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<DATE>2009-12-04</DATE>
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<NAME>Zev Berger</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>AN ACCOUNT OF SPAIN: BEING A New De&s;cription of that COUN|TRY and PEOPLE; And of the <HI>SEA PORTS</HI> along the <HI>Mediterranean:</HI> Of <HI>Ceuta, Tangier,</HI> &amp;c. Written by a <HI>French</HI> Gentleman, who was in di&s;gui&s;e Aboard the <HI>Engli&s;h Fleet:</HI> With an Account of the mo&s;t Remarkable Tran&s;actions of that <HI>Fleet.</HI> To which is added, A Large Preface concerning the E&s;ta|bli&s;hment of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Crown, on the DUKE of <HI>ANJOU.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Jo&s;eph Wilde,</HI> at the <HI>Elephant</HI> at <HI>Charing-Cro&s;s,</HI> 1700.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
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<HEAD>TO THE Mo&s;t Noble PRINCE HENRY DUKE of <HI>NORFOLK,</HI> Earl <HI>Mar&s;hal</HI> of <HI>England.</HI> One of His Maje&s;tys mo&s;t Ho|nourable Privy Council, Knight of the mo&s;t No|ble Order of the Gar|ter, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>May it plea&s;e your Grace,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THE following Letters con|tain &s;ome general remarks of what happen'd in the <HI>Engli&s;h
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Fleet,</HI> that was &s;ent to the <HI>Mediter|ranean</HI> toward the letter end of the la&s;t War; with &s;ome ob&s;ervations of the po&s;ture and di&s;po&s;ition of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Nation as it then &s;tood. The Account is not &s;o particular as it might have been, I wi&s;h &s;ome|thing more had been &s;aid of the Hi&s;tory and Politicks of that Peo|ple, that it might have been more &s;ea&s;onable for this pre&s;ent juncture, when the eyes of all the World are pointed to that Empire: But to make amends for that Omi&s;&s;ion, I take every thing in it to be very ju&s;tly de&s;crib'd, mo&s;t of it having occur'd to my own experience, and to the Knowledge of all the Curious in that Voyage: And as I can af|firm the Account to be ju&s;t, &s;o there is little or nothing &s;aid that ever has been mention'd by any other Au|thor.</P>
<P><PB REF="4">I have form'd it into a Book for your Graces peru&s;al, and am happy that I can lay it at your feet in a time when your confinement at home by a trouble&s;ome pain, and &s;ometimes your want of Company gives you lei&s;ure to read it over: And tho' I know your Graces Palate to be exceeding Nice in all &s;orts of reading, yet I am not more di&s;cou|rag'd at that, than I am animated with your Goodne&s;s and Indul|gence.</P>
<P>The opportunities I have had of your Conver&s;ation were very fortu|nate to me: by them I had the Ho|nour of being known to your Grace; By them I have been pre|&s;ent at &s;ome of the Polite&s;t Di&s;|cour&s;es that I have met with, and by them I have, of con&s;equence, refin'd my own Capacity; and I can't chu&s;e but &s;ay, I was a&s;toni&s;ht
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to hear the fir&s;t Peer of <HI>England,</HI> who&s;e Nobility has been of late years le&s;s Curious of the&s;e finer Studies&punc; talk &s;o well. My next thought was, (may my Lord par|don me) that if the Duke of <HI>Nor|folk</HI> were &s;tript of all his Titles, and cou'd come upon the Square to conver&s;e with &s;uch as me, there is not a Man on earth who&s;e Society I &s;hou'd &s;o much covet: But in the plea&s;ure of that thought I forgot my di&s;tance, not con&s;idering that Nature, as well as the &s;cituation of your Birth, had put &s;o great a Bar betwixt you and me, that like the Sun, you can't be look'd at, but with the Clouds between. My Lord, I was born with an antipathy to flattery, and I hope, I have &s;aid nothing that can be &s;o under&s;tood; I'm &s;ure I wou'd avoid it if I knew where it look'd like it, but in your
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Graces Character, 'twould be hard to &s;ay too much, and it is the World's unhappine&s;s not to know you as well as I do.</P>
<P>I am at a lo&s;s, My Lord, how to acknowledge the Honours I have already receiv'd, and nothing but your Permi&s;&s;ion cou'd make me &s;in again by laying this trifle under your Patronage: but when I con&s;i|der'd the Curio&s;ity your Grace has for Books, and the particular in|quiries you made of the Country here mention'd, I thought I had a fair occa&s;ion of putting your Name before this, which I hope will give you &s;ome &s;atisfaction: I wi&s;h it were in my Power to cover &s;ome|thing better than this Imperfect Ac|count with your Illu&s;trious Pro|tection, but 'tis the Debtor's cur&s;e to be always in Arrears, and I don't know how to offer your Grace any
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thing that will not want a blu&s;h to hide it: But your Grace is often exercis'd in Acts of Clemency, and 'tis but the habit of your Goodne&s;s to Pardon. The Contemplation of that Vertue gives me un&s;peakable plea&s;ure, therefore with the greater a&s;&s;urance I addre&s;s this Book, and with profound humility remain,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Graces mo&s;t Dutiful Servant, <HI>E. LEWIS.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
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<HEAD>THE PREFACE.</HEAD>
<P>THis Year will be famous in Chronicle for the Death of the two greatest Monarchs in <HI>Europe,</HI> the <HI>Pope,</HI> and the King of <HI>Spain;</HI> and of one who might have been as great as either, the Duke of <HI>Gloce|&s;ter;</HI> who&s;e &s;hort life has been as much lamented, as that of any young Prince who was ever born with a re|lation to the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Throne: But for the fir&s;t that I Nam'd, one wou'd think he had prevail'd with Nature to allow him a few Months longer than his Natural Lea&s;e, on purpo&s;e that he might live to &s;ee the end of the
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Century, and to perform all the &s;a|cred Ceremonies of opening the year of <HI>Grace;</HI> that he him&s;elf might hammer down the Gates of Eternal life, to be &s;ent up to Heaven on the Wings of a Million <HI>Jubilee</HI> indulgences of his own granting: The good Old Man is now with the Conclave of the Fa|thers, &s;hut up in the limbo of ever|la&s;ting darkne&s;s, and bound up with the re&s;t of that gang to be try'd at the la&s;t day, as well as we. The other liv'd till he had lo&s;t all hopes of an Heir, and when he found he cou'd rai&s;e no po&s;terity to take his mantle from him, he left it to be &s;crambled for by them that can catch it, ju&s;t in &s;uch a di&s;tracted manner, as a better Man did once before him, that is, to him that be&s;t de&s;erves it; and 'tis more than I expect if this late Mo|narch of <HI>Spain</HI> has not by his Will laid a Foundation for a War of as Me|nacing
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con&s;equences, as that <HI>Macedo|nian</HI> did, when he bequeath'd the World to him who had the longe&s;t Sword, and the be&s;t Army. This Saint of a King is now laid down in the regions of Night, and his Death has left all <HI>Europe</HI> as much in the dark, as he him&s;elf now lies in the Royal <HI>Pantheon.</HI> The amazement that the World now &s;tands in, is, be|cau&s;e he has Nam'd the Duke of <HI>An|jou</HI> his &s;ucce&s;&s;or, who in all probabi|lity will be inve&s;ted with that Empire, and for ought I &s;ee, there's no oppo&s;i|tion made again&s;t him.</P>
<P>I hope our Politicians who are of another Opinion will not be offended with me for &s;aying &s;o, e&s;pecially when they &s;hall hear that I am, as much as they can be, again&s;t the Crown of <HI>Spains</HI> falling into the Hou&s;e of <HI>Bour|bon;</HI> But &s;ince there's &s;o little &s;tir among tho&s;e Powers who are mo&s;t
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concern'd again&s;t it, I can't fore&s;ee what interruption the young King can meet with.</P>
<P>I wi&s;h with all my heart the Em|peror and the Princes of <HI>Europe</HI> wou'd look about 'em before it be too late, before the Scepter is put into his hands, and the Court of <HI>Madrid</HI> &s;worn to their allegiance; for when once that is done, and the Duke upon the Throne, taking upon him the Name of the <HI>Catholick King,</HI> and the Admini&s;tration of Publick Affairs, and making him&s;elf e&s;teem'd by his People, by Acts of bounty and in&s;inu|ating Declarations, it will be a har|der matter than we imagine to di&s;|po&s;&s;e&s;s him of it. There is not upon Earth a People more tenacious of what they have once re&s;olv'd than the <HI>Spaniards</HI> are, nor fonder in all the ob&s;ervations of their Duty to their Kings, whether Dead or Alive: And
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if they can be per&s;waded to think well of the pre&s;ent e&s;tabli&s;hment, I know their Nature to be &s;uch, that they'll &s;tand by him to the lo&s;s of all that they are worth: And &s;ince this Book is &s;o far concern'd in the De&s;cription of that Country and People, it will be expected that &s;omething &s;hou'd be &s;aid of the pre&s;ent po&s;ture of affairs, tho whatever can be &s;aid mu&s;t be purely but matter of Opinion, and a blind conjecture of what may, or may not happen.</P>
<P>And here it falls into our way to inquire whether the greate&s;t part of the Nobility and Populace of that Kingdom, are pleas'd to have upon their Throne a Son of that Family, that for many Ages has been in Arms again&s;t 'em, always the rivals of their fame, and the invaders of their Pro|vinces: One wou'd think it &s;trange if they &s;hou'd, for &s;everal rea&s;ons; Fir&s;t,
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becau&s;e of that invincible antipathy in their Natures; Secondly, becau&s;e he comes upon a wrong Foundation, he having renounc'd all right and ti|tle; and his breach of that vow de|noting him faithle&s;s and never to be tru&s;ted; not to mention the affront put upon the memory of their great Mini|&s;ter <HI>De Haro,</HI> by making &s;uch a je&s;t of that &s;olemn League. Thirdly, be|cau&s;e in all their Hi&s;tories they have no Example of a <HI>French</HI> King, who was King of <HI>Spain;</HI> it being the in|tere&s;t of their own State, as well as that of their Neighbours, to keep <HI>France</HI> on the out&s;ide of their Fronti|ers: With many &s;uch rea&s;ons as might be produc'd: But to An&s;wer <HI>E Contrario;</HI> we know that the <HI>Arch-Duke</HI> was pitcht upon for Succe&s;&s;or &s;ome con&s;iderable time before the Kings Death, and that the Succe&s;&s;ion of the Crown was &s;o intirely inve&s;ted in
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him, that there was no manner of Pro|vi&s;ion made for the <HI>French</HI> Line: Of this &s;ettlement the Court was well &s;a|tisfy'd, and there was no other intere&s;t made in Publick, nor any Heir talk'd of but He who was already Nam'd: Thus it continu'd a long time before the King dy'd, and might have done &s;o &s;till, but for a zealous hot-headed Church Man, who by being &s;o near the Kings Con&s;cience had opportunities of Cajoling him which way he wou'd.</P>
<P>This Cardinal being by &s;ome means or other brought into the <HI>French</HI> faction, whi&s;pers the King with the injury that wou'd be done to <HI>France,</HI> if the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion was given away from her, and that there was no right (not|with&s;tanding the treaty of Saint <HI>John de Luz</HI>) but what was ab&s;olutely in the Children of that Marriage: The Pious King more afraid of doing a thing that hazarded the Health of his
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Soul, than con&s;enting to a project that might undo all the Countries round him, li&s;ten'd to the Cardinal and gave him hopes of &s;ucceeding.</P>
<P>While this was depending at <HI>Ma|drid,</HI> mea&s;ures were concerted el&s;e|where for the &s;afety of the re&s;t of <HI>Eu|rope,</HI> by preventing the Crown of <HI>Spain</HI> from falling into any one Mo|narchy, whether that of <HI>Germany</HI> or <HI>France.</HI> The Watchful Guardian of <HI>England,</HI> was at the head of that pro|ject, and the States of <HI>Holland</HI> being every way guided by &s;o good a Pilot, follow'd him into it; Then having agreed upon terms according to the mo&s;t rea&s;onable way of &s;ecuring the Peace of <HI>Europe,</HI> they propos'd tho&s;e terms to <HI>France</HI> and to the <HI>Emperor: France,</HI> doubtful of his &s;ucce&s;s at <HI>Ma|drid,</HI> con&s;ented to what was offer'd him, and &s;eeing no probability of get|ting all, he was glad to be content
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with a part: The <HI>Emperor</HI> on the contrary, well a&s;&s;ur'd of his right, and not doubting but his Son wou'd be de|clar'd Succe&s;&s;or, refu&s;ed to ingage in that partition, which was the di&s;mem|bring of an Empire one day actually to be his; and in this a&s;&s;urance he &s;tood out to the la&s;t.</P>
<P>But now comes the great turn, the unexpected Cata&s;trophe of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Policy. The <HI>Cardinal Arch-Bi&s;hop</HI> engages for the <HI>French,</HI> and being of great credit in the Court and with the Credulous King, he forms a Confederacy to help him to turn the &s;tream into that Channel; and in the very moment of Death, when the King was given up to contemplations of another Life, and was willing to forget every thing that might bring back his mind to earth again, this <HI>Spiritual tempter</HI> came in with a Will of his own making, and told the King plainly, that he wou'd not &s;end him to Heaven, till he had revok'd his
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fir&s;t Will, and Sign'd that: The good King now upon the Verge of Life, con&s;ents to any thing, rather than not be ab&s;olv'd; and &s;o to relea&s;e him&s;elf, he has bound us all to more terrible circum&s;tances than tho&s;e he was to in|dure in <HI>Purgatory.</HI> The Will was then &s;ign'd for the Duke of <HI>Anjou,</HI> and when he had done that, the <HI>Car|dinal</HI> told him he might die when he wou'd; So he &s;hut his eyes, and de|parted.</P>
<P>Now I wou'd fain know what this Gigantick <HI>Will</HI> is that looks &s;o big, and Bullies the Empire of <HI>Germany</HI> out of her Right and Title: Is there force enough in &s;uch a piece of Writ|ing to put by the Heir from his po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion? Can the Arch-Bi&s;hop of <HI>Toledo</HI> make a King of <HI>Spain</HI> in defiance of Leagues and Inheritance? by his Of|fice he inve&s;ts the King with the <HI>Re|galia,</HI> but what is that to the making of a King? Or is the Crown of <HI>Spain</HI> &s;o precarious, that the King him&s;elf
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can give it away at his plea&s;ure to the right or the wrong, as he thinks fit? I don't remember any Hi&s;tory of a Suc|ce&s;&s;ive Monarchy that can produce an Example like it. Queen <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> a little before her Death was very much pre&s;t to Name her Heir, not that &s;he cou'd make him an Heir that was not &s;o already, but becau&s;e there were &s;e|veral pretenders that made their claims, and this was an expedient to prevent animo&s;ities and parties among the People: Accordingly the King of <HI>Scots</HI> was declar'd the immediate Suc|ce&s;&s;or, who afterwards came in, and all <HI>England</HI> were happy in him. This was another matter: Here was no in|vading the rights of others, here was no beque&s;t made of the Crown, nor a Legacy that cou'd not be countenanc'd by Ju&s;tice and the con&s;ent of all the Laws: The King of <HI>Scotland</HI> was the invincible rightful Heir, and there has not been a Sovereign on the Throne of <HI>England</HI> of a fairer Title, and not
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many of &s;o fair, &s;o that this Example gives this circum&s;tance no advantage; for tho' this <HI>Will</HI> had been con&s;idered, made and &s;ign'd in the time of the King's Health, 'tis beyond all contro|ver&s;y, that it cou'd do the D. of <HI>Anjou</HI> no Service, when he has no other Title to &s;upport him.</P>
<P>But there has been &s;o much &s;aid of this by others, that I &s;hall mention it no more, and I &s;hall &s;ay as little as I can of any thing that I have read el&s;ewhere, tho' it is hard on &s;uch a Subject to e&s;cape the &s;ame Arguments which have been u&s;ed before.</P>
<P>It concerns us now to reflect on the E&s;tabli&s;hment of the Succe&s;&s;ion, as it &s;tands at this time, and to &s;ee what remedy we have left us to help our &s;elves, if there be occa&s;ion: We are all &s;en&s;ible it wou'd be a dreadful thing to &s;ee the Scepters of <HI>F.</HI> and <HI>S.</HI> &V;nited into one Hand, and if &s;o, why not into one Family? Have the An|ce&s;tors of this pre&s;ent <HI>French</HI> King
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been more faithful in keeping their Leagues than he? I believe not, and I remember formerly to have &s;een a Book, Call'd <HI>An Account of the Con|traventions of France;</HI> that made out, that all the Leagues and Allian|ces wha&s;oever made with <HI>F.</HI> have been to all Intents and Purpo&s;es broke, when &s;he had opportunities of better|ing her &s;elf; and that it was a Max|im there (as all particular Countries have particular Maxims) to make their <HI>Covenants</HI> with &s;uch re&s;ervati|ons to them&s;elves, as to be at Liberty to evade 'em, when they cou'd get more by &s;uch a breach, than the terms of the <HI>League</HI> came to: And if their Ance&s;tors have been &s;o perfidious, why may not their Po&s;terity? For my part, I expect nothing but univer&s;al War in <HI>Europe,</HI> even in our Days, to &s;et up an <HI>Univer&s;al Monarchy;</HI> and 'tis plain, we all have rea&s;on to appre|hend it, &s;eeing the ballance of power now ab&s;olutely broke; but whatever
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becomes of us in the beginning of this Century, 'tis certain there will be mo&s;t fatal Changes before the end of it: Perhaps he who now &s;its upon the <HI>French</HI> Throne, may not live to do the World much more mi&s;chief than he has already done, yet he who &s;hall &s;ucceed him, may follow his Example, in his perfidy and contempt of Treaties, and as he &s;ees opportunity, work by ea&s;y degrees the intire inheritance of <HI>Spain,</HI> into their own line, never to be interrupted.</P>
<P>But why may not this alteration be made in our Days? Whoever con|&s;iders the weakne&s;s, the Effeminacy and Dejection of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> at this time, will think it no hard mat|ter. They who have read the Story of the Erection of the <HI>Roman</HI> Em|pire out of the <HI>Roman</HI> Commonwealth, have found, that tho' that was a Republick, &s;upported by the brave&s;t Spirits in the World, Compos'd of a People rigorou&s;ly fond of their Li|berties,
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and had la&s;ted in that form for <HI>6</HI> or <HI>700</HI> Years, with an in|vincible abhorrence of all Kingly Government; yet 'twas all too little for <HI>Cae&s;ar,</HI> who by one Step after an|other brought it out of that form, and rais'd it into a Monarchy, and when he had done that, he made it hereditary to his own Family.</P>
<P>The De&s;ign was very great, but nothing was too great for <HI>Cae&s;ar;</HI> he had a powerful Army to back him, and an Exchequer to di&s;tribute to tho&s;e he found nece&s;&s;ary to his De|&s;ign.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>F.</HI> will have to do with a People already Degenerated to the lowe&s;t pitch of Infamy, and while he has &s;o good an Army with|out, and &s;o much Mony to give away within Doors, What may he not do when he &s;ets about it? And that the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Nobility will be Corrupted, is no hard matter to make out: El&s;e why &s;uch Zeal and Ob&s;tinacy for a
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Prince &s;o far out of the way, as the D. of <HI>Anjou</HI> was? Why &s;uch an im|po&s;ition upon the ea&s;y <HI>King,</HI> as the forcing a Will upon him, which he refus'd to Sign till he was threaten'd with Damnation? Why &s;uch impa|tience for the bringing the Young King to <HI>Madrid?</HI> Why &s;uch ful&s;om Hyperboles as <HI>De los Rios</HI> at <HI>Paris</HI> every Morning Salutes his New Ma|&s;ter with? Why &s;uch Large&s;&s;es to be &s;catter'd among the People? Not to mention any more, 'tis apparent that all the mea&s;ures they take tend direct|ly to create a Title, and not demand it: And indeed his Policy in this is very <HI>Machiavilian,</HI> for he knows the Title is a Foundation, upon which it were ridiculous to depend, and therefore what he wants in that, he'll make out in O&s;tentation and Ca|re&s;&s;es: Then, when the Scepter is &s;et|tled as he wou'd have it, and the Genius of <HI>Spain,</HI> made conformable to that of <HI>France,</HI> then 'twill be too late
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too look out; then, in good earne&s;t (as the <HI>Spa|ni&s;h</HI> Emba&s;&s;ador &s;aid in a Compliment) <HI>The Py|ranees will be melted down, and the Bar|riers between the two Kingdoms utterly ta|ken away.</HI> And this carries me to con&s;ider the only Objection of Force which can be admitted; namely, That the D. of <HI>Anjou</HI> will enter into the Cu&s;tome and Manners of <HI>Spain,</HI> Rule all to|gether by their Politicks, and forget that he was Born a <HI>Bourbon.</HI> But however probable this may &s;eem, let us not deceive our &s;elves; 'tis a dangerous Trial, and not to be tru&s;ted in the Hands of one de&s;cended from a Race of Kings, notorious for their Apo&s;tacy from all the bonds of Honour and Alliances.</P>
<P>'Tis ill Policy to tru&s;t a Pirate with our Mar|chandize, who has &s;o often plunder'd us already; or not to make a Metaphor of &s;o literal a Truth, it will be a Melancholy Reflection, to think, that all the Commerce of the World &s;hall be at the plea&s;ure of two con&s;enting Monarchs, the Grand-Father and the Grand-Child.</P>
<P>Here I &s;hall be interrupted&mdash;But what harm can that cau&s;e us, if the D. of <HI>Anjou</HI> &s;tands up for an intere&s;t of his own, and renounces the Ties of Blood to depend enteirly upon him&s;elf?</P>
<P>Suppo&s;e he does &s;o, which, for Arguments &s;ake we'll grant: But when he Dies, and it is again in the power of <HI>France</HI> to give a King to <HI>Spain,</HI> Why may it not be que&s;tion'd, whether he who then &s;its upon the <HI>French</HI> Throne, won't as &s;oon make him&s;elf King of <HI>Spain,</HI> as make the D. of <HI>Berry</HI> &s;o,
<PB REF="15">
con&s;idering the right was fir&s;t in him, or in the Elder Blood? To me it does not at all &s;eem un|rea&s;onable: for now it cou'd not be done, becau&s;e there is a Force in <HI>Europe</HI> to awe him, as long as the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>Dutch</HI> &s;tand together: But that &s;uch a thing may happen hearafter is more than probable; for by that time there may be changes in other Governments; <HI>England</HI> may want &s;uch a King as &s;he now has: <HI>Holland</HI> may want &s;uch a <HI>Stateholder</HI> to head her Army, and an <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> King to &V;nite the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and Dutch powers, and make 'em act together: By the&s;e means the two Nations, mo&s;t able to keep up the <HI>Ballance,</HI> may come to be divided between them|&s;elves, and who &s;hall then oppo&s;e what violence may be offer'd to make <HI>F.</HI> and <HI>S.</HI> one? Nor is this a triffling Suppo&s;ition. When the Lords and Commons of <HI>Denmark</HI> fell out among 'em&s;elves about Prerogatives, the King took advantage of their quarrels, and while they were rivalling each other, he &s;tept over 'em both, and made him&s;elf Ab&s;olute, and his Government inde|pendent of 'em, which el&s;e he never cou'd ha' done. The parallel is good in t'other: For when the two Ballancing Nations come (as they oft have done) to cla&s;h one with another, What Enemies will be able to confine <HI>France? Ger|many</HI> will not then be a Match for her; the <HI>Emperor</HI> has no Naval Force to contend for the Sea: The <HI>Northern</HI> Crowns have little to do with it: <HI>Italy</HI> can do nothing, 'twill be more than &s;he can do to &s;ave her &s;elf, and in
<PB REF="15">
this perplexity, what can be expected but ab&s;o|lute uncontroulable Dominion, not to be con|fin'd? And let not the di&s;tance of the&s;e Events make us negligent now; they may be certain, tho' they are remote; and the Children of the next Generation may have rea&s;on to Cur&s;e us for &s;uffering a <HI>Prince,</HI> whom we had &s;o much Rea&s;on to mi&s;tru&s;t, to get into his Hands and the Management of a <HI>Crown</HI> that ought never to be annext to that of <HI>France.</HI></P>
<P>To what extremity was <HI>Europe</HI> reduc'd by <HI>Charles</HI> the 5th. till <HI>Francis</HI> the fir&s;t &s;topt him! 'Twas well there was a <HI>Prince</HI> then in being, who had Strength and Courage to check his great Suc|ce&s;&s;es, and to keep down his &s;welling Empire from &s;uch a prodigious impo&s;tumation. Till then he had met with nothing that oppos'd him, or he Conquer'd all that did: And 'tis pa&s;t di&s;pute, that he wou'd ha' made him&s;elf univer&s;al Emperor, if he had not been interrupted by this Rival King: There he found his good Fortune to fail him; there the God of War, that had given him &s;o many Victories, held up the Standard of his Enemy, again&s;t him, and overthrew that Favourites he had &s;o long e&s;pous'd; &s;o that, from that time; to his abdication of the <HI>Imper<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ial</HI> Diadem, he found every thing go backward with him; and le&s;t he &s;hou'd live to &s;ee him&s;elf &s;tript of all that he had got, he withdrew from the World, before the glory of his Arms was quite departed from him, and in a humour, left the Empire to his Son, who lo&s;t it fa&s;t enough.</P>
<P><PB REF="16">But if we turn to the compari&s;on upon <HI>France,</HI> the Event will not be the &s;ame: for if <HI>France</HI> be &s;o formidable of her &s;elf, what will &s;he be, when the Sea Ports of the Bay of <HI>Bi&s;cay,</HI> the <HI>Atlantick,</HI> and the <HI>Mediterranean;</HI> when the Mines of <HI>A|merica,</HI> and the riche&s;t I&s;lands of the World, &s;hall be added to her? Nor can the <HI>Emperor</HI> do much to hinder him. The <HI>Turk</HI> is ready to di|vert him, whenever <HI>France</HI> has a mind to put 'em by the Ears; <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Holland</HI> may be en|gag'd in Emulations of their own; and if the&s;e &s;hall not be at lei&s;ure to oppo&s;e him, where is that Power in <HI>Europe,</HI> that can Face him in the Field, much le&s;s upon the Ocean? I hope this needs no proving; every one can Prophe&s;y the Mi&s;ery of &s;uch a Reign, if ever it comes to pa&s;s. Nor can it be &s;uppos'd, that when a King of <HI>France</HI> is got to &s;uch a height of Power, he will de&s;cend from it, as <HI>Charles</HI> did; for as long as the Po&s;terity of this Hou&s;e will be in being (and that may be to the end of the World, for they are a numerous I&s;&s;ue) ther's too much Ambition in their Natures to give away their Lawrel while they are able to to keep it.</P>
<P>But perhaps this may never happen; perhaps, as we &s;aid before, the D. of <HI>Anjou</HI> will prove more a <HI>Spaniard</HI> than a <HI>French Man:</HI> Well, be it &s;o; I wi&s;h it may: But will not the King, whether it be his <HI>Grand Father,</HI> or his <HI>Father,</HI> re&s;ent &s;uch a Defection? Mo&s;t certainly they will, and if in his New Government he acts any
<PB REF="16">
thing in contrariety to the intere&s;t of that where|in he was Born, How ea&s;y will it be to &s;et up the Elder Brother again&s;t him, e&s;pecialy &s;ince Renun|ciations go for nothing, and &s;o take him down from that precarious Throne, which he holds but by their Favour.</P>
<P>Or on the other hand, &s;uppo&s;e the D. becomes a good <HI>Spaniard.</HI> The time may come when He or his Heirs may have a right to the Succe&s;&s;ion of <HI>France:</HI> Can it then be thought, that he who is in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of &s;o wealthy, &s;o va&s;t an Empire, will &s;urrender it to another, becau&s;e the <HI>Will</HI> has &s;o ordain'd it? 'Tis ab&s;urd to think it; and he'll be &s;o far from quitting &s;uch a glo|rious So'vrain<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ty, that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> them&s;elves will help him to recover his Right, and be proud of the occa&s;ion of aggrandizing them&s;elves, by having the reputation of giving their <HI>Monarch</HI> another Empire.</P>
<P>This Article mu&s;t be ea&s;yly granted, for the D. has left a Declaration behind him to &s;ecure his turn in the Succe&s;&s;ion of <HI>France,</HI> as one of his Ance&s;tors did before him, who was made King of <HI>Poland:</HI> The Story is eminent in the <HI>French</HI> Chronicle, which &s;aies, That when <HI>Henry</HI> the Third was elected King of <HI>Poland,</HI> he left be|hind him a Specification of his Title; and when the Crown devolved upon him, he &s;tole out of <HI>Poland,</HI> and came to <HI>France</HI> to claim it, which was allowed him, and he was thereupon King of <HI>France.</HI></P>
<P><PB REF="17">Be how it will, as near as we can gue&s;s at the uncertain dependances of futurity, the re&s;ult of this pre&s;ent E&s;tabli&s;hment, mu&s;t be unhappy one time or other: And by how much the longer the D. of <HI>A.</HI> is in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, &s;o much the greater will be, either his Power, or the Power of <HI>France,</HI> according as he acts, either for his <HI>own,</HI> or the intere&s;t of the other.</P>
<P>What then is to be done? There the wi&s;e&s;t Po|liticians are at a lo&s;s: Our cautious King fell upon the only Method to prevent the Calamities we are to dread: And he had &s;o far E&s;tabli&s;ht t, that if he had to do with a Man of any Faith or Honour, we had been &s;ecure by tho&s;e Mea|&s;ures he had form'd. But as the King of <HI>France</HI> has broke thro' all ties of Treaties and Leagues, there is nothing hereafter to be tru&s;ted to his Word, and <HI>that</HI> being forfeited, we mu&s;t of ne|ce&s;&s;ity be always in Arms to watch him.</P>
<P>I wou'd be far from advi&s;ing the People of <HI>England</HI> to a War, who are but lately come out of one, which co&s;t 'em &s;o much: But &s;urely there is &s;omething to be con&s;ider'd for our own &s;ecurity, if <HI>France</HI> be now intriguing for an &V;nion of the two <HI>Crowns.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;s, 'tis more the <HI>Em|peror</HI>'s bu&s;ine&s;s than ours to call him to Ac|count, for he is po&s;itively affronted by having the <HI>Arch Duke</HI> Po&s;t pon'd of his Right; but let it be his never &s;o much, 'tis ours &s;o far as to oppo&s;e the conjunction of <HI>F.</HI> and <HI>S.</HI> with all our Vigour; that's undeniable.</P>
<P><PB REF="17">But be&s;ides that, What can the <HI>Emperor</HI> do of him&s;elf? His Country is &s;o unhappily &s;cituated, that nothing can be like it: For <HI>Spain</HI> is not on|ly a great way from him, but <HI>France</HI> interpo&s;es &s;o directly between 'em, that it is impo&s;&s;ible to come at any part of <HI>Spain,</HI> but thro <HI>F.</HI> And one wou'd think, that as Nature has contriv'd the <HI>Pyrenees</HI> to keep <HI>Spain</HI> out of the power of <HI>France,</HI> &s;o &s;he had, giv'n to the <HI>French</HI> the power of keep|ing out every Body el&s;e: By this unfortunate &s;ci|tuation, it will be hard for the <HI>Emperor</HI> to do much in <HI>Spain,</HI> or, indeed in <HI>Italy,,</HI> unle&s;s he can out-bid the K. of <HI>F.</HI> for marching of his Men thro' the <HI>Gri&s;ons.</HI></P>
<P>But to make amends for this Mi&s;fortune, the <HI>Emperor</HI> has an Army not inferior to that of <HI>France;</HI> &s;ome of his Veteranes being the be&s;t and elde&s;t &s;tanding Force in <HI>Europe;</HI> and if he had Ships to Tran&s;port 'em thro' our Channel, and a good Fleet to &s;econd him, he might bid fair for the Bay of <HI>Bi&s;cay,</HI> and the <HI>Straits.</HI></P>
<P>But this will be practicable at no time, but at this very juncture: For if the Young <HI>King,</HI> who is going to his Throne, has lei&s;ure to ingratiate him&s;elf with his People, and to buy up the Con|currence and Hearts of the <HI>Nobility;</HI> his <HI>Grand-Father,</HI> who has been u&s;ed to that &s;ort of Traf|fick, can put him in away how to do it, and help him to Mony into the bargin. To prevent this, it ought to be the con&s;ideration of all <HI>Europe,</HI> e&s;pecially the <HI>Emperors</HI> Duty, and the <HI>Princes</HI> of
<PB REF="18">
<HI>Italy,</HI> and next Ours, and <HI>Hollands</HI> to look about us.</P>
<P>That there &s;hou'd be always a &s;trong Fleet at Sea, every way &s;uperior to the <HI>French,</HI> is ab&s;o|lutely nece&s;&s;ary; and that to be under the con|duct of the Renowned <HI>Orford,</HI> &s;o &s;ucce&s;sful in our own Channel, and &s;o belov'd in <HI>Spain:</HI> If this be not done, and by &s;uch a neglect, we give <HI>France</HI> the opportunity of Triumphing every where over us, How di&s;mal will it be, to have the&s;e things i&s;&s;ue in an &V;nion of the&s;e two <HI>Mo|narchies</HI> and to &s;o forma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ble a Power as <HI>France</HI> already has; to &s;ee a Dominion of Thirty Eight Thou&s;and Miles in circumference in all parts of the Globe Allied, if not added to it.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="18">
<HEAD>AN ACCOUNT OF SPAIN, In &s;everal Letters.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>LETTER I.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Dear <HI>Brunet.</HI></SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>NOthing cou'd give me greater &s;atisfaction than the Com|mands you honour'd me with at parting: My own curio|&s;ity agrees &s;o well with yours, that I find double plea&s;ure in obeying you; for while I am contriving to gratifie your De&s;ires, I am indulging my own. And when I write to the generous <HI>Brunet,</HI> I do't with the greater complacency in my &s;elf, becau&s;e I know I am to &s;tand before a Judge, who will not too &s;everely cen&s;ure my imperfections: I re|main indebted to your Clemency, for &s;everal favours which are yet unac|knowledg'd; and I con&s;ider that I am running into a new Score before the
<PB N="2" REF="19">
old be paid off, like a Bankrupt who has nothing to afford for his Di&s;abili|ty, but Thanks and Gratitude: How|ever I'll venture a little further on your good Nature, and with the &s;ame a&s;&s;urance that I rely'd upon't in our former Corre&s;pondences, I begin my Narration.</P>
<P>When I left St. <HI>Maloes,</HI> I embark't on a Dani&s;h Ship that was bound for <HI>England:</HI> The Port where we Anchor'd was the &s;ame where the Royal Ar|mado of that Country then Rode. It fell out very opportunely for my De|&s;ign, that I &s;hould come there at that juncture; for the Day after our ar|rival, there was an order for all the Squadrons to Sail, and immediately the Signal was made by halling home the foretop-Sail Sheets. As &s;oon as I came a &s;hore I &s;hifted my Cloaths, and ha|ving furni&s;hed my &s;elf with the habit which their Sailors wore, I chang'd the form of my dre&s;s, and disguis'd my &s;elf as like one of them as I cou'd: You may remember that I had been Ma&s;ter of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Tongue a great while, for I had formerly been in <HI>Lon|don,</HI> where I re&s;ided four Years, and had in that time acquir'd &s;o much of
<PB N="3" REF="19">
it, that I cou'd expre&s;s my &s;elf per|fectly in whatever I had occa&s;ion to &s;ay: This was of great u&s;e to me af|terwards; and even at fir&s;t I might have met with &s;ome difficulty if I had given them any jealou&s;y of my com|ing &s;o lately out of <HI>France,</HI> by being de&s;titute of it. But I was now provi|ded again&s;t all &s;u&s;picion; for feigning my &s;elf a <HI>Hugonot,</HI> (which is a &s;ufficient pa&s;s for a <HI>French</HI> Man among the&s;e credulous People) I got admittance in|to company of &s;ome of the Seamen; and having ea&s;ily per&s;uaded them, that I had been a &s;ufferer for my Reli|gion, and that I fled from the rage of the Per&s;ecution, they become fond of me to &s;uch a degree that it had almo&s;t prov'd a quarrel among the &s;everal Competitors who courted me to &s;hip my &s;elf among them, which of them &s;hould enjoy my company. The&s;e &s;ort of People are &s;tubborn and quarrel&s;ome, apt for all manner of mi&s;|chief, turbulent and hard to be &s;ub|du'd, and highly jealous of their af|fronted Honour, for they have a no|tion of &s;omething which they take to to be a point of Honour, which a|mounts to no more than this, That
<PB N="4" REF="20">
every one thinks him&s;elf a better Man than his fellow. The di&s;pute which they had about me was of this kind, every Man courted me to him&s;elf, and each oppos'd the other.</P>
<P>I who was not yet well enough ac|quainted with the nature of the&s;e fierce I&s;landers, was at a lo&s;s how to behave my &s;elf among them on this nice occa&s;ion: I &s;aw plainly if I &s;hou'd determine in favour, or in pre|judice of any of their Per&s;ons, by &s;eeming to prefer one to another, Civil Wars wou'd have en&s;u'd. But after &s;ome con&s;ideration, I believ'd the only way wou'd be to let them know that I had already re&s;olv'd how to di&s;po&s;e of my &s;elf, to give them every one thanks for their kindne&s;s, and to unite all their differences by concluding in favour of none of them, but to a&s;&s;ure them, that I had long ago intended to &s;hip my &s;elf upon the Ad|miral (of which I had heard great Fame) and was then come to enter my &s;elf Aboard. The Speech which I made to to this purpo&s;e had like to have un|done me; for I forgot to change my &s;tile, and they began to find out that I did not talk like a Sailor. This
<PB N="5" REF="20">
bred a Mutiny, and I was going to have a Council of War call'd upon me, when an Officer pa&s;&s;ing our Room, heard the noi&s;e and came in, De|manding the cau&s;e of this uproar, e|very one &s;tood up and wou'd under|take to tell him the Adventure; then from one end of the Room to to'ther there was &s;uch a general din, that I verily thought I had been in one of <HI>Quevedo</HI>'s Vi&s;ions, and that I &s;aw the Devils going again to macerate the poor damn'd Traitor <HI>Judas.</HI> The pre|&s;ence of the Officer put at la&s;t an end to their Fury, and away they march't.</P>
<P>This Gentleman was a Lieutenant, of the very Ship I look't for, who inquiring whence and what I was, I gave him the &s;ame account I had done to my Companions, only adding, that I had formerly liv'd in a better Capa|city, but was now reduc'd to circum|&s;tances of great nece&s;&s;ity; and having &s;ome in&s;ight into Navigation, I cou'd not di&s;po&s;e of my &s;elf better than in|to the &s;ervice of a Prince, who had fill'd all the World with the Fame of his Arms.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="21">The Gentleman might perceive by the manner in which I &s;poke, that I had not always been &s;o wretched as I now &s;eem'd to be, for I did it on purpo&s;e to prevail with him for good quarter, and he very civilly a&s;&s;ur'd me, he wou'd di&s;tingui&s;h me from the re&s;t of the Crew. Then he took me with him, and appointed me conveniences better than I cou'd in rea&s;on expect.</P>
<P>One might think, that he who had &s;een the lofty Navy of <HI>France,</HI> could not be much tran&s;ported with what he &s;aw in any other Country; But I can't forbear acquainting my Dear Friend with what amazement I beheld this glorious Show. Never was the Bo&s;om of the Sea in&s;ulted by &s;uch a Fleet, never was &s;o Magnificent a Pomp. Oh <HI>Brunet!</HI> 'Tis inconceiva|ble and above de&s;cription: Let it &s;uf|fice that all the Kingdoms of the Uni|ver&s;e come infinitely &s;hort of <HI>England</HI> for the Strength, Number and Beauty of their Shipping. 'Tis true, our pre|&s;ent glorious Monarch has done won|ders that way, but tru&s;t me Friend, 'tis all but Pageantry to this.</P>
<P><PB N="7" REF="21">Soon after my Embarkment, I gave my &s;elf up to con&s;ider of every thing I &s;aw round me: To &s;peak of all that pleas'd me, wou'd run me into &s;uch confu&s;ion, that I &s;hou'd not clear my &s;elf a great while. I beheld every where matter of &s;ufficient contempla|tion; but that which &s;truck me with mo&s;t wonder, was the &s;uprizing <HI>Brit|tania,</HI> the Ship wherein I entred my &s;elf, and the Capital of the whole Na|vy. To de&s;cribe this noble Structure, wou'd be a Task of immen&s;e difficulty; In all the fabrications I had &s;een, I never met with any thing came near her. I know what Opinion you at home have of your own Power, but be a&s;|&s;ur'd from one who was well ac|quainted with the Naval Force of <HI>France,</HI> That &s;he bears no propor|tion to this, neither in Number, Fa|brick, Ornament, nor Di&s;cipline, tho' I confe&s;s, it may be &s;aid with &s;ome ju&s;tice, That the <HI>Ri&s;ing Sun</HI> (which was once the glory of the Gallick Fleet) had many excellencies to make Her remarkable; but when She &s;tands in compari&s;on with the <HI>Bratannia,</HI> it may be &s;aid the Kite is compar'd to the Eagle: Not that I want Ceremony for
<PB N="8" REF="22">
my own Country; but that my O|pinion in this, and every other par|ticular may be impartial, I &s;hall all a|long &s;peak my mind as if I had no intere&s;t in the one &s;ide or the other.</P>
<P>The Signal for Sailing being made, one might behold in this Ship a Thou|&s;and Hands at work in an in&s;tant; &s;uch a multitude loaded her Decks, that her &s;trong Floors groan'd with the op|pre&s;&s;ing Weight, and &s;eem'd to bend beneath it: There appeared in every Face &s;uch an alacrity, and in their Hands &s;uch readine&s;s, that I cou'd not chu&s;e but be delighted with it.</P>
<P>Our Anchors being up, we made Sail, &s;tretching over to the Coa&s;t of <HI>France,</HI> and &s;tanding towards <HI>Bre&s;t.</HI> Here it was that I began to feel &s;ome reluctance for what I had undertaken, for I found there was a de&s;ign of at|tempting &s;omething again&s;t that Har|bour; and it griev'd me to the Soul, that I &s;hou'd be con&s;train'd to take up arms again&s;t my native Country. I had not been long in this apprehen|&s;ion, ere I perceiv'd the Squadrons to part &s;everal ways: That wherein I was, and two more &s;tood back again to Sea, and the remainder &s;tay'd behind
<PB N="9" REF="22">
and ply'd upon the Coa&s;t. This re|liev'd me from my Fears of Fighting again&s;t my Country, but I was not a little mortify'd, that the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>Dutch</HI> &s;hou'd thus Lord it in the Channel, and drive us under the Pro|tection of our Harbours. It was now rumour'd that their De&s;ign was again&s;t <HI>Bre&s;t,</HI> both by the Cour&s;e they Steer'd, and by the great preparation which was made for a De&s;cent; They on the other Side had early Intelligence of the De&s;ign, and were &s;o well prepar'd to receive 'em, that when the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> land|ed, expecting little or no Oppo&s;ition, they &s;oon &s;aw their fatal Mi&s;take, and that they had now be&s;ides all the Ca&s;tles and Forts, a huge Army to Encounter. This was the mo&s;t deplorable Enter|pri&s;e that ever the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> undertook, and it was almo&s;t a pity to &s;ee &s;o many mi&s;erable Souls run headlong to their De&s;truction, which they them&s;elves now ea&s;ily &s;aw, but had not power to avoid. This memorable Exploit is known by the Name of <HI>Cameret-Bay-Fight,</HI> and will be Famous to all Po&s;te|rity for the bloody Execution, and for the Death of the mo&s;t Renowned Gene|ral <HI>Talma&s;h,</HI> who was one of the fir&s;t
<PB N="10" REF="23">
who fell. Our Squadrons, which now made up a Fleet of about 40 <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> and 20 <HI>Dutch,</HI> be&s;ides &s;mall Frigats not in the Line of Battel, Fire&s;hips, Store|&s;hips and Tenders, chang'd their Cour&s;e as &s;oon as they were out of Sight, and &s;tood out for the Main, and we all jump'd right in our Opinions that we were going to the Straits.</P>
<P>At this time our <HI>Toulon</HI> Fleet had been Bombarding the Coa&s;ts of <HI>Spain</HI> in the <HI>Meditteranean. Malaga</HI> and <HI>Ali|cant</HI> and &s;ome other Places had already felt the fury of their Bombs, and <HI>Bar|celona</HI> was to be the la&s;t Scene of their Ho&s;tility; and by the way I can't chu&s;e but admire the wonderful Intelligence our Ma&s;ter keeps in the&s;e Foreign Courts; for he had long known of this intended Voyage, and not caring to hazard his weaker Fleet again&s;t the be&s;t of his Enemies, he &s;ent Orders to his Admiral before <HI>Barcelona</HI> to di&s;lodge. And what is very remarkable, the <HI>French</HI> withdrew from thence the very &s;ame Day the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> hoi&s;t'd Sail in the Channel: 'Twas a Ma&s;terpiece of Care &s;o &s;oon to fore&s;ee this Storm, and to prevent it; for had they &s;urpriz'd them
<PB N="11" REF="23">
at Sea, the Con&s;equences might have been fatal.</P>
<P>Our Voyage (I &s;peak of the <HI>Eng|li&s;h</HI>) went pro&s;perou&s;ly on, without encountring any extraordinary Adven|ture: Some Prizes the Crui&s;ers brought in, but I think our Country-men made &s;ufficient Reprizals on 'em in all parts of the World. In twenty Days, or thereabouts, we came within &s;ight of <HI>Cales,</HI> and there another Squadron, com|manded by a Rear-Admiral, join'd us: This la&s;t Squadron was the remainder of that commanded by Sir <HI>Francis Whee|ler,</HI> who was Drown'd at the back of <HI>Gibralter,</HI> by that terrible <HI>Levant</HI> which ca&s;t away His and Thirteen other Ships, and da&s;ht 'em into Pieces: This Gen|tleman was of great Reputation for his Skill and Courage; but I don't know what can be &s;aid for the Fir&s;t, after &s;o notorious a Mi&s;take as he made of the Land; for at the clo&s;e of the Evening he perfectly &s;aw the Shoar, but he mi|&s;took his Marks, and thought he had been to Leeward of the Hill, when he was to Windward; and that co&s;t him his Life, and the lo&s;s of many good Ships, both Men of War and Mer|chants.</P>
<P><PB N="12" REF="24">We were now 70 Men of War in the Line of Battle compleat, be&s;ides innu|merable other Ve&s;&s;els of inferior Or|der, which made in all a glorious Ap|pearance.</P>
<P>The <HI>Spaniards</HI> were alarm'd at this &s;tupendious Navy, becau&s;e they had never, in their Opinions, &s;een any thing much better than their own.</P>
<P>We had not been long crui&s;ing off the I&s;land, e're the <HI>Spaniards</HI> got ready what little force they had, which con|&s;i&s;ted in all but of Ten Ships of War and Two Fire Ships: With the&s;e they joyn'd us, and a great many Com|plements we receiv'd from their Guns, which our General An&s;wer'd.</P>
<P>Of the&s;e Ten there were but Three or Four that were fit for Company, the re&s;t were &s;uch Ho&s;pitals that they were a &s;candal to the Navy: And though they had been Five Years in fitting out the&s;e, and boa&s;ted to the World what a power they would bring; yet after Six days &s;ail, mo&s;t of 'em were di&s;abled, and they could hardly crawl under their Crutches up to <HI>Barcelona:</HI> However, at their Return, they fail'd not to give out, that it was for fear of them that the <HI>French</HI> ran away,
<PB N="13" REF="24">
and the ignorant People, who have a high Conceit of their own power, believ'd all that was &s;aid. 'Tis a ridi|culous Story to tell, how they were ex|alted with this Summers Expedition, they verily thought the whole Na|vy of <HI>France</HI> was not able to Encoun|ter their Ten Ships; and though they came home Cripl'd and Maim'd, becau&s;e indeed they went out &s;o, yet nothing could undeceive 'em, but that it was the bare appearance of their Ten Ships that &s;et the Enemy a running, and &s;cour'd the Sea. When we came up to <HI>Barcelona,</HI> we found the Rode clear, and no Marks of an Enemy but what they left with their Mortars. We Anchor'd, and it was &s;ome &s;atisfaction to us to &s;ee that we were now in a part of <HI>Spain,</HI> that cou'd acknowledge the benefit they receiv'd by us, and that we were welcom'd a-&s;hore as the Friends and Protectors of <HI>Catalonia.</HI></P>
<P>There being nothing to be done here, we &s;tay'd a-while to water and divert our &s;elves, and then prepar'd for our Return; and by the way we put in at <HI>Alicant,</HI> to &s;ee what deva|&s;tation the <HI>French</HI> had made, and per|haps every one but I was mortify'd
<PB N="14" REF="25">
at the &s;ight. <HI>Malaga</HI> fared not much better; but becau&s;e I intend not this as a Journal, I &s;hall make ha&s;te to <HI>Cales,</HI> which was appointed for our Winter Quarters, and &s;ay nothing of <HI>Barcelona,</HI> and the other places we touch'd at, till next Voyage.</P>
<P>After &s;ome time of Abode and Con|ver&s;ation, the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> grew more familiar: Our General and the Governor had interviews of Ceremo|ny, and every thing tended to a good Under&s;tanding. Our Ships were laid up, and every man began to be idle.</P>
<P>In this Interval of Ea&s;e, when all the world was at quiet, and War &s;et a&s;ide till the Return of the Spring, plea&s;ure was all the &s;tudy of the Fleet: Every Captain had now his Hou&s;e and his Mi&s;tre&s;s a-&s;hore, e|very Seaman Surfeited with good Wine and fre&s;h Provi&s;ion, and his &s;hort Allowance-money bought him a <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Whore and a Clap: Above all, our Noble General liv'd in great Royalty at his Hou&s;e, which a Don be&s;tow'd on him for his u&s;e and di|ver&s;ion, as long as he &s;tay'd: He kept a plentiful Table, and began al|ready to amaze the thrifty <HI>Spaniards</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="25">
with that Exce&s;s and Profu&s;ion which every day appear'd on the board. But when the Fourth of <HI>November</HI> was drawing near, which is the Birth-day of the King of <HI>England,</HI> there was &s;uch an Entertainment talkt of, as hardly was outdone by any of the Gluttonous Emperors, who are Chro|nicled for their Luxury. I &s;hall pre|&s;ume &s;o much on your inclination as to be a little particular in this de&s;crip|tion; for it made &s;o great a noi&s;e all over the World, that you mu&s;t needs hear on't, but perhaps not know any thing of it, but as you had it in gro&s;s.</P>
<P>On this great Holiday the General intended to Entertain all the <HI>Engli&s;h, Dutch,</HI> and <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Officers with a Din|ner and a Bowl of Punch, to Celebrate the Birth of his Ma&s;ter, and to keep up that Amity that was between them|&s;elves: It was already rumour'd as an extraordinary thing; and believing there might be &s;omething in't worth my Curio&s;ity, I crowded in to &s;ee it, and I can a&s;&s;ure you I was &s;o &s;trict an ob&s;erver of all that pa&s;t, that no|thing e&s;cap'd me, nor &s;hall I relate any
<PB N="16" REF="26">
thing but what I really &s;aw with my own Eyes.</P>
<P>The Fea&s;t was in every re&s;pect be|yond what I cou'd imagine; and if I had not been a Witne&s;s to every &s;ingu|lar tran&s;action, you might perhaps doubt the truth of what I am going to tell you.</P>
<P>There were Four Tables &s;pread in all: At the Fir&s;t &s;ate the Gene|ral, the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> General, and Vice-Admiral: The <HI>Dutch</HI> Admirals, and Two or Three men of Quality be|&s;ides; At another Table in the &s;ame Room &s;ate all the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Merchants of the Neighbouring Towns; At the Third which was without, were all the chief <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Officers to the number of a Hundred or thereabouts, and in the adjoyning Room the inferior Officers. I never beheld greater plenty at any Fea&s;t I had &s;een at <HI>Paris,</HI> nor &s;ent in better order: There was &s;uch variety of every thing that was in &s;ea&s;on, that one might have &s;aid, the Lakes had been drain'd of their Fi&s;h, the Air had been &s;tript of its Fowls, and the Fields of their Cattel; That the Vines had been unloaded for Wine, and all the Gardens in the Province plunder'd for Fruit: The vaine&s;t Epi|cure
<PB N="17" REF="26">
cou'd hardly ha' nam'd that thing that was wanting; and in &s;hort, I ne|ver &s;aw a more beautiful Confu&s;ion: Every Element had &s;ome &s;hare in't, and I can &s;ay nothing greater of it, than that it was a Banquet fit for the gene|rous Giver, and the augu&s;t Occa&s;ion it Commemorated. When Dinner was over, the General ro&s;e, and all the Com|pany after him, and the Scene was re|mov'd to the Garden. When they came there, they found the Punch rea|dy.</P>
<P>I don't know whether <HI>Brunet</HI> is ac|quainted with this &s;ort of Liquor, but he may gue&s;s, when he has heard what the Ingredients are, what an unpa|latable Drink it mu&s;t be. That which they call'd the Bowl, was a large Fountain in the centre of the Garden, &s;haded with Lemmon Trees, and look|ing into the Four principal Walks that terminated at the end of the Garden; Now you'll &s;ay this &s;eems a little Ro|mantick, but I do a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hall write nothing but what was literally true, at lea&s;t as well as I can remember. There were in this Fountain-Bowl fir&s;t of all a Dozen <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Barrels of Water, amounting to 432 Gallons: Of Brandy
<PB N="18" REF="27">
there was 188 Gallons: Of Sugar 400 weight, of Lemmons, which the Gar|den it &s;elf afforded, about Six Thou|&s;and: A Pound of Nutmegs, and there was order'd a 100 weight of Biskets, but there was none put in. Thus this Giant-bowl was compounded, and they who were Criticks in this Sort of Li|quor, &s;aid they never drunk better in their Lives; for the General had taken great Care to have it well made, and for that end had nam'd three Captains, whom he &s;til'd the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Punch, to &s;ee it duly prepar'd: The Fountain was brim full, and for the Merriment of the Frolick, there was a &s;mall Boat built on purpo&s;e to float about this Lake of Sulphur, with Oars and a Boy to Row, and to Skink to the Company in Silver Pints that lay thick about the brim of the Fountain: Now the Healths went plentifully round; The Princes of the Confederacy were fir&s;t huzzaed in Pint Brimmers, as the Emperor, Kings of <HI>Spain</HI> and <HI>Britain,</HI> then the States of <HI>Holland,</HI> and la&s;t of all the Generals with an univer&s;al Huz|za, which echoed to the Skies. This fearful Noi&s;e put me in Mind of the Ottoman way of Warring, for when
<PB N="19" REF="27">
they begin the Charge, every one Hal|lows as loud as ever he can, and tears his Throat for the &s;hrille&s;t Voice, and then with a general Shout they fall to: Ju&s;t &s;o 'twas here; The Punch was the Enemy they were to ingage, they fell to Work with a mo&s;t outra|geous Dinn, and their Ingagement had &s;o much of a real Battle in't, that &s;eve|ral were Kill'd and Wounded in the A&s;&s;ault. Round the Bowl were &s;eve|ral Tables &s;pread with Hams, Tongues, Pickles, and all &s;orts of dry'd Meats in great variety; and behind 'em, in the Walks, were Con&s;orts of Mu&s;ick, &s;o far from one another that they were ju&s;t heard, and di&s;tingui&s;h'd with|out Confu&s;ion. Now tell me (my Friend) was ever any thing more Mag|nificent? Was ever any thing more Ro|mantick?</P>
<P>This Noble Company (tho' mo&s;t of 'em had more than they cou'd carry off) &s;unk not the Bowl above an Inch, but when they withdrew to let in the Sai|lors to't, there was &s;uch a Torrent of the&s;e Drunken Rogues, that in half an Hours time there was not one Drop left, for with their Hats and Buckets they lav'd it as dry, as an hone&s;t Drun|kard
<PB N="20" REF="28">
does his Gla&s;s when he Drinks to a Supernaculum; and well the Glut|tons might, for they were now thir&s;ty after having fed upon a whole Ox that was roa&s;ted for 'em, which they cut off the Spit, and &s;wallow'd down burn|ing Hot: So ended this &s;umptuous Ban|quet.</P>
<P>The Winter being our long Vaca|tion, I had nothing el&s;e to do but to make my remarks of the Di&s;po&s;ition of the People I was ingaged with. 'Twere a needle&s;s Trouble to tell the well Read <HI>Brunet</HI> what a Temper the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> are of, the Neighbourhood of our Coun|tries has always afforded great Com|merce with 'em, and there is hardly a <HI>French</HI> Man of any Curio&s;ity, but is perfectly acquainted with their Hu|mours. As for the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> there is &s;uch an Antipathy between us and them, that we &s;eldom &s;peak well of 'em, but tho' I were dive&s;ted of all my Country prejudices, yet I cou'd hardly &s;ay any thing to their Advantage, and to tell thee the Truth, I hate 'em hear|tily: But the pre&s;ent bent of my Incli|nation lying another way, I &s;han't &s;pend my Time in giving Characters, but con&s;idering that <HI>Brunet</HI> is at this
<PB N="21" REF="28">
time a Lover, I wou'd fain entertain him with &s;ome amorous Adventure that's more &s;uitable to his Genius: This idle Time furni&s;h'd us with variety of Intrigues, but as I am no good Hi&s;tori|an at &s;uch Novelties, &s;o I wou'd not render your Time heavy t'ye by relat|ing 'em in my own Stile, but I'll make you amends with a Manu&s;cript, which with much difficulty I purcha&s;t of a Traveller who was concern'd in the Ship which was the Scene of the Amour, and which I have tran&s;crib'd and &s;ent inclos'd: But I &s;end it t'ye with &s;uch Caution, that I wou'd have you value the Gift, as you wou'd a fai|ry Trea&s;ure, which (they &s;ay) is dange|rous to reveal. The Author has &s;ha|dow'd his Lovers with imaginary Names, to darken a little &s;o late an Adventure, becau&s;e the Matter of Fact is true, and of &s;o great Importance. The Story runs thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="story">
<PB N="22" REF="29">
<HEAD>THE STORY.</HEAD>
<P>THE Monarchy of <HI>Philippia</HI> had been long govern'd by a Race of warlike Kings, no Chronicle can produce a Series of greater Heroes, nor Actions more a&s;toni&s;hing than what we find in the Hi&s;tories of that Empire: For from the fir&s;t Prince <HI>Pelagius,</HI> who for his great Exploits again&s;t the fir&s;t barbarous Invaders was cho&s;en King, down to the pre&s;ent Soveraign <HI>Catolinus,</HI> there was hardly one who inlarg'd not the Bounds of his Soveraignty, and planted not his Arms in &s;ome far di|&s;tant Region. A Thou&s;and Ages they were reputed the fir&s;t Monarchs of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and their &s;pacious Dominions reach'd from one end of the Globe to the other.</P>
<P>In this Po&s;ture &s;tood the Kingdom, when from an Infant <HI>Catolinus</HI> was &s;a|luted
<PB N="23" REF="29">
King: Never was a People in greater Expectation than of this young Hero: They lookt in him for all the gallant Accompli&s;hments of his Ance|&s;tors, and the Eyes of all the World were bent on him as the Succe&s;&s;or of &s;uch an illu&s;trious Progeny, and as a Prince of wondrous Promi&s;es. There wanted nothing to render his Educati|on compleat, Ma&s;ters of all Sciences were brought from the Academies to give him Di&s;cipline; the Sun &s;hin'd with a double Force upon him, and eve|ry thing con&s;pir'd to animate him with all the Vigour that his Years cou'd bear: The Subjects which he was to Rule, were a People who had been very Famous in the Ages that are pa&s;t, for their Courage and Succe&s;&s;es; but of later Years, &s;ince Religion has u&s;urp'd &s;o much over the Temporal Power, and effeminated their Spirits, they have been in&s;lav'd to the Church, and chang'd beyond all belief from what they were. Yet in the mid&s;t of this depravity they &s;till retain'd &s;ome Notions of Honour, and were now in Hopes of a King that &s;hou'd re&s;tore 'em to their Courage and their Glory: His fir&s;t Minority gave 'em all the
<PB N="24" REF="30">
Incouragement they cou'd wi&s;h for, and they hoped to find him one Day &s;uch as they had form'd him in their Ima|ginations, and for many Years he blo&s;|&s;om'd &s;o beautifully, that they doubt|ed not but he would prove the Sum|mer's Ble&s;&s;ing. Thus every thing flou|ri&s;ht, and there &s;eemed no want, but of a Maturity of Years to ripen the young Monarch, and to make 'em a happy People: But now behold what a turn, what a fatal Di&s;appointment of their exalted Hopes!</P>
<P>The Inhabitants of <HI>Philippia,</HI> are (as was &s;aid) ridiculous Bigots to their Re|ligion: The Patriarch of all the Ea&s;tern Churches has not throughout the ex|tent of his Jurisdiction, a People more devoted to his Intere&s;t, nor more vio|lent Defenders of his U&s;urpation: This is the Rea&s;on that this Country &s;warms with an ignorant and &s;uper&s;titious Clergy, Zealous of the Intere&s;t of the Church, and ab&s;olute in their Power: The Laity &s;tands in profound Awe of their Frowns, and when any Affair of Importance is to be controverted, where|in there may be a Party made for the advantage of the Church, they ride up|on
<PB N="25" REF="30">
the humility of the People, and get all things into their Government.</P>
<P>'Twas thus with this infatuated Na|tion, when the tender <HI>Catolinus</HI> arriv'd to Years that made him fit for their Management, and the Patriarch know|ing what benefit it wou'd be to him if this Young King was betimes made his Creature, prevail'd by his in&s;inuating Mini&s;ters that he might be put into the hands of the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticks, and Educated with a fond Affection to the Church, and a prejudice to all Secular Affairs. They pro&s;pered &s;o well in their de&s;ign, that even in his Pupillage he became a pa&s;|&s;ionate Lover of his Religion, and &s;eem'd already to be wrapt up in it to &s;uch a degree, that he took no notice of tho&s;e Exerci&s;es which were fitter for his Youth, but gave him&s;elf wholly up to Amu&s;ement and Meditation. This unmanly weakne&s;s was the cau&s;e that afterwards he cou'd reli&s;h nothing of the Duty of &s;o great a Monarch; but having neglected to accompli&s;h him&s;elf as a Prince, in&s;tead of becoming a Sol|dier as his Ance&s;tors had been, he de|generated into a &s;tupidity of Godline&s;s, and Reign'd more like a Prie&s;t than a King.</P>
<P><PB N="26" REF="31">'Twas a melancholy Reflection to &s;ee &s;uch a military People now dimi|ni&s;ht into the mo&s;t &s;ordid &s;lothful Wretches that ever liv'd: Arms were now forgot, their ru&s;ty Swords lay idle, their Garri&s;ons were unregarded, and their neglected Shipping, which for many Ages had been the wonder of all their Neighbours, now became their di&s;grace. The King's Example cor|rupted all the Youth, he became a Bi|got to the Church, and they became Bigots to him, not that they cou'd commend his Genius, but it indulg'd their idlene&s;s, and unmann'd their Souls: Never was &s;o hideous a &s;ight of Corruption and Apo&s;tacy, their Friends pity'd 'em, their Enemies derided 'em, and the di&s;tant parts of the World could hardly believe it. Near Thirty years he held the Scepter without doing any Action fit for &s;o &s;ublime a Monarch, he &s;aw him&s;elf invaded on all &s;ides, whole Provinces were &s;natch'd from his Crown; and he who had no di&s;po&s;ition for War, &s;aw all with little or no oppo&s;i|tion, and &s;ate down at la&s;t contented with the lo&s;s. At length his mi&s;erable Subjects became &s;en&s;ible of their Shame; and as they found it too late to hope
<PB N="27" REF="31">
for redre&s;s from the pre&s;ent King, they concerted means to furni&s;h the Kingdom with an Heir who might in time redeem their pro&s;tituted Honour, and awake 'em from their inglorious Lethargy. In order to this, it was advi&s;ed that the King &s;hou'd marry, his Councellors lookt around the World for a Lady fit for &s;o high a Dignity; and at la&s;t, they ca&s;t their Eyes on a Daughter to one of the Chief Princes that Compo&s;e the great Body of the Fir&s;t Empire of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> the Celebrated beautiful <HI>Nuberia</HI> now ap|pointed the tutelar Godde&s;s of this pe|ri&s;hing Empire.</P>
<P>This charming Prince&s;s was the Idol of the Country where &s;he liv'd, a Lady of &s;uch excelling Beauty, and &s;uch uncom|mon accompli&s;hments of mind, that 'tis hard to &s;ay, whether her Virtue or her Beauty was mo&s;t admirable: Fame had long ago filled the Univer&s;e with the Acclamation of her Perfections, and Princes from the remote&s;t parts of the Earth langui&s;h'd for her. Every &s;ighing Lover, when he wou'd &s;ay any thing extraordinary of his Divine Mi&s;tre&s;s, cou'd &s;ay nothing finer of her, than by comparing her to the Prince&s;s <HI>Nuberia;</HI> for in that all the glory of the Sex was
<PB N="28" REF="32">
determin'd, and there cou'd be nothing more &s;aid than what they copy'd from her. Soon as they had concluded on this illu&s;trious Lady, Emba&s;&s;adors were &s;ent to her Father's Court to treat of a Marriage. But tho' the incurious <HI>Cato|linus</HI> had given his con&s;ent to this Em|ba&s;&s;y; yet he found in him&s;elf but lit|tle inclination to the Alliance, having intoxicated his Brain with other mat|ters, and made him&s;elf utterly in&s;en&s;i|ble of Gallantry, or the &s;ofter Impre&s;&s;i|ons of Love: The Emba&s;&s;adors being di&s;patcht, came in few days to the Court where &s;he re&s;ided; The grateful <HI>Ar&s;aces</HI> her Father read their Me&s;&s;age with great Acknowledgments of the ho|nour; and though he had already matcht his other Daughters to the be&s;t Monar|chies in <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> yet he e&s;teem'd this the greate&s;t honour he had receiv'd, and no wonder then he &s;how'd his readine&s;s to con&s;ent to the propo&s;al.</P>
<P>The di&s;con&s;olate <HI>Nuberia</HI> had quite another opinion of this Match; &s;he had heard no advantageous Character of <HI>Catolinus;</HI> and the fir&s;t emotions &s;he felt at the propo&s;al, were re&s;entment and reluctancy. But 'twas in vain to contend with her Father's Authority;
<PB N="29" REF="32">
Ambition was his God, tho' Love was hers: At length his frequent &s;ollicit|ings made her de&s;cend to't whether &s;he wou'd or no; and &s;he who had never di&s;obey'd him, at la&s;t con&s;ented. The Emba&s;&s;adors return'd with their Com|mi&s;&s;ions pro&s;perou&s;ly di&s;charg'd; and the next thing to be con&s;ider'd was her Tran&s;portation to <HI>Philippia.</HI></P>
<P>It happen'd at this time that the Crown of <HI>Philippia</HI> was in Confederacy with the King of the famous I&s;land <HI>Neptunia,</HI> again&s;t the common Enemy the Tyrant of <HI>A&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>This King of <HI>Neptunia</HI> had above all his Ance&s;tors in that Monarchy &s;o great a Force every Summer at Sea, that he was lookt upon as the entire &s;upport of the War; and by being him&s;elf pre&s;ent with the Ally'd Armies in the Field, he had acquir'd immortal Renown by his great Conduct and Gallantry. And on the Ocean he triumph'd &s;o &s;ecurely, that &s;ince the fatal Defeat which he gave the Tyrants Ships even upon their own Coa&s;t, the Dominion of the O|riental Seas became entirely his. <HI>Cato|linus</HI> having the opportunity of &s;o good a Friend, and being ill provided of Shipping him&s;elf, bethought him&s;elf of &s;ending to his Emba&s;&s;ador who al|ways
<PB N="30" REF="33">
re&s;ides at that Court, to beg that a Squadron of Men of War might be detatcht out of &s;o numerous a Fleet, and &s;ent on this important Errand. This being immediately granted, it was or|der'd, that his Chief General <HI>Saladine,</HI> famous for a Thou&s;and glories, &s;hou'd Sail with the Capital Squadron to the Imperial Shore, and wait for her Arrival.</P>
<P>This General, whom we &s;hall de&s;|cribe becau&s;e of his importance in this Story, was a Gentleman of one of the fir&s;t Hou&s;es in the Kingdom of <HI>Nep|tunia;</HI> his Ance&s;tors had been for ma|ny Ages famous in the Records of that Country; and though he him&s;elf was but a younger Branch of that illu&s;trious Stock, yet at this time his Family boa&s;t|ed of one of the be&s;t E&s;tates, and the be&s;t Titles in the Land, and even he him&s;elf enjoy'd an honourable Report, and a Spacious Fortune, be&s;ides what he held by his Noble Employments, and was all along one of the leading Subjects of the Nation: He had been Educated with all the advantages the Court cou'd give him; and be&s;ides tho&s;e outward Accompli&s;hments, he was of a graceful per&s;on, and exceeding &s;uavity of Manners. When he received his In|&s;tructions,
<PB N="31" REF="33">
he made what ha&s;te he cou'd to get ready, and with much celerity he furni&s;h'd him&s;elf with all things fitting &s;o high a tru&s;t. As he was a man of great Addre&s;s, he &s;par'd for nothing that was proper for the Entertainment of &s;o Royal a Gue&s;t, and his liberality was on this occa&s;ion &s;o particular, that he put him&s;elf and all his Retinue in|to magnificent Garbs, and loaded his Ship with profu&s;ion of all manner of Nece&s;&s;a|ries, and adorn'd the Royal Apartment with all the beauty he cou'd purcha&s;e for it, in&s;omuch that after her Embark|ing, it may be admitted a Que&s;tion if ever the Prince&s;s had been more mag|nificently regal'd in her Father's, or any of the Courts of the Empire, tho' all the Trea&s;ures of the Province were laid upon the Board.</P>
<P>'Twas in this manner the gallant <HI>Sa|ladine</HI> waited for the coming of the Ce|lebrated Dame, and after &s;ome few days expectation, the Bruit of her approach gave him notice to prepare, and he now began to &s;et all things in order for her Reception. In few Hours after he heard the Guns from the Shoar, proclaim'd her Entrance into the Port Town, and he an&s;wer'd 'em with his and all the
<PB N="32" REF="34">
Ordnance of his Squadron: When &s;he fir&s;t beheld the <HI>Neptunian</HI> Fleet, tho' at a di&s;tance, &s;he felt in her &s;elf all the Con|vul&s;ions of joy and terror: The fir&s;t aro&s;e from the plea&s;ure &s;he had in be|holding &s;uch a noble preparation for her, and the latter from the reluctance &s;he had to this unwelcome Voyage: But the Ceremonies of the place not giving her lei&s;ure to reflect on any thing, &s;he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity render her &s;elf to the Civilities of tho&s;e Princes and other great Per&s;onages who came to pay her their Gratulations. When the Ceremo|nials were over, and &s;he no longer re|&s;train'd, &s;he withdrew to her Clo&s;et, to over-rule as much as &s;he cou'd her Sor|rows, and to be at liberty to fortify her &s;elf again&s;t the approaching Fate: But in vain was all her Philo&s;ophy; for tho' &s;he had an entire re&s;ignation to the Will of her Father in every thing, yet in this Circum&s;tance &s;he cou'd not chu&s;e but condemn him for di&s;po&s;ing of her without her own Approbation: Night drew on, and &s;he retir'd to her Repo&s;e, having fir&s;t &s;ent to <HI>Saladine,</HI> that the next Morning &s;he wou'd come Aboard.</P>
<P><PB N="33" REF="34">When the Morning came, the Shore was crowded with infinite Numbers of People who pre&s;t to &s;ee Her. The Cannon again founded her Triumph, and the Clamours of the Amaz'd Spe|ctators return'd it to the Skies. The Nobles who attended Her were now di&s;mi&s;t; and they who were part|ing with Her, wholly re&s;ign'd her to the care of the happier <HI>Saladine.</HI> 'Twas vi&s;ible in every Eye the grief they had to part with Her, but mo&s;t of all in Her own, when She con&s;idered She was to take Her everla&s;ting leave of Her own Country, in exchange for another. She cou'd not think of without Tears: She bid 'em all adieu with exceeding re|gret; and having turn'd her Eyes to the Fleet, &s;he gave her &s;elf up to her expected de&s;tiny. The ha&s;ty Oars car|ry'd her off, and the la&s;t &s;ight &s;he took of the Shore, drew &s;ome &s;ighs which She had not &s;trength to &s;tifle.</P>
<P>At length She came Aboard, and the Sumptuous <HI>Saladine</HI> receiv'd her at the &s;ide. But good Gods! the A&s;toni&s;hment he was in when he beheld the immortal Charmer! The Tongues of Angels tun'd to Cele&s;tial Mu&s;ick cannot utter his &s;ur|prize; He thought he had receiv'd
<PB N="34" REF="35">
&s;omething immortal, and he was with|in a thought of pro&s;trating him&s;elf at her Feet, to &s;how how much he was inchanted: 'Tis inexpre&s;&s;ible his Won|der and Amaze; for tho' at another time he cou'd ha' plaid the Orator, now Exce&s;&s;ive Splendor &s;truck him dumb. He gaz'd at the fair Divinity, as if he had never beheld any Human Crea|ture before; and notwith&s;tanding all his good breeding, he was &s;truck into &s;ilence and &s;tupidity; ju&s;t as a Travel|ler who unawares is &s;urpriz'd with &s;ome &s;uperb Building, who&s;e marvellous Fa|brick of a &s;udden &s;trikes him with in|conceivable Tran&s;ports. At length he tries to &s;peak, but the power was wanting; for the Organs of his Voice were bound up in Rapture, and he remain'd like a Statue &s;tiff and void of Motion. His Mind was agitated with a thou&s;and dif|ferent Labours; and in his Brea&s;t he already felt a Fire which &s;corcht him to the Heart: His Eyes were fixt not to be remov'd, his Countenance chang'd with the Angui&s;h of his Pa&s;&s;ion, and he trembled as if an Earthquake had &s;hook the Foundations of the World. At la&s;t he bur&s;t out&mdash;Ye Gods! what can this be? Why do I gaze on this Ce|le&s;tial
<PB N="35" REF="35" MS="y">
Creature, to whom 'tis even Sa|crilege to &s;peak? He &s;topt and gave his Sen&s;es leave to renew their Contempla|tion. Still his Amazement continu'd; and tho' the Credit of his Character lay at &s;take for &s;o profound &s;tupidity, yet he was &s;o lo&s;t in wild Confu&s;ion, that 'twas in vain to endeavour re|covery.</P>
<P>The quick&s;ighted Prince&s;s &s;aw all his di&s;order, and cou'd not chu&s;e but a&s;cribe it to &s;ome extraordinary Cau&s;e, his hand&s;om appearance &s;poke him no Clown, and &s;he believ'd perhaps on ano|ther occa&s;ion he cou'd ha' carry'd him&s;elf another manner, yet far from divining the true rea&s;on, &s;he con&s;ider'd him as a man under &s;ome di&s;&s;atisfaction, and gave her &s;elf no Curio&s;ity to examine it further.</P>
<P>The&s;e were the fir&s;t Impre&s;&s;ions they had of each other, he was Thunder|&s;truck with the Figure of &s;o excellent a Creature, and &s;he was pleas'd to have &s;o Renowned a General to accompany her in her Voyage.</P>
<P>Upon her Embarking all the Ordnance was thrice di&s;charg'd, Vollies of welcome were &s;houted by the Seamen, and no|thing
<PB N="36" REF="36">
was omitted to expre&s;s the Triumph of the day.</P>
<P>The beautiful <HI>Nuberia</HI> had among other Ladies, one whom &s;he admitted into all her Affairs. This Lady &s;he cho&s;e for her Bedfellow, and for the Partner of her &s;ecrets: To her &s;he be|gan now to reveal her di&s;plea&s;ure of this Marriage; and tho' &s;he had not en|gag'd her Heart in any Pa&s;&s;ion el&s;e|where; yet &s;he found in her inclinati|ons no promptne&s;s to the Alliance. She fail'd not to tell her, that the Tem|per of the <HI>Philippian</HI> Monarch wou'd by no means &s;uit with hers, that &s;he had heard how his Government had run him into di&s;credit with his own People, and that he was too much a Saint to be a good Lover.</P>
<P>The indulgent Maid agreed with her in what &s;he &s;aid, and humour'd her Melancholy with more than an affected pity; for &s;he really lamented her con|dition: The ingenious <HI>Fidelia</HI> had been brought up with her Mi&s;tre&s;s in her Fa|ther's Court. In their Infancy they had been Companions, and from time to time as they grew up together, their Plea|&s;ures and their Exerci&s;es had been al|ways the &s;ame, and nothing happen'd
<PB N="37" REF="36">
to one, but the other &s;har'd in the &s;a|tisfaction or di&s;tre&s;s: 'Twas thus that by a long Tryal of her Virtue the Cau|tious Prince&s;s knew the value of her Friend, and &s;he never had than now more need of her Con&s;olation. And be|ing &s;o well a&s;&s;ur'd of her integrity, &s;he unbo&s;om'd her &s;elf of all tho&s;e op|pre&s;&s;ions which &s;he labour'd with.</P>
<P>By this time the amaz'd <HI>Saladine</HI> be|gan to recover, he now ruminates on what he had &s;een, and the manner of his behaviour: He remembred he had been too remi&s;s in the Ceremony with which he ought to have receiv'd &s;o il|lu&s;trious a Pa&s;&s;enger, and torments him|&s;elf with the apprehen&s;ion of having given her an ill Opinion of his Car|riage, he was afraid his ill behaviour wou'd be interpreted to proceed from want of Addre&s;s, or what was Ten thou|&s;and times wor&s;e, from want of re&s;pect, and the dread of &s;uch an impre&s;&s;ion gave him un&s;peakable trouble. In this di&s;traction he cou'd hardly contain from running into the Cabbin, and pro&s;tra|ting him&s;elf at her Feet: But that ex|travagance left him when he con&s;ider'd he &s;hou'd have opportunities &s;ufficient to clear him&s;elf of that imputation:
<PB N="38" REF="37">
And immediately while it was un&s;ea&s;on|able to pay any further Civilities to the Prince&s;s, he call'd together his Captains and other Officers of his Ship, and gave 'em &s;trictly in charge to treat with mo&s;t profound re&s;pect all &s;uch of her Coun|try who had the honour of attending her. This piece of Gallantry was pre|&s;ently reported to <HI>Nuberia,</HI> and &s;he &s;eem'd extremely pleas'd to find her &s;elf mi&s;taken in the Conduct of a man who knew how to regard her, and one that took &s;uch early care to make him&s;elf obliging.</P>
<P>After &s;he had been Aboard a while, and contemplated the Magnificence of the Provi&s;ion that was made for her, &s;he was highly delighted with it, and con|fe&s;t that upon another occa&s;ion &s;he cou'd ha' been well contented with &s;uch an Abode; &s;o &s;howing &s;ome inclinati|on to walk upon the Deck for a pro&s;|pect of the <HI>Neptunian</HI> Fleet, &s;he had no &s;ooner &s;aid it, but the News was car|ry'd to <HI>Saladine,</HI> who ha&s;ten'd to the Cabbin-Door to receive her: She did not expect him there, but &s;he was not unplea&s;antly &s;urpriz'd to &s;ee him &s;o ob&s;equious, and to find him a little more complai&s;ant than he had been at
<PB N="39" REF="37">
her entrance: She then gave him her Hand, and walkt forwards with him: The confounded General trembled with the unexpected honour, he now felt her tender delicate Hand, and the joy which he conceiv'd at it threw him a|gain into a Lethargy of Silence and Confu&s;ion. Ye Heavens (he mutter'd to him&s;elf) what can this be? Whither will ye hurry the undone defencele&s;s <HI>Saladine?</HI> If this I feel be love, fir&s;t &s;trike me dead, rather than let me fear a Fire which mu&s;t con&s;ume me to no|thing: How can a Wretch like I look up to &s;o much brightne&s;s! 'tis In&s;olence, 'tis Arrogance, 'tis Bla&s;phemy to &s;peak to her: Oh Charming Excellence! with that he &s;unk his Eyes down to the Deck, and dur&s;t not rai&s;e 'em up for fear of meeting hers.</P>
<P>The penetrating Prince&s;s, &s;pite of all his Caution, &s;aw his glances; but what|ever effect they had upon her, &s;he &s;how'd neither plea&s;ure nor re&s;entment; but pa&s;&s;ing on as if &s;he had not minded him, &s;he &s;uffered him to lead her to the Balli&s;ters, and there &s;he &s;topt: She thought &s;he had now given him an op|portunity of &s;aying &s;omething to her of the delightful pro&s;pect they had; but
<PB N="40" REF="38">
&s;he was quite out of her Aim; for even now again the poor &s;ufferer had no Language for her, but that of his Eyes. This gave her extreme impatience, and &s;he cou'd not conjecture the cau&s;e of his continu'd re&s;erv'dne&s;s; but being no longer able to hide her Curio&s;ity, &s;he began the Conver&s;ation by asking him if that were the whole Navy of <HI>Nep|tunia.</HI> Her Voice awak't him; but not being &s;o much at lei&s;ure to him&s;elf to con&s;ider what &s;he &s;aid, he An&s;wer'd her in broken Accents very far from the purpo&s;e; this increa&s;t her Wonder and his Confu&s;ion; and for an Hour toge|ther, he cou'd not recover from his Amazement. Never was the lo&s;t <HI>Sala|dine</HI> in &s;uch a Labyrinth of Mi&s;ery, he &s;aw him&s;elf entring into a Pa&s;&s;ion which might prove fatal to him, and he now began to lo&s;e all hopes of arming a|gain&s;t it: Every &s;ight he had of her gave him le&s;s and le&s;s a&s;&s;urance of his Recovery, and &s;till plung'd him deeper. The cautious Prince&s;s was in &s;ome con|fu&s;ion as well as he, to &s;ee him thus; not that &s;he altogether believ'd &s;he had any intere&s;t in his di&s;order; but 'tis very likely &s;he wi&s;ht the happy <HI>Saladine</HI> &s;o well, that &s;he cou'd &s;uffer with him in all his Ad|ver&s;ities:
<PB N="41" REF="38">
She began to condole and pi|ty him, and tho' &s;he found no violent Inclination to Love him as yet, yet &s;he conceiv'd for him &s;uch an ardent Friend|&s;hip as was not many degrees from it. She believ'd &s;he might without an In|jury to her high Quality con&s;ider him as her Friend, and not making any further Reflections on the State of her pre&s;ent Di&s;po&s;ition, &s;he gave her Heart leave to act as it wou'd.</P>
<P>'Tis indeed to be allow'd, that bating that Melancholy which had overca&s;t him, The gallant <HI>Saladine</HI> wanted no Ornament to recommend him, his Per|&s;on was exceeding Graceful, his Meen and Air had &s;omething of uncommon agreablene&s;s, and be&s;ides the advantage of his Per&s;on, he had a happy Genius in his Dre&s;s, which never fail'd of &s;erving him to good purpo&s;e. <HI>Nuberia</HI> was a good Judge of the&s;e Things, &s;he had been always us'd to the be&s;t of both Sexs, and that in a Country ve|ry much addicted to &s;how and Gallan|try; &s;o that when &s;he beheld our Ge|neral attentively, &s;he per&s;waded her &s;elf &s;he had never &s;een any thing that pleas'd her better. After &s;ome &s;tay, and a little Conver&s;ation, &s;he again gave
<PB N="42" REF="39">
him her Hand to lead her back, and having waited on her to the Cabbin Door, he made her a profound Reve|rence, and withdrew. When &s;he en|tred the Cabbin, &s;he found the Table covered with a magnificent Banquet prepar'd for her; She was pleas'd with the Surpri&s;e, and cou'd no longer think but her General knew in what man|ner to entertain her, and thinking it no breach of Order to de&s;ire his Compa|ny, &s;he &s;ent to him, and beg'd that he wou'd favour her with it. The well Bred <HI>Saladine</HI> wou'd have excus'd his &s;itting in her Pre&s;ence, and de&s;ir'd no greater Honour than to wait at her Chair, but no Excu&s;e wou'd be re|ceiv'd, &s;he was re&s;olved to di&s;pen&s;e with all Ceremonies, and by beginning a more intimate Acquaintance to try if &s;he cou'd find out the Cau&s;e of his Perplexity; &s;eeing it better became him to obey, than to refu&s;e a Civility from one &s;o much above him, he took a little more a&s;&s;urance, and plac'd him&s;elf at the lower end of the Table. Soon as the Meal began the Mu&s;ick &s;truck up, and now every Sence was delighted; She had every Thing that was agreable to her Ta&s;t, her Sight and her Ears, and
<PB N="43" REF="39">
&s;he &s;eem'd at this time to be &s;o pre&s;ent to her natural good Humour, that for a long while &s;he forgot her Afflictions, and gave her &s;elf up to Ea&s;e and Plea|&s;ure.</P>
<P>There is not on Earth any Thing that &s;oftens the Soul &s;o much as Mu|&s;ick, it mu&s;t be a &s;tubborn inflexible Na|ture that can't be alarm'd at it, not &s;uch as that of the generous <HI>Saladine,</HI> who was &s;trangely mov'd with the ex|citing Sounds, his Heart was toucht with the piercing Echo, and now langui&s;hing upon the Strings, grew &s;o very Amorous, that his exta&s;y carry'd him almo&s;t beyond the Apprehen&s;ion of his Sufferings: He cou'd not forbear Wi&s;hing it might have the &s;ame influ|ence on the Divine <HI>Nuberia,</HI> and he cou'd not wi&s;h for any thing more hap|pily, for the tender Prince&s;s had a &s;en|&s;ible Brea&s;t, and being exceeding|ly pleas'd with the &s;plendor of her En|tertainment, &s;he found in her &s;elf an Inclination not much to his Di&s;advan|tage: She cou'd ha' been &s;atisfy'd to have had her intended Bridegroom ju&s;t &s;uch a Man as <HI>Saladine,</HI> and the more &s;he con&s;ider'd him, the more &s;he la|mented her Misfortune that &s;he was to
<PB N="44" REF="40">
be &s;uddenly depriv'd of him, to be thrown into the Arms of one, for whom &s;he had an unconquerable Prejudice. In this adver&s;ity of Thought, &s;he re|garded him with more Addre&s;s, and as her Indulgence increa&s;t, &s;o did his Flame. His Faculties now regain'd their wonted Vigour, his A&s;&s;iduities were doubled, and every thing he did and &s;aid tended to her good liking. In a little time &s;he grew more familiar, and he more a&s;&s;ur'd; their Conver|&s;ation was now grown unre&s;erv'd, and di&s;tances were laid a&s;ide: She began to con&s;ider him with &s;omething more than indifference, and he gaz'd on her as he wou'd devour her with his Eyes. 'Twas then the accompli&s;ht General began to di&s;play him&s;elf, he was no longer aw'd with Maje&s;ty, nor fetter'd with the Terror of Offending her: His Di&s;cour&s;e was free and eloquent, and to whatever he utter'd, her Ears were open and attentive. Sometimes his &s;tollen Glances met her Eyes, and &s;ometime he was re&s;olv'd to declare he knew not what, but as yet his Courage was not &s;ufficient when he con&s;ider'd what he was going to do, but &s;tifling his Temerity he forbore to be &s;o pre|&s;umptuous.
<PB N="45" REF="40">
He knew very well the danger of the De&s;ign, and while he was in Temper to Reflect, he trembled for his Arrogance. She on her part be|hav'd her &s;elf with much Conde&s;cen|tion, but not &s;o far as to incourage his Hopes, and when he con&s;ider'd the Happine&s;s he had already receiv'd, he &s;aw he had good rea&s;on to be content|ed with his Condition,</P>
<P>The Time being come that it was &s;ea&s;onable to depart, he remembred that it was not decent to take too much advantage of the Honour &s;he did him, and making a hand&s;ome Complement to that purpo&s;e, he left her with her belov'd <HI>Fidelia,</HI> well pleas'd with what had pa&s;t.</P>
<P>The Apartment where this charming Prince&s;s lay was directly under that where <HI>Saladine</HI> took up his Lodgings, The Roof that parted them was but thin, &s;o that it was not difficult for the wakeful Lover to hear what Di&s;cour&s;e pa&s;t between her faithful Confident and her. His Pains kept his Eyes from Slumber, and he had not long laid down, ere he heard his lovely Pa&s;&s;en|ger addre&s;s her &s;elf to <HI>Fidelia</HI> in the&s;e Terms. Oh my <HI>Fidelia!</HI> Whither has
<PB N="46" REF="41">
my Father's Ambition hurry'd me? Why mu&s;t I be made the Sacrifice of his Glory, by becoming the Wife of one for whom I can have no Inclina|tion? Is there in a Crown any thing can make me happy? No my <HI>Fidelia,</HI> 'tis worth no more than the Riches that a|dorn it, and I de&s;pi&s;e it as a Trifle not worth my Heart: Why am I then in|&s;lav'd to Greatne&s;s without the liber|ty of choo&s;ing for my &s;elf? Oh un|happy State of Women Born for &s;uch Alliances! Were this <HI>Philippian</HI> Mo|narch Generous, he wou'd relea&s;e me from my Fears, and not betray me to a Marriage in which I have not con&s;ult|ed my Eyes. Why mu&s;t I Marry whe|ther I Love or no? Am I not a Woman, Born with Pa&s;&s;ions like other Women? Have I not a Heart to give, and can I not Love? Oh Yes, my dear <HI>Fidelia!</HI> I have all the tenderne&s;s of my Sex, my Bo&s;om is &s;oft and gentle, my Heart is flexible and relenting, and I have a force of Na|ture in me, which tells me, without be|ing Beloved, I never can be Happy.</P>
<P>The pitying confident heard her Mi|&s;tri&s;s with infinite Sorrow, &s;he endea|vour'd not to per&s;wade her it was for her Glory, but con&s;ented to every
<PB N="47" REF="41">
thing &s;he &s;aid, and lamented with her the Severity of her Condition. On the contrary &s;he told her, the Court of <HI>Philippia</HI> was an ab&s;olute Pri&s;on to all the Queens who enter'd into 't, and the nature of the People was to be ex|ce&s;&s;ively jealous of their Wives. What then will become of me, &s;he cry'd? Can I endure to have my Honour &s;u&s;pect|ed, and to be guarded like a Crimi|nal? Oh wretched Fate! Unhappy lo&s;t <HI>Nuberia!</HI> The&s;e Words were pro|nounc'd aloud, and the attentive <HI>Sala|dine</HI> echo'd her Sighs with his: He wi&s;ht it were not &s;o, but ala&s;s, how cou'd he oppo&s;e it? He &s;aw &s;he was going to Execution, and that he him|&s;elf was to carry her to the fatal Place. This Thought rackt him to Death, and made him Ten Thou&s;and times more unea&s;y than the poor Sufferer below: He cou'd ha' dy'd to rid her of that tormenting De&s;tiny, and a Thou&s;and times he re&s;olved, if &s;he wou'd con|&s;ent, rather than to obey his Orders, to carry her into &s;ome far di&s;tant Country, where &s;he &s;hou'd never hear more of that unfortunate Contract. But yet he had &s;ome Con&s;olation from her Aver&s;i|on to't, becau&s;e he hop'd it might
<PB N="48" REF="42">
make better way for him, not that he cou'd a&s;pire to make her his, for that was infinitely above his expectation, but yet he hop'd, &s;he wou'd not be altoge|ther in&s;en&s;ible of his Pa&s;&s;ion, &s;ince her Heart was di&s;ingag'd, and at liberty to plea&s;e it &s;elf. Thus this di&s;con&s;olate Company were condoling their &s;everal Misfortunes, when Word was brought to the General that the Wind was fair.</P>
<P>He who had taken no re&s;t, was now weary of his Pillow, and upon this Summons ri&s;es. He found the Wind pre&s;ented, and that 'twas nece&s;&s;ary to u&s;e it, &s;o gave Orders for Sailing. Then were his Pains renew'd, when he con&s;ider'd he was now advancing to his and the mourning <HI>Nuberia</HI>'s De&s;ti|ny, every Wave his Ship cut carry'd 'em further on, but much happier wou'd he have thought it, if tho&s;e Waves had bury'd him. The Noi&s;e that is at &s;uch a time reacht the watch|ful Prince&s;s; and when &s;he was told &s;he was on her Voyage, &s;he abandon'd her &s;elf to De&s;pair; and in her innume|rable Torments invok'd the God of Tempe&s;ts to end her unhappy Being: But in vain were all her Prayers, the uncertain Elements were never more certain, and the God of the Waters di&s;obey'd her.</P>
<P><PB N="49" REF="42">The Wind continu'd fair for many Days, fair for their Voyage, but ad|ver&s;e to their Wi&s;hes, and 'twas not now long ere they expected to &s;ee the un|welcome Shore. Then was it that all the Pangs and Agonies of Grief &s;urrounded 'em, the drooping Fair &s;unk under her approaching Calamity, the weeping <HI>Fidelia</HI> kept her beloved Prince&s;s Com|pany in her Melancholy, but the Rage, the Torment, the Di&s;traction of the lo&s;t <HI>Saladine</HI> is not to be expre&s;t. He Cur&s;t the pro&s;perous Wind, he rail'd at Heaven, he Cur&s;t him&s;elf, and only Ble&s;t <HI>Nuberia:</HI> He &s;aw too late that he now lov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d her, he &s;aw her going to her Grave, he &s;aw him&s;elf going to be depriv'd of her for ever, and all this confu&s;ion of Mi&s;ery not to be &s;hun'd. Thus was he fretting like a Lion in the Toil, champing the Chain that held him to his Fate, and calling for Thun|der to da&s;h him into Pieces, when of a &s;udden the Wind came about, and as it had been for four Days directy for 'em, it was now as directly again&s;t 'em.</P>
<P>Never was &s;o &s;ucce&s;sful a Turn as this: Their Cur&s;es were all chang'd in|to Ble&s;&s;ings, and the Deity which ju&s;t before they had Bla&s;phem'd, was now
<PB N="50" REF="43">
the God of their Thank&s;givings. The overjoy'd <HI>Saladine,</HI> ran in ha&s;t to carry the News to the di&s;con&s;olate fair One, covering his Joy with as much Temper as he cou'd, not to give her any Jea|lou&s;y that he knew of her Aver&s;ion to the Voyage, and &s;he receiv'd the News with wonderful Serenity, tho' her Heart was in no good Condition to di&s;gui&s;e her Satisfaction. Soon after this lucky turn it fell flat Calm, not a Breath of Wind ruffled the Face of the Deep, the Elements were in perfect Tranquility, the floating Palaces lay wantoning on the Bo&s;om of the Ocean; the &s;porting <HI>Nercids</HI> danc'd around 'em, wondring at this univer&s;al Stillne&s;s. Now they mov'd neither one way nor other, their Ships rode on the &s;mooth Pacifick as they had been held by their Anchors, their Sails flatted again&s;t the Ma&s;ts, and the idle Sailors had nothing to employ em: The Face of Heaven had not one Cloud that threatned them, the Wea|ther &s;eem'd to be &s;ettled in this Halcy|on, and Morning and Evening Fogs de|mon&s;trated no near approach of an al|teration. It &s;eem'd indeed, as Fate had contriv'd it for the Wi&s;hes of the la|bouring <HI>Saladine,</HI> who de&s;ir'd nothing
<PB N="51" REF="43">
more than to dwell for ever in the Company of his charming Prince&s;s.</P>
<P>The fair <HI>Nuberia</HI> too cou'd not hear of this revolution without warm emotions of Joy, as it delay'd a while her arri|val to her De&s;tiny, and gave her a longer injoyment of the noble Gene|ral, whom &s;he began to value with a more than ordinary E&s;teem. She had been &s;en&s;ible in this part of her Voy|age of his frequent Diligences, and a thou&s;and Turns of Gallantry with which he hop'd to plea&s;e her, &s;he &s;aw in all his Actions an Air of Nobility, and &s;uch a profound Submi&s;&s;ion, that even her exalted Quality cou'd hardly countenance it: But above all &s;he di|&s;tingui&s;ht that De&s;ire which &s;he per|ceiv'd he had to plea&s;e her, which with the re&s;t of his Tenders took &s;uch root in her Heart, that &s;he cou'd not forbear &s;howing on all Occa&s;ions the Satisfaction &s;he received in his Services. She now thought it no Crime to wi&s;h him well, and if a little Tenderne&s;s mixt with it, &s;he had not Power to controul it. 'Tis true, &s;he con&s;ider'd &s;he was going to tie her &s;elf for everla&s;ting to the Embraces of her contracted Husband, and that her Duty wou'd not warrant her Incli|nation
<PB N="52" REF="44">
for any other Per&s;on, but tho' &s;he was of an inviolable Vertue, and in all Things paid a &s;olemn deference to her Honour, and to her Father's Will, yet the Image of the generous <HI>Saladine</HI> wou'd break in upon her mo&s;t &s;erious Re|flections, and make her whither &s;he wou'd or no regard him with &s;ome concern.</P>
<P>He on the other hand grew every Day more inflam'd, he found he lov'd in good earne&s;t, but the dread of of|fending her kept him from revealing it: This con&s;traint he put upon his Pa&s;&s;ion &s;erv'd but to increa&s;e it, and the more he &s;trove to conquer it, the more unconquerable it grew. This &s;et him &s;ometimes on extravagant Projects; now he wou'd re&s;olve to let her &s;ee it, but pre&s;ently he apprehended the di&s;|covery might be fatal, if &s;he &s;hou'd re|ceive it with Di&s;plea&s;ure: Sometimes he determin'd to prepare her by making an intere&s;t with <HI>Fidelia,</HI> but knowing the uncorrupted Duty that Lady paid her Prince&s;s, he was afraid it might mi&s;carry on that &s;ide too.</P>
<P>Never was a poor Lover agitated with &s;o many different re&s;olutions; as he was, he felt intolerable Pains, yet if he &s;hou'd attempt to ea&s;e 'em, it might add to his
<PB N="53" REF="44">
Afflictions by &s;eeing her offended. He found he now lov'd with all the fury of Di&s;traction, his mind was never at re&s;t, but when his Eyes were on her, his Vi&s;age chang'd, his Health left him, his Body &s;icken'd, and all the Faculties of his Soul were at War one with ano|ther. He no longer took any Care of the Expedition, the Bu&s;ine&s;s of the Voyage was quite out of his Memory, and the charge of his Commi&s;&s;ion lay buried in profound Oblivion. The&s;e violent Convul&s;ions threw him into a Fever, yet he cho&s;e to &s;uffer on with invincible Fortitude, rather than di|vulge the Cau&s;e of his Pain. But tho' he &s;trove with his Pa&s;&s;ion, 'twas in vain to &s;trive with his Di&s;temper, his Ill|ne&s;s daily increa&s;t, and all his Phy&s;icians were in con&s;ultation about his Recove|ry. They readily found out his Di&s;|ea&s;e, but the Cau&s;e was beyond their Search, to no Purpo&s;e were their Ap|plications made, the Symptoms of Death had already markt him for another World, and they had nothing in their Art that cou'd remove 'em.</P>
<P>When the News of his Danger was carry'd to the Prince&s;s, &s;he was extreme|ly griev'd, and the more, becau&s;e &s;he
<PB N="54" REF="45">
doubted if it wou'd con&s;i&s;t with her Character to vi&s;it him: She cou'd have been contented to have eas'd him of one half of his Illne&s;s, for &s;he lookt on him with the &s;ame tenderne&s;s, as if &s;he had a Brother in his Condition: But Maugre all Ceremonies, &s;he found &s;he cou'd contain her &s;elf no longer, and &s;ending her dear Confident to know if a Vi&s;it wou'd be agreeable to him, that Maid ran to his Apartment, and found him almo&s;t in the Arms of Death.</P>
<P>At the Name of the Prince&s;s he &s;tarted from the Verge of Life, and looking up to &s;ee who &s;ounded that charming Name, he &s;aw it was the Faithful <HI>Fi|delia:</HI> He held forth his Hand to let the welcome Me&s;&s;enger know nothing cou'd give him greater Comfort, and tho' his Tongue had not power to utter his Joy, his Eyes confe&s;t it. When the frighted Maid return'd to her Mi&s;tri&s;s, &s;he related to her the deplorable Condition he was in, and the trembling Prince&s;s hearing her with infinite Pity, &s;he ha&s;ten'd with her to the Scene where the expiring Lover lay: At the fir&s;t Sight of her, his Spirits for&s;ook him, but &s;triving to recover, he wou'd have rais'd his Head to pay her his Acknow|ledgments
<PB N="55" REF="45">
for &s;o unde&s;erv'd an Honour; but &s;he approach'd his Bed time enough to prevent him, and took her Seat by the Bed-&s;ide. The poor unthinking fair here di&s;penc'd with the <HI>Decorum</HI> of her Quality, as a Prince&s;s, and as a Wife, &s;he con&s;ider'd the occa&s;ion too pre&s;&s;ing to in&s;i&s;t upon Formalities, and &s;he cho&s;e rather to deny for once her duty to her Honour, than to the Nece&s;&s;ity of her Friend&s;hip for the dying Patient: She then beheld him in the Agonies of Death, chang'd from what he was, and &s;he thought it Charity to admini&s;ter all her good Offices for his recovery.</P>
<P>The Apprehen&s;ion &s;he had of his danger made him now almo&s;t dear to her, who perhaps for want of &s;uch an occa&s;ion might have &s;till kept her Heart &s;ecure; but &s;o it is, that we oftentimes begin to Love, when there is any dan|ger of lo&s;ing what before we only e&s;teem'd. Now it was that the Cri&s;is of his Fate was at the highe&s;t, there was but one way of &s;aving his Life, and that was guarded with innumerable Difficulties. He had the plea&s;ure of be|holding his Divine <HI>Nuberia;</HI> but where was that Tongue that cou'd reveal his Suff'rings? His Eyes langui&s;ht on the
<PB N="56" REF="46">
beloved Object as they were rivetted to't, but his Voice was &s;hut up with Awe and Terror.</P>
<P>This moving &s;ight &s;truck our gene|rous Prince&s;s with mortal Angui&s;h, the compa&s;&s;ionate <HI>Fidelia</HI> wept over him, and it was hard to &s;ay which of the Three bore the mo&s;t &s;ignificant Chara|cters of De&s;pair.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s omitted nothing that cou'd expre&s;s her infinite &s;orrow; nor to comfort him while there were any hopes he yet might do well: At la&s;t &s;he try'd by Que&s;tions to find out the un|&s;earchable Cau&s;e, but all her inquiries return'd without &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>If the gallant <HI>Saladine</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) has &s;o much confidence in my Friend&s;hip as to tru&s;t me with the &s;ecret of his my&s;teri|ous ilne&s;s, he &s;hall find I &s;hall concern my &s;elf in his &s;ufferings as if they were my own: I Conjure you therefore, no longer to hide the cau&s;e of your indi&s;|po&s;ition; but if I have any prevalence over you, or you value the repo&s;e of one who has an intere&s;t in your welfare, declare what it is that burthens your Spirits, and pre&s;&s;es down your noble Nature to &s;uch an extremity.</P>
<P>Tho' there was a great deal of kindne&s;s
<PB N="57" REF="46">
in the&s;e words, yet the guilty Blood &s;tole into his Cheeks, his Eyes were &s;unk down, and a fatal &s;hiv'ring &s;hook the Foun|dations of the Bed: He &s;till had a check of &s;hame on him, tho' &s;he &s;eem'd &s;o much intere&s;ted in his Affliction, and to encourage the di&s;covery: But at la&s;t a&s;&s;uming more re&s;olution, he rais'd his Eyes up to hers, and &s;he encoun|tring 'em in the very minute of his great|e&s;t langour, &s;he &s;aw there was &s;omething in his Heart which he fain wou'd re|veal, but that he was withheld by &s;ome &s;ecret reluctance: He &s;truggled long between his pains and his fears, &s;he &s;aw him in perplexity, and he &s;aw her in trouble for him. This indeed &s;eem'd a fair opportunity for him, he thought now to hazard all, not doubt|ing but he &s;hou'd &s;oon be out of a ca|pacity of &s;eeing her di&s;pleas'd with him, by the approach of that Hour which he had been impatlently expect|ing; but he was not long of that Opinion, his fears return'd upon him, and after all his &s;trugglings he was forc'd to re&s;olve rather to die than to tell her.</P>
<P>Ju&s;t as he had thus determin'd, the Phy&s;icians came in, and cut off all farther Conver&s;ation for that time.</P>
<P><PB N="58" REF="47">The impatient Prince&s;s felt violent vexation at this cro&s;s Adventure, and &s;he had rather have &s;par'd 'em that vi|&s;it, than have been &s;o un&s;ea&s;onably inter|rupted: But not thinking it convenient to tarry longer; and being already a little re&s;ented to be found in his Cabbin, &s;he quitted it, not without great regret to leave him in that condition.</P>
<P>But now behold what a turn of For|tune! for while the indulgent Prince&s;s had been conver&s;ing with him, <HI>Fidelia</HI> &s;pying a Paper folded up in the Form of a Let|ter &s;eal'd, and carefully laid by his Pil|low, &s;he took it up, and was amaz'd to find it in&s;crib'd, <HI>to the Prince&s;s Nuberia.</HI> She made &s;ure of &s;o happy an Acci|dent; and carrying it with her into the Prince&s;&s;es Apartment, &s;he gave it her to read, who open'd it with eager ha&s;t and found it thus:
<LETTER LANG="eng">
<P>When I am Dead and my torments at an end, let it be known to the Di|vine <HI>Nuberia</HI> that for her I dye: I cou'd not live to &s;ee her anothers; and being unworthy to po&s;&s;e&s;s her, I cho&s;e rather to end my Pa&s;&s;ion with my Life, than to live in perpetual Mi&s;ery: Let this be a Memorial of
<PB N="59" REF="47">
my Love, and let me be pity'd by all &s;ucceeding Lovers.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Saladine.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER></P>
<P>'Tis impo&s;&s;ible to de&s;cribe the diffe|rent effects this Letter produc'd in the Brea&s;t of the A&s;toni&s;ht Prince&s;s, &s;he cou'd not but look upon this di&s;covery, as an injury to her Birth, and to the Circum&s;tances of her Condition, &s;he knew it was not fit for her to hear of Love from any per&s;on, at &s;uch a criti|cal juncture when &s;he was ju&s;t going to be the Wife of another: But then &s;he con&s;idered the deplorable &s;tate of the dying <HI>Saladine,</HI> and how much he cho&s;e to &s;uffer rather than make it known; and then &s;he really wi&s;ht him happier: A long time her duty and her inclination contended for po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and &s;pite of all oppo&s;ition at la&s;t her pity triumph'd. She his con&s;ider'd her &s;elf the cau&s;e of mortal dejection, &s;he con&s;ider'd how full of re&s;pect his behaviour had all along been, and to what an extremity he was now reduc'd: And the&s;e Refle|ctions wrought upon her more than all the Rhetorick he cou'd have us'd: The tender hearted <HI>Fidelia</HI> was no le&s;s mov'd
<PB N="60" REF="48">
than &s;he, that faithful Maid had a high Opinion of his Vertues; and now en|deavour'd to confirm the Prince&s;s in tho&s;e kind Sentiments: She Advi&s;es her again to vi&s;it him, and repre&s;ented to her the nece&s;&s;ity of &s;aving &s;o pre|cious a Life; to which the Prince&s;s reply'd, What can I do <HI>Fidelia?</HI> Thou know'&s;t I'm not at liberty to hear of &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ion, my cruel Father has &s;a|crific'd me to his Ambition, and how &s;hall I with&s;tand the force of my De&s;tiny?</P>
<P>But Madam (&s;he was pre&s;ently inter|rupted) you may &s;ee him, you may al|low him to be &s;o far happy, as to let him &s;ee you pity him, if you can al|low him no more: You're not yet in the Court of <HI>Philippia,</HI> here are no Eyes to watch you, nor Tell-tales to publi&s;h any Breach of <HI>Decorum;</HI> you are not yet &s;ubjected to the Au&s;terity of tho&s;e Rules, that misfortune will come &s;oon enough; In the mean time therefore ask your &s;elf how nece&s;&s;ary it is to &s;ave a Life which you confe&s;s is not indif|ferent t' you, and re&s;olve over all Scru|ples to vi&s;it him again.</P>
<P>The di&s;con&s;olate Prince&s;s was at a &s;tand how to carry her &s;elf in &s;uch a perplexity, &s;he found but
<PB N="61" REF="48">
little inclination to di&s;obey her, but &s;he cou'd not ea&s;ily con&s;ent to put her &s;elf into the opportunity of an Amour which by no means con&s;i&s;ted with her Honour. But when &s;he con|&s;ulted her Heart, the&s;e Ob&s;tacles were of little force, and after &s;he had deter|min'd what to do, &s;he prepar'd to &s;ee him again.</P>
<P>The dying de&s;ponding <HI>Saladine</HI> knew nothing of this Accident; he every Hour expected Death; and had framed that Letter to let his beloved Prince&s;s know he dy'd for his in&s;olent Pa&s;&s;ion: While he was now mu&s;ing on the ap|proaches of his fate, he was amaz'd to &s;ee them enter his Cabbin again. The Prince&s;s held in her Hand the guilty Paper, and he knowing it to be his, his A&s;toni&s;hment and Shame was beyond all Confinement: Then no longer doubting but that &s;he knew all, he was ready to yield up his Breath with Re|mor&s;e and Confu&s;ion. He cry'd out in an exta&s;y of penitence, Oh Heav'ns! what have I done? How has my trea|cherous Hand betray'd me? Oh Ma|dam! Let me not live to meet your Eyes: My guilty Flame has undone me, and I now de&s;erve to become your de|te&s;tation.
<PB N="62" REF="49">
The Queen lookt on him with &s;ome glances of Compa&s;&s;ion; and tho' &s;he &s;till remembred this tenderne&s;s was not to be ju&s;tify'd; yet &s;he cou'd not forbear &s;aying, Here Unhappy <HI>Sa|ladine,</HI> Take back your guilty Declara|tion and with it&mdash;My good wi&s;hes for your Health; and if you Value my &s;atisfaction, pre&s;erve your life. The&s;e unexpected words were life it &s;elf, he needed no other remedy to re&s;tore his Health, and already he felt his Heart reliev'd, and the powers of his Soul quickned up to Joy and Rapture: Then looking on her with Eyes divided be|tween Awe and Exta&s;y, he told her if he de&s;erv'd not to dye for what he had done, he wou'd live to make the re|mainder of his Life the witne&s;s of her indulgent Goodne&s;s.</P>
<P>Then in a Moment his illne&s;s be|gan to abate, his Fever left him, his Countenance re&s;um'd its u&s;ual lu&s;tre, and thro' all his Veins the vital Blood ran temperate and healthful: All Signs of dangers were remov'd, his Rea&s;on return'd, and his Sen&s;es po&s;&s;e&s;t their former Occupations. No Marks of De&s;peration appear'd any longer, nor any Raptures but what
<PB N="63" REF="49">
he utter'd in the admiration of her Mercy.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s was much joy'd at this alteration; &s;he told him, That if the recovery of his Health depended &s;o much on her power, &s;he was &s;orry &s;he cou'd not always be his Phy&s;ician; that &s;he had con&s;ideration enough for the Merits of &s;o generous a Man; but it was entirely again&s;t her Honour to An|&s;wer his Pa&s;&s;ion as it de&s;erv'd; but if he cou'd be &s;atisfy'd with &s;uch a place in her Heart as wou'd not invade her Duty, &s;he &s;hou'd conceive for him the mo&s;t tender Friend&s;hip; but that if &s;he were at liberty to chu&s;e a Lover that cou'd be mo&s;t grateful to her, &s;he cou'd not fix better than on the <HI>Gallant Saladine.</HI></P>
<P>There needed no more to fini&s;h his recovery, he cou'd not hope to break off the Nuptials &s;he was going to Celebrate, and all the Ambition he co|veted, was but to &s;ee him&s;elf in her good Opinion, and in &s;ome po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her Heart: He heard her la&s;t words with tran&s;porting joy, and tho' there was a great deal due to the pre&s;ence of &s;o illu&s;trious a Prince&s;s, yet he broke out from all Con&s;traints of De|cency into an extravagance of Pa&s;&s;ion.
<PB N="64" REF="50">
Oh ye Cele&s;tial Powers (he cry'd) too happy, Happy <HI>Saladine!</HI> and can the generous Prince&s;s pardon me? Can &s;he forget my daring In&s;olence, and forgi|ving me the Sentence of Death which was my due, rai&s;e me to Life? and bid me live for ever? Oh let me rave a while with boundle&s;s Exta&s;y, till I have utter'd this exce&s;s of joy that fills my grateful Soul: Yes, I will live, &s;ince you command me, and live a thou&s;and thou&s;and Ages, till I become immortal as my Love, and carry to the end of Nature the Triumph of your Eyes.</P>
<P>She wou'd have checkt his Tran&s;port, but he was in no condition to hear Rea&s;on; his Flight was too lavi&s;h to be bound up to Rules, and he &s;par'd nothing that expre&s;s'd his Gratitude and her Genero&s;ity. At length he &s;topt, and &s;he An&s;wer'd in &s;uch Terms as the&s;e.</P>
<P>I have already done more for the brave <HI>Saladine</HI> than I can ju&s;tify to the pre&s;ent dependence of my Affairs; but I have con&s;ider'd every thing, and I find all too weak for my Inclination: It becomes me not to &s;ay more, perhaps I have &s;aid too much already. Only that if our Fortunes had &s;o ordain'd it, I cou'd have been content without the
<PB N="65" REF="50">
Temptation of a Crown, to have &s;har'd my happine&s;s with him. She blu&s;h'd for what &s;he had &s;aid, and not able to look up, &s;he let fall her Eyes, and wi&s;h &s;he had not &s;aid &s;o much. As it gave her confu&s;ion, &s;o it increa&s;t his Happine&s;s; and now the reviv'd Lover, who a moment before wou'd have part|ed with his Life for an Expiation of his Guilt, liv'd to &s;ee him&s;elf forgiv'n, and what was infinitely more, belov'd: Now be undertook to talk with the freedom of a Lover; and while his Tongue was recounting the violence of his Flame, his Heart and his Sighs kept time with his pa&s;&s;ionate Relation: His langui&s;hing Looks pleaded powerfully for him, and he who knew to a &s;ylla|ble the way to a Ladies Heart, made every ge&s;ture humour the di&s;tre&s;sful Tale: Now he play'd the Orator in|deed, his Tongue was Tipt with &s;oft|ne&s;s, his Eyes with Fire, his Brea&s;t beat to the Accents of his Voice, and every thing he utter'd was Mu&s;ick to the at|tentive Prince&s;s, 'Twou'd be very hard to de&s;cribe our General with all the advantages which he now po&s;&s;e&s;t; for notwith&s;tanding his Illne&s;s, he had an Air of &s;weetne&s;s in his Face, and in eve|ry
<PB N="66" REF="51">
Action &s;uch a per&s;ua&s;ive Allurement, as was not to be re&s;i&s;ted. The Prince&s;s receiv'd a &s;en&s;ible Impre&s;&s;ion of all he &s;aid and did, &s;he found her Heart al|ready totter'd, and when &s;he wou'd a|gain have con&s;ulted her Rea&s;on, &s;he had no power to think. She repre&s;ent|ed to her Fancy that &s;he had never &s;een any thing more worthy of her, and now &s;he was not determining whether &s;he &s;hou'd love him or no; for that was already decided, and 'twas too far gone to be recalled: Her Heart became ab|&s;olutely his, and there wanted but the con&s;ent of Fortune to make 'em the happie&s;t Couple in the World. Now the di&s;tances of their Quality and all re&s;ervation was laid a&s;ide, our Lover grew more a&s;&s;ur'd by the encourage|ment &s;he had giv'n him; and taking her fair Hand, he held it to his Lips with &s;uch ardency as very much affect|ed her: She grew le&s;s &s;crupulous as he grew more a&s;&s;ur'd, and &s;he mi&s;tru&s;ted not tho&s;e innocent allowances in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of one &s;he e&s;teem'd &s;o much, and whom &s;he had found &s;o worthy of her Confidence.</P>
<P>Thus were they highly &s;atisfy'd with each other, &s;he was exceedingly pleas'd
<PB N="67" REF="51">
to &s;ee &s;he had &s;uch power over him as to re&s;tore him to Life at her plea&s;ure; and he was in no ordinary degree of rapture, to &s;ee &s;uch a change in his con|dition, to be redeem'd from the jaws of Death and De&s;pair, and to &s;ee him&s;elf rais'd from &s;uch dejected Mi&s;eries to a felicity infinitely above his hopes. But alas how &s;hort were the&s;e &s;tarts of joy! they pre&s;ently call'd to mind that they were not ordain'd for one another, that they were within few days of part|ing, never to behold each other more. Soon as that di&s;mal thought &s;eiz'd 'em, they were both ca&s;t down into mortal Affliction: All the Terrors of De&s;pair &s;ate in their Faces, and they became the pity of the &s;orrowful <HI>Fidelia.</HI></P>
<P>And now to increa&s;e their Grief, the Weather grew Cloudy, the Calm was blown away with a boi&s;t'rous Ea&s;tern Gale, their Sails were all trimm'd for the pur&s;uit of their Voyage, and they hurry'd on with &s;uch precipitancy, that to their in&s;upportable &s;orrow they &s;aw the fatal Shore where they were to part for ever. Who can de&s;cribe the extre|mity of their &s;uff'rings at the di&s;covery of that infernal Coa&s;t? The Weeping Prince&s;s was pa&s;t all Comfort, and the
<PB N="68" REF="52">
furious <HI>Saladine</HI> ready to plunge into the bottomle&s;s deep to prevent the part|ing moment, which was but preventing one Death by another. But vain were their Complaints, the remor&s;ele&s;s Wind increas'd, and they fled before it with &s;uch fury, that they plainly &s;aw the Shore within few Hours Sail of 'em.</P>
<P>The nearer they approacht it, the more deplorable were their &s;orrows, and they now macerated and tore 'em|&s;elves with the utmo&s;t apprehen&s;ions of De&s;pair, abandon'd to their Suff'rings and Di&s;tre&s;s. The Prince&s;s lay like one bereft of Rea&s;on, <HI>Fidelia</HI> &s;ympathiz'd with the Melancholy of her dear Mi|&s;tre&s;s, and the incon&s;olable <HI>Saladine</HI> had hers as well as his own Torments to afflict him. In that Frenzy he cou'd not forbear running into her Cabbin, where he found his Charmer over|whelm'd with trouble; and throwing him&s;elf at her Feet, beg'd to die in that po&s;ture rather than to &s;ee her torn from him to an Everla&s;ting Separation. What did he not &s;ay to move her? But there needed no further Arguments to make her pity him, &s;he already found him &s;o dear to her, that &s;he was within a mo|ments con&s;ideration of running the ha|zard
<PB N="69" REF="52">
of di&s;obeying her Father, and flying to &s;ome far di&s;tant &s;afety with her be|lov'd <HI>Saladine.</HI> But the&s;e were only Chi|mera's of a Di&s;temper'd Brain, &s;he talkt of things impo&s;&s;ible, and now there was no way to e&s;cape her De&s;tiny.</P>
<P>The Storm began to &s;ing louder, and the fa&s;ter it blew, the nearer they drew to the unwelcome Scene: The Sea was now grown outragious, the Billows to&s;t 'em to the Skies, and the darken'd Heav'n (as if it mourn'd for their Calamity) was painted with the Vi&s;age of horror and death. In this Tempe&s;t they hop'd for &s;ome unexpect|ed adventure, as being on an Element apt for Changes, at lea&s;t to delay a while their parting; but the Wind had no compa&s;&s;ion of 'em, it Whi&s;tled &s;till louder, and drove 'em forwards with &s;uch impetuo&s;ity that now the Shore was ju&s;t under their Bows, and &s;pite of all their care, the Ships in hazard of peri&s;hing. The alarm of this danger frighted all but the de&s;pairing Lovers; the Officers ran to the General for Or|ders in this extremity; but they might as well talk to the Clouds as to him: He was not at lei&s;ure to regard the &s;afety of his Fleet, being agitated with a greater Storm in his Brea&s;t, and whatever &s;hou'd
<PB N="70" REF="53">
become of 'em, he was in no condition to prevent it: Immediately they dropt their Anchors, hoping to ride out the Storm; but all their caution was little enough to &s;ecure 'em. The Gulph of of <HI>Moco</HI> has always been notorious for Shipwrack, the Sea runs there with in|credible fury, and a thou&s;and Ve&s;&s;els have found their de&s;truction in its im|placable jaws. No Wonder therefore at this time the danger a&s;toni&s;ht all them who were tender of their &s;afety; for throughout the whole Fleet there was not one who expected not Death, and who did not make it his bu&s;ine&s;s to &s;hift for him&s;elf. All but the de&s;perate <HI>Saladine</HI> and his Prince&s;s were fearful of being &s;tranded on the Shore, but they had &s;o little ta&s;te of Happine&s;s, that Death wou'd have been more wel|come to 'em than Life, on any terms but of enjoying each other for ever. But &s;eeing no hopes of &s;uch a Fortune, they gave 'em&s;elves up with ready Re|&s;ignation to whatever &s;hou'd befal 'em. In few Hours they cou'd behold &s;everal of their Ships ca&s;t on the Shore, and the drowned Mariners to&s;t on the re|lentle&s;s Beach, as a Token of what they were now to expect.</P>
<P><PB N="71" REF="53">This dreadful &s;ight gave all the Specta|tors un&s;peakable horror, but to our di&s;|con&s;olate Lovers it appear'd with a quite different Face: Not that they wanted pity for tho&s;e mi&s;erable Wretches who were peri&s;h'd; but it gave 'em hopes of &s;uff'ring the &s;ame Death them&s;elves, and they were prepar'd to receive it with wonderful Alacrity.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s felt not tho&s;e fears which were common to her Sex in &s;uch Emer|gencies, her Courage was as much as was nece&s;&s;ary, fortify'd with the pre|&s;ence of her <HI>Saladine,</HI> and in his Arms &s;he was re&s;olv'd to end her Life. He too who was grown carele&s;s of his own Life, neglected for a while even hers; and becau&s;e he &s;aw he cou'd not be hers in Life, he rejoyc'd to think they &s;hou'd die together. This indeed was grateful to him for a time; but at length he con&s;ider'd, &s;he de&s;erv'd better Fortune than to peri&s;h for want of the means of &s;afety, and he now was of Opinion to prevail with her to have &s;ome regard to her &s;elf. Accordingly he went to her, and Conjur'd her by all the happine&s;s &s;he wi&s;ht him, not to remain longer Aboard, but to give him leave to get a pinnace ready to carry
<PB N="72" REF="54">
her a-&s;hore, and to leave him to the Mercy of the Sea, who was willing to die if he cou'd &s;ecure her from the ruin which threatned her. He told her, there was le&s;s danger in venturing out than in remaining where &s;he was, that if &s;he wou'd con&s;ent to go, he wou'd give in charge to his chief Officers to Pilot her a-&s;hore, and to &s;et her &s;afe from the hazard of Ship|wrack: That indeed he wou'd attend her him&s;elf, but he cou'd by no means &s;et his Feet on the Country where &s;he was to be for ever lo&s;t to him; and that the torture which he &s;hou'd feel to part with her, wou'd be too con&s;picuous, and might give her Sub|jects occa&s;ion of cen&s;uring that Relu|ctance, with which he was to &s;ee her torn from him.</P>
<P>Tho' there was a great deal of Rea|&s;on in what he urg'd, &s;he cou'd not hear it without a Re&s;entment, which &s;how'd her violently offended; no Sir, &s;he cry'd, there is no &s;afety for me where I have not the gallant <HI>Sala|dine</HI> to bear me Company, and as we are now in the Moment of eternal Per|dition, I can rather con&s;ent to peri&s;h with you, than to indure the angui&s;h
<PB N="73" REF="54">
of parting with you to &s;u&s;tain a Crown which will prove a Torment to me un|der the fatal Separation which it makes betwixt us. Then abandon'd to Di|&s;traction, &s;he cry'd, Oh forgive my Ho|nour! If I tran&s;gre&s;s the Bounds of De|cency to tell the faithful <HI>Saladine</HI> how much I Love him! Hence&mdash;away&mdash;with all Impediments of Duty, of &s;trict Obe|dience and contracted Vows, let me be Mad till I have rav'd enough, and told the generous Man how dearly I adore him! Oh take me to your Arms, and hide my Blu&s;hes, let me be wrapt with|in your fa&s;t Embraces, and never wake but to behold you mine.</P>
<P>The Amorous <HI>Saladine</HI> was ravi&s;ht with this &s;udden Tenderne&s;s, in all his Joys he never hop'd for &s;uch a Decla|ration, but now his Soul was all on Fire. Ye bounteous Gods! (he cry'd) What Words are the&s;e? Oh let me hang upon your lovely Knees, and pro|&s;trate on the Earth receive this Ble&s;&s;ing! Then &s;tarting from that Po&s;ture, he flew out into a Tran&s;port, Let the Seas roar, and let De&s;truction reign, &s;ince I am made thus happy: Then running to her Arms, he added, Now&mdash;now&mdash; thou God of Whirlwinds &s;trike us
<PB N="74" REF="55">
down, &s;ink us together to the va&s;t Aby&s;s, but let no Bolt of Thunder part our Arms! Oh Joy too great to bear!&mdash; here his Breath fail'd him, and the weeping Prince&s;s ready to expire with the moving Spectacle, &s;unk down into his Arms, and they both remain'd as if they had been Dead. The diligent <HI>Fi|delia,</HI> who never left 'em, was in little better Condition, but knowing the Danger of calling for help, &s;he u&s;ed all the Means &s;he cou'd to bring 'em to Life. <HI>Saladine</HI> fir&s;t recover'd, and find|ing the Prince&s;s entranc'd in his Arms, 'tis impo&s;&s;ible to tell the various Pa&s;&s;i|ons that po&s;&s;e&s;t him: He held her &s;till in his Embraces, and looking on her with Eyes that langui&s;ht with the hea|vine&s;s of his Heart, he was ready again to &s;ink to Death, but &s;eeing her in that in&s;en&s;ible Condition, he ventur'd to let down his Cheek to hers, and to touch tho&s;e Lips that now cou'd not be open'd to accu&s;e him: But 'twas with &s;o much Awe, that if &s;he had awakt and felt him, &s;he cou'd not be offended with the Violence. His bu&s;y Eyes ran over all her Perfections, and he gaz'd at her, as if indeed he never were to behold her more; and he cou'd have wi&s;ht to Die
<PB N="75" REF="55">
that very Moment, without the de&s;ire of any further Happine&s;s.</P>
<P>At length &s;he open'd her Eyes, and finding her &s;elf in his Embraces, &s;he was a little &s;tagger'd at her Weakne&s;s, and at another time cou'd not have pardon'd her &s;elf &s;uch a Confe&s;&s;ion of her Love: But now 'twas too late to hide her Pa&s;&s;i|on, &s;he was intirely re&s;ign'd to her In|clinations, and &s;he thought nothing too much for that charming Man, who knew how to u&s;e her Indulgence with|out invading her Honour: Soon as &s;he collected her Spirits, &s;he lookt on him with &s;uch Tenderne&s;s as cou'd proceed from nothing but her Excellency of Pi|ty and Genero&s;ity, and he met tho&s;e Glances with &s;uch a Langui&s;hment, that nothing cou'd be more moving than this dumb Conver&s;ation: He rais'd her up, and as well as he cou'd, de&s;ir'd her to be compos'd, but her Trouble was too great to be comforted, and he was in no good State to give it her. <HI>Fidelia,</HI> who was lea&s;t concern'd, tho' not with|out her &s;hare of their Mi&s;ery, prevail'd with her to retire, &s;he &s;uffer'd her &s;elf to be carry'd whither &s;he wou'd, and giving <HI>Saladine</HI> her Hand to &s;upport her, &s;he was conducted to her Bed:
<PB N="76" REF="56">
She &s;trove not to oppo&s;e 'em, but find|ing in her tortur'd Brea&s;t no Di&s;po&s;iti|on to Re&s;t, &s;he laid her down, while the lamenting Maid did what &s;he cou'd to divert her. But in vain was all &s;he &s;aid, her Heart was overcome with Melan|choly, and &s;he cou'd think of nothing but of the dreadful Hour that was ap|proaching. She now lo&s;t all Hopes of peri&s;hing in the Storm, for the Sky clear'd, and the Face of the Deep was grown &s;mooth and calm; and every Minute &s;he expected the fatal Summons to debarque.</P>
<P><HI>Saladine</HI> being withdrawn to his own Apartment, begun to ruminate on his mi&s;erable Condition, he &s;aw nothing before him but Mi&s;ery, yet 'twas &s;ome comfort to him to think he was be|lov'd; but how &s;hort was that Com|fort! For he &s;oon concluded his Con|dition the wor&s;e, that being advanc'd to &s;o great a Happine&s;s he was in a Mo|ment to be depriv'd of it for ever. When he perceiv'd the Weather grow fair, his Torture was doubled; he now lookt for the Emba&s;&s;adors from Shore that were &s;ent to receive her, and every thing he heard, he thought was they. He was not long deceiv'd, for upon the
<PB N="77" REF="56">
cea&s;ing of the Storm, they who were appointed to attend her to the Court came Aboard, and now Spite of all his Afflictions he was con&s;train'd to meet 'em, and to give 'em the Honours that were due to their Characters.</P>
<P>When the Dying <HI>Nuberia,</HI> &s;aw the fatal Me&s;&s;engers, 'tis inexpre&s;&s;ible her Angui&s;h and Dejection; &s;he look'd on 'em as they had been her Executioners, and &s;he had hardly Fortitude enough to &s;upport her &s;elf to receive their Ho|mage: She &s;how'd &s;o little Complacen|cy for the Errand they came upon, that the quick &s;ighted <HI>Philippians</HI> were at a lo&s;s how to behave them&s;elves; but not daring to pre&s;s beyond her Plea&s;ure, they withdrew to give her Time to prepare for her &s;olemn Departure.</P>
<P>Tho' &s;he had been a great while arm|ing for this unavoidable Nece&s;&s;ity, yet again her Grief return'd, when &s;he con|&s;ider'd her lo&s;t <HI>Saladine:</HI> She had but another Moment to &s;ee him, and that was to be &s;pent in utmo&s;t Sorrow: But being re&s;olv'd to have her eternal Fare|well, &s;he &s;ent privately for him, and he was conducted by the faithful Con|fident to the la&s;t Scene of their Inter|views: This Meeting, as it was the la&s;t
<PB N="78" REF="57">
of their Lives, &s;o it was attended with the mo&s;t deplorable Circum&s;tances: She now omitted nothing that cou'd a&s;&s;ure him of that indearing E&s;teem &s;he had of him, and taking a Bracelet from her Arm, put it upon his, con|juring him never to part with it till &s;ome happier Occa&s;ion &s;hou'd make her capable of &s;ending to him again: She hop'd one Day to make him better Acknowledgments, if &s;he had Strength enough to Survive this doleful Parting, and ending her Di&s;cour&s;e with Repe|titions of her everla&s;ting Friend&s;hip; &s;he gave way to that torrent of Tears which bur&s;t from her delug'd Eyes.</P>
<P>The unhappy Lover receiv'd her Pre&s;ent with &s;uch a dejected Air, as if it were only to put him in Mind of his eternal Mi&s;ery; but the A&s;&s;urances &s;he made him of being eternally his Friend, was yet &s;ome &s;mall Mitigation: He yet hoped the varieties of War might give him an occa&s;ion of &s;eeing her Country again, that he might hear how &s;he liv'd in her new Maje&s;ty, and what Remem|brances &s;he &s;till pre&s;erv'd of him: Af|ter this, he wou'd have thrown him&s;elf at her Feet to take his final Adieu, but &s;he rais'd him by the Hand, and &s;uf|fered
<PB N="79" REF="57">
him to take her once more into his Arms, as being the only Happine&s;s &s;he had now remaining for him. He pre&s;t her lovely Bo&s;om clo&s;e to his, and with a Groan that brought up his very Soul, he cry'd&mdash;farewel: She had but ju&s;t Strength enough to eccho him, and with a fainting Voice &s;he reply'd&mdash; eternally Adieu. He then let fall his Arms, and turning away his Eyes, he &s;trove to hide that Weakne&s;s which de|priv'd him of any further Speech; and &s;taggering to the Door, he went he knew not whither. All Things being got ready for her departure, &s;he pre|par'd for't without asking any Que&s;ti|ons, and without any further Ceremo|ny entred her Pinnace; &s;till keeping her Eyes fixt on the expiring <HI>Saladine;</HI> and as the Ve&s;&s;el bore her away to the fatal Shore, the unfortunate Lover gaz'd at her till he cou'd behold her no more.</P>
<P>Thus (my dear <HI>Brunet</HI>) you have the Story of that unfortunate Prince&s;s, which &s;ome time ago made a great Noi&s;e in that part of the World where it was acted: The be&s;t thing that can be &s;aid of it, is, that it is true, and our
<PB N="80" REF="58" MS="y">
Author has omitted all flouri&s;hes, to keep to Reality: The Prince&s;s of this Story is &s;till alive, and I am told, the royal <HI>Catolinus</HI> prov'd ju&s;t a Bridegroom, as &s;he prophecy'd of him; but the poor <HI>Philippians</HI> were di&s;appointed in their Hopes of an Heir, for Heav'n has not Ble&s;t that Crown with any I&s;&s;ue from that renowned Woman, tho' they were Daily in expectation of one, which they hop'd to obtain thro' the inter|ce&s;&s;ion of their Friends in Heav'n, which were con&s;tantly ply'd to for that Purpo&s;e. And now I &s;hall &s;hut up my long Letter, without troubling you with any other Adventures, but I hope in few Months more to find you &s;ome other Diver&s;ion, for I have made an Acquaintance in this Place which will furni&s;h me with all Occurrences that are worth hearing: Till then I relea&s;e you from any further importunity, and remain</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your mo&s;t Devoted Friend,</HI> R&mdash;</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>Cadiz</HI>
<DATE><HI>Dec.</HI> 4th, 1694.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="postscript">
<PB N="81" REF="58">
<HEAD>POSTCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>IF you intend to Honour me with any of yours, let 'em be directed for me here: The Method of this Po&s;t-Office is very extraordinary, and I can't mi&s;s of any of your Favours, if you write between this and <HI>May.</HI> There's &s;uch a Number of Strangers in this City, that 'twou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d be impo&s;&s;ible to know eve|ry Man by his Name, or almo&s;t by the Place of his Dwelling; therefore the Officers of the Po&s;tage order their Bu|&s;ine&s;s thus. When the Mail arrives, the Clerks write down the Number up|on every Letter, from One perhaps to 1000, as many as there are, and then the Copy of the Names as they are Su|per&s;crib'd, is writ down on a Table kept for that Purpo&s;e, putting oppo&s;ite to the Name the Number that lies up|on his Letter, and this Table always hangs in the Pa&s;&s;age, where every one, who comes to inquire, looks if there be one for him, and if he finds his Name in the Alphabet of the Table, he takes notice of the Number, and goes in to the Clerk, who always attends for that end, and reporting his Number, his Letter is pre&s;ently found.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="letter">
<PB N="82" REF="59">
<HEAD>LETTER II.</HEAD>
<P>NOW again I have got &s;omething to entertain my dear <HI>Brunet</HI> with, but how agreable it may be to him, I am not po&s;itive to determine, tho' I have taken &s;ome Pains to find him Matter of Diver&s;ion, and if I give him half &s;o much Entertainment as I re|ceive in furni&s;hing my &s;elf with Ad|ventures to plea&s;e him, I &s;hall think my Time and my Toil amply reward|ed.</P>
<P>As I told you in my la&s;t, I had now lei&s;ure enough to make my Ob&s;ervation of every thing I &s;aw and heard, and when I got leave to go A&s;hore to <HI>Cales,</HI> which I inform'd you, were our Win|ter Quarters, I dre&s;t my &s;elf in the Ha|bit of my own Country, and went to &s;ee &s;ome French Merchants I was re|commended to, who were very glad to receive me: And I &s;o well pleas'd them with the Relation of my Undertaking, that I made my &s;elf many good Friends among 'em. There are great Numbers of <HI>French</HI> over all this Kingdom, and
<PB N="83" REF="59">
I have been told that in <HI>Madrid</HI> alone there are Forty Thou&s;and, who follow their &s;everal Vocations, generally un|der the di&s;gui&s;e of <HI>Flemings.</HI> When|ever I had any curio&s;ity to &s;ee the Ra|rities of this Town, one or other of my Friends always accompany'd me, to protect me from the in&s;ults of the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> who are very Inho&s;pitable to Strangers: And where ever we went, I found our Countrymen well e&s;teem'd, notwith&s;tanding their national Preju|dices, for being accounted, as indeed they generally are, Wealthy, the Fame of &s;uch a Character draws &s;ome Vene|ration from the People.</P>
<P>The City of <HI>Cadiz</HI> is a very ancient City, the Foundation of it having been laid by the <HI>Phoenicians:</HI> It is Situate on the Skirt of the I&s;land, famous here|tofore for being the Habitation of <HI>Geryon,</HI> the Antagoni&s;t of <HI>Hercules,</HI> who is &s;aid to have carry'd away the Herds of Cattle which graz'd in this Fruitful Pa&s;ture; and at this Day the Pa&s;ture is &s;o rich, that Cattle will die of Fat|ne&s;s within 30 Days, unle&s;s they be let Blood; and, to &s;ay true, the whole Province is &s;o exuberantly Rich, that
<PB N="84" REF="60">
in the Time of the <HI>Carthaginians,</HI> be|fore the fir&s;t Punick War, it was a Temptation to tho&s;e warlike Invaders to make War again&s;t it, which they did &s;o &s;ucce&s;sfully, that all that part of <HI>Spain</HI> was Conquer'd by 'em, tho' after|wards the <HI>Romans</HI> &s;ent their Armies hither again&s;t the <HI>Carthaginians,</HI> and in proce&s;s of Time the <HI>African Scipio</HI> Con|quer'd it, and made it an Appendix of the <HI>Roman</HI> Empire. This I&s;land by <HI>Mariana</HI>'s Account was formerly 700 Paces from the Continent, and had 300 Leagues circumference: What he means by &s;o extravagant a Mea&s;ure, is beyond my Apprehen&s;ion, for tho' I have often Pac d it round to examine if there were any Foot&s;teps of &s;o unlikely a Compa&s;s, I cou'd never find 'em, for at this Day it is no more than 3 Leagues about, and the River that parts it from the Con|tinent is &s;o narrow, that a Bridge of 6 Arches &s;trides it over. But as to the Situation of the Land, every School-Boy knows, <HI>Hercules</HI> concluded his Ramble here, and left his Name to tho&s;e Two great Hills <HI>Calpe</HI> and <HI>Abyla,</HI> which front each other from <HI>Africa</HI> and <HI>Europe,</HI> which are to this Day, and
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will be to all Po&s;terity called his Pillars, as if he had erected 'em for the Boun|daries of his Conque&s;t. It was many Years afterwards the <HI>&V;rbs Gaditana</HI> of the <HI>Romans,</HI> and, one of their Maga|zines for furni&s;hing their Tran&s;ports in their Maritime Expeditions. The City is not extraordinary large, but &s;o full of People, that no Habitation in the World can boa&s;t of greater Numbers, and for Magnificence of Churches, Con|vents and private Hou&s;es, neither <HI>Pa|ris</HI> nor <HI>London, Germany</HI> or <HI>Italy</HI> can out go it: The Fortifications are not the be&s;t that I have &s;een, for all the back&s;ide which fronts the Southward, is naked; but on the Angle they have built a &s;mall Fort into the Sea, which they call St. <HI>Seba&s;tians,</HI> and in time of War it may &s;erve to prevent a de&s;cent on that Quarter: But the front which looks upon the Bay is well walled, and mounted with good &s;tore of fine Bra&s;s Cannon, and &s;erves for the Evening Walk of the Merchants and other In|habitants. Higher up towards the Bay is a Neck of Land which runs like an I&s;thmus between the two Seas, lately Fortify'd, and indeed I think,
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impregnable, and they have good Rea|&s;on to guard that Place well, for it was on that Side the famous De&s;cent was made by the Engli&s;h Generals, <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> and <HI>Rawleigh,</HI> who<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> in one Day they Sackt this wealthy City, and laid it in A&s;hes. A Mile without the&s;e Works &s;tands the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Puntal,</HI> a &s;mall well built Garri&s;on, but ill Arm'd, and more negligently Guarded: For I don't know what u&s;e they make of it, but to lay up the Plate and Mony, which, contrary to the Statutes of their Country, they provide for the <HI>Genoe&s;es,</HI> and other Ships which come here for that Purpo&s;e; and from hence to con|vey it aboard. 'Tis true this Ca&s;tle, and the other oppo&s;ite to't on the other &s;ide of the Bay, made &s;ome re&s;i&s;tance when <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> invaded 'em, but it was &s;o &s;mall, that he was not twelve Hours in gaining 'em, and in beating the Garri&s;on out: The other that I nam'd is built on purpo&s;e to Countenance this, and to oppo&s;e the Pa&s;&s;age of an Enemy into the Creeks, and not being above a Cannon Shot a&s;under, it wou'd prove hard for a Man of War to go be|tween 'em, if they were well Mann'd.</P>
<P><PB N="87" REF="61">Within the City I ob&s;erv'd no regu|lar Militia, only a Mu&s;ter of a few rag|ged Rogues, which don't de&s;erve the Name of a Regiment, for neither Go|vernment nor Di&s;cipline appears among 'em, yet the&s;e Ra&s;cals are &s;o In&s;olent, that a Stranger wou'd be in danger of his Life if he &s;hou'd refu&s;e to give the mo&s;t beggarly among 'em the Wall and the Salute. They have three Gates, which are open'd and &s;hut every Morning and Evening, each of 'em guarded with the Officers of the Cu|&s;toms, and I think they make little u&s;e of 'em but to that purpo&s;e, nor that neither effectually, for nothing here is more common, than to run Goods a&s;hore, and carry Mony out, either by Stratagem, or the Connivance of the Officers: At the Sounding of the Orai|&s;on Bell the&s;e Gates are all &s;hut, and the Keys carry'd to the Governor, and upon no Terms to be deliver'd out again, unle&s;s on very important Ne|ce&s;&s;ities. The fir&s;t and principal is cal|led <HI>Puerta de la Sevilla,</HI> becau&s;e the Boats which Trade between <HI>Sevil</HI> and this City lie before it; the Second is called <HI>Puerta de la Mar,</HI> becau&s;e here
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the Captains and Ma&s;ters of Ships ge|nerally come a Shore; and the third <HI>Puerta de la Tierra,</HI> becau&s;e it is the Key which opens to the I&s;land: But &s;ince I have mention'd the Oration, give me leave to acquaint you, That the cu&s;tom of the Evening Prayer is here perform'd with wonderful De|votion; not but that I know 'tis in all Catholick Countries ob&s;erv'd le&s;s or more; but here it is done with &s;o much &s;everity, that not one Per&s;on, be who he will, who is at that time in the Streets, tho' the weather be never &s;o dirty, but falls down on his Knees in the very place where he &s;tood, and in that Po&s;ture gives up his Thanksgivings for the Mercies of the Day: And &s;urely there is in this cu&s;tom, an exceeding &s;how of Piety not to be met with among our pre|tended reformers, tho&s;e zealots who have elop'd from the Church, and now &s;et up for Chri&s;tians more Spiritualiz'd than we. It was no &s;mall plea&s;ure to me (My Dear <HI>Brunet</HI>) to &s;ee tho&s;e ob&s;tinate Hereticks obey this cu&s;tom of falling down on their Knees at the call of a Catholick Signal, and bemire their
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lac'd Coats to conform with a Religion they &s;o much rail again&s;t; but 'twas their Fear of being knockt on the Head, and not their Devotion, which made 'em comply, and they were &s;o much in the right on't as to &s;ave their Bones, tho' they ventur'd at what they them|&s;elves call Idolatry, as indeed they im|piou&s;ly call mo&s;t of our Devotions. Soon as this is over, the City is on all Sides &s;hut in, and 'tis then impo&s;&s;i|ble to get out, and this is the only Face of a Garri&s;on which I cou'd &s;ee among 'em.</P>
<P>'Tis almo&s;t incredible the Opulence and Traffick of this City, there's &s;carce a Nation upon Earth that has not &s;ent &s;ome of its Natives to Trade here; and among the&s;e there's &s;uch Diver&s;ity and Confu&s;ion of Habits and Languages, that at high Change, which is always at Eleven in the Morning, the Scene looks like an Opera, and the Eye is filled with Show and Figure. But 'tis a &s;trange Thing to con&s;ider, that among &s;uch Crowds of all Countries, there is hardly one <HI>Spaniard</HI> to be &s;een, the&s;e are &s;o Lazy, or &s;o Proud, that they give 'em&s;elves no manner of Exerci&s;e,
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for they had rather Starve than Work: If they had not the be&s;t Country in the World, their Condition wou'd be very Mi&s;erable, and as it is, they can but barely Live, for notwith&s;tanding their O&s;tentation, there's the Cur&s;e of Poverty in all their Families. At the time of Exchange one may &s;ee &s;ome of all the Kingdoms of the Earth ne|gotiating their private Affairs, which are mo&s;tly levelled again&s;t the Intere&s;t of <HI>Spain;</HI> &s;o that when I con&s;ider'd this &s;trange Medley, I cou'd not chu&s;e but commend what I had once in <HI>Hol|land</HI> &s;een of a Picture, which &s;how'd the King of <HI>Spain</HI> lolling on a Table cover'd with Pieces of Eight, with the King of <HI>England</HI> and the States of <HI>Hol|land</HI> on each Hand, raking from under his Arms the &s;hining Metal; the <HI>Ge|noe&s;es</HI> behind his Chair making Gri|maces at him, and the King of <HI>France</HI> &s;natching it before his Face, whether he wou'd or no: And indeed 'tis lite|rally true, for all Nations prey upon him, and either by Wile or Force get mo&s;t of his Trea&s;ure out of his Coun|try. How &s;hou'd it el&s;e be? For there's not another Kingdom in <HI>Europe</HI> has any
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Mines of its own, and tho' the <HI>French</HI> and <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> have a &s;mall Trade with <HI>Guinea,</HI> and bring &s;ometimes Du&s;t from thence; yet that is &s;o &s;mall a Parcel of the Riches of both Countries, that it mu&s;t be confe&s;t, the Body of their Trea&s;ure mu&s;t come from hence, and &s;o be di&s;per&s;t thro' all Parts of the World, to the utter Subver&s;ion of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Power: And were it not for their Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions which they &s;till hold in <HI>America,</HI> they wou'd inevitably fall before every Prince that cou'd draw an Army again&s;t 'em, and be reduc'd to Nothing. But to return to <HI>Cadiz.</HI></P>
<P>The Goverment of the City is in the Hands, fir&s;t of the Government, and next to him of the Alcalde; the fir&s;t is for the Regulation of the Military, as the latter of the Civil Affairs; and be|tween the&s;e Two are frequent Di&s;putes about Prerogatives, which are general|ly determin'd in Favour of the Govern|our, who has a Power (&s;uch as it is) to awe and intimidate the Civil Magi|&s;trate, who in &s;o deprav'd a Reign may complain of the U&s;urpation of his Ri|val to no Purpo&s;e in the World: At our fir&s;t Arrival <HI>Don Pedro de Vela&s;co</HI>
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was Governour, who was afterwards pre&s;ented to the Viceroyate of <HI>Catalo|nia;</HI> a Man &s;uppos'd to be in the Intere&s;ts of <HI>France,</HI> and &s;upported by the Autho|rity of his Father, who is Con&s;table of Ca&s;tile, and one of the prime Mini|&s;ters of State: The Conduct of this Governour was highly Cen&s;ur'd when Admiral <HI>Tourvile</HI> lay before this Place; for as it is reported, there was a pri|vate Corre&s;pondence between 'em, and the Governor openly regal'd him with &s;everal great Pre&s;ents, to Bribe him from any Ho&s;tilities, and to gain the good Will of the <HI>French</HI> Merchants, who were not wanting to reward him.</P>
<P>Here is an excellent Market for Fi&s;h and Fruit; but as for Meat, I have &s;een more on one Butchers Stall in <HI>London,</HI> than in all the Shambles here: All manner of tame and wild Fowl are &s;carce, tho' I have &s;ometimes &s;een of both Sorts exceeding good, but in no plentiful manner, for the&s;e are Fore|&s;tall'd before they come to Market, and they who can't go to the Price of 'em, mu&s;t Fea&s;t on Herbs&punc; or eat their Fi&s;h as their Daily Food, and thank God for Ble&s;&s;ing 'em with the Neighbour|hood
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of the Sea. Their Pork indeed is the be&s;t in the World, but their Mutton, Beef and Veal the wor&s;t; for whatever becomes of all their Cat|tel, there is little to be found of 'em in their Markets; and even that that is, is &s;o &s;trangely mamockt in the cutting up, that with that, and the beating of the Sun all Day upon't, it looks like Carrion. To &s;um up all in a word, nothing can &s;how more Sumptuous than the out&s;ide of their Hou&s;es; and nothing more Beggarly than their Po|verty within.</P>
<P>Some Months after our arrival, &s;e|veral Vi&s;its were made between the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> General, and the Governour, but if you were to &s;ee the gaudy Pomp of the <HI>Spaniard</HI> when he puts on all his gallantry for a Vi&s;it, you wou'd think your &s;elf in the Holiday Show of &s;ome overgrown Citizen, when the Pedler puts of his blue Apron to &s;trut along in Silks and Ribbons. Certainly nothing can be more Ridiculous than this Pageantry, and yet you may as well per&s;wade 'em that they're not the Anciene&s;t People of the Creation, as that they're not the mo&s;t accompli&s;ht in
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Breeding and Gallantry. The height of their Mode is but to mimick the <HI>French</HI> in their Garb; and you know they do this to &s;uch a pitch of Deformi|ty, that it is become a Proverb, when we wou'd &s;peak of any Body very awkard, to &s;ay, <HI>He looks like a Spaniard in a French dre&s;s.</HI> To mention the <HI>En|gli&s;h,</HI> tho' they are our Apes as well as they, yet they wear their Cloathes with a tolerable good grace, and bat|ing that &s;ullen Air which is in&s;epara|ble from all Northern People, they come neare&s;t us of any of our Neighbours.</P>
<P>Whenever the General made his Vi&s;it, he went attended with the flow|er of his Officers, as there are many among 'em fine Gentlemen. Once there was a &s;olemn Invitation, from his Ex|cellency a Shore, to hls Excellency a Board, to an Entertainment at his Hou&s;e; the chief Diver&s;ion was to be a Comedy, and to this Invitation, the General went with the be&s;t appear|ance he cou'd make; and indeed the proce&s;&s;ion was Magnificent beyond what is commonly &s;een here: For as the General Landed, the Governour in his own Per&s;on received him at the Wa|ter
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&s;ide, and led him to his Hou&s;e, between his Guards and the Soldiers (if I may &s;o call them) of the Gari|&s;on, with &s;uch Mu&s;ick as the place afforded, and a general di&s;charge of Cannon: At his Hou&s;e he was regal'd after a hand&s;om manner, and the Co|medy Acted to the be&s;t advantage they cou'd, which yet was very mi|&s;erable: When the General came away, he left a large Munificence behind him, which con&s;i&s;ted of Sixty Pi&s;toles for the Comedians, and Sixty more for the Governours Servants. This libera|lity of the General, made a great noi&s;e, and the <HI>Spaniards</HI> ever after expre&s;t a high Opinion of his Gene|ro&s;ity, and began to treat the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> with more re&s;pect.</P>
<P>Without que&s;tion, their Comedies (as they call 'em, for they have hard|ly any di&s;tinction between Comedy and Tragedy) are the vile&s;t things on Earth, and can be out done by no|thing but the &s;candalous manner they Act 'em in, and the pitiful Decoration of their Stage: You who are a Critick in the&s;e Studies, may judge what they
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are, when I have told you, that in three Days time they can patch up a Play, even in ver&s;e, for they are all in Rime, and get it Acted in three more, but after &s;uch a barbarous man|ner, as wou'd &s;ooner rai&s;e your Con|tempt than your Diver&s;ion: I have heard that the Famous <HI>Calderon</HI> &s;eldom took more time; and tho' his are the mo&s;t correct of any in the Language, yet if they were brought on the <HI>French</HI> Stage, the Audience wou'd think the Poet out of his Wits, and a Ballad Sung in a Country Market a better je&s;t: As for their Scenes and Ornaments, a Mountebanks Scaffold is an illu&s;trious contrivance to 'em: Two or three dirty Blankets pin'd acro&s;s the Stage, &s;erves for the Curtain, that is, The flat Scene before which they Act, and when they have any thing to &s;how behind that, they draw the Wollen Scene, and then the Audience may &s;uppo&s;e what they will: One wou'd think they &s;hou'd be a&s;ham'd of Day light, they Play in &s;uch abominable Habits, and yet they never u&s;e Can|dles, but &s;tand in full view of the Sun, and defie the Devil and the
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Critick. My Friend, Even in the&s;e trifles we may ob&s;erve the di&s;&s;imi|litude between this Country and all others, for I think 'em altogether and in every thing the mo&s;t contrary Peo|ple on Earth.</P>
<P>And as if the&s;e People had contriv'd on purpo&s;e to be oppo&s;ite to all the World be&s;ide, they erect their Boxes ju&s;t where our Galleries &s;tand, and the Pit which with us is taken up only by the Gentry, is with them pro&s;ti|tuted to the Vulgar at the Price of about a Te&s;ter: But with this remark|able difference, That the Benches are lockt up, like the Pews in Prote&s;tant Churches, &s;ometimes purcha&s;ed by particular Families, but generally to be open<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d to every Scoundrel who &s;tarves a Dinner to treat him&s;elf with Sixpeny worth of the Play. As to the Boxes, they are built on high from each &s;ide of the Stage to the end of the Hou&s;e, not near &s;o commodi|ou&s;ly as our Galleries; and the charge of one of them amounts to about Twelve Shillings, and that finds room for half a dozen: But for the mo&s;t part, the&s;e boxes belong to &s;uch and &s;uch
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Hou&s;es of Quality; and as we &s;ay, <HI>This is the King's Box,</HI> &amp;c. They &s;ay, <HI>This is &s;uch a Ones, and this is &s;uch a Ones</HI>&mdash; But when any of them are not taken up by the Owners, the Box-keepers make Money of them to others.</P>
<P>Another Bar be&s;ides the &s;ituation, to render the&s;e Boxes more inconveni|ent, are, the Grates which they always put before 'em. This Cu&s;tom ari&s;es from the Care the Women take, or the Men for 'em, that they &s;han't be &s;een; and becau&s;e they mu&s;t deprive others from &s;eeing them, they deprive them&s;elves of &s;eeing the Play.</P>
<P>One of the Plays which I was at, invited me there by the curio&s;ity of the Title; it was the Story of the <HI>Engli&s;h Earl of</HI> E&s;&s;ex, <HI>and Qneen</HI> Eliza|beth; which becau&s;e I had read both in <HI>French</HI> and in <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> I was re|&s;olv'd to &s;ee what they made of it in <HI>Spani&s;h;</HI> and to be ingenious, I cou'd not chu&s;e but be extreamly Scandaliz'd at the Character which they make of that Prince&s;s; for &s;he is there repre|&s;ented as the blacke&s;t and mo&s;t de|form'd Mon&s;ter in Nature, a Tyrant, Homicide, an U&s;urper, Ba&s;tard and a
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Witch: And even out of the Play-Hou&s;e, the People have the &s;ame Opi|nion of Her; and which is more in|tolerable, I have heard a well read Gentleman, but hot and zealous, affirm, That &s;he was contracted to the Devil, and that &s;he was branded with a great black Beard, which made Her hor|rible to behold.</P>
<P>When I con&s;ider'd this, I found the&s;e Impre&s;&s;ions are convey'd to the Laity by the Artifices of the Prie&s;ts, to give 'em an invincible abhorrence of tho&s;e they call Hereticks, and tho' nothing is more evident, than that this is as Lye, yet the common People are &s;o tena|cious of what the Church tells 'em. That they'll &s;ooner quarrel in defence of &s;uch a fal&s;hood, than admit of any Conviction. I &s;aw &s;everal other of their Plays, but as they are crampt into &s;hort Ver&s;es, and the &s;ence very much pincht in for the &s;ake of the Rhimes, &s;o I was &s;ometimes puzzled to un|der&s;tand 'em; in the main, I believe, there may be Wit in &s;ome of 'em, or el&s;e the People are ea&s;ily provok'd to Laughter and Admiration; for their Applau&s;es are often expre&s;t by crying,
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<HI>Vita, Vita,</HI> which is contracted out of <HI>Victo|ria,</HI> a Word that &s;ignifies their good Lik|ing and Satisfaction: I ob&s;erv'd in mo&s;t of their Plays that they are very happy in what we commonly fail, and that is, in the Oeconomy of the Fable: Their Plots are neither &s;o intricate as to confound, nor &s;o tran&s;parent as to be &s;een thro', but &s;ub&s;tantial, clear and &s;urprizing: Their Ver&s;e is every Fir&s;t and Fourth, and Second and Third; and their Acts, which they call <HI>Jornadas,</HI> are never more than Three, only at the end of each, they bring in a &s;currilous Inter|lude of Farce and Non&s;ence, di&s;grac'd with a Guittar and Harp, to make the Rabble Laugh.</P>
<P>I &s;han't delay you with any more Re|marks of this Place, I have already too far Tran&s;gre&s;t, for indeed there can be but little Plea&s;ure, either in Writing or Reading any Thing that can be &s;aid on &s;uch a wretched Subject. Give me leave only to add, that this Country is intolerably Hot, which makes good what one &s;aid of Hell, that if he were to place it in <HI>Africa, Libya</HI> &s;hou'd be his Choice, but if in <HI>Europe,</HI> no Place &s;o fit as <HI>Spain</HI> for the burning Man&s;ion.
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This extremity of Heat is the Rea&s;on, that from Twelve to Four in the Af|ternoon, every Body goes to what they call their <HI>Ce&s;to,</HI> that is, <HI>to Sleep,</HI> and the Streets for that time are as &s;i|lent as at Midnight, and no greater ap|pearance of a Trade than if it were the Sabboth; &s;o that when the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> who were not accu&s;tom'd to Sleep at &s;uch Hours, wou'd be about the Streets, the <HI>Spaniards</HI> made a by-Word of 'em, and &s;aid that at &s;uch a time nothing but Engli&s;h-men and Dogs walkt a|bout.</P>
<P>But now I have been mortifying you with the&s;e heavy Complaints, let me try if I can lighten your Spleen a little with &s;omething more reli&s;hing: As you are a Friend to a Bottle and an Intrigue, you can't chu&s;e but be pleas'd with the Conver&s;ation of &s;ome hone&s;t jolly Friars that are here: Tho&s;e of <HI>Spain</HI> are commonly more Temperate than the <HI>French,</HI> the <HI>French</HI> yet more than the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> and indeed that's no Wonder, for the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> can hardly pro|duce any Nation that excells 'em in all manner of Lewdne&s;s: Here are in this City of all Countrys &s;ome, and
<PB N="102" REF="69">
of all Orders, from the <HI>&s;tately Ca&s;tilian,</HI> down to the <HI>humble Iri&s;h-man,</HI> and from the proud <HI>Je&s;uit</HI> to the low&s;y <HI>Capuchin:</HI> The Clergy are &s;o numerous and &s;o Rich, that I have been faithfully told, near a third Part of this well Built City is in their Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, either given 'em by pious Legacies, or purcha&s;t with ready Mony: Be&s;ides &s;ome fourteen Convents of Monks and Nuns, there's a Ho&s;pital called, St. <HI>Juan de Dios,</HI> which is maintained with the Profits of the Play-Hou&s;e, the Stage being in|terdicted, unle&s;s it pays (as I remem|ber) about 2 thirds of their Daily re|ceipt to its maintenance: The Occa&s;ion of this heavy Tax on the Theatre, was the re&s;ult of the Bu&s;tle which the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Je&s;uits made to get it &s;uppre&s;t: The Story is very Famous under the Name of <HI>Pedro de Guzman,</HI> a zealous Churchman, who wrote a Book, where|in he vilifies the Stage, &s;eeming to be much &s;candaliz'd at its Impiety, and giving it all the Opprobrious Terms he cou'd gather out of the di&s;contented Fathers; and concludes, that it is equal|ly Shameful to the Catholick Religion, to bear with this (which he calls) Pa|gan
<PB N="103" REF="69">
Lewdne&s;s, as to &s;uffer the Bull-Fea&s;ts, which gave it at all times &s;uch infinite Scandal. The Latter is a Cu|&s;tom which they derive from the Moors, who once Inhabited their Country, and was among other Sports, in mixture with a deal of gro&s;s Super&s;tition, left to the&s;e <HI>Spaniards</HI> their Succe&s;&s;ors after they were expelled <HI>Spain,</HI> and which are &s;till highly prevailing at this Day: I &s;han't go about to de&s;cribe this hea|theni&s;h Sport, it being already done by every Author who has writ any Thing of the Country; only I &s;hall tell you, that once I had the Curio&s;ity to be pre|&s;ent at one of 'em, ar which Time I &s;aw 33 Bulls cut down, and macerated alive one by one, by the&s;e inhumane Butchers. Tho' I found much Cruelty in this kind of Pa&s;time, yet I cou'd not chu&s;e but be diverted with the Dex|terity of the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> in amu&s;ing and &s;hunning tho&s;e fierce Creatures: The Bulls which are de&s;ign'd for the Sacri|fice are all manag'd, for they are kept wild, and for &s;ome time before the Day of Sport, &s;hut up in Darkne&s;s, to render 'em more Furious when they are let out into the Light and the
<PB N="104" REF="70">
Crowd: The Combatants of this Day were &s;ome Gentlemen, who&s;e Relations had been formerly Foil'd by the Bulls, and then lying under (what they call) an <HI>Impena,</HI> to revenge the Di&s;grace, which is a Puntilio of Honour they never fail to ob&s;erves: They came in|to the Li&s;ts, dre&s;t up like Morri&s;-Dan|cers, Riding upon Mules, as fine as them&s;elves; and one after another, they ran their Cour&s;e: This <HI>Impena</HI> (if I call it right) is reckon'd a Di&s;grace of the highe&s;t Degree, if any Cavalier comes off without Killing his Bull, tho' he him&s;elf be Wounded, or perhaps Kill'd, as it &s;ometimes happens, there lies an Infamy on that Family, till &s;ome other Branch of it takes off the Attainder, by Slaying one of the Sava|ges with his own Hand, which at la&s;t, tho' perhaps with the Sacrifice of mo&s;t of the Family, they never fail to do. The&s;e Gentlemen were reputed great Dabs at the Game, and &s;o they prov'd, for by one Shift or other, they all came off unhurt, having redeem'd the Di&s;|grace of their Friends, and acquir'd to them&s;elves univer&s;al Applau&s;e. But on the&s;e Holidays of Bull-Fighting, eve|ry
<PB N="105" REF="70">
Fellow gets ready his Dart or his Spear, and with that in one Hand, and his Cloak in t'other, he Wounds the Bull, and defends him&s;elf; for as &s;oon as he &s;trikes, he throws his Cloak about his Eyes, which catching on his Horns, muffles him, and gives the A&s;|&s;ailant an opportunity of E&s;caping.</P>
<P>This dexterity of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> makes all Strangers wonder: Among the re&s;t there was a drunken <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Sailor, who was extremely pleas'd with the Sport, and was re&s;olv'd to take a run him&s;elf; he thought him&s;elf as good a Man as the be&s;t of 'em, and why &s;hou'd not he &s;how his Courage as well as they? It happen'd immediately that there was a fierce Bull turn'd out, and now was the time to &s;hew him&s;elf: Out then he &s;teps into the Li&s;ts, with nothing in his Hand but his little Hat, which was not much bigger than one of the Bulls Eyes, and in a daring manner waits for his running at him: Soon as the roar|ing bea&s;t &s;aw him, he ran furiou&s;ly towards him, and there being no Bo|dy el&s;e in the Li&s;ts, the Sailor mu&s;t now make the be&s;t of a bad Market; the poor Fellow &s;till &s;tood his Ground,
<PB N="106" REF="71">
and when the Bull came near him, he try'd to amu&s;e him with his Hat, as he had &s;een the <HI>Spaniards</HI> do with their Cloaks, and throwing it between his Horns, it &s;ignify'd as much as if he had held his Hand again&s;t a Thunderbolt, for down he came upon his Back, with his Face to the Bulls, one of the Bulls Feet on his Stomach, and one of his Horns thro' his Cheek and out at his Mouth.</P>
<P>One wou'd have thought the&s;e Braves that &s;aw him, &s;hou'd have run in to his Re&s;cue, but not one of 'em &s;tirred, tho' the defeated Hero lay every Mo|ment expecting Death; till of his own accord the generous Bea&s;t got out his Horn, and as if he had been &s;en&s;ible of his Conque&s;t, left him on the Ground, and walkt on as if he were &s;a|tisfy'd with his Victory. Soon as the Bull quitted him, then they run Races who &s;hou'd fir&s;t &s;ee if he were living, and finding no other hurt about him but that of his Cheek, he was carryed to the Ho&s;pital, and &s;oon afterwards Cured.</P>
<P>If you have the Curio&s;ity to ask on what Occa&s;ion the&s;e Bull-Fea&s;ts are ge|nerally
<PB N="107" REF="71">
made, take this Account which was given me of that which I was at. The Duke of <HI>Medina Sidonia,</HI> Captain General of <HI>Andaluzia,</HI> had a Son at the point of Death; his Life being given up by the Phy&s;icians, the Duke had re|cour&s;e to the Prayers of the Church, as his la&s;t Remedy; and particularly addre&s;t a Mona&s;tery of <HI>Augu&s;tines</HI> in the Town where he Dwelt, to offer up their Interce&s;&s;ion for him: In &s;ome Time after the Gentleman recover'd: and the glad Father, thinking his Re|covery had been an effect of the Pray|ers of the Convent, pre&s;ented it with the&s;e 33 Bulls, to be fir&s;t Baited for publick Diver&s;ion, and as a Token of his Gratitude, their Carca&s;&s;es to be de|voted to the Holy Fathers.</P>
<P>This is not always the Rea&s;on of 'em, for &s;ometimes the King, or &s;ome Grandee, entertains Emba&s;&s;adors with them, before the royal Palace at <HI>Madrid;</HI> or, for want of a better Occa|&s;ion, &s;ometimes the Mob: When ever the latter happens, it is done to pacifie their Clamours, for they are al|ways Mutinous in a Time of Scarcity, and then the King appoints 'em a Bull-Fea&s;t,
<PB N="108" REF="72">
which is both Sport and Supply to 'em. Tho' generally this is per|form'd here with Circum&s;tances of great O&s;tentation, yet in <HI>Barbary</HI> they have 'em in ten times more Splendour. Tho&s;e <HI>African</HI> People being lovers of all &s;orts of Cruelty, and not to be pleas'd but with &s;uch &s;avage Diver&s;ions. But &s;o much for their publick Sports&mdash;I cou'd now make you merry with another kind of Gallantry very much in pra|ctice among the&s;e <HI>Spaniards;</HI> I mean that of Pimping and Intriguing: And tho' the&s;e two Excellencies are chiefly pre|vailing among the Laity, yet to give the Church its due, the Clergy are very dextrous at any thing wherein a Woman is concern'd.</P>
<P>But &s;ince I have mention'd the Re|verend Clergy, let me not traduce 'em without entring their Convents and Chapels, and examine what &s;ort of pri|vate Devotion they practi&s;e; and I can a&s;&s;ure my Friend whoever &s;ees 'em in their cells, tho' they are zealous pretenders, and carry to the World &s;uch a Face of Au&s;terity, will find no|thing le&s;s than Mortification among 'em.</P>
<P><PB N="109" REF="72">Con&s;ider, My Friend, I am not &s;peak|ing of all that are in Religious Or|ders, God forbid I &s;hou'd accu&s;e &s;o &s;o|lemn a Life with general Prophannes: No <HI>Brunet,</HI> I have a profound Reve|rence for that Mona&s;tick Holine&s;s which in&s;pires the greate&s;t part of 'em; but yet as in all other Societies, there are even among the&s;e, &s;ome Corrupt Mem|bers which &s;hame the Sanctity of our mo&s;t Holy Communion, and are Weeds that ought to be torn from the Earth, and Rooted out from the Churches of the Faithful: I am now &s;peaking of tho&s;e abandon'd Hypocrites, who have other &s;ecret Cau&s;es for their entring into holy Orders, than Contrition and Repentance. That there are &s;uch, every Age hath inform'd us, and every Convent, or there wou'd be a little work for publick Scandal, or for Con|fe&s;&s;ion, and &s;uch &s;evere Cha&s;ti&s;emenas as are often exerci&s;ed in 'em. It was my Fortune to be acquainted with &s;ome of the&s;e we are now &s;peaking of, Brave Fellows, My Friend, Men who wou'd &s;tick at nothing to gratifie their Ap|petites, or to &s;erve a Companion. If a Husband or a Brother be in the way,
<PB N="104" REF="73">
they have devices to remove 'em, and &s;uch &s;ubtil Stratagems as will hardly admit of Oppo&s;ition: That what I &s;ay is true, every <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>Dutch</HI> Officer that's here will bear me witne&s;s; for there's hardly a Gentleman in the Na|vy that loves an Intrigue, and can part with his Money, but has been helpt by one Friar or other of his acquain|tance. Tho' I am very much &s;candaliz'd at &s;o great an infamy, which gives oc|ca&s;ion to our Adver&s;aries to reproach us; yet in &s;pite of all &s;hame 'tis an ab|&s;olute truth, and &s;o much the more deplorable.</P>
<P>It may well be an&s;wer'd, if it &s;hou'd be ask'd how the&s;e Vermin have a knack at Pimping above any other Peo|ple, that by the power they have when they receive the confe&s;&s;ions, they di&s;|cover who are Corrupt; and having known that the re&s;t is ea&s;y. And that the&s;e Villains are &s;ometimes as &s;ucce&s;&s;|ful in Debauching innocent Maids, as they are in continuing the pollutions of others already Defil'd, has been no|toriou&s;ly prov'd by Examples, that have occur'd to my particular knowledge; and the rea&s;on is plain, why the Prie&s;t|hood
<PB N="111" REF="73">
is more mi&s;cheivious that way, becau&s;e the doors of every Family lie open to them, and that re&s;erva|tion which Parents u&s;e in guarding their Children from all the World be&s;ide, is put by at the approaches of a Prie&s;t, who, wherever he comes, is as familiar as if he were one of the Dome&s;ticks. The liberty which they thus a&s;&s;ume, as it is the particular priviledge of the Church, &s;o it is very &s;erviceable to 'em in their De&s;igns of every kind, but principally to in&s;inuate for Alms and Benevolences, in which they are &s;o dextrous, that 'tis a hard matter to avoid 'em: For be&s;ides the Artifices they u&s;e by fair means, they have always the nece&s;&s;ities of the Church to pretend, and when good words won't do, they have a Purgatory and Damnation to awe the unknowing Vulgar. I wou'd not &s;ay this of the <HI>Roman</HI> Clergy if I did not know it to be litterally true; for as I wou'd be thought impartial in my re|marks of every thing I undertake to Relate; &s;o in this particular I woud &s;hun all detraction, and cover as much as I cou'd the nudities of the Catho|lick Communion; but to deal plain|ly
<PB N="112" REF="74">
with a Friend, I found within the&s;e holy Societies very much Corruption and Degeneracy; I found Ab&s;tinence and Cha&s;tity, which are their Principal vows, no more than nominal Vertues, but I &s;aw every where an egregious abun|dance of Slothfulne&s;s and Luxury, with a di&s;gui&s;e of Hypocri&s;y to cover it, and to keep up the reputation of the Cloy&s;ter. I &s;ay not this univer&s;ally of Religious Orders, it were pity if this &s;hou'd be generally true of the&s;e re|clu&s;es; without que&s;tion, there are multitudes of Saints among 'em; but granting that, yet 'tis beyond all con|trover&s;y true, that they have extream|ly degenerated from their fir&s;t in&s;titu|tion, and in&s;tead of giving them&s;elves up to Works of Piety, and the &s;tudy of the &s;acred Scriptures, as their Pri|mitive Fathers did, they are &s;unk down into a Lethargy of Ignorance and Stu|pidity.</P>
<P>I believe, my Friend, it wou'd not be very difficult to find a rea&s;on for this Apo&s;tacy, when we con&s;ider, how ea&s;ily they give admi&s;&s;ion to every lazy indi|gent Wretch that can give little or no Account of his Faith, taking the &s;acred
<PB N="113" REF="74">
Habit only to skreen him again&s;t the Gripes of Poverty, and the injuries of Fortune. But one wou'd think, not|with&s;tanding all this, that among &s;o many idle People, who have nothing to mind but their Prayers and their Study, that there &s;hou'd not be a grea|ter &s;how of Learning, not to mention any thing el&s;e; but let <HI>Brunet</HI> believe what I now tell him, that in all the Conver&s;ation I have had with 'em, I &s;carce met with one in twenty, that had any other Language than that he was born with; or at the be&s;t, if his Practice at the Altar had furni&s;h't him with &s;ome loo&s;e Fragments of Latin, it was commonly no more than wou'd &s;erve to ask me what Country-Man I was, or to tell me how many Ma&s;&s;es are &s;aid in a Day: Not but that there are &s;ome of 'em great Ma&s;ters, but the&s;e are &s;o few, that a Traveller may weary out his Patience, before he can meet with one who can &s;atisfie his Curio&s;ity in any que&s;tion of importance.</P>
<P><PB N="114" REF="75" MS="y">The Je&s;uits are the only Order by whom the more polite Studies are in|courag'd; of the&s;e indeed there are many great Criticks in all manner of Sciences, and 'tis with which Wi&s;dom, that they are appointed the Mi&s;&s;ionaries to go Abroad, for the fir&s;t thing they &s;tudy, is Humanity, and that in the chief place fits 'em for the&s;e wonder|ful Expeditions which they are &s;ent upon into the parts of the World. Be&s;ides this, they are perfect Profici|ents in all the parts of the Mathema|ticks, than which nothing can be more nece&s;&s;ary for the conver&s;ion of the Ea&s;tern Nations, who are extreamly bigotted to Augury and the &s;tudy of the Stars.</P>
<P>The Method which the&s;e cunning People have to recruite their Order with a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of ingenious Men, is very remarkable; for in all Countries where they are, they ingro&s;s to them|&s;elves the Education of all the Youth, and when they find a Boy of a to|ward &s;pritely wit, as it's ea&s;y out of &s;ometimes a Thou&s;and, as I have known
<PB N="115" REF="75">
in one School, they &s;ecure him to them&s;elves, and bring him up to their Order. By the&s;e means they never want a &s;upply of able Men to carry on their De&s;igns, and to pre&s;erve their Superiority over every other fraterni|ty.</P>
<P>At this time I was recommended to make a Journey to a Mona&s;tery of Carthu&s;ians, di&s;tant &s;ome four Leagues from hence: My company was a <HI>French</HI> Merchant and a Religious of his ac|quaintance; &s;o cro&s;&s;ing the Bay, we rid it in two Hours, but after &s;uch a barbarous manner, that as bad as I love walking, it had been much for the advantage of my Bones, if I had footed it thro' all the bad ways.</P>
<P>Our Mules (for here are rarely any Hor&s;es) were &s;ome of them which al|waies ply at the landing Place, cover'd with Pack&s;addles in&s;tead of Pad&s;ad|dles, and Rein'd with Halters in&s;tead of Bridles. The &s;eats of the&s;e Saddles are as flat as a Cu&s;hion, but not half &s;o &s;oft; and the fall on each &s;ide
<PB N="116" REF="76">
&s;tretcht out &s;o wide, that 'tis as bad as the rack to &s;it on 'em: And to all this the &s;awcy Muleteer, tho' there be but the Tail to ride on, will be &s;ure to be up behind you, if you don't out gallop him, or threaten him with more than bare words. In this man|ner we went, and when we came with|in &s;ight of the Mona&s;tery, we di&s;moun|ted, giving our Mules in charge to the Owners, who footed it as fa&s;t as we rid. Here we took out a Bottle, and &s;ome Provi&s;ion, and what was remaining after we had done, we &s;ent to our Jockeys; but the proud <HI>Spani|ards</HI> tho' they were ready to &s;tarve for Victuals, refus'd our leavings, and &s;ent us back in an&s;wer, That if we thought 'em not good enough to &s;it down with us, they thought 'em&s;elves too good to take up with our Orts.</P>
<P>This was Demon&s;tration beyond whatever I had heard of the Pride of the&s;e ra&s;cally Pea&s;ants; but indeed in every thing el&s;e that we had to do with 'em, we found 'em always the &s;ame</P>
<P><PB N="117" REF="76">We entred the Mona&s;tery, and be|cau&s;e I was mightily &s;mitten with this &s;uperb Building, I can hardly forbear you giving its De&s;cription. I was &s;o delighted with every thing I &s;aw, that tho' I had &s;een that in <HI>Lyons</HI> which is ju&s;tly counted the fine&s;t in <HI>France,</HI> I cou'd not &s;uffer any compari&s;on between this and that, neither in the Archite|cture nor Decoration.</P>
<P>Thro'out the World the Hou&s;es of this order are the mo&s;t Magnificent of any and as much as they out-do all others, &s;o much does this exceed all that I had &s;een of the &s;ame Founda|tion. The rea&s;on of this grandeur is evident, for they admit none into their Habit, but Per&s;ons of the highe&s;t Qua|lity, who generally bring all, or the be&s;t part of their E&s;tates in along with 'em, and dedicate 'em to the Mo|na&s;tery. This which we now &s;peak of has &s;uch prodigious Revenues, that in a Year of &s;carcity, in the City of <HI>Cales,</HI> they undertook to &s;upply that populous place with Provi&s;ion of all kinds for Twelve Months out of their
<PB N="118" REF="77">
own Magazines. The number of Fa|thers in the Hou&s;e was Originally li|mited to Thirty Three, but at this time, there were no more than Eighteen; and we were inform'd, there &s;eldom are more, becau&s;e of the rigid and in|&s;upportable &s;everities of their Vows. We were likewi&s;e told, that when it was fir&s;t Erected, the reputation of the Hou&s;e brought from all parts of the Kingdom, &s;uch as offered 'em&s;elves to it; but when they had a while groan'd under the rigours they were forc't to ob&s;erve, they were no longer able to indure 'em; and becau&s;e there was no returning to the World, they &s;ent 'em&s;elves down to Hell by de&s;pe|rate and violent Deaths.</P>
<P>For five Days of the Week they are deny'd all Conver&s;ation, or &s;o much as the &s;ight of one another, only Tue&s;days and Thur&s;days in the Afternoon they enjoy for their Relaxation, and 'tis upon the&s;e Days the Hou&s;e is open for Stran|gers to &s;ee: When we went in, we met with &s;ome of the Fathers coming out, they &s;urpriz'd us e're we expected 'em, and I confe&s;s, I was never &s;o terrify'd
<PB N="119" REF="77">
with the &s;ight of human Creatures before. In their Faces they bear &s;uch marks of Au&s;terity, and &s;uch Reve|ence, that to them who are affected with Solitude and Contemplation noth|ing cou'd be more moving. We were carry'd by our Guide to the apart|ment of the <HI>Procurador,</HI> and he enter|tain'd us very curteou&s;ly with Wine, Oranges and Citrons, which grew in his own Garden. He had two Rooms to him&s;elf, as they all have, one for his Study and Refection, the other for his Dormitory. They eat nothing but Fi&s;h, but of that they have &s;uch va|riety, that they never want change ei|ther of what they are to eat, or the manner of dre&s;&s;ing it: In the com|mon Garden we &s;aw a Fountain full of tame Carps, which at the call of the Feeder, wou'd put their Mouths above Water, and take their food from his Hand. The Duke of <HI>Medina Si|donia,</HI> has a little Hou&s;e Built within the Walls, where he lies when he comes to his Devotion, tho he lives a good way off; invited here, I &s;up|po&s;e,
<PB N="120" REF="78">
by the Healthfulne&s;s of the Air, and the Beauty of the Mona&s;tery.</P>
<P>I cou'd &s;ay much more of this No|ble Structure, for on &s;uch a plea&s;ant Subject, 'tis harder to &s;ay little than a great deal; but I con&s;ider, that I have been already too prolix, and becau&s;e here I found the be&s;t retirement, I took an afternoon to my &s;elf, to peice to|gether my Prayers, and to fit 'em up to what you &s;ee they are. Therefore i'le &s;hut up this Letter, only putting you in mind, that you are indebted now two to me, who am,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours, <HI>R. R.</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE><HI>January,</HI> 12th. 94.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="78">
<HEAD>LETTER III.</HEAD>
<P>I Make ha&s;t to back my Second Let|ter with a mi&s;cellany of Ob&s;erva|tions which I made after my return from <HI>Xeres,</HI> becau&s;e I wou'd not be thought&punc; idle, or forgetful of my Duty. And the fir&s;t remark that occur'd, was that of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> manner of Eating, and dre&s;&s;ing their Meat: And certainly no People upon Earth enjoy 'em&s;elves &s;o little in their Appetites. Whether their Tempe|rance be the cau&s;e of their ill Cookery, or their ill Cookery the cau&s;e of their Temperance, is a Que&s;tion; for as the fir&s;t is a Quality they value them|&s;elves upon, &s;o the latter is a &s;hameful Truth, for in all my Life, I never &s;aw &s;uch Mammock and Sluttery. Not that what they eat is in it &s;elf offen|&s;ive, but between the Butcher and the Cook 'tis &s;o mi&s;erably handled, that our Pri&s;ons wou'd hardly receive it: And yet 'tis a thing impo&s;ible to per&s;wade a <HI>Spaniard,</HI> that they are not
<PB N="122" REF="79">
the only Nation in the World that knows how to eat well; if you ob|ject to him his Safron, he tells you, 'tis Savory; if you find fault with his Oyl, he an&s;wers you, That Oyl was one of the Ble&s;&s;ings of the Land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> but when you come to touch his Sacred Garlick, he bru&s;hes up his Whi&s;|kers, flies into a Rage, and wonders at your folly.</P>
<P>When the Table is cover'd, your Meal is &s;erv'd up in Plates, or very &s;mall Di&s;hes, and hewn into &s;o many Diminitive Pieces, that your Knife may lye by till it grows into a Sword before you have occa&s;ion to u&s;e it: and if you &s;hou'd dare to call for a Fork, the good Man will &s;tare at you as if your Temples were forked with a pair of Horns. I my &s;elf have been at an Entertainment, of no mean Fi|gure, where we had all the &s;ervices in Plate, but not a Fork to be &s;een, where above half the Company had not Knives, and of Twenty Di&s;hes of Lenten Diet, Red Herring was the chief. The be&s;t on't is, the Wine is good,
<PB N="123" REF="79">
and the de&s;ert is excellent, and with|out much ado an hone&s;t Drunkard may make a plentiful Meal among 'em. That which, at the end of the Entertainment gave me the greate&s;t &s;ur|prize, was, to &s;ee a large Silver Ba|&s;on brought in, that almo&s;t cover'd the Table, for every Body to wa&s;h together: And as with us 'tis counted rude to dip into anothers Gla&s;s; &s;o here they count it rude not to dip altogether: when we wa&s;ht, a Servant that &s;tood at the end of the Table, threw a large Diaper Napkin among us, and every one took a part to wipe him.</P>
<P>I, who yet had an inclination for the fair Sex, was very unea&s;y that the good Woman of the Hou&s;e did not &s;it with us, and bring two Daughters &s;he had, which were reported to be very pretty: My impatience to &s;ee tho&s;e hidden Charmers, made me im|portunate with Don <HI>Franci&s;ca Ca&s;tiliano</HI> to &s;peak to the Man of the Hou&s;e to &s;end for 'em; but he told me, &s;uch a reque&s;t wou'd offend him, and he wou'd not by any means as'k him;
<PB N="124" REF="80">
then I turned to an <HI>Italian</HI> Gentleman who &s;at next me, and he a&s;&s;ur'd me, 'twas to no purpo&s;e; for he had lodg'd in the Hou&s;e two Years, and never had &s;een the Daughters, I was heartily vext at this nicety, and thought it a lit|tle uncourteous to di&s;appoint a &s;tran|ger's Curio&s;ity.</P>
<P>And now I am upon the Subject of Women, give me leave to make you what De&s;cription I can of them.</P>
<P>The better &s;ort are very Beautiful, fair of Complexion, if compar'd with the Vulgar, for which there can be no better Rea&s;on, than that they &s;tay altogether within Doors, and e&s;cape the injuries of the Sun and Weather: Of &s;hape they are exceeding fine, and indeed that may be generally &s;aid of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> both Men and Women for to my remembrance, I never &s;aw any there either Deform'd or ill Made.</P>
<P>There is but one Day in the Year when they are allow'd their Liberty: and then 'tis &s;o ab&s;olute, that a Wo|man may Cuckold her Husband to his,
<PB N="125" REF="80">
Face, and defy every thing but his Dagger. On this Day (which is <HI>Cor|pus Chri&s;ti</HI>) the Churches are all open, and a deal of fine Pageantry &s;pread without the Hou&s;es to Solemnize the Fe&s;tival. The Women walk the round of their Devotion to all the Churches and under, the umbrage of that, commit tho&s;e things which at another Sea&s;on they have not the freedom to do: And I have been told, that they'll intrigue the Year round to fini&s;h it at that time, while their Husbands and Fa|thers are bu&s;y in the general Proce&s;|&s;ion that takes up all their Lei&s;ure; nor are the <HI>Duegna's</HI> &s;o dreaded for their watchfulne&s;s, able to prevent 'em. Be&s;ides the Beauty of their Per&s;ons.</P>
<P>Their dre&s;s is &s;o &s;ingular, that a &s;tran|ger mu&s;t needs be pleas'd with it: Their Heads are not embara&s;t with Commodes, nor their Wa&s;ts with Stayes. On their Shoulders they ware lac'd Hankerchiefs, in&s;tead of Nightrails, and their Hair, which is the fine&s;t in the World, is richly pleated with Rib|bons, and falls down to their Seats. The out&s;ide is yet far inferiour to what
<PB N="126" REF="81">
is underneath, (for they affect an out|ward &s;how of gravity) but under their Wa&s;tcoats and Petticoats, they wear the mo&s;t &s;umptuous Ornaments they can can purcha&s;e. But the mo&s;t &s;ingu|lar fancy they have, is that of admi|ring little Feet, and to this end, they cramp their Children when they are Young, and as their Feet are &s;trait|ned, their Legs are inlarg'd, which is likewi&s;e accounted graceful: I was of|fended at this Cu&s;tom, and when at the Play-Hou&s;e I &s;aw a Woman Act a Man's part, who had large Carman's Legs, I complain'd of it to my Friend, who told me, that was the only Beau|tiful Part about her. But tho' they take &s;uch pains to Beautifie their Feet they are extreamly &s;hy of &s;howing 'em, and 'tis held a Favour as great as any thing can be afforded, when one of 'em uncovers her Feet to &s;how 'em; after this and a Ki&s;s nothing is de|ny'd, for he who has the&s;e two, is Ma&s;ter of the re&s;t of her Per&s;on.</P>
<P>The Men of <HI>Spain</HI> are not &s;o fair as the Women, they are well in Shape
<PB N="127" REF="81">
and Stature, Active, but unwilling to &s;how it: I need not &s;ay much of 'em, every Hi&s;tory being particular in this, and every thing el&s;e that con|cerns the general Di&s;cription of the Country. Their Habit is for the mo&s;t part the <HI>Ca&s;tilian,</HI> tho' I ob&s;erve, of later Years, they begin to affect the <HI>French,</HI> e&s;pecially they in the <HI>Maritime</HI> Pro|vinces, di&s;tant from the Court; or &s;uch as have been abroad; and as this dre&s;s is plain and cheap, &s;o it is the mo&s;t advantagious in the World to di&s;play the Elegancy of their Shapes, for every thing from the &s;houlders down &s;its to the Skin as clo&s;e as the Skin does to the Fle&s;h: But about the Neck they're always loo&s;e: One Rea|&s;on of that, is, to &s;how their Linnen, for tho' that is not very fine, yet 'tis of an excellent Colour, and the work which they be&s;tow about the Neck and Hands is &s;o amazing, that I really knew a Butcher in <HI>Cales</HI> that gave Fif|ty pieces of Eight only for making of his wedding Shirt.</P>
<P><PB N="128" REF="82" MS="y">Their Beds are the wor&s;t that can be, &s;tuft only with Wooll, and quilted down; their Sheets no larger than Ap|rons, but alwaies clean and white; the Frames of the Beds are made to fold up like an Old Woman's Stoole and to be remov'd from place to place: Of the&s;e, I have &s;een Twenty in a Room, &s;et clo&s;e one to another, which tho' it makes the Chamber look like an Ho&s;pital, yet we found it very &s;o|ciable.</P>
<P>Next to their Beds, the greae&s;t plague was that of the <HI>Musketoes,</HI> the&s;e are a &s;mall kind of Flies, which in the Night buzzes about your Face, and &s;tings mo&s;t intolerably: Strangers never fail of being markt with 'em the fir&s;t Night they lie a Shore, which makes 'em in the Morning look as if the &s;mall Pox was broke out upon 'em: Some have fine Gawze Netts to keep 'em off, but that's very rare.</P>
<P>Curtains here are as &s;carce as a &s;hade about <HI>Madrid</HI> on a Sun&s;hiny Day, hardly any to be heard of: And all the while I lay a Shore, I met but
<PB N="129" REF="82">
with one Bed &s;o provided: The in|&s;ides of their Hou&s;es are unhung, un|le&s;s it be with Pictures, bare Walls being cooler, and the colour of the&s;e Walls is whiter than a Ladies Skin: They u&s;e no Chimneys, and rarely have their windows glaz'd; the two Rea&s;ons are, Gla&s;s is very dear, and very hot. The &s;ecurity of their Win|dows lies in the Iron Bars, before which they have a Lattice, which does as well as Gla&s;s.</P>
<P>The <HI>Spaniards</HI> are very Idle, and con&s;equently much giv'n to Gam|ing: They know the u&s;e of Dice very well, but their chief Diver&s;ion is in Cards. <HI>Ombre</HI> is a Game as com|mon with them as <HI>Triumph</HI> is with us, but the difference that is in every thing between them and others, is even in this mo&s;t provoking, that as all People upon Earth deal the Cards to the left, they deal to the right, and handle 'em a quite contrary way to us and every Body. And now we are upon this Subject, I have a fair occa&s;ion of reckoning up the differences
<PB N="130" REF="83">
of particular Humours between them and us.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t in general, tho' we are parted but by a ridge of pa&s;&s;able Hills; yet it wou'd &s;eem, we live un|der a &s;trange diver&s;ity of Con&s;tellati|ons, for even in the Actions of the Soul we are quite different, as well as in tho&s;e of the Body: for the <HI>French</HI> Man is Active and Mercurial, the <HI>Spaniard</HI> Speculative and Satur|nine; the one Sociable and Di&s;|cour&s;ive, the other re&s;erv'd, and full of Thought; the one &s;o open, that you cannot hire him to keep a &s;e|cret; the other &s;o &s;ecret, that the Rack cannot force him to di&s;cover: Next in their Fa&s;hion and Apparel: The <HI>French</HI> go thin and open, as if there were continual Summer; the <HI>Spaniard</HI> &s;o Wrapt and Cloakt, as if it were always Winter: The <HI>French</HI> Button downward, the other up|ward: The la&s;t con&s;tant to their Mode, the fir&s;t more wavering than a Silk|worm: The <HI>French</HI> walk as fa&s;t as if they were running from an Arre&s;t;
<PB N="131" REF="83">
the <HI>Spaniards</HI> as &s;lowly, as if they were newly come out of quartan Agues: The <HI>French</HI> Parade in clu&s;ters; the <HI>Spaniards</HI> never walk above two: The <HI>French</HI> as Airy, as if they were galli|ardizing in the Street; the other as &s;olemn, as if they were marching in a Proce&s;&s;ion. Whence this prodigious di&s;cord &s;hou'd ari&s;e is very unaccount|able, whether by Antipathy, by E|mulation, of Deri&s;ion, or whatever it is, there's not &s;uch another in&s;tance upon the Face of the Globe. I might have added, That the <HI>French</HI> walk with Swords no longer than Wo|man's Bodkins, and the <HI>Spaniards</HI> wear 'em &s;o long, that their Rumps &s;eem as if they were Spitted. I was alarm'd at this exce&s;&s;ive length, and it was told me, That the &s;tandard for a Blade was four Feet, but the Cutler always adds another Foot, and then they're about as long again as ours: And becau&s;e this great length makes 'em awkard and hard to be drawn, they have contriv'd for the better di&s;|patch of Execution, to have their Scabbards open from the Hilt to the
<PB N="132" REF="84">
Chape, as if it were no more than a Ca&s;e, and the upper end is lock'd with a &s;pring, which opens with a touch, and the too &s;ides of the Scab|bard parting, the In&s;trument of Death comes forth. To this uncon|&s;cionable mea&s;ure of their Swords, they have likewi&s;e great skill in Fen|cing, but after another manner than ours, for as we keep a Guard even with our Brea&s;ts, they keep their's even with their Eyes, and the Arm a little bent at the Elbow, as ours is alwaies &s;trait; and yet I &s;eldom heard of Duels among 'em, but of A&s;&s;a&s;&s;i|nations without number.</P>
<P>I am afraid, My Dear <HI>Brunet,</HI> of being too particular, le&s;t I grow te|dious, or el&s;e I cou'd &s;it up a whole Winter's Night upon this one To|pick of A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inating: Let it &s;uffice in&s;tead of more, that there hardly pa&s;&s;es a Day here when we don't here of &s;ome new Murder committed the Night before, and yet the Au|thors are never inquir'd after, or ne|ver puni&s;ht: This Scandalous con|tempt
<PB N="133" REF="84">
of the Law ari&s;es from the implacable de&s;ire they have of re|venging their injuries with their own Hands, and many times when a Court of Ju&s;tice wou'd redre&s;s 'em, they Laugh at &s;uch a Propo&s;al, and &s;corn to give away the opportunity of doing 'em&s;elves right.</P>
<P>As to the Laws of <HI>Spain,</HI> I be|lieve they are very well Executed, where the Churches claim does not interfere with it; they have ma|ny Courts of Judicature, and the method of Pro&s;ecuting Bu&s;ine&s;s is ea&s;ier than any where el&s;e, for often a Trial is call'd and de|termin'd before the parties know any thing of the matter. I take the Rule to be thus: The Merits of both &s;ides are got ready, and enter'd into &s;ome inferior Office, deputed by the Chief, where Officers wait for &s;uch purpo|&s;es, and there being all that can be &s;aid by both Parties made out plain|ly, and what ever they can bring material, by their Witne&s;&s;es, or any other Te&s;timony &s;umm'd up in order.
<PB N="134" REF="85" MS="y">
The depo&s;itions are packt up in two Bags among a Thou&s;and more, and &s;o &s;ent to <HI>Toledo, Sevil,</HI> or &s;ome other Court, where they are carefully ex|amin'd, and afterwards di&s;patch'd to their re&s;pective Countries, without &s;ending for, or &s;eeing the Parties or Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>In every Hou&s;e in <HI>Spain</HI> is the King's Picture, almo&s;t in equal vene|ration with the Virgin's and our Sa|viour's, tho' certainly he makes the wor&s;t Picture that ever I &s;aw. His Face is Fair, Long, Lean, &s;unk in the Cheeks, &s;harp Chin, turning to|wards his No&s;e; his No&s;e Roma|niz'd, great Ears, and his Hair mo&s;t frightfully tuck'd behind 'em: His Eyes are good, his Body &s;mall, and his Legs every where alike: I in|quir'd of his Di&s;po&s;ition, and it was An&s;wer'd, That he is infirm and apt to be di&s;order'd, That he is of an exceeding &s;weetne&s;s of Nature, fond of his People, Mild and a great Lo|ver of Je&s;ting: No correct Politician, nor very &s;tudious of Politicks, chu|&s;ing
<PB N="135" REF="85">
rather to rule by the indulgence of Nature, than the Maxims of Art: His Diver&s;ions are Comedies and Bull baitings; his Exerci&s;es, the great Hor&s;e and the Prayer Book, and his Dre&s;s the plaine&s;t in the Court: He Loves the Queen fondly, and She him, nor do the prejudices of their different Countries ever divide 'em, tho' &s;ometimes the Factions of both &s;ides are Clamorous. But the greate&s;t unhappine&s;s is, the want of an Heir, which tho' every Day Pray'd for, comes to nothing. This is an un|&s;peakable Misfortune, and Ages yet to come may feel the Con&s;equences of it.</P>
<P><HI>Spain</HI> is crowded with as great num|ber of Men of Quality as any King|dom of Europe, excepting <HI>Poland,</HI> and with a Clergy of the be&s;t indow|ments in the World. And tho' the ordinary &s;tanding force of the King|dom is not &s;o great as that of <HI>France,</HI> yet without que&s;tion the King can rai&s;e incredible numbers when he is heartily put to it.</P>
<P><PB N="136" REF="86">And becau&s;e I wou'd not &s;ay any thing without a Rea&s;on, I believe it may be ea&s;y to prove that this King can produce as numerous Armies as the King of <HI>France,</HI> if he wou'd pur|&s;ue the &s;ame Cour&s;e. For,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Spain</HI> abounds with a great many idle fellows, who had rather Starve than Work, and being all fond of wearing Swords, they wou'd glad|ly take the Title of Souldiers, if the King gave 'em incouragement.</P>
<P>In the next Place: They are &s;o well affected to their King, that if his Af|fairs requir'd their Lives, they wou'd &s;tick at nothing to &s;erve him; and &s;o fond of their own Liberties, that if there were danger of lo&s;ing them, no con&s;traint of E&s;tates or Families cou'd keep 'em from their Arms: A|gain, His Provinces (tho' not &s;o well peopled as tho&s;e of <HI>France</HI>) are infinitely more, and larger, and if as the <HI>Grand Seignior</HI> does, he were to Levy &s;o many Men out of every Vil|lage by the proportion of E&s;tates,
<PB N="137" REF="86">
the amount wou'd be prodigious; but as he never had occa&s;ion to make &s;o great a Mu&s;ter, &s;o to ea&s;e his People, he &s;its at as little charge as he can; his frontiers being Man'd with few Regi|ments, and the inner parts of his Empire requiring none. To this pur|po&s;e, was the an&s;wer of a Courtier to a Stranger, who &s;eem'd to wonder at &s;o &s;mall a Guard as the King kept about him, for when the Stranger de|manded, If that were all his Guard? The An&s;wer was, Are not we all his Defenders? What need is there of more?</P>
<P>But the principal Augmentation of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Force, will ari&s;e from the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the noble&s;s, and the va&s;t numbers they can bring of their Va&s;&s;als and Dependants: And as this Augu&s;t Body Sub&s;i&s;ts entirely on the Crown by tenures of one kind or o|ther, &s;o it is at the plea&s;ure of the Crown to command 'em to &s;ervice, when any urgency pre&s;&s;es it; and their territories and revenues being &s;o &s;patious, it is thought, the lea&s;t
<PB N="138" REF="87">
Mu&s;ter they can produce wou'd be a Hundred Thou&s;and. Add to this, That the Clergy too, being for the mo&s;t part feud a tory to the Crown, and bound (though not per&s;onally) to a&s;&s;i&s;t in the defence of the Realm, their produce mu&s;t be very con&s;idera|ble. But as to the Noble Men, their Services are the more certain, becau&s;e their Honours de&s;cend not <HI>de jure</HI> from Father to Son, unle&s;s confirm'd to the Son by the King's Acknowledgment and Compellation, which makes them more ob&s;ervant of him, than in <HI>France</HI> or <HI>England,</HI> where it is demanded as a Birth-Right; and becau&s;e out of the gro&s;s Body of the&s;e Noble Men, the King honours &s;ome with the Ti|tle of <HI>Grandees,</HI> privileged to &s;tand covered before him, which being the highe&s;t pitch of Grandeur the State can give, it keeps tho&s;e great Ones in readine&s;s to Obey his Plea&s;ure, in hopes of being &s;ometime call'd to it.</P>
<P>Here it mu&s;t be confe&s;t, that the People of <HI>France</HI> are more Military, and that the King of <HI>France</HI> has a
<PB N="139" REF="87">
better Exchequer, and con&s;equently his Armies are fuller; but con&s;ider, The King of <HI>Spain</HI> of late makes no Conque&s;ts abroad, and therefore is not nece&s;&s;itated to be always in Arms; and if his Exchequer be low, it is becau&s;e he &s;eldom Taxes, but &s;lides on in Tranquility with his ordinary <HI>Intrado,</HI> and as well as he can, bears up, without oppre&s;&s;ing his People: but if an unavoidable nece&s;&s;ity threat|ens him, and he be forced to Arm as many as he can, 'tis beyond Con|trover&s;y, That he can fill a <HI>Campaign</HI> to as great an extent as <HI>France,</HI> and &s;aying That, I have comprehended any Kingdom in Europe. It may be &s;ubjoyn'd here, that his Country is naturally Strong, defended on one &s;ide by the <HI>Pyrenes,</HI> his &s;hore every where guarded with good Forts, and the other &s;ide &s;ecur'd with difficult Approaches, good Garri&s;ons, and the Warlike Nation of the <HI>Catalauns:</HI> So that upon the whole, his charge is very ea&s;y, which is a happine&s;s to him&s;elf and his Subjects.</P>
<P><PB N="140" REF="88" MS="y">Of the Language of <HI>Spain,</HI> 'tis a comely Sonorous Maje&s;tick kind of &s;peaking; 'tis generally the &s;ame all over the Kingdom, except in <HI>Bi&s;cay,</HI> where they &s;till u&s;e their own Bar|barous Original: but every where el&s;e 'tis the &s;ame, only di&s;tingui&s;ht in &s;ome remote Provinces, by idioms particular to every place; tho' in <HI>Ca|talonia</HI> and the contiguous Towns it is Corrupted into a &s;ort of <HI>Langue|dock.</HI> It has a very near affinity with the Latin, the <HI>Roman</HI> Conquerors having here more than any where el&s;e, left their Language behind 'em. 'Tis not very hard to be learn'd, for fore&s;eeing the u&s;efulne&s;s of knowing it, I gave my &s;elf up to it, and in three Months I became &s;o good a Proficient, that I under&s;tood every thing that was &s;aid.</P>
<P>But before I end this Mi&s;cellane|ous Letter, take as near as I can Collect, all the va&s;t Kingdoms and Dominions that make up the Body of this Magnificent Empire. In <HI>Europe,</HI> there is <HI>Spain</HI> it &s;elf, of two Thou&s;and
<PB N="141" REF="88">
five Hundred Miles Circumference: <HI>Ca|talonia, Naples, Millain</HI> and <HI>Flanders.</HI> In the <HI>Mediterranean,</HI> the I&s;lands of <HI>Sicily, Sardinia, Cor&s;ica, Majorca, Minorca, Yvica,</HI> and <HI>Fermentera.</HI> In the <HI>Atlantick,</HI> the <HI>Canaries, Madera, Cape Verde,</HI> and &s;ome other &s;mall Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions. In the <HI>Oriental Seas,</HI> the <HI>Ladrones, Philip|pines</HI> and innumerable le&s;&s;er I&s;les in <HI>America,</HI> almo&s;t the whole Continent, with the great I&s;land of <HI>California;</HI> in <HI>Africa, Ceuta, Maragan,</HI> and &s;everal &s;mall Plantations in all the parts of the World; but there having been no Ac|count publi&s;ht of 'em &s;ince the defection of <HI>Portugal,</HI> the Li&s;t is not &s;o exact as I cou'd wi&s;h it, but enough has been &s;aid to prove that the Crown of <HI>Spain</HI> has a larger tract of Land than any Monarchy in the World, amounting to more than Thirty Seven Thou&s;and Miles in circuit: and as his Domini|ons on Land are of &s;o great extent, &s;o on the Coa&s;ts he has Harbours of the greate&s;t &s;ecurity from Storms, and Forts of invincible Defence again&s;t an Enemy. And certainly nothing can be more delightful than to Sail up
<PB N="142" REF="89" MS="y">
the <HI>Mediterranean,</HI> almo&s;t every where in &s;ight of Land; the Country of <HI>Spain</HI> yielding the fine&s;t Pro&s;pect of any upon the Face of Nature, which appears charming to the Ships that go by becau&s;e of the colour of the Soil, the numbers of the Towns, and the Beau|ty of their Buildings, the Hou&s;es be|ing all Built of a white Stone, and &s;o rai&s;ed one above another, that every di&s;tinct Hou&s;e may be perceiv'd at a great di&s;tance; but this is not the Beauty of <HI>Spain</HI> alone, for all the Towns of <HI>Barbary</HI> are built in the &s;ame manner; above all, the love|ly Town of <HI>Algier,</HI> which without doubt for the bigne&s;s, is the mo&s;t de|lectable Fabrick upon the Ocean.</P>
<P>I might here inlarge my Letter, by reviving the old Records, which talk &s;o o&s;tentatiou&s;ly of the great Actions that have been perform'd in this Country by the <HI>Romans,</HI> but I have been too tedious already, and as I intend this but as a Po&s;t&s;cript to my la&s;t, and have all along &s;aid very little of the Hi&s;tory of the Country, 'tis time I &s;hou'd pay my Compliment and bid you adieu.</P>
<P><PB N="143" REF="89">But before I &s;hut up, and while it is in my Head, let me ea&s;e my Spleen again&s;t two things which I abominate here; one is the mo&s;t odoriferous Cu&s;tom of Watring and Dunging the Streets with what comes out of their Clo&s;e-Stools; and this they do in &s;uch an outragious manner, that I have &s;een the high Streets of &s;everal Towns pav'd in a Morning with that &s;oft matter, and a Tide of Urine rolling down the Ken|nels: But what is mo&s;t wonderful, by Noon all this is all gone, and not the lea&s;t appearance of all that Filth that we &s;aw when we ro&s;e: The Air is &s;o incredibly fine, that it rarifies whatever it meets with to prey upon; and the <HI>Spaniards</HI> hold it a Phy&s;ical prevention thus to furni&s;h the &s;treet with Matter for that voracious Planet, le&s;t it &s;hou'd prey upon their own Carca&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>The other Offence, is the univer&s;al u&s;e of Oyl in every thing they dre&s;s, which is &s;o venomou&s;ly bad that it in|fects the Air around: and this is alto|gether the Sawce the ordinary People have; &s;o that for a whole Streets length you &s;hall &s;ee no sky for the thick Fog
<PB N="144" REF="90">
that comes out of their Frying-Pans; and that makes &s;uch an intolerable &s;tink that I don't know any thing more nau&s;eous.</P>
<P>When I was di&s;cour&s;ing of their Pride, I might ha' told you that I have &s;een a Smith at work upon a Hor&s;e&s;hooe with a Sword at his Side, and a Dag|ger behind him: His Man held the Shooe, and the Ma&s;ter (who never works but upon pre&s;&s;ing nece&s;&s;ities) gave it the fini&s;hing Stroak. They hammer their Iron all cold, and that's the Rea&s;on that a Hor&s;e need be &s;hod but three or four times a Year.</P>
<P>I might ha' &s;aid &s;omething of their Gravity, and by how many ridiculous Affectations they wou'd be thought re&s;erv'd and demure, but I have been as good as my word in making this a mad Mi&s;cellany, and I hope you'll par|don the Confu&s;ion,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>I Remain Yours <HI>R.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="letter">
<PB N="145" REF="90">
<HEAD>LETTER IV.</HEAD>
<P>AT la&s;t I have the favour of yours, and the Account you &s;end me, of the Great Exploits our Soveraign has Acted on the Continent, gave me Infinite Satisfaction. Certainly he's the greate&s;t <HI>Monarch</HI> that ever came after <HI>Augu&s;tus,</HI> and if his Sea Expeditions had the &s;ame Succe&s;s, there wou'd be nothing want|ing to Chronicle him, the fir&s;t, in all the Annals of Glory. But alas! When I Reflect on the In&s;ults the&s;e People his Enemies, have made on this &s;ide of his Dominions, I am &s;trangely Mortify'd; for without Complementing their Power, it mu&s;t be acknowledged, that they have an Invincible <HI>Navy,</HI> and 'tis happy for us, that our Harbours Pro|tected us from 'em, or there wou'd have been no &s;afety from their Arms. The Fatal Defeat at <HI>La Hogue,</HI> is a bitter Evidence of this Truth, and I wi&s;h for the Glory of my King, we may never come &s;o inopportunely into their Power again: What is there in the World but the Power of this Rival <HI>Engli&s;h Mo|narch,</HI>
<PB N="146" REF="91">
to Eclip&s;e him? The <HI>Genius</HI> of that Prince is a Check to the Career of his Ambition; and tho' it never &s;hall be &s;aid, that he can blot out the Ho|nours of <HI>France,</HI> yet give me leave to &s;ay, his Emulous Gallantries Interpo&s;e a Cloud of Darkne&s;s before 'em, and make 'em le&s;s Vi&s;ible to Impartial Judg|es: But to my Bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P>About the Latter End of <HI>April,</HI> we Sail'd from the Bay of <HI>Cales,</HI> and there being Occa&s;ion to &s;end a Scout a Cruiz|ing, the General Order'd, that &s;ome of the <HI>Britania's</HI> Crew, &s;hou'd be Ship'd Aboard Her, of which Number, I had the good Fortune to be One. This un|expected change pleas'd me, becau&s;e I thought I &s;hou'd &s;ee &s;omething more in a Cruizer, than by Remaining where I was; for the great Ships &s;carcely put in any where, while the Frigots are in con|tinual Employment, and I was not mi&s;taken in my Opinion.</P>
<P>Being now Shipt anew, I &s;hew'd my &s;elf very forward, in whatever was to be done, partly to get to my &s;elf a good Character, but chiefly that I might be in the Opportunities of &s;eeing all Ad|ventures; we had not been long from the <HI>Fleet,</HI> e're we took a &s;mall Bark, and
<PB N="147" REF="91">
tho' this was no extraordinary Prize, yet it gave us occa&s;ion to put into <HI>Tan|gier,</HI> the only thing in the World that &s;uited with my Curio&s;ity. There be|ing a War between the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and the <HI>Moors,</HI> we dur&s;t not come in near the Shore, but Anchoring about a League without, we &s;aw a Pinnace making to|wards us, under a White Flag; the Sig|nal of Peace. Immediately the Captain order'd his Barge to be Mann'd, and putting White Flag to be Hoi&s;ted; and putting a Lieutanant in Her, he Commanded him to meet the <HI>Tangerine,</HI> and Com|plement him in Civil Terms. The Lieu|tenant obey'd his In&s;tructions, and be|ing Met, he deliver'd by an Interpreter, the Bu&s;ine&s;s of his Errand, and after Mutual Civilities they parted.</P>
<P>Soon after, a Gentleman from the Town, came aboard, with a Pre&s;ent to the Captain, of Mutton, Kid, and other Provi&s;ions, which he Returned in <HI>Eng|li&s;h Gla&s;&s;es,</HI> Racking <HI>Bottles,</HI> and other Toyes, which were very acceptable to the Mahometans. They then Treated about the Prize, and &s;he was Bought and Sold, in half an Hour.</P>
<P>The City of <HI>Tangier</HI> makes a fair Pro&s;pect to the Sea; It was Aban|don'd
<PB N="148" REF="92">
to <HI>Alphon&s;o,</HI> K. of <HI>Portugal,</HI> in the Year 1471, after his Succe&s;&s;es at <HI>Ar|zila,</HI> and has been ever &s;ince in their Po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion, till <HI>Katherine</HI> had it for part of her Dowry, and it now being in the hands of the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> the <HI>Moors</HI> thought it ea&s;i|er to be recover'd, by being &s;o far di&s;tant from it's Ma&s;ter; and accordingly they &s;ell to Work under the Conduct of that Tempe&s;tuous General <HI>Gaylan;</HI> who after &s;everal Defeats which he Received, and the lo&s;s of his own Brother, at la&s;t Play'd the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> &s;o foul a Trick, that in an Ambu&s;cade, which he made for the <HI>L. Tiveott,</HI> the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> General, he cut to Pieces mo&s;t of the Garri&s;on, and the General him&s;elf. 'Tis Built on a Ri&s;ing Ground, of White Stone, and &s;eems to be well Fortify'd: The Hills on both Sides are Guarded with Walls, and before it is a <HI>Peer,</HI> Rebuilt by the <HI>Moors,</HI> after it was Demoli&s;ht by the <HI>Engli&s;h.</HI> You may remember this City was once in Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>England,</HI> being part of the Dowry of the Si&s;ter of <HI>Portugal,</HI> who was Marryed to <HI>Charles</HI> the 2d, then King of <HI>Great Britain;</HI> but the continual A&s;|&s;aults of the <HI>Moors,</HI> kept 'em always in Alarm, and after a Thou&s;and Skir|mi&s;hes, it was found too Great a Charge,
<PB N="149" REF="92">
for that Remote I&s;land to be every Year &s;ending Succours to releive it; and I am per&s;waded, that it is Impo&s;&s;ible for any <HI>European</HI> Nation to be long Ma&s;ter of it, &s;ince the Provinces under the <HI>Em|peror</HI> of <HI>Morocco,</HI> are &s;o much Improv'd in the Art of War, by tho&s;e In&s;tructions they have receiv'd by the <HI>French,</HI> who are at this Day in all their Camps. I need not &s;ay what Advantage it wou'd be to him if our <HI>Monarch</HI> had it in his Hands; for 'tis a better Curb to the pa&s;&s;age into the <HI>Mediteranean,</HI> than any on the <HI>Spa|ni&s;h</HI> Shore; but I Prophecy, that who&s;o|ever undertakes to Be&s;iege it, will be Lo&s;ers by more then their Co&s;t; and I doubt not but in time, tho&s;e <HI>Moors</HI> will Recover the re&s;t of their Country out of the Hands of the <HI>Spaniards;</HI> who are now Po&s;&s;e&s;t but of <HI>Ceuta,</HI> and Two more &s;mall Towns, of all the Coa&s;t which was once theirs.</P>
<P>And now I have mention'd <HI>Ceuta,</HI> let me &s;ay &s;omething of that, more than <HI>Trojan</HI> Siege; which has already la&s;ted Six Years, and is like to La&s;t as many more. I know the World has Lookt upon this Siege, with &s;ome Con|tempt, both of the Be&s;iegers, and the Be|&s;ieg'd; becau&s;e in &s;o many Years time, there is neither One way nor other, any
<PB N="150" REF="93">
Period put to't, neither the Town Con|quer'd by the <HI>Moors;</HI> nor the <HI>Moors</HI> beaten from before the Town: But let us &s;ee, if there may be an excu&s;e made, for the &s;low Progre&s;s of the <HI>Moors,</HI> or the weak Defence of the <HI>Spaniards.</HI></P>
<P>In the fir&s;t place, the Camp of the <HI>Moors</HI> (according to what the Mu&s;ters amount in general) never con&s;i&s;ts of more than 15000 Men, and they a Medley of Di|vers Nations, collected into that great <HI>Empire,</HI> who till of late knew nothing of the Modern way of Be&s;ieging. 'Tis true, the <HI>Engineers</HI> are mo&s;tly <HI>French,</HI> and whatever little Succe&s;s they have already had, mu&s;t be a&s;crib'd to them: I don't know if it be worth your Hear|ing, what the Current Opinion is con|cerning this Undertaking; but I have heard that the General, who has the Command of the Siege, had formerly committed &s;ome Unpardonable Crime, and it was given him in Choice, either to enlarge the City of <HI>Macchane&s;s,</HI> the 2d <HI>Metropolis</HI> of the <HI>Empire,</HI> to Redeem <HI>Ceuta</HI> out of the Hands of the <HI>Spa|niards,</HI> or in the 3d place, to Forfeit his Head: Tho' I believe this to be a Fable, yet &s;o much of it is True, that if the Ge|neral mi&s;carries in his De&s;ign, his Head
<PB N="151" REF="93">
will be in good earne&s;t Forfeited, to the <HI>Emperor's</HI> implacable Re&s;entment: For he rarely Pardons any who fail of what they Undertake.</P>
<P>In the 2d place, the Kingdom of <HI>Moroc|co,</HI> is but very ill &s;upply'd with Ammu|nition: We all know they wou'd be Bar|tring with all the Courts in Europe, for Arms, and other Nece&s;&s;aries of War; but 'tis not the Intere&s;t of any <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> King, to put into their Hands the Power of In|juring their Trade, and making In&s;ults on their Coa&s;ts: So that they have little of Warlike Provi&s;ion, but what they get from the <HI>Dutch,</HI> who will Traffick with any People for their own private Intere&s;ts, tho' all their Neighbours are to Suffer for their Avarice. By this In|digency of Military Stores, it follows, that their Attempts in War mu&s;t be le&s;s Vigorous. Be&s;ides this, the Garri&s;on is &s;trongly Fortify'd towards their Camp, and it being open at Sea, for Succours to be continually pour'd in, their Op|po&s;ition of the Garri&s;on mu&s;t con&s;e|quently be great, and their Sallies fre|quent and Numerous. To add to all this, <HI>Morocco</HI> is perpetually in War with the Re-publick of <HI>Algiers,</HI> and being a lit|tle Pre&s;t in that, they are le&s;s at lei&s;ure to regard this.</P>
<P><PB N="152" REF="94">On the other Hand, if it be Objected to <HI>Spain,</HI> that they are too remi&s;s, now they have little el&s;e to do, that they don't drive their Enemies from before their VValls, and Di&s;lodge &s;uch a Con|fu&s;ion of Vagabonds, it may be an&s;wer'd, That, as they are but on the defen&s;ive, they have no more to do, but to prevent 'em from making any con&s;iderable Pro|gre&s;s; and tho' it wou'd be highly ne|ce&s;&s;ary for their Honour and Intere&s;t, to Rai&s;e the Siege; yet the <HI>Exchequer</HI> of <HI>Spain</HI> is always kept &s;o low, that they have hardly Mony to Pay their Soul|diers; and of cour&s;e, the Work mu&s;t go on with little Re&s;olution: Be&s;ides, they who are &s;ent thither, are for the mo&s;t part &s;uch who are taken out of the Streets, and &s;ent into the Service, and who mu&s;t needs be a great while Train|ing up, and Di&s;ciplining, before they can be made fit for a Sally. The Governour is a Grandee of <HI>Spain,</HI> and a Gentle|man of Gallantry, but wanting a Force of Men and Mony to an&s;wer the Ne|ce&s;&s;ities of &s;o long a Siege, he is able to do little: His Lady is an Engli&s;h Wo|man, Si&s;ter to the pre&s;ent Duke of <HI>Nor|folk,</HI> the fir&s;t Peer of that Kingdom; and when our Ship came before the
<PB N="153" REF="94">
Town, the Captain went a&s;hore, and was entertain'd with a hearty welcome by her and her Lord. When the En|tertainment was over, the Governour took all the Engli&s;h Gentlemen, and &s;hew'd 'em the Moori&s;h Camp, &amp; to do the K. of <HI>England</HI> Honour, in the Per&s;ons of tho&s;e his Subjects, he cau&s;ed to be planted on the walls the Royal Standard of <HI>Great Britain,</HI> which when the <HI>Moors</HI> &s;aw, they wonder'd what it meant. The French could pre&s;ently inform 'em what it was, and by that Signal, &s;up|po&s;ing there were Engli&s;h Strangers in the Garri&s;on, they fell to Firing and Bombarding, as if now they were in a humour of taking the City by Storm, and &s;oon made the Ramparts too hot for the Curio&s;ity of the Beholders. Then they fell to't Pell-mell, both from the Garri&s;on and Camp, and this Fury la&s;ted on both &s;ides, all that Night, and part of the next day, and for &s;e|veral hours &s;ailing we heard 'em &s;till at it. <HI>Ceuta</HI> was taken by the <HI>Portugue&s;e</HI> in the year 1415, and was annex'd with the re&s;t of the Dominions of the Crown of <HI>Portugal,</HI> to the Monarchy of <HI>Philip</HI> the Second of <HI>Spain;</HI> but
<PB N="154" REF="95">
when <HI>Portugal</HI> recover'd her &s;elf out of her U&s;urper's Power, mo&s;t of her <HI>Colo|nies</HI> abroad de&s;erted the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Yoke, except this Garri&s;on, and &s;ome I&s;lands in the <HI>Atlantick</HI> and <HI>Ea&s;tern</HI> Seas.</P>
<P>Next morning we join'd the Fleet, and we who had been remov'd, were now re&s;tor'd to our own Ship.</P>
<P>After &s;ome days Sailing, we came up to <HI>Barcelona,</HI> where we all Anchored; And now the <HI>Catalauns</HI> began to treat us like Friends; for as &s;oon as we ar|riv'd before the City, we were &s;aluted with all the Guns, and they were an|&s;wered with as many of ours. The Vice-roy, who was the <HI>Marque&s;s de Leganez,</HI> came Aboard us, with a con|&s;iderable Pomp of Barges and Equipage, and the General receiv'd him with great &s;atisfaction: At his debarquing, he was complemented with all the Guns of the Engli&s;h Fleet, except of one Squa|dron, who (for &s;ome private Rea&s;on) did not fire: The next day he vi&s;ited the <HI>Dutch</HI> Admiral, and at his Depar|ture was &s;aluted with all their Guns.</P>
<P>The City of <HI>Barcelona</HI> is the Capital of the Kingdom of <HI>Catalonia,</HI> an anci|ent City, it being formerly called <HI>Bar|&s;ino,</HI> and then a Roman Colony, inha|bited
<PB N="155" REF="95">
by a more indu&s;trious People than the <HI>Spaniards;</HI> for here they are all em|ploy'd in one Occupation or other; and though the King favours 'em with lar|ger Privileges than any other of his Dominions, yet 'tis with much diffi|culty they are kept in their Allegiance: The Rea&s;on of this is, becau&s;e the Po|wer of <HI>Spain</HI> can't pre&s;erve 'em from the Inva&s;ions of the <HI>French,</HI> who are their near Neighbours, and upon every opportunity, mole&s;t 'em in their Trade. This Country has at all times been ve|ry apt for Mutinies, and Popular Com|motions, being as nearly related to the <HI>French,</HI> by the di&s;po&s;ition of their Hu|mours, as they are by their Scituation; and to prevent 'em from revolting, the King care&s;&s;es 'em with great Immuni|ties, and when that fails, he has a &s;tand|ing Force to awe 'em into Subjection.</P>
<P>In this City, there are (as near as I can remember) about 30 Mona&s;teries of both Sexes, well endow'd be&s;ides &s;ome Churches, and a Cathedral of great O&s;tentation. The Vice-king's Pa|lace is a large plain Structure, neither well built, nor well furni&s;h'd, tho' the Spani&s;h Hi&s;torian <HI>Mariana</HI> commends it highly, tho' he never &s;aw it; it &s;tands
<PB N="156" REF="96">
at the &s;ide of a great Square, which is the <HI>Parade</HI> of the <HI>Militia:</HI> The other Buildings are high and fair, and the Shops of the Citizens di&s;play a great deal of Wealth. 'Tis here, that the Gallies of <HI>Spain</HI> are laid up, there being an excellent Mole to &s;helter 'em from ill Weather, and convenient Hou&s;es to lay 'em up in the Winter. At this time all the Galleys, as well of <HI>Scicily</HI> as <HI>Spain,</HI> were together; and it mu&s;t be confe&s;t, &s;pite of all Detraction, that the King of <HI>Spain</HI> is well provided with &s;uch &s;ort of Navigation: The&s;e Galleys are &s;ump|tuou&s;ly deck'd, and carry one with a|nother between 50 and 60 Oars, mann'd with four Slaves each, who are chain'd to their Seats, and &s;tript to the Skin. I believe there might be about 30 in all, which being together, &s;ide by &s;ide, made a fine &s;hew, and &s;urpriz'd us with plea|&s;ure, when we turn'd &s;hort into the Mole to go a&s;hore. The Command of the&s;e Ve&s;&s;els is held &s;uperior to the Command of Men of War, and the Captain of each is a Man of Quality, and the General, a Duke.</P>
<P>On the Shore, before the Mole, the Nobility and Gentry of the City (which are very numerous) take the
<PB N="157" REF="96">
Air every Evening, where one may &s;ee at one time a 100 Coaches lin'd with the Beauty of the Country, whom the Cavaliers wait upon on Hor&s;e-back, and gallant with more than <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Gallan|try. The City is wall'd round, and mounted with bra&s;s Canon, formerly in &s;uch a Number, that there were rec|kon'd above 300 round the Works, but there are not half &s;o many now, the re&s;t having been taken down by &s;ome of the former Vice-roys, who repre&s;ent|ed to the King, that they were di&s;abled and unfit for U&s;e, tho' in reality they were very good, and &s;o converted 'em to their own Advantage. The <HI>M. de L&mdash;</HI> has been a Notorious Offender this way, and when he was depos'd from his Go|vernment, he feign'd him&s;elf mad, to elude the Examination they were go|ing to make, and &s;o e&s;cap'd an Account.</P>
<P>There is not in the world better Ar|tillery than is in the Dominions of the King of <HI>Spain,</HI> and this is &s;o &s;trong a Temptation to the covetous Gover|nours, that they are every year dimi|ni&s;h'd under one Pretence or other, and put into their Pockets. What can be a greater Demon&s;tration of the Remi&s;|ne&s;s of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Government?</P>
<P><PB N="158" REF="97">After &s;ome little &s;tay here, the Fleet weigh'd, and &s;tood to the Ea&s;t-ward, their de&s;ign being to Bombard <HI>Toulon,</HI> or <HI>Mar&s;elles,</HI> and to burn the Ships: It was (my Friend) good &s;port to me, to &s;ee 'em go about a Project which was like to co&s;t 'em &s;o much trouble to &s;o little purpo&s;e. I knew it would be in vain to attempt any thing again&s;t either of tho&s;e Harbours; and I was well pleas'd to find they had contriv'd an Expedition, which wou'd turn to their own Di&s;grace. Soon as we reacht the Latitude of <HI>Toulon,</HI> there was an Order for all the Long Boats, and Pin|naces, to be Arm'd, and the Rear Flag of <HI>Red,</HI> was Hoi&s;ted Aboard a 3d Rate, to Conduct this <HI>Diminutive Armado,</HI> with|in the I&s;les of <HI>Hieres;</HI> but before this was put in Execution, a &s;mall Frigot was &s;ent in to Spie the Condition of the E|nemy, who made a quick Return, ha|ving with much ado, e&s;caped the Gal|leys, who were &s;ent after Her, and Re|ported to the General, that it was Im|practicable to Attempt any thing there, the Harbour being Lin'd with invinci|ble Forts, and a Stout Re&s;i&s;tance provi|ded round the Shore: This Di&s;appoint|ment Gall'd 'em &s;hrewdly, but then
<PB N="159" REF="97">
turning their De&s;ign towards <HI>Mar&s;elles,</HI> the General Detacht other Frigots, to Di&s;cover where it was mo&s;t conveni|ent to Enter, who came back with the &s;ame Account they had done from <HI>Tou|lon;</HI> adding, that they were every where &s;o Impregnable, that twou'd be but to Sacrifice their Ships, and their Lives to A&s;&s;ault 'em.</P>
<P>Thus being on all &s;ides prevented, we with-drew further off, and Cruiz'd off the I&s;les; when a Furious North-We&s;t Blew us quite out of Sight of Land, and put us to a Nece&s;&s;ity of Shifting for our Safety. This Storm continu'd for a Fortnight, and was &s;o Violent, that the Birds were blown from Shore, and came to Re&s;t their Weary Wings, on the Decks, and Rigging of our Ships. The&s;e Poor Creatures were Grown &s;o Tame, with Famine, and Fateigue, that it was an ea&s;y matter to take 'em with our Hands; and there was hardly a Ship that had not Quails, and Turtle-Doves, &s;it|ting on their Yards. The Tempe&s;t con|tinuing &s;till Ob&s;tinate, and the Sea Run|ning High, as it always does in the Gulph of <HI>Lyons,</HI> at length it was De|termin'd to &s;tand before it, and Steer for the I&s;land of <HI>Sardinia;</HI> there was a
<PB N="160" REF="98">
Nece&s;&s;ity for this, for we began to want Water extreamly; and in few daies Ar|riving there, we Anchor'd in an open Road, within four Leagues of <HI>Cagliari.</HI> Here we found a Fre&s;h Stream, that Supply'd us immediately; and when we had been a while at an Anchor, the Country <HI>Pea&s;ants</HI> brought down Pro|vi&s;ions in &s;uch Plenty, that now all the <HI>Marriners</HI> Fed upon Fre&s;h Meat.</P>
<P><HI>Sardinia,</HI> is an I&s;land near adjoining to <HI>Cor&s;ica,</HI> oppo&s;ite to the Re-publick of <HI>Genoa,</HI> and the Dukedom of <HI>Tu&s;cany;</HI> the People of both I&s;lands are Account|ed Barbarous, but we found 'em quite otherwi&s;e, unle&s;s we Value their Ca|pacities by the Good Bargains we made, and count 'em Fools becau&s;e they Sold us Good Penny-worths: They are in|deed Notoriou&s;ly Ignorant, and Super|&s;titious, but far from being &s;uch Savages as they are Accounted in Hi&s;tory; and unle&s;s the Character belongs to the <HI>En|gli&s;h,</HI> who Riffled and Pillag'd the Poor Wretches, I don't know of any Bar|barity I &s;aw while I was abroad. The <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> to give 'em their Due, are ex|qui&s;ite at that &s;ort of Mi&s;chief; for when they had any of tho&s;e Poor Crea|tures in their Power, they made no Con|&s;cience
<PB N="161" REF="98">
of Plundering them of what they had and turning 'em loo&s;e to Na|kedne&s;s and Beggarly. I'le give you one In&s;tance of this Kind, becau&s;e I wou'd not fix a Scandal on a People without good Rea&s;on; and that is thus.</P>
<P>Two Souldiers having got Leave to go a Shore, under pretence of Buying Fre&s;h Provi&s;ion, bethought 'em &s;elves of a Cheaper way of being Supply'd, than by their Mony, and Marching up into the Country, came to a Poor Pea|&s;ant's Hou&s;e, who Liv'd Far from Neigh|bours, an Hone&s;t, Simple VVretch, who Fed and Clothed him&s;elf with the Pro|fits of his own Indu&s;try, and kept a|bout his Hou&s;e all that he was worth in the VVorld: It was this Poor Man's Unhappine&s;s to be at Home, when tho&s;e Stroalers entred his Hou&s;e without any Ceremony, who &s;eeing a &s;trange People within his Doors, Imagin'd 'em to be &s;ome of the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> who, he had heard, were come into their Country, and de|&s;igning to Treat 'em with what he had, he offer'd 'em the Bounty of his Hou&s;e, &s;paring nor Meat, nor Wine, nor any thing that cou'd expre&s;s his Satisfaction of &s;eeing 'em there: After he had given them of what he had, and they had Glut|ted
<PB N="162" REF="99">
with all &s;orts of Plenty, he loaded 'em with Fruits and other Good things, and Offer'd 'em what Accommodation he cou'd make for their Lodging, if they wou'd be &s;o kind as to &s;tay with him that Night: They likeing well their Entertainment, thought this was a good Opportunity to Enrich them&s;elves, and making their way up &s;tairs in a Riotous manner, they amazed the unwary Land|lord, who cou'd not gue&s;s what they meant by Running up and down, in &s;uch Tumultuous Ha&s;t: But The Poor amazed fellow, who &s;aw him&s;elf going to be Undone by the&s;e Rogues, made what Oppo&s;ition he cou'd to hinder 'em, and as he Struggled, and Pray'd, that they wou'd offer him no Violence, one of the Villains with his Dagger, Stabb'd him to the Heart, and laid him Dead at his Feet; and when they had committed that Execrable Deed, they Stripp'd the Hou&s;e bare, and marcht away with the Spoils of their Villany. This Bloody Action was afterwards made known to the <HI>Vice-Roy,</HI> who Demanded Ju&s;tice of the General; the General making inquiry after the Criminals, found 'em out, and Sentenc'd the Principal to Death: When this was Reported to
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the <HI>Vice-Roy,</HI> he De&s;ir'd no greater Sati&s;|faction than to &s;ee 'em Condemn'd; and being a Man of Genero&s;ity, him&s;elf in|terceded for their lives, only de&s;iring they might be made &s;en&s;ible of their Crimes, but that they might not be Ex|ecuted. The General with &s;ome Re|gret, granted his Reque&s;t, but wou'd not let the Murderers yet know what had been determin'd; &s;o appointing a day for the Execution of the Principal, and the Puni&s;hment of the other after the Military manner, they were drawn out under a Strong Guard, and a Batta|lion was Commanded a&s;hore to attend the Execution: And now behold a turn, and the Ju&s;tice of Providence on the Guilty Malefactor. The Ruffian who gave the Fatal Blow, was pinnion'd, and upon his Knees ready for Death, which he was to receive from a File of Mus|kets, drawn out for that Purpo&s;e; and his Companion plac'd clo&s;e by him to Suffer the Terror of his Execution: He who Headed the Battalion, and carry'd the Pardon in his Pocket, gave Orders that the Musketeers &s;hou'd not Fire, till he made the Signal; but that all the Ceremony &s;hou'd be made to Terrifie him a while with the Pro&s;pect of his
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Death; the Lieutenant who had charge of the File, knew nothing of the Par|don, but &s;uppo&s;ing he was to be Shot, according to his Sentence, gave the Signal for Firing, without asking any further Direction; and in a Moment the Murderer was Torn to Pieces. Judge now my Friend of the Precipitancy of the&s;e <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> but chiefly of the Divine Ju&s;tice, that wou'd not let &s;uch a Noto|rious Offender E&s;cape the Puni&s;hment of his Blood-&s;hed. The other Delin|quent was Puni&s;ht at the &s;ame time, tho' not by Death, and the Blood of the Murder'd Pea&s;ant &s;o far atton'd: The Officer who Commanded the File, was Broke for his Ra&s;hne&s;s, and the Colo|nel that &s;hou'd have taken more care, was made Pri&s;oner, but &s;oon afterwards Releas'd.</P>
<P>The City of <HI>Cagliari</HI> is the chief of the I&s;land, exceeding &s;trong, and the Seat of the <HI>Vice-Roy;</HI> this formerly was accoun|ted &s;o Noble a City, when <HI>Gracchus</HI> took it for the U&s;e of the <HI>Romans,</HI> that <HI>Florus,</HI> by way of Excellency, call'd it <HI>&V;rbs &V;r|bium,</HI> tho' afterwards it was demoli&s;ht by the &s;ame <HI>Gracchus,</HI> to di&s;able the Na|tives; but in more &s;ettl'd times it was Re-built, and a &s;econd time Taken by
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the <HI>Saracens,</HI> and at la&s;t re&s;tor'd by the <HI>Pi&s;ans</HI> to it's Primitive Lu&s;tre. I never in all my Life, &s;aw &s;o plentiful a Market as here, nor every thing Sold at &s;o cheap a Rate; a dozen Chickens might be bought for a Shilling, a Kid for 2, a Mut|ton for 4, and a Beef for a Pound, all ex|cellent in their kind. It was evident, this proceeded from the Scarcity of Mony among 'em, as well as from the plenty of the Market; for the ordinary People were &s;o little conver&s;ant in Money, that they hardly knew the different Species of Coyn. Yet here, as well as in <HI>Spain,</HI> 'twas ea&s;y to di&s;cover the Natural Pride that is in all, who have any Relation to the Crown; and one unan&s;werable &s;ign of it, is, that notwith&s;tanding their won|drous Simplicity, their Poverty, and abject Condition, they e&s;teem 'em&s;elves beyond the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> in Riches and Power: and as in <HI>Spain,</HI> the Natives of <HI>Galicia,</HI> value 'em&s;elves above all the provinces of the Kingdom; &s;o here, they triumph over the <HI>Galicians,</HI> in the &s;ame degree of &s;elf-de&s;tinction. But certainly nothing can be more ridicu|lous than this Vanity; for there's not the lea&s;t pretence for &s;uch a Compari&s;on, not even in the Fruitfulne&s;s of their
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Country, which is their chief Glory; for tho' their Corn Harve&s;ts are very &s;uc|cesful, and they &s;warm with variety of all Living Food, yet they are &s;o unlearn'd and ignorant in Commerce, that their Neighbours on all &s;ides fetch away their Commodities for half the Value, &amp; leave the inhabitants, nothing but the di&s;grace of being cheated, and ready to Starve in the mid&s;t of Plenty.</P>
<P>One thing I ob&s;erv'd, from the top of a Steeple, which was very remarkable; 'twas a lake of about a mile in circum|ference, which the Sun &s;eem'd to have dimini&s;ht from twice that Compa&s;s, and to have candy'd all the edges round it into an excellent white Salt: I enquir'd of our Guide, if the City made u&s;e of the Salt, but he told me, that the Phy|&s;icians held it to be unwhol&s;ome, and for|bad the eating it, under the Penalties of Fluxes, and Feavers; but that indeed the better rea&s;on was, that there were &s;everal &s;alt Works in the Town, and twou'd be a fatal di&s;appointment to the Proprietors of the&s;e Works, who paid dear for their Licences, if this were u&s;ed, and that the Phy&s;icians were in Fee to Cry it down. I was &s;atisfy'd with the latter Rea&s;on, knowing the
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fir&s;t to be a fiction; for what cou'd there be of malignity in this Lake, more than in that Rock of Salt, a little to the Ea&s;t|ward of <HI>Barcelona,</HI> which was &s;o Fine, and White, that the General him&s;elf u&s;ed no other at his Table?</P>
<P>The great Church here, is very Old, and very Stately; the out&s;ide and Roof, &s;eem'd to me like the <HI>Mu&s;aeum</HI> in <HI>Oxford,</HI> and becau&s;e I had once &s;een that in my Ramble thro' <HI>England,</HI> I gaz'd at this with the greater delight. The re&s;t of the &s;acred Buildings are le&s;s magnificent than in <HI>Spain;</HI> but beneath all, the Roy|al Palace is the mo&s;t humble Piece of Grandeur (If you'll pardon the <HI>Soleci&s;m</HI>) that I ever &s;aw. 'Twas Large, tis true, but in no other re&s;pect, &s;uitable to the Pride of &s;uch a People; for a private Gentleman of <HI>France,</HI> wou'd be a&s;ham'd to have &s;uch a Hou&s;e, accounted the Seat of his abode, or indeed of his Re|tirement. Some half a &s;core ragged tawdry fellows, are the <HI>Vice-Roy's</HI> Guard; and the&s;e &s;o mi&s;erable, that the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Sailors made &s;port of 'em, when they wou'd hinder 'em from Entering. But to make amends for our di&s;appointed Curio&s;ity, we found the <HI>Vice-Roy,</HI> a Gen|tleman of &s;o much Courte&s;y, that there
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was not the lea&s;t appearance in him of that &s;ullen Pride, which is natural to the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> tho' he was a <HI>Spaniard</HI> Born, and Educated in the Court, the Original of all Vanity. He liv'd in no manner of Maje&s;ty, which for his &s;ake we Lamented, and thought it pity a Man of &s;uch Merit, &s;hou'd not enjoy all the Honours of his Place, and we heartily wi&s;h'd him better Fortune. I don't know how to urge it upon him, for a weakne&s;s that which he did out of an exce&s;s of affability, and good Nature: I mu&s;t own I did think it beneath the dignity of &s;o exalted a Station, to do what he did, but as he did not &s;eem to want &s;ence to know his Di&s;tinction, and the quality of his Royal Office, &s;o it mu&s;t be under&s;tood the Effect of complacency to Gentlemen of a Forreign Nation which was in alliance with his Ma&s;ter. The thing I &s;peak of was this, That when &s;ome <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Officers came a&s;hore, he &s;ent his Coaches to bring 'em up to his Palace, where He him&s;elf &s;tood ready to receive 'em, I my &s;elf was one of the retinue, and &s;aw every thing that pa&s;t. When they were within the Hou&s;e, he acco&s;ted 'em one by one, and the fir&s;t civilities being over, he led 'em him|&s;elf
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from Room to Room, quite through|out the Palace, Naming, by parti|culars, what every Apartment was, omitting only that, where his women were, which was not open. This, and other Conde&s;cen&s;ions of the &s;ame Nature, was, what lookt very odly to the <HI>Engli&s;h.</HI> But if we con&s;ider the Satisfaction that mu&s;t ari&s;e to him, by &s;eeing &s;trangers in his Government, who were come to defend his Ma&s;ter's Coun|try, and the few opportunities he had of conver&s;ing with any but his own People, we can't blame him for the Plea&s;ure he took in &s;erving 'em.</P>
<P>The Women here are in no Com|pari&s;on with them of <HI>Spain,</HI> they have indeed in their Conver&s;ation, a freedom more engaging than the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Ladies have; but even in that they are &s;o awkard, that a Man of ordinary Gal|lantry, wou'd hardly find an inclination for an amour with 'em. The Women of <HI>Spain,</HI> tho' they are in Publick more Re&s;erv'd, have yet Infinite Charms, to make amends for the Toil of coming at 'em; and as they are very Beautiful (I mean the better &s;ort, for the re&s;t are all <HI>Gip&s;ies</HI>) &s;o they have &s;uch an in&s;inuating Wit, that a Man of intriegue, may be
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exceedingly delighted with 'em. But the <HI>Sardinians</HI> are the mo&s;t &s;tupid Jades in the World, not, I believe, that they want a Force of Inclination equal with others, but they want that addre&s;s to &s;et off, and to engage the Hearts, as well as the Per&s;ons of their Lovers, which the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Ladies excel in.</P>
<P>After the Fleet had Water'd, they prepar'd for their return Down: In the Night we pa&s;t between the I&s;les of <HI>Ma|jorca</HI> and <HI>Minorca,</HI> and before the &s;hut|ting in of the Evening, we made the Land, and it appear'd &s;o like that of <HI>Catalonia,</HI> that we thought we had been upon the Continent &s;ooner than we ex|pected; but finding our &s;elves here, &s;ome were of opinion, we had Steer'd a wrong cour&s;e. Next Day we reacht <HI>Barcelona,</HI> and now it was talkt of, as if here we were to take up our Winter Quarters; at lea&s;t, that the Four Regi|ments which we brought from <HI>England,</HI> &s;hou'd quarter here with the 7000 <HI>Ger|mans</HI> we took in at <HI>Final.</HI> I had forgot to tell you, that it had been agreed by the Confederate Princes, to lay Siege to &s;ome <HI>French</HI> Garri&s;on in <HI>Catalonia,</HI> and to that end, 7000 <HI>Germans</HI> were detacht from the Armies on the <HI>Rhine,</HI> under
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the Command of the Prince of <HI>He&s;&s;e,</HI> to joyn the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>Spani&s;h,</HI> who were already in the Field, in the Lea|guer of &s;ome important place; which afterwards prov'd to be <HI>Palamos:</HI> The <HI>Germans</HI> being arriv'd at <HI>Final,</HI> &s;ome <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>Dutch</HI> Tran&s;ports were &s;ent to take 'em in; and when they joyn'd the Fleet, the Galleys were order'd out of the Mole to attend us, and to carry a&s;hore &s;uch who were to di&s;embark.</P>
<P>At this time there was an Order for &s;ome of the great Ships to be &s;ent back to <HI>Cales,</HI> and there to Joyn others who were ca&s;t for <HI>England,</HI> and together to make the be&s;t of their way home: The remaining part of the Fleet Steer'd for <HI>Palamos,</HI> and being come before it, the Army landed, and joyned the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> who were about 18000 Hor&s;e and Foot: The <HI>Germans</HI> being 7000, and the <HI>Eng|li&s;h</HI> 4000, when they were together, they made up a Con&s;iderable Body. The <HI>French</HI> were about the &s;ame Number, and hearing that the Enemy intended to Be&s;iege <HI>Palamos,</HI> they marcht their Ar|my within Sight of the Town, and of the Confederates. Both Armies now being in view of one another, &s;eem'd to Watch each other for the Ri&s;ing Blow,
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but neither caring to Fight, the Town was inve&s;ted, and the Siege begun. I need not acquaint you with the general Story of the Siege, without que&s;tion you have Read it in the Prints, but I can't for|bear telling what a hideous &s;ight this <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Army was: They had about 4000 Hor&s;e, which was their only Ser|viceable Body; for the Foot was the mo&s;t Mi&s;erable rout of Vagabonds, that ever took the Field. They had neither Cloaths, Arms, nor Provi&s;ion; the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> out of Compa&s;&s;ion &s;upply'd 'em with what they wanted, but they made no u&s;e of any thing but the Food. A|mong &s;uch a Number, there were not 1000 Tents in all, but the greate&s;t part of 'em lay on the parcht Earth without any Covering but the Heavens. How|ever, with the <HI>Germans</HI> and the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> the Siege was carry'd on, and in 5 days, even in &s;ight of their own Army, the <HI>French</HI> quitted the Garri&s;on, and di&s;|mantled all the Works.</P>
<P>There being nothing more to do, the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> embarkt again with the lo&s;s of half a Score Killed, and about 40 Wounded; tho' they Su&s;tain'd the Fire of the Garri&s;on, and were the principal cau&s;e of it's de&s;ertion; when we returned
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to <HI>Barcelona,</HI> we heard the Camp was broke up, not without a Battle which the <HI>French</HI> forc't upon the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> in which, as the <HI>Spaniards</HI> them&s;elves report, they had the better; and you may be &s;ure there was nothing wanting to Celebrate the pretended Victory with the greate&s;t O&s;tentation. It was a Deplorable Spectacle, afterwards to &s;ee tho&s;e Naked Wretches come home, without Cloaths, or Arms, and almo&s;t Fami&s;ht with Hunger: And tho' it may be &s;uppos'd, the Infantry had but a &s;mall Share in the Fight, yet they &s;par'd not to give out, that they alone had defeated the <HI>French,</HI> and overthrown all the Glory of <HI>France</HI> down to the Ground.</P>
<P>The Prince of <HI>He&s;&s;e,</HI> at his entring <HI>Bar|celona,</HI> had all the Honours that were due to his Character and great Services; and afterwards for a Reward of his Signal Performances, was po&s;&s;e&s;t of the <HI>Vice-Ro|yalty</HI> of that Kingdom. But the <HI>Catalauns</HI> (who are an unea&s;y People) grew Emu|lous of his Power, and were bu&s;y to Pre|judice him, in the Favour of the Court, and to mi&s;-repre&s;ent him; which they did at la&s;t, with &s;uch Succe&s;s, that he had much ado to pre&s;erve his Govern|ment, but that he had a Party at Court,
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and the Queens Inclination to &s;upport him, and even with all his addre&s;s, he had much ado to keep him&s;elf upright, again&s;t the frequent Complaints of the <HI>Catalonians,</HI> and the Kings Indulgence to 'em.</P>
<P>The Fleet now Steer'd for the <HI>Straits</HI> Mouth, and when they were oppo&s;ite to <HI>Algier,</HI> the <HI>Dutch</HI> Squadron, which was alwaies to Wind-ward, &s;aw two Ships of that Republick, which &s;tood into the Fleet, to pay their Complement to the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> General, his Country being at Peace with the Re-publick, but the <HI>Dutch</HI> at War: After they remain'd one Day and Night among us, they Salu|ted and were di&s;mi&s;t. The <HI>Dutch</HI> Ad|miral &s;eeing an opportunity of two &s;uch con&s;iderable Prizes, made the Sig|nal for two of his Men of War to give 'em Cha&s;e; who with &s;ome difficulty came up with 'em, and brought 'em to their Fleet. The <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> General was highly exa&s;perated at his breach of Di&s;|cipline and Ho&s;pitality; he knew that as the <HI>Dutch</HI> were ab&s;olutely under his Command, that this was an in|&s;olence he could not Pardon, and that the Admiral might know he re&s;ented &s;uch an Affront, he &s;ent an Officer to
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order him to relea&s;e 'em, but the Ob&s;ti|nate Churl refus'd, returning in an&s;wer, that they were the Enemies of his Country, and that he wou'd keep 'em. The General having more Con&s;ideration than to u&s;e any means of Violence, be|came his humble petitioner, and in the Language of Humility, be&s;ought him, that as they had put 'em&s;elves into his Protection, and came but with a de&s;ign to pay their friend&s;hip to the King of <HI>England,</HI> that he wou'd &s;uffer 'em to pa&s;s unmole&s;ted, and that he wou'd an&s;wer it to the States, his Ma&s;ters: So after much Intreaty they were di&s;|charg'd.</P>
<P>Almo&s;t &s;uch another Punctilio of Ho|nour was di&s;puted between the French Envoy at <HI>Algier,</HI> and the Captain of an Engli&s;h-man of War, who was &s;ent there to renew the Peace between <HI>En|gland,</HI> and that Re-publick; for when the Man of War arriv'd, which was a Ship of 70 Guns, the Envoy told the <HI>Dey</HI> &s;he was but a Frigot, and that all the Ships of <HI>England</HI> were no better: The Captain hearing how the <HI>Dey</HI> had been abus'd, waited on him, and told him the Envoy had impo&s;ed upon him; and for his &s;atisfaction, begg'd that he
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would do him the Honour of his pre|&s;ence Aboard her: The <HI>Dey</HI> con&s;ent|ed, and after a &s;plendid Entertainment, the Captain took him to view her all over, and the <HI>Dey</HI> in his own Per&s;on counted all her Guns one by one, and found 'em, as the Captain had told 'em, 70. When he &s;aw the Deceit, he was enrag'd at the Envoy, and at his Return, &s;ent for him in the pre&s;ence of the Captain; and being come, the <HI>Dey,</HI> with his open Hand, hit him over the Face, &s;pit at him (which are the high|e&s;t Marks of Infamy in the&s;e Countries) and turn'd him out of Doors. I had at fir&s;t &s;ome Su&s;pition of the Truth of this Story, but when I heard, that it was carry'd to <HI>France,</HI> and that our King Re|&s;ented, and threatned to Revenge it, it was no longer to be doubted. I was extreamly mortify'd at this pitiful &s;hift of our Envoy's, and am heartily &s;orry his Zeal made him &s;o indi&s;creet: Our Ma&s;ter has no need of &s;uch impo&s;tures, and if he had puni&s;ht his Mini&s;ter in|&s;tead of menacing the <HI>Dey,</HI> his Ju&s;tice had been more commendable. Our Pa&s;&s;age down was now a delight, we kept near the Shore, and had the Plea&s;ure of beholding the Country all the way we
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Sail'd: From a wonderful di&s;tance, we perceiv'd the Hills of <HI>Granada,</HI> alwaies cover'd with Snow, tho' they lay in the Hotte&s;t Region of Europe.</P>
<P>In <HI>Murcia,</HI> is the City of <HI>Cartagena,</HI> fir&s;t Built by <HI>A&s;druball</HI> of <HI>Carthage,</HI> as a receptacle, for Men and Mony, ar|riving from <HI>Africk;</HI> Scituate in a <HI>Pen|in&s;ula,</HI> but &s;o impregnably Fortify'd in the time of <HI>Scipio,</HI> that but for a Stra|tagem he wou'd never have taken it: Memorable likewi&s;e for the Piety of that General, who wou'd not &s;ee tho&s;e <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Beauties, which were pre&s;ented to him, lea&s;t they &s;hou'd betray him to Incontinency. By <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> it was made the chief City of the Province, which took its Name from it; but this not being intended for a Hi&s;tory, I have done. 'Tis now a Populous and Beau|tiful City, well Fortify'd, and has a good Harbour. I &s;hou'd have mention'd <HI>Alicant</HI> in the Kingdom of <HI>Valentia,</HI> famous for the Wines it &s;ends to all Parts. Over this City is a Ca&s;tle on the Top of a Prodigious High, and Steep Hill; 'tis a hard Journey to't, if you &s;et out at Noon, as we did, and when you are in it, you meet with very little to reward your Labour: the only thing I
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Remember worth Writing, is, that at our going in, our Company were &s;tript of their Swords, but had them re&s;tor'd at their going away; this Caution may be nece&s;&s;ary, for twou'd be no difficult mat|ter, for half a Dozen Brisk fellows to roll the Garri&s;on down the Hill. At the bottom of this, &s;tands that Celebrated Place, well known to the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Sailors, by the Name of <HI>Mount-Whoredom,</HI> and it well de&s;erves &s;uch an Epithite; for there is not &s;uch another &s;pot of Ground in <HI>Europe,</HI> for all manner of Pollutions. Lower down, lies <HI>Malaga,</HI> and <HI>Velez Ma|laga,</HI> the fir&s;t (not to mention the Hi|&s;tory) is a Town of great Traffick for Almonds, Rai&s;ins, and the Wines of that Name: 'Tis a Rich, Populous, and Strong Place, full of all Nations, but e&s;pecially of <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> who&s;e Merchan|dize is its chief Reputation: The latter is &s;till Famous, for being in the Neigh|bourhood of tho&s;e Hills, where there is a &s;mall remnant of the old <HI>Moors,</HI> who &s;till &s;peak the Arabick Language; from tho&s;e hills may be &s;een the whole cour&s;e of the <HI>Straits</HI> of <HI>Gibralter,</HI> the Cities of <HI>Ceuta</HI> and <HI>Tangier</HI> in <HI>Africk.</HI> Next we come to <HI>Gibralter,</HI> formerly <HI>Heracela,</HI> Built by <HI>Hercules,</HI> at the very
<PB N="179" REF="107">
entrance into the <HI>Mediterranean,</HI> a &s;mall Town, but very Strong, of little or no Commerce; the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Con&s;ul here being in Deputation from him of <HI>Ma|laga:</HI> Here the Sea is &s;o narrow, that 'tis a common thing for the <HI>Moors</HI> from <HI>Africk,</HI> to cro&s;s and Land in the Night, and carry a way whole Villages into Slavery. On the point of the <HI>Calpe,</HI> one of the Fa|bulous Pillars of <HI>Hercules,</HI> &s;tands a little Chappel, &s;acred to all Catholicks who &s;ail by, who alwaies Salute it with their Guns, becau&s;e it is the mo&s;t We&s;terly in <HI>Europe.</HI></P>
<P>I'll Clo&s;e this Letter with acquaint|ing you, That after a Plea&s;ant Voyage, we arriv'd at <HI>Cales,</HI> where we were Welcom'd after a more grateful manner than ever, and where nothing was to be heard, but Univer&s;al applau&s;e of the General, for the whole Series of this Summers Expedition; Health and long Life to him, and Pro&s;perity to the Arms of <HI>England,</HI> remaining, in the Sincere&s;t manner,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your mo&s;t Devoted Friend and Servant,</HI> R. &mdash;</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>Cadiz,</HI>
<DATE>September 18th. 95.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="letter">
<PB N="180" REF="108">
<HEAD>LETTER V.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Dear Brunett,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THE Winter being again our long Vacation, I began to indulge my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">elf in all the Plea&s;ures &s;o much lei&s;ure might afford me. The fir&s;t undertaking I had, was to Ride to St. <HI>Lucar,</HI> in com|pany with my old Friend, the <HI>French</HI> Merchant, who had an acquaintance in that place: But before I wou'd under|take my Journey, I wou'd make my Comrade promi&s;e, to Club for a Cala&s;h, having had enough of their Pack-&s;ad|dles, and <HI>Mules,</HI> in my ramble to <HI>Xeres:</HI> I found no difficulty in per&s;wading him, I &s;ound much more to prevail with him, to let me bear half the Charge, in which I wou'd not be deny'd. I had not rid one of the 4 Leagues, we were to goe, but the dam'd Cala&s;h was &s;o un|ea&s;y, that I cou'd not chu&s;e but think of the death of being broken on the Wheel: Certainly next to the Wheel, there is no Rack on Earth, like this &s;ort of Carriages; but tho' our Cala&s;h was the Devil, our Mules were &s;wift,
<PB N="181" REF="108">
which in an Hour and a half, ran us to St. <HI>Lucar,</HI> which was four long Leagues, and the end of our Stage.</P>
<P>St. <HI>Lucar</HI> was the <HI>Templum Luciferi</HI> of the Ancients, from the Temple of <HI>Venus</HI> which &s;tood there, that Star be|ing &s;ometimes called <HI>Lucifer,</HI> and of later years very famous for being the Port belonging to <HI>Sevil,</HI> where that Wonder of Cities, loaded and unload|ed all her Bullion which came to her from <HI>America.</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Cales</HI> has got the A&s;cendant of <HI>Sevil</HI> in her Trade, &s;he is mightily decay'd, and con&s;equent|ly this Town, which &s;its upon the Chan|nel that goes up to't, is proportionably le&s;&s;en'd: Not that 'tis now poor, or ill built, but as formerly &s;he was &s;o large, that &s;he contended for the place of the Second City in <HI>Andaluzia,</HI> &s;o we now wonder there &s;hou'd be &s;o little to &s;hew for all that Boa&s;t which &s;he made in the fulne&s;s of her Glory. It is &s;till a good Town, and has daily Intercour&s;e with <HI>Cales</HI> and <HI>Sevil</HI> by its <HI>Barco Longo's,</HI> which pa&s;s every Tide between the two great Cities, and is indifferently &s;up|ported by this Second-hand Trade: The Governour has a &s;tately Hou&s;e &s;cituate on a Hill, almo&s;t inacce&s;&s;ible, that looks
<PB N="182" REF="109">
all over the Town, the River, and the Country, almo&s;t as high as <HI>Sevil.</HI> Here are but few Mona&s;teries, but tho&s;e ve|ry well built, and richly endow'd: A|mong 'em is a little College, erected for the Engli&s;h Refugees, and dedicated to St. <HI>George.</HI> The Foundation of this Col|lege, is ju&s;t as Ancient as what the En|gli&s;h call the Reformation; that is, as their Apo&s;tacy from the Catholick Church, and was laid for the Recepti|on of tho&s;e per&s;ecuted Catholicks, who fled for their Religion in the Reign of that Scourge of the Catholick Faith, Queen <HI>Elizabeth.</HI></P>
<P>At this time there were but three Fa|thers in't, but they live the better for their being &s;o few, having all the Re|venues in their own di&s;po&s;al. We &s;aw but little here to plea&s;e our Curio&s;ity, unle&s;s you'll e&s;teem this one, that tho' the Fathers were Engli&s;hmen; born and bred in <HI>England,</HI> yet by &s;o long a di&s;|u&s;e of their own Language, they had almo&s;t forgot to &s;peak it; and when I wou'd have talk'd to 'em in their own Tongue, they an&s;wer'd in <HI>Spani&s;h,</HI> and were not to be got out of that Lan|guage into their own. In my many Conver&s;ations with the&s;e Religious, I
<PB N="183" REF="109">
had more than once met with &s;uch an Adventure before; particularly after I had &s;een the <HI>Carthu&s;ian</HI> Mona&s;tery at <HI>Xeres,</HI> I went into the Town to vi&s;it an Engli&s;h Nun, who had been much fam'd for her Beauty: She indeed de|&s;erv'd that Character which was given her, for I never &s;aw any thing more Charming. Her Name was <HI>Philippa Ward,</HI> Daughter to an eminent Mer|chant of that Name, who liv'd at <HI>Pu|erto de&s;ancta Maria,</HI> and in her Infancy had put this Girl into this Convent: When I found this fair Creature &s;o a|greeable, I devoted to her all my &s;pare hours, while I remain'd in that Town, and at other times, when I cou'd be &s;par'd from my Attendance on Ship|board.</P>
<P>I found her in every re&s;pect &s;o Char|ming, that it was a Violence to take my &s;elf from her: And to this very day, I feel &s;uch a tenderne&s;s for her that I never think of her without Plea&s;ure. This Beautiful Maid had in her fir&s;t prattling days, learnt the Engli&s;h Tongue perfectly well, her Father's Family had generally <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Servants in't, and while &s;he was at home it was impo&s;&s;ible for her to forget the Language of her
<PB N="184" REF="110">
Parents, but &s;he no &s;ooner went into the <HI>Nunnery,</HI> and a&s;&s;ociated with tho&s;e of another Tongue, but &s;he left off her own, and in &s;ome Years after, &s;o intirely forgot it, that when I went to &s;ee her, &s;he hardly knew how to pronounce her own Name after the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Accent. And now I have mention'd this poor Creature, &s;uffer me to digre&s;s a little, to ea&s;e my &s;pleen of tho&s;e re&s;entments, which every generous Man ought to have again&s;t the u&s;age commonly practis'd in the dedication of the&s;e young Women to Mona&s;tick lives.</P>
<P>If a family be over loaded with Chil|dren beyond the Father's Capacity of preferring, the younge&s;t are Sacrific'd to Cloy&s;ters, at an age wherein they are not able to under&s;tand what they are to undergoe. This Lady was a deplorable in&s;tance of that &s;ort of Cruelty: Her Father dy'd when &s;he was young, and there being other Children elder than &s;he, the E&s;tate was divided among them, and but a Competency for this to intro|duce her into the Mona&s;tery, with &s;ome incon&s;iderable allowance for her Life, intru&s;ted in the hands of her Uncle, her Father's Brother, who as &s;he told me her &s;elf, lives now in <HI>London;</HI> but
<PB N="185" REF="110">
the Condition of the Will ran thus, That if &s;he &s;hou'd &s;urvive her Brothers and Si&s;ters, that then all their &s;everal Fortunes to de&s;cend upon her, and this Uncle to take it into his hands, and to &s;ee it paid: When &s;he fir&s;t was put into the <HI>Nunnery,</HI> &s;he was but 5 Years of age, in her 6th her Father dy'd; and before &s;he was 12, &s;he was the only Survivor of of all his Family: She now having a Title to the whole, apply'd her &s;elf to her Uncle for her ample fortune; but &s;oon as the re&s;t were Dead, he &s;eiz'd all into his own hands, and came away into <HI>England,</HI> and 'twas in vain to re|quire the performance of her Father's Will, from one who&s;e temper was not to do her Ju&s;tice. In &s;hort, he cajol'd the Abbe&s;s with bribes, to wheedle the un|happy Girl to remain in the Convent, and while the Abbe&s;s on one &s;ide was inchanting her with Stories of that ble&s;|&s;ed kind of Life, the Uncle on the other &s;ide, trifled her out of her hopes of her due; &s;o that at length, when it was pro|pos'd if &s;he wou'd profe&s;s for good and all, &s;he &s;eeing no likelihood of receiv|ing her Fortune, took the habit, and devoted her &s;elf forever to the <HI>Mona&s;tery.</HI> After this, it was impo&s;&s;ible to think of geting out, and he being now &s;ecure
<PB N="186" REF="111">
that &s;he wou'd never trouble him more, enjoy'd her E&s;tate, and lives upon't to this day. To &s;uch an extreamity was &s;he at la&s;t reduc'd, that even her &s;mall annuity was &s;topt, and &s;he liv'd with no other &s;ub&s;i&s;tence but that of the Hou&s;e, and about 4 <HI>l.</HI> Sterling Yearly, allow'd her by one <HI>Malbrank</HI> a charitable <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Merchant in <HI>Cales.</HI> In this Con|dition &s;he was when I came acquainted with her, and when &s;he told me this Melancholy Story, I cou'd not chu&s;e but &s;uffer with her in her misfortunes. So great was my concern for her, that tho' I knew the danger of taking her out of the Convent, yet a Thou&s;and times I importun'd her to tru&s;t her &s;elf with me, and I wou'd have run the hazard of my Life for her deliverance, if &s;he wou'd have con&s;ented, but 'twas too bold an undertaking for her, and all my prayers were lo&s;t.</P>
<P>I expect it will here be objected, that no body is compell'd to take the habit: but when the time of profe&s;&s;ion is ap|pointed, the Per&s;on who is to profe&s;s, is at liberty to &s;tay or goe; but of how little advantage is this liberty, when the poor Victims have been &s;poil'd of their Fortunes, and Nurs'd up in a &s;uper&s;titious Faith of the Sanctity of a Religious Life,
<PB N="187" REF="111">
which wants no allurements to make it grate|ful during the time of the Noviciate? Not but that I know &s;everal who have, after a long abode in a <HI>Nunnery,</HI> releas'd 'em&s;elves again, particularly a <HI>Dutch</HI> Woman in <HI>Cales,</HI> who liv'd 45 Years there, came out and was marry'd. But the&s;e are &s;uch who have no E&s;tates to Tempt their covetous Guardians to keep 'em in, and are of &s;o little account, that the matter was not much what became of 'em. Thus far I have digre&s;t &mdash; but to re|turn to my company&mdash;</P>
<P>From St. <HI>Lucar,</HI> I was per&s;waded to take a tour to <HI>Sevil,</HI> the chief City, not only of this Province, but of all the Kingdom, for Beauty, buildings and antiquity. And here I found Entertainment for my Eyes, and every Sence I had; for in all my life I never &s;aw any thing pleas'd me more. <HI>Paris, Lyons,</HI> and <HI>Roan,</HI> and 20 &s;uch places afford not &s;uch variety of won|ders. Not but that I had heard and Read much of its Fame, which did in &s;ome mea|&s;ure prepare me for what I was to expect, but I found it all infinitely &s;hort of the Truth, as much as they, who drawn by the great Re|port of our Kings Palace at <HI>Ver&s;ailes,</HI> find it &s;o prodigiou&s;ly &s;urpa&s;&s;ing their expectation: As 'twill be impo&s;&s;ible to give you particular de&s;criptions of every thing I &s;aw, &s;o I am pre|vented by &s;everal Books which are publi&s;ht of it, to which I referr you. I &s;hall only in gro&s;s, acquaint you, that for the Elegancy of the publick and private Structures, the &s;trength and beauty of its Walls, the num|ber and opulence of its Mona&s;teries, the pro|digious revenues of their Endowments, and
<PB N="188" REF="112">
the Pompous Furniture within 'em, its ex|tent and &s;patious &s;treets, its Antiquity and Reputation for the <HI>Moori&s;h</HI> Wars, and other innumerable excellencies, there is not within the whole Compa&s;s of the Globe a finer City. I cou'd not for a whole week be drawn from this plea&s;ant contemplation, tho' my friend, who had le&s;s Curio&s;ity than I, importun'd me every morning to be gone: But after I had remain'd here 7 days, I took my leave with as much reluctance as I &s;hou'd have done with a Mi&s;tre&s;s I had been &s;o many years courting for her company, and was that moment to leave her forever.</P>
<P>Our next de&s;ign was to return to <HI>Cales,</HI> but becau&s;e I had been twice jaded on Land, fir&s;t by their <HI>Mules,</HI> and now by their Ca|la&s;hes, I was re&s;olv'd, ill as I lov'd the Water, (for I never had a di&s;po&s;ition for't but for my Curio&s;ity) to tru&s;t that Element with my Body; &s;o hiring Places in a <HI>Barco-longo,</HI> we &s;hip'd in the Morning, and rouled down the &s;tream with Plea&s;ure enough, till we came to St. <HI>Lucar,</HI> and there we entered on the Ocean again. The&s;e <HI>Barco-longo's</HI> (if you'll pardon the ill Grammar) are excellent Sailers, and will lye nearer the Wind by two Points than any of our Ships. They are extremely &s;harp before and behind, and that makes 'em fly when they are before the Wind, but when they come to be clo&s;e halled, then are lee|wardly, and make but little way.</P>
<P>There are &s;everal dangerous Rocks be|tween St. <HI>Lucar</HI> and <HI>Cales,</HI> and tho' the Pilots of the&s;e Boats are dextrous in avoiding 'em, yet for want of a fair Wind, they are &s;ome|times
<PB N="189" REF="112" MS="y">
put to their &s;hifts; and when they at|tempt, as &s;ometimes they do, to go to wind|ward of 'em, they hazard by their ob&s;tinacy their own, and the lives of their pa&s;&s;engers. It far'd ju&s;t &s;o with us, for the Wind taking us &s;hort, ju&s;t as we were abrea&s;t of <HI>Rota,</HI> where there runs a great Sea, our Pilot thought to weather the Rock, but was forc't in all ha&s;t, to bear away and go to leeward of it. This was the devil again I thought, and now I was ready to Conclude there was no &s;afety in tra|vailing this Country, neither by Land nor Water, and to aggravate my ill Humour, ju&s;t as we enter'd the Bay, we we re again be&s;et with another Rock, call'd the <HI>Dia|mond,</HI> which we had much ado to &s;hun. But at la&s;t the danger was pa&s;t, and we got &s;afe in to my great Satisfaction, who was heartily vext to think of being drown'd in a Bay, who had tempted the Main in &s;o many Voyages.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not trouble you with any thing that pa&s;t this winter, having met with no adven|ture worth relating, only &s;uch as Regarded the Church, which I am a littte tender of re|peating, and wi&s;h with all my heart, I had no occa&s;ion giv'n me of being Scandaliz'd at 'em. But I hope it will be no offence to &s;ay, that re|ally the pre&s;ent Clergy are exceedingly cor|rupted, and that the artifices, with which they delude the ignorant multitude are the highe&s;t reproach that any Communion can &s;u&s;tain. Among many more, give me leave to name one, which is one of the mo&s;t reigning &s;can|dals in our Churches, and that is, the prote|ction they give to every Rakehell and Villain, from the puni&s;hment of his Crimes. What
<PB N="190" REF="113">
a defamation is it to the <HI>Altars</HI> of the holy Catholick Church, to defend Murderers and A&s;&s;a&s;&s;ins? And yet nothing is more frequent all over the <HI>Roman</HI> Chri&s;tendom, e&s;pecially in <HI>Spain, Portugal,</HI> and <HI>Italy.</HI> In <HI>France,</HI> tho' our Churches have the &s;ame Sacredne&s;s, yet we allow no &s;helter but in ca&s;es of great Oppre&s;&s;ion; for there Ju&s;tice can force its ex|ecution, and this indulgence is not granted to Wretches, who for their evil deeds &s;tand for|feited to the Civil Power. I cou'd tell you &s;urprizing &s;tories of the Tran&s;actions of the inqui&s;ition, which come to the purpo&s;e I am &s;peaking of, but 'tis a dangerous topick, and I &s;hall forbear meddling with it. But that this evil is notoriou&s;ly Eminent in <HI>Spain,</HI> let this &s;tory inform you, which is directly true, and told me by one who was an Eye Witne&s;s. The <HI>Calla Nueva</HI> of <HI>Cales</HI> (as I told you) is the Exchange, where the Merchants meet in the Morning to Negotiate their affairs; this &s;treet at that time is extreamly crouded, and was &s;o, when a Boy pre&s;&s;ing very rudely thro' the Croud, happen'd to tread on a Gentle|man's Toes, the Gentleman being hurt, turn'd round, and &s;eeing the boy, who &s;tood &s;taring at him as if he dar'd his anger, hit him over the Face, and put him away. The lad taking this for an affront, went away murmuring, and pre&s;ently after came back with a Stiletto, and finding the Gentleman &s;till there, got behind him, and with his Dagger Stab'd him into the Reins, and at that one &s;troak laid him flat: His fall drew the Eyes of all the Ex|change that way, and when they &s;aw the boy with his Stiletto bloody yet in his hand, every
<PB N="191" REF="113">
body was inqui&s;itive to know the cau&s;e of &s;uch an accident, the Gentleman's company knew how he had &s;truck the Boy, and now they had &s;een him Revenge the affront, they as well as the re&s;t open'd a way thro' the Croud, and made a lane for the young Mur|derer to e&s;cape to the next Convent, which he immediately did, and was there protected by the Fryers, till &s;ome account cou'd be giv'n of the Wound. The Gentleman in three daies dyed, and &s;till the Boy remain'd in his Sanctuary, and was afterwards made a Servant to the Convent, and lives there to this day, unpuni&s;h't and unexamin'd. Now what can be more derogatory to the Sanctity of our Religion than thus to protect &s;uch impieties? Believe me, my friend, it gives great occa&s;ion of reproach for the Enemies of our Faith to lay upon us, and I can't well blame 'em for &s;peaking truth.</P>
<P>The Winter being now far advanc't with|out any memorable adventure, the General was called home, and another order'd to re|ceive him. He Sayl'd for <HI>England</HI> with the greate&s;t part of his Fleet, and a Numerous Convoy of Merchants, and I &s;till remain'd on board the &s;ame Ship I was fir&s;t imbark't in. I can give you no further account of what the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> did in tho&s;e Seas, but that I after|wards heard, they did all they cou'd to way-lay the <HI>Toulon</HI> Fleet which were now on their Voyage to <HI>Bre&s;t,</HI> but that they mi&s;carry'd in their de&s;igns, and the Renowned <HI>Tourvile</HI> brought it home in &s;afety to the great di&s;ap|pointment and di&s;grace of his Enemies.</P>
<P>When I came to <HI>England</HI> I was di&s;charg'd
<PB N="192" REF="114" MS="y">
with the re&s;t of the Ship's Company, and got Mony and my Liberty, and &s;ufficient Satisfaction in what I undertook, e&s;pecially if I have contributed to your Diver&s;ion, and acquitted my &s;elf of the Charge you laid up|on me according to the de&s;ires I had of plea|&s;ing you, which is the Summ of all my wi&s;hes and Happine&s;s. Adieu:</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Yours</HI> R &mdash;</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>London:</HI>
<DATE>January 15th, 95.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="114">
<PB REF="115">
<PB REF="115">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
