to disturb the march. I won't say that our men or horfes were as high fed, and looked as fleek as thofe of the English corps; but I will anfwer, that our men and horfes were as well clothed and accoutred, made as fair an appearance, exercised better, and looked in all refpects more warlike than those who seek to ftrip them of all military fame. If we were not as fat and foggy, we were not lefs active and nimble; and, if our neighbours had greater pay, and fed and drank more and higher, we were not lefs ftrong of limbs, or lefs hearty and wholfome; and if, after we encamped together, our troops fared better, it was not owing, as is malicioufly fuggefted, to a partiality in affigning us better quarters, but to the industry of our men, who took more pains to provide, and to their frugality, who make a ftiver go as far as their fellow foldiers did two. This appeared evidently at Afchaffenburg, where there could be no choice of fituation. The English foon confumed their provifions, and were foon in want; whilft we, being better husbands, did not want fo much, nor fo early. This leads me to repeat what moft nations fay of the English, That, feed them high, and they will fight; but, forced to fhort allowance, they are lower in fpirits and courage than gallant men fhould be. Thofe nations who can bear cold and hunger beft, and longeft, are the fittest for war; and the English are not of those nations most famous for fatigue and abstinence. Their very cattle participate of the flimfy texture of their mafters; for, unless an English horse be fed high and often, he is the verieft jade in Europe, tho' as much or more highmettled and fpirited than that of any other country, when his craving is regularly supplied.

The first operation of any confequence, fter the junction of the army, was crofg the Mayne; of which motion I could it fee the ufe or defign, tho' I did not protest against it; nor have I ever heard it juftified to my fatisfaction. To fay no more of it, it was a precipitate measure; for, had we waited eight hours longer to repass the river, we should have had a fuperior French army on our backs. But in this falutary retreat, our troops had the VOL. VI.

post of honour, that is, of hazard, affigned them. This was the rear, where there poffibly could be any danger. On this occafion, who dare fay, the Hanoverians betrayed either pufillanimity, or want of difcipline or conduct?

But these motions may be reckoned falutary, if compared to the march to Afchaffenburg, which was not undoubtedly of my projection. Before the arrival of our auguft chief, I might reafon, exprefs my diflike, and argue from experience; but I was heard, and that was all. But after our chief had narrowly examined the ftate of affairs, and found that I had no fhare in measures he could not approve of, the fcene was changed. And what wonder, that a prince fhould countenance those moft, whofe counfels are most falutary, and can best bear the test of wisdom and experience?

His Majefty had not been many days at Afchaffenburg before he perceived the imprudence of moving thither without fecuring the navigation of the river, by which alone the army could hope to be fupplied. Scarcity and danger hourly and equally increasing, it was natural for him, and for us all, to fhew fome refentment to the principal authors of the motion which caufed our diftrefs: and hence arose that referve on one fide, and that fullen haughtinefs on the other, which became afterwards too great and vifible to be concealed.

It being refolved to retreat from Afchaffenburg to Hanau, where a corps of Heffians, and another of our electoral troops, marching to join the army, were ordered to halt, the neceffary difpofitions were made. The English, as intitled to the poft of honour, had the lead of the army, the Auftrians followed, and the rear was the poft naturally and neceffarily af figned to us; which being thought of as great danger as the front, we were joined by fome of the English guards, horfe and foot: and had not M. de Noailles's fcheme been difconcerted by M.Grammont's rafhnefs, the rear had infallibly been the poft of moft danger and honour.

M. de Noailles forefaw, that we could not venture leaving a fufficient body of troops to guard the bridge and river at Afchaffenburg; he knew we could not F

weaken

tion, and therefore refolved that his moft powerful efforts fhould be from AfchaffenBurg on our rear. This difpofition on the fide of the French was natural; for the nature of the ground in the front was fuch, that at Dettingen 15,000 or 20,000 men were full enough to answer their purpose: fo that their defign was, that their main force fhould fall on our rear; which juftifies the precaution of ftrengthening this poft.

Belides this reafon for adding to, rather than diminishing the ftrength of the rear, there was another not lefs natural, for not permitting any of our cavalry to march from the rear to reinforce the front. The ground in the front between the mountain and the river, was fo narrow, that fcarce could the English, already there, and the Austrians, be drawn up upon it to advantage. Where then could the large body of Hanoverian cavalry, eagerly preffed to be drawn from the rear to ftrengthen the front, be placed?

I could heartily with this demand for our cavalry had been complied with, that the world might fee how little room there is for that arrogant fuperiority which a haughty nation claims over us in every thing, but particularly in point of valour and intrepidity. Then would it be seen who pushed faireft for conqueft and glory; then might it be feen, that Hanoverians were not more daunted, lefs fkilful or virtuous, than their infular fellow-fubjects. We were not, unhappily, where the action was warmeft, because it was judged it would be warmeft where we were; but we had our share of it, as may be known by the number of our killed and wounded; and our artillery was of infinite ufe to the English.

Tho' M. Grammont, by advancing upon the English, and quitting the ground his troops had been pofted upon, gave them all the advantage they could with for; yet fo very rude and furious was the attack of the French cavalry, that it put the whole English line into fuch confufion, that, had the French foot feconded the bravery of their horfe, and had not the Auftrians feasonably and courageoufly interpofed, it is thought the confequence

but the cause of liberty. The corps of French horfe that charged, were much inferior in number to thofe they attacked; yet fo paffively and diforderly were they received, that, for a while, it would feem as if there had been a total deprivation of both kill and courage. Nothing was feen but diforder and confufion; most of the regiments gave way; some absolutely turned the cruper upon the enemy, and could not be perfuaded to rally; and those who behaved beft when the panick was over, can't brag of their prowefs when they were first charged.

But the Auftrians received the enemy, not only without diforder or confufion, but repelled them; and by the repulfion, gave the English an opportunity of recovering their fenfes, and forming themfelves into fome order. Thus, from the conduct and valour of the Austrians, folely, was the fcale turned to the disadvantage of the French cavalry; who, being few in number, and unfupported, were commanded to retreat; which they did in better order than could be expected in the prefence of a fuperior force. But the truth is, thofe who inveigh moft bitterly against us for not being in the action, had fo little ftomach to a purfuit, that they wifhed the French had made a lefs orderly and more hafty retreat from them.

There yet remains a much bafer infinuation. They charge his My not only with being too indulgent and partial in regard to our corps, but with confulting his own perfonal fecurity along with ours. I would be glad to know where that inconfiftent people would have had his My to have placed himself. In the beginning, the rear was agreed of all hands, except a certain G-1, to be the post of moft rifk and danger; and after it became otherwife, by M. Grammont's temerity it was too late for his My to thir of changing his poft and yet, tho' th action was warmest in the front, the killed and wounded near his facred perfon are proofs of his not being out of danger.

What a pother do they likewife make about the colour of a fafh! as if it imported any thing to either that nation or the e--e, whether it was red or yellow.

From

From the moment of the junction, our troops were viewed, not only with a jea! lous, but a difdainful eye; but from the arrival of the Kat Afchaffenburg, from jealous and difdainful looks, the rooted prejudice grew up into indecent, offenfive expreffions, and a haughty infolence of behaviour. A gracious word or look from the K-, to any of our corps, was treafon in us, and probably thought a crime in him. Had any of us the honours of the Royal table, it was thought capital in the hofpitable hoft as well as the guest. If he feemed to relifh the reafoning of any of us in council, it bred fuch ill blood, as produced an obfervable fullennefs, even in the aged and experienced and if it happened, that he condefcended to confer with any of us in private, as it was often abfolutely neceffary he should, there were no bounds to the jealoufy, nor unpolite, unbecoming arrogance of fome, whofe duty, one would think, fhould have infpired them to behave more fuitably to his M―y's dignity, and their own rank and character. The jealoufy was of us only, there was none of the Auftrians. The K-might be as courteous as he pleased to them, no notice was taken of it but did he caft his eye on that part of the camp where we were, it was criminal. I am not fure but his very thoughts were interpreted to our difadvantage, and probably to his alfo. For my part, I could not help commiserating the condition of our moft gracious fn, who, as he could not but obferve the prejudice of one part of his people, and the mortifications of the other, muft neceffarily feel an uneafiness which no dutiful or loyal fubjects would willingly give him. But why should we expect a dutiful deference for our p―e, from a people famed, not only for disturbing the quiet, and refifting their K-s, but for dethroning, and even cutting off their facred heads witness their own annals.-And, in regard to their injurious treatment of their fns, there is one thing obfervable of them, which is not known of any other nation on earth; and that is, that they take pride and glory in the perjury and eminent wickedness of their forefathers. I have now in my hands many of their most celebrated works, wherein the

murder of K. Charles I. is juftified and applauded.

I remember, when firft you and I heard, that our late auguft fn hefitated to accept of that c-n on the foot of the act of fn, we were greatly alarmed and furprifed at his conduct. But experience and reading have fince convinced us of the wifdom of that fagacious prince. He knew the nation, was no ftranger to their behaviour to their K―s, knew their levity and unfteadinefs, their propensity to faction, to oppofition and corruption. And probably it was their biafs to corruption which alone determined him to comply with their requeft: he might think, that, by means of corruption, there would be a chance of governing a headstrong, untractable people.

And if we confider the men he employed upon his acceffion, and the measures he took, both then and all the reft of his reign, we can't but fuppofe, that he rested upon corruption only as the ftaff of his peace, and prop of his fafety.

To look back, we fhall fee that he chofe to rule by a party, and that the fmallest party, by far, of the people. According to the ordinary maxims of government, it was not politick to alienate thus the hearts of the majority of the people from him upon his first coming among them, as he muft fuppofe, from the noted partiality of his conduct. But upon his maxim of corruption, his conduct was wife and politick: by adopting a small party, the means of corruption could not well fail him. He might find places and penfions for a few, but could not poffibly for the whole: and could he rule the whole by means of the few, his purpose was anfwered as well as if he had had the affections of all the nation in general.

That great K- might have had a view alfo to the principles and nature of the party he chofe; for he was well read in the hiftory of that nation, and particularly well killed in the origin, nature and principles of their different parties. He might obferve in a multitude of inftances, but particularly the revolution, that the Tories, who were the majority of the people, bragged of found principles, and preached a doctrine grateful to princes, but never practifed either; and that the

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Whigs,