Numb. 25.
[113]
IN pursuing this Article of the French Greatness, our next Head relates to their Defensive Strength, and this, as I take it, includes the Fortifications on their Frontiers, their vast and incredible Magazines, and the strength of their Coasts.
I think I may touch at these without the Reader expecting the Geographical Description of the Country.
Nor is it needful I should Delineat the Fortifications of every Town, and tell you how many Bastions, Gates, Guns, &c. Every Fortification contains; the Octogons, Pentagons, Hexagons, that have Lines, Curtains, Tenails, Redouts, Horn Works, and all Monsieur Vaubon’s hard Names, are no part of the Design.
Our Ingineers will be better able to do that, when they come to take them, which I could wish they would begin, because I foresee ’twill be a tedious piece of Work for them.
For this Reason, I cannot but extreamly approve of the Measures concerted abroad, as to the Operation of the Present Campaign; and tho’ I design no Panegyricks, the Duke of Marlborough, if the Design was his, has shown himself as great a General, as the English could desire to see at the head of their Armies.
I could never see the Jest, or indeed the Earnest, of keeping such vast Armies of Men in Flanders, to play at Bo-peep, and dodge one another a whole Campaign, and hardly come to any Action while which side soever please, but to venture Acting on the Defensive, may spare 40000 Men for another Design.
This indeed the French Taught us, for we learn too much from them, I say too much, because we can learn nothing from them, but what we feel the Effects of first, and so learn it by our own dear-bought Experience. They taught us last Year, that with about 50000 Men, and the help of their lines, on the Defensive, they cou’d keep the Confederates with above 80000 from Attempting any Fatal Enterprize, and they found that they could better part with 2 or 3 Towns in Flanders, which they might easily Recover at the beginning or end of a Campaign, than they could be without the Service 30 or 40000 Men would do them in another Place.
By this means they kept the whole Confederate Army knocking their Heads against the Stone Walls of Liege and Limburgh, and spending a Month for want of Baggage-horses to bring up the Artillery, while the Mareshal Tallard carried all before him on the [114] Rhine, Ravag’d the Lower Alsace; took Fort Khiel, Brisac and Landau, and not a Body of an Army at hand; no, not enough to keep the French Parties from raising Contributions.
At this price the Confederates bought the Experience, on which they found the Measures of the Present Campaign.
If I should set down a List of the Losses which the Imperialists had in all Probability prevented, had these Measures been Originally their own; it would swell to a large Account.
’Tis easy to lose, and hard to regain Towns and Countries on a Mistake in War, and the Duke of Marlborough must have more Success, than in modesty any Man can pretend to wish for him; if he should recover in two Summers, what the Error of the last Years Measures lost in one.
Flanders, which till now, was the Barrier of England and Holland, is the Prodigy of the World for strong Towns, whether we consider how thick they stand, how strong they are, or in what a Country Situated: ’Tis a whole Country dress’d up in Armour; there is not a Town of any Consequence in it, but in Regularity Fortified, and some in such an invincible manner, that ’tis hard to describe. Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, and Lovain, are reckoned among the Weak Places; and they are only so from their vast extent, Wealth and number of Inhabitants; and I think I may be allow’d to say, That besides these, there is not a Town of any Note, but what is able to hold out a formal Siege, and cannot be taken without it.
There is no need of ransacking History for the old Famous Sieges of Ostend, Mons, Breda, &c. The first of which was Besieg’d by the Spaniards, with an Army of 60000 Men; and whereas the Arch-Dutchess, Isabella of Austria, swore she would not shift her Smock, till she had taken the Town: She either obtain’d a Dispensation for her Oath, or made shift with foul Linnen, for the Town held out 3 Years, 3 Months, 3 Weeks, and 3 Days, and then was only Surrendered, because the Dutch found the Charge of maintaining it, more than the Town was worth; in this Siege the Spaniards lost 66875 Men, and Defendants above 25000.
But where Memory will supply, History is wholly useless; the Modern Sieges of Mons, Charleroy, Aeth, Oudenard, Luxemburg, and at last Namure, are sufficient Testimonies to this head.
As this Country was thus a Frontier to the Dutch, so that part of it, which the French from time to time have Mastered, and which they call le Pais Conquist, was the Barrier to their own Country; and as this was equally Fortify’d, so the French have added so much to those Works that has hitherto rendered that Country Impenetrable by the Confederates.
These Towns beginning as but Exclusive of Dunkirk, of which we shall speak by it self, are Ipres, Tourney, Courtray, Lisle, Conde, Valenciennes, Cambry, Maubege, Philipvil, Charlemont, Mezieres, and several others. These make a Line from the Sea to the Meuse, and up that Stream to the edge of Lorrain.
The Spanish Towns, which at the end of the last Peace, stood as a Frontier against these, and were they as well Defended, rather exceeded them in Strength, were Newport, Oudenard, Aeth, Mons, Charleroy, Namure, and Luxemburg.
Now the Scene of the War is chang’d, and all these Towns are French, with the Addition of Ostend, Antwerp, all the Forts on the Scheld, and about Sluice, and Dinant.
The Dutch indeed in this last War, have in the space of three Campaigns, taken from them all the lower Gueldreland, with Leige, Huy, Limbourgh, and Bonne; the Situation of the places, and superiority of the Confederate Forces making the French unable to Relieve them, but this brings us to the Case in hand; Their superiority of Forces has been occasion’d by the French policy, who found it their Interest to Act defensively in Flanders, and let the Dutch Army be superior, and take a few Towns, that at the same time they might be Superiour, in Germany; and while the Dutch busied themselves before small and inconsiderable Towns, comparatively speaking, they over-run the Empire; and for every Town the Dutch took here, they took a Province there.
[115]
Now if the Confederates were always to be superiour in Flanders by above 30000 Men, and consequently Masters of the Field; I leave it to any Man who understands the Nature of the thing, whether in 20 Campaigns all the Towns in the Low Countries, and on the French Frontiers could be reduced by Sieges, not at all, considering how many brave Lives must be sacrific’d in Attacks, and let the same considering Person calculate what Ravages in Germany, Italy, and Hungary, the French should have the Liberty to make by the same Superiority of Forces on the Rhine and the Danube; and let ’em tell me, how much of the Empire may be left in such a 20 Years Superiority.
The Nature of the thing therefore has now transpos’d the War from Flanders to the Upper Rhine: And as the Dutch have spar’d 40 Thousand Men, and the King of Prussia 20000 which us’d in the former Wars to serve in the Low Countries; these march for Germany, and the States have the Pleasure to see the War remov’d from their own Doors into the Heart of the Empire.
The next Barrier the French have, is on the Moselle, and the Side of Lorrain, which our next Paper shall describe.
ADVICE from the Scandalous CLUB.
THE Society had lay’d by the Correction of News-papers for a time, as a Burthen too constant and intollerable, and was applying themselves to encounter more Capital Offenders; but the Importunity of such Gentlemen as are daily offended with the Blunders and Errors of these Sons of Incorrigible, calls them back again to this Work.
Also the Society had laid aside the Vindication of themselves, as a thing sufficiently answer’d and settl’d before.Paragraph ends with ; in HRC and Secord.
But we have receiv’d Two Friendly Letters from an Ingenious Hand, who as he says, desires for the Satisfaction of several Gentlemen, That we would explain our Title SCANDALOUS CLUB.
We had the like Exceptions against our Mercure Scandale, which we first Authentickly justified and then laid down, and the vary same Arguments are as good in this, that it may be taken as a proper Name, which we have sufficient Authority from the Practice of all Writers to justifie, as in the Case of Smectymnus, Mack Fleckno, and others, and in this Case are not bound up to the Literal and Grammatical Signification of the Term.
But because these Objectors are witty upon us, pray, Gentlemen, suppose we assume the Title of Scandalous from the Analogy, the things we enquire after, bears with the Word, the Co-herence does not seem to be broken; for we have been so civil to you not to meddle but where the Case has been very Scandalous.
And at last, if you will have it be a Scandalous Employment to rake in the Excrements of Vulgar Behaviour, and be always daub’d and sully’d with the Dirt of your Crimes, as the Night-man that stinks of the Vaults he emptyes; yet if the same Usefulness be due to our Title, we are content Gentlemen, to be call’d Scandalous or any thing else, pour Vous Rend’ Service and so much for our Title.
The same Gentleman who demanded our Defence as above, was pleas’d to oblige us with his Remarks on our late News-papers, which are so just, and so much to the Purpose, that I cannot but give the World the Letter exactly as it was sent; and I am more than pleas’d to have the Honour of our Design not only vindicated and approv’d by Men of Sence and Letters, but to be assisted in Remarks on the publick Authors of Nonsense, by Gentlemen who are not asham’d to stand the worst of the Replyers Indignation. And so Gentlemen News-Writers, if I am not qualified for a Censor, here are other Gentlemen that are.
The Originals of these and other Letters of this Nature, are left with the Printer of this Paper, for any Person to peruse that doubts the Truth of them.
[116]
Gentlemen of the Club,
HAving observ’d so many Passages in the late News-Papers, much of the Stamp of others, by you formerly expos’d; I have presum’d to trouble you with them, in order to bring the Authors to Examination.
Daily Courant, N˚ 657.
‘His Holiness, from a Gallery, gave his Benediction to a great Crowd of People, among which was the Queen Dowager of Poland.’
Qu. If we must take for granted, the said Queen was one of the Mob?
Post-Boy, N˚ 1409, Dresden, &c.
‘It being fear’d the Swedes may come and invade his Electorate, so soon as they shall firmly settle the Divisions and Troubles of Poland.’
Qu. If Divisions and Troubles are to be allow’d a Settlement?
Flying-Post N˚ 1413. Paris.
‘Our Troops found prodigious strong Entrenchments made in the Avenues, with a great many Cannons, but of Wood, which our Troops burnt and broke.’
Pray, Gentlemen, does our Author mean Woodden Cannon?
Gentlemen, Your Answer is desir’d, to a Letter sent to you a Week since, about the Title you call your selves by, viz. The Scandalous Club; to satisfie several Gentlemen, and
Your Humble Servant,
J.J.
May 25.
1704.
To the Gentlemen who desire this Paper should be Printed three times a Week, the Author gives this Answer.
He thanks the Gentlemen for their Approbation of his Work, and is very willing to oblige them; but as he assures them again, he has all along wrote it without Profit or any manner of Gain whatsoever; so he is not able to spare so much more of his time from other needful Studies as such a thing would oblige him to.
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.
Next Term will be publish’d,
THe Famous Dispensary Poem, continued to this Time, with a large Commentary, fully Explaining the Characters of little Mirmil, Sowre Querpo, and all the other Physicians Graduate and not Graduate, who betray the Patients and their Profession to the Empiricks.
LOST or Mislaid, a Bank-Note for 371.l. and 1d. dated in September 30: payable to John Brand or Bearer; if it be offered in Payment, you are desired to stop it and give notice to Mr. Thomas Madacks at the Bank, and you shall receive Five Pounds Reward.
A Discourse upon the Pharisee and the Publican: Wherein Several Great and Weighty Things are handled: As the Nature of Prayer, and of Obedience to the Law, with how far it obliges Christians, and wherein it consists: Wherein is also shewed equally the deplorable Condition of the Pharisee or Hypocritical and Self-righteous Man, and of the Publican, or Sinner that lives in Sin and in Open Violation of the Divine Laws: Together with the Way and Method of God’s Free-Grace in Pardoning Penitent Sinners; proving that he justifies them by imputing Christ’s Righteousness to them. By John Bunyan, Author of the Pilgrim’s Progress. The Third Edition. Printed for John Mareshal, at the Bible in Grace-church street. 1704.
Books Sold by Jeffery Wale, at the Angel in St. Paul’s-Church-Yard.
BIbliotheca Maxima veterum Patrum, 27 Vol. Gravii Thesaur. Antiquit. Romanorum, 12 Vol. Gronovii Thesaurus Græcarum, 12 Vol. Augustini Opera Omnia, 12 Tom. Petavii Doctrina Temporum, 3 Vol. Grotii Opera, 3 Vol. St. Pauli Geographia Sacra. Petavii Dogmata Theologia, 3 Vol. Scapula Lexicon Elz. Am. 1652. Dolai Opera Medica & Chirurgica, 2 Vol. Hippocratis Opera, 13 Tom. Athanasii Opera 3 Vol. De Chales Cursus Mathematicus, 4 Vol. SS. Consilia General. ad Reg. Edit. 18 Vol. Forbesii Opera 2 Vol. Limborchi Theologia Christiana, in Fol.
Speedily will be publish’d,
CAssandra: (but I hope not) Telling what will come of it. Part I. In Answer to the Occasional Letter: Numb. I. Wherein the New Associations, &c. are considered.
+++ A Doctor in Physick Cures all the Degrees and Indispositions in Veneral 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.
MDCCIV.