excellent citizen. He contrives, arranges; leads, covertly drives
the domineering Broglio, by rule of contraries or otherwise,
according to the nature of the beast; animates all men by his
laconic words; by his silences, which are still more emphatic. ...
Sechelles, provident of the future, has laid in immense supplies of
indifferent biscuit; beef was not attainable: Belleisle dismounts
his 4,000 cavalry, all but 400 dragoons; slaughters 160 horses per
day, and boils the same by way of butcher's-meat, to keep the
soldier in heart. It is his own fare, and Broglio's, to serve as
example. At Broglio's quarter, there is a kind of ordinary of
horse-flesh: Officers come in, silent speed looking through their
eyes; cut a morsel of the boiled provender, break a bad biscuit,
pour one glass of indifferent wine; and eat, hardly sitting the
while, in such haste to be at the ramparts again. The 80,000
Townsfolk, except some Jews, are against them to a man.
Belleisle cares for everything: there is strict charge on his
soldiers to observe discipline, observe civility to the Townsfolk;
there is occasional 'hanging of a Prag Butcher' or so, convicted of
spyship, but the minimum of that, we will hope."


MAILLEBOIS MARCHES, WITH AN "ARMY OF REDEMPTION" OR "OF MATHURINS"
(WITTILY SO CALLED), TO RELIEVE PRAG; REACHES THE BOHEMIAN
FRONTIER, JOINED BY THE COMTE DE SAXE; ABOVE 50,000 STRONG
(August 9th-September 19th).

Maillebois has some 40,000 men: ahead of him 600 miles of difficult
way; rainy season come, days shortening; uncertain staff of bread
("Seckendorf's meal," and what other commissariat there may be):
a difficult march, to Amberg Country and the top of the Ober-Pfalz.