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l^'

ETTGIEHE FMII^CE

Fiitr/ud

bi/

Shenvcnd.

.Veely

OIF

SATDY.

&-Jcn^s.Jan.iS-j(9jj

MEMOIRS
OF

PRINCE EUGENE,
OF SAVOY.
WRITTEN B Y HIMSELF.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
BY WILLIAM MUDFORD,
AND CONTAINING ALL THOSE OMISSIONS WHICH HAVE BEE9
DETECTED IN THE RECENT PARISIAN EDITIONS.

--

EMBELLISHED WITH A CORRECT LIKENESS,

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR

SHERWOOD, KEELY, AND JONES,

PATERNOSTER- ROW.
:

1811.

Printed by Hamblin and Seyfang,

Queen-street, Cheapaide.

C.9

PREFACE
BY

THE TRANSLATOR,

X HOUGH
to

should be far from seeking

by

deprecate the severity of criticism

the usual cant of literary delinquents,

think
to

it

state,

a justice which I owe to myself

that

the following

Translation

was begun, carried on, and completed,

which

intervals of a painful disorder,

me

little

re-

Let

be some palliation of any negligences

which may have escaped me

sano.

left

and which necessarily

tarded the appearance of the work.

Sana

in

opportunity for the exertion of

mental vigour,

this

is

the

mem

seldom possessed but in the corpore

PREFACE.
and very na-

I have sometimes, also,

turally,

been

in

doubt respecting the exact

signification of military terms

where such

has been the case, I have preferred using

the

Fi'ench

know
led

by

expressions,

better than myself

my

that

may

who

they

not be mis-

ignorance.

The language

of

Prince Eugene

have not always found perspicuous, whether arising from any obscurity of his own,
or

from any inaccuracy in

manuscript for the press.

met with a passage

intelligible,
it

copying

As

hi^

often as I

that was not exactly

have endeavoured to

so in the translation,

by a

make

careful consi*

deration of the context.

W.M.
Jan. 26, 181

Advertisement of the Boohselkr

TO THE

FRENCH EDITION.

IT

Would be superfluous to enter, here,

into any praises of the Memoirs of Prince
Eugene: they will recommend themselves
and besides, we will leave them
:

to

biographers

discuss

who

are

such topics.

ourselves

accustomed to

We

to observing, that

shall

confine

the edition,

which we now

offer to our readeis, has

the merit of being purged from the nu-

merous faults which disfigured that of

Weimar, published by the Office of Industry in 1809.

We have corrected

the names

of persons, towns, rivers, &c. according

to the best historical and geographical
A 2

PREFACEe

iv

dictionaries

we have

rectified

innume-^

rable errors of punctuation,* which totally

altered the sense, and injured a production

so curious and original.

In short, with-

out seeking to correct the style of Prince

who did not intend to write

a book, we have sometimes, though
Euf^ene,

rarely,

felt

the necessity of changing a

few words, the repetition of which, too

near each other, would have disgusted the

reader
*

Many, notwithstanding,

stiil

remain. Tr5.

PREFACE
TO THE

WEIMAR EDITION.

r
(1809.)

All
know

those

who have known Vienna,

that the

Count de Canales was the

Sardinian

thirty years.

..

minister

:.,

One

there,

during

near

of his daughters mar-

Count de Hardegg, the

Grand-veneury and one or two others were
time which
Canonesses.
During the
elapsed between the death of Prince Eugene, and the arrival of the Count de Caried

nales,

there the

a niece of Prince Eugene's

ried the Prince de

Hildbourghausen

was heiress to her uncle,

mar;

she

had an excellent

PREFACE.

VI

and maintained almost

house,

a small

court in that garden of the Prince, which

is

Le

Belvedere.

The Count

Canales was

presented

to

now

de

day

called

after

his arrival

the

soon attached

she

her

herself to him, not only as the minister of

the King her cousin, but also, as a very

and well instructed man, and

one who always sought to be more so;

amiable,

Memoir of Prince Eugene being yet

of its expressions, anecfresh, many
the

dotes,

and characters, were

floating

in

society.

The Count de Canales

w^ith avidity.

cies,

by

An

who abuses

editor, of the

putting words into the

making the Count say

himself wish.

modern spe-

the credulity of the living,

dead, would have a fine

in

collected all

mouth of

the

field for his talent

all

that he might

know not whether

the

Count de Canales wrote what he had learned by a very recent tradition but nothing
;

was found

in his papers.

of another,

that what

is

It was in those

now going

to be

read was found, and this was the manner;

I^REFACE.

The
ter

Vii

Princess of Hildbourghausen, af-

having

him a

related to

things respecting her uncle,

said to him,

you must excuse

*^

As

*^

me

*^

ment, written partly

*^

hand, in the period between his

**

paign, and his death.

*^

read

*^

me

to warlike matters,

Here

from them.

it

of

variety

is

a small abridg-

in the Prince's

Do

own

camnot keep it:

last

with attention, and return

it

to

Count de Canales was

in

a^ain."

I believe the

no hurry to do

MS.

that the

the Princess

this.

was
died^,

One

thing

is

certain,

in his hands,

when

about the year

1752

still

or 1753,

For a long time there was nothing said

about it he lent it, and it was returned to
him. The general of cavahy. Count de O'
;

Donel,

uncle,

-la-mode

Count O'Donel, who is

de Bretagne,

at present at

na, told me, that he had read

to

Vien-

it.

During more than twenty years, tlie

Count de Canales passed all his evenings

PREFACE

via

with the celebrated Metastasio, and the

Baron de Hagen, who died president of

AuHc

the

Council, about seven or eight

Sometimes they were occupied

with the classics, arid sometimes they dis^
coursed upon whatever wa^ pleasing in
the literature and languages with which
years ago.

they were acquainted,

friend of Montesquieu's,

the

Abb

Guasco, as aPiedmontese, and a

man

of let-

was admitted, when he returned from

Paris, or from Tournay, where he had a

ters,

canonry, to the evenings of the Count de

One

Canales.

day,

when they were

coursing upon history, the

turned upon Prince

said the

Count de Canales,

have collected of his

''

tary

life

away,

you

conversation

Eugene

*'

dis-

''

Here,''

what I
private and mili-

shall hear

it,

*^ is

but not take

not show you the Prince

''

it

''

morning gown but I will display

him to you in his helmet and cuirass,'^

''

in his

will

said he, addressing himself to the

Guasco, "
^^

ther

for the instruction of

let

him study him

he

Abb de
your browill

need

PREFACE.
"
''

it,

IX

he has been appointed quarter-

as

master-general in the army of Marshal

Daun." Consequently,
tion must have take place
'y

this

conversa-

in the

month of

February, 1757-

Many

who

persons,

are

still

can certify the truth of what

alive,

advance,

and particularly that of the dates: for

I am particularly exact upon that point.

There

one to

is

to appeal
for

he be

if

he recovered

whom
alive,

as I

ventiu'e

will

hope he

from a severe

is

illness

about two years ago, at Moron, a small

town in the Tyrol, whither, driven from
Italy, I

there

and

daughter

make

my

pass

to

my

is

de

If he be dead, his

they had promised to

not:

her canoness of Halle.

vanced here

in

all

for she

conversations

father,

small baggage,

miserable existence

emigration.

not refuse to testify

my

my

had conveyed

his

all

her respectable

ninety-vSecond

the general of infantry,

will

that I have ad-

was present at

with

Ferraris, formerly

She

year,

aide-de-camp

M.
to

Count de Guaso

PREFACE.

The

now

reader

begins

to

the

see

genealogy of what I have printed, and

how

it

world.

has happened to be given to the

Want

money on my

of

part,

long existing military curiosity, gratitude

for

my

attentions

on

his

indifference of a dying

passing

round

him,

man

to all that

me

he presented to

me

procured

of this invaluable

possession

and the

side,

gift,

the

which

with a voice scarcely

Besides, there was nothing to be

audible.

sold in a small

purchasers

town of the Tyrol:

This good

man

old friends,

retired

no

gave, or per-

mitted to be taken, every thing.

of his

is

Some
like

officers

upon his books an Aus-^

trian
general, employed at
Inspruck,
upon his maps and I, though I did not
expect to have armies to command, poshimself,

fixed

sessed myself of a manuscript, the title of

which was precious to me. It was writ-^

ten in a long and small hand, the au^
thenticity

looking

of which

at

his

may be

signature in

Council of War, at Vienna.

testified

the

by

Aulic

PREFACE,

XI

Further, only the conversations which

he had with various individuals, the re-

and

flexions,

own

the

last

year,

are

in

he dic-

It appears that

hand-writing.

his

tated the rest to a secretary.

This Major Ferraris was a

who

great merit,

man

of

possessed the confidence

whose dangers lie partiw^hose labours he assisted

of his general,

and

cipated,
at

He

the siege

of Schweidnitz
the

repaired thither

1762,

in

more

willingly,

succeeded in restoring

because he often

M.

Guasco and
M. de Gribeauval, a celebrated French
engineer, on those occasions of disagreement which so often happen between commanders, the limits of whose authority are
and he
hardly ever accurately defined
inherited all the plans and books of his

harmony

between

de

when he

general,

died a prisoner, one or

Komanu-

two years

afterwards, I believe, at

nigsberg.

The

script,

depositary of this

have placed

it

in

the hands of

George Conrad Walburg, a bookseller and

printer

at

Klagenfurth, where any one

PREFACE.

Xll

may

and consult the writing of Prince

Eugene, and thus testify its authenticity.
This is the acknowledgement which I
received from him for this invaluable
see

manuscript.
^'

acknowledge, with gratitude, that

''

Mr.

''

has

placed this manuscript of Prince

''

Eugene,

-,

''

''

a French emigrant

my possession.
George Conrad Waldburg.

in

Klagenjiirth, the 1st of Jcnniary,

oflicer.

know not whether some

180

persons in

the Prince's service, did not take a copy

which served as

of this excellent work,

the basis of a history that was reprint-

There
is mention made in the preface, of some
manuscripts that had been found at Vien-

ed at Vienna, by

Briffant, in 1777.

and this was probably

number. I kuow not what
''I
meant by these words
''
myself of what had been
na:

<*

Prince Eu^rene in the

German

among
the

the

author

could avail
written

by

language/*

PRJEFACE.

Did he mean

XUl

to say, or did

lie

wish

it

be beheved/ that the Prince wrote in

German ? I have aheady proved, that he
did not know it enough for that. I beheve
it was a M7\ Lazzay, who was the author
to

or printer of a history in five vohunes, or

Mr,

Rousset,

There
stile

perceptible, however,

is

in the

of the Prince, a military air which

coincides well with his actions and cha-

Another proof of the authenticity

racter.

of this manuscript,

man

an old

tautologies of

the repetitions, which an au-

thor could not

commit

which do not belong^

while there

the

is

is

the negligences,

to a

man

of letters

nothing which does not agree

with the soldier: a tone which would

become another, but which

in a military

man

is

not always excellent,

familiar.

such as

and concise, like

it is, is

clear

His

conversation, as the Prussian general,

tulus told me,

age.

who had

where he died

He

ill

pardonable

and sometimes too

chatel,

at

served imder

style,

his

Len-

Neufa very advanced

retired to

him

in his last-

XIV

'

PREFACE.

campaign on the Rhine, whither he accompaincd the great Frederic, then Prince
Royal. These are sufficient facts, dates,
and names, all of which may be testified n.
mine only shall be wanting.

THE

PREFACE
OF

PFvINCE EUGENE.

HERE are,

as I

have been told,

many

and German manuscripts respecting

me, which I have neither read nor written.
Italian

panegyrist, whose

name

is

Dumont,

has printed a large folio volume, which

This gentleman

calls, j\Iy Battles,

ficiently turgid

is

lie

suf-

he ingratiates himself at

the expense of Turenne, who, according

to his assertion,

Cremona,

would have been taken at

in 1703,

in 1704, if he

had been opposed

What stuff!
Some future
will

or killed at Hochstet,

historians,

to

me.

good or bad,

perhaps take the trouble to enter into

the details

of

my

youth,

of which,

any thing. They will

certain!}^ speak of my mother
somewhat
too intriguuig indeed, driven from the
court, exiled from Paris, and suspected, I
believe, of sorcery, by persons who were

scarcely recollect

PREFACE.

XVI
not,

very

themselves,

They will tell, how

and how I quitted

great

I was born in France,

it,

my

heart jewelling

XIV. who

with enmity against Louis

fused

me

said he,

company of

conjurors.

re-

horse, because,

was of too delicate a constitution

and an abbey, because he thought, (from

I know not what evil discourse respecting

me, or

anecdotes current in the gal-

false

lery of Versailles,) that 1 was

for pleasure

than for piety.

more formed
There is not

a Huguenot, expelled by the revocation of

who hated him more

Therefore, when Louvois,

the edict of Nantz,

than

did.

hearing of
*'

^'

my

the better

departure, said,

so

much

he will never return into this

country again,"

it,

'^

but with arms

in

swore never to enter

my

hands.

have

KEPT MY WORD.
it

on many sides,

fault that I

have not gone

I have penetrated into

and

it is

further.

not

my

But

for the English, I

had given

law in the capital of the Grand Mo?iarque,

and made his Maintenon shut herself

up in a convent for life.

A SKETCli
OP THE

LIFE OF PRINCE

EUGENE

(1683.)

^i^HE

Court was never more melancholy than

in this year.

Louis

^IV, for

It xvas that of the devotipn

the

Count de Vexin,
Colbert,

and

His
before

he

loss

of his

Duke

the

tzo

de

Sons^

of

the

VermandoiSy

the Queen,

Most

Christian

turned

the Christians

in

to

Majesty who,

devotee,

assisted

1664 aoainst the In-

becoming afterwards a very pious

man, excited them against the Emperor,
and aided the Rebels of Hungary. But
for him neither of them would ever have
fidels,

reached the gates of Vienna,

To mantain

THE LIFE or

appearances, he did not venture to prohibit, entirely, the

young Piinces of the blood

from miu^ and

distinouishino; themselves

in that war.

accompanied them,

of being called the

/ii/e

abb of Louis

tired

XIV,

He

had some regard for me, and probably

he refused me the abbey from conscientious
neither for the success,

I cared

motives.

of the church, nor of the court.

had

nouoh of

societv

the war.

In short, at twenty years of age,

behold

me

but I wished to follow

in the service

without his knowing

it.

of Leopold

He had fled

from

both at the siege and at the

I was of opinion, at first,
battle of Vienna.
that it would be better to attach my-

his capital,

self to

the

Duke of Lorraine, and to

Prince

Louis of Baden, rather than to the two

electors of Bavaria and Saxony, to leara

my

trade.

action,

They both kept me

in constant

from one attack to another, and

carrying orders into the hottest parts of the

battle.

had been toldtha'- the Duke of Lor-

yaine never employed, c. uing the time of
actioa, any but generals to convey or even
I

PRINCE EUGENE.
t alter an order,

if

,t

he needed

it.

was

duly sensible of the honour therefore, and he

appeared

satisfied

with me.

The

confu-

sion of this day can only be confusedly nar-

Sobiesky celebrated mass with his

rated.

arms folded

like a cross,

Leopoldsberg.

ed up thither,

in the

church of

The Poles, who had climbI know not why, descended

and fought like lions.

The Turks, who were encamped on the
spot where I threw up my lines in 1703,
not knowing which way to front, having
like fools,

neglected the heights,

conducted them-

selves like ideots.

The Emperor returned. I was presented to him.

Not being yet familiar with
German manners, I was much amused at
his

haughty interview with the king of Po-

land.

As a

volunteer, I was amons^ the

foremost in the pursuit of the Turks.

We performed
and, for

my

recompense, Kuffstein being

dead, they gave me

on the

with great celerity

this

liis

regiment of dragoons

1th December.

after this great victory, I

For three months

was the happiest

of men, and I continued to serve under

the

Duke

of Lorraine.
B 2

THE LIFE OF

(16840
After having taken, with him, Vicegrad, Gran, and Weitzen, and sustained a

combat near this last place, we

had a more desperate one near the Isle of
glorious

St.

Andre.

They

say that I performed a

very skilful manoeuvre at the head of

my

regiment, which entirely routed the Turks.

They
Duke

them down at pleasure. The;

of Lorraine had secured his centre,
by a marsh, his left by the^ Danube, and
his right by an inaccessible mountain.
cut

Behold
sanguinary

us at the siege of
sorties

Many

Buda.

by eighteen thousand

In the mean while, twelve thousand

arrive (twice or thrice our number) to at-

men.

tack us.

The Duke is

and has the goodness

eager to beat them,

to write to the

Em-

peror that I contributed the most towards

Prince Louis

the execution of that design.

pf Baden devoured

The

siege

me

with caresses.

was carried

It was there I received

ball

on,

my

vigorously.

first

wound,

through the ^rm, w^hile inspect-

PRINCE EUGENE.

ing the trench by the side of the Prince of

Sahn.
It was thought that the
a general assault had arrived

not succeed

moment
;

but

it

for

did

each attack ^vas repulsed.

There was some sort of misunderstanding

between the principal generals.
This
often happens through their partisans.
In short, after having lost thirty thousand

men, the Duke of Lorraine raised

siege on the 1st of November.

They
Vienna.

reasoned
It was for

neers, said one

tli^

and they raved at

want of oood ensi-

no, said another,

it was
owing to the knavery of Guido Stahrenberg, who had advised against the siege.

third talked of the malice of the

com-

who withheld
every thing that was most necessary from
the besiegers, in order to weaken the aumissariat or of ministers,

thority of the

Duke

they were jealous.

an

insignificant

of Lorraine, of

As

for myself,

whom
quite

person as yet, and thus

upon good terms with every one, (which

is more particularly the case when we are
very young,) I preserved

the friendship

THE LIFE OF

my

of both

masters, Lorraine and Baden,

though the latter was at enmity with the

former, seconded by the Elector, who was
no less attached to me and I went to pass
the winter at Vienna, where I was received
;

with remarkable distinction.

(1685.)

The

marriage of an arch-duchess with

the Elector of Bavaria retarded the open-

ing of the campaign.

The Duke

of

The

went to exa-

Lorraine

Novigrade.

mine

Excellent reason

princes

of

the

blood of France and Lorraine and volunteers in their train, who arrived from

mingled

Paris,

they

were

to

with the escort.

irritate

the

There
with

sp^,his

and French
the pistol in their hands
heads fell beneath the sabres of the Turks.
;

I saved the rest with

I

my

dragoons,

whom
De-

brought up most opportunely.

lighted to

find

myself among

all

those

young men, my former friends, and too

young myself to scold them, I did nothing

but the
.

tacked them.

Duke

of

Lorraine

at-

He rated them soundly, tho'

approving, in the bottom of his heart, the

PRINCE EUGENE.

and noble courage of his cousins,

Commerci and Thomas de Vaudemont,
who afterwards served under me with so
fine

much

celebrity.

a month entrenched
before Neuhausel, as it was intended to
make the assault by the covered way, inAfter remaining

formation was brought that a Serasquier

had arrived Avith sixty- thousand men ; that

he had retaken Vicegrad, and that he was

besieging Gran. We marched thither immediately, and he raised the siege at the
approach of the Duke of Lorraine, who

had

Caprara before Neuhausel.

left

But

here w^as the consequence.

The

Serasquier took up a most excel-

lent position.

The Duke had him

in-

formed, by some persons of the country,

that he had only twenty-thousand men^

and that he w as retreating half dead wdth

The good Turk believed it. The
fear.
Duke halted in a fine position. I was in
the centre, under the Prince of Baden
dragoons dismounted. The elector of Bavaria commanded the left, the

with

my

Duke

the right, in the iront of which thp

THE LIFE OF

brave but rash and hot-headed youths, of

whom
with

have ah^ady spoken, obtained,

much

difficulty,

permission to range

themselves in a small squadron.

anticipated the Turks,

were

who attacked them

and with horrid

furiously

surrounded,

^hem, and

his

yells

but they

and relieved by our

The Duke

cuirassiers.

They

himself supported

wing was victorious,

as

of the Elector of Bavaria

also that

likewise was the centre under the

mand
him

was
;

so

com-

of Prince Louis, where I seconded

my

to

utmost.

The

nover and the Count de

Prince of
la

Ha-

Lippe drove

the Turks head over heels into a marsh.

It was three
in one.

The

the thigh

or four important battles

Serasquier was

in

he tore out the arrow, because

he was obliged to

We

wounded

flee.

were once more before Neuhausel,

on the 19th of August.

The breach
was made. Commerci follovvcd tlie young
volunteers,

who appeared

the

first

at the

which had been eftected, and

planted, with the Baron d'Asti, the imperial standard.
The Pacha and the gar-

entrance

PRINCE EUGENE.

The Serasquier
were massacred.
burned and ravaged Novigrade, Vicegrad,

rison

and Weitzen

and, for myself^ I set off to

pass the winter at Vienna,

(1686.)

the Prince of Baden,

It was then

taking

me by
*^

peror^

me

here

Sire,

The

/*

yard

the hand, said to the

is

rest

Em-

young Savomodesty forbids

my

The trick of the pre

ceding year made them take care of this
to

repeat.

were admirably supplied. On

the 13th of June we began the siege, the
Prince of Baden and myself, under the

one

we

We

Elector of Bavaria.

important

fortress,

masters of

it.

On
to

attacked an

and rendered ourselves

the 26th of July

make

all

from

a breach,

we endeavoured
tjiis

fortress, in

the castle of

Buda

ceed

was no such thing.

but

it

we expected

thousand Turks issued out from

a horse killed under me.
netrated, sword
rior

of

Thirtyit

had

Twice we pe-

hand, into the inte*

in

the castle

to suc-

twice

we were

re-?

10

THE LIFE OF

pulsed.

Prince Louis and myself were

wounded a Stahrenberg, a Herberstein,
;

and a Kaunitz, were

killed

and we were

obliged to defer the general assault to another day. Unfortunately I was not of the

number that day.

the lines,

employed to protect
which were threatened by a nume-

rous army,

as they told

I was

mdeed
But the cursed Grand

post of confidence

me.

Vizier, quiet

on a height, not daring to

attack me,

know not

(I

more coolness than

why,) beheld, with

I did,

this

most im-

portant place taken and sacked before his

face.

Prince Louis and myself went, by or'*der of the Duke of Lorraine, to take
Cinq-Eglises, Calocza, Simonthorna,

poswar, and Sicklos

Ka-

and afterwards to
burn, at Eoseck, the bridge, which was
about six thousand paces in length by
;

twenty-four in breadth.

The army went

into winter-quarters.

went to pass the Carnival at Venice

with my dear youths the volunteers and
the French princes, together with almost
I

all

the other princes

who were in our army,

and a great number of general^.

PRINCE EUGENE.

Il

While there, almost all of them became amorous the Duke of Mantua, in:

deed, worse than that, for he was quite a

I was neither one nor the other,
libertine.

however
ing this

and was much amused with seeprince as brave among the Vene;

was cowardly among the Turks.

The Elector of Bavaria was so tender,
that he would have disgusted me with

tians as he

been inclined to it. This

fickleness of heart had an influence upon
the fickleness of his mind and opinions

being

so,

had

respecting whatever party he adhered to

and I judged from that time, (nor was I

wrong in my judgment,) that important
amours are insipid and ridiculous, onlyand meaner ones have too
fit for idlers
;

little

glory in them.

Every
day there were magnificent and charming
entertainments, both on land and on the
I saw women there more enterwater.
Morisini treated us admirably.

prizing than generals.

As every thing

has an end, however, 1 went to pass the

rest of the

bad season

at Vienna.

TOE LIFE OF

687.)
It

was

in this year

Lori-aine crushed the enemies

Christy and

army and

whicli he

those

Duke

that the

at the court,

Jesus

of

had

of

in the

among whom

was not, though on the best terms with

the Elector and Prince Louis, who were
of the party against him.

marched

tov>'ards

Grand Vizier

His prudence was no

tack him.
spicuous

the

The Duke

than his

himself of both.

valour.

Being too

less

He
far

to at-

con-

availed

advanced,

considering the excellent position of the

back greatly at first,)

he did not blush to retreat. That is a
Turks,

(for

they

fell

ticklish business in the sight of those devilish people.

I covered, with

my

dra-

march of the rear guard and I

preserved them untouched, by charging,
several times, the spahis, who annoyed me
very mucli.
At the end of some time
the matter became more serious. Ligneville, Thungen, Zinzendorff, were killed.
^'oons, the

'

The Duke

of Lorraine formed

himself

PKIXCE EUGENE.

15

wings^cU supThe Duke^

ported, near Mount Hcrsan.
of Mantua, who ascended the mount, saw,
ably and luckily, with his

in perfect safety,

in that plain of

the whole of the battle

Mohatz where king Loui*

which was a subject of general laughter among the soldiers, who,

thanks to him, ran gaily into the mouth
had perished

The enemy came

of death.

to attack us

the battle was desperately fought on both

Piccolomini conquered, was con-,

sides.

quered, and was aided by the brave Elec-

His

tor.

artillery effected

a breach

my

and I
had the good fortune to pursue the Turk
even to their entrenched camp. I stopped and, after a moment's consideration,
dragoons availed themselves of

it

I ordered

on

foot,

They

my

dragoons to leap over, some

and some on horseback with me-

say that I was the

that I tore

down a

in its place the

first

crescent,

it

is

true

and planted

Imperial eagle.

on that account, probably,

tliat

It was
I

was

appointed to carry the news of the victory

to the

Emperor.

He

presented n)e with

hi$ portrait cet with diamonds,.

I reached

T-fiE

Vienna

LIFE OF

a very few days

in

and, after

having passed three other there, I returned

with equal celerity to the army, where I

was

had
merit to have

also very well received;

then, apparently, too

little

for

any enemies.
History will record, 1 hope, the noble
conduct of Comnierci at this battle of

Nothing considerable occurred

and the campaign being enafterwards

Hersan.

tirely finished, I passed

a splendid winter

at Vienna, in consequence of the corona-

King of Hungary. The Duke of

Lorraine and many other generals repaired
thither also: some of them engaged in in-

tion of the

trigues, others in pleasure

I was

among

the latter.

(1688.)

A colonel

at twenty,

at twenty-one, I was

general at

a major-general

made a

twenty-five.

lieutenant-

conducted a

reinforcement to the Prince of Baden in

Sclavonia,

and returned quickly, because

there was a talk of besieging, or to speak

more properly, of seizing Belgrade.

The

PRINCE EUGETE.

command

15

of the

five points of assault was

given, on the 6th of September, to other
generals.
I
complained of this.
The

me, You

Elector said to
''

''

*^

me

Y'ith

^^

in the reserve

remain
and I do not
shall

think that, in so doing, I either give

you, or take upon myself, a bad com-

" mission.
" to us !"

God knows what may happen

He

had justly anticipated the

matter the attack was repulsed on eveiy
side.
This brave prince and myself (our
:

swords in our hands,) rallied them, and

animated them to advance.
I mounted
the breach.

A janissary

with a blow of
the body

liis

sabre

cleft
;

mj

I ran

helmet

him

thro'

and the Elector, who had received a musket ball in his hand the pre;

ceding campaign, was also wounded by an

arrow in the right cheek. Nothing could
be more glorious or more bloody. How

we sometimes
most horrible

find,

by the

side of the

events,

something

Danube

the twelve thou-

that
did so, in the looks and
gestures of the Jews, whom we compelled

amuses us

to throw into the

sand

men

killed

on

l)oth sides, to

save

THE LIFE or

16

the trouble and expense of burying them

I set off for

Vienna.

(1689.)
I regretted riiuch that I did not

re^^

main with the army then, perhaps, they

would have thought neither of me, nor of
:

my

In

name.

the finest possi-

fact, after

my glory to my
That cost me much my three com-

ble defence, I sacrificed

^eaL

nanders, masters, and friends, Lorraine,

Bavaria, staid inGermany Baden in Hungary; and behold me as a negotiator in
The French ambassador at Turin
Italy.
Was not the dupe of my journey. To see my
family and the Duke de Savoy, (said they ;)
;

he knew him

Duke)

(the

to be avaricious

ambitions, falfe, revengeful, fearing

testing Louis

yet not hating

XIV.
him

and de-

not loving Leopold,

personally, always rea-

Oy to betray both and led by his mistresses and his ministers in every thing which
;

did not closely affect him.

Not

being able, however, to derive

my advantage from
to him,

*'

My

either,

cousin,

I said frankly

you

will

always

iRIXCE EUGENE.
**

17

be the slave of your mortal enemy,

if

you

'^

do not declare yourself

''

who will makeyoua Roya!IIighness,age*

^'

neralissimo,

''

conquerin Dauphiny and Provence

*'

^^

for the P],mperor,

and give you

all

that you

may
and,

by hiding your intentions until every

thing is quite ready, you will succeed."
This was attacking liini by the four

predominant

qualities

lined above,

this

'^
''

the

words

ifi

Where and when can

''

'^

{viz.

which

have underItalics.)

conclude

said

Victor Amadeus.

Not at Turin,

for the

French ambassador

will suspect

the business."

treaty

?"

'^

At Ve-

" nice,"

said I.

'^

nival,

the Elector of Bavaria, who, as

'*

well as your

'^

ed to

*'

himself,

*'

and would suggest to you

forthwith, to write to the King of France,

*'

gage

''At the approaching car-

Royal Highness, (I hastengive him this title,) loves to amuse

will

be there to sign

make

'^

to deceive, to

*'

and to gain time."

The
which

it.

I en-

for this,

excuses, to promise,

four reasons for these proceedings

have enumerated above, being a

security for his conduct, though not for hi

c

TUB LIFE OF

18

which I would not answer for,

touching the issue, I engaged my word to
the Emperor, on returning quickly to Vienna, that my cousin, this once, would be
good

faith

on our

side.

Leopold thanked

me much,

and permitted me as a recompense, to go

and see the conclusion of the siege of Maywhich had
ence, defended by Uxelles,
been carried on for six months. I arrived
precisely at the attack of the covered way,

when

musket wound, and

I received a

re-

turned to Vienna.
(1690.)

Twenty thousand crowns per month

from England, twenty thousand more from
Holland, four millions for the expences of
the war, and a kind of subscription byall the
petty Italian Princes, effected more than
all

my

eloquence; and behold the

of Savoy, for a
trian in the

little

world.

Duke

time, the best Aus-

His conduct, which

I will not pretend to justify, reminds

me

Dukes of Lorraine formerly,

as well as the Dukes of Bavaria.
Geography prevented them from being men
of that of the

of honor.

PRINCE EUGENE.

The
mised me

Ministers of the

to assist

Victor Amadeus.

Emperor

pro*

seven thousand men, with which

I

knew the

which they ordered and executed at Vienna; and, eager to engage

the French, whom I had never yet had op^
posed to me, I went to join the Duke of
Savoy at his camp of Villa Franca.
'^
You are come in good time,'' (said

tardiness with

'^

he

''
;)

am

just going to give battle to

Be

'

Catinat."

**

an excellent general, with old regiments serving under him, the veiy flow-

'*

''
*'
''
*'
^'
''

*'

*'

careful, (1 replied;)

he

is

French infantry. Yours are

new levies, and mine are not yet arri-

er of the

ved. ^^ What does that signify ?" (said

the Duke.)
I know my country better
than Catinat
with

to-morrow

my army as far

I shall

as the

advance

abbey of

Staf-

farde.''

Instead of giving battle, we had to receive

The

it.

of Savoy
front.

right wing,

which the Duke

commanded, was attacked

The

right

v/ing

of the

in

French

some marshes which were thought

impassable, turned and beat ours, and
then both the wings joined and fell upcrossed

c 2

20

THE LIFE OF

on our
I

left

retired

and,

good order

in as

and

gens-cr-armes

could,

as

composed

the rear guard,

in

the

which I commanded.

wing,

of

life-guards

the

of Savoy, I Mas slightly M^ounded by a

spent

I did

ball.

not

my dear
or my pre-

recall, to

cousin, either his presumption,

diction

little,

endeavoured to repair the error

at least

some time

on the

side of glory

for,

good fordetachment which

fell into an ambus-

afterwards, I had the

tune to cut off a large

had pillaged Rivoli. It

cade, in which while we lay, we heard
the French advance singing aloud and we
rushed out upon them, giving no quarter.
;

w^as

very

angry with the

treating all the prisoners

They had

soldiers for
la

Turque.

forgotten that quarter was grant-

ed to Christians.

acquaintance the

Duke

hero of Hersan.
of Savoy, to

my

of Mantua,

bade adieu to the

whom

Turin, and I set

went to punish

old

the

Duke

nothing remained but

off for

Vienna.

(1691.)

my interest to carthe Duke of Savoy

I availed myself of

ry reinforcements to

rUINCE EUGENE.

21

but I detected him when I arrived, in giving a secret audience to a French emis''

sary.

said
^^

this

Why

me ?"
What man is
said tlie Duke to
that I am treat-

you denied

were

''

I entered,

as

?"

''

to

I confess

r"

me, quite embarrassed,

''

with Catinat througli him; but

''

ing a

*'

it is

''

is

*^

and there

*'

'^

willing

^^

which

^^

very embarrassing for your Royal High-

*'

ness."

little

Here

only to cheat him the better.

the original of his letter, (added he,)

is

the copy of

conceive,"

ever,

honor

to

said

''

I,

the

retain

my

answer."

that

you are
subsidies

large

have obtained for you.

this

my

man.

I saved his

time, assisted his glory,

spoiled his projects

w^ho besieged

Coni

is

him more closely than

I observed

knowing well

It

and

by suprising Balonde,
and, thanks to a let-

which I foresaw w^ould be intercepted

by a party of the French, he raised the
ter

siege.

Catinat repassed the Po.

I har-

he commanded there
himself, and performed wonders both as a
I had only a
general and as a soldier.

rassed his rear-guard

few squadrons with me.

Catinat, stronger

THE LIFE OF

fi'2

than myself,

animated his

presence.

became

and

men by

indiscreetly

that,

having received several cuts in

clothes,

a French horseman was

despatch

me with

of

eager,

I got so entangled in the battle,

after

my

pleased

my

about to

a pistol, when a dragoon

regiment

him no

his

me

saved

than

less

it

action

this

did me,

was much beloved by those brave

Reinforcements arrived from

all

for I

fellows.

sides.

went to take Carmagnole, where all my

soldiers conducted themselves again rabut I made
ther too much la Turque
;

some examples of them.

vred wonderfully
us

if

we had not

Catinat manoeu-

he would have beaten

retired.

Langalleric, in-

deed, obtained a considerable advantage

over our rear guard

it

was

this that in-

duced me, afterwards, to take him into

the Emperor's service.

accompanied the Elector of Bavaria,

who had been one of us this campaign also,
to Venice, and I visited my former acI

quaintance

with

great

pleasure.

More

amours took place and, even with regard

to myself, had I been so inclined, there
;

25

PRINCE r.UGENE.

were some very complaisant husbands who

would

fain

have had

who

cisbeos

me

displeased

some

displace

them

many

too

Potiphars, of whom I was the Josepli,

cause I had other things to do.

C/-

fee-

I return-

ed to Vienna at the commencement of January.

(1692.)
I

was soon sent back again to observe

the motions of Catinat, but

more ta

still

watch those of the Duke of Savoy. To

keep him, I carried with me the diploma
of generalissimo, with which he was much
pleased.
He wanted to go immediately
and attack Catinat at Pignerol all his
generals and those of the allies agreed
;

with this proposition

said
''

to him,

''

but I did

Catinat

not.

if he
should be beaten, hcAvill have reinforce-

" ments
''

''

and

if

is

skilful

then, he beats us, adieu

Let us make him lose his

conquests by an able diversion, which
to Italy.

*'

will humiliate the

''

amuse him

in

this

great Louis.

Let us

countiy, and pene-

THE LIFE OF

ti
''

trate into

''

stacle/'

My

Dauphiny,

in spite of every

opinion prevailed.

Quillestra and

Embrun.

went

to

I received

ob-

take
there

a contusion on the shoulder while in the

trench, by the side of the

and Commerci a
three of his

France.

Duke

teetli.
;

but

still

was in

of Savoy was just about to

Lyon,

Afterwards, I took Gap, and the

by Sisteron

when

of Savoy

which knocked out

I lost Leganes and

ball,

hundred men

fifteen

Duke

to Aix,

without the

and perhaps
smallest

march

as far as

difficulty,

the smallpox seized him, which re-

duced him to the very verge of the grave,

and saved France. In his will he assigned
to

me

the regency of his states.

When

the Duchess arrived, she found

him someand conveyed him to Turin.

Checked by this disaster, which made us
lose so much time, and embarrassed by

what

better,

the indecision of

liis generals, who,

not
being able to say exactly what were the

real intentions of their master,

how

far

knew not

they ought to obey me, I was

obliged to retreat with the

army by the

PRINCE EUGENE.

same road

25

was wailing

for Catinat

for us

near Brianon.

At

''

said the

least,"

^'

soldiers,

we

'*

have revenged the horrors of the Frencli

*^

in the Palatinate

''

they did, we have pillaged well, and levied

*^

a million in contributions."

Why did

'^

said I to
^^

king exile

tlie

Commerci

''
;

some thousands of

sent

me

Turin

w^ithout doing

the order of

my

it

mother

as

?"

have exiled now

They

his subjects."

Golden Fleece to

tlie

and, arriving at Vienna,

was

created a Field Marshal ten years after

my entrance

into the service.

ficiently delighted

easily conceived

with this, as

but

I v/as suf--

still

may be

I regretted tliat

Commerci was nothing more than a majorgeneral.

(1693.)

Victor Amadeus wislied to take Pignerol,

and

to wait for Catinat in the plain

of Orbassan.

"

least," said I,

him not. " At

you will fight near

advised
'^

since

' Marsaille, possess yourself of the heights

THE LIEF OF

26
**

He

of Piosasque."

was displeased that

they had burnt, in the way of retaliation.

La

Veneri, a

house belonging to him, and

belonging to

another

Thomas

and he had

his
it

minister

St.

intimated to the

French, that he would give no more quar-

That was a

ter to the soldiers.

practice,

however, but too well established.

Catinat exhibited, on this day,
sidll,

and the Duke of Savoy

The

tual^bravery.

made

all his

his ineffec-

former, master of the

work with our two

wings, galled in flank likewise by his artillery.
What could I do in the centre ?
heights,

I fouo'ht with

some time

fine

considerable advantaoe for

but,

overwhelmed on both

sides, I retired as decently as I could.

Catinat disapproved of the fury of his so^

diers,

who

mans

la

cried out. Let us serve the Ger-

Tar fare.

It w^as always difficult to decide

whe-

duke wished or did

not wish to gain the battles which he commenced but these last two served me for
a lesson and, as it was kuown that I had
advised against both, I w^s not very com-

ther this indefinable

PRINCE EUGENE.

^7

army, in the city^

It was then, however, that

fortable, eitlier in the

or at court.
I

first

perceived that I had enemies.

prara was the

first;

Ca-

and, jealous of me,

not very prudently, (for he had merit of

his own,) he was at the head of the
Austrian and Spanish cabal, which endea-

voured to vex

me

all

my

life,

and which

I always despised,

(1694.)
I

at Vienna,

went to demand succour

I obtained

it

but very tardily. Italy was

They thought more
fashion.
;

no longer in
of Turkey, of the empire, and of the

They were without money too.

Countries.

I returned to the

when

to him,

Low

Duke

of Savoy, and said

arrived,

''

My

''

you cannot escape me agaui

''

paign.

''

pledge of your conduct.

*'

lino-

''

Alas

The

cousin,

cam-

this

siege of Cassel shall

be the

Are you

wil-

Let us coramence immediately."

-'

but that

**

me,

it

am
will

will

willing enough," he replied,

take a long while

believe

be better to blockade

this

THE LIFE OF

28

we may take

*'

fortress all the winter that

*'

in the spring." ''At least/' said

I,

*'

take the castle of St. George

;"

was taken.

and what a

What
man my

"

it

let

us

and

it

a gloomy campaign
cousin

(1695.)

make

obliged him at last to

The snow compelled

siege.

this

us to relin-

end of June. I made

great progress when I was entrenched.
Prince Charles of Brandenburg, who relieved me one day, received a musquet
ball through his body. Crenon capitulated

quish

it

until the

at length

I wished to besiege Pignerol

every day there was

some new

to oppose this, under

pretexts

the semblance of

We

went into winter quarters.

a gloomy campaign and what a

consent.

What
man my

cousin

(1696.)

lie did not lose his time

froni those spies over his

to escape

conduct

whom

PRINCE EUGENE.

had

left

at Turin,

29

the carnival of

Ve-

nice appearing too suspicious, he invented

a journey to our Lady of Loretto.

vow, he alleged which he had made when
he

had

the

Knowing

small-pox.

the

pilgrim to

be any thing but devout, I

soon heard that he met there the agents

of the Pope, of the Venetians, and of the

French, and of the conditions of the trea''

ty.

when

have

already told you," said I,

I returned to Turin, ^' that I would

" observe you more closely than Catinat.

" You shall impose upon me no more.'*
'
''

very hard," replied he, '' to be

suspected by a relation." Hardly had
It

is

I quitted his closet,

when

heard of the

publication of his truce with the French ;

and wishing to honor him no more by

speaking to him,

expressed

my

indig-

nation in
ever

a letter the most severe that

wrote in my life.
Commerci,

more impetuous, sent him a challenge.

The Duke
the

and
ing.

accepted

appointed

it,

place,

and repaired to
but his

his generals prevented

minister

him from

fight-

THE

50

He

LI F OF

was now no longer under any

He

straint.

con-

confessed that, not wishing to

be at war with any one, and desirous of

its

termination in Italy, he had signed a treaty of neutrality with

Louis

XIV. and

that as the allies would not accede to

it,

he should unite himself to the French.

As a commencement, Catinat and the

Duke

of Savoy, went to lay siege to

The

lence.

:enerals

finding that,

myself,

the

contest,

Milanese,

we

and each,

after

returned

in

allies

and fearing

accepted

and

consequence of

we were too weak

this junction,

tinue

of the

Va-

the

to confor

the

neutrality

having evacuated Italy,

into

either

Germany,

or

to

attend the French on the other side of

the Alps.

Frustrated

in

the ngociation,
represent to

the

the campaign and

in

returned to Vienna to

Emperor the sad con-

and of our affairs. He

saw that I was free from all reproach
and as a proof of it, he gave me the
command of his army in Hungary. '' After
''
all, Sire/' said I to him, for Italy was
dition

of myself

PRINCE EUGENE.

my

at

still

''

heart,

Duke

the

31

only way to

of Savoy for us,

"^

have the

''

have him declare acjainst us: he does

'

not care for o-eneralissiino.

''

same

*'

time he will be with us/'*

amoiisj

He

is

to

the

is

In a

little

are never in a hurry.

The

the French.

(1697.)

The Turks
Grand Signior
did

me

Kara Mustapha,

himself,

the honor to arrive at Sophia with

army in the month of July. I marshalled mine at Verismarton

I recalled
to me Vaudemont and Rabutin, for it appeared that the Grand Signior intended to
his

possess himself of Titul, in order to carry

on the siege of Peterwaradin. I encamped

on the 26th August, at Zenta. General
Nehm was attacked. I arrived too late to
head of seven squad-

his assistance, at the

* Louis

XIV.

or that tliey

me

thiniiing, perhaps,

were discontented with

to enter into his service.

brought
liver

t!ie

that I
nie,

received gaily

proposal, and he did

my answer

was discontented,

made

exactly as I spoke

it.

a proposal to

person

who

not surely dare to

de-

tlie

THE LIFE OF

3^

do not censure him, for lie could

not hold out any longer, overpowered bjnumbers. Thank heaven, I have never
rons

complained of any one, nor

Iiave

ever

thrown upon another the odium of a fault

Titul was burned.
The
or a misfortune.

Grand Vizier remained on this side of the

Danube, which the Grand Signior had to
and besiege Peteiwaradin but,
coasting it along, and conceaUng my

cross to go
after

intentions
his,

by

my

skirmishes with the spa-

him, and passed the

anticipated

bridge before him.

terwaradin.

It

was thus

This march, which

saved PeI

confess

was worth a battle gainI soon entrenched myself, and they

ed.
did not venture to attack me. Among some

was a

brilliant one,

prisoners which
to be a Pacha,

we took,

whom

there happened

interrogated, but,

Cara Muswith drawn

in vain, respecting the designs of

but

tapha;

four hussars,

ready to hew him in pieces, soon

him confess that it was intended to

sw^ords,

made

that afterwards the

approach Segedin
Grand Signior, changing his opinion, he
had already begun to pass the Teisse, and
:

PRINCE EUGENE.
that a great part of the
orders of the

83

army under

tlie

Grand Vizier was already

strongly entrenched near Zeiita.

was

marching to attack him, when a cursed

courier arrived, and brought me a letter
from tlie Emperor, ordering me not
to

battle under

o'ive

anv circumstances

whatever,
I

was already too

stopping,

of

my

far

should have sacrificed a part

troops and

my own

honor*

my

pocket.

And,

the letter into

head of

By

advanced.

put

at the

six regiments of dragoons,

ap-

near enough to the Turks to

proached

perceive that they were

pass the Teisse.

all

preparing to

returned to

my army

with an air of satisfaction, which was,

they told me, a good presage to the soldiers.

began the battle by rushing on

two tliousand spahis, whom I forced to

There
fall back within the entrenchments.
were a hundred pieces of cannon, which

incommoded me
advance his
the ridit

left

greatly.

bade Rabutin

wing, inclining a

little

to

and Stahrembero*, who com-

manded the

right,

to

make

the saniQ

34

THE LIFE or

motion on the

left,

the whole entrenchment

semicircle,

a thing which

thus to embrace,

hy
;

would not have dared to

do before Catinat, who would have interrupted me in so tardy and somewhat
complicated a movement. But the Turks

left

me

They attacked

alone.

wing too

late

however,

it

my

left

would have

turned out but badly, without four baof the second line, and the artil-

tallions
lery,

which

sent very

opportunely to

disperse their cavalry and to

in the entrenchments.
in the evening
sault.

It

make a breach

was six o'clock

we commenced the

The Turks,

attacked at

all

as-

points^

threw themselves in crowds on the bridge^

which we blocked up, so that they were

forced to throw themselves into the Teisse,

where

those

all

who could not swim were

On all sides were heard the

cries oiAman ! Aman ! which signifies quarmassacred.

ter.

The

o'clock:

continued

slavighter
I

sand

men remained

ten

make more than

could not

four thousand prisoners

till

in

thousand were drowned.

for

the
I

twenty thoufield,

and ten

did not lose a

PRINCE EUGNE.

35

The first run-aways, at

commencement of the battle, succeed-

thousand men.
the

ed in joining the corps which remained

on the other
on the

side of the river.

1th of Sept.

sent

This was

Vaudemont to

carry the inteUigence to Vienna.

pro-

ceeded to capture two phalanxes and !$ome

castles in Bosnia, to burn Seraglio, and returned to

my winter-quarters

I set off for

Vienna, where

in

Hungary.

expected to

to be received a hundred times better than

Leopold received me
more austere than
in the coldest manner
ever, he heard me without replying by a
single word. I saw, immediately, that I had
been circumvented during my absence;
and that, while I was getting rid of the
Turks, the good Christians at Vienna were
endeavouring to get rid of me. 1 retired
I was still
indignantly from the audience.
more indignant, when Schlick came to me,
I put
full of alarm, to demand my sword.
I

had ever been

yet.

it

into his trembling hand, with a look of

the most profound disdain, which alarmed

him
said,

still

more.

" There

It

has been asserted that

it is, still

d2

smoking with the

THE LIFE OF

S6
''

blood of his enemies

consent never to

again, unless to be useful in the

'^

take

^'

service of his Majesty."

it

The one

half

of this sentence would have been a gasconade, and the other half a base resignation.
INIy rage

my own

was put under an

now
Gaspard Kinsky, and some

arrest in

that

was mute.

house.

learned
others,

would have had me brought to trial for

disobedience, and for having performed a
bold and hazardous action that I should
be tried before a council of war, and that my
head should pay the forfeit. The rumour
of this soon spread through the capital.
The people assembled round my house, and
deputies from the citizens offered to guard
me, and to prevent me from being removed,
in case it was attempted to carry me to my
examination, as had been talked of. I entreated them not to swerve from their duty
of fidelity and tranquillity. I thanked them
for their zeal
and I was so much touched
that I wept.
The city of Vienna is
small, and this assembly of the people was
;

known at court a few minutes afterwards.

Whether from fear or repentance, the Em-

PRINCE EUGENE.
peror sent

me

my

sM^orcl

back, and begged of

command

resume the

to

SJ

of his

army

Hmigaiy. I returned, in reply, that I

would, ^' on consideration of having pie*
nary powers, and being no more exposed
in

to the malice of his generals

The poor Emperor

ters."

give

me

he did
self;

it

this full

and minis-

did not dare

authority publicly

secretly, in a note signed

and

was contented with

This anecdote

but

by him-

it.

of Leopold,

whom

condemned for not feeling that I merited

a more signal reparation, sufficiently proves
the falsity of an assertion that has been attri-

buted to

me that,

Emperors
^vhom I had served, the first had been my
father, the second my brother, and the
third my master.
Pleasing mark of parental

of the three

fondness, to cut off

having saved his empire

sary that

should

look

my
It

head

for

was neces-

elsewhere

for

Behold it in the North. Charles

the Xllth, king of Sweden, is, at the age

energy.

of

fifteen,

the mediator of peace between

the European

powers

it

was signed

Ryswick on the 21st of September,

at

THE LIFE or

38

(1698.)

my

Thus
from that

army received reinforcements

but still the Turkof Germany
;

ish forces were four times stronger.

wanted to win another battle at Zenta.

It was in vain that I marched and countermarched the Infidels were every where
entrenched, I then retired, in hopes to
;

entice

them out of their

tions were vain.

Bosnia

ment of

tempta-

wished to march into

forty thousand Tartars,

the passages were

me

all

they had received a reinforce*

besiege

holes

Temeswar

guarded.
;

raise the siege.

and

all

wished to

they would have

made

Before they had time

to assemble for that purpose,

thought

might possess myself of it, by intercepting an immense convoy ready to enter.

I marched thither myself at the head of my

my

ambush.
A hussar, who deserted from me, made
my whole scheme miscarry. This was the
most infamous campaign, for my own
cavalry

infantry I placed in

PRINCE EUGENE.

made.

glory, that I ever

39

only put to

death thirty-two ringleaders of a conspiin seven regiments,

to revolt,

racy,

who,

not having received any pay during four

months,

(for

me

the court kept

without

money,) intended to desert to the Turks.

On the 26th of January, peace was signed

make war

at Carlowitz, to
place, as

is

in

some other

usually the custom.

(1699.)

sent

Vienna.

began to
I

back

my

It w^as

collect

army, and set

off for

during this year that

my

and that
gardens and pa-

fine library,

conceived a taste for

laces.
I
fine

purchased, from time to time, some

cabinet pictures, and some drawings

not generally known.

enough to form a

was

gallery

and

not rich
I

did not

like engravings, because others could

the

same

tions of
sungie

as myself.

any

sort,

have

I never loved imita-

nor talents which con-

valuable time.

Some

wind-instru-

4D

THE LIFE OF

iiieiits,

marches, warlike or hunting

trumpet

calls,

airs,

or agreeable tunes of comic

operas, dispensed

me

from the necessity,

during dinner, of talking, or of hearing

idlers talk.

(1700.)

Here terminated a century of

nual warfare.

The

celebrated peace

of

whose effects were

by the whole continent,

Westphalia,

in 1643,

to have been

felt

did not

conti-

accomplish

that

object.

The

good counsellors of Leopold, and Leopold

himself, not corrected by my example,
wished to bring Prince Louis of Baden
before a council of war for his campaign

on the Rhine, Salm and Kaunitz were

the only two honest men who opposed
this design
they would have been subdued, however, but for me, who, more
from justice than from any connexion of
:

blood, or intimacy of friendship,

however,

preserved

all

my

life,

which,

spoke

vigorously upon the point, and proved I

had not forgotten

Zenta..

PRINCE EUGENE.

41

After this peace of Carlowitz, France

did us the honor to send

an ambassador,

as

M.

who was

de Villars

enthusiasti-

by all his acquaintance in

Hungary, where he had served gallantly as
a volunteer, and by all the city, who found
him extremely amiable.
But they incally received

trigued at his court against ours, without

his

He

knowledge.

was very

much

asto-

nished at the coolness with which he was

treated

friendship of the

me, yet

Notwithstanding the

at once.

all

King of the Romans

could effect nothing from his re-

*^

serve in his favovu\

^'

pose

To what good

the courtiers and generals

him

personal

this

M.

*^

I shall

'*

the same to him, imtil

^^

musquetry

de Villars,

who

we

finished

towards
it?

continue to see him, and behave

at

we

him."
:

but at

imitated

does not merit

Baden did the same and,

friends.

who

acerbity

*'

thing,

pur-

said I to him, as well as to

it/'

is

''

for

all

It

Prince Louis of
in spite of every

three separated very good

was a great

length,
all

begin to level

his

loss

to society

when Louis XIV. had

machinations,

and

dis-

THE LIFE OP

4i2

closed his intentions openly, he departed.

Previously, however,
planation.
*' if,
^'

*^

It is

we

not

received this ex-

my

fault,'*

said he,

without having terminated your re-

hellion in

"us.

Hungary, you make war upon

should have preferred,

you had done

*^

if

^^

who

like those

my

lord,

gentlemen

have turned their backs upon

me

and would turn them elsewhere

if I commanded an army/'
This
''
indeed was a sarcasm la Villars.
You
'' expect,"
"
continued he,
that the Turks
^^

here,

^'

also,

^'

will interfere, because the

" has predicted

that the

Abb Joachim

Empress

" delivered of twins, one of which

will

be

will sit

" upon the throne of Constantinople."

'' I harbour
no resentment towards you,
" M. de Villars," I replied " for, in your
;

''

correspondence, somewhat light, in the

" French manner, you have drawn a por*' trait

of me, at your court, traced by
^' the
hand of friendship
others com*
*' plain of some
imprudences; and the
:

''

court, of having read, in your dis" patches. We shall see if the Christ of the
" chapel of Leopold xvill speak to him as

PRINCE EUGENE.
**

"
'^

43

he did to Ferdinand the Second.

for

it

has been

It is

shown me.

thus

Private

individuals do not forgive ridicule judge,

;

*'

of the effect which a sarcasm

therefore,

" against a monarch must produce upon

him." '^ I have been able to preserve mysaid he,

''

only by

''

self in this country/'

^^

the greatest reserve in conversation

*^
''
''

am

angry with you Austrians, who, among

the other tales which they have fabricated at

my

expense, say that

conspired

" with Ragotzi against the person of the

'' Emperor,"
" That is another piece of
" folly," said I to him '' this was the cause

"of

it.

They remembered

a phrase of

when you
I am an

*^

yours in an intercepted

^*

were a volunteer among

^^

Austrian in the army, but a French?nan at

letter,

us.

" Vienna. That implies a great deal, said

" the blockheads. There has never been
*^any conspiracy against our Emperors;

We

they have never been assassinated.

" have no Jacques Clement nor Ravaillac

*'

" among

The people are not enthusiamong you but they do not,

us.

"

astic, as

*^

therefore, pass easily

from one opinion

THE LIFE or

41?
*'
*

There are scarcely any

crimes committed in Austria. Tiiey enanother.

to

deavoured to persuade Leopold, the pre" ceding year, that there was a design to
*'

him, because a ball went thro' his

''

kill

''

hat

*'

be found,

^'

he

"

dyi7ig xmthfear or with

*'

sa7id ducats be given to hi?n"

is

when he was hunting.

said he,

Let the 7nan

with his Spanish

a bungler of some kind or other

hunger

let

air,

he

is

a thou^

(1701.)

War being upon

the point of breaking

on account of the Spanish succession,

a grand council of conference was held.
My advice was, that the Archduke should
be sent into Spain immediately, to lead an
out,

army into Lombardy but it was rejected

by the wise counsellors of Leopold. They
;

were offended at it.

appointed commander

Prince Louis was

in the

Empire, and

I in Italy,

had thirty thousand men of good and

The Duke of Mantua,
ancient troops.
I

consenting or not consenting to receive a

AS

TRINCE EUGEKE.

French garrison in his capital, I pretended

that it was a commencement of hostilities
on the part of Catinat, which served me as a
Let me
pretext for commencing mine.

more words respecting this Duke,

of whom I have already spoken so much.
Formigha was almost his prime minister.
The Abb Fantoni, his gentleman of
the chamber, sometimes procured him

say a few

Mathia; sometimes
a mistress, like the Countess Calori sometimes a wife to marry, to be on the part
of Louis the XlVth. like a Cond and
girls,

like a certain

The one and

a d'Elbuf.
retained

the other,

by France, hindered him from

espousing an Aremberg,
rendered him favourable

who would have

to us. The Duke,

guarded by eunuchs.
Never was there such an original seen. In
short, thanks to him, behold me deep in
also,

had a

seraglio

war, at the end of ten days of incredible

labour and fatigue, over mountains and
precipices, with

and a part of
I

my

two thousand pioneers;

success certain, because

did not respect the neutrality of the

netian Republic.

Ve-

THE LIFE OF

46

having

Catinat,

from

distinct orders
late

into the Veronese.

my

I sent

not to vio-

his court

could not dispute

it,

the most

received

When

my

entrance

I left

Trentin,

excuses to the most serene re-

public,

by a major, and proceeded on

road.

Catinat waited for

in another

must have entered by deand where I should have been beat-

place where
files,

me

my

en but

for the

(not very delicate,

step

which I had adopted. That was the

moment for playing off the sounding words
of imperious circumstances, of misunderstandings, and of the uncertainty of a
general assent in a republic all which I
confess)

did not

fail

By my

to do.

the Adige and the

passages of

Po,

obliged Cati-

nat to extend himself:

attacked

forced

came

Fremont

St.

to

his

at

and

Tesse

Carpi.

support, and prevented his

which would have been inevitable, had not the badness of the roads
hindered Commerci from advancing with
my cavalry I routed, hov^ever, these two
generals, and separated them from Catinat,

total

ruin,

who was

waiting for

while pursuing and

me

at Ostiglia

charging

and,

them

at

PRINCE EUGENE.
the head of

my

curassiers,

47
I

received a

musquet wound in my left knee.

Being joined by Commerci, Catinat did
severe

not dare to give

me

battle, or rather to

continue that one, which was nearly the

the same thing.

He

availed himself of

the night to pass the Mincio.

him on the other

followed

side of the river,

be-

cause he had not had time to withdraw

and the Duke of

Savoy, who had begun his tricks, was

all

his

detachments

not willing to send him his troops.

tinat

retired

upon Chiesa, and

Cabecame

between the
Adige and the Adda, except Mantua. I
had entertained a regular correspondence
with Victor Amadeus, from wiiom I had no
doubt I should derive some advantage.
We must be cunning in Italy. I bribed
a Recolkt of Mantua
and he bribed the
whole convent.
Under the pretext of
confessing us in our camp, the monks
took away with them arms under their
robes, with which to slaughter the life-

master of

all

the country

guards at the nearest gate, and to open

to

my

soldiers,

disguised as

it

peasants*-

THE LIFE OF

48

was to have taken place one clay, wheil,

with a numerous escort, I was to have gone

this

and heard mass at Notre-^Dawe-dc-Grace*

They had even bribed over the inhabiThey were discovered however,
tants.
disarmed, and punished as they deserved.
I lost

IMantua.

The Duke

of

Savoy,

content with

becoming again a generalissimo, and with

marrying

his

daughter to the

Duke

of

Burgundy, arrived at the army of the two

crowns.

presented him

my

compliments,

and I made him a present,

from respect
from friendship, of some beautiful Turkish horses w hich I had captured at Zenta.
He dared not accept but one. Louis
;

XIV.
tinat,

displeased that I had cheated

gave

me

great pleasure

Ca-

by appoint-

ing the presumptuous and ignorant Villeroy to succeed one of the best generals

that France ever had.

When

the

Duke

of Savoy w^ished to

do any thing, and

am

generalissimo," Vil-

said to him, ''I

leroy replied,
*'

me

have an order

from

and indeed he had one, to

wherever he could, and to fight

the King

seek

''

;"

PRIXCE EUGENE.

me.

My

form

me

head of my

wanted Chiaii, foi the

camp. The Venetian comamnthis.

laughed at

and

was their dupe

own

to

in the

for

played

once

Prawntal, with

it,

1 told

him

to accept

signed whatever he

The enemy

me

he begged

it;

his submission,

me of neutrality

der talked to

wished.

the goodness to in-

cousin liad

of

49

me a trick
am compelled
;

all

the

drums

army, made so much noise at the

bridge of Palazzuolo, that the corps which

was intended to prevent the passage of

and the enemy
the Oglio remained still
passed it at another place. I took up a
;

The

position fronting with three sides.

honest Catinat, instead of rejoicing to see

his
'*

commander

not fiht

beaten, said to him,

who wished

Savoy,

that Villeroy

receive a severe check, said,

''

us

**

know.*'

attack

On

Catinat

the 1st of Sept.

towards

my

left,

''

of

might

Fight!

timid^

is

my

Do

The Duke

let us retire.**

''

as

let

you

post at Chiara,

excellent as

it

was, was al-

most driven in, by an unheard-of instance of

French intrepidity all my outposts were
:

already gone.

never witnessed such an

Daun

effort of courage.

My

right,

flat

on

denly, and fired.

:

off.

hidden behind our entrench-

ment, lying
centre

drove them

their faces, rose sud-

Villeroy attempted the

that seldom succeeds where the

wings are beaten.

The
tallied,

dignified, the admirable Catinat,

brought back the troops to the at-

tack, received a serious contusion in the

breast,

As

for

wheie

and a musquet shot in the hand.

Victor Amadeus, he was every
he exposed himself like the most

desperate of the soldiery

What

killed under hhn.

racter

Cattle;

he had a horse
a singular cha-

This time he wished to

lose the

but the habit of courage extin-

guished his policy.

Notwithstanding the
of the two crowns,

than mine.
again
little

my

it

loss of the

was

still

army

stronger

took up a good position

double success had abated a
I

the confidence and the vaunting tone

of Villeroy.

They fought only

at

the

advanced posts, and in small detachments.

Mine had always

the advantage, because

PRINCE EUGENEo
uiy spies,

wliom

to

often

gave three

hundred ducats, for slight information,

warned me of tlie least motion of the

The whole had

enemy.

to

decamp

ran a risk of being beaten

first

necessary, however, to take

the

it

was

up our winter-

quarters.

My horses, quite worn out, had

them

cient to feed

with dead leaves

thin

suffi-

they were supplied

my

grew

soldiers visibly

but they loved me, and suffered pa-

tiently

but

not

those of Villeroy, suffering also,

much

less,

deserted by hundreds.

gave an example of sobriety and patience.

To

relieve our ennui,

my Vaudemont

wish-

ed to surprise his father in his quarters

awakened by a musquet shot, he saved
:

himself on horseback in his night-gown

and

stroke of

this

did mine

effected his

for

filial

piety failed.

So

Catinat, during the night,

decampment and the repasDeceived, or rather

sage of the 0slio.

badly served that day, (which, however,

was an important one to me,)

ther,

I ran thi-

notwitlistanding the obscurity, and,

instead

of destroying Villeroy,

e2

made

TiiK Ll OF

32

hundred prisoners
however, a great number on

only four

side of the river,

followed

me

by

my

killed,

tlie

artillery,

other

which

at full gallop.

-pirThc French, dying with hunger and

The Vene-

fatigue, entered into quarters.

me any

tians

would not grant

san

to fight to be beaten,

Tyrol,

into the

equally hard.
ter?

appeared

in the

and

to retire

me

to

Where then was

Bres-

to

be

I to win-

considered the most hazardous

step to be the most prudent one

I threw

myself into the Mantuaii, and I took, by

assault.

Canette, the ancient Bedriacum,

thanks to

a soldier of Daun's, who, in

pite of a heavy

discharge of musquetry,

cut the ropes of a draw-bridge

]\Iascaria,

and then,

Rodolesco, and the bridge of

Gazolo.

Two

little

accidents befel

mv

ments; but I know not wheiher

fault, or that

on

t}\e

it

detach-

was

my

who commanded
or of Mered, who

of Drack,

one occasion;

commanded on the other. This latter

was made prisoner; and, at the moment
when he was going to be cut to, pieces,, by

PRINCE EUGENE.

way of
French

he was saved by

retaliation,
officer

he

fell

ambuscade

into an

of Tess, who issued out of

this expedition,

nour.

Still,

Mantua for
him great ho-

which did

however,

I M^as in possession

of the whole of the Mantuan, except Goito

and Alantua, which I blockaded. I know

not whether it was the heart or the genius
of the Princess of Mirandole,

in

my

behalf to her, but she gave a grand

supper to

all

the French officers, that I

might surprise the

in

which spoke

spite of the

Duke

feigned to oppose

objected wholly

place.

it

to

and

took Berulo

who
Parma

of Modena,.

the

Duke

of

the entrance of

troops into his country

protestations,

my

laughed at his

at those of the Pope,

whose feudatory he said he was. Gustalla

had already surrendered to me and, ^fter
;

having disposed so well of

all

these petty

Italian princes, I occupied three provinces,

to

give repose to

winter.

my

troops during the

54

^riE

of

II fi:

(1702.)

For myself, however,

look none: I

ran from one quarter to another, and re-

marked with

pleasure the negligence which

among

prevailed

said Villeroy,
*'

'*

the French.

make

''

I must/'

these three princes

dance the rigadoon during the carnival."

This made us desirous to prevent him^

by surprising Cremona, on one side by

Commerci, and on the other by Vaudemont., The latter missed his way during
the night
^

tered

one of

by a

sewer.

my
I

of one of the gates,

detachments en-

was already master

and some streets.

This couplet of the French

scribes the

rest

soldiers de-

besides, that

it is

read

soldiers,

who

every where.
Par une faveur de Bdhncj
Et par un bonheur sans cTah
Nous avons

Et perdu

Villeroy,

had thrown

retrouve Creowne,

notre general.

taken by our

him under

his

horse,

not

PRINCE EUGENE.

.>

easily recognised without his hat, his wig,

and

his sword,

said to

Macdonel,

''

am

you a
regiment of cavalry, and a pension of two
^^
The streets were
thousand crowns."

'"'

the marshal, save me,

will give

*^

To

stained with blood.

small battles,

finish all these

word

sent

to Villeroy

by

Commerci, to stop them, and to let the

French surrender. He had the spirit to
reply, " they must not obey a prisoner !"
and he said, seeing Grenau brought in,
who was killed, ^^ I envy his fate !" I repaired to the hotel de

ed to excite the

one of
^'

M.

my

and endeavoui^

vi//e,

Mahoni

citizens.

officers,

Friedberg."

''

said to

a good quarter

The

officer

for

replied,

do your
It is not a day of clemency
" duty, and I shall do mine.** Friedberg
*'

Our

was

killed.

the

cuirassiers y

soldiers,

and especially

with whose courage and

was not very well satisfied, were

Before being totally
repulsed on all sides.
driven from the city, I went to see Villeroy,

order

who

excited

my

pity

sent

him

off to

Inspruck, and began to order the retreat,

which would have been very embarrassing,

THE LIFE OF
if

Crcqui had cut

my

army.

me

off

from the

rest of

admired the bravery of the

French, awakened out of their sleep and

half naked, resisting us every

where with

and the intelligence fof their offiMine were very deficient I had the
cers.
glory of having surprised, and the shame
of not having kept but, in fact, when we
do not succeed, it is the same as if we had
not undertaken. I went to invest more
closely Mantua, whose Duke was dying
with fear and hunger, in spite of all the
ferocity,

efforts

who conducted

of Tess

wonderfully; sometimes
the vigilance of

my

himself

he even eluded

parties,

and conveyed

provisions into the town.

The
the

the intrepid,

skilful,

the good,

amiable, the generous, the quick in

penetrating the designs of others, the indiscreet,

with respect to his own sometimes,

the affable, the indolent

Vendme,

sucr

ceeded Villeroy when he arrived, he made

;

movements with his army, and I

did the same with mine, for I saw, plainly,

several

that he wished to attack me, or to relieve

Mantua.

The

court of Vienna not

Ii?.v-

PRINCE EUGENE.
iigsuppiied

51

mewith a sufficiency of troops,

either from malice or from want of means^

commencement

this

very brilliant

of

Vendome's

he took from

small towns and

my

me

was

my

all

communications.

entrenched myself wherever I retired to

and, the better to observe him, I pitched

my camp very

near

his.

-f^*!'

Certain splenetic persons have blamed

me,

for

having endeavoured to carry off

Vendme from

his

house at Rivalto,

oil

the borders of the lake of Mantua, (where

by Davia,

whom

men.

One

of the soldiers killed the centinel

whom

were his head quarters,)

I caused to

embark with

fifty

Davia ordered to be seized. The guard

ran out. Davia re-embarked, and was
certainly wrong to fire into the windows
of Vendme, as he departed.
The first thing in war is, seize who can
and, beside, it was doing him honor; for
;

Catinat liimself could not have used such

rapidity in his

manuvres.

we were soon even with each

dme had
on

At

all

events

other.

Ven-

twelve pieces of cannon placed

height,

whence he battered

my

THE LIFE or

house in day-light.
for

was ready to

it

I hastened out of
fall

my

upon

it,

head.

That of Commeroi was burned with red

hot balls, and others were shattered down
;

the tents of

my

guard perforated, and a

killed.
All that was natural

hundred men
enough I thought, but rather tedious, for
the cannonade lasted during three hours,
and I did not complain.

Not
I threw

wishing to recede fromJVIantua,

up entrenchments round

my camp,

Who

would have
tliought that I had learned something
from the Turks, and that the Turks had
learned somethins; from the Romans ?

twenty

feet in height.

That has been transmitted to them, in my

opinion, by colonies, like tlie Etruscan
forms of vases and pitchers, which are found
in the house of every peasant,

I return to

my subject.
I

could not boast of the smallest advan-

tage over

Vendme.

large

deUichment

was sent to obseiTC him, commanded by Viscorlti, who had three horses
killed under him, was surprised and hea*^
?Rrhioh

ten.

Commerci,

thouiiih

with his

lescs

na-

PRINCE EUGENE.

59

arrived too late, and

ked

in

also

without being obliged to do

his boots,

he was sick.

be forced to

my

collect

saw plainly that

raise

the

siege of

it,

for

should

Mantua,

detatchments and small

garri-.

and give battle with xny twenty-six

thousand men.
I marched towards Seraglio, and Vendme to Luzara, whence my
sons,

jny small garrison, which I

into

there, rerited

glio I

went

mencement
^\l

my

ground,

of

tlie

from

Sera-^

Po, at the

coni-^

a tower

to pass the

retained

still
;

canal of Zero, and I hid

on the

inftmtry, with their faces

behind a large dike, near the

camp which the enemy had marked

out.
At the moment when the army of
the

my

the two crowns, deceived by

spies,

were about to enter it, we were discovered

by the merest accident. I made my soldiers climb over the dike as well as they

could, and they rushed

upon the enemy,

who had not time

to range themselves in

order of battle.

The

cavalry,

cines which 1 had given

(^.asion,

sustain

them

with fas-

for the oc-

opened themselves a passage to

my

infantry.

The

brav

Com-

THE LIFE OF

60

the best of

merci,

my

and of iny

friends

generals, was killed while fighting in the

left

Lichtenstien took his place,

wing.

and was

who,

thein,

Langallerie rallied

killed also.

two conmiaiUlers,

their

sed the victors.

They

charge, and took

up

During
en.

with the loss

desperate

this

returned to the

left

wing was beat-

Vaudemont
and performed won-

Staliremberg rallied

came
ders.

to his assistance

it.

was prosperous

repul-

their former ground.

my

time

at length

of

in

the centre,

notwithstanding the presence of Vendme,

who was

also in the centre of his

army

and yet, in spite of this, I should have

been beaten,

my

part of

if I

had not observed that a

cavalry, hitherto useless,

well as that of the

allies,

as

on account of

the ruggedness of the ground,

by

cross-

some smaller ditches and penetrating

through some thinner hedges, might decide the success of my left and secure
ing

mine.

way

It

to render

to sleep
I

me

appeared to

on the

my

that the only

success certain,

field

of battle.

It

was
was^

suppQse, out of politeness to the King

PaiNCE EUGENE.

hi

Vendme had

the Te Deiim

of Spain, that
sung.

of

have been told that the

Mantua kept

constantly by

Duke

the side

of this monarch during the battle, which

gave me a good idea of his prudence.

As

for the

of

that

Duke

kind of prudence

as usual, but

much

too

of Savoy, he had none

displeasing every

He

finesse.

when he joined

who
the

Mantua,

Before

one by
received

ill

army of Philip V.
abandoning

finally

wished to enter

But

cond time
being

the

was

fought

returned into Spain two days after

battle.

spies.

he

it

by

my

did not succeed a se-

it

a deserter saved

surprised just

me from

on the
point of falling into an ambuscade. I had
done all I could
1 had acquired some
glory, and had lost some ground.
It
was not my fault let it be remembered
that the army of Vendme was double
as

was

the
I

number of mine.

retained

only Ostigiia,

not take up
had" seen
I

Of

the

my

all

and

my
I

would

winter quarters until I

French enter into

sent Solari to

posts

theirs.

cover Trentin, and

THE LIFE OF

62

set off for Vienna,

where

had not

beelt

two years.

for

The emperor made me

war

in the place

him
w^ar

that

it

""

(1703.)

president of

of Mansfeld.

told

was impossible to carry on

without money>

without troops and

that they had been wanting for the last

months, as well as every other neces-

six

sary

I wished that

the other miUtary

commanders might be
than

better

supplied

had been, which accordingly took

I

place.

put a stop to peculation in

the different departments.

all

said to the

Emperor^ ^' Your army, Sire, is your

** monarchy
vrithout that it will revert
;

*'
^'

''
'

^'

Turks, to the French^ or perhaps, one day or other, to the Hunga-

to the

rians.

Your

capital

is

a frontier town

your Majesty has no fortress on any

every one is payed except those
side
;

*'

that serve you.

'^

you

*^

Make

peace,

sire,

if

make war; which is impossible without the money of England.

cannot

>R1NCE EUGENE.

"

"
'*
*'

What

6^

your ministers doing that

they take no advantage of the hatred
are

France, but involve you in a

war with all France, and even with

against

**

your own subjects.

*'

Imperial Majesty do not empower

'

draw over entirely the Duke of Savoy,

**

who

*'

never

your

if

me to

already half with us, there- can

is

be any

succeeded
terial

Further,

and

success

this

in

Italy/'

was the only minis-

success I had that year; and the

only military success was to repulse the

rebels of Hungary, so effectually and so

quickly as to prevent Vienna from being

disturbed,

and to save Presburg.

though

was

President,

Al-

could

not
even give myself the army which Leopold
had promised me, and therefore I could

do no more,

(1704.)

That indeed was not much but at

last, as I had foreseen, Caroli entered,
;

at the head of the insurgents, on Easter

Suaday, the suburbs of Vienna. I know

THE LIFE OF

6i

why they

not

court

for I

feared to advance as far as the

had great

difficulty in

assem-

bling the small garrison and the citizens,

whom

placed behind an entrenchment

which

hastily threw

up

at St.

Marck's,

which I extended from thence, on the

right and left, as far as the Danube.
The
few troops that we had between Vienna

and Presburg, and between Presburg and

It was in
Raab, had been dispersed.
vain that I had be;c;ed to have reinforcenents sent them.

Thanks

to this lesson,

they granted them to Heister, who cut off

the retreat of those who had entered Vienna, and routed the detachments whicb
I myself went into
came to their help
Hungary to make war for a short Avhile/
^nd afterwards ensued the accommoda.

tion with Ilaeotzi, Berezeni, &c.

Leopold should

It was necessary that

be

in fear before it

tell

him

could be ventured to

mistress or the friend

tell

Where

strong truths.
to

such with impunity?

we expect

to

do

it

reign spoiled

by

slaves^

to

is

the

whom we

can

Still

less caji

a powerful sove-

who accompany

PRINCE

65

EUGETST.

him, every day, to church, but not his

generals to war.

demanded of him an

on urgent occasions, as if I had been an ambassador

from a foreign power this seldom happened to me, however.
"Recruit, raise a militia," said I to
audience extraordinary,

him

this time,

''

borrow from

good

^\

which

^'

there be no taxes,

"

is

for

liothino-

buta

Holland,
else.

Let

sort of capi-

tation and no largesses to monks and to

" persons of the court, which, notwith" standing, should be splendid. In a con;

" ference with monied people, who know

" the resources of the state, and the quan*^

tity

of circulating specie, let there be

" memoirs read and discussed before your

" Majesty. They laugh at our finances
;

''and for myself, I weep at them: find

*'

a Colbert in the country,

''

sible."

What

if it

be pos-

by this was, the power

to treat alone
and I confederated with
us Queen Anne and Marlborough.
I went
to find him at Hailbronn, to concert measures with him and Prince Louis of Baden,
I gained
;

t)b

1'H LIFE OF

whom

had not seen

a long while*

for

assigned to myself the lines of Behel to

defend

I issued

from them to follow

who washed

to join the Elector

and

Tallard,

of Bavaria.

Should

not be so fortu-

nate as to succeed, said I, in the worst

extremity I shall only hare to beat

me

together, which will saA^e

of doing

it

them

the trouble

Tallard and Marsin

singly.

possessed two sorts of presumption, very

from that of Villeroy, and with

more of mind in them. The one founded
hn upon his spire ^ and the other on the
different

divine protection

which, indeed, by the

cabal of devotees, had benefited

much

as

that

of

more

talent,

short than hi

less

and had
but luckily he lost his had

Marsin saw

physical.

as

Tallard^s

the court.

moral vision was no

him

better,

suddenly.

With

patience,

and abstaining from

combat, they might have obliged me to

abandon Bavaria; tor I could have no
other place

to

my

establish

stores

and

-magazines at, than Nordiingen; but these

gentlemen were

in a

hurry

and the Elec-

PRINCE EUGENE.

67

was furious, because of some pilliaging

which I had permitted Marlborough to
tor

make, who,

was entirely

in consequence,

We

devoted to me.

truly loved

and

es-

teemed each other. He was a great statesman and w^arrior.

They had eighty thousand men, and

had we. Wliy were the French separated from the Bavarians ? Why did they
encamp so far from the rivulet, which
so

would have embarassed our attack ^ Why

did they put twenty-seven battaUons and
ten squadrons into Blenheim ? Why, also,

many

did they disperse so

villages

Marlborough

troops

w^as

other

ill

more

fortu-

nate than I in his passage of the rivulet,

and

in his

noble attack

ment delayed me
fantry did Well

a small escarp-

half an hour.

my

ca\^alry

had a horse killed under

me

very bad.

were,

in

at

rallying

first,

them back

the

sue*

regiments,

who

shy of attacking.

to the

Marlborousrh

was checked, but not repulsed.

ceeded

My in-

led

charge four times. Marl-

borough, with his infantry and

and sometimes with

artilleiy,

his cavalry, dispers_ed

f2

THE LIFE OF

68

the enemy, and advanced to take posses*

Blenheim we were driven back,

but we
for a moment, by the gendarmerie
finished, by pushing them into the Danube. I was under the greatest obligations to Marlborough, for his chano;es of

sion of

position, according to each circumstance.

A Bavarian
one of

We

dragoon took aim at me, but

my Danes

lost nine

luckily prevented him.

thousand

men

but twelve

thousand eight hundred Frenchmen

killed,

and twenty thousand eight hundred prisoners, prevented them, this time, from
singing their customary Te Deum^ w^hich
they always do when defeated, but which
they never acknowledge.

I wrote to the

King of Prussia, respecting the noble conduct of Anhalt and his corps.

The poor

Elector joined himself to Ville-

had marclied to favor his retreat.

They embraced each other mournfully.

roy,

w4io

have sacrificed," said the Prince, "'mjr

*^

*'

estates

to the King,

sacrifice

my

*'

Duke,

(for

and

will

also

My

Lord
Marlborough had become so
life

to him."

then) Prince Louis of Baden, and myself,

69

PRINCE EUGENE.

went to Stutgard, to amuse ourselves.

The second took Landau, the first Trarbach, and I missed the two Brisachs;
the one, because the Governor of Fribourg

and the other^ from the

false

delicacy of the Lieutenant-Colonel of

Bay-

lost himself,

reuth,

whom

had caused

to enter as a

courier along with the rest^ and who, not

enduring patiently a sound drubbing with

a stick from an overseer of the works in
the place,
truth,

commanded

to

was honor very

fire.

much

This,

in

misplaced

and this was the only occasion on which

it would have been very laudable to receive a good beating.
Had we proceeded,
the blows would have been envied, rather

than stigmatised.
stadt,

I went before Infold-

ready to surrender, but for the intre-

pidity of a French regiment,

composed of

brave deserters in the service of Bavaria.

They spurned my promises and my menaces;

them by my gesending them back safely

but, astonishing

nerosity,

in

convoyed, that nothing might happen to

them, they evacuated Ingoldstadt; and,
except Munich, the whole of Bavaria was

THE LIFE OF

^0
ill

thanks

our possession,

the treaty

tp

which I made with the Electress. The

she refused them
conditions were harsh
but, by the interposition of Father Schuh:

mcher, a good Jesuit, her confessor, I

succeeded in making her sign them and
;

Vienna

I set off for

(1705.)

Affected by the situation of the

of Savoy,

who had now

Duke

reformed,

and

become again a good Austrian, and who

had lost ahnost every thing, for which
the Court of Vienna had not indemnified
him, I represented his case to the
peror.

'>

Very

well/-

he to

said

'take reinforcements to him;

'*

the

army

in

Italy."
'^

my

'^

Em*
me
;

command
remember,
campaign,

*'

Sire,'*

*'

when, from stupidity,

**

malice, or jealousy, leaving

*'

money, and without troops, I was force \

to give up the blockade of Mantua, Io.h"
all the towns I had taken, and rende j*
my victory of Luzara useless. They

*
^'

*/:

replied,

last

or knaver}^

me

or

without

PRINCE EUGENE.
^^

^^
^*

^^

71

intercepted niy letters to your Majesty,

and endeavoured to tarnish my honor,

I would rather lay all my employments
at your feet,
and lead, I know not

^'

where, a

^'

through twenty-two years of labour, of

which the last ten have been disturbed

*^

**
*^
^'

life

of retirement,

have gone

by court-storms and intrigues. I had

hoped to re-conquer one half of the
Spanish succession

my

notwithstand-

but,

-'

ing

''

feared for your Majesty's states, which

^'

had been lost, if I had been beaten.'*

Leopold promised me twenty-eight

victory

at

Hochstet,

still

thousand men, regularly payed, and well

appointed.
I would not set off, however,
till

after

Rove redo.
dered

and I repaired to
The Mirandole had surren-^

they had,

I entered into the Bressan.

Ven-

dme marched to attack me but, anticipating him in occupying the height of

;

Gavardo, he did not venture to do it.

It was while there that I heard of the
death of the Emperor: I loved Joseph
better,

who succeeded him

but I feared,

^s sons generally adopt a directly

contmjy

THE LIFE OF

72

course of proceeding to their fathers, that

he would abandon the

to

whom,

was not
to

in truth,
so,

continue,

100,000

Duke

of Savoy,

I was responsible.

however:

wrote to

he

It

me

and sent me, immediately,

florins,

for the

payment of the

troops.

Leopold was not without good quaU-i

but I cannot conceive how any Spaties
;

nish and Austrian flatterers could attempt

to call

him Leopold the Great.

He

succeed, however.

It did not

detested the French

much, that he had forbidden a

word of that language to be spoken
so

court.

got out of the

single
in his

difficulty,

by

which I know better

than German, though I easily understand
it, and can give orders in that tongue.
Vendme went into Piedmont, and
speaking Italian,

charged his brother, the Grand Prior, to

make me quit

the Bressan

him from the

wished to dislodge
la

by starving me.

CouUne, an important post.

combat

in courage

and

Cassine de

An incredible

in resources

ensued

seven grenadiers defended the pigeon house,

Jf

Wurtemberg had wished to

set fire to thQ

PRINCE EUGENE.

73

when he irst arrived, he could have

done it. The Grand Prior came to assist
eassine,

not daring to risk a general engagement, I

That

attempted the passage of the OgHo.

was necessary

Duke

the

ed: but

for

nothing remained to

of Savoy but Turin,

how

I used trick

succeed-

upon

trick,

availed myself of the sloth of the

Prior,

and

whom

effected

He

night.
fault,

and

Grand

knew to be a great sleeper,

my march in the middle of the
I

endeavoured to

when he awoke, by an

gree of diligence

just

repair this

incredible de-

on the point of

re*

joining me, I wheeled about to attack him.

The

position which he took, gave

alarm, and, contrary to

I

my

me some

usual practice,

assembled a council of war.

I suspect-

ed that they would decide against attacking him.

I

suspected also,

that the Spaniard

Toralba was nothing very formidable.

drove him from Palazzuolo, and threaten-

ed to shoot him,
lio

if

he threw into the Og-

the provisions of which I had so

need.

He

took

flight to

much

Bergama.

conti and Joseph of Lorraine,

who

Viswas^

THE LIFE OF

74

wounded

overtook him, and,

there,

in-*

stead of defendins; the height where he was

made

very well posted, a few cannon balls

him

surrender,

The

rage and astonishment of the

Prior

may be

with nine hundred men.

Grand

Palazzuolo

easily guessed,

and the bridge of Oglio having yielded, I

advanced to pass the Adda, the only bar-
rier

of the Milanese.

went to take Soncino and, hearing

that the head quarters of the French were
I

at Solesino, I said to

my generals,

**

gotti

has certainly joined

**

Prior,

and

*'

bold movement, that

**

rived at the army/'

I will lay

'^

Alber-

Grand

the

any thing, from

I

Vendme

has

thii
ar-^

was more convin-

ced of this afterwards, when, occupying

the post of the fourteen Naviles, by Vetzel,

Vendme

himself came to dislodge him.

His grenadiers attacked the bridge while

others threw themselves into the water on
the riglit and left, to take my detachment
in flank on both sides.
There were bravery, skill, and enthusiasm
there were
French soldiers
!

Vendme wished

to fidit,

and

I did

'

PRINCE EUGENE,

Duke of Savoy
the Mantuan, and Vendme did not wish
I wished to assist the

not.
in

75

Vendme, though not

it.

negligent

so

had a httle of his indolence.

I stole a march upon him during the night,
and reached, by two forced marches, the
I possessed myself
banks of the Adda,
as his brother,

of a magnificent country house belonging

radise.

Bergama, called The PaI passed the Adda quietly but

one of

my

to the Jesuits of

waggons, laden

with bridges,

broke down on the road.

The Adda, almost

a perfect torrent

at that time, was not veiy easy to pass

of the boats,
rive

by

Vendme had

time to ar-

but a sort of amphitlieatre formed

my

grenadiers, to protect the labourers,

disinclined
ings.

ed

rapidity prevented the quick junction

its

The

me

of

him

to interrupt their proceed-

Spaniard, Colmenero, informall.

intended to

go

and

Grand Prior but he slovrly decamped by a positive order from his brother.
I thought to pass the Adda by the
fight the

bridge of Cassano,
himself:

Vendme opposed

the question was,

who should

THE LIFE OF

7t)

I wished to bring the

deceive the other.

matter to a conclusion by a battle.

had

been told that Vendme generally slept in

the afternoon, without any one daring to

wake him,

lest it

should put him in an

humour.

Linange possessed himself

the

and of the bridge of Ritorto

Cassi?ie

was repulsed.
all,

and

ill

of
;

he

I arrived there: I retook

I drove in the left of the French.-

Vendme

arrived,

dore, wdiich

with

also^,

his

troupe

soon returned a dazzling gleam

He

had a horse killed under him, and received a musket shot in

from our
his

fire.

boot.

musket shot in
spite ot the blood which

received a

the throat; and, in

flowed copiously, I

second

ball,

continued,

which struck

knee, obliged

wounds

still

me

dressed.

with the French,

me
to

till

above the
have

my

to

retire

It

would be all over

took a redoubt. I

if I

had Anhalt told to finish a smart firing

which harrassed me in the centre and on
Brave and active as he was, he
the left.
drove his horse into the Ritorto, followed by
the Prussians, w ho were in the water up to
the chin

he was wounded.

Wurtemberg

PRINCE EUGENE.
did the same on the right

The arms and ammunition

77

he was killed.
of both detach-

ments were wetted: they could no longer

return the

fire

of the French.

They

pos-

sessed themselves of the castle of Cassano.

Bebra, Rewentlau, and Joseph of Lorraine, a young prince of nineteen years

of age, were killed in checking the enemy,
and keeping firm on this side the Ritorto,

which they had been obliged to repass,

and which the enemy respected as a barrier that I had marked out to them. They
declined to pass
sage

of the

it,

Adda.

as I declined the pas-

If that be what

called losing a battle, I confess

to take

up an

it.

excellent post at

is

went

Trevigio.

The pretended conquerors were, apparently, in much greater confusion than the
conquered

proach

my

not one ventured to aprear- guard. These conquerors,

for

more men than the pretended

vanquished, left behind them standards
indeed, lost

and prisoners, and threw a great quantity

of baggage into the canal. Though Vendme had been joined by his brother, wha
from
fell asleep at Rivalti, two leagues

tH LIFE

*/S

the

of battle,

field

La

thoui;'ht that

did

not,

Duke

which he was

(for

cashiered the army,)

forcements from

Olf

he demanded rein-

Feuillade,

intended to attack him^

myself to the

indeed, join

of Savoy

but in consequence of

these reinforcements which

Vendme

to

because he

exact of

La

compelled

Feuillade,

spoiled the project of besieging and taking

Did

Turin.

At

not*

all

lose the battle

events, I

w^ould have rendered

Italy

and a

signal suc-

me master

of

which is difterent
audwhich I may attribute to
failure,

from a reverse,
my two wounds, did not prevent
still

know

do not reproach

myself for having fought.

cess

me

manuvering before Vendme

from

all

the

and to take up my
winter quarters quietly behind the moun*
rest'of the campaign,

tains, at

Cabsinato, Lunato, &c.

Before

entering them, however, I attempted

small enterprizes,

all

some

of which were frustra-

by Vendme. ISTot to be beaten by a

man like him is more glorious than to

ted

beat another.

I set off for

Vienna.

t'RlNCE EUGEXE*

^9

(1706.)

Mal borough

arrived

had written to him,

Vienna*

at

presence

his

tjiat

Woul be necessary to me I presented him

to the Emperor, who received him as
might be expected. He assisted me in
:

obtaining succours for the

" Queen Anne/' said he,
''

We

that purpose.

" sterHng
**

*'

the

and

to

calculate

Duke
''

of Savoy.

sent

me

for

lend 25,000

will

your Imperial JMajesty, and

upon beating

low countries/*

I into Italy.

the same time as

tlie

enemy

in

Thither he went,

Roveredo at
the runaways of my army,
I

arrived at

which was entrusted to Rewentlau, who

had been beaten at Cabsinato. I had but
too well corrected

my
before me

Vendme

for his sloth.

Informed of

departure

he was

with his arniv.

from Vienna,

He

had

feigned sickness, and took, in public, re-

medies as
throwing
his

if

he had been really

off, all at

ill

but

once, his barley-water,

night-gown, and cap, he remounted his

horse, on the nisjht of the ISth or i9th of

80

LIFE OF

*riIE

April for this grand expedition.

I rallied

the runaways, and I hastened to Gavardo, to hinder

Vendme from

cutting off

my

communication with Trentin. Vendme employed an astonishing celerity in

I had great difficulty in
all his marches
escaping him. Never before had I such
:

I succeeded,

labour.

however,

in

pos-

sessing myself of several posts, which se-

cured to

me

the side of the Adige.

That

was necessary, in order to make the siege

of Turin be raised.
Happily, (thanks to the discernment of

Xiy.) Feuillade was entrusted with

liOuis

this business.

It

had been very badly

in-

two posts wxre free Vendme ob^served me on the other side of the Adige
vested

was necessary, however, to pass that river^

Venetian commander took it in
his head to intercept my passage to Ba-

it

dia.

caused the

to

sfate

be hewn down

by my grenadiers; and, perceiving

Vendme was no
my, the command

longer

returned thanks,

the ar-

of which he went to

resign, at Milan, to the

with

that

Duke

first

of

of Orleans,

all,

to

God;

PRINCE EUGENE.

8}

much

nnd, without

difficulty, I deceived
the French, wlio secured three posts, and
passed tlie Adige^ where they did not expect me.

Tesse had
Villeroy, the

Spain at

Barcelona;

Low

Countries at Ramilies
was necessary that La Feuillade should

it

lose Italy.

passed the Tanaro and the Po.

Vendme had

carried with

him the

love,

and the

the heart,
I

lost

spirit of the French.

passed the vSecchia and the canal of Le^

do, and

ing

God for removThe Duke of Parma sent

again thanked

Vendme.

me his compliments, fodder, and provisions.

The Duke of Savoy, sent me a nobleman
from his court, to conjure me to go to him.

He

was rather uneasy, with his small corps

out of the town, the

command

had

left

that

it

to

Daun

would

all

of which he

wrote to the former,

be over very soon

and to

the latter, that, reckoning to be at Nice-dela- Paille

gust,

rin, as

on the 30th of the month of Au-

should soon present to him in

a recompense for his gallant defence,

the patent
the

Tu-

of general

of infantry, which

Emperor had given me

Q

for

him.

THE LIFE

83

0'

caused Goito to be taken by the Prince of

Astradella by

Kirschbaum.
marched only during the night, on ac-

Hesse, and
I

count of the intense heat, vdiich greatly in-

commoded
I

us.

passed the Bormida, and

halted on the 27th quite neat the Ta^

to arrive

nai'o,

in

Piedmont, at the place

had specified to the commandant

of Turin, two days before I had fixed and,

which

days before the time,

fifteen

my

discharged

promise, with an order to thank hia

brave garrison for me.

"

lator Catinat,"

'<

the

^'

sliould

*'

to

**

said

The

great calcu-

to myself,

'^

and

and rapid Vendme, (when he

be so) would not have suffered me

fieiy

do

heaven

all

this/'

also, for

are happy.

'*

we

returned thanks to
are devout

Apparently,*' said

when we
I also

ta

" the extensive power, and the

^^ harrow mind of Marsin,
will check the
*^ l^tleilts and bravery of the
Duke of Or' 'feans/'
I went to visit the Duke of SavOy beneath Carmagnole, and our soldiei^s,when they saw us embrace each otheiv
threw their caps in the air, and cried out,

myself,

Lo7ig

live-Joseph I.

and Victor fiiadeus f

^iliNCE

iid

EUGENE.

believe al^o a few,

La

Long

made an

Feuillade

S3
live

Eugene

on the

assault

30 th, and was repulsed with great

The Duke

of Orleans,

more

skilful

loss.

than

two colleagues, wished to march tome.

Marsin said to him, in the council of war,
his

that probably

only tliought of tiu'owing

succours into the city

rest, I

and

that, with the

should be a spectator of

its

capture.

All the generals were of the same opinion

as the Duke of Orleans.
Marsin shewed a

by the King. '' The Prince

''is angry," said he to them; ^^ gentlemen,
" I have a tutor. My post chaise I shall

writing, signed

''

set off."

He

did not, however, because

he was anxious to

fight.

sent Visconti

to cut off a considerable convoy.

Turin held out for four months, and

could do no more
we marched, at last,
:

to

deliver

The Duke

of Savoy and
myself mounted on a height, whence we
saw various irregular movements in the
it.

enemy's camp.
''

sin," said

I,

''
*'

These people,

my cou-

are already half beaten."

Our whole artillery gave a terrible coupd'arch^f.

The battle commeuc^,d the Duke
,

G 2

8'4'

THE LIFE OF

of Savoy and myself, ran where we thought

our presence most necessary.

This time

he fought sincerely and heartily

can be no donbt of
sua.^

The

because

it

left.

it;

it

there

was pro

doino

right wing was repulsed

first,

could not attack so soon as the

Anhalt remedied

all

with his brave

Prussian infantry, and myself at the head of

four squadrons

during an hour and a

advantages \vere gained on both sides

killed,

but we did not conquer.

We

half;,

we

suc-

ceeded in leaping into the entrenchments

of the French, but they separated in pur-

Three pieces of cannon, w^ell posted, checked the carabiniers, who, otherwise,
would have made bad work with my cuirassiers, and perhaps with my infantry
it
was in rallying them who had been already
put into confusion, that one of my pages
and a vakt-de-chambre were killed behind
me, and that my horse, w^ounded by a mus-

suing.

ket shot, threw

me

into a ditch.

They

was dead, and they say, that

this belief caused a momentary sensation

thought

among
gave,

the troops.

The

order which

remounting on horseback, covered

PRINCE EUGENE.
with dust, mud, and blood, to
of Stahreberg, to

fire

SO
tlie

regiment

a volley upon the

French cavahy, relieved my infantry, vvlio

kept themselves firm on the part of the
lines which they had forced.
The centre
preserved

itself well.

Rehbindei* was repul-

by the Duke of Orleans,

who received two musket shots. The Duke

sed three times

of Savoy entered, at length, himself, into

the trenches.

We

were then able to give some help

to the Prince of Saxe-Gotha, who perform-

ed wonders on the right, but could not

succeed, because of the Castle of Lucento.

The Saxons

leaped

into

the

trenches,

forced Pont Cassine, and the battle was

thought to be gained on

all

sides;

but

and attacked us on
the field of battle which we had w^on.
Daun, though pressed by La Feuillade,
made a sortie at this interesting moment,
and decided the victory. I know not what
might have happened, if Albergotti had
not been so silly as to remain a spectator
on the hill of the Capucins with forty
they

all rallied

battalions.

again,

One

thing

is

certain

that the

THE LIFE OF

96

most obstinately disputed

battle

which

ever saw, ought to have continued longer

how^ever, not calculating

I
;

upon such a piece

had troops disposed to take

him in flank, if he had attempted to de-^
scend to me. This was the 7tb of Sep^
of folly,

tember.

My

good fortune w^ould have

it,

that

Marsin, who was killed there, waited for

me

men behind

with his eighty thousand

the lines

if

he had come to attack me,

beforehand, and to turn me,

should have

been greatly embarrassed with my thirty

thousand. I was under many obligations,
on this occasion to two Frenchmen, Bonbad heads, and
neval and Langallerie

who

but

whom

loved

greatly then for their valour and

spirit.

finished badly,

had some influence with the Emperor

Joseph, and I had taken them both, as
generals, into the Imperial service. It was
I

a pity that tlicy turned thus

they

pre-^

tended to be free-thinkers, who are almost

always unsteady characters.
tion of irreligion

is,

The

affecta-^

independently of

its

PRINCE UGENE.
foolish impiety, always the

S7

mark

of a bad

taste.

Before

giving myself up

entirely to

joy, fearing lest the conquered besiegers

should endeavour to cover the Milanese,

drew out my telescope, which I never

use but when I cannot reconnoitre close,

and seeing them

fly

ther than retire,

''

Savoy,
It

My

little

easily

think,"

ours

make

where the

said

to

the city

in

a general salute of

during the Te Denm,

I

of

'/'

how we

imagined

powder that remained

artillery
^^

is

received in Turin,

hardly served to

Duke

said to the

cousin, Italy

may be

were both

towards Pignerol, ra-

Daun,

''

whom

do not
I

em-

''

that Louis
braced with great sincerity,
Paris this
^' XIV. will have one sung in
*'

time.'*

'^^*The next day after the great battle, the

Prince of Hesse lost a

little

one against

Medavi but that did me no harm

;

tinned to pursue,

re,

took Chivas, Nova-

Milan, the citadel of which

we blockaded

I con-^

The Vaudois massacred

We

the runaways.

Lodi,

last place

Pizzighitone, Tor-

THE LUE OF

SS

Alexandria, Seravalla,

tone,

Going

to reconnoitre

and

Casal.

the post of Cara-

my

corta, I received a severe contusion in

by a musketr^balL

left arrn

(1707.)

Our

generalissimo remained at Turin,

and I took up niy

winter-quarters
we both of us thought
of making the siege of Toulon, after having taken the citadel of Milan and ofModena, and some other little posts, w^hen
Louis XIV. offered to evacuate all Italy.

very well contented,

:

We

consented, upon condition that some-

thing

Duke

should be given to the

Mantua,

Mirandole

much

the

to

Duke

to

its

and

duke,

of Savoy,

as

of

a re-

compence to him. Daun signed the convention on our part, and St. Pater on that
of the French, on the 7th of March.

know not v/hat possessed Joseph I.

send me to the Rhine in the place of the
I

to

Prince of Baden.
this

wrote to him, that

was certainly some trick of

liiies,

that

did not wish

it,

my

ene-

and that

PRTNCE EUGENE.

89

was going on prosperously where T w^as. I

did not expect indeed to have missed Touwe should indubitably have taken
lon
:

it,

in

we had not been made to lose time,

the conquest of tlie kingdom of Naif

ples,

where

was a conspiracy in

thex^e

vour of the House of Austria,

Grimani and

cardinals,

fa-

Two cursed

PignatelH,

who

were there, prevailed against the advice

of the

Duke

of Savoy and of myself

there

no influence at court which can exist

Louis XIV. would have
in absence.
been much more humiliated by the loss of
Dauphiny, Languedoc, and Provence.
Tess opposed, in vain, our passage of the
is

mountains.

passed them on the 4th of

July, at the Coi de Tende, and the

Duke

of Savoy and the other corps elsewhere

the

Var was

were taken;

v.e

some entrenchments
marched to Frejus; we

crossed

arrived before Toulon.

The Duke

of Savoy vu'ged

ry the height of St. Catharine.

there the

and the

me

to car-

I placed

young Prince of Saxe-Gotha,

Duke Savoy promised him a

reinforcement of

four

battalions,

if

he

THE LIFE OF

90

should be attacked

they could not

possi-

Never did the French

attack with such rapidity and fury. This
bly arrive in time.

prince, only twenty years of age, and

aU

ready lieutenant-general of the armies of

the Emperor, of England, and of Holland,

of a charming figure, and accomplished

at all points, defended himself like a lion.

He

had aheady lost a number of men;

of the two hundred who still remained^
not above thirtj'^ or forty were with him,

whom

to
^'

he

said,

die

at least,

like

My

'^'

men

friends, let us,

At

of honor."

that instant he was killed with tAVO mus-^

Works, entrenchments, bat^

every thing was ruined and dp^
terics,
stroyed, ^every thing was to be begun
I was inconsolable for the loss
airain.
but I was a little
of the young prince
comforted by the destruction of St. Ca-r
tharine, and by the capture of the two fort*
Notof St. Margaret and St. Louis.
quet shots.

withstanding, I could
-askino'

ty?

myself, where will be

Tess

ments

not help secretly

in

made most

the

utili^-

excellent arrange-r

the place, and I

strongly

sus-^

pected that the expedition to Naples5which

PRINCE EUGENE.

91

had retarded the arrival of the Ensrlish

and Dutch fleet before Toulon, would have
made us lose it. But these are the effects
of cabinets, parliaments, states-general, and
coalitions.

We

should have marched, as

Toulon after the

expulsion of the French from Lombardy,
I proposed, directly to

Notwithstanding that, however, but

for the

bravery and genius of Tess, and the un-

happy day which witnessed the death of

my

dear Prince of Gotha,

we should have

succeeded.
to the

I left

Duke

of Savoy the honor

of proposing to raise the siege

not to contradict him
the English would

been

ii}

accuse

took care

suspected that

him of having

concert with the French.

They

were vexed at having incurred so much

expence uselessly and they may be for:

wrote to Marlborough that they

were wrong, and that this once, by chance,
given.

the

man

Duke

of Savoy was the most sincere

in the world v/itJi regard to us
but
:

he had not been too much so towards the

Proveneaux upon whom ho had practised
violent extortions, and cut

up and destroy-

THE LIF OF

92

ed their olive trees

and seeds
country.

them

into

Detested as he

w^as,

to

carry

often embarrassed in

was executed

my army

taking away plants

his

On

easier.

mine

retreat:

arrived at Frejus

my march

he was

the 25th of July

the intentions of Medavi,

harass

own

his

who thought

through the

in the passages of the Var,

frustrated

defiles

to

and

which I execu-

ted without any difficulty.

Angry, however, at having passed a

campaign without any success, I went to
take Suza, the only place which the

French retained on this side the mountains I went to Turin to take up my

winter-quarters
to Milan to regulate the
and
contributions of the princes of Italy
:

to

Vienna

to arrange the plans of the en*

suing campaign.

We must not be
I

hate

reason

discontented at court

grumblers, even
to

grumble.

when they have

Idle

sallies

pass

from the closet to the pailour, from the

parlour to the dining-room, and, from
the imprudence of speaking before ser^
yants, from thence to taverns

and

all this

PRINCE EUGKE.

93

gradually makes an impression upon the

people which

may become

hig certain that Joseph

barrassed in

my

ing believed me,

dangerous.

Be-

would be em-

I.

presence,

for

not hav-

maintained a respectful but easy carriage towards him.

He
behaved kind to me, and scolded me beI

had exposed myself too much.

The reply which I made to tin's amiable reproach may easily be surmised. '' You
cause

*'

have/' said he to me,

*'

from Bavaria and Italy

go and drive
them from the Low Countries.
Rest
yourself, and set off on the 26th of March
for several courts, and give the coalition
that aspect which you and I wish it to

''

driven the French

;

''
''
''

''
*'

have/'

(1708.)

On

the 31st,

obtained, from

was at Dresden

and I
King Augustus, a promise
T

would send me a corps of his

troops: 1 went to Hanover, the Elector
promised me one also. I set off for the
Hague, where I eagerly embraced ]\Iarl-

that he

THE LIFE OF

94

who had come

borough,

there

for

the

We both of us urged
same purpose.
Heinsius and Fagel to assist us, assuring
them, that,

besieging places,
tle as

we would gain a

soon as possible.

gentlemen as well as

appeased these

who were disEmperor had not

the rebels of Hungary,

to

him-

tlie

Mi-

and because he bad appropriated

self the revenues of

lanese,

and

Naples, of

Bavaria.

of

bat-

could,

contented because the

made peace with

enemy from

the

to. preveii,t

then went to

Dusseldorff, to appease, also, the Elector

who was displeased with Joseph I.

respecting the Upper Palatinate. 1 returned
iE^alatine,

to

Hanover with Marlborough,

Elector.
also

passed through Leipsic, to urge

King Augustus, whom

and,

found there

having given an account at

after

Vienna of
they sent

to urge the

my

me

to confer with

successful

negotiations,

immediately to
the Elector

Francfort,

of Mayencc,

that of Hanover, and Rechteien,

minister of Holland

who was

spread the report

was merely a journey of health, and

that the doctors had prescribed to me the
that

it

baths of Schlangenbad.

And I said^

to each

PRNtE F.LGENK.
of

petty

these

own

interest

**

live

at

'*

and perhaps would

**

a great Emperor would

you

''country thus.

If

not,

find himself better

obliged to

is

your

for

It* is

your expence^ were

One

*' off.

'*

allies,

preserve your

you do not protect

in defending

take care

yourselves

**

that another Loiivois does not give the

" whole Empire to

I

of

fire

it,

and blood/'

have always taken, as the basis of

my

politics,

whom

sons with

the interest of the

I

had to

deal,

per-*

and have

detested the flatterers of the court,

say,
to

These

Princes are

attached

Thus they fool the self*

of monarchs. who like, besides, to

your Majesty,

love

be told- ar// goes on

persoriaUy

who

well,

or excellent,

or

improxnng.
V'illars

was not

of the faculty

had

lbt.

'

He

ftir-

tits

th'

dupe of the oixler.^

cure of ills which I
.

Wrote 'to a prisoner,

whom

If 3^ou are in the

he sent back to me,
^^ army which is abqut to be commanded
*'

^^'by
*'

Prince Eug4ife, assure liim of

respects.

''to

the

understand that he

baths

J8

my

going

on the '20th of June;

tF LIFE OF

96
*'

me thinks

**

to his health.

**

sort of baths

assembled
allied

he was not ahvays so attentive

We

soon see wliat

he wislied to

my army

Germans

shall

visit/*

of Austrians and of

at Coblentz,

where

had

long conference with the Elector of

The French had a hundred thousand men in the Low Countries Marlborough had only sixty thousand. They
Treves.

ordered
sent

my

me

march to his assistance I

troops by forced marches, and
to

went myself, post, fearing lest they should

fight without me. Cadogan waited upon me
with his compliments at Maestricht. He
told me that the French had surprised
Ghent, Bruges, and Plaskendael, and that
I went through
they had need of me.
Brussels,

where

my

interview

with

my

mother, after twenty-five years of separation, was very affecting, but very short

and I found Marlborough encamped at

and
Asch, between Brussels and Alost
hearing that the enemy had their left on the
other side of the Dender, I demanded of
Marlborough, when I arrived, if it was
;

not his intention to give battle.

*'

It is

PRINCE EUGENE.

my

'*

97

intention," he immediately replied,

and I perceive with pleasure, but not

with surprise, that we are both of opi-

*^
*^

nion, that with outthfit, they would cut off

''

our communication with

'^

Brussels

wish, however, to w^aitforyour troops."

*'
*'
''

would advise you not," I replied, '^for

the French will have time to retire."
I

Vendme wished

to dispute the passage

of the Dender with us.

Duke
had

He

said to the

of Burgundy, v/hom bad counsellors

advised

march

to

Ghent,

towards

*^

When you shew

*^

sire

to avoid an engagement, he

''

how

to force

Prince Eugene any de-

you

to it."

saw

knows

this sen-

tence in the exculpatory letter which he

published on his return to Paris.

Cadogan went

Oudenarde, and, in a
he threw a bridge over the

few hours,
Scheldt.

''

Vendme

to the

''
*'

It

is

to

yet time enough," said

Duke

of Burgundy,

''

to

countermand your march, and to attack,

with those which we have here, that part

army which has passed the

The Duke hesitated, halted on

'*

of the allied

*^

river."

the height of Garves, lost time, wished to

THE LIFE OV

98
return,

eight squadrons

sent

dispute

to

the passage, recalled them, and said, '*Let

'' There is no lon*'
us march to Ghent/'

''

ger time for

^'

cannot

\'

you

*'

do

will

hands."
?"

it

Vendme, " you

said

it/'

now

an hour

in half

have the enemy upon your

Why

''

said the

did

Duke.

you
''

stop

To

me

attack im-

^-

then

*'

mediately," he replied.

^^

gan already master of the village of

Hurne, and six battalions. Let us at

*^
*^

least

''

There is Cado-

form ourselves as well

as

we

can.*'

Rantzau began the attack. He routed a

column of cavalry, and w^ould have been
routed himself, but for the Electoral Prince
of Hanover, Avho, in the cliarge, had his
horse killed under him,

manded a charge

to be

What

Grimaldi com-

made

too soon and

you about?" said

Vendme, riding up to him at full gal'^ you
are doing wrong."
" The
lop
^' Duke of Burgundy ordered it," said he.
improperly,

^'

are

This latter, vexed at being contradicted,

thought only of contradicting others. Vendme wished to charge with the left.
^'

What

are

you about?"

said the

Duke of

PINCE EUGNE.

59

him;
I forbid you: there
*^
is a ravine and an impassable marsh."
We may easily judge of the anger of Vendme, who had passed over it only a mo^
ment before. But for this misunderstand-*

Burgundy

ing,

to

**'

we should have been beaten perhaps

for, our cavalry Was

more than half an hour

in order of battle, before the infantry could

ioin

it was

it.

on

this account, that I or-

dered the village of Hurne to be abandon-

might send the battalions to support the squadrons on the right wing. But
the Duke of Argyle came up, with all pos-

ed, that I

sible speed, at the

head of the English in-

Dutch, though much more

Now," said I to Marlborough,

fantry, then the

slowly.
*^

we

''

are in a state

to fight."

It was six

o'clock in the evening, on the 11th of July

we had
I

three hours of day-light before us.

was on the

sians.

after

right, at the

head of the Prus-

Some battalions turned their

backs,

being attacked with unexampled fury.

They rallied,

repaired their fault, and

gained the ground which we had

battle

of the

lost.

we re-

The

now extended along the whole length

The spectacle was a grand
line.
H 2

THE LIFE OF

100
It was

one.
tillery

one sheet of

great execution

did

Our

fire.
:

ar-

that of the

French, from the uncertainty which eim-

ed

in the

army, (the consequence of the

disunion between the chiefs,) being badly

posted, did not do much.
just the contrary

we

Among us

it

was

loved and esteemed

Marshal Ouverkerke
commanding the Dutch, venerable from
his age, and services, obeyed us willingly,

each other

even

and fought wonderfully.

I will

mony.
on the

give a proof of our perfect har-

My

affairs

were going on badly

which

right,

commanded.

Marlborough, who perceived

it,

reinforcement of eighteen battalions

made

my position.
the

first

line give w^ay

with a pike

his soldiers.
sistance, that

in his

He made
I

but

then advanced, and

at the head of the second,

foot,

have been able to

for that I should hardly

keep

me

sent

but

found,

Vendme on

hand, animating

such a vigorous re-

should never have succeed-

ed, but for Natzmer, at the head of the

Prussian gendarmerie,

who

pierced, broke

PRINCE EUGENE.
the enemy, and

101

made me obtain a com-

plete victory,

Marlborough purchased his more dearly on the left, where he attacked in front,
while Ouverkerke dislodged the enemy
NassaU;
from the hedges and villages.
Fries, and Oxenstiern, drove the infantry
beyond the defiles, but they were roughly
handled by the household troops who
came to its assistance. I now returned my
I sent Tilly,
obligation to my Lord Duke.
who, making a great circuit, took these

who

brave household troops in the rear,

were just snatching the victory from us

but then,

was

it

finally decided.

The ob-

scurity of night prevented us from pursuing,

and suggested to

me

a scheme for in-

number of prisoners which we

I sent drums to various places,

creasing the

had made.

with orders to beat the French retreat

I posted

on

all sides.

pagne

/-here.

flocked
in

my French

all,

and

refugee officers, to cry

Here, Picardy

Piedmont

here,

Cham^

The French soldiers

and I made a famous harvest

we took seven thousand.
The

in,

Duke of Burgundy, and

his

ill

advisers

had

THE LIFE OF

J02

retired long before.

Vendme

collected

and took charge of the rear

the wrecks,
guards

As they had already began

to retreat

from each other, as soon as it grew dark,

Marlborough waited for day-light to overtake the enemy before they should be
His detachment
able to reach Ghent.

Vendme had

found them soon enough.

posted his grenadiers to the right and

left

of

the high road, and they routed our caval-

which was pursuing. Vendme thus

saved the wreck of the army, which en-

ry

Ghent In the greatest confusion with

the Dukes of Burgundy and Berri, and
the Count of Toulouse: his presence,
soothed, consoled, and checked the sol-

tered

diery.

They

all

held a council of war, in the

tavern called the Golden Apple.

The advice

of the Princes and of their courts was as usual

detestable.

Vendme was

his indignation to

them

angry, expressed

for

having thwart'^

ed him, and told them, that, resolving to

be so no longer, he had ordered the army
to

encamp behind the

canal of Bruges at

PIUNCE EUGENE.

Lovencleghem.

bottom of

pitied

my

103

him from the

heart, as I did the Elector

of Bavaria in 1704, and the

Duke

of Or-

leans in 1706.

As

was certain that JNIarlborough

could not do otherwise than

day

arrangements, the
I

went to

see

my

How many

sels.

make good
the

after

mother again

battle

at

Brus-

tears of tenderness did

she shed, in beholding

me

once more with

I told her that the part

additional glory.

now as at Hochme much greater.

of Marlborough, as well
stet,

appeared to

The joy

of vengeance was a

little

mingled with that of victoiy

well pleased to see a

inter-

she was

King humbled who

had quitted her in her youth for another

woman, and who had exiled her in her

What was

old age.

was,

that,

when advanced

married the

Duke

king his name.

knew

it

suifficiently

singular

in years,

she

of Ursel, without ta-

This

what no one ever

could not be a marriage of
is

conscience nor of convenience, but pro-

bably of

We

listlessness

and mere vacuity.

could not help amusing ourselves

THE LIFE OF

i04

upoii the

little,

iiaonarch

and

former devices of the

The fif-

his Place des Victoires.

teen days which I thus passed with her were

my

the most agreeable ones of

I separated from her with
as

was most probable

it

again

her

but,

should never see

she was

luckily,

During the

told this.

tlie

whole life.
more sorrow,
not

day of my abode

last

there^ the troops of the Moselle arrived.

We

were then

as strong as the

I sent eight battalions to

borough,

who

reinforce

covered Flanders.

the rest to cover Brussels, and

him

at the

camp

French.

of Elchin.

MarlI

left

rejoined

He, Ouver-

kerke, and myself, were of opinion that

it

wovild be well to send a large detachment

to waste Artois and Picardy, in order to

Vendme to quit his camp. Vendme, who penetrated our designs, remainoblige

ed immoveable. I proposed the siege of

Deputies from the States-General
Lisle.

took

it

in their heads to

opinion.

be of a different

Marlborough concurred with

me, and they were obliged

w^as

to

charged with the siege,

rough undertook to cover

be

silent.

and Marlboit

from the

PRINCE EUGENE.

army of

Duke

the

105

of Burgundy.

This

had encamped with sixty thousand

near the Pont-des-pierres and I, with

last

men

-,

forty thousand, after

city,

my

took up

having invested the

head-quarters at

the

Abbey of Loos, on the 13th of August.

The brave and skilful Bouffiers, with a
garrison of sixteen battalions and four re-

giments of dragoons, prepared a good deal

The

of embarrassment for me.

far

from being easy, was dangeroas; for

Mons

My

My

did not belong to us.

attack

off

labour,

upon

Catelen was repulsed.

fort

enterprize,

first

on the same day,

to drain

a stagnant pond which incommoded

me, succeeded no
constructed,

for the firing

took

off

me

had bastions

from the place

much, that a cannon

the head of the Prince of

inconvenienced
ball

better.

so

Orange's vakf de chambre just as he was

him his shirt. It was thouoht

he would be obliojed to chanoe his

handinsj

that

quarter,

and remove

ed the trenches
besieged
the

made a

it

farther

oft\

I open-

and, on the 23d, the

sortie,

lieutenant-general

when

Betendorff,

commanding, was

THE LIFE OF

06

made

Boiifflers treated

prisoner.

him

re-

markably well. The festival of St. Louis,

which he celebrated by three general discharges of his whole artillery, cost us

On

some men.

the nights of the 26th

and 27th, the besieged made a terrible

tie

captured the post of the mill of St.

Andre.

and

sor--

Boufflers took

from

it

me

again,

hundred men.

I lost six

Marlborough sent

me

word, that Ber-

wick, having reinforced the

Duke

of Bur-

gundy, the army, which was now a hundred

and

marched

twenty thousand strong, had

to the assistance of Lisle.

The

deputies from the States-General, always

interfering,

and always dying with

fear,

demanded of me a reinforcement for him.

I repaired to his camp to offer it to him
he said to me, '^ Let us go together and
:

^'

reconnoitre

the

ground

between

the

Deule and the Marek ;" and, after having examined it, he said, " 1 have no need
I shall merely ap*' of reinforcements:
proximate my camp to yours.'' Vendme
proposed not to lose a day in attacking
^'

the

army of

observation, and that of the

PRINCE EUGENE.
^^

siege.

gundy:
'^

I cannot/' said the

'^

of Bur-

know

if

my

he approves of

Conferences were held at Ver-

*^it.''*

and the king sent

to the

lard

Duke

have sent a courier to

grandfather, to

sailles,

lOf

ascended,

camp

Chamil-

his beast

He

of his grandson.

with him,

the steeple

of the

two arwould be

village of Sedin, to observe our

mies

and he decided that

prudent to renounce giving

it

battle.

wonder that Vendme did not go

mad any other man, less zealous than he
was, would have sent them all to the
I

devil

but he, a

much

better grandson of

the king of France than the other, ap-

proached the night before so near to reconnoitre

the position of Marlborough,

that he was grazed

had

returned

again, to serve

by a cannon

ball.

camp

to

Marlborough's

him

as a volunteer, if

he

had been attacked.

In the

translated by
ters

second volume of

Bausset*s Life

Mr. Mudford, the reader

will

from the Duke of Burgundy to Fenelon,

various particulars touched

of Fenelon,

find several letillustrative

of

upon by Priuce Eugene.7)'JM*,

THE LIFE OF

108

But, (when I think

Chamillard, (that

a young

an

old

enough
rage,

is

of

king who had

when they made him

had been- beaten.

character,

lost his,

the heart of

fill

saying every thing,)

prince without

to

again,)

it

it

and
was

Vendme with
retreat, as if

he

I continued the siege,

very certain of not being interrupted

and

I took the redoubt Qf the gate of Flanders,

and some

othei-s

but, after three hours

fighting for one that was

I was driven

more

essential,

and pursued even to

off,

my

move much,
nor the King of Poland and all my young
princes by my side, for I had to set an

entrenchments.

did not

example and to give orders. I directed

two assaults to be made, to tacilitate the
taking of the covered w^ay

always re-

pulsed, but a horrible carnage.

sand Enulish,
recruit

my

Five thou-

whom Marlborough

losses,

they were routed.

sent to

performed wonders, but

The

cries of

Long

live

King and BoJiffleis ! were heard. 1 said

a few words in English to these brave
fellows, w^ho ralHed round me
I led them
the

into

the mirlst of the

fire

but a ball

PRINCE EUGENE.

above the

left

eye overthrew me, in a state

of insensibiUty.

and

brel,

thought so

They thought me dead,

They found a tumtoo.

on which they conveyed

quarters

they despaired of

afterwards of

pened

my

sight

fruitless

my

returned to myself.

attack

me

to

life,

my
and

but neither hap-

had struck me obliquely.

a

109

The

ball

This was also

out of

five

thousand

men, not fifteen hundred returned, and

twelve hundred workmen were killed.
Obliged to have my wounds attended
to, and to be kept quiet for some time, I
left the command of the siege to Marlborough, who resigned his post to Ouverkerke.
lie succeeded in making a lodgment,

tenaille,

e?i

to the left

but a dreadful

mine blew up the attack and the besiegers.

Marlborough counter-mined some, and did
every thing in his power to save me trouble

when

I returned.

He

compelled

me

to eat in public, to revive the confidence

of

my

army,

The

Chevalier de

and then he returned to

his.

Luxembourg eluded

me by introducing mihtary

stores, of

which

THE LIFE or

110

the besieged stood in great need

captain,

eluded

me

and a

by swimming,

Dubois,

called

and carried a note from

the Duke of Burgundy, to

also,

Boufiers to

assure him, that,

during forty days that

the trenches had been opened, I had not

made myself completely master

one work.
'*

ever,*'

*'

out longer than

''

October."

he continued,

1 wanted
it

battalions,
Bino;s,

one

is

till

powder.

Marlborough
caused

to

of any

Notwithstanding that, how-

''

to

his

*^

I cannot hold

the 15th or 20th of

A single
friend

letter

from

Queen Anne,

be sent to me, with fourteen

the fleet of Vice- Admiral

in

who landed them atOstend. Every

acquainted with the stupidity of

Lamotte, who not only suffered this convoy to reach me, but let his whole corps

be completely beaten, which was destined

to intercept

my

it.

wound, I
works, which

Entirely recovered from

visited,

day and night, the

Boufiers,

also

constantly

present, every where, repeatedly checked

oi'

destroyed

PRINCE EUGENE.
I took

it

in

my

111

'

head to give repeated

alarms, during several nights, the

moon

being in her second quarter, and to attack

them afterwards

day

in full

being per-

suaded that the soldiers, fatigued, would

take that time to repose themselves. This

succeeded

upon a
also

I caused

saliant

an assault to be made

angle,

which succeeded

had the covered way attacked,

and that succeeded. Afterwards, I made a

breach in the curtain, and enlarged one in
I succeeded
and when, at
a bastion
length, I was working at the descent of
the ditch, the Marshal, who had invented
some new artifice every day, and had done
all that valour and science could effect,
demanded to capitulate on the f2d of
:

September.
I

made no other conditions than promi-

sing to sign whatever ones he might pro^

pose to me.

" This

is

to testify to you,

''

M.

*^

perfect esteem for your person,

^'

sure, that

^^

not take advantage of

''

you upon your noble defence."

le

Marshal,"

a brave

wrote to him,

man

and

my
I am

''

like you, will

it.

feHcitate

THE LIFE OF

113

My council

whom

of war,

I assembled

from politeness, made some representa-

me, touching the

tions to

article that the

on the side

citadel should not be attacked

of the

city.

in

my

''

Some

head,

and

my

having

yielded,

wrote to

reasons prevent me,

''

my

word of honor

to observe

'^

in six weeks, to give

'

proofs of

my

Boufflers.

M. h

''from signing that article, but

project

it

Marshal,

you

give
I

hope,

you, myself, fresh

admiration/'

Boufflers re-

and I entered into

the town with Marlborough, the King of
Poland, the Landgrave of Hesse, &c. We
tired into the citadel,

went

in the

morning

to

church, and in

the evening to the theatre, and,

respecting

ters

finished

the

all

capitulation

on the 2Qth of October,

matbeing

opened

the trenches, on the same day, before the

citadel.

Before I speak of this siege,

relate

what happened

the town.

A clerk

to

me

let

me

during that of

of the post-office wrote

to the secretary of General Dopf,

to carry

me, one of which came from

the Hague, and the other from I know

two

letters to

PiTNCfe EUiGNE.

113

opened tliis latter, and foiind

nothing in it but a piece of greased paper ;
persuaded, as I am, even yet, that it was a
not where.

mistake, or some useless piece of informa-

which I might have read, peihaps, if

I had taken the trouble to hold the paper

tion,

before the

fire,

picked up; and

threw

it is

whose neck they

it

was

it

thata dog, round

said,

tied

away

died twenty-four

it,

hours afterwards of poison.

What- makes me think that

true,

is,

this

is

not

that at Versailles they are too ge-

nerous, and at Vienna too devout, for such

an action.

On

the ninth day the besieged

a vigorous
wick,

who

The Duke

sortie.

repulsed them,

quet shot in his head.

of Bruns-

received a

On

made
mus-

the eleventh,

more vigorous sortie by the Chevalier

de Luxembourg, who drove my troops

still

made us fall
Catharine's.
One of my
and

from their trenches,

back
best

as far as St.

officer's

ried off

enemy

of the staff had his head car-

by a cannon
lost

ball at

many men
I

my

side.

The

before they returned

THE LIFE OF

114
into the

citadel.

had every thing

re-

paired.

Suddenly, I was obliged to abandon the

siege, the

direction

of which I

left

The

Prince Alexander of Wurtemberg.

Elector of Bavaria

carried

to

on that

of

Marlborough and myself made

him raise it, after a smart fight, and some
good manoeuvres well arranged, of which
he had all the honor, for I could not pass
The Elector
the Scheldt where I wished.
The
of Bavaria was a little ashamed.
French Princes would have been so likeBrussels.

wise,

if

the joy of returning to

Versailles

had not prevented them.

I

returned

a change

siege,

but what

The Marshal had availed him-

self of

my

siegers

from the

left

to the

them.

absence, to drive away the befirst

covered way that I had

After retaking

the other posts

it,

as well as

which had been

relin-

quished, I wrote to the brave Boufflers

'*

The French army has retired,

^^

Tournay; theElector of Bavaria towards

*^

Namur

sir,

towards

the Princes towards their re-

>RINC EUGENE,
^'

115

Preserve yourself and

your brave garrison, and I will again
''
sign whatever you shall stipulate."
lie replied to nie, " There is no immespective courts.

**

''

diate necessity

permit

" myself as long as

remains

'^

still

"''

whereby

**

of a

man whom

to

defend

possibly can

enough

to merit,

me

still

for

me

there

to do,

more, the esteem

I so greatly respect/*

upon the second coThe King of France seems to

I ordered an assault

vered way.

have suspected that I should, for he wrote

to the

Marshal

surrender;

to

and, not-

withstanding his repugnance, he was just

about to do

Duke
King's

when,

which the
of Burgundy had added to the

letter,

it,,

in a note

he read these words,

''I

'*

have heard, from a certain quarter, that

*'

mean to make you a prisoner of

war/'
I know not where he heard Jt;

*'

they

but this Prince, so amiable in peace, could

never help saying and doing foolish things
in war.

This note, however, made a

mo-

Generals and soldiers

mentary sensation.
swore they would

rather

breach.

wept with joy,

Boufflers
I

perish

in

the
as I

THE LIFE OF

116

have been told

resolution, he

and, ready to adopt this

my

remembered

note,

weighed more with him than the

which

Duke

of

months of
open trenches before the town and citadel,
he sent me, on the 8th of December, all
the articles which he wished me to sign,
and which I did without any restriction,
I hastened to pay him a A^sit^ with the
Prince of Orange, and truly to do homage
I embraced him cordially,
to his merit.
and accepted an invitation to supper, on

Burgundy's

and,

condition, 1 told
^'

*^
'^

four

after

him,

''

that

it

should

be the supper of a famished citadel, to

see what you expected to eat, but for
the express order of the King." They

served us with roasted horse flesh

epicures in

my

trahi did

the

not relish this

pleasantry much, but they were soon consoled in seeing provisions arrive from the

town, by which we had excellent

The

him

fare.

good a
dinner as I could at my abbey, where he
came to return my visit. He was quite
We talked of
cheerful and unreserved.
war, politics, and Louis XIV. I was very
next day, I gave

as

PRINCE EUGENE.

circumspect on this

11?

last topic

and, speak-

ing only of his great qualities, I begged

my

the Marshal to present

respects to him.

with the

amused myself greatly

on this head, of the

flatteries,

Deputies

of

the

most Immble

States - General,

who,

thinking to be very subtle, endeavoured,

by those means,

to dispose

him

to

make

peace, which they ardently wished them-

never dared be alone with the

selves.

Marshal,
rages'^

they should

lest

make comme-

our expense, and that one or

other of us might be suspected at our

courts,

where one has always good friends

who never

sleep.

After

my

testimonies of

consideration for this illustrious vanquished

general, wherever

we were

together, at

tlie

the theatre and in our walks in the streets,

where I saw him adored by every one, I

had him conducted to Douai, with his
brave garrison, attended by a large escort.

Of

this

i'Acadenu'e,

word, which

nor

Others perhaps may

any other,

in
;

do not
I

and therefore

find in the Diet, de

know not
I

the

prefer to give

nieaniiij^.
it

in the

French, rather thau to guess a bad translation of ix^ Trans..

THE LIFE OF

Il8

and every possible demonstration of honour.

In one of our conversations I said to

him, '' If you could liave been within and

same time,
there had been

'

without

^'

M.

^^

no other French princes but M. de Vendome, whom I call thus from love to

''

at

Marchal, and

le

^'

Henry IV.

''

Lisle."

the
if

should never have taken

Do

you believe that there is a fortune in war?'' said he: '' in you I see
''

^'

place

tlie

'^nothing but skilful combinations."

replied,

''

If

*^

opposed to

^'

In

my

had bad generals

me: and that was fortune."
I

opinion," said the Marshal, ^'the

" only bad luck

is,

not to have the op-

'^

portunity of

*'

quered general

''

on some extraordinary occasion,

'^

order misunderstood,

^^

thie

*'

have sometimes made such,

has been because

'' it

doing well;
is

but a con-

always wrong, except

or the

as

an

death

of

and he may then have

some excuse: but there is none for a
messenger

*^

general

''

is

who

is

surprised or beaten,

only the ignorant

who make war

PRINCE EUGENE.

game of chance

*^

119

and, in the end, they

Charles XII.

'^

are caught.

''

but I perceive, from news which

''

received this morning, that,

^'

are speaking, he
I retook

not one:

is

have

while

we

playing very deep."

is

Ghent and Biuges

borough and myself,

after

and Marl-

having put our

troops into winter-quarters, went to pass

a month at Brussels

no

but

my

mother was

lonirer there.

(1709.)

On

the 9th of January

we

set off for

Hague.

Nothing but honors and

feasts
presents for Marlborough and artificial fire-works for myself.
But I prevented a magnificent one from taking place,
the

by begging the States-General to give the

money to their brave soldiers, whom I had
caused to be crippled
of June, I set off for

account of

my

and on the 10th

Vienna, to give an
;

proceedings, and to

demand

instructions.

I received one to

would grant me, all

make

peace,

I wanted.

if

they

I returned

TnE LUE OF

lO

on the 8th of April to the Hague, where

I found the plenipotentiaries of the King
of I'rance. Famine, the cold of a win*
ter that was unexampled in severity, and
the want of men and money, rendered
him desirous of peace but the conquered
;

forget that they

are conquered,

as

soon

They mis-

a^ they begin to negociate.

take stubbornness for firmness

and they

by being still more conquered.

There were a hundred thousand men

finish

in the

Low

Countries, under the orders of

Marlborough and mine; and a hundred

thousand

men under

those of Villars.

''

King when he parted,

*'

go," said he to the

**

to drive your enemies so

*^

shall

'^

Scheldt

far,

that they

never see again, the shores of the

and to regain by a

^'

when

**

taken from your

I arrive,

battle,

every thing that has been

]\Iajesty/*

Without wishing to avoid it, for he

was brave in body and mind, he took an
extremely

advantageous

was one of

his

position

^reat talents

that

he wanted

very few things to become a perfect warrior.

With

reinforcements,

which came

PRINCE EUGEXE.

12!

we were stronger
than he but there were no means of attacking him where he was. To oblige
him to quit it, we resolved upon the siege
of Tournay. The trench was opened on
US iTom

to

all sides,

the 7th of July, and the white flag was

and on the 2 1st of

the most dreadful subterra-

planted on the 28th

August, after

nean war that

six

I ever saw, (for in twenty-

days the besieged sprung thirty-eight

mines,) the

citadel

did not move.

Villars

Let us go and take

''
to Marlborough
per^'

''

Mons,"

^'

haps

^'

being so prudent."

said

surrendered.

this devil of

man

will

be tired of

Madame

de Main-

tenon did not think him so prudent as he

him much

was, though she loved

permitted Louis

de Boufflers to

XIV.

to send

his assistance.

for she

Marshal

The

ene-

mies of Villars, at Versailles, thought to

disgust

him by

this: but

have already

proved that brave men love, understand,

and esteem, each other. The two Marshals would fain have saved Mens without hazarding a battle we wer^ upon cere:

mony

with each other, as to

who should

THE LIFE OF

12^

the

oblige

other,

by giving

As

battle.

soon as our troops from Touriiaj^ were arrived, '' Let us lose no time,'* said I immediately

*'
;

and, notwithstanding a hun-

" dred and twenty tlionsand men, woods,

" hedges, villages, ditches, holes, triple
*^

entrenchments, and a hundred pieces of

**

cannon,

The

let us finish

deputies

the war."

of Holland and

some

poor generals exclaimed against this, remonstrated, and teazed me. I wished to
tell them that the old excellent French
were killed in the six or seven
battles Marlborough and I had gained:
and though I made, with regard to my-

soldiers

the reflection that the young ones

self,

form but too quickly, (an advantage which

they have over every nation,) we decided
vipon the battle of Malplaquet.

On

the

11th of September a thick fog which arose

concealed our arrangements from the Marshals

we

dissipated

it

at eight o'clock in

the morning by a general discharge of artillery

of

all

To this

military music succeeded that

the hautboys, drums,

pets, with

which

fifes,

I regaled the

and trum-

two armies.

123

PRINCE EUGENE.

We

saAV Villars

then

walking along

As they must always

ranks.

the King to the French: "

said he to them, as I heard,
''
^'

all

spesik

the

about

My friends/V
" the King

commands me to fight are you not all

o-lad?" Thev immediately shouted, Long
;

King and M. de Villars f I attacked,

without any shouting, the wood of Sars.
tlie
I rallied the English guards, who, at
commencement, were scattered, some from
live the

courage and some from a contrary cause.

German battalions supported them.

My

Notwithstanding this, however, we should

have^3een overthrown but for the Duke of
Argyle, who, climbing courageously on the
parapet of the entrenchment, rendered me
master of the wood. This cost me a ball

behind the

which induced

ear,

who were about me

of the blood

account

have

my wound

''

beaten,'' said

*'

while

*'

to

and

I,
if

it

those

advise me,

which

dressed.
*'

all

will

''

lost,

If

on
to

am

not be worth

the French are,

shall

have time enough.'*

What better could I have done than to

have perished

after so

much

responsibility

THE LIFE OF

124

had taken upon myself on this occasion

also ? I must be pardoned this digression
and personal history it is human. To
as I

endeavour to repair the

have committed,

is, I

faults

confess,

but to survive one's glory

which we

more noble

My

terrible.

is

on the right going on well, I wished

to decide those of Marlborough's on the
It was in vain
left, which went on slowly.
that the Prince of Orange had planted a
standard on the third entrenchment. The
affairs

Dutch corps were almost

all

lying

on the

Du-

ground, either killed or wounded.

ring six hours, ]\Iarlborough fought with

the

centre

and

the

particular advantage.

any
cavalry, which

left,

My

Avithout

was routed in the way by

the household troops, which last were served the same by a battery which took them
in flank.
Marlborough, at length, without me, had gained some ground hence it
was easy for me to turn the centre of the
French army, which was exposed by the
I sent to his aid,

defeat of the
Villars,

when

what

lie

wini>;s.
1

Boufiflers

did

did for Marlborough

saw him

fall

from

his horse

for

and
dan-

PRIXCE EUGENE.gerously

l^S

wounded above the knee, and the

he thought only

victory escaping them,

of making the finest retreat in the best possible order.

to say,

think

it is

not over-rating

it

that the loss of the two armies

amounted

to forty thousand

men

those

that had not been killed, died of fatigue.

I let the

remains of

selves,

interred

my army

ajl

repose them-

could,

and then

marched to Mons.
I had only five thousand men.
I
opened the trench on the 25th of September, and, ready to

make an

assault on the

horn-work of Bertamont, the 22nd of October Grimaldi capitulated.

Our troops
entered into winter quarters, and I, obliged to post along the roads without ceasing,

went with Marlborough

to

the Hague,

to win over the States-General,

point of escaping us.

upon the
advised them to

say, at the conferences of Gertruydenberg,

that they would not hear a;iy talk of peace,

were a general one. Thatit isagood

way to continue the war; for, it is an even

unless

it

wager, that out of four or

will

be one whose interest

five

powers, there

it will

be to have

THE LIFE OF

126

no peace.
I

was sure of Queen Anne, because

was sure of Marlborough

me

ably.

went

to give

he seconded

an account of what

Emperor. I drew him

a hasty sketch of Europe, of whose state I
saw that his council had not the smallest
idea.
I shewed the eager desire which
We
there was in many powers to quit us.
I

had done

to the

are courageous at a distance.

that I had

iTie

replied,

made a

fine

that I had killed

They

told

campaign.

more than they

could give me, but I would try.

I collected 300,000 florins for my army,

which, for a long time, had not been paid

and

many

recruits as I could, to

rein-

Heister against the rebels of

Hun-

as

force

gary,

whom

they had neitlier the talent to

beat, nor the skill to appease.

soon
lin,

after, into

whither

the

I returned,

Low Countries, by

Ber-

repaired to descend, on the

1st of April,

(1710,)

Along with

my

Anhalt-Dessau.

It

der the

King of

friend the Prince

of

was necessary to hin-

Prussia,

who imagined

that

PRINCE EUGENE.
the King of

Sweden would

find

12?

him plenty

of work, to withdraw his troops from Italy,

wliere the Duke of Savoy, meditating an

Dauphiny, had need of him.

I
Frederick-William promised me.

irruption into

proved to him, that, since Pultowa, there

had been no longer a Charles XIL and that

he was the prisoner of his friend the Turks.
I was sorry, for he could not be a Gustavus

Adolphus,

made

wdio

the

whole^

but I wished that Russia

empire tremble
should be prevented from aggrandizing
and I considered Sweden as a
herself,
;

counterpoise for
rope.

The King

the equilibrium of

Eu-

of Prussia presented

with a handsome sword, and a

fine

me

snuff-

box, worth 24,000 florins, which was a

great deal for a poor and avaricious prince.

went to the Hague on the 15 th of April,

and, when we arto meet Marlborough
rived in Flanders, we found the lines of
the French, extending from Maubege to
1

Ypres, taken by Cumberland.

to lay siege to Douai.

My

We

went

baggage, coming from Holland,

was taken by a French privateer, near

THE LTFE OF

Anvers:

all

my

plate,

strongboxes, and

the presents I bad received.

Louis

XIV

had said
respectful to him through the Marshal de
Boufflers, had every thing returned to
I gave 500 florins and a goldme.
sensible, apparently, of all that I

mounted

sword to

privateer.

the

captain of

opened the trench on the

night of the 5th or 6th of

made a

gotti

the

May.

Alber-

vigorous sortie on the 8th,

No com-

which greatly deranged me.

mandant ever made so many as he did.

Sometimes he even made four in a day.
Villars,

recovered

from

his

arrived

from Paris to make us

siege.

We

and, though

took
it

was not so strong as that

at

Malplaquet the

preceding year, he respected

and so many places

commencement

raise the

up a good position;

which he had taken

battles

wounds,

it.

So many

lost since the

had rendered the French very circumspect, and

of the century,

Villars himself: that

On

is

saying every thing.

the 24th of June, Douai surrendered.

I

part.

also

used

circumspection on

I wished to take Arras,

my

and then no-

1^9

PRINCE EUGENE.
thing would stop

me

in

my

progress to

but Villars overthrew my project

by an excellent position, where I did not
I consoled myself by
dare to attack hiui.

Paris

taking Bethune. It cost eight days laOn the 14th of August we had a
bour.
Villars, always
very pretty advantage.
personally,

courageous

could not be so in his

even when

he

army, gave

five

hundred horse to Broglio, to carry off a

quantity of fodder, and marched himself,
at the head of

him.

squadrons, to support

eager to attack,

Broglio,

an ambuscade

much

fifty

into

and Villars returned very

vexed.

Marlborough had a great

tack.

I said

'*

you

that

fell

to

will

him, "

I'll

not be able

desire to atlay a

wager

let

us go

'' Very well/'

said
and reconnoitre/*
he to me, after finding it to be so himself,
''

''

let

us

continue taking towns."

We

opened the trench, on the l6th, before

St. Veiiant, and they capitulated on the
2 8 th.

The

siege of

so quickly

it

Aix did not go on quite

was nqt until the beginning

WE LIFE

130

of

November

O"

after great

that,

ol

efforts

valour on both sides, the besiegers carried

The

the covered t^ay.

brave Quebrinta

defended himself, notwithstanding,

We

8th.

the centre of the coalition,

moment about

saw every

the

The

took up winter quarters.

Hague being
which

till

to se-

went there again with Marlborough, and I returned to Vienna on the

parate,

26th of January.

(1711.)

There
ministers

found the Emperor and hi&

still

irresolute

between their pri''

vate state and the general interest.

a word,'' said I,
'' Finish
this
to Ragotzi and Caroli.
''
you will have a good
tedious rebellion
''

halter or a cordon,

in

'*

opportunity, for the Turks are going

''

to

''

Peter

''

occupy them a long time/'

assist
I.

They

sent to

they think

Grand

and, unless
Charles XII.
commits some blunder, he will

me

(I

may

the President of

say to me, as

War

is

the

Visierl a minister called Zephala

131

pal^^CE EUGEl^'E.

the Emperor,

on their
part, that they no longer had any enmity
towards him but that it was against the
Russians His Eminence wished to avenge
Aga,

to assure

for reasons

himself,

Those were

world.

known

to the whole

his words.

Joseph the 1st. w^as attacked with the

There were no good physismall-pox.
cians at

Lintz
I

Vienna one was procured from

it came out so full and well, that
;

thought him saved.

my

him

leave of

Low

Countiies

:'

wished to take

before

he sent

I set off for the

me

w^ord, that I

had already exposed my life but too much

for him, and that he needed it elsewhere,
not with the small-pox.

did not insist

and I set off on the l6th of

Three days afterw^ards, I heard of
April.
liis death, fiom the ignorance of the College of physicians of Upper and Lower
Austria, who dispirited all night on the
means of remedying a great heat in the
I rebowels which the Emperor felt.

upon

it,

gretted greatly the loss of this prince,

was only
first,

in

his

since Charles

thirty-tliird

year;

V. who had any

K 2

who
the
clia-

13^

THE LIFE OF

and who was not superstitious

racier^

and

longed to serve him even after his

death.

ran to ahnost

to dispose

crown to
cit

dit

them

the Electors,

all

to secure the

his brother

and

Imperial

went to

soli-

the Dutch a^ain to continue their ere-

money and

in

friendship to the

in

King of Spain, Charles II. who became

the Emperor Charles VI.

The

Protestants did not

fail

the report, that the court of

to spread

Rome, some*

times humiliated by Joseph 1. had bribed

the physicians
lieve

but we should never be-

defamatory

or these authoi's

libels,

of pretended private anecdotes, with their

malignant doubts.

For

a long time

been the fashion to make

all

it

has

great person-

ages die of poison.

Tallard,
in

war

more dangerous

whom

in

peace than

should not have

soner in England,

if I

left

a pri-

thought he would

have obtained any interest there, made the

Tories triumph, and crushed the Whigs.

His assiduity towards Miss Masham, a

new favourite of the Queen, in the place of
the Duchess of Alarlborough
liis address
;

PRNCF EUGENE.

^S3

Burgundy and
Champagne to Right Honorable Members
of Parliament, who were amateurs of it,
changed the face of the affairs of Europe
and afterwards, a M. Mnager^ who was
The consesent there by Louis XIV.

n society

and

his presents of

quences

will

be seen.

Marlborough played during the

of his time in the

Low

Countries.

rest

Yet

he found means to finish his military career with glory

he forced the lines of the
French behind the Senzee, and took the
:

town of Bouchain.

They found

a thousand faults in him, the

Duchess being disgraced

conv^erted into insolence

too strict economy, they

his pride they

and of his rather

made him a pe-

His friends, as
imagined, conducted them-

culator and extortioner.

may be

easily

selves as such

that

is

saying ev^ery thing.

He

was recalled, which was a thunderbolt

The French assembled on the
to me.

Rhine

Low

made Vehlen

return from the

Countries, with a large detachment;

and, setting off from the

pf July,

Hague on

the 19th

assembled quickly, at Frankfort,

134
all

up

^i^^ OF

*^^*^

the troops

could get together.

good a position

so

]\Iuhlberg, that

in

camp

took
neai

influenced the election

of the Imperial crown, which would have

if I

failed

had received a check.

The

French did not dare to disturb me. It was

a campaign of skill, rather than of glory.
Queen Aimethrew off all restraint. She
had received, coldly, the Dutch ambassador, and prohibited Gallas, the Emperor's,
from appearing at court, alleging, as a pretext,

her.

some conversation of his respecting

Charles VI. ordered me to rectify

the indiscretions of Gallas, and to re:ain

the cabinet of St. James's.

As

Amadeus, I
ought to ha\e done as he would have done
in my place, exclaim against Marlborough
more loudly than any of his enemies, and
a good cousin of Victor

not have seen him.

lation, petty

sume a

minds should sometimes

virtue.

We

they wish to succeed.

and

fail

But, even from calcu-

see,

They

in their purpose.

teem, participation in so
labours,

and pity

for

otherwise,

one

as-

how

are despised,

Gratitude, es-

many

military

in disgrace,

made

PRINCE EUGENE.
nie throw myself into

tlie

it is

arms of JMarlbo-

Besides, on such

rough with emotion.

occasions,

35

The

the heart that rules.

who followed me wherever I went

from the moment I set foot in London,
perceived this, and loved me the more for
people,

it

the opposition, and the honest individ-

me

did not esteem

uals of the court,

less.

In one way or another, every thing was

finished for Austria.

caressed a great

many persons in. place. I made presents,

for much may be bought in England.
I
offered to have Gallas recalled.

present-

ed a memoir upon this subject, and begged

the

Queen

to adopt other determmations

congress of Utrecht, whither her

at the

plenipotentiaries were already gone, in or-

der that the

Emperor might be

his there,

The)^ gave

swer, that

all,

Duke

so vague an an-

the court of Vienna had be-

me, they would not have

lieved
at

if

me

able to send

upon the

feeble

of Orniond,

who

relied,

succours of the

set off to

command

the English in the place of Afarlborough

and

I should not have lost the battle of

Denain.

This

is

how

it

happened.

Not-

136

lilE JuIFiL

OF

withstanding the excellent reception from

the Queen,

who gave me,

her portrait,
that

neral

went to

my departure,

at

tell

the States-Ge-

we conld reckon only upon

and passing through Utrecht, to

make my observations, I found the tone of

them

the French so changed, so elevated, that

I

was more certain than ever of what I

On my

announced.

of Anchin, where

arrival at the

Abbey

had assembled

my

which consisted of more than a

hundred thousand men, Ormond came
army,

and made me the most flattering promises,

and had the goodness to consent that
I should pass the Scheldt below Bouchain:

But, after feigning to agree to the siege

of Quesnoi, he endeavoured, at
dissuade

me

from

it

''

*''

*'

to him, "

to

Very

assist

well,

me

in

sir,

do without your eighteen thousand

men." " I shall conduct them," replied

shall

he,
'*

said

to

and then, without

any hesitation, refused

it.

first,

*'

to

take possession

of Dunkirk,

which the French are to surrender to

me." *^ I congratulate the two nations,"
replied,

''

upon

this

operation, w^hich

PRINCE EUGENF.

do equal honor to both.

**

will

"

sir."

He

gave orders for

the pay of England

in

13?

Very few obeyed.

all

to

Farewell,

the troops

follow

him.

had anticipated the

and I w^as sure of the Prince of

Anhalt, and the Prince of Hesse Casseh

blow

On

the 30tli of July I took Quesnoi.

committed the charge of the siege of

Landrecy to the Prince of Anhalt, and
I entered the lines which I had made between Marchiennes and Denain.
The
Dutch had collected immense stores of
ammunition for war and for the mouth
It was in vain that I
at Marchiennes.
represented to them it would be better
to place them at Quesnoi^ which is not
more than three leagues from Landrecy,
I

one

tenth

place:

the

economy of

the

opposed

distance

It

it.

was

of

the

other

these gentlemen

this that

made me

say with an oath, but good humouredly,

one day,

(as

they

were speaking before

of Alexander,
'^

of

deputies
their

in

''

tell

me

me) when they

of the conquests

that he had no

his

army."

battalions

and

Dutch

made twenty

ten

squadrons

THE LIFE OF

138

command

enter the lines under the

of

the Earl of Albermarle, and I advanced to

Quesnoi with the main body of

my

to watch the motions of Villars.

all

army,

During

these artiiices, of which I foresaw, well,

that I should be the dupe, and of which

Louis

XIV. was

tremble upon

ignorant, I

his

throne.

made him
At a very-

from Versailles,

small distance

one of

my adherents carried off Berenghen, thinking

it

was the Dauphin

Champagne and

others pillaged

Growenstein,

Lorraine.

with two thousand horse, levied contributions every where, spread general conster-

nation and alarm, and assured

I

army.
said,
'*
*'

^'

soon follow

should
It

on

is

asserted

this occasion,

my

whole

Louis

XIV.

with
that
^'

them that

If Landrecy

is

taken, I will put myself at the head of

my nobility, and perish rather than see

my kingdom lost/' Would he have

done

it ?

I cannot

the trench

Would he
say.
:

He

not have done

it ?

wished, once, to quit

but they dissuaded him.

For-

merly they advised the contrary to Hen-*

PRINCE EUGENE,
ry IV. he

made

139

the sign of the cross, and

remained.
thinking

Villars, not

himself strong

me, (which was just what

I wished) thought to
dehver Landrecy
in another manner.
I have mentioned my
vexation at having my magazines at Mar-

enough

to attack

chiennes, on which depended the continu-

Two leagues

ation of the siege.

were too

much

for the

Dutch

of extent

corps.

But

want of the English corps, they

might have been defended.
Now was
the occasion on which Villars proved his
for the

and I committed a sort of error with

which I reproached myself to conceal a

skill,

movement with
with

the

to

secrecy and

greatest

possible, he
right,

his left towards the Scheldt

drew

my

attention,

towards Landrecy, as

attack

the

lines

of

if

security

with his

he intended

contravallation.

Suddenly, he brought this right towards

his left, which, during the night
ly

had

easi-

placed bridges, as the Scheldt w^as not

broad at

advanced

this part.

These two wings united

unknown

to

Albermarle,

endeavoured^ but in vain,

who

to beat those

THE LIFE OV

40

relied

At

upon me

his

inarched

He

passed with his cavahy.

who had

first

to

but

relied

discharge

his

of

upon him.
I

artilleiy,

assistance with a

large

detachment of dragoons, at full trot,

to make them dismount should it be necessary, followed by my infantry, which
arrived in quick march.

the Dutcli rendered

my

The

cowardice of

efforts useless.

If

they had only kept their post at Denain,

for half an hour, I should have arrived in
I

time.

had calculated

extremity, should

thus,

in the worst

be deceived by the

manoeuvres of Villars.
I

found only eight hundred men, and three

drowned in the Scheldt, and

all tliose who had been surprised in the
entrenchments killed without any defence.
Albermarle, and all the princes and geneor four generals

rals in

the service of Holland, were

made

prisoners in striving to rally their troops.

They endeavoured
ter

'[

former to

the

States-Gene-

wrote to the pensionary Heinsius.

It would be for me, sir, to throw the
faults or misfortunes of that day, upou

ral.
''

of the

to blacken the charac-

IRINC EUGENE.

14

had a single

^^

the Earl of Albermarle,

*^

reproach to

*'

ducted himself as a

^'

defy the most able general to extricate

''

himself,

make

when

if I

He

to him.

man

has con-

of honor, but

bad

his troops, after a

dis-

Your

''

charge, shamefully take to

**^

obstinacy, in leaving your magazines at

*'

Marchiennes,

**

their

*'

have written to you, of

**

and of
I

is

flight.

the cause of

Assure

all.

Eminences of the truth ofwimt

my

deep

my

discontent,

regret.*'

was obliged to

Lan-

raise the siege of

dreey, and, being obliged to approach

my

for the subsistence of

army,

Mons
could

not prevent Villars from retaking Douai,

Quesnoi, and Bouchain.
I

often examine myself with

ble rigour.

twenty

think,

that

more

battalions

all

if I

into

them,

being

Villars,

stronger

w^ould then have beaten me.

lines,

posted as

every thing,

more or

Could

less, at

glory, the war,

was,
I

had put

the

which would have been necessary

possi-

to

lines,

guard

than

Out

I,

of the

provided

for

expect that an hour,

the most, would decide

my

and the welfare of France

142

TIIK LIFE OF

The

with which the lines were

bristled, ought, alone, to have given me time
artillery

But, instead of being well serwas as basely abandoned as the en-

to arrive.

ved,

it

The two errors which

trenchments.

com-

mitted were, not having despised the representations of the deputies on the subject of

Marchiennes, and, having confided a post

so important to their troops, the flower of

whom had

perished at Malplaquet.

Unfortunate

Hainault, I prepared

in

every thing for being prosperous in Flanders

campaign.
sending
fort of

commencement

the

at

terminated the present by

a detachment

to

What a

Kenoque,

fication

of the next

surprise

paltry indemni-

But we sometimes work

the

for the

Gazette.
It

may

easily

be supposed that

un-

derwent criticisms at Vienna, at London,

at the Hague, and in songs at Paris.
Here is one which I thought pretty
enough, because
words,

my

it

contained,

history.

Eugene,
-Assurait,

Qu'il

irait

entrant en

d'un
droit

air.

en

campagne

hautain.

Cbampagne

ip a few

PRINCE P.rCFNE.

143

Pour y gourmer de bon vm.

L'Hollandais,
Fit apporter

pour ce vo}age.
son fromage

Dans Marciienne
Mais

Villars,

Leur
**

cria,

Pour vous,

et

dans Denain

piqu de gloire.
" Messieurs, tout beau
c'est assez

de boire,

L*eau bourbeuse de l'Escaut.''

went to Utrecht, to consult the looks

England,
of the office of negotiations.
Savoy, Portugal, and Prussia, were ready
I

to sign their treaties;

and Holland held

only by a thread.

Vienna to u,ive an account

The moment I
of this to the Emperor.
arrived, Charles VII. said to me, '' You
^'
Holland has signed also
are right
*'
Zinzendorff has informed me of it; and
I

went

to

**

has sent

*'

for

'^
'*

'^
'^
''

the propositions of France

making peace, to which, I am sure,

you will not advise me at this price."

Your Majesty

plied.
''

me

''

of the

does

me

justice,*'

We

shall obtain the

Low

Countries

re-

neutrality

and, with the

you will send, both from

Naples and Lombardy, we can keep the
French in check upon the Rhine/'

troops which

144

'l'i}')

ran through

of the Empire,

Our

Llt'E

all

OF

the states and courts

to raise

men and money*

armies were no better paid than usual.

3,000,000 of crowns from one

I collected

side,

and 1,000,000

florins

from another.

But the tardiness of the princes and circles to march to their quarters, prevented

me

from anticipating the French on the

Upper Rhine.
desire to

himself.

derive
right

me
I

Charles A^I. testified a

commanding his army

shewed him that he could not
of

much honor from

enough,

seeing

doing

well

it.

I was

that Villars

wished to be at Landau.

had lines
thrown up at Etlingen, into which I made
one half of my army enter, and I posted
the other at Muhlberg, where I hoped
that iny reinforcements would arrive before the taking of Landau
but the Prince
of Wurtemberg was obliged to capituI

late.

hoped,

at least, I should

be able

French from attempting the

siege of Fribourg.
I blocked up all the
to hinder the

passes

of the mountains.

placed de-

tachments, threw up entrenchments, and

PiirxCE EUGENE.

made redoubts upon

points. The inferiority

me

ing

fear that,

peace whicli

if I

must,

the

all

of

145

my

principal

forces

mak-

Avere beaten,

the

soon be
conchided, would be detestable, I recalled

my

and

necessarily,

only eighteen thousand men, with Aubonne, to defend the

passage of the mountains.
Villars atall

troops,

tacked

The

the

heights with

the

his

grenadiers.

troops of the circles, which

placed behind the

as the

left

Dutch

first

at

abatis,

had
did the same
I

Denain, being routed at

The Duke

discharge.

of Bour-

bon and the Prince of Conti began the

attack on the defiles at seven o'clock in
the evening.
Aubonne, driven back by
the runaways, could not rally them, except at so great a distance, that he was

unable to return to his entrenchments :

he contented himself, therefore, with

throwing twelve battalions into Fribourg,

After so many battles for thirteen years,
the troops of the

Empire were themselves

nothing but recruits.

The

best

of

my

entrenchments at Holgraben being forcedj

there was nothing to stop the march of
L

THE LIFE OF

146'

Villars through the

opened

tlie

Black Forest, and he

trench before Fribourg on

Harsch disputed the

the 1st of October.

ground foot by

On

foot.

the night of the

14th and 15th, the covered

way was taken

by assault, and one thousand seven hundred

men were lost.

When the

inhabitants saw

Harsch waited, before he surrendered, the assault of the town guard, who
were mowed down bv bullets, the most
that

aged

priest, carrying

the holy sacrament,

and the magistrate, women, and children,

repaired to his quarters. The fire from the
ramparts continued as before, and when
the breach was large enough to enter by

companies, they abandoned the city on the

1st

of November,

castle.

and retired into the

They defended

themselves, they

fought, they wrote, they demanded, they

refused, they granted, they prolonged the

suspension of arms until the 21st, and then

they capitulated.

Adieu the empire adieu its two bulwarks! was the general exclamation at
all the German courts, where they were
!

dying with

fear.

Why

are

they incorri-

PRINCE EUGENE.
gible

the

If

petty

147'

ministers,

or the

preat and petty mistresses, had not been

bought by France, they might have sent

a hundred thousand" men to defend, at
first, the passage of the Rhine, and then,

made and to be
some very bad Germans

the fortresses that were

There are
in Germany.
These same courts and states of the
Empire having thwarted me, in the same
manner as they did, some years before,
Prince Louis of Baden, I was totally incapable of affording any assistance to these
two places. I confess that this gave me a
most furious disgust of war, and that I
was among the foremost to advise the Emperor to make peace. France had made
some prodigious efforts, because her remade.

sources are
single

It

infinite.

is

the will of a

head and of a single nation.

Austrian monarchy

is

composed of

The
five

or six, which have different constitutions.

What
and

a variety, inculture, in population,

in

credit!

The

does not bring with

kreutzer.

He

it

title

of

a single

Emperor

man nor

must even negociate with

THE LIFE OF

148
his

empire that

it

may

not become French

with the Bohemians, that they may not

take refuge in Prussia or in Saxony, for
with his Lomfear of becoming soldiers
;

with
bards, ready to become Savoyards
his Hungarians, ready to become Turks;
and with his Flemings, ready to become
Dutchmen.
La Houssaie was deputed to try the
;

ground, on the part of Louis

on that of Charles
nister palatine.
lars

VL

time.

Villars

and,

Undheim, the mi-

The former named

to negociate with

which place

XIV.

me

Vil-

at Rastadt, to

was natned at the same

arrived

there

first,

to

do

the honors of the castle, as he told me,

and he came to receive

the stairs.

me

at the foot of

Never did two men embrace

with more soldier-like sincerity, and, I

will venture to say,

with more esteem and

-The friendship of our youth,

our companionship of arms in Hungary,
and at the court of Vienna, wheii he was
tenderness.

ambassador

there,

brilliant feats

interrupted

by some

of arms on both sides, ren-

dered this interview so affecting, that the

PRINCE LUGENt;.

149

and soldiers of our escorts

embraced eacli other with cordiality.
officers

conversation

hour's

my

in

also

An

apartment,

(whither Villars conducted me,) laid

the

foundation of the treaty.

''I expected,"

said I to Villars, .smiUng,

" your exorbi-

''

tant demands,

''

actually to

''

feel

''

sliall

'*

gence of

and

take place

that mine

them as not
for, you will

I regard
;

send a courier to carry

my

You

are very reasonable.

refusal

he

will

intelli-

return

'^

with an order to assent to nothing that

''

propose to you

your next

will bring

you the information that they begin to

hear reason at Versailles, and Ave shall
'' sign."
All that I had predicted partly
happened and, while waiting for the rest,
''
I said to him,
Permit me, my dear
" Marshal, to go, meanwhile, and keep
'^

'^

''

the carnival at Stutgard, along with the

''

Duke

of Wurtemberg.

''need of
''

years

repose:

past,

but,

JMy body has

for

these

two

my mind
more." "Very well,"

thanks to you,

''needs it still
" said he
" and I shall go to divert my" self at Strasbourg, till Contades, whom
;

TiiE LIFE OF

150
''

me back

have sent to the King, brings

" some new

instructions.

And permit

to give a ball

this evening,

*'

me,

also,

*'

that

it

*'

to fight these fifteen days.

*^

think our sovereigns the best friends in

''

the world, while

''

ambassadors

who

''

consent,

my

lord,

may

look as

if

it

we were not

will

They

will

be only their

are so,

that

likely

you

if

take this

will
title,

which is veiy dear to my heart."

During the time that we remained together, I returned his balls and suppers
''

but he gave better cheer than

I did.

Mine

was too much in the German fashion

To see us in the evenI knew no other.
ings together, no one would think we were
During the
disputing all the mornings.
:

entertainments which he prepared for me,

his conversation appeared unusually brilliant

and

interesting.

be more so than

upon the
tions.

'^

It was impossible to

his was.

We spoke one

difference between our

day

two na-

Yours,'* said Villars to me, ''ap-

me

be incapable of

*^

pears to

*^

excitation, acting only

'*

fectly right, never very bad."

*^

yours,"

said

to

I,

'*

is

more or

much

less

never the

''

per-

And

same

PRINCE EUGENE.
*^

You

have two characters

one, capable

^^

of disciphne, fatigue, and

''

when commanded by a

''

dome, and

*'

15 1

enthusiasm,

Villars,

a Ven-

a Catinat
and another,
such as displayed itself at Blenheim, and
;

when

''

Ramillies,

''

Versailles mingled with your affairs.

''

The

there was something of

vivacity,

and the

spirit of

your

''

Frenchmen, may sometimes be hurtful

''

to them, because

''

thing, and always too rapidly.

" ample
''
''

if

they judge of every

were again engaged with

you, I would dress some of my dragoons in the French uniform, who should

['

cry out in your rear,

''

But

'^a
''

''

.,

''

''
''

after all, w^ith so

man

like

you,

my

We are cut off/

much valour, and
dear

Marshal,

you are very dangerous gentlemen."

"

'^

For ex-

We

talk together without any suspicion," said he; 'Mike Hannibal and
Scipio, I think.
:/'

What do you

think of the Turks r

Are they always such fools as they were
in my time, when I first began,
sii\ to
admire you ?'*

THE LIFE OF

152
*'
^'

The)^ will never change/' said I to

him *' but some advantage may be

drawn from them notwithstanding. If
;

''
*'

a Pacha, a renegado, or a general of the

**

allies

of the Porte, were to form platoons

manner,

second

line in the

*'

in their

'^

intervals of the

''

third line in the intervals of the second,

in the

and others

first,

in the

" and then, also, reserves and their spahis

**
on the wings, with their cursed yells of
''
A Hah ! Allah ! and their manner of ad**
vancing with fifty men, and a small flag,
*'

they would be invincible/*

''

*'
'*

*^

You

will

be angry," said Villars one

what I am now going to tell

you. Do you know the foolish story
which has been circulated at yourexday,

*'

at

" pence, concerning the

*'
*' It
tie of Denainr"

said I.

''

Very well

it

loss of the
will
is

amuse

lian dancer, beautiful

'^

she had her quarters there

'*

you

an Ita-

the day, and

*'

''

me,*'

said that

*'had a mistress at Marchiennes

as

bat-

and you

had troops at this post only for her safety

and your own, when you went to pass the

PRINCE EUGENE.
'^

him,

''

*^

her."

must have taken it very late

into my head to catch this fever of fools,
I had better have had it at
called love.

said
*'

laughed heartily
" Truly/'
at this ancedote.

night with

with

l53

''

I,

Venice

"

You

**

ly

and

had
but

Vienna, in our time.

at

ladies there, if I recollect rightit

was without loving them, or

being loved, for they attach themselves

" to Frenchmen from fashion." *' That
" often happens to us in France," repHed
'^

*^
'*

''

he.

It

is

a fashion there also

it is

we have nothing

a trade, when

even

else

to

do it is almost indispensible to save our

" reputation. Consider what they have said

'*

*'

of
I

M.

de

Vendme and

of Catinat."

uttered some pleasantries respecting

his friend,

Madame de Maintenon, and upon

the steeple which Chamillard ascended to

reconnoitre

the

Duke

me and
;"

made

great sport of

of Burgundy, Villeroy, Tallard,

Marsin, and

La

Feiullade.

said I, ''to hear that

''

was glad,"

you were slaughterthem

*'

ing the Huguenots and converting

'*

in the Cevennes,

rather than facing

me

'*

at Hochstet."

had no ditHcultv

ia

154

THE LIFE Oy

making him

confess

but

that,

for his

wound, he would have beaten me at Malplaquet

but he had more difficulty in
;

me

wishing to prove to

that

had commit-

ted no error at Denain.

Perhaps these
tesies served the

litttle flatteries

Emperor

to

and cour-

make

a fa-

vourable postscript in his dispatch toXouis

XIV.

I insinuated to him,

tion, that

in conversa-

was not very well acquainted

with this Emperor, and that he appeared

me

to

to be

extremely headstrong.

was with pleasure that

coursing with some
tates of the

Empire.

strongly suspected

hear that

millions to

commence

it

saw ViUars dis-

members of the Es-

that he would
five

It

be absolutely necessary

had obtained

the war, should

;

and thus we

parted.

(1714.)

Contades went hke the wind, and returned the same on the 26th February
;

new

instructions to

demand, the council

to

assemble, change of conditions, discussions,

PRINCE EUGENE.

l'^^

and perhaps some few private couriers

which arrived unknown to me all this was
;

the business of six weeks.

Villars sent Contades to

that

me

would believe

all

me, to beg

that he should

tell

on the part of the King, and we botli

returned quickly to Pvastadt.

Seeing that

there were but few articles different from

my propositions, I signed them on the

6th of March.
not help laughing at the titles
the Emperor took as for example, King
of Corsica, Algiers, Jaen, and the Canaries
I could

Duke of Athens, and

of Neopatri

Lord of

on the other hand, his

most serene Prince and Lord, Louis XI V
then my titles in abundance, and then,
the general of the French army called Vil-

Tripoli, &c. &c.

admired the impertinence of

*' I shall goto Vienof our chanceries.

lars

and

''na,'* said I to

him, ''to have our treaty

''

ratified, for I

am

'*

some

and

'^

agam,

parts,

afraid they will

I

shall

change

soon see you

was enthusiastically received by tlie

court, and by the city, fully tired of the
I

THE LIFE OF

156

had princes plenipotentiaries named, to give to the whole every necessary

war.

Most ChrisThey met at Baden for

formality, similar to that of his

Majesty.

tian

that purpose

there to sign,

We both

and Villars and myself went

once more, the same contract.

moment,
that the death of Queen Anne, which
happened just at this time, would occasion
some alteration but our subaltern ministers were reasonable enough not to make
any representations to us upon that subof us feared, for a

ject.

The

only thing that troubled

me now

was to part with Villars, never more to see

him again. '' We shall never fight and sign
"

together again perhaps," said I to him,

*'

but we

"

other.''

flicted

Vienna.

and esteem each

This brave man was equally afquitting me, and I set off for

shall always love

at

PRIXCE EVGKNE.

lo7

(1715.)

The few

years of peace that I passed

more fatiguing to me than

those of war. There were many conferences with the English and Dutch ministhere were

ters

respecting the barrier treaty in the

Low

and many with those of

Emperor, Harrach and Zinzendorf,

the

Countries

touching

the

fmances.

re-estabhshment

They were

of state of

disorder.

in

army when and how 1

neral commandant ought

of

an

the

unheard-

had payed the

could.
to

ge-

be also

Sometimes my bills
of exchange were protested
and as they
pawn diamonds in Lombardy, so I some-

Chevalier d'Industrie.'^

times pledged whole provinces.

At

leno-th

by degrees, and notwithstanding the misunderstanding between the different heads

of the departments,

ameliorated a

little

the revenues of the state.

When I heard of the

XIV. I confess that it
*

A man

\\ho lives

by

death of Louis

had the same

expedients..--7?-ff5,

THE LIFE OF

158

upon me as seeing a fine old oak

iiptorn by the roots, and scattered on the
earth by
a tempest, he had
stood

effect

long

so

Death,

before

obliterating

strong recollections, recalls them

first

moment.

indulgencies

That of the

at its outset.

King

will

present age had

at

nails of the

lion.

the

history are permitted

of this great

reign

them

To

all at

not need

clipped

the

regency would give

But something occurred to put us all in motion again.

At the commencement of May I gave

us time to

breathe.

an audience

to

a Turkish ambassador

beg that the Emperor would

not meddle with the affairs of the Sublime Porte with Venice.

who came

When

to

I look

into myself,

I dare not

decide whether there was not a

little self-

what I said. Glory is sometimes

a hypocrite, which hides itself beneath
interest in

the cloke of national honor.

We

imagine

we devise injuries, insolence and

evil intentions, and then we cause five
hundred thousand men to perish. But,
on this occasion, several ministers, and
insults,

>RINCE EUGENE.

159

Guido Stahrenberg himself, who did not

Charles
love me, was of my opinion.
VI. appointed me to the command of a
hundred and twenty-five thousand ixien,
of which fifty thousand were separated
into two corps.

Charles VI. conferred upon

neral

command

of the

Low

me

the ge-

Countries.

gave the situation of vice-governor to an

Italian called Pri.

made a

think

might have

better choice.

Now

there were fresh wants of money.

Kaunitz went

Empire

through the

to

and the Pope granted us a papal

letter to levy tithes and extraordinary imposts upon the clergy of all the provinces
in our monarchy.
The Turks put Temeswar in a good
when an incendiary,
state of defence,
Avho set fire to forty houses there, and
another at Belgrade,- who burnei thirty
with ammunition, made
vessels laden
raise

it

them think
of their war.

Mahomet
This moment

that

tion .was peiihaps that of

my

disapproved
of supersti-

good fortune,

THE LIFE OV

60

for Loftellioltz possessed himself of

Mi-

trovitz witliout any resistance.

The Pacha complained of this

tility.

Loffelholtz replied that

act of hos-

had been
which his

it

begun on his part by the fire

saics had made upon the Imperial troops
as they were descending the Saave.

The

poor Pacha, who knew nothing of it, perhaps, caused all those who had fired to be
impaled, and

chose to consider that as a

momentary exacerbation

of anger rather

than as a reparation.

We

are

never

too

which, of two parties,

mencment

of a war.

is

well

wrong

They

convinced
at the

com-

quarrel, they

complain, they recriminate, and they go

to

battle before

rily

explained.

ed,

all

can be

The Grand

satisfacto-

Signior wish-

but did not dare to arrest the accre-

Emperor, but he sent

the grand Vizier with a hundred and twenty thousand men, who, thinking to be very
cunning, pretended to march into Dalmatia, and fell back towards Belgrade,
dited agent of the

with orders not to pass the limits of the

two Emuires.

161

PRINCE J.UGENE.

After having seen a young Archduke

from Vienna,

born and

die,

on the

of July, upon a true or false

1st

Turks intended

report that the

the Saave.

Ratheza.

set off

to pass

Langlet possessed himself of

The Sublime

Porte sent us a

grand manifesto, skilfully enough drawn

up to have been done by a Christian, and

which was very

rational,

and apparently

was easy for us to prove

that they had already impaled a Turkish
spy, and that an Hungarian renegado
was collecting deserters from all na-

sincere

but

it

form a corps

tions to

for the service of the

Porte.

On

the 27th of July I went to Peter-

waradin, and the Grand

Vizier to the

had not
driving him from them;

old entrenchments of Semlin.

much
for,

trouble in

having as

great a desire to fight as

I had, he approached half the way.

He

was called Hali, and was so inveterately

hostile to the Christians, that, after Breuner,

who was made

his

head

he

still

had redeemed

hundred thousand

at a

had

prisoner,

it

cut

off,

as will

florins,

be read

THE LIFE OF

162

The favorite
law Achmet III. a great
hereafter.

vSeraglio,

of his father-inintriguer in the

ignorant and presumptuous, he

was the Villeroy of the Turks*

This

''

Grand Vizier of the infidels/' said

speaking of me, ** is not what he
''

*^

^'

We

thought to be.
will

march

to

shall see

In

him."

fact,

he,

for

is

he did

had him reconnoitred

by John Palfy, who had two horses killed
under him, and retired in good order,
though seventy thousand spahis endeavoured to surround him : but he reached

pass the Saave.

''

This," said

^^ is,

for once, a

defile.

*'

well-planned attack on their part

I,

pre-

" cisely such a one as at Carlowitz, where

" they made peace seventeen years before/*
On the 2d of August I passed the Danube.
That cloud of spahis, who thought they
had obtained some advantage in the great
skirmish of which

have spoken, arrived

too late to hinder me. They found me

encamped behind the old entrenchments
;

and, as soon as Hali arrived with his janizaries,

they wished to besiege

as usual.

me

there

Approaches, batteries, paral

lels,

were

^RINCE EUGENI!.

16S

planned out

and almost

all

some

by
They imitated the Romans,
finished,

in

parts,

day-light*

already said, without suspecting

entrenching themselves the

arrived.

On

5th

the

have

as I

moment they

of

August^

eight o*clock in the morning,they

me

by

it,

at

salu--

had
no doubt that tliis Grand Vizier would
commit some blunder or other, and
would be embarrassed with his supeted

riority.

line

with

all

their

Not being

artillery.

able to

beyond mine, because of

extend his

my

flanks

being well supported, even when marching, he divided his men into small bodies
of troops which

did

not charge*

They

were, perhaps reserves,

which his genius

suggested, (for he wanted neither that nor
courage,) but which were afterwards forgotten.

The

I caused to
left,

But

Prince of Wurtemberg,

make the

first

whom

attack on

my

pierced and penetrated eveiy where.

my

right

went on badly.

The

eight

columns being forced to separate, in order to pass through the aperture of my

entrenchments, and not being able tfl

THE LIFE OF

164

deploy because of the proximity of those

Lanken and

of the Turks, were badly led.

Wallenstein,

It was

were killed.

occasion, that

owed

again

the

on

this

greatest

Every one was

about him, and he himself was
killed
wounded in the belly by a spear. He had
Bonneval.

obligations to

men

only twenty-five

time

to send

Palfy,

me

but he gave

with two thousand

horse, on the flank of the Janizaries,

who

were hitherto the conquerors in this attack.

We

now became

hours fighting.

so

but

first

up aloud,

as

was

after five

I entered the superb tent

of the Grand Visier Hali

ners of the

it

and the almo-

regiment of the environs put

-a

thanksgiving to the

God

of armies, prayers, which were repeated

the soldiers to music, at

by
once military and

religious.
I

own

sent from thence Captain Zeil, of

regiment, to the Emperor,

my

with an

account of the battle, which consisted only

of five or six lines. It is easy to be modest,

are happy.

took care not to pursue the Turks,

they were still stronger than I. They
I

for

when we

'

PRINCE EUGENE.

were cannonaded,
tillery

in retreating,

of Peterwaradin.

Hali went to

die,

i6.J

The

by the

ar-

unfortunate

the next day, at Carlo-

two wounds which he received in

trying to rally the runaways, at the head
and it was a few minutes
of his guards
witz, of

before he expired,

that he had the young

Breuner massacred, of which I have spoken. " At least," said he, " let not this
''
dog survive me. Why can I not do the
''

same

On
camp

to all the Christian dogs

the 25th of August,

pitched

Temeswar, which

before

!'*

my

I invested,

and I amused myself in causing the pretty

kiosk and garden of the Pacha to be taken, and a mosque, which the Turks preferred to abandon, rather than profane it,
said they,

On

the

by defending it.
September, the trench
scolded well Prince Ema-

1st of

was opened.

who, not content with

being there, pursued a small groupe of
Turks, which he happened to see. He

nuel of Portugal,

and received a violent

contusion in the knee. Happily he was
very
not corrected, but exposed himself

had

his horse killed,

THE LIFE or

166

much

9th, the

On

the

sortie,

and

two campaigns.

these

in

Turks made a paltry

on the 24th, a reinforcement, which they

wished to throw into the place, was well
belaboured.

On

we took by

the 31st,

assault, the

palanka, on which depended almost the entire fate

of the city

it

cost us dear.

a great number of officers distin-

lost

guished

in

On

war, and good companions.

the 13th of October,

but

Temeswar capitulated.

few days more of rain, would perhaps,

have made
tune!

some

me

raise the siege.

The Turks demanded

coxvirouzzers

What

for-

grace

for

remember that

I re-

plied to this article of capitulation, " that

" those rascals might go where they chose.*'

This name is any thing but indifferent it
signifies a rebel and though it is peculiarly
applied to those of Hungary, it is well that
the soldier should bestow it upon all the
;

enemies of the house of Austria, as

if

they

and consequently, regard

them with that contempt, which is felt
towards traitors. A mere nothing gives,
sometimes, a beneficial tone to an army.
were its subjects

PRINCE EUGENE.

Vienna but, on the way, I

Raab, all the enmd of the ce-

I set off for

underwent, at

I67

remony of the bonnet et de Vesioc benis, with

which it pleased the Pope to decorate me.
The venerable old man, Heister, whom
I had made governor after the battle and
the siege, where he had also distinguished
(being there notwithstanding his

himself,

came

me

head
The Bishop of Gindor,
of his garrison.
placed the bonnet on my head. I wrote
great age,)

to receive

Holy Father,
continued my journey with the CheRospoli, who had brought me all

fine letter, in Latin, to

and

valier

at the

whom

the

had received about me

as a volunteer.
He was killed in a duel,
a short time afterwards, about a girl.
this,

and

(I7I7.)

No
tax,

one complained of an enormous

but very equitably levied, an imposi-

and a contribtiou which I proposed

throughout the whole monarchy, in furnishing it with a means of commerce which no
tion,

one could have thought

of.

Charles VI.

THE LIFE OF

16s

ordered all those

me do

who might have

interfered

and it succeeded well. The

celebrated Jew, Oppenheim, supplied me,
in a very short time, with fresh horses and

to let

stores.

it

That

was pressed

cost a

little

dearly

but

for time.

Individuals flocked from

to

sides

all

There were enough to

forma squadron of princes and volunteers.
Among the former, a Prince of Hesse, two
of Bavaria, a Bevern, a Culmbach, one of
Wurtemberc^, two of Ligne, one of Lichtenstein, of Anhalt-Dessau, the Count of
under me.

serve

Charolai, the Princes of

sillac,

Dombes, of Mar-

of Pons, &c. &c.

The Emperor made me

of

a present

a magnificent diamond crucifix, and

strongly assured me, that

all

my

came, and would come, from

was getting

and I
bled

rid of gratitude

set off for

my army

victories

God

towards

Futack, where

towards the end of

this

me:

assem-

May.

was necessary to possess myself of

Belgrade, v/hich, for three centuries had
been so many time^^ taken and retaken.
It

Luckily I did not fmd there the cordelier.

PRINCE EUGENE.

169

John de Capistran, who, with the crucifix in his hand, and in the hottest part of
the

fire

during the whole day, defended

the place so well

manded

and Hunniade, who com-

against

there,

Mahomet

II.

in

Hunniade died of his wounds. The

Emperor lost Belgrade; Mahomet lost
an eye, and the cordelier was canonised.
Unfortunately the Grand Signior had
but too well replaced the wrong-headed
Grand Vizier, who had been killed. It
was the Pacha of Belgrade, who supplied
1456.

the vacancy, called Hastchi Ali,

who made

the most judicious arrangements for the

preservation of the place, and caused

me

On

the

a great deal of embarrassment.

10th of June,

passed the

volunteer Princes threw

boats to arrive

among

Danube

my

themselves into
the

first,

and to

charge the spahis with some squadrons of

Mercy, which had already passed below

Panczova, to

protect the disembarkation

of some, and the bridge constructed for the

others,

with eighty-four boats.

On

the

19th, I went, with a large escort, to reconnoitre the place Avhere I wished to pitch

my

THE LIFE OF

170

eamp. Twelve hundred spahis, rushed

upon us with unequalled fury, and shouting
Allah/ Allah/

know not why one

of

broke through a squadron

their officers

which was

in front, to find

me

at the

head

of the second, where I placed myself from

prudential

motives,

He

to give.

having

many

orders

missed me, and I was going

to obtain satisfaction with

my

pistol^

when

my side, knocked him under

On the same day we had a

a dragoon, at
his

horse.

naval combat, which lasted two hours

and our saics having the advantage, I remained master of the operations on the
Danube. On the 20th I continued working at the lines of contravallation, under

from the place. Towards

the end of June, I advanced my camp so
a dreadful

fire

near Belgrade, that the bullets were constantly flying over

stroyed

all

my

my

bridges

courage of a Hessian
I

head.

do not know how

A storm

and, but for the

officer, in

de-

a redoubt,

should have been

upon the Saave.

Wishing to take the place on the side
next the water, I caus^ed a fort at the mouth
able to re-establish the one

PRINCE EUGENE.

171

of the Donawtz to be attacked by Mercy,

who

from his horse, in an apoplectic

fell

They

fit.

carried

He

him dead.
cured

thinking

was afterwards successfully

but, being informed of his acci-

dent,

him away,

went

to replace

him, and the

The Prince

was taken.

of

Dombes

rowly escaped being killed at

a bullet,

which made

my

my

fort

nar*

by

side,

horse rear.

Marcilly was killed, in bravely defending

a post which I had charged him to entrench.

He demanded succour from Rodolph Heister,

who

refused him, and

who was

deser-

vedly killed, as a punishment for his cowardice,

by a cannon

him behind

which reached

his chevaux dfrise,

accidently, at

sent for

ball,

first,

I arrived

with a large escort

a large detachment:

halted,

and completely beat the Janizaries, leaving, indeed, five hundred men killed upon
the

field.

Taxis, Visconti, Suger, &c.

The

Pacha of Romelia, the best officer of the

Mussulmen, lost his life also.
On the 22nd of July, my batteries were
finished.
I bombarded, burned, and destroyed the place so much, that they would

THE LIFE OF

17

have capitulated,

if

they had not heard

Grand Vizier had arrived at Nison the SOth, with two hundred and fifty

that the
sa

thousand men.

On

the 1st of August,

we saw them on

the heights which overlooked

my

camp,

extending in a semi-circle, from Krotzka,

as far as Dedina.

The Mussulmen formed

the most beautiful amphitheatre imaginable,

very agreeable to look

for a painter,

excellent

at,

but hateful to a general.

closed between this army,

and a

En-

fortress

which had thirty thousand men in garrison, the Danube on the right, and the
Saave on the left, my resolution was formI intended to quit my lines and attack
ed.
them,

notwithstanding

their

advantage

of ground: but the fever, which had al-

ready raged in

me

Behold

my army,

seriously

ill,

did not spare me.

and

instead of being at the head of

whom

my bed,
my troops,

in

wished to lead the road to honor.

I can easily conceive that this caused

little

uneasiness at the court, in the city,

and even

in

my

army.

It required bold-

ness and good fortune to extricate oneself

PRINCE EUGENE.

from

The

it.

general

173

who might have

succeeded me, would, and indeed ahiiost

must, hav thought that he should be

he retreated, and be beaten

if

if

lost

he did

Every day made our situation

worse.
The numerous artillery of the
Turks had arrived on the heights of which

not retreat.

We were

have spoken.

so

bombarded

from the garrison, that I knew not where to put my

with

it,

as well as with that

tent, for, in

skirmishes, which

to be

my young

we

of

my

In the small

domestics had been killed.

spahis,

many

going in and out,

often had, with the

volunteers did not

fail

among them, discharging their pistols,

though

And one

cannon
day,

balls

intermingled also.

d'Esrade, the governor of

the Prince of Dombes, had his leg shot off

by
ed.

his side,

and one of

All our princes,

merated

abov^e,

his pages w^as kill-

whom

distinguished themselves,

and loved me like their father.

I had caused the country
of the

Grand

I have enu-

Vizier's

army

in

the rear

to be ravaged

but these people, as well as their horses

and especially

their camels, will live almost

174

THE LIFE OF

upon nothing. Scarcely an hour passed

in which 1 did not lose a score of men by
the dysentiy, or by the cannon from the
lines, which the infidels advanced more
and more every night towards my entrenchI was less the besieger than the

ments.

My

besieged.

affairs

city

towards the

went on better. A bomb which fell into

a magazine of powder completed its destruction, and occasioned the loss of three
thousand men*

At

length, I recovered from

and, on
ing the

ill

calculated

I did

not

the matter was fixed.

that

and despair

listlessness

success*

not sleep, as Alexander did before

the battle of Arbela

who were no

but the Turks did5

Alexanders

predestination will

make

opium and

philosophers of

gave brief and explicit instructions

touching whatever might happen.

ted

my

night

who were

advice of persons

would produce

illness

the 15th of August, notwithstand-^

fond of battles

us.

my

I quit-

entrenchments one hour after midthe darkness

rendered

my

first

first,

and then a

undertakings

fog,

mere

PRINCE EUGENE.
chance*

Some

right wing,

my

of

17a

on the

battalions,

unintentionally,

fell^

while

marching, into a part of the Turkish entrenchments.

terrible confusion among

them, who

never have either advanced

posts or spies

and,

confusion, which

among

us,

a similar

would be impossible
to describe they fired from the left to
the centre, on both sides^ without knowing
it

The

where.

janizaries

entrenchments

them

fascines

passage for
I

my

from their

had time to throw into

and gabions, to make a
I

cavalry

know not how

the Turks

fled

who pursued them,

the fog dispersed and

perceived a dreadful breach.

my

But

for

to

march there immediately,

this

breach,

second

I then wished to
I

sible!

pected.

line,

which I ordered
to

should have been

march

in order

was better served than

La

stop
lost.

imposI ex-

Colonie, at the head of his

Bavarians, rushed

forwards

and took a

battery of eighteen pieces of cannon.

was obliged to do better than

I sustained the Bavarians;
after

having

I wished.

and the Turks,

fled to the heights,

lost all

THE LIFE OF

176

the advantages of their ground.

large

troop of their cavahy wislied to charge

mine, which were too

much advanced

whole regiment was cut

others,

who

in pieces

that

my

but two

their

It was

then

received a cut from a sabre

I believe,

arrived opportunely to

decided the victory.

aid,

my

thirteenth wound,

it

was,

and pro-

Every thing was over at

Viard,
eleven o'clock in the morning
bably

last.

during the battle, retained the garrison of

Belgrade, which capitulated the same day.
I forgot

that there was no Boufflers there

I played the generous

man

granted the

honors of war to the garrison, who, not

knowing what they meant, did not avail

themselves of them. Men, women, and
children, chariots and camels, issued forth
all at once, pell-mell, by land and by
water.

At Vienna,
77iirack !

those

the devotees cried out a

who envied me

cried out,

good fortune! Charles VI. was, I believe,

among the former: and Guido Stahrenberg among the latter. I was well received,
as might have been expected.

PRINCE EUGENE.
I have already,

an

instituted

on

177

different occasions^

examination

into

myself.

Here is my opinion respecting this victory,

in which I have more cause for justification
than for glory

my

too favorably of
severely.

partisans have spoken

and

it,

my

enemies too

They would have had much more

reason to propose cutting off my head on this

occasion than on that of Zenta, for there
I

risked

quering

nothing.

was certain of conbut here, not only I might have

been beaten, but

totally ruined

and

lost

a storm, or the enemy's artillery to the

left on the shores of the Danube, had
if

my

destroyed

superior in

bridges.

saics,

and

in

artillery-men to protect or
I

was,

indeed,

workmen and
repair them
:

had a corps also at Semlin.

Could I anticipate the tardiness, or

disinclination of the authorities

gaged

many
tion,

ill

this

war, where there were

vices of the

and

of the

Hence

so

civil
it

who

en--

so

interior in administra-^

much

ignorance in the chiefs

and commissariat departments ?

was that I was

thing necessary to

in

want of every

commence
If

the sie^e.

THE tiFFor

78

and to take Belgrade before the arrival

of the Grand Vizier, and which hindered
me, afterwards, from checking him on the
tliis, however, I should have
the heights
:

done (but

my

for

cursed

fever)

And

his artillery arrived.

before

then, that un-

lucky dysentery, which put

my army

into

the hospital, or rather into the burying-

ground, for each regiment had one be-

hind

its

camp

could

anticipate that

These were the two motives which

induced me to attack, and to risk all or
nothing, for I was as certainly lost one
way as the other. I threw up entrench-

also

ments against entrenchments: I knew a

little more upon that subject than my
comrade the Grand Vizier and I had plenty
:

of troops in health to guard them. I obliged

him

for

want of provisions,

already said,
his rear to

caused

all

(for,

as I

have

the country in

be ravaged) to decamp, and

consequently Belgrade to surrender. Thus,

if this

me

manuscript should be read, give

neither

blame.

praise,

After

all,

my
I

dear reader,

noi

extricated myself,

perhaps, as Charles VI. said, his confes-

t>RryCE EUGEXE.

179

and tlie pious souls who trust in

God, and who wished me at the Devil,
by the protection of the Virgin Mary,
for the battle was fought on Assumption
sor,

Day.
Europe was getting embroiled

Some cliaritable
Emperor to send me

where.

else-

soul advised the

negociate

to

at

London, reckoning that they might procure, for another, the easy glory of tenninatinsf the war.>

(1718.)

I was not such a fool as to

this snare,

and

set off for

commencement

the

Emperor had presented

By

Hungary

florins whicli

to me.

and

the bye, talking of friends

enemies, I must say, with regard

own

success, that

to strangers

who

Of Frenchmen,

at

of June, with a fine

sword worth eighty thousand

the

into

fall

to

was often indebted

served

in

my

my

for

it

armies.

have had Commerci,

Vaudemont, Stainville, Rabutin, ErbeSt. Amour, Dupigny, Montigny,

ville,
N 2

THE

180

LX'E OF

Corbeille, Bonneval,

Viard,

Langallerie, Castel,

Aubonne, the two Mercys

Princes of Lorraine, of Croy,

La

Ilautois, Godrecour,

tlie

JMarche,

la

Colonie, Batte,

Faber, ]\Iarsiny, Martigny, Langlet, and

the

Duke

reckon as strangers

whom

may

being of the

Low

of Areniberg,

them had many French

regiments. There were

Countries. All of
officers in

their

a great number,

also3 in the two-

regiments

of Francis and Leopold of Lorraine, in

mine, in that of
of the Prince

my nephew Emanuel,
of

Portugal.

and

Hamilton,

Brown, and the two Wallises, were Irishmen. Of Italians, I had Marcelli, Montecuculli,

Bagni, Orselti,
Negrelli,

Locatelli, Arragoni,

Veterani,

Maifei,

Rosa Grana,

IMagni,

Videlli,

Porica, Perselli,

Cavriani, Strasoldo, &c. and of Spaniards,

Vasques Galbes, Cordua, Ahumada,, and

Alcandet.
I

might also reckon

as strangers (for

they pass as such at Vienna) the Hungarians,

among whom

had the two

Palfys.

Nadasti, Esterhazy, Spleni, Ebergeni, and

Baboezai, which proves that there were

181

PRINCE EUGENF.

Austrians at the court and few in the

many

and hence, ahnost all my Germans

were from the Empire. The heads and

army

eldest sons of famihes never serve in this

country.

was

It

in vain that I endeavour-

ed to introduce the fashion.

The Turks were

desirous of

making

peace, and so was the Emperor.

have done very

confess, that

courts

To

sent

well

it,

could
for

loved war.

All the different

negotiators

to

Passarowitz.

obtain better conditions, I marched

to the Gran<l Vizier,

his

Avithout

who had

army near Nissa.

very successful,

thousand

men

him

for

and

arrived with

should have been

he had only eighty

I

was well disposed

when, a cursed courier

came, and brought me the unwelcome ti-

to give

battle,

dings that the treaty of peace had been

signed on the 21st of July. Among us

was called only a truce, which might be

prolonged as long as they pleased, or,
it

which might be broken according

cumstances.
years.

It

It

lasted

only

to cir-

twenty-five

was a cardinal, who ought to

THE LIFE OF

S2

have been the enemy of Mahomet, that

saved his

Thus poUtics sport

Alberoni made Spain de-

empire.

with rehgion,

clare against us.

If
gary,

had not been detained

by

the

repairhg the
at

in

Hun-

regulating

of

quarters,

fortifications

at

Belgrade,

Orsowa, &c. &c. &c.

should have

been present to make the Emperor re-

government of the Low

Pri had appeased the first
Countries.
insurrection, by calling from Luxembourg
spected in

my

the regiment of Dragoons,

Prince Ferdinand de Ligne.

been a second
Bruxelles,

and,

belonging to

There had

they fired on the Place de

instead

of continuing to

employ the military. Pri was afraid, because he had been told, that the country
people wereconiing to revenge the death of
the townsmen.
recalled

He

ought to have been

but the subtle Italian, suspects

ing that such would be

his error.

my

advice, repaired

PRINCE EUGXE.

IS*

(I7I9.)

Strengthened with twenty-five

thou-

whom I engaged the Emperor

to send into the Low Countries, on account
sand men,

of a third rebellion,

(for

the citizens

of

Brussels were endeavouring, daily, to sap

the authority of the sovereign,) he had

five

of the most guilty hung on the 18th of

December, and cut

off the

head of Annies

When

the eldest of the Deans.

sens,

his

head bounced upon the scaffold, the foolish rebels dipped their handkerchiefs in
his blood,

as they did formerly in that of

Egmont, and of Homes

and all was over.

Tired of these broils, to which the name
of revolt was given, and of the commrages
of Pri and Bonneval, who, three hundred
leagues

my

oft^,

hands,

bestow

wished to put the sword into

I

upon

entreated the
his

sister

Emperor

to

government^

had not time to go and enforce authority.

Here is what I wrote to Pri
during the troubles, which proves that
where

they

knew not what they

said,,

when they

THE LIFE OF

184

supposed that

'

'

interest

may

"'
:,

Flemings, that

sent to the
'

supported him

Repreis

it

their

to excite the belief that they

revolt,

oider to be a

little

atten-

by the court but never to do it,

because they would prove their insignificant character, and the insufficiency of
ded

to

'

their meaps.

matclies in one corner of a town, they

'

Represent, that with four

would tremble. Represent to the more

moderate and sensible that nothing can
be gained by a revolution, for they know
not what to put in the place of what they
have destroyed and, that the worst of
;

sovereigns

'

sons, w^ho

ours

is

is

preferable to the ablest per-

may

succeed him.

too good, with regard to

the dominion of the

is,

'

'

by

Besides,

far,

them

house of

jVustria,

the mildest of any.

Repre-

most respectable, that a revolution, to improve their condition, requires the commission of crimes which
sent to the

are horrible, but, without which, revolts

and that
they should distinguish between comand you, SI.
mariding and obedience
are ridiculous and contemptible

PRINCE EUGENE.

1S5

^^

de Pri, enter your

''

berg: vigor in preventing troubles, and

'^

rigor in punishing them."

The Emperor made me

neral in Italy,

and

fifty

and

recall,

his

le

Spiel-

Vicar Ge-

with a salary of a hundred

thousand

florins.

Alberoni, our enraged enemy, having

been

and

dismissed,

his Philip

ving acceded to the

IV. ha-

quadruple alliance,

now think of my own pleasures.

One of them was to build my palace in the

could

suburbs, a

little in

fashion, with

well

my

the Turkish or Arabian

four towers,

which

knew were not consistent with

architecture

but

course of events.

they recalled
It

very

correct

a long

was the place where

the Grand Vizier had pitched his tent in

and I constructed my menagerie at

Beugeby, in the same form as the camp
of the Mufti, with towers where he had
1529;,

tents for prayers.

My maps, my plans, my
of books which

fine editions

had bought at London,

some excellent French works, and Latin
and Italian ones well bound, occupied

me

in arranging

also

my

cascades,

my

THE IIF OF

186

large water-spouts,

To return
been

to

my

tractors,

superb basins.
I

have

I rephed to their de-

know,

my

towers, with which

reproached,
''

and

as

well

as

you do^

^^

the

^^

as the seven orders of battle of Vegetius.

*'

I prefer an order of

*Vtwa,

five

orders of the Gi^cians, as well

am

my

own, in these

very well contented."

sufficiently agreeable period, also, to

me, was a Turkish embassy, in which the

Grand

Signior,

sending

me two

of the

most beautiful Arabian horses that I had

ever seen, a cymetar, and a turban, conveyed the following message ^^ The one
^' is the symbol of thy courage
the other,
*^
of thy genius and of thy wisdom/' I love
this Oriental compliment, and distrust those
:

of Christians.

(1720.)

This was one of the most tranquil years

It was all devoted to the arts
of my life.

and

to society

I did

not do much. There

were, as there are every where^, love

in-

PRINCE EUGENK.
trigues
latter

187

and court intrigues but among tliQ

none of chamber women, as we
;

had witnessed in France. Our sovereigns,

luckily, from a proud quality in their nature, did not vilify themselves by keeping
mean company while, every where else,
servants, grooms of the stable, huntsmen,
(where they love the chase,) &c. have in;

fluence, protect, injure,

and are dangerous.

Charles VI. to keep them at a distance,

used to be dressed by his chamberlains,

who, when his shoes were on, made a pro-

found

genuflexion,

aud

retired

without

speaking a word.

They

followed

my

advice in protecting

the Protestants against the too rigid

tholics,

and the Elector Palatine,

to

Ca-

whom,

but for that, the King of Prussia, with

his hundred thousand men, would have

proved that he was the protector of

religion.

Nimsch,

They
for

his

punished, in spite of me,

having written against me, as

they said, and having had a correspon-^

dence with Alberoni

least,

but

obtained, at

a mitigation of his punishment.

As

I was not even affected with the songs pf

THE

188

OF

LIl'E

Rousseau and DeBonneval, still less should

I be with a few bad sentences, or the idle
clamours of bad

taste.

(1722.)

I had not
to do.

much

and very

to say,

Charles VI. displayed his magnifi-

cence at the marriage of his niece.

many

little

entertainments also

that the military court of

me

and

my

gave

confess

old comrades

That of
the Emperor was, as it ought to be, more
illustrious in rank, but not in merit. Every
thing that was brilliant in the Empire was
present.
But the situation of La Favorite^
in

arms gave

great pleasure.

a city-palace in a suburban

street,

was

fa-

vorable neither to spectacles nor to dig-

The expenses

which
were always superb, not pleasing me,
I often wore my uniform, and some generals imitated me.

nity.

of

clothes,

received a great deal of

company

at

home, between dinner and the theatre, because I am of opinion that more business
is

transacted in a parlour than in a clo-

PRINCE EUGEE.

189

walked about with some foreign

minister, or I sat down, in a corner, with
one of our own and a communicative air
I

set.

made them

speak.

In revenge, I often be-

held the stateUness of others repulse every

one; and, hiding their mediocrity under

a cloke of gravity and discretion, those

neither public
gentlemen knew no one
opinion nor private and, less secret than
;

discreet,

passed.

they were ignorant of

It

is

thus

all

that

that sovereigns are

often deceived, not being diffused through

There has not been one of the

House of Austria who has been depraved,
except Phihp II. all his life, and once or
Charles VI. was
twice Ferdinand II.
only unfortunate in his choice. His MiI had
nister of Finance was a simpleton,
society

him

dismissed, and appointed, in his place^

Gundacker-Stahrenberg, a

man

Strattman had a great deal, and

nius.

Jorger

and wrote very

of merit.

much

ge-

had judgment, and spoke

well.

tHE LIFE or

190

(17^3.)

Charles VI. went to be crowned King

of Bohemia.

ceremonies.
air with

dom

him

Fresh pleasures and fresh

Charles VI. had a Spanish
;

incommunicative, and

sel-

gave himself the trouble to laugh

though he was suflBciently fond of buffoons.

This always happens to persons who are
not constitutionally gay. He was good

and

just.

Leopold had, I think, a great deal of

mind: but Joseph, who had more than
both of them, was amiable, and should have
governed alone.

only

men

of worth

him, a short

Employ, Sire,
but, if you some-

time before his death,

''

to

said

''

" times find a willing knave, who

will

un-

^^

dertake the odious part of an intrigue,

'

and not be ashamed

'*

him without esteeming him. The

honor of kingdoms is not quite so de^
Bad faith
licate as that of individuals.

*'

*'

if

he be disavow-

ed, use

and baseness, independently of the hor" ror which they inspire, are bad policy.

'^

J>RINCE EUGENE*

191

''

But cunning and dissimulation

''

iowable.

Go

are al-

Rome

not too far against

" and the clergy.

You do not love
'*
I can easily conceive that you
France
'* do not
for> though vanquished by us
:

^^

more resources than

Should we finish pros-

at present, she has

your Majesty.
" perously, notwithstanding the changes

''

^'

thatare preparing in England,after having

''

made

'^

never threaten any power without being

''

ready to strike.

**

tious King, at the

^^

Happily,
would conquer the earth.
when Louis XIV. was so, he soon re-

'^

peace, do not begin again

and

young and ambi-

head of that nation,

^^

turned to dance the amiable vainquem^ at

^'

Versailles,

and

to hear

" panegyrist Quinault

'^

not long to

an opera of his

and now he has

live."

Though Joseph was not a

his

successor,

he would never have de-

the agents

ceived

bigot, like

of

the

company

at

and, with his great character,

Ostend
he would not have bent, as he did, beHe said to
fore the maritime powers.
;

me, one day,

''

Had I

been

in

my

father's

THE LIFE OF

192
*^

place, I should not have run to Lifttz,

^*

when you had entered

would not have suffered myself to be

shut up in Vienna, but I should have
been the aid-de-camp of the Duke of

*^
''

into our service-

Lorraine at the battle of Vienna.

^^

know what gentlemen

*^

have

*'

at the seige of

^*

to tremble for

*'

tremble for themselves/'

**

and

courtiers are.

seen them in their true colours

frigid

Landau. They pretend

us, when, in fact, they

The

Leopold did not love him.

harsh

He

preferred Charles, his youngest brother,

less petulant,

respect

and more a Spaniard

in every

he could not, however, forgive him

and his irregularities.

To be sure he was wrong once, when he
belaboured, at a public feast, and before
the Emperor and a great deal of company,
one of his attendants, who did not serve
his taste for pleasure

him

properly.

When
petty

I did not directly interfere with

affairs,* I

was reproached with indo-

lence, sanctioned, as they maliciously said,

by

so

many

military labours.

If I had

entered into every frivolous detail, they

t>atNCE EUGNE.
tiicy

Koch,

Etlet,

that was
side,

with being

I left

to

my

r-

exclaimed against them

indifferent to

mc.

on

I had,

good company, the people, and

the soldiers,

whom

loved better than a

whom

quantity of great lords ^ with

cause to be discontented, for

sufificiency

said they.

in war.

had

their

in-

upheld these three,

was not a weathercock, to

They understood

turn with every wind.

me

them

and Brockliausen,

They

frendaires.

my

me

would have accused

too minutely attentive.

193

with half a word

and

done more injury to

should have

by changing
them, than I could do good by redressing,
perhaps, some trifling abuses, which it is
affairs

difficult to discover or to hinder.

I

read a great deal, and was read to

had never had much time for it before.

i was astonished to find among the Greeks,
the Romans, and the French of the first
years of Louis

XIV. many

things which

had done, without suspecting it, and

apparently by instinct; I formed the reI

solution of giving

peror after

my

my

death

library to the
;

for

his

Em-

had great

I94

IJE LIFE OF

need of

it,

and

my neice

preferred playing,

and

had

not.

She

keeping a

little

court.

(1724.)

I applied myself greatly to the con-

cerns of the interior.

I said to the minis-

Can you not contrive to get rid of

this army of hirelings, who prevent the
money from reaching the pockets of the
ters,

Imagine an

sovereign?

equitably-levied

capitation, according to the

gains

of each individual

the poor and

the

income or the

Provide for

make them work

Consult

Dutch, the bankers,

about a good system of finance and of
manufactures? Induce Flemings to settle

English,

among

the

us for agriculture

up our heaths by the monks

To grub

by the
wliom villages should be
built ?
Borrow from the clergy at two per
cent ? Dig a bed to the river at Vienna^
to carry away the filth and dirt from the
esplanade, which poisons the city, and
make a fine quay there, planted with four
soldiers,

for

or

PRINCE EUGENE.

19^

/I

rows of plantains or acaccias?

by canals

Mend

Join rivers

the roads by the neigh-

bouring landed proprietors, without ruin-

making highways?
Double our population by the Huguenots,
driven forth by the revocation of the
ing ourselves

with

edict of Nantz,

empire

and the emigrants of the

ill-treated

of sovereigns

by

their petty tyrants

Could we not
spare the subjects of the Emperor, rais
I said

regiments

to our generals.

of

Turks,

Poles,

Prussians,

by inducing them
to desert, and engaging them when deserted ? And make an Hungarian, Bohemian, Austrian, and Walloon army, in
which there should be none but officers
Saxons, and Italians,

of the respective nations to

lation

Have

Presbourg,

laro;e

excite

Olmutz, Gratz, Lintz, Brus-

Luxembourg,

and Milan ?
an entrenched camp upon each
sels,

since

emu-

Vienna,

garrisons at

fortresses

cost too

Make
frontier,

much
Estathat money may
?

and keep up studs,

not go out of the kingdom ? &c.
They had given a mistress to Charles VI.
blish

o 2

96

LIFE or

iii:

the same as to another, the Spanish lady

Altheim.

To me

she was no more than the

ItaHan of former times and the Bathiany

of the present

but, as her friend, I said

Can you not induce

make himself beloved by

Emperor

to her,

the

to

the Electors

and chief princes of the empire, to attract

them to Vienna by magnificent spectacles,
to give

them Golden

order, (which
ministers,

Fleeces, or

he can

ensigncies

some other

institute,) to their

to

their bastards,

and pensions or pretty recruiting

to their mistresses

officers

I said to his confessor. Prevent accusations, cabals,

and

injustice,

not entering into details

enrich

hj

themselves

exvotos.

by

merely from

let

the

monks

endowments and

Permit each convent to support

a certain number of invalids.

Emperor, take care, Sire^

that the Prussians do not rise, that tlie
Russians do not consolidate themselves
and become acquainted with our aflfairs/
and that France does not attain the preponderance. Your monarchy is a little stragI said to the

gling

but

it

connects

itself,

hence, with

PRINCE EUGENE.

197

the norths the south, and the east.

also in the centre of

must give them

jesty
I

Your Ma-

Europe.
law.

return to the Spanish lady Altheini.

As Charles VI.
he

It is

loved to speak Spanish,

distino'uished

made

love

witli

her

he

would have

the same gravity

that

he killed the Master of the Horse, as I

have related above. He was sorry, but
nothing ever appeared upon
face.

his ImperiaJ

might have been wished, that

woman had brought into Austria the
It

this

gal-

mother of
the court of France

lantry of her country, like the

Louis

was

XIV.

to

indebted

taste,

and

however, a

its

whom
for

politeness,

its

amenity of manners

ittle ferocious, in

its
still,

consequence,

of those tumults which that nation, as cruel

and

as inconstant as

with so

much

children, prolonged

barbarity.

are incapable of

them

The Germans

but, without gal-

lantry, happily not without love,

and though

by the devotion of their sovereigns, which renders it more stimulating,

they do not amuse themselves the less with
restricted

THE Llf OF

198

There are so many handsome women, that it was in vain to seek

it it

Vienna.

ugly ones for ladies of the covirt

they

and the intention of

their Imperial Majesties, to keep their
anti-chambers and galleries fiom being
v.Iangerous, was never falfdled.
hardly found any

(1725.)

The

Cambrai went on badThey

ly they sent Riperda to Vienna.
referred him to Zinzendorf and me to ask,
refuse, and at length to agree
and we
signed, on the Ist of May, the treaty betvveen Austria and Spain.
I found myself
con>;ress at

very

comfortable in the society of the

Duke

de Richelieu, the French ambassa-

dor,

whom Cardinal Fieury

ly reca! ledfor

had ridiculous-

some pretended incantantions

of the devil in a garden of Leopoklstadt.

He

was amiable,

weii

made, seducing,

and an interesting egotist. By a double

stroke of cunning on his part, in politics,
and in love, he wished it to be believed,
that he had

Madame

de Bathiany

and,

PRINCE EUGENE.

199

thinking to be very dexterous, he some-

Thai
played with us at piquet.
amused us greatly. The desire of some
times

striking;

adventure rendered liim, to both

of us, every day

more

agreeable.

neither the lady, nor the secret.

He

had

But we

were enchanted with his redoubled endeavours to please us.

(1762.)

a warrior, a minister, a Grand

Vizier, a financier, a postilion, and a negotiator, which I had been, they made me

From

mto a merchant.

established the

com-

pany of Ostend, which the gold and jealousy of the maritime powers afterwards
and another at Vienna, to
traffic, export, and navigate on the Danube, and the Adriatic sea, where I made,
of Trieste, a port, capable of containing two
suppressed

squadrons of vessels of

w^ar,

to escort

and

protect the merchant ships. I caused, also,

some small ports, or, at least, sheltering
places to be

made on

the gulph of Venice.

THE LIFE OF

200

I was greatly praised for this, throughout

the whole kingdom.

(I727.)

I passed the whole of this year

sulting merchants,

in obtaining

m con-

bankers, and traders

them from

foreign countries

England and Holland in

establishing good commercial houses at
Ostend, at Anvers, in Spain, Italy, and
even Turkey also at Trieste, and at Vi-

in writing to

I frustrated

enna.

the

ill

who had never

our ministers of finance,

studied nor travelled.
suls,

us.

gary, and in

obtained con-

known
established studs in HunBohemia, that the money

a sort of people

among

calculations of

not even

might not be sent out of the country, and,

I

may

fairs

say, that, during ten years, the af-

of the

Emperor never had been, and

perhaps, never will be again, in so flourish-

ing a condition.

^01

PIllNCE EUGEfE.

(1728.)

Charles VI. wished to

I was ot

those of Trieste.

and examine
the party, and

s;o

should have been weary enough, but for

the Prince Francis of Lorraine,

who was

extremely amiable, handsome, only twenty years of age, and as gay as

Some

court of Lorraine.

who was with

over

the

pretty ladies of

who attended

the court, also,

the Empress,

to shed a

us, served

small

t!ie

charm

notwithstanding the

journey,

bigoted severity of that princess.

Charles VI. though the most splendid

man of any now

than Leopold.

upon
to

it

living,

was infinitely

He knew how

his court that lustre

to

less so

confer

which belonged

and, with us and our attendants,

he had more than

in his train.
killed wild

We

fifteen

We

danced at Gratz.

goats as

we went along

we were contented with

of Trieste^

hundred persons

and

the port and towu

THE LIFE OF

SO^

(I729.)

To

bring

had many

my

work

to perfection,

battles yet to

with the

fight,

pious Catholics and the big wigs of the

country.

The Jesuits

are indulgent where

they can derive any benefit.

They were

of

great use to me, in obtaining the repeal

of the persecutions which were exercised

against the

whom

Protestants of

my

fleet,

to

they forbade the exercise of their

religion.

had no

sailors left,

but such as

had none, or, who were hypocrites. t

was still worse, for, how could I confide
in those two classes of people, who feared
not God, but feared only the Emperor?
The honest merchants and sailors, Swedish, Danish, from Hamburgh, and from
Lubeck, returned or remained, thanks to
a couple of evangeUcal ministers,
I

kept on board our

whom

vessels,

(1730.)
I

had the pleasure,

holding the

first fair

at length, of be-

at Trieste

and

af-

PRINCE EUGENE.

203

some labour with the finances,

to find money enough for raising thirtysix thousand men, with which number the
Emperor wished to augment his army. He
was right in keeping himself prepared for
terwards,

all

events

tain peace.

that was the only

But

way

to main-

I thought I could perceive

some intriguing individuals, or some zealous though

narrow-minded persons, would fain have
broken it on the first occasion that offered.
The French are quick in penetrating into
whatever is passing, and hence they are
that the private

interests of

always in a better state of

preparation

than others.

(1731.)

The Duke

of Liria was the Spanisfi,

and Robinson the English Minister. They

did not

long prevaricate in

conferences with

them

my

tedious

and, on the 52d

of July, a treaty of defensive alliance

vv^as

signed between our three courts.

am

not fond of long preparations, nor of half

THE LIFE or

204

We

measures.

passing in our

known

well

do

own

know what

not

courts, while

in all foreign

ones.

it

very

is

It

is

is

on

day of opening a campaiojn that

the public should be informed of althe

first

liances.

(1732.)

For example the court of Versailles

was not the dupe of the journey to Carlsbad, whither I accompanied the Emperor,
:

who pretended

to

go there

for the benefit

of the waters
It was very evident that an interview

The King

was intended.
for us at

Prague

ment when

of Prussia waited

and, at the very

mo-

was dressing to go and

pay my respects to him, he entered my

room.
No ceremonies,'* said he: ^' I
-^

^^

am come

He

was

to talk
pacific

with

my

master.'*

Charles XII.

He

thought of nothing but military matters

but they consisted only of parades, exercises, short jackets, small hats, and tall

men.

was obliged

to hear

him

talk of

PRINCE EUGENE.
of the

these,

all

fine

appearance of his

economy.

troops, and of his

^05

took hold

of this, and advised him to amass plenty

money and plenty of men, to defend

for my
if we should be attacked

of
us,

system was, as has been evident, not so

much

make

to

against

which might deter her

us. Being fonder of friends

France,

from attackin<^
than

war, as to form a barrier

allies,

who

are often very inconve-

and become a sort of tutors, 1 simply engaged him not to declare against
knowing his avarice, I was fearful
us
nient,

lest

he should be bribed away.

Charles VI. to relaxa

little

induced

of his Spa-

and to give him,

nish

haughtiness,

least,

a friendly reception.

at

He prepared for

a him splendid entertainment, which cost a

upon all the nobility of Bohemia to shew great honors to

the King.
He would have preferred a

great deal.

prevailed

field-day to a ball

but that was not our

had succeeded too well in

grand manuvres, to care about wheeling
to the right and left and the manual exercise.
The contrast in disjnitv and masf-

province.

06

TlIR LIFE

iiiiicence

betv/een

v/as

very amusing.

dam, and we

Emperoi%

oiir

and

mantle of gold,

OF
in

this corporal

He

his

king,

returned to Pot2-=

to Vienna.

(1733.)

It was then that I clearly began to

perceive the declension of

King of Poland died

my

in the

credit.

month

Russia proposed to us to

bruary.

The

of Fe-

assist

her

Augustus III. in oppoto France, who wished to restore

in electing his son

sition

Stanislaus to the throne

ference at court

opinion
those

very

who never

ministers,

the

carry

priests,

the idle of a large city.

making
subject,
''
*'
''

*^

diversity of

that for war was chiefly

one day,

little

great con-

in

it

on

the
I

among

such as the

women, and
said to them

a company where they were

a deal of clamour upon this

" I wish that your Excellencies,

and you, ladies, were obliged, each of

you, by the Emperor, to pay four thouand you, gentlemen, so
sand ducats
elegant and fine, to march immediately
:

PRIN-CE EUGENE.
^'

with a musquet on your

^07
shoulders.'*

me two

which

This

recalled to

read, I

know not where, some time ago

Et

pour

tel,

la

mort

souffiet,

fait courir

lines

qui ne se battrait pas,

pour rhonneur des

tats.

But the national honor, said they,

would be compromised if we did not go
to war.

^' I

said I to

acknovvledci;e this,**
'^

the ministers,

only when

it is

maintained

those

of France

''

by powerful means

*'

Avere

^*

the best possible state, after twenty years

''

had ten, since

that of Westphalia, namely during the

**

never so potent: her finances are in

of peace.

We have hardly

*"

space of eighty years.

''

prudent.''

edly, that ours

much.

''

Her

minister

is

did not wish to say, point-

was not, but

What

we

insinuated as

do with a war
to
the Germanic body ?
make that reflection, and
have

to

'^

so

'^

They

'*

will

'^

too remote to do

'^

could arrive, the Empire and. Italy will

'^

be invaded.

Remember

*'^

of England

in

foreign
will

The Russians

send us no aid.

my

it;

are

and before they

best

the instability

days

she

is

The life of

208

always ready

*^

to

be the same.

The

" voice of mercantile politics

is ever to be
" heard at the doors of her parliaments
^^ The English, just, noble, upright,
and
^^

generous as individuals, are just the contrarywith regard to their country

'^

''

It

is

country

of contradiction,

whose constitution is upheld solely hy

the ocean the same as bad faith in
speaking and the desire of shining up^

*^
^'

^^
*^

hold the opposition.

" The pride and the paucity of knowledge which are to be found in the accre-

^^
*^

dited agents of the

Emperor

to foreign

courts, occasion it often to happen that

" we can rely uponnothing they communi^^
cate, and notwithstanding my conversa^^
tions with Liria and Robinson, I will

^^

^^

wager that vSpain declares

for

France,

and that England will be neuter."

Notwithstanding such good reasons as
I could allege to prove that France would
*'^

bt

glad to

find

a pretext for

going to

and though such bad ones

were employed against them, the latter
^var

with

prevailed.

us,

They thought,

perhaps^ that

PRNCE KUGENE

^09

command f the army,

offered me from politeness;

I should refuse tlic

which they
but they were caught,

for

With regard

personally speak-

to myself,

accepted

it.

and I covet in this reSpect the death of Turenne.

Before I had time to assemble m}
love war:

ins^,

army,

(of

de

making
cil

and

Bevera,)

all

of war,

On

place.

waiting for

the conimand was

arrival,

Duke

which, while

my

my

given to the
while

was

arrangements in the coun-

what
the

had predicted took

28th of October the
I

French seized the fort of Kehl, levied

contributions throughout the whole EmSarand invaded the Milanese.
It
dinia and Spain declared against us.
was in vain that I almost killed myself
in representing to the Empire, that the
aggression of France ought to make it
pire,

declai^e

tested

that

in our favor

declaration,

against this

the invasion

three Electors pro-

saying,

did not (,'oncern the

was only a
and
passage whereby to attack Austria
that France had promised to render back
head of the Empire

that

it

THE

21
all

OF

I.IFE

she had taken, as soon as the

Empe-

ror should relinquish his predilection for

the Elector of Saxony.

(1734.)

Stanislaus

being

the

fled,

divan of

Constantinople began to take the alarm

at

the preponderance of Russia.

Grand
*^

The

me.
(He was so deno-

Vizier, Ilali-Bacha, wrote to

Nalkiran

minated

is

dead/'

in that country,

because of his

great strength; the word^signitying breaker

of iron on horseback.)

^^

Poland has elected

Why does

*^

one of her powerful nobles.

*'

the Czarina do two things in violation of

>'

the treaties with

" the

her neighbours, and

liberty of a country,

in

which she

*^

wishes to render the crown hereditary,

''

and to annul an election?

^Mime Porte
i'

not suffer

i>i

The Sub-

the guarantee, and will

The influence of
mony against France

Russia,

and

acri-

being predominant

could not reply to him

that I was of the same opinion as the

at. .our/ court,

I.

211

^RiNCE euget>:e.

Sublime Porte.

justified,

conviction, the Czarina, and

against

my

among

the

bad ari>'umciits which I used, I said:

'*
That she had entered info Poland only
" to put a stop to the murders and trouwhich agitated

''

bles of the various parties

''

the country

''

Augustus III.

*'

Henry of Valois had been formerly

elected, w^as more potent than the abettor of Stanislaus, who was too insignificant a nobleman to be a king, and who

''
''

''

"^

who had elected

the same camp where

That
in

she,

supported only because he

Avas

w^as the

King of France
" that the son of Augustus II. had been
''
elected the same as Piaste that the pri''
and
mate himself had demanded it
''
that my Emperor hoped that he and
''

of the

father-in-law

would concur together to re-estab-

''

his

^^

lish
I

peace in the North."

wrote

all

that to the Turks, that the

Russians might have no

fight

to

them

they

for

be insulted,

opportunity tQ
always

and that

their

pretend
protgs

are oppressed, in order to take a few fortresses

from them.
p

THE LIFE OF

i.i2

on the 25th

arrived,

Heilbron.

of April,

at

reviewed the army on the

27th, a few leagues from Philipsbourg.

still

weep with joy, with tenderness, and

with gratitude,

when

recollect

how

was-

received there, with repeated cries of Long

live

and thousands of caps

our father/

hurled up in the

air.

My

old soldiers of

Hungary, Italy, Flanders, and Bavaria^

they surroundran to embrace my knees
they embraced my horse they
ed me
completely dismounted n)e by the eager:

ness of their caresses.

This moment was

certainly the happiest of

my life;

but it was

embittered by the reflection that I had

only thirty-five thousand men, that the

they declared their

to

Vienna.

Etlingen;

and that
intention of marching

eighty thousand,

enemy had

and,

entered into the

as they were

lines

made

of
for

a hundred thousand men, I did not wish

I abanto repeat my affair at Denain.

doned them but I made so many marches

and counter-marches, and employed so
many stratagems, that I prevented Berwick
;

from penetrating into the interior of the

PRINCE EtJGENE.

He

country.

had nothing

lay siege to Philipsbourg.

wished, to gain time.

21.3

but to

else to do,

That was what

He had

his

head taken

by a cannon ball, eight days after the

opening of the trench. I was jealous, and
it w^as the first time in my life, that I had
off

been

I was deceived in this

so.

project,

as well as in that of attacking the

in their Hnes.

French

thought I had found a

place which was badly fortified, with but

tie artillery

only because

they had neglected

it

it

lit-

liowever

was covered by a marsh

which they had told

me

w^as passable,

which I found impossible to pass

but

for I

went to reconnoitre it myself, as one can

never be entirely certain from a report
this is what I have always done, through
my whole life. I derived much advantage
:

from

it,

as well as

pencil in

my

from always carrying a

pocket,

to write, in the

me-

morandum-book of an officer, the order

which I gave him to carry. I had received
some reinforcements of Hessians, Hanoverians, and Prussians, among whom, I
distinguished the Prince Royal,

peared to

me

to

who

promise a great

apdeal.

HK LIFE OF

2li

D'Asfeld surpassed himself.

any thing so strong

ditches,

or

trous de

and superior

When

loups

to those of

wished to

a council of war
I

for

saw

example,

his

were conical,

Cond,

at Arras.

never assembled

fight, I
;

I never

but, on this

occasion,

was sure of finding every one of the same

opinion as myself.

Rhine

I wished to

and afterwards to repass

higher up, to attack D'Asfeld.

pass the
it

little

appoint-

ed, for the purpose, three thousand cavalry,

and ten thousand Swiss.

This devil of a
thing, and,

man thought

at lei:igth,

my

notwithstanding

camp, (where

my

parapets

took PhiHpsbourg,

cannonading in his

imitated a

Vizier of Belgrade,)

of every

for

Grand
batteries and

little

my

were raised so

the

as

to bear

upon it and the water, moreover,

was more dreadful than the fire. I reckoned more upon the one, than upon the
but what a nation, capable of every
other
thing
Richelieu, v/hom I had known so

directly

delicate, so voluptuous, so tender,

young men of the

court, the

and the

Duras, the

La ValHeies, were metamorphosed.

They

PRINCE EUGENE.

wanted only a

215

D'Asfeld was a

leader.

examand, before him, Berwick had done

severe Spartan, and set an excellent

ple

They constructed the trenches in boats

They suftered with unheard-of patience.

it.

For myself,

had not,

iii

my

moral

suffer-

whoever attacked first, would

be beaten and if I had, the French would
march to Vienna for there was not a sinings

but,

and the Elector

of Bavaria, who had some cause of comgle intermediate place;

waited only for that to

plaint,

against Austria,

declare

whose arrogance or mal-

address never procured her friends anywhere.

We

should have lost the few that we had.

The King
off for

of Prussia Avould soon have set

Potzdam. There was no longer a So-

bieski, to save our capital

fined in the lines \vhich

ed

I should be con-

had constructbut, meanwhile, they would

I

1705
have sung at Versailles, and, secretly, inthe
chapel of some of my enemies at Vienna,
in

the Te Deum.

They

felt,

at length,

the

truth of

my

they

our inferiority of means, which the

sa^v

factious

reasons against the war

cavillers could i)ot

for

comprehend

TH LIFE or

^ii6

Philipsbourg being taken,

to

my

feld

camp

former

retued

of Bruchsal.

D'As-

wished to besiege Mayence

turned him from his design,

tened to cover the

been said

but 1

for I

Enough

place.

in praise, I think, of

has-

has

my marches

French from penetrating

into Suabia, by the Black Forest.
I covered Wurtemberg and they found me eto

hinder the

very where, except in a fieldof battle, where,

in truth,

than we

More

could not be.

v/ere,

fatigued

but able to renovate them-

selves as often as they pleased, they enter-

ed into winter-quarters; and

in

my

ov/n estimation,

I,

innocent

meriting neither

the praises nor the blame with which they

honored me, and content with a sort of

inferior passive glory, set off for Vienna.
I had left my nephew, (the only remaining part of my branch of the house
of Savoy.)

ill

at

Manheim

fever, as it

was said

something

else.

for

he

liad

but

he died of a

think

it

was of

His toss was something,

talents and bravery.
He was

twenty years of age, already a major-general, but too much the libertine.
1 have

PRINCE EUGENE.

no objection

to

the latter

when

carried

I love a rake,

certain extent.

a Cato

this,

-2X1

is

to a

but detest

almost always bad

musquet shots but my little Eugene

loved bad company and bad friends, and
at

then we are
''

What

I to the

lost.

have you gained, Sire/^ said

Emperor, at my first audience,

war, which I still advise your

*'

in this

'^

Majesty to terminate as soon as you

^*

can

*'

Italy,

'^

from thence,

^'

and Sicily.
from five or

*^

After those two battles lost in

your troops are about to be driven

as

they are from Naples

We

look for contingencies

having a penny,

*'

to

^'

^*
**
^*

petty

six

^'

allies,

sell their

who, not

petty succours

your Majest}% and their hearts to

France. The aids which Russia sends

you do not amount to more than fourteen thousand men, which they will
soon recall; for, (God preserve us from
having

dragged us into this

^^

it

''

war,

^*

haps, into another with the Turks, which

^*

they are even about to commence, as I

Charles VI. taciturn, simply
think/'

^'

!)

after
it

will

plunge your Majesty, per-

^18

LIFE or

Tiii:

me

told

to say the

same

to the council of

conference.
I

brought

I said to tliem, while the mari-

opinion.

powers,

time

my

the warlike ones to

all

who

peace for the

desire

equilibrium of Europe, work at that object, I will

go and collect

being the only means to

can

all

effect

that

its

con-

clusion.
I

set off

Heilbron,

camp

towards the end of April for

and

of Bruchsal,

before:

but,

took up

excellent

the same as the year

enemy was much

the

as

my

had nothing else

cover every place, and the

stronger than myself,

do but to
country on this

to

To
bourg

side the

render the
useless to

Rhine.

possession of Philips-

him, I turned the course

of three small rivers, which,

instead

emptyin^f themselves into the Rhine,

me

of

made

a most noble inundation, from that

fortress

as

far as

Etlingen,

the lines of

which, being thus covered, became totally

incapable of any attack.
If

could have issued

out,

(having

nothing more to do with D'Asfeld, who

219

PRINCE LUGEXE.

was succeeded by Coigny,)

finished

my

should have

military career better than

as

that passive glory,

preceding year.

by

was the case the

rendered

it

little

active,

indeed, by taking Trarbach, and delivering

the electorate of Treves and by having,
;

also,

by

and tolaClausen, where

Sickendorff, a successful

rably brilliant action at

the dragoons of Ligne and Styrum distinguished themselves. Seeing nothing better
to do, nothing to gain, but a great deal

had already told Charles VI.

a hundred times,) I was very glad, at the
Vienna,
first moment, to be recalled to
strongly suspecting, however, that this was

to lose, (as

my

last

for

me

campaign.
to express

leave of

my

It

what

army.

choly business

would be
T felt

when taking

It was a very melan-

you one must be

know what it is to bid

assure

an old soldier to

difficult

an eternal farewell to such brave fellows,

whom I had so often led to the path of
death, and which I would fain have found
for myself,

in a

manner! but

God

happy,

this

refused me.

brief,

was the only

With

and glorious
felicity that

tears in

my

eyes.

THE LIFE OF

220
I

resigned the

command

Wurtemburg and,
was happy to find

whom

make some

there

very reasonable proposals.

Her

men had

La Baume, an

Cardinal Fleury had sent to

France had been a

land.

of

arriving at Vienna, I

agent

Duke

to the

little

humbled

in

Po-

garrison of fifteen thousand

Dantzick

retired to

in-law hid himself,

and had

fled,

The

nobody knew whither.

the father-

retired

Russians and

Augustus III. triumphed, as might have

been expected.
The pacific ministers,
availing themselves

and

1,

of this circumstance,

availing myself of the desire

which

Charles VI. had to revive the extinguished

house of Austria, by marrying his daughter,

of

Maria

Theresa,

Lorraine,

of

to

whom

Prince Francis
I

have already

spoken, we were soon unanimous in opinion, and the preliininaries were signed.

The day

after the signature,

upon the Emperor,

having

extricated

to

felicitate

himself thus

injudicious a step as this war

waited

him

in

from so

exhorting
him, at the same time, to take care that
Russia did not precipitate him into ajio;

PRINCE EUGENE.

I said to him,

ther war with the Turks.

"

Sire,

as

we grow

old,

^21

we venture

to tell

'*

the truth with greater and greater freedom.

**

commencing, you should ask

yourself. What do I want ? what can I
do ? You neither want, nor have you it in
your power, to take and keep Viden

**

**
''
''

''

Before

and Nissa; but you may lose Belgrade.

The Bosnians and Servians, and the
be

will

against

''

best of the

''

you.

''

Russians but the Tartars and the Arnauts, Greek Christians on the right

''

Asiatics,

There

will

be none against the

by

Niester, who, separated

''

bank of the

''

desarts,

''

But they may do you a

''

they be victorious.

''

subjects

''

There will be acrimony between your

two courts, and distrust and caprice
among the commanders of your two Im-

'*

''
**

will

is

much harm.

not do them

of the

great deal,

One

same

if

part of your

religion as they.

perial armies.
''

There

will

''

when

''

courts,

^^

being broken.

^^

be no posting, as

was young, to
to prevent the

all

did

the different

coalition

from

The Germanic body

is

THE LIFE OF

2^22
*'

gained over, either by the gold or by

*'

the

*'

Make

*'

tary

*^

may be

*'

constantly complete.

*'

of the Hungarians and of yourself, pre-

*^

vent them from revolting,

*^

them pay annual

*^

cruits.

*'

many

*^

instead of counsellors.
'^

seductive

arguments

of

France.

an enumeration of your heredi-

countries,

obliged to have each regiment

You

For the welfare

have no money, but too

Sire,

may

by making

taxes and provide re-

persons employed

Buy,

department

each

that

tlic

have soldiers

king of

Sardinia,

Lombardy for you

^'

that he

''

and the maritime powers, that they may

preserve the Low Countries for you
that is, give them, if it be necessary, one

*'

*'

preserve

" half of the revenues, that you

may

the other half without any

re-

ex-

*'

ceive

*'

and hinder France from making such great acquisitions. As your

Majesty has lost Philipsbourg, make a
fortress of Lintz, and secure, by force

''
''
''

p(nice,

'

or otherwise, the Elector of Bavaria,

''

France

''the

wishes

Elector of

to

attack

Saxony,

in

you

if

and

the same

PRINCE EUGENE.
*

manner,

'^

is

^^

be

*^
*^

*^

if

King of

the

223

who

Prussia,

hourly aggrandizing himself, should

by Cardinal Fleury,
and threaten Bohemia* Laugh at the
gained

over

and I promise your Majesty a reign which will be glorious from

Turks

*'

the tranquillity that

'^

your

for this

This

states."

will secure

it
is

what

to

wished

Emperor.

It will be for history to judge whether

I

have concluded well or

that since

the year

quently during

1717?

wanted men, money,

at the court, (this word
and,

know
conse-

have

but that was because

and

eighteen years,

fought no battles

luctantly)

ill.

at

and credit
pronounce re-

allies,

length,

procured

peace to Europe after two tolerable campaigns,

honor,

in
I

which,

at least

if

I did

not acquire

had nothing to reproach

myself with.

They

say, that during these

Guido Stahrenberg,
naturally of the same party as
paigns,

two cam-

who

v/as

his cousin

Gundacker, exclaimed greatly against me^

That

recalled to

my memory

what Villars

THE LIFE or

224

me

said to
*'

at Rastadt:

not in the

''

Our enemies

Yours

field.

are

are at Vienna,

What is most
mine at Versailles.'
amusing is, they pretend that the origin
'^

of this hatred arose from a foolish tiick,

which did not become me, and which was

It
either insolent, or a proof of bad taste.

was long since that I had lost the habit of

laughing and I had even relinquished my
French fopperies, that I might better succeed at a more serious court. This is the
silly anecdote which I have heard related.
During my first campaign in Italy, when
;

I was one day giving a grand dinner to all

my

generals,

had crackers placed under

moment
his mouth

the chair of Stahrenberg,and, at the

when he was

raising the glass to

to drink theEmperor's health, the trumpets,

&c, which accompanied the

horns,

was a signal
thought

it

for

the

was a mine

explosion.
:

volcano.

placed

it

He

tranquilly

whom

liis

was this

and
Guido^

finished his glass,

on the

table.

furious, they said, that I should

thus to prove

They

every one saved

himself, except him, under

little

act,

endeavour

courage, has never for*

225

PilNCE EUGENE.

What

given me.

likelihood

That I should doubt

it

We

each other since the siege

had known
of Vienna, where

was captain and adjutant to

He

Rudiger.

is

was there

liis

six years older

cousin

than

I,

and has always shewn the greatest talents

and the most undoubted courage, to which
I seldom see him
I willingly do justice.
and, as I believe he has not much more
;

credit than myself at present, perhaps

may
tile

Old

love each other.

generals,

hos-

women who

are like

to each other,

we

are no longer so at a certain age, because

they have no longer any sex.

Of all the ministers, Zinzendorff was
the

one with

course.

''

whom

I will

preferred

to

dis-

wager," said I to him,

your Excellency will be of my

''
There is no need of pohtical
opinion.
" sentences the face of Europe changes
''

that

''
^'^

mountain or a plain, by the

accidental influence of hght and shade.
like that of a

*'

They

''

tural

''

if

''

to

say, such a

kingdom

excite

it

the na-

no such thing:
should be endeavoured

enemy of another

they touch,

is

friendship,

if

not

alliance,

THE LIFE OF

'226

may

^*'

that they

**

the ambition

*'

powers.

tadt, did

defend themselves against

more

distant

after the peace

of Ras-

of

Why,

some

we not

The

*''

France?

*'

posed

*'

overthrown

France

unite sincerely with

party which

England

in

we should have saved many

of money, and thousands of
;

^^

millions

men.

'^

we should only think how

ceiving it.
But what is it

^^

When we

cannot give the law,

to avoid re-

that

the politics

^'

state

^'

bition,

^'

power.

^^

instance,

^'

lieve has operated a little too

The

we

call

of a court, and reasons of

^'

had ophad been

personal interests

of

or the vengeance of a

This

last

motive,

am-

man

Count,

in
for

in looking into myself, 1 be-

much upon

me, as well as the first: and the desire

" of power and w^ealth gave a little bias
" to Marlborough."
" What do you think of the best go*'
vernments ?" said Zinzendoriff to me.
''

You will

take

''

when

say the military govenmient.

'^

Monsters ure

'

would be unjust and cruel only towards

'-

me

for a tyrant/'

rare

replied,

monster king

PRINCE EUGENE.

and

227

but not to-

''

his friends,

'^

wards a provincial gentleman, a citizen,

or a countryman, whom he would suffer

'^
''

''

flatterers,

by mihtary laws, which

are the most perspicuous and the most
to be governed

*^^

prompt.
" Your Excellency makes an excep-

*^

tion,

'^

now going

is

so

'^

tired of bein^ cruel durin^y war.^ that

he

^^

ceases to be so in peace.

'^

minister,

*^

one and the other, should

^'

service, that

^'

He

^'

as if in a trial, mediations,

''

measures, &c. before determining to shed

''

so

but

on what

reflect a Uttle

to

who

he might

much blood."''

Zinzendorff,

soldier

am

The prime-

upon both the

decides

would then hear

''

The

say.

have seen

know what

it is,

different arguments,

moderating

confess,"

replied

tliatthe Cardinal ministers

''

have caused a good deal to be shed, our

''

good Fleury excepted, who does not

''

care for

''

ranee, and levity, which

''

like infancy,

''

to war,

''

dread

it.

believe that

wnich

is

it

is

igno-

always cruel,

incline our councils

more than you brave people, who

it

for others,

q 2

wish

it

for your-

THE LIFE OF

2^28
*'

selves,

*^

much
The

and yet prevent or retard

as

it

as

you can."

other day,

the

Emperor took me

with him to hunt, an unexampled circum-

Austrian-Spanish etiquette,

stance in

which
it is

they

do not disapprove, however

of
for

necessary to conciUate the great, that

conciUate the small, and esta-

may

blish, thus, a regular gradation of

impor-

These are nearly the words which

'' If your
I said to him in the carriage.
*^ Majesty wished to recommence the war,
^^
I do not see any great generals to com'^ mand your armies.
You must wait till

tance.

*'

they spring up.

Conigseg

is

a courtier,

and Nieperg a man of wit, instead of

^^
being two warriors. KhevenhuUer is the
^'
The first is loved and esteemed,
best.
^^
the second is more amiable, because
^
he is more witty; he is feared for his
*^ sarcasms, which are very pleasant,
and
^^ his sneering
but he possesses an admi-

coolness

*'

rable

^'

understands, better,

*^

the organization and the

^^

troops

in

battle.

The

third

marching, camps,

movement

of

Hildbourghausen has intrepidity,

PRINCE EUGE^E.

229

As he has mar-

^*

but

little

^^

ried

my

'^

concerned in

his instruction.

**

us both too

much

'^

him Eugene

judgment.

they think that

neice,

They do
They call

zMte^ because he

the

am

honour.
I wish

am

is

as

^*

fair as

iS

Duke

**

Majesty, and Prince Charles his brother,

*^

the one twenty-six and the other twenty-

'5

two years of

'^

dark.

that the

son-in-law to

of Lorraine,

your

were more assiduous.

They have genius and courage, as I
age,

make themselves beloved.

^^

think, gtnd will

^^

The second

''

Princes

^^

merit than others, have* more advanta-

^^

ges

^'

mand

**

and hazard a great deal more.

^*

these.

^'

besides, the others

I

have most

will

blood, even with less

of the

called, at

talent.

an early age, to the com-

of armies, they have more vigour,

Sire;

perhaps they

Try

will answei^

do not know more."

had never before spoken to him so

long upon

affairs.

as his father.

He

loved them as

little

It was always a very short

audience with him, or councils of conference.

I like

them

pa one ventures

to

well enough, because

give an

opinion

at

THE LIFE OF

'230

which he would blush, that he may not

who

lose the esteem of his neighbour,

obhged

is

to give in there an account of his

A sovereign

department.
accessible,

is

who
equally secure, by

is

not very

this

means,

from petty intrigues, calumnies, accusations, and prejudices.

Behold me, now,

every thing.
piquet,

at

retired almost

from

play, every evening,

Madame

at

de Bathiany*s, with

Taroca, Windischgratz, and Tessin, the

Swedish ambassador.

It

is

sake of talking, however.

We

are sure

when we do not

to talk better
^^^^jus^alk

rather for the

say. Let

and round a card-table we are more

at our ease for

commerce

is

it.

Besides, the

game of
In

destructive of society.

At
who gained were

war, I prefer rather games of chance.

my

head quarters, those

gay

that

those v/ho lost fought the better

is

soon done,

cious than

money.

young people
being yet
see the

and time
I

is

more pre-

love the society of

they are more pure, not

spoiled

commander

by

intrigue.

Zinzendorft*, a

great wit and pleasing conversation

often

man
;

of

Fre

231

PRINCE EUGENE.
derick Harrach, also,

who added

to these

foresee that
a great talent for business. I
employments;
he will have important

Dhaun and Brown, which

Daun. The
they pronounce Bram and
as also, in war,

most
former has most merit, the second
for discourage, and the last most talents

ciplhie

and

essential details, without

being

Joseph Wenzl-Lichtenstein
citizen, and
also a brave general, a good
Seckendorff and
great nobleman.

too minute.
is

truly a

qualities,
Schmettau, possessing military
a little too much upon circum-

depend

stances.

The young

who had much

Madame Bathiany. One

Cobentzl,

wit, often visited

Maday he said to her, " It is thought,

"dam, that you have married Prince
Euo'ene." -^ " I love him too well for
"I would rather
"
replied she
that,"

" have a bad reputation than deprive him

" of his, and thus abuse his seventy-second

" year."
Cobentzl,
Kaunitz, of the same age as
character and
without having his decided
have a
in conversation, will

promptitude

THE LiyE OF

232

quick insight into things.

He

noble, and profound ideas.

Madame

much

de Strattman as

pretended mistress, her

*'

were not

^^

my

*^

happen

religious,

and

if I

as

my

If

you

were only in

what might not

said I one day to Madame
Nothing/' she replied, ' It

!"
''

would be just the same

^^

religious, first,

^^

believe and hope in

my

*'

sister.

'^

** is

ahnost love

twenty-fifth year,

Bathiany.

*'

has just,

because

only prayer)

him

now.

as

am

God, and

love

almost

is

(it

secondly , because

it

my tranquillity, which
assistance of my offended

the safeguard of

*'

comes to the

*'

self-love, if I

am

deserted

and

lastly,

may laugh at women who have

I am religious, because I have

^'

that

'*

lovers.

**

neither fear, nor hope, nor desire in this

*'

life

*'

and that the good which I do to

the poor from humanity, may turn to
s

*'

the benefit of

my

*^

because they

who

" and are tedious

'"

that

*'

over

**

not

may

my
so,

soul.

am

religious,

are wicked fear

to me.

am

me,

religious,

not always have to watch

reputation ;

women,

v.

ho are

dare not say nor do any thing

PRINCE EUGENE.

who

233

''

they are like thieves,

^'

are always beset

*^

tice.

^^

a pretence of religion, or who are only

so because of the immortahty of the

''

But

by the

of jus-

officers

detest those

think they

who make

"

SQul.

Were mine

'^

should

still

''

to be good,

''

not so

''

from gratitude for his benefits, and love

for him, that I am religious, without

''

to peiish with

me,

endeavour, notwithstanding,
as I

do at present.

much from

It

making a parade of

'^

who

*'

the court rather than to please

''

ven

convert

it

like those ladies

into a trade, to please

happy

to be so in the

old dragoons
;

it,

hea-

"

I have been

tlian

is

the fear of God, as

''

me

who

next.
will

in this life

I wish

There are some

pray to heaven for

and I rely more upon their prayers

upon those of all the old women of

the court, or the clergy of the city. The

fine simple or loud music of divine service
is

pleasing

to

me.

The one

has some^

thing religious in it which affects the soul

;
the other recalls to me, by the noise
of
trumpets and kettle-drums, which has sa

THE LIFE OF

234'

my

often led
of

armies,

tles

soldiers to victory, tlie

God

who has prospered our

bat-

without believing, however,

(as

have already said was sometimes asserted

was what they called the

at court,) that

it

miracle of the

House of

Austria.

hardly had any time to sin

have

but I have

bad examples, perhaps of scandal,

without knowing it, by neglecting the
set

practices of religion, in which,

I

however,

have alwavs believed, and which

very

W' ell.

my

know

have sometimes spoken

ill

was obliged
to do it in saying such a one is a cowI have someard such a one is a rogue.

of

neighbour, but then

times been in a passion

but who could

help swearing to see a general or a regi-

ment which did not do its duty, or an

adjutant who did not understand an order
!

I have

and

been too thoughtless

lived as a philosopher.

a Christian.

as

a soldier,

I wish to die

have never been fond of

boasters, either hi war or religion

perhaps

it

and

was from having seen, on the

one hand, frivolous impieties, like those

of the French which I have mentioned,

235

PRJNCE EUGENE.

and, on the other, Spanish bigotry, that

I have always kept myself distant from
both.

have often seen death near enough

to be famihar with

is

no

once sought

it;

But now

it.

longer the same thing.

it

and in waiting I Uve

tianquilly. I look upon the past as upon a
dehghtful dream. I never go to court but

now

I wait for it;

on days of ceremony, nor to the theatre

but when there is an Itahan opera, serious
If there were
or comic, or a fine ballet.
a French company,
Athali, Esther,

and

should go to see
I love the

Polieiicte.

eloquence of the pulpit. When Bourdaloue fills me with fear, Massillon fills me

with hope.

were born in the same

knew him

at his entrance into

perfectly amiable.

Bossuet astonishes,

year,
life,

We

and

Fenelon touches, me. I have seen them

and Marlborough and
also in my youth
I show^ed every possible honour to the
;

latter,

when we took Cambrai.

I have for-

gotten the epigrams of Rousseau, and even

his ode to me but I often read his psalms
;

and

his

canticles.

good, you see

My
and

memory

I believe

is

still

have

for-

THE LIFE OF

S36

my

gotten nothing but

whom I

country,

A stranger and
much

pardon with
successful!

them.

for

am

my

though

health,

enemies in this
all

my

heart.

that was

too

tolerably well in

seventy-second year,

know not how many camand the effects of I know not how

the fatigues of I
paigns,

many wounds, weigh upon me

valier Carelli,

gives

me

my

a certain

physician and friend,

remedy

says, the radical moisture

little

dried up.

tlie

which he

finds

many

embellishment of

gardens and palace: for example, in

the front of that which

1

to cure, as he

have a great

things yet to do, for

laiy

the Che-

have employed

(because

it

and where

inhabit,

hundred workmen,
was a time of scarcity, and it
fifteen

did good to the city of Vienna,)

purchase

all

the grounds to

wish to

make a

fine

square, and in the middle, a superb founIf

tain.

live

little

longer,

shall

com-

mit to writing all that I can remember,

or that comes into my head, wiiich I still
find

sound enough, though they take care

to tU

me, that

it is

a s;ood deal bowed

PRIXCE EUGENE.

down.

23?

has been strong enough not to

die with vexation when I have been thwarted,

as

It

my

friend, Prince

Louis of Baden,

did about thirty years ago.

ged up

my

example,
affairs,
"-

shoulders, and gone on.

if

were

should

still

say

Two

it

will

For

to interfere with

the Emperor,

to

Take every precaution

''sion:
*'

I have shrug-

for

your succes-

be devilishly embroiled.

or three different powers will sup-

" port their pretensions.

''

while you are alive.

''

sion

''

time, running to

''

don, the Hague,

for travelling

Prevent

This

post, as

Munich,

&c

/'

an occa-

is

it all

did in

my

LonThe army and

Berlin,

the artillery are falling into decay. They

will not be in a state to resist if they do

not arrange together to prevent

will

happen

and

if,

all

that

before that, on the

death of Charles VI. they do not refuse

to go to war with the Turks.
wish
I
great good fortune to the house of Aus-

which will soon be Austria-Lorraine, and I hope that she will extricate
I have wiitten enough for toherself.
tria,

THE LIFE

258
day, and
to

ved

I shall

now

01

mount my horse

go and see a lion which has

at

my

Sch weikelt

menagerie on the
- - - -

THE KM).

arri-

road to

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