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Updated: May 2, 2025
"Well, Captain Stilwell," the earl said as Jack entered his apartment, "what news do you bring me from Barcelona? I hear that Tesse has invested the town." "My last news is from Madrid, general," Jack said; "I have had to stay a week in that city." And he then proceeded to relate the series of events which had happened from the time he joined the Count of Cifuentes.
The enemy's fleet arrived, and the besieged at once took new courage. Tesse, who had joined the siege, saw at once that it was useless to continue it. We had for some time depended upon the open sea for supplies. Now that the English fleet had arrived, we could depend upon the sea no longer. The King of Spain saw, at last, that there was no help for it but to raise the siege.
Resistance had been offered to foraging parties of the French army, and the terrible vengeance which had been taken by Tesse for these acts had roused the whole province in a flame of insurrection.
"A grey hat," replied the King; "where the devil did you learn that?" "From M. de, Lauzun, Sire, for whom you created the charge," said Tesse, all embarrassment. On the instant, the good Lauzun vanished, bursting with laughter, and the King assured Tesse that M. de Lauzun had merely been joking with him. I never saw a man so confounded as Tesse at this.
M. le Duc d'Orleans agreed with me, and the next day sent for him and gave him his orders. When it was known that the Czar was near Dunkerque, the Regent sent the Marquis de Neelle to receive him at Calais, and accompany him until they met the Marechal de Tesse, who was not to go beyond Beaumont to wait for him.
The King and all the Court believed this, and neither the King nor Madame de Maintenon offered any objections. As soon as Tesse knew this he hurried his son-in-law out of the realm, and so put a stop to his follies and the mortal fear they had caused.
The Marechal de Tesse, who was to do the honours of his house and of his table, to accompany him everywhere, and not quit the place where he might be, lodged in an apartment of the Hotel de Lesdiguieres, and had enough to do in following and sometimes running after him. Verton, one of the King's maitres d'hotel, was charged with serving him and all the tables of the Czar and his suite.
Men were forbidden also to pass cattle through a hollow tree or per terram foratam transire. In France weak children were passed through a hollow stone of S. Tesse. In the crypt of Ripon Minster is a hole in the rock through which young women crept to establish their innocence when charged with incontinence.
"Three days ago there were many thousands of men under arms," the priest replied; "by tonight there will be less than as many hundreds. The day Tesse crossed the frontier with his army the greater portion of the bands went to their homes, and their arms will be laid aside until the news comes that the French army is on its return from Barcelona.
The breaches which had been made by the English cannon were still open, and even that in the all important citadel of Montjuich remained as it had been left by the explosion of the magazine. Not until Tesse was pressing down from Lerida and de Noailles from Roussillon did the king awake to his danger.
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