How critical was that Minute wherein the General met his retreating Commander? a very few Steps farther had excluded us our own Conquests, to the utter Loss of all those greater Glories which ensu’d.  Nor would that have been the worst; for besides the Shame attending such an ill concerted Retreat from our Acquests on Monjouick, we must have felt the accumulative Disgrace of infamously retiring aboard the Ships that brought us; but Heaven reserv’d for our General amazing Scenes both of Glory and Mortification.

I cannot here omit one Singularity of Life, which will demonstrate Men’s different Way of Thinking, if not somewhat worse; when many Years after, to one in Office, who seem’d a little too dead to my Complaints, and by that Means irritating my human Passions, injustice to my self, as well as Cause, I urged this Piece of Service, by which I not only preserv’d the Place, but the Honour of my Country, that Minister petite, to mortify my Expectations and baffle my Plea, with a Grimace as odd as his Logick, return’d, that, in his Opinion, the Service pretended was a Disservice to the Nation; since Perseverance had cost the Government more Money than all our Conquests were worth, could we have kept ’em.  So irregular are the Conceptions of Man, when even great Actions thwart the Bent of an interested Will!

The Fort of Monjouick being thus surprizingly reduc’d, furnish’d a strange Vivacity to Mens Expectations, and as extravagantly flatter’d their Hopes; for as Success never fails to excite weaker Minds to pursue their good Fortune, though many times to their own Loss; so is it often too apt to push on more elevated Spirits to renew the Encounter for atchieving new Conquests, by hazarding too rashly all their former Glory.  Accordingly, every Body now began to make his utmost Efforts; and look’d upon himself as a Drone, if he was not employ’d in doing something or other towards pushing forward the Siege of Barcelona it self, and raising proper Batteries for that Purpose.  But, after all, it must in Justice be acknowledg’d, that notwithstanding this prodigious Success that attended this bold Enterprize, the Land Forces of themselves, without the Assistance of the Sailors, could never have reduc’d the Town.  The Commanders and Officers of the Fleet had always evinc’d themselves Favourers of this Project upon Barcelona.  A new Undertaking so late in the Year, as I have said before, was their utter Aversion, and what they hated to hear of.  Elated therefore with a Beginning so auspicious, they gave a more willing Assistance than could have been ask’d, or judiciously expected.  The Admirals forgot their Element, and acted as General Officers at Land:  They came every Day from their Ships, with a Body of Men form’d into Companies, and regularly marshall’d and commanded by Captains and Lieutenants of their own.  Captain Littleton in particular, one of the most advanced Captains in the whole Fleet, offer’d of himself to take care