Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	country_n	great_a	place_n	1,512	5	4.1011	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62267	An impartial relation of all the transactions between the army of the confederates and that of the French king in their last summers campaign in Flanders, with a more particular respect to the battle of Fleury the character of the generals and the reasons of that most unhappy miscarriage : with a list of the great officers slain : also observations on the grand consultations at the Hague ... by W. Sawle ...	Sawle, William, b. 1654 or 5.	1691 (1691)	Wing S783; ESTC R17139	19,531	34

prosperous Sun-shine look but once a little Cloudy and they were but well beaten in a Battle or two their insolent Temper would soon shrink into a slavish Fear and the miserable consequences of Distrust Mutiny and Cowardliness would crowd thick upon them Now I hope this Honour is reserved for the Subjects of my Nation who have bin the only People in the World that have best talked with the French with Sword in hand and given the greatest Checks and Corrections to their daring Confidence And seeing then that the King of England as he is Prince of Orange is Captain General of all the Forces of the United Provinces and hath several English Regiments now actually in the Service of the States seeing we of this Nation are so much interested in the War and because the business of this last Campaign was of the greatest moment little being done in the first against the French but what was done by the English seeing the Hollanders notwithstanding all their pretentions to Hardiness and Valour have scarce bin yet able to oppose the French without most obliging helps from the good-natur'd English and because we British Regiments last Summer had not the Honour to be at the Battle of Fleury which was the great business of the last Campaign but was chiefly managed by the Dutch Army I shall come to the main thing which I here design to wit to give you a particular account of the Transactions of the last Summer for the better performance of which I have made my chief business to know the particulars from the best most able and most skilful Gentlemen who had not little share in those Grand Affairs The Prince of Waldeck who is a German and Related to the King supplies the Place of His Majesty of England and Commands the Forces of the States General is about the Age of Seventy very little inclining to Fat and of a handsome Stature but somewhat stooping under the great weight of Age and War A Prince second to none in Military Affairs and is worthily esteem'd one of the greatest Captains of his Age He hath not had the Reputation of a very Fortunate General but this ought rather to be imputed to the Forces which he Commanded than to any deficiency in his Skill or Courage His great Age doth not in the least hinder him from the most Toilful Cares He very seldom goes to Bed till Twelve at Night and is commonly dressed and ready by Five in the Morning either to send forth Scouts and Spies or to receive them or to examine Draughts and Maps and Grounds and Passes or for Council or to give necessary Orders to his Army His Parts are as fresh and vigorous as ever he gives the best Reasons for what he doth of any Man living If he hath any Fault 't is for having somewhat in him of the old Roman Fabius and sticks too close to his Art and Rules Under him in the last Spring the Campaign began to be opened about the 14th of May towards the Country of Namur and after three or four Marches and about the 12th of June his Forces being about 25000 Fighting Men he Encamped his Army nigh a Village called Fleury on a great and a plain Corn-Field than which there is scarce a more Fertile spot of Ground in Europe and now made more Luxurious by the Blood of one of the greatest Battles according to the number of Men that hath bin Fought in these Parts this great while Not much above Four Miles from this Place is the River Sambre Fordable in most Places in the Summer but bounded very much on both sides with craggy Banks and thick Woods on the other side of this River lay Encamped the French Army Commanded by the Famous Monsieur Duke d' Luxemburgh the number of his Army not much exceeding that of the States He is of the Ancient and most noble Family of Montmorancy about the Age of Fifty prodigiously ill-shaped and deformed in his Person but Skilful Haughty Politick and Brave Now besides the main Bodies or standing Forces on each side there are also Two Camp-Volants or Flying Armies consisting of Eleven or Twelve Thousand Men each that of the French Commanded by Marschal D' Humiers ours of the Confederates sometimes by Prince Vaudemont but commonly by the Marquis D' Castanaga Governor of the Spanish Netherlands in his own Person These Flying Armies are for sudden Onsets or for seizing of Passes or Towns or else for joyning the main Army on all occasions They consist generally of good Horse and Dragoons and are seldom Encamped above ten or twelve hours March from the main Body Now D' Humiers being not above ten Leagues or hardly so much from Monsieur Luxenburgh Castanaga was to observe his Motion The Forces of England in this Country the first Campaign were considerable but the Horse and five Regiments of Foot being called for Home we had only Six Battallions left which except one which was at Mechlin were all in Garrison at Ghent the Regiment of Schonberg Commanded by Sir Robert Douglas Two Battallions of the English and Scotch Guards The Regiment of Hodges and the Regiment of D' Offerel Our Commander in chief was Major General Tolmach We had Orders to March and joyn Prince Waldeck above a Fortnight before the Battle but our Money coming not timely enough from England and we having contracted some Debts in that City could not conveniently be permitted to March till our Money came Indeed if we had bin at the Battle we could have done no great good 't is very probable in having our Post of Honour we might have bin all cut off in an Army which was left immediately without Horse The Army of the Duke of Brandenburgh down towards the Moselle had the Year before taken the strong Garrison of Bonn and was now Marching to Besiege another Cittadel called Mont Royal whom our Army was to cover Affairs standing in this Posture and Monsieur Luxenburgh knowing that without a Battle their Towns would be pick'd away by degrees one after another was resolved to Fight or else the Brandenburgh Army could not be hindered yet he would be sure so to order his Business that he would not Fight unless with an advantagious Policy He therefore sends a strict Express to Marschal D' Humiers to this Effect My Lord I Have no need to tell you my Design I desire that immediately on sight hereof you would send your Baggage that you can conveniently spare into our Neighbouring Garrisons let your Camp stand in the same manner as it is leave only 3000 Foot to Guard it and give Orders that no Person whatsoever shall pass in or out upon pain of Death till you have Hors'd all the Men that possibly you can and have joyned with my Army I hope you will March without any delay Do this and the rest you shall know when you come to my Camp According to these Orders Marschal D' Humiers Equips his Detachment on a

the Spoil and Plunder of the Field to the Conquering French And now a great Consternation was presently spread over all the Netherlands and People began immediately to fear what great Progress the French might make in pursuit of their Victory some thought they would March and Besiege Charleroy which was reported at that time to be but ill Stored Others thought they would press on and follow the broken Army of the States General and most that they would try to force Castanaga but none of these surmises happened the French Army stay'd nigh Three Weeks near the place where they won the Battle They had receiv'd a severe Blow in getting the Victory their Army must be again refreshed and recruited which would take up some time that the Camp-Volant of Castanaga was strong and firm consisting of 13000 strong and could in spight of them retire and joyn Waldeck Immediately upon the Loss of the Battle the States had sent a Passionate Express to the Duke of Brandenburgh who with his Army lay towards the Moselle That he would be pleased to March with all speed and joyn their Army or to lye nigh them to be able to assist on all occasions and those all joyned together would make a Formidable Body The French indeed assay'd if they could to hinder their joyning but it came to nothing the Elector Marching another way than what they imagined In the mean while we the British Brigade were Ship'd on Bilanders at Ghent on the River Scheld and in three or four days came to a place called Vilvord on the Canall of Brussels about two Leagues from the City and not above a Mile and half from the Camp of Prince Waldeck It was not thought convenient for us to take our Posts and to Incorporate in the Army in one Camp but we were alotted a Piece of Ground by our selves at a Village called Park towards the said Castle of Vilvoord This is an Ancient Palace or Cittadel now very Ruinous especially on the Inside and by its Ruines Height Compass and Scituation shows it was the Place of great Personages but in these latter Times 't is very Famous for being the Noble Prison of the Spanish Netherlands If any great Courtier or Lord or any Governor of a Town or considerable Officer of an Army shall be suspected of Falshood or Betraying his Trust he without any noise is presently seized and sent to this Castle where he must undergo strict Imprisonment and a stricter Tryal In former Times they had there a strange Contrivance for a strange suddain and barbarous Execution having a great Wheel in the bottom of the Prison so that the Prisoner being brought into a Room just over it not thinking what might happen perhaps as he sate at Dinner and not at all knowing of his Condemnation the Chamber like a Scene would on a suddain be opened into Two Parts and immediately the Condemned would fall into the under Engine and in a short time be torn to pieces and never be more heard of But this way of Proceeding and Punishment is now left off though still this State Inquisition is very severe and there is but small hopes of any one that is cast into it Here it was that I first saw the Dutch Army this Campaign about five or six days after the Battle The Battallions of Foot looked thin and grievously changed and Brussels was crowed up with Wounded Men The Horse indeed look'd as they were wont and pretty well gathered together as having a far better way of Self-preservation Here we Encamp'd above four Weeks till Prince Waldeck had sent off the shattered Regiments and had received new from the Frontier Garrisons with Cannon Boats Artillery and Waggons as was necessary The Country all about Brussels is exceeding Pleasant and Fruitful the City is large very thick Peopled and full of Coaches and all sorts of Gallantry a la mode of France and the French Language is spoken there by the meanest Tradesmen 'T is very Hilly which in these Countries is a great Rarity The Pallace and the Park stand on the highest Ground and seem to overlook the rest the Park is but little but sweet and beautiful besides Adorned with some of the finest Water-works in Europe There is also the Royal Armory which most Travellers that come into those Parts desire to see wherein are curious rarities and devices in Armour and Trophies and Banners and Standards of the Ancient Earls and Governors of Flanders and Kings of Spain When the Army was recruited and all necessaries made up and every thing put in order about the 23d of July we had orders to March and Encamp'd that day at a place called Overiisk where we of the English joyned the Dutch in order had our Post of Honour on the Right and made a very pretty addition to their Lines Here it was that one might well perceive a very good alteration in the face of our General He look'd sad discontented and pensive after the Battle and was heard to say That he wish'd he also had fallen among so many Brave Men as he had lost at Fleury but that he hop'd GOD had spared him for a greater Revenge so that nothing could have pleased him more at that time than to see his Army again look Vigorous and Strong and himself put into such a condition as to be able once more before the Summer was over to return Monsieur Luxenburgh his former kindness We stayed in this Camp but one Night we Decamped the next Morning and came to a Place a pretty Village called Wauvre where in a most delightful Valley about Three in the Afternoon we came to the Camp of his Electoral Highness the Duke of Brandenburgh and joyned our Armies His Forces consisted of about 5000 Horse and 13000 Foot and Thirty Pieces of Cannon all looking Brave well Cloathed and Warlike a finer Army not to be seen according to their number The Duke with his Dutchess and Two Brothers with the great Officers and Ladies of his Court were with the Army He is very short and crooked as to his Person he is about the Age of Thirty his Face indeed is fine and comely His Brothers Prince Charles and Prince Philip are both Tall and well Shap'd Gentlemen His Court was exceeding Splendid Besides his Guards he hath an hundred French Gentlemen Refugees all well Mounted and Clad in Scarlet with a broad Gold Lace on the Seams every one looking like a Captain They are called his Grand Musqueteers and always attend his Person He had also with him several Ministers of Forraign Princes amongst others was the Honourable Mr. Johnson Envoy from the Court of England Here it was that Prince Waldeck received a Letter from our King that he was Conqueror at the Boyne and was immediately going to Besiege Lymerick and hoped to be with us at the head of our Army in Twenty days upon which news the English Envoy made a most splendid Feast for the Duke and his Dutchess