said he, "I shall soon cut him to pieces; but he will take good care not
to do so."[2] He had not left off speaking when he saw that Turenne was
already retiring, too skilful to await Conde in the plain and expose
himself to the Prince's formidable manoeuvres. A little further off,
he found a position much more favourable; there he firmly posted his
force, determined to give battle. In vain did his officers urge him not
to hazard an action, not to risk the last army which remained to the
monarchy, and to confine himself to covering Gien whilst awaiting the
coming of Hocquincourt. "_No_," replied he, "_we must conquer or perish
here._"

[2] It is Tavannes who has preserved the details of this interesting
incident.

Turenne, it is true, was very inferior in cavalry to Conde, but he had a
powerful and well-served artillery. Having encouraged his troops to do
their duty, he posted himself upon an eminence which he covered with
infantry and artillery, drew up his cavalry below in a plain too narrow
to permit of Conde deploying his own, and which could only be reached by
traversing a thick wood and a causeway intersected by ditches and boggy
ground. From such strong position, Conde could, in his turn, recognise
his illustrious disciple. No great manoeuvres were then practicable,
and as time did not permit of an attempt to turn Turenne, it was
necessary to crush him out of hand, if that were possible, before he
could effect a junction with Hocquincourt. The defile was the key of the
position; and both sides fought therein with equal fierceness. Turenne
defended himself sword in hand, and upon the six squadrons which Conde
hurled against him he opened a battery, as they passed, with terrible
execution, showing a courage equal to that of his heroic adversary.
Conde, judging from what he now saw, believed the position in the hands
of Turenne to be impregnable; and it being too late to execute any other
manoeuvres with success during that day, he continued to cannonade the
royalist army till the evening, without any other attempt to bring it to
a battle.

Napoleon has not spared Conde in this affair any more than other
critics. He sums all their opinions up in one piquant phrase, which it
appears he was unable to resist, and which made him smile in uttering
it. "Conde," said he, "for that once, was wanting in boldness." The
dictum is both brief and incisive, but there was no foundation for it,
in a military point of v