This sad reverse and the discontent of the Elector made the King feel at last that his favourites must give way to those better able to fill their places.  Villeroy, who, since his defeat, had quite lost his head, and who, if he had been a general of the Empire, would have lost it in reality in another manner, received several strong hints from the King that he ought to give up his command.  But he either could not or would not understand them, and so tired out the King’s patience, at length.  But he was informed in language which admitted of no misapprehension that he must return.  Even then, the King was so kindly disposed towards him, that he said the Marechal had begged to be recalled with such obstinacy that he could not refuse him.  But M. de Villeroy was absurd enough to reject this salve for his honour; which led to his disgrace.  M. de Vendome had orders to leave Italy, and succeed to the command in Flanders, where the enemies had very promptly taken Ostend and Nieuport.

CHAPTER XXXV

Meanwhile, as I have promised to relate, in a continuous narrative, all our military operations of this year, let me say what passed in other directions.  The siege of Barcelona made no progress.  Our engineers were so slow and so ignorant, that they did next to nothing.  They were so venal, too, that they aided the enemy rather than us by their movements.  According to a new rule made by the King, whenever they changed the position of their guns, they were entitled to a pecuniary recompense.  Accordingly, they passed all their time in uselessly changing about from place to place, in order to receive the recompense which thus became due to them.

Our fleet, too, hearing that a much superior naval force was coming to the assistance of the enemy, and being, thanks to Pontchartrain, utterly unable to meet it, was obliged to weigh anchor, and sailed away to Toulon.  The enemy’s fleet arrived, and the besieged at once took new courage.  Tesse, who had joined the siege, saw at once that it was useless to continue it.  We had for some time depended upon the open sea for supplies.  Now that the English fleet had arrived, we could depend upon the sea no longer.  The King of Spain saw, at last, that there was no help for it but to raise the siege.

It was raised accordingly on the night between the 10th and 11th of May, after fourteen days’ bombardment.  We abandoned one hundred pieces of artillery; one hundred and fifty thousand pounds of powder; thirty thousand sacks of flour; twenty thousand sacks of sevade, a kind of oats; and a great number of bombs, cannon-balls, and implements.  As Catalonia was in revolt, it was felt that retreat could not take place in that direction; it was determined, therefore, to retire by the way of the French frontier.  For eight days, however, our troops were harassed in flank and rear by Miquelets, who followed us from mountain to