After the taking the Town, they erected Batteries against the Castle, which they kept ply’d with incessant Fire, both from Cannon and Mortars.  But what most of all plagu’d us, and did us most Mischief, was the vast showers of Stones sent among the Garrison from their Mortars.  These, terrible in Bulk and Size, did more Execution than all the rest put together.  The Garrison could not avoid being somewhat disheartened at this uncommon way of Rencounter; yet, to a Man, dedar’d against hearkening to any Proposals of Surrender, the Governor excepted; who having selected more Treasure than he could properly, or justly call his own, was the only Person that seem’d forward for such a Motion.  He had more than once thrown out Expressions of such a Nature, but without any effect.  Nevertheless, having at last secretly obtained a peculiar Capitulation for himself, Bag, and Baggage; the Garrison was sacrific’d to his private Interest, and basely given up Prisoners of War.  By these Means indeed he saved his Money, but lost his Reputation; and soon after, Life it self.  And sure every Body will allow the latter loss to be least, who will take Pains to consider, that it screened him from the consequential Scrutinies of a Council of War, which must have issued as the just Reward of his Demerits.

The Garrison being thus unaccountably delivered up and made Prisoners, were dispersed different ways:  Some into Castile, others as far as Oviedo, in the Kingdom of Leon.  For my own part, having received a Contusion in my Breast; I was under a necessity of being left behind with the Enemy, till I should be in a Condition to be remov’d, and when that time came, I found my self agreeably ordered to Valencia.

As Prisoner of War I must now bid adieu to the active Part of the military Life; and hereafter concern my self with Descriptions of Countries, Towns, Palaces, and Men, instead of Battles.  However, if I take in my way Actions of War, founded on the best Authorities, I hope my Interspersing such will be no disadvantage to my now more pacifick MEMOIRS.

So soon as I arriv’d at Valencia, I wrote to our Pay-master Mr. Mead, at Barcelona, letting him know, that I was become a Prisoner, wounded, and in want of Money.  Nor could even all those Circumstances prevail on me to think it long before he returned a favourable Answer, in an Order to Monsieur Zoulicafre, a Banker, to pay me on Sight fifty Pistoles.  But in the same Letter he gave me to understand, that those fifty Pistoles were a Present to me from General (afterward Earl) Stanhope; and so indeed I found it, when I return’d into England, my Account not being charged with any part of it:  But this was not the only Test I received of that generous Earl’s Generosity.  And where’s the Wonder, as the World is compell’d to own, that Heroick Actions and Largeness of Soul ever did discover and amply distinguish the genuine Branches of that illustrious Family.