Elsewhere, also, the difficulty of retreating was great.  Fighting went on at various points all night, and the enemy were on the alert.  Some of the troops of our right, while debating as to the means of retreat, found they were about to be surrounded by the enemy.  The Vidame of Amiens saw that not a moment was to be lost.  He cried to the light horse, of which he was captain, “Follow me,” and pierced his way through a line of the enemy’s cavalry.  He then found himself in front of a line of infantry, which fired upon him, but opened to give him passage.  At the same moment, the household troops and others, profiting by a movement so bold, followed the Vidame and his men, and all escaped together to Ghent, led on by the Vidame, to whose sense and courage the safety of these troops was owing.

M. de Vendome arrived at Ghent, between seven and eight o’clock in the morning.  Even at this moment he did not forget his disgusting habits, and as soon as he set foot to ground.... in sight of all the troops as they came by,—­then at once went to bed, without giving any orders, or seeing to anything, and remained more than thirty hours without rising, in order to repose himself after his fatigues.  He learnt that Monseigneur de Bourgogne and the army had pushed on to Lawendeghem; but he paid no attention to it, and continued to sup and to sleep at Ghent several days running, without attending to anything.

CHAPTER XLII

As soon as Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne arrived at Lawendeghem, he wrote a short letter to the King, and referred him for details to M. de Vendome.  But at the same time he wrote to the Duchess, very clearly expressing to her where the fault lay.  M. de Vendome, on his side, wrote to the King, and tried to persuade him that the battle had not been disadvantageous to us.  A short time afterwards, he wrote again, telling the King that he could have beaten the enemies had he been sustained; and that, if, contrary to his advice, retreat had not been determined on, he would certainly have beaten them the next day.  For the details he referred to Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne.

I had always feared that some ill-fortune would fall to the lot of Monseigneur, le Duc de Bourgogne if he served under M. de Vendome at the army.  When I first learned that he was going to Flanders with M. de Vendome, I expressed my apprehensions to M. de Beauvilliers, who treated them as unreasonable and ridiculous.  He soon had good cause to admit that I had not spoken without justice.  Our disasters at Oudenarde were very great.  We had many men and officers killed and wounded, four thousand men and seven hundred officers taken prisoners, and a prodigious quantity missing and dispersed.  All these losses were, as I have shown, entirely due to the laziness and inattention of M. de Vendome.  Yet the friends of that general—­and he had many at the Court and in the army—­ actually had the audacity to lay the blame upon Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne.  This was what I had foreseen, viz., M. de Vendome, in case any misfortune occurred, would be sure to throw the burden of it upon Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne.