Negotiation of Peace that might succeed next Winter, A. C.
in which bis Majesty would find the Interests and Hu- 1674
mours of a Trading Country, as theirs was, very
strong, and dispos’d to press their Allies, as far as was
posible, to facilitate so great and so good a Work. And
for the rest of the Allies, besides Spain, he had no rea-
son to suspect any great Difficulties would arise, so lit:
tle having yet pali'd in the war between France and
shem.

The Pensioner had reason to expect some sudden The Famous
Action between the Armies; for about the middle Battle of
of August was fought the Battle of Senef, between Senef,
the Confederates under the Command of the Prince August
of Orange,and the French under the Prince of Condé. 1674.
But it prov'd not an Action so decisive as was expect-

Sir W. ed froin cwo Armies of so great Force, and so ani. Temple's

Memoirs. mated by the Hatred and Revenge of the Parties, as well as by the Bravery and Ambition of the Commanders. The Success of this Fight was so differently reported by those that engagd in it, that it was hard to judge of the Victory, which each challeng’d, and, perhaps, neither without great Reason. The Confederates had for foine Days fought an Engagement with great desire and endeavours, and the French avoided it with Resolution not to fight, unless :upon evident Advantage; whilft both Armies lay near Nivelle, and not far distant from one another. The reason of this was thought to be on one side the Ardour of the Young Prince of Orange, to make way by a Victory into France it felf, and there revenge the Invalion of his Country and at the same time to make the first Eflay of a pitch'd Battle, against so great and Renown'd a General as the Prince of Conde was. On the other side, this Old Captain had too much Honour to lose, and thought he had not enough to gain, by entring the Lifts with a Prince 23 Years Old Bred up in the shade of a contrary Faction, till he was forc'd into the Field by the French Invasion of the Low-Countries. Nor was the Advantage less on the French side,in the Reputation of their

Troops, than of their General, composid of excellent Officers, chosen Soldiers, exactly Disciplin’d, long

E

'Train'd

A. C. Train'd up for Action before they began it,and now 1674. flesh'd by the uninterrupted Successes of two Wars.

Whereas the Dutch Troops, when the Prince of Orange enter'd upon the Command of them, were old or lazy Soldiers, disused with long Peace, and disabled with young unskilful Officers, (chosen upo on no other Merit than that of Faction against the House of Orange) then fillid up, when the War broke out with hafty, and undistinguish'd Levies, and disheartn’d with perpetual losses of Towns, and defeats of Parties, during the two first Campagnes. The Prince of Condé had another restraint upon the usual Boldness of his Nature upon such occasions, which was the ill Posture he had been in at Court since this King's Reign, and in regard how much more he would have to Answer for than another Man upon any great Misfortune to his Army, which must have left the way open for the Confederates to enter France,unguarded on that side by any strong Frontier, fo as no Man knew what fhake it might give to the Greatness of that Crown, with the help of great and general Discontents, whereof this Prince was thought to have his share. Upon these Dispositions in the Generals, the Battle was for some time industrioully fought and avoided, till the Prince of Orange, believing there was no way of coming to a General Action, but by the Siege of some place, that might be thought worth the venture to relieve, broke up and march'd to. wards Senef, on the other side of Bins, his Army being divided and Commanded as I have said before.

The Prince of Condé observing the march of the Confederates, which was not far from one side of hiz İntrenchments; and that by the straitness of Passages they were forc’d to file off in small Lines, staid till the Van-Guard, with a considerable part of the Main Body was over one of these Passes, when he drew out his Men and fell with great Fierceness upon the Rear of the Spaniards, broke them with great Slaughter, and not much Relistance, took their Baggage, and several Standards, and many Prisoners of Note. The Prince of

Orange

Orange upon notice of the French Attacking Prince A. C.
Vaudemont, had sent three Battallions of his best 1674.
Foot to their Affittance, with all the Diligence that
could be, but the Spaniards already broken brought
the Dutih into Disorder, and oblig'd them to re-
treat, being pursu'd with great Vigour, and over-
power'd by the French, which was the reason that
they lost several of their Principal Officers; among
the rest Young Prince Maurice of Nassau was taken
Prisoner.

Afloon as the Infantry of the Confederates was
retired the French fell with redoubl'd Fury upon
the Spanish Horse, and the Prince of Condé began
to range his Army in form of Battle, commanding
his Foot to march secretly under the covert of the
Hedges and Bushes. The Confederate Horse were
order'd to Charge them, but they found the way
fo hollow between the Enemy and them, that they
were oblig'd to turn about to the Right, and joyn
the rest of the Army. The French, observing this,
turn'd to the Left, and made so much haste to
Charge the Body of Horse, that Prince Vaudemont
had scarce time enough to range his three Battali-
ons, to endeavour to stop the Career of the Ene-
my. This onset prov'd fatal to the Confederates,
for the three Commanders in chief of this Brie
gade were made Prisoners, with several Persons of
Quality as the Duke of Holstein, the Prince de Solms,
and Monsieur de Langerac, not to mention the
number of the Slain.Prince Vaudemont gave Proofs
of an extraordinary Valour and great Presence of
Mind; but whatever Endeavours he used to make
his Men rally again, it could not be effected.

If the Prince of Condé had contented himself with this Success and Execution, he had left 'no dispute of a Victory; but lured on by the hopes ofone more entire; and believing the Dutch, whom he esteem'd the worst Troops, would not stand, after the Spaniards and a great part of their own were wholly Routed, 'he followed the Chafe, and drawing out his whole Army upon them, brought it to a set Battle, which was more than he larended. In the mean time the Prince of Orange march

ing

E 2

A. C. ing to the Relief of the Spaniards, and the Battalic

1674. ons he had sent, was at first invelop'd by his owa Mfying Men, whom he could neither stop by

Words nor Blows, by Promises or Reproaches, till joyning the rest of his own Troops, and the Spaniards, Commanded by the Duke de Villa Hermosa, that stood firm, and Count de Souches coming up with the Imperialists to'enforce him the Battle began with as great Obstinacy and Fury as any was ever Fought, continued so for about eight Hours till Sun-let, and about two Hours after by Moon-light till that failing too, the Fight ended, rather by the Obscurity of the Night, than the Weariness or Weakness of the Combatants

The Prince of Orange in the whole course of this Action, gave all Orders with such Prudence, and Obfervance of all Advantages, led up his several Squadrons with that Bravery, made fuch bold stands against his own broken Troops, as well as against the impetuousness of their Purluers, for fix Hours together, in the hottest of Fire ; sometimes Charging with the thickest of the Enemies; sometimes over-born by his own that fled, till he rallied them and led them back to the Charge, expos'd to more Danger than most private Soldiers in the Field : So that Count de Souches in his Letter to the States upon this Occasion, told them, That in the whole Course of the Action the Prince bad mewn the Conduct of an old experienc'd Commander, and the Valour of a Cæfar. And indeed his Allies, his Friends, and his Enemies, agreed in giving him equal Glory upon this Adventure : But he had none greater than from the Prince of Conde's Testimony, That he had done like an old Captain in all, but only in venturing himself too much like a young Man, Yet this old General had done the fame in this Day's Action, as much as the youngest Cavalier in his Army could do, when he found the Battle fought so desperately, and all at stake; whereas 'tis certain that nothing could have given Vigour to the Confederate Troops, after the first Rout, but the repeated Examples and Dangers of the Prince, and shame of not following such a Leader,

in all the bold Charges which he made that Day, A. C. which both the Generals feem'd resolv'd rather to 1674. die than to lose.

As the Numbers were not much different when the Fight began, so were those esteem'd chat fell in this Battle, and to reach between fix and seven Thousand on either side; but of the French many more Officers and Men of Note, than was usual in Proportion to the Common Soldiers; for among their Slain were reckon'd the Marquis de Chauvalan, de Clemerant, de Bourbon and D'iliers; three Counts, two Corners of the King's Guards; above Forty Officers of the Guards du Corps; Forty three of the King's Regiment, and Fourscore of the Queen's Guards. In the List of the Slain on the side of the Allies were the Marquis of Asentar, Major General Vane, the Sieur de Villamaire, the Sieur de Langerac, five Collonels, four Lieutenant Collonels, and a proportionable number of Captains and Inferiour Officers. When the Night parted the Armies, the French retired back to their former Quarters, and next Morning the Confederates march'd to that which they design’d when they broke up the Day before. The Allies claim'd the Victory, because they remaind Masters of the Field, and the French upon the greatest number of Prisoners and Standards they carried away ; but whoever had the Honour, they both felt the Loss.

The Day after the Battle his Highness march'd with the whole Army by the way of Mons, and put them into Quarters at S. Guillain, where he receiv'd five Regiments of new Recruits; and the Imperialists retired to Queverain. * After the repair Sir W. necessary in each Camp, upon this sharp Encoun- Temple's ter, each Army took the field again, and gave a Memoirs, General Expectation of another Battle before the p. 26. Campaign ended. The Prince of Orange fought it all he could, but the Prince of Condé chose and fortified his Encampments so, as not to be forc'd ta fight without apparent odds, and contented himself to watch the Motions of the Allies, to preserve the French Conqueits in Flanders, and prevent any

Irruption

E ?