140 MEMOIRS OF THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON.

CHAPTER XV.

Imprudence of Villars—The Danger of Truthfulness—Military Mistakes—-
The Fortunes of Berwick—The son of James—Berwick's Report on the
Army—Imprudent saying of Villars—" The Good Little Fellow" in a
Scrape—What happens to him.

THE King, who had made numberless promotions, appointed
this year the same generals to the same armies. Villars was
•chosen for Flanders, as before. Having arrived at the very
.summit of favour, he thought he might venture, for the first
time in his life, to bring a few truths before the King. He did
nothing then but represent to the ministers, nay, even to the
King and Madame de Mainten6n themselves, the wretched
•state of our magazines and our garrisons; the utter absence of
all provision for the campaign, and the piteous condition of the
troops a.nd their officers, without money and without pay. This
was new language in the mouth of Villars, who hitherto had
•owed all his success to the smiling, rose-tinted account he had
given of everything. It was the frequency and the hardihood
of his falsehoods in this respect that made the King and Madame
-de Maintenon look 'upon him as their sole resource; for he
never said anything disagreeable, and never found difficulties
anywhere. Now that he had raised this fatal curtain, the
aspect appeared so hideous to them, that they found it easier
to fly into a rage than to reply. From that moment they began,
to regard Villars with other eyes. Finding that he spoke now
the language which everybody spoke, they began to look upon
him as the world had always looked upon him,—to find him
ridiculous, silly, impudent, lying, insupportable; to reproach