Page:The Wentworth Papers 1715-1739.djvu/34

 1 8 THE WENTWORTH PAPERS.

" I hope future behaviour may make our dilatory pro- ceedings (not to give it a worse name) at the beginning of this campaign forgot. By the extreme good management of Mons. Geldermassen, to save the pence of the States, his masters, I believe our siege of Menin will be retarded longer than one could wish. 'Twill be invested to-morrow, and then the troops are to strive, by breaking the sluices above the town, to force that in the town, that the Lice (Ley) may have water enough to bring the artillery from Gand; else we must bring it up the Scelve (Sceldt) to this place, from whence we shall have about four hours by land to draw it before the town.

" The French will have at least 40 battalions and about 20 squadrons more than we ; the fierty (sic) and vast opinion the Duke of Vandome's successes in Italy, and the French king's letter calling him from thence, have given him, may make him think of coming out to face us, which, if he does, the Duke of Marlborough is resolved to attack him. So we shall soon see the fate of our campaign ; for, if he skulks behind rivers, as I believe he will, a town or two more than this we have besieged will be the utmost of our operations this summer. I will stay a little longer here to see which way this scheme turns."

At this time Lord Raby was so much in esteem with Marl- borough that the duke had him in frequent consultation about military matters, and during the siege of Menin he did not miss one day going into the trenches ; on one occasion his German page was shot dead by his side. He also accom- panied the duke in his coach to visit the trenches and the advanced works connected with the siege of Ostend, then being carried on by the Dutch General Overkirk.

When General Cadogan commanded a grand forage within a mile of Tournay, with 6,000 foot and 800 horse. Lord Raby went with him as a volunteer. The French, however, had despatched a large force to intercept them, and the two English generals attempted to cover the retreat of the main body by charging the enemy with several squadrons ; they

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