of Drogheda;
and beneath it were soon collected twenty thousand fighting men, the
infantry generally bad, the cavalry generally good, but both infantry
and cavalry full of zeal for their country and their religion, [440] The
troops were attended as usual by a great multitude of camp followers,
armed with scythes, half pikes, and skeans. By this time Schomberg had
reached Dundalk. The distance between the two armies was not more than
a long day's march. It was therefore generally expected that the fate of
the island would speedily be decided by a pitched battle.

In both camps, all who did not understand war were eager to fight; and,
in both camps; the few who head a high reputation for military science
were against fighting. Neither Rosen nor Schomberg wished to put every
thing on a cast. Each of them knew intimately the defects of his own
army, and neither of them was fully aware of the defects of the other's
army. Rosen was certain that the Irish infantry were "worse equipped,
worse officered, and worse drilled," than any infantry that he had ever
seen from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Atlantic; and he supposed that the
English troops were well trained, and were, as they doubtless ought
to have been, amply provided with every thing necessary to their
efficiency. Numbers, he rightly judged, would avail little against a
great superiority of arms and discipline. He therefore advised James to
fall back, and even to abandon Dublin to the enemy, rather than hazard a
battle the loss of which would be the loss of all. Athlone was the best
place in the kingdom for a determined stand. The passage of the Shannon
might be defended till the succours which Melfort had been charged to
solicit came from France; and those succours would change the whole
character of the war. But the Irish, with Tyrconnel at their head, were
unanimous against retreating. The blood of the whole nation was up.
James was pleased with the enthusiasm of his subjects, and positively
declared that he would not disgrace himself by leaving his capital to
the invaders without a blow, [441]

In a few days it became clear that Schomberg had determined not to
fight. His reasons were weighty. He had some good Dutch and French
troops. The Enniskilleners who had joined him had served a military
apprenticeship, though not in a very regular manner. But the bulk of his
army consisted of English peasants who had just left their cottages. His
musketeers had still to learn