The English were exafperated at the Cowardice or Ill-nature of fome Dutch Officers, who refused to fuftain our Battalions, and feemed to make a Jest of their Ruin. Our Soldiers took all Opportunities of quarrelling with the Officers and Soldiers belonging to the States; and the Umbrage we had. received from the Misfortunes of that Skirmifh, had like to have been of the worst Confequence to both Nations.

But the Prudence of King William, or, to speak plainly, the Influence he had over the fuperior Officers, allayed the Ferment our Soldiers were in, which, perchance, had he not been King of England, and Stadtholder of the United Provinces, he had never effected.

But Vengeance feldom fleeps, and, if Count Soames, by his omitting to fuccour the English, occafiohed the Death of feveral brave Men, he himself died foon after, being ftruck with a Cannon-Ball; and that General, in the Hour of his Death, fo far forgot his Honour, as to call to the Soldiers to fhoot him, in order to be freed from the violent Pains he was tormented with.

If our Lofs at Steinkirk was confiderable, it was much more fo at Landen; feveral Reasons were given out to colour the Shame of our Defeat, but nothing could be alledged to vindicate our Difgrace, or extenuate the Glory of the French.

The Intelligence which the Duke of Bavaria's Secretary held with the French, was generally affigned to be the Caufe of the Lofs of this Battle; whether the Correfpondence, he managed was by the Order of his Mafter, is uncertain; but the Servant was hanged very fairly, and tried afterwards.

The Elector of Bavaria is reckoned a fuperftitious Prince, brave enough, and very much devoted to his Religion; but the Execution of this Gentleman in fo odd a Manner, without any Examination, Tryal, or Conviction, convinces us of the late Elector's Policy, but gave us no great Proofs of his Piety.

Our Horse, excepting two or three Regiments, behaved themselves but indifferently, and they declared openly, that they fought as they were paid; but our Foot did good Service, if not to the English Nation, yet to the reft of the Confederates; for they flood very firmly, and maintained their Ground with all the Courage imaginable, and by this Means gave the Allies an Opportunity of running away.

General Talmafh and Sir Henry Bellafis continued laft upon the Field of Battle; and one of thefe had won immortal Reputation, if the Memory of Vigo and Port St. Mary's did not cancel the Glory he acquired in Flanders.

But he furvives, and Talmah lies as low as Envy or Jealoufy could defire him; though it is impoffible to imagine he was facrificed to the Refentment of a Court Party, yet it is easy to believe fome in the Ministry heartily wished his Ruin.

He was too brave and too publick a fpirited Man, either to let himself, the Parliament, or Nation be imposed on; he loved a Soldier, and, as he was Bb 2

the

the readieft to lead his Men to Battle, fo he took the greatest Care to fee them rewarded after the Combat. His Principles of Honour and his Senfe were too good to be bribed or amufed, and his perfonal Courage and Integrity too great to be forced or threatened into an unworthy Silence.

Such Qualifications as thefe were, without Difpute, made him obnoxious to fuch as hated the Intereft of England; and, at laft, they prevailed fo far, as to have him employed in an Attempt, where he muft of Neceffity lose his Honour or his Life.

But thefe were not the only Loffes that afflicted King William; he had the Misfortune to fee his Queen fall ill of the Small-Pox, and a few Days robbed. the English of a Princefs, a better than whom never mounted a Throne, or gave Laws to a willing People.

She died as unconcerned, as his Majefty her Hufband fought, and braved the King of Terrors with as great a Refolution on her Bed of Sickness, as he did in the Field of Battle; and certainly that Lady's Piety or Courage was. the greater; fince, as fhe faid herself to my Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, fhe was always prepared to die, and her Royal Spouse very often took the Sacrament before a Battle.

King William, as it is reported, was very much concerned at her Death ;. and, if he had expreffed a more vifible Sorrow, the Nation would have refented it ftill more kindly, who fincerely mourned the Lofs of that Princess, and still do upon her Memory.

But, though the Lofs of fo good a Princefs afflicted King William very much, yet the Peace of Refwick mortified him much more; he was obliged.. at laft, by the murmuring Temper of his Subjects, to acquiefce in Terms. very difhonourable to Europe, and not over-glorious to his Majefty. By this Treaty of Pacification, the French were to retain Luxemberg and Strafburgh, thofe Bulwarks of Flanders and the Empire, who inftead of them. were only to have an Equivalent, which, in Fact, was far from the intrinfick Value of thofe Provinces; but, notwithstanding the Inequality of these. and other Articles, the Conduct of the Duke of Savoy, and the Neutrality in Italy, powerfully perfuaded the Allies to put an End to the War.

Soon after the Peace, the Partition Treaty followed, and, by too much. Precaution, the Government involved the Nation in a dreadful War, which, to their best thinking, they endeavoured to avoid. The Spaniards, who. are a haughty People, fo much refented the intended Divifion of their Monarchy, that their Grandees made a Will, or influenced their Monarch fo to do; by which he devised all his Dominions in Italy, Spain, and the Weft-Indies, to the Houfe of Bourbon, in the Perfon of the Duke of Anjou, who, notwithstanding the most dreadful Imprecations of his Grandfather to the contrary, took Poffeffion of thofe States and Provinces, by the Affiftance of that Monarch, who, to prefer his Family, defpifed all Sanctions, both. divine and human.

It is frequently obfervable in Politicks, that Men often lofe the Substance, by an Inquifition after the Shadow; old Efop told us this a great many

Years

Years ago, and we fee it every Day's Experience, that, greedily defiring the Whole, we even lose that Part of which we might have fecurely poffeffed ourfelves. But it fell out quite otherwife, in relation to this Partition-Treaty; for the House of Auftria, not being contented with a Part of the Spanish 'Provinces, loft them the Whole, and the Balance of Europe was turned to the Part of France, which they thought would have been at the Discretion of the Confederates.

When the Peace of Refwick was brought to a Conclufion, the Parliament of England thought it high Time to difband fome of their National Regiments, and all the Foreigners in their Service. Amongst these laft were the Dutch Blue Guards, and my Lord Portland's Regiment of Dutch Horse, who attended his Majefty in all his Expeditions, long before and after his Acceffion to the Throne of England. His Majefty was much diffatisfied at the Proceedings, and made all the Intereft he poffibly could in the House, to difannul the Injunctions of his Supreme Council; but all to no Effect; he used Intreaties to the Parliament, but to no Purpofe; and upon this Occafion, behaved himself much different from the haughty Character he had all along maintained.

He laid the Scheme of the prefent War we are engaged in against France and Spain, and made all the Provifion the Grandeur of fuch a Defign required. After the unfortunate Accident of breaking his Collar-bone, he fell into a Fever, which quickly put an End to his Reign and Glory.

During his Sicknefs, he behaved himself with that Greatnefs of Soul,. which he had often fhewed in the Field, and died with the fame Bravery as he had expreffed in the Heat of Action.

A Letter

A Letter to a new Member of the honourable Houfe of Commons, touching the Rife of all the Imbezzlements and Mifmanagements of the Kingdoms Treasure, from the Beginning of the Revolution unto this prefent Parliament. With an Account, from Time to Time, of the many Oppofitions the Houfe of Commons met with about redreffing the faid public Grievances. And laftly, A Propofal humbly offered to their Confideration, how to prevent the like Mifcarriages for the future: To which is added, A parallel Account of the National Expences, from November 3, 1640, to November 1659. And from November 5, 1688, to Michaelmas 1700. 1710.

SIR,

You

YOU being a new Member of this honourable Houfe, I prefume you are not fo well acquainted with the Transactions of feveral former Parliaments, in relation to the Miscarriages and Imbezzlements of the Publick Monies of this Kingdom; because I perceive you are fomewhat furprized at her Majesty's Speech, touching that Paragraph, wherein the complains to your House, That he cannot, without great Concern, mention to you, That the Navy and other Offices are burthened with heavy Debts; which fo far affect the publick Service, that fhe most earnestly defires you to find fome Way to answer thofe Demands, and to prevent the like for the Time to come: The Juftice of Parliament in fatisfying former Engagements being the certain Way for preferving and establishing Credit.

I fay, being a new Member, you are utterly at a Lofs in this Matter, and want thoroughly to be inftructed in Mifmanagements of the Miniftry; for you are earnestly defired by the Queen to find out now fome Way to answer thofe Demands, and to prevent the like Imbezzlements and Mifapplications for the Time to come; it being but Juftice of the Parliament in fatisfying former Engagements, and it is the most certain Way for preferving and establifhing of Credit.

Is this the Way of establishing and preferving of future Credit? Then 'tis plain, That by her Majefty's Confeffion, the Credit of the Nation begins.

now

now to flag: And if fo, the Queftion will be, Whether it is occafioned by the Funds not answering the intended End they were raised for, or whether the Credit of the Nation is funk by crafty Minifters, that have lick'd themfelves into fair Eftates, and fo have embezzled and mifapplied the Kingdom's publick Treafure? Now, if you can find out but where this Shoe pinches, you have done your Work; for her Majefty's earneft Defire is to prevent the like Practices for the Time to come.

In order to which, give me Leave to inform you, That the Right H the H of P in their Addrefs to her Majefty, do as frankly complain of Mifmanagements and Imbezzlements in feveral of the Queen's Offices heretofore committed, as well as her Majefty; which, at your Leisure, you may read in their Addrefs to the Queen, printed in the Year 1705.

And I muft beg your Patience to fhew alfo, That the Honourable Houfe of Commons have formerly made as hearty and heavy Complaints as moft have done, and publickly declared, that common Juftice was refused to be done this honourable Houfe, when fo often defired to redrefs the publick Grievances of the Nation, efpecially touching the Mifmanagements and Imbezzlements of the publick Monies of the Kingdom. Vide their Votes of March 24, 1701.

Since they have had every one their Turn of complaining, don't you admire where the Fault lies all this while, and that there is no Remedy as yet found out; that is to fay, from the Year 1701, to this prefent Year 1710, being full nine Years?

One would think at firft Dafh, That the Queen, the Lords, and the Commons, were all at a Lofs, and willing, hearty, and ready to embrace any Expedient, and liften to any Propofal that could be found out to put a Stop, and prevent the like Mifmanagements and Imbezzlements of the Kingdom's Money for the future; or elfe they would never certainly make their Complaints fo often: But alas! Sir, there lies the Mystery.

Now, Sir, to unriddle this grand Secret, is, to let you into our former Miscarriages, and the Way that was then taken to ftop and redress those grand Grievances, and the many Obstructions former Parliaments met with, though they heartily efpoufed, and defigned to go thorough Stitch with the Remedy; and then you will find where this great Fault has lain all the while, and perceive who were blame-worthy, fuch as complained, or those very Perfons that refused to punish the Tranfgreffors when they were first catched offending. And give me Leave to add, That all Mifmanagements and Loffes that have fince happened to this Kingdom, are owing to fuch as refused to do common Juftice, when fo often importuned thereto.

The great Mifmanagements of the Kingdom's publick Treasure, and the Mifapplications thereof, fell out in the Reign of the late K. William; which was then obferved for feveral Years together to be a growing Evil upon the Government, and at last, it did produce feveral annual Commiffions by Act. of Parliament, for taking, examining, and ftating the publick Accounts of

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