On the day of the battle of Dettingen, a musketeer, named Girardeau,
dangerously wounded, was carried near the Duke of Cumberland’s tent.
They could find no surgeon, all of them being sufficiently employed
elsewhere. They were going to dress the duke, the calf of whose leg had
been pierced by a ball: “Begin,” said that generous prince, “with
relieving that French officer, he is more wounded than I; he may fail of
succour, and I shall not.”
Alphonso V. king of Sicily and Arragon, was besieging the city of
Gayette. That place beginning to fail of provisions, the inhabitants
were obliged to turn out the women, children, and old men, who were so
many useless mouths.--These poor people found themselves reduced to the
most direful extremity. If they approached the city, the besieged fired
on them; if they advanced towards the enemy’s camp they there met the
same danger. In this sad condition, those wretches implored sometimes
the compassion of their countrymen, not to suffer them to die with
hunger. Alphonso was moved with pity at this spectacle, and forbid his
soldiers to use them ill. He then assembled his council, and asked the
advice of the principal officers, respecting the manner he ought to act
with these unfortunate people. They all gave their opinion that they
ought not to receive them, and said, that if they perished by hunger, or
by the sword, none could be blamed but the inhabitants, who had driven
them out of the city. Alphonso was offended at their hardness of heart:
he protested he would rather renounce the taking of Gayette than resolve
to let so many wretches die of hunger. He also added, that a victory
purchased at that price would be less worthy of a magnanimous king than
a barbarian and a tyrant. ‘I am not come,’ said he, ‘to make war on
women, children, and feeble old men, but on enemies capable of defending
themselves.’ He immediately gave orders that they should receive all
those unfortunate people into the camp, and caused provisions, and
whatever was necessary, to be distributed amongst them.
A violent tempest, which Alphonso V. king of Arragon, was exposed to at
sea, obliged him to put up into an island. Being there in perfect
security, he perceived one of his gallies on the point of being
swallowed up in the waves, with the equipage and troops that were on
board.----The spectacle excited his compassion, and he immediately gave
orders that they should go and succour those unhappy people. Hereupon
his people terrified at the danger, represented to him, that it was
better to let one ship perish, than expose all the rest to the danger of
ship-wreck. Alphonso did not listen to this advice: but, without
deliberating, embarked on board the admiral’s ship, and immediately
departed to give them timely succour; the rest, seeing the king expose
himself with so much resolution, were animated by his example, and every
one hastened to follow him. The enterprize at length succeeded; but he
likewise ran great risk of perishing, it being so very dangerous. The
generous Alphonso said, ‘I would have preferred being buried in the sea
with all my fleet, rather than have seen those wretches perish full in
my view without helping them.’
* * * * *
* * * *
_For the +New-York Weekly Magazine+._
* * *