Memoirs of Major Alexander Ramkins (1718)
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THE MEMOIRS OF
Majr. _Alexander Ramkins_,
A HIGHLAND OFFICER,
Now in Prison at _AVIGNON_.
BEING
An Account of several remarkable Adventures during aboutTwenty Eight Years Service in _Scotland, Germany, Italy,Flanders_ and _Ireland_; exhibiting a very agreeable and instructiveLesson of Human Life, both in a Publick andPrivate Capacity, in several pleasant Instances of hisAmours, Gallantry, Oeconomy, &_c._
_LONDON_: Printed for _R. King_ at the _Queen's-head,_ and_W. Boreham_ at the _Angel_ in _Pater-noster-row,_ 1719.
Price _1s. 6d._ Stich'd, and _2s._ Bound.
THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER
_I Think it proper to inform the Reader that these Papers were deliver'dinto my Hands by a near Kinsman of the Authors, who lately came from theSouthern Parts of_ France. _His Design in imparting these Memoirs to me,was (as I quickly perceiv'd) to know my Sentiments of the Performance.It seems the Gentleman had been sour'd by_ French _Practises, and waswilling that the World should be no longer a Stranger to what was theground of his distast. The Author appears very well qualify d for hisTask, and opens a Scene of Politicks which the good natur'd part ofMankind will scarce think human Race capable of. Those that areacquainted with the Person of Major Ramkins, assure me, that the lateKing fames never had a more active and diligent Servant, and that he wasone never wanting in his Station. If I am of a contrary Opinion to thePublick in judging these Remarks worthy of the Press, 'tis what I do notat present find my self convinc'd of. One Benefit at least may beexpected from 'em, that they will induce all true Britains to becautious, and not imbark themselves in a foreign Interest for thefuture, if not for the sake of their Country, at least for their ownSakes. I will not anticipate the Contents, but only take the freedom toacquaint the Reader in General. That it will be one of the greatestParadoxes in future Ages to read, that the Court of_ St. Germains_should have been a Sleep, and impos'd upon for Twenty Eight Yearssuccessively, unless their being trick'd by the greatest of Politicians,be a Circumstance to take off from the Surprize_.
THE MEMOIRS OF
_Alexander Ramkins, &c._
I was not above Seventeen Years of Age when the Battle of _Gillycranky_was fought between the Two Highland Generals, the Lord Viscount _Dundee_and _Mackay_. And being then a Stripling at the University of _Aberdeen_and understanding that several Clans were gathering into a Body indefence of King _James_ III sold my Books and Furniture of my Lodgings,and equipp'd my self to observe the Martial Call, I found my selfprompted with. I arriv'd in a few Days near the Field of Battle, andjoyn'd my self with a broken Body of Men who were making up towards theMountains to recover themselves after the Fatigue of Battle. TheNoviceship I went through in the _Highlands_, was no improper Foundationfor the course Method of living I have been since engag'd in for aboveTwenty Seven Years; during which Time, I have run through all thoseHardships which are incident to one who seeks a Preferment in Fire andSmoak.
While I strolled about in the _Highlands_, it was my good Fortune to beunder the Tuition of an old Officer, who let me into many of thoselittle Secrets which are not unserviceable to such as Design to make thewhole Earth the Theatre of their Life; but what I chiefly valued thisold Gentleman's Conversation for, was the Happiness I had to be a Hearerof some of his Politick Lessons, of which he was a great Master, havingfurnish'd himself by Fifty Years Practice, with the best Idea's of thatkind.
Upon a certain Day when our Party were out, some upon Foraging, andothers to get Intelligence, I being alone in a Cottage with this oldCaptain, and being desirous to know his Opinion of the Affairs of_Europe_ in general, as also what was like to be the Issue of thatCause we had undertaken. The old Captain willing to satisfy my Curiosityas far as his Skill would reach, pulled out some Remarks he had madeupon the Year 1640. Observe, _says_ he, Child what I say to you, 'tis aMaxim never to be neglected among Politicians to keep up Divisions in anEnemies Country; you may, perhaps, imagine that this will be a shortGame that is a playing, but depend upon it my Grey Hairs will not see anend of it. I allow the King of _France_ has declar'd himself a Friend toKing _James_ II; He is a very powerful Prince, and if he would turn hisForces this Way, and be upon the Defensive near Home, a few Months wouldbring the War to a Period. But that Monarch has things in his Head whichI must not mention. There will be great Skirmishing in the Dominions of_Great Britain_, but no decisive Action if _Lewis le Grand_ can hinderit. He takes Cardinal _Richlieu's_ Conduct for a Precedent. It wouldhave been no difficult Task for the _French_ to have joyn'd their Forceswith King _Charles_ I. and have made a short Hand of that Contestbetween the King and Parliament; but that Politick Cardinal instead ofthis Method, had Emissaries in the _English_ Cabinet to exaggerateMatters between them. The same Method has been observ'd by that Nationever since; and if _Lewis le Grand_ does not make a Politick Use of King_James_ II. without doing him any real Service, I shall be very willingto correct my self, and cancel that Paragraph in my Observations.
This was the first Politick Lesson I was entertain'd with by my oldMaster; which, though at that time my want of Experience did not permitme thoroughly to comprehend, yet since, a Resemblance of Circumstanceshas often reviv'd it my Mind; nor could I ever be well reconcil'd tothat Piece of Morality, That it was a laudable Practice to set People bythe Ears together.
The hopes of being releas'd, is the best Support to Men in Misery, andour small Body of Three Hundred Men wou'd not have remain'd so longunder Discipline, if Expectation had not been nourish'd with dailyAlarms of Assistance from _France_. Our commanding Officer wasRomantickly Loyal, and look'd upon every little Hill we scrambled over,as an impregnable Fortress, from whose Summit he often took occasion toHarangue us, as if the Eyes of all _Europe_ were upon us, and the Fateof the Three Kingdoms hung at our Swords Points. But the Truth was, Ibelieve, we were unknown to all Mankind, and if those Villages wemarch'd by you'd but secure the Cattle from us, the State was in nogreat Danger from our Quarter.
As for the Hopes of being assisted from _France_, though our Commanderneglected no Pains to instill such a Belief into the Generality of theSoldiers, in order to prolong his Reign in that honourable Post heenjoy'd, yet I read it plainly in my old Captain's Forehead, that_France_ was not accustom'd to open their Treasures in countenancingChimerical Adventures, and that the most we could expect from thence,would be a small _Dunkirk_ Privateer, with a Hogshead or two of Brandyto keep the Cause alive, while he was pushing on his Conquests in otherParts of the Globe, in which the Glory and Interest of _France_ was moreimmediately concern'd. For my own Part, as I was resolv'd to pursue myFortune in the way of Arms, and finding that there was no appearance of_Scotland's_ being a Place of Action, so I advis'd with my old Masterwhat course I should steer to answer the Ends of my Call. The oldGentleman, though he might have deterr'd me from such an Undertaking, byproposing himself as an Instance how little you'd be gain'd that way,having nothing to show for near Sixty Years Service in the War, but aBundle of Politick Remarks drawn from the false Steps he and others havemade in endeavouring to make their Fortune, yet since every Man mustspin out his Thread of Life one way or other, and that that was mostlikely to succeed well to which a Person found himself most inclinable,so he humour'd my present Dispositions; but at the same time, counsell'dme to Transport my self over to the Continent, where I might meet withsomething worthy my Curiosity. Islands, _says he_, are commonly won andlost in a Day, nor will they afford you that variety of Stratagems whichwill make you perfect in the Art of War. After this I only waited for afit Opportunity to quit the Service I was in, for thou
gh I was nofarther engaged than in the Quality of a Gentleman Volunteer, yet aStrain of Honour would not permit me to forsake my Companions, unlesssome more plausible Reason occurr'd to me than what I could invent atthat Time. But it was not long before an occasion offered it self to putmy Project in Execution. By moving too and fro our little Army, I waswithin Twenty Miles of my Mother's House, (for my Father had been deadsome Years) having therefor first communicated my Design to my oldMaster, whom I intended to invite along with me, if he approv'd of myUndertaking.
In conclusion, Things were order'd so, that the old Captain, withmyself, and another, were detatch'd out towards the Coast to getIntelligence, and that Night about Eleven we agreeably surpriz'd myMother who had for several Months been lamenting the Loss of her darlingSon, whom she suppos'd to be