for the great Zeal and Care they had taken to prevent the
Confederate Army from entring into _French Flanders_.

King _William_, thus disappointed in that noble Design, gave immediate
Orders for his whole Army to march through _Oudenard_, and then ecamp'd
at _Rofendale_; after some little Stay at that Camp we were remov'd to
the _Camerlins_, between _Newport_ and _Ostend_, once more to take our
Winter Quarters there among the Boors.

We were now in the Year 1695 when the strong Fortress of _Namur_, taken
by the _French_ in 1692 and since made by them much stronger, was
invested by the Earl of _Athlone_. After very many vigorous Attacks,
with the Loss of many Men, the Town was taken, the Garrison retiring
into the Castle. Into which soon after, notwithstanding all the
Circumspection of the Besiegers, Mareschal _Bouflers_ found means, with
some Dragoons, to throw himself.

While King _William_ was thus engag'd in that glorious and important
Siege, Prince _Vaudemont_ being posted at _Watergaem_, with about fifty
Battallions, and as many Squadrons, the Mareschal _Villeroy_ laid a
Design to attack him with the whole _French_ Army. The Prince imagin'd
no less, therefore he prepar'd accordingly, giving us Orders to fortify
our Camp, as well as the little time we had for it would permit. Those
Orders were pursu'd; nevertheless, I must confess, it was beyond the
Reach of my little Reason to account for our so long Stay in the Sight
of an Army so much superior to ours. The Prince in the Whole could
hardly muster thirty Thousand; and _Villeroy_ was known to value himself
upon having one Hundred Thousand effective Men. However, the Prince
provisionally sent away all our Baggage that very Morning to _Ghent_,
and still made shew as if he resolv'd to defend himself to the last
Extremity in our little Entrenchments. The enemy on their Side began to
surround us; and in their Motions for that Purpose, blew up little Bags
of Gun-powder, to give the readier Notice how far they had acomplish'd
it. Another Captain, with my self, being plac'd on the Right, with one
Hundred Men (where I found Monsieur _Montal_ endeavouring, if possible,
to get behind us) I could easily observe, they had so far attain'd their
Aim of encompassing us, as to the very Fashion of a Horse's Shoe. This
made me fix my Eyes so intently upon the advancing Enemy, that I never
minded what my Friends were doing behind me; though I afterwards found
that they had been filei