war, and new victories,
could support his influence in England. Torcy was sensible that his
country was utterly exhausted, that Louis dreaded nothing so much as the
opening of the campaign; and he agreed to those articles upon which
they insisted as preliminaries. The French king was confounded at
these proposals; he felt the complicated pangs of grief, shame, and
indignation. He rejected the preliminaries with disdain. He even deigned
to submit his conduct to the judgment of his subjects. His offers
were published, together with the demands of the allies. His people
interested themselves in the glory of their monarch. They exclaimed
against the cruelty and arrogance of his enemies. Though impoverished
and half-starved by the war, they resolved to expend their whole
substance in his support; and rather to fight his battles without
pay, than leave him in the dire necessity of complying with such
dishonourable terms. Animated by these sentiments, they made such
efforts as amazed the whole world. The preliminaries being rejected by
the French king, Rouille was ordered to quit Holland in four-and-twenty
hours; and the generals of the confederates resolved to open the
campaign without further hesitation.

THE ALLIED ARMY TAKE TOURNAY.

Prince Eugene and the duke of Marlborough proceeded to Flanders, and
towards the end of June the allied army encamped in the plain of Lisle,
to the number of one hundred and ten thousand fighting men. At the same
time, the mareschal Villars, accounted the most fortunate general in
France, assembled the French forces in the plain of Lens, where he began
to throw up intrenchments. The confederate generals having observed his
situation, and perceiving he could not be attacked with any probability
of success, resolved to undertake the siege of Tournay, the garrison of
which Villars had imprudently weakened. Accordingly, they made a
feint upon Ypres, in order to deceive the enemy, and convert all their
attention to that side, while they suddenly invested Tournay on the
twenty-seventh day of June. Though the garrison did not exceed twelve
I weakened battalions, and four squadrons of dragoons, the place was
so strong, both by art and nature, and lieutenant de Surville,
the governor, possessed such admirable talents, that the siege was
protracted contrary to the expectation of the allies, and cost them a
great number of men, notwithstanding all the precautions that could be
taken for the safet