The Marquis de Miremont’s pedigree was serviceable to him in all the fluctuations of English party feeling. Feversham obtained for him the protection of King James, and, at a later date, retained for him the smiles of Queen Anne during the closing years of her life, when most of the French refugees were out of favour at Court. To King William III. he was related through his maternal grandmother, La Marquise de Duras, who was a daughter of Elizabeth, Duchesse de Bouillon, and grand-daughter of William the First, of Orange.
Miremont was anxious to serve in the English army. Finding, however, that his brother refugees were afraid to be mixed up with the plans of a Popish King, he proposed to form them into a corps to go to Hungary, and fight under the Emperor of Germany against the Turks. King James, anxious to get rid of Protestant refugees, supported with all his influence this chivalrous project, which the rapid march of domestic events soon extinguished.
When King James’s army was being mustered to check the advance of the Prince of Orange, on “the third day of November the king gave order to the Lord Brandon, the Marquiss de Miremont, Collonel Slingsby, Sir John Holman, and the Earl of Salisbury, to raise each a Regiment of Horse.”[1] This order was carried into effect immediately with wonderful expedition.
It was on the 10th of December that the king resolved to fly. Thereupon the Earl of Feversham, as commander-in-chief of the army, disbanded the 4000 men that were with him, and wrote to the Prince of Orange that there would be no more fighting, and virtually placed the whole army at his disposal. Oldmixon informs us that the Marquis of Miremont got his regiment together five hours thereafter, and told his officers that he thought it best to declare for the Prince of Orange. They all joined with him; whereupon he ordered all the Popish troopers to alight and quit their arms and cloaks, which fifteen of them did.
On December 18th the Prince took possession of St. James’s Palace, and on the 20th he put the army into quarters, De Miremont’s Horse being sent to Aylesbury and Wendover.[2] Miremont visited the Huguenot refugees in Switzerland to encourage them in succouring the Waldenses against the Duke of Savoy, and also in planning an irruption into their native provinces of Languedoc and Dauphiny. He collected money for them and infused so much spirit into their preparations that he had a share of the credit of causing the Duke of Savoy’s desertion from the French alliance.
To the celebrated St. Evremond we owe all the personal reminiscences of the Marquis de Miremont. This writer of fragmentary philosophy was a political refugee from France. He was a man of the world, and practically indifferent to religion; but he was no scoffer. He was hospitable to his refugee countrymen of the Protestant faith, who were grateful for his kindness and sympathy. To them he was an interesting relic of very old times, an ancient seigneur, Lord Galway’s senior by thirty-five years, and more than forty years older than Miremont. His conversation was delightful; in fact it was the only explicable cause of his brilliant reputation, which his writings could never have procured for him. King William was charmed by his society when in Holland, and renewed his friendship towards him in England. His Majesty was in the habit of visiting the Marquis de Miremont at his house in Brompton, and St. Evremond was, by royal command, very frequently invited to meet the king. A letter from the philosopher to the Marquis portrays some of Miremont’s characteristics. It appears that he took a large share in conversation, was an impatient listener, would interrupt a speaker with exclamations, and would often make a rather bold statement, adding, “Take my word for it.” Yet all were delighted with his ardour and honesty. At the time when this letter was written, he had gone to Flanders as Aide-de-camp to the king. It alludes to Lord
- ↑ History of the Desertion (London, 1689), page 42.
- ↑ The army consisted of the following regiments:—
Horse — Horse-Guards (3 troops), Royal Regiment, Queen’s Regiment, Earl of Peterborow’s, Sir John Fenwick’s, Lieutenant-General Werdens, Earl of Selkirk’s, late Hamilton’s, Princess of Denmark’s, Queen’s Dowager’s, Marquis de Miremont’s, Lord Brandon’s, Colonel Henry Slingsby’s, late Colonel Halman’s, and Earl of Salisbury’s.
Dragoons — Royal Regiment, Queen’s Regiment, Princess' Regiment.
Foot — 1st Regiment of Guards, Coldstream Regiment, Royal Regiment, Queen Dowager’s, Prince George’s, Holland Regiment, Queen’s, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Princess of Denmark’s, late Colonel Nicholas’s, Earl of Bath’s, late Karl of Litchfield’s, Earl of Huntington’s, late Sir Edward Hales’s, Colonel Tufton’s, Colonel John Hales’s, Colonel MacElligot’s, Colonel Richard’s, late Colonel Gage’s, Duke of Newcastle’s, Colonel Skelton’s, Colonel Archibald Douglas’s.
Scotch Forces — 1st, Troop of Horse-Guards; 2d, Regiment of Horse; 3d, Regiment of Foot-Guards; 4th, late Colonel Wachop’s; 5th, late Colonel Bochan’s; 6th, Earl of Dunmore’s Dragoons.
Irish Forces — Lord Forbes’s, Colonel Hamilton’s, Colonel Butler’s Dragoons.
“If all this army could not, or would not, maintain James II. in his irregular way of government, what Forces will be requisite to restore him against the Three Estates and the body of the nation?” — History of the Desertion, p. 110.
