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A THEATRE OF WARS, BETWEEN England & France,
In all the Kings Reigns, from the
time of William the Conqueror to
the Concluſion of the Peace, on
the 10th. of September 1697. in the
Eighth Year of the Reign of our
Gracious Sovereign K. William III.
Containing
The Cauſes of the War, the Battels, Sieges, State
Policies, Naval Fights, Treaties, and the ſeveral
Truces, Peaces Concluded. Leagues made and
broken, &c. With a large Diſcourſe of the SaFrench pretend to Exclude Females
from Enjoying the Crown of France, and many oEngland
and France on a Copper Plate.
By D. Jones.
London, Printed for W. Whitwood at the Roſe and Crown
in Little-Britain. 1698.
THe Topicks uſually inſiſted upon
to engage the Favours of the
Great, are thoſe of Honour and
Goodneſs, of both which your LordAzilum, ſufficient to skreen it
from all the aſſaults of Male-volence;
and if it be an Argument of ImpruGood which is attainable nigh at hand,
my Vicinity to your Lordſhip will not
only juſtifie this my Practiſe, but
ſhould I have neglected the improveHonour, and of the baſeſt diffiGoodneſs.
The Subject, My Lord, muſt be
acknowledged to be of an Heroical NaHeroick Minds, and conſePatronage to the
Truth is the great ſtanIdea's of the
actions of my Country, and herein
have done both the Enemy that juſtice
due to them in their various conflicts
with us, and made it appear there
was no need of any ſuch prevaricatiTrue Glory has been no
ſtranger to the Engliſh Arms through
the ſeries of many hundred years to
But to dwell no longer upon the
Products of my own Teeming Fancy,
I ſubmit all to Your Lordſhips adegrateful or divertive, ſo as that it
may conciliate Your Lordſhip's Good Opinion
of me, his higheſt ambition is gra
GReat and Various have the Actions been
between England and France, ſince the
Invaſion of the Normans, Anno Dom. 1066.
which makes September next juſt 629 Years, but
that the French Nation ſhould make a Conqueſt
of England hereby, nothing is more manifeſtly
untrue, that People being a diſtinct Nation
from the French, who conquering that Province
by main force, from Neuſtria, call'd it Norin the Reign of Charles le Simple;
whence by the way 'tis worth the remarking what
kind of Kings France hath often had, and what
ſort of Epithetts their own Cronicles give
them, which ſtand upon publick Record to all
poſterity, as Charles le Simple, Charles le
Chauve, Charles le Gros, Charles le Gras,
Charles le Phrenetique, Philip le Long, Lo&c. Now tho there have been
many and mighty Quarrels, War-like Encounters,
and Feuds betwixt England and France,
yet in the reign of the Saxon Kings the Hiſtorians
make little mention of any; but ſince Engwas joined as it were to the Continent by
addition of Normandy, there have been as
frequent traverſes of War as have happen'd between
any two Nations; for of thoſe 28 Kings
and Queens which have reigned here from Willithe Firſt to William the Third now Regnant,
there have been but a very few of them
free from actual Wars with France; yet in ſo
long a tract of time, when the French were at
their higheſt pitch of Power, they never did
nor had any adequate power to invade England;
'tis true that they took footing once or twice in
the Iſle of Wight, but it quickly grew too hot
for them. And touching Lewis the French
King's Son who did ſtay and ſway the Scepter
here about two Years (whereof they ſo much
vaunt:) That was no Invaſion, but an Invitation,
being brought in by the diſcontented
Barons in England; ſo that in a manner France
was the Theater of the War between the two
Nations down from William I. to the preſent
time.
As for the great Battles which were fought
from time to time, 'tis confeſſed by the French
Hiſtorians themſelves, that the Engliſh were at
moſt but half in number to them in almoſt all Engagements;
inſomuch that by pure proweſs and
point of the Sword, the Engliſh poſſeſs'd two
parts in three of that populous Kingdom, and
how all came to be loſt again, will appear by the
ſequel of the Story, but here I cannot omit one
remarkable accident, that was concomitant with
the Engliſh Arms in France, and that is, that
when the Engliſh were at the height of their
conqueſts in that Kingdom, the Pope came to reſide
at Avignon in France, and there was a
common ſaying which continues ſtill in memory
among the Vulgar, Ores le pape eſt devenu
Francois, & Chriſt eſt devenu Anglois i. e.
Lo! the Pope is become a Frenchman and
Chriſt an Engliſhman, which related to the
marvelous Exploits and Succeſſes the Engliſh
had in that Kingdom, which were ſuch that
Sir Walter Rawleigh ſpeaking of the famous
Punick Wars, puts this Quaere. If one ſhould
ask which was the valianteſt, the Roman or
the Carthaginian, one might anſwer the
Engliſhman who performed greater feats of
Arms then either of them; inſomuch that ſome
foreign Authors give this Character of France,
that it was the ſtage whereon the Engliſh acted
their valour ſo often.
'Tis true that in canvaſſing of Treaties, in
ſubtleties or ſhuffling the Cards, and mental reſervations
they were moſtly too hard for the
Engliſh, who naturally uſe down right dealing,
and real integrity; but in point of performance
of what was ſtipulated, eſpecially if the Article
related to Money (whereof we drew from them
vaſt ſumms) they ſeldom exactly performed the
Capitulation of any Treaty, as Foreign Writers
obſerve; ſo that part of King John's ranſom
is yet behind, beſides the Mony which was to
be paid for Tournay in Henry VIII. time,
the 500000 Crowns which Edward VI. was to
have for Bolloign, and thoſe great expences which
Queen Elizabeth was to have for ſending her
Armies to aid Henry IV. and the French Reformiſts,
two parts of three are not paid to this
day; but of theſe and other things more hereafter
in their proper place.
ENGLAND, excluſive of Scotland
which had but very little ſhare in
the Wars we are to treat off, is the
greateſt, moſt Southern and beſt part
of the Iſland of Great Britain, heretoAlbion and Britannia; it lies together
with Wales in the form of a great Triangle, whereSouthern Shoar is the baſe, and Berwick the
oppoſite Angle; it was divided by the Romans inSaxons into ſeven Kingdoms,
and now (Wales included) into fifty two Shires
or Counties; its a fruitful Country full of valiant
and induſtrious Inhabitants, but in regard of its
boundaries bears no proportion to France even
conſidered in its narroweſt Limits, over which
Series
of the enſuing Hiſtory.
But becauſe, the Wars with France in the time
of the Saxons are very obſcurely Recorded as to
their Time, Cauſes and Effects we will therefore
begin with,
WHo was invidiouſly termed the Conqueror
by the Monks of thoſe times, (as the
learned Sir William Temple has well obſerved)
though its as true, he could not claim in right of
Succeſſion, himſelf being illegitimate and Edgar
Atheline of the Saxon Blood Royal to take place
before him, but muſt therefore reign by vertue
either of a compact or previous choiſe of the
people of England; (the Sword which he had
then in his Hand, no doubt, powerfully diſpoEngland, as he had
been a ſucceſsfull Duke of Normandy. But tho
he had wonderful Succeſs in the Battle of Haſtings,
which was fought October 14. Anno 1066.
and got the day with the Slaughter of above
60000 of his Engliſh Enemies, yet things did
not ſucceed ſo well with him in his Kentiſh exDover
Kent firſt under his ObeEngland, and that what he had already
done would be of little account, if this were not
accompliſhed: The Kentiſh Men upon report
hereof, aſſembled to Archbiſhop Stigand at Canterbury,
and after ſerious Conſultation, reſolved
to arm and to force the Conqueror either to conAbbot Egleſine
rendevouz'd at Swaneſcomb, where it was aStigand
approaches to the Duke, tells him, the occaſion
of ſuch an aſſembly, what their Demands where,
and what their Reſolves, if refuſed, the Duke
wiſely conſidering the danger, grants all their
requeſt, and upon that was admitted into Rocheſter,
had the Earldom of Kent and Dover Caſtle
yielded to him.
Engliſh SubNormans, that but too readily
provoked them upon every occaſion, preſuming
no doubt very much upon the favour of the
King their Countryman, who on times ſhewed
too much partiality in that regard. 'Tis true,
he had not been a year inthron'd, before he was
obliged upon ſome commotions there to paſs oNormandy, but we do not find till about
ten years after, that he had any foreign Wars,
when paſſing over into Bretaign he laid Siege to
the Caſtle of Dolence, belonging to Earl Ralph,
which engaged Phillip King of France into the
quarrel, and ſo with a mighty Army marches aWilliam, who finding himſelf hereby
much ſtreightned for Proviſion broke up his Siege
not without loſs both of Men and Horſes, and of
ſome of his Baggage, and hereupon enſued an
accommodation; but not a year after, Robert the
Kings eldeſt Son, to whom upon his aſſuming
of the Engliſh Crown, he had aſſigned the DukeNormandy in the preſence of King Phillip
of France, becauſe now his Father (as he preFrance, and being
by the ſaid King Phillip aſſiſted with Forces, comNormandy, burning maGarberie in France, the King according to his
uſual manner charged with great Reſolution,
and ſpared not to expoſe his Perſon to all danWilliam
wounded and many of his Family ſlain, and
as an addition hereunto, through imtemperate anRobert, who it was obſerPhillip and this King till the laſt year of his
Reign, when reſiding in Normandy and being
grown very corpulent, the French King was pleaſThe
King of England lyeth at Roan and keeps his Chamber
as Women lying in do, and there nouriſheth his fat
Belly, which ſo offended King William, that he
ſaid, Well, when after my delivery I go to Church, I
ſhall offer a Thouſand Candles to him, and ſware to
the ſame by God's Reſurrection and his Brightneſs;
and this he made good the latter end of Auguſt
the ſame year, when he entred France with Fire
and Sword, and burnt down the City of Meaux,
together with the Church of St. Maries, and two
Fires incloſed therein, who ſuperſtitiouſly perRoan
Anno Dom. 1087. when he had reigned 20
Years 8 Months and 16 days and lived threeCaen in
Normandy.
The Cauſes of his Wars were, 1. An Irruption made
by the French into Normandy, contrary to the Articles
of Peace, and 2, The contumelious Language uſed
by King Phillip concerning his Perſon.
SUrnamed Rufus, or the Red during his 12
Years, and about 8 Months Reign had no
Wars with France, neither do we read of any
juſt cauſe given to engage him thereto, but he
unjuſtly invaded Normandy then ſubject to his
Brother Robert, and diſpoſeſt him of the County
of Owe, many Caſtles, and ſome Monaſteries; but
was in the mean time, by divine Juſtice, aſſaultHenry in his own
Dominions, and it had like to have coſt him his
Life, for he was bore down in fight from his
Horſe by a valiant Knight, who taking his Sword
for to kill him, was ſtop'd by the Kings crying
out, Hold thy hand, Knave, I am the King of EngLuke's Face he
ſhould be his Knight, and be written in his White
Book: He was accidentally killed by Sir Walter
Tyrell, as he was Hunting in the New Forreſt,
Anno, 1100. buried at Wincheſter, and died un
WHo for his learning was called Beauclerke,
was youngeſt Son to William the ConNormandy, made
War againſt the Earl of Anjou, who kept Main,
againſt his will, and this engaged Lewis the French
King to take part with the latter, whereupon
enſued many ſore Battles both in France and Normandy
between them with various ſucceſs; at
length taking Anjou's Daughter for Wife to his
Son William, Peace was concluded: But it will
not be amiſs to give the Reader a taſt of the high
Spirit and Reſolution of this King, in a perſonal
quarrel he had in France. In his fathers life time,
he accompanying his eldeſt Brother Robert into
that Kingdom, while the latter aſſociated himFrench King, Henry according
to the ſuitableneſs of their years took up with
the company and divertiſements of the Dauphine,
and being one Evening at Cheſs together, the
Dauphine happened to loſe a conſiderable ſumm
of Money to the Prince at that Game, whereat
the former grew ſo enraged, that after ſome reCheſsboard,
knocks the Dauphine fairly down to the
ground, and being intent to purſue his Revenge,
his Brother Robert fortunately came in, and
minding him of the danger, away they both
fled, and with great haſt and difficulty recoNormandy before their purExit (as his Father before him) in Normandy in
the Year 1135. after he had reigned 35 Years
and 4 Months.
The cauſe of this War we have before aſſigned, to wit,
the King of France's taking part with Anjou againſt
Henry.
KIng of England was Son to Adella a Daughter
of William the Conqueror, and Nephew to
the two laſt Kings, he laid claim to the Kingdom
of England in the year 1135, notwithſtanding
his Oath to Mawd the Empreſs and Daughter to
Henry the Firſt to the contrary, wherefore withFrance for any Wars,
his whole Reign (which was Eighteen Years and
about ten Months) was in a manner taken up
in inteſtine Broils and Conteſts about his right to
the Engliſh Crown wherein he was ſtiffly oppoMawd and her Son Henry, (afterwards Henry
the 2d.) whom ſhe bare to Geoffrey Plantagenet Earl
of Anjou and Duke of Normandy, from whence
ſprang the Noble Family of the Plantagenets that
ſo long governed England, he was once made
Priſoner at Briſtol, and at laſt notwithſtanding he
had Children of his own, was forced to adopt
Henry for his Son and Heir, and the Nobles ſware
fealty to him accordingly.
SOn of Mawd, and Geoffrey Plantagenet as aforeEngland,
in the Year 1154. This Prince notwithWelch and his conqueſt
of a great part of the Kingdom of Ireland, ſo as
he was the firſt of our Engliſh Kings that was
ſtiled the Lord of that Country, yet found opFrance upon ſeveral
occaſions; the Allyance he had made with the
French Court by the Marriage of his Son Henry
to King Lewis his Daughter Margaret, proving
rather an incitative to Contention and Diſcord,
then a bond of Peace and Amity: The faTholouſe was chiefly the ſeat of this
Henry, and as vigorouſly defendLewis. In his firſt Expedition againſt this
Place, he was accompanied with Malcolm King
of Scots, a Welch King, and with others of higheſt
Rank and Dignity in England, Normandy, Aquitain,
Anjou and Gaſcoigny; during his ſecond expeFrance, the Earls of Bulloign and
Flanders with 600 ſail of Ships attempted to make a
Deſcent into England ▪
but their undertaking proved
fruſtrate and abortive through the vigilance,
Courage and Prudence of Richard Lacy, who then
Governed England: This King is famous, or raRoſamond, for whom
he built that celebrated Labyrinth at Woodſtock,
the receſſes whereof could not be penetrated inThomas a Becket; to whoſe ſhire after his
Murder, much blind Devotion has been paid
even by the greateſt Potentates. Tho his Son
Henry who was crowned King in his life time
and dyed before him, gave him much diſturbJohn conſpired
againſt him, he was ſo ſtrucken with grief that
curſing his Son and the day of his own Birth he
July, 6. 1189. Aged 61, having reigned 34
Years and almoſt ſeven Months.
The cauſes of the War were, That King Lewis did inHenry his Father; in the war time Lewis had proHenry being ſenſible of the Fraud, ſought
him out with his Army, and made him give ground;
thereupon another interview being appointed betwixt
Terwyn and Arras, Hiſtories relate that as the two Kings
were buſie in Conference, there fell a clap of Thunder
between them, and meeting the next day, the like
accident happen'd which ſtruck a Conſternation in
both Armies, and inclined the Kings the more to an
accommodation.
WHo for his Valour was ſurnamed Ceur de
Lion was the third Son of Henry the II.
but the Eldeſt when his Father died, aged 35
years when he began his Reign, the former part
whereof was ſpent by him in the Wars in the
Holy-Land. William Longſhamp Biſhop of Ely, and
Chancellor of England, governing the Kingdom
during his abſence; in this War he ſignalized
his Valour to a wonder, having firſt taken Cyprus
in his way thither, and at Acon in Syria, ſo bePhillip of France, as you ſhall ſee hereafter;
where ever he went Terror was his forerunner,
inſomuch that it grew common amongſt thoſe
Eaſtern People, to terrifie their Children with
the apprehenſion of King Richard's coming; in
his return, being driven upon the Coaſt of Dalmatia,
and thinking to paſs home by Land incognito,
he was made Priſoner by the Duke of Auſtria,
who brought him to the Emperor Henry,
and was detained by him in Cuſtody for a Year
and five Months, till he paid a great Ranſom;
his unparallell'd Valour and Bravery was the ocFrench King
who invades Normandy during his abſence, which
obliged Richard to make a Peace with Saladine
for Three Years, much to the diſadvantage of
the cauſe they fought for. Phillip attacked Giſors
and had it ſurrendred to him and many other
Places, and then haſted to lay Siege to Roan, but
found ſuch a vigorous defence made by the VaLeiceſter, that he was
forced to quit his Enterprize and ſo returned inFrance. On the 12th. of March, 1194. King
Richard landed at Sandwich, was recrowned aJohn's pretentions in his abſence, and
hearing the King of France had beſieged Vernail,
he paſſed over into Normandy and arrived at Harfleur
with 100 Ships full of Horſemen, Armour,
&c. the noiſe whereof ſo frighted the Monſieur,
Richard enters the French Dominions, takes in
ſeveral ſtrong Places, but the Noble Leicester
had the misfortune to be taken Priſoner, who
afterward paid a great ſumm of Money for his
Ranſom, and ſoon after enſued a Truce for a
ſhort time; which was no ſooner ended, but
Richard takes the Field, poſſeſſes himſelf of the CaBriſen, Novencourt, &c. the French King
in the mean time beſieging Albermarl, whither
Richard haſtening to ſuccour the Place, a ſharp
Battle was fought between both Armies, whereFrench prevailed, chiefly upon the account
of the Engliſh being wearied with their hard
March. But Richard had no ſooner recruited
and refreſhed his Soldiers, but he laid Siege to
Miligio, took it, and burnt it down to the
Ground, whereupon enſued ſome overtures of
Peace; Albemarl in the mean time falling into
the French hands and ran the ſame fate with
Miligio: Some three Years after Richard turned
his Arms againſt the Barons of Poictiers that reChaluz, and having
brought it to that extremity, that he would grant
no other Conditions but a ſurrender at DiſcretiBartram de
Gordon, of which wound he died the 6th. of
April 1199. after he had reigned Nine Years and
Nine Months, and was buried at Fonteverard at
his Fathers Feet.
Richard went on ſo proſFrench King out of
Envy, and contrary to his Sacramental Oath invaded
Normandy, which forc'd King Richard to make peace
with Saladine ſo much diſadvantagious to all Chriſtendom.
THe Brother of Richard who died without
iſſue, and youngeſt Son of Henry the II. ſucArthur,
Geoffrey his Elder Brothers Son, who was the real
heir of Courſe: This Arthur in right of his MoBretagne in France, ſo that by
this excluſion, England loſt one of the beſt ProJohn
to the Throne, we not only loſt almoſt all our
Poſſeſſions in France, but England it ſelf became
vaſſal to the Pope; the Clergy of thoſe times
growing ſtrangely bigotted to Rome, and perJohn was in Normandy
when his Brother dyed, and though he waſted oEngland with all poſſible ſpeed to take
Poſſeſſion of the Crown, and that his preſence
was ſo neceſſary here for to keep his new SubNormandy again, upPhillip King of France had
Normandy, who took the Country of Main, and
ſeveral other places from the Engliſh; the Britons
at the ſame time poſſeſſing themſelves of the CiAngiers, the Towns of Gorney, Butenant and
Genſoline. Arthur doing alſo Homage to King
Phillip for Anjou, Poictiers, Turain, Main, Bretaign
and Normandy; but ſoon after a Peace was conFrench King that he had
taken, and others yielded up by John upon the
account of his neece Blanch's Marriage with Lewis
heir of France, beſides 30000 Marks in Silver
paid to Phillip, and all this to the great diſhonour
as well as detriment of the Engliſh Nation. AHugo Brune a Noble Man
of Aquitain raiſed a Rebellion againſt King John
in that Province, but he and his Adherents being
unable to withſtand John's Forces, made comPhillip of France, whereupon he
was ſummoned by the Nobles of France, as Duke
or Earl of Aquitain and Anjou, to appear before
the French King, and to ſtand to the Judgment of
his Peers, which he refuſed; upon which the
Court adjudged him to be deprived of all his
Lands which he or his Predeceſſors held of the
King of France.
King Phillip forthwith raiſes a great Army, inNormandy, takes in many Caſtles, and a
great part of the Country without reſiſtance;
but Arthur Duke of Bretaign beſieging the Caſtle
Mirable, with Queen Eleanor then in it, King
John fell upon him there with ſuch Force and
Fury, that he routed his Army, and took Arthur
and many others of Note Priſoners; Arthur
ſometime after was ſent Priſoner to the Tower
of Roan, and was there barbarouſly Murdered,
ſome ſaid, by King John's own hands; but
in all this time Phillip proſpered; in ſo much
that in a very ſhort ſpace King John was in a
manner deſpoiled of all the Lands he held in Fee
of the Crown of France. King John once and
again made great preparations to recover his loſt
Dominions, and had the good ſucceſs to deſtroy
the French Fleet, and recover the Province of
Poictou, but his Domeſtick troubles, both from
his Barons and Clergy prevented his further de15th. Year of his Reign, havBretaign, and laid
Siege to Nantes, where a bloody Battle was
fought, the French King being once in great danBrabant, Holland, Flanders and Bolloign,
the Emperor who was alſo at the Battle beEnglands part was the purchaſe
of a Truce for Five Years. Commotions in England
ſoon followed upon the neck of this, and
for male-Adminiſtration, in ſo much that aLewis the Dauphine was invited over by
the Barons to take upon him the Crown of England,
Magna Charta, and for building of London
Bridge of Stone. This King dyed at Lyn as he
was marching with his Army to Fight the Dauphine,
when he had reigned Seventeen Years and
about five Months, and was Aged 51 Years, Anno.
1216.
The firſt ground of this War was, That Phillip of France
did infringe the Truce made with England for 5 Years,
and invaded Normandy. Then another Truce being
made he violated that alſo, and ſtill fomented the Barons
Wars.
COmmonly called Henry of Wincheſter from his
Birth Place, ſucceeded his Father King
John at the Age of Nine Years as next heir,
maugre all the attempts of Lewis the Dauphine of
France, whoſe Forces were defeated at Lincoln by
the Kings Guardian and Brother-in-Law the faPembrook, and ſo from that time forHubert de Burg, Euſtace a
Richard
a Baſtard Son of King John; he yielded up
his claim to the Crown, and ſo returned with a
glimmering of it into France: Henry about the 14th.
Year of his Reign, determined to make War
upon France; and to that purpoſe, he aſſembled
at Portſmouth all his Nobility, Knights, and ſuch
a vaſt number both of Horſe and Foot, as never
was done by any of his predeceſſors, deſigning
to have recovered all thoſe Territories his Father
had loſt; but when they came to be Shipped,
they had not Carriages enough for half the Army,
which he imputed to the Treachery of Hugo de
Burg, his chief Juſtice; and in a rage drawing
his Sword would have killed him, had it not
been for the Earl of Cheſter that interpoſed; the
Earl of Bretaign, who was preſent, and bound by
an Oath to conduct the King to his Country,
and others, perſwaded him to defer his ExpediHenry, with a mighty
Army ſailed into Bretaign, and after he had ravagNantes; but after the
Conſumption of a vaſt Treaſure, and the loſs of
many Men by ſickneſs, and otherwiſe, returned
into England the ſame Year, but ſet all things
firſt in order for the Conſervation of the Country
of Bretaign. The French making uſe of the OpRochel, and ſo puſhing on their Conqueſt, rePoictiers to their
obedience, which King John, his Father had
Conquered; whereat Henry being nettled, prere infecta, but recoAquitain. The later
part of his Reign was ſo taken up with inteſtine
Broils in the Barons Wars, wherein ſometimes he
was worſted and impriſoned, ſometimes prevailFrench to an Account for them, till at laſt, after
he had lived 65 Years, and of them Reigned 56,
and odd Days, and laviſhed away an immenſe
Treaſure, he reſigned his Breath to him that
gave it, at Edmundsbury in Suffolk, was buried at
Weſtminſter, Anno. 1272, and was happy in
nothing ſo much as in the hopes of his eldeſt ſon
Edward.
SUrnamed
the Son of Henry, was
in the Holy Land with Eleanor his Wife,
when the Crown fell to him, being then about
33 Years old. He began his Reign the 16th. oNovember, and arrived with his Queen in England
the 15 of Aug. following, being in the Year 1273,
He proved a warlike, wiſe and victorious Prince,
and may juſtly be ſtiled The beſt Law-giver. He
made ſeveral Expeditions againſt Wales and Scotland;
the latter became Tributary to him, and
the former he reduced entirely, under the ObeEngland, and has ſo con
Having about the 12th. Year of his Reign reWales, and by a Statute made at Ruthyn,
incorporated and annext it to the Crown of
England, but finding he could not win the good
will of the People, unleſs he would engage to
reſide amongſt them, or allow them a Prince of
their own Nation to govern them, and that afEngliſh Deputies
would do, but that they were content to ſubWelchman, at length he privily ſends for
Carnarva
Caſtle, where ſhe was
brought to bed of a Son, at which time he ſends
for the Barons and chief Men of Wales to come
to him to Ruthyn, to deliberate about the affairs
of the Country, and when they came, he told
them, he had now occaſion to go out of that
Country, but before he went he was determiEdward born as aforeſaid.
But notwithſtanding this King had ſo much to
do with Wales and Scotland, yet he was no ways
France;
22d. Year of his Reign, firſt like a wiſe
Portſmouth, the command whereof he
gave to his Nephew John de Brytain Earl of Richmond,
with whom he joined in Commiſſion John
St. John and Robert Tripot two prudent Knights,
from whence they ſet Sail and Landed at St. Matthews
in Bretaign (and in the mean time ſet out
Garonne towards Burdeaux,
and took two good walled Towns, Burgo
and Bleya, from whence they marched to
Lyons, and had the town delivered to them; aFlanders for the relief of Guy Earl
of that Country, who was grievouſly aſſaulted
by the French King, and after many Noble atEdward taking to Wife Margaret ſiſter to Phillip
the fair then King of France. This King dyed in
1307 when he had reigned 34 Years 7 Months
and odd days, Aged 68, and was buried at Weſtminſter.
COmmonly called Edward of Caernarvan (the
firſt Prince of England, that bore in his FaPrince of Wales) proPierce
Gaveſton, who was bred up with him, and on
whom he conferred two and thirty Towns and
Gaſcoigny, beſides great Summs
of Money out of the Earldom of Cornwall during
his life; which together with his arrogance, the
Barons being not able to brook, combined to force
the King to baniſh him, and ſo little did this
Prince underſtand his true intereſt herein, that
inſtead of parting with ſuch a pernicious Man,
and thereby ſecuring his Intereſt at Home, and
taking meaſures for the ſame in France and elſeGaſcoigny to the
French King, Scotland to Robert Bruce, and Ireland
and Wales to others, as hoping thereby to
obtain ſuch aid as might ſecure him his favourite
againſt all the juſt attempts of his Barons to the
Contrary; but no ſooner was this Man remoSpencers Father
and Son that were as pernicious as he, and proEdward every way, for
though they received at length condign PuEdward refuſed to go to the French
King to do Homage for Aquitain and other lands
he held of him, and thereby loſt Anjou and the
Country of Poictiers; and 'twas his adherence to
them that raiſed his Barons and Queen againſt
him, which ended in a ſad Cataſtrophe, firſt in
his being depoſed, next in making a formal ReBerkley Caſtle by
the procurement of Roger Mortimer Earl of March
the Queens favourite: He reigned 19 Years 6
Months and odd days, and died in 1327.
COmmonly called Edward of Windſor, the
eldeſt Son of Edward the Second ſucceeded
his Father, upon his Reſignation of the Crown,
being then about the Age of 14, his Reign comJanuary in the year of
our Lord, 1326. he proved a bleſſing to England,
and was a Prince of great Wiſdom, and very
ſucceſsful in his enterpriſes, the younger part of
his Reign was much ecclipſed by Roger Mortimer
Earl of March, the Queen his Mothers paraNotingham by the Kings order and
concurrence, juſt as he was going to bed to the
Queen, and for all the Queens crying out to him
Bel Fils, Bel Fils ayes pitie de gentil Mortimer, i.e.
Good Son, Good Son, take pitty upon gentle
Mortimer, he was forthwith carryed away to London,
committed to the Tower, condemned by
his Peers in Parliament at Weſtminſter, hanged at
Elmes, and left hanging upon the Gallows two
Scotland and
made the King thereof do him homage, but the
feat of his Wars was in France, for Charles King of
France dying, the Maſculine line of Hugh Capet
Edward the
Third (as he alledged) in right of his Mother
Iſabel, who was Siſter to the ſaid Charles; but
Phillip de Valois, Uncle to Charles, intruded himFrance, and therefore bends his Force aAquitain
and Poictiers, and exerciſes abominable cruEngliſh Inhabitants, and all this
under pretence of taking revenge for his Friends
the Scots. The King in the mean time holds a
Parliament, obtains conſiderable ſupplies, and
writes Letters to the French King, exhorting him
to continue his old amity, but neither this nor
the Pope's Mediation for a Peace would do, ſo
King Edward makes mighty preparation both by
Sea and Land, and the firſt Action happened to
be by Sea, and as memorable an one as any in
the records of time; for he took and ſunk 200
Sail of French ſhips, which Phillip de Valois had
prepared in the Haven of Sluce for the Invaſion
of England, which Fleet like that of 88 was held
invincible; but King Edward had equipp'd anoGeneraliſſimo, and Admiral himſelf. It
was one of the moſt glorious Victories that ever
was got at Sea, for the Chronicles mention that
the whole French Navy periſhed, and 30000
Men Wounded, Slain, and Taken: This great
Midſummer Eve,
and Heaven appeared much for the Engliſh, for
they had Wind and Sun favourable to them in the
Fight; and to make it more glorious, King Edward
himſelf was wounded in the Thigh with
an Arrow, whereof he was quickly cured. He
then goes in Perſon to France with 8000 comFrance; he took over with him
his Son the Prince of Wales, then but 15 years
Old, called afterwards the Black Prince. He enNormandy like a Whirle-wind, and carries all
the Countrey before him as far as Poiſſy about 10
miles from Paris, and after divers hot Skirmiſhes
a main Battel is appointed. The Engliſh Army enCreſſy, where it was
divided into 3 Battallions; the firſt was led by
the Prince of Wales, the ſecond by the Earls of
Arundel, and Northampton, and in the third, was
the King himſelf. The Field being thus ordered
the King mounted upon a white Hobby, and
rode from rank to rank encouraging every one
to the performance of his Duty.
The French Army was at leaſt twice more in
number, conſiſting of above 60000 Combatants,
with the flower of all the French Chivalry, whereAlanzon the King's
Brother, there were beſides the Dukes of Lorain
and Luxemburg, the Earls of Flanders, and Artois
with other Foreign Princes: The French King
was ſo fierce in Confidence of Victory, that he
would ſcarce admit of any previous time for
Bohemia advis'd that
the Army ſhould receive ſome refreſhment beGen
whereof there were about 15000 Baleſtiers or
Croſs-bo
ſhould make the firſt Front, and the
Cavalry to follow next, which being agreed upAlanz
did ſtomack that the
Genoueſe ſhould have the Honour of the firſt
Rank. This bred ſuch a diſcontent that they
ſeem'd to be more incens'd againſt their Leaders,
then againſt the Enemy; but in the interim
there fell ſuch a huge ſhower of Rain that wetEngliſh did, inEngliſh, for the Sun did ſhine
full in the faces of the French, thereby dazling
their Eyes, but on the Back of the Engliſh. King
Edward being got into a Wind-mill all the while,
whence as from a Watch-tower he might exGenoueſe were put to change their poſt,
inſtantly gave order to charge that part, which
made the Genoueſe recoil; Alanzon perceiving this,
rides about in a rage, crying out, Sa, Sa, lets
make way over the bellies of theſe Italians, for
they do but hinder us, ſo riding thorow them,
he came up to the Engliſh wing where the Prince
of Wales was, the fight grew furious, and doubtFrench King had his Horſe killed unEngliſh, it added much to their Courage,
ſo that ſoon after they became maſters of the
Field, and being in heat of Blood, they made
no Priſoners but put all to the Sword, ſo that
the number of the French ſlain ſurmounted the
whole Army of the Engliſh, for there fell about
30000 of the Enemy, the chief whereof was the
Duke of Alanzon, the Dukes of Bourbon and Lorain,
the Earl of Flanders, the Dauphine de Viennois
Son to Imbert, who afterwards gave the
Province of Dauphiny to the French King, proviDauphine in perpetuum,
and as a Corollary to this mighty VictoFrench Army diſcovered under the
conduct of the Arch-biſhop of Roan, whom the
Engliſh encounter'd alſo and utterly defeated.
There was one paſſage very remarkable in this
Battle, whereof Sir Walter Rawleigh makes menThat a day before the Engagement, the King
ſent one Captain David Gam a Welſhman to explore
and view the French Army, which he did with
no leſs danger than Fidelity, and brought word that
there were in the Enemies Army men enough to Kill,
enough to take Priſoners, and enough to run away,
which proved true, and ſo the Welſh Captain was
knighted in the Field.
This mighty Victory was ſeconded a few
years after by another more memorable, for the
Black Prince having now wun his Spurs, and
being taper'd up to his full growth was ſent to
Gaſcoigny, where the truce being expir'd, he oTourain, thereJohn the then French King rais'd a potent
Army, more numerous then that at Creſſy, and
going to find out the Prince of Wales, he heard
of him about Poictiers, having not above 10000
effective Men in his whole Army, and they alſo
having been tir'd with long Marches, whereas
the French were freſh, and were 6 times as maBourdeaux, when he was
ſuddenly ſurrounded by the French Army, upon
which a Battle being intended, there came two
Cardinals to mediate an Accommodation, but
the French King would hearken to none unleſs
the Prince, as a vanquiſh'd man would render
up himſelf, and his whole Army to diſcretion;
this was of hard digeſtion at a Prince of ſuch a
Courage, therefore he anſwered: That at the
Mediation of the Holy Father he was willing to
reſtore ſuch places which he had taken en bonne
Guerre, provided this might be done without pre&c. the French King not
hearkning to this, reſolved to fight, thereupon
the Prince alſo reſolv'd for his part to part with
his life at as high a rate as he could in ſuch a
ſtrait, wherefore making a vertue of neceſſity
by a happy providence, he makes choice of an
advantagious ground; for finding that the French
Army conſiſted moſt in Cavalry, he entrench'd
among the adjacent Vineyards, where when the
French Horſe furiouſly entred, being wrap'd and
entangled amongſt the Vines, the Engliſh ArCreſſy where no quarter was givenJohn himſelf and
Phillip his youngeſt Son, whom the PrincEngland; and as the French Hiſtorian
themſelves confeſs, he was ſo civil unto him a
And here a fair occaſion is given to diſcoverJohn, and hWelſh Gentleman, one Howel of the
Life-guard to the Prince, which Guard uſed to
carry a kind of battle Axes or Partiſans; thHowel it ſeems being one of them, in the conFrenchmen of the Prince's Army ruſh'd in,
and the King knowing one of them, call'd to
him, whoſe name was Myrobrecht de Artois, who
going on with others to preſent the Priſoner to
the Prince, there was a conteſt who took him
firſt, and the King, was deſired to point at him,
ſo he pointed at Howel, and ſaid, this is the
Man who took me. There are authentick ReWelſh Manuſcripts that confirm
this; Moreover, they have a general Tradition,
and ſome Songs which continue freſh to this day,
how Howel did put a Bridle in the French King's
Mouth, with many other Expreſſions touching this
great Act. Now, for that ſignal exploit the
Prince knighted him in the Field, and he was
ever after call'd Sir Howel y Fuyall, Sir Howel
with the Axe; he had the Conſtableſhip of Crikyth
Caſtle given him, with the farms of Cheſter
mills, and other conſiderable things conferr'd upBritiſh Records (beſides Tradition and common
Report) that mention this, were to be found in
Sir John Winn's Library, an honourable know
Theſe and many other glorious exploits were
done by this King in France, who ceaſed not his
purſuits till he had got the Key of it hanging at
his Girdle, to wit, the Town of Calais, that
Garter, for removing the ſtaple of
Wool from Flanders into England, for that great
Champion againſt Rome the famous Wickliff, and
for his own numerous iſſue by his Heroick Queen
Phillipa, being no leſs then ſeven Sons and five
Daughters, his Sons were theſe, Edward the
Black Prince the hopes of England, and who diWilliam of Hatfield, Lione
Duke of Clarence, John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaſter,
Edmund of Langley Duke of York, William
of Windſor, and Thomas of Woodſtock Duke of Gloceſter,
he died at Richmond in 1377. when he had
Reigned 50 Years and odd Months.
The cauſe of the War twixt the Engliſh and French in Edward
the III. time, was a claim to the Crown and
Kingdom of France, in right of his Mother Iſabel, which
they would make invalid by their Salique (or diſtaDu Haillan the great French HiſtoChymera, or Imaginary thing, but of this more pre
HERE I judge it no ways im
pertinent to be a little more particular yet, touching the claim of this King Edwardto the Crown ofFrance,and what grounds theFrenchhad by vertue of thisSalique Law,for the excluſion of him claiming from a Female; and firſt, we will briefly ſtate his claim as it then ſtood, and then come to the Law it ſelf, and it was thus.Phillipthe IV. ſurnamed theFairhad three Sons,LewistheContentious, PhilliptheLong,andCharlestheFair(all theſe ſucceſſively reigned after him, and died without iſſue inheritable) he had likewiſe a Daughter namedIſabel(I purpoſely omit the other, being foreign to the pre ſent affair) married to Edwardthe II. King ofEngland,and ſo was Mother toEdwardthe III. The iſſue male ofPhilliptheFairthus failing,PhillipSon and Heir ofCharlesEarl ofValois&c. (who was Brother toBeaumont, PhilliptheFair)laid claim to the Crown as next heir male againſt KingEdward,who made anſwer to the objection of the Salique Law,that (admitting it was as they aſſerted) yet he was heir-male, though deſcended of a Daughter, and this in a publick aſſembly of the States of France,firſt about the Protectorſhip of the Womb (for QueenJoanDowager ofCharlestheFair,was left with Child and delivered of a Daughter namedBlanch,afterwards Dutcheſs ofOrleans)was had in ſolemn diſpute byLawon both ſides, and applied at length alſo to the direct point of inheriting the Crown, and ſo adjudged againſt Kingyers Edward.What followed hereupon we have in ſome meaſure traced in the Preceding Hiſtory of his Wars, and are more at large recorded inWalſingham, Froiſſart, Aemilius,and a multitude of more modern Writers, whereby it appears, and will in the Wars of this King's Succeſſors inFrance,how the denial of this Soveraignty to him by theFrench,coſt the lives of many thouſands of their Men and involved that Country into long and miſerable Calamities.But as for the Law it ſelf whereby they pre
tended ſuch an excluſion of him, it may well be ſaid with Draytonin hisPoly-Albion,that every mouth ſpeaks of it, but few underſtand the thing it ſelf, or ſo much as theEtymologyof its name, and therefore to clear this point as well as we can, we are neceſſitated to aſcend a littlehigher then theſe times, wherein it was made uſe of in prejudice to the Engliſhclaim, and to begin with the Original of theFrancks,with whom they affirm it was brought intoFrance.TheFranckstherefore (according to many modern Hiſtorians) came originally fromAſiaintoGermany,though others, and perhaps upon better grounds, make their original to be in Germanyit ſelf, but this is certain that upon the decline of theRomanEmpire, they inhabitedFrana Province ofconia, Germany,and about the year 413, or according toDavila119, invadedFranceunderPharamond,whom they choſe to be their King and Leader (whichPharamondthey make to be Son toMarcovira Prince that governed them inFranconia)but firſt, before they began their Expedition, they held a general Aſſembly near unto a River named Sala,and there by the advice of theSalijtheir Prieſts, or as others of theSalianswhom they make to be the ſame withFrancks,enacted Laws for Government, and amongſt the reſt, one for the Excluſion of Femalesfrom inheriting the Crown, which from the aforeſaid appellations (whether one or all, it matters not) came to be de nominated the Salique Law.ButGoropiusthat fetches all our ofDutch,and this perhaps more tollerably then many of his otherEty(deriving themologies Saliansname fromSal,which in contraction he makes to be fromSadelinventors whereof, ſays he, theSalianswere) interprets them to be as much as Horſe-men,a name fitly applied to the War-like and moſt noble Perſons of any Nation, as EquitesinLatin, ChevaliersinFrench,andMarchoginWelch,do very well agree to, ſo that upon the whole, theSalique Lawis made by him to be as much as aChivalrous Law,andSalique Land; Quae ad equeſtris ordinis dignitatem & in capite ſummo & in caeteris membris conſervandam pertinebat,which very well agrees with a ſentence given in the Parliament at Bourdeaux,upon an ancient Will, deviſing all the Teſtator'sSalique Lands,which was in point of Judgment interpreted to be a Fief; and who knows not but that Fiefs were originally military Gifts, but if things be ſo, how then comesSaliqueto extend to the Crown, which is held to be meerly without Tenure, therefore (ſaith a later Lawyer,)Ego ſcio legem ſalicam agere de priI know thevato Patrimonio tantum, Salique Lawintends only private Poſſeſſions. Again, there are ſome who pretend to give us the names of the Compilers of this Law (and not this alone, but of many others, as they ſay,)viz. Wiſoandgaſt, Bodogaſt, Salogaſt Windogaſt,wiſe Councellors about thatPharamondsReign; the text of it in this part is offered us byClaude de Seiſſell,Biſhop ofMarſeilles, Bodinand otherFrenchWriters, as if it were as ancient as the original of the name, in theſe words;De TerNo part of thera Salica nulla Portio Haereditatis Mulieri veniat, ſed ad virilem ſexum tota terrae Hereditas perveniat. Salique Landcan deſcend to theDaughter, but all to the Male, and in ſub ſtance, as if referr'd to the perſon of the Kings Heir Female; ſo much if remembred by that great Civilian Baldusand divers others, but rather as a cuſtom then any particular Law, as an Author of that Kingdom hath expreſly Written; Ce n' eſt point vne loye ecritte, mais nee auec nous, que nous n' avons point inventer, mais l' avons puiſſe de la nature meme, qui le nous a ainſi apris & donne cet inſtinct,that is, this is no Law Written, but learned of Nature. But why the ſame Author dares affirm that KingEdwardyielded upon this point to theFrench Phillip de Valois,I wonder, ſeeing all ſtorie and carriage of ſtate in thoſe times is ſo manifeſtly oppoſite.Becanusundertakes a conjecture of the firſt cauſe, which excludedGynaecocracieamong them, gueſſing it to be upon their obſervation of the misfortune in War, which their Neighbours the Bructerans(a people about the now overIſſelin theNetherlands,from near whom he as many others firſt, derive theFranks) endur'd in the time of Veſpaſian,under the Conduct and Empire of oneVelleda,a Lady even of Divine Eſteem amongſt them. The learnedDraytonwho has particularly treated of this Subject, leaves it at laſt in ſuſpence and concludes thus.
But howſoever the Law be in Truth, or InCuſtom Royal.
But by his favour, this is a cuſtom inEnglandas well as inFrance,where theFemalesdo notwithſtanding inherit the Crown, and never a ny Law pretended to the contrary: I ſhall therefore conclude upon the whole with this one Remark, that notwithſtanding the many Volumes that have been writ to juſtifie King Edand his Succeſſors Title toward France(tho' its true theEngliſhin that age were better skilled in the Sword then in the Pen) and the great duſt that has been raiſed by the Frenchunder pretence of thisSalique Law,to impede his way to their Crown: Yet after all it appears clearly to me, that the aforeſaid Dutcheſs of Orlehad a better Title then either Kingans EdwardorPhillip de Valois,for ſhe was Daughter toCharlestheFair,the laſt King of theCaputianline; whereasEdwardwas deſcended only fromIſabelSiſter to this ſame King. And as forPhillip de Valois,his pretentions had little of reality in them, when'tis plainHugh Capetdeſcended from a Female of the Carolovinianline, yet ſucceeded to the Crown ofFrance,and where was theirSalique Lawthen, whereof they afterwards ſo much boaſted that it wasborn with them, and never Writ but taught by Nature.
SOn to Edward the Black Prince by Joan his
Wife, Daughter to Edmund Earl of Kent, the
youngeſt Son of King Edward I. ſucceeded his
Grand-Father King Edward III. being but eleven
years old, but had neither his Wiſdom nor good
Fortune; from Bourdeaux his Birth-place, where
his Father kept his reſidence as Duke of Aquitai
he was called Richard of Bourdeaux; in his MiLancaſter and Gloceſter, his Reign was firſt much
diſturbed with the Scots, and there were alſo diFrance; for the French began to improve in NaRye, Haſtings, and Portſmouth
advancing into the River as far as Graveſend, where
they likewiſe took booties, and burnt almoſt all
the place, they alſo took footing in the Iſle of
Wight, but were ſoon repell'd: Sir John Arundel
being ſent with a conſiderable Fleet to Bretaign,
was diſaſtrouſly caſt away with above 1000 PerHugh Caverley, and
Sir Thomas Percy being made Admirals, they ſo
French Wines were ſold
in London for a Mark a Tunn; and 'tis a paſſage of
ſome remark, how one John Philpot a Citizen of
London, mann'd out a Fleet at his own charge,
took Priſes and did many exploits againſt the
French, yet at his return he was queſtioned for
ſetting forth Men of War without a Warrant
from King and Council.
This Reign is alſo remarkable for the famous
Rebellion of Wat. Tyler and Jack Straw, for the
expeditions of the Duke of Lancaſter into Spain,
but eſpecially for that famous interview between
the Kings of England and France, between Calais
and St. Omers, manag'd with all the Ceremony,
Pomp and Grandeur that could be imagined,
and where a knot of Friendſhip was tied by
King Richards taking the Lady Iſabel to Wife, the
King of France's Daughter, he being then a WidAnne, the King of
Bohemia's Daughter about two Years before;
this King after much male-adminiſtration was at
length depoſed, when he had reigned 22 Years
and about 3 Months, and was ſoon after murder'd
in Pomfret Caſtle in Yorkſhire.
COmmonly called Henry of Bullingbrook, the
firſt King of this line, was Son to John of
Gaunt Duke of Lancaſter, 4th. Son of Edward III.
he came to the Crown by the power of the
Sword, but with the conſent of the People, the
iſſue of Lionel Duke of Clarence 3 Son to the ſaid
King Edward being laid aſide, that had a preceScotland, whereat the
French grew inſolent, fitted out divers Fleets, and
attempted the Coaſts of England, firſt under the
count of St. Paul, who landed at the Iſle of
Wight with 7000 Men, where he burnt ſome
Villages, but the Iſland grew quickly too hot for
him; Plymouth alſo was plundered, and divers
Houſes burnt, whereupon the Weſtern men were
permitted to ſet out Ships of War, whereby
they ſufficiently revenged themſelves of the
French, and at one time took 40 Sail. The French
take footing again in the Iſle of Wight with 1000
Men, but they were repelled with the ſlaughter
of many hundreds; afterwards the Admiral of
Britany with the Lord of Caſtile, and 30 ſail atDartmouth, where at a fierce aſſault du Caſtile
was ſlain with his two Brothers.
The Engliſh during this Reign, had occaſion
alſo to ſignalize themſelves by Land in France upBurgundy (whom
the French King and his eldeſt Son favouredOrleans, whoſe Father had been
put to death by the procurement of the former
it came at laſt to open Wars between them; but
Burgundy finding his adverſary had powerful aſNavarre and Arragon
the Dukes of Bituria, Bretaign and others, makes
his application to King Henry for aid, who aThomas
Earl of Arundel, the famous Sir John Old-caſt
Lord Cobham, and others, with which reinforceOrleans alſo
becomes a Suiter to the ſame King Henry for
aſſiſtance againſt Burgundy, which the King alſo
granted and diſpatched away under the command
of Thomas Duke of Clarence, Edward Duke of
York, &c. many valiant Men who landed in
Normandy where Orleans was to meet them, but
did not at the time appointed; however they
proſecuted their deſign, and took many ſtrong
places, and at length Orleans and Clarence meEngliſh deAquitain
Henry like a wiſe Prince deſigned to make uſe oFrance, and expreſt as much
to the Archbiſhop of Canterbury, ſaying, Behold
now is the acceptable time, let us go into France and
win with ſmall ad
but beFrance, he himſelf dying ſoon after this laſt exClarence, to wit, on the 20th. of
March, Anno 1412. Aged 46. when he had ReignCanterbury by his firſt Wife the Lady Mary,
Daughter to Bohun ▪
Earl of Eſſex; he had iſſue
four Sons, Henry that ſucceded him, Thomas Duke
of Clarence, John Duke of Bedford, and Humphry
Duke of Gloceſter, of whom it was ſaid they
could not be diſtinguiſhed for their excellency,
ſave that Henry was the Eldeſt: He had alſo 2
Daughters, Blanch Dutcheſs of Bavaria, and Phillipa
Queen of Denmark.
The cauſes of this War was firſt ſelf-preſervation, and
that the French aſſiſted the Scots againſt England, and had
alſo ſent 12000 Men to Owen Glendower a Brittiſh Prince
who was up in Arms againſt the King, but a few daies
after they landed at Milford Haven, they ran again back
to their Ships.
COmmonly called Henry of Monmouth the elHenry IV. proved a great Prince,
was a mirror of Magnanimity, and ſtands to this
day one of the greateſt Ornaments of our Engliſh
Chronicles, he no ſooner mounted the Throne,
but he had his Eye preſently upon France for reSemy Deluces, and quarter'd the 3 full
Flower Deluces as France her ſelf did bear them;
thereupon he ſent the Duke of Exeter in a magParis
to demand the Crown, and receiving no ſaDauphine
ſending King Henry a ſackful of Racket Court-balls
to employ his time, he replied that for eveFrance as
he ſhould quickly find; and ſo he preſently got
over, and encounter'd the French Army at Agen-Court,
the French King himſelf being at the head
of it, which he utterly overthrew, and took
more Priſoners then he had common Soldiers;
the battel was fought upon a Sunday Morning aEngland before, that extraordinary
England
was praying for them at that very hour, he
obtained a moſt glorious and compleat Victory.
Beſides that great Act of Piety, another of Policy
was us'd, for the King to prevent the fury of the
French Cavalry, appointed divers ſtakes ſtudded
with Iron at both ends of about 6 foot long to
be pitch'd behind the Archers, and ordered that PiAlanzon, who
being beaten off his Horſe was ſlain; there was
alſo a great ſlaughter of all kind of French Priſon
At length after many wonderful Feats and SucClarence, Bedford and Gloceſter,
he was upon Articles agreed between him
and Charles VI. then King of France, made Regent
of that Kingdom, and proclaimed both there
and in England Heir Apparent to the French
Crown, and did thereupon take Katherine the
ſaid Kings Daughter to Wife; but the Dauphin
(afterwards Charles VII.) who judged himſelf
much aggrieved hereby, made a ſtrong Party in
Coſney, which King Henry was
ſo concerned at, that he reſolved to go in perſon
to the raiſing of it, but he was ſo eager and overSenlis, (truſting to his Brother the Duke
of Bedford's care in the proſecuting of that deDauphine to retreat) and there his Fever ſo inBedford to be Regent of France and
Normandy, and ſo died at Vincennes, leaving
no iſſue but a young Son, whoſe EducatiWincheſter, and
the Government of England during his MiHumphrey Duke of Gloceſter, being the
year of our Lord, 1422. Aged 38, and having
Reigned 9 Years and odd Months; he had the
mortification to have his Brother Clarence ſlain
with many fine Soldiers at the Siege of Bauge in
Anjou before he died, but was otherwiſe in all
his attempts ſucceſsful, and is renown'd upon all
accounts but in nothing ſo much as in his Piety
to God, to whom he gave all the Glory of his
Victories.
The ground of this War was the former claim to the
Crown and Kingdom of
COmmonly called Henry of Windſor, proved a
Religious Prince, but weak and unfortuFrance at
Paris, Anno 1431. to whom the Nobles, ProCharles VII. and the loſs
of that drew on the loſs of the whole, but
it was not without much ſtrugling. The beginFrance whilſt the Heroick Bedford lived, who
won many Towns and Forts, and proved Victor
in ſeveral Encounters and Battles, eſpecially that
great Battle of Vernole, where (as a French AuBedford, Salisbury and Suffolk,
did mighty exploits, and defeated the whole
French Power about which time Bedford as ReVimen, Poictiers
and Picardy, and from Paris to Rheims, Chalons
and Troyes up to the River of Loyre, but when
this brave Prince died, which was about the 14th.
Henry's Reign, and that the Duke of
York was made Regent, things went very much
to wrack in France. Guienne was the laſt Province
of France that held out for the Engliſh, where we
loſt that brave Captain John Lord Talbot, the firſt
Earl of Shrewsbury of that Family, and anceſtor
to the now illuſtrious Duke of Shrewsbury, and
called by the French Hiſtorians the Glory of the
Engliſh Nation, as we had done ſome years before
at the Siege of Orleans the valiant Earl of Salisbury,
a Siege which firſt raiſed the fame of the
French Amazon, Joan the ſheaperdeſs commonly
called the Maid of Orleans, whoſe wonderful CouEngliſh,
(though ſhe was afterward burnt at Roan for a
Witch,) and which did not a little contribute to
haſten our Expulſion out of that Kingdom, all
places at length being reduced except Calais, and
the Norman Iſles of Guernſey, Jerſey, &c. and
thus was the old Prophecy made good, that Henry
of Monmouth ſhould win all, and Henry of Windſor
ſhould loſe all, which was verified to ſome
Purpoſe in this King, for to the former loſſes was
added that of the Crown of England, he being deCrookback
Richard in the Tower of London. He was a
King pious in an intenſe degree, which made
Henry VII. ſend to the Pope to have Henry VI.
canoniz'd for a Saint, but anſwer was given that
he would canonize him for an Innocent, but not
for a Saint.
French from their obedience to their true King.
ELdeſt Son of Richard Duke of York, and firſt
of this line came to the Crown by right of
deſcent from King Edward III. for Anne his
Grandmother was Daughter of Roger Mortimer;
Son of Edmund Mortimer Earl of March, and of
Phillip his Wife ſole Daughter of Lionel Duke of
Clarence third Son of Edward III. and Elder BroJohn of Gaunt Duke of Lancaſter, ſo that
'tis plain in courſe of ſucceſſion he had a preceLancaſter, he was fain
to maintain his Right as he had got it by the
Sword, for to get it, no leſs than ſix battles had
been fought by his Father and himſelf, and ſix
more to ſecure it, were ſought in this Reign, but
when his affairs began to receive any ſettlement,
he revolves upon his old Right to the Kingdom of
France, wherefore upon the requeſt of the Duke
of Burgundy his Brother in Law, who was alreaFrench King, he enFrance
had lately given the Earl of Warwick, Queen
Margaret her Son, Prince Edward and their acEdward makes very
great preparations for this Expedition, and haDover, and ſo from thence ſails in a Fleet, conBurgundy furniſhed many) and lands at
Calais with a greater force then ever at any one
time came into France, for he had with him
1500 Gen d' Arms, being all Nobles and GentleEngliſh
being at the ſame time appointed to land in Bretaign
for to make a diverſion on that ſide.)
But before King Edward imbarked, he ſent
an Herald from Dover to the King of France, with
a letter of Defiance, written in ſuch Language
that mine Author is perſwaded could never be of
an Engliſh Man's Penning. (So little eſteem had
the Engliſh Nation at that time for their learning
in the World) the contents of the Letter were,
That the King ſhould yield unto him the KingFrance, that ſo he might reſtore the Cler&c. which if he refuſed to do,
he concluded full of Menaces according to the
uſual form in that kind. The French King read the
Letter ſoftly to himſelf, and then withdrawing
to another Room, ſent for the Herald to come
before him, and told him, he was not ignorant
of the confederacy between the King his Maſter
and the Duke of Burgundy, and how that the
France held intelligence alſo with
England, the King having married
Niece, but adds he, he will deceive the King
Bur
'tis manifeſt he foully prevaricates, for he
already retired fNunz, and at laſt
includes with a preſent of 300 Crowns to the
Edward
Calais, but the Duke of
B
retires from before Nunz, and with a
Calais, leaving
Lorr
and Barr; from Calais they both
Bolloign marched
Perronne, where the Engliſh were but coldly
France, whereby
Quin
alleadging that if he had done it, he could
France; but added, that ſeeing the King
England was come over in Perſon, he would
Duke ſhould comQuintin, and all other places in Peronne tQuintin; the Engliſh expecting to be Bells, approached thEngliſh were ſlain and others taken Pr
This double dealing both of the Conſtable anFrench KinAmi
Commiſſioners for both Kings met, whereof France were the Baſtard of Bourbon Admiral, Peter and Biſhop of Eureux, and for E
the Lord Howard, one Chalanger and DoctMorton, where it was agreed the French KiEngland preſently befoFrance, Seventy Two ThoEng
Army, and 50000 Crowns a year for ever, Dauphine ſhould marry King Edwards
Guien
Engliſh Barons held it to be an inglorious PeDove was ſeen to be often on King Edward's
Dauphine was afterMargaret Daughter to Maximi
Archduke of Auſtria, ſo much to the diſapEdward, that he
Comines ſaies) and departed
Weſtminſter the 9th. of April, at the
Age of 41. when he had Reigned 22 Years and
Anno 1483. and was buried at
Windſor, where before he had provided him a
Concubines,
whereof Jane Shoar was one, of whom he would
ſay one was the Merrieſt, another the Wilieſt, and
the third the Holyeſt Harlot in his Realm.
The cauſe of this War was a defection of the French from
their Loyalty to England, in Conjuction with the aſſiMargaret and the Earl of
Warwick againſt King Edward.
ELdeſt Son of King Edward IV. was not above
12 years of Age when his Father died; duEng
and France, for it was but three Months that
Richard Duke of Gloceſter his UnRivers, the
King's Unkle by the Mother ſide; and having
compaſſed it, his next buſineſs was to get Prince
Richard the King's Brother into his Clutches alBuckingham (his great Coajutor in his curſed
deſigns) to fix the Crown upon his own headBuckingham with his Artifices forced in a manner
the City to a compliance, which nolens volens was
at laſt forced to proclaim Richard King of England,
the Duke pretending that all the late Kings
iſſue were Baſtards, and the Protector only true
heir to the Crown, who when it was offered unPrivado making himſelf the mouth
of the Aſſembly, ſaid that if his Grace would
not accept of the Crown, they would find one
that ſhould, then he was pleaſed to take it upon
him as his right.
WAs youngeſt Brother to Edward IV. of
whom 'twas ſaid he was born with Teeth
in his Head, and Hair on his Shoulders: At his
firſt coming to the Crown he took his Seat in the
Court of King's Bench, where like a gracious
Prince he pronounced Pardon of all offences comTower, but they were by his Order ſtiffled in
their Beds; this reign was ſo troubleſom at home,
that Richard though a warlike Prince in himſelf,
had not leaſure to mind his affairs abroad; for
the Duke of Buckingham the great inſtrument of
all his Villanies, whether through the horrour of
the ſaid Murder, or ſome other reſentment did
moſt certainly from that time project his ruine,
who had been the chief inſtrument of his elevaBretaign in France, Henry Earl of Richmond, the
next heir to the Houſe of Lancaſter, whoſe adBuckingham and others
reſolved upon, with proviſo that Henry ſhould conElizabeth, eldeſt daughter
to Edward IV. whereby the Houſes of York and
Lancaſter ſhould be united into one, but before
Richmond
lands at Milford Haven in Wales but with 200
men, from whence advancing forwards by dayRichard at Boſworth in
Leiceſterſhire, being Aug. 12. 1485. The fight was
very ſharp, but ſucceſsful to Henry who carried
the day, and with it the Crown of England, for
there Richard was ſlain after he had acted the
part of a great Captain and moſt valiant Soldier,
and ſo ended his bloody and ſhort Reign, which
was but two years two Months and odd days, but
however to his praiſe it muſt be ſaid, that during
his Reign he procured many good Laws for the
eaſe of his People, and omitted nothing that
might tend to the honour of the Engliſh Nation.
BOrn in Pembrocke Caſtle in Wales ſucceeded next
to Richard upon Boſworth Battle, and aſſumed
the Crown as heir of the Houſe of Lancaſter by
his Mother ſide Margaret Counteſs of Richmond
then alive and lived many years after, daughter
and heir of John de Beauford Duke of Sommerſet,
Son of John Earl of Summerſet, Son of John of
Gaunt Duke of Lancaſter by Jane Swinford (but
Wedlock though afterward legitimatProviſo of
not being capable to inherit the Crown) his FaEdmund Tewdor Son of Owen Tewdor
deſcended (as 'twas ſaid) from Cadwallader the
laſt Brittiſh King; ſo that here was but a very
ſlender Title, in ſo much that Henry, according
to a former compact, was neceſſitated for the
ſtrengthning of it, to take Elizabeth eldeſt daughEdward the IV. to Wife and Heir to the
Houſe of York, to whom he proved no very inYork was ſo predominant, that it found
place not only in his Wars and Council, but in
his Chamber and Bed; but his aſſuming of the
Crown firſt in his own name, and afterwards neBretaign was annext
to the Crown of France, which it was in his poCharles the French
King, who by his Artifices engaged King Henry
to be a mediator between him and the Duke of
Bretaign, while he with his Forces beſieges Nantes,
and routs the Dukes whole Army; 'tis true the
Lord Woodville the Queen's Uncle, ſecretly ſtole
Bretaign with a ſmall band of Men from
the Iſle of Wight, which action expoſed the Engliſh
Ambaſſadors who then mediated a Peace, to no
ſmall Danger, but the reinforcement was ſo inBritons no great ſerAlban aforementiBritons were overthrown with
the loſs of 6000 or their Men, and the Duke of
Orleans who ſided with them with the Prince of
Orange taken Priſoners, allarmed King Henry in
ſuch ſort, that he forthwith diſpatcht ſuccors inBretaign, under the command of Robert Lord
Brook, to the number of Eight Thouſand choiſe
Men, who quickly joined the remainder of the
Britons Forces, and marched towards the EneEngliſh Courage, kept themEngliſh Archers. But while theſe things were
thus tranſacting, Francis Duke of Bretaign dies,
whereupon the principal Perſons of that Dutchy
partly bought, and partly through faction, put
all things into ſuch confuſion, that the Engliſh
finding no Head nor Body to join forces with,
and being jealous of their Friends as well as in
danger of their Enemies, upon the approach of
Winter, returned home five Months after their
landing.
Maximilian Son to the
Emperor Frederick was GovFlanders,
and in treaty of Marriage with Anne Heireſs of
Bretaign, when Bruges, which was carryed on by the Lord Ravenſtein
who ſeized upon Ipre and Sluce, and ſent to
the Lord Corde's French Governor of Picardy, infaCalais from the Engliſh) for aid, who (as
being before provided, immediately beſieges
Dixmude, whereat the King of England being diſMorley with a
1000 Men to the Governour of Calais, and with
an addition of a 1000 more from thence had orEngliſh
Pale about that City, to put themſelves into Dixmude,
which in conjunction with ſome German
they effected undiſcovered, and ſo with the GarEngliſh parMorley. The Cannon and Baggage fell alNewport, from whence the Lord Daubigny reCalais, leaving thCordes
having intelligence hereof, departs immediIpre with a great force, and attack
Newport, and had carried the principal fort Engliſh Archers,
who beat him out of it again, whereat he be
Hereupon King Henry adviſes Maximilian to
preſs on his Marriage with Anne of Bretaign,
which he did accordingly, inſomuch that the
marriage was conſummate by Proxy, the Lady
put to Bed, and Maximilian's Embaſſador with
Letters of Procuration in the preſence of many
noble Perſonages, putting his naked Legg beMaximilian thinking
all things now ſure, neglected for a time his furFrench King conſulting his DiFrance, ſaying, That it was an argument Maximilian
was a Widower and a cold Wooer, that
could content himſelf to be a Bride-groom by a
Deputie, and would not make a little Journey
France diſtaſted
Henry, that he cauſed his Cancellor to tell
French Embaſſadors (who were ſent to ſooth
Normandy, Gutien, Anjou
France it ſelf, unleſs
the French King were content to have King Henry's
Title to France (at leaſt tribute for the ſame)
handled in a Treaty: Maximilian, and with good
reaſon, ſtorms more then any body at this perfiFrance, ſends forthwith EmbaſEngland and Spain, to incite them
to enter into an offenſive League againſt France
promiſing to concur with conſiderable forces oHenry calls a Parliament, gets
plentiful ſupplies and raiſes a puiſſant Army
in which were many noble perſonages, and oJaſper Duke of Bedford and
John Earl of Oxford Generals under his own per9th. of September in the 8th
year of his Reign, departs towards the Sea Coaſt
October 6th. he imbarked at Sandwich, and the
ſame day landed at Calais: ſome overtures of aFrance
before he took Shipping, but he was no ſooner
arrived at Calais, but the calm Winds of Peace beMaximilian was unFerdinand and Iſabel had made peace with
Charles King of France, upon his reſtoring unto
them the Counties of Rouſillion and Perpignan forFrance by John King oArragon; however October 15th. he left Calais and
directed his march towards Bulloigne, where hJohn Savage a valiant Commander was
ſlain as he was riding about to view the Walls;
the Town was well fortified, and had a good
Garriſon, yet it was much diſtreſſed and ready
for an aſſault (which if it had been given 'twas
believed it would have been carried) when the
Commiſſioners appointed for that purpoſe conBacon obſerves) for all
things remained as they were, ſave that there
ſhould be paid to the King Seven Hundred Forty
Five Thouſand Duckats at preſent, for his charges
in that Expedition, and Five and Twenty ThouBritons; and beſides, this was left
indefinitely when it ſhould determine or expire,
which made the Engliſh eſteem it as a tribute carHenry VIII. longer then it could continue upon aCharles was by
this peace aſſured of the Poſſeſſion of Bretaign,
and free to proſecute his deſigns upon Naples,
which Kingdom he won, though he loſt it afterItaly, without reAlexander
was wont to ſay, That the Frenchmen came into
Italy with Chalk in their hands, to mark up their
Lodgings, rather then with Swords to Fight. HowHenry in the 11th. year of his Reign upon
this occaſion, entred into a League with the Italian
Potentates for the defence of Italy. He had many
inteſtine broils and inſurrections, and his Reign
is noted for Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck's
impoſtures, and no leſs remarkable for the imApril the 22d. at
his Palace of Richmond which himſelf had built,
Anno. 1508.
The Cauſes of his Wars were partly for the relief of
Bretaign, partly on behalf of the Arch-Duke Maximilian,
and partly for the recovery of his own right in
France.
HEir to both Houſes of York and Lancaster,
and the only ſurviving Son of Henry VII.
ſucceeded his Father at the Age of 18, and proFrench
King making war upon Pope Julius, King Henry
wrote him monitory Letters to deſiſt, as being his
Friend and Confederate, which letters being litHenry ſent to demand his Dutchies
of Normandy, Guien, Anjou and Main, and the
Crown of France it ſelf, but this had the ſame efFrench King continuing
his war in Italy, which provoked King Henry ſo,
that entring into Confederacy with the Emperor
Maximilian, Ferdinando King of Spain and other
Potentates, he determined by the adviſe of his
Council to make War upon France, and made preFerdinando ſends over into Biſcay
an Army of 10000 Men all foot, under the comDorſet, with a deſign to
invade France on that ſide, firſt for the recovery
of the Dutchy of Aquitain, but Ferdinand failing
in the promiſes he had made of Horſe, Ordinance,
Carriages, &c. the Engliſh after they had waited
from May till December for performance, returned
England without any memorable action perHenry nothing diſcouShrewsbury, under
the King's Perſon, he lands at Calais on the laſt
day of June, being the fifth Year of his Reign,
and the day following lands the Admiral of England
at Whitſand Bay, entred the Town and burnt
it, and then returned: From Calais about the
21ſt. of July the King marches in great ſtate and
good order of Battle towards Turwin, where he
arrives on the fourth of Auguſt, and laies cloſe
ſiege to it; the French attempting to impede his
march, but without ſucceſs: Seven daies after
came the Emperor Maximilian, whom the King
received with great Triumph between Aire and
the Camp, where he enters into the King's Pay,
and as a Teſtimony thereof, wore St. George's
Croſs with a Roſe, the Town made no extraor23d. and marched away
the day following; but the King did not think fit
to keep the place, and therefore raſed all the Works,
and burnt the Town, removing firſt the OrdiAire; from hence he directs
his march towards the City of Turnay, and about
the 21ſt. of September ſets down before it, it was
29th. of the ſame Month, was by
Capitulation ſurrendred; the Citizens which
were to the number of 60000 ſwearing AllegiEdward Poinings was made
Governour, and of this City Wolſey then the Kings
Almoner was made Biſhop, and ſo by the way of
Calais, Henry returns for England, and on the
24th. of October lands at Dover, the Earl of Surrey
during his abſence, having fought the Scots, ſlain
their King James IV. and defeated their whole ArFrance it ſelf, and againſt the Scots its confeJohn Wallop had landed on the Coaſt of
Normandy and burnt to the number of 21 Towns
and Villages, together with many Ships in the
Haven of Trapart, Staples, and other places. The
French King by the means of Pope Leo, with whom
he was now accorded ſues for a Peace, which
was at length concluded, the Lady Mary the
King's Siſter for the tying of the knot, being giFrench King in Marriage, whom howLewis XII. dying 82
days after. The remainder of this King's Reign
was in a manner ſpent in Domeſtick Affairs,
which is not our Province to treat off, till about
the 35th. Year, when in conjunction with the EmFrance, the Emperor
took the Field in Perſon, and the Engliſh joining
him under the command of Sir John Wallop, laid
ſiege to Landarſey, the French King haſted with a
French cared for, declining to ha
The Year following, the King raiſed a mighty
Army, the Front led by the Duke of Norfolk,
the main Battle by the Duke of Suffolk, where the
King intended to be preſent himſelf alſo, and the
Rear by the Lord Ruſſel, attended with many oSurrey, Oxford, &c.
which about Whitſuntide landed at Calais, and
from thence leaving Bolloign to the right, directMuterell, and were as
they paſſed joined by the Emperors Forces under
the Count of Buren, but finding the foreſaid place
extraordinarily well fortified and provided for its
defence, the Duke of Suffolk with the King's ArBolloign, where he arJuly 19th. and pitched his Camp to the Eaſt
of the Town upon the Hill, but thence removOld Man was yielded up by
ſixteen Soldiers that kept it, which notwithſtand26th. of
July the King arrives in Perſon, orders a Mount
Eaſt-ſide planted with diFrench and Italians under the conduct of
Joncurtio attempted to get into the Town in the
Night, and ſucceeded ſo well by the means of a
Prieſt that ſpoke Engliſh, that moſt of them were
got over the Trenches before diſcovered, and a
matter of 120 got in, the reſt being either ſlain
or taken; at length a peice of the Caſtle being
blown up, the King ſtormed the place, but did
not carry it; however the Cannon continuing
playing, and the Garriſon having loſt the beſt of
their Commanders and men in this Action, and
fearing as well as concluding that ſuch another
aſſault muſt carry the Town, thought it time
to Capitulate before things came to the laſt extre25th. of September the King with the Sword bore
before him by the Marqueſs of Dorſet, enters
Bolloign in Triumph, the Trumpets all the while
ſounding on the Walls, and two days after viewMaries Church to be
pull'd down, and a mount to be made in the
Room of it for the ſtrengthning the Town, and
at his departure made Sir John Dudley Governor,
and on the firſt of October lands in England, next
year September 9th. Sir John Dudley then Admiral
Trey Port in Normandy,
burns the Town and Abby, and 30 Ships in the
Haven, with the loſs of 14 Men only. The
French attempted the recovery of Bulloign again
and again, but to little purpoſe, ſo that at length
a Peace was concluded, wherein it was agreed,
the French King ſhould pay King Henry 800000
Crowns within the term of Eight Years, and then
to have Bulloign reſtored to him; but whilſt the
Oath for Confirmation hereof was taken by both
Kings, Monſieur Chatillon began to make a new
Baſtillion at the very mouth of the Haven of Bulloign,
calling it Chatillon's Garden; the Lord Grey
of Wilton then Governor of Bulloign, advertiſed
the King hereof by Sir Thomas Palmour, requiring
to know his pleaſure therein, the King adviſes
with his Councel, who all agree the Conditions
of Peace ought by no means to be infringed, and
therefore to let the Baſtilion ſtand, whereupon
the King ordered his Secretary to write to the
Lord Grey to that purpoſe, but then called to Sir
Thomas privily, and told him, that notwithſtanding
the Contents of that Letter, he ſhould from him
command the Lord Grey to raſe the Fortification
to the ground with all ſpeed, Sir Thomas replyed,
That a meſſage by Word of Mouth contrary to
a Letter, would never be believed; well (ſaies
the King) tell him as I bid you, and leave the
doing of it to him. Sir Thomas upon his arrival
at Bulloign, delivered the Governor the Letter,
and withall the Meſſage, who hereupon calls a
Council what to do, wherein they all agreed the
Grey
himſelf ſaid nothing, but cauſed the Meſſage to
be written down verbatim from Sir Thomas
Mouth, and thoſe of the Council to ſet their
hands to it, and when this was done, the very
next Night he iſſues out and raſes the Fort to the
ground, and then ſent Sir Thomas back to the
King with Letters to acquaint him with what he
had done, who as ſoon as he ſaw him, asked aloud,
What will he do it or no? Sir Thomas delivering
the Letter, ſaid, Your Majeſty ſhall know by
theſe, but the King half angry, ſaid, Nay, Tell
me has he done it or no? and being told it was
done, he turn'd about to his Lords and ſaid, what
ſay you, my Lords, to this? Chatillon's Garden is raſThat he would rather loſe a dozen ſuch heads
as his was, then one ſuch ſervant that had done it,
and therewith commanded preſently the Lord
Grey's Pardon to be drawn, which he ſent to him
with Letters full of thanks and promiſes of ReFrench before it was
done, and ſo have been prevented. This may be
taken as an inſtance of King Henry's great Ca
The cauſes of this War with France were partly reaſons
of State, and partly the League which King Henry had
made with the Emperor.
BOrn at Hampton Court, ſucceeded his Father
King Henry VIII. at the Age of nine Years, a
moſt excellent Prince, and the wonder of the
the Age both for Learning and Piety, but England
did not long enjoy the fruit of the Bleſſings
coutched in his Perſon, his Reign being ſhortned
by an immature Death, as it had been in a
great meaſure rendred uneaſie through the Feuds
of the Nobles during his Life; this together with
the Reformation carried on at home, made the
Enemy inſult abroad, inſomuch that the French
aſſumed the boldneſs in Conjunction with the
Scots, to attack us in our own Borders; for in the
ſecond year of this King's Reign on St. Peter's Eve,
Monſieur Daſſey the French General with 10000
French and Germans beſides Scots, laid ſiege to Haddington,
a Town in Scotland, but then in the hands of
the Engliſh; the Town made a moſt vigorous deBerwick
with intent to relieve it, but failed in the
Robert Bowes and Sir
Thomas Palmer their Commanders; but for all
this great diſcouragement and misfortune, the
Garriſon would not flinch, but continued maAug. 20. when the Earl of Shrewsbury
with 16000 Men, 4000 whereof were Germans
came to ſuccour the Place; the Enemy had no
ſooner intelligence thereof, but they marched a20th. of September following by the Earl of Rutland.
The Year following, i.e. the 3d. of the Kings
reign it came to an open rupture between England
and France, the French thinking to ſurpriſe
Jerſey and Guernſey came ſuddenly with many
Gallies upon our Fleet there, but were received
with that Reſolution and Bravery, that they were
forced to flee with great loſs both of Men and
Shipping. News came to the King and ProteAug. 28th. that the French had taken Blackneſs,
Hamiltoun and Newhaven near Bulloign, by the
means of one Sturton (as 'twas ſaid) a natural
Son of the Lord Sturton, who betrayed this laſt
place into the Hands of the Enemy, and took
ſervice himſelf in the French Army, hereupon the
Bulloign Bark, fearing the conſequence
after he had conveyed the Stores and Ordinance
to the High Town blew up the Fort; the French
made all poſſible preparations to attack the Place,
and for the more vigorous carrying on of the
Siege, and encouragement of the Soldiers, the
French King comes before Bulloign in Perſon,
where were many famous exploits done both by
the Aſſailants and Defendants, but the brave Sir
Nicholas Arnold who was Governor, began and
continued to make ſo prudent as well as brave
reſiſtance, that the French were conſtrained at
laſt to quit their Enterprize, and hereupon were
made ſome overtures of Peace, which at laſt was
concluded, and wherein it was agreed, that Bolloign
ſhould be delivered up to the French, upon
condition there ſhould be a reſervation of King
Edward's Title to the Crown of France, and due
payment made unto him of 500000 Crowns.
This King being about Sixteen Years Old died
at Greenwich, July 6th. having reigned Six Years
and about Five Months.
The cauſe of this War was the King's Minority and
Feuds at home, whereof the French thought to take
advantage.
ELdeſt Daughter to King Henry VIII. by Q.
Katherine of Spain ſucceeded her Brother
Edward, Anno 1553. purſuant to their Father's Will,
though contrary to her Brothers, who left the Lady
Jane Grey his Succeſſor, and after ſome ſmall opNorthumberland her Husbands
Father got peaceable poſſeſſion of the Throne,
and was crowned at Weſtminſter the laſt of April
in great State and Magnificence, the former part of
her Reign which in all was but ſhort, was much taPhillip King of Spain, on St. James day, in the
ſecond year of her Reign, and this marriage enFrance; for King Phillip paſſing over
to Calais and ſo to Flanders, made great preparatiFrench King, and was aſſiſted thereEngliſh Horſe, Four ThouPembrock was General; with this reinforcePhillip directs his March to St. Quintin,
and after a ſharp Siege takes the place, the
Engliſh (of whom the Lord Henry Dudley who
firſt advanced the Standard upon the Wall
was here ſlain) doing him mighty ſervice hereEngland, in regard 'twas
the principal cauſe of the loſs of Calais; for while
the greateſt part of that Garriſon was imployed in
the foreſaid Siege, and before Calais was reinforGuiſe with a Powerful Army advances toSand-gate; ſent
one detatchment along the Downs towards Riſebank,
and anotherb to Newnem-Bridge, he ſoon
poſſeſſes himſelf of oth, for the few Soldiers that
guarded them had fled ſecretly into the Town:
the next day they raiſed a Battery from the Hills
of Riſe-Bank againſt the Walls of Calais between
the Water-gate and the Priſon, and continuing
the ſame for three days, made a ſmall breach, by
which they could not well enter, neither was it
ſo deſigned; for while the Engliſh were buſie in
the defence of this place, the French making their
way through the Ditch (which was full of WaAnthony Hagar
withſtood them, and ſtopped their further
progreſs, though to the loſs of his own life; For
Wenthworth
that ſame Evening which was the fifth of January
conſidering ſuccours far, the Enemies nigh apFrench, the lives of the Inhabitants
ſaved, and all to depart where they pleaſed exGuiſe ſhould appoint to remain PriCalais after it had been in the hands of
the Engliſh for the ſpace of 200 and 10 Years (for it
was taken by Edward III. after a Siege of Eleven
Months in 1347.) was loſt in leſs then a FortFrance at
our Girdles, and ſo 'twas believed Queen Mary
reſented the loſs accordingly, for ſhe died ſoon
after, having ſaid not long before, that if ſhe
were opened they ſhould find Calais at her heart;
ſome feints were made for the repairing of this
loſs, for the Queen equipped out a Fleet with a
deſign to ſurpriſe Breſt, they landed in Conquet
Road, and in a ſhort time became Maſters of the
Town, with the great Abbey which they ſacked and
burnt, together with diverſe adjacent Villages,
where they found good Plunder; from hence
(having now allarmed the Country) the AdmiPhillip in the
mean time went on with his Wars, and could
Calais to the Engliſh, which the
French would by no means yield to; which toJames's, November 17th. 1558. when ſhe had
reigned five Years, four Months and odd days.
The chief ground of this War with France was the conPhillip her Husband.
SEecond Daughter to Henry VIII. by Queen
Ann Bullen ſucceeded her Siſter Mary to the
Imperial Crown of England, a Princeſs whoſe
vertues its impoſſible for me to celebrate (if it
were my deſign) having advanced the glory of
the Engliſh Nation both at home and abroad, beDetection of the 4 laſt Reigns, &c. in
War ſhe was involved almoſt all her Reign and
had not only to do with, but triumphed oEurope, (I
might ſay in the World,) I mean that of Spain,
France, was in the ſeFrench having
upon the ſuit of the Queen Dowager of Scotland,
ſent great numbers of Soldiers to aid and aſſiſt her
againſt the reforming Lords, Queen Elizabeth
diſliking ſuch Neighbours, and knowing the
Queen of Scots was married and govern'd in
France, and began to aſſume the Engliſh Arms, upGrey of Wilton, and at the ſame
time diſpatch'd Sir Will. Winter Vice Admiral with
a Fleet of Ships for to block up Lieth; the Army
after ſome ſtay at Berwick purſued their March,
and after ſome uſual pickering by the way and
overtures of a ceſſation arrived before Leith,
which was chiefly garriſoned by French Soldiers;
the Place was bravely attack'd ſeveral times, and
wonders done by the Engliſh both by Sea and
Land againſt it; and the French omitted nothing
that could be done for its defence, and this conApril till the
latter end of June, at what time the Place being
very much ſtreightned and muſt have yielded, the
Commiſſioners appointed for that purpoſe made
a Peace at Edenburg, which July 7th. was proLeith, by vertue of which
treaty the French were to depart out of Scotland
except 120, and the Scottiſh Queen to put our oEngland and Ireland, &c
Maſſacre was
perpetrated in France upon the poor Proteſtants,
that is ſo infamous in Hiſtory, the Popiſh party
having leagued themſelves againſt them; which
barbarity powerfully induced the Queen to aſſiſt
the reformiſts in order to prevent their final deNew Haven in France, which
the Townſmen joyfully received, over whom
and other Forces that did arrive, was conſtituted
General, the Earl of Warwick who landed here
29th. of October Anno 1562. This place is reEngliſh; firſt came
the Rhinegrave before it, then the Conſtable of
France, and laſt of all the Prince of Conde, whoſe
united forces had in all probability been baffled,
had it not been for a violent Peſtilence that raged
within and ſwept away its defendants in great
numbers; but notwithſtanding this, and that the
Enemies Cannon were within 26 Paces of the
Town, and many breaches made, yet the noble
Warwick with his reſpective Officers and Soldiers
ſtood at the breaches to receive the Enemy if
they offered to make an aſſault; which the ConFrench had a pretence
Calais after the term of 8 years,
whereof ſome were already expired.
About the 32th. year of the Queens Reign, Henry
III. King of France was murdered, whereupon
the leaguers armed under the Duke of Main to
keep Henry King of Navar then a Proteſtant
from the Crown, whom they preſſed ſo hard
upon, that he was forced to flee into Diep deEngland,
but firſt ſends to the Queen an account of his
circumſtances, who commiſerating his CondiWilloughby; the report of whoſe arrivall comMain's Ears, he ſuddenly raiſes the Siege,
which ſo animated the King, that he marched out,
encountred and defeated his Enemy, and ſo by
degrees prevailed through the Queens good aſſiSpaniards having alſo about this time by
means of the leaguers got footing in Bretaign, the
Queen diſpatches thither 3000 Men under the
command of that thrice famous General Sir John
Norris, who beat them quite out of that Country;
about a year after my Lord Willoughby's ſuccors
arrives in France the renowned Earl of Eſſex with
4000 foot more, ſome Horſe and Pioneers, as a
further reinforcment to the King, and did hoVillerſe
Governour of Roan to a ſingle combat which he
refuſes and then return'd, but had the mortifiWalter Devereux a brave
young Gentleman ſlain with a Musket Bullet beRo
the laſt ſuccors was to the number
of 2000 and put under the command of that exRog
who was alDiep upon ſuch uneHenry IV. could not but take
notice and highly extoll his valour in his letter to
the Queen: this Queen after a glorious Reign of
44 Years 5 Months and odd days, at the Age of
70 Years Anno 1602. and lived longer then any
of the Kings of England ſince the Conqueſt, dyRichmond and lies buried at Weſtminſter.
The cauſes of the War in this Queen's time were not diFrance.
THen the ſixth King of Scotland of that name,
twas immediately upon the death of Queen
Elizabeth proclaimed King of England, Scotland,
France and Ireland, &c. as being deſcended from
the united Roſes of Lancaſter and York, King Henry
VII. and Queen Elizabeth his Wife, whoſe iſſue
by the Male failing in the late deceaſed Queen
Elizabeth, the off-ſpring of Margaret their eldeſt
Daughter was next heir, which Lady was married
James IV. King of Scotland, by him had iſſue
James V. whoſe only daughter Queen Mary was,
Mother to this our Monarch. This King was of
a timorous Nature and peaceable Diſpoſition; ſo
that Beati Pacifici was his Motto, and was ſo far
from making any pretenſions to the Crown of
France or any part of its Dominions, notwithPalſgrave and his own Daughter Elizabeth his
Wife with their numerous iſſue, not only to be
beaten out of Bohemia, but even from their juſt
Patrimony the Palatinate, and to live many years
in great want and Penury to the Kings great diſTheobalds, March 27th. in 1625. in the 59 year
of his Age, having reigned 22 years compleat.
THe only ſurviving Son of King James (for
that noble Prince Henry died before his FaEngland;
the reformed in France in the beginning of
this King's Reign, lay under great oppreſſions
from their King Lewis XIII. and his prime miniRichieu, in ſo much that
Roan by Land, and Monſieur Sobiez his
Brother, who rid Admiral at Sea, and by that
means Rochel beſieged by the French King's Arms
was relieved upon all occaſions; hereupon thro'
the contrivance of the Duke of Buckingham, an
Engliſh Fleet was ſent to join that of the French
under the Duke of Momerancy, the Dutch then
baſely concurring with ſome Ships of their alſos,
with which united force Momerancy fights and utRochellers under MonSobiez, and then reduced the Iſles of Rhee
and Oleron under the French Power; but Buckingham
ſoon after changing his Sentiments (the
grounds whereof we'll aſſign in the cauſes of this
War) there is a Declaration of War publiſhed aFrance, and Rochel, ſtill beſieged by the French, where Sobiez
came on Board of him, and for ſeveral reaſons it
was agreed to land the Army on the Iſland of Ole
and not on the Iſle of Rhee: But Sobiez going
to perſwade the Rochellers to join with the Engliſh,
the Duke before his return lands on the Iſle
of Rhee in ſpight of the oppoſition made by the
French, but inſtead of purſuing the blow not onla Prie to ſecure his
retreat and prevent the French from landing ſupToiras the
French Governour incouraged his Men, and alſo
got more Force and Proviſions into the Cittadel
of St. Martins; the French were ſo allarmed at
this invaſion, that the King offered the Duke of
Roan and the Rochellers any terms to join againſt
the Engliſh, which both refuſing, cauſed both
their Ruins.
The Enemies retreat upon the landing of the
Engliſh was ſo haſty, that they quitted a Well aEngliſh upon their firſt approach
the French drew a work about it, which ouToiras, and
ſeveral complements paſt between them, ſubſcribBuckingham, and you
Humble Servant Toiras, till the latter got relief French landed Forces on the Iſland by thEngliſh to oppoſe them, and ordeEngliſh out of the
Trenches which the French poſſeſs, whereupoEngliſh were forced to Retreat, at laſt the Du
being now equal to him in Foot and ſuperior
Horſe; when the Engliſh were intangled in thla
Prie, or build a Fort upon a narrow Lane or
Cauſey to ſecure their Retreat, the French chargEngliſh Horſe in the Rear and rout them,
who rout the foot in the narrow paſſages between
the Salt-pits and Ditch; but in this confuſion
and adverſity, the bravery of the Engliſh appear'd
for a few having paſt the Bridge, the French folEngliſh rallied and faced about galFrench, who cowardly reEngliſh were magis
audaces quam fortunati, and withall taxeth them
for want of ſecrecy in their Counſels and ConBuckingham
upon his retreat from the Iſle of Rhee, proRochellers to ſend them ſpeedy relief,
now cloſe beſieged by the French King, and upon
return ſent away the Earl of Denbigh his Brother-in-law
with a Fleet to that purpoſe, who on the
firſt of May, 1628. arrives before Rochell, where
he found the French Fleet conſiſting of 20 Sail had
blockt it up by Sea, upon the Earls approach the
French retire towards their Fortification, and an8th. of May. The Earl proRochellers to ſink the French Fleet when
the Waters increaſed, and the Winds became
Weſterly, it being then neap Tide; but two days
after the Waters increaſing, and the Wind beWeſterly, the Earl was intreated to fight
the French Fleet but did not, and weighed Anchor
Auguſt followPortſmouth to command the Fleet
there for the relief of Rochel, but on the 23 of
the ſaid Month was ſtabbed by Felton, on whom
by the way, hanging in Chains at Portſmouth was
made this ingenious Coppy of Verſes,
yet the deſign was purſued under the command
of the Earl of Felton's dead Earth, whom to it ſelf muſt be,Linſey, who attempted ſeveral
times to force the Barricadoes of the River before
Rochel, but all in vain, or if he had, it had been
to no purpoſe, for the Victuals wherewith the
Rochellers ſhould have been relieved were all tainFrench had no Fleet
Engliſh Tackle and other matteriRochel fell, and with
it in a manner all the Glory and Intereſt of the
reformed in France, but 'tis remarkable what
counſel concurred to the reducing of this imporFrench Army had been before it a long time, and
had made no conſiderable Progreſs in the Siege
when the Marqueſs Spinola returning from Flanders
into Spain, directed his courſe through
France, and hearing the King and Cardinal were
at the Siege of Rochel, waited upon both, and
going to view the Works one day, asked the
Cardinal what they meant to do there, and conCardinal,
Puſh! replies the Marqueſs, do as we have
done at Antwerp, make a Dyke at the Mouth of
the Harbour, and yo'll by that means ſtarve them
out; the Cardinal immediately takes up the proLeyden about 54 years before was miraSpaniards,
for being reduced to the laſt extremity, they
let looſe the Waters upon them, which the Dams
reſtrained before, and upon that the Army
march'd away, whereas had they ſtaid but two
Northerly Wind had clear'd
the Country of the Water, ſo Rochel by a quite
contrary fate had been ſurrendered but a very
few days, when the Dyke ſo far broke as that they
might have been relieved by Sea, had there been
a Fleet ready for that purpoſe. But when Spinola
came to the Council in Spain, he was ſo browMedina then prime Miniſter
of State and other Grandees, that he never after
could get his Money paid that was owing him,
and dyed a Begger and in utmoſt diſgrace; ſo
well did the Spaniards then underſtand their
true Intereſt, that as long as the Reformed could
make head in France, the Arms of that Kingdom
would be confined within its own limits, and
they and other Princes be leſs moleſted by thoſe
aſpiring and reſtleſs Neighbours, and this was the
unhappy end of this War between England and
France, and the dreadful Preſages of the Duke of
Roan, hereupon (to give his Words the mildeſt
terms I can) had but too fatal effects upon the
Perſon of that Prince, to whoſe perfidy he atFrance; for after this, Diſſention
grew daily more and more in England, which
drew on an unnatural Civil War that ended with
a ſad Cataſtrophe in the Kings dying by the Ax,
for he was beheaded January 30th. 1648. after
49th. Year of his Age.
AFter about Twelve years Exile, during
which interval we had no Wars with
France, was reſtored to the Throne of his AnceAnno 1660. This Prince had not been aDutch by Sea, the
French joining with them in it at that time aFrance, but the Dutch found no
great aſſiſtance from them in this Confederacy;
for while the Dutch in all the Engagements we
had with them, but one (and that was when
the Fleet was fooliſhly divided) were beaten by
us; the French inſtead of uniting their force with
the other, diſpatch away a Fleet to ſubdue the
Engliſh in their Plantations in the Leeward Iſlands,
almoſt totally expelled the Engliſh out of St. Chriſtophers,
interrupted them in their Trade to their
other Iſlands, and aſſumed a Sovereignty in thoſe
Seas, but upon the Treaty of Peace, they were
Engliſh again, but
they left St. Chriſtophers in ſo pittiful a plight by
deſtroying all the Plantations, that it ſeemed in
a manner to be as much a Wilderneſs as when
firſt the Engliſh took footing in it. About Seven
Years after, things veer'd about the French joining
with the Engliſh againſt the Dutch in a ſecond
Dutch War during this Reign; and here a late
learned Author has obſerved, that as the Engliſh
were ſo ſuccesful in the former War againſt both,
and the Dane to boot, and were never beaten but
once and that when the Fleet was divided; ſo
in this the Engliſh in all the Fights they had
which were Four, came off with more loſs then
the Dutch; but the truth of it is, the French only
came out to learn to fight, both in the one and
the other War, for they ſtood ſtill looking on
or firing at a very great diſtance while the Engliſh
and Dutch battered one another, and Monſide Martel for falling on and engaging braveFrench deſigns, moved November the
4th. 1673. that the Allyance with France was a
Grievance, and ſo a Peace was concluded with
the States, and our King ſets up for a Mediator
at Nimeguen, between the French and Dutch with
their Confederates, and in the mean time having
got conſiderable ſupplies from his Parliament
raiſes Forces; for the French King had during
this Navall War poſſeſſed himſelf of a great part
of Flanders, and the Territories of the States, but
Orange knew or would
know of its being concluded, the Prince not ſtayEngliſh that were on
their march to join him, did with the aſſiſtance
only of Ten Thouſand Engliſh, under the comMonmouth and Earl of Oſſery
ſtorm the Duke of Luxemburg's Camp, forMonts, with
that reſolution and bravery, that he beat him
out of it and relieved the place; and this was
the laſt act of Hoſtility between England and
France of any kind during this Reign; this
King afterwards inſtead of putting a ſtop to the
growing greatneſs of that Kingdom, fell in more
and more with the intereſt of it, and the NaWhig
and Tory, which are but too much felt to this
day, and he himſelf at laſt died on the 6th. of
February, 168 4-85. in the Fifty Fifth Year of his
Age, and the 37th. of his Reign, computing it
from his Father's Death.
ONly Surviving Brother to Charles II. immediately
aſſumed the Engliſh Crown, of which notwithArgyle landing in Scotland, and the Duke of Monmouth
in the Weſt of England put him in no ſmall danger
of loſing that he had ſo lately attained, but this ſtorm
blew over and ended in the Execution of both the aforeHolland
landed at Torbay, Novemb. 5th. 1688. a day and year
memorable in the Annals of time for the Engliſh delive13th. of February
following with his Princeſs Proclaimed King and
Queen of England, &c. King James having ſometime beFrance, with whom he was
ſo far from having any Wars during his abſent four
Years Reign, that he entred into a ſtricter Alliance with
that Crown; but ſince his preſent Majeſty's aſcending
of the Throne, what traverſes of War there have been
between England and France by Sea and Land, and what
the Cauſes of them were conſiſts in the following Pages.
UPon King James's withdrawing himſelf out of the
Kingdom, and retiring into France; in conſideraFrench had committed many Hoſtilities in the
Palatinate on the Rhine, and on the Frontiers of Flanders
and aſſiſted the Iriſh in Rebellion, with conſiderable
Naval and Land Forces; a War was Proclaimed, and
the King of England entered into a ſtrict confederacy aFrench King, with Brandenburgh, Spain, and the
United Provinces, &c. to hinder the Exceſſive Power
and growing Greatneſs of France, from Inſulting over
the Neighbouring Princes, and Forces were ſent over
under the Command of the Earl of Marlborough and others,
who gained conſiderable advantages over the French Par
But as yet the greateſt Scene of War on our Part was
in Ireland, where the Earl of Tyrconnel had declared for
King James, and put moſt of the Iriſh Papiſts, eſpecially
in Arms, ſtopping the Ports, and hindering the Eſcape
of many Engliſh, nor was it long e'er King James Landed
there with a great many French Officers and Soldiers,
ſo that moſt of the Principal Places in that Kingdom
fell into his Hands: A Party of the Iniskilling Men
and London-Derry being almoſt all the Loyal Engliſh held
in Ireland, and theſe two acted wonders, and in fine
baffled the Enemies Power, for the former gained in
ſeveral ſignal advantages in the Field, and the latter the
Town being commanded in chief by one Mr. Walker a
Miniſter a very valiant Man, though enduring the Ex
13th. of Auguſt 1689. the Duke of Schomberg
with a fair Army from England Landed at Carickfergus,
whereupon the Gariſon of Antrim deſerted, and Carickfergus
after a ſhort Battery ſurrendred the Gariſon,
being only allowed to march out without Baggage to
the next Gariſon; and that Winter the Duke Encamped
(after reducing ſome other Places) on the Plains of
Dundalk, whoſe unhealthy Air and Dampneſs, deſtroyed
abundance of our Men, yet in that Seaſon Parties were
daily out, took ſome Places, and got great Advantage
over the Enemies Parties in the Field.
In 1690. The King with a Royal Army ſet forward
and landed the fifteenth of June at Carickfergus, where he
was Received with great Joy, and marched to joyn the
other Camp: And having put all things in good order,
fought with the Iriſh and French, headed by K. James on the
firſt of July; and having gained the Paſs of the River
Boyne, utterly Defeated them; ſo that K. James flying to
Dublin, ſoon after left the Kingdom, where King William
Arriving ſettled the Affairs, appointing Sheriffs and oLimerick, which was not Succeſsful this
Year. However the Important Town of Cork and Kingſale
were taken at the Siege of the former: The Noble
Duke of Grafton was Slain, as the Valiant Duke of
Schomberg, and Dr. Walker had been at the Battle of the
Boyne.
The next Year the King preparing for Flanders. The
Baron d'Ginkle was appointed to Command the Engliſh
Forces in Ireland; who had the good Succeſs to take Ballymore,
Athlone, Galloway, and give a Total Defeat to
French and Iriſh at Agarhim, where Monſieur St. Ruth the
French General was Killed with a Cannon Shot, and then
laying a ſtraight Siege to Limerick, after a tedious Battery
it was Surrendered on advantageous Articles, and with it
all Ireland ſubmitting to its due Obedience.
Whilſt theſe things paſſed in Ireland, Scotland had been
perplexed with War: But the Viſcount Dundee who was
the Head of the adverſe Party, being Slain in a Battel
with Major General Mak
King James's Intereſt ſoon
Dublin Surrendered, as
ſometime after did the Baſs, and all Scotland was quieted.
So that now the Scene of War lay on and beyond the
Seas.
For the Earl of Torrington not well prepared, as appears
to Engage the French Fleet; a conſiderable Loſs was ſuDutch, who too eaEngliſh: So that moſt of their
Squadron was either Taken, Burnt or Sunk. Upon this
French Inſulted our Coaſt, and burnt Tingmouth a little FiRuſſel, with an entire Defeat of their
whole Navy, Commanded by Monſieur Tourvil, whereof
36 great and ſmall were Burnt and Sunk, and their
Coaſts the following Years were hazarded, and Inſulted
with Fire and Sword. Diep and Haverdegrace moſtly layCalis, Dunkirk, and St. Maloes Bombarded,
and a great number of other Ships, Burnt, Sunk, and TaRuſſel with the Royal Navy Inſulted and BlocMarſeiles and Toloun;
ſo that we were every where entire Maſters of the
Sea.
Whilſt things paſſed thus on the watery Empire,
War with extended bloody Banners Raged on the Shoar.
The King having ſettled Affairs with the Congreſs of
Princes, Marched into the Field; the Duke of Brandenburg
having before taken ſeveral Towns from the French,
as Bon, &c. And the French layed in Aſhes Worms, Spires,
Hydelburg, Openheim, &c. They had alſo taken Mons, and
ſoon after Namur. But the Duke of Savoy coming into
the Confederacy Diverted part of their Army into Piedmont,
and the Valleys of Lucern, giving free Tolleration
to the Vudois, who greatly Aſſiſted him in the War. So
that he took Caſel, and ſome other ſtrong Places, but beCatinat, wherein the Valiant Young Duke of
Schomberg, who Commanded the Engliſh, being Slain, he
was ſo diſheartned that by the French Artifice, Marrying
his Daughter to the Dauphin's Eldeſt Son, he was brought
over to make a League with France, contrary to the
Mind of the Confederates.
The Engliſh being now ſtrong in Flanders, were mainly
Inſtrumental in ſtopping and forcing the whole French
Army to Retreat at Walcourt, where elſe the Dutch had in
all probability been. They ſhewed no leſs Courage and
Bravery at Enghein, where the French loſt a great many
of their beſt Soldiers, and Mentz was taken by the Imperialiſts.
The French in the mean while ſurprized Newport
and Bruges, and afterward Denyſe and Dixmude, taken
before from them; and ſeveral ſmall Places were taken
and re-taken on each ſide, as Hall, Heye, &c.
The King endeavouring to bring the French to a Battel,
they ſtrongly Encamped behind a Bullwork, beſides narEngliſh, Danes, and ſome others Encouraged
by His Majeſty's Heroick Example, and Lead on
by their Brave Commanders, had forced the Paſs,
and in all probability utterly Routed them, had
they been according to expectation Succoured by oTalmaſh, atCameret Bay near Breſt.
The Duke of Bavaria by this time, being made GoSpaniſh Netherlands: The Duke of Wirtemberg
was ſent out with about 25000 Horſe and Foot
to Force the French Lines, which he Succeſsfully did,
and entering French Flanders, put it under Contribution,
and took great Booty. But the Duke of Luxemburg, GeFrench main Army, taking this Advantage,
knowing our Camp was weakened by this large DetachLanden to force the Lines,
where the Fight at a diſtance beginning by break of day,
and ſo coming on nearer, continued exceeding hot till
near Sun Set: When the French pouring on their great
Numbers, being double, ours forced a Paſſage into
Bavaria to
Retire, which they did in good Order, and the Army
being Recruited, ſoon took the Field again, and forced
the French to Retreat to their former Camp. And this
Year Died the Duke of Luxemburg; after which the
French did little of Moment, rather making in Flanders,
and on the Rhine a Defenſive, than Offenſive War. So
that Catinat was recalled from Savoy: Namure loſt and a
great many of their Party's cut off their Plots and StrataSweden to become a Mediator in it, and all
they have ſince done, as the laſt faint Stroak was to take
Barcelona in Catalonia; though it is thought had the
Vice-Roy been diligent in Succouring it, it could not
have fallen into their Hands: One part of it lying oPonti Plundered Cartagena,
belonging to the Spaniards in the Weſt-Indies, and got
much Riches, having the Luck to Eſcape our Squadron
which was in Queſt of him.
And now Peace being hearken'd to on all Sides, the
Ambaſſadors Plenipotentiaries met at the Kings Pallace
at Ryſwick in Holland; and after many Memorials deliveFrench King by the
Treaty, being obliged to deliver up a great many imEngland the Principality of Orange,
with its Appendancies and Revenues, ſince it has been
Seized, and unjuſtly Detained: Alſo what has been taWeſt-Indies, &c. And ſo the
Articles being Ratified, and Peace Proclaimed, the King
returned and paſſed through the City of London, in a TriNovember. 1697.