says Luxemburgh this Conquest is not important enough to imploy a King with an Army of one hundred and fifty thousand Men. What shall be done then says his Majesty shall we enter into the Country of Liege to force the Prince of that Diocess to lay down his Arms and to submit himself to my clemency No says Luxemburgh that expedition is more proper for Boufflers than your Majesty it is not glorious enough for a Prince who marches only to attack invincible places Ha! What then says his Majesty Thus Sir says Luxemburgh your Majesty must come at the Head of one hundred and fifty thousand Men divided into three Bodies the first of which shall be commanded by your Majesty having under you the Mareschall d' Humieres The the second shall be under the Command of the Marquess de Bâ—ufflers and the third shall be remitted to my Conduct The Army being thus divided the Marquess de Boufflers shall take the Van with a Body of fifteen thousand Horse and possess the passages and avenues The main Body of the Army being arriv'd your Majesty shall form the Siege of Namur and by the taking of that important place you will render your self Master of a whole County which is without contradiction the finest of the Low Countries Luxemburgh says his Majesty this enterprise is great and this place seems to me Impregnable by it Situation besides the building of a certain Fort which is called Fort William built within this little while renders it almost inaccessible Sir says Luxemburgh Art and Inteltelligence must favour force and as we say sow the Tail of the Fox to the Skin of the Lyon I know an expedient by which half of these difficulties will be overcome and thus it is as I understand it There is in the Cittadel a certain Baron de Berse which is a Major a Man fit to do any thing a high spender and much given to his pleasures I understand that this Berse calls himself Kinsman of Madam de Maintenon and that 's what we want But says his Majesty who has told you that this Berse will be a fit Man to hold correspondence Sir answer'd Luxemburgh it is sufficient that he is given to Debauchery Your Majesty must charge Madam de Maintenon with all this business and whilst we shall be preparing Bombs and Carcasses she on her side must attack the strongest part of the place by fair and good guilded Letters which will do more in one day than an Army of one hundred and fifty thousand Men in six weeks Ho! says his Majesty if matters be so my good and dear Maintenon will do that well enough to do me a kindness But what is it she must promise him in order to engage him Sir says Luxemburgh she must promise him one hundred thousand Livers for reward and after the reduction of the place a Lieutenant Generals Post I am persuaded that he will accept the proposition and that in less than eight days your Majesty will have convincing proofs thereof Ha! Well says his Majesty suppose then for example that he accepts the offers that Maintenon shall make him in your opinion what method must he take to favour the enterprize Sir says Luxemburgh it is this he must in the first place make an exact Register of all the Provisions and Ammunitions of War which shall be found in the Cittadel he must also make a very regular draught of the strength and weakness both of the Cittadel the Devils House Fort William â—e must oppose in quality of Major of thc Cittadel to all that shall be undertaken on the behalf of the Prince of Barbancon who he must also endeavour to engage if that can be done He must inform your Majesty or some of your Generals of all the designs marches and countermarches of your Enemies he must at the same time seem to do nothing but to keep himself in the Cittadel and at his ordinary Post just till you give him notice that the Mine is to be sprung Which being done Madam de Maintenon must write to him some time before to pretend to come out in a Party and suffer himself to be taken Prisoner as if it had happen'd by imprudence The Invention is not bad says his Majesty Sir says Luxemburgh being thus made Master of a Man who will inform you at bottom of the least Circumstances you ought to assure your self that from this time forth the place is surrendred If that be so says his Majesty we shall have as good a Bargain as that of Mons. But the Prince of Orange is about to repass the Sea in order to be present here early and by what I can learn here may put himself into the Field as soon as I and having a great Army and being accompany'd with the Elector of Bavaria they may well dispute this Conquest with me these two Princes are of a little hot temper so that this attacking them by so sensible an enterprise will so infâ—ame them that they will not fail to get together all their Forces to oppose me I do not doubt says Luxemburgh that whilst this Opera shall be playing in Flanders we must prepare a Tragedy in England for the Prince of Orange Your Majesty told me confidently the last time that King James had receiv'd Letters almost from all the Nobility and great ones of the Kingdom besides that there was a great number of Quakers and Faâ—aticks that had all unanimously espoused the Interest and Cause of this Prince to re-establish him upon the Throne if your Majesty would only favour and support their enterprize by Eighteen or Twenty Thousand Men which would make a Descent into the Isle of Wight It is true says his Majesty and I have my self read the Letters A Person of Quality says in express terms that his British Majesty has nothing to do but to come that he cannot believe with how much impatience and earnestness the Grandees of the Kingdom aâ—d the People wait for him that all the World generally is concern'd for his re-establishment upon the Throne That in short they begin to make proivsions of Arms and Horses which they gather together the most secretly theâ— can without forgetting good Summs of Mony which they keep ready to pay the Troops to be raised in the Kingdom which shall consist only of persons discontented with the present Government Sir says Luxemburgh if the thing be so that will be a great stroke the Prince of Orange must of all necessity repass the Sea in all hast to go to the succor of his three Kingdoms and in the mean time your Majesty may do your business without opposition and without resistance Your Majesty must give Orders without losing of time to the Count de Tourville to have the Fleet ready to Sail and that a great number of Transport Ships be got together in great diligence for the Embarquing of the Troops But says his Majesty I shall not be very well pleased that Tourville
in the World whereas others that are in the Service of other Princes find themselves with all their Ingenuity bauk'd and stopt sometimes in the midst of their Carreer when they are upon a great design by the defect and want of means which should contribute the most to make them succeed But however it be Monsieur de Vauban and de Megrini had orders to be at Versailles to assist at the finishing of this design Monsieur de Megrini who made his ordinary abode at Tournay of which he was Governour departed in all haste to place himself where his Majesties orders had call'd him and arriv'd almost at the same time as Monsieur Catinat did who had taken Post immediately after the taking of Montmellian All was now ready for the opening of the Council and all the Generals his Majesty had pleas'd to call were arriv'd The number yet was but very small the King being in what regards his Council and his Secrets a Prince as circumspect as ever was which is the cause that his Majesty confides in so few persons and that he ordinarily admits none but such as are extremely reserv'd so we we may say it is one of the principal Wheels upon which his great designs and his good fortune moves and that he is come to so many Conquests only by this means and if we say of Mony that it is the Sinew of War we may say also that Silence is the Soul and that by consequence they are both indispensably and absolutely necessary since they make Armies move and march where they think fit making them Victorious and Masters of the most Important Forts of Provinces and also of whole Kingdoms as we have experienc'd in the last Revolution that happen'd in England which we may say was the only time that the French King was deceiv'd for that ordinarily he has so many precautions and also so great a number of Emissaries well paid in all Courts that he keeps in his Pocket so to speak the Key of their Counsels and most secret Resolutions But we may say that the affair of England was miraculous for how else could King William encompass'd round with French Spies as he was in such a place as the Hague where they were seen to walk openly in Troops and with as much confidence and fierceness as if they had been in the midst of Rome or Paris find nevertheless means to hide so great an undertaking to carry it on a whole year and to trust but two Ministers of State with it to wit Pensionary Fagel of happy memory and Monsieur Dickvelt to make all the Preparations and at last to make them appear by the Reduction of three Kingdoms and to save by an undertaking as bold as successfull Europe from Slavery and that in the sight of two mighty Kings his Enemies well Arm'd who stood waiting for him without ever stirring treated him with fool-hardiness and flatter'd themselves with hopes to see him swallow'd up in his enterprize with as much shame and Confusion as the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth was Finally that I may return to my subject the great Council of War which was to be held at Versailles being assembled and all the Generals being there present his Majesty would according to his custom have a particular Conference with each General and for this reason order'd they should enter in order one after another into his Chamber Monsieur Luxemburgh was first call'd as being the greatest Favourite and him in whom his Majesty most confided looking upon him as his greatest support and him who would maintain at present the Honour of the Nation and the Glory of France It will not be alltogether foreign to our purpose before we go any farther to speak a word of the Person of this General We will say then that Monsieur Luxemburgh so much made of and so much esteem'd as now he is ought not to boast to be descended from the Illustrious and ancient House of Luxemburgh which has given so many Emperors to Germany and so many Kings to Hungary and Bohemia neither is he of the posterity of those titular Dukes of Luxemburgh and Piney Princes of Tingry but a Posthumous Son of Francis Lord of Bouteville of the House of Montmoranci who was beheaded at Paris the 21. of June 1627. for having kill'd in cold Blood in a Duel several persons of Quality This happen'd under the Ministry of the Cardinal Richelieu The present Duke of Luxemburgh was then but in the Cradle and the Countess of Bouteville his Mother retir'd her self after this disgrace to one of her Country Houses where she liv'd a Melancholy life till such time as her only Son whom she very tenderly belov'd arriv'd at the seventh year of his age an age in which it was fit to take him from the Hands of Women and put him under the care of Governors capable to give him Education suitable for a Person of Quality By this time Madam de Bouteville judg'd that the Mothers House was a place very unfit for the Education of the young Count and besides being not dissatisfied to find an occasion to shew a part of her Resentment of the shameful Death of her Husband she resolv'd to carry her Son to Court and present him to the King She set out then for Paris without much Equipage and being arriv'd she went the next day to St. Germain and demanded Audience of the King who was then with the Prince and some Lords of the Court They were mightily surpriz'd at the arrival of this Lady who for many years had not appear'd in the World and every one strove to find out the reason of it when she enter'd into the Chamber having her Son in her Hand whom she carried straight to the King saying Sir here is the last of the Montmoranci's which I present to your Majestty to do with as you think fit The King would have reply'd something to her but Madam de Bouteville not desiring to engage in any further discourse retir'd after having perform'd her obeisance and left the young Count in the Kings Chamber The Prince of Conde who was naturally very generous was so affected at the condition of this poor Gentleman that he told the King that he having been formerly a very good friend of his Fathers and of Monsieur de Montmoranci he would do him a very great favour to let him bring up this last cast-away of a Family which had been dear to him the King consented and the Prince carried him home caus'd him to be instructed and brought up with all imaginable care particularly in the exercises of a Gentleman suâ—h as Riding the Great Horse and Fencing and as to that give me leave to tell you what an old Officer brought up from his infancy in the Lord Bouteville's House did assure me that Monsieur Luxemburgh was born straight and of a good shape and that he appear'd so to the Eyes of the World till he was ten years of age that the
Prince as we may say forcing nature in the Child did so harass him in mounting on Horse back and fencing before he was strong enough to bear these rude Exeâ—â—ises that he thereby lost one full Third of hiâ— Boâ—y In effect those that have seen him undress'd know that he is in a manner all Thighs and Leggs Nevertheless this last opinion is scarcely believ'd if we make Reflection upon his hump back which gives him so ridiculous an Air and which cannot be look'd upon otherwise than a natural defect and it is reasonable to believe he came into the World in this condition because we certainly see by experience that the exercise of Arms contributes rather to regulate and render the Body free than to cause such imperfections Let it be as it will he has improv'd it well We may say that he is at present a Man after the King 's own Heart so it is not to be wonder'd at if he leaves to him the Government of his Armies since he has been bold several times to say That he thank'd God that he had caus'd him to be born without pity and compassion to the end he might be more capable of serving the King his Master and executing his designs A very Christian like sentiment and worthy of Monsieur de Luxemburgh But as to the Hump in his Back it will not be amiss to give an account of a thought which he had the day after the Battle of Fleurns As he receiv'd the Complements of success from the Lieutenant Generals and other Officers of his Army shewing them his Hump he told them he had there a reserve of a Body of Forty Thousand Men of which his Enemies knew nothing which would always render him Victorious thereby remarking the Artifices which he made use of which without contradiction makes up a good part of the Necromancy of which he was accused and which he himself has begun to Communicate since he has been a Commander to the other French Generals The Marquess de Bouflers who was one of his principal Disciples did him most Honour for he it is that at present seems to have profited most by the Lessons of his Master So Monsieur de Luxemburgh chose him to be at the Head of this reserve of which he spoke and was very careful in all the Battles to place him so well that he was seen running up and down like a Mad-Man not to say fly upon the least signal that he gave him The King seeing him come in turn'd towards him and spoke in these Terms Luxemburgh you are the Person at this Day in whom France places her greatest hopes my People look upon you as their Turenne and I my self esteem you as my right Hand you see me engaged in an unhappy War which consumes my Treasure impoverishes my Subjects ruins the State and makes me apprehensive of unhappy Events It is a lingring Fever which undermines by little and little my Kingdom and I fear lest it should in the issue become like Spain that is to say a poor and impotent Desert Sir answer'd Luxemburgh I thank your Majesty for having forgot my pass'd faults and for honouring me with the preference of the Command of your Armies before the Marshal d' Humieres much Older and Wiser than my self I am at the same time very much Obliged to the deceased Marquess of Louvois my good Friend and to the good Madam de Maintenon who sollicited my release and employ'd all their credit with your Majesty to get me out of the Bastile where I had been shut up upon the Death of the Count de Soissons and several other small matters which I was branded withall I vow I did not expect to be received again into your Grace and Favour your Majesty having had since tâ—e War of 1672 a particular aversion to my Pâ—rson But on the other side I am glad to see that my Enemies have for their part shame and trouble by the Triumph of my Innocence after having imploy'd all their power to ruin me I shall remember all my Life time the reverend Father La Chaise and the jealous Madam de Montespan who have been the principal actors of this Tragedy and if it is natural to keep resentment I will reserve to my self a favourable occasion to let them know that I have not been either a Necromancer nor Madam Brinvilliers Disciple But answer'd his Majesty Let us not talk of pass'd Quarrels altho' what is said of you should be true and also that you had a familiar Spirit to win Battles to gain the Love of the Ladies and to please me I will in acknowledgment of the Services that you have done me in the Wars of Holland and that you may do me in the present War order the Courts of Justice to burn the Informations and the Tryal and to forbid any upon pain of Death throughout my whole Kingdom to talk directly or indirectly of it Sir answered Luxemburg I most humbly thank your Majesty for the care that you will take of my reputation and I do engage upon my word that in remembrance of so great a Favour I will do for my part all that lies in my power to ruin your Enemies and advance your Conquests You know answer'd his Majesty That the first Campaign which was that of 1689. I gave the Command of my Army to the Marshal d' Humieres and that this General who is a good Man did really do me good service For it was him that I sent Ambassador to the Court of England immediately after the Death of King Charles and he executed my Orders very punctually For King James who came to be Crown'd King of three Kingdoms received him with open Arms and very generously accepted all the offers of Alliance and Friendship that Humieres made him on my behalf But this unfortunate Prince afterwards not having followed my Orders found himself all of a sudden overwhelm'd with great troubles and has engag'd me in a War which has Arm'd all Europe against me But to come to my purpose Having then chose him to Command in Flanders against Prince Waldeck a General of good Conduct and well instructed in what concern'd the Order that an Army in her Marches and Incampments ought to be kept in but on the other hand very unlucky to hazard a Battle I remark'd that in this first year the Marshal d' Humieres suffer'd himself to be Coop'd up as we say by Prince Waldeck and that he had during the whole Campaign the disadvantage I remember also very well the Battle of Walcourt which was on the Great St. Louis day Patron and Protector of my Kingdom where all my House-hold was Cut in pieces but I pardon him with all my heart because he did it with a good intention and belief of doing me Service that day The little Genius of d' Humieres was not only the cause of this check but we may also say that he favour'd by the little motion he made the Enterprizes
of the Duke of Lorrain and of the Electors who took Three good Cities from me that year The deceased Marquess de Louvois whom I now very much lament foretold it me the good Man was a very good Physiognomist and as he knew his People extremely well so he was observed not to be mistaken in the choice he made of Persons of merit to fill the vacant places which has been the cause that during my Reign I have always had the choicest Persons It was he that presented Monsieur Catinat to me to Command in Italy being a Man he said who had experience and the good Fortune to have pass'd through all the inferiour degrees in the War having been formerly a common Soldier I was also willing to imploy the Duke of Duras to Command in Germany but Louvois advis'd me rather to send the Marshal de Lorge his Brother as a Man who had more of Softness and execution which agrees better with the natural slowness of the Germans I had also made choice of Monsieur Lauzun for Ireland at the Sollicitation of Madamoiselle de Monpensier my Cousin but the poor Man is no more what he was and the affairs of that Kingdom were quite changed after the loss of the Battle of the Boyn where he commanded joyntly with King James Louvois advis'd me to call him back as soon as possibly and to send the brave St. Ruth of happy memory whom I much lament because he was the Man that Purg'd my Kingdom of the Huguenot Heresie He was naturally hasty but brave as his Sword Be it as it will I found him very serviceable to me and if he had not been unfortunately kill'd by a Cannon Bullet I am persuaded that the War would have lasted still in Ireland and that the Prince of Orange would not have come off so cheap in Flanders It is also the deceased Marquis of Louvois who presented Tourville to me to Command my Fleet as an Admiral of a gallant Person And I vow that I have had till this very time a great deal of trouble to stop the Torrent of his Courage He talks to me in all my undertakings of nothing but giving Battle to the Enemy Hitherto I have always hindred him because I was not altogether satisfied with the Engagement of 1690. where the Hollanders alone with 20. or 22. Men of War dar'd to attack him at the head of my Fleet which was composed of more than 80. great Ships whilst the English contented themselves to be Spectators and that which caused astonishment was that after a Fight of more than Six hours not one of the Enemies Ships was taken having retreated after the Fight in very good order tho' in truth disabled and unmasted So the last Expedition I order'd him to shun all Engageing and when the Enemies should be on the one side to go on the other which he observ'd very well 'T is also from the same hand that the Marquiss de Bouflers was presented to me tho' in truth Madam de Maintenon also contributed for she wearied me Night and Day and I never saw her but she spoke to me of him But I have not been deceiv'd in him He is one of the bravest Officers that I have at this Day in my Armies and from whom I reap the greatest benefit by the Contributions which he takes care to gather together and to make my Enemies pay in ready mony which makes a considerable Sum design'd to buy Horses to re-mount my Cavalry For his pains I have lately made him Captain of my Guards besides several other good Offices which he possesses further more I have reserv'd a Marshals Staff for him if the War last two Campaigns more 'T is Louvois also who presented to me Monsieur Amelott formerly my Ambassador at Venice to go and reside with the Laudable Swiss Cantons during this War I have been deceiv'd in him no more than in Monsieur Bouflers for if this knows how to use a Pistol and is able in the handling of a Sword the other is no less in that of the Pen. It is also to his good conduct that I attribute all the good intelligence which reigns at present amongst my Cousins the Suissers Let him but make a Speech with Words well plac'd back'd with a good Purse of my Louisses distributed underhand and behind the Curtain I obtain immediately all I would have They granted me the last Campaign the raising of ten thousand Men of new Troops I hope they will grant me this Campaign at least fifteen thousand to fill up the number of the forty thousand that I have in my service with whom I am very well satisfied for they are the best Foot of my Army I ought not to forget to speak one word by the way of their General Stouppa with whom I am very well contented who seems to have chang'd his Country in changing his Religion that is to say become a good French-Man He takes so strongly to Heart my interests that we see him boldly march at the Head of the Swisser's Troops every where and in all places laughing at certain old and pretended Treaties which say that the Swissers that are in my Service shall not act against the Emperour and his Allies 'T is Louvois also who presented to me the Count of Bethune that I lately sent to the King of Sweedland to feel the pulse of that Prince and to see if there was no way to engage him to a Rupture Bidall writ to me that he could no longer retain his Resentment and that the English and Dutch Capers might make him become one of the French Interest I have given order to the Count de Beâ—hune to say at his arrival at Stockholme That he was arriv'd by chance and that a Tempest had cast him there that he may conceal so much the better his Negotiation I hear thanks to God that he is happily arriv'd I have also in Holland one of the Disciples of Bethune which doth me very good service and who has well succeeded the Count d' Avaux The Count de Bethune had considerable Summs to pay to Madam Morean's Father a rich Merchant at Paris but finding himself disabl'd to serve him he engag'd himself to obtain of the King of Poland by my recommendation Letters of credit for Monsieur Moreau her Husband and that by this means he might as we say kill two Birds with one Stone and be as Janus with two Faces in calling himself Envoy of the King of Poland and keeping in effect the place of the Count d' Avaux in his absence I am very well satisfied with him and I esteem him as one of my best Correspondents in Holland When the Count de Bethune shall have made the first motion to the Northern Princes I have then the Count d' Avaux and Bonrepos ready to set sail for that Coast to go and finish what Bethune shall have begun I have made choice of these two Ministers d' Avaux for Sweedland and Bonrepos
take me for Monsieur Scarron I easily put by that blow in crying out with a full Throat Fire upon that bold Fellow But says his Majesty you dearly then bought the glory that you had to keep the Field about half an hour by the death of my best Officers and of a great number of brave persons of my House Sir says Luxemburgh your Majesty has long since used your self to lose a great mâ—ny Men when you would have the advantage over your Enemies As it is my Maxime to attack them ordinarily three against one and that the Enemies who see themselves almost always inferiour and more feeble in number by half fight also like Madmen that 's the reason your Majesty loses more men than they but still you have the Glory on your side But says his Majesty if these losses are frequent and that the War should last four or five Campaigns as in all appearance it will I run a risque to see my self without Officers and Souldiers Sir says Luxemburgh your Majesty must buâ— a Peace at any rate should it cost even half your Subâ—ects But answers his Majesty I had then rather hazard a general Battle and come orderly into an open Campaign in the Face of my Enâ—mies I am perswaded that they would not refuse it and that would be infinitely more glorious and worthier of the name of Great that I bear imitating in that Charles Martel who acquir'd that name by reason of his martial humour and of the great actions he did at the Battle of Tours where the French kill'd a hundred and seventy five thousand Moors that lay dead on the Spot It seems to me that an Action like that would be incomparably better than all the Tricks and Wiles that I have made use of till now which are no more after all than small Rencounters which decide nothing and only lengthen the War No Sir says Luxemburgh that is not the way by which I pretend to conduct your Majesty your Enemies would desire no better The Prince of Orange and the Elector of Bavaria would Triumph with joy and your Majesty cannot do them a greater favour than to come as you say into an open field There wants but only one such like Resolution to annihilate in an instant all those Prodigies of glory and to lose so many brave Conquests heap'd up one upon the other which hast cost so many Men and so much Blood and I am persuaded that your Majesty has not yet forgot what it cost Francis the First and St. Louis for having expos'd themselves a little too much How then says his Majesty do you understand it for we must take the shortest way my People begin to be able to do no more and Mony becomes scarce in my Kingdom and as we say foresight is the Mother of Wisdom I know what it cost me in 1672 for having staid a little too long Sir says Luxemburgh doth your Majesty absolutely wish to have a peace I have already pray'd you several times to discover to me your most secret intentions You know says his Majesty that I wish it passionately But I reserve to my self the glory to grant it to my Enemies and I fight only at present to constrain them to come and demand it of me Sir answer'd Luxemburgh since it is so that your Majesty is absolutely resolved to have a peace that you wish it and seek after it this is the way to come quickly to it Your Majesty must then at present make Flanders the Seat of War you must gather together your greatest force and you must reckon to have three Armies this Campaign to act in concert and mutually to assist one another Each of these Armies must be at the least fifty thousand Men. For this purpose your Majesty must give Orders to Monsieur Voisin Intendant of the Low Countries to make with the Commissaries of Provisions an exact computation of Provisions necessary for the maintenance of so many Troops and to furnish the Magazines of which the Principle ones shall be at Mons Maubeuge Philipville and Dinant The great Master of the Ordinance must also give order that the Ammunitions of War as well as the great Artillery be transported early to the nearest frontier places The Count de Guiscard Governour of Dinant must take care to assemble and get ready a good number of Boats Monsieur de Vertillac Governour of Mons must likewise take care to get together all the Waggons and Carts which can be found in the Country of Hainault He must make at the same time as well as the other Governours a list of the Pioneers that we can have the number of which cannot be less than Twenty thousand and to the end that all the Troops may be there at the time of the general Rendevouse which shall be at Mons your Majesty must presently dispatch Orders to make them march I add also that care must be taken to have good intelligence to stir them up and maintain them cost what it will because it is the primum mobile without which we shall build upon a Quicksand All these Resolutions being taken there will want nothing but a Head to move so great a Body And as the presence of Kings and Princes is the Soul and strength of their Army and that a Prince which commands in person his Armies aspires to an immortal glory so there is not a Souldier who fighting in the sight of his Prince doth not employ all his valour and being animated with a desire of glory and hopâ—s to be liberally recompens'd doth not present himself with joy to the greatest and most dangerous perils I advise then your Majesty to make this Campaign as you did that of Mons your Majesty took notice that this important place was surrendred in less than fifteen Days after the opening of the Trenches in the sight of an Enemies Army and in a time where the rigours of the Season oppos'd you After such a blow your Majesty may undertake what you please That 's very well says his Majesty but where do you judge it will be necessary to open the Campâ—ign shall it be by the Siege of At h or Charleroy as these places are nearest it seems that we must begin there No Sir says Luxemburgh you must attack your Enemies in a more sensible part At h and Charleroy are places which will fall of themselves into your Majesties Hands What must be done then says his Majesty shall we go to Bombard Brussels No Sir says Luxemburgh that is not worth while it must be a more shining enterprize it is not reasonable your Majesty should put your self at the head of your Armieâ— for so small a matter What then says his Majesty shall we Attack Ostend by Sea and by Land this loss will be very sensible to my Enemies because that is the place where all the English Troops come to Land and from thence we may penetrate into the Heart of the County of Flanders No Sir
with my whole Fleet and as after the joining of the Eâ—glish Fleet yâ—u will be stâ—onger by half than they I flatter my self already beforehand that you will obtain one of the mâ—st signalized Victories which has yâ—t been gain'd I recommend to you above all to be I excâ—â—ble and to destroy without Pity and without Mercy my Enemies to exterminate them and to act so that not one escape Tourville call to your remembrance the Fight of 1690. and see that that happens no more to you to let the Hollanders retire without taking one unhappy Bark from them Whilst you shall be engag'd King James shall be upon the Coast to judge of the Blows waiting for the Event and the Descent into England will follow immediately after and all that without losing time The King ask'd for John Barts who was retir'd out of the way John Barts seeing his Majesty desir'd to speak with him answered Sir I am here John Barts says his Majesty how go the Prizes Do you take many of the English and Hollanders For by what I can learn these two Nations fear you Sir answered John Barts I have resolv'd saving your Majesty's good pleasure to carry the French Piracy to so high a degree that all the Capers of France shall have reason to call me their Father their Patron and their Restorer and finally after my death those of S. Malo and Dunkirk shall cannonize me in Memory of my great Actions and my name plac'd in the Kalendar shall be named The Feast of John Barts the holy Thief In short I hope by the help of the Almighty to out-do quickly by my Tricks and my good Prizes all that has been formerly most boldly done by the Mezomortes and those of Tripoly But answer'd his Majesty if it should happen that you should fall into the Hands of your Enemies I am persuaded that they would make you pass your time very ill Sir says John Barts I fear nothing so much as the Zealand Capers formerly my joint Brothers and at present my mortal Enemies because they are so angry that I have betray'd my Country and their Party to embrace that of your Majesty's that they will call me in their Language Vrede Breeker Breaker of the Peace that they would never pardon me besides they cannot indure that I should surpass them in Malice and that I should teach the French their Art of which they are jealous even to the last degree John Barts says his Majesty this is not all I have two great Designs in hand the one in Flanders and the other in England and I see my self just upon the point of Execution and to make it succeed I shall have occasion for all my Forces by Sea and Land so it is and for that end I have call'd together all my Generals to take their Advice and conduct this Enterprize with all the Prudence imaginable My design is then to go into Flanders at the Head of an Army of 150000 Men and to form the Siege of the strongest place of Europe whilst I shall be busy in the execution of it you must get together all my Capers and form a Fleet of which I make you from this time Admiral in consideration of your good Services and you must act on one side whilst the Count de Tourville shall act on the other according to the Orders I have given him and you must make your Movements and your Courses with your flying Camp of Pirates being well settled in Concert and Intelligence with Tourville As to the rest I recommend to you the Secret Assoon as the Count de Tourville and John Barts were gone out his Majesty order d That Monsieur de Pompone should come Pompone says the King I recommend to you my Kingdom I am just upon my departure the Resolutions are taken and I am to be in Flanders at the Head of 150000 Men so I leave you the Reins of Government during my absence You are the wisest of my Ministers and after the death of poor Louvois I knew not how to make choice of a worthier Subject than you Father La Chaize my Confessor is not contented and the old Quarrels that these good Fathers have had with your Uncle Monsieur Arnaud run still in their Heads Sir says Pompone the Jansenists will always flourish in your Kingdom in spight of the Reverend Fathers of the Society and of their violent Prejudices against them I know what I have suffered upon their account having try'd many Storms which had made me resolve upon a voluntary Banishment in retireing into the Country to be secure from their Persecution and their Rage Monsieur de Louvois neither was none of my best Friends he had too much correspondence with Father la Chaize not to join Forces and attempt my Ruin every way he could but without ransaking the Ashes of the dead I rejoyce to see my Innocence applauded by the confidence your Majesty reposes in me concerning the Affairs of your Kingdom As you have been says his Majesty in Ambassy in Holland and that you know perfectly the Genius and Interest of that Republick I have but one word to say to you to make you apprehend immediately what is my end in going to the Head of my Armies it is one Home-push for the Game and the only one to come to a Peace Luxemburgh made me see it as clear as the day Sir says Pompone it is high time for your Majesty to begin to set bounds to your Ambition and that you cherish your People the whole Kingdom is oppress'd and groans under the heavy Burden of Imposts and Subsidies and therefore 't is dangerous for so great a Prince as you to expose himself too much If the Presence of your Majesty is necessary in your Army it is no less so in your Kingdom where you support your Power and Sovereignty and dissipate the Plots of the Malecontents which keeps Prosperity among your People and preserves the Harmony that is necessary between him that commands and those that obey We have experienc'd in all Ages past that those Kings who have staid at home in their Closets have executed greater things than those have done whom Ambition and an insatiable desire of Glory have carried even to the extremities of the World Charles V. and Louis XI have atchiev'd greater Exploits without going out of their Palace than did Louis the Young and Philip the August in passing the Seas and in carrying their Arms into Africa we still feel the smart of what was occasioned in France by the Imprisonment of St. Louis of King John and of Francis I. Sir these are Wounds to the State and irreparable Losses when they happâ—n Pompone says his Majesty the Resolution is taken and the Dice is thrown this Campaign will be no more dangerous for my Person than that of Mons was and so many others that I have made in my Reign Fortune cherishes me too much to leave me now I am in so fair a Career