L A.D. 1704 PART II. lifh and Heffians being repulfed, after three fucceffive attempts. The French horfe, however, in fpite of their moft vigorous efforts, were obliged to give ground. They retired behind the fire of ten battalions, which Tallard had ordered to advance to their relief. But these also were broken by the English foot. Marlborough charged home with his horse; and drove the French cavalry with such precipitation from the field, that most of those who efcaped the fword were drowned in the Danube. The ten advanced battalions of the enemy's foot were, at the fame time, charged on all fides, and cut in pieces. Tallard himself was taken prisoner, together with many other officers of dif tinction. MEANWHILE prince Eugene, who commanded the right wing of the confederates, after having been thrice repulfed, had broken the French and Bavarians, under the elector and Marfin; and though they could scarce be faid to have been routed, they no fooner heard of Tallard's defeat, than they left the field, with every mark of hurry and difgrace. The twenty-eight battalions of foot, and twelve fquadrons of dragoons, in the village of Blenheim, all veterans, and the best troops in France, were now abandoned to their fate. After a vigorous, but ineffectual fally, they found themselves obliged to furrender at difcretion 3.-Such, my dear Philip, was the famous battle of Blenheim, in which the French and Bavarians, including killed and taken, loft near forty thousand men. Their campequiqage, baggage, artillery, and every trophy that can distinguish a complete victory, fell into the hands of the conquerors. Thefe trophies, however, were not acquired without confiderable lofs of blood. The allies 30 Feuquieres. Burnet. Voltaire, 31. Ibid. had had five thousand men killed, and near eight thoufand LETTER wounded s1. As no modern victory, between difciplined armies, was ever more decifive than this, none could be followed by more fudden or important confequences. The emperor was relieved from his fears; the Hungarian malcontents were over-awed; and the conquests and dominions of the elector of Bavaria fell, at once, into the hands of Leopold, who revenged feverely on the fubjects of that prince, the exceffes which had been committed on his own. An extent of feventy leagues of country was expofed to all the ravages of war. Broken, ruined and difperfed, the forces of Lewis XIV. left a free and uninterrupted march to the confederates from the Danube to the Rhine; and the wretched remains of that army, which at the beginning of the feafon had fpread terror to the gates of Vienna, was obliged to take shelter within the frontiers of France. The victors croffed the Rhine they entered Alface; and the important fortreffes of Landau and Trierbach furrendered to them before the clofe of the campaign 32. BUT the fame good fortune, which attended the arms of the confederates in Germany, did not extend to every scene of operations. In Flanders, during this summer, the war being merely defensive, produced no event either brilliant or important. On the Portuguese fide of Spain, the archduke, who had affumed the title of Charles III. was able to make no progrefs. On the contrary, Philip V. affifted by the duke of Berwick, carried the war into Portugal; took feveral places, and defeated all the attempts of the 32. Voltaire Tindal. Burnet. 31. Ibid. XXI. A. D. 1704 PART II. A. D. 1704. allies to invade Caftile 33. In Italy, the campaign proved, upon the whole, favourable to the house of Bourbon. The caftle of Suza, the city of Pignerol, Vercelli, Yvrea, and Sanfano, were reduced by Vendome 34. THE operations at fea during this memorable year, were fcarcely lefs important than thofe by land. The combined fleet of England and Holland, which carried the archduke to Lisbon, having failed in an attempt upon Barcelona, where a party was fuppofed to have been formed for the houfe of Auftria, appeared before Gibraltar; and that ftrong fortrefs, hitherto deemed impregnable, was taken at the first affault. Astonished at the intrepidity of the English failors, who afcended the mole fword in hand, the governor immediately furrendered the place; which was committed to the 33. Notwithstanding these important services, the duke of Berwick was recalled. Of this matter, he gives the following curious account. "The duke of Gramont, the French minister at Madrid, had taken it " into his head that he was to govern there as defpotically as the cardi“nals Richelieu and Mazarine had formerly done in France. I had no "objection to this, with refpect to the civil department, but in the "military, I was refolved that he should not have the same sway; think. ❝ing it reasonable that I should be confulted in every thing, and even "that my plans should be adopted, as I must be anfwarable for the fuc"cefs of the whole. From these contrary humours it followed, that "Gramont took upon him to order every thing, without confulting or "communicating with me; and I, on the other hand, steady to my "principle, refused to execute any enterprize of which I did not ap"prove." The duke's recall was the confequence of this commendable pride. When the marefchal de Teffé, who fucceededto the chief command in Spain, arrived at Madrid, he naturally enquired of the queen if she had not reafon to be fatisfied with the campaign which the duke of Berwick had made. She said he was much efteemed, and had rendered great fervice to the kingdom. "Why then," aufwered Teff:, "have you had “ him recalled?”—" If I must tell you,” replied the queen peevishly, “she is a great obfinate devil of an Englishman, who will always have "his own way." Berwick's Mem. tom. i. 34. Henault. 1704. care care of the prince of Heffe Darmstadt, for the queen LETTER of England. 35. NOR was the acquifition of this great key of the Mediterranean, the only advantage refulting from the enterprise. Part of the Spanish army employed in Portugal being withdrawn, for the purpose of retaking Gibraltar, a ftop was by that means put to the progrefs of Philip V. who might otherwise have advanced to the gates of Lisbon; and the French fleet, to the number of fifty-two thips of the line, under the count de Toulouse, coming to the aid of the befiegers, was defeated off Malaga, by the combined fleet, commanded by Sir George Rook and Calemberg, the Dutch admiral. The force on both fides was nearly equal, and the battle was obftinate and bloody, though no ship was either funk or taken. This was partly owing to the interpofition of night, and partly to the fhifting of the wind, which enabled the French to elude all the endeavours of the confederates to renew the engagement 35. Lewis XIV. affected, however, to claim the victory. But it was obvious to all Europe, that the combined fleet kept the fea; and that the French took refuge in their own ports, inftead of lending any affistance to the Spaniards before Gibraltar. THESE fortunate events, but more especially the memorable victory obtained at Blenheim, which was justly afcribed to English valour, diffused a general joy over the nation. This joy communicated itself to the representatives of the people, who granted very liberal fupplies for profecuting the war, with the ut moft readiness; and the whole bufinefs of parlia 5. Burnet, book vii. Lives of the Admirals, vol iii. 36. Id. ibid. XXI. A. D. 1704. PART II. ment was not only conducted with harmony but car A. D. 1704. ried forward with zeal and expedition. Pleafed with the humiliation of the houfe of Bourbon, the Whigs, inftead of oppofing the ministry, ufed every endeavour to engage the duke of Mariborough in their caufe; and Godolphin, either from policy, or princi ple, threw himself entirely into their hands. A. D. 1709. The queen diffolved the parliament; and the Whigs, whofe principles recommended them to the independent part of the kingdom, having the countenance of government, and the fupport of the moneyed intereft, obtained a decided majority in the new boufe of commons. The elections went generally in their favour, notwithstanding the clamour raised by the Tories of the danger of the church, and the growth of Prefbyterianism. Both houfes now paffed a vote, That the church was in a fafe and flourishing condition, and that whoever should fuggeft that the established religion was in danger, was an enemy to the queen, the church, and the kingdom. They alfo, to the great difappointment of the Tories, already mortified by the foregoing vote, repealed two fevere laws against the commerce and people of Scot land, in order to induce the parliament of that kingdom to fettle the crown on the house of Hanover, as well as to liften to propofals for a treaty of union with England 7; meafures highly neceffary to the welfare of both kingdoms, and effential to the fecurity of the Proteftant Succeffion. WHILE the English parliament was taking these prudent fteps for fecuring the peace of the kingdom, as well as for profecuting the war with vigour, France 37. Journals 1905. Burnet, book vii. |