Memoirs of Major Alexander Ramkins (1718), Page 3

the_ English, and were rid ofthat _Incumbrance, the House of_ Austria, _by the vast Acquisitions ofthe_ Low Countries, _and joint Power of_ Spain, _sat so hard upon 'em,that_ France _was not in a Capacity to make any Advances towardsrecovering their Right to the Empire: What therefore they had been uponthese latter Years, was to make a strong Party among the ElectoralPrinces, and by degrees secure a Majority in the Imperial Diet, in orderto set aside the House of_ Austria, _and settle the Imperial Crown uponthe_ French _Line, as it was in the Beginning_. To this he added, _Thatthis invincible Monarch,_ Lewis XIV, _had made considerable Advances oflate Years, especially in bringing over several Electors, and now theChapter of_ Cologn _to chuse Cardinal_ Fustenberg _for their Archbishop,who though a Native of Germany, yet was a_ Frenchman _by Interest_, and_had given his Word to be very Industrious in settling the ImperialDignity upon the House of_ Bourbon. _And this Election of Cardinal_Fustenberg _being contested by the Emperor and Pope Innocent_ XI. _wasthe Motive of the present War; for they put up the Duke of_ Bavaria's_Brother in opposition against him_.

  This Account of the occasion of the present War, vary'd very much fromthe Idea we in _Scotland_ had of Affairs. We were made to believe, Thatthe King of _France_ being a zealous Roman Catholick Monarch, hadengag'd himself in a War against the Allies, meerly upon a ReligiousMotive, to re-establish King _James_, who was dethron'd upon no otherAccount but because he was a Roman Catholick. But I have since found bycomparing Matters, that the Revolution in _England_ was not theOccasion, but the Consequence of the War between the _French_ and theAllies; for the Emperor, _&c._ understanding that King _James_ II. wasdrawn into a Scrape by the _French_ King, and that he made a Property ofhim to carry on his Ambitious Designs; 'tis not to be wonder'd at, ifthey prefer'd the general Good of _Europe_, and immediate Safety oftheir own People to the private Good of King _James_ II, who had been soindiscreet as to expose himself to Ruin by giving into a _French_Project. However this unpolitick Management proved very lucky to_France_ upon a double Account; for tho' they had begun a War upon thedisedifying bottom of Ambition, it was afterwards consecrated in mnyPeoples Thoughts, under a Colour of justifying a dethron'd RomanCatholick Prince, besides the Advantage of causing a considerableDiversion by fomenting a War in the Three Kingdoms of _Great-Britain_;for as for re-establishing that unfortunate Prince in his Throne, thoughI was a long Time of Opinion _France_ really design'd it; yet since Ihave been convinc'd by undeniable Arguments, that it neither was hisInterest to bring it about, nor that he ever seriously attempted it. Imust own it was never very Intelligible to me, not even in my verydarkest State of Bigottry for the _French_ Interest, that the Emperor,the King of _Spain_, and Duke of _Savoy_, with many other RomanCatholick Princes, nay, the Pope himself should all fail in their Dutyand Zeal for Religion, and the King of _France_ (who was remarkable uponother Occasions for sacrificing it to Politick ends) should be the onlyone in _Europe_ that wou'd stand up for it. It was not so in the Infancyof the _Dutch_ Republic, when _France_ concurr'd with the SevenProvinces to have them torn from the _Spanish_ Monarchy, and by the sameAssistance, enabled 'em to make head against the Church. It was not sowhen a Frown of _Oliver Cromwell_ cou'd oblige _France_ to lay aside thecharitable Maxim of Royal Protection, and send _Charles_ II. and hisBrother the Duke of _York_, out of their Territories by an InfamousCondescension. But _James_ II. had forgotten the Affronts offer'd tothe Duke of _York_, and I suppose had a Mind to make a second Tryal of_French_ Hospitality, and whether they would be more obliging to him inhis old Age, than they had been in his Youth. Neither is this plausiblePretence of defending a Prince injur'd upon the Score of Religion, veryconsistent with their Conduct, in regard of the _Turk_. To maintain aCatholick Prince at St. _Germains_, and support the Enemy ofChristianity at _Constantinople_ with great Remittances of Moneys, and aconstant Supply of Engineers; is a piece of State Casuistry above myComprehension, and Prince _Eugene_ had a great deal of Reason to knockhis Breast, and hold up his Hands to Heaven, when he saw _French_Engineers dragg'd out of _Turkish_ Mines in _Hungary_ with _AgnusDei_'s, and Relicks about their Necks as Ensigns of _Lewis_ XIV'sChristianity, and Zeal for the Church.

  But to proceed to my own concerns. As soon as the Time was expir'd, Ipropos'd to my self to stay in the Academy at _Strasburgh_, I providedmy self with the Equipage of a grand Musketeer, and for a Present of 50Pistols, and the strength of good Recommendation from my Countrymen, Iwas admitted to ride among 'em. But here I had a fresh Difficulty tostruggle with. My Countrymen finding me pretty flush of Money, and thatI was very generous, was as observant as a Spaniel, and so veryOfficious both early and late, that I found it impracticable to steal anHour of Privacy to recollect my self, in order to model my Conduct afterthe best Precedents I met with in the course of the Day; and what mademe yet more uneasy, he was not content to visit me alone, but had oftena second or third with him; who as they were very obliging in informingme of the Methods of living in a Camp, so they was always very _adroit_,and gave me the Preference upon all Occasions; but then as I engross'dall the Ceremony of the Day, so I was thrown into unavoidableCircumstances of paying them for their Attendance. This constant Charge,though in Time it would have made me weary of acting the Grand Signior,yet I could better have bore with it, had I not smelt a Design they hadto strip me of my Bank I had at _Amsterdam_; for I was so unguarded inmy Conduct as to have acquainted my Countrymen with my Money concerns,which he and his Associates had already devour'd in their Imagination,and wanted but a fit Opportunity to draw me in at Play, and so at onceput me upon a Level with themselves and other Soldiers of Fortune: Butbeing aware of the Trap that was laid for me, my whole Study was how todisengage myself from this Gang, so as to give no Suspicion that Iunderstood their meaning; for this I imagin'd might be the ground of aQuarrel, and to perhaps have worse Consequences than if they really hadstrip'd me of my Substance. Arm'd with this Caution, I receiv'd 'em inthe usual manner, but still kept off when a Motion was made either ofhigh drinking or playing deep; for no Man is secure, when either Liquoror Passion gains the Ascendent over him. But this State of Violencecould not continue long, sometimes I was at a loss for an Excuse tobaffle their Importunity, other times I found them dispos'd to representme as of an uncomplying Temper, so that there was no way left but eitherto draw or withdraw, for I saw plainly that if I staid among them aQuarrel would ensue. This Consideration, with the unheard of DevastationI saw in the Palatinate made by the _French_ Troops, gave me a Surfeitof the _Rhine_. I am not Ignorant that no Part of the World is free fromSharpers, but I thought in another Place I might better resist theirfirst Onset, and let them gain no ground upon me, while Rule I hereneglected for want of Experience. And now I was oblig'd to make a Callupon my Banker at _Amsterdam_ for Two Hundred Pounds, resolving not tobreak the remaining 1000 Pound Bulk, unless upon some extraordinaryEmergency. I had sometime before intimated to my Officers and Comradesthe Design I had to quit the Service upon the _Rhine_, assuring them itwas not out of any Disobligation, having experienced their obligingTemper upon all Occasions; but as I understood King _James_ was at theHead of his Army in _Ireland_, so I look'd upon my self in some Measureinexcusable if I serv'd in a foreign Army, when I might contribute moreimmediately to succour my Prince. My Reasons were applauded, and I not alittle content to depart without giving Disgust. Without delay thereforeI posted to _Paris_, where I design'd to make no very long stay, onlywhat was necessary to recover my self from the Fatigue of the Campaign,and satisfy my Curiosity in taking a View of that noble City. I washappy in one thing during my stay here, that I was agreeably surpriz'dwith the fight of my only Sister, whose Husband being under somemalignant Court Influence, was oblig'd to withdraw with his Family outof _Scotland_. _Paris_ is a Place like all other great Cities, wherePersons of all Conditions and Characters may spend their Time agreeably,if that useful Trifle call'd Money be not wanting. Hitherto I had nooccasion to be Melancholly upon that Score; for though I was notfurnish'd to make any extraordinary Figure, yet being only a singlePerson, and as y
et never launch'd out into any Extravagances, so withinmy narrow Sphere, I made a decent Appearance. But as no Man isprosperous at all Times, so it was not long before I found my selfengag'd in an Affair which very much troubled my Repose, and which Iwould willingly have compounded for with my _Amsterdam_ Bank. TheBusiness was this, my Eldest Brother before he went with King _James_into _Ireland_, made some stay at _Paris_ and _St. Germains_, where hewas order'd to collect some Recruits of the Three Nations, which he wasto conduct over in the Quality of a Route-Captain. Now as he was aPerson who had seen very much of the World, and was somewhat addicted toGallantry and Intriguing with the Fair Sex, so he could not remain longin a Place without Publishing some Marks of his Vocation that