Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Third, Volume 1 (of 4)Walpole, Horace
History
Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Third, Volume 1 (of 4)
Walpole, Horace
Great Britain -- History -- 1760-1789; Great Britain -- History -- George III, 1760-1820
he checked the progress of the Spanish troops, and defeated them in
several encounters. He built the citadel of Elvas. He organized a
plan for the defence of the kingdom; and at the end of the war he
quitted Portugal, followed by the gratitude and attachment of the King
and the people. Indeed, the House of Braganza were not under greater
obligations to his illustrious predecessor, Marshal Schomberg. His
reforms show considerable acuteness and knowledge of character, and
were completely successful. One of the most questionable was, that
while he punished officers in Germany for accepting a challenge, he
punished the Portuguese for refusing, with the view of restoring a
martial spirit among the troops. The remainder of his life he passed
at Buckebourgh, the chief town of La Lippe, beloved by his subjects,
and always employed in promoting their prosperity, though he has been
charged with sometimes mistaking himself for a great monarch, while he
was only a petty prince. He married in 1765 the Countess of La Lippe
Bustafeld, a young lady of great beauty and accomplishments, and had
one daughter, whose early death was quickly followed by that of the
mother; and the Count, inconsolable under this double affliction, fell
into a lingering disorder, of which he died in 1777, at the age of
53. He enjoyed the warm friendship of the King of Prussia, the Prince
Ferdinand of Brunswick, and other great commanders. They entertained a
high opinion of his military capacity. He inspired a sort of enthusiasm
in all around him. Even the Spanish officers, who used to ridicule
his reforms, and when they first descried him in the field, with his
large hat and little sword, contemptuously asked whether the Portuguese
were commanded by Don Quixote, eventually partook of the general
feeling of admiration that attached to his generosity--his extreme
disinterestedness--his abilities and valour. Biographische Denkmale,
von K. Barnhagen von Ense.--E.
[189] Doctor Johnson, in the newspapers of the day, published an
account of this inquiry. His weakness consisted in so far giving
confidence to this flimsy imposture, as to think a solemn inquiry
necessary. Croker’s Boswell, vol. i. p. 415, note.--E.
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