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Befides the conqueft of Minorca by the allies, and the taking of Tortofa by the duke of Orleans, nothing confiderable was undertaken during the campaign, though the armies were incamped some months within a few miles of one another. But the enemies would not venture to attack us, notwithstanding their fuperiority; and marfhal Staremberg, who was reckoned the best general of the age for the defenfive, was contented to preserve what we had left in Catalonia. Our army went into winter quarters the last of October; and, about the middle of November, the generals Staremberg and Stanhope formed the defign of surprising Tortofa, which was executed with the greateft fecrecy, but not with the expected fuccefs. A detachment chiefly of grenadiers went, the 22d at night, to fcalade the town; but by the ignorance or treachery of the guides, the first ladders. were fet up over-against the main guard, and close to it: fo that the whole garrifon was immediately alarmed, and marched to Barcelona gate, where the grenadiers were endeavouring to get the bastion that covered it, who were so warmly attacked, that they were forced to retire, leaving many men killed, and most of the rest wounded. This put an end to the defign, and to all the operations of the campaign (a).

P. S. Besides the orders that are gone to Sir George Byng, captain Moyfer carries with him orders from the prince to Sir Edward Whitaker, in relation to the fquadron's wintering at PortMahon. You will receive with this packet a letter of the queen's to the king of Spain, in favour of the Conde de Salazar, at the defire and recommendation of feveral Spanish and Canary merchants.

(a) In our return from the camp to Barcelona (fays the author of the manufcript account of the campaigns in Spain) I went with major-general Carpenter to view the convent of Mountferrat, fixteen tiles from it, which, for miracles and riches, is faid to be equal, and, by the

Befides

Catalans, far to out-do, that of
the Lady of Loretto. The trea-
fure of this chapel is immense in
jewels and plate, and the income
of the friars, who are forty Be-
nedictines, befides lay-brothers,
is very confiderable ; and all ow-
ing to the pretended miracles
of the bleffed Virgin, whofe
ftatue in wood, of very curious
workmanship, and believed to
be fent by St. Peter from Rome
to Barcelona, and carved by St.
Luke, is fet up behind the great
altar. The mountain, on which
the convent ftands at the half
way, is exceeding high and beau-
tiful; the very top nature has
adorned with twelve high rocks
at equal diftances, in the fhape
of fugar-loaves, which bear the
names of the twelve apostles: in

each

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1708.

Befides the having a safe port to retire to, the conqueft of Minorca brought a further advantage to the allies, by defeating

each a hermitage is built, little
frequented, because inacceffible,
but all inhabited by hermits, men
of good families, and all re-
puted of great fanctity. A Ger-
man captain left his command,
and retired into one of them,
having made great interest to
obtain the first vacancy; there
was a hermitage fome hundreds
of years, where this magnificent
convent ftands now. Great de-
votions were paid to a little
ftatue of the Virgin which was
worshipped here, and abundance
of miracles wrought, but none fo
wonderful as those of the last
found out ftatue, which they tell
you was discovered in this man.
ner: fome centuries ago great
numbers of people of the neigh-
bouring towns, going in a great
proceffion to this hermitage on
the feaft of the Affumption, in
the month of Auguft, were very
much frightened, as they came
to the bottom of this mountain,
by a bull's coming out of a
thicket, jumping and leaping in
fuch a manner, as drove moft
of the proceffioners back, ex-
cept the priefts and fome of the
boldeft Catalans, who were big
with expectation of fome mira-
cle, which was foon wrought in
their fight; for this bull ftopped
of himself, after they had ufed
their best endeavours to drive
him away, about an hundred
yards from the place where he
came out here he began to tear
up the ground with his feet and
horns, which confirmed the peo-
ple in the hopes of a miracle;
and, fpades and pick axes being
immediately fent for, they began

to dig up that spot where this famous ftatue was found, and carried with extraordinary devotions and rejoicings into the chapel of the hermitage. Here it was fet up in the room of the little one, being well-cleaned and varnished, and provided with fine cloaths; and fuch crouds came to this place from all the parts of the kingdom, and from all the islands, as not only inriched the hermitage, but the whole neighbourhood. I asked whether the bull was not canonized? the friar anfwered me, no. But however, the bull was very well taken care of, and had in great veneration, and religiously visited as long as he lived, which was to an uncommon old age. As to the miracles wrought by the lady of Mountferrat, they out-do many of those that are recorded in their legend; but I fhall relate only that, which was the occafion of building this famous monaftery: one Garinus, hermit in this place, debauched a beautiful young lady, daughter of the count of Barcelona, fovereign of all Catalonia, who came to perform her devotions at the hermitage, in her father's company, who ufed frequently to come to this mountain to hunt roebucks and wild goats, with which it abounded. After this horrid fact, the young lady was destroyed, and her body caft into a very deep ditch behind this hermitage, which the hermit carefully covered up; and then begun his journey to Rome, in the night, to fue for a pardon and abfolution from the pope. When the

count

defeating the French king's project of uniting the princes 1708.. and states of Italy in a league against the emperor, in or

count fent for his daughter, neither the nor the hermit were to be found; which caufed a great affliction in the count's family, and many fevere reflections against the young lady and the hermit, who were judged to have abfconded together. The penance impofed by the pope on the hermit, was, that he fhould return to the mountain in the night, ftrip himself quite naked, walk upon all four, live upon grafs, and never ftand upright before feven years were expired, and his lodging was to be in the hole of fome rock; and that, during the time of his penance, he fhould not ceafe to put up his prayers to the lady of the hermitage, that the count's daughter might be restored to life. The penance was ftrictly performed; and, in the middle of the feventh year, the count went, for the first time fince this misfortune, to hunt on the mountain, when the dogs made up to the habitation of Garinus, and would have torn him to pieces, if the huntsmen had not made hafte to his refcue. They were furprised to find a kind of monfter, who would not speak, nor lift himself up, though he had the shape and features of a man. The count ordered him to be tied and led to Barcelona, where he continued chained in a corner of the ftable, without eating any human food, but herbs; and many people had the fight of this monster. At last, on the very day that the feven years expired, the count made a very great feaft for his VOL. XVII.

der

family, and others of his friends. Some of the company defiring to fee the monster, he was brought to the door, when a child of five or fix months old, fon to one of the count's daughters, fixing his eyes upon him, spoke these words with a loud voice, Garinus, rife up, thy fins are forgiven thee: upon which he run back with his keeper to the ftable, the company being all ftruck with fear and amazement at this great miracle. He began to speak to his keeper, and defired a sheet to cover himself with, and that he would go to the count to obtain leave to come into his prefence, having a very great fecret to reveal to him. He was immediately admitted, and upon his knees confeffed his crime; but affured the count withal, that, by his continued prayers to the lady of Mountferrat, and her prevailing interceflion, his daughter would be found living, and as well in all refpects as ever fhe was. The miracle of the child's speaking, made the count believe, without hefitation, all that Garinus told him; fo that he gave immediate directions for a very grand procession of all the orders of friars, and others, to go to the holy mountain, for fo it is called, to fee the miracle that was wrought upon his daughter. When they came there, the young lady was found, and prefented to her father, in the fame cloaths fhe had on when the went from him, and looking as fresh, as young, and as well, as if the had never gone from her father's F

houfe.

1708. der to re-kindle war in that country: and a confederate fleet was seasonably at hand to affift the Imperialists, who made a confiderable progrefs in the ecclefiaftical state, and

houife. The count was affected with fo much gratitude for this furprising miracle in favour of his family, that he made a vow, before he left the place, to build and to endow that large monaftery that is now there. This whole history is beautifully painted in the cloifters of the convent, and for the fatisfaction of all ftrangers, who refort thither in great numbers yearly, it is printed upon large paper, and upon very thin filk, to make it more portable, and fold for half a crown. The lay-brother, who fhews the curiofities of this place, is a Fleming, and speaks feveral languages: he was lieutenant in count Noyelles's regiment, and preferred this idle life to the fatigues of an army. After we had viewed every thing, and efpecially the treafure, which, if all the jewels it contains be real, is beyond valuation, we were carried to the abbot's apartment, where a nice collation was provided. After we had partaken of it, I walked with the interpreter into a balcony, into which the abbot's dining-room opens; from hence he fhewed me the hole in the rock, where the famous Garinus lived during his penance. I asked him in French, whether de did believe it? The abbot, who was talking with general Carpenter, who spoke very good Spanish, overheard me, and in a kind of emotion told me, Yes, Sir, we believe it as much as we do the gofpel; which put a ftop to all farther inquiries. Speaking of the richness and

beauty of the crowns, that are put upon the ftatue's head, efpecially on great feftivals, the abbot told us, that a Fleming jeweller was many years in making that of diamonds, that it is reputed worth fixteen millions of pieces of eight, and that of emeralds, by reafon of the bigness of the ftones, is reckoned worth little lefs. That of diamonds is certainly, for the largenefs of the ftones, and the beautiful order in which they are fixed, the most excellent and richest piece of work of that kind now extant; and, to fet it off the more, the top of it is a compleat ship, with mafts, and fails, and cordage, &c. all of diamonds, a prefent of Ifabella queen of Arragon. And it is no wonder if this place be fo immenfely rich, confidering the numberlefs vows that are made by perfons in all ficknesses and diftreffes, especially by women in labour, which are always very religiously performed. The two kings Charles and Philip made here their vows for the fuccefs of their arms, and did offer each his prefent in perfon at the altar of the fhrine; the firft of a rich fword fet with diamonds, and the other of a gold chalice inriched with many jewels. They have in the outfide of the conv.nt a good large houfe for the entertainment of ftrangers, and of all the people that come to pay their vows, with very good accommodations, which brings the convent a great yearly income.

threatened

threatened to march to Rome, upon the following occafion :

1708.

emperor and

The emperor, and his brother king Charles, had, for fe- Differences veral years, impatiently borne the pope's partiality, which between the was of great prejudice to their affairs, and, in confequence, the pope. to the common caufe. But the pope having openly owned his engagements with the houfe of Bourbon, and his defigns against that of Austria, and the whole confederacy, by his proceeding in relation to the pretender's expedition to Scotland, which, if attended with fuccefs, would have ruined the grand alliance, and given a fatal wound to the liberties of Europe; the fame did not only moft fenfibly affect thofe two potentates and the duke of Savoy, against whose just pretenfions in ecclefiaftical affairs the pope had fulminated his cenfures, but was refented, with due indignation, by her Britannic majefty. Hereupon, the ecclefiaftical revenues in the kingdom of Naples and dutchy of Milan, belonging to perfons refiding out of thofe countries, who had neglected to take the oaths to king Charles, were put under fequeftration by the imperial officers. And, not many days after, April 16, while the pope held a congregation about that affair, car- N. S. dinal Grimani not only notified to him the difappointment of the pretender's expedition, but, as viceroy of Naples, and a grandee of Spain, fignified to him, that king Charles expected he should fend a nuncio to Barcelona, to acknowledge him as king of Spain, defiring his holiness to confider the fatal confequences of his delaying that recognition, and continuing to own his competitor. Befides which, at the follicitation of the court of Great-Britain, the emperor was determined, in concert with the duke of Savoy, to revive his old pretenfions to Comachio, and other places in the Ferrarefe, in order to check the pope, and oblige him to enter into such measures, with refpect to the rights and late acquifitions of king Charles, as equity, and the peace and welfare of Naples and the Milanefe, with the firm establishment of their prefent fovereign, neceffarily required. The court of Rome ordered their minifter at Vienna, to communicate to the emperor a letter from Signior Piazza, fecretary of the memorials to the pope, wherein he endeavoured to extenuate what his holiness was charged with, on occafion of the late French expedition against Great-Britain; though whatever arts they used to cover their remittances of money into France, they could not palliate the pope's appointing public prayers for the fuccefs of the intended invafion. On the other hand, the pope's refufal to fend, according to king Charles's

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