that he was not allowed to give them any more time, but 1704. that they should foon have another opportunity of doing what ftill remained to be done; for no difappointment her majefty had met with, could alter in the leaft her favourable difpofitions towards that her ancient kingdom. After which the parliament was prorogued to the 7th of October. However, before they feparated, they drew up an addrefs to the queen, defiring, that the evidence and papers relating to the plot might be laid before them against the next feffion.

This was the state of that nation, which was aggravated very odiously all over England. It was confidently, though, as was afterwards known, very falsely reported, that great quantities of arms were brought over, and difperfed through the whole kingdom. And, it being well known how poor the nation was at that time, it was faid thofe arms were paid for by other hands, in imitation of what it was believed cardinal Richelieu did in the year 1638. Another thing was given out very maliciously by the lord Godolphin's enemies, that he had given directions under-hand to hinder the declaring the fucceffion; and that the fecret of this was trufted to Mr. Johnfton, who, they faid talked openly one way, and acted fecretly another, though there never appeared any colour of truth in those reports. Great ufe was to be made of the affairs of Scotland, because there was no ground of complaint of any thing in the adminiftration at home. All the duke of Marlborough's enemies faw, that his chief ftrength lay in the credit which the lord Godolphin was in at home, while he was fo fuccessful abroad; fo that it being impoffible to attack him in fuch a courfe of glory, they laid their aims against the lord-treasurer. The tories refolved to attack him, and that difpofed the whigs to preserve him; and this was fo managed by them, that it gave a great turn to all the councils at home.

Immediately after the adjournment of the parliament, the Changes courtiers repaired to London, where the marquis of Twee- in the dale was made chancellor of Scotland; the earls of Seafield Scots and Roxburgh, fecretaries of ftate; the earl of Rothes, lord- miniftry. privy-feal; the earl of Cromarty, juftice-general; Mr. Bailie Lockhart. of fervis-wood, treafurer-deputy; and the earl of Selkirk lord Belhaven, and Sir John Hume, lords of the treasury: Sir William Hamilton was alfo made juftice-clerk; but he lived not to enjoy that office many months, and was fucceeded by Adam Cockburn of Ormiftown. A new commiffion was, at the fame time, fent down to Edinburgh, by which most of the cavaliers, and all the duke of QueenVOL. XVI

B

fberry's

1704. iberry's friends, were laid afide, and it was made up intirely of Scots revolutioners. And thus the administration of affairs in Scotland was lodged in the hands of a body of men, who concurred with the measures at that time pursued by the court of England. It is now time to turn to the operations of the war.

The duke The affairs of the empire were, in the beginning of this of Marl- campain, in a very defperate condition. The emperor was borough reduced to the last extremities. The elector of Bavaria was conducts mafter of the Danube as far as Paffau, and the malecontents his defign in Hungary were making a formidable progrefs. The emwith great peror was not in a condition to maintain a defensive war fecrecy. long on both fides, nor was he able to make any oppofition Parnet. at all against them, fhould they once come to act by con

cert. Thus his affairs had a very gloomy appearance, and uttter ruin was to be apprehended. Vienna was in apparent danger of being befieged on both fides, and it was not capable of making a long defence; fo that the houfe of Auftria feemed loft beyond all profpect of a recovery. Prince Eugene wifely propofed, that the emperor fhould implore the protection of the queen of Great-Britain, which was agreed to, and count Wratislaw managed the affair at the court of England with great application and fecrecy (a). The duke of

of Marlborough faw the neceffity of undertaking the emperor's relief, and refolved to use all poffible endeavours to put it in execution. When he went into Holland in the winter, he propofed it to the penfionary, and other perfons of the greatest confidence. They approved it, but it was not advifeable to propofe it to the States; fince at that time many would not have thought their country fafe, if their army fhould be fent fo far from them; and nothing could be long a fecret, which was propofed to fuch an affembly, whereas the main hope of fucceeding in this defign lay in the fecrecy with which it was conducted. Therefore, under the pretext of carrying the war to the Mofelle, every thing was prepared that was neceffary for executing the true defign.

"

"involved. That her majefty "out of the fame zeal for preferving the liberties of Europe, for which she was fo "much famed, would be pleafed "to order the duke of Marl"borough, her captain-general, ferioufly to confult with the States-general, concerning "the fpeedieft method for affifting the empire; or, at "leaft, to conduct part of the troops in her majefty's pay beyond the fea, to preferve Germany from a total fub"verfion; it not being just in "itself, nor any ways advan66 tageous to the common cause "that her majefty's troops "fhould continue on the fron"tiers of Holland, which were "not in the least threatened by "the enemy, and were defend"ed by great rivers and strong

་

B 2

places, whilft the empire was "deftroyed by the French troops "with fire and fword." In conclufion count Wratislaw declared, That the reprefenta"tions he had made were grounded on the alliance con"cluded between the emperor, "England, and Holland, pur"fuant to which, he hoped her "majesty would give fuch or

The

1704.

Holland,

1704. The duke of Marlborough, with his brother general Churchill, lieutenant-general Lumley, the earl of Orkney, The duke and other general officers, embarked for Holland, and in of Marl three days arrived at the Hague. Two days after his borough coming, he was attended by a folemn deputation of the arrives in States, in order to confer with him. The conference lafted fix hours. The chief fubject of debate was about fending April 21, N. S. a good army towards the Mofelle. This was all that was Brodrick. propofed in public, and to this the States of Zealand, and Conduct two other provinces, ftrongly objected. They would not of the agree, that the duke fhould have an unlimited command to duchefs of lead the army where he pleased, and thought it a very Marb. gerous project to march the troops at fo great a distance. Lamberti. The Zealand deputies oppofed it fo ftrenuoufly, that the

dan

duke was obliged to tell him plainly, that he had the queen's pofitive orders to march with the troops in her pay The duke towards the Mofelle. Accordingly, having taken his leave of Marl of the States, the duke fet out from Holland, and in five borough's days arrived at Maeftricht, where his army was incamped. march in About the fame time, the States regulated the pofts of their to Ger

many.

May 5. May 10.

May 18.

The
French

general officers. Monfieur Auverquerque, their field-marThal, was appointed to command their forces on the Maefe, having under him the counts de Tilly and Noyelles; Slangenburg thofe on the Mofelle; Salifch in Brabant; and Spaar and Fagel in Flanders.

From Maeftricht the duke of Marlborough marched to Bedburg, and his camp being near Cologne, he was waited on by the canons of that chapter, the prince of Saxzeits, bifhop of Zoab, the prince of Heffe, count Briançon, the duke of Savoy's envoy to the queen of England, and other princes and generals.

The French in Flanders began by this time to be alarmed, though they were far from fufpecting the duke's real design. endeavour His marching towards Coblentz, and the great preparations to ftop his which were making in that place, made them believe, that

march.

he defigned to open the campain with the the fiege of Traerbach, and endeavour to advance along the Mofelle into France. Upon this fuppofition they detached five thousand foot, and two thousand horfe towards that river, and gave out, that they intended the fiege of Huy, vainly imagining, that by this report they might stop the progrefs of the English general. But the duke, well knowing that the forces which were left in Flanders under Auverquerque, were fufficient to frustrate any attempt which the French could make on that fide, continued his march, and advanced from Bedburg to Kerpenord,

Kerpenord, the next day to Kalfecken, where he received 1704. an exprefs from prince Lewis of Baden, with fome intercepted letters, by which it appeared, that the French in- May 20. tended to force their paffage through the Black-foreft, and, after joining the Bavarians, to march directly to Vienna. About the fame time, the duke received advice from the. Netherlands, that the court of France had fent pofitive orders to Villeroy to march towards the Mofelle with five and thirty battalions, and fix and forty fquadrons, being ftill firmly perfuaded, that the duke would act on that fide. Upon this, the duke gave immediate orders for his forces to march with all expedition; and whilft the army was on a May 23. full march, he went to take a view of the fortifications of Bonne, where, having given his directions to the governor of that place, he returned in the evening to the army. Here he received certain advice, that the recruits for the French army in Bavaria, with farther reinforcements, had joined the elector three days before at Villingen. But the duke, notwithstanding this junction of the enemies, was, on account of the number of the troops which the French left behind them, and by the marshal's marching back with the reft of his army towards the Rhine, confirmed in his opinion, that the enemies were as yet wholly ignorant of his defign. He therefore continued his march with unwearied diligence, May 25. and advanced to the camp of Neudorff near Coblentz, where, befides Mr. Davenant, the queen's agent at Francfort, and Monfieur d'Amelo, envoy extraordinary from the Statesgeneral, count Wratislaw, in his return from London, waited on him to fettle all things for his farther march, and his conjunction with the imperial army. Then the duke June 3. pafled the Neckar near Ladenburg, where he refted three days. Having, by this time, gained the advance of fome days of the French army, he wrote to the States from Ladenburg, to let them know that he had the queen's order to march to the relief of the empire, with which he hoped they would agree, and allow his carrying their troops to fhare in the honour of that expedition. He had their anfwer as quick as the courier could bring it, by which they approved of the defign, and of his carrying their troops with him. So he had now the whole army at his own difpofal.

The French imagining that he would advance to the Upper-Rhine, Villeroy marched thither with all poffible speed; and, at the fame time, a detachment of seven battalions and twenty-one fquadrons, from the confederate army

B 3

in.