Throne of England to this end he causes an Army to march towards the Coasts of Normandy pretending at first that it was to secure his Coasts from a Descent of which they spoke very much in England and for which they made some Preparations This Army consisted of between 16 and 20000 Men both French and Irish which encamp'd at the Hogue a little Village by the Sea-side between the Cape of Barfleur and the Bay of Caen. The French King to cover this Invasion as well as to help the transport of his Troops made all possible diligence to set out his Fleet to execute this great Design before ours and the Dutch Fleet cou'd be in a readiness to joyn which probably might have been if a contrary Wind had not kept Vice-Admiral Count D' Estrees in the Mediterranean twenty one days together with the Toulon Fleet. The French King therefore seeing that Tourville had already staid so long for the Toulon Fleet that the English and Dutch were ready to joyn order'd Admiral Count De Tourville to sail with what Fleet he had ready and to enter the Channel the Troops being embark'd in Normandy and he only expected to transport them over to England with this Order Tourville came into the Channel with Fifty four Men of War making strait to Normandy to joyn the Transport-ships In the mean while every body wonder'd to see the King so unconcerned at Loo and his Kingdoms so nearly threatned with an Invasion every body thought that His Majesty would not be so sollicitous for the Safety of the Low Countries but that he would at least go over for England and look after the preservation of his own which may be was the very thing the French King would have and which he more design'd in this Project than the Restauration of King James for 't is very plain that His Majesty's Presence and his English Troops in the Spanish Netherlands put a great stop to his Proceedings whereas in the other War when the English were not in the Alliance Cambray Valenciennes and St. Omer would be the work but of a Month's Campaigne but now his Conquests cannot go on so fast in a Country which he pretends of Right to belong to the Dauphiné However tho' His Majesty was at Loo yet his Cares were not from England in this dangerous Conjuncture but he sent my Lord Portland who in this Voyage was accompany'd by his Son-in-Law the Earl of Essex over to England with some Instructions to the Queen to prevent this intended Invasion about which Her Majesty had already taken very effectual Cares in setting out our Fleet with all speed in raising the Militia of the Country and seizing such Persons as were most liable to suspicion in this matter His Majesty on this side of the Water took the same care of the Dutch Fleet and order'd Colonel Selwyn's Beveridge's and Lloyd's Regiments to be sent back to England to reinforce our Army there and likewise countermanded several Regiments of Horse which His Majesty had order'd over for Flanders Thus by the Cares of Their Majesties in England and Holland the two Fleets joyn'd time enough to oppose the execution of the French King's Designs upon England and sooner than His Most Christian Majesty expected for not thinking that the English and Dutch could be so soon joyn'd he order'd Monsieur Tourville to fight and engage with our Fleet where-ever he met it if they offer'd to oppose his Undertaking in England with that Number of Men of War he had then along with him which he afterwards did accordingly and I think pretty well to the French King's Cost Things began now to look with a little better aspect in England and to promise the French King but little success in his Invasion the English and Dutch Fleets being joyn'd and being in a better Condition than ever to do business considering the number and bigness of our Men of War and the Seamen they had on Beard whereas Tourville was in our Channel with about Fifty Four Men of War which could give us but little reason to fear his Undertaking This was the Posture of Affairs about the opening of the Campaign the King having left Loo and pass'd by Breda came to Duffel where his Majesty tarried two or three Days and the Elector of Bavaria went there to wait upon the King and to Complement him upon his Arrival in the Spanish Netherlands as well as to confer upon the present State of Affairs But the French Army growing daily in Number about Mons and the French King being come to head his Army in Person oblig'd the King to hasten to Brussels to forward the Rendezvous of our Forces which gathered part between Anderleck and Dilbeck having Anderleck upon the Left and the other part between Dendermonde and Ghendt under the Command of Major General Zuylesteyn and after a March or two they were joyn'd by Lieutenant General Mackay who took the Command of them The King coming to Brussels lay one Night at his own House l'autel d'Orange a Palace belonging of old to the Counts of Nassaw and Princes of Orange not far from the Court and which his Majesty has of late bestow'd upon Prince Vaudemont The next Day the King took his Quarters at Coukelbergh a little Chateau or Castle without Flanders Port where his Majesty remained till the marching of the Army from Brussels The French at this time gave us by their Motions equal Reasons to suspect Charleroy and Namur as the Place before which they would set to form a Siege wherefore the Elector of Bavaria order'd the Counts of Thian and Brouay the first to Namur to assist the Prince of Brabançon the Governour and the other to do the same thing at Charleroy with the Governour of that Place The Army having left Anderleck march'd this day through Brussels to Deegham towards Louvain whilst Lieutenant General Mackay with about 16000 English and Dutch which had rendezvous'd about Dendermonde and Ghendt came up very near the Army in order to joyn it the next March the French at this time leaving us but little reason to doubt but that Namur was the place they intended to attack This Day the Army march'd and came pretty near Louvain the King taking his Quarters at Bethlehem-Abbey This Day we were likewise Joyn'd with the Forces under the Command of Lieutenant General Mackay they incamping in the Line with the rest of the Army His Majesty was inform'd in this place of a Design against his Life which tho' it had miscarried the Year before was again set on foot by the same Persons viz. one Grandval Levendael and Du Mont of which we shall give an Account when we come to speak of the Execution of Grandval at Hall-Camp he being the only one of the Three that suffer'd the Punishment due to so villanous an Attempt The Second merited the King's Pardon by his discovering of the Plot to one of his Relations in Holland who immediately gave an
Account of it to my Lord of Athlone Du Mont gave an Account of this Design much at the same time to the Duke of Zell who likewise gave Notice of it to the King which as it was an Argument of his Sincerity in discovering of it and likewise upon the Duke of Zell's Intercession he was also pardoned The said Du Mont came up afterwards to the Army to give his Evidence upon the Assurance his Highness of Zell gave him of a safe Conduct This Du Mont having given Grandval the meeting at Endhoven not far from Bois-leduc upon Levendael's Discovery my Lord Athlone sent a Detachment of 110 Horse thither who seized both the Prisoners I mean Levendael that discover'd it and Grandval and carried them to Boisleduc to the Prince of Nassaw Sarbruck Governour of the Place Grandval at first made as if he were very ignorant of the matter and altogether innocent but when the Prince of Nassaw Sarbruck ask'd him if he knew one Du Mont at the Court of Zell the other own'd the matter and reply'd That his Life was in his Majesty's Power The French King having at last invested Namur opened the Trenches before the Town attacking of it with all the Vigour imaginable and the Besieged on the other side making a stout Resistance This Town is situated upon the Brabant-side of the Sambre The Castle is very strongly seated upon the Ascent of a Hill which makes a Nook of Land caus'd by the meeting of the Sambre and the Meuse looking towards the Town and opposite to the Castle on the other side of the Meuse as you go up to Dinant is a small Suburb of Old Houses This Garrison was compos'd of Ten Dutch and Brandenburgh Battalions which had been there all Winter in Quarters besides some Spanish Regiments between which there happen'd during the Siege some Discord which forwarded very much as 't is said to the yielding of the Place 'T is very probable that the French King design'd this Siege very early in the Spring if the foul dirty Weather that follow'd the Rigour of the last Winter had not prevented it or even in the Winter it self if it had not been so severe for he had gain'd in his Interest the Baron de Bersé Lietenant Governour of the Place a Gentleman if I may call a Traytor so born in the Franche-Conté and who had been as is reported Forty Five Years in the King of Spain's Service The Inhabitants of Namur rely'd very much upon him and indeed more than the Prince of Brabançon their Governour whom they suspected because a great part of his Estate lay in the French Conquests between the Sambre and the Meuse This Lieutenant Governour was so much trusted that he took care of all the Magazines Provisions and Ammunitions that were in the place and such Care that he left them almost unprovided Whether it was that things were ripe for the Design if a kind Season had seconded it or that he saw that he had gone so far that he could stay no longer in the place for fear of being discovered he took occasion one day to go and visit some Out-posts and by this Pretext got himself intercepted by a Party of the Garrison of Dinant where he was carried Prisoner to cover the Plot but his being so easily perswaded to take the French Service does very plainly prove that his being taken Prisoner was but a Sham. It is said he did very great Service in this Siege in directing the Attacks where he thought they would be must convenient who knew so well the State of the Fortification Upon this Treacherous Governour 's deserting of the Place which gave reason to suspect some Design the Magazines were immediately visited and found in a very had Condition upon which Orders were sent to the Governour of Maestricht to send forthwith a Convoy of all sorts of Ammunition as Powder Ball Match c. and Seven Pieces of Canon which was sent under the Escorte of a very strong Detachment of the Garrisons of Maestricht Liege and Huy and Quarters thereabouts being commanded by Count Cerclaes of Tilly who safely got the Convoy into Namur about the latter end of February or the beginning of March last But to return to our Army Whilst we were incamp'd at Bethlehem the Elector of Bavaria with the King of Spain's Troops lay incamp'd within two Miles of us on the way between Louvain and Brussels which afterwards with his Bavarian Curiassers made our Right Wing of Horse that being still the Elector's Post of Command The King early in the Morning had by an Express the happy News of our Victory at Sea by Admiral Russel over the Count de Tourville the French Admiral which tho' it gave but a confus'd Relation as yet of the French loss and our advantage over them the Express being sent immediately after the French Fleet began to make off yet it was a Victory of such consequence that in the Evening the King caus'd all the English Artillery which had joyn'd us but little before if not that very day to be drawn upon the top of a Hill upon the Right of our Army looking towards Namur the Dutch Artillery was likewise plac'd on the same Hill upon the Left of ours and Orders were given for the drawing out of the whole Army in the Evening to express our Joy for the Victory by the triple Discharge of our Artillery and Small-shot and at the same time to give Notice of it to the French who were very busie in prosecuting the Siege of Namur the Wind standing very fair for that purpose The whole Army in expressing their Joy for this Victory shew'd such an alacrity and eagerness to be with the Enemy to second this great Success of our Fleet and not to be behind-hand with our Maritime Forces that we had all the reason in the World to expect great Matters if they had been set on the Enemy This day we were likewise joyned by the Danish Troops commanded by Prince Wirtemberg consisting of Eight Battalions of Foot and a proportionable number of Horse Col. Earl's Regiment came in likewise the same Day and Orders were given out this Night for our marching the next Morning We marcht from Bethlehem to Park another Abbey on the other side of Louvain as you go to Namur in this March the Second Line mov'd through the First because we marcht upon the Right and fronting another way at Park towards the Enemy The Second Line by this motion remain'd in the Rear when we came to our ground where we halted the next Day in which we were joyn'd by the Bavarian Curiassiers about 1400 strong who took their Post in the Right Wing of Horse immediately upon the Right of the English Foot-Guards The King resolving to use his utmost endeavour to raise the Siege of Namur gave Orders this Day for all the heavy Baggage of the Army as Carts Waggons and Coaches to be sent away to Arschot a Captain of
we came near them they all cry'd Quarter but the Germans firing immediately upon them that dispers'd them so up and down the Wood and Thickets that they made their escape The Elector of Brandenburg having removed his Court this Summer to Cleves to be nearer his Forces te give them such Orders as he thought convenient pass'd the Meuse at Roermoade and came as far as Vrecklen not far from Louvain to conser with His Majesty upon the present State of Affairs where His Majesty went to meet him about the middle of this Month being guarded by a strong Escorte of Horse and Dragoons After the Conference the King return'd to the Camp at Genap and the Elector went to view his Forces that were now incamp'd on the other side of the Meuse near the River Outre not far from Liege and afterwards his Electoral Highness having pass'd by Maestricht return'd to Cleves Much about the same time the Elector of Bavaria went to Brussels having a very strong Escorte all along the way that goes thro' the Bois de Sogne to Brssuels this Wood being generally very full of French Parties and more particularly at this time that they expected the Duke of Bavaria's going to Brussels to the Procession of the Bloody Host where the Governors of the Spanish Netherlands are still us'd to assist This bloody Host is kept in the great Church of Brussels it was stabb'd by a Jew as they say in contempt of our Saviour and immediately there fell from it some Drops of Blood which remain upon the Host to this day The Elector return'd the same day in the Evening after the Procession to Brussels having as is said escap'd many dangerous Ambuscades in this Bois de Sognes by his quick and speedy Riding This day the Army decamp'd from Genap and made a great March as far as Nostredame de Hall having passed by Nivelle the Abbey of Bois Seignerer Isaac and a very bad Defile at Brain le Chateau it rain'd also most part of this day which made the ways very difficult and deep particularly for the Rear of the Army by this long March which lasted from Morning till Night we assur'd ourselves of the Camp at Halle where otherwise the French might have been before-hand with us and thus have hinder'd by possessing themselves of this Pass the Subsistence of our Army in this unforrag'd Country and afterwards in Flanders We encamp'd this day our Right upon the Senne our Corps de Reserve flanking it and fronting towards Halle and our Left extended itself as far as Brain le Chateau we pass'd this day through the Ground that was mark'd for the Hanouer Troops to encamp that day they marching up in all hast to joyn us The next day the Army pass'd the Senne in several Columns one with the Corps de Reserve going through the Town the others upon several Bridges of Boats that were laid above it the King took his Quarters at the Castle of Lembeck and the Elector in the Town of Halle a place famous for the Devotions made to an Image of our Lady given about Four hundred Years since by Elizabeth Queen of Hungary and a Daughter of the House of Flanders which as the Legend of it pretends hath wrought abundance of Miracles Pictures being hung all about the Church that represent them but none of later date than the Fifteenth Century I don't know whether 't is because it has not that Faculty at present or whether the Reformation has not put a stop to several of their pious Cheats This Church is of late given and impropriated to the Jesuites that have a very pretty little Colledge by it The Town of Halle when we had pass'd the Senne and pitch'd our Camp remain'd in the Rear of our Right Wing of Horse where the Hanover Troops afterwards took their Post In this Camp likewise the Infantry of the Corps de Reserve was commanded in the Body of the Army Brigadier Churchill's and the Earl of Bath's Regiments taking their former Posts amongst the English We were likewise joyn'd this Day in the Afternoon by the Hanover Troops computed to be between 7 and 8000 strong Horse and Foot and all very fine and gallant Troops particularly the Horse of his Highnesses Guard of which there was two Troops the one upon Grey and the other upon Bay Geldings which being very well accouter'd and incomparably well mounted made a very fine and martial shew His Troop of Dragoons du Corps did almost equal his Life-Guard in fineness and goodness of Equipage and in their Horses The next day we were also joyn'd by two English Regiments of Horse namely Colonel Langston's and the Marquess de Ruvigny now Lord Gallaway the first of the two was afterwards some few days after the Engagement at Steenkirk broke into our other Regiments to augment their Complement the Officers being remov'd according to their Posts into those Vacancies as were in other Regiments and what remain'd being allow'd Subsistence till they are provided for the same way in the Evening Orders were given out for Six Battalions to be ready to march an hour before day and to parade at the Head of Prince Waldeck's Regiment The Battalions were the Second of the first Regiment of Guards the first of Sir Robert Douglas's Col. Fitz-Patrick Col. O Farrels a Battalion of the Danish Guards and the Queens Orders were likewise given for Seventeen Men of each Battalion in Churchill's Brigade to be ready at the same time and place and to be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Manwayring their business being to make the ways through the Defilés they were all to receive a Ducat a Head for their Labour and as they were to joyn with the Vanguard in time of business they carried their Arms with them as well as Hatchets and Spades All this Detachment was to be commanded by the Duke of Wirtemberg as the Vanguard of our Army Orders were likewise given for the whole Army to march very early in the morning the General to beat at break of Day and the Army to be ready to march at Sun rising All these Preparations were in order to attack the French the next day in their own Camp at Enghein who the same Day as we march'd from Gennap to Hall decamp'd from Soignes and made all haste to Enghein lest we should get that Ground from them and thus oblige them to get farther to their own Conquests Luxembourg's Right being at Steenkirk and his Left at Enghien he took his Quarters at Hove According to Orders the Six Battalions paraded at the Head of Prince Waldeck's Regiment and the Detachment of 17 Men per Battalion of Churchill's Brigade and received the Commandment of Prince Wirtemberg and very early in the Morning the whole Army followed them making their way to the Enemies Camp through nothing but Defilés being close Ground all the way and no other way but such as was made by our Detachment for that purpose the Baggage being
overtake the Enemies Rear returned the same day to Halle We Forag'd this day and the Detachment was put under the Command of my Lord of Athlene who being informed that several of the Enemy lay in Ambuscade in a Wood to steal our Horses he ordered a Party to beat the Wood where Captain Rowland Maikenzy of that Regiment as was Sir Robert Dowglas's now my Lord George Hamilton's made Twenty Prisoners who begg'd very eernestly for Quarter though Orders had been to give none This day the Chevalier de Grandval Knight of Malta Bartholomew Lanier by Name born at Liniere in Picardy was Hang'd Drawn and Quarter'd according to the English Punishment for Traytors in the midst of our Camp for having conspir'd to assassinate the King with Du Mont and Levendael the first having discovered the business as we have said before to the Duke of Zell and the second to his Brother in Holland They were confronted as Witnesses of the Fact which Grandval himself confessed and own'd This Grandval had before kill'd the Mareschal de Humiere's Nephew in a Duel and as there is no mercy in France for such Men he was oblig'd to fly to the Duke of Savoy's Country for shelter where in the beginning of the War he took Service But Monsieur de Catenat finding this Grandval Serviceable to the Duke of Savoy represented it to the French King and desired him to give him his Pardon being assured under-hand that he would quit the Duke's Service if he had it Accordingly upon Catinat's Request Grandval had the Kings Pardon and thus left the Duke of Savoy and came to Catinat's Army where he was immediately preferr'd to be Major of Dragoons and Adjutant General Du Mont having been formerly an Officer in the States Service and disoblig'd I think cashier'd by our King he was resolved to attempt a Revenge by the assassinate of his Sacred Person accordingly he made the Motion to the then Marquess de Louvois and this was designed to be executed in 91. when the King was in the Field either upon the March of our Army or at some other time when the King rid abroad to view some Posts The Marquess de Louvous pitched upon this Grandval to bring the Assassin off who was to command a Detachment of some stout desperate Fellows for that purpose For Louvois thought this Man fit for the purpose since he had been so desperate as to fight a Duel contrary to the strictest Orders of the French King and in which there was no hopes of Mercy and also because he had been so much obliged by the French King in having his Pardon in a case in which the French King had never pardoned before and therefore he lay under some Obligation to undertake this honourable Employment But Du Mont and Grandval missing of their Design that Campaign and the Marquess de Louvois dying some time after it was laid by and Du Mont retired to Hanover Barbesieux however finding this Project in his Fathers Papers would not let it fall but sent for Grandval who accordingly entred into a new Negotiation with Du Mont by Letters at Hanover and took with him a third Associate Levendael at Paris and appointed their meeting to execute their Enterprize at Endhoven near Boisleduc I need not say any more Particulars I refer my self to the Factum printed in several Languages by Authority to let the World know so horrible a Villany and what the French Court will not attempt though it be never so base and unworthy to rid themselves of a powerful Enemy and far more base and horrible than those Designs laid against the Life of William I. Prince of Orange his Sacred Majesty's Glorious Ancestor as this was carried with a Hellish Secresie whereas the King of Spain had by a publick Proscription laid a Price upon the Prince's Life These Traytors were invited to this more than Hellish Conspiracy by the Prospect of vast Rewards promised them both by the late King and Barbesieux as has appeared by their own Confession and Grandval's own Letter to Mademoiselle Juré wherein he desired her to wait upon the Archbishop of Rheins to acquaint him that he had obeyed the Marquess de Barbesieux's Orders at the Expence of his Life My Lord of Athlone General of the Dutch Horse was President at the Council of War where he was Try'd assisted by Sgravenmoor Sir John Lanier and Talmash and Mackay Lieutenant Generals La Forest de Weede Noyelles Zobell Major Generals Churchill and Ramsey Brigadiers But the business of Steenkirk cut off two of the General Officers present at the Council of War before the passing of Sentence so that their Names are not Sign'd in it viz. Lanier and Mackay The Sentence was passed and read Monday the 11 th of August at the Camp at Lembeck and Executed the Wednesday following This day the Army decamp'd from Nostredame de Halle and marched to St. Quinten Lenneck a place remarkable only for the Retrenchments which remain there which Prince Waldeck caused to be made sometime before the Army's breaking up in 1690. and the next day we came to Ninove the first Town in Flanders scituated upon the River Dender which passing by Alost falls into the Scheld at Dendermond The French were at the same time encamp'd between Grammont in Dutch Geersberg and Lessines both upon the same River about two Leagues higher The King took his Quarter in the Abbey of the Town of the Order of Premonstre or St. Norbet and the Elector at a Gentlemans House not far from the Town The Kings Quarter lying something too open in this Camp in the Front of our Army all the English and Scotch Granadiers were order'd to encamp about the King's Quarters to cover it The day before this last March viz. the â—th the Second Battalion of the first Regiment of Guards my Lord Cutts's and the Prince of Hesse's Regiments were sent to Mecklen having suffer'd very much in the late Engagement Three Dutch Regiments who suffer'd at the same time were commanded towards Maestricht All the heavy Baggage of the Army was commanded towards Ghendt under the Convoy of Four Danish Battalions who had suffered at Steenkirk and were ordered there to quarter They were the Battalion of Danish Guards the Queens Prince Christians and the Finland Battalions This was in order to the Armies marching the next day towards the Scheld The Ways being difficult and the Defilés many the heavy Baggage was ordered to Ghendt The next day being St. Lewis's day the Army march'd from Ninove The French at the same time decamp'd from Grammont and Lessines to pass the Scheld as soon as we this being their Patron Saint and reckoned amongst them as a Fortunate day Our Left Flank laid very open all this day's March if they had pleased to attack it but they thought it not convenient and so we came and encamped in very close Grounds at St. Levinus Haltheim a pretty large Village and considerable chiefly for
every Brigade in the Army with a proportionable number of Men being commanded to guard it and Orders were likewise given this Evening for the Army 's marching the next day The Army marcht to Meldert making our way towards the Mehaigne as well in order to joyn the Elector of Brandenburgh's Forces and those of the Bishop of Liege under the Command of Baron Fleming Velt-Mareschal General to his Electoral Highness and of Count Cerclaes of Tilly the Bishop of Liege's General which Junction the French Army could otherwise have hinder'd if we had marcht the direct Road to Namur these Forces coming from the Paiis de Juliers and that of Liege so that the French would have remained between them and us As also because the French Army had destroy'd all the first Forrage about Gemblours where they incamp'd for a considerable time This Day His Majesty by a Second Express which came to him upon the March receiv'd the Particulars of our Sea-Engagement together with the Account of Admiral Russel's having burnt Thirteen Men of War at the Hogue and Sir Ralph Delaval the Royal Sun and his Two Seconds at Cape Wyke which good News His Majesty was pleas'd to order those about the Court to disperse about the Army that Day which was likewise confirm'd to Prince Vaudemont in several Letters from France to the Princess his Wife Daughter to the late Duke of Elboeuf of the House of Lorrain The Army having decamp'd from Meldert marcht to Lissam where the King first form'd the Corps de Reserve ordering in the March Twelve Squadrons and Six Battalions to encamp in the Rear of the Line which at that time cover'd His Majesty's Quarters at Lissam this Corps de Reserve as I have now said consisted of Twelve Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons and Six Battalions viz. Churchil Bath Saxe Gotha Two Battalions Friesem and Anhalt this Body was then put under the Command of Count de Lippe the Landtgrave of Hesse's General who before the opening of the Campaigne upon the Rhine had come to offer his Service to His Majesty as a Voluntier who had Baron Wartensteben for his Lieutenant-General and for Brigadier the Prince of Anhalt This Day we were joyn'd by the Brandenburg and Liege Forces about 14000 strong under the Command of Baron Fleming and Count Cerclaes of Tilly for which reason the Army made a motion to bring them within the Line as also the Spanish Forces under his Electoral Highness of Bavaria which hitherto had made a Camp apart marching still as we did and incamping at a small distance upon our Right the Army therefore to bring these Forces within the Line mov'd towards the Left In this motion we could perceive that the French Army under the Command of Mareschal de Luxemburg was marching towards the Mehaigne as well as we by the great Dust it rais'd in the Air it being now dry and hot Weather thus by the joyning of these Forces our Line of Battle was form'd we being computed about Fourscore thousand strong the King commanding the Main Body the Elector of Bavaria the Right Wing and Prince Waldeck the Left and Orders were given for our marching the next Day without Quarter-Masters to go before and mark out our Camp we being then too near the Enemy We marcht on towards the Enemy and about Two of the Clock in the Afternoon we came in sight of one another the Mehaigne remaining between us our Left Wing which in this March had the Van being something more forward than the Right of the French Army upon our coming near the Mehaigne we immediately possess'd ourselves of all the Posts upon the River so far as our Lines reach'd in order to pass it over as soon as the Bridges could be made But the French on the other side were possess'd of two Villages about a quarter of a Mile from the River which were surrounded with strong Hedges and Thickets between which Villages was a small Plain not half a Mile broad where several French Squadrons had advanc'd themselves coming very close to the River-side but we having rais'd a Battery of Cannon on our side we soon dispersed them and oblig'd them to retreat to their Body which kept out of Cannon-shot at the same time we planted Batteries of Cannon at all those Posts upon the River as we had possess'd ourselves of placing an Officer and a proportionable Guard at every Post by which means we were so far Masters of the River that the French Soldiers could not come for a drop of Water The King during this Camp took his Quarter at Villeer otherwise Ville an old rotten Village not far from Hannuy a decay'd Market-Town surrounded with ruinated Ramparts in the Evening His Majesty gave Orders for the building of Bridges over the Mehaigne in order to pass it the next Day to attack the Enemy the Picquet-Guard of the Army being drawn out to cut down Trees and Timber and such other Materials as they could find in the Woods Barns or Houses fit for that purpose every Regiment as they stood first and second in the two Lines being to build a Bridge for to go over that thus the whole Army might pass the River in a Front and at the same time Tho' things were so well dispos'd to attack the Enemy the next Day yet this glorious Undertaking was soon hinder'd by the great Rains that begun that very Evening this being St. Medard's Day it being an observation among the People of this Country that when it Rains upon this Day it holds more or less for the Forty Days following which prov'd not altogether false this Year for whilst we were incamp'd in this place for eight Days together it rain'd almost continually the Wind blowing at the same time very boisterously which quickly swell'd this little River so that though it be very deep and pretty high Banks yet it soon overflow'd the neighbouring Meadows so that as we could not keep our Bridges over the River so at the same time the ways by the excessive Rains became impracticable for our Cannon This River Mehaigne has its Spring about Gemblours a Mile or so W. N. W. and is there but a little Brook as a Man may very easily leap over but by the help of several other little Brooks which fall into it particularly from that side of the River which lies towards Namur after a course of four or five Miles it makes a very deep tho' narrow River and at length falls into the Meuse about a League higher than Huy The Left of our Line in this Camp reach'd as far as Lattine within five Miles of Huy which being flank'd by the Corps de Reserve the General Count de Lippe had his Quarter in this Village From this Village as far as the Meuse the Mehaigne runs between very steep Hills which renders it impassable below this place as the Meuse lies between Namur and Liege The Line of our Army extended itself from this
Douglas himself and the Party that made him Prisoner and they came to Town between Three and Four in the Morning Sir Robert Douglas and the other two Prisoners being come to Mons were treated with a great deal of Civility the Governour coming himself to give them a Visit and took them afterwards with him in his Coach to Dinner after he had given them the Liberty both of their Swords and the Town but they could not make much use of the latter by reason they were so much taken up in the Civilities of the Governour Intendant and Major that they had scarce time to see it but yet they saw enough to find that the Garrison was not in that case as had been represented that there was but two Swisse Companies in the place and five or six French Regiments that it was true that whilst we were upon the Mehaigne the Garrison had been weak but re-inforc'd upon our March to Mellé Whilst we were in this Camp six or seven days before we left it our heavy Baggage which we had sent to Arschot from the Camp at Park came to us under the Convoy of a Detachment of Horse and Dragoons that had been sent for that purpose The Corps de Reserve was order'd to march to Genap to guard the Train of Artillery which was sent before because the ill Weather which continued hitherto had made the ways so bad that 't was impossible for the Army and Artillery to march in the same day The whole Army follow'd the next day and incamp'd in the little Plains of Genap a very difficult and therefore strong Ground by reason of the Woods that are upon the Right and Left and the Bois de Sogne in our Rear and the Ground itself very unequal by reason of the many little Hills that are in some places very steep as we had in this Camp the Bois de Sognes in our Rear so we had the little River Dyle in our Front which rising something higher than this place goes through Genap and so to Louvain and Macklen and at length falls into the Scheld The King had his Head-Quarter at Genap our Right reaching to the Castle of Bromel where the Elector had his Quarter and was flank'd by the Corps de Reserve which fac'd thus to the Duke of Bavaria's Quarter the Left of the Army reaching to Boutauneuf At the same time as the Army march'd from Mellé to Genap Baron Fleming with the Brandenburg Forces and Count Cerclaes of Tilly with those of Liege were sent back to pass the Meuse to cover the Paiis de Liege which now lies quite open to the Enemy since the taking of Namur however by the Junction of the Newbourg Troops and those of the Elector of Cologne which were sent to joyn Fleming the Bishop of Liege's Country hath been so far secur'd that the French have not been able to undertake any thing in it and that we have possess'd ourselves of all the Winter-Quarters there by which means we shall be able to put Huy the next Garrison upon the Meuse in a good posture of defence against the next Campaign This day His Majesty took a Review of the Fifteen English Battalions of the Army in the Elector of Bavaria's Presence with which his Electoral Highness as well as His Majesty seem'd to be very well satisfied The English Battalions were Two of the First Regiment of Guards One of the Second Two of the Dutch Guards Churchil's Trelawney's Fufileers Bath's Hodges's Fitz-Patricks Castleton's Earl's Cutt's and the Prince of Hesse's Sir Robert Douglas came likewise to the Camp this day having his Liberty by paying his Ransom as likewise Col. O Farrel and Captain Sterling having been but three days Prisoners if Gentlemen can be call'd so when they were treated with so much Civility by the Governour of Mons and the Intendant of the place The next day His Majesty review'd the Danes and other Forreign Forces upon the English Establishment This day a Detachment was order'd of ten Regiments and a proportionable number of Horse under the Command of Count Horne General of the Dutch Artillery who march'd to Brussels and from thence to the Pais d' Alost and so to Ghendt where he incamp'd for some time just out of the Town towards the Canal of Bruges till we came to the Scheld this motion was made as is suppos'd to secure the Forrage of this Country for the latter end of the Campaigne This day likewise in the afternoon His Majesty in the Elector's Presence review'd the Scotch Infantry which consisted of ten Battalions viz. Two of the Guards two of Sir Robert Douglass's Lieutenant-General Mackay's Sir Charles Graham's Col. O Farrel's Earl of Angus's Earl of Leven's and Col. Lawder's most of them appearing very strong and full After that the French King had made himself Master of the Castle of Namur Luxemburg who with the Army under his Command had observ'd us to hinder our doing any thing for its Relief pass'd the Sambre not only to consume the Forrage there but also because we lay between him and Mons and therefore it was necessary that he should pass the Sambre to get between Mons and us where after he had incamp'd some time at St. Gerard and some other place he repass'd the Sambre above Charleroy at Bussiere and came to Soignes not far from Mons. We being to forrage this day the French made a Detachment from their Army to molest our Forragers thô others say that it was Boufflers who with his Camp volant was going back to repass the Sambre to observe Fleming whatever it was an advanced Detachment of theirs of about forty Men falling unawares amongst part of our Detachment that covered the Forragers who thereupon were all taken Prisoners their Design was discover'd and the Forragers were all immediately order'd to return home empty most of them not having yet forrag'd and those that had had Orders to fling down their Trusses to remove the quicker out of the Enemies way Notice being given of this to His Majesty he immediately got on Horseback and order'd the Pickquet of the whole Army to be drawn out under Arms and to Rendezvous at the Hermitage on the other side of the River Dyle to be ready to second our Detachment that guarded our Forragers in case they had met with the Enemy but nothing else happening they return'd home The French Parties were indeed very busie this Camp because of the Woods that lay particularly upon our Right where they could come and shelter themselves so that very often we had Horses taken by them grazing just by our very Camp but once we having Notice that one of their Parties lay in a Wood just by our Right not far from the Elector of Bavaria's Quarters a Detachment was made from the Corps de Reserve to go and clear the Wood of them 't is very probable that they had all been taken Prisoners for when we had discover'd them and that