The History of England - 1810 Author:Oliver Goldsmith Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: officer who deserted to the prince. Lord Lovelace Was taken in the like attempt by the militia, under the Juke of Beaufort. Lord Cornbury, soii to the earl of Cl... more »arendon, carried oft' the greatest part of three regiments of cavalry to the prince. Several officers of distinction informed Feversham the general, that they could not ia conscience' fight against the prince of Orange'. The defection of the officers was followed by that of the king's own servants and creatures. Lord Chun-hill had been raised from the rank of a pigc, and had been invested with an high command in the army ; had been created apeer,-and owed his whole fortune to the king's bounty : even !u deserted among the rest, and carried with bam the duke of Graftoii, natural son to the late king, colonel Berkelv,ancl some others. In this universal defection, the unfortunate Jamb not knowing where to turn, and on whom,- to rely, began to think of requesting assistance fronj France, when it was now tow late. He- wrote to Leopold emperor of Germanv, but in vain. .Tbut monarch only returned for answer, that what he had foreseen had happened. James had some dependance on his fleet; but they were entirely disaffected. In a word, his interests were cleserted by all; for he had long deserted them himself. ., He was by this time arrived at Salisbury, the ha'd quarters of his army ; and lie found that this body amounted to twenty thousand men. Jt is- possible that had he led these to the combat, without granting them'time for deliberation, they might have fought in his favour, and secured him an the throne. But he was involved in a maze of fears and suspicions; the defection of those most confided in, took away his confidence in all, and deprived him. even of the power of deliberation. It was no small addition to his ...« less