agony only in frantic ravings. And his judges, tired out with his obstinacy, at last thought proper to terminate his sufferings by a death shocking to hu manity; which, although the act of a people who pride themselves in civility and refinement, might fill the heart of savages with horror. He was conducted to the common place of execution, amid a vast concourse of the populace, stripped naked, and fastened to the scaffold by iron gyves. One of his hands was then burnt in liquid flaming sulphur. His thighs, legs, and arms.were torn with red-hot pincers. Boiling oil, melted lead, rosin, and sulphur were poured into the wounds; and to complete the awful catastrophe, tight ligatures being tied round his limbs, he was torn to pieces by young and vigorous horses.(1)

The attempt against the king's life had no influence upon the French councils, as it was soon discovered that his wound was not mortal. The court of Versailles, therefore, in conformity with its engagements and its views, assembled a great army; the main body of which, consisting of eighty thousand men, commanded by mareschal d'Etrees, and other officers of high reputation, passed the Rhine early in the spring, and marched by the way of Westphalia, in order to invade the territories of the king of Prussia, as was pretended, but in reality to reduce the electorate of Hanover; and by that bold measure to oblige the king of Great Britain to submit to the encroachments of the French in America, or to the loss of what he valued as the apple of his eye, or the cords of his heart, his German dominions. The smaller division, composed of twenty-five thousand men, under the prince de Soubise, was destined to march towards the Maine, to strengthen the imperial army of execution. Some explication will here be necessary, in order to make the nature of this army perfectly understood.

No sooner did the king of Prussia enter Saxony, the preceding campaign, than a process was commenced against him in the aulic council, and also before the diet of the empire. By the influence of the court of Vienna, and the terror of the powerful confederacy it had formed, he was condemned for contumacy; and the fiscal had orders to notify to him, that he was put under the ban of the empire, and adjudged fallen from all the dignities and possessions which he held in it. The circles of the empire were accordingly commanded to furnish their contingents of men and money, in order to put this sentence in execution. But the contingents were collected slowly; the troops were badly composed; and probably the army of the empire would never have been able to act, had it not been seconded by the French forces under the prince de Soubise. This general, before he passed the Rhine, made himself master of Cleves, Meurs, Gueldres; while a detachment from the army of mareschal d'Etrees seized upon the town of Embden, and whatever else belonged to his Prussian majesty in East Friesland.

Alarmed at the danger which threatened his electoral dominions, George II. seemed disposed to enter deeply into the continental quarrel, and even to send over a body of British troops for the protection of Hanover. In these views, however, he was thwarted by Pitt and Legge, his new ministers; who, adhering to the patriotic principles in which they had been bred, and in the diffusing of which they had grown up to popularity, and raised themselves to power, considered Hanover as a useless and expensive appendage to the crown of Great Britain, and all continental connexions as inconsistent with our insular situation.

The popular ministers were deprived of their employments, for daring to oppose the will of their sovereign in council. And although it was too late to adopt new measures for the campaign with any probability of success, the duke of Cumberland was sent over to command an army of observation, as it was called, intended for the defence of Hanover. This army, which consisted of forty thousand Hessians and Hanoverians, including a few regiments of Prussians, attempted in vain to obstruct the progress of mareschal d'Etrees. The duke of Cumberland, after some unsuccessful skirmishes, was obliged (1) Smollett. Voltaire. Trial and execution of R. F. Damien.

VOL. II.--I i

to retire behind the Weser; and the French passed that river without opposition.

If the duke of Cumberland's situation now seemed desperate, that of the king of Prussia, after making every allowance for his own superior talents, and the valour and discipline of his troops, did not wear a more favourable aspect at the opening of the campaign. An army of one hundred and thirty thousand Russians was on the borders of Lithuania, and in full march to invade the kingdom of Prussia. The Swedes were ready to enter Pomerania, in hopes of recovering their former possessions in that country. The empress-queen, having made vast preparations during the winter, had augmented her army to one hundred and eighty thousand men ;(1) yet did she resolve to act only on the defensive, until her allies could take the field. Then she flattered herself the king of Prussia would be obliged to divide his forces into so many bodies that he would be unable, any where, to make a vigorous resistance.

Conformable to this defensive system, the Austrian army was broken into four divisions; the first of which, commanded by the duke d'Aremberg, was posted at Egra; the second, under mareschal Brown, at Budyn; the third, under count Konigseg, at Reichenberg; and the fourth, under mareschal Daun, in Moravia. By these dispositions, mareschal Brown, who commanded in - chief, thought he could effectually cover Bohemia, which was understood to be the first object of the enemy, and stop their progress, should they attempt to advance.

The king of Prussia, however, having resolved to penetrate into that kingdom, was not diverted from his purpose by this formidable force, or the strong positions it had taken. He therefore ordered his army, in like manner with the Austrians, to assemble in four divisions: one under prince Maurice of Anhalt Dessau, at Chemnitz; another, under himself and mareschal Keith, at Lockwitz; the third, under the prince of Bevern, at Zittaw: and the fourth, under mareschal Schwerin, in Silesia. As each of these divisions was strong, he thought he might safely order them to enter Bohemia separately; but with instructions to unite as soon after as possible, for mutual support, and to form an entire junction in the neighbourhood of Prague.

The Prussian plan of operations being thus concerted, prince Maurice quitted his station at Chemnitz in the beginning of April, and marched by Żwickaw and Plawen, towards Egra, as if he intended to attack the place, or at least to penetrate that way into Bohemia. And in order to confirm d'Aremberg in this opinion, he commanded his light troops to make a feint upon the duke's quarters at Wildstein. The Austrian general, taking the alarm, threw himself into Egra; while prince Maurice returned to Averback, and marched with great celerity, by Brix and Billan, to Linay, where he joined the king of Prussia.

Not thinking it practicable to force the camp at Budyn, which was very strong, his Prussian majesty passed the river Egra higher up, near Koschtitz. Here his light troops and van-guard met those of the duke d'Aremberg, who was on his march to join mareschal Brown. On seeing the Prussians, however, they fell back upon Welwarn; and mareschal Brown, finding the enemy had passed the Egra, and were encamped on his left flank, judged it necessary to quit his position at Budyn, and retire to Prague.(2) Thither he was followed by the king of Prussia, who encamped on the Weissenberg, to the left of the Moldaw, which the main body of the Austrians, now commanded by prince Charles of Lorraine, had quitted, and removed to the other side of that river.

While these things were passing on the side of Saxony, where his Prussian majesty had spent the winter, and whence he still drew supplies, the prince of Bevern having put his division in motion, marched from Zittaw to Reichenberg. He there found count Konigseg, with a body of twenty thousand men, encamped in a valley formed by two very high mountains. Through the middle of that valley runs the river Neiss, into which fall many torrents from

(1) Lloyd's Campaigns, vol. i.

(2) Id. ibid.

the neighbouring mountains. The sides of those mountains are covered with thick woods, which are almost impassable. The Austrian general, therefore, occupied only the valley between, extending his wings no farther than the foot of the mountains.

The prince of Bevern, who, by pursuing this route, had put himself under the necessity of fighting, in order to join mareschal Schwerin, had now no choice left but the mode of giving battle. Taking advantage of the disposition of the enemy (after an unsuccessful attack upon their cavalry in the centre, which were strongly supported by their infantry and artillery on the two wings), he sent several battalions as high as possible into the mountain on his right, in order to come on the flank and rear of the Austrians posted in the wood at the foot of the mountain. His commands were punctually executed, and attended with full effect. The Austrians abandoned the wood: the prince renewed his attack upon their cavalry, which, unable to sustain the fire of the Prussian infantry, were forced to give way. On this advantage, he or dered his whole right wing to occupy the ground the Austrian cavalry had quitted, and obliged count Konigseg to retire towards Liebenaw, with the loss of a thousand men.

The prince of Bevern marched to that place, but found the Austrians so advantageously posted, that he did not think it prudent to attack them; more especially as he knew the advance of the army under mareschal Schwerin would suddenly force them to retire. It so happened. Having received intelligence of Schwerin's approach, Konigseg quitted his camp next day, and marched with precipitation to Prague.

Meanwhile, Schwerin, informed of the action at Reichenberg, and the retreat of the Austrians, wisely changed his route. He marched on the Iser, hoping still to be able to cut off Konigseg before he could reach Prague; and although he failed in that attempt, he was so fortunate as to seize an immense magazine, which the enemy had formed at Jungbuntzlaw.(1) Being afterward joined by the prince of Bevern's division, he proceeded to Brandeiss, where he continued till the fourth of May. He then passed the Elbe, and encamped on the other side; in order to concert measures with the king, before he advanced farther.

His Prussian majesty, who had thrown a bridge over the Moldaw, near Podbaba, passed that river with part of his army in the night, leaving the remainder under mareschal Keith on the Weissenberg. Next morning, at break of day, he formed a junction with Schwerin; and having reconnoitred the enemy, from one of the highest hills on the other side of Brosiz, he resolved to give them battle.

The Austrians, amounting to about eighty thousand men, were encamped with their left wing towards Prague, on the Ziskaberg, and their right extending beyond the village of Conraditz, on a hill near Sterbohli. The mountains before the Austrian camp were so steep and craggy, that no cavalry or artillery could possibly ascend them, and the deep valley at their foot was wholly occupied by hussars and Hungarian infantry. Yet was the king of Prussia, regardless of these difficulties, inclined to attack the enemy in front. But through the persuasion of mareschal Schwerin, he changed his opinion, and permitted that able general to make the attack on their right, where the ground falls gradually, and where the infantry could pass over certain meadows, and the cavalry and heavy artillery over dams.(2)

The action began about eleven o'clock; when the Prussian cavalry having passed the dams, the Austrian generals perceived that the king's intention was to attack their right flank, and ordered all their cavalry thither from the left. It came with great celerity, and formed itself with that on the right in one hundred and four squadrons, in three lines, with intervals equal to the front of a squadron. This movement was made with so much promptitude, that the prince of Schonaich, the Prussian lieutenant-general of horse, who

(1) Lloyd, ubi sup.

(2) Letter from count Schwerin, general-adjutant to the mareschal of that name, who was present at Me consultations.

had only sixty-five squadrons, afraid of being outflanked, judged it necessary to attack the enemy instantly, without waiting for the cavalry of the right wing, which the king had ordered to reinforce him. The attack was accordingly made with vigour; but the Prussian cavalry being outflanked by eight squadrons, was twice repulsed, in spite of its most strenuous efforts. In the third attack, however, the Austrian cavalry was entirely broken, by the bravery of twenty squadrons of hussars, led by general Zeithen, and pushed with such violence upon the grenadiers, as to throw them into confusion

During this shock of the cavalry, the Prussian grenadiers of the left wing having passed the meadows, were obliged to advance through a very narrow road, in order to join the rest of the line, which was already formed. As soon as the grenadiers appeared on the other side of the defile, they were saluted by a battery of twelve-pounders, charged with cartridges, and forced to retire in the greatest disorder. They were followed by two whole regiments; and the second battalion of Schwerin's began to give way, when the mareschal himself, who had been continually on the other side of the defile, took the colours of his regiment in his own hand; and having collected the broken troops, advanced with a strong pace towards the enemy, exhorting the soldiers to follow him. He received a bullet in his breast, and instantly fell from his horse, without the least signs of life.(1) But his death did not pass unrevenged.

The king of Prussia, observing that the Austrian right wing, in the ardour of pursuit, had advanced so far as to leave an opening between it and the left, laid hold of this favourable opportunity to occupy that vacant space. And while he thus separated the enemy's two wings from each other, he at the same time, by an additional stroke of generalship, ordered a body of troops to possess the ground where his own left had stood: so that when the Austrian right wing was forced back by the bravery of mareschal Schwerin, and the gallant officers who succeeded him in the command, that victorious body found itself surrounded, and fled in confusion towards Maleschiz: while the left wing, furiously attacked by the Prussian infantry, under prince Henry, with fixed bayonets, was obliged to take refuge in Prague. The centre also was broken, after an obstinate dispute, and chased into the same city.(2)

Such was the famous battle of Prague, in which the valour and military skill of the Austrians and Prussians were fully tried, and which proved fatal to two of the greatest generals in Europe. For mareschal Brown received a wound, which his chagrin rendered mortal; though his pride is supposed to have been more hurt by being obliged to command under the prince of Lorraine, than from the event of the day. The loss on both sides was very considerable. The Prussians, by their own account, had three thousand men killed, and more than double that number wounded, besides three hundred and ninety-seven officers, many of whom were of high rank. The loss of the Austrians, in killed, wounded, and taken, cannot be computed at less than twelve thousand, although they acknowledged little more than half that number.

But these were all the immediate consequences of the king of Prussia's victory. The main body of the Austrian army, to the number of fifty thousand men, found shelter in Prague, under prince Charles of Lorraine; and about sixteen thousand, chiefly cavalry, assembled at Beneschau the day after the battle, and immediately joined mareschal Daun, who had arrived the evening before, from Moravia, and encamped at Bohmisch Brodt, on hearing of the disaster of the Austrians. The intrepid Frederick, however, elated with his good fortune, and thinking that every thing must submit to his victorious arms, invested Prague, with an army little superior to that confined within the walls!

It was certainly very extraordinary, that so great a general as the king of Prussia should think it possible to reduce an army of fifty thousand men, in

(1) Letter from count Schwerin.

(2) Lloyd, vol. i.

so extensive a town as Prague, with one of equal force. Hence the memorable saying of the celebrated mareschal de Belleisle, who had defended the same place, as we have seen, in 1742, with fifteen thousand men, against the whole power of the house of Austria, and retired with honour and glory, when he found his provisions fail; "I know Prague; and if I were there with one-half of the troops under the prince of Lorraine, I would destroy the Prussian army."(1)

But the supineness of the Austrians in some measure justified the king of Prussia's temerity. They suffered themselves to be shut up in Prague for six weeks, without making one vigorous effort for their enlargement; although the Prussian army, besides forming a chain of posts extending many miles, was separated by the river Moldaw into two parts, any one of which might have been cut off. Fifty thousand men, provided with arms and artillery, submitted to this inglorious restraint, and continued inactive until they began to feel the pressure of famine; and the prince of Lorraine seemed, at one time, disposed to capitulate. When mareschal Brown, then sick in bed, was consulted on that subject, he made the following spirited reply: "Tell prince Charles, my advice is, that he instantly march out, and attack mareschal Keith!"(2)

The prince of Lorraine, however, did not choose to carry matters to that extremity, so long as any hope of relief remained; and the king of Prussia, by a new and more extraordinary instance of self-confidence than any he had yet exhibited, saved the Austrian army from the necessity of such a desperate effort, or the indelible disgrace of a surrender. While occupied in the siege of Prague, contemning the strength of the garrison, he had sent out several detachments, in order to raise contributions, and to seize or destroy the magazines which the Austrians had formed in different parts of Bohemia. Elated with the success of these detachments, and fearing that mareschal Daun, whose army now amounted to forty thousand men, might not only disturb his operations, but give prince Charles, by some manœuvre, an opportunity to get out of the place, he despatched the prince of Bevern, with twentyfive thousand men, in order to drive him farther back.

As the Prussians advanced, mareschal Daun prudently retired successively to Kolin, Kuttenberg, and Haber. But no sooner had he received all the reinforcements he expected, than he attempted to bring the prince of Bevern to action; and even, by rapid marches, to cut off his communication with the army before Prague. Informed of the enemy's motions, the king of Prussia quitted his camp, with ten battalions and twenty squadrons, and marched towards Kolin. There having formed a junction with the army under the prince of Bevern, he resolved to attack mareschal Daun, without farther delay.

On his approach, with this intention, the Prussian monarch found the Austrian army, consisting of sixty thousand men, drawn up in two lines; the infantry, contrary to the common disposition, on the wings, and the cavalry in the centre. The right wing was posted on a hill, extending towards Kuttenberg and Kolin, the left on another and higher hill lying towards Zasmuck. At the bottom of these two hills, and in the space between, which was covered by a chain of fish-ponds and morasses, mareschal Daun had extended two lines of horse, and kept a third in reserve; for as he knew that the Prussians were stronger in cavalry than infantry, the king having with him ninety squadrons, and only twenty-eight battalions, he supposed they would make their greatest effort against the centre of the Austrian army, in order to cut it in two. But no sooner did he perceive the king's intention of attacking him on the right flank, than he ordered his body of reserve to march to the right wing, in order to cover the flank. And he afterward directed his second line to march also thither, close up to the reserve.

His Prussian majesty ordered his army to halt, between nine and ten in the morning, in a plain near Slatislunz and Novimiesto, while he reconnoitred

(1) Lloyd, vol. i.

(2) Lloyd, ubi sup.