released the numerous Pompeian cavalry, and by spreading over the adjacent country, this threatened to render his provisioning utterly impossible. As he moved into Thessaly and effected a junction with Calvinus, he found supplies in the region about the Peneius, but none too ample. The conditions of the two armies in this respect were very dissimilar when they fronted each other at Pharsalus. Pompey had a numerous cavalry to collect supplies, had wellstocked magazines, and provisions in abundance; Cæsar's troops, on the other hand, had difficulty in keeping themselves alive, and could only look forward to the approaching corn harvest for better circumstances. But the latter were more fortunate than their adversaries, being led by a general who, with the certainty of divination, found proper means for every end.

Cæsar's acts are difficult to judge by the ordinary standard, for he in a singular degree disregarded routine and tradition. Few commanders have shared with him the gift of knowing always how to find out the mode of warfare by which in the given case the enemy could be conquered. Victory with him was generally due, not to the massiveness of his forces, but to the celerity of his movements; by rapid and bold action, even with inadequate means, he often mastered his opponent.

CHAPTER XV.

REVOLUTION OF 1688: CROSSING OF THE PRINCE OF ORANGE.

The Prince of Orange is invited to England-His declarationTroops mobilized for the enterprise—James II. is sufficiently strong to defeat the attempt-Preparations in HollandComposition and command of the Prince's fleet-Selection. of a place for the disembarkation-Consideration of the probable action of the English fleet-A council of war determines that the ships shall remain at the Gunfleet-First start of the expedition-Driven back by foul weather-It puts to sea a second time-The fleet tacks and makes for the west -Fear of having to contend with the English fleet-Torbay is selected as the place of disembarkation-The expedition gets there safely, and the landing is effected-Attitude of the people of Devonshire-James gathers his troops about Salisbury-Desertions to the Prince-Feversham disbands the royal army.

In the crossing of the Prince of Orange to England and in his landing in Torbay, are to be found many of those incidents which, generally speaking, have a marked influence on the result of all military expeditions beyond the seas. of our country lends itself in a singular manner to illustrate the subject of which we are treating, and

This part of the history

we consider it, therefore, to be worthy of special

attention.

In February of the year 1685, King Charles II. died, and was followed on the throne by his brother the Duke of York. In a brief space of time the new monarch had succeeded in alienating the hearts of every class of his subjects by violating their laws, confiscating their estates, and persecuting their religion. Public indignation was nearly at its highest when the King brought over Irish Papist troops to England for the purpose of coercing the people. In their distress the hopes of the people of England rested on William Prince of Orange, the son of Mary, eldest daughter of Charles I., and husband of Princess Mary, eldest daughter of James II. The Prince was easily persuaded by promises of support from powerful and eminent men, to appear in England at the head of a strong body of troops.

The undertaking cannot be looked upon in the light of an invasion. It would be absurd to call it so, when a large majority of the people of England were anxiously expecting the Prince to come over. As Burnet writes: "Sidney brought over letters from the persons formerly mentioned, both inviting the Prince to come over to save and rescue the nation from ruin, and assuring him that they wrote that which was the universal sense of all the wise and good men of the nation."* His motto, "The liberties of England and the Protestant religion," * "Burnet,” vol. iii. p. 302.

shows that he came as a deliverer, and not as an assailant.

In his declaration the Prince reproaches King James with having broken the law, and by certain acts endangered the peace and well-being of a kingdom with which he was closely related by blood and by marriage. Whilst complying with the expressed desire of the people of England, he abjured all thought of conquest, and pledged himself to abide by the decision of Parliament, to whom he left all questions, both public and private.

The troops collected to accompany the Prince to England, and to take part in the enterprise wereone troop of Life Guards, one regiment of Horse Guards, five regiments of horse, eight of dragoons, one of Foot Guards, and fifteen battalions of the line, of which six were British regiments in the Dutch service. In all, about three thousand six hundred cavalry, and ten thousand six hundred infantry. Echard states that seventy-eight field officers, nearly one thousand inferior officers, and about fifteen thousand men were landed. Many officers who had been driven out of France by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and others, who had left or had been turned out of James's army, accompanied the expedition.

The smallness of the force shows what confidence the Prince must have had in the general welcome which he had been assured awaited him on his setting foot in England. It is too evident that it

VOL. II.

E

would have been foolhardy to think of conquering a country like England with such a small following, for James had naval and military forces sufficient to make the attempt more than hazardous. The King "estimated the force with which he should be able to meet the invaders at nearly forty thousand troops, exclusive of the militia.” * Nevertheless William knew that circumstances sanctioned his braving any risks, for, as the loyalty of the navy and army was doubtful, these risks were more apparent than real.

The Prince had to think of his preparations, and to concert his measures in such a way as to keep them from coming to the knowledge of his adversary. In some of the former chapters we have endeavoured to draw attention to the need for preparations and secrecy, and here we borrow from Macaulay's narrative an example of what a foreseeing prince thought necessary to do in this direction. The historian writes: "He could not make a descent on England without the sanction of the United Provinces. If he asked for that sanction before his design was ripe for execution, his intention. might possibly be thwarted by the faction hostile to his house, and would certainly be divulged to the whole world. He therefore determined to make his preparations with all speed, and, when they were complete, to seize some favourable moment for requesting the consent of the federation.

It

"The History of England," by Lord Macaulay, vol. i.

chap. ix.