fay, that if we may give Credit to this Criminal's A. C. dying Words, and the Depofitions upon Record, 1692. not only Minifters of State, and Ambaffadors, but even an Archbishop, nay, a Crown'd Head, were at leaft privy to that deteftable Project. Furnes and Dix There was little more done this Campaign in Flanders, except the defeat of a Party from Namur, by a Detachment from the Troops of Liege commanded by Count Serclaes de Tilly; and the Bombarding of Charlercy, by Monfieur de Boufflers. As for the English Forces which landed at Oftend on The Engthe ift of September (N. S.) under the Command i take of the Duke of Leimfter, they poffeffed themfelves of Furnes and Dixmuyde, which they began to for muyde tifie, and by which the King feem'd to have fome Which they great Defign that way; but whatever it was, all mif- foon after Carried; both thefe Places being abandon'd to abandon'd. Boufflers, by Count Horn, towards the beginning January of the Year 1693. which King William much re- 1693. fented in him, who till now always had a great fhare in His Majesty's Efteem. Perhaps the fame touch'd the Count very near, for he did not live long after. * * From the Netherlands let us move towards the Campaign Upper Rhine, where the Landtgrave of Heffe Caffel, in Germa and the Markgrave of Bareith, commanded this ny. Year the Forces on that fide against the Duke de Lorge, General of the French Army. Nothing worth mentioning paffed between them till the Month of September, when the French advancing towards the Rhine with a great Train of Artillery, the Landtgrave and Markgrave held a Council of War with the reft of the Generals, wherein it was refolv'd, that the two Armies, which were feparated, fhould now rejoin, which was accordingly done, and the whole German Force encamped near Neustadt; but in fome days they feparated again, the Landtgrave marching to befiege Eberemburgh. He had not been gone long, before the Mark grave fent him an Exprefs, that the French were moving towards him, which made the Landtgrave fend away Four Thoufand Dragoons to the other's Aliftance; but before they, and the Body of the Army could come up, A. C. up, the Duke of Wirtemberg, who was gone be 1692. fore with a Body of about Four Thoufand Horfe, and pofted himself near Edeifheim with a Defign to ftop the March of the French, was by them furprized in his Camp, by the favour of a great Fog; and charged fo briskly, that his Men had not time to put themselves in a Pofture of Defence. About a Thoufand of the Germans were killed upon the fpot, and feveral made Prifoners; and among the latter the Duke of Wirtemberg himself, who was carried to Paris; whilft the trench liv'd at Difcretion in his Country, and oblig'd the Landtgrave, now weaken'd by the Detachment he had fent away to the Mark grave of Bareith, and afterwards by another to fecure Heydelberg, to raise the Siege of Eberemburgh. However the Landtgrave was foon after even with the French; for the latter, un rais'd. der the Command of Count Tallard, having beRhinefeld ficg'd* Rhinefeld, a place which would have been befieg'd. of great Importance to them, if they had carried it, Dec. 16 the Governor made fo brave a Defence, and the The Siege Landtgrave fuch extraordinary Diligence to relieve it, that the French were oblig'd to abandon the Enterprize with confiderable lofs (both from the Enemies fire, and the Rigour of the Seafon) and not without fome Confufion to the Court of France, who had fent Orders to Count Tallard, not to befiege, but take Poffeflion of the Place. Jan. 1693. Affairs of To purfue our Method, let us take a fhort view Piedmont of the Affairs of Piedmont: The Court of France in 1692. having brought the Pope to an Accommodation, en deavour'd thro' his means to divide the Duke of Savoy from the Contederacy; and dispatch'd away Monfi ur Chanley to Turin, to make advantagious Propofals to His Royal Highness; but whether in the form that was afterwards made publick, is a Mystery. However, there was a Writing printed at Paris, wherein the Author mention'd all the Of fers made to the Duke; tho' that Paper feemed chiefly defign'd to make the Italian Princes jealous of the Germans, by magnifying the Disorders committed by them in their Quarters; and infinuating that Proteftants reap'd all the Advantage of this prefent prefent War; which laft Argument was not long A. C. after effectually improv'd by the Par ilans of France 1692. in the Court of Savoy. But the German Troops U now in Italy were too numerous to give any of thofe petty Princes an opportunity to disturb them, fuppofing they had the intention to do it; and as for the Duke of Savoy whatever his true Sentiments were. he appear'd ftanch, and refolute to carry on this Campain with great Vigour. On the other hand, the French, who bent the Power of their Arms against Flanders and Germany, left Monfieur Catinat very much inferior to the Allies in Piedmont, as defiring only to defend what they had gain'd the Years before on that fide. This they The Duke could not do neither, for the Duke of Savoy having of Savoy got his Army into the Field, and difpos'd of feveral invades the Parties into the Vallies and other Places for the Dauphine better fecurity of the Country; he march'd in the Month of July, at the Head of Twenty Thoufand Men into the Province of Dauphiné, where after they had pilllaged La Roche, Chantelouve, and fome other Villages, they raade themselves Masters of the Caftle and Highlands of Guilleftre, and fome other Paffes. On the 5th of Auguft all the Army croft the Durance at Guilleftre, and mov'd towards the City of Ambrun, which was furrendred upon Articles, after a pretty brisk Siege of about Nine Ambram, Days. Here the Duke of Savoy found Twenty Ang. 15., Pieces of Cannon, and confiderable quantity of Provifions; and the City prefently granted his Royal Highness Forty Thoufand Livres Contribution; which they borrowed at Grenoble for that Purpose; befides which his Highness feiz'd upon Sixty Thoufand Livres in Gold which was the FrenchKing's Money, in the Hands of the Pay-Mafter of the Troops; And not only the City of Ambrun, but all the Neighbouring Towns and Villages were at the fame time put under Contribution. Here likewife the Duke The Duke of Schomberg publifh'd a Declaration, in the Name of of his Britannick Majefty, inviting People to join berg's De him, and affuring them that his Majefty had no'claration, other Aim in caufing his Forces to enter into France, Aug. 29, but to restore the Nobility and Gentry to their ancient Splendor Z23 He takes A. C. Splendor; the Parliaments to their priftine Authority; 1692. the People to their juft Priviledges; and even to grant his Protection to the Clergy; but because the Kings See the of England are Guarrantees of the Edict of Nantes, Appendix. made in favour of the Proteftants, as well by the Trea ty concluded at Montpellier, as feveral other Treaties, the Duke of Schomberg declar'd, That 'twas His Britannick Majefty's intention to caufe that Edict to be reviv'd. Encourag'd by this Declaration, feveral of the French Proteftants that had been forc'd to abjure their Religion, took this opportunity to make their voluntary Recantation, before Mr. Du-Bourdieu, the Duke of Schomberg's Chaplain, who did not fail to ftrengthen their Faith by his Eloquent Sermons. From Ambrun the Army marched directly to Gap, a City upon the Frontiers of Provence, whofe Inhabitants open'd their Gates to Prince Eugene of Savoy, upon his first appearing before it and gladly confented to pay Contribution, to preferve their Houfes from being burnt and pillagd a Treatment which near Eighty Caftles and Villages receiv'd from the Germans, in retaliation of the Barbarities committed by the French in the Palatinate. Not only Grenoble, the Capital of Dauphiné, but the Neighbouring Provinces, and the wealthy City of Lyons began already to tremble: And indeed never had the Allies a fairer opportunity of fhaking the immenfe Power of The Duke France. But the Duke of Savoy's falling Sick of the of Savoy's Small Pox, and which was of more fatal ConfeSickness. quence, the Spirit of divifion that crept among the Generals, not only hindred the Defign that had been form'd of taking Briangon and Quieras; but likewife incapacitated them to keep what they had already conquer'd. Thus having plunder'd the Country, deftroy'd all the Provifions they could (not confume or carry away, burnt all that refus'd to contribute, they blew up the Fortifications of Ambrun, took Money to fave the Houses, and fo put an end to the Campaign. 'Tis to be obferv'd, that Mr. Du-Bourdieu, had not the most inconfi. derable fhare in the Booty; fince he carried away with him above Two Hundred French Proteftants, who who chose rather to expose themselves to Beggary A. C. and Contempt in Foreign Nations, then to live in 1692. Plenty and Honour in their Native Land, where they must be forc'd to join in Divine Worfhip with thofe, whom all Proteftants account Idolaters. As for the Duke of Savoy, he was like to pay dear for this Summer's Expedition, for he was hardly well recover'd of his Small-Pox when he fell into an Ague, which brought him fo low, that his Phyficians began to fear for his Life; but at length his Youthful Conftitution got the better of his Diftemper. Befides the annoying France in her moft fenfible Part,their Britannick Majefties improv'd the Duke of Savoy's Alliance towards the Reftoration of the Vaudois, a People, which though contemptible in relation to their wordly Eitates, make neverthelefs a confiderable Figure among Chriftians, as boafting, not without Juftice, a Purity of Faith deriv'd from the Primitive Ages of the Church, and untainted by latter Superftitions. Now becaufe thefe poor People had loft all manner of Ecclefiaftical Difcipline, through the Violence of their late Perfecution, and were unable to maintain fo much as a Minifter or a Schoolmaster, Mr. Du Bourdien acquainted the Bifhop of St. Afaph with their miferable Condition, defiring him to folicite Her Majefty's Bounty in their behalf. That worthy Prelate, no lefs confpicuous for his Piety and Charity, than for his profound Learning, chearfully laid hold on this occafion to ferve the Church; and finding the Queen as ready to grant, as he was to ask; a Fund was efta a Queen Charity blifh'd out of Her Majefty's Privy Purfe, for the Mary's maintaining of (a) ten Preachers, and as many to the Schoolmafters, in the Valleys of Piedmont. A Vaudois. Monument of that great Princess's unbounded Cha- b Bishop of rity, which will remain as long as there are Vaudois St. Alaph in the World! We may here take notice, that about made Bi this time the Bishop of St. Afaph was nominated (b) shop of to the Bishoprick of Litchfield and Coventry, upon Litchfield the Death of Doctor Thomas Wood, Bishop of and Co that See. ventry, July 239 |