an
Enemies Country; you may, perhaps, imagine that this will be a short
Game that is a playing, but depend upon it my Grey Hairs will not see an
end of it. I allow the King of _France_ has declar'd himself a Friend to
King _James_ II; He is a very powerful Prince, and if he would turn his
Forces this Way, and be upon the Defensive near Home, a few Months would
bring the War to a Period. But that Monarch has things in his Head which
I must not mention. There will be great Skirmishing in the Dominions of
_Great Britain_, but no decisive Action if _Lewis le Grand_ can hinder
it. He takes Cardinal _Richlieu's_ Conduct for a Precedent. It would
have been no difficult Task for the _French_ to have joyn'd their Forces
with King _Charles_ I. and have made a short Hand of that Contest
between the King and Parliament; but that Politick Cardinal instead of
this Method, had Emissaries in the _English_ Cabinet to exaggerate
Matters between them. The same Method has been observ'd by that Nation
ever since; and if _Lewis le Grand_ does not make a Politick Use of King
_James_ II. without doing him any real Service, I shall be very willing
to correct my self, and cancel that Paragraph in my Observations.

This was the first Politick Lesson I was entertain'd with by my old
Master; which, though at that time my want of Experience did not permit
me thoroughly to comprehend, yet since, a Resemblance of Circumstances
has often reviv'd it my Mind; nor could I ever be well reconcil'd to
that Piece of Morality, That it was a laudable Practice to set People by
the Ears together.

The hopes of being releas'd, is the best Support to Men in Misery, and
our small Body of Three Hundred Men wou'd not have remain'd so long
under Discipline, if Expectation had not been nourish'd with daily
Alarms of Assistance from _France_. Our commanding Officer was
Romantickly Loyal, and look'd upon every little Hill we scrambled over,
as an impregnable Fortress, from whose Summit he often took occasion to
Harangue us, as if the Eyes of all _Europe_ were upon us, and the Fate
of the Three Kingdoms hung at our Swords Points. But the Truth was, I
believe, we were unknown to all Mankind, and if those Villages we
march'd by you'd but secure the Cattle from us, the State was in no
great Danger from our Quarter.

As for the Hopes of being assisted from _France_, though our Commander
neglected no Pains to instill such a Belief into the Generality of the
Soldiers, in ord