A C. VVilliamfon upon the Matter, as of a double Fron 1677. tier this would give to Flanders. After which the Prince faid, he believ'd Dinner was ready, and he would talk of it when they had Din'd, tho' he would tell him now, and in few Words, That he must rather Die than make fuch a Peace.

After Dinner the Prince told the English Ambaffador, "That he had not expected fuch a Re"turn of the Confidence he had begun towards "His Majefty. He obferv'd the Offer of Alliance 66 came to him in a Letter of His Majesties own "Hand; but that about the Terms of a Peace, frorn "the Secretary only; that it was in a Stile, as if "he thought him a Child, or to be Fed with whipt "Cream; that fince all this had been before the "Foreign Committee, he knew very well, it had "been with the French Ambaffador too, and that "the Terms were his, and a great deal worfe than "they could have directly from France. That in

• Feb. 24.

fhort, all must be ventur'd, fince he was in, and "found no other way out; and that he would ra"ther Charge a Thoufand Men with an Hundred, 66 nay, tho' he were fure to Die in the Charge, "than enter into any Concert of a Peace upon "these Conditions.

66

Sir VVilliam imparted to the Court of England what paft in this Interview, to which he received an Anfwer from Secretary VVilliamson, which his Highness relifh'd as ill as he had done the former, infomuch that he told Sir VVilliam, "That he was Sorry to find the King's Thoughts fo diffe"rent from his, and that whenever they grew nearer, he fhould be glad to know it. But he "look'd now upon the Campagne as begun, "and believ'd at the Time they talk'd, the Guns 66 were playing before Valenciennes. That he faw now no hopes of a Peace, but expected a long "War, unlefs Flanders fhould be loft, and in that "Cafe the States must make the beft Terms they "could. That he expected a very ill beginning "of the Campagne, and to make an ill Figure in "it himself, and to bear the Shame of Faults that others would make, but if the Emperor per-›

66

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"forma'd

M.

"form'd what he promis'd, the Campagne might A. C. "not end as it began. That however he was in, 1677. "and must go on; adding, And when one is at "High Mafs one is at it; meaning one muft ftay "till'tis done, because the Crowd is fo great one "can't get out. After this Interview, which pafs'd at Soefdike, one of the Prince's Houfes, his Highnefs went immediately away for the Hague, and Sir VVilliam Temple return'd to Nimeguen, where tho most of the Preliminaries were already adjusted, the Pope's Mediation rejected, and that of the King of Great Britain only accepted by all Parties, yet all Negotiations feem'd wholly at a stand, and fo continu'd till towards the end of April.

Whilst the Plenipotentiaries at the Congress, were contending about Trifles, and amuling one another with the Ceremonial, the Effential Parts of the Treaty were warmly Difputed with Fire and Sword in the Field. France had in the beginnig of the Year, notwithstanding the Rigour of the Seafon, over-run all the Country about Valenciennes, Cambray, and St. Omer, and in a manner Blocked up thefe three Important Places, openly boafting that they would make themselves Mafters of two of them before the Spaniards were in a Condition to take the Field. About the end of February, having provided fufficient Magazines for the Subfiftance of their Forces, they began to penetrate into Flanders, and into thofe Parts of Germany on t'other fide of the Rhine, where they made their first Eflay of burning and fpoiling defenceless Towns and Villages, which they have fince im. prov'd to fo dreadful a Degree. The Confederates complain'd to the King of England of this new manner of making War, who employ'd his Offices to hinder fuch Unchristian Devastations, while a Treaty was on Foot under his Mediation; but the thing was done, and the French had gain'd their Point, which was by an abfolute ruin of the Country to cut off the Imperialifts from all Subfiftance, if they fhould March into Afatia, and by that means divert thofe Troops that France refolv'd to employ in the Netherlands, before the Dutch could

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leave

A. C.

leave their Winter Quarters, and March to the 1677. Relief of thofe Places they intended to Befiege.

77.

About the beginning of March the Duke of LuxVa enci- cm'ugh and Count de Montal invefted Valenciennes, ennes ta with an Army of between Fifty and Sixty Thouby the fand Men. Four Days after the King of France ench, came in Perfon to the Camp, and by his Prefence ch 17-fo animated the Troops, that in few Days the Town was carried by a General Affault; notwithftanding the Difficulties occafion'd by the Seafon, and a Gallant Defence of a numerous Garrifon, Commanded by the Marquifs de Risburg, Brother to Prince d'Epinoy. From Valenciennes the French King march'd with a mighty Army, and laid Siege to Cambray with one part of it, and to St. Omer with the other, under the Duke of Orleans. In few Days, from the opening of the Trenches, the Lines of Circumvallation were finish'd, and the King commanded an Affault to be made on the two Half-Moons on the Caftle fide, which the The Town of French having foon made themfelves Malters of, Cambray they immediately began to undermine the Ramparts. This put the Befieg'd into fuch a Confternation, that they defir'd to Capitulate, and Surrendred the Town of Cambray upon Articles; but the Cittadel held out for fome Days longer, the Governour having taken Advantage of the Ceffation of Arms to provide for its Defence.

taken.

In the mean time the Dutch having receiv'd their Payments due from Spain, and finding the French profecuted their Defign upon Flanders, whilft the Negotiations of Peace ferv'd only to make the Spaniards more remifs in their Preparations, refolv'd to go on with another Campagne, being kept up to this Refolution by the Prince of Orange's preifing them to the Obfervance of their Treaties, and pursuit of their Intereft, in the Prefervation of the Spanish Netherlands. Upon the firft Motion of the French, the Prince began to prepare for that of his Troops likewife, and preft the Spaniards to have theirs in readinefs to join him; and with all imaginable Diligence provided for the Subsistance of his Army in their March thro' Flanders, which the

Span

Spaniards had taken no care of. But with all the En A. C. deavours and Application that could be us'd, his 1677. Highnefs could not come to the Relief either of Valenciennes or Cambray, but with part of the Forces of the States alone, and without either Troops, or fo much as Guides furnifh'd him by the Spani ards, he march'd directly towards St. Omer, fully refolv'd to raife that Siege with the hazard of a Battle, at what difadvantage foever. The Duke of Orleans leaving a small part of his Troops to defend his Trenches before St. Omer, marched to meet the Prince of Orange, and upon the Way was reinforc'd by Monfieur de Luxemburgh, with all the Forces the King of France could fpare out of his Army, leaving only enough to carrry on the AtBattle of tacks before the Cittadel of Cambray. These Ar- Montcaf mies encountred, and Fought with great Bravery fel, April and Refolution at Montcaffel, where after a fharp 11. 1677. Dispute, the firft Regiment of the Dutch Infantry N. S. began to break. The Prince, perceiving their Diforder, went immediately to that part where the Shock began, rally'd them feveral times, and renew'd the Charge, but at laft was quite born down by the plain Flight of his Men, whom he was forc'd to refift like Enemies. He fell in among them with Sword in Hand, and cutting the first cross the Face, cry'd out aloud, Rascal! I'll set a Mark on thee at least, that I may hang thee afterwards. Voice nor Action, Threats nor Example could give Courage to Men that had already loft it; and fo the Prince was forc'd to yield to the Torrent of thefe Runaways, that carried him back to the reft of his Troops, which yet made a stand; with whom, and what he could gather of thofe that had been routed, he made a Retreat, that came little St. Omer taken by fhort of a glorious Victory. However the Natural Confequence of this Battle was, the Surrender of the French Apr. 20. St. Omer, and the Cittadel of Cambray, and a more eager defire in the United Provinces after the Conclufion of the Peace, feeing the Spaniards were fo negligent in the Defence of their own Territories; and that they conceiv'd no great hopes of a Conference that had been held at Wefel, between the

Elector

A. C Elector of Brandenburgh, the Danish Ambaffador, 1677. Penfioner Fagel, Admiral Van Trump, and feveral Envoys of German Princes, concerning the Opera-1 tions of the Campagne on the fide of Germany. Af ter the taking of thofe Places and a Battle won, the French thought it Prudence to Play a faving Game, and to act on the Defenfive all the reft of the Summer.

In the mean time the Spaniards Reasoning only from what they thought the Intereft of their Neighbours, which is generally a fallacious Argument in Politicks, fupinely abandon'd to their Care the Prefervation of Flanders. They knew Holland would fave it if they could; and England, they were fure could, if they would; and believ'd would be brought to it at laft by the Encrease of the Danger, and the Humour of the People. In this Prefumption they were fondly entertain'd by their Minifters then in England, Don Bernardo de Salinas Envoy from Spain, and Fonfeca Conful there, who very industriously fomented the Heats that began about this time to appear in the Parliament, upon the Succeffes of the French Arms both in Flanders and Sicily; which mov'd them, about the end of March, Earneftly to defire His Majefty to put a stop to them, before they grew dangerous to England, as well as to their Neighbours. Don Bernardo de Salinas told fome of the Commons, that the King was incen- · fed at this Addrefs, calling the Authors of it, a Company of Rogues, which made a great Noife in the Lower-Houfe. The King refented it as a piece of Malice in Salinas, or at beft a Defign to inflame the Commons, and Order'd him to depart the Kingdom within certain Days. Nevertheless about a Month after the Parliament Addrefs'd the King upon the fame Score, defiring his Majefty to enter into an Offenfive and Defenfive Alliance with the United Provinces, for oppofing the Career of: the Conquering Arms of France. This the King receiv'd as an Encroachment on his Prerogative, made them an Angry Anfwer, and prorogu'd them the Week following.