It was expected, and that with some reason, that the next campaign (1694) in Italy, would have been very glorious; and that the Duke of Savoy would have retrieved the loss at Marsaille. Prince Eugene, who had been in Vienna during the winter, had received a reinforcement of imperial troops and the King of Great Britain had sent the Earl of Galway to supply the place of the Duke of Schomberg. Prince Eugene, without whose counsel nothing was done, had a great desire to besiege Pignerol, Suza, or Casal.

The army of the allies was yet stronger this year than the last, and that of France very much inferior to it because the King being resolved to carry the stress of the war into Catalonia, was obliged to stand upon the defensive in Piedmont. Never the less the campaign passed over in marches and countermarches, till the middle of August, when Prince Eugene tired out with so shameful a way of proceeding, drew the Duke of Savoy, as it were by force, towards Casal, to examine the means to straighten it yet more, and oblige it to surrender for want of relief.

After the action at Marsaille, the French had retaken St. George's castle, and other forts, wherein were some Piedmonteze troops; wherefore Prince Eugene caused three thousand men to advance, with some pieces of heavy cannon, and soon obliged the commandant to surrender at discretion. The taking of this castle blocked up Casal entirely, since this was the only passage that was open, by which they received refreshments from Montserrat.

This was the principal expedition this campaign wherein our Prince had a great hand, and by the success whereof he facilitated the reduction of that important fortress the year after.

It was not without reason, that the inaction of the foregoing campaign, was ascribed to a sort of secret truce, upon which the Duke of Savoy had agreed with M. de Catinat. If this complaisance of the french court, whence his Royal Highness derived the advantage of rendering the victory at Marsaille of no service to them, had not been attanded with success that will be seen hereafter, it might have been said that his Royal Highness had outwitted the Marshal de Catinat, and that the latter had been the dupe of the others policy. The winter passed over in negotiations, but managed with such secrecy as to be impenetrable.

Apprehensive Allies

The allies, who had taken some umbrage there at, were apprehensive of whatafterwards came to pass; wherefore, to deprive the Duke of Savoy of all manner of pretence for complaining, and lay the blame wholly upon him if he betrayed them, they engaged him to renew the treaty of alliance, and supplied him with everything in general that he acquired: He was rsolved, however, to embrace that side from whence he might derive the most advantage. In the mean while France did nothing but cavil, and her ministers, though the point in debate was of the utmost importance, and could not fail of being a decisive stroke, haggled if I may use that expression, penny by penny, with his Royal Highness, insomuch that the time of opening the campaign was come before they were agreed.

Nevertheless Louis XIV. depended so much upon the defection of the Duke of Savoy, that he had appointed his troops to act elsewhere. Hereupon his Royal Highness, who turned every thing to his own advantage, judged it advisable to lay hold on their absence, to force from them a town, they made an infinite difficulty of yielding to him: It was Casel.

This, perhaps, may be the properest place, to relate how this city the capital of Montserrat, came to be in the power of the french, who were there, in a manner, left destitute all sides, since they were incompassed round about by powers at variance with their King. It is sufficient to premise that this place belonged to the Duke of Mantua: Ferdinand Charles de Gonzaga, gave it up, not to say sold it, to France; and she during above fifty years that the dispute lasted between the Dukes of Savoy, and Mantua, for the inheritance of Montserrat, had found the secret to keep himself in possession of that fortress, from whence she annoyed the Milaneze no less than Piedmont.

Casal

In 1652, the Duke of Mantua, Charles III, being better inclined to the house of Austria than either his predecessors or successor, had taken advantage of the troubles wherein France was then involved to recover Casal, from her, which he delivered up to the Spainards. But in 1681, his son being hard pressed by France, gave to the abbot Morel a blanked paper signed, whereof use was made to draw up an order to the governor of Casal, to deliver it up to whoever should give him that paper.

From that time France had kept that fortress, which she had rendered almost impregnable, and from whence she had never ceased in her quarrels with the Duke of Savoy, or to the House of Austria, to infest Piedmont and the Milaneze. Thus one may easily judge what were his Royal Highness's inducements, to wish to have that place, or at least to see it out of the hands of the French.

Prince Eugene, being returned from the court of Vienna, where he had opened himself to the Emperor, about the suspicion he had of his Royal highness's fidelity, was at a council of war that was held a Turin, on account of the seige of Casal: The Duke of Savoy, the Marquis de Laganez, and the Earl of Galway were present thereat. The siege was there resolved upon, and in the beginning of March, that city, which had been kept blocked up during the whole winter by general Geschwind, was invested in form by Prince Eugene; and all things were ready for opening the trenches towards the beginning of April; but when they were going to work at the attacks, there fell such an excessive snow, that the cold became as insupportable as in the midst of winter.

This alone would have been sufficient to have destroyed all the troops incamped in the neighbourhood of that place, where the snow was between ten and twelve feet deep, wherefore it was judged proper to send them back into their winter quarters.

Division Before Spoils

During these transactions, there arose a contest between the generals, whom this fortress should belong to when taken? Spain and the Empire insisted that it ought to be delivered up to them; and the Duke of Savoy, who had no mannerof title to pretend to it, did not strive to bring those two powers to an agreement; having his own reasons not to wish it fall into the hands of either of those potentates; and to return it to the Duke of Mantua was to expose himself to other inconveniencies.

Wherefore he gave them to understand, that he should have liked better, to have had them laid siege to Pignerol, because he would have been left Master of that without dispute. The Venetians also, and other petty Princes of Italy, were no better pleased with the thoughts of Casal's falling either to the Spainards or the imperialists. M. de Catinat, therefore, to cite the proverb, fished at the time in troubled waters; and made use artfully of this dispute to avert the siege, since he was not in a condition to oppose it with his forces.

He saw that the Duke of Savoy engaged in it with reluctance; wherefore he caused an offer to be made him secretly, of a considerable sum of ready money, if he would abandon that design. His Royal Highness having refused it, the Marshal started another proposal; he proffered to give up that place to the Duke of Mantua, but demolished.

The Duke of Savoy, persuaded that the imperialists would retain it as their own conquest, and not being very willing to have such formidable enemies in possession of a key to his dominions, accepted of this overture with joy: But as it was necessary to conceal this secret from the generals of the foreign powers, it was agreed that his Royal Highness should carry on the siege in form; and that as soon as they advanced their works far enough, and had made a lodgement upon the glacis, the Marquis de Crenan, who was governor, should beat a parley, and should deliver up the town on the conditions stipulated between the Duke and the Marshal.

M. de Crenan, mindful of all that passed, resolved, in the defence of Casal, to maintain the reputation he had gained during the blockade. He immediately had all the houses pulled done that were in the neighbourhood of that place; he had also all the rising grounds levelled, all the hedges cut down, and all the ditches filled up, that no obstacle might stand between the fire of his artillery and the besiegers.

Siege

All the troops appointed for the siege being in motion, arrived before Casal on the 25th of June. They formed two attacks, one on that side of the bastion of the citadel that faces the town; and the other against the wall which maintained a communication between the citadel and the town. The Italians were to look after the latter, and the other foreign troops, with those of his Royal Highness, were commanded for the first attack. These pushed their approaches so far the very first night, that they were not above some few hundred paces from the citadel; the ardour of the forces inciting them even to carry a redoubt sword in hand. That same night the imperialists made a parallel on both sides of the redoubt whereof they possessed themselves, which was carried two hundred paces on the right, and a hundred paces on the left.

The 27th the regiments of Savoy, Galway, Montserrat, and Saconai, mounted the trenches, under the command of Prince Eugene, and the parallel on the leftwas carried on two hundred paces, and four hundred on th right, and at the same time they erected a battery of twenty pieces of cannon. Prince Eugene was relieved by Prince Charles of Brandenburgh, who mounted the trenches at the head of the troops he commanded, carried on the parallel three hundred paces on the right, and finished the works that had been begun. On the 30th the Marquis de Parelle mounted the trenches, with his Royal Highness's regiment of Guards, and some other Piedmonteze troops, and carried it on so far, that they were not above a hundred and fifty paces from the palisades.

The trenches against the town were also opened the same night by the Spainards, with success enough, and the 4th of July all the works were finished. A redoubt was raised at the head of two branches of the trenches, and at the same time a parallel line was made. There was a redoubt on the other side of the Po, over against the town, which had been twice stormed without the besiegers having been able to make themselves masters of it. But the Marquis de Crenan having considered, that the troops which defended it were not in a condition to sustain a third assault, made them get into boats, and recalled them into the place.

Battering the Town

On the 5th, the Piedmonteze troops, at his Royal Highness's attack, battered the town with great success. They made themselves masters of a second redoubt, and proceeded so far that they carried a half-moon, which had such an effect that besiegers abandoned the counterscarp, and the covered way. They afterwards set fire to two mines, with abundance of success, and the French lost a great many men there. On the 26th the works were carried on so far on all sides, that they were but thirty paces from the glacis.

At the same time the Spainards fired upon the city, with ten mortars; worked at a battery of thirty six pieces of cannon; and carried their trenches to the bastion of the town which faces the citadel. All this had passed on hither to without much loss on the allies side. On the 8th they posted themselves upon the glacis of the counter scarp on that side towards the citadel, and they erected the batteries to make a breach.

Then the Marquis de Crenan, seeing himself without hopes of assistance did not think proper to wait the last extremities, but ordered a parley to be beat. The capitulation was signed on the 11th of July 1695. The conditions were, that all the fortifications of the town and citadel should be demolished and rashed to the ground, and that it should not be allowable for the future, for any potentate, on either side, to repair, or rebuild them; that the demolitions without the town should be at the expence of the allies, and those within at the charge of the French King; and the garrison should stay within the place till the whole should be entirely demolished; and that the Marquis de Crenan would have liberty to carry off all the money and papers belonging to the King. In short, all the honours and advantages that a governor can hope for on such an occasion, were granted him.

The French Court

The loss of Casal sensibly affected the court of France, both by reason of the prodigious sums they had laid out to put the fortifications in the state they were then in, and on account of the considerable remittances which had been made to the Duke of Mantua on that score, amounting to near three millions. But this thought did not give the King so much uneasiness, as seeing himself deprived of a key, which gave him at any time free entrance into the territories of all the Princes of Italy.

However, in order to alleviate the vexation it gave the court of France; the French affected to give out, that it was not surrendered to the allies, but that the King, through a principle of generosity, had thought proper to restore it to its first master, in such a condition that it should no longer give any umbrage to the Italian Princes, that the works of the fortress having been razed and levelled, the allies had no reason to boast of their having taken it, since it would be of no advantage to them. But every one was convinced of the contrary, because, besides that the demolishing this place left the Duke of Savoy no room to apprehend any thing from France on that side, it likewise secured the tranquillity of all Italy.

Eugene Overjoyed

Of all the generals who intersted themselves in the welfare of his Royal Highness, Prince Eugene, who had commanded the imperialists during the siege, was overjoyed they had at last reduced a fortress which had employed the troops such a considerable time, by a blockade of such long continuance, and the most fatiguing that could be imagined: That Prince also, by his vigilence, contributed very much to the allies getting quiet possession of Casal, in spite of all the pretences, to which the Marquis de Crenan had recourse to deter the evacuations; for which reason word was sent to him, that if he any longer made any difficulty of surrendering it he ought not to take it ill if they obliged him to come out by force.

This compliment not being very agreeable to M.de Crenan, who only endeavoured to amuse the troops, to the end they might do nothing more during the rest of the campaign, he at last vouchsafed to march out on the 18th of September, and went to Pignerol with his garrison, under the escorte of his Royal Highness's troops. The artillery found in the place consisted of 70 pieces of cannon that were in the city, 28 others with a mortar piece in the castle, besides 120 cannon, and 9 mortar pieces in the citadel. In the magazines were 5000 hand grenades, 25,000 barrels of powder, 50,000 cannon balls, 5000 muskets and other fire-arms, 80,000 weight of lead, 1800 bombs, a prodigious quantity of match, and other utensils of war, 8000 sacks of corn, 2000 of meal, 200 of rice, a vast profusion of peas, beans, salt beef, brandy and other provisions.

Two thirds of the artillery fell to the Duke of Savoy's share; the rest was allowed the spainards; and the imperialists, whom Prince Eugene had commanded during the siege, had all the provisions.

The only thing that now remained, to secure Italy in the enjoyment of a long and perfect tranquillity, and render the Duke of Savoy sovereign in his own dominions, was to rest Pignerol out of the hands of the French King; otherwise, as long as that city, as well as Casal, continued in the power of that monarch, he could only look upon himself as his vassal. Prince Eugene had contributed not a little to the success of that important enterprize, never the less he was not satisfied with the honour he had acquired there, neither could he endure to see the campaign ended, without giving France another mortification. The allies grew weary of a war wherein the advantages they had over the enemy were not in the least improved, and it was a great vexation to Prince Eugene, who ardently desired nothing more than to signalize himself, to see that all their designs ended in nothing but marches and countermarches.

The French had but very few troops, and there wanted only resolution to force them from either Pignerol, or Suza. The siege of one of these places was proposed to the Duke of Savoy. There were forces sufficient both to undertake, and to bring to a good issue either of these enterprize before the end of the campaign, and his Royal Highness seemed to consent thereto; but pitching sometimes upon Pignerol, and soon after upon Suza, he should very plainly he had no design upon either of those places, but that his intent was not to do any thing more.

The French Inspired

Hereby the French were cured of the apprehensions they were under, that we should fall upon Pignerol, after the reduction of casal; and it was doing them a great pleasure to leave them in possession of a fortress, which served them as a key to enter the country when they pleased.

Thus all our expeditions terminated in the taking of Casal only, and nothing more was done during the rest of the campaign. Prince Eugene, who was at all tha pains imaginable to apply some remedy to these disorders, would infallibly have been disgusted, as well as the other generals of the foreign troops, with a war so unprofitable, if he had very much at heart the interests of the Emperor, and his Royal Highness, to whom he was nearly related. He flattered himself that time would influence that Prince to do, what he had not been able to persuade him to by his counsel, that is, to act in concert with the other generals: But the campaign being over, his Highness bent all his thoughts upon his return to Vienna, where his presence was necessary; however, before his departure from Turin, he had diverse conferences with his Royal Highness, and did not set out till towards the beginning of the winter.

The campaign of the next year, 1696, was the last in which the allies engaged in Italy. M. de Catinat, during the winter, had put the finishing hand to a negotiation which had been in agitition above above a year. Louis XIV. being convinced, he should never be able to end this war, but by gaining over some of the allies, and not finding any one of them who would give ear to his proposals, excepting the Duke of Savoy, granted him at last all he demanded; insomuch that his Royal Highness, not satisfied with infringing the treaties he had just renewed, and abandoning his allies, of whom he neither had any reason to complain, nor in reality did complain (since he alleged no other grounds for this change, but the advantages he found in the French offers) but he entered into engagements to oblige them to accept of a neutrality for Italy, and even to join his troops with those of France, in order to compel them to it.

Treaty Terms

The conditions of this seperate treaty were: I. The restitution of all the Duke had lost; II. The restitution of Pignerol, but demolished, with all its dependencies, and the valley of Barcelonetta; III. The marriage of the Princess of Piedmont with the Duke of Burgundy; without giving her any portion; IV. An indemnification of four million Livres for the damages he had suffered; and V. A promise to assist him, in case he should be attacked by any potentate, in resentment of this treaty. There were likewise some secret articles; one of which regulated the neutrality of Italy; another how they should manage to deliver his Royal Highness from the forces of his allies wherein he was suurounded; and lastly, by a third that Prince engaged to join the French, in order to prescribe laws to his allies.

The Duke, the Marshal de Catinat, and the French ministry, displayed, in the execution of this treaty, all the address, and the ability imaginable; or rather they showed the most consummate policy. M. de Catinat appeared very early in the field, at the head of the finest army France had yet had in Italy, and that general threatened to lay siege immediately to Turin, or at least to bombard it with great fury.

It is impossible to carry dissimulation farther than his Royal Highness did on this occasion; Scarce had the French army made their appearance, before that Prince pretended to the Generals of the allies to be in the greatest consternation. He asked their advice about what dispositions he should make for his defence, and never appeared in his army without being accompanyed by the Marquis de Legranez, or Prince Eugene. The latter, who had long suspected, that his Royal Highness would at last suffer himself to be inveigled by the fair promises of France, was himself deceived by this dissimulation, which made such an impression on him, as time has not since been able to efface.

As he had the interest of that Duke very much at heart, he sympathized with him in his pretended concern for being in so melancholy a situation, assisted him, with that prudence, and activity which are so natural to him, in giving orders about everything. The army was divided into several bodies; he threw part of it into his fortresses, and made the horse incamp above Carignan; posted seven battalions upon the Glacis of the City of Turin; had all the cassines, or country houses pulled down, that were in reach of the cannnon of the citadel; had all the artillery placed upon the ramparts; ordered fresh troops into the citadel; and set men at work upon a line defended by redoubts:

Besides this the Princesses nade preparations for leaving Turin; provision was laid in for two months; care was taken to secure the archives, and most valuable effects; workmen were ordered to quench the fire, unpave the streets, and give speedy assistance where ever it should be necessary; and the army of the allies, having possessed themselves of all the eminences as far as Montcalier, were at hand to throw succours into the place in case of need. In the mean while his Royal Highness is seen always on horseback, accompanyed by the Marquis de Leganez, to give the necessary orders every where.

In short, there was not any thing his Royal Highness did not put into practice, to make the allies believe, the King of France had actually sworn his ruin, either by bombarding his capital, or by a siege in form, although he very well knew the Marshal de Catinat had orders not to attempt any thing.

Peasant Madness

What was very particular in this conduct, was, that the parties of both armies, not knowing there was a secret suspension of arms, especially the common soldiers, and the peasants, treated each other with the utmost inhumanity. Amongst many examples, I shall relate one which is altogether extraordinary, and which was told us in our camp. The peasants, exasperated to madness at the insolenies the French daily committed in their country, put to the sword all the soldiers they found straggling; and the Marshal de Catinat having there upon hanged one of them on a tree, the peasants resolved to revenge themselves after a manner that perhaps is unprecedented.

Going into the woods of Rivaltre, they seized two French troopers whom they found by themselves, and conducted them near Millefleurs, where they killed one, and having roasted him before his comrades face, they commanded the survivor to carry one of the thighs to the Marshalde catinat, with order, to tell him from them, they were resolved to revenge themselves in that manner, for all the ill-usage they should meet with from him, contary to the laws of war. Never the less the Duke of Savoy, and the Marshal, acting in concert, far from prohibiting the cruelties that were exercised on both sides by their parties, pretended not so much as to know of them.

This dissimulation, however did not last long. On the 12th July a truce for a month was proclaimed at the head of the two hostile armies; or rather. of the two armies now become good friends, if we except the troops of the allies. This truce was immediately taken for the harbinger of peace. Prince Eugene, who had been at all the pains imaginable, to dissuade his Royal Highness from a step which would prove fatal to him, was not in the least surprize thereat; he had very well foreseen, by that Princes conduct, he would at last be deluded by the flattering offers of the French. Some other generals also, and some foreign ministers made the same remarks; but as it was then a time which required great circumspection, they were obliged to keep silence, lest something worse should happen.

This suspension of arms having been published, his Royal Highness left no stone unturned, to induce the allies to accept it likewise; but they absolutely refused it; although, in effect, they saw themselves obliged thereby not to attempt any thing, just the same as if it had been in the middle of a profound peace. However, the Duke of Savoy, being desirous of coming off with honour, got the truce prolonged to the 15th of September. Then it was that a thing was seen, which would hardly find credit, had not two numerous armies been eye-witnesses of it.

The allies persisted in their refusal to consent to a neutrality that was prejudical to their interests, the troops of Savoy, those very troops, whom the forces of the allies had assisted to take Casal, appeared at the head of the French army, ready to enter, and commit all sorts of hostilities, upon the territories of the allies. Nor is this all; the Duke of Savoy in person appeared at the head of this army, as generalissimo of the French troops in Italy, and Prince Eugene saw himself reduced to draw his sword against the head of his family, in whose defence he had fought not three months before.

March and Countermarch

Before the end of the truce the Marshal de Catinat passed the great Doire, without any one's disputing this passage; in the same manner he crossed the Po, and re-entered Casal, and thus went from post to post, till he marched into the Milaneze on the very day the truce expired. One the Duke of Savoys joining this army, he caused Valence to be invested, on the side of the Lumeline. The garrison of that place had been reinforced by the allies, and was in a condition to make a vigerous resistance. Don Francisco Colmenero commanded there; and M. de Goulon, first engineer, had the charge of the works for its defence.

During this siege the negotiations went on; but the general truce met every day with more and more obstacles; wherefore the french, to facilitate its acceptance, gave out openly, that if this truce should not be accepted in a proper time, to leave their troops room to retire before the passes were shut up, they resolved to provide them winter quarters in the Milaneze, and also for the forces of his Royal Highness.

This negotiation proved an infinate fatigue to Prince Eugene, who was then looked upon as the most zealous chief of the contrary party. That Prince had taken all the pains imaginable to prevent this turn of affairs which had just happened. He fore saw the fatal events of a truce, that was insisted on sword in hand; he saw, with a sensible regret, that his Royal Highness, not withstanding all the trouble it had cost him to deter that Prince from accepting all the offers made him by France, and all the advice he had given him, had at last suffered himself to be over reached by the caresses of that crown; and that thereby he returned again into slavery, and deprived at the same time the allies of all the advantages they might of reaped from the war in Italy, with respect to the general peace.

Heart Breaking

What a heart-breaking was this to this Prince, who being general to the Emperor, saw the Duke of Savoy, to whom he was so nearly related, in one and the same campaign commander in chief of two hostile armies? Prince Eugene, therefore, I say, endeavoured by his vigilance to apply a remedy to all these disorders, to which end he took infinite pains. For the same purpose he was always in conference with the Marquis de Leganez governor of the Milaneze, Count Mansfeldt, and the other ministers of those Princes who formed the alliance; and couriers upon couriers were dispatched to the courts which interested themselves in the affairs of Italy.

In the mean while the army of the allies was greatly weakened by the detachments which had been thrown into the towns, and thereby they were not in a condition to oppose that of the enemy, which was strong and numerous. This obliged the generals of the allies to publish an edict, enjoyning the peasants to arm for the defence of their country. Count Mansfeldt, still flattering himself that the Duke of Savoy would come over to more equitable sentiments, to prolong the suspension of arms, had proposed to his Royal Highness a truce for six months, not only with respect to the neutrality of Italy, but also to a general peace.

But that Prince answered, it was no longer in his power, but M. de Catinat's consent must be had to any proposal of that nature: By this reply, his Royal Highness showed, that in changing sides he had not bettered his condition. Whilst that Prince was generalissimo for the allies, he had made, without their consent, a treaty with France; but when generalissimo of the troops of that crown, he was obliged to have the cosent of the generals of the same crown inorder to treat with the allies. In the mean while, the french, to attain their ends, published memorials, whereby they endeavored to persuade to Princes of Italy, that it was not the most Christian King's fault the peace was not concluded, and that he was ready to recall his army as soon as the troops of the allies should be gone.

Back to the Siege of Valence

To return to the siege of Valence, from which we have digressed for some moments, the besiegers had not carried any work of consequence till the 8th of October; never the less they had battered the place with thirty cannon, and fifteen mortar-pieces, and pushed on their works without intermission not with standing the continual rains. They lost a considerable number of men at the attack of the second half moon, and were repulsed.

On the 8th they had battered in breach the bastion of the Annunciada with so much success, that they were preparing the next night, to storm the half moon, and the covered way. The governor Colm Nero having taken a resolution to defend himself to the last extremity, expected them with abundance of courage; he had men continually at work making cuts and intrenchments behind the breach; wherein the Marquis de Varennes, gerneral of the troops of Brandenburgh, and M. Goulon were very serviceable to him. In this condition was the siege, when an order came to give it over, by a cessation of arms, on account of the treaty of neutrality, or truce which had been concluded.

The Emperor had caused it to be declared, in the conferences at Pavia, that he consented to accept the neutrality, but on such conditions as were rejected by France, insomuch that the Marquis de St. Thomas had left the place without doing any thing: But this negotiation having been set on foot again, the Emperor and the King of Spain resolved at last to accept it. The treaty was signed the 8th October in the evening; and the day after the artillery and ammunition belonging to the attacks before Valence were begun to be removed, and were put on board some vessels on the Po, in order to be carried to Pignerol.

The Campaign Ends

Thus ended both this campaign and this war in Italy. It is not our business here to examine, wheter this seperate peace, and especially the engagement to take up arms against his own allies was to the honour of the Duke of Savoy; it is sufficient to observe, that his Royal Highness himself was so far from imagining such a step glorious, that he did not even think it justifiable: Since the answer he gave to the first proposal made to him by M. de Catinat; that he should believe he should entirely forfiet the esteem of the most christian King, if ever he should be capable of marching his troops into the Milaneze, and turning his arms against the Catholic King, and the Emperor, from whom he owned himself to have derived his principle defence in his misfortunes, and that such an action would be unworthy of a Prince of his rank.

However that be, Prince Eugene was the more mortified there at, as they believed him capable of imitating a conduct, which his relation himself blamed, at the very same time that he suffered himself to be persuaded to it. In effect, the French King, not satisfied with having in this manner gained over his Royal Highness, made great promises to Prince Eugene, on condition he would quit the Emperor's services; offering him, besides the staff of a Marshal of France, the government of Champagne, of which his father had been possessed before him, and a pension of twenty thousand pistoles per annum. But nothing was capable of shaking his fidelity to the Emperor, on the contary he made all passible haste to Vienna, as soon as he had conducted the Imperial troops to the quarters that had been appointed them.

More Prince Eugene of Savoy

Part I (#7)
Part II (#8)
Part III (#9)
Part V (#11)
Part VI (#12)

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