STUDY XIII. lyi 



I was witnefs to a difplay of humanity on their 

 partj of which I doubt whether any other foldiery 

 in Europe would have been capable. It was in the 

 year 1760, in a detachment of our army, then in 

 Germany, and an enemy's country, encamped hard 

 by an inconfiderable city, called Stadberg. I lodged 

 in a miferable village, occupied by the head-quar- 

 ters. There were in the poor cottage, where I and 

 two of my comrades had our lodgings, five or fix 

 women, and as many children, who liad taken re- 

 fuge there, and who had nothing to eat, for our 

 army had foraged their corn, and cut down their 

 fruit-trees. We gave them fome of our provifions; 

 but what we could fpare was a fmall matter in- 

 deed, confidering both their numbers and their ne- 

 ceffities. One of them was a young woman big 

 with child, who had three or four children befide. 

 I obferved her go out every morning, and return 

 fome hours after, with her apron full of flices of 

 brown bread. She flrung them on packthreads, 

 and dried them in the chimney like mudirooms. 

 I had her queftioned one day by a fervant of ours, 

 who fpoke German and French, where fhe found 

 that provifion, and why flie put it through that 

 procefs. She replied, that (he went into the camp 

 to folicit alms among the foldiers ; that each of 

 them gave her a piece of his ammunition-bread, 

 and that flie dried the iliccs in order to preferve 

 them ; for (he did not know where to look for a 



fupply 



