been raised to over twenty thousand men, he was assailed and defeated with loss by Souham before he could make up his mind to act. On that same day Coburg had designed to make a diversion in Clerfaye's favour, by an attack on Mouscron, upon a plan calculated so exactly to expose the Duke of York's column to destruction, as on the 18th of May, that the Duke refused to accept it until it was altered. This, however, was of small importance, for the French, having perfect information of the intended movements, appeared in every direction in such force that the enterprise was abandoned. The state of things at the Austrian headquarters was indeed almost beyond belief. Insensible to all ideas of duty and discipline, the young staff-officers, described by Craig as "in general the most contemptible of puppies," had talked openly of the projected movement in the coffee-*houses at noon, though the Duke of York received no information of it until ten hours later, nor any orders until four o'clock on the next morning. "Mack used to keep these gentry in order," wrote Craig, "and, had he been here, the prison would have been full of them next day; but indeed it would never have happened." Meanwhile Clerfaye remained so
June 12. incurably supine that the Duke of York more than once entreated Coburg to entrust the relief of Ypres
June 13. to himself, but in vain. Roused by repeated orders to attack, Clerfaye at last moved against Souham in five columns, gained some advantage at first, captured ten guns, and then as usual sat still until Souham had gathered troops sufficient for a counter attack, when he immediately retired to his old position at Thielt.
This sealed the fate of Ypres, the key of maritime Flanders, the chief support of the right flank of the
