TURENNE. 119. Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, born September 16, 1611, was the second son of the Duc de Bouillon, Prince of Sedan, and Elizabeth of Nassau, daughter of the celebrated William of Orange, to whose courage and talentsTM the Netherlandss mainly owed their deliverance from Spain. Soon after his father's death, the duchess sent him, when he was not yet thirteen years old, into the Low Countries,* to learn the art of war under his uncle, Maurice of Nassau. The latter placed his young relationa in the ranks, as a * volunteer, where he served for some time, enduring all hardships to which the commond soldiers were exposed. In his second campaign he was promoted to the command of a company, which he retained for four years, distinguished by the admirable discipline of his men, by unceasingh attention to the due performance of his own duty, and by his eagerness to become thoroughly acquainted with every branch of service. m 120. His first laurels were reaped1 in 1634, at the siege of the strong fortress of Lamotte, in Lorraine, where he headedn the assault, and, by his skill and bravery, mainly contributed to its success. For this exploit he was raised,P at the early age of twentythree, to the rank of maréchal de camp, the second grade of military ranka in France. In the following year, the breaking-out of wars between France and Austriat opened a wideru field of action. Turenne held a subordinate command in the army, which, P naître.- quel. Guillaume.- -au courage et aux talents dut * principalement.- ▪ l'Espagne. les Pays-Bas. y de la. b pendant.- les fatigues.a les simples.- e nommé au.- garder. pendant. h continuelle. dans. • habileté. n - l'accomplissement. — parfaitement instruit commander.- de la carrière militaire. 1 cueillir. P promu. importante. L'année suivante.- -la déclaration de guerre. u 'plus vaste.▾ avoir.- *subalterne. l'Autriche. under the Cardinal de la Valette, marched into Germany to support the Swedes, commanded by the Duke of Weimar. At first fortune smiled on the allies; but, ere long, scarcity of provisions compelled them to a disastrous retreat overf a ruineds country, in the face of the enemy. On this occasion the young soldier's ability and disinterestedness were equally conspicuous. He sold his platek and equipage for the use1 of the army; threw away his baggage to load the waggons with those stragglers who must otherwise have been abandoned; and marched on foot, while he gave up his own horse to the relief of one who had fallen exhausted byr hunger and fatigue. These ares the acts which win the attachment of soldiers, and Turenne was idolised by his.t m 121. When war broke out afresh between France and Spain, in 1667, Louis XIV. made his first campaign under Turenne's guidance, and gained possession of nearly the whole of Flanders. In 1672, when Louis resolved to undertake in person the conquest of Holland, he again placed the command in Turenne's hands, and disgraced several marshals who refused to receive orders from the viscount, considering themselves his equals in military rank. One the approach of spring, 1674, he was sent to take command of the French army in Alsace, which, amounting to no more than ten thousand men, was pressed by a powerful confederation of the troops of the empire, and those of Brandenburg once again in the field. Turenne set himself tok beat the allies in sous les ordres du. Allemagne. z s'avancer. b Suédois. - D'abord.- 1 pour les besoins." jeter." pour.- ■ Voilà. - l'Espagne. Flandre. tidolatré des siens. la conduite. bla Hollande. * argenterie. des traîneurs. épuiser de. éclater de nouveau. - céder. * s'emparer. - a toute la donner de nouveau le com mandement à Turenne.- d se considérant. e A.- -fpour prendre.- - ne se monter pas à plus de.- accabler.une seconde fois en campagne.- -*s'appliquer à. detail, before they could form a junction. He passed the Rhine,1 marched forty French leagues in four days, and came up with the Imperialists, under the Duke of Lorraine, at Sentzheim. They occupied a strong position, their wings resting on mountains, their centre protected by a river and a fortified town. Turenne hesitated: it seemed rasha to attack, but a victory was needful beforer the combination of the two armies should render their force irresistible; and he commanded the best troops of France. The event justified his confidence. Every post was carrieds sword in hand. The marshal had his horse killed under him, and was slightly wounded. To the officers, who crowded round him with congratulations," he replied, with one of those short and happy speeches which tell upon an army more than the most laboured harangues: "With troops like you, gentlemen, a man ought to attack boldly, for he is sure to conquer." Ꮓ d 122. This great man was struck by a cannon ball,b while engaged in reconnoitring the enemy's position, near Sulbach, previous to giving a battle, and he fell dead from his horse, July 27, 1675. The same shot carried off the arm of St. Hilaire, commander-inchief of the artillery. "Weep not for me," said the brave soldier to his son; "it is for* that great man that we oughts to weep.” The Swabian peasants let the spot where he fell lie* fallow for many years, and carefully preserved a tree under which he had been sitting just before.1 Strange that the people who had suffered so much at his hands should regard his memory with such respect! 1 Rhin.puyées. Impériaux. P ap -avant que. m faire." rencontrer.a téméraire. emporter. l'épée à la main." pour le féliciter. - par. faire sur. les mieux préparées. - hardiment.- ade.b boulet pendant qu'il être occupé à reconnaître. de canon. d avant de livrer.- - emporter.Ce n'est pas moi qu'il faut pleurer.- -8 devoir. inculte.1 pendant.- *lequel. 1 un moment auparavant. m Chose étrange. The character of Turenne was more remarkable for solidity than brilliancy. Many generals may have been better qualified to complete a campaign by one decisive blow; few, probably, have laid the schemer of a campaign with more judgment, or shown more skill and patience in carrying their plans into effect.s And it is remarkablet that, contrary to general experience, he became much more enterprising in advanced years" than he had been in youth. In his earlier years he seldom ventured to gives battle, except where victory was nearly certain: but a course of victory inspired confidence, and trained by long practice to distinguish the difficult from the impossible, he adopted in his later campaigns a bolder styled of tactics than had seemed congenial to his original temper. Equally calm in success or in defeat, Turenne was always ready to prosecute the onef or to repair the other. a HENRY IV., KING OF FRANCE. 123. Henry IV., the most celebrated, the most beloved, and, perhaps, in spite of his manyi faults, the best of the French monarchs, was bornk at Pau, the capital of Bearn, in 1553. The laborious exercisem to which he had been accustomed fromn his youth had rendered him indefatigable; he suffered, with patience, cold, heat, hunger, thirst, and want of sleep. He was born a warrior ;P intrepid in danger, cool and deliberate when commanding, possessed of surprising quickness and presence of plus capable. à exécution.- une suite. dresser le plan. 8 q à mettre leurs plans til est à remarquer. " dans un âge avancé. - hasarder. b former. y de livrer. quand. e carac h malgré. - de sang froid d - dernières.- a genre.tère naturel. 'à poursuivre l'un. - 8 aimé. nombreux.. naquit. du.- m exereices.- -"dès. l'insomnie. Phomme de guerre. dans le commandement. V mind in the execution of his designs; bold in his enterprises, but bold with judgment. His reign was a courser of victories, crowned by clemency, and uphelds by a skilful policy in the government. He was magnificent ont great occasions; otherwise so good an economist, that, notwithstanding the considerable expenses incurred by his wars, he left, after paying all his debts, more than fifteen millions in his coffers at his death, which at that time was a very large sum. His principal fault was his too great love of women; to which may be added his passion for gaming: he was master over all other passions, but a* slave to these. Posterity has almost forgotten his defects, to dwell upon the remembrance of his great qualities; his heroic valour, and his clemency towardss so many persons, deserve immortal praise-it wash by them he vanquished his enemies; and it is difficult to determine whether he conquered his kingdom by his clemency or by force of arms. с 124. The battle of Arques was fought in the year of his accession. With four thousand men he withstood theP Duc de Mayenne, who was pursuing him with twenty-five thousand, and gained the battle, in spite of the disparity. In the following year, 1590, he gainedt a splendid victory at " Ivry, over the Leaguers, commanded by Mayenne, and a Spanish army superior in numbers. On this occasion hey made that celebrated speech to his soldiers before the battle: "If you lose sight of your standards, suite.- -s soutenir.t dans les.que ses guerres lui occasionnèrent.-ce qui.- - dans ce temps-là.trop aimer les femmes. des. ne se souvenir que.- -8 envers. de dire. " mais du reste.- plus de. après. bdéfaut.-être d'avoir de celles-là. pour hc'est.- qu'il soumettre. si.- m par la force de ses.- et sur. Ce fut dans cette occasion qu'il.perdre de vue. F -" se donner. - malgré. Ligueurs. Si vous |