s of France. [See Valori, i. 131.]

"Monseigneur the Comte de Saxe, before quitting the Vienna Countries,
had left some 10,000 French and Bavarians, posted chiefly in Linz, under
a Comte de Segur, to maintain those Donau Conquests, which have cost
only the trouble of marching into them. Count Khevenhuller has ceased
working at the ramparts of Vienna, nothing of siege to be apprehended
now, civic terror joyfully vanishing again; and busies himself
collecting an Army at Vienna, with intent of looking into those same
French Segurs, before long. It is probable the so-called Conquests on
the Donau will not be very permanent.

"NOVEMBER 19th-21st, The Three Belleisle Armaments, Karl Albert's first,
have, simultaneously enough for the case, arrived on three sides of
Prag; and lie looking into it,--extremely uncertain what to do when
there. To Comte de Saxe, to Schmettau, who is still here, the outlook
of this grand Belleisle Army, standing shelterless, provisionless, grim
winter at hand, long hundreds of miles from home or help, is in the
highest degree questionable, though the others seem to make little of
it: 'Fight the Grand-Duke when he comes,' say they; 'beat him, and--'
'Or suppose, he won't fight? Or suppose, we are beaten by him?' answer
Saxe and Schmettau, like men of knowledge, in the same boat with men of
none. (We have no strong place, or footing in this Country: what are we
to do? Take Prag!' advises Comte de Saxe, with earnestness, day after
day. [His Letters on it to Karl Albert and others (in Espagnac, i.
94-99).)] 'Take Prag: but how?' answer they. 'By escalade, by surprise,
and sword in hand, answers he: 'Ogilvy their General has but 3,000, and
is perhaps no wizard at his trade: we can do it, thus and thus, and
then farther thus; and I perceive we are a lost Army if we don't!'
So counsels Maurice Comte de Saxe, brilliant, fervent in his military
views;--and, before it is quite too late, Schmettau and he persuade
Karl Albert, persuade Rutowsky chief of the Saxons; and Count Polastron,
Gaisson or whatever subaltern Counts there are, of French type, have to
accede, and be saved in spite of themselves. And so,

"SATURDAY NIGHT, 25th NOVEMBER, 1741, brightest of moonshiny nights, our
dispositions are all made: Several attacks, three if I remember; one of
them false, under some Polastron, Gaisson, from the south side; a couple
of them true, from the northwest and the southeast sides, under Maurice
with his French