Enemy, the Earl's Design upon the latter must inevitably have been
postpon'd. It must be granted, the Commands for attempting the Relief of
it were pressing and peremptory; nevertheless, the Earl was very
conscious to himself, that as the promis'd Reinforcements were
suspended, his Officers would not approve of the Attempt upon the Foot
of such vast Inequalities; and their own declar'd Sentiments soon
confirm'd the Dictates of the Earl's Reason. He therefore addresses
himself to those Officers in a different Manner: He told 'em he only
desir'd they would be passive, and leave it to him to work his own Way.
Accordingly, the Earl found out and hired two _Spanish_ Spies, for whose
Fidelity (as his great Precaution always led him to do) he took
sufficient Security; and dispatch'd 'em with a Letter to Colonel
_Jones_, Governor of the Place, intimating his Readiness, as well as
Ability, to relieve him; and, above all, exhorting him to have the
_Miquelets_ in the Town ready, on Sight of his Troops, to issue out,
pursue, and plunder; since that would be all they would have to do, and
all he would expect at their Hands. The Spies were dispatch'd
accordingly; and, pursuant to Instructions, one betray'd and discover'd
the other who had the Letter in charge to deliver to Colonel _Jones_.
The Earl, to carry on the Feint, having in the mean time, by dividing
his Troops, and marching secretly over the Mountains, drawn his Men
together, so as to make their Appearance on the Height of a neighbouring
Mountain, little more than Cannot-shot from the Enemy's Camp. The Tale
of the Spies was fully confirm'd, and the _Conde_ (though an able
General) march'd off with some Precipitation with his Army; and by that
Means the Earl's smaller Number of twelve Hundred had Liberty to march
into the Town without Interruption. I must not let slip an Action of
Colonel _Jones_'s just before the Earl's Delivery of them: The _Conde_,
for want of Artillery, had set his Miners to work; and the Colonel,
finding they had made some dangerous Advances, turned the Course of a