212

HISTOKY OF ENGLAND.

chap, gated at Sam’s Coffeehouse, but which moved the laughter of--j|h— the veteran politicians of Versailles.

William’s While Middleton was in vain trying to convince the FrenchtS’for that William w-as a greatly overrated man, William, W’ho' didpa?4 am ~ full justice to Middleton’s merit, felt much uneasiness at learn-ing that the Court of Saint Germains had called in the help ofso able a counsellor.* But this was only one of a thousandcauses of anxiety which during that spring pressed on the King’smind. He w’as preparing for the opening of the campaign, im-ploring his allies to be early in the field, rousing the sluggish,haggling with the greedy, making up quarrels, adjusting pointsof precedence. He had to prevail on the Cabinet of Vienna tosend timely succours into Piedmont. He had to keep a vigilanteye on those Northern potentates who were trying to form athird party in Europe. He had to act as tutor to the Elector ofBavaria in the Netherlands. He had to provide for the defenceof Liege, a matter which the authorities of Liege coolly declaredto be not at all their business, but the business of England andHolland. He had to prevent the House of Brunswick Wolfen-buttel from going to blows with the House of Brunswick Lunen-burg: he had to accommodate a dispute between the Prince ofBaden and the Elector of Saxony, each of whom wished to beat the head of an army on the Rhine; and he had to manage theLandgrave of Hesse, who omitted to furnish his own contingent,and yet wanted to command the contingents furnished.by otherprinces. **

* “II ne me pluit nullement que M. Middleton est alltf en France. Cen’est pas un homme qui voudroit faire un tel pas sans quelque chose d’im-portance, et do bien concert^, sur quoy j’ay fait beaucoup de reflections qucje reserve a vous dire a vostre heurcuse arrivde. 1 ’ — William to Portlandfrom Loo, April £$•. 1693.

** The best account of William’s labours and anxieties at this time iscontained in his letters to Heinsius — particularly the letters of May 1. 9.