Category: War

Saturday, March 25. 1704.

Numb. 6.Numb. 6 is incorrectly dated “Saturday, March 26. 1704.” in both copies housed in the HRC. Secord’s edition used a sheet that prints the correct date.
[37]

AS the worst Enemies of Truth shall never have the advantage to charge us with Partiallity in these Papers, it must be necessary in the Examination of the present Greatness of the French Power, to look into those Parts where it seems weakest; and tho’ God knows they are very few, the present Face of their Affairs being, generally speaking, every where very formidable; yet, as we are not drawing a Map of the French, in Order to Terrify our Friends, we shall endeavour to give all our Pretences of their Weakness, the full length and breadth.

And tho’ we wish as much as any Man, that all our boasting News-Writers had Reason for their undervaluing the Forces of the French; and that it was true as the London Post, March 15. says, That the Hungarians Demand 200000 Livers of the French, which that King is not in a Condition to spare him: yet, while his Numerous Armies appear on His Enemies Frontiers, while he has 300000 Pistoles before-hand at Seville, for the Payment of his Auxiliar Troops in Spain, while he can appropriate 18 Millions for his Sea-Service; and while what we have already said on this head, is true: We cannot perswade our selves to advance to the World, that he wants 20000 Pounds to supply the Insurrection in Hungaria, if he saw ’twas his Interest to support it.

If there is the least Prospect of a Breach on the French Power, ’tis in Italy, and abundance of Strange and Wonderfuls we have had from thence, by way of Descant and Reflection.

If we pretend to state the Case of the French Affairs in Italy, we must go back to the beginning of the last Campaign; every-body expected, and indeed not without good Reason, that the Imperialists would have been forc’d to abandon Italy, and ’tis still hard to Assign a Cause why the French Army, which by all the Lists [38] of their Forces, appeared to be 54000 Men, and who had push’d the Germans into a very small spot of Ground, should yet lie almost all the Summer, and not Displace, Starve, or reduce a handfull of Men; for we could never make the Germans to be above 14000 Men, till after the Affair of Trent was over. Continue reading Saturday, March 25. 1704.

Saturday, March 18. 1704.

Numb. 5.
[33]

A DIGRESSION to the READER.

IT is not for want of Matter wherewith to Entertain the World, that this Paper is thus reduc’d from a whole to half a Sheet, the vast Extent of the Subject we have Entred upon, rather gives us Cause to fear Life will hardly Extend to Finish the Undertaking, and at the slow Rate of now and then a Paper, this Age will hardly come to the End of the History.

But the Necessities of Trade, not Improperly call’d the Iniquity of the Times, compel us to this Alteration, the Publishers of this Paper honestly Declaring, that while they make it a whole Sheet they get nothing by it; and tho’ the Author is very Free to give the World his Labour for God’s sake, they don’t find it for their Convenience to give their Paper and Print away.

But this is not all, the common Sellers of News, from the unusual Size, and general Success of this Paper, took Occasion to Impose upon the World and Sell it for Two Pence; which; which as it was raising a Tax without a Legal Power was thought Scandalous by the Club, and accordingly is thus effectually suppress’d.

And to convince the World, these are the true Reasons, they will find, That we have by the help of a smaller Print, and a larger Page, taken Care to put as much into this half Sheet as was in the former, and so the whole of the Matter is only the Injury done to the Eye-sight, in obliging the Gentlemen to read it in a smaller Character; and if we find the Subject grow too fast upon us, we shall help it by bringing the Paper out twice a Week.At this point in the Review the print shrinks, the layout shifts from single column to two columns, and the move from printing a full sheet to a half sheet reduces the pages from eight to four. All of these moves, as Defoe mentions in the first paragraphs of this number, were in response to booksellers charging two pennies for the paper because of its larger than usual size. Continue reading Saturday, March 18. 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.

Saturday, March 4. 1704.

Numb. 3.
[17]

WE promis’d at the Conclusion of the last Paper, some Account of the Prospect of Affairs relating to the next Campaign, as a further Description of the French Greatness.

We shall Endeavour to say nothing of the French Greatness with the Air of a French Emissary; and leave as little room as possible for the Charge of Partiality; If the French Grandeur is at present the Terrour of Europe, ’tis a most Natural Consequence, that the Prodigy of the Growing Power of France is an awakening Wonder, ’tis a Text fruitful in Application, and the Consequences very useful.

’Tis true, This Age is apt to make wrong Inferences, and we are Content they should believe what they please of this Design, till the Event proves whether we are in the wrong, [18] either in making Things appear greater than they are, or in drawing abrupt and inconsistent Conclusions.

We have already given a short Scheme of the Conclusion of the last Campaign: As the French began the Campaign when the Confederates ended it, they now prepare in all Places to end it about the Time when the Confederates begin. Continue reading Saturday, March 4. 1704.

Saturday, Feb. 26. 1704.

Numb. 2.
[9]

HAving in our last given the Reader a Scheme of part of the Design of this Paper, and begun to Treat of the Present Greatness of the French Nation: ’Tis necessary, to explain what I mean by the Greatness of the French, to prove the Matter of Fact, and descend a little to Particulars.

The Condition the French were in formerly, will come in Course to be Treated of, in the Historical part of this Paper, and I therefore purposely omit it here, being resolv’d to avoid the Tautologies and Impertinences I reprove in other People.

I thought it was needless to premise, that a true Map of the French Greatness, rightly considered, is far from the Appearance of a design to Magnifie our Enemies, and Lessen or Discourage our Friends.

[10]

They will make a much better Improvement of our Account of the French Greatness, who quicken their Preparations, and double their Endeavours. The French are highly improv’d: But I have no where pretended, and indeed never Thought the French were invincible. Continue reading Saturday, Feb. 26. 1704.

Saturday, Feb. 19. 1704.

Numb. 1.
[1]

The INTRODUCTION.

Numb1fac.jpg

THIS Paper is the Foundation of a very large and useful Design, which, if it meet with suitable Encouragement, Permissu Superiorum, may contribute to Setting the Affairs of Europe in a Clearer Light, and to prevent the various uncertain Accounts, and the Partial Reflections of our Street-Scriblers, who Daily and Monthly Amuse Mankind with Stories of Great Victories when we are Beaten, Miracles when we Conquer, and a Multitude of Unaccountable and Inconsistent Stories, which have at least this Effect, That People are possest with wrong Notions of Things, and Nations Wheedled“Wheeled” in both of the Harry Ransom Center’s copies; “Wheedled” in Secord facsimile. In this case, the HRC copies contain an obvious error, which we have emended in accordance with our editorial practice. to believe Nonsense and Contradiction.

[2]

As these Papers may be Collected into Volumes, they will Compose a Compleat History of France, the Antient Part of which shall be a faithful Abridgement of former Authors, and the Modern Affairs stated, as Impartially and as Methodical as the length of this Paper will permit.

As we blame our Enemies for being Partial to themselves, and for filling their Gazettes with French Rhodomontades, we shall carefully avoid the same Errour, and give even the French themselves full Satisfaction for those of our own Writers, who are Guilty that way, by sufficiently Exposing them in our more Diverting part of this Paper.

We shall particularly have a Regard to the Rise and Fall of the Protestant Religion in the Dominions of France; and the Reader, if the Author live, and is permitted to pursue the Design, shall find this Paper a Useful Index, to turn him to the best Historians of the Church in all Ages. Continue reading Saturday, Feb. 19. 1704.