ceeded to Bruffels (a). The duke having conferred with 1708. veldt-marshal d'Auverqueque, who, notwithstanding his in- ~~~ firm ftate of health, preferved a vigorous mind, and feemed refolved to die, like a hero, in the field, gave orders to the troops to march to Andernach near Bruffels, where the Dutch, Pruffians, and Hanoverians, began to form the army the 23d of May. The 26th they marched to Billengen, where the duke of Marlborough took up his quarters in the abbey of that name; and the veldt-marshal fixed his at Hall, a little town, which lay in the front of the first line. The British forces repaired to this camp likewife with all poffible expedition, as did alfo a confiderable body of troops in the fervice of the States- general from their refpective garrifons in Flanders. And, laft of all, the field-deputies of their high mightineffes arrived there, who behaved themfelves this campaign with fo much prudence and refolution, that they contributed very much to the success of it. Upon notice of these motions, the duke de Vendosme affembled his army, on the 25th of May, between Mons and St. Ghislain, and took up his head quarters at St. Simpronien, from whence he marched the next day to Soignies, pofting his right at Naift, and his left at Canchie Notre Dame, within three leagues of the confederate camp. He was joined the fame day by the duke of Burgundy, who had the chief (at least titular) command of the army, together with the duke of Berry, his brother, and the pretender. (a) Here the duke was honoured with a letter from the queen, dated May 6, by the manner of which, as the duchefs of Marlborough obferves in the account of her conduct, p. 255, her majefty seemed ftill to have retained a great degree of regard for Mr. Harley. After complaining to the duke of being fo tired that day with importunities from the whigs, that the had not fpirits left to open her affli&ed heart fo freely and fully as fhe intended, he goes on to fay, that she was entirely of his opinion, thinking it neither for her honour nor intereft to make steps (meaning the first steps) towards a peace, as the duke had been 1708. On the 29th of May, the confederate army, which confifted of a hundred and eighty fquadrons of horse, and a hundred and twelve battalions, made a motion from Bellinghen, advancing the right to Herfelingen, the left to Lembecy, and fixing the head quarters at St. Renelle, in hopes of bringing the enemy to an engagement, which, by their bold march to Soignies, they feemed rather to feek than decline, being fuperior, at least, in number, to the al lies; for their army confifted of a hundred and ninety-feven fquadrons, and a hundred and twenty-four battalions. The fame day the enemy received their heavy baggage from Mons, but fent it back thither on the 31ft, which ftill gave the confederates hopes they fhould come to an engagement; and thereupon, the duke of Marlborough ordered the troops to be in a readiness to march at an hour's warning. The fame evening the duke received intelligence, that the enemy's heavy baggage, having received a counter order, was returned to the camp, and that they had foraged for two days; whence it was reafonably concluded, that they would not march the next day, as the deferters had reported. The duke of Marlborough, having advifed with the other generals, refolved to fend the horfe to forage the next morning; and they went out, before break of day; but they had not been out an hour, before advice came, that the enemy had begun the night before, at ten, to fend their heavy baggage to Mons, and decamped without any noife at eleven, marching towards Neville. The foragers were immediately recalled, and to avoid all lofs of time, the infantry marched first of all about noon from St. Renelle, and were followed by the cavalry. About four they formed four colunms, intending to encamp the right towards Anderlech, and the left to Lake; but upon farther notice, that the enemy had not incamped at Neville, but had continued their march by Bois Signieur Ifaac to Braine la Leu, the duke judged, that they could not have any other defign, than to poft themselves on the bank of the Deule, to hinder the allies from paffing that river, and to fieze Louvain; being the very fame project, which the duke de Vendefme had formed the last year, but mifcarried in it. To prevent the enemy, there was no other remedy, but to continue marching all night; fo that, on the 3d of June in the afternoon, the army of the allies arrived at the camp of Terbank, very much fatigued, as well by this long march as by the continual rains, which had fallen for four and twenty hours together. The French, having received intelligence of this expeditious march of the confederates, 2 federates, did not yenture to advance farther than Genap, 1708. but incamped their right to that place, and their left to Braine la Leu. Upon which the duke of Marlborough took up his quarters in the abbey of Terbank, and monfieur d'Auverquerque his in the fuburbs of Louvain. On the 4th, feveral bridges were laid on the Deule, between Havre and Louvain; and, on the 5th, almoft the whole confederate army foraged in the neighbourhood of their camp. The 6th being appointed by the duke as a day of thanksgiving for the paft fucceffes of the arms of the allies, and to implore a bleffing upon the prefent campaign, it was religioufly obferved throughout the whole army. The enemy continuing quiet in their camp, the duke of Marlborough took that opportunity of reviewing his troops, which he began to do the 7th, and continued for eight or nine days following, when he had the fatisfaction to find, that the respective bodies were all very complete, the men in the most excellent order, animated with their former victories; and eager to engage an enemy, that were defpicable in their eyes. In this camp it was, that the electoral prince of Hanover (his late majefty king George II.) came to the army, and was received with the greatest marks of respect and diftinction by all the general officers. It was now plain, that the enemy had no inclination to engage the confederates. They had indeed in view the recovery of the places they had loft in the year 1706; but it was by their usual method of furprize and treachery. Nor were their hopes altogether vain, for the elector of Bavaria, who had gained fome intereft in the provinces of the Netherlands, among people of all ranks, by his profufenefs and popular behaviour, with the affiftance of count de Bergeyck, a perfon of great credit, and no less activity, and other friends of the house of Bourbon, eafily found means to practife upon the levity and reftlefs fpirits of the chief inhabitants of the cities of Ghent (b), Bru (b) Ghent is a very large city and castle, one of the principal of the Low-countries, the mar quifare of the earldom of Flanders, and territory of Ghent, a bishopric under the archbishop of Mechlin. It was furprized by, or rather betrayed to the French the beginning of this ges, campaign; but befieged and re- of 1708. ges (c), and Antwerp, who promifed to open their gates to of Amfterdam, and an hundred and fifty-four north-east of Paris. (c) Bruges is a fair, ftrong, and noble city of the Low-countries, in the earldom of Fland. ers, the head of the territory of Bruges, a bishopric under the archbishop of Mechlin. This town made its fubmifion to the duke of Marlborough after the famous battle of Ramillies; the French furprized it, or rather had it betrayed to them the begin ning of this campaign, but abandoned it upon the approach of the confederates, towards the end of December, the fame year. It ftands twenty-four miles north-west of Ghent, eleven eaft of Oftend, thirty-four north-eaft of Dunkirk, and forty west of Antwerp. (d) Dr. Hare, in his thankf giving fermon before the house of commons, on Thur'day February 17, 1708-9, tells us, p. 11. That there was a confpiracy to have all the Netherlands betrayed to the enemy by the intereft of that unhappy prince, who has fuffered fo much in their caufe. When we faw the fons of France come into the field, we could not but fufpect there was fomething more than • ordinary in agitation. It was < not enough to think they came to learn the art of war in an army, that aims at nothing but inaction, or to give courage to their troops, which their greateft general had not been able to do, though fetched from Italy on purpofe, at a time when he leaft could have been masters, fpared for the event has fhewn, he brought no more courage with him than he left behind him; nor could it be expected, that their bare prefence f.ould make a starved and naked army act with as much vigour, as if they had been warmly clothed and well paid. No, we were fure it must be fomething else they • came for, not to gain any honour in the field, but to reap the mean glory of fome fuc'cessful treachery, and fo it proved. A defign, we found, had been formed fome time to furprize Antwerp; all was agreed, and every thing within a day or two ripe for execution, when the princes joined the army; but the plot, which was more than they knew, was then actually discovered; and this was a defign of fuch importance, we were inclined to think it was the whole they aimed at. But the fequel fhewed the treachery was deeper laid; and, while we were waiting the forces from the Rhine, another part of it fucceeded better. Had both taken effect, what condition had our affairs been in? We had then, it is likely, without a blow loft all the fruits of the Ramilles campaign; and the confequence of that had been, not only putting the war two or three years back; it is more than probable the confternation it would every where have raised, would have foon frightened the allies into an ill 'peace; mafters, and the Flandrians could not bear it. Though the 1708. French had laid heavier taxes on them, yet they used them better in all other refpeds. Their bigotry, being wrought on by their priests, difpofed them to change their masters. The duke of Marlborough refolved not to weaken his army by many garrifons; and therefore put none at all into Bruges, and a very weak one in the citadel of Ghent, reckoning, that there was no danger, as long as he lay between those places and the French army. The two armies had lain about a month looking on one another, fhifting their camps. a little, but keeping ftill in fafe ground; the confederates, for their parts, being in expectation of prince Eugene's taking the field, with an army compofed of Pruffian and Heflian troops, ten thousand Palatines and fome imperialifts. The motion of this body was retarded by feveral difficulties about the march of the Palatine forces; of which the French getting intelligence, they concluded, that the confederates would hardly venture to force them in the paffes and defiles they were poffeffed of, and therefore commanded a detachment to march towards Ghent and Bruges, to furprize thofe towns; which was effected in this manner: On the 5th of July, a party of the enemy's troops, com- Bruges manded by the brigadiers la Faille and Pafteur, advanced and Ghent before break of day towards Ghent, and, at the opening of taken by the gates between five and fix in the morning, half a dozen the foot-foldiers, with two or three troopers, who were fent be- French. fore, pretending to be deferters, were admitted into the town by the watch of burghers, who were no more in number than themselves, When they were going to be carried to the main-guard, fome of them pretended a wearinefs, and fetting themselves down on the ground, defired fome brandy, to delay time; which being brought, they drank with the burghers, and amufed them with a story of the march of the French army, and their own defertion. Soon after another small party of pretended deferters came, and entertained the watch with the like frivolous ftories, till brigadier la Faille, who not long before had been high-bailiff of that city, and had ftill a confiderable intereft there, coming in perfon, commanded the burghers, who guarded the gates, to lay down their arms, and admit the French troops. They began at first to make a fhew of refiftance; but the pre |