ready to take his share; but could hardly believe, that troops marching that way could make any attempt against the enemy to satisfaction. However, without further discourse, he called for his horse.

services here, in Flanders again, at home, in investigation of the assassination plot, and in Ireland, to accompany him with the Earl of Peterborough into Spain, to which country the Earl convoyed the By this we may see what share fortune has Archduke whom Britain had destined to in the greatest events. In all probability the the Spanish throne. We find from Earl of Peterborough had never engaged in him that the Earl's plans were too often such a dangerous affair, in cold blood, and thwarted and that being unable to im-unprovoked; and if such an enterprize had prove the opportunities which he 'saw, been resolved on in a regular way, it is very his superior genius was often a superior likely he might have given the command to some of the general officers; since it is not source of mortification to him. usual, nor hardly, allowable, for one, that commands in chief, to go in person on such kind of services. But here we see the General and Prince, notwithstanding their late inditferent harmony, engaged together in this most desperate undertaking.

We incline to select our extracts from military events in this country, although our author's remarks on the manners of the Spanish nation, and even on several incidents in natural history, are well entitled to notice., The capture of the fort of Monjuick at Barcelona, has always been reckoned among the most remarkable actions of the Earl of Peterborough and as it is an instance not only of what may be accomplished by art and valour, but also of those trifles which often are attended with important consequences in war, and invalidate both art and valour, we shall insert the captain's account of it. The Earl was besieging Barcelona, and his circumstances at this time were unhappy enough:

The troops, which marched all night along the foot of the mountains, arrived two hours before day under the hill of Monjeuick, not a quarter of a mile from the outward works: For this reason, it was taken for granted, whatever the design was which the general had proposed to himself, that it would be put in execution before day-light; but the Earl of Peterborough was now pleased to inform the officers of the reasons why he chose to stav till the light appeared. He was of opinion that any success would be impossible, unless the enemy came into the outward ditch under the bastions of the second inclosure; but that if they had time allowed them to come hither, there being no palisadoes, our men, by leaping in upon them, after receipt of their first tire, might drive them into the upper works; and following them close, with some probability, amight force them, under that confusion, into the inward fortifications: this plan was adopted.

Impossibilities were proposed; no expedients to be accepted; a court reproaching; councils of war rejecting; and the Dutch general refusing the assistance of the troops under his command; and, what surmounted ail, despair of bringing such animosities and differing opinions to any tolerable agreement.

.....

The Prince of Hesse had taken large berOur men, though quite exposed, and ties in complaining against all the proceedings though the glacis was all escarped upen the in the camp before Barcelona; these reproach-live rock, went on with an undaunted coues of one another had bred so much ill blood between those two great men, that for above a fortnight they had no correspondence, nor ever exchanged one word.

rage; and, immediately after the first fire of the enemy, all, that were not killed or wounded, leaped in, pel mel, amongst the enemy; who, being thus boldly attacked, and seeing others pouring in upon them, retired in great confusion; and some one way, some another, ran into the inward works. ..

1

The Earl, however, having made his proper dispositions, and delivered out his orders, began his march in the evening, with twelve hundred foot and two hundred horse, There was a large port in the flank of the which, of necessity, were to pass by the principal bastion, towards the north-east, and quarters of the Prince of Hesse. That Prince, a covered way, through which the General on their appearance, was told, that the and the Prince of Hesse followed the flying General was come to speak with him; and, forces; and by that means became, possessed being brought into his apartment, the Earl of it. Luckily enough, here lay a nemacquainted him, that he had at last resolved ber of great stones in the gorge of the bastion, upon an attempt against the enemy; adding, for the use of the fortification; with which that now, if he pleased, he might be a judge we inade a sort of breast-work, before the of their behaviour, and see whether his offi-enemy recovered of their amaze, or made cers and soldiers deserved that character any considerable fire upon us from their inwhich he had so liberally given them. The ward fort, which commanded the upper part ·Prince made answer, that he had always been | of that bastion.

It was surprising to see with what alacrity Almost the same moment, an officer came and new courage they faced about, and folto acquaint the Earl of Peterborough, that a lowed the Earl of Peterborough. In a mogreat body of horse and foot, at least three ment they had forgot their apprehensions; thousand, were on their march from Barce- and, without doub, had they met with any lona towards the fort. The distance is near opposition, they would have behaved thema mile, all uneven ground; so that the enemy selves with the greatest bravery. But as was either discoverable, or not to be seen, these motions were unperceived by the enemy, just as they were marching on the hills, or all the posts were regained, and anew posin the vallies. However, the General directlysessed in less than half an hour, without any got on horseback, to take a view of those forces from the rising ground without the fort, having left all the posts, which were already taken, well secured with the allotted numbers of officers and soldiers.

old resolution, in the same équipage, and with the same attendance. Accordingly, he again felucca'd himself; and they saw him no more till they were landed on the Mole în Barcelona.

they passed by; and they all agreeing that the General and the Prince of Hesse were in person with the troops that made the attack on Monjouick, the Marquis gave immediate orders to retire to the town; taking it for granted, that the main body of the troops attended the Prince and General; and that some design therefore was on font to intercept his return, in case he should venture too far. Thus, the unfortunate loss of our two hun-neral endeavour, at all hazards, to get aboard dred men turned to our advantage, in preventing the advance of the enemy, which must have at the Earl of Peterborough to inconceivable difficulties.

This success gave fresh spirits to the besiegers, the Admirals vied with the Generals the sailors brought up the cannon, through paths impassable to animals, a fortunate shell blew up the magazine of the fort, and after a few days animated siege Barcelona surrendered, and Charles III. made his triumphant entry into the capital of Catalonia.

The Queen had sent a commission to the Earl of Peterborough for the full command of the fleet, whenever he thought fit to come aboard in person. This made the Ge

the fleet by night; for he was apprehensive, and the sequel proved his apprehensions too well grounded, that Admiral Leake would make his appearance with the whole body of of the ships of the enemy; in which case it the fleet, which made near twice the number was natural to suppose, that the Count de Tholouse, as soon as ever the French scouts should give notice of our strength, would cut his cables and put out to sea, to avoid an engagement. And according to his wishes, the Earl did fall in with the fleet; but unfortu nately the night was so far advanced, that it was impossible for him then to put his proof Wales, who commanded a third ratę, ject into practice. Captain Price, a gentleman was the person he first came aboard of; but how amazed was he to find, in an open boat, at open sea, the person who had commission to command the fleet! So soon as he was entered the ship, the Earl sent the ship's pinnace with letters to Admiral Leake, to

Not long afterwards, Barcelona, with Its King in it, was besieged by an army of 30,000 French, and a powerful fleet, while the British troops scarcely exceeded 7,000. The place was reduced to extremity, when a British fleet arrived; the Earl entered the city from the sea; and the besiegers abandoned their enter-acquaint him with his orders and intentions. When day appeared, it was astonishing to with precipitation. There is someprize thing truly romantic in this general's con- the whole fleet, to see the union flag waving at the main-top-mast head. No body could duct on this occasion. Receiving intellitrust his own eyes, or guess at the meaning, gence of the approach of the fleet, hetill better certified by the account of an event marched his army to a small port seven leagues westward of Barcelona, where he collected all the vessels in the neighbourhood: here he gave conditional orders to his officers, but informed them that circumstances demanded his absence by night.

This declaration, instead of satisfying, made the officers ten times more curious: But when they saw their General going, with a resolution to lie out all night at sea, in an open boat, attended with only one officer; and understood that he intended to row out in his felucca five or six leagues distance from the shore; it is hardly to be expressed what amazement and concern surprised them all. Mr. Crow, the Queen's minister, and others, expressed a particular dislike and uneasiness; but all to no purpose, the Ear! had resolved upon it.

In the moning, to the great satisfaction, of all, officers and others, the Earl came again to land; and immediately began to put his men into the several vessels which lay ready in port for that purpose. But at night their amaze was renewed, when they found their General ready to put in execution his

so singular and extraordinary.

The French Admiral being made acquainted with the force of our fleet, hoisted sail, and made the best of his way from us, either pursuant to orders, or under the plausible excuse of a retreat.

And next morning, the first of May, 1706, while the sun was under a total eclipse, in a suitable hurry and confusion, the French broke up, leaving behind them most of their carmour and mortars, together with vast quantities of all sorts of ammunition and provisions, scarce stopping to look back till they had left all but the very verge of the disputed dominion behind them.

All the damaged brass cannon which the enemy had left being recast, upon every one of them was, by order, a sun eclipsed, with this motto underit: " Magna parvis obscu

runtur."

The length of our extracts forbids enlargement: although there are some professional hints in the work which existing circumstances recommend to the attention of military men especially to such as may be employed in the country: some

Queen-Hoo Hall, a Romance: and Aacient Times, a Drama. By the late Joseph Strutt, Author of "Rural Sports and Pastimes of the People of England," &c. 4 vols. 12 mo. pp. 968. Price 138. Murray, London, 1808.

of these relate to the Earl's plans for preventing the advance of the French; others to the fatal consequences of too much security, of the neglect of opportunity, and of political weakness and error. The captain vindicates the honour of the Spanish nuns from the charge of licentiousness, which he places to the account of substituted ladies of a very different description: he describes the Ir was unlucky for Mr. Strutt that, bloody devotions of the Valentians in his performance should come under our their public processions. "Some, who perusal, immediately after we had been from the thickness of their, hides, or other edified by the learned researches of Mr. impediments, have not power by their Douce, on the subject of antient Morris Scourgings to fetch blood of themselves, Dances, May Games, and Domestic are followed by surgeons with their lan- Fools. Our information, so lately gaincets, who at every turn, make use of ed, led us to desire a story that might them, to evince the extent of their pa-realize the scenes and characters of antience and zeal by the smart of their folly. In this condition the amorosos of quality present themselves to their mistresses." Our author visited Montserrat; of which he gives a just and agreeable description. He was taken prisoner in the castle of Denia; lived more than three years in Spain in that character; part of the time in La Mancha, where he lodged in Sainte Clémente de la Mancha, the seat and birth place of the ever renowned Don Quixole; he was released by peace, and arrived in England in May 1705.

cient days, and transport us to ages past, by the lawful and natural magic of correet description. Knowing also the abilities and industry of the writer, his acquaintance with English history, customs, and manners, with the language of the times, the several commodities and fashions then in use, and his readiness in other necessary qualifications, we had anticipated a masterly delineation of antiquity, and an interesting resemblance of periods long gone by. Such, we doubt not, was the author's original design, when he meditated his work; but, unfortunately, leaving it unfished, it is now a motley, mixture of antient and modern, homely and elegant, likely and unlikely, possible and impossible. Our readers will recollect that we speak this in the character of disappointed antiquaries, invited to the perusal of a work, which is thus described in the preface.

We consider the work as an accession to our libraries in the department of English history: not that this is its first appearance in print: it was first printed in 1743. It was recommended by Lord Elliot to the perusal of Dr. Johnson, as we learn from Boswell's life of the Dr. and in our opinion it justifies the recommendation. Having been long out of print, it appears again in the present edition, to which is prefixed a sketch of the life and the time, (in which the events are supThe scene of the piece is laid in England; and character of the Earl of Peterbo-posed to take place,) is in the reign of Henry rough. We wish that somewhat more were known as to the subsequent situation of the author. From the circumstance of these memoirs lying unpublished from 1705 to 1743, we conjecture that the captain died about that time. Possibly an examination of the public prints might have led to some satisfaction on this point, The book is neatly printed: but a map, marking the situation of the towns mentioned, should have been added: the expence would not have deserved consideration; while the convenience would have been sensibly felt by the reader: not every body has an Atlas to consult.

the Sixth, about the middle of the fifteenth century. The domestic manners, &c. of the English, at that period, are very little known; though a thorough investigation of them is positively necessary, to link together, (if I may be allowed the expression), those of the preceding, and those of the succeeding de med generally useful; and especially to centuries. Hence this publication may be the lovers of old English poetry, which it will make much more intelligible, in a variety of instances, by explaining many obsolete customs, frequently alluded to by the poets, and, above all, by the early dramatic writers of this country.

The different degrees of the people, from

The sumptuous manner of living, which distinguished the nobility of this country in days of yore, the furniture of their mansions, the trains of domestics, and retainers belong ing to them, and the pomp they assumed upon occasions of solemnity, are contrasted with the more humble dwellings, decorations, and festivals, of persons less opulent, descending to the cottage of the rustic.

The various pursuits, and domestic amusements of all ranks of persons, form a part of the work, and especially, the exhibitions of the wandering minstrels, jugglers, narrators of fables, &c.; the nature of their spectacles are explained, from their most brilliant performances, to those adapted to the taste of the rustics in comiñon drinking houses, with appropriate specimens of their poetry and

tales.

We

the nobleman to the peasant, have their, less decidedly than the phraseology of places in the romance; their characters are whigs and tories, court party and country narked by their language and deportment; party, Jacobins and Loyalists, &c. A Satirist the speeches are, in general, sufficiently might avail himself of this: but Mr. S. modernised, to make them perfectly intelligi- was no Satirist. His nobleman favours ble; but, at the same time, they contain and is favoured by the king on the throne;" enough of the phraseology of the age, to he might have shewn us also a noblegive them an air of antiquity. man of the contrary party, with the sneers, and misprisions, in which such indulged themselves, at whatever hazard Neither are to their lands and premises. we led into the domestic retreats of female life: the attendants are not derived from families attached to the Earl, and to be taught housewifery in his mansion; and the ladies themselves have very little of the air of those which rise in idea when we read the Paston letters. Skill in horses, hounds, and hawks was the almost incessant peace study of the robust youth of our nobility: to the latter, Shakespeare has perpetual allusions, and his example might have been authoritative to Mr. S. Their warlike exercises were no less general: but we are surprised that our author should encourage a combatant, to strike at the legs of an adversary: as certainly it was held dishonourable in a warrior to strike below the knee. doubt not but, had he lived to complete this work, these remarks, and others that have occurred to us, would have been superseded: Mr. S. would not have spoken of spectacles on the nose, and surely not by their familiar term barnacles; nor of the library, and writing of letters, with all the ease of modern accommodation; less still of carriages, and stage coaches going to and from London; and of songs.composed on the taking of Boulogne;" which, whoever knows any thing of English history knows, was no exploit of the Sixth Henry's reign, We mean to infer, that there is still room for a work that should set the characters of our Ancestors before us, by a careful resemblance: but we recommend to whoever undertakes such a work to render it correctly instructive on the subject of our national antiquities, as well as amusing. Why should it not contain really antient songs, and versifications, not, as Mr. S. has thought proper to present, poems, written by himself with the graces and measures of modern composition? And if the writer were to interweave real letters from exalted personages, with the histories of actual events, we should think

The best scenes of these volumes are those of lower life: the most finished conversations in point of language are those which pass at the alehouse, they approach nearest to the talk of the times, -yet in these, there are too few allusions to public incidents then passing, and without charging the author with commissions of errors, we may safely complain of his omissions of truths. For instance, he is deficient in ecclesiastical characters, yet Mr. S. knew their numbers, we might say their swarms, and well understood the prevailing bickerings between the clergy secular and religious, the monks and the friars; by introducing these, as he might have done, he would have shewn, that the diversities of modern sects and sectaries, the cries and watchwords of parties, and the animosities entertained by not a few of their partizans, are the unquestionable descendants of John Bull's ancient teazers, and tormentors, who professing to promote his rest everlasting left him little repose in this sublunary world. Neither has our author hinted at the oppositions in politics, naturally resulting from the bloody strife between the Yorkists and Lancastrians. The language of those political enemies was at least as strong as that of our outs and ins, and their principles marked their discourse, with that of their Retainers, no