there must and should be fighting, of the toughest; but had no plan
or counsel farther: that he did at first ride up, to see what was
what with his own eyes; but that his horse ran away with him,
frightened at the cannon; upon which he hastily got down; drew
sword; put himself at the head of his Hanoverian Infantry [on the
right wing], and stood,--left foot drawn back, sword pushed out, in
the form of a fencing-master doing lunge,--steadily in that
defensive attitude, inexpugnable like the rocks, till all was over,
and victory gained. This is defaced by the spirit of ridicule, and
not quite correct. Britannic Majesty's horse [one of those 500 fine
animals] did, it is certain, at last dangerously run away with him;
upon which he took to his feet and his Hanoverians. But he had been
repeatedly on horseback, in the earlier stages; galloping about, to
look with his own eyes, could they have availed him; and was heard
encouraging his people, and speaking even in the English language,
'Steady, my boys; fire, my brave boys, give them fire; they will
soon run!' [ OEuvres de Frederic, (iii. 14):
compare Anonymous, Life of the Duke of Cumberland italic> (p. 64 n.); Henderson's LIFE of ditto; &c.] Latterly, there
can be no doubt, he stands [and to our imagination, he may fitly
stand throughout] in the above attitude of lunge; no fear in him,
and no plan; 'SANS PEUR ET SANS AVIS,' as me might term it. Like a
real Hanoverian Sovereign of England; like England itself, and its
ways in those German Wars. A typical epitome of long sections of
English History, that attitude of lunge!--

"The English Officers also, it is evident, behaved in their usual
way:--without knowledge of war, without fear of death, or regard to
utmost peril or difficulty; cheering their men, and keeping them
steady upon the throats of the French, so far as might be.