daunted by the superior numbers approaching his lines, called out: "Stand! For whom you are?" "For King James," was the answer. "And I'm for the prince of Orange," said Campbell. "We'll prince you!" shouted the Irish troopers, and then charged. But they were met by a sharp fire and presently drew off. We know how the army of James melted away, how, one by one, at first, and soon in swarms, his men went over to the invader. The Irish alone proved faithful.

When King James had taken refuge in France and all hope for his cause and crown seemed lost, William, it is said, offered to confirm Sarsfield in his estates and rank in the army, provided he would enter his service and aid in winning over Ireland. Sarsfield indignantly refused. Thus in obedience to his punctilious sense of loyalty Sarsfield accepted the forfeiture of his estates and income, voluntarily following King James into exile in France, where poverty and privation must necessarily be his lotat least for a time.

When the exiled king had determined to make a stand in Ireland to recover his crown and kingdom, relying on the support of his Irish Catholic subjects and the aid afforded by King Louis, Sarsfield landed with the expedition which accompanied King James to Ireland. Arrived there, the king appointed him a member of the privy council, made him colonel of horse, with the rank of brigadier. The special interest in Sarsfield's career centers in this period of his fortunes. He was in his native land, at the head of a body of his own countrymen, fighting in a cause that appealed strongly to his sense of duty and his sympathies, against an intruder whose success could not be looked upon except as an evil to the country, to religion and to prescriptive right. I am not discussing here the Stuart cause nor the pretensions of the prince of Orange. At the same time it was quite natural that the Irish should give their loyal support to King James. From him at least they had every reason to hope that the iniquitous confiscation of land carried out under Cromwell especially would be annulled, and the estates restored to their rightful owners. They could expect that the malignant religious persecution and proscription so long the rule in Ireland would cease, and that Catholics at least should

have equal religious liberty in their own land. But, unhappily, Ireland was not then, any more than at present, a unit. There was the Protestant garrison to be dealt with; and this minority, which long had been the dominant and persecuting power, naturally feared a rule of justice and fair play. Of course this bitter faction hailed the coming of the Prince of Orange and were sternly arrayed against King James and his Irish following.

In the first parliament summoned by James to meet in Dublin, after his arrival, Sarsfield occupied a seat as one of the members for the county of Dublin; but he evidently soon gave up his seat and duties for services in the field.

We soon find him engaged with his forces in the North. At Bally Shannon and at Enniskillen he seems to have met with ill success. It was not until he was given a separate and independent command that we find Sarsfield showing the sign of his high capacity in war. He was sent into Connaught with a considerable force to check the growing power of the enemy in that quarter. He soon cleared the province of the Orange forces.

It was at this period a French officer, writing to the Minister of War, Paris, thus refers to our hero:

"Sarsfield," he says, "is not a man of the birth of My Lord Galway nor of Mountcashel, but he is a man distinguished by his merit, who has more influence in this kingdom than any man I know. He has valor, but above all honor and probity, which is proof against any assault. I had all the trouble in the world to get him made a brigadier, although my Lord Tyrconnell strongly opposed this, saying he was a very brave man, but that he had no head. Nevertheless my Lord Tyrconnell sent him into the province of Connaught with a handful of men; he raised 2,000 more on his own credit, and with these troops he preserved the whole province for the king."

Schomberg in the meantime had landed in the country with a large force and was soon to be followed by the usurper William, so that King James' prospects were not so encouraging as at first seemed likely.

June 14, 1690, William landed at Carrickfergus. His forces were variously composed, including English, Dutch, Danes, French (Huguenots), Brandenburghers, Scotch Presbyterians and Irish Protestants.

But they were veterans who had seen service, and the army was abundantly provided and well equipped for a campaign, which could not be said of King James' ragged regiments. The hostile armies met at the Boyne. William's superior generalship prevailed, the army of James was defeated, and the king fled in hot haste to Dublin. Sarsfield was present at the battle, but greatly to his disgust was condemned to forced inaction during the day. He was with King James' bodyguard, forming part of the reserve, which was not brought into action.

The battle of the Boyne is famous in Irish history, and has long been the slogan and shibboleth of the Orange faction in Ireland and elsewhere from that day to the present. The battle itself, even according to the standard of military campaigns in those days, was no great affair. losses on either side were by no means considerable.

The

The Irish lost between 800 and 1,500. The victorious army from 300 to 500.

It was Sarsfield who afterwards said, alluding to the battle and especially to the unequal military qualities of the respective leaders: "Only change kings and we will fight it over again."

It is said that when King James reached Dublin Castle after a pretty rapid flight from the scene of the battle he petulantly exclaimed that the Irish had "run away."

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"If that be so," spiritedly retorted Lady Tyrconnell, your majesty won the race!"

Although the battle of the Boyne was not great in itself, it undoubtedly was momentous in its results and powerfully affected the Stuart cause and the fortunes of Ireland.

King James lost heart and abandoned the country. William himself soon after left the conduct of the Irish campaign to his followers and returned to England in order to check the larger designs of the French king on the continent. But this was not before he had made an unavailing attempt to capture Limerick, an attempt in which he was signally foiled by the gallantry and address of Sarsfield.

It is admitted on all hands that it was Sarsfield's activity and enthusiasm that kept alive and in flames the energies of the defenders of the beleaguered city.

But it was his famous expedition over the mountains to waylay and destroy if possible William's battering

.

train, destined for the siege of Limerick-it was this ingenious and successful exploit which "enthused" and gave new life to the Irish resistance.

It was a well-planned and singularly successful piece of strategy. One of the opposing officers said of it: "He did his master more service by that enterprise than all the other Irish or French generals did him in the course of the war." I am not writing the history of a campaign, nor the fortunes of the rival kings, hence I cannot dwell on the details of battles and sieges.

Certainly the citizens of Limerick may be proud to this day, and for long ages to come, of the gallant and heroic defense made by their city in the successive sieges it sustained from time to time, first against Cromwell, and now against King William.

It was following his unsuccessful attempts to storm the proud city that William determined to abandon the siege and return to England. The French commander, Boisselot, and Sarsfield shared the glory of the defense. Lenehan, in his History of Limerick says: "The soul of the defenders was Patrick Sarsfield."

King William lost more in killed and wounded in a single assault on the place (27th August) than the total Irish losses at the Boyne.

But with all this, there was division and dissension in the Irish camp. Alas, there always has been, then and since!

The French were weary of the war and eager to return home, and the Irish commanders were divided in council and in sympathy.

After William's departure the campaign went on languidly. Desultory losses and gains could be counted on both sides. Marlborough, afterwards renowned as the greatest English general of his age, and the most unscrupulous, was sent over to Ireland and quickly achieved the capture of Cork and Kinsale, which seems to have filled the measure of his orders or his ambition, since he quickly returned to England.

The battle of Aughrim was another of Ireland's momentous and fatal days.

In the opening hours of the conflict it seemed as though, at last, shining victory would crown the Irish banners.

St. Ruth, the French commander, had planned wisely, but unfortunately, as the sequel proved, his second in command, Sarsfield, had not been permitted to know the order of battle, and being placed in command of the reserve, he was at a distance from the center when the fatal cannon ball killed St. Ruth, leaving the Irish main battle dismayed and disorganized.

Nor could Sarsfield restore order and confidence.

The day was lost, and with it went down Ireland's hope and the last chance for the Stuart cause.

It were needless in this necessarily brief sketch to detail the circumstances of the final siege of Limerick. The details of the defense and of the capitulation are perhaps better known to the average Irish scholar than any other event in the history of the island.

Sarsfield, as before, was the life and soul of the army. His vigilance and activity never relaxed and his ardor inspired fresh resolution after every disaster.

But treachery at last effected what English arms could not achieve.

One of the Irish leaders, Henry Luttrell, betrayed to the enemy one of the important passes into the city. "He sold the pass," has been an Irish proverb ever since Henry Luttrell's treachery.

It is well to note that another Luttrell-Simon-was loyal to the cause and faithfully adhered to the fortunes of King James, dying in exile. His estates in Ireland were made over by the English government to the brotherpart of the reward of treason. Sarsfield resisted as long as it was possible the overtures for the surrender of the city, and when further resistance seemed hopeless, he exerted his efforts most effectively in securing favorable terms of capitulation.

The terms mutually agreed on and solemly signed and sealed by the representatives of the opposing forces are to be found in every text-book of Irish history. How swiftly and ruthlessly they were disregarded and violated by the English is well known,

One of the specifications in the capitulation provided that the Irish troops should have the option of entering the French service or of remaining unmolested in Ireland. The arrival of a French fleet a few days after the surren