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 powers of Europe sent ambassadors to Vienna. But while they were doing this, in March, 1815, Napoleon escaped from Elba, landed in France, and called on the French people to follow him once more. Nearly all Frenchmen were tired of war; but, like other brave fellows, they loved glory, and Napoleon's name spelt glory for them. They forgot his tyranny and his folly, and they proclaimed him Emperor yet again. Europe was utterly taken by surprise, and nearly all its armies had been dismissed. But the Prussians and English were more ready for fighting than the Russians and Austrians, and so within three months they were able to collect over two hundred thousand men for the defence of Belgium. Napoleon's new army was nearly three hundred thousand strong; but he only took about half of it to attack Belgium early in the summer of 1815.

The Duke of Wellington and the Prussian general, Marshal Blucher, were waiting for him in a long line to the south of Brussels. On June 16th, Napoleon's left wing fought a fearful drawn battle with Wellington at Quatre Bras, and his right wing just managed to beat Blucher at Ligny. On the 17th there was no fighting; but the Prussians had fallen back northwards, and had lost their close touch with the English. So, on the 18th, Wellington with 69,000 British, Hanoverians and Brunswickers had to bear, for seven hours, the attacks of 75,000 Frenchmen at Waterloo. Wellington knew that Blucher would come and help him as fast as he could; but the roads were heavy from rain, and Blucher had been fearfully hard hit two days before. But at last he came, though his men did not get into action till about 4.30 p.m., and did not produce much effect on the French for two hours more. We had then