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Show I [ jO ] r Men to keep the Ground they had with fo much Glory gain'd; and thus ~~ muft always be unlefs we could forefee, fomeTime before, when a Battle will be loft or won·, and provide accordingly; otherwife every thing muft come out of Time ; while the French, in the mean while have it in their Power to fhape their Meaf~res, as the Exigencies of Affairs require ; of which we have feen a melancholy Inftance in>' the Support they have given the D. of .Anjw1 when his Affairs feem'd to be defperate ana paft Remedy. They can hear quicls.ly, have the Means to fupport him always near, and can concert things with that ExaCl:nefs, as to make them all bear to a Point ; whereas we can neither know nor do what we would, and the Uncertainty our Preparations are unavoidably attended with, makes it impoffible to depend on them, or to concert any Meafures againft fuch 0r fuch a Time, if they muft wait the Arrival of Succours or Supplies from E12gland for their Execution. In a word, all things confpire to make Spain the leaft defirable of all Places to pu!h the War in ; and one ought rather to wonder we have been able to maintain our Ground there fo well, than complain that more has not 'been d~ne, or pretend I know not what NegleCl:s to account for it : The thing is fo plain, it fpeaks it felf ; the Dutch are fo convinc'd of it, that they have never, fot thefe three Years paft, been prevail' d with ' tn fend any fre!h Troops thither ; England only is to be perf waded into thefe wife Meafures, as if we could not be ruin'd faft enough. If ypu· have any Doubts about the T~uth1 of any thing I have f-aid on t··h is H·· ead, I Will ypoUul [ ~r] joulntoa Way how you may eafily inform your felf: Gea.a Sight ofthe Accounts oftbe.J:'evera'i Embarkations that have been made fbt -Spllin, both before and Iince the Battle of .AlmAnz.11 and obferve the Diftance of Time between th; Encam[!ment~ of the :rr<J?pS to g~ on boa~d; ~nd their takmg the F1eld m Cataloma: Inqa1rc mto the Numbers the Regiments confifted of when they march'd for thefe Encampments and how ftrong they were when they join'd ou; Ar-· my : Ask fome of the <?fficers of the fix Regiments that were broke mto others, a little before the Battle of .Aimanz.a, how many private Men they !eft when they came away, and fome< of them will tell yo~, that their Regiments had' nott above ~o Men m them, and fome not fo many. I can't fuppofe you will pretend thefe Ihco~veniencies arife from ~ny Neglect in the Admiralty, becaufe that IS no Part of tlie Complaint thefe .Gentlemen make, and you know the Sea Affaus have generally been in the fame Hands which we are at prefent fo much pleas'd with. If this be then a true State of this Mat~er, I can compare Mens being fond of enlargmg the Scheme of the War in Spain to no~ hing but toSbakefpear's {Jrange AJacriry inSink• ng;. for link we fha!l, and that very faft, if the Adv1c~of ~hefe Wn.ters be purfu'd. . , . But1f th1s he th~ Cafe, you. will fay, Why then d1d we at firft begm a War 10 Catalonia or have no& long Iince qui~ted it ? Thi~ admit; of a very eaf~e Anfw.er, tf we look back into the Pofture <?f Affms at that Time, and confider what ~t was we prppos'd by making War oh that 5!de, .an~ what were 'the trne Reafons that engag d us an at: 'Such an Enquiry will fhcw you · · - · ir |
