BOOK II, mary of Slone's famous evidence, and it affords a 1692. wide scope for deep and serious reflection. The king finding that lord Sydney had made himself extremely obnoxious to the Irish nation, had the good sense immediately to recall him, though he still retained the high place he had always held in the king's personal favor. The government of the kingdom was again committed to lords justices, who were lord Capel, sir Cyril Wyche, and Mr. Duncombe.

1693.

The session of parliament in England terminated on the 14th of March 1693; the king informing the two houses in his speech, that the posture of affairs necessarily required his absence abroad. The tories still retained their ascendency at court; and the earl of Nottingham was considered as the minister who possessed the chief credit with the king. Nevertheless it was the policy of William in a certain degree to balance the two parties; the whigs had at no time, therefore, been totally excluded from the great executive offices of government; and the genius of the king himself pervading the whole tenor of the administration, the general spirit of it was mild, sagacious, and beneficent. With the public it was evident that the earl of Nottingham's reputation was on the wane; though the accusations laid to his charge appear to have been false or futile. It was impossible but that some miscarriages should have

1692.

taken place, in a ministry now of several years BOOK IL duration. The language of opposition is almost always popular; the conduct of a minister is often necessarily unpopular. The victory of Russel had fascinated the nation, and his prejudices and animosities were adopted by the multitude with little knowledge or discrimination. The king,

Somers

Keeper of

Seal.

perceiving the necessity of farther conciliating the whig party, at this period gave the seals, vacated by Lord Sydney, to sir John Trenchard, who had been engaged in Monmouth's rebellion, and afterwards lived some years on the continent. He was a man of much calm resolution, strongly attached to the principles of liberty, and well acquainted with foreign affairs. On the same day sir John Sir John Somers, attorney general, was declared lord made Lord keeper of the great seal, which had been now the Great several years in commission. No appointment could be more popular, or more judicious. Somers was a man of strict integrity, of great capacity for business, of the mildest and most engaging manners, of the most generous and liberal principles. Not satisfied with the reputation of being the first lawyer and statesman of the age, he was also an exquisite judge and most munificent patron of literary merit. In a word, in him were united, in a very uncommon degree, all the virtues and accomplishments which can make a character either great or amiable; and history

BOOK II. is proud to exhibit him as one of those exalted 1693. personages who occasionally appear to adorn

King embarks for

and to enlighten a world too often ignorant or insensible of their merits. The department of the admiralty was now placed in the hands of sir Cloudesley Shovel, an officer distinguished by his professional and personal merit, assisted by the admirals Killegrew and Delaval.

The KING embarked for Holland March the 31st, Holland. 1693, and immediately repaired to the army in Flanders, where the French had assembled a force far superior to the confederates. The king of

France having joined his army in person, it was concluded that some grand design was in contemplation either upon Maestricht, Brussels, or Liege. But the king of England having with great diligence possessed himself of the strong position of Parke near Louvaine, the measures of the enemy were broken; and Louis, after detaching a body of 20,000 men to the Upper Rhine, left the care of the army to the maréchals Luxemburg and Boufflers, and returned in some disappointment to Versailles. The duke of Luxemburg now removed his camp to Meldert, within half a league of the allies-and an engagement was hourly expected; but neither side found a favorable opportunity of attack. The duke of Wirtemberg, however, with a detachment of thirty-three battalions and squadrons, forced the French lines between the Scheld and the Lys,

and laid the whole country as far as Lisle under BOOK!!. contribution. On the same day (July the 18th) 1993. on which the enemy's lines were forced, maréchal Luxemburg quitted the camp of Meldert, and moved towards Huy, which was next day invested by maréchal Villeroi and, after a feeble defence capitulated on the 23d. The French general then marched forward to Liege; but, the allies had taken the precaution of throwing ten battalions into the place. Maréchal Luxemburg nevertheless made such dispositions as seemed to threaten an approaching siege: but, on a sudden, early in the morning of the 28th, he quitted his post at Hellicheim, seven leagues distant from the camp of the confederates, and, marching in four columns, passed the Jaar, and before the close of day reached the village of Roucoux. The king of England, on discovering the van-guard of the enemy, resolved to wait the attack; as an attempt to retreat would have left his rear exposed, and the chief towns of the province of Brabant uncovered.

Landen.

The duke of Wirtemberg, not having yet re- Battle of joined the army, maréchal Luxemburg was superior, as it is said, by 30,000 men to the allies. But the king depended on the strength of his position. The right of the confederate army extended to the banks of the Geete, the front being covered with hedges and hollow ways, stretching to the village of Neer-Winden in the centre. The

BOOK II. left reached Neer-Landen, on the rivulet of that 1693. name and the two villages were joined by an entrenchment, the approaches being covered with above 100 pieces of cannon. But the experienced and vigilant eye of Luxemburg discovered a great defect in this disposition. From the vicinity of a morass bordering on the Geete, at the back of the camp, and the nature of the ground in front, he saw that great part of the allied cavalry would be unable to act with effect. And on reconnoitring the ground previous to the engagement, he exclaimed, "Now I believe that Waldeck is really dead!"-that general having been famous for his skill in encampment. The French began the battle at sun-rise, by a furious attack on the villages of Neer-Winden and Landen, for the entrenched front was unapproachable, while they were exposed to the fire of the two villages in flank. After a desperate conflict, the enemy made themselves masters of these important posts. M. de Luxemburg then ordered a general charge upon the whole line, which was carried into execution with an impetuosity that surmounted all resistance. The king of England, who was seen by turns in every post of danger, behaved with the most heroic courage, bringing up in person the English cavalry to the succour of the Dutch and Hanoverian horse, and charging twice at the head of the battalions at the entrenchment. The elector of Bavaria, after mak