his utmost, is beaten at every point.

"SEPTEMBER 15th. Surprisal of the Secchia. Kaiser's people rally,--under
a General Graf von Konigseck worth noting by us,--and after some
manoeuvring, in the Guastalla-Modena region, on the Secchia and Po
rivers there, dexterously steal across the Secchia that night (15th
September), cutting off the small guard-party at the ford of the
Secchia, then wading silently; and burst in upon the French Camp in a
truly alarming manner. [Hormayr, xx. 84; _Fastes,_ as it is liable to
do, misdates.] So that Broglio, in command there, had to gallop with
only one boot on, some say 'in his shirt,' till he got some force
rallied, and managed to retreat more Parthian-like upon his brother
Marechal's Division. Artillery, war-chest, secret correspondence, 'King
of Sardinia's tent,' and much cheering plunder beside Broglio's odd
boot, were the consequences; the Kaiser's one success in this War;
abolished, unluckily, in four days!--The Broglio who here gallops is
the second French Marechal of the name, son of the first; a military
gentleman whom we shall but too often meet in subsequent stages. A son
of this one's, a third Marechal Broglio, present at the Secchia that
bad night, is the famous War-god of the Bastille time, fifty-five years
hence,--unfortunate old War-god, the Titans being all up about him. As
to Broglio with the one boot, it is but a triumph over him till--

"SEPTEMBER 19th. Battle of Guastalla, that day. Battle lost by the
Kaiser's people, after eight hours, hot fighting; who are then obliged
to hurry across the Secchia again;--and in fact do not succeed in
fighting any more in that quarter, this year or afterwards. For, next
year (1735), Montemar is so advanced with the Two Sicilies, he can
assist in these Northern operations; and Noailles, a better Marechal,
replaces the Broglio and Coigny there; who, with learned strategic
movements, sieges, threatenings of siege, sweeps the wrecks of Austria,
to a satisfactory degree, into the Tyrol, without fighting, or event
mentionable thenceforth.

"This is the Kaiser's War of two Campaigns, in the Italian, which was
the decisive part of it: a continual Being Beaten, as the reader sees; a
Being Stript, till one was nearly bare in that quarter."

COURSE OF THE WAR, IN THE GERMAN PART OF IT.

In Germany the mentionable events are still fewer; and indeed, but for
one small circumstance binding on us, we might skip them altogether. For
t