with the Loss of many Men, the Town was taken, the Garrison retiring
into the Castle. Into which soon after, notwithstanding all the
Circumspection of the Besiegers, Mareschal _Bouflers_ found means, with
some Dragoons, to throw himself.

While King _William_ was thus engag'd in that glorious and important
Siege, Prince _Vaudemont_ being posted at _Watergaem_, with about fifty
Battallions, and as many Squadrons, the Mareschal _Villeroy_ laid a
Design to attack him with the whole _French_ Army. The Prince imagin'd
no less, therefore he prepar'd accordingly, giving us Orders to fortify
our Camp, as well as the little time we had for it would permit. Those
Orders were pursu'd; nevertheless, I must confess, it was beyond the
Reach of my little Reason to account for our so long Stay in the Sight
of an Army so much superior to ours. The Prince in the Whole could
hardly muster thirty Thousand; and _Villeroy_ was known to value himself
upon having one Hundred Thousand effective Men. However, the Prince
provisionally sent away all our Baggage that very Morning to _Ghent_,
and still made shew as if he resolv'd to defend himself to the last
Extremity in our little Entrenchments. The enemy on their Side began to
surround us; and in their Motions for that Purpose, blew up little Bags
of Gun-powder, to give the readier Notice how far they had acomplish'd
it. Another Captain, with my self, being plac'd on the Right, with one
Hundred Men (where I found Monsieur _Montal_ endeavouring, if possible,
to get behind us) I could easily observe, they had so far attain'd their
Aim of encompassing us, as to the very Fashion of a Horse's Shoe. This
made me fix my Eyes so intently upon the advancing Enemy, that I never
minded what my Friends were doing behind me; though I afterwards found
that they had been fileing off so very artfully and privately, by that
narrow Opening of the Horse-Shoe, that when the Enemy imagin'd us past a
Possibility of Escape, our little Army at once, and of a sudden, was