618 



B R I T A I N, 



An army 

 under Lord 

 Peterbo- 

 rough sent 

 to Spain. 



Barcelona 

 besieged, 



JSritain. Duke been permitted to take advantage of their con- 

 sternation as he proposed, he might have gained a 

 complete victory ; but the Dutch officers would not 

 consent to the charge ; and the indignation of the 

 English at their coldness in this business, may be reck- 

 oned one of the chief causes that alienated the affec- 

 tions of the nation towards their allies, and disgusted 

 them at an expensive though brilliant war. The cap- 

 ture of Gibraltar had already signalized the British 

 arms in Spain, where the greatest efforts were made 

 to fix Charles, Duke of Austria, on the throne, in 

 opposition to Philip IV., the grandson of Louis 

 XIV., who had been nominated successor by the late 

 king of Spain. The greatest part of Spain had de- 

 clared in favour of the latter prince ; but Charles, 

 supported by the allies, and invited by the Cataloni- 

 ans, was assisted by England with a fleet and an ar- 

 my. * The troops were commanded by the Earl of 

 Peterborough, a man of deformed shape, and dimi- 

 nutive stature, but of such romantic valour, that his 

 services were reckoned equal to all the other aids that 

 were lent to the Duke of Austria. The first attempt 

 in Spain was to besiege Barcelona, a strong city, with 

 a garrison almost equal to his own army. Never was an 

 attempt more bold or more fortunate. The operations 

 began by an attack on fort Monj uic, strongly situated on 

 a hill that commanded the city. The outworks were 

 taken by storm. A shell chanced to fall into the 

 fort, and blew up the powder magazine, on which the 

 garrison of the fort surrendered in consternation. But 

 the town still remained unconquered. It, however, capi- 

 tulated after a treaty. During the time of the treaty, 

 the Germans and Catalonians, who acted with the 

 English, entered the town, and plundered all before 

 them. The governor complained to Peterborough 

 of the breach of faith. Peterborough knew that the 

 plunderers were not his own troops, but led on his 

 English against them, drove them out, and returned 

 to finish the treaty. His good faith and generosity 

 facilitated the capitulation. The conquest of all Va- 

 lencia was ensured by the capture of this place, which 

 the enemy made a vain attempt to retake. The par- 

 tizans of Charles flocked from every quarter; he sub- 

 dued Arragon, Granada, and Carthagena. The Earl 

 of Galway entered Madrid in triumph, and proclaim- 

 ed him king of Spain. 



These successes were soon eclipsed by the triumphs 

 of Marlborough in Flanders, during the campaign of 

 1706. The army of Villeroy, near Tirlemont, 

 amounted to 80,000 men, and with these he had or- 

 ders to attack the allies, whose numbers were nearly 

 equal, before the Danish and Prussian succours should 

 reach Marlborough. Villeroy, with the intention to 

 Battle of be the assailant, was himself attacked in a situation 

 Ramillies. which prevented him from exerting all his strength. 

 With the river Mehaigne on his flank, his centre oc- 

 cupied the village of Ramillies ; but a marsh was be- 

 fore his left, which Marlborough knew that he could 

 sot cross, and therefore bore down upon his centre. A 

 victory, nearly as splendid as that at Blenheim, was ob- 

 tained. About 6000 French were made prisoners, and 

 8000 were killed or wounded. The whole of Brabant 

 was^gained by the victors. Louis XIV., lately the ty- 



Brita 



and a 

 great part 

 of Spain 

 tulxlued. 



Campaign 

 ef 1706. 



rant of Europe, now trembled for the safetyof his ca- 

 pital, and was saved from ruin only by dissensions in 

 the English cabinet. The councils of the queen had 

 hitherto been governed by a Whig ministry, who 

 were liincere in the design of humbling France. But 

 from different concurring causes, the influence of the 

 Whigs began to decline, and the general disposition 

 of the nation to lean to Toryism. Among allies it is 

 difficult long to preserve unanimity ; and already the 

 English had conceived many causes of offence at 

 their confederates in the war. Some of the writers 

 of the Tory faction were men eminent in literature, 

 and they inveighed incessantly against the personal 

 ambition and selfishness of Marlborough and Go- 

 dolphin, who governed the queen, and lavished the 

 treasures and blood of the nation, in prolonging a war 

 for the personal glory and private emolument of con- 

 ducting it. Small as the taxes then were, the peo- 

 ple were taught to consider them as insupportable. 

 Amidst these causes of discontent, the genuine prin- 

 ciples of Toryism had been also lately awakened, by 

 some discussions respecting the toleration of the 

 dissenters ; and doctrines of tyranny, and passive 

 obedience, were promulgated by those who inveighed 

 against the war, worthy of the worst years of James 

 and Charles II. As the queen's understanding was 

 very limited, we may easily suppose, that these doc- 

 trines of the Tories made her more favourable to.' 

 them than all their other complaints against the 

 Whigs. The slightest misfortune in the war, was a 

 sufficient encouragement to those who declaimed 

 against its inutility. The loss of a battle in Spain, j a uli 

 near Almanza, where the Earl of Galway was de- Alma 

 feated and taken prisoner, with a large English force, 

 dispelled the inebriation of former success. In con- 

 sequence of this victory, all Spain, except Catalonia, 

 returned to the dominion of Philip. Other disasters 

 increased the national discontent. The Duke of Sa- 

 voy and Prince Eugene were foiled in an attempt 

 upon Toulon. A fleet under Sir Cloudesly Shovel, 

 was wrecked upon the Scilly islands. While Marl- 

 borough was in the field, it is true, there might still 

 be sanguine prospects of success on the continent ; Cam' 

 but though the Duke, in the campaign of 1707, of l ' 

 drove the French before him from one post to ano- 

 ther, and forced them to take shelter under the can- 

 non of Lisle, and behind the Scheldt, yet he gained 

 no general pitched battle, and his military genius suf- 

 fered a diminution of renown, not that he had com- 

 mitted any fault, but that he had not dazzled the 

 public eyes with such splendid achievements as those 

 of Blenheim and Ramillies. 



The leaders of the Tories were Harley, afterwards Jealc 

 Earl of Oxford and St John, afterwards Lord Bo- 

 lingbi oke. Harley insinuated himself, by his address, 

 into the queen's favour, and ultimately succeeded in 

 undermining the Whigs. St John, for a while, acted 

 subordinate to Harley, although his lofty enterprise, 

 ambition, and genius, made him at last the rival 

 of his patron. When Marlborough and Godolphin 

 perceived the increasing influence of Harley, they 

 wrote to the queen, that they could serve her no 

 longer should Harley continue secretary ; and they 



A fleet of 30 ships ef the line and 100 transports, and 9000 nten. 



