GENERAL STANHOPE AND MADAME DE MUCI. 



alone interrupted his mission ; but that he hoped very soon to assure her 

 in Madrid that his love for her was greater than ever/ 



" On receiving this letter, Madame de Muci resolved, at all hazards, to escape 

 from the hands of Stanhope. We arrived at Brihuega, a small town ten or 

 twelve leagues from Madrid, where Starenberg left Stanhope with the English, 

 and some Dutch troops under his command, seven or eight thousand men in all, 

 to bring up his rear, with the cannon and baggage ; the main army being en- 

 camped three leagues farther on, where Stanhope had orders to join him on the 

 following day. Now my mistress saw the means of procuring her release from 

 Stanhope, and doing a great service to the King of Spain. The army of 

 Vendome was only seven leagues from Brihuega, where we were to remain a 

 day after Starenberg ; and if she could detain Stanhope two days instead of one 

 as 'fixed upon at Brihuega, Vendome would have time to take the town, and 

 cut off this body of troops, thus making prisoners the strength of the Arch- 

 Duke's army. After much consideration, she resolved to feign illness as the 

 best mode of succeeding in her design; and, accordingly, during the night 

 which ought to have been followed by our departure, she pretended to be seized 

 with ' un colique tres violent,' and said in the morning to Stanhope, that she 

 really could not support travelling with troops, in the languid state in which the 

 attack had left her, and prayed him, if he had any love for her, to remain one 

 day to allow her to recover from her excessive weakness. Her arts, and Stan- 

 hope's blind love, procured his consent, as he believed the Spanish army was 

 too distant for this short delay to have any dangerous consequences. So he 

 sent an aide-de-camp to Starenberg, saying that the troops were so much 

 fatigued, that as nothing pressed their march, he had resolved to stay one day 

 more in Brihuega ; but would join him without fail on the morrow. 



" As soon as my mistress had secured the stay of one day more than was ne- 

 cessary in this town, she wrote to Vendome by a faithful messenger." 



We omit the copy of this letter, and the account of her entertaining 

 all the principal officers to a grand supper, to pass over the night in 

 careless security, as conveying no interest. 



" This letter was faithfully put into the hands of the French General, who, 

 marching all night with twelve thousand of his lightest troops, reached Bri- 

 huega early in the morning. He had complete success : the town was carried 

 the English army and General made prisoners of war and Madame de Muci 

 was set at liberty." 



We will not further pursue the fortunes of our heroine, who is said 

 to have been honoured and rewarded by the King of Spain for this suc- 

 cessful treachery. Being neglected by the lover, for whom she had done 

 so much, and soon hearing of his marriage, she died shortly afterwards, 

 at Madrid, of mingled grief for this desertion, and remorse for betraying 

 Stanhope, who had really loved her. 



The degree of truth in this singular history we must leave to the de- 

 cision of our readers. There is none of the apparent design of false- 

 hood ; the adventures of Stanhope are incidentally introduced, with no 

 attempt to draw attention to them, nor any shew of malice prepense 

 towards the English General. Under this view, they seem to us to 

 wear such general features of accuracy as cannot easily be explained, 

 except by their general truth. But we shall be glad to be shewn reason 

 to change this belief, a desire to ascertain the fact with respect to this 

 unfortunate defeat of an English army, being our sole motive for thus 

 drawing attention to the memoirs of Madame de Muci. 



