n notion, it was some wild hope of doing this without
provenders or prearrangements that had brought the Pragmatic into its
present quarters at Aschaffenburg, which are for the military mind a
mystery to this day.

"Early in the Spring, the French Government had equipped Noailles
with 70,000 men, to keep watch, and patrol about, in the Rhine-Mayn
Countries, and look into those points. Which he has been vigilantly
doing,--posted of late on the south or left bank of the Mayn;--and is
especially vigilant, since June 14th, when the Pragmatic Army got on
march, across the Mayn at Hochst; and took to offering him battle,
on his own south side of the River. Noailles--though his Force [still
58,000, after that Broglio Detachment of 12,000] was greatly the
stronger--would not fight; preferred cutting off the Enemy's supplies,
capturing his river-boats, provision-convoys from Hanau, and settling
him by hunger, as the cheaper method. Impetuous Stair was thwarted, by
flat protest of his German colleagues, especially by D'Ahremberg, in
FORCING battle on those rash terms: 'We Austrians absolutely will not!'
said D'Ahremberg at last, and withdrew, or was withdrawing, he for his
part, across the River again. So that Stair also was obliged to recross
the River, in indignant humor; and now lies at Aschaffenburg, suffering
the sad alternative, short diet namely, which will end in famine soon,
if these counsels prevail.

"Stair and D'Ahremberg do not well accord in their opinions; nor, it
seems, is anybody in particular absolute Chief; there are likewise heats
and jealousies between the Hanoverian and the English troops ('Are not
we come for all your goods?' 'Yes, damn you, and for all our chattels
too!')--and withal it is frightfully uncertain whether a high degree of
intellect presides over these 44,000 fighting men, which may lead them
to something, or a low degree, which can only lead them to nothing!--The
blame is all laid on Stair; 'too rash,' they say. Possibly enough, too
rash. And possibly enough withal, even to a sound military judgment, in
such unutterable puddle of jarring imbecilities, 'rashness,' headlong
courage, offered the one chance there was of success? Who knows, had all
the 44,000 been as rash as Stair and his English, but luck, and sheer
hard fighting, might have favored him, as skill could not, in those
sad circumstances! Stair's plan was, 'Beat Noailles, and you have done
everything: provisions, opulent new regions