The proceedings in the Netherlands were as unfavourable to the English arms as their most fanguine enemies could defire. The French had affembled a formidable army of one hundred and twenty thousand men, the chief command of which was given to count Saxe, natural fon to the late king of Poland, and who had long been a foldier of fortune. He had been bred from his youth in camps, and had fhewn very early inftances of cool intrepidity. He had in the beginning of the war offered his fervices to feveral crowns; and among others, it is faid to the king of Great Britain; but his offers were rejected. By long habit this general had learned to preserve an equal compofure in the midst of battle, and feemed as ferene in the thickest fire, as in the drawing room at court. To oppose this great general, the English were headed by the duke of Cumberland, who neither poffeffed fuch talents for war, nor was able to bring fuch a formidable body of men into the field.

The French, therefore, bore down all before them. They befieged Fribourg, and in the beginning of the fucceeding campaign invefted the itrong city of Tournay. Altho' the allies were inferior in number, and although commanded by the duke of Cumberland, yet they refolved, if poffible, to fave this city by hazarding a battle. They accordingly marched against the enemy, and took poft in fight of the French, who were en-camped on an eminence, the village of St. Antoine on the right, a wood on the left, and the town of Fontenoy before them. This advantageous fituation did not reprefs the ardour of the English, who began the attack at two o'clock in the morning, and preffing forward bore down all oppofition. They were for near an hour victorious, and confident of fuccefs, while Saxe, who commanded the enemy, was at that time fick of the fame dif

order

order of which he afterwards died. However he was carried about to all the pofts in a litter, and affured his attendants that, notwithstanding all unfavourable appearances, the day was his own. A column of the English, without any command, but by mere mechanical courage, had advanced upon the enemies lines, which opening, formed an avenue on each fide to receive them. It was then that the French artillery on three fides began to play upon this forlorn body, which, though they continued for a long time unshaken, were obliged at laft to retreat about three in the afternoon. This was one of the most bloody battles that had been fought in this age; the allies left on the field of battle near twelve thousand men, and the French bought their victory with near an equal number of flain.

This blow, by which Tournay was taken by the French, gave them fuch a manifeft fuperiority all the reft of the campaign, that they kept the fruits of their victory during the whole continuance of the war. The duke of Bavaria, whom they had made emperor under the title of Charles the feventh, was lately dead; but though his pretenfions were the original caufe of the war, that by no means was difcontinued at his decease. The grand duke of Tuscany, husband to the queen of Hungary, was declared emperor in his room; and though the original caufe of the quarrel was no more, the diffenfions ftill continued as fierce as

ever.

But though bad fuccefs attended the

A. D. British arms by land and fea, yet these 1745 being diftant evils, the English feemed only to complain from honourable motives, and murmured at diftreffes, of which they had but a very remote profpećt. A civil war was now going to be kindled in their own dominions, which

mixed terrors with their complaints; and which while it encreased their perplexities, only cemented their union. The intended French invasion had rouzed all the attention of the people, and nothing breathed throughout the whole kingdom but the deftruction of a popish pretender, affifted by French counfels and arms. The difappointment of that expedition ferved to encrease the hatred of the people against the pretender ftill more, as it fhewed that he was willing to be made a king, even by the open enemies of his country. The people, therefore, were never fo ill difpofed to receive him, as at the very time he pitched upon to make a defcent.

The miniftry was by this time changed, the lords Harrington, Chesterfield, and Mr. Pelham, being placed at the head of affairs; thefe enjoyed fome fhare of popularity, and the operations of war were no longer thwarted by a turbulent oppofition. The admirals Rowley and Warren had retrieved the honour of the British flag, and made feveral rich captures at fea. The fortrefs of Louisburgh, in the island of Cape Breton, on the coafts of North America, a place of great confequence to the British commerce, furrendered to general Peperell, while a fhort time after two French East India fhips, and a Spanifh fhip from Peru, laden with treafure, put into the harbour, fuppofing it fill their own, and were taken.

It was at this period of returning fuccefs, that the fon of the old pretender refolved to make an effort for gaining the British crown. Charles Edward, the adventurer in question, had been bred in a luxurious court, without partaking in its effeminacy. He was enterprizing and ambitious; but either from inexperience, or natural inability, utterly unequal to the bold undertaking. He was long flattered by the rafh, the fuperftitious, and the

needy;

needy; he was taught to believe that the kingdom was ripe for a revolt, and that it could no longer bear the immenfe load of taxes with which it was burdened.

Being now, therefore, furnished with fome money, and with still larger promifes from France, who fanned his ambition, he embarked for Scotland on board a small frigate, accompanied by the marquis of Tullibardine, Sir Thomas Sheridan, and a few other desperate adventurers. Thus, for the conqueft of the whole British empire, he only brought with him feven officers, and arms for two thousand men.

Fortune, which ever perfecuted his family, feemed no way more favourable to him; for his convoy, a fhip of fixty guns, was fo difabled in an engagement with an English man of war, named the Lion, that it was obliged to return to Brest, while he continued his courfe to the Western parts of Scotland, and landing on the coaft of July 27. Lochaber, was in a little time joined by 1745 fome chiefs of the Highland clans, and their vaffals, over whom they exercised an hereditary jurifdiction. By means of these chiefs he foon faw himself at the head of fifteen hundred men, and invited others to join him by his mani-. feftoes, which were difperfed all over the kingdom..

The boldness of this enterprize aftonished all Europe. It awakened the fears of the pufillanimous, the ardour of the brave, and the pity of the wife. The whole kingdom feemed unanimously bent upon oppofing an enterprize, which they were fenfible, as being fupported by papifts, would be inftrumental in reftoring popery. The miniftry was no fooner confirmed in the account of his arrival, which at first they could be scarcely induced to credit, than Sir John Cope was fent with a fmall body of forces to oppofe his progrefs.

By

By this time the young adventurer was arrived at Perth, where the neceflary ceremony was performed of proclaiming his father, king of Great Britain. From thence, defcending with his forces from the mountains, they feemed to gather as they went forward; and advancing to Edinburgh, they entered the city without oppofition. There again the pageantry of proclamation was performed; and there he promised to diffolve the union, which: was confidered as one of the grievances of the country. However, the caftle of that city ftill held out, and he was unprovided with cannon to besiege it,

In the mean time, Sir John Cope, who had purfued the rebels through the Highlands, but had. declined meeting them in their defcent; being now reinforced by two regiments of dragoons, refolved: to march towards Edinburgh, and gave the enemy: battle. The young adventurer, whofe forces were: rather fuperior, though undifciplined, attacked him near Preston Pans, about twelve miles from the capital, and in a few minutes put him and his troops to flight. This victory, by which the king loft five hundred men, gave the rebels great influence; and had the pretender taken advantage of the general confternation, and, marched directly for England, the confequence might have been fatal to freedom. But he was amufed by the promise of fuccours which never came; and thus induced to remain in Edinburgh, to enjoy the triumphs of a trifling victory, and to be treated as a monarch. By this time his train was compofed of the earl of Kilmarnock, a man of defperate fortune, who had lately become difcontented with the court for withdrawing a penfion he was granted. Lord Balmerino, who had been an officer in the English fervice, but gave up his commiffion, in order to join the rebels. The lords, Cromarty,

Elcho,