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Upon croffing the Ifer, they got into a kind of CHAP. fuburb, called Lachel, where they caught eight of the hunters who had galled them from the houfes, and in requital cut them to pieces. The 1742. Auftrians were now mafters of Lachel, but had yet no footing in the town; when Baron Trenck, with his pandours, found a way to the elector's garden door, and got into the garden: just as he had broke open the other door, and was going to advance to the town walls, holding the door half open, the citizens fired from a battery directly oppofite to his men, with cartridge fhot; and being only twenty-five paces from them, killed eight of the pandours: on this the baron faftened the door again, and went the right hand way along the wall of the elector's riding houfe, till he came to the ditches, and took poft in an adjacent house, over against the town. Though the bridges were broke down, yet there were two boards left across a rivulet that ran into the ditches, which the pandours might have eafily got over, and by means of a window that had been left open in one of the tower walls, through which it was no difficult matter to climb, they might have made themselves masters of the town but if this fcheme had been put in execution, it would have been impoffible to have prevented the city from being plundered: and, as Marshal Khevenhuller had ftrictly prohibited any outrages to be committed on the inhabitants, Baron Trenck ordered his men to halt, and gave General Bernklau notice of the difpofitions he had made who came immediately running to him, and defired the pandours to proceed no further. General Bernklau therefore fummoned the town to fürrender; and after a fhort confultation, the burgomafter with fome of the aldermen,

PART dermen, were deputed to treat with the general III. on the terms of a capitulation, who granted

them the most favourable and lenient conditions. 1742. Though the French Abbe Rouffeau, in his account of the campaigns of the French King, has taxed the Auftrians with heavy charges of cruelty and inhumanity to the Bavarians, it could be with no other defign, than to frame the most favourable excufe for the breach of treaties fo notoriously violated by the French, in attacking the Queen of Hungary, and pursuing her troops to the confines of her Bohemian dominions; the conduct of the Auftrians in Bavaria was far from deferving the fevere reflections thrown upon them by the Abbe Rouffeau; all exceffes of rapine and destruction beeing carefully and strictly reftrained the Auftrians, it is true, made large contributions; but in all their collections never fhewed any extraordinary acts of severity, other than what are ufually enforced by armies when in poffeffion of a country belonging to a declared enemy; and which the French had executed with the utmost rigour in Bohemia. Yet one particular action, committed by Baron Trenck, might probably be imputed as an inftance of public feverity; but, in reality, tended only to the refentment of a private injury, and the effects of a facetious humour; for the affair, however extenuated, was truly this. That nobleman, who enjoyed a confiderable eftate in Sclavonia, had incurred the displeasure of Auditor Sazzenthal; who, in the year 1735, through the fanction of his office, took an opportunity of unjustly impofing upon the baron a fine of 1,700 florins, and alfo committed him to prifon, with no other pretence than that the baron, and his pandours, had purfued and killed fome thieves who had

stolen

ftolen his hunting horfes; the baron, though CHAP,
he had not forgot, had no opportunity of re- II
venging this injuftice on the magiftrate, till he
was now raifing contributions in Bavaria, where 1742,
he happened to meet with a country gentleman,
at his feat, in a village four miles from Munich,
who was brother-in-law to Auditor Sazzinthal:
this gentleman, hearing the baron and his pan-
dours were Sclavonians, and thinking his relati
on to the auditor would procure him refpect,
enquired of the baron if he was not acquainted
with him, and feemed elated with the honour of
being fo neerly allied to the auditor; little
fufpecting what a dangerous perfon he was speak-
ing to; who replied, he very well knew the au-
ditor to be a great rogue, that he had treated
him very ill in fining him 1,700 florins; and
that, as seven years were fince elapfed, he was
determined to make him, for the honour of
being his brother-in-law, repay both principal
and interest: at firft he refused to comply, but
the baron threatening to give him 100 lafhes, he
went into his clofet, and brought him 500
ducats. So that the baron was humourously re-
venged of the auditor, without committing any
act contrary to the laws of war; things of that
nature being permitted in a hoftile country upon
any plaufible pretences.

THE Bavarians having received a fecond reinforcement from France, the confederate army was now augmented to 40,000 men, and pitched their camp by Neder-Altach. This obliged Marshal Khevenhuller to recall his troops from Munich, and affemble all his army together near Vilshoven, where, having thrown two bridges over the Danube, General Bernklau was detached, with Baron Trenck and a body of 6,000 VOL. I. men,

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PART men, to cross that river, and march as far III. as Zell, where they encamped and entrenched

themselves, within a league of the French 1742. and Bavarians; who, after fuffering themselves to be harraffed by the excurfions of the Auftrian irregulars, marched back to Deckendorff towards the end of May; and, after pitching their encampment, the Duke de Harcourt and Marshal Thoring, with all the French grenadiers and picquets, and 3,000 Bavarian horfe, advanced to Hilkerfbergh, a caftle on the Danube, with a defign to feize the bridge the Austrians had there thrown over the river. The garrifon, which confifted of a strong body of croats, on the appearance of the French and Bavarians, marched out of the castle with a refolution to meet them; and, being fupported by a reinforcement fent to their affiftance, under the command of General Helfreich, advanced forwards, and coming up to, attacked the confederates fword in hand; and, after an obftinate engagement, compelled the French and Bavarians to retire, with the lofs of 1,000 men killed and wounded, leaving behind them five field pieces and a nephew of the Duke de Harcourt, who was taken prisoner.

AFTER this action the French and Bavarians, though fo greatly fuperior in force to the Auftri ans, avoided an engagement; and as the arms of her Hungarian majefty were victorious in Bohemia, Marfhal Khevenhuller defifted from harraffing them, till he faw the event of the proceedings at Prague, and continued to obferve the motions of the French in Bavaria, as he was intent on preventing them, or any other fuccours of France, from penetrating into Bohemia, to

the

the relief of their forces, who had been pent up and furrounded by the Austrians, in Prague.

CHAPTER III

Military operations in BOHEMIA: the battle of CZASLAW: the reconciliation of the KING of PRUSSIA, and ELECTOR of SAXONY, with the QUEEN of HUNGARY, by the treaty of BRESLAW: and the commencement of the fiege of PRAGUE by the AUSTRIANS.

N the close of the laft campaign, after the CHAP. reduction of Prague, the French and Ba- III. varian army, confifting of 48,000 men, commanded by the Marthals Broglio and Belleifle, 1742. fpread themselves in Bohemia along the Muldaw, as far as the confines of Auftria: while the Saxons and Pruffians, being about 40,000 men, marched into Moravia; the former investing Brinn, and the latter fending a detachment to befiege Glatz, a strong town fituate at the foot of the mountains that divide Bohemia from Silefia, Ddd 2 which