Saint Ruth, immediately on the reduction of Athlone, retired with his army, which consisted of 25,000 men, to the heights of kilcommeden. Here he took up a strong position, and awaited the approach of Ginckle, who was not slow in following him, notwithstanding his army con sisted of only 18,000 men. This inferiority, however, was amply compensated by the spirit by which his soldiers were actuated. Indeed a most bloody contest was about to take place. The first effort of Ginckle was, to force a pass on the right of the enemy ; and this having been ef fected, his whole left wing advanced through it, and attack ed the right of the Irish. The contest was severely con tended ; and the Irish, even after they were obliged to give way, retired only to flank their assailants in their turn. Saint Ruth, as soon as he was informed of the at tack on his right, drew great part of his cavalry from his left to support it. Advantage was immediately taken of this, and orders given to force the pass of Aghrim Castle on the left of the enemy by the cavalry, while the infantry made a movement to support this attack. The latter charg ing with impetuosity, the enemy designedly gave way, and the assailants, pursuing too far, were overpowered by a charge on the front and flank at the same time. The cavalry, however, had succeeded in their object, which in duced Saint Ruth to make them the principal object of his attack. But, while he was giving orders to that effect, he was slain by a cannon ball. The disputes between the French and Irish now produced the most fatal results ; for Saarfield, the Irish general, being totally unacquainted with Saint Ruth's plans, was unable to follow them up, and, before he could decide in what manner to act, the English were victorious. Their loss was only 700 killed and Irvin wminded, whereas the Irish lost 7000, besides 450 prisoners, and all their cannon, ammunition, Ste.
Allowing his troops a few days repose, Ginckle march ed against Galway, which soon surrendered, on condition that its garrison skould he permitted to march to Limerick. The terms in other respects were liberal as well as politic ; for, as soon as they were known, considerable numbers de serted the cause of James. Still, however, his partizans were numerous, and such as remained firm were animated by a most determined spirit of resistance.
No place of consequence now remained to James ex cept Limerick, and thither Ginckle directed his march. Recollecting, however, the ill success of his master before this place, he resolved to proceed with the utmost caution. He took measures to prevent the garrison receiving sup plies by sea, and to secure his own communication with Kerry, in case he should be obliged to take up his winter quarters there. As the garrison was equal in numbers to his own army, it would have been madness to have at tempted to have taken the town by assault. Instead, there fore, of wasting his time in making breaches in the walls, he resolved to cut off their provisions, by cutting them off from the county of Clare, whence they were drawn. This enterprize was successfully performed, to the surprise and consternation of the Irish, who, when they saw the bat teries dismounted, thought that the siege was about to be raised. The next object of the general was, to gain pos session of Thomond Bridge and King's Island, which lie to the north of what is called the English Town. The
Shannon was crossed, the works that protected the bridge were approached and stormed, and, after a desperate re sistance, the English made a lodgment within ten yards of it. Ginckle was surprised at his own success ; but a general engagement, which the enemy ought to have have hazarded on this occasion, was prevented by the dis putes between the Irish and the French. This dissension, together with the success of the English, produced an offer to capitulate ; and Ginckle here, as at Athlone, gave the most liberal terms. In a few days after Limerick was thus reduced, a French fleet appeared in the Shannon, with such supplies of troops, Sec. as must have rendered it im possible, if they had got into the city, to have taken it.
The articles of Limerick, as they are called, that is, the terms on which this city, and all the other posts in posses sion of the adherents of James, were surrendered, were in substance as follows: " That the Catholics should enjoy such privileges in the exercise of their religion, as were _onsistent with law, or such as they had enjoyed in the reign of Charles II. : That their Majesties, as soon as their affairs would permit, should summon a parliament, and endeavour to procure from it such further security as might preserve them from being troubled on account of their re ligion : That all the Irish in the kingdom in the of James should be pardoned, and exempted from all actions for debt, on account of plunder committed by them in the course of the war : That they should be reinstated in their property, and in their rights and titles, as soon as they took the oath of allegiance, enjoined by an act of the English parliament in the first year of King William's reign : That every lord and gentleman; who was included in this capi tulation, should be allowed to carry arms for defence or amusement : That the garrisons should march away with all the honours of war : And that those who might choose to leave Ireland, should be permitted to carry off their effects to any country except Britain, ships being provided for that purpose by the British government. Fourteen thousand Irish availed themselves of this article, and left their native country." As William was now completely master of Ireland, it was hoped and expected that he would immediately sum mon an Irish parliament, but this he did not do till 1692, when he wanted money. In the mean time the English parliament legislated for Ireland ; the most important of their acts was one to substitute other oaths, instead of the oath of supremacy, which, in fact, excluded Catholics from both houses of parliament. In 1692, when the Irish par liament met, it became evident that the commons were disposed to stand up for the rights of their country much more firmly than William wished or expected ; they even went so far, as to contend that Poyning's law did not ex tend to money bills, and rejected one that was sent over to them from England, expressly because it had not originat ed with them. This parliament was therefore dissolved, _in the hopes that the next would be less sturdy in the main tenance of their privileges.