18 O S T 
The civil and military hiftory of Oftend is interefting. 
Like many of the towns of modern Europe, it was in¬ 
debted for its origin to ecclefiaftical eftablifhments, the 
figniory being inverted in the abbey of St. Bertin at St. 
Omer’s. Mankind owes more to faints and their reliques 
than an incredulous world is willing to allow. If fome 
of thefe never had exiftence, we know that their fofter- 
fathers, the monks, had; that, like the martins that 
built their nefts in Macbeth’s caftle, they enjoyed an in- 
ftindtive perception in the choice of the molt healthy, 
fertile, and piflurefqtie, fituations, for their habitations; 
and that to their fele&ion we are indebted for fome of the 
finert and moil flourifhing cities of Europe. On this 
fantftified ground Robert le Frifon count of Flanders 
built a church, dedicated to Notre Dame, in the year 
1072. This Robert was an ufurper, and, like molt 
ufurpers, was a man of talent and courage. He difpof- 
fefi'ed his nephew, the true heir, who fled to Philip I. 
king of France. Philip marched with a great army to 
reinftate him; but the ufurper totally defeated the French, 
and the nephew fell in the battle. Robert being now ef- 
tablilhedin the pofleflion of Flanders, the pope enjoined 
him, as a penance, to build churches and found abbeys. 
Robert did not difpute the mandate of his holinefs ; he 
was one of the firft improvers of the country ; and, after 
a long reign, left it in a flourifhing condition. The 
church, like that of Dunkirk, was foon furrounded with 
dwellings, and became a confiderable town ; but, on the 
22d of November, 1334, both church and town were 
fwallowed up by a fudden influx of the fea. The very 
next year, however, a new church and a new town, for¬ 
tified with palifadoes, were built higher up on the beach, 
which have braved the fury of the elements ever fince. 
In 1445, Philip le Bon count of Flanders furrounded 
Oftend with walls, erefted the four gates, and formed 
the harbour. About this period Oftend acquired mari¬ 
time importance, and became the mod noted filhing-fta- 
tion on the whole coaft. Its fifhermen are commemo¬ 
rated for catching mermaids, fea-monfters, and odd 
fifties. This fpecies of fiftiery has of late declined. 
It was not until the year 1583 that Oftend was regu¬ 
larly fortified, by Maurice of Nafl'au prince of Orange, 
who made it the feaport of the great cities of Ghent and 
Bruges, which he had recently taken. The fame year 
Alexander Farnefe prince of Parma attempted to carry 
the newly-fortified town by a coup de main, in which he 
failed. But the archduke Albert, the Spanifh governor 
of the Netherlands, having lately efpoufed Ifabella, in¬ 
fanta of Spain, daughter of Philip II. thought that he 
could not better fignalize the outlet of his government 
than by the reduction of fo important a place. Oftend 
was therefore inverted by the Spaniards with a powerful 
army in 1601. For two years the liege was profecuted 
with that calm fortitude and fteady perfeverance which fo 
eminently dirtinguilh the Spanifh character; but it was 
defended by that obftinate valour and that indefatigable 
exertion for which the Dutch were no lefs remarkable. 
The latter, moreover, threw in fuccoursby fea, of which 
they had the undifputed pofleflion. Duke Albert, find¬ 
ing that no ferious impreflion was made on the place, 
whilft the Ioffes of the befiegers were immenfe, had the 
good fenfe to difcover the fuperior talents of Ambrofe 
Spinofa, then a junior general, to whom he entrusted 
the future conduit of the fiege, notwithftanding the open 
difcontents of his fuperiors. Spinofa foon changed the 
afpeit of affairs. His firft care was to equip a flotilla of 
galleys, to cut off the fupplies by fea; and, though this 
fleet was defeated in an attempt to raife the fiege of Sliiys, 
then befieged by the prince of Orange, yet it partly ef¬ 
fected its purpofe. Meanwhile Spinofa pulhed on his ap¬ 
proaches through fands and marfhes, which were fuppofed 
to be utterly impalfable, with the utmoft vigour. He 
fucceeded at length in railing his batteries within point- 
blank fhot, from which the works were inceffantly bat¬ 
tered by cannon of a large calibre, carrying fifty-pound 
E N D, 
balls. The fire was returned with equal fpirit by the be~- 
fieged; and it is reported, that the noife of the'firing was 
heard as far as London. At laft, the place being totally 
deltroyed, the remnant of the brave garrifon capitulated 
on the 14th of September, 1604, and obtained honour¬ 
able terms, after a fiege, for ever memorable, of three 
years, three months, and three days. Oftend was com¬ 
manded during the fiege by four fuccefiive governors : 
Charles Vandernoot and Robert de Vere (an Englifli ge¬ 
neral) were killed, and Frederic van Dorp was danger- 
-oufly wounded. Daniel de Hortain lord de Marquette 
furvived, and figned the capitulation. 
The archduke Albert and his con fort Ifabella made their 
triumphal entry into what they expedited to find the city ; 
inftead of which, their terrified looks glanced over the 
horrors of an immenfe cemetery, where mutilated human 
bodies were intermingled with mafles of fmoking ruins. 
They could not contemplate fuch a feene without reflect¬ 
ing, that fo much important time had been thrown away, 
fo much blood and treafure expended, for the forrowful 
conqueft of a fterile bank of fand and a misthapen heap 
of rubbilh. During the fiege the garrifon was frequently 
renewed : the befieged fuftaineda lofs of about 50,000 men, 
whilft that of the befiegers amounted to more than 
80,000. See an anecdote connected with this fiege under 
the word Isabella, vol. xi. p. 394. 
Oftend, being a convenient feaport, foon rofe from its 
allies. The Netherlands having parted to the houfe of 
Aultria, it remained under that government till the 
French revolution. In 1648, the French attempted to 
carry the place by a coup de main. They embarked in 
batteaux for that purpofe a feleCt corps of two thoufand 
men; but the flotilla was intercepted, and moft of the 
troops killed or made prifoners. The town was com¬ 
pelled to fuftain another fiege in the year 1706. The 
allies, commanded by field-marlhal Naffau de Overkerke, 
fat down before it on the 23d of June, whilft it was 
blockaded by an Englifli fquadron under admiral Fair¬ 
born. After undergoing a furious bombardment, which 
again reduced the place to ruins, it furrendered, on ca¬ 
pitulation, the 6th of July following. Oftend then re¬ 
ceived a Dutch garrifon ; but it was reftored to the em¬ 
peror by the barrier-treaty, concluded in 1715. Front 
this date, Oftend began greatly to profper. The empe¬ 
ror Charles VI. eftabliflied an Eaft-India Company there, 
which had fo much fuccefs, that it excited the commer¬ 
cial jealoufy of the Dutch, Englifli, and French. The 
court of Vienna was induced to abandon this fertile 
fource of wealth, from political and diplomatic intrigue. 
It is even affirmed, that a douceur of ten millions of flo¬ 
rins caufed the India-Company of Oftend, with all its 
rights and charters, to be transferred to Amfterdam. 
After this, the place foon began to decline : two thou¬ 
fand of its richert and moft commercial citizens tranf- 
ported themfelves, their wealth, experience, and induf- 
try, to other places ; and, though various attempts were 
made to revive its trade, for which purpofe, in 1781, it 
was declared a free port, yet it never could recover itfelf. 
Before its abfolute decay, Oftend was fated once more 
to fuft'er a deftruftive fiege. When the battle of Fonte- 
noy had laid open all Flanders to the French, Oftend was 
befieged by count Lowendhal. He fat down before the 
place on the 23d of Auguft, 1745 ;and, after thirteen days’ 
open trenches, and five days’ bombardment, (which dila¬ 
pidated the greater part of the buildings, and, among the 
reft, the fuperb Maifon de Ville,) it furrendered upon ho¬ 
nourable terms. The garrifon amounted to 3600 men, 
moft of whom were Englifli. Louis XV. made his tri¬ 
umphal entry into Oftend on the 3d of the following Sep¬ 
tember ; but it was again reftored to Auftriaby the peace 
of Aix la Chapelle. When the emperor Jofeph II. caufed 
all the towns of the Auftrian Netherlands to be unforti¬ 
fied, Oftend was difmantled, but its ramparts remained 
entire. 
On the breaking out of tbe French revolution, the 
battle 
