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When any person is dead, the corpse is laid in the coffin, with severat wax candles lighted, which burn night and day, and the image of our Saviour upon the cross by it, and night and day there are several persons with the corpse; there are friars of the order of St. Francis. The habit of a capuchin is a coarse brown cloth, hanging down to their heels, with a short cloke of the same, and a coul or capouch joining to the cloke; they wear no shirts, nor any linnen, no breeches, no stockings, nor shoes, having sandals or great wooden clogs on their feet, made fast to their feet with straps of leather, their feet and legs always bare; about their middle they are girded with a flaxen cord with knots, and there hang their beads, with the image of our Saviour upon the cross. They lie in no linnen nor beds, but upon the ground with a matt; they never handle any money, and there are amongst them that take no manner of care for the things of this life, but all their time is taken up in devotions, and a religious life; alledging what is mentioned in the scripture, by our Saviour, when, speaking to the Apostles, he says, "Take no thought for to-morrow, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, viz. They have each day two or three that go about the town with a basket a begging for victuals for them.

The Jesuits founded by Ignatius Loyola, of Biscay, their habit is black, with their uppermost garments down to their heels; they wear hats, shoes, and stockings: They are, as is well known, very learned and judicious men, insinuating themselves into the courts and secrets of all the Roman Catholick princes of Europe.

The nuns habit is black with white hoods and pinners, and a black vail hangs over their faces; their dress is very becoming, and very neat, and very fine. Women the most zealous in their devotions, that possibly any people can be; all the time of their worship (except when they are singing) they are always reading in a book, telling over their beads and other marks of devotion, kneeling all the time; and when they are singing they sand close to the iron grates that their eccho may be the better heard in the church, the most melodious musick in the world, with the organs at the same time playing, which renders it very agreeable.

There is at going into two of the cloisters a wooden cross in the streets, which always remains there, and is about twenty four feet high from the ground; at certain holy days the image of our Saviour in full proportion is put upon the cross, where are two iron bars to fasten the image, and the people, as they pass along, pay their devotion.

The civil government of the town is in the hands of the French King, as is also the bason and the park (of which I have made mention) but the cittadel, Rice-bank, forts, harbour, peere, and in a word all the fortifications with all the outworks (which are two English miles in length from the town) are intirely in the possession of the Queen of Great Britain.

The place at present is very sickly, and many of the inhabitants die, as do likewise great numbers of the common soldiers, and the officers; they are taken with a shivering like an ague.

Provisions are generally very dear, except fish, which is very reasonable, particularly herrings, which are extreme cheap, by the

coming in daily of French fishing boats, from Graveling, Calais, and Dieppe; since the coming of the English provisions are much dearer, and, since the taking of Fort Knock by the Dutch, faggots for firing are much advanced and scarce.

The inhabitants are most Flemings; there are several very eminent French merchants with some Irish inhabitants; they are generally courteous and civil to strangers, and are very industrious people, and all are of the Roman catholick religion; no other is permitted there, except a church to the English. About two leagues from Dunkirk, lies old Mardyke, a small village, and likewise new Mardyke; Graveling lies about four leagues, and from thence four leagues to Calais in France, which compleats the journal.

THE

BR---ISH AMBASSADRESS'S SPEECH

TO THE FRENCH KING.

MS.

The following was a MS. in the Earl's library, and in a few lines exposes the intrigues of the court and the sad condition the church and nation was in, at the latter end of Queen Ann's reign, it may be, better, and more clearly, than has been ever done before.

AIL tricking monarch! more successful far

HAIL

In acts of peace, than glorious deeds of war.
As A's great ambassadress I come,

With news, that will rejoice both you and Rome.
Ne'er did the Fh affairs so gaily smile,
These hundred years, as now in B-

-'s isle;

For there the spirit of blind delusion reigns,
And spreads its fury o'er the stupid swains.
The L-s, the C-s, and the priests conspire
To raise your power, and their own ruin higher.

Nay, even the Q-n, with qualms of conscience prest,
Seems to advance your cause above the rest.

Her generous temper can't forget so soon
The royal favours you have always done,
Both to her father and his injur'd son;

And therefore is contriving, every day,
Her mighty debt of gratitude to pay.

}

For you she has ceas'd the thunder of the war,
Laid up her fleets, and left her channel bare;
For you the fighting Marlborough's disgrac'd,
And in his room a peaceful general * plac'd;
For you she broke her word, her friends betray'd,
With joy look'd on, and saw them † victims made.
That pious princess, when I left her court,
The place where none but friends to you resort,
Bid me go greet you in the kindest words,
That the most sacred tye of love affords:
And tell you that she mourns, with sacred pains,
The mighty loss you've borne these ten campaigns.
And therefore now resolves to give you more
By this last treaty than you had before,

And to its former height raise your declining power.
She knows she has no right the crown to wear,

And fain would leave it to the lawful heir.

In order to effect this grand design,

And baffle all the H

n line,

A set of ministers she lately chose;

To honour and their country equal foes:
Wretches, whose indigence has made 'em bold,
And will betray their native land for gold.

Ox

-d's the chief of this abandon'd clan, Him you must court; for he's the only man. Give him but gold enough, your work is done, He'll bribe the S-te, and then all's your own. D- -th and B -ke are friends to you,

Tho' 'tis not in their power much harm to do.

But Ox

-d reigns prime minister of state,

Ruling the nation at a mighty rate;

And, like a conjurer with his magick wand,

Does both the P

-t and Qn command;

Keep but that wily trickster still your friend,
He'll
crown your wishes with a prosperous end,
Now is your time to push for B-

-n's crown,

And fix K-g Js the Third upon the throne.
A powerful fleet prepare, you need no more,
But only land him on his native shore;
They'll soon depose the present reigning thing,
And in her stead proclaim your favourite King.
Thus spoke the gay ambassadress; when strait
Up rose the tyrant from his chair of state;
With love transported, and a joyous air,
Within his trembling arms he clasp'd the fair;
That night, as fame reports, and some have heard,
A pompous bed was instantly prepar'd,

• Duke of Ormond. + Denain.

In which the monarch and heroine lay,
And spent their hours in politicks and play.
The Duke o'erjoy'd, that his Italian dame
Could in so old a heroe raise a flame,
With an ambitious pleasure, as 'tis said,
Led her himself unto the royal bed.

EUROPE A SLAVE,

WHEN THE EMPIRE IS IN CHAINS:

Shewing the deplorable state of Germany, from the Invasion of the French, and the fatal consequence of it to us and all Europe.

This is part of a pamphlet that was published in the year 1713, in 8vo. soon after the conclusion of the peace with France, intended to expose the danger the English nation ran by making a peace so hazardous to ourselves and advantageous to an enemy, whom we had reduced to the last extremity; and pointing out the only means to maintain the balance of power in Europe; very necessary to be perused at this time.

I cannot with any certainty give you the name of the author, who, in my opinion, has written more like a prophet than a bare politician. But I heartily recommend his strong reasoning, and the necessity of supporting the house of Austria, against the power of France, which he supports from facts, confirmed by long experience, both before and since his time. In a word, our author foretold that the Elector of Bavaria, under the protection of France, would succeed Charles the Sixth, in the Imperial throne.

WHAT is it an Englishman can say, that will not now-a-days give

offence? If we write against the French, we write against our new allies; if for our late confederates, we are enemies to peace, we delight in war, and, when the Examiner has the power, must be knocked on the head, as he threatens us in several of his late papers. What shall we do? Shall we see the French masters of Germany? Shall we be alarmed with a new war in the bowels of the empire and not have a word to say in favour of a prince, whom, ten years ago, we declared King of Spain and the Indies; whom we took from the arms of a fond father, and sent in the midst of winter storms to fight for a monarchy that was in effect the gift of England and Holland? It is not now for Spain that this unfortunate prince fights, it is for Germany, for his

patrimony, for liberty and not for empire. It is not amazing to meet with Britons and protestants so stupid as to rejoice at the Emperor's distress, whose ruin must inevitably be followed by the loss of the liberties of Europe? When France has suppressed the house of Austria, what will become of all other powers? Can the Dutch maintain their barrier, or England defend herself singly against France and Spain united? Whose turn will be next? The best we can hope for ourselves is to be last destroyed, and, if the French have no enemy on the continent, who will dare to be an enemy to a King who is master of Germany, France, and Spain. What should we not fear from such a neighbour? I will not say the pretender. A King of our own would be too good fortune for us, let him be ever so bad a one; we should soon be a province of France, and have the honour to be governed by a lieutenant general, a lieutenant civil, and a gracious disinterested intendant. Our parliament would be far from being so honourable an assembly as that of Paris; our church, our constitution would have no more a name; we must be of what religion the French please, and instead of a treaty of commerce have no trade at all; which would quickly reduce us to the condition of the first Britons, and make us so wretched that even slavery will be the least part of our misery.

It is in vain now to ask how the French came again so near the Danube, how the Elector of Bavaria once more approaches the plains of Blenheim; and where is the general that drove him from thence out of the empire? It is to no purpose to enquire into the causes of the progress of the French arms in Germany; the Marshal de Villars is there and at the head of a hundred thousand Frenchmen, and what is it not that he may do there, if the rest of Europe is passive? Where is that empire whose power was represented so formidable? Where are the kingdoms that were to ravish the balance from the house of Bourbon? Have we not seen that, in two or three months, France has driven all before her? Is she not ready to restore the Bavarian to the condition he was in, ten years ago, when the Emperor scarce thought himself safe in his palace, and the Imperial scepter was the hope and promise of the conqueror? Will France be content with Strasburgh, when she can be mistress of Vienna? Will Bavaria be satisfied with a new electorate, when he can as easily have the empire, and can he support himself, without the French King, to whom he must always be a creature and subordinate? Let us imagine then, that the Emperor Charles is forced to submit; that the Elector of Bavaria is his successor, intirely depending on his protector the most Christian King? Will Germany be then able to send armies to the relief of the the Dutch? Will the Dutch be able to give assistance to Britain, and where then will be our defence? will not all our hopes lie in that King's goodness and moderation? Whatever opinion I have of this Bona fide, or his keeping his word with us, better than with any body else, I shall not now declare myself. 1 have lived long enough to have seen a reflection on his most Christian Majesty's conduct called Sedition, which, one could not have believed, would ever have been, when the Duke of Marlborough was where the Marshal de Villars is now. I must confess however, that, notwithstanding the Examiner brags of our new alliance with the most powerful

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