The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., a Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen AnneThackeray, William Makepeace
History
The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., a Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Great Britain -- History -- Anne, 1702-1714 -- Fiction; Historical fiction
The general tried the power of another proclamation on the Spaniards, in
which he announced that we only came in the interest of Spain and King
Charles, and for ourselves wanted to make no conquest nor settlement
in Spain at all. But all this eloquence was lost upon the Spaniards, it
would seem: the Captain-General of Andalusia would no more listen to us
than the Governor of Cadiz; and in reply to his Grace's proclamation,
the Marquis of Villadarias fired off another, which those who knew the
Spanish thought rather the best of the two; and of this number was Harry
Esmond, whose kind Jesuit in old days had instructed him, and now had
the honor of translating for his Grace these harmless documents of war.
There was a hard touch for his Grace, and, indeed, for other generals in
her Majesty's service, in the concluding sentence of the Don: “That he
and his council had the generous example of their ancestors to follow,
who had never yet sought their elevation in the blood or in the flight
of their kings. 'Mori pro patria' was his device, which the Duke might
communicate to the Princess who governed England.”
Whether the troops were angry at this repartee or no, 'tis certain
something put them in a fury; for, not being able to get possession of
Cadiz, our people seized upon Port Saint Mary's and sacked it, burning
down the merchants' storehouses, getting drunk with the famous wines
there, pillaging and robbing quiet houses and convents, murdering and
doing worse. And the only blood which Mr. Esmond drew in this shameful
campaign, was the knocking down an English sentinel with a half-pike,
who was offering insult to a poor trembling nun. Is she going to turn
out a beauty? or a princess? or perhaps Esmond's mother that he had lost
and never seen? Alas no, it was but a poor wheezy old dropsical woman,
with a wart upon her nose. But having been early taught a part of the
Roman religion, he never had the horror of it that some Protestants have
shown, and seem to think to be a part of ours.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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