Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/72

58 who had been informed that he should have to march through a country of hedges, ditches, and narrow lanes, but that, on approaching Luxembourg's array, he would find it open plain, now calculated that he had nothing to do but to dash into the surprised camp and produce universal confusion. He had indeed had to pick his way through the hedges and ditches, but now, instead of the open plain, there lay still a network of hedges and ditches betwixt him and the enemy. This caused so much delay, that the enemy soon became aware of the real fact, that William was upon them with his whole army. There was an instant hurrying to standards, and William found himself face to face with a body sufficient to dispute the ground with him till the whole was in order.

Luxembourg had been deceived by the forced letter of Millevoix. He had relied on it as being as correct as usual; and, though scout after scout brought intelligence of the English approaching, he deemed it only the foraging party and their supporters, and sate coolly at cards till it was nearly too late. Then he mounted his horse, reconnoitred the enemy, threw forward the Swiss regiments and the far-famed household troops of Louis, and encouraged his men to fight with their usual bravery. The young princes put themselves at the head of the household troops, and displayed an enthusiasm which communicated itself to the whole line. They found as vigorous opponents in the duke of Würtemberg and the gallant and pious Mackay. The conflict was maintained at the muzzles of the muskets, and Luxembourg afterwards declared that he never saw so fierce a struggle. The duke of Würtemberg had already seized one of the enemy's batteries, and penetrated within their entrenchments, but the immense weight of troops that kept pouring on against them at length bore them back. Mackay sent messenger after messenger to bid Solmes hasten up his reserve, but, from cowardice or treachery, Solmes would not move. He said coolly, "Let us see what sport these English bull-dogs will make." At length William sent an express order for him to move up; whereupon he trotted his horse forward a little, but never advanced his infantry. When, therefore, Mackay saw that his soldiers were being hewed down by hundreds and no succour came, he said, "God's will be done," and fought on till he fell.

The contest was not, however, decided till the detachment of Boufflers appeared upon the field. Luxembourg sent off an express to hasten him to his assistance; but Boufflers, unlike Solmes, had not waited for that—he had heard the firing, and was already on the way. Then William was compelled to order his troops to draw off; and this retreat he managed with his accustomed skill. He was, however, roused out of his usual stoicism by the infamous conduct of Solmes; and the whole army declared that they should not have been repulsed but for his base desertion of them. Besides Mackay, fell on William's side the earl of Angus, Sir John Lanier, Sir Robert Douglas, and lord Mountjoy, who, having been released from the Bastille in exchange for Richard Hamilton, at once showed his sense of James's treatment of his friends, and went over to William, to fall thus early in his new cause.

The carnage on this day was terrible. The English are said to have lost five thousand men, and the French to have had seven thousand killed and wounded. Five English regiments were completely cut up, and not a man of Mackay's would have escaped alive but for the gallant interposition of Auverquerque, who came up with two fresh battalions, and kept back the French in a masterly style. On the part of the French fell the prince of Turenne, the marquis of Bellefond, Tilladet, Fernacon, and a numerous host of officers. In the English camp the outcry against Solmes was universal and indignant. Both officers and men declared that this was not the first time that his conduct had been reprehensible. The officers hated and avoided him for his arrogance and ill-temper. They asked for what reason he had been advanced over the heads of English officers every way his superiors in talent and courage. William hanged Millevoix in the sight of the whole army, but we do not hear of his removal of Solmes, thus strengthening the opinion of his blind favouritism towards his countrymen. The French claimed the victory, though William retired to his camp in good order, and both armies continued to occupy their former position. In France the triumph was ecstatic. As the young princes returned home from the campaign, the whole country flocked to the roadsides to welcome them from their field of youthful glory with vociferous acclamations. In Paris every thing made for ornament was called a Steinkirk. There were Steinkirk bracelets, Steinkirk chains and buckles, Steinkirk collars, Steinkirk perfumes. As the young princes and nobility had rushed to the battle in hasty array, and with their lace cravats loosely tied, it became the fashion for the ladies to wear lace neckerchiefs thus carelessly tied, and called also Steinkirks. The fame of William as a general in the field was greatly injured. He was acknowledged to be admirable at a retreat, but it was said that a first-rate general seldom practised that portion of the art of war. But his enemies, by their very joy at this rebuff, acknowledged their sense of his power; and they sought not only to tarnish his reputation, but to get rid of him altogether.

For this purpose a grand scheme of assassination had long been maturing at the French court. Louvois, the minister of Louis XIV., had conceived this plan, or had received it from some one. He sketched out the scheme, which was found amongst his papers after his death by his son-in-law and successor, the marquis de Barbesieux. Barbesieux seized on the design, and soon found what appeared an admirable instrument for its execution. This was the chevalier de Grandval, a captain of dragoons. Grandval was joined in it by colonel Parker, a refugee Jacobite, and they engaged one Dumont, a Walloon, who undertook to assassinate William whilst in the Netherlands. Parker, Grandval, and Dumont were to meet at Uden, in North Brabant, to settle all the details of the attempt. Madame Maintenon and Papaul, paymaster of the French army, were in the secret. Grandval, before setting out for the Netherlands to meet Dumont, waited on James at St. Germains, who also presented him to the ex-queen. "I am informed," said James, "of your business, and if it succeed, you and your associates shall never want."

The Jacobites had stoutly denied the knowledge of this diabolical design, but unfortunately the discoveries made in our own days in the archives of Versailles, leave no doubt