Part 4 (2/2)

In this Manner was the Siege begun; nor was it carry'd on with any less Application; the Approaches being ers, that very little, if at all, exceeded the Nuular Manner, our few Forces would not adh to secure our two little Camps, and preserve a Communication between both, not to be interrupted or incommoded by the Eneainst the Place, all on the West Side of the Town, _viz_ one of nine Guns, another of Twelve, and the last of upwards of Thirty Froinable Fury; and very often in whole Vollies

Nevertheless it was thought not only adviseable, but necessary, to erect another Battery, upon a lower Piece of Ground under a s more within Reach, and opposite to those Places where the Walls were i design'd for six Guns only, eneer had the Direction; and indeed very quickly perfected it But when it caet the Cannon to it, most were of opinion that it would be absolutely impracticable, by reason of the vast Descent; tho' I believe they er Reason, and perhaps more intrinsick, that it was extreain'd some little Reputation in the Attack of _Monjouick_, this Difficulty was at last to be put upon me; and as soood Will However, when I cah I was sensible enough of the Difficulty, Iit; for it was then between Nine and Ten, and the Guns were to be ht Neither could I at present see any other Way to answer their Expectations, than by casting the Cannon down the Precipice, at all Hazards, to the Place belohere that fourth Battery was erected

This wanted not Objections to; and therefore to answer my Purpose, as to point of Time, sixty Men more were order'd me, as much as possible to facilitate the Work by Nu all Hands to work, and had given Orders to radual, and thereby render the Task a little more feasible, Major _Collier_, who co the Difficulties of the Undertaking, in a Fret told o and find out Brigadier _Petit_, and let him know the Impossibility, as well as the Unreasonableness of the Task I was put upon He had scarce utter'd those Words, and turn'd himself round to perform his Promise, when an unlucky Shot with a Musket-Ball wounded hih the Shoulder; upon which he was carry'd off, and I saw him not till soence, and the additional Coreat good Fortune) that the Way was made, and the Guns, by the Help of Fascines, and other lesser Preparations below, safely let down and an to play upon the Town before Break of Day; and with all the Success that was propos'd

In short, the Breach in a very few Days after was found wholly practicable; and all Things were got ready for a general Stor sensible of, i other Articles, concluded, that the Town should be surrender'd in three Days; and the better to ensure it, the Bastion, which coelo_, was directly put into our Possession

But before the Expiration of the limited three Days, a very unexpected Accident fell out, which hasten'd the Surrender Don _Valasco_, during his Government, had behav'd himself very arbitrarily, and thereby procur'd, as the Consequence of it, a large Proportion of ill will, not only a the _Miquelets_, who had, in their Zeal to King _Charles_, flock'd froe of their Capital; and who, on the Signing of the Articles of Surrender, had found various Ways, being well acquainted with the ht into the Town: So that early in the Morning they began to plunder all that they knew Eneht Friends to the Prince his Con was upon _Valasco_ the Governor, whoot into their Hands, it was not to be question'd, but as far as his Life and Limbs would have serv'd, they would have sufficiently satiated their Vengeance upon He expected no less; and therefore concealed hiive Orders for his more safe and private Conveyance by Sea to _Alicant_

Nevertheless, in the Town all was in the utmost Confusion; which the Earl of _Peterborow_, at the very first hearing, hastened to appease; with his usual Alacrity he rid all alone to Port St _Angelo_, where at that ti to be admitted, the Officer of the Guard, under Fear and Surprise, open'd the Wicket, through which the Earl enter'd, and I after hione a hundred Paces,a Lady of apparent Quality, and indisputable Beauty, in a strange, butfrom the apprehended Fury of the _Miquelets_; her lovely Hair was all flowing about her Shoulders, which, and the Consternation she was in, rather added to, than any thing diminish'd from the Charms of an Excess of Beauty She, as is very natural to People in Distress,her he was a Person likely to give her all the Protection she wanted And as soon as ever she cah, in a Manner that declar'd her Quality before she spoke, she crav'd that Protection, telling him, the better to secure it, who it was that ask'd it But the generous Earl presently convinc'd her, he wanted no Intreaties, having, before he knew her to be the Dutchess of _Popoli_, taken her by the Hand, in order to convey her through the Wicket which he enter'd at, to a Place of Safety without the Town

I stay'd behind, while the Earl convey'd the distress'd Dutchess to her requested _Asyluest Part of an Hour before he return'd But as soon as ever he came back, he, and my self, at his Command, repair'd to the Place of most Confusion, which the extraordinary Noise full readily directed us to; and which happened to be on the Parade before the Palace There it was that the _Miquelets_ were et into their Hands the aling Fury, the Person of Don _Valasco_, the late Governor

It was here that the Earl preserv'd that Governor from the violent, but perhaps too just Resentments of the _Miquelets_; and, as I said before, convey'd him by Sea to _Alicant_ And, indeed, I could little doubt the Effect, or be any thing surpriz'd at the Easiness of the Task, when I saw, that wherever he appear'd the popular Fury was in a Moment allay'd, and that every Dictate of that General was assented to with the utmost Chearfulness and Deference _Valasco_, before his Eiven Orders, in Gratitude to his Preserver, for all the Gates to be deliver'd up, tho' short of the stipulated Terly so delivered, and our Troops took Possession so soon as ever that Governor was aboard the shi+p that was to convey hiadier _Stanhope_ order'd a Tent to be pitch'd as near the Trenches as possibly could be with Safety; where he not only entertain'd the chief Officers ere upon Duty, but likewise the _Catalonian_ Gentleht _Miquelets_ to our assistance I re his only Son with hi Gentleo into the Tent, in order to dine with the Brigadier But whilst they were at Dinner, an unfortunate Shot came from the Bastion of St _Antonio_, and intirely struck off the Head of the Son The father i down upon his headless Child, and then lifting up his Eyes to Heaven, whilst the Tears ran down his Cheeks, he cross'd himself, and only said, _Fiat voluntas tua_, and bore it with a wonderful Patience 'Twas a sad Spectacle, and truly it affects

The Earl of _Peterborow_, tho' for some time after the Revolution he had been ereat Satisfaction, which was ever his Inclination Brigadier _Stanhope_, as justly afterwards created an Earl, did well deserve this Motto, _Tam Marte quam Mercurio_; for truly he behav'd, all the time he continu'd in _Spain_, as if he had been inspir'd with Conduct; for the Victory at _Al to hiuish'd hia_ was not his Fault; for no Man can resist Fate; for 'twas decreed by Heaven that _Philip_ should re of _Spain_, and _Charles_ to be Erateful to the Instruhty made use of to preserve the of _Spain_ but for _France_; and the other had not been Eland_

_Barcelona_, the chief Place in _Catalonia_, being thus in our Hands, as soon as the Garrison, little inferior to our Ar, _&c_ according to the Articles, _Charles_ the Third , and receiv'd with the general Acclamations, and all other Dereat Occasion

So satiated with their former De, by proper Deputies for that Purpose appointed, desiring Leave to give more ample Instances of their Affections in a public _Cavalcade_ The King granted their Request, and the Citizens, pursuant thereto, , plac'd in a Balcony belonging to the House of the Earl of _Peterborow_, appear'd ready to honour the Show

The Cererand: Those of the first Rank made their Appearance in decent Order, and upon fine Horses; and others under Arms, and in Companies,his Majesty as they pass'd by, after the _Spanish_ Manner, which that Prince return'd with the Moves of _Spain_ are not allow'd to salute, or return a Salute, by any Motion to, or of, the Hat

After these follow'd several Pageants; the first of which was drawn by Mules, set off to the Height with stateliest Feathers, and adorn'd with little Bells Upon the Top of this Pageant appear'd a Man dress'd all in Green; but in the Likeness of a Dragon The Pageantsate, the Dragonical Representative diverted his, the Earl of _Peterborow_ all the ti the Populace, which they as constantly receiv'd with the loud Acclamation and repeated Cries of _Viva, Viva, Carlos Terceros, Viva la Casa d'Austria_

When that had play'd its Part, another Pageant, drawn as before, made a like full Stop before the sae, or Aviary, the Cover of which, by Springs contriv'd for that Purpose, iht of Birds of various Colours These, all amaz'd at their sudden Liberty, which I took to be the Emblem intended, hover'd a considerable space of ti, and otherwise testifying their e little in theot the Particulars Nevertheless, every one of them was dismiss'd with the like Accla with Bonfires and Illuminations common on all such Occasions

I cannot here omit one very remarkable Instance of the Catholick Zeal of that Prince, which I was soon after an Eye-witness of I was at that ti by in his Coach, the Host (whether by Accident or Contrivance I cannot say) was brought, at that very Juncture, out of the great Church, in order, as I after understood, to a poor sick Wo came out of his Coach, kneel'd down in the Street, which at that time prov'd to be very dirty, till the Host pass'd by; then rose up, and taking the lighted Flaht nasty Alley, and there up a dark ordinary Pair of Stairs, where the poor sick Woman lay There he stay'd till the whole Cere to the Door of the Church, he very faithfully restor'd the lighted Flambeau to the Fellow he had taken it fro out _Viva, Viva_; an Acclaine, intended to his Zeal, as well as his Person

Another remarkable Accident, of a much more moral Nature, I must, injustice to the Temperance of that, in this truly ini in one of the most populous Streets of that City, where I found an uncoining so great a Croud could not be asse the rest; and after a good deal of Struggling and Difficulty, reach'd into the Ring and Centre of that mix'd Multitude But how did I blush? hat Confusion did I appear?

when I found one of my own Countrymen, a drunken Granadier, the attractive Loadstone of all that high and low Mob, and the butt of all their Merri not a little surprizing to one of our Country, to find that a drunken Man should be such a wonderful Sight; However, the witty Sarcash and low thrown upon that senseless Creature, and as I interpreted Matters, ent, that if I did not curse ht it best to withdraw s could carry_Charles_, the Towns of _Gironne, Tarragona, Tortosa_, and _Lerida_, ieneers being order'd, it was my Lot to be sent to _Tortosa_ This Town is situated on the Side of the River _Ebro_, over which there is a fair and fae of Boats The Waters of this River are always of a dirty red Colour, somewhat fouler than our Moorish Waters; yet is it the only Water the Inhabitants drink, or covet to drink; and every House providing for its own Convenience Cisterns to preserve it in, by a few Hours standing it becomes as clear as the clearest Rock-water, but as soft as Milk In short, for Softness, Brightness, and Pleasantness of Taste, the Natives prefer it to all the Waters in the World And I must declare in favour of their Opinion, that none ever pleas'd reater Modoon_ on the other: And being of it self tolerably defensible, in hue in its Repair and Improvement Upon this Employ was I appointed, and thus was I busy'd, till the Arrival of the Earl of _Peterboroith his little Army, in order to march to _Valencia_, the Capital of that Province

Here he left in Garrison Colonel _Hans Haiment; the Place, nevertheless, was under the Co _Charles_

While the Earl stay'd a few Days at this Place, under Expectation of the promis'd Succours from _Barcelona_, he receiv'd _a Proprio_ (or Express) fro of _Spain_, full of Excuses, instead of Forces And yet the very same Letter, in a paradoxical Manner, commanded him, at all Events, to attempt the Relief of _Santo Mattheo_, where Colonel _Jones_ coe by the _Conde de los Torres_ (as was the Report) with upwards of three thousand Men The Earl of _Peterborow_ could not muster above one thousand Foot, and about two hundred Horse; a small Force to make an Attempt of that Nature upon such a superior Power: Yet the Earl's Vivacity (as will be occasionally further observ'd in the Course of these Mearded Nuereater Encouragereat Concourse of the Country People being up in Ar _Charles_, and wanting only Officers, the Enterprize would be easy and unattended with reat Body of Men all _in nubibus_; and that the _Conde_, in the plain Truth of the Matter, was er than the Letter at first represented

_Santo Mattheo_ was a Place of known Importance; and that from its Situation, which cut off all Communication between _Catalonia_ and _Valencia_; and, consequently, should it fall into the Hands of the Enen upon the latter ranted, the Co and peremptory; nevertheless, the Earl was very conscious to himself, that as the promis'd Reinforcements were suspended, his Officers would not approve of the Attempt upon the Foot of such vast Inequalities; and their own declar'd Sentiments soon confirm'd the Dictates of the Earl's Reason He therefore addresses himself to those Officers in a different Manner: He told 'em he only desir'd they would be passive, and leave it to him to work his own Way