THE French having, under the Favour of the Rains and bad Weather, for the most part of April and June 92, become Masters of the City of Namur; they took Possession thereof about the middle of June, in fewer days than they themselves did expect, or we did believe; and when the Castles was preparing for their Defence against a powerful victorious Army: We thought [...], that a Place of that strength in its self, and of that consequence to the King of Spain in the Keeping, as well as to all the Confederates, would have held he Enemy tack for almost, if not quite as many Months, as in the Proof it did Weeks; for by the ancient Constitution of the Government of the Place, it was ordered constantly, that the Castle should at all-times have sufficient Stores of Ammunition and Provision for three Months, for Eight or Nine Thousand Men; by which appear'd the Neglect, I will not say the Treachery of the Go­vernour [Page 2] of the said Castle, in that he should oblige the Garrison in less than three Weeks to Capitulate for want of Provisions and Stores, when he had been by right to have provided for them sufficient for three Months, and over and above; that if he saw before the taking of the Town, that he was so slenderly prepar'd, that he should accommodate himself and Garrison upon the first hint from the Town; but as I said, partly by Neglect or Treachery, and partly by Fear and Force, the French became Masters of the Castle too about the last of June, or first of July. The Garrison were hardly well march'd out of the Town and Castle, but the French, like provident Warriers, began to look about them; some to view the remainder of the Stores, the Amun [...]tion and Provision, others to survey the Breaches, Ruines, and Demolishments made by the Force of the Bombs and Thundering Cannons; and here presently Orders were given, to repair, and put into a Posture of Defence, all the most important places of the Town, that had been ruinated in the Siege; and in such an hurrey and com­bustion no one could provide for the Safety or Security even of the most Sacred Things, so you should daily see the Souldiers and Pioneers, as they were digging up and removing the Rubbish here and there, some would toss up an holy Re­lick or two, others the Image of a Saint or so, others some Fragments of holy Vestments, others some scattered pieces of Plate and Money, till at last they would approach even to the Graves and Vaults of their holy and great Men, some of which had layn perhaps undiscovered for Ages; here, as they were digging, they happened upon a Vault that was very deep, and that went under a Monastery that belong'd to the Order of St. Benedict, and some of them, either out of curiosity, or covetuousness, would needs force a Passage into the same; where, after a small search, and the gain of a few Peter-Pence, and some other small trifling Treasures, they light upon a large stone Chest, not made in the Fashion of a Coffin, but square, and of the Length and Breadth of a proper Man; it had a cover that left not the least Chink or Passage for the smallest Worm to creep in, and seem'd to press into the same with a sort of Ledge upon tryal, they soon found it moveable, and opening of it at last, they soon discovered the Body of a Grey Ancient Man, in the Habit of his Order, and to Appearance entire and perfect; his Flesh that was visible, viz. his Face, and part of his Hands, seem'd as fresh as if he had just departed; there lay by him a Book or two entire and whole, and one upon his Breast open, by which they could perceive it Spanish, and treating of the Service of their Religion: Some of them out of a vain Curiosity, would needs touch both the Flesh and the Books, which part so touch'd immediately fell to Ashes: on one side lay a small Coffer or Box, [Page 3] which being without a Cover, they soon discovered two or three small Pieces of Spanish Silver: Thus, having view'd all Parts within, they began to make Re­marks on the Shape, Fashion, and Workmanship of the Tomb: And First, a the Head of the Tomb, they observed some kind of Embossed-or Carved-Work which curiously examined (though Time's Iron Teeth had made a little Bold with it) they plainly discovered some Marine Trophies, as Rudders, Anchors and the like, not in the manner of our Modern Trophies, as Regular Insignia or Regalia, but on the contrary all shatter'd and broken, under (as it were some Infamy or Disgrace, with some Fragments of Masts and Hulks of Vessels and altogether expressing some Naval Ruines.

Over this Sculp-work was delineated 3 Flower-de-Luces, not in the order of those in the French Arms, but inverted, viz. with their Heads downwards, and over all these was very elaborately Carved a Figure exactly imitating our Cypher, W and M entwisted, bearing three Crowns Imperial: The Car­ved Work on the right side of the Tomb was a little of a Piece with this Front-work of it, for here it represented a troubled Sea, in one part of which sate a Neptune in his Sea Chariot with his Trident in his Hand, with a large Esutcheon behind his Seat, bearing a modern Belgick Lyon, whilst at some Di­stance from him lay a large Dolphin, supposed by the Violence of the Stormy Sea to have been cast on Shore, and there languishing and gasping for Life.

On the other side of the Tomb, were carved several dismounted Cannon with their Carriages, &c. shattered and broken, with the Image of a Victoria and on her Shield a large Louidore with this Motto, Ratio ultima Galliae.

At the Feet of the Tomb was carved a Deluge Piece with the Ark resting up­on a Mountain, in imitation of the Scriptural Description, with a Dove flying towards the Ark with the Olive-Branch in her Bill; and what was most of all Remarkable, over the Ark was written Europa, and over the Dove Britania.

After they had sufficiently with no small Curiosity Survey'd and Discanted upon this surprizeing Discovery, to compleat their Wonder, by turning over the Cover of the Tomb, they perceiv'd in the middle a pretty large Plate of Cop­per, or some other Mettal, inserted or plastered as it were into a hollowed place of the Stone, with an Inscription partly Latin, partly Spanish, and partly Ger­man or High-Dutch; Time had worn out some of the Words, by which some Sentences could not be made out by a natural Guess and Connexion with the foregoing and following Words; but that they might be more generally under­stood, it was thought fitter to have them translated into English: Which are as follows,