878 ANNE. 1710.
224. The New P a r l ia m e n t . 25 November, 1710.
Britannia, seated, I., holds her spear and rests her arm upon
her shield; in the field is a united sprig of rose and thistle,
crowned. Leg. h ic . ordo . s e n a t . commun . c o n s t it u t . f u it .
p e r . r e q . a n . (This Order of the House of Commons was
established by Queen Anne.)
Rev. The west end of St. Stephen’s Chapel, at Westminster.
Leg. s in g u l . e it jsd . s e n a t o r . d o n a t . e x s t it . a . d . 1710.
(Presented to each surviving senator of the same, 1710.)
1'85 by l -6. Snelling, xxvii. 7.
Hunter, iE gilt. Extremely rare.
On the 21st September, 1710, Anne dissolved the first united
parliament of England and Scotland, and the new parliament
was summoned to meet on the 25th November following. The
result of the election was a majority for the Tories, consequently
many of the old members lost their seats. This medal appears
to have been struck for presentation to those members who held
seats in the old parliament and retained them in the new one.
225. B a t t l e o f V il l a V ic io s a . ” ®°Je‘ 1710.
Bust of Louis XIV., r., hair long, no drapery. Leg. ltjdo-
VICUS MAGNUS REX CHRISTIANISSIMUS.
Rev. Spain, prostrate and distressed, is cheered by the
approach of Victory with a palm branch and a mural crown;
behind her is her shield, and before her, a rabbit; on the left,
in the field, is a flower. Leg. v ic to r ia r e d u x . (Victory returned.)
Ex. HOSTES DELETI AD VILLAM VICIOSAM X . DECEMBRIS.
M.DCC.x. (The enemy defeated at Villa Viciosa, 10 Dec. 1710.)
2-8. Med. Louis XIV., fol. 307. Van Loon, V. 164.
As no specimen of this medal in this size has been met with,
the engraving is probably an enlarged copy of the following one.
After the battle of Saragossa, Louis XIV. very greatly reinforced
his army, and gave the command to Vendome. General
Stanhope was surprised in the small town of Brihuega, and
after a severe struggle of twenty-eight hours, was surrounded
and made prisoner with nearly 6,000 men, not without some
suspicion of having heen betrayed by the jealousy of Starem-
berg, against whom Vendome now advanced with nearly double
numbers, and whom he came up with on the neighbouring
plain of Villa Viciosa. Vendome’s first attack was successful,
but his troops falling upon the baggage and beginning to
plunder, were thrown into confusion, and were compelled to
retreat. The battle would thus have been lost had not the
Marquis de Valdecanas, at the head of the reserves, arrested
the progress of the Allied infantry. In this battle Staremberg
and Vendome, who had both signalized themselves by their
courage and conduct, divided equally the honours of the day;
the Allies having taken a considerable part of the Spanish
cannon, and the Spaniards having captured most of the baggage
of the Allies. Staremberg was, however, so weakened by
the battle that he was compelled to withdraw at once, first to
Saragossa and thence into Catalonia. The French, on account
of their superiority in forces, were too strong to admit of resistance,
and thus the greater part of Spain soon fell into their
hands.
226. B a t t l e o f V il l a V ic io sa . ^ 1710.
Bust of Louis XIV., r., &c.; similar to the preceding.
Below, the artist’s name, i. m av g er . f .
Rev. Spain, prostrate and distressed, &c.; similar to the
preceding, but beneath the flower in the field are the artist’s
initials, I . b . (Jean Bernard.) Leg. Same as the preceding,
but differently arranged.
1-6.
MB. M.
One of the smaller series of French historical medals of
Louis XIV.
227. B a t t l e o f V il l a V ic io s a . ^ ^ 1710.
Bust of Louis XIV., r . ; similar to the preceding. Below,
monogram of t b . (Thomas Bernard.)