army, whose great battalions in close line of
battle like so many towers, but towers which knew how to repair their
breaches, were unshaken by the onset, and, tho the rest of the army
was put to rout, maintained a steady fire. Thrice the young conqueror
attempted to break the ranks of these intrepid warriors, thrice was
he repulsed by the valorous Comte de Fontaines, who was borne to
the scene of combat in his invalid's chair, by reason of his bodily
infirmities, thus demonstrating that the warrior's soul has the
ascendant over the body it animates.

But at last was he forced to yield. In vain does Beck, with a body of
fresh cavalry, hasten his march through the woods in order to attack
our exhausted soldiers; the prince has forestalled him; the defeated
battalions are asking quarter. But victory for the Duc d'Enghien was
destined to be more terrible than the combat. While with an air
of confidence he advances to receive the surrender of these brave
fellows, they, on their part, still on their guard, are in dread of
being surprized by a fresh attack. The frightful havoc wrought by the
discharge of their musketry infuriates our troops. Carnage is now
rampant; the bloodshed intoxicates the soldiers to a high degree. But
the prince, who could not bear to see these lions slaughtered like so
many lambs, calmed their overwrought feeling and enhanced the pleasure
of victory by that of pardoning the vanquished. What, then, was the
astonishment of these veteran troops and their brave officers when
they perceived that their only salvation was to give themselves up to
their conqueror! With what wonder did they regard the young prince,
whose victory had rendered still more impressive his customary proud
bearing, to which, however, his clemency had imparted a new grace.
How willingly would he have saved the life of the brave Comte de
Fontaines, but unhappily he lay stretched upon the field of battle
among the thousands of dead bodies, those whose loss is still kept by
Spain. Spain knew not that the prince who caused her the loss of so
many of her old regiments on the day of Rocroi was to finish the rest
on the plains of Lens.

Thus the first victory was the guarantee of many others. The prince
bent his knee and on the field of battle rendered to the Lord of Hosts
the glory He had sent him. There was celebrated the deliverance of
Rocroi, and thanksgivings were uttered that the threats of a once
dreaded enemy had resulted in his ow