The disorder increased, however, every moment.  Nobody recognised his troop.  All were pell-mell, cavalry, infantry, dragoons; not a battalion, not a squadron together, and all in confusion, one upon the other.

Night came.  We had lost much ground, one-half of the army had not finished arriving.  In this sad situation the Princes consulted with M. de Vendome as to what was to be done.  He, furious at being so terribly out of his reckoning, affronted everybody.  Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne wished to speak; but Vendome intoxicated with choler and authority; closed his mouth, by saying to him in an imperious voice before everybody, “That he came to the army only on condition of obeying him.”  These enormous words, pronounced at a moment in which everybody felt so terribly the weight of the obedience rendered to his idleness and obstinacy, made everybody tremble with indignation.  The young Prince to whom they were addressed, hesitated, mastered himself, and kept silence.  Vendome went on declaring that the battle was not lost—­that it could be recommenced the next morning, when the rest of the army had arrived, and so on.  No one of consequence cared to reply.

From every side soon came information, however, that the disorder was extreme.  Pursegur, Matignon, Sousternon, Cheladet, Purguyon, all brought the same news.  Vendome, seeing that it was useless to resist, all this testimony, and beside himself with rage, cried, “Oh, very well, gentlemen!  I see clearly what you wish.  We must retire, then;” and looking at Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne, he added, “I know you have long wished to do so, Monseigneur.”

These words, which could not fail to be taken in a double sense, were pronounced exactly as I relate them, and were emphasized in a manner to leave no doubt as to their signification.  Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne remained silent as before, and for some time the silence was unbroken.  At last, Pursegur interrupted it, by asking how the retreat was to be executed.  Each, then, spoke confusedly.  Vendome, in his turn, kept silence from vexation or embarrassment; then he said they must march to Ghent, without adding how, or anything else.

The day had been very fatiguing; the retreat was long and perilous.  The Princes mounted their horses, and took the road to Ghent.  Vendome set out without giving any orders, or seeing to anything.  The general officers returned to their posts, and of themselves gave the order to retreat.  Yet so great was the confusion, that the Chevalier Rosel, lieutenant-general, at the head of a hundred squadrons, received no orders.  In the morning he found himself with his hundred squadrons, which had been utterly forgotten.  He at once commenced his march; but to retreat in full daylight was very difficult, as he soon found.  He had to sustain the attacks of the enemy during several hours of his march.