Magnanimous Stair never made the least explanation, to an
undiscerning Public or Parliament; wrapt himself in strict silence,
and accepted in a grand way what had come to him. [His Papers, to
voluminous extent, are still in the Family Archives;--not
inaccessible, I think, were the right student of them (who would be
a rare article among us!) to turn up.] Clear it is, the Pragmatic
Army had come across again, at Aschaffenburg, Sunday, June 16th;
and was found there by his Majesty on the Wednesday following, with
its two internecine plans fallen into mutual death; a Pragmatic
Army in truly dangerous circumstances.

"The English who were in and round Aschaffenburg itself,
Hanoverians and Austrians encamping farther down, had put a battery
on the Bridge of Aschaffenburg; hoping to be able to forage thereby
on the other side of the Mayn. Whereupon Noailles had instantly
clapt a redoubt, under due cover of a Wood, at his end of the
Bridge, 'No passage this way, gentlemen, except into the cannon's
throat!'--so that Marshal Stair, reconnoitring that way, 'had his
hat shot off,' and rapidly drew back again. Nay, before long,
Noailles, at the Village of Seligenstadt, some eight miles farther
down, throws two wooden or pontoon bridges over; [Sketch of Plan at
p. 257.] can bring his whole Army across at Seligenstadt;
prohibits all manner of supply to us from Hanau or our Magazines by
his arrangement there:"--(Notable little Seligenstadt, "City of the
Blessed;" where Eginhart and Emma, ever since Charlemagne's time,
lie waiting the Resurrection; that is the place of these Noailles
contrivances!)--"Furthermore, we learn, Noailles has seized a post
twenty miles farther up the river (Miltenberg the name of it);
and will prevent supplies from coming down to us out of Branken or
the Neckar Country. We had forgotten, or our COLLAPSE of plans had