buchan and St. Amand that were about Bruges, and those of Reinard and Brandenbourg behind the Canal, to come up and joyn together at Bellem to be there in a readiness to reinforce the Army upon occasion. The 18th in the Afternoon His Highness went with a strong Escorte as far as the Wind-mill of Osselghem, from whence [Page 94] he might discover the whole Line of Catinat's Army, and in the Evening Major General Fagel came to the Camp. The 19th at Night the Elector had advice that the French had laid Bridges over the Lys near Zulte, with a Design to Forrage the next day about Wacken and the Mandel, on this side of the River; wherefore His Highness com­manded that a strong Detachment of Horse, Foot and Dragoons should immediately be sent that very Night with Cannon to disturb this For­rage, and accordingly 8000 Horse, Foot and Dragoons with eight Pieces of Cannon were order'd for this Command, and stood paraded at the Head of the Camp till Ten or Eleven of the Clock the next Morning, to hear of the Enemies passing of the Lys; but the Marechal of Catinat having advice of our Preparations to attack his Forragers order'd the Bridges over the Lys to be taken up again, and laid this Design aside, of which the Elector being inform'd, this great Detach­ment was countermanded. Major General Fagel went back the over-night to Newport and the five Regiments of Foot at Bellem were sent again to their former Posts. The 20th a great Detachment of 1500 Horse was commanded away towards Bruges for a feint to co­ver the Design which the Elector seem'd to have still of marching up to the Marechal of Catinat, for at the same time he order'd Bridges to be laid over the Lys between Deinse and Bachtem, and the 21th the Brigades of Ransaw and Holstein-Norbourg were order'd to come and incamp close upon the Elector's Right between Nevel and Lan­deghem, whereas before they were posted near the Canal of Bruges between Landeghem and Ansbeck. But on the 22th at night the Ma­rechal of Catinat march'd off privately with his Army from Zulte to get back towards the Lines and incamp'd with his Right near Cour­tray, and his Left towards Harlebeck; it was generally suppos'd then, that these Preparations of the Elector's oblig'd Catinat to withdraw so suddenly and with so much Secrecy into the Lines. But 'tis more probable that this Retreat of Catinat's was upon Montrevel's going with the Body under his command, to post himself near Grammont upon the Dender; where his Troops were order'd, to cover the Con­voys that come by Water from Tournay to Pottes and Canaffe, and thence by Land to Villeroy's Army. and the Marechal of Catinat could not pretend to keep in this Camp of Zulte without that Re-inforcement which Montrevel commanded. Thus I shall leave the Army in Flanders to go back to His Majesty's Camp near Brussels and speak of the Transactions that happen'd there, of which some were of great Importance and cannot well be omitted.

[Page 95] At His Majesty's first coming to this Camp to cover Brussels, the Army had abundance of Forrage, of which there was a great Plenty all about it; and most laid in Forrage at the first coming to this Ground for a Fortnight at least without going far for it; but this being the only Camp the main of the Army had for all the rest of the Campagne, and Villeroy and Bouslers being Masters of all the Country about Alost, and between the Scheld and the Canal, it is no wonder if there was at last a very great Scarceness of Forrage here­abouts. The first General Forrage which the Army made was not till the 20th being about Grimberg and the outside of the Canal, to get as much as possibly we could all before us, about Asch, Zellich, Wemmel and Grimberg, which was now reckon'd but as so much taken from the French. But I shall say no more of these Affairs, which make the ordinary and daily Transactions of Armies, to speak of things of more moment and which had a nearer Relation to the Happy Conclusion of this Campagne in Peace.

The 22th Pensionary Heinsius of Holland, who had lately been nam'd by the States General for their third Plenipotentiary at the Con­ferences for the Treaty of Peace at Ryswick in the room of the Sieur Boreel lately deceas'd, came to the Camp to wait upon His Majesty; and this Voyage, which could not be but about Affairs of Conse­quence, occasiond abundance of Discourses some tending to War and others to Peace: For Business went on a little slowly at this time in the Congress at Ryswick, some time had been taken up at first in adjusting of the Ceremonial, which had been agreed upon at last and not long since, wherein it was concluded that in relation to Visits, and paying of the first Visit and the receiving of it, the Plenipotentiary Ambassadours of Crown'd Heads that had come first to the Hague or Delft for the Congress of Ryswick, should pay the first Visit to the last Comers, without inferring from thence any Consequence about Precedency, or derogating in any manner from any one's Privileges or Pretentions about it; and according to this Regulation Count de Caunitz and Count Straatman that had come to the Hague before the French Plenipotentiaries arriv'd at Delft, went to pay them the first Visit at their own Houses, and afterwards the French Plenipoten­tiaries return'd the same Complement to the Counts of Caunitz and Straatman at the Hague, and paid at the same time the first Visit to the Baron of Zeilern the third Imperial Plenipotentiary, being come into Holland after them; and the same Method was observ'd in the [Page 96] Visits of the rest. After the adjusting of the Ceremonial, the French Ambassadours were requir'd by the Mediator to give in their Project of a General Peace with the Allies, in pursuance of the Overtures already made in the Preliminaries, and so to enter upon more Essen­tial Business than had hitherto been handled in the Congress: The French, on their side, were delaying to give it in, putting of it off from Congress day to Congress day, which made People generally believe they had first a mind to know the Issue of three great Under­takings which France had now in hand, and of which News were daily expected with a great deal of Impatience on all sides, to model their Project accordingly; and that was, first Monsieur de Pointy's Expedition in the West-Indies against the Galleons, having sail'd from Brest the beginning of January last, with a Squadron of about twelve Men of War, having Troops and Transport-Ships along with him and other Necessaries for a Landing, not without giving us some Jealousie in England at first, especially for Ireland: The second was the Election of Poland, for which the Prince of Conti stood Candidate, and was now so fair for the carrying of it, that the Election of Marechal of the Dyet met at Warsaw to chuse a King, was carry'd by the French Party, which shew'd but too much the Superiority of it against any other Pretenders, which gave them very great Hopes on that side. The third was the Siege of Barcelona, form'd by the Duke of Vendome, General of the French Army in Catalonia, since the beginning of this Month, and which was now carrying on with a great deal of Vigour.

Several People thought that Pensionary Heinsius's Journey to the Camp was concerning the Retardments which the French made in giving in their Project, and to concert thereupon some Methods of carrying on the War with more Vigour than we had done hitherto, and oblige the French not to be so backward in giving reasonable Terms for a General Peace as they were reported to be at present; others imagin'd that it regarded the Forwarding of the Negociations at Ryswick where there seem'd to be a certain Slowness among some of the Allies and especially the Imperialists: These were the publick Discourses about this Journey, but one may rather imagine from what follow'd, that it was to make way for the Conferences that happen'd few days after between the Earl of Portland and the Marechal of Bouflers; and that, may be, the French Plenipotentiaries had made some Overtures about it to those of the States, by the French King's order, because His Majesty [Page 97] being not yet acknowledged by the French as King of Great Britain, there could be no Conferences in the Congress between the Plenipo­tentiaries of England and those of France: But whatever was the occasion of Pensionary Heinsius his coming to the Camp, these were only Conjectures, and I do not pretend to dive farther into the Matter.

The 24th Prince Cerclas of Tilly was commanded with the Liege Horse and Dragoons and the German Cavalry lately come from the Rhine, to march towards Namur, where he incamp'd at Masy; the German Horse was under the Command of Major General Bulau, and the Prince of Tilly was joyn'd in this Camp by two Battallions of the Liege Troops, the rest being to follow upon occasion; for we were strong enough without them at present, and the sending of them that way spar'd so much the more Forrage about Brussels, where the Army was like to continue long enough to want it; and besides, the Marquis de Harcourt was marching back to repass the Sambre, in order to incamp at Bossu upon this River with the Forces he had brought from the Moselle, where at his coming he receiv'd six Field pieces from Philipville; and though Harcourt was posted here upon no other ac­count but for the Security of Convoys from the Meuse to the Sambre against the Garrison of Namur, and thence to be sent to Mons for the use of the Armies, yet it was necessary to have a proportionable Body near Namur to observe him, especially now that the Marechal of Bouflers was incamp'd conveniently enough to march that way as soon as the Allies.

The 25th Pensionary Heinsius went back for Holland, and in the Evening at the Orders His Majesty was pleas'd to declare the Here­ditary Prince of Hesse Major General of his Forces. The 26th the Princess of Vaudemont attended with most of the chief Ladies of Brussels came in the Evening to see the Camp, going at the Head of the Line with a Train of about a dozen Coaches with six Horses; the Electrice was near her Time and could not go abroad. The 27th the Marechal of Villeroy's Army came to Forrage about Zellich, and his Out guards advanc'd pretty near our Camp, which gave us the Allarm; His Majesty immediately rid out, being follow'd by the Prince, to observe the Motions of the French, and Haxhausen's Brigade of Danes, incamp'd upon the Height between Ganshoren and Berchom, was order'd to march with the Dragoons we had in the Camp on this side of Brussels; all the Cavalry receiv'd Orders to mount on [Page 98] Horse-back, and Belcastel's Brigade at Laacken took Arms. About thirty Squadrons of Horse were commanded to attend His Majesty, who rid to the Height on the other side of the Abbey of Dilleghem, and it being found that the French had no other Design but to Forrage between Zellich and Asch, it was not thought expedient to attempt any thing which might have ingag'd us in a General Battle without our Retrenchments, but only to watch and observe their Motions, and His Majesty came back to the Camp. The 29th the Dragoons of Tiviot, Rosse and Jedborough which, at our first coming to this Ground, had been posted at the Burnt-bridge upon the Canal, receiv'd Orders to march and joyn the Main Body of English Horse and Dra­goons incamp'd at Diegom under General Auerquerque; and Scheltinga's Regiment of Anhalt's Brigade was commanded in their place to cover the Canal from thence to Willebrook, as Colonel Murray's did on the other hand to Vilvorde and the Fort des trois Trous. The same day was the first Interview between the Marechal of Bouflers and My Lord Portland in the open Field on this side of Halle; the Marechal of Bouflers had sent a Trumpet into our Camp to attend his Lordship, who went in his Coach without any other Escorte, and the Marechal of Bouflers who was come to the place of Rendezvous with some Squadrons of Horse, order'd them all back to his Camp, when he saw My Lord come without any Guard, and only the Trumpet that he had sent, with him, but the General Officers that attended him remain'd: After great Civilities on both sides they withdrew apart to enter upon Business, and My Lord Portland came back into our Camp in the Evening; notwithstanding that his Lordship went this first time very privately, yet it was the publick Discourse of the Camp the next day, and the Opinions were divided about the Business, some conjecturing one thing and some another, but most agreed that this Conference had more Relation to the Affairs of Peace than War. The 30th the King went to Dine in the Abbey of Dilleghem, which is very pleasantly situated about two English Miles from Brussels in the way to Wemmel, and was now almost a Mile in the Front of our Camp; it is of the Order of St. Norbert or Premontré, and stands upon an easie Ascent of a Hill with fine Walks and Woods, Gardens and Fish ponds about it. Colonel Webb's and Colonel Walter Collier's Regiments were or­der'd out to cover the Abbey, and a Detachment of 200 Men of the Guards were sent here to do Duty about His Majesty's Person; the King's Kitchin and Furniture had been sent in the Morning, and the [Page 99] Army (that was now full of the News of yesterdays Conference) would have it, that the Marechal of Villeroy met the King in this place; but the King found his Quarter at Cockelberg too close, being invi­ron'd with the Camp on one side and the Town on the other, and His Majesty had once a mind to remove his Quarters to this place to have a better and a freer Air, but it was too far out of our Camp, and too much expos'd, to hazard His Majesty's Person there, and that Design was given over: In the Evening the King rid the Tour in his Coach about the chief Streets of Brussels, according to the Custom of the Nobility in these Countries, and the next day His Majesty went to the Opera; this gave very good hopes to those that were Well-wishers for Peace, to see the King mind some Divertisements in the midst of a Campagne.

The first of July His Majesty had by an Express from the Hague, July. the News of the Elector of Saxony's being chosen King of Poland in the Dyet at Warsaw, which came by a Courier at the Hague to the Sieur Bosen the Elector of Saxony's Plenipotentiary at the Congress for the Peace, and which he communicated immediately to all the Mini­sters of the Allies, who went to Complement him upon this occasion; the Elector of Saxony had not publickly appear'd as a Candidate till the Meeting of the Dyet, and that the French Party had carried their Point in the Election of a Marechal; and the Prince of Conti and the Prince Royal eldest Son to the late King of Poland seem'd to be the only Competitors that stood fair for the Crown; as for the Elector of Saxony he was not yet talk'd of, and his Design seem'd hitherto to continue in the Emperor's Service and command his Armies in Hun­gary the Campagne following; but when the French Party appear'd so great at the Meeting of the Dyet, none but so Powerful a Prince as the Elector of Saxony, who could offer such great Advantages to the Poles, and make them Powerful by the joyning of those Domi­nions and the Electorate of Saxony under one Head, as they are in Situation, and recovering thereby the Ancient Limits of that Repu­blick upon the Turks, by the Siege of Caminieck; I say none but so Powerful a Prince that could bring such Advantages along with him to the Poles, could then frustrate the Designs of the French Party and oppose the Prince of Conti's Election: Colonel Fleming was sent to the Dyet as the Elector of Saxony's Ambassador, who declar'd his Master one of the Candidates and made very great Offers to the [Page 100] Republick, and indeed greater than any one of the other Candidates could do; he was soon countenanc'd by the Imperial Party, and that the Religion which the Elector had hitherto profess'd might be no Obstacle to his Election, he produc'd a Certificate of His Highnesses Abjuration of the Protestant Religion, and of having receiv'd the Sacraments of Confession and Communion some time before from the Duke of Saxen-Zeits his Kinsman Bishop of Raab, sign'd by the said Bishop; and the Pope's Nuncio attested the Truth and Validity of the Certificate as knowing the Hand of the said Bishop; The Ele­ctors of Saxony were the first that receiv'd Luther's Reforma­tion. and it cannot be believ'd that the Pope's Nuncio would have made that step if the Pope had been so Neutral in that Affair before the Election as he pretends to be since. The Elector of Saxony march'd at the same time with all the Forces he had in his Country being about 8000 Men into Silesia and came to Breslaw upon the Frontier of Poland, to be as near Cracaw as he could to back his Pretentions: When the day of the Election came, the Standards of the Prince Royal's Party appear'd in the Field as if they were still resolv'd to stand by him; and Saxony's and his being then divided, the Majority appear'd on the French side, which made the Cardinal Primate, without any farther Poling, pro­claim the Prince of Conti the very first day of the Meeting for the Election; the Prince Royal's Party seeing that it was in vain to struggle for him any farther, and that if they did, the French must carry the Election, joyn'd that of the Elector of Saxony, which now made them much Superior to the Prince of Conti's Faction, and thereupon the Bishop of Cujavia proclaim'd the Elector of Saxony King of Poland in the Field, and Sung Te Deum for it in the great Church of Warsaw, which the Elector's Party had shut up against the Cardinal Primate, who therefore Sung it in the Field; and thus it came to a double Election, about which I shall say no more, than that this Crown will in all likelihood be us'd hereafter as a Bait to bring the most Powerful Princes of Germany over to the Church of Rome, and thus at length ruin the Protestant Interest in the Empire, where we see it daily grow weaker and weaker: There is yet another Method of the Pope's to undermine the Protestant Religion in Germany, which 'tis not unfit to mention upon this occasion, and that is the alluring of the Younger Brothers among the Protestant Princes who are but Poor, with Money and Preferments to profess the Romish Religion; and if the Elder Branches fail, Rome gets this Advantage, that they have a Prospect of succeeding. This is sufficient to shew that, next under [Page 101] God, the Welfare of the Protestant Interest does depend from the Good Union of England and Holland and the Northern Crowns, not only to Support it abroad, but even to keep it up in their own Domi­nions: This Good Union and Correspondence is most especially ne­cessary between the two former, and the Enemies of our Religion can hardly compass their Designs but in setting us together by the Ears, in which ('tis to be fear'd) they meet but with too much Encourage­ment from the People on both sides.

The Second, The Marechal of Villeroy sent a Trumpet to the Prince of Vaudemont to notifie to him, that a Courier had pass'd through the Marechal of Catinat's Army the day before, going to the French King with an Account of the Prince of Conti's Election to the Crown of Poland, and that he had been proclaim'd King by the Cardinal Pri­mate before the Courier came away from Warsaw: The same day all our Artillery was drawn off from the Batteries upon the Re­trenchment, and paraded upon the Height near the Wind-mill of Ganshoren, the Post where it had been before at our first coming to this Camp; it was at first suppos'd that this bringing of the Artillery together was for a Feu de joye for the Duke of Saxony's Election to the Crown of Poland, but it was brought from thence to incamp in the Rear of the Second Line two or three days after. The Fourth in the Evening, all the Artillery in the Marechals of Villeroy and Boufler's Armies being drawn up together in a Line upon a Height between them both toward Brussels, it was thrice fir'd, with as many rounds of Small-shot in both Armies, for the News of the Prince of Conti's Election to be King of Poland, and the same thing was done in all the other Armies of France by the King's Order. The Fifth, My Lord Portland went to the second Conference with the Marechal of Bouflers privately as before, and it was held in the same place in the open Field; several General Officers and others waited upon the Ma­rechal of Bouflers to the place of Conference, and the Marechal told My Lord Portland, that if his Lordship would come attended with the Generals and other principal Officers of our Army, they should be very Welcome: Orders were given this Evening for all the Horses to Graze in the day-time, thereby to spare Forrage, which began now to grow very scarce about our Army; The Horses belonging to the Infantry graz'd accordingly the next day before our Camp, towards Zellich, Releghem and Wemmel, having a good De­tachment to cover them; of which the Marechal of Bouflers having [Page 102] Intelligence, he came with about 30 Squadrons to disturb them, and all our Graziers were forc'd to come back into the Camp without any considerable Loss; but upon first notice on our side, the Earl of Athlone was commanded out with about 20 Squadrons of Horse with orders not to ingage himself in any Action, only to observe the French and shelter the Retreat of our Graziers: Several Squadrons of the French Horse and ours came very near one another and drew up in Opposition, a deep hollow way remaining between them, and fac'd one another for a while, the Trumpets and Kettle-drums making a very good Entertainment at the same time on both sides, without any Disturbance; but at last one of our Troopers, or some body else, fir'd a Shot or two from behind a Hedge, which alarm'd the French, and some of them fir'd again, and kill'd two of our Troopers, which broke up this kind of an Interview; the French drew off and went their way, and so did we.

The Tenth was held the third Conference between My Lord Port­land and the Marechal of Bouflers in the open Field as before, My Lord went attended this time by about twenty Persons of note from our Camp, among whom were the Earl of Rivers Lieutenant Ge­neral, and the Earl of Essex, Mr. Hill His Majesty's Envoy at Brussels and Treasurer of the Army, and Mr. Stepney the King's Envoy to several Princes of Germany, lately arriv'd from thence, and several others: The Marechal of Bouflers receiv'd them very kindly being presented to him by My Lord Portland, and desir'd the Dukes of Roquelaure, Luxembourg and Guiche-Grammont to entertain them in Conversation whilst he and My Lord should go aside to talk of Business.

The French Plenipotentiaries gave in at last their Project of a Ge­neral Peace with the Allies this day; the Affairs of Poland had not succeeded according to the Desires and Expectations of the French Court, Monsieur de Pointy's Expedition had produc'd nothing remark­able but the Sacking of Carthagena and the Galleons were safe; but Pointy himself seem'd not to be so now, and the French were very apprehensive of his meeting with Admiral Nevil, that had been sent from England to the West-Indies with a strong Squadron to observe him, and there were several Reports at present in Europe which were not at all favourable to Pointy, and the Parties concern'd were very much afraid that they should have no great Share in the Booty made at Carthagena; and though Pointy should escape Nevil yet he had [Page 103] another Risk to run, and that was his getting into Bresl: As for the Siege of Barcelona, this place was very obstinately defended by the Spaniards, who had all the Forces they were Masters of Catalonia, concern'd in the Defence by a Communication between the Town and the Army by the Fort of Monjouy, and which within and with­out amounted to about 17000 Men; whereas the French were not above 27 or 28000 strong, and too weak to take up the Posts all about the Town, but were forc'd to leave the Quarter of Monjouy open, which serv'd for a Communication between the Besieged and the Spanish Army without, where they had not then above six or seven thousand Men commanded by the Vice roy of Catalonia; this made the Siege of Barcelona doubtful, and there was no likelihood of taking the place as yet: The French did not therefore think it convenient to delay the giving in of their Project any longer, and it was deliver'd in this day in Congress to the Mediator, consisting of three Heads (according to the Tenour of the full Powers which the French Pleni­potentiaries had of Treating with the Emperor and Empire, the King of Spain, the States General and their Allies) and 37 Articles. The French King by this Project offer'd chiefly (in relation to the Empire) either to restore Strasbourg in the Condition it was when taken, or to give in exchange all the places he had in Brisgow and Alsatia on the right side of the Rhine, as Brisack, Fribourg, &c. and the Fort of Kell on the same side of the Rhine opposite to Strasbourg; and like­wise to restore Philipsbourg, and all other places taken in the Pala­tinate or elsewhere in the Empire since the Treaty of Nimeguen; and in case the Emperor and Empire accepted of the Equivalent for Strasbourg, that then the Rhine should serve as a common Limit to Germany and France all above Philipsbourg, and thereupon that the Emperor and Empire should have no Forts nor Fortifications from thence upon the left side of the Rhine, nor the French upon the right side of it; according to which Propositions if agreed to, the New Town of Brisack on the left side of the Rhine, the Bridge of Philips­bourg and the Work that covers it on the same side, were to be de­molish'd by the French, in delivering of those places up to the Empire; and the French retaining Strasbourg and Fort-Louis were to demolish all the Forts upon the Islands of the Rhine in both these places, and the Works upon the right side of the Rhine opposite to Fort-Louis; but the Fortifications on the other side of the Rhine opposite to Stras­bourg were to be deliver'd up to the Empire as part of the Equivalent [Page 104] for this Town: The French King offer'd likewise to restore the Dutchy of Lorraine (notwithstanding the Pretensions he had by vertue of the Treaty of Nimeguen) in the State and Condition that Charles the 4th enjoy'd it in the Year 1670, just before it was seiz'd by the French; only he reserv'd to himself the Sovereign Property and Possession of the Town of Saar-Louis and a Territory of half a League about that place, for which the Duke of Lorraine should have an Equiva­lent somewhere else, in which he should have a Soveraign Property and Jurisdiction himself. The Substance of this Project in relation to Spain was, to restore first, all that had been taken either in Flanders or Catalonia since the War to His Catholick Majesty. 2ly, The Town of Luxembourg taken since the Treaty of Nimeguen, or else to give an Equivalent for it; which Equivalent was left in Blank in the Pro­ject, but was given out by Reports to be Maubeuge upon the Sambre, Condé upon the Scheld; Menin upon the Lys, and the Town and Chatellenie of Ipres. 3ly, To revoke all the Re-unions made since the Treaty of Nimeguen, which by vertue of this Treaty were to be restor'd: And lastly, To give back the Town and Castle of Dinant in the Condition they were when taken. As for what re­lated to Holland in this Project, it does not belong to the Affairs of War hereabouts, and therefore I shall not take notice of it; only I shall add, that the Peace made between France and Savoy in the Year 1696, was to be comprehended in the General Treaty, and by the 35th Article all those that should be nam'd on both sides by common Consent, either before the Ratification or within six Months after; which was the only one that could be interpreted to have any relation to England; and may be, My Lord Portland's Conferences with the Marechal of Bouflers were about this Project in relation to England, which (by reason the French had not yet acknowledg'd His Majesty) could not be inserted in the General one we are now mentioning; And lastly, The French allow'd the Allies to consider of this Project, till the 20th day of August following Old Stile, after which if they did not consent to it before or upon the said day, they pretended to be at liberty of altering the Condi­tions and making new Offers; But if the Treaty were concluded be­tween France and the Allies, that then the King of Sweden as Me­diator, and any other King's, Princes and Republicks might give their Guarranty for the Faithful Execution and Observation of the same.

[Page 105] But to return from the Congress to the Camp; the 13th the King, having review'd the English Horse and Dragoons and the German Troops some time before at Diegom, began the Review of his In­fantry this day, and the five eldest Brigades, being those of the Guards, Haro, Orkney, Fairfax and Ingoldesby, drew out in the little plain without the Retrenchment between Ganshoren and Jette to pass before His Majesty, the General Officers saluting at their pro­per Posts; the 14th the Regiments of Foot of Selwyn, Trelawny and Erle, having Landed lately at Willemstadt from Edgland, came up to the Camp, where they were posted in a third Line in the Rear of Orkeney's Brigade; the Duke of St Albans and Major General Ste­wart, that had pass'd along with them, came some days before to Court. The 15th Tiffin and Maitland's Brigades review'd before His Majesty, with Sir Henry Bellasis Lieutenant General, Sir David Collier and my Lord Cutts Major Generals at the head of them, but Brigadier Maitland's Regiment did not appear this day because the Cloathing was not yet come from England. The 16th His Majesty review'd Selwyn's Brigade (being the three Regiments lately come over) and Belcastels, Major General Stewart saluting on the Right, and the Prince of Hesse on the Left. The Marechal of Bouflers and my Lord Portland had the fourth Conference this day in a Meadow just without the Town of Halle, where his Lordship went attended with several of our Generals and other Chief Officers, among whom were Lieutenant General Bellasis, Major Generals Ramsay, Erle, Lord Cutts and Lumley, and my Lord Raby, having all of them a very fine Retinue both of Servants and Horses along with them: The Chief Officers that came on Bouflers side, were Count de Tallard, Count de Gasse, and the Duke of Roquelaure Lieutenant Generals, the Marquis de Crenan and Monsieur de Pracontal Major Generals, &c. there were a great many Embracings on both sides at the first meeting, and great expression of Respect and Esteem, and the Marechal of Bouflers receiv'd our General Officers with abundance of Civility, as they were presented to him by my Lord Portland, taking particular Notice of those whom he had occasion to hear of in the Siege of Namur; the Generals and other Officers on both sides entertain'd one another in Conversation whilst the Marechal and my Lord held their Conference; several went into the Town to drink a Glass of Wine together, and others into the French Camp it self, where they were made very welcom; but my Lord Portland and [Page 106] the Marechal of Bouflers, having confer'd together for some time in the open Field, went at last into a House of the Town together, and Sentries were posted upon the Doors to hinder any body from coming near; and it was pretty late when my Lord and his Com­pany return'd this Night. The 17th the King review'd several Bri­gades of the Dutch Infantry, and men begun now to talk of the Kings leaving the Army to go to Loo, and that the Conferences be­tween my Lord Portland and the Marechal of Bouflers had brought Matters to a very good Issue, not onely in relation to His Majesty's Affairs, but those of a General Peace.

The French had now been incamp'd a considerable while, Bouflers near Halle and Villeroy about St. Quintin Linneck, and Forage be­gun to be scarce about their Armies; this made them resolve to march into the Paysd' Alost and Forrage the Countrey all thereabouts, and between the Scheld and the Canal of Brussells. The 17th the heavy baggage of the two Armies was commanded away towards Grammont for the more convenient march of the Armies into our Countrey; the 18th the Marechal of Villeroy's march'd upon the Right from the Camp between Goick and Struhem in very good Order (because it was to advance pretty near to our Army) for fear of our Parties, and came to incamp with the Right near the Abbey of Affleghem, and Left at Bardeghem; and that of the Marechal of Bouflers march'd in the same order upon the Left, to incamp with the Left near Affleghem, and right between Sandvord and Asche. The 19th Bouflers Army continued to march upon the Left, to change Ground for Villeroy's Army to have the right; and incamp'd with the Right at Bardeghem, and Left towards St. Amand upon the Scheld below Dendermond. The 22th both Armies march'd to recti­fie their Camp and take up the Countrey between Brussells and Den­dermond, Villeroy's Army came to incamp more towards Brussells, the Right making an Elbow between Asche and Sandvord facing to Halle; the rest of the Camp made a Line from Asche to the little Village of Peck near Opwick behind the Brook of Eiche, where was the Left of this Army, and the Marechal of Villeroy's Quarter at Maseele between Affleghem and Asche; that of Bouflers made a movement at the same time, to incamp in a Line with Villeroy more back towards the Den­der which was now in his rear, the Right was at Opwick near the Left of Villeroy's Army, and the Left at Wiese, where the Marechal of Bouflers had his Quarter within half a League of Dendermond; [Page 107] and the Marechal of Bouflers Camp form'd an Elbow here upon the Left facing toward Dendermond, as Villeroy's did at Asche and Sand­vord to face towards Halle and Brussells: The French lost 40 or 50 Horses this day, and had several Prisoners taken by some of our Par­ties sent out from the Regiments, which had been commanded behind the Canal to cover it upon this march of the Enemies, who were now incamp'd within two Leagues almost in a parallel with it.

This near Neighbourhood of the French to the Canal and the Scheld, oblig'd us equally to look to security of the Countreys co­ver'd by them, and to prevent their passing of either; and according to the situation of Places and the Positions of our Camps, the Canal seem'd to be design'd for the Care of our Brabant Army, and the Scheld for that of Flanders; wherefore His Majesty upon the first News of Villeroy's and Bouflers marching to come nearer the Canal, order'd Belcastel's and Oxenstern's Brigades (making eleven Battalli­ons) to march on the 18th and incamp between the Burnt-bridge and Willebrook, where they were to be joyn'd by Colonel Murray's and Scheltinga's Regiments already posted upon the Canal; my Lord Tiviot Major General was commanded the same way with five Regiments of Dragoons, being those Tiviot, Essex, Rosse, Jed­borough and Mirmont; and all these Regiments together, Foot and Dragoons, made about 9000 Men under the command of Count de Noyelles Lieutenant General: Upon this removal of Oxenstern's and Belcastel's Brigades to march behind the Canal, that of Selwyn was order'd to incamp at Laacken in Belcastel's place; Anhalt's Brigade incamp'd before the Fort of Monterey, march'd through the Town upon this, to incamp at Cockelbergh and fill up the Room of Oxen­stern's; and the Brigade of Horse of Oost-frise incamp'd before the Fort of Monterey, in lieu of that of Foot of Anhalt; Infantry being more necessary in our Camp, as we were now intrench'd, than Horse.

As for the Elector, he had been forc'd to leave the Camp of Nevel since the 11th to come to Ghendt for his Health, being very much troubled with sore Eyes; but his Army had a little more plenty of Forrage, that Corn being now ripe, which was not good for Horse when it was Green. The 17th the Elector receiv'd an Express from His Majesty to give him notice that the Marechals of Villeroy and Bouflers were to march the next day towards the Canal of [Page 108] Brussels and the Scheld; and therefore that it would be necessary for His Electoral Highness to send twenty Battallions and all the Dra­goons of his Army to incamp about Dendermond, there to oppose the Passage of the Scheld by the French; and all his Cavalry under the Cannon of Audenarde, to incamp on the Brabant side of the Scheld and disturb the Enemies Convoys, who after the next March would be far from their Frontier Garrisons, and therefore very much incommoded by them, and that the rest of his Army should get behind the Canal between Ghendt and Bruges: Orders were likewise sent by the Elector to the Governour of Dendermond to let the Waters out to overflow the Country about this Town, which for this reason is strongly situated at the Confluence of the Scheld and the Dender, having abundance of Water at command by the Tides coming up the Scheld beyond it, and the lowness of the Country on both sides especially at the mouth of the Dender; so that with the Sluces they have at Dendermond they can drown all the flat Country about it and render it inaccessible. The Elector who was now at Ghendt (as I have just now said) repair'd back to the Camp the same day, upon the first News of the Motions of the French, to regulate the Marches and Operations of the Army upon this Con­juncture.

The 18th General Heyden march'd by the Elector's Orders with all the Brandenbourg Foot being 18 Battallions (which, with the two Battallions of the Electoral Prince of Bavaria already behind the Scheld, made 20, the Number thought convenient by His Majesty) two Regiments of Brandenbourg Dragoons, and three Squadrons of Horse of the same Nation, and the Dutch Regiment of Dragoons of Holstein-Ploen towards Dendermond for the Defence of the Scheld, where General Heyden incamp'd this day at Grimberg Opsandt near that Town; the two Brigades of Ransaw and Holstein-Norbourg that had incamp'd all this while apart upon the Right about Landeghem were order'd to come and incamp in the Line in the place of the Brandenbourg Foot, and Fagel's Regiment was detach'd to cover the Canal of Bruges: The same day the Elector had Advice that the Marechal of Catinat was march'd with the remainder of his Army (Montrevel being at Grammont) behind the Lines from Harlebeck. The 19th the Elector left the Army of a sudden to go to Brussels, and the Command of the Army remain'd to the Prince of Nassau-Sarbruck, who on the 20th receiv'd Advice that the Marechal of [Page 109] Catinat was march'd from the Lines to pass the Scheld, of which he sent an Express to Prince Vaudemont at Brussels. The French being now so near Dendermond and the Scheld, had very much alarm'd the Inhabitants of the Pays de Waes who sent to the Prince of Nassau to desire his special Protection, and to take care for the Defence of the Scheld, where the Troops already posted about Dendermond did not seem sufficient; therefore the Prince of Nassau sent the 21th twelve pieces of Cannon, with Powder, Ball and other Necessaries to incamp on the other side of Ghendt at Distelberg, there to be ready to joyn General Heyden upon occasion; and the 23th the Prince himself left the Camp of Oydonck and Nevel, being attended by Major General Salisch and the Duke of Holstein-Norbourg Brigadier, with the Troop of the Friseland Guards, the Regiment of Horse of Nassau-Sarbruck, and six Battallions, being those of Nassau Walloon, Holstein-Nor­bourg, Lochman, Dona, Harsolt and Willekens, and twelve pieces of Cannon with the Kettle-drum; with which he march'd through Ghendt to get behind the Scheld for the further Security of it at this time, and incamp'd with his Right at Huysen and Left near Melle-veer upon the River, where the twelve pieces of Cannon that had been sent to Distelberg came to his Camp and made up his Artillery to consist here of 24 pieces of Cannon: The rest of the Army which remain'd in the Camp of Nevel was under the Command of Count d'Arco General of the Bavarians, and Lieutenant General Opdam of the Dutch. The 24th, the Prince of Nassau went to visit all the Posts along the Scheld, between Calcken and Melle-veer, and he order'd the Dragoons of Holstein-Ploen that had march'd with General Heyden to come back to his Camp at Huysen. The 25th both the Troops of Brandenbourg and Holland began to work upon some Retrenchments for the Defence of the most dangerous Passages of the Scheld; and the 26th General Heyden and Major General Salisch went to view the several Posts upon it between Calcken and Dendermond; for below Dendermond there was no great Danger, the Scheld being very large and a great Tide coming up, which render'd it very difficult for an Enemy to make Bridges over if there were any manner of Force to oppose them; and therefore the French could not pretend to attempt the passage of this River but between Dendermond and Ghendt, and consequently if they had such a Design, they must have pass'd the Dender (as they were now incamp'd) between Alost and Dendermond to come near this part of the Scheld. The 27th a Disposition was [Page 110] made for the Troops to incamp along the Scheld for the Defence of the most dangerous passages of it, in the manner following; over against Basserode below Dendermond one Battallion, at Dendermond one Bat­tallion, at Appels-veer one Battallion, upon Berleer Heath nine Bat­tallions, and the Dragoons of Marwitz, the Horse-Grenadiers, the Grand-Musqueteers and the Gens d'Armes with General Heyden: At Ʋtberg the Dragoons of his Electoral Highness and three Battallions, and over against Schellebeck three Battallions more, all these made the Troops of Brandenbourg commanded by General Heyden. The two Battallions of the Electoral Prince of Bavaria were posted at Witteren, where they were to be joyn'd by three more of the same Nation now expected daily from the Rhine: The rest of the Posts along the Scheld towards Ghendt were taken up by the Dutch Troops which came with the Prince of Nassau-Sarbruck, who during the Elector's absence, did now command the Army in Flanders.

This was the Method taken for the guard of the Scheld, but the French did not express any Design that way, they seem'd only to con­tent themselves with subsisting of their Army in this Country, which was now open to them (as they were incamp'd) to the very Con­fluence of the Scheld and the Rupelle within two Leagues and little more of Antwerp, where they found abundance of all manner of Forrage, no Armies having incamp'd all this War thereabouts to destroy it, or to discourage the Boors from Tilling of the Ground, or frighten them out of the Country; but if the French were so conveniently incamp'd for Forrage, they suffer'd for it another way by the Difficulties they must meet with to get Provisions into their Camp, at such a distance from the Frontier Towns: Ath being newly taken, they could have no great Magazines there, and therefore they were forc'd to have their Bread and Provisions from Mons and Tournay, which places were far distant from them: To level these Difficulties as much as was possible, Monsieur de Courtebonne was detach'd with ten Battallions and twelve Squadrons from Bouflers Army to go and incamp near Mons for the Communication of that place with the Army; Monsieur de Montrevel was already incamp'd at Grammont (as we have said before) to cover the Convoys from the Scheld to Villeroy's Camp upon his advancing to St. Quintin-Lin­neck: But now the Convoys from Mons to the Armies being very difficult, because it lay so remote and all Land-carriage, and some thing expos'd to our Army at Brussels; and therefore that most of the [Page 111] Bread and Provisions must come from Tournay and the Scheld, for which Montrevels little Body at Grammont was not sufficient to furnish so many Escortes, for this reason the Marechal of Catinat march'd from within the Lines of Courtray, to post himself at Helchin upon the Scheld for the security of Convoys by Water from Tournay to Renay, and thence by Land to Grammont; whence, being Escorted by Detachments from Montrevels Army, they were sent by the Den­der to Alost for the use of the Army, where the French had now several Battallions in Garrison; and there were Discourses at first that they had a design not onely to Fortifie this plaee, but also Ni­nove and Grammont, thereby to be Masters of the Dender as far as Dendermond it self; but as it has appear'd, their Garrison in Alost was onely for the present occasion. Catinat being oblig'd to leave the Lines and post himself upon the Scheld for the Security of Convoys to the two Armies beyond Alost, the Marquis de la Mothe, who commanded a Body of Eleven Battallions and Six Squadrons between Ipres and Furnes, march'd to post himself within the Lines between Ipres and Comines upon the Lys and observe the Troops we had left at Nevei; And most of the French Troops being now near the Scheld, Major General Fagel who Commanded a small Camp about Newport, sent several Regiments to post themselves about Bruges there to be ready to march towards Dendermond if the Marechals of Villeroy and Bouflers offer'd to pass the Dender, and endeavour to force the Scheld: The French, however, thought of nothing else at present but destroying the Forrage in this plentiful Countrey, and as soon as they came to incamp hereabouts, the Marechal of Villeroy went to view with a strong Escorte, all the Countrey to the very confluence of the Rupelle and the Scheld over against Rupelmonde, where the Spa­niards have a little Fort call'd the Fort of Ste Marguerite, and a small Garrison in it; this gave the Allarm as far as Antwerp, and fearing that the French might seize this Fort, which would cut off the Com­munication between Brussells and Antwerp, a Reinforcement of Spa­niards was sent from the Citadel by the Governour of Antwerp for the security of the place; but the French made no attempt against it, onely they sent parties sometimes upon the Banks of the Rupelle, which fir'd once or twice upon the Barge or Vessel that carries Passen­gers every day between Antwerp and Willebrook, where the passage to and from Brussels is by the Canal in a Track-Schout or Barge that goes 'twice every four and twenty Hours; And thus I come insensi­bly [Page 112] to His Majesty's Camp near this Place, and therefore to speak of our Affairs on this side.

We have left the King reviewing of the Infantry of his Army Brigade by Brigade, and taking care for the safety of the Canal up­on the late Motions of the French, with some thoughts at the same time of leaving the Army and going shortly to Loo. On the 20th the King continued to review several Regiments of Foot, and Lucq's Brigade and the German Foot in the States Service review'd before His Majesty this day; afterwards the King saw my Lord Albemarle's Carabiniers and Dopft's Dragoons exercise, which they did with a great deal of Dexterity and order; My Lord of Albe­marle was sent this day by His Majesty to the Hague, and the Fourth Troop of Guards march'd out of the Camp to post it self in Relays for the Guard of His Majesty's Person between Breda and Loo: In the Evening the Elector, who had left the Camp of Nevel the day before, and lay the same Night at Antwerp, came to Brussells, and after having paid a Visit to the Electrice, he went to wait upon His Majesty at his Quarter at Cockelberg. The 21th the King went to take his Leave of the Electrice and of the Princess of Vaudemont; 22th the King review'd Haxhawsen's Brigade of Danes, and the Duke of Wirtemberg and Major General Count d' Alfeldt saluted at the head of it. The 23d my Lord Portland had the Fifth Confe­rence with the Marechal of Bouflers about half way between the two Camps, but the King being to leave the Army the next morning, my Lord had not much Company with him; the Chief of our Offi­cers that attended him were Major General Collier, the Earl of Arran, my Lord Raby and Brigadier Ingoldesby, &c. as for the Marechal of Bouflers he had much the same attendance as before. We had a great many of our Maroders out of our Army this day, which were met by the Marechal of Bouflers a great way out towards the French Camp, he advis'd them to go back or else that they were in danger of being taken Prisoners, but our Soldiers told him that a Peace was made, and that there was no great danger of it; this answer made him smile, and he was so Civil as to get this Officers to command them back to our Camp: In the Evening His Majesty was pleas'd to declare Bri­gadier Dompré of the Dutc-Horse, Major General of the States Forces; and the Elector was late with the King this Night, but came again very early the next Morning to see His Majesty go away for Holland, most of the Cheif Officers of the Army came to Court [Page 113] at the same time: His Majesty left the Army about seven or eight this Morning being the 24th, the Elector took his leave at the Kings Quarter and went back to Brussests, and the King went on to pass the Canal at Vilvorde and go from thence by Malines to Breda, Prince Vaudemont went as far as Vilvorde in His Majesty's Coach, where he took his leave of the King and then came back to the Camp to command the Army in Chief, and the Duke of St. Albans and my Lord Portland accompanied His Majesty in the Coach to Breda; whence his Lordship went the next day for the Hague to conferr with our Ambassadours and the Chief of the Allies touching his Negotiations with the Marechal of Bouflers; but the King went to Dieren, where His Majesty tarried several days, and thence to Loo, there to take the Divertisements of the Season.

Prince Vaudemont, being now Commander in Chief of our Army in Brabant, review'd Haxhausen's Brigade of Danes and Brigadier Muitland's Regiment on the 27th. because he had been indispos'd when they review'd before the King. The Electrice of Bavaria was brought to bed this Afternoon of a Prince, and in the Night all the Artillery was fir'd thrice round the Ramparts, and there were abundance of Fire-works and great Illuminations in Town upon this occasion: Eppingers and Lloyd's Dragoons which had hitherto kept with the Camp at Cockelberg, were commanded this day to march behind the Canal and incamp with the rest of the Dragoons under the Command of Lieutenant General de Noyelles. The 28th the Army Forag'd beyond Malines and Louvain on the other side of the Dyle, Count d'Alfeldt Commanded the Escorte which was order'd to take two days Bread, because the Army could not Forage so far and re­turn the 29th. This scarcity of Forrage was very troublesom to the Army, and the Prince, to make it subsist as easie as 'twas possible, in a Camp which we could not abandon, order'd all the Horses be­longing to the Infantry, with all the Artillery Horses, and those be­longing to the Bread-Waggons to be sent to Graze in the Meadows along the Rupelle and the Dyle about Malines, and detachments were made at the same time from the Army, being a weekly Command under a Field Officer, to cover them; one for the English and another for the Duteh: There were yet two or three Forage dayes about our Camp which were reserv'd for the Horse, but the Chief Offi­cers and Colonels of the Foot, and others that were oblig'd to have Horses in the Camp had orders on the 31th to send for dry Forage [Page 114] from the Magazines of Brussels, for which they were to pay nine Stivers a Ration; This day in the Evening the Elector, being attended with his Court, came to see the Camp, and rid along both the Lines, and went to see the Retrenchments we had made both for the Secu­rities of the Camp and to cover the Town; but the King keeping still his Quarter at Cockelberg, where most part of his Camp-Baggage was left, and a Guard mounting daily upon it (His Majesty being resolv'd to come back again, if the French did attempt any thing during the remainder of the Campagne) the Elector therefore thought it fit to go back again and command the Army in Flanders, and ex­ecute the Design that had been agreed upon at Brussels of advancing with the said Army as far as Rousselar, where it could now subsist conveniently for Forrage; which the Marechal of Catinat could not hinder, whilst the Marechals of Villeroy and Bouflers were incamp'd so near the Canal of Brussels and so far remov'd from their Frontier. For the Marechal of Catinat could not pretend to pass the Lys and dispute this Camp with the Elector, unless he was reinforc'd by Montrevel's Troops incamp'd at Grammont, in which case the Mare­chals of Villeroy and Bouflers could not subsist where they were, with­out making great Detachments from their Armies to Grammont and the Scheld, to make good their Communication with their Frontier, and secure their Convoys, which otherwise could not come to their Camps without very great Difficulties, the Garrison of Audenarde laying unluckily in the way to cut them off; then, if the Marechals of Villeroy and Bouflers made such Detachments, the Prince could send proportionable Detachments from his Army to guard the Scheld; or if the joyn'd Marechals did send any greater Reinforcements to the Marechal of Catinat, then Prince Vaudemont could (by slipping of Troops from his Army behind the Canal and so to the Scheld) defend the Pays de Waes himself, and General Heyden could have march'd from thence to joyn and reinforce the Elector at Rousselar: But if only Montrevel joyn'd the Marechal of Catinat, and Villeroy and Bouflers made no other Detachments from their Armies but for the Post of Grammont to seoure their Convoys, it would be sufficient for the Prince to send a Brigade of Foot and two Regiments of Dra­goons to guard the Scheld below Dendermond, whilst General Heyden should provide for the Defence of it above between Dendermond and Ghendt; where the passage of this River is most practicable, but was at present in no great danger whilst the French were on the [Page 115] other side of the Dender towards the Canal of Brussels and the lower Scheld; or otherwise if both the said Marechals should pass the Dender to get between Dendermond and Ghendt, then all the Troops we had upon the Canal of Brussels were to pass the Scheld at Rupel­monde and reinforce General Heyden, and other competent Detach­ments were to be made by the Prince to put that General in a Con­dition to hinder the joyn'd Marechals from attempting to pass the River: This was the Disposition made between the Elector and the Prince at Brussels for the marching of the Army of Flanders to take the Camp of Rousselar.

According to this Resolution, the Elector left Brussels the second of August. August and came to Antwerp, where he had order'd Don Bernardo de Quiros the Spanish Plenipotentiary Ambassador at the Congress of Ryswick for the Treaty of Peace to meet him, there to con­ferr together about the Affairs relating to that Negociation. The Third the Elector came to Ghendt, and Don Bernardo de Quiros went back for the Hague; and the same day our Flanders Army march'd in two Bodies in order to take the Camp of Rousselar the next; the Spanish and Bavarian Troops which had remaind'd in the Camp of Nevel march'd to Thilt by Vinck, and Arseel, where they were joyn'd by the two Battallions of the Electoral Prince of Bavaria which had been all this while behind the Scheld, and three more of the same Troops, come some days before from the Rhine and incamp'd at Distelberg, being a third Battallion of the Elector's Guards, and two of Litsebourgh: The Dutch Forces and Brandenbourg Horse which had continu'd at Nevel under the Command of Lieutenant Ge­nerals Opdam and Heyden and Major General Lindeboom, march'd by Grammen and Wouterghem to Denterghem, where the Prince of Nassau-Saarbruck joyn'd them with the Troops and Artillery he had with him at Heusen behind the Scheld, and incamp'd with the Right at Roode Vierschaer, and the Left at Vondeghem, Denterghem (which was the Prince of Nassau's Quarter) remaining between the two Lines in the Body of Foot. As for General Heyden, he had the Guard of the Scheld committed to his care, and the 18 Battallions of Branden­bourg Troops, the Regiment of Dragoons and three Squadrons of that Elector's Horse under his command, were posted according to this Disposition, at Dendermond one Battallion, from Dendermond to Appels-veer, the Boors of the Pays de Waes were to keep Guard till [Page 116] the coming of the Brigade of Foot that was to be sent by the Prince; the main Body upon the Heath of Berleer, consisting of nine Battalli­ons and the Horse and Dragoons, was to take care of the Posts upon the River from Appels to Ʋtberg; at Ʋtberg, were posted two Bat­tallions; at Schellebelle, upon the Height over against the Village, two Battallions; above Wetteren upon the Right, two Battallions to guard the Scheld between Wetteren-Noort and Quatrecht; and higher up towards Ghendt one Battallion upon the Heath of the Chateau d'Ansaut, to guard as far as Claverken; and from thence to Ghendt the Scheld was to be guarded by the Garrison of the Town; all these Regiments had Orders to incamp double to make a larger Front thereby, and the Boors of the Pays de Waes were commanded to have Men of the Country with Arms ready, to secure any of the forementioned Posts, in case all the Brandenbourg Forces should be oblig'd to joyn together, by the Motions of the French to attempt the passage at any one particular place. The Fourth, The Elector's Army having incamp'd at Thilt and Denterghem the day before, march'd to joyn together at Rousselar; the Spaniards and Bavarians from Thilt by Pettem, Ardoye, and Baveren, and the Dutch and Bran­denbourghers from Denterghem by Mulenbeck, Ingelmonster and Emel­gem, and so incamp'd all together in a Line of Battle with the Right at St. Thomas's Chappel between Rousselar and Hooghleede, and the Left near the Bridge upon the High-way from Rousselar to Caecktem; the Elector came this day to the Camp from Ghendt, a good Escorte being left by the Army to attend His Highness along the way, and both the Elector and Prince of Nassau-Sarbruck had their Quar­ters in the Town of Rousselar: This Army consisted at present of 29 or 30 Battallions, 18 having been left behind the Scheld, two upon the Canal of Bruges, (being those of Fagel and Reinard) four sent to Audenarde, and one left in Dendermond. The Marechal of Catinat, whose business it was to observe the Motions of our Army in Flanders, left Helchin upon the Scheld on the Seventh, and not being able to hinder the Elector from taking the Camp of Rousselar, he came on the Fourth to post himself behind the Lys, the Foot be­tween Menin and Comines, and the Horse at Courtray to Forrage without the Lines: And the Fifth, Monsieur Montrevel detach'd eleven Battallions and a Regiment of Dragoons of his Body at Gram­mont to post themselves at Helchin, there to be in a readiness to joyn Catinat upon occasion, and the Brigade of Mouroux from Villeroy's [Page 117] Army, and another from Bouflers, were commanded to reinforce Montrevel, and make up the Number he had sent to Helchin.

The Prince, being oblig'd on his side to provide at present for the Safety of the Scheld, and the Reinforcing of General Heyden upon occasion, commanded on the third Major General Stewart to march with Tiffin's Brigade (except Saunderson's Regiment) by the Canal to Willobrook and so to Rupelmonde, where he was to pass the Scheld, in order to post himself in the Pays de Waes, being to be reinforc'd in his March by Eppinger's and Lloyd's Dragoons. The Fourth, Major General Stewart came with the said Forces into the Neighbourhood of Dendermond, where he dispos'd them Regiment by Regiment to incamp about the Villages near the Scheld, his Quarter being at Ber­lcer; and the Brandenbourg Troops remov'd from hence to Heusen, where General Heyden incamp'd with the main Body, but the rest of the Brandenbourgers remain'd posted as before: The same day in the Morning was a Rencounter near the Wind mill of Releghem, be­tween Zellich and Wemmel, of a Party of the French Life guards and Dragoons, with one of Dutch Horse commanded by Colonel Bal­thuin of the Duke of Holstein-Pleon's Regiment, where the French were worsted; the Prince had been inform'd over-night, that the French had a Design to carry off the next Morning our Patrouille of Horse, which was sent daily at break of day from one of our Out-guards to the Wind mill of Releghem, whereupon he order'd that very Night a Detachment of 250 Horse and 50 Dragoons, to be sent to the Wind-mill of Releghem under the Command of Colonel Balthuin, there to put himself in Ambuscade and expect the French, who accordingly order'd a Squadron of fifty Horse in the little Plain by the Wind-mill, and posted himself in a Neighbouring Defilé: The French made that night a Detachment of fifty Dragoons of Ste Her­mine's Regiment under the Command of the Sieur Sainfal, and 80 Horse of the King's House commanded by the Sieur Philipes. Ex­empt of the Guards, all which he divided into three Squadrons, to come and carry off our Patrouille; when, early in the Morning, they came near the Wind-mill, they met with the fifty Horse and Dragoons we had in the Plain, and Sainfal, who commanded the first Squadron, charg'd them so briskly that they retir'd into the Defilé, where being pursued by the French, Sainfal got thus into our Ambuscade, where both he and the Squadron would have been intirely cut off, had not the Sieur Philipes come and rescu'd them as [Page 118] well as he could, but by his assistance they got off after a consi­derable Loss; about twenty were killed upon the Spot on both sides, of which fifteen or sixteen were French, and amongst them a consi­derable Person who was buried the next day in the Church of Re­leghem with Trumpets and Kettle-drum; on our side, the Captain-Lieutenant and Quarter-Master of Wirtemberg's Regiment, a Lieute­nant of Prince Philip's, were wounded and taken Prisoners, and six Troopers either kill'd or Prisoners, and two wounded; On the French side, a Sub-Brigadier of the Life-guards, two Life guard­men and 12 Dragoons were made Prisoners, and 20 Horses taken and brought into our Camp: Colonel Balthuin having gain'd this Advantage, did not think it convenient to pursue the French, for fear of falling into an Ambuscade himself, but retir'd, after this Action, to our Camp.

At this time, not only Forrage but likewise Straw was very scarce about Brussels, and the Soldiers lay very ill for want of it; on the Fifth, My Lord Cutts, with the Prince's leave, sent a Party to the Village of Mais to fetch all the Straw that was there, for the use of the Guards and Royal Regiment, which was above half way be­tween Villeroy's Camp and ours, but where we had kept a Guard in the Chasteau all this while, the French having on their side a Safe-guard in the Village; this Detachment was made out of the Guards and the said Regiment, and a Man of a Tent for Straw, who here provided themselves with it and got back safe into the Camp; the Safe-guard was absent at the first coming of our Party, but return'd to his Post before they went off, he reported that the Marechal of Villeroy had review'd his Army that day, and therefore had been oblig'd to go to the Camp and repair to his Company; and, may be, had it not been for that, the bringing off of the Straw from this Village could not have been done without some Skirmish with the French. The Sixth, Colonel Saunderson's Regiment (the Remainder of Tiffin's Brigade) was order'd to march behind the Canal of Brussels, and guard it between the Burnt-bridge and the Fort des Trois Trous on both sides of Vilvorde, being the Post which Colonel Murray's Regiment had before.

The Ninth in the Evening the two Marechals of Villeroy and Bouflers had Te Deum Sung at their Quarters for the taking of Barcelona, the Capital City of the Principality of Catalonia, and afterwards all their Artillery and Small-shot was fir'd thrice round, and the same thing [Page 119] was done this Evening in the Marechal of Catinat's Army: This place had been invested the Second of June, the Trenches open'd the Fifth in the Evening, and after having held a Siege of one and fifty Days from the opening of the Trenches, it began to Parley the 26th of July, and a Cessation of Arms was agreed upon, but the Besieged did not consent to Capitulate till the 27th, under pretext of con­ferring first with the Chief Officers of the Town, and the next day, of giving notice to the Vice-roy of Catalonia incamp'd seven or eight Leagues off, but the French allowing no longer term for the Cessa­tion, the Hostages were exchang'd the 27th in order to Capitu­late; yet the Capitulation was not made up and sign'd till the 31th, because of the great variety of Business it included, for the Army, Courts of Judicature Ecclesiastical and Temporal, Civil Magistrates and Burghers, Barcelona being the Head Town of Catalonia, and all this Principality surrender'd up to the French with it: The Marquis de Chemerant Brigadier of the Army brought the Capitulation to the French King, who made him a Marechal de Camp or Major General for this Service; and by it, the Besieged were to march out of the Town and the Fort of Monjouy (which was deliver'd up with it) on the fifth of August, to go thence to Tarragon, with 30 Pieces of Cannon and six Mortars, and to be conducted as far as Martorel upon the River of Lobregat; a Cessation of Arms was likewise agreed upon by this Capitulation, between the two Armies till the 22th of August Old Stile, during which time the River Lobregat should serve as a Barrere for the French and Spaniards, each to keep on their respective side: But I must not forget (whilst I speak of this Capitulation) to add, That the Article, made by the Besteged for the Preservation of the Authority and Privileges of the Inquisition-Court held in this Town, was rejected by the French, and conse­quently this Court laid aside whilst Barcelona should be in their Pos­session, as if 'twas yet a severer Tribunal than the Military Inquisi­tion of Dragoons. Thus Barcelona fell into the hands of the French, after a Famons Siege, not so much for the Strength of the Place, (for 'tis but weak and ill fortified) as for the Defence that was made in it, the Number of the Besieged, and that of the Besiegers: The Besieged, though the whole Army of Spain, by the Communication of the Fort of Monjouy, was concern'd in it, got a great deal of Honour in the Defence of a large and weak Town, and vigorously press'd with Cannon and Bombs; and the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt [Page 120] who was once Colonel of an English Regiment and Brigadier of His Hajesty's Army, and in a manner train'd in our Service in the War of Ireland, had a very great share in the Glory of so good a Defence; the French on their side, with a small Army of about 28000 Men, out brav'd the great Resistance of all the Spanish Army, and carried it, when they did not exceed the Besieged by above 10 or 11000 Men; which Consideration must help very much to set off the Vigour, Boldness and Resolution of the Besiegers, who ought to have a great deal of Honour allow'd them upon this account: 'Tis true; that they ransack'd all the Forts and Garrisons in Languedor and Pro­vence, whereby they got a Reinforcement of six or seven thousand Men to repair their Losses, and were by this means almost as strong at the end of the Siege as at the beginning of it; but if the number of Burghers that were in Barcelona, who no doubt had a hand in the Defence of it, be consider'd, this will not very much lessen the Glory of taking of it. I do not know the Situation of Barcelona, yet it can hardly be imagin'd, but if the Spaniards (having no other place to defend to put a stop to the Progress of the French Conquests in a Country where they could not subsist with great Armies) had made by times a good and strong Retrenchment on one side of Barce­lona for to cover their Army, and at the same time good Fortifications and Out-works on the other, that if the French had besieg'd it in such a Posture of Defence, Barcelona could have taken by them; and even as Barcelona was, if Spain had transported the Troops they had to spare in Italy since the Peace on that side, it would have been an Attempt above their Power: As to this last, the Spaniards say that the Duke of Savoy kept still the Forces on foot he had during the War, and therefore that they could not leave the Milane's open and ex­pos'd to an arm'd Neighbour, if it was so, the Duke of Savoy has done, in that, a signal piece of Service to the French King; as to the first, the Spaniards pretend that the English and Dutch were to send a good Squadron to their Assistance, and then that Barcelona would have been in no Danger; for the French Army before this place could not subsist but by the Communication it had by Sea with Provence and Languedoc, and the Sea-ports they were Masters of in Catalonia; and if we had sent a Fleet in the Mediterranean at that time, the French must not only have rais'd the Siege, but the Army could not have got off but with very great difficulty: Whatever reason the Spaniards might have to expect a Fleet from England and [Page 121] the States, yet no Man can say that this does excuse them from acting their part in providing for the Safety of the Place, and putting of it in a good Posture of Defence, chiefly considering that we had already a Squadron of about twenty Men of War in the West-Indies to watch Pointy's Motions and protect the Galleons, which must otherwise have fallen into the hands of the French; and may be, this was as much as England could do at that time, considering our late Money Diffi­culties.

Notwithstanding the great Advantages which the French had over the Allies by this great Conquest; and that the French Plenipoten­tiaries had given in their Project the Tenth of the foregoing Month in the very middle of this Siege, and that no Relief could be ex­pected for the Place, but purely from the vigorous Defence of the Besieged, yet this did not seem to hasten the Negociations amongst them at Ryswick: Copies of this Project had been given to the Plenipoten­tiaries of the Empire, Spain and Holland, according to the Tenour of it; and the Project as well as full Powers of the French, being directed to treat with the Emperor and Empire, the Empire had therefore in the Dyet at Ratisbonne, made a Solemn Deputation to treat on the behalf of all the States and Princes of Germany with the French King; in which, among the Ecclesiastical Electors that of Mentz, the Secular, those of Bavaria, Saxony and Brandenbourg; and out of the College of Princes, for the Catholicks, the Arch bishop of Saltsburg, the Great Master of the Teutonick Order, the Bishops of Wortzburg, Spire, Constance, Hildersheim, Liege and Munster, the Princes of the House of Austria, Palatine and Newbourg, &c. and for the Protestants, Brandenbourg for the Dutchy of Magdebourg, Sweden for the Dutchies of Bremen and Deuxponts, Saxen-Cobourg, Saxen-Gotha, Brandenbourg-Cullenbach, Brunswick-Zell, Brunswick-Wolfembuttle, Hesse-Cassel, Wirtemberg, Holstein, Anhalt and the Counts of Wetteravia; out of the Imperial Towns, for the Catholicks, Cologne and Augsburg, and for the Protestants, Francfort and Nurem­berg were appointed, by their Plenipotentiaries at Ryswick to repre­sent the whole Body of the German Empire, and to treat in its Name with the French King's Ambassadors. These having a Copy of the Project laid before them, gave in their Answer to it, wherein they insisted upon the full and entire Restitution of every thing as it had been establish'd in the Treaty of Westphalia, reserving a Power to the Emperour and Empire of keeping a Garrison in the [Page 122] Town of Straisbourg, for which they could not accept of an Equi­valent; neither could they allow the French King to keep Saar-Louis with the pretended District about it in the Dutchy or Lorrain, but that the whole must be restor'd to that Duke: This was the chief Substance of their Answer, when at this time the French were pressing the Siege of Barcelona very hard, that they had taken Ath in Flanders, and that Prince Lewis of Baden was still on the other side of the Rhine, notwithstanding the Weakness of the French that way. This Answer seem'd to raise great Obstacles to the for­warding of the Treaty, if the Empire would insist upon it to the last; and yet notwithstanding these Difficulties, 'twas about this time The first Confe­rence Au­gust the Sixth. that they began to treat personally at Ryswick in the Me­diatour's Chamber, whereas hitherto the Conferences had been car­ried on in Writing by the Mediatour, the Allies and the French keep­ing to their respective Apartments.

The Term given by the French in their Project was now drawing near, but in the mean while 'tis fit to see what the Armies were doing in the Field: The two French Armies commanded by the Marechals of Villeroy and Bouflers, were now advanc'd a great way from any of their Frontier Towns, which made Convoys tedious, and every thing but Forrage very scarce in their Camps; and, had it not been for the Conveniency of Water carriage, from Tournay to Renay upon the Scheld, and from Grammont to Alost by the Dender (no Land car­riage remaining but from the Scheld to Grammont, and from Alost to the Armies which were just by) it had been impossible for them to have subsisted where they were; and the great Rains that fell about this time so broke the ways, that the little Land-carriage they had be­came extreamly difficult, and the Boats could hardly for the same reason be drawn by Horses: If this made Provisions scarce and dear in the French Armies, it created no less an Inconveniency for the bringing in of Forrage, and they were forc'd at this time to cut down vast Quantities of Fascines for the repairing of the Ways, and the making of Bridges over the Ditches, being all fill'd with Water by the excessive Rains. The 12th, the two Brigades of Foot that had been commanded to Grammont, were order'd to return to the two Armies, and the 11 Battallious detach'd from Montrevel came back from Helchin to their former Post, because the Brandenbourg Troops had not march'd to Rousselar with the Elector, but continu'd in the Pays de Waes, and therefore the Marechal of Catinat did not [Page 123] want Assistance for the defence of the Lines: But the French having consum'd by this time all the Forrage hereabouts, and being oblig'd to Forrage the last time on the other side of the Dender towards Ghendt, began to think of retreating with their Armies and coming nearer to their Frontiers; and thereupon order'd this day 8000 Men to go and cut Fascines under the cover of a Brigade of Swissers and some other Battallions, for the Reparation of the Ways and making Bridges over the Dender, which were carried to the places appointed, by the Horse and Dragoons; for the Weather was so bad at this time, that we thought the French could not stir at present, because they (as some suppos'd) could not carry off their Artillery; but by the help of vast quantities of Fascines, and of Trees cut down and laid a-cross under them in the most dangerous places, they compass'd this Difficulty: The Marquis de Harcourt, who had left Bossu to come and incamp at Solre lower upon the Sambre, was driven by the Rains from the Banks of this River, to incamp between Wal­court and Florennes. The 14th, The French having repair'd the Ways, and finish'd the Bridges over the Dender, the Artillery and heavy Baggage was commanded away out of both Armies, that of the Marechal of Villeroy pass'd the Dender, and that of Bouflers kept on the right side of it. The 15th, The Marechal of Villeroy's Army march'd upon the Left to pass the Dender, and Prince Vaudemont, who had Information of their Design and of the March of their Artillery the overnight, order'd then a Detachment of 1500 Horse and 1000 Foot to be ready the next Morning, with which he went betimes to observe the Marching off of the French, and see if any Attempt could be made upon their Rear-guard, having advanc'd for this end, between Zellich and Asche; but the French march'd off in such order, that no advantage could be taken, and no other Action happen'd but that of some Pickeering of our Hussars amongst them, and thus pass'd the Dender upon several Bridges at and about Alost, and incamp'd with the Right near this Town, and the Left at Den­derleuwe, where the Marechal of Villeroy had his Quarter: The same day the Marechal of Bouflers march'd upon the Right to change Post again with Villeroy, and came to incamp at Alost, the Dender re­maining between them; and 16 Boats came down that River this day from Grammont to Alost, laden with Bisket for the use of the Armies which wanted it very much at present. The 16th, the Artillery and heavy Baggage march'd on before, because of the badness of [Page 124] the Ways, having a strong Escorte of several Squadrons and Bat­tallions commanded by the Marquis de Crequi Lieutenant General; The Marechal of Villeroy's Army halted this day, but that of Bouflers march'd from Alost up the Dender, which River was upon the right Colomn of the March, and came to incamp at Ninove, keeping still on the same side of the Dender. The 17th, The Marechal of Villeroy's Army march'd on upon the Left towards Audenarde and the Scheld, and came to incamp with the Right beyond Esche, the Left at Ste Marie-Oudenhove and General Quarter at Steinhuys, to destroy the Forrage, and subsist between the Scheld, the Dender and Ghendt, where the Armies had not yet incamp'd this Year; but Bouflers Army halted this day, and march'd on the 18th upon the Right higher up the Dender towards Grammont, where it incamp'd for the Conveniency of Forrage on both sides of the River, with the Right at Stanberg towards Gamerage, and the Left on the other side towards the Scheld. The 19th, the Marechal of Villeroy remov'd his Quarter from Steinhuys to Ste Marie-Oudenhove upon the Left, where the French and Swisse Guards, and the Dragoons of Fimareon, had Orders to come and incamp to cover his Quarter: The Marechal of Bouflers Army being now posted near Grammont, Monfiour de Montrevel was order'd to incamp at Helchin with the Body under his command, consisting of 16 Battallions and 20 Squadrons.

These Motions of the French seem'd to threaten Audenarde, and we were apprehensive of it; for the Marechal of Villeroy had gone, at his first coming to this Ground, to view all the Posts and Avenues about this place, and the Banks of the Scheld both above and below, with a strong Detachment of the King's House, Light-Horse and Dragoons, as if he design'd to Invest it; and the Siege of Audenarde was discours'd of very hotly upon this occasion, in case the Peace was not Sign'd by the 20th Iustant, according to the Time prefix'd by the French in their Project; and it being now just upon the time, every Body long'd to know the Event of that day at Ryswick: The Affairs relating to the Differences between France, England and Hol­land were adjusted, and the Treaty ready to be Sign'd; Spain had just now lost all Catalonia in the loss of Barcelona, and therefore had no reason to stand upon very high Terms; and the Empire had as little Prospect of bringing the French to the Treaty of Westphalia; this made most People expect that a General Peace would be Sign'd that day; but when it came to the very nick of time, the Imperialists [Page 125] pretended to have a longer time for their Instructions, which they could not have time enough to Sign at present; and insisted upon having better Terms than those offer'd by the French, which in several cases derogated from the Treaty of Westphalia, and there­upon refus'd to Sign: Our Plenipotentiaries and those of Spain and Holland having no Instructions to Sign separately from the rest of the Allies, were therefore oblig'd to stand out too: The French, who had their Measures ready, as if they expected this from the Imperialists, gave in a Memorial to the Mediator the very next day, in which they laid out the great Advantages their Master had gain'd over the Allies in the whole Course of the Campagne, and especially by the taking of Barcelona, which could not do otherwise than give him great Hopes of gaining considerably by the farther Prosecution of the War; and, although the Allies had let the Term given in their late Project pass, and consequently that they had a Right to enter upon new Propositions, yet the French King (to shew his great Moderation to the World, and that in the midst of his Conquests he sincerely desir'd the Peace and Repose of Christendom) was contented, notwithstanding all his Advantages, to change and alter nothing in the said Project, but in relation to Strasbourg, which he did now pretend to keep to himself, and that the Emperour and Empire should be oblig'd to take the Equivalent, without any farther liberty of Choice in that Matter; and likewise, that Spain should yield to him about seventeen Villages of the Chatellenie of Ath for a Land Com­munication between Tournay and Condé; and a farther Term was given in this new Memorial to the Allies, till the Tenth of September following.

This Memorial made a great Noise at first at Ryswick, and People began to apprehend it might break off the Negociations; the Impe­rialists especially talk'd very much of renewing the War, and pro­secuting of it with greater Heat and Vigour than it had been hi­therto done; and so they had need: But notwithstanding all this Bustle, they grew calmer by degrees, and this new Memorial seem'd to have been contriv'd on purpose to obviate all the Difficulties which otherwise must have occurr'd in the Choice of the Equivalent for Strasbourg; for the restoring of Strasbourg, a Soveraign, Free and Imperial Town, as it was offer'd by the French, did not accom­modate the Emperour nor indeed the Empire; because then it would still have been at the French King's Mercy, and must have open'd its [Page 126] Gates when ever his Armies should come that way to pass the Rhine: But the keeping of it accommodated the French King, and the Equi­valent the Emperour; and it could not be expected, that, whilst there was a Liberty of Choice, the Empire could be brought to ac­cept of the Equivalent but with very great Difficulties; though, in Truth, the Equivalent was a better Barrier to the Empire, than the Restauration of Strasbourg in the State it was in when the French took it, and they would not offer it upon any other Terms; but the lapsing of the Term given in the first Project, and the putting in this new Memorial thereupon, was an Expedient to satisfie both Parties, and to compass their Ends without any Difficulty. And thus the Negociations were not interrupted by this Memorial, and the French, who seem'd to threaten Audenarde with a Siege, and had brought their Armies towards the Scheld upon the Expiration of the Term given in their Project, did not think it fit at present to attempt this Undertaking: I have therefore little to say concerning them in this place, and so shall come to speak of the Transactions in the Elector's Camp during these Affairs, which I have left at Rousselar.

The Sixth, the height of Hooghleede commanding very much the Camp, it was thought fit to alter it, and bring the Right to secure a Post at present of such Consequence for the Army; which was ex­ecuted on the Seventh, and the Army incamp'd with the Right at Hooghleede, and the Left towards Caectem, extending it self as much as was possible. A Field-Officer out of every Regiment of Horse and Dragoons was order'd at the first coming to this Camp, to go with Quarter-Master-General Ivoy, and see what Forrage was to be found in the Country hereabouts towards Dixmuyde and Ipres, where they found enough for the Army to have subsisted here, much longer than it did, though some would have represented to the Elector, that it could not subsist hereabouts for want of it; but nevertheless this was a very inconvenient Camp another way, because the Army was but small and far advanc'd from our Frontier, and the Convoys difficult, which consequently must Harrass it very much by the greatness of the Duty; and the Country about it was close and Woody, and very convenient for the Parties out of Courtray, Menin and Ipres, which made them take daily a great many Horses: For these Reasons it was thought necessary to bring the Army back nearer to our Fron­tier, either towards Dixmuyde or Bruges; and the Elector went this [Page 127] day to view the Camp of Hantsame and Cortemark near Dixmuyde, and that of Torhout near Bruges, with an Escorte of 500 Horse; which was not the only Security His Highness had for this Journey, for Major General Fagel was marching at the same time that way from Newport, to reinforce his Army at Rousselar, where he arriv'd this day with the four Hanover Battallions, of the Guards, St. Paul, Hulsen and Cinqvilles, and two Dutch, being those of Beyma and Swansbeck; and by this Reinforcement the Elector's Army con­sisted now of 35 Battallions: Upon this Motion of Fagel's, Colonel Soutandt had the Guard of the Canal of Bruges, with his Battallion and those of Fagel and Reinardt; and Colonel Buchan's and the Lord Lorne's Regiments were order'd to march for Plassendal to be near Newport. The Elector thought to have kept the Field longer in this Camp with this small Reinforcement, but the Rains came on so violently, that it would be a very hard Matter to get Convoys from our Frontier, and must make Provisions very Scarce and Dear; for this and the Reasons above mention'd, it was resolv'd to leave this Camp, and march either towards Dixmuyde where every thing could come by Water to the Camp, or else towards Torhout, which was but between three and four Leagues from Bruges; the first, though very Convenient, was not thought adviseable, because then if the Marechal of Catinat had the Advantage of one March, he would easily get to Bruges before the Army could come there to cover it; and therefore the Camp of Torhout, where Bruges and the Canal were at once cover'd, was thought the most convenient. Accordingly the Army march'd the 15th upon the Right (all the Infantry upon one Colomn being the Left, and all the Cavalry upon another which made the Right, and the Artillery and heavy Baggage upon a third within the two others, and cover'd by them, towards the Canal of Newport) and came to incamp with the Right beyond the Chappel of Wynendale with the Wood before it; the Body of Foot between the Castle of Wynendale on the Right, where the Prince of Nassau-Saarbruck had his Quarter, and Town of Torhout on the Left, where was that of the Elector; the Left Wing, being all compos'd of Brandenbourg Horse and Pyper's Brigade, extended it self farther upon the Left beyond this small Town: A Captain of the Bavarians, that had been detach'd with a Party to cover the March, and Scower the French Parties which Sculk'd up and down in this close Country, defeated three of them, and kill'd three and twenty French, besides several [Page 128] wounded and Prisoners. The 16th, Major General Fagel march'd back to Newport with the six Battallions under his Command. The 17th, the Army made a General Forrage in the Villages of Hantsame, Cortemarck and Werckene, where the Elector went in Person; Lieute­nant Colonel Pechman of the Bavarian Guards, who was order'd to Scower the Woods with a good Detachment of Foot, defeated two French Parties, kill'd and wounded several, and brought 25 Pri­soners of the first, and 19 of the second into the Camp; all the For­ragers had their Arms by the Elector's Orders, and this Affair was manag'd so well, that the Army did not lose one Horse. The 19th, the Elector view'd all the Bavarian Troops in the Heath between Torhout and Wynendale, and went thence to Bruges, being still trou­bled with sore Eyes; the same day the Prince of Nassau-Saarbruck left the Camp to go to the Baths of Aix la Chappelle for his Health, and Count d'Arco, General of the Bavarians, was left Commander in Chief of the Army: Upon this going of the Prince of Nassau's to Aix la Chappelle, My Lord of Athlone had once Orders to go and Com­mand the Army in Flanders, and was preparing to leave the Prince's Army for that purpose, but how this came to be alter'd, is what brings me to speak of the Affairs of our Army in Brabant.

The Marechals of Bouflers and Villeroy being now separated, and march'd from the Neighbourhood of the Canal of Brussels, a great deal of our Cavalry could be spar'd out of our Camp, where there was hardly any Forrage to be had at present, to go and subsist more conveniently some where else; and therefore all the Cavalry upon English Pay, being first joyn'd with the Dragoons that had been posted behind the Canal, march'd on the 18th from Diegom to Wavre upon the Dyle for the Conveniency of Forrage, but the Dutch Horse being left in this Camp, were furnish'd with dry Forrage from the States Magazines in the Town: Upon this March of our English Cavalry to Wavre, the Prince of Tilly left Masy, and pass'd the Meuse at Namur to incamp within the Retrenchment upon the Height of Ste Barbe, there to subsist in the Condros and spare the Forrage on this side for our Cavalry. The both, the Duke of Ormond and the Prince of Hesse left the Army, the first to go for England and thence to Ireland for his Domestick Affairs, and the last into Germany, and this day, being the Term given in the French Project, there was no other Discourse in the Camp but of Peace, but how this came to fail, is what I have given an account of just now. The 24th, the Prince gave [Page 129] Orders for all the Artillery and Baggage-Horses to be sent for from Grazing, and for the Army to be ready to march, upon Information that Bouflérs Army was upon the March towards the Plain of Fleury; the said Marechal having left the Camp of Stanberg and the Neigh­bourhood of Grammont on the 22th to come to Enghien, whereupon Count Tillard was left at Grammont with 18 Battallions and as many Squadrons for the Guard of the Convoys between the Scheld and Villeroy's Camp, and of the Bread which was Bak'd in this Town for the use of the Armies. The 23d, the Marechal of Bouflers con­tinu'd to march upon the Right, and came to incamp at Soignies, where he was joyn'd by the Marquis de Courtebonne and the ten Bat­tallions under his Command, which had been posted about Mons since Bouflers March towards Dendermond. The French being got so far to­wards the Sambre alarm'd the Prince, who (as we have now said) order'd all the Horses to be sent for from Grazing, but did not get into the Camp till the 25th, and the Artillery and heavy Baggage could not march till the next day towards Louvain; Major General Stewart with Tiffin's Brigade was now upon his March from the Pays de Waes back to the Canal of Brussels, who, with the Body com­manded by the Count de Noyelles upon this Canal, was to joyn the Prince's Army at Louvain. Our English Cavalry and Dragoons at Wavre were to march towards Namur, who, with the Prince of Tilly and the Garrison we had in the place, might have cover'd it till the coming up of the Prince's Army. The 26th, the Artillery and heavy Baggage began to File off towards Louvain under the Escorte of a Colonel with 1000 Foot, and the Army had Orders to follow the same way the next day, to march thence towards the Mchaigne, But Count Nassau Lieutenant General, and Major General Erle, were to be left at Brussels with 15 Battallions English and Dutch, to incamp within the new Line which was now almost finish'd, there to cover the Town. The Prince had sent an Express to Loo to give His Ma­jesty an account of the Marechal de Boufler's Motions, and of his Resolutions thereupon; but Namur being at present an Attempt not to be made by the French, considering the Strength of the place with that of its Garrison, and the Forces we had about it, and the Backwardness of the Season; and that, besides, it would put the Army to great Difficulties to march that way without any pressing Occasion, and Boufler's Army being halted at Soignies where it was now Hutted, and in no likelihood to stir from thence; it was therefore thought [Page 130] convenient to countermand this March, and it was accordingly coun­termanded the 27th; for the English Infantry could not stir but with great Difficulty, because they wanted Horses to carry their Baggage; two Waggons had been allow'd each Battallion till the coming up to this Camp, which had been hir'd by the King the beginning of the Campagne, to supply the present Necessity; but having been dismiss'd at the coming to this Ground, only one could be had at present, and if the Army had been oblig'd to march, most of the Officers must have left all their Baggage behind them, for very few had Horses to carry it; and therefore, not to put them to such a Hard­ship, it was thought more Expedient to let the Foot remain where it was, and that it would be sufficient to send the Dutch Cavalry and Dragoons (being still in this Camp) under the Command of the Earl of Athlone, towards the Mehaigne: These Agitations had stopt his Design to go and command the Army in Flanders in the absence of the Prince of Nassau Saarbruck, and that thought was now quite laid aside, to go and command the Army we were going to form towards the Me­haigne; where, besides all the Dutch Horse and Dragoons, My Lord was to have Tiffin's Brigade from the Pays de Waes, and the two Brigades of Belcastel and Oxensterne from the Canal (making toge­ther sixteen Battallions) which now could be spar'd from thence upon the Marching off of Villeroy towards Audenarde, and Bouflers to Soignies; and only one Battallion was left thereupon for the Guard of the Canal. The 28th, all these Regiments joyn'd together near Louvain, under the Command of the Count de Noyelles Lieutenant General, and Major General Stewart, and incamp'd behind the Dyle about a League above the Town, with the Left at Corbeck, and the Right extending it self towards Neer-Ische; but that of Colonel Saun­derson was commanded to incamp with the Artillery at Louvain with­out Brussels-porte, and the Detachment of the Prince's Army that cover'd it was order'd back to the Camp. The 30th, all the Horses belonging to the Infautry incamp'd at Cockelberg were remanded to Graze as before along the Dyle, between Louvain and Malines, and a Colonel with a Detachment of 1000 Foot was sent to Louvain to bring the Artillery back again to our Camp: The same day My Lord Portland came from the Hague to Brussels, in order to have another Conference with the Marechal of Bouflers (as 'twas suppos'd) upon what had happen'd at Ryswick the 20th Instant, and to put Affairs in the same State as before, for the approaching Term given in the [Page 131] French Memorial; and his Lordship was Lodg'd in the Prince's Palace, where most of our Generals waited upon him the next day.

The 31th, all the Duteh Cavalry and Dragoons march'd out of the Camp of Cockelberg, under the Command of the Earl of Athlone, to go and Subsist towards the Mehaigne (except Iselstein's Brigade, My Lord of Albemarle's Carabiniers and Dopft's Dragoons, which remain'd in the Camp to furnish the Patrouilles and Out-guards) and having cross'd the Canal upon our Bridges of Boats between Laacken and Brussels, they were joyn'd on the other side by Oost frises Brigade, which had march'd through the Town from its Camp before the Fort of Monterey, and so came to incamp between Neer-Ische and Roeux St. Augustin. The First of September, My Lord of Athlone pass'd the Dyle at Florival, being follow'd by the Infantry commanded by Count de Noyelles and twelve pieces of Cannon detach'd from our Artillery at Louvain, and incamp'd together this day with the Right at Iudoigne (where was My Lord of Athlone's Quarter) and left at Pietrain on this side of the Geet, where they had Orders to Hutt: The same day the Artillery came back from Louvain to the Prince's Camp, and all the Horses were sent to Grass, but Colonel Saunderson's Regiment march'd with My Lord of Athlone: My Lord Portland went likewise this day in one of the Prince's Coaches, being attended with Lieutenant General Bellassis and Mr. Hill, to Tubise beyond Halle, where he was met by the Marechal of Bouflers from Soignies, and after having conferr'd together, they parted with great Expressions of reciprocal Esteem, and My Lord came back to Brussels this Evening, but did not return to the Hague till the Third in the Afternoon. This renew'd the Discourses of Peace in the Army, which had very much fallen since the 20th of August, till this Journey of My Lord's. There happen'd very little Extraordinary in this Camp to speak of after this, till the Conclusion of the Peace and the Separating of the Armies on both sides; this obliges me to leave the Prince's Army, and see what was doing towards Flanders.

Notwithstanding that the French had laid aside the Thoughts of Besieging Audenarde, which of it self would have been a Doubtful Siege, considering the great Armies the Allies had at present, with the Reasons I have spoken of before, and the continuing of the Nego­ciations at Ryswick, and that therefore the Marechal of Bouflers had [Page 132] left Grammont and the Neighbourhood of the Scheld, to go and in­camp at Soignies, yet they seem'd to have some Design on foot for the Marechal of Catinat's Army which was now shut up behind the Lys, where it subsisted at the Expence of the Pays-Conquis; but if rein­forc'd, could march towards the Elector's Army, and oblige him either to accept of a Battle, or else to retire into the Retrenchments of Bruges, and leave all the Country without the Canals for the Con­veniency of the French, there to subsist without being Burdensome to their own Frontier: For which Design several Pontoons were sent from Tournay to the Lys for the use of this Army, and Lieutenant General Montrevel march'd on the 21th with the Body under his Command from Helchin upon the Scheld to reinforce the Marechal of Catinat upon the Lys, and four Battallions of the King's Regiment, and two of Stouppa, were sent from Villeroy's Army to incamp at Helchin in Montrevel's place under the Command of Monsteur de Surville Major General, and were follow'd the 23d by the Queens Dragoons, and those of Ste Hermine and Davaray: The same day the Marechal of Catinat, being joyn'd by Montrevel, pass'd the Lys about Menin, and the Horse at Courtray, and came to incamp at Becelar and Dadyzeel about half way between Courtray and Ipres. The 24th, he went with a strong Escorte to reconoitre the Country about Rousselar Camp, which had been left by the Elector's Army some days before, and see what Forrage was to be had thereabouts for his Army; or to visit the Ways for a March towards Torhout, in case the Elector was resolv'd to maintain his Ground there.

Upon the first News of Catinat's passing the Lys, the Elector, who was at Bruges since the 19th, went back the 23d to put himself at the Head of his Army at Torhout, and concert with his Generals what was to be done upon it; immediately after his Arrival a Council of War was call'd, and it was resolv'd to leave the Camp of Toxhout if the Marechal of Catinat advanc'd as for as Rousselar; for Catinat being joyn'd by Montrevel and La Mothe, would be near 60 Bat­tallions strong, but the Elector had not above Thirty; and if Fagel's joyning had been sufficient, yet it was not safe at present to have them from Newport; as for the Horse and Dragoons on both sides they were pretty near equal: But where to go from Torhout, the Ge­nerals were divided upon this Point, some were for going to incamp between Ghistel and Oudenbourg along the Canal of Newport, where the Army could still share the Forrage of the Country with the [Page 133] French, and spare the Free of Bruges with the rest of the Country behind the Canals, from subsisting of it with dry Forrage; others were of opinion to march directly into the Retrenchment of St. André before Bruget to cover this place; that it was better to put the Country behind the Canals to some Expence, than Bruges should be in danger, and if the Elector march'd to Oudenbourg, Catinat would certainly come to Torhout, and endeavour to cut him off from getting within the Retrenchment of St. André: The first of these Advices seem'd to be pitch'd upon for the present, and to prevent Confusion in the March, and execute this Design with more Ease and Expedition, it was resolv'd to send all the Artillery and heavy Baggage before-hand in the Retrenchment of St. André, from whence it could come and joyn the Army at Oudenbourg and Ghistel, or the Army would follow the Artillery if it march'd to Bruges. The same day a Detachment was made out of the Army to go and repair the Ways towards Bruges, for the March of the Artillery and heavy Baggage, and towards Oxdonbourg for that of the Army, which Work was finish'd by the next Morning. The 24th, all the Artillery and heavy Baggage was sent to the Retrenchment of St. André, under the Convoy of the two Battallions of Dona and La Mothe, and a French Party attack'd it in a long Defilé between Torhout and the Chateau of Malstapel, in which case 'tis very difficult to cover a whole Line of the Baggage and Artillery of an Army; the Party being in Ambuscade, took the Opportunity to fall upon it where it was weakly guarded, and rifled the Baggage of three Regiments of Foot, and carried away their Horses. The 26th, Monsieur Ivoy Quarter-Master General, and all the Quarter-Masters of the Army, were sent to mark a Camp between Ghistel and Oudenbourg for the next day; the Elector's Quarter was appointed at Ghistel upon the Right, and the Prince of Nassau-Saarbruck's at Oudenbourg upon the Lost; but in the Night they receiv'd Orders to go immediately and mark the Camp within the Retrenchment of St. André before Bruges, for the Elector had receiv'd an Account this Evening that Catinat was marching to Rousselar, in order to come and attack him; whilst a Body of Villeroy's Army which had been detach'd under the Com­mand of Monsieur de Surville to Countray, should endeavour to cut off his March to Bruges; this made the Elector resolve, without any farther Ballancing, to go and secure the Retrenchment of St. André with his Army, upon which this Order was sent to the [Page 134] Quarter-Masters at Oudenbourg; and the Army began to march at Ten of the Clock this Night, and got the next Morning within the Retrenchments before Bruges, not without some Confusion and Dis­order; though it prov'd afterwards but a false Alarm, for Catinat was not yet stir'd from Becelar; however, 'tis true that Surville was come to Courtray with the six Battallions and two Regiments of Dragoons above mentioned, doubtless upon some Design: This Re­trenchment had been repair'd lately with no Alteration but the taking in of the Abbey of St. André, and Gazoon'd (that is fac'd with Turf) both within and without, and was now in a very good Condition; the Elector took his Quarter during this Camp at Schipstal, the Landing place from Ostend to Bruges, and the Prince of Nassau's was mark'd at the Abbey of St. André.

The 29th, the Marechal of Catinat's Army advanc'd from Becelar and came to incamp at Rousselar, with the Right here and Left about Hooghleede, but the Marechal himself went this day to Courtray to meet with the Marechal of Villeroy, who had come there to conferr with him: but it is probable that the Elector's March had broke their Measures, for Villeroy return'd to his Army the next day, and Mon­sieur de Surville was order'd back with the Body under his Command to Helchin. The 30th, in a general Forrage along the Scheld, the Marechal of Villeroy took occasion to demolish an old Castle which the Spaniards had at Cavre upon that River, situated upon a little Mount in the middle of it, where they always kept a small Garrison of 30 or 40 Men detach'd from the Cittadel of Ghendt, but had now been reinforc'd upon Villeroy's March towards the Scheld, more to run upon Parties than for any Defence; and all the Spaniards were made Prisoners. The Marechal of Catinat, who had come back the 29th from Courtray to the Army, march'd upon the Left from Rousselar to Dixmuyde, and incamp'd with his Right at Hantsame near Cortemarck, and his Left at Esene towards that Town, having the Brook of Hantsame before him and his head Quarter at Zarren, where at his coming up to this Camp, he was joyn'd by Monsieur de la Mothe with the Troops under his Command, which had incamp'd all this while about Furnes and Ipres, consisting of eleven or twelve Battallions, and some Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons; so that the Marechal of Catinat was now reckon'd near 60 Battallions strong, and about 80 Squadrons: But all the Waters having been let out at Newport, upon his March hither, the Water about this Camp [Page 135] was found too Brackish and Unwholsome, and therefore on the 31th; the Army pass'd the Brook of Hanisame to come more towards Tor­hout and Wynendale, and incamp'd with the Left upon the Wood of Beest, the Right at Werckene, and the General Quarter at Waldesloo.

The Elector of Bavaria having put Bruges under cover as well as his Army, by Incamping in the Retrenchment of St. André, took care at the same time for the Defence of the Canals and Newport, whereupon Lorne and Buchan's Regiments were order'd to guard the Canal of Newport, the first at Laffine and the second at Snaeskirk, and Soutlandt's was order'd from the Neighbourhood of Bruges back to Major General Fagel at Lombarzyde; the Duke of Holstein-Ploen's Dragoons and the Battallions of Harsolt, Marquet, Dona and La Mothe, were order'd, at the coming to St. André Camp, to go and post themselves behind the Canal of Bruges, which, with the Regi­ments of Fagel and Reinardt already there, they were to guard all along to Ghendt. The 29th, His Highness went to Newport to see every thing thereabouts in a good Posture of Defence, and at the same time order'd Major General Schlipenbach, with four Squadrons of Dutch Horse, two of Bavarian Cuirassiers, and six of Branden­bourg, to march that way with ten or twelve pieces of Cannon; Brigadier Rantsaw was also sent to incamp with the Battallions of Willekens, Rantsaw, Obergen, Schack and Weed, behind the Canal of Ostend over against Plassendale; the Waters were let out at Newport to overflow all the Country about it towards Furnes and Dixmuyde, and a Garrison was put into the Chateau of Ghistel; and the Elector, having given his Orders at Newport, came back the same day to the Camp at Schipstall near Bruges: His Highness had been inform'd the day before, that the Barrier upon the Line of Furnes had now been shut up two or three days together, without suffering any Body either to go out or come in, which gave some Apprehension for Newport; but it was quickly known that it was for the Prince of Conti, who was come Post to Dunkirk, in order to imbark with his Retinue and about 1000 chosen Men and Volontiers, on Board of a small Squadron of light Frigats, commanded by the Chevalier Bant, to Sail for Dant: zick, and endeavour to make good his Election to the Crown of Poland by the Cardinal Primate and his Party; which, since the Dyet at Warsaw, had again been ratified by the Party in a Rokosz, or Confederation of the Party met at the Cardinal's Summons, which [Page 136] invited the Prince to come into Poland to take Possession of the Crown, and protect his Friends; but this Expedition was made too late, when the Elector of Saxony was already Crown'd and had Possession of the Government, which Conti's Party could not now de­prive him of; and thus that Expedition fail'd, and the Prince of Conti, after having remain'd a great while on Ship board in the Road of Dantzick, was forc'd to come back without being able to attempt any thing.

The Third of September, the Elector, who had never been at Sea, went to Blankenberg (a little Borough inhabited by none but Fisher­men Septemb. between Ostend and Sluys) where he and his Retinue went on board of several Fishing-boats a little way out to Sea, to try the Temper of this Element; two or three Privateers were sent out at the same time to guard the Coast, and the Elector had almost the Satisfaction of seeing a Sea Ingagement, for they were pursued back into Ostena by some French Privateers, which oblig'd His Highness, after having been some few Hours at Sea, to come back to Blanken­berg, and from thence return'd to the Camp. The Sixth, The Elector left the Army to go in Relays to Antwerp this day, where Prince Vandemont was to meet His Electoral Highness the day fol­lowing from Brussels, and the Command of the Army in Flanders fell thereby to the Count d' Arco General of the Bavarians. The Seventh, Prince Vaudemont came accordingly from Brussels to wait upon the Elector at Antwerp, and conferr together upon the present State of Affairs; the Prince went back the same day to the Army at Brussels, but the Elector remain'd in that Town: The Term prefix'd by the late Memorial given in by the French drawing near, His Electoral Highness was more conveniently here, than in any other Town of his Jurisdiction, to send Expresses to or receive them from Don Ber­nardo de Quiros the first Plenipotentiary of Spain at the Congress of Ryswick, who had receiv'd express Orders from the Court of Spain alarm'd by the Loss of Barcelona, to Sign then upon the Conditions offer'd by the French, Sign who will for the rest; and (as 'twas re­ported) had had a Reprimand for not Signing the 20th of August, the Term given before in the Project; which was a Tune many Notes lower than at the beginning of these Negociations, when Spain as well as the Empire, were so unwilling to Treat upon the Foot of the Peace of Nimeguen. The Prince at his return to Brussels, began [Page 137] to review the Army, Brigade by Brigade, not so much to be sati fied of the Strength of the Regiments, as to see them Exercise, there be­ing little to do at present for them. The Ninth, Selwyn's Brigade posted at Laacken exercis'd before him; and the Tenth, the half Bri­gade of Guards of the first Line continued the same Pass-time. The 11th, The Prince being inform'd that the Marechal of Villeroy had advanc'd with his Army from Ste Marie Oudenhove nearer to Ghendt, and was come to incamp at St. Lievens-Houthem, order'd Selwyn's Brigade and the Regiments of Columbine and Granville of Fairfax's, to send for their Baggage-Horses from Grass, in order to march the next day, being design'd for a Reinforcement to the Bran­denbourg Foot incamp'd at Heusen for the Defence of the Scheld be­tween Ghendt and Dendermonde; for if the Peace had not been Sign'd the over-night, of which there could be no News as yet in our Camp, it was expected that the War would begin again with more Vigour and Animosity than ever; and that Villeroy thereupon might have endeavour'd either to Bombard Ghendt or pass the Scheld. But it pleas'd God at length to put an end to a War which for nine Years together had Harass'd and severely Chastis'd most Parts of Christendom, and the Peace was Happily Sign'd the 10th at night be­tween England, Spain and Holland on one part, and France on the other: The Spanish Plenipotentiaries Sign'd about Midnight, and after them those of the States General, which being done, the French were now oblig'd according to the Preliminary Articles, to acknow­ledge His Majesty for King of Great Britain, without any Restricti­on, Condition or Reserve; our Plenipotentiaries were thereupon in­troduc'd by the Mediatour, and receiv'd by the French with all the Civility that was due to the Plenipotentiaries of the Crown of En­gland; after which the Articles were Sign'd between England and France in the presence of the Mediatour, and the Plenipotentiaries on both sides embrac'd one another with all the Demonstrations of Friend­ship, Esteem, and an intire Reconciliation; and the Conversation soon fell upon the Panegyrick of the two Most Powerful Monarchs in Christendom, whose great Actions must hereafter make the best part of the History of these Times; the French especially spoke of the great Veneration that all Brave French-men had for so Renown'd a Prince as King William the Third, and of the great Esteem and Value the King their Master had for him.

[Page 138] As for the Imperialists, they still stuck out and refus'd to Sign, alledging that they had not time enough given them to have In­structions from the Emperour and Empire about the Matters in Debate, and especially one of such Consequence as the Dismembring of Strasbourg from the Body of the Empire was, and insisted still upon the full Restitution of Lorraine, without the Reservation of Saar-Louis and Longwy to the French: After this second Refusal of the Empe­rour's Plenipotentiaries, those of England, Spain and Holland Sign'd without them, according to the Instructions they had receiv'd; but a Separate Article was added at the end of every one of these three several Treaties, in which it was stipulated between the Mediatour, the Powers that had Sign'd and the French, that a farther time should be allow'd to the Emperour and Empire till the 22th day of October inclusive, next ensuing, (being six Weeks time) to regulate the Affairs relating to the Empire; during which time all manner of Hostilities should cease between the Germans and the French; for the Performance whereof, the Powers that had Sign'd ingag'd themselves as Guarrantees; but if by that time the Peace was not Sign'd between the Empire and France, that nevertheless the Treaty concluded at Ryswick should stand good, and the Powers that had Sign'd should remain Neuter in the War between France and the Empire. I will not pretend to advance, that there was a Design in the refusing to Sign by the Emperour's Plenipotentiaries, both the former Term and this; but this may be said for Truth, that the refusing to Sign the time before, put it out of the Empires Choice to take Strasbourg or the Equivalent; and their refusing to Sign now, left them to Treat with the French among themselves, which has brought in the Fourth Article of the Treaty for the Empire, so Prejudicial to the Protestant Religion in Germany, and Derogatory to the Treaty of Munster in its behalf; which may be look'd upon as the Fundamental Constitu­tion of the Empire, as 'tis now divided between the Protestant and the Romish Religion; which Article, 'tis very probable, would not have been so easily gain'd to the Prejudice of the Protestant Interest, if the Imperialists had acted and sign'd in Conjunction with the rest of the Allies: I need not give an account of the three several Trea­ties Sign'd at Ryswick the Tenth, because they are already Printed by themselves, to which I shall referr the Reader; only I shall men­tion something concerning Luxembourg and the Equivalent offer'd to Spain in lieu of it, namely, That the Equivalent offer'd by the French, [Page 139] being Maubeuge, Condé, Menin and Ipres, was much more Advan­tagious for the Spanish Dominions in the Low-Countries; because it made them more united, and gave them a better and more defensible Frontier, and for the same reason was so to England; but, the French restoring Lorrain, it was better for the Common Interest of Europe to have Luxembourg back again for a Communication between Lorrain, the Empire and the Low-Countries, for otherwise without it, the French might still have over-aw'd the Empire upon the Lower-Rhine, and have had an In-let into Holland, for which reason Luxem­bourg has been preferr'd to the Equivalent; and the French, who to be sure expected that it would be so, and therefore were aware of it, resolv'd to retain Saar-Louis and Longwy to have still a Bridle upon the Empire and Luxembourg; and also for a Defence to France it self in case of such another Alliance against it, as the last.

Immediately after the Signing of the Peace at Ryswick the 10th or rather 11th of September, Expresses were dispatch'd to all the Courts in Christendom to give notice of it, and our Plenipotentiaries at the Hague thought it convenient to send one to Prince Vaudemont at Brussels who commanded all His Majesty's Forces and Armies in Chief in the Low Countries; the Express pass'd by Antwerp at Nine of the Clock at Night, and Mr. Hill His Majesty's Envoy at the Court of Brussels, who was then at his Pay-Office at Antwerp, had the first News of it before the Elector; about Twelve the Express came to the Prince at the Camp, and the good News were all over the Army next Morning; our Express was follow'd by two Spanish Couriers going to Madrid, the first with the News of the Signing, and the second with the Treaty in due Form to be Ratified, who both receiv'd the Elector's Orders at Antwerp in their way: And as if Providence had design'd this to be mark'd for a Happy day in the Calender, the Elector receiv'd, soon after the passing of the first Spanish Courier, an Express from the Emperour, with the News of the Great and Glorious Defeat which Prince Eugene of Savoy had given the Turks at Zanta near the Theysse in Hungary on the First of September; which as it appears by the Accounts of it, was as com­pleat and entire a Victory as has been gain'd for many Ages; and so much the more Welcome, that it was gain'd in a time when Men were very apprehensive for the Emperour's Affairs in Hungary, the Grand Seignior having a much more powerful Army; with which he had already driven the Imperialists from Titul, and was now passing [Page 140] the Theysse, to march towards Peter-Waradin; when, his Army being imprudently divided by the River, either for want of Boats to make several Bridges, or Conduct, Prince Eugene attack'd that part which had pass'd under the Command of the Grand Visier, and gave it an entire Rout, and in the Pursuit over the Bridge (which occasion'd the loss of most of the Infidels) put that part, which was commanded by the Grand Seignior on the other side, into no less Confusion and Dis­order. The Elector having receiv'd this joyful News by the Ex­press, dispatch'd immediately the Count de Milan to the Electrice and Prince Vaudemont at Brussels, with the Letter he had receiv'd from the Emperour upon this occasion: Several People wish'd that this Victory had happen'd a little sooner for the sake of the Allies, who (if the Turks had been brought to make a Peace, which would have been much more Honourable than what they at present can expect) could then have given the Law in the Congress of Ryswick, and oblig'd the French to much greater Restitutions, or else have carried on a War that must have been Fatal to them; but the French Court has known so well how to manage the Turks upon this Point, in all the Misfortunes they have had for these seven or eight Years last past, that there was no more reason to expect the Turks would seek for a Peace after this Defeat, than after that of Salankement, or the Losses of Guyla and Great-Waradin.

The 12th in the Evening, the Elector follow'd the good News and came to Brussels, and the next day he sent the Marquis d'Ʋsiés, a Ser­jeant General de Battaille in the Spanish Troops to the Marechal of Villeroy, and Baron Simeoni to the Marechal of Bouflers, to give them an account of the Signing of the Peace on the Tenth at Night, and to know what Orders they had from the French Court about their Armies between this and the Ratification, which was to be made within three Weeks after; Count Monasterol was sent at the same time by Count d'Arco from the Army near Bruges to the Marechal of Catinat upon the same account; they were receiv'd with great Civilities in the French Camps, and nobly entertain'd, but return'd with this Answer, That no Orders were yet come from Court to them upon the Signing of the Peace, but that as soon as they did receive any, they would give an account of it to His Electoral High­ness, thereby to regulate Affairs on both sides accordingly. The 14th, all the Artillery was drawn out before the Camp upon the Height uear the Wind mill of Ganshoren, and all the Army drew out in the [Page 141] Evening to fire three Volleys for the great Victory obtain'd over the Turks by Prince Eugene of Savoy, but it fell a Raining very hard, and all the Troops were dismiss'd to their Tents, and the Artillery commanded back to its former Post; which, may be, was not the true Reason, but rather it was not thought convenient to have any publick Rejoycing about it, the Peace being Sign'd between England and France; which made England to have no Interest in the Emperour's Affairs that way; For I do not remember that there were any pu­blick Rejoycings in England for the raising the Siege of Vienna in King Charles the Second's Reign, or even for the taking of Buda in King James's, though a Popish Prince: But Te Deum was Sung this Evening in the Elector's Chappel, and all the Cannon fir'd thrice round the Ramparts of Brussels, with abundance of Illuminations and Fire-works; and Count d'Arco the Bavarian General, who com­manded at present the Army of Flanders in Chief, had Te Deum Sung in his Quarter by the Chaplains of the Spanish and Bavarian Troops, and the Army and Artillery being drawn out, fir'd three rounds for this Victory. The 17th, Prince Vaudemont left the Camp to go and wait upon His Majesty at Loo, not only to regulate the Marching of the English Troops out of the Country, but chiefly to Thank His Majesty for the great Honours he had receiv'd in commanding of his Armies in Flanders the three last Campagnes, and to pass as much time as he could with the King before His Majesty went for England, now that the parting would be for some time, the Prince being ap­pointed by the King of Spain for Governour of Milan in the Room of the Marquis de Leganés; where we may expect from so Brave and Wise a Prince, that he will manage Affairs so as to conserve the Peace and Repose of Italy, and contribate thereby to maintain that of Christendom in General. The Prince being now gone to Loo, the Duke of Wirtemberg became in course General in Chief of the Army near Brussels.

The 19th, the Marechal of Bouflers sent Monsieur de Pracontal a Merechal de Camp or Major General of his Army, to the Elector of Bavaria at Brussels, to give His Highness an account, that the French King had sent Orders for his Armies to retire forthwith out of the King of Spain's Territories in that Country, and cease all farther Acts of Hostility against His Catholick Majesty's Subjects, or any others belonging to the Powers which had Sign'd the Peace on the 10th in­stant; whereupon an Order was publish'd by Beat of Drum in the [Page 142] Armies on both sides to publish the Signing of the Peace at Ryswick, and prevent all manner of Hostilities hereafter upon pain of Death; and all Parties were immediately after drawn off, and com­manded back to their respective Regiments or Garrisons, and the Countrey left free and open for an intercourse and Commerce between the Subjects on both sides in pursuance of an order to this purpose proclaim'd in all the Towns of the French and Spanish Frontiers.

On the 20th. the Three French Armies commanded by the Mare­chals of Villeroy, Bouslers and Catinat, march'd out of the King of Spains Territories to retire into the Pays Conquis, in pursuance of the Orders they receiv'd from the King their Master, yet so as to subsist in the Country which they were to restore by the Treaty, and spare their own: The Marechal of Villeroy came to incamp just without the Scheld in the Chatellenie of Ath to Forrage the Countrey be­tween this place, and Mons and Tournay; the Marechal of Bouslers left Soignies to pass the Sambre and subsist between Beaumont and Char­leroy, and the Marechal of Catinat repass'd the Lys to come into the Cha­tellenie of Courtray with the best part of his Army to demolish the Line (this place and Chatellenie being to be restor'd to the King of Spain by vertue of the Treaty) and the rest march'd into the Lines of Ipres. The Marquis de Harcourt had been commanded back, just before the Signing of the Treaty, towards the Moselle and the Rhine, to reinforce the Marechal of Choiseul; for the Germans had at last past the Rhine, and the main of the Army commanded by Prince Lewis of Baden was come to incamp at Creutznach between the Electorate of Treves and the Palatinate of the Rhine, whilst the rest besieg'd the Town and Castle of Eberenbourg belonging to the Elector of Treves, which the French had possess'd themselves of since the beginning of the War: Prince Lewis of Baden was carrying on of this Siege at the time of the Signing of the Treaty, and the Marechal of Choiseul was not in a condition to attempt the relief of it, which oblig'd the Marquis de Harcourt to march back towards Montroyal and endea­vour jointly with the Marechal of Choiseul to raise that Siege; for which purpose, immediately after the retiring of the French Armies out of the Spanish Dominions in the Low Countrey's, great detach­ments, especially of Horse, were sent to follow the Marquis of Har­court, and no less than 150 Squadrons were then commanded that way; which was done, not onely in order to force the Germans to [Page 143] raise the Siege they were ingag'd in, but likewise to send them to subsist between the Meuse and the Rhine, where the Peace was not yet concluded, and spare their own Frontier by that means; but Harcourt could not come time enough to joyn the Marechal of Choiseul and relieve Eberenbourg, nor could the besieged hold out long enough to prevent the loss of the place by the Cessation of Arms agreed upon at Ryswick between France and the Empire; for they were forc'd to capitulate but a day or two before the order came to cease all acts of Hostility on both sides, upon the Six Weeks Truce made at Ryswick between the Germans and the French: This shews very plainly that if the Germans had been as early in their Motions this Campagne, as the Allies were in the Low Countreys, they would have made the French pay dear for the Siege of Ath or else would have prevented it; and if they had not past the Rhine so late, not onely Eberenbourg but Kirne must have fallen into their hands; by which means they could have establish'd themselves good Winter Quarters on this side of the Rhine in the Electorate of Treves and the Palatinate; which would have been of vast consequence towards a vigorous prosecu­tion of the War, in case the Congress at Ryswick had broke up with­out concluding of a Treaty; or the Imperialists would at least have had some reason to back the pretensions they insisted upon so much in these Negotiations, which have considerably deferr'd the General Peace: But the slowness of the Germans, where their Operations depend from so many Princes and States of different Interests, and having often private grudges among themselves, and no common and General Magazines for an early taking of the Field, will always be an obstacle to any thing that is Brisk and Vigorous in a Confederate War; and the French for this reason will ever be before-hand with them in the Field, which is of very great moment in the operations of a Campagne; and we have seen, but the last Summer, the Marechal of Choiseul subsist a considerable while between the Rhine and the Neckre, with an Army that did not dare shew its face, when the Ger­mans had once taken the Field.

After the taking of Eberenbourg by Prince Lewis of Baden, the Marquis de Harcourt who was marching that way to reinforce the Marechal of Choiseul, turn'd with his Army into the Countrey of Liege beyond the Meuse; which, being a dependance of the Empire the French thought they could very justly put their Troops to subsist there and ease their own Frontier, whilst the Peace was not Sign'd as [Page 144] yet between France and Germany; and accordingly they crouded as many Troops, especially Horse and Dragoons, as they could there­abouts, and likewise in the Dutchy of Luxembourg, which was to be restor'd to Spain by the Treaty. As soon as the French had re­treated with their Armies out of the King of Spain's Territories in Flanders, to get into their own Conquests, and that a Cessation of all manner of Hostilities was thereupon publish'd, and a Free Trade and intercourse between the Frontiers on both sides proclaim'd, the Elector of Bavaria left Brussells and went to Loo to see His Majesty, and partake of the Divertisements which the Countrey thereabouts afforded in this Hunting Season, and at the same time to conferr with the King about the marching of the Allies Troops out of the Spanish Netherlands, and retaining a certain number of the States Forces to keep Garrison in the Frontier Towns of that Countrey, as they were to be after the Ratification and Execution of the Treaty of Rvswick; as Luxembourg, Namur, Charleroy, Mons, Ath, Aude­narde, Courtray and Newport, which the Spaniards were too weak to Garrison themselves; Four and Twenty Battallions of the States Forces were agreed upon for this Service, which, with the Seven Battallions of Bavarians, and the few Troops of Spaniards, Wal­loons and Italians in this Country, were thought sufficient to Garri­son the Frontier Towns in time of Peace.

In the mean while, till the Ratification of the Treaty, the Armies on our side continued incamp'd as before; the Infantry of the Brabant Army at Cockelberg; the English Horse and Dragoons at Wavre un­der General Auerquerque; the Dutch, with Tiffin's, Belcastel's and Oxenstern's Brigades of Foot, at Judoigne, under the command of the Earl of Athlone; and our Flanders Army in the Retrenchments of Bruges; where it was commanded by the Count d'Arco, till the com­ing back of the Prince of Nassau-Sarbruck from the Baths of Aix la Chappelle, which was on the 23d, when he arriv'd at Bruges, and took his Quarter (as it had been mark'd at the coming of the Army to this ground) in the Abbey of St. André. The 25th, all the Bavarian Cuirassiers and Dragoons left the Camp to march towards the Rhine and Winter in Bavaria, being design'd for the Emperors Service in Hungary the next Campagne; but the Foot march'd into the Spanish Guelderland to Quarter in that Countrey till the eva­cuation of Luxembourg, where they were appointed by the Elector to Garrison in this and other places of that Dutchy, as La Roche [Page 145] and Arlon, and went this day by water from Bruges to Ghendt; Count d'Arco left the Camp at the same time and went to Brussells with all the Spanish Court and Generals. The 27th. all the Bran­denbourg Cavalry and Dragoons left the same Camp to go and joyn General Heyden and the Brandenbourg Foot in the Pays de Waes in order to march from thence towards the Meuse and the lower Rhine. The 29th the Prince of Nassau's Adjutant General came from Loo with the Patents for the March of all the States Troops in Flan­ders to go and Garrison, some in the States Brabant and Flanders, and others to go from the Sas of Ghendt by Water into Holland, Guelder­land, Zutphen, Friseland, &c. but 15 or 16 Battallions of them were order'd to continue in Flanders under the command of Major General Lindeboom being to enter in the King of Spain's Service for the Garrison of the Spanish Frontiers in that Countrey towards France.

On the First of October being the time specified by the Treaties October. Sign'd at Ryswick the 10th of September between England, Spain and Holland on one part, and France on the other, the said Treaty was Ratified and Exchang'd in due form between France and Holland; that of England under the Broad Seal could not come over time e­nough by reason of the contrary Winds, and therefore was ratified under the Kings Signet in the Interim, and the Instru­ments were to remain in the hands of the Mediatour; but the Ratification under the Broad Seal coming over that very day, the Treaties between England and France were exchang'd some few days after: As for the Ratification of the Spanish Treaty from Ma­drid, it could not come time enough, but the French were satisfied to stay for it, which was not long. After this, the Marechals of Villeroy and Catinat went to Court, and the French Armies in the Netherlands were distributed into Quarters, only the Marechal of Bouflers remain'd in his Government at Lisle some time after, to for­ward the Evacuation of those Towns which were to be restor'd by the French to the King of Spain. The Confederate Armies in this Countrey begun to separate at the same time; all the Troops we had receiv'd this Campagne from the Rhine march'd off the first, to go back into Germany, and the Infantry incamp'd at Cockelberg de­camp'd Brigade by Brigade; the English went all into Flanders there to be in a readiness to imbark, and were quarter'd in Ghendt, Bruges, Newport and Ostend, which, for this reason, were at the beginning [Page 146] more crowded with Troops than ever: The English and Dutch Guards came to Ostend in order to imbark the first for England, and all the Foot were to go there on Board of such Men of War as should be appointed to carry them over: All the English Horse and Dragoons left Wavre after the Ratification, and were sent to Quarters, the first to Ghendt and the 2d to Bruges, in order to march from thence to Willem­stadt one after another, as Transport Ships could be got ready to bring them into England; and the Life-Guards, being the first to go over, march'd directly to this place. The Dutch Infantry incamp'd at Cockel­berg separated to go into Quarters in the Frontiers of Holland, as Mae­stricht, Boisleduc, Breda and Bergen-op-Zoom, except 7 or 8 Battal­lions, which, with those of the Flanders Army above-mention'd, were to go into Spanish Garrisons. The Danes were Quarter'd at Den­dermonde, Alost and Ninove, where they remain'd till their accounts were made up, and clear'd out of His Majesty's Service, in order to march from thence overland by the Meuse and the Rhine and so through Germany into Denmark. The four Battallions of Hanover in the Flanders Army left the Camp near Bruges on the 5th, and were to be joyn'd in their march by the Regiments of Wolfembuttle Guards and Hering then in Garrison at Audenarde to go into their own Countrey; and those of Nassau and Brandenbourg out of the Bra­bant Army, and Willekens out of that of Flanders, which had been upon English pay all this War, march'd into Holland and were taken back in the States Service. All the Dutch Troops began to break up at the same time on all sides, the Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant General Opdam march'd towards Ghendt on the out­side of the Canal in order to march into the States Dominions. The English and Dutch Guards and some other English Battallions came down the Canal in Bilanders the 6th from Ghendt to Bruges; and the 7th all the Dutch Foot that was to march to Garrison in the Frontiers of Holland were sent to Ghendt by Water in the same Bilanders that brought the English to Bruges, being the Regiment of Nassau Walloon to go to Boisleduc, Marquet and Willekens to Heusden and Bommel, Nassau-Friseland consisting of two Battallions, were to imbark at the Sas of Ghendt, to be carried by Water through Hol­land and over the Zuyder Sea to Leewarden, &c. Keppel (being the Regiment which lately was Lieutenant General Tettau's) was to go to Zutphen, the two Battallions of Cappol and one of Lochman, and the Regiment of young Holstein to Maestricht, and that of Fagel to [Page 147] the Grave. The 9th, the Prince of Nassau Saarbruck went to Holland, and left the Command of the Forces remaining about Bruges to Major General Lindeboom, or in his absence to the Duke of Hol­stein-Norbourg, consisting of 17 Battallions which were all to enter into the King of Spain's Service, except two or three that were to Quarter in the Holland-Flanders, as Sluys, the Sas of Ghendt, Hulst and the Fort of Lillo; of these 17 Battallions, Four were incamp'd at Plassendale being those of Weed, Rantsaw, Obergen and Schack; Four at Newport, viz. Soutlandt, St. Amand, Beyma and Swansbeck; Six in the Retrenchments of Bruges, being the Regiments of Linde­boom, Holstein-Norbourg, Dedem, the two Battallions of Swerin and that of Carles, and Three more incamp'd behind the Canal of Bruges, viz. the Regiments of Harsolt, Dona and La Mothe: All these Re­giments were soon after dispers'd to Cantoon up and down in the Neighbourhood of the Towns that were to be restor'd by the French, in order to Garrison there, except those two or three Regiments which were to Quarter in the Holland Flanders. My Lord of Athlone's Camp at Judoigne was the last to break up, either to sub­sist the Dutch Cavalry upon the Countrey hereabouts as long as was possible, or else to provide for the security of the Meuse, whilst Harcourt was on the other side with a considerable Army to Forrage the Pays de Liege; and did not go into Quarters, but between the middle and latter end of October, when Tiffin's and Belcastel's Bri­gades were order'd to march into Flanders to quarter in Ghendt and Bruges with the rest of our English Forces.

The Elector continued all this while with His Majesty at Loo and Dieren sometimes at the one and sometimes at the other, where a­mong their Divertisements they settled the Routes and Marches of the Allies out of the Spanish Netherlands, and his Highness did not come back to Brussells, till the 13th of October, by which time all the Confederate Forces had clear'd the Countrey, except His Majesties National Troops which were to pass over into England, Scotland or Ireland, with as much expedition as the Season would permit; and the Danes, which did not begin their March homewards till the November following. But the King still remain'd sometimes at Loo and sometimes at Dieren; where His Majesty had pass'd the time in Hunting and such other Countrey Divertisements, from his first leaving of the Army to this time, except two or three dayes that His Majesty went to Soestdyke, to have an Interview with [Page 158] the Czar of Muscovy at Ʋtrecht, which was on the first of Septem­ber; His Majesty coming to the Czars Lodgings was first Harangu'd by the Muscovite Embassy, to express the great Esteem and Value their Master had for his Person, and how much he admir d the great reputation of his Government; the fame whereof had fill'd all Russia and Muscovy, and had brought the powerful Monarch of those vast Countreys to visit a Prince so renown'd for his undaunted Valour and Courage joyn'd with a most profound and consummated Pru­dence! and who has gone through so many Dangers and expos'd himself to the greatest hazards for the Defence and Liberties of all Europe, which none but himself could keep and secure from becom­ing a Prey to an overgrown formidable Power! And to convince the King that all these Protestations of the Czars Esteem and Ad­miration of so great a Monarch, were no formal Complements, they acquainted His Majesty that the Czar their Master was in the next Room himself, having come so far out of his Dominions to assure His Majesty of it in Person: After which they introduc'd the King into the Czar's Chamber, where they were together above an Hour, His Majesty being attended by the Earls of Albemarle and Jersey, and Three or Four more Persons of Quality; but the Czar who Travell'd Incognito in the Retinue of his own Embassy could not ac­cept of the Invitation to dine with the King, but went back after the Interview to Amsterdam.

The Czar had contriv'd this way of Travelling in the Train of his own Embassy as a private Person, on purpose to see England and Holland, the most flourishing and wealthy Countreys in the World, and the most famous for Trade and Navigation; being very desirous to improve his own Subjects that way, especially now, that being Master of Afoff upon the Mouth of the Tanais he had a very good Harbour open to the Black Sea, by which, if he could gain any Strength on those Seas, he may not onely increase very much the Trade and Wealth of Muscovy, but cut himself a way at the same time to the Greek Empire, and become Master of Constan­tinople. These are thoughts worthy of so great a Prince, and to put himself thereupon in the best way of compassing such great ends, he came with his Embassy to the Baltick Shore about the beginning of the last Summer where he imbark'd to come to Coningsberg the Capital City of the Ducal Prussia, belonging to the Elector of Bran­denbourg; where his Electoral Highness was then with all his Court, [Page 149] to be near Warsaw during the time of the Election for the Crown of Poland. The Czar and his Embassy were nobly entertain'd here, and pursued their Travels over-land afterwards through Prussia, Po­merania, Brandenbourg, Westphalia, &c. to come to the Rhine, and Embark there for Holland; and after a considerable stay in Amster­dam, the greatest Town for Trade and Navigation in the World, unless this mighty Character be most deservedly due to London, his Czarish Majesty is at length come himself privately to England, to see our Shipping and Docks, where the most stately, curious and perfect Models for Building of Ships in the World are to be seen; and to instruct himself in Navigation and Maritime Affairs, now that he has the Sea open to him, in a milder Climate than Archangel, whereby he may at once make his Subjects considerable for their Trade, and become a Terrour to the Turkish Empire, which may one day be subdued by his power on the Black Seas; and Visit the great­est and the most wealthy City in Christendom and Imperial Seat of a Great Monarch, who has all the Power which the Purses of the wealthiest Nations of the World can afford without any Arts of Tyranny, Oppression or Arbitrariness to have them; who has had Vast Fleets at Sea and Numerous Armies in the Field, and the Peo­ple not oppress'd by those heavy Burdens which always attend an Absolute Power, and without which even Arbitrary Power it self can never be great; and who Rules the most Flourishing States in the Universe so happily and with such Justice, Equity, Gentleness and Wisdom, that notwithstanding the vast difference of Govern­ments, one may find in the Commonwealth all the duty and respect of Subjects without any derogation to its Liberties; and in the Mo­narchy, all the Liberty of a Free People consistent with the Fealty and Allegiance due to a Sovereign. These are Master peices of Government altogether peculiar to our great Monarch, and which (were there no o­ther reason) must raise his Name above all Princes that have Reign'd before him. This Voyage of the Czar's to Holland & England will make so considerable a Figure in History hereafter, that I could not well pass it over, without omitting one of the Chiesest Ornaments of this Account. After this Interview the King went back to Loo where the D of Holstein Gottorp came to wait upon His Majesty, and the Prince Vaudemont from Brussells, being follow'd about a Week after by the Elector of Bava­ria: But notwithstanding that the Three Treaties Sign'd on the 10th of September were Ratified and Exchang'd, and that the Peace [Page 150] had been proclaim'd upon it, first at the Hague, then at Paris the 13th of October, and at London the 19th following, yet the King was re­solv'd not to come to the Hague till the Imperialists and the French had made an end of the Treaty depending between them, and therefore still kept at Loo and Diercn, where Prince Vaudemont re­main'd after the Elector's going back for Brussels; and His Majesty named here his Excellency the Earl of Portland for his Ambassadour Extraordinary to go to the Court of France.

The 22th of October being the Term allow'd in the Separate Article of the 10th of September, the Peace was Sign'd between the Empire and France, according to the Project given by the French Ambassadours, and the Memorial of the 21th of August; and by it the French quitted to the Empire all Brisgow and Alsatia on the Right side of the Rhine, with the Towns of Brisach and Fribourg, the Fort of Kehl opposite to Strasbourg, and the Town of Philipsbourg, all on the same side of the Rhine, together with the Territories belonging to the Electorate of Treves, and the Palatinate on the left side of the Rhine; and oblig'd themselves farther, to demolish all the Forts they had upon that River on the right side of it; and moreover Montroyal and Traerbach upon the Moselle, after which they were to be restor'd to the Elector of Treves, together with the Town of Treves in the Condition it was then: They likewise ingag'd to restore the Dutchy of Lorrain and Barre in the Condition wherein Charles the Fourth enjoy'd it in the Year 1670, only they reserv'd to themselves the Town of Saar-Lonis, with a district of half a League about it, and the Town and Provostship of Longwy upon the Frontier of Lorrain towards Luxembourg; for which Towns the French promis'd to give an Equivalent of the same Extent and Value in one of the three Bishopricks, as it should be agreed upon between Commissioners appointed by the French King and the Duke of Lorrain for that pur­pose; and farther, to give back the Dutchy of Deux-Ponts to the King of Sweden, the County of Mont-belliard to the Dukes of Wir­temberg, with all the Mannors and Feudships belonging to the said Family in the Dutchy of Burgundy and Franche-Comte; the Towns and Bishopricks of Wormes and Spire, the first to the Grand Master of the Teutonick Order, and the latter to the Archbishop of Treves: And the Elector Palatine re-entering in the Possession of all his Terri­tories and Revenues on both sides of the Rhine by this Treaty, ac­cording as they were restor'd at the Peace of Westphalia, the [Page 151] Emperour and the French King were nam'd to be Arbitrators of the Dutchess of Orleans's Pretensions, in which if they did not agree, that then the Pope should decide that Matter according to the Laws and Constitutions of the Empire; and in the mean while that the Elector Palatine should allow the Dutchess of Orleans a Yearly Pension of 200000 Livers French Money. Lastly, The French promis'd to de­liver up the Town and Castle of Dinant to the Elector of Cologne as Bishop of Liege, in the Condition they were at the taking of them before the Treaty of Nimeguen. And in Consideration of the Equivalent given by the French, the Emperour and Empire consented that Stras­bourg should be dismembred for ever from the Empire, and annex'd to the Most Christian King's Dominions, with a Sovereign Property and Jurisdiction over it; that the Bridge of Philipsbourg should be broke down, and the Fort, which covers it on the left side of the Rhine, demolish'd; that the new Town of Brisach on the same side of the Rhine should be dismantled, and that hereafter the Rhine should be the common Barriere in Alsatia between France and the Empire, so that France should have no Forts upon the Rhine nor right side of it, nor the Empire upon the left: And, as a common Article, that this Treaty should be Ratified by the Empire and the French King, within six Weeks after, But there was a Clause in the Fourth Article, whereby the Roman Catholick Religion was to be maintain'd in all the Places restor'd by the French, in the Condition and State it was at the Signing of it, which created very hot Contestations between the Protestant and Bopish Deputies of the Empire, as being expresly contrary to the Treaty of Westphalia; this made all the Protestant Deputies, and the Mediatour himself, as Deputy for the Dutchy of Deux-Ronts in the King of Sweden's Name, refuse to Sign it as Derogatory to the Treaty of Westphalia; except the Deputies of the House of Wirtemberg, and of the Imperial Town of Franckfort: There was not the least mention made of this Clause in the General Project given in by the French, nor in their new Memorial of the 20th of August; but England and Holland having Sign'd before with­out the Empire, or rather the 10th of September seeming to have been laps'd on purpose to bring this about, the French, and Popish Members of the Empire, took hold of such an Opportunity, to gain Ground upon the Protestants in Germany.

The Treaty being Sign'd between the Empire and France, and con­sequently a General Peace establish'd among all the Parties concern'd, [Page 152] the King came then to the Hague on the 29th, attended by the Prince of Vaudemont, where his Princess came to wait upon His Majesty to Complement him upon the Peace, and take her leave before her parting for Italy with the Prince her Husband, who were lodg'd toge­ther in the Oud Hoff, one of the King's Palaces at the Hague. All the Plenipotentiary Ambassadours and Forreign Ministers went to Com­plement the King upon his Arrival and the Conclusion of the Peace, and among them the three French Plenipotentiaries came there the next day in a Body, by the French King's order, and had an Audience in Form as his Ambassadours Extraordinary, to make the first Com­plement to His Majesty.

The Fourth of November (being the King's Birth day) was kept at the Hague with a great deal of Solemnity, the Court was throng'd Nov. with Forreign Ministers upon this occasion, and the French Plenipo­tentiaries especially made their Complement to His Majesty upon his Birth-day; and in the Evening a Magnificent Ball was given by the Prince and Princess of Vaudemont at the Oud Hoff. After this the King waited only for a fair Wind to bring him over to England, and went some few days after to Oranje-Polder to imbark, but the Wind coming about contrary, His Majesty went back to the Hague: At last the Wind coming fair, the King imbark'd at Oranje Polder the 13th in the Morning, and happily arriv'd at Margate on Sunday the 14th of November between Ten and Eleven in the Morning, and went to lay that Night at Canterbury: The 15th, His Majesty came to Greenwich, in order to make his Publick Entry the next day in the City of London, where His Majesty was then receiv'd with all the Solemnity and Magnificence that Loyalty and Affection accom­panied with an Universal Joy could be capable of, to see His Majesty return Safe to his Kingdom after so many Fatigues and Dangers, so many Campagnes and Voyages, Battles and Sieges, with the Olive­branch of a Happy and Honourable Peace in his Hand; and the Lord-Mayor and Citizens of London had made it their particular Request to receive His Majesty publickly, to express thereby their Affection, Duty and Gratitude upon such an Occasion, in a manner suitable to the Wealth and Grandeur of that Famous and Renowned City; in the Particulars, of which Magnificent Reception, 'tis not my Business to enter at present, as belonging properly to the History of England: I shall only add, that His Majesty receiv'd afterwards Congratulatory [Page 153] Addresses from all Parts of his Dominions for his safe Return, after having Happily terminated a most Obstinate and Expensive War; carried on for so many Years by our late Enemies, chiefly and on pur­pose to bereave him of a Throne he fills with so much Fame and Re­nown; and to deprive us of his most Just and Equitable Government, and of what has a necessary Dependence upon it (all that can be Dear and Precious to a People) our Religion, Laws, Priviledges and Liberties. These are Exploits which require the utmost Gratitude of all True Patriots and Lovers of their Religion and Country, which can do no less than express it self in hearty Prayers to the King of Kings, that he would Bless His Majesty with a Long, Happy and Prosperous Reign over us, as a Just Reward of so many Glorious Atchievements for our Safety and Preservation.

All this while the French were not yet ready to Evacuate any of the Places they were oblig'd to restore to the King of Spain by the late Treaty of Ryswick; being first, by vertue of it, to carry away all their own Artillery, Ammunitions, Provisions and Stores, and leave behind them the Artillery and quantity of Stores they found in these places at the taking of them: 'Tis true, the Evacuating of these Towns requir'd some time upon this account, but 'tis very probable that the French delay'd the fulfilling of this Article purposely, till they saw what Success the Treaty they had Sign'd on the 22th of October with the Empire, should have at Ratisbone, where 'twas likely to meet with a considerable Opposition from the Protestant Princes in the Ratification; for if the Treaty, instead of being Rati­fied there, had been declar'd Illegal and Derogatory to the Treaty of Westphalia, and to the Articles provided therein in behalf of the Protestant Religion, it would not have been very convenient for the French King's Affairs, that Luxembourg, and other places to be re­stor'd by the Treaty of the Tenth of September, should be in the King of Spain's hands.

The Plenipotentiaries of the Protestant Princes having refus'd to Sign the Treaty between the Empire and France on the 22th of October, had still some Conferences with those of France to find a temper for the fourth Article, so as they might Sign joyntly with the rest of the Empire, but they were all to no purpose: England and Holland had bor'n the Burden of a long and very Expensive War, and their Trade and Commerce (the very Springs of all their [Page 154] Wealth) had been considerably impaird, and therefore were not able to meddle at present in that Affair, and vindicate the Interest of the Protestant Religion in Germany, against these Incroachments upon it so contrary to the Westphalian Treaty; so that the Protestant Princes wanting Power, for this Reason, to maintain and carry on their Opposition against the Treaty lately concluded between the Empire and France, the Ratification was Sign'd in the Imperial Dyet at Ratisbone, without any Alteration to the Fourth Article, by which the Popish Religion is to continue in several Towns and Places of the Palatinate, according as it was Establish'd by the French King whilst in his Possession; where before the War were none but Pro­testant Churches, to the great Oppression of the Protestants, and the Violation of the Treaty of Munster in their behalf; and France has gain'd this Advantage over the Empire, as to Sow the Seeds of such Divisions in this Treaty between the Protestant and Popish States, as may in time be very Fatal to Germany, and increase very much the Greatness and Power of the Most-Christian Kings, which for several Years last past, has been found so Prejudicial to the Peace and Quiet of Europe.

The Treaty between France and the Empire being Ratified within the Term prefix'd in the Articles, it was thereupon exchang'd at Rys­wick the beginning of December, and the French having secur'd this Point, restor'd, immediately after, the Towns of Mons, Ath, Char­leroy and Courtray in the Low-Countries, and Barcelona, Gironne, Roses and Belver in Catalonia to the Spaniards; but they did not quit the Dutchy of Luxembourg till the Month of January following, when la Roche and Arlon, little Fortresses upon the Frontier towards the Pays de Liege, were deliver'd up to Spanish Garrisons on the 17th; and the 19th they took Possession of the Town of Luxembourg, whereof the Count d'Autel General of the Palatine Troops had been appointed Governour by the King of Spain, through the Queen's Interest, being the Elector Palatine's Sister.

By this time all or most of His Majesty's National Forces, Horse and Foot, had left Flanders, and were pass'd the Seas and got over into England, Scotland or Ireland, except six Scots Regiments of Foot, which the States have taken into their Pay and Service; being those of Lauder, Murray, Walter Collier, Ferguson, Strathnaver and George Hamilton, and the three French Battallions of Refugies of la Meloniere, Belcastel and Marton, My Lord Gallway's Horse, and [Page 155] the Marquis de Mirmont's Dragoons which are still kept in His Ma­jesty's Service in Flanders: And the French were then working to de­molish the Works on the Rhine and elsewhere, which are to be Raz'd by the Treaty, and to evacuate those which they are to restore to the Empire; but as yet have not perform'd it, however we need not doubt but they will, and News are daily expected of their having begun with Philipsbourg and deliver'd it up to an Imperial Garrison; but these Affairs do not come directly within the compass of this History, and therefore I need not speak any more about them, lest that should swell this Account to too great a Bulk; which is long enough already, and longer than I would have made it, if it could have been done conveniently without omitting some Material Passages.

I have no more to add, but some few short Reflexions upon the Peace lately agreed upon at Ryswick, which brings this History to a most happy Period, and to its wish'd for Conclusion; the Negoci­ations whereof have been carried on with more Calmness, Tran­quility and Expedition, than any General Treaty we can read of before, notwithstanding several Occasions, which have offer'd them­selves seasonably enough to take hold of them, thereby to disturb or prolong this great Work. We have seen the King of Sweden, Charles the Eleventh, (who by his Mediation had so wisely manag'd Affairs, as to bring the Plenipotentiaries of the several Princes and States ingag'd in the War, together, in order to open their Con­ferences) April 5. 1697. dye, as 'twere, upon the very Threshold of the Con­gress, and yet the Treaty not delay'd at all by so Fatal an Accident: The Regency under his Successor Charles the Twelfth, who was then a Minor, carried on the Mediation without any Intermission, by dispatching new full Powers to the Swedish Minister at the Hague, and both the Allies and France receiv'd it without any Wrangling or Hesitation; which, as on the one hand it redounded very much to the Glory and Honour of the Crown of Sweden, so on the other, it demonstrated plainly the Sincerity of the most Powerful Parties con­cern'd in the War, and that they desir'd in earnest the Peace and Quiet of their own Dominions, and the General Repose of Christen­dom. We have seen France gain considerable Advantages over the Allies, both in Land and Sea Expeditions the last Campagne, and yet not stand upon much higher Terms for it in the Treaty, unless it [Page 156] was the keeping of Strasbourg and the giving an Equivalent for it; which, if duly consider'd, was as much for the Advantage of the Empire, as Strasbourg was for that of France; for Strasbourg, an Imperial Town, would have made but a very weak Barriere to the Empire, but as it is now, that the Empire has the Fort of Kehl opposite to Strasbourg, and all the Forts and strong Places on the right side of the Rhine, it seems to be in a better Condition to hinder the French from passing of the Rhine, than in the State 'twas left by the Treaty of Nimeguen: And indeed 'twas well for the Peace and Quiet of Europe, that those met with most Success the last Cam­pagne, who wanted Peace the most; else a General Peace could not have been negociated with so much Expedition, and so few Difficulties to overcome: And for this reason we find no Losers in the Treaty, but it seems at once Advantagious for all the Parties concern'd.

Spain has reduc'd the French, by its strict Union with the Allies more than by any Efforts of its own, within the Bounds and Limits of the precedent Treaty, notwithstanding that the French were Ma­sters of the whole Dutchy of Luxembourg before the War; whereas before, in all the precedent Treaties since that of Vervins, the Spa­niards were always giving up considerable Towns and Provinces to France, and especially in those of the Pyrenees, Aix la Chappelle and Nimeguen. The Empire has a much stronger Frontier by this Treaty than by that of Nimeguen, considering the better Conditions given at present to the Duke of Lorraine, and that France has quitted all the Country, Towns and strong places it had on the other side of the Rhine before, by vertue of the Westphalian Treaty and that of Nimeguen; and although the Empire has quitted Strasbourg and deliver'd it up to the French, in lieu of Brisach, Fribourg and all that France had beyond the Rhine, yet having the Fort of Kehl by vertue of this Treaty, on the opposite side of the Rhine to Stras­bourg, it will always be a Curb and a Bridle upon the French, and will hinder them from Subsisting beyond the Rhine with an Army, as long as this Place is in the hands of an Imperial Garrison; which Strasbourg of it self could not have done, if it had been restor'd to the Empire in the Condition wherein 'twas taken by the French.

[Page 157] The States General have plainly gain'd their Cause about the Electo­rate of Cologne, which was one of the Articles upon which France declar'd War against Holland, and by regaining with it the Dutchy of Luxembourg to Spain in the late Treaty, they have remov'd the French altogether from their Frontier, especially from the Rhine, whereby they made that Fatal Irruption upon them in the Year 1672. They have likewise Parried a Mortal Stroke to their Religion, Com­merce and Liberties, by the Happy and Miraculous Turn of Affairs in England just at the beginning of the Wars, which in a great Mea­sure was due to their Assistance; and their Liberty laying upon the same Stake with ours, and the Protestant Interest all over Christen­dom, but especially in the United Provinces being imbark'd upon the same Bottom with the Fate of the Church of England, we may say that they have been, together with us, deliver'd from Popery and Slavery.

As for the Advantages of France in this Peace, notwithstanding that it has lost all Footing in Italy by the Separate Treaty with Savoy, by giving back Pignerol after a Possession of above Sixty Years, to obtain it; that Lorrain is restor'd upon much better Terms for that Duke and the Empire, than those agreed upon in the Treaty of Nimeguen; and notwithstanding the great and prodigious Expences to which the French King has been oblig'd, to carry on so long and te­dious a War, which in truth he began himself, against so many Confede­rates, and yet that he is still reduc'd to the Bounds and Limits of the precedent Peace; which for this reason looks like so much Blood shed, and Treasure spent to no purpose; that Cazal has been taken by the Allies, Lorrain and Dinant restor'd, both which were in his Possession even at the Treaty of Nimeguen; and Luxembourg given back to the Spaniards, all which Places were in the hands of the French before the beginning of the War; and that he has been oblig'd to evacnate all the Towns and Fortresses he has taken since, at the Expence of so much Blood and Money; and all the Country he was Master of beyond the Rhine, in Exchange for Strasbourg: Yet it must be own'd that the French King has manag'd the whole War with abundance of Art and Wisdom; that he has gain'd very great Advantages over the Allies; that he has brought them to make a Peace upon his own Terms, and extricated himself very gloriously thereby out of all the Difficulties which a Powerful Con­federacy [Page 158] had brought his Kingdom to, not so much by the Vigour of their Efforts as by the Necessity of his own Affairs, the Con­sequence of a Burdensome and Expensive War carried on by him­self against so many Potent Enemies, which had reduc'd most of the Provinces of France to an Universal Poverty and Misery; and at last he remains Master of Strasbourg in Alsatia, Longwy and Saar-Louis in Lorrain, much more to his Advantage than the Equivalents he gives, being thereby in a Condition to hinder Lorrain (though re­stor'd) from being troublesome to France, and still to keep the Rhine and the Empire in awe; and has Power enough left by it, to be still formidable to the rest of Europe, and to disturb the Peace and Quiet of Christendom as soon as his Coffers are replenish'd; unless his Adherence to the Publick Faith and Sacredness of Treaties, con­strains him more than the Apprehension of the Power and Greatness of any of his Neighbours.

Yet notwithstanding these Advantages on both sides in the Treaty of Ryswick, it is certain that both France and the Allies are fallen very short of their Expectations in the last War; France propos'd to it self at least to have chang'd the Twenty Years Truce into a perpetual Treaty, in pursuance of the repeated Instances made by the French Ambassadour at the Dyet of Ratisbone for that purpose; and nothing in the World could have prevented, not only this, but even the Ruin of the Protestant Religion every where, and with it the Truckling of the Empire, the Spanish and United Netherlands, to the Power of France, save the Happy Wonderful and Sudden Re­volution in England, when, in all Humane Probability, His Majesty's Expedition with so considerable a Body of the States Forces in that Kingdom, must have created such Civil Wars, as would have been rather Subservient to carry on the great Designs of France, in­stead of hindering them; which I think is a sufficient Argument to convince any Man, unless he is byass'd by his Passions, Preju­dices and Interest, that it was the doing of that over-ruling Pro­vidence, who, as the Psalmist tells us, Psal. 33. Maketh the Devices of the People to be of none effect, and casteth out the Counsels of Princes. As for the Allies, they had sufficiently felt the Effects of that Great Power which the French had come to by the Treaty of Nime­guen; and whilst the Court of England was ingag'd in the Interests of France, that turn'd the Scale so much, that there could be no resistance for them: But that powerful Kingdom having been so [Page 159] happily and suddenly drawn out of the Interests of France, or ra­ther deliver'd out of its Power, by the late Revolution in the Go­vernment, and brought over by it to the side of the Allies (in whose Cause, the Religion, Laws, Priviledges and Liberties of that King­dom were so nearly concern'd as the Liberties of Europe were reci­procally involv'd in the Destiny of that Nation) so the Allies con­ceiv'd very great Hopes thereupon of reducing France to much lower Conditions than the Treaty of Nimeguen, and of hindering it hereafter from disturbing so often the Peace and Quiet of Christen­dom. But several Accidents have stop'd the Progress of the Allies Affairs thus far; the first has been the War of Ireland, which hinder'd England from bending the Force of its Arms against France at the beginning, to imploy them for the three first Cam­pagnes to recover a Kingdom which so undoubtedly belongs to it, and in which it was certainly the Interest of the French to maintain the War as long as possibly they could; not to men­tion the persidious Malice of a Party of Men and unnatural Pa­triots, we have at Home, which has weaken'd our Efforts very much, and clogg'd the Progress of our Affairs, so as to make them often drive heavy: The second has been the Over-sight of the Imperial Court, in not making a Peace with the Grand Seignior after the Siege of Belgrade, as the Turks so earnestly sollicited it at that time: And the third, The Obstinacy of the Turks, so pre­judicial at last to their true Interest, in carrying on so unsuccessful a War in Hungary; when by the necessity of the Emperour's Affairs, whilst ingag'd in a War against France, they could have made a very Advantageous Peace for themselves; which they ought to have done chiefly, when they found that, notwithstanding the great Diversion they expected from the French upon the Rhine, the Imperialists could give them an intire Rout at Salankement, and take in the Campagnes follow­ing Guyla and Great-Waradin from them; for which ill Policy they find at present but too much reason to repent, when they see them­selves left in the Lurch, and to deal with a Powerful Confe­deracy; which, now that there is a General Peace in Christen­dom, can bend all its Forces against a weaken'd and drooping Empire.

The first of these Obstacles being at length happily surmounted by the Reduction of Ireland, France contriv'd an Invasion in the Year 1692. to make us look to our own defence at home instead of in­creasing [Page 160] the strength of the Allies abroad, by which though it mis­carried in the main, yet it gain'd the Town of Namur: And the defeat of Landen in 1693 having shew'd the necessity there was for England and the States to augment considerably their Land Forces, the Scale begun to turn the Campagne following, and the weight of England appear'd very considerable in the Ballance chiefly in the Campagne of 1695 by the Glorious Recovery of Namur; which, if it be true that France offer'd to treat upon the Foot of Nimeguen before, upon the Issue of the Campagne of 1694, sufficiently justi­fied the Conduct of the Allies in the rejecting of it, when the French lost Cazal in Italy at the same time: And there is a great deal of reason to think that the carrying of the War by the Allies thereafter would have been attended with many other Glorious Advantages and very Fatal to the French, had it not been for the Duke of Savoy's deserting of the Common Interest, in the Campagne of 1696; and (what was, may be, in some measure the Cause of it) the Money difficulties which happen'd in England at that time and oblig'd us to Reform our Coin, which had been Clipp'd and Debas'd almost to no­thing; so that it could bear no Price abroad, but must have hinder'd our Armies at last from Subsisting in Flander's, and drawn the loss of the Spanish Netherlands after it without a speedy Remedy: And as we could not carry on the War nor indeed our Trade without Re­forming our Coin, so France expected we should be reduc'd to such Extremities in the doing of it, as might have put a People together by the Ears that is not us'd to want, which would have made it worth its while to continue a War, in which it would once more have had a fair Chance to subdue the League and Compass its great Designes by the Ruine of England. This may be reckon'd the true Cause both of the inaction and weakness of the Allies for the two last Campagnes, and of the continuing of the War then by the French King; But though our Money difficulty's occasion'd in a great measure this prolonging of the War by the French, yet our overcoming of them so happily and in so little a time, (which demon­strated the vast and unexpected Wealth of a Nation they reckon'd altogether impoverish'd, and which was represented as such by our Domestick Enemies) has made amends for it in opening the Eyes of our late Enemies, and letting them see that the Continuation of the War would Ruin France before it could Beggar England; which has contributed very much to facilitate and bring about that [Page 161] Universal Peace which Christendom now Enjoys. And though the Allies have fallen short of their Expectations in the War, and that France still continues in the main upon the Foot of the Treaty of Nimeguen, yet England having so successfully rcover'd its Liberties and maintain'd and vindicated the Liberties of all Europe at the same time, it is thereby in a Condition to ballance Affairs enough to keep France quiet and to make it observe the Terms of the last Treaty, unless it would run the Risk of an Alliance which, hereafter, would be more fatal to it than ever.

My last Reflexion shall be about the Advantages which England has gain'd by the present Peace. As for the King, he has rais'd an Eternal Monument of Fame and Glory to himself by it, in bringing of a War (in which he had already gain'd an Endless Renown in exposing his Person so freely to all the Dangers and Fatigues of it every Cam­pagne) to so happy a Period, in spight of all the difficulties which seem'd rather to intail it upon himself and his Dominions; in steering all along so justly and nicely among all the different Parties, Nations, Religions and Interests that made up the Body of the Allies, as to bring them to joyn and Center together in effecting his Peaceable and quiet Settlement upon the Throne of these Realms, even, notwith­standing too many ill Successes in the Course of the War both for his and their Affairs; and by this Union among the Chief Powers of the League so strictly carried on, and so happily manag'd (of which the French themselves when Enemies, gave the Father la Rue his Funeral Oration upon the Marechal of Luxem­bourg. Applause to our Great Prince) to compass an Honourable Peace for his Allies as well as for himself. But the Glory of Kings does not alwayes make the Happiness of Subjects, this would not amount to so much for us, if the welfare of England was not joyn'd with it; and here it is that we must take a view of the Advantages which England reaps at pre­sent by that Peace it owes to the Wisdom and Valour of our Good and Gracious as well as Great Sovereign; in which case it would be enough to say that England has gain'd its cause by it, and compass'd the great and noble design, it did chiefly aim at in the War, of recovering under. His Majesty's Government, its Rights, Priviledges and Liber­ties, which had been so notoriously violated before; and of securing thereby the Protestant Religion not onely amongst us but in the rest of Christendom, which was then in so manifest and apparent a dan­ger by the violent Irruptions of a Popish Government; so as for the [Page 162] future we might intail both our Religion and Liberties to Posterity upon a surer and more solid Foundation then they could have, when in the reach of Tyranny and Arbitrary Power: But over and above (which indeed is but a necessary consequence of the former) England is again re instated in its prerogative of holding the Ballance of Europe, and keeping a due aequilibrium among the contending Powers of Christendom, as it is its true interest; for Popery nor Arbitrary Power can hardly be introduc'd amongst us but by a pernicious Adherence or rather Servility to one side or t'other, to render it formidable thereby to the rest of the World, by this means to compass such Tyrannical de­signs under the shelter of it; and I think we have had but too much experience already to vouch for the Truth of this Assertion.

And as England has so gloriously recover'd itself, and is reinstated in the Umpireship of the Affairs of Europe, by gaining of our Cause in the happy Conclusion of a War in which we were so necessarily ingag'd, so consequently is it in our Power to make the present Peace Solid, Lasting and Durable; for neither side will think it their advantage to be troublesome whilst a powerful Umpire is resolv'd to maintain the Ballance of Affairs. Whilst England is in this Condition, it is in its true Posture, and as it should be; but in order to keep and maintain our selves in it, these two things seem to be absolutely necessa­ry: The first is a Careful regard to the State of Affairs abroad, not to look upon them with an indifferency because we are in an Island happily divided from the rest of the World, which frees us from a great many of its Commotions and Disturbances; but whenever this point of the Umpireship (in which our own Safety as well as Glory is so nearly concern'd) lies at Stake, then to ingage heartily and freely for the Liberty of Europe; for otherwise we must at length become a Prey our selves, or be involv'd in a War at last which will then cost us more Millions, than in taking things at the beginning it would have cost us Hundred Thousands of Pounds; for the Truth of which I need but appeal to the vast Expences of the late War: The Second is Peace and Unity among our selves; for, besides, that this Umpire­ship of the Affairs of Christendom wholly depends upon it, which will always shelter us from Enemies abroad at the same time that it makes us great in the World, it is the onely bottom that the present Go­vernment, and with it our Religion, Priviledges and Liberties can stand upon; for their Fate is at present inseparable, and I may [Page 163] boldly venture to say, that as Affairs are now in Europe, if our (un­happy Divisions should work to that height as to produce a Change, (which God forbid) no Revolution can happen in England from the present Government, but for Popery and Tyranny, with­out a very great Miracle to prevent it; which is a Risk no wise Protestant can expose the Common Interest of all that call themselves Reformed to: And therefore whatever Designes too many people amongst us may directly propose to themselves in carrying off of Factions and Divisions to work a Change of Affairs either in Church or State to their own Advantage, of what side soever they may be yet in effect they onely work for their own Destruction, and must of Course be involv'd in the Ruines of that very Fabrick which they endeavour to pull down, and thus open the only remaining Inlet to Popery and Slavery: And I pray God that all that call themselves Protestants may lay these things seriously to their Hearts, that so our own Divisions may not one day effect what all the Power of France prompted and incouraged by the Treacherous and base Contrivances of an Unnatural Party of Men at home, has not been able to per­form, and to this End may the God of Peace guide our judgements in all things, and endow our Hearts with a healing Christian Charity among our selves (which is the onely Bond of Peace) so that, though we cannot bring Matters to an exact Uniformity of Sentiments in Matters of Religion, yet thereby we may at least be hinder'd from biting and devouring one another, which cannot end otherwise but in a Common Ruin, and united in the Methods of a mutual defence, as we have at present, more than over, an Unity of Interest against the Common Adversary.