XXXII. Ly CHAP. allegiance, he had ridden haftily to the fhore at the head of his guards. The fortrefs of Charlemount, which had been confidered by Schomberg, in his progrefs toward the fouth, in the foregoing year, as too strong to be attempted, was in the following fpring attacked by Caillemote, a gallant French officer in the fervice of William, who, taking post on the river Blackwater, ftreightened the garrison, which was afterwards invefted with a clofer fiege. A vigorous defenfe was made by Sir Taig O'Regan, the governor, a good officer, though of rude manners, who returned no other answer to the fummons than these words, "the old knave Schomberg fhall not have this castle." Five hundred men, bringing a final fupply of ammunition and provifions to the garrifon, gained an entrance to the fortrefs with little oppofition; but were, in their attempts to return, repeatedly driven back. Enraged at their want of fuccefs, and dreading a failure of provifions from fo many mouths, the governor fwore that they muft either-force their way through the enemy, or remain expofed outfide of the castle; and they were obliged to make their lodging on the counterfcarp and dry ditch within the palifadoes. Famine at length compelled a furrendry. O'Regan parleyed; and, by fhewing to the English envoy a number of cafks, apparently full of provifions, yet containing none, except a thin layer deceptiously placed at top, he imposed a belief of his being able to fuftain a much longer fiege, and was thereby permitted to march from the place with all the honours of war. The XXXII. The army of Schomberg received fresh reinforce- CHAP. ments of English and Dutch troops, of Brandenburgers from Germany, and was at last rejoiced by the arrival of king William himself, who landed at Carrickfergus on the fourteenth of June in the year 1690. CHAP. XXXIII. CHAP. Progress of king William-Proceedings of king James -Foreign tranfactions Proceedings of the catholicsProgrefs of William-Reduction of the south eastern towns-Repulfe of Douglas at Athlone-Description of Limerick--Attack of Limerick-Artillery deftroyed by Sarfefield-Storming of Limerick-Repulfe-Return of William from Ireland--His character. HAVING received by Walker an addrefs from XXXIII, the northern clergy, and published a proclamation Progrefs to fupprefs lawless violence, king William advanced 1690. without delay from Belfast, by Lifburne, to Hillf of William. borough. Here a yearly penfion of twelve hundred pounds, which was afterwards inferted in the civil lift, and made payable from the exchequer, was granted, by his warrant, out of the customs of Belfast, to the diffenting clergy of Ulfter, of whom not a few had exerted a zeal and courage against the jacobites, and all had fuffered by the calamity of war. CHAP.. waf. "I came not to Ireland to let grafs grow under my feet," was the reply of this wife and martial XXXIII. monarch to fome officers who advised caution; and, fenfible of the importance of dispatch, he reviewed his affembled forces at Loughbrickland, whence he advanced fouthward without lofs of time. In this review, to the furprize of the officers and the delight of the foldiers, instead of contenting himself with a general furvey from fome convenient point, as had been expected, he rode through the midst of the troops, examining with eagernefs and clofe attention the state of every regiment, notwithstanding a ftorm and clouds of duft with which he was incommoded. In his march he lived as a foldier, riding all the day with an advanced party, and taking his quarters in the camp at night, with lefs attention to his own accommodation than to that of his men, infomuch that, when he was requested to fign an order for wine for his own table, he exclaimed with emotion, "let them not want; I fhall drink water.' The forces of James retired before him from Dundalk and Ardee, and took post on the fouthern fide of the Boyne, near Drogheda, to the northern fide of which river the army of William arrived on the thirtieth of June, while his fleet coafted flowly in view, ready to supply him with provifions and other neceffaries. James, who had imagined William to be de- Proceedtained in England by violent factions, furprised at ings of the news of his arrival, not until fix days after his landing at Carrickfergus, marched with fix thou fand James. CHAP. fand French infantry to the main body of his troops XXXIII. at the Boyne, leaving Dublin under a guard of militia commanded Lutterel, the governor. As the French monarch had promised to fend, as foon as the fquadron attending William fhould have returned, a fleet of frigates into the Irish channel, to destroy the tranfports of that prince, and thereby to detain him in Ireland, until domeftic infurrection, aided by invafion, might operate in Britain to the reftoration of its former fovereign, James was advised by his council of officers to decline an engagement, to retire to the Shannon with his cavalry and fome foot, to ftrengthen his garrifons, to protract the war by a defenfive plan, and thus to await the refult of machinations in Britain, and the probable wafting of William's army in a country of experienced infalubrity to English conftitutions. On the other hand the king declared his resolution of maintaining his past, and his fatisfaction in the opportunity of a decifive battle; alleging that his abandoning of the capital would operate, as an acknowlegement of his inferiority, to the defertion of the Irish, who were apt to judge merely from appearances, and, which would be worse, to the difcouragement of the fchemes formed by his friends in Britain for his restoration, From the force of his expreffions his officers conceived the ex pectation of his taking an active and determined part in the approaching battle; yet he betrayed his diffidence by his precaution in fending Sir Patrick Trant, one of his commiffioners of revenue, to en gage |