among the officers of his staff, Michael Godfrey the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England.  This gentleman had come to the King’s headquarters in order to make some arrangements for the speedy and safe remittance of money from England to the army in the Netherlands, and was curious to see real war.  Such curiosity William could not endure.  “Mr. Godfrey,” he said, “you ought not to run these hazards; you are not a soldier; you can be of no use to us here.”  “Sir,” answered Godfrey, “I run no more hazard than Your Majesty.”  “Not so,” said William; “I am where it is my duty to be; and I may without presumption commit my life to God’s keeping; but you—­” While they were talking a cannon ball from the ramparts laid Godfrey dead at the King’s feet.  It was not found however that the fear of being Godfreyed,—­such was during some time the cant phrase,—­ sufficed to prevent idle gazers from coming to the trenches.607 Though William forbade his coachmen, footmen and cooks to expose themselves, he repeatedly saw them skulking near the most dangerous spots and trying to get a peep at the fighting.  He was sometimes, it is said, provoked into horsewhipping them out of the range of the French guns; and the story, whether true or false, is very characteristic.

On the twentieth of July the Bavarians and Brandenburghers, under the direction of Cohorn, made themselves masters, after a hard fight, of a line of works which Vauban had cut in the solid rock from the Sambre to the Meuse.  Three days later, the English and Dutch, Cutts, as usual, in the front, lodged themselves on the second counterscarp.  All was ready for a general assault, when a white flag was hung out from the ramparts.  The effective strength of the garrison was now little more than one half of what it had been when the trenches were opened.  Boufflers apprehended that it would be impossible for eight thousand men to defend the whole circuit of the walls much longer; but he felt confident that such a force would be sufficient to keep the stronghold on the summit of the rock.  Terms of capitulation were speedily adjusted.  A gate was delivered up to the allies.  The French were allowed forty-eight hours to retire into the castle, and were assured that the wounded men whom they left below, about fifteen hundred in number, should he well treated.  On the sixth the allies marched in.  The contest for the possession of the town was over; and a second and more terrible contest began for the possession of the citadel.608

Villeroy had in the meantime made some petty conquests.  Dixmuyde, which might have offered some resistance, had opened its gates to him, not without grave suspicion of treachery on the part of the governor.  Deynse, which was less able to make any defence, had followed the example.  The garrisons of both towns were, in violation of a convention which had been made for the exchange of prisoners, sent into France.  The Marshal then advanced towards Brussels in the