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THe only surviving Son of King James (for that noble Prince Henry died before his Fa∣ther) succeeded to the Imperial Crown of Eng∣land; the reformed in France in the beginning of this King's Reign, lay under great oppressions from their King Lewis XIII. and his prime mini∣ster of state Cardinal Richieu, in so much that
they were forced for their fafty to have recourse to Arms, under the command of that ever famous Cap. the Duke of Roan by Land, and Monsieur Sobiez his Brother, who rid Admiral at Sea, and by that means Rochel besieged by the French King's Arms was relieved upon all occasions; hereupon thro' the contrivance of the Duke of Buckingham, an English Fleet was sent to join that of the French under the Duke of Momerancy, the Dutch then basely concurring with some Ships of their alsos, with which united force Momerancy fights and ut∣terly defeats the Fleet of the Rochellers under Mon∣sieur Sobiez, and then reduced the Isles of Rhee and Oleron under the French Power; but Bucking∣ham soon after changing his Sentiments (the grounds whereof we'll assign in the causes of this War) there is a Declaration of War published a∣gainst France, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Prosecution of the same with Vigor, the Duke is commissioned Admiral and General of a Navy of an 100 Sail, and 6 or 7000 land Soldiers, with which he came before Rochel, still besieged by the French, where Sobiez came on Board of him, and for several reasons it was agreed to land the Army on the Island of Ole∣••on, and not on the Isle of Rhee: But Sobiez going to perswade the Rochellers to join with the Eng∣lish, the Duke before his return lands on the Isle of Rhee in spight of the opposition made by the French, but instead of pursuing the blow not on∣ly neglects to take the Fort la Prie to secure his retreat and prevent the French from landing sup∣plies, but staies five days, whereby Toiras the
French Governour incouraged his Men, and also got more Force and Provisions into the Cittadel of St. Martins; the French were so allarmed at this invasion, that the King offered the Duke of Roan and the Rochellers any terms to join against the English, which both refusing, caused both their Ruins.
The Enemies retreat upon the landing of the English was so hasty, that they quitted a Well a∣bout 20 paces from the Counterscarp, which supplied the Cittade•• with Water, which not be∣ing possest by the English upon their first approach the French drew a work about it, which ou•• Men could not force, and without which Well the besieged could not have subsisted, however the Duke resolves to take the Fort by Famine, bu•• instead of pressing it with a strait Siege, he en∣tertains a Treaty of surrender with Toiras, and several complements past between them, subscrib∣ed your Humble Servant Buckingham, and you Humble Servant Toiras, till the latter got relief 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Men, Victuals and Ammunition, and then brok•• off the Treaty with the Duke; soon after th•• the French landed Forces on the Island by th•• neglect of the English to oppose them, and orde•• were given to draw the English out of the Trenches which the French possess, whereupo•• the English were forced to Retreat, at last the Du•••• makes a vain storm upon the Castle, but 〈◊〉〈◊〉 beaten off, and two days after retreats, the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 being now equal to him in Foot and superior Horse; when the English were intangled in th••
Retreat, the Duke having neglected to take la Prie, or build a Fort upon a narrow Lane or Causey to secure their Retreat, the French charg∣ed the English Horse in the Rear and rout them, who rout the foot in the narrow passages between the Salt-pits and Ditch; but in this confusion and adversity, the bravery of the English appear'd for a few having past the Bridge, the French fol∣lowing, the English rallied and faced about gal∣lantly to charge the French, who cowardly re∣treated over the Bridge, and of this a Forraign Author speaking, saith, The English were magis audaces quam fortunati, and withall taxeth them for want of secrecy in their Counsels and Con∣duct of so great an affair; the Duke of Bucking∣ham upon his retreat from the Isle of Rhee, pro∣mised the Rochellers to send them speedy relief, now close besieged by the French King, and upon return sent away the Earl of Denbigh his Brother-in-law with a Fleet to that purpose, who on the first of May, 1628. arrives before Rochell, where he found the French Fleet consisting of 20 Sail had blockt it up by Sea, upon the Earls approach the French retire towards their Fortification, and an∣chored within two cannon shot of our Fleet, and so continued till the 8th. of May. The Earl pro∣mised the Rochellers to sink the French Fleet when the Waters increased, and the Winds became Westerly, it being then neap Tide; but two days after the Waters increasing, and the Wind be∣coming Westerly, the Earl was intreated to fight the French Fleet but did not, and weighed Anchor
and sailed away. The Duke to redeem this mis∣carriage of his Brother-in-Law, in August follow∣ing goes to Portsmouth to command the Fleet there for the relief of Rochel, but on the 23 of the said Month was stabbed by Felton, on whom by the way, hanging in Chains at Portsmouth was made this ingenious Coppy of Verses,
There uninterr'd suspends (though not to save Surviving Friends the expences of a Grave;) Felton's dead Earth, whom to it self must be, His own sad Monument, his Elegy; As large as Fame, but whether bad or good, I say not, by himself 'twas wrought in blood. For which his Body is entomb'd in air, Arch'd o're with Heaven and ten thousand fair And glorious Diamond Stars, a Sepulcre; Which time can never ruinate, and where Th' impartial Worms (not being brib'd to spare Princes wrapt up in Marble) do not share His Dust, which oft the charitable skies, Embalm with Tears, doing those obsequies, Belonging unto Men, while pittying fowl, Contend to reach his body to his Soul.yet the design was pursued under the command of the Earl of Linsey, who attempted several times to force the Barricadoes of the River before Rochel, but all in vain, or if he had, it had been to no purpose, for the Victuals wherewith the Rochellers should have been relieved were all tain∣ted, and 'twas well the French had no Fleet
there, for the English Tackle and other matteri∣als were all defective and so Rochel fell, and with it in a manner all the Glory and Interest of the reformed in France, but 'tis remarkable what counsel concurred to the reducing of this impor∣tant place, and what accidents followed after; The French Army had been before it a long time, and had made no considerable Progress in the Siege when the Marquess Spinola returning from Flan∣ders into Spain, directed his course through France, and hearing the King and Cardinal were at the Siege of Rochel, waited upon both, and going to view the Works one day, asked the Cardinal what they meant to do there, and con∣tinuing his Discourse, said, That as they mana∣ged matters, there was no possibility of taking the place, what must we do then saies the Car∣dinal, Push! replies the Marquess, do as we have done at Antwerp, make a Dyke at the Mouth of the Harbour, and yo'll by that means starve them out; the Cardinal immediately takes up the pro∣ject, sets all hands on work, and with Immense Labour and Celerity finishes the Dyke, which in a short time reduced the place to that starving Condition, that they were at length forced to surrender at Discretion, and it is note-worthy that as Leyden about 54 years before was mira∣culously preserved from the hands of the Spani∣ards, for being reduced to the last extremity, they let loose the Waters upon them, which the Dams restrained before, and upon that the Army march'd away, whereas had they staid but two
or three days longer in the Neighbourhood, they might have had an open passage to the Town, for the Walls of it fell down to the Ground, and a strong Northerly Wind had clear'd the Country of the Water, so Rochel by a quite contrary fate had been surrendered but a very few days, when the Dyke so far broke as that they might have been relieved by Sea, had there been a Fleet ready for that purpose. But when Spino∣la came to the Council in Spain, he was so brow∣beaten and snubb'd for his Advise to the Cardi∣nal, by the Duke of Medina then prime Minister of State and other Grandees, that he never after could get his Money paid that was owing him, and dyed a Begger and in utmost disgrace; so well did the Spaniards then understand their true Interest, that as long as the Reformed could make head in France, the Arms of that Kingdom would be confined within its own limits, and they and other Princes be less molested by those aspiring and restless Neighbours, and this was the unhappy end of this War between England and France, and the dreadful Presages of the Duke of Roan, hereupon (to give his Words the mildest terms I can) had but too fatal effects upon the Person of that Prince, to whose perfidy he at∣tributed the loss of this Fortress, and the Prote∣stant interest in France; for after this, Dissention grew daily more and more in England, which drew on an unnatural Civil War that ended with a sad Catastrophe in the Kings dying by the Ax, for he was beheaded January 30th. 1648. after
he had Reigned 23 Years 10 Months and odd days, and in the 49th. Year of his Age.