Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A39628
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Five new letters from Ostend, sent by some English soldiers which were in the late battel before Mons, to their friends in London
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I. D.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing F1115; ESTC R18290
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3,037
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9
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FIVE New Letters FROM OSTEND Sent by some English Soldiers Which were in the late BATTEL BEFORE MONS To their Friends in London With Allowance LONDON Printed for D. M. 1678. Letters from OSTEND LETTER I. To the Dear Mrs. A. N. living in Old-street THat ravenous Bullet my dear Nancie which robb'd me of my Left Hand was yet merciful in its choice that it spar'd me my Right one to write you of the Misfortune yet it 's well it mist my Heart since your fair Idea is so deeply imprinted therein that it would have been not only guilty of depriving me of Breath but of that much more cruel and Sacrilegious Fact of destroying you in Effigie In the heat of Battel the Martial noise of Drum and Trumpets Chorus'd with the dreadful shreiks of dying Men could not drive you out of my Memory but on the contrary the hopes of that undisturbed happiness I shall injoy when I shall graspe you in my Arms fir'd me to do Actions worthy so incomparable a felicity Should I hear that you were too lavish of your Tears at the news of my Wound the tidings of your grief would trouble me more than either my pain or misfortune but to prevent that watrie tribute which I am confident your affectionate Heart will be too prone to exact from your fair eyes I do assure you the Surgeon does not doubt of my Recovery I am at present in good temper of Body and do enjoy in common with the rest of the Wounded Men here about me all things fit for persons in our condition so that I doubt not but to live to tell you what dangers I have been in and what more I would willingly imbrace to be esteemed as indeed I am The most faithful c. of your Servants I. D. LETTER II. I Doubt not dearest Betty but you have heard of the late Ingagement but could you imagine what danger I was in you would either have concluded you should never hear from me again or if you did that I must have dated my Letter from the Grave I know not what our Ghosts do or where they inhabit after Death but sure I am if they retain any tincture of our Souls whilst we live mine would sometime or other have been so kind as to whisper you in the ear that I dyed yours Your fair form ever since I had the first blessing to behold it fill'd my Amorous Breast so full of Love that there has never since been any room or vacuity left for the re-acception of any other passion This I but lately experienced for a truth for although it was my fortune to be placed in the midst of this obstinate Rencounter where I might easily behold all the dismal effects of a Bloody Battel wherein all the circumstances of Horror and Amazement were drawn to the Life and I my self one of the busie Agents to make it more terrible yet neither the consideration of my own danger nor a compassion of my fellow-creatures misery could work in my replenisht Breast the least propensity either to fear or pitty so full was I of you that methought every Man I saw was your Enemy and I only stood in your Vindication this imagination whetted my Sword and poysoned my Bullets against the Enemy so that in effect I fought for you as the dearest pledge in the World I invokt you as my Saint I prayed to you and in fine was either delivered by you or for you in hopes of the latter Yours or Deaths R. W. LETTER III. To Mrs. H. L. in White-chappel THe Affection dear Hannah you ever doubted is now come to the test and by good fortune I have lighted on your Brother to do me this favour of writing you my Condition He assures me also to acquaint you that Heaven and you are the two last things I shall think of in this world and indeed I do not know but this very thought wherewith I instruct him what I would have you know will be my last it being my good fortune for since your cruel denial you know I never coveted to live in the beginning of this Engagement to be shot off by a Cannon-bullet almost in the middle my Intrals are not onely discernable but some of them broken so that I am in continual expectation that friendly Death will now quickly rid you of that wretched Creature whom you never thought worthy your Esteem Ah my dear Mistriss could Passion compound for an Estate or might an entire Affection have been thought sterling I had certainly been the richest man in the world I was indeed a Miser in Love my Heart was the Coffer and with a greedy ambition if it were possible I too much Idoliz'd the Treasure I hid therein Envy me not my presumption in adoring you since my inpropitious Stars have on your side espoused the Affront and sufficiently revenged my sacrilegious Attempt yet since my Crime was onely Love and that so pure that Angels might own it without giving the least blot to their more-refined Conversations since I say my Crime was onely LOVE let your Hatred die with me Pursue not your Cruelty to the Grave nor let your potent Frowns disturb my melancholy Perambulations in the other world where if when your happy days shall be expir'd it shall be my fortune to meet you I will tell you so sad a story of my former Affection that Hero shall weep and Leander be asham'd that they could not love like Your Dying Servant M. S. LETTER IV. For Mrs. J. F. in Golden-lane WHen I had escaped the danger I was in by our engaging the French before Mons I could not my dear Jenny with whom I have ever wasted my most happy minutes and in whose retentive Bosom I have often lodged with good success my most important secrets but hold my self obliged both by the Laws of Love and Friendship to give you information of my safety 'T is true at first when I saw both sides draw up into Battalia I quarrel'd with my self that I could not shake off some little fear which in spite of all my resolution crept into my thoughts at the apprehension of those dismal effects which must needs be the result of so desperate a Detachment 'T was then I turned my Face homewards and with a deep Sigh and heavy Heart gave thee a lowd Farewel which I had hardly done before the Martial sound of War called us to Battle ar which as if I had been in a Trance before a native rage fled through my English-blood and quite disperst those timorous thoughts which plagued my breast before I shall forbear the particulars of that great Action because I question not but you have heard them ere this I shall onely therefore acquaint you that our English according to their old custome behaved themselves to admiration That R. B. and T. M. had the honour to die in the field of Honour Your truely loving Friend and Servant I. C. LETTER V. To E. W. in St. Giles's in the Fields THou know'st honest Comrade I ever had a strange curiosity to be some petty Actor in a remarkable Fight Methought the discreet ordering of an Army the expert drawing up of several men and they of divers Nations and Languages into Battalia and making them capable of obedience under the same words of Command the glittering of Swords the clangor of Trumpets the noise of Drums the shouts of the Victorious the shreiks of the Oppressed the neighing of Horses the roaring of Cannon the clattering of Musquets the flourishing of Colours and a thousand other remarkables which must needs happen in those fatal Conjunctures were objects too glorious for a common eye And therefore I had a great desire to be an Agent in the Debate betwixt us the French on the 14 instant where I beheld all and more than I could imagine before and trust me honest Ned it did me good to see it so bravely disputed on both sides but especially to behold my Country-men under the Command of our never-enough-to-be-celebrated General doing wonders and like Bulworks under showers of Bullets which rained on them from all sides To see whole heaps of the slaughtered on both sides lying hudled together whilst their blushing Blood as if ashamed of their lifeless Trunks in the heat of action collected into Rivulets and silently glided through the busie Army I could write thee Miracles but want leisure at present Know then that D. T. was wounded and R. H. killed in the Battle and that I continue as I ever was Thy true Friend c. L. S. FINIS