to pass by Slane. This force arrived sooner at its destination than that sent by King James, who quickly saw his error when it was too late to counteract it. The curve of the river there forced the troops of James to make a considerable detour, whereby time was given to William's detachment to arrive and seize the pass before they could effect it; which having forded, and then formed, they advanced on the left of the army of James, and extending their lines to the right, they turned it, notwithstanding a morass in its front, by which manœuvre it was compelled to fall back in confusion towards Duleek. William so judiciously had combined his attack, that his centre was to pass precisely at the time that his right should completely have engaged the left of the army of King James. When that took place, his centre column advanced against Old Bridge, and his left proceeded to the fordes, which having passed, they obtained the opposite banks at the projecting curve of the Boyne; they then formed at that point, and received an attack from the right and centre of James, which having fully repulsed, they advanced. In consequence of which movement the army of James fell back in the distance of two miles to the heights of Donore, where they formed, and then they again advanced to the charge; but the cavalry of William having, in obedience to his orders, completely turned their left, the fortune of the day was irretrievable, and they were thus compelled to fall back with considerable loss to Duleek, behind which station once more they rallied.

We certainly think that too much praise cannot indeed be possibly given to the brave and faithful Irish who so manfully supported King James, however undeserving he might have been of that support. They acted according to their conscience—according to their religion—and devoted to their sovereign, as they were, by their sworn allegiance. Their lawful, but unfortunate king, threw himself into the arms of his Irish subjects for protection and a restoration to his rights; they instantly thronged around the royal standard. Although certainly James was wholly undeserving of this support, from his tyranny and oppression—"not fit" indeed "to govern," but we cannot say "not fit to live;" yet still his various arbitrary measures—his confinement of the seven bishops in the tower of London—his cruel and ill advised Bill of Attainder in the Irish Parliament—his reversal of the Act of Settlement, and various other despotic acts, which impartial justice must ever assuredly condemn;—yet still let History inscribe on the bright margin of her page, and record down to the remotest point of time, the love, affection, fidelity, and allegiance of a nation (but too often rashly and unjustly condemned) upon whom the royal exile had flung himself, as on a dear but desperate hope—a derniér resort—and upon whose hearts and arms he relied as the forlorn hope of his crown, dignity, and restoration!

Let history hand down this, while it must not be denied that of this protection and support James was in every respect wholly undeserving; for in two words his character may be told—he was a bigot and a tyrant!

James having ungenerously, as unjustly, thrown some reflections on the courage of his Irish troops, observing to some of his general officers, "that he would never again trust his cause to an Irish army;" with much spirit they replied: "That throughout the fight their troops had acted no inglorious part, though unanimated by a princely leader; that while William shared danger in common with his army, encouraging them with his presence, by his voice, and by his example, yet that King James stood aloof at a secure distance, the quiet spectator of a contest on the result of which depended his crown and realms!" And then, with deep and wounded indignation at such ingratitude, they nobly exclaimed: "Exchange kings! and once more we shall fight the battle again!" A more noble burst of deeply taunted feelings and justly aroused indignation than this cannot be found in history.

The title of King William to the throne of these realms was the choice of the people, from whom the sovereign power emanated: and in whatever point of view the Revolution of 1688 may be considered, it cannot be, however, denied, so long as truth exists, that it was most important to the religious and civil liberty of three kingdoms; and, moreover, it established an important dictum, or principle, in the Constitution, then hitherto unknown, defining the duties of the monarch and of the subject, and holding forth to both prince and people the immutable and immortal truth, That allegiance and protection are reciprocal obligations!

CHAPTER II.