was, we may say, when France, England, Holland laboriously sorted
out terms of agreement between Kaiser and Termagant: "Quadruple"
[18th July, 1718.] was when Kaiser, after much coaxing, acceded,
as fourth party; and said gloomily, "Yes, then." Byng's Sea-fight
was when Termagant said, "No, by--the Plots of Alberoni!
Never will I, for my part, accede to such terms!" and attacked the
poor Kaiser in his Sicilies and elsewhere. Byng's Sea-fight, in
aid of a suffering Kaiser and his Sicilies, in consequence.
Furthermore, the French invaded Spain, till Messina were retaken;
nay the English, by land too, made a dash at Spain, "Descent on
Vigo" as they call it,--in reference to which take the following
stray Note:--

"That same year [1719, year after Byng's Sea-fight, Messina just
about recaptured], there took effect, planned by the vigorous
Colonel Stanhope, our Minister at Madrid, who took personal share
in the thing, a 'Descent on Vigo,' sudden swoop-down upon Town and
shipping in those Gallician, north-west regions. Which was
perfectly successful,--Lord Cobham leading;--and made much noise
among mankind. Filled all Gazettes at that time;--but now, again,
is all fallen silent for us,--except this one thrice-insignificant
point, That there was in it, 'in Handyside's Regiment,' a
Lieutenant of Foot, by name STERNE, who had left, with his poor
Wife at Plymouth, a very remarkable Boy called Lorry, or LAWRENCE;
known since that to all mankind. When Lorry in his LIFE writes,
'my Father went on the Vigo expedition,' readers may understand
this was it. Strange enough: that poor Lieutenant of Foot is now
pretty much all that is left of this sublime enterprise upon Vigo,
in the memory of mankind;--hanging there, as if by a single hair,
till poor TRISTRAM SHANDY be forgotten too." [ Memoirs of