306 army, impressed with the noblest principles; and, from the very first steps of their career, have rapidly fallen to disgrace and infamy! Do not, I conjure you, my son, confound that condescension and modesty which is one of the greatest attractions of society, and which is always followed by the esteem of the wise and the good, do not, I entreat you, confound this amiable spirit, with the servile and fatal compliance which is ready, on every occasion, to sacrifice and renounce its own principles, and to adopt the vices of those whose chief wish is to procure accomplices in that libertinism by which alone they are rendered conspicuous. Be firm against such wretched examples; to snares like these oppose a vigorous resolution; and believe me, you will by these means compel the most headstrong, and those who are most anxious for bringing you over to their party, to envy the wisdom and discretion that preserve you. TRUE glory is acquired by serving the cause of our country, in which we are engaged, by every honourable means in our power, even though they should be such as may at first appear to hurt our private feelings.-General Burgoyne was posted in Portugal, with a body of six thousand British and some Portuguese troops, on the banks of the Tagus, to dispute the passage of that river with the whole Spanish army. The count De Lippe, generalissimo of all the forces and auxiliaries of Portugal, found it of so much importance to throw every possible obstacle in the way of the enemy, that he sent orders to Burgoyne to defend the pass to the last man. If, however, he found it impossible to withstand the Spaniards, he was to abandon to them his camp, his artillery, and provisions, except as much of the latter as his men could carry at their backs, and retreat as slowly as he could to the mountains on his left, whence he was to join the main army in small detachments. The count accompanied the order with these words: "I know to how severe a trial I expose the feelings of a gallant officer, when I order him to abandon his camp to the enemy; but the nature of the service requires such a sacrifice. Do you execute the orders: I will take the measure on myself; and justify you in the sight of the world." END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. Printed by B. McMillan, Bow Street, Covent Garden. |