WHIIAM AND MANS'.

97

meanour was arrogant, his temper ungovernable. Even before chap.the unfortunate day of Steinkirk the English officers did not ■ x,x ' -willingly communicate with him, and the private men murmuredat his harshness. But after the battle the outcry against himbecame furious. He was accused, perhaps unjustly, of havingsaid with unfeeling levity, while the English regiments werecontending desperately against great odds,, that he was curiousto see how the bulldogs would come off. Would anybody, itwas asked, now pretend that it was on account of his superiorskill and experience that he had been put over the heads of somany English officers? It was the fashion to say that thoseofficers had never seen war on a large scale. But surely themerest novice was competent to do all that Solmes had done, tomisunderstand orders, to send cavalry on duty which none butinfantry could perform, and to look on at safe distance whilebrave men were cut to pieces. It was too much to be at onceinsulted and sacrificed, excluded from the honours of war, yetpushed on all its extreme dangers, sneered at as raw recruits,and then left to cope unsupported with the finest body of vete-rans in the world. Such were the complaints of the English .army; and they Were echoed by the English nation.

Fortunately about this time a discovery was made whichfurnished both the camp at Lambeque and the coffeehouses ofLondon -with a subject of conversation much less agreeable tothe Jacobites than the disaster of Steinkirk.

A plot against the life of William had been, during some conspi-months, maturing in the French War Office. It should seem Grambal.that Louvois had originally sketched the design, and had be-queathed it, still rude, to his son and successor Barbesieux.

By Barbesieux the plan was perfected. The execution was en-trusted to an officer named Grandval. Grandval was un-doubtedly brave, and full of zeal for his country and his religion.

He was indeed flighty and half witted, but not on that accounttlacauiay, History. VII. 7