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THE

HIS1
ORY

0.' THE

REBELLION,

BY

EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON.

IN EIGHT VOLUl\IES.

.

K ...
" T
TYip-a e) ae.. HUCYD.

Ne quidfalsi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat. CICERO.

THE

HISTO

O.t' THE

REBELLION AND CIVIL WARS

IN

E N G LAN D,

TO WHICH IS ADDED

A
HISTORICAL VIE\\' OF THE AFFAIRS OF IRELAND,

BY

ED"TARD EARL OF CLARENDON.

.

A NE'V EDITION,

EXHIBITING A FAITHFUL COLLATION OF THE ORIGINAL 1\1S.,
\VITH ALL THE SUPPRESSED PA

.-\GES;

ALSO

THE UNIJUßLiSHED NOTEIS OF BISHOP \\PARßURTON.

.

VOL, IV.

.

üX.FOJ1.D,

\.T TIlE CLARENDO
I)UE
S.

)lDCCCXX VI.

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

REBELLION, &c.

BOOK VII,

aM IC. iii. 11.
rIte heads ther{'w judge fir reward, and tlte priests tlwreg/"
teacltfor Il'ire, and tlte p-roplwts tlte'reqf divine for rnoney:
yet will tltey lean npon tlze L01"(1, and Sfty, Is not the
Lord arJlong 'Us? none evil can corne 'Upon us.
1\IIC. vii, 4.
Tlte best wtlle1Jl
is as a brier; tlte 1JJlost '/lpri
;llt i.
' sharper
tItan a tltorn-Itcdge: the day W tllY waleltrnen and tlty
"visitation rometh; nOiø sltail be tlteir perple.'l
.i
y. a

.

W HEN the treat y was first consented to bv the ROO K .
J VII.
two houses, they ordered that it should be upon the
fi · . d b h . · d } fi ) 643.
rst proposItIon fila e y IS InaJesty, an t IC rst The sum
proposition Inade by themselves, and that those of the de-
mands and
should be first concluded on, before they proceeded c
nces-
.

to treat upon any of the other propositions. So that both sidei
the COffilnittee, in the first place, applied thenlselves upon the

a .i\IIC. iii. I I. TIll' heads-perplexity.] Not in MS.
VOL. IV. B

2

THE I-IISTORY

BOOK to his nlajesty, upon his o\vn first proposition, \\ hich
VII.
was, "That his o\vn revenue, 11lagazines, to\vns,
1643. "forts, and ships, \vhich had been taken, or kept
first articJe. .
of the "froIH hIm by force, should be forth\VIth restored
treaty. "to hinl." To which the cOl1unittee ans\vered,
" That the t\VO houses had made use of his n1a-
"jesty's o\\'"n revenue, but in a very sll1all pro-
" portion, \vhich in a good part had been elnployed
"in the ll1aintenance of his children, according to
"the allo\vance established by hill1 self. And the
"houses ,vould satisfy \vhat should renlain due to
"his Inajesty of those SU111S, ,vhich they had re-
" ceived; and would leave the same to hiln for the
" till1e to COlne. And they desired like\vise, that his
" 11lajesty ,vould restore what had been taken for
" his use, upon any of the bills, assigned to other
"purposes by several acts of parlialnent, or out of
" the provision made for the \var of Ireland: that
" all the arms and anullunition taken out of his lna-
"gazines should be delivered into his stores, and
" whatsoever should be \vanting, they would supp} J
" in kind, according to the proportions they had re-
" ceived: but they proposed, the persons, to whose
"charge those public magazines should be C0111-
" Initted, being nOlninated by his 111ajesty, 111ight be
" such, as the t\VO houses of parlianlent Inight con-
" fide in, and that his Inajesty ,vould restore all such
" arms and anlmunition, as had been taken for his
" use, froin the several counties, cities, and to\vns.
" That the t\VO houses would remove the garri-
" sons out of all to\vns and forts in their hands,
" wherein there ,vere no garrisons before these trou-
" bles, and slight all fortifications made since that
" time, and those to\vns and forts to continue in th(\

OF l."HE RI
B:ELLION.

"san1e condition they were in before; and that
" those garrisons should not be rene,ved, or the for-
" tifications repaired, ,vithout consent of his majesty,
" and both houses of parliament. That the towns
" and forts, ,vhich were ,vithin the jurisdiction of
"the cinque ports, should be delivered into the
" hands of such a noble person, as the king should
" appoint to be warden of the cinque ports, being
" such a one as they should confide in. That Ports-
"mouth should he reduced to the number of the
" garrison, as was at that titne ,vhen the lords and
" COlnlnons undertook the custody of it; and that all
" other forts, castles, and towns, in which garrisons
" had been kept, and had been since the beginning
" of these troubles taken into their care and custody,
" should be reduced to the san1e establishnlent they
" had in the year 1636, and should he so continued;
" and that all those to\vns, forts, and castles, should
" be delivered up into the hands of such persons of
" quality and trust, to be likewise nominated by his
"majesty, as the two houses should confide in.
." That the warden of the cinque ports, and all go-
"vernors and comlnanders of towns, castles, and
" forts, should keep the saIne towns, castles, and
" forts, respeçtively, for the service óf his majesty,
" and the safety of the kingdom; and that they should
" not admit into theln any foreign forces, or any
" other forces raised without his majesty's authority,
U and consent of the two houses of parlialnent; and
" they should use their utmost endeavour b to sup-
"press all forces whatsoever raised without such
" authority and consent; and they should seize aU

b endeavour] endeavours
B2

s

BOOK
VII.

164:).

4

THE HISTORY

BOOK "arms and alumunition provided for any such
VII. l'
" lorces.
" They likewise proposed to the king, that he
" would remove the garrison out of Newcastle, and
" all other to,vns, castles, and forts, where any gar-
" risons had been placed by him since these troubles;
" and that the fortifications n1ight be likewise slight-
" ed, and the towns and forts left in such state as
" they were in the year 1636; and that all other
" towns and castles in his hands, ,vherein there had
"been forlnerly garrisons, might be cOll1mitted to
"such persons nominated by him, as the houses
" should confide in, and under such instructions as
" were formerly mentioned; and that the new gar-
" risons should not be renewed, or the fortifications
" repaired, without the consent of the king and both
"houses of parliament. That the ships should be
" delivered into the charge of such a noble person,
" as the king should nominate to be lord high adlui-
"ral of England, and the t\VO houses confide in;
" who should receive that office by letters patents,
" qua11l dill se bene gesse'rit, and should have power"
"to nOlninate and appoint all subordinate com-
" ll1anders and officers, and have all other powers
" appertaining to the office of high adluiral; which
"ships he should employ for the defence of the
U kingdom, against all foreign forces ,vhatsoever,
" and for the safeguard of merchants, securÏîlg of
" trade, and the guarding of Ireland, and the inter-
" cepting of all supplies to be carried to the rebels;
" and should use his utlTIOst endeavours c to suppress
" an forces, ,vhich should be raised hy any person

I 643.

c t'lJde
woursJ endeavoUl

OF 'I'HE REBELLION.

",vithout his lnajesty's authority, and consent of
" the lords and COlnn10ns in parlialnent, and should
" seize aU arms and an1munition provided for supply
" of any such forces."
To this ans,ver, by which they required at least
to go ,vhole sharers ,vith hin1 in his sovereignty, the
king replied, " That he knew not what proportion
" of his revenue had been Inade use of by his two
" houses, but he had reason to believe, if much of it
" had not been used, very luuch ren1ained still in
" their hands; his \vhole revenue being so stopped,
" and seized on, by the orders of one or both houses,
" even to the taking of his Inoney out of his exche-
"queI' and n1int, and bonds (forced frolll his cof-
" ferer's clerk) for the provisions of his household;
" that very little had come to his use for his own
" support; but he ,vould be well contented to allow
" ,vhatsoever had been employed in the maintenance
" of his children, and to receiv"e the arrears due to
" hin1self, and to be sure of his own for the future.
" He ,vas like\vise willing to restore all monies taken
" for his use, by any authority frolTI cl hÎ1n, upon any
" bills assigned to other purposes, being assured he
" had received very little or nothing that way: and
" he expected likewise, that satisfaction should be
" Inade by them for all those several vast sums, re-
" ceived, and diverted to other purposes, by orders
" of one or both houses,t' ,vhich ought to have been
"paid by the act of pacification to his subjects of
" Scotland, or elnployed for the discharge of the
h debts of the kingdom; or, by other acts of parlia-
" ment, for the relief of his poor protestant subjects

d from] for
c by orderd of one or both
uS

houses,] Not in JUS.

5

nOOK
VII.

1643.

6

'1" HE II I S 'r 0 R Y

BOOK "in Ireland. For \vhat concerned his nlagazines,
VII. h d ·
" he was content that all t e arlTIS an aml11unitlon,
16 J3. "taken out of his Inagazines, which did relnain
"in the hands of both houses, or of persons em-
" ployed by theIn, should be, as soon as the treaty
" was concluded, delivered into the Tower of Lon-
" don; and that ,,?hatsoever should be ,vanting of
" the proportions taken hy them, should be supplied
" by then1, ,vith an convenient speed, in kind; which,
" he said, should he cOlnn1itted to, and continued in,
" the custody of the s\vorn officers, to ,vhose places
" the san1e belonged: and if any of those officers
" had already forfeited, or hereafter should forfeit,
"that trust, by any misdelneanours, his l1lajesty
" would by no lneans defend them from the justice
" of the la\v. That he al\\rays intended to restore
" such a1"lns and amlnunition, ,vhich he had been
" cOlnpelled to take fronl any persons and places,
"when
is o\vn had been taken froB1 hinl; and
" would Inake them recompense as soon as his own
,
stores ,vere restored to hin1.
" To "\vhatsoever they proposed for the slighting
" all fortifications, and reducing all garrisons, which
" had been n1ade since the beginning of the troubles,
" and leaving them in the state they \vere before,
" the king fully and absolutely consented; and that
" the old castles and garrisons should be reduced to
"their ancient proportion and establishlnent: but
"for the governors and comlnanders of thenl, he
" said, that the cinque ports ,vere already in the
" custody of a noble person, against \VhOln he knew
" no just exception, and who had such a legal in-
" terest therein, that he could not, ,vith justice, re-
" move him from it, until sonle sufficient cause ,vere

O}1
THE REBELLION.

" 111ade appear to hinl: but he was very wining, if
" he should at any til11e be found guilty of any thing
" that lnight 111ake hin1 ull,vorthy of that trust, that
" he might be proceeded against according to the
" rules of justice. That the governnlent of the to\vn
" of Portsnlouth, and all other forts, castles, and
" to,vns, as \vere forn1erly kept by garrisons, should
"be put into the hands of such persons, against
" \vhol11 no just exceptions could be 111ade; all of
"thel11 being, before these troubles, by letters pa-
" tents granted to several persons, against any of
" ,vholn he kne,v not any exceptions \vho should be
" renloved, if just cause should be given for the
"san1e. The ,varden of the cinque ports, and all
" other governors and commanders of the to\vns and
" castles, should keep their charges, as by the la,v
" they ought to do, and for the king's service, and
" safety of the kingdoln; and they should not adn1it
"into any of them foreign forces, or other forces
" raised, or f brought into them contrary to the law;
" but should use their utrnost endeavours to suppress
" such forces, and should seize all a1"lns and amnlU-
" nition, ,vhich; by the la\vs and statutes of the
" kingdoln, they ought to seize."
To that part ,vhich concerned the ships, the king
told theIn, " That he expected his o\vn ships should
" IJe delivered to hiln, as by the la,v they ought to
" be; and that \vhen he should think fit to nominate
" a lord high adlniral of England, it should be such
" a person against WhOlll no just exception could he
" made; and if any should be, he ,vould ahvays
" leave him to his due trial and exau1ination; and

t or] and
B4

7

BOOK
VII.

I G43.

nOOK
VII.

I 643.

8

THE HIS1."ORY

" he \vould grant his office to him by such letters
" patents as had been used. In the mean time he
" \vou]d govern the adn1iralty by commission, as had
"been in all times accustomed; and whatsoever
" ships should be set out by him, or his authority,
" should be employed for the defence of the kingdom
" against all foreign forces whatsoever, for the safe-
" guard of merchants, securing of trade, guarding of
" Ireland, and the intercepting of all supplies to be
" carried to the rebels; and they should use their
., utmost endeavours to suppress all forces which
" should be raised, by any person \vhatsoever, against
" the laws and statutes of the kingdonl, and to seize
" all arms and an1munition provided for the supply
" of any such forces."
It is evident to all men where the difference now
lay between then1, being \vhether the king \vould
reserve the disposal of those offices and places of
trust to himself, \vhich all kings had enjoyed, and
,vas indeed a part of his regality, or \vhether he
,vould be content ,vith such a nOlTIination, as, being
to pass, and depend upon their approbation, no lTIan
should ever be admitted to then1, \vho \vas nOlninated
by hinl. The comn1ittee, upon his Inajesty's g an-
swer, desired to know, " whether h he did intend,
" that both houses should express their confidence of
" the persons, to \vhose trust those p]aces were to be
" comnlitted; for that they were directed by their
" instructions, that, if his majesty was pleased to as-
" sent thereunto, and to nominate persons of quality
" to receive the charge of them, that they should
" certify it to both houses of parliament, that there-

g his majestV'sJ his

h whether] if

OF THE REBELLION.

" upon they might express their confidence in those
"persons, or humbly desire his majesty to nall1e
"others, none of which persons -to be relTIoved
"during three years next ensuing, \vithout just
" cause to be approved by both houses; and if any
" should be so removed, or die ,vithin that space, the
" persons, to be put in their places, to be such as the
"two houses should confide in." The king an-
swered, " That he did not intend, that the houses
" should express their confidence of the persons, to
"\vhose trusts those places should be COlTIlnitted,
" but only that they should have liberty, upon any
"just exception, to proceed against any such per-
" sons according to law; his majesty being resolved
"not to protect them against the public justice.
"\Vhen any of the places should be void, he well
" knew the nomination, and free election, of those
" who should succeed, to be a right belonging to and
" inherent in his l11ajesty; and having been enjoyed
" by all his royal progenitors, he could not helieve
" his well affected subjects desired to limit him in
"that right; and desired they would be satisfied
" ,vith this answer, or give him any reasons to alter
" his resolution, and he would con1ply with them."
They told him, " there could be no good and firm
" peace hoped for, if there \vere not a cure found
" out for the fears and jealousies; and they knew
"none sure, but this which they had proposed."
The king replied, " That he rather expected reasons
" grounded upon law, to have she\ved hÏ111, by the
" law, that i he had not that right he pretended, or
" that they had a right superior to his, in \vhat ,vas

I by the law, t.hat] that by the law

9

BOOK
YII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

16<-13.

10

rrl-IE HI srrOR Y

" now in question; or that they \volIld have she,ved
., hilu son1e legal reason, \vhy the persons trusted
" by hin1 were incapable of such a trust; than that
" they \vould only have insisted upon fears and jea-
"lousies, of ,,"hich as he kne,v no ground, so he
" lnust be ignorant of the cure. That the argnnlent
" they used Inight extend to the depriving hilTI of,
" or at least sharing ,vith hint in, all his just regal
" po\ver; since po,ver, as ,veIl as forces, ITIight be
" the object of fears and jealousies, and there \vould
" be ahvays a po,ver left to hurt, whilst there ,vas
" any left to protect and defend." He told theIn,
" If he had as much inclination, as he had 1110re
" right, to fears and jealousies, he lnight ,,?ith n10re
"reason have insisted upon an addition of power,
" as a security to enalJle hiln to keep his forts, ,vhen
" he l)ad theIn, since it appeared it "ras not so great,
" but that they had been able to take then1 from
"hÜn, than they to Inake any difficulty to restore
" theln to hiln in the saIne case they ,vere before.
" But, he said, as he ,vas hilTIself content ,vith, so,
h he took God to \vitness, his greatest desire ,vas, to
4,,, observe al\\rays and lnaintain the la,v of the land;
h and expected the saine fron1 his subjects; and be-
" lieved the mutual observance of that rule, and nei-
" ther of then1 to fear ,vhat the la,v feared not, to
" he, on both parts, a better cure for that dangerous
" disease of fears and jealousies, and a better Ineans
" to establish a happy and perpptual peace, than for
"hiln to divest hÌ1nself of those trusts, ,vhich the
" la,v of the land had settled in the cro,vn alone, to
" preserve the po,ver and dignity of the prince, for
" the better protection of the subject, and of the la\v,
" and to avoid those dangerous distractions, "Thich

O:F TI-IE ItEBEI
LIO
.

11

" the interest of any sharers ,vith him ,vould have BOO K
VI[.
" infallibly produced."
The committee neither offered to ans,ver his n1a- J 6-13.
jesty's reasons, nor to oppose other reasons to weigh
against them; but only said, " That they ,vere com-
" 111anded by their instructions, to insist upon the
"desires of both houses forlnerly expressed." To
,vhich the king n1ade no other ans\ver, " than that
" he conceived it all the justice in the world for hin1
" to insist, that ,vhat ,vas by la\v his o\vn, and had
"been contrary to law taken frOlTI him, should be
" fully restored to him, without conditioning to in1-
" pose any ne,v limitations upon him, or his mi-
"nisters, which were not formerly required from
" them by the la\v; and he thought it lllOst unrea-
" sonable, to be pressed to diIninish his o\vn just
"rights hi 111 S elf, becau
e others had violated and
" usurped them." 'rhis ,vas the sum of what passed
in the treaty upon that proposition.
To the first proposition of the t\VO houses, " That
" his nlajesty would be pleased to disband his armies,
" as they like\vise \vould be ready to disband all their
" forces, \vhich they had raised, and that he would
" be pleased to return to his parliament;" the king
ans,," ered, " That he ,vas as ready and "Tilling that
"all armies should be disbanded, as any person
" ,,-hatsoever; and conceived the best \yay to it,
" would be a happy and speeùy conclusion of the
" present treaty; which, if both houses would con-
" tribute as much as he ,vould do to it, ,vollld be
" suddenly effected. And as he desired nothing more
" than to be with his t,vo houses, so he ,voltld repair
" thither as soon as he could possibly do it ,vith his
. "honour and safety."

1

'fHE HIS'rORY

1643.

The conlmittee asked him, " if by a happy and
"speedy conclusion of the present treaty, he in-
"tended a conclusion upon the two first proposi-
" tions, or a conclusion of the treaty in all the pro-
" positions of both parts." The king, ,vho well knew
it would be very ungracious to deny the disbanding
of the arnlies, till all the propositions were agreed,
some whereof would require much tÏ1ne, ans\vered,
" That he intended such a conclusion of, or in the
" treaty, as there might be a clear evidence to him-
" self, and his subjects, of a future peace, and no
" ground left for the continuance or gro\vth of those
" bloody dissensions; ,vhich, he doubted not, might
" be obtained, if both houses ,vould consent that the
" treaty should proceed ,vithout farther interruption,
" or limitation of days." They asked hinl, " 'Vhat
" he intended should be a clear evidence to him, and
" his good subjects, of a future peace, and no ground
" left for the continuance and gro\vth of those bloody
" dissensions ?" His nlajesty told them, " If the
" conclusion of the present treaty upon his first pro-
" position, and the first proposition of both houses,
" should be so full, and perfectly made, that the la\v
" of the land might have a full, free, and uninter-
" rupted course, for t
e defence and preservation of
" the rights of his nlajesty, and of thelTIselves, and
" the rest of his subjects, there would be thence a
" clear evidence to hhn, and all men, of a future
" peace; and it would be such a conclusion as he in-
"tended, never meaning that both arlnies should
" reillain undisbanded until the propositions on both
" sides were fully concluded." To the other clause
of their own proposition concerning the king's re-
turn to the parliall1Cnt, they said, "they had no

BOOK
VII.

OF THE REBELLION.

"instructions to treat upon it;" which the king
llluch wondered at; and finding that they had no
other authority to treat, or debate what ,vas neces-
sary to be done in order to disbanding, but only to
press him to appoint a day for the actual disband-
ing; and that the forces in the north, ,vhere he had
a great army, and they had none, might be first
disbanded, he endeavoured to dra,v them to sonle
propositions upon his return to the parliament; frOl1l
whence expedients would naturally result, if they
pursued that heartily, which ,vould conclude a gene-
ral peace. And it seemed very strange, that, after
so many discourses of the king's absence from the
houses, froin whence they had taught the people
to believe that most of the present evils flowed and
proceeded, when a treaty was now entered upon, and
that was a part of their OWl1 first proposition, that
their committee should have no instructions or au-
thority to treat upon it. After this k , they received
new instructions, " to declare to his lnajesty the de-
" sire of both houses, for his cOl1ling to his parlia-
" ment; which, they said, they had often 'expressed
"with full offers of security to his royal person,
" agreeable to their duty and allegiance, and they
" knew no cause why he might not repair thither
" with honour and safety." When the king found
he could not engage them in that argunlent to make
any particular overture, or invitation to him; and that
the comlnittee, who expressed willingness enough,
had not in truth the least power to prolllote, or con-
tribute to, an accolnmodation, lest they should
Inake the people believe, that he had a desire to

k After this] In the ellrl

13

BOOK
VII.

1643.

14

TI-IE I-IISTOR Y

1643.

continue the \var, because he consented not to their
proposition of disbanding the armies, he sent this
message, by an express of his o\vn, to the two houses,
after he had first comn1unicated it to their COlll-
mittee.

BOOK
VII.

O.1:for(l, AjJrill2tlz, 1643.

lIis majcs- " To she\v 1 to the \vhole \vorld, ho\v earnestly his
ty's rues- "ma 1 est y lon g s for P eace and that no success shall
sage to the OJ C, L
two hn.nsf's " make hin1 desire the continuance of his arlny to
of Apnll2,
1643. " any other end, or for any longer time, than that,
"and until, things 111ay be so settled, as that the
"la\v 111ay have a full, free, and uninterrupted
" course, for the defence and preservation of the
"rights of his n1ajesty, both houses, and his good
" subjects:
1. " As soon as his nlajesty is satisfied in his first
"proposition, concerning his own revenue, maga-
" zines, ships, and forts, in which he desires nothing,
" but that the just, kno\vn, legal rights of his lna-
" jesty, (devohTed to hin1 frolH his progenitors,) and
" of the persons trusted by hiIn, \vhich have violently
" been taken froln both, be restored unto hin}, and
" unto them; unless any just and legal exception
" against any of the IJersons trusted by him (\vhich
" are yet unkno\vn to his 111ajesty) can be made ap-
" pear to him :
2. " As soon as all the nlen1bers of both houses
" shall be restored to the saIne capacity of sitting
" and voting in parlialnent, as they had upon the
" first of January 1641; the saine, of right, belong-

I To shew] Tlzi.
message i.
rendon's amanuensis.
in the handwriting of lord Cla-

OF THE REBELI-AION.

" ing unto them by their birthrights, and the free
" election of those tbat sent them; and having been
" voted fron1 them for adhering to his Inajesty in
" these distractions; his n1ajesty not intending that
" tbis should extend either to the bishops, \vhose
" votes have been taken away by bill, or to such, in
" \vhose places, upon new \vrits, ne\v elections have
" been nlade:
3. " As soon as his 11lajesty, and both houses, 111ay
" he secured from such tUlnuItuous asselllblies, as to
" the great breach of the privileges, and the high
" dishonour of parlialnents, have formerly asselnbled
" about both houses, and a\ved the Inembers of the
" saIne; and occasioned t\VO several cOlllplaints fronl
" the lords' house, and t\VO several desires of that
" house to the house of conln10ns, to join in a decla-
"ration against theln; the complying with \vhich
"desire nlight have prevented all these n1iserable
" distractions, which have ensued; \vhich security,
" his l11ajesty conceives, can be only settled by aù-
" journing the parIiall1ent to some other place, at
" the least t\venty Bliles from London, the choice of
" \vhich his luajesty leaves to both houses:
" His nlajesty will n10st cheerfully and readily
" consent, that both arlnies be in1nlediately dis-
" banded, and give a present Ineeting to both his
" houses of parlian1ent at the tÏIl1e and place, at and
" to which the parlialnent shall be agreed to be ad-
" journed: his lnajesty being most confident, that
" the la\v \vill then recover due credit and estima-
" tion; and that upon a free debate, in a full and
" peaceable convention of parlialnent, such pro\Tisions
"will be Inade against seditious preaching, and
" printing against his ll1ajesty, and the established

1:J

BOOK
\11.

1643.

BOOK
VIle

) 643.

16

THE HÍS1."ORY

" laws, which have been one of the chief causes of
"the present distractions, and such care will be
"taken concerning the legal and known rights of
"his nlajesty, and the property and liberty of his
" subjects, that whatsoever hath been published, or
" done, in or by colour of any illegal declaration, 01"-
" dinance, or order of one or both houses, or any
" cOlnmittee of either of theIn, and particularly the
" po\ver to raise arnlS ,vithout his majesty's consent,
" will be in such manner recalled, disclaimed, and
" provided against, that no seed \vill renlain for the
" like to spring out of for the future, to disturb the
" peace of the kingdoln, and to endanger the very
" being of it. And in such a convention his Inajesty
" is resolved, by his readiness to consent to whatso-
" ever shall be proposed to him, by bill, for the real
" good of his subjects, (and particularly for the better
" discovery and speedier conviction of recusants ; for
" the e
ucation of the children of papists by pro-
" testants in the protestant religion; for the preven-
" tion of practices of papists against the state; and
'
the due execution of the la"Ts, and true levying of
" the penalties against thell1,) to Inake known to all
" the world, how causeless tbose fears and jealousies
" have been, which have been raised again
t him;
" and by that so distracted this 111iserahle kingdolll.
" And if this offer of his Inajesty be not consented
" to, (in which he asks nothing for which there is
" not apparent justice on his side, and in which he
" defers nlany things highly concerning both hÏ111self
" and people, till a full and peaceable convention of
" parlianlent, which in justice he might no,v re-
" quire,) his lnajesty is -confident, that it will then
" appeal' to all the ,vorld, not only who is 11108t de-

OF THE REBELLION.

"sirous of peace, and \vhose fault it is that both
" arn1ies are not no\v disbanded; but \vho have been
" the true and first cause, that this peace was ever
" interrupted, or those armies raised; and the be-
" ginning or continuance of the war, and the de-
"struction a
d desolation of this poor kingdoll1
" (which is too likely to ensue) will not, by the ll10st
"interessed, passionate, or prejudicate person, be
" in1puted to his 111ajesty."
To this message the two houses returned no an-
swer to the king, but required the comn1Ïttee to re-
turn to "r estll1inster (having been in Oxford \vith
his 111ajesty just twenty days) with such positive
circumstances, that the house of COlnnlons enjoined
their 11lembers to begin their journey the same day;
which they obeyed; though it \vas so late, that they
""ere forced to very inconvenient acconlnlodations;
and at their return, some of them were looked upon
with great jealousy, as persons engaged by the king,
and disinclined to the parliament; and this jealousy
prevailed so far, that lVlr. l\fartin opened a letter
frolll the earl of Northumberland to his own lady, m
presull1Íng he should therein have discovered sonle
combination; and this insolence was not disliked.
lVlany were of opinion, that the king was too se- ,
vere in this treaty, and insisted too nluch upon what
is his own by l"ight and law; and that if he would
have distributed offices and places liberally to parti-
cular men, which had been a condescension in policy
to be sublnitted to, he Inight have been repossessed of
his own power. And I have heard this aneged by
many, ,vho at that tinle were extreluely violent

VOL. IV'.

m bis own lady,] his wife,
C

17

BOOK
VII.

1643.

nOOK
VII.

J Ô <1:3.

18

THE HIS'rORY

against all such artifices. The committee thelllseives
(,vho at that tÏlne perfectly abhorred the proceedings
of the parlialnent, or rather the po\ver and supe-
l
iority of the earl of Essex) seelned exceedingly de-
sirous of such an accolnlTIodation, as all good Inen
desired; and to believe, that if the king "Tould have
condescended so far, as to nominate the earl of
Northumberland to be lord high adIl1iraJ, that it
would have made so great a division in the houses,
that the treaty would have been continued, and his
majesty been satisfied in all the other propositions.
And the earl of N orthun1berland, to private friends,
did Inake as full professions of future service to his
Inajesty, and as ample recognitions of past errors and
mistakes, as could reasonably be expected fron1 a
wary nature, before he could be sure ,vhat reception
such professions and vows \vould find. But the king
thought the power and interest of that cOlTImittee
would be able to do little, if it could not prevail for
the enlarging the time of the treaty, in ,vhich they
seemed heartily to engage thenlselves. And he ,vas
resolved at least to have a probable assurance of the
conclusion, before he would offer such concessions,
as taking. no effect might prove prejudicial to him:
as particularly, n the nOlninating the earl of N orth-
ulnberland to be" adnliral (though he '\vould '\villingly
have done it, as the price and pledge of an honour-
able peace) would have discontented all ,vho had, how
unreasonably soever, pron1ised then1selves that pre-
ferment; and many would have imputed it to an
unseasonable easiness, (froln \vhich inlputation it
concerned the king, at that time, as much to purge

n particularly,] Not in MS.

OF 'rHE REBELLION.

hÏ1nself, as of unnlercifulness and revenge,) upon
pronlises and hopes, to have readulitted a nlan to a
charge and trust, he had so fatally betrayed and
broken, against as 0 solenln proll1ises and obligations,
at the least, as P he could no,v enter into; and there-
fore it concerned the king to be sure of some adv
n-
tage, in lieu of this visible hazard.
I anl one of those, ,vho do believe that this obli-
gation, at this till1e, laid upon the earl of N orthuln-
berlanrl, ,vith such other circumstances of kindness
as \vould have been fit to acconlpany it, would have
met real gratitude and faithfulness in hirrt, (for as,
originally, he had, I an1 persuaded, no evil purposes
against the king; so he had now sufficient disdain
and indignation against those ,vho got hinl to tread
their \vays, when he had not their enùs,) and that it
would have made SOlne rent and division in the two
houses, (,vhich could not but have produced some
benefit to the king,) and that it Inight probably have
procured S0l11e fe\v days' addition for the continuance
of the treaty; the avo,ved ground of denying it be-
ing, because the king had not, in the least degree,
consented to anyone thing proposed by thenl: but,
I confess, I CalJnot entertain any imagination, that
it ,vould have produced a peace, or given the king
any advantage, or benefit in the \var: \vhat inconve-
nience it might have produced hath been touched
before. For, hesides that the stirring and active
party, who carried on the war, were neither gracious
to the carl of Northulnberland, nor he to theIn, their
favourite at sea being then the earl of 'Var"rick, who
had the possession of the fleet, and whonl alone they

o a
] more

r at the least, as] than
C 2

19

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

20

TI-IE IIISTOR Y

believed fit to be trusted with the navy; "rhoever cal1s
to Inind "That was done in the houses, during the
tilne of the treaty, and by their directions; that by
their o\vn authority they directed all the lands of
bishops, deans, and chapters, to be sequestered, and
inhibited their tetlants to pay any l'ent to them;
that, under pretence of searching for arnlS, and
taking a\vay superstitious pictures, they caused the
queen's chapel at SOlnerset-house (\vhere she was to
exercise her devotion, if they ever meant she should
return again to London) to be Blost licentiously
rifled; in \vhich licence \vith impunity, her lodgings
\vere plundered, and all her furniture and goods of
value taken a \vay and enlbezzled; that there was an
order n1ade in the house of conl1nons, \vhen they
sent their messengers every day to Oxford ,vithout
any forlnality or control, "that \v hatsoever person
" should come from Oxford, or any part of the king's
" army, to London, or the parts adjacent, without
" the ,varrant of hoth houses of parlialnent, or of the
" lord general the earl of Essex, he should be appre-
" hended as a spy and intelligencer, and be pro-
" ceeded against according to the rules and grounds
" of war :" by virtue of \vhich order of the house of
connnons only, and without any communication that
notice might be taken of it, a servant of the king's,
for discharging the duty of his place, ,vas executed;
which shall be anon renlelnbered; q all \vhich, ex-
cept the execution of that nlan, ,vas transacted dur-
ing the tilue of the treaty at Oxford.
\Vhosoever renlenlbers the other proposition upon
,vhich the treaty ,vas founded, and the bills then

f) anon remembered;] remembered in its p1ace j

OF THE REBELLION.

presented to the king for his royal assent; that there
,vas no unreasonable thing delnanded in the nineteen
propositions, which was not conlprehended in these
fourteen, and lnany additions Inade, that ,vere not
in the former; that they detnanded the total aboli-
tion and extirpation of archbishops, bishops, deans,
and chapters, and the \vhole fralne of the govern-
Inent of the church; and another bill for the calling
an asselnbly of divines, n0111inated by themselves,
(which ,vas a presumption, as contrary to the policy
and government of the kingdonÌ, as the n10st extra-
vagant act they had done,) consisting r of persons the
1110st deeply engaged in the most un warrantable acts
that had been done; and yet his Inajesty was re-
quired to prolnise to pass such other bills for settling
of s church-government, as, upon consultation with
that asselnbly of divines, should be resolved on by
both houses of parlialnent: that all the other bills
then presented to the king for his royal assent, and
insisted on by their fourth proposition, though they
had specious and popular titles, contained ll1any
clauses in them contrary to COlnmon equity, and the
right of the subject, and introduced proceedings very
different from the kno\vn justice of the kingdom;
and therefore, besides the tilne and circumstances of
the passing those acts, (\vhen the nation ,vas in
blood,) not like to n1eet \vith his majesty's approba-
tion; I say, whosoever remen1hers and considers all
this, (to say nothing of the lilnitations by which
their cOlnmittee were bound, without any power of
debating, or other capacity than to deliver the re-
solutions of the t"ro houses, and to receive the king's

r consisting] and consisting
c3

s of] IVoi in 7J.IS.

Ql

BOOK
\TII.

1643.

Q

rrHE HISrrORY

nOOK answer, which might as effectually have been done
vu. by anyone single ordinary Inessenger,) cannot, I con-
1643. ceive, believe, that the king's consenting to make
anyone person an10ng then1 high admiral of Eng-
land, ,vould have been a means to have restored the
kingdon1 to a present peace, and the king to his just
rights and authority. t And if all these considera-
tions be not sufficient to render that supposition Íln-
probable, that, which follows next in order of story,
will abundantly confute it.
rl:he earl of On Saturday thé 15th of April, ,vhich was the
.Essex d h . h h · d 0 í' d
marches to very ay on ,v IC t e treaty expIre at Xlor,

t

f
g being the last of the twenty days ,vhich ,vere first

:j

:
assigned, and to 'v hich no importunity of the king's
Jast day of could procure an addition, the earl of Essex marched
t he treaty.
,vith his ,vhole arlny from 'Vindsor, and sat do,vn
before Reading; ,vhich preparation ,vould not have
been so exactly Inade, and the resolution so punc-
tually taken, if they had meant any reasonable con-
cessions froln the king should have frustrated that
vast charge, and deterlnined all farther contentions.
The earl had never before been in the head of so
gallant an army, ,vhich consisted of about sixteen
thousand foot, and above three thousand horse, in as
good an equipage, and supplied ,vith all things ne-
cessary for
siege, as could be expected from an
enemy ,vhich kne,v no ,vants, and had the command
of the Tower of London, and aU other stores of the
kingdom. In the town were above three thousand
foot, and a regitnent of horse consisting of near three
hundred; the fortifications ,vere very Inean to en-
dure a formed siege, heing nlade only to secure a

t rit!hts and authority.] authority and right
.

OF TIlE REBELLION.

winter quarter, and never intended for a standing
garrison. And it is very true, that it ,vas resolved
at a council of ,val' at Oxford, " that before the end
" of April," (before ,vhich time it was conceived the
enemy lvouid not adventure to take the field,) " sir
" Arthur Aston should slight those works, and draw
" off his garrison to the king;" and that which Inade
it less able to bear a siege, than the weakness of
their ,yorks, ,vas their want of ammunition; for they
had not forty barrels of powder; which could have
held a brisk and a daring enemy but a short time. U
And as this defect proceeded not frOlll want of fore-
sight, so it \vas not capable of being supplied, at
least in that proportion as was worthy the name of
a supply. For the king had no port to friend, by
which he could bring alnmunition to Oxford; neither
had he been yet able to set up any manufacture for
any considerable supply. So that what he brought
up with him after the battle of Edge-hill, which was
the remainder of the four hundred barrels brought
by the ship called the Providence, before the setting
up of his standard, had served for all his expeditions,
being distributed into the several garrisons; and was
still to furnish all his growing occasions; and that
magazine no,v at Reading (which ,vas no greater
than is before mentioned) \vas yet double to what was
in any other place, Oxford only excepted; wherein,
at this time, there ,vas not above one hundred barrels
of powder, and in no one place match proportionahle
to that little po,vder = and this defect is wholly to he
ilnputed to the lowness and straitness of the king's

U which could have held a have held a brisk and daring
brisk and a daring enemy but a enem y four hours.
t;hort time.] which ",.ould not
c4

3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

Q4

"HE HIS
rORY

condition; for there was no ,vant of industry, but all
imaginable care and pains taken to prevent and sup-
ply it.
N ot\vithstanding all these difficulties, the town
looked upon the enenlY ,vith courage and contenlpt
enough; and, to say the truth, both officers and sol-
diers ,vere as good, as in the infancy of a ,val' could
be expected; and they had no apprehension of ,vant
of victual, ,,?ith "rhich they ,vere abundantly stored.
The soldiers without "?ere, for the most part, ne\\Tly
levied, and few of their officers acquainted ,vith the
,vay and order of assaulting towns; and this ,vas the
first siege that happened in England. Upon the first
sitting down before it, after they had taken a full
view of the ground, their general advised with his
council of ,var, in what nlanner he shou]d proceed,
,vhether by assault or approach; in which there was
great diversity of opinions. "The ,yorks were
" weak; the number of the assailants sufficient; all
" Inaterials in readiness; they believed x the soldiers
" in the town full of apprehensions, and a very con-
" siderable party of the inhabitants disaffected to the
" garrison, ,vho in the tÎ1ne of a. storIn would be able
" to beget a great distraction. TheyY might be able
"to stornl it in so Iuany places at once, that the
" nUlnber of the soldiers \vithin would not be able to
" defend all; and if they prevailed in anyone, their
" ,vhole body of horse l11ight enter, and be imnledi-
" ately masters of the town: if they prevailed this
" ,vay, their army would have that reputation, and
" carry that terror with it, that no po\ver of the
"kil1g's ,\Tould hereafter be able to abide it; but

x they believed] Not in .:US.

Y They] That they

OF THE REBELLION.

" they Inight march over the kingdom, and subdue
" every part of it: whereas if they delayed their
" ,york, and proceeded by way of approach, those in
" the town would recover heart, and, after they had
" digested the present fears and apprehensions, COll-
"tenln their danger; and their own soldiers, who
",vere yet fresh and vigorous, would every day
"abate in courage, and their nunlLers in a few
"weeks lessen as much by sickness and duty, as
" they should probably do by an assault." On the other
hand it was objected, " that the a1"1ny consisted most
" of new levies," (and in truth there were not, of all
that gallant army that "ras at Edge-hill, among the
foot, three thousand Inen,) " who ,vould be hardly
" brought to begin upon so desperate service; that
'
it was the only arlný the parlialnent had, upon
" \vhich all their hopes and ,velfare depended; and
" if in the spring it should receive an eminent foiJ,
" they ,,,ould not recover their courage again all the
"snnllner. That they ,ve1"e not only to look upon
" the taking of Reading, but, pursuing that in a
" reasonable ,yay, to keep thernselyes in a posture
" and condition to end the war by a battle ,vith all
"the king's forces; \vhich would no doubt apply
"themselves to their relief; and no place under
"heaven could be so comnlodious for then1 to try
" their fortune in, as that. "Thereas if they should
" hastily engage themselves upon an assault, Z and
" receive a repulse, and should be afterwards forced
" to rise to fight with the king, they should never
" make their men stand; and then their cause ,vas
"lost." As a for the danger of sickness among the

f assault,] on:slatt,

a As] Not in
18.

5

BOOK
VII.

1643.

6

rHE HIS'rOltY

nOOK soldiers, ,vho ,vere not acquainted with hardship, b
VII. . d h h h . I .. h
" It was urge , C "t at t oug It ,vere ear leI' In t e
) 643. "year than the arnlies usuaUy marched into the
" field, yet they had much better accommodation
" and provision than armies use to have; their horse
" (to \vhom that tilne of the year is cOlnmonly most
" hazardous, d through the want of forage) being
" plentifully provided for \vith hay and oats by the
" benefit of the river, and all supplies being sent for
" the foot out of London."
And in truth it is hardly credible ,vhat vast quan-
tities (besides the provisions Inade in a very regular
way by the cOll1nlissioners) of excellent victual ready
dressed ,vere every day sent in ,vaggons and carts
fron1 London to the army, upon the voluntary con-
tributions fron1 private falnilies, according to their
affections to the good ,york in hand; the COlIlmon
people being persuaded, that the taking of Reading
would destroy all the king's hopes of an army, and
that it ,vould he taken in very fe\v days. Upon
these arguments and debates, (in ,vhich all these
reasons ,vere considered on both sides,) the major
part of the council inclined, and ,vith that the
general COIn plied, to pursue the business by ap-
proach. I t ,vas reported, that the officers of horse
in the council ,vere all for a storln, and the foot offi-
cers for approaching. The chief care and oversight
of the approaches ,vas conunitted to Philip Skippon,
a man often mentioned in the first part of this his-
tory, ,vho had been an old officer, and of good expe-
rience in the Lo\v Countries, and was no\v made
sergeant-nlajor-general of the army, by the absolute

b hardship,] hardness,
c it was urged,]Omitfed in iJ'lS.

d hazardous,] formidable,

OF 1.
HE REBELl
ION.

power of the t\VO houses, and without the cheerful
concurrence of the earl of Essex; though sir John
Merrick, ,vho had executed that place by his lord-
ship's choice from the beginning, was preferred to be
general of the ordnance.
The approaches advanced very fast, the ground
being in all places as fit for that work as could be,
and the town lying so low, that they had easily
raised e many batteries, from whence they shot their
cannon into the town f at a near distance, but with-
out any considerable execution; there being fewer
lost by that service than will be believed, and but
one Inan of note, lieutenant colonel D'Ews, a young
luan of notable courage and vivacity, who had his
leg shot off by a cannon bullet, of ,vhich he speedily
and very cheerfully died. Fron1 the to\vn there
,vere frequent sallies with good success; and very
many soldiers, and some officers, of the enemy ,vere
killed; n10re, hurt; who were sent to hospitals near
London; and those that were sent to London, as
Inany cart-loads ,vere, ,vere brought in the night,
and disposed ,vith great secrecy, that the citizens
Juight take no notice of it: the stratagems of this
kind are too ridiculous to be particularly set down,
though pursued then ,vith great industry, insomuch
as some were punished for reporting that there were
111any g soldiers killed and hurt before Reading; and
it was a mark of InaJignity to believe those reports;
so unfit the people ,vere to be trusted with all
tru ths.
'Vithin a week after the beginning of the siege,

e casily raised] Not ill 111S.
f town] 7Jf8. adds: and upon

their line
g many] very many

7

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

Q8

THE HISTORY

sir Arthur Aston the governor being in a court of
guard near the line which was nearest to the enemy's
approaches, a cannon shot accidentally lighted upon
the top of it, ,vhich ,vas covered with brick-tile, a
piece ,vhereof, the shot going through, hit the go-
vernor in the head, and made that inlpression upon
hitn, that his senses shortly failed hilll, so that he
,vas not only disabled after,vards fronl executing in
his o"rn person, but inconlpetent fOT counselor di-
)'ection; so that the chief C01111nand ,vas devolved to
colonel Richard Fielding, ,vho ,vas the eldest colonel
of the garrison. 1-'his accident ,vas then thought of
great n1isfortune to the king, for there ,vas not in
his arn1Y an officer of greater reputation, and of
,vhom the enemy had a greater dread. The next
night after this accident, but before it ,vas kno,vn at
Oxford, a party fronl thence under the command of
1\11'. 'l'ihnot, the lieutenant general of the horse,
without any signal opposition, put in a supply of
po\vder, and a regin1ent of five hundred foot into the
to\vn, and h l'eceived advertisement fron1 thence of
the governor's hurt, and that they lnust expect to be
relieved ,vithin a ,veek, beyond which tiule they
should not be able to hold out. Ho\v ill the king
was provided for such an expedition, ,vill best ap-

al. by remen1bering ho\v his forces ,vere then scat-
tered, and the present posture he was then in at
Oxford.
'rhe nhnble and the successfulluarches of sir "7il_
lian1 "raIler, ,\
hOln ,ve left triumphing in "Tales,
after his strange surprise of the lord Herbert's forces
near Gloucester, caused the king to send prince

h and] but

OF THE REBELLION.

29

l\laurice \vith a strong party of horse and dragoons BOO K
to attend hiln, \vho moved from place to place with VII.
as great success as speed, after his success at Hy- 1643.
nam; and to make the shame of those officers the
less, with the spirit of victory doubled upon him, he
came before Hereford, a to\vn very \vell affected,
and reasonably well fortified, having a strong stone
wall about it, and some cannon, and there being in
it some soldiers of good reputation, and many gen-
tlemen of honour and quality; and three or four
hundred soldiers, besides the inhabitants ,veIl armed;
yet, without the loss of one man on either side, to
the adlniration of all \vho then heard it, or have ever
since heard of it, he persuaded theln fairly to give Sir William
h d . ld h I . \\T aller
Up t e town, an YIe t enlse yes prIsoners upon takes Here-
quarter; which they did, and \vere presently by ford:
hiln sent for their better security to Bristol.
Fron1 thence he 111 arched to \V orcester, where his comes be-
fore 'V 01'-
conquests nlet sonle stop; for though the town was cester: is
h . t ( I f repuls
d.
not so strong, nor t e garrIson so grea , 111ean 0
soldiers; for the inhabitants \vere more,) as Here-
ford, nor one officer in it of n10re experience than he
had gotten this unhappy 'val", the inhabitants had
the courage to resolve not to admit any sunln10ns or
nlessenger FrOI11 hin1; and when his druln, against
aU signs nlade to hinl fronl the ,valls not to approach,
did notwithstanding refuse to return \vithout deli-
vering his 111e5sage, they shot at hÍ1n, and killed
hinl; and ,vhen sir 'Villiam "TaIler himself, to rc-
venge that affront, nlarched \vith his whole body to-
wards theIn, (there being only an old gate, ,vithout
bridge or \vork, before it, to hinder his entrance into
the to"rn, they entertained him so roughly, that he
was forced to retire ,vith the loss of SOlne officers"

so

rrIIE HISTORY

BOOK and about t,venty COlnnlon men; after which, his
VII. men having not been accustomed to such usage, he
1643. got over the Severn again, and, with quick night
marches, so avoided prince l\laurice, (who took no less
pains to meet \vith hin1,) that \vith some fe\v light
skirlnishes, in which he received snlall loss, he car-
ried his party safe, and full of reputation, through
Gloucester to the earl of Essex's army before Read-
ing; hinlself being sent for to London, upon a de-
sign that lllust be hereafter mentioned.
The great want at Oxford (if anyone particular
Inight deserve that style, ,vhere all necessary things
\vere ,vanted) was alTIITIunition; and the only hope
of supply ,vas froin the north; yet the passage fronl
thence so dangerous, that a party little inferior in
strength to an arll1Y was necessary to convey it;
for though the earl of Newcastle, at that time, was
master of the field in Yorkshire, yet the enemy \\Tas
much superior in all the counties between that coun-
ty and Oxford; and had planted many garrisons
so near all the roads, that the most private messen-
gers travelled \vith great hazard, three being inter-
cepted for one that escaped. To clear these obstruc-
tions, and not \vithout the design of guarding and
waiting on the queen to Oxford, if her 111ajesty were
ready for that journey, at least to secure a necessary
Prince supply of powder, prince Rupert resolved in person

:

s to- to march towards the north, and about the begin-
::;
l
:the ning of April (the treaty being then at Oxford, and
there being i hopes that it \vould have produced a
good effect, at least that the earl of Essex \vould
not have taken the field till May) his highness, \vith

i there being 1 Not i,l MS.

OF rrHE REBEJ
I-JIO
.

a party of twelve hundred horse and dragoons, and
six or seven hundred foot, marched towards Litch-
field; which if he could reduce, and settle there a
gal"Tison for the king, lay most convenient for that
northern communication; and ,vou]d with it dis-
solve other little adjacent holds of the enemy's,
which contributed much to their interruption. In
his ,vay thither, he ,vas to march through Bromi-
cham, a town in "\Var\vickshire before Inentioned,
and of as great falne for hearty, \vilful, affected dis-
loyalty to the king, as any place in England. I t is
before remembered, that the king in his Inarch from
Shre\vshury, notwithstanding the eminent nlalignity
of that people, had she\ved as eminent cOlnpassion
to them; not giving way that they should suffer by
the undistinguishing licence of the soldier, or by the
severity of his o\vn justice; \vhich clemency of his
found so unequal a return, that, the next day after
his renlove thence, the inhabitants of that place
seized on his carriages, \vherein were his own l)late
and furniture, and conveyed thenl to 'Varwick castle;
and had fronl that tinle, with unusual industry and
vigilance, apprehended all l1lessengers who were em-
ployed, or suspected to be so, in the king's service;
and though it was never made a garrison by direc-
tion of the parliament, being built in such a form,
as was indeed hardly capable of being fortified, yet
they had so great a desire to distinguish themselves
from the king's good subjects, that they cast up
little slight works at both ends of the town, and
barricadoed the rest, and voluntarily engaged theln-
selves not to adnlit any intercourse \vith the king's
forces.
In this })osture prince Rupert no\v found thenl,

31

BOOK
VII.

1 643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

takt's Bro-
micham,

3

THE HISTORY

having in the town with then1 at that time a troop
of horse, belonging to the garriso
of Litchfield,
which ,vas grown to that strength, that it infested
those parts exceedingly; and ,vould in a short tinle
have extended itself to a powerful jurisdiction. His
highness hardly believing it possible, that, ,vhen they
should discover his po\ver, they would offer to make
resistance, and being un,villing to receive interrup-
tion in his nlore important design, sent his quarter-
lnasters thither to take up his lodging; and to as-
sure them, " that if they behaved themselves peace-
" ably, they should not suffer for what ,vas past:"
but they had not consciences good enough to believe
him, and absolutely refused to let hiln quarter in the
town; and from their little works, with metile equal
to their n1alice, they discharged their shot upon him;
but they were quickly overpo\vered, and SOlne parts
of the town being fired, they were not able to con-
tend ,vith both enenlies; and, distracted between
both, suffered the assailant to enter ,vithout much
loss; who took not that vengeance upon them they
deserved, but nlade them expiate their transgres-
sions ,vith paying a less mulct than might have been
expected from their \vealth, if their \vickedness had
been less.
In the entrance of this to,,-n, and in the too eager
pursuit of that loose troop of horse that was in it,
the earl of Denbigh (who fronl the beginning of the
\var, ,vith unwearied pains, and exact subnlission to
discipline and order, had been a volunteer in prince
Rupert's troop, and been engaged ,vith singular cou-
rage in all enterprises of danger) ,vas unfortunately
,vounded ,vith nlany hurts on the head and body
with 8\vords and poll-axes; of which, ,vithin two or

OF 'rHE ItEBELLION.

three days, he died. Had it not been for this ill
accident,k (and to relnelnber the disnlal inequality
of this contention, in which always some earl, or
person of great honour or fortune, fell, when, after
the most signal victory over the other side, there
was seldoln lost a man of any known falnily, or of
other reputation, than of passion for the cause in
\vhich he fell,) I should not have Inentioned 1 an ac-
tion of so little In0111ent, as was this of Bromicham:
which I shall yet enlarge with the remelnbrance of
a clergyman, \vho was here killed at the entering of
the town, after he had not only refused quarter, but
provoked the soldier by the most odious revilings
and reproaches of the person and honour of the king,
that can be imagined, and renouncing all allegiance
to hÍIn; in whose pockets \vere found several papers
of nlenlorials of his o\vn obscene and scurrilous be-
haviour with several \VOn1en, in such loose expres-
sions, as 1110dest ears cannot endure. This 111 l11an
was the principal governor and incendiary of the
rude people of that place against their sovereign.
So full a qualification \vas a heightened lneasure of
malice and disloyalty for this service, that it \veigh-
ed do\vn the infauIY of any other le\vd and vicious
behaviour.
From Bronlichaul, the prince, \vithout longer stay
than to reillove two or three slight garrisons in the
way, which made very little resistance, nlarched to
Litchfield, and easily possessed hilTISelf of the to\vn,
which lay open to all COIners; hut the close (con-

k llad it not. been for this ill
accident,] And but for which
accident,
1 I should not have mention-
YOLo IY.

ed] I should not ha\'e wasted so
nlUch paper in mentioning
m This] And this

D

33

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII,

I fi43.

34

'rIlE 1-1 I S'rOR Y

taining 11 the cathedral church and all the clergy..
111en's houses) was strongly fortified, and resolved
against him. '.rhe wall, about which there was a
broad and deep 1110at, was so thick and strong, that
no battery the prince could raise would make any
iUlpression; the governor, one colonel Rouswell, very
resolute; and the garrison of such men as were most
transported with superstition to the cause in which
they engaged O , and in number P equal to the ground
they were to keep, and q their provisions ample for a
longer time than it ,vas fit the prince should stay
before it. So that it was believed, when his high..
ness had in vain endeavoured to procure it by treaty,
he would not have engaged before it; for his strength
consisted, upon the matter, ,vholly in horse; his foot
and dragoons being an inconsiderable force fo]
such
an attempt. But whether the difficulties were not
throughly discerned and \veighed at first, or ,vhether
the importance of the place was thought so great,
that it was worth an equal hazard and adventure,
he resolved not to rnove till he had tried the utter-
most; and, to that purpose, drew what addition of
force he could out of the country, to strengthen his
handful of foot; and persuaded Hlany officers and
volunteers of the horse to alight, and bear their parts
in the duty; with \vhich they cheerfully and gal-
lantly complied; and in less than ten days he had
dra\vn the 1110at dry, and prepared t\VO bridges for
the graff. The hesieged onlitted nothing that could
he perforlned by vigilant and hold In en ; and killed
and ,\\rounded l11any of the hesiegers; and disap-

J1 containing] whieh contain-
ed
o engaged] were engaged

p number] numbers
fJ and] Not ;n MS.

OF 'rHE REBELLION.

35

pointed and spoiled one mine they had prepared. BOOK
VII.
In the end, early in the Inorning, the prince having
prepared all things in readiness for the assault, he 1643.
sprung another Inine; ,vhich succeeded according to
wish, and made a breach of twenty foot in the wall,
in a place least suspected by those ,vithin; yet ther
defended it with all possible courage and resolution,
and killed and hurt very many; son1e, officers of
prinle quality; whereof the lord Digby, colonel Ger-
rard, colonel 'Vagstaffe, and lllajor Leg, ,vere the
chief of the wounded; and when they had entered
the breach, they continued the dispute so fiercely
within, (the narrowness of the breach, and the às-
cent, not suffering lllany to enter together, and no
horse being able to get over,) that after they had
killed colonel Usher, and SOJne -other good officers,
and taken others prisoners, (for both colonel "Tag_
staffe and 'VillialTI Leg were in their hands,) they
c0111pelled the prince to consent to very honourable
conditions; which he readily yielded to, as thinking
himself a gainer by the bargain. And so the gar- and Litch-
· h d · h .c · d h . , field, and
l"ISOn 111arC e out WIt laIr respect, an t e prInce s r returns to
testimony of their Shaving Inade a courageous de- t.he lÜng.
fence; his highness being very glad of his conquest,
though the purchase had shrewdly shaken his troops,
and robbed him of 111any officers and soldiers he
much valued. At this time, either the day before or
the day after this action, prince Rupert received a
positive order from the king, " to Inake all possible
"haste, \vith all the strength he had, and all he
" could dra\v together frolll those parts, to the relief
" of Reading;" \vhich was in the danger ,ve hut no,v

r the prince's] a princely
])2

'"' their] Not in iriS.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

36

'l"'HE HI STOR Y

left it. Upon ,vhich his highness, cOlumitting the
government of Litchfield to colonel Baggot, a son of
a good and powerful family in that county, and ap-
pointing his troops to make what haste ,vas possible
after hilU, hiluself ,vith a few servants came to Ox-
ford to attend the king, whon1 he found gone to-
wards Reading.
The in1portunity froin that garrison for relief ,vas
so peremptory, and the concernlnent so great in their
preservation, that the king found it would 110t bear
the necessary delay of prince Rupert's returning
with his forces; and therefore his majesty in person,
with those horse and foot which he could speedily
draw together, leaving very few behind hin1 in Ox-
ford, or in any other garrison, advanced to,vards
Reading; hoping, and that was the utU10St of his
hope, that he nlight.. ".ith the assistance of the gar-
rison, be able to force one quarter, and so draw out
his Inen; and by the ad vantage of those rivers which
divided the enemy, and by the passes, he able to re-
tire to Oxford; for heing joined, he could not have
equalled one half of the enemy's army. "Then the
king t dre,v near the to\vn, the day being passed
whereon they had been proluised, or had proluised
thClTISclves, relief, he "ras encountered by a party of
the enenlY, which defended their post, who U heing
quickly seconded by supplies of horse and foot frol11
all their quarters, after a very sharp conflict, in
which nIany fell on both sides, the king's party, C0111-
manded hy the earl of Forth hinlself, (the general,)
consisting of near one thousand 111usketeers, \vere x
forced to retire to their body; which they did the

t the king] he

n who] and

x were] was

OF 'rHE REBELLION.

sooner, because those of the town Inade no semblance
of endeavouring to join with thenl ; which was what
they principally relied upon. The reason of that was,
the garrison, not seeing their relief coming, had Y
sent for a parley to the enelny, which was agreed to,
\vith a truce for so lnany hours, upon \vhich hostages
\vere delivered; and a treaty begun, \vhen the king
carne to relieve it. U pOll the view of the enemy's
strength and intrenchnlcnt, all were of opinion that
the small forces of the king would not be able to
raise the siege, or to join with those in the town;
and in this melancholic conclusion his majesty re-
tired for the present, resolving to nlake any other
reasonable atten1pt the next day. In the mean time,
some soldiers found means to escape out of the town,
and colonel Fielding himself in the night came to
the king, and told him the state they were in; and
" that they were in treaty, and believed he might z
" have very good conditions, and liberty to march
" away \vith all their arms and baggage;" ",-hich
was so welcome news, that the king bid hin1, prince
Rupert being then present, " that, if he could pro-
" cure such conditions, he should accept them :" for
indeed the men and the arms were all that the king
desired, the 10ssR of either of which was like to prove
fatal to him. The king continued stiJI at N ettle-
beck, b a village seven or eight miles distant from
Reading, to attend the success of the treaty; resolv.
ing, if it succeeded not, to try the utInost again for
their redemption: but all men praying heartily for

y hadl1Vot in MS.
Z believed he might] he be-
lieved might
n3

a the loss J and the loss
h Nettlebeck,J Nettlebedd,

37

BOOK
VU.

1643.

38

THE HISTORY

BOO K liberty to march off upon the treaty, the next day
VII.
these articles were agreed on.
1643.
1. " That the governor, commanders, and soldiers,
Reading
slIrrcn- " both horse and foot, might Inarch out ,vith flying
tIered upon .
artic1es, " colours, artl1S, and four pIeces of ordnance, ammu-
.6\pril27. , .. b d b I . h h b II ·
'nltlon, ag an aggage, 19 t matc, u et In
" 111outh, drullls beating, and trumpets sounding.
2. "That they lllight have free passage to his
" nlajesty's city of Oxford, ,vithout interruption of
" any of the forces under the command of his excel-
" lency the earl of Essex; provided the said gover-
" nor, commanders, and soldiers, use no hostility un-
" til they COlne to Oxford.
3. " That what persons were accidentally come to
" the town, and shut up by the siege, might have
" liberty to pass without interruption; such persons
" only excepted, as had run away from the army
" under the command of the eal
l of Essex.
4. " That they shaH C have fifty carriages for bag-
" gage, sick, and hurt men.
5. " That the inhabitants of the town of Reading
" should not be prejudiced in their estates, or per-
" sons, either by plundering or imprisonment; and
" that they who ,vollld leave the town, might have
" free leave, and passage, safely to go to what place
" they would, with their goods, within the space of
" six weeks after the surrender of the town.
6. " That the garrison should quit the town by
" twelve of the clock the next morning; and that the
" earl of Essex should provide a guard for the secu-
" rity of the garrison soldiers, when they begun d to
" march."

c shall] should

d begun] began

OF 1."'HE ItEBELLION.

Upon these articles, signed by the earl of Essex,
the town was delivered on the 27th day of April,
(being ,vithin a fortnight after the siege begun, e)
and the garrison marched to the king, who stayed
for them, and with him to Oxford. But at their
coming out of the town, and passing through the
enelny's guards, the soldiers were not only reviled,
and reproachfully used, but many of them disarnled,
and most of the waggons plundered, in the presence
of the earl of Essex hhnself, and the chief officers;
who seemed to be offended at it, and not to be able
to prevent it; the unruliness of the common nlen
being so great. As f this breach of the articles ,vas
very notorious and inexcusable, so it was nlade the
rise, foundation, and excuse for barbarous injustice
of the same kind throughout the greatest part of
the war; insomuch as the king's soldiers afterward,
when it was their part to be precise in the observa-
tion of agreements, mutinously ren1en1bered the vio-
lation at Reading, and thereupon exercised the same
licence; from thence, either side having somewhat
to object to the other, the requisite honesty and jus-
tice of observing conditions was Inutually, as it were
by agreelnent, for a long tinle after violated.
There had been, in the secret cOl11mittee for the
carrying on the \var, fornling those designs, and ad-
ministering to the expenses thereof, a long debate
\vith great difference of opìnion, ,vhether they should
not In arch directly with their army to besiege Ox..
ford, where the king and the court ,vas, rather than
Reading; and if they had taken that resolution, as
1\11'. Hambden, and all they who desired still to

e begun,] begij,n,

f As] And as

u4

39

BOOK
VII.

1643.

ROOK
VII.

1643.

40

TI-IE HI
TORY

strike at the root, very earnestly insisted upon, with-
out doubt they had put the king's affairs into great
confusion. For, besides that Oxford g "'"as not tole-
rably fortified, nor the garrison well provided for,
the court, and multitude of nobility, and ladies, and
gentry, with which it was inhabited, bore any kind
of alarm h very ill. But others, \vho did not yet
think their army well enough composed to resist all
temptations, nor enough subdued in their inclinations
to loyalty, and reverence towards the person of the
king, had no Inind it should besiege the very place
where the king himself ,vas; and the earl of Essex
himself, who was yet the soul of the army, had no
mind to that enterprise: and so the army marched,
as hath been said, directly to Reading, \vith the suc-
cess that is ßlentioned i.

g Oxford] the town
h alarm] alanlnl
i directly to H.eading, with
the success that is mentioned]
The words " with the success
" that is nlentioned H ære in the
ill s. n. interlined by lord Cla-
1'endon; a pen being drawn
through the following para-
graph: 'Vhere sir Arthur Aston
(a man of much greater reputa-
tion in war than he deserved)
was governor, with three thou-
sand good foot and a regiment
of horse; and if that body of
foot (which should have been
drawn out within less than a
month, which was as soon as it
was imagined that the enemy
would take the field) had been
rut oIr, the king would have
been depri \'ed of the best part
of his infantn'; which was well
enough kno\
n to the enemy,

and was the principal cause of
their engagement. The works
were rather a trench cast up to
secure a winter quarter, than
any fortification to endure a
siege, the purpose having been
always to throw in all the works
in the spring, and to leave the
town open, his majesty I having
not men enough to supply gar-
risons, and retaining still the old
unhappy opinion, that another
action in the field would deter-
mine the contest. IIowever, the
earl of Essex, thinking it to be
stronger than it was, or willing
that others should think it so,
quartered his army ronnd about
it, to keep it from supply, and
disposed all things for a formal
siege. The several transactions
within and without the town
during the siege; the hurt of the
governor, whether real or pre-

OF
'HE 11EBELLION.

Though, at the instant, the parliament was highly
pleased ,vith the getting the to,vn, and the king as
well contented, ,vhen he sa,v his entire garrison
safely joined to the rest of his army, (for it cannot
be denied the joy ,vas universal through the king's
quarters, upon the assurance, that they had re-
covered near j four thousand good men, ,vhom they
had given for lost,) yet, according to the vicissitudes
in ,val', ,vhen the accounts are cast up, either party
gre\v quickly dissatisfied \vith its success. The king
was no sooner returned to Oxford, but, upon confe-
rence bet,veen the officers and soldiers, there grew a
whisper, " that there had not been fair carriage, and
" that Reading had been betrayed," and from thence
made a noise through Oxford; and the very next
day, and at the same time, colonel Fielding, upon
,vhom the discourses reflected, came to the king to
desire, "that an account might be taken of the
" whole business at a council of ,var for his vindica-
" tion;" and the common soldiers, in a disorderly
manner, " to require justice against him for betray-
" ing and delivering up the town to the rebels ;')
which they avowed with so much confidence, \vith
the mention of some particulars," as the k having
" frequent intercourse \vith the earl of Essex, and

tended; the treaty about the snr-
rcnder, and the- king's endea-
vour to relieve it during that
treat.y, and after it was begun,
and the garrison's refusing to
rlraw out because of the treaty j
the surrenùer of the town the;c-
upon, and the secure march of
the garrison to Oxford; thè dis-
orders andjealollsics which hap-
J'ened there about that surren-

ùel'; the earl of Esgex his march
toward
Oxford, and drawing up
his whole army in sight thereof:
and the consternation there, and
his making his headquarters at
Thame, are all fitter sulljects for
the historv of that time than for
this narration, [namely, the au-
thor's l!fe.]
j near] full
k the] Nut in 11184

tl

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

42

rrllE HIsr.I:'Olty

BOO K "hindering and forbidding the soldiers to issue out
VII. "of the to"rn to join ,vith the king, when he came
1643. "to relieve them, although I their officers had drawn
" then1 up to that purpose, and were ready to lead
" then1;" and the like; with some rash and passion-
Colonel ate \vords disrespectful to his majesty; so that he
Fielding .
ordered to gave present order for hIS cOlllmitlnent, and trial at
be tried for t f th k . I · If b . 11 1
the sur- a cour 0 \var; e lng 1Ullse elng Illarve ous y
render. incensed against hÏ111, for that clause in the third ar-
ticle, \vhich gave liberty to all ,vho were accidentally
come to the town, and shut up by the siege, to pass
without interruption, wherein there ,vas an excep-
tion of such persons who had run a\vay fron1 the
earl of Essex's army, and by virtue of that exception
some soldiers m were taken after the rendering of
the town, and ,vere executed. And though the
colonel excused himself, "as being no more con-
" cerned to answer for'the articles, than every 111en1-
" bel' of the council of ,val', by which they were
" agreed;" yet it was alleged, " that the council of
" \val' had been induced to consent to those articles,
"upon the colonel's averment, that the king had
" seen them, and approved of them." \Vhereas his
111ajesty had never seen any articles in writing, but
only consented, that they should march away with
their arms and baggage, if the enemy agreed to those
condi tions. I have not known the king more af-
flicted than he was with that clause, which he called
no less " than giving up those poor 111en, who, out
" of conscience of their rebellion, had betaken them-
" selves to his protection, to be nlassacred and 111Ur-
"dered by the rebels, \\T h01l1 they had deserted;"

I although] albeit

m
oldiers] soldiers of that kind

OF rrHE REBELLION.

and, for the vindication of hinlself therein, he imnle-
diately published a proclamation, ill which he took
notice of that clause; and declared to all the world,
" That he was not privy to, or, in the least de-
" gree, consenting to that exception, but held the
" saIne Inost prejudicial to his service, and deroga-
" tory to n his honour; and that he would always
" choose to run any hazard or danger, the violence
" or treason of his enemies could threaten, or bring
" upon hinl, rather than he would withdraw or deny
"his protection to any, who, being convinced in
" their conscience of their disloyalty, should return
" to their duty, and betake themselves to his service.
" And as he had referred to a court of war the full
"examination of all the particular proceedings, in
" the delivery of that town, that 0 justice lllight be
" done accordingly; so he did declare, that he would
" ahvays proceed with all severity against such, as
"should, by the like dishonourable conditions, ex-
" pose his subjects, and bereave them of his pro-
"tection that had returned to their obedience to
" hiln."
At the trial, it ,vas objected against the colonel,
" that the town Inight have been longer defended,
" there being want of no necessary provision, and as
" much powder, at the giving it up, as there was
" when the enemy came first before it; for, besides
" the first supply, sixteen barrels were put in dur-
" ing the skirnlish, when the king came to relieve
" it: that several colonels pressed very earnestly to
" sally, when the king's forces were engaged, and
" that they were expressly hindered and forbidden

n to] fronl

o that] that so

is

BOOK
VII.

1643.

DO OK
YII.

16,13.

4d

'TIlE HIS1.
OR Y

" by hinl: that he frequently gave his pass to a
" ,vonlan to go out of the to\vn, who went into the
" earl of Essex's arnlY, and returned again: that he
,. persuaded the council of ,val' to consent to the ar-
" ticles, by protesting that the king had ,veIl ap-
"proved theIn, and reproached those officers who
" 'v ere of another opinion;" ,vith sonle other parti-
culars of licence and passion, \vhich reflected more
upon his discretion, than his honesty, or conduct.
He justified hiIllself "to have done nothing to-
" ,vards the delivery of the place, but upon full con-
" sideration, advice, and approbation of the council
" of ,val': that he was in his o,vn conscience and
" j udglnent satisfied, that the substance of the arti-
" cles ,vere advantageous for his majesty's service;
" and though it ,vas true, by that last supply of aln-
" 11lunition, their store ,vas near as 111uch as ,vhen
" the siege begun; yet it ,vas in all but thirty -t,vo
" barrels, \vhich would have lasted but fe,v hours, if
" the enelny, ,vho had approached ,vithin little nlore
"than pistol-shot of SOlne parts of their ,,,orks,
"should attack then1 in that manner as they had
" reason to expect; and if they had held out longer,
" when it had appeared that the king was not strong
" enough to relieve them, they should not have been
" adlllitted to such conditions: and therefore, that
"he believed a hazard of so great a concernment
" ,vas not to be run, ,vhen he ,veIl knew his lnajes-
"ty's fortner resolution of slighting the garrison;
" and that it ,vould not be now done above a fort-
" night sooner than was intended: that he had no
" kno,vledge of his majesty's approach, till the forces
" were engaged, when a truce was concluded, and
" thcir hostages in the enemy's hands; and therc-

OF THE REBELLION.

" fore, that he conceived it against the law of arn1S
" to make any attelnpt froln the town; and before
" they could sufficiently deliberate it in council, his
" majesty's forces retired: that the WOlnan, to \VhOln
" he gave a pass, "ras one he often. eInployed as a
" spy, with very good effect; and he did believe, the
" advantage he received by it ,vas greater than she
" could carry to the enen1Y by any information she
" could give: that he did persuade the council of
" war to consent to the conditions, because he be-
" lieved thenl very profitable to his majesty, and he
" had averred only his n1ajesty's approbation of the
" general substance of the articles, never applied it
" to the clause of the third article, which he l1luch
" desired to have altered, but could not obtain the
" consent of the enemy. If he had been intemperate,
" or passionate to any, who were of another opinion,
" or had used any passionate expressions in the de-
" bate, it proceeded only froln his zeal to the ser-
" vice, and his apprehension of the loss of so lllany
"good nlen, upon whonl he well knew the king
" much depended: that he lllight have COl1lnlitted
" 111any indiscretions, for \vhich he desired pardon,
" but had not failGd in point of fidelity: that, by the
" unfortunate hurt of the governor, the conlllland
" \vas devolved upon hiln by his right of seniority,
" not any anlbitious design of his o\vn : that he had,
"from tilne to tillie, acquainted sir Arthur Aston
"\vith the state and condition they were in; and
" though his indisposition of health was such, that
"he would not give positive orders, he seeilled to
" approve of all that ,vas done; and though, for the
" former reason, he refused to sign the articles, yet
" they werp read to hin1, and he expressed no dislike

t5

nOOK
VII.

] fi43.

BOOK
VII.

I 643.

46

TIlE HISTORY

" of theln." The truth of it is, sir Arthur Aston
was believed by many, not to be in so incompetent a
condition to comlnand as he pretended; and that al-
beit his head ,vas so ITIuch swoln, that he n1ight not
in person venture upon any execution, yet P his un-
derstanding, or senses, were not 111 nch distempered,
or discolnposed; and that he only positively waved
Ineddling, out of dislike of the condition they ,vere
in. And it is true, that, ,vhen he caine to Oxford,
he could speak as reasonably of any lnatter, as ever
I knew him before, or after.
Notwithstanding all the defence the colonel could
111ake for himself, and that there was not indeed any
colour of proof, that he had acted any thing treacher-
ously, he was, upon an article" for q not obeyiIJg
" orders," (for in this agitation he had received sOlne
such, which he had not precisely observed,) " sen-
" tenced to lose his head;" ,vhich judgnlent, after
long and great intercession, was, in the end, re-
111itted by the king; but his regilDent disposed to
another; and he never restored to that conl1nand.
And though he had been ahvays before of an un-
blenlished reputation for honesty and courage, and
had heartily been engaged fr0111 the beginning of the
troubles, and been hurt in the service, and he ap-
peared afterwards as a volunteer, ,vith the sanIe
courage, in the most perilous actions, and obtained
a principal command in another of the king's armies,
he never recovered the 11lisfortune and blemish of
this imputation. And yet I 111Ust profess for IllY
part, being no stranger to ,vhat ,vas then alleged
and proved on either party, I do believe hiln to have

p yet] yet that

lJ for] of

OF TIlE REBEL1
ION.

been free fro111 any base cOl11pliance "rith the enenlY,
or any cowardly declension of what was reasonable I'
to be attempted. So fatal are all nlisfortunes, and
so difficult a thing it is to play an after-game of re-
putation, in that nice and jealous profession.
The inconveniences and mischiefs, that resulted
to the king from this accident, were greater than
were at that time taken notice of; for froln this, the
factions in court, army, and city (which afterwards
gre\v very troublesome to the king) were dated, and
took their original; great animosities grew between
the officers of the army; sonle being thought to have
been too passionate and solicitous in the prosecution
of the colone], and too much to have countenanced
the rage and fury of common soldiers in demanding
justice on s their officer; for frolD such a kind of cla-
n10ur it begun. t Others again were as lnuch con-
denIned for a palpable avo\ved protection of hinl,
thereby to shew their power, that a person they fa-
voured should not suffer; and of both these, SOllle
were lllore violent than they should have been;
which several inclinations equally possessed the
court, SOlne believing that he was really guilty of
treachery, though not so clearly proved; and there-
fore that, being within the mercy of the law, upon
another article, no Inercy ought to be shewed to
him; others as really supposing him innocent, and
therefore thinking it great pity, severely to take the
forfeitu;e, upon such a point, as fe\v officers of the
army did not know themselves guilty in: these sup-
posing the forlner too full of rig our and uncharitahle-
ness; and they again accusing the other of too much

r reasonable] reasonablv

justice on] Omitted it; j}l}8.

t begun.] began.

47

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1 G43.

48

'rHE I-IIS'rOn,y

lenity and indulgence; \vhilst many gentlelnen of
honour and quality, whose fortunes were en1barked
with the king, gre\v extrenlely jealous, that the par-
liament had corrupted some of the king's officers
\vith re\vards, and that others had power to protect
thelll from punishll1ent and discovery; and the sol-
diers again as 11111Ch incensed, that their lives Blust
be sacrificed, upon casual and accidental trespasses,
to the aniU10sity and jealousy of those who run not
the saIne dangers with then1.
But these indispositions and distenlpers \vere the
effects of the exigents of that tinle, (1 wish the hu-
n10urs had been inlpaired \vhen the til11es mended,)
and very Inany, who sa\v the king's condition very
lo\v in an instant, and believed the rebels-to be Inost
flourishing, would look no farther for a reason, than
the loss of Reading; though they had all still, but
the town; which ,vas never intended to be kept.
It is most certain, that the king himself was so far
fr0111 believing the condition he \vas in to be tole-
)'able, that, upon the ne\vs of the earl of Essex's ad-
vance to\vards Oxford, within four or five days after
the loss of Reading, he once resolved, and that by
the advice of the chief officers of his army, to march
away towards the north, to join with the carl of
Newcastle. And if the earl of Essex had, at that
tiJne, but Inade any show of moving \vith his \vhole
body that \vay, I do verily persuade myself, Oxford
itself, and all the other garrisons of those parts, had
been quitted to then1; but those fears were quickly
COlllposed, by an assurance of the earl's stay at
Reading; and that he was not in a posture for a
present march, and that his numbers had heen
shrewdly lessened by the siege: whereupon the king

OF 'l'I-IE IlEDELLION.

resolved to abide hhn, and give hilll battle about
Oxford, if he advanced; and, in the Inean tilne, en-
camped his foot upon the do,vn, about a mile frOlTI
Abingdon; "rhich "
as" the head quarter for his
horse U.

U for his horse.] The hisloT!I
is thus continued in 1U8. C. : The
earl of Essex had as little joy
of his conquests: the city nlur-
mured, and thought they were
betrayed: they expected the re-
ducing of Reading, by taking
or destroying the garrison that
was in it, which they were a
-
snred comprised above one half
of the king's army; so that be-
ing defeated, the ,var would be
at an end: whereas by gÎ\>ing
them leave to march to the king
with their arms, they had ena-
bled him to fight a battle with
them, which he could no other-
wise have done: all that vast
e
pense of money about the
siege had been to no purpose,
and had only reco,'ered a town,
which would have been left to
them within one fortnight with-
out any loss of men or money.
They were now very ang-ry that
he had not marched to Oxford,
when he first sat down before
Heading, which if he had taken,
(as with the same expense he
n1ight have done,) Reading
nlUst have yielded without a
blow: and indeed there had
been consultation at Windsor,
before the expedition began,
whether they should besiege
Oxford or Reildin
first; and
the e(lrl himself inelined to Ox-
ford, but was advised to the
other, for the conveniency of
being snpplied with provisions
from London, and out of an
VOl.,. IV.

apprehension that if the whole
army should go before Oxford,
and lea\"e so strong a garrison
at Reading behind them, they
might not only be mnch in-
fested from thence in theil.
siege
but more frequent ala-
rums . would come from that
place to the houses and the
city than they would well bear:
which with
ut doubt was as
great an o\'ersight as any they
committed; for if thev had at
that time, with that t:ull army
they wt.
re then masters of,
Ina
ched to Oxford, prince Ru-
pert being, as is before remem-
bered, at Litchfield, they had
found the place e\"cry way worse
provided for a siege than Reaò-
ing, the fortifications being very
slight and unfinished, and no
}>lI blic rnagazines of \--ietnal in
store; so that, though it may
he, the king himself might \\ ith
his horse have escaped, before
they could ha,'e environed the
town, the place, having a very
thin garrison of soldiers, and a
great company of lords and la-
dies, and persons of quality, not
easy to be governed and com-
manded, could not probably
have long held out, and then
Reading mnst have been at
their devotion; and in the mean
time, they had horse enough
belonging to the city, and their
garrison at \Vindsor, to secure
them from those excursions.
But that which troubled the
E

49

BOOK
VII.

I fi 13.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

50

THE I-IISTORY

When the season of the year grew ripe for taking
the field, the earl of Essex found that his too early
march had nothing advanced his affairs; the sol...
diers having performed so strict duty, and lodging
upon the ground, in frost and rain, before Reading,
had produced great sickness and diseases in bis
arn1Y, ,vhich had wasted abundance of his Inen; so
that he \vanted rather another winter quarter to re-
cover and recruit his men, than an opportunity to
engage them in action; \vhich he found would be
too often adl11inistered. He sent daily inlportuni-
ties to the parlialnent for supplies of all kinds,
which they \vere not enough furnished \vith to sa-
tisfy him; new divisions and aninlosities arose there,
to perplex their counsels. Their triulllph upon the
taking of Reading, ,vhich they had celebrated \vith
loud festivity, and made the city believe, that all
those benefits would attend it, which they knew
would be most grateful to them, appeared now
without any fruit; the king had all his forces and
army entire, and had only lost a to\vn that he never
meant to keep, and which they knew not what to
do with; and ,vas now ready to come into the field,
when theirs was destitute of health, and all those
accommodations, which must enable them to march:
and their general every day reiterated his com-
plaints, and reproached them with the unskilful or-
ders they had sent hiIn, by which, against all the

earl of Essex more than these many were killed and run away,
discourses, was the ill condition that he was in no posture to
his army was in; they had con- pursue his advantage; so that
tracted in this short siege so after all these mountains of
great a sickness, and such an pron1ises, &c. as in page 52 line
indisposition to action, and so 6.

OF THE REBELLION.

advice and arguments he had given them, he was
reduced to that extremity.
The disrespectful and absurd x breaking off the r
treaty with the king was urged by their commis-
sioners; who thought then1selves disobliged by it,
and published the king's gracious disposition, and
the temper of the council in Oxford, to be different
fron1 ,vhat the parliament desired it should be be-
lieved. They complained of jealousies which had
been entertained of their integrity; and the earl of
Northumberland, having discovered, as is said be-
fore, z that Harry Martin had opened a letter, which
he had writ from Oxford to his lady, a took hin}
aside, after a conference in the painted chamber be-
tween the two houses, and questioned him upon it;
and the other giving him some rude answers in jus-
tification of what he had done b, the earl cudgelled
him in that presence; upon which many swords
were drawn, to the great reproach and scandal of
the parliament.
1.'hese and the like instances of distraction and
confusion brought the reputation of that party low;
and n1ade it looked upon, as like to destroy itself
without an enemy; whilst the king's party, at that
distance, seemed to be ßlore united, and to have re-
covered their spirits, of which they received fre-
quent evidence by the ne,vs of some of their quar-
ters being heat up, and many of their men lost C by
the unexpected incursions of the king's horse;

x The disrespectful and ab-
surd] The absurd and uncivil
Y the] of the
Z as is said before, ] Not in
MS.

a to his lady,] to his wife, to
know what was included in it,
b of what be had done] of it
c lust] being lost

E2

51

nOOK
VlI.

I 643.

BOOK
VlI.

1643.

5

TIlE l-II
TOn,Y

,vhereof SOUle parties, by night Inarches, and un-
usual lanes, "
ent often near London, and took
lnany prisoners, \vho thought theulselves secure, in
their houses, and in journeys they made; \vho d
,vere put to ranSOl1l thernselves \vith good SU111S of
money: so that, after all those mountains of pro-
Inises, and undertakings, the \vants ,vere greater,
and the city Inore importuned for Inoney, and the
parlia111ent visibly Inore necessitated for ,vant of it,
than they had been before; and instead of dispers-
ing the king's arn1Y, and bringing the king back to
his parliament, a sudden direction ,vas given, and a
vigorous execution of that direction ,vas begun, to
draw a line about the cities e of London and "Test-
Ininster, and to fortify it; lest the king's forces
might break in upon them; "Thich made the people
suspect the state of their affairs to be worse than
in truth it was; yet f so far ,,-ere they fronl any
thoughts of peace and accommodation, that the
house of C0l1l1nOnS raged more furiously than ever;
and every day engaged thelnselves in conclusions
more nlonstrous than they had yet entered upon.
For the supply of the charge of the \var, they pro-
posed settling and inlposing an excise upon such
commodities as lnight best bear it; which was a
burden the people of England had hitherto re-
proached other nations \vith, as a lnark of slavery,
and never g feared by themselves; and for the exer-
cise of the sovereign power, they resolved it fit to
make a new great seal, to be always resident \vith
the houses. But the lords were not yet arrived at

d who] and who
e cities] city

f yet] and
g never] as never

OF THE JlEBEI.ALION.

53

that presumption, but plainly refused to concur BOO!\.
VII.
\vith theln in either.
'Vhilst both armies lay quiet, the one about 1643.
Reading, the other ahout Abingdon, or Oxford,
without attenlpting one upon the other, or any ac-
tion, save some s111all enterprises by parties, (in
which the king got advantage; as particularly h the
young earl of Northalnpton fortunately encountered
a party of horse and foot fro111 Northalnpton, \vhich
thought thell1selves strong enough to attenlpt upon
Banbury: but he having i routed their horse, killed
above t\VO hundred of their foot, and took as many
lllore prisoners, nlost \vhereof were shre\vdIy hurt,
the young earl that day sacrificing to the nlenlory
of his father,) the king received f1'ol11 the earl of
N e\vcastIe, by a strong party of horse, a good and
ample supply of anl1nunition; the \vant \vhereof all
men looked upon with great horror. As soon as
this \vas arrived, and the king had k heard that his
armies, both in the north and \vest, begun] to flou-
rish, aud thought himself "Tell provided to encoun-
ter the earl of Essex, if he desired it; his n1ajesty
resolved once Inore to try, \vhether the t\VO houses
would incline to a reasonable peace; and to that
purpose sent a Inessage to theln by an express ser-
vant of his own, in these \vords:
" Since m his majesty's message of the 12th of The king
" April {in \vhich he conceived he had made such :

\;e
" t .f!: h . d . d . J d . f II to the two
an over ure lor t e ImIne late IS Jan lUg 0 a housf's,
"armies, and C0l11pOSUre of those 111iserahle and l\Iay 20.

h particularly] Not in J/S.
i but he having1 and having
k had] Not in l
lS.
1 begun] began

m Since &c.] This message is
in the handwriting of lord Cla-
rendon's amanuensis.

E3

nOOK
VII.

1643.

54

TI-IE I-IISTORY

" present distractions, by a full and free convention
" of pariialllent, that a perfect and settled peace
" would have ensued) hath in all this time, above a
" full month, procured no answer from both houses,
"his majesty lnight well believe himself absolved,
" both before God and man, from the least possible
" charge of not having used his utmost endeavours
" for peace: yet, ,vhen he considers, that the scene
" of all this calamity is in the bowels of his own
" kingdom; that all the blood, which is spilt, is of
" his own subjects; and that what victory soever it
" shall please God to give hhn, lllust be over those
"who ought not to have lifted up their hands
" against hinl; when he considers, that these des-
" perate civil dissensions may encourage and invite
" a foreign enemy, to lllake a })rey of the whole
" nation; that Ireland is in present danger to be
"totally lost; that the heavy judglnents of God,
" plague, pestilence, and fan1ine, will be the inevi-
"table attendants of this unnatural contention;
" and that in a short time there will be so general
" a habit of uncharitableness and cruelty contracted
"through the whole kingdonl, that even peace it-
" self will not restore his people to their old temper
" and security; his 111ajesty cannot but again call
" for an answer to that his gracious lllessage, which
" gives so fair a rise to end these unnatural distrac-
"tions. And his majesty doth this with the more
" earnestness, because he doubts not the condition
"of his armies in several parts; the strength of
"horse, foot, artillery, his plenty of ammunition,
" (when sOlne lllen lately might conceive he want-
"ed,) is so well known and understood, that it
"must be confessed, nothing but the tenderness

OF 'l-'HE REBELLION.

55

" and love to his people, and those Christian im- BOOK
" pressions, which always live, and he hopes alway VIl.
" shall dwell, in his heart, could move him once 1643.
" more to hazard a refusal. And he requires them,
"as they will ans,ver to God, to himself, and all
" the world, that they will no longer suffer their
"fellow-subjects to welter in each other's blood;
"that they would remember by whose authority,
" and to what end, they met in that council, and
" send such an answer to his majesty, as may open
" a door to let in a firm peace, and security to the
"whole kingdom. If his majesty shall again be
" disappointed of his intentions therein, the blood,
" rapine, and destruction, which may follow in Eng-
"land and Ireland, will be cast upon the account
" of those who are deaf to the motive of peace and
" accommodation."
This message was received by the house of peers
(to whom it was directed) with all demonstration
of respect and duty, and the rnessenger very civilly
entreated by them: but when they communicated
it to n the house of commons, and desired their con-
currence in preparing an address to the king suit-
able to his gracious invitation, that house was so
far from concurring with them, that they gave im-
mediate order (which was executed accordingly) for
the apprehension and commitment of the gentleman Tht> house
who brought the message; and declared, "that
o

r:
m-
" they would proceed against him at a council of mit the
messenger.
" war," upon the order formerly mentioned, Inade
by them when the treaty was at Oxford, " that any
"person coming from Oxford without their gene-

n to] with
E4

56

'rIlE lIISTORY

BOO K "ra1's pass, or one frolll the houses, should be P u-
VII.
" nished as a spy;" to \vhich order as the peers never
1643. consented, so the king had never, till this commit-
ment, notice of it; and themselves, after the mák-
ing it, had sent several. messengers to the king,
\vithout any forlnality of pass or trumpet.
The lords did what they could!, publicly and pri-
vately, to dissuade this course; but they could not
prevail: the house of comnlons finding that the
very ill1agination that a peace lllight be concluded,
infinitely retarded their carrying on the war, and
Inade not only those, who 'v ere yet free, not easy
to be dra,vn in; but many, ,vho were engaged, re-
miss, and ,villing to retire; therefore 0 they resolved
to proceed with that vigour and resolution, that no
l'easonablc man should believe it possible for the
king to gain a peace but by subduing them, which
seemed at least equally impossible. To this pur-
pose, instead of returning any ans\ver to the king's
The com- message, within three days after the receiving it
they impeached the queen of high treason, "for as-
" sisting the king her husband \vith arms, and am-
" munition, in the prosecution of the ,val' against
" theln;" an attempt as unheard of alllong all the
acts of their predecessors, and as surprising P as any
thing they had yet ventured upon: their clergy
sounded their trumpets louder to "Tar than ever, if
it ,vas possible; and they resolved, that asselnbly of
divines, to which they had at the treaty urged the
king's consent, should no,v meet by an ordinance of
their own, ,vith an addition of SOUle IuemLcrs of ei-
ther house to that nUlllber.

mons im-
peach the
<1 ueen of
high trea.
son.

o therefore] and therefore

P surprising] unimagined

OF THE REBELLION.

57

There had been, some months before, a design of BOOK
In-ince Rupert upon the city of Bristol, by corre- VII.
spondence with SOlne of the chief inhabitants of the ] 643.
city, who \vere '\Teary of the tyranny of the parlia-
ment; but it had been so unskilfully or unhappily
carried, that, when the prince ,vas near the town,
,vith such a party of horse and foot, as he made
choice of, it was discovered, and nlany principal ci-
tizens apprehended by Nathaniel Fiennes, son to
the lord Say, and then governor of that city for the
parlial11ent; at this tÏIlle, special direction and or-
der was sent thither, "that he should, with all se-
" ,,"erity, and expedition, proceed against those COll-
" spirators," (as they called them;) and thereupon,
by a sentence and judgment of a council of war,
aldern1an Yeolnans, who had been high sheriff of
the city, and of great reputation in it, and George
Bouchier, another citizen of principal account, were
(against all interposition his majesty could Inake)
both hanged; and all other inlaginable q acts done,
to let all the world see that there ,vas no ,vay to
peace but by the sword.
There fell out no\v an accident at London, \\
hich A design
d h . 1 fi discovered
gave great a vantage to t en1 In t 1e erce prosecu- at London,
tion of the 'val', a discovery of a plot, ,vhich pro-

I;
I
t
Jler,
duced a public thanksgiving to God for their deli-l\!r. TOIll-
killS, aud
verance, a \vonderful animosity against the king, others,
. were con-
and a covenant, and unIon alnong thelnselves, and cerned.
throughout the city a prejudice to all nloderate men,
who prolnoted an accomnlodation, and a brand upon
all overtures of peace r as stratagenls upon the city
and the parIialllent. Of this plot, there being never

q imaginable] imaginary tion and peace
r of peace] of accommocta-

BOOK
VII.

1643.

58

TIlE HISTORY

such a formed relation made by those ,vho made
great use of it, that Inen can collect what the de-
sign was, or that it was laid with any probable cir-
cumstances, by which a success might be expected,
I shall briefly and faithfully set down all that I
know, have heard, or can reasonably conjecture to
be in it; and it was thought by lTIany, and averred
by others who I believe did not think so, "that I
" knew as much of it as lTIOSt filen."
There was of the house of conlmons, one Mr.
'Valler, a gentleman of a very good fortune and
estate, and of admirable parts, and faculties of wit
and eloquence, and of an intimate conversation and
familiarity with those who had that reputation. He
had, from the beginning of the parlialTIent, been
looked upon by all men, as a person of very entire
affections to the king's service, and to the esta-
blished governnlent of church and state; and, by
having no nlanner of relation to the court, had the
more credit and interest to promote the rights of
it. 'Vhen the ruptures grew so great between the
king and the two houses, that very many of the
members withdrew from those councils, he, alTIOng
the rest, with equal dislike absented himself; but
at the time the standard was set up, having inti-
macy and friendship with some persons now of
nearness about the king, with the king's approba-
tion, he returned again to London; where he spokes,
upon all occasions, with great sharpness and free-
dom; ,vhich (now there were so few there that
used it, and there was no danger of being over-
voted) was not restrained; and therefore used as an

s spoke] spake

OF TIlE REBELLION.

argument against those, who were gone upon pre-
tence "that they were not suffered to declare their
" opinion freely in the house; which could not be
"believed, when all men kne\v, what liberty Mr.
" "\Valler took, and spoke t every day with impu-
"nity, against the sense and proceedings of the
"house." This won hinl a great reputation with
all people who wished well to the king; and he
was looked upon as the boldest chanlpion the crown
had in both houses; so that such lords, and com-
mons, as u really desired to prevent the ruin of the
kingdoln, willingly con1plied in a great familiarity
with him, as a nlan resolute in their ends, and best
able to prolnote them. And it may be they be-
lieved his reputation at court so good, that he would
be no ill evidence there, of other men's zeal and af-
fection; and so all n1en spoke x their lllinds freely
to hÎIn, both of the general distemper, and of the
passions and ambition of particular persons: all
men knowing hÏ1n to be of too good a fortune, and
too \vary a nature, to engage himself in designs of
danger or hazard.
1\11'. "1 aller had a brother in law, one Mr. Tonl-
kins, who had n1arried his sister, and was clerk of
the queen's council, of very good fanle for honesty
and ability. This gentlen1an had good interest and
reputation in the city, and conversed much ,vith
those who disliked the proceedings of the parlia-
ment, and \vished to live under the same govern-
nlent they were born; and from those citizens re-
ceived information of the temper of the people,
upon accidents, In the public affairs. And Mr.

t spoke] spake

U as] who

x spoke] spake

59

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

60

THE HISTORY

'VaIler and he, "Tith that confidence that uses to be
bet\veen brethren of the sallle good affections, fre-
quently imparted their observations and opinions to
each other; the one relating, ho\v nlany in both
houses inclined to peace; and the other making the
sanle judgl11ent upon the correspondence he had,
and intelligence he recei,"ed froin the Inost substan-
tial nlen of London; and both of thel11 again com-
municated ,vhat one received froin the other, to the
company they Y used to converse \vith; 1\11'. 'VaIleI'
inlparting the wishes and po"
er of the ,veIl affected
11arty in the city, to the lords and gentlemen ,,,horn
he knew to be of the sanle mind; and 1\11'. TOlllkins
acquainting those he durst trust of the city, that
such and such lords and gentlemen, \\Tho were of
special note, were weary of the distractions, and
would heartily and confidently contribute to such
an honourable and honest peace, as all filen kne,v
would be most acceptable to the king. And fron1
hence they came reasonably to a conclusion, that if
SOllle means \vere found out to raise a confidence in
those who ,vished well, that they should not be op-
pressed by the extravagant power of the òesperate
party; but that if z they would so far assist one an-
other, as to declare their opinions to be tIle same,
they should be able to prevent or suppress those tu-
mults, \vhich seemed to countenance the distrac-
tions; and the houses \\Tould be induced to terms of
Dloderation. .
In this time the lord Con,vay, being returned
from Ireland, incensed against the Scots, and dis-
contented with the parlianlent here, finding 1\11':

Y they] he

z if] Omitted in ftlS.

OF rrHE REBELLIOS.

'Valler in good esteem with the earl of Northum-
berland, and of great friendship ,,
ith the earl of
Portland, he entered into the same fan1iliarity;
and, being more of a soldier, in the discourses ad-
ministered questions, and considerations, necessary
to be understood by filen that either meant to use
force, or to resist it; and wished "that they ,vho
"had interest and acquaintance in the city ,vould
. " endeavour by a mutual correspondence to inform
" thelTISelves of the distinct affections of their neigh-
" bours, that, upon any exigent, men might foresee
"\vhom they might trust;" and these discourses
being again derived hy ]\tIre "TaIler to 1\11'. Tonlkins,
lle, upon occasion, and conference \vith his COl1l-
panions, insisted on the same arguments; and they
again conversing \vith their friends and acquaint-
ance, (for of all this business, there were not above
three ,vho ever spoke together,) agreed, "that some
" "yell affected persons, in every parish and ,yard
" about London, should n1ake a list of all the inha-
" bitants; and thereupon to Inake a reasonable
" guess of their several affections," (,vhich at that
time ,vas no hard thing for observing men to do,)
and thence a cOlnputation of the strength and po\ver
of that party, which ,vas notoriously violent against
any accommodation.
I am persuaded the utnlost project in this design
was (I speak not what particular nlen might intend,
or wish upon their o\vn fancies) to beget such a
combination among the party well affected, that
they would refuse to cònform to those ordinances of
the t,ventieth part, and other taxes for the support
of the war; and therehy, or by joint petitioning for
peace, and discountenancing the other \vho peti-

61

nOOK
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1 fi-J3.

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VII,

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62

THE HISTORY

tioned against it, to prevail with the parliament to
incline to a determination of the war. And it may
be, some men might think of making advantage of
any casu a] comn10tion, or preventing any n1ischief
by it; and thereupon that inquiry where the maga-
zines lay, and discourse of wearing some distin-
guishing tokens, had been rather casuaHya Dlen-
tioned, than seriously b proposed. For it is certain,
very many ,vho ,vere conscious to themselves of
loyal purposes to the king, and of hearty dislike of
the parliament's proceedings, and observed the vio-
lent, revengefu], ruinating C prosecution of all men,
by those of the engaged party, ,vere not without
sad apprehensions that, upon SOlne jealousy, and
quarrel picked, even a general massacre might be
attempted of all the king's friends; and thereupon,
in several discourses, might touch upon such expe-
dients, as might in those seasons be most beneficial
to their safety. But that there was ever any formed
design, either of letting in the king's army into
London, which was impossihle d to be contrived, or
of raising an army there, and surprising the parlia-
ment, or anyone person of it, or of using any vio-
lence in or upon the city, I could never yet see
cause to believe; and if there had, they would have
published such a relation of it, after 1\11'. \Valler
had confessed to them all he knew, had heard, or
fancied to himself, as might have constituted SOUle
reasonable understanding of it; and not have e con-
tented themselves with making conclusions from
questions that had been asked, and ans,vers D1ade,

a casually] Not ill ]JJS.
b seriously] Not in MS.
C ruinating] and ruinating

d impossible] most impossi-
ble
e have] Not in .MS.

OF THE REBELLION.

by persons unknown, and forcing expressions used
by one, to relate to actions of another, between
whom there had been never the least acquaintance
or correspondence; and joining what. was said at
London to somewhat done at Oxford, at another
time, and to another purpose: for, before I finish
this discourse, it will be necessary to speak of an-
other action, which, how distinct soever from this
that is related, was woven together to make one
plot.
From the king's c0111ing to Oxford, many citizens
of good quality, who were prosecuted, or jealously
looked upon in London, had resorted to the king,
and hoping, if the winter produced not a peace,
that the summer would carry the king before that
city with an army, they had entertained some dis-
course " of raising, upon their own stocks of money
" and credit, SOlne regiments of foot and horse, and
" joining with SOlne gentlemen of Kent, who \vere
" likewise inclined to such an undertaking." Among
these was sir Nicholas Crisp, a citizen of good
wealth, great trade, and an active spirited man,
who had been lately prosecuted with great severity
by the house of commons; and had thereupon fled
from London, for appearing too great a stickler in
a petition for peace in the city. r.fhis gentlen1an
industriously preserved a correspondence still there,
by which he gave the king often very useful intel-
ligence, and assured him "of a very considerable
" party, which ,vould appear there for him, when-
" ever his own power should be so near, as to give
" them any countenance." In the end, ,vhether in-
vited by his correspondents there, or trusting his
own sprightly inclinations and resolutions too much,

63

BOOK
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BOOK
VII.

1643.

64

rrHE I-IIS1."ORY

and concluding that all, who were equalIr honest,
would .be equally hold, he desired his luajesty, " to
"grant a C011111lission to such persons, ,,-hOlll he
" ,vould n0111inate, of the city of London, under the
" great seal of England, in the nature of a comlnis-
" sion of array, by virtue ,vhereof, ,vl1en the season
" should conle, his party there ,vould appear in dis-
"cipline and order; and that this ,vas desired by
" those, \vho best knew ,vhat countenance and au-
" thority was requisite; and being trusted to thelU
"would not be executed at all, or else at such a
" tinle as his luajesty should receive ample fruit by
" it; provided it "rere done ,vith secrecy, equal to
" the hazard they should run ,,,ho "rere employed
" in it."
The king had this exception to it, f "the ilnpro-
" bability that it could do good, and that the fail-
" ing lllight do hurt to the undertakers. g" But h
the promoter was a very popular man in the city,
where he had been a cOl1llnander of the trained
bands, till the ordinance of the n1Îlitia re1110ved
him; which rather hnproved, than lessened, his cre-
dit; and he ,vas very confident, it would produce a
notable advantage to the king: ho,,'ever, they de-
sired it who ,vere there, and ,vould not appear
without it; and therefore the king consented to it ;
referring the nomination of all persons in the conl-
mission i to hinl; ,,- ho, he verily believed, had pro-
ceeded by the instruction and advice of those that k

f this exception to it,] no ex-
ception to it but
g and that the failing might
do hurt to. the undertakers.]
Thus in Al S.: and that was the
less because the failing could

do no hurt but to the under-
takers.
h But] Not in ft'IS.
i ill the commission] to be
named in the commission
k that] who

OF THE REBELLION.

,vere nearest the concernn1ent; and for the secrecy
of it, the king referred the preparing and despatch
of the commission to sir Nicholas Crisp hin1selt
,vho should acquaint no more ,vith it than he found
requisite; so, without the privity or advice of any
counsellor, or 111inister of state then ll10st trusted by
his n1ajesty 1 , he procured such a commission as lIe
desired (being no other than the con1 mission of ar-
ray in English) to be'signed by the king, and sealed
\vith the great seal.
This being done, and remaining still in his cus-
tody, the lady Aubigney, by a pass, and \vith the
consent of the houses, caIne to Oxford to transact
the affairs of her o\vn fortune ,vith the king upon
the death of her husband, who was killed at Edge-
hill; and she having in few days despatched her
business there, and being ready to return, sir Ni-
cholas Crisp came to the king, and besought hin1,
" to desire that lady" (\vho had a pass, and so could
promise herself safety in her journey) "to carry a
" sluall box" (in which that commission should be)
" \vith her, and to keep it in her own custody, until
" a gentleluan should call to her ladyship for it, by
"such a token: that token," he said, "he could
"send to one of the persons trusted, who should
" keep it by him till the opportunity came, in which
"it might be executed." The king accordingly
,vished the lady Aubigney to carry it \vith great
care and secrecy; telling her, "it much concerned
" his o\vn m service;" and to deliver it in such man-
ner, and upon such assurance, as is before Inen-

I then most trusted b
his
majesty] Not 111 J1S.
VOL. IV.

t ' 11 . . ,
m 11
own 11
majesty s

Ii'

65

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

(){j

TI-I:E I-TIS1'()RV

tioned: \vhich she did, and, within fe\v days after
her return to London, delivered it to a person ,vho
was appointed to call for it. Ho\v this commission
was discovered, I could never learn: for though Mr.
\Valler had the honour to be' adnlitted often to that
lady, and was believed by her to be a gentleman of
n10st entire affections to the king's service, and con-
sequently might be fitly trusted with what she knew,
yet her ladyship herself, not knowing what it was
she carried, could not inform any body else.
But about this time, a servant of 1\11'. TOll1kins,
who had often cursorily overheard his nlaster and
1\11'. \VaIler discourse of the argument \ve are no\v
upon, placed himself behind a hanging, at a tilDe
they were together; and there, whilst either of them
discoursed the language and opinion of the COlnpany
they kept, overheard enough to nlake hÎln believe
his inforll1ation, and discovery, \volIld make hinl
\velcome to those whOln he thought concerned; and
so went to 1\11'. Pym, and acquainted hiln with all he
had heard, or probably ilnagined. The time "Then
Mr. Pyn1 was lnadc acquainted \,,"ith it is not known;
but the circu111stances of the publishing it were such,
as filled all l11en with apprehensions. It \vas on
\Vednesday the thirty-first of 1\lay, their solemn fast-.
day, when, being all at their sermon, in St. l\Iarga-
ret's church in \VesÌlninster, according to their cus-
t0111, a letter or 111essage is brought privately to 1\11'.
PY111; who thereupon, with some of the 1110st active
Inembers, rise froll1 their seats; and, after a little
whÍspering together, remove out of the church: this
could not but exceedingly affect t.hose who stayed
hehind; imlnediately they sent guards to all the

O:F
rI-IE REBEl
l
ION.

prisons, as L:unbeth-house, Ely-house, and such
placf:>s, ,,,here their malignants \\rere in custody,
"\"ith directions" to search the prisoners;" and some
other places which they thought fit should be sus-
pected. After the sernlons ,vere ended, the houses
met; and were only then n told, " that letters ,yere
"intercepted going to the king and the court at
" Oxford, that expressed SOl1le notable conspiracy in
" hand, to deliver up the parliament and the city
" into the hands of the cavaliers; and that the time
" for the execution of it drew very near." Here-
upon a cOlnnlittee ,vas appointed" to examine all
" persons they thought fit; and to apprehend SOlne
"nominated at that tinle." And the samp night,
this conlmittee apprehended 1\11'. 'Valle I' and 1\11'.
Tomkins; and, the next day, such others as they
suspected. 0
l\Ir. 'ValleI' ,vas so confounded with fear and ap-
prehension, that he confessed whatever he had said,
heard, thought, or seen; all that he knew of hinlself,
and all that he suspected of others; without conceal-
ing any person of wbat degree or quality soever, or
any discourse that he had ever, upon any occasion, en-
tertained ,vith them: ,vhat such and such ladies of
great honour, to ,,,hOlll, upon the credit of his great
,vit, P and very good reputation, he had been ad-
mitted, had spoke to him in their chaulbers of the
proceedings in 4 the houses; and how they had en-
couraged hÏIn to oppose thenl; what correspondence
and intercourse they had ,vith some n1inisters of
state at Oxford; and how they derived aU intelli-

II then] Nut iu IJ1S.
o s\1spef't{)(L] thought nt.

P wit,] parts,
<1 in] of

1-;' 2

67

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VII.

1643,

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VII.

1643,

68

'TIIE I-I I S 'rOll Y

gence thither. He inforlTIed them, " that the earl of
" Portland and the lord Con,vay had been particular
" in all the agitations which had been ,,,ith the citi-
" zens; and had given frequent advice and directions
" how they should demean themselves; and that the
" earl of Northumberland had expressed very good ,
" wishes to any attelllpt, that might giv"e a stop to the
" violent actions and proceedings of the houses, and
" produce a good understanding with the king."
'Vhen the comn1ittee ,vere thus furnished, they
took the examinations of 1\11". Tomkins, and such
other as they thought necessary, and having at the
same time, by sonle other nleans, discovered (or con-
cealed it till this time) that commission which is be-
fore discoursed of, and gotten the very original into
their hands, they kneaded both into one plot and
conspiracy; and, acquainting the houses \vith so
much as they thought yet seasonable to publish,
they declared, (without naming any lords, or other
persons, to be interessed in the design, save those
only who were imprisoned; anlong whon1 the lady
Aubigney was one: and ,vithout COllllTIUnicating any
of the exanlinations, which, they pretended, ,vere
not to be common till the conspirators were brought
to trial;) "that the original of this ëonspiracy was
"from the late London petition for peace," ,vhich
was spoken of about ChristInas last in the hook pre-
cedent; "and that, under pretence of peace and
" moderation, a party ,vas to be formed, which
"should be able to suppress all opponents, and to
" awe the parliament: that, to this purpose, SOlne of
" those who ,vere the principal movers and fomenters
" of that petition, did continue, in the nature of a

OF THE REBELLION.

" con1mi ttee, still to carryon the design: that they
" held intelligence in both arn1ies, court, and parlia-
" ment; took a general survey of the numbers and
" affections of the several inhabitants throughout the
" \vards and parishes of the city, and places adjacent;
" and distinguished all under the titles of men af-
" fected, or averse to the king; or indifferent, and
" neutral persons, carried only by the success and
" power of the prevailers: that they,vere well in-
"structed in the number and inclinations of the
" trained bands of London; the places 'v here the ma-
" gazines \vere kept; where the con1manders for the
" parliall1ent d\velt; had thought of places for ren-
"dezvous, and retreat, upon any occasion, and of
" colours, and n1arks of distinction bet,veen the dif-
" ferent parties.
"That 1\11'. 'Valler and Mr. Tomkins 'v ere the
"principal persons en1ployed, and trusted to give
" advertisement to, and correspond \vith, the king's
" lllinisters at Oxford; and receive advertisements
" and cOlnluands fron1 thence, for the con1pleting
" the work; that they t\VO held constant intelligence
" and intercourse \vith the lord Falkland, then prin-
" ci pal secretary to the king; and that from hin1
" they received the signification of the king's plea-
" sure; and that those directions, counsels, and en-
" couragell1ents had been principally sent by those
" Inessengers \vhich had been employed by his ma-
" jesty to the parliament, under the pretence of
" peace; and especially by 1\11'. Alexander r Halnb-
" den; ,vho came \vith the last message, and was a

r t\lcxandcr] Not in J18.
F3

69

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1 6-13.

70

rrHE H IsrrOR Y

" cousin-gern1an to l\lr. \Valler. That the lady Au-
" bigney, who had been lately at Oxford, had brought
" thence a commission to them from the king, by
" force of arms to destroy, kill, and slay the forces,
"raised by the parliament and their adherents, as
" traitors and rebels; and that they had lately sent
" a Inessage to Oxford by one Hassel, a servant of
" the king's, to acquaint the lord Falkland, that the
" design ,vas COine to as good perfection; unto which,
" answer was returned, that they should hasten it
" with all speed:
" That the particulars of the design appeared to
" be: 1. To seize into their custody the king's chil-
"dren. 2. To seize several members of both houses,
"the lord mayor, and cOlnmittee of the n1ilitia,
" under pretence of bringing them to a legal tria].
" 3. To seize upon the outworks, forts, To,ver of
" London, magazines, gates, and other places of in1-
" portance in the city. 4. To let in the king's forces
" to surprise the city, and to destroy all those who
"should oppose theln by authority of the parlia-
"ment. 5. Ify force of arms to resist all payn1ents
" imposed by authority of parliament, raised for the
" support of the armies employed for their just de-
" fence, &c. to suspend, if not alter, the whole go-
" vernment of the city, and, with assistance of the
" king's force, to awe and n1aster the parliament."
When both houses were a\vakened, and startled
with this report, the first thing agreed on ,vas, " a
" day of thanksgiving to God for this wonderful de-
" livery;" which shut out any future doubts, and

a] Not in lU.'.

O:F ï"II:E REBELLION.

71

disquisitions, ,vhether there had been any such de- B ou I(
VII.
livery; and, consequently, whether their plot was in
truth, or had been so fralned. Then it ,vas said. 1643.
" that as the design was the n10st desperate, so the
" carriage ,vas the most subtle, and among persons
" of reputation, and not suspected; and that there
",vas reason to suspect, many 111elnbers of both
" houses were priyy to it; and therefore there ought
" to be all possible care taken to ll1ake the discovery
" perfect, and to unite themselves for the public de-
" fence: that if any part were left undiscovered, it
" might prove fatal to the comlnonwealth." This
finding a full consent, it ,vas propounded, " that a
., protestation ll1ight be drawn up, by ,vhich every
" men1ber of the t\VO houses might purge himself
" fron1 any guilt of, or privity in, that conspiracy;
" and like,vise oblige himself to resist and oppose
" any such coo1bination." They ,vho were under
the character of moderate men, and usually advanced
all motions of peace and accomn10dation, durst not
oppose the expedient, lest they should be concluded
guilty; 1110st of them having had familiarity with
Mr. \Valler, and, no doubt, upon sundry occasions,
spoken ,vith that freedom to hiIn, as D1ight very well
incur a severe interpretation, if, upon this occasion,
what t}ley had said should be scanned. And so, be- A \"OW and
.r. . . fj d 1 h h f covenant
lore the rIsing, there was rame )y t e ouse 0 agreed to
commons , a vow and covenant to be taken b y the t b h e taken by
e mem-
members of both houses, and afterwards b y the city, bers of both
houses
and their arn1Y; for their jealousy was now spread upon dis-
. . covery of
over all the1r own quarters; whIch covenant, for the that design.
rareness of it both in title and style, I think neces-
sary here to insert in the very terms; ,vhich ,verc
these:

F4

BOOK
VII.

1 ò43.

72

1'HE HIS1'OI
Y

A sacrell 'lJOW, t antZ covenant, taken by the I01-clð o
{ulll COnl111011S assernbled lJljJarlialJlellt, ll}JOn tile
(ZiSCot O e1.y qf the late /torrid fllltl t1 o eaclzerous de-
sigll,for the destruction qf tllis jJarlia11le1lt an(l
the kil1gd01Jl: tile 6th qf June 1643. u
" "rhereas there hath been, and now is, in this
" kingdom, a popish and traitorous plot for the sub.
h version of the true protestant reformed religion,
" and the liberty of the subject; and, in pursuance
" thereof, a popish army hath been raised, and is
" no\v on foot in divers parts of this kingdom; and
" whereas there hath been a treacherous and horrid
" design, lately discovered by the great blessing and
"especial providence of God, of divers persons, to
" join thenlselves with the armies raised by the king,
" and to destroy the forces raised by the lords and
"comn10ns in parlialnent, to surprise the cities of
"London and \Vestnlinster, ,vith the suburbs; hy
" arn1S to force the parlianlent; and finding by con-
" stant experience, that nlany ways of force, and
" treachery, are continually attenlpted, to bring to
"utter ruin and destruction the parlianlent and
" kingdonl; and that \vhich is dearest, the true pro-
" testant religion: and that, for the preventing and
" withstanding the sanle, it is fit, that all, who are
" true hearted, and lovers of their country, should
" bind thenlselves each to other in a sacred v O\V and
" covenant:

" I A. B. in hUlnility, and reverence of the Di-
" vine Majesty, declare nlY hearty x sorro\v for my

t A sacred vow, &c.] In the
handwriting if lord Clarendon's
amanuensis.

\I the 6th if June 1643.] .Sot
in iJ-j S.
x hearty] Not in MS.

OF 1.
HE REBELLION.

"own sins, and the sins of this nation, wllich have
" deserved the calamities and judgments that no\v
"lie upon it; and D1Y true intention is, by God's
" grace, to endeavour the amendnlent of my own
" ways: and I do farther, in the presence of AI-
" ll1ighty God, declare, vo,v, and covenant, that, in
" order to the security and preservation of the true
"reformed protestant religion, and liberty of the
" subject, I will not consent to the laying down of
" arnlS, so long as the papists, no\v in open war
" against the parliaulent, shall by force of arms be pro-
.' tected from the justice thereof: and that I do abhor
" and detest the said ",picked and treacherous design,
" lately discovered: and that I never gave, nor will
" give, my assent to the execution thereot but will,
" according to my power, and vocation, oppose and
" resist the saIne, antI all other of the like nature.
" And in case any other like design shall hereafter
" conle to my kno\vledge, I will Inake such tinle]y
" discovery, as I shall conceive nlay best conduce to
" the preventing thereof. And \vhereas I do in my
" conscience believe, that the forces, raised by the
" two houses of parlianlent, are raised and continued
" for their just defence, and for the defence of
the
" true protestant religion, and liberty of the subject,
" against the forces raised by the king; that I will,
" according to my power, and vocation, assist the
" forces raised and continued, by both houses of par-
"liament, against the forces raised by the king
" without their consent: and will like\vise assist all
"other persons that shall take this oath, in \\That
" they shall do in pursuance thereof; and \\Till not
" directly, or indirectly, adhere unto, nor shall \vill-
" ingly assist the forces raised by the king, \vithout

73

HOOK
VII.

1643.

7'4

'r HE 11 I S 'r OIl Y

1643.

h the consent of both houses of parlialnent y. And
" this vo\\r, and covenant, I lnake in the presence of
" Alnlighty God, the Searcher of all hearts, ,vith a
" true intention to perforln the sallie, as I shall an-
"s\ver at the great day, \vhen the secrets of all
" hearts shall be disclosed."

BOOK
\'11.

Though 111any \vere luuch startled at this cove-
nant, and took time to consider of it, there being in
the prealnble, and positive part, nluch \v}lich very
few believed, and in the prol11Íssory part a more di-
rect denouncing war against the king, than had been
in plain terms before avo\ved by theIn, and an abso-
lute protestation against peace, till the king 'v ere at
their Inercy; yet the fear of being concluded guilty
of the plot, lnade them s\vallow all the rest; and the
exalnple of one prevailing \vith many, there \vas not
a lllember of either house that took it not: and be-
ing thus fettered and entangled thenlselves, they
sent their committee into the city, to acquaint then1
\"ith their" happy discovery, and ho\v nliraculously
" God had preserved them, and to engage them in
Thf'same "the same sacred vow, and covenant;" ,vhich was
"OW and
cm"enant readily submitted to; and, by the industry of their

:ghout clergy, sooner than can be imagined, taken through-
the city out that people. Then it was, with equal diligence
and army.
and soIenlnity, transmitted to their Z army, that their
fears of inconvenience from thence might be likewise
purged; and thence it gre\v the mark of distinction,
to know their friends and enemies by; and ,vhoso-
ever refused to take that covenant, needed no other
('harge to be concluded, and prosecuted, as the high-
est nlalignant.

) of parliament] Not in lUS.

7 their] the

OF TI-IE REBELLION.

75

Being this way secure from any future ClalTIOUrS 13 () 0 K
for peace, tIley proceeded to try 1\11'. Ton1kins; 1\11'. VII.
Chaloner, a citizen of good \vealth and credit, and 1643.
.. . T k . 1\1 H bd h The trial
most IntIn1ate With om ins; r. an1 en, \" 0 and execu-
b h h ] f h k . I
I tion of Mr.
roug t t east n1essage rom t e lng; one .-:J.asse, Tomkins
a messen g er of the kin g 's, who P assed often bet\veen R C n ( d l l\Ir.
la onere
London and Oxford, and sometÏ1nes carried lett.ers
and messages to th{\ lord }"alkland; and sOlne citi-
zens, whose nalnes \vere in the comlnission sent.
from Oxford; by a council of war; by ,vhom 1\11'.
'I"o111kil1s and 1\11'. Chaloner were condemned to be
hanged; and \vere both, with all circumstances of
severity and cruelty, executed: the one on a gibbet,
by his o\vn house in Holborn; ,vhere he had long
lived with singular estimation; and the other, by his
house in Cornhill, near the Old Exchange. Hassel
the Inessenger saved them farther trouble, and died
in prison the night before his trial: and there being
no evidence against Mr. Hambden, but what Mr.
"\tV aIleI' himself gave, they gave no judgment against
him, but kept him long after in prison, till he died:
neither proceeded they capitally against those citi-
zens \vhose names were in the conlmission, it not
appearing that their names \vere used \vith their
consent and privity; though the brand of being nla-
lignants served the turn for their undoing; for all
their estates were seized, as theirs were who had
been executed.
1"'here is a nothing clearer than that the comnlis-
sion sent fronl Oxford by the lady Aubigney, had
not any relation to the discourses pa
sed bet\vecn
Mr. 'Valler, Ton1kins, and those citizens; or that

" There is] \nrl there i

76

THE HIS'rORY

BOOK they, \vho knew of one, had not any privity with the
VII. other: which if they had had, and intended such an
1643. - insurrection, as \vas alleged, 1\11'. "Taller, and Mr.
Tomkins, or son1e one of those lords who were sup-
posed to combine ,vith them, would have been in the
cOlllmission. Or if the king's ministers had been en-
gaged in the consultation, and hoped to have raised
a party which should suddenly seize upon the city
and the parlialnent, they would never have thought
a commission granted to some gentlen1en at Oxford,
(for the major part of the commissioners were there,)
and a fe,v b private citizens, ,vould have served for
that work. I alTI very confident, and I have very
much reason for that confidence, that there was no
more known, or thought of at Oxford, concerning
the matter of the commission, than I have before set
forth; nor of the other, than that 1\11'. T0111kins SOlnc-
times writ to the lord Falkland, (for Mr. \Valler, out
of the cautiousness of his own nature, never ,vrit
,vord,) and by nlessengers signified to him, " that the
" number of those ,vho desired peace, and abhon'cd
" the proceedings of the houses, ,vas very considera-
" ble; and that they resolved, by refusing to contri-
" bute to the ,var, and to submit to their ordinances,
" to declare and manifest themselves in that lllanner,
" that the violent party in the city should not have
" credit enough to hinder any accolnmudation." And
the lord Falkland always returned answer, "that
" they should expedite those expedients, as soon a

" might be, for that delays made the war more diffi-
" cult to be restrained." And if I could find evidence,
or reason, to induce me to believe, that there wa
any

b few] few unknown

Ol
'fHER:EBELLION.

farther design in the thing itself, or that the king
gave farther countenance to it, I should _not at all
conceal it. No man can imagine c, that if the king
could have entertained any probable hope of reduc-
ing London, ,vhich \vas the fonlenter, supporter, and
indeed the life of the war; or could have found any
expedient, from ,yhence he could reasonably propose
to dissolve, scatter, and disperse those ,vho, under
the name of a parlian1ent, had kindled a war against
him, but he ,,"ould have given his utlnost assistance
and countenance thereunto, either by public force, or
private contrivance.
There \\Tere very great endeavours used, to have
proceeded ,vith equal severity against the earl of
Portland, and the lord COll,vay, (for the accusation
of the earl of Northumberland, it was proceeded ten-
derly in; for though the violent party was hearti1y
incensed against hitn, as a man ,yeary of then), yet
his reputation \vas still very great,) \vho \vere both
close prisoners; and, to that purpose, their lordships
and 1\11'. 'VaIle I' \vere confronted before the cOlnn1it-
tee; where they as perell1ptorily denying, as he charg-
ing thenl, and there being no other \vitness but he
against them, the prosecution was rather let alone
than declined, till after a long restraint they procured
enlargement upon bail. Mr. \Valler himself, (though
confessedly the most guilty; and by his unhappy de-
IneanonI', in this time of his affiiction, he had raised
as many enemies as he had forll1erly friends, and al-
Inost the saIne,) after he had, with incredible dissi-
mulation, acted such a remorse of conscience, that cl
his trial ,vas pnt off out of Christian compassion, till

l" can imagine) imaginiug

J that] as

77

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

78

T 1-1]
I-I I S l' 0 R \

he Inight recov'er his understanding, (and that ,vas
not, till the heat and fury of the prosecutors ,vas rea-
sonably abated \vith the sacrifices they had maùe,)
and, by dra,ving visitants to hinlself, of the n108t
powerful ministers of all factions, had, by his libe-
rality, and penitence,e his receiving vulgar and vile
sayings from them with hUlnility and reverence, as
clearer convictions and inforlnations than in his life
he had ever had; and distributing great SUI11S to
theln for their prayers and ghostly counsel; so satis-
fied thenl, that they satisfied others; ,vas brought,
at his suit, to the house of C0J111110nS' bar; ,,,here
(being a man in truth very powerful in language;
and ,vho, by what he spoke, and in the J11anner of
speaking it, exceedingly captivated the good-\vill and
benevolence of his hearers; which is the highest part
of an orator) with such flattery, as was 1110st exactly
calculated to that Ineridian, with such a subu1ission,
as thpir l)ride f took delight in, and such dejection of
ulind, and spirit, as was like to cozen the J11ajor part,
and he thought serious; he laid before then1 " their
" o\vn danger and concernlnent, if they should suffer
" one of their o,vn body, how un\vorthy and 1110n-
" strous soever, to be tried by the soldiers, \vho 11light
" thereby grow to that power hereafter, that they
",vould both try those they would not be ,villing
" should be tried, and for things, which they ,vould
" account no crin1es; the inconvenience and insup-
" portahle mischief whereof all wise cOlnn10nwealths
" had foreseen, and prevented, hy exelnpting their
" o\vn ll1pn1bers fronl all judgnlents but their o,vn :"
he prevailed, not to he tried hy a council of "Tar;

e penitence,] JIS. add.,;: his
prerp-", and his ltlt'7'ymao

f pride] vulgar pride

OF 'rI-IE REßEI.,LION.

and thereby preserved his dear-bought life; so that,
in truth, he does as Inuch o"re the keeping his head
to that oration, as Catiline did the loss of his to those
of Tully: and by having done ill very \vell, he, by
degrees, drew that respect to his parts, which always
carries some compassion to the person, that he got
leave g to compound for his transgression, and them h.
to accept of ten thousand pounds (which their affairs
wanted) for his liberty; whereupon i he had leave to
recollect himself in another country (for his liberty
,vas to be in banishment) how miserable he had Inade
hi 111 self, in obtaining that leave k to live out of his
own. And there cannot he a greater evidence of the
inestÍ1nable value of his parts, than that he lived, af-
ter this, in the good affection and esteelll of many,
the pity of most, and the reproach and scorn of few,
or I none.
These high proceedings at London, and in the
houses, were not seconùed with any notable success
abroad; but it appeared plainly, hy the slow cOIning
in of monies, and more slo,v con1Ïng in of men, that
the hearts of the people were generally more devoted
to peace, than to the continuance of those distrac-
tions; and the earl of Essex, by the great decay and
sickness of his army, \\Tas not, in near six ,yeeks, III

g )eave] then1
h them] Not in
IS.
i whereupon] and so
k in obtaining that leave] to
have leave
1 few, or] Not in lJ;lS.
m the earl of Essex, bv the
great decay and sickness
f his
army, was not, in near six weeks,]
Thus originally in MS.: the earl
of Essex found that he paid
deaf ten .-lip time he hart gotteu

in the spring, that little lying in
1 he field during the siege at Read-
ing having so much weakened
his armv, and his soldiers hav-
ing contracted by it so manydis-
eases and such a general sick-
ness, that very many of thelD
died; and with all the supplies
of 1110ney and recruits of men he
could get, he was not, in near

ix weeks,

79

nOOK
\11.

16.13.

BOOK
\11.

J 643.

The earl
of Essex
marches to
Timme.

80

TIlE IllS TOR Y

ahle to rel110ve froln Reading; by \vhich 11lany 111en
concluded, whicl1 could not he reasonably foreseen,
that if R.eading had held out many days longer, he
would have been conlpelled to raise his siege; and
that \vas the reason the earl gave for granting se
good conditions: for if he could have stayed longer
hefore it, he well kne\v, they must have yielded on
\vorse terms; neither feared he the king would bo
able to relieve it. I n the end, there being no other
,ray to quiet the city of London, he nlarched to\yards
Oxford; but, in truth, rather to secure Buckinghaln..
shire, which was no\v infested by the king's horse,
than to disquiet that place. And, to that purpose,
he fixed his head qnarter at Thame, ten nliles frOB}
Oxford, and upon the very edge of the other county n.

n The history is thus conti-
nued in 1118. C. :] At th
same
time when the earl of Essex
began his march from Read-
ing, colonel Urry, a Scotch-
man, who had served in that
army fron1 the beginning with
great reputation, (as he was
an excellent commander of
horse,) till the difference th3t is
before spoken of between the
English and Scotch officers; af-
ter which he laid down his com-
mission; though, out of respect
to the earl of Essex, he staved
some time after with him
s a
volunteer; and now came to the
king to Oxford, having before
given notice to the earl of Brain-
ford that he meant to do so.
He came no soone." thither,
than, to give proof that he
brought his whole heart with
him, he proposed to prince Ru-
pert to wait on him, to visit the
enemy's quarters, and being well
acquainted with their mnnner of

lying and keeping their guards,
undertook to be his guide to a
quarter where they were least
expected: and the prince will-
ingly consenting to the propo-
sition, drew out a strong party
of one thousand horse and dra-
goons, which he commanded
himself, and marched with colo-
nel U rry to a town four or fi\Te
miles beyond the head quarter,
where were a regiment of horst'
and a regiment of dragoons, and
about daybreak fell upon them;
and with little resistance, and no
loss of his own men, he killed
and took the whole party, except
some few, who hid themselves in
holes, or escaped by rlark and
untrodden paths, From thence,
on his way back, according to
purpose, he fell upon another
village, where some horse and a
regiment of foot were quartered;
where he had the same success,
and killed and took and dis-
persed them all. So he having

OP 1.'I-IE REBELLION.

81

In the beginning of the war, the arlny in Scotland BOOK
VII.
having been lately disbanded, many officers of that

fortunateJy performed all he
hoped, his highness hastened his
retreat as fast as he could to Ox-
ford; having appointed a regi...
Illent of foot to attend him at a
pass in the way for his security.
:Hut the alarum had passed
through aJl the enemy's quar-
ters; so that before the prince
could reach the pass where his
foot expected him, he found the
enemy's whole army was drawn
out, and a strong party of their
horse, almost equal to his own
in number, so hard pressed him,
that
being then to enter a lane,
they would disorder his rear be-
fore he could join with his foot,
which were a nlÏ1e before. He
had very little time to deliberate,
being even at the entrance into
the lane. If he could have hoped
to havt; retired in safety, he had
no reason to venture to fight
with a fresh party, excellently
armed and in number equal, his
own being harassed and tired
with near twenty miles' march,
and laden with. spoil and pri-
soners, Scarce a soldier without
a led horse: but the necessity
ohliged him to stay; and after a
short consideration of the man-
ner of doing it, directing as
small a convoy as was possible
to guard the prisoners, and to
hasten with all the unnecessary
baggage and led horses, he re-
solved to keep the ground he
had in the plain field, and after
as short a pause, to charge the
party that advanced, lest the
body might come up to them.
And they came on amain, leaving
it only in his election, by meeting
VOL. IV. G

them, to have the reputation of
charging them, or, by standing
still, to be charged by them.
Hereupon they were quickly en-
gaged in a sharp encounter, the
best, fiercest, and longest main-
tained that hath heen by the
horse during the war: for the
party of the parliament consist-
ed not of the bare regiments
and troops which usually march-
ed together, but of prime gen-
tlemen and officers of all their
regiments, horse and foot, who,
being met at the head quarter
upon the alarum, and conceiving
it easy to get between prince
Rupert and Oxford, and not
having their own charges ready
to nlove, joined themselves as
volunteers to those who were
ready, till their own regiments
should come up; and so the first
ranks of horse consisting of such
Inen, the conflict was Inaintained
some timewith equal confidence.
In the end, many falling and be-
ing hurt on both sides, the prince
prevailed, the rebels being to-
tally routed, anù pursued, tin the
gross of the army was disco-
vered, and then his highness,
with the new prisoners he had
taken, retired orderly to the
pass where his foot and former
purchase expected him; and
thence sending colonel V rry to
acquaint the king with the suc-
cess, who knighted the messen-
ger for his good service, re-
turned, with near two hundred
prisoners, and seven cornets of
horse, and four ensigns of foot,
to Oxford. On the king's part
in this action were lost) besides

IG43.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

SQ

TIlE HISrr()ltY

nation, "Tho had served in Gerlnany and in France,
betook thelnselves to the service of the parlian1ent;
whereof divers 0 ,vere nlen of good conduct and cou-
rage; though there were n10re as bad as the cause
in \vhich they engaged. Of the forn1er sort colonel
U rry ,vas a lllall of naDle and reputation, and an ex-
cellent officer of horse, and had cOllllllanded those
horse at Edge-hill under Balfour, which had pre-
ser.ved their army there; and finding himself after-
wards not so ,ven regarded, as, he thought, he had
deserved, as it 'vas no easy thing to value that peo..
pIe at the rate they did set upon themselves; and
being "Tithout any other affection for their service,
than their pay inclined him to, he resolved to quit
thenl, and to go to the king; in order to "Thich, he
had kept SOll1e correspondence "Tith the earl of Brai n-
ford, the king's general; under "Those command he
had forlnerly served in Germany. 'Vhilst the earl
of Essex ren1ained at Thame, and his army quar-
tered thereabout, Urry came to Oxford, in the equi-
page that becanle a colonel of horse \vho had received
good pay; and the very next day after he came, hav-
ing been very graciously received by the king, to
give proof that he brought his whole heart \vith him,
he "rent to prince Rupert, acquainted hin1 \vhere the
parliament horse lay, and ho\v loose they were in
their quarters; and, to give a testin10ny of his fide-

few common men, no officers of
note, but some hurt: on the ene-
mv's side, luanv of the best otn-
ce
s, more tha
in any battle
they fought, and amongst them
(which made the news of the
rest less inquired after by the
one, and less lamented by the
other) colonel Hambden: who

was shot into the shoulder with
a brace of pistol bullets, of which
wound, with very sharp pain, he
died within ten days, to as great
a consternation of all that party,
as if the whole army had been
defeated and cut off.
o divers] many

OF 'rIlE ItEllELLIO.N.

83

lity to the kin!!', he desired to l11arch a volunteer BOO l\.
C,J VI I.
with a good party, to make an attelnpt upon the
enelny; and the prince assigning a strong party for 1643.
the service, he accolllpanied, and conducted thelTI out
of the comnlon road, till they came to a town; ,vhere
a reghnent of the parliament's horse was quartered;
which they beat up, and killed or took l110st of the
officers and soldiers; and then fell upon those other
quarters, by which they had passed before, with the
like success; so he returned to Oxford with many
prisoners, and with notable damage to the enemy.
As soon P as he returned, he made another propo-
sition to the prince for the attacking the quarters
near ThaIne; through which he had passed, ,vhen
he callle to Oxford, and so was \vell acquainted \vith
the posture in which they were; and assured the
prince, "that, if he went about it time enough, be-
" fore there should be any alteration in their quarters,
" which he believed the general \vould quickly Inake,
" the enterprise would be worthy of it." The princeqprince Ru-
. . pert heats
was so ,veIl satIsfied \vlth what he had already done, up some of
h h I d d I d h . hisquartera
t at e reso ve to con uct t Ie next a veRture Ill1- with good
se1f, which he did very fortunately. They went out success.
of the ports of Oxford in the evening upon a Satur-
day, and marched beyond aU the quarters as far as
\Vickhalll, and feU in there at the farther end of the
to\\Tn tu\vards London, froll1 whence no enemy "
as
expected, and so no guards \vere kept there. r A regi-
nlent of horse, and of foot, were lodged there; \\Thich
\vere cut off, or taken prisoners; and all the horses

I) As soonJ And as soon so no guards were kept there.]
f} 'l"'he prince] Aud the prince they expected no enemy, and so
l' no enern)' was expected, and kept no guards there.
02

BOOK
VII.

1643.

84

THE HISTORY

and a good booty brought a,vay. FrOlTI thence S they
In arched back,vard to another quarter, within less
than two n1iles of the general's o,vn quarters; ".here
his Inen lodged with the same security they had done
at 'Vickham, not expecting any enemy that ,ray;
and so met with the same fate the others had done;
and "Tere all killed, or lllade prisoners. Thus t ha\T-
ing perfortned at least as much as they had proposed
to do, and being laden ,vith prisoners and booty, and
the sun being no,v rising, the prince thought it time
to retire to Oxford, and gave u orders to march ac-
cordingly with all convenient speed, till they should
con1e x to a bridge ". hich was yet t,vo miles from
theIn, "\vhere he had appointed a guard to attend, to
favour their retreat.
But the alarm had been brought to the earl of
Essex from all the quarters, who quickly gathered
those troops together, which were nearest; and di-
rected those to follow the prince, and to entertain
hitll in skirmishes, till hin1self should come up \vith
the foot, and some other troops; which he made all
possible haste to do. So that "Then the prince had
aln10st passed a fair plain, or field, called Chalgrave
field, fronl \vhence he ,vas to enter a lane, which con-
tinued to the bridge; the enelny's horse were disco-
vered nIarching after then1 with speed; and as they
nlight easily overtake thelll in the lane, so they n1ust
as easily have put then1 into great disorder. There-
fore the prince resolved to expect, and stand thenl
upon the open field, though his horse were all tired,

8 Fronl thence] And from
thence
t Thus] And

U gave] so gave
x should come] caIne

OF 1.'HE REBELLION.

and the sun was grown very hot, it being about eight
of the clock in the tnorning in June. Y lIe then z di-
rected, "that the guard of the prisoners should make
" what haste they could to the bridge, but that all
" the rest should return;" for SOine ,vere entered the
lane: and so he placed hilnself and his troops, as he
thought fit, in that field to receive the enemy; which
lllade Blore haste, and \vith less order than they
should have done; and being 1110re in nUlnber than
the prince, and consisting of ITIany of the principal
officers, ,vho, having been present ,vith the earl of
Essex ,vhen the alarnl came,. stayed not for their o\vn
troops, but joined \vith those who were l
eady in the
pursuit, a
they thought, of a flying enemy, or such
as ,vould easily be arrested in their hasty retreat;
and, having now overtaken them, nleant to take re-
venge thelnselves for the dalnage they had received
that night, and 111orning, hefore the general could
C0111e up to have a share in the victory, though his
troops \vere even in view. 11ut the prince enter-
tained thelTI so roughly, that though they a charged
very bravely and obstinately, being b n1any of thf'ir
best officers, of which the chiefest C falling, the rest
shewed less vigour, in d a short time they broke, and
fled, and were pursued till they can1C near the earl
of Essex's body; which heing at near a Inile's dis-
tance, and luaking a stand
o receive thcir flying
troops, and to be inforlned of their disaster, the prince
with his troops hastened his retreat, and passed the
lane, and caIne safe to t}Je bridge before any of the

Y June.] l\lay.
z He then] And so he
d they] their fronts
b being] consisting of

C the chief est ] many of the
chietcst
d in] and in

G3

85

BOOK
VII,

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

86

THE IIISTORY

earl's forces caine up; "\vho found it then to no pur-
pose to go farther, there being a good guard of foot,
\vhich had like\vise lined both sides of the hedges a
good ,yay in the lane. Thus e the prince, about
noon, or shortly after, entered Oxford, with near
t\VO hundred prisoners, seven cornets of horse, and
four ensigns of foot, ,vith most of the n1en he car-
ried frOin thence; fe\v only having been killed f in
the action, \vhereof SOlne ,vere of name.
The prince g presented colonel U rry to the king
"\\"ith a great testÏ1nony of the courage he had shewed
in the action, as ,veIl as of his counsel and conduct
in the \vhole; \vhich was indeed very dexterous,
and could have been perforined by no Inan, \vho
had not been very conversant in the quarters h of
those he destroyed. Upon which, the king ho-
noured him \yith knighthood, and a comn1ission to
raise a regÍtnent of horse; i and every body ll1agni-
fied and extolled hiln, as they usually do a man
\vho hath good luck, and the nlore, because he was
a Scotchtl1an, and professed a repentance for having
heen in rebellion against the king. He k deserves
this testin10ny, and vindication to be given him,
against the calull1nÍes 'v hich ,vere raised against
hitn, "as if he had broken his trust, and deserted
" the ser\Tice of the parliaUlent, and betrayed thetTI
" to the king," \vhich is not true. He had o\vned
and published his discontents long before, and de-
manded redress and justic
in S0111C particulars fro In

e Thus] And so
f few only having been killed]
some few excepted, who had
been killed
g The prince] And the prince
h in the quarters] with the

natur
and humour
i and a comulission to raise
a regiment of horse;] and a
regiment of horse as soon as
it could be raised;
k fIe] And he

OF l."HE REBELLION.

the parliament, in ,vl1Ïch the earl of Essex thought
he had reason; and \vished he might receive satis-
faction. But the lllan ,vas in his nature proud and
imperious; had I raised 111any enelnies; ,vas a Ulan
of licence, m and conunitted many disorders of that
kind. He was ho\vever a g09d officer n in t:le field;
regular and vigilant in nlarching, and in his quar-
tel's; ,vhich the par1iainent thought other lllen
would attain to, ,vho had fe\ver vices; and there-
fore granted nothing that he had desired; upon
which he declared, " he ,vould serve then1 no
" longer;" and delivered up his comnlission to the
earl of Essex; and being then pressed to prolnise,
that he would not serve the king, he positively re-
fused to give any such engagement; and after he
had stayed in London about a nlonth, and had re-
ceived encouragement from some friends in Oxford,
he canle thither in the manner set do,vn before.
The prince's success in this last march ,vas yery
seasonable, and raised the spirits at Oxford very
much, and for some tilDe aUayed the jealousies and
animosities, ,vhich too often broke out in several
factions to the disquiet of the king. It was visibly
great in the nUlnber of the prisoners; ,vhereof many
\vere of condition, and the names of many officers
were kno,vn, who were left dead upon the field, as
colonel Gunter, ,vho ,vas looked upon as the best
officer of horse they had, and a man of kno,vn ma-
lice to the governnlent of the church; ,vhich had
dra,vn sOlne severe censure upon hiln before the

1 had] and had
m was a luan of licence,] aud
was besides of licence,
n I-Ie was however a good

officer] and had little other vir-
tue than being a \ ery good of-
ficer

G4

87

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

88

THE HISTORY

troubles, and for ,vhich he had still meditated re-
venge. One 0 of the prisoners taken P in the action
said, "that he was confident 1\11'. Halnbden was
" hurt, for he saw him ride off the field before the
" action ,vas done, which he never used to do, \vithq
"his head hanging down, and resting his hands
"upon the neck of his horse;" by which he con-
cluded he ,vas hurt. The news r the next day
made the victory llluch more important than it was
thought to have been. There was full information
brought of the great loss the enemy had sustained
in their quarters, by which three or four regiments
were utterly broken and lost: the names of many
officers, of the best account, were known, who ,vere
either killed upon the place, or so hurt as there re-
111ained little hope of their recovery. S

o One] And one
P taken] who had been taken
q with] and with
r The news] Hut the news
-
recovery.] This part of the
History which is takenfrom 1.118.
B. i8 thus continued in thatmanu-
script: Of which Mr. Hamb-
den was one; who \vould not
stay that 1110rning till hIs own
regiment came up, but put
himself a volunteer in tÀe head
of those troops who were upon
their march
and was the prin-
cipal cause of their precipita-
tion, contrary to his natural
temper, which, though full of
courage, was usually very wary;
but now, carried on by his fate,
he would by no means e)!.pect
the general's coming up; and
he was of that universal author-
ity, that no officer paused in
obeying him. And so in the
first charge he received a pistol

shot in his shoulder, whieh
broke the bone, and put him to
great torture: anù after he had
endured it aòout thl.ee weeks,
or less time, he died, to the
most universal grief of the par-
liament that they could haye
received from any accident:
and it equally increased the
joy for the success at Oxford;
and very reasonably; for the
loss of a man, which would
have been thought a full re-
com pence for a considerable
defeat) could not but be looked
upon as a glorious crown of a
victory.
l\lr. Ilambden hath been
Inentioned before as a very ex-
traordinary person, and being
now brought to his grave, be-
fore he had finished any part of
the great model he had framed,
and there [not) being hereafter
an occasion to enlarge upon him,

OF THE REBELLION.

Among the prisoners, there \vere taken colonel
Sheffield, a younger son of the earl of 1\1 ulgrave,
and one colonel Beckly a Scotchman; ,vho, being
both visibly ,vounded, acted their hurts so ,ven, and
pretended to be so ready to expire, that, upon their
paroles neither to endeavour nor endure a rescue,
they \\Tere suffered to rest at a private house in the
way, within a mile of the field, till their ,vounds

it is pity to leave him here
without some testimony. He
was, as hath been said: of an
ancient family and a fair estate
in the county of Buckingham,
where he was esteemed very
Inuch, which his carriage and
behaviour towards all nlen de-
served very well. But there
was scarce a gentleman in Eng-
land, of so good a fortune, (for
he was owner of above 1500
pounds in land yearly,) less
known out of the county in
which he lived than he was,
until he appeared in the exche-
quer chamber to support the
right of the people in the case
of ship-Inoney; and, to avoid
the payment of twenty shil-
lings, which was required of
him, engaged himsdf in a very
great charge to IHake the ille-
gality of it appear, against the
king, and the cm'rent of the
court at that time, when it
seldom met with a barefaced
opposition in any counsel they
[thought] fit to undertake and
pursue. Yet the king, who had
reason to believe his title to be
good, from the counsel that
advised it, who was his attor-
ney-general
oy, a Tnan of the
nlost famed knowledge in the
law, gave the direction to have

his right defended, without the
least discountenance or reproach
to the person who contended
with him. This contradiction
of the king's power made him
presently the nlost generally
known, and the nlost uni\'er-
sally esteenled, throughout the
whole nation, that any private
nlan at that time could be. In
the beginning of the parliament
he was not without ambition to
be of power in the court, and
not finding that satisf.1.ction
quickly, he changed it into an-
other ambition of reigning over
the court, and was deepest in
all the designs to destroy it;
yet dissembled that design so
well, that he had too much
credit with men most moderate
and sober in all their purposes.
Erat ill;' consiliulIl ad facinus
aptum; con.çilio autem neqlle
lingua neque manus deerat. No
luan seemed to have lllore mo-
desty and rnore humility, and
more to resign himself to those
he conferred with, but always
led them into his resolutions.
In a word, he had a head to
contrive" and a tongue to per-
suade, anù a hand to execute
any mischief; and his death ap-
peared to be a great deliverance
to the nation.

89

BOOK
VII.

1643.

90

'THE I-IIS1.'ORY

BOOK should be dressed, and they recover so much strength
VII.
as to be able to render themselves prisoners at Ox-
1643. ford. But the king's forces ,vere no sooner gone,
than they found means to send to their cOlllrades,
and ""ere the next day strong enough, to suffer
themsel \reS to be removed to Thanle, by a strong
party sent frOlTI the earl of Essex; and, bet\veen
denying that they had pro111ised, and saying, that
they ,vould perforln it, they never sublnitted them-
selves to be prisoners, as 111uch against the law of
arms, as their taking arms \vas against their allegi-
ance. But that ,vhich \vould have been looked
upon as a considerable recoillpense for a defeat,
could not but be thought a great addition to the
l\lr. Hamb-victory, t which was the death of 1\11'. Hanlbden;
den wound-
ed in Chal- who, being shot into the shoulder \vith a brace of
gran> field, b 11 h . h b k h b . h . h k
of which he U ets, \V IC ra
e t e one, \VIt In tree \vee
s
died. after died with extraordinary pain; to as great a
consternation of all that party, as if their \vhole
artilY had been defeated, or cut off.
l\lany filen obseryed (as upon signal turns of
great affairs, as this ,vas, such observations are fre-
quently Inade) that the field in ,vhich the late skir-
nlish "ras, and upon ,vhich 1\11'. Hambden received
his death's ,vound, Chalgrave field, ,vas the saIne
place in \vhich he had first executed the ordinance
of the militia, and engaged that county, in ,vhich
his reputation ,vas very great, in this rebellion: and
it ,vas confessed by the prisoners that ,vere taken
that day, and acknowledged by all, that upon the
alarm u that l11orning, after their quarters ,vere

t a great addition to the vic-
tory,] a glorious crown of a

victory,
u alarm] alarum

OF 'fIIE REBELLIO
.

beaten HP, he was exceeding x solicitous to draw
forces together to pursue the enelny; and, being Y
a colonel of foot, put hill1self among those horse as
a volunteer, who ,vere first ready; and that when
the prince Inade a stand, all the officers ,vere of
opinion to stay till their body came up, and he
alone (being second to none but the. general hitn-
self in the observance and application of all III en )
persuaded, and prevailed with them to advance; so
violently did his fate carry hitn, to pay the Inulct in
the place ,vhere he had conl1nitted the transgres-
sion, about a year before.
He was a gentleman of a good falni1y in Buck-
inghalnshire, and born to a fair fortune, and of a
most civil and affable deportlnent. In his entrance
into the ,vorld, he indulged to I1Ïnlself all the li-
cence in sports and exercises, and company, which
were Z used by nlen of tIle 1110st jolly conversation.
After,vards, he retired to a lnore reserved and Ine-
lancholy society, yet preserving his o,vn natural
cheerfulness and vivacity, and above all, a flo\ving
courtesy to all l11en; though they ,vho conversed
nearly with hiln, found hin1 gro\ving into a dislike
of the ecclesiastical governnlent of the church, yet
most believed it rather a dislike of some churchnlen,
and of SOUle introducelnents of theirs, ,vhich he ap-
prehended nlight disquiet the public peace. He ,vas
rather of reputation in his o,vn country, than of
public discourse, or fanle in the kingdoln, before the
business of ship-nloney: but then he gre,v the ar-
gument of all tongues, ev"ery man inquiring ,vho
and what he 'was, that durst, at his own charge,

x exceeding] exceedingly
Y being] being himself

., were] was

91

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

9

r
rHE HISTORY

J 643.

Sl.1PPOl't the liberty and property of the kingdom,
and rescue his country, as he thought, froln being
Inade a prey to the court. His carriage, throughout
this agitation, was ,vith that rare temper and In 0-- ,
desty, that they ,vho ,vatcl1ed him narrowly to find
sonle adyantage against his person, to Inake hhn
less resolute in his cause, were cOlnpelled to give
hÍIn a just testimony. And the judglnent that was
given against hÏln infinitely more advanced hin1,
than the service for which it ,vas given. 'Vhen this
parlian1ent begun, (being returned knight of the
shire for the county ,vhere he lived.,) the eyes of all
ll1en ,v ere fixed upon a hiIn, as their jJatriæ IJate1-,
and the pilot that Inust steer the vessel through the
telnpests and rocks which threatened it. And I
am persuaded, his po,ver and interest, at that tilne,
was greater to do good or l1urt, than any Inan's in
the kingdoln, or than any Ulan of l1is rank hath had
in any tilne: for his reputation of honesty ,vas uni-
versal, and his affections seen1ed so publicly guided,
that no corrupt or l)rivate ends could bias them.
He ,vas of that rare affability and tcnlper in de-
bate, and of that seelning hunlility and subnlission
of judgment, as if l1e brought no opinion of his
o\vn b with hinl, but a desire of infornlation and in-
struction; yet he had so subtle a way of interrogat-
ing, and, under the notion of doubts, insinuating his
objections, that he infused his own opinions into
those C froln w hOlll he pretended to learn and re-
ceive them. And even ,vith then1 who ,vere able
to preserve themselves from his infusions, and dis-

BOOK
VH.

a upon] on
b of his own] Not in MS.
C that he infused his own

opinions into those] that he
left his opinions with those

OF THE REBELLION. 99

cerned those opinions to be fixed in him, with
which they could not con1ply, he always left the
character of an ingenious and conscientious person.
He was indeed a very wise man, and of great parts,
and possessed with the most absolute spirit of popu-
larity, and the most d absolute faculties to govern
the people, of any luan I ever knew. For the first
year of the parliament, he seen1ed rather to l11ode-
rate and soften the violent and distempered hu-
mours, than to inflalne then1. But wise and dis-
passioned men plainly discerned, that that modera-
tion proceeded from prudence, and observation that
the season was not ripe, rather than that he ap-
proved of the moderation; and that he begot e many
opinions and motions, the education whereof he
con1mitted to other men; so far disguising his own
designs, that he seemed seldom to ,vish lnore than
was concluded; and in many gross conclusions,
,vhich would hereafter contribute to designs not yet
set on foot, when he found them sufficiently backed
by majority of voices, he '\Tould withdra\v himself
before the question, that he might seen1 not to con-
sent to so much visible unreasonableness; ,vhich
produced as great a doubt in son1e, as it did appro-
bation in others, of his integrity. 'Vhat COllluina-
tion soever had been originally with the Scots for
the invasion of England, and \vhat farther ,vas en-
tered into after\vards in favour of theIn, and to ad-
vance any alteration of the government f in parlia-
ment, no n1an doubts ,vas at least with the privity
of this gentlen1an.

d and the most] that is, the f of the government] .1Vot in
nlost JJ.18.
e begot] begat

BOOK
VII.

I G43.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

94

THE HIS'rORY

After he ,vas alnong those D1em bers accused by
the king of high treason, he was much altered; his
nature and carriage seeming much fiercer than it
did before. And \vithout question, when he first
drew his s,vord, he threw a,vay the scabbard; for
he passionately opposed the overture made by the
king for a treaty froll1 Nottingham, and as emi-
nently, all g expedients that might have produced
any accoll1modations in this that was at Oxford;
and ,vas principally relied on, to prevent any infu-
sions ,vhich might be lnade into the earl of Essex
to\\rards peace, or to render then1 ineffectual, if they
were made; and ,vas indeed much more relied on
by that party, than the general hiInself. In the
first entrance into the troubles, he undertook the
cornn1and of a regiment of foot, and performed the
duty of a colonel, upon h all occasions, 1110st punctu-
ally. He ,vas very ten1perate in diet, and a su-
prenle governor over all his passions and affections,
and had thereby a great power over other men's.
He ,vas of an industry and vigilance not to be tired
out, or wearied by the 1110st laborious; and of parts
not to be inlposed upon by the most subtle or sharp;
and of a personal courage equal to his best parts;
so that he "ras an enemy not to be wished wherever
he n1ight have been 111ade a friend; and as luuch to
be apprehended where he was so, as any man could
deserve to be. And therefore his death was no less
pleasing to i the one party, than it was condoled in
the other. k In a ,vord, what ,vas said of Cinna

g all] any
h upon] on
i pleasing to] congratulated
on

k In a word,-nation.J These
words are u-ritten by lord Cla-
rendon in the margiu, and di-
rected to be imterted in the place

OF TIlE REBEI4I
ION.

95

nlight well be applied to him; "be had a head to BOO,K
" contrive, and a tongue to persuade, and a hand VII.
"to execute, any n1ischief." His death therefore 1643.
seemed to be a great deliverance to the nation. k
The earl of Essex's arll1Y 1 ,vas so weakened by
these defeats, and more by the sickness that had
wasted it, that it was not thought safe to renlain
longer so near his unquiet and restless enelnies.
The factions and anhnosities at London required
his presence there; and he thought the army would
be sooner recruited there, than at so great a dis-
tance; so that he 111arched directly from 1'hanle to The earl of
London, where he found jealousy and -contention

l

es
enough; leaving his arll1Y quartered about St. AI-
:

me to
ban's. vVhilst the affairs of the parliall1ent were in Londo
;
quartenng
this distraction the king's recovered great reputa- his army
, about St.
tion; and the season of the ypar being fit for action, Alban's.
all discontents and factious murnlurings \vere ad-
journed to the next ,,?inter.
The end of the treaty, in \vhich \ve left the chief
conlnlanders of the Cornish forces, \vith C0l111nis- The ]Üng's
affairs ill
sioners of the other western counties, was like that the west.
in other places.; for not\vithstanding those extra-
ordinary obligations of oaths, and receiving the sa-
cralnent, circllll1stances in no other treaty, the par-

of the following, through u'hich
he has drawn his pen: being an
irrecoverable blow to the par-
liament army, of which the king
}lad so little dread before that
fortunate encounter
tha't hear-
ing preparations l,,'ere made at
London to send sir 'Villiam
Wal1er into the west, his ma-
jesty had sent his nephe'w prince
l\Iaurice and the marquis of
Hertford to join with his victo-

rions forces there; of whOln it
is now time to gÌ\'e an account.
1 The earl of Essex's army]
The ensuing lines of the History
are taken from lYI S. B.; with
which is interwoven a short
statement of the plot mentioned
in page 57, &c. and also a brief
account of the marquis of 1leri-
ford's proceedings in Cornwall:
all which is given in Appendix A.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

96

TIlE HISTORY

liament no sooner sent their votes and declarations
to thelu, (the same \vhich are before mentioned
upon the treaties in Yorkshire and Cheshire,) and
SOine melnbers of their o\vn to overlook and perplex
then1, but all peaceable inclinations were laid aside;
so that (having in the Inean tilne industriously le-
vied money, throughout SOlnerset and Devon, upon
friends and enemies; and a good body of men) the
night before the expiration of the treaty and cessa-
tion, James Chudleigh, the o1ajor general of the re-
bels, brought a strong party of horse and foot with-
in two miles of Launceston, t.he head quarter of the
Cornish, and the very next morning, the cessation
not being determined till after twelve of the clock
in the night, marched upon the town, where they
were not sufficiently provided for then1. For though
the con1n1anders of the Cornish had employed their
tin1e, as usefully as they could, during the cessation,
in preparing the gentry of that country, and all the
inhabitants, to subnlÏ
to a weekly tax for the sup-
port of that power, which defended then1; over and
above which, the gentlemen, and persons of quality,
freely brought in all their plate to be disposed of to
the public; and though they foresa,v, after the com-
mittee of parliament came into the country, that
the treaty would conclude without fruit, and there-
fore sir Ralph Hopton and sir Bevil Greenvil re-
paired to Launceston the day before the expiration
of the treaty, to meet any attempt should be Inade
upon then1: yet, being to feed and pay their SHIUll
forces out of one county, m they had been conlpelled
to quarter their men at a great distance, that no

m one county,] one small county,

OF THE REBELLION.

97

one part ll1ight be more oppressed than was neces- BOO K
sary: so that all that was done the first day was, by VII.
the advantage of passes, and lining of hedges, to 1643.
keep the enemy in action, till the other forces caDle
up ; which they seasonably did towards the evening;
and then the enelny, who received great n loss in that
day's action, grew so heartless, that in the night
they retired to Okington, fifteen miles frolll the
place of their skirn1ish. After ,vhich ulanr snlall
skirmishes ensued, for many days, ,vith various suc-
cess; sometin1es the Cornish advancing in Devon,
and then retiring again; for it appeared no"", that
a forlned army was marching against them, so far
superior in number, that there ,vas no reasonable
hope of resistance.
Towards the middle of May, the earl of Stainford The ..;\)"1 of
h d · C II b h h · h Stamford
l11arC e Into ornwa, y t e nort part, WIt a marches
b d f .(' t h d .. d h d d .. d into Corll-
o y 0 lOUr een un Ie orse an I agoons, an wall with
five thousand four hundred foot by the poll, with a an army.
train of thirteen brass ordnance, and a mortar-piece,
and a very plentiful magazine of victual and alllll1U-
nition, and every ,yay in as good an equipage, as
could be provided by IDen who wanted no Inoney;
whilst the king's small forces, being not half the
number, and unsupplied with every useful thing,
\vere at Launceston ; of WhOll1 the enelny had so ab-
solute 0 a contempt, though they knew they \vere
marching to them, within six or seven miles, that
they considered' only how to take them after they
\vere dispersed, and to prevent their running into
Pendennis castle, to give tneln farther trouhle. To
which purpose having encamped thenlselves upon

II great] good
YOI.. IY.

C! 3 bsol ute] full

H

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

98

TH}
I-IISTORY

the flat top of a very high hill, to which the ascents
were very steep every way, near Stratton, being the
only part of Cornwall eminently disaffected to the
kirig's service, they sent a party of twelve hundred
horse and dragoons, under the cOIDlnand of sir
George Chudleigh, father to their major general, to
Bodn1in, to surprise the high sheriff and principal
gentlelllen of the country; and thereby, not only to
prevent the coming up of any nlore strength to the
king's party, but, under the awe of such a power of
horse,.to rnake the whole country rise for them.
This design, which was not in itself unreasonable,
proved fortunate to the king. For his forces which
marched from Launceston, with a resolution to fight
with the enemy, upon any disadvantage of place or
nU111ber, (which, how hazardous soever, carried less
danger with it, than retiring into the county, or any
thing else that was in their power,) easi]y now re-
solved to assault the canlp in the absence of their
horse; and, with this resolution, they marched on
1\10nday, the fifteenth of 1\lay, within a mile of the
enenlY; being so destitute of an provisions, that the
best officers P had but a biscuit a man a day, for two
days, the enemy looking upon them as their own.
On Tuesday the sixteenth of May, about five of
the clock in the ll10rning, they disposed themselves
to their work; having stood in their arms all the
night. The nUlnber of foot ,vas about two thousand
four hundred, which -they divided into four parts,
and agreed on their several provinces. The first
was comn1anded by the lord Mohun and sir Ralph
Hopton; "rho undertook to assault the camp on the

p officers] officer

OF THE REBELLION.

south side. N ext theIn, on the left hand, sir John
Berkley and sir Bevil Gl
eenvil were to force their
,vay. Sir Nicholas Slanning and colonel Trevannion
were to assault the north side; and, on the left hand,
colonel Thomas Basset, ,vho ,vas major general of
their foot, and colonel \Villiam Godolphin were to
advance \vith their party; each party having two
pieces of cannon to dispose as they found necessary:
colonel John Digby con11nanding the horse and dra-
goons, being about five hundred, stood upon a sandy
comlnon which had a way to the camp, to take any
advantage he could ofq the enell1Y, if they charged;
otherwise, to be firnl as a reserve.
In this manner the fight begun r; the king's forces
pressing, with their utnlost vigour, those four ways
up the hill, and the enemy's as obstinately defending
their ground. The fight continued with very doubt-
ful success, till towards three of the clock in the af-
ternoon; when word was brought to the chief offi-
cers of the Cornish, that their ammunition was spent
to less than four barrels of powder; which (conceal-
ing the defect from the soldiers) they resolved could
be only supplied with courage: and therefore, by
messengers to, one another, they agreed to advance
with their full bodies, without making any more
shot, till they reached the top of the hill, and so
might be upon even ground with the enelllY;
wherein the officer's courage, and resolution, ,vas so
well seconded hy the soldier, that they begun S to
get ground in all places; and the enell1Y, in wonder
of the n1en, "rho outfaced their shot with their
swords, to quit their post. Major general Chud-

q of] on

r begun] began
H2

s begun] began

99

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

100

THE IIIS'rOR Y

BOO K leigh, who ordered the battle, failed in no part of a
VII. soldier; and ,vhen he saw his 111en recoil fron1 less
1643. numbers, and the enelny in all places gaining the
hill upon hinl, hinlself advanced, with a good stand
of pikes, upon that party which "ras led by sir John
Berkley and sir Bevil Greenvil; and charged them
so snlartly, that he put them into disorder; sir Bevil
. Greenvil, in the shock, being borne to the ground,
but quickly relieved by his conlpanion ; they so rein-
forced the charge, that having killed most of the as-
sailants, and dispersed the rest, they took the nlajor
general prisoner, after he had behaved himself \vith
as much courage, as a man could do. Then the
enemy gave ground apace, insomuch as tbe four par-
ties, growing nearer and nearer as they ascended the
hill, between three and four of the clock they all
nlet together upon one ground near the top of the
hill; \vhere they embraced with unspeakahle joy,
each congratulating the other's success, and all ac-
knowledging the wonderful blessing of God; and
being there possessed of some of the enemy's
an-
non, they turned them upon the call1p, and advanced
together to perfect the victory. But the enemy no
sooner understood the loss of their luajor general,
but their hearts failed them; and being so resolutely
pressed, and their ground lost, upon the security and
advantage \vhereof they ,vholly depended, SOlne of
them threw down their arnlS, and others fled; dis-
persing thelllselves, and every ßlan shifting for hinl-
The earl is self: their general, the earl of Stallltord, giving the
beaten near I h (h . d C' d .
Stratton, examp e, W 0, aVlng stoo at a sale lstance all
May 16. the titne of the battle, ellvironed with all the horse,
,vhich in small parties, though it is true their \vhole
nun1her ,vas not above six or seven score, might

OF 'fHE REBELLION.

101

have done great nlischief to the several parties of
foot, who with so much difficulty scaled the steep
hill,) as soon as he sa\v the day lost, and some say t
sooner, made all imaginable haste to Exeter, to pre-
pare them for the condition they ,vere shortly to ex-
pect.
The conquerors, as soon as they had gained the
camp, and dispersed the enemy, an
after public
prayers upon the place, and a solemn thanksgiving
to Almighty God for their deliverance and victory,
sent a slnall party of horse to pursue the enemy for
a mile or two; not thinking fit to pursue farther, or
with their whole body of horse, lest sir George
should return from Bodlnin with his strong body of
horse and dragoons, and find them in disorder; but
contenting theillseives with the victory they had ob-
tained upon the place, which, in substance as well as
circuillstance, ,vas as signal a one as hath happened
to either party since the unhappy distraction; for on
the king's party were not lost in all above fourscore
nlen; whereof few were officers, and none above the
degree of a captain; and though many lllore were
hurt, not above ten men died after\vards of their
wounds. On the parlian1ent side, notwithstanding
their advantage of ground, and that the other were
the assailants, above three hundred were slain on the
place, and seventeen hundred taken prisoners, with
their major general, and above thirty other offic
rs.
They took likewise all their baggage and tents, all
their cannon, being, as was said before, thirteen
I)ieces of brass ordnance, and a brass mortar-piece;
all their ammunition, being seventy barrels of PO\v-

t
i:\Y] saiò
II 3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

nOOK
VH.

J 643.

lOQ

THE IIISTORY

del', and all other sorts of ammunition proportion-
able, and a very great n1agazine of biscuit, and other
excellent provisions of victuals; which was as sea-
sonable a blessing as the victory, to those who, for
three or four days before, had suffered great ,vant of
food as ,,'ell as sleep, and ,yere equally tired with
duty and hunger. The arlny rested that night and
the next day at Stratton; all care being taken by
express ll1essengers, to disperse the ne,vs of their
success to all parts of that country, and to guard the
passes upon the river Tamar, whereby to hinder the
return of the enemy"s horse and dragoons. But sir
George Chudleigh had no sooner, with great tri-
umph, dispersed the high sheriff, a
d gentlemen,
who intended to have called the posse conlÍtatus,
according to their good custom, for the assistance of
the king's party, and ,vith little resistance entered
Bodmin, when U he received the fatal ne\vs of the
}QSS of their calnp and arlny at Stratton. Upon
which, ,vith as much haste and disorder, as so great
a consternation could produce an10ng a people not
acquainted \vith the accidents of'\var, leaving 111auy
of his men and horses a prey to the country people,
himself, \vith as luany as he could get, and keep to-
gether, got into Plynlouth; and thence, \vithout in-
terruption or hazard, into Exeter.
The earl of Stamford, to Blake his own conduct
and 111isfortune the less censurcd, industriously
spread alu.oad in all places, and confidentJy sent the
saine infornlation to the parlialncnt, " that he had
"been betrayed IJY J alTIeS Chudleigh; and that, in
" the heat of the battle, "r hen the hope of the day

u when] but

OF THE REBELLION.

103

" stood fair, he had voluntarily, ,vith a party, run
" over to the enemy, and immediately charged the
" parliament forces; 'v hich begot in alllTIen a gene-
" ral apprehension of treachery, the soldiers fearing
" their officers, and the officers their soldiers revolt;
" and thereupon the rout ensued." 'Vhereas the
truth is, as he was a young lTIan of excellent parts
and courage, he performed the part of a right good
commander, both in his orders and his person; and
was taken prisoner in the body of his enen1Y, whither
he had charged with undaunted courage, when there
was no other expedient in reason left. But this
scandal so ,vithout colour cast on him, and enter-
tained \vith n10re credit than his services had me-
rited, (for, froin the time of his engagelnent to the
parliament, he had served not only \vith full ability,
but with notable success, and \vas the only man that
had given any interruption to the prosperity of tIle
Cornish arnIY, and in a night-skirn1Ïsh, at Bradock
Down near Okington, struck a great terror into
thenl, and disordered them more than they wore at
any other time,) ,vrought so far upon the young
nlan, together with the kind usage and reception he
found as a prisoner among the chief officers, ,vho
loved him as a gallant enelny, and one like to do
the king good service if he were recovered to his
loyalty, that after he had been prisoner about tcn
days, he freely declared, " that he was convinced in
" his conscience and judgment of the errors he had
" comn1itted;" and, upon promise made to him of
the king's pardon, frankly offered to join \vith them
in his Inajesty's x service; and so gave sonle counte..

x his majesty's] hi:s
H4

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOf{
VII.

) 6 L t3.

104

'rHE HIS'rOR \

nance to the reproach that was first Inost injuriously
cast upon Y him.
The truth is, he was of too good an understand-
ing, and too much generosity in his nature, to be af-
fected to the cause which be served, or to comply
with those arts, \vhich he saw practised to carry it
on; and having a comlnand in Ireland when the
war first broke out, he came thence into England,
\vith a purpose to serve the king; and to that end z,
shortly after his majesty's coming to Oxford, he came
thither to tender his service: but he found the eyes
of most men fixed upon a him with prejudice and jea-
lousy there, both for his family's sake, \vhich was no-
toriously disaffected to the king, and for some errorb
of his own, in that plot, that was so much spoken of,
to bring up the northern arnlY to awe the parlia-
1uent; in which business, being then a very young
Ulan, and of a stirring spirit, and desirous of a .name,
he had expressed much zeal to the king's service,
dnd been busy in inclining the army to engage in
such petitions and undertakings, as were not gracious
to the parliament. But \vhen that discovery was
nlade by Mr. Goring, as is before remenlbered, and a
cOlnmittee appointed to examine the combination,
this gentleman, wrought upon by hopes, or fears, in
his examination, said much that was disadvalltageou

to the court, and therefore, bringing no other testi-
mony ,vith him to Oxford, but of his own conscience,
he received nothing like countenance there; where-
upon he returned to London, sufficiently incen
ed
t hat he ,vas neglected; and was quickly entertained
for their westel'n employnlent, wh
re his neafest

y upon] (111

J end] )Jurpo
e

A upon] on

OF THE REBELLION. 105

fliends were throughly engaged. But after this de-
feat, his forn1er passion being allayed, and his ob-
servation and experience convincing hiln, that the
designs of the parliament were not such as were pre-
tended, he resigned himself to those who first con-
quered him with force, and then with reason and ci-
vility; and, no doubt, was much ,vrought upon by
the discipline and integrity of the forces, by \vhom
he had been subdued; and with the piety, temper,
and sobriety of the chief commanders, which indeed
was most exemplary, and worthy the cause for which
they were engaged; the reputation and conscience b
,vhereof had alone carried then} through the difficul-
ties and straits, with which they were to contend.
This Carmy, willing to relieve their friends of
Corn ,vall, frolD the burden which they sustained so
patiently, hastened their march into Devonshire, not
throughly resolved whether to attack Plymouth, or
Exeter, or both; when advertisen1ent came to theIn,
ùy an express from Oxford, "that the king had sent
U prince l\laurice, and the marquis of Hertford, with
" a very good body of horse, to join with them; and
" that they were advanced to,vards them as far as
" SOlnersetshire; and that sir \Villiam '" aIler was
., designed by the parliament, to visit the west, with
" a new army, which would receive a good recruit
" from those who escaped from the battle of 8trat-
" ton:" so that it was necessary for all the king's
forces in those parts to be united in a body, as soon
as {night be: hereupon it was quickly resolved to
leave such a party at Saltash and Milbrook, as might
defend faithful Cornwall from any incursions of PJy-

h rou
tiencc] conres
jo-n

c Thi
] The

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII,

1643.

106

TIlE IIISTORY

mouth, and \vith their arnlY to march east\vard;
their number increasing daily upon the reputation of
their lle\V ,vonderful victory; 111any volunteers COlll-
ing to then1 out of Devonshire, and very nlany of
their prisoners professing, they had been seduced,
and freely offering to serve the king against those
\vho had ,vronged both; \vho, being entertained un-
der some of their o\vn converted officers, behaved
theillseives after\vards ,vith great honesty and cou-
rage. And so lllakiT1g no longer stay by the ,vay,
than ,vas necessary for the refreshing of their troops,
the Cornish arlny, for that ,vas the style it no,v car-
ried, l1larched by Exeter, ,,"here the earl of Stamford,
with a sufficient garrison, then was; and staying
only two or three days to fix small garrisons, whereby
that to\vn, full of fear and apprehension, might be
kept fron1 having too great an influence upon so po-
pulous a county, advanced to Tiverton, where a regi-
tHent of foot of the parlian1ent, under colonel "Tare,
a gentleman of that country, had fixed then1selves;
hoping sir 'Villianl 'Valler ,vould be as soon with
them for their relief, as the Cornish \vould be to
force them; \vhich reginlent d being easily dispersed,
they stayed there to expect ne\v orders froll1 the
marquis of Hertford.
'Vhen the loss of Reading was ,veIl digested, and
the king understood the declining conùition of the
earl of Essex's arlny, and that he ,vould either not
be able to ad \Tance, or not in such a lnanner, as
would give hin1 l11uch trouble at Oxford; and hear-
ing in what prosperous state his hopeful party in
Cornwall stood, whither the parliament was making

d regiment] Not in ./.118.

OF THE REBELLIO:S. 107

all haste to send sir "rillianl "raIler, to check their
good success; his majesty resolved to send the lllar-
quis of IIertford into those parts, the rather because
there ,vere nlany of the prime gentlemen of "rilt_
shire, Dorsetshire, anù Sonlersetshire, ,vho confidently
undertook, if the marquis ,vent through those coun-
ties, ",ith such a strength as they supposed the king
would spare to hiln, they ,vould in a very short time
raise so considerable a power, as to oppose any force
the parliament should be able to send. 'Vhen the
marquis ,vas ready for his journey, news arrived of
the great victory at Stratton; so that there was no
danger in e the marquis's being able to join ,vith that
little Cornish army; and then there ,vould appear f
indeed a visible body worthy the nanle of an army.
This put some persons upon desiring, that prince
:t\Iaurice (who was yet in no other quality of com-
nland, than of a private colonel of horse, but had al-
ways behaved hinlself ,vith great courage and vigi-
lance) might be like,,-ise disposed into a cOlllmand of
that arnlY. Hereupon the king assigned him, and
J}is highness ,villingly accepted to be lieutenant ge-
neral under the l11arquis; ,,-ho for many reasons, be-
sides that he \\1'as actually possessed of it, was thought g
fit to havoe the superior po\ver over those ,,-estern
counties, ,,-here his fortune lay, and the estimation
and reverence of the people to him ".as very great. h
So the prince and the nlarquis, ,,
ith prince
Ial1rice's,
and the earl of Carnarvon's, and colonel Thonlas Ho,v-
ard's regiluents of horse (the earl being general of

c:in] of
f would appear] appeared

g thought] thought only
h very great.] notorious.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

108

rrHE I-IIS'TORY

the cavalry) advanced into the west; and staying
only some few days at Salisbury, and after in Dor-
setshire, ,vhilst some new regiments of horse and
foot, \vhich were levying by the gentlelnen in those
parts, canle up to thenl, made all convenient haste
into SOlnersetshire, being desirous to join ,vith the
Cornish as soon as ulight be; presunling they should
he then best able to perfect their new levies, ,vhen
they were out of apprehension of being disturbed by
a more po,verful force. For sir 'Villi am WaIler was
already marched out of London, and used not to stay
longer by the way than was unavoidably necessary.
In the marquis's first entrance into the west, he
had an unspeakable loss, and the king's service a far
greater, by the death of l\lr. Rogers, a gentleman of
a rare temper, and excellent understanding; who,
besides that he had a great interest in the marquis,
being his cousin-german, and so, out of that private
relation, as well as zeal to the public, passionately in-
clined to advance the service, had a wonderful great
influence upon the county of Dorset, for which he
served as one of the knights in parliament; and had
so ,vell designed all things there, that Poole and
LYll1e, (t,vo port to,vns in that county, ,vhich gave
the king afterwards nluch trouble,) if he had lived,
had been undoubtedly reduced. But by his death all
those hopes were cancelled, the surviving gentry of
that shire beiL1g, ho\v ,veIl affected soever, so Ull-
active, that the progress, that was that year nlade
there to the king's advantage, owed little to their
assistance.
About the Iniddlc of June, prince Maurice, and
the marquis, with sixteen or seventeen hundred

OF TI-IE REBEI
LION. 109

horse, and about one thousand new levied foot, and BOO"-
VII.
seven or eight field-pieces, came to Chard, a fair to,vn .
in S0111ersetshire, nearest the ed g e of Devonshire; I G43.
The mal-
where, according to order, they were met by the ql1ÍS of
. .. Hertford
CornIsh army; whlch consIsted of above three thou- and prince
sand excellent foot, five hundred horse, and three
j

r

jr
hundred dra g oons with four or five field- p ieces. so forces, jo!n
c , , the Cormsb
that, officers and all, being joined, they lnight ,veIl army at
Chard.
pass for an army of seven thousand men; '\vith an
excellent train of artillery, and a very fair proportion
of alnmunition of all sorts, and so good a reputation,
that they might ,veIl promise themselves a quick in-
crease of their numbers. Yet if the extraordinary
temper and virtue of the chief officers of the Cornish
had not been nluch superior to that of their COIDluon
soldiers, who valued then1selves high, as the men
whose courage had alone vindicated the king's cause
in the west, there might have been greater disorder
at their first joining, than could easily have been
composed. For how small soever the marquis's party
was in numbers, it was supplied with all the general
officers of a royal army, a general, lieutenant general,
general of the horse, general of the ordnance, a ß1a-
jor general of horse, and another of foot, without
keeping suitable comnlands for those who had done
all that was past, and were to be principally relied
on for what was to come. So that the chief officers
of the Cornish army, hy joining \vith a n1uch less
party than themselves, were at hest in the condition
of private colonels. Yet the same public thoughts
still so absolutely prevailed ,vith them, that they qui-
eted aU murmurings and el11ulations among inferior
officers, and common soldiers; and were, \vith equal
candol1l' and estimation, valued hy the prince and

BOOK
VII.

1643.

110

TI-IE II I s'ro R Y

Inarquis, \vho bethought themselves of all expedi(\nts,
,vhich Inight prevent any future i misunderstanding.
'l'aunton ,vas the first place they resolved to visit,
being one ofk the fairest, largest, and richest towns 1
in SOlnersetshire; but withal as eminently affected
to the parliament, where they had now a garrison;
but they had not yet the san1e courage they reco-
vered after,vards: for the army ,vas no sooner drawn
near the town, the head quarters being at Orchard,
a house of the Portmans, two miles fr0111 the town,
but the town sent two of their substantial inhabitants
to treat; which, though nothing ,vas concluded,
struck that terror into the garrison, (the prisoners in
the castle, whereof many were ll1en of good fortunes,
itnprisoned there as Inalignants, at the saIne time
raising some comn1otion there,) that the garrison
fled out of the town to Bridgel\'"ater, being a less
town, but of a much stronger situation; and, ,,'ith
the saIne panic fear, the next day, from thence; so
that the marquis was possessed, in three days, of
'raunton, Bridge\vater, and Dunstar castle, so much
stronger than both the other, that it could not have
been forced; yet by the dexterity of Francis \Vind-
ham, \vho ,vrought upon the fears of the o,vner and
master of it, 1\11'. LuttereI, was, \vith as little hlood-
shed as the other, delivered up to the king; into
\vhich the marquis put him Ill, that took it, as go-
vernor; as he well deserved.
The governlnent of Taunton he committed to sir
John Sta\vel1, a gentlen1an of a very great estate in
those parts; ,vho n, from the beginning, had heartily

i future] Not in .lIS.
k one of] Þlot in RiS.
I towns] town

m put him] put in him
n who] and who

OF THE REBELLION.

111

and personally engaged himself and his children for
the king; and was in the first form of those \v
O had
made then1selves obnoxious to the parliament. The
other government, of Bridgewater, \vas conferred
upon Edmund 'Vindham, high sheriff of the county,
being a gentleman of a fortune near the place, and
of a 0 good personal courage, and unquestionable af-
fection to the cause. The army stayed ahout Taun-
ton seven or eight days, for the settling those' garri-
sons, and to receive advertisements of the n1otion or
station of the enemy; in vvhich time they lost n1uch
of the credit and reputation they had with the coun-
try. For \vhereas the chief cornrrlanders of the Cor-
nish army had restrained their soldiers from all n1an-
ner of licence, obliging thelll to solemn and frequent
actions of devotion, insomuch as the fame of their re-
ligion and discipline was no less than of their cou-
rage, and thereupon sir Ralph Hopton (,vho was ge-
nerally considered as the general of that army,
though it was governed by such a con1mission as is
before ren1embered) ,vas greedily expected in his own
country, where his reputation ,vas second to no man's;
the horse, that came now \vith the marquis, having
lived under a looser discipline, and coming no\v into
plentiful quarters, unvisited by an arlTIY, eminent for
their disaffection, P were disorderly enough to give
the enemy credit in laying n10re to their charge than
they deserved; and by their licence hindered those
orderly levies, ,vhich should have brought in a sup-
ply of money, for the regular payment of the arlTIY.
This q extravagancy produced another mischief, SOlTIe

o a] Not in J.US.
p enlinent for their disaffec-
tion,] and yielding some excuse

to this by the eminency of their
disaffection,
q This] And this

BOOK
VII.

1643.

112

TIlE I-IISTOH,Y

BOOK jealousy, or shado\v of it, het\veen the lord marqui

VII. d . 1\,'1". h fi b ·
an prInce l.uaUrlCe; t erst, as elng hetter versed
1643. in the policy of peace, than in the Inysteries of war,
desiring to regulate the soldier, and to restrain hitn
from using any licence upon the country; and the
prince being thought so \vholly to incline to the sol-
dier, that he neglected any consideration of the coun-
try, and not without SOUle design of drawing the sole
dependence of the soldier upon himself. But here
were the seeds rather sown of dislike, than any visi-
ble disinclination produced; for after they had settled
the garrisons before 111entioned, they advanced, ,vith
unity and alacrity, eastward, to find out the enemy,
\vhich \vas gathered together in a considerable body,
within less than twenty ll1iles of them.
Whilst so much tinle was spent at Oxford, to pre-
pare the supplies for the west, and in settling the
manner of sending them; which might have bee..
done much sooner, and with less noise; the parIia-
nlent foresa"r, that if all the west were recovered
fronl them, their quarters would by degrees he so
straitened, that their other friends would quickly
grow \veary of theln. They had stilI all the western
ports at their devotion, those in Corn,vall only ex-
cepted; and their fleets had always great benefit hy
it. And though n10st of the gentry \vere engaged
against them, as they were in truth in lnany parts I
throughout the kingdom, yet the C0l1l1110n people,
especially in the clothing parts of SOlnersetshire,
\vere general1y too lnuch inclined to thenl. So that
they could not want lnen, if they sent a body of
horse, and some arnlS, to countenance thel11; \vith

r in many parts] .Nul in j11S.

OF 'THE REBELLION.

113

the last of which they had sufficiently stored the sea.. B
8.h..
towns \vhich were in their hands. s And therefore
1643.
they resolved, that, though they could not easily re-
cruit their army, they \vould send sonle troops of
horse, and dragoons, into the west, to keep up the
spirits of their friends there. And for the conduct The parlia-
ment sent
of this service, they made choice of sir \Villiam Wal- sir William
\VaUcr into
leI', a member of the house of commons, and a gen- the west
I f c · I . K with all
ternan 0 a lann Y In ent. army.
Sir ,\;ViIlialn Waller had been well bred; and, t
having spent some years abroad, and some ime in
the armies there, returned with a good reputation
home; and shortly after, having married .a young
lady, \vho "'as to inherit a good fortune in the west,
he had a quarrel ,vith a gentleman of the sanle fa-
mily, who had the honour to be a menial servant to
the king in a place near his person; which, in that
tinle, was attended "Tith privilege and respect fronl
all men. These two gentlenlen discoursing ,vith
some warnlth together, sir 'Villialn Waller received
such provocation from the other, that he struck hin1
a hlow over the face, so near the gate of "r estl
lin-
ster-haH, that there \vere witnesses, ,vho swore, U
" that it was in the hall itself," the courts heing then
sitting; which, according to the rigour of la\v, Inakes
it very penal; and the credit the other had in the
court lllade tIle prosecution to be very severe; inso-
nluch as he ,vas at last cOlnpelled to redeeln hinlself
at a dear ransom; the benefit 'v hereof was conferred
on his aùversary, which made the sense of it the

S had sufficiently stored the
sea-towns \-vhieh were in their
hands.] had stored the sea-towns
which were in their hands suffi-
VOL. IV.

ciently.
t and,] Not in
7J.1S.
U there were witnesses, WIIO
swore,] he got witnesses to swear,
I

BOOK
VII.

16-t3.

114

'!'HE lIIS'rOIlY

more grievous: and this produced in hÌ1n so eager a
spirit against tbe court, that he ""as very open to any
teulptation, that might engage him against it; and
so concurring in the house of conlnlons with all those
counsels which were most violent, he \vas employed
in their first military action, for the reducing of Ports-
mouth; which he effected with great ease, as is re-
membered before: and when the earl of Essex had
put the army into winter quarters, he had with some
troops lllade a cavalcade or t\VO into the west, so
fortunately, that he had not only heat up some loose
quarters, but had surprised a fixed and fortified quar-
ter, made by the lord Herbert of Ragland near Glou-
cester; in which he took above twelve hundred pri-
soners, with all the officers; being a nunlher very
little inferior to his own party; which is likewise
particularly remenlbered before. So that he got
great reputation \vith the parlialnent and the city;
and was there x called 'Villiaul the Conqueror. And
it is very true, that they who looked upon the earl
of Essex as a man that \\Tould not keep thenl com-
pany to the end of their journey, had their eyes upon
sir \"illiam 'Valler, as a Ulan more for their turn;
and were desirous to extol hitn the lnore, that he
Inight eclipse the other. And therefore they pre-
pared aU things for his n1arch \\
ith so great expedi-
tion and secrecy, that the l11arquis of IIertford was
no sooner joinec1 to the Cornish troops, (in \vhich
tÎ1ne Bridgewater, and Dunstar, and sonlC other
places, were reduced from the parlianlent,) hefore he
was informed that sir , 'TiIlian1 "raIler \\
as within
t\\'O days' Inarch of hinl, and ,vas 1110re like to draw

x there] /trot ;1/ .11 S.

OF
rHE REBEI..LION. 115

supplies to him from Bristol, and the parts adjacent,
which were under Y the parlianlent, than the marquis
could frOlTI the open country; and therefore it was
held 11108t counsellable to advance, and engage him,
\vhilst he was not yet too strong; and by this means
they should continue still their march towards Ox-
ford; which they \vere now inclined to do. Z
Though sir William \Valler himself continued still
at Bath, yet the remainder of those horse and dra-
goons that escaped out of Cornwall, after the battle
of Stratton, and such other as "rere sent out of Ex-
eter for their ease, when they apprehended a siege,
and those soldiers ,vho fled out of '-raunton and
Bridgewater, and other regÎIllents of the country,
were by Alexander Popham, Strode, and the other
deputy lieutenants of the Inilitia for S0l11erset, ral-
lied; and with the trained bands, and volunteer re-
giments of the country, dra,vn togeth
r, \vith that
confidence, that when the Dlarquis had taken up his
head quarters at Somerton, the enen1Y, before hreak
of day, fell upon a regÍI11ent of dragoons, quartered
a mile eastward frol11 the to\vn; and gave so brisk an
alarnl to the king's arlny, that it ,vas inl111ediately
drawn out, and advanced upon the enemy, (being the
first they had seen make any stand before thenl,
since the battle of Stratton,) who lllaking stands upon
the places of advantage, and maintaining little skir-
ulishes in the rear, retired in no ill order to \Vells;
and the king's forces still pursuing, they chose to

Y were under] were all under frum J.H s. C. An. abridged de-
7 which they were now in- scripti.on v.l each, which i11 W8. B.
dined to (10.] The ensuing rela- follows this character 8fc. of sir
lion of the battles of Lansdown TV. 1JTaller, will be found in Ap-
and Rowzdu:ay-down are taken pendi.1. B.
I 2

BOOK
VII.

16 13.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

116

THE HI8TOR Y

quit that city like\vise; and drew their whole body,
appearing in number as considerable as their pur-
suers, to the top of a hill, called Mendip Hill, over-
looking the city of ",r ells, which they had left. The
day being far spent, and the march having been long,
the marquis, with all the foot, and train, stayed at
'V ells; but prince l\tIaurice, and the earl of Carnar-
von, with sir Ralph Hopton, and sir John Berkley,
and two reginlents of horse, resolved to look upon
the enemy on the top of the hill; who suffered them,
,vithout interruption, to gain the top of the hill level
,vith then1, and then, in a very orderly manner, fac-
ing with a large front of their horse, to give their
foot and baggage leisure and security, retired toge-
ther as the prince advanced. This, and the natural'
contempt the king's horse yet had of the enemy,
'v hich in all skirlnishes and charges had been hitherto
beaten by then}, nlade the prince judge this to be
but a lTIOre graceful running away; and therefore
followed thenl farther, over those large hilJs, a till the
enemy, who ,vere anon to pass through a lane, and a
village called Chewton, ,vere com pelled, before their
entrance into the lane, to leave their reserve; ,vhich
faced about H1uch thinner than it was over the hill:
which opportunity and advantage was no sooner dis-
cerned, as it had been foreseen, but the earl of Car-
narvon (who ahvays charged home) ,vith an h inconl-
parahl
gallantry charged the enelny, and pressed
them so hard, that he entered the lane with then1,
and routed the whole body of their horse, and fol-
lo\ved the execution of them ahove two lTIiles.
Rut this was like to hav"c heen a dear success; for

:l farther, over those lclrgc
hills,] over those large hills far-

ther than before,
h an) Þlot In lWS.

OF 'I'HE REBELLION. 117

sir "Tillialll 'V aller, \vho lay \vith his new arnlY at
Bath, and had dra\vn to hiln a good supply out of
the garrison at Bristol, had directed this body which
was in Somerset, to retire before the King's forces till
they should join \vith hinl, who had sent a fresh,
strong party of horse and dragoons, to assist their
retreat; \vhich, by the advantage of a hedge, chad
marched without being discovered: so that the earl of
Carnarvon, being a stranger in the country and the
,vays, pursued the enemy d into sir \Villiam \Valler's
quarters, and till himself was pressed by a fresh body
of horse and dragoons; when he was necessitated to
retire in as good order as he could; and sent the
prince, \vho followed him, word of the danger which
attended them. His highness hereupon, with w}lat
haste he could, J.re\v back through the village; choos-
ing rather, with very good reason, to attend the
enemy in the plain heath, than to he engaged in a
narrow passage: thither the earl of Carnarvon \vith
his regilnent caIne to him, broken and chased by the
enemy; who Ï1nlnediately drew up a large front of
horse and dragoons, much stronger than the prince's
party, who had only his own, and the earl of Car-
narvon's regiments, \vith some gentlenlen volunteers.
The strait, and necessity he \\Tas in, was very great;
for as he might seem nluch too weak to charge them,
so the danger lllight probably be much greater to re-
tire over these fair hills, being pursued with a fresh
party Inuch superior in nUlnber. 'I'herefore he took
a gallant resolution, to give the enelny a brisk charge
\vith his own reginlent upon their advance, whilst
the earl rallied his, and prepared to second hÏ111, as

( hedge,] fog,

d the enemy] the flying enemy
I 3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

118

THE HIS'l'OR Y

there should be occasion. This was as soon and for-
tunately executed as resolved; the prince in the head
of the e regÎ1nent charging so vigorously, that he ut-
terly broke and routed that part of the front that
received the in1pression. But almost half the ene-
ll1Y'S horse, that, being extended larger than his front,
\vere not charged, wheeled about, and charged the
prince in the rear; and at the saIne time the earl of
Carnarvon, with his rallied reginlent, charged their
rear; and all this so throughly performed, that they
were mingled f one among the other, and t.he good
s,vord was g to decide the controversy, their pistels
being spent in the close. The prince himself received
two shrewd hurts in his head, and was beaten off his -
horse; but he was presently relieved, and carried off;
and the enemy totally routed, and pursued again by
the earl of Carnarvon; ,vho had a fair execution
upon theIn, as long as the light countenanced his
chase, and then he returned to the head quarters at
'VeIls; there having been in these skirmishes three-
score or fourscore Inen lost on the prince's party, and
three times that number by the eneluy; the action
being too quick to take many prisoners.
At 'V ells the army rested many days, as well to
recover the prince's ,vounds, being only cuts with
swords, as to consult ,vhat was next to be done; for
they were now within distance of an enen1Y that they
knew would fight with them. For sir \Villiam \Val-
leI' ,vas at Bath with his whole army, luuch increased
by those who \vere chased out of the west; and re-
solved not to advance, having all advantages of 1'1'0-

(' the 1 bis
f mingled] mingled paHmall

F: was] Not in .Jl1S.

OF THE REBELLION.

119

visions, and passes, till a new supply, he every day
expected from London, were arrived "Tith him. On
the other side, the marquis was not only to provide
to meet with so vigilant an enen1Y, but to secure
hiInself at his rear, that the disaffection of the people
behind hin1, who were only subdued, not converted,
upon the advance of sir 'Villiam Waller, might not
take fresh courage. Though Cornwall was reason-
ably secured, to keep off any in1pression upon itself
from Plymouth, yet Devonshire was left in a very
unsafe posture: there being only a small party at.
Colunlb-J ohn, a house of sir John Ackland's, three
miles off Exeter, to control the po\ver of that city,
,vhere the earl of Stamford was; and to dispute not
only \vith any commotion that might happen in the
country, but with any power that might arrive by
sea. Upon these considerations, and the intelligence,
that the parliament had sent directions to the earl
of Warwick their adlniral, "to attend the Devon-
" shire coast with his fleet, and take any advantage
" he could," the marquis, by the ad vice of the coun-
cil of war, sent sir John Berkley back into Devon-
shire, with colonel Howard's regiment of horse, to
command the forces which were then there, and to
raise \vhat numbers more he could possibly, for the
blocking up tnat city, and reducing the county;
and upon his arrival there, to send up to the army
sir J anIes Hamilton's regiment of horse and dra-
goons; which had been left in Devonshire; and, by
the licence they took, weakened the king's party;
so that, by sending this relief thither, he did not
lessen at all his own numbers, yet gave great
strength to the reducing those parts, as appeared af-
terwards by the success.
14

BOUK
VII.

1643.

BOob.
VII.

I 643.

120

THE HIS'fORY

After this disposition, and eight or ten days' rest
at \Vells, the army generally expressing a cheerful h
in1patience to meet with the enemy, of which, at
that time, they had a greater conten1pt, than in
reason they should have; the prince and marquis
advanced to Frome, and thence to Bradford, within
four miles of Bath. And now no day passed with-
out action, and very sharp skirmishes; sir \Villiam
'ValleI' having received from London a fresh regi-
ment of five hundred horse, under the command of
sir Artbur Haslerig: which were so completely i
arlned, that they were called by the other side the
regiment of lobsters, because of their bright iron
shells, with which they were covered, being perfect
cuirassiers; and were the first seen so arn1ed on
either side, and the first that made any impression
upon the king's horse; ,vho, being unarmed, ,rere
not able to bear a shock \vith them; besides that
they ,vere secure from hurts of the s\vord, \v hich
were almost the only \\?eapons the other were fur-
nished with.
The contention ,vas hitherto with parties; in
\vhich the successes were various, and almost with
equal losses: for as sir 'Villiam 'Valler, upon the
first advance from 'V ells, beat up a regiment of
horse and dragoons of sir James Hamilton's, and
dispersed them; so, within two days, tbe king's
forces beat a party of his froln a pass near Bath,
,vhere the enemy lost t\VO field-pieces, and near an
hundred men. But sir William \Valler had the ad-
vantage in his ground, having a good city, well fur-
nished with provisions, to quarter his army together

h ('heerful] handsome

i completely] prodigiously

OF THE REBELLION. l
l

in; and so in his choice not to fight, but upon ex-
traordinary advantage. \Vhereas the king's forces
n1ust either disperse themselves, and so give the
enen1Y advantage upon their quarters, or, keeping
near together, lodge in the field, and endure great
distress of provision; the country being so disaf-
fected, that only force could bring in any supply or
relief. Hereupon, after several atten1pts to engage
the enen1Y to a battle upon equal terms, \\Thich, hav-
ing the advantage, he wisely avoided; the marquis
and prince Maurice advanced with their whole body
to 1\larsfield, five miles beyond Bath towards Ox-
ford; presulning, that, by this means, they should
draw the enemy fron1 their place of advantage, his k
chief business being to hinder theln frolll joining
with the king. And if they had been able to pre-
serve that telnper, and had neglected the enemy, till
he 1 had quitted his III advantages, it is probable they
might have fought upon as good ternlS as they de-
sired. But the unreasonable contempt they had of
the enelny, and confidence they should prevail in
any ground, together n with the straits they endured
for want of provisions, and their want of ammuni-
tion, which was spent as much in the daily hedge-
skinnishes, and upon their guards, being so near as
could have been in battle, would not admit that pa-
tience; for sir 'Viniam 'ValleI', who ,vas not to suf-
fer that body to join with the king, no sooner drew
out his whole army to Lansdown, \vhich looked to-
,yards 1\larsfield, but they suffel"ed thelnselves to be
engaged upon great disadvantage.
It was upon the fifth of July \vhen sir 'Villi am

i< his] their
I he] th('y

m his] tllt
ir
II together] lVot in MS.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

1
2

'l-'HE H IS'I'OR Y

BOOK Waller, as soon as it was light, possessed himself of
VII. that hill; and after he had, upon the brow of the
1643. hill over the high way, raised breast-works with
The battle

f Lans- fagots and earth, and planted cannon there, he sent

Wn,JUIY a strong party of horse towards 1\1arsfield, which
quickly alarmed the other army, and was shortly
driven back to their body. As great a mind as the
king's forces had to cope with the enemy, when they
had dra\vn into battalia, and found the enemy fixed
on the top of the hill, they resolved not to attack
them upon so great disadvantage; and so retired
again towards their old quarters: which sir \Villiam
'VaUer perceiving, sent his whole body of horse and
dragoons do\vn the hill, to charge the rear and flank
of the king's forces; which they did throughly, the
regin1ent of cuirassiers so amazing the horse they
charged, that they totally routed them; and, stand-
ing firn1 and unshaken themselves, gave so great ter-
J"or to the king's horse, \vho had never before turned
fronl an enemy, that no example of their officers,
who did their parts with invincible courage, could
make then1 charge with the same confidence, and in
the same manner they had usually done. However,
in the end, after sir Nicholas Slanning, with three
hundred musketeers, had fallen upon and beaten
their reSel"Ve of dragooners, prince Maurice and the
earl of Carnarvon, rallying their horse, and \vinging
them with the Cornish musketeers, charged the
enemy's horse again, and totally routed thelll; and
in the san1e manner received two bodie
more, and
routed and chased them to the hill; where they
stood in a place almost inaccessible. On the bro\v
of the hill there \vere hreast-\vorks, on which \vere
pretty bodies of sl11all shot, and son1e cannon; on

OF' 'rHE REBELLION. lQ3

either flank gre\v a pretty thick wood towards the
declining of the hill, in \vhich strong parties of mus-
keteers \vere placed; at the rear was a very fair
plain, \vhere the reserves of horse and foot stood
ranged; yet the Cornish foot were so far from being
appalled at this disadvantage, that they desired to
fall on, and cried out, " that they ßlight have leave
" to fetch off those cannon." In the end, order was
given to attelnpt the hill with horse and foot. Two
strong parties of musketeers were sent into the
woods, ,vhich flanked the cnenlY; and the horse and
other 0 nlusketeers up the road "ray, which ,vere
charged by the enenlY's horse, and routed; then sir
Bevil Greenvil advanced \vith a party of horse, on
his right hand, that ground being best for them;
and his nlusketeers on the left; himself leading up
his pikes in the middle; and in the face of their
cannon, and sn1all-shot fronl the breast-works, gained
the brow of the hill, having sustained two full charges
of the enemy's horse; but in the third charge his
horse failing, and giving ground, he received, after
other wounds, a blow on the head with a pole-axe,
,vith which he fell, and Inany of his officers about
him; yet the musketeers fired so fast upon the ene-
my's 'p horse, that they quitted their ground, and the
two wings, who were sent to clear the woods, having
done their work, and gained those parts of the hill,
at the same time beat q off their enemy's r foot, and
became possessed of the breast-works; and so made
way for their whole body of horse, foot, and cannon,
to ascend the hill; \vhich they quickly did, and
planted then1:selves on the ground they had ,von;

o other] l\"ot in MS.
p enemy's] ß.Yo{ ill .l
1 s.

q beat] they beat
r enemy's] Not in 111S.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

124

THE HIS1'ORY

the enemy retiring about den1Ï-culverin shot behind
a stone ,vall upon the sanle level, and standing in
reasonable good order.
Either party was sufficiently tired, and battered,
to be contented to stand still. The king's horse
were so shaken, that of two thousand which were
upon the field in the 11lorning, there \vere not above
six hundred on the top of the hill. The enenlY was
exceedingly scattered too, and had no mind to ven-
ture on plain ground with those who had beaten
theln from the hill; so that, exchanging only SOlne
shot from their ordnance, they looked one upon an-
other till the night interposed. About twelve of the
clock, it being very dark, the enelllY lllade a show
of llloving towards the ground they had lost; hut
giving a smart volley of slnaU-shot, and finding
themsel yes ans\vered \vith the like, they Inade no
11lore noise: which the prince observing, he sent a
conlIDon soldier to hearken as near the place, ,vhere
they were, as he could; who brought \vord, " that
" the enelllY had left lighted luatches in the \vall lJe-
" hind \vhich they had lain, and were dra",-n off the
" field;" which was true; so that, as soon as it \vas
day, the king's army found theillseives possessed en-
tirely of the field, and the dead, and aU other en-
signs of victory: sir \Villialll 'Valler being marched
to Bath, in so 11luch disorder and apprehension, that
he left great store of artllS, and ten barrels of pow-
der, behind hiln; \vhich ,vas a very seasonable sup-
l>ly to the other side, \vho had spent in that day's
service no less than fourscore barrels, and had not a
safe proportion left.
In this battle, on the king's part, there \vere 1110re
officers and gentlemen of quality slain, than conlnlon

OF rrIIE REBELLION. lQ5

Juen; and more hurt than slain. That which ,vould BOO K
have clouded any victory, and nlade the loss of VII.
others less spoken o
,vas the death of sir Bevil 16 L J3.
Sir nevi J
Greenvil. He S ,vas indeed an excellent person, Greenyil
whose activity, interest, and reputation, was the slain.
foundation of what had heen done in Cornwall; and
his ten1per and affections so public, that no accident
which happened could make any impressions in hinl;
and his example kept others from taking any thing
ill, or at least seelning to do so. In a word, a
brighter courage, and a gentler disposition, were
never married together to make the ll10st cheerful
and innocent conversation.
Very lnany officers and persons of quality were
hurt; as the lord Arundel of 'Vardour, shot in the
thigh witl?- a brace of pistol bullets; sir Ralph Hop-
ton, shot through the ar1n with a musket; sir George
Vaughan, and many others, hurt in the head of their
troops with swords and pole-axes; of which none of
nan1e died. But the morning added lTIuch to the
lllelancholy of their victory, \vhen the field ,vas en-
tirely their own. For sir Ralph Hopton riding up
and down the field to visit the hurt men, and to put
the soldiers in order, and readiness for motion, sit-
ting on his horse, with other officers and soldiers
about him, near a waggon of alnmunition, in \vhich
were eight barrels of powder; whether by treachery,
or mere accident, is uncertain, the po\vder was blo,vll
up; and many, who stood nearest, killed; and many
more maimed; among WhOlll t sir Ralph Hopton and
sergeant major Sheldon ,vere miserably hurt; of
which, lnajor Sheldon, who \vas thought to be in less

- He] who

t whom] which

BOOK
VII.

I 643.

lQ6

THE HISTOR\.

danger than the other, died the next day, to the
genera] grief of the whole U arl11Y, where he was
wonderfully beloved, as a man of an undaunted cou-
rage, and as great gentleness of nature. Sir R,alph
Hopton, having hardly so much life, as not to be
nUJ11bered with the dead, was put into a litter, and
then the army marched to their old quarters at x
l\iarsfield; exceedingly cast down with their morn-
ing's misfortune, (sir Ralph Hopton being indeed
the soldiers' darling,) where they reposed themselves
the next day, principally in care of sir Ralph Hop-
ton, who, though there \vere hope of his recovery,
was not fit to travel. In this time many of the
horse, which had been routed in the Inorning, be-
fore the hill was won, found the way to Oxford;
and, according to the cust0111 of those who run
away, reported all to be lost, with Inany particular
accidents, \vhich they fancied very like to happen
\vhen they left the field; but the next day brought
a punctual advertisement from the l11arquis, but,
\vithal, a desire of a regiInent or t\VO of fresh horse,
and a supply of allllllunition; \vhereupon the earl
of Crawford \vith his regilnent of horse, consisting
of near five hundred, was directed to advance that
\vay, with such a pi'oportion of anl111unition as \vas
desired.
After a day's rest at Marsfield, it being under-
stood that sir William 'VaIler ,vas still at Bath, (his
army having heen rather surprised and discomforted
with the incredible boldness of the Cornish foot,
than much weakened by the nUlnber slain, ,,?hich
was no greater y than on the king's part,) and that

11 wholel Not in MS.
x at] to

y no greater] not greater

OF 1-'HE REBELLION. lQ7

he had sent for fresh supply from Bristol; it \vas
concluded, rather to march to Oxford, and so to
join with the king's army, than to stay and attend
the enemy, who was so near his supplies: and so
they Inarched towards Chippenham. But \vhen sir
WillialTI \Valler had intelligence of the blo\ving up
of the powder, of which he ,veIl knew there "ras
scarcely enough before, and of the hurt it had done,
he infused new spirit into his men; and verily be-
lieved that they had no ammunition, and that the
loss of sir Ralph Hopton (whom the people took to
be the soul of that army, the other names being not
so much spoken of, or so well kno\vn, and at this
time believed to he dead) would be found in the
spirits of the soldiers; and IJaving gotten SOlne fresh
men from Bristol, and n10re from the inclinations
of the three counties of \Vilts, Gloucester, and So-
merset, which joined about Bath, in the most abso-
lute disaffected parts of all three, he folIo,ved the
n1arquis towards Chippenham; to \vhich he was as
near fron1 Bath, as the other from Marsfield.
The next day, early in the lTIorning, upon notice
that the enemy was in distance, the prince and the
marquis drew back the army through Chippenhanl,
and presented themselves in battalia to the enemy;
being very well contented to fight in such a place,
\vhere the success ,vas to depend more on their foot,
who were unquestionably excellent, than on their
horse, which \vere at best weary, though their of-
ficers were, to envy, for\vard and resolute. But sir
'Villiam 'V aller, \vho was a right good chooser of
advantages, liked not that ground; relying as much
upon his horse, \vho had gotten credit and courage,
and as littlp upon his foot, who v{pre only "
en

nOOK
VII.

1 643.

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

128

THE HISTOR ì

arlned, and well hodied, very vulgarly spirited, and
officered: so that having stood all night in battalia,
and the enemy not coming on, the prince and nlar-
quis, the next day, advanced towards the Devizes ;
sir Nicholas Sianning, with great spirit and pru-
dence, securing the rear with strong parties of l11US-
keteers; with which he gave the enenlY., who pressed
upon thelll very smartly, so ll1uch interruption, that
sir 'Villiam 'V aller, despairing of overtaking, sent a
trUl11pet to the marquis, with a letter, offering a
l)itched field at a place of his o\vn choosing, out of
the \vay. The \vhich being easily understood to he
only a stratagenl to beget a delay in the nlarch, the
marquis carried the trumpet three or four Iniles
with hhn, and then sent him back with such an an-
swer as was fit. There \vere, all this day, perpetual
and sharp skirnlishes in the rear; the enemy press-
ing very hard, and being always with loss repulsed,
till the arlllY safely reached the Devizes.
Then the case was altered for their retreat to
Oxford, the enemy being upon thenl with inlprove-
ment of courage, and Ï111provement of nunlbers; sir
\Villiam \Valler having dispersed his warrants over
the country, signifying "that he had beaten the
" marquis," and requiring the people " to rise in an
" places for the apprehension of his scattered and
"dispersed troops;" \vhich confidence, nlen con-
ceived, could not proceed from less than a nlanifest
victory; and so they flocked to hinl as the master
of the field. The foot were no nlore no\v to Inake
the retreat, the situation of the place they \vere no\\r
in, being such as they could move no \vay to\vards
Oxford, but over a campaign o( many miles, \vhere
the stronger in horse must needs prevail.

OF TI-IE REBELLION. lQ9

Hereupon, it was unanimously advised, alld con-
sented to, that the lord Inarquis and prince Maurice
should that night break througl1, ,vith all the horse,
to Oxford; and that sir Ralph Hopton (who, by
this, \vas supposed past danger of death, and could
hear and speak well enough, though he could not
see or stir) with the earl of l\Iarlborough, \vho ,vas
general of the artillery, the lord 1\10hun, and other
good officers of foot, should stay there with their
foot and cannon, ,vhere it ,vas hoped they lnight
defend thenlselves, for a fe\v days, till the general
might return \vith relief from Oxford; ,vhich ,,"as
not above thirty Iniles off. This resolution \yas pur-
sued; and, the sanle night, all the horse got safe
a\vay into the king's quarters, and t]le prince and
marquis, in the morning, can1e to Oxford; by,vhich
tilDe sir \Villiaul "Taller had dra,vn all his forces
about the Devizes. The to\vn ,vas open, ,vithout
the least fortification or defence, hut snlall ditches
and hedges; upon "íhich the foot ,vere placed, and
SOlne pieces of caunon conveniently planted. The
ave
ues, ,vhich were lllany, were quickly barrica-
doed to hinder the entrance of the horse, \vhich
was 7. principally apprehended. Sir \ViHiaul "7 aIleI'
had soon notice of the relTIOVe of the horse; and
therefore, intending that pursuit no farther, he
brought his whole force close to the to\vn, and be-
leaguered it round; and having raised a battery
upon a hill near the town, he poured in his shot
upon it \vithout intermission, and attenlpted to en-
ter in several other places with horse, foot, and cau-
non; but ,vas in all places more resolutely resisted,

'7 was] were

YOL. IY.

K

BOOK
VII.

] (j
3.

BUOK
VII.

J 643.

130

1'1IIE HISTOllY

and repulsed. At the san1e time, having intelli-
gence (as his intelligence ,vas al\vays Inost exact in
whatsoever concerned hiln) of the earl of Cra,,-ford's
Dlarching ,vith a supply of po\vder, according to or-
der, after the first battle a of Lansdo,vn, he sent a
strong party of horse and dragoons to intercept
hinl; "rho, before he kne\v of the alterations which
had happened, and of the remove of the horse to-
wards Oxford, ,vas so far engaged, that he hardly
escaped \vith the loss of his aUllnunition, and a
troop or two of his horse.
D pon this improvement of his success, sir 'Vil-
liam 'Valler reckoned his victory out of question;
and thereupon sent a trumpet into the to\vn to
summon the besieged, to let them kno\v, " that he
" had cut off their relief, and that their state was
"no,v desperate; and therefore advised them to
" subnlit thell1Selves to the parliament, ,vith \vhom
" he ,vould Inediate on their behalf." They in the
town were not sorry for the overture; not that they
apprehended it would produce any conditions they
should accept, hut that they 111ight gain some titne
of rest by it: for the straits they were in were too
great for any minds not prepared to preserve their
honour at any rates. 'Vhen the enell1Y caIne first
before the town, and the guards were supplied \vith
anlmunition for their duty, there was but one hun-
dred and fifty \veight of match left in the store;
w hereu pon diligent officers were directed to search
every house in the to\vn, and to take all the bed-
cords they could find, and to cause them to be
speedily beaten, and boiled. By this sudden expe-

1'1 first battle] first notice of the battle

OF
rHE l{,EBELLION. 131

client, there was, by the next n10rning, provided fif-
teen hundred weight of such serviceable match, as
very \vell endured that sharp service. The b con1-
pass of the ground they were to keep was so large,
and the enemy pressed so hard upon all places, that
their whole body were upon perpetual duty to-
gether, neither officer or soldier having any time for
rest; and the activity of the chief officers was most
necessary to keep up the courage of the common
men, who well enough understood the danger they
,vere in, and therefore they were very glad of this
message; and returned, "that they would send an
" officer to treat, if a cessation were agreed to dur-
H ing the time of the treaty;" which was consented
to, if it were suddenly expedited.
On the party of the besieged were proposed such
terms, as might take up n10st time in the debate,
and might imply courage and resolution to hold
out. Sir 'Villiam 'V aller, on the other hand, offered
only quarter, and civil usage to the officers, and
leave to the COInnlon soldiers to return to their
houses without their arms, except they would vo-
luntariJy choose to serve the parliament. These be-
ing terms many of the officers would not have su b-
mitted to in the last c extrenle, the treaty ended;
after those in the town had gained what they only
looked for, seven or eight hours' sleep, and so long
time sparing of ammunition. The truth is, sir Wil-
liam 'Valler was so confident that they were at his
mercy, that he had written to the parliament, " that
" their work ,vas done, and that, by the next post,
" he \vould send the number and quality of his pri-

b The] Then the

C last] latest

K2

BOOK
VII.

1643.

19

TI-IE HISTORY

BOOK "soners;" neither did he inlagine it possible that
VII. any relief could have been sent from Oxford; the
1643. earl of Essex, to whonl he had signified his success,
and the posture he was in, lying with his ,vhole
army at ThaIne, within ten miles of it. But the
importance ,vas too ,veIl understood by the king to
omit any thing, that n1Íght, with the utn10st hazard,
be attempted for the redeeming those men, who had
wrought such wonders for hÏ1n. And therefore, as
soon as the marquis and prince arrived at Oxford,
with the sad and unexpected ne,vs, and relation of
the distress of theh
friends, though the queen was
then on her 111arch to,vards Oxford, and the king
had appointed to meet her two days' journey for
her security, his Inajesty resolved to take only his
own gilards of horse, and prince Rupert's regiulent,
for that expedition; and sent the lord 'Vilnlot \vith
all the rest of the horse, to march that yery day, in
which the advertisenlent came to hiln, towards the
Devizes; so that the Inarquis and the Plince COOl-
ing to Oxford on the 1\londay morning, the lord
'Vihnot, that night, lTIoved towards the ,vork; and
prince Maurice returning with hiIn as a volunteer,
but the 10rd'Vilmot comolanding in chief, appeared,
on the Wednesday about noon, upon the plain ,vith-
in two miles of the to\vn.
The lord 'Vilmot had with him fifteen hundred
horse, and no more, and two small field-pieces,
which he shot off, to give the town notice of his
coming; baving it in his hopes, that, it being a fair
campaign about the town, ,vhen the enemy should
rise fronl before it, he d should be able in spite of

rl he] that h

OF l."'HE REBELLION. 133

them to join with the foot, and so to have a fair
field for it; which \vould be still disadvantageous
enough, the eneillY being superior by much in horse,
very few of those ,vho had broken away from the
Devizes (except the prince himself, the earl of Car-
narvon, and some other officers) being come up with
them, because they \vere tired, and dispersed. e The
eneIuy, careful to prevent the joining of this party
of horse \vith the foot, and fully advertised of their
cOIning, drew off, on all parts, frOlTI the town; and
put themselves in battalia upon the top of a fair
hill, called Roundway-do\vn; over which the king's
forces were necessarily to march, being full two
miles off the to\vn: they ,vithin conceived it hardly
possible, that the relie
they expected from Oxford,
could so soon arrive; all the 111essengers, \vho 'v ere
sent to give notice of it, having Iniscarried by the
closeness of the siege; and therefore suspected the f
warning pieces from the plain, and the dra,ving off
the to\vn by the enemy, to be a stratagenl to cozen
the foot frOlTI those posts they defended, into the
open field; and so, very reasonably, heing in readi-
ness to march, they g waited a surer evidence, that
their friends "
ere at hand; which shortly arrived;
and assured then1, " that the prince \vas near 11, and
" expected them."
It ,viII be easily conceived, \vith \vhat alacrity
thcy- advanced to meet hilll i; but sir 'Villian1 Wal-
ler had purposely chose that ground to hinder that

because they were tired,
and dispersed.] "partly because

hey were tired and dispersed;
anò partly because it was not
desired to have many of those
who might have thei
old ter-
K3

for still upon them.
e the] that the
g they J Not i.11, MS.
h near] by
i to meet him] Not in JUS.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

lS4

THE I-IISTORY

BOO K conjunction, and advanced so fast on the lord \Vil-
VII. n10t, that without such relnoves k and traverses, as
1643.
Inight give his men some apprehension, that lord 1
could not expect the foot from the town; and there-
fore he put his troops in order upon that ground to
expect the enelny's charge, who were somewhat
1110re than nlusket-shot off in order of battle.
Here sir "\Villiam 'Valler, out of pure gaiety, de-
parted from an advantage he could not again re-
cover; for being in excellent order of battle, \vith
st.rong wings of horse to his foot, and a good reserve
placed, and his cannon usefully planted, apprehend-
ing still the conj unction between the horse and the
foot in the town, and gratifying his enen1Y with the
same contempt, whic
had so often brought incon-
veniences upon theIn, and discerning their number
inferior to that he had before (as he thought) nlas-
tered, he ll1arched, with his \vhole body of horse,
froin his foot, to charge the enenlY; appointing sir
Arthur Haslerig ,vith his cuirassiers apart, to Blake
the first impression; who \vas encountered hy sir
John Byron, in whose regiment the earl of Carnar-
von charged as a volunteer; and after a sharp con-
flict, in which sir Arthur Haslerig received many
\vounds, that hnpenetrable regiment was routed,
and, in a full career, chased upon their other horse.
At m the same tillle, the lord \Viln10t charging them
froln division to division, as they ,vere ranged, in
The hattle half an hour, so sudden alterations the accidents of
of Round- . d h h I · b d f h .
way-down, 'Val' Intro uce, t e woe entIre 0 y 0 t e t1'l-
w
e
ein sir um p hant horse were so totall y routed and dis p ersed
" alham '
'Valler is that there was not one of then1 to be seen upon
routed.

" rcmovc
] shifts

1 that lord] he

m At] And at

...

OF THE IlEBELLION.

135

that large spacious do\vn; every man shifting for
hinlself \vith greater danger by the precipices of that
bill, than he could have undergone by opposing his
pursuer. But as it ,vas an unhappy ground to fly,
so it was as ill for the pursuer; and after the rout,
1110re perished by falls and bruises fro1l1 their horses,
down the precipices, than by the sword. The foot
stood still fir1n, 111aking shew of a gallant resistance;
but the 10rd'Vlhnot quickly seized their cannon, and
turned them upon them, at the saIne titne that the
Cornish foot, ,vho 'v ere by this COlne from the town,
were ready like\vise to charge theln; upon 'v hich
their hearts failed; and so they \vere charged on all
sides, and either killed, or taken prisoners, very few
escaping; the Cornish retaining too fresh a melnory
of their late distresses, and revenging themselves on Il
those who had contributed thereunto. O Sir \Villiam
'VaIleI' himself, \vith a s1nall train, fled into Bristol,
which had sacrificed a great part of their garrison in
his defeat; and so \vere even ready to expire at his
entry into the town, hinlself bringing the first ne,vs
of his disaster.
rrhis glorious day, for it ,vas a day of triulnph, re-
deenled for that tilne p the king's whole affairs, so
that all clouds that shadowed them seemed to be dis-
pelled, and a bright light of success to shine over the-
,vhole kingdolll. ï"'here \vere in this battle slain, on
the enelny's part, above six hundred on the. place;
nine hundred prisoners taken, besides two or three
hundred retaken and redeemed, whom they had ga-
thered up in the skirmishes and pursuit; with all
their cannon, being eight pieces of brass ordnance;

n on] of
" thereunto.] the least there-

unto.
p for that time] Not ill MS.
K4

HOOK
VII.

J 643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

136

rrHE HIS1:'ORY

all their arms, ammunition, \vaggons, baggage, and
victual; eight and t\venty foot ensigns, and nine cor-
nets; and all this by a party of fifteen hundred
horse, with two small field-pieces, (for the victory
,vas perfect, upon the lnatter, before the Cornish
came up; though the enemy's q foot ,,-ere suffered to
stand in a body uncharged, out of ceremony, till they
came; that they lnight be refreshed with a share in
the conquest,) against a body of full t\VO thousand
horse, five hundred dragoons, and near three thou-
sand foot, \vith an excellent train of artillery. 80
that the Cornish had great reason to think their de-
liverance, and victory at Round\vay, nlore signal and
wonderful than the other at Stratton, save that the
first nlight be thought the parent of the latter, and
the loss on the king's party ,vas less; for in this there
,vere slain very fe,v; and, of nanle, none but Dudley
SUlith, an honest and valiant young gentlel11an; ,vho
was al\vays a volunteer with the lord 'Vihnot, and
among the first upon any action of danger.
Besides the present fruit of this victory, the king
received an advantage fron1 the jealousy, that, froln
thence, grew al110ng the officers of the parlialnent ar-
mies. For sir 'Villian1 \VaIler believed himself to
be absolutely betrayed, and sacrificed by the earl of
Essex, out of envy at the great things he had done,
,vhich seenled to eclipse his glories; and cOlllplained,
" that he, lying \vith his \vhole arn1Y within ten
" miles of Oxford, should suffer the chiefr strength
" of that place to march thirty miles to destroy hinl,
" without so 111uch as sending out a party to follo\v
" them, or to ala1'l11 Oxford, by which they would

q enemy's] Not in i1'IS.

r chief] whole

OF THE REBEI
LION.

137

" have been probably recalled." On the other hand,
the earl, disdaining to be thought his rival, reproached
the other ,vith "unsoldierly neglects, and ,vant of
" courage, to be beaten by a handful of 111en, and to
" have deserted his foot and cannon, ,vithout engag-
" ing his own person in one charge against the ene-
"n1Y." 'Vherever the fault was, it ,vas never for-
given; but, fro1l1 the enll1ity that proceeded frolll
thence, the king often afterwards reaped very nota-
LIe and seasonable ad vantages; which will be re-
n1ell1bered in their places S.

S in their places.] Thus origi-
nally continued in lJIS. C. (the
ensuing page 0./ the History being
taken front the manusc1'ipt of
lord C.'s life :)This thirteenth of
July was a day of perfect joy to
the king; for at thc same time,
and in the very hour, that the
lord 'Vilmot vanquished that
army at Roundwav-down, the
king met and recei
ed his royal
consort the queen, to his un-
speakable satisfaction, in that
ground under Edge-hill upon
which the year before he had
fought his fi
st battle: her nm-
jesty having left the earl of
1\ ewcastle in a great likelihood
of being cntirely master of the
north; \vhose actions there
were s.o prosperous, and so full
of notable accidents, that they
deserve a history apart; and
therefore I shall only insert sHch
of them in this place as were
most signal, and whidl had the
greatest" influence upon the se-
ries of the greatest affairs.
Upon the queen's arrival,
(which is before set. forth at
large,) and the con version of sir

Hugh Cho!mondley which en-
sued thereupon, the king's af-
fairs in the north, whieh were
in good growth and improve-
Dlent before, flourished with no-
table vigour; and yet it l11USt be
confesserl, the enemy in those
parts, with whom the earl of
Newcastle was to contend, in
courage, \Tigilance, and insupera-
ble industry, was not inferior to
allY who di.sqnieted his majesty
in any part of his dominions,
and who pursued any advantage
he got farther, and recovered
any loss he nndenvent sooner,
than any other in the kingdom:
so that there were 1110re sharp
skirmishes and more notable
battles in that one conntv of
York, than in all the kingdom
besides, and less alteration upon
them, than could be expected j
the lord Fairfax and his son
with incredible activity reduc-
ing towns when they. had an
army, and when they we,'e de-
feated in the field, out of small
towns recovcring new armies.
About-Here the noble historLan
stops, leaving two pages blank

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BUOK
VII.

I G43.

138

'l'I-IE H IS'l'OIt Y

This blessed defeat })appened to be upon the sanle
day, and upon the same tilne of the day, \vhen the
king nlet the queen upon the field near Keinton, un-
der Edge-hill, where the battle had been fought in
October before; and before their Inajesties caIne to
Oxford, they received the happy ne,vs of it. It is
easy t inlagine the joy with which it was received,
all nlen raising their fallen spirits to too great a
height, t as though they should now go through all
the \vork ,vithout farther opposition; and this trans-
port u to either extrelnes was too natural upon all the
vicissitudes of the war; and it ..was some allay to the
welcolne ne,vs of the victory to some men, that it
had been obtained under the command and conduct
of \'Vihnot; \vho \vas very much in prince Rupert's
disesteem, and not in any notable degree of favour
,vith the king, but much beloved by x all the good
fellowship of the army; which ,vas too great a body.
It was no\v tirne for the king's army, victorious in so
many encounters, to take the field; upon what en-
terprise, \vas the question. This overthrow of "r al-
ler had infinitely surprised, and increased the dis-
tractions at London. They had seen the copy of theY
warrants, which his vanity had caused to be dispersed,
after the action at Lansdo,vn; in which he declared,
" that he had routed the marquis's arn1Y, and ,vas in
"pursuit of theln; and therefore con11nanded the
" justices of peace, and constables, to give order for
" the apprehension of them, as they fled dispersed;"
and expected every day, that the Inarquis ,,'ouid be-

for the transactions he was about
to relate, but u:hich wifurtuna.te-
ly he seems never to have com-
pleted.
t to too great a height,] to a

height too proportionable,
U transport] transportation
x by] in
}' the] his

OF THE REBELLION.

189

sent up prisoner: and no,v to hear that his whole in- BOO K
Vii.
vincible arlny ",-as defeated, and hinlself fled, upon
the matter, alone, (for ill news is for the In()st part 1643.
made \vorse, as the best is reported to be better than
it is,) brought them to their ,vits end; so z that they
could little advance the recruiting the earl of Essex's
arn1Y; who in his person likewise grew more sullen
towards thein, and resented their little regard of hÍ1n,
and grew every day n10re conversant with the earls of
Northumberland and Holland, and others who were
ll10st ,yeary of the war, and ,vould be glad of peace
upon easy tern1s. a
The king's army received a fair addition, by the The king
. . h h L' h . h d d 1 meets the
COnjUncture WIt t ose lorces w IC atten e t 1e queen near
queen; for her lnajesty brought with her above two
l

n
i
g
thousand foot, well arn1ed, and one thousand horse, with
great
recrUIt.
and b six pieces of cannon, and two 1110rtar8, and
about one hundred waggons. So that as soon as their
111ajesties came to Oxford, the earl of Essex, who had
spent his tilne about Thame and Aylesbury, without
any action after that skirmish in which Mr. Hamb-
den was slain, save by small parties, of ,vhich there
,vas none of nan1e or note, but one handsome smart
conflict bet,veen a party of five hundred horse and
dragoons, commanded by colonellVliddleton, a Scotch-
man, on the parlialnent party, and a reginlent of
horse, cOlnmanded by sir Charles Lucas, on the king's;
where, after a very soldierly contest, and more blood

z so] Not in lJIJS.
a upon easy terms.] In RIS.
B., from whence the last page is
taken, there follou's art account
of the siege and capture of Bris-
tol, and of the beginning of the
.iealow;y lwlwerll the princes Ru-

pert and JJ-Jau-rice, and the mar-
quis of [-IeTtford; which (as a
fuller and 1Jzo're circumstanllal
account of both is im;erted in this
History from the other filS.)
'Will bcfound in Appendix C.
b ..Hul] with

140

THE HISTORY

BOO K drawn than was usual upon such actions, the king's
VII. party prevailed, returning \vith sonle prisoners of
] ô43. name, and the slaughter of one hundred of their
The earl of ene01Y, not \vithout son1e loss of their own: the

::
;:
earl, I say, C retired with his ariny broken, and dis-
Thame h t d t U b ". d .. th h f
with his ear ene ,ox II ge, gIvIng over any oug t 0

j
;e. fighting with the kin
, till he should be recruited
\vith horse, lnen, and Inoney; and suffering no less
in the talk of the people, (who began to assume a
great freedolTI in discourse,) for not interposing to
hinder the queen's lTIarch to Oxford, and joining
\vith the king, than for sitting still so near Oxford,
whilst the lord 'Vihnot went from thence to the ruin
of sir \Villian1 'V aller.
After \\rhich defeat, the lord 'Vilnlot retired to
Oxford to attend his lnajesty ; and the Cornish ariny
(for that naine it deservedly kept still, though it re-
ceived so good an increase by the luarquis and
}1rince's joining ,vith them) drew back, and pos-
sessed themselves of Bath, which ,vas soon quitted
to theIn, d upon the overthrow of \VaIler; that gar-
rison being withdra,vu to reinforce Bristol. At
Bath they rested, and refreshed then1selves, till they
ll1ight receive ne,v orders frol11 the king; who, upon
full advice, and consideration of the state he was in,
and the broken condition of the cnen1Y, resolved to
111ake an attelnpt upon the city of Bristol; to ,vhich
prince Rupert ,vas 1110st inclined, for his C heing dis-
appointed in a foriner design; and "There there were
111any ,veIl affected to the king's service froB1 the be-
ginning, and lllore since the execution of those t,vo

c the carl, I say,] l'V,)t in JIS.
d which wa
soon quitted to

tlH.
m,] which was quitted,
e his] Not in 1US.

OF TIlE REBELLION. 141

e lninent citizens. And the disesteen1 g enerall y had f ß () 0 K
rH.
of the courage of Nathaniel Fiennes, the governor,
l11ade the design to be thought the more reasonable; ) G43.
so g the marquis and prince l\;laurice returned to
Bath, upon agreement to appear, on such a day,
with their whole strength, before Bristol, on the
Somersetshire side, when prince Rupert \vith the
Oxford forces ,vould appear before it, on the Glou-
cestershire side.
On the four and t,ventieth of July, both arnlies
rjstoll)f'-
1, .L'.. . h . } . I slegedùy
sat do,vn Uelore It; quarterIng tell' lorse In t 1at prince }lu-
manner, that .none could go out or in to the city, pert.
\vithout great hazard of being taken; and the sanle
day, with the assist'ånce of some seamen, who were
prepared before, they seized all the ships that ,vere
in King-road; which were not only laden with
goods h of great value, as plate, lnoney, and the best
sort of all c
mn10dities, ,vhich those ,vho suspected
the \vorst had sent aboard, but with lllany persons
of quality; who, being unwilling to run the hazard
of a siege, thought that way to have secured then1-
selves, and to have escaped to London; and so ,vere
all taken prisoners. The next day, prince Rupert
came to his brother, and the Dlarquis, and a general
council of all the principal officers of both arlnies
being assen1bled, it was debated, " in \vhat luanneI'
" they should proceed, by assault or approach."
There ,vere in the town five and twenty hundred
foot, and a regin1ent of horse and dragoons; the line
about the to\vn \vas finished; yet in some places the
graff was wider and deeper than in others. The
castle within the to\vn ,vas very well prepared, and

t had) }tot in JUS.

R ::,oJ and so

It goods] thing

BOOK
VII.

1643.

142

'fIlE RISTon y

supplied \vith great store of provisions to endure a
siege. The opinions \vere several: the officers of
the Cornish \vere of opinion, " that it was best to
" proceed by way of approach; because, the ground
" being very good, it would in a very short tinle be
" done; and since there was no àrmy of the enen1Y
"in a possibility to relieve it, the securest way
" would be the best; \vhereas the \vorks were so
" good, that they must expect to lose very many
" lnen; and, if they \vere beaten off, all their sum-
" nler hopes would be destroyed; it not being easy,
" again to make up the spirit of the army for a new
"action. Besides, they alleged, the well affected
" party in the city, which was believed to be very
" great, would, after they had been closely besieged
" three or four days, have a greater influence upon
" the soldier, and be able to do more towards the
" surrender, than they could upon a storm; \vhen
" they would be equally sensible of the disorder of
" the soldier, and their o\vn dall1age by plunder, as
" the other; and the too late exan1ple of the exe-
" cuted citizens \vould keep Inen from offering at
" any insurrection in the city."
On the other hand, prince Rupert, and all the of-
ficers of his army, very earnestly desired to assault it;
alleged" the work to be easy, and the soldiers fitter
" for any brisk attempt, than a dull patient design;
" and that the arlny would be more \veakened by
" the latter than the former: that the city, not hav-
" ing yet recovered the consternation of sir "Tillian1
" \Valler's defeat, was so fun of horror, that it \vould
" make a very weak defence: that there \vas no
"soldier of experience in the town, and the go-
vernor himself not like to endure the terror of a

Of' 'fHE REllELLIOX.

143

" storn1: ,vhereas, if they gave theln time to con-
" sider, and to look long upon them ,vith a ,vall be-
" t,veen, they ,vould grow confirmed and resolute,
" and courage \vould supply the place of skill; and
" having plenty of all kinds of provisions within the
" town, they \vould gro,v strong and perelnptory,
" \vhilst the besiegers grew less vigorous, and dis-
"heartened." These reasons, and the prince's im-
portunity, with some insinuations of kno\ving lllore
than was fit to be spoken, as if somewhat \vould be
done within the town, that must not he mentioned,
and a glorious contelnpt of danger, prevailed so far,
that it ,vas. consented to, on all parts, to assault the
town the next 1110rning at three places on the 80-
mersetshire side, and at three places on the Glou-
cestershire side, at the break of day. The truth is,
both opinions, with regard to their different circum-
stances, i were in then1selves reasonable. For the
Gloucestershire side, where prince Rupert was, 111ight
be stormed, the graff being shallo\v, and the ,vall,
in s
lne places, low and weak; which could not be
easily approached, by reason the ground ,vas rocky,
and the redoubts high and very strong, which over-
looked the ground; on the other side the ground
was very easy to approach, and as inconlpenient and
dangerous to storm, by reason of a plain level before
the line, and a broad and deep graff, and the line
throughout better flankered than the other.
The next morning, with little k other provisions
fit for such a work, than 1 the courage of the assail-
ants, both arluies fell on. On the wpst side, where

i with regard to their differ-
ent circumstances,] without any
circumstances:.

k little] no
I than] but

BOOK
VIE.

1643.

BOOK
VB.

I ô43.

144

THE HIS
rORY

the Cornish ,vere, they assaulted the line in three
places; one division led by sir Nicholas Slanning,
a
sisted ,,,ith colonel J oh11 Trevannion, lieutenant
colonel Slingsby, and three n10re field officers; too
great a nUI11ber of such officers to conduct so slnall
a party as five hundred filen, if there had not been
an in11110derate disdain of danger, and appetite of
glory: another division, on the right hand, was led
by colonel Buck, assisted by colouel 1Vagstaffe, co-
lonel Bernard Ashley, ,vho cOlnlnanded the regi-
ment of the lord marquis Hertford, ,vith other field
officers: m and the third division, on the left hand,
led by sir Tholnas Basset, ,,-ho was nl
or general
of the Cornish. These three divisions fell on to-
gether \vith that courage and resolution, as nothing
but death could control; and though the 111iddle di-
vision got into the graff, and so near filled it, that
SOlne mounted the ,van, yet by the prodigious dis-
advantage of the ground, and the full defence the
hesieged Inade ,vithin, they were driven back \vith
a great slaughter; the common soldiers, after their
chief officers were killed, or desperately ,vounded,
finding it a bootless atten1pt.
On prince Rupert's side, it ,vas assaulted with
equal courage, and almost equal loss, but with bet-
ter success; for though that division, led on by the
lord Grandison, colonel general of the foot, ,vas
heaten off, the lord Grandison hilTIself being hurt;
and the other, led by colonel Bellasis, likewise had
no better fortune; yet colonel '\Tashington, with a
less party, finding a place in the curtain (bet,veen
the places assaulted hy the other t\vo) weaker than

m field officers:] officers of the field:

OF TI-IE REBELLION.

14.5

the rest, entered, and quickly lllade roon1 for the BOOK
horse to follo\v. The enemy, as soon as they saw VII.
the line entered in one place, either out of fear, or 1643.
by c0111111and of their officers, quit their posts; so
that the prince entered with his foot and horse into
the suburbs; sending for one thousand of the Cor-
nish foot, which \vere presently sent to second him;
and marched up to Fronlegate, losing many men,
and some very good officers, by shot fronl the walls
:Ind \vindo\vs; insomuch as all men were lTIuch cast
rlo\vn to see so little gotten \vith so great a loss;
for they had still n a more difficult entrance into the
to\vn than they had yet passed, and where their
Gorse could be of no use to thetTI; when, to the ex-

eeding comfort of generals and soldiers, the city
Jeat a parley; which the prince \villingly embrac-
.ng, and getting their hostages into his hands, sent

olonel Gerrard and another officer to the governor

o treat. The treaty began about t\VO of the clock
n the afternoon, and, before ten at night, these ar-
;Ïcles were agreed on, and signed by all parties.
1. " That the governor, 0 Nathaniel Fiennes, to- It is surreo-
. dered upon
, gether \Vlth all the officers both of horse and foot, articles,
, no\v \vithin and about the city of Bristol, castle,
, and forts, IDay march out to-nlorrow morning by
'ninp of tI.e clock, with their full arms, bag and
'baggage, provided it be their own goods: and
, that the common foot soldiers nlarch out without
'arms, and the troopers \vith their horses and
'swords, leaving thcir other arms behind them,
, with a safe convoy to 'Varminster; and after, not

n still] Not in MS. articles are in the handwriting of
o That thegovernor,&c.] These lord Clarendon's amanuensis.
VOIIo IV. T.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

146

'rHE I-IISTOR,Y

"to be molested in their march, by any of the
" king's forces, for the space of three days.
2. "That there may be carriages allowed and
"provided to carry a\vay their bag and baggage,
" and sick and hurt soldiers.
3. "That the king's forces n1arch not into the
" to\vn, till the parliament forces are marched out;
" which is to be at nine of the clock.
4. "That all prisoners in the city be delivered
" up; and that captain Eyres and captain Cookein,
" who were taken at the Devizes, be released.
5. "That sir John Horner, sir John Seymour,
" Mr. Edward Stevens, and all other knights, gen-
" tlemen, citizens, and other persons, that are now
" in the city, may, if they please, \vith their goods,
" wives, and families, bag and baggage, have free
" liberty to return to their o\vn homes, or elsewhere,
"and there to rest in safety, or ride, and travel
" with the governor and forces: and such of thcIn,
" and their fan1ilies, as shall be left behind, by rea-
" son of sicknoess or other cause, may have liberty,
" so soon as they can conveniently, to depart this
"town ,vith safety; provided that all gentlenlen,
" and other persons, shall have three days' liberty
" to reside here, or depart with their goods, which
" they please.
6. " That all the inhabitants of the city shall be
" secured in their persons, families, and estates, free
" from plundering, and all other violence, or wrong
" whatsoever.
7. " That the charters and liberties of this city
" may be preserved; and that the ancient govern-
" ment thereof, and present governors and officers,

OF 'rHE REBELLION.

147

" Ina)'" ren1ain and continue in their forn1er condi-
" tion, according to his n1ajesty's charters and plea-
" sure.
8. " That, for avoiding inconveniences and dis-
" tractions, the quartering of soldiers be referred or
" left to the mayor, and governor of the saine city
" for the tilne being.
9. "That all such as have carried any goods into
" the castle lllay have free liberty to carry the saIne
" forth.
IO. " That the forces, that are to march out, are
" to leave behind then1 all cannon, and anll11unition,
" with their colours, and such arn1S as is before ex-
" pressed."
The next lllorning, if not before, (for the truth
is, fron1 the time that the treaty ,vas first offered,
they in the town kept no guards, nor observed any
order; but their soldiers run a,vay to the prince,
and IllHny of his soldiers \vent into the town,) his
highness was possessed of Bristol, the enen1Y then
marching away. Here the ill example ofp Read-
ing, in the breach of the articles, was remembered,
and unhappily followed; for all that garrison was
now here. So that they, \vith SOlne colour of right,
or retaliation, and the rest, by their example, used
great licence to the soldiers, ,vho should have been
safely conducted; which reflected much upon the
prince, though he used his utmost po\ver to sup..
press it; and charged colonel Fiennes to be acces-
sary to his own wrong, by marching out of the to,vn
an hour before his appointment; and thereby his
convoy ,vas not ready; and at another gate than

r of] at
L2

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

H no I,
\'11.

1643.

14M

rrHE HIS'r()]l \

,vas appointed and agreed on. And as thp articles
\vere thus unhappily violated to those \vho \vent
away, so they were not enough observed to those
\vho stayed, and to the city itself: for nlany of co-
lonel Fiennes' soldiers taking conditions, and enter-
ing \vith the king's arolY, instructed their ne\v
friends, \v ho \vere ll10st disaffected; so that one
\vhole street upon the bridge, the inhahitants where-
of lay under SOUle brand of l11alignity, though, no
doubt, there \vere many honest nlen among then1,
was aln10st totally plundered; \vhich, because there
was but little justice done upon the transgressors,
was believed to be done by connivance froB1 the of-
ficers, and more discredited the king's forces, and
his cause, than \vas then taken notice of, or dis-
covered. It was a noble attribute given to the
brave Fabricius, qui aliquil/ esse cre(/e1"el et ill
Rostenl /lefas. I ,vish I could excuse those s\verv-
ings froB1 justice and right, ,vhich \vere too fre-
quently practised against contracts, under the no-
tion, that they, ,vith ,vhon1 they \vere lnade, ,yere
rebels, and could not be too ill used; ,,,hen, as the
cause deserved, so it needed all the ingenuity and
integrity, in the propugners of it, to keep despair
ii.on1 the guilty, ,vho ,vere by lnnch too lllunerous
for the innocent.
This reduction of Bristol "Tas a full tide of pros-
perity to the king, and l11ade hinl lnaster of the se-
cond city of his kingdol11, and gave hint the undis-
turbed possession of one of the richest counties of
the kingdol1}, (for the rebels had now no standing
garrison, or the least visible influence upon any part
of SOll1ersetshire,) and rendered 'Vales (which ,vas
before ""ell affected, except SOlne towns in Pel11-

O:F
rHE IlEBEI
LIO
. ],t9

brokeshire) Jnore useful to hÍ111; being freed of the
fear of Bristol, and consequently of the c}large that
al ways attends those fears; and restored to the
trade with Bristol; ,vhich ,vas the greatest support
of those parts. Yet the king 111ight very \vell have
said, "",
hat king Pyrrhus heretofore did, after his
second battle, by the city of _l\.sculu111, with the Ro-
mans, ,vhere he won the victory; " If we win an-
" other at this price, we are utterly undone." And
truly his Inajesty's 10s8 before this to\vn was ines-
tinlable, and very hard to be repaired. I aUI per-
suaded there were slain, upon the several assaults,
of common 111en, but such as were tried and incolll-
parable foot, about five hundred; and abundance of
excellent officers, ,vhereof many \vere of prin1e COln-
nland and quality.
On the Cornish side fell, besides Inajor Kendall,
and many other inferior officers, excellent in their
degre
, colonel Buck, a 1110dest and a stout conl-
mander, and of good experience in war: ,vho hav-
ing got over the graff, and even to the top of the
wall, was knocked down with a halbert, and pe-
rished in the graff; sir Nicholas Slanning, and co-
lonel John Trevannion, the life and soul of the
Cornish regiments, whose Inemories can never be
enough celebrated; \vho being led by no inlpulsion,
but of conscience, and their o\vn observation of tIle
ill practices and designs of the great conductors, (for
they both were of the house of commons,) engaged
themselves with the first in the opposition; and as
soon as sir Ralph Hopton, and those other gentlc-
Inen caIne into Corn\vall, joined with thenl; and
being both of singular reputation, and good fortunes
L3

:BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

150

THE HISTORY

there, the one in possession, the other in reversion
after his father, they engaged their persons and
estates in the service; rather doing great things,
than affecting that . it should be taken notice of to
be done by them; applying then1selves to all infir-
111ities, and condescending q to all capacities, for re-
moving an obstructions, which accidentally arose
among those, ,vho could only prosper by being of
one mind. Sir Nicholas Slanning was governor of
Pendennis castle, upon the credit and security
whereof, the king's party in that country first de-
})ended, and, by the comnland it had of the harbour
of Fahnouth, was, or might be, supplied with aU
that ,vas necessary. He ,vas indeed a young man
of admirable parts, a sharp and discerning ,vit, a
staid and solid judgment, a gentle and most oblig-
ing behaviour, and a courage so clear and keen, as,
even without the other ornaments, would have ren-
dered hiIn very considerable: they \vere both young, r
neither of them above eight and twenty, of entire
friendship to one another, and to sir Bevil Greenvil,
'v hose body ,vas not yet buried; they ,vere both
hurt almost in the same minute, and in the same
place; both shot in the thigh with musket bullets; S
their bones broken, the one dying presently, the
other SOlne fc,v days after; and both had the royal
sacrifice of their sovereign's very particular sorrow,
and the concurrence of all good men's; and, that
,vhich is a greater solemnity to their me1110ries, as
it fares with 1110st great and virtuous men, whose
loss is bettcr understood long afterwards, they were

(I condeseending] desc
nding
r young,] \7ery young,

s luusket bullets;] a musket
bullet;

OF THE REBELLION.

151

as often lalnented, as the accidents in the public af-
fairs made the courage and fidelity of the Cornish
of greatest signification to the cause.
On the north side, of prince Rupert's army, fell
very many good officers, the chief of whom was co-
lonel Harry Lunsford, an officer of extraordinary
sobriety, industry, and courage; near t WhOlTI, his
excellent lieutenant colonel l\loyle was like\vise
hurt, and died \vithin few days, both shot out of a
"\vindow after they had entered the suburbs. There
were hurt, the lord viscount Grandison, nephew to
the great duke of Buckinghan1, who ,vas colonel
general of the king's foot; colonel John Bellasis,
since lord Bellasis; colonel Bernard Ashley; colonel
sir John O\ven; and many other officers of nalTIe,
of whom none of quality died of their wounds but
the lord Grandison; whose loss can never be enough
lamented. He was a young man of so virtuous a
babit of mind, that no temptation or provocation
could corrupt hÍ1n; so great a lover of justice and
integrity, that no exalTIple, necessity, or even the
barbarity of this ,val', could make him swerve from
the most precise rules of it; and of that rare piety
and devotion, that the court, or CalTIp, could not
shew a ll10re faultless person, or to ,vhose example
young men Inight n10re reasonably conform them-
selves. His personal val our, and courage of an
kinds, (for he had sometimes indulged so ll1uch to
the corrupt opinion of honour, as to venture himself
in duels,) was very eminent, insomuch as he ,vas
accused of being too prodigal of his person; his af-
fection, and zeal, and obedience to the king, was

t near) by
L4

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

The two
houses
send com-
missioners
into Scot-
] and for
relief.

15

'rHE HIS'rOR Y

such as becan1e a branch of that family. And he
was wont to say, " that if he had not understanding
" enough to kno,v the uprightness of the cause, nor
" loyalty enough to inforln hin1 of the duty of a
" subject, yet u the very obligations of gratitude to
" the king, on the behalf of his house, 'v ere such, as
" his life \vas but a due sacrifice:" and therefore,
he no sooner sa\v the war unavoidable, than he en-
gaged all his brethren, as well as himself, in the
ser\Tice; and there ,vere then three more of then1 in
command in the army, where x hè was so unfortu-
nately cut off.
As soon as the ne\vs of the taking of Bristol caIne
to the king at Oxford, after a solemn thanksgiving
to God for the success, which \vas immediately and
puhlicly perforl11ed, his l11ajesty assembled his privy-
council, to consider hO\\7 this great blessing in ,var
111ight be applied to the procuring
happy peace;
and that this might be the last town he should pur-
chase at the price of blood. I t was evident, that,
as this last victory added great lustre and beauty to
the whole face of his affairs, so it \vould produce an
equal paleness, and be an ominous presage to the
parliament; \vhere the jealousies and apprehensions
bet\veen themselves still grew higher, and new re-
luedies still proposed, which \vere generally thought
\vorse than the disease.
D pon the news of the lord Ji"airfax's being de-
feated in the north, \vhich came about this tiule, Y
they resolved z to send a c0l1ll11ittee of the t" 0
hOllses into Scotland, "to desire their brethren of

11 yet] that
x where] when
} which came about this

time,] Not in lUS.
Z they resolved) they resolved
presently

OI
'fHE l{f
BELLI()N.

153

" that kingdom presently to advance with an ar111Y
" for their relief;" ,vhich ,vas thought so desperate
a cure, that the lords nanling the earl of Rutland,
alld lord Grey of \Varke, for that enlbassy, the earl
upon indisposition of health procured a release; and
the other, who had never declined any enlploynlent
they ,vould confer on hitl1, so perenlptorily refused
to llleddle in it, that he ,vas c0111mitted to the
Tower; and, in the end, they were c0111pelled to
depute only C0l111110ners to that service: and so sir
\Villialu Armyne, young sir Henry Vane, and two
lnore, assisted ,vith 1\11'. 1\larshall and 1\11'. Nye, t,vo
of their powerful clergy, were elnbarked in that ne-
gociation; upon which, they who sent theln were
so far fronl being confident, and so little satisfied,
that they should he driven to bring in foreign forces,
,vith the purpose "Thereof they had so long traduced
the king, that there was, SOllIe few desperate per-
sons only excepted, even a universal desire of peace;
and the earl of Essex hinlself, writing to the speaker
of the house of commons, of the defects in his a1'l11Y,
and of his wants of horse, lnen, and money, advised,
" that they ,vould think of sending SOUle reasonablp
" propositions to the king, for the procuring a safe
" peace;" ,vhich being the first intill1ation he had
ever given to that purpose, together with his fanli-
liarity and correspondence with those lords, who
\vere known passionately to desire an accommoda-
tion, gave theln sad apprehensions; which ,vere in-
creased by SOl1le severe messages they received from
hil11, for his vindication f1'OI11 the foul aspersions and
cahuunies, which ,vere generally and puhlicly laid
on hinl, for his unactivity aftcr the "Tinning Rcad-
ing, \vhilst the queen lllarchcd
ccllrely to Oxford.

HOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

) 643.

154

THE HISTORY

and sir 'Villiam 'VaIler ,vas destroyed; as if " he
" "rOllld think of SOlne way of righting hilllself, if
" they ,vere not sensible on his behalf."
How to ,york upon these discolnposed hU1110UrS,
and to reduce them to such ten1per, that they might
consent to the kingdo111'S peace, ,vas the arglllllent
of the king's consultations: but hy what expedient
to pronlote this, ,vas the difficulty. After the breach
of the last treaty, and when the king had in vain
laùoured to revive it, and could not procure any an-
s,ver fron1 them to his last messages; but instead
thereof his messenger inlprisoned, tried before a
council of ,val' for his life, and still in custody, and
a declaration, "that whosoever should be employed
" by his lllajesty, on any l11essage to them, \vithout
" their leave, should be proceeded against as aspy,"
(so that though they pretended to be his great
council, they upon the matter TJOW protested against
any relation to his lnajesty,) he advised with his
council, " what Inight be fit for hitn to do, to lessen
" the reverence and reputation of them ,vith the
" people:" for the superstition to,vards the name of
a parlialnent ,vas so general, that the king had
\visely forborne to charge the two houses \vith the
treason and rebellion ,vhich a ,vas raised, but ÌIll-
puted it to particular persons, who ,vere 11105t visi-
bly and actuaUy engaged in it. SOlne were of opi-
nion, " that all the l11en1bers \vho stayed there, and
" sat in either house, being guilty of so 111any trea-
"sonable acts, thereby the parlianlent ,vas actually
" dissolved, by the same reason as a corporation, by
" great 111isdemeanour and cril11e, Inight forfeit their

a which] that

OF THE REBELLION.

155

" charter; and therefore that the king should, by
" his proclalnation, declare the dissolution of it, and
" then consider \vhether it \vere fit to call another."
But this opinion was generally disliked, both " be-
"cause it was conceived not to be just; for the
"treason of those \vho were present could not for-
"feit the right of those \vho were away; neither
" \vas it evident, that all that were present b con-
"sented to the ill that ,vas done; and the king's
" declaring a parliament to be dissolved, contrary to
" an act of parlialnent, was believed, would prove
" an act so ungracious to the people, for the conse-
" quences of it, that the king would he an exceed-
" iug loser by such an attelnpt; and that many, in
" such a case, would return thither, who out of con-
" science had withdra\vn froul that assembly."
In conclusion, the advice was unanhuous, " that
" his lllajesty should declare the orders and pro-
" ceedings of one or both houses to be void, by rea-
"son the members did not enjoy the freedo111 and
" liberty of parliament; and therefore should C re-
" quire his good subjects, no longer to be n1isled by
" thenl:" and, to that purpose, the king had issued
his proclamation six ,veeks before this happy turn
in his affairs, so that he could not now send a llles-
sage to them, as to t\VO houses of parlialnent, lest
he n1ight seen1 to retract his fornler judglnent of
them, which was concluded to be both regular and
just. Upon the \vhole 111atter, lest his majesty n1Íght
be understood to be so rnuch elated with his good
successes, and the increase of his strength, that he
ainled at no less than a perfect victory, and the ruin

h all that were present] all present

(' should] Yot ill lU's.

BOOK
VII.

16-13.

15(j

THE HIS1.
OR \...

1(,43.

of those \\-'"ho had incensed hinI, (by which insinu-
ations they, \vho could not forgive thenIselves, en-
deavoured to l1lake all others desperate,) he \vas re-
solved to publish such a declaration to the \vhole
kingdonl, that both houses, and their d arll1Y, could
not but take notice of, and nlight, if they \vere in-
clined to it, thence take a rise to nlake any over-
tures to him towards an atonen1ent. To e that pur-
pose, the next day after he received the assurance
of the taking of Bristol, his 111ajesty published this
ensuing declaration; which f I shall enter in his
o\vn words.

BOOh
VII.

His 'JJlfljesty's g lleeiliration to all his loving
ulb-
jects, lifter hiJ' ['ietoriell over the torll FaiJ:fa. r
ill the north, 8ir 1f T illia/Jl JITaller ill the 'lres!,
anll the takiJlB' qf Bristol by /lis lJtaje8ty's
fforces.
The hill
's "As the grievances and losses of no particular
declaration . h . 1. 1 bl d d .
after his "persons, sInce t ese nllserau e 00 y Istelnpers

e::IC- "have disquieted this poor kingdoln, can be COffi-
" pared to the loss and dalnage we ourself have sus-
., tained, there having been no victory obtained but
" in the blood of our own subjects, nor no rapine or
"violence comlnitted, but to the iInpoverishnlent
" and ruin of our own people; so, a hlessed and
" happy peace cannot be so acceptable and \VelCOlne
"to any luan, as to us. Ahl1ighty God, to whonl
" all the secrets of our heart are open, who hath so
"often and so Iniraculously preserved us, and to
"whose po\ver alone we 111Ust attribute the good-

d their] Omitted in MS.
e To] And to
I which] which beiug short

g I-Jis majesty's &c.] In the
IIlUZdw1'iti1lg of lord Clarendoll'.

amanuensIs.

OF '-l'HE REBEl
LION".

157

"11ess of our present condition, (ho\v unhappy so..
" ever it is ,vith reference to the public cahunities,)
" knows, with what un\villingness, \vith ,vhat an-
" guish of soul, we submitted ourself to the neces-
" sity of taking up defensive arms. And the world
" knows \vith \vhat justice and bounty we have re-
" paired our subjects, for all the pressures and in-
"conveniences they had borne, by such excellent
'It la\vs, as would for ever bave prevented the like;
" and \vith what earnestness and importunity we
" desired to add any thing, for the establishment of
"the religion, laws, and liberty of the kingdom.
" Ho\v all these have been disturbed, invaded, and
"ahnost destroyed, by faction, sedition, and trea-
H son, by those, who have neither reverence to God,
" nor affection to nlen, hut have sacrificed both to
" thcir own ends and ambition, is no\v so evident,
" that \ve hope, as God hath wonderfully lnanifested
" his care of us, and his defence of his and our 1110st
" just cause; so he hath so far touched the hearts
" of our people, that their eyes are at last opened
" to see ho\v miserably they have been seduced, and
" to abhor those persons, \vhose malice and suhtlety
"had seduced thenI to dishonour him, to rebel
,; against us, and to bring 111uch n1isery and cala-
" 111ity upon their native country.
" 'Ve well renlelnber the protestation voluntarily
" n1ade by us, in the head of that small ar111Y \ve
" were In aster of in Septeillber last, to defend and
"Inaintain the true refornled protestant religi()ll:
" and if it should please God, by his blessing upon
" that arnlY, to preserve us from this rebellion, that
" \ve \vould maintain the just privileges and free-
"donI of parliaillent, and govern by the kno\vn

BOOK
VII.

I G4

.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

158

'rHE HIS1.'ORY

"la\vs of the land; for whose defence, in trnth,
"that army ,vas only raised, and hath been since
"kept. And there cannot he a lTIOre seasonable
"time to renew that protestation than now, 'v hen
"God hath vouchsafed us so nlany victories and
" successes, and hath rendered the power of those,
"\vho seek to destroy us, less formidable than it
" hath heen, (so that we shall probably not fall UTI-
" del' the scandalous imputation, \vhich hath usually
" attended our messages of peace, that they proceed
" fron1 the ,veakness of our po\ver, not love of our
" people,) and when there is 1110re freedom in many
" counties, for our good subjects to receive true in..
"formation of their own and our condition; the
" knowledge ,vhereof hath been, ,vith equa] indus-
" try and injustice, kept fr0l11 them, as other acts of
" cruelty have been Í1nposed on them.
" 'Ve do therefore declare to all the ,vorld, in
" the presence of Abnighty God, to whOITI we must
" give a strict account of an our professions and
" protestations, that we al'e so far from intending
" any alteration of the religion established, (as hath
"been often falsely, scandalously, and against the
" conscience of the contrivers thelnselves of that ru-
" moul', suggested to our people,) or froln the least
"thought of invading the liberty and property of
" the subject, or violating the just privileges of par-
"lian1ent, that \ve call that God to ,vitness, lvno
" hatl" covered uur heall in the (lay of hattie, that
" we desire from our soul, and shall always use our
"utITIOst endeavour, to preserve and advance the
" true reformed protestant religion, established in
" the church of England; in which we were born,
"have faithfully lived, and, by the grace of God,

OF THE REBELLION.

159

" shall resolutely die: that the preservation of the
" liberty and property of the subject, in the due ob-
" servation of the kno\vn laws of the land, shall be
" equally our care, as the n1aintenance of our o"vn
" rights; we desiring to govern only by those good
" la\vs, which, till they \\Tere oppressed by this odi-
" ous rebellion, preserved this nation happy. And
" \ve do ackno"vledge the just privileges of pal'lia-
" ment to be an essential part of those la\vs, and
" shall therefore most solell1nly defend and observe
"then1. So that, in truth, if either religion, law,
" or liberty, be precious to our people, they will, by
" their submission to us, join with us in the defence
"of them; and thereby establish that peace, by
" which only they can flourish, and be enjoyed.
" \Vhether these men, that be professed enenlies
" to the established ecclesiastical government, who
" reproach and persécute the learned orthodox 111i-
" nisters of the church, and into their places put ig-
" norant, seditious, and schismatical preachers, who
" vilify the Book of Comn10n Prayer, and in1piously
"profane God's worship "lith their scurrilous and
" seditious demean our, are like to advance that re-
" ligion; \vhether those rnen, who boldly, and with-
" out the least shadow or colour of la\v, impose in-
"supportable taxes and odious excises upon their
"fellow subjects, in1prison, torment, and murder
" them, are like to preserve the liberty and pro-
"perty of the subject: and whether those filen,
" who seize and possess themselves of our own un-
"questionable revenue, and our just rights, have
"denied us our negative voice, have, by force and
" violence, a,ved and terrified the members of both
" houses, and lastly have, as far as in them lies, dis-

HOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

}()O

T 1-1 E fI 1ST 0 II \.

"solved the present parlianlent, by driving 3\Vay
" and inlprisoning the members, and resolving the
" whole po\ver thereof, and more, into a conlmittee
" of a few nlen, contrary to all law, custOlTI, or pre-
" cedent, are like to vindicate and uphold the privi-
" leges of parliament, all the world nlay judge.
" 'Ve do therefore once nlore conjure our good
" subjects, by their l11enlory of that excellent peace
" and fir In happiness, with which it pleased God to
"reward their duty and loyalty in time past; by
" their oaths of allegiance and suprenlacy, which no
"vow or covenant, contrived and administered to
" and by theillseives, can cancel or evade; by what-
" soever is dear and precious to them in this life, or
" hoped or prayed for in the life to come, that they
" will remember their duty, and consider their in-
" terest, and no longer suffer thell1selves to be mis-
" led, their prince dishonoured, and their country
" \vasted and undone by the malice and cunning of
" those state impostors; ,vho, under pretence of re-
" forlnation, ,vould introduce whatsoever is mon-
" strous and unnatural both to religion and policy:
" but that they rather choose quietly to enjoy their
"religion, property, and liberty, founded and pro-
" vided for by the ,visdom and industry of former
" times, and secured and enlarged by the blessings
"upon the present age, than to spend their lives
" and fortunes to purchase confusion, and to lTIake
" themselves liable to the most intolerable kind of
" slavery, that is, to be slaves to their fello\v sub-
" jects; who, by their prodigious, unheard of acts
" of oppression and tyranny, have given thenl suffi-
" cient evidence what they are to expect at their
" hands.

OF 'TI-IE REllELL ION. 101

" And let not our good people, who have been BOO K
VII.
"misled, or, through want of understanding, or
" want of courage, subillitted theillseives to unwar- 1643.
"rantable and disloyal actions, be taught, by these
" seducers, that their safety now consists in despair;
" and that they can only secure thenlselves for the
" ills they have done, by a resolute and peremptory
"disobedience. Revenge and blood-thirstiness have
" never been ilnputed to us, by those, who have not
"left either h our government, or nature, unex-
"amined, with the greatest boldness and lnalice.
" And all those \vho, since those bloody distractions,
"out of conscience have returned fron1 their evil
" ways to us, have found, that it wås not so easy for
" theln to repent, as for us to forgive. And whoso-
" ever have been lllisled by those whose hearts from
" the beginning have designed all this mischief, and
" shall redeenl thei
past crimes by their present ser-
" vice and loyalty, in the apprehending or opposing
" such who shall continue to bear- arms against us,
" and shall use their utmost endeavours to reduce
" those men to their due obedience, and to restore
" this kingdo111 to its wonted peace, shall have cause
" to magnify our Inercy, and to repent the trespasses
" C0l11111itted against so just and gracious a sovereign.
" Lastly, we desire all our good subjects who have
" really assisted, or really wished us well, now God
"hath done such wonderful things for us, vigor-
" ously to endeavour to put an end to all these mi-
"series, by bringing in men, Inoney, plate, horses,
" or arlns, to our aid; that so ,ve being not wanting
" to ourselves, may with confidence expect the con-

VOL. IY.

h not left eitncrJ left neither
:\1

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

Jealousies
arise a-
mong the

16

1.'I-IE IIISTOR Y

" tinuance of God's favour, to restore us all to that
" blessed harmony of affections, which Inay establish
"a firnl peace; without the speedy obtaining of
" which, this poor kingdom will be utterly undone,
" though not absolutely lost."
\Vhat effect this declaration i produced, at least
\vhat accident fell out shortly after the publishing
it, we shaU have occasion anon to relnember, \vhen
"re have first remembered some unfortunate pas...
sages, ,vhich accompanied this prosperity on the
king's part; for the sunshine of his conquest was
somewhat clouded, not only by the number and qua-
lity of the slain, but by the jealousies and Inisunder-
standings of thase ,vho ,vere alive. There \vas not,
froll1 the beginning, that confornlity of humour and
inclinations between the princes and the marquis of
Hertford, as had been to be wished between alllJer-
sons of hon
ur, who 'v ere engaged in a quarrel that
could never prosper but by the union of the under-
takers. Prince
faurice, and, on his behalf, (or ra-
ther the other by his impulsion,) prince Rupert,
taking to heart, that a nephew of the king's should
be lieutenant general to the Inarquis, \vho had nei-
ther been exercised in the profession of a soldier,
nor even no\v punctually studied the office of a ge-
neral: on the other hand, the marquis, ,vho was of
the most gentle nature to the gentle, and as rough
and resolute to the imperious, it fi1ay be liked not
the prince's asslnning to himself more than became
a lieutenant general, and sometÏ1nes crossing acts of
his with relation to the governing and disposing the
affairs of the country, in which he knew hin1self

i declaration] proclamation

OF l.'HE REBELLIO
. 163

hetter ,-ersed than the prince; and \v hen Bristol ,vas BOO K
taken, ,vhere the marquis took himself to command VI J.
in chief, being a town particularly within his com- . I
13.
" " f h . h h b " d 1 d I " kmg s
DllSSlon, and 0 \V IC e was eSI es or leute- principal
h . If d
II h officers
nant, he thought lnlse not regal' lU y enoug about the
used, that prince Rupert had not only entered into

ev:::f
the treaty without his advice, but concluded the ar- Bristol.
ticles without so much as nalning him, or taking no-
tice that he was there. And therefore "rith as litt1e
ceremony to his highness, or so much as communi-
cating it to either of the princes, the marquis de-
clared that he would give the government of that
city to sir Ralph Hopton. Prince Rupert on the
other hand conceived the town won by him, being
entered on that side in which he comnlanded abso-
lutely, and the Cornish on the other part absolutely
repulsed; and therefore that the disposition of the
COffillland and government of it whony belonged to
hinl. But when he heard the resolution of the mar-
quis concerning sir Ralph Hopton, who was not to
be put into the scale with any private luan, he gave
over the design of conferring it upon any of the
pretenders; and by the same messenger, by whom
he advertised his lllajesty of the good success, he de-
sired, "that he would bestow the government of
"that city, reduced by him, upon hitnself;" thp
which the king readily consented to, not suspecting
any dispute to be about it. And shortly after an
express arrived likewise from the marquis, with an
account of all particulars, and that his lordship had
designed sir Ralph Hopton to be governor of the
new-got city.
Then, and not before, the king understood \vhat

trait he was in; and ,vas exceedingly perplexed to
1\1 2

nOOK
VII.

] 643.

16-t-

T lIE H IS1.'OR Y

find an expedient to COlnpose the difference that he
saw would arise. He had passed his word to his
nephe,v, of wholn he ,vas very tender, and did in
truth believe that his title to dispose the govern-
lnent ,vas very just: he had like,vise k a very just
esteen1 of the Inarquis, \vho had served hiln \vith all
fidelity, and had 1 clearly declared himself for hÏIn,
when the doing other\vise would have been most
prejudicial to his majesty: and, it could not be de-
nied, no subject's affection and loyalty gave a greater
lustre to the king's cause, than that of the n1arquis ;
and that \vhich was a cirCulnstance of infinite mo-
n1ent, was the nominating sir Ralph Hopton; ,vho
as he \vas a person of high merit froin the king, so
he was the most gracious and popular to that city,
and the country adjacent; and after so great service,
and suffering in the service, to expose him to a re-
fusal, was both against the kindness and goodness of
the king's nature, and his politic foresight into his
affairs. And as a presage ho\v various the interpre-
tation would be abroad, of whatsoever he should de-
termine, he found the minds and affections of his
o\vn court and council, with more passion than or-
dinary, ready to deliver their opinions. The mar-
quis was generally loved, and \vhere he was not
enough known to be so, his interest and reputation
in the kingdom was thought of wonderful consider-
ation in the king's business: and many were very
much troubled to see prince Rupert, whose activity
and courage in the field they thought very instru-
mental, incline to get the possession of the second
city of the kingdom into his hands, or to engage

k he had ]ikewise] so he had

I had] who

OF THE REBELLION.

165

hin1self so much in the civil government, as such a
cOlnmand soberly executed luust necessarily cornpre-
hend: and this as it were in conten1pt of one of the
prinle noblemen of the kingdolll, to which order the
prince had not expressed himself very debonair.
And these thought " the king "vas, by counsel and
" precept, to reform and soften the prince's under-
" standing and hun10ur; and to persuade hin1, in
"compliance with his service, to decline the COll-
" test, and suffer the n1arquis to proceed in his dis-
" position, which, on all parts, was acknowledged to
" be most fitly designed."
Others again were of opinion, " that the right of
" disposing the command to whomsoever he thought
" fit, entirely belonged to prince Rupert;. and there-
" fore (besides that the king had, by the same n1es-
" senger who brought the suit, returned his consent)
" that he could not be reasonably refused, when he
" desired it for hÍ1nself; which would take away all
" possible imagination of disrespect to m sir Ralph
" Hopton, ,vho could not take it ill, that the prince
" himself had taken a comn1and, that was designed
" to him: that the eyes of the army were upon his
" highness, whose nalne was grown a terror to the
" enemy, as his courage and conduct had been very
" prosperous to the king; and i
after so happy and
" glorious an achieven1ent, he should no,v receive a
" repulse in so reasonable. a pretence, though it ,vould
" not lessen his o,vn duty or alacrity in the service,
" it might have an unhappy influence upon his re-
" putation and interest in the army; which could
" receive no din1inution \\Tithout apparent dalllage to

m to] frOln
1\1 3

BOOK
VII.

I G43.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

'fhe king
goes to
Bristol to
. com pose
the differ-
ellce.

166

1."HE HIS'rOH,Y

" his majesty: and therefore, that some means should
" be used to the marquis, to wave his title, and to
" consent that the prince should enjoy his desires :"
so that they who ,vere only fit to be enlployed to
persuade and alter either, seemed, and indeed were,
passionately engaged against the thing they were to
persuade. Whereupon n the king discerned that all
depended upon his o\vn royal ,visdom; and there-
fore resolved to take a journey in his o\vn person to
Bristol, and there to give such a rule as he should
find most necessary; to ",
hich, he presumed, both
persons would confornl themselves, as ,veIl cordially,
as obediently.
That which the king proposed to himself was, to
gratify his nephew with the name, and the nlarquis,
by nlaking sir Ralph Hopton enjoy the thing; upon
obliging Wh0l11 the king's care was very particular.
For though he knew his nature, as in truth it was,
nlost exactly free from interrupting the least public
servièe by private ends or thoughts,'other men would
be apt to conceive and publish a disrespect to he
done to him, which himself apprehended not; and
therefore his majesty 0 was not only, in his own
princely mind, to retain a very gracious sense of his
service, but to give evidence to all men, that he did
so. And so after he had made a joyful entrance
into Bristol, w-hich was performed with all decent
solemnity, and used all kind and obliging expres-
sions to the marquis, he desired hinl in private p to
consent, that he nlight perform his promise to his
nephew, ,vhich he had passed before he had any

n 'Vhereupon] So that
o and therefore his ßlajesty]
and therefore that he

P he desired him in private]
and in private desired

OF

I--IE REBELLION.

167

imagination that his lordship otherwise had deter-
D1ined of it; "Tithout speaking at all of any other
title his highness q had to it, but by his majesty's
promise. He estahlished prince Rupert in the go-
vernment of Bristol, who Ï1nmediately sent a com-
mission to sir Ralph Hopton, (who ,vas no,v so ,veIl
recovered, that he ,valked into the air,) to be his
lieutenant governor; signifying Hke,vise to him, by
a confident that r passed bet,veen them, " that though
" he was now engaged for SOine tÏ1ne, which should
"not be long, to keep the superior title hÎInselt he
"would not at all meddle in the government, but
" that he should be as absolute in it, as if the origi-
" nal cOlnmission had been granted to him."
Sir Ralph Hopton, who was exceedingly sorry
that his name ,vas at all used, and exposed, as an
argunlent of difference and 111isunderstanding be-
tween persons of such eminent influence upon the
public, quickly discerned that this expedient, though
it seemed plausibly to lessen the noise of the debate,
did in truth object him to the full envy of one party.
For the n1arquis (\vho by the king's persuasions was
rather quieted than satisfied) might, and he foresaw
would, be persuaded to expect that he would refuse
the cOlnmission from pnnce Rupert, both, as he
might be thought to comply in an injury done to the
Inarquis, to ,vhorn his devotion had been ancient,
fast, and unshaken, and as the command no,v given
him ,vas inferior to what the marquis, who had the
power of disposal, had conferred on him; and so
that he should vindicate the title, which the king
himself was loath to give a judglnent upon. He

q his highness] he

r a confident that] a confidant who
M4

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VB.

J 643.

168

THE HIS'l'ORY

was s the 1110re troubled, because he found that, by
su bmitting to this charge, he should by sonle be
thought to have deserted the lllarquis out of a kind
of revenge for his having deserted the enterprise,
when he chose, the last year, rather to go into 'Vales
than Cornwall, and for his t deserting him again
now, when he brought all new officers to command
the arnlY over their heads who had raised it, and
nlade the way for the new to COlne to them. 'Vhereas
the first, as is before remembered, ,vas done by his
own advice, as well as his full consent; and the lat-
ter, he \veIl knew, was rather to be imputed to
l)rince l\1aurice than to his lordship, whose kind-
ness and esteem had been ever very real to hinl.
On the other hand, he saw plainly, that if he re-
fused to receive this commission, with what spe-
cious circumstances of duty and subnlission soever,
it might produce (as without doubt unavoidably it
would) notable disturbances and interruptions in the
king's affairs; and that the marquis, to cornmon
understandings, had, to ohey the king, declined the
contest u, and therefore that the reviving it, and the
Inischief that attended it, would be imputed to his
particular account. Besides that, he had always
borne an avowed and declared reverenc;e to the queen
of Bohenlia and her children, whonl he had per-
son ally and actively served in their wars, whilst they
nlaintained any, and for whose honour and restitu-
tion he had been a zealous and known champion.
And therefore he had no inclination to disoblige a
hopeful prince of that house, upon whom our own

s He was] And he was
t for his] Not in MS.

n ('on test] contestation

OF 'l
HE REBELLION. 169

hopes seemed so much to depend. He therefore x
resolved, according to his rare telnper throughout
this war, to let him whom he professed to serve,
choose in what kind he would be served by him;
and cheerfully received the commission from prince
Rupert; upon which, all discourse, or debate of
difference, ,vas for the present detern1ined, what
\vhisperings or murn1urings soever renlained.
The king found it now high time to resolve, to
what action next to dispose his arlnies, and that
their lying still so long there (for these agitations
had kept the nlain ,york frol11 going forward ten or
twelve days, a time in that season unfortunately
lost) had more weakened, than refreshed thenl;
having not lost more lnen by storming the city, than
afterwards by plundering it: those soldiers, who
had warmed thenlselves with the burden of piU3ge,
never quietly again submitting to the carriage of
their arm s.
The question ,vas first, "whether hoth armies
" should be united, and lnarch in one upon the next
" design?" And then, "what that design should
" be?" Against the first, there were many aHega-
tions.
I. "The condition of the west: Dorsetshire and
" Devonshire were entirely possessed by the enenlY ;
" for though sir John Berkley \vith a daring party
" kept Exeter, and colonel John Digby the north
" part (,vhich was notoriously disaffected) froln join-
" ing \vith Plymouth, which would else quickly have
" grown into an army strong enough to infest Corn-
" wall, yet they had no place to retire to upon dis-

x !-Ie therefor
] So that he

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

170

THE HISTOR
'"

BOO K " tress; and all the ports upon the western coasts
VI(. "were garrisoned by the parlialnent, Y which, upon
1643. "the fame of the approach of the king's forces, and
"the loss of Bristol, nlight probably be, without
" nluch resistance, reduced.
2. " The Cornish army was greater in reputation,

'than nUlnbers; having lost Inany at Lansdown,
" and the assault of Bristol, and, by the death of
"their chief officers, very many were run a\vay
" since; besides they pretended sonle pronlise 111ade
" to their country (\vhich they conceived not to be
" enough secured against Plymouth) of returning
" speedily for the reduction of that town; so that
" if they were compelled to march east,vards, to
" which they were not inclined, it "ras to be doubted
" they ,vould moulder a,vay so fast, that there would
"be little addition of strength by it. 'Vhereas if
" they lllarched westward, it would be no hard mat-
" tel' to gather up those who were returned, and to
" be strong enough in a very short time, by new le-
" vies, for any enterprise should be thought reaSOll-
" able to be undertaken." To which was added,
"that having lost those officers, whom they loved
" and feared, and whose reverence restrained their
" natural distempers, they were too lnuch inclined
" to Inutiny; and had expressed a perenlptory aver-
" sion to the joining, and marching with the king's
"army." And the truth is, their hUIDours then Z
,vere not very gentle and agreeable, as being apt a to
think that their pro\vess was not enough reconl-
pensed, or valued. For though the king affected to
make all}lossible deUlonstratiolls to theIn, of an ex-

Y the parliament,] then1,
z then] Not in lUS.

c\ as being apt] and apt

OF THE REBELLION. 171

traordillary high esteenl he had of their wonderful no 0 K
fidelity and courage, yet he was able to procure very VII.
little money for thern; and they had then, by the 1643.
discipline under which they had been trained, (which
was most regular, and full of that sobriety which
prolnised good fortune,) an honest pride in their o\vn
natures, a great disdain of plundering, or supplying
themselves hy those vile arts, which they grew after-
,yards less tender to avoid.
3. "The great nu lnber of the king's horse; \vhich
" was so brave b a body, that \vhen that part of it
" which \vas joined to the Cornish was a\\1"ay, he
" should Inarch with at least six thousand horse,
" which were as many as would be able to live on
" any country \vithin a due distance of quartering.
4. "Lastly, some correspondence \vith the chief
" gentlemen of Dorsetshire, ,vho ,vere ready to join
" with any considerable party for the king, and had
" son1e probable hopes, that the small garrisons upon
" the coast would not make a tedious resistance."
There \vas another reason, which was not given,
that if both arlnies had been kneaded into one, prince
Maurice could have been hut a private colonel: but
there were enough besides to satisfy the king to keep
thelu divided; and so he gave order to the earl of
Carnarvon to advance to\vards Dorchester (the chief
town in that county, and one of the most c malig- Princ

· E I d h b I h d . J\Iaunce
nant In ng an , were the re e s a a garrIson) sent into
with tqe horse and dragoons, and the next day to

hw:
t
prince l\faurice to march after with the foot and army.
cannon; his majesty keeping \vith him the marquis
of Hertford to attend his o\vn person; for though he

b brave] glorious

C one of the Illost] the rnost

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

17

THE HISTORY

well saw, he should undergo some inconveniences by
withdrawing the Inarquis from that employment,
the opinion of the soundness of his religion, and in-
tegrity of his justice, rendering hin1 by n1uch the
most popular man in those parts, and was exceed-
ingly tender of giving the least un1hrage and dis-
taste to his lordship, upon "rhose honour and affec-
tion he relied entirely, and would as soon have
trusted his crown upon his fidelity, as upon any
luan's in his three kingdoms, yet he discerned plainly
that the prince and the marquis \vould never agree
together; and that there were persons about them,
who would foment their indispositions to each other,
with any hazard to his service; and concluded, that
he should sooner reduce his people by the po\ver of
his army, than by the persuasions of his counsel;
and that the roughness of the one's nature nlight
prevail more than the lenity and condescension of
the other: and therefore he sent the prince on that
elnployment; using all inlaginable 111eans to remove
any trouble, or jealousy of his favour fron1 the mar-
quis's mind; his majesty freely and clearly commu-
nicating to him all his counsels, and the true grounds
of his resolution; and declaring to him, "that he
" would make him a gentleman of his bedchan1ber,
" and groom of his stole, and that he ,vould ahvays
" have his C0111pany and advice about him;" \vith
which the nlarquis was satisfied, rather because he
resolved not to disobey hinl, than that he was well
pleased with the price of the obligations.
And truly many "rise and honest men \vere sorry
for the king's election; and though the marquis's
years, and a long indulgence to his ease, had super-
induced a kind of laziness and inactivity upon his

OF TIlE REBEI
LION. 173

nature, that was neither agreeable to his prÏ1nitive
constitution, nor the great endOWlnents of his lnind,
(for he ,vas a good scholar, and had a good judg-
111ent,) and less to the ten1per of this tilne, and the
office of a general, insolnuch as he often resigned an
excellent understanding to those who had a very in-
different one, and follo\ved the advice, and concluded
upon the inforlnation of those, who had narro\ver
and Inore vulgar thoughts than suited \vith his ho-
nour, and were not worthy of such a trust; yet they
thought the prince's inexperience of the cuSt0111S and
manners of England, and an aversion fron1 consider-
ing them., lTIUst subject him to the inforn1ation and
advice of \vorse counsellors than the other, and
\vhich \vould not be so easily controlled: and I am
of opinion, that if the prince had waited on his lna-
jesty in that arn1Y, and never interposed in any com-
mand, not purely lTlartial, and the marquis been sent
with those forces into the west with the lord Hop-
ton, (who \vas now to be left at Bristol to intend his
health, and to form that new garrison; which was
to be a magazine for ß1en, artns, amlnunition, and
all that was wanted,) and some other steady per-
sons, who might have been assigned to special pro-
vinces, a greater tide of good fortune had attended
that expedition.
The next resolution to be taken, was concerning
the king's o,vn motion with the other d army. There
was not a man, who did not think the reducing of
Gloucester, a city within little more than twenty
miles of Bristol, of mighty importance to the king,
if it might be done without a great expense of time,

ù the other] that

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

174

TI-IE HIS1.
ORY

and loss of n1en: " It 'vas the only garrison the re..
" bels had bet\veen Bristol and Lancashire, on the
"north part of England; and if it could be re-
" covered, his lllajesty would have the river of Se-
"vern entirely \vithin his command; whereby his
" garrisons of 'Vorcester, and Shrewsbury, and all
" those parts, nlight be supplied from Bristol;
nd
"the trade of that city thereby so advanced, that
" the customs and dutye might bring a notable re-
" venue to the king, and the wealth of the city in-
" creasing, it might bear the greater burden for the
" war: a rich and populous county, which hitherto
"rather yielded conveniences of quarter, than a
" settled contribution, (that strong garrison holding
" not only the whole forest division, which is a fourth
"part of the county of Gloucester, absolutely in
" obedience, but so alarmed all other parts, that none
" of the gentry, who for the lTIOSt part were well
" affected, durst stay at their own houses,) might be
" wholly the king's quarters; and by how much it
" had offended and disquieted the king, more than
" other counties, by so n1uch the lTIOre money might
" be raised upon them." Besides the general weekly
contributions, the yeomanry, who had been most for-
ward and seditious, being very wealthy, and able to
redeem their delinquency at a high price, (and these
arguments were fully pressed by the well affected
gentry of the county, "\\Tho had carried themselves
honestly, and suffered very ll1uch by doing so, and
undertook great levies of men, if this work were first
done,) t}Jere was another argument of no less, if not
greater, InOlnent than all the rest: "if Gloucester

duty] duties

OF THE REBEI..LION. 175

" were reduced, there would need no forces to be
" left in 'Vales, and all those soldiers might be then
" drawn to the l11arching army, and the contribu-
" tions and other taxes assigned to the paynlent of
"it." Indeed the king ,vollld have had a glorious
and entire part of his kingdom, to have contended
with the rest.
Yet all these motives were -not thought worth the
engaging his arlny in a doubtful siege; ,vhilst the
parliainent l11ight both recover the fear that was
upon them, and consequently alJay and COlupose the
distenlpers, (which, if they did not wholly proceed
frol11, were very much strengthened by, those fears,)
and recruit their arnlY; and therefore that it was
better to march into SOine of those counties which
were most oppressed by the enemy, and there wait
such advantage, as the distraction in and about Lon.
don would administer, except there could be SOUle
probable hope that Gloucester might be got without
Inuch delay. And to that purpose there had been
secret agitation, the effect ,vhereof was hourly ex-
pected. The governor of that garrison was one co-
lonel l\lassy, a soldier of fortune, ,vho had, in the
late northern expeditions prepared by the king against
Scotland, been an officer in the king's army, under
the command of colonel f 'Villi am Leg; and, in the
beginning of these troubles, had been at York with
inclination to serve the king; but finding himself
not enough known there, and that there would be
little gotten, but the cOl11fort of a good conscience,
he went to London, where there was more Inoney,

f colonel] Not in
lS.

BOOK
VB.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

..

17ü

THE HISTORY

and fewer officers; and was easily n1ade lieutenant
colonel to the earl of Stamford; and being quickly
found to be a diligent and stout officer, and of no ill
parts of conversation to render himself acceptable
alllong the common people, was by his lordship,
when he went into the ,vest, left governor of that
city of Gloucester g , where he had behaved hitnself
actively and successfully. There was no reason to
despair, that this lTIan (not intoxicated with any of
those fUlues which made men rave, and frantic in
the cause) n1ight not be wrought upon. And 'Vill.
Leg, ,vho had the good opinion of most luen, and
the particular kindness of prince Rupert, had sent a
ll1essenger, \vho ,vas like to pass without suspicion to
Gloucester, with such a letter of kindness and over-
ture to 1\1assy, as was proper in such a case frolll
one friend to another. This 111essenger returned
when the king's and the arlny's motion ,vas under
debate, and brought an answer fro1l1 the governor to
colonel J.."eg h , in a very high style, and seeilling to
take it much unkindly, "that he should enrlea ,,-our
" to corrupt hhu in his honesty and fidelity, and to
" persuade hhn to break a trust, which, to save his
"life, he ,vould never do;" with much discourse
"of his honour and reputation, which \vould be
"always dear to him." But the messenger said
withal, " that, after the governor had given hin} this
" letter, and some sharp reproaches before cODlpany,
"he was brought again, a hack way, to a place
" where the governor i was by himself; and then he
"told hin1, that it was most necessary he should

g of Gloucester] Not in MS.
h to colonel Leg] Not in MS.

i the governor] he

OF THE REBEI.JLION. 177

" ,vrite such an answer as he had done; which was nOOK
" conlmunicated to those, ,vho else would have been VII.
U jealous ,vhat such a messenger should come to J ô43.
"hiln about; but that he should tell 'ViII. Leg,
" that he ,vas the sanle In3n he had ever been, his
" servant; and that he wished the king ,veIl; that
" he heard prince Rupert meant to bring the army
" before that to\vn; if he did, he ,vould defend it as
" \vell as he could; and his highness would find an-
" other ,york than he had at Bristol; but if the
" king himself caIne with his arlny, and summoned
" it, he ,vould not hold it against him: for it would
" not stand ,vith his conscience to fight against the
"person of the king; besides that in such a case,
" he should be able to persuade those of the to\vn;
" \vhich otherwise he could not do."
This message turned the scale; for though it
might be \vithout purpose of being honest, yet there
,vas no great objection against the king's In arching
that ,yay with his army; since it would be stiU in
his power to pursue any other counsel, without en-
gaging before it. And it ,vas to SOlne a sign that
he lneant ,veIl, because he had not hanged, or at
least imprisoned, the lnessenger who canle to hin1
on such an errand. Hereupon the king resolved
for Gloucester, but not to be engaged in a siege;
and so sent his army that way; and the next day
(having first sent sir Ralph IIopton a warrant to
create hilTI baron Hopton of Stratton, in memory of
the happy battle fought there) with the remainder The king
f h . r h d d . 0 'V d d marclws
o IS lorces marc e towar SIt. n e nes ay towards
the tenth of Au g ust the kin g ran g ed his whole Gloucestf'r,
, and Sl1ffi-
arn1Y upon a fair hill, in the clear view of the city, mons it,
d . h . Aug'. 10,
an WIt In less than t,vo llliles of it; and then, be- 1643.
VOL. IV. N

BOOK
VII.

164:3.

178

TI-IE HISTOR \Y

ing about two of the clock in the afternoon, he sent
a trumpet with this summons to the town.
"Out of our tender compassion to our city of
" Gloucester, and that it may not receive prejudice
" by our arlny, which we cannot prevent if we be
"compelled to assault it, we are personally conle
" before it to require the same; and are graciously
" pleased to let all the inhabítants of, and all other
" persons ,vithin that city, as well soldiers as others,
" know, that if they shall immediately submit them-
" selves, and deliver this our city to us, ,ve are COD-
" tented, freely and absolutely to pardon everyone
" of theIn, ,vithout exception; and do assure them,
" in tbe word of a king, that they, nor any of them
" shall receive the least dall1age or prejudice by our
" arlny in their persons or estates; but that we ,vill
" appoint such a governor, and a moderate garrison
"to reside there, as shall be both for the ease and
" security of that city, and that whole county. But
" if they shall neglect this proffer of grace and fa-
" vour, and conlpel us, by the power of our army,
" to reduce that place, (which, by the help of God,
" we doubt not, ,ve shall be easily and shortly able
" to do,) they lTIUst thank thenlselves for all the ca-
"lalnities and ß1iseries 11111st befall them. To this
" 111essage ,ve expect a clear and positive answer,
" ,vithin t\VO hours after the publishing hereof; and
" by these presents do give leave to any persons,
" safely to repair to and return fr0l11 us, whom that
" city shall desire to employ unto us in that busi-
" ness: and do require all the officers and soldiers
" of our army, quietly to suffer them to pass ac-
" cordingly."
Within less than the time prescribed, together

OF THE REBELLION.

179

..
,vith the trumpeter returned two citizens frolll the
to\vn, \vith lean, pale, sharp, and bad k visages, in-
deed faces so strange and unusual, and in such a
garb and posture, that at once Blade the most se-
vere countenances merry, and the most cheerful
hearts sad; for it \vas inlpossible such alnbassadors
could bring less than a defiance. The men, with-
out any circunlstances of duty, or good nlanners, in
a pert, shrill, undismayed accent, said, "they had
"brought an ans\ver from the godly èity of Glou-
"cester to the king;" and ,vere so ready to give
insolent and seditious answers to any question, as if
their business \vere chiefly to provoke the king to
violate his o,,,n safe conduct. The ans\ver they
brought \vas in \vriting, in these very words.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

August 10tli, 1643.
" 'Ve the inhabitants, Inagistrates, officers, and The citi-
" ld ... . h . h . .. · f GI zeus' and
SO leIS, \Vlt In t IS galrIson 0 oucester, unto garrison's
" his majesty's gracious message return this humble answer:
" ans\ver: That we do keep this city, according to
" our oaths and allegiance, to and for the use of his
" majesty, and his royal posterity: and do accord-
" ingly conceive ourselves \vholly bound to obey the
" conlmands of his majesty, signified by both houses
" of parlialnent: and are resolved, by God's help, to
" keep this city accordingly."
This paper \vas subscribed by 'Vise the mayor,
and Massy the governor, with thirteen of the a]der-
111en, and Inost substantial citizens, and eleven of-
ficers of the garrison; and as soon as their messen-
gers returned, \vho were quickly dislllissed, without

k bad] bald
N2

BOOK
VII.

1643.

180

1.
H E HIS'!' 0 R Y

attending to see what the king l'esolved, all the
suburbs of the city, in \vhich ,vere very large and
fair buildings, well inhabited, were set on fire; so
that there was no doubt, the king was to expect
nothing there but what could not be kept from him.
Now \vas the time for new debates, and new resolu-
tions; to \vhich men caIne not so unbiassed, or un-
swayed, as they had been at Bristol. rfhis indig-
nity and affront to the king prompted thoughts of
revenge; and SOllle thought the king so far en-
gaged, that in honour he could not do less than sit
down before the to"rn, and force it: and these in-
clinations gave countenance and credit to all those
plausible infoflnations, " of slTIall provisions in the
"town, either of victual, or amlnunition; that,
" \v here the to,vn was strongest, there was nothing
" but an old stone ,vall, \vhich ,vould fall upon an
" easy battery; that there were lTIany ,veIl affected
" people in the town, ,vho, with those ,vho were in-
"censed by the burning of the suburbs, and the
"great losses they must sustain thereby, would
" lnake such a party, that as soon as they were dis-
"tressed, the seditious party ,volIld be forced to
" yield." I t was alleged, " that the enemy had no
" ar111Y; nor, by all intelligence, was like to form
" any soon enough to be able to relieve it; and if
" they had an army, that it ,vas nluch better for
"his majesty to force them to that distance from
" London, and to fight there, \v here he could be
" supplied \vith whatsoever he wanted, could choose
"his own ground, \vhere his brave body of horse
",voldd be able to defeat any arnlY they could
" raise, than to seek them in their own quarters."
Above all, the confidence of the soldiers of the

OF THE REBELLION. 181

best experience moved his Inajesty; who upon rid- BOOK
.jng about the town, and taking a near vie\v of it, VII.
were clear of opinion, that they should be able in 1643.
less than ten days by approach, for all thoughts of
storming were laid aside upon the loss at Bristol, to
,vin it. This produced a resolution in his majesty,
not one man in the council of war dissuading it.
So 1 the king presently sent to Oxford for his gene-
ral the earl of Brentford " to con1e to him, with all
" the foot that could b
spared out of that garrison,
"and his pieces of battery, to govern III that ac-
" tion:" prince Rupert ,visely declining that pro-
vince, and retiring himself into the generalship of
the horse, that he might not be thought account-
able for any accidents \vhich should attend that ser-
vice. At the same instant, orders ,vere despatched
to sir 'Villiain Vavasour, who cOInlnanded all the
forces in South 'Vales, (the lord Herbert having
been persuaded so far to comply,vith the indisposi-
tion of that IJeople, as to decline that comn1and, or
at least for a time to dissemble it,) "to dra,v all his
" men to the forest side of the to\vn;" ,vhere the
bridges being broken do\vn, a small strength would
keep them in, and any fron1 going to them, which
within t\VO days was done. Thus the king was en- The king
d b .e G · besieges the
gage elore loucester; and thereby gave respIte town.
to the distracted spirits at London, to breathe, and
C0l11pOSe themselves; and, more methodically than
they had hoped to have done, to prepare for their
IJreservation, and accolnplishing their own ends;
,vhich at that time seemed ahnost desperate and
incurable.

1 So] And so

m to govern] and to govern
N3

BOOK
VII,

1643.

18

rHE HISTORY

The direful ne\vs of the surrender of Bristol,
which was brought to the t,vo houses on the 31st
of JuJy, struck them to the heart, and came upon
them as a sentence of death, after a vast consump-
tion of nloney, and confident promises of destroying
all the king's forces by a day, every tax and imposi-
tion being declared to be the last; and for finishing
the ,york, the earl of Essex ,vas at the same time
returned to Kingston, \vithin ten n miles of them,
with his broken and dislnayed troops, ,vhich himself
would not endure should have the title of an army.
So that the war seemed to be even at an end in a
sense very contrary to what they had undertaken;
their general talking more, and pressing for repara-
tion, and vindication of his honour froln imputa-
tions and aspersions, than for a recruit of forces, or
providing an army to defend then1. Every lnan re...
proached his neighbour with his ,vant of inclina-
tion 0 to peace, \vhen good conditions might be had,
and magnified his o,vn ,visdom, for having feared
" it would conle to this." The king's last declara-
tion had been read by all nlen, and ,vas magnified
" as a most gracious and undeniable instance of his
" clelnency and justice, that he ,vas so far from Le-
" ing elated with his good successes, and power al-
" most to have ,vhat he \vould, that he renewed all
"those promises, and protestations for the religion,
" la\vs, and liberties of the kingdolu, and privileges
" of parliament; which had been out of their per-
" verseness discredited before, as proceeding from
"the low condition he ,vas in; and ,vhereas they
"had been frighted with their representation of

n ten] eight

o want of inclination] disinclination

OF 'THE REBELLION. 183

"their o\vn guilt, and the implacableness of the BOO K
" king's nature, as if he meant an utter conquest of VII.
" them, his majesty had no\v offered all that could be 1643.
" honestly desired, and had expressed hin1self a prince
" not delighted with blood and revenge, but an in-
" dulgent father to the n10st disobedient children."
In this refornlation of understanding, the lords in
their house debated nothing but expedients for
peace: there were not of that body above five, at
the n10st, who had any inclination to continue the
war; and the earl of Essex had sufficiently declared,
"that he \vas ,veary of it," and held closest and
strictest correspondence \vith those who nlost pas-
sionately pressed an accomn1odation. So that, on
the fifth of August, they desired a conference ,vith
the commons; and declared to thenl," that they
"\vere resolved to send propositions to the king,
" and they hoped, they \vould concur in theln:" the
particulars proposed by them were,
1. "That both armies might be presently dis-
roposi-
" b d d d h .. b d bons for
an e , an IS InaJesty e entreate to return to peace given
" his parlian1ent, upon such security as should give

:s
eof
" hin1 satisfaction. lords to
the house
2. " That religion might be settled \vith the ad- of co
-
, . mons In a
, V ICe of a synod of divines, in such a manner as his conference.
" n1ajesty, with the consent of both houses of parlia-
" ment, should appoint.
S. " That the militia, both by sea and land, l11ight
"be settled by a bill; and the militia, forts, and
" ships of the kingdoln, put into such hands as the
" king should appoint, with the approbation of both
" houses of parliament: and his Inajesty's revenue
" to be absolutely and ,vholly restored unto him;
" only deducting such part, as had been of necessity
N4

BOOK
VII.

) 643,

184

TIlE IIIS1."ORY

" expended for the maintenance of his children, and
" not other,vise.
4. " That all the nlernbers of both houses who
" had been expelled only for absenting thenlselves,
" or mere cOlnpliance ,vith his majesty, and no other
" matter of fact against them, might be restored to
" their places.
5. " That all delinquents, from before the tenth
" day of January 1641, should be delivered up to
" the justice of parlialnent, and a general pardon for
" all others on both sides.
6. And lastly, " That there might be an act of
" oblivion, for all by-gone deeds, and acts of hos-
" tility."
'Vhen this conference was reported in the house
of COlllffions, it begot a ,vonderfullong and a hot de-
Late, which lasted till ten of the clock that night,
and continued a day or t,vo 1110re; the violent party
(for there were yet nlany among them of lllore lllO-
derate constitutipns, who did, and ever had heartily
abhorred their proceedings, though out of fear, and
indisposition of health, or not knowing else well
what to do, they continued there) inveighed furi-
ously against the design itself of sending to the king
at all, and therefore would not have the particular
propositions so nluch as considered: "They had re-
"ceived much prejudice by the last treaty at Ox-
" ford, and therefore lllUSt undergo more P now their
"condition ,vas much lower: the king had since
" that, upon the matter, declared thenl to be no par-
" liament; for if they were not free, they could not
" be a parliament; so that till that point were vin-

P more] much more

OF THE REllELLION. 185

"
." dicated, they could not treat in any safe capacity,
"but \vould be looked upon under the notion of
" rebels, as his 111ajesty had declared them. They
" had sent nlelnbers into Scotland to require assist-
" ance, \vhich that kingdom ,vas preparing with all
"brotherly affection and forwardness; and after
"such a discovery, to treat for peace, ,vithout the
" privity of the Scots, q was to betray them; and to
"forfeit all hopes hereafter of relief frol11 thence,
" ,vhat necessities soever they might be reduced to.
" That the city of London had expressed all ima-
"ginable readiness to raise forces for sir \Villiam
" 'Valler; and the counties near London were ready
"to rise as one man, whereby the earl of Essex
" ,vould be speedily enabled to lnarch, with a better
" arnlY than ever he had, to give the king battle,
" éxcept this discourse of peace did extinguish the
" zeal that ,vas then flan1ing in the hearts of the
" people."
But notwithstanding these reasons, and the pas-
sion in the delivery, the terror of the king's successes
suggested ans\vers enough. "They had been pu-
" nished for breaking off the treaty of Oxford, when
" they Inight have had better ternlS than now they
" could expect; and if they omitted this opportunity,
" they should fare nluch \vorse; that they ,vere not
" sure of aid froll1 Scotland, neither was it ahnost
" possible it should COBle till1e enough to preserve
" them from the ruin at hand. And for the city of
" London, though the COl11111on and lneaner sort of
" people, who might prolnise thelnselves advantage

q the privity of the Scots,] their privity,

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

,186

THE HISTORY

" by it, desired the continuance of the distractions,
" yet it was evident the most substantial and l
ich
"filen desired peace, by their refusal to supply
" money for the carrying on the war; and if they
" should judge of the common people by their for-
",vardness to engage their o"rn persons, they had
" reason to believe they had no lllind to the ,val'
" neither; for their general was forced to retire even
" under their o,vn ,valls, for want of 111en to recruit
" his army. However, the sending reasonable pro-
" positions to the king would either procure a peace,
" and so they should bave no more need of an arlllY;
" or, being refused, would raise more nlen and money,
" than all their ordinances without it." These rea-
sons and arguments prevailed; and after the debate
had lasted till ten of the clock at night, it was re-
solved upon the question, and carried by nine and
twenty voices, " That they should insist upon the
" propositions, and send to his majesty."
And without doubt, if they had then sent, (as, if
the power had been in the two houses of parliament,
they had done,) a firm peace had imn1ediately en-
sued: for besides that if a treaty and cessation had
been in that conjuncture entered upon, no extrava-
gant denland would have been pressed, only a secu-
rity for those who had been faulty, which the king
would gladly have granted, and most religiously ob-
served; the fourth proposition, and consent to restore
all members to their places in parlianlent, would
have prevented the kindling any more fire in those
houses. But this was too well known to be suffered
to pass; and therefore the next day, being Sunday,
the seditious preachers filled all the pulpits with

OF TI-IE REBELLION. 187

alal'n1s of" ruin and destruction to the city, if a BOO K
" peace ,vere now offered to the king;" and printed VII.
papers ,vere scattered through the streets, and fixed ) 643.
upon gates, posts, and the most public places in the
city and suburbs, requiring" all persons ,yen affected
" to rise as one man, and to come to the house of
" commons next morning; for that t\venty thousand
" Irish rebels were landed;" which information was
like\vise given that day in Inany pulpits by their
preachers; and in other papers likewise set up, it
,vas declared, " that the l1Ialignant party had over-
" voted the good, and, if not prevented, there would
" be a peace."
'Vhen the minds of the people ,vere thus IJre-
pared, Pennington, their o,vn lord nIayor, though on
Sunday, (on ,vhich they before complained the king
used to sit in council,) called a COlnnlon council;
,vhere a petition ,,-as fralned to the house of COIU-
mons, taking notice " of propositions passed by the A petition
h f í' 1 . h · f d of the
" ouse 0 peers lor peace, ,v He I consente to, common
"and allo,v"ed, would be destructive to religion,

of
"laws and liberties. and therefore desired that against
" peace;
" house to pass an ordinance, according to the tenor
" of an act of their COl1UllOn council," (\v hieh they
appointed to be annexed to their petition,) " ,vhich
" was for the vigorous prosecuting the \\Tar, and de-
"clining aU thoughts of accommodation." 'Vith
this petition, and such an attendance as those pre-
paratives were like to bring, the lord mayor himself,
who, from the time of his mayoralty, had forborne
sitting in the house as a member, canle to the house
of C0I111110nS, and delivered it, with such farther in-
sinuations of the tenlper of the city, as \vere fit for
the purpose; the people at the door behaving them...

188

THE HISTORY

BOO K selves as iInperiously, telling r the ß1embers of both
VII. houses, as they passed by them, " that if they had
1643. "not a good answer, they \vould be there the next
" day with double the nUluber." The lords com..
plained of the tumults, and sent to the COl1lmOnS to
W 1 }Jer h eupon J .oin \vith them in their su pp ression; instead whereof
t Ie ouse
of com- the COlTIlTIOnS (luany of their body withdrawing for
mons re-
jected
he fear, and others by fear converted, or it n1ay be by

i:
:so

the hope of prevailing) gave the city thanks " for their
lords. "petition, advice, and courage;" and rejected the
propositions for peace.
This raised a new contest in the city, which \vas
not willing to lie under the perpetual brand of re-
sisting and opposing peace, as they did of first rais-
ing the war. And therefore the ,vise and sober part
of it \vould gladly have discovered ho\v averse they
were from the late act of the common council. But
the late execution of TOlukins and ChaloneI', and the
advantage which was presently taken against any
man who was llloderately inclined, frighted all men
frol11 appearing in person to desire those things upon
which their hearts \vere most set. In the end, the
,vomen expressed greater conrage than the nlCD;
and having a precedent of a rabble of that sex, ap-
pearing in the beginning of these distractions with a
petition to the house of COlnmons, to foment the di-
visions, with acceptance and approbation, a great
luultitude of the wives of substantial citizens Cal11e
.
to the house of comillons ,vith a petition for peace.
Thereupon a troop of horse, under the c0D11uand of
one Harvey, a decayed siJklnan, ,vho frolll the be-
ginning had been one most confided in, were sent

r telling] and telling

OF THE REBEI..I.AION. 189

for; ,vho behaved thenlselves ,vith such inhulllanity,
that they charged among the silly women, as an
enemy worthy of their courage, and killed and
,vounded many of them, and easily dispersed the
rest. 'Vhen they ,vere by this Ineans secured fronl
farther vexation of this kind, special notice ,vas
taken of those Inembers who seemed nlost inlportu-
nate, and desirous of peace, that some advantage
nlight be taken against theine \Vhereupon, they
,yell discerning the danger they were in, many both
of the peers and the COlnUlons first absented thenl-
selves from the houses, and then removed into those
quarters where they nlight enjoy the 11rotection of
the king; and some of thelll caIne directly to Ox-
ford.
Having diverted this torrent, which ,,
ould have
brought peace upon thelu before they ,vere a\vare,
they considered their strength, and applied them-
selves to the recovery of the spirits of their general;
whose indisposition troubled theln more than any
other distress they were in. To this cure they apvlied
remedies of contrary natures, which \voltld yet work
to the saIne end. First they caressed sir 'Villialll
Waller \vit4 wonderful kindness and esteem; and
as he was nlet upon his return to London, after the
most total defeat that could ahnost be ÏInagined, (for
though fe\v of his horse \vere killed upon the place,
t.hey \vere so ruinously dispersed, that of above two
thousand, there were not three hundred gotten to-
gether again for their service,) with all the trained
bands and nlilitia of London, and received as if he
had brought the king prisoner \vith hilll; so he was
immediately chosen governor and cOffilllander in
chief of the forces and militia of London, for the de-

.

BOOK
VJl.

1643.

190

THE HIS'fORY

BOO K fence of the city; and it was now declared, " that
VII. "they would forth\vith supply hÍ1n ,vith a good
] 643. "body of horse and foot, to take the field again, and
An ordi- "relieve their distressed friends in the ,vest." Then
nance for
rmsmg an another ordinance ,vas passed to raise a great s arnlY,
army under under the con11nand of the earl of l\ianche
ter ( who
the earl of 0..: ,
:::.nches- had been always steady to his first principles, and
never a friend to any overture of accolnmodation,)
in order to opposing the earl of N e,vcastle, and to
take charge of all the associated counties; which
were Essex, Hertford, CaIn bridge, Norfolk, Suffolk,
Huntington, and (by a new addition) Lincoln; and
for the speedy raising men to join to those who
would voluntarily list themselves under these two
beloved generals, there was an ordinance passed both
houses for the pressing of men; ,vhich seemed sonle-
,vhat to discredit their cause, that, after so Inuch
pretence to the hearts of the people, they should be
now compelled to fight, whether they would or no;
and ,vas the more "rondered at, because they had
thenlselves procured the king's consent to an act this
parliament, that declared it to be unlawful to press,
or compel any of the freeborn subjects to march out
of the county in which they lived, if he were not
willing so to do; and direction ,vas given by other
ordinances to press great nUlnbers of Inen, to serve
both under the earl of Manchester and sir 'Villiam
'ValleI'; and having thus provided for the ,vorst, and
let the earl of Essex discern, that they had another
earl to' trust to, and more generals than one at their
devotion, they sent a formal committee of both
houses to him, to use all imaginahle art, and applica...

!II great] vast

OF THE REBELLION.

191

tion to him, to recover him to his former vigour, and
zeal in their cause. They told him " the high value
" the houses had of the service he had done, and the
" hazards, dangers, and losses he had for their sakes
" undergone: that he should receive as alnple a vin-
" dication for the calumnies and aspersions raised on
" hÎIn, as he could desire, from the full testilllony
" and confidence of the two houses; and if the in-
" famous authors of thenl could be found, their pu-
"nishment should be as notorious as their libels:
"that no other forces should be recruited till his
"were made up; and that all his soldiers' arrears
"should be paid, and clothes pres
ntly sent for his
" foot."
'Vhether these reasons, ,vith the jealousy of the
earl of Manchester, upon \vhom he plainly sa,v the
violent party ,vholly depended, or the infusions
poured into him by the lord Say and 1\lr. Pym, of
the desperateness of his own condition, with an opi-
nion, upon t the differences between the t,vo princes
and the ll1arquis of Hertford, that the marquis's ser-
vices were not enough valued by the king, (which
many desired should he thought to have then SOlne
influence upon the earl,) or whether he had not
steadiness U enough to engage in s<? hazardous an en-
terprise, he gre'v insensibly altered fro1l1 his mode-
rate inclinations, and desire of peace; for it is most
certain, that as the confidence in hÏ1n gave many
lords the spirit to appear chan1pions for peace, who
had been before as solicitous against it, so the design
was then the same, which hath been since prose-

t upon] by the conclusions upon

u steadiness] courage

BOOK
VII.

IG-t3.

BOOK
VII.

I ß.J3.

,

19Q

TIlE HISTORY

cuted, ,vith effect, to a \vorse purpose, that is, x for
the mel11bers of both houses who were of one Inind,
upon that signal riot, and con1pelling the house of
cOin mons to renounce their forlller resolution of pro-
positions to the king, to have gone to the earl of
Essex, and there, under the security of their o,vn
arlny, to have protested against the violence ,vllÍch
,vas offered, the breach of their privileges by the
comlllon council's taking notice of their counsels,
and overruling their conclusions, and to have de-
clared their ,vant of freedonl: by nleans 'v hereof,
they 111ade no doubt to have dra,vn the houses to
consent to such an agreen1ent as the king would
well have approved of; or to have entered Ul)on such
a treaty themselves with the king, as all the 1110de-
rate part of the kingdom would have been glad to
be con1prehended under.
But this staggering in their general frustrated
that design, and put them to other resolutions; and
so, having rendered thelllselves very ungracious in
the houses, and possibly suspecting the earl of Essex
luight discover sOlne of their overtures, many of the
lords left the town, and \\Tent either directly to Ox-
ford, or into the king's quarters; the earl of Port-
land, and the lord Lovelace, (of \vhose good affec-
tions to his service the king had always assurance,
and who had only stayed there, as at a place where
they might do him more service, than any \vhere
else,) directly to Oxford; and the lord Con\vay
shortly after them; the earl of Clare into 'Vorces-
tershire, and from thence, by the king's free accepta-

x that is,] Not in MS.

OF 'rHE I{EBEI
LION.

193

tion, to Oxford; there being no other objection BOO K
against his lordship, than his staying so long at VII.
London; Y but his total differing with them in all 1643.
their extravagances, he having no ll1anner of relation
to the court, rendered him to his Inajesty's opinion
under a very good character. The earls of Bedford
:l
:::
:d
and Holland, not without S01l1e difficulty, their pur- and Hol-
. land put
pose being discovered or suspected, got Into the themselves
k .' · W II . ...c d f } h into the
lng s garrIson at a Inglor , rOln \V lence t e go- king's quar-
vernor g ave advertiselnent of their arrival; the earl t l
k rs,
s
I eWlse
of Northumberland, with the leave of the house, rc- some other
of the par-
tired for his health to his house at Pet,vorth in Sus- liaruent
sex; which though it was in a county entirely then lords.
at the parlialnent's devotion, yet it was near enough
to be infested from SOlne of the king's quarters, if
he had not some assurance of being safe there.
The violent party carried now all before thein,
and were \vell contented with the absence of those
who used to give thelTI SOllle trouble and vexation.
For the better strengthening themselves \vith the
people, they ordered the divines of the asselnbly to
repair into the country to their cures, especially in
the counties of the association under the earl of
Manchester, to stir up the people, with all their elo-
quence, to rise as one man against their sovereign ;
and olnitted nothing within their power, which
Inight contribute to the raising men or money; be-
ing not a little joyed, when they understood the
king had given them more tÍlne than they expected,
to compose all disorders and divisions among thelll-
selves, by his staying ,vith his arn1Y before Glouces-
ter; \vhich they took to be the greater hlessing, Z

Y at London ;) amongst them;
7 which they took to be the
VOI
. IY.

greater blessing,) which was the
greater blessing,
o

BOOK
VII.

1643.

194

THE I-IISTORY

and preservation to them, because at the same tinle
there ,vere sudden insurrections in Kent against
their ordinances and jurisdiction, in defence of the
kno\vn laws, and especially of the Book of Comnlon
Prayer; \vhich, if the king's army had been at any
distance to have countenanced, they \vould never
have been able to suppress.
The faine of all these distractions and disorders at
London exceedingly disposed men in all places to
reproach his majesty's stay before Gloucester; his
friends at London desiring that his nlajesty should
march directly thither, to take the advantage of
those distractions; and the lords of the .council at
Oxford, upon the intelligence and advice from thence,
were very solicitous that the king would take that
resolution, to \vhich he was himself enough inclined.
But his condition was believed to be, in both places,
better than it was; and that he had no,v a victorious
arlny, without an enelny to restrain his 11lotion:
whereas, in truth, his was a ,veak army, a lessened
exceedingly by the losses it sustained before Bristol;
and when that part of it was b marched with prince
l\laurice into the west, and which could not have
marched any other way, the king had not much
ahove six thousand foot to march with, though he
left none at Bristol, but obliged my lord C Hopton to
garrison it as he could, which he shortly did; and
that would have appeared a very small arlny to have
marched towards London; though it is true the
horse was a noble body, and superior in nU111her to
that of the foot. d

a his was a weak army,] it
was a miserable army,
h was] that was

c my lord] the lord
d of the foot,] The following
portion is here omitted: On the

OF THE REBELLION.

195

There was like\vise another circumstance, that
fe\v men ,vere then acquainted with: upon the first
ne\vs of the taking of Bristol, his majesty, before he
left Oxford, had sent an express to the earl of New-

other side, the parliament had
a garrIson in Gloucester, the
only place possessed by them
on the Severn, (for the taking
of Bristol had reduced Chep-
stow, and secured for the most
part all South "\tV ales;) and if
that were recovered to the king's
obedience, his Inajesty's quar-
ters would extend from Bristol
to Chester, and bring all the
countries between into contri-
bution and subjection, which
was a noble quantity of ground;
'Vales would be entire at the
king's devotion; and his army
would receive a very great addi-
tion by a body of thre
thousand
nlen, horse and foot, which were
commanded by Yavasour, under
lord Herbert on the \Velsh side,
to block up Gloucester [l'om an-
noying that country, and wOll]d
all march with the king, if that
place were reco\'ered; whereas
they could not be drawn frOll)
the
ce whilst that garrison re-
Inained, and which, as soon as
the king was marched from
Bristol, would be a thorn in the
sides of Gloucestershire and
\Yales, and would hinder all
le\lies and contributions in those
countries, and much hinder
the settleulent of Bristol itself.
Gloucester was at that time uu-
der the government of colonel
l\Iassey, a soldier of fortune,
and a very active and vigilant
officer. lIe had been sometimes
an officer under the command
of \Vill. Leg, who was then

major to prince Rupert, and of
near trust ahout him. After the
taking of Bristol, he had, with
the king's privity, written a let-
ter to him, and received such
an answer that was interpreted
to gi,'e enconragement to the
king's army to march thither,
and as if the king's presence
would have opened the ports of
the town; though it appeared
afterwards that it was cl'aftilv
and maliciously written to amuse
the king. IJ owever the town it-
self was no otherwise fortified
than by an old high stone waU
and a dry ditch, there being-
likewise a fair and well built
suburbs without the town. There
did not appear, when the king
consulted it at Bristo], any diffe-
rence of opinion agaill.st the
king's marching thither with his
army; and it was resolved that
if he found, when he came there,
that a summons would not put
the town into his hands, he
might march on towards any
other designs.
There 'was likewise another
circumstance that favoured this
resolution, which was some good
success the earl of Newcastle
hacl obtained in 'Yorkshire, which
had broken all the parliament
forces, and driven theln into
Hull, and nlHch increased his
own, with which he made little
doubt in a short time to be
master of that important place.
Upon the first news, &c. as
above, line 2.

02

nOOK
VII,

] (j 43.

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

196

THE HISTORY

castle, ,vho 'vas then engaged before Hull, " that if
"he found the business of Hull to be more diffi-
" cult than he expected, he should leave it blocked
" up at a distance, \vhich might restrain excursions
" into the country, and 111arch with his arn1Y into the
" associated counties;" \vhich cOlnprehended Norfolk,
Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Essex, &c. e which had
associated / themselves, by SOine agreement, to serve
the parliament; though the better pal
t of all those
counties, especially of the two greater, were most
affected to the king, and wished for an opportunity
to express it; and if the earl would bring his army
through those counties towards London, his majesty
would then resolve, with his o\vn, to march towards
it on the other side. And in the very time that his
majesty came before Gloucester, and before he took
the resolution to sit down before it, that express re-
turned from the earl of Newcastle, \vho inforn1ed
him, " that it was impossible for him to comply ,vith
" his commands, in 11larching \vith his arll1Y into the
" associated counties, for that the gentlelnen of the
" country, who had the best regÌ1nents, and \vere
" alllong the best officers, utterly refused to Inarch,
" except Hull \vere first taken; and that he had not
" strength enough to Inarch and to leave Hull se-
" curely blocked up:" which advertisement, with the
consideration before mentioned, of the enlarging his
quarters by the taking of Gloucester, and the concur-
rence of all the officers, that it \vould speedily be
taken, produced that resolution of atten1pting it, not-
withstanding that the qneen herself writ so Ïlnpor-
tnnately against it, that his n1ajesty thought it ne-

e &c.] Not ill ii'IS.

OF '.rHE REBELLION. 197

cessary to make a journey himself to Oxford, to con- BOOK
di VII.
vince her majesty, and to compose SOlne stempers
which were risen among his council there, upon the 1643.
news of the arrival of SODle of the lords mentioned
before in those quarters.
The king was newly set do\vn before Gloucester,
\vhen the governor of \;Vallingford sent notice to
Oxford, of the arrival of those t\VO earls; to whom Debates in
d . 1 d d .. h the council
the lor s of the counCI returne lrectlon, "t at at Oxford
" they should stay there, till the king's pleasure was

;s those
" understood." to whom the secretar y had sent the sho
ld be
, received.
information, and desired his majesty's will concern-
ing their reception. The king well knew, any order
he should give in it would be liable to many objec-
tions, and hê had not so good an inclination to either
of them, as to run any inconvenience for their sakes;
the earl of Bedford having served in person against
him, as the general of the rebels' horse; and the earl
of Holland, in the king's opinion, having done worse.
And therefore his majesty conlmanded, "that his
"privy-council should debate the matter among
" themselves, and present their opinion and advice
" to him; and he would then deterlnine what kind
" of entertainment they should have." The opinions
at the board were several; some thought, " that his
" majesty should receive them very graciously, and
" with all out\vard expressions of his acceptance of
" their return to his service; and that the demeanour
" of all others to them should be such, as might
" lnake them think themselves very ,velcome, with-
U out the least taking notice of any thing formerly
" done amiss by them; \vhich \vould be a great en-
" couragement to others to COlne away too: so that
" the numbers and quality of those who stayed be-
03

BOOK
VII.

1643.

198

TIlE HISTORY

" hind would probably in a short time be so small,
" that they would have no reputation in the king-
" dom to continue the war." Many differed diame-
tricall y from this; and were so far fro1l1 thinking
this advice agreeable to the dignity or security of
the king, that they thought it not fit" to admit
" theln presently to the king's or queen's presence,
" till, by their good carriage and demeanour, they
"should give some testi1l10ny of their affections:
" they had both taken the late covenant, of which
" one clause was, to assist the forces raised by the
" parliament, against the aflny raised by the king;
" with many reproaches, and known scandals upon
" that arrrlY. If they had felt a true remorse of con-
" science for the ill they had done, they would have
" left that party, ,vhen that covenant was to be hn-
" posed upon them; which since they did not, that
" they caIne no,v was to be Ï1nputed rather t.o the
"king's success, and the weakness of that po,ver
"\vhich they had hitherto served, than to any re-
" formation of their understanding, or in1provelnent
" of their allegiance: and that it was great reason,
" that they who had given such arguments of just
" jealousy and suspicion of thelnselves, should raise
" a confidence in their loyalty and affection by some
" act equal to the other; and therefore none f who
"had taken that covenant should be adn1itted to
" the presence of the king, queen, or prince, before
" he had taken some other oath or covenant, declar-
" ing an equal hatred and abhorring of the rebellious
" arms \vhich were taken up against his majesty,
" and the counsels by which they were taken up."

f none] that none

O:F THE REBELLION.

199

I t was said," that the good or ill reception of BOO f(
" these lords could have no influence upon the ac- VII.
" tions or deliberations at \Vestminster, or London, ] 643.
" or any considerable persons there: that they were
" but single ll1en, without any considerable depend-
" ence upon them. 'Vhilst they had reputation and
" interest enough to do good or hurt, and the king's
"condition needed their attendance, they chose to
"be engaged against hin1; but no\v, when they
" were able to do him no Inore harm, they came to
" receive benefit and advantage fron1 him: that it
" was a comn10n argument men used to allege to
"themselves for their compliance with, and sub-
" mission to, the commands of the parliament; that, ..
" if they did otherwise, their severity and rigour
"was so great, that they and their falnilies were
" sure to be ruined; but, if the king prevailed, he
" was gracious and merciful, and would relTIit their
"offences whensoever they cast then1selves at his
" feet; which presumption if they should see con-
" firmed in this exan1p]e, it would make the observa-
" tion of conscience and loyalty of no price, and en-
"courage those who were risen against him, and
" exceedingly dishearten those \vho had been honest
" and faithful from the beginning: that there could
" ensue no inconvenience fron1 any reservedness and
" coldness towards them; for they durst not return
" to London, having now ll1ade theillselves odious to
" that party, and having g no hope but frOlTI the ac-
" ceptance of his majesty; which they should Inerit
" before they found." There was a third opinion
between these extremes, " that they should be nei.

g having] had
04

BOOK
VII.

1643.

The king
comes to
Oxford to
consuJt
about it.

!lOO

THE HISTORY

" ther courted nor neglected, but be adlnitted to kiss
" the king's and queen's hands, and to dispose thenl-
" selves as they thought fit; and so to leave the rest
" to their future derueanour:" h and to resolve which
of these opinions to follo\v, was another motive for
his majesty's sudden journey to Oxford. h
The king found greater alterations in the minds
and spirits at Oxford, than he expected after so
much i success as had befallen him; and that suc-
cess \vas it, that had made the alteration; it being
the unlucky temper of that place, and that comlJany,
to be the soonest and the most desperately cast down
upon any Inisfortune or loss, and to be again, upon
any victory, the 1110st elated, and the Iuost apt to
undervalue any difficulties which remained. The
taking Bristol had so possessed then1 ,vith joy, that
they thought the war even at an end, and that there
was nothing left to be done, but to take possession of
London; which they were assured would be de-
livered to them upon demand. l\iany nlembers of
both houses \vere con1e to Oxford, ,vhich assured
thenl, " the violent people there were even in de-
" spair; and after the news came of the surrender of

h and to resolve-to Oxford.]
These words are written in the
margin by lord Clm'endolt; the
following short paragraph being
omitted, and a more nlinute ac-
count of the debate in the coun-
cil inserted in its stead from.
MS. B. The king follo\ved the
last opinion; and so they came
to Oxford, and were admitted
to kiss the queen's hands, and
shortly after went to the leaguer
before Gloucester, and were in
t.he same manner received by
the king: aJl which I have re-

nlen1bered the nlore particu-
larly, that it lTIay appear what-
soever was done in that point
to have been deliberated; yet
truly I conceive it was one of
the greatest, if not the only
omission on the king's part of
any expedient, during the whole
distractions, which Iuight rea-
sonably have been depended on,
to pronlote or contribute to-
wards a fair accOlnmodation,
upon which we shall have occa-
sion anon to say lnore.
i nluc
l] much great

OF rrHE REBELLION.

!201

" Bristol, that they had only kept up their spirits in
" hopes k that the king ,vould engage his army in
" the siege of Gloucester, lvhich sonle of them had
"seellled to prolllise their friends \vould be the
" case:" fro1l1 whence they ,vould infer, "that the
"king ,vas betrayed, and that they ,vho had per-
" suaded him to undertake that design ,vere cor-
" rupted by the parlialnent." And the envy and
jealousy of all this fell upon sir John Colepepper,
\vho \vas indeed of the opinion for the siege, but,
without doubt, ho\v much soever he suffered at that
time, and after\vards, under that reproach, he be-
lieved there was very good reason for that engage-
lTICnt, and \vas most free from any corrupt end, and
of lnost sincere fidelity.
1"'his discourse and hnagination had lllade won-
derful impression upon the queen; "rho ,vas in-
flanled ,vith a jealousy that there ,vas a design to
lessen her interest in the king, and that prince Ru-
pert ,vas chief in that conspiracy, and meant to bring
it to pass by keeping the king still in the army, and
by hindering his coming to Oxford: and out of this
apprehension the queen had written so warmly and
concernedly to the king, "\vho was the
ost inca-
pable of any such apprehensions, and had her ma-
jesty in so perfect an adoration, that as soon as he
received that letter, without delay he caIne to Ox-
ford, and quickly cOlnposed those Inistakes; though
the being engaged before Gloucester ,vas still very
grievous, and reproaches ,vere publicly cast upon
those who gave the advice.
But tbat which took up ßl0st of the tin1e of that

k in hopes] Omitted in ]U
".

BOOK
VII.

1643.

202

THE HISTORY

BOOK one day that the king stayed at Oxford, ,vas COD-
VII. cerning the two lords ,vho were retained at '\Valling-
1643. ford; which had been agitated in the council with
great passion before the king's coming. The king
. caused the council to meet the next morning, and
asked their advice, " ,vhether the earls of Bedford
" and of Holland should be adlnitted to COlne into
" Oxford, or obliged to return fro1l1 ,vhence they
" caine? or, jf adlnitted, ho,v they 'should be re-
" ceived, or countenanced by their n1ajesties?" And
it cannot be enough ,vondered at, that there should
be any difference of opinion in that matter; but it
cannot be expressed, with how n1uch earnestness
and unreasonableness the whole ,vas debated, and
ho\v warn11y even they, who in all other debates
still expressed all moderation and temper, did now
oppose the receiving these lords ,vith any grace, with
more passion, and other reasons, than had been
offered in their forlner conferences; so that there
,vas scarce kno,vn such an union in opinion at that
hoard, in any thing, where disunion ,vas very incon-
venient.
All exaggerated" the carriage and foul ingrati-
" tude of the earl of Holland, from the beginning of
" the parliament; and the earl of Bedford's being
" general of the horse in the earl of Essex's ar111Y;
" and no,v ,vhen the parlialnent \vas low, and they
"had lost their credit and interest there, they
" were come to the king, whom they had so much
" offended; and expected to be as Inuch, it luay
"be, more made of, than they ,vho had borne
" the heat of the day; which "rould so much reflect
" upon the king's honour, that men would be ex-
" ccedingly discouraged to serve hiln." Some moved,

OF TI-IE REBELLION.
03

" that. they nlight be detained, and kept prisoners of
" war, since they caIne into the king's quarters with-
" out any pass;" others as plainly and more vehe-
nlentIy pressed, " that they might not be suffered to
" COlne to Oxford, or "\vhere the king or queen should
" be; but permitted to live in some other place
" \vithin the king's quarters, until they should Ina-
" nifest their affections by sonle service." They who
thought this too severe and unpolitic, proposed
" that they l11ight be suffered to COllIe to Oxford,
" that thereby they might be kept frolu returning to
"the parliament," (,vhich appeared to most to be
liable to many exceptions,) " but that being at Ox-
" ford, they should not conle to court; and that no
" privy-counsellor should visit them."
In this whole debate, the chancellor of the ex-
chequer, "rho seldonl spoke without some earnest-
ness, \vas the only Dlan (except another, who brought
no credit to the opinion, the lord Savile) \vho ad-
vised confidently, " that they might be very gra-
" ciously received by both their lnajesties, and civilly
" be visited and treated by every body; that other
"men might, by the entertainlnent they received,
" be encouraged to desert the parliament too." He
said, " it would be too great a disadvantage to the
" king, and to his cause, that ,vhilst the parlianlent
" used all the industry and artifices, to corrupt the
" duty and affection of the subject, and had their
" arms open to receive and embrace all, who would
" COllle to them, his nlajesty should admit none to
" return to hinl, who had been faulty, or not come
" so soon as they ought to have done; that if the
" king had a mind to gratify and oblige the parlia-
" ment, he could not do it more to their hearts' dc-

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

Q04

'rHE HISrrOn,y

"sire, than by rejecting the application of these
" lords, or suffering it to pass unregarded." There
was one argun1ent against their adn1ission urged
very loudly, " that it would disturb the peace of the
" place;" the earl of Bedford had commanded that
part of the army, \vhich infested the marquis of
Hertford, at his being at Sherborne, when the mar-
quis had sent Harry Seymour, as is mentioned be-
fore, with a challenge to the earl to fight with hitn ;
which the earl reasonably declined at that tÍlne;
and said, " he would be ready, \vhen the business of
"the parliament should be over, to wait upon the
" marquis when he should require it." And son1e
n1en, who were near enough to the marquis's coun-
sels, undertook to know, that if the earl of Bedford
should be in Oxford, the marquis, who ,vas every
day expected, would exact the performance of his
promise; .which sure he was too wise to do.
r-fhe king, during the whole debate, did not ex-
press any thing of his o\vn sense, save that he seelned
,veIl pleased with any sharpness that was expressed
towards the earl of I-Iolland. He said, " that he
" ,vas bound to his good behaviour, by being under
"the COlnmon reproach of inclining. too much to
" those \vho had used hin1 \vorst; of ,vhich be \vould
., not be guilty:" however, he did not think, at this
tin1e, that it would be good to make any persons
desperate; and therefore gave order, " that the go-
" vernor of 'Vallingford should permit them to con-
"tinue their journey to Oxford; ,vhere all 11len
" might use \vhat civilities they ple
sed to thelD;
" and that himself and the queen would do that to-
" wards theIn, \vhich, upon their application and ad-
" dress, they should think fit :" and though this de-

OF 'rHE REß

J
LION.

!205

termination was given, without the least discovery
of grace to,vards the persons of those lords, and not
without some reflections of prejudice to,vards thenl,
it was not grateful to the table; ,vhich was evident
enough by their countenance. The' next InorniT.Ig
the king returned to the arlllY.
There had been, as is said, very great divisions in
the counsels at \V estlninster, frolll the tillle of the
treaty, and the very abrupt breaking of it; and the
earl of Northumberland, resenting the affront done
to hin1 by 1\lartin, had increased those divisions;
and the ill successes afterwards in the defeat of
\Valler, and the taking of Bristol, had given every
luan courage to say what he would. And then the
proceeding upon Mr. 'Valler's discovery, and ob-
liging all men to take a desperate engagelnent, which
they durst not refuse, for fear of being declared
guilty of the plot, as many of them were," incensed
very many: but above all, the prosperity of the
king's affairs made every body \vish to come into his
quarters. A great nUlnher of the house of commons,
who \vere kno,vn always to wish ,veIl, came to Ox-
ford: and of the peers, the earl of Portland, 'v ho
was al\vays very faithful to the kìng, and had stayed
in the house of peers by his majesty's leave, and had
been accused by 1\11'. 'Valler to be privy to that de-
sign, upon \vhich he had endured a long itnprison-
ment, caine at this time to Oxford, as is said before, I
together with the lord Conway, and the lord Love-
lace; the fOI'lner of which had been likewise ques-
tioned, and itnprisoned, and the latter had been as
knowing of thp l11atter, and of constant duty to the

I as i
said before,] Not in .US.

nOOT't.
VII,

] 6-13.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

06

THE HISTOI-t Y

king; and all three had gotten liberty and opportu-
nity to conle away by s\vallowing that vow, and
oath, which could only set them free, and "rhich they
made haste to ans\ver for to the king. The return
of the earl of Essex to London in ill humour, had
given opportunity to the earl of Holland, and the
rest, "rho were weary of the ,vork in hand, to in-
fIalne hinl to resentment of the neglects "rhich had
been put upon hint, and the jealousies which were
entertained of hhn. The earl of Bedford had given
up his cOlnn1ission of general of the horse, and quitted
the service, and never had any affection to their
ways in his judgn1ent 1l1. 'rhe earl of Clare had
been with the king at York, and had his leave to re-
turn to London, to intend his own particular affairs;
and, during his stay, had never concurred in any ma-
licious counsel against the king, but was looked upon
as a lllan, not only firm to the principles of n10-
narchy, but of duty to the person of the king. He
was a man of honour, and of courage, and \vould
have been an excellent person, if his heart had not
been set too n1uch upon the keeping and inlproving
his estate; he was "Teary of the company he kept,
and easily hearkened to the earl of Holland, in any
consultation how to recover the king's authority,
and to put an end to the war. The earl of Essex
,vas, as is said before, enough provoked, and in-
censed, and ,villingl y heard all the lords, and others,
who inveighed against the violent proceedings of
those \vho swayed the parliament, and differed not
with theln in his judgment of the n1en, and the lllat...
ter: so that they believed that he would as readily

m judgment) ftiS. adds: which was not great.

OF THE REBEl
l
ION.
07

be disposed to agree upon the remedy, as he did BOO [(
VII.
upon the disease.
Their end and design was, as I said, n if they could 1643.
draw him to a concurrence, that they, and all the
rest of those \vho ",-ere accounted lTIoderate Dlen,
that is who desired a peace, and to return to their
duty to the king, (which were 0 much the major
part of both houses that remained at \Vestnlinster,
after so nlany of both were gone to the king,) Inight
all go to the arlllY; and thereupon the general, and
they, to write to the parliall1ent together, and to send
such propositions to them, as the parlianlent should
transInit to the king, as the conditions of peace. If
the king should refuse to consent to theIll, it would
be an infallible way to unite all people to conI pel
him to it: hut if the parliall1ent would refuse to
transmit those propositions to the king, or to con-
sent to a peace upon those conditions, they \vould
then declare against theIn, for not adhering to the
grounds upon \vhich the war ,vas first begun, and
\yould join then1selves to the king to force then1 to
it. If this had been done in that conjuncture, \vhen
the authority and credit of the earl of Essex was
not yet eclipsed, and before an independent arnIY
was raised, ,vhich \vas shortly after done, it could
not probably have failed of the success desired. But
the earl was too scrupulous and too punctual to that
which he called a trust; and this was too barefaced
a separation for him to engage in: besides that he
did believe, that he should be able to suppress that
violent party by the parliament itself, and he thought
that would bring all about \vhich he desired; and so

n as I said,] Not in IJIS.

o were] was

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

208

THE HISTORì-

he did not only reject ,vhat ,vas proposed to hitu,
but expressed such. a dislike of the earl of Holland
for proposing it, that he thought it high time to get
hÏ1nself out of his reach. The earl of Holland, who
al ways considered hiInself in the first place, had, from
the time of the queen's landing, privately made offer
of his service to the queen, and rene,ved his old con-
fidence and friendship with l\lr. Jermyn; and know-
ing well to enhance the value of his own service,
made great prolnises of notable service; and 1\1r.
J ern1yn easily persuaded her Inajesty, " that it ,vas
" 111uch better for her to restore an old servant, ,vhou1
" she knew so well, to her confidence, (though he
" had stepped out of the ,yay,) than to rely upon
" the fidelity of any of those ,vho "rere now about
"the king, and who ,vere all upon the matter
" strangers to her, at least not enough kno,vn by
" her;" and then, "that, by laying hold upon this
" opportunity, she would, at her first cOBling to the
" king, carry his restoration ,vith her
possess her-
" self of the whole fralne of his business, because all
" other designs ,vould be laid aside; and so all the
" good, that}J would redound to the king and king-
" don1 fron1 this ne,v negociation, lnust, by the COll-
" sent of all the world, be attributed to her lnajesty's
" wisdom and conduct." This q appearing hopeful
to her majesty, and all that had any thing of hope
was by the other always looked upon as certain, the
correspondence ,vas embraced; and the earl assured
not only to be restored to his former station in an
respects, hut to a title to new interests. l' And upon
this encouragement and obligation, ,vhpll he found

}) that] which

q This] And this

r interests.] interest.

OF TI-IE l
EBELLION. 009

he could not prevail ,vith the earl of Essex, that the
king's affairs prospered, and that Bristol ,vas now
taken, and the queen come to .Oxford, he resolved
hhnself to go thither, and prevailed with the earls of
Bedford and Clare to do the like; he assuring them,
that they should be very well received. The earl of
Clare made his journey by hin1self, out of the com-
mon road, and came ,vithout any interruption into
Oxford, at the time appointed: the earls of Bedford
and Holland came together to "T allingford, as is
mentioned. The earl of N orthuluberland, ,vho ,vas
naturally suspicious, ,vent to his o,vn house at Pet-
worth in Sussex; by which he thought he she,ved
aversion enough to the counsels at \Vestn1inster, and
would keep it in his own power to return, if he
found that the reception of the other lords at Ox-
ford ,vas not answerable to their expectation; be-
sides that he would expect the result of the lord
Conway's negociation, ,vho "Tas luore trusted by
him than any other.
The leave for the two earls to COlne frOll1 \Valling-
ford to Oxford, was declared but the night before
the king returned to the army; and ,vas not sent
thither till the next day. So that the lords came
not to Oxford till two days after, much mortified
with the time they had been forced to spend at \Val...
lingford, and with the disputation they heard had
been held concerning the}u; of which they had re-
ceived so particular inforlnation, that the earl of
Holland writ a very civil letter to the- chancellor of
the exchequer s before he can1e to Oxford, taking
notice of" the affection he had she\ved to hiln in

:5 of the exchequer] Not in MS.
VOL. IV. p

HOOK
VII.

1 fi43.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

QI0

1.'HE HISTORY

" his advice to the king." Both of then1 had friends
enough there to provide for their acconlIDodation in
convenient lodgings: so that the one had a lodging
at Magdalen college in Oxford, of which house he
had formerly been a Inember; the other lay in Bal-
liol college, where he had a daughter, who spared
him part of her lodgings. But for any application
to them by the lords, or persons in authority there,
they had no reason to think themselves very ,vel-
come. They ,vent, in the first place, to do their
duties to the queen; who received then1 coldly
enough, not out of disinclination, or unwilling-
ness t to she,v them allY countenance, but pure COlll-
pliance with the ill humour of the town, which she
detested: nor did Mr. J ernlyn, who still valued hhn-
self upon the ÏIl1possible faculty to please all, and
displease none, think fit to deal clearly with them
in that point, (having, probably,U said more in his
letters of correspondence and advice, than he had
authority to do; it being his custom to write and
speak what was most grateful to the persons;) so
that the earl of Holland, with whom alone the cor-
respondence had been, began to think hÎ1nself be-
trayed, and invited to Oxford only to be exposed to
contempt. He came one 1110rning to visit the chan-
cellor of the exchequer, ,vhen there were the lord
Cottington, and t \VO or three other pri vy -counsellors
,vith him, who all went presently away, without so
much as saluting him: which offended the chancel-
lor as much as it did him, and in truth obliged the
chancellor x to more ceremony and civility, than, it

t unwillingness] willingness
enough

it probably,] no doubt,
x the chancellor] him

OF TIlE REBELLION.

11

nlay be, he would other\vise have practised; so thatY BOO K
he did visit him again, and 11lade Z all professions VII.
and offers of kindness and service to him; which he 1643.
did very heartily; and comp1ied therein, not only
\vìth his own inclinations, but ,vith his judgnlent, as
very inlportant to the king's service; and did all he
could to induce others to be of the saIne opinion;
in which he had no great success.
The intelligence frolll London brought, every dar,
the resolution of the parliament, " to relieve Glou-
" cester;" and that, if their levies did not supply
thenl \vith n1en soon enough, the trained bands of
the city would Inarch out with the general for that
service; whereupon the three ea
ls, Bedford, l-Iol-
land, and Clare, after some days stay in Oxford,
thought it necessary to offer their service to the
king in the arnlY, and to bear their part in any
danger that 11light happen by an engagement be-
tween the arn1ies; and so ,vent together to Glou-
cester; where the king received them without any
disrespect, and spoke \vith thenl as they gave hhn
occasion.
"\Vhilst the king continued before Gloucester, his The king',
forces in the ,vest lnoved \vith a full gale and tide of

:i::;
.
success. The earl of Carnarvon marched \vith the
horse and dragoons, being near t,vo thousand, into
Dorsetshir
, t\VO days before prince l\Iaurice moved
with his foot and cannon from Bristol, and had
nlade a fair entrance upon the reduction of that
whole county, before his highness overtook hinl;
and it was thought then, that, if the prince had
Inarched more .slo,vly, the earl a had perfected that

.

Y practised; so that] exer-
cised ;. and

z made] make
a the earl] he
p2

1

THE HISTORY

BOO K ,vork. Upon the surrender of Bristol, lllany of the
VII.
gentlemen, and others of that county, ,vho ,vere en-
1643. gaged in that city for the parlialllent, had visited
their houses and friends, in their journey to Lon-
don, whither by their safe conduct they went, and
had 111ade such prodigious discourses of the fierce-
ness and courage of the cavaliers, (as most men ,vho
run a\vay, or are beaten, extol the power of the
enelny which had been too hard for thelll,) that re-
sisting thelll begun to be thought a matter inlpo
-
sible. One Mr. Strode, a man n1uch relied on in
those parts, and of a good fortune, after he had vi-
sited his house, took Dorchester in his ,vay to Lon-
don, and being desired by the magistrates, " to vie\v
"their ,yorks and fortifications, and to give his
"judgment of them;" after he had walked about
them, he told them, " that those ,vorks might keep
" out the cavaliers about half an hour;" and then
told them strange stories of the manner of assaulting
Bristol; " and that the king's soldiers made nothing
" of running up walls twenty foot high, and that no
" works could keep then1 out;" which he said not
out of any purpose to betray them, (for no man
,vished the king's army ,vorse success,) but had
really so luuch horror and consternation about hiIn,
and the dreadful image of the storm of Bristol im-
printed in his lllind, that he did truly believe, they
had scaled all those forts and places which were de-
livered to them; and he propagated this fear and
trepidation so fruitfully where he call1e, that the
earl of Carnarvon came no sooner near Dorchester
with his horse and dragoons, (which, it may be, ,vas
understood to be the van of the victorious army
which had taken Blistol,) hut the town sent com-

OF THE REBEI..LION.
13

missioners to him to treat; and upon articles of in- BOO K
d d d VII.
demnity, that they should not be plun ere , an
not suffer for the ill they had done, delivered up the 1643.
. Dorchester
town, (which was strongly situated, and nl1ght very surrender-
well have been defended by the spirits of these peo-
d,
pIe, if they had courage equal to their malice; for a
place more entirely disaffected to the king, England
bad not,) with all their arlTIS, anlmunition, and ord-
nance. The fame of the earl's coming had before
frighted sir '\Valter Earl, who had for a long time
besieged Corfe castle, (the house of the lord chief
justice Banks, defended by his lady \vith her ser-
vants, and some few gentlemen, and tenants, ,vho
betook themselves thither for her assistance, and
their o\vn security,) from that siege; and he Inaking
more haste to convey himself to London, than gene-
rals use to do, ,vho have the care and charge of
others, his forces were presently dispersed. And
now the surrender of Dorchester (the magazine from
whence the other places ,vere supplied with prin-
ciples of rebellion) infused the same spirit into "\Vey- \Veymoutb
h · h b d h d and Port-
mout , a very convenIent ar our an aven: an land SUf-
that example again prevailed on the island and ;
nt
e:ed
castle of Portland, (a place not enough understood, :ìng's
lorces.
but of wonderful importance,) to all which the earl
granted fair conditions, and received them into his
Inajesty's protection.
Hither prince Maurice came no\v up with foot b
and cannon, and neglecting to follow the train of
the enemy's fears to Lynle and Poole, the only two
garrisons then left in their possession, st.ayed with
his army about Dorchester and 'Veyulouth SOUle

b foot] his foot
p3

!214

l.
HE HISTORY

BOO J{ days, under the notion of settling and disposin g the
VII.
government of those garrisons. Here the soldiers,
J 643. taking ,advantage of the famous malignity of those
places, used great licence; neither was there care
takfn to observe those articles which had been nlade
upon the surrender of the towns; which the earl of
Carnarvon, who was full of honour and justice upon
all contracts, took so ill, that he quitted the com-
l11and he had with those forces, and returned to the
king before Gloucester; ,vhich published the injus-
tice with the more scandal. Whether this licence,
,vhich was much spoken of, and, no doubt, given out
to be greater than it was, aliened the affections of
those parts; or whether the absence of the marquis
of Hertford fron1 the army, which was not till then
taken notice of, begot an apprehension that there
\vould not be much lenity used towards those ,vho
had been high and pertinacious offenders; or ,vhe-
ther this army, when it was together, seemed less
formidable than it was before conceived to be, or
that the terror, which had possessed and seized upon
their spirits, "vas so violent that it could not con-
tinue, and so men grew less amazed, I know not:
but those two small towns, whereof Lyme was be-
lieved inconsiderable, returned so perenlptory a re-
fusal to the prince's summons, that his highness re-
Prince solved not to attack them; and so marched to Exe-

:;c
e_ ter, where he found all things in better order, and
fo"re l E l
eter that cit y n10re distressed, than he had reason to ex-
Wit 1 liS
army. pect, by the diligence and dexterity of sir John
Berkley, who being sent froB1 'VeIls by the marquis
of Hertford, as is before reB1eh1bered, to govern the
affairs of Dcvonshire, \vith one regin1ent of horse,
and another of new levied and half-arlned foot, had

OF 'IRE REBELLION.

fl15

so increased his numbers by the concurrence of the ß 0 0 K
gentlemen of that county, that he fixed strong quar- VJJ.
tel'S within less than a mile of the city, and kept his 1643.
guards even to the gates; when the earl of Stan1-
ford ,vas within, with a strength at least equal in
number to the besiegers.
The parliament commended the relief of this
place, by special instr
ctions, to their admiral, the
earl of 'Var\vick; after whose having C made show
of landing n1en in several places upon the coast, and
thereby compelled sir John Berkley to IHake quick
and ,vearisome ll1arches with horse and dragoons
fron1 place to place, the ,vind cOining fair, the fleet
left those who attended their landing about Totness,
turned about, and \vith a fresh gale made towards
the river, that leads to the walls of Exeter; and
having the command of both sides of the river, upon
a flat, by their cannon, the earl presurned that way
he should be able to send relief into the city: but
the diligence d and providence of sir John Berkley
had fortunately cast up some slight \vorks upon the
advantageous nooks of the river, in which his men
nlight be in S0111e security from the cannon of the
ships; and made great haste with his horse to hin...
del' their landing; and so this attempt was not only The earl of
. h b .. \Varwick
WIt out success, ut so unfortunate, that It diSCOU- with his
raged the seamen from endeavouring the like again.
:

::-the
For after three or four hours P ourin g their g reat relief of it,
but suc-
shot, froll} their ships, upon the land forces, the tide ceeds not.
falling, the earl of Warwick fell off ,vith his fleet,
leaving three ships behind hill1, of which one ,vas
burnt, and the other two taken from the land, in

'"

C after whose having] who
after he had

d diligence] admirable dili-
gence
p4

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

16

l.'HE I-IIsrrORY

vie
" of his \vhole fleet; \vhich no more looked after
the relief of Exeter that way. .
Whilst e all the king's forces were employed in the
blocking up the to\vn, and attending the coast, to
wait upon the earl of \Var\vick, the garrison of Ply-
lllouth increased very fast, into \vhich the fleet dis-
burdened theillseives of all they could spare; and
the -north parts of Devonshire gathered apace into a
head for the parliament; Barnstable and Bediford
being garrisoned by them; which having an uninter-
}'upted line of communication with Plymouth, re-
solved to join their whole strength, and so to com-
pel the enemy to draw off front the walls of Exeter,
\vhich had been very easy to have been done, if they
in the city had been as active for their own preserva-
tion. Sir John Berkley having notice of this pre-
paration and resolution, sent colonel John Digby
(who had, froin their first entrance into Cornwall,
comn1anded the horse) with his own regiment of
horse, and some loose troops of dragoons, into the
north of Devon, to hinder the joining of the rebels'
forces. He chose Torrington for his quarter, and
within few days drew to him a troop of new-raised
horse, and a regiment of foot, raised by his old friends
in Corn\vall; so that he had with him above three
hundred horse, and six or seven hundred foot.
Those of Bediford and Barnstable, being superior in
number, and apprehending that the king's successes
eastward n1ight increase his strength and power
there, and weaken theirs, resolved to try their for-
tunes; f and joining thel11selves together, to tIJe
nU111ber of above twelve hundred foot, and three

e 'Vhilst] But whilst

f fortunes;] fortune;

OF rrHE REBELLION.
17

hundred horse, under the command of colonel Ben-
net, hoped to surprise colonel John Digby at Tor-
rington ; and he was upon the matter surprised: for
albeit he had notice in the night from Barnstable,
" that the forces drew out thence to Bediford in the
" night, and that they intended to fall on his quar-
" tel'S early in the morning;" and thereupon put g
bitnself into a posture to receive theIn, and drew up
all his forces together out of the to,vn, upon such a
piece of ground, as, in that enclosed county, could be
most advantageous for his horse, having, through all
the little enclosure, h cut gaps, through which his
horse ll1ight enter; yet, after he had attended their
cOining till noon, and heard no more of them, and
his SIl1aIl parties, which ,vere sent out to inquire, re-
turned with assurance, that there 'vas no appearance
of an enen1Y, he believed they had given over their
design; and so disn1Ïssed his horse to their several
(}uarters, reserving only one hundred and fifty upon
their guard, and returned hin1self into the town with
the foot.
But, i within less than an hour, he received the
alarm, " that the enemy was within half a mile of
" the town." The confusion was very great, so that
he resolved not to draw the foot out of the town;
but having placed them in the best Inanner he could,
upon the avenues, himself went to the horse out of
the town, resolving to wait upon the rear of the ene-
Iny; who were drawn up on the s
me piece of
ground, on which he had expected them all the
Inorning. The colonel, whose courage, and vivacity
upon action, was very eminent, and COffilTIOnly very

g put] he put

h enclosure,] enclosures,

i But,] And,

BOOK
VII.

1643.

QIB

THE HIS'l
ORY

BOOK fortunate, intended rather to look upon them, than
VII.
to engage ,vith them, before his other troops came
1643. up; but having divided his slllall party of horse,
the whole consisting but of one hundred and fifty,
into several parties, and distributed them into several
little closes, out of ,vhich there \\Tere gaps into the
larger ground, upon ,vhich the enemy stood, a for-
lorn hope of fifty musketeers advanced towards that
ground where hin1self ,vas; and if they had k re-
covered the hedge, they would easily have driven
hinl t.hence. And therefore, as the only expedient
Sir John left., himself, taking four or five officers into the front
Digby
routs the with him, charged that forlorn hope; which inlll1e-
parlia-
ment's diately threw do,vn their arnlS, and run upon their
forces at b d d · d ..e. L'. · h
'l"orrington. own 0 y, an carrIe so IllJectlous a leal' 'Vlt
thelll, that without Inaking a stand, or their horse
offering once to charge, the whole body routed theln-
selves, and fled; colonel Digby following the execu-
tion wi.th his horse, till their swords ,vere blunted
,vith slaughter, and his numbers overburdened \vith
prisoners; though the foot out of the town hastened
to the chase, as soon as they saw "That terror had
possessed their enemies.
In this action (for it cannot be called a battle;
hardly a skirmish; where no resistance was made)
there ,vere near t,vo hundred killed, and above t\VO
hundred taken prisoners; and those that fled contri-
buted more to the victory, than the prisoners, or the
slain, for they were scattered and dispersed over all
the country, and scarce a man \\Tithout a cut over
the face and head, or SOll1e other hurt; that wrought
lllore upon the neighhours towards their conversion,

J.. had] Not ill lJ.J S.

OF TIlE REBELLION.

19

than any serlnon could be preached to theine SOlne BOOK
of the principal officers, and of their horse, got into vu.
Bediford and Barnstable; and not considering the 1643.
inconvenience of acknowledging, that God was ex-
traordinary propitious to the cavaliers, told strange
stories of" the hon"or and fear that seized upon
" then1, and that nobody saw above six of the ene-
" n1Y, that charged thelll;" which proved a greater
disnlay to their friends, than their defeat.
At this tinle came prince l\laurice to Exeter, the
falne of 'v hose arrival brought a new terror, so that
the fort at Appledore, ,vhich commanded the river
to Barnstable and Bediford, being delivered to CO-Barnstable
I I D e I . h . h d e h . . and Bedi-
one 19 )y, 'Vlt In two or tree ays alter IS VIC- fon] )'ielded
tory, those t\VO towns shortly after submitted to his to him.
luajesty, upon proll1ise of pardon, and such other ar-
ticles as ,vere of course; which colonel Digby saw
precisely observed, as far as concerned the towns in
})oint of plunder, or viole
ce towards the inhabitants.
And this success so ,vrought upon the spirits and
temper of that people, that all the persons of emi-
nent disaffection ,vithdrawing themselves, according
to their liberty by the articles; colonel Digby, within
very fc\v days, increased his S1l1all party to the nU1l1-
bel' of three thousand foot, and eight hundred horse;
,\-ith which he ,vas by prince Maurice ordered to
march to Plyn10uth, and to block up that place from
making incursions into the countrYe
The loss of all their garrisons on the north coast,
and despair of succour or relief from any other place,
prevailed with the earl of Stalnford, and that com-
mittee in Exeter, (to ,vhom the earl was not supe-
rior,) to treat with the prince; and thereupon arti- Exeter de-
l d t d h t . h d 1 . livered to
C es were agree 0; an t a riC an p easan t CIty the prince

QO

TI-IE HIS'rO"RY

BOOK was delivered on the fourth of September, which
VII.
was ,vi thin fourteen or sixteen days after prince
] 643. Maurice came thither, into the king's protection,
upon arti- Ii . d ffi d
des, Sep- a ter It ha su ere no other distress, or impression
telllber 4. from the besiegers, than the being kept froin taking
the air \vithout their own ,valls, and froll1 being sup-
plied from the country n1arkets.
There was an accident fell out a little before this
time, that gave new argUl11ent of trouble to the king,
upon a difference bet\veen prince Maurice and the
Inarquis. I t hath been said, that 1 the earl of Car-
narvon, who was general of the horse of the ,vestern
army, had marched from Bristol the day before the
prince, and had taken Dorchester and \;Veymouth,
before his highness came up to the army, both con-
siderable places, and the seats of great Inalignity.
The former was not thought necessary to be made a
garrison; but the latter was the best port town of
that country, and to be kept with great care. The
marquis had made SOlne pron1ise of the governnlent
thereof, when it should be taken, (of 'v hich they
made no doubt,) to sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, a
young gentleman of that country, of a fair and plen-
tiful fortune, and one, who, in the opinion of 1110st
men, was like to advance the place by being go-
vernor of it, and to raise men for the defence of it,
without lessening the army; and had, in expectation
of it, made sonle provision of officers and soldiers,
w hen it should be tiIne to call them together. Prince
1\laurice, on the other side, had sonle other person
in his view, upon \VhOlTI he intended to confer that
charge, \vhen it should fall. In t}1e moment that

1 It hath ueen said, that] Not in
JS.

OF 1.
HE REBELLION.
!21

the town was taken, and before the prince came
thither, sir Anthony, hearing that the Inarquis came
not \vith the arlny, but relnained SOlne time at Bris-
tol, made all the haste he could to him, and canle
thither the saine day the king left it; and applied
himself to the Inarquis, who remelnbered his pro-
mise, and thought himself obliged to n1ake it good,
and that it ,vas in his power so to do, since it ap-
peared, that the town was taken before the king
had declared to him, that he should not go to the
army; till when he ought to be looked upon as
general of it. He conferred with the chancellor of
the exchequer m upon it, as a matter in \vhich his
honour was concerned, and on wbich his heart was
set. Sir Anthony n caIne Iike\vise to him, who was of
his acquaintance, and desired his assistance, " that,
" after so much charge he had been put to, in the
" expectation of it, and to prepare for it, he might
" not be exposed to the mirth and conten1pt of the
" country." It was evident, that if he returned with
the comlnission from the marquis, (which he was
lnost inclined to give him,) both he and the commis-
sion would be affronted, and the town would not be
suffered to submit to hin1. Therefore the chancel10r
was of opinion, that there was no way but to appeal
to the king, and desire his favour, as well as his jus-
tice, in giving his commission to the person designed
by the lnarquis; which would remove that part of
the exception, which would most trouble the prince;
and he offered to write himself very earnestly to the
king. Besides 0 his desire to gratify the lnarquis, he

m of the exchequer] Not in thony
MS. 0 Be..
ides] And besides
n Sir Anthony] And sir An-

ROOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VIle

1643.

2Q2

THE HISTOR Y

did in truth believe it of great Ï111portance to his Ina-
jesty's service, to engage a person of such a fortune
and interest, so throughly in his q uarre1, as he then
believed such an obligation 01 ust needs do; the flexi-
bility and instability of that gentleman's nature not
being then understood, or suspected.
He did write, \vith all the skill and importunity
he could use, to the king; and writ p to the lord
Falkland, " to take sir John Colepepper with him, if
" he found any aversion in the king, that they might
"together discourse, and prevail ,vith hin1." But
his majesty positively and obstinately refused to
grant it; and said, " he w.ould not, to please the
" lnarquis in an unjust pretence, put a public dis-
" obligation and affront upon his neph
w ." So the
express returned without effect, and the marquis
was as sensibly touched as could be imagined; and
said, " that he was fallen from all credit q ,vith the
" king, and was made incapable of doing him farther
" service; that his fidelity should never be lessened
" to,vards him," (as in truth he ,vas incapable of a
disloyal thought,) " but since he was become so to-
" ta1]y useless to the king, and to his friends, he
" hoped his majesty would give him leave to retire
"to his own house; where, he doubted not, he
" should be suffered to live privately and quietly, to
" pray for the king." rrhe chancellor knew well the
nature of the l11arquis, that r would never give him
leave to pursue any resolution which he fou
1d n1ight
prove inconvenient to his n1ajesty, for whom he had
all possible duty; yet he knew too, that the Inischief

P writ] wrote
q from all credit) from an}

degree of credit
r that] which

OF 'fHE REDELL ION.

g

\vas not small, from the observation that the Inal
quis
thought himself ill used, and that there ,vere too
many ,vho would take the opportunity to foment
those jealousies and discontents; and therefore re-
solved (having despatched all things which ,vere in-
cUlnbent on him at Bristol, and used all freedom
with s the marquis, for the dispelling all troublesome
irnaginations) to go hiu1self to the king, and to re-
present that affair to him, and the probable conse-
quences of it, with new instances. t And at last,

S with] to
t with new instances.] Thus
continued in MS. B.: The king
left Bristol in the resolution and
expectation formerly mentioned;
and 'when he came near Glou-
cester, he sent a summons to
the governor, and drew up his
army in the view of the town
fron; a reasonable ascent; and
after he had expected an an-
swer some hours, one of the ci-
tizens of the town, of a very ill
aspect and rude behaviour, c
nle
to the king with the answer
fronl the mayor and aldermen, as
well as fronl the governor, and
signed by them all, which the
nlessenger would read in a loud
unmannerly voice. It did not
only contain a refusal to deliver
the .place, and a d
claration that
they did and would keep it for
the parliament; but had such
reproachful expressions in it,
that together with the sauciness
of the nl
ssenger, as exceedingly
incensed the king: and the mes-
senger was no sooner returned,
but they gave another evidence
of their resolution, by
etting all
the suburbs, in which there \Vas
a fair street and many good

hOl1ses,on a fire together. Though
the king had resolved before
not to be engaged in the siege of
this city, and he received new
instances fronl the queen, and
intelligence fronl London of the
extraordinary distractions there,
to confirm l
im in that resolu-
tion, and many memuers of bot h
houses had left the parliament,
wherp,of some came to Oxford,
(who shall be mentioned anon,)
and all sent word, that if the
king now marched towards Lon-
don, the city itself would cum-
pel the parliament to nlake a
peace; but these unmannerly
and insolent provocations from
the town persuaded him that he
was bound in honour speedilr
to chastise it. Upon the drawing
up his anny, he found it much
weaker than he though t it to
have been. The gentlemen of
Gloucestershire and of the 'Velsh
side of the Severn came to him,
and made great professions how
soon they would recruit his ar-
my, if he would remain some
til;1e there; that the town would
be taken in few days, and whilst
he was taking it, his army should
be increased every day; whereas

BOOK
VII.

] ô43.

2
4

THE HIS'rORY

BOO K with very great difficulty, he did so far prevail ,\lith
VII.

) 643.

if he marched presently away,
besides the dishonour of it
he
would not be able to carry away
with him one nlan nlore than
he had brought thither, which
\vould appear a very small body
to shew to the city of London
for their encouragement to join
with him. But that which made
most impression was, that the
express was now returned frolll
the earl of Newcastle, \vho in-
formed his Inajesty, that it was
impossible for him to comply
with his comnlands and expec-
tation in marching with his army
into the associated counties; for
that the gentlemen of the coun-
try who had the best regiments,
and were amongst the best offi-
cers, utterly refused to march,
except Hull were first taken,
and that he had not strength
enough to Inarch with any con-
siderable body, and to leave Hull
securely blocked up; which re-
solution made it, in the judg-
ment of the king and of most of
the officers, necessary for the
king to engage in the siege of
that town; and thereupon he
sent for the general, who re-
nlained yet at Oxford, to at-
tend him at Gloucester, with his
greatest cannon, and such foot
as could be spared out of Ox-
ford; and thereupon he com-
mitted the care of one approach,
which was resolved upon, to the
general; and another, which was
thought necessary, to another
part of the town, to sir Jacob
Ashley, the major general of the
foot, who best understood "that
kind of service; and so dis-
posed the whole army formally

to the siege; his majesty him-
self quartering in a village about
two miles distant from the city:
and in this posture that affair
stood, when the chancellor came
to the king fronl Bristol. And
at last, &c. (as in page 223, line
J 0, to the words according to his
command, p. 225, I. 9. whe1'e the
MS. proceeds thus:) The king
told the chancellor that it was
necessary he should Inake haste
to Oxford, where he would find
the lords in great disorder for
his having engaged the arnlY
before Gloucester, but more up-
on the news of the earl of Hol-
land and the earl of Bedford
being coming to Oxford; that
they were already come to \Val...
lingford, where the governor,
col. Blague, had civilly detained
them, till he Inight understand
the king's pleasure, who seemed
to be in some trouble and irre-
solution in what manner to re-
ceive theln. The chancellor
stayed not above two hours \vith
the king; but though it was
late, went to a gentleman's house
five or six miles frolll thence,
and, after some hours sleep, nlade
haste the next l1lorning to Ox-
ford; where before night the
king likewise arrived
of which
he had no thought when the
chancellor came away; but re-
ceived that night some letter
from the queen, which made
him believe that journey neces-
sary, bringing a small train with
him; and after one day's stay
he returned to the siege, where
his presence was in many re-
spects very n
cessary.

OF THE REBELI.,ION. 2

his lnajesty, that he gave a con1n1ission to sir An- -BOOK
VII.
thony Ashley Cooper, to he governor of 'Veymouth;
\vbich he was tbe Inore easily persuaded to, out of 1643.
some prejudice he had to the person, \vho, he under-
stood, was designed to that government. Ho,vever,
the marquis received it as a seasonable act of favour
to hhnself, and, in a short time after, came from
Bristol to Oxford, to attend upon his majesty ac-
cording to his cOlnmand.
At Gloucester the business proceeded very slowly: The prose-
· d d Ii II h b cution of
for though the army Increase won er u y t ere, Y the siege of ,
the access of forces fron1 all quarters, yet the king Gloucester.
had nei
her nloney nor materials requisite for a
siege, and they in the town behaved themselves with
great courage and resolution, and made many sharp
and bold sallies upon the king's forces, and did more
hurt comlTIonly than they received; and Inany offi-
cers of name, besides common soldiers, were slain in
the trenches and approaches; the governor leaving
nothing unperformed that became a vigilRnt COll1-
mander. Sometimes, upon the sallies, the horse got
between the town and them, so that Jllany prisoners
were taken, who were always drunk; and, after
they were recovered, they confessed, " that the go-
" vernor alwåys gave the party that made the sally,
" as nluch wine and strong water as they desired to
" drink:" so that it seems their mettle was not
purely natural; yet it is very observable, that, in all
the time the king lay there with a very glorious
army, and after the taking of a city of ll1uch greater
name, there was no one officer run fron1 the town to
him, nor above three COlnmon soldiers, which is a
great argument, the discipline within ,vas very good.
Besides the loss of filen before the town, both from
VOL. IV. Q

BOOK
VIl.

) 643.

QQ6

THE: HISTORY

the \valls, and by sickness, (,,,hich \vas not greater
than \vas to be reasonably expected,) a very great
licence broke into the arniy, both an10ng officers
and soldiers; the malignity of those parts being
thought excuse for the exercise of any rapine, or
severity among the inhabitants. I nsomuch as it is
hardly to be credited, ho\v many thousand sheep
were in a few days destroyed, besides what \vere
brought in by the c0l11missaries for a regular pro-
vision; and many countrYl11en Í1nprisoned by offi-
cers \vithout \varrant, or the least kno,vledge of the
king's, till they had paid good sums of l1loney, for
their delinquency; all \vhich hrought great clam our
upon the discipline of the arnlY, and justice of the
officers, and made thern likewise less prepared for
the service they were to expect.
In tbe Inean tilne nothing was left at London
unattenlpted, that 111ight advance the preparation
for the relief of Gloucester. All overtures of peace
were suppressed, and the city purely at the devotion
of those \vho were 1110st violent, ,vho put u one conl-
pliment upon them at this time, that is not to he
passed over. It is remelnbered before, that, at the
beginning of these distractions, before the king's go.
ing into the north, his luajesty had, up
n the reite-
rated Ìll1portunity of the two houses, nlade sir John
Coniers lieutenant of the Tower of London; who
was a soldier of very good estimation, and had been
the lieutenant general of his horse in that las
pre-
paration against the Scots, and governor of Bel"..
wick. The parliament thought, by this obligation,
to have made hiIn their own creature, and desired

u put] had put

OF T'HE REBELLION.

QQ7

to have engaged hinl in sonle active COJllmand in BOO K
their armies, having the reputation of one of the VB.
best officers of horse of that time. But he ,varily ] 643.
declined that engagement, and contained hiInself
within the lirnits of that place, which, by the multi-
tude of prisoners, sent to the To\ver hy the two
houses, and the excessive fees they paid, yielded
hinl a vast profit; in the adll1inistration ,vhereof he
,vas so hnpartial, that those prisoners ,vho suffered
nlost for his 111ajesty, found no Inore favour or in-
dulgence from him than the rest. About this tiIne,
either discerning that they gre\v to confide less in
hin1 than they had done, and that he Inust engage
himself in their service, or should shortly lose the
benefit of their good opinion, or really abhorring to
be so near those actions he sa\v every day comnlit-
ted, and to lie under the scandal of keeping his nla-
jesty's only fort which he could not apply to his ser-
vice, he desired leave fronl the houses, " to go into
" Holland," \vhere his education had been, and his
fortune was, \vithout obliging hinlself to a tinle of
return. The proposition '''"as not unwelcome to the
houses; and thereupon they itnluediately con1ll1itted
that charge, the custody of the To\ver of London, The cus-
t h I d . P . h h . . h tody of the
o t e or mayor ennlngton; t at t e CIty mlg t Tower
see the y were trusted to hold their o\vn reins and committed
, by the two
had a jurisdiction comnlitted to them which had al- houses to
the lord
ways justled with their o\vn. This x C0111pIiment n
ayor Pen-
d d . mngton.
serve. to a ouble purpose; for thereby, as they
Blade the city believe they had put themselves un-
der their protection, so they were sure they had put
the city under the power, or under the apprehen-

x This] And this
Q2

BOOK
VII.

1643.

QQ8

THE HISTORY

sion of the power of him, who would never forsake
them out of an appetite to peace.
The earl of Essex now declared, that he would
hin1self undertake the relief of Gloucester, ,vhereas
before sir 'Villiam 'Valler was designed to it, and,
whencesoever it proceeded, was returned to his old
full alacrity against the king, and recovered those
officers and soldiers again to him, ,vho had absent.ed
by his connivance, or upon an opinion that he ,vould
march no more; yet his nUlllbers increased not so
fast as the occasion required: for colonel Massy
found means to send many messengers out of the
town, to advertise the straits he was in, and the
time that he should be able to hold out. Their or-
dinance of pressing, though executed with unusual
}'Iigour, insoilluch as persons of good fortunes, who
had retired to London, that they might be less
taken notice of, were seized on, and detained in
custody, till they paid so much money, or procured
an able luau to go in their places, brought not in
such a supply as they expected; and such as ,vere
brought in, and delivered to the officers, declared
such an averseness to the work to \vhich they were
designed, and such a perenlptory 1'esolution not to
fight, that they only increased their nUlnbers, not
their strength, and run away upon the first oppor-
tunity. In the end, they had no other resort for
tnen, hut to those who had so constantly supplied
theJn with 1110ney, and prevailed with their true
friends, the city, ,vhich they still alarmed ,vith the.
king's irreconcilableness to theITI, to send three or
four of their trained-band regilnents, or auxiliaries,
to fight with the enelny at that distance, rather
than to expect hin1 at their o,vn walls, where they

OF THE REBEI..LION.
Q9

must be assured to see him as soon as Gloucester BOOK
ld b VII.
should be reduced; and then they wou e as
nluch perplexed \vith the malignants within, as 1643.
,vith the enenlY \vithout their city.
Upon such argulnents, and the pow.er of the earl
of Essex, so many regiments of horse and foot as he
desired were assigned to march ,vith hin1; and so, The earl
of Essex
towards the end of August, he marched out of marches
L d d h . . d d out of Lon-
on on; an aVlng appoInte a ren ezvous near don to re-
A y lesbur y 'v here he was lllet b y the lord Gre y and lieve Glou-
, , ært

other forces of the associated counties, fron1 thence
he marched by easy journeys towards Gloucester,
with an army of above Y eight thousand foot, and
four thousand horse. I t would not at first be cre-
dited at the leaguer, that the earl of Essex could be
in a condition to attempt such a work; and there-
fore they ,vere too negligent upon the intelligence,
and suspected rather that he would give some alarm
to Oxford, ,vhere the queen was, and thereby hope
to dra,v the army from Gloucester, than that in
truth he would venture upon so tedious a march,
"There he must pass 7. over a campaign near thirty
llliles in length, where half the king's body of horse
,vollld distress, if not destroy his whole a1'I11Y, and
through a country eaten bare, where he could find
neither provision for man nor horse; and if he
should, ,vithout interruption, be suffered to go into
Gloucester, he could neither stay there, nor possibly
retire to London, ,vithout being destroyed in the
rear by the king's army, which should nevertheless
not engage itself in the hazard of a battle. Upon
these conclusions they proceeded in their works be-

y above] about over a campagnia
7 pass over a campaign] march
Q3

Q30

l.
HE HIS1.
OR Y

BOO K fore Gloucester, their g alleries bein g near finished ,
VII.
and visibly a great want of ammunition in the
1643. town; yet the lord 'Vilmot was appointed, with a
good party of horse, to wait about Banbury, and to
retire before the enenlY, if he should advance to-
,yards Gloucester, and to give such impeditnents to
their march, as in such a country nlight be easy to
do; prince Rupert hiInself staying with the body of
horse, upon the hills above Gloucester, to join, if
the eal'l of Essex should be so hardy as to venture.
The earl came to Brackley, and having there
taken in from Leicester and Bedford the last re-
cruits upon \vhich he depended, he marched stea-
dily over all that campaign, which they thought he
feared, towards Gloucester; and though the king's
horse ,vere often within view, and entertained hin1
,vith light skirlllishes, he pursued his direct way;
The siege of the kin g 's horse still retirin g before hill), till the
Gloucester
raised. foot was conlpelled to raise the siege, in n10re dis-
order and distraction than lnight have been ex-
pected; and so with less loss, and easier skirmishes,
than can be iInagined, the earl, \vith his army and
train, nlarched to Gloucester; where he found then1
reduced to one single barrel of powder; and all
other provisions answerable. And it must be con-
fessed, that governor gave a stop to the career of
the king's good success, and from his }Jertinacious
defence of that place, the parliament had time to
)'ecover their broken forces, and more broken spi-
l''Ïts; and l11ay ackno,vledge to this lise the great-
ness to which they afterwards aspired.
The earl of Essex stayed in tllat joyful to\\Tll
(where he ,vas received with all possible den10nstra-
tions of honour) three days; and in that tiIne, which

OF THE REBELLION. Q31

\vas as wonderful as any part of the story, caused BOOK
VII.
all necessary provisions to be brought in to them,
out of those very quarters in which the king's army 1643.
had been sustained, and \vhich they concei'Ted to be
entirely spent: so solicitous \vere the people to con-
ceal \vhat they had, and to reserve it for then1;
\vhich, \vithout a connivance froB1 the king's COffi-
D1issaries, could not have been done. All this tilne
the king lay at Sudley castle, the house of the lord
Chandois, within eight Iniles of Gloucester, watch-
ing when that arlny \vould return; \vhich, they con-
ceived, stayed rather out of despair than election, in
those eaten quarters; and, to open them a way for
their retreat, his Inajesty removed to Eshanl, hop-
ing the earl would choose to go back the san1e \vay
he caIne; \vhich, for many reasons, was to be de-
sired; and thereupon the earl Inarched to Tewkes-
bury, as if he had no other purpose. The king's
horse, though bold, and vigorous upon action and
execution, \vere always less patient of duty and ill
accommodation than they should be; and at this
time, partIy with \veariness, and partIy ,vith the in-
disposition that possessed the whole arlny upon this
relief of the to\vn, \vere less vigilant to\vards the
lllotion of the enemy: so that the earl of Essex
was marched with his \vhole arnlY and train from
Te\vkesbury, four and twenty hours hefore the king
heard \vhich \vay he ,vas gone: for he took the ad- The carl of
t f d k · h d h . . d Essex in
van age 0 a ar 7'" nIg t, an aVIng sure gUI es, his return
reached Cirencester before the breakin g of the da y . se.izes upon
, (;uences-
where he found t\VO regilnents of the king's horse ter.
quartered securely; all \vhich, by the negligence of
the officers, (a common and fatal crime throl1ghou t
the war, on the king's part,) he surprised, to the
Q4

32

'l'HE HISTORY

1643.

number of above three hundred; and, which was of
much greater value, he found there a great quantity
of provisions, prepared, by the king's conln1issaries,
for the army before Gloucester, and which they ne

glected to rell10ve after the siege was raised, and so
most sottishly left it for the relief of the enelny, far
more apprehensive of hunger than of the s\vord;
and indeed this wonderful supply strangely exalted
their spirits, as sent by the special care and extra-
ordinary hand of Providence, even when they were
ready to faint.
Froln hence the earl, having no farther apprehen-
sion of the king's horse, which he had no nlind to
encounter upon the open calnpaign, and being at
the least t\venty miles before hinl, by easy Inarches,
that his sick and w'earied soldiers nlight overtake
him, lTIoved, through that deep and enclosed county
of North 'Viltshire, his direct way to London. As
soon as the king had sure notice ,vhich ,yay the
enemy \vas gone, he endeavoured, by expedition
and diligence, to recover the advantage, \vhich the
supine negligence of those he trusted had robbed
hin1 of; and himself, \vith matchless industry, tak-
ing care to lead up the foot, prince Rupert, with
near five thousand horse, lnarched day and night
over the hills, to get between London and the ene-
IllY before they should be able to get out of those
cnclosed deep countries, in which they ,vere en-
gaged bet\\:een narro\v lanes, and to entertain thelll
\vith skirn1ishes till the whole arlny should COllle
up. This design, pursued and executed \vith inde-
fatigable pains, succeeded to his wish; for when the
van of the enelllY's arlny had ahl10st Inarched over
1\ wborne Chase, intending that night to have reached

BOOK
VII.

OF THE REBELLION. 233

Newbury, prince Rupert, beyond a their fear or ex-
pectation, appeared with a strong body of horse, so
near them, that before they could put themselves in
order to receive him, he charged their rear., and
routed them Y/ith good execution; and though the
enemy performed the parts of good men, and ap-
plied theillseives more dexterously to the relief of
each other, than on so sudden and unlooked for an
occasion was expected, yet ,vith sonle difficulty, and
the loss of many men, they were glad to shorten
their journey, and the night conling on, took up their
quarters at _ Hungerford.
In this conflict, 'v hich was very sharp for an hour
or two, many fell of the enenlY, and of the king's
party none of nalne, but the nlarquis of Vieu Ville,
a gallant gentlenlan of the French nation, ,vho had
attended the queen out of Holland, and put himself
as a volunteer upon this action, into the lord Jer-
Juyn's regÎ111ent. '1-'here ,vere hurt many officers,
and anlong those the lord Jermyn received a shot
in his arlll ,vith a pistol; owing the preservation of
his life froin other shots to the excellent temper of
his arlll our b; and the lord Digby a strange hurt in
the face, a pistol being discharged at so near a dis-
tance upon hinl, that the powder fetched much
blood fronl his face, and for the present blinded him,
,vithout farther nliscbief; by ,vhich it was con-
cluded, that the bullet had dropped out before the
pistol ,vas discharged: and Inay be reckoned alnong
one of those escapes, of which that gallant person
hath passed a greater numher, in the course of his
life, than any lnan I know.

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

Ii beyond] besides

h armour] arms

nOOK
VII.

1643.

g4

THE IIISTORY

By this expedition of prince Rupert, the enenlY
was forced to such delay, that the king came up
\vith his foot and train, though his nUlnbers, by his
exceeding long and quick Inarches, and the licence
,vhich many officers and soldiers took ,vhilst the
king lay at Eshanl, \vere llluch lessened, being
above t,vo thousand fe,ver, than when he raised his
siege fronl Gloucester. And ,vhen the earl, the
next day, advanced frotH Hungerford, hoping to -re-
cover N e\vbury, which prince Rupert ,vith his horse
would not be able to hinder hin1 froB1; \vhen he
caIne within t,vo Iniles of the to"rn, he found the
king possessed of it; for his majesty, with his \vhole
arlny, was come thither t\VO hours before: this put
hin1 to a necessity of staying u pOll the field that
night; it being no\v the seventeenth day of Sep-
tell1ber.
It ,vas no,v thought by many, that the king had
recovered ,vhatsoever had been lost by former over-
sights, olnissions, or neglects, and that by the de-
stroying the arlny ,vhich had relieved Gloucester, he
should be fully reconlpensed for being disappointed
of that purchase. He seenled to be possessed of all
advantages to be desired, a good to\vn to refresh his
men in, whilst the enemy lodged in the field, his own
quarters to friend, and his garrison of"\V allingford
at hand, and Oxford itself within distance for supply
of whatsoever should be \vanting; when the enenlY
,vas equally tired with long marches, and from the
time that the prince had attacked them, the day be-
fore, had stood in their arnlS, in a country,vhere
they could not find victual. So that it was con-
ceived, that it ,vas in the king's power, whether he
would fight or no, and therefore that he n1ight COll1-

OF THE REBEI
LION. 235

pel them to notable disadvantages, ,vho must nlake BOOK
their ,yay through, or starve; and this was so fully VII.
understood, that it was I'esolved over night, not to 1643.
engage in battle, but upon such grounds as should
give an assurance of victory. But, contrary to this
l'esolution, when the earl of Essex had, with excel-
lent conduct, dra,vn out his army in battalia, upon
a hill called Bigg's Hil1, ,vithin less than a mile of
the to,vn, and ordered his men in all places to the
best advantage, by the precipitate courage of some
young officel's, ,vho had good cOlllll1ands, and who
unhappily ahvays undervalued the courage of the
enemy, strong parties became successively so far en-
gaged, that the king was compelled to put the whole
to the hazard of a battle, and to give the enemy at
least an equal ganle to play.
It was disputed, on all parts, with great fierce- The battle
. of New-
ness and courage; the enemy preservIng good or-bury.
del', alJd standing rather to keep the ground they
,vere upon, than to get 1110re; by which they did
not expose thelllsel yes to those disadvantages, which
any nlotion ,votlld have offered to the assailants.
The king's horse, with a kind of conten1pt of the
enemy, charged with wonderful boldness, upon all
grounds of inequality; and were so far too hard for
the troops of the other side, that they routed then1
in 1110st places, tin they had left the greatest part of
their foot ,vithout any guard at all of horse. But
then the foot behaved themselves adlnirably on the
enemy's part, and gave their scattered horse time to
rally, and \vere ready to assist and secure them upon
all occasions. The London trained bands, and auxi-
liary regiments, (of whose inexperience of danger, or
any kind of service, beyond the easy practice of their

BOOK
VII.

1643.

36

TIlE HISTORY

postures in the Artillery Garden, men had till then
too cheap an estimation,) behaved thenlselves to
wonder; and ,vere, in truth, the preservation of that
army that day. For they stood as a bulwark and
rampire to defend the rest; and ,vhen their wings
of horse were scattered and dispersed, kept their
ground so steadily, that, though prince Rupert hhn-
self led up the choice horse to charge them, and en-
dured their storm of snlall shot, he could nlake no
iUlpression upon their stand of pikes, but was forced
to ,vheel about: of so sovereign benefit and use is
that readiness, order, and dexterity in the use of
their arms, which hath been so nluch neglected.
It was fought all that day without any such no-
table turn, as that either party could think they had
luuch the better. For though the king's horse made
the enemy's often give ground, yet the foot were so
inllnoveable, that little was gotten by the other;
and the first entrance into the battle ,vas so sudden,
and ,vithout order, that, during the whole day, no
use ,vas 111ade of the king's cannon, though that of
the enenlY ,vas placed so unhappily, that it did very
great execution upon the king's party, both hórse
and foot. The night parted theIn, when nothing
else could; and each party had then tinle to revolve
the oversights of the day. The enenlY had fared
at least as ,veIl as they hoped for; and therefore, in
the Inorning early, they put thenlselves in order of
Inarching, having an ohligation in necessity to gain
SOlne place, in which they lnight eat and sleep. On
the king's side there ,vas not that caution which
should have been t.he day before; and though the
nUlnber of the slain was not so great, as, in so hot a
day, n1ight have been looked for, yet very Hlany offi.

OF THE REBELLION. 237

eel'S and gentlemen were hurt: so that they rather BOO K
chose to take advantage of the enelny's motion, than VII.
to charge thel11 again upon the old ground, from 1643.
,vhence they had been, by order, called off the night
before, when they had recovered a post, the keeping
of \vhich would n1uch have prejudiced the adver-
sary. The earl of Essex finding his way open, pur-
sued his main design of returning to London, and
took that ,yay by Newbury, \vhich led towards
Reading;. ,vhich prince Rupert observing, suffered
him, \vithout interruption or disturbance, to pass,
till his whole army was entered into the narrow
lanes; and then with a strong party of horse, and
one thousand musketeers, followed his rear \vith so
good effect, that he put them into great disorder,
and killed many, and took many prisoners. Ho\v- The earl of
ever the earl, ,vith the gross of his arll1Y, and all his
s::

:
s_
cannon, g ot safe into Readin g ; and, after a ni g ht or ing; thence
to London.
t,vo spent there to refresh and rest his men, he moved
in a slow and orderly Inarch to London, leaving
Reading to the king's forces:' w.hich was presently
possessed by sir Jacob Ashley, with three thousand
foot and five hundred horse, and Inade again a gar..
rison for the king: his n1ajesty and prince Rupert,
with the rel11ainder of the army, retiring to Oxford,
and leaving a garrison under the command of colo-
nel Boys in Donnington castle (a house of John
Packer's, but n10re famous for having been the seat
of Geoffery Chaucer, ,vithin a n1ile of Newbury) to
cOlnmand the great road, through
hich the western
trade was driven to London.
At this time sir William \Valler ,vas at \Vindsor,
with above t,vo thousand horse, and as many foot, as
unconcernpd for what might befall the earl of Es-

BOOK
VII.

1 G43.

Q38

Pl'HE HISTORY

sex, as the earl e had formerly been on his behalf at
Roundway hill: other\vise, if he had advanced
upon the king to Ne\vbury (which was not above
t\venty miles) when the earl ,vas on the other side,
the king had been in great danger of an utter de-
feat; and the apprehension of this was the reason,
or was afterwards pretended to be, for the hasty en-
gagenlent in battle.
The earl of Essex was received at London \vith
all imaginable deillonstrations of affection and reve-
rence; public and solelnn thanksgiving was ap-
pointed for his victory, for such they made no scruple
to declare it. Without doubt, the action was per-
fornled by hin1 with inconlparable conduct and cou-
rage; in every part whereof very rnuch \vas to he
hnputed to his own personal virtue; and it nlay be
well reckoned al110ng the 1110st soldierly actions of
this unhappy,var. For he did the business he un-
dertook, and, after the relief of Gloucester, his next
care ,vas to retire ,vith his arlny to London; which,
considering the length of the way, and the difficul-
ties he was to contend with, he did with less loss
than could be expected; on the other hand, the
king was not without signs d of a victory. He had
follo\ved, and cOinpelled the eneiny to fight, by over...
taking hirn, when he desired to avoid it. He had
the spoil of the field, and pursued the enemy the
next day after the battle, and had a good execution
upon thein, without receiving any loss; and, which
seemed to crown the work, fixed a garrisQn again at
Reading, and thereby straitened their quarters as
much as they were e in the beginning of the year;

C the earl] he
d signs] SOllIe signs

e as they were] as it \-vas

OF 'fI-IE REBELI
ION. 239

his own being enlarged by the almost entire con- nOOK
h · VII.
quest of the ,vest, and his army muc stronger, In
horse and foot, than ,vhen he first took the field. 1 G43.
On which side soever the marks and public ensigns
of victory appeared 1110st conspicuous, certain it is,
that, according to the unequal fate that attended all
skirlnishes and conflicts ,vith such an adversary, thp
loss
n the king's side ,vas in weight lnuch more
considerable and penetrating; for \vhilst SOlne ob-
scure, unheard of colonel or officer was Dlissing on
the enemy's side, and some citizen's wife be,vailed
the loss of her husband, there were, on the other,
above twenty officers of the field, and persons of ho-
nour, and public naHle, slain upon the place, and
nlore of the sanle quality hurt.
Here fell the earl of Sunderland, a lord of great The ead of
.e d (I . 1. h 1 Sunder-
lortune, ten er years, Jelng not auove tree an( lanel slain
t\venty years of age,) and an early judgment; who,
:t

having no COffilnand in the arlny, attended upon the
king's person, under the obligation of honour; and
putting hinlself that day in the king's troop a volun-
teer, before they came to charge, ,vas taken a\vay
by a cannon bullet.
This day also fell the earl of Carnarvon, ,vho, and the
after he had charged, and routed a body of the ene-
:
V

l

:'

my's horse, conling carelessly back by SOUle of the character.
scattered troopers, \vas, by one of them who knew
him, run through the body ,vith a sword; of which he
died within an hour. He was a person, with whose
great parts _ and virtue the world was not enough
acquainted. Before the \var, thoug11 his education
was adorned by travel, and an exact observation of
the manners of more nations, than our COlllmon tra-
vellers use to visit, (for he had, after the vie,v of

40

THE HISTORY

BOO K Spain, France, and most parts of Italy, spent SOt11e
VII.
time in Turkey, and those eastern countries,) he
164;
. seelned to be \vholly delighted with those looser ex-
ercises of pleasure, hunting, hawking, and the like;
in which the 110ùility of that time too much de-
lighted to excel. After the troubles begun, having
the cOlnmand of the first or second regiment of
horse, that ,vas raised for the king's service, he
wholly gave hiInself up to the office and duty of a
soldier; no Inan more diligently obeying, or more
dexterously commanding; for he was not only of a
very keen courage in the exposing his person, hut
an excellent discerner and pursuer of advantage
upon his enemy. He had f a mind and understand-
ing very present in the article of danger, which is a
rare benefit in that profession. Those infiru1ities,
and that licence, which he had forlnerly indulged to
hinlself, he put off with severity, when others thought
them excusable under the notion of a soldier. He
was a great lover of justice, and practised it then
most deliberately, when he had power to do wrong:
and so strict -in the observation of his word and
promise as a comnlander, that he could 110t be per-
suaded to stay in the west, when he found it not in
his power to perform the agreement he had made
,vith Dorchester and Weymouth. If he had lived,
he would have proved a great ornament to that pro-
fession, and an excellent soldier, and by his death
the king found a sensible weakness in his army.
And the But I must here take leave a little longer to dis-
lord vis- . h . · d . f h I b .. h
count Falk- contInue t IS narratIon: an 1 t e ce e rat1ng t e

t

: memory of eminent and extraordinary persons, and

f He had] And had

OF THE JlEBELLI()N.

!241

tranSl11itting their great virtues" for the in1itatiol1 of
posterity, he one of the principal ends and duties of
history, it ,viII not he thought ilnpertinent, in this
place, to rell1ell1her a loss which l1Q tilHe ,,,ill suffer
to be forgotten, and no success or good f<:n'tune
could repair. In this unhappy battle ,vas slain the
lord viscount Falkland; a person of such prodigious
parts of learning and kno,vledge, of that inin1itable
s\veetness and delight in conversation, of so flo\ving
and ohliging a hlllnanity and goodness to 111ankind,
and of that prÍ111itive sÏ1llplicity and integrity of
life, that if there ,vere no other hrand upon this
odious and accursod civil ,val', than that single loss,
it I1lust he Inost infan10us, and execrahle to all pos-
terity.
Turpe lJlo'pi,1)081 Ie, 8010 '/lOll pos,ye (Iolore.
Before this parliall1cnt, his condition of life "ras
so happy that it ,vas hardly capable of Í1npro,,"e-
Inent. Before he canle to he g t,venty years of age,
he ,vas nlaster of a noble fortune, \vhich descended
to hin1 by the gift of a grandfather, \vithout passing
through his father or 1110ther, \vho \vere then both
alive, and not ,veIl enough contented to find theln-
selves passed by in the descent.. His education for
SOlne years had been in Ireland, where his father
,vas lord deputy; so that, \vhen he returned into
England, to the possession of his fnrtune, he ,vas
unentangled ,vith any acquaintance or friends, ,vhich
usually gro\v up by the custonl of conversat.ion;
and therefore ,vas t.o nlake a pure election of his
cOlllpany; ,vhich he chose hy other rules than ,vere

YOLo lY.

be] ]\tof in lJ'1S.
n

BOOK
VII.

16--13.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

4

"_fHE HISTORY

prescribed to the young nobi1ity of that time. And
it cannot be denied, though he admitted some few
to his friendship for the agreeableness of their na-
tures, and their l
ndoubted affection to him, that his
familiarity and friendship, for the lnost part, \vas
with lTIen of the lTIOst elninent and sublime parts,
and of untouched reputation in point of integrity;
and such men had a title to his bosom.
He ,vas a great cherisher of wit, and fancy, and
good parts in any man; and, if he found then1
clou4ed with poverty or \vant, a most liberal and
bountiful patron to\vards them, even above his for-
tune; of which, in those adnlinistrations, he ,vas
such a dispenser, as, if he had been trusted with it
to such uses, and if there had been the least of vice
in his expense, he might have been thought too
prodigal. He was constant and pertinacious in
whatsoever he resolved to do, and not to be wearied
by any pains that were necessary to that end. And
therefore having once resolved not to see London,
which he loved above all places, till he had perfectly
learned the Greek tongue, he went to his own house
in the country, and pursued it with that indefatiga-
ble industry, that it will not be believed in how
short a time he was master of it, and accurately
read all the Greek historians.
In this tin1e, his house being within little more
than ten h miles of Oxford, he contracted familiarity
and friendship with the most polite and accurate
men of that university; \vho found such an im-
menseness of wit, and such a solidity of judgment
in hiln, so infinite a fancy, bound in by a nlost 10-

h within little n10re than ten] within ten

OF TIlE REßELLIO:\T. Q4S

gical ratiocination, such a vast knowledge, that he
,vas not ignorant in any thing, yet such an exces-
sive hlunility, as if he had known nothing, that
they frequently resorted, and d,velt with hhn, as in
a college sjtuated in a purer air; so that his house
,vas a university in a less volulne; whither they
caDle not so nluch for repose as study; and to exa-
mine and refine those grosser propositions, ,vhich
laziness and consent made current in vulgar con-
versation.
Many attempts were made upon hÍ1n hy the in-
stigation of his 1110ther (,vho was a lady of another
persuasion in religion, and of a 1110st 111HSCuline un-
derstanding, allayed ,vith the passion and infirmities
of her o\vn sex) to pervert him in his piety to the
church of England, and to reconcile hinl to that of
ROlne; \vhich they prosecuted ,yith the more confi-
dence, because he declined no opportunity or occa-
sion of conference ,vith those of that religion, whe-
ther priests or laics; having diligently studied the
controversies, and exactly read all, or the choicest
of the Greek and Latin fathers, and having a nle-
Jnory so stupendous, that he remen1bered, on all oc-
casions, whatsoever he read. And he was so great
an enemy to that passion and uncharitableness,
,vhich he saw produced, by difference of opinioll, in
matters of religion, that in all those disputations
\vith priests, and others of the Roman church, he
affected to manifest all possible civility to their per-
sons, and estimation of their parts; which Inude
thelTI retain still some }lope of his reduction" e\ren
,vhen they had given over offering farther reasons
to hinl to that purpose. But. this charity to\vards
them \vas much ]essened, and any correspondence
R2

BOOK
VII.

I ô43.

BOOK
V1I.

1643.

244

'TfIE 1-11 S1.
OR y

with then1 quite declined, ,vhen, by sinister arts,
they had corrupted his two younger brothers, being
both children, and stolen theln fro111 his house, and
transported theln beyond seas, and perverted his sis-
ters: upon \vhich occasion he writ two large dis-
courses against the principal positions of that reli-
gion, with that sharpness of style, and full weight
of reason, that the church is deprived of great jew-
els in the conceahnent of thenl, and that they are
not published to the \vorld.
He was superior to all those passions and affec-
tions \v hich attend vulgar nlinds, and was guilty of
no other ambition than of kno\vledge, and to be re-
puted a lover of all good men; and that lTIade hinl
too lnnch a conten1ner of those arts, \vhich nlust be
indulged in the transactions of hUll1an affairs. In
the last short parlialnent, he ,vas a burgess in the
house of commons; and, from the debates which
were there i Inal1aged with all inlaginable gravity
and sobriety, he contracted such a reverence to par-
liaments, that he thought it really impossible they
could ever produce mischief or inconvenience to the
kingdonl; or that the kingdonl could be tolerably
happy in the internlission of theln. And from the
unhappy and unseasonable dissolution of that con-
vention, he harboured, it filay be, SOine jealousy and
prejudice to the court, to\vards \vhich he \vas not
before inlmoderately inclined; his father having
,vasted a full fortune there, in those offices and en1-
ploynlents by which other Hlen use to obtain a
greater. He ,vas chosen again this parlianlent to
serve in the saIne place, and, in the beginning of it,

i there] then

{)!1 rrHE REBELLION. 245

declared himself ver y shar p ly and severely against BOO K
VII.
those exorbitances, which had been most grievous
to the state; for he was so rigid an observer of 1643.
established la,vs and rules, that he could not endure
the least breach or deviation from them; and thought
no Inischief so intolerable as the presumption of mi-
nisters of state to break positive rules, for reasons
of state; or judges to transgress known laws, upon
the title of conveniency, or necessity; which made
hiin so severe against the earl of Strafford and the
lord Finch, contrary to his natural gentleness and
telnper: insomuch as they who did not know his
composition to be as free fr0l11 revenge, as it \vas
Froln pride, thought that the sharpness to the for-
Iner Inight proceed fr0l11 the lllelllory of some un-
kindnesses, not without a luixture of injustice, from
him towards his father. But without doubt he was
free froln those tenlptations, and in both cases k was
only misled by the authority of those, .who, he be-
lieved, understood the laws perfectly; of which
himself was utterly ignorant; and. if the assunlp-
tion, ,vhich was then 1 scarce controverted, had been
true, " that an endeavour to overthro\v the funda-
" ll1entalla\vs of the kingdom was In treason," a strict
understanding Juight n1ake reasonable conclusions to
satisfy his o\vn judglnent, fronl the exorbitant parts
of their several charges. '
The great opinion he had of the uprightness and
integrity of those persons who appeared most active,
especially of Mr. IIalnbden, kept him longer from
suspecting any design against the peace of the. king-
dOlll; and though he differed froll1 them cOlllmonly

k in both ca
es] Not in JJJS.
then] Not in
1}1 S.

111 was] had been

It3

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

46

THE HIS1:'ORY

in conclusions, he believed long their purposes were
honest. 'Vhen he grew better informed what was
law, and discerned in then1 a desire to control that
la \v by a vote of one or both houses, no man more
opposed those attelnpts, and gave the adverse party
more trouble by reason and argulnentation; inso-
111uch as he was, by degrees, looked upon as an ad-
vocate for the court, to \vhich he contributed so
little, that he declined those addresses, and even
those invitations which he ,vas obliged almost by
civility to ..entertain. And he was so jealous of the
least imagination that he should incline to prefer-
ll1ent, that he affected even a moroseness n to the
court, and to the courtiers; and left nothing un-
done \vhich n1ight prevent and divert the king's or
queen's favour towards hiln, but the deserving it.
For when the king sent for him once or t\vice to
speak with hiln, and to give him thanks for his ex-
cellent con1portment in those councils, which his
majesty graciously termed" doing him service," his
answers were lTIOre negligent, and less satisfactory,
than might he expected; as if he cared only that
his actions should be just, not that they should be
acceptable, and that his majesty should think that
they proceeded only froin the inlPulsion of con-
science, \vithout any sYlTIpathy in his affections;
which, from a stoical and sullen nature, Inight not
have been l11isinterpreted; yet, frOl1l a person of so
perfect a habit of generous and obsequious cOlnpli-
ance with all good men, might very well have been
interpreted by the king as more than an ordinary
averseness to his service: so that he took 1110re

n moroseness] morosity

OF THE REBELLION. 247

pains, and more forced his nature to actions un.. BOOK
agreeable, and unpleasant to it, that he Inight not VII.
be thought to incline to the court, than lnost lnen 1643.
have done to procure an office there. And if any
thing but not doing his duty could have kept hilTI
Fronl receiving a testÍ1110ny of the king's grace and
trust at that time, he had not been called to his
council; not that he was in truth averse froln re-
ceiving 0 public emploYI11ent; for he had a gr
at de-
votion to the king's person, and had before used
some sl11all endeavour to be reconlmended to hiIn for
a foreign negociation, and had once a desire to be
sent 3111bassador into France; but he abhorred an
imagination or doubt should sink into the thoughts
of any man, that, in the discharge of his trust and
duty in parliall1ent, he had any bias to the court, or
that, the king himself should apprehend that he
looked for a re\vard for being honest.
For this reason, when he heard it first \vhis-
pered, " that the king had a purpose to lnake him a
" privy P counsellor," for which there ,vas, in the be-
ginning, no other ground, but because he was known
sufficient, (llaud se'Jnper errat falna, aliq'llanllo et
eligit,) he resolved to decline it ; and at last suffered
himself only to be overruled, by the ad vice and per-
suasions of his friends, to submit to it. Afterwards,
when he found that the king intended to make him
secretary of state, he was positive to refuse it; de-
claring to his friends, "that he was most unfit for it,
" and that he l11ust either do that which \vould be
" great disquiet to his o\\rn nature, or leave that un-
" done which was Inost necessary to be done by one

o averse from receiving] a\.erse
to the court or from receiving

p privy] Not in ]}IS.

n4

,

BOOK
VII.

1643.

Q48

1.' HE 1-1 I 8'1"0 l{ Y

" that ,vas honoured with that place; for the q 1110st
" just and honest Inen did, every day, that which he
" could not give hÎ1nself leave to do." And indeed
he ,vas so exact and strict an observer of justice and
truth l', that he believed those necessary condescen-
sions and applications to the ,veakness of other tUell,
and those arts and insinuations ,vhich are necessary
for discoveries, and prevention of ill, ,vould be in
hin1 a declension frolll his o\vn rules of life: though
he ackno\vledged thelll S fit, and absolutely necessary
to be practised in those employments. He ,vas, .in
truth, t so precise in ,the practic principles he pre-
scribed hinlself, u (to all others he was as indulgent,)
as if he had lived ill 'republica Pllllollis, nOil ill
fæce ROJJulli.
T\vo reasons prevailed ,vith hiln to receive the
seals, and but for those he had resolutely avoided
then}. "fhe first, the consideration that his refusal x
might bring sonle blenlish upon the king's affairs,
and that men ,,,ould have believed, that he had re-
fused su great an honour and trust, becapse he 111ust
have been \vith it ohliged to do sOlnewhat else llot
justifiable. . And this he l11ade 11latter of conscience,
since he knew the king Inade choice of hin1, before
other tuen, especially because he thought hÍln nlore
honest than other lnen. The other was, lest he
Inight be thought to avoid it out of fear to do an
ungracious thing to the house of C01l11110ns, \vho
\vere sorely troubled at the displacing sir Harry
Vane, \vhom they looked upon as rell10ved for hav-

q the] that the
1" truth] 1118. adds: ad amus-
sim.
! lhough he acknowledged

t.hem] which he acknowledged
t He was, in truth,]
\nd wa::;
11 himself,] to himseU:
x his refusal] it

OF 'fIlE H,EBEIJLION.

Q.HJ

ing done then1 those offices they stood in need of;
and the disdain of so popular an incu n1brance
wrought upon him next to the other. For as he
had a full appetite of fanle by just and generous ac-
tions, so he had an equal contempt of it by any ser-
vile expedients: and he so n1uch the lllore consented
to and approved the justice upon sir Harry Vane, in
his own private judglnent, by ho\v much he sur-
passed In08t 111en in the religious observation of a
trust, the violation ,vhereof he would not adnlit of
any excuse for.
For these reasons, he sublnitted to the king's C0I11-
uland, and becanle his secretary, ,vith as hUlnble and
devoted Y an acknowledglnent of the greatness of the
obligation, as could be expressed, and as true a sense
of it in his heart. Yet two things he could never
bring hiulself to, \vhilst he continued in that office,
that ,vas to his death; for \vhich he was contented
to he reproached, as for onlissions in a n10st necessary
part of his place. The one, eU1ploying of spies, or
giving any countenance or entertainment to theln.
I do not nlean such en1issaries, as \vith danger \vould
venture to view the enelny's can1p, and bring intelli-
gence of their number, or quartering, or any parti-
culars that z such an observation can comprehend;
but those, ,vho by conlnlunication of guilt, or dis-
simulation of Inanncrs, \vind a thelnsel ves into such
trusts and secrets, as enable ù then1 t
l1lake dis..
coveries. C The other, the liberty of opening letters,
upon a suspicion that they J11ight contain Inatter of

Y devoted] devout
. Z or any particuiars that] ur
such general:-õ as
d wind] wound

b enable] enabled
C discoveries.] discuveries tl}r
the benefit of the state.

BOOK
VII.

I ö43.

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

250

THE HISTORY

dangerous consequence. For the first, he would say,
" such instruments n1ust be void of all ingenuity,
" and con11non honesty, before they could be of use;
" and after\vards they could never be fit to be cre-
" dited: and that no single preservation could be
"\vorth so general a wound, and corruption of hu-
" man society, as the cherishing such persons would
" carry with it." The last, he thought " such a viola-
" tion of the law of nature, that no qualification by of-
" fice could justify hin1 rl in the trespass;" and though
he \vas convinced by the necessity, and iniquity
of the time, that those advantages of information
,vere not to be declined, and \vere necessarily to be
practised, he found means to put it off e fron1 him-
self; whilst f he confessed he needed excuse and par-
don for the omission: so unwilling he was to resign
any part of good nature g to an obligation in his of-
fice.
In all other particulars he filled his place with
great sufficiency, being "Tell versed h in languages, to
understand any that are used in business, and to
make hill1self again understood. To speak of his
integrity, and his high disdain of any bait that might
SeelTI to look to\vards corruption, in tanto Vil.0, i ll-
juria virtutul1Z fuerit. Some sharp expressions he
used against the archbishop of Canterbury, and his
concurring in the first bill to take a\vay the votes of
bishops in the house of peers, gave occasion to SOUle
to believe, and opportunity to others to conclude, and
publish, " that he was no friend to the church, and

d him] a single person

put it off] shift it
f whilst] when
g any part of good nature]

any thing in his nature
h with great sufficiency, be-
ing well versed] plentifully, be-
ing sufficiently versed

OF TIlE REßELLION.

Q51

" the established governUlent of it;" and troubled his. BOO K
. fid f h VII.
very frIends much, who \vere 1110re con ent 0 t e
contrary, than prepared to ans,ver the allegations. 1643.
The truth is, he had unhappily contracted some
prejudice to the archbishop; and having observed his
passion, i when, it Inay be, multiplicity of business,
or other indisposition, had possessed him, did wish
him less entangled and engaged in the business of
the court, or state: though, I speak it knowingly, he
had a singular estimation and revel
ence of his great
learning, and confessed integrity; and really thought
his o\vn letting hÎ1nself loose k to those expressions,
which in1plied a disesteeln of the archbishop, 1 or at
least an acknowledgment of his infirmities, would
enable hiIn to shelter him from part of the storm he
sa\v raised for his destruction; which he abonlÎnated
,vith his soul.
The giving his consent to the first bill for the dis-
placing the bishops, did proceed frolll two grounds:
the first, his not understanding then ß1 the original
of their right and suffrage there: the other, an opi-
nion, that the combination against the whole govern-
ment of the church by bishops, was so violent and
furious, that a less cOlnposition than the dispensing
with their interilleddling in secular affairs, \vould
not preserve the order. And he was persuaded to
this by the profession of many persons of honour,
who declared, " they did desire the one, and would
" not then press the other;" which, in that particu-
lar, misled many men. But ,vhen his observation

i and having observed his pas-
sion,] and having only known
hin1 enough to observe his pas-
SIOn,

k his own letting hÏ1nself
loose] his letting himself
I of t.he archbishop,] of him,
m then] Not in MS.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

25Q

'rIlE lIIS'rORY

and experience nlade hinl discern III ore of their in-
tentions, than he before suspected, with great frank-
ness he opposed the second bill that was preferred
for
hat purpose; and had, "\\rithout scruple, the order
itself in perfect reverence; and thought too great
encouragelnent could not possibly be given to learn-
ing, nor too great rewards to learned men. He was n
never in the least degree s\vayed or 1110ved by the
objections which were made against that government
in the church 0, (holding them most ridiculous,) or
affected to the other, which those nlen fancied to
themselves.
He had a courage of the nlost clear and keen
tel1lper, and so far from fear, that he seelned not
without some appetite P of danger; and therefore,
upon any occasion of action, he al,vays engaged
his person in those troops, which he thought, by the
for,vardness of the comillanders, to be lllost like to
be farthest engaged; and in all such encounters he
had about hÏ1n an extraordinary cheerfulness, q with-
out at all affecting the execution that usuaHy at-
tended thenl, r in which he took no delight, but took
pains to prevent it, where it ,vas not, by resistance,
Inade S necessary: insomuch that at Edge-hill, 'v hen
the enenlY was routed, he \vas like to have incurred
great peri], by interposing to save those who had
thro,vn a,vay their arms, and against ,vhom, it may
be, others \vere 11lore fierce for their having thrown

n lIe was] And was
o in the church] Not in J1S.
p
eemed not without some
appetite] wa
not without ap-
petite
'I an extraordinary chct:'rfnl-

ness,] a strange cheerfulness and
com paniableness,
r that usually attended them,]
that was then principally to be
attellrl
d,
:.; nlade] iVai in .Jl,
'.

OF TI-IE REBELl..ION.

25
J

then1 a\vay: so that t a 111an might think, he caBle BOO K
VII.
into the field chiefly U out of curiosity to see the face
of danger, and charity to prevent the shedding of ] 6.13.
blood. Yet in his natural inclination he acknow-
1edged he ,vas addicted to the profession of a soldier;
and shortly after he caIne to his fortune, before he
,vas of age, x he went into the Lo,v Countries, \\'"ith
a resolution of procuring comll1and, and to give hÍ1n-
self up to it, from which he was diverted Y by the
complete inactivity of that surnnler: so Z he returned
into England, and shortly after entered upon that
vehement course of study ,ve mentioned before, till
the first alaru111 fl'Onl the north; then a again he
made ready for the field, and though he received
SOllIe repulse in the conlmand of a troop of horse, of
which he had a prolnise, he went a volunteer with
the earl of Essex.
Froln the entrance into this unnatural \Val
, his
natural cheerfulness and vivacity grew clouded, and
a kind of sadness. and dejection of spirit stole upon
him, which he had never been used to; yet being
one of those \"ho believed that one battle would end
all difr
rences, and that there ,vould be so great a
victory on one side, that the other ,vould be com-
pelled to submit to any conditions frolll the victor,
(which supposition and conclusion generally sunk
into the Blinds of most tuen, and prevented the look-
ing after n1any advantages, that Inight then have
been laid hold of,) he resisted those indispositions, et
ill lucili, bellll1/l illter '/
elnedi{l era!. But after the

t so that] insomuch as
11 chiefly] only
x before he was of age,] and
before he came to age, ....

diverted] converted
z so] and so
3 then] and then

BOOK
VII.

) 643.

25i

THE I-IISTORY

king 7 s return from Brentford, and the furious resolu-
tion of the t\VO houses not to adlllit any treaty for
peace, those indispositions, \vhich had before touched
him, grew into a perfect habit of un cheerfulness ;
and he, who had been so exactly easy b and affable
to all nlen, that his face and countenance was always
present, and vacant to his company, and held any
cloudiness, and less pleasantness of the visage, a kind
of rudeness or incivility, becalne, on a sudden, less
cOlnmunicable; and thence, very sad, pale, and ex-
ceedingly affected with the spleen. In bis clothes
and habit, which he had minded C before always with
more neatness, and industry, and expense, than is
usual to so great a soul, d he ,vas not now only in-
curious, but too negligent; and in his reception of
suitors, and the necessary or casual addresses to his
place, so quick, and sharp, and severe, that there
wanted not some men, (strangers e to his nature and
disposition,) ,vho believed him proud and inlperious,
froln which no lllortal nlan ,vas ever more free.
I t is true, that f as he was of a Dlost incomparahle
gentleness, application, and even submission g to
good, and worthy, and entire men, so he was natu-
rally (which could not but be more evident in his
place, which objected him to another conversation
and intermixture, than his own election would have h
done) ad'versus 1nalos injucu1ldus; and was so ill a
dissem bIer of his dislike and disinclination to ill men,
that it ,vas not possible for such not to discern it.

h easy J unreserved
c n1Ïnded] intended
ù soul,] mind,

strangers]
'ho were strang-
ers

f It is true, that] The truth is,
g even submission] even a de-
missness, and submission
h would have] had

OF THE REnEI
LION.
55

There ,vas once, in the house of commons, such a
declared acceptation of the good service an eminent
member had done to thenl, and, as they said, to the
whole kingdom, that it was moved, he being present,
" that the speaker might, in the name of the ,vhole
" house, give hinl thanks; and then, that every
" member might, as a testimony of his particular ac-
" knowledgment, stir or move his hat to\vards him;"
the which (though not ordered) ,,,hen very many
did, the lord Falkland, (who believed the service it-
self not to be of that nlolnent, and that an honoura-
ble and generous person could not have stooped to
it for any reconlpense,) instead of moving his hat,
stretched both his arms out, and clasped his hands
together upon the cro\vn of his hat, and held it close
do\vn to his head; that all men might see, how
odious that flattery was to him, and the very appro-
hation of the person, though at that tÌnle nlost popu-
lar.
"Vhen there was any overture or hope of peace,
he \vould be more erect and vigorous, and exceed-
ingly solicitous to press any thing which he thought
nlight promote it; and sitting among his friends,
often, after a deep silence and frequent sighs, would,
\vith a shrill and sad accent, ingeminate the word
Peace, Peace; and \vould passionately profess, " that
" the very agony of the war, and the view of the ca-
" lamities and desolati.on the kingdoln did and must
" endure, took his sleep from hÎIn, and would shortly
" break his heart." This made sonle think, or pre-
tend to think, " that he was so lunch enamoured on
"peace, that he would have been glad the king
,
should have bought it at any price;" 'v hich was a
n10st unreasonable calumny. As if a man, that ,vas

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
vu.

] 643.

Q56

TI-IE II I STOR "'""

hhnself the 1110st punctual and precise in every cir-
cumstance that might reflect upon conscience or ho-
nour, could have ,vished the king to have conul1itted
a trespass against either. And yet this senseless
scandal l11ade SOlne hnpression upon him, or at least
he used it for an excuse of the daringness of his
spirit; for at the leaguer before Gloucester, ,vhen his
friend i passionately reprehended hinl for exposing
his person unnecessarily to danger, (for he li delighted
to visit the trenches, and nearest approaches, and to
discover ,vhat the enelny did,) as being so Inuch be-
side the duty of his place, that it 111ight be under-
stood rather to be 1 against it, he ,\Tould say Inerrily,
" that his office could not take a,vay the privilege m
" of his age; and that a secretary in ,val' Inight be
"present at the greatest secret of dangel
;" but
withal alleged seriously, " that it concerned hinl to
" be more active in enterpì-ises of ha
ard, than other
" men; that all 111ight see, that his Ï1npatiency for
" peace .proceeded not from pusillanÎ1nity, or fear to
" adventure his o,vn person."
. In the morning before the battle, as ahvays upon
action, he was very cheerful, and put hilnself into
the first rank of the lord Byron's reginlent, then n
advancing upon the enenlY, who had lined the
hedges on both sides with musketeers; froln whence
he ,vas shot ,vith a musket in the lo,,'er part of the
belly, and in the instant falling from his horse, his
body was not found till the next Inorning; till when,
there ,vas sonle hope he might have he en a prisoner;
though his nearest friends, who knew his telnper,

i friend] friends
k for he] as he
J rathel' to be] lV(Jf in ..US.

m privilege] privileges
n t hen] who was then

OF 1."lIE REBEI.]
ION.
57

received small cOlnfort froin that Ï1nagination. Thus BOO K
VII.
fell that incomparable young man, in the four and
thirtieth Jear of his age, having so much despatched 1643.
the trueO business of life, that the eldest P rarely at-
tain to that immense knowledge, and the youngest
enter not into the world with ll10re innocency: q
whosoever leads such a life, needs be the less anxious r
upon ho\v short warning it is 8 taken froln him.
(Now to go on with the course of our history :)tThe earl of
. Essex re-
the earl of Essex entered Into London on the 25th turns to
of Seþtember, (a day we shall have occasion to re- London.
member upon another solemnity,) and was the next
day visited, at Essex house, by the speaker and the
whole house of COIDlllons, who declared to him,
"that they came to congratulate his notable suc-
" cess, and to render the thanks of the kingdom to
" him, for his incomparable conduct and courage;
" and that they had caused their acknowledgment
" to be entered in their journal book, as a monu-
" ment and record of his virtue, and their grati-
"tude." A day or two after, solemn thanks were
rendered to those n1embers of both houses, who had
command in the army, and son1e extraordinary sig-
nification of respect derived to the superior officers
throughout the arlny. A gaudy letter of kindness
and value was sent to colonel Massy, and, which
made the letter of more value, a thousand pounds
was sent him as a gratuity or present for his service,
over and above what was due. to him for his pay,

o true] Not in MS.
p eldest] oldest
q innocency:] innocence:
r needs be the less anxious]
need not care
Y01.... IV.

8 it is] it be
t (Now to go on with the
course of onr history:)] Not in
MS.

s

258

THE HIS1.'ORY

BOO K and sonle largess to all the inferior officers, and a
VII. month's pay, over and above their arrears, to the
1643. soldiers of that garrison.
Lest the discourse and apprehension of the jea-
lousy between the earl of Essex and sir \Villianl
Waller might administer hope or suspicion, that
SOUle division might grow amongst themselves, and,
froln thence, that the king might receive any ad-
vantage, great care was taken to lnake, and greater
to publish, a reconciliation between thelll; in \vhich
sir William was all submission and humility, and
his excellence full of grace and courtesy. The pas-
sion and animosity, \vhich difference of opinion had
produced bet,veen any members, ,vas totally laid
aside and forgotten, and no artifice omitted to Inake
the world believe, that they were a people ne\v ly in-
corporated, and as firmly united to one and the same
end, as their brethren the Scots; of whose concur-
rence and assistance they were now assured, and
satisfied that it would come soon enough for their
preservation; of which they had not before a full
confidence.
Though the king's arnlY had all t.he trophies of
victory in and after this battle, as is before re]ated, U
(it kept the field, and had the spoil of it; it took
some pieces of the enenlY's cannon, who luarched off
in the night, and were x pursued with SOllie consider-
able loss beyond Reading, \vhere a garrison was
again placed for his majesty, under the command of
sir Jacob Ashley, major general of the army, an ex-
cellent officer; so that the parlianlent was in so
much a ,vorse state than they ,vere in the spring, as

\1 as is before related,] Not iu ßlS.

x were] was

OF ".rH,E REBELLION. !l59

the loss of Bristol and lTIOst of the west 31TIOunted ß 0 0 K
to; for by this time Exeter was likewise reduced by VII.
prince Maurice,) yet, not\vithstanding all this, the 1643.
earl of Essex, as is said before, was received at Lon-
don ,vith all inlaginable gratulation and triulnph;
he had done all that was expected fronl him, with
JIlany circun1stances of great, soldierly,Y and notable
courage, and the heart and spirit of the parliament
,vas visibly lnuch exalted, and their Ïlnpatience for
peace quite abated.
On the contrary, upon the king's return to Oxford, The temper
h d h . 1 d .. f . d d . of the ar-
t ere appeare not lUg Jut ejectIon 0 nun, 1S- my ;md the
content and secret n1utin y in the al'111 Y auO'er and court at
, \ ' n Oxfmd,
J .ealous y alTIOn g the officers, ever y onp accusin2' an- upon the
LI return of
other of \vant of courage and conduct in the actions the king
thither.
of the field; and they ,vho ,vere not of the arl11Y,
blan1ing them all for their several failings and gross
oversights. The siege of Gloucester ,vas not be-
lieved to have been well conducted, and that it
might have been taken in half the tÍlne they \vere
hefore it, if it had been skilfully gone about. The
not engaging the earl of Essex in all the 111arch
over so open a. country, was thought unexcusable,
and ,vas Ï1llputed to the \vant of courage in \Vihnot,
\vhom prince Rupert did in no degree favour: nor
,vas the prince hhnself without sonle reproaches, for
suffering the earl of Essex, after all the hoì
se \vas
joined, to Inarch do,vn a long steep hill into the
vale of Gloucester, without any disturbance; and
that the whole army, when it was found necessary to
quit the siege, had not been brought to fight in t]lat
vale, and at some distance fr0111 the to\vn, \vhen the

) great, soldierly,] great soldiery,
S 2

BOOK
VII.

) 643.

Q60

THE HISTORY

king's men ,vere fresh, and the other side tired ,vith
so long a nlarch.
But then all lllen renewed their execrations against
those, ,,,ho advised the sitting down z before Glou-
cester; the officers, who had been present, and con-
senting to all the counsels, disclain1ing, as much as
any, the whole design; and aU conspired to lay the
whole reproach upon the lnaster of the roBs, ,,,ho
spoke most in those debates, and ,vas not at all gra-
cious to the soldiers; and this clamour against that
engagen1ent was so popular and universal, that no
man took upon himself to speak in defence of it ;
though, besides the reasons which have been for-
merly alleged for it, what happened in this last ac-
tion, in the relief of Gloucester, a luight ,veIl seem to
justify it; for since it appeared, that the city was so
much united to the parliament, that it supplied their
arnlY with such a body of their trained bands, (with-
out ,vhich it could never have marched,) with what
success could his nlajesty have approached Lon-
don, after the taking of Bristol, with his harassed b
army? and ,vould not the whole body of the trained
bands have defended that, when so considerable a
part of theln could be persuaded to undertake a
march of t,vo hundred mnes? for less they did not
Inarch, from the time they went out, to that in which
they returned. But no reason could ever convert
those, who looked upon that undertaking at Glou-
cester, as the ruin of the king's affairs.
The temper of the court was no better than that
of the army: and the king was so much troubled

z the sitting down] tbe en-
gagement
a what happened in tbis last

action, in the relief of Glou-
cester,] this last action
b harassed] miserable

OF THE REBELLION.
61

\vith both, that he did not enjoy the quiet his con-
dition required. They who had forborne to be im-
portunate for honours, or offices, because they knew
they should not be able to obtain their desires from
the king, nlade their modesty an argument of their
merit to the queen; and assured her, " that they
" had forborne to ask any thing in her absence, be-
" cause they had always resolved never to receive
" any thing, but by her bounty." l\lany pretended
forn1er promises and engagenlents for creations of
honour, as soon as any thing should be done of that
kind. And it is true enough, that both their ma-
jesties had given thelTISe]ves ease from present in1-
portunities, by making prolllises, with reference to a
tilne, which they iInagined, and, at that tinle, re-
solved, should not be soon: and now there ,vas no
sooner Inention of conferring honour upon one or
two whom they had a Inind to gratify, but the rest,
who had that promise, were very Íll1portunate and
clamorous for the same justice. By this c means
they were, upon the lnatter, compelled to gratify
some n1en to WhOlTI they bore no good-will; and so,
they ,vho received the favours were no nlore pleased,
than they were who conferred them; and they who
\vere without ambition before, when they saw ho-
nours and offices conferred upon men, ,vho, they
thought, did not merit them better than themselves,
thought their service undervalued if they did not re-
ceive the san1e reward. And it was a usual pro-
logue to suits of that kind, " that they did not de-
" sire it out of their own ambition, but purely to sa-
" tisfy their friends; who withdrew their kindness

C By this) And by this
s3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

HOOK
VII.

] 643.

.

Qö2

'rIfE H IS'rOI{ Y

"fron1 them, out of an opinion that they had of-
" fended the king, who \vould not otherwise put so
" great a difference between them and other Inen."
'Vhence it lllay be observed, that d princes should
not confer public l
ewards in a season when they can
only gratify a e fe,v, and f so nlany stand upon the
san1e level in pretences, that theyg are apt to resent h
the preferring of one, as an affront and disobligation
to the rest.
There \vas no particular that gave the king 11101'e
unquietness, than the pretence i of nIY lord of IIol-
land. The three earls I before mentioned, k had at-
tended the king before he rose frOll1 Gloucester, and
had ,vaited upon hiln throughout that 111arch, and
had charged the enemy, in the king's regilnent of
horse, at the battle of Newbury, very bravely; and
had behaved thelnselves, throughout, very well; and
returned to Oxford \vith his 111ajesty; and now ex-
pected to be well looked upon: and the other t\VO
had no cause to complain; the king, upon all occa-
sions, spoke very graciously to them, and particu-
larlyl sent the chancellor of the exchequer to the
earl of Clare, " that he had liberty, and luight be
" present at the councils of war;" \vhere the peers
usually were, and where the general matters of con-
tribution, and such things as concerned the country,
,vere usually debated. But the earl of Holland was
not pleased; he thought nothing of former miscar-
riages ought to be remembered; that all those were

d \Vhence it llmy be observed,
that] Nut in j}JS.
e a] Not inlJ:1S.
f and] and when
g that they] and

h to resent] to feel
i pretence] presence
k I before mentioned,] Not in
MS.
1 particularly] Not in frlS.

OF rrHE REBELLION.
63

cancelled by the l11erit of con1ing to the king now,
and bringing such considerable persons ,vith him,
and disposing others to follow; and expected, upon
his first appearance, to have had his key restored to
him; to have been in the same condition he was in
the bedchamber, and in the council, and in the
king's grace and countenance; of all which he had
assurance fronl the queen before he came, at least
from Mr. Jerlnyn, ,vho, no doubt, did exceed his
commission; and the very deterring of this was
grievous to hin1; and the 1110re, hecause he found
the same disrespect frolll all others, as he had done
,v hen he came first to Oxford.
He came frequently in the afternoon to Merton
college; where the queen lay, and where the king
\vas for the most part at that time of the day, and
both their majesties looked well upon him, and
spoke m to him in public as occasion was adnlinis-
tered. Sometimes the king went aside ,vith him to
the windo\v, in the same room, where they spoke 11
a quarter or half an hour together, out of the hear-
ing of any body; which the queen did often in the
saIne luanneI'; and 1\11'. Jernlyn, who was about this
time luade a baron, ,vas very frequently with him.
The king was always upon his guard towards him,
and did not, in truth, abate any thing of his fornler
rigour or prejudice, and continued firln to his former
resolutions. But the queen, whether from her incli-
nation, or pron1Ïse, or dislike of nlost other people,
who were not so good courtiers, (as sure none was
equal to him in that function and mystery,) did in
truth heartily desire, that he might receive satisfac-

ITI spoke] ðpake

n spoke] spake

s4

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

264

l."HE HISTORY

tion in aU things, according to his own desire; and
would have trusted him herself as much as formerly:
yet she complied so far with the king's aversion, that
she yet forbore to press it, or to own the encourage-
ment she had given him; nor had she a willingness
to oppose so great a torrent of prejudice,O as she
saw evidently run against him; so that she appeared
not to wish, what \vithout doubt she would have
been very glad of. However the marquis of Hert-
ford ,vas no,v come to Oxford, and expected the
performance of the king's promise to him, and to be
admitted into the office of groom of the stole; of
which the king took not the least notice to him
since his return; \vhich made it the more suspected,
that the intention was to readlnit the old officer;
and this apprehension was confirlned by the queen's
looking less graciously upon the n1arquis, than she
had used to do. .And it is t. ue, though it may be she
did not intend to make any such discovery by her
looks, she was not pleased that any such promise
was made, both because it was \vithout her consent,
and rrs it crossed what she designed; and nluch de-
sired that the marquis could have been persuaded to
have released it; towards ,vhich the lord J erlnyn,
with some passion, spoke p to the chancellor of the
exchequer, " ho\v unreasonable a thing it was for
"the marquis, "rho was master of so great a for-
"tune, to affect such a low preferment," (as he
termed it,)q" and how generous a thing it would be
" to quit his pretence:" but he quickly discovered
hhn not to be willing to engage in any such propo-

o prejudice,] n1alice and pre- q (as he tern1ed it,)] Not in
judice, MS.
p spoke] spake

OF TI-IE REBELLION.

65

sition. All this wonderfully indisposed the other r
lords, and the persons of quality in the town, who
did not wish to see the court just filled S as it had
been, or the queen herself possessed of so absolute a
power, as she had been formerly; though they looked
upon her person with all duty and reverence.
The earl of Holland did not act his own part with
that art and dexterity, which might have been ex-
pected fronl his cunning t and experience; nor had
ever Inade the least apology to the king for any
thing he had formerly done; nor appeared to have
the least sense that he had committed any error, as
his n1ajesty himself declared to those, who he knew
\vere his friends; u and said, " that he behaved him-
" self with the same confidence and assurance, as he
" had done when he was lTIOst in his favour; and
" that he retained still the old artifice at x court, to
" be seen to whisper in the king's and queen's ear,
" by ,vhich people thought there was some secret,
" ,vhen the matter of those whispers was nothing
" but what might be said in the open court; andY
" that the earl of Holland had several times seemed
" to desire to say somewhat in private to him, upon
" \vhich he had withdrawn from the company to the
" end or corner of the room, and, at first, expected
" and apprehended, that he would say sOITIewhat in
" his own excuse; but that he had never then said
" one word, but what he might have spoke in the

BOOK
VII.

1643.

r other] Not in MS.
S just filled] Omitted in
lUS.
t cunning] wisdom
U declared to those, who he
knew were his friends;] Ori-
ginally in IJJS.: told the chan..

celLor, who he knew ,vas his
friend;
x at] of
Y the open court; and] the
market; so his ß1ajesty pro-
tested

BOOK
VII.

1643.

66

'rHE HIS'rOltY

" circle; with which," the king z said, " he ,vas the
" better pleased; and that he believed, he had not
"been 1110re particular in his discourse a ,vith the
" queen, b save that he used to entertain her with
"the ,visdom C and 11o,ver of the parliament, and
" ,vhat great things they would be able to do, and
" ho\v much they were respected in foreign parts;
" which," his ßlajesty said, " was a strange discourse
" for a man to make, who had so lately left thein,
" because he thought the king's condition to be the
" better of the two."
The earl had a friend, d ,vho did heartily desire to
do hin1 all the offices and services that \vould consist
with the king's honour, and always apprehended the
ill consequence of discouraging such conversions,e and
,vho spoke f often to the earl of his o\vn affairs. And
,vhen he complained of his usage, and repeated ,vhat
promises and encouragement he had received to
come to the king, and of what importance his good
reception would have been; " that there were many
,
of considerable reputation and interest in the
" house of cOllln10ns," (whom he named,) " who in-
"tended to have followed, and that the earl of
" Northumberland expected only his advice;" his
friend g asked hitn," whether he had done all things,
" since he came to the king, which 11light reasonably
" be expected from him?" He said, " he thought he
" had done all could be expected from hÜn, in bring-
" ing hirrlself to the king; and, since his cOIning to

Z the king] he
a in his discourse] Not in
MS.
b the queen,] his wife,
c the wisdom] with discour
c

of the wisdOln

d The earl had a friend,] Ori-
ginally in
IS. : The chancellor,
e conversions,] revolutions,
t and who spoke] spake
go his friend] Originally: the
chancellor

OF 'fHE IlEBELLION.

267

" hinl, in venturing his life for him; and in lieu
" thereof he had not received thanks, or one gracious
" word; and now, after his office had heen kept un-
" hesto\ved near t\VO years, and a prolnise made to
" hin1, that he should be restored to it, it ,vas to be
" bestowed upon another, to n1ake his disgrace the
"more notorious; \vhich he thought ,vould not
" prove for his Inajesty"s honour or advantage."
His friend h asked him, " \vhether he had asked it
" of the king, or informed hin1 of the prolnise that
" \vas ß1ade to hiIn?" He said, " he had done nei-
" ther, nor ever \vould; he expected it of the king's
"grace, and ,vould not extort it by a prolnise,
" \vhich, it ß1ight be, his n1ajesty ,vas not privy to."
The other replied very plainly to hÍll1, " that if he
h thought he had never cOl1unitted any fault against
" the king, he had no reason to ackno\vledge it, or
" Inake excuse for it; but if he were conscious i of
" any such, how unwarily soever it had been done,
" or how unn1aliciously soever it had been intended,
" he ought to make some confession and apology to
" his majesty; nor could his n1ajesty, ,vith the safety
" of his honour, avow the receiving hin1 into any
" trust without it; nor was he capable of receiving
" any offices fron1 his friends, or the queen's own
"declared interposition on his behalf, tiU he had
" performed that necessary introduction." lie told
him, " if he would follow his advice, he believed he
" lnight receive some effect of it;" which was, " that
" he should send to desire a private audience of his
" majesty in some }'oom, where nobody Inight be
" present; which would not be refused hin1; and

h His friend] Originally: The
chanceHor

i conscious ] f)'uilt\"
b .

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

68

'l"HE HISTORY

"then he should (\vith all the excuses upon the
" terror the parlianlent gave to all men, ,vho had
" exceeded the common rules, in their administra-
" tion of the trust they had from his nlajesty; as he
" could not deny he had done in many particulars
" for the advancement of his nlajesty's service) con-
" fess, that he had not been hardy enough. to con-
" teInn that power, but had been so much in a\ve of
" it, that he chose rather to presull1e upon his ma-
"jesty's goodness, than to provoke their jealousy
" and displeasure; and so had cOlllplied \vith them
" more, than in his duty and gratitude to his ma-
" jesty he ought to have done; for which he begged
" his pardon upon his knees; and if he Inight obtain
" it, he made no doubt, he should wipe out the me-
" mory of past offences by 50me new services, which
" should be beneficial to his majesty;" and he added,j
" that he 'Yould do very well, if he would sue out
" his pardon, as the earl of Bedford had done; who
" had asked it of the king when he first kissed his
" hand, and had since \visely taken it out under the
" great seal of England."
The earl of Holland seenled not at all pleased with
this advice; said," He did not think, though he
" \vould not justify all that he had done, his trans-
" gressions were of that magnitude, that they re-
" quired such a forDlality of asking pardon; that his
"case was very different from that of the earl of
" Bedford, who had been in arms, and a general of-
" ficer in the field against the king; whereas be had
" only sat in the parlialnent, as lawfully he Dlight
" do; and if he had failed in his attendance upon

j added,] told him,

OF THE REBELLION.

69

" his majesty, and other\vise deserved his displeasure,
" he had received so n1any marks of it before he de-
" served it, that might ,veIl transport a very faithful
" servant into a discontent. k That as soon as he found
" hinlself restored to any proportion of his majesty's
" grace and confidence, his own inclination \vould
" carry. hin1 to as humble apologies, and as deep ac-
"kno,vledgments of all his transgressions, as could
"be expected from him, and such as he believed
" would reconcile the king's goodness to him: but
" to nlake the first advance by such a kind of sub-
" lllission, he did not think he could prevail over
" himself to do it." Ho\vever, he took his advice
very kindly, and spoke often with him after upon the
same subject.
Being, upon conference ,vith SOllIe other friends,
advised the same, especially hy his daughter, (whom
he loved and esteelned exceedingly,) he 1 seemed re-
solved to do it; but whether he thought worse of
the king's affairs, or liked the court the less, because
he sa,v the poverty of it, and that whatever place or
favour he nlight obtain, he could not expect a sup-
port from it to defray his expenses, (nor could he
draw it from any other place,) he delayed it so long,
that m the king found it reasonable to confer the of-
fice he had before n promised, upon the marquis of
Hertford.
Upon which he ,vithdrew himself, 0 for his conve-
nience, to a neighbour village, where he had a pri-

k discontent.] discontent that
would not become him.
1 he] so that he
m so long, that] till

n before] so long
o Upon which he withdrew
himself,] And then \vithdrawing
himself,

BOOK
VII.

1643.

Q70

THE HIS'fORY

BOO K vate lodging; and, P after a fe,v days, \vith the help
VII.
of a dark night and a good guide, he got hin1self
r r1 1643 . f into the eneln y 's q uarters, and laid hin1self at the
le earl 0
Holland re- feet of the parliament; which, after a short inlpri-
turns into . . 1 _. h - h
the parJia- sonlnent, gave him leave to Ive In IS own ouse,
me nt's - h J.'. h . d . h . h bI
quarters. Wit out tart er consl erlng 1m, t an as a man a e
to do little good or harm. And yet he did endea-
vour to render himself as grateful to then1 as he
could, by an act very unsuitahle to his honour, or
his own generous nature: for he published a declara-
tion in print of the cause of his going to, and re-
turning froln, Oxford; in which he endeavoured to
l11ake it believed, " that his conI passion and love to
" his country had only prevailed with hhu to go to
" the king, in hope to have been able, upon the long
" knowledge his Inajesty had of his fidelity, to per-
" suade hin} to make a peace with his parliament;
" which, from the time of his con1ing thither, he
" had laboured to do; but that he found the court
" so indisposed to peace, and that the papists had so
" great a power there," (using many expressions dis-
honourable towards the king and his c01)ncil,) " that
" he resolved to n1ake what haste he could back to
" the parlialnent, and to spend the remainder of his
" life in their service:" ,vhich action, so contrary to
his own natural discretion and generosity, lost hint
the affection of those few who had preserved SOlne
kindness for him, and got him credit with nohody;
and may teach all men how dangerous it is to step
aside out of the path of innocence and virtue, upon
any presumption to be able to get into it again;
since such men q usually satisfy thel11selves in doing

P and,] Not in MS.

fl
uch Inen] they

OF 'rIlE REBELLION.

271

any thing to mend the present exigent they are in, ß 0 0"
rather than think of returning to that condition of VII.
innocence, fronl whence they departed ,vith a pur- 1643.
pose, perhaps, r of returning.
However, this unhappy ill carriage of the earl
doth not absolve the court s from oversight in treat-
ing hÎln no better; which was a great error; and
made the king, and all those about him, looked upon
as implacable; and so diverted all men from farther
thoughts of returning to their duty by such applica-
tion, and made those who abhorred the war, and the
violent counsels in the carrying it on, choose rather
to acquiesce, and expect a conjuncture \vhen a
general t peace might be Inade, than to expose thenl-
selves by unseasonable and unwelcome addresses.
The earl of Northulnberland, who was gone to Pet-
worth, as is said before, with a purpose of going to
the king, if by the lord Con,vay's negociation, and
the earl of Holland's l'eception, he found encourage-
ment, returned to the parliament, 'v here he was re-
ceived with great respect, all nlen concluding, that
he had never intended to do, what he had not done.
Ånd the other l1lenlbers, who had entertained the
saIne resolutions, changed their minds \vith him, and
returned to their forlner station: and the two earls And like-
. wis!:' the
who yet remanled at Oxford, shortly after found earls of
k h . W . d lledfonl
means to nla e t ell" peace at estmlnster u; an and Clare.
returned again to their o,vn habitation v in London,
without farther nlark of displeasure, than a restraint,
for a time, x from coming to the house of peers, or
being trusted in their counsels.

r perhaps,] Not in IUS. n at'Vestminster] Not in .MS.
5 the court] the l{ing's council -. v habitation] habitations
t general] nni\.ersal x for a time,] Nul in IJ1S.

7

THE HISTOR Y

BOOK The committee from the two houses of parliament,
VII.
which ,vas sent into Scotland in July before, in the
J 643. distraction of their affairs, when sir \Villiam Waller
The trans-
actions of was defeated, and the earl of Essex's army unser-
the COlU- . 11 . I d .e. d h k . d .
mittee of VICea J e, as IS remem Jere , loun t at Ing on1 In so

:::
n good and ready a posture for their reception, that
Scotland. they had called an assembly of their kirk, and a con-
vention of their estates, Y without, and expressly
against, the king's consent, and without any colour
of law; for the time, when, by their late act of par-
liament, they might of right challenge those meet-
ings, was not come by almost a year; and the king
had refused to convene theln sooner. That Z king-
donI was at unity and peace amongst themselves,
and so. at the more leisure to help their neighbours ;
and the governll1ent of all affairs in their hands ,vho
were to be confided in; and they again ruled and
disposed by a fe\v, who were throughly engaged in
the counsels and discomposures in England; for all
those \vho were visibly affected to the king's service,
or disaffected elninently to the persons in authority
there, were fled the kingdom: and they who stay
d
behind, either had, or pretended to have, the same
affections; of which a full declared zeal, and good-
will to the parliament of England, was a comlnon
evidence.
So that the committee found as good a welcome
as they could \vish, and all Dlen disposed to gain
their good opinion: a a committee was appointed,
both out of the convention of estates, and the assem-
bly, " to treat with then), and to make such con-

Y their estates,] the estates,
(
hich is the parliament,)
z That] The

a their good opinion:] a. good
opinion with them:

OF THE REBELl
ION.

Q73

" elusions, as might be thought necessary to advance
" the peace and happiness of both kingdoms." These
men complied ,vith them, in their full sense of the
sad condition of the affairs of England, and in their
own concernnlent in the misfortunes which should
befall them: they said, " they well understood ho,v
" much the fate of Scotland ,vas involved in what
"should befall the parliament ofb England; and
"that 1f the king prevailed by force, and, by the
" po\ver of his army, oppressed those friends, who
" had expressed a tenderness formerly towards thenl,
" they had reason to expect the sanle arnlY should
" he applied to the revenge of those indignities they
" \vould easily persuade his nlajesty, he had suffered
" fronl that his native kingdolll: and therefore they
." needed no arguments to persuade then1 to COIll-
" nliserate the estate of their brethren of England;
" or to convince thei11, that their case was their own,
"and their 111utual safety bound up together: but
"that those politic arguments and considerations
" would have no influence upon the peopl{\, who had
" such a natural affection and. loyalty to their sove-
" reign, as no earthly consideration would be able to
" prevail ,vith thenl to lessen their obedience to-
" ,yards his 111ajesty; and that, albei t there \vas no
"visible party and faction, that appeared in the
" kingdom for the king, yet that there ,vere many
" ,veIl \vishers to hinl, and 11laligners, in their hearts,
" of the present refornlation; ,vho, as soon as there
"should be any preparation for an army to l11arch
" into England, would be ready, upon the specious
" arguments of duty to his nlajesty, and of peace to

VOl.. IV.

h of] in
'f

BOOK
VII.

1643.

!l74

THE HISTORY

BOO K "their country, and might be able to give great dis-
VII. " turbance to the expedition, or to disquiet the realm,
-'643. "when the most eminently affected were In arched
" to\vards the relief of their distressed neighbours;
"except SOlne obligation of conscience were laid
"upon the people; who only preferred what they
" called their piety to God, before their inclination to
" their prince, and the setting up the kingdo111 of
" Jesus Chri
t, before the vindication of a telnporal
" jurisdiction."
A covenant For such an expedient, therefore, they proposed,
proposed by .
the Scots "that a covenant mI.ght be agreed upon bet\veen the
between k - d .C' } .. f I
the two "t\VO
lng 0111S, lOr t Ie utter extIrpatIon 0 pre acy,
kingdoms, "which that kin g do111 was satisfied to be a g reat oL-
and agreed
to. " struction to the reforlnation of religion; and the
" two houses of parliament had discovered a suffi-
"cient aversion from that governInent, by ])aving
" passed a bill for their utter abolition, and in the
" place thereof to erect such a government, as should
"be most agreeable to God's word, which they
" doubted not would be their own presbytery; and
" that the people being ceu1ented together by such
" an obligation, ,vould never be severed and disjoined
" by any temptation."
There was an easy consent, from the cOll1mittee
of the English, to any expedient that might throughly
engage the other nation; and so a forln of \vords
was quickly agreed on between them, for a perfect
combination and Inarriage bet\veen the parliament
and the Scots, in all such particulars, as ,vere most
like to be unacceptable to the king; and this form
being presently communicated to the convention of
estates, and the assembly, as soon found an approba-
tion and concurrence there, \vith as much solenlnity,

OF 'rIlE REBELLION. 275

as ,vas necessary to she,v their temper and re'solu-
tion, and to gain c the consent of the two houses at
'Vestn1inster, whither it was despatched with all
imaginable celerity, and a signification, "that that
"people were in such a for,vardness to advance,
" that they would be in England as soon as they
" could be reasonably expected." And it ,vas indeed
apparent enough, that, upon their d discipline since e
the late cOlnmotions, and the cunning f presage and
foresight of that people, thëre g was nothing requi-
site to their In arch, but the calling thenl together.
Many ,vere of opinion, that this engagement ,vas
proposed "rather to decline being engaged in the quar-
" reI, than out of hope or imagination that the t,vo
" houses would concur with them; for though there
" had been a bill passed, before the last treaty with
" the king, to that purpose, yet they ,veIl knew that
" most of the peers, and persons of quality and in-
" terest in the other house, were willing to depart
" from that overture. Besides, amongst h those who
" raged jointly against episcopacy, there were so
" many opinions, that it would be no less difficult to
"establish their presoytery, than to root out the
" other governlnent, to which they intended by their
" covenant equally to oblige them: so that upon this
"proposition, which was according to the known
" temper of that nation, they should preserve them-
"selves plausibly, and without seeming to desert
" their confederates, from bearing any part in the
" present troubles. However, it would visibly take
" up so much tin1e, that if there were no ebb in the

C gain] provoke
d their J the
{' since] of

f cunning] wise
g there] that there
h muongstJ that amongst
T2

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

I 643.

76

THE HISTORY

" king's prosperity and success, he nlight well finish
" his work, and this interposition be interpreted for
" a politic stratagenl to amuse the English." But if
this was their stratagem, they met with people too
frank hearted, and not scrupulous i to contribute to-
wards it: for the draught of the covenant no sooner
caIne to 'V'estminster, but they shewed a marvellous
inclination to it. Yet as well because it was not yet
known what success the earl of Essex would have in
the relief of Gloucester, which was like to have a
shrewd influence upon In en's affections and con-
sciences, as that they might seeill to use all necessary
deliberation and caution, for the infornlation of their
judgments in a new case, that concerned the religion
and ecclesiastical fabric of the kingdom, they trans-
mitted it to their assembly of divines, to return their
opinion "of the la\vfulness of taking it in point of
" conscience."
The assembly, besides that it ,vas constituted of
members who had all renounced their obedience to
their king, and submission to the church of England,
by their appearance and presence in that convention,
had been lately taught how dangerous it ,vas to dis-
sent from the current opinion of the house of com-
mons: for doctor Featly, (upon whose reputation in
learning they had raised great advantages to them-
selves,) having made many speeches in the asspmbly
in the hehalf of "the order of bishops, and their
" function, and against the alienation of church-lands,
" as sacrilege," and especially inveighed against" the
"liberty that was taken in matter of religion, by
" which so many sects were grown up to the scandal

i not scrupulous] unscnlpulous

OF THE IlEBELLION.
77

" and reproach of the protestant doctrine, if not of BOOK
-. d h . d . VII.
's Christianity itself," had so far Incurre tell' IS-
pleasure, and provoked their jealousy, that an ordi- ] 643.
nary fellow (so well confirmed.in spirit, that they
feared k not his failing or conversion) was directed
to make application to him in cases of conscience,
and after he had gotten sufficient credit with him,
(\vhich was no hard lnatter,) to intimate to hin1,
" that he had a sure and unquestionable conveyance
"to Oxford, or that he was to go thither hin1se]f

" and if be had any occasions to use his service thi-
" ther, he would faithfully execute his commands."
The doctor, believing the lllessenger to be sincere,
and tJle king's affairs standing then prosperous, gave
him letters for the archbishop of Armagh, primate
of Ireland, who ,vaited on his Inajesty; and by this
artifice, the saIne instrument received t\VO or three
letters fron1 hiIn, pretending they were still sent by
infallible hands; and brought then1 always to those
persons by wholn he ,vas intrusted in the work of
his imposture.
The letters contained lllany apologies for hinlselt
" for being engaged in such a congregation, to '\\?hich
" he sublnitted purely out of conscience, and for the
" service of the king and church, in hope that he
" n1Îght be able to prevent many extravagancies, and \
" to contain those unruly spirits within some bounds
" of regularity and moderation;" of his endeavours
that way, he gave lllany instances; and sent copies
of ,vhat he had said in justification of episcopacy, the
liturgy, and the estaLlished government, and con-
cluded with a desire to his grace," to procure a good
" opinion from the king to\vards him, and some bi-
k feared] doubted
T3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

78

TIlE IIISTORY

" shopric or deanery for his recompense." About the
tinlC that this agitatiõn was in Scotland, and very
little before this covenant was transmitted, these let-
ters were produced, and a charge against that doctor,
" for betraying the trust reposed in him, and adher-
" ing to the enemy;" and thereupon the poor man
was expelled the assembly of divines, both his liv-
ings (for he had t\VO within a very slnall distance of
London) sequestered, his study of books and estate
seized, and hilTISelf committed to a common gaol,
,vhere he continued to his death; which befell him
the sooner, through the extreme wants he under-
went; so solicitous was that party to rel110ve any
impedilnent that troubled them, and so implacablc
to any who \vere weary of their journey, though they
had accompanied them very far in their ",ray.
This fresh example the assembly qf godl!! all(l
learned divines had before their eyes when this co..
venant was sent to them for their consideration, and
speedy resolution; and according to the haste it re-
quired, that clergy returned within two days their
full approbation of it; there having been but t\VO
Ininisters who made any pause or scruple of it, and
they again soon confessing" they had received fuIlI
" satisfaction to their doubts in the debate, and that
" they \vere fully convinced of the la\vfulness and
" piety of it." Having received so absolute an ap-
probation and concurrence, and the battle of New-
bury being in that time likewise over, (which cleared
and removed more doubts, than the assembly had
done,) it stuck very fc\v hours ,vith both houses;
but being at once judged convenient and lawful, the

1 full] Not ill
US.

OF TIlE REBELLION.

79

lords and COIllInons, and their assembly of divines, BOOK
· I 0 VB.
Inet together at the church, wIth great so elllnlty to
take it, on the five and t\venticth day of September; ! 643.
ft ]S taken
a double holyday, by the earl of Essex's return m to an
suh-
L d d h . I ... sCrJ bed by
on on, an t IS re IglOUS exerCIse. the lords
Th h f h . d o · 0 t and com-
ere, t,vo or tree 0 t {'II' IVInes went up In 0 mons and
the pulpit successively, not to preach, but to pray;

:
l

f
others, according to their several gifts, to 111ake ora- dh"ines,
. Sept. 25.
tlons upon the ,york of the day. They \vere hy them
told, "that this oath was such, and in the n1atter
" and consequence of it of such concernment, as it
" ,vas truly worthy of them, yea of those kingdoms,
" yea of all the kingdoms of the world: that it could
"be no other, but the result and ans,ver of such
" prayers and tears, of such sincerity and sufferings,
" that three kingdollls should bc thus born, or rather
" nc,v born, in a day: that they were entering upon
" a work of the. greatest mOll1ent and concernn1ent
" to themselves, and to their posterities after them,
" that ever was undertaken by any of theIn, or any
" of their forefathers before then1. That it was a
" duty of the first cOffilnandment, and therefore of
" the highest and noblest order and rank of duties;
" therefore must come forth attended with choicest
" graces, fear, humility, and in the greatest simpli-
" city, and plainness of spirit, and n respect of those
" \vith "Thorn they covenanted. That it was to ad-
" vance the kingdom of Christ here upon earth, and
" 111ake Jerusalenl once lnore the praise of the \vhole
"earth, notwithstanding all the contradictions of
" Inen ;" with many such high expressions, as 0 can

m return] triumphant return n and] in
T4

o as] which

BOOK
VII.

1643.

A copy of
the cove-
nant.

280

'rHE HIS1.'Ol{Y

hardly be conceived, without the view of the records-
and registry that is kept of them. ..
It ,vill be here l110st necessary, that posterity lllay
be infornled of the rare conclusion, in which two na...
tions, with such wonderful unanimity, did agree, and
which was calculated also p for the meridian of a
third kingdom, (for Ireland is likewise conlprehended
in it,) to insert this league and covenant in the pre-
cise terms in which it ,vas received, and entered into;
'v hich was in these ,vords.

A solelnn q leag'ue allll covenant JCYl" 'rejorìJllltioll
and llefence if 'religioll, the lto/lour and Ra}J}Ji-
ness of tile lling', llnll tlte jJeace {lull safety qf
tIle
tllree kingllolllS if England, Scotlallel, and Ire-
lalld.

" 'Ve noblelnen, barons, knights, gentlelnen, citi-
" zens, burgesses, nlinisters of the gospel, and comnlons
" of all sorts, in the kingdon1 of England, Scotland,
" and Ireland, by the providence of God living under
" one king, and being of o,!e reformed religion, having
" before our eyes the glory of God, and the advance-
" ment of the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Je-
" sus Christ, the honour and happiness of the king's
" majesty and his posterity, and (he true public li-
" berty, safety, and peace of the kingdoms, 'v herein
" everyone's private condition is included; and call-
" ing to mind the treacherous and bloody plots, con-
" spiracies, attempts, and practices of the enemies of
" God, against the true religion, and professors there-
" of, in all places.' especially in these three kingdoms,

P also] Not in J18. writing of lorel Clarendon's ({ma..
q A solemn &c.J In the hllnd- lltlensis.

O:F 'fHE REllEI..LION.

Q81

"ever since the refOl'lnation of religion, and how
" n1uch their rage, po\ver, and presumption are of
"late, and at this time, increased and exercised,
" (\vhereof the deplorable estate of the church and
" kingdom of Ireland, the distressed estate of the
" church and kingdon1 of England, and the danger-
" ous estate of the church and kingdoll1 of Scotland,
" are present and public te
tinlonies,) we have 1l0\V
" at last, (after other 11leans of supplication, reU10n-
" strance, protestations, and sufferings,) for the pre-
" servation of ourselves and our religion from utter
" ruin and destruction, according to the C0111n1enda-
" hIe practice of these kingdoms in forlner tin1es,
" and the exan1ple of God's people in other nations,
" after Inature deliberation, resolved and deteru1ined
" to enter into a 111utual and solelnn league and co-
" venant, ,vherein ,ve all subscribe, and each one of
" us for hill1self
with our hands lifted up to the n10st
" high God, do swear,
1. " That we shall sincerely, really, and constant-
" ly, through the grace of God, endeavour, in our
" several places and callings, the preservation of the
- " reforlued religion in the church of Scotland, in doc-
" trine, worship, discipline, and governlnent, against
" our conl1non enemies; the reforluation of religion
" in the kingdon1s of England and Ireland, in doc-
" trine, ,vorship, discipline, and governUlcnt, accord-
" ing to the ,vord of God, and the exaluple of the
" best reforlued churches; at1d \ve shall endeavour
" to bring the churches of God in the three king-
" doms, to the nearest conjunction and uniforn1ity in
" religion, confession of faith, form of church-govern-
" ment, directory for worship, and catechising; that
" we, and our posterity after us, nlay, as Lrethren,

HooK
VII.

1643.

8

THE I-IISTORY

] 643.

" live in faith and love, and the Lord may delight to
" dwell in the midst of us.
2. " That we shall, in like manner, without respect
" of persons, endeavour the extirpation of popery,
"prelacy, (that is, church-governnlent by archbi-
" shops, bishops, their chanceUors and comlnissaries,
"deans, deans and chapters, archdeacons, and all
" other ecclesiastical officers depending on that hie-
" rarchy,) superstition, heresy, schis111, profaneness,
" and ,vhatsoever shall be found to be contrary to
" sound doctrine, and the po\ver of godliness, lest we
" partake in other lnen's sins, and thereby be in dan-
" gel' to receive of their plagues; and that the Lord
" may be one, and his name one in the three king-
" doms.
3. "'Ve shall, with the same sincerity, reality,
" and constancy, in our several vocations, endeavour,
" \vith our estates and lives, mutually to preserve
" the rights and privileges of the parlianlcnts, and
" the liberties of the kingdoms, and to preserve and
" defend the king's majesty's person and authority,
" in the preservation and defence of the true religion,
" and liberties of thc kingdonls; that the \vorld may
" bear witness, ,vith our consciences, of our loyalty;
" and that "re have no thoughts or intentions to di-
" I11inish his majesty's just po"rer and greatness.
4. " 'Ve shall also, ,vith all faithfulness, endeavour
" the discovery of all such as have been, or shall be,
"incendiaries, malignants, or evil instruments, by
" hindering the reformation of religion, dividing the
" king from his people, or one of the kingdoms fron1
" another, or making any factions or parties alnong
" the people, contrary to this league and covenant;
" that they Inay be brought to public trial, and re-

BOOK
VII.

Ol
' 'rIIE REllEI
1,1 ON.
8g

" cei ve condign punishnlent, as the degree of their
" offences shall require or deserve, or the snprelne
" judicatories of both kingdoms respectively, or others
" having power from thenl for that effect, shall judge
" convenient.
5. " And whereas the happiness of a blessed peace
" bet\veen these kingdolns, denied in foriner times
"to our progenitors, is by the good providence of
" God granted unto us, and hath been lately con-
" eluded and settled by both parliaments, we shall,
" each one of us, according to our places and inter-
" est, endeavour, that they may remain conjoined in
" a firm peace and union to all posterity, and that
"justice may he done upon the \vilful opposers
" thereof, in manner expressed in the precedent ar-
" ticles.
6. " "r e shall also, according to our places and
" callings, in this co III III on cause of religion, liberty,
" and peace of the kingdoms, assist and defend all
" those that enter into this league and covenant, in
" the Inaintaining and pursuing thereof; and shall
" not suffer ourselves, directly or indirectly, by \vhat-
" soever c0111bination, persuasion, or terror, to be di-
" vided, and withdrawn fro]n this blessed union and
" conjunction, ,vhcther to nlake defection to the con-
" trary part, or to give ourselves to a detestable in-
"difference or neutrality in this cause, which so
" much concerneth the glory of God, the good of the
" kingdolns, and the honour of the king; but shall,
" all the days of our lives, zealously and constantly
" continue therein, against all opposition, and pro-
" mote the same according to our power, against all
"lets and impedilnents whatsoever. And what we
h are not able ourselves to suppress or overconle, we
.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

!!S4

1'HE IIISTOR Y

] 643.

" shall reveal and Inake kno\vn, that it may be tin1ely
" prevented or removed; all \vhich \ve shall do as in
" the sight 'of God. .
" And because these kingdoills are guilty of lnany
"sins, and provocations against God, and his son
" Jesus Christ, as is too luanifest by our present dis-
h tresses and dangers, the fruits thereof; we profess
" and declare, before God and the ,vorId, our un-
" feigned desire to be humbled for our own sins, and
" for the sins of these kingdon1s; especially, that we
" have not, as \ve ought, valued the inestÏ1nable be-
" nefit of the gospel, that \ve have not laboured for
" the purity and' po\ver thereof; and that \ve have
" not endeavoured to receive Christ in our hearts,
" nor to \valk \vorthy of hitn in our lives, \vhich are
" the causes of other sins and transgressions so much
" abounding an10ngst us: and our true and unfeigned
" purpose, desire, and endeavour for ourselves, and
" all others under our po\ver and charge, both in
" public and in private, in all duties we o\ve to God
" and lTIan, to amend our lives, and each one to go
" before an
ther in the exan1ple of a real reforlna-
" tion; that the Lord 111ay turn away his \vrath and
" heavy indignation, and establish these churches and
" kingdol11s in truth and peace. And this covenant
" \ve lnake in the presence of Ahnighty God, the
" searcher of all hearts, ,vith a true intelltion to per-
" forl11 the Sal11e, as ,ve shall ans,ver at that great
" day, \v hen the secrets of all hearts shall be dis-
H closed; most humbly beseeching the Lord to
" strengthen us by his holy Spirit, for this end; and
" to bless our desires and proceedings \vith such suc-
" cess, as n1ay be a deliverance and safety to his peo-
" pIe, and cncouragclllcnt to other Christian churches,

HOOK
VII.

OF THE ItEBEI..LION. 28.3

" groaning under, or in danger of, the yoke of anti- BOOK
" christian tyranny, to join in the same, or like asso- VII.
" ciation and covenant, to the glory of God, the en- J 643.
" largement of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and the
" peace and tranquiUity of Christian kingdolns and
" cOlnmonwealths."
As soon as this solemnity was over, which was
concluded by 1\11'. Henderson, (the sole ecclesiastical
commissioner from the kingdom of Scotland,) ,vho
Inagnified "That they had done, and assured then1
" of great success after it, by the experience of that
" nation, ,vho, fron1 their union in their first covenant,
" found nothing hard they proposed to. themselves;"
and told theIn," that ,vere that covenant no\v painted
." upon the ,vall within the pope's palace, it ,votIld
" doubtless put him into Belshazzar's quaking con-
" clition;" the speaker and commons (having first set
their hands to the covenant, after they had taken it)
returned to their house; and observing that lllany of
their men1bers were that day absent, the cause where-
of was easy to be guessed, t},ey ordered, "that, as
." soon as they came into the house, the covenant
" should be tendered to theIn; and whosoever re-
" fused to take it, should be proceeded against, as a
" disaffected person, in s
lch ll1anner as the house
" should think fit."
They r farther lllade a special order, "that all the The cove-
· . f . h h h · h . L d d nant or-
-" n1i.nIsters 0 parIS -c urc es \\'It III on on an dered to be
" \" estminster, the suburbs, and the ,vhole line of

:
s
Y
"comlnunication should read and ex p lain the cove- especialIr
, hy the city.
.'
nant to their several congregations, and stir them
" up, the next fast day, to the cheerful taking of it:"

r They] And they

86

'rHE IIISTORY

I 643.

and particular care "ras taken, that all the students
of the inns of court should be persuaded to receive
it. But, over and above these general directions,
there was a particular ceren10ny and application to
recommend this covenant to the city and corporation
of London, and another use to be made of it. The
covenant was not only to bring, but to keep lllen to-
gether, and the taking it had only inclined the Scots
to march to their assistance; they were to have one
hundred thousand pounds advanced to then1, and
paid at Edinburgh, before they could S stir; and how
to advance this great sum, ,vas not easy to resolve.
All their ordinances for levying of money \vere ex-
pired ; t their issues and disbursements so vast, that
no income was sufficient; their exchequer was ex-
hausted, and even their public faith bankrupt: such
anticipations upon all kind of receipts, for lllonies
borro\ved and ab
eady spent, that they had no capital
for future security.
The judicature of the house of peers (though their
nun1ber was but ten, for there was no more at the
sentence of justice Berkley) had helped thelll all
they could. Justice Berkley, who had been com-
mitted by them to the Tower, shortly after the be-
ginning of the parlialnent, upon a charge of high
treason, and since the beginning of the ,val', per-
Initted u to sit as sole judge in the king's bench one
,vhole tern1, was now brought to judgn1ent; and by
their lordships fined the sum of twenty thousand
pounds, and made incapable of any place of judica-
ture; and upon x abatement of half, and his liberty,

BOOK
VII.

s could] would
t expired;] spent;
11 permitted] pennitted by

them
x upon] upon an

OF THE REBELLION.

Q87

he paid the other ten thousand pounds together, to
those persons they appointed to receive it; which,
since all fines are due to the king alone, and cannot
be disposed but by him, 1uany thought a greater
crime than that for which he was sentenced. Baron
Trevor, who w-as fined for the same offence, and suf-
fered still to continue the same office, in which he
had committed his misden1eanour, yielded thell1 as
much 1110re. But these petty sums were disposed
before they \vere received, and were but Slllall drops
to quench the great drought they sustained: so that
the reputation and security of this covenant was,
amongst other uses, to bring in money too.
To y that purpose, a cOllllnittee of lords and COlll-
Inons, \vith some of their divines of the assenlbly,
\vas sent to the guildhall, 'v here the mayor had called
a COlnmon council for their reception, to reconl1nend
to thenl "the wonderful advantage and strength
" their party should gain by taking, and being united
" in, this covenant; and the desperate condition they
" were like to be in \vithout it: if the Scots came
" not to their assistance, which, without this obliga..
" tion, they could not do, they were in danger to be
" overwhehned by the enenlY; or at least to nlake
" a disadvantageous and dishonourable peace with
" them; \vhich yet they could not tell how it would
" he observed and kept. On the other hand, by this
"fanlous accession of strength of a \vhole nation,
" they should undoubtedly be able to master the war,
" and to Inake those ,vho had been the causers of it,
" defray the charge; and so all the public debts be-
" ing discharged out of the estates of delinquents and

Y To] And to

BOOK
VII.

1 fi4:3.

28R

Tl-IE HISTORY

] 643.

" malignants, the kingdorn would not be 'at all hu-
" poverished, and the peace, which should hereafter
" be made \vith the king, \vould be sure to be invio-
" lably observed by the strength of this union; and
" therefore that it could not be purchased at too dear
" a rate.
" It \\Tas," they said, "neither covetousness, nor
" want of affection and zeal to their relief, that the
" Scots, \vho took their cause to heart as their own,
" desired an ad vance of Inoney before they drew their
" arl11Y into England, hut pure necessity, and the
" poverty of that kingdom, already exhausted by
" their late expeditions, and keeping their soldiers
" together for the good of this. And if there had
" been money enough in that country to have been
" procured upon the public stock and revenue, or the
" mortgage of private estates, to \vhich allinen \vere
" forward for the public good, their love to their bre-

, thren here 'vas such, that they \vould neither have
" asked nor received 1110ney for their assistance, after
" it had proved effectual; 111uch less, before the yield-
" ing it. For evidence of \vhich frank and brotherly
" inclination, they freely offered the engagen1cnt of
" their own estates, for the repayment of the money
"that should be advanced:" \vhich was the first
time that ever land in Scotland had been offered for
security of n10ney, borro\ved" in the city of London.
In the end, they very devoutly extolled the covenant,
Inagnified the Scottish nation, \vith all in1aginable
attributes of esteem and reverence, "a nation, that
" had engaged itself to God in a higher way, in a
" 1110re extraordinary way, than any nation this day

BOOK
VII.

Z borro\:ved] Not in MS.

OF 'l'HE REßELLIO
.

89

.., upon the face of the earth had done; a nation,
" that had reformed their lives- for so slllall a tin1e,
" lTIOre than ever any people, that they kne,v of, in
" the \vorld had done; a nation, that God had ho-
" noured by giving as glorious success unto, as ever
" he did unto any:" and very earnestly desired the
loan of a hundred thousand pounds. The rhetoric
and the zeal prevailed; a hundred thousand pounds
,vas pron1Ïsed, and shortly provided, and sent to
Edinburgh; and the assurance of the Scots coming
so full, that they ,vere looked upon as tnasters of
Ne\vcastle already. 'Vith such an alacrity aU thest'
things were transacted. a
That violent party in the parliall1ent, \vhich never
intended any peace ,,,Ïth the king, and had lTIOre
desperate n1utations in their purposes, than they
avo"red, even alTIOngst those ,,,ho concurred ,vith theln
in all they desired, did not think themselves secure
in the affection of the people, nor in those 'V}10 had
the greatest trust in their affairs. They had seen
the great changes in the houses, in the city, and in
the country, upon their late ill successes, the defeat
of 'V aller, and the loss of Bristol: and though the
earl of Essex still adhered to then1, yet they sa,,," he
,vas not pleased, nor favoured one of those men upou
,
WhOlTI they 1110st depended; but, on the contrary,
all ,vho '"ere countenanced by hilTI, or in his confi-
dence, ,\rere lTIen of such prin'ciples as they liked
not, h or ,vho desired no other alterations in the court
or government, but only. of the persons \vho acted in

a transacted.] rile slale of the
king's party at O::çlord u:hich
fullows in iUS. C., is here omitted.
It will be found in App{,lIdi:r: D.
YOLo IV.

b such principles as they liked
not,] no principJes which they
Ii k eel ,

u

BOOK
'"II.

1643.

90

THE HISTORY

it: therefore they had taken an opportunit.y, in the
greatest dejection of spirit, and when they looked
upon thenlselves as near C swallowed up by the king's
power, to 111ove, "that they might send into Scot-
" land to their brethren there, to join \vith then1,
" and to assist them \yith an army, that they might,
" by such a conjunction, have a support, to make
" them d so considerable, as to be treated with, and
" to receive conditions which might preserve theu1
" frOin ruin:" which l)roposition, being for so com-
Ulon an interest and benefit, had reeei ved a general
concurrence; and so that cOinmittee of both houses
had been sent into Scotland, to put then1 in n1ind
" of their joint concernment, and ho\v impossible it
" would be for the Scots long to enjoy the great
" concessions they had obtained from the king, \vhen
" the parlianlent of England, by whose friendship,
"power, and authority, they had obtained theIn,
"should be oppressed, and forced to yield to such
" conditions for their particular preservations, as the
" king would think fit to give thenl." But they
were e not a little startled, when they found this

BO 0 I\.
VII.

1643.

,.

c near] Not in MS.
d a. support, to Inake them]
an appui that nlight nlake them
e But they were] This short
paragraph appears in the mar-
gin of MS. B., and in a different
hand from that if lord Claren-
don's,who had originally written,
and as they may merit by ac-
cepting; and therefore that the
parliament expected and desired
that they would forthwith give
them such an assistance as might
be sufficient to preserve them
both hich could be no other
way nan by immediately send-

iug a good army into England,
which would countenance and
support their friends in the north,
and keep the earl of Newcastle
from being able to march to-
\vards London on that side;
whilst the king encompassed
them on the other, which was
the present design. Sir Harry
Valle was one of the commis-
sioners, and therefore the other
need not be named, since he
was all in any business where
others wen
joined with him.
He was indeed a lTIan of extra-
ordinary parts, as in line 22,

OF THE REBELLION.
91

nlessage had obliged them to a present expense of a
hundred thousand pounds, before there ,vas any vi-
sible relief given thelTI ; and sa\v then1selves involved
in ne\v obligations of guilt, and to purposes they
really never intended. f
There hath been scarce any thing more wonderful
throughout the progress of these distractions, than
that this covenant did with such extraordinary ex-
pedition pass the t"ro houses, when all the leading
persons in those councils were at the same time
known to be as great enemies to presbytery, (the
establishment whereof was the main endg of this
covenant,) as they were to the king or the church.
And he who contributed most to it, and, in truth,lt
was the principal contriver of it, and the man by
whom the committee in Scotland ,vas entirely and
stupidly governed, sir Harry Vane the younger, was
not afterwards more known to abhor the covenant,
and the presbyterians, than he ,vas at that very tin1e
known to do, and laughed at then1 then, as much as
ever he did afterwards.
He was indeed a man of extraordinary parts, a
pleasant wit, a great understanding, which pierced
into and discerned the purposes of other men with
wonderful sagacity, whilst he had himself VUltU'Jll
clau8u1n, that no man could make a guess of what
he intended. He was of a temper not to be moved,
and of rare dissimulation, and could comply when it
was not seasonable to contradict, without losing
ground by the condescension; and if he were not
superior to Mr. Hambden, he was inferior to no other

page 291, the intermediate part
being taken from MS. C.
f never intended.] abhorred.

g nlain end] sole end
h and, in truth,] and who- in
truth
u2

BOO J{
VII.

1 fi.J3.

9

THE HISTORY

16-13.

man, in all mysterious artifices. There need no
more be said of his ability, than that he was chosen
to cozen and deceive a \vhole nation, which ,vas
thought to exce}Ï ill craft and cunning: which he
did ,vith notable pregnancy and dexterity, and pre-
vailed \vith a people, that could not other,vise be
prevailed upon than by advancing their idol presby-
tery, to sacrifice their peace, their interest, and their
faith, to the erecting a power and authority that re-
solved to persecute presbytery to an extirpation;
and, in process of titHe, k very near brought their
purpose to pass.
The nation of Scotland, in general, had been so
fully satisfied in all that they could pretend to de-
sire, that they were very well disposed to be specta-
tors of what \vas done in England, without engaging
themselves in the quarrel; and though there were
some powerful men amongst thenl, whose guilt ,vould
not suffer theln to believe that they could be other-
,vise secure, t
an by the king's want of power to
call then1 to justice, yet their nlunber ,vas not thought
so great, as to be able to corrupt the people into a
barefaced act of rebellion: nor had they any such
face of authority, as to invite them to it. 'Vitholit
a parliament, they could not propose it ; the king
had absolutely refused to call a parlian1ent, and it
,vas yet above a year to COine, before a parliament
could be asseolbled without the king's consent; and
in that tilne, the king might have the better of his
enemies. lIo\vever,1 the commissioners of the par-
liament had not been long at Edinhurgh, before the}T

nOOK
VJI.

i which was thought to excel]
which excelled
k in proress of time,) Not

in AlS.
I Howe,'er,] Not in JIS.

O:F 'rJ-IE }lEllELLIOK.

9
3

prevailed with the council to call a pal'lianlent; BOOK
which duke Hau1ilton, and others, who pretended VII.
great devotion to the king, and were of the council, I (i43.
had promised the king to oppose, and said, " they
" were powerful enough to prevent it Ill." \Vhen it
came to the point, duke Han1ilton, being, one way or
other, persuaded hin1self, persuaded others, " that
"the absolute refusal to suffer a parlianlent to be
,;; called, would not quiet the debate, nor secure the
" king, but lTIOre inflame those who desired it; who
" ,vould take SOlne other time, when many of thenl
" \vho opposed it should be absent, to propose it; and
" so would carry it: and that therefore they were
" better be absent at first, whereby the others lnight,
" without opposition, send out their SUlllmons for a
" parliament to assemble, at the day they thought
" fit; and that, n as they \vho would serve the king
" would not be there, so they should prevail \vith as
" Inany others as they could, not to be there likc-
" \vise; whereby the nun1ber which .appeared would
" be so inconsiderable, that they would not dare to
" sit, hut perfectlyO disperse; and this disappoint-
" ment would for ever quash that design, and ren..
" del' those who advised it odious to the people;
" as men who desired illegally to engage the nation
" in unjustifiable ways, to disturb the public peace."
A summons was accordingly sent out to call a A parJia-
parlian1ent, to meet at a da y a pp ointed; before ment .
u b m-
moneú y
which time, those of the nobilit y and g entr y, who the cove:
nanters III
"did really desire to serve the king, applied them- Scotlanù.
selves to duke I-Iall1ilton, (,vhose advice and orders

III it] Not in ;U8.
J1 that,] then,

() perfectly] presently

u3

94

THE HIsrrOI1Y

1643.

the king himself had required theln to observe; un-
happily still believing hiln to be faithful,) to kI1Qw
what they should do: many of the principal of them
declaring their opinions to him, " that they should
" take an opportunity to nleet together, and bring
" their friends with them, whereby they might Inake
" a good body of horse, and so, with their arms in
',' their hands, they would declare against the le-
" gality of that parlialnent, and the nleeting in it :"
and named a fit opportunity to him for such a
meeting at the funeral of a lady, which was to be
within son1e days, when, according to the custOIU of
that people, great numbers of persons of quality use
to assemble, to do honour to the dead in the last obse-
quie
. He told them, " he believed it must COine
" shortly to that remedy, but conceived it not yet
" time, and that such a meeting would frighten the
" people, and increase the number in parliament, and
" make lllany resort to them for their directions."
He likewise said,P " he had changed his former opi-
" nion, concerning their o\vn being absent at that
" time of the meeting of the parlialnent, since their
" mere absence would not be discountenance enough,
" and that they who sat, would carry the reputation
" of a parliament, and the people \vould be guided
" by them, if there were nothing but their absence
" to work upon their inclinations and affections."
He proposed therefore to then1, "that they wOQld <t
" all resolve to be present, and take their places;
" and that, when the house should be sat, and any
" man should stand up to propose the taking any
" business into consideration, he (the duke) \vould

BOOK
VII.

P He likewise said,] And he said,

q would] might

OF THE REBELLION.
95

" first 111ake his protestation against proceeding in
" so illegaJ a convention, and then they should all
"IHake the sanle protestation; and' he did hope,
" that the nUlnber of the protesters would be great
"enough to dissolve the nleeting; and thus they
" should put the best end to the nlatter that could
" be desired: but if it should succeed otherwise,
" then would he the tiine to withdraw and put thelTI-
" selves in arl.HS; towards which he would make the
" best preparation he could; and desired them to do
" the like." The earl of Kinoul, and sOlne others,
Inade exceptions against this expedient, and pressed
the former meeting at the funeral, till the duke told
theIn, " the king liked the other \vay better;" and
pulled a letter out of his pocket, which hp had re-
ceived from his majesty, and read thel.n so much of
it, as contained his approbation, " that they should
" Ineet in the parliament;" in which r determination
they could not but acquiesce, though they thought
at the saIne tinle, that his Inajesty was betrayed.
The parlialnent met at the day; and duke Ha-
Inilton, according to his proinise, took an opportu-
nity to say sonle\vhat that seemed to iInply a protes-
tation against the Ineeting; upon which, nlany of
the lords, who had been always tnost engaged against
the king, \vere very warlH; and demanded, "that
" he should declare himself clearly, whether he did
"protest against the parliament;" ,vhereupon his
brother the earl of Lanrick, ,vho was secretary of
state to the king, stood up, and said, " that he hoped
" that noble lord's affection to his country was bet-
" tel' kno\vn, than that any nlan could imagine he

BOOK
VII.

1643.

T in which] with which
u4

nOOK
'T 11.

I û43.

gü

'fIfE HIS'rORY

" ,vould protest against the parliament of the king-
" dom;" and then the duke explained, and excused
hilnself; and said, " he Ineant no such thing:" and
so they declared, "that they would treat ,vith the
"conlnlissioners, who were sent from the parlia-
'" lnent of England;" and appointed cOlnnlissioners
for that purpose.
Sonle are of opinion, that, even at this tilne, they
did not intend to engage in the \var against the
king; but that, as a fe,v Inen cozened the parlia-
Inent at 'Vestminster, by persuading thenl, " that
" they desired only a safe peace," till, by multiplica-
tion of indignities, they made it ÏInpossible to nlake
a peace that ,vould appear safe; so there was as
SlTIaU a nUl11ber in Scotland, that overreached the
parlian1ent there, by persuading, " that they never
" intended to do any thing against the king, but
" that it ,vould be too ingrateful a thing, and render
It. thelu very odious to the 'v hole English nation, if,
" after they had received so 111any obligations frolll
" the parlialnent there S , to ,vhose protection they
" owed their religion, and all that they enjoyed,
h they should refuse so much as to treat \vith thenl,
" and to aSlSist them, by their interposition, to pro-
" cure a good peace for thenl with the king; \vhich
" ,vould be a great honour to then1; and \vould be
'10 as great an obligation to his majesty, as to the
"parlianlent." That this ,vas all that was in theil'
thoughts; and that they would avoid any engage-
Incnt in a war, not by rejecting the proposition, but
by HUlking such delnands, as they knew well would
never he accepted by the parliament at 'Vestnlin-

S there] Not in .LUS.

..

O}1' rrHE ]tEHELLI{)
.

97

ster t . 'l-'hereupon they told the cOlluuissioners ii-OlII
that n parlialnent, " that it \voltld . be hnpossible to
" engage their Y nation in a joint concurrence with
" then1, -against the king, but by the influence and
"authority of their kirk; and that it \vould be as
" impossible to procure the consent of their kirk, ex-
"cept by nlaking it evident to thenl, that the go-
" vernlnent of the church in England should be re-
" duced to the saIne Inodel with theirs in Scotland;
" and that episcopacy should be totaHy extirpated;
" and that deans and chapters should he utterly
" abolished; \vithout which," they said, " they could
h never think their o\vn governnlent securely esta-
" blished; but if such a pronlise nlight be solenlnly
" nlade, their kirk would be throughly engaged, and
" the nation, to a nlan, would enter into the quar-
" reI."
Sir Harry Vane \vas not surprised with the pro-
position, \vhich he had long foreseen, and caIne re-
solved to pay their (nvn price for their friendship_
Thereupon, as hath been already said, x the cove-
nant ,vas prepared, and other propositions nlade for
the present furnishing a great sunl of )lJoncy, to
enable thenl to begin their levies; and lllany other Y
extravagant conditions proposed on the Scots' part z,
for the paYlnent of the army, and other vast ex-
penses, that they did not believe the commissioners
would yield, or that the parlialnent would perfornl,
if they \vere yielded unto. Nothing of ßloney, 0\"

t at 'VestminsterJ Not in 1
1S.
u that] the
v their] that
). as hath been already said,]

Tot iu 111:S.
Yother] Not in 1.118.
L, on the Scots' part] lVot ill
;118.

HOoK
VB.

1643.

Q98

THE I-IISTORY

BUOK honour, made any de]ay;a and they came provided
VII.
with some letter
of credit, that as little time lnight
1643. be lost as ,vas possible, in nlaking all necessary
preparations. The covenant ,vas the lnatter of
difficulty; they kno,ving well, that Inany of their
greatest friends, both in the parliament and the arlny,
had not any mind to change the government of the
church; to ,,-hich the people of England ,vere not
generaHy disaffected.
Sir Harry Vane therefore (,vho equally hated
episcopacy and presbytery, save that he \vished the
one abolished with luuch impatience, believing it
much easier to keep the other from being established,
whatever they prolnised, than to be rid of that which
was settled in the kingdom) carefully considered the
-covenant, and after he had altered and changed
many expressions in it, and luade then} doubtful
enough to bear 111any interpretations, he, and his fel-
lo\v C0111ll1issioners, signed the ,vhole treaty; whereby

rhe suh- it was provided, " That the covenant should be taken
stance of
the treaty "throughout all his majesty's dOlllinions; that a
between. "conln1Ïttee of the Scots should alwa ) Ts sit \vith the
the Enghsh
c
mmis- "close conlmittee at 'Vestininster for the carrying
SlOners and .
the Scots. "on of the war with equal authority; that there
" should be no treaty of peace with th
king, ,vith-
" out the joint consent of the parlianlents of both
" kingdonls;" and nlany other particulars, very de-
rogatory to the honour of the English nation; and
with all possible expedition sent it to the close COlll-
mittee at \Vestnlinster; in the time of their conster-
nation, and before the relief of Gloucester; which

n luadc any delay;] was insisted upon;

OF 'rIlE ItEBELLION.

299

translnitted it presently back to theIn, dllo\\t ed and BOO K
VII.
confirn1cd.
And thereupon the parlialnent at Edinburgh re- 1643.
solved to raise a great arnlY, and to invade Eng-
land; and their old O'eneral Lesle y , who had so so- T
e Scots
ð raIse an ar-
lelnnly pronlised the king, not only " never to bear my under
. h . b h . 1 h Lesley.
" arms agaInst 1m, ut to serve In1, et t e cause
" be what it ,vould," without any hesitation under-
took the comnland of it. All this time, duke Ha-
milton looked on, and sOI11etimes sat with theITI;
and \vhen the first proclau1ation was prepared, in
the king's name, for a general rendezvous of all
11len, from such an age to such an age, at such a
tinlC and place, that so their ariny n1ight be pre-
sently forined, the earl of Lanrick put the king's
signet, ,vith the keeping whereof he was trusted, to
the said proclanlation: and all this being done, both
the brothers left Scotland, to give the king an ac-
count at Oxford of all the proceedings: n1any of the
nobility of that kingdoln, who did heartily wish well
to the king, being gone b fr0111 thence, after the first
day's lneeting of their parlian1ent, (when C the duke
had broken his prolnise to theln,) and infornled his
n1ajesty at large of that which they thought foul in-
fidelity.
The- discomposures, d jealousles,and disgusts, which Dh-isions
· d O .L'. d d d .. amongst.
relgne at Xlor, pro uce great InconvenIences; the councils
d . · ill 1 h . at O""forJ.
an as, ll1any tunes, luen In a seu e ose t elr wea-
pons, and light upon those \vhich belonged to their

b being gone] having COlne
away
c when] and when
d The discomposures,] Origi-
nally in JUS.: These discom-

posures, alluding to the portion
of the History immediately pre-
ceding, 'Which is omitted in the
text, bitt may be secn in Appen-
dix IJ.

nOOK
VII.

1643.

300

'r 1-1 E HIS'r 0 R Y

adversaries, who again arl11 theu1selves \vith those
which belonged to the others, such, one \vould have
thought, had heen the fortune of the king's army in
the encounters \vith the enemy's: for those under
the king's con1n1anders gre\v insensibly into all the
licence, disorder, and inlpiety, \vith \vhich they had
reproached the rebels; and they, c into great disci-
pline, diligence, and sobriety; \vhich begot f couragè
and resolution in theIn, and notable dexterity in
achievements and enterprises. Inso1l1uch as one
side seeined to fight for lnonarchy, \vith the ,veapons
of confusion, and the other to destroy the king and
governlnent, with all the principles and regularity of
]l1onarchy.
In the beginning of the trouble:s, the king had
very prudently resolved with hiu1self, to confer no
honours, or hesto\v any offices or prefernlents, upon
any, till the end and conclusion of the service; and
if that resolution had continued, he would have
found much ease by it, and his service great ad-
vantage. The necessity and exigents of the \var,
shortly after, nlade SOlne breach into this seasonable
resolution, and, for ready money to carryon the
war, his majesty w'as compelled, against his nature,
to dispense some favours, which he would not will-
ingly have suffered to be purchased, but by' virtue
and high merit. Then all men thought money and
1110ney-worth to be all one; aud that whosoever, by
his service, had deserved a reward of money, had
deserved any thing that might be had for money.
And when it was apparent, that the war was like to
prove a business of time, it was thought unreason-

C they,] they again,

f begot] begat

OF THE REBELLIO
.

301

able, that the king should not confer re\vards on
sonle, which he \vas able to do, because he could not
do it on all, which was confessedly out of his po\ver.
And so, by ilnportunity, and upon the title of old
promises, and some conveniences of his service, he
bestowed honours upon some principal officers of his
arn1Y, and offices upon others; to \vhich, though, in
the particulars, no just exceptions could be taken,
yet nlany were angry to see some preferred; and
not so much extolling their own nlerit and service,
as making it equal to those ,vhonl they saw ad-
yanced, every man thought hÌInself neglected and
slight.ed, in that another ,vas better esteenled.
And this poison of envy \vrought upon many na-
tures, ,vhich had skill enough not to confess it: the
soldiers, albeit they \vere emulous amongst thcln-
selves, and very unsatisfied \vith one another, (there
being unhappy animosities amongst the principal
officers,) yet they \vere too "rell united, and recon-
ciled against any other body of 111en; and thinking
the king's crown depended ,vholly on the fortune of
their swords, believed no other persons to be con-
siderable, and no councils fit to be consulted with,
hut the martial; and thence proceeded a fatal dis-
respect and irreverence to the council of state, to
,vhich, by the wholesonle constitution of the king-
don1, the n1ilitia, garrisons, and all lllartial po\ver is
purely and naturally subordinate; and by the au-
thority and prudence \v hereof, provision could be
only reasonably expected, for the countenance and
r
support of the arnlY.
The general and prince Rupert \vere both strangers
to the government and custom of the kingdom, and
utterly unacquainted \vith the nobility, and the king's

BOOK
\'fI.

1643.

nOOK
VII.

1643.

302

THE IIISTORY

ministers, g or with their rights: and the prince's
heart was so wholly set upon actions of ,val', that he
not only neglected, but too much contemned, the
peaceable and civil arts, which were most necessary
even to the carrying on of the other. And certainly,
somewhat like that which Plutarch says of the Ro-
man auguries, h "that Octavius lost his life by
" trusting to them, i and that l\1arius prospered the
" better, because he did not altogether despise theIn, k"
ll1ay be said of popularity: though he that too im-
moderately and iUlportunately affects it (which was
the case of the earl of Essex) will hardly continue
innocent; yet he who too affectedly despises or neg-
lects what is said of him, or what is generally thought
of persons or things, and too stoically contemns the
affections of men, even of vulgar,! (be his other
abilities and virtues as great as can be m imagined,)
will, in some conjuncture of time, find himself very
unfortunate. And it may be, a better reason cannot
be assigned for the 11lisfortunes that hopeful young
prince (who had great parts of mind, as well as vi-
. gour of body, and an incolnparable persona1 courage)
underwent, and the kingdom thereby, than that un-
polished roughness n of his nature; which rendered
hin1 less patient to hear, and consequently less skil-
ful to judge of those things, which should have
guided him in the discharge of his important trust:
and 0 making an unskilful judgment of the unuse-

g the king's ministers,) public
111inistcrs,
h the ROlnan auguries,] sooth-
saYing,
i thelu,] it,
k t.hem,] it,
1 of vulgar,] of the vulgar,

m as great as can be] what
can be
n that unpolished roughness]
that roughness and unpolished..
ness
o and] and thence

OF THE REBELLION.

30S

fulness of the councils, by his observation of the in-
firmities and \veakness of some particular counsellors,
he grew to a full disesteem of the acts of that board;
which must ever be respected,p as long as the regal
power is exercised in England.
I cannot q but, on this occasion, continue this di-
gression thus much farther, to observe, that they
who avoid public debates in council, or think then1
of nor nlonlent, upon undervaluing the persons of
some counsellors, and fro111 the particular infirnlities
of the 111en, the heaviness of this lnan, the levity of
another, s the weakness and sÏlnplicity of a third,
conclude, that the advice and opinions of manyt are
not requisite to any great design, are exceedingly
deceived; and will perniciously deceive others who
are misled by those conclusions. For it is in wis-
dom, as it is in beauty, a face that, being taken in
pieces, affords scarce one exact feature, an eye, or a
nose, or a tooth, or a brow, or a mouth, against
which a visible just exception may not u be taken,
yet altogether, by a gracefulness and vivacity in the
whole, nlay constitute an excellent beauty, and be
more charming x than another, whose synlmetry is
rnore faultless; so there are many men, who in oneY
particular argument may be unskilful, in another Z
affected, ,vho 111ay seem to have some a levity, and b
vanity, or formality, in ordinary and cursory con-
versation, (a very crooked rule to measure any man's

P ever be respected,] be ac-
counted venerable,
q I cannot] And I cannot
r no] less
5 another,] that,
t the advice and opinions of
many] their advice and opinions

11 may not] cannot
" charming] catching
'Y one] this
z another] that
3 sonIe] Not in MS.
b and] or

BOOK
VII.

1 G43.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

304

'r HE 1-1 I S 'r 0 ]{ Y

nbilities, as giving a better nleasurp of the humour,
than of the understanding,) and yet in forIned coun-
sels, deliberations, and transactions, are men of great
insight, and wisdol11, and from Wh0111 excellent assist-
ance may be contributed.
No C question, all great enterprises and designs,
that are to be executed, have many parts, even in
the projection, fit for the survey and disquisition of
several faculties and abilities, equallyd for the deci-
sion of sharper and more phleglnatic understandings.
And ,ve often hear, in debates of great nlonlent, ani-
madversions of more weight and consequence, froll1
those ",-hose ordinary conversation ITIay not be e so
delightful, than from Inen of Inore su hlinle parts.
Certainly Solomon ,veIl f understood hilnself, ,,,hen
he said, In tlte 'Jll1lltitu(le qf counsellors there is
.
(ifety. And though it be g confessed, that reason
,vould be better discovered, and stated, and right h
conclusions easier made by a few, than by a greater
number, yet when the execution depends on nlany,
and the general interpretation so much depends on
the success, and the success on the interpretation,
,,"e see those counsels usually i most prosperous,
\vhereof the considerations and deliberations have
heen measured hy that standard ,vhich is most pub-
licly ackno,vledged and received. He has had k but
small experience in the ll1anaging affairs, \vho is not
able experiInentally to name to himself SOlne very
good. and useful conclusions, which have therefore
only n1iscarried 1 , because they were not communi-

.c No] And no
d equally] and equally
e n1ay not be] is not
f well] very well
g be] were

h fight] Not in J1118.
i usually] Not in 1118.
k He has had] And he hath
had
I miscarried] succeeded amiss

OF 'l'I-IE REBl
LLION.

305

cated to those, \vho thought they had reason m to be-
lieve then1selves cOlnpetent parties to the secret.
There ,,-as seldom ever yet that public-heartedness
sunk into the breasts of men, as to be n long "Tilling
to be left out in those transactions, to the privacy
whereof they had a right. And therefore l11en have
been often willing enough, any single advice should
miscarry, of whatsoever general concernment, rather
than contribute to the fame of some one man, ,vho
has thought their approbation not \vorth the pro-
viding for. And though the advantage 0 of secrecy
and despatch seems to favour a slTIall number of
counsellors,p yet (except in SOlne q fe,v cases, which
in their own r nature are to be both S consulted, and
acted together, and the full execution whereof n1ay
be by a few) I am not sure that the inconveniency
,vill be greater by the necessary delays, occasioned
by the nun1ber, t or even by such a discovery, as may
he supposed to proceed from the levity of any of
them, U than by wanting the approbation and con-
currence of those, W who ,vill unavoidably kno,v it
soon enough to add to, or take from, the success, at
least the reputation, of any public business
. l\luchY
of the negligence and disrespect to,vards the civil

m thought they had reason]
had reason
n as to be] that they were
() advantage] objection
P a small number of coun-
sellors,] a small number, and a
reservation of communicating,
CJ some] those
r own] Not in MS.
a both] Not in 1JJS.
. t the necessary delays, occa-
S1011Cd by the number,] a ne-
cessary delay,
VOI
. IY.

u of any of them,] of a coun-
sellor, MS. likewise adds: (fu-
tile and malicious natures ought
not to be supposed to be ad-
mitted into that rank of men,)
\V those] MS. adds: (ad-
n1itting there could be no bene-
fit from their information,)
x of any public business J
Not in MS.
y J\1Iuch] And froln this root
much

x

BOOK
VII.

16-13.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

306

THE HISTORY

councils proceeded from these unhappy causes Z . For
as all corporations, tribes, and fraternities, suffer most
by the malignity of some of their own members; so
the jealousy and indisposition of some counsellors
contributed much to the disregard which fell upon
the order; and in thein, upon the king.
Among a those who were next b the king's trust,
and to whom he comnlunicated the greatest secrets
in his affairs, there \vere some, who from private,
though very good, conditions of life, without such an
application to court as usually ushered in those pro-
motions, were ascended to that preferment; and
were believed to have an equal interest ,vith any, in
their n1aster's estimation. These C were sure to find
no more charity from the court, than fr0111 the army;
and they d having had lately so many equals, it ,vas
thought no presunlption, freely to censure all they
did, or spoke; e w hat effect soever such freedom had
upon the public policy and transactions. It were to
be wished, that persons of the greatest birth, honour,
and fortune, would take that care of themselves by
education, industry, literature, and a love of virtue,
to surpass all other men in knowledge, and all other
qualifications, necessary for great actions, as far as
they do in quality and titles, that princes, out of
them, n1ight al,vays choose men fit for aU employ-
ments, and high trusts; ,vhich ,vould exceedingly
advance their service; when the reputation and re-
spect of the person carries sOlnewhat ,vith it that
facilitates the business. And it cannot easily be ex-

z frOlH these unhappy causes]
Not in lJIIS.
a Among] Amongst
b next] nearest

c These] And t.hese
d they] Not in MS.
e spoke;] spake;

OF 'l
HE REBELLION. g07

pressed, nor cOll1prehended by any \vho have not felt
the weight and burden of the envy, which naturally
attends upon those promotions, which seem to be
jJer saltuIJJl, how great straits and difficulties such
ministers are forced to wrestle with, and by which
the charges, with ,vhich they are intrusted, must
proportionably suffer, let the integrity and wisdom
of the men be what it can be supposed to be. Nei-
ther is the patience f and dexterity, to carry a man
through those straits, easily attained; it being very
hard, in the morning of preferment, to keep an even
tell1per of nlind, between the care to preserve the
dignity of the place committed to hinl, (without
which he shall expose himself to a thousand rude g
attelnpts, and dishonour the judgnlent that pronloted
him, by appearing too mean 11 for such a trust,) and
between i the caution, that his nature he not really
exalted to an overweening pride and folly, upon the
privilege of his great k place; which will expose hhn
to much more contempt than the former; and there-
fore is 1, with a more exact guard, m to be avoided:
the errors of gentleness and civility being much
more easily reformed, as well as endured, than the
other of arrogance and ostentation.
The best provision that such men can make for
their voyage, besides a lasting stock of innocency, n
and a 6rln confidence in God Ahnighty, that he will
never suffer that innocency to be utterly oppressed,
or notoriously defanled, is, an expectation of those

f patience] patience, temper
g rude] unchaste
h mean] vile
i between] Not in MS.
k great] Not in MS.
J is] .LVot in MS.

m guard,] guard upon a man's
self,
11 lasting stock of innocency,]
a stock of innocence that cannot
be impaired,

x2

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

508

T If E HIS l' 0 R \Y" .

gusts and stornlS of rlUllonr, detraction, and envy;
and a resolution not to be over sensible of all calum-
nies, unkindness, or injustice; but to believe, that,
by being preferred before other nlen, they have an
obligation upon thein, to suffer more than other
men ,vould do; and that the best way to convince
scandals, and misreports, is, by neglecting thenl, to
appear not to have deserved thenl. There is 0 not a
more troubleso111e passion, or that often draw"s nlore
inconveniences with it, than that ,vhich proceeds
froln the indignation of being unjustly calumniated,
and froIn the pride of an upright conscience; \vhen
men cannot endure to be spoken ill of, if they have
not deserved it: in ,vhich distemper, though they
should p free thenlselves fron1 the errors, or infirlni-
ties, \vith which they ,vere traduced, they comn1only
discover others, of \vhich they had never been sus-
pected. In a word, let no honest man, that is once
entered into the list, think q he can by any skill, or
cOlnportment, prevent these conflicts and assaults;
or that he can, r hy any stubborn or hnpetuous hu-
mour, suppress and prevail over them: but let hin1
look upon it as purgatory he is unavoidahly to pass
through, and depend upon Providence, and time, for
a vindication; and by constantly S performing all the
duties of his place t ,vith justice, integrity, and up-
rightness, give all men cause to believe, he ,vas 'VOl"-
thy of u the first hour; which is a triumph very lan r -
fully x to be affected.

o There is] And there is
'P should] Not in MS.
q let no honest Ulan, that is
once entered into the list, think]
let no nmn think that is once
entered into this list,

r that he can,] Not in IUS.
s constantly] Not in AlS.
t his place] his place to the
end
11 of] of it
x lawfully] lawful

OF 'rl-IE REBELLION. 309

As these distempers, indispositions, and infirmities
of particular n1en had a great influence upon the
l)ublic affairs, and disturbed and weakened the
whole frame and fabric of the king's designs; so no
particular man was more disquieted by them, than
the king himself; who, in his person, as well as in
his business, suffered all the vexation of the rude,
petulant, and discontented hUlllours of court and
arlny. His nlajesty no\v paid interest for all the
benefit and advantage he had received in the be-
ginning of the war, by his gentleness, and princely
affability to all men, and by descending some\vhat
from the forms of n1ajesty, which he had, in his
former life, observed with all punctuality. He vouch-
safed then hinlself to receive any addresses, and
overtures for his service, and to hold discourse with
all 11len "rho brought devotion to him; and he must
be now troubled \vith the conlplaints, and murmurs,
and humours of all; and how frivolous and un-
reasonable soever the cause was, his l11ajesty was put
both to inform and temper their understandings.
No luan would receive an answer but frolll hÍ1nself,
and expected a better from hinl, than he must have
been contented to have received frolll any body else.
Every man magnified the service he had done, and
his ability and interest to do greater, and proposed
honour and reward equal to both in his own sense.
And if he received not an ans\ver to his lnind, he
grew sullen, complained, "he was neglected," and
resolved, or pretended so, " to quit the service, and
" to travel into SOllle foreign kingdom." He is de-
ceived that believes the ordinary carriage and state
of a king to be n1atters of indifferency, and of no re-
lation to his greatness. They are the out\vorks,
x3

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

SIO

1.
HE HIS1.'ORY

BOOK which preserve majesty itself from approaches and
VII.
surprisal. We find that the queen of Sheba was
1643. amazed at the meat of Solomon's table, and the sit-
t.ing of his servants, and the attendance of his 11linis-
tel's, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, &c. as so
great instances of Solomon's wisdonl, that there '!vas
no lll01
e 8}Jirit ill ne1... And no doubt, what prince
soever Y inconsiderately departs fronl those fornls, and
trappings, and ornall1ents of his dignity and preelni-
nence, ,viII hardly, at SOlne tilne, be able to preserve
the body itself of Dlajesty, from intrusion, inv"asion,
and violation.
And let no man think, that the king had no,v no
hard task to Inaster these troubles, and that a short
and sharp blast of royal severity ,vould easily have
dispersed these clouds. The disease ,vas too violent
and catching, and the contagion too universal, to be
cured by that remedy; neither were the symptonls,
or effects, the same in all constitutions. It cannot
be imagined, into how many several shapes men's
indispositions were put, and how many artifices Z
,vere used to get honours, offices, preferments, and
the \vaywardness and perverseness, \vhich attended
the being disappointed of their own hopes. One man
had been named for such a place, that is, h
ll1self and
his friends had given it out, that he should have it,
\vhen, it may be, he was too modest to pretend to it;
and upon this vogue he bad a title; and if it should
be conferred upon another, it would be a mark of
the king's disfavour to him; and thereby he should
lose the ability, and credit, without which he could
do no farther service. . Another suggested, that his
Y what prince soever] who- z how nlany artifices] the
soever many artifices which

OF TIlE REBELLION. 911

friends and companions in consort had all received
some obligation, and if he alone should remain with-
out some testimony of favour, it ,vould be a brand
upon him of some signal unworthiness. No man
was so hardhearted to himself, as not to be able to
give a reason for any thing he desired; and he com-
monly had best success, who prosecuted his O\VD
wishes with most boldness and ÏInportunity; neither
,vas there a better, or another reason for some men's
preferment, than that they had set their hearts upon
it, and ,vould have it. And it was a great tempta-
tion to Inodest natures, to find for\vard men had so
good fortune, that the want of success begun a to
e
ÏInputed to ,vant of ,vito
I remember, about this time, b a person of good
quality, and of a good name in action, came to me
very pensive, and to]d me, " ho,,' conscientiously he
" had served the king, without any private designs,
" or other thoughts, than the discharge of his own
" duty, and rendering the perforlnance of that duty
" acceptable to his Inajesty; yet that, to his un-
" speakable disconlfort, he found, he had been Inis-
" represented to the king, and that his majesty had
" entertained a sinister opinion of hÏ111, and desired
" Ine to learn what the ground of the prejudice was,
"" and by nlY good testÏ1nony to endeavour to remove
"it." I had a very good opinion of the person, and
believed the king had so, and therefore persuaded
hinl, that the jealousy ,vas groundless, and pressed
to know, fronl ,vhence he received those impressions;
he excused hinlself in the particular, and assured IDe,
" that he had his ad vertisell1ent froB1 a sure hand,

BOOK
VII.

1643.

a begun] began

b about this time,] once,
x4

BooK
VII.

16 J3.

31

THE I-IIS
rORY

" \vhich was to be concealed, and not doubted; that,
" upon my inquiry, I would find it true, though he
" could not imagine the cause." I prolnised him, " I
"would press the king very heartily in it, and if
" there were any thing that stuck with him, I pre-
" sumed his nlajesty \vould be so gracious to let me
" know it;" and accordingly, having shortly after an
opportunity to wait on his majesty, I told him the
true narrative of what had passed, with my observa-
tion of the general conlportment of that gentleman,
and besought his majesty, "if any ill offices had
" been done him, or that any prejudice towards hitn
., was lodged in his royal breast, that he would gra-
" ciously vouchsafe to ten me what it was, and that
"he \votlld aUo,v hhn an access, to clear himself
" fron} any imputations." The king very cheerfuny
assured me, " that he had not only a very good opi-
" nion of that gentleman, but that he was most as-
" sured, he had no real suspicion to the contrary;"
and therefore bid c nle " proceed to the other part of
" my business." I told him, " I had no lllore, and
" that I was sure, I should Inake a very happy Ulan
" by satisfying him of what I found." Then said the
king, " Yon are not throughly instructed, for the
" other half of this business must be a suit." I re-
plied, " if that were so, I ,vas yet lllore ignorant
" than 1 suspected Inyself." 1'he gentleman shortly
after came to me, in pain, as I thought, with the
jealousy of being in umbrage; and ,vhen I gave hin1
pregnant assurance to the contrary, \vith the Inention
of SOllle expressions the king had used, \vhich "rcre
indeed very gracious, he seelned to receive it ,vith

C bid] bad

O_F 'rIlE REBE1
LION.

gIg

SHch a countenance and gusto, that I verily believed
he had had his heart's desire. But, the next morn-
ing, he came to nle again, and told me, " that I had
" Blade hiBl abundantly happy, and that he doubted
" not there ,vas no just ground for the other reports,
"but only the 111alice of those ,vho wished them
" true; yet, that they had lessened his credit abroad,
" even with his friends; and that he found there ,vas
" no ,yay to keep up his reputation and interest in
"the \vorld, whereby he l11ight be able to do the
" king service, (,vhich was all he looked after,) but
" the receiving some testinlony of the king's good
" opinion, which wou]d be a public evidence, that
" the other discourses \yere false." I was surprised,
and as lunch out of countenance, as he should have
been; and advised him " to patience, and to expect
" the king's o,vn time, and method, rather than to
"quicken hhn by any importunity, ,vhich "rould
" give an ill relish to any obligation." He would
not understand that philosophy, but shortly after
found SOlne other means to press the king very
roundly for a place, upon the title of that good opi-
nion he had declared to nle to hold of hinl; not
without some hnplication, " that, ,vithout SOlne such
" earnest of his majesty's goodness, he should not be
" able to continue in his service;" which probably
,vas one of the lllodestest addresses, which were
nlade to hiln at that time. And it cannot be denied,
this way the king's trouble ,vas so great, that he
nlany tilnes suffered more vexation d from the indis-
position and humours of his own p
ople, than from
the enelny, or the apprehension of their counsels:

BOOK
VII.

1643.

d vc\ationJ vexation and trouble

314

THE HIS'rORY

] 643.

which hath made me enlarge this digression so much;
conceiving it no less to be a part of history, and
more useful to posterity, to leave a character of the
times, than of the persons, or the narrative of the
matters of fact, \vhich cannot be so well understood,
as by knowing the genius that prevailed when they
were transacted.
The best expedient his Inajesty could find to dis-
pel these fUInes, ,vas motion and action; and there-
fore, though the season of the year \vas too far
spent, and too lllany officers hurt, for the taking the
field again, besides that n1any regiments were re-
turned to their old posts, (as the 'Velsh to defend
their o,vn country fron1 the incursions fron1 Glou-
cester, and to reduce SOlne towns in Pembrokeshire,
,vhich, lying on the sea, by the help of the parlia-
111el1t ships, begun to fortify and gather strength,)
yet he resolved his forces about Oxford should not
lie still.
In the beginning of October, prince Rupert, with
a strong party of horse, foot, and dragoons, marched
into Bedfordshire, and took the town of Bedford,
and in it a party of the enen1Y, ,vho used it only as
a strong quarter. This expedition was principally
to countenance sir Lewis Dives, ,vhilst he fortified
N e\vport Pannel, ,vhere he hoped to fix a garrison;
which \vould have Blade a Inore direct line of con1-
111unication ,vith the northern parts, and restrained
the con1n1erce between London and their associated
counties; which they ,veIl understood; and there-
fore, upon the first ne'vs of it, the earl of Essex re-
moved his head-quarters frolll 'Vindsor to St. Al-
ban's; and the trained bands of London, and their
auxiliary rcgitncnts, Inarcllcd again to hiIn for his

BOOK
VII.

OF THE REBELLION.

315

recruIt; upon the advanfement whereof, and a ll1is- BOOK
take of orders from Oxford, sir Le\vis Dives dre,v VII.
off his forces from N e,vport Pannel; and the enelny 1643.
presently possessed themselves of it, and made it a
very useful garrison. Upon ,vhich, prince Rupert
fortified Tossiter, a to\\Tn in N orthan1ptonshire, and
left a strong garrison there; which, though it in-
fested the enemy sonlewhat, and took great revenge
upon those counties, ,vhich had expressed a violent
affection to the parlialuent, in truth, added little
strength to the king; for he lost Hlany horse by the
labour of duty, the greatest part of the body of his
horse being forced to quarter near that place, for
the security of the foot, till the ,yorks about the
to\vn were in such a for,vardness, that they needed
not fear their neighbours at 81. Alban's.
In the Jnean tinle, the po,ver of the parlianlent
,vas least manifest in the west, ,vhere their party
was reduced to a lo,vness, and confined ,vithin nar-
row limits after the taking of Exeter; the gentle- The king's
men of that county having been generally well de- :::i
:e

.
voted to the king's service, though never able safely
to declare it, at least to appear in a posture of op-
posing the violence of the other party. Prince Mau-
rice found a general concurrence to advance the
great work, by levies of money, n1en, and all offices
that could be expected; insomuch as, ,vithin very
few days .after the surrender of that to"
n, his army
of foot, by the new levies, contained no fewer than
seven thousand men, (which was a body the ,vest
had not before seen,) besides a body of horse, at
least proportionable to the other; and all in excel-
lent equipage for action. And at the saine time,
colonel John Digby \vas before PlYlTIOuth, with above

916

THE HISTOR Y

1643.

three thousand foot, and six hundred horse, and had
taken a \vork from the enelny of great importance,
called Mount Stamford in honour of that earl dur-
ing the tin1e of his abode there, ,vithin half a l11ile
oÏ the to,vn, and \vhich comlnanded some part of
the river; the loss ,vhereof gave the to,vn a marvel-
lous discouragement.
The first error the prince committed after the re-
ducing of Exeter, was staying too long there before
he advanced, for victorious arn1ies carry great terror
,vith them, whilst the nlemory and falne of the vic-
tory is fresh. The next, that he moved not directly
to\vards Plymouth, when he did move; which, in
all probability, would have yielded upon his ap-
proach: for the to\vn was full of distraction, and
jealousy amongst themselves, as well as unprovided
for the reception of an enenlY. I t was a rich and
populous corporation, being, in time of peace, the
greatest port for trade in the west; and, except
Bristol, then more considerable e than all the rest.
There was in it a castle very strong to,vards the
sea, with good platforms and ordnance; and little
Dlore than musket-shot from the town, was an island
with a fort in it, n1uch stronger than the castle;
Loth which were, before the troubles, under the com-
mand of a captain, with a garrison of aLout fifty
men at the n10st; and were f on]y intended for a
security, and defence of the town against a foreign
invasion; the castle and the island together having
a good conlmand of the entrance into the harbour,
but towards the land there was very little strength.
This comn1and was in the hands of sir Jacob Ash-

BOOK
VII.

c:: then lnore considerable] greater

f were] was

OF THE REBELLION.

317

ley, and as unprovided to expect or resist an enemy,
as the other castles and forts of the kingdolTI ; g less
for the receiving a recruit; there heing only ord-
nance and amnlunition, without any other provi-
sions for the support of the soldiers \yithin the
walls; g and the garrison itself being by tinle, mar-
riages, and trade, incorporated into the to\vn, and
rather citizens than soldiers; so that sir Jacob Ash-
ley being sent for to the king, before his setting up
his standard, as soon as there was any apprehension
of a party for the king in Cornwall, after the ap-
pearing of sir Ralph Hopton, and those other gen-
tlen1en there, the Inayor and corporation of Ply-
Inouth quickly got both the castle and island into
their own power.
It \vill be \vondered at by many hereafter, that
those, and the like places of strength in England,
being under the cOlll111and of persons entirely of his
majesty's nomination, were not put into a good pos-
ture of defence, when it grew first evident, that
there ,vould be shortly occasion to use tbeITI; for
according to the old story in Ælian, that when in
one of the states of Greece, Micippus's sheep brought
forth a lion, it was generally and justly concluded,
that that portended a tyranny, and change of the
state from a peaceable to a bloody government; so
when the two houses of parlialnent first produced a
sovereign power, to n1ake, and alter, and suspend
la\vs, before they raised an army, or made a general,
or declared war; when that Inild and innocent
sheep, that legal regular convention of a soher and

BOOK
VB.

1643.

g less-the waJls;J there be- visions for the support of the
ing only ordnance and ammu- soldiers within the \Vans; less
nition, without any other pro- for the receiving a recru
t;

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

318

'l'I-IE HI STORY

modest council, had once brought forth that lion
which sought \vhom he might devour, it Inight be
easily and naturally concluded by all wise and sober
tnen, that the blessed calnl, and temperate state of
governluent, by which every luan eat the fruit of
his own vine, was at an end; and rapine, blood, and
desolation, to succeed; and therefore that those
holds should, in reason, have been then provided
for.
But I shall say here once for all, that fron1 the
tinle that there was any reasonable jealousy of a
war, it \vas never in the king's power to mend the
condition of any h of those places; and if he had
attempted it, with \vhat caution or secrecy soever,
the inconvenience he must have sustained by it, be-
sides the failing of his end, would have been much
greater than the advantage which could have ac-
crued, if he had done ,vhat he desired. I have very
ill described the tinles we have passed through, if
that be not apparent; and that it was rather an er-
ror of the forlner tilnes, that those places needed
any supply, than that it was not applied to them in
the succeeding.
The parlial11ent ,vas very glad Plyn10uth was thus
secured; and, as well to put an obligation upon all
corporations, by she\ving they thought them capable
of the greatest trusts, as because they could not, in
truth, more reasonably confide in any other, they
committed the government thereof to that nlayor;
who was well enough instructed, what respect to
pay to their committee; which was appointed to
reside there for his assistance, and to conduct the

h any] either

OF THE REBELLION.

319

affairs in those parts. Of that committee, sir Alex- BOO K
ander Carew \vas one; a gentleman of a good for- VII.
tune in Cornwall, \vho served in parlian1ent as ) 643.
knight for that county, and had, fronl the beginning
of the parliament, concurred in all conclusions ,vith
the most violent, \vith as full a testiInony of that
zeal and fury, to which their confidence \vas ap-
plied, as any man. To him the custody and go-
vernment of that fort and island, which was looked
upon as the security of the to\vn, ,vas committed;
and a sufficient garrison put into it. The mayor
con1n1anded the castle and the town, about which a
line was cast up of earth, \veak and irregular.
After the battle of Stratton, and i the king's forces
prevailing k so far over the west, that Bristol was
taken by thenl, and Exeter closely besieged, sir
Alexander Carew begun to think his island and fort
would hardly secure his estate in Cornwall; and
understood the law so well (for he had had a good
education) to know, that the side he had chosen
would be no longer the better, than it should con-
tinue the stronger; and having originally followed
no other motives, than of popularity and interests,
resolved now to redeem his errors; and found means
to correspond with some of his old friends and neigh-
hours in Cornwall, and, by them, to make a direct Sir Alexan-
d .e. d . I d h der Carew
overture to surren er that 10rt an IS an to t e treats to
kin g U p on an assurance of his ma l . est y 's P ardon surrender
,
, the fort of
and a full ren1ission of his offences. Sir John Berk- Plymouth
to the
ley, who then lay before Exeter, was the next su- king's
ffi l . fi . h forces, but
preme 0 cer, qua I ed to entertaIn suc a treaty; is surprised.
and he, instantly, by the same conveyance, returned

j and] and that

k prevailing] prevailed

BOOK
VII.

J 643.

SQO

THE HISTORY

hiln as. alnple assurance of his own conditions as
could be; with advice, "that he should not, upon
" any defect of fortns, (which, upon his engageillent,
" should be supplied with all possible expedition, to
" his own satisfaction,) defer the consun1111ating the
" ,vork; which hereafter, possibly, 111ight not be in
" his power to effect:" designs of that nature being
to be consulted and executed together; for in those
cases, according to Mutianus in Tacitus, Qui deli-
herant. desci-vel'unt; and the greatest danger at-
tends the not going on. But he was so sottishly
and dangerously wary of his o\vn security, (having
neither courage enough to obey his conscience, nor
wickedness enough to be prosperous against it,) that
he would not proceed, till he was sufficiently as-
sured, that his pardon was passed the great seal of
England; before which time, though all in1aginable
haste was made, by the treachery of a servant wholl1
he trusted, his treaty and design was discovered to
the mayor, and the rest of the committee; and, ac-
cording to the diligence used by that party, 1 in
cases of such concernment, he was suddenly, and
without resistance, surprised in his fort, and carried
prisoner into Plymouth: and from thence, by sea,
sent to I
ondon; where what became of him, will
be relnelnbered in its place.
Shortly after this accident, colonel Digby came
before the town; and though the great damage was
by this Ineans preven ted, yet it cannot be imagined,
but the people were in great distraction, with the
apprehension of the danger they had escaped; and
those discoveries bring always that melancholy ,vith

I by that party,] Not in iUS.

OF 'l"HE REBELLION. g
l

theIn, that men are not quickly again brought to a
confidence in one another. For no man had, to
COlnlnon understanding, better deserved to be trust-
ed, or given less argulnent for suspicion: and upon
such a defection, who could hope to stand free from
jealousy? Besides, he could not but have had much
familiarity \"ith nlany in the town, which must sub-
ject m theln to some' suspicion, or, at least, nlake
theln suspect that they were suspected; and, ,vith-
out doubt, it awakened many to apprehend the im-
mediate hand of God in the judglnent, that he
would not suffer a nlan to recover the security and
comfort of his allegiance, who had so signally de-
parted from it against the light of his o\vn con-
science; and that a nlan, who had been before pre-
cipitate against all reason, should perish by consi-
dering too much, \vhen precipitation was only rea-
sonable.
The fanle of the ,vinning of Exeter, by which a
victorious arlny was at liberty to visit them, and
then the loss of Mount Statnford, which was their
only considerable fortification to the land, with those
other discomposures, wrought a wonderful conster-
nation alnongst them; and nlade thenl consider, that
if they could hold out, and defend their town, the
country being all lost, they ß1ust lose all their trade,
and so from merchants becoD1e only soldiers; which
was not the condition they contended for. I nso-
n1uch as the mayor himself was not without a pro-
pensity to send for a treaty, upon which the town
might be delivered to the king: and it was by many
then believed, that if prince Maurice had then

VOL. IV.

m subject] object
y

BOOK
VII.

1643.

gQ

THE HISTORY

BOOK marched fron1 Exeter before it, that treaty would
VII. infallibly have ensued. But when I say it was an
1643. error that he did not, I intend it rather as a n1isfor-
tune than a fault; for his highness ,vas an utter
stranger in those parts; and therefore was not, ,vith-
out great appearance of reason, persuaded first to
bend his course to Dartmouth; which was looked
upon "as an easy work, and a harbour, which, being
" got, \,Tould dra,v a very good trade: and that short
" ,york being perforll1ed, Plymouth would have the
" less courage to make resistance; and if it should,
" it ,vere much fitter for the ,vinter, ,vhich was no\v
" dra,ving on," (for it ,vas more than the n1iddle of
September,) " than the other, by reason of the COTI-
" veniency of good accommodation for the soldiers,
" near about it; ,vhich could not be had about Dart-
" mouth."
Upon these reasons, he marched directly to Dart-
n10uth, which, ho\v unfit soever to n1ake a defence
against such an army, by the disadvantage of situa-
tion, and the want n of all those helps which use to
n1ake a garrison confident, 0 he found in no telllper
and disposition to yield; so that he sat down before
it. And shortly after, there came so violent a sea-
son of rain, and foul \yeather, that very many of his
nlen, ,vith lying on the ground, fell sick, and died;
and more run P a,vay . Yet, after near a month's
siege, and the loss of many good men, (whereof the
same colonel Chudleigh, of ,,,horn we spoke q before,
was one, a gallant young gentlen1an, ,vho received a
shot with a musket in the body, of which he died

Prince
1\Iaurice
sits ùown
before
Dart-
mouth;
and takes
it:

n want] absence
o to n1ake a garrison confi-
dent,] to contract a confidence,

P run] ran
q spoke] spake

OF 1.
HE REBELLION.

39!3

within fe,v da y s , and was a wonderful loss to the BOOK
\'li.
kin g 's service, ) it "ras given up on fair conditions;
I G4:i.
and then the prince, having placed a garrison there,
under the con1mand of colonel Seymour, a gentlelnan
of principal account and interest in Devonshire, lost
no n10re tilne, but, with all convenient expedition,
marched to PlYlnouth; which ,vas not no\v in the
state it had been; for the parlialncnt, being quickly
inforn1ed ho\v terrible an in1pression the loss of al-
most all other parts of the \vest had made upon the
spirits of that people, had before this tÌ1ne sent a re-
cruit of five hundred 1uen, and a Scotch officer to be
governor; ,vho eased the mayor of that unequal
charge, and quickly Inade it evident, that nothing .....
but a peremptory defence was thought of. So the
prince sat down before it \vith an arl11Y much in fe- Sits down
. f h h d .. d . h I I D . b } before Ply.
1'101', a tel' e a JOlne \Vlt co one Jg y, to t lat mouth too
,vith ,vhich he had Inarched from Exeter to Dart- late.
1110uth; yet with much confidence to reduce that
town, before the "Tinter should be over.
Though the king's success, and good fortune, had
met with a check in the relief of Gloucester, and the
battle of N e\vbury, yet his condition seemed might-
ily in1proved by the whole sumn1er's service. For
,vhereas he seelned before confined, upon the matter,
within Oxfordshire and half Berkshire, (which half
,vas lost too upon the loss of Reading in the spring,)
and the parties, which appeared for hinl in other
counties, seelned rather sufficient to hinder a general
union against him, than that they \vere like to re-
duce them to his devotion; he 'vas now, upon the
matter, Inaster of the whole "'"est; Corn\vall was his
o\vn without a rival; Plymouth ,vas the only place,
in all Devonshire, unreduced; and those forces shut
y2

BOOK
VII.

1643.

SQ4

'J:'HE HISrrORY

,vi thin their own ,valls: the large rich county of So-
merset, with Bristol, r entirely his: in Dorsetshire,
the enemy had only t,vo little fisher-towns, Poole
and LYlne; all the rest was declared for the king.
And in every of these counties, he had plenty of har-
bours and ports, to supply hin1 with al11munition,
and the country with trade. In 'Viltshire the enemy
had not the least footing, and rather a town or two
in Hanlpshire, than any possession of the county;
that people being generally undevoted to them: the
whole principality of 'Vales, except a sea town or
two in Pembrokeshire, ,vas at his devotion; and
that unfortunatelyS obstinate to,vn of Gloucester only
kept him fron1 c0l11manding the 'v hole Severn. The
parliament was nothing stronger in Shropshire, Che-
shire, and Lancashire, than they ,vere in the begin-
ning of the year. And albeit the marquis of New-
castle had been forced to rise as unfortunately frolll
Hull, as t.he king had been from Gloucester, yet he
had still a full power over Yorkshire, and a greater
in N ottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire, than the par-
liament had. So that he might be thought to be
now strong enough to n1ake ,val'; the contrary opi-
nion whereof had been one of the greatest reasons that
there was no peace. And therefore many believed,
that, what appearance soever there was of obstinacy,
the winter ,vould produce some overtures of accom-
modation; and that all the noise of preparation froDl
Scotland, was only to incline the king to the greater
condescensions; and that, in truth, they who had
pretended the concurrent desire of the people, as the
best reason for whatsoever they had proposed, and

r Bristol,] .LvI S. adds: the se-
cond county of the kingdom,

s unfortunately] unfortunate

OF 'rHE REBELLION. 3
5

traduced the king with a purpose of bringing t foreign BOO K
VII.
forces to awe and impose upon his own subjects,
,vould not now have the hardiness to bring in a 1643.
stranger nation to invade their country, and to com-
pel that people, by ,vhose affections they would be
tl)ought to be guided, to sublnit to c}langes they had
no n1ind to receive. And the arrival of the count of The cont.e
d'Harcourt
Harcourt, as extraordinary alnbassador from the arrives am-
. hassador
cro,vn of France, ,vas looked upon as an expedlen t from
h . d t th France.
to US er In sOlne treaty, an 0 remove ose cere-
lllonies, and preliminary propositions, which, by rea-
son of the mutual declarations and protestations
against each other, lnight be thought of greater diffi-
culty, than any real differences between them.
The king himself ,vas not without expectation of
notable pffects fron1 this en1bassy; for the state of
France seemed to be 111uch altered fi'oln ,vhat it was
at the beginning of these troubles. Cardinal Riche-
lieu, "rho, the king ,veIl knew, had n10re than fo-
mented the troubles both in England and Scotland,
was now dead; and the king of France him
elflike-
wise; and those old ministers of state who had he en
long in the bastile, or banished, were now set at li-
berty, and recalled, and in favour; the queen mother
made regent; ,vho professed great personal kindness
to the queen of England, and so great a sense of the
indignities the king and she suffered, that she seemed
sensible, that France had contributed too n1uch to
theIn, and to think, that the interest, as well as ho-
nour, of that crown was concerned to buoy up the
monarchy of England; ,vith intimations, "that the
" king himself should direct \vhat ,yay he would be

t bringing] bringing in
Y3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

S
6

r.rHE I-II STOR Y

" served by that cro,vn." The first evidence they
gave of nleaning as they said, was the revocation of
1110nsieur la Ferté SennetelTe, the al11bassador then
resident in England; who had contracted a wonder-
ful falniliarity \vith the fiercest 111anagers of the par-
liament, and done the king all imaginable disservice;
insomuch as he had industriously persuaded some
English priests and Jesuits, to engage those of the
Romish persuasion, by no Ineans to assist the king;
with a full assurance, "that the parliament would
" allo,v them liberty of conscience." This Ininister
his majesty desired might be recalled; which ,vas
not only suddenly done, but a private intin1ation like-
wise given 11 to our queen, " that she should nonlinate

, \"hat person was to be x enlployed in his place;
"who should wholly guide himself by her instruc-
" tions:" and her majesty ,vas led to make choice of
Inonsieur Ie conte d'Harcourt, one of the principal
persons of that kingdonl, being a prince of the house
of LOlï'aine, and so allied to the king, and grand
escuier ; Y and had been their late fortunate general
in Catalonia, "There he had given the Spaniard the
greatest defeat they had received; ,vhich was not
thought an unseasonable qualification in an ambassa-
dor, whose business ,vas to n1ediate a peace.
His reception at London ,vas \vith lTIuch solem..
nity, that he might not find there "vas any absence
of cereillony or state, by the absence of the king; yet
when he had a safe conduct for Oxford, his carriages
\vere stopped at the going out of London, and his
o\vn coach, as "Tell as all other places, searched \vith
great and unusual ruùeness, upon suspicion that he

11 given] Not in lUS.
x was to be] should be

Y escuier;J escuier of France;

OF TI-IE ItEBELl,ION. 3
7

carried letters; and though he expostulated the af-
front, as a high violation of his honour and privilege,
he received no n1anner of reparation, or the officer,
that did it, any reprehension; ,vhich 111ade n1any be.
Jiev"e that he would have been very keen in the re-
sentlnent.. The king expected that, by this ambas-
sador, the cro,vn of France ,vould have made a brisk
declaration on his Inajesty's behalf; and if the par-
liament should not return to their regular obedience,
that they should have found no correspondence or re-
ception in that kingdon1; and that they would really
assist his 111ajesty, in such a manner as he should pro-
pose; \vhich declaration, he thought, ,vould prove of
mOlnent with the city of London, in respect of their
trade; but n10re with the Scots, who were under-
stood to have an especial dependence upon France.
'Vhen the ambassador returned fron1 his audience
at Oxford, where he stayed not many days, he sent
a paper to the earl of N orthul11berland, by which he
desired his lordship, "to impart to the messieurs of
" parlia01ent, that he had nlade known to their ma-
" jesties, the affectionate desire the king his 111 aster,
" and the queen his nlistress, had to contribute all
" good offices, in the procurement of peace and tran-
" quillity in this kingdom; to \vhich he found the
" desires of their 111ajesties well disposed; and there-
"fore he desired to know, whether Z his lordship
" thought the t\VO houses did correspond in the same
" intention: if they did, after they should make him
" understand the subject that had obliged them to
" take up ar01S, he \vould interpose to pacify the dif-
"ferences, by such expedients, as should be most

z whether] if
y4

BOOK
VII.

1643.

"

S
8

THE HISTORY

] 643.

" conformable to the ancient laws and CUstOlllS of
" the realm."
After the earl of Northumberland had informed
the house of peers of this representation, it was, at a
conference, Í1Ilparted to the house of COffilTIOnS, and
an ans\ver was framed by joint agreen1ent, to be re-
turned by the earl of Northumberland to the alnbas-
sador. In the form of it, they gave him the title of
prince qf Hal-court, and grand escuier qf France;
but omitted that of eXfraOlylinary ll1Jzbassador in
England, because it did not appear to the parlia-
n1ent, by letters of credence, or the sight of his in-
structions from the king, or queen regent of France,
that he was by them elIlployed extraordinary alll-
bassador into England.
The answer itself ,vas, "that the lords and com-
" ll10ns in parlÏall1ent did, with all due respects, ac-
"cept of the affectionate desires of the king, and
" queen regent of France, to contribute good offices
"towards the procuring a happy peace; and that,
" 'v hen the said Inonsieur Ie pri
ce d' Harcourt should
" n1ake any such propositions to the parlian1ent, by
" authority from their majesties of France, they
" \vould give then such an ans\ver to the same, as
" Inight stand \vith the interest of both kingdon1s,
" and their late solell1n league and covenant." The
lords proposed, "that there n1Íght be a con1mittee
" appointeq to treat with the ambassador:" but the
commons would by no means consent to it, "till he
"should make it luanifest, that he had authority
" fronl his 111aster to treat with the parliament;" and
withal they declared, "that if he had, at any time,
" any thing farther to offer to then], they would not
"receive it from any particular member of either

BOOK
VII.

OF
THE REHELLION. SQ9

" house; but that he should apply himself by writ- BOO K
" ing, or otherwise, to the speaker of either or both VB.
" houses of parliament; otherwise, they would hold 1643.
" no correspondence \vith him." The ground of this
resolution was, that they might dra\v from the am-
bassador (which they presulned could not be \vithout
the privity and approbation of the king) an address,
and acknowledgnlent that they were a parliament,
against the freedo111 \vhereof, and consequently the
present being, his n1ajesty had, by his late proclama-
tion, declared. So the an1bassador, after a journey Returns
O .í' d d Ii dd into France
or t\VO to Xlor, an SOllle per unctory a resses to without
the houses, returned to France 1
e infecta, and \vith- :

cf

dthe
out the least expression of dislike, on his master's king.
behal
of their proceedings.
Some a were scrupulous in believing that France
really in
ended to repair the n1ischief it had done;
and observed, that though there were some plausible
con1pliances, in point of cereillony, with particular
persons, after the death of the fornler cardinal; yet,
that the main counsels \vere carried on upon the
rules and directions he had left; and that the cardi-
nal Mazarin, a person who had been b of the high-
est trust \vith the other, wholly now presided over
those counsels; and considered, how much France
might imagine it would conduce to their interest,
that the king of England should not have all his sub-
jects in perfect obedience, lest he might offer to be
an arbiter of their great differences: I say, these
men believed count Harcourt's instructions privately
were no other, than the last ambassador's; \VhOlTI
the king had caused to be recalled. And it cannot

a
ome] They

b who had been] Not in lJ1 S.

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

330

THE HISTORY

be denied, that they who ,vere inclined to that jea-
lousy, had arguments enough to increase it.
'Vhen this extraordinary ambassador was ap-
pointed to come for England, 1\11'. l\lountague was
in the court of France, very much trusted by both
their Jnajesties, and oy his quality, and near relation
to so great a trust, his long conversation in that
court, and a singular dexterity in his nature, adorned
with excellent parts, ,vas thought to have a very
good place in the favour and particular estimation
of the queen regent, and in the opinion of the car-
dinal; to whom he had been useful. 'Vith this gen-
tleman most of the conclusions had been transacted,
which were preparatory to the anlbassador's jour-
ney; and it ,vas thought fit, that he should at the
saine tilne conle into England; and, in such a dis-
guise, as Inight easily conceal a man better known
in France than in his own country, in the ambassa-
dor's train find a safe passage to Oxford; which
was carried with so 111uch secrecy, that, besides to
the anI bassador himself, he was kno,vn to very few
of his retinue. The count of Harcourt ,vas not'
landed four and twenty hours, but in his journey
towards London, a messenger from the parlialnent
apprehended 1\11'. Mountague, and carried him a
prisoner to the houses; by Wh0111 he ,vas committed
to the To\ver; and though the ambassador made a
great show of resenting it, he never clain1ed him in
such a Inanner as to procure his enlargelnent; which
made men believe the cardinal liked well his con-
finement, and desired not he should be either at
Oxford or Paris.
At the alnbassador's first c0111ing to Oxford, after
general overtures, and declarations of the resolution

O:F 1."lIE REBELLION.

331

of that cro,vn, " to give his Inajesty all possible as..
"sistance for his reestablishnlent," he proposed a
league offensive and defensive ,vith the king. His
Dlajesty, that kne,v ,yell such an offer ,vas not to
be rejected, lest they should from thence take an
occasion to refuse those things he should propose,
appointed a comlnittee of his council (according to
the usual course) to treat with the anlbassador, upon
all necessary articles, which should attend such a
treaty; declaring an inclination to enter into such a
league as ,vas proposed; and thereupon desired" a
"present loan of money, and a supply of a good
" proportion of arll1S and alnmunition; and likewise
"that the crO'Vll of France \votlld declare against
" tJle c subjects of England and Scotland, ,vho should d
"persist in rebellion; according to an article rati-
" tied in the last treatye no,v in force."
The alnbassador, who, it seems, expected that
there should have been more pauses in the overture
of the league offensive and defensive, for the present
declined the treating with the committee; alleging,
" that he was, upon the lnatter, a l1linister of both
"their lllajesties; and \vas to receive con1mand
"fronl thein, and ,vholly to attend their service;
" and therefore that he desired wholJy to c0l11muni-
" cate with their ll1ajesties themselves:" and shortly
after waved any farther mention of the league, with
an affected f compliment, " that it ,vould not appear
" a generous thing, to press the king to any act in
"this his distress, which he had made scruple of
" consenting to heretofore, when the fortune of both
"cro,vns \vere equally prosperous: but that his

C the] his
cl should J would

e treat)] treaty of the league
f an affected] a :French

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

33

rHE I-IISTOR Y

] 643.

" Inaster and mistress \voltld frankly contribute all
" that could be reasonably expected fron1 thenl, to-
" wards his Inajesty's restoration and establishment;
" and after,vards expect such a return of affection
" froll} his Inajesty, as the greatness of the obliga-
" tion should merit in his princely estimation." And
at the sall1e tilne, the queen regent and cardinal
positively denied to the lord Goring, ambassador ex-
traordinary then from his n1ajesty in France, that
ever the count of Harcourt had any instruction to
mention a league offensive and defensive. These
particular carriages, and his not resenting the indig-
nities offered to him by the parlianlent, nlade many
In en believe, that this an1bassador, not\vithstanding
all the specious professions, was sent rather to fo-
lnent, than extinguish, the fire that \vas kindled.
Certain it is, during his stay in England, he did
not, in the least degree, advance the king's service;
and, at his return, left the parlialnent more united
aillongst themselves against the king, and the Scots
more advanced to\vards their coming in, than he
found them; there being at the sanle tin1e likewise
a French agent in Scotland; who produced no al-
teration in the affections of that people, to the king's
advantage.
The return h of the three earls, fo:rn1erly nlen-
tioned, g to London in the ,vinter, who so solemnly
applied themselves to the king in the spring, con-
tributed exceedingly to the union of the t\VO houses
at 'Vestminster. 'The other two stayed longer; and
retired ,vith much Inore decency, if not with a tacit
perlnission. But the earl of Holland, h when he sa\v

BOOK
VII.

g formerly mentioned,] Not h The return-earl of Rol-
in .IUS. . land,] Originally thus in JfS.:

OF TIlE REBELLION.

SSg

his place in the bedchalnber conferred upon the
marquis of Hertford, in much discontent, found an
opportunity, \v hich \vas not difficult, to remove out
of the king's quarters; and before he \vas missed at
Oxford, intelligence \vas brought that he had ren-
dered hinlself to the parliament at London; and to
make his return the more conscientious, he declared,
as hath been said, i "that the ground of his deserting
" them formerly, and going to the king, \vas a hope
"to incline his majesty to a treaty of peace; but
"that he found he \vas mistaken in the temper of
" the Oxford councils; and that the king had still
"about him SOU1e counsellors, who \vould never
" consent to a safe and ,veIl-grounded peace; and
"that he heard they had persuaded tIle king to
" 111ake a cessation with the rebels in Ireland; which
" affected his conscience so much, that, though he
" had been sure to have lost his life by it, he would
" return to the parliament;" professing exemplary
I must not here forget one ac- speak with the king in private
cident, which no doubt (how when he desired. '''hether he
much soever neglected then) had received any private invita-
contributed exceedingly to the tion and promise of being re-
union at London; the return stored to the place he formerly
of the earl of Holland to the had in their 111 ajesties' favours,
parliament. After his first com- and his old condition in court,
ing to Oxford, when he had I know not; but after a short
kissed the king and queen's stay in and about Oxford, and
hands, he and the other two when he fou
d the eyes of the
lords, who came together, the court n10ved not towards him,
earl of Bedford and the earl of as they had done, though the
Clare, attended the king in the queen was gracious to him, and
army, and at the battle of New- the king always content to hear
bury charged with prince Ru- what he would say, and when
pert in his troop. \Vhen the he saw his place &c. as in line
king retired to Oxford, the earl ult. p. 332.
of Holland applied himself to i as hath been said,] Not in
both their majesties, and had a J.t1s.
fair reception and admission to

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

334

THE HISTORY

fidelity to thenl, if they \vould again receIve hÎln
into their favour.
It nlay be, his discourse of Ireland, or the king's
averseness to peace, wrought upon very few; but
the evidence of the king's aversion so far to forgive
and forget foriner trespasses, as to receive them into
favour and trust again, made a deep impression
upon nlany. For it is undoubtedly true, that lnany
of the principal and governing luembers of both
houses, that is, of them who had governed, and done
as 111uch mischief as any, either out of apprehension
that the king would prevail, or that they should not
prevail soon enough, or the animosity against those
who had outgrown their governnlent, and followed
ne,v leaders of their own, and to other ends than
had been originally proposed, or out of some mo-
tions of conscience, \vere quite "Teary of the parlia-
ment, and desirous to obtain a fair adnlission to the
king; and looked only upon the footing which those
doves, which went first out of the ark, should find;
and surely, if that expedient had been dexterously
111 an aged, it had been the l110St probable \vay to
have drawn tIle parlia11lent into such contempt, that
it n1ust have fallen of itself: a way, k tbat in no
civil \\Tar, \vhich is arrived to any vigour and power
of contending, ought to be declined. For a body,
that is not formed by policy, \vith any avowed and
fixed principles of governinent, but by the disteln-
pered affections, ambition, and discontent of parti-
cular persons, who rather agree against a common
adversary, than are united to one just interest, can-

k a way,] and it is a way,

OF THE REBELLION.

g35

not so easily be dissolved, as by treating 1 ,vith par-
ticular persons, and rending those branches fron1
the trunk, whose beauty and advantage consists
only in the spreading.
The reasons m were unans\\rerable, \vhich the old
consul Fabius in Livy, lib. 24. gave, in the case of
Cassius Altinius, who, after the defeat of Cannæ, de-
serted the ROlnans, and fled to Hannibal, by which
he got the city of Arpos; and when the condition
of the ROlnans ,vas again recovered and flourishing,
came again to the Ronlan army, and offered to be-
tray that city into their hands. Many were of opin-
ion, " that he should he looked upon as a COl1lmOn
" enemy; and bound, and sent to Hannibal, as a
"perfidious person, who knew neither how to be a
" friend, nor an enel11Y." Fabius reprehended the
unseasonable severity of those who considered, and
judged in 1Jle(lio arl/ore belli, tllllqllaJJl ill pace li-
bera, and told thenl, "that their principal care
"l11ust be, that none of their friends and alJies
" might forsake thenl; the next, that they \vho had
" forsaken them, might return again into their obe-
"dience and protection: for, si ubire a R01Jlanis
" liceat, red ire all eos non liceat, it could not be,
" but the state of Rome, fron1 which, n in the late
" 111isfortunes, many had revolted, must becol11e very
" desperate."
Such was the king's condition, the nlu11ber of the
guilty being so llluch superior to the innocent, that
the latter could reasonably expect only to be pre-
served by the conversion and reduction of the for-
nIer. Neither did the king not foresee, or abhor
1 treating] tempering n which,] whom,
m The reasonsJAnd the rea.sons

BOOK
VII.

1 G43.

336

THE HISTORY

J 643.

this expedient; but the ten1per and spirit of the
time was so averse from the stratageln, that it was
evident his present loss would be as gr
at, by prac-
tising it, as his future advantage was like to Í1n-
prove by it. \Vhatsoever 0 dan1age his majesty sus-
tained, that unfortunate earl received no acknow-
ledglnent, or encouragement fron1 the other party,
who had the benefit of his return; but as his estate
was sequestered as soon as he left theIn, so he ,vas
no\v conlmitted to prison, and that sequestration
continued; neither ,vas it, in a long time after,
taken off, nor himself ever after admitted to his
place in their council, notwithstanding all the inter..
cession of very powerful friends, or to any reputa-
tion of doing farther good or hurt.
Certainly, p there must be thought to be some ex-
traordinary q disliké, in the very primary law of na-
ture, of such tergiversation and inconstancy; since
we scarce find, in any story, a deserter of a trust or
party, he once adhered to, to be long prosperous, or
in any eminent estÍ1nation \vith those to whom he
resorts; though, in the change, there nlay appear
evident argun1ents of reason and justice; neither
hath it been in the power or prerogative of any au-
thority, to preserve such men from the reproach,
and jealousy, and scandal, that naturally attends
upon any defection: I have notjòund evil in thee,
8ince tIle (lay qf tllY cO'lll.ing unto me, unto th.i8
day; ueverthele88, the lor(18 favour tltee not, was
the profession of king Achish, when he dismissed
David himself from marching \vith the army of the
Philistines; and that expostulation of those lords,

nOOK
VII.

1 Sam.
xxix. 6.

o 'VhatsoeverJ A nd whatever
}> Certainly,] And verily,

C] extraordinary] Not in lJ1S.

OF l."HE H,EBELLIOX. 337

lvh ere lvitlt should he 'reconcile hill/self 'ÙJlto Ilia
1naster? shoul(l it not be witlt tliB heads qf these
'JJlell? will be al\vays an argulnent r to raise a dis-
trust of those who have enlinently quitted their
party: and the judgment of Fabius hilnself, which
we touched before, of Cassius Altinius, was not n1uch
in their favour; for though he reprehended the pro-
position of sending hinl to Hannibal, yet he con-
cluded, "that he \votlld have no trust reposed in
" hinl, but that he should be kept in safe custody,
" with liberty to do any thing but go a\vay, till the
" war ,vas ended; tunt consultalldu11t, utrU'J1t de-
"fectio prior }Jlus rnerita sit pænæ, an /lic re(Ziins
"veniæ." As it falls out thus 8 in civil affairs, and
the breach of moral obligations, so it happens in
spiritual defections, and alterations in religion: for
as, among the Jews, the proselytes were civilly and
charitably treated, \vithout upbraidings or reproaches;
yet it was provided, "that no proselyte should he
"eligible into thè court of their sanhedrim;" and
in their very conversation, they had a caution of
them: Vel ad (!eCi'lJla1lZ usque gene'l.atione1n a pro-
selgtis cave, ,vas an aphorism amongst thel11. And
our o\vn t observation and experience can give us
fe\v examples of Inen who have changed their reli-
gion, and not fallen into jealousy u ahd distrust, or
disreputation, even with those with whom they side;
that have nlade their future life less pleasant and
delightsonle; \vhich, it l11ay be, happens x only be-
cause we have rare instances of Inen of extraordi..

r argument] argumentation
1'1 As it falls out thus] And as
it fares

t And onr own] So our
u jealousy] some jealonsy
x happens] is

VOL. lY.

7:

BOOK
VII.

1643.

3ß8

THE HISTORY

] 643.

nary parts, or great minds, who have entertained
those conversions.
T
e lords Y and CODlmons were all now of a mind,
and no other contention an10ngst theIll, than ,vho
should most advance the power which was to sup-
press the king's: new and stricter orders were made
for the general taking the covenant; and an ordi-
nance, "that no man should be in any office or
"trust in their armies, or the kingdom, or of the
" COllllllon council of London, or should have a voice
" in the election of those officers, but such ,vho had
" taken the covenant; nor even they ,vho had taken
"the covenant, if they had been formerly impri-
" soned, or sequestered for suspicion of Inalignancy,
" or adhering to the king." And that they Inight
as well provide for their sovereign jurisdiction in
civil matters, as their security in martial, they again
resumed the consideration of the great seal of Eng-
land. The commons had often pressed the house of
peers to concur ,vi th them, " in the making a ne,v
" great seal; as the proper remedy against the Z mis-
" chiefs, which, by the absence of it, had befallen
"the commonwealth;" declaring, "that the great
"seal of England, of right, ought to attend upon
" the parliament;" in which the peers as often re-
fused to join with them, being startled at the sta-
tute of the 25th of Edward III. by which, the COUll-

BOOK
VII.

Y The lords] Thus in MS.:
The earl of Northumberland
was now returned to London
from his house at Petworth in
Sussex, (where he had resided
from the time the other lords
left the house, till after the
battle of Newbury, in expecta-

tion of overtures froill Oxford,)
and incorporated again into
their counsels; and they who
had before been very solicitous
for peace, laid aside all thoughts
towards it. 'fhe lords &c.
7. the] those

OF TIlE REBELLION. S39

terfeiting the great seal.of Eng!and is, in express BOOK
ternls, declared to be high treason; and it had been VII.
in all times before understood to be the sole pro- 1643.
perty of the king, and not of the kingdolll, and ab-
solutely in the king's o\vn disposal, \vhere it should
"
be kept, or where it should attend.
This dissent of the lords hindered not the busi- The com-
mons vote
ness; the commons frankly voted, " that a seal should a new
" be provided,'
and accordingly took order that one
:

r
esal:
was en g raven and brou g ht into their house accord- c
ncurred
, , 'V1th them.
ing to the same size and effigies, and nothing differ-
ing frOlTI that \vhich the king used at Oxford. Being
in this readiness, and observing the lords to be less
scrupulous than they had been, about the middle of
-November they sent again to them, to let thelll
know, " they had a great seal ready, which should
" be put into the custody of such persons as the t\VÓ
"houses sho.'ld appoint; and if they would name
" some peers, a proportionable number of the other
"body should join in the executing that trust."
All objections \vere no\v passed over, a and without
any hesitation their lordships not only concurred
with them to have a seal in their o\vn disposal, hut
in a declaration and ordinance; hy which they de-
clared, " all letters patents, and grants made by the
" king, and passed the great seal of England, after
" the 22d of 1\lay in the year 1642, (which was the
" day the lord keeper left the house, and went with
" the great seal to York to the king,) to be invalid,
"and void in law; and henceforward, that their
" own great seal should be of the like force, power,
" and validity, to all intents and purposes, as any

a passed o\rer,] answered,
z2

nOOK
\'11.

) 643.

540

THE HISTORY

" great seal of England had been, or ought to be;
" and that \vhosoever, after publication of that ordi-
" nance, should pass any thing under any other great
" seal, or should claÏ1n any thing thereby, should be
" held and adjudged a public enenlY to the state."
At the saIne time, the earls of Rutland and Bul

lingbrook.. of the peers, Mr. Saint-John, (whom they
still entitled the king's solicitor general, though his
lnajesty had revoked his patent, and conferred that
office upon sir Tholllas Gardner; who had served
him faithfully, and been put out of his recorder's
place of London, for having so done,) sergeant Wild,
(who, being a sergeant at la,v, had \vith most confi-
dence averred their legal power to rnake a seal,) 1\11'.
Brown, and Mr. Prideaux, t\VO private practisers of
the law, \vere nominated " to have the keeping,
" ordering, and disposing of it, and all such, and the
" l!ke }Jower and authority, as any lori chancellor,
" or lord keeper, or cOIlllnissiouer of the great seal,
"for the tinle being, had had, used, or ought to
"hay-e." The earl of Rutland \vas so modest, as to
think himself not sufficiently qualified for such a
trust ; and therefore excused himself in point of con-
science: whereupon they nominated, in his room,
the earl of Kent, a man of far Ineaner parts, who
readily accepted the place.
The seal then was delivered, in the house of com-
mons, to their speaker; and by hinl, \vith much so-
lemnity, the house attending hinl, to the speaker of
the peers, at the bar in that house. '-rhe six COB1-
missioners were then, in the presence of hoth houses,
solemnly sworn
, to execute the office of keepers of
" the great seal of England, in all things according
" to the orders and directions of both houses of par-

OF "fHE REBELLION. 341

" lÏao1ent.'" And thereupon the seal was delivered BOO K
ùy the two speakers to thenl, who carried it, accord- VII.
ing to order, to the house of the clerk of the parlia- ] 643.
. The seal
ment, in the old palace; \vhere It was kept locked delivered
. h h . h ld b d b · h to six com-
Up In a c est; \V IC cou not e opene ut In t e missioners.
presence of three of thenl, and \vith three several
keys. This work being over, they appointed, for the
first exercise of this kind of sovereignty, a patent to
be sealed to the earl of 'Varwick, of lord high ad-
nliral of England; which \vas done accordingly; by
\vhich lllany concluded, that the earl of N orthum-
berland, who had been put out of that great office
for their sakes, \vas not restored to their full confi-
dence; others, that he desired not to wear their
Ii very.
About the saine time, to she\v that they would
be absolute, and not joint sharers in the sovereign
power, they gave an instance of holdness mingled
\vith cruelty, that made thenl appear very terrible.
The king had published several proclanlations, for
the adjournJllent of the ternl ff0111 London to Ox-
ford, which had been hither
o fruitless, for \vant of
the necessary legal forin of having the writs read in
court; so that the judges at Oxford, b who were
ready to perfOrl11 their duty, could not regularly
keep the courts there; C \vhich else they \vould have
done, notwithstanding the order and declarations
published by the t\VO houses to the contrary; they
who \vere learned in the la\v believing that aSSUI11p-
tion to be unquestionably out of their jurisdiction.
These writs of adjournnlent had never yet been de-
livered seasonably, to be read in court, or into the

b at Oxford,] _''''ot in iUS.

c ther
;J at Oxford;
z3

g4

THE HIS' fOR Y

J 643.

hands of either of the sworn judges, who yet at-
tended at Westminster; of which there were three
in number, justice Bacon in the king's bench, justice
Reeve in the common pleas, and baron Trevor in the
exchequer; who, how timorous soever, and appre-
hensive of the po,ver and severity of the parlian1ent,
knowing the law and their duties, men believed,
would not have barefaced declined the execution of
those cOßlmands they were s,vorn to observe. Several
messengers were therefore sent from Oxford ,vith
tbose writs; and appointed, on or before such a day,
(for that circumstance was penal,) " to find an op-
" portunity to deliver the writs into the hands of
,. the several judges." Two of them performed their
charges, and delivered the writs to justice Reeve,
and baron Trevor; who imtnediately caused the mes-
sengers to be apprehended.
The d houses, being informed of it, gave direction,
" that they should be tried by a council of ,val', as
" spies;" ,vhich was done at Essex-house. The
messengers alleged, " that they were sworn servants
" to his majesty for the transaction of those services,
" for which they were no,v accused; and that they
" had been legally punishable, if they had refused to
" do their duties; the term being to be adjourned by
" no other way." Notwithstanding all ,vhich, they
,vere both condemned to be hanged as spies; and that
such a sentence might not be thought to be only ill
terrorem, the two poor men ,vere, within fe,v days
after, carried to the old Exchange, where a gallows
\vas purposely set up; and there one of thenl, one
Daniel Kniveton, was without nlercy executed; dy-

BOOK
VII.

.Ù The] And the

OF THE REBELLION. 543

ing with another kind of courage than could be ex- BOOK
pected froln a man of such condition and education, VII.
did not the conscience of being _ innocent beget a ] 643.
marvellous satisfaction in any condition. The other,
after he had stood some time upon, or under the gal-
lows, looking for the same conclusion, was reprieved,
and sent to Bride\vell ; where he "ras kept long after,
till he made an escape, and returned again to Ox-
ford. This example begot great terror in all the
well affected about London, and so much the more,
because, about the san1e time, an ordinance was
made, " that ,vhosoever went to Oxford, or into any
" of the king's qual'ters, \vithout leave from one of
" the houses, or a pass from their general, or whoso-
" ever had any correspondence with any person in
" the king's quarters, by writing letters, or receiving
" letters froin thence, should be proceeded against as
" a person disaffected to the state; and his person
" committed, and his estate sequestered; and should
" he liable, according to the circumstances, (of which
" theillselves would be only judges,) to be tried as
" spies."
As this 111ade thelll exceeding terrible to those Colonel Fi-
h I d h b h · h ennes tried
\V 0 ove t em -not, so, a out t e same tune, t ey for surren-
gave another instance of severity, ,vhich rendered B de
in t g l
fIS 0,
their government no less reverenced anlongst their and con-
.. demned ;
frIends and assocIates. The brave defence of Glouces- but par-
d h · doned by
tel', an t e great success that attended It, made the the gene-
loss of Bristol the more felt by the parliament e; and ral.
consequently the delivery, and yielding it up, the
more liberally spoken of, and censured. The which
colonel Fiennes having not patience to bear, he de-

e by the parliament] Not in .!J;IS.
z4

344

THE HISTORY

] 643.

sired, being a member of the house of con1mons, and
of a swaying interest there, "that he lnight be put
" to give an account of it at a court of war, ,vhich
" was the proper judicature upon trespasses of that
"nature." And in the ll1ean tÎ1ne, he was po,verful
enough, upon some collateral and circumstantial pas-
sages, to procure some of the chief who inveighed
against him, to be imprisoned and reprehended.
This begot f greater passion and anÍ1nosity in the
persons, that thought they suffered unjustly, and
only by the authority and interest of the colonel and
his father; which, by degrees, brought faction into
the house of commons, and the army, according to
the several affections and tempers of Inen.
There were but two prosecutors appeared, one
1\11'. 'Valker, a gentlen1an of Son1ersetshire, of a good
fortune, and, by the loss of that, the more provoked;
,vho had been in the town ,vhen it ,yas lost, and
had strictly observed all that ,vas done, or said; and
the famous Mr. Pryn, "rho had at first let hin1self
into the disquisition of that business, g out of the ac-
tivity and restlessness of his nature, and was after-
,yards sharpened by contempt. These two, under
pretence of zeal to the kingdom, and that such an
irreparable damage to it might not pass a,vay with-
out due punishment, undertook the prosecution;
and boldly charged the colonel with cowardice and
treachery; and gave several instances of great and
high professions, and performances faint, and not
answerable; \vith SOllIe mixtures of pride, and love
of money, throughout the course of his governlnent.
Colonel Fiennes, besides the credit and reputation

BOOK
VB.

f begot] begat

g disquisition of that busines8,] Omitted in ..lIS.

OF 'fHE REBELLION.

345

of his father, had a very good stock of estilnation in
the house of comnlons upon his own score; for truly
he had very good parts of learning and nature, and
\vas privy to, and a great Inanager in, the most se;-
eret designs fronl the beginning; and if he had not
inculnhered hinlself ,vith command in the army, to
\vhich In en thought his nature not so well disposed,
he had sure been second to none in those councils,
after 1\11'. HanlLden's death. rrhis made him too
nIlIch despise those who appeared his adversaries,
and others \vhom he kne,v to be such, though they
appeared not, (for he looked upon sir 'Villiam \Val-
ler as an enemy, ,vho, by his h Inisfortune at Round-
,yay-down, having broilght that storln upon Bris-
tol, was industrious to Blake the second loss to be
apprehended only as the effect of the other's ,vant
of courage and conduct,) and being sure, that he
was very free fron1 ,vishing ,veIl to the king, he
thought no defect ,vouid be fhIther imputed to him,
than n1ight well be answered by the having done
his best; and that the eminency of his perfect zeal
against his majesty "vould ,veigh do\vn all objec-
tions of disservice to the parlialnent.
But notwithstanding all this, after a long and so-
lemn hearing before the court of war, at St. Alban's,
where the earl of Essex then lay, \vhich took up
many days, he \\ras condenlned to lose his head,
"for not having defended Bristol so well, and so
" long, as he ought to have done." And though he
had afterwards a pardon for his life, granted to hint
hy the prerogative of the general, under his hand
and seal, yet the infamy of the judgment could not

h who
by his] who
c

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

346

THE I-IIS'TORY

1643.

be taken off; by ,vhich he hecame unfit to continue
an officer of the arlny; and the shaDle of it per-
suaded hiln to quit the kingdom; so that he went
for some time into foreign parts, retaining still the
same full disaffection to the government of the
church and state, and only grieved that he had a

ess capacity left to do hurt to either. 1\1any looked
upon this example as a foundation of great awe and
reverence in the army, that the officers might see,
that no titles or relations should be able to break
through the strict discipline of war. For this gen-
tleman was a person of singular merit, and fidelity
to the party that he served, and of extraordinary
use to them in those counsels that required the best
understandings. Others thought it an act of unad-
vised severity, to expose so eminent a person, who
knew all their intrigues, upon the importunity of
useless and inconsiderable persons, to infan1Y; whilst
others considered it as a judglnent of Heaven upon
a man who had been so for,vard in pronloting the
public calaulities: and no doubt, it increased n1uch
the factions and anÍl11osities, both in the parlialnent
and the army; and n1Ïght have done thenl farther
Inischief, if it had not fallen on a Iuan so throughly
engaged, that no provocations could lnake him less
of their party, or less concerned in their confe-
deracy.
At this time, i nothing troubled the king so much,
as the intelligence he received froln Scotland, that
they had already forined their army, and resolved to
enter England in the winter season. All his confi-
dence, which he had founded there upon the faith

BOOK
VII.

j At this time,] "r:.rot in ;US.

OF THE REBELLION.

347

and most solelnn professions of particular lllen, with- BOO K
out whom the nation could not have been corrupted, VII.
had deceived him to a man; and he found the same 1643.
lTIen lllost engaged against hiln, ,vho had, ,vith most
soleillnity, vo\ved all obedience to him. The k cir-
cunlstance of the tilne made the danger of the inva-
sion the lTIOre formidable; for the earl of N e,vcastle,
latelyl created a marquis, had been compelled ,vith
his army, as nluch by the murmurs and indisposi-
tion of the officers, as by the season of the year, to
quit his design upon Hull, and to retire to York;
and the garrison of m Hull had Inade many strong
infalls into the country, and defeated sonle of his
troops; so that the Scots were like to find a strong
party in that large county. Ho,vever, the nlarquis
sent a good body of horse to\vards the borders, to
,vait their nlotion; and no sooner heard of their (The S(
ots
march, which begun in January, in a great frost and

ril

.
snow, than himself marched into the bishopric Of 1643 ,4.)
Durham to attend them. r.rhe particulars of all
that affair, and the whole transaction of the northern
parts, ,vhere the ,vriter n of this history "'''as never
present, nor had any part in those counsels, are fit
for a relation apart; ,vhich a more proper person
,viII elnploy himself in.
In these straits, the king considered t,vo expe-
dients ,vhich were proposed to him, and which 11Ís

k 'fhè] And the
1 lately] who was lately
m of] at
n where the writer] Thus ori-
ginally in the MS. of his Life,
ii'om whence this portion is
taken: where the chancellor of
the exchequer was ne"er pre-
sent, nor had any part in those

counsels, are fit for anotller kind
of account, and are foreign to .
this discourse. In these straits,
the chancellor of the exchequer
proposed two expedients to the
king, which the king 1iked \veIl,
and wished they might both be
consulted in the council" &c. as
in p. 348, line I.

nOOK
VJl.

1643.

A letter
from the
peers on
the king's
side to the
council ill
Scot land.

348

'rHE IIIS'l'tORY

Inajesty directed should he both consulted in the
council. The one ,vas, "that all the peers who
" were then in Oxford, or in the king's service, might
" subscribe a letter to the council of state in Scot-
" land; whereby it ,vould appear, by the subscrip-
" tion, that above five parts of six of the whole no-
" bility, and house of peers, ,vere in the king's ser-
" vice, and disavo,ved all those actions ,vhich were
" done against hiIn, by the pretended authority of
" the two houses; which possibly 111ight Inake some
" impression upon the nation of Scotland, though it
" was ,veIl enough kno,vn before 0 to their seducers."
A letter P was prepared accordingly, expressing" the
" foulness of the rebellion in EngJand, under the re-
" putation of the houses of parlialnent, and the car-
" rying on the same, ,vhen they had driven away, by
"force, lnuch the major part of the members of
" both houses, and expressly against all the la,vs of
" the land:" it put them in mind of " their obliga-
" tion to the king," and pathetically concluded" with
" conjuring then1 to desist frol11 their unjust and un-
" ,varrantable purpose; since theyq could have no
"excuse for prosecuting the saIne, from the au-
" thority of parliament." r-rhe letter was perused,
and debated in the council, and after,v"ards in the
presence of all the peers; and being generally ap-
proved ,vithout any dissenting voice, it was ordered
to be engrossed, and signed by all those peers, and
privy-counsellors, who \vere then in Oxford, and to

o before] Not in J18.
p A letter] Originally in .1
lS.
B,: The chancellor was ap-
pointed to prepare the letter,
which he did, expressing therein
the foulness, &c.

q since they] Originally thus:
in such a manner, and in tbose
words as are contained in the
letter that was then printed,
and remains in many hands.

OF THE IlEBELLION.

349

be sent to those who \vere absent in any of the ar-
Inies, or in the king's quarters, and to hp then sent
to the marquis of N e\vcastle; who, after he had
signed it, \vith those peers ,vho were in those parts,
was to transD1it it into Scotland by a trumpet; all
\vhich was done accordingly.
Of all the peers who followed the king, there was
OIlly one \vho refused to sign this letter, the earl of
Leicester; r \vho, after many pauses and delays, whe-

r the earl of Leicester;] The
following part of lord Leicester's
conduct is omitted: The earl of
Leicester was in Oxford, and
had been once in council, when
the letter was consulted; and
when the clerk of the council
carried it (according to his
office) to him to be signed, he
wished him to leave it there for
his perusal, and he would con-
sider of it; and the next day
calling to him again, he gave
the same answer, that he would
farther consider of it. 'Vhere-
upon it was whisper
d in the
court, that he would not put his
hand to it, which they who loved
him not (which were many of
the lords) were glad of; and the
more, because the king had it in
his purpose to give him some
preferment in lieu of the lieute-
nantship of Ireland, which he
thought fit at that time to take
from him, and had conferred it
upon the marquis of Ormond,
who had the command oftbe ar-
my in that kingdom. The chan-
cellor of the exchequer had much
kindness for the earl of Leices-
ter, and went to him, and took
notice of what was reported
about the court; and desired him
not to give those who had an

evil eye towards hin1 so great
an ad\rantage to do him hurt,
as his refusal to sign this letter,
and so declaring himself to be
of a different judgment, if not
different affection, from all the
counseJIors, and all the peers
who followed the king, would
do; that he had some reason
to believe that both the king
and the queen had at present
some gracious intentions towards
him, which he would make him-
self incapable of, by such an
unseasonablecontradiction. The
reasons he gave why 11e had for-
borne to sign it (for he had not
yet refused) were not equal to
his own reason, which, when
uncorrupted by his passion, was
very good: that he had been
only once present when the de-
sign of that letter was consulted,
but had not heen present when
the letter itself was brought to
the board, (which he might and
ought to have been,) nor had
ever seen it, till it was brought
to him to be signed: that there
were some matters of fact men-
tioned in it, which, though he
believed, he did not know to be
true, and some such other ex-
ceptions, as were too weak to
puzzle his understanding; so

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

350

TIlE HISTORY

ther he had not yet digested his late deposal fronl
the lieutenancy of Ireland, to which the n1arquis of
Ornlond was deputed, and thought the disobligation
of it not capable of a reparation, or ,vhether he
thought the king's fortune desperate, and resolved
not to sacrifice himself to any popular displeasure,
and not to provoke the parliament farther than by
not concurring with thenl; or whether he had it
then in þis purpose to be found in their quarters, as
shortly after he was, did in the end positively refuse
to subscribe the letter; and thereby was the occa-
sion of a n1ischief he did not intend. For both their
majesties, in their secret purpose, had designed hin1
to succeed the nlarquis of Hertford in the govern-
ment of the prince; for which he \vould have been
very proper; but upon this so affected a discovery of
a nature, and Inind, liable to no kind of compliance,
the king could not prosecute his purpose; and so
the governn1ent of that hopeful and excellent prince
,vas committed to the earl of Berkshire, for no other
reason but because he had a mind to it, and his Î1n-
portunity was very troublesome: a nlan of any who
bore the nalne of a gentlelnan, the most unfit for
that province, or any other that required any pro-
portion of wisdom and understanding for the dis-
charge of it.
But it was the unhappy distemper S of the court
at that time, to think that it was no matter who
was employed in that office; for the king nor queen
were not at all deceived, nor was the earl less fit
than they thought hin1 to be; but they thought his

that the chancellor did believe
what he wished, that he would
ha\re signed it; but whether he

had not yet digested, &c. as in
page 349, line 9.

distemper] temper

'II

OF THE REBELLION.

351

,vant of parts (his fidelity there ,vas no cause to sus-
pect) to be of little inlportance: and a counsellor, t
much trusted, speaking at that tinle ,yith the lord
J erlnyn, " ho,v astonishing a thing it ,vas to all the
" nation, to see the prince conl1nitted to such a go-
" vernor," he smiled, according to his custonl, ,v hen
he could not ans,ver; and said, " it was of no mo-
" nlent, who had the nalne and style of governor,
" since the king and queen meant to be his gover-
" nor, and firnlly resolved that he should never be
"out of their presence, or of one of theln:" ,vhen,
within little l110re than a year after, the king found
it necessary to sever the prince fronl hirnself, U and
Jived not to see him again: and his lnajestyx then
found, and lamented, that he had deputed such a
governor over him.
The other expedient proposed Y was, " that since
" the \vhole kingdom ,vas misled by the reverence
" they had to parliaments, Z and believed that the
" laws and liberties of the people could not be other-
" wise preserved, than by their sole a authority, and
" that it appeared to be to no purpose to persuade
" men that \\7hat they did ,vas against law, when
" they were persuaded that their very doing it nlade
"it lawful, it ,vould be therefore necessary, and
" could be only effectual to convince them, that they
" who did those nlonstrous things were not the par-
" Hament, but a handful of desperate persons, \vho,
" by the help of the tumults raised in the city of
" London, had driven away the nlajor part of the

t a counsellor,] Originally, the
chancellor,
U himself,] him,
x his nlajesty] he

Y proposed] proposed by the
chancellor
Z parliaments,] parliament,
a sole] Not in MS.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

S5Q

THE IIISTORY

" parlial11ent, and called then1se] yes the parlial11ent,
" whilst they ,vere,b in truth, l1luch the less, and
"the least considerable part of it; which would
" appear manifestly, if the king would issue out a
" proclalnation, to require all the melnbers who had
" left the parliament at Westlninster, to repair to
" Oxford by such a day; where his majesty would
" be "'Tilling to advise ,vith them in matters of the
"greatest Ï1nportance, concerning the peace, and
" distractions of the kingdoln: by C this l1leanS he
"might, in Hlany things, serve hin1self by their
" assistance, and it ,vould evidently appear by the
" number of both houses, whose names ,vould be
" quickly known and published, ho,v few relnained
" at 'Vestminster, ,vho carried on the devouring

, war, so grievous to the whole kingdoln."
The king was at first in some apprehension, that
such a conflux of persons together of the parlialnent,
who ,vould look to enjoy the privileges of it in their
debates, might, instead of doing hin1 service, do
lnany things contrary to it, and exceedingly
ppre-
hended, that they would in1nlediately enter upon
sonle treaty of peace, which ,vould have no effect;
yet, whilst it was in suspense, would hinder his pre-
paration for the war; and though nobody more de-
sired peace, yet he had no mind that a multitude
should be consulted upon the conditions of it: inla-
gining, that things of the greatest inlportance, as the
giving- up persons, and other particulars of honour,
would not seen1 to then1 of lTI0l11ent enough to con-
tinue a war in the kingdon1; which would have
been true, if, as hath been said before, the governors

Þ whilst they were,] who were,

C by] and by

OF r.rHE REBELLION

353

of the parlialnent had not thenlselves been too fear- BOO K
ful of a peace, to trust any to make politic proposi- \:11.
tions, which, upon refusal, might have done good, 1643.
but being consented to had undone then), and frus-
trated all their designs.
The council seemed nluch inclined to the expe-
dient, and 111any conveniences \vere in view; and it
11light be reasonably hoped, and presumed, " that per-
" sons, who had that duty to obey his n1ajesty's sunl-
" nlons, in cOIning thither, ,vhich \vould be none but
"such as had already absented themselves fronl
" \Vestnlinster, and thereby incensed those who re-
" mained there, would not d bring ill and trou blesOlne
" hUlnou1's with theIn, to disturb that service \vhich
" could only preserve thenl: but, on the contrary,
" would unite, and conspire together, to 111ake the
" king superior to his and their enemies. And as to
"the advancing any propositions of peace, \vhich
" there could be no doubt but they would be inclined
" to, nor would it be fit for his 111ajesty to oppose,
" there could be no inconvenience; since their ap-
" pearing in it would but draw reproach froln those
" at \Vestnlinster, \vho \vould never give theln any
" answer, or look UpOI1 thel11 under any notion, but
" as private persons, and deserters of the parlianlent,
" without any qualification to treat, or to be treated
" with: \vhich would nlore provoke those at Oxford,
" and, by degrees, stir up nlore animosities between
"theln." The king e discovered more of hope than
fear from such a convention; and so, with a very
unanimous consent and approbation, a proclamation The king's
. . . proclama-
was Issued out, contaInIng the true grounds and mo- tion for as..

Ù not] Omitted in l),D
.
VOL. IY.

e The king] And the king
Aa

g
)4

THE RISTOR'-"'"

BOO K tives, and Inentioning the league of Scotland to in-
VII" vade the kingdol11; which was the nlost universally
1643. odious and detestable; and summoned all the mem-
sembling .
the mem- bel's of both houses of parlIament, except only such
bers of par- . f h · d . h . . , .. h
Jiament at as, aVIng comlllan III IS majesty s armIes In t e
Oxford. north, and in the ,vest, could not he dispensed
,,,ith, to be absent frolll their charges, to attend upon
his majesty in Oxford, upon a day fixed in January
next.
The king was not all this while without a due
sense of the dangers that threatened hÏ1n in the
growth and improvement of the power and strength
of the enemy, and how ilnpossible it ,vould be for
him, without some more extraordinary assistance, to
resist that torrent, ,vhich, he foresaw, by the next
spring, would be ready to over\vhelm him, if he nlade
not provision accordingly. And finding, by degrees, g
that it was not in his power to compose the disturb-
ances h of England, or to prevent those ofi Scotland,
and abhorring the thought of introducing a foreign
nation to subdue his own subjects, he begun k to
think of expedients I ,vhich might alla)" the distel11-
pel's in Ireland; that so, having one of his kingdoms
in peace, he might apply the po\ver of that, towards
the procuring it in his other dominions. He was not
ignorant, how tender an argument that business of
Ireland was, and how prepared men were to pervert
whatsoever he said or did in it; and therefore he re-
solved to proceed with that caution, that whatsoever
was done in it should be by the counsel of that state,

f as,] who,
g And finding, by degrees,]
'Vhen he saw therefore,
h disturbances] distl"actions

i of] in
J.. begun] began
1 expedients] any expedients

OF rrHE REBELLION.
55

\vho \vere understood to be 11108t skilful in those af- BOOK
VII.
fairs.
The lords justices, and council, had sent a short 1643.
petition to his nlajesty, ,vhich was presented to them,
in the name of his catholic subjects, then in arJllS
against hÏ1n; by which they only desired, with full
.
expressions of duty and submission to his lllajesty,
" that he would appoint some persons to hear what
" they could say for thenlselves; and to present the
" sallIe to his lllajesty." Hereupon the king author-
ized by his conl111ission the lord marquis of Ornlond,
and sonle others, to receive \vhat they were ready to
offer, but ,vithout the least authority to conclude any
thing with thelll upon it. And after the receipt of
this commission, the nlarquis, finding that this peti-
tion was prosecuted with less ingenuity than it
seenled to have been presented, was so far from be-
ing indulgent to thenl under that notion, that he
even then advanced against them with his army, and
gave thenl a very signal defeat; ,vhich refornled
their application, and Inade it lllore subnliss.
I n the Juean tÏIne (though in all actions and coun-
sels, the lords justices, and council there, had yielded
punctual obedience to all directions from the parlia-
111ent) the affairs of that kingdom suffered exceed-
ingly for "rant of provisions, money, and ammuni-
tion, out of England; which the two houses of par-
lialnent were obliged, and were, to that purpose, en-
abled by his Inajesty to send. Inson1uch as that
board, by their letters of the fourth of April, this pre-
sent year, advertised the speaker of the house of COffi-
nIons, "that they had been compelled, for the pre-
" servation of the arluy, to take nloney from all who
"had it, and to ,vrest their commodities froD1 the
Aa2

nooK
VII.

16.
3.

356

'l
HE HIS'rORY

" poor I1lerchants, \V h0111 they had now, by the law
" of necessity, utterly undone, and disabled from be-
" ing hereafter helpful to them, in bringing thelll in
" victuals, or other needful conln10djties: and that
" there were fe\v of themselves, or others, that had
" not felt their parts in the enforced rigour of their .
"proceedings, so as, what with such hard dealing,
" no less grievous to them to do, than it was heavy
" to others to suffer, and by their descending, against
" their hearts, far helow the honour and dignity of
" that power they represented under his royal ma-
" jesty, they had, with unspeakable difficulties, pre-
" vailed so as to be able to find bread for the soldiers
" for the space of one Inonth: that they \vere then
" expelling thence all strangers, and 111ust instantly
" send away for England thousands of poor despoiled
" English, whose very eating \vas now insupportable
" to that place; and therefore, they said, they did
" again earnestly and finally desire (for their confu-
" sions ,vould not now adlnit the \vriting of I1lany
" JTIore letters, if any) some supplies of victual aIJd
" n1unition might, in present, be hastened thither to
" keep life, until the rest ll1ight follow; there being
" no victuals in store; nor one hundred barrels of
" powder; \vhich, according to the usual necessary
"expenses, besides extraordinary accidents, ,voldd
" not last above a 1110nth."
A copy of this letter they like\vise sent to 1\11'. Se-
cretary Nicholas, that his majesty ll1ighf he informed
of the sadness of their condition, and, \vith it, a copy
of a paper that l110rning }1resented to the board
(which ,vas likewise sent in their letter to the speak-
er) from the officers of the arTI1Y; \vho, after sharp
expressions of t})e 111iseries they sustained, and ex-

O:F 'rHE REBELLION.
57

}Jostulations thereupon, concluded, "that if their
" lordships \vould take them into their timely consi-
" derations, before their urgent \vants Inade them
" desperate, they would serve them readily and faith-
" fully; but if their lordships would not find a
h \vay for their presèrvations there, they hun1bly
" desired they might have leave to go where they
" Inight have a better being; and if they refused
"to grant that, they thelnselves Inust then take
" leave to have recourse to that first and primary
"la\v, which God had endued all nlen with, the
" law of nature, which taught all men to preserve
" themselves."
The king was exceedingly perplexed at the re-
ceipt of this advertisement; apprehending the state
of his protestant subjects in that kingdom to be
aln10st desperate, the rebe]s receiving daily encou-
ragement and assistance fron1 foreign parts; and
thereupon growing strong and bold; yet he for-
bore to interpose his o\vn sovereign po\ver, hoping
this last clear representation \vould have nlade so
deep an inlpression in the two houses of parlialnent,
that they \vould have sent such a full supply, that at
least the rebels might make no farther progress in
victory, against his protestant subjects. About the
end of IVlay, the lords justices and council, having
recei ved no probable hope of assistance from the par-
lianlent, sent an address immediately to his majesty,
that himself might conclude, in that exigent, what
was to be done for preservation of one of his three
kingdonls. This letter, subscribed by the lords j us-
tices, and every member of the council-board, being
the ground and foundation of the resolutions \vhich
Aa3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

358

'fI-IE HISTORY

BOOK his majesty afterwards took, I think necessary rn to
VII. insert in the terms of which it consisted; \vhich were
] 643. these:

., 1\lay it please n your most excellent majesty:
An ac.ldress " As soon as we your majesty's justices entered
of the . h h f h . k ·
lords jus- "Jnto tee arge 0 t]s government, ,ve too Into
tices and " · d t . t th 1 d th t t f
the council auI' consl era Ions, a e 10a1', e s a e 0 your
in Irela
d "arm y here. \vhich we find sufferin g under un-
to the kmg. '
" speakable extremity of want of all things necessary
" to the support of their persons, or maintenance of
" the war, here being no victuals, clothes, or other
" provisions requisite tu\vards their sustenance; no
" money to provide then1 of any thing they want;
U no arms in your majesty's stores to supply their
" many defective arms; not above forty barrels of
h po\vder in your stores; no strength of serviceable
" horses being no,\! left here; and those few that are,
" their arms for the lTIOst part lost, or unserviceable;
" no ships arrived here to guard the coast, and con-
" sequently no security rendered to any that might,
" on their private adventures, hring in provisions of
" victuals, or other necessaries towards our subsist-
" ence; and, finally, no visible means, by sea or land,
" of being able to preserve for you this kingdonl, and
" to render deliverance from utter destruction to the
" ren1nant of your good subjects yet 0 left herl
.
" 'Ve find, that your majesty's late justices, and
"this board, have often, and fully, by very many
"letters, advertised the parliament in England of

m necessary] necessary in this
place
n 1\lay it p]ease &c.] In the

handwriting of lord Clarendon's
amanuensis.
o yet] Not in MS.

O:E' THE REBELLION.

359

" the extremities of affairs here, and besought relief
"\vith all possible inlportunity; which also have
" been fully represented to your nlajesty, and to the
" lord lieutenant, and 1\11'. Secretary Nicholas, to be
" luade known to your Jnajesty: and although the
" winds have of late for rnany days, and often for-
" luerly, stood very fair for accessions of supply forth
" of England hither, and that we have still, with
" longing expectations, hoped to find provisions ar-
" l'ive here, in sonle degree ans\verable to the neces-
" sities of your affairs; yet now, to our unspeakable
"grief, after full six luonths waiting, and much
" longer patience, and long suffering, we find all our
" great expectations answered in a luean and in con-
" siderable quantity of provisions, viz. threescore and
" fifteen barrels of butter, and fourteen ton of cheese;
" being but the fourth part of a sluall vessel's Jading,
'40 which ,vas sent fronl London, and arrived llere the
" fifth day of this nlonth, which is not above seven
" or eight days' provision, for that part of the army
" ,vhich lies in Dublin, and the out-garrisons thereof;
" no money or victual (other than that inconsidera-
" ble proportion of victual) having arrived in this
" place, as sent frOlTI the parliament of England, or
" frOlTI any other fort of England, for the use of the
" arn1Y, since the beginning of November last.
" \Ve have, by the blessing of God, been hitherto
" lu'osperous and successful in your majesty's affairs
" here, and should be still hopeful, by the mercy of
" God, under the royal directions of your sacred Ina-
" jesty, to vindicate your luajesty's honour, to reco-
" vel' your rights here, and take due vengeance on
"those traitors, for the innocent blood they have
'It spilled, if we D1ight be strengthened, and supported
Aa4

BooK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

360

THE HISTOR Y

" therein, by needful supplies forth of England; but
"these supplies having been hitherto expected to
" come from the parliament of England, (on which
" if your majesty had not relied, we are assured you
" would, in your high wisdonl, have found out some
" other means to preserve this your kingdom,) and
" so great and apparent a failure having happened
" therein, and all the former, and late, long continu-
" ing easterly winds, bringing us no other provisions
" than those few cheeses and butter, and no adver-
" tisements being brought us of any future supply to
"be so lnuch as in the ,yay hither, whereby there
" might be any likelihood that considerable lneans of
" support for your majesty's arnlY might arrive here,
" in any reasonable time, before we be totally swal-
" lowed up by the rebels, and your kingdom by the111
"wrested from you: ,ve find ourselves so disap-
" pointed of our hopes from the parlialnent, as 111USt
" needs trench to the utter loss of the kingdom, if
"your Inajesty, in your high wisdom, ordain not
" some present means of preservation for us. And
" considering that if now, by occasion of that unhap-
" py and unexpected failing of support from thence,
" we shall be less successful in your services here
" against the rebels, than hitherto, 'v hilst we were
" enabled with some llleans to serve you, \ve have
" been, the shalne and dishonour lllay, in COIU1110n
" construction of those that know not the in "vards of
" the cause, be inlputed to us, and not to the failings
" that disabled us: and considering principally, and
"above all things, the high and elninent trust of
" your affairs here, deposited with us by your sacred
" majesty, we may not forbear, in discharge of our
" duty, thus freely and plainly to declare our humble

OF 'rI-IE REBELLION. 361

" apprehensions, to the end your nlajesty, thus truly
"understanding the terribleness of our condition,
" may find out sonle such means of support, to pre-
"serve to your 111ajesty and your royal posterity
"this your ancient and rightful cro\vn and king-
" dom; and derive deliverance and safety to the
" remnant of your good subjects yet left here, as in
" your excellent judgnlent you shall find to be most
" for your honour and advantage. And so praying
" the King of kings to guide and direct you for the
" best, in this high and important cause, and in all
" other your counsels and actions, \ve hUll1bly re-=
" nlain :

F'J.01lZ your 1/zajesty's castle if Dubli'll,
the 1 Itlz if lJIay, 1643.

'fhere was no sober 11lan in Ireland or England,
who believed it to be in the king's po\yer to enable
this people to carryon the ,val'; for all nlen too
well knew, that he had neither 1110ney, victual, anl-
Dlunition, or
hipping, to supply them: and there-
fore his majesty could not but conclude, that, by
this application of that state to hinl, they hoped he
would endeavour to extinguish that war which he
could not nlaintain. And it is very true, that, at
the saIne time with this letter, he received advice
and information, frOl1l some of his prinl
111inisters
of that kingdonl, \vho were well known, and ac-
kno\vledged, perfectly to abhor the rebellion, " that
"there was no reasonable hope of preserving his
"protestant subjects, and his own interest in that
"kingdom, but by treating ,vith the rebels, and
" making a peace, or truce, ,vith thenl." The king
\vell foresa\v to what reproaches he should object

BUOK
VI!.

1 fi43.

36

'l'HE HISTORY

J 643.

hinlself, by- entering into such a}) treaty ,vith those
rebels; and that they ,vho had persuaded many to
believe, that he had given countenance to, if not fo-
lllented, the rebellion, against all hUl11an evidence
that can be Í111agined, ,vould more easily gain cre-
dit, when they should be able to say, that he had
lllade a peace with them: besides that he had bound
himself not to make a peace with the rebels in Ire-
land, without the consent of his two houses of par-
liament in England. On the other side, nothing
was nlore dernonstrable, than that his protestant
subjects there could not defend the little they had
left, ,vithout extraordinary aid and assistance out of
England; that it ,vas impossible for hinl to send
any to them, and as visible, that the parlianlent
would not, or could not; so that it seenled only in
his election, whether he would preserve the remain-
der of his protestant subjects there, and that whole
kingdoln, in dependence upon his crown, ,vith the
inconvenience of son1e perverse and unreasonable
scandal; or suffer then1 to be rooted out; and un-
dergo the perpetual obloquy of having lost a king-
dOln, when it \vas in his o,vn po\ver to have re-
tained it ,vithin his subjection: and ,vhatever he
had obliged himself to, in those acts of parlianlellt
which he had passed for relief of Ireland, before a'!1y
rebellion in England, was not, that there might
never be a peace in Ireland, but that the t,vo houses
might cooperate \vith him, \vhereby the rebels might
be reduced to those straits, that they 111ight be com-
pelled to SUbll1it to the performance of their duties:
and that, instead of any such cooperation, the t,vo

BOOK
VII.

P such a] any

OF THE REBELLION.

S63

houses refused to concur \vith him in any thing, BOO K
. d VII.
and had employed those monies, whIch ha been
raised by those very acts, for the relief of Ireland, 1643.
in the nlaintenance of the armies which had - given
his majesty battle in England, expressly contrary to
the words of those acts; and therefore that his ma-
jesty might be reasonably disengaged froln those
covenants on his part.
Upon these considerations, after t,vo nlonths' de-
lay, to see \vhether yet the parliament would take
care of them, and having received fresh importuni-
ties, and advices fronl thence, about the end of July,
the king \vrit to the lords justices in Ireland, " that
" they should issue out a commission, under the
" great seal of Ireland, to the 111arquis of Orlnond,
" to treat and conclude a cessation of a.rnlS ,vith the
"rebels, upon such articles and conditions as he
" should judge 1110St reasonable; and during that
" cessation, that such agents as they should nlake
" choice of, should have access to his royal person,
" to present their o\vn propositions for peace:" so
careful \vas the king not to infringe that act of par-
lianlent, which many understood to be dissolved by
themselves: there being no colourable clause in it,
by \vhich it \vas not in his majesty's o\vn po,ver to
make a cessation; and the peace itself he respited
in such a nlanner, that he Inight receive advice and
concurrence frolD the parliament, if they \vould not
decline any farther consideration or care of that
kingdom.
Hereupon the lord marquis of Ormond, being
then only general of the horse there, entered upon
a treaty with conl1uissioners authorized by the coun-
cil at Kilkenny; to whose jurisdiction the rebels

BoOK
VII.

I 643.

A cessation
of arms
concJuded
for a year
in Ireland,
Sept. 7.
disowned
by the two
houses at
'Vestmin-
ster.

364

rr !-I E I-I I S 'r 0 R Y

had COlll111itted the \vhole government of their af-
fairs; and articles of cessation being prepared for a
year, and perused, and approved by the lords jus-
tices and council, \vithout \vhose advice the marquis
would not proceed, and all the principal officers of
the army having given it under their hands, being
present likewise at the treaty, "that it was n10st
" necessary for the preservation of that kingdonl,
" that a cessation should be ll1ade for a year, upon
" those articles and conditions; and the rebels Ull-
" dertaking to pay to his majesty's use, thirty thou-
" sand and eight hundred pounds sterling, within a
" short tilne; whereof fifteen thousand eight hun-
" dred pounds in ready money, and the other fifteen
" thollsand pounds, one half in money, and the other
" half in good beefs, at thirty pounds the score;" a
cessation of arnlS was concluded by the marquis;
and published, with the articles and conditions, hy
the lords justices and council of Ireland, to begin on
the fifteenth' day of Septenlber, and to continue for
the space of a ,,-hole year.
This cessation \vas no sooner kno\vn in England,
but the t\VO houses declared against it, \vith all the
sharp glosses upon it to his Inajesty's dishonour that
can be inlagined; persuading the people, " that t
e
" rebels \vere now brought to their last gasp, and
" reduced to so terrible a fanline, that, like canni-
" bals, they eat one another, and lTIUst have been
" destroyed inll11ediately, and utterly rooted out, if,
" by the popish counsels at court, the king had not
" been persuaded to consent to this cessation." It is
one of the instances of the strange, fatal nlisunder-
standing, \vhich possessed this tÏIne, that, notwith-
standing all the caution the king used in nleddling

OF
:'HE REBELLION.

Sü5

at an with the business of that kingdolu froBl the
tin1e of the rebellion, and the clear discovery of all
particular reasons, grounds, and counsels, 'v hen he
found it necessary to interpose in it, the calurnnies
and slanders raised to his majesty's disservice and
dishonour, Inade a more than ordinary in1pression
upon the Ininds of men, and not only of vulgar-spi-
rited people, but of those who resisted all other in-
fusions and infection. And posterity, no question,
,vill inquire, from what rise or spring this disadvan-
tage flowed; to which inquiry I can apply no other
satisfaction, besides the disease of the time; which
Ïluputed all designs to designs upon religion, and
,vhatsoever .\vas done by papists, to the zeal of the
queen on the behalf of her o,vn religion; then that
the chief managers, and conductors of their coun-
sels, found it necessary to aver many things of fact
upon their own knowledge, (by ,vhich they found
the understanding of men liable to be captivated,)
\vhich in truth \vere not so: as I myself q found by
sonle sober men, at such times as there was occasion
of intercoursè, and conference with them, that they
did, upon such assurance, believe that the king had
done sonle\vhat in that business of Ireland, (some
having avo,ved, that they had seen his hand to such
and such letters and instructions,) \vhich, upon as
much kno,vledge as any luan can nlorally have of a
llegative, I anl sure he never did.
I shall here insert, as the most natural and proper
evidence of the state of Ireland, at the time of the
cessation, and of the unans\verable motives which
prevailed \\Tith the king to consent to it, two letters;

q myself] Not in 1118.

HOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOUK
VII.

1643.

366

'r lIE II I S'rOR ,r

the one, of eXllostulation fron1 the two houses to the
lords justices and council, which was received by
thelu after the cessation agreed on, though seeming
to be sent before; and the ans\ver of that board
thereunto; \vith the contents \vhereof, the king, nor
any of his council attending on hin1, was not at all
acquainted, till long after their delivery. The let-
ters were in these ,vords.

To our very good lords, the l01.ds justices, and
council,fo1- the killgdo1Jl of I1-eland.
" Our very good lords,
A letter. " The lords and C0111mOnS r in parliament have
concermng
it, from the" C01111nanded US to let you know, they have seen
two houses .
to the " your letter of the tenth of June, dIrected to the
lords jus-" k f th h f · d
tices, July spea er 0 e ouse 0 commons, accompanle
4, 1643. "with an act of state, in the preamble \vhereof is
"an expression to this effect; that y
ur present
"difficulties are occasioned through the failure of
" the houses of parlialnent in England, who under-
" took the charge of this ,var. This letter, and act
" of council, were sent by his majesty fron1 Oxford;
" to \VhOlll they believe you have sent copies of
" Loth, and have just cause to suspect, that there is
" an impious design now on foot, to sell for nought
"the crying blood of many hundred thousands of
"British protestants, by a dishonourable, unsuffer-
" able peace \vith the rebels; and then to lay the
" blan1e and shame of this upon the parliament; a
" plot suitable to those counsels that have both pro-
" jected and fomented this unparalleled rebellion:
"for those ,vho contrived the powder treason, in-

r The lords and comn1011s] handwriting of lord Clarendon's
Both these letters are in t1u
amanuensis.

OF F"l"'IIE HEßI
LLION. 567

" tended to lay it on the puritans. And although
" they cannot think your lordships intended to fur-
" ther this design by this expression, yet they have
" cause to believe, you have forgotten the present
" condition of this kingdom; tbe supplies they have
" sent thither of all sorts, even in the lnidst of their
" o,vn wants: \vhat relief going thither hath been
"taken away by sea and land, and by whol11; and
",,,hat discouragements have been given them in
" return: so that, as your lordships do truly observe
" the protestant party in that city desirous to con-
" tribute, in all things, to\vards preservation of that
"kingdoln, and that all the opposition thereiI1 is
"from those of the popish party; so ought you
" justly to conclude, that the protestant party in
" this kingdom have contributed, and are still en-
" deavouring to contribute, monies, ammunition, vic-
" tuals, and other necessaries, for the saving of that
" kingdon1: and that the popish and 111alignant
" party here, no\v in arlns against the parliament
" and kingdom, have not assisted, in the least mea-
" sure, this pious \york; but, on the contrary, do
" hinder and oppose the same: neither should your
"lordships conceive, that only the charge of that
" war was referred to, and undertaken by, the par-
" liament, as if their part ,vas to be your bankers,
" only to provide money for you to spend, and were
" not to advise and direct the managing of the war;
" although an act of parliament hath invested them
"\vith that power; which they must assume and
" vindicate as the means to save that kingdom; and
"shall bring to condign punishlnent those there,
" \vho, in this conjuncture of affairs, have advised
" the comn1ission to hear ,vhat the rebels can say,

BOOK
VII.

I G43.

S(iB

rHE HISTORY

1643.

" or propound, fhr their o\vn ad vantage; the letters
"to divest their comll1ittee of an authority given
"them by both houses; and that advised the late
" alteration of government there; as enelllies to the
" ,veal of both kingdoms, and fautors of that rebel-
"lion. In the last place, ,ve are forbidden to tell
" you, what supplies of money, victuals, alllllluni-
" tion, and other necessaries, are in good forward-
" ness to be sent over, for the support of the officers
" and soldiers there, and by \vhose incessant care;
"lest they should seeln to answer that scandal by
" excuse, \vhich deserves an high resentnlent. This
" being all \ve have in command for the present, we
" bid your lordships fare\vell, and relnain,
" Your lordships' friends to serve you,
" Grey if 1Varke,
" Speake!}' W tlte house if' lords s pro telnpore;
" lJ T illia11l Lenlhall,
"Speaker wtlle commo1lsltouse in parliament.

BOOK
VU.

" The lords and comnlons will examine the de-
"llleanour of the ships appointed to guard those
" coasts; and 11light have expected a copy of Moun-
" trose's letter to colonel Crawford, \vhich came to
" your' hands before the lOth of June; and, happily,
" ,V'oldd discover the treason t of the rebels, sent by
" your enell1ies to destroy you; as ,veIl as a com-
" plaint of those sea-captains, sent by your friends
" to defend you; \vhose neglects and misdeeds are
" notwithstanding to be punished, according as their
" demerits shall appear."
lVestl1lillster, tIle 4tll if JU
1J, 1643.

'C lords] peers

t treason] treasons

OF "rHE REBELl
IOS. 369

'1'0 our very goo(l lor(l, the lord speaker of the
righ t /lollourable the lords hOll se of parlia'JJlent,
ill the kingdo}}z if Ellglan(l; and to our very
loving friend, 1f 7 illial1Z Lenthall, esq. speaker
if the hOllou1.able CO'JJl1JlOllB house in parlia-
ment, in the said kingdo1Jt.

nOOK
VII.

1643.

" Our very good lord, and 1\11'. Speaker of the
" commons house in parlianlent,
" Your joint letters of the fourth of July last di- The lords
.. justices'
"rected to US, \Vere SO long In comIng, as they answer.
" came not to our hands until the sixth of October.
" By those your letters, you signify, that the lords
u and C0111mOnS in parliament have cOlnmanded you
" to let us know, that they have seen our letters of
" tbe tenth of June, directed to the speaker of the
"house of commons, acco111panied \yith an act of
" state, in the preamble whereof there is an expres-
"sion to this effect; that our present difficlùties
" were occasioned through the failure of the houses
"of parliall1ent in England, who undertook the
" charge of this 'val': to ,,'hich expression, it'seenls,
"exception is taken, and interpretations made
" thereof, far other\vise we are sure than \\?ag in-
" tended by us; and, as we conceive, other\vise than
" the true sense of those words can bear. It is true,
" that when we \vere necessitated to set on foot the
" new imposition, raised here in nature of an excise,
" towards keeping this army from perishing by fa-
" n1ine, it becan1e necessary to express, in the act
" of council whereby we ordered it, the reasons in-
" ducing us to set on foot here a thing so unknown
"to his majesty's laws, and gracious government,
" and the difficulties wherewith we contended, which
VOL. IV. B b

BOOK
VII.

1643.

370

'l'HE HIS'r()RY

" did "necessitate that resolution; and in expressing
" those difficulties, we used that expression, to shew
" ,vhence our difficulties were occasioned; and that
" we have therein declared the truth, \ve crave leave
" to mind you of sonle particulars.
" If we should look so far back as to repeat the
" substance of 111any despatches sent frolll this board,
" since the beginning of this rebellion; son1e to our
" very good lord, the lord lieutenant of this king-
" don1; some to the lords, and others, n1embers of
" both houses, his nlajesty's con1n1issioners for the
" affairs of this kingdom; and some to the speaker
" of the COnll1l0nS house of parliarnent there; it
",,'"ould prove a voluminous work; and therefore
" we forbear to look farther back into those des-
"patches, than to the tin1e when the con1mittee
" sent thence hither, were here; who, at their ar-
" rival here, in the end of October 1642, brought
"with them some money and provisions, but far
"short of that which the necessities of this a1'111Y
" required; and indeed so inconsiderable, in respect
" of those necessities, as even before that co
nn1ittee
" departed, they saw the money they had brought,
" wholly issued; and the high and unavoidable ne-
" cessity of a farther, speedy, and plentiful supply
" of money, and other provisions. By letters from
" this board of the t\ventieth of January 1642, and
" directed to the speaker of the COll1mons house of
" parliall1ent there, it was signified thither, that the
" provisions of victuals here were then at the very
" bottom; that that conlmittee then here, had cer-
" tified thither those ,vants; that if a personal sup-
" ply of victual arrived not here very speedily, the
" army could not subsist, but must have been con_

OF THE }{EBELLION.

371

"strained to disband, to the loss of this kingdom,
., and utter destruction of the fe\v subjects here:
" that the want of treasure here, to pay the army,
" enforced this board to issue victual to the common
" soldier, and others, tOtvards their pay, which did
" the sooner exhaust the ll1agazine of victual; that
" the captains, and other officers, not having relief
" that \vay, were reduced to great extremities, as
" had been formerly often represented thither; and
" therefore this hoard, by the said letters, then n10ved,
" that treasure ll1ight be sent us speedily, so to re-
" deeln the officers from the calalnitiés they suffered,
" and this board fron1 their unsupportable
htlnours ;
" and to enable the payment, in SOllle part, in ll10ney
" to the common soldier; so to Inake the victual we
" then expected, to hold out the longer.
" It ,vas also by those letters then ad \Tertised
" thither, that the extrenlities of the officers of the
" army had begotten so much discontent amongst
" them, as divers colonels, and others of them, pre-
"sented at this hoard a ren10nstrance, \vhereof a
" copy was then sent enclosed in the said letters;
" which ren10nstrance did exceedingly trouble and
"perplex us, lest it nlight beget such distractions
" amongst us, as might give too nluch advantage to
" the rebels. But, after full debate thereof at this
" board, it was here directed, that in present, to ren-
" del' some subsistence to the officer
, until treasure
" arrived forth of England, every man in this city
" should bring in half of his plate, to he paid for it
" \vhen treasure arrived; \vhereupon sonle plate was
" brought in, and applied to\vards the army. 'fhis
" board did also signify by those letters, that with-
" out some speedy relief forth of England, the bur-
Db2

BOOh.
VII.

1643.

572

'rHE HISTORY

1643.

" den here ,vas become too heavy to be borne; and
" therefore, in discharge of our duty to God, to our
" gracious sovereign, to that kingdoln, and to this,
" ,ve held ourselves bound clearly to Inake known,
" that unless we were speedily supplied fronl thence
" with money, arlns, and victual, it would be impos- .
" sible for us any farther to prosecute this war, or to
" preserve froln sudden confusion this state and go-
" vernlnellt: so highly did the discontent of the of-
" fleers, and the disorder of the soldiers, threaten us,
" that it Inight be easily apprehended, ,vhat, in all
"human probability, D1ust become of us, when it
"was then evident, that here was no ll10ney, nor
" any possibility of procuring any in this city; when
" our victuals were spent; when a great part of the
" army had no arms; upon U \vhich ,ve doubted, and
" feared, for the reasons in those letters expressed,
" that the soldiers would nlake prey of us and this
" city at. last; and when we sa,v that the destruction,
" then threatened against us, must then go farther,
" even to the loss of this crown, and kingdom; and
" to the highly endangering of that kingdom also;
" which, for the honour of his majesty, and the Eng-
" lish nation, we by our said letters desired might, by
" the \visdolll of that honourable house, be speedily
" prevented, by hastening a,vay, ,vith all possible
" speed, supply of money, arms, and victuals.
" By other letters of this board, directed to Mr.
" Speaker, and dated the said 20th of January 1642,
" it was advertised thither, that it ,vas become of ah-
" solute necessity, that there should be sent us froD1
" thence, speedily, six hundred light x geldings for

BOOK
VU.

...

11 upon] Not in 111S.

x light] able light

OF TIlE REBELLION. 873

" recruits, to be defalked out of the entertainments
" of those who should receive then1. By other letters
" froll1 this board, of the saIne date, directed to 1\11'.
" Speaker, it was signified thither, that we had con-
" tracted an agreement here with Theodore Schout,
" and Jacob Ablin, merchants, that Anthony Ty-
" renes, in London, or Daniel "Vibrant, in Amster-
" dam, should receive seven thousand eight hundred
" fourscore and thirteen pounds three shillings; for
" which the said Theodore and Jacob had under-
" taken, by their agreement with us, to buy in Hol-
" land, and to transport from thence hither, at their
" o\vn charge and adventure, several proportions of
" arms mentioned in a docket, then sent enclosed in
" our said letters; and they undertook so to secure
,
"-it by insurance, and provide such a ship of force,
" as we might be assured to have all those arms a1'-
"rive here by the tenth of March no\v last past.
'" And we, by our said letters, earnestly besought
" tht.t the said sum of seven thousand eight hundred
" fourscore and thirteen pounds three shillings Inight,
" by order of that honourable house, be speedily paid
"to the said Tyrenes, or 'Vibrant, that those pro-
" visions might arrive here by the tenth of March;
" that \ve might not lose the advantage of the then
" next spring, for recovering of such of the seaports,
" and other places of importance, as the rebels had
" gotten; and for proceeding effectually in this ,yare
" Those letters also 1110ved for other provisions of
" war, which we conceived might be had in England
" in reasonable tinle. And we then sent a docket of
" those also; desiring earnestly they might be sent
" us speedily. And although there ,vas an agent
" sent from hence in Novelllher 1641, to solicit the
Bb3

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

374

TIlE HIS'rOI-t y

" despatches sent from hence, ,vho attended at Lon-

' don, when those our letters were sent hence; yet
" of so great importance ,vas that despatch, requiring
" instant and speedy ans,ver and supply from thence,
" as we adjudged it necessary to give special in-
" structions to the lord Conway, and others, (besides
" that agent then there attending,) to move his ma..
" jesty, and solicit the houses of parlian1ent, to hasten
" unto us, ,vith all possible speed, the provisions in
"those letters Y contained: and that there luight
" nothing be omitted, that by solicitation could be
" obtained, there were agents also sent thither from
" the arluy to solicit for them. By letters fron1 this
" boaI'd of the twentieth of February 1642, directed
" to 1\1:1'. Speaker, we again desired, with all possible
" earnestness, that the provisions of all sorts, ex-
" pressed in those three letters of the twentieth of
" January, and the dockets therewith sent, might be
" hastened to us; and that the said seven thousand
" eight hundred fourscore and thirteen pounds three
" shillings, for arn1S to be provided in Holland,lnight
" be speedily paid. And in those last letters we again
" signified our llliserable and unspeakable want of
" victuals, arlUS, munition, money, shoes, and other
" necessaries; and that if the supplies we 1110ved for
" caIne not speedily, we were unavoidably in danger
" to be as much devoured by our o,vn wants, as by
"the s\vord of the rebels; and that our want of
" corn was so much the Inore, in regard that, in
" confidence to be plentifully supplied forth of Eng-
" land, we caused great destruction to be n1ade of
" corn; there being indeed nothing conducÏIJg n10re

y letters] three letter

OF 1.-'HE REBELLION. 375

" to the destruction of rebels, than the burning of all DO 0 K
VH.
" corn.
" 'Ve also then signified the necessity of sending 1643.
" a farther supply of po,vder and Inatch; and we
" declared, that no \vords could sufficiently express
" the greatness of the danger we should incur, if our
" supplies came not speedily: that the plate brought
"in amounted not to one thousand two hundred
" pounds; a sUln very inconsiderable to\vards relief
" of the officers. By letters of this board of the
"twenty-fifth of February 1642, directed to Mr.
" Speaker, we signified, that when our means from
" thence failed, and our credits cou1
hold out no ...
" longer, ,ve were constrained, towards relief of the
" arn1Y, to force froin the protestant merchants here,
" as ,veIl English as strangers, not only the commo-
"dities they had brought hither, but the native
" commodities also; undertaking to them that they
. ,
" should receive paYlnent at London; which failing,
" that those that would supply us were disheartened,
"and durst not conle hither with commodities;
"wherefore we again, by those letters, besought
" speedy supply fron1 thence; declaring that other-
" \vise the army and \ve lnust perish; and so far we
" were transported \vith grief, in the consideration
" of the high extrelnities of this kingdom, and army,
" as \ve did, by those letters, lanlent for the shame
" and dishonour, which we then foresaw would re-
" fleet upon the English nation, if then, after so long
" and often fore,varnings, given by us to that ho...
" nourable house, this kingdom were lost, and that
" for want of supplies from thence; ,vherein we then
" declared, that all the comfort left us was, that we
" had done our parts, and discharged our duties to
nb4

376

'l'RE HIS'rORY

] 643.

" God, to his majesty, and to all his kingdoms, who
" must have borne their parts with us in so heavy a
" loss.
" By letters from this board, dated the twenty-
" third of l\iarch 1642, directed to Mr. Speaker, \ve
" signified that our wants enforced us to distribute
H the soldiers, for their victuals, in and throughout
"this city ánd suburbs; ,vhich, \ve signified, could
"not long hold, considering the poverty of this
" place; and therefore, to avoid utter confusion, we
" did again and again beseech most earnestly, that,
" above all things, victuals and munition Inight be
" sent us speedily; and that n10ney, arn1S, clothes,
" shoes, and other provisions might also be sent; de-
" claling, that if t.hey yet caIne speedily, the king-
" dom, and his majesty's forces here, might be there-
" by redeemed out of part of their distresses; and
"we enabled, by the blessing of God, to give his
" majesty such an account of this kingdo111, as would
"he for the glory of the king our master, and the
" honour of the English nation, in the subduing this
" horrid rebellion; ,vhich, by reason of our wants,
" and in no other respect, was then grown very
" terrible: and we did again call for the provisions,
"moved for by our several forlner letters of the
" t,ventieth of January, and twentieth of February,
" and for the paYlnent of the seven thousand eight
" hundred fourscore and thirteen pounds three shil-
" lings, for arms to be provided in Holland, and
" those also 'v hich ,ve expect from London; declar-
" ing, that unless those supplies came, ,ve should be
" disabled from doing service on the rebels the then
" next spring, or the then succeeding SUlnn1er; and
" n1ust undoubtedly put the rebels into a condition

BOOK
VII.

OF
THE REBELLION. 877

" of prevailing against ns, which ,ve well helieved
" the kingdoln of England \vould never have per-
" n1itted against so faithful servants and valiant sol-
" diers, as his ll1ajesty yet had here.
" By those letters also we signified, that it was
" necessary that there should be here, at this har-
"bour of Dublin, by the middle of April, at least
" t,vo ships of good strength; and that the ships de-
" signed for guarding the other parts of the coasts of
"this kingdom, should be hastened away with all
"possible speed. By letters from this board di-
" rected to Mr. Speaker, dated the fourth of April
" 1643, we represented again the unspeakable mise-
"ries of the officers and soldiers, for \vant of all
" things; and all those made the n10re insupportable,
" in the ,vant of food; and that this city was then
" apparently found to be unable to help us, as it had
"forn1erly done; and repeated again, in as lively
" terlDS as \ve could, the high extrelnities fallen, and
" increasing upon us; declaring, that we ,vere en-
" forced to 'See, ,vho had any thing yet left hin1 not
"taken from hiIn, to help us; and that although
" there ,vere but few sucli, and some poor merchants,
" whom we had formerly, by the law of necessity,
" uttcr1y undone; yet, that we ,vere forced to 'VTest
" their con11nodities fron1 th
m: that there were few
" here, of ourselves or others, that had not felt their
" parts in the enforced rigour of our proceedings to-
" wards preserving the ar111)'"; and \ve earnestly de- -
" sired, that his majesty, and the English nation,
" might not suffer so great, if not irrecoverable pre-
" judice and dishonour, as must unavoidably be the
" consequence of our not being relieved suddenly;
" but that yet, although it \vere then even almost at

BOOK
VII.

1643.

378

TI-IE HISTORY

1643.

" the point to be too late, supplies of victuals, and
" Inunition, in present might be hastened hither, to
" keep life, until the rest n1ight follow: declaring
" also, that there \vas 110 victual in the store, and
"that there \vould not be an hundred barrels of
" powder left, \vhen the out-garrisons, as they ll1U8t
" then instantly have been, \vere supplied; and that
"the residue of our provisions n1ust also come
" speedily after, or other\vise that England could
" not hope to secure Ireland, or
secure themselves
" against Ireland; but in the loss of it, n1ust look
" for such enen1ies ii'onl hence, as \vould perpetually
" disturb the peace of his majesty, and his kingdoln
" of England; and alnong then1, by sea and land,
"as we had often formerly represented thither;
"which mischiefs we signified might yet be pre-
"vented, if we \vere but then forthv.rith enabled,
"from thence, \vith 111eans to overCOllle this rebel-
" lion.
" \Ve then also again rene,ved our requests for
"the provisions mentioned in our letters of the
" twentieth of January, and for the payn1ent of the
" seven thousand eight hundred fourscore and thir-
"teen pounds three shillings, for arnlS to be pro-
" vided in Holland, besides thosé ,ve expected fi'om
" London: we then also sent, enclosed in our letters
" to 1\11'. Speaker, a copy of writing, signed by sun-
" dry officers of the arnlY, \vhich \vas in a style
" threatening much danger; whereby appeared the
" high necessity of hastening treasure hither to pay
" thein, and the rest of the officers, and provide vic-
" tual for the soldiers. On the tenth of April 1643,
"we received letters from 1\:lr. Speaker, of the se-
"venteenth of J.\tl arch, in ans\ver to our letters of

BOOK
VII.

OF 'l'HE ItEBELLION.

\

379

" the t\ventieth and t\venty-fifth of February. Those
" letters fron1 1\11'. Speaker advised free trade and
" truck to be given to merchants, by taking our na-
"tive commodities, that cannot be n1anufactured
" here, for their corn, and other victuals, and carry-
" ing then1 into England, or other places not prohi-
"bited. And by our letters directed to 1\11'. Speaker,
" dated the twenty-second of April, in answer to his
" said letters of the seventeenth of March, we made
" it appear, that that design could not hold to de-
" rive benefit to this arlny. By those our letters
" we signified also, that the necessities of the arlny
"still pressed us, by degrees, to break the l11er-
" chants here, by \vresting their comn10dities from
"them, upon prolnise of satisfaction in England:
" that the failing of that satisfaction in England, as
" it had undone them, so had it infinitely prejudiced
"the service here: that we engaged the ,vord of
"this state, to procure payment to many others,
" out of the next treasure that shall arrive forth of
" England, <\vhich courses, though very hard, did
"help us for a time;) that when those failed, we
" begun at ourselves, then at others, then at all fra-
"ternities, and corporations, as bakers, brewers,
" butchers, vintners, and the like; then at all parti-
" cular persons observed to have any visible sub-
" stance, not being able to spare poor men, \\'ho (to
" gain a poor living) made profession, some of sell-
" ìng hot waters, and some of cutting tobacco: that
"in the end, all other means failing, we had re-
" course to the only native commodity, hides; seiz..
"ing on all that could be found, either on ship-
" board, ready to be exported hence, (with purpose
" in SOlne of the o\vners of them to return victuals

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

380

THE HIS'rORY

" hither; "Thich \ve were not able to wait for,) or
" on shore; prepared for ship-board; and made use
" of thenl to get the army in a few days' bread,
"still hoping provisions of victual might come to
" keep them ali ve; \v hich did draw upon us infinite
" clamour.
" And by the said letters we earnestly besought,
" that before \ve should be utterly swallowed up in
" the confusion of affairs, wherewith we were beset,
" the destruction of this state, and army, and king-
" donl, being then no less feared to arise fronl the
" army, though sent hither for their preservation,
" than from the fury of the rebels, if that honour-
" able house \vould not look back into all our seve.
"ral letters sent thither, which we then declared
"should for ever acquit us before God, and the
" ,vorld; as having discharged our duties to God, to
" his Inajesty, and to this his kingdom, in fully, and
"tinlely, and often representing thither the evils
" then ready to seize upon this state, the a1'l11Y, and
" the kingdom, and the Ineans of preventing them;
" yet at last they would be pleased to revie\\r our
" said seve
al letters of the twentieth and twenty-
"fifth of February, of the twentieth of January,
" twenty -third of March, and fourth of April. \Ve
" then also signified that the soldiers, pressed through
" \vants, attempted tUll1ults and 111utiny, plundered
" divers of the inhabitants of this city, as ,veIl Eng-
"Iish and protestants, as others: that we appre-
"hended those disorders but beginnings of ,vhat,
"\ve doubted, would then shortly ensue, even the
" ransack of this city, if, by supplies forth of Eng-
" land, it were not prevented: that then there ,vould
"be no refuge left, either for the army, or other

OF THE REBEI
LION. 381

" English here: that we were not able to send out
"the soldiers, for want of money to furnish ordi-
"nary necessities, and of an1munition: wherefore
"\ve then again earnestly moved, that SOlne means
" might be found for con1plying with our desires, in
"those our several letters expressed; certifying,
"that the state of affairs here could not possibly
" admit the least deferring; and -that no help \vas
" to be expected f1'oll1 hence; as we had often, and
" fully, in former letters, signified thither: that if
" it were not immediately supplied forth of Eng-
" land with powder, \ve should not be able to de-
"fend ourselves, or offend the rebels; and that,
"above all things, n1unition, money, and victuals,
" were, of necessity, to be sent in the first place;
" and the other provis
ons to be sent after, which
" also \ve certified lnost needful to be done with all
" possible speed.
" By our letters of the sixth of May 1643, di-
" rected to Mr. Speaker, we signified ho\v necessary
" it was, that the intended establishment should be
" considered there, and put into such a way as to
" be nlade perfect, and, receiving his 111ajesty's gra-
"cious approbation, nlight be sent hither; \vhich
" we desired to be hastened, that the officers, who
" daily labour in the public services, might the bet-
" tel' kno\v what they are to have; of \vhich esta-
" blishment we have not yet had any return. By
"our letters to 1\11'. Speaker of the 11th of May
" 1643, we signified, that although by letters from
"
lr. Speaker, dated the 17th day of March, it was
" advertised hither, that six \veeks' provision of vic-
"tuals, for each province, \\Tas in preparing, yet
,. that it ,vas not corne, or if it \vas come, that it

BOOK
VII.

] 643.

38Q

r-.rI-IE HI STORY

BOOK "was a supply far below that which was necessary
VII. "to be then sent hither. And we then again re-
1643. "peated the nliserable condition of this arlny, through
"want of all things, especially 11loney, victuals,
" clothes, arnlS, and 11lunition: that there were not
"above forty barrels of po,yder in the store, (a
"mean and inconsiderable quantity for this army,
" on whom depends the preservation of the king-
" dOln,) and we again desired, in case of so high
" and enlinent danger, and that with all possible
" importunity, that a course might be then instantly
" taken for hastening away powder with all speed,
"and that the other provisions also of all sorts,
" mentioned in our forlner several letters of the
" 20th of January, 20th and 25th of February, the
"23d of March, and the 4th and 22d of April,
" might be also hastened away; and that the seven
"thousand eight hundred and fourscore and thir-
"teen pounds three shillings, for arms to be pro-
" vided in Holland, besides those ,ve expected froln
" I....ondon, Inight be paid.
" By those letters also ,ve signified, that \ve could
" not but lament our misfortune, and the dishonour
" reflecting on the English nation, that the season
" of the year should be so far entered into, and yet
" (not\vithstanding all the representations, often,
" and timely enough made thither of affairs here)
" no n1eans put into our po,ver to make use thereof,
H in a vigorous prosecution of the war; but instead
"thereof, not,vithstanding all the endeavour and
" industry here used to prevent it, we then beheld
" oursel\Tes sunk deeply into a gulph of confusion,
" and distress of affairs, being equally in danger to
" be devoured through our \vants, or to be destroyed

"

OF THE REBEI..I..ION. 383

" by the rebels, for want of needful habilin1ents of BOO K
VII.
" war to enable our defence, as had been fornlcrly
" often and fully declared thither; and therefore "re 1643.
" again pressed to he redeenled fron1 the terribleness
" of our condition, by such tÍ1nely accessions of sup-
"plies forth of England, as \vere contained in our
" said former despatches.
" By our letters to Mr. Speaker, dated the 16th
" of l\iay 1643, "\ve desired that 320l. Inight be paid
" there, as \ve had formerly desired, for snndry par-
" ticulars necessary for the chirurgeons of this army;
" there being a great want thereof for the cures of
" wounded men. And then ,ve sent, and en1ployed
" sir Tholnas 'Vharton, knight, a mem her of this
" arn1Y, purposely to solicit the l11eans of our relief,
" that so ,ve might on1Ït nothing that \ve conceived
" n1ight conduce to the hastening of our expected
"supplies. And by our letters of the 16th of May,
" then sent to Mr. Speaker, \ve signified, that the
" kingdon1 ,vas then in more danger than ever to
"be forced out of onr hands, for \vant of tilnely
"supplies out of England; and \ve desired Illost
" earnest1y, that his despatch might be hastened for
." our preservation, that, if it \vere possible, the king
" and kingdom of England nlight yet then he pre-
" served fronl that irrecoverable prejudice and dis-
"honour, \vhich n1ust necessarily accompany and
" follo\v the loss of this kingdom.
"And here ,ve may not omit to mention, that
" \ve prevailed \vith divers persons to advance pro-
"visions to us, at several tilnes, to answer the cry-
" ing necessities of this army; and to sonle we gave
"
ur bills, in nature of bills of exchange, and to
" others, our o\vn bonds, undertaking repayn1ent at

BOOK
VU.

164:3 .

384

THE HISTORY

"London by the parliament there; which we did
" in confidence to find ready payn1ent there accord-
" ingly: and we do not yet hear that those bills of
" exchange, or bonds, are yet paid there; but we
" find some of the parties ready to sue and in1plead
" us here, for those debts, though co
tracted only
" for the public service.
" \Vhich proceeding of this board, fronl time to
" tilne, \ve thus at large deduèe, that so it nlay ap-
" pear fully that we have discharged those duties
" which we owe to his lnajesty, and to the trust of
"his majesty's affairs here, in representing thither
" fully, and timely, and often, the \vants and ex-
"tren1ities to which this kingdonl and arlny were
" reduced, and the Ineans requisite to be sent for
" relief
nd preservation of both; and. yet in all
" that tÏ1ne, nanlely from the said t\ventieth day of
" January 1642, to the tenth of June 1643, which
"is the day of the date of our letters, to which
" yours of the fourth of July is an answer, or fronl
" that time to this, there arrived here, as sent from
" the parliament of England, towards the relief of
" this army, and for Inaintenance of this ,var, but
" the particulars follo\ving, viz. forty-nine thousand
" t\VO hundred forty-eight pounds of butter; forty-
" nine thousand six hundred forty-nine pounds of
" cheèse; four hundred forty-seven barrels and a
" half of wheat and rye; three hundred threescore
" and seven barrels of pease; and three hundred
" fifty-six barrels of oats; also five hundred suits of
" clothes, one thousand cassocks, two thousand eight
" hundred and eighteen caps; also eight and t\venty
" hundred three quarters and one pound of match,
" thirty-eight hundred t\VO quarters and nine pound

OF THE REBELLION.

385

" of shot, and three hundred threescore and four-
"teen barrels of po\vder; of which provisions of
" nlunition, there were three hundred and one and
" forty barrels of powder, and five hundred fifty-five
"pound t,vo quarters and four and t,venty pound
" of match, which was the lllunition \ve had con-
"tracted for here, and in the \vay, con1Íng froin
" Holland, was intercepted at sea, and carried to
" Calais, and afterwards set free there by the ß1edia-
" tion of his n1ajesty, and the houses of parIian1ent
" in England, but the price thereof stands charged
" on the said houses of parIialnent.
" This \vas not above a ,veek's provision, or there...
" abouts, of victuals, for the arlny in Leillster, be-
"ing fifteen regiments of foot, and t\venty-t\VO
" troops of horse, and four troops of dragoons, be-
" siùes train of artillery, and four hundred firelocks;
" so as certainly there ,vas a failure in supplying us,
" and that failure was not occasioned through any
" neglect on our parts, in not representing thither
" the ,vants and extren1ities endured by this army;
" and the means of their supply is, as we conceive,
" very clear by those several despatches sent froll1
" us to
lr. Speaker. And seeing, that the charge
" of this war ,vas referred to, and undertaken by,
" the houses of parliament of England, and that by
" those despatches they fully understood the condi-
" tion of affairs here, we offer it to any nlan's COIl-
" sideration, whether or no we had not just cause
" to conceive, and accordingly to express in that act
" of council, that our difficulties, \vhich \vere neces-
" sary to be mentioned in that act, \vere occasionpd
" through the f
ilure of the houses of parlialnent in
" England.
YOL. IV. C C

nOOK
VII.

] 643.

386

THE HISTORY

1643.

" And whereas you write, that the lords and com..
" mons in parliall1ent do believe we have sent copies
" of our said letters and act of council to his majesty,
" it is true, that we have so done; and therein ac-
" quitted ourselves towards that duty which we owe
" him; and had failed in our duties, if we had done
"otherwise. But ho\v froln that, as we conceiv"e,
" necessary and true expression of òurs in the said
" act of council, or frorn our sending a copy thereof,
" and of our said letters, to his 111ajesty, there can
" be any just cause to suspect (as your letters seelll
" to infer) there is such an inlpious design no\v on
" foot, as your letters 111ention, we confess \ve do not
"understand, or any design at all other than the
" needful settling here of the imposition, in nature
" of an excise, in those our letters and act of council
" n1entioned; without which this arll1Y could not
" have subsisted to this time; and was pressed by
" the comll1ittee from the parlia111ent here, but then
" avoided; our hopes being then 1110re, and our ne-
" cessities not so great as they were when we laid it.
" And as we find by your letters, that the lords and
"C01l11110nS in parliall1ent there have done us the
"right, by your said letters, to signify that they
" cannot think we intended, by that expression, to
" farther the design in your letters mentioned, so we
" hold it necessary to declare, that we neither have
" forgotten, nor can forget, the present condition of
" that kingdom; but we have a long time beheld,
" and still behold, and lall1ent ,vith bleeding hearts,
"the wofnl condition of that kingdom, and ho\v
"God's hand is still stretched out against us, in
"those heavy distractions there; yet we cOlnfort
" ourselves with hope, that God, in n1ercy to his

BOOK
VII.

OF TI-IE REBELLION. 387

" n1ajesty, and to all his kingdoms and people, will
" at Jength, in his own good time, answer the prayers
" and tears of us his Inajesty's servants, and nlany
" thousands of others his good subjects there, and
" here, continually poured out for his majesty, and
" his kingdom, in removing that heavy judgment,
" and settling peace and tranquillity there, to the
" glory of God, the honour of his In ajesty , and the
" joint happiness of all his subjects, in all his king-
" dOlns and dominions.
" Nor have we forgotten the supplies of all sorts
" sent hither by the parlialnent, but do very well re-
" nlenlber then1. But we confess ,ve kno,v not what
" relief cOining hither hath been taken a\vay, either
" by sea or land, or by \vhom, or \vhat discourage...
" 111ent hath been given thell1 in return: only \ve
" have heard, that the shipping, eUlployed by thé
"rebels at W exford, did give them son1e interrup-

, tion at sea; and that was occasioned by neglect of
" duty in those who c01l1manded the ships designed
" for the guard of the coasts of this kingdolll: and
" the said ship bound hither frol11 Holland \vith mu-
" nition, \vhich \ve had contracted for here, was in-
" tercepted at sea, and carried to Calais, and after-
" ,yards set free there, by the mediation of his ma-
" jesty and the houses of parliament in England.
" And we find that some ships, sent hither it seeins
" at first with provisions from London, and ot.her
" ships bound hither with provisions on private nlen's
" adventures, were taken away even frolll this har-
" bour, a fe\v days before the cessation of arn1S here,
" as they were cODling in, and carried to LiverpooJ,
" by one captain Dausk, a person employed by the
" t\VO houses of parliament there, in the cOllllnand
cc2

BOOK
VII.

1643.

388

THE HISTOR Y

1643.

" of a ship; and that ship comnlanded by Dausk,
" and other ships employed at Liverpool, do no\v,
"and have a long tilne stayed on that side, laden
" \vith provision of victuals, coals, and other neces-
" sary relief bound from thence hither to be sold;
"\vhich, if they had arrived here, would have
" brought great relief to this arnlY, and the inhahi-
" tants in this city, though on the adventure of the
" bringers; which we hold necessary to represent
" thither, to the end that their uncharitableness to-
" wards those poor nlen that \volIld adventure hither
" to relieve us, and their inhumanity to\vards this
" distressed arlny and city, and many of his Inajesty's
"pl
ote
tant subjects therein, lllight appear so, as
" they, or others, may not presume hereafter to of-
" fend in that kind.
" And whereas you write, that we should not con-
" ceive that only the charge of this war was referred
" to, and undertaken by, the parliament, as if their
" part were to be our bankers, only to provide mo-
" nies for us to spend, and \vere not to ad vise and
" direct the managing of the war; \ve confess \ve
" neither did, nor do conceive the parliament there
"to be hankers for us; but did esteem them, as
" those to whom the king our master referred the
" charge of this war, and to whonl, as so intrusted
" by his majesty, this board, from time to time, made
" application; and if any advice had come fronl them,
" concerning the lllanaging of the war, we should have
" endeavoured to have nlade the best use thereot
,
for the furtherance of his majesty's service here.
"And here we hold it necessary to declare, that
"'v hen we understood, that his nlajesty, at the
" hUll1ble desire of the lords and COIDlTIOnS of parlia-

BOOK
VII.

OF THE REBELLION. 389

" Inent in England, had, in April 1642, granted a
" COllllllissioll to SOll1e lllelllbers of both houses, for
"ordering and disposing all lllatters there, for the
"defence, reliet and recovery of this kingdom;
" and that his majesty commanded all his officers,
" lllinisters, and subjects of his kingdoms of Eng-
"land and Ireland, to be obedient, aiding, and
" assisting to the said conl1nissioners in the due ex-
"ecution of the said commission; and that by his
" I1lajesty's instructions, annexed to the said COlll-
" I1lission, his lll

esty gave it in charge to those
" cornnlissioners, to advertise his lieutenant of Ire-
" ]and, the council, and other governors and conl-
" mandel's here, \vhat they conceived to be needful
" for the prosecution of the war in the best lllanner,
" for the defence of this his kingdonl, and ease of the
" great charges and expenses, ,vhich, by occasion of
" this rebellion, lay upon his loving subjects of his
" kingdom of England: we therefore, by our letters
" of the seventh of June 1642, directed to those his
"lllajesty's cOlnnlissioners, besought, among other
"things, present and particular direction for the
"prosecution of the ,val'; which yet we have not
" received: only we had advice fronl thence, to send
"SOllle forces into Connaught; \vhich was done;
" and for sending sonle forces into Munster, which,
" by our letters of the thirteenth of September 1642,
" to the commissioners there, we signified was not
" possible for us to do, unless we were plentifully
" supplied of those things, whereof the wants then
" certified thither did then disable us.
" Concerning the cOlnlllission in your letters lllen-
" tioned, it \vas not to hear what the rebels ,voulrl
" say, or propound for their o\vn advantage, as your
cc3

BOOK
VII.

] 6...t3.

390

TIlE HIS'r()RY

] 643.

" letters mention; but his majesty having received
" an humble petition., in the name of the recusants
" of Ireland, desiring to be heard, his 111ajesty thought
" it not unjust, or inconvenient for him, to receive
"from them \vhat they could say unto hiln; to
" whom they insinuated that they \vould yet yield
" due obedience. And therefore his majesty, by his
"comnlission under the great seal of England,
" (wherein he declared his extrenle detestation of
"the odious rebellion, \vhich the recusants of Ire-
" land have, without any ground or colour, raised
" against hill1, his crown, and dignity,) authorized
" some of his nlinisters here, to hear at large what
" the petitioners should say, or propound; which his
" nlajesty, by the said con1mission, directed that the
" petitioners, or the principal of thenl, authorized by
" the rest, should set do,vn in writing under their
" hands; and the conlnlissioners to send the saIne to
"his majesty; ,vhereupon his nlajesty by the said
" commission declared, he \vould take such farther
" consideration, as should be just, honourable, and
" fit for his majesty: and that that course gave not
"the least interruption to the proceeding of the
"war, appears by this, that on the eighteenth of
" l\Iarch (being in the time the cOlnnlissioners, au-
" thorized by his majesty, gave n1eeting to those of
"the other side, upon that commission) the lord
" n1arquis of Ormond, though one of those con1nlis-
" sioners, in his return fro111 Rosse with about t\VO
" thousand five hundred foot, and five hundred horse
" of his luajesty's arnlY, fought with the ar111Y of the
" rebels, consisting of about six thousand foot, and
" six hundred and fifty horse, and obtained a happy
" and glorious victory against them; and the rebels'

BOOK
VII.

OF THE REBELLION. 391

" at'n1Y being defeated, and wholly routed, and their
"baggage and ll1unition seized on, his nlajesty's
"forces lodged that night lvhere they bad gained
"the victory, as by fornler letters of this board, of
" the fourth of April 1643, directed to 1\11'. Speaker,
" we fornlerly signified thither: ,vhich ,ve thus re-
"peat, to manifest that that cOlnmission, or the
" Ineeting thereupon, gave not any manner of intcr-
" ruption to the proceeding of the war.
" Concerning the letters you mention, to divest
" the cOlnnlittee of both houses there of an authority
" given thenl by both houses, we renlelnber that his
" nlajesty, by his letters of the third of
ebruary
" 1642, understanding that the then justices and
" council bad adlnitted, without his order or know-
" ledge, to sit in council with then1 in this his king-
" dorn, Mr. Robert Goodwin and Mr. Reynolds, and
" that thereby they were hecome so bold, as to take
" upon theln to hear, and debate of 111atters treated
" of in council, his majesty, by his said letters, sig-
"nified by his express cOlnmand, that they should
" not be pernlittëd to sit, or be present any 1110re at
" his majesty's council-table here; but if they had
" any business, his majesty willed, that they should
" attend as others of their quality: which his ma-
" jesty's pleasure was hUInbly obeyed by his said
"justices and council, ,vith that duty and subnlis-
" sion, which was due frOln theln to his royal COIn-
"lllands. And as his majesty, by his said letters,
" required, that, if those persons had any business,
" they should attend, as others of their quality; so,
" if they had afterwards offered any business at this
" board, they s}Jould have been heard therein; \vhich
" \vas also signified to them before their departure
cc4

BOOK
VII.

1643.

BOOK
VII.

1643.

39Q

THE HISTORY

"hence. And now, upon this occasion, we having
" perused the copies they delivered at this board, of
" the order of both houses dated the sixth of Octo-
" ber ] 642, and of their instructions, do find indeed,
" that, by the said order, the said Robert Reynolds,
" and Robert Goodwin, were to have the credence,
" power, and esteem of a cOlnmittee sent hither by
" the advice and authority of both houses of parlia-
" ment ; and that, by the said instructions, they were
" to be admitted to be present, and vote at all con-
" sultations concerning the war; yet there is nothing
"in the said order, or instructions, for admitting
" them to sit, or be present at his majesty's council-
" table; which is that which his majesty, by his said
" letters, required, should not be pern1itted; which
" cannot be conceived to be a divesting thelll of any
" authority given them by both houses.
"And as to the late alteration of governnlent
" here, expressed in your letters, although his Ina-
" jesty in his high wisdon1 adjudged it fit to alter
" one of those governors, which he had placed here,
" which was no more than he and his royal prede-
"cessors had usually done in all ages, as often as
" they thought fit, yet that made no alteration in
" the government; but it in all tinles continued, and
" still continues, the saIne, though in other persons.
" That part of your letters which declares, that
"you are forbidden to tell us what supplies of
" money, victual, ammunition, and other necessaries,
" were then in a good forwardness to be sent hither
" for the support of the officers and soldiers here,
" requires no ans\ver on our parts, other than this
" truth, that they are not yet arrived here. Con-
" cerning l\lountrose's letters to colonel Crawford,

OF THE REBELLION.

393

" we kno\v of no treason to be discovered thereby;
" but for the sea-captains in your letters mentioned,
" it is certain that their neglccts and misdeeds de-
" serve punishulent, which we desire they may find
" rather to their correction, than to their ruin.
" Thus we have given answer to those parts of
" your letters, ,vhich, we conceived, concerned us;
" \vhereby, ,ve hope, both houses of parliament there
" ,viII now relllain satisfied, as in the necessity and
" justice of our actions, so in the truth and candour
" of our intentions, in those particulars to ,vhich
" your said letters seen1 to take exception. And so
" we relnain
,
From !tis mqjesty"s castle qf Dublin 28tl" qfOct. 1643.
" Your lordships" very loving friends,
Jo. Borla,ye. z Hen. Ticltborne. Rich. Bolton, Cane.
La. Dublin. Ormond. Rosco1ltrnult.
Ant. ltlidc'llsis. Ed. Braúazon. Cltar. Larnbert.
Geo. ,,()llurlc!J. Gcr. a Lowther. 1'/zo. Rotherharn.
F'.:. TVillouf!"ltby. Tllo. Lucas. Ja. JVare.
G. TVentu'ortlt.

The distractions in Ireland being, by means of
the cessation, b in some degree allayed, and both
parties having time to breathe, the king, in the
next place, considered ho,v he nlight apply that ces-
sation to the advancelnent of his affairs in England.
One of the principal motives that induced that ces-
sation, ,vas the miserable state of the arnlY there,
ready, through extrelne wants, to disband; so that
there being no\v less use of them there, and an inl-
possibility to keep theIn, his majesty had it only in

Z Borlase.] Bltrlllse.
a Ger.] Gor.

h by means of the cessation,]
by this means,

BOOK
VII.

1643.

39'

FJ'HE HISTORY

nOOK his election, whether he should suffer then1 there to
VII. disband, and dispose of then1selves as they thought
1643. fit, which could not be \vithout infinite disorder,
and might probably prove as much to his particular
disservice; or whether he should draw over such a
nUll1ber as ll1ight he safely spared, to his own assist-
ance in England; to which he ,vas assured, that
the devotion and affection of lnost of the principal
or considerable officers there cheerfully inclined;
and of this latter he Inade little scruple to make
choice, \vhen he \vas not only inforlned of the pre-
parations and readiness in Scotland to invade this
kingdol11; but that they had called over their old
general, the earl of Leven, who comrnanded the
Scotch forces in Ireland, and many other officers
and soldiers out of that kingdon1, to forn1 and con-
duct their army into this; and that there were also
arts and industry used, by son1e agents for the par-
Jiall1ent, to persuade the English officers likewise to
bring over their ll1en for their service.
The king So that the king directed c the marquis of 01'-
sends for . .
r art of the mond, to Inake ChOICe of such reglll1ents and troops
Eno-lish r. h d L' f h 1
ar';vout as were necessary lor t e elence 0 t e severa gar-
of Úelanrl. risous, or as could be provided for, and supported in
tllat kingdom, and that the rest should be sent for
England. To \vhich purpose, shipping was scnt;
\vith direction, that those froB1 and about Dublin
should be shipped for Chester, to he joined to those
forces under the cOlll111and of the lord Capel; where-
by he B1ight be able to resist the growing po\ver of
sir'Villiall1 Bruerton; who, by an addition of forces
fr0111 Loudon, and with the assistance of sir Tholnas

c t;o that the king directed] So that having directed

OF '"rIfE ItEBELLION. 395

1\liddleton, and sir John Gell, ,vas gro,vn very BOOK
.. VII.
strong; being backed by LancashIre, which upon
the Inatter was wholly reduced to the obedience of 1643.
the parliament: and that the other forces out of
1\1 unster should be landed at Bristol, to be disposed
by the lord Hopton; ,vho w"as foru1ing a ne,v arn1Y,
to oppose sir 'Villiam 'ValleI'; who threatened an
inroad into the ,vest; or rather to seek him out by
visiting Halupshire and Sussex, if the other were
not ready to advance d.
The court at Oxford e ,vas luuch increased by the
queen's presence, and the necessities ,vere increased
with the expense. All correspondence ,vas abso-
lutely broken with London, insomuch as a sworn
111CSsenger of the chan1her, sent to London with a
writ, and proclan1ation for the adjournnlent of tI1e
tern1 to Oxford, ,vas apprehended as a spy, (as hath
been said before,) and executed by ll1artiallaw; and
the t,vo houses had f caused a great seal to be made
with the king's iU1age and inscription, and put the
sanle into the hands of commissioners; and so the
courts ,vere continued in \Vestu1inster-hall, for the
despatch of justice, (as they called it,) as had been
formerly, not\vithstanding the king's proclan1ation.
The n1oney, which by g the particular persons of all
conditions had been very plentifully supplied b in
the beginning of the war, now near spent, and the
stopping the intercourse ,vith London, had shut the
door against farther supply; so that all men \vere
,veary of the condition they ,vere in, and expressed

Ù to ad\.-aucc.] A 'Cery consi-
derable portion is here omilfed,
which u'ill be found in the Ap-
pendix E.

e at Oxford] Not in lYfS.
f had] Not in lJJ S.
g by] Not in lJ;IS.
h supplied] supplied with

BOOK
VII.

I ô43.

1644.

396

THE HISTORY

it, as weary men used to do, in nlurmurs and C0111-
plaints. And now all the hope ,vas in the conven-
tion of the members of IJarliament; ,vhich, being a
new thing, suspended the present indisposition, and
adulinistered SOUle expectation, what they, who
caDle fro III all quarters of the kingdom, would do.
According to the king's proclamation, i the melTI-

i According to the king's pro-
clamation, &c.] This account of
the meeting of the IJadiament at
Oxford is taken from J.YS. C. In
the other
lS. it is thus de-
scribed. The king received thenl
very graciously and formally in
Ch. Ch. hall; made them a
speech; and told then1 he would
be glad to recei\
e any advice
fronl them for the good of the
kingdom, and restoring it to
peace; and wished thenl to con-
sult together in those rooms
which he had caused to be pro-
vided for them to sit in in the
schools; whither both the peers
and comnlons presently went,
and the cOllunons chose ser-
geant Evers to be their speaker,
one of the king's sergeants at
law, and in all respects superior
to him who kept the chair at
'Vestn1Ïnster. There were \'ery
near three hundred of the house
of commons appeared, when
there were not above one hun-
dred remained at 'Vestminster,
and very seldom so many; and
of the whole house of peers
there were seldom above ten or
a dozen at '" estminster, when
there were above threescore at
Oxford.
There were amongst the conl-
1110ns only t\vo privy-counsel-
lors, the master of the rolls (sir
John Culpepper) and the chan-

cellor of the excbequer, whose
business it was to dispose the
rest to think of the best expe-
dient to provide present n10ney,
without which the armv could
not be able to Inarch" in "the
spring, which began to draw
on; and to pre\'en t the run-
ning into any excesses of dis-
course, which so great assem-
blies can very hardly be kept
fronl; and till somewhat was
begun amongst the COlnmons,
the peers had little to do.
Though they all seemed very
sensible of the straits the king
was in, and resol \'ed to do all
that should be in their power
to lllend it; yet they had a
great desire to try what could
be done towards peace, that
what they did else ill order to
carrying on the war nlight find
the lllore credit with the peo-
pie; and nobody endeavoured
to di\'ert them from prosecut-
ing their desire. So that it was
quickly agreed that they should
prosecute both designs, to get
money and to get peace, to-
gether; at least that one ,uight
be the business of one day, and
the other of the next. . They
were long considering in wha"t
method to put their desires of
peace: they knew not how to
lnove the king to Inake any of-
fer; nor would that way htwe

OF THE REBELLION.

397

hers of hoth houses of parliament, ,vho had \vith- BOOK
drawn out of conscience and duty from those at VII.
'Vestl11inster, a.ppeared at Oxford at the day ap- 1644.
. The mem-
pOInted; except such as could not reasonably he ab- bers of both
fj h . d . h · h hOllses
sent rom t elr con1man s In t e countIes, \v ere met at
the arn1ies \vere. They ,vere k graciously and so- Oxford.

satisfied theIn, except they n1ight
stand in such a place with his
majesty that the motion lnight
appear to proceed from them,
and that they might be engaged
in the treaty; which the king
would have been hardly induced
to consent to. ] twas wisherl
that the two houses at Oxford
could dispose those at West-
min
ter thåt they 11light con-
cur together to be suitors to
the king; that they might en-
ter upon a treaty, and frame
some propositions to be offered
to him. But that quickly ap-
peared nnpracticable; for they
above had already, by an ordi-
nance, (as they termed it,) de-
clared again
t that Ineeting of
the members at Oxford with
many terms of reproach, and
menaces; so that it was evi-
ùent enough, t
at no corre-
spondence or commerce could
possibly grow between them.
In the end, it was proposed
and agreed, that a letter should
be prepared and signed by e\'ery
member present of the peers
and of the commons, and di-
rected to the earl of Essex, in-
forming hinl of their nlceting
at Oxford upon his majesty's
command; that they found the
king very desirous of a just and
an honourable peace, that the
kingdom .night be restored to
happiness; and that they there-

fore desired him to use his cre-
dit and interest with the parlia..
ment, that they Inight be dis-
posed to the saIne inclinations,
upon which a treaty luight be
entered upon; with those ex-
pressions as carried a confi-
dence of his concurrence with
them. When this letter was
framed, they delivered it at a
conference to the lords, and
desired their concurrence, and
that they would move the king,
that the .general n1ight send
this letter, when it was signed,
with a trumpet to the earl of
Essex, according to the custOln
observed between them. The
lords concurred, the king was
content, the letter was signed
as aforesaid, and sent by the
general with a trumpet to the
earl of Essex; who sent the ge-
neral \-vord, that he had sent it
to the parliament; who laid it
aside with scorn, and made
no answer to it, as was fore-
seen, at least by discerning
n1en: whereupon they at Ox-
ford published a declaration to
the people, with sharpness a-
gainst those at Westminster, as
not only the beginners of the
war, but those who rejected all
overtures of peace and accom-
modation. The hope of peace
&c. as ill page 4] 6, linp ].
k They were] 'Vho were

BOOK
VII.

1644.

The sub-
stance of
the king's
speech to
them.

398

THE HISTORY

lenlnly welCOlned by his majesty, ,vith that cere-
mony which is used at the opening of a parliarnent ;
when his majesty told them:
" That he had called theI11 to be witnesses of his
" actions, and privy to his intentions; and that he
"desired to receive any advice froI11 then1, \vhich
" they thought would be suitable to the miserable
" and distracted condition of the kingdolll; in pre-
" senting ,vhereof, they should use all that parlia-
" mentary freedom which would be due to t.hem if
" they were \vith him at 'Vestrninster, and which,
",vith all their other privileges, they should enjoy
" at Oxford, though they could not in the other
" place;" \vith many expressions of grace towards
theIn, and confidence in them. As soon as they had
withdrawn to those places which ,vere assigned to
their counsels, Loth lords and comn10ns entered
upon the deliberation of all possible expedients, in
order to peace; most men believing, according to
the reason and conscience of their own hearts, that
the difficulty was greater, to dispose those at Lon-
don to the honesty and confidence of a treaty, than,
in that treaty, to agree on such conclusions as
might I be satisfactory to all parties; judging it im-
possible, that men could desire to bring ruin and
desolation upon their country, if they were once
persuaded that it lllight be prevented with their
own preservation. But how to advance to any for-
ll1ality, which probably lnight produce a disposition
to intercourse, appeared very hard. 'Vhen they
thought of advising the king to send a gracious
Inessage and overture to the t,vo houses, they pre-

I as might] which might

OF THE REBELLION.

399

sently rell1embered and considered what his ll1ajesty BOO K
had already done that \vay, and ho\v ill returns of
II. _
reverence and duty he had received frol11 them: 1644.
that to, the two last messages he had sent (it being
not possible now to send any Inore gracious and
obliging) they had never retúrned answer, and that
they still detained his last nIessenger in strict dur-
ance, after having exposed him to a trial for his life
at a court of war: that they had prohibited any
kind of address to be nIade to them frolll his ma-
jesty, except through the hands of the earl of Essex
their general. Fronl thence those at Oxford In en-
tered upon the disquisition, ho\v they might engage
his lordship to the same thoughts and desires ,vith
them; to the which they easily believed, experience,
observation, and interest, would engage hitu. They
persuaded thenlselves, that the principal ground
,vhich had hitherto frustrated all overtures frol11 his
l11ajesty to\vards peace, \vas the conscience those at
\Vestluinster had n of their o\vn guilt, and the jea-
lousy that proceeded from thence, that no peace
could secure them, \vhilst there \vas po\ver left in
his majesty; but that they could not possibly sus-
pect the perfornlance and exact observation of any
agreement, \vhich should be concluded upon the in-
tercession of all the king's party; \vhich lllust be
security for the acconlplishnlent of it. Frorn 0 the
reasonableness of this assertion, they entertained an
assurance, that the earl of Essex would as greedily
embrace the opportunity, and concur with them in
promoting the overture; ,vhich was all they desired:
for that \vould renlove those fornls, which, as so

m those at Oxford] they
n those at '" estnliuster had]

Not in MS.
o Fr0111] And frolH

BOOK
VB.

1 G44.

They send
a If'tter to
the earl of
Essex.

400

THE I-IISTORY

many rocks, were in the way. Hereupon the lords
and comInons, the members of both houses, resolved
to write a letter to the earl of Essex, in their own
nalnes, which, \vith the king's consent, was by truln-
pet sent to him, within four days after t}Jeir meet-
ing. The letter was in these very terms.

" My lord, P
" His majesty having, by his proclamation of the
" twenty-second of December, (upon the occasion of
"the invasion threatened, and in part begun, by
" some of his subjects of Scotland,) summoned all
" the nlembers of both houses of parliament, to at-
"tend hinl here at Oxford, we whose names are
'-' underwritten are here met and assembled, in obe-
"dience to those his majesty's commands. His
" majesty was pleased to invite us, in the said pro-
" clamation, by these gracious expressions, that his
" subjects should see, how willing he was to receive
" advice, for the preservation of the religion, la\vs,
" and safety of the kingdoln, and, as far as in him
" lay, to restore it to its former peace and security
"(his chief and only end) froin those wholn they
" had trusted; though he could not receive it in
"the place where he appointed. This most gra-
"cious invitation hath not only been made good
"unto us, but seconded and heightened by such
"unquestionable demonstrations of the deep and
" princely sense, which possesses his royal heart, of
" the miseries and calanlities of his poor subjects in
"this unnatural \var, and of his nlost entire and
"passionate affections to redeelTI thenl froin that
P l\Iy lord, &c.] In fhe hand- nuensis.
1friting oj lord Clarendon's ama-

OF rrI-IE IlEBELLION. 401

" sad anù deplorable condition, by all ways possible,
h consistent either ,vith his honour, or with the fu-
"t.ure safety of the kingdolll, that as it were im-
,,; piety to question the si ncerity of them, so ,vere it
" great ,vant of duty and faithfulness in us, (his lna-
" jesty having vouchsafed to declare, that he did
" call us to be witnesses of his actions, and privy to
" his intentions,) should we not testify, and ,vitness
"to all the \vorld, the assurance ,ve have of the
" piety and sincerity of both. '" e being most en-
" tirely satisfied of this truth, ,ve cannot but COl1-
"fess, that amidst our highest afflictions, in the
" deep and piercing sense of the present 111iseries
" and desolations of our country, and those farther
" dangers threatened froin Scotland, we are at length
" erected to SOine cheerful and con1fortable thoughts,
" that possibly \ve n1ay yet (by God's Inercy, if his
"justice have not deterll1ined this nation, for its
"sins, to total ruin and desolation) hope to be
"happy illstrUll1ents of our country's redelnption,
"froll1 the ll1iseries of war, and restitution to the
" blessing of peace.
" And ,ve being desirous to believe your lordship,
" ho,vever engaged, a person likely to be sensibly
" touched with these considerations, have thought
" fit to invite you to that part in this blessed work,
"which is only capable to repair all our ll1isfor-
" tunes, and to buoy up the kingdoln fron1 ruin;
"that is, by conjuring you by all the obligations
" that have power upon honour, conscience, or pub-
"lie piety, that laying to heart, as we do, the in-
" ,vard bleeding condition of your country, and the
"outward more menacing destruction by a foreign
"nation, upon the very point of invading it, you
VOL. lYe D d

BOOK
V[[,

I ö44.

.

ro

THE HISTOR Y

1644.

" will cooperate with us to its preservation, by truly
"representing to, and faithfully and industriously
" prollloting with, those by whOln you are trusted,
" this following most sincere and most earnest de-
" sire of ours; that they joining ,vith us in a right
"sense of the past, present, and n10re threatening
"calalnities of this deplorable kingdom, some per-
"sons be appointed on either part, and a place
" agreed on, to treat of such a peace, as may yet
" redeen1 it froll1 the brink of desolation.
"This address we should not have ll1ade, but
" that his majesty's sun1lnons, by which ,ve are Inet,
" ll10st graciously proclaÍlning pardon to all ,vithout
" exception, is evidence enough, that his mercy and
" clell1ency can transcend all former provocations;
" and that he hath not only lllade us witnesses of
" his princely intentions, but honoured us also "\\Tith
"the nall1e of being security for thell1. God Al-
" mighty direct your lordship, and those to ,vholn
"you shall present these our n10st real desires, in
"such a course as lTIay produce that happy peace,
" and settlen1ent of the present distractions; \vhich
"is so heartily desired, and prayed for, by us, and
" which may ll1ake us,

BOOK
VIl.

" Your &c."
Fro'Jll Oxfor(129th of Jan. 1643.

This letter was subscribed by his highness the
prince, the duke of York, and three and forty dukes,
marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons, q and one
hundred and eighteen Inelnbers of the house of com-
mons; there be
ng such expedition used in the de-

q barons,] barons of the house of peers,

OF 'rHE ItEllELLIO:N

403

spatch, that it ,vas not thought fit to be deferred
for a greater subscription: albeit it \vas known that
111any lords and conl1110ners were upon the ,yay,
,vho came ,vithin few days; and there were, at that
tilne, near twenty peers absent with his Inajesty's
leave, and elllployed in his affairs and armies, in
the kingdonl; and ten at the Sa111e ti111e in the parts
beyond the seas.. So that the nUlllbers at London
\vere very thin; for there were not above two anù
t\venty peers, who either sat in the parlialuent, or
,v ere engaged in their party; that is to say, the
earls of Northulllberiand, Pelubroke, Essex, Kent,
Lincoln, Rutland, Salisbury, Suffolk, 'Varnrick, 1\lan-
chester, Mulgrave, Denbigh, Stalnford, Bullingbrook;
the lords Say, Dacrcs, 'Vharton, Grey of 'Varke,
\Villoughby of Parhalll, Ho\vard of Escrick, Roch-
fort, and Robarts; ,vho 'vere present, or had proxies
there.
The trumpeter found the earl of Essex at his
house in London; \vhere he ,vas detained three or
four days; during which tÍ1ne, the comn1ittee of
both houses, that committee \vhich they called the
conlmittee of safety for the' t\VO kingdonls, (the
Scottish conlmissioners being a part of it,) resorted
to the earl r for his advice: and in the end, the
trulllpeter S returned \vith this short letter to the
earl of Forth, the king's general.

HOOK
\ II.

1 G44.

" My lord,
" I received this day a letter, of the t\venty-ninth The earl of
Essex's au-
" of this instant, from your lordship, and a parch- swer ùi-
" ment subscribed by the prince, duke of York, and ;

t:
r
o(lf

r the earl] hÌlu

8 the trumpeter] he
Dd2

,

404

THE HISTOR Y

BOOI{ "divers other lords and gentlenlen; but it neither
VII. "having address to the two houses of parlianlent,
1644: "nor therein, there. being any acknowledgn1ent of
Forth, wIth" h I ld .. h M
the two fol- t em, COlI not COlTIlTIUnlcate It to t elTI. y

:;

fo
::
lord, the l11aintenance of the parlialnent of Eng-
"land, and of the privileges thereof, is that for
" which ,ve are t resolved to spend our blood; as
" being the foundation \vhereupon all our la\vs and
" liberties are built. I send your lordship herewith
" a national covenant, solemnly entered into by hoth
"the kingdon1s of England and Scotland; and a
"declaration passed by then1 both together, with
" another declaration of the kingdo111 of Scotland.
" I rest

" Your lordship's &c."

'Vhat the covenant ,vas, being the saIne particu-
larly set down before, I need not mention; and the
dec
arations are as public, and would be thought
too large to be in this place inserted, to the inter-
ruption of the thread of this discourse; yet it can-
not be alniss to 111ake a short extract of sonle parti-
cular heads or conclusions of them; that the \vorld
nlay see ,vhat kind of reasoning this tÍIne had in-
troduced, and that they were as bold \vith God as
,vith the king.
An extract That declaration of the kingdom of Scotland
of the de- I .. d .. ·
c1aration of a one, 'vas, to justIfy theIr present expe Ition Into
the king- E I d . h . h h . d I
dom of ng an ; In w IC t ey sal , " t ,vas most neces-
Scotland. "sary, that everyone, against all doubting, should
" be persuaded in his mind of the lawfulness of his
"undertaking, and of the goodness of the cause

t we are] we are all

OF THE REBELLION.

405

" lllaintained by him; ,vhich they said was no other,
" than the good of religion in England, and the de-
"liverance of their brethren out of the depths of
" affliction; the preservation of their own religion,
"and of thelnselves froin the extremity of misery,
" and the safety of their native king, and his king-
" doms, from destruction and desolation. Anyone
" of ,vhich, (they said,) by all law divine and hu-
" man, was too just cause of taking of arms; how
" much more, when all of them \vere joined in one?
"And therefore, they \vished any nlan, who did
" ,vithdra\v, and hide hinlself in such a debate and
"controversy, to consider, whether he ,vere not a
" hater of his brethren, against Christian and C0111-
" lllon charity; an hater of himself and his poste-
" rity, against the la\v and light of nature; an hater
" of the king, and his kingdoms, against loyalty,
" and comlllon duty; and a hater of God, against
" all religion, and peace."
They said, " the question was not, nor need they
" dispute, whether they lllight propagate their reli-
"gion by arms; but "rhether, according to their
" power, they ought to assist their brethren in Eng-
" land, \v ho were calling for their help, and were
"shedding their blood in defence of that po\ver,
" without ,vhich religion could neither be defended
" nor reformed; nor unity of religion with theIn,
,.. and other reforllled kirks, be attained. So that,
"they said, the question was no sooner l'ightly
"stated, but it was as soon resolved; and con-
" eluded, tkat tile Lord woul(l save tlzc1JZ frolJt the
" curse qf .1JIcro
, who came not to help tile L01"(l
"against tile '/llîß.Jlty. They said, the question
"could not be, as their enemies would Inake it,
Dd3

BOOK
vu.

I G-14.

BOOK
VB.

J 644.

406

ï'HE HISTORY

" whether they should enter into England, antI lift
" arms against their own king, who had promised
" and done as much, as might secure them in their
"own religion, and liberties: but whether against
"the popish, prelatical, and malignant party, their
" adherents prevailing in England and Ireland, they
" ,vere not bound to provide for their own preser-
"vation. That they might well have kno\vn, from
" their continual experience, ever since the thne of
"their first reforn1ation, especially after the t\VO
" kingdoms were united under one head and mon-
" arch, and frOlTI the principles of their o\vn decla-
" rations, in the time of their late troubles and dan-
" gel's, that they could not long, like Goshen, enjoy
" their light, if darkness should cover the face of
" other refornled kirks: that Judah could not long
"continue in liberty, if Israel ,vere led a\vay in
" captivity; and that the condition of the one kirk
" and kingdom, whether in religion or pcace, 11lust
" be C0l11mOn to both.
" 1-'hey said, the question ,vas not, whether they
'10 should preslune to be arbitrators in the lnattcr,
" now debated by fire and sword, betwixt his ma-
" jesty and the houses of parliament; which might
" seelll to be foreign and extrinsical to that nation,
" and \vherein they lnight be conceived to have no
" interest; but whether, their mediation and inter-
" cession being rejected by the one side, upon hope
" of victory, or suppose by both sides, upon confÌ-
" dence of their own strength and several successes,
" it were not their duty, it heing in thcir po\ver, to
" stop or prevent the effusion of Chri:stian blood; or
" ,vhcther they ought not to endeavour to rescue
" their native king, his crown, and posterity, out of

OF '.rHE REBELLION. 407

" the midst of so n1any dangers, and to preserve his BOO K
"people and kingdom frOlll ruin and destruction. VII.
" If every private luan were bound in duty to inter- 16 J4.
"pose hÍluself as a reconciler and sequestrator be-
" t\veen his neighbours, arnled to their mutual de-
" struction; if the son ought to hazard his own life
" for the preservation of his father and brother, at
" variance one against the other, should a kingdon1
"sit still, and suffer their king and neighbouring
" kingdolll to perish in an unnatural war? In the
"tÏ1ne of anilnosity, and appetite of revenge, such
" an interposing 11light be an irritation; but after-
" \vards, ,vhen the eyes of the nlind, no nlore blood-
" run with passion, did discern things right, it \vould
"be no grief or offence of heart, but matter of
" thanksgiving to God, and to the instrulnents which
" had kept from shedding blood, and froln revenge."
'Vith this kind of divinity, and this kind of logic,
to shew that they had a clear prospect of whatever U
could be said against them, they resolved to invade
their neighbour nation, and to interpose thel11selves
as reconcilers, by joining against their native and
natural king, with his rebellious subjects, in all the
acts of anÏ1nosity and blood, which have been ever
practised in the Inost raging and furious civil war.
'.fhe other declaration, l11entioned in the earl's An extract
I d . d d bl . h d · of the de-
,etter, "ras a eciaration passe , an pu IS e In c1aration of
the name of both kingdoms, England and Scotland, ;
i
;o
-
after their marriage by their new league and COVe_land.
nant, and aùout the very time that this very x over-
ture for peace can1e frol11 Oxford. They were now
both equally inspired with the Scottish dialect and

u whatever] whatsoever

x very] Nut in MS.

Dd4

408

TI-IE HISTORY

1644.

spirit; talked, " ho\v clearly the light of the gospel
" shined alnongst them; that they placed not their
"confidence in their own counsels and strength;
"but their confidence was in God Almighty, the
" Lord of Hosts, who "Tould not leave nor forsake
" his people. It was his own truth and cause, which
" they Inaintained against the heresy, superstition,
" and tyranny of Antichrist: the glory of his name,
" the exaltation of the kingdoln of his Son, and the
"preservation of his church, was their ailn, and the
" end which they had before their eyes. I t was his
" covenant, which they had solen1nly in both nations
" sworn, and subscribed; \v hich he would not have
" put in their hearts to do, if he had been Ininded to
" destroy theIne Upon these and the like grounds
" and considerations, being confident that this war,
" \vherein both nations were so firmly united, and
" deeply ellgaged, was of God, they resolve \vith
" courage and constancy to the end to do their part;
" and the Lord, who had stirred up their spirits, dis-
"played his banner before them, and given the
" alarnl, Y do that which seen1eth him good."
They gave now " public warning to all lnen to
" rest no longer upon their neutrality, or to please
" then1selves with the naughty and slothful pretext
" of indifferency; but that they address thelllselvcs
" speedily to take the covenant, and join, \vith all
" their power, in the defence of this cause against
" the common enelny; and by their zeal, and for-
"\vardness hereafter, to lnake up what had been
" wanting through their luke\varlnness; this they
" \vould find to he their greatest \visdol11 and safety;

BOOK
VII.

Y alarm,] alarnm,

OF THE REBELLION.

409

" other,vise they did declare them to be public ene-
" n}ies to their religion and country; and that they
" ,vere to be censured and punished, as professed
" adversaries, and n1alignants."
TheD they proclaimed" a pardon to all those who
"\vould before such a day desert the king, and ad-
" here to them, and take the covenant;" and con-
cluded, " that they made not that declaration from
" any presumption, or vain glorying in the strength
" of their arlnies and forces, but from the sense of
" their duty, which was required and expected from
" the high places, and public relations, ,vhe-rein they
" stood; and fron1 the assurance they had of the as-
"sistance of God, by ,vhose providence, the trust
" and safety of those kingdon1s was put into their
" hands at this tÍJne; having, after long and grave
"consultation, resolved and decreed never to lay
" down arlns, till truth and peace, by the blessing of
" God, be settled in this island, upon a firm founda....
" tion for the present and future generations; which,
" they said, should be esteelTIed of then1 an abundant
" reward of all that they could do, or suffer in that
" cause."
These \vere the declarations which the earl of
Essex, together with the covenant, sent, as an an-
s\ver to that letter fron1 the prince of "Tales, and
those lords and gentlelnen; ,vhich lnight have been
the founùation of an honest and honourable peace to
all the king's dOlninions. And I cannot but observe,
that after this tinlc that the earl declined this oppor-
tunity of declaring hin1sclf, he never did prosperous
act z in the remainder of his lifc; but whereas be-

BOOK
VII.

1644.

Z prosperous act] gallant or prosperous act

410

THE HISTORY

J 644.

fore, he had throughout the course of his comlnand,
ho,v unwarrantably soever undertaken, behaved him-
self "rith very signal courage and conduct, and at
this tin1e ,vas adorned with the testimony of friends
and enemies, of a right good general, upon tbe con-
clusion of the business of Gloucester; he never, after
his taking this covenant, and ,vriting this letter, did
one successful a thing; but proved unfortunate in all
he ,vent about, even to his death; of \vhich we shall
say n10re in its place.
'Ve b the rather extracted these short clauses of
those two declarations, that posterity lTIay observe
the divine hand of Ahnighty God upon the people
of these Iniserable kingdolns; that after they had
broken loose from that excellent forn1 and practice
of religion, which their ancestors and theillseives had
observed and enjoyed, with a greater n1easure of
happiness, than abnost any nation lived under, so
long a tiIne; and after they håd cancelled and
thrown off those adn1irable and incolTIparable laws
of governlnent, ,vhich ,vas con1pounded of so n1uch
exact reason, that all possible 111ischiefs were fore-
seen, and provided against by it c; they should be
no\\'" captivated by a profane and preSUlTIptuous en-
titling themselves to God's favour, and using his holy
nan1e in that manner, that all sober Christians n1ust d
stand scandalized, and an1azed at; and should e be
deluded by such a kind of reasoning and debate, as,
one v/olIld think, f could only impose upon 111en un-
nurtured, and unacquainted ,vith any knowledge or
SCIence.

BOOK
VII.

a successful] brave
b \Ve] And we
C by it] Not in MS.
d 111ust] Omitted in JJfS.

e should] Not in lVIS.
f one would think,] Not in
lJJS.

OF TIlE REBELLION.

411

There \vanted not a just indignation at the return
of this trUll1pet; and yet the answer being so n1uch
in that g popular road, of saying sonlething plausibly
to the people, it ,vas thought fit again to make an
attelnpt, that at least the world Inight see, that they
did, in plain English, refuse to ad 111 it of any peace.
So the earl of Forth was advised to write again to
the other general, for a safe conduct for two gentle-
111en then named, against \v hon1 no inlaginable ex-
ception could be taken, to and from WestIninster, to
be sent by his n1ajesty concerning a treaty of peace.
To this the earl of Essex returned answer, " that
",vhensoever he should receive any directions to
" those who had intrusted hinl, he should use his
" best endeavours; and \vhen a safe conduct should
" be desired for those gentlemen, mentioned in his
" letter, from his lnajesty to the houses of parlia-
" lllent, his lordship ,vould, \vith all cheerfulness,
"she\v his ,villingness to farther any ,yay that
" lllight produce that happiness, ,vhich all honest
" 111 en prayed for; which is a true understanding
"between his nlajesty, and his faithful 'and only
" council, the parliament."
This expression of his resolution of interposing, if
he had a letter frolll his lnajesty to the 110uses of
l)arliall1ent, (together ,vith sOlne intill1ation in letters
fronl London, ,vhich at these seasons never wanted,)
I)crsnaded many, that the earl wanted only an op-
portunity to possess the houses ,vith the overture,
and if it were once ,vi thin the ,valls, there were
so nlany ,veIl affected to peace, that the proposition
,vonld not be rejected; though no pal,ticular person,

BOOK
VII.

1644.

g in that] out of that

41

THE HISTOR"\:

BOOK or combination of lu"en, had the courage, of thenl-
VII. selves, to propose it_ And therefore at the sanle
) 644. time, luaking all possible preparations for the field,
as the scene ,vhere the differences \vere like to be
decided, his luajesty ,vas prevailed \vith, though he
concluded it would be rejected, to send this ensuing
message, which \vas enclosed to the earl of Essex, to
be by him managed.
The king's " Out of oui
h n10st tender and pious sense of the
message to d d bl d . d . . f h - k - d d
both "sa an ee Ing con Itlon 0 t IS our Ing onl, an
bouses. · d d · 1 II d . h . I
" our un\Vearle eSlres to app y a reme les, \V lC 1,
" hy the blessing of Alnlighty God, 111ay recover it
" from an utter ruin, by the advice of the lords and
"C0I11InOnS of parlialnent, assembled at Oxford, \ve
" do propound, and desire, that a convenient number
" of fit persons n1ay be appointed, and authorized
" by you, to meet, ,vith all convenient speed, at such
" })lace as you shall non1Ïnate, \vith an equal number
" of fit persons \vhom \ve shall appoint, and author-
u ize to treat of the \vays and means to settle the
" present distractions of this our kingdonl, and to
" procure a happy peace: and particularly, ho,v all
" the nlenlbers of both houses may securely meet in
" a full and free convention of parliament, there to
" treat, consult, and agree upon such things, as 111ay
" conduce to the l11aintenance and defence of the
" true reformed protestant religion, \vith due con-
" sideration to all just and reasonable ease of tender
" consciences; to the settling and 111aintaining of our
" just l
ights and privileges, of the rights and privi-
"leges of parlianlent, the laws of the land, the
" liberty and property of the 8U bject, and all other

h Out of our, &c.] This 71les- Clarendon's amanuensis.
sage is in the handwriting oj lord

OF THE REBELLION.

413

" expedient
, that lnay conduce to that blessed end
" of a firl11 and lasting peace both in church and
" state, and a perfect understanding betwixt us and
"our people: ,vherein no endeavours or concur-
"rence of ours s
all he \vanting: and God direct
" your hearts in the ,vay of peace.
" Given at our court at Otifbrd, 3d .J.}[arclt 1643 i."

nOOK
VB.

I G44.

This nlcssage being signed by his lnajesty, ,vas
superscribed to the lords and conllnons of parlia..
nlent assembled at \\T estminster; which, though it
,vas a style they could not reasonably except against,
,vas yet no other than the lords and conlmons at
Oxford took upon themselves, as they well n1ight.
After two or three debates k in the houses, and with
the Scottish cOlllmissioners, ,vithout \\Those cóncur-
rence nothing ,vas transacted, this ans\ver ,vas re-
turned to his majesty; \vhich put a period to all
men's hopes, \vho imagined that there Inight he any
disposition in those councils to any possible and
honest accommodation.

" May it please your 111ajesty : 1
" \Ve the lords and COm1110nS assc111bled in the The two
I . f E 1 d k . . . d lIons(>8'
" par Ialllent 0 ng an , ta lng Into our conSl era- answer.
"tion a letter sent fronl your n1ajesty, dated the
"3d of J\tlarch instant, and directed to the lords
"and commons of parliament asselnbled at West-
" Ininster, (which, by the contents of a letter from
" the earl of Forth unto the lord general the earl of
"Essex, we conceive was intended to ourselves,).
"have resolved ,vith the concurrent advice and

j 1643] i. e. Old Style.
k debates] days' debate
I l\lay it please your majes-

ty: &c.] This answer is in thp
handwriting of lord Clarendon's
amanuensis.

414

THE HISTORY

1644.

"consent of the C0l111nissioners of the kingdo111 of
" Scotland, to represent to your Inajesty, in all hu-
" nlility and plainness, as follo,veth: That as \ve
" have used all nleans for a just and safe peace, so
" ,viI] we never be ,vanting to do our utmost for
" the procuring thereof; but when we consider the
"expressions in that letter of your majesty's, \ve
" l1ave lnore sad and despairing thoughts of attain-
"ing the saIne than ever, because thereby, those
" persons now assembled at Oxford, who, contrary
"to their duty, have deserted your parlialnent, are
" put into an equal condition \vith it. And this
" present parliament, convened according to known 1ll
" and fundamental la \VS of the kingdom, (the con-
" tinuance whereof is established by a law consented
" to n-by your majesty,) is in effect denied to be a
" parliall1ent; the scope and intention of that letter
" being to 11lake provision ho\v all the mell1bers, as
" is pretended, of both houses may securely meet in
" a full and free convention of parlianlent; whereof
"no other conclusion can be Inade, but that this
" present parliament is not a full, nor free conven-
" tion; and that to make it a full and free conven-
" tion of parliament, the presence of those is neces-
"sary, w'ho, notwithstanding that they have de..
"serted that great trust, and do levy war against
" the parliament, are pretended to be members of
" the t,vo houses of parliament.
" And hereupon we think ourselves bound to let
" your majesty kno\v, that seeing the continuance
" of this parlialnent is settled by a law, which (as
"all other laws of your kingdom) your lllujesty
"hath sworn to 11laintain, as \ve are s\vorn to our

nOOK
VIle

m known] the known

n to] unto

OF THE REBELLION. 415

" allegiance to your majesty, (these obligations be-
" ing reciprocal,) ,ve 111ust in duty, and accordingly
"are resolved, with our lives and fortunes, to de-
"fend and preserve the just rights and full power
" of this parliament; and do beseech your luajesty
"to be assured, that your majesty's royal and
"hearty concurrence with us herein will be the
"1110St effectual and ready lueans of procuring a
"firm and lasting peace in all your n1ajesty's do-
" minions, and begetting 0 a perfect understanding
" between your Inajesty and your people: without
"which, your' Inajesty's 1110St earnest professions,
" and our most real intentions concerning the same,
" must necessarily be frustrated.. And in case your
" majesty's three kingdon1s should, by reason there.
"of, l
emain in this sad and bleeding condition,
" tending, by the continuance of this unnatural war,
"to their ruin, your majesty cannot be the least
" nor the last sufferer. God in his goodness incline
" your royal breast, out of pity and cOlllpassion to
" those deep sufferings of your innocent people, to
"put a speedy and happy issue to these desperate
" evils, by the joint advice of both your kingdoms,
" now happily united in this cause by their late so-
" len1n league and covenant; ,vhich as it ,vill prove
" the surest remedy, so it is the earnest prayer of
"your majesty's loving P subjects, the lords and
" comillons assembled in the parlialnent of England.
" Grey if JVarke,
" Speaker qf the house of peers in parliament pro tempore:
" JVilliarn Lenthall,
" Speaker of the house of commons in parliament.
" JVesf1ninster, tlte 9tl
if Mar. 1643."

o begetting] of begetting

P loving] loyal

BOO I\.
vn.

1 G44.

BOOK
VII.

1644.
Means
agreed
upon by
the ]on.ls
and COlll-
mons at
Oxford
to raise
money.

416

'l"HE HISTORY

The hope of peace, by this kind of interposition,
did not in any degree make the counsels rel1liss for
the providing of 11loney to supply the arll1Y: upon
which they had more hope than from a treaty. But
the expedients for 11loney were not easily thought
on ; q though there \vas a considerable part of the
kingdol1l within the king's quarters, the inhabitants
were frequently robbed and plundered by the incur-
sions of the enelny, and not very ,veIl secur
d
against the royal troops, who begun r to practise all
the licence of \var. The nobility and gentry, W}lO
were not officers of the army, lived for the 1110st
part in Oxford; and all that they could draw fronl
their estates, was but enough for their o\vn subsist-
ence; they durst not enter upon charging the peo-
ple in general, lest they should be thought to take
upon thenl to be a parlialllent; and their care was,
that the conlmon people might be preserved fronl
burdens; and they were as careful not to expose
the king's honour, or name, to affronts and refusals;
but were willing that the envy and clamour, if there
should be any, should fall upon themselves.
They appointed all the ll1ell1bers of the COlll11l011S,
"to bring in the nalTIeS of all the gentIelnen of
" estate, and other persons \vho were reputed to be
" rich, within their several precincts; and what SUll1
" of nloney every body Inight be ,veIl able to supply
" the king \vith, in this exigent of the public state."
And then a for111 of a letter was conceived, ,vhich
s}}ould be sent to everyone of them, for such a
sum; "the letter to be Sl1 bscribed by the two
" speakers of the houses, to the end that the people

q on;J npon;

r begun] began

OF 1.'HE REBELLION. 417

"Illight know, that it \vas by the advice of the
"lnen1hers of parlialnent asselnLled there; w}lich
"was as much the advice of parliament, as could
" be delivered at that time in the kingdom." \Vhen
the ,vay and n1ethod of this was approved by the
lords, and his Inajesty likewise consented to it; they
begun, s the better to encourage others, ,vith thel11-
selves; and caused letters to be signed and deli-
vereù to the several Inelnbers of both houses, "for
" such SUlns as they were ,veIl disposed to furnish ;"
which were to that proportion as gave good encou-
ragelnent to others; and the like letters to all per-
sons of condition who were in the town. And hy
this means, there ,vas a sum raised in ready ruoney,
and credit, that did supply Inany necessary occa-
sions, near the sum of one hundred thousand pounds,
whereof some canle in every day, to enable the king
to provide for the next campaign; t ,vhich, the
spring coming on, was to be expected eal'ly; the
parliall1ent at \Vestminster U having raised vast SUlllS
of money, and being like to bring luany arluies into
the field. All, who were to furnish money upon
these letters, had liberty to bring, or send it in plate,
if that ,vas for their convenience; the king having
called the officers and workmen of his Inint to Ox-
ford, who coined such plate as was brought in; his
majesty likewise made a grant of some forests, parks,
and other lands, to certain persons in trust, for the
securing of such n10ney as should be borro,ved, or
those persons who should be hound for the payment
of such money; and by this n1eans likewise n1any
considerable sums of money were procured, and

S begun,] began,
t campaign;] can1pania;
VOL. IV.

u at \VestminsterJ Not in
MS.

EC

.

BOOK
VII,

J G44.

418

THE HISTORY

ß 00 K cloth, and shoes, and shirts, were provided for the
VII.
army.
The two houses at 'Vestminster, who called theln-
selves, and they are often called in this discourse,
the parliament, had at this tin1e by an ordinance,
The two that is an order of both houses, laid an imposition,
houses at
Westmin- which they caned an excise, upon wine, beer, ale,
ster impose d h d . · b . d . h
an excise. an 111any ot er comn10 Itles, to e pal In t e
TI1anner very punctually and methodically set down
by them, for the carrying on the war. This x ,vas
the first time that ever the name of payment of ex-
cise was heard of or practised in England; laid on
by those who pretended to be most jealous of any
exaction upon the people: and this pattern being
The two then printed, and published at London, was thought
houses at .
Oxford fol- by the Inelnbers at Oxford, as a good expedIent to
low the ex- b '.r. II d b h 1. d h · t
ample. e 1.0 O\Ve y t eKing; an t ereupon It was se -
tied, and to be governed and regulated by conlll1is..
sioners, in the saIne n1ethod it was done at London.
And in Oxford, Bristol, and other garrisons, it did
yield a reasonable supply for the provision of arlns
and an1munition; \vhich, for the most part, it ,vas
assigned to; both sides making ample declarations,
with bitter reproaches upon the necessity that dre,v
on this ill1position, " that it should be continued no
" longer than to the end of the war, and then laid
"down, añd utterly abolished ;" which few ,vise
nlen believed it would ever be.
The high and insolent proceedings at \VestInin-
ster made no hnpression at Oxford towards the
shaking the allegiance and courage of those, ,vhom
his 111ajesty had called to advise him. But when

1 ô44.

x This] And this

OF TI-IE I1EBELLION.

419

they found the tenlper of the other so lTInch, above BOO K
belief, averse to peace, and intending utter ruin to VII.
the king, the church, and all who should continue ) G44.
true Englishlnen and subjects, they resolved as frank-
ly to declare their resolutions, that the people l11ight
see the issue they \vere at; and therefore they pub- The sub-
lished a declaration of the grounds and motives
:)
n
:c
:_
\vhich had forced then} to leave the l )arlialllent at ration d of
the lor s
'Vest minster; in \vhich they mentioned " all the in- and com-
. mOllS at
" direct passages, and the acts of vIolence, by which Oxford.
" they had been driven thence; and the obligations
"upon thenl in conscience, and law, to adhere to
"his Inajesty; and the Dlisery ,vhich the other
" party had already brought upon the kingdonl, and
" the desolation \vhich Dlust inevitably follo,v those
" conclusions; and ,vith a greater unanimity and
" consent, than \vas ever known in so great a coun-
" cil, where there \vere so many persons of honour,
" and judges, and others learned in the law, all10ng
" 'Vh0111 there was scarce one dissenting voice, they
" declared,
1. " That all such subjects of Scotland, as had
" cOllsented to the declaration, entitled the declara-
" tion of the kingdom of Scotland concerning the
"present expedition into England, had thereby de-
" nounced ,val' against the kingdoln of England,
" and broke the act of pacification.
2. " That all his majesty's sulJjects of the king-
" donl of England and dOlninion of 'Vales are both
"by their allegiance, and the act of pacification,
" bound to resist and repress all those of Scotland
" as had, or should enter upon any part of his l11a-
"jesty's realm and dominions, as traitors, and ene-
"mies to the state; and that whosoever should
Ee2

4QO

THE HISTORY

BOO K "abet, aid, or assist the Scots in their invasion,
VII. .
." should be deemed as traItors, and enelTIies to the
) 644. "state.
S. "That the lords and conlnlons remaining at
" 'VestITIinster, that had given their votes, or con-
" sent, to the raising of forces under the comnland
" of the earl of Essex, or had been abetting, aiding,
" or assisting thereunto, had levied and raised war
" against the king, and ,vere therein guilty of high
" treason.
4. "That those lords and commons remaining at
" 'Vestminster, that had given their votes and con-
" sents for the making and using a new great seal,
" had thereby
ounterfeited the king's great seal,
" and therein COlTIlnitted high treason.
5. "That the lords and COlllmons remaining at
" 'Vestminster, who had given their consents to the
" present coming in of the Scots in a warlike l1lan-
"ner, had therein committed high treason: and
" that in these three last crimes, they had broken
"the trust reposed in them by their country, and
" ought to be proceeded against as traitors to the
" king and kingdom." ,
So that y the engagements seemed fuller of ani-
mosityon both sides than ever; and the king ex-
ceedingly strengthened by the lords and C0ll1l1l0nS
having Inore positively and concernedly wedded his
cause, than they ,vere before understood to have
done; and in truth, in the civil counsels, nothing

Y So that] Thus in lJtlS.: present sun1 of one hundred
Over and above these sharp thousand pounds for the put-
and high conclusions, in a di- ting his majesty's armies into
ameter contrary to aU the pro- an equipage to take the field
ceedings of parliament, they en- early in the spring; so that &e.
tered upon a way of raising a

OF THE REBELLION.

4
1

was left undone to g ive it all imaginable advance- BOOK
VII.
ll1ent.
It had been very happy for the king, if the \vin- 1644.
tel' had been spent only in those counsels which
luight bave provided n10ney, and facilitated the
making his ar111Y ready to take the field in the
spring; when he was sure to have occasion enough
to use it; and to be in great distress, if it should
not be then in a condition to march: but the inva-
sion, which the Scots made in the depth of ,vinter,
and the courage the enen1Y took from thence, de-
prived his majesty even of any.rest in that season.
Upon the Scots' unexpected lnarch into England in
January, in a 11105t violent frost and snow, hoping
to reach N e\vcastle before it could be fortified, and
persuading their common soldiers, that it would be
delivered to them as soon as required; thither the
vigilant sir Thomas Glelnham had been before sen..t
to attend their c0111ing; and the lnarquis of NeW-The mar-
castle with his arn1Y, upon the fan1e of their inva-

:
:stle
sion marched thither ,vith a resolution to fi g ht marches to
, oppose the
with then1 before they should be able to join \vith Scots.
the English rebels; leaving in the lnean time the
con1mand of York, and the forces for the guard of
that county, to colonel John Bellasis, son to the lord
Falconbridge, a person of great interest in the coun-
try, and of exemplary industry and courage. But
hy this lneans, and the rel110ve of the Inarquis \vith
his arn1Y so far north, the enemy grew to a great
strength in those parts; and not only able to dis-
quiet Yorkshire, but drawing a great body of horse
and foot out of Dcrbyshire, Staffordshire, and Lin-
colnshire, sat down before his majesty's garrison of
Newark upon Trent, with a full confidence to take
Ee3

4 QO
""hi

THE HISTORY

BOO K it, and so to cut off all correspondence bet,veen his
VII.
ll1ajesty and the ll1arquis of N e,vcastle. And sir
1ô.1-1. Thomas z Fairfax from Hull, in the head of a strong
Sir Thomas
Fairfax de- party, bad fallen upon a quarter not far from York,
:':

ss a:

o_ çommanded by colonel John Bellasis at Selby, and
neJ BeJIasis had totall y defeated it taken the cannon and nlan y
at SeJby: ' ,
officers prisoners, and amongst those the colonel
hiInself. This was the first action for which sir
Thomas Fairfax ,vas taken notice of; who in a
short tÌIne grew the supreme general under the par-
liament. This defeat, which was great in itselt
was made much greater by the terrible apprehen-

hereupon sions the city of York had upon it; insollluch that

I
S

r- the marquis of N e,vcastle, who till then had kept
l'e
TcastJe the Scots at a ba y found it necessar y to "rithdraw a
retires to '
York. his arn1Y, and with great part b of it to Iuake haste
into York, to prevent any farther mischief there;
by ,vhich ll1eans the Scots were at liberty to ad-
vance as they pleased; and Fairfax improved his
reputation by a speedy and un looked for march into
Cheshire. C

z And sir Thomas] This pa.
ragraph in 1118. B. 'Was thus
connected with page 418, line 28,
'which immediately preceded it.
The winter being spent in this
manner, in these deliberations
and provisions, nlany mclan.
cholic presages al-'peared in the
spring. Under the countenanc

of the Scots entering into Eng-
land, the rebels grew strong in
all the northern parts, the gar-
rison of II u11 skirmished over
all the adjacent parts, and sir
Thomas &c.
a withdraw] draw
h great part] a part
C into Cheshire.] The fol-

lowing portion is omitted: As
soon as the king was assured
that the Scots did resolve to
invade England, he thought it
necessary, if it were possible,
to extinguish the fire in one of
his dominions; and so consi-
dered Ireland as the most like
to be capable of that blessing.
Though the English had hither-
to in all encounters beaten the
Irish, so that they came to no
action with them, but they pre-
sently tied to their bogs; Yl't
the indiscretion of the lords
justices, who obsenTed verr wil-
lingly the most rigorous direc-
tions froill the parliament, had

OF THE REBELLION.

423

Upon the cessation in Ireland, the king made the BOOK
D1arquis of Ormond his lieutenant of that kingdonl ; VII.

driven and united the whole
Irish nation, and almost all the
catholics of Ireland, into rebel-
lion; so that their numbers even
covered the whole kingdom.
The parliament gave over send-
ing supplies thither, having ap-
plied Inauy of the nlen they had
raised for that serdce with the
king's approbation, and very
llll1Ch of the money, agäinst the
king, in carrying on the war in
England; and had upon the
lnatter gi,ren up the province of
Ulster to the Scots, who were
with a numerouS army there,
independent upon the king's
authority, and were grown to
be more apprehended by the
English than the Irish them-
selves. The lords j l1stices and
council in Ireland had sent
commissioners to the king and
to the parliament, to desire
supplies of nlen anrl nloney and
arms and amnll1nition, without
which they professed that Ire-
land 11lust be lost, and fall into
the hands of the Irish; and
one of the connnissioners, sir
Hardress'Valler, came to the
chancellor of the exchequer,
anrl making a large discourse
of thB state of Ireland, and of
the jealousies and divisions a-
lllongst the Irish themselves,
told him that there was no way
to preserve that kingdom, sihce
he saw {:;\7idently the king should
not send supplies thither, but
to nlake a peace there, by which
he \Voulrl in a short time be
able to suppress the rebellion
in England. And sure the man
was at that time of that opin-

] G44.
ion: and it is as true, nlany The mar-
professions had been lllade by quis of Or-
the Irish of their loyalty and mond. made
d . 1 k .' . lord heu-
evotIon to t le . mg s servICe; tenant of
and there were many difterences Ireland
and jealousies grown between s
nds tile
them. Those within the pale,
mg as-
who were all of old English fa- slstance.
milies, planted there nlanyages
before, and now beconle Irish
in their language and manners,
had purposes very different frorn
those of the old Irish families,
who for the ll10st part were of
Ulster, who looked upon the
other as original intruders, and
thought of Inaking some fo-
reign dependence, and ue\-er
nlore to return to their obedi-
ence of the crown of England.
And yet Owen O'N eale, who
was the general of that party,
had writ to the king, and made
large offers of his service; but
his majesty had hearkened to
no motions of that kind, nor
had any nlan the inclination or
the ha;diness to Blake any pro-
position to him in favour of the
Irish. But when his nl
esty
fronl all hands understood the
desperate or hopeless condition
of that kingdom, and that the
Scots were ready to enter, he
resolved to try what might be
done, and to put his own au-
thority there into the hands of
one he nlight entirely trust;
and had thereupon luade the
marquis of Ormond his lieute-
nant of Ireland, and gave hinl
authority to treat with the Irish;
and if he could bring them to
consent to a cessation of arms,
and to send over persons to
Ee4

4Q4

THE HISTORY

BOO K and appointed him to make use of the winter season
VII. I

1644.

treat with hinl at Oxford for a
peace, he luight then draw over
some of his own English troops
to reinforce his army against
the time of taking the field.
And that design having suc-
ceeded according to his wish,
and a cessation being nlade,
the ßlarql1is of Onnond had in
the winter sent him two or
three regiments of foot, and
two or three troops of horse,
out of l\lunster, to Bristol, and
a n1uch greater body of foot,
being between three and four
thousand, frOln Dublin to Ches-
ter, all nlen brave and. bardy,
and well disciplined under as
good ofiiccrs of all kinds as the
nation had: all which arrived
in season, and would have been
a noble recruit to the king's
army, upon which his In(
esty
depended.
The lord Byron, a gallant
gentleman of courage, but of
no long experience in the war,
"Tas then governor of Chester
and Shropshire, when those re-
giments landed; and finding
both the men as well as their
officers willing to be engaged
in present senTice, having not
been used to the ease of winter
quarters, he had a great desire
to Blake some attempt \vith
thenl. All Shropshire and Che-
shire was at that time upon tÀe
point under the king's obedi-
ence; only the town of Nant-
wich in Cheshire, and upon the
confines of the other county,
\vas in rebellion, and garrisoned
by the parliament; the defence
aud strength of it consisting
more in the Inalice of the inha-

bitants, than in the security of
their fortifications, \vhich were
not good any where, and in
some parts none at all, but de-
fended by the winter, and the
deepness of the ways, through
which cannon could not then
march. The lord Byron had
some intelligence in the town,
and believed the condition of
it to be so ill, that he might
quickly become master of it;
and therefore he had written to
Oxford, upon the landing of
the troops from Ireland, that if
the king would give hiu1 leave
to use those troops, he should
be able in very few days to re-
duce Nantwich, which would
be scarce out of their way to
Oxford; and would remove a
pestilent obstruction in that
line of communication.
'he
king made little pause in the
matter; and so in the very hard
frost the lord Byron brought
all his troops before it, drawing
out of Chester and Shrewsbury
as many of the garrisons as
could be spared, \vith a good
body of horse. He found the
town not so weal\ as he thought
it to be, and stayed longer be-
fore it than he ought to have
done, until sir Thomas
'airfax,
flushed by his victory at Selby,
and recruited \vith new troops
out of fIuH, came to its relief,
with a less l1mnber of Blen than
he \vas to expect to encounter:
but by the marching of the gar-
rison out of the town, and by
beating the body of horse which
were placed too far from the
foot, and made no stand, but
was presently routed, the whole

OF 1.-'HE REBELLION.

4
5

(when the parliall1ent ships could not attend that BOOK
VII.

body of foot betook thell1sel ves
to a neighbour church, \vhich
they defended only to nlake
conditions; and so became all,
officers and soldiers, prisoners
of war, which, as it was a new
rung to the ladder which sir
Thomas Fairfax ascended to the
height of bis honour, so it was
the most sensible blow to the
king he had yet sustained, and
almost nipped all hopes of get-
ting an army into the field to
encounter the enenlY, which
sailed with a full gale.
The king had no better suc-
cess in another winter enter-
prise about the same time; and
the experience the varliament
had, to their cost, of carrying
their arIny into the field too
soon to the siege of Readin
,
the rlamage whereof they had
scarce yet recovered, might have
prepared their enemies to bet-
ter husbandry of their men. It
was thought counsellable, after
all armies \vere retired into
their winter quarters, to send a
good party of horse and foot
into Hampshire, to po,ssess
'Vinc1lester castle, and to fix
another quarter in Sussex, to
the end that the well affected
there, and in Kent, might have
a communication, and be ready
in the spring to appear in a
body on that side of London;
for which the loyal party in Kent
had SOlne impatience, as having
undergone great pressures and
indignities from the parliament.
This work was comnlÎtted to
the lord Hopton, who had a
very great reputation in all
places, and deserved it, being a

Ulan of great honour, integrity,
and piety; of great courage
and industry, and an excellent
officer in an. army tor any COln-
uland but the su preme, to which
he was not equaL He had
raised a good body of horse
and foot about Bristol, and sir
John Berkeley hrought a good
addition of foot to him frOln
Exeter; with which, and those
regiments which arrived there
from Ireland about the begin-
ning of December, he Inarched
to 'Yinchester; sir \Villiam Ogle
having possessed hin1self of that
castle for the ki ng before he
came thither. And to enable
him to Inake a further progress
to the end aforesaid, and upon
intelligence that the parliament
had sent out sir \Villiam \Val-
ler with a strong party of their
army to stop lord I-Iopton's
march into those counties, his
nl
esty sent two regiluents of
horse of his own army, under
the comll1and of tbe lord John
Steward, another brother of the
duke of Richmond, and two or
three regitnents of foot; with
which the lord Hopton had too
n1uch desire to en
age with his
old friend sir \rIllialn 'Yaller:
and in order thercunto aùvanced
to Farnham, where he was, and
had some light skirmishes with
his troops, and beat them into
that castle, which \-vas a strong
place; and where sir \Villiam
resolved to stay, till he coulrl
receive some supply of men,
which he daily expected. \Vhere..
upon the lord 1Iol-'ton entered
into Sussex, and very prosper-
ously possessed himself of Arun-

1644.

4Q6

THE HISTORY

coast) to trallsport those regin1ents of foot ,vhich d
might be ,veIl spared during the cessation, and
which could not be supported there, to Chester;
froll1 whence his majesty could easily draw them in
the spring to Oxford; and were, in truth, the prin-
cipal recruit, upon ,vhich he depended to enable him
to take the field. The lord Byron then commanded
Chester, and that county; and was appointed to take
care for the reception and aCCOlTIl110dation of those
troops; which was a right good boùy of foot, I and
being excellent Inen, both officers and soldiers, car-
ried great terror ,vith them from the time of their

BOOK
VII.

16--14.

del castle, a place very strongly
situated upon the sea, and in
all respects so convenient to
nlake a strong quarter, that a
better could not be desired;
\vhere he left a good garrison
under the command of sir Ed-
ward Ford, who was a gentle-
man of that connty, and had a
regiment of horse in the army.
But when he returned from
thence towards Winch
ster,
wl1ere he nleant to have sat
quiet till the spring, he found
sir 'Villiam 'Valler ready to at-
tend his Illotion; and
o in a
field near Alton both bodies
lI1et, and after a sharp engage-
ment, and great loss on both
sides, the lord l-Iopton was
forced to retire in disorder to
'Vinchester, and from thence
he came to Oxford, whilst '''al-
ler marched to Arundel; and
êlfter seven or eight days, the
new garrison being disunited
amongst themselves, and hav-
ing not supplied the place with
provision for a long siege, which
they might have done, con1-
pelleù them to render to n1Cr-

cy: where, aInongst the rest,
poor 1\11'. Chillingworth was
taken, and so barbarously used,
that be died within fe
days;
but his book will live, and de-
clare hin1 to be a man of rare
and admirable parts to all pos-
terity. Besides many other of-
ficers of good account who were
lost in that battle of Alresford,
the lord John Steward, though
he was brought off, died of his
wounds within three days, to
the great grief of th
king and
all good Inen. He was the se-
cond brother of this noble fc
-
n1ily, who lost his life in this
fatal war, and was a lllan of
great courage; and with a dif-
ferent roughness in his nature
from all the rest of the race,
had proposed to himself the
prof
ssion of a soldier, in which
he could not but have made a
glorious progress, if he had not
been so untimely cut off.
There was another result of
council at Oxford, as in lJltge
430, line] 8.
d which] as

OF TI-IE REBELLION. 4
7

landing; and quickly freed North \Vales from the
enen1Y; ,vho at that tÏIne begun e to have great
po,ver there. It \vas towards the end of N ovenlber
when they landed, and being a people who had been
used to little ease in Ireland, the king having given
the lord Byron leave to enlploy them in such ser-
vices as nlight secure that country, the season of the
year nlade little impression on them; they were
ah,.ays ready, and desirous Off action; and in the
space of a month reduced, by assault and stOI'ln,
l11any places of notable in1portance, as Howarden-
castle, Beeston-castle, Crew-house, and other places
of strength;
and encountering the whole body of
the rebels, at l\liddle,vich in Cheshire, broke and de-
feated then1 ,vith great slaughter; and drove all that
survived, and "rere at libel ty, into N ant,vich; the
single garrison they had then left in Cheshire: into h
,vhich the ,vhole party was retired, and ,,,hich had
been fortified and garrisoned from the beginning of
the troubles, as the only refuge for the disaffected
in i that county, and the counties adjacent. The
pride of the late success, and the terror the soldiers
believed their naines carried \vith thenl, carried
them at this Inost unseasonable time of the year
thither; for it ,vas about the first week in January
,,'hen the lord Byron came with his arn1Y before the
to\vn, and sutnmoned it. I t cannot be deoied the
reducing of that place at that time ,vould have been
of unspeakable iU1portance to the king's affairs, there
being, between that and Carlisle, no one to,vn of
moment (l\lanchester only excepted) which declared

begun] began
f of] for
g strength;] great strength;

h into] and into
i in] of

BOOK
VII.

1644.

4Q8

THE I-IISTORY

1644.

against the king; and those t,vo populous counties
of Chester and Lancashire, k if they had been united
against the parliament, would have been a strong
bulwark against the Scots.
These considerations, and an opinion that the
town ,vould yield as soon as SU111lll0ned, brought the
ar111Y first thither; and then a passionate desire I of
honour, and m contempt of the enelTIY within, or n of
any other ,vho could undertake 0 their relief, en-
gaged them to a farther atte111pt; and so they raised
batteries, and undertook a fornlal siege against the
to,vn. The seventeenth day of January they made
a general assault upon five several quarters of the
to,vn, s0111e,vhat before day-break, but were ,vith
equal courage opposed from ,vithin, and near three
hundred men lost, or wounded p in the service;
"which should have prevailed with theI11 to have
quitted their design. But those repulses sharpen
rather than abate the edge and appetite to danger;
and the assailants, no less than the besieged, desiring
an arll1Y would conle for their relief, both with equal
inlpatience longed for the sanle thing; the Irish (for
under that name, for distinction sake, ,ve call that
body of foot, though there ,vas not an Irishman
alTIOngst then)) supposing thC111Seives superior to any
that \vould encounter thenl in the field, and the
horse heing such as lnight as reasonably undervalue
those \v ho ,vere to oppose theln.
In this their q confidence, supply caIne too soon to -
the to,vn, and confusion to the king's forces: for sir

l
OOK
VII.

The Irish
forces
routed ùy

k Lancashire,] Lancastcr,
1 llesire] fancy
m and] Not in ])18.
n or] and

o undertake] attclnpt
p or wound
d] and spoiled
q their] Not in 1US.

OF THE REBELLION.

4
9

Tholnas Fairfax, upon his victory at Selby, brou g ht BOOK
VII.
out of Yorkshire a good body of horse to Manches-
tel'; anù, out of that place, and the neighbour places, . )r
-14.
· h h e h . · e 811' Ilwmas
drew near three thousand foot, WIt \V IC JOInIng Fairfax at
with sir V\ T illialll Bruerton, and some other scattered I\antwich.
forces froll1 Staffordshire and Derby, ,vho had been
routed at l\iiddlewich, he advanced near N antwich,
before he was looked for; the Irish being so over-
confident that he \vould not presume to attack thelu,
that, though they had advertisement of their r 1110-
tion, they still believed that his utmost design was
by alarms s to force thenl to rise from the to,vn, and
then to retire without fighting with then1. This Inade
them keep their posts too long; and when they
found it necessary to dra\v off, a little river, which
divided their forces, on a sudden tha,v, so much
swelled above its banks, that the lord Byron, with
the greatest part of the horse, and the foot which
lay on one side of the town, ,vere severed from the
rest, and compelled to march four or five Iniles be-
fore he could join ,vith the other; before which
tÌlne the other part, being charged by sir Tholnas
Fairfax Oll the one side, and from the to,vn on the
other, \vere broken; and all the chief officers forced
to retire to a church called Acton church, ,vhere
they ,vere caught as in a trap, and, the horse, by
reason of the deep ,vays with the sudden thaw, and
narrow lanes, and great hedges, not being able to re-
lieve them, were cOlnpelled to yield themselves pri-
soners to those wholl1 they so nluch despised two
hours before. There were taken, besides all the
chief and considerable officers of foot, near fifteen

r their] his

s alarms] alarums

430

'rHE HISTORY

J G44.

hundred soldiers, t and all their cannon and car-
riages: the lord Byron with his horse, and the rest
of his U foot, retiring to Chester. rrhel'e cannot be
given a better, or it may be another reason for this
defeat, besides the providence of God, ,vhich was the
effect of the other, than the extrenle conten1pt and
disdain this body had of the enemy; and the pl'e-
SUl11ption in their o,vn strength, courage, and con-
duct; which l11ade theln not enough think, and rely
upon Him who alone disposes of the event of battles:
though it Inust be acknowledged, Inost of the officers
'v ere persons of signal virtue and sobriety; and, in
their o\vn natures, of great n10de
ty and piety; so
hard it is to suppress those motions, which success,
valour, and even the conscience of the cause, is apt
to produce in Inen not overmuch inclined to pre-
suulption. x
There \vas another result of council at Oxford, in
this winter season, ,vhich deserves to be Inentioned ;
and the rather, because all the inducements there-
unto ,vere not generally understood, nor known to
many; and therefore grew after\vards to be the lTIOre
censured. \Vhen the Scots were visibly armed, and
upon their march into England, which the king was
the last man in believing; and when there was no
,yay to stop or divert them, his majesty was the bet-
ter inclined to hearken to some TIlen of that nation,
\vho had been long proposing a way to give them so

nOOK
VII.

t soldiers,] conlmon soldiers,
U his] the
x presumption.] IJIS. adds:
'1'0 ghye fresh life to those coun-
ties, according to a resolution
formerly taken, prince llupert
was sent general into those
parts; the lord Byron being his

lieutenant general; his highness
having a desire to command a
body apart from the king's ar-
Iny, upon some private differ-
ences and dislikes, which grew
up in most places to the dis-
turbance of the public afiàirs.

OF THE REBELLION. 431

n1uch trouble at hon1e, that they should not be at BOO K
VB.
leisure to infest or trouble their neigh hours ; to
\vhich propositions less care had been given, out of 1644.
too much confidence in persons, upon \vhose inte-
grity or interest there had been too great a depend-
ence. The earl of l\lountrose a Y oun g man of a The earl of
,
Iountrose
great spirit, and of the n10st ancient nobility, had come
to
f .. I d . the lung,
been one 0 the most prlnclpa an actIve covenant- and in-
· h b .. f h bl 1 .c forms him
ers In t e egInnlng 0 t e trou es; )ut soon alter, of the state
upon his observation of the un,varrantable prosecu- of Scotland.
tion of it, he gave over that party, and his conlnland
in that arlny; and at the king's being in Scotland,
after the pacifica
ion, had nlade full tender of his
service to his majesty; and \vas so much in the
jealousy and detestation of the violent party, whereof
the earl of Argyle ,vas the head, that there ,vas no
cause or roon1 left to doubt his sincerity to the king.
Upon the beginning of the parlianlent at Edin-
burgh, and the nlanifestation that duke Han1Ïlton
would give no opposition to the proceedings thereof:
(as hath been mentioned before,) the earl Y privately
,vithdrew out of Scotland, and canle to the king few
days before the siege was raised from Gloucester,
and gave his majesty the first clear inforll1ation of
the carriage and behaviour of duke Hanlilton, and of
the posture that kingdolll ,vould speedily be in, and
of the resolutions that would be there taken; ,and
Inade sonle SI11art propositions to the king for the
remedy; which there was not then time to consult:
but as soon as the king retired to Oxford, after the
battle of N e,vbury, and had had 'Z fuller intelligence,
by the resort of others of that nobility ,vho deserved

Y the earl] he

7. had] Not in JJ1S.

4SQ

THE HISTORY

I G44.

to be trusted, how the affairs stood in Scotland; and
heard that duke Hanlilton, and his brother, the earl
of Lanrick, were upon their way as far as York to-
wards Oxford; his nlajesty was very willing to
hearken to the earl of l\lountrose, and the rest, what
could be done to prevent that Dlischief that was like
to ensue. But they all unanÍ1TIously declared, " that
" they durst Dlake no propositions for the advance-
" ment of the king's service, except they might be
" first assured, that no part of it should be COnl111U-
" nicated to duke Hamilton; nor he suffered to have
" any part or share in any action that should depend
" upon it; for they were a most assured that he had
" always betrayed his majesty; and that it had been
" absolutely in his power to have prevented this ne,v
" combination, if he would resolutely have opposed
"it. But if they might be secure in that particular,
" they ,vould 111ake some such b attempt under his
"lnajesty's commission in their own country, as
" might possibly make SODle disturbance there." His
majesty thought he had Inuch less reason to be con-
fident of the duke than fornlerly; for he had ex-
pressly failed of doing somewhat which he had pro..
mised to do; yet he thought he had not ground
enough to withdraw all kind of trust from hinI, ex-
cept he did, at the saIne time, secure him from being
able to do him farther mischief; towards which kind
of severity, he did not think he had evidence enough.
Besides he had a very good opinion of the earl of
Lanrick, as a man of n1 uch lTIOre plainness and sin-
cerity than his brother; as in truth he was. That
he might bring hhnself to a full resolution in this

nOOK
VII.

a they were] that they were

h such] Not in MS.

OF TI-IE REnELI
ION. 433

Î1nportant affair, his Inajesty appointed the lord
keeper, his t\VO secretaries, the In aster of the rolls,
and the chancellor of the exchequer, to examine the
earl of l\Iountrose, the earl of Kinnoul, the lord
Ogilby, and SOß1e others, upon oath, of all things
they could accuse duke IIaluilton, or his brother
Lanrick of; and to take their eX3111inations in \vrit-
ing; that so his n1ajesty 111ight discover, ,vhether
their errors proceeded frolu infidelity, and consider
the better, what course to observe in his proceedings
\vith them; and this \vas carried \vith as much se-
cresy, as an affair of that nature could be, ,vherein
so many 'verc trusted.
Upon their exalnination, there appeared too luuch
cause to conclude, that the duke had not behaved
hinlself \vith that loyalty as he ought to have done.
The earl of lVlountrose, whilst he had been of that
party, had been privy to much of his correspondence
and intelligence. But most of the particulars related
to the time \vhen he commanded the fleet in the
Frith, and ,vhen he had many conferences \vith his
lnother, (who ,vas a woman most passionate in those
contrivances,) an.d \vith others of that party; and
,vhen he did nothing to hurt or incomn10date the
enemy; aU \vhich was expressly pardoned by the act
of oblivion, \vhich had been passed with all formality
and solemnity hy the king in the parliament of both
kingdoms: and, so much as to question ,vhat was
so forgot, might raise a greater fire, than that which
they desired to quench; though the kno,ving so
ß1any particulars n1ight be a good and proper cau-
tion. In the late transactions of Scotland, it ,vas
nlanifest that the duke had absolutely opposed aU
VOL. IV. F f

BOOK
VII.

1644.

BonK
\'11.

1044.

434

TI-IE HISTORY

overtures of force, and of e seizing those persons ,vho
could only he able to raise new troubles; ,vhich had
been very easy to have done; and that he had he-
trayed the king, and all the lords, in consenting to
the meeting of the parliament, called and sumn10ned
against the king's express pleasure and cOlnmand,
and without any pretence of law. And to this, the
king's approbation and consent had been she,ved to
then1, by the duke, under the king's o\vn hand;
which they durst not disobey, though they foresa\v
the d Inischief.
The case was thus; e the duke had given the king
an account, after he had himself prolnised him f that
the parliament should never he assembled, (,vhich
his Inajesty abhorred,) " that though SOlne few hot
" and passionate n1en desired to put themselves in
" arms, to stop hoth elections of the memhers, and
" any lneeting together in parliament; yet, that all
" sober men ,vho could bear any considerable part in
" the action, were clearly of the opinion, to take as
" n1uch pains as they could to cause good elections
" to be made, and then to appear thenlselves; and
" that they had hope to have sllch a major part, t.hat
" they Inight more advantageously dissolve the meet-
" ing as soon as they can1e together, than prevent it;
" however, that then ,vould be the fit time to protest
" against it, and in1n1ediately to put themselves into
" arn1S, for which they \vould be well provided at
" the san1e titne;" and to this g he desired the king's
positive direction. And his majesty, in ans\vpr to it,

C of] for
J the] this
c: thus; 1 this;

f him] the king
g to tbisJ to this statt>

OF 1.'HE REBELLION. 435

had said, " since it ,vas the opinion of all his friends,
" he \vould not cOlnmand them to do that which was
" against their judgment; but would attend the suc-
" cess; and was content that they should an appear
"in the parliall1ent at its first Ineeting :" and the
duke had she\ved the lords those \vords in the king's
letter, \vith which they acquiesced, \\rithout knowing
any thing of the ground of such his permission:
,vhereas, in truth, there was no one person who was
of that opinion, or had given that counsel, but had
still detested the expedient when proposed.
Then the duke's carriage in the parlian1ent, and
his brother's, at their first coming together, appeared
to be as is set down before, by the testimony of those
\vho were present; and the earl of Lanrick's apply-
ing the signet to the proclamation for that rendezvous
where the army was to be compounded, was not
thought capable of any excuse; and so the clear
state of the evidence, upon the depositions of the
persons exan1ined, was presented to the king for his
own detern1ination. His majesty had some thoughts
of sending to the marquis of Newcastle to stop the
duke and his brother at York, and not suffer then1
to C0l11e nearer; hut whilst that was in deliberation,
they both caIne to Oxford, and meant the same
night to have kissed their majesties' hands; but as
soon as they arrived, they received a command from
the king, "to keep their chambers;" and had a
guard attended them. The king resolved to consult
the ,vhole affair then \vith the council-board, \vhereas
hitherto the examinations had been taken by a C0111-
Inittee, to the end that he 111ight resolve what \vay
to proceed; and to that purpose h directed that a
h purpose] end
Ff2

BOOK
VII.

1644.

nOOK
VJI.

J G44.

Duke Ha-
milton
made Ini-
soner at
Oxford.

!\Ir. PYlll'S
death.

1.g6

rr I-I E I-I 1ST 0 It Y

transcript 111ight he prepared, of all the exalninations
at large; and that the witnesses lnight be ready to
appear before the board, if it should be thought ne-
cessary; his l11ajesty at that tin1e inclining to have
both the lords present, and the depositions read, and
the \vitnesses confronted before theine But ,vhilst
this ,vas preparing, the second morning after their
con1ing to the to\\rn, the earl of Lanrick, either hav-
ing corrupted or deluded the guard, found a lneans
to escape; and by the assistance of one Cunninghan1
(a gentlelnan of the privy-chainber, and of that na-
tion) had horses ready; with which the earl and his
friend fled, and went directly to London; where he
was very well received. Hereupon the king inforn1ed
the board of the whole affair; and because one of
them \Vas escaped, and the matters against the other
having been transacted in Scotland, and so, in lnany
respects, it \vas not a season to proceed judicially
against hinl, it ,vas thought enough for the present
to prevent his doing farther mischief, by putting hiiTI
under a secure restraint: and so he was sent in cus-
tody to the castle at Bristol, and frol11 thence to
Exeter, and so to the castle at Pendennis in Corn-
wall; where we shall at the present i leave hirn.
Abou t this tÏ1ue the councils at \Vestluinster Jost
a principal supporter, by the death of J o. Pyrn ; \vho
died with great torillent and agony of a disease uu-
usual, and therefore the n10re spoken of, 'JJzorbus pe-
diculo8u8, as ,vas reported; ,vhich rendered hitn an
object very loathson1e to those ,vho had been most
delighted ,vith hiln. No Inan had more to a
s,ver
for the 11liseries of the kingdolll, or had his hand, or

- i at the present] Not in
"'lS.

OF 'rHE REBELLION. 437

head, deeper in their contrivance. And yet, I be-
lieve, they gre\v much higher even in his life, than
he designed. fIe \vas a man of a private quality and
condition of life; his education in the office of the
exchequer, where he had been a clerk; and his parts
rather acquired I.>y industry, than supp1ied by nature,
or adorned by art. He had been ,veIl known in for-
mer parliaments; and \vas one of those fe\v, who had
sat in many; the long intermission of parlhunents
having worn out most of those ,vho had been ac-
quainted \vith the rules and orders observed in those
conventions. This It gave hinl SOlne reputation and
reverence amongst those who \vere but no\v intro-
duced.
He had been most taken notice of, for being con-
cerned and passionate in the jealousies of religion,
and luuch troubled with the countenance which had
been given to those opinions that had been imputed
to Arminius; and this gave him great authority and
interest with those who were not pleased with the
government of the church, or the gro\ving power of
the clergy: yet himself industriously took care to be
believed, and he professed to be very entire to the
doctrine and discipline of the church of England.
In the short parliament before this, he spoke much,
and appeared to be the most leading man; for be-
sides the exact knowledge of the forlner, I and orders
of that council, which few n1en had, he had a very
cOlnely and grave \vay of expressing himself, with
great volubility of words, natural and proper; and
understood the ten1per and affections of the kingdom
as well as any man; and had observed the errors

k This] And thi5

I former,] forms,

Ff3

HOOK
VII.

] 644.

BOOK
VII.

1644.

438

THE HIS1.'ORY

and mistakes in government; and knew well how to
make then1 appear greater than they were. After
the unhappy dissolution of that parliament, he con-
tinued for the tnost part about London, in conver-
sation and great repute amongst those lords ,vho
were most strangers to the court, and were believed
most averse to it; in \VhOln' he improved all in1agin-
able jealousies and discontents to,vards the state;
and as soon as this parliament ,vas resolved to be
sUDlmoned, be was as diligent to procure such per-
sons to be elected as he kne\v to be most inclined to
the way he Ineant to take.
At the first opening of this parliament, he ap-
peared passionate and prepared against the carl of
Strafford; and though in private designing he was
n1uch governed by 1\11'. Hambden, and 1\11'. Saint-
John, yet he seemed to all 111 en to have the greatest
influence upon the house of con1mons of any nlan ;
and, in truth, I think he was at that time, and some Ul
D10ntbs after, the most popular man, and the most
able to do hurt, that hath lived in any tilne. Upon
the first design of softening and obliging the po\ver-
ful persons in both bouses, when it ,vas resolved to
.
lllake the earl of Bedford lord high treasurer of
England, the king likewise I intended to make 1\1r.
PYIn chancellor of the exchequer; for 'v hich he re-
ceived his majesty's promise, and made a return of a
suitable profession of his service and devotion; and
thereupon, the other being no secret, sOll1c,vhat de-
clined from that sharpness in the house, which \\ as
n10rc IJopular than any l11an's, and Inade sonIC over-
tures to provide for the glory and splendour of the

m some] for some

OF l.'HE REBELLION.

139

crown; in ,vhich he had so ill success, that his in-
terest and reputation there visibly abated; and he
found that he \vas luuch better able to do hurt than
good; ,vhich ,vrought very luuch upon him to
melancholy, and conlplaint of the violence and dis-
composure of the people's affections and inclinations.
In the end, whether upon the death of the carl of
Bedford he despaired of that preferlnent, or whether
he was guilty of any thing, which, upon his conver-
sion to the court, he thought lnight be discovered to
his damage, or for pure want of courage, he suffered
hiulself to be carried by those \vho would not follow
hinl, and so continued in the head of those "vho
l11ade the lllost desperate propositions.
In the prosecution of the earl of Strafford, his
carriage and language ,vas such as n expressed much
personal anilllosity; and he was accused of having
practised SOllle arts in it not worthy a good nlan; as
an Irishnlan of very mean and lo\v condition after-
wards acknowledged, that being brought to hinl, as
an evidence of one part of the charge against the
lord lieutenant, in a particular of ,vhich a person of
so vile quality \vould not be reasonably thought a
competent infol'i":lêr; Mr. PYlll gave hinl money to
buy hinl a sattin suit and cloak; in which equipage
he appeareà at the trial, and gave his evidence;
which, if true, 111ay 111ake lllany other things, which
were confidently reported after\vards of him, to be
believed; as that he received a great sum of money
fronI the French all1bassador, (which hath been be-
fore Inentioned,) 0 to hinder the transportation of
n as] that mentioned,)] Not in MS.
o (which hath been before
Ff4

nOOK
VIle

16
14.

440

'l
HE HIS'l'OIt y

1644.

those regiu1ents of Ireland into Flanders, upon the
disbanding that arlny there; ,vhich had been pre-
pared by the earl of Strafford for the business of
Scotland; in ,vhich if his lllajesty's directions and
comnlands had not been diverted and contradicted
by the houses, many do believe the rebellion in Ire-
land had not happened.
Certain it is, that his po\\--er of doing shre,vd turns
\vas extraordinary, and no less in doing good offices
for particular persons; and that he did preserve
Inany fronl censure, ,vho ,vere under the severe dis-
pleasure of the houses, and looked upon as enlinent
delinquents; and the quality of 111any of thelll luade
it believed, that he had sold that protection for valu-
able considerations. Frolll the tinle of his being ac-
cused of high treason by the king, ,vith the lord
Khnbolton, and the other Inelubers, he never enter-
tained thoughts of Inoderation, but ahvays opposed
all overtures of peace and accomnlodation, and ,vhen
the earl of Essex ,vas disposed, the last SUllllller, by
those lords to an inclination to\\rards a treaty, as is
before remenlbered, 1\11'. PYIn's po',ver and dexterity
,vholly changed hhn, and ,vrought him to that telll-
per, ,vhich he after\vards s,verved not froln. He ,vas
,vonderfully solicitous for the Scots cOIning in to
their assistance, though his indisposition of body \vas
so great, that it Inight ,veIl have tnade another Íln-
pression upon his lllind. During his sickness, he \vas
a very sad spectacle; but none being adlTlitted to
him who had not concurred with hiIn, it is not
known ,vhat his last thoughts and considerations
,vere. He died to\vards the end of Decell1ber, before
the Scots entered; and was buried \vith wonderful

BOOh
\'11.

OF 'rI-IE ItEllELLION. 441

pomp and nlagnificence, in that place \vhere the BOO K
. Vii.
bones of our English kings and prInces are COln-
luitted to their rest. I G44.
The arrival of the prince elector at London ,vas The prince
d . f II I h d h e1pct<,r ar-
no less the Iscourse 0 a tongues, t lan t e eat rin's at
of 1\1r. PYU1. He had heen in England before the LonJon.
troubles, and ,vasI> received and cherished by the king
,vith great de1110nstration of grace and kindness, and
supplied ,vith a pension of t\velv-e thousand pounds
sterling yearly. "Then the king left I
ondon, he at-
tended his l11ajesty to York, and resided there \vith
hin1 till the differences gre,v so high, that his nla-
jesty found it necessary to resolve to raise an army
for his defence. Then, on the sudden, "Tithout
giving the king Inany days' notice of his resolution,
that prince q left the court; and taking the opportu-
nity of an ordinary vessel, elnbarked himself for
Holland, to the ,vonder of all l1len; ,vho thought it
an unseasonable declaration of his fear at least of the
parliament, and his desire of being ,veIl. esteemed by
thenl, ,vhen it ,vas evident they esteemed not the
king as they should. And this ,vas the more spoken
of, ,\-hen it ,vas afterwards kno,vn that the parlia-
n1ent expressed a good sense of his having deserted
the king, and imputed it to his conscience, " that he
" kne\v of SOlne such designs of his Inajesty, as he
" could not conlply ,vith." At this tilne, after nlany
loud discourses of his con1ing, (,vhich Vlere derived
to Oxford, as s0111e\vhat that Inight have an influence
upon his ll1ajesty's counsels, there being then several
,vhispers of SOllle high proceedings they intended
against the king,) he arrived at London, and was re-

I) was] Not in JUS.

q prince] prince elector

BOOK
VII.

1644.

44

"r II E 1-1 I:5'r 0 It Y

ceived with cerenlony; lodged in 'Vhitehall, and
order taken for the payment of that pension ,vhich
had been fornlerly assigned to hÎ1n by his Inajesty;
and a particular direction by both houses, " that he
" should be aÙll1jtted to sit in the assenlhly of di-
" vines;" \v here, after he had taken the covenant, he
,vas contented to be often present: of all which the
king took no other notice, than sometimes to express,
" that he ,vas sorry on his nephew's behalf, that he
" thought fit to declare such a cOlnpliance."
'I'he defeat of colonel John BeUasis at Selby by sir
Tholnas Fairfax, and the destruction of all the Irish
regÏtnents unùcr the lord Byron, together with the
terror of the Scottish r arnlY, had so let loose all the
king's enenlies in the northern parts, ,vhich were
lately at the king's devotion, that his friends were in
great distress in all places before the season ,vas
ripe to take the fielù. The earl of Derby, ,vho had
kept Lancashire in reasonable subjection, and en-
closed all the enell1ies of that county ,vithin the
to\vn of l\lanchcster, \vas no longer able to continue
that restraint, but forced to place hilTIself at a far-
ther s distance fr0111 thenl ; which was like, in a short
tinle, to increase the nUlnber of the rebels there.
Ne\vark, a very necessary garrison in the county of
Nottingham, which t had not only subjected that
little county, the town of Nottinghaul only ex-
cepted, which ,vas upon the nlatter confined \vithin
its o\vn walls, but had 11 kept a great part of the
large county of Lincoln under contribution, was now
reduced to so great straits by the forces of that coun-
try, under the conl111and of l\leldrunl a Scotclunan,

r Scottish] Scot

Ülrthcr] greater

t which] Nut in lJ;IS.
U had] Nut in JUS.

OF 1.'HE ItEnEI
LION.

},}s

,vith addition of others fronl Hull, that they were llOOI{
compelled to beg relief frolll the king at Oxford; VII.
whilst the marquis of Newcastle had enough to do 1 G44.
to keep the Scots at a bay, and to put York in a
condition to endure a siege, if he should be forced to
continue ,vithill those ,valls.
In these straits, though it was yet the depth of
,vinter, and to provide the better for the security of
Shrewsbury, and Chester, and North 'Vales, all
which \vere terrified \vith the defeat of the lord By-
ron the kin er found it necessary to send prince Ru- Prince Ru-
, b pert is sent
pert, \vith a good body of chosen horse, and dra- to relieve
L' . } di . f h 1 d Newark,
goons, and SOlne loot, WIt 1 rectlon, a ter e la aud cifet:ts
visited Shre\vsbury and Chester, and used all possi- it.
hle endeavours to make new levies, that be should at-
ten1pt the relief of Ne\vark: \vhich, being lost, ,vould
cut off all possible comu1unication between Oxford
and York x. In Ne\vark, y the garrison consisted

x Oxford and York.) Thus
continued in ftlS. lJ.: And the
prince had so good success in
that attempt, and marched with
so great :seeresy from Shrews-
bury, that he \-vas even upon the
trenches of the enemy before
they had notice of his approach;
which put them into so great
confusion; and h is horse charged
them in that confusion before
his toot were within some iniles
of the place; which was an ac-
tion that ulight very reasonably
have disappointed and broken
t.he whole design: but the con-
sternation was so great, which
was increased by some disunion
amongst the officers of the other
side, that though they remained
still in possession of some strong
redoubts, fro 111 whence they

could not have been beaten off,
and fi'om whence they could
still continue the siege, they
treated anf] agreeù to rise, and
depart before the prince's body
was in view, that, when it ap-
peared, did not make half the
num ber of the enemy: so great
success doth often attend bold
and resolute attempts, though
without reason or advice, which
would never have approved this
enterprise.
Y In K ewark,J Tlms originally
in MS.: The year (namely
1643-4) ended with an action
very prosperous to the king. It
is remembered, that upon the
marquis of Newcastle's advanc-
ing towards the Scots, and the
success of :sir Thomas Fairf
tx
before Nantwich, the cncmy In-

.:144

.1.-'HE HIS'rORY

1644.

ll10st of the gentry of the county, and the inhabi-
tants, ill supplied with any thing requisite to a
siege, but courage and excellent affections. The
enenlY intrenched thenlselves before the town, and
proceeded by approach; conceiving they had tinlC
enough, and not apprehending it possible to be dis-
turbed: and indeed it was not easy for the king to
find a way for their relief. To send a body from
Oxford \vas very hazardous, and the enelny so
strong, as they would quickly follo\v; so that there
\vas no hope but from Shrewsbury and Chester,
\vhere prince Rupert had given so 111uch life to those
parts, and drawn so considerable Z a body together,
that the enenlY found little advantage by their late
victory, in the enlargement of their quarters. His
highness then resolved a to try \vhat he could do for
Newark, and undertook it before he was ready for
it, and thereby perfornled it. For the enemy, who
had ahvays excellent intelligence, was so confident
that he had not a strength sufficient to attempt that
work, that he was \vithin six n1iles of them, before
they believed he thought of then1 ; and charging and
routing sonle of their horse, pursued them with that
expedition, that he besieged them in their own in-
trenchment, with his horse, before his foot came
\vithin four miles. In b that consternation, they con-
cluding that he must have a vast po\ver and strength,
to bring thell1 into those straits, he, with a number
inferior to the enen1Y, and utterly unaccommodated

BOOK
VII.

creased very Inuch their strenoth
. 0
in Y orkshire, Lincolnshire
and
. tho
e counties, insomuch as sir
Jo. l\leldrum, with a good boày
of horse and foot out of Lin-
colnshire, and the associated

counties, sat down before New-
ark, where the garrison, &c.
1. considerable] handsome
a I-Iis highness then resolved]
So that his hi<rhness resolved
b
1, In] And in

OF THE REBEI.,I
ION. 445

for an action of tin1e, brought thenl to accept of
leave to depart, that is to disband, ,vithout their
arlTIS, or any carriage or baggage. Thus C he re-
lieved N e\vark, and took above four thousand arn1S,
eleven pieces of brass cannon, t,vo 1110rtar pieces, and
above fifty barrels of powder; which was a5 unex-
pected a victory, d as any happened throughout the
war: with e this prosperous action, ,vhich was per-
formed on the 22d of l\iarch, we shall conclude the
transactions of this year.

C Thus] And so
d which was as unexpected a
victory,] which was a victory as

prodigious,
e with] and with

THE END OF TIlE SEVENTH nOOK.

BOOK
VII.

1644.

THE

I-I ISTO It Y

OF THE

It]
BELLION', &c.

nOOK VIII.

a 2 ESD. v. 9.
A nd salt waters .
ltall be .finuul in tIle sweet, and all friends
.
!tall destroy onc another; t!tell shall 'Zcit ltide it
e!f, and
understanding witlulraw itself into his secret cltæmber.
ISAIAH iii. 5.
And lltc people .
llall be oppressed, everyone by another,
llnd everyone by ltis neighbour: the child sllall bella'oe
hinlselfproudly against tlte anc'ient, and tile base against
tlte honourable. a

.

As the ,vinter b had been very unprosperous and
unsuccessful to the king, in the diluinution and loss
of those forces, upon which he chiefly depended to
sustain the po\ver of the enemy the year ensuing;
so the spring entered ,vith no better presage. "Then
hoth arn1Íes had entered into their \vinter quarters,
to refresh themselves after so lunch fatigue h, the

:1 2 ESD. v. 9.-1IOnourable.] h As the winter-fatigue,]
Not in IJIS. Originally thus in MS..- These

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

448

TI-IE HISTORY

great preparation that ,vas n1ade at London, and
the fanle of sending sir \Villianl \VaIler into the
west, put the king upon the resolution of having
such a body in his way, as l11ight give hÍln' inter-
ruption, \vithout prince Maurice's being disturbed
in his siege of PlYlllouth; ,vhich ,vas not thought
to he able to make long resistance. To this pur-
pose the lord Hopton was appointed to command
an army apart, to be levied out of the garrison of
Bristol, and those ,vestern counties adjacent newly
reduced; where C his reputation and interest was
very great; and by it d he had in a short time
raised a pretty body of foot and horse; to which e
receiving an addition of two very good regiments
(though not nlany in number) out of Munster, un-
der the C011111land of sir Charles Vavasour, and sir
John Pa \vlet, and a good troop of horse under the
command of captain Bridges, all which had heen
transported, according to former orders, out of Ire-
land to Bristol, since the cessation, that lord f ad-
vanced to SalisburJ., and shortly after to \Vinches-
tel'; whither sir John Berkley brought hinl two re-
giments lTIOre of foot, raised by him in Devonshire;
so that he had in all, at least, three thousand foot,
and about fifteen hundred horse; which, in so good
a post as Winchester ,vas, \vould in a short time

were the civil preparations and
conclusions 011 both sides. III
the IHeau time both the king's
army and the earl of Essex
were contenteù to refresh thenl-
selves in thcir ,vinter quarters
without any notaùle engage-
Inent, both preparing the best
they could for the spring, aud

to be cm"Iv readv for the field;
yet the \Vi
ter p
ssed not with-
out action; the great prepara-
tion &c.
C \vhereJ and where
d and by it] by which
e to which] the which
f that lord] the lord Hopton

()F 'rI-IE IlEllELLION

449

have gro\vn to a considerable army; g and ,vas at
present strong enough to have stopped, or attended
'ValleI' in his western expedition; nor did he ex-
pect to have found such an obstruction in his way.
And therefore, \vhen he was upon his march, and
was informed of the lord Hopton's being at 'Vin-
chester with such a strength, he retired to }1
arn-
han1; and quartered there, till he gave his n13stcrs
an account that he \vanted other supplies.
It ,vas a general m
sfortune, and nliscolnputation
of that tinle, that the party, in all places, that h
,vished ,veIl to the king, (\vhich consisted of lTIOst
of the gentl'y in most counties; and for the present
\vere awed and kept under by the militia, and the
committees i of parliament,) had so good an opinion
of their o\vn reputation and interest, that they be-
lieved they were able, upon the assistance of few
troops, to suppress their neighbours \vho \vere of
the other party, and ,vho, upon the advantage of
the po\ver they were possessed of, exercised their
authority over them ,vith great rigour and inso-
lence. And so the lord Hopton ,vas no sooner pos-
sessed of Winchester, ,vhere sir lVilliall1 Ogle had
likewise seized upon the castle for the king, and
put it into a tenable condition, than the gentlell1en
of Sussex, and of the adjacent parts of HanIpshire,
sent privately to hinI, "that if he \vould advance
"into their country, they would undertake, in a
"short time, to make great levies of Inen for the
" recruit of his army; and like,vise to possess them-
" selves of such places as they should k be well able

g considerable army;] pretty
armv ;
II "'that] which
VOl.. IY.

i and the committees] and
other committees
\.. should] would
Gg

BOOK
VIH.

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

J 644.

450

'l'HE HISTORY

"to defend; and thereby keep that part of the
" country in the king's obedience."
Sir Edward Ford, a gentleman of a good family,
and fair fortune in Sussex, had then a regiment of
horse in the lord Hopton's troops, and the king had
made hin1 high sheriff of Sussex that year, to the
end that, if there were occasion, he might the better
make ilnpression upon that county. He had with
hitn, in his regiment, Illany of the gentlelnen of that
county I of good quality: and they all besought tI1e
lord Hopton, " that he would, since 'VaIleI' was not
"like to advance, at least send some troops into
"those parts, to give a little countenance to the
" levies they should be ,vell able to make;" assur-
ing' him, " that they would, in the first place, seize
" upon Arundel castle; which, standing near m the
" sea, would yield great ad vantage to the king's ser-
" vice, and keep that rich corner of the country at
"his majesty's devotion." These, and many other
specious undertakings, disposed the lord Hopton,
who had an extraordinary appetite to engage'Val-
leI' in a battle, upon old accounts, to wish himself at
liberty to cOlnply with those gentlen1en's desires: of
all which, he gave such an account to the king, as
made it appear, that he liked the design, and thought
it practicable, if he had an addition of a regiment
or two of foot, under good officers; for that quarter
of Sussex, whJch he Ineant to visit, ,vas a fast and
enclosed country, and Arundel castle had a garrison
in it, though not numerous, or ,vell provided, as be-
ing without apprehension of an enen1Y.
It was about Christmas, and the king had no far-

J county] country

m near] upon

OF 'l'HE REBELLION. 451

ther design for the winter, than to keep Waller
froln visiting and disturbing the west, and to re-
cruit his army to such a degree as to be able to
take the field early; \vhich he knew the rebels re-
solved to do: yet the good post the lord Hopton
was already possessed of at 'Vinchester, and these
positive undertakings from Sussex, wrought upon
many to think, that this opportunity should not be
lost. The king had likewise n great assurance of
thè general good affections of the county of Kent;
insomuch as the people had ,vith difficulty been re-
strained from making SOllle attempt, upon the confi-
dence of their own strength; and if there could be
now such a foundation laid, that there might be a
conjunction between that and Sussex, it might pro-
duce an association little inferior to that of the
southern counties under the earl of l\fanchester;
and might, by the spring, be an occasion 0 of that
distraction to the parliament, that they should P not
well know to what part to dispose their armies;
and the king Inight apply his own to that part and
purpose, as should seem Inost reasonable to hinl.
These and other reasons prevailing, the king q
gave the lord Hopton order to prosecute his design
upon Sussex, in such Inanner as he thought fit;
provided, that he was well assured, that Waller
should not make advantage, upon that enterprise,
to find the way open to him to Inarch into the west.
And that he Inight be the better able to prosecute
the one, and to provide for the other, sir Jacob Ast-
ley \vas likewise sent to him frolll Reading, with a

n likewise] Not in JUS.
o an occasion] argument
P should] luight

q prevailing, the king] pre-
vailed, and the king

Gg2

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

I 644.

45Q

THE HISTORY

thousand commanded men of that garrison, 'Val-
lingford, and Oxford; ,vhich supply no sooner ar-
rived at 'Vinchester, but the lord Hopton resolved
to visit Waller's quarters, if it ,vere possible to en-
gage hinl; ho,vever that he might judge by the
posture he ,vas in, \vhether he were like to pursue
his purpose for the \vest. 'VaIler \vas then quar-
tered at Farnhaln, and the villages adjacent, fronl
,vhence he drew out his men, and faced the enelllY,
as if he intended to fight, hut, after some light skir-
mishes for a day or t\VO, in which he always re-
ceived loss, he retired himself into the castle of
Farnham, a place of some r strength; and dre\v his
arlny into the town; and, within three or four days,
,vent himself to London, more effectually to solicit
recruits,
han his letters had been able to do.
'Vhen the lord Hopton saw that he could at-
tenlpt no farther upon those S troops, and \vas fully
assured that sir 'Villiam 'ValleI' was hÏ1nself gone
to London, he concluded, that it was a good time
to comply with the importunity of the gentlemen of
Sussex; and marched thither, ,vith such a body of
horse and foot, as he thought competent for the
service. The t exceeding hard frost made his Inarch
more easy through those deep dirty ways, than bet-
ter weather ,vould have done; and he came to
Arundel before there was any imagination that he
had that place in his prospect. The place in its
situation ,vas strong; u and though the fortifications
were not regular, but of the old fashion, yet the
walls ,vere good, x and the graff broad, and deep;

r some] great
'\ those] the
t The] Anù the

II stron
;] very strong;
x were aood ] were n>ry

' .
.;;trong,

O
' rrHE REBELLION.

t53

and though the garrison \vas not numerous enough BOOK
Vill.
to have defended all the large circuit against a pow-
erful arn1Y, yet it ,vas strong enough, in all respects, 1644.
to have defied any sudden assault; Y and might,
without putting thelllselves to luuch z trouble, have
ùeen very secure against the attempts of those with-
out. But the provisions of victual, or an11Dunition,
was not sufficient to have endured any long siege; a
and the
fficer who con1manded had not been ac-
custon1ed to the prospect of an enemy. So b upon
an easy and short sun1mons, that threatened his ob-
stinacy \vith a very rigorous chastisement, if he
should defer the giving it up; either fr0l11 the effect
of his o\vn fear, and want of courage, or frolll the
good inclinations of SOUle of the soldiers, the castle Arundel
. castle sur-
was surrendered the third day; and appeared to he rendered to
I th c th k . d bl . h t he lord
a pace wor e eeplng, an capa e, 111 a sort Hopton.
tilDe, to be made secure against a good arn1Y.
The lord Hopton, after he had stayed there five
or six days, and caused provisions of all kinds to be
brought in, comtnitted the cOlnmand and govern-
ment thereof to sir Edward Ford, high sheriff of
t.he county, ,vith a garrison of above t,vo hundred
men; besides Inany good officers; who desired, or
were very willing, to stay there d; as a place very
favourable for the making levies of men, \vhich they
all intended. And, it may be, the more remained
there, out of the weariness and fatigue of their late
marches, and that they Inight spend the reluainder
of the \vinter with hetter acco111modation.

Y any sudden assault;] all
assau Lts ;
Z luuch] any
a siege;] restraint;

b So] And so
c worth] UJurc worth
d there] Not in lJJ S.

Gg3

-

BOOK
VIII.

1614.

454

THE HISTORY

The news of sir William \Valler's return to Farn-
han1 \vith strong recruits of horse and foot, made it
necessary to the lord Hopton to leave Arundel castle
before he had put it into the good posture - he in-
tended. And, \vithout \vell considering the n1ixture
of the men he left there, whereof many were of na-
tures not easy to be governed, e nor f like to conform
themselves to such g strict rules as the condition of
the place required, or to use that industry, as the
exigence, they were like to be in, made necessary,
the principal thing he recommended and enjoined
to them was, "in the first place, setting all other
" things aside, to draw in store of provisions of all
" kinds, both for the numbers they were already,
" and for such as \vould probably in a short tin1e be
" added to them;" all \vhich, froD1 the great plenty
that country then abounded in, was very easy to
have been done. And if it had been done, that place
would have remained long such a thorn in the side
of the parliament, as would have rendered it very
uneasy to them, at least have interrupted the CUITent
of their prosperity.
'Valler's journey to London answered his expecta-
tion; and his presence had an extraordinary opera-
tion, to procure any thing desired. He reported the
lord Hopton's forces to be much greater than they
,vere, that his o\vn might be made proportionable to
encounter them. And the quick progress that lord h
had made in Sussex, and his taking Arundel castle,
made then1 thought to be greater than he reported
them to be. His so easily possessing himself of a

e natures not easy to be go- .
verned,] insolent and pragmati-
cal natures,

f nor] not
g such] those
II that lord] he

OF THE REBELLIO
. 455

place of that strength, which they supposed to have
been impregnable, and in a county ,vhere the king
had before no footing, a,vakened all their jealousies
and apprehensions "Of the affections of Kent, and all
other places; and looked like a land-flood, that might
roll they knew not how far; so that there needed no
inl}1ortunate solicitation to provide a renledy against
this growing evil. The ordin-ary lllethod they had
used for recruiting their arn1ies by levies of volun-
teers, and persuading the apprentices of the city to
become soldiers" upon the privilege they gave then1
for their freedom, for the time they fought for them,
as if they had ren1ained in their lnaster'g service,
"9as now too dull and lazy an expedient to resist this
torrent; they therefore resort to their inexhaustible
nlagazine of nlen, their devoted city, to whose affec-
tions the person of sir "Tillian1 'Valler ,,-as DI0St ac-
ceptable; and persuaded them hnnlediately to cause
t"90 of their strongest regilnents of auxiliariés, to
marcþ out of the line to Farnhaln; ,,-hich they con-
sented to. Then i they appointed the earl of Essex
to give his orders to sir "Tilliam Balfour, ,,-ith one
thousand of the horse of his army, like\\ise to ob-
serve "Taller's commands; \\ ho, ,,:-ith this great ad-
dition of force
, made haste to his other troops at
Farnhanl; \\
here he
carce rested, but after he had
infornled hinlself how the lord Hopton's troops k lay
quartered, at I too great 11 distance fronl each other,
he marched, according to hiz; custOlll in those oc-
casions, (as beating up of quarters \\ as his lllaster-
piece,) all the night; and, by the break of day, cn-
c0111passed a great village called Alton, ,vhere a

j Then] And then
k troups] arm)

I at] which \\'a
at

Gg4

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

}{f) 0 K
VIII.

1644.

456

'rHE HIS'rORY

troop or t\VO of horse, and a regÏ1nent of foot of the
king's lay in too llluch security. However, the horse
took the alarln q uickl y, and for the most part made
their escape to 'Vinchester, the head quarter; whi-
ther the lord Hopton ,vas returned but the night be-
fore frolll Arundel. Colonel Boles, ,\Tho cOlnlnanded
his o\vn reginlcnt of foot there, consisting of about
five hundred men
wI1ich had been drawn out of the
garrison of 'Vallingford, ,vhen he found himself en-
cOlnpassed by the enenlY's arnlY of horse and foot,
sa,v he could not defend himself, or make other
resistance than by retiring ,vith his nlen into the
churcll, ,vhich he hoped to Inaintain for so Inany
hours, that relief lllight be sent to him; hut he had
110t titne to barricado the doors; so that the enenlY
entered almost as soon; and after a short resistance,
in which many were killed, the soldiers, overpo\ver-
ed, threw down their arms, and asked quarter; which
\vas likewise offered to the colonel; ,vho refused it,
and valiantly defended hhnselt tilJ, with the death
I
of two or three of the assailants, he ,vas killed in the
place; his enemies giving him a testimony of great
courage and resolution.
'Valler knew well the impression the loss of this
very good regiment would make upon the lord Hop-
ton's forces, and that the report which the troops of
horse ,vhich had escaped \vould nlake, would add
nothing of courage to their fellows; so that there
,vas no probability that they \votIld Inake haste to
advance; and therefore, ,vith great m celerity, tIlC
hard frost continuing, he 111arched with all his arlny
to Arundel castle, ,vhere he found that garrison as

m great] wonderfitl

OF 'rIlE ll
EBELLION.

t57

unprovided as he could ,vish. For, n instead of in- BOO K
VIII.
creasing the n1agazine of victual by supplies froIl1
the country, they had spent Illuch of that store 1644.
which the lord Hopton had provided. The governor
was a man of honesty and courage, but unacquainted
with that affair, having no other experience in ,var,
than ,vhat he had learned since these troubles. The
officers were lllany ,vithout COlllmal1d, anlongst wholTI
one colonel Bamford, an Irishnlal1, though he called
hinlself Balnfield, was one; \vho, being a Dlan of wit
and parts, applied all his faculties to inlprove the
faction, to \vhich they were all naturally inclined,
\vith a hope to l11ake hhnself governor. I n this dis-
traction 'ValleI' found thern, and by SOlne of the sol-
diers running out to hitn, he found n1cans again to
send in to then1; by. ,vhich he so increased their
faction 0 and anilnosity against one another, that, after
he had kept then1 ,vaking, ,vith continual alarn1s,
three or four days, near half the men being sick, and
unable to do duty, rather than they would trust each
other longer, they gave the place and thenlsclves up It is re-
. f h 1 b . taken ùy
as prIsoners 0 \var upon quarter; t e pace eJng sir 'ViHiam
able to have defended itself against all that po\ver, '\TaUer.
for a 111ltch longer tiu1e. Here the learned and elni-
nent Mr. Chilling\vorth was taken prisoner; who,
out of kindness and respect to the lord Hopton, had
accolnpanied him in that march; and, being Í11dis-
posed by the terrible coldness of the season, chose
to repose hÎ1nself in that garrison, till the ,vcather
should Inend. As soon as his person ,vas known,
which \vould have drawn reverence froB1 any noble
enemy, the clergy that attended that arluy prose-

n J?or,] And, their faction] and so incrca
ed
U by which he
o increased their faction

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

458

THE HISTORY

cuted hiln with all tIle inhulllanity inlaginable; so
that, by their barbarous usage, he died within few
days; to the grief of all that knew him, and of many
who knew hin1 not but by his book, and the reputa-
tion he had with learned Inen.
The lord Hopton sustained the loss of that P regi-
ment with extraordinary trouble of mind, and as a
wound that would bleed inward; and therefore was
the more inflalned ,vith desire of a battle ,vith \Val-
ler, to n1ake even all accounts; an
made what haste
he could, upon the first ad vertiselnent, to have re...
deemed that 111isfortune; and hoped to have COIne
tÏ111e enough to relieve q' Arundel castle; ,vhich he
never suspected would so tanlely have given thenl-
selves up: but that hope quickly vanished, upon the
undoubted intelligence of that surrender, and the
ne,vs that
V aller was returned with a full resolution
to prosecute his design upon the west: to which, be-
sides the encouragement of his two late successes, r
with which he ,vas Inarvellously elated, he was in
some degree ne
essitated, out. of apprehension that
the horse, ,vhich belonged to the earl of Essex's
army, n1ight be speedily recalled; and the t.ilne
would be quickly expired, that he had prolllised the
auxiliary regilnents of London to dislniss theine S
Upon the ne,vs the king received of the great
supply the parliament had so suddenly sent to \VaI-
leI', both from the earl of Essex's army, and froln the
city, he thought it necessary to send such an ad-
dition of foot as he could draw out of Oxford, and
the neighbour garrisons. And the earl of Brentford,

P that] this s to dismiss them.] that he
C] to relieve] to have relieved would dismiss thcm.
r successes,] victories,

OF THE REBELLION. 459

general of the army, who had a fast friendship with
the lord Hopton, expressing a good inclination to
make hirll a visit, rather than to sit still in his win-
ter quarters, his majesty was very willing he should, t
and cherished that disposition, being U desirous that
so great an officer might be present in an arnlY, upon
,vhich so lnnch of his hopes depended; and which
did not abound ,vith officers of great experience. So x
the general, ,vith such volunteers as ,vere ready to
accolnpany him, ,vent to 'Vinchester; ,vhere he
found the lord Hopton in trouble Y for the loss of
tIle regiment of foot at Alton, and ,vith z the unex-
pected assurance of the giving up of Arundel castle.
He was exceedingly revived with the presence of
the general, and desired to receive his orders, and
that he would take upon hiln the absolute comn1al1d
of the troops; which he as positively refused to do;
only offered to keep hin1 company in all expeditions,
and to give him the best assistance he was able;
which the lord Hòpton was cOlnpelled to be con-
tented ,vith : nor could there he a greater union and
consent between two friends; the general being
ready to give his advice upon all particulars; and
the other doing nothing without communication
\vith him, and then conforming to his opinion, and
gi ving orders accordingly.
As soon as they \vere infornled that \Valler had
dra,vn all his troops together about Farnham, and
meant to D1arch towards them, they cheerfully eill-
braced the occasion, and went to meet him; and
,

BOOK
VIII.

1644

t was very willing he should,]
very glad,
\1 being] and was
x So] And so

Y trouble] agony
z and with] and confounded
with

460

'fHE HIS'rOR Y

BOO K about Alresford, near the 11lidway between \Vincbes-
VIII. ·
ter and
'arnbam, they can1e to know how near they
] 644. \vere to each other; and, being in view, chose tbe
ground upon which they Ineant the battle should be
fought; of which 'V aller, being first there, got
tbe advantage for the drawing up his horse. The
king's army consisted of about five thousand foot,
and three thousand horse; and '''aller, with sir
\Villian1 Balfour, exceeded in horse; but they were
upon the matter equal in foot; \vith this only ad-
vantage, that both his horse and foot were, as they
were always, 111uch better armed; no lnan wanting
any weapon, offensive or defensive, that \vas proper
for hinl; and sir Arthur Haslerig's regÏ1nent of
cuirassiers, called the lobsters, \vas so forn1 id able,
that the king's naked and unarll1ed troops, aillong
which fe\v \vere better arn1ed than \vith swords,
could not hear their impression.
The hattle The king's horse never behaved themselves so ill
at Alres
d . .c
ford, where as that aYe For the Inaln body of thenl, alter they
sir \Villiam had sustained one fierc e char ge W h eeled about to an
"railer had. (; " c
the admn- unreasonable distance and left their P rinci p al offi-
tage over '
the lord eel'S to shift for theillse]ves. The foot behaved then1-
Hopton, I ... f
(i\1arch29.) se ves very gallantly, and had not only the better 0
the other foot, but bore two or three charges from
the horse \vith notable courage, and without being
hroken: whilst those horse, \vhich stood upon the
field, and should have assisted them, could he per-
suaded but to stand. When the evening dre\v near,
for the approach \vhereof neither party \vas sorry,
the lord Hopton thought it necessary to leave the
field; and drawing off his Inen, and carrying with
him many of the \vounded, he retired \vith all his
cannon and anln1unition, \vhereof he lost none, that

.A

OF THE I
EBELLION

461

night to Reading: the enemy being so scattered,
that they had no 111ind to pursue; only 'VaIleI' hÏ1n-
self ll1ade haste to 'Vinchester, \vhere he thought,
upon this success, to have been immediately ad-
ll1itted into that castle; which ,vas his o\vn inherit.
ance. But he found that too well defended; and so
returned ,vith taking revenge upon the city, by plun-
dering it ,vith all the insolence and rapine ilnagin-
able.
There could not then be any other estimate made
of the loss 'Valler sustained, than by the not pursu-
ing the visible advantage he had, and by the utter
refusal of the auxiliary regiments of London and
Kent to ll1arch farther; who a within three or four
days left hinl, b and returned to their habitations,
"rith great Janlentation of their friends who were
lnissing. On the king's side, besides comlnon men,
and many good office:t:s, there fell that day the lord
J ohl) Ste,vart, brother to the duke of Richll10nd, and
general of the horse of that army; and sir John
Slnith, brother to the lord Carrington, and cOlllmis-
sary general of the horse. They \vere both brought
off the field by the few horse that stayed with then1,
and did their duty; carried c to Reading; and the
next day to Abingdon, that they might be nearer to
the assistance of the best remedies hy physicians and
surgeons. But they lived only to the second dress-
ing of their \\?ounds, which ,vere very Inany upon
hoth d of theln.
The forn1er ,vas a young man of extraordinary
hope, little 010re than one and t,venty years of age;
"rho, being of a nlore choleric and rough nature than

;, \Vh.o] and
i1 left him.] they left llim.

c carried] and ('arried
Ù both] either

nOOI

VIII.

] (344.

BOOK
VI LI.

I 6.14.

462

THE HIS1'ORY

the other branches of that illustrious and l)rincely
famiJy, was not delighted ,vith the softnesses of the
court, but had dedicated hin1self to the profession of
arms, when he did not think the scene should have
been in his own country. His courage ,vas so signal
that day, that too much could not be expected from
it, if he had outlived it ; and he was so generally be-
loved, that he could not but be very generally la-
mented. The other, sir John Snlith, had been trained
up froD1 his youth in the war of Flanders; being of
an ancient Roman e catholic family; and h,nd long
the reputation of one of the best officers of horse.
As soon as the first troubles appeared in Scotland,
he betook himself to the service of his o,vn prince;
and, from the beginning of the war to his own end,
performed many signal actions of courage. The f
death of these two eminent officers made the names
of 11lany who perished that day the less inquired into
and Inentioned.
This battle was fought the 29th day of March;
which was a very doleful entering into the beginning
of the year 1644, and broke all the n1easures, and
altered the whole scheme, of the king's counsels: for
whereas before, he hoped to have entered the field
early, and to have acted an offensive part; he now
discerned he was wholly to be upon the defensive; g
and that was like to be a very hard part too. For
he found, within very few days after, that he ,vas
not onty deprived of the men he had lost at Alres-
ford, but that he was not to expect any recruit of
his army by a conjunction with prince Rupert; who,
he believed, would bave returned in tÍllle, after his

- · Roman] Not in MS.
f The] And the

g defensive;] defensive part;

OF THE REBELLION. 463

great success at Newark, with a strong body both of
horse and foot, from Shropshire, Cheshire, and North
'Vales: all ,vhich hopes were soon blasted; for the
prince had scarce put the garrison of N e,vark in
order, and provided it to endure another attack,
,vhich they n1ight have reasonably expected upon
his highness's departure, (though indeed the shame
of the defeat he had given that party h, and the rage
among the officers and soldiers, ,vhen they saw by
what a handful of lnen they had been terrified and
subdued, hroke and dissolved that whole body within
few days,) ,vhen he was earnestly pressed i from
the earl of Derby to COlne into Lancashire to relieve
hÏIn, "rho ,vas already besieged in his o\vn strong
house at Lathaln by a great k body, with whom he
was not able to contend. And to dispose the prince
the more ,villingly to undertake his relief, the earl
made ample promises, " that ,vithin so many days
" after the siege should he_ raised, ,vith any defeat to
" the enemy, he would advance his highness's levies
" with two thousand men, and supply him with a
"considerable SUIn of money." And the earl had
likewise, by an express, Inade the sanH
instance to
the king at Oxford; frOlTI ,vhence his majesty sent
his permission and approbation to the prince, before
his departure froll1 N e,vark; hoping still that his
highness would be able to despatch that service in
Lancashire, and with the more notable recruits of
lllen in those parts, be able to return to Oxford by
the tinle that it would be necessary for his majesty
to take the field. But within a short time he was

h he had given that party]
Not in MS.
i when he was earnestly

pressed] when he received great
instance
k great] strong

BOOK
VIII.

] 644.

BOOK
VIII.

] 644.

The asso-
ciation of
se\'eral
counties
fOnl1f'd
under the
ead of
Manches-
ter.

464

THE HISTORY

disappointed of that expectation; for before the
prince could finish his expedition into Lancashire,
(which he did with wonderful gallantry; raised the
siege at Lathalll with a great execution upon the
enelny; and took two or three of their garrisons ob-
stinateJy defended, and therefore with the greater
slaughter,) the marquis of Newcastle ,vas c0l11pelled
to retire, ,vith his whole army, \vithin the "raIls of
York. He had been ,veIl able to have defended
hÍ1nself against the numerous army of the Scots,
"
and would have been glad to have been engaged
,vith them; but he found he had a worse enen1Y to
deal with, as will appear 1.
Fron1 the time that the ruling party of the parlia-
nlent discerned that their general, the earl of Essex,
would never serve their turn, or comply. with all
their desires, they resolved to have another arl11Y
apart, that should be Inore at their devotion; in m
the forming \vhereof, they ,vould be sure to choose
such officers, as would probably not only observe
their orders,. but have the same inclinations with
thenl. Their pretence was, "that there were so
" n1any disaffected persons of the nobility, and prin-
" cipal gentry, in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk,
" that, if great care was not taken to prevent it,
" there might a body start up there for the king;
" ,vhich, upon the success of the marquis of Ne\v-
" castle, whose arms then reached into Lincolnshire,
"might gro,v very fornlidable." For prevention
,vhereof, they had formed an association bet,veen
Essex, (a county, upon the influence of the earl of
'Varwick, and the power of his clergy, they ITIOst

1 as will appear] Not in 1U8.

m in] and in

OF 1.'HE REBELLION. 465

confided in,) Calnbridgeshire
Suffolk, Norfolk, Bed- BOO K
VIII.
ford, and I-Iuntington; in all \vhich they had tunny
persons of \vhose entire affections they were well 1644.
assured; and, in ll10st of thenl, there were few con-
siderable persons who \vished thelll ill. Of this as-
sociation they had nlade the earl of Manchester ge-
neral, to be subject only to their o\vn comll1ands,
and independent upon the earl of Essex. Under n
hiln, they chose Oliver Cromwell to cOll1mand their
01
horse; and many other officers, who never intended
to be subject again to the king, and avowed other
principles in conscience and religion, than had been
before publicly declared.
To this O general they gave order "to reside within
" that association; and to Inake levies of lnen, suffi-
" cient to keep those counties in obedience:" for at
first they pretended no more. But, in the secret
treaty made by sir Harry Vane \vith the Scots, they
were bound, as soon as the Scots should enter into
Yorkshire with their army, that a body of English
horse, foot, and cannon, should be ready to assist
them, commanded by their own officers, as a body
apart: the Scots not then trusting their own great
numbers, as equal to fight \vith the English. And
froln that time they were nluch nlore careful to
raise, and liberally supply, and provide for that arlny
under the earl of Manchester, than for the other un-
der the earl of Essex. And no\v, according to their The ear]
. of l\Ian-
agreement, upon the Scots first entrance Into Y ork- chester is
h . h I f M h h d l . k . d ordered
SIre, t e ear 0 anc ester a I eWlse or er to with his
111arch with his whole bod y thither; havin g , for the armY , t
t
marc 1 In 0
n10st P art a comnlittee of the P arliament \vhereofthe north
, , to join the
Scots.

ß Under] And under
VOlA. IV.

o To this] Anù to this

Hh

466

'THE I-IISTORY

BOOK sir Harry Vane was one, with hilu; as there was
VIII.
another comlnittee of the Scottish parliament always
1644. in that arnlY; there being also now a comlnittee of
both kingdollls residing at London, for the can-ying
on the war.
The lllarquis of Ne\vcastle, being thus 11ressed on
both sides, was necessitated to draw all his arnlY of
foot and cannon into York, with SOlne troops of
horse; and sent the body of his horse, under the
cOlll111and of general Goring, to rell1ain in those places
he should find ll10St convenient, and froll1 whence he
luight best infest the enenlY. Then he sent P an ex-
press to the king, to infornl hÍ1n of the condition he
\vas in; and to let him kno,v, "that he doubted not
" to defend himself in that post for the term of six
" \veeks, or two months; in which time he hoped
" his nlajesty would find some ,yay to relieve hÎ1u."
Upon q receipt of this letter, the king sent orders to
prince Rupert, that " as soon as he had relieved the
" Lord Derby, and recruited, and refreshed his 11len, r
" he should Inarch, \vith ,vhat expedition he could,
" to relieve York; ,vhe1'e being joined ,vith the 111ar-
"quis of Newcastle's a1'n1Y, there ,vas hope they
" 111ight fight the enenlY: and his majesty would
" put hinlself into as good a posture as he could to
" take the field, ,vithout expecting the prince."
Th.e queen All these ill accidents falling out successively in
retires from
Oxford to the winter, the king's condition appeared very sad;
Exeter. and the queen being s now with child, it t ,vrought
upon her majesty's mind very nluch; anù disposed

P Then he sent] And then
sent
q Upon] And upon
r men,] army,

s and the queen being] and
which was in the more disorder
by the queeu's bein

t it] which

OF 'fJ-IE REllELLION.

.iû7

her to so many fears and a.pprehensions of her safe-
ty, that she was very uneasy to herself. She heard
every day" of the great forces raised, and in a U rea-
" diness, by the parliament, much greater than they
"yet ever had been x ;" which was very true; and
" that they resolved, as soon as the season ,vas ripe,Y
" to nlarch aU to Oxford." She cou]d not endure to
think of being besieged z; and, in conclusion, resolved
not to stay there, but to go into the ,vest; from
whence, in any distress, she might be able to eln-
bark for France. Though there seemed reasons
enough to dissuade her fronl that inclination, and
his lnajesty heartily wished that she could be di-
verted, yet the perplexity of her mind \vas so great,
and her fears so vehenlent, both itnproved by her
indisposition of health, that all civility and reason
obliged every body to subn1Ît. So, about the be-
ginning of April, she begun her journey fronl Ox-
ford to the west; and, by moderate journeys, caDle
well to Exeter; \vhere she intended to stay till she
was delivered; a for she was \vithin little 1110re than
one month of her tiIne; and, being in a place out of
the reach of any alarln, she recovered her spirits to
a reasonable convalescence.
It ,vas now about the middle of April, b 'v hen it
concerned the king with all possible sagacity, to fore-
see what probably the parliament ll1eant to attempt
,vith those vast numhers of men ,vhich they every

11 a] Not zn illS. dIe of April,] Twenty-four pages
x been] Not in 1J-lS. of the original 1l1an-uscript C.,
y ripe,] 1MS. add.ç: which was which contained 'lYlriollS portions
at hand, of the earlier part of this book,
z besieged] besieged there rmd to which lonl Clarendon ha.

a delivered ;] disburdened; l1wdp continual references in hi.ç
h It was now ahout the mid- othpr 111,';., a1'e ttnfnrtunntdy lnst.
Hh2

nOOK
VIII.

I G-t4.

468

THE HISrrORY

BOOK day levied; and thereupon to conclude, ,vhat.it would
VIII.
be possible for his majesty to do, in those exigencies
] 644. to which he ,vas like to be reduced. The intelli.
gence, that \Valler was still designed for the western
expedition, 111ade the king appoint his whole arnlY
to be dra,vn together to a rendezvous at l\larlho-
rough; ,vhere hÍ1nself was present, and, to his great
satisfaction, found the body to- consist, after all the
losses and Inisadventures, of no less than six thou-
sand foot., and above four thousand horse. There
that body renlained for some weeks, to watch and
intend \Valler's motion, and to fight with hin1 as
soon as ,vas possible. Many things were there con-
sulted for the future; and the quitting Reading, and
SOUle other garrisons, proposed, for the increasing
the field forces: yet nothing was positively resolved,
but to expect clearer evidence what the parlialnent
armies ,vould dispose thelnselves to do.
The parlia- So the king returned to Oxford, where, upon the
ment at
Oxford desire of the 111enlbers of parliament who had been
r

f::r. called thither, and done all the service they could
for the king, they wel'e for the present dislI1issed,
that they n1ight, in their several counties, satisfy
the people of the king's inlportunate desire of peace,
but how insolently it had been rejected by the par-
liament; and thereupon induce thenl to contribute
all they could to his majesty's assistance. They
\vere to 111eet there again in the 1110nth of October
following.
Then, that his lllajesty might draw n10st of the
soldiers of that garrison with hÍln out of Oxford,
when he should take the field, that city was per-
suaded to cOlllplete the regiment they had begun to
form, under the conul1and of a colonel whonl the

OF THE REBELLION.

469

king had recon1mended to then1; \vhich they did
raise to the number of a thousand lnen. There ,vere
like\vise two other regiments raised of gentlclnen
and their serv
nts, and of the scholars of the several
colleges and halls of the university; all which regi-
ments did duty there punctually, frol11 the time that
the king went into the field, till he returned again
to Oxford; and all the lords declared, " that, upon
" any elnergent occasion, they would n10unt their
" servants upon their horses, to make a good troop
"for a sudden service;" \vhich they made good;
and thereby, that sun1111er, perforn1ed t,vo or three'
very considerable and important actions.
By this tin1e there was reason to believe, by all
the intelligence that could be procured, and by the
change of his quarters, that 'Valler had laid aside
his western Inarch; at least that it was suspended ;
and that, on the contrary, all endeavours were used
to recruit both his and the earl of Essex's army,
\vith all possible expedition; and that neither of
then1 should lnove upon any action till they should
he both complete in greater nUlnbers, than either of
theln had yet marched \vith. Hereupon, the king's
army ren10ved froln Marlborough to Newbury; where
they relnained near a n10nth, that they l11ight be in
a readiness to attend the n1otion of the cnelny, and
to assist the garrisons of Reading, or "\IVallingford ;
or to dra\v out either, as there should be occasion.
There had been several deliberations in the coun-
cil of war, and al\vays very different opinions, ,vhat
should be done with the garrisons when the king
should take the field; and the king hill1self was ir-
resolute upon those debates, what to do. He com-
municated the several reasons to prince llupcrt by
Hh3

BOOK
VIII.
1644.

HOOK
VIII.

lô--14.

"t70

THE HISTORY

letters, requiring his advice; who, after he had re-
turned ans\vers, and received replies, made a hasty
journey to Oxford from Chester, to wait upon his
Dlajesty. And it was then positively resolved, " that
" the garrisons of Oxford, 'Vallingford, Abingdon,
" Reading, and Banbury, should be reinforced and
" strengthened ,vith all the foot; that a good body
" of horse should renlain about Oxford, and the rest
"should be sent into the west to prince Maurice."
If this counsel had been pursued steadily and reso-
lutely, it might probably have been attended \vith
good success. Both armies of the enemy would have
been puzzled ,vhat to have done, and either of thelll
\vould have been un\villing to have engaged in a
siege against any place so well provided and re-
solved; and it would have been equally uncounsel-
lable to have lllarched to any distance, and have left
such an enenlY at their backs, that could so casily
and quickly have united, and incoillmoded any 111arch
they could have made.
But as it ,vas even impossible to have adnlinistercd
such advice to the king, in the strait he was in,
which being pursued 111ight not have proved incon-
venient, so it was the unhappy temper of those who
\vere called to those councils, that resolutions, taken
upon full debate, were seldom prosecuted \vith equal
resolution and steadiness; but changed upon new,
shorter debates, and upon objections which had been
answered before: some 111en being in their natures
irresolute and inconstant, and full of objections, even
after all was deterulined according to their own pro-
posals; others hcing positive, and not to be altered
frolH \v hat they had once declared, ho\v unreason-
ably soever, or what alterations soever there were in

OF l."'HE REBELLION. 471

the affairs. And the king himself frequently con- BOO K
VIII.
sidered more the person who spoke, as he was in his
grace or his prejudice, than the counsel itself that ) 644.
was given; and al\vays suspected, at least trusted
less to his own judglnent than he ought to have
done; which rarely deceived him so 111uch as that of
other men.
The persons ,vith whom he only consulted in his The per-
. . sons with
nlartIal affaIrS, and how to carryon the war, were whom the
(besides prince Rupert, who was at this time absent)

:
:
-
the g eneral who was nlade earl of Brentford. the bis lllili-.
, , tary affa.lfS
lord lVilmot, who was general of the horse; the lord at this time.
Hopton, \\rho usually comluanded an army apart,
and \vas not often \vith the king's army, but now
present; sir Jacob Astley, ,vho was major-general of
the army; the lord Digby, who was secretary of
state; and sir John Colepepper, master of the rolls;
for none of the privy-council, those t\VO only ex..
cepted, \vere called to those consultations; though
some of theln ,vere still advised with, for the bettel"
execution, or prosecution, of what was then and
there resolved.
The general, though he had been, without doubt,
a very good officer, and had great experience, and
was still a man of unquestionable courage and inte-
grity; yet he was now much decayed in his parts,
and, \vith the long continued custom of immoderate
drinking, dozed in his understanding, which had
been never quick and vigorous; he having been
always illiterate to the greatest degree that can be
imagined. He was now become very dea
yet often
pretended not to have heard \vhat he did not then
contradict, and thought fit afterwards to disclaim.
He was a man of fe\v words, and of great compli..
Hh4

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

472

THE HISTORY

ance, and usually delivered that as his opInIon,
which he foresaw would be grateful to the king.
lVihnot was a man of a haughty and alnbitious
nature, of a pleasant wit, and a.n ill understanding,
as never considering above one thing at once; but
he considered that one thing so impatiently, that he
,vould not admit any thing else to be worth any
consideration. He had, from the beginning of the
,val', been very averse to any advice of the privy-
council, and thought fit that the king's affairs (which
depended upon the success of the ,val') should en-
tirely be governed and conducted by the soldiers
and men of war, and that no other counsellors
should have any credit with his majesty. 'Vhilst
prince Rupert was present, his exceeding great pre-
judice, or rather personal aniInosity against hiln,
made any thing that \;Vihnot said or proposed,
enough slighted and contradicted: and the king
hÍ111self, upon sOlne fornler account and observation,
was far from any indulgence to his person, or esteem
of his parts. But now, by the prince's absence, and
his being the second man in the army, and the con-
tempt he had of the old general, who ,vas there the
only officer above hitn, he grew marvellously elated,
and looked upon himself as one whose advice ought
to be followed, and subn1itted to in all things. He
had, by his excessive good fellowship, (in every part
whereof he excelled, and was grateful to all the
cOlnpany,) made himself so popular with all the offi-
cers of the arn1Y, especially of the horse, that he
had, in truth, a very great interest; which he de-
sired ß1ight appear to the king, that he Inight have
the more interest in hinl. He was positive in all his
advices in council, and bore contradiction very itn-

OF THE REBELLION. 473

patiently; and because he ,vas lllost contradicted by
the two privy-counsellors, the secretary, and the
Inaster of the rolls, who, he saw, had the greatest
influence upon the king, he used all the artifices he
could to render them unacceptable and suspected to
the officers of the army, by telling them what they
had said in council; which he thought would render
theln the more ungrateful; and, in the times of jol-
lity, pcrsuaded the old general to believe that they
invaded his prerogative, and In eddIed more in the
business of the ,val', than they ought to do; and
thereby nlade him the less disposed to concur with
then1 in advice, how rational and seasonable soever
it ,vas; which often put the king to the trouble of
converting hitn..
The lord Hopton was a man superior to any
tenlptation, and abhorred enough the licence, and the
levities, \vith ,vhich he saw too lllany corrupted. He
had a good understanding, a clear courage, an indus-
try not to be tired, and a generosity that was not to
be exhausted; a virtue that none of the rest had:
but, in the debates concerning the war, was longer
in resolving, and lllore apt to change his nlind after
he had resolved, than is agreeable to the office of a
COlTIlTIandcr in chief; ,vhich rendered 11im rather fit
for the second, than for the supreme command in an
army.
Sir Jacob Astley \vas an honest, brave, plain nlan,
and as fit for the office he exercised, of major general
of the foot, as Christendom yielded; and was so ge-
nerally cstcenlcd; very discerning and pronlpt in
giving orders, as the occasions required, and ITIOst
cheerful, and present in any action. In council he
lJsed few, hut vcry pertinent words; and was not at

B,OOK
VIII.

1644.

nOOK
VIII

1644.

Reading
lluiltcrl hy
the king's
forces.

,
74

'"fHE HIS'rORY

all pleased with the long speeches usually made
there; and ,vhich rather confounded, than informed
his understanding: so that he rather collected the
ends of the debates, and what he was hilnself to do,
than enlarged them by his own discourses; though
he forbore not" to deliver his o\vn mind.
The t,vo privy-counsellors, though they were of
the most different natures and constitutions that can
be imagined, always agreed in - their opinions; and
being, in their parts, lnuch superior to the other,
usually prevailed upon the king's judgl11ent to like
what they approved: yet one of theIn, who had in
those cases the ascendant over the other, had that
excess of fancy, that he too often, upon his own
recollecting and revolving the grounds of the re-
solutions which had been taken, or upon the sug-
gestions of other men, changed his o\vn mind; and
thereupon caused orders to be altered, which pro-
duceù, or were thought to produce, many inconveni-
ences.
This unsteadiness in counsels, and in matters re-
solved upon,lnade the former deterlnination con-
cerning the garrisons to be little considered. The
king's arn1Y had lain above three weeks at and about
Newbury; in \vhich tilne their nun1bers were no-
thing improved, beyond what they had been upon
their lnuster near Marlborough, \vhen the king ,vas
present. 'Vhen it was known that both the pal'lia-
111ent armies were marched out of London; that un-
der Essex to Windsor; and that of lValler, to the
parts between Hertford Bridge and Basing, without
any purpose of going farther west; the king's army
luarched to Reading; and in three days, his majesty
heing present, they slighted and den10lished all the

OF TI-IE REBELLION.

works of that garrison: and then, which was about
the l1liddle of May, ,vith the addition of those sol-
diers, which increased the arnlY five and t\venty
hundred old soldiers Inore, very well officered, the
army retired to the quarters about Oxford, with an
opinion, that it would be in their po\ver to fight \vith
one of the enemy's armies; which they longed ex-
ceedingly to do.
The king returned to Oxford, and resolved to stay
there till he could have better infornlation what the
enelllY intended; which was not now so easy C as it
had formerly been. For, since the conjunction with
the Scottish conunissioners in one council, for the
carrying on the war, little business was brought to
be consulted in either of the houses; and there ,vas
nluch greater secrecy than before; fe,,, or none d be-
ing adnlitted into any kind of trust, but they whose
affections were kno\vn to concur to the nlost despe-
rate counsels. So that the designs were still entirely
fornled, before any part of them \vere cOlnnlunicatcd
to the earl of Essex; nor was more communicated
at a time than was necessary for the present execu-
tion; of \vhich he was sensible enough, but could
not help it. The intention \vas, " that the two ar-
" Dlies, which marched out together, should after-

C which was not now so easy]
This portion which is takenfront
MS. B. is thus introduced: The
ill accidents of the winter, and
the absence of prince Rupert
with so consirlerable a part of
the anny, and the application
of all the levies which had been
nlade to the enabling his high-
ness to proceed in his great en-
terprise, had kept the king's
preparations for the field from

175

BOOK
VIII.

I (i44.

any forwardness; so that the
parliament forces in two dis-
tinct annies, the one under the
earl of Essex, the other undel'
\Valler, but subject to tlle earl's
orders, luarched out of London
before the king moved out of
Oxford; where he remained till
he could fully be informed of
their designs; which was not
now so easy, &c.
d few or none] nOlJC

BOOK
VIII.

J 644.

476

THE HIS
rORY

" ward e be distinct; and should only keep together, f
"till it appeared what course the king meant to
" take; and if he stayed in Oxford, it would be fit
" for both to be in the siege; the circumvallation
" being very great, and to be divided in many places
" by the river; which would keep both arlnies still
" asunder under their several officers." But if the
king 111arched out, which they nlight reasonahly pre-
SUIne he would, then the purpose was, " that the
"earl of Essex should follow the king, ,vherever g
" he went;" which they itnagined ,vould be north-
,vard; " and that 'VaIler should Inarch into the
" ,vest, and subdue that." So that, having so sub-
stantially provided for the north by tbe Scots, and
the earl of l\fanchester; and having an ar111Y under
the earl of Essex, much superior in nUlllber to any
the king could be attended ,vith; and the third, un-
der 'Valler, at liberty for the ,vest; they prolllised
thCIll selves, and too reasonably, that they should
lnake an end of the ,val" that summer. h

e afterward] always
f keep together,] not sever,
g wherever] whither ever
h that summer.] This portion
is thus continued in MS. B.:
'\Yhen they canle near Oxford,
and divided the armies on both
sides, 'Valler to Abingdon, and
the carl of Essex to the other
side of the tow'n, the king
tllought it time to withdraw
from thence; and, taking all the
horse with him, and putting all
the foot into the town, in the
night he luarched to 'Vood-
stock; and the next day, finding
that the earl of Essex declined
the town, and seemed to follow
him, his mt\jcsty went forward

to Evesham intending to have
continued his march to 'V or-
cester, where he could stay till
he saw clearly what the t\V
ar-
luies would do. But the earl
of Essex, when he saw the king
was at that distance, turned
with his whole army towards
the west, and cOIl1.manded 'Val-
ler with his body to follow the
king, by which both he and his
friends in parliament were dis-
appointed; yet he could not but
obey his orders: and with what
speed he could he drew his
anny from the other side of the
town, and ularched after the
king, who had yet the benefit of
two or three days' rest for his

OF THE REBELLION.

477

It was about the tenth of May, that the earl of BOOK
VIII.

troops; and having speedy in-
telligence that the two armies
were parted, and that 'Valler
only attended his nlotion
his
nIajesty turned back towards
Oxford on the Gloucestershire
siòe, and sent present orders,
for the general, who had stayed
with the foot and cannon in
Oxford, to march out with them
to a place appointed; where his
majesty and the whole body of
horse met them; and being join-
ed, were not unwilling to see
'Valler, who was superior in
foot by much, and equal in
horse. They looked upon each
other a day or two, there being
a little river between theIn,
when ""'aller, having a nlind to
be at a greater distance, made
his army march in no very good
order, leaving a good party of
horse in the rear. Upon which
the van of the king's horse, at
a plaçe called Cropredy bridge,
about fourteen nlÎles frolu Ox-
ford, the water being low, by
the long dry and hot weather,
it being towards the end of
June, crossed the ri\'er, and
charged the enemy's horse,
which received them well; and
stood the shock su well, that
the king's horse gave ground,
'Vilmot the lieutenant general
being taken prisoner. But the
earl of Cleveland, with some
troops who were well officered,
charged thenl again so rudely,
that he freed the lieutenant ge-
neral within few minutes after
he was taken, and routed all
the horse; who running awav,
disordered and routed tl
eir o
n
foot; so that the king's troops
pursuing them with a sharp ap-

petite, they lllade a good execu-
tion both of the horse and foot,
took eight pieces of cannon,
with many officers of name; and
amongst them, Wemys the ge-
neral of the ordnance, and the
second officer of the army, a
Scotchman, whonl the king had
luade lllaster-gunner of Englanù
few years before, to the great
and sensible discontent of all
the English, who understood
that service. All this was done
by four or five troops of the
king's horse, who had In arched
faster than they ought to have
done; the body of the army be-
ing behind, as sir 'Vill. 'Valler's
van ,vas above two lniles before,
when this blow befell their fel-
lows. The king marched with
his whole army to overtake the
rest, and continued in pursuit,
and often in sight of them, two
days; but they \vould not be
brought to engageulCnt: and it
appeared quickly after, that this
small defeat (in which there did
not appear to be a thousand
men killed and tdken prisoners)
had so totally broken all that ar-
nlY, that it was never brought
to fight after; and he himself,
after a little rest about Dunsta-
ble and those parts, returned to
London, luaking grievous com-
p]aints against the earl of Es-
sex, as if he had purposely ex-
posed bim to be affronted: all
which "vas hearkened to very
willingly, and his person re-
cei \'ed and treated as if he had
returned victorious: which was
a method very contrary to what
was practised in the king's quar-
ters.
The king being thus wonder-

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

1 644.

478

THE HISTOR"\

Essex and sir 'Villiau1 'Vallpr marched out of Lon-
don, "Tith both their arnlies; and the very next day
after the king's army had quitted Reading, the earl
of Essex, from lVindsor, sent forces to possess it;
and recomlnended it to the city of London, to pro-
vide both lnen, and all other things necessary for the
keeping it; ,vhich the memory of \vhat they had suf-
fered for the two past years, by being without it,

fully left at liberty, and having
with so little loss upon the mat-
ter defeated one whole army,
his heart was at no ease, with
the apprehension of the terrible
fright the queen would be in,
who was newly delivered of a
daughter, (who was afterwards
nlarried to the duke of Orleans,)
when she saw the earl of Es-
sex with his arIny befor
the
walls of Exeter, and heard that
\Val1er with another army was
in pursuit of his Inajesty: and
therefore he resolved with all
possible expedition to foHow the
earl of Essex. And so returning
to Oxford, he stayed only two
nights there, to refresh his arnlY,
which had had very little rest in
eight or ten days; and then he
began his In arch towards the
west, taking with hinl all the
garrison that could possibly be
drawn fronl thence, though he
left his son the duke of York
there; so that the lords of the
council were glad immediately
to cause all their servants to be
listed and put in troops and
companies under good officers;
by which they disposed the town
to raise a good reginlent of foot,
and the scholars likewise to raise
several companies of themselves,
and under their own officers; by

all which, with the few soldiers
that were left, sutIicient guards
were kept for the safety of the
place, and the fortifications were
more diligently repaired and
prosecuted than they had been
in any tinle: in which the chan-
cellor of the exchequer was so
solicitous, by drawing in the
country to work, and by collect-
ing money to pay the workmen,
that nUlCh was imputed to his
extraordinary diligence and in-
dustry. At Oxford, though e\'ery
ill accident always changad the
humours there, the town being
full of lords and nlany persons
of the best quality, (besides
those of the council,) with very
many ladies, who were not
easily pleased, and kept others
froll1 heing so, and they had
hardly yet recovered the discom-
posure they had been in, when
the king went from thence to-
wards the west, and when he
took awày aU the strength of
the garrison with him, which
made then1 think themselves
abandoned, and of other places
to retire to, which was the rea-
son that the king thought it ne-
cessary to leave the duke of
.Y ork there, to compose their
minds the better.

OF THE REBELLION.

4.79

easily disposed then1 to do. By this l11eans the earl
had the opportunity to join ,vith Waller's army ,vhen
he should think fit; ,vhich before they could not do
with convenience or security. Nor did they ever
after join in one body, but kept at a fit distance, to
be able, if there were occasion, to help each other.
The earl of Essex's arJny consisted of all his old
troops, which had \vintered about St. Alban's, and in
Bedfordshire; and being now increased ,vith four
regin1ents of the trained bands, and auxiliaries within
the city of London, did not aU10unt to less than ten
thousand horse and foot. \Valler had likewise re-
ceived a large recruit from London, Kent, and Sus-
sex; and ,vas little inferior in numbers to Essex,
and in reputation above hiln. 'Vhen the king's army
retired from Reading, the horse quartered about
\Vantage and Farringdon, and all the foot were put
into Abingdon, with a resolution to quit or defend
that town, according to the ll1anner of the enelny's
advance to,vards it; that is, if they canle upon the
east side, ,vhere, besides some indifferent fortifica-
tions, they had the advantage of the river, they
,vould maintain and defend it; if they came on the
west side frOIU 'Vantage and Farringdon, they would
dra,v out and fight, if the enen1Y were not by much
superior in number; and, in that case, they ,vould
retire with.the whole arlny to Oxford.
Being satisfied with this resolution, they lay in
that quiet posture, ,vithout Inaking the least illl-
pression upon the enenlY, by beating up his quarters;
which n1ight easily have been done; or restraining
then1 from 111aking incursions where they had a
Inind; all which \vas. inlputed to the ill hunl0ur antI

BOOK
VIII.

] 644.

480

THE HISTORY

ß 0 0 K negligence of 'Vilnlot. The earl of Essex advanced
VJII.
with his arnlY towards Abingdon ; and upon the east
1644. part of the town; which was that which they had
hOlled for, in order to their defending it. But they
\vere no sooner advertised of it, but the general,
Ahingdon early the next morning, 111 arched with all the foot
quitted by
the king's out of Abingdon, the horse being come thither in the
forces. . h k d h ·
nIg t to ma -.-e goo t e retreat: and all thIS ,vas
done before his Inajesty had the least notice or sus-
picion of it. As soon as his nlajesty was informed of
it by sir Charles Blunt, the scout nlaster general,
whom the genera] had sent to acquaint the king
with the resolution, he sent sir Charles Blunt back
to the general, to let him know the great dislike he
had of their purpose to quit the to\vn, and to com-
mand him to stay, and not to advance till his ma-
jesty came to hinl; which he made all possible haste
to do. But before the messenger could return, the
army was ,vithin sight of Oxford; and so the foot
was dra\vn through the city, and the horse quartered
in the villages about the to\vn.
Abingdon was in this nlanner,"and to the king's
Possessed infinite trouble, quitted; \vhither a party of Essex's
by the earl . .
()f Essex. arlllY CaIne the same nIght; and the next day, hIm-
self with all his foot entered the to\vn ; his horse be-
ing quartered about it. He then called vVaIler to
bring up his army near him, that they might resolve
in what manner to proceed; and he had his head
quarter at vVantage: and so, \vithout th
striking
one blow, they got the possession of Reading, Ahing-
òon; and ,vere masters of all Berkshire; and forced
the king to draw his whole arn1Y of horse and foot
on the north side of Oxford; where they were to

OF 'rI--IE IlEBELLION.

481

feed on his own quarters, and to consider how to
keep Oxford itself from being besieged, and the
king fron1 being enclosed in it.
This \vas the deplorable condition to which the
king ,vas reduced before the end of the month of
l\lay; inson1uch that it ,vas generally reported at
London, "that Oxford ,vas taken, and the king a
" prisoner;" and others nlore confidently gave it
out, "that his Inajesty resolved to COlne to Lon-
" don:" of which the parJiament was not \vithout
sonle apprehension, though not so much, as of the
ki
g's putting hinlself into the hands of the earl of
Essex, and into his protection; \vhich they could
not endure to think of; and this troubled then1 so
much, that the comlnittee of both kingdolTIs, who
conducted the \val", ,vrit this letter to their general.

" My lord,
" "Te are credibly inforn1ed, that his 111ajesty in-
"tends to cOlne for London. 'Ve desire you, that
if' you will do your endeavour to inforn1 yourself of
"the same; and if you think that his n1ajesty in-
" tends at all to con1e to the arn1ies, that you ac-
'if quaint us with the saIne; and do nothing therein,
., until the houses shaH give direction."

So lTIuch jealousy they had of the earl, and the
lllore, because they sa"r not else \vhat the king
could do; \vho could not entertain any reasonable
expectation of increase, or addition of force fr0111
the north, or fronl the west; prince Rupert being
then in his lTIarch into Lancashire, for the relief of
the ear] of Derby, (besieged in his castle of La-
tham,) and prince l\tlaurice being still engaged in
VOL. IV. Ii

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VUf.

] 644.

482

THE HISFJ.
ORY

the unfortunate siege of Lyme in Dorsetshire, a lit-
tle fisher-town; which, after he had lain before it a
month, ,vas much more like to hold out, than it was
the first day he caine before it. In this perplexity,
the king sent the lord Hopton to Bristol, to provide
better for the security of that Ï1nportant city; where
he knew Waller had many friends; and hinlself re-
solved yet to stay at Oxford, till he sa,v ho,v the
t\VO armies would dispose thelnselves; that, ,,,hen
they were so divided that they could not presently
join, he might fight with one of theu1; which ,vas
the greatest hope he had now left.
I t was very happy that the t\VO arnlies lay so
long quiet near each other, without pressing the ad-
vantages they had, or Îlnproving th<:: confusion and
distraction, ,vhich the king's forces \vere, at that
time, too lTIuch inclined to. Orders were given so
to quarter the king's army, that it might keep the
rebels from passing over either of the rivers, Cher-
well, or Isis, which run on the east and west sides
of the city the foot being, for the IDost part, quar-
tered towards the Cherwell, and the horse, \vith
some dragoons, near the Isis.
In this posture all the armies lay quiet, and \vith-
out action, for the space of a day; which sOlDe,vhat
conlposed the nlinds of those within Oxford, and of
the troops \'Tithout; which had not yet recovered
their dislike of their having quitted Ahingdon, and
thereby of being so straitened in their quarters.
Some of Waller's forces attenlpted to pass the Isis
at N ewbridge, but ,vere repulsed by the king's dra-
goons. But the next day Essex, ,vith his whole
arlny, got over the Thalnes at Sandford ferry, and
marched to Islip, where he nlade his quarters; and,

OF 'fHE REBELLION. 483

in his way, made a halt upon Bullington-green, that
the city might take a full view of his army, and be
of it. In order to which, himself, with a small
party of horse, caIne within cannon shot; and little
parties of horse came very near the ports, and had
light skirnlishes with SOine of the king's horse, \vitIl-
out any great hurt on either side.
The next morning, a strong party of the earl's
arlny endeavoured to pass over the Chcr\vell, at
Gosworth-bridge; . but were repulsed by the n111S-
keteers \vith very considerable loss; and so retired
to their body. And now the earl being engaged,
with his \\Thole army, on the east side of the river
Cherwell, whereby he was disabled to give or re-
cei ve any speedy assistance to or fronl \VaIler; the
king resolved to attelnpt the repossessing hiu1self of
Abingdon, and to take the opportunity to fight with
Waller singly, before he could be relieved from the
other army. In order to this, all the foot ,vere in
the evening drawn off from the guard of the passes,
and marched through Oxford in the night towards
Abingdon; and the earl of Cleveland, a man of
signal courage, and an exceHent officer upon any
bold enterprise, advanced, with a party of óne hun-
dred and fifty horse, to the town itself; w11ere there
were a thousand foot, and four hundred horse of
Waller's aflny; and entered the same, and killed
many, and took some prisoners: but, upon the
alarm, he was so overpowered, that his prisoners
escaped, though he killed the chief commander, and
made his retreat good, \vith the loss only of t\VO of-
ficers, and as many common soldiers; and so both
the attempt upon Abingdon was given over, and
the design of fighting \Valler laid aside; and the
Ii2

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOO [(
VIII.

1644.

484

'fHE IIIS'rOR Y

arnlY }'eturned again to their old post on the north
side of Oxford.
Sir Jacob Astley undertook the comnland himself
at Gosworth-bridge, ,vhere he perceived the earl in-
tended to force his passage; and presently cast up
breast,vorks, and made a redoubt for the defence of
his men, and repulsed the enemy, the second tÍ1ne,
very much to their danlage and loss; who rene,ved
their assault two or three days together, and planted
cannon to facilitate their passage, ,vhich did little
hurt; but they still lost many nlen in the attempt.
On the other side, "r aller's forces from Abingdon
did not find the new bridge so well defended; hut
overpo,vering those guards, and having got boats, in
which they put over their men, both above and be-
10 ,v, they got that passage over the river Isis: by
\vhich they might have brought over all their arl11Y,
and fallen upon the king's rear, whilst he ,vas de...
fending the other side.
r t "ras now high time for the king to provide for
his own security, and to escape the danger he ,vas
in, of being shut 111) in Oxford. 'Valler lost no tinle,
but the next day passed over five thousand horse
and foot, by N e,vbridge: the van ,,,hereof quartered
at Ensham, and, the king's foot being dra'''"n off
from Gosworth-bridge, Essex inlmediately brought
his men over the Cher,vell; and quartered that
night at Blechingdon; nlany of his horse advancing
to \V oodstock; so that the king seemed to then1 to
he perfectly shut in bet\veen them; and to his O\\Tn
people, his condition seemed so desperate, that one
of those ,vith whom he used. to advise in his most
secret affairs, and whose fidelity ,vas never sus-
pected, proposed to him to render himself, upon

.OJi' 'l'HE REBELLION. 485

conditions, to the earl of Essex; which his luajesty
rejected with great indignation; yet had the good-
ness to conceal the name of the proposer; and said,
" that possibly he might be found in the hands of
., the earl of Essex, but he would be dead first."
'Vord was given, "for all the horse to be together,
"at such an hour," to expect orders; and a good
body of foot, with cannon, Inarched through the
to\vn towards Abingdon; by which it was con-
cluded, that both armies ,vould he alTIused, and
'Valler induced to draw back over Newbridge: and,
as soon as it ,vas evening, the foot, and cannon, re-
turned to their old post on the north side.
The king resolved, for the encouragelnent of the
lords of the council, and the persons of quality who
were in Oxford, to leave his son. the duke of York
there; and pron1ised, if they should he besieged,
" to do all he could to relieve them, before they
"should he reduced to extremity." He appointed
then, "that two thousand and five hundred choice
" n1usketeers should be dra\vn out of the whole foot,
" under the comlnand of sir Jacob Astley, and four
"experienced colonels; all which should, without
" colours, repair to the place where the horse at-
" tended to receive orders, and that the rest of the
"foot should remain together on the north side,
"and so be applied to the defence of Oxford, if it
" should he hesieged."
All things being in this order, on Monday the
third of June, about nine of the clock at night, the
king, with the prince, and those lords, and others
who were appointed to ättend hin1, and n1any others
of quality who were not appointed, and only thought
themselves less secure if they should stay hehind,
Ii3

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

nOOK
VIII.

] 644.

486

THE HISTORY

marched out of the north port, attended by his own
troop, to the place where the horse, and commanded
foot, \vaited to receive them; and frolll thence, with-
out any halt, marched between the two armies, and
by daybreak were at Hanborough, some nliles be-
yond all their quarters. But the king rested not
till the afternoon, when he found himself at Bur-
ford; and then concluded that he was in no danger
to be overtaken by any army that \vas to follow
with baggage, and a train of artillery: so that he
was content to refresh his men there; and supped
hitnself; yet was not without apprehension that he
might be follo\ved by a body of the enenlY's horse;
and therefore, about nine of the clock, he continued
his march from Burford over the Cots,,:"old, and by
luidnight reac}1ed Burton upon the Water; \vhere
he gave himself, and his wearied troops, more rest
and refreshlnent.
The morning after the king left Oxford, the foot
Inarched again through Oxford, as if they nleant to
go to Abingdon, to continue that amusement which
the day before had prevailed with 'Val1er, to send
nlany of his Inen back, and to delay his o\vn ad-
vance; and likewise, that quarters might be pro-
vided for thelTI against their return; which they
did by noon. Tbe earl of Essex had that morning,
from Blechingdon, sent sonle horse to take a vie\v
of Oxford, and to learn what was doing there. And
they seeing the colours standing, as they had done
two days before, nlade hinl conclude, that tbe king
was still there, and as much in his power as ever.
Waller had earlier intelligence of his majesty's nlO-
tion, and sent a good body of horse to follow him,
and to retard his march, till he could come up: and

OF THE REBELLION. 487

his horse made such haste, that they found in Bur- BOO K

d · ld . h f VIII.
1.01' some of the stragglIng so leI'S, w 0 out 0
weariness, or for love of drink, had stayed behind 1644.
their fellows. The earl of Essex followed likewise
with his arlny, and quartered at Chipping Norton;
and 'V aller's horse were as far as Broadway, \vhen
the king had reached Eveshaln; where he intended
to rest, as in a secure place; though his garrison at
Te\vkesbury had been, the night before, surprised
by a strong party fron1 Gloucester; the chief officers
being killed, and the rest taken prisoners; 1110st of
the COUlmon soldiers making their escape, and conl-
ing to Evesham. But, upon intelligence that both
arnlies followed by strong marches, and it being
possible that they might get over the river Avon
about Stratford, or some other place, and so get be-
tween the king and \V orcester, his majesty changed
his purpose of staying at Evesham, and presently
luarched ,to 'Vorcester, having given order for the
breaking of the bridge at Pershore; which was, un-
,varily, so near done before all the troops were
passed, that, by the sudden falling of an arch, major
Bridges, of the prince's regÏ1nent, a Ulan of good
courage and conduct, with two or three other of-
ficers of horse, and about t,venty C0111nl0n men, fell
unfortunately into the Avon, and ,vere drowned.
The earl of Essex, when he saw the king was The earl of
. Essex
got full two days' luarch before hiln, and that It marches to-
· . bI k h . b . h . wards the
was ll11pOSSI e so to overta e In1, as to rIng 1m west:
into their power, resolved to pursue him no farther,
hut to consult what \vas else to be done; and, to
that purpose, called a council of all the principal of-
ficers of both arn1Îes, to attend hÏ111 at 13urford;
. where it was resolved, " that '''aller, who had the
Ii4

488

1.'HE HIS1.'OR Y

1644.

"lighter ordnance, and the less carriages, should
"have such an addition of forces, as Massey, the
" governor of Gloucester, should he able to furnish
" hÍln with; and so should pursue and follo,v the
" king wheresoever he should go; and that the earl
" of Essex, who had the greater ordnance, and the
" heavier carriages, should prosecute the other de-
e'sign of relieving Lyme, and reducing the west to
" the obedience of the parlialnent."
Waller opposed this resolution all he could; and
urged some order and deternlination of the COlll-
mittee of both kingdolns in the point; and, "that
"the west ,vas assigned to hin1, as his province,
"when the two arn1ies should think fit to sever
" from each other." Ho\vever, Essex gave hin1 po-
sitive orders, as his general, "to march according to
" the advice of the council of war;" which he durst
not disobey, but sent grievous complaints to the
parliarnent, of the usage he was forced to sublnit to.
And they at Westminster were so incensed against
the earl of Essex, that they writ a very angry and
imperious letter to him, in which they reproached
him, "for not sublnitting to the directions ,vhich
" they had given;" and required hilll "to follow
"their forlner directions, and to suffer 'Valler to
"attend the service of the west." 'Vhich letter
\vas brought to hiln before he had Inarched above
t,vo days westward. But the earl chose
ather to
answer their letter, than to obey their order; and
,vrit to thenl, "that their directions had been con-
" trary to the discipline of \var, and to reason; and
" that, if he should no\v return, it would be a great
"encouragement to the enen1Y in all places;" and

ubscrihed his letter, " Your innocent, though su
-

BOOK
VIII.

.

O.F r:rI-IE REBELLION. 489

" pected servant, Essex;" and then pI'osecuted his BOOK
VIII.
resolution, and continued his march for the west.
"\Vhen 'ValleI' found there was no remedy, he 1644.
d h . d · h h d . l . d . Waller to-
obeye IS or ers W1t lllUC I Igence an VI- wards
d d h . h d W t Worcester,
gour; an prosecute IS marc towar s orces er, after the
where his majesty then was; and, in his way, per- king.
suaded, rather than forced, the garrison of Sudely-
castle, the strong house of the lord Chandois, to de-
liver up that place to hinl. The lord of that castle
was a young Ulan of spirit and courage; and had
for two years served the king very bravely in the
head of a regiment of horse, \vhich hinlself had raised
at his o\vn charge; but had lately, out of pure weari-
ness of the fatigue, and having spent most of his
nloney, and without any dÍ1ninution of his affection,
left the king, under pretence of travel; hut making
London his ,,-ay, he gave himself up to the pleasures
of that place; \vhich he enjoyed, without consider-
ing the issue of the ,val', or shewing any inclinattou
to the parliament; nor did he, in any degree, con-
tribute to the delivery of his house; which was at
first inlagined, because it \vas so ill, or not at all, de-
fended. It \vas under the govern luent of sir 'Vil-
lian1 l\lorton, a gentleman of the long robe; \vho, in
the beginning of the \var, cast off his gown, as lllany
other gallant men of that profession of the law did,
and served as lieutenant colonel in the regÏ111ent of
horse under the lord Chandois; and had given so
frequent testimony of signal courage in several ac-
tions, in which he had received nlany \vounds, both
hy tfie pistol and the sword, that his mettle \vas
never suspected; and his fidelity as little questioned:
and after 111any years of Ílnprisonment, sustained
,vith great firn1ness and constancy, he lived to re-

BOOK
VB I.

1644.

490

THE HISTORY

ceive the reward of his merit, after the return of the
king; who made hÎ1n first a sergeant at la,v, and
afterwards a judge of the king's bench; where he
sat Inany years, and discharged the office with much
gravity and learning; and ,vas very terrible to those
who chose to live by robbing on the highway. He
was unfortunate, though ,vitbout fault, in the giving
up that castle in so unseasonable a conjuncture;
which .,vas done by the faction and artifice of an
officer within, who ha,d found Ineans to go out to
'ValleI', and to acquaint hiln ,vith the great wants of
the garrison; ,vhich indeed had not plenty of any
thing: and so, by the J11utiny of the soldiers, it was
given up; and the governor Inade prisoner, and sent
to the Tower; where he remained SOlne years after
the end of the war. From hence 'ValleI', \vith great
expedition, marched to Evesham ; where the evil in-
habitants l
eceived him ,villingly; and had, as soon
as the king left theI11, repaired their bridge over the
Avon, to facilitate his coming to thelTI; which he
could not else so soon have done.
The king rested some days at Worcester, whereby
he very nluch refreshed his troops, which were there
spared from doing duty; and likewise, by the loyalty
of that good town, and the affection of the gentry of
that county, who retired thither for their security,
he procured both shoes and stockings, and nloney
for his soldiers: and then, upon good information,
that Waller was marched out of Evesham \vith his
whole arn1Y towards 'V orcester, \vhich he would pro-
bably besiege, the king resolved not to be fbund
there; and therefore, having left that city ,veIl pro-
vided, and in good heart, his n1ajesty relnoved \vith
his little army to Be,vdley, that he n1ight keep the

OF THE REBELLION. 491

river Severn between him and the enemy; the foot
being quartered together at Bewdley, and the horse
by the side of the river to\vards Bridgenorth. The
posture in which the king \vas, made 'ValleI' con-
clude that his majesty intended his course to Shrews-
bury, and to the more northern parts. And it is
true, that, without any such resolution, orders were
sent to Shrewsbury, Bridgenorth, Ll1dlo\v, and other
garrisons, " that they should Inake all possible pro-
"visions of corn, and other victual ; which they
" should cause, in great quantities, to be brought thi-
" ther;" \vhich confirmed \Valler in his former con-
jecture, and made him advance with his army be-
yond the king, that he nlight be nearer Shrewsbury
than he. But, God knows, the king was without any
other design, than to avoid the enemy; with wholn
he could not, \vith such a handful of foot, and with-
out cannon, propose reasonably to fight a battle:
and he had too nlany good reasons against going to
either of those places, or to those parts, which Wal-
leI' conceived hiln inclined to ; and his majesty Inight
well assume the c0111plaint and expression of king
David, " that he lOllS huntell liS a partri{lge upon
" tlte 1nollntaills;" and knew not whither to resort,
or to what place to repair for rest.
In this perplexity, it looked like the bounty of
Providence, that Waller ,vas advanced so far: upon
,vhich, the king took a sudden resolution, to return
with all expedition to 'Vorcester, and to make haste
to Evesham; where having broke the bridge, and
so left the river of Avon at his back, he might be
ab]e, by quick marches, to join with that part of his
army, which he had left at Oxford; and Inight
thereby be in a condition to fight with 'ValleI', and

BOOK
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49

rrHE HISrrORY

to prosecute any other design. Upon this good re-
solution, care was taken for aU the boats to come
both fron1 Bridgenorth and \V orcester, that the foot
might, with the more speed and ease, be carried thi-
ther; all which succeeded to wish. Insomuch, that
the next day, being ell1barked early in the morning,
the foot arrived so soon at 'Vorcester, that they
ll1ight very well have Inarched that night to Eves-
ham, but that n1any of the horse, \vhich were quar-
tered beyond Bewdley to\vards Bridgenorth, could
not possibly march at that rate, nor COll1e up soon
enough; so that it was necessary that both horse
and foot should remain that night together at W 01'-
cester; \vhich they did accordingly.
The next l11orning, the king found no cause to
alter any thing in his former resolution; and re-
ceived good intelligence, that Waller, without know-
ing any thing of his 111otion, remained still in his old
quarters; whereupon he Inarched very fast to Eves-
haIn; nor would he stay there; but gave order for
the horse and foot, \vithout delay, to march through
it; after he had provided for the breaking down the
bridge, and made the inhabitants of the to\vn pay
t\VO hundred pounds, for their alacrity in the recep-
tion of Waller; and likewise compelled them to de-
liver a thousand pair of shoes for the use of the sol-
diers; \vl1ich, without any long pause, was submitted
to, and performed. Then the army marched that
night to Broadway, \vhere they quartered; and
very early the next morning, they mounted the hills
near Camden; and there they had till1e to breathe,
and to look with pleasure on the places they had
passed through; having now left 'V aller, and the
ill ways he must pass, far enough behind; for even

OF THE RF
nELLION.

493

in that season of the year, the ,vays in that vale BOO K
VIII.
,vere very deep.
N ow the king sent colonel Fielding, and, lest he 1644.
might miscarry, (for both from Gloucester, 'Tewkes-
bury, and Sudely-castle, the enemy had many scouts
abroad,) two or three other lTIeSsengers, to the lords
of the council at Oxford, to let then1 know " of his
" happy return;" and that he meant to quarter that
night at Burford; and the next at Witney; where
he did expect, that all his foot, ,vith their colours
and cannon, ,vould meet hinl ; ,vhich, with unspeak-
able joy. they did. So that on Thursday the t,ven-
tieth of June, ,vhich was within seventeen days
after he had left Oxford in that disconsolate condi-
tion, the king found hÍInself in the head of his army,
Froln which he had been so severed, after so lnanv
01
accidents and melancholic perplexities, to which In a-
jesty has been seldonl exposed. Nor can all the cir-
CUlllstances of that peregrination be too particularly
and punctually set down. For as they adn1Ïnistered
lunch delight after they were passed, and gave then1
great argulllent of acknowledging God's good provi-
dence in the preservation of the king, and, in a Inan-
ner, snatching hin1 as a brand out of the fire, and
redeeming hÍIn even out of the hands of the rebels;
so it cannot be ungrateful, or without some pleasure
to posterity, to see the lllost exact relation of an ac-
tion so full of danger in all respects, and of an escape
so relnarkable. And now the king thought hinlself
in a posture not only to abide 'ValleI', if he ap-
proached to\vards hi In, but to follow and find hin1
out, if he had a nlind, or did endeavour to decline
fighting ,vith his lnajesty.
In the short time the king had been absent, the

,

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494

THE HISTORY

garrison at Oxford was not idle. When the king in
the spring had prepared for the field, and in order
thereunto had dra\vn out the garrison at Reading, it
was thought to no purpose to keep lesser garrisons,
at a less distance fronl Oxford; and thereupon the
garrison at Bostal-house, reputed a strong place,
upon the edge of Oxfordshire and Buckinghanlshire,
was appointed to demolish the works and fortifica-
tions, and to retire, and join with the army: which
was no sooner done, but the garrison at Aylesbury,
that had felt. the effects of the other's ill neighLour-
hood, possessed the place, and put a garrison into it ;
which, after the king had left Oxford, and both the
armies of Essex and Waller were gone from before
it, gave little less trouble to that city, and obstructed
the provisions ,vhich should come thither, al010st as
much as one of the armies had done. This brought
great complaints and claulour from the country, and
from the town, to the lords of the council; and ,vas
ever made an excuse for their not complying with
the comnlands they sent out, for labourers to work
upon the fortifications; ,vhich was the principal
\vork in hand; or for any other service of the to,vn.
\Vhen both arlnies were drawn off to such a distance
in following the king, that there seemed for the pre-
sent no reasonable apprehension of being besieged,
the lords considered of a remedy to apply to this
evil from Bostal-house; and receiving encourage-
ment from colonel Gage, (of whom they had a great
esteeln, and of whom we shall speak shortly more at
large,) who offered to undertake the reducing it,
they appointed a party of commanded men of the
foot, which the king had left there, ,vith three pieces
of cannon, and a troop of horse of the town, to obey

OF THE REBELLION. 495

his orders, who, by the break of day, appeal
ed be-
fore the place; and in a short tin1e, with little re-
sistance, got possession of the church, and the out-
houses, and then battered the house itself with his
cannon; which they within ,vould not long endure;
but desired a parley. Upon ,vhich the house ,vas
rendered, ,vith the amlnunition, one piece of ord-
nance, which ,vas all they had; and ll1uch good
provision of victual, whereof they had plenty for
horse and man; and had liberty given them to go
away ,vith their arms and horses; very easy condi-
tions for so strong a post; which was obtained with
the loss of one inferior officer, and two or three con1-
n10n men. Here the colonel left a garrison, that did
not only defend Oxford from those mischievous in-
cursions, but did very near support itself, by the con-
tribution it dre\v frOlTI Buckinghamshire, besides the
prey it frequently took from the very neighbourhood
of Aylesbury.
The earl of Essex, by slo\v and easy marches,
and without any opposition or trouble, entered into
Dorsetshire; and by his great civility, and affability
to,vards all men, and the very good discipline in his
arlny, wrought very much upon the people. Inso-
lnuch that his forces rather increased than dimi-
nished; ,vhich had, during his being before Ox-
ford, been much lessened, not only by the nunlbers
which were killed and hurt, but by the running
away of many, ,vhilst the sharp encounters conti-
nued at Gosworth-bridge. It can hardly be imagined,
how great a difference there was in the hun1our, dis-
position, and manner of the arn1Y under Essex, and
the other under \Valler, in their behaviour and hu-
manity towards the people; and, consequently, in

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THE HIS'r()RY

the reception they found among them; the delnean-
our and carriage of those under Waller being nluch
1110re ungentlemanly, and barbarous, than that of
the other: besides that the people, in all places,
were not without SOlne affection, and even reve-
rence towards the earl, ,vho, as well upon his o,vn
account, as the memory of his father, had been al-
ways universally popular.
'Vhen he came to Blandford, he had a great
mind to make himself 111aster of 'Veyn10uth, if he
could compass it ,vithout engaging his arlny before
it; ,vIIich he resolved not to do; however it was
little out of his ,yay to pass near it. Colonel Ash-
burnham, then governor of ""Veymouth, was Inade
choice of for thai cOlnmand, upon the opinion of his
courage and dexterity; and, to make ,yay for him,
sir Anthony Ashley Cooper had been, the year be-
fore, removed from that charge; and \vas thereby
so much disobliged, that he quitted the king's party,
and gave himself up, body and soul, to the service
of ., the parlialnent, with an Ï1nplacable aninlosity
against the royal interest. The colonel had been
intent upon other things, and not enough solicitous
to finish the fortifications, ,vhich were not strong
enough to defy an army, yet too strong to be deli-
vered upon the approach of one. I shall say the
less of this Dlatter, because the governor afterwards
pressed to have the \vhole examined before a coun-
cil of war, where he produced a \varrant under the
hand of prince Maurice, " that, the town being Ull-
" tenable, he should, upon the advance of the earl
" of Essex, put' a
ufficient strength into PortIal1d-
"castle, and retire thither;" which he had done;
and ,vas" by the council of ,var, absolved from any

OF THE REBELLION. 497

crime. Yet, the truth is, ho\vever absolved, he lost BOO K
VIII.
reputation by it; and was thought to have left the
town too soon, though he meant to have returned 1644.
again, after he had visited Portland. But in the W
ymouth
· h . · d d h dehvered to
mean tU11e t e townsmen n1utlnle , an sent to t e the earl of
earl of Essex when he was near the town; where- Essex.
upon he came thither; \vhich he would not other-
wise have done; and gave the garrison leave to
march with their arnlS to prince Maurice; and so
became nlaster of 'Veynlouth; and, leaving men !:yme re-
. heved by
enough out of the country to defend it, ,vlthout any him.
delay he prosecuted his march to Lyme; from
whence prince Maurice, upon the news of the loss
of Weymouth, had retired with haste enough to-
\vards Exeter, with a body of full five and t,venty
hundred foot, and eighteen hundred horse; after he
had put a garrison of five hundred men into "r are-
haln, and with some loss of reputation, for having
lain so long with such a strength before so vile and
untenable a place, without reducing it.
As soon as the king had joined his arnlY at 'Vit-
ney, which now consisted of full five thousand five
hundred foot, and very near four thousand horse,
,vith a convenient train of artillery, he resolved no
longer to live upon his own quarters, which had
been too much wasted by friends and enenlies; but
to visit the enemy's country; and so, the next day,
he marched towards Buckingham, where he ,vould
stay and expect 'V aller, (of whose motion he yet
heard nothing,) and from whence, if he appeared
not, his majesty might enter into the associated
counties, and so proceed north,vard, if, upon intelli-
gence from thence, he found it reasonable. 'Vhilst
the king stayed at Buckiugham, and thought hiIn-
VOL. IV. K k

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498

'rHE HISTORY

self no'v in a good condition to fight \vith the ene-
n1Y, (his troops every day bringing in store of pro-
visions, and, being now in a country where they
were not expected, Inet. \vith many cart-loads of
wine, grocery, and tobacco, ,vhich were passing, as
in secure roads, fron1 London to Coventry and'Var-
,vick; all. \vhich \vere very welcon1e to Bucking-
hanl,) a ne\vand unexpected trouble fell upon him
by tIle ill hunlour and faction in his own arl11Y.
'Viln1ot continued still sullen and perverse, and
every day grew more insolent; and had contracted
such an aninlosity against the lord Digby, and the
master of the rolls, that he persuaded many officers
of the arlny, especially of the horse, where he ,,"as
most entirely obeyed, to join in a petition to the
king, "that those two counsellors l11ight be ex-
"eluded, and be no more present in councils of
" war;" ,vhich they prolnised to do.
"\tVaUer remained still in "\t,r orcestershire; upon
,vhich it ,vas again consulted, what the king ,vas to
do. SOlne proposed " the marching presently into
" the associated counties;" others, " to lose no time
"in endeavouring to join with prince Rupert."
'Vihnot, ,vithout ever C0l11111unicating it with the
king, positively advised, " that they might IJresently
" In arch to\vards London, and, now both their ge-
" nerals and arn1ies \vere far froI11 theIn, Inake trial
" \vhat .the true affection of the city \vas; and that,
" ,vhen the army \vas 111arched as far as St. Alban's

"the king should send such a gracious lnessage
" both to the parIiall1ent and city, as was ll10st like
"to prevail upon them;" and concluded, as if he
knew " that this way of proceeding would be very
'.' mnch approved of by the army." This extrava-

OF rrHE ItEBELLION. 499

gant motion, \vith all the CirCU111stances of it, trou-
hIed the king very much; yet he thought not fit
absolutely to reject it, lest it might pro1l10te that
petition, \vhich he kne\v w"as fraining an10ng the of-
ficers; hut ,vished theIn, "that such a message
" should be prepared, and then that he ,vould C0I11-
" municate both that, and \vhat concerned his n1arch
c, towards London, to the lords of the council at
" Oxford; that in so \veighty an affair he Inight rc-
"ceive their counsel." To that purpose the lord
Digby, and the Inaster of the rolls, ,vere sent to
Oxford; who, after two days, returned \vithout any
approbation of the march, or the message by the
lords. But all that intrigue fell of itself, upon the
sure intelligence, " that 'Valler had left \V orcester-
" shire, and Inarched, \vith what speed he could, to
" find his majesty;" which gave new argun1ent of
debate.
\Vhen the king had so dexterously deceived and
eluded hÎIn by his quick nlarch to and froin Wor-
cester, 'ValleI', who had not tilnely inforrnation of
it, and less suspected it, thought it not to the pur-
pose to tire his army \vith long 11larches in hope to
overtake him; hut first shewed it at all the ,vans
of \V orcester, to tcrrify that city, which had con-
ten1ned his power a year before, when it ,vas not so
well able to resist it. But he quickly discer
ed he
could do no good there: then he marched to\vards
Gloucester, having sent to colonel Massey to send
hin1 SOine Inen out of Gloucester; which he, being
a creature of Essex's, refused to do. Upon this de-
nial, he marched into '\Varwickshire; and appointed
his rendezvous in Keinton field, the place \" here the
first battle was fought. There he received an ad.
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TIlE HISTOR.Y

BOOK dition of seven troops of horse, and about six hun-
VIII.
dred foot, fron1 'Varwick and from Coventry, with
16-14. eleven pieces of ordnance. 'Vith this recruit he
marched confidently to,vards the king; of ,vhich his
majesty being inforlned, that he might the sooner
meet hhn, he Inarched with his army to Brackley,
when Waller was near Banbury; and the arlnies
con1Ïng shortly in view of each other, upon a fair
sunshine in the afternoon, after a very wet morn-
ing, both endeavoured to possess a piece of ground
they ,veIl knew to be of advantage; which being
nearer to 'V aller, and the king passing his whole
army through the to,vn of Banbury, before he could
con1e to it, 'Valler had first his men upon it in good
order of battle, before the king could reach thither:
so that the king lay that night in the field, half a
mile east of Banbury, the river of Cherwell being
between the two arlnies.
The fight at The king resolved to make 'VaIleI' dra\v off from
Cropred
h
bridge that advantage ground, where e had stood t,vo
days; and, in order thereunto, marched away, as if
he would enter farther into N orthalnptonshire: and
he no sooner moved, but \VaIler likewise dre,v off
from his ground, and coasted on the other side of
the river, but at such a distance, that it ,vas thought
he had no nlind to be engaged. The van of the
king's army was led by the general, and Wilmot:
in the body was the king and the prince, and the
rear consisted of one thousand comnlanded foot, un-
der colonel Thel,vell, with the earl of N orthalnp-
ton's and the earl of Cleveland's brigades of horse.
And, that the enemy nlight not be able to take any
advantage, a party of dragoons was sent to keep
Cropredy-bridge, until the army was passed beyond

OF THE REBELLION.

501

,

it. The army marching in this order, intelligence
\vas brought to the king,
'that there was a body of
" three hundred horse within less than two miles of
" the van of the arlny, that marched to join with
" 'VaIler; and that they Inight be easily cut off, if
"the army mended their pace." '''hereupon, or-
ders \vere sent to the foren10st horse, "that they
" should Inove faster," the van and the middle hav-
ing the san1e directions, without any notice given to
the rear. 'VaIleI' quickly discerned the great dis-
tance that was suddenly gro\vn between the king's
body and his rear, and presently advanced ,vith fif-
teen hundred horse, one thousand foot, and eleven
pieces of cannon., to Cropredy-bridge, which were
quickly too strong for the dragoons that were left
to keep it, and which made a very faint resistance:
so that this party advanced above half a n1ile, pur-
suing their design of cutting off the king's rear, be-
fore they should be able to get up to the body of
the arlny. To facilitate this execution, he had sent
one thousand llorse Inore, to pass over at a ford a
D1ile below Cropredy-bridge, and to fall upon the
rear of all. Timely notice being given of this to
the earl of Cleveland, who ,vas in the van of that
divi
ion, and" of the enemy's having passed at Crop-
" redy," (which was confirl11ed by the running of
the horse, and scattered foot,) " and that there stood
" two bodies of horse without moving, and faced
" the army:" thereupon the earl presently drew up
his brigade to a rising ground that faced that pass,
where he discerned a great body of the rebels' horse
drawn up, and ready to have fallen upon his rear.
It \vas no tilne to expect orders; but the earl, led
by his o\vn great spirit, charged presently that body
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50

'THE HISTORY

with great fury, ,vhich sustained it not with equal
courage; losing a cornet, and many prisoners.
This alarm had quickly reached the king, who
sent to the van to return, and himself drew up
those about him, to a little hill beyond the bridge;
where he saw the enemy preparing for a second
charge upon the earl of Cleveland. The king COln-
Inanded the lord Bernard Stewart, a valiant young
gentleman, who comlnanded his own guards, "to
" make haste to the assistance of the rear; and, in
" his way, to charge those two bodies of horse which
" faced his majesty." He, ,vith above a hundred of
gallant and stout gentlemen, returned instantly over
the bridge, and made haste towards those t,vo bo-
dies of horse; who, seeing their fellows routed by
the earl of Cleveland, were then advancing to charge
hin1 in the flank, as he was following the execution.
But the presence of this troop made them change
thefr mind; and, after a very little stay, accolnpany
their fellows in their flight; which very much faci-
litated the defeat that quickly ensued.
The earl of Cleveland, after his short encounter,
Inade a stand under a great ash, (where the king
had but half an hour before stayed and dined,) not
understanding what the enelny could n1ean by ad-
vancing so fast, and then flying so soon; when he
perceived a body of their horse of sixteen cornets,
and as many colours of foot, placed within the
hedges, and all within musket-shot of hitn, and ad-
vancing upon him; which he like\vise did upon
then1 with notahle vigour; and having stood their
musket and carabine shot, he charged then1 so furi-
ously, being resolutely seconded ùy all the officers of
his brigade, that he routed both horse and foot, and

OF THE REBELLION. 503

chased them with good execution beyond their can-
non: all which, being eleven pieces, were taken;
with two barricadoes of wood, which ,vere drawn
upon wheels, and in each seven small brass and
leather guns, charged with case-shot; 11108t of their
cannoneers were killed, and the general of their
ordnance taken prisoner. This luan, one 'Veelnes,
a Scotchlnan, had been as llluch obliged by the
king, as a man of his condition could he, and in a
lllanner very unpopular: for he was made master
gunner of England, ,vith a pension of three hun-
dred pounds jJe1- allllllln for his life, (which ,vas
looked upon as SOlne disrespect to the English na-
tion,) and having never done the king the least ser-
vice, he took the first opportunity to disserve hin1 ;
and having been engaged against hitn, fron1 the be-
ginning of the rebellion, he was no\v preferred by
thein, for his eminent disloyalty, to be general of
the ordnance in the army of sir Willianl 'Valler;
who was very much advised by hinl in all matters
of importance. Besides \Veemes, there was taken
prisoner Baker, lieutenant colonel to sir "rillian1
'V aller's own regiment, and five or six lieutenant
colonels and captains, of as good nalnes as ,vere
alnongst theln; ,vith many lieutenants, ensigns, and
cornets, quartermasters; and above one hundred
C0111ll10n soldiers; lnany lllore being slain in the
charge. The earl pursued them as far as the bridge;
over ,vhich he forced then1 to retire, in spite of
their dragoons, 'v hich were placed there to Inake
good their retreat; all which fled ,vith theIn, or be-
fore. And so the earl, having cleared that side of
the river, and not knowing how far he ,vas fro1l1 the
arlny, retired, as he had good reason to do; having
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THE HIS1."ORY

lost, in this notable action, two colonels, sir 'Vil-
liam Boteler, and sir \Villiam Clarke, both gentle-
n1en of Kent, of fair fortunes, \vho had raised and
armed their regin1ents at their own charge, \vho
were both killed dead upon the place, with one cap-
tain more of another regiment, and. not above four-
teen comlnon soldiers.
At the same time, the earl of Northan1pton dis-
covered that party of the enen1Y's horse, ,vhich had
found a passage over the river a mile below, to fol-
low him in the rear; and presently faced about with
those regiments of his brigade. Upon \vhich, ,vith-
out enduring the charge, the whole body betook
themselves to flight, and got over the pass they had
so newly been acquainted with, with little loss, be-
cause they prevented the danger; though many of
thein, when they were got over, continued their flight
so far, as if they were still pursued, that they never
returned again to their army. The lord Bernard,
with the king's troop, seeing there was no enemy
left on that side, drew up in a large field opposite to
the bridge; 'v here he stood, 'v hilst the cannon, on
the other side, played upon him, until his majesty
and the rest of the army passed by them, and drew
into a body upon the fields near 'Vilscot. '" aller
instantly quitted Cropredy, and drew up his whole
army upon the high grounds, which are between
Cropredy and Han,vell, opposite to the king's quar-
ters about a mile; the river of Cher,vell, and some
low grounds, being between both armies; which had
a full view of each other.
I t was now about three of the clock in the after-
noon, the weather very fair, and very warm, (it
being the 29th day of June,) and the king's arlny

OF THE REBELLION. 505

being no\v together, his majesty resolved to prose-
cute his good fortune, and to go to the enenlY, since
they would not come to hitn: and, to that purpose,
sent t\VO good parties, to make way for him to pass
both at Cropredy-bridge, and the other pass a mile
below; over which the enenlY had so newly passed:
both which places were strongly guarded by thenl.
To Cropredy they sent such strong bodies of foot, to
relieve each other as they should be pressed, that
those sent by the king thither could make no Î1n-
pression upon them; but were repulsed, till the night
canle, and severed thenl ; all parties being tired wjth
the duty of the day. But they who were sent to
the other pass, a mile below, after a short resist-
ance, gained it, and a nlill adjoining; where after
they had killed some, they took the rest prisoners;
and from thence, did not only defend themselves that
and the next day, but did the enemy much hurt;
expecting still that their fellows should master the
other pass, that so they might advance together.
Here the king \vas prevailed with to make trial
of another expedient. Some men, from the con-
ference they had with the prisoners, others froln
other intelligence, made no doubt, but that if a mes-
sage \vere no\v sent of grace and pardon to all the
officers and soldiers of that a1'111Y, they would forth-
with lay down their arms: and it was very noto-
rious, that multitudes ran every day frOlTI thence.
How this message should be sent, so that it might
be effectually delivered, was the only question that
relnained: and it was agreed, "that sir Edward
" Walker" (\vho was both garter king at arms, and
secretary to the council of war) " should be sent to
" publish that his lllajesty's grace." But he wisely

BOOK
VIlI.

1644.

,

ROOK
VllI.

1644.

506

THE I-IISTOR Y

desired, " that a trumpet might be first sent for a
" pass;" the barbarity of that people being nofo-
rious, that they regarded not the la\vs of arlUS, or of
nations. 'Vhereupon a trumpet was sent to sir
\Villiam 'ValleI', to desire "a safe conduct for a
" gentIenlan, who should deliver a gracious message
"froln his nlajesty." After t\VO hours' considera-
tion, he returned ans,ver, " that he had no po\ver to
" receive any 111essage of grace or favour fr0l11 his
" 111ajesty, without the consent of the two houses of
" parlialnent at Westminster, to \v h0111 his Inajesty,
" if he pleased, might make his addresses." And as
soon as the trumpet \vas gone, as an evidence of his
resolution, he caused above t\venty shot of his great-
est cannon to be made at the king's army, and as
near the place as they could, where his majesty
used t.o be.
\Vhen both arlnies had stood upon the same
ground, and in the same posture, for the space of
t,vo days, they both drew off to a greater distance
fron1 each other; and, froln that time, never sa\v
each other. It then quickly appeared, by W aller'

still keeping more aloof from the king, and his march-
ing up and down from Buckingham, sOlnetimes to-
wards N orthalnpton, and sometÎInes to,vards 'Var-
wick, that he was ,vithout other design, than of re-
cruiting his arnlY; and that the defeat of that day
at Cropredy \vas n1uch greater, than it then appeare

to be; and that it even broke the heart of his arn1Y.
And it is very probable, that if the king, after he
had rested and refreshed his men three or four days,
\vhich ,vas very necessary, in regard they were ex-
ceedingly tired \vith continual duty, besides that the
provisions ,vould not hold longer in the saIne quar-

OJ.' TI-IE REBELLION. 507

tel'S, had follo\ved Waller, when it ,vas evident he
would not follow the king, he 111ight have destroyed
that army ,vithout fighting: for it appeared after-
wards, without its being pursued, that within four-
teen days after that action at Cropredy, 'V aller's
army, that before consisted of eight thousand, was
so much \vasted, that there remained not with him
half that number.
But the truth is, froll1 the time that the king dis-
covered that 111utinous spirit in the officers, governed
by \Vibnot, at Buckinghalu, he was unsatisfied with
the teluper of his o\vn arlny, and did not desire a
thorough engagement, till he had a little tÎ1ne to re-
form some, whom he resolved never more heartily to
trust; and to undeceive others, who, he knew, were
Inisled \vithout any malice, or evil intention. But
when he now found himself so much at liberty frolD
t\VO great aru1ies, which had so straitly encolnpassed
hiln, \vithin little more than a month; and that he
had, upon the matter, defeated one of them, and re-
duced it to a state, in which it could, for the present,
do him little harm; his heart ,vas at no ease, with
apprehension of the terrible fright the queen "Touid
be in, (\vho was newly delivered of a daughter, that
,vas after,vards married to the duke of Orleans,)
,vhen she sa\v the earl of Essex before the walls of
Exeter, and should be at the same tilne inforn1ed,
that 'Valler was with another aru1Y in pursuit of
hÎlnself. His majesty resolved therefore, ,vith all
possible expedition, to follo,v the earl of Essex, in
hopes that he should be able to fight a battle with
hiln, before \Valler should be in a condition to follo\v
hin1: and his own strength ,vould he n1uch im-
proved, by a conjunction with prince Maurice; ,vho,
though he retired before Essex, would be well able,

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

508

THE HISTORY

BOOK by the north of Devonshire, to meet the king, when
VIII.
he should know that he marched that ,vay.
His majesty had no sooner taken this resolution,
than he gave notice of it to the lords of the council
at Oxford; and sent an express into the ,vest, to in-
form the queen of it; who, by the way, carried or-
ders to the lord Hopton, "to draw what men he
"could out of IVlonlllouthshire, and South Wales,
" into Bristol; that himself lllight nleet his majesty
"with as many as he could possibly draw out of
The king "that garrison." So, without any delay, the whole
D1arches to-. . . .
wards the army, WIth what expedItIon was possIble, marched
west. to\vards the west over the Cotswold to Cirencester ;
and so to Bath; where he arrived on the 15th day
of July, and stayed there one whole day, to refresh
his arn1Y; which stood enough in need of it.
The king had scarce l11arched t\VO days west,vard,
'v hen he was surprised with ill news c from the north;
for, after he had, by an express from Oxford, re-
ceived intelligence, "that prince Rupert had not
" only relieved York, but totally defeated the Scots,
" with n1any particulars to contirll1 it," (all which
was so n1uch believed there, that they had Inade
public fires of joy for the victory,) he now received
quite contrary infornlation, and was too surely con-
vinced, that his whole arlny ,vas defeated. I twas
very true, that, after many great and noble actions
perforllled by prince Rupert in the relief of Latham,
and the reduction of Bolton, and all other places in
that large county, (Manchester only excepted,) in
which the rebels lost very manr, much blood having
been shed in taking places by assault, ,vhich were
too obstinately defended; the Plince had marched
out of Lancashire with so good reputation, and had
c ill news] terrible news

1644.

OF THE REBELLION. 509

given his orders so effectually to Goring, ,vho lay BOOK
VIII.
in Lincolnshire with that body of horse that be-
longed to the nlarquis of Newcastle's army, that they 1644.
happily joined him; and In arched together to,vards
York, with such expedition, that the enemy ,vas so
surprised, that they found it necessary to raise the
siege in confusion enough; and leaving one whole
side of the town free, drew to the other side, in great
disorder and consternation; there being irreconcile-
able differences, and jealousies, between the officers,
and, indeed, bet,veen the nations: the English re-
solving to join no more with the Scots, and they, on
the other side, as weary of their company and disci-
pline; so that the prince had done his ,vork; and if
he had sat still, the enemy's great arlnyd would have
11louldered to nothing, and been exposed to any ad-
vantage his highness would take of them.
But the disnlal fate of the kingdolll ,vould not An account
. . . of the battle
permIt so llluch sobrIety of counsel e : one sIde of the of l\1arston-
town ,vas no sooner free, by which there was an en- moor. '
tire communication with those in the town, and all
provision brought in abundantly out of the country,
but the prince, without consulting ,vith the marquis
of Newcastle, or any of the officers within the town,
sent for all the soldiers to draw out, and put the
whole arlllY in battaIia, on that side where the enemy
,vas dra,vn up; who had no other hope to preserve
then1 but a present battle, to prevent the reproaches
and n1utinies \vhich distracted them. And though
that party of the king's horse which charged the
Scots, so totally routed and defeated their ,vhole
army, that they fled all \vays for many miles to-
gether, and were knocked on the head, and taken

d the enetuy's great army J
the other great army

e of counsel] Not in MS.

BOOK
VU!.

) 644.

510

THE HISTOR Y

prisoners by the country, and Lesley their general
fled ten llliles, and ,vas taken prisoner by a con-
stable, (froBl \\t9hence the ne\ys of the victory was
speedily hrought to Newark, and thence sent by an
express to Oxford; and so received and spread as
aforesaid,) yet the English horse, commanded hy
Fairfax and Crom\velI, charged f so well, and in such
excellent order, being no sooner broken than they
rallied again, and charged as briskly, that, though
both Fairfax and CrouT\vell were hurt, and both
above the shoulders, and many good officers killed,
they prevailed over that body of horse \vhich op-
posed them, and totally routed and beat them off
the field; andg ahnost the \vhole body of the lllarquis
of Newcastle's foot were cut off.
The 111arquis hinlself, and his brave brother, sir
Charles Cavendish, (who was a nlan of the noblest
and largest mind, though the least and nlost incon-
venient body that lived,) charged in the head of a
troop of gentlenlen, who came out of the to\vn with
hinl, with as nluch gallantry and courage as Inen
could do. But it was so late in the evening before
the battle begun, that the night quickly fell upon
them; and the generals returned into the town, not
enough knowing their o\vn loss, and performed h very
few complinlents to each other. They who most
exactly describe that unfortunate battle, and lllore
unfortunate abandoning that whole country, (when
there lllight have been means found to have drawn a
good arnlY together,) by prince Rupert's hasty de-
parture with all his troops, and the marquis of New-
castle's as hasty departure to the sea-side, and taking
ship, and transporting himself out of the kingdom,

f charged] charged those on
that side

g and] so that
h performed] performing

OF THE REDELLION. 511

and all the ill consequences thereupon, give so ill
an account of any conduct, i or discretion, in the
Inanagery of that affair, t}}at, as I can take no plea-
sure in writing k of it, so posterity would receive
little pleasure, or benefit, in the most particular re-
lation of it. I
This may be said of it, that the like was never
done, or heard, or read of before; that t\VO great
generals, ,,,hereof one had still a good arnlY left, his
horse, by their not having perforlned their duty, re-
nlaining upon the matter entire, and 11luch the
greater part of his foot having retired into the to\vn,
the great execution having fallen upon the northern
foot; and the other, having the absolute comlnission
over the northern counties, and very many consider-
able places in theln still remaining under his obedi-
ence, should hoth agree in nothing else, but in leav-
ing that good city, and the ,vhole country, as a prey
to the enemy; "Tho had not yet the oourage to be-
lieve that they had the victory; the Scots having
been so totally routed, (as hath been said before,)
their general Inade prisoner by a constable, and de-
tained in custody, tillillost part of the next day was
passed; and most of the officers, and army, having
marched, or run above ten Iniles northward, before
they had ne\vs that they lnight securely return: and
though the horse under Fairfax and Croln,vell had
won the day, yet they ,vere both lnuch VtTounded,
and many others of the best officers killed, or so
i conduct,] MS. adds: cou- nladc not such an impression
rage, upon his n1ajesty, but that it
k writing] the draft made him pursue his former re-
I relation of it.] !'rIS. B. adds: solution to follow the earl of
This fatal blow, which so luuch Essex with the more impatience,
changed the king's condition, having now in truth nothing
that till_ then was very hopeful, else to do.

BOOK
VIII.

J G44.

51

THE HISTORY

BOOK maimed that they could not, in any short time, have
VIII.
done more hurt: so that if there had been any agree-
16--14. ment to have concealed their loss, which ,might have
been done to a good degree, (for the enemy was not
possessed of the field, but was drawn off at a dis-
tance, not kno,ving what the horse, which had done
so little, might do the next day,) there might proba-
bly many advantages have appeared, which Vtrere not
at the instant in view; however, they might both
bave done that as securely afterwards, as they did
then unseasonably.
But neither of them were friends to such delibera-
tion; but, as soon as they ,vere refreshed with a
little sleep, they both sent a n1essenger to each
other, aln10st at the same time; the one, " that he
" was resolved, that morning, to march away ,vith
" his horse, and as n1any foot as he had left;" and
the other, " that he would, in that instant, repair to
"the sea-side, and transport himself beyond the
" seas;" both which they imn1ediately performed;
the marquis making haste to Scarborough, there en1-
barked in a poor vessel, and arrived at Hamburgh:
the prince, with his army, begun his march the same
morning towards Chester. And so York was left to
the discretion of sir Thomas Glemham, the governor
thereof, to do ,vith it as he thought fit; being in a
condition only to deliver it up with n10re decency,
not to defend it against an enelny that would re-
quire it.
'Vhereas, if prince Rupert had stayed ,vith the
army he Inarched away with, at any reasonable dis-
tance, it would have been long before the jealousies
and breaches, which were between the English and
Scotch armies, would have been enough composed to

OF 'rHE REBELLION.

513

have agreed upon the rene\ving the siege; such great nOOK
VIII.
quantities of provision being already brought into
the town: and the Scots talked of nothing but re- 1644.
turning into their o\vn country, where the nlarquis
of IVlountrose had kindled already a fire, \vhich the
parlialnent of Edinburgh could not quench. But the
certain intelligence, " that the prince was Inarched
" a\vay \vithout thought of returning, and that the
" 111arquis had en1harked hinlself," reconciled then1

o far, (and nothing else could,) that, after two days,
they returned to the posts they had before had in the
siege; and so straitened the town, that the governor,
,vhen he had no hope of relief, within a fortnight \vas
compelled to deliver it up, upon as good articles for York òcJi-
h d h .. d .L'. h . vercd to 1 he
t e town, an the gentry t at were In It, an lor Iffi- parJiament
self, and the few soldiers he had left, as he could forces.
propose: and so he luarched \vith all his troops to
Carlisle; \vhich he afterwards defended with very
remarkable circumstances of courage, industry, and
patience.
The times afterwards grew so bad, and the king's
affairs succeeded so ill, that there was no opportunity
to call either of those t\VO great persons to account
for what they had done, or what they had left un-
done. Nor did either of them ever think fit to make
any particular relation of the grounds of their pro-
ceeding, or the causes of their Inisadventures, by way
of excuse to the king, or for their own vindication.
Prince Rupert, only to his friends, and after the
murder of the king, produced a letter in the king's
own hand, which he received when he was upon his
march from Lancashire towards York; in \vhich his
majesty said, "that his affairs were in so very ill
" a state, that it ,vould not be enough, though his
VOL. IV. L I

BOO [{
VIlt.

1644.

514

'I'HE HIS'TOR"Y.

" highness raised the siege froHl Y ol'k, if he had not
" likewise beaten the Scotch arlny;" which he un-
derstood " to an10unt to no less than a peremptory
" order to fight, upon ,vhat disadvantage soever:"
and added, " that the disadvantage \vas so great, the
" enemy being so lnueh superior in number, it was
" no wonder he lost the \ day." But as tIle king's
letter \vollld not bear that sense, so the greatest cause
of the 111isfortune ,vas the precipitate entering upon
the battle, as soon as the enen1Y drew off; and with-
out consulting at all with the Inarquis of Newcastle,
and his officers; who must needs know Inore of the
enemy, and consequently ho,v they ,vere best to be
dealt with, than his highness could do. For he saw
not the marquis, till, upon his SUlTIlnOnS, he caIne
into the field, in the head of a troop of gentlemen, as
a private captain, when the battle ,vas ranged; and
\vhich, after a very short salutation, in1mediately be-
gun; those of the marquis's army, who caine out of
the town, being placed upon the ground left by the
prince, and assigned to them; which luuch indisposed
hoth officers and soldiers to the work in hand, and
towards those with whom they were to join in it.
Then it was too late in the day to begin the fight,
if all the other ill circumstances had been away; for
it was past three in the, afternoon: whereas, if it had
been deferred till next Inorning, in which time a full
consultation might have been had, and the officers
and soldiers grown a little acquainted ,vith each
other, better success might have been reasonably ex-
pected; nor would the confusion and consternation
the other armies were then in, which was the only
excuse for the present engagement, have been the
less; hut, on the contrary, very n1uch improved by

OF rrHE 11EnEI
I
ION. 515

the delay; for the bitterness and anitnosity bet\veen
the chief comnlandeI's ,vas such, that a great part of
the arn1Y was marched six 111iles, when it appeared,
by tIle prince's lnanner of drawing his army together
to that ground, that his resolution \vas to fight: the
speedy intelligel!ce \vhereof prevailed, and nothing
else could, with those ,vho were gone so far, to i"e-
turn; and with the rest, to unite and concur in an
action, that, in human reason, could only preserve
then1; and if that opportunity had not then been so
unhappily offered, it ,vas generally believed that the
Scots would, the next morning, have continued their
Inarch north\vard; and the earl of Manchester would
have been necessitated to have lllade his retreat, as
,veIl as he could, into his associated counties; and it
\vould have been in the prince's power to have chosen
\vhich of them he would have destroyed.
But then of all the rest, his going a\vay the next
Inorning ,vith all his troops, in that manner, was
most unexcusable; because most prejudicial, and
most ruinous to the king's affairs in those parts.
N or did those troops ever after bring any consider-
able advantage to the king's service, but mouldered
away by degrees, and the officers, ",-hereof lllany
\vere gentlemen of quality and great merit, were
killed upon beating up of quarters, and little actions
- not worth their presence. The truth is, the prince
had some secret intimation of the marquis's purpose
of illlll1ediately leaving the town, and embarking
himself for the parts beyond the seas, hefore the
marquis hÜnself sent him word of it; upon \vhich,
in great passion and rage, he sent him notice of his
resolution presently to be gone, that he who had the
con1mand of all those parts, and thereby an obliga-
IA 1 2

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

516

'l'HE HIS'l'ORY

tion not to desert his charge, might be without any
imagination that the prince would take such a dis-
tracted government upon him, and leave hÏ1n any
excuse for his departure: and if in this joint dis-
temper, with which they were both transported, any
persons of discretion and honour had interposed, they
might, in all probability, have prevailed with both,
for a good understanding between them, or at least
for the suspension of their present resolutions, and
considering what might best be done. But they both
resolved so soon, and so soon executed what they re-
solved, that very few had the least suspicion of their
intentions, till they were both out of distance to
have their conversion atteJnpted.
All that can be said for the marquis is, that he
was so utterly tired with a condition and employ-
ment so contrary to his hunlour, nature, and educa-
tion, that he did not at all consider the Ineans, or
the way, that would let him out of it, and free him
for ever frOlTI having more to do with it. And it
was a greater wonder, that he sustained the vexation
and fatigue of it so long, than that he broke frOlTI it
with so little circumspection. He \vas a very fine
gentleman, active, and full of,. courage, and DI0st ac-
c0111plished in those qualities of horsemanship, danc-
ing, and fencing, ,vhich accompany a good breeding;
in which his delight was. Besides that he ,vas
amorous in poetry and music, to \vhich he indulged
the greatest part of his time; and nothing could
have telnpted him out of those paths of pleasure,
which he enjoyed in a full and ample fortune, but
honour and alnbition to serve the king when he saw
him in distress, and abandoned by most of those
who were in the highest degree obliged to him, and

OF THE REBELLION.

517

by him. He loved nlonarchy, as it was the founda-
tion and support of his own greatness; and the
church, as it was well constituted for the splendour
and security of the crown; and religion, as it che-
rished and luaintained that order and obedience that
was necessary to both; ,vithout any other passion
for the particular opinions which were grown up in
it, and distinguished it into parties, than as he de-
tested whatsoever was like to disturb the public
peace.
He had a particular reverence for the person of
the king, and the more extraordinary devotion for
that of the prince, as he had had the honour to be
trusted with his education as his governor; for which
office, as he excelled in some, so he wanted other
qualifications. Though he had retired from his great
trust, and from the court, to decline the insupport-
able envy which the powerful faction had contracted
against hinl, yet the king was no sooner necessitated
to possess hiIllself of SOlne place of strength, and to
raise some force for his defence, but the earl of New-
castle (he ,vas lllade marquis afterwards) obeyed his
first call; and, with great expedition and dexterity,
seized upon that town; when till then there was not
one port town in England that avo,ved their obedi-
ence to the king: and he then presently raised such
regÏ1nents of horse and foot, as were necessary for
the present state of affairs; all which ,vas done
purely by his own interest, and the concurrence of
his numerous allies in those northern parts; who
with all alacrity obeyed his commands, without any
charge to the king; which he was not able to sup-
ply.
And after the battle of Edge-hill, ,vhen the rebels
LIS

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VBl.

1644.

518

'rHE HIS".rOR Y

gl"eW so strong in Yorkshire, by the influence their
garrison of Hull had upon both the East and 'Vest
Riding there, that it behoved the king presently to
n1ake a general, who might unite all those northern
counties in his service, he could not choose any man
so fit for it, as the earl of Newcastle, who was not
only possessed of a present force, and of that ÍIn-
portant town, but had a greater reputation and in-
terest in Yorkshire itself, than, at that present, any
other man had: the earl of Cumberland being at
that time, though of entire affection to the king,
nluch decayed in the vigour of his body and his
mind, and unfit for that activity which the season
required. And it cannot be denied, that the earl of
Newcastle, by his quick Inarch with his troops, as
soon as he had received his commission to be gene-
ral, and in the depth of winter, redeemed, or re-
scued the city of York from the rebels, when they
looked upon it as their own, and had it even \vithin
their grasp: and as soon as he \vas Inaster of it, he
raised men apace, and drew an army together, with
,vhich he fought many battles, in which he had al-
,vays (this last only excepted) success and victory.
He liked the pomp and absolute authority of a
general well, and preserved the dignity of it to the
full; and for the discharge of the out\vard state,
and circumstances of it, in acts of courtesy, affabi-
lity, bounty, and generosity, he abounded; which, in
the infancy of a war, became hitn, and made hhn,
for some time, very acceptable to nlen of all condi-
tions. But the substantia] part, and fatigue of a
general, he did not in any degree understand, (he-
ing utterly unacquainted with war,) nor could sub-
l11it to; but referred all matters of that nature to

O_F 'rHE REll.ELLION. 519

the discretion of his lieutenant general King; who,
no doubt, was an officer of great e...xperience and
ability, yet, being a Scotchman, was in that con-
juncture upon more disadvantage than he would
have been, if the general hiInself had been more in-
tent upon his cOlnmand. In all actions of the field
he ,vas still present, and never absent in any battle;
in all which he gave instances of an invincible cou-
rage and fearlessness in danger; in which the ex-
posing himself notoriously did sOlnetimes change
the fortune of the day, when his troops begun to
give ground. Such articles of action were no sooner
over, than
e retired to his delightful company, tl1U-
sic, or his softer pleasures, to all which he was so
indulgent, and to his ease, that he would not be in-
terrupted upon \vhat occasion soever; insomuch as
he sometimes denied admission to the chiefest of-
ficers of the arn1Y, even to general King hitnself, for
two days together; from \vhence many inconveni-
ences fell out.
From the beginning, he was without any reve-
rence or regard for the privy-council, with few of
\vhom he had any acquaintance; but was of the
other soldiers' nlÏnd, that all the business ought to
be done by councils of war, and was always angry
when there were any overtures of a treaty; and
therefore, especially after the queen had landed in
Yorkshire, and stayed so long there, he considered
any orders he received from Oxford, though fr0111
the king himself, more negligently than he ought to
have done; and when he thought himself sure of
Hull, and was sure that he should be then master
entirely of all the north, he had no mind to march
nearer the king, (as he had then orders to ß1al'ch
I.A I 4

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VlIl.

1644.

5
O

THE HIS'I'ORY

.

into the associated counties, when, upon the taking
of Bristol, his nlajesty had a purpose to have
marched towards London on the other side,) out of
apprehension that he should be eclipsed by the
court, and his authority overshadowed by the supe-
riority of prince Rupert; froln Wh0111 he desired to
be at distance: yet when he found himself in dis-
tress, and necessitated to draw his arlny within the
walls of York, and sa\v no way to be relieved but
hy prince Rupert, who had then done great feats of
arms in the relief of N e\vark, and afterwards in his
expedition into Lancashire, where he was at that
time, he writ to the king to Oxford, either upon
the knowledge that the absoluteness and illimited-
ness of his commission was generally much spoken
of, or out of the conscience of some discourse of his
own to that purpose; which nlight have been re-
ported; "that he. hoped his majesty did believe,
"that he would never make the least scruple to
" obey the grandchild of king James:" and assured-
ly, if the prince had cultivated the good inclinations
the marquis had towards hhn, with any civil and
gracious condescensions, he would have found him
full of duty and regard to his service and interest.
But the strange luanneI' of the prince's coming,
and undeliberated throwing himsel
and all the
king's hopes, into that sudden and unnecessary en-
gagement, by which all the force the marquis had
raised, and with- so nlany difficulties preserved, ,vas
in a nloment cast away and destroyed, so trans-
ported him with passion and despair, that he could
not compose hilllself to think of beginning the ,york
again, and involving hhnself in the saIne undelight-
ful condition of life, fronl \vhich he l1light no\v be

OF THE REBELLION. 5Ql

free. He hoped his past meritorious actions might
out\veigh his present abandoning the thought of fu-
ture action; and so, without farther consideration,
as hath been said, he transported himself on t of the
kingdom, and took with him general King; upon
wholn they, ,vho were content to spare the marquis,
poured out all the reproaches of" infidelity, treason,
"and conjunction with his countryn1en;" which,
without doubt, ,vas the effect of the universal dis-
content, and the miserable condition to which the
people of those northern parts were on the sudden
reduced, ,vithout the least foundation, or ground for
any such reproach: and as he had, throughout the
,vhole course of his life, been generally reputed a
luan of honour, and had exercised the highest com-
111ands under the king of Sweden with extraordi-
nary ability and success, so he had been prosecuted
by some 'of his countrymen with the highest malice,
fro111 his very coming into the king's service; and
the san1e malice pursued him after he had left the
kingdo111, even to his death.
The loss of England came so soon to be lamented,
that the loss of York, or the too soon deserting the
northern parts, ,vere comparatively no 1110re spoken
of; and the constant and noble behaviour of the
Inarquis in the change of his fortune, and his cheer-
ful submission to all the straits, necessities, and dis-
comforts, which are inseparable from banishlnent,
without the least application to the usurpers, who
\vere possessed of his whole estate, and upon which
they con1111itted all imagi11able and irreparable waste,
in destroying all his ,voods of very great value, and
,vho \vere still equally abhorred and despised by
hin1; with his readiness and alacrity again to have

BOOK
VIne

1644.

59!2

rHE HIS
rOR y

BOO K elnbarked himself in the king's quarrel, upon the
VIII.
first reasonable occasion, so perfectly reconciled all
1644. good men to him, that they rather observed what
he had done and suffered for the king and for his
country, without farther inquiring what he had
omitted to do, or been overseen in doing.
This fatal blow, which so much changed thp
king's condition, that till then was very hopeful,
Inade not such an impression upon his majesty, but
that it D1ade him pursue his foriner resolution, to
follow the earl of Essex, with the lllore hnpatience;
having now in truth nothing else to do. But being
inforlllcd that the earl m had not made any long
Inarches, and that the queen, upon the first news of
the earl's drawing near, though she had heen littlp
nlore than a fortnight delivered, had left Exeter,
and ,vas rell10ved into Cornwall, from whence, in d.
Th
<}u
en short time, she n embarked for France, (the prince
retues IIlto. .
France. of Orange havIng sent SOUle Dutch ShIpS of war to
attend her 0 comnlands in the harbour of Falmouth;
and from thence her majesty transported hersel4)
his l11ajesty marched more slowly, that he might in-
crease his army from Bristol, and other places;
making 1) no doubt, but that he should engage q thl

army of the earl of Essex, who was already near
Exeter, before he should be able to return to Lon-
don. l'

m earl] earl of Essex
n she] her nlajesty
o her] the queen's
P making] and Inaking
t] engage] be able to engage
r to London.] MS. adds:
and prince Maurice, who llad
waited near two years without

taking Lyme or Plymouth, the
former of which was a little
vile fishing tOW1
, defended by
a small dry ditch, was already
withdrawn into CornwaIl, hav-
ing lost Hluch reputation in
those parts by his unsuccessful
attempts.

()
F rrHE REDELL ION. 5!'l3

The earl of Essex's good fortune now begun s to
decline: he t had not proceeded with his accustomed
wariness and skill, but run into labyrinths, fr0111
\vhence he could not disentangle hi 111 self. '\Then he
had In arched to the length of Exeter, which he had
SOUle thought of besieging, without any imagination
that he could find an enelny to contend ,vith him,
having left the king in so ill a condition, and sir
William Waller ,vith so good an army waiting upon
him, he had u the news of the " disappointment x sir
" 'Villi a 111 'VaIleI' had Y received; and that the king
"was come with his whole arnlY into the west in
" pln
suit of hitn, without being followed by \Valler,
"or any troops to disquiet or retard his march;"
\vhich exceedingly surprised him, and 111ade hÍ1u
suspect that the parliament itself had betrayed hitn,
and conspired his ruin.
The 7 jealousies ,vere now
ndeed gro,vn very
great het\veen them; the parliament looking upon
his ll1arch into the west, and leaving Waller, to
\VhOlll they intended the other province, to folIo,,,
the king, but as a declaration that he ,vould no
1110re fight against the person of the king; and the
earl, on the other side, had well observed the differ-
ence bet,vixt the care and affection the parliament
expressed for and towards his army, and the other
under the con1mand of the earl of Manchester;
which they set so great a price upon, that he
thought they would not so much care \vhat became
of his. Otherwise, it could not be possible, that,
upon so little a brush as "raIler had sustained, Jl(

S begun] began
t he] and he
it he had] 11e received

x disappointment] defeat
Y had] Not in MS.
1. The] And the

BOOf{
VIII.

1644,

524

THE HISTORY

1644.

could not be able to follo,v and disturb the king, in
a country so enclosed, as he must pass through. In
this unexpected strait, upon the first reception of
the news, he resolved to return Lack, and meet and
fight with the king, either before he entered Devon-
shire, or else in SOlnersetshire; in either of which
places he could not be straitened in room, or provi-
sions, or be compelled to fight in a place disadvan-
tageous, or when he had no mind to it; and if he
had pursued this resolution, he had done prudently.
But the lord Roberts, ,vho was a general officer in
his army, of an insociable a nature, and iInpetuous
disposition, full of contradiction in his temper, and
of parts so much superior to any in the company,
that he could too well maintain and justify aU those
contradictions, positively opposed the retMrn of the
army; but pressed, with his confidence, " that the
"army should continue its march to Cornwall;"
\vhere he undertook to have so great interest, that
he Inade no question, "but the presence of the earl
" of Essex, with his army, would so unite that
" county b to the parliament's service, that it wouJd
" he easy to defend the passes into the 'v hole county
" (\vhich are not lnany) in such a manner, that the
"king's arnlY should never be able to enter into
" CornwaU, nor to retire out of Devonshire ,vithout
" great loss, nor
efore the parlialnent would send
" more forces upon their backs."
The lord Roberts, though inferior in the arnlY,
had lnuch greater credit in the parlianlent than the
earl of Essex; and the earl did not think hÍln very
kind to hÍll1, he being then in great conjunction

BOOK
VII I.

a insociable] unsociable

b county] whole county

OF "fHE ItEBELLION. 525

with sir Harry Vane, \VhOll1 of all men the earl BOOK
VBI.
hated, and looked upon as an enelllY. He had
never been in Cornw'"all; so he C knew not the situa- ] G44.
tion of the country: some d of the officers, and
some e others of that country, (as there ,vere ,vith
him four or five gentlemen of that country of inte-
rest,) concurred fully with the lord Roberts, and
promised great nlatters, if the army marched thi-
ther: whereupon the earl departed from his own
understanding, and COml)lied \vith their advice; and The earl of
SO 111arched the direct \vay \vith all his army, horse, :
:c
les
foot and cannon into that narrow count y . and into Corn-
" , wdll.
pursued prince Maurice and those forces, \vhich
easily retired, westward; until he found himself in
straits; where w.e shall leave hhn for the present.
After the king had made a sman stay at Exeter,
where he found his young daughter, of whom the
queen had been so lately delivered, under the care
and governnlent of the lady Dalkeith, (shortly after
countess of l\Iorton by the death of her husband's
father,) who had heen long before designed by both
their nlajesties to that charge; and having a little
refreshed and accolnUlodated his troops, he marched The king
d . follows him
lrectly to Cornwall; \vhere he found the earl Oftbither.
Essex in such a part of the country on the sea-side,
that he quickly, by the general conflux and con-
course f of the whole people, upon which the earl
had been persuaded so lllUC}] to depend, found
means, with very little fighting, so to straiten his
quarters, that there seenled little appearance that
he could possibly In arch away with his army, or
compel the king to fight. He was, upon the mat-

c so he] and so
d some] and some

e some] Inany
f concourse] concurrence

nOOK
VII I.

] 644.

5
6

THE HIS'rORY

tel', enclosed in and about Foy; \vhilst the king lay
encaolped about Liskard; and no day passed with-
out some skirmishes; in which the earl was nlore
distressed, and nlany of his principal g officers taken
prisoners. Here h there happened an accident, that
might very well have turned the king's fortune, and
deprived hÍ1n of all the advantages which \vere then i
in vie\v. The king being always in the army him-
self: all D1atters were still debated before him, in the
presence of those counsellors who were about hhn;
who, being men of better, understandings and better
expressions than the officers k, conunonly disposed
his majesty to their opinions, at least kept hÍ1n frOlTI
concurring in every thing which was proposed by the
officers.. The counsellors, as hath been said before,
were the lord Digby, secretary of state, and sir John
Colepepper, master of the rolls, of whose judgnlent
the king had more esteem, even \vith reference to
the war, than of most of the officers of the arnlY;
,which raised an implacable animosity in the whole
army against theln.
General Ruthen, who by this tinle was created
earl of Brentford, was general of the army; but, as
hath been said, both by reason of his age, and his
extreme deafness, was not a man of counselor
\vords; hardly conceived what was proposed, and as
confusedly and obscurely delivered his opinion; and
could indeed better judge by his eye than his ear;
and in the field well knew what was to be done.
'Vìlmot was lieutenant general of the horse, and at
this tin1e the second officer of the army, and had

g principal] considerable
h Here] And here
i then] lVot in MS.

k than the officers] Not in
MS.

OF rrHE ItEBELLION.

5
7

H1uch Inore credit and authority in it, than any
n1an; "rhich he had not employed to the king's ad-
vantage, as his Inajesty believed. He was a luan
proud and alnbitious, and incapable of being con-
tented; an ordinary officer in lllarches, and govern-
ing his troops. He drank hard, and had a great
po,ver over all ,vho did so, ,vhich was a great people.
He had a more companionable wit even than his
rival Goring, and swayed n10re among the good fel-
lows, I and could by no means endure that the lord
Digby and sir John Colepepper should have so much
credit ,vith the king in councils of ,var.
The king had no kindness for him upon an old
account, as ren1embering the paI't he had acted
against the earl of Strafford: however, he had been
induced, upon the accidents which happened after-
\vards, to repose trust in hhn. This 'Vihnot kne\v m
,veIl enough; and foresaw, that he should be quickly
overshadowed in the war; and therefore desired to
get out of it, by a seasonable peace; and so, in all
his discourses, urged the necessity of it, as he had
begun in Buckinghanlshire; and, " that the king
"ought to send propositions to the parlialnent, in
" order to obtaining it;" and in this lllarch had pro-
secuted his former design by several cabals n
nnong
the officers; and disposed thenl to petition the king,

I good fellows,] MS. adds:
fr01n the time of prince Ru-
pert's departure, with whmn he
could have no contest, he car-
ried himself imperi
llsly in all
debates,
rn This Wilnlot knew] And
this he knew
n and in this Inarch had pro-
secuted his former design by se-

veral cabals] Thus originally in
MS.: and during that time t.hat
t.he king tuarched out of Oxford
to avoid being besieged, when
both Essex and 'ValleI' encom-
passed the town, and afterwards
when the king turned upon
\V aIleI', and defeated and pur-
sued hiln, \Vilmot had Inade se-
veral cabals

no 0 I\.
VIII.

J G44.

BOOK
VIII.

I 644.

5

THE HISTORY

" to send to the parliament again an offer of peace;
" and that the lord Digby and sir John Colepepper
" might not be pernlitted to be present in councils
" of war;" in1plying, "that if this might not be
" granted, they would think of some other "ray."
Which petition, though, by the wisdom of SOUle offi-
cers, it was kept fronl being delivered, yet so pro-
voked the king, that he resolved to take the first
opportunity to free himself from his impetuous hu...
mour; in which good disposition the lord Digby
ceased not to confirm his majesty; and as soon as
the news came of the northern defeat, and that the
Dlarquis of Newcastle had left the kingdom, he pre-
vailed that Goring 11light be sent for to attend his
majesty; who then proposed to himself to make his
nephew prince Rupert general of the army, and
Goring general of the horse; \vhich 'Vilnlot could
not avo\vedly have excepted against, the other hav-
ing been always superior to him in command; and
yet would be such a lllortification to hhn, as he
would never have been able to digest.
Whether his apprehensions of this, as his jealous
nature had much of sagacity in it, or his restless and
nlutinous humour, transported him, but he gave not
the king time to prosecute that gracious method;
but even forced him to a quicker and a rougher re-
medy: for during the whole march, he discoursed in
all places, " that the king lTIUst send to the earl of
" Essex to invite him to a conjunction with hinl,
" that so the parliament might be obliged to consent
" to a peace; and pretended, that he had so good
" intelligence in that army, as to know that such an
" invitation ,vould prove effectual, and be acceptable
" to the earl; \vho, he kne\v, ,vas unsatisfied with

OF ï"I-IE REBELLION.

5
9

" the parlialnent's behaviour to\vards him :" and he
was so indiscreet, as to desire a gentleman, \"ith
\VhOll1 he had no intinlacy, and ,vho had a pass to
go beyond the seas, and must go through the earl's
quarters, " that he would reillember his service to
" the earl of Essex; and assure hiln, that the army
" so much desired peace, that it should not be in the
" power of any of those persons about the king to
"hinder it, if his lordship ,vould treat upon any
" reasonable propositions." All which kind of car-
riage and discourses were quickly represented, in
their full magnitude, to the king, by the lord Digby;
and his Inajesty's o\vn aversion kindled any spark
into a forIned distrust. So that after the king canle
into Cornwall, and had his whole army drawn up on
the top of the hill, in view of the earl of Essex, who
was in the bottoln, and a battle expected every day,
upon some new discourse Wihnot made out of pride
and vanity, (for there was not, in all the former, the
least formed act of sedition in his heart,) the knight
marshal, with the assistance of Tonl Elliot O , arrested
him in the king's name of high treason; and dis-
mounted hitn from his horse in the head of all the
troops; putting P a guard upon hitn. He was pre-
sently sent prisoner to Exeter, without any other ill
effect, which might very reasonably have been ap-
prehended in such a conjuncture, when he was in-
deed generally well beloved, and none of theln for
whose sakes he was thought to be sacrificed, were at
all esteen1ed: yet, I say, there \vere no other ill ef-
fects of it than a little murmur, \vhich vanished
away. q

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

o TOlll Elliot,] MS. adds:
wno acted the> part,
Y01,. IY.

P putting] ami putting
q vanished away.] vapoured
M n1

BOOK
VI I ( .

] 6,-14.

530

'"I
HE HISTORY

The same day that 'Vihnot ,vas arrested, the king

away. And continued thus: It
is possible this execution was
the sooner done, upon the news
that Goring was upon the way;
for within two or three days af-
ter, he arrived, and the command
of the horse was comnlanded to
him. There was another re-
formation likewise nlade at the
same time, bv the reulOval of the
]ord Percy (
ho had led the van
in that c;eation of peers which
had been made at Oxford) from
the office of general of the ord-
nance, which had been without
uluch deliberation conferred up-
on him a little before; which
was very reasonably bestowed
upon the lord 1-lopton, whose
promotion was universally ap-
proved; the one having no friend,
and the other generally beloved.
'Vhen the king found himself
upon the advantage ground, and
that the earl of Essex would in
a short time be reduced into
great straits, or must fight upon
notable disad\7antage, his ma-
jesty was not without apprehen-
sion that he might quickly find
the sad eftects of the northern
victory, by some new army be-
ingsent into the west; and 'Val-
ler with some troops was rt'ady
to come out of London; and
therefore infinitely desired to
work upon the eê{rJ, and made
some overture to hinl ; which he
recei ved no otherwise than wi th
saying. that he had no authority
to treat
but would inform the
parliamen t of what had been
proposed: upon which all other
thoughts were given over but
those of fighting. The earl
clearly dÌscerneù that he could

not undertake that engagement
with any reasonable hope of
success: his anny was in dis-
tress of aU things, which would
quickly increase by the mani-
fest aversion the whole country
seemed to have, so that thev
could get no provisiöns from it"';
and a party was no sooner sent
out upon any occasion, than the
king's forces had notice of it
fronl the people; so that they
were usually killed or taken
prisoners. In the end, the earl
found it necessary to send all
his horse away in the night,
with hope they lllight nlake
their way through, and then to
put hilllself and some officers on
board some vessel which might
land them at PlYlllouth, where
there were, or would quickly be

ships to waft them to London;
and then that the foot Inight
make the best condition they
could. This consultation "vas
not so secret but that the king
had seasonabJe notice of It, and
had as carefully transmitted it
to Goring, who lay then quar-
tered at Liskeard, and had, or
nlight have had, all his horse in
sllch a readiness, and caused
the narrow lanes to ha\ 7 e been
so barricadoed and stopped, that
it could not have been possible
that any number of thenl could
have escaped. But the notice
and orders came when he was
in one of his usual débauches,
which he could in no case mas-
ter or moderate, but used to en-
tertain theln with nlirth, and
sJighting those who sent thenl
as n1en who took alarums too
warmly: and so he continued

OF THE REBEIJLION.

531

removed another general officer of his army, the lord
Percy; who had been made general of the ordnance
upon very partial, and not enough deliberated con-
siderations; and put into that office the lord Hopton;
\vhose promotion was universally approved; the one
having no friend, and the other being universally be-
loved. Besides, the lord Percy (who ,vas the first
that had been created a baron at Oxford upon the
queen's intercession; which obliged the king to be-

his delight, till all the body of
the enelny's horse under Balfour
were passed through his quar-
ters t nor did then pursue them
in any time; so that aU but such
as by the tiring of their horse
were forced to stay behind t and
so became prisoners, made a se-
cure retreat to London t to the
infinite reproach of the king's
arll1yand all the garrison in the
way. Nor was any body pu-
nished or called in question for
the supine neglect; and the su-
perior officer being inexcusable t
prevented any severe inquisition
into the rest. The horse being
thus gone t and the earl of Es-
sex en1barked, the foot, being a
body of near six thousand, under
the .command of their major ge-
neral Ski ppon, who was a good
and a punctual officer, he sent
to the king's general t the earl of
Brentford t to treat and to offer
conditions. It was wondered at
by many that the king would
then grant them any conditions,
and not ratber compel them to
become prisoners of war; but
they who took upon them to be
n10st censorious in that point
did not know the true state of
the king's army, which was in
itself very small, inferior to the

""
number of the enemy, poor and
naked, and not contented; the
countrv which had come int and
llmde the show with the trained
bands t were wearYt and ITIany
were already gone to their har-
vest, which called for the rest.
So that the king was contented
that, delh-ering up their arms
and cannon and ammunition,
they !\hould have liberty to re-
turn by slow marehes to Lon-
don, with so much baggage as
they carried upon their backs;
for preservation whereof they
had a guard of horse to conduct
them to a place appointed. And
upon those tern1S and in this
manner the remainder of that
army returned alive to London;
where they found their general
arrived before thetTI; who had
only visited Plymouth for two
or three davs, whither he had
before sent
s many soldiers as
the place required, and gave
such directions as he thought
fit for the defence of it: and so
in a ship of the royal navy,
which attended his commands t
he was safely delivered at Lon-
don; and was there received
without any abatement of the
respect they had constantly paid
hinl.
1\1 m 2

BOOK
VIII.

) G44.

5B

THE I-IISTORY

16-14.

stO\V the san1e honour on nlore 111 en ) had been as
tnuch inclined to tnutiny as the lord \Vihnot; and
was much a bolder speaker, anù had none of those
faculties, which the other had, of reconciling men to
hhll. Yet even his removal added to the ill humour
of the arIny, too nluch disposed to discontent, and
censuring all that was done: for though he ,vas ge-
nerally unloved, as a proud and supercilious person,
yet he had always three or four persons of good cre-
dit and reputation, )vho ,vere esteeIned hy hin1, ,vith
whom he lived very ,veIl; and though he did not
dra\v the good fello,vs to hin1 by drinking, yet he
eat ,veIl; which, in the general scarcity of that tiIne,
drew lllany votaries to him; who bore very ill the
want of his table, and so were not without SOllle in-
clination to murmur even on his behalf.
The very next day after these removals, colonel
Goring appeared; ,vho had waited upon the king
the night before at his quarters, "rith letters from
prince Rupert: and then the arlllY being drawn up,
his Inajesty, attended by the principal officers of the
arn1Y, rode to every division of the horse, and there
declared, " that, at the request of his nephew prince
" Ruvert, and upon his resignation, he nlade Mr.
" Goring general of the horse; and con1manded then1
" an to obey him; and for the lord vVilmot, although
" he had, for very good reasons, justly restrained him
" for the present, yet he had not taken away from
" him his cOInmand in the arIny ;" 'which declaration
visibly raised the countenance of the body of horse,
more than the king was pleased ,vith observing: and
the very next day the greatest part of the officers
delivered a petition, "that his majesty \vould give
" then1 so l11uch light of the lord \Vilmot's crimes,

BOO K
VIII.

OF THE REBELLION. 533

" that they 111ight see that themselves were not sus-
" pected, \vho had so long obeyed and executed his
" orders;" \vhich is Dlanifcstation enqugh of the ill
disposition the arnlY ,vas in, \vhen they were even in
view of the enelny, and of \vhich the king had so
much apprehension, in respect of the present posture
he was in, that he was too easily persuaded to give
thenl a draught of the articles, by \"hich he \vas
charged: which though they contained so many in-
discretions, vanities, and insolencies, that "rise and
dispassionate In en thought he had been proceeded
with very justly, yet generally they seclned not to
11lake him so very black, as he had been represented
to be; and when the articles were sent to hinl, he
returned so specious an answer to them, that nlade
many filen think he had been prosecuted \vith se-
verity enough. Yet vVilnlot hilllself, \vhen he sa\v
his old lnortal enenlY Goring put in the C0111nland
over hinl, thought hinlself incapable of reparation, or
a full v indication; and therefore desired leave to re-
tire into France; and had presently a pass sent hiln
to that purpose; of which he Inade use as soon as he
received it; and so transported himself out of the
kingdoln; \vhich opened the nlouths of l11any, and
tnade it believed, that he had been sacrificed to SOlne
faction and intrigue of the court, \vithout any such
111isdenleanour as deserved it.
The king had, SOlne days before this, found an op-
portunity to 111ake a trial whether the earl of Essex,
frolll the notorious indignities which he received
fr0l11 the parliall1ent, and which \vere visible to all
the, world, or frolll the present ill condition \vhich he
and his arnlY were reduced to, Inight he induced to
l11ake a conjunction with his Dlajesty. The lord

1 m 3

BOO K
VJJI.

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

J 644.

,

534

1."HE HISTORY

Beauchanlp, eldest son to the marquis of Hertford,
desired, for the recovery of his health, not then good,
to transport himself into France; and to that pur-
pose had a pass from his uncle, the earl of Essex,
for himself; Inonsieur Richaute a Frenchlnan, who
h
d been his governor; and t\VO servants, to embark
at Plymouth; and being now \vith the king, it was
necessary to pass through the earl's quarters. By
hin1 the king vouchsafed to write a letter with his
own hand to the earl, in which he told hhn,
" How much it was in his power to restore that
"peace to the kingdom, which he had professed
" ahvays to desire; and upon such conditions, as did
"fully comply with all those ends for \vhich the
" parlialuent had first taken up arms: for his ma-
" jesty was still ready to satisfy all those ends: but
"that since the invasion of the kingdoln by the
" Scots, all his overtures of peace had been rejected;
" which must prove the destruction of the kingdom,
" if he did not, with his authority and power, dis-
" pose those at WestnlÌnster to accept of a peace
" that might preserve it;" \vith all those argulllents,
that nlight 1110st reasonably persuade to a conjunction
\vith his Inajesty, and such graciou3 expressions of
the sense he would always retain of the service and
merit, as \vere most likely to invite him to it. The
king desired, that a pass might be procured for Mr.
Harding, one of the grooms of the bedchamber to
the prince, a gentleman \vho had been before of
Inuch conversation with the earl, and 111uch loved by
him; and the procuring this pass was reCOll1nlended
to nlonsieur Richaute.
The earl received his nephew very kindly; who
delivered the king's letter to hirn, \vhich he received

OF 'rHE REBELLION.

535

and read; and being then told by the lord Beau-
chalnp, that monsieur Richaute, who was very \vell
known to him, had sonlewhat to say to hÍJn fronl the
king; the earl called hhn into his chalnber, in the
presence only of the lord Beauchamp, and asked hÎln,
" if he had any thing to say to him.') Richaute told
hilTI, " that his plincipal business ,vas to desire his
,
per111ission and pass, that 1\lr. Harding might come
" to hinl, ,vho had lTIany things to offer, ,vhich, he
"presumed, ,vould not be unacceptable to him."
The earl answered in short," that he ,vould not
" pernlit Mr. Harding to cOlne to hhn, nor would he
" have any treaty with the king, having received no
" warrant for it fro111 the parliament:" upon which, Ri-
chaute enlarged hiulself upon S0111e particulars, ,vhich
Mr. Harding ,vas to have urged, " of the Iring's de-
" sire of peace, of the concurrence of all the lords, as
" ,veIl those at Oxford, as in the army, in the sanle
" desire of preserving the kingdom from a conquest
" by the Scots;" and other discourse to that pur-
pose; "and of the king's readiness to give him any
" security for the perfornlance of all he had pro-
"mised." To all ,vhich the earl answered sullenly,
" that, according to the conlmission he had received,
" he ,volIlcl defend the king's person and posterity;
" and that the best counsel he could give him was,
" to go to his parliament."
As soon as the king received this account of his
letter, and saw there was nothing to be expected by
those addresses, he resolved to push it on the other
,vay, and to fight with the enen1Y as soon as was possi-
ble; and so, the next day, dre,v up all his arnlY in
sight of the enelllY; and had many skirulishes between
the horse of both armies, till
he enerr)y quitted that
Ivr nl 4

BOOK
V)lI.

] 644.

BOOK
VIII.

J fi44.

,

536

'THE HISTORY

part of a large heath upon ,vhich they stood, and
retired to a hill near the park of the lord Mohun,
at Boconnocke; they having the possession of his
house, where they quartered conveniently. That
night both armies, after they had well viewed each
other, lay in the field; and many are of opinion,
that if the king had that day vigorously advanced
upon the enemy, to which his army was ,veIl in-
clined, though upon some disadvantage of ground,
they \vould have been easily defeated: for the king's
army was in good heart, and willing to engage; on
the contrary, the earl's seemed much surprised, and
in confusion, to see the other army so near thenl.
But such censures always attend such conjunctures,
and find fault for what is not done, as well as with
that ,vhich is done.
The next morning the king called a council, to
consider whether they should that day conlpel the
enemy to fight; which was concluded not to he
reasonable; and that it was better to expect the ar-
rival of sir Richard Greenvil; \"ho was yet in the
,vest of Cornwall, and had a body of eight thousand
horse and foot, as was reported, though they,vere
not near that number. It was hereupon ordered,
that all the foot should be presently drawn into the
enclosures bet\veen Boconnocke and the heath; all
the fences to the grounds of that country being very
good breast,vorks against the enemy. The king's
head quarter was made at the lord l\lohun's house,
which the earl of Essex had kindly quitted, when
the king's arnlY advanced the day before. 'l'he
horse were quartered, for the most part, between
Liskeard and the sea; and every day conlpelled the
earl's forces to retire, and to lodge close together;

OF TI-IE REBELLION. 537

and in this posture both arlnies lay within view of
each other for three or four days. I n this time,
that inconvenient spirit, that had possessed so many
of the horse officers, appeared again; and some of
thenl, who had conferred with the prisoners, who
,vere every day taken, and SOlue of them officers of
as good quality as any they had, were persuaded by
thenl, " that all the obstinacy in Essex, in refusing
"to treat with the king, proceeded only fronl his
" jealousy that \vhen the king had got him into his
" hands, he \vould take revenge upon him for all
" the tnischief he had sustained by hÎ1n; and that
" if he had any assurance that what was prolnised
"would be complied with, he would he quickly in-
" duced to treat.)'
Upon this excellent evidence, these politic con-
tri vel'S presumed to prepare a letter, that should be
subscribed by the general, and all the superior of-
ficers of the arlny; the beginning of which letter
,vas, " that they had obtained leave of the king to
"send that letter to him." There they proposed,
" that he with six officers, whonl he should choose,
" would the next morning meet with their general,
" and six other officers, as should be appointed to
" attend him; and if he would not himself be pre-
"sent, that then six officers of the king's arrny
" should 11leet with six such as he should appoint,
" at any place that should be thought fit; and that
" they, and every of them, who subscribed the let-
" tel", would, upon the honour and reputation of
" gentlemen and soldiers, with their lives maintain
" that whatsoever his majesty should pronlise, should
" be performed; and that it should not be in the
" power of any private person whatsoever, to inter-

nOOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

1644.

538

THE HIS1.'ORY

" rupt or hinder the execution thereof." ,\;Vhen they
had framed this letter between themselves, and
she\ved it to many others, \vhose approbation they
received, they resolved to present it to the king,
and humbly to desire his permission that it n1ight
be sent to the earl of Essex.
Ho\v unpardonable soever the preslllnption and
insolence in contriving and framing this Jetter \vas,
and how penal soever it might justly have been to
them, yet, when it was presented to his majesty,
many who liked not the ll1anner of it, were per-
suaded by what they were told, that it might do
good; and in the end they prevailed with the king
to consent that the officers should sign it; and that
the general should send a trumpet with it; his ma-
jesty at the san1e tin1e concluding, that it \vould
find no better reception than his o,vn letter had
done; and like\vise believing, that the rejecting of
it \vould purge that unruly spirit out of his army,
and that he should never more be troubled with
those vexatious addresses, and that it n1ight add
SOD1e spirit and anin10sity to the officers and sol-
diers, when they should see, with ho\v 111uch ne-
glect and conten1pt the earl received their applica-
tion: and so prince l\laurice, general Goring, and
all the superior officers of the army, signed the let-
tel'; \vhich a trumpet delivered to the earl of Es-
sex; who, the next day, returned his answer to
them in these \vords: " My lords, in the beginning
" of your letter you express by what authority you
" send it; I having no authority frolll the parlia-
" ment, who have employed me, to treat, cannot
" give \\Tay to it without breach of trust. My lords,
" I am your hun1ble servant, Essex. Listithiel, Aug.

OF "rIIE REBEl
LION. 539

" 10, 1644." This short surly ans\ver produced the
effect the king "rished and expected; they who had
been so over-active in contriving the address, were
JllÖst ashanled of their folly; and the whole arl11Y
seemed well composed to obtain that by their s\vords,
\vhich they could not by their pen.
Sir Richard Greenvil was now come up to the
1)ost where he should be; and, at Bodmin, in his
march, had fallen upon a party of the earl's horse,
and killed many, and taken others prisoners, and
presented himself to the king at Boconnocke; giv-
ing his majesty an account of his proceedings, and
a particular of his forces; which, after all the 11igh
discourses, anlounted really but to eighteen hundred
foot, and six hundred horse; above one hundred of
which were of the queen's troop, (left behind ,vhell
her majesty enlbarked for France,) under the com-
mand of captain Ed\vard Eret; \vho had done very
good service in the \vestern parts of that county,
frolTI the time of the queen's departure, and much
confirlned the trained bands of those parts. This
troop was pl'esent1y added to the king's guards un-
der the lord Bernard Ste\vart, and captain Bret ,vas
made major of that reginlent.
1'hough the earl of Essex had but strait and nar-
row roon1 for his quarters for so great an arlnyof
horse and foot, yet he had the good town of Foy
and the sea to friend; by which he might reason-
ably assure hitnself of store of provisions, the parlia-
ment ships having all the jurisdiction there; and so,
if he preserved his post, \vhich \vas so situated that
he could not be compelled to fight without giving
him great ad vantage, he might ,veIl conclude, that
Waller, or SOllle other force sent frol11 the parlia-

BOOK
VIII.

1614.

EOOK
VIII.

] 644.

540

THE lIIS1.'ORY

ment, would be shortly upon the king's back, as his
nlajesty was upon his: and no question, this ra-
tional confidence was a great" nIoti ve to hinI to ne-
glect all overtures Inade to him by the king; besides
the punctuality and stubbornness of his own na-
ture; ,vhich ,vhosoever was well acquainted with,
might easily have foreseen, \vhat effect all those ap-
plications would have produced. I t was therefore
now resolved to Blake his quarters yet straiter, and
to cut off even his provisions by sea, or a good part
thereof. To which purpose sir Richard Greenvil
drew his men from Bodmin, and possessed himself
of Lanhetherick, a strong house of the lord Roherts,
t\VO miles ,vest of Boconnocke, and over the river
that runs to Listithiel, and thence to Foy, and like-
wise to ReprÎllle Bridge; by which the enemy was
not only deprived of that useful outlet, but a safe
cOll1munication nlade bet\veen him and the king's
army, ,vhich was before interrupted. And on the
other side, which was of lnore i111portance, sir Jacob
Ashley, with a good party of horse and foot, made
hilnself master of View-HaH, another house of the
lord Mohun's, over against Foy, and of Pernon Fort,
a 111ile below it, at the mouth of the haven; both
which places he found so tenable, that he put cap-
tain Page into one, and captain Garraway into the
other, with two hundred cOlnnlanded luen, and t\\'O
or three pieces of ordnance; ,vhich these two cap-
tains made good, and defended so well, that they
nlade Foy utterly useless to Essex, save for the
quartering his men; not suffering any provisions to
be brought in' to hilTI fr01u the sea that way. And
it was exceedingly wondered at by all luen, that he,
being so long possessed of Foy, did not put strong

OF THE REBELLION. 541

guards into those places; by ,vhich he n1ight have
prevented his army's being brought into those ex-
trenle necessities they shortly after fell into; which
111ight easily be foreseen, and as easily, that way,
ha ve been prevented.
Now the king had leisure to sit still, and ,varily
to expect ,vhat invention or stratagem the earl
\vould Blake use of, to make SOl1le attel11pt upon his
arl11Y, or to Inake his own escape. In this l)osturc
both armies lay still, \vithout any notable action,
for the space of eight or ten days; when the king,
seeing no better fruit froln all that ,vas hitherto
done, resolved to dra\v his whole army together,
and to Inake his o\vn quarters yet much nearer, and
either to force Essex to figl1t, or to be uneasy even
in his quarters. And it ,vas high tin1e to do so:
for it ,vas now certain, that either 'Valler hili1self,
or SOlne other forces, were already upon their Inarch
to\vards the west. "Tith this resolution the \vhole
army advanced in such a manner, that the eneIny
was c0111pelled still to retire before them, and to
quit their quarters; and, among the rest, a rising
ground called Beacon-Hill; \vhich they no sooner
quitted, than the king possessed; and iInnlediately
caused a square work to be there raised, and a bat-
tery Inade, upon \vhich SOUle pieces of cannon \vere
planted, that shot into their quarters, and did then1
great hurt; \vhen their cannon, though they re-
turned twenty shot for one, did very little or no
harm.
And no,v the king's forces had a full prospect
over all the other's quarters; saw how all their foot
anel horse were disposed, and froln \vhcnce they re-
ceived all their forage and provisions: \vhich when

ROOK
VIII.

1644.

BOOK
VIII.

J 644.

54

THE HISTORY

clearly vie,;ved and observed, Goring was sent with
the greatest part of the horse, and fifteen hundred
foot, a little westward to St. Blase, to drive the
enemy yet closer together, and to cut off the pro-
visions they received from thence; which was so
\vell executed, that they did not only possess them-
selves of St. Austel, and the westerly part of St.
Blase, (so that the enell1Y's horse was reduced to
that sInall extent of earth that is between the river
of Foy and that at Blase, \vhich is not above two
miles in breadth, and little more in length; in
which they had for the most part fed since they
came to Listithiel, and therefore it could not now
long supply them,) but likewise were masters of the
Parr near St. Blase; whereby they deprived them
of the chief place of landing the provisions which
came by sea. And no\v the earl begun to be very
sensible of the ill condition he was in, and discerned
that he should not be able long to remain in that
posture; besides, he had received advertiselnent that
the party which was sent for his relief froln London,
had received SOl1le brush in SOlnersetshire, which
\vould much retard their march; and therefore it
behoved hin1 to enter upon new counsels, and to
take new resolutions.
It is very true the defeat at Cropredy (in which
there did not appear to be one thousand luen killed,
or taken prisoners) had so totally broken \\T aller's
arn1Y, that it could never be brought to fight after:
but when he had marched at a distance from the
king, to recover the broken spirits of his men, and
heard that his Inajesty was Iuarched directly to-
wards the \vest, observing like\vise that every night
very many of his men run fronl hhn, he thought it

OF THE REBELLION.

543

necessary to go himself to London, where he made
grievous cOlnplaints against the earl of Essex, as if
he bad purposely exposed hinl to be affronted; all
which was greedily hearkened to, and his person
received, and treated, as if he had returned victori-
ous after having defeated the king's army: which
was a method very contrary to what was used in
the king's quarters, where all accidental n1isfor-
tunes, ho,v inevitable soever, ,vere still attended
with very apparent discountenance.
But when he went hÏ1nself to London, or pre-
sently upon it, be sent his lieutenant general J\;lid-
dleton (a person of wh0111 \ve shall say much here-
after, and who lived to wipe out the Inelnory of the
ill footsteps of his youth; for he ,vas but eighteen
years of age ,vhen he ,vas first led into rebellion)
\vith a body of three thousand horse and dragoons,
to follow the king into the west, and to wait upon
his rear, with orders to reduce in his ,vay Donning-
ton-castle, the house of a private gentleman near
Newbury, in which there were a company 01. two of
foot of the king's; and \vhich they believed ,,'ould
be delivered up as soon as delnanded; being a place,
as they thought, of little strength. But l\Iiddleton
found it so ,veIl defended by colonel Bois, ,vho ,vas
governor of it, that, after he had lost at least three
hundred officers and soldiers in attenlpting to take
it, he was compelled to recommend it to the go-
vernor of Abingdon, to send an officer and some
troops to block it up fron1 infesting that great road
into the west; anù himself prosecuted his march to
follo,v the king.
In Somersetshire, he heard of great nlagazines of
all provisions, n1ade for the supply of the king's

BOOK
VJII.

1644.

nOOK
VIIi.

J6J4.

544

'rI-IE HISTOltY

arnlY, ,vhich were sent every day by strong convoys
to Exeter, there to wait farther orders. To surprise
these provisions he sent major Carr, with five hun..
dred horse; who fell into the village ,vhere the con-
voy ,vas, and ,vas very like to have mastered thenl,
,vhen sir Francis Doddington, ,vith a troop of horse,
and SOlne foot from Bridgewater, came seasonably to
their relief; and after a very sharp conflict, in which
t,vo or three good officers of the king's \vere kil1ed,
and among them major Killigrew, a very hopeful
young man, the son of a gallant and most deserving
father, he totally routed the enemy; killed thirty or
forty upon the place; and had the pursuit of then1
t\VO or three miles; in ,vhich major Carr, "rho con1..
manded the party, and Dlany other officers, were
taken; and many others desperately wounded; anù
recovered all that they had taken: which sharp en-
counters, w"here always many more men are lost, than
are killed, or taken prisoners,llut such a stop to
Middleton's march, that he was glad to retire back
to Sherborne, that he mig
t refresh the weariness,
and recover the spirits of his men. This was the de-
feat, or obstruction, which the earl of Essex had in-
telligence that the forces had met with coming to his
relief; and which n1ade hin1 despair of any succour
that way.
'''Then the earl found himself in this condition, and
that, within very few days, he nlust be \vithout any
provisions for his army; he resolved, that sir'Villianl
Balfour should use his utmost endeavour to break
through with his \vhole body of horse, and to save
thell1 the best he could; and then that he himself
would el11bark his foot at Foy, and ,vith the In escape
hy sea. And two foot soldiers of the army, "Thereof

OF 'rHE REBELLION. 545

one was a Frenchman, came over from thenl, and BOOK
VJII.
assured the king, "that they intended, that night,
" to break through with their horse, which were all 1644.
" then drawn on that side the river, and to\vn of
" Listithiel; and that the foot were to march to
"Foy, ,vhere they should be embarked." This
intelligence agreed \vith \vhat they other\vise re-
ceived, and ,vas believed as it ought to be; and
thereupon order was given, " that both arnlies" (for
that under prince Maurice was looked upon as dis-
tinct, and al\vays so quartered) "should stand to
"their arms all that night; and if the horse at-
" tenlpted an escape, fall on them fro111 both quar-
" ters;" the passage bet\veen them, through \v hich
they must go, being but a musket-shot over; and
they could not avoid going very near a very little
cottage, that was wen fortified; in which fifty mus-
keteers were placed. Advertisement ,vas sent to
Goring, and all the horse; and the orders renewed,
which had formerly been given, for the breaking
do\vn the bridges, and cutting down the trees near
the highway, to obstruct their passage.
The effect of all this providence was not such as
was reasonably to be expected. The night grew
dark and misty, as the enemy could wish; and about Ba)four
.. with the
three In the mornIng, the whole body of the horse earl of
d · h . 1 L h · d Essex's
passe \VIt great 81 ence uetween t e arnlles, an horse es-
within pistol-shot of the cottage, without so much as C h apes 1 tl
t roug I Ie
one musket discharged at them. A t the break ofking's
arm y.
day, the horse were discovered marching over the
heath, beyond the reach of the foot; and there was
only at hand the earl of Cleveland's brigade, the
body of the king's horse being at a greater distance.
That brigade, to ,vhich SOine other troops \vhich had
VOL. IV. N n

BOOK
VUI.

) 644.

546

THE HISTORY

taken the alarlu joined, followed them in the rear;
and killed some, and took more prisoners: but
stronger parties of the enenlY frequently turning
upon them, and the whole body often making a
stand, they \vere often compelled to retire; yet fol-
lo\ved in that manner, that they killed and took
about a hundred; which was the greatest damage
they sustained in their whole march. The notice
and orders canle to Goring, when he was in one of
his jovial exercises; which he received \vith Inirth,
and slighting those \vho sent them, as men who took
alarms too \varlnly; and he continued his delights,
till all the enemy's horse were passed through his
quarters; nor did then pursue them in any titne.
So that, excepting such who, by the tiring of their
horses, beCallle prisoners, Balfour continued his
l11arch even to London, with less loss or trouble
than can he inlagined, to the infinite reproach of the
king's arIny, and of all his garrisons in the \vay.
Nor \vas any Ulan called in question for this supine
neglect; it being not thought fit to make severe in-
quisition into the behaviour of the rest, when it \vas
so notoriously kno\vn, ho\v the superior officer had
failed in his duty.
The next morning, after the horse \vere gone, the
earl dre\v all his foot together, and quitted Listithiel,
and Inarched to\vards Foy; having left order for the
breaking down that bridge. But his nlajesty hilTIself
froin his ne\v fort discerned it, and sent a cOlllpany
of ll1usketeers, \vho quickly beat those that were left;
and thereby preserved the bridge; over \vhich the
king presently Inarched to overtake the rear of the
army, which marched so fast, yet in good order, that
they left two delni-culverins, and two other very

OF THE REBELLION. 547

good guns, and SOine aininunition, to be disposed of BOO K
VIII.
by the king" That day was spent in sinart skir-
mishes, in which many fell; and if the king's horse 1644.
had been more, whereof he had only two troops of
his guards, (\vhich did good service,) it would have
proved a bloody day to the enenlY" The night
cOIning on, the king lay in the field, his own quar-
ters being so near the enemy, that they discharged
many cannon-shot, which fell within few yards of
him, \vhen he was at supper. Sunday being the next
day, and the first day of September, in the morning,
Butler, lieutenant colonel to the earl of Essex, \vho
had been taken prisoner at Boconnocke, and was ex-
changed for an officer of the king's, caDle from the
earl to desire a parley. As soon as he was sent away, The earl of
the earl embarked himself, with the lord Roberts,
:
:S his
d h h ffi h h d k " d p. army, and
an sue ot er 0 eel's as e a most
ln ness lor, escapes to
in a vessel at Fo y " and so esca I Jed into Pl y mouth" Plymouth
, , by sea.
leaving all his army of foot, cannon, and ammunition,
to the care of major general Skippon; who was to
Inake as good conditions for them as he could; and
after a very short stay in Plynlouth, he went on
hoard a ship of the royal navy, that attended there;
and was, within few days, delivered at London;
\vhere he was received without any abatement of
the respect they had constantly paid him; nor was
it less than they could have shewed to him, if he had
not only brought back his o\vn army, but the king
himself like\vise with hinl.
The king consented to the parley; upon which a SIdppoll
. . makes COIl-
cessatIon ,vas concluded; and hostages lnterchange- ditions for
11 d I - d d h h " the foot.
a ) y e Ivere ; an t en t e enemy sent proposl-
tions
such as upon delivery of a strong fortified
xn2

B()OK
VIII.
1644.

54

THE HISTOltY

to,vn, after a handsonlc defence, are usually granted.
But they quickly found they were not looked upon
as men in that condition; and so, in the end, they
,vere contented to deliver up all their cannon; ,vhich,
\vith the four taken t,vo or three days before, ,vere
eight and thirty pieces of cannon: a hundred barrels
of po,vder, \vith Inatch and bullets proportionable;
and about six thousand arms; ,vhich being done,
"the officers ,vere to have liberty to wear their
" s\vords, and to pass with their own nloney, and
" proper goods; and, to secure thelTI frolll plunder,
" they were to have a convoy to Poole, or Southamp-
" ton; all their sick and wounded Inight stay in Foy
" till they were recovered, and thpn have passes to
" Plymouth."
This agreenlent ,vas executed accordingly, on
Monday the second of Septelnber; and though it
,vas near the evening before all ,vas finished, the)"
\vould nlarch away that night; and though all care
,vas taken to preserve them froln violence, yet first
at Listithiel, ,vhere they had been long quartered,
and in other to\vns through which they had forlnerly
passed, the inhabitants, especially the 'VOll1en, ,vho
pretended to see their o,vn clothes and goods about
them, which they had been plundered of, treated
thenl very rudely, even to stripping of SOllie of the
soldiers, and lnore of their wives, ,vho had before he-
haved themselves \vith great insolence in the nlarch.
That night there came ahout one hundred of thenl
to the king's army, and of the six thousand, for so
many Inarched out of Foy, there did not a third part
con1e to Southanipton; \vhere the king's convoy left
thenl; t<! \vhich Skippon gave a large testinlony un-

OF 1.
HE REBELLION. 549

del' his hand, "that they had carried themselves BOOK
VIII.
" with great civility towards them, and fully conl-
" plied with their obligation." ] 644.
Whilst the king was in the west, though he had Affairs at
I r. 0 p.. · . f .. Oxford
el t xlord In a very ill state In respect 0 prOVIsIons during the
and fortifications, and soldiers, and of the different
;

;
ab-
hUlllours of those who remained there, the town be-
ing full of lords, (besides those of the council,) and of
persons of the best quality, with very many ladies,
who, when not pleased themselves, kept others fronl
being so; yet, in his absence, they who were soli-
citous to carryon his service, concurred and agreed
so well together, that they prevailed with the rest to
do every thing that was necessary. They caused
provisions of corn to be laid in, in great proportions;
assigning the public schools to that purpose; and
committing the custody of them to the o,vners of the
corn. They had raised so many volunteers, that
their guards were well kept, and there was need
they should be so; for when both the parlialllent ar-
mies were before the town, D1ajor general Brown, a
citizen of London of good reputation, and a stout
man, had been left in Abingdon with a
trong gar-
lison; froln whence, being superior in number, r he
infested Oxford very much; \vhich gave them the
l110re reason to prosecute the fortifications; which,
in the DIOst ilnportant places, they brought to a good
perfection; and when they had no more apprehen-
sion of a siege, '\VaIleI' being at a distance, and not
able to follow the king, and less able to sit do\vn be-
fore Oxford, they resolved to do somewhat to be
talked of.

r number,] power,
NnS

.550

THE HIS'rORY

I G44.

The king had, before his departure, found they
were not satisfied with their governor, and very ap-
prehensive of his rudeness, and want of complacency. S
Upon the death of sir William Pennhnan, \vho had
been governor of Oxford, to the great satisfaction of
all Inen, being a very brave and generous person,
and who perforn1ed all nlanner of civilities to all
sorts of people, as having had a good t education, and
\vell understanding the lllanners of the court, (the
queen being then in Oxford,) her majesty, who
thought herself the safer for being under the charge
and care of a Roman catholic, prevailed with the
king to confer that charge upon sir Arthur Aston;
\vho had been at Reading, and had the fortune to be
very much esteen1ed, where he was not known; and
very n1uch disliked, U where he was; and he was hy
this tinle too \-vell kno\vn at Oxford, to be beloved
by any; which the king well understood, and was
the lllore troubled, hecause he saw the prejudice \vas
universa], and with too much reason; and thereforc
his majesty had given an extraordinary conlmission
to the lords of his council, to whose authority he
,vas to sublnit, \vhich obliged him to live with a
little more respect towards them, than he desired to
do; being a man of a rough nature, and so given up
to an inl1110derate love of 1110ney, that he cared not
hy \vhat unrighteous ways he exacted it. There
\vere likewise some officers of nanle, who, having
then no charge in the ar