That the Irish Romanists regarded him as an object of aversion is not to be wondered at. When La Caillemotte summoned the garrison of Charlemont to surrender to the Duke of Schomberg, Governor Teague O’Regan replied: “The Duke is an old knave, and, by St. Patrick, he shan’t have the town at all.” A ridiculous attempt was made to brand him as a fiery zealot. A friar was brought to the Jacobite Court at Dublin, pretending to be dumb. The story was that Duke Schomberg had caused his tongue to be cut out, to put an end to his propagating a false religion, and had declared that he would serve all the Popish clergy, regular and secular, in the same way. The fraud was exposed by King James himself, who had been asked to repeat the process upon Protestant ministers.
Pastor Du Bosc’s biographer thus expresses the tribute which was universally paid to the great Schomberg:— “That hero could not better crown such a glorious life than by dying in the arms of victory, fighting in the cause of the best prince in the world, in whose court he had been brought up. Yet the pastor could not help shedding tears at the loss of so great a man, who deserved to live for ever.” Professor Weiss happily represents the same sentiments. He says: “Everywhere he justified the confidence he inspired by the most irreproachable loyalty, by the rare constancy of his opinions, by his courage and military skill, and by all those chivalrous qualities which our modern civilization daily effaces, and has not yet replaced.” It has been said that on hearing of Schomberg’s death, the king took the chief command and shouted, “Let the King of kings be king, and I will be general.”[1] We more than hesitate to accept this tradition, because the king from the day of his joining the army in Ireland had assumed the chief command. But there can be no doubt that the king was impressed with the calamity, and fully concurred in Luzancy’s reflection upon it, “Heroes seem to have a title to life, and though they have run a long course of years, their death is always surprising and untimely.” Misson says, “The Duke of Schomberg, who was one of the first that passed the river, and who was very far engaged among the enemy, was miserably murdered by a party of Horse that happened to know him. Thus died one of the most illustrious Generals and most excellent men of these times, at a very advanced age, to the great sorrow of the king.”
Mr. Story, having spoken of the losses on our side and on the enemy’s, proceeds thus:—
“All this was nothing in respect of Duke Schomberg, who was more considerable than all who were lost on both sides; whom his very enemies always called a brave man and a great General. I have heard several reasons given for the Duke’s passing the river at that juncture; but doubtless his chief design was to encourage the French whom he had always loved, and to rectify some mistakes that he might see at a distance. However ’twas, this I am certain of, that we never knew the value of him till we really lost him, which often falls out in such cases. And since it was in our quarrel that he lost his life, we cannot too much honour his memory, which will make a conspicuous figure in history whilst the world lasts. He was certainly a man of the best education in the world, and knew men and things beyond most of his time, being courteous and civil to everybody, and yet had something always that looked so great in him, that he commanded respect from men of all qualities and stations.”
At Belfast the Duke had listened to Dr. Royse’s sermon. The preacher had endeavoured to animate both officers and soldiers to place their confidence in God, by using the scriptural language, “when you pass through the waters He shall be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overflow you.” Although, according to the sound of the words, the promise might seem to have failed the heroic warrior and confessor in his last battle, yet that in its true meaning it was realised by him we cannot doubt. He was in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and for fifty years he had thought deeply over his open Bible.
- ↑ A correspondent sends me some of the stanzas of the song named “Boyne Water” (the old version):—
“Both horse and foot prepared to cross,
Intending the foe to batter;
But brave Duke Schomberg he was shot,
While venturing over the water.When that King William he perceived
The brave Duke Schomberg falling,
He reined his horse with a heavy heart,
To the Enniskilleners calling:—‘What will ye do for me brave boys?
See yonder men retreating;
Our enemies encouraged are;
But English Drums are beating.’He said: ‘Be not in such dismay
For the loss of one commander;
For God must be our King this day,
And I’ll be General under.’- ****
The Church’s foes shall pine away
With churlish-hearted Nabal;
For our Deliverer came this day
Like valiant Zerubbábel.”
