Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 3.djvu/360

352 a few troops under the archduke, the whole kingdom would immediately revolt. This we tried; and found the emperor to have deceived either us, or himself. Yet there we drove on the war at a prodigious disadvantage, with great expense; and by a most corrupt management, the only general, who, by a course of conduct and fortune almost miraculous, had nearly put us into possession of the kingdom, was left wholly unsupported, exposed to the envy of his rivals, disappointed by the caprices of a young unexperienced prince, under the guidance of a rapacious German ministry, and at last called home in discontent. By which our armies, both in Spain and Portugal, were made a sacrifice to avarice, ill conduct, or treachery.

In common prudence, we should either have pushed that war with the utmost vigour, in so fortunate a juncture, especially since the gaining of that kingdom was the great point for which we pretended to continue the war; or at least, when we had found, or made that design impracticable, we should not have gone on in so expensive a management of it; but have kept our troops on the defensive in Catalonia, and pursued some other way more effectual for distressing the common enemy, and advantaging ourselves.

And