expeditious King! Is to be at Cleve the sixth day hence: Meet me
there, then],--longer I cannot give you.'

RODEN (considering a moment). "'If your Majesty will permit me to
use ESTAFETTES [express messengers] for the Towns farthest off,--as
I cannot myself, within the time, travel over all the Towns,--I
hope to be ready.'

KING. "'That I permit; and will repay you the ESTAFETTE moneys.--
Tell me, How comes the decrease of population in these parts?
Recruits I got none.'

RODEN. "'Under favor of your Majesty, Regiment Schenkendorf got,
every year, for recompletion, what recruits were wanted, from its
Canton in the Grafschaft Mark here.'

KING. "'There you may be right: but from Cleve Country we had no
recruits; not we, though the Austrians had, [with a slight sarcasm
of tone].

RODEN. "'Out of Cleve, so far as I know, there were no recruits
delivered to the Austrians.'

KING. "'You could not know; you were with the Allied Army' [Duke
Ferdinand's, commissariating and the like, where Duke Ferdinand
recognized you to have a head].

RODEN. "'There have been many epidemic diseases too; especially in
Soest;--after the Battle of Vellinghausen all the wounded were
brought thither, and the hospitals were established there.'