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HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

cnAP. late.* William hastened towards Namur. He menaced theFrench works, first from the west, then from the north, thenfrom the east. But between him and the lines of circumvalla-tion lay the army of Luxemburg, turning as he turned, andalways so strongly posted that to attack it would have been theheight of imprudence. Meanwhile the besiegers, directed bythe skill of Vauban and animated by the presence of Lewis,made rapid progress. There were indeed many difficulties tobe surmounted and many hardships to be endured. The weatherwas stormy; and, on the eighth of June, the feast of SaintMedard, who holds in the French Calendar the same inauspi-cious place which in our Calendar belongs to Saint Switliin, therain fell in torrents. The Sambre rose and covered many squaremiles on which the harvest was green. The Mehaigne whirleddown its bridges to the Meuse. All the roads became swamps.The trenches were so deep in water and mire that it was thebusiness of three days to move a gun from one battery toanother. The six thousand waggons which had accompaniedthe French army were useless. It was necessary that gunpow-der, bullets, com, hay, should be carried from place to placeon the backs of the war horses. Nothing but the authority ofLewis could, in such circumstances, have maintained orderand inspired cheerfulness. His soldiers, in truth, showedmuch more reverence for him than for what their religion hadmade sacred. They cursed Saint Medard heartily, and brokeor burned every image of him that could he found. But fortheir King there was nothing that they were not ready to doand to hear. In spite of every obstacle they constantly gainedground. Cohorn was severely wounded while defending withdesperate resolution a fort which he had himself constructed,and of which he was proud. His place could not he supplied.

* William to Ileinsius, v* y 1C92.

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