ensign of sir John Fenwick's regiment; and as an approbation of my services, his commission was bestowed upon me.

A few days after it was resolved again to storm that bastion, as before; out of three English, and one Scotch regiments, then in the camp, a detachment was selected for a fresh attack. Those regiments were under the command of sir John Fenwick (who was afterwards beheaded), colonel Ralph Widdrington, and colonel Ashley, of the English; and sir Alexander Collier, father of the present lord Portmore, of the Scotch. Out of every of these four regiments, as before, were detached a captain, a lieutenant, and an ensign, with fifty men: captain Anthony Barnwell, of sir John Fenwick's regiment, who was now my captain, commanding that attack.

At break of day the attack was begun with great resolution; and though vigorously maintained, was attended with the desired success. The bastion was again taken, and in it the commanding officer, who in service to himself, more than to us, told us that the centre of the bastion would soon be blown up, being to his knowledge undermined for that purpose. But this secret proved of no other use than to make us, by way of precaution, to keep as much as we could upon the rampart. In this attack captain Barnwell lost his life; and it happened my new commission was wetted, (not, as too frequently is the custom, with a debauch) but with a bullet through my hand, and the breach of my collar-bone with the stroke of a halberd.

After about half an hour's possession of the bastion, the mine under it, of which the French officer gave us warning, was sprung; the enemy at the same time making a furious sally upon us. The mine did a little, though the less execution, for being discovered; but the sally no way answered their end, for we beat them back, and immediately fixed our lodgment; which we maintained during the time of the siege. But to our

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double surprise, a few days after they fired another mine under, or aside, the former, in which they had placed a quantity of grenadoes, which did much more execution than the other: notwithstanding all which, a battery of guns was presently erected upon that bastion, which very considerably annoyed the enemy.

The breach for a general storm was now rendered almost practicable; yet before that could be advisably attempted, there was a strong hornwork to be taken. Upon this exploit the Dutch troops only were to signalise themselves; and they answered the confidence reposed in them; for though they were twice repulsed, at the third onset they were more successful, and took possession; which they likewise kept to the raising of the siege.

There was a stratagem laid at this time, which in its own merit one would have thought should not have failed of a good effect; but to show the vanity of the highest human wisdom, it miscarried. On the other side of the Maes, opposite to Maestrich, lies the strong fortress of Wyck, to which it is joined by a stone bridge of six fair arches. The design was, by a false attack on that regular fortification, to draw the strength of the garrison to its defence, which was but very natural to imagine would be the consequence. Ready to attend that well-concerted false attack, a large flat-bottomed boat, properly furnished with barrels of gunpowder, and other necessaries, was to fall down under one of the middle arches, and when fixed there, by firing the powder to have blown up the bridge, and by that means to have prevented the return of the garrison to oppose a real attack at that instant of time to be made upon the town of Maestrich by the whole army.

The false attack on Wyck was accordingly made, which, as proposed, drew the main of the garrison of Maestrich to its defence, and the boat so furnished fell down the river as projected, but unfortunately, before

it could reach the arch, from the darkness of the night, running upon a shoal, it could not be got off; for which reason the men in the boat were glad to make a hasty escape for fear of being discovered; as the boat was, next morning, and the whole design laid open.

This stratagem thus miscarrying, all things were immediately got ready for a general storm, at the main breach in the town; and the rather, because the prince of Orange had received incontestable intelligence, that duke Schomberg, at the head of the French army, was in full march to relieve the place. But before everything could be rightly got ready for the intended storm, (though some there were who pretended to say, that a dispute raised by the Spaniards with the Dutch, about the propriety of the town, when taken, was the cause of that delay,) we heard at some distance several guns fired as signals of relief; upon which we precipitately, and, as most imagined, shamefully drew off from before the place, and joined the grand army under prince Waldeck. But it was matter of yet greater surprise to most on the spot, that when the armies were so joined, we did not stay to offer the enemy battle. The well-known courage of the prince, then generalissimo, was so far from solving this riddle, that it rather puzzled all who thought of it; however, the prevailing opinion was, that it was occasioned by some great misunderstanding between the Spaniards and the Dutch. And experience will evince, that this was not the only disappointment of that nature, occasioned by imperfect understandings.

Besides the number of common soldiers slain in this attack, which was not inconsiderable, we lost here the brave Rhinegrave, a person much lamented on account of his many other excellent qualifications, as well as that of a general. Colonel Ralph Widdrington, and colonel Doleman (who had not enjoyed Widdrington's commission above a fortnight,) captain Douglas, captain Barnwell, and captain Lee, were of the slain

among the English; who, indeed, had borne the whole brunt of the attack upon the dauphin's bastion.

I remember the prince of Orange, during the siege, received a shot through his arm; which giving an immediate alarm to the troops under his command, he took his hat off his head with the wounded arm, and smiling, waved it, to show them there was no danger. Thus, after the most gallant defence against the most courageous onsets, ended the siege of Maestrich; and with it all that was material that campaign.

Early in the spring, in the year 1677, the French army, under the duke of Orleans, besieged at once, both Cambray and St. Omers. This last the prince of Orange seemed very intent and resolute to relieve. In order to which, well knowing by sad experience, it would be to little purpose to wait the majestic motions of the Spaniards, that prince got together what forces he could, all in Dutch pay, and marching forward with all speed, resolved, even at the hazard of a battle, to attempt the raising the siege. Upon his appearing the duke of Orleans, to whose particular conduct the care of that siege was committed, drew off from before the place, leaving scarce enough of his men to defend the trenches. The prince was under the necessity of marching his forces over a morass; and the duke well knowing it, took care to attack him near Mont Cassel, before half his little army were got over. The dispute was very sharp, but the prince being much outnumbered, and his troops not able, by the straightness of the passage, to engage all at once, was obliged at last to retreat, which he did in pretty good order. I remember the Dutch troops did not all alike do their duty; and the prince seeing one of the officers on his fullest speed, called to him over and over to halt; which the officer in too much haste to obey, the prince gave him a slash over the face, saying, By this mark I shall know you another time. Soon after this retreat of the prince, St. Omers was surrendered.

Upon this retreat the prince marching back, lay for some time among the boors, who from the good discipline, which he took care to make his troops observe, did not give us their customary boorish reception. And yet as secure as we might think ourselves, I met with a little passage that confirmed in me the notions, which the generality, as well as I, had imbibed of the private barbarity of those people, whenever an opportunity falls in their way. I was strolling at a distance from my quarters, all alone, when I found myself near one of their houses; into which, the doors being open, I ventured to enter. I saw nobody when I came in, though the house was, for that sort of people, well enough furnished, and in pretty decent order. I called, but nobody answering, I had the curiosity to advance a little further, when, at the mouth of the oven, which had not yet wholly lost its heat, I spied the corpse of a man so bloated, swollen and parched, as left me little room to doubt that the oven had been the scene of his destiny. I confess the sight struck me with horror; and as much courage and security as I entered with, I withdrew in haste, and with quite different sentiments, and could not fancy myself out of danger till I had reached our camp. A wise man should not frame an accusation on conjectures; but, on inquiry, I was soon made sensible, that such barbarous usage is too common among those people; especially if they meet with a straggler, of what nation soever.

This made me not very sorry when we decamped, and we soon after received orders to march and invest Charleroy; before which place we stayed somewhat above a week, and then drew off. I remember very

well, that I was not the only person then in the camp that was at a loss to dive into the reason of this investiture and decampment; but since I at that time, among the politicians of the army, never heard a good one, shall not venture to offer my sentiments at so great a distance.