William at once offered favourable terms, if Ireland would submit to his
authority; but these were declined, partly owing to the powerful
influence of France, partly to the fear that the terms would not be
observed, partly to the apprehension of all the gentry, that the lands
which they had but just recovered from the hands of Cromwell's settlers
would be again taken from them.

At the battle of the Boyne, Walter Davenant, with his father's troop, had
taken part in all the desperate charges upon the enemy. During the long
hours the battle had lasted, the cavalry had been incessantly engaged.
Time after time they had charged down upon the Dutch squares, and no
sooner had the ranks been reformed, after recoiling from the line of
fixed bayonets, than they were called upon to charge in another
direction.

Walter's heart beat high as they dashed into the midst of the French
infantry, or shattered and drove before them the Danish horse; but there
was little time to think, and, looking back upon the day when all was
over, it seemed to him a chaos of excitement and confusion, of which he
could hardly recall even the chief incidents.

As the troops halted for the night, they were in no way dispirited at the
result of the battle, as the retreat had been begun before a blow was
struck. They knew that it was neither intended nor hoped that the ground
would be successfully held; and every man felt a pride in the thought
that some eighteen thousand newly-raised Irish levies, of whom but a
small portion of the infantry were armed with muskets, had sustained,
throughout a long summer's day, the attacks of more than double their
number of veteran troops, supported by fifty pieces of artillery.