upon the Clergy, then the secular Power: Therefore I do not see how Spain can be call'd a poore Countrey, considering the revenues aforesaid of Princes and Prelates; nor is it so thin of people as the world makes it, and one reason may be that there are sixteen Universities in Spain, and in one of these there were fifteen thousand Students at one time when I was there, I mean Salamanca, and in this Village of Madrid (for the King of Spain cannot keep his constant court in any City) there are ordinarily 600000. souls. 'Tis true that the colonizing of the Indies, and the wars of Flanders have much draind this Countrey of people: Since the expulsion of the Moors, it is also grown thinner, and not so full of corn; for those Moors would grub up wheat out of the very tops of the Craggy hills, yet they us'd another grain for their bread, so that the Spaniard had nought else to do but go with his Asse to the market, and buy corn of the Moors. There liv'd here also in times past a great number of Jews, till they were expelld by Ferdinand, and as I have read in an old Spanish Legend, the cause was this: The King had a young Prince to his son, who was us'd to play with a Jewish Doctor that was about the Court, who had a ball of gold in a string hanging down his brest; the little Prince one day snatcht away the said gold ball, and carried it to the next room; the ball being hollow, opend, and within there was painted our Saviour kissing a Jews tail: Hereupon they were all suddenly disterr'd and exterminated, yet I beleeve in Portugall there lurks yet good store of them. For the soyl of Spain, the fruitfulnesse of their vallies recompences the sterility of their hills, corn is their greatest want, and want of rain is the cause of that, which makes them have need of their neighbours; yet as much as Spain bears is passing good, and so is everything else for the quality, nor hath any one a better horse under him, a better cloak on his back, a better sword by his side, better shooes on his feet, then the Spaniard, nor doth any drink better wine, or eat better fruit then he, nor flesh for the quantity. Touching the people, the Spaniard looks as high, though not so big as a German, his excesse is in too much gravity, which some who know him not well, hold to be a pride; he cares not how little he labors, for poor Gascons and Morisco slaves do most of his work in field and vineyards; he can endure much in the war, yet he loves not to fight in the dark, but in open day, or upon a stage, that all the world might be witnesses of his valour, so that you shall seldom hear of Spaniards employed in night service; nor shall one heare of a duel here in an age: He hath one good quality, that he is wonderfully obedient to government: for the proudest Don of Spain when he is prancing upon his ginet in the streets, if an Alguazil (a Sargeant) shew him his Vare, that is a little white staffe he carrieth as badge of his Office, my Don will down presently off his horse, and yeeld himself his prisoner. He hath another commendable quality, that when he giveth almes, he pulls of his hat, and puts it in the beggars hand with a great deal of humulity. His gravity is much lessned since the late Proclamation came out against ruffs, and the King himself shewd the first example; they were com to that height of exces herein, that twenty shillings were us'd to be paid for starching of a ruff and som, though perhaps he had never a shirt to his back, yet would he have a toting huge swelling ruff about his neck. He is sparing in his Ordinary diet, but when he makes a Feast he is free and bountifull. As to temporall authority, specially Martiall, so is he very obedient to the Church, and beleevs all with an implicit faith: He is a great servant of Ladies, nor can he be blam'd, for as I said before he comes of a Gotish race; yet he never brags of, nor blazes abroad his doings that way, but is exceedingly carefull of the repute of any woman (a civility that we much want in England). He will speak high words of Don Philippo his King, but will not endure a stranger should do so I have heard a Biscayner make a Rodomontado, that he was as good a Gentleman as Don Philippo himself, for Don Philippo was half a Spaniard, half a German, half an Italian, half a Frenchman, half I know not what, but he was a pure Biscayner without mixture. The Spaniard is not so smooth and oyly in his complement, as the Italian, and though he will make strong protestations, yet he will not swear out Complements like the French and English, as I heard when my Lord of Carlile was Ambassador in France, there came a great Monsieur to see him, and having a long time banded, and sworn Complements one to another who should go first out at a dore, at last my Lord of Carlile said, "O Monseigneur ayez pitie de mon ame (O my Lord, have pity upon my soul). The Spaniard is generally given to gaming, and that in excesse; he will say his prayers before, and if he win, he will thank God for his good fortune after; their common game at cards (for they very seldom play at dice) is Primera, at which the King never shows his game, but throws his cards with their faces down on the table: He is Merchant of all the cards and dice through all the Kingdom, he hath them made for a penny a pair, and he retails them for twelve pence; so that 'tis thought he hath 300007. a year by this trick at cards. The Spaniard is very devout in his way, for I have seen him kneel in the very dirt when the Ave Mary bel rings: and some if they spy two straws or sticks lie crossewise in the street, they will take them up and kisse them, and lay them down again. He walks as if he marcht, and seldome looks on the ground, as if he contemnd it. I was told of a Spaniard who having got a fall by a stumble and broke his nose, rise up, and in a disdainfull manner said, "Voto a tal esto es caminar por la tierra” (This is to walk upon earth). The Labradors and Countrey Swains here are sturdy and rationall men, nothing so simple or servile as the French Peasan, who is born in chains. "Tis true, the Spaniard is not so conversable as other Nations; (unlesse he hath traveld) els is he like Mars among the Planets, impatient of Conjunction: nor is he so free in his gifts and rewards as the last Summer it hapned that Count Condamar with Sir Francis Cotington went to see a curious house of the Constable of Castiles, which had been newly built here; the keeper of the house was very officious to shew him every room with the garden, grotha's, and aqueducts, and presented him with some fruits; Gondamar having bin a long time in the House, coming out, put many Complements of thanks upon the man, and so was going away, Sir Francis whispered him in the eare and asked him whether he would give the man any thing that took such pains: "Oh," quoth Gondamar, "well remembered, Don Francisco, have you ever a double pistoll about you? if you have, you may give it him, and then you pay him after the English manner, I have paid him already after the Spanish." The Spaniard is much improv'd in policy since he took footing in Italy, and there is no Nation agrees with him better. I will conclude this Character with a saying that he hath : No ay Whereunto a Frenchman answered: Dizes la verdad y tienes razon, El uno es puto, el otro ladron. Englished thus: — Beneath the Sun ther's no such man The Frenchman answers: Thou tell'st the truth, and reason hast, The first's a Theef, a Buggerer the last. Touching their women, nature hath made a more visible distinction twixt the two sexes here, then else where; for the men for the most part are swarthy and rough, but the women are made of a far finer mould, they are commonly little; and whereas there is a saying that to make a compleat woman, let her be English to the neck, French to the wast, and Dutch below; I may adde for hands and feet let her be Spanish, for they have the least of any. They have another saying, a Frenchwoman in a dance, a Dutchwoman in the kitchin, an Italian in a window, an Englishwoman at board, and the Spanish abed. When they are maried they have a priviledge to wear high shooes, and to paint, which is generally practised here, and the Queen useth it her self. They are coy enough, but not so froward as our English, for if a Lady goe along the street, (and all women going here vaild and their habit so generally like, one can hardly distinguish a Countesse from a coblers wife) if one should cast out an odde ill sounding word, and aske her a favor, she will not take it ill, but put it off and answer you with some witty retort. After 30. they are commonly past child-bearing, and I have seen women in England look as youthfull at 50. as here at 25. Money will do miracles here in purchasing the favor of Ladies, or anything els, though this be the Countrey of money, for it furnisheth well-near all the world besides, yea their very enemies, as the Turk and Hollander; insomuch that one may say the Coyn of Spain is as Catholic as her King. Yet though he be the greatest King of gold and silver Mines in the world, (I think) yet the common currant Coyn here is copper, and herein I beleeve the Hollander hath done him more mischief by counterfeiting his copper coins, then by their arms, bringing it in by strange surreptitious wayes, as in hollow sows of tin and lead, hollow masts, in pitch buckets under water and other wayes. But I fear to be injurious to this great King to speak of him in so narrow a compasse, a great King indeed, though the French in a slighting way compare his Monarchy to a Beggars cloak made up of patches; they are patches indeed, but such as he hath not the like: The East Indies is a patch embroyderd with Pearl, Rubies, and Diamonds: Peru is a patch embroyderd with massy gold, Mexico with silver, Naples & Milan are patches of cloth of Tissue, and if these patches were in one peece, what would become of his cloak embroyderd with Flower deluces? So desiring your Lopp. to pardon this poor imperfect paper, considering the high quality of the subject, I rest Your Lopps. most humble Servitor, J. H. MEMOIRS OF THE LORD VISCOUNT DUNDEE. [JOHN GRAHAM of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, was born about 1649; educated at St. Andrews; was a soldier under Turenne, William of Orange, and Montrose; became one of Charles II.'s most active agents in putting down the Covenanters; was colonel, sheriff, and privy councilor; in 1688 adhered to James II.'s cause, and on July 27, 1689, was killed in the moment of victory at the battle in the pass of Killiecrankie.] [The heroes of this immortal adventure were the officers who served under King James for Dundee in 1689. Disbanded after Dundee's death at Killiecrankie, they formed a regiment in French service. Most of them were Lowlanders.] IN February, 1695, the Company of Officers and the other two marched from Silistad to Old Brisac, whence the Company of Officers were sent to Fort Cadette in the Rhine, where they lay one Year and four Months: Thence they marched to Strasburg, and in December, 1697, General Stirk appeared with 16000 Men on the other side of the Rhine, which obliged the Marquess de Sell to draw out all the Garisons in Alsace, who made up about 4000 Men, and he encamp'd on the other side of the Rhine, over against General Stirk, to prevent his passing the Rhine, and carrying a Bridge over into an Island in the middle of the Rhine, which the French foresaw would be of great prejudice to them, and that the Enemies Guns planted on that Island would extremely gall their Camp, which they could not hinder for the deepness of the Water, and their wanting of Boats, for which the Marquis quickly sent, but coming too late, the Germans had carry'd a Bridge over into the Island, where they |