of two great, and once rival, monarchies. At the end of a life fpent in defending the liberties of Europe, he faw them in their greatest danger. He provided for their fecurity in the most effectual manner. He took the Duke of MARLBOROUGH into his fervice.

Ambaffador extraordinary, and plenipotentiary,

To the States-General of the United Provinces,

The Duke contracted feveral alliances before the death of King WILLIAM. He confirmed and improved these, he contracted others, after the acceffion of Queen ANNE: And re-united the confederacy, which had been diffolved at the end of a former war, in a stricter and firmer league.

Captain general and cominander in chief

Of the forces of Great-Britain,

The Duke led to the field the army of the allies. He took with furprizing rapidity Venlo, Ruremonde, Stevenfwaert, Liege. He extended and fecured the frontiers of the Dutch. The enemies, whom he found infulting at the gates of Nimeghen, were driven to feek for fhelter behind their lines. He forced Bonne, Huy, Limbourg, in another campaign. He opened the communication of the Rhine, as well as the Maes. He added all the country between these rivers to his former conquefts. The arms of France, favoured by the defection of the Elector of Bavaria, had penetrated into the heart of the Empire. This mighty body lay expofed to immediate ruin. In that memorable crifis the Duke of MARLBOROUGH led his troops with unexampled celerity, fecrefy, order, from the Ocean to the Danube. He faw he attacked, nor ftopped, but to conquer the enemy. He forced the Bavarians, fuftained by the French, in their ftrong intrenchments at Schellenberg. He paffed the Danube. A fecond royal army compofed of the best troops of France, was sent to re-inforce the firft. That of the confederates was divided. With one part of it the fiege of Ingolstadt was carried on: With the other the Duke gave battle to the united strength of France and Bavaria. On the second day of August, 1704, he gained a more glorious victory than the hiftories of any age can boaft. The heaps of flain were dreadful proofs of his valour: A marfhal of France, whole legions of French, his prisoners, proclaimed his mercy. Bavaria was fubdued. Ratifbon, Augsbourg, Ulm, Meminghen, all the ufurpations of the enemy were recovered. The liberty of the Diet, the peace of the Empire were restored. From the Danube the Duke turned his victorious arms towards the Rhine and the Moselle. Landau, Treves, Traerbach were taken. In the courfe of one campaign the very nature of the war was changed. The invaders of other states were reduced to defend their own. The frontier of France was expofed in its weakest part to the efforts of the allies.

That he might improve this advantage, that he might pufh the fum of things to a speedy decifion, the Duke of MARLBOROUGH led his troops early in the following year once more to the Mofelle. They whom he had faved a few months before, neglected to fecond him now: They who might have been his companions in conqueft, refufed to join him. When he faw the generous defigns he had formed, fruftrated by private intereft, by pique, by jealoufy, he returned with speed to the Maes, He returned; and fortune and victory returned with him. Liege was relieved: Hay re-taken. The French, who had preffed the army of the States-General with fuperiour num bers, retired behind intrenchments which they deemed impregnable. The Duke forced these intrenchments, with inconfiderable lofs, on the feventh day of July, 1705. He defeated a great part of the army which defended them. The reft efcaped by a precipitate retreat. If advantages propor tionable to this fuccefs were not immediately obtained, let the failure be January, 1749.

D

afcribed

afcribed to that misfortune which attends moft confederacies, a divifion of opinions where one alone fhould judge, a divifion of powers where one alone fhould command. The difappointment it felf did honour to the Duke. It become the wonder of mankind, how he could do fo much under those re ftraints which had hinder'd him from doing more.

Powers more abfolute were given him afterwards. The encrease of his powers multiplied his victories. At the opening of the next campaign, when all his army was not yet affembled, when it was hardly known that he had taken the field, the noise of his triumphs was heard over Europe. On the twelfth day of May, 1706, he attacked the French at Ramillies. In the space of two hours their whole army was put to flight. The vigour and conduct with which he improved this fuccefs, were equal to thofe, with which he gained it. Louvain, Bruffels, Malines, Liere, Ghent, Oudenard, Antwerp, Damme, Bruges, Courtray furrendered. Oftend, Menin, Dendermond, Aeth were taken. Brabant and Flanders were recovered. Places which had refifted the greatest generals for months, for years: Provinces difputed for ages, were the conquefts of a fummer. Nor was the Duke content to triumph alone. Solicitous for the general intereft, his care extended to the remoteft fcenes of the war. He chose to leffen his own army, that he might enable the leaders of other armies to conquer. To this it must be afcribed that Turin was relieved, the Duke of Savoy re-inftated, the French driven with confufion out of Italy. Thefe victories gave the confederates an opportunity of carrying the war on every fide into the dominions of France. But the continued to enjoy a kind of peaceful neutrality in Germany. From Italy she was once alarmed, and had no more to fear. The entire reduction of this power, whofe ambition had caufed, whofe ftrength fupported the war, feemed referved for him alone who had fo triumphantly begun the glorious work.

The barrier of France on the fide of the Low-Countries, had been forming for more than half a century. What art, power, expence could do, had been done to render it impenetrable. Yet here fhe was most exposed: For here the Duke of MARLBOROUGH threatened to attack her.

To cover what they had gained by furprize, or had been yielded to them by treachery, the French marched to the banks of the Schelde. At their head were the princes of the blood, and their most fortunate general, the Duke of Vendofine. Thus commanded, thus pofted, they hoped to check the victor in his courfe. Vain were their hopes. The Duke of MARLBOROUGH paffed the river in their fight. He defeated their whole army The approach of night concealed, the proximity of Ghent favoured their flight. They neglected nothing to repair their lofs, to defend their frontier. New generals, new armies appeared in the Netherlands. All contributed to enhance the glory, none were able to retard the progrefs of the confede

rate arms.

Lifle, the bulwark of this barrier, was befieged. A numerous garifon and a marfnal of France defended the place. Prince Eugene of Savoy commanded, the Duke of MARLBOROUGH Covered and fuftained the fiege. The rivers were feized, and the communication with Holland interrupted. The Duke opened new communications with great labour and greater art. Through Countries over-run by the enemy, the neceffary convoys arrived in fafety. One alone was attacked. The troops which attacked it were beat. The defence of Life was animated by affurances of relief. The French assembled all their force. They marched towards the town. The Duke of MARLBOROUGH offered them battle without fufpending the fiege. They abandoned the enterprize. They came to fave the town: They were fpectators of its fall. From this conqueft the Duke haftened to others. The pots taken by

5

the

the enemy on the Schelde were furprized. That river was paffed the second time; and, notwithstanding the great preparations made to prevent it, without oppofition,

Bruffels, befieged by the elector of Bavaria, was relieved. Ghent furrendered to the Duke in the middle of a winter remarkably severe. An army little inferior to his own, marched out of the place.

As foon as the feason of the year permitted him to open another campaign, the Duke befieged and took Tournay. He invefted Mons. Near this city the French army, covered by thick woods, defended by treble intrenchments, waited to moleft, nor prefumed to offer battle. Even this was not attempted by them with impunity. On the laft day of Auguft, 1709, the Duke attacked them in their camp. All was employed, nothing availed against the refolution of fuch a general, against the fury of fuch troops. The battle was bloody: The event decifive. The woods were pierced : The fortifications trampled down. The enemy fled. The town was taken. Dorway, Bethune, Aire, St. Venant, Bouchain underwent the fame fate in two fucceeding years. Their vigorous refiftance could not fave them. The army of France durft not attempt to relieve them. It seemed preferved to defend the capital of the monarchy.

The profpect of this extreme distress was neither diftant nor dubious. The French acknowledged their conqueror, and fued for peace.

These are the actions of the Duke of MARLBOROUGH,
Performed in the compass of few years,
Sufficient to adorn the annals of ages.

The admiration of other nations
Will be conveyed to lateft pofterity,

In the hiftories even of the enemies of Britain.
The sense which the British Nation had
Of his tranfcendent merit,
Was expreffed

In the most folemn, most effectual, most durable manner.
The Ads of Parliament inscribed on this pillar
Shall ftand, as long as the British name and language last,
Illuftrious monuments
Of MARLBOROUGH's glory
And

Of Britain's gratitude.

A Letter containing a curious Piece of
Hiftory, with judicious Reflections.
Flatter myself that you will not
think your time mifemployed in
perufing the hiftory of a small re-
volution that has happened in A
France, in a very narrow, and in
a very antient territory. It cannot
indeed be faid, that this is an affair
of very high importance, and yet
there is fomething in it very re-
markable, fince it is equally ftrange
that a kind of fovereignty fhould fub-
fift without the leaft diminution of
its rights, for 800 years; and that

it fhould extinguish at last, not thro' any failure of heirs, any forfeiture to the crown, or extraordinary exertion of the royal prerogative, but by the voluntary furrender of its poffeffor. It is worth mentioning alfo, on another account, because it proves that people are not always. fenfible of the benefits they enjoy, or of the fuperior value of freedom and ufeful privileges, in comparison of incidental inconveniences, and the being obliged now and then to part Bwith a little money. Permit me to add, that it may ferve to put the antiD 2

ent

ent and great nobility in all countries
in mind, that there is nothing fo dan-
gerous to that grandeur which they
fo much efteem, as living at the
height, or beyond their income, and
becoming thereby diftreffed, and dif-
pofed to take money upon any terms, A
which fometimes in an inftant de-
prives them of that weight and credit
enjoyed by their ancestors, thro' a
long feries of years, and perhaps
maintained and defended with great
difficulty and trouble.

B

The fovereignty I mean is the vifcounty of Turenne, fituated in the Lower Limoufin, fo called from the caftle of the fame name, which was the feat of its antient lords. The whole extent of this territory is about 24 miles in length, and 21 in breadth; containing in it the towns C of Turenne, Beaulieu, Argentat, SaintCeré, Meffat, Colonges, &c. and about go other villages and parishes. The air is very temperate, and rather warm than cold; the foil fruitful; the country finely diverfified with hills, valleys, and plains, D and well watered, the Dordonne running thro' the midst of it. Vines flourish better than in any other part of the country, and groves of chefnuts, fcatter'd here and there, render it wonderfully pleafant and agreeable. It is fituated in the heart of the king- E dom, and from the privileges which its inhabitants enjoyed, tho' an inland country, had a brifk and profitable, if not a large and flourishing

commerce.

We learn from the history, that Rodolph, count of Cahors, and vif. F count of Turenne, flourish'd Anno Dom. 788, and poffeffed this country in full fovereignty; neither was it till about the 10th century, that the viscounts of Turenne did homage to the kings of France. In the reign of St. Lewis, following the fate of the G duchy of Guienne, it was yielded to Henry III. king of England, to whom the viscount did homage, but with the fame reservation of the regal rights. It came to the houfe of

Tour de Auvergne by marriage, in
the 15th century, to whom it be-
longed ever after; and they had
from time to time their territo-
rial rights confirmed, in as ample
manner as they were ever held by
their predeceffors, the laft letters pa-
tents of confirmation bearing date
the 12th of May, 1656. It may be
justly wondered, confidering the cri-
tical circumftances which the house
of Bouillon were fometimes in,
they were not forced to part with fo
valuable a territory, in the fame man-
ner as with their other fovereignty
of Sedan; but, however, this never
was the cafe, nor had they the least
difturbance given them in the pos-
feffion of that little country.

In virtue of this fovereignty fo con-
firmed, the whole country was free
from any taxes on behalf of the king;
what duties and impofitions there
were, were levied by, and paid to
the dukes of Bouillon, as vifcounts of
Turenne, but with the confent and
according to the direction of the
ftates of the country and befides
thefe revenues, which were very
confiderable, there were abundance
of lands and fiefs that were held
from this honour. As the poffeffion
of it brought credit and influence
to the lord, fo it preferved many
benefits and advantages to the pea-
ple; indeed, more than the inha-
bitants of any part of the kingdom,
except the country of Avignon, could
boaft; to inftance only in two points,
they were at liberty to plant tobacco,
and were intirely free from any duty
upon falt.

After this fhort account of the country, its former condition, and the rights of its lord, we will now come to the point, and fhew how all these privileges have been loft. A little before the duke de Bouillon fell ill, he had occafion for a large fum of money, and defired his fubjects, in the vifcounty of Turenne, to gratify him with the loan of 200,000 livres ; to which, however,

they

they did not think proper to confent.
The duke greatly preffed by his
occafions, and not a little provoked
by this behaviour, propofed, of his
own accord, to the council of ftate,
to difpofe of this antient fovereignty
to the crown. The propofal was A
readily accepted, and the rate of the
purchase very speedily fettled at two
millions, with which the duke was
well content.

It was impoffible that a thing of this
confequence could be treated, even
if fecrecy had been ever fo much af- B
fected, without its coming to the
knowledge of those whom it fo
nearly concerned. All the inhabitants
of the viscounty were exceffively
alarmed at the first news of it, and im-
mediately dispatched deputies to wait
upon the duke with the money that C
he had defired, and to intreat him
that they might remain happy under
his protection, in the enjoyment
of their antient privileges.
The an-

fwer that they received was, That
the duke had no occafion for any fuch
Jum at that time, and that both their D
affiftance and request came too late;
and that for the future their privileges
and exemptions must depend upon the
will and pleasure of the king, who
was now become their immediate fo-
vereign. The duputies withdrew
with their money, under the deepest E
concern, and returned to carry the dif
agreeable news to their countrymen.
All the inhabitants of the vifcounty
of Turenne are now reduced to the
fame condition with the reft of the
fubjects of France, and will, for the
future, be obliged to pay the fame F
taxes, impofts, and duties, that are
levied elsewhere. The inspectors of
the farmers general have begun al-
ready to vifit the country, and to esta-
blifh offices for receiving the taxes,
to which the people have fhewn the
greatest unwillingness imaginable to G
fubmit, which is a new mark of their
folly; for, without doubt, they must
now wear that yoke, however gall-
ing and uneafy, from which, by a
very finall condefcenfion, which was

very much in their power, they might
have defended themselves, and their
pofterity, for ages to come, as their
ancestors and themselves have been
free from them for ages paft. But, it
feems, that liberty, like all other
bleflings, is never confidered in its
true light, till reflections on the lofs
of it make it known.

Copy of a LETTER from Mr.
Alderman HEATHCOTE at Bath.
My Lord Mayor,

THE general corruption of the
Tage I have the misfortune to

live in, and the frequent deteftable
inftances of apoftasy from every prin-
ciple of honour, integrity, and pub-
lick fpirit of many of my country-
men, both of my own and a fupe-
rior rank, having fully convinced me,
that the endeavours of the few, de-
termin'd to live and die honeft
men, are fruitless and vain, I have
refolv'd to feek that fmall fhare of
happiness, which is to be acquir'd
in this venal country, in privacy
and retirement, where I am fure it
is only to be found; and, therefore,
I am determin'd to return no more
to London, unless my own private
concerns call me thither. I cannot
think it in any refpect right to hold
an office I fhall never attend: This
obliges me to apply to your lordship
and court of aldermen for leave to
refign my gown, and beg the court
will accept of this my refignation,
and that your lordship will be pleafed
to iffue out a precept for the election
of fome other person to serve instead
of me for the ward of Walbrook. I
moft fincerely with health and feli-
city to my brethren the aldermen,
and the most flourishing commerce,
with the full enjoyments of liberty,
to the citizens of London, to whom
I am inexpreffibly oblig'd for the
many honours and trufts they have
reposed in me; all which I
can, with
a fafe confcience, fay, I have faith-
fully difcharg'd, without ever hav-
ing once betray'd or deceiv'd.

The