pended on for an action the next day, it was accordingly refolved to engage the enemy. It will be neceffary for understanding the greatnefs of the action, and the feveral motions made in the time of the engagement, that you have in your mind an idea of the place. The two armies on the eleventh inftant were both drawn up before the woods of Dour, Blaugies, Sart, and Fanfart; the army of the Prince of Savoy on the right before that of Blaugies; the forces of Great-Britain in the center on his left; those of the High Allies, before the wood Sart, as well as a large interval of plain ground, and Fanfart, on the left of the whole. The enemy were intrenched in the paths of the woods, and drawn up behind two intrenchments over-against them, oppofite to the armies of the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene. There were also two lines intrenched in the plains overagainst the army of the States. This was the pofture of the French and Confederate forces when the fignal was given, and the whole line moved on to the charge. The Dutch army, commanded by the Prince of Heffe, attacked with the most undaunted bravery, and, after a very obftinate refiftance, forced the firft intrenchment of the enemy in the plain between Sart and Janfart; but were repulfed in their attack on the fecond with great flaughter on both fides. The Duke of Marlborough, while this was tranfacting on the left, had with very much difficulty marched through Sart, and beaten the enemy from the feveral intrenchments they had thrown up in it. As foon as the Duke had marched into the plain, he obferved the main body of the enemy drawn up and intrenched in the front of his army. This fituation of the enemy, in the ordinary courfe of war, is ufually thought an advantage hardly to be furmounted; and might appear impracticable to any, but that army which had just overcome greater difficulties. The Duke commanded the troops to form, but to forbear charging until further order. In the mean time he vifited the left of our line, where the troops of the States had been engaged. The flaughter on this fide had been very great, and the Dutch incapable of making further progress, except they were fuddenly reinforced. The right of our line was attacked foon after their coming upon the plain; but but they drove back the enemy with fuch bravery, that the victory began to incline to the Allies by the precipitate retreat of the French to their works, from whence they were immediately beaten. The Duke, upon obferving this advantage on the right, commanded the Earl of Orkney to march with a fufficient number of battalions, to force the enemy from their intrenchments on the plain between the woods of Sart and Janfart; which. being performed, the horse of the Allies marched into the plains, covered by their own foot, and forming. themselves in good order, the cavalry of the enemy attempted no more, but to cover the foot in their retreat. The Allies made fo good use of the beginning of the victory, that all their troops moved on with fresh refolution, until they faw the enemy fly before them towards. Conde and Maubeuge; after whom proper detachments were made, who made a terrible flaughter in the purfuit. In this action it is faid Prince Eugene was wounded, as alfo the Duke of Aremberg, and Lieutenant-General Webb. The Count of Oxenfern, Colonel Lalo, and Sir Thomas Pendergrass, were killed. This wonderful fuccefs, obtained under all the difficulties that could be oppofed in the way of an army, must be acknowledged as owing to the genius, courage, and conduct of the Duke of Marlborough, a confummate Hero; who has lived not only beyond the time in which Cæfar faid, he was arrived at a fatiety of life and glory; but also been fo long the fubject of panegyric, that it is as hard to fay any thing new in his praife, as to add to the merit which requires fuch eulogiums. Will's Coffee-house, September 5. The following Letter being very explanatory of the true defign of our Lucubrations, and at the fame time an excellent model for performing it, it is abfolutely neceffary, for the better understanding our works, to publish it. 66 66 To ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, Esquire. SIR, TH HOUGH I have not the honour to be of the family of the Staffs, nor related to any branch, of it, yet I applaud your wholesome project of making wit useful. This is what has been, or fhould have been, intended by the beft Comedies. But no body, I think, "before you, thought of a way to bring the ftage as it were into the Coffee-houfe, and there attack thofe "Gentlemen who thought themfelves out of the reach of raillery, by prudently avoiding its chief walks and "diftricts. I fmile when I fee a folid citizen of three"fcore read the article from Will's Coffee-boufe, and feem "to be juft beginning to learn his Alphabet of wit in fpectacles; and to hear the attentive table fometimes "ftop him with pertinent queries, which he is puzzled "to anfwer, and then join in commending it the fincereft way, by freely owning he does not understand it. "In purfuing this defign, you will always have a large fcene before you, and can never be at a loss for "characters to entertain a town fo plentifully stocked with them. The follies of the finest minds, which a "philofophical Surgeon knows how to diffect, will beft employ your fkill: And of this fort, I take the liberty ❝ to fend you the following fetch. 66 "Cleontes is a man of good family, good learning, entertaining converfation, and acute wit. He talks well, is mafter of ftyle, and writes not contemptibly in verfe. Yet all this ferves but to make him politely "ridiculous; and he is above the rank of common cha"racters, only to have the privilege of being laughed "at by the beft. His family makes him proud and fcorning; his learning, affuming and abfurd; and his "wit, arrogant and fatirical. He mixes fome of the "beft qualities of the head with the worst of the heart. Every body is entertained by him, while no body esteems him. I am, Sir, your most affectionate monitor, Jofiah Couplet "Loft, "Loft, from the Cocoa-Tree in Pall-mall, two Irishdogs, belonging to the pack of London; one a tall. "white wolf-dog; the other a black nimble Greyhound, "not very found, and fuppofed to be gone to the Bath "by instinct for cure. The man of the Inn from whence "they ran, being now there, is defired, if he meets "either of them, to tie them up. Several others are "loft about Tunbridge and Epsom; which whoever will "maintain, may keep.". N° 65. Saturday, I Quicquid agunt homines-noftri farrago libelli. Juv. Sat. 1. ver. &54. Whatever good is done, whatever ill Will's Coffee-house, September 7: Came hither this evening, and expected nothing else but mutual congratulations in the company on the late victory; but found our room, which one wouldhave hoped to have feen full of good humour and alacrity upon fo glorious an occafion, full of four animals,, enquiring into the action, in doubt of what had happened, and fearful of the fuccefs of their countrymen. It is natural to believe easily what we with heartily; and a certain rule, that they are not friends to a glad occa fron, who fpeak all they can against the truth of it; who end their argument against our happiness, that they wish' it otherwise. When I came into the room, a Gentleman · was declaiming: If fays he, we have fo great and com'plete a victory, why have we not the names of the pri foners? why is not an exact relation of the conduct of our Generals laid before the world? why do we not know 1 know where or whom to applaud? If we are victorious, why do we not give an account of our captives and our flain? But we are to be fatisfied with general notices we are conquerors, and to believe it fo. Sure this is approving the defpotic way of treating the world, which we pretend to fight against, if we fit down fatisfied with fuch contradictory accounts, which have the words of triumph, but do not bear the spirit of it. I whispered Mr. Greenhat, Pray, what can that diffatisfied man be? He is, anfwered he, a character you have not yet perhaps obferved. You have heard of battle-painters, have mentioned a battle-poet; but this is a battle-critic. He is a fellow that lives in a government fo gentle, that though it fees him an enemy, fuffers his malice, because they know his impotence. He is to examine the weight of an advantage before the company will allow it. Greenhat was going on in his explanation, when Sir George England thought fit to take up the difcourfe in the following manner : Gentlemen, The action you are in fo great doubt to approve of is greater than ever has been performed in any age; and the value of it I obferve from your diffatisfaction: For battle-critics are like all others; you are the more offended, the more you ought to be, and are convinced you ought to be, pleafed. Had this engagement happened in the time of the old Romans, and fuch things been acted in their fervice, there would not be a foot of the wood which was pierced, but had been confecrated to fome deity, or made memorable by the death of him who expired in it for the fake of his country. It had been faid on fome monument at the entrance; Here the Duke of Argyle drew his fword, and said, March. Here Webb, after having an accomplished fame for gallantry, expofed himself like a common foldier. Here, Rivet, who was wounded at the beginning of the day, and carried off as dead, returned to the field, and received his death. Medals had been ftruck for our General's behaviour when he first came into the plain. Here was the fury of the action, and here the Hero stood as fearless as if invulnerable. Such certainly had been the cares of that State for their own honour, and in grasitude to their heroic fubjects. But the wood intrenched, the |