return again, without the Offer of any one Effort in his Favour.  On the other Hand, our own Officers and Soldiers were highly dissatisfy’d, that they were reproach’d, because not dispos’d to enter upon and engage themselves in Impossibilities.  And, indeed, in the Manner that the Siege was propos’d and insisted upon by the Prince of Hesse, in every of the several Councils of War, after the Loss of many Men, thrown away to no other purpose, but to avoid the Shame (as the Expression ran) of coming like Fools and going away like Cowards, it could have ended in nothing but a Retreat at last.

It afforded but small Comfort to the Earl to have foreseen all these Difficulties, and to have it in his Power to say, that he would never have taken the Arch-Duke on Board, nor have propos’d to him the Hopes of a Recovery of the Spanish Monarchy from King Philip, if he could have imagin’d it probable, that he should not have been at liberty to pursue his own Design, according to his own Judgment.  It must be allow’d very hard for him, who had undertaken so great a Work, and that without any Orders from the Government; and by so doing could have had no Justification but by Success; I say, it must be allow’d to be very hard (after the Undertaking had been approv’d in England) that he should find himself to be directed in this Manner by those at a Distance, upon ill grounded and confident Reports from Mr. Crow; and compell’d, as it were, though General, to follow the Sentiments of Strangers, who either had private Views of Ambition, or had no immediate Care or Concern for the Troops employ’d in this Expedition.

Such were the present unhappy Circumstanches of the Earl of Peterborow in the Camp before Barcelona:  Impossibilities propos’d; no Expedients to be accepted; a Court reproaching; Councils of War rejecting; and the Dutch General refusing the Assistance of the Troops under his Command; and what surmounted all, a Despair of bringing such Animosities and differing Opinions to any tolerable Agreement.  Yet all these Difficulties, instead of discouraging the Earl, set every Faculty of his more afloat; and, at last, produc’d a lucky Thought, which was happily attended with Events extraordinary, and Scenes of Success much beyond his Expectation; such, as the General himself was heard to confess, it had been next to Folly to have look’d for; as certainly, in prima facie, it would hardly have born proposing, to take by Surprize a Place much stronger than Barcelona it self.  True it is, that his only Hope of succeeding consisted in this:  That no Person could suppose such an Enterprize could enter into the Imagination of Man; and without doubt the General’s chief Dependence lay upon what he found true in the Sequel; that the Governor and Garrison of Monjouick, by reason of their own Security, would be very negligent, and very little upon their Guard.