30

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XVIII.

1652.

Williamgoes tothe Continenl.

Death oLouvois.

cently about the important service in which he had been en-

- gaged among the mountains. Some of his soldiers, however,who observed him closely, whispered that all this bravery wasput on. He was not the man that he had been before thatnight. The form of his countenance was changed. In allplaces, at all hours, whether he waked or slept, Glencoe wasfor ever before him.*

But, whatever apprehensions might disturb Breadalbane,whatever spectres might haunt Glenlyon, the Master of Stairhad neither fear nor remorse. He was indeed mortified: buthe was mortified only by the blunders of Hamilton and by theescape of so many of the damnable breed. “Do right, andfear nobody;” such is the language of his letters. “Canthere be a more sacred duty than to rid the country ofthieving? The only thing that I regret is that any got away.”**

On the sixth of March, William, entirely ignorant, in all

- probability, of the details of the crime which has cast a darkshade over his glory, had set out for the Continent, leaving theQueen his vicegerent in England.***

He would perhaps have postponed his departure if he hadbeen aware that the French Government had, during sometime, been making great preparations for a descent on ourf island, f An event had taken place which had changed the

* Gallicnns Rcdivivus.

** Report of 1695.

*** 3.iondon Gazette, Mar. 7. 169J.

f Burnet (ii. 93.) says that the King was not at this time informed ofthe intentions of the French Government. Ralph contradicts Burnet withgreat asperity. But that Burnet w'as in the right is proved beyond dispute

by William’s correspondence with Heinsius. So late as

April 2-1.May I.

William

wrote thus: “Je ne puis vous dissimuler que je commenced apprehenderune descente en Angleterre, quoique jo n’aye pu le croire d’abord: muisles avis sont si multiplies de tous les c6t£s, ot accompagny de tant de par-ticularity, qu’il n’est plus gufere possible d’en douter." I quote from theFrench translation among the Mackintosh MSS.