Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/309

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LOUIS XIV. 297 mistake of attacking not Holland, but the Palatinate. William was thus set free to make his expedition to England. James fled to France, where he was welcomed by Louis ; but 5 Yxtaice England was definitely and decisively added to the against circle of the powers actively hostile to France. To Europe - Louis's blunder England owed the immediate and complete success of the Revolution of 1688. In 1689 all Europe was practically in arms against the French king. William, the most implacable of all Louis's foes, was in effective control of the forces both of England and Holland. The death of the Jacobite Dundee at Killiecrankie in 1689 secured the new monarchy in Scotland, while the battle of the Boyne next year destroyed the Stuart or Jacobite hopes of making Ireland the basis for a restoration. Meanwhile the French, assailed on every side, held their own ; and in 1690 the French fleet inflicted a severe defeat on the English off Beachy Head. But this was the high-water mark of the French naval success. Two years later the victor of Beachy Head, in obedience to the orders of the government, accepted an engagement with the English which resulted in a complete disaster. The battle of La Hogue decisively restored the Anglo- Dutch supremacy, and the French never again took the seas in force. Hitherto the wars of Louis had conspicuously proved that Louvois as well as Colbert was a man of very great administrative powers, although the policy in which he had en- character of couraged his master was evil. But in 1691 Louvois the War - also died, and thenceforth Louis never employed a minister of conspicuous ability. Still, however, his generals were a match for those of the allies. It would be vain to attempt to follow the campaigns in which the more conspicuous victories continued to fall to the French, while the skill of William of Orange re- peatedly prevented them from being followed by important results. France, fighting single-handed, felt the strain even more exhaust- ing than the allies. Louis adopted the plan of negotiating with the powers separately. Having thus detached the Duke of Savoy, whose attitude was practically the determining factor on the side of Italy, he was able to extract from the rest more favourable