While the earl stayed a few days at this place, under expectation of the promised succours from Barcelona, he received a proprio (or express) from the king of Spain, full of excuses, instead of forces. And yet the very same letter, in a paradoxical manner, commanded him, at all events, to attempt the relief of Santo Mattheo, where colonel Jones commanded, and which was then under siege by the conde de los Torres, (as was the report,) with upwards of three thousand men. The earl of Peterborow could not muster above one thousand foot, and about two hundred horse, a small force to make an attempt of that nature upon such a superior power; yet the earl's vivacity, (as will be occasionally further observed in the course of these Memoirs,) never much regarded numbers, so there was but room, by any stratagem, to hope for success. True it is, for his greater encouragement and consolation, the same letter intimated, that a great concourse of the country people being up in arms, to the number of many thousands, in favour of king Charles, and wanting only officers, the enterprise would be easy, and unattended with much danger. But, upon mature inquiry, the earl found that great body of men all in nubibus; and that the conde, in the plain truth of the matter, was much stronger than the letter at first represented.

Santo Mattheo was a place of known importance; and that from its situation, which cut off all communication between Catalonia and Valencia; and, consequently, should it fall into the hands of the enemy, the earl's design upon the latter must inevitably have been postponed. It must be granted, the commands for attempting the relief of it were pressing and peremptory: nevertheless, the earl was very conscious to himself, that as the promised re-enforcements were suspended, his officers would not approve of the attempt upon the foot of such vast inequalities; and their own declared sentiments soon confirmed the dictates of the earl's reason.

He therefore addresses himself to those

officers in a different manner: he told them he only desired they would be passive, and leave it to him to work his own way. Accordingly, the earl found out and hired two Spanish spies, for whose fidelity (as his great precaution always led him to do) he took sufficient security; and despatched them with a letter to colonel Jones, governor of the place, intimating his readiness, as well as ability, to relieve him; and, above all, exhorting him to have the Miquelets in the town ready, on sight of his troops, to issue out, pursue, and plunder, since that would be all they would have to do, and all he would expect at their hands. The spies were despatched accordingly; and, pursuant to instructions, one betrayed and discovered the other, who had the letter in charge to deliver to colonel Jones. The earl, to carry on the feint, having, in the mean time, by dividing his troops, and marching secretly over the mountains, drawn his men together, so as to make their appearance on the height of a neighbouring mountain, little more than cannon-shot from the enemy's camp, the tale of the spies was fully confirmed; and the conde, though an able general, marched off with some precipitation with his army; and, by that means, the earl's smaller number of twelve hundred, had liberty to march into the town without interruption. I must not let slip an action of colonel Jones's just before the earl's delivery of them. The conde, for want of artillery, had set his miners to work; and the colonel, finding they had made some dangerous advances, turned the course of a rivulet, that ran through the middle of the town, in upon them, and made them quit a work they thought was brought to perfection.

Santo Mattheo being relieved, as I have said, the earl, though he had so far gained his ends, left not the flying enemy without a feint of pursuit; with such caution, nevertheless, that in case they should happen to be better informed of his weakness, he might have a resource either back again to Santo Mattheo, or to

Vinaros on the sea side; or some other place, as occasion might require. But having just before received fresh advice, that the re-enforcements he expected were anew countermanded; and that the duke of Anjou had increased his troops to twelve thousand men; the officers, not enough elated with the last success to adventure upon new experiments, resolved, in a council of war, to advise the earl, who had just before received a discretionary commission in lieu of troops, so to post the forces under him, as not to be cut off from being able to assist the king in person, or to march to the defence of Catalonia, in case of necessity.

Pursuant to this resolution of the council of war, the earl of Peterborow, though still intent upon his expedition into Valencia, (which had been afresh commanded, even while his supplies were countermanded,) orders his foot, in a truly bad condition, by tedious marches day and night over the mountains, to Vinaros; and with his two hundred horse set out to prosecute his pretended design of pursuing the flying enemy; resolved, if possible, notwithstanding all seemingly desperate circumstances, to perfect the security of that capital.

To that purpose, the earl, with his small body of patrolers, went on frightening the enemy till they came under the walls of Nules, a town fortified with the best walls, regular towers, and in the best repair of any in that kingdom. But even here, upon the appearance of the earl's forlorn, (if they might not properly at that time all have passed under that character,) under the same panic they left that fencible town, with only one thousand of the townspeople, well armed, for the defence of it. Yet was it scarce to be imagined, that the earl, with his small body of two hundred horse, should be able to gain admission; or, indeed, under such circumstances, to attempt it. But, bold as the undertaking was, his good genius went along with him; and so good a genius was it, that it rarely left him without

a good effect. He had been told the day before, that the enemy, on leaving Nules, had got possession of Villa Real, where they put all to the sword. What would have furnished another with terror, inspired his lordship with a thought as fortunate as it was successful. The earl rides up to the very gates of the town, at the head of his party, and peremptorily demands the chief magistrate, or a priest, immediately to be sent out to him; and that under penalty of being all put to the sword, and used as the enemy had used those at Villa Real the day or two before. The troops, that had so lately left the place, had left behind them more terror than men ; which, together with the peremptory demand of the earl, soon produced some priests to wait upon the general. By their readiness to obey, the earl very justly imagined fear to be the motive; wherefore, to improve their terror, he only allowed them six minutes' time to resolve upon a surrender, telling them, that otherwise, so soon as his artillery was come up, he would lay them under the utmost extremities. The priests returned with this melancholy message into the place; and in a very short time after the gates were thrown open. Upon the earl's entrance, he found two hundred horse, which were the original of his lordship's forming that body of horse, which afterwards proved the saving of Valencia.

The news of the taking of Nules soon overtook the fying enemy; and so increased the apprehensions of their danger, that they renewed their march the same day; though what they had taken before would have satisfied them much better without it. On the other hand, the earl was so well pleased with his success, that, leaving the enemy to fly before their fears, he made a short turn towards Castillon de la Plana, a considerable, but open town, where his lordship furnished himself with four hundred horses more; and all this under the assurance that his troops were driving the enemy before them out of the kingdom. Hence

he sent orders to colonel Pierce's regiment at Vinaros to meet him at Oropesa, a place at no great distance; where, when they came, they were very pleasingly surprised at their being well mounted, and furnished with all accoutrements necessary. After which, leaving them cantoned in walled towns, where they could not be disturbed without artillery, that indefatigable general, leaving them full orders, went on his way towards Tortosa.

At Vinaros the earl met with advice, that the Spanish militia of the kingdom of Valencia were assembled, and had already advanced, a day's march at least, into that country. Upon which, collecting, as fast as he could, the whole corps together, the earl resolved to penetrate into Valencia directly; notwithstanding this whole collected body would amount to no more than six hundred horse and two thousand foot.

But there was a strong pass over a river, just under the walls of Molviedro, which must be first disputed and taken. This, brigadier Mahoni, by the orders of the duke of Arcos, who commanded the troops of the duke of Anjou in the kingdom of Valencia, had taken care to secure. Molviedro, though not very strong, is a walled town, very populous of itself, and had in it, besides a garrison of eight hundred men, most of Mahoni's dragoons. It lies at the very bottom of a high hill; on the upper part whereof they show the ruins of the once famous Saguntum; famous sure to eternity, if letters shall last so long, for an inviolable fidelity to a negligent confederate, against an implacable enemy. Here yet appear the visible vestigia of awful antiquity, in half standing arches, and the yet unleveled walls and towers of that once celebrated city. I could not but look upon all these with the eyes of despite, in regard to their enemy Hannibal; with those of disdain, in respect to the uncommon and unaccountable supineness of its confederates, the Romans; but with those of veneration, as to the memory of a glorious people, who,