XXXIII. CHAP. English followers were actuated, doubtless prompted this conduct in the king, whose better judgment would have chosen a wiser plan. Without any courts of judicature open for legal and regular forms of procedure, commissioners were appointed for the seizing and securing of all forfeitures accruing to the crown from the rebellion of the Irish. Foreign While William, the head of an extensive confe1690. deracy of European states, engaged in war for the events. support of their independence against the enormous ambition and power of France, was proceeding with success in the reduction of Ireland to his obedience, events had place abroad unfavourable to his views. Prince Waldeck, at the head of the confederate forces in the Netherlands, was defeated and slain, in the bloody battle of Fleurus, by the French army under the duke of Luxemburg. The navy of France, commanded by Tourville, consisting of a hundred vessels of war, including twenty-two fireships, gained a victory, on the thirtieth of June, near Beachy-head, over the combined squadrons of England and Holland, inferior in force, under lord Torrington, who retreated to the mouth of the Thames with his shattered fleet. Tourville, sailing westward with his squadron to Torbay, destroyed some coasting vessels, burned the village of Tinmouth, and returned to Brest, without further advantage from his victory. But by his operations were great alarms raised in England, where the Jacobites were suspected of having formed conspiracies to act in concert with the foreign foe, in consequence of of which many persons of rank were put under an CHAP. arrest. XXXIII. of the catho The news of these disasters, designedly magnified Proceedings to a high degree by fiction, encouraged the Irish catholics to persevere with more vigour in opposition to William, the indecision of whose councils, influenced by the same causes, allowed their leaders more time to collect their forces, and fortify their posts. Deserted by their monarch, they yet considered the interests of their religion and property involved in his title. The leaders, rendered desperate by their exclusion from pardon in William's proclamation, laboured to attach the lower orders to their party; and their labours were too strongly seconded by the injustice and impolicy of agents in the service of the new government. While the commissioners for the securing of forfeitures harrassed the country, without making any considerable returns to the exchequer, and the great English subjects of Ireland endeavoured to prevent an accommodation with the catholics, a shameful disregard, and almost perpetual violation, of the new king's protections granted to the peasantry, drove this formidable class to take arms for safety under their old commanders. In a fierce continuation of the war in the following year, the Irish soldiers, taken prisoners, addressed the English officers in words of this import: "It is your fault that you have so many enemies. We are sensible of our unhappiness in depending on the French; but you have made it necessary for us: we must, and are preparing to fight it out." XXXII1. CHAP. Eight days after his success at the Boyne, William resolved to divide his forces, and detached Douglas Proceedings to Athlone with ten regiments of infantry and five of 1690. horse, while himself marched southward with a of William. Repulse at 1690. superior body. He became still more anxious on the news of Torrington's defeat, when he had advanced thirty miles from Dublin, to secure, a safe harbour for his transports, and hastened to the reduction of Waterford and Duncannon. Wexford, which had declared in his favour, received his garrison: Clonmell was abandoned by the Irish: Waterford was surrendered on condition of its garrison being allowed to march away with arms and baggage; and, on the near approach of the army, and of a fleet under Sir Cloudesly Shovel, of sixteen frigates, Duncannon accepted the same terms of capitulation. Committing his army to the conduct of his generals, the king retired to Chapel-Izod, near the capital, with intention to embark for England; but, informed of the return of Tourville's navy to Brest, and of the measures adopted for domestic security, he resolved to prosecute in person the Irish war, and again took the command of his troops in the south. The army of Douglas in the mean time marched to Athlone, plundering, and often murdering, fn defiance of the formal orders of the general, the peasants, who successively appeared in large bodies to claim the benefit of the royal proclamation, and, under promises of protection, were miserably ensnared. Athlone, seated on both sides of the Shan non, XXXIII. non, had been skilfully prepared for defence by its CHAP. veteran governor, named Grace, whose garrison consisted of three regiments of infantry, and eleven of cavalry, beside a larger body encamped for their support at a little distance. The part called the English town, situate on the eastern side of the Shannon, he had abandoned and burned as indefensible; had broken the fair bridge of stone-work, built by Sir Henry Sidney in the reign of Elizabeth; and had fortified the Irish town on the western bank with breastworks, redoubts, and two batteries, besides those of the castle, which stood on an eminence and commanded the river. To the summons of Douglas Grace only answered, These are my terms,” firing a pistol at the messenger. The operations of the Williamite commander, who opened a battery of six guns against the castle, were sufficiently vigorous; but his train of artillery was quite inadequate; his best gunner was killed; his men grew languid from want of provisions, the supply of which from the country had been prevented by their own violent behaviour; and they were alarmed by a report that Sarsfield was on his march, with fifteen thousand men, to raise the siege and intercept their retreat. Decamping at midnight, without molestation, Douglas, by a devious and painful march, joined the army of the king. Deplorable on this occasion was the state of the protestants about Athlone, who had lived under Irish protection till the arrival of Douglas, when they declared in favour of William, and were consequently obliged to fly with the retreat [CHAF. ing troops, abandoning their harvests and other proXXXIII. perty, while the miserable pittance of provisions, carried with them for their support, became the prey of a merciless and famished soldiery. Attack of Douglas found the king on his march to attack 1690. Limerick, where lay the main strength of the Irish army. This city, the capital of the most fertile county of Ireland, situate advantageously on the Shannon, near fifty miles from the ocean, where the river admits vessels of five hundred tuns to the quays, consisted of two towns, connected by a bridge, the English and the Irish; the former built on an island of the Shannon, close to the southern or eastern bank, the latter on the main land; both forming one great street cut at right angles by many lanes, so as to resemble a comb with two rows of teeth; fortified with strong walls, bastions, ramparts, a castle, and a citadel. The king was assured that count Lauzun, with other Frenchmen of distinction, had already abandoned the town, with intention of returning home; that all the French troops remaining in Limerick, amounting to three thousand, had declared their resolution of capitulating separately, and retiring from Ireland, but were diverted from this design by the clamour and importunities of the Irish; and that Boileau, one of their generals, had taken the command of the city, while the Irish forces lay encamped on the side of Connaught, having secured the passes of the Shannon, and prepared to supply him with reinforcements and provisions. Though to attempt the town on one side only was deemed |