Tuesday, September 26. 1704.

Numb. 59.
[249]

IN the last Review, I brought the Oppressions of the Germans, and the Violences of the People, down to the very Article of Civil War, the Protestants Compos’d of and including Calvinists, Lutherans, Arians, Socinians and Greek Christians, call’d Rasciens, were all brought in, to make their Complaints rise up to a pitch, and heighten the Account of German Tyranny; these Complained their Privileges were infring’d, and taken from them; those Complain’d their Churches were taken away; and no doubt where the Soldiers prevail’d, the Priests under the Protection of the Military Power, made havock of the Protestants, and Sacrifized all to the Ecclesiastick Zeal; and Church-Tyranny as it always exceeds State-Tyranny, made the Cry of the Protestants, tho’ second to the Common Grievance, equal to it, If not Superiour in the Cause of Complaint.

We are now to suppose them up in Arms, and so universal the Insurrection, and the Emperor’s Affairs in such Disorder and Weakness, for want of Money and Management that almost on all Occasions, Count Paul Wesselini, the Palatine of Hungary, met with Success; the Germans were routed on several occasions, the Cities Revolted, and turn’d out the German Garrisons, or cut their Throats in their Quarters.

The Emperor’s Garrisons were ill provided, and worse paid; the Stores and Ammunitions embezzel’d; and in short every thing almost that was needful to oppose the Torrent of the Hungarian Success, seem’d to be wanting so that the Imperial Affairs went down on every side, and the Hungarians began to think of setting their Kingdom absolutely Independent of the House of Austria.

But Count Paul Wesselini, and the Hungarians, knew the Confusion of the Imperial Affairs, tho’ it was now their Advantage, would not always last, but that his Imperial Majesty would soon be rouz’d, and that they were not able at last to resist the German Power, when it should come on them with such Additions, as might be expected; upon these Considerations, They took Care to sollicit their Affairs at the Port, and by the help of their Agents, brought the Grand Seignor, to give all his Bassa’s and Commanders orders in their Favour, viz. To furnish them with Provisions, supply them with Arms and Ammunition; and upon all occasions, to permit ’em, if press’d by the Germans, to make their Retreat their Territories. Continue reading Tuesday, September 26. 1704.

Saturday, August 19. 1704.

Numb. 48.
[205]

TWO Reviews more would have dismiss’d the Article of Sweden, but I am oblig’d to Halt in the middle of the Story, upon the occasion of the great Turn of Affairs in Europe, from the late Victory at Hochstetten.

The Objectors to our Arguments seem to Reply with some Advantage, that French Power appears to be less Formidable, than at the beginning of these Papers I represented it, and that all the Terrible things which I foretold of it, are dash’t at one blow; that we need not concern our selves in the Quarrel between the Swede and the Pole, for the Business is done, the Confederacy stands upon its own Legs again, the Swede can now do us no harm, the Ruin of the Pole cannot affect it, and so I ought to have done with it.

The Victory of the Duke of Marlborough, I allow to be a very great Action, the Greatest, most Glorious, and most compleat Victory that I can find in History for above 200 Years past; and as no Man in Europe more heartily rejoyces at it, than the Author of these Papers, so perhaps I am ready to own it Greater in its Consequences than every body imagines.

The Defeat of the Army, barely as such, tho’ it be allow’d to be the Flower of the French Troops, and to be a great thing, is not all; there is the Duke of Bavaria left to the Emperors Mercy; that Fatal Breach, made in the Heart of the Empire, in a fair way to be heal’d to all the Advantage imaginable — There is the Duke of Savoy, who was upon the point of being ruin’d, in a fair way to be deliver’d, and perhaps so Succour’d, as to be likely to dislodge the French out of Italy. Continue reading Saturday, August 19. 1704.

Tuesday, August 15. 1704.

Numb. 47.
[201]

I Have done with the Swedes fighting for the Liberty of Poland — .

The next thing, which as ’tis alledg’d the Swedes fight for, is Religion, to pull down Popery and the Whore of Babylon.

Some Honest People, who are very Angry with the King of Poland for changing his Religion, and very willing to have the Swedes be Masters of Poland, because they hope they will plant the Protestant Religion there, are very much out of Humour with our late Reviews, which have dwelt so long upon the Matter, and so earnestly press’d the reducing the Swede to Terms of Peace.

These well-meaning Religious Gentlemen, shew their Zeal goes a great deal beyond their Understanding, as to the Publick Affairs of Europe; and of such I would ask, whether it is worse, that the Protestant Religion should not be replanted in Poland, or should be supplanted in England, Holland, and Germany? Continue reading Tuesday, August 15. 1704.

Saturday, July 22. 1704.

Numb. 40.
[173]

The Affairs of Sweden, which lay before me, had gone on in a due Chain of things in this Review —- But the Author has been diverted by a Terrible Attack, made upon the Intrenchments of his Honesty, as to Story.

This has been a bloody Battail, the Action of Schellenbergh is a Fool to it; the Author of the Daily Courant with his 20 Regiments of Booksellers, Storm’d Our Counterscarp, and tho’ they have formerly attempted it, and were beaten off as in the Review 17. and 18. yet having now Muster’d up all their Forces, they came on with an assurance Peculiar to News-Writers ——- and gave all the World Notice of the victory they thought certain; Inviting them three Days together to come and see the Sport.

I hope the Readers will bear the disappointment of what they expected this time in course, as to the King of Sweden, and accept of the short History of this Pen and Ink War as follows.

The Author of the Review Printed a Letter, Directed to the Club; concerning a wrong Quotation of the Leiden Gazette, see Review N˚ 37. Continue reading Saturday, July 22. 1704.

Tuesday, July 11. 1704.

Numb. 37.
[161]

THe long Digression from the Course of our Story, which has now taken up two Reviews, has carried, I hope, its own weight with it —

As this Paper is farthest from a Design to write what should be disobliging to any body, much less to the Publick; so no body shall with reason, be able to Charge the Author with pursuing any Interest different from that of his Native Country.

But this makes more than a usual Parenthesis, and interruption to his Story; for that he thinks himself bound to explain himself, where he is not understood.

He has been told the Explication of his last Paper, was with too much Contempt of the Objectors, as if no body might misunderstand him, but what deserv’d the name of Fools. Continue reading Tuesday, July 11. 1704.

Saturday, May 13. 1704.

Numb. 20
[93]

IF I was ask’d what is the true occasion why the French have so many happy Turns, and how they maintain a War with so much Advantage, against all the United Powers of Europe, I should Answer, ’tis because those Powers are United and not United; ’tis because the separate Interests of Nation’s, People and Parties, occasion such Confusion of Councils, such dilatory and unhappy Procedures, as never fail to give the Enemy continual and unusual advantages.

History is so full of Examples, where in all Cases, the Strife and Contention of Parties, have been the overthrow of the whole Undertaking, that it seems very unaccountable, all the Prudent Nations joyn’d in this vast Confederacy, should not have Eyes to see the Rock, on which so many great Undertakings have split, and so many Great Generals Miscarried.

’Twas the Dissention between the Roman Generals, Varro and – which gave Hannibal the occasion of overthrowing their Army at the Battle of Cannæ, where the Romans lost the Flower of their Citizens, and left 80000 Men dead on the Field of Battle.

How many times have the French Defeated the late King William in Flanders, because the Germans would not stay, as at the Siege of Oudenard; or because the Spaniards were not ready, as at the Siege of Mons; or because the Ammunition was not furnish’d, as at Charleroy; or that the Dutch would not venture their Army, as at Steenkirk and Namure, and the like. Continue reading Saturday, May 13. 1704.

Tuesday, May 2. 1704.

Numb. 17.
[81]

THe Conquest the King of France has made over the Duelling Humour of his Subjects, is the Theme we are upon, and some Digression on that Head has been made to our English Affairs, which as it is what I shall very seldom do, I hope the Reader will excuse.

I might Enlarge here on the vulgar Errors of Behaviour, and the Mistaken Notions Men have Entertain’d by the Folly of Custom, concerning Honour, Gallantry, and Courage; but History is rather my Business, and I shall make as few Excursions as Possible.

I have met with some that will alledge, The King of France has several times broken his Oath in the matter of Duelling, and the Severity with which he Threatn’d his Subjects, has been Mitigated frequently, and in particular in the Case of Monsieur de St. A.–, who, at the Intercession of Madam de Montespan, and just at the time when his Majesty was more particularly a Captive to that Lady, was recall’d from Banishment, and admitted to his Favour. – But those who defend the King’s Honour in this Case, tell us, The King was acquainted, that this Gentleman tho’ he fled, was not Actually in the Affair. The Business in short was thus: There had been two or three Families Embroiled in the Quarrel, and in spight of all the Terror of the King’s Edict and Oath, they met in an Island of the Sein, and Fought rather a little Battail, than a Duel, for they met six or eight of a side, and two or three were kill’d, the rest shifted.

This Gentleman having so strong an Intercessor, obtain’d his Majesty’s License to come Home and take his Tryal, in Order to Convince his Majesty that he was Innocent: I won’t say but things might be subtilly manag’d, and that Powerful Lady Order’d all things in such manner, that tho’ it was too well known he was Wounded in the Action, yet before the Judges it was made very clear, that he was Innocent of all the matter. ’Twas prov’d that he advis’d the Gentleman not to meet, and refus’d to be concern’d, and several such Circumstances, by Dexterity of Management, and no body coming in to Prosecute, he was absolutely clear’d of the Fact, by the Process of the Law. Continue reading Tuesday, May 2. 1704.

Saturday, March 11. 1704.

Numb. 4.
[25]

’TIS strange that we cannot bear to hear the Truth, if the Fact it self does not please us; That we should be willing rather to feel than hear of the Greatness of our Enemies.

Methinks having the true Picture of our Adversary should be useful to instruct us in our needful Preparations. The French are generally full of Boasts and Rhodomontades, to make the World believe them greater than they are; our People full of Banter and Lampoon, to make them seem less than they are.

Those are two Cheats equally hurtful to us; the First to Terrifie us; the Last to make us too Easie, and consequently too Secure: ’Tis equally Dangerous for us to be terrified into Despair, and Bully’d into more Terror of our Enemies than we need, or to be so Exalted in Conceit of [26] our own Force, as to Undervalue and Contemn the Power which we cannot Reduce.

’Tis an allow’d Maxim in War, Never to Contemn the meanest Adversary; and it must pass with me for a Maxim in Politicks, Not to Contemn the Power that is so far from Mean, that ’tis a Match for half the World. Continue reading Saturday, March 11. 1704.