were gaining great advantages, as Enghien, now become Prince of
Conde by the death of his father, had been sent into Catalonia
with the greater portion of his army. Turenne, foreseeing that his
German regiments would refuse to march to Flanders, leaving their
own country open to invasion and plunder by the Imperialists,
warmly opposed the plan, and sent messenger after messenger to
the cardinal urging him to countermand the order. The friends of
Bavaria and the Catholic princes urged strongly upon the queen
that the continuance of the war would utterly destroy the Catholic
religion in Germany, and that the Swedes alone would reap advantage
from the fall of the house of Austria. Moved by their arguments
and those of Mazarin to the same effect, she supported the latter,
and peremptory orders were sent to Turenne to march to Flanders,
where matters were going from bad to worse. Turenne obeyed them,
captured on his march towards the Rhine several towns and fortresses,
destroying their fortifications so that they would not be able to
oppose him if he returned to Germany. But on arriving on the Rhine
his anticipations of trouble were fulfilled. General Rosen,
whose blunder had been the cause of the disaster at Marienthal,
and who had since his return from captivity persistently worked
in opposition to Turenne, fomented discontent among the troops of
Weimar, and directly they crossed the Rhine they absolutely refused
to advance. They had just cause for complaint; they had fought with
distinguished valour, and they alone had saved the French army from
suffering crushing defeat at Nordlingen; their pay was six months
in arrear, and the proposal now that they should leave their own
country and fight in Flanders was naturally most repugnant to them.
They at once marched away towards Strasburg. Turenne followed them
with three thousand infantry, four French regiments of horse, and
the only one of the Weimar cavalry that had remained faithful to