90

nlSTOEY OF ENGLAND.

Marquess, of Boufflers, one of the best officers in the service ofLewis.

The country between Lambeque and Steinkirk was inter-sected by innumerable hedges and ditches; and neither armycould approach the other without passing through several longand narrow defiles. Luxemburg had therefore little reason toapprehend that he should be attacked in his entrenchments;and he felt assured that he should have ample notice before anyattack was made: for he had succeeded in corrupting an ad-venturer named Millevoix, who was chief musician and privatesecretary of the Elector of Bavaria. This man regularly sent tothe French headquarters authentic information touching the de-signs of the allies.

The Marshal, confident in the strength of his position andin the accuracy of his intelligence, lived in his tent as he wasaccustomed to live in his hotel at Paris. He was at once a vale-tudinarian and a voluptuary; and, in both characters, he lovedhis ease. He scarcely ever mounted His horse. Light conver-sation and cards occupied most of his hours. His table waaluxurious; and, when he had sate down to supper, it was aservice of danger to disturb him. Some scoffers remarked thatin his military dispositions he was not guided exclusively bymilitary reasons, that he generally contrived to entrench himselfin some place W'here the veal and the poultry were remarkablygood, and that he was always solicitous to keep open such com-munications with the sea as might ensure him, from Septemberto April, a regular supply of Sandwich oysters. If there were anyagreeable -women in the neighbourhood of his camp, they weregenerally to be found at his banquets. It may easily be supposedthat, under such a commander, the young princes and nobles ofFrance vied with one another in splendour and gallantry.*

* Mdmoires de Saint Simon; Mdmoires doVillars; Racine to Boileau,May 21. 1692,