Page:The reign of George VI - 1763.djvu/130

 Charles were in vain; the battle was lost beyond the power of recovery; and to complete the misfortunes of the French, their King, as he was endeavouring to rally his men, was killed by a cannon ball. The Earl of Bury, with twenty thousand men pursued the flying enemy, and made a vast multitude of prisoners.

Never was any battle more critically won. The English army was on the point of being defeated, which would certainly have been its fate, had not the King recovered all, by one of the most masterly strokes of generalship recorded in history: never was there a braver soldier; or a more complete commander; both characters he equally displayed in this celebrated battle: he received a slight wound in his left arm; had three horses killed under him; and during the whole action, exposed his