192 HISTORY OF GRF.AT BRITAIN.

c h a p. or betray the trust reposed in him. When Buck*lxv. ingham urged the inevitable destruction whichhung over the United Provinces, and asked him,whether he did not see, that the commonwealthwas ruined; There is one certain means , replied theprince, by which I can he sure never to fee mycountry’s ruin; I will die in the last ditch.

The people in Holland had been much incitedto espouse the prince’s party, by the hopes, thatthe king of England , pleased with his nephew’selevation , would abandon those dangerous engage-ment# , into which he had entered, and wouldafford his protection to the distressed republic.But all these hopes were soon found to be falla-cious. Charles still persisted in his alliance withFrance; and the combined fleets approached thecoast of Holland, with an English army on board,commanded by count Schomberg. It is pretended ,that an unusual tide carried them off the coast ;and that Providence thus interposed, in an ex-traordinary manner, to save the republic fromthe imminent danger, to which it was exposed.Very tempestuous weather, it is certain, prevailedall the rest of the season; and the combined fleetseither were blown to a distance, or durst notapproach a coast, which might prove fatal tothem. Lewis, finding that his enemies gatheredCourage behind their inundations, and that nofarther success was likely for the present to attendhis arms, had retired to Versailles.

The other nations of Europe regarded thesubjection of Holland as the forerunner of their

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