Soon after this, Chamillart, who was completely of the party of M. de Vendome, thought fit to write a letter to Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne, in which he counselled him to live on good terms with his general.  Madame de Bourgogne never forgave Chamillart this letter, and was always annoyed with her husband that he acted upon it.  His religious sentiments induced him to do so.  Vendome so profited by the advances made to him by the young Prince, that he audaciously brought Alberoni with him when he visited Monseigneur de Bourgogne.  This weakness of Monseigneur de Bourgogne lost him many friends, and made his enemies more bold than ever:  Madame de Bourgogne, however, did not despair.  She wrote to her husband that for M. de Vendome she had more aversion and contempt than for any one else in the world, and that nothing would make her forget what he had done.  We shall see with what courage she knew how to keep her word.

While the discussions upon the battle of Oudenarde were yet proceeding, a league was formed with France against the Emperor by all the states of Italy.  The King (Louis XIV.) accepted, however, too late, a project he himself ought to have proposed and executed.  He lost perhaps the most precious opportunity he had had during all his reign.  The step he at last took was so apparent that it alarmed the allies, and put them on their guard.  Except Flanders, they did nothing in any other spot, and turned all their attention to Italy.

Let us return, however, to Flanders.

Prince Eugene, with a large booty gathered in Artois and elsewhere, had fixed himself at Brussels.  He wished to bear off his spoils, which required more than five thousand waggons to carry it, and which consisted in great part of provisions, worth three million five hundred thousand francs, and set out with them to join the army of the Duke of Marlborough.  Our troops could not, of course, be in ignorance of this.  M. de Vendome wished to attack the convoy with half his troops.  The project seemed good, and, in case of success, would have brought results equally honourable and useful.  Monseigneur de Bourgogne, however, opposed the attack, I know not why; and M. de Vendome, so obstinate until then, gave in to him in this case.  His object was to ruin the Prince utterly, for allowing such a good chance to escape, the blame resting entirely upon him.  Obstinacy and audacity had served M. de Vendome at Oudenarde:  he expected no less a success now from his deference.

Some anxiety was felt just about this time for Lille, which it was feared the enemy would lay siege to.  Boufflers went to command there, at his own request, end found the place very ill-garrisoned with raw troops, many of whom had never smelt powder.  M. de Vendome, however, laughed at the idea of the siege of Lille, as something mad and ridiculous.  Nevertheless, the town was invested on the 12th of August, as the King duly learned on the 14th.  Even then, flattery