text:  The Elector had boldly quitted Bavaria leaving his whole dominions at the mercy of the enemy except the fortified cities of Munich and Augsburg and periled his crown upon the issue of war at the French headquarters; while Marlborough and Eugene had united their forces with a determination to give battle in the heart of Germany in the enemy's territory with their communications exposed to the utmost hazard under circumstances where defeat could be attended with nothing short of total ruin