tremely pleased with that potentate's promifes of obferving a ftrict neutrality. But to carry on the deceit fill farther, he entreated, that as the elector's troops were totally unneceffary, in confequence of his pacific difpofition, that he would difband them for the prefent, as he could not possibly have any occafion for their fervices. This was a propofal the elector neither expected, nor was willing to comply with. He rejected the request with dildain; and the king, who probably made it to be refufed, refolved to turn the occurrence to his own advantage. Such was the fituation of the Saxon camp, that though a fmall army could defend it against the most numerous forces, yet the fame difficulty attended the quitting it, that impeded the enemy from forming it. Of this therefore, his Pruffian majefty took the advantage; and by blocking up every avenue of egrefs, he cut off the provifions of the Saxon army, and the whole body was foon reduced to capitulate. He took care to incorporate the common foldiers into his own army; and the officers who refufed to ferve under him, he made prifoners of war. The king of Pruffia thus launched into a tumult of war, with all the most potent states of Europe against him, and England only in alliance, went forward with a vigour that exceeded what history can fhew, and that may be incredible to pofterity, King only of a very small territory, and affifted by an ally, whofe fituation was too remote to give him any confiderable fuccours, attacked and furrounded by his enemies, he ftill oppofed them on every fide, invades Bohemia, defeats the Auftrian general at Lowofcutch, retreats, begins his fecond campaign with another victory near Prague, is upon the point of taking that city, but by a temerity infpired by fuccefs, fuffers a defeat at Kolin. Still, however, unconquered, " Fortune, faid he, has L 4 " turned "turned her back upon me this day. I ought to "have expected it. She is a female, and I am no "gallant. Succefs often occafions a destructive "confidence. Another time we will do better." We have inftances of thoufands who gained battles; but no general ever before him acknowledged his errors, except Cæfar. What the king faid of the inftability of fortune fhortly began to appear; and the feemed totally to have turned her back upon him. One difafter followed upon the back of another. The Hanoverians, who were joined with him by his treaty with England, had armed in his favour, and commanded by the duke of Cumberland, who appeared, from the beginning, fenfible of the infufficiency of his troops to face the enemy, by whom he was greatly out-numbered. He was driven beyond the Wefer, the paffage of which might have been difputed with fome fuccefs, yet the French were permitted to pafs it unmoleited. The Hanoverian army, therefore, was now driven from one part of the country to another, till at length it made a ftand near a village called the Haftenback, where it was hoped the numbers of the enemy would have the leaft opportunity of coming to a general action. However, the weaker army was ftill obliged to retire; and after a feeble effort left the field of battle to the French, who were not remifs in urging. the purfuit. The Hanoverian army retired towards Stalde, by which means they marched into a country, from whence they could neither procure provifions nor yet attack the enemy with hopes of fuccefs. Unable, therefore, by their fituation to efcape, or by their ftrength to advance, they were compelled to fign a capitulation, by which the whole body laid down their arms, and were dif perfed into different quarters of cantonment. By this remarkable capitulation, which was called the treaty treaty of Clofter Seven, Hanover was obliged to fubmit peaceably to the French who now were determined to turn upon the king of Pruffia with undiminished forces. The fituation of this monarch was become defperate, nor could human forefight difcover how he could extricate himself from his difficulties. The French forces now united invaded his dominions on one fide, commanded by marshal Broglio. The Ruffians, who for fome time had hovered over the empire, under the conduct of general Apraxin, all at once haftened onward to overwhelm him, marking their way with flaughter and cruelty. A large body of Auftrians entered Silefia; and penetrating as far as Breslau, turned to the ftrong fortrefs of Schweidnitz, which, after an obftinate defence, they obliged to furrender. Another army of the fame power entered Lufatia, made themfelves matter of Zittau; and, preffing forwards, laid the capital of Berlin under contribution. On another quarter a body of twenty two thousand Swedes pierced into Pruffian Pomerania, took the towns of Anclam and Demmein, and exacted tribute from the whole country. In this multitude of invaders, it was in vain that the king of Pruffa faced about to every incurfion, though his enemies fled before him; while he purfued one body, another penetrated from behind, and even while he was victorious his territories were every day diminishing. The greatest part of his dominions were laid under contribution, most of his strongest cities were taken, and he had no refources but in the generofity of a British parliament, The fuccours of the English could be of very little advantage to him, particularly as the Hanoverians were reftrained by treaty from acting in his favour. The miniftry, however, conscious that fomething fomething should be done, planned an enterprize against the coafts, of France, which by caufing a diverfion in that part of the kingdom, would draw off the attention of the enemy from Pruffia, and give that monarch time to refpire. Befides this intention, England alfo hoped to give a blow to their marine, by deftroying fuch fhips as were building, or were laid up in the harbour of Rochford, against which city their operations were principally intended. The English miniftry kept the object of the enterprize a profound fecret; and France was for fome time filled with apprehenfions, till at length the fleet appeared before Rochford, where the commanders pent fome time in deliberating how to proceed. After fome conful-tation, it was determined to fecure the little ifland of Aix, an easy conqueft, and of no benefit to the invaders. In the mean time the militia of the country, recovering from their confternation, had leifure to affemble, and there was the appearance of two camps upon fhoe. The commanders, therefore, who from the badnefs of the weather, were prevented from landing, now began to fear greater danger from the enemy on land. They took into confideration the badness of the coast, the danger of landing, the time the city had been preparing for a vigorous defence, and their own unfitnefs to reduce it by any other means but a fudden attack. This confideration induced them to desist from further operations; and they unanimously resolved to return home without making any effort. From this, expedition, therefore, the king of Pruffia reaped but very little advantage; and the defpondence among the English was fo great, that the miniftry had thoughts of giving up his cause entirely. It was fuppofed that no military efforts could fave him; and that the only hope remaining was « tune. was to make the beft terms poffible for him with his victorious enemies. The king of England was actually meditating a negotiation of this nature, when his diftreffed ally expoftulated with him to the following purpose. " Is it poffible that your "majefty can have fo little fortitude and conftancy as to be difpirited by a small reverse of forAre our affairs fo ruinous that they can"not be repaired? Confider the ftep you have "made me undertake, and remember you are the "caufe of all my misfortunes. I fhould never "have abandoned my former alliance, but for "your flattering affurances. I do not now repent "of the treaty concluded between us; but I en"treat that you will not ingloriously leave me at "the mercy of my enemies, after having brought upon me all the powers of Europe.' In this terrible fituation, England refolved, more from motives of generofity, than of intereft to support his declining caufe; and fuccefs that had for a long time fled his arms, once more began to return with double fplendour. The efforts of the parliament only rofe by defeat; and every refoutcé feemed to augment with multiplied difappointment. T CHAP. L. GEORGE II. (Continued.). HE Eaft was the quarter on which fuccefs firft began to dawn upon the British arms. The war in our Afiatic territories had never been wholly fufpended. It was carried on at first by both nations, under the colour of lending affiftance to the contending chiefs of the country, but the allies foon became the principals in the contention. This war at firft, and for a long time after the treaty |