C II A P

IXVI.ic s, .

Campaignof UfS.

262 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

to the Dutch , the imprudence os their dependingon England ; where an indolent king, aveise toall war, especially with France, and irresolutein his measures, was actuated only by the uncer-tain breath of a factious parliament. To the aris-tocrat j ca! party, he remarked the danger of theprince’s alliance with the royal family of England,and revived their apprehension?; led, in imitationof his father , who had been honored with thesame alliance , he should violently attempt toenlarge his authority , and enslave his nativecountry. In order to enforce these motives withfarther terrors , he himself took the field veryearly in the spring ; and after threatening Luxem-bourg, Mons , and Namur , he suddenly satdown before Ghent and Ypres, and in a fewweeks made himself master of both places. Thissuccess gave great alarm to the Hollanders, whowere nowise satisfied with the conduct of Eng-land, or with the ambiguous treaty lately con-cluded ; and ic quickened all their advances towardsan accommodation.

Immediately after the parliament had votedthe supply , the king began to inlist forces ; andsuch was the ardor of the English for a war withFrance , that an army of above 20,000 men , tothe astonishment of Europe, was completed in afew weeks. Three thousand men under the dukeofMonmouth , were sent over to secure Ostend:home regiments were recalled from the Frenchservice ; A fleet was fitted out with great dili-gence : And a quadruple alliance was proje-cted