242 
may eat- without an express order from 
the king.” Roasted horse-flesh was set 
before us; the epicures in my suite were 
far from relishing the joke, but ~ were 
quickly consoled by the arrival of pro- 
visions from the city, on which we made 
ap excellent repast. 
The following day I gave him as good 
a dinner as I could, at my abbey, where 
he paid meavisit. Wewere very merry 
and communicative. We talked of war, 
politics, and Louis XIV, On the latter 
subject. I was highly amused with the 
atterles of the states-general, who think- 
ne themselves very cunning, were in 
1epes by these means to dispose him to 
peace, of which they’were ardently de- 
sirouse I durst not be alone a moment 
with the marshal, Jest idle stories shou!d 
be circulated respecting us; and one or 
the other might appear suspicious to Our’ 
courts, where people are always sure to 
have good friends, who are never asleep. 
After manifesting my consideration for 
the illustrious vanquished, whenever we 
were together at the play, and when 
we went abroad in the streets, where I 
observed that he was universally adored, 
I caused him and his brave- garrison to 
be conducted to Douay, with a large 
escart_and all possible honors. 
After retaking Ghent and Bruges, 
Marlborough and-I put our troops in 
winter-quarters, and went for a month 
to Brussels; but my mother was no longer 
there: r. ; F 
1709.—January 9th, weset out for the 
Hague. It was nothing but a series of 
honours and festivities; presents for 
Mariborough, and fire-works for’ me. 
But I prevented a magnificent exhibition, 
by requesting the states-general to give 
the money it was to have cost to their 
brave soldiers, whom I had caused to he 
crippled; and the 20rh’of January I set 
of for Vienna, to report and ask for far- 
ther orders. Pee 
I was directed to make peace, if the 
enemy would comply with all- my de- 
mands. © T returned on the 8th. of April 
to the Hague, where I found the pleni- 
potentiaries of the king of France. Fa- 
mine, a winter more severe than had 
ever been known, want of men and mo. 
ney, made him-wish for peace; but the 
vanguished forget that they are such, ag 
‘soon as they enter ‘upon negociation. 
They mistake obstinacy for firmness, and 
at last get more soundly besten tnan 
before, 
One bandred thousand men were again 
under Mariborough’s command and mine 
= 
Memoirs of Prince Eugene, of Savoy. 
‘cealed our dispositions from the 
FOcts, ty 
in the Low Countries; and the same num- 
ber under that of Villars. “1 am. 
going,” said he to the king on taking 
leave, *‘to drive your enemies so far, - 
that’ they shail not again see the -banks 
of the Scheldt ; and by a. battle: on my° ° 
arrival, to regain all that has been taken 
from your majesty.” | 
Without wishing to avoid one, for he 
was morally and physically brave, he 
took an extremely advantageous position; 
this was one of his great talents; he 
wanted very little to be a perfect war- 
rior. ‘With réinforcements, whichpoured 
i to us on all sides, we were stronger 
than he, but there was no possibility of 
attacking him where he was. To oblige 
him to quit his position, we resolved to ~ 
besiege Tournay. The trenches were 
opened on the 7th of July, the winte flag 
was hoisted on the 28th, and on the 2ist 
ef August, after the most terrible sub- 
terrancous war that I ever witnessed, 
(for in twenty-six days, the besieged ~ 
sprung thirty-eight mines,) the citadel 
surrendered. Villars never stirred. 
“Let us go and take Mons,” ‘said I to’ 
Marlborough; “perhaps this devil of | 
a fellow will tire of being so prudent.” 
Madame de Maintenon did not give him 
credit for so much prudence as he pos- 
sessed, though she was very fond of him; 
for she permitted Louis XIV.: to send 
marshal Boufflers to assist him. Certain 
enemies of Villars, at Versailles, hoped 
to give him disgust; but I have already 
proved, that brave men agree together, 
and love and esteem each other. The 
two marshals would gladly have saved 
Mons without risking a battle; we stood 
upon ceremony to know which party 
should oblige the other to give it. As 
soon as our troops from.Tournay had ar- 
rived: ‘¢ Let us lose no time,” said I ; 
‘¢ and in spite of 120,000 men, woods, 
hedges, villages, holes, triple entrench- 
ments, a hundred pieces of cannon and 
ebattis, let us put an end to the war in 
one day.” en 
The deputies of Holland, and some: 
faint-hearted generals, objected, remon- 
strated, and tired me. It was of no use 
to tell them that the excéllent veteran 
French soldiers were killed in the six or 
seven battles which Marlborough and ft 
had gained ; and though I well knew that 
young ones are formed but too expedi- 
tiously,; an advantage in which they are 
superior to all other nations, we deter~ 
mined upon the battle of Malplaquet. 
The 11th of September a thick fog con- 
mar- 
shals ; 
‘ 
