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132 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
woods, villages, and feveral very ftately caftles, and there are mile-{tones all the way.
‘The roads are excellent. We met with few villages on the plains of Bohemia; it feems .
the Germans have a proverb, which fays cf a thing that is fcarce, “that it is fearce asa
villaze in Bohemia.” As, however, it is evident from the lift of thofe who draw for
foldiers, that the country is extremely well peopled, and as we faw fome very good agri-
culture, and no barren ground, we did not at firft know what to make of thefe appear-
ances ; but our officer, who had travelled over the country far and near, explained
them to us. He told us, that moft of the villages lay off the great road, in the neigh-
bourhood of rivers and brooks, or behind woods, and that if we would goa mile anda
half, either to the right or left, we fhould fee enough of them. This cuftom of hiding
the habitations in the rocks of the country, or behind woods, probably took its rife in
the time of wars, when the inhabitants endeavoured to procure fhelter from the robbers
and knight-errants who infefted the land. No doubt the convenience of having water
contributed fomething to it. Between Kolin and Planiani, which are diftant two Ger-
man miles from each other, we came to the noted field of battle, which has taken its
name from thefe two places, though it ought to have it from the fimall village near which
the action really happened. Here we got out, and our Cicerone, who was proud of hav-
ing had his fhare in the honour of that day, which did away the ignominy of Aultria,
went over the ground with us.
Many reafons have been given why this battle proved fo fatal to the King of Pruffia,
and, as in all other cafes of the kind, the hiftorian will be puzzled to choofe between
the different relations of various fenfible men, who were a// eye-witnefles, and a// took
part in the labour and difficulty of the day. Here, however, the event evidently de-
pended upon the ground, which Daun knew how to make his advantage of.
Along the road, and to the right of it, there is a plain which extends as far as the eye
can reach; on the left of this there is a gentle rife, which makes a kind of peak near
the village where the great action took place. On the right of this rifing, which you
can hardly call a hill, you difcover ftraight before you a long, deep ditch, encompafled
with fteep walls, which have the appearance, at a diftance, of a plain betwixt woods. To
the left this hill finks in a remarkable hollow, and loofes itfelf backwards in a great
plain. Daun’s right wing was placed on the top of the rifing, and the remainder of
his army was covered by the ditch on the left. ‘The King of Pruflia approached by the
plain through which we were to pafs. He was compelled to fight, or give up the fiege
of Prague, and evacuate Bohemia. ‘The only part of the Imperial army he could attack
was the right wing. ‘The gallant Pruflians were not at all difheartened by the inequality
of the ground. Ever accuftomed to conquer, their right wing advanced in filence up
the hill. ‘The Imperials, who had the advantage of the ground, beat them back again.
Six times the Pruffians returned to the attack; but as the ground was very narrow,
they were at length much impeded by their own dead, who lay on the flopes of the hill
they had to afcend. Notwithftanding all this, they would ftill have gained the day, if
Daun had not had time to flank his beaten right wing with cavalry. ‘This immediately
charged to the left of the hill in the flank of the Pruffians, who, after the fharpeft con-
teft, were at length obliged to give way. Whillt they were retreating in good order,
prince Maurice of Deffau, whofe bravery often approached to rafhnels, took a fingle
battalion, and with it encountered the whole force of the Auftrian army. ‘This made
the rout much greater than it would otherwife have been. The Prince would have
fought his troops to the laft man, if he had not been called off from his rafh headed
attempt by the King’s fpecial command. As among other loffes the King’s guard had
been entirely cut off, when the Prince came up to him, he began crying out, “‘ My
guard,
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