Marlborough was never flamboyant but, beside the sober garb of Godolphin, his own attire looked positively ostentatious. The Lord Treasurer was a quiet man in every respect, astute, thoughtful and in the habit of measuring his words carefully before he spoke. He had unquestioning faith in his friend's military capabilities and diplomatic skills. For his part, the Duke of Marlborough trusted Godolphin completely, relying heavily on his amity and good counsel.

'I am too old to lead an army into battle, Sidney,' he said.

'Nonsense!' protested the other. 'You will never be too old. There's no better captain-general in Europe. You've proved that time and again, John.'

'I've tried to prove it,' said Marlborough, 'but I've been dogged from the outset by Dutch circumspection. My hands are tied by the States-General. Instead of trusting me to take every decision in the field, they attached two Deputies to me to dissuade me from what they consider to be rash action. These men are civilians, for heaven's sake — what do they know about warfare?'

'Last year must have been very disappointing for you.'

'It was so frustrating, Sidney. I drew up a plan for converging movements on Antwerp, while troops would also move against Ostend in the north-west and against the Lines of Brabant.'

'Yes, it was a typically ambitious plan of yours.'

'Much too ambitious for our Dutch allies,' said Marlborough, taking a sip of his brandy. 'Instead of obeying my orders, General Cohorn went off on a foraging expedition, would you believe! That was the first of two failed attempts I made to bring Villeroi to battle before Antwerp. How on earth can we defeat the French if we do not fight them toe to toe in a proper engagement?'

'Did you make that point to Grand Pensionary Heinsius?'

'I did more than that, Sidney. I gave him an ultimatum. I told him that I would never again take the field with such obstacles in my way and be forced to depend on the unanimous consent of his generals. Heinsius needs to knock a few senior heads together in the Dutch army,' added Marlborough soulfully. 'I would rather die than put up with anything like that again.'