Part 5 (1/2)

Accordingly, the Earl found out and hired two _Spanish_ Spies, for whose Fidelity (as his great Precaution always led him to do) he took sufficient Security; and dispatch'd 'em with a Letter to Colonel _Jones_, Governor of the Place, inti his Readiness, as well as Ability, to relieve hi hiht of his Troops, to issue out, pursue, and plunder; since that would be all they would have to do, and all he would expect at their Hands The Spies were dispatch'd accordingly; and, pursuant to Instructions, one betray'd and discover'd the other who had the Letter in charge to deliver to Colonel _Jones_

The Earl, to carry on the Feint, having in thesecretly over the Mountains, drawn his Men together, so as toMountain, little more than Cannot-shot from the Enemy's Camp The Tale of the Spies was fully confirh an able General) march'd off with some Precipitation with his Army; and by that Means the Earl's smaller Number of twelve Hundred had Liberty to march into the Toithout Interruption I must not let slip an Action of Colonel _Jones_'s just before the Earl's Delivery of them: The _Conde_, for want of Artillery, had set his Miners to work; and the Colonel, finding they had erous Advances, turned the Course of a Rivulet, that ran through the Middle of the Town, in upon theht to Perfection

_SANTO Mattheo_ being reliev'd, as I have said, the Earl, though he had so far gain'd his Ends, left not the flying Enemy without a Feint of Pursuit; with such Caution, nevertheless, that in case they should happen to be better inforain to _Santo Mattheo_, or to _Vinaros_ on the Sea-side; or so just before receiv'd fresh Advice, that the Reinforcements he expected were anew countermanded; and that the Duke of _Anjou_ had increas'd his Troops to twelve thousand Men; the Officers, not enough elated with the last Success to adventure upon new Experiments, resolv'd, in a Council of War, to advise the Earl, who had just before receiv'd a discretionary Commission in lieu of Troops, so to post the Forces under hi in Person; or to march to the Defence of _Catalonia_, in case of Necessity

Pursuant to this Resolution of the Council of War, the Earl of _Peterborow_, tho' still intent upon his Expedition into _Valencia_ (which had been afresh commanded, even while his Supplies were countermanded) orders his Foot, in a truly bad Condition, by tedious Marches Day and Night over the Mountains, to _Vinaros_; and with his two hundred Horse, set out to prosecute his pretended Design of pursuing the flying Enely desperate Circumstances, to perfect the Security of that Capital

To that Purpose, the Earl, with his s the Enemy, till they came under the Walls of _Nules_, a Town fortify'd with the best Walls, regular Towers, and in the best Repair of any in that Kingdom But even here, upon the Appearance of the Earl's Forlorn (if they ht not properly at that time all have pass'd under that Character) under the same Panick they left that sensible Toith only one Thousand of the Town's People, well arin'd, that the Earl, with his sain Admission; or, indeed, under such Circu was, his good Genius went along with hiood a Genius was it, that it rarely left hiood Effect He had been told the Day before, that the Eneot Possession of _Villa Real_, where they put all to the Sword What would have furnish'd another with Terror, inspir'd his Lordshi+p with a Thought as fortunate as it was successful The Earl rides up to the very Gates of the Town, at the Head of his Party, and pereistrate, or a Priest, immediately to be sent out to hi all put to the Sword, and us'd as the Enemy had us'd those at _Villa-Real_ the Day or two before The Troops, that had so lately left the Place, had left behind 'eether with the peremptory Demand of the Earl, soon produc'd some Priests to wait upon the General By their Readiness to obey, the Earl very justly iin'd Fear to be the Motive; wherefore, to improve their Terror, he only allow'd the them, that otherwise, so soon as his Artillery was come up, he would lay them under the utmost Extree into the Place; and in a very short time after the Gates were thrown open Upon the Earl's Entrance he found two hundred Horse, which were the Original of his Lordshi+p's for of _Valencia_

The News of the taking of _Nules_ soon overtook the flying Eneer, that they renew'd their March, the sah what they had taken before would have satisfy'd them much better without it On the other hand, the Earl was so well pleas'd with his Success, that leaving the Enemy to fly before their Fears, he made a short Turn towards _Castillon de la Plana_, a considerable, but open Tohere his Lordshi+p furnish'd himself with four hundred Horses more; and all this under the assurance that his Troops were driving the Enedoireat Distance; where, when they ca well mounted, and furnish'd with all Accoutre 'em canton'd in wall'd Tohere they could not be disturb'd without Artillery, that indefatigable General, leaving them full Orders, went on his way towards _Tortosa_

At _Vinaros_ the Earl dom of _Valencia_ were assembled, and had already advanc'd a Day's March at least into that Country Upon which, collecting, as fast as he could, the whole Corps together, the Earl resolv'd to penetrate into _Valencia_ directly; notwithstanding this whole collected Body would amount to no more than six hundred Horse and two thousand Foot

But there was a strong Pass over a River, just under the Walls of _Molviedro_, which adier _Mahoni_, by the Orders of the Duke of _Arcos_, who codoh not very strong, is a wall'd Town, very populous of it self; and had in it, besides a Garrison of eight hundred Men, oons It lies at the very Bottoh Hill; on the upper Part whereof they shew the Ruins of the once famous SAGUNTUM; fa, for an inviolable Fidelity to a negligent Confederate, against an iia_ of awful Antiquity, in half standing Arches, and the yet unlevell'd Walls and Towers of that once celebrated City I could not but look upon all these with the Eyes of Despight, in regard to their Enemy _Hannibal_; with those of Disdain, in respect to the uncommon and unaccountable Supineness of its Confederates, the _Rolorious People, who rather than stand reproach'd with a Breach of Faith, or the Brand of Cowardice, chose to sacrifice themselves, their Wives, Children, and all that was dear to the City

In _Molviedro_, as I said before, _Mahoni_ coht hundred Men, besides Inhabitants; which, together with our having but little Artillery, induc'd the Officers under the Earl of _Peterborow_ reasonably enough to iine and declare, that there could be no visible Appearance of sur such Difficulties The Earl, nevertheless, instead of indulging such Despondencies, gave theht possibly obtain To that Purpose he proposed an Intervieeen hily sent an Officer with a Trureed to; and the Earl having previously station'd his Troops to advantage, and his little Artillery at a convenient Distance, with Orders they should appear on a slow March on the Side of a rising Hill, during the time of Conference, went to the Place appointed; only, as had been stipulated, attended with a small Party of Horse When they were e _Mahoni_ to the Interest of King _Charles_; proposing soh (as _Mahoni_ hier the Faith of a Catholick; but all to little Purpose: _Mahoni_ was inflexible, which oblig'd the Earl to new Measures

Whereupon the Earl frankly told him, that he could not however but esteem the Confidence he had put in him; and therefore, to make some Retaliation, he was ready to put it in his Power to avoid the Barbarities lately executed at _Villa-Real_

”My Relation to you,” continued the General, ”inclines me to spare a Town under your Command You see how nearMasters of the Place: What I would therefore offer you, said the Earl, is a Capitulation, that my Inclination may be held in Countenance by my Honour Barbarities, however justified by Exaainst ood Will to your Person, was the main Intent of this Interview”

This Frankness so far prevail'd on _Mahoni_, that he agreed to return an Answer in half an Hour Accordingly, an Ansas returned by a _Spanish_ Officer, and a Capitulation agreed upon; the Earl at the sa _Charles_, onthis equally fruitless, whether it was that he tacitly reproach'd the Officer with a Want of Consideration in neglecting to follow the Example of his Commander, or what else, he created in that Officer such a Jealousy of _Mahoni_, that was afterward very serviceable to hiood Issue, the Earl ioons, who, upon proo as Spies to the Duke of _Arcos_, whose Forces lay not far off, on the other Side a large Plain, which the Earl must unavoidably pass, and which would inevitably be attended with alers, if there attack'd by a Force soto Instructions, were to discover to the Duke, that they over-heard the Conference between the Earl and _Mahoni_; and at the same time saw a considerable Nue Pro at that Instant reciprocally: But above all, that the Earl had reco the March of the Duke over the Plain between the to Concert; concluding, before the Duke, that they would ask no Reward, but undergo any Punishment, if _Mahoni_ did not very soon send to the Duke a Request to march over the Plain, in order to put the concerted Plot in execution It was not long after this pretended Discovery before _Mahoni_ did send indeed an Officer to the Duke, desiring the March of his Forces over the Plain; but, in reality, to obstruct the Earl's Passage, which he knew very wellprepossess'd by the Spies, and what those _Spanish_ Officers that at first escap'd had before infus'd, took Things in their Sense; and as soon as _Mahoni_, as forc'd to make the best of his way over the Plain before the Earl of _Peterborow_, arriv'd at his Camp, he was put under Arrest and sent to _Madrid_ The Duke having thus imbib'd the Venom, and taken the Alarm, immediately decamp'd in Confusion, and took a different Rout than at first he intended; leaving that once formidable Plain open to the Earl, without an Enemy to obstruct him In some little time after he arriv'd at _Madrid_, _Mahoni_ made his Innocence appear, and was created a General; while the Duke of _Arcos_ was recall'd from his Post of Honour

The Day after we arriv'd at _Valencia_, the Gates of which fine City were set open to us with the highest Demonstrations of Joy I call'd it a fine City; but sure it richly deserves a brighter Epithet, since it is a co the _Spaniards_, that the Pleasures of _Valencia_ would et _Jerusalem_ It is most sweetly situated in a very beautiful Plain, and within half a League of the _Mediterranean_ Sea It never wants any of the Fragrancies of Nature, and always has soht the most curious Eye It is famous to a Proverb for fine Women; but as infamous, and only in that so, for the Race of Bravoes, the common Companions of the Ladies of Pleasure in this Country These Wretches are so Case-hardened, they will commit a Murder for a Dollar, tho' they run their Country for it when they have done

Not that other Parts of this Nation are uninfested with this sort of Aniue was to be taken of those in other Parts of that Country, perhaps nine in ten would be found by Birth to be of this Province

But to proceed, tho' the Citizens, and all Sorts of People, were redundant in their various Expressions of Joy, for an Entry so surprizing, and utterly lost to their Expedition, whatever it was to their Wishes, the Earl had a secret Concern for the Publick, which lay gnawing at his Heart, and which yet he was forced to conceal He knew that he had not four thousand Soldiers in the Place, and not Powder or A like a Siege On the other Hand, the Enemy without were upwards of seven Thousand, with a Body of four Thousand ues off, on their March to join them Add to this, the Marechal de _Thesse_ was no farther off than _Madrid_, a very few Days' March from _Valencia_; a short Way indeed for the Earl (who, as was said before, holly unprovided for a Siege, which was reported to be the sole End of the Mareschal'sGenius resolv'd again to atteth of his Forces utterly disallow'd hi him that sixteen twenty-four Pounders, with Stores and Ae, were shi+p'd off for the Enen, and with his usual Success intercepts 'e that way his own Necessities at the Expence of the Enemy

The four thousand Men ready to reinforce the Troops nearer _Valencia_, were the next Point to be undertaken; but _hic labor, hoc opus;_ since the greater Body under the Conde _de las Torres_ (ith _Mahoni_, was now reinstated in his Post) lay between the Earl and those Troops intended to be dispers'd And what inhaunc'd the Difficulty, the River _Xucar_ must be passed in ales as these were, they did not discourage the Earl He detach'd by Night four hundred Horse and eight hundred Foot, who reat Body, routed 'eht into _Valencia_ six hundred Prisoners very safely, notwithstanding they were oblig'd, under the saht-Covert, to pass very near a Body of three Thousand of the Eneain'd Credit in that City, if the Prisoners brought in had not been living Witnesses of the Action as well as the Triumph The Conde _de las Torres_, upon these two military Rebuffs, drew off to a more convenient Distance, and left the Earl a little more at ease in his new Quarters

Here the Earl of _Peterborow_ made his Residence for some time He was extreamly well belov'd, his affable Behaviour exacted as ood Correspondence with the Priests and the Ladies, that he never fail'd of theby no hted in the common Course of Life; but much more commendable and necessary in a General, with so small an Army, at open War, and in the Heart of his Enemy's Country

The Earl, by this Means, so _Philip_ was actually on his March to _Barcelona_, with an Army of upwards of twenty five thousand Men, under the Coan his March towards _Catalonia_, with all the Troops that he could gather together, leaving in _Valencia_ a sence could best be spar'd The whole Body thus collected made very little more than two thousand Foot and six hundred Horse; yet resolutely with these he sets out for _Barcelona_: In the Neighbourhood of which, as soon as he arriv'd, he took care to post himself and his diminutive Army in the Mountains which inviron that City; where he not only secur'd 'eainst the Ene hireat Ar the Earl's Coht Hours, put his Troops into such a varying Situation, that alhenfound

In this Manner the General bitterly harrass'd the Troops of the Enemy; and by these Means struck a perpetual Terror into the Besiegers Nor did he only this way annoy the Enemy; the Precautions he had us'd, and the Measures he had taken in other Places, with a View to prevent their Return to _Madrid_, though the Invidious endeavour'd to bury the of the Mareschal of _France_, and his Catholick King, out of the _Spanish_ Doe: The Breaches in the Walls of that City, during its Siege by the Earl, had been put into tolerable Repair; but those of _Monjouick_, on the contrary, had been as lected

However, the Garrison made shi+ft to hold out a Battery of twenty-three Days, with no less than fifty Pieces of Cannon; when, after a Loss of the Enemy of upwards of three thousand Men (a Moiety of the Arainst it when the Earl took it) they were forc'd to surrender at Discretion And this cannot but lish_ General took in little more than an Hour, and with inconsiderable Loss, afforded the Mareschal of _France_ a Resistance of twenty-three Days

Upon the taking of Fort _Monjouick_, the Mareschal _de Thess_ gave iainst the Town Those Orders were put in Execution with all Expedition; and at the same time his Army fortify'd themselves with such Entrenchments, as would have ruin'd the Earl's former little Army to have rais'd, or his presentthem However, they sufficiently demonstrated their Apprehensions of that watchful General, who lay hovering over their Heads upon the Mountains Their main Effort was to make a Breach between Port St _Antonio_ and that Breach which our Forces had made the Year before; to effect which they took care to ply theently both from Cannon and Mortars; and in some few Days their Application was answer'd with a practicable Breach for a Storm Which however was prudently deferr'd for so on the Back of them whenever they should atteht put theerous Disorder

And noas that the Earl of _Peterborow_ resolv'd to put in practice the Resolution he had some time before concerted within hie, he had receiv'd an Express froadier _Stanhope_ (as aboard Sir _John Leake's_ Fleet appointed for the Relief of the Place, with the Reinforce the Earl, that he had us'd all possible Endeavours to prevail on the Admiral to make the best of his way to _Barcelona_ But that the Admiral, however, persisted in a positive Resolution not to attempt the _French_ Fleet before that Place under the Count _de Thoulouse_, till the shi+ps were join'd him which were expected fro_ True it was, the Fleet under Adth with that under the _French_ Admiral; but jealous of the Informations he had receiv'd, and too ready to conclude that People in Distress were apt to make Representations too much in their own Favour; he held hi'd not to hazard the Queen's shi+ps, when a Reinforceer were under daily Expectation

This unhappy Circulorious Deliverances) had alht the Earl to the Brink of Despair; and to increase it, the Earl every Day receiv'd such Co within the Place, as must have sacrificed his few Forces, without the least Probability of succeeding Those all tended to his forcing his Way into the Tohen, in all human Appearance, not one Man of all that should make the Atte The _French_ were strongly encamp'd at the Foot of the Mountains, distant two Miles from _Barcelona_; towards the Bottom of those Hills, the Avenues into the Plain were possess'd and fortify'd by great Detachments from the Enemy's Army From all which it will be evident, that no Atteether what Body of Foot they pleas'd Or supposing it feasible, under all these difficult Circue, the Remainder, that should have been so lucky to have escap'd their Foot, would have found themselves expos'd in open Field to a Pursuit of four thousand Horse and Dragoons; and that for two Miles together; when in case of their inclosing them, the bravest Troops in the World, under such a Situation, would have found it their best way to have surrender'd theadier _Stanhope_ sent that Express to the Earl, which I just now mention'd, he assur'd hience, both by Sea and Land, to let him have timely Notice of the Conjunction of the Fleets, which was now all they had to depend upon Adding withal, that if the Earl should at any tih directed to no Body, and with nothing in it, but a half Sheet of Paper cut in the Middle, he, the Earl, ht certainly depend upon it, that the two Fleets were join'd, andthe best of their Way for _Barcelona_ It will easily be ia Piece of blank Paper, he undertook it, and as fortunately arriv'd with it to the Earl, at a Moht have hurry'd hier hi of the Fleets, or the Meaning of his Message

As soon as the Earl of _Peterborow_ receiv'd this welcoadier _Stanhope_, he ht, with his whole little Body of Forces, to a Town on the Sea-Shore, call'd _Sigeth_ No Person guess'd the Reason of his March, or knew any thing of what the Intent of it was The Officers, as formerly, obey'd without Enquiry; for they were led to it by so many unaccountable Varieties of Success, that Affiance became a second Nature, both in Officer and Soldier