Louis was not so humbled in means or in hopes, as to be willing to accept these conditions, and he resolved to prosecute the war with vigour ; but he was at a loss for money. In this emergency, he issued bills upon the mint to a very large amount, but most foolishly refused to take them in payment of taxes. The consequence was, that they fell into such discredit, as to be at more than 50 per cent. discount. He therefore was obliged to continue the practice of loans, and to anticipate the royal revenue. Still his efforts were astonishing : The coasts of the Chan nel and Mediterranean were defended by a line of militia ; an army was stationed in Flanders, under the Duke of Ven dome; another in the neighbourhood of Strasburg, under Villars ; two smaller armies were collected in Navarre and Rousillon; and the Duke of Berwick, who still com manded in Spain, was strongly reinforced. These rein forcements came from Italy, where the French troops, amounting to 15,000 men, had been obliged, by capitula tion, to evacuate Lombardy.
In Spain, the House of Bourbon was successful. The Duke of Orleans, who assumed the command after the bat tle of Almanza, reduced Valentin and Arragon, and took Lerida in Catalonia, which had formerly resisted the great Conde. In Germany, Louis was also fortunate ; for Mar shal Villars having passed the Rhine, laid Swabia and Franconia under contribution. France, itself, however, was exposed to danger in the midst of these successes ; for Prince Eugene and the Duke of Savoy, being perfectly at liberty, in consequence of the French army having evacu ated Lombardy, formed a plan, in conjunction with the ma ritime powers, to reduce Toulon or Marseilles. But un fortunately for the allies, before the Prince appeared with the van of the Imperialists, the French had found means to throw 8,000 men into Toulon, the place which they ulti mately had resolved to attack. They had also taken posses sion of all the eminences that commanded the city ; and the allies, in attempting to dislodge them, were repulsed with considerable loss. In consequence, the generals deemed it prudent to give up the attempt. Incidentally, however, this expedition was detrimental to France ; for the detach ments drawn from the army of Marshal Villars for the de fence of Toulon, obliged him to abandon his projects against Germany, and to repass the Rhine.
In the month of July, 1708, the French army under the Duke of Vendome was defeated by the Duke of Marlbo rough, at Oudenarde. Immediately after this battle, the former were joined by a strong reinforcement under the Duke of Berwick from the Rhine, and the latter by Prince Eugene's army. The siege of Lisle, the principal city in French Flanders, and the second in the dominions of Louis, was now besieged by the allies ; Eugene being engaged with it directly, and Marlborough covering the siege. Into this place Marshal De Bouflers, an old experienced officer, had thrown himself with some of the best troops of France ; but notwithstanding his gallant efforts, and his utmost skill, in the space of two months he was obliged to capitulate. In
Italy, the Duke of Savoy attempted to pass through Switz erland, in order to join the troops of the empire in Alsace, and penetrate into France on that side ; but he was so vi gorously opposed by Villars, that he was content with se curing his own dominions against the invasions of the ene my, by reducing Exilles, La Perouse, and Fenestully.
In consequence of the reduction of Lisle, a road was opened to the very gates of Paris ; and the citizens were insulted and alarmed by the predatory excursions of the enemy ; of course, they became discontented and weary of the war ; and their discontent and misery were increased and participated by the other inhabitants of France, from the circumstance of a severe winter occurring, which de stroyed the grain and the olive trees, and threw over their prospects, already gloomy, the certainty of a partial famine. Louis, therefore, was compelled to direct his thoughts to peace. In 1709, he agreed to yield the whole Spanish monarchy to the Ifouse of Austria ; to cede to the emperor all that he had conquered on the upper Rhine ; to give Fumes, Ypres, Alenin, Tourney, Conde, and Nlaubeuge, as a barrier to the United Provinces ; to acknowledge the Elector of Brandenburg as King of Prussia, and the Duke of Hanover as the ninth elector of the empire ; to remove the Pretender from France, and acknowledge Queen Anne; to restore every thing required by the Duke of Savoy ; and to agree to the cessions made to the King of Portugal, by his treaty with the confederates. But the allies, think ing that the moment was arrived when Louis might be still more effectually humbled, demanded, in addition to these terms, his agreement to certain preliminary articles, which were not only so degrading in themselves, but couched in such dictatorial language, that he resolved not to consent to them ; threw himself upon his people, and, by explain ing the ample concessions which he had offered, roused their indignation and pride. Hostilities therefore were continued. The army of the allies, amounting to 100,000 men, under Eugene and Marlborough, were opposed to Villars, who had been called to the command as the last hope of his country, and who was strongly and advan tageously posted between Couriere and Bethune. The al lies, after reconnoitring his position, were afraid to attack him, and set down before Tournay ; which, notwithstand ing the strength both of the town and the citadel—the latter of which had been constructed by Vauban—fell into their power in the course of a month. They now formed the plan of besieging Mons. Villars, on his part, resolved to attempt to save it ; but not arriving there before the allies, he took possession of a strong camp about a league from the city, his right extending to the village of Malplaquet. Here was fought a most obstinate battle, in which Mar shal Villars was wounded and carried off the field, and the allies were the victors, though their loss was nearly double that of the French. Mons now fell, and its surrender con cluded this campaign in Flanders.