gly upon the queen that the continuance
of the war would utterly destroy the Catholic religion in Germany, and
that the Swedes alone would reap advantage from the fall of the house
of Austria. Moved by their arguments and those of Mazarin to the same
effect, she supported the latter, and peremptory orders were sent to
Turenne to march to Flanders, where matters were going from bad to
worse. Turenne obeyed them, captured on his march towards the Rhine
several towns and fortresses, destroying their fortifications so that
they would not be able to oppose him if he returned to Germany. But
on arriving on the Rhine his anticipations of trouble were fulfilled.
General Rosen, whose blunder had been the cause of the disaster at
Marienthal, and who had since his return from captivity persistently
worked in opposition to Turenne, fomented discontent among the troops of
Weimar, and directly they crossed the Rhine they absolutely refused
to advance. They had just cause for complaint; they had fought with
distinguished valour, and they alone had saved the French army from
suffering crushing defeat at Nordlingen; their pay was six months in
arrear, and the proposal now that they should leave their own country
and fight in Flanders was naturally most repugnant to them. They at
once marched away towards Strasburg. Turenne followed them with three
thousand infantry, four French regiments of horse, and the only one of
the Weimar cavalry that had remained faithful to him, and came up just
as they were about to recross the Rhine.

Partly by entreaties, partly by showing his confidence in them, by
putting himself wholly in their power, the marshal induced a portion of
the Weimar cavalry to return to their duty. General Rosen, who was to a
large extent responsible for the mutiny, was arrested and imprisoned
at Philippsburg, the rest of the mutineers rode away with the loss of a
portion of their number, and joined the Swedes. After this the order for
Turenne to march to Flanders was countermanded.

The war languished for a few months, the Imperialists were defeated
after a hard fought cavalry battle by Turenne and the Swedes, and the
country was overrun by the latter, whose horsemen raided almost up to
Innsbruck. But all parties were growing weary of the conflict, which had
now lasted thirty years. It had inflicted incredible suffering upon
all who were concerned in it, and had produced no important results
whatever, except that it had preve