'702 E N G 
commons, by whom it was alfo approved, and war was 
declared accordingly. 
In the queen’s declaration of war, Louis XIV. was 
charged with having taken pofTenion of a great part of 
.the Spanilh dominions, in order to fubvert the liberties 
ot Europe, and obftruft the freedom of navigation and 
commerce ; befides having offered an unpardonable irifult 
to the Englifli nation, by acknowledging the title of the 
pretender. He was alfo accufed of attempting to unite 
the crown of Spain to his own dominions, by placing Iris 
grandfon upon the throne of that kingdom, and thus en¬ 
deavouring to deffroy the equanimity of power which 
cemented the dates of Europe. This declaration on the 
part of the Englifli, was feconded by fimilar declarations 
of war on the fame day, by the Dutch and Germans. 
The French monarch could not fupprefs his anger at 
fuch a combination ; but Iris chief refentment fell upon 
the Dutch. He declared, with great emotion, “ that as 
for thofe gentlemen pedlars, they fltould one day repent 
their infolence and prefumption, in declaring war againft 
one whofe power they had formerly felt and dreaded.” 
However, the affairs of the allies were no way impeded by 
his threats. The earl of Marlborough wasappointed gene¬ 
ral of the Englifli forces ; and he was dill further flat¬ 
tered by the Dutch, who, though the earl of Athlone 
had a right to Oiare the command, appointed Marlborough 
generalidimo of the allied army. And it mud be con- 
fefied, that few men dione more, either in debate or ac¬ 
tion, than he ; ferene in the midft of danger, and indefa¬ 
tigable in the cabinet : fo that he became the mod for¬ 
midable enemy to France that England had ever pro¬ 
duced dnce the battles of Creffy and of Agincourt. 
The earl of Marlborough had learned the fird rudi¬ 
ments of the art of war under the famous marffial Tu- 
renne, having been a volunteer in his army. He was, at 
fird, rather more remarkable for the beauty of his perfcn 
than the greatnefs of his talents ; and he went in the 
French camp by the name of the handfome Englifhman; 
but Turenne, who faw deeper into mankind, perceived 
the liiperiority of his talents, and prognofticated his fu¬ 
ture greatnefs. See a biographical (ketch of his life un¬ 
der Churchill, vol. iv. p.580—585. The fird attempt 
that Marlborough made to deviate from the general prac¬ 
tices of the army, which were founded in error, was to 
advance the fubaltern officers, whole merit had hitherto 
been neglefted. Regardlefs of feniority, wherever he 
found abilities, he was dire to promote them; and thus 
he had all the upper ranks of commanders rather remark¬ 
able for their Hei 11 and talents, than for their age and ex¬ 
perience. In his fird campaign, the beginning of July, 
170 1, he repaired to the camp at Nimeguen, where he 
took the command at the head of an army of fixty thou- 
fand men. Fie was oppofed, on the fide of France, by 
the duke of Burgundy, grandfon to the king, a youth 
more qualified to grace a court than to conduft an army; 
but the real adding general was the mardial Boufilers, 
who commanded under him, an odicer of great courage 
and activity. But wherever Marlborough advanced, the 
French were obliged to retire before him, leaving all 
Spanifli Guelderland at his diferetion. The duke of 
Burgundy, finding himfelf obliged to retreat before the 
allied army, rather than expofe himfelf longer to fuch a 
mortifying indignity, returned to Verf'ailles, leaving the 
duke de Boufilers to command alone. Buufflers, con¬ 
founded at the rapidity of the enemy’s progrefs, retired 
towards Brabant, where Marlborough had 110 defign to 
purfue ; contented with ending the campaign by taking 
the city of Liege, in which was found an lnmienfe fum 
of money, and a great number of priioners. By the fuc- 
cefs of this campaign, Marlborough eftubliflied his mili¬ 
tary character, acquired the admiration and effeem of the 
army, and confirmed himfelf in the confidence of the allies. 
Upon his return to London, he was received with the 
molt flattering teftimonies of public approbation. He 
LAN D. 
was honoured with the public thanks of the houfe of 
commons, and was created a duke by the queen. His fu- 
perioi fuccefs feemed to confole the nation for fome un- 
fuccefsful expeditions at fea. Sir John Munden had pern 
mitted a French fquadron of fourteen.fiiips to efcape him, 
by taking (belter in the harbour of Corunna, for which 
he was difmiffed the fervice by prince George. An at¬ 
tempt -was alfo made upon Cadiz by Tea and land, fir 
George P.ooke commanding the navy, and the duke of 
Ormond the land forces ; but this alfo mifearried. But 
the Englifli arms were crowned with fuccefs at Vigo, 
where the duke of Ormond landed his army at the dif- 
tance of fix miles from the city ; while the fleet forcing 
their way into the harbour, the French fiiips that had 
taken refuge there were burnt by the enemy, to prevent 
their falling into the hands of the Englifli. Neverthelefs 
ten (hips of war were taken, together with eleven gal¬ 
leons, and above a million of money in filver. The ad¬ 
vantage acquired by this expedition, was damped by the 
bafe conduct of fome officers in the Weft Indies. ’ Ad¬ 
miral Benbow, a bold and fpirited feaman, had been fta- 
tioned in that part of the world with ten fiiips, to diftrefs 
the enemy’s trade. Being informed that Du Caffe, the 
French admiral, was in thofe feas with a force equal to 
his own, he refolved to attack him ; and foon after dif- 
covered the enemy’s fquadron near St. Martha, fleering 
under fliore. He quickly threw out the fignal for aftion^ 
formed the line, and the engagement began. He found, 
however, that fome officers of the fleet had taken difgufi 
at his conduct; and that they permitted him, almoft 
alone, to fuftain the whole fire of the enemy. Never- 
thelefs the engagement continued till night, and he de¬ 
termined to renew it the next morning, but had the mor. 
tification to perceive that all the reft of the fiiips had 
fallen.aftern, except one, who joined with him in urging 
the purfuit of the enemy. For four days did this intret 
pid feaman, affifted only by one (hip, purfue and engage 
the enemy, while Ins daftardly officers remained lift he 
back ground, fpeftators of his gallantry. His laft day’s 
battle was more furious than all the former ; alone, and 
unfuftained by the left, he engaged the whole French 
fquadron, when his leg was (battered by a cannon ball. 
He then ordered that they fliould place him in a cradle 
upon the quarter-deck; and there he continued to give 
orders as before, till at laft his fliip became quite dif- 
abled, and could continue the chafe 110 longer. He foon 
after died of his wounds; and his cowardly officers, 
Kirby and Wade, were tried by a court martial, and lliot 
at Plymouth. Hudfon died before his trial. Conllable, 
Vincent, and Fog, came off with (lighter punifliment. 
The parliament was highly pleafed wiili the brilliant fuc¬ 
cefs which had attended the Englifh arms on the conti¬ 
nent. They voted forty thoufand feamen, and fifty thou- 
fand land forces, to aft in conjunftion with thofe of the 
allies, 111 the enluing campaign. 
The duke of Marlborough eroded the channel in the 
beginning of April, 1706 ; and, affembling the allied ar¬ 
my, refolved to fhew that his former fucceffes were only 
the prelude to greater triumphs. He opened the cam¬ 
paign with the liege of Bonne, the refidence of the elec¬ 
tor of Cologne. This held out but a fhort time againft 
the fucceffive attacks of the prince of Heffe-Caflel, the 
celebrated Coehorn, and general Fagel. He next re-took 
Huy, the garrifon of which, after a vigorous defencq, 
furrendered prifoners of vvar. The fiege of Limburg 
being then undertaken, the place furrendered in two 
days; and, by the conqueff of this garrifon, the allies fe- 
cured the country of Liege, and the electorate of Co¬ 
logne, from the further defigns of the enemy. Such was 
tlie fuccefs of the campaign in the Netherlands; and 
which, in all probability, would have produced events of 
greater importance, had not the duke of Marlborough 
been reftrained by the Dutch, who began to be influenced 
by the Loveltein faftion, ever averfe to a war with France. 
The 
