S40 
my old camp at Bruchsal. D’Asfeld 
would have laid siege to Mentz, but this 
intention I obliged him to relinquish, for 
I hastened to cover that place. My 
marches, to prevent the French from pe: 
netrating into Swabia by the Black Fo- 
rest, have, it seems, been sufficiently ex- 
tolled. I covered Wtirtemberg, and they 
found me every where except ina field 
of battle: for really I could not fight. 
More fatigued than we, but able to re- 
fresh themselves whenever they pleased, 
they entered into winter-quarters ; and 
I, innocent in my own eyes, deserving 
neither the praise nor the censure with 
which I am honoured, satisfied with a 
kind of petty passive glory, set out for 
Vienna. . 
I had left my nephew, the only remain- 
ing shoot of my branch of Savoy, sick at 
Mannheim ; he died of a fever, as I have 
been told, but I suspect of something 
else. 7Tis a pity; he possessed under- 
standing and courage. Though only 
twenty years of age he was a major-ge- 
neral, but too much of alibertine. I 
allow a man to be a little disposed that 
way I love the indiscreet, and detest 
Catos; they scarcely ever stand fire well: 
but my little Eugene was fond of bad 
company and bad friends; and these are 
enough to rum any body. 
At the end of April I set off for Heil- 
bron, and took up my excellent cargp at 
Bruchsal, as I had done the year before ; 
but as the enemy was much stronger, I 
had nothing to do but te cover all the 
places and the country on this side of 
the Rhine. 
In order to render the possession of 
Philipsburg useless to him, I turned the 
course of three small rivers; which, in- 
stead of discharging ‘themselves into the 
Rhine, produced me a superb inundation 
from that fortress to Ettlingen, the lines 
of which thus covered were unassailable, 
' Had I been able to leave them, having 
no longer to do with D’Asfeid, who had 
been succeeded by Coigny, I should 
have finished my military career better 
than by the same passive kind of glory 
as the preceding year. I gave it some 
degree of activity by taking Trarbach, 
aud delivering the electorate of Treves. 
Seeing that there was nothing more to 
be done, nothing to be gained, and much 
to be lost, as I had told Charles V1. fifty 
times, I was very glad at first to be re- 
called to Vienna, though I shrewdly sus- 
pected that this was my last campaign, 
Jt would be difficult for me to express 
what I felt on taking leave of my army, 
Memoirs of Prince Eugene, of Savoy. 
Tt was a painful scene I assure you. An 
old soldier only can know what it is to 
bid a last farewell to such brave fellows, 
whom he has so often led to death, which 
I was desirous of meeting in so happy, 
speedy, and glorious a manner: "tis the. 
only favour that God has refused me. 
With tears in my eyes I resigned the 
command to the duke of Wurtemberg ; 
and on my arrival at. Vienna, I luckily 
found La Baume, the agent seut by Car- 
dinal Fleury, to make very reasonable 
proposals, 
bled in Poland: her garrison of 15,000; 
men had surrendered at Dantaic, and 
the father-in-law of Louis XV. had with- 
drawn himself nobody knew whither. 
The Russians and Augustus IIL. tri- 
umphed, as might be expected; and [, 
taking advantage of the desire of Charles 
VI. to restore the extinguished house 
of Austria, by marrying his daughter 
Maria Theresa to prince Francis of Lor- 
raine, we soon came to an understand- 
ing, and the preliminaries were signed. 
from public life. I play at piquet every, 
evening at Madame de Bathiany’s with 
Tareca, Windischgvatz, and Tessin, the 
Swedish ambassador. It is rather for 
the sake of conversation, People are 
more talkative when they do not say” 
Let us talk, and round a card-table they © 
are more at their ease; otherwise games 
of commerce are extinguishers of society. © 
In war, IL prefer games of chance. At 
my head-quarters, those who won were 
put into high spirits, and those who lost 
fuught better; ’tis soun over, and time 
is more valuable than money. I am 
fond’ of the company of young people; 
they are more pure, not having been 
corrupted by intrigue, I often see the 
commander Zinzendorf, a man of en» 
larged understanding, and of the world; 
and Frederic Harrach, who adds to these . 
qualities, considerable talents for busi-’ 
ness. I foresee that he will be raised 
to important posts, as will in war Dhaun ” 
and Brown. The first possesses most 
merit; the second will have boldness; 
and the last, superior. dens for disci- 
pline and the essential details, without 
being trifling. Joseph Wenzl Lichten- 
stein is likewise a brave general, a good 
citizen, and a genvinenobleman. Seck- 
endorf and Schmettau, with military 
qualities, depend rather too much on 
circumstances, - 
Young Cubentzl, a man of great intel-_ 
ligence, often visits at Madame de Ba- 
thiany’s. He one day said to her; “ a 
[Nov. i; 
France had been rather hum-* 
Now I have nearly withdrawn / 
