1810.] 
shals; we dispelled it at eight in the 
morning, by a general discharge of all our 
artillery. This military music was suc- 
ceeded by that of hautboys, drums, files, 
and trumpets, with which L treated both 
armies. We then saw Villars proceeding 
through all the ranks. As the French 
can never hear enough of their king; 
‘* My friends,” said he to them, asI have 
been told, * the king commands me to 
fight: are you not very glad ofit?” He 
was answered with shouts of, Vive le Roi 
et M. de Villars! I attacked the wood 
of Sars without shouting. I rallied the 
English guards, who, at the beginning, 
were scattered; some from too much 
courage, and others from a contrary rea- 
son: my German battalions supported 
them.. We had nevertheless been over- 
whelmed, had not the duke of Argyle, 
who boldly climbed the parapet of the 
entrenchment, made me master of the 
wood. All this procured me a_ ball 
behind the ear; and on account of the 
quantity of bloed which I lost, all those 
about me advised me to have the wound 
dressed. ‘‘ If 1 am beaten,” Ireplied, ‘‘it 
will not be worth while; and if the French 
are, I shall have plenty of time for that.” 
What could I have done better than ‘to 
seek death, after ail the responsibility 
which [had again taken upon myself on 
this occasion? I beg pardon for this di- 
gression and personality; but one cannot 
help being a man. To -endeayour to 
repair faults committed, is, I acknow- 
ledge, more noble; but to survive one’s 
glory is dreadful. My business on, the 
right going cn well, I wished to decide 
that of the duke on the left, which pro- 
ceeded but slowly. To no purpose the 
prince of Orange had planted a standard 
on-the third entrenchment; almost the 
whole Datch corps was extended on the 
ground, killed or wounded. For six 
hours Marlborough was engaged with 
the centre and the left, without any de- 
cisive advantage, My cavalry, which I 
sent to his succour, was overthrown on 
the way by the kiny’s household troops, 
who were in their turn routed by a bat- 
tery which took them in flank, Atlength | 
Marlborough had gained ground wi ithout 
me; so that it was easy for me to turn’ 
ae, centre of the enemy’s army which 
had been left unsupported in consequence 
of the defeat of the wines. Boufilers 
rendered the same service to Villars as 
I did to Marlhorough, and when he. be- 
held bim fall from his ‘horse, dangerously 
wounded below the knee, and the victory 
snatched arom, Hem, ‘he thought of 
> 
Memoirs of Prince Eugene, of Savoip. 243 
nothing but how to make the best re- 
T think 
treat in the best possible order. 
it is not too much to estimate the loss of . 
both armies at 40,000 men: those who 
were not killed, had died of fatigue. I 
gave some rest to the remains of my 
troops, buried all I could, and then 
marched to Mons, 
There were but 5 000 men in that 
place. I opened the trenches on the 
25th of September, and_on the 22d of 
October, being on the point of assaulting 
the horn-work of Bertamont, Grimaldi 
capitulated. Our troops went into 
winter quarters; and I, being obliged to 
post about without intermission, pro- 
ceeded with Marlborough to the Hague, 
to coax the states-general, who were 
ready to. abandon our cause. I advised 
them to say at the conferences of Ger- 
truidenberg, that they woald not hear 
of peace unless it were general. I was 
sure of queen Anne, because I was sure 
of Marlborough; he seconded me ad- 
mirably. 1 went to report to the em= 
peror. I submitted to him a sketch of 
the state of Europe, of which I could see 
that his cabinet had not the least idea. 
I stated the inclination which | observed 
mn several powers to forsake us. Ata 
distance from danger, people are cous 
rageous. I was told that 1 should make 
a glorious campaign. I replied, that,L 
had lost more men than could be eiven 
me; but yet I would my what I could 
do. 
1711. —Joseph Ie was attacked with 
the small-pox. There were no good 
physicians at Vienna. They sent to Lintz 
for one. The pustales came out in such 
abundance, that I thought him out of 
danger. On setting out for the Low 
Countries, I wanted fo take jeave of him; 
he sent me word that I had but too 
much exposed my life for him already, 
and that he,wanted it elsewhere than for 
the small-pox. I insisted no farther, 
and set off on the 16th of April, Three 
days afterwards I was informed of his 
death, occasioned by the ignorance of 
the faculty of Upper and Lower Austrias 
who disputed all night about the means 
of relieving an inflammation of the 
bowels, with which the emperor was 
afflicted. I sincerely regretted this 
-prince, aged thirty-three; the first since 
Charles V. who possessed genius, and 
was not superstitious; and I determined 
to serve him even after his death. I hur- 
ried to almost all the electors to dispose 
them to ensure the imperial crown to his 
brother, and then went to solicit the 
Duich 
