In the early part of the next year, 1704., the King made La Queue, who was a captain of cavalry, campmaster.  This La Queue was seigneur of the place of which he bore the name, distant six leagues from Versailles, and as much from Dreux.  He had married a girl that the King had had by a gardener’s wife.  Bontems, the confidential valet of the King, had brought about the marriage without declaring the names of the father or the mother of the girl; but La Queue knew it, and promised himself a fortune.  The girl herself was tall and strongly resembled the King.  Unfortunately for her, she knew the secret of her birth, and much envied her three sisters—­recognised, and so grandly married.  She lived on very good terms with her husband—­always, however, in the greatest privacy—­ and had several children by him.  La Queue himself, although by this marriage son-in-law of the King, seldom appeared at the Court, and, when there, was on the same footing as the simplest soldier.  Bontems did not fail from time to time to give him money.  The wife of La Queue lived very melancholily for twenty years in her village, never left it, and scarcely ever went abroad for fear of betraying herself.

On Wednesday, the 25th of June, Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne had a son born to him.  This event caused great joy to the King and the Court.  The town shared their delight, and carried their enthusiasm almost to madness, by the excess of their demonstration and their fetes.  The King gave a fete at Marly, and made the most magnificent presents to Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne when she left her bed.  But we soon had reason to repent of so much joy, for the child died in less than a year—­and of so much money unwisely spent, in fetes when it was wanted for more pressing purposes.  Even while these rejoicings were being celebrated, news reached us which spread consternation in every family, and cast a gloom over the whole city.

I have already said that a grand alliance, with the Emperor at its head, had been formed against France, and that our troops were opposing the Allies in various parts of Europe.  The Elector of Bavaria had joined his forces to ours, and had already done us some service.  On the 12th of August he led his men into the plain of Hochstedt, where, during the previous year, he had gained a victory over the Imperialists.  In this plain he was joined by our troops, who took up positions right and left of him, under the command of Tallard and Marsin.  The Elector himself had command of all.  Soon after their arrival at Hochstedt, they received intelligence that Prince Eugene, with the Imperialist forces, and the Duke of Marlborough with the English were coming to meet them.  Our generals had, however, all the day before them to choose their ground, and to make their dispositions.  It would have been difficult to succeed worse, both with the one and the other.  A brook, by no means of a miry kind, ran parallel to our army; and in front