Carta interceptada escrita de Ginebra por un Ingles fanatico a Monsieur Marlebourug.
En Ginebra [Geneva]: 1704. Scarce publication related to the English participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. In later marbled paper. 4 p. In fine condition.
A curious publication, contains the text, in translation, of an intercepted letter from an anonymous “fanatical Englishman” to General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, the de facto leader of Allied forces in the Low Countries, reporting the writer's tactics whilst awaiting reinforcements and further instructions from the Duke. “The writer states that he has just arrived from Languedoc, after having escaped the vigilance of ‘the traitors’, and has prevented many ‘Brothers in Christ’ from listening to the secret emissaries of the ‘cruel Papists’. He even obtained the assent of some brothers ‘to make a sacrifice of those who fell into their hands, and to destroy, by iron and fire, their profane churches. This procedure, supported by bills of exchange, which I have sent them with the hope of a prompt relief which I have promised on the part of the Queen, to enable them to join the Duke of Savoy soon, has kept them at their post of duty for some considerable time; but when they heard that the Duke of Schomberg, whom they expected at the Cevennes, had gone to Portugal, they became disheartened, and, not being in a position to resist the troops, they have proved false Brothers’.” (Maggs, 1927)
Scarce, WorldCat locates one copy in BNE (Madrid). According to RBH it only appeared twice on the market: Sotheby’s 1933; Maggs, 1927 (Cat. no. 495. 150.).
Price: €1,500.00