Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A34296
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The Congress at The Hague
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C. W.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing C5843; ESTC R1457
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28,593
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80
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that without His generous Influence their best endeavours might possibly be rendered fruitless he could not but intreat His Majesty to continue in His Noble Fervency to animate the Confederates to second their Designs and to teach them to overcome by His Glorious Victories The King having answered him in short but solid terms so much becoming Majesty and so natural to Himself the Envoy retired with the same respect and observing the same Ceremonies as he did at his Entrance not turning his Back till he came out of His Majesty's sight To give you a List of the Persons of Quality Counts Barons Generals and others remarkable by some singular Merits that were at the Hague is more than I and I think any body else can do It seem'd His Majesty's Anti-Chambers at the Hague were made the general Rendezvous of all Illustrious Persons in Europe There was every Day seen some great Foreigner or other who by a brisk and wandering Look by short and frequent Embraces of some well-met Friends discovered that he was but lately arrived and though to ask his Neighbours who he was seemed to be an establisht importunity yet some great Prince or other passing through the Anti-Chamber and the courteous Multitude striving to give way he that was to give the Answer was lost in the Croud and with him the hopes of ever making an exact Catalogue Amongst the Generals there were remarkt two of the Imperial Army General Count Palfy and the Prince of Commercy The latter is a Prince of the House of Lorrain and Nephew to that great Man that was once alas the Terror of the Turks and French the Glory of the Germans and the Hopes and Delight of all the Confederates I think I have said enough to raise in your fancy a high Idea of his Character and indeed it cannot be beyond his merits He is in all respects worthy of that great Name Young and Gallant Generous and Brave and his Soul inhabits a Body answerable to its greatness He is very tall and yet well shap'd he wears his own Hair which as they are large enough to cover his Back and Shoulders so they leave a full view of his graceful Face His Steps are firm and such as those of Pompey when he made the World tremble His Look is strong vigorous and indeed somewhat like that of an Eagle insomuch that they that have the fortune to fight under this brisk General may in their Leader's Face discover the signs of the Imperial Banners As there were Great and Renowned Generals at the Hague so there was a simple Soldier a Soldier of Fortune amongst them that was too remarkable to be past over in silence I went once to dine at a French Ordinary where I found a great Company and amongst them a little Man in a Blue Coat with a large Golden Lace who at the Table was the only Man that entertained the Company He spoke of great Feats and Actions of many Thousands defeated by some few Hundreds of firing and killing of advancing and never retreating and one asking him some news of a certain Collonel of the French Army Him said he I have kill'd with my own Hands and another naming a French Lieutenant Colonel To him said he I gave Quarters I had strange Thoughts of this Man and some of them I confess were not to his advantage When the Company rising and the little Stranger going out of the Room I ask'd my Neighbour who that Terrible Gentleman was that had so little dined and so much spoken and I was surprized to hear him say that it was Monsieur Arnaud the Famous Minister of the Vaudois This was enough to correct the ill Opinion I had of his Discourse and to change it into a great eagerness to get into his Acquaintance and seeing him return into the Room I insensibly engaged him to tell me some Particulars of the surprising Actions of the Vaudois under his Conduct which he did then as I thought with great Reservedness and Modesty I being now perhaps as much pre-possess'd in his Favour as I was before against him After all he telling his Stories without a disguise and without modestly passing over his own Exploits did confirm the Truth of the Character that was given me of the Sincerity and Plainness of the Vaudois Courteous Breeding and a Nice Behaviour being their least quality Indeed future Ages will hardly believe that a simple Minister at the head of a handful of opprest and starved Wretches was not only capable dutifully to oppose the forced Cruelties of their own unwilling and dear Tyrant but to check the Power of Lewis the Fourteenth to defeat great numbers of his best Troops and to maintain his Soldiers his Countrymen his Friends his Brethren his Children his All in the grateful possession of their dear beloved Valleys He was now come to the Hague as Envoy from this wonderful People to prostrate himself at his Majesty's Royal Feet and to implore the continuance of his powerful Protection and assistance in order to make them more capable to fight for and to defend their good and gracious Master And 't is said that His Majesty in consideration of his great Service was pleas'd to make him a Colonel of one of the Regiments he design'd to send to his Royal Highness the Duke of Savoy's assistance And thus much of those Great and Illustrious Foreigners that were at the Hague I should now say something of His Majesties Court and those great Persons that did compose it if I were to write to any other Nation but the English They know them too well by reason of their great Birth Wealth and Merits to need to be told that they made a great Figure at the Hague and to name Norfolk Ormond Devonshire Dorset Nottingham Monmouth c. is to write an Elogy of the English Nobility And I do not question but some ingenious German or other will oblige his Countrey by writing about so great and splendid a Subject and the rather since I have seen many of them renowned for their Parts and Learning to be very industrious and inquisitive about the Particulars of these Noble Persons and it is from one of them that I had this following List The Duke of Norfolk Earl Marshal of England Knight of the Garter The Duke of Ormond Captain of a Troop of Guards Knight of the Garter The Duke of Schomberg Colonel of the First Regiment of the Guards The Earl of Nottingham His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State The Earl of Devonshire Lord Steward of His Majestiés Houshold Knight of the Garter The Earl of Dorset Lord Chamberlain of His Majesties Houshold The Earl of Portland Groom of the Stool The Earl of Monmouth Gentleman of his Majesties Bed-Chamber The Earl of Scarborough Captain of a Troop of Guards The Earl of Essex The Earl of Warwick The Bishop of London Mr. Wharton Comptroler of His Majesty's Houshold Sir Charles Cotterel Master of the Ceremonies Monsieur Overkerke Master of