Some further Particulars I soon after had from Colonel Syburg’s Gentleman; who seeing me at the Play-house, challenged me, tho’ at that Time unkown to me.  He told me, that the Night preceeding the unfortunate Catastrophe of his Master, he was waiting on him in the Casemet, where he observed, sometime before the rest of the Company took notice of it, that General Richards appeared very pensive and thoughtful, that the whole Night long he was pester’d with, and could not get rid of a great Flie, which was perpetually buzzing about his Ears and Head, to the vexation and disturbance of the rest of the Company, as well as the General himself; that in the Morning, when they went upon the Battery, under which the Mine was, the General made many offers of going off; but Colonel Syburg, who was got a little merry, and the rest out of a Bravado, would stay, and would not let the General stir; that at last it was propos’d by Colonel Syburg to have the other two Bottles to the Queen’s Health, after which he promised they would all go off together.

Upon this my Relator, Syburg’s Gentleman, said, he was sent to fetch the stipulated two Bottles; returning with which, Captain Daniel Weaver, within thirty or forty Yards of the Battery, ran by him, vowing, he was resolv’d to drink the Queen’s Health with them; but his Feet were scarce on the Battery, when the Mine was sprung, which took him away with the rest of the Company; while Major Harding now a Justice in Westminster coming that very Moment off Duty, exchang’d Fates.

If Predestination, in the Eyes of many, is an unaccountable Doctrine, what better Account can the wisest give of this Fatality?  Or to what else shall we impute the Issue of this whole Transaction?  That Men shall be solicited to their Safety; suffered to survey the Danger they were threatened with; among many other Tokens of its approaching Certainty, see such a Concourse of People crowding to be Spectators of their impending Catastrophe; and after all this, so infatuated to stay on the fatal Spot the fetching up of the other two Bottles; whatever it may to such as never think, to such as plead an use of Reason, it must administer Matter worthy of the sedatest Consideration.

Being now pretty well recover’d of my Wounds, I was by Order of the Governor of Valencia, removed to Sainte Clemente de la Mancha, a Town somewhat more Inland, and consequently esteem’d more secure than a Semi-Seaport.  Here I remain’d under a sort of Pilgrimage upwards of three Years.  To me as a Stranger divested of Acquaintance or Friend (for at that instant I was sole Prisoner there) at first it appear’d such, tho’ in a very small compass of Time, I luckily found it made quite otherwise by an agreeable Conversation.

SAINTE Clemente de la Mancha, is rendered famous by the renown’d Don Michael Cerviantes, who in his facetious but satyrical Romance, has fix’d it the Seat and Birth Place of his Hero Don Quixot.