28 MEMOIRS OF THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON.

Marborougli put himself in motion with, so much, diligence
that he stole three forced marches before Vendome had the
slightest suspicion or information of them. The news reached
him in time, but he treated it with contempt according to his
custom, assuring himself that he should outstrip the enemy by
setting out the next morning. Monseigneur le Due de Bour-
gogne pressed him to start that evening: such as dared repre-
sented to him the necessity and the importance of doing so.
All was vain—in spite of repeated information of the enemy's
march. The neglect was such that bridges had not been
thought of for a little brook at the head of the camp, which it
was necessary to cross.

On the next day, "Wednesday, the llth of July, a party of
our troops, under the command of Biron, which had been sent
on in advance to the Escaut, discovered, after passing it as
they could, for the bridges were not yet made, all the army of
the enemy bending round towards them, the rear of their
columns touching at Oudenarde, where they also had crossed.
Biron at once despatched a messenger to the Princes and to M.
de Vendome to inform them of this, and to ask for orders.
Vendome, annoyed by information so different to what he ex-
pected, maintained that it could not be true. As he was dis-
puting, an officer arrived from Biron to confirm the news; but
this only irritated Vendome anew, and made him more obsti-
nate. A third messenger arrived, and then M. de Vendome,
still affecting disbelief of the news sent him, flew in a passion,
but nevertheless mounted his horse, saying that all this was
the work of the devil, and that such diligence was impossible.
He sent orders to Biron to attack the enemy, promising to sup-
port him immediately. He told the Princes, at the same time,
to gently follow with the whole of the army, while he placed
himself at the head of his columns, and pushed on briskly to
Biron.

Biron meanwhile placed his troops as well as he could, on
ground very unequal and much cut up. He wished to execute
the order he had received, less from any hopes of success in a
combat so vastly disproportioned than to secure himself from