It may not be improper to add, that these papers came to the Publisher's hands, from the gentlemen at whose request they were written: and to whom Sir Thomas Morgan confirmed every paragraph of them, as they were read over, at the time he delivered them, to him; which, besides the unaffected plainness of the style, may be urged for the credit of the narrative, since Sir Thomas was entitled to so much true reputation, that he had no need to grasp at any that was false.
January 24, 1698 [i.e., 1699].
A true and just
RELATION
of
Major-General Sir Thomas Morgan's
PROGRESS
in
France and Flanders
with the
Six Thousand English,
in the years 1657 and 1658.
The French King, and his Eminence the Cardinal Mazarin came to view the Six Thousand English, near Charleroi; and ordered Major-General Morgan with the said Six Thousand English, to march and make conjunction with Marshal Turenne's army: who, soon after the conjunction, beleaguered a town called St. Venant, on the borders of Flanders.
Marshal Turenne having invested the town on the east side, and Major-General Morgan with his Six Thousand English and a Brigade of French Horse on the west; the army encamped betwixt Marshal Turenne's approaches [lines or parallels] and Major-General Morgan's. And being to relieve Count Schomberg out of the approaches of the west side of the town, Major-General Morgan marched into the approaches, with 800 English. The English, at that time, being strangers in approaches, Major-General Morgan instructed the Officers and soldiers to take their place, by fifties; that thereby they might relieve the Point, to carry on the approaches, every hour.
In the meantime, whilst we besieged the town; the enemy had beleaguered a town called Ardres [p. [183]], within five miles of Calais.
In the evening, Count Schomberg, with six Noblemen, came to the Point, to see how Major-General Morgan carried on his approaches; but there happened a little confusion, by the soldiers intermingling themselves in the approaches, so as there was never an entire fifty, to be called to the Point.