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Show t 3~] it Wll\ beglm with the ;mofl: promiSing AtJpear..; ai!CC:S :in ·liavour of 1~ could we bJit fuctced ill dJe lid!: Step; and rho' they have not alJ(we_s:!l 0111" EJpeetations, yet when fo good Fooamg was pnce got, we neither cou'd not ought; to have quitted our Ground. When the ~~ces wbic:b began tha~ War wer~ firft em~r~~d,.'t'Nas very JiiffitUit to deterrnme at uus di{hllct", whi~:h was mf)lt for tl" Ser vtce ol K, c:lurjn and the Co,mmon Caufe, to land · in t 'd{qlv.llia, or attempt to &ive lorn<;: Relief t? tht l>. "t. s., 'l1oy, .,which he was at t hat ume II) the gre~1ell; W;ntof; the Oeci!iofl',o(; this was left .to lhe two Kings of Portug,d and Sp m1. and the!r Mt· nifi:ecs who were bt fi: •ble to jM!ge what Par& was beft to t ake; and after the Matter had b~en thorougbh conlider'd, 'twas ~efolv'd fot Cattl• Ionia, upon the P"ffitJ[; lo(tances of K. Charles, anti tl)e man~ and r e;Jeated Alf,•r•nces that had been given him of the good D•fpoliLious of the SpanitJYds to declare for bim, as foon as he {hould . have any firm Foodng i11 Spain, and b~ in a Condition to prolca th!!m. , For we d!d nol pretend to conquer Spain, or ,co, fore~ a Revol~ upon them, but to favqur one, fup~ofing.them incliu'd r..o iJ ; and wbilt ~~de ~he Expenmen& the more worth trying, was the defpqate Con· dition of Affairs in /ta!Y, w'hkh this was-thought the likeliefi: Way to give fome Relief · )1:1}0 bY obliging the French ~o tak~ off a Pan of tba' Weight of Troops· w1th wh1ch the Duke of Sa,. 'liOJ yt~s fo violently pn:fs'd : Belides, yon may remembe~ that at the Time thi~ War. iD c4t41Qnia was begun, we had not the lvalt Pro£., pcfr of making fuch mighty Conquefi:s. in Flail, .,,,,\Vllich· was every Inch of ii in the Fr~ . Hands, Hands·; an'd·'twas more thart any body ·cou"d tell, whert it wou'd be otherwife, much Jefs cou'd tlley ' hope to fee any poillhility of Pene. &rating into F~t111ce on that !ide, which we have had Iince the Ramellies Campaign fo fair a Profpett of. Thefe Circumfi:ances of Af. fairs, the Appearance there was of lofing all in lta!Y, and of getting nothing in Flanders, made It very reafonable for us to try the Inclinations of the Spaniards ; and had they anfwer'd better the A!lurances that bad been given, whatever Body of Troops had for once been carry'd thither, had doubtlefs been very well employ'd, to give them Counce. nance. Thefe were the Motives, upon which the W ar wa5 begun on that !ide, and f10thing but Exper ience could have convinc'd People, that Spain might not have been had for going for; efpecially when thofe who were prefum'd to be the befi: Judges, were fo fure of the Succefs; fo that nothing could have jultify'd our not ma:.. king the T ry a I; whatever had been faid again1l: it, would not have been belicv'd, while the In· conveniences of this War had not yet been felt, and for that Reafon could not be fo certainly judg'd of. . Thefe were great Inducements to try what m~ght be done there, and the firft Attempt met With Succefs ; for the Enemy not being prepar'd for us, and the People on that fide being pretty much in our lntereft, Barcelona foon fell into our Hands, and all Catalonia with it ; and we gain'd Footing enough to encourage a Revolt in the other Kingdoms, but not to force one, unlers they had been more difpos'd to it f them- |