after for Madrid, to give an account of his conduct,
and to receive the recompense he had merited. Your majesty perhaps will
be desirous to know what reception poor Brice met with, after having
performed the most brilliant action the Spaniards could boast of in all
the war--he was confined by the inquisition."

"How!" said the Queen Dowager, "confined by the inquisition for his
services!" "Not altogether for his services," said the Chevalier; "but
without any regard to his services, he was treated in the manner I have
mentioned for a little affair of gallantry, which I shall relate to the
King presently.

"The campaign of Catalonia being thus ended, we were returning home, not
overloaded with laurels; but as the Prince de Conde had laid up a great
store on former occasions, and as he had still great projects in his
head, he soon forgot this trifling misfortune: we did nothing but joke
with one another during the march, and the prince was the first to
ridicule the siege. We made some of those rhymes on Lerida, which were
sung all over France, in order to prevent others more severe; however,
we gained nothing by it, for notwithstanding we treated ourselves freely
in our own ballads, others were composed in Paris in which we were ten
times more severely handled. At last we arrived at Perpignan upon a
holy-day: a company of Catalans, who were dancing in the middle of the
street, out of respect to the prince came to dance under his windows:
Monsieur Poussatin, in a little black jacket, danced in the middle of
this company, as if he was really mad. I immediately recognized him
for my countryman, from his manner of skipping and frisking about: the
prince was charmed with his humour and activity. After the dance, I sent
for him, and inquired who he was: 'A poor priest, at your service, my
lord,' said he: 'my name is Poussatin, and Bearn is my native country: I
was going into Catalonia to serve in the infantry, for, God be praised,
I can march very well on foot; but since the war is happily concluded,
if your lordship pleases to take me into your service, I would follow
you everywhere, and serve you faithfully.' 'Monsieur Poussatin,' said I,
'my lordship has no great occasion for a chaplain; but since you are so
well disposed towards me, I will take you into my service.'

"The Prince de Conde, who was present at this conversation, was
overjoyed at my having a chaplain. As poor Poussatin was in a very
tattered condition, I had