immediately obeying the royal commands. The promise which he was
required to fulfil had not been quite correctly understood. There
had been some misapprehension on the part of the messengers. To
carry over a regiment or two would do more harm than good. To
carry over a whole army was a business which would require much
time and management.66 While James was murmuring over these
apologies, and wishing that he had not been quite so placable,
William arrived at the head quarters of the allied forces, and
took the chief command.

The military operations in Flanders recommenced early in June and
terminated at the close of September. No important action took
place. The two armies marched and countermarched, drew near and
receded. During some time they confronted each other with less
than a league between them. But neither William nor Luxemburg
would fight except at an advantage; and neither gave the other
any advantage. Languid as the campaign was, it is on one account
remarkable. During more than a century our country had sent no
great force to make war by land out of the British isles. Our
aristocracy had therefore long ceased to be a military class. The
nobles of France, of Germany, of Holland, were generally
soldiers. It would probably have been difficult to find in the
brilliant circle which surrounded Lewis at Versailles a single
Marquess or Viscount of forty who had not been at some battle or
siege. But the immense majority of our peers, baronets and
opulent esquires had never served except in the trainbands, and
had never borne a part in any military exploit more serious than
that of putting down a riot or of keeping a street clear for a
procession. The generation which had fought at Edgehill and
Lansdowne had nearly passed away. The wars of Charles the Second