defcent at the isle of Rhee, and its unhappy

iffue:

• order taken for viewing and preparing the way; that ⚫ when they came to it, there was no paffage over, so as their ftay there gave a great deal of time and opportunity to the enemy, who all the while followed them at 'their heels fo clofe, that my lord duke himself, who, I 'know not by what misfortune, was in the rear, had like to have been fnapped, if he had not prefently made 6 way through the troops then upon the narrow caufey. And had he, the general, mifcarried, what might have ' become, think you, of the whole army, like a body. without a head, or a flock without a fhepherd? But he carefully got himself on fhip-board that night, to C prevent the worst, and to take order for boats for the shipping of the army; but fo the French falling on upon the rear, killed and took prifoner as they would themselves, helped by our own horfe, who, to fave 'themselves (which yet they could not do), broke in, ⚫ and rid over our men, and put all into disorder, which made way for the flaughter; but, it seems, no refift6 ance at all was made, but that they even difbanded, ⚫ and shifted every one for himfelf; for fure there was no ' word of command given to make them face about for the repulfing of the enemy; for. then it muft needs have gone from hand to hand through the whole < troops and a ferjeant-major, that was in the van, has protested unto me, they did not fo much as know that any thing had been done, till afterward a pretty while; and it had been the eafieft thing in the world, in that narrow place, to have beaten back the enemy, had they been never so many, or at leaft to have defended themselves. But the disorder and confufion was fo < great, the truth is, no man can tell what was done, nor no account can be given how any man was lost, not the lieutenant-colonel how his colonel, or lieutenant how his captain, or any one man knows how another was loft, which is a fign that things were very ill carried. This only every man knows, that fince England was England, it received not so dishonourable

' a blow.

(b) Strafforde's letpatches, vol.

ters and dif

i. p. 41. See alfo Rohan's memoirs,

iffue: nor can any be totally ignorant of the poor

a blow. Four colonels loft, thirty-two colours in the enemy's poffeffion (but more loft), God knows how many men flain; they fay not above two thousand of our fide, and, I think, not one of the enemy's (b)." This was, indeed, miferable fuccefs! But what better Could be expected from a man of Buckingham's turn of mind? What better from a man ignorant in arts and arms, and who was too haughty to follow the advice of those who were well verfed in affairs, and capable of p. 148-152. Conducting them to advantage? But the defeat of Buckingham was not the worst consequence of this war: for Rochelle, which at firft was unwilling to admit the duke of Buckingham, being perfuaded by Rohan and Soubize, the proteftant chiefs, declared for the English; and, in confequence thereof, endured a fiege (in which it under(c) See went hardfhips unparalleled in (c) modern ftory, except Cabala, p. thofe of Isfahan in the year 1722) which terminated in the ruin of its rights, privileges, and power, and wholly subjected the proteftants to the will of the French court; for the fuccours fent them from England were useless and unprofitable. Our fleet and troops being gone, the French king ⚫ closely blocked up the Rochellers, who yet had fome de⚫pendence upon the duke of Buckingham; for he promifed ❝ them to return to their affiftance: and tho' he did not go

272.

in perfon, a fleet of about fifty fail were fitted out, under "the command of the earl of Denbigh, who fet fail therewith from Plimouth the 17th of April, 1628, and came to an anchor in the road of Rochelle the 1ft of May. Before the harbour's mouth he found twenty of the French king's fhips, to which he was fuperior in ftrength, and fent word into the town, that he would fink them as foon as the winds and tide would permit ; but being on the 8th of May favoured both by one and the other, and the Rochellers expecting he would do what he had promised, he, without attempting it, returned to Plimouth the 26th, which caused no small murmurings and jealoufies in England. A third fleet was prepared for the relief of Rochelle, to be com• manded

poor figure our fleets made, when sent to

the

ry, P. 378.

<manded by the duke himself, the town being then reduced to the laft extremities; but he being, on the • 23d of Auguft, ftabbed at Portsmouth, by one Felton, a • difcontented officer, the earl of Lindsey was appointed to command it, and fet fail the 8th of September. The fhips were but ill supplied with ftores and provifions; ⚫ and coming before Rochelle, they found no French navy 6 to oppose them, but a very ftrong barricado across the "entry of the port, to force which many brave attempts 6 were made, but in vain; fo that the Rochellers being thus diftreffed, and in defpair, implored the French king's mercy, and furrendered on the 18th of October; foon aftter which a peace enfued between the two crowns, and the proteftants were glad to submit to any terms, with the bare toleration of their religion (d).' (d)Burchet's What a poor figure did the English make in this war! naval hiftoHow much fallen was the from her old glory! The king History of drew in the French proteftants to the war; he follicited the edict of and encouraged them to feize the opportunity for the Nantz, vol. reftoration to their rights and privileges, which then of-i. P. 4433 fered itself; he declared he would hazard all his king- 1694. doms, and his own person too, in fo juft a war, to ⚫ which he found himself obliged both by confcience and honour, and that he would not liften to any treaty but (c) Rohan's • jointly with them (e).' But,' fays the noble author, upon the (who bore fo great a part in this war) the affiftance the troubles in town of Rochelle had from England, ferved only to con- France, at fume their provifions, and draw a famine on the his memoirs. city (f). And in another place he obferves, that (f) Memoirs, peace with England being made, the French king turned P. 224. his whole force against the proteftants (g); fo that, to (g) Difcourfe prevent their deftruction, he [Rohan] was forced to accept on the of a disadvantageous peace. For 'tis most certain, that France, p. Charles deferted the proteftants in the war in which he 53. had engaged them, and obtained a peace for himself, which redounded no ways to his honour. Let us hear a writer eminent in the republic of letters. King Charles, fays he, after a great deal of trouble and vaft expences,

was

p.

4to. Lond.

difcourfe

the end of

troubles of

the relief of Rochelle; which in fpight of their

was obliged to make application to the French, by the Venetians, to obtain a difadvantageous peace, which ← drew upon him the contempt of ftrangers as well as of his own fubjects. He had endeavoured to accommodate matters with Lewis XIII. whilft he was before Rochelle, by mediation of the ambaffadors of the king ' of Denmark and the States General of the United Provinces: but anfwer was given to their ambaffadors, that if they had power from the king of England to ask a peace for him, and to offer fuch fatisfactions as he < ought to make to France to obtain it, a negotiation 'fhould be entered into with them, but no otherwise. So brifk an answer plainly fhewed, that Charles was but little feared, and that he must be forced in the end to come to what France demanded. He promised, by the treaty, to confirm the articles of the contract of the queen's marriage, which he had fo many times broken and accepted with fo much meannefs, and which, if there was any thing to be altered for the fervice of the queen, was to be done with the confent of both crowns. The treaty was figned the 24th of April, 1629, by • Ludovico Contarini, and Zorzo Zorzi, the ambassadors (b) Life of of Venice, who were empowered from England (h).'— Thus, fays the baron Puffendorf, ended a war against two kings [of France and Spain], whofe joint forces Lond. 1695. Charles was not able to cope with; by which he gained nothing but difreputation, and the diffatisfaction and refentment of his people, and an incredible fum of (i) Introduc-debts into the bargain (i). In fhort, his majesty came with fo little reputation out of this war with France, that his minifter fent there (to carry his ratification of Lond. 1706. the peace, and to receive the oath of the French king to

Richlieu,

vol. i. p. 312, 8vo.

tion to the

hiftory, P. 143, 8vo.

6

the observance of it) was derided to his face, as we learn from the following paffage in one of Howel's letters:Mr. controler fir Thomas Edmonds is lately returned from France, having renewed the peace which was 'made up to his hands before by the Venetian ambassadors, who had much laboured in it, and had concluded

their efforts was taken, and the power of the proteftants in that kingdom thereby greatly weakened. After which Charles foon follicited a peace, which he procured by abandoning those whom he had drawn into the war, and submitting to the terms which Richlieu, in the name of his master, demanded. After fuch ill conduct and difgrace, we may well imagine the power of Charles was not much dreaded by his neighbours. This he foon found: for the neutrality of his ports was violated both by the Spaniards and Dutch (GG); his fubjects in

fulted

all things beyond the Alps, when the king of France was at Sufa to relieve Cafal. The mounfieur that was to fetch him from St. Denis to Paris, put a kind of jeering compliment upon him, viz. That his excellency fhould not think it strange, that he had fo few • French gentlemen to attend in this fervice to accom-, pany him to the court, in regard there were fo many • killed in the ifle of Rhee. The marquis of Chafteau-neuf is here from France, and it was an odd fpeech also ⚫ from him, reflecting upon Mr. controler, "That the "king of Great Britain used to fend for his ambassadors "from abroad to pluck capons at home (k)." Thefe (*) Howel's jests must have cut to the quick, had Charles been a man letters, p. of fenfibility. But it appears not that he was touched 210. with them, or had any refentment of them.

(GG) The neutrality of his ports was violated both by the Spaniards and Dutch.] Tho' enemies may be attacked or flain on our own ground, or our enemies on the fea, yet it is not lawful to affault, kill, or fpoil him in C a haven or peaceable port; but that proceeds not from their perfons, but from his right, fays Molloy, who hath < empire there; for civil focieties have provided, that no • force