6th. bonne. A. C. commanded by the Elector in Perfon, against whom, 1703. for fome time, he made a vigorous Defence,till being wounded with a Mufquet-fhot, he was carried out of the Field, and died the next Morning: Much re. gretted for his Excellent Qualities, and the quick Advances he made to Honour and Reputation. The Imperialifts that furviv'd that Prince,made a goodRe† April treat, and a few Days after, the Elector of Bavaria being come before Weiks, near Ratisbonne, gave Notice, by his Minifter, to the Director of Mentz, That if the Count de Styrum's Declaration, That he would The Elector conform himself to the Conclufion of the Diet, in not of Bavaria makes him Attempting to pafs through the Town, did not ar Self Mafter rive in 24 Hours, he then demanded that the Bridge of Ratis over the Danube, and the Gate which leads to it, fhould be delivered up to him. The Diet hereupon met the next Morning, and drew up a Refolution, wherein they preffed the Count de Styrum to yield this Point; and the Cardinal de Lamberg, the Emperor's Commiffary, writ him a Letter to the fame Effect; but the Elector declared himself not satisfied therewith, and repeated his Demands, to be put in Poffeffion of the Bridge. In the mean time fome of his Troops, in the Night, took Poft near St. Emeran's Gate, where they immediately began to raise a Battery. The Burghers alfo took up Arms, manned the Walls, and began to plant their Canon; but the Fortifications on that fide of the Town, having been a long time neglected, and not being in a Condition to make any Defence, the Cardinal and Diet ordered the Burghers not to fire, and directed the Magiftrates to deliver up the Bridge to the Elector's Forces, which then left off working; but the Magiftrates making fome Difficulties, the Elector ordered the Approaches to be carried on, and the Works being compleated, and his Forces ready to break into the Ditch, he fent word to the Cardinal, That he gave him 3 Hours to retire, and at 6 the Attack would be begun; but the Diet chofe rather to comply with his Demands, and accordingly about 9 that Night, his Troops took Poffeffion of the Bridge and Gate, and he, in return, figned an Inftrument, whereby he obliged himfelf effectually to withdraw his Troops, as foon as the Emperor's Ratification of the Conclufion of the Diet for the Neutrality of this Place, and his his General's Declaration in that refpect, fhould arrive, and in the mean time to leave all things in the Condition they were at prefent. The Elector of Ba varia having thus fecured this País, marched towards Snawbing, in order to oppofe Count Schlick; who, upon Notice thereof, quitted the Town Wilthoven, having firft obliged the Inhabitants to pay him aContribution of 24000 Florins, and retired to the Woods about Paffau, intending to expect there the Junction of 3000 Hungarian:, who were already arrived in Upper-Auftria. While the Affairs of the Empire were in this diftracted Condition; The Prince of Baden unable to defend his ill-mann'd Lines at Stolhoffen, Schlick defeated at his firftEntrance into Bavaria,that Elector become Mafter of Ratisbonne, and the Circles, as if fallen into a Lethargy, making no hafte with their Quota's, fo long before promis'd and decreed, The Marefchal de Villars receiv'd politive Orders from the French King, to break through the Prince of Baden's Lines, and joyn the Bavarians, coft what it would; and Count Tallard was, at the fame time, commanded to reinforce Viliars, with his flying Camp. The Prince of Baden forefeeing the Storm, acquainted the States of the United Provinces, that he had neither Men nor Cannon fufficient to withstand fo numerous an Army, nor to endure the Brunt of fuch a vaft Artillery as Villars and Tallard were bringing against him: Whereupon their High and Mightineffes fent him a Reinforcement of eight Regiments, under the Cammand of Major General Goor, who marching with incredible Diligence, reach'd the Lines, at the fame time that Marthal Villars appear'd before them, which was the 19th of April (N. S.) The next Day, the Enemy preparing to make an Onfer on the fide of the Lines next the Plain of Buel, Major General Goor was fent thither with the Dutch Auxiliaries, and prevented the French from poffeffing themselves of a Rifing Ground, which they had defign'd to take, and which oblig'd the Enemy to alter the Order of their Attack. The next Morning General Thungen arriv'd with feveral Troops of Dragoons, and foon after. General Leiningen, with fix Squadrons of the Elector Palatine's Cavalry; and the fame Evening,the French having caft up Parallel Lines, with the Prince's En trench A. C. 1703. A. C. trenchments, began to ply the Imperialifts very 1703. warmly with their heavy Cannon.The Prince had but fix or feven Pieces, of which two were di mounted,the other he conceal'd till the Grand Day of Action, and then made use of them to good Purpose. Upon the 23d, thirteen Battallions of the French advanc'd to the Attack. every Soldier carrying a Fafcine, but after thrice Firing, fell off in great Disorder. The next Day, the whole French Army gave a general Onfet in order of Battle, but were repuls'd with great Lofs: For upon the 22d at Night, the Dutch General had caft up a double Entrenchment in the weakest part of the Lines, within a hundred Paces of the firft Entrenchment, which the Enemy perceiving, durft not be too bufie there. On the other fide, a treacherous Captain of the Huffars, having deferted, fome Days before, and inform'd the Enemy, that the ftrongest Part of the Lines was without Water, Villars laid on his greatest Fury upon that Place; but to his great Difappointment and Lofs, he found it all full of Water, which the Prince had brought into the Moat a little before the French fell on: The rest of the Lines were well fecured by Water, and an unpafThe French fable Morafs. On the 25d Count Tallard advanc'd repuls'd be into the Vale of Kintzig, and endeavour'd to poffefs fore the himself of fome advantageous Pofts there; but the Count of Furftemberg, entertain'd him fo warmly, that he was forc'd to retreat. Thus, after several fmart Onfets for five fucceffive Days,the two Marshals of France thought it fit to draw off their Cannon, and retire, which they did with fome Precipitation, tho' with inconfiderable Lofs, Prince Lewis not being in a Condition to pursue them. Line At the fame time that the French had begun their Attacks, three thousand Bavarians advanc'd into the Neighbourhood of Ratisbonne, which were to be follow'd by a Body of Horfe, in hopes of their long expected Conjunction with the French Forces; And the Elector of Bavaria writ to Marfhal Villars, That if he did not joyn him this time, his Ruin was inevitable: For on the one fide, all the Upper Palatine lay open to the Enemy,and he was afraid of their passing the Danube, not being able to Spare any other than Boors to guard the Paffes of that River: And on the other fide, if Count Schlick C. A. 1703. 276. The French Penetrate Schlick should break into his Country, during his Ab. fence, what would become of Bavaria, his Family, his City of Munich, and all that was dear to him? Wherefore his Ruin or, Prefervation depending wholly upon the Iffue of this Defign, he caft himself entirely upon the Marefchal. Prefs'd by thefe importunate Inftances, and agreeably to his Mafter's Commands, the Maref chal de Villars fent the Marquis of Blainville with, twenty Battallions, and thirty Squadrons, to force the Apil Vale of Kintzig (call'd by the Germans, Kintzigerdel) and open a Paffage for the French to penetrate into Swabia; which he perform'd with wonderful Diligence and Succefs. He took at first a Poft near Bibrach by Dint of Sword, kill'd a hundred Men that guarded it, and forc'd the Caftle of Haflach to furrender at Difcretion: Upon which Encouragement the Marefchal de Villars follow'd, with the rest of the Army, confifting of thirty Battalions, and as many Squadrons. Upon the 30th of April (N. S.) Blainville, continuing his March, poffefs'd himself of the Entrenchments on this fide Huffen and Woolfach,abandon'd by the German Militia, who made little or no into GerDefence; and on the firft of May, he advanced to- many, wards thofe Intrenchments which the Imperialist: had thro' the made upon the Hills at the Entrance into the Vale of Vale of Homberg, the only Pafs where the French might have Kintzig. been ftopt, the Road being fo narrow that it might have been defended by Stones. But this Poft was foon abandon'd; For Blanville having fent the Count de Montbrun with his Brigade to wheel round the Mountain, marching to the Right, while eight Com panies of Grenadies, fupported by the Marquis him, felf, march'd directly up the Hill, to attack the Entrenchments of the Imperialists, the Germans fearing to be furrounded, retired with Precipitation; and they who were to have oppofed Montbrun doing the fame, the French poffefs'd themfelves of thofe important Paffes, with very inconfiderable Lofs. The next* Day, the Enemy came before Homberg, a little, Town in the Dutchy of Wirtemberg, lying in the High Road, above half way up a Mountain, which was thought inacceflible on any other fide. This Place was guarded by fix hundred Men, commanded by Major General Freydenburgh, Colonel Ensberg, and Major Mar.2d. N. Š. A. C. Major Villeinine, who had made Preparations for a 1703. ftout Defence. The French advanc'd thro' the Guttaker Vale, and about Nine in the Morning made a Shew as if they would affail the Town; but in the mean while fent fome of their Battalions, who clambring up feveral fteep and narrow Paffes, which were thought impaffable, and therefore were but flightly guarded, gain'd the Top of the Mountain. Thereupon the Garrison, unable to make any Refiftance, in a Place of no Defence, endeavour'd to retreat to the Vale of Treyberg; but the Enemy surrounding them on every fide, Major Villeinine, who brought up the Rear, was forc'd to fight his way thro', and got off with about 300 Men. The Count de Merci, who lay not far from Homberg with 1500 Horfe and Dragoons, retir'd at the fame time toward Dornham, while the French continuing their March, came on the 4th of May before Willingben, which they invested and batter'd and having made a small Breach, fummon'd the Town to furrender, but were answer'd with a Refufal. The next day they appear'd in Order of Battel, and fhot feveral Red Hot Bullets into the Town, notwithstanding which the Garrison and Inhabitants remaining firm in their Refolution to defend themfelves, the French retired on the 6th from that Place, and march'd toward Treylingen, where they joyn'd the Bavarian Army. And join the Bava rians. 6 Upon the News of this Conjunction, the Diet of Ratisbonne, to whofe flow Deliberations all these Difafters were in great measure owing, began to fhew fome Concernment; and fign'd a Refolve of the Relolve of Empire, importing, 'That for a great while the Ene the Diet of mies of the Empire, and Haters of Peace, and parti Ratisbon- cularly Abundance of Clergy-Men, had spread Rene, declar. ports, as if the prefent War was undertaken by the Proteftants of the Empire, and their Allies, with a Design to ruin the Catholick Religion, and the Liberties of the Empire, on purpose to create a Mis understanding and Jealoufy between thofe of both 'Religions; tho' it were evident, that there was no Ground for thofe Reports, but that they were rais'd and fomented by the French, and their Friends, and 'infifled upon at the Catholick Courts, and particularly at that of Rome, to weaken the Hands of the Allies by dividing them: Wherefore this wasto let ing, that the prefent War is not on the Score of Religion. ⚫ the |