from them When the British Refugees were glad to hear him named for that Service and he in an Extasie to serve his Country any where was arrived in England the Reception he found there was such as ought rather to be forgotten than transmitted to Posierity with any Remarks upon that Conjuncture Thus being denied the Honour of dying for his Country he returned to the more hospitable Place from whence he came But England had not one good Wish the less from him on the account of her last Vnkindness For at the very Article of Death some of his last Words were Wishes for the Prosperity Peace and Glory of his Country and that Religion and Liberty might be established there on so sure and solid a Foundation that the Designs of ill Men might never bring them into Danger for the time to come MEMOIRS OF EDMVND LVDLOW Esq. HAving seen our Cause betrayed and the most solemn Promises that could be made to the Asserters of it openly violated I departed from my Native Country And hoping that my Retirement may protect me from the Rage and Malice of my Enemies I cannot think it a mispending of some part of my leisure to employ it in setting down the most remarkable Counsels and Actions of the Parties engaged in the late Civil War which spread it self through the Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland wherein I shall not strictly confine my self to a relation of such things only in which I was personally concerned but also give the best Account I can of such other memorable Occurrences of those Times as I have learn'd from Persons well inform'd and of unsuspected Fidelity Those who make any Enquiry into the History of K. James's Reign will find that tho his Inclinations were strongly bent to render himself Absolute yet he chose rather to carry on that Design by Fraud than Violence But K. Charles having taken a nearer view of Despotick Government in his Journey to France and Spain tempted with the ghttering Shew and imaginary Pleasures of that empty Pageantry immediately after his Ascent to the Throne pulled off the Masque and openly discovered his Intentions to make the Crown absolute and independent In the beginning of his Reign he marry'd a Daughter of France who was not wanting on her part to press him upon all occasions to pursue the Design of enlarging his Power not omitting to solicite him also to mould the Church of England to a nearer Compliance with the See of Rome Wherein she was but too well seconded by corrupt Ministers of State of whom some were professed Papists and an ambitious Clergy whose Influence upon the King was always greater than could well consist with the Peace and Happiness of England 'T is true he called some Parliaments in the first Years of his Reign but the People soon became sensible he did it rather to empty their Purses than to redress their Grievances The Petition of Right as it was called passed in one of them yet by the manner of passing it and more by the way of keeping or rather breaking it in almost every Particular they clearly saw what they were to expect from him And the by the Votes passed in the House of Commons after a Message from the King to require their Attendance in order to a Dissolution thereby to prevent their Enquiry into his Father's Death complaining of the Grievances of the Nation and asserting the Liberties thereof declaring it Treason for any to pay Custom or other Taxes without the Authority of Parliament locking the Door of the House of Commons and compelling the Speaker to continue in the Chair till it pass'd He might have observed the Pulse of the Nation beating high towards Liberty yet contrary to his Promise to preserve the Privileges of Parliament he caused the Studies of their Members to be searched their Papers to be seized and their Persons to be imprisoned in the Tower where Sir John Elliot who was one of them lost his Life Divers others suffered in their Health and Estates being prosecuted with all Severity at the Common Law for discharging their Duty in Parliament After the Dissolution of which a Proclamation was published whereby it was made criminal in the People to speak any more of Parliaments The King having assumed this extraordinary Power resolved to make War against France not upon the account of those of the Reformed Religion as was pretended but grounded upon personal Discontents and to gratify the Revenge and Lust of his Favourite The Rochellers who once before upon Encouragement from England had endeavoured to desend their just Rights against the Encroachments of the French King till being deserted by the King of England they were necessitated to accept Terms from their King very disadvantageous to their Affairs were again by frequent Importunities and fair Promises prevailed with tho very unwillingly to assist the English with Provisions and such other things as they wanted in their Expedition against the Isle of Rhee From whence our Forces being repulsed the French King sent his Army against the Protestants of Rochel whose Provisions being before exhausted by the English they applied to the King of England for Succours according to his Promise Who as if he intended to assist them effectually caused a certain Number of Ships to be fitted out under the Conduct of Sir John Pennington But private Differences being soon after composed Sir John receiv'd a Letter from the King signed Charles Rex which was afterwards found by the Parliament amongst his Papers requiring him to dispose of those Ships as he should be directed by the French King and if any should refuse to obey those Orders to sink or fire them The King's Command was put in execution accordingly and by the help of those Ships the French became Masters of the Sea and thereby inabled to raise a Work composed of Earth Stones and Piles with which they entirely shut up the Mouth of the Harbour and so prevented them from any ReLef that way Being thus straitned on all sides they were forced to yield to the Pleasure of their King and that strong Town of 〈◊〉 wherein the Security of the Protestants of France chiefly consisted by this horrible Treachery was delivered up to the Papists and those of the Reform'd Religion in all Parts of that Kingdom exposed to the Rage of their bloody and cruel Enemies About this time the most profitable Preferments in the English Church were given to those of the Clergy who were most forward to promote the Imposition of new Ceremonies and Superstitions An Oath was enjoined by them with an c. several new Holy Days introduced and required to be observed by the People with all possible Solemnity at the same time that they were encouraged to profane the Lord's Day by a Book commonly called The Book of Sports printed and published by the King 's especial Command But this was not the only Work of which the Clergy were judged capable and therefore divers of them
surrounded the Castle except only on the West-side where was a Pond of about six Acres The Enemy possessed themselves of all the Out-houses but used them only by night not thinking it safe to come at them by day which we observing one Evening conveyed forty Men through a Vault leading to those Houses ordering them to lie private and endeavour to surprize them when they came which had been effected if one of ours contrary to order upon the entrance of the first of the Enemy had not fired his Pistol and thereby given warning to the rest to shift for themselves The Man who was the occasion of this Disappointment was deprived of the use of his Arms till he should attempt something for the redeeming of his Reputation which soon after upon a Sally we made on the Enemy he did in which we took two of the Enemies Horses and made some Prisoners How many of them were killed we could not learn On our side some were wounded of whom one died soon after A Kinsman of mine who was related to the Lord Cottington was sent from Oxford to offer me what Terms I would desire I permitted him to come in that seeing our Strength and Provision he might make his Report to the Enemy to our Advantage For things were fo ordered by removing our Guards from place to place filling up our Hogsheads with empty Barrels and covering them with Beef and Pork and in like manner ordering our Corn that every thing appeared double to what it was to them The Substance of the Conditions I proposed was That if I understood from the Earl of Essex that he could not relieve us within six Months we would then deliver the Castle upon condition that it should not be made a Garison That the Parliament should have two thousand Pounds for what they had expended in the taking and keeping of it with some other Particulars which the Gentleman carried to Oxford with him but we never had any Return from him about them neither indeed did we expect any Our Beer was now spent our Corn much diminished and we had no other Drink but the Water of our Well which tho we drunk dry by day yet it was sufficiently supplied every night But being resolved to keep the Castle as long as we could we shortned our Allowance so that three Pecks and a half of Wheat one day and a Bushel of Barley another served near a hundred Men which was all our Force my Troop being sent away before for want of Conveniency for Horse This Allowance was so short that I caused one of the Horses we had taken to be killed which the Souldiers eat up in two days besides their Ordinary The Forces that had been sent by the Parliament to the Assistance of the distressed Protestants in Ireland being under pretence that they were neglected as hath been before mentioned brought into England to serve against those who raised them and the Rebels by the Pacification made with them by the King's Order contrary to his Promise to the Parliament left in the full Enjoyment of what they had gotten from the English by Rapine and Murder part of those who came out of Ireland landed at Chester and drew before Nantwich they were commanded by one Capt. Sandford Brother to Sir William Sandford a worthy Person of Grays-Inn to whom he had solemnly promised never to engage against the Parliament Yet did he send in a very threatning Summons to the Town and seconded it with a most furious Assault whilst the Works were but slenderly defended the Guard consisting for the most part of Townsmen who were then gone to dinner But it so happened that a Boy of the Age of fifteen firing a Musquet from the Town shot him dead in the place which discouraged his Souldiers from any farther Attempt Col. George Monk who had been sent by the Parliament into Ireland against the Rebels for some time scrupled to quit that Service and to engage in this being upon that account secured on Ship-board by the Earl of Ormond whilst he sent those Forces into England lest he should have obstructed their going over yet having afterwards his liberty to wait on the King was prevailed with to join with them and soon after taken Prisoner by a Party from Yorkshire commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax who sent him Prisoner to Hull from whence some time after he was conveyed to the Tower of London Another Party of the Forces from Ireland landed in the West and marched as far as Hinden towards Warder-Castle in order to besiege it but being informed that the Person whom they were to dispossess was a Protestant and he into whose hands they were to put it was a Papist they mutinied against their Offcers and refused to be employed against us The Queen landed with an Army of French Walloons and other Foreigners and brought with her great store of Ammunition and Money procured by pawning the Crown-Jewels in Holland With these and other Forces the Earl of Newcastle marched to besiege Hull of which Place the Lord Ferdinando Fairfax was Governour who with the Assistance of the Seamen belonging to some Ships that lay in the Harbour made so fierce a Sally upon the Enemy that they were forced to quit some of their Guns and withdraw to a greater distance leaving many of their Men behind them of whom some were killed and others taken Prisoners Col. Overton carried himself as I am well informed with much Honour and Gallantry in this Action This bad Success so dispirited the Enemy that they abandoned the Siege and retired to York to which also the approach of Winter and the Preparations of the Scots to march into England did not a little contribute For the Parliaments of both Kingdoms had at length agreed upon Terms and removed the last and greatest Difficulty consisting in some doubtful Words in the Covenant which was to be taken by both Nations concerning the preservation of the King's Person and reducing the Doctrine and Discipline of both Churches to the Pattern of the best Reformed For which Sir Henry Vane one of the Commissioners of the Parliament found out an Expedient by adding to the first Clause these or the like words In preservation of the Laws of the Land and Liberty of the Subject and to the Second according to the Word of God Which being an Explanation that could not be refused prevented any farther Contestation about that Matter About this time the Enemy by cruel Usage put a period to the Life of my Brother Capt. Robert Ludlow who was their Prisoner as I before related The News of this and of the Danger I was in so afflicted my Father together with his constant Labours in the publick Service and possibly his Dissatisfaction about the Imprisonment of his good Friend Mr. Henry Martin for Words spoken in the House as he conceived in discharge of his Duty that he died expressing himself deeply sensible of the Condition of the bleeding Nation and heartily
their Teeth since they could do no more The Debate continued till late in the Night and the Sense of the House was that they should be required to forbear the prosecution of the said Petition but when the House wearied with long sitting was grown thin Mr. Denzil Hollis taking that opportunity drew up a Resolution upon his Knee declaring the Petition to be seditious and those Traitors who should endeavour to promote it after such a day and promising Pardon to all that were concerned therein if they should desist by the time limited Some of us fearing the Consequence of these Divisions expressed our Dissatisfaction to it and went out which gave them occasion to pass two or three very sharp Votes against the Proceedings of the Army The Agitators of the Army sensible of their Condition and knowing that they must fall under the Mercy of the Parliament unless they could secure themselves from their Power by prosecuting what they had begun and fearing that those who had shewed themselves so forward to close with the King out of Principle upon any Terms would now for their own Preservation receive him without any or rather put themselves under his Protection that they might the better subdue the Army and reduce them to Obedience by Force sent a Party of Horse under the Command of Cornet Joyce on the 4 th of June 1647. with an Order in Writing to take the King out of the Hands of the Commissioners of Parliament The Cornet having placed Guards about Holmby-house sent to acquaint the King with the occasion of his Coming and was admitted into his Bed-chamber where upon Promise that the King should be used civilly and have his Servants and other Conveniences continued to him he obtained his Consent to go with him But whilst Cornet Joyce was giving Orders concerning the King's Removal the Parliament's Commissioners took that occasion to discourse with the King and perswaded him to alter his Resolution which Joyce perceiving at his Return put the King in mind of his Promise acquainting him that he was obliged to execute his Orders whereupon the King told him that since he had passed his Word he would go with him and to that end descending the Stairs to take Horse the Commissioners of the Parliament being with him Col. Brown and Mr. Crew who were two of them publickly declared that the King was forced out of their hands and so returned with an account of what had been done to the Parliament The King's Officers who waited on him were continued and the chief Officers of the Army began publickly to own the Design pretending thereby to keep the private Souldiers for they would no longer be called Common Souldiers from running into greater Extravagancies and Disorders Col. Francis Russell and others attending on the King became soon converted by the Splendor of his Majesty and Sir Robert Pye a Colonel in the Army supplied the Place of a Querry riding bare before him when he rode abroad so that the King began to promise to himself that his Condition was alatered for the better and to look upon the Independent Interest as more consisting with Episcopacy than the Presbyterian for that it could subsist under any Form which the other could not do and therefore largely promised Liberty to the Independent Party being fully perswaded how naturally his Power would revive upon his Restitution to the Throne and how easy it would be for him to break through all such Promises and Engagements upon pretence that he was under a Force The principal Officers of the Army made it so much their business to get the good Opinion of the King that Whalley being sent from them with Orders to use all means but Constraint to cause him to return to Holmby and the King refusing Whalley was contented to bring him to the Army Yet in the mean time a Charge of High Treason was drawn up by the Army against eleven Members of the House of Commons who were Mr. Denzil Hollis Sir Philip Stapylton Sir John Clotworthy Serjeant Glyn Mr. Anthony Nichols Mr. Walter Long Sir William Lewis Col. Edward Harly Commissary Copley Col. Massey and Sir John Maynard for betraying the Cause of the Parliament endeavouring to break and destroy the Army with other Particulars This Charge they accompanied with a Declaration shewing the Reasons of what they had done affirming that they were obliged by their Duty so to do as they tendred the preservation of the publick Cause and securing the good People of England from being a Prey to their Enemies The great end of this Charge of Treason being rather to keep these Members from using their Power with the Parliament in opposition to the Proccedings of the Army than from any Design to proceed capitally against them they resolved rather to withdraw themselves voluntarily than to put the Parliament or Army to any farther Trouble or their Persons to any more Hazard By these means the Army in which there were too many who had no other Design but the Advancement of themselves having made the Parliament the Scots and the City of London their Enemies thought it convenient to enlarge their Concessions to the King giving his Chaplains leave to come to him and to officiate in their way which had been denied before Whilst this Design was on foot I went down to their Quarters at Maidenhead to visit the Officers where Commissary General Ireton suspecting that these things might occasion Jealousies of them in me and others of their Friends in Parliament desired me to be assured of their stedfast Adherence to the Publick Interest and that they intended only to dispense with such things as were not material in order to quiet the restless Spirits of the Cavaliers till they could put themselves into a condition of serving the People effectually I could not approve of their Practices but many of the chief of them proceeding in the way they had begun gave out that the Intentions of the Officers and Souldiers in the Army were to establish his Majesty in his just Rights The News of this being brought to the Queen and Prince of Wales who were in France they dispatched Sir Edward Ford Brother-in-law to Commissary General Ireton into England to found the Designs of the Army and to promote an Agreement between the King and them Soon after which Mr. John Denham was sent over on the like Errand Sir John Barkley also upon his Return to the Queen from Holland where he had been ordered to condole the Death of the Prince of Orange came into England by the same Order and to the same Purpose It was in his Instructions to endeavour to procure a Pass for Mr. John Ashburnham to come over to assist him in his Negotiation which with many other Particulars relating to this Business I have seen in a Manuscript written by Sir John Barkley himself and left in the Hands of a Merchant at Geneva Being at Diepe in order to embark for England he met with Mr.
William Leg who was of the Bed-chamber to the King and they two came over together into England They landed at Hastings and being on their way towards London were met by Sir Allen Appesley who had been Lieutenant Governour to Sir John Barkley at Exeter by whom he understood that he was sent to him from Cromwell and some other Officers of the Army with Letters and a Cypher as also particular Instructions to desire Sir John Barkley to remember his own Discourse at a Conference with Col. Lambert and other Officers upon the Surrender of Exeter wherein he had taken notice of the bitter Invectives of those of the Army against the King's Person and presuming that such Discourses were encouraged in order to prepare Mens Minds to receive an Alteration of the Government had said that it was not only a most wicked but difficult Undertaking if not impossible for a few Men not of the greatest Quality to introduce a Popular Government against the King the Presbyterians the Nobility Gentry and the Genius of the Nation accustomed for so many Ages to a Monarchical Government advising that since the Presbyterians who had begun the War upon divers specious Pretences were discovered to have sought their own Advantages by which means they had lost almost all their Power and Credit the Independent Party who had no particular Obligations to the Crown as many of the Presbyterians had would make good what the Presbytery had only pretended to and restore the King and People to their just and antient Rights to which they were obliged both by Prudence and Interest there being no means under Heaven more likely to establish themselves and to obtain as much Trust and Power as Subjects are capable of whereas if they aimed at more it would be accompanied with a general Hatred and their own Destruction He had Orders also to let him know that tho to this Discourse of his they then gave only the hearing yet they had since found by Experience that all or the most part of it was reasonable and that they were resolved to act accordingly as might be perceived by what had already passed desiring that he would present them humbly to the Queen and Prince and be a Suitor to them in their Names not to condemn them absolutely but to suspend their Opinions of them and their Intentions till their future Behaviour had made full Proof of their Innocence whereof they had already given some Testimonies to the World and that when he had done this Office he would return to England and be an Eye-witness of their Proceedings Thus did the Army-Party endeavour to fortify their Interest against the Presbyterians who tho they were very much weakened by the Absence of the eleven Members yet not to be altogether wanting to themselves passed a Vote that the King should be brought to Richmond whither he was inclined to go having conceived a Distrust of the Army grounded chiefly upon the Refusal of the Officers to receive any Honours or Advantages from him and would not be disswaded from this Resolution till the Army had obliged the Parliament to recal their Vote After which he insisted upon going to Windsor much against the Sense of the Army and could not be prevailed with to pass by the Army in his way thither This caused them to suspect that he hearkned to some secret Propositions from the Presbyterians and designed to make an absolute Breach between the Parliament and the Army which Commissary General Ireton discerning said these Words to him Sir you have an Intention to be Arbitrator between the Parliament and us and we mean to be so between You and the Parliament But the King finding himself courted on all hands became so confident of his own Interest as to think himself able to turn the Scale to what side soever he pleased In this Temper Sir John Barkley found him when he delivered the Queen's Letters to him which he did after leave obtained from Cromwell and a Confirmation received from his own Mouth of what had been communicated before to him by Sir Allen Appesley with this Addition that he thought no Man could enjoy his Life and Estate quietly unless the King had his Rights which he said they had already declared to the World in general Terms and would more particularly very speedily wherin they would comprize the several Interests of the Royalists Presbyterians and Independents as far as they were consistent with one another Sir John Barkley endeavoured to perswade the King that it was necessary for him who was now in the Power of the Army to dissemble with them and proposed that Mr. Peters might preach before him that he would converse freely with others of the Army and gain the good Opinion of the Agitators whose Interest he perceived to be very great amongst them But this Advice made no Impression upon the King He gave him also a relation of what had formerly passed between himself and Cromwell whom he met near Causum when the Head-quarters were at Reading where Cromwell told him that he had lately seen the tenderest Sight that ever his Eyes beheld which was the Interview between the King and his Children that he wept plentifully at the Remembrance thereof saying that never Man was so abused as he in his sinister Opinion of the King who he thought was the most upright and conscientious of his Kingdom that they of the Independent Party had infinite Obligations to him for not consenting to the Propositions sent to him at Newcastle which would have totally ruined them and which his Majesty's Interest seemed to invite him to concluding with this Wish that God would be pleased to look upon him according to the Sincerity of his Heart towards the King With this relation the King was no more moved than with the rest firmly believing such Expressions to proceed from a necessity that Cromwell and the Army had of him without whom he said they could do nothing And indeed the King was not without reason of that Opinion for some of the principal Agitators with whom Sir John Barkley conversed at Reading expressing to him their Jealousy that Cromwell was not sincere for the King desired of him that if he found him false to acquaint them with it promising that they would endeavour to set him right either with or against his Will Major Huntington a Creature of Cromwell and therefore entrusted by him to command the Guard about the King either believing him to be in earnest in his Pretensions to serve the King or else finding the King's Affairs in a rising Condition became one of his Confidents and by Order of the King brought two General Officers to Sir John Barkley recommending them to him as Persons upon whom he might rely these two had frequent Conferences with Sir John Barkley and assured him that a Conjunction with the King was universally desired by the Officers and Agitators and that Cromwell and Ireton were great Dissemblers if they were not real in
quit their hands of him since their Transactions with him had procured them so much Opposition and to leave the Breach with him upon the Parliament where they found the Presbyterian Party averse to an Agreement with him upon any Proposals of the Army and the Commonwealth Party resolved not to treat with him upon any at all Sir John Barkley being return'd to his Lodging dispatch'd his Cousin Henry Barkley to the Isle of Wight with two Letters one to the Governour containing a general Relation and doubtful Judgment of things in the Army another in Cypher with a particular account of the foresaid Conference and a most passionate Supplication to the King to meditate nothing but his immediate Escape The next Morning he sent Col. Cooke to Cromwell to let him know that he had Letters and Instructions to him from the King who returned in Answer by the Messenger that he durst not see him it being very dangerous to them both bidding him be assured that he would serve the King as long as he could do it without his own Ruin but desired that it might not be expected that he should perish for his sake Having received this Answer Sir John took Horse for London resolving not to acquaint any with the Inclinations of the Army or with the King 's pretended Escape which he presumed would be in a few days the Queen having sent a Ship to that purpose and pressed it earnestly in her Letters The next day after his Arrival at London he received a Message from the Scots Lords Lanerick and Lauderdale desiring a Meeting with him presuming he had a Commission from the King to treat but he acquainting them that the King had said at his parting from him that he would make good whatsoever he should undertake to any Person in his Name the Lord Lanerick replied he would ask no other Commission from him At their second Meeting they came near to an Agreement and resolved to conclude on the Monday following but the next day Sir John Barkley receiving a Letter from Mr. Ashburnham requiring him in the King's Name to lay aside all other business and to return immediately to the King was constrained to go out of Town that Night and to leave the Treaty unfinished to the great Dissatisfaction of both Parties At his return to the Island he found the King determined not to attempt his Escape till he had concluded with the Scots who he said being very desirous to have him out of the hands of the Army would on that account come to an Accommodation upon reasonable Conditions whereas if he should leave the Army before any Agreement with the Scots they would never treat with him but upon their own Terms To this end the King ordered Sir John Barkley Mr. Ashburnham Dr. Hammond and Mr. Leg to review the Papers relating to the Treaty with the Scots which had been managed in London chiefly by Dr. Gough a Popish Priest who in the Queen's Name had conjur'd the King to make his speedy Escape and in his own beseeched him not to insist too nicely upon Terms in the present Exigency of his Affairs but Mr. Ashburnham hesitated much upon many Expressions in the Articles relating to the Covenant and Church of England of which he was a zealous Professor making many Replies and Alterations and at last insisted that the King would send for the Scots Commissioners to come to him Accordingly Sir William Flemming was sent to that purpose and the next day after an Express came from the said Commissioners to the King desiring that two Papers might be drawn the one to contain the least he would be contented with and the other the utmost that he would grant to the Scots which last they desired he would sign promising to do the like to the first and to deliver it to Dr. Gough upon the reception of his Paper so signed But this matter was delay'd so long that they concluded the Scots Commissioners would be on their way before another Express could be gone out of the Island At the same time that the Scots were coming to the King Commissioners were also sent to him by the Parliament with offers of a Personal Treaty on condition that the King in testimony of his future Sincerity would grant the four Preliminary Bills formerly mentioned Whilst these two sorts of Commissioners were one day attending the King as he walked about the Castle they observed him to throw a Bone before two Spaniels that followed him and to take great delight in seeing them contesting for it which some of them thought to be intended by him to represent that Bone of Contention he had cast between the two Parties It was proposed by some of his Party that the King should give a dilatory Answer to the Scots that he might have the better opportunity to escape and at the same time it was moved that he should offer the four following Bills to the Parliament upon presumption that they could not well refuse them nor durst grant them The first was for the Payment of the Army and for their disbanding as soon as paid The second to put a Period to the present Parliament The third to restore the King and Queen to the Possession of their Revenues The fourth to settle a Church-Government without any coercive Power and till such a Government were agreed on the present to continue without any coercive Authority This they advised upon apprehensions if the King should give a positive Denial that the Commissioners might have Orders to enjoin the Governour to keep a stricter Guard over his Person and thereby his designed Escape be prevented To this Advice the King replied that he had found out a Remedy against their Fears which was to deliver his Answer to the Commissioners sealed up The next day after the English Commissioners had delivered their Message and desired the King's Answer within three or four days the Commissioners of Scotland Lowden Lanerick Lauderdale and others delivered a Protestation to the King subscribed by them against the Parliament's Message affirming it to be contrary to the Covenant being sent without their Participation or Consent and from this time began seriously to treat with the King concluding at last upon such Terms as they could obtain rather than such as they desired from him When the time to receive the King's Answer was come he sent for the English Commissioners and before he delivered his Answer demanded of the Earl of Denbigh who was the Principal Commissioner whether they had power to alter any of the substantial or circumstantial Parts of the Message and they replying that they had not he delivered his Answer sealed up into the hands of the Earl of Denbigh Having received the King's Answer the Commissioners withdrew for a little time and being returned the Earl of Denbigh seem'd to be offended that the King had delivered his Message sealed alledging that they were required by their Instructions to bring his Answer which whether his
were ordered to be hung up in Westminster-Hall and the Prisoners were secured in the Artillery-Ground near Tuttle-fields a Committee being appointed to consider how to dispose of them who permitted those to return home that would give Security for their living peaceably for the future but such as did not which was much the greater Number were shipped off to serve in Foreign Parts upon Conditions This Success was astonishing being obtained by Men of little Experience in Affairs of this nature and upon that account despised by their Enemies yet it proved the deciding Battel the King's Party after this time never making any considerable Opposition Leicester capitulated two days after and was surrendred and some of our Forces besieged Chester whilst the Scots did the like to Hereford The General Sir Thomas Fairfax marched with the Army to relieve our Friends at Taunton where Col. Welden was besieged took Highworth in his March and dissipated the Club-men defeated Goring's Forces at Lamport possessed himself of the Towns of Bridgwater and Bath by Capitulation and of Sherburn-Castle by storm Bristol also was surrendred after the Outworks and Fort had been taken by Assault with divers other Successes of less importance and therefore unnecessary to be mentioned here Lieutenant General Cromwell being sent to reduce such Garisons as were in the way to London began with the Castle of Winchester which was delivered to him upon Articles after which he marched to Basinghouse and erected a Battery on the East-side of it by which having made a Breach he stormed and entered it putting many of the Garison to the Sword and taking the rest with the Marquiss of Winchester whose House it was Prisoners Col. Robert Hammond had been before made Prisoner by the Marquiss and was kept here by him in order to secure his own Life which he did by putting himself under the Colonel's Protection when ours entred the Place It was suspected that Col. Hammond ' being related to the Earl of Essex whose half-Sister was married to the Marquiss of Winchester had suffered himself to be taken Prisoner on design to serve the said Marquiss The next Place he attempted was Langford-house near Salisbury which was yielded in a day or two upon Articles The Works about Basing were levelled Sherborn-Castle slighted as also Falston-house of which Major Ludlow was Governour who was removed to undertake the same Charge at Langford-house wherein the Parliament thought fit to keep a Garison by reason of its nearness to the Enemy The King as well to secure himself by getting as far from our Forces as he could as to raise a new Army if possible marched with the Horse that he had left towards North-Wales hoping in his way to relieve Chester besieged by Sir William Brereton and by his Presence in Wales to prevail with them to furnish him with a Body of Foot but he found himself frustrated in both these Designs For being worsted near Routen Heath by Major General Pointz who commanded a Brigade of the Parliament's in those Parts he saw the Face of Affairs much altered both in North and South-Wales In the last of which tho he was entertained civilly by some particular Persons yet the generality of the Country that during his Successes had subjected themselves even slavishly to his Instruments now fearing he might draw the Army of the Parliament after him and make their Country the Seat of War began to murmur against him and drew together a numerous Body in the nature of a Club-Army whispering amongst themselves as if they intended to seize his Person and deliver him to the Parliament to make their Peace Which being reported to the King he thought fit to retire from thence with his Forces only leaving a small Garison in the Castle of Cardiff which together with the County was soon after reduced to the Obedience of the Parliament by Col. Pritchard where Sir John Strangwaies was amongst others taken Prisoner who by order of the Parliament was sent up to London and committed to the Tower The Isle of Anglesey and such Places of North-Wales as had been held for the King were surrendred to the Parliament but Glamorganshire and the parts adjacent continued not long in their Duty but revolted at the Instigation of one Mr. Kerne of Winny who pretending great Fidelity to the Parliament was intrusted by them as their Sheriff for that County and made use of that Authority to raise the Country against them and to besiege Colonel Pritchard and the rest of their Friends in the Castle of Cardiff who being reduced to some necessity had been probably constrained to surrender it had not speedy relief been procured from the Parliament under the Conduct of Colonel Kirle of Glocestershire who falling suddenly upon the Enemy routed and killed many of them The King's Affairs being in this low condition in England and Wales he resolved to try what might be done in Scotland in order to which he commands the Lord Digby to march thither with a Party of sixteen hundred Horse and to join the Marquiss of Montross then in Arms for him in that Kingdom In obedience to the King's Order the Lord Digby marched from Newark and in his way surprized about eight hundred of ours near Sherbon but was afterwards routed by Col. Copley who recovered the Men and Arms taken from ours killed forty of the Enemy upon the spot took four hundred of them Prisoners and about six hundred Horses The Lord Digby's Coach and Papers were also taken This Party was defeated a second time by Sir John Brown and a third by Col. Bright who took two hundred of them Prisoners the Lord Digby with about twenty more hardly escaping to the Isle of Man and from thence to Ireland At the approach of Sir Thomas Fairfax's Army the Enemy raised the Siege of Taunton from thence the General marched to Honyton and the next day to Colompton from whence the Enemy retired in great disorder On October 20. the Army tho much weakned by hard Duty and the Rigour of the Season resolved upon the Blockade of Exeter Carmarthen Castle Monmouth and divers other Places were surrendred to the Parliament so that the King looking upon the Rebels in Ireland as his last Refuge sends Orders to the Earl of Ormond not only to continue the Cessation but to conclude a Peace with them upon condition they would oblige themselves to send over an Army to his Assistance against the Parliament of England The Supreme Council of Ireland as they called themselves having notice of it invited the Earl of Ormond to Kilkenny to treat about the same who being willing to see his Relations and his Estate in those Parts as also to expedite that Service accepted their Invitation and marched thither with about three or 4000 Horse and Foot for his Guard which by the advice of the Lord Mountgarret and the Supreme Council were dispersed into Quarters in the Villages thereabouts the Earl of Ormond suspecting nothing having sent Orders to
about threescore of the Commissioners set their Hands and Seals directing it to Col. Hacker Col. Hunks and Col. Phaier or either of them The Duke of Glocester and the Lady Elizabeth waited on the King the same day to take their leave of him An Extraordinary Ambassador from the United Provinces had his Audience in the Parliament his business was to intercede with them for the Life of the King and to preserve a fair Correspondence between England and the States The next day about eight in the Morning the King attended by a Guard was brought from St. James's through the Park to Whitehall where having drunk a Glass or two of red Wine and stayed about two hours in a private Room he was conducted to the Scaffold out of a Window of the Banqueting-house and having made a Speech and taken off his George he kneeled down at the Block and the Executioner persormed his Office The Body was ordered to be interred at Windsor The Duke of Lenox the Marquiss of Hertford the Earls of Southampton and Lindsey with some others having Leave from the Parliament attended it to the Grave A Report of the Proceedings of the High Court of Justice being made to the Parliament they declared That the Persons imployed in that important Service had discharged their Trust with Courage and Fidelity that the Parliament was well satisfied with the Account of their Proceedings ordering them to be engrossed and recorded amongst the Parliament-Rolls in order to transmit the Memory thereof to Posterity and resolved that the Commissioners of the Great Seal should issue a Certiorari to their Clerk to record those Proceedings in the Chancery and that the same should be sent to the other Courts at Westminster and to the Custos Rotulorum of each County Judg Jenkins Sir John Stowel and divers other Persons who were Prisoners and had carried themselves very insolently now finding the Parliament to be in earnest began to come to a better Temper Colonel Middleton who was also a Prisoner at Newcastle upon Parole ran away to Scotland and being required to return answered That his Life was dearer to him than his Honour Sir Marmaduke Langdale made his escape also and Sir Lewis Dives through a House of Office in Whitehall The Lord Capel got out of the Tower but being discovered by a Waterman as he crossed the Thames he was seized in a House at Lambeth Duke Hamilton also escaped out of Windsor-Castle and came to Southwark where knocking at the Door of an Inn he was seized by a Souldier who knew him and was passing by that way whereupon he was committed to the Tower The House of Lords becoming now the Subject of the Consideration and Debate of the Parliament Lieutenant General Cromwell appeared for them having already had a close Correspondence with many of them and it may be presuming he might have farther use of them in those Designs he had resolved to carry on but they not meeting in their House at the time to which they had adjourned much facilitated their Removal so that the Question being put Whether the House of Commons should take Advice of the House of Lords in the Exercise of the Legislative Power it was carried in the Negative and thereupon resolved That the House of Peers was useless and dangerous and ought to be abolished and an Act was soon after passed to that effect After this they proceeded to declare That the Office of a King in this Nation is unnecessary burdensome and dangerous to the Liberty Safety and publick Interest of the People and therefore ought to be abolioshed and that they will settle the Government of the Nation in the way of a Commonwealth To this end they ordered a Declaration to be published whereby it was declared Treason for any Person to endeavour to promote Charles Stuart to be King of England or any other single Person to be chief Governour thereof They also ordered the Great Seal and other Seals which had the Image of the late King on them to be defaced and appointed new ones to be made with the Stamp of the House of Commons on one side accompanied with this Inscription The Great Seal of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England On the other side was engraven the Cross and the Harp being the Arms of England and Ireland with this Inscription God with us Ordering all Writs formerly running in the King's Name to be issued out in the Name of the Keepers of the Liberty of England A High Court of Justice was constituted by Act of Parliament for the trying of Duke Hamilton the Earl of Holland the Lord Goring the Lord Capel and Sir John Owen Duke Hamilton pleaded that he entred into England as an Enemy being of another Nation and born before the Act of Union and consequently not to be tried by the Laws of this besides he had surrendred himself upon Conditions The rest of the Lords pleaded Articles also and so did Sir John Owen But that Allegation appeared to be of no weight by the Testimony of the General in relation to the Lords Goring and Capel and by the Evidence of Col. Wayte touching Duke Hamilton the like being affirmed by other Witnesses against the Earl of Holland and Sir John Owen for if there had been any Promise made to any of them either implicitely or by word of Mouth it could only extend to protect them from the Military not the Civil Sword And as to the Plea for Duke Hamilton that he was born before the two Nations were united it was answered that they tried him not as Duke Hamilton but as Earl of Cambridg in which Capacity he had sate as a Peer of England and therefore a Subject thereof So that upon full Evidence they were all sentenced by the Court to have their Heads struck off for High Treason in levying War against the Parliament of England Earnest Solicitations and Petitions were made for them to the Parliament but they thought not fit to reprieve the Duke the Earl of Holland or the Lord Capel Touching the Lord Goring the House was equally divided and the Speaker having upon such Occasions the determining Voice gave it for his Reprieve Commissary General Ireton observing no Motion consider that he was a Commoner and therefore more properly to have been tried in another way by a Jury whereupon the House reprieved him also The other three were executed a day or two after in the New Palace-Yard before Westminster-Hall in pursuance of a Warrant signed by the Court to that purpose the Parliament refusing to hearken to the Earl of Denbigh who proposed on the behalf of Duke Hamilton his Brother-in-law to give them a Blank signed by the said Duke to answer faithfully to such Questions as should be there inserted The Parliament having resolved to constitute a Council of State the better to carry on the executive part of the Government authorized five of their Members to agree upon the Number and Persons of such as they
hundred Men on shore commanded by Captain Morrice to attack a Quarter of the Enemies that lay by the Harbour which they executed Successfully by taking the Fort and about forty Prisoners with four Pieces of Cannon which they nailed up and returned on board again At this time the Virginia Fleet arriving at the Barbadoes it was thought fit to send a third Summons to the Lord Willoughby but finding that neither this nor the Declaration sent to them by the Commissioners of Parliament to the same purpose produced any effect Sir George Ayscue landed seven hundred Men from his own and the Virginia Fleet giving the Command of them to the same Captain Morrice who fell upon thirteen hundred of the Enemies Foot and three Troops of their Horse and beat them from their Works killing many of their Men and taking about a hundred Prisoners with all their Guns The Loss on our side was inconsiderable few of ours being killed upon the place and not above thirty wounded Yet these Successes were not sufficient to accomplish the Work there being above five thousand Horse and Foot in the Island and our Virginia Fleet preparing to depart for want of Provisions In this conjuncture Colonel Muddiford who commanded a Regiment in the Island by the means of a Friend that he had in our Fleet made his Terms and declared for the Parliament Many of his Friends following his Example did the like and in conjunction with him encamped under the protection of our Fleet. Upon this the most part of the Island were inclined to join us but the Lord Willoughby prevented them by placing Guards on all the Avenues to our Camp and designed to charge our Men with his Body of Horse wherein he was much superior to them had not a Cannon-Ball that was fired at random beat open the door of a Room where he and his Council of War were sitting which taking off the Head of the Sentinel who was placed at the door so alarmed them all that he changed his design and retreated to a Place two Miles distant from the Harbour Our Party consisting of two thousand Foot and one hundred Horse advancing towards him he desired to treat which being accepted Colonel Muddiford Colonel Collyton Mr. Searl and Captain Pack were appointed Commissioners by Sir George Ayscue and by the Lord Willoughby Sir Richard Pierce Mr. Charles Pym Colonel Ellis and Major Byham By these it was concluded that the Islands of Barbadoes Mevis Antego and St. Christophers should be surrendered to the Parliament of England That the Lord Willoughby Colonel Walrond and some others should be restored to their Estates and that the Inhabitants of the said Isles should be maintained in the quiet enjoyment of what they possessed on condition to do nothing to the prejudice of the Commonwealth This News being brought to Virginia they submitted also where one Mr. George Ludlow a Relation of mine served the Parliament in the like manner as Col. Muddiford had done at the Barbadoes The Parliament of England being desirous after all these Successes to convince even their Enemies that their principal design was to procure the happiness and prosperity of all that were under their Government sent Commissioners to Scotland to treat concerning an Union of that Nation with England in one Common-wealth directing them to take care till that could be effected that Obedience should be given to the Authority of the Parliament of the Common wealth of England The Commissioners appointed to this end on the part of the Parliament were Sir Henry Vane the Chief Justice St. Johns Mr. Fenwick Major Salloway Major General Lambert Colonel Titchborn Major General Dean and Colonel Monk This Proposition of Union was chearfully accepted by the most iudicious amongst the Scots who well understood how great a condescension it was in the Parliament of England to permit a People they had conquered to have a part in the Legislative Power The States-General being highly displeased with the late Act of Navigation passed by the Parliament which they accounted to be a great obstruction to their Trade resolved to leave no means unattempted to procure it to be repealed To this end they sent three Ambassadors to England who pretending a desire to finish the Treaty begun formerly between the Two States requested that things might be as they were at the time of our Ambassador's departure from Holland designing thereby that the Act lately passed for the Encouragement of our Seamen should be suspended and all such Merchandizes restored as had been seized from the Dutch by virtue of the said Act. The Parliament refusing to consent to this Proposal the States-General gave Orders for the equipping a considerable Fleet consisting of about a hundred Ships of War giving notice to the Parliament by their Ambassadors of these Preparations and assuring them that they were not design'd to offend the English Nation with whom they desired to maintain a friendly Correspondence and that they were provided to no other end than to protect their own Subjects in their Trade and Navigation But the Parliament being unwilling to rely upon the Promises of those who by their past and present Actions had manifested little Friendship to us resolved to make what Preparations they could to defend themselves This Alarm awakened us to a diligent performance of our duty in Ireland fearing that the Hollanders might transport some foreign Forces by their Fleet to the Assistance of the Irish who were not only still numerous in the Field but had also divers Places of Strength to retreat to Our Suspicions were farther increased by the Advices we received of a Treaty on foot between the Duke of Lorain and Theobald Viscount Taff with other Irish to bring the Forces of that Duke into Ireland against us in order to extirpate all Hereticks out of that Nation to re-establish the Romish Religion in all Parts of it and to restore the Irish to their Possessions all which being performed he should deliver up the Authority to the King of Great Britain and assist him against his Rebellious Subjects in England That all Ireland should be ingaged for his Re-imbursement That Galway Limerick Athenree Athlone Waterford and the Fort of Duncannon should be put into his hands as Cautionary Places with other things of the same nature The Report of this Agreement being spread amongst the Irish encouraged them to make all possible Opposition against us in expectation of the promised Succours The Commissioners of the Parliament on the other hand laboured with all diligence to dispose their Affairs in the best manner they could for the Publick Service in order to which they sent to the several Commanders of our Army to excite them to the discharge of their Duty making provision of Arms Ammunition Clothes Tents and all things necessary to the carrying on the War in the ensuing Spring A general Meeting of Officers was also appointed to be held at Kilkenay to consult about the best Method of employing our Arms against the
entered the Lists as Champions of the Prerogative asserting that the Possessions and Estates of the Subject did of Right belong to the King and that he might dispose of them at his pleasure thereby vacating and annulling as much as in them lay all the Laws of England that secure a Propriety to the People Arbitrary Courts were erected and the Power of others enlarged such were the High Commission Court the Star-Chamber the Court of Honour the Court of Wards the Court of Râ—â—â—â—â—s c. Patents and Monopolies of almost every thing were granted to private Men to the great Damage of the Publick Knighthood Coat and Conduct-Money and many other illegal Methods were revived and put in execution to rob the People in order to support the Profusion of the Court And that our Liberties might be extirpated at once and we become Tenants at will to the King that rare Invention of Ship-Money was found out by Finch whose Solicitation and Importunities prevailed with the major part of the Judges of Westminster-Hall to declare for Law That for the Supply of Shipping to defend the Nation the King might impose a Tax upon the People That he was to be Judg of the Necessity of such Supply and of the Quantity to be imposed for it and that he might Imprison as well as Destrain in case of Refusal Some there were who out of a hearty Affection to the Service of their Country and a true English Spirit opposed these illegal Proceedings Amongst whom Mr. John Hampden of Buckingham-shire Judge Croke and Judge Hutton were of the most eminent Prerogative being wound up to this height in England and the Affairs of the Church tending to a Conjunction with the See of Rome before any farther Progress should be made therein here it was thought expedient that the Pulse of Scotland should be felt and they perswaded or compelled to the like Conformity To this end a Form of Publick Prayer was sent to Scotland more nearly approaching the Roman Office than that used in England The reading of this New Service-Book at Edinburgh was first interrupted by a poor Woman but the People were so generally discontented with the Book it self as well as the manner of imposing it that she was soon seconded by the Generality of them those who officiated hardly escaping with their Lives This produced divers Meetings of many of the Nobility Clergy and Gentry who entred into an Agreement or Covenant to root out Episcopacy Heresy and Superstition Those of the Clergy of England who had been the chief Advisers and Promoters of this Violence prevailed with the King to cause all such as should persist in their Opposition after a certain time to be proclaimed Traitors But the Scots not at all afrighted with these Menaces resolved to make good their former Undertaking Which the King perceiving and that this violent way took not effect began to incline to more moderate Counsels and by Commission empowered the Marquiss of Hamilton to treat them into a Submission consenting to the Suppression of the Liturgy High Commission Court and Articles of Perth But the Scots insisting upon the Abolition of Episcopacy and the King refusing his Consent to it they did it themselves in an Assembly held at Glasco and being informed that the King was preparing an Army to compel them to Obedience agreed upon the raising of some Forces to defend themselves The Clergy in England were not wanting to promote the New Levies against the Scots contributing largely thereunto which was but reasonable it being manifest to all that they were the principal Authors and Fomentors of these Troubles The Nobility and Gentry were likewise required to further this Expedition in which tho divers of them did appear yet was it rather out of Compliment than Affection to the Design being sensible of the Oppressions they themselves lay under and how dangerous to the People of England a thorow Success against the Scots might prove The King perceiving an Universal Dislike to this War as well in the People as in the Officers and Souldiers of his Army concluded an Agreement with the Scots at Berwick the 17 th of June 1639. But upon his Return to London under colour that many false Copies of the said Articles were published and dispersed by the Scots to the great Dishonour of the King the said Agreement was disowned and order'd to be burnt by the Hands of the Hangman Thereupon hoping that a Parliament would espouse his Quarrel and furnish him with Money for the carrying on of his Design he sammoned one to meet at Westminster on the 3 a of April 1640. which sitting but a little time thereby obtained the Name of the short Parliament The King by his Agents earnestly pressed them to grant him present Supplies for the Use of his Army but they sensible of former Usage after they had gratified him in that Particular and of the insupportable Burdens and Oppressions they lay under refused to grant any Subsidies till their Grievances should be redressed Whereupon the King put a Period to their sitting the fifth of May following the Earl of Strafford and others of his Council advising him so to do and to make use of other Means for his Supply as appeared to the ensuing Parliament by the Minutes of the Secretary of State taken at that Cabal and produced at the Trial of the said Earl The Sum of whose Advice was to this effect Sir You have now tried your People and are denied by them therefore you are clear before God and Man if you make use of other Means for your Supply You have an Army in Ireland c. This Counsel was prosecuted and new Preparations made for the carrying on of the War against the Scots all imaginable ways used to raise Supplies Privy Seals sent throughout the Nation for the Loan of Money Ship-Money Coat and Conduct-Money pressed to the height Commodities taken up on Credit and sold for ready Money Warrants also were delivered out to press Men to serve in the Army Brass-Money was propounded and some prepared but that Project took no effect The Clergy being permitted and encouraged by the King to sit in Convocation after the Dissolution of the Parliament took upon them not only to frame Canons and Oaths but also to impose four Shillings in the Pound upon Ecclesiastical Benefices throughout the Kingdom The King to give life to the Advance of his Army marched with them in Person the Earl of Northumberland as most popular wearing the name of General whilst Strafford with the Title of Lieutenant General had the principal Management of all The City of London had refused to pay some of the illegal Taxes before-mentioned whereupon divers of their chief Officers were imprisoned and an Order issued forth to take away the Sword from the Lord Mayor Whereupon the People rise and beset the House of the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury who in conjunction with the Earl of Strafford was supposed to put the King upon these violent and
unwarrantable Courses but he made his Escape by Water for that time and one of the most active of the People was seized and executed which served only to exasperate the rest Upon the near Approach of the English and Scots Army a considerable Party of each side encountred and the English contrary to their wonted Custom retired in Disorder not without Shame and some Loss Of such Force and Consequence is a Belief and full Perswasion of the Justice of an Undertaking tho managed by an Enemy in other respects inconsiderable The King startled at the Unsuccessfulness of his first Attempt upon the Petition of a considerable number of the well-affected Nobility requesting him that to avoid the Effusion of more Blood he would call an Assembly of the Nobility consented thereunto This Council accordingly met at York and advised the King to a Cessation of Arms and the Calling of a Parliament to compose Differences which to the great trouble of the Clergy and other Incendiaries he promised to do assuring the Scots of the Paiment of twenty thousand Pounds a Month to maintain their Army till the Pleasure of the Parliament should be known In order to which Writs were issued out for the Meeting of a Parliament on the 3 d of November 1640. The time prefix'd for their assembling being come they met accordingly and as they were very sensible that nothing but an absolute Necessity permitted their coming together so they resolved to improve this happy Opportunity to free the People from their Burdens and to punish the Authors of the late Disorders To this end they declared against Monopolies and expelled the Authors of them out of the House The Opinions of the Judges concerning Ship-Money they voted unjust and illegal fining and imprisoning those that had warranted the Lawfulness thereof And that the Offenders against the Publick might not escape they ordered the Sea-Ports to be diligently guarded and all Passengers to be strictly examined This being done they impeached the Lord Keeper Finch the Earl of Strafford and the Arch-bishop of Canterbury of High Treason in endeavouring to subvert the Laws and to erect an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Power They declared that they would pay the English and Scots Armies to the end of May 1641. and assist the Prince Palatine with Men and Money to recover his Country And now having the Charge of two Armies to pay and all Men suspecting they might be abruptly dissolved as had often hapned before and therefore refusing to credit them with such Sums as were necessary unless an Act might pass to secure their sitting till they should think fit to dissolve themselves by Act of Parliament the King gave his Assent to one drawn up and passed to that purpose Another Act likewise passed to assert that according to the antient Fundamental Laws of England a Parliament ought to be held every Year and directing that in case one was not called in three Years the Lord Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal should issue out Writs as is therein expressed and if he fail in his Duty he is declared guilty of High Treason and a certain number of Lords impowered to summon the said Parliament and is they should neglect so to do the Sheriffs and Constables are vested with the same Authority But if it should happen that all the forementioned Powers should be wanting in their Duty the People of England are thereby authorized to put the said Act in execution by meeting and electing Members to serve in Parliament tho not summoned by any Officers appointed to that end The Parliament then proceeded to correct the Abuses that had been introduced in the preceding Years Whereupon the Star-Chamber the High Commission Court the Court of Honour with some others were taken away by Act of Parliament and the Power of the Council-Table restrained The Commissioners of the Custom-House who had collected Customs contrary to Law were fined and such as had been imprisoned by any of the above-mentioned Arbitrary Courts were set at liberty A Protestation was also agreed upon by the Lords and Commons which they took and presented to others to take whereby all those that took it obliged themselves to defend and maintain the Power and Privileges of Parliament the Rights and Liberties of the People to use their utmost Endeavours to bring to condign Punishment all those who should by Force or otherwise do any thing to the contrary and to stand by and justify all such as should do any thing in prosecution of the said Protestation The Day prefix'd for the Earl of Strafford's Trial being come he was brought before the House of Peers where the Charge against him was managed by Members of the House of Commons appointed to that end The chief Heads of the Accusation were That he had governed the Kingdom of Ireland in an Arbitrary manner That he had retained the Revenues of the Crown without rendring a due Account of them That he had encouraged and promoted the Romish Religion That he had endeavoured to create Feuds and Quarrels between England and Scotland That he had laboured to render the Parliament suspected and odious to the King That he was the Author of that Advice That since the Parliament had denied to grant the King such Supplies as he demanded he was at liberty to raise them by such Means as he thought fit and that he had an Irish Army that would assist him to that end It being the Custom that a Lord High Steward should be made to preside at the Trial of a Peer that Honour was conferred upon the Earl of Arundel The King the Queen the House of Commons the Deputies of Scotland and Ireland with many other Persons of Quality of both Sexes were there present I remember the Earl of Strafford in his Defence objected against the Evidence of the Earl of Cork denying him to be a competent Witness because his Enemy To which George Lord Digby who was appointed one of the Managers of the Charge against him replied That if that Objection should be of any weight with the Court the Earl of Strafford had found out a certain way to secure himself from any sarther Prosecution Yet this Man who then spoke with so much Vigour soon after altered his Language and made a Speech to the House in his favour which he caused to be printed and also surreptitiously withdrew a Paper from the Committee containing the principal Evidence against the said Earl The Parliament resenting this Prevarication ordered his Speech to be burnt by the Hands of the Common Hangman The House of Commons having passed a Bill for the Condemnation of the Earl it was carried to the Lords for their Concurrence which they gave The King not satisfied therewith consulted with the Privy Council some Judges and four Bishops And all of them except one advise the throwing of Jonas over-board for the appeasing of the Storm Upon which the Earl of Arundel the Lord Privy Seal and two more were commissionated by
the King to sign the Warrant for his Execution Which they did upon the twelfth of May following and the 22 d of the same Month the Earl of Strafford was beheaded accordingly At this time a treacherous Design was set on foot not without the Participation of the King as appear'd under his own Hand to bring up the English Army and by Force to dissolve the Parliament the Plunder of London being promised to the Officers and Souldiers as a Reward for that Service This was confessed by the Lord Goring Mr. Piercy and others The Scots Army was also tried and the sour Northern Counties offered to be given to them in case they will undertake the same Design And tho neither of these Attempts did succeed yet the King pleased himself with hopes that a seasonable time for dissolving the Parliament would come and then all Power reverting into his own Hands he would deal with their new enacted Laws as he had done besore with the Petition of Right and with their Members as he had done with those of the former Parliaments And that he might not long languish in this Expectation he sent to the House desiring that at once they would make their full Demands and prepare Bills accordingly for his Assent assuring them of his Readiness to comply with their Desires But they perceiving the Design return'd for answer That they could not suddenly resolve on so weighty a Work but would do it with all possible speed In the mean time to improve the present Opportunity they prevail with the King to pass an Act for the Exclusion of the Bishops out of the House of Lords for tho he was unwilling to grant the Parliament any thing yet the State of his Affairs was such that he durst deny them no reasonable thing And now having paid to the Scots and English Armies what was due to them they dismissed them to their respective homes The King having laid his Designs in Ireland as will afterwards appear was not without great Difficulty prevailed with by the Parliament to consent to the disbanding of those eight thousand Irish Papists that had been raised there by the Earl of Strafford Soon after which he resolved upon a Journey to Scotland and tho the Parliament endeavoured to disswade him from it or at least to defer it to a fitter Opportunity he refused to hearken to them under pretence that the Affairs of that Kingdom necessarily required his Presence but in truth his great business was to leave no means unattempted to take off that Nation from their Adherence to the Parliament of England Before his Departure he signed a Commission to certain Persons impowering them to pass the Bills that should be tender'd in his Absence Whilst he was about this Work in Scotland the News of the Irish Rebellion was brought to him that the Papists throughout that Kingdom were in Arms that their Design to surprize and seize the Castle of Dublin had not succeeded being discovered by one O Connelly a Servant of Sir John Clotworthy's and that the Lord Macquire and Mac-mahon who were appointed to that end were taken and sent into England where they were soon after executed for the same The News of this Rrebellion as I have heard from Persons of undoubted Credit was not displcasing to the King tho it was attended with the Massacre of many thousands of the Protestants there Having made what Progress he could in Scotland confirming by Act of Parliament not only what he had formerly granted them but also what they had done in their Assembly at Glascow and in effect whatsoever they desired of him he returned to London where being received with Acclamations and treated at the Expence of the City he became elevated to that degree that in his first Speech to the Commons he sharply reproved them for that instead of thanking him for what he had done they continued to multiply their Demands and Dissatisfactions Whereupon the Parliament were confirmed in their Suspicions that he design'd to break what he had already granted so soon as he had Opportunity and Power in his hands to plead that he was under a Force as some of his Predecessors had done and so reverse what had been enacted for the Good of the People revenge himself on those who had been Instruments in compelling him thereto and fortify himself against the like for the future These Apprehensions made them carnestly insist upon settling the Militia of the Nation in such Hands as both Houses of Parliament should recommend to him particularly representing the great Dissatisfaction of the City of London that Sir William Bâ—lfeur for refusing to permit the Earl of Strafford to escape was dismissed from his Charge of Lieutenant of the Tower and the Government of it put into the hands of one Lunsford a Souldier of Fortune of a profligate Conversation and fit for any wicked Design With much difficulty this Lunsford was removed and Sir John Conyers put into his place but the Parliament and City not satisfied with this Choice and having discovered that Sir John Suckling under pretence of raising a Regiment for Portugal was bringing together a number of Mento seize the Tower for the King it was at last entrusted to the Custody of the Lord Mayor of London About this time great Numbers of English Protestants flying from the bloody Hands of the Irish Rebels arrived in England filling all Places with sad complaints of their Cruelties to the Protestants of that Kingdom Whereupon the Parliament earnestly pressed the King to proclaim them Rebels but could not obtain it to be done till after many Weeks and then but forty of those Proclamations were printed and not above half of them published which was the more observed and resented by reason of the different Treatment that the Scots had met with who no sooner appeared in a much better Cause but they were forth with declared Rebels in every Parish-Church within the Kingdom of England The Rebels in Ireland pretended a Commission from the King for what they did which so alarm'd the People of England that the King thought himself necessitated to do something therein and therefore to carry on his Design he acquainted the Parliament that when an Army was raised he would go in Person to reduce them but they apprehending this pretended Resolution to be only in order to put himself at the Head of an Army that he might reduce the Parliament to his Will refused to consent and procured an Act to pass for the leaving of that War to the management of the two Houses the King obliging himself not to give Terms to any of the Rebels or to make Peace with them without the Parliament's Consent In this Act Provision was made for the satisfying of such as should advance Money for the reduction of Ireland out of the Rebels Lands in several Provinces according to the Rates therein mentioned Upon which considerable Sums of Money were sâ—on brought in The Parliament neglecting no Opportunity
to carry on this necessary Work procured some Forces to be sent from Scotland into the North of Ireland and put into their hands the Town and Castle of Carrickfergus They also dispatched several Regiments of English thither who were blessed with wonderful Success against the Rebels particularly about Dublin where the Earl of Ormond commanded Those of the English Pale by fair Pretences procured Arms to be delivered to them yet basely cut off a Party of five or six hundred Men sent to relieve Sir Richard Titchburn then besieged at Droghedah who finding no hopes of Relief made his Retreat to Dublin by Sea The Lord Forbes a Scots-man was sent with a Party into Munster where he greatly annoyed the Enemy and being furnished with some Ships sailed up the Shannon and secured several Places upon that River particularly Bonratte the Residence of the Earl of Thomond where he found about threescore Horse fit for Service Major Adams was made Governour of that House But the Enemy frequently resorting to a Place called Six-Miles-Bridg about two or three Miles from thence the English pressed the Earl to assist them to fall upon the Irish who unwilling to oppose the English Interest and no less to make the Rebels his Enemies endeavoured to excuse himself yet upon second thoughts resolved to comply if some care might be taken to spare his Kindred Whereupon some of the English Officers proposing to him that his Relations should distinguish themselves by some Mark and he concluding it to be in order to secure them to the English Interest chose rather to withdraw himself into England and to leave his House to the Souldiers where tho he pretended he had no Money to lend them to supply their wants they found two thousand Pounds buried in the Walls which they made use of for the paiment of their Forces The King finding that nothing less would satisfy the Parliament than a thorow Correction of what was amiss and full Security of their Rights from any Violation for the suture considered how to put a stop to their Proceedings and to that end encouraged a great number of loose debauch'd Fellows about the Town to repair to Whitehall where a constant Table was provided for their Entertainment Many Gentlemen of the Inns of Court were tamper'd with to assist him in his Design and things brought to that pass that one of them said publickly in my hearing What! shall we suffer these Fellows at Westminster to domineer thus Let us go into the Country and bring up our Tenants to pull them out Which Words not being able to bear I questioned him for them and he either out of fear of the publick Justice or of my Resentment came to me the next Morning and asked pardon for the same which by reason of his Youth and want of Experience I passed by By these Actions of the King the Suspicions of the Parliament were justly increased and therefore they desired leave to provide a Guard to secure themselves from Violence which the King refused to grant unless it might be of his own Appointment alledging that their Fears were groundless But they thought otherwise being convinced that neither what had been already done was sufficiently secured unless the Militia might be placed in such hands as they could trust nor themselves safe unless attended by a Guard of their own Nomination The King 's violent ways not succeeding he fell upon other Measures in appearance more moderate yet continued his Resolution to subdue the Parliament and to colour his Proceedings with a Form of Law he lent Sir Edward Herbert his Attorny General and a Member of the House of Commons to accuse of High Treason in the Name of his Majesty Mr. William Stroud Mr. John Pym Mr. John Hampden Sir Arthur Haslerig and Mr. Denzil Hollis Members of that House and the Lord Kimbolton of the House of Lords acquainting them that he intended to proceed against them according to Law upon the following Articles 1. That they intended to change the Government of the State and to dispossess the King of his Sovereign and Lawful Power and to attribute to Subjects an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Power 2. That by false Reports and Calumnies sown against his Majesty they had endeavoured to alienate from him the Affections of his People 3. That they had done their utmost to debauch the Troops of his Majesty and to engage them in their persidious Designs 4. That they had traitorously sought to overthrow the Rights and true Form of Parliaments 5. That they had used Force and Terror to constrain the Parliament to engage in their pernicious Designs and to that end had stirred up Tumults against the King and Parliament 6. That they had by a great Treason resolved to raise Arms and had actually raised Arms against the King 7. That they had endeavoured to procure a Foreign Power to invade England Upon this the House made answer to the Attorney General that they were the proper Judges of their own Members That upon his producing the Articles that he had to accuse their Members with and the consideration of them if they found cause they would leave them to be proceeded against according to Law but commanded him at his Peril not to proceed any farther against them or any other Member without their Consent After which they published a Declaration forbidding the seizing of any of their Members without their Order authorizing them to stand upon their Guard and requiring all Justices of the Peace Constables and other Officers and People to be assisting to them and sent the Attorny General to Prison for his Proceedings in this matter The King finding his Instruments thus discouraged and being resolved to remove all Obstructions in his way went in Person to the House of Commons attended not only with his ordinary Guard of Pensioners but also with those Desperadoes that for some time he had entertained at Whitehall to the number of three or four hundred armed with Partizans Sword and Pistol At the door of the House he left his Guard commanded by the Lord Roxberry entring accompanied only by the Prince Palatine where taking possession of the Speaker's Chair and not seeing those that he looked for he said The Birds are flown For upon notice given by a Lady of the Court of the King's Intention they were retired into the City The King then demanded of the Speaker where such and such were naming the five Members to which he answered in these Words I have neither Eyes to see Ears to hear nor Tongue to speak in this place save what this House gives me The King replied I think you are in the right and then addressing himself to the House said That he was sorry he had been necessitated to come thither That no King of England had been more careful to preserve the Privileges of Parliament than he desired to be but that those five Members being dangerous Persons he had been obliged to pursue them not by Force but
any Design they might have upon the City or Places adjacent To prevent which our General caused a Bridg of Boats to be laid over the River between Putney and Battersey which was no sooner finished but the Enemy retired to Oxford by the way of Reading which Place they fortified and placed a Garison therein a Party of ours having quitted it upon their Approach Garisons were also placed by them in the Towns of Newcastle upon Tyne Chester Worcester and several others as they had done before in York and Shrewsbery Some of ours likewise had possessed themselves of Glocester Bristol Exeter Southampton Dover and divers other Places The Enemy being retired our Army advanced to Windsor and made it our Head-quarters for the most part of that Winter and so desirous was the Parliament to prevent any further Effusion of Blood that notwithstanding the treacherous Design of the late Expedition they again sent Propositions of Peace to the King at Oxford being the same in effect with those delivered to him before at York but they sound no better Reception than the others had done I do not remember any thing remarkable perform'd by either Party this Winter save only an Attempt of the Enemy upon one of our Quarters at Henly where two Regiments of Foot one of which was Major General Skippon's then were who being tired with a long March and dispersed to their respective Quarters were fallen upon by a great body of the Enemy that had advanced to the Town 's end undiscovered but a small Party of our Men getting together one of our Gunners hastned to the Artillery which was planted upon the Avenue fired once or twice upon them and made so great a Slaughter especially of those Officers who were at the head of their Party that they retreated in great Disorder without any farther Attempt Our General having notice that the Enemy had a Design upon Bristol sent a Party commanded by Colonel Nathanael Fines to reinforce that Garison by which means it was prevented and some of their Correspondents in the Town thereupon executed About this time Sir Edward Hungerford having obtained the Command of the Forces in the County of Wilts for the Parliament invited me to raise a Troop of Horse in his Regiment in order to which I attended him at the Devizes and from thence went with him to Salisbury where he seized some quantity of Horse and Arms from Persons disafsected and with them mounted and armed part of his Men. And I having done what was convenient at that time for the raising of my Troop returned to the Head-quarters at Windsor where I gave them an account of the good Condition of Colonel Fines and Sir Edward Hungerford at which they were not a little surprized having been made to believe that they and their Troops were routed and cut in pieces by the Enemy Sir Ralph Hopton Sir Bevil Greenvil and others were very active in raising Forces for the King in Cornwall and the remote parts of Devonshire and had possessed themselves of Pendennis Dartmouth and Barnstaple as Colonel Ashburnham and others had done of Weymouth in Dorsetshire And the Parliament had ordered Garisons to be put into Plymouth Lyme and Pool In the Spring our Army was Master of the Field the King making it his business to be only upon the defensive till the Queen should arrive in England with an Army to his Assistance hoping to exhaust the Treasure of the City of London by Delays and thereby to cause them to abate their Zeal for the Publick omitting no opportunity by his Emissaries to create and foment Differences amongst them endeavouring by all means to procure an Insurrection for him to compel the Parliament to submit to such terms as he pleased to impose The Earl of Essex marched with the Army to besiege Reading a Frontier Town of the King 's which he had strongly fortify'd and garison'd The General himself sat down on the Northwest side and the Lord Grey of Wark on the South-east side of the Town the great Shot did some Damage to the Houses from one of which a Tile salling upon the Head of Sir Arthur Ashton a Papist and Governour thereof disabled him from executing that Charge during the rest of the Siege and Colonel Fielding was made Governour in his room The King thinking this Place to be of great Importance to him brought together all the Forces he could and marching on Cansam-side in order to relieve it was opposed by a small Party of ours who taking the advantage of some Ditches and Pales to shelter themselves repulsed his Men and forced him to retreat to Oxsord Upon this the Town was surrendred upon Articles to the Earl of Essex Colonel Fielding the Governour retiring to Oxford where he was tried and condemned to die but not executed At my coming into Wiltshire with three more of the Life-Guard two whereof were to be Officers in my Troop and the third in another Troop of the same Regiment I found Sir Edward Hungerford with the Forces of Wilts and Colonel Stroud with part of those of Somersetshire besieging Warder-Castle before which they had been about a week battering it with two small Pieces whereby they had done little other hurt save only to a Chimney-piece by a Shot entring at a Window But there being a Vault on each side of the Castle for the conveying away of Filth two or three Barrels of Powder were put into one of them and being fired blew up some part of it which with the grazing of a Bullet upon the Face of one of the Servants and the threatning of the Besiegers to spring the other Mine and then to storm it if it was not surrendrcd before an Hour-glass which they had turn'd up was run out so terrified the Ladies therein whereof there was a great Number that they agreed to surrender it The Government of this Castle was entrusted to my care by Sir Edward Hungerford who left with me a Company of Foot commanded by Captain Bean and my own Troop to defend it The Earl of Marlborough with some Horse possessed himself of a House in our Neighbourhood called Fount-hill with a Design to block us up but Sir Edward sent a party of Horse who fell upon him there and obliged him to quit it I levelled the Works that had been raised during the Siegc sunk a Well broke down the Vaults about the Castle and furnished it with Provisions expecting to be besieged as I was soon after For within a Fortnight after I was possessed of it the Lord Arundel to whom it belonged and whose Father died soon after he had received News that it was taken supposing to find me unprovided came with a Party of Horse and summoned me to deliver the Place for his Majesty's Use. Some who were with me advised me so to do yet I return'd the Enemy answer That I was entrusted to keep the Castle for the Service of the Parliament and could not surrender it without their Command
The Enemy not being at that time ready to make any Attempt upon us retreated to their main Body of which tho the Marquiss of Hertford carried the name of General that thereby the Country might be encouraged to come in yet Prince Maurice as he had then the principal Influence over them so he was soon after placed in the head of them as more likely to promote that Arbitrary and boundless 〈◊〉 which the King endeavoured to set up over the People Having notice that some of the King's Forces were at Salisbury I went out with six of my Troop to procure Intelligence and to do what Service I could upon the Enemies Straglers When I came to Sutton I was informed that six of them were gone up the Town just before Whereupon we made after them and by their Horses which we saw tied in a Yard supposed them to be in the House to which it belonged upon which I went in and was no sooner within the door but two of them shut it upon me but my Party rushing in they ran out at another and escaped a third mounted one of my Mens Horses and rid away the other three who were in a Room of the House upon promise of quarter for Life surrendred themselves with whom and six Horses we returned to the Castle Our Army after they had possest themselves of Reading did nothing remarkable that Summer only there hapned some Skirmishes in one of which that most eminent Patriot Col. Hampden lost his Life by a Shot in the Shoulder Sir William Waller commanded a Party in the West with which he did considerable Service tho it was so small that he marched for the most part in the Night to conceal his Weakness He reduced Higham-house a place of Strength garisoned by the Enemy and protected the Gentlemen of the Country whilst they were raising Forces for the Parliament And being joined by Sir Arthur Hasterig's Regiment of Horse and the Forces of Wilts Somerset and Dorset with as many as could be spared from Bristol he was become so considerable as to put a stop to the March of the King 's Western Army which coming to the Town where my Father's House was wholly ruined it and destroyed his Park But upon their Removal from thence conceiving I might take some Straglers or some way or other annoy the Enemy I went thither the Night after with about forty Horse where tho I could hear of no Men yet I found much Provision which a Gentlewoman had obliged the People of the Town to bring together and which she was preparing to send to the King's Army with Horses and Carts ready to carry it amongst which there was half a dozen Pasties of my Father's Venison ready baked which with as much of the other Provisions as we could we carried away with us The two Armies before-mentioned engaged about Lansdown where the Success was doubtful a good while but at last ours obtained the Victory The Cornish-men commanded by Sir Bevil Greenvil stood their Ground till they came to push of Pike but were then routed and Sir Bevil killed The Enemy retreated to the Devizes and ours pursued them The News of this Action being brought to us I marched out with my Horse towards Warmister and in the way searching the Houses of some Persons disaffected to the Publick we found two of our most active Enemies whom we carried away Prisoners But the great Hopes we had conceived of enjoying some Quiet in the West by the means of this Victory were soon blasted for a body of Horse sent from Oxford not being attended by any from our Army tho as I have heard commanded so to do engaged our Horse on Roundway-hill where the Over-forwardness of some of our Party to charge the Enemy upon disadvantageous Ground was the principal Cause of their Defeat The Horse being routed our Foot also quitted their Ground and shifted for themselves many of whom were taken and many killed the rest retreated to Bristol where they made the best Preparation they could to defend themselves expecting suddenly to be besieged as it fell out Sir William Waller with what Horse he had left marched to London where no means were omitted to recruit them Exeter was surrendred to the Enemy upon terms and Bristol besieged which being stormed on one side and ours not doing their Duty part of the Enemy being entred the Governour desired to capitulate and delivered up the Town upon Articles which were not well kept in retaliation as they pretended for the like breach by ours at the taking of Reading The Governour of Bristol was hereupon tried and condemned by a Court Martial how justly I know not but the Parliament ordered the execution of the Sentence to be suspended About this time a Gentleman of the Country related to the Lord Cottington desired a Conference with me wherein he endeavoured to perswade me to surrender the Castle of Warder promising me any Terms I would desire and assuring me that several of the Western Gentlemen finding our Affairs desperate had made their Peace with the King and that the Kentish Men who were risen for him would be sufficient to accomplish his Work tho he had no other Army Also Colonel Robert Philips my Friend and Kinsman coming before the Castle some time after with a Party of Horse and desiring to speak with me was earnest with me to the same effect my Answers to both were that I had resolved to run all Hazards in the discharge of that Trust which I had undertaken The two Houses of Parliament notwithstanding the many Difficulties they met with at home having sent over Forces to subdue the Rebels in Ireland thought it also their Duty to send Recruits thither and at the same time presented the Earl of Ormond with a Jewel as a Testimony of their acceptance of his Service at the Battle of Rosse where there was above forty of his own Name and Kindred killed upon the place and the Enemy totally routed tho for a long time they had much the better of the day The Earl of Leicester having been voted Lieutenant of Ireland by the Parliament and approved by the King wanted nothing but his Commission to begin his Journey for that Kingdom which after several Delays he received from the King but being at Chester in order to take Shipping the Carriages and Draught-Horses which lay there for that Service as also the Clothes and other Provisions designed by the Parliament for the Souldiers in Ireland were seized by the King's Order and made use of for his Service here whilst his Agents there endeavoured to perswade the English Souldiers in that Country that they were neglected by the Parliament Upon which false Suggestion he prevailed with them to serve him in England against the Parliament and contrary to his Engagement to both Houses not to treat with the Rebels without their Concurrence made a Cessation with them and brought over many of them to serve in his Army against the
William Cawley gave his single Negative On the 13 th of April 1646. Exeter was delivered to ours upon Articles by which all such as were in the Town and Garison were admitted to compound for their Estates paying two Years Value for the same Barnstable Dunstar-Castle and Michael's-Mount in Cornwall were also surrendred in the last of which Places the Marquiss of Hamilton was Prisoner by the King's Order and restored to his Liberty upon the Surrender of it which Favour he acknowledged to the Members of the House of Commons attending in Person at their door to that end The most considerable Body of Men remaining in the Field for the King was commanded by Sir Jacob Ashley who being on his March towards Oxford was attacked by Col. Morgan and Sir William Brereton at Stow in the Woald where after a sharp Dispute on both sides Sir Jacob Ashley's Forces were entirely defeated many of them killed and wounded and himself taken Prisoner During his Confinement he was heard to say That now they had no hopes to prevail but by our Divisions Which deserves the more Reflection because he being well acquainted with the King 's Secrets was not ignorant that many amongst us who at the beginning appeared most forward to engage themselves and to invite others to the War against the King finding themselves disappointed of those Preferments which they expected or out of some particular Disgusts taken had made Conditions with the King not only for their Indemnity but for Places and Advancements under him endcavouring by a Treaty or rather by Treachery to betray what had cost so much Blood to obtain These Men to strengthen their Interest applied themselves to the Presbyterian Party who jealous of the Increase of Sectaries of which the Army was reported chiefly to consist readily joined with them By which Conjunction most of the new elected Members were either Men of a neutral Spirit and willing to have Peace upon any Terms or such who tho they had engaged against the King yet finding things tending to a Composition with him resolved to have the Benefit of it and his Favour tho with the Guilt of all the Blood that had been shed in the War upon their Heads in not requiring Satisfaction for the same nor endeavouring to prevent the like for the future designing at the most only to punish some inferiour Instruments whilst the Capital Offender should not only go free but his Authority be still acknowledged and adored and so the Nation more enslaved than ever to a Power which tho it destroys the People by Thousands must be accountable to none but God for so doing whom some Persons as it is apparent by their Usage of Mankind either think not to be or not at all superiour to them Another sort of Men there was amongst us who having acquired Estates in the Service of the Parliament now adhered to the King's Party for the preserving of what they had got who together with such as had been discharged from their Employments by the Reform of the Army or envied their Success combined together against the Commonwealth This Party was encouraged and supported upon all occasions by the Scots and the City of London The first of them tho they began the War and tho their Assembly of Ministers had declared the King guilty of the Blood of Thousands of his best Subjects their Covenant engaging them in the preservation of his Person so far only as might consist with the Laws of the Land and Liberty of the Subject yet having had many good Opportunities in England and hoping for more supposing it to be in their Power to awe the King to whatsoever they should think fit they were contented to swallow that Ocean of Blood that had been shed pressing the Parliament by their Commissioners to conclude upon such Terms with the King as shewed them rather Advocates than such as had been Enemies to him The latter having had their Treasure much exhausted by the War and their Trade long interrupted besides the Influence the Scots had upon them by the means of their Ministers the Common Council being also debauched by Serjeant Glyn and others of that Party in the House of Commons it was not so much to be wondred at if they earnestly solicited for a speedy Determination of the Difference by a Treaty The King also perceiving Judgment to be given against him by that Power to which both Parties had made their solemn Appeal thought it advisable to make use of the Foxes Skin and for a time to lay aside that of the Lion sending Messages to the Parliament to desire of them a safe Conduct for his coming to London in Honour Freedom and Safety there personally to treat with the Two Houses about the means of settling a firm and lasting Peace the Scots in the mean time repeating their Instances with the Parliament to enter into the Consideration of the Articles of Religion contained in the Covenant to give a speedy Peace to his Majesty to pay them near two hundred thousand Pounds which they pretended to be due to them for their Arrcars and to make a just Estimate of the Losses they had sustained by Sea and Land since the beginning of the War for want of such Supplies as were promised them which they computed at more than the former Sum. The Parliament for divers Reasons thought it not convenient to comply with the King's Propositions and in answer to the Scots demanded of them an exact Account of what was due to them requiring them to withdraw their Garisons from such Places as they possessed in England Some Differences they had also with the Scots Commissioners concerning the Exclusion of the King from having any thing to do with the Militia and touching the Scots intermedling with the Government of England about the Education of the King's Children the disbanding of Armies and an Act of Oblivion in which Matters the Parliament of England would not permit the Scots to interpose and therefore their Commissioners acquainted them that they had not Power to consent to any Demands of that nature whereupon the Deputies of Scotland applied themselves to the Two Houses demanding that they would enlarge the Powers of their Commissioners to that end But there being found in these Demands of the Scots some Expressions highly reflecting upon the Parliament the Two Houses declared them to be injurious and scandalous and ordered them to be burnt by the Hands of the Common Hangman After which they commanded the Army to besiege Oxford who in order to that Design blocked up Farringdon Wallingford and Woodstock but before they could form the Siege of Oxford the King escaped from thence on the 27 th of April 1646. of which notice being given to the Parliament by Col. Rainsborough who lay before Woodstock they suspecting that he designed to come to London to raise a Party against them published an Ordinance declaring That whosoever should harbour or conceal the King's Person should be proceeded
against as a Traitor to the Common-wealth Within three or four days they received a Message from the Scots Army informing the Parliament of the King 's coming to them and pretending to be much surprized at it but it appeared afterwards that this Resolution had been communicated to them before The King was accompanied in this Expedition by one Hudson and Mr. Ashburnham passing as a Servant to the latter Upon this notice the House of Commons sent an Order to their Commissioners in the Scots Army to demand the Person of the King judging it unreasonable that the Scots Army being in their Pay should assume the Authority to dispose of the King otherwise than by their Order resolving further that the King should be conducted to the Castle of Warwick and that those who came out of Oxford with him should be brought to London The next day they commanded their Army to advance in order to hinder the Conjunction of the King's Forces with the Scots The King soon after his Arrival at the Scots Quarters gave order for the Delivery of Newark into their Hands which having received they surrendred to the English and marched with the King to Newcastle whereof the House of Commons being informed and that the Earl of Leven General of the Scots Army had by Proclamation forbidden his Forces to have any Communication with the King's Party they desisted from their Resolution of advancing their Army and of conducting the King to Warwick ordering the Scots to keep him for the Parliament of England Mr. Ashburnham was permitted by the Scots to make his Escape but Mr. Hudson was brought to London and upon Examination at the Bar of the House of Commons confessed some things about the King's Journey from Oxford Commissioners being appointed by the Parliament to be sent down to the Scots Army in this Conjuncture they made choice of two Lords of whom the Earl of Pembroke was one and four of the Commons in which number Col. Brown the Woodmonger being nominated to that Imployment he turned about to me who sat behind him in the House assuring me that he would be ever true to us And truly I then believed him having met him at the beginning of the War in Smithfield buying Horses for the Service of the Parliament where he spoke very affectionately concerning their Undertaking and served them afterwards very successfully especially at Abingdon as I mentioned before but this wretched Man soon discovered the Corruption of his Nature and Malignity that lay concealed in his Heart for no sooner had the King found out his ambitious Temper and cast some slight Favours upon him giving him a Pair of Silk Stockings with his own Hand but his low and abject Original and Education became so prevalent in him as to transform him into an Agent and Spy for the King proving as will be hereaster related one of the bloodiest Butchers of the Parliament's Friends The Scots having the King in their Power pressed him to write to the Earl of Ormond his Lieutenant in Ireland and to the Governours and Commanders of Places that remained in Arms for him to lay down their Arms and to deliver the said Places to such as the Parliament of England should appoint to receive them acquainting him that otherwise they could not protect him Submitting to this Necessiry he sent Orders to that effect which some obeyed and others resused to comply with looking upon him to be under a Force Amongst those who yielded Obedience to the King's Orders was Montross who disbanded the Forces he had left and went beyond Sea The City of Oxford having been blocked up for some time began to capitulate lest their farther Obstinacy should prove prejudicial to them particularly in the matter of Compositions for their Estates the most considerable of the King's Party being there Commissioners were appointed on both sides to treat and came to an Agreement on the 22 d of June 1646. upon such Terms as the Parliament were unwilling to confirm but whilst they were in Debate concerning the Articles they understood that Prince Rupert and others of the King's Party were marched out of the Town in pursuance of them and that the Garison would be entirely evacuated before they could signify their Pleasure to the Army Wherefore tho they did not approve the Conditions yet they thought not fit to do any thing in order to break them The principal Reason given by the Army of their proceeding so hastily to a Conclusion of the Treaty was lest the King should make Terms with the Scots and bring their Army to the Relief of Oxford Farringdon-house Wallingford-Castle and Woodstock were surrendred to the Parliament Worcester and Litchfield soon after as also Pendennis and Ragland-Castle The Scots by their Commissioners pressed the Parliament to send Propositions of Peace to the King wherein they were seconded by an insolent Address from the Mayor and Common-Council of the City of London in which after some Acknowledgments of the Care and Courage of the Parliament in the Refermation of the Church and Preservation of the Laws they desired of them that such Assemblies as were privately held to introduce new Sects might be suppressed lest they should breed Disturbances in Church and State that they would hasten the Establishment of Peace in the three Kingdoms that they would consider the great Services of the Scots and dismiss those who were distinguished by the name of Independents from all Imployments Civil and Military esteeming them to be Firebrands that might endanger the Publick Peace with other Particulars of the same nature The Answer of the Parliament to the said Address was not much to the Satisfaction of the Petitioners being a positive Declaration that they resolved to preserve their Authority entire to themselves There was a Party in the House of the same Temper with the Addressers who earnestly endeavoured to break the Army as the principal Obstacle to their Designs pretending the necessity of relieving Ireland the Loss of which they said would be infinitely prejudicial to England and that the way to prevent it was to send thither some part of the Army who being united in Affection and of great Reputation both for Courage and Conduct would strike a Terror into the Enemy and undoubtedly accomplish that important Work not forgetting to urge that the People of England were not able to bear their present Burdens and therefore must be eased To these Pretences it was replied That it could not consist with the Honour or Safety of the Parliament to lessen their Forces whilst they had an Army of another Nation in their Bowels who tho they were united in the same Cause and Interest with us yet the best way to continue them so was to be in such a Posture as might secure us from any fear of their breaking with us and that the more Reputation the Army had the fitter they were to be kept together for that end After a long Debate the Question was put Whether two Regiments
prosecution of our Duty I never heard any more from him upon that point Whilst the King was at Newcastle the President de Bellievre came over into England in the Quality of an Ambassador from the French King with Orders to endeavour a Reconciliation between the King and the Parliament He had a favourable Audience from the Two Houses and their Permission to apply himself to the King but being on his way towards him upon farther Debate they judged it not fit to subject that Affair to the Cognizance of any Foreign Prince resolving to determine it themselves without the Interposition of any having experienced that most of the neighbouring States especially the Monarchical were at the bottom their Enemies and their Ambassadors and Residents so many Spies upon them as appeared more particularly by Letters taken in the King's Cabinet after the Battel of Naseby which discovered that the Emperor 's Resident in London held a private Correspondence with the King and there was ground to believe that the Ambassador of Portugal did the like from Letters therein found from that King These Applications to the King together with the Permission granted by the Parliament to the Turky Company to address themselves to him for the commissionating of one whom they had nominated to be their Agent with the Grand Signior under pretence that he would not otherwise be received To which may be added the frequent Overtures of Peace made by the Parliament to the King tho he had not a Sword left wherewith to oppose them and the great Expectations of the People of his Return to the Parliament being informed that the Heads of the Presbyterian Party had promised the Scots upon the Delivery of the King that as soon as they had disbanded the Army they would bring him to London in Honour and Safety these things I say made the People ready to conclude that tho his Designs had been wonderfully defeated his Armies beaten out of the Field and himself delivered into the Hands of the Parliament against whom he had made a long and bloody War yet certainly he must be in the right and that tho he was guilty of the Blood of many thousands yet was still unaccountable in a condition to give Pardon and not in need of receiving any which made them flock from all Parts to see him as he was brought from Newcastle to Holmby falling down before him bringing their Sick to be touched by him and courting him as only able to restore to them their Peace and Settlement The Party in the House that were betraying the Cause of their Country became Encouragers of such Petitioners as came to them from the City of London and other Places to that effect very many of whom had been always for the King's Interest but their Estates lying in the Parliament's Quarters they secured them by their Presence in the House and at the same time promoted his Designs by their Votes There was another sort of Men who were contented to sacrifice all Civil Liberties to the Ambition of the Presbyterian Clergy and to vest them with a Power as great or greater than that which had been declared intolerable in the Bishops before To this end they encouraged the reduced Officers of the Earl of Essex such as Massey Waller Pointz and others to press the Parliament for their Arrears in a peremptory and seditious manner that being furnished with Money they might be enabled to stand by these their Patrons in whatsoever Design they had to carry on And the better to facilitate the disbanding of the Army which they so much desired they resolved to draw off a considerable part of them for the Service of Ireland and to render the Work more acceptable voted Major General Skippon to command them joining the Earl of Warwick and Sir William Waller in Commission with Sir Thomas Fairfax to draw out such Forces as were willing to go to continue such as should be thought necessary for the Security of this Nation and to disband the rest The Army being well informed of the Design begun to consult how to prevent it and tho many of the Officers were prevailed with to engage by Advancements to higher Commands yet the major part absolutely resused The Commissioners of the Parliament having done what they could in prosecution of their Instructions ordered those who had engaged in the Irish Service to draw off from the Army which then lay at Saffron Walden and about Newmarket and to be quartered in the way to Ireland which done they returned to London with an Account of their Proceedings The Parliament being informed of what passed were highly displeased with the Carriage of the Army but the Prudence and Moderation of Major General Skippon in his Report of that Matter to the House much abated the heat of their Resentment Yet some menacing Expressions falling from some of them Lieutenant General Cromwell took the occasion to whisper me in the Ear saying These Men will never leave till the Army pull them out by the Ears Which Expression I should have resented if the state of our Affairs would have permitted In this Conjuncture five Regiments of Horse chose their Agitators who agreed upon a Petition to the Parliament to desire of them to proceed to settle the Affairs of the Kingdom to provide for the Arrears of the Army and to declare that they would not disband any of them till these things were done deputing William Allen afterwards known by the addition of Adjutant General Edward Sexby afterwards Col. Sexby and one Philips to present it which they did accordingly at the Bar of the House of Commons After the reading of the Petition some of the Members moved that the Messengers might be committed to the Tower and the Petition declared seditious but the House after a long Debate satisfied themselves to declare That it did not belong to the Souldiery to meddle with Civil Affairs nor to prepare or present any Petition to the Parliament without the Advice and Consent of their General to whom they ordered a Letter to be sent to desire for the future his Care therein with which acquainting the three Agents and requiring their Conformity thereunto they dismissed them But this not satisfying another Petition was carried on throughout the Army much to the same effect only they observed the Order of the Parliament in directing it to their General desiring him to present it The House having notice of this Combination against them from Col. Edward Harley one of their Members who had a Regiment in the Army expressed themselves highly dissatisfied therewith and some of them moved that the Petitioners might be declared Traitors alledging that they were Servants who ought to obey not capitulate Others were not wanting who resolved the securing of Lieutenant General Cromwell suspecting that he had under-hand given countenance to this Design but he being advertised of it went that Afternoon towards the Army so that they missed of him and were not willing to shew
for their own Security The Scots Commissioners also who had been long tampering with him took hold of this Opportunity to perswade him to come to their Terms by augmenting his Fears as much as they could It was also proposed that he should conceal himself in England but that was thought unsafe if not impossible Some there were who proposed his going to Jersey which was then kept for him but the King being told by the Earl of Lanerick that the Ships provided by Sir John Barkley for that purpose had been discovered and seized tho Sir John affirms in his Papers that none were provided that Design was laid aside At last the King resolved to go to the Isle of Wight being as is most probable recommended thither by Cromwell who as well as the King had a good Opinion of Col. Hammond the Governour there To this end the King sent Mr. William Leg to Sir John Barkley and Mr. Ashburnham requiring them to assist him in his Escape and Horses were laid at Sutton in Hampshire to that purpose On the day following Sir John Barkley and Mr. Ashburnham waiting with Horses the King with Mr. Leg came out towards the Evening and being mounted they designed to ride through the Forest having the King for their Guide but they lost the way so that the Night proving dark and stormy and the Ways very bad they could not reach Sutton before break of day tho they hoped to have been there three hours before At Sutton they were informed that a Committee of the County was there sitting by Order of the Parliament which when the King heard he passed by that Place and continued his way towards Southampton attended only by Mr. Leg and went to a House of the Earl of Southampton at Titchfield having sent Sir John Barkley and Mr. Ashburnham to Col. Hammond Governour of the Isle of Wight with a Copy of the Letter left upon the Table in his Chamber at Hampton-Court and two other Letters which he had lately received one of them without a Name expressing great Fears and Apprehensions of the ill Intentions of the Commonwealth-Party against the King The other from Cromwell much to the same purpose with this Addition that in prosecution thereof a new Guard was designed the next day to be placed about the King consisting of Men of that Party He also sent by them a Letter to Col. Hammond wherein after he had expressed his Distrust of the Levelling Part of the Army as he termed it and the necessity lying upon him to provide for his own Safety he assured him that he did not intend to desert the Interest of the Army ordering his two Messengers to acquaint him that of all the Army the King had chosen to put himself upon him whom he knew to be a Person of a good Extraction and tho engaged against him in the War yet without any Animosity to his Person to which he was informed he had no Aversion that he did not think it fit to surprize him and therefore had sent the two Persons before-mentioned to advertise him of his Intentions and to desire his Promise to protect the King and his Servants to the best of his Power and if it should happen that he was not able to do it then to oblige himself to leave them in as good a Condition as he found them Being ready to depart with these Instructions Sir John Barkley said to the King that having no knowledg of the Governour he could not tell whether he might not detain them in the Island and therefore advised if they returned not the next day that he would think no more of them but secure his own Escape Towards Evening they arrived at Limmington but could not pass by reason of a violent Storm The next Morning they got over to the Island and went directly to Carisbrook-Castle the Residence of the Governour where they were told that he was gone towards Newport Upon this notice they rode after and having overtaken and acquainted him with their Message he grew pale and fell into such a trembling that it was thought he would have fallen from his Horse In this Consternation he continued about an hour breaking out sometimes into passionate and distracted Expressions saying O Gentlemen you have undone me in bringing the King into the Island if at least you have brought him and if you have not I pray let him not come for what between my Duty to the King and Gratitude to him upon this fresh Obligation of Confidence and the Discharge of my Trust to the Army I shall be confounded Upon this they took occasion to tell him that the King intended a Favour to him and his Posterity in giving him this Opportunity to lay a great Obligation upon him and such as was very consistent with his relation to the Army who had solemnly engaged themselves to the King but if he thought otherwise the King would be far from imposing his Person upon him but said the Governour if the King should come to any Mischance what would the Army and the King say to him that had refused to receive him To which they answered that he had not refused him who was not come to him Then beginning to speak more calmly he desired to know where the King was and wished that he had absolutely thrown himself upon him which made the two Gentlemen suspect that the Governour was not for their turn but Mr. Ashburnham fearing what would become of the King if he should be discovered before he had gained this point took the Governour aside and after some Conference prevailed with him to declare That he did believe the King relied on him as a Person of Honour and Honesty and therefore he did engage himself to perform whatsoever could be expected from a Person so qualified Mr. Ashburnham replied I will ask no more Then said the Governour Let us all go to the King and acquaint him with it When they came to Cowes-Castle where a Boat lay to carry them over Col. Hammond took Capt. Basket the Governour of that Castle with him and gave order for a File or two of Musqueteers to follow them in another Boat When they came to the Earl of Southampton's House Mr. Ashburnham leaving Sir John Barkley below with Col. Hammond and Capt. Basket went up to the King and having given an Account of what had passed between the Governour and them and that he was come with them to make good what he had promised the King striking his Hand upon his Breast said What have you brought Hammond with you O you have undone me for I am by this means made fast from stirring Mr. Ashburnham then told him that if he mistrusted Hammond he would undertake to secure him To which the King replied I understand you well enough but if I should follow that Counsel it would be said and believed that he ventured his Life for me and that I had unworthily taken it from him Telling him further That
Letter were or no they could not know unless they might see it saying that he had been his Ambassador and in that Employment would never have delivered any Letter without a preceding sight of it The King told him that he had employ'd twenty Ambassadors and that none of them had ever dared to open his Letters but having demanded whether what the Earl of Denbigh had said were the sense of them all and finding it so to be Well then said the King I will shew it to you on condition you will promise not to acquaint any one with the Substance of it before you have delivered it to the Parliament which they consenting to he desired the Company might withdraw The Commissioners proposed that the Governour Col. Hammond might be permitted to stay which the King being unwilling to allow yet not thinking it convenient to refuse gave way to and by this means the Governour as well as the Commissioners came to understand that the King had waved the Interests both of the Parliament and Army to close with the Scots the Substance of his Letter being an absolute refusal of his Consent to the four Bills presented to Him The Impression which the discovery of these things made upon the Governour was so great that before he departed from Carisbrook to accompany the Farliament's Commissioners to Newport he gave Orders for a strict Guard to be kept in his Absence and at his return commanded the Gates to be lock'd up and the Guards to be doubled sitting up himself with them all Night whereby the King 's intended Escape was obstructed The next Morning he ordered the King's Servants to remove not excepting Dr. Hammond his own Kinsman who taking leave of the King acquainted him that they had left the Captain of the Frigat and two trusty Gentlemen of the Island to assist him in his Escape assuring him that they would have all things in readiness on the other side of the Water to receive him At their Departure the King commanded them to draw up a Declaration and send it to him the next Morning to sign which they did and it was afterwards published in the King's Name When they came to Newport one Capt. Burleigh caused a Drum to beat to draw People together in order to rescue the King but there were few besides Women and Children that followed him having but one Musquet amongst them all so that the King's Servants thought not fit to join with or encourage them but went over to the other side where they continued about three Weeks expecting the King's Arrival leaving Capt. Burleigh who with divers of his Followers was committed to Jail Upon the return of the King 's Negative to the four previous Bills before mentioned the Parliament voted That no farther Addresses should be made to the King by themselves or any other Person without the leave of both Houses and that if any presumed so to do they should incur the Guilt of High-Treason They also publish'd a Declaration prepared by Colonel Nathanael Fiennes shewing the Reasons of their said Resolutions wherein amongst other Miscarriages of the King's Reign was represented his breaking of Parliaments the betraying of Rochel his refusal to suffer any Inquiry to be made into the Death of his Father his levying War against the People of England and his rejecting all reasonable Offers of Accommodation after six several Applications to him on their part Col. Rainsborough was appointed Admiral of the Fleet and Mr. Holland my self and another Member of the House of Commons sent down to the head Quarters at Windsor with Orders to discharge from Custody Capt. Reynolds and some others called in derision Levellers who had been imprisoned by the Army for attempting to bring about that which they themselves were now doing and to exhort the Officers to contribute the best of their Endeavours towards a speedy Settlement The Scots in pursuance of their Treaty with the King made what Preparations they could to raise an Army wherein the Presbyterians and Cavaliers join'd tho with different Designs The same Spirit began to appear also in England many of our Ships revolting to the King at the Instigation of one Capt. Batten who had been Vice-Admiral to the Parliament and others encouraged by the City and the Presbyterian Party The Seamen on board the Ship commanded by Col. Rainsborough refused to receive him having before-hand secured one of my Brothers with others whom they suspected to be faithful to their Commander The Earl of Warwick as most acceptable to them was appointed to go down to reduce them to Obedience by which means part of the Fleet was preserved to the Parliament who immediately issued out Orders for the fitting out of more Ships to reinforce them With the revolted Ships Prince Charles block'd up the Mouth of the River and about the same time his Brother the Duke of York who upon the Surrender of Oxford had been brought by Order of the Parliament to St. James's and Provision made for him there escaped from thence to serve the King's Designs The Castles of Deal and Sandwich declar'd also for the King and Col. Rich was sent with a Party of the Army to reduce them In the mean time Lieutenant General Cromwell not forgetting himself procured a meeting of divers leading Men amongst the Presbyterians and Independents both Members of Parliament and Ministers at a Dinner in Westminster under pretence of endeavouring a Reconciliation between the two Parties but he found it a Work too difficult for him to compose the Differences between these two Ecclesiastical Interests one of which would endure no Superior the other no Equal so that this Meeting produced no Effect Another Conference he contrived to be held in King-street between those called the Grandees of the House and Army and the Commonwealths-Men in which the Grandees of whom Lieutenant General Cromwell was the Head kept themselves in the Clouds and would not declare their Judgments either for a Monarchical Aristocratical or Democratical Government maintaining that any of them might be good in themselves or for us according as Providence should direct us The Commonwealths-Men declared that Monarchy was neither good in self nor for us That it was not desirable in it self they urged from the 8 th Chapter and 8 th Verse of the first Book of Samuel where the rejecting of the Judges and the choice of a King was charged upon the Israelites by God himself as a Rejection of him and from another Passage in the same Book where Samuel declares it to be a great Wickedness with divers more Texts of Scripture to the same effect And that it was no way conducing to the Interest of this Nation was endeavoured to be proved by the infinite Mischiefs and Oppressions we had suffered under it and by it that indeed our Ancestors had consented to be governed by a single Person but with this Proviso that he should govern according to the Direction of the Law which he always bound himself by
Oath to perform that the King had broken this Oath and thereby dissolved our Allegiance Protection and Obedience being reciprocal that having appealed to the Sword for the Decision of the things in dispute and thereby caused the Effusion of a Deluge of the Peoples Blood it seemed to be a Duty incumbent upon the Representatives of the People to call him to an account for the same more especially since the Controversy was determined by the same means which he had chosen and then to proceed to the Establishment of an equal Commonwealth founded upon the Consent of the People and providing for the Rights and Liberties of all Men that we might have the Hearts and Hands of the Nation to support it as being most just and in all respects most conducing to the Happiness and Prosperity thereof Notwithstanding what was said Lieutenant General Cromwell not for want of Conviction but in hopes to make a better Bargain with another Party professed himself unresolved and having learn'd what he could of the Principles and Inclinations of those present at the Conference took up a Cushion and flung it at my Head and then ran down the Stairs but I overtook him with another which made him hasten down faster than he desired The next day passing by me in the House he told me he was convinced of the Desirableness of what was proposed but not of the Feasibleness of it thereby as I suppose designing to encourage me to hope that he was inclined to join with us tho unwilling to publish his Opinion lest the Grandees should be informed of it to whom I presume he professed himself to be of another Judgment Much time being spent since the Parliament had voted no more Addresses to be made to the King nor any Messages received from him and yet nothing done towards bringing the King to a Trial or the settling of Affairs without him many of the People who had waited patiently hitherto finding themselves as far from a Settlement as ever concluded that they should never have it nor any Ease from their Burdens and Taxes without an Accommodation with the King and therefore entred into a Combination through England Scotland and Ireland to restore him to his Authority To this end Petitions were promoted throughout all Countries the King by his Agents fomenting and encouraging this Spirit by all means possible as appeared by his intercepted Letters so that Lieutenant General Cromwell who had made it his usual Practice to gratify Enemies even with the Oppression of those who were by Principle his Friends began again to court the Commonwealth-Party inviting some of them to confer with him at his Chamber with which acquainting me the next time he came to the House of Commons I took the Freedom to tell him that he knew how to cajole and give them good Words when he had occasion to make use of them whereat breaking out into a Rage he said they were a proud sort of People and only considerable in their own Conceits I told him it was no new thing to hear Truth calumniated and that tho the Commonwealths-men were fallen under his Displeasure I would take the liberty to say that they had always been and ever would be considerable where there was not a total Defection from Honesty Generosity and all true Vertue which I hoped was not yet our Case The Earl of Warwick with the Fleet equipped for him by the Parliament sell down the River towards the Ships commanded by Prince Charles who presuming either that he would not fight him or perhaps come over to him lay some time in expectation but finding by the manner of his Approach that he was deceived in that Particular he thought it convenient to make all the sail he could for the Coast of Holland Our Fleet followed him as far as the Texel but according to the defensive Principle of the Nobility our Admiral thinking he had sufficiently discharged his Duty by clearing the Downs and driving the other Fleet from our Coast declined to fight tho he had an opportunity to engage Deal and Sandown Castles were reduced by Col. Rich and many of our revolted Ships not finding things according to their Expectation being constrained to serve under Prince Rupert instead of the Lord Willoughby who they desired might command them returned to the Obedience of the Parliament The Scots making all possible Preparations to raise an Army for the Restitution of the King Sir Thomas Glenham and Sir Marmaduke Langdale went to Scotland to join with them in that Enterprize and to draw what English they could to promote the Design The first of these seized upon Carlisle by order of the Scots tho contrary to their Articles whereupon the Parliament thinking it necessary to provide for the Security of Berwick placed a good Garison therein and resolving to reinforce the Militia of each County sent down some of their Members to give Life to the Preparations Amongst others I was appointed to go down to the County for which I served where we agreed to raise two Regiments of Foot and one of Horse In the mean time the Enemy was not idle and taking advantage of the Discontents of Capt. Poyer Governour of Pembroke they prevailed with him to revolt and declare for the King Other disaffected Parts of the Nation not yet ready for open Opposition acted with more Caution preparing and encouraging Petitions to the Parliament for a Personal Treaty with the King of which the Principal were Surrey Essex and Kent In Essex they met at Chelmsford in a tumultuous manner and seized Sir William Masham and other Members of Parliament who being ready to use all gentle Methods to prevent farther Inconveniences sent down Mr. Charles Rich second Son to the Earl of Warwick and Sir Harbottle Grimston two of their Members to endeavour to quiet that tumultuous Spirit with Instructions and Power to promise Indemnity to all that should desist from the prosecution of what they desired in this violent way which Commission they managed so well that upon their Promise to present the Requests of the Petitioners which were drawn up in writing to the Parliament and to return them an Answer the People of the Country dispersed themselves to their own Houses But the Sedition of the Surrey-men was not terminated so easily of whom many hundreds came to the doors of the Parliament and not being satisfied with the Answer the Parliament thought fit to give to their Petition after they had been heated with Drink and animated by the Cavalier Party they resolved to force from them another Answer and with intolerable Insolence pressed upon their Guard beating the Sentinels to the main Guard which was drawn up at the upper end of Westminster-Hall where they wounded the Officer who commanded them and being intreated to desist became more violent so that the Souldiers were necessitated in their own Defence and discharge of their Duty to fire upon them whereby two or three of the Country-men were
killed neither did this quiet them till some Horse and Foot arrived to strengthen the Guard and dispersed them Lieutenant Colonel Cobbet who commanded the Guard being called into the House to give an account of what had passed went to the Bar bleeding from the Wounds which he had received and related the Passages before-mentioned but some Friends of the Petitioners within doors informing the House that the matter of Fact was otherwise than had been represented by the Lieutenant Colonel the Parliament appointed a Committee to examine the Truth of it Those of the secluded Members who were in England being returned to the House divers hard Words passed between them and others of the Parliament and one day Commissary General Ireton speaking something concerning them Mr. Hollis thinking it to be injurious to them passing by him in the House whispered him in the ear telling him it was false and he would justify it to be so if he would follow him and thereupon immediately went out of the House with the other following him Some Members who had observed their passionate Carriage to each other and seen them hastily leaving the House acquainted the Parliament with their Apprehensions whereupon they sent their Serjeant at Arms to command their Attendance which he letting them understand as they were taking Boat to go to the other side of the Water they returned and the House taking notice of what they were informed concerning them enjoined them to forbear all Words or Actions of Enmity towards each other and to carry themselves for the future as Fellow-members of the same Body which they promised to do Lieutenant General Cromwell perceiving the Clouds to gather on every side complained to me as we were walking in the Palace-Yard of the Unhappiness of his Condition having made the greatest part of the Nation his Enemies by adhering to a just Cause But that which he pretended to be his greatest Trouble was that many who were engaged in the same Cause with him had entertained a Jealousy and Suspicion of him which he assured me was a great Discouragement to him asking my Advice what Method was best for him to take I could not but acknowledg that he had many Enemies for the sake of the Cause in which he stood engaged and also that many who were Friends to that Cause had conceived Suspicions of him but I observed to him that he could never oblige the former without betraying that Cause wherein he was engaged which if he should do upon the account of an empty Title Riches or any other Advantages how those Contracts would be kept with him was uncertain but most certain it was that his Name would be abominated by all good Men and his Memory be abhorred by Posterity On the other side if he persisted in the prosecution of our just Intentions it was the most probable way to subdue his Enemies to rectisy the Mistakes of those that had conceived a Jealousy of him and to convince his Friends of his Integrity that if he should fall in the Attempt yet his Loss would be lamented by all good Men and his Name be transmitted to future Ages with Honour He seemed to take well what I said and it might have been no Disservice to him if he had acted accordingly but his Design was rather to perswade me for the present of the Rectitude of his Intentions than to receive Counsel from me concerning his Conduct About this time we obtained some Advantages in Ireland where Col. Michael Jones who had been order'd by the Parliament to command at Dublin when the Earl of Ormond delivered it up with the Forces he had fought the Rebels tho double his Number at Dungon-hill killed some thousands of them and totally routed the rest Of which when the Parliament had received Information they ordered five hundred Pounds by Year of the forseited Lands in Ireland to be settled upon Col. Jones as a Reward for his good Service In England the Defection began to increase Capt. Henry Lilburn who commanded for the Parliament in Tinmouth-Castle which lies at the Mouth of the Harbour and is a Key to Newcastle declaring for the King but notice thereof being brought to Sir Arthur Haslerig at Newcastle of which Town he was Governour he with great Expedition drew down a Party before the Place and attacking it unexpectedly took it by Assault before the Men had been throughly confirmed in their Revolt by the Governour whom he put to the Sword and placed another Garison therein Many of those who had been for the Parliament in South-wales now joining with the King's Party they grew to be a considerable Body whereby Major General Laughern who upon some Suspicion had been under Confinement was encouraged to get away and join himself to them Major General John Stradling Sir Henry Stradling Col. Thomas Stradling and several other Gentlemen of those Parts falling in with them Col. Horton with about two thousand five hundred Horse Foot and Dragoons was sent into Wales to engage them Lieutenant General Cromwell following with as many more Forces as could be spared from the Army who being within three or four days March of Col. Horton received Advice that the Enemy to the number of about seven thousand had engaged the Colonel at St. Faggons in Glamorganshire that upon the first Attack our Forces gave ground but well considering the Danger they were in the Country being full of Enemies and encouraged by their Affection to the Cause wherein they were engaged they charged the Enemies Van consisting of the best of their Men with so great Bravery and Resolution that they forced them to give way which those that were in their Rear who were for the most part new-raised Men perceiving began to shift for themselves Upon this ours followed their Charge with so much Vigour and Success that the whole Body of the Enemy was soon routed and dispersed many of them were killed in the Pursuit and many taken Prisoners amongst the latter was Major General Stradling and divers other Officers The News of this Success was very welcome to all those that wished well to the Publick and proved a great Discouragement to the contrary Party The Petitioners of Surrey drew into a Body and in conjunction with the Kentish-men of the King's Party appointed their Rendezvouz upon Black heath But Sir Thomas Fairfax with that part of the Army which he had with him disappointed that Design by possessing himself of that Ground before them However the Enemy had brought together a considerable Body of Men many of whom were induced to come in upon Assurances given that they should be commanded by Mr. Hales a Gentleman of a great Estate in Kent tho afterwards the Lord Goring appeared at the Head of them as had been designed from the beginning Upon the Advance of Sir Thomas Fairfax his Army the Enemy who exceeded him in Number by one half at least divided their Body sending one part to possess themselves of Maidstone and
Army to advance himself it being manifest that the preferring this Accusation at that time was principally designed to take him off from his Command and thereby to weaken the Army that their Enemies might be the better enabled to prevail against them The Design of the King's Escape was still carried on but by the Vigilance of the Governour of the Isle of Wight and his Officers it was discovered and prevented The next Morning after the Discovery they found the Iron Bars of the King's Chamber-window eaten through by something applied to them Whereupon those who were to have been instrumental in his Escape not knowing otherwise how to revenge themselves on those who had defeated their Enterprize accused Major Rolfe a Captain in that Garison very active and vigilant in his Charge of a Design to kill the King raising such a Clamour about it that the Parliament thought not sit to decline the putting him upon his Trial but the Accusation appearing to the Grand Jury to be grounded upon Malice they refused to find the Bill About the same time Capt. Burleigh who had beat a Drum at Newport for the rescuing of the King was brought to his Trial and the Jury having found him guilty of High Treason he was executed according to the Sentence Those of the Enemies commanded by the Lord Goring who had fled into Essex grew to a considerable Number but being new-raised Men and not well acquainted one with another upon the Advance of our Army retreated to Colchester with a Body so much exceeding ours which pursued and besieged them in that Place that Commissary General Ireton compared the Town and those therein to a great Bee-hive and our Army to a small Swarm of Bees sticking on one side of it but the number of ours was soon increased by the Forces which the well-affected in the Counties of Essex Suffolk Norfolk and Cambridg sent to their Assistance The Earl of Holland who at the beginning of the Parliament had appeared active for them and afterwards leaving them had gone to the King at Oxford when he supposed him to grow strong then again returning to the Parliament upon the declining of the King's Affairs publishing a Declaration at his coming to London that he left the King because he saw the Irish Rebels so eminently favoured by him in this low Condition of the Parliament revolted again and formed a Party of about a thousand Horse with which he marched from London and declared against them accompanied by the Duke of Buckingham whose Sequestration upon the account of his Minority when he first engaged with the King the Parliament had freely remitted and the Lord Francis his Brother prevailing also with Dalbeir formerly Quarter-Master-General to the Earl of Essex to join with them Their Rendezvouz was appointed to be upon Bansted-Downs but the Vigilance of the Parliament was such that a Party of Horse and Foot was soon sent after them commanded by Sir Michael Lewesey who without much Dispute put those Courtly Gentlemen to the rout The Lord Francis presuming perhaps that his Beauty would have charmed the Souldiers as it had done Mrs. Kirke for whom he made a splendid Entertainment the Night before he left the Town and made her a Present of Plate to the Value of a thousand Pounds stayed behind his Company where unseasonably daring the Troopers and refusing to take Quarter he was killed and after his Death there was found upon him some of the Hair of Mrs. Kirk sew'd in a piece of Ribbon that hung next his Skin The rest fled towards St. Neots in the County of Huntington where being fallen upon again they were routed a second time in which Action the Parliament's Souldiers to express their Detestation of Dalbeir's Treachery hewed him in pieces The Earl of Holland was taken and sent Prisoner to Warwick-Castle but the Duke of Buckingham escaped and went over to France Pomfret-Castle being seized by some of the King's Party was besieged by the Country assisted by some of the Army Sir Hugh Cholmely commanding at the Siege but the Army finding little Progress made therein ordered Col. Rainsborough with more Forces thither appointing him to command in the room of Sir Hugh Cholmely Whilst he was preparing for that Service being at Doncaster ten or twelve Miles from Pomfret with a considerable Force in the Town a Party of Horse dismounting at his Quarters and going up as Friends to his Chamber under pretence of having business with him seized him first and upon his Refusal to go silently with them murdered him After his Death another Commander being appointed in his place to carry on the Siege those in the Castle were reduced to such Extremities that some of the most desperate of them resolved together with their Governour one Morris who had been Page to the Earl of Strassord to endeavour the breaking through our Forces on Horseback which they attempted and tho most of them were beaten back to the Castle by the Besiegers yet this Morris made his way through but was afterwards taken as he passed through the Country in the Disguise of a Beggar and carried to York where he was arraigned before Justice Thorpe and being found guilty of Treason was executed for the same Lieutenant General Cromwell with that part of the Army which was with him besieged the Town and Castle of Pembroke whither the chief of that Party that fled from St. Faggons had made their Retreat as I said before but wanting great Guns he was obliged to send for some to Glocester which with much difficulty were brought to him This Place detained the greatest part of our Army about six Weeks but it was remarkable that about the time the Scots were entring into England the Garison for want of Provisions was forced to capitulate and surrender upon Articles by which some of them were to remain Prisoners and others to be banished into Ireland for three Years amongst the latter were Col. Thomas Stradling Sir Henry Stradling Col. Button and Major Butler of the first were Col. Laughern Col. Poyer and Col. Powell Twenty Thousand Scots being upon their March into England under the Conduct of Duke Hamilton with about five Thousand English commanded by Sir Marmaduke Langdale some of us who had opposed the Lieutenant General 's Arbitrary Proceedings when we were convinced he acted to promote a selfish and unwarrantable Design now thinking our selves obliged to strengthen his Hands in that necessary Work which he was appointed to undertake writ a Letter to him to encourage him from the Consideration of the Justice of the Cause wherein he was engaged and the Wickedness of those with whom he was to encounter to proceed with Chearfulness assuring him that not withstanding all our Discouragements we would readily give him all the Assistance we could The House of Commons declared the Scots who had invaded England to be Enemies and ordered the Lieutenant General to advance towards them and fight them But the Lords in this doubtful Posture
of Affairs declined to concur with them in the same Yet both of them with the City of London joined in driving on a Personal Treaty with the King in the Isle of Wight and to that end the Lords and Commons revoked the Votes for Non-Addresses whereby the King seemed to be on sure ground for that if the Scots Army failed he might still make Terms with the Parliament The King's Party in Colchester were also much encouraged with hopes of Relief from the Scots Army who were very numerous and well furnished with all things but a good Cause To fight this formidable Army the Lieutenant General could not make up much above seven thousand Horse and Foot and those so extremely harassed with hard Service and long Marches that they seemed rather fit for a Hospital than a Battel With this handful of Men he advanced towards the Enemy and about Preston in Lancashire both Armies met on the 17 th of August 1648. The English who were in the Scots Army had the Honour of the Van and for a time entertained ours with some Opposition but being vigorously pressed by our Men they were forced to retreat to a Pass which they maintained against us whilst they sent to their General for Succours which he not sending on purpose as was said that the English might be cut off and his Party kept intire to enable him to set up for himself and give Law to both Nations they began to shift for themselves which made such an Impression upon the Scots that they soon followed their Example retreating in a disorderly manner Ours followed them so close that most of their Foot threw down their Arms and yielded themselves Prisoners Many of the principal Officers of their Foot were taken with all their Artillery Ammunition and Baggage Hamilton with four or five thousand Horse in a Body left the Field and was pursued by Col. Thorney a Member of Parliament and Colonel of a Regiment of Horse a worthy and a valiant Man who following them too close and unadvisedly run himself upon one of their Lances wherewith he was mortally wounded which he perceiving by the wasting of his Spirits to express his Affection to his Country and Joy for the Defeat of the Enemy desired his Men to open to the right and left that he might have the Satisfaction to see them run before he died The Enemies Body of Horse kept themselves together for some days roving up and down the Country about Leicestershire which County the Lord Grey of Grooby had raised and brought together about three thousand Horse and Foot to preserve the Country from Plunder and to take all possible Advantages against the Enemy and tho a Body of Horse from the Army was in pursuit of the Scots yet the Leicestershire Party came up first to them at Uttoxeter in Staffordshire where the Body of the Enemies Horse was and whilst the Scots were treating with the other Party from the Army the Lord Grey's Men observing no Guards kept entred upon them before any Conditions were made whereupon Hamilton surrendred himself to Col. Wayte an Officer of the Leicestershire-Party delivering to him his Scarf his George and his Sword which last he desired him to keep carefully because it had belonged to his Ancestors By the two Parties the Scots were all made Prisoners and all their Horses seized the Duke of Hamilton was carried Prisoner to Windsor-Castle and all their Standards of Horse and Foot were taken and sent up to London where the Parliament ordered them to be hung up in Westminster-Hall The House of Lords who had avoided to declare the Scots Enemies whilst their Army was entire now after their Defeat prevented the House of Commons and moved that a Day might be appointed to give God Thanks for this Success The News of this Victory being carried to the Isle of Wight the King said to the Governour that it was the worst News that ever came to England to which he answered That he thought the King had no cause to be of that Opinion since if Hamilton had beaten the English he would certainly have possessed himself of the Thrones of England and Scotland The King presently replied You are mistaken I could have commanded him back with the motion of my Hand Which whether he could do or no was doubtful but whatever Reasons he had for this Opinion it seemed very unseasonable to own it openly in that Conjuncture Lieutenant General Cromwell marched with part of his Army to Edinburgh where he dispossessed the Hamiltonian Party of their Authority and put the Power into the hands of the Presbyterians by whom he was received with great Demonstrations of Joy and tho lately they looked upon the Independent Party as the worst of their Enemies yet now they owned and embraced them as their best Friends and Deliverers and having notice given them that the English Army was about to return into England they prevailed with the Lieutenant General to leave Major General Lambert with a Body of Horse till they could raise more Forces to provide for their own Safety The Treaty with the King being pressed with more heat than ever and a Design visibly appearing to render all our Victories useless thereby by the Advice of some Friends I went down to the Army which lay at that time before Colchester where attending upon the General Sir Thomas Fairfax to acquaint him with the state of Affairs at London I told him that a Design was driving on to betray the Cause in which so much of the Peoples Blood had been shed that the King being under a Restraint would not account himself obliged by any thing he should promise under such Circumstances assuring him that most of those who pushed on the Treaty with the greatest Vehemency intended not that he should be bound to the performance of it but designed principally to use his Authority and Favour in order to destroy the Army who as they had assumed the Power ought to make the best use of it and to prevent the Ruin of Themselves and the Nation He acknowledged what I said to be true and declared himself resolved to use the Power he had to maintain the Cause of the Publick upon a clear and evident Call looking upon himself to be obliged to pursue the Work which he was about Perceiving by such a general Answer that he was irresolute I went to Commissary General Ireton who had a great Influence upon him and having found him we discoursed together upon the same Subject wherein we both agreed that it was necessary for the Army to interpose in this matter but differed about the time he being of opinion that it was best to permit the King and the Parliament to make an Agreement and to wait till they had made a full Discovery of their Intentions whereby the People becoming sensible of their own Danger would willingly join to oppose them My Opinion was that it would be much easier for the Army to keep them
from a Conjunction than to oppose them when united it being highly probable that the first things they would fall upon after their Union would be such as were most taking with the People in order to oblige them to assist in the disbanding of the Army under pretence of lesiening their Taxes and then if the Army should in any manner signify a Dislike of their Proceedings they would be esteemed by the Majority of the People to be Disturbers of the publick Peace and accused of designing nothing save their own particular Advantages The King's Party in Colchester expecting to be included in the Peace which was treating between him and the Parliament held out to the utmost but being in extreme want of Provisions and destitute of all hopes of Relief since the Defeat of the Scots they were sorced to surrender on the 28 th of August 1648. upon Articles whereby some of the principal of them being Prisoners at Discretion the Court Martial assembled and condemned Sir Charles Lucas Sir George Lisle and Sir Barnard Gascoin to die the last of whom being a Foreigner was pardoned and the other two were shot to death according to the Sentence The Lord Goring and the Lord Capel were sent Prisoners to London and committed to the Tower by an Order of the Parliament The Two Houses finding things in this posture hastened the Departure of their Commissioners to the Isle of Wight with Powers and Instructions to treat with the King who principally insisted on that Article concerning Bishops whom he accounted to be by Divine Right or rather essentially necessary to the Support of Arbitrary Power whereupon Ministers of each side were appointed to dispute touching that Subject in order to satisfy the King's Conscience But the Army having now wonderfully dispersed their Enemies on every part began to consider how to secure themselves and the Common Cause against those Counsels that were carried on in opposition to them under pretext of making Peace with the King and to that end drew up a Declaration at St. Albans dated the 16 th of November 1648. shewing that the Grounds of their first Engagement was to bring Delinquents to Justice that the King was guilty of the Blood shed in the first and second War and that therefore they could not trust him with the Government This Remonstrance they presented to the Parliament on the 20 th of November 1648. The King and Parliament seeing this Cloud beginning to gather endeavoured by all means possible to hasten their Treaty to a Conclusion The Army also were not wanting to fortify themselves against that Shock sending some of their own Number to those Members of Parliament whom they esteemed most faithful to the Common Cause to invite them down to the Army after they should in a publick manner have expressed their Dissatisfaction to the Proceedings of those who had betrayed the Trust reposed in them by the good People of England and declared that finding it impossible to be any farther serviceable in Parliament they had resolved to repair to the Army in order toprocure their Assistance in settling the Government of the Nation upon a just Foundation At a Meeting of some Members of Parliament with the said Officers from the Army it was resolved That tho the way proposed by them might be taken in case all other means failed yet seeing there was more than a sufficient Number of Members in the Parliament to make a House who were most affectionate to the Publick Cause it would be more proper for the Army to relieve them from those who rendred them'useless to the Publick Service thereby preserving the Name and Place of the Parliament than for the Members thereof to quit their Stations wherein they were appointed to serve and to leave the Civil Authority in the hands of those who would be ready to fall in with any Power that would attempt to frustrate what should be agreed on by them and the Army In prosecution of this Result the Army drew to Colebrook from whence Commissary General Ireton sent me word that now he hoped they should please me which I must acknowledg they did by the way which they were taking not from any particular Advantages that I expected from it except an equal share of Security with other Men but that the People of England might be preserved in their just Rights from the Oppressions of violent Men the Question in dispute between the King's Party and us being as I apprehended Whether the King should govern as a God by his Will and the Nation be governed by Force like Beasts or whether the People should be governed by Laws made by themselves and live under a Government derived from their own Consent Being fully perswaded that an Accommodation with the King was unsafe to the People of England and unjust and wicked in the nature of it The former besides that it was obvious to all Men the King himself had proved by the Duplicity of his dealing with the Parliament which manifestly appeared in his own Papers taken at the Battel of Naseby and elsewhere Of the latter I was convinced by the express Words of God's Law That Blood desileth the Land and the Land cannot be cleansed of the Blood that is shed therein but by the Blood of him that shed it Numbers Chap. 35. v. 33. And therefore I could not consent to the Counsels of those who were contented to leave the Guilt of so much Blood upon the Nation and thereby to draw down the just Vengeance of God upon us all when it was most evident that the War had been occasioned by the Invasion of our Rights and open Breach of our Laws and Constitution on the King's part The Commissioners that were appointed to manage the Treaty with the King returned with the King's Answer containing neither a positive Grant nor an absolute Denial As to the Bishops he still retained his Principle of their Divine Right and therefore declared that he could not dispense with the Abolition of them but for present Satisfaction hoping by giving ground to gain a better opportunity to serve them he consented that those who had bought their Lands should have a Lease of them for some Years and for satisfaction for the Blood that had been shed he was willing that six should be excepted but withal Care was taken that they should be such as were far enough from the reach of Justice By another Article the Militia was to remain in the Parliament for ten Years thereby implying if I mistake not that the Right of granting it was in the King and consequently that we had done him wrong in contending with him for it By such ways and means did some Men endeavour to abuse the Nation Some of our Commissioners who had been with the King pleaded in the House for a Concurrence with him as if they had been imployed by him tho others with more Ingenuity acknowledged that they would not advise an Agreement upon those Terms were it not
England and the Common Council of the City of London presented a Petition to the Parliament by the hands of Col. Titchborn to that effect but some of the Commonwealths-men desired that before they consented to that Method it might be resolved what Government to establish fearing a Design in the Army to set up some one of themselves in his room others endeavoured to perswade them that the execution of Justice ought to be their first Work in respect of their Duty to God and the People that the failure therein had been already the occasion of a second War which was justly to be charged on the Parliament for neglecting that Duty that those who were truly Commonwealths-men ought to be of that Opinion as the most probable means to attain their Desires in the establishment of an equal and just Government and that the Officers of the Army who were chiefly to be suspected could not be guilty of so much Impudence and Folly to erect an Arbitrary Power in any one of themselves after they had in so publick a manner declared their Detestation of it in another In order to the accomplishment of the important Work which the House of Commons had now before them they voted That by the Fundamental Laws of the Land it is Treason for the King of England for the time being to levy War against the Parliament and Kingdom To which the Lords not concurring they passed it the next day without their Consent and the day after declared That the People are under God the Original of all just Power That the House of Commons being chosen by and representing the People are the Supreme Power in the Nation That whatsoever is enacted or declared for Law by the Commons in Parliament hath the Force of a Law and the People are concluded thereby tho the Consent of King or Peers be not had thereto This Obstruction being removed several Petitions were brought to the Parliament for so the House of Commons now stiled themselves from the City of London Borough of Southwark and most of the Counties in England requesting that the King might be brought to Justice in order to which they passed an Act authorizing the Persons therein named or any thirty of them to proceed to the Arraignment Condemnation or Acquittal of the King with full Power in case of Condemnation to proceed to Sentence and to cause the said Sentence to be put in Execution This High Court of Justice met on the 8 th of January 1648 in the Painted Chamber to the number of about fourscore consisting chiefly of Members of Parliament Officers of the Army and Gentlemen of the Country where they chose Serjeant Aske Serjeant Steel and Dr. Dorrislaus to be their Counsel Mr. John Coke of Grays-Inn to be their Solicitor and Mr. Andrew Broughton their Secretary and sent out a Precept under their Hands and Seals for proclaiming the Court to be held in Westminster-Hall on the tenth of the said Month which was performed accordingly by Serjeant Dendy attended by a Party of Horse in Cheapside before the old Exchange and in Westminster-Hall On the the tenth they chose Serjeant Bradshaw to be their President with Mr. Lisle and Mr. Say to be his Assistants and a Charge of High Treason being drawn up against the King the Court appointed a convenient Place to be prepared at the upper end of Westminster-Hall for his Publick Trial directing it to be covered with Scarlet Cloth and ordered twenty Halberdiers to attend the President and thirty the King All things being thus prepared for the Trial the King was conducted from Windsor to St. James's from whence on the 20 th of January he was brought to the Bar of the High Court of Justice where the President acquainted the King with the Causes of his being brought to that Place For that He contrary to the Trust reposed in him by the People to see the Laws put in execution for their Good had made use of his Power to subvert those Laws and to set up his Will and Pleasure as a Law over them that in order to effect that Design he had endeavoured the Suppression of Parliaments the best Defence of the Peoples Liberties That he had levied War against the Parliament and People of England wherein great numbers of the good People had been slain of which Blood the Parliament presuming him guilty had appointed this High Court of Justice for the Trial of him for the same Then turning to Mr. Broughton Clerk of the Court he commanded him to read the Charge against the King who as the Clerk was reading the Charge interrupted him saying I am not intrusted by the People they are mine by Inheritance demanding by what Authority they brought him thither The President answered that they derived their Authority from an Act made by the Commons of England assembled in Parliament The King said the Commons could not give an Oath that they were no Court and therefore could make no Act for the Trial of any Man much less of him their Soveraign It was replied that the Commons assembled in Parliament could acknowledg no other Soveraign but God for that upon his and the Peoples Appeal to the Sword for the Decision of their respective Pretensions Judgment had been given for the People who conceiving it to be their Duty not to bear the Sword in vain had appointed the Court to make Inquisition for the Blood that had been shed in that Dispute Whereupon the President being moved by Mr. Solicitor Coke in the Name and on the Behalf of the good People of England commanded the Clerk of the Court to proceed in the reading of the Charge against him which being done the King was required to give his Anser to it and to plead guilty or not guilty The King demurred to the Jurisdiction of the Court affirming that no Man nor Body of Men had Power to call him to an account being not intrusted by Man and therefore accountable only to God for his Actions entring upon a large Discourse of his being in Treaty with the Parliament's Commissioners at the Isle of Wight and his being taken from thence he knew not how when he thought he was come to a Conclusion with them This Discourse seeming not to the purpose the President told him that as to his Plea of not being accountable to Man seeing God by his Providence had over-ruled it the Court had resolved to do so also and that if he would give no other Answer that which he had given should be registred and they would proceed as if he had confessed the Charge In order to which the President commanded his Answer to be entred directing Serjeant Dendy who attended the Court to withdraw the Prisoner which as he was doing many Persons cried out in the Hall Justice Justice The King being withdrawn the Court adjourned into the Painted Chamber to consider what farther was fit to be done and being desirous to prevent all Objections tending to accuse them
thought fit to be proposed to the Parliament for their Approbation The five impowered to this end by the Parliament were Mr. John Lisle Mr. Cornelius Holland Mr. Luke Robinson Mr. Thomas Scot and Me who tho sensible of my Unfitness for so great a Work and of the Envy it would be attended with yet being required by my Country to assist in this Service I resolved to use the best of my Endeavours therein The Number agreed upon was thirty five which we filled up with such Persons as we thought best qualified with Integrity and Abilities sutable to so important a Station Four of them were Lords and the rest Commoners The House agreed to our Report only they were pleased to add us five to the number proposed by us The Parliament being desirous to exclude from their Places those who were likely to undo what they had done and yet unwilling to lose the Assistance of many honest Men who had been in the Country during the late Transactions passed an Order that such Members as had not sate since the Trial of the King should not be admitted to fit till the House should be particularly satisfied concerning them appointing the former five or any three of them to be a Committee to receive Satisfaction touching the Affections to the Publick Interest of every Member who had not sate since the time aforesaid and the Reasons of his Absence and to make their Report to the Parliament concerning them Prince Charles finding his Affairs in England to be in a desperate Condition concluded an Agreement with the Irish Rebels granting them full Indemnity for what they had hitherto acted and encouraging them to carry on their Cruelties against the English by his Commission The Lord Inchequin had already declared for him and joined with the Irish Rebels The Earl of Ormond was dispatched to Ireland for the same purpose and as a Pledg that Prince Charles would follow his Baggage and Horses were sent thither before The Scots fearing their Clergy would not be permitted long to insult over the People expressed themselves highly dissatisfied with our Proceedings in England and chose rather to espouse the Interest of Prince Charles than to enjoy the Fruit of what they had contended for against his Father publickly declaring that they were obliged by the Covenant to promote the Government of a King Lords and Commons which Government the Parliament of England had thought fit to alter We endeavoured to satisfy their Commissioners by shewing them the Reasons of our late Resolutions but they refusing to hear them returned home to their own Country where they found things disposed to an Accommodation with Prince Charles upon presumption that when by his Assistance they had destroyed the Sectarian Party as they called them they should be able to govern him well enough but he supposing he had an easier part to act with the Irish whose Principles were more sutable to his Inclinations refused to hearken to them at that time Col. Edward Popham Col. Richard Dean and Col. Robert Blake were appointed by the Parliament to command the Fleet the latter being designed with a Squadron to cruise upon the Irish Coast in order to meet and fight the Ships commanded by Prince Rupert Col. Popham was sent towards Lisbon to intercept the Portugal Fleet coming home from their Islands because they had protected some Ships that had revolted from us and sheltred them from our Fleet that was in pursuit of them and had offered some Affronts to our Agent Mr. Vane who was sent thither to endeavour a right Understanding between the two Nations General Dean with another Squadron was ordered to remain for the Service of the Channel This they did well understanding how great Reputation a considerable Fleet would give to their Affairs and of what Importance it is to this Nation always to guard the Seas and more particularly in that Conjuncture The Parliament much inclining to preserve a good Correspondence with the States General of the United Provinces sent Dr. Dorislaus into Holland to be their Agent there who a little after his Arrival at the Hague was assaulted by about ten Assassins English and Scots who broke into his Lodgings and murdered him and tho this Action was so infamous and contrary to the Right of Nations yet the Dutch were not very forward to find out the Criminals in order to bring them to Justice Mr. Ascham who was sent into Spain with a Publick Character also was used in the like manner by three Persons coming to his House at Madrid where pretending to be English Merchants they were admitted and as he saluted the first of them was struck into the Head by him with a Poniard and his Secretary endeavouring to make his Escape was killed with him The Murderers took Sanctuary in a Church but by an Order of State they were forced from thence and committed to Prison of which the Church-men loudly complained after their usual manner as an injurious violation of their Immunities The Squadron commanded by Col. Blake being first ready set fail for the Irish Coast where Prince Rupert thinking himself not in a condition to fight him retired with his Ships into the Harbour of Kingsale under the Protection of the Fort. Col. Popham was next dispatched with his Squadron for Portugal and was pleased to employ a Brother of mine as Lieutenant of that Ship which was commanded by himself The Spanish Ambassador was the first that made application to us from any Foreign State But the Parliament not being satisfied with the Address of his Credentials refused to receive them till it should be directed to the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England declaring that tho they did not affect any slattering Titles yet they resolved to have their Authority owned by all these who made their Addresses to them With which the Court of Spain being made acquainted the Ambassador received Instructions from the King his Master to that end and framed the Direction according to our Desires Our Affairs beginning to acquire Reputation and to carry a fair Probability of Success divers Members of Parliament who had been long absent addressed themselves to the Committee before mentioned in order to their admission to sit in Parliament and some of them would not scruple to give any Satisfaction that was desired to the Questions proposed unto them which were Whether they joined in or approved that I'ote declaring the King's Concessions a Ground for a future Settlement Whether they approved of the Proceedings against the King and whether they would engage to be true to a Commonwealth Government But we apprehending such extraordinary Expulsions as had been lately used to be extremely hazardous to the Publick Safety made it our Endeavour to keep those from a Re-admission who might necessitate another occasion of using the like Remedy And therefore tho all possible Satisfaction were given in Words we did by weighing the former Deportment of every particular Member who presented himself desire to be
in some measure assured that they would be true to what they promised in case the Common-wealth Interest should come to be disputed before we would report their Condition to the House Some of the House of Lords having procured themselves to be chosen by the People sat in Parliament upon the Foot of their Election in which Number was Philip Earl of Pembroke who being chosen by the Freeholders of the County of Berks upon his admission to the House signed the Engagement as the rest of the Members who sat there had done the Contents of which was To be true and faithful to the Commonwealth as it was established without a King or House of Lords The same Engagement was taken by the Earl of Salisbury and the Lord Edward Howard when they took their Places in Parliament after they had been elected to serve there Whilst we were thus providing for our Security in England our Affairs in Ireland had not the same Success the Earl of Ormond having reconciled the English in Munster to the Supreme Council of the Irish Rebels the Scots also in the North falling in with them against us with whom some Gentlemen of those Parts joined tho they had engaged themselves to the contrary Yet one thing happened tending very much to the preservation of Dublin and those few Places that were kept for the Parliament which was that Owen Roe O Neal who was General of the Old Irish as they were termed could by no means be brought to a Conjunction with the English Sir Charles Coote being besieged in London-derry agreed to supply the Besiegers with Powder upon their engaging to furnish him with such Provisions as he wanted which was performed on both sides and the Lord Inchequin who was besieging Dundalk promised to do the like for Colonel Monk who then commanded in that Place upon the same Conditions which was performed on Monk's part but as his Men were carrying off the Ammunition they were fallen upon by a Party of Inchequin's Horse the Ammunition taken away and many of them killed The Scots drawing about Dundalk most of the Garison revolted to them whereupon Monk delivered up the Place upon condition that he should be permitted to return into England where being arrived he met with a cold Reception from the Parliament upon suggestion that he had corresponded with the Irish Rebels About this time an Agent from Owen Roe O Neal came privately to London and found out a way to acquaint the Council of State that if they thought sit a grant him a safe Conduct he would make some Propositions to them that would be for their Service The Council to avoid any Misconstruction of their Actions refused to hear him but appointed a Committee to speak with him of which I was one ordering us to report to them what he should propose His Proposition was that the Party commanded by O Neal should submit to and act for the Parliament if they might obtain Indemnity for what was passed and Assurance of the Enjoyment of their Religion and Estates for the time to come We asked him why they made application to us after they had refused to join with those who had been in Treaty with the King He answered that the King had broken his Word with them for tho they had deserved well of him and he had made them many fair Promises yet when he could make better Terms with any other Party he had been always ready to sacrifice them We asked him farther Why they had not made their Application sooner he told us because such Men had been possessed of the Power who had sworn their Extirpation but that now it was believed to be the Interest of those in Authority to grant Liberty of Conscience promising that if such Liberty might be extended to them they would be as zealous for a Commonwealth as any other Party instancing in many Countries where they were so We informed him that it was our Opinion that the Council would not promise Indemnity to all that Party they being esteemed to have been the principal Actors in the bloody Massacre at the beginning of the Rebellion Neither did we think that they would grant them the Liberty of their Religion believing it might prove dangerous to the Publick Peace The Council upon our Report of what had passed at the Conference concurred with our Opinion so that having no more to do with the Agent he was required to depart within a limited time The Farl of Ormond General Preston and the Lord Inchequin beginning to draw their Forces towards Dublin resolved first to reduce Tredah in order to which they sent Col. Worden thither with a strong Detachment of Horse and Foot who attempting to take it by Assault entred with most of his Men but was beat out again by an inconsiderable Number of ours Notwithstanding which the Garison wanting Men to desend their Works their Provisions also being almost consumed was obliged to capitulate and surrender upon condition that the Souldiers should have liberty to march to Duklin the rest to return home and to enjoy Protection there Dundalk and Tredagh being surrendred to the Enemy and Dublin threatned with a speedy Siege by the Forces of the Royalists and Irish combined together for the destruction of the English the Parliament taking into their serious Consideration the deplorable State of their distressed Friends resolved to send them Relief with all Expedition In the mean time the Enemy marched towards Dublin having sent a Party of Horse before to invest the Place and to prevent any Relief from Meath-side upon whose Approach Col. Jones with the Forces he had with him was obliged to retire to Jones A Party of Horse from the Town made a Sally upon the Enemy and were repulsed with some Loss but being reinforced from England by a Regiment of Horse commanded by Col. Reynolds and two Regiments of Foot Col. Jones being also come into the Town they resolved upon a vigorous Defence Immediately after the landing of these Supplies Dublin was formally besieged by the Enemy who had a great Army provided with all Necessaries for the carrying on of the Siege and furnished by the Country with Provisions in great abundance their Head-quarters being at Rathmims a Mile from Dublin towards Wicklom They took Rathfarnham by storm and sent fifteen hundred Men to fortify Baggatrath in order to hinder our Army from landing at Ringsend being within a quarter of a Mile of it and lying triangular with it and Dublin Baggatrath had a Rampart of Earth about it and the Enemy had wrought upon it to augment its Strength a whole Night before they were discovered But the next Morning Col. Jones perceiving their Design concluded it absolutely necessary to endeavour to remove them from thence before their Works were finished To that end he drew all his Forces both Horse and Foot to the Works that faced the Enemy and leaving as many as he thought necessary for the Defence of the Town sallied
should detain us in the Field till Winter Their Counsels succeeded according to their Desires and our Army through hard Duty scarcity of Provisions and the Rigour of the Season grew very sickly and diminished daily so that they were necessitated to draw off to receive Supplies from our Shipping which could not come nearer to them than Dunbar distant from Edinburgh about twenty Miles The Enemy observing our Army to retire followed them close and falling upon our Rear-Guard of Horse in the Night having the Advantage of a clear Moon beat them up to our Rear-Guard of Foot Which Alarm coming suddenly upon our Men put them into some Disorder but a thick Cloud interposing in that very Moment and intercepting the Light of the Moon for about an Hour our Army took that Opportunity to secure themselves and arrived without any further disturbance at Dunbar where having shipped their heavy Baggage and sick Men they designed to return into England But the Enemies upon Confidence of Success had possessed themselves of all the Passes having in their Army about thirty thousand Horse and Foot and ours being reduced to ten Thousand at the most There was now no way left but to yield themselves Prisoners or to fight upon these unequal Terms In this Extremity a Council of War was called and after some Dispute it was agreed to fall upon the Enemy the next Morning about an Hour before Day and accordingly the several ' Regiments were ordered to their respective Posts Upon the first shock our Forlorn of Horse was somewhat disordered by their Lanciers but two of our Regiments of Foot that were in the Van behaved themselves so well that they not only sustained the Charge of the Enemies Horse but beat them back upon their own Foot and following them close forced both Horse and Foot to retreat up the Hill from whence they had attacked us The Body of the Enemies Army finding their Van-Guard which consisted of their choicest Men thus driven back upon them began to shift for themselves which they did with such Precipitation and Disorder that few of them ventured to look behind them till they arrived at Edinburgh taking no care of their King who made use of the same means to secure himself as his new Subjects had done One Party of their Horse made a stand till some of ours came up to them and then ran away after the rest of their Companions Many were killed upon the Place and many more in the Pursuit All their Baggage Arms Artillery and Ammunition fell into the hands of our Army Many also were taken and sent Prisoners into England When the first News of this great Victory was brought to London by Sir John Hipsley it was my Fortune with others of the Parliament to be with the Lord Fairfax at Hampton-Court who seemed much to rejoice at it But the Victory it self was not more welcome to me than the Contents of the General 's Letter to the Parliament wherein amongst many other Expressions savouring of a publick Spirit there was one to this effect That seeing the Lord upon this solemn Appeal made to him by the Scots and us had so signally given Judgment on our side when all hopes of Deliverance seemed to be cut off it became us not to do his Work negligently and from thence took occasion to put us in mind not to content our selves with the Name of a Commonwealth but to do real things for the Common Good and not to permit any Interest for their particular Advantage to prevail with us to the contrary Our Army in Scotland having received some Recruits advanced toward Edinburgh but the Enemy being informed of their March withdrew out of the Town and leaving a strong Garison in the Castle retreated towards Sterling The Parliament being very careful to supply their Armies with all things necessary caused great Quantities of Hay to be bought up in Norfolk and Suffolk which they sent by Sea to Scotland where it was absolutely necessary for the Scots Army had so strongly intrenched themselves by the Advantage of a Wood that ours could not possibly attack them without great Hazard and they were furnished with Provisions from Fife and the adjacent Parts which are the most fruitful in that Nation by means of the Bridg at Sterling whereas our Army which lay encamped near them had no other Country from whence they might draw Provisions but such as had been already in the Possession of the Enemy Besides that Hay is generally scarce in Scotland and that a great part of our Forces consisted of Horse Owen Roe O Neal who commanded the Old Northern Irish in vlster that had been principally concerned in the Massacre of the Protestants being dead the Popish Bishop of Cloghar undertook the Conduct of them and being grown considerably strong necessitated Sir Charles Coote to draw his Forces together to defend his Quarters which they designed to invade desperately resolving to put it to the issue of a Battel Their Foot was more numerous than ours but Sir Charles exceeded them in Horse The Dispute was hot for some time but at last the Irish were beaten tho not without Loss on our side Amongst others Col. Fenwick a brave and gallant Man was mortally wounded The Enemies Baggage and Train of Artillery was taken tho not many made Prisoners being for the most part put to the Sword with the Bishop of Cloghar their General whose Head was cut off and set upon one of the Gates of London derry The News of this Defeat being brought to those in Carlo who had held out in hopes of Relief from their Friends in vlster together with a great scarcity of Provisions in the Place besides the beating down of the little Castle that stood at the foot of the Bridg on the other side of the River which happened about the same time so discouraged those within that they surrendred the Place to the Lord Deputy Ireton upon Articles which he caused punctually to be executed as his constant manner was Pursuant to the Order of Parliament appointing me Lieutenant General of the Horse in Ireland the General as he was directed by the said Order sent me a Commission to that end which I received and gave him an Account of the Reception acquainting him also how sensible I was of my want of Experience to manage so weighty an Employment but that on the other hand I would not fail to endeavour to discharge my Duty with the utmost Fidelity He replied that I might rely upon that God to carry me through the Work who had called me to it and in the Close of his Letter recommended the procuring from the Parliament a Settlement upon Sir Hardress Waller of the Inheritance of some Lands which he then held by Lease from the Earl of Ormond and for which he paid two hundred Pounds annual Rent as a thing that might be proper for me to do before my Departure for Ireland I was afterwards informed that Sir Hardress
with the Clearness of my Proceeding and no less of my Abilities to discharge the Trust reposed in me and to perform the Duties of my Employments of which he was pleased to say I had given sufficient Demonstration as well as of a constant and hearty Affection to the Publick Interest In conclusion the Debate concerning the Lord Broghill was brought to this Question Whether he should be wholly laid aside or whether something should be done in order to content him for the present by conferring upon him some Office of Profit and the Title of a General Officer The latter was agreed upon and he declared Lieutenant General of the Ordinance in Ireland The Commissioners having settled Affairs as well as they could and finding the Deputy to be employed in making all necessary Preparations for the ensuing Service took that Opportunity to go to regulate Affairs at Dublin where after they had dispatched the Publick Business in which they spent about a Week and provided Houses to receive their Families when they should arrive from England they returned to Kilkenny The Enemy who had a Party of Horse in those Parts had designed to surprize them in their way to Dublin and again in their Return to us but finding them attended by a strong Guard they durst not venture to attempt it The Enemies Forces being retreated into Connaught which Province was covered by the Shannon and keeping strong Guards upon the Bridges and Fords of that River the Reduction of Limerick could not well be expected till we had blocked them up on both sides In order to which it was resolved that Sir Charles Coote who had with him between four and five thousand Horse and Foot should march into Connaught by the way of Ballyshannon a Passage on the side of Ulster not far distant from the Sea and Commissary General Reynolds was sent with his Regiment of Horse to his Assistance Col. Axtell and some others about this time going for England were taken by a Pirate belonging to Scilly whither they were all carried Prisoners The Irish who were many in the Island against whom Col. Axtell had been very active and who had heard of the Charge lately exhibited against him pressed hard for the taking away his Life But upon consideration of the Preparations making by the Parliament to send a Fleet with Souldiers to reduce that Island it was not thought convenient to attempt any thing against him tho they had a strong Inclination to it for fear of an exemplary Retaliation In the mean time the Parliament sent a Fleet with some Land-Forces to reduce the Isle of Jersey with the Castle which was kept by Sir Philip Carteret for Prince Charles Col. Haines who commanded them met with some Opposition at his landing but having brought his Men ashore the Island generally submitted to the Parliament The Castle having made some Resistance was soon after surrendred also The Affairs of the Commonwealth being thus successful and their Authority acknowledged by the Applications of Agents and Ambassadors from Foreign Nations to them it was resolved to send some Ministers abroad to entertain a good Correspondence with our Neighbours and to preserve the Interests of the Subjects of this Nation in those Parts To that effect the Lord Chief Justice St. Johns was dispatched with the Character of Ambassador Extraordinary to the States of the United Netherlands with whom Mr. Walter Strickland our Resident there was joined in Commission and to prevent such another Attempt as had been made upon our former Agent forty Gentlemen were appointed to attend him for his Security and Honour ten thousand Pounds being delivered to the Lord Ambassador's Steward for the Expence of the Embassy Yet this great Equipage was not sufficient to prevent a publick Affront which was offered him by Prince Edward one of the Palatine Family as he was passing the Streets But the Prince immediately retiring to some Place out of the Jurisdiction of the States secured himself from any Prosecution tho they pretended upon the Complaint of our Ambassadors that they were ready to do them what Right they could The Negotiation of our Ministers which was designed to procure a nearer Conjunction and Coalition between the two States proved also ineffectual the Province of Holland being not so much inclined to consent to it as was expected and Frizeland with most of the rest of the Provinces entirely against it presuming that such a Conjunction as was demanded would be no less than rendring those Countries a Province to England So that our Ambassadors having used all possible means to succeed in their Business and finding the Dutch unwilling to conclude with us whilst the King had an Army in the Field returned to England without effecting any thing but the Expence of a great Sum of Money This Disappointment sat so heavy upon the haughty Spirit of the Lord Chief Justice St. Johns that he reported these Transactions with the highest Aggravations against the States and thereby was a principal Instrument to prevail with the Council of State to move the Parliament to pass an Act prohibiting foreign Ships from bringing any Merchandizes into England except such as should be of the Growth or Manufacture of that Country to which the said Ships did belong This Law tho just in it self and very advantageous to the English Nation was so highly resented by the Dutch who had for a long time driven the Trade of Europe by the great Number of their Ships that it soon proved to be the Ball of Contention between the two Nations During these Transactions the Deputy of Ireland labouring with all diligence to carry on the Publick Service ordered the Army to rendezvouz at Cashil from whence he marched by the way of Nenagh to that part of the River Shannon which lies over against Killalo where the Earl of Castle-haven lay with about two thousand Horse and Foot disposed along the side of the River and defended by Breast-works cast up for their Security resolving to endeavour to obstruct our Passage into Connaught The Deputy as if he had intended to divert the Course of the River set the Souldiers and Pioneers at work to take the Ground lower on our side that the Water venting it self into the Passage the River might become fordable which so alarmed the Enemy that they drew out most of their Men to oppose us Whilst they were thus amused the Deputy taking me with him and a Guard of Horse marched privately by the side of the Shannon in order to find a convenient place to pass that River The ways were almost impassable by reason of the Bogs tho Col. Reeves and others who commanded in those Parts had repaired them with Hurdles as well as they could Being advanced about half way from Killalo to Castle-Conel we found a place that answered our Desires where a Bridg had formerly been with an old Castle still standing at the foot of it on the other side of the River We took only a short
this dismissing the Officer tho otherwise an useful Man from his Command for the same The next day we marched towards Clare-Castle and found the way so rocky that we rode near three Miles together upon one of them whereby most of our Horses cast their Shoes so that though every Troop came provided with Horse-shoes which were delivered to them out of the Stores yet before that day's March was over a Horse-shoe was sold sor five shillings The next morning the Lady Honoria Obryan Daughter to the late Earl of Thomond being accused of protecting the Goods and Cattle of the â—â—emy under pretence that they belonged to 〈◊〉 and thereby abusing the favour of the Deputy's Safeguard which he had granted to her came to him and being charged by him with it and told that he expected a more ingenuous Carriage from her she burst out into Tears and assured him if he would forgive her that she would never do the like again desiring me after the Deputy was withdrawn to intercede with him for the continuance of his favour to her which when I acquainted him with he said As much a Cynick as I am the Tears of this Woman moved me and thereupon gave order that his Protection should be continued to her From hence I would have attended him to Limerick but so much more care did he take of me than of himself that he would not suffer it desiring me to go that day being Saturday and quarter at Bonratto a House of the Earl of Thomond's in order to recover my health and to come to him on Monday morning at Limerick Accordingly I came and found the Deputy grown worse having been let blood and sweating exceedingly with a burning Fever at the same time Yet for all this he ceased not to apply himself to the Publick business settling Garisons and distributing Winter-quarters which was all that remained to be done of the Military Service for that year I endeavoured to perswade him as I had often done before that his immoderate Labours for his Country would much impair if not utterly destroy him but he had so totally neglected himself during the Siege of Limerick not putting off his Clothes all that time except to change his Linen that the malignant Humours which he had contracted wanting room to perspire became confined to his Body and rendred him more liable to be infected by the Contagion I was unwilling to leave him till I saw the event of his Distemper but he supposing my Family was by this time come to Dublin would not permit me to stay and I finding I could in no way be serviceable to him submitted to his desires I found the Commissioners of Parliament at Dublin and acquainted them with the State of Affairs in those Parts from whence I came and with the Resolutions taken by the Deputy at Limerick but soon after my arrival the sad news of his Death was brought to us which was universally lamented by all good Men more especially because the Publick was thereby deprived of a most faithful able and useful Servant The Commissioners of Parliament taking into their consideration what method to observe in that Conjuncture and presuming that my Command in the Army was next to that of the Deputy resolved by a Letter to acquaint the Officers of our Forces in Ireland with their judgment and to require them to yield Obedience to me accordingly I earnestly desired them to forbear sending any such Letter which I did not out of a feigned modesty but from a real sense of the weight of such an Undertaking and my own inability to perform the duty of that important Station For tho the Work seemed to be almost finished yet there remained great Difficulties behind the Enemy possessing some strong Places and Islands and having many thousands yet in the Field there being also in the Parliament's Pay between seven and eight thousand Horse and Dragoons with above two and twenty thousand Foot For these and other Reasons I desired them that they would reserve the Power to themselves till the Parliament should send over some Person to undertake that Employment which they might do soon enough the season of Action being already past the Troops dispersed into their Winter-quarters and nothing of importance likely to be done before the next Spring acquainting them that being one of their number I could be as serviceable in their Deliberations and Resolutions as if I were entrusted with the sole Power But all that I could say was not sufficient to disswade them from sending the Letter before mentioned and tho it met with a general submission yet I resolved not to undertake any thing without their Advice and Consent which they readily promised to afford me Some of General Cromwell's Relations who were not ignorant of his vast Designs now on foot caused the Body of the Lord Deputy Ireton to be transported into England and solemnly interred at Westminster in a magnificent Monument at the Publick Charge Who if he could have foreseen what was done by them would certainly have made it his desire that his Body might have found a Grave where his Soul left it so much did he despise those pompous and expensive Vanities having erected for himself a more glorious Monument in the hearts of good Men by his affection to his Country his abilities of Mind his impartial Justice his diligence in the Publick Service and his other Vertues which were a far greater Honour to his Memory than a Dormitory amongst the Ashes of Kings who for the most part as they had governed others by their Passions so were they themselves as much governed by them The Isles of Scilly and Man were reduced to the Obedience of the Commonwealth but nothing extraordinary happening at their reduction at least not coming to my knowledg I purposely omit the relation of those Actions About this time we were informed that Sir George Ayscue who had been sent by the Parliament to the Western Islands which still continued in Arms against them arrived at the Barbadoes on the 26 th of October 1651. and having opened a Passage into the Harbour by firing some great Shot seized upon twelve of their Ships without opposition The next morning he sent a Summons to the Lord Willoughby to submit to the Authority of the Parliament of England but he not acknowledging any such Power declared his Resolution to keep the Island for the King's Service But the News of the Defeat of the Scots and their King at Worcester being brought to Sir George Ayscue together with an intercepted Letter from the Lady Willoughby containing the same Account he summoned him a second time and accompanied his Summons with his Lady's Letter to assure him of the truth of that report But the Lord Willoughby relying upon his Numbers and the fewness of those that were sent to reduce him being in all but fifteen Sail returned an Answer of the like substance with the former Whereupon Sir George Ayscue sent two
to us for the performance of the Treaty concluded with those of the Province of Leinster was by the Marshal detained Prisoner upon an Accusation brought against him for the Murder of an English-Man which Crime being excepted out of those Articles and all others at any time granted to the Irish the Commissioners thought themselves obliged in duty to put him upon his Trial and to that end caused him to be brought before them where upon full Proof they condemned him to be shot to death which Sentence was executed accordingly The Lieutenant General remained some time at Kilkenny but the Commissioners having dispatched their Affairs in those Parts returned to Dublin and I accompanied them thither The Holland Fleet appearing off the Goodwin Sands Admiral Blake hastned the Foot Souldiers aboard and set sail after them but they tacked about and made away towards the French Coast where being joined by the Ships commanded by Vice Admiral De Ruyter they returned towards our Fleet and came within six Leagues of the North Foreland Capt. Mildmay in the Nonpareille about four in the Afternoon exchanged some Shot with them and soon after the English Admiral with a few more came up also the rest of the Fleet by reason of bad Weather being yet far behind The Dutch kept themselves close together firing several single Shot at ours which our Admiral thought not fit to answer till the rest of his Fleet was come up to him and then he began to fire on the Admiral of Holland The Fight lasted from five till seven when Night parted them the Reer-Admiral of the Enemy having lost all his Masts and two more of their Ships most part of their Rigging Capt. Mildmay followed them close and being come up with them commanded his small Shot to be fired into that Ship that made most sail immediately after which he boarded and took her This done he pursued another and in half an hour overtook her and forced her to yield also In one of these Ships was the Dutch Reer-Admiral whom Capt. Mildmay took out with the rest of the Men and then let her sink she being so disabled that he despaired of bringing her off The next Morning our Fleet pursued the Dutch who made away with all possible speed and about four in the Afternoon bore up with them but none of our great Ships except the Admiral being able to reach them the Night separated them again The next day the Dutch recovered Goree and others of their Harbours so that our Fleet thought fit to desist any sarther Pursuit of them On our side we had but three of our Men and Capt. Jarvis killed with about twenty wounded The Enemies Loss was considerable many of their Men being killed and wounded besides several taken Prisoners and three of their Ships sunk and taken Fourteen more were also brought into their Ports much damaged in the Engagement with great Numbers of wounded Men on board Their Fleet coming to Goree the Captains were forbidden to come a shore till Enquiry should be made touching those who had refused to fight in the first Encounter with the English Hereupon the Enmity of the Dutch against the English Nation grew to such a height that to render them odious and to encourage their own Subjects to come in to serve against them they caused the Execution of the late King to be represented on the Stage in a most tragical manner Insomuch that those of the Prince of Orange's Party were not without hopes that the States of Holland would rather surrender their Liberties to the Prince than quietly suffer England to live under the Government of a Commonweath Some Prejudice we received in two Encounters with the Dutch in the Mediterranean Sea but those slight Successes were wholly owing to their Number and not at all to their Courage or Conduct The Parliament gave Audience to Ambassadors from Venice and Portugal referring the Consideration of their Instructions to the Council of State who were required to report their Opinions touching them to the Parliament They also ordered a Letter to be drawn up and dispatched to the Grand Duke of Tuscany to give him Thanks for the good Usage received from him by the English Merchants at Leghorn About the same time thirty Frigats were appointed to be built as well to increase the Fleet as to secure the Trade of the Nation by Cruising Eighteen Men of War were likewise sent into the Sound under the Conduct of Capt. Hall who at his Arrival before Elsenore delivered a Letter to the Governour of that Place for the King of Denmark with Assurances that he was come thither for no other end than to convoy home two and twenty English Merchant Ships formerly seized by the said King at Copenhagen The King of Denmark seemed much offended that Capt. Hall had entred the Sound without his leave and sent four thousand Men to Cronenburg and Elsenore to reinforce those Places giving Orders to his Fleet to join with the Hollanders who were not far off and to fight the English in case they attacked the Dutch These great Preparations obliged Capt. Hall to retire from thence and to return to Newcastle Hereupon the Danish Ambassador at London had his Audience of Leave from the Parliament and his Master began to prepare twenty Ships of War for the Assistance of the Dutch alledging himself bound so to do by a Treaty with them In order to which he caused the Goods belonging to the English to be taken out of the two and twenty Ships before-mentioned and to be sold declaring openly for the Hollanders In the mean time the Reformation of the Law went on but slowly it being the Interest of the Lawyers to preserve the Lives Liberties and Estates of the whole Nation in their own hands So that upon the Debate of Registring Deeds in each County for want of which within a certain time fixed after the Sale such Sales should be void and being so registred that Land should not be subject to any Incumbrance This word Incumbrance was so managed by the Lawyers that it took up three Months time before it could be ascertained by the Committee The End of the First Part.
to prevent a greater Evil that was like to ensue upon the Refusal of them But Sir Henry Vane so truly stated the matter of Fact relating to the Treaty and so evidently discovered the Design and Deceit of the King's Answer that he made it clear to us that by it the Justice of our Cause was not asserted nor our Rights secured for the future concluding that if they should accept of these Terms without the Concurrence of the Army it would prove but a Feather in their Caps Notwithstanding which the corrupt Party in the House having bargain'd for their own and the Nation 's Liberty resolved to break through all Hazards and Inconveniences to make good their Contract and after twenty four hours Debate resolved by the Plurality of Votes That the King's Concessions were Ground for a future Settlement At which some of us expressing our Dissatisfaction desired that our Protestation might be entred but that being denied as against the Orders of the House I contented my self to declare publickly that being convinced that they had deserted the Common Cause and Interest of the Nation I could no longer join with them the rest of those who dissented also expressing themselves much to the same purpose The day following some of the principal Officers of the Army came to London with expectation that things would be brought to this issue and consulting with some Members of Parliament and others it was concluded after a full and free Debate that the Measures taken by the Parliament were contrary to the Trust reposed in them and tending to contract the Guilt of the Blood that had been shed upon themselves and the Nation that it was therefore the Duty of the Army to endeavour to put a stop to such Proceedings having engaged in the War not simply as Mercenaries but out of Judgment and Conscience being convinced that the Cause in which they were engaged was just and that the Good of the People was involved in it Being come to this Resolution three of the Members of the House and three of the Officers of the Army withdrew into a private Room to consider of the best means to attain the ends of our said Resolution where we agreed that the Army should be drawn up the next Morning and Guards placed in Westminster-Hall the Court of Requests and the Lobby that none might be permitted to pass into the House but such as had continued faithful to the Publick Interest To this end we went over the Names of all the Members one by one giving the truest Characters we could of their Inclinations wherein I presume we were not mistaken in many for the Parliament was fallen into such Factions and Divisions that any one who usually attended and observed the business of the House could after a Debate upon any Question easily number the Votes that would be on each side before the Question was put Commissary General Ireton went to Sir Thomas Fairfax and acquainted him with the necessity of this extraordinary way of proceeding having taken care to have the Army drawn up the next Morning by seven of the Clock Col. Pride commanded the Guard that attended at the Parliament-doors having a List of those Members who were to be excluded preventing them from entring into the House and securing some of the most suspected under a Guard provided for that end in which he was assisted by the Lord Grey of Grooby and others who knew the Members To justify these Proceedings the Army sent a Message to the House representing That whereas divers Members had been expelled the House upon account of the Violence done to the Parliament by the City of London and others in 1647. yet upon the Absence of many well-affected Members by reason of their Employments in the Army and elsewhere against the Enemy the said Persons were re-admitted without any Trial or Satisfaction in the things whereof they were accused whereby the Scots had been drawn to invade this Kingdom and the House prevented by the Intruders and their Accomplices from declaring against the Invaders who had made up the Number of ninety odd Votes to that purpose And whereas by the prevalency of the same corrupt Counsels Justice had been obstructed and a Settlement of Affairs hindred and lastly the King's Concessions declared to be a Ground for the Settlement of Peace notwithstanding the Insufficiency and Defects of them they therefore most humbly desired that all those Members who are innocent in these things would by a publick Declaration acquit themselves from any Guilt thereof or Concurrence therein and that those who shall not so acquit themselves may be excluded or suspended the House till they have given clear Satisfaction therein that those who have faithfully performed their Trust may proceed without interruption to the execution of Justice and to make speedy provision for an equal Succession of Representatives wherein Differences may be composed and all Men comfortably acquiesce as they for their parts thereby engaged and assured them they would The House wherein there was about six score was moved to send for those Members who were thus excluded by the Army which they did as I presume rather upon the account of Decency than from any desire they had that their Message should be obeyed and that it might clearly appear that this Interruption proceeded from the Army and not from any Advice of the Parliament to the end that what they should act separately might be esteemed to be only in order to prevent such Inconveniences as might otherwise fall upon the Nation if the whole Power should be left in the hands of an Army and that their Actions appearing to be founded upon this Necessity they might the better secure the Respect and Obedience of the People Upon such Considerations when the Serjeant returned and acquainted them that the excluded Members were detained by the Army the House proceeded in the business before them Lieutenant General Cromwell the Night after the Interruption of the House arrived from Scotland and lay at Whitehall where and at other Places he declared that he had not been acquainted with this Design yet since it was done he was glad of it and would endeavour to maintain it Major General Harrison being sent by the Army with a Party of Horse to bring the King from the Isle of Wight Col. Hammond who was entrusted with the Custody of him by the Parliament disputed to deliver him but finding that those about him inclined to comply he thought it not convenient to make any farther Opposition So that the King was conducted from the Island to Hurst-Castle and from thence to Windsor by Major General Harrison Being on his way he dined at Mr. Leviston's in Bagshot-Park who had provided a Horse for him to make his Escape but this Design also was discovered and prevented The King being at Windsor it was debated what should be done with him The Army were for bringing him to a Trial for levying War against the Parliament and People of