nster,
and not a single enemy was in his rear. Many of the great English houses
had already joined him, and each hour brought news to Salisbury of fresh
disaffection in every part of the kingdom. James was at first anxious to
fight, but Feversham warned him that, though the men were steady, few of
his officers could be depended on. Before leaving London the King had
called his chief captains together and offered passes to all who were
desirous to leave him for the Prince of Orange, "to spare them," he
said, "the shame of deserting their lawful sovereign." All were profuse
in professions of loyalty, and among them were Churchill, Grafton, and
the butcher Kirke. Churchill, we know, continued these professions up to
the eleventh hour. On the evening of the 24th James held a council of
war, in which Churchill's voice was loudest for battle. That night he
left Salisbury for Axminster, and Grafton went with him. Some of the
Scottish officers stood firm, but not all. Dumbarton offered to lead his
regiment alone against the enemy. Dundee urged James to do one of three
things: to fight the Prince, to demand from him in person his business
in England, or to retire into Scotland with his faithful troops. But the
King still hesitated, and while he hesitated the moment passed. Kirke,
who commanded the advance guard at Warminster, flatly refused to obey
the orders sent him from Salisbury, and a rumour spread that he had gone
over to William with all his men. The King broke up the camp and began
his retreat to London; and before he had got farther on his way than
Andover, Ormonde and Prince George had joined the deserters, taking with
them young Drumlanrig. Douglas did not himself go over; but one of his
battalions did, without any attempt on his part to stop them. He had
sounded Dundee on the expediency of making terms for themselves with
William; but as he had done so under an oath of secrecy, Dundee felt
himself bound in honour to keep silence, and we may suppose made it a
part of the bargain that Douglas should stay where he was.

James left no orders behind him, and after his retreat the movements of
his army are somewhat confused. Dundee marched his cavalry to Reading,
where he was joined by Dumbarton. Thence they were ordered to Uxbridge
to consult with Feversham on the chances of a battle. But hardly had
they got there when the latter received orders to disband the army, and
heard at the same time of the King's flight from Lond