They had twenty thousand men, while to oppose them there were but five thousand under the Duke of Berwick; and yet after entering Spain they fell back, without doing anything, into Portugal--their retreat beginning on the 11th of May, the day on which Philip retreated from Barcelona.

So that on the opposite side of Spain two large armies simultaneously retired before others vastly weaker than themselves.

When the news of Tesse's retreat to France reached Portugal they again advanced.

Berwick was too weak to oppose them, and on the 25th of June the advance guard of the allies occupied Madrid, and there proclaimed Charles as king.
Had Galway and his colleagues now shown the slightest energy, and moved against Berwick's little force, with which was Philip himself, they could have driven them across the frontier without striking a blow, and the French cause would have been lost in Spain; but, having reached Madrid, they remained there doing absolutely nothing--leaving ample time to Philip to repair his misfortunes, receive aid from France, and recommence the campaign with vigor.

As Peterborough wrote indignantly to General Stanhope: "Their halt is as fatal as was Hannibal's at Capua." As soon as the movement upon Madrid had been decided upon, Peterborough sailed with the English and Dutch infantry to Valencia, where he was received with enthusiasm by the inhabitants.