WILLIAM AND MAET.

13

excited the extreme disgust of his royal patron, who hated a chap.meddler almost as much as a coward. A soldier who ran away — -

from a battle and a gownsman who pushed himself into a battlewere the two objects which most strongly excited William’sspleen.

It was still early in the day. The King rode slowly along williamthe northern bank of the river, and closely examined the posi- irMiho*"tion of the Irish, from whom he was sometimes separated by aninterval of little more than two hundred feet. He was accom-panied by Schomberg, Ormond, Sidney, Solmes, PrinceGeorge of Hesse, Coningsby, and others. “ Their army is butsmall;” said one of the Dutch officers. Indeed it did notap-pear to consist of more than sixteen thousand men. But it waswell known, from the reports brought by deserters, that manyregiments were concealed from view by the undulations of theground. “They may be stronger than they look,” saidWilliam; “but, weak or strong, I will soon know all aboutthem.”*

At length he alighted at a spot nearly opposite to Oldbridge,sate down on the turf to rest himself, and called for breakfast.

The sumpter horses were unloaded: the canteens were opened;and a tablecloth was spread on the grass. The place is markedby an obelisk, built while, many veterans who could well re-member the events of that day W’ere still living.

While William was at his repast, a group of horsemen ap-wniiampeared close to the water on the opposite shore. Among them ed.his attendants could discern some who had once been con-spicuous at reviews in Hyde Park and at balls in the gallery ofWhitehall, the youthful Berwick, the small, fairhaired Lauzun,Tyrconnel, once admired by maids of honour as the model of

* Story’s Impartial History; History of the Wars in Ireland by anOfficer of the Royal Army; Hop to the States General, 1690.