Tuesday, August 8. 1704.

Numb. 45.
[193]

IN Relating the Practice of all Wise Princes defending their own Territories, before they invaded their Neighbours; I come to the late King William, when Prince of Orange, Besieging Bonn.

It follows to examine, What Course the French King took in this Case: Did he, like the Swedes in Poland, push on his Conquests in the Netherlands, and leave the Dutch and German Army to Enter Lorrain, and Consequently France, and Ravage them at Pleasure? No: but finding he had taken so many strong Towns, as Employ’d him 100000 Men to Garrison, and that the Confederates, by taking Bonn had cut off the Communication between his Troops on the Upper Rhine, and those in Holland, and opened a way for their own to joyn; and that France lay Naked on that side; like a Wise Prince he chose the least Evil, he abandon’d at once, all his low Country Conquests to draw his Forces together, in Defence of his own Dominions; and this he did with such hast, that he quitted 42 Strong Places, in 16 or 20 days time.

I have not room to give an Encomium here to the Policy of the Prince of Orange, who could so sensibly touch the French in so nice an Article, as to regain from them so many Invincible Places, without the loss of a Man: Other Authors have made Great and Just Remarks on this, Sir William Temple in particular.

But I cannot refrain doing Justice to the K. of France, who, in this, show’d himself a true Father of his own Country, in that he chose to abandon all his Glory, quit the hopes he had entertain’d of so delicious a Conquest, as the Netherlands, two thirds of which he had in Possession; and all this to retrieve a Mistake, prevent the insulting of his own Country, and the Ruin of but one Province of his Inheritance.

I meet with no body that ever considered the King of France’s Justice in this Case; I am sorry I am oblig’d to be the first to give him a due acknowlegement.

But every word of this tends eternally to Silence those People who pretend to vindicate the Swede, who suffers Thousands of his own Miserable Subjects to be Destroy’d, and whole Provinces laid waste by the most Merciless of all Enemies, the Muscovite; while the Troops, whose duty it is to defend them first, are Employed abroad in gathering the fading Lawrels of Invasive War.

I expected I should meet, by way of Answer to this, something to this Purpose; That the Swedes know the Muscovites are a Despicable, Effeminate Nation, a People, who no body Values, and which no Prince thinks it much worth while to trouble their heads about — That all the harm the Muscovite can do the Swede in seven Years, he will Recover again in one; and that this is apparent from the first Year of this War, when the King did think it worth his while to [194] bestow a piece of a Campaign against him; and there it was seen, that 150000 of them could not stand before 20000 Swedes, that the King of Poland, back’d with a Saxon Army, is by far the more dangerous Enemy, and that therefore he is pursuing his most proper Business, in finishing the War in Poland first; there may be time enough to pay the Muscovite home, for all the Mischiefs he has done, and no doubt but the King will have his full Revenge against him too.

I confess this to be the only Reply that has any Colour of Reason in it in this Case; and however this may, in desperate Politicks, pass for a Reason, it seems to me to lie open to unanswerable Objections, some of which are as follow.

1. The present Case is not a Defensive War, only if the King of Sweden was Invaded now by the Pole and Muscovite, and could defend himself against but one of them at a time; I Grant Prudence would direct him to Collect his Forces for the Defence of that Part where the greatest Danger Threatned him; but did ever any Prince in the World push on an Invasive War in one Country, when he could not defend himself at home?

Besides, I have an Objection against this Method, which is drawn from that Despicable, Forelorn, out-of-Fashion-thing call’d Honesty; I think the Troops of a Kingdom or State, and which are paid by the Taxes, Revenues, and Cash of the Inhabitants, are primarily, and in the Order of Nature, and Course of things, peculiarly intended for the Defence of those Countries, for which, by which, and in which, they are Rais’d and Paid; I may be mistaken, but I am of Opinion, most People will so understand it, and that the Reason of Taxes and Obedience is Founded in Protection and Defence, I mean, for I am not going to carry it too far, the Subjects of the King of Sweden have a just Claim to the Defence and Protection of their own Troops Prior to all the other Designs of their Prince.

If the Poles could say to their King, You have taken our National Troops, which should have Defended us against the Cossacks, Tartars, or Turk, and Employing them in Prosecuting Private Conquests, to Gratify your own Ambitious Designs, have left us Naked to Invasion and Destruction; I know no Article they have now against him could look so black.

If all our Ships and Sailors were now Employed in a long Voyage to Conquer some very Great Kingdom in America, and our Trade and Coasts left Naked, and exposed to the Insults of the French, What would our People say? Would not our Merchants say, What do we Pay Customs for? And our People, What do we Pay Taxes for? They are apt enough to Murmur as it is, and perhaps too much; but would they not Exclaim then with a Witness? They would tell our Governours too plainly, they had more need look to their own Country, than go abroad to seek others.

I cannot but think the Argument as just here, and the Poor Inhabitants of Livonia might be thought to speak Reason, if they ask’d, What does our King mean, by Employing all his Troops in Conquering Poland, while we are left Defenceless and Naked, to the Mercy of a Cruel Enemy; What do we Pay Tolls and Taxes for?

If it were any thing to this purpose, I could fill up the rest of this Paper, and of several more, with the sad Account of the Inhuman Barbarities used by the Cruel Conquering Muscovites, over the Poor Country People of Livonia, and the Frontiers of the Swedish Dominions on that side, the Murthers, the Burnings, the Ravishments, they are hardly to be describ’d. There is indeed, an Account of it, I think, Printed at Dantzick or Koningsbergh, and ’tis dreadful to read, but ’tis not to the Case, were the Victories of the Muscovite less Bloody and less Barbarous, the Arguments to the King of Sweden are the same.

What will any Gentleman say to the Author of this Paper, for saying, in the beginning of the Story, that there was injustice in it? can a Prince Abandon his People to such an Enemy, with any manner of Justice? it is abundant respect to the Character and Person of his Swedish Majesty, that I forbear the just Satyr of this part of the Story.

Had the Swedes maintained but a Body of 15000 Men in Livonia, all this had been at an end; what shall we say, is this Mighty Prince so hard drove, that 15000 Men could not be found to Defend his own Country? we see the French Invading their Neighbours, but at the same time, as before Noted, all is safe, you can find no Enemy, tho’ never so Despicable left, without a Superior Force to deal with him in the Field, or a proportioned Force to Defend the Premises in Question, not an Angle, but Troops, like the Blood in the Veins, are found in the most extended Parts.

Instead of this, here we find the Principal Bodies of Men, left to Defend the Country, are too small, even against an Army of Muscovite Women, General Slipenbach, with an [195] Army of 1400 Men to Relieve Narva. Had General Slipenbach 14000 Men at Narva, I have so much Opinion, both of the Conduct of that General, and the Valour and Gallantry of the Swedish Nation, that I verily believe the Muscovites would not have dar’d to Besiege Narva at all, but to expose such an handful of brave Men, to the vast Numbers of the Muscovites, ’tis meer Sacrificing Men to no purpose at all.

’Tis very probable, when the War with Poland is at an end, the King of Sweden may Chastise the Muscovite for all this, and soon recover his Losses— but I confess I do not understand what we call Recovering Losses, Princes in that Case, talk a Language Subjects have but little reason to understand; your Majesty will Recover the Country, the Towns and the Harbours; there is no doubt of that, but what is this to the Recovering our Lives and Families, our Children carried away into wretched Slavery down to Astacan, and sold to the Persian Merchants, and bred up to the Idolatry of Mahomet and Devils of worse Nature, you may recover your Losses as Prince, but never ours as People.

This is the Melancholly difference between Prince and Subjects, in the Language of the Wars, but in the Honest English Dialect, where the Safety of the Subject, is the Care and Concern of the Prince; we Bless God this way of Reasoning is not understood among us.

Her Majesty would be far enough from sending an Army into Bavaria, and displaying the Red-Cross on the Banks of the Danube, if our Coasts and People at home were Subject to the Invasion and Insults of the French; K. William never attempted the Campaign in Flanders, while he had the least appearance of an Enemy in the Field in Ireland.

All Wise Princes in the World, that ever I read of, have thought it both Just and Necessary, to take a needful Care of the Defence of every part of their own People, before they pretended to seek Conquests in Foreign Countries.

If this be not the Custom in the North, if his Swedish Majesty does not think this Reasonable, I can’t help that, we must reason here according to the Manner of our Country; it will for ever be true in England, that no Prince will attempt Conquests abroad, before he has secur’d himself from Invasions at home.

ADVICE from the Scandalous CLUB.

THere was a young Lady brought before the Society this Week, in a very strange Condition, the Mob took her up for a Mad-Woman, but it soon appeared she was not Lunatick; She was so thin she look’d like a Spectrum, that some People were afraid she was a Ghost; by her Mien she appeared well bred, and something of Quality was to be discern’d by her very out-side; she had very good Cloaths on, but all out of Fashion, and she would by no means let her Face be seen; she had been taken up sitting all alone, upon a Bench, by Rosamond’s Pond, in the Park, sighing as if she would break her Heart, and People fancied she waited an opportunity to drown her self.

The Club were strangely put to it what to do with her, they began to be rough with her, but the handsomness of her Behaviour told them presently she did not deserve it, so they intreated her to let them see her Face.

The whole Society were amazed when they saw her, the extraordinary sweetness and Majesty of her Countenance astonished them; and not expecting to find such a Face, under such a Dress, they ask’d her if she would please to give any Account of her self— She spoke low, but freely enough, and told them she would.

First she told them she was born not far off from —, that her Father took a disgust at her, because she affronted a Drunken Gentleman who offered her some Incivilities, and keeping an ill Woman in the House, she turn’d her out of Doors.

She came up to London, and would have waited upon a certain Dutchess, but as soon as she hear’d her Name, her Grace told her she was not fit for her Service: She applied her self after that, to abundance of Ladies of Quality, but none would Entertain her; so she took Lodgings in the City, and liv’d by her self.

As soon as she appeared abroad a little, she wondered what was the Matter none of the City Ladies would keep her Company; She went to the Exchange, none of the Shopkeep-[196]ers would say, what d’ye lack Madam; if she went to a Church, or Meeting-House, no-body would open a Pew to her, or ask her to sit down.

She went into Gray’s-Inn Walks, and the Ladies would all cross the Walk before she came at them, to get out of the way; in Lincoln’s-Inn Walks they rais’d the Mob upon her; She offer’d to go into the Play-House, but the Ladies of Quality hearing she was a coming, Ordered their Footmen to wait at the Stairs and keep her out.

She met with Affronts at the Corner of every Street, but especially from those of her own Sex; at last she came to the Park, and there she found it was the same thing, the Ladies kept all on the other side of the Mall, and would not be seen —so much as to come near her. Some few incivilities she met with in the Park from the Men, which disordered her not a little, as,

1. T—D— of — offered some Discourse to her, but he talk’d a sort of Language she did not understand, and smelt so strong, she could not bear him.

2. My L— M— of — Assaulted her, but as soon as he knew her, he beg’d her Pardon, and told her, he never meddled with any of her Name, and so left her.

3. A Footman came to her, and told her, he wanted such a one as she for his Master; but when he too, knew who she was, he let her alone, for I am sure, says he, my Lord never cares for such sort of Cattle.

And thus she went on, till tired and disconsolate, she sat down to rest her self on the Bench, where she was taken, by the Pond.

This Discourse put the Society upon longing to know who she was, She told them she came of an Antient Family in the North, but all her Relations were extinct, now she was the last of her House, and afraid she should be the last in the Nation, and her Name was Modesty.

The Society immediately rose up at the mention of her Name, and all of them paid her the Respects due to her Quality, offered to send a Guard with her to her Lodgings, and told her, They were sorry her Ladyship was grown so much out of Fashion.

ADvertisements are taken in by J. Matthews in Pilkington-Court in Little-Britain.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S.

Just publish’d,
THE Monthly Journal, of the Affairs of Europe; Containing Divers Important and very Entertaining Matters, not Extant in other Accounts; beginning with the Month of July, 1704. To be continued Monthly. Printed for George Sawbridge in Little-Britain; and sold by John Nutt near Stationers-Hall.

There is now publish’d,

THE Storm; or, A Collection of the most Remarkable Casualties and Disasters which happened in the late Dreadful Tempest, both by Sea and Land. Price 3 s. 6 d. Printed for George Sawbridge in Little-Britain, and sold by John Nutt near Stationers-Hall.

+++ A Doctor in Physick Cures all the Degrees and Indispositions in Venereal Persons, by a most easie, safe, and expeditious Method; and of whom any Person may have Advice, and a perfect Cure, let his or her Disease be of the longest Date: He likewise gives his Advice in all Diseases, and prescribes a Cure. Dr. HARBOROUGH, (a Graduate Physician) in Great Knight-Riders-street, near Doctors Commons.

There is now publish’d,

THE Mask of Moderation pull’d off, the foul Face of Occasional Conformity; being an Answer to a late Poisonous Pamphlet, Entitled Moderation still a Virtue: Wherein the late Reasonings and Shuffling Arguments of that Author is plainly laid open and Confuted. price 1 s. Cassandra, Numb. II. is Publish’d. price 1 s. 6 d.

THE Comical History of the Life and Death of Mumper, Generalissimo of King Charles II’s Dogs. Written by Heliotropolis, Secretary to the Emperor of the Moon. London, Printed in the Year 1704.

THE Almirante of Castile’s Manifesto. Containing, I. The Reasons of his Withdrawing himself out of Spain. II. The Intrigues and Management of the Cardinal Portocarrero, and Don Manuel d’Arias, about the Will of King Charles the Second, to Advance the Duke d’Anjou to the Possession of that Crown. III. The Government of Cardinal Portocarrero, &c. after the King’s Death. IV. The Designs of France against Spain. V. The Manner of the Admiral’s making his Escape into Portugal. VI. And his Proceedings at Lisbon. Faithfully Translated from the Original Printed in Spanish at Lisbon, since the Arrival there of King Charles III. London, Printed, day sold by John Nutt, near Stationers-Hall. 1704.

MDCCIV.

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