Tallard had established his reputation by many former victories; he was active and penetrating, and had risen by his merits alone to the first station in the army. But his ardour often rose to impetuofity; and he was so shortfighted as to be incapable of feeing objects at a very small distance. The duke of Bavaria, was equally experienced in the field, and had ftill stronger motives for his activity. His country was ravaged and pillaged before his eyes, and nothing remained of his poffeffions, but the army which he commanded. It was in vain that he fent entreaties to the enemy to stop the fury of their incurfions, and to fpare his people; the only anfwer he received was, that it lay in his own power to make his enemies friends, by alliance or fubmiffion. To oppose these powerful generals, the duke was now joined by a body of thirty thousand men, `under the conduct of the prince Eugene, whofe troops were well difciplined, but ftill more formidable by the conduct and fame of their general. Prince Eugene had been bred up from his infancy in camps; he was almoft equal to Marlborough in intrigue, and his fuperior in the art of war. Their talents were of a fimilar kind; and instead of any mean rivalship or jealousy between fuch eminent perfons, they

con

concurred in the fame defigns; for the fame good fenfe determined them always to the fame object.

This allied army, at the head of which Eugene and Marlborough commanded, amounted to about fifty-two thoufand men, troops that had long been accustomed to conquer, and that had seen the French, the Turks, and the Ruffans fly before them. The French, as was already obferved, amounted to fixty thousand, who had fhared in the conquefts of their great monarch, and had been familiar with victory. Both armies, after many marchings and countermarchings, approached each other. The French were pofted on an hill near the town of Hochftet; their right covered by the Danube, and the village of Blenheim; their left by the village of Lutzengen, and their front by a rivulet, the banks of which were steep, and the bottom marfhy. It was in this advantageous pofition, that the allied army refolved to attack them. As this, As this engagment, which has fince been known by the name of the battle of Blenheim, both from the talents of the generals, the improvements in the art of war, and the number and discipline of the troops, is reckoned the moft remarkable of this century, it demands a more particular detail than I have zlotted to fuch narrations.

The right wing of the French, which was covered by the Danube, and the village of Blenheim, was commanded by marshal Tallard. Their left, defended by another village, was commanded by the duke of Bavaria, and under him general Marfin, an experienced Frenchman. In the front of their army ran a rivulet, which feemed to defend them from an attack; and in this position they were willing to await the enemy, rather than offer battle. On the other hand, Marlborough and Eugene were ftimulated to engage them at any rate, by an intercepted letter from Villeroy, who was left behind, intimating that he was preparing to cut off all communication between the Rhine and the allied army. The difpofitions being made for the attack, and the orders communicated to the general officers, the allied forces advanced into the plain, and were ranged in order of battle. The cannonading began about nine in the morning, and continued to about half after twelve. Then the troops advanced to the attack; the right under the direction of prince Eugene, the left headed by Marlborough, and opposed to marfhal Tallard.

Marlborough, at the head of his English. troops, having paffed the rivulet, attacked the

cavalry

cavalry of Tallard with great bravery. This general was at that time reviewing the difpofition of his troops to the left; and his cavalry fought for fome time without the prefence of their commander. Prince Eugene on the left had not yet attacked the forces of the elector; and it was near an hour before he could bring up his troops to the engagement.

Tallard was no fooner informed that his right was attacked by the duke, but he flew to its head, where he found a furious encounter already begun; his cavalry being thrice driven back, and rallying as often. He had posted a large body of forces in the village of Blenheim; and he made an attempt to bring them to the charge. They were attacked by a detachment of Marlborough's forces fo vigorously, that instead of affifting the main body, they could hardly maintain their ground. All the French cavalry being thus attacked in flank was totally defeated. The English army, thus half victorious, pierced

up

between the two bodies of the French commanded by the marshal and elector, while at the fame time the forces in the village of Blenheim were separated by another detachment. In this diftreffed fituation, Tallard flew to rally fome fquadrons; but from his fhort fighted

nefs

nefs mistaking a detachment of the enemy for his own, he was taken prisoner by the Heffian troops, who were in English pay. In the mean time prince Eugene on his part, after having been thrice repulfed, at last put the enemy into confufion. into confufion. The rout then became general, and the flight precipitate. The confternation was fuch, that the French foldiers threw themselves into the Danube, without knowing where they fled. The officers loft all their authority, and there was no general left to fecure a retreat.

The allies now being mafters of the field of battle, furrounded the village of Blenheim, where a body of thirteen thousand men had been posted in the beginning of the action, and still kept their ground. These troops feeing themselves cut off from all communication with the rest of the army, threw down their arms, and furrendered themselves prisoners of war. Thus ended the battle of Blenheim, one of the most complete victories that ever was obtained. Twelve thousand French and Bavarians were flain in the field, or drowned in the Danube, and thirteen thousand were made prifoners of war. Of the allies about five thousand men were killed, and eight thoufand wounded or taken. The lofs of the bat

tle