n lord Orrery’s house was burnt to the ground in 1690, by a party of king James’s soldiers, with the duke of Berwick at their head; Lionel, then earl of Orrery, and grandson
chief treasure, and only real strength, is the affections of
his people. 11. “A treatise upon the Art of War.
” 12.
Poems on the Fasts and Festivals of the Church.“His
posthumous works are: 1.
” Mr. Anthony, a comedy,“1692. 2.
” Guzman, a comedy,“1693. 3.
” Herod the
great, a tragedy,“1694. 4.
” Altemira, a tragedy,“brought upon the stage by Mr. Francis Manning, in 1702,
with a prologue by Henry St. John, esq. afterwards lord
viscount Boiingbroke, and an epilogue by the hon. Charles
Boyle, esq. the late earl of Orrery, who also interspersed
several songs in the work itself. 5.
” State letters," published in 1742, fol. Mr. Morrice the editor, who was his
biographer and chaplain, says that his patron drew up a
very curious account of what was done in the court or
camp, in which he had any part, or could speak of with
certainty. But this has never been published. The duke
of Ormond having by his majesty’s command consulted
with the earl of Orrery upon the propositions to be laid
before the parliament of Ireland in 1677, his lordship delivered to him five sheets of paper containing the most effectual methods of protecting the nation from foreign and
domestic enemies, advancing the Protestant interest, increasing the revenue, and securing private property. But
these, with other papers, were destroyed when lord Orrery’s house was burnt to the ground in 1690, by a party of
king James’s soldiers, with the duke of Berwick at their
head; Lionel, then earl of Orrery, and grandson to our
author, being a minor, and abroad on his travels.
by whom she had two sons and two daughters. The eldest, James Fitz-James, was created by his father duke of Berwick: he was also knight of the garter and of the golden
After the dissolution of the parliament in 1678, sir Winston was dismissed from the post of clerk of the green cloth, much against his master’s will, who restored him again, and continued him in it during the rest of his reign. He enjoyed the same degree of favour from court, during the short reign of James II.; and having lived to see his eldest son raised to the peerage, he departed this life, March 26, 1688. Besides three sons, and as many daughters, who died in their infancy, sir Winston had several sons and daughters, who lived to grow up. The eldest of his sons was John Churchill, afterwards duke of Marlborough, of whom we shall speak largely in the next article. Arabella, the eldest of his children, born in March 1648,. was maid of honour to the duchess of York, and mistress to the duke, afterwards James II. by whom she had two sons and two daughters. The eldest, James Fitz-James, was created by his father duke of Berwick: he was also knight of the garter and of the golden fleece, marshal of France, and grandee of Spain of the first class. He was reputed one of the greatest officers in his time; and when generalissimo of the armies of France, fell by a cannon-shot at the siege of Phillipsburg in 1734. Henry Fitz-James, grand prior of France, lieutenant-general and admiral of the French gal lies, Was born in 1673, and died in 1702. Henrietta, born in 1670, married sir Henry Waldgrave of Cheuton, and died 1730. The youngest daughter was a nun but afterwards married colonel Godfrey, by whom she had two daughters.
, duke of Berwick, natural son of James II. when duke of York, and
, duke of Berwick, natural son of James II. when duke of York, and of Arabella Churchill, sister to the great duke of Marl borough, was born at Moulins in 1670, when his mother was on her return from the medicinal waters of Bourbon. He was bred to arms in the French service, and in 1686, at the age of fifteen, was wounded at the siege of Buda; he signalized himself also in 1687, at the battle of Mohatz, where the duke of Lorraine defeated the Turks. In 1688, after'his father’s abdication, he was sent to command for him in Ireland, and was distinguished, both at the siege of Londonderry, in 1690, and at the battle of the Boyne, where he had a horse killed under him. In 1703 he commanded the troops that Louis XIV. sent to Spain to support the claim of Philip V. In a single campaign he made himself master of several fortified places. On his return to France he was employed to reduce the rebels in the Cevennes. He then besieged Nice, and took it in 170. For his services in this campaign he was raised the next year to the dignity of mareschal of France; after which he greatly signalized himself in Spain against the Portuguese and others. In 1707 he gained the celebrated battle of Almanza, against the English under lord Galloway, and the Portuguese under Das-Minas, who had above 5000 men killed on the field. This victory fixed the crown on the head of Philip V. who was studious to prove his gratitude to the general to whom he was indebted for it. In 1714 he took Barcelona, being then generalissimo of the armies of Spain. When the war between France and Germany broke out in 1733, he again went out at the head of the French army; but in 1734 he was killed by a cannon-bail before Philipsburg, which he was besieging. It was the fortune of the house of Churchill, says Montesquieu, speaking of the dukes of Marlborough and Berwick, to produce two heroes, one of whom was destined lo shake, and the other to support, the two greatest monarchies^ jf Europe. The character of Fitzjames was in some degree dry and severe, but full of integrity, sincerity, and true greatness. He was unaffectedly religious; and, though frugal in his personal expences, generally in debt, from the expences brought upon him by his situation, and the patronage he gave to fugitives from England, who had supported the cause of his father. The French are lavish in his Braise, and certainly not without reason. His character has been well and advantageously drawn by the great Montesquieu; and there are memoirs of him written by himself, with a continuation to his death by the English editor, Mr. Hooke, a doctor of the Sorbonne, and son of the Roman historian. They were published in 2 vols. 8vo, in 1779.
killed, Dec. 11, 1718. Folard then returned to France, and made his last campaign in 1719, under the duke of Berwick, in quality of colonel. From that time he applied
The duke of Orleai6 sending de Vendome again into
Italy in 1706, Folard had orders to throw himself into Modena, to defend it against prince Eugene; where he acquitted himself with his usual skill, but was very near being
assassinated. The description which he has given of the
conduct and character of the governor of this town, may be found
in his “Treatise of the Defence of Places,
” and deserves to be
read. He received a dangerous wound on the thigh at the
battle of Blenheim, or Malplaquet, and was some time
after made prisoner by prince Eugene. Being exchanged
in 1711, he was made governor of Bourbourg. In 1714,
he went to Malta, to assist in defending that island against
the Turks. Upon his return to France, he embarked for
Sweden, having a passionate desire to see Charles XII.
He acquired the esteem and confidence of that celebrated
monarch, who sent him to France to negociate the reestablishment of Jarnes II. upon the throne of England;
but, that project being dropped, he returned to Sweden,
followed Charles XII. in his expedition to Norway, and
served under him at the siege of Frederickshall, where that
prince was killed, Dec. 11, 1718. Folard then returned
to France, and made his last campaign in 1719, under the
duke of Berwick, in quality of colonel. From that time
he applied himself intensely to the study of the art military, as far as it could be studied at home; and built his
theories upon the foundation of his experience and observations. He contracted an intimacy with count Saxe, who,
he then declared, would one day prove a very great general. He was chosen a fellow of the royal society at
London, in 1749; and in 1751, made a journey to Avignon, where he died in 1752, aged eighty-three years.
He was the author of several works, the principal of which
are, 1. “Commentaries upon Polybius,
” in 6 vols. 4to.
2. “A Book of new Discoveries in War.
” 3. “A Treatise
concerning the Defence of Places, &c.
” in French. Those
who would know more of this eminent soldier, may consult a French work entitled, “Memoires pour servir a
THistoire de M. de Chevalier de Folard. Ratisbone, 1753,
”
12mo. As a man of letters, he drew his knowledge from
ancient authors, which as a military man he explains with
great clearness. The form of his writings is not so pleasing
as the matter. The abundance of his ideas led him into
too great a profusion of words. His style is negligent, his
reflections detached, and his digressions either useless, or
too long; but he was undoubtedly a man of genius.
illars,” 3 vols. 12mo, the two first of which are written by Villars himself. 2. “The Memoirs of the Duke of Berwick,” 2 vols. 12mo. 3. “Memoirs of Tourville,” 3 vols.
, a French
author and journalist, was born in Languedoc, in
the diocese of Bezieres. He appeared at Paris about
1715, and espoused the cause of the Jesuits against the
Jansenists; in which business he wrote with so much acrimony, that the court thought themselves obliged to banish
him. He was sent to the isles of Larins, in the Mediterranean, and when these were taken by the Austrians in
1746, his liberty was granted on condition that he would
retire into some religious house. He chose a monastery
of Bernardines, where he died in 1760. His caustic and
satirical disposition rendered him unpleasing in society as
well as in his writings; and it is thought that his banishment and solitude much increased the acrimony of his character. He was concerned in several works, as, 1.“Memoirs
of Marshal Villars,
” 3 vols. 12mo, the two first of which
are written by Villars himself. 2. “The Memoirs of the
Duke of Berwick,
” 2 vols. 12mo. 3. “Memoirs of Tourville,
” 3 vols. 12mo, not much esteemed. 4. “Letters
of Fitz-Moritz.
” 5. Several small tracts, and some pieces
of poetry of no great value.
y, and served as ensign, upon the duke of Monmouth’s landing, in earl Ferrers’s regiment, before the duke of Berwick had it. This affair being over, he retired to his
, an English dramatic writer,
who has been very improperly admitted by Wood into the
“Athenae Oxonienses,
” and grossly misrepresented in
every particular, was born at Dublin in 1659, and was
admitted a student of Trinity college, March 30, 1676, where
Dr. Whitenhall was his tutor. In his eighteenth year, he
quitted Ireland, and removed to the Middle-Temple, London, where he devoted himself to play-writing and poetry,
instead of law. His “Persian Prince, or Loyal Brother,
”
in The Spartan Dame,
” he acknowledges, that he
received from the booksellers as a price for this play 150l.
which was thought in 1721, the time of its being published,
very extraordinary. He was the first who raised the advantage of play-writing to a second and third night; which
Pope mentions in these lines: