88

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

xxv.

1702 .

had been almost a necessary of life to him. But it wasof importance that Heinsius should be fully informed bothas to the whole plan of the next campaign and as to thestate of the preparations. Albemarle was in full pos-session of the King’s views on these subjects. He wastherefore sent to the Hague. Heinsius was at that timesuffering from indisposition, which was indeed a triflewhen compared with the maladies under which Williamwas sinking. But in the nature of William there wasnone of that selfishness which is the too common vice ofinvalids. On the twentieth of February he sent toHeinsius a letter in which he did not even allude to hisown sufferings and infirmities. “I am,” he said, “in-finitely concerned to learn that your health is not yetquite reestablished. May God he pleased to grant you aspeedy recovery. I am unalterably your good friend,William.” Those were the last lines of that long cor-respondence.

On the twentieth of February William was amblingon a favourite horse, named Sorrel, through the park ofHampton Court. He urged his horse to strike into agallop just at the spot where a mole had been at work.Sorrel stumbled on the mole-hill, and went down onhis knees. The King fell off, and broke his collar bone.The bone was set; and he returned to Kensington in hiscoach. The jolting of the rough roads of that time madeit necessary to reduce the fracture again. To a youngand vigorous man such an accident would have been a