d passed an ironical compliment on the speed he exerted
in his flight, which, considering his age and infirmities I said was
surprising. He was stung to the quick by this sarcasm, and, with an air
of threatening disdain, bade me know myself better, and remember the
correction I had already received from him for my insolence; for he
might not always be in the humour of sparing a wretch who abused his
goodness. To this inuendo I made no reply but by a kick on the breech,
which overturned him in an instant. He started up with wonderful
agility, and, drawing his sword, attacked me with great fury. Several
people interposed, but, when he informed them of its being an affair of
honour, they retired, and left us to decide the battle by ourselves.
I sustained his onset with little damage, having only received a small
scratch on my right shoulder, and, seeing his breath and vigour almost
exhausted, assaulted him in my turn, closed with him, and wrested his
sword out of his hand in the struggle. Having thus acquired the victory,
I desired him to beg his life; to which demand he made no answer, but
shrugged up his shoulders to his ears, expanded his hands, elevated
the skin on his forehead and eyebrows, and depressed the corners of his
mouth in such a manner, that I could scarce refrain from laughing aloud
at his grotesque appearance. That I might, however, mortify his vanity,
which triumphed without bounds over my misfortune, I thrust his sword up
to the hilt in something (it was not a tansy), that lay smoking on the
plain, and joined the rest of the soldiers with an air of tranquillity
and indifference.

There was nothing more of moment attempted by either of the armies
during the remaining part of the campaign, which being ended, the
English marched back to the Netherlands; part of our army was detached
to French Flanders, and our regiment ordered into winter quarters in
Champagne. It was the fate of the grenadier company, to which I now
belonged, to lie at Rheims, where I found myself in the utmost want
of everything, my pay, which amounted to five sols a day, far from
supplying me with necessaries, being scarce sufficient to procure a
wretched subsistence to keep soul and body together; so that I was,
by hunger and hard duty, brought down to the meagre condition of my
fellow-soldiers, and my linen reduced from three tolerable shirts to
two pair of sleeves and necks, the bodies having been long ago converted
into spatterdaches