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
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
by the ordinary Forms of Justice That he hoped the Parliament would send them to him to justify themselves if they could if not he knew how to find them Which said he retired The Parliament sensible of this violation of their Privileges and fearing they might be further intrenched upon ordered a Committee of the House to sit in the City of London whither their five Members were gone before for Protection The King followed them thither with a slender or rather no Guard so far was he from fearing either Parliament or City designing to engage the Citizens to deliver up the five Members to him and to stand by him in this horrid Enterprize but they would not be perswaded to comply with his Desires in that matter This violent Attempt proving unsuccessful the Parliament to assert their just Rights voted it to be a Breach of their Privileges and that the like might be prevented for the future after the Committee had sat a few days in the City they returned to Westminster accompanied with Guards from the City both by Land and Water Which the King being informed of and finding that the Design which he had laid had highly provoked the Parliament and People he retired to Hampton-Court whither those that he had formerly entertained at Whitehall soon repaired and at Kingston upon Thames appeared in a military Posture with the Lord Digby and Colonel Lunsford at the head of them The two Houses having notice thereof desired the King to disperse the said Troops and to return to the Parliament The Lord Digby was also required to attend his Duty in the House but he being conscious of his own Guilt and knowing that the King's Affairs were not yet in a posture to bid open defiance to the Parliament chose rather to betake himself to flight as the Queen did soon after upon notice that the two Houses were about to accuse her of High Treason both of them designing not only to withdraw themselves from the Prosecution of the Parliament but also to make what Preparations they could for the raising of an Army against them In order to which the Queen carried with her the Jewels of the Crown and pawned them in Holland for Arms and Money The Parliament having discovered that the Lord Digby had by a Letter advised the King to retire to some Place of Strength and there to declare against them they caused him to be proclaimed a Traitor Notwithstanding which the King instead of returning to London at the earnest Desire of both Houses in prosecution of the Lord Digby's Counsel went farther from them During his Absence many Papers passed between him and the Parliament The chief Aim of those of the latter was to perswade the King to return to London and to settle the Militia in such hands as the Parliament should advise that so all Jealousies between him and his People might be removed Those from the King were to let them know that he could not part with the Militia esteeming it to be the best Jewel of his Crown nor return to London with Safety to his Person The Declarations on both sides proving ineffectual and the King's Designs both at home and abroad being grown ripe he expressed his Dissatisfactions more openly and withdrew to York where several Lords and others affected to his Interest resorted to him with Plate Money Men Horses and Arms Amongst whom were many Papists who tho to cover the King's Designs from the People they were forbidden to come into the Court were yet privately encouraged and daily listed and armed And as the distance of York from the Parliament was one reason why the King went thither so its Nearness to Hull was another This Town he endeavoured to possess himself of being a Place of Strength where great Quantities of Arms and Ammunition had been laid up upon disbanding the Army which was lately on foot in those Parts and very convenient for the landing of Men from Holland But the Parliament suspecting the Design had sent Sir John Hotham thither to keep and defend it for their use Notwithstanding which the King persisted in his Resolution and endeavoured by sending divers Persons of Quality into the Town to surprise it but that way not taking effect he appeared in Person before it demanding Entrance of Sir John Hotham which he absolutely refused to permit alledging that he was entrusted with the Place by the Parliament for the Service of his Majesty and the Nation and that he could not surrender it without their Order The King finding that he could not prevail either by Promises or Threatnings caused Sir John Hotham to be proclaimed a Traitor and returned to York from whence he complained to the Parliament of the Affront he had received at Hull who to manifest their Approbation of Sir John Hotham's Conduct declared that he had done his Duty in denying the King admittance into the Town asserting that the Command of the Militia was entrusted with the King to be employed for the Good of the Nation of which the two Houses of Parliament sitting are the proper Judges The Parliament began now to provide for the Security of all Places and sent a Committee of four of their Members to invite the King to return to Westminster and to endeavour to promote their Interest in the Northern Parts and being informed that there was laid up in the Town of Leicester a considerable Quantity of Arms and Ammunition provided for the County and that Mr. Hastings then Sheriff under pretence of bringing with him a Guard to attend the Judges at the Assizes resolved to secure the said Magazine for the King 's Use they made choice of Officers for three Companies of Foot impowering them to raise the said Companies for the defence of the said Magazine The Captains nominated to this Employment were one Major Grey Dr. Bastwick and one of my Brothers who having been for some time in the Service of the States of Holland was newly returned to England These three having received their Commissions from the Parliament went to Leicester in order to raise their Companies which they had not fully effected when the King with all his Cavalry consisting of about two thousand Horse arrived at Leicester against whom three Companies being no way sufficient to defend the Town they resolved only to secure that Place where the Magazine lay but that not being large enough to receive more than one Company the three Captains cast Lots whose part it should be to defend it which falling upon Major Grey the other two dispersed their Men and set forwards for London but had not rode many Miles when they were seized by a Party of Horse which the King commanded the Sheriff to send after them who brought them back to Leicester from whence they were removed to York where they were kept in the Common Goal and very cruelly treated These were the first Prisoners taken on either side The Magazine by Capitulation was dispersed into several parts of the
I was obliged to walk about all Night which proved very cold by reason of a sharp Frost Towards Morning our Army having received a Reinforcement of Colonel Hampden's and several other Regiments to the number of about four thousand Men who had not been able to join us sooner was drawn up and about Day-light we saw the Enemy upon the top of the Hill so that we had time to bury our Dead and theirs too if we thought fit That Day was spent in sending Trumpeters to enquire whether such as were missing on both sides were killed or Prisoners Those of ours taken by the Enemy were the Lord St. Johns who was mortally wounded and declared at his Death a full Satisfaction and Cheerfulness to lay down his Life in so good a Cause Colonel Walton a Member of Parliament and Captain Austin an eminent Merchant in London of whom the last died through the hard Usage he received in the Goal at Oxford to which he was committed It was observed that the greatest Slaughter on our side was of such as ran away and on the Enemy's side of those that stood of whom I saw about threescore lie within the compass of threescore Yards upon the Ground whereon that Brigade fought in which the King's Standard was We took Prisoners the Earl of Lindsey General of the King's Army who died of his Wounds Sir Edward Stradling and Colonel Lunsford who were sent to Warwick-Castle That Night the Country brought in some Provisions but when I got Meat I could scarce eat it my Jaws for want of use having almost lost their natural Faculty Our Army was now refreshed and Masters of the Field and having received such a considerable Addition of Strength as I mentioned before we hoped that we should have pursued the Enemy who were marching off as fast as they could leaving only some Troops to face us upon the top of the Hill but instead of that for what reason I know not we marched to Warwick of which the Enemy having notice sent out a Party of Horse under Prince Rupert who on Tuesday Night fell into the Town of Keinton where our sick and wounded Souldiers lay and after they had cruelly murdered many of them returned to their Army The King as if Master of the Field marched to Banbury and summoned it and tho about a thousand of our Men were in the Town yet pretending it not to be sufficiently provided for a Siege they surrendred it to him From thence the King went to Oxford and our Army after some Refreshment at Warwick returned to London not like Men that had obtained a Victory but as if they had been beaten The Parliament ordered them to be recruited and about the same time sent to the King who was advanced with part of his Army to Maidenhead or thereabouts to assure him of their earnest Desire to prevent the effusion of more Blood and to procure a right Understanding between his Majesty and Them The King in his Answer which was brought by Sir Peter Killegrew professed to desire nothing more and that he would leave no means unattempred for the effecting thereof Upon which Answer the Parliament thought themselves secure at least against any sudden Attempt But the very next day the King taking the advantage of a very thick Mist marched his Army within half a Mile of Brentford before he was discovered designing to surprize our Train of Artillery which was then at Hammersmith the Parliament and City which he had certainly done if two Regiments of Foot and a small Party of Horse that lay at Brentford had not with unspeakable Courage opposed his Passage and stopt the March of his Army most part of the Afternoon During which time the Army that lay quarter'd in and about London drew together which some of them and particularly the Life-Guard had opportunity the sooner to do being at that very time drawn into Chelsey-Fields to muster where they heard the Vollies of Shot that passed between the Enemy and our little Party the Dispute continued for some Hours till our Men were encompassed quite round with Horse and Foot and then being over-power'd with Numbers on every side many brave and gallant Men having lost their Lives upon the Place the rest chusing rather to commit themselves to the Mercy of the Water than to those who were engaged in so treacherous a Design leap'd into the River where many Officers and private Souldiers were drowned and some taken Prisoners However the Enemies Design was by this means defeated and they discouraged from any farther Attempt that Night The Parliament also were alarm'd in such a manner with the Danger and Treachery of this Enterprize that they used all possible Diligence to bring their Forces together so that by eight of the Clock the next Morning we had a Body of twenty thousand Horse and Foot drawn up upon Turnham-green a Mile on this side Brentford Those of ours also that lay at Kingston were marching to us by the way of London The Enemy drew out a Party of theirs towards the Hill at Acton which we attacked and forced to retire in Disorder to their main Body And here again in the opinion of many judicious Persons we lost as at Edge-hill before a favourable opportunity of engaging the Enemy with great Advantage our Numbers exceeding theirs and their Reputation being utterly lost in the last Attempt But the Earl of Holland and others pretending to encourage our Army by their Presence made use of their time to disswade the Earl of Essex from fighting till the rest of our Forces arrived magnifying the Power of the Enemy to him and thereby giving them an opportunity to draw off their Forces and Artillery towards Kingston which they did as sast as they could leaving only a body of Horse to face us between the two Brentfords the rest having secured themselves by a timely Retreat Upon this Party some of our great Guns guarded by a Regiment of Foot were towards the Evening ordered to be fired The like Guard was drawn up in the High-ways to secure our Foot from any Attempt of Horse that might be made upon them which some Great Men who pretended a Resolution to fight in that Troop blamed charging the Advisers thereof with Rashness in hazarding them in such a Pound where they must inevitably be cut off if the Enemy should advance upon them But I fear this great care was only counterfeit and that those Persons well knew the Enemy to be in a flying and not in a charging Condition as it quickly appeared for our Cannon no sooner began to play upon them but they retired to the main Body of their Army the Rear of which had by that time recovered Hounslow-heath The Enemy took up their Head-quarters at Kingston where by the advantage of the Bridg over the Thames they hoped to be able tho inferiour in Number to defend themselves against a more numerous Army if they should be attacked and to put in execution
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
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
of the Army should be sent to the Relief of Ireland and it was carried in the Negative by one Voice only The Commonwealth-Party taking Advantage of the Arguments used in the House for the Relief of Ireland and Ease of the People of England procured an Order for the disbanding of Col. Massey's Brigade and Money to be sent to the Devizes in the County of Wiles where they were ordered to be drawn together for that purpose Alderman Allen and my self who served sor that County were commissionated to see it put in execution In order to which we repaired to the Lord General who lay then at Cornbury and prevailed with him and Commissary General Ireton with two Regiments of Horse to draw to the Devizes which we found to be very necessary for tho many of that Brigade were glad of the Opportunity to return home to their several Callings having taken up Arms and hazarded their Lives purely to serve the Publick yet divers idle and debauched Persons especially the Foreigners amongst them not knowing how to betake themselves to any honest Employment endeavoured to stir up the Brigade to a Mutiny but not being able to effect that some of them listed themselves to serve against the Rebels in Ireland under Sir William Fenton and others there present to receive them for which we had Instructions from the Parliament the rest dispersed themselves and returned home The Forces also that served in the North under Major General Pointz were soon after disbanded The City of London had made it their Request in the Petition before-mentioned that some Commissioners from them might accompany those from the Parliament to the King but their own Party in the House fearing perhaps to be outbid by them or it may be not having quite lost all Sense of Honour rejected that Motion with Contempt alledging that they had their Representatives in Parliament and were concluded by what they acted as well as other Men upon which Mr. Martin said That tho he could not but agree with what had been affirmed touching their being involved in what their Representatives did and their not sending Commissioners as desired yet as to the Substance of what they proposed he could not so much blame them as others had done they therein shewing themselves in the end of the War no less prudent than they had expressed themselves honest in the beginning for as when the Parliament invited them to stand by them in the War against the King in Defence of their Religion Lives Liberties and Estates they did it heartily and therein shewed themselves good Christians and true English-men so now the War being ended and the Parliament upon making Terms with the King and thinking fit to sue to him now their Prisoner for Peace whom they had all incensed by their Resistance the Citizens having considerable Estates to lose shewed themselves prudent Men in endeavouring to procure their Pardons as well as others And tho said he you will not permit them to send as they desire they have expressed their good Will which without doubt will be well accepted The Commissioners of Parliament joining with those who were before with the King endeavoured to perswade him to agree to the Propositions of the Parliament but he disliking several things in them and most of all the abolition of Episcopacy to which Interest he continued obstinately stedfast refused his Consent upon private Encouragement from some of the Scots and English to expect more easy Terms or to be received without any at all The Parliament willing to bring this Matter to a Conclusion sent the same Propositions a second time to the King and desired the Scots to use their utmost Endeavours to procure his Consent to them The Scots Commissioners especially the Lord Loudon pressed the King very earnestly to comply with them telling him that tho the Propositions were higher in some Particulars than they could have wished notwithstanding their Endeavours to bring them as low as they could according to their Promises yet if he continued to reject them he must not expect to be received in Scotland whither they must return and upon his resusal of the Conditions offered deliver him up to the Parliament of England But whatsoever they or the English could say making no Impression upon the King the Parliament's Commissioners returned with a Negative from him The Interposition of the Scots in this Affair proving ineffectual the War being at an end and such considerable Forces altogether unnecessary the Parliament appointed Commissioners to conser with those of Scotland concerning such things as remained to be performed by the Treaty between them that the fraternal Union might continue and the Scots depart towards their own Country In order to which the Accounts of their Army were adjusted and a great Sum of Money agreed to be paid to them at the present and other Sums upon certain days to their full Satisfaction Major General Skippon with a considerable Body of Men carried down the Money in specie for the Paiment of the Scots Army which being received by them they delivered the King into the hands of the Parliament's Commissioners that attended him there and began their March for Scotland having delivered Newcastle to the English and drawn their Men out of Berwick and Carlisle which two Places were agreed not to be garisoned without the Consent of both Kingdoms About this time the Earl of Essex having over-heated himself in the Chace of a Stag in Windsor Forest departed this Lise His Death was a great Loss to those of his Party who to keep up their Spirits and Credit procured his Funeral to be celebrated with great Magnificence at the Charge of the Publick the Lords and Commons with a great number of Officers and Gentlemen accompanying him to the Grave In the mean time I observed that another Party was not idle for walking one Morning with Lieutenant General Cromwell in Sir Robert Cotton's Garden he inveighed bitterly against them saying in a familiar way to me If thy Father were alive he would let some of them hear what they deserve adding farther That it was a miserable thing to serve a Parliament to whom let a Man be never so faithful if one pragmatical Fellow amongst them rise up and asperse him he shall never wipe it off Whereas said he when one serves under a General he may do as much Service and yet be free from all Blame and Envy This Text together with the Comment that his after-Actions put upon it hath since perswaded me that he had already conceived the Design of destroying the Civil Authority and setting up of himself and that he took that Opportunity to feel my Pulse whether I were a fit Instrument to be employed by him to those ends But having replied to his Discourse that we ought to perform the Duty of our Stations and trust God with our Honour Power and all that is dear to us not permitting any such Considerations to discourage us from the
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.
was Live and die Live and die but when Southwark had let in part of the Army and joined with them they returned to the former Cry of Treat Treat to which the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common Council consenting were ready to admit the Army as Friends being not able to oppose them as Enemies and afterwards to attend those Members who had retired to the Army being in all about a hundred to the Parliament Having resumed our Places in the House as many of the eleven Members as had returned to act immediately withdrew and Pointz with other reduced Officers who had endeavoured to form a Body against the Army fled But we had other Difficulties to encounter for tho that Vote by which the Petition of the Army was declared seditious and those guilty of Treason who should prosecute the same after such a day was razed out of the Journal yet by reason that the bulk of the opposite Party was left still in the House the Militia of London could not be changed without much Difficulty and some other Votes of great Consequence could not be altered at all However the Parliament appointed a Committee to inquire into the late Force that was put upon them who having made their Report Sir John Maynard was impeached and Recorder Glyn with Mr. Clement Walker and others imprisoned A day or two after the Restitution of the Parliament the Army marched through the City without offering the least Violence promising to shew themselves faithful to the Publick Interest but their Actions furnished occasion to suspect them particularly their discountenancing the Adjutators who had endured the Heat of the day the free Access of all Cavaliers to the King at Hampton-Court and the publick Speeches made for the King by the great Officers of the Army in a Council of War held at Putney some of that Party taking the same liberty in the House of Commons where one of them publickly said That he thought God had hitherto blasted our Counsels because we had dealt so severely with the Cavaliers These things caused many in the Army who thought themselves abused and cheated to complain to the Council of Adjutators against the Intimacy of Sir John Barkley and Mr. Ashburnham with the chief Officers of the Army affirming that the doors of Cromwell and Ireton were open to them when they were shut to those of the Army Cromwell was much offended with these Discourses and acquainted the King's Party with them telling Mr. Ashburnham and Sir John Barkley that if he were an honest Man he had said enough of the Sincerity of his Intentions and if he were not that nothing was enough and therefore conjured them as they tendred the King's Service not to come so frequently to his Quarters but to send privately to him the Suspicion of him being grown so great that he was afraid to lie in them himself This had no effect upon Mr. Ashburnham who said that he must shew them the necessity of complying with the King from their own Disorders About three Weeks after the Army entred London the Scots prevailed with the Parliament to address themselves again to the King which was performed in the old Propositions of Newcastle some Particulars relating to the Scots only excepted The King advising with some about him concerning this Matter it was concluded to be unsafe for him to close with the Enemies of the Army whilst he was in it Whereupon the King refused the Articles and desired a Personal Treaty The Officers of the Army having seen his Answer before it was sent seemed much satisfied with it and promised to use their utmost Endeavours to procure a Personal Treaty Cromwell Ireton and many of their Party in the House pressing the King's Desires with great Earnestness wherein contrary to their Expectations they found a vigorous Opposition from such as had already conceived a Jealousy of their private Agreement with the King and were now confirmed in that Opinion and the Suspicions of them grew to be so strong that they were accounted Betrayers of the Cause and lost almost all their Friends in the Parliament The Army that lay then about Putney were no less dissatisfied with their Conduct of which they were daily informed by those that came to them from London so that the Adjutators began to change their Discourse and to complain openly in Council both of the King and the Malignants about him saying that since the King had rejected their Proposals they were not engaged any further to him and that they were now to consult their own Safety and the Publick Good that having the Power devolved upon them by the Decision of the Sword to which both Parties had appealed and being convinced that Monarchy was inconsistent with the Prosperity of the Nation they resolved to use their Endeavours to reduce the Government of England to the Form of a Commonwealth These Proceedings strook so great a Terror into Cromwell and Ireton that they thought it necessary to draw the Army to a general Rendezvouz pretending to engage them to adhere to their former Proposals to the King but indeed to bring the Army into subjection to them and their Party that so they might make their bargain by them designing if they could carry this point at the Rendezvouz to dismiss the Council of Adjutators to divide the Army and to send those to the most remote Places who were most opposite to them retaining near them such only as were fit for their purpose This Design being discovered by the Adjutators amongst whom Col. Rainsborough had the principal Interest they used all possible Industry to prevent the general Muster which was appointed to be at Ware supposing the Separation thereupon intended to be contrary to the Agreement made upon taking the King out of the hands of the Parliament and destructive to the Ends which they thought it their Duty to promote In the mean time Cromwell having acquainted the King with his Danger protesting to him that it was not in his Power to undertake for his Security in the Place where he was assuring him of his real Service and desiring the Lord to deal with him and his according to the Sincerity of his Heart towards the King prepared himself to act his part at the General Rendezvouz The King being doubtful what to do in this Conjuncture was advised by some to go privately to London and appear in the House of Lords to which it was answered That the Army being Masters of the City and Parliament would undoubtedly seize the King there and if there should be any Blood shed in his Defence he would be accused of beginning a new War Others counselled him to secure his Person by quitting the Kingdom Against which the King objected that the Rendezvouz being appointed for the next Week he was not willing to quit the Army till that was passed because if the superiour Officers prevailed they would be able to make good their Engagement if not they must apply themselves to him
it was now too late to think upon any thing but going through the way he had forced him upon wondering how he could make so great an Oversight At which Expression Mr. Ashburnham having no more to say wept bitterly In the mean time Col. Hammond and Capt. Basket beginning to be impatient of their long Attendance below in the Court Sir John Barkley sent a Gentleman of the Earl of Southampton's to desire that the King and Mr. Ashburnham would remember that they were below About half an hour after the King sent for them up and before Col. Hammond and Capt. Basket had kissed the King's Hand he took Sir John Barkley aside and said to him Sir John I hope you are not so passionate as Jack Ashburnham Do you think you have followed my Directions He answered No indeed but it is not my Fault as Mr. Ashburnham can tell you if he please The King perceiving that it was now too late to take other measures received Col. Hammond cheerfully who having repeated to him what he had promised before conducted them over to Cowes The next Morning the King went with the Governour to Carisbrook and on the way thither was met by divers Gentlemen of the Island by whom he understood that the whole Island was unanimously for him except the Governours of the Castles and Col. Hammond's Captains that Hammond might be easily gained if not more easily forced the Castle being day and night full of the King's Party and that the King might chuse his own time of quitting the Island having liberty to ride abroad daily So that not only the King and those that were with him but also his whole Party approved of the Choice which he had made The King and Mr. Ashburnham applied themselves to the Governour with so good Success that he and those with him seemed to desire nothing more of the King than to send a civil Message to both Houses signifying his Propensity to Peace which was done accordingly No sooner was the King's Escape taken notice of by the Guards but Col. Whalley hastened to the Parliament with the Letter which the King had left upon his Table shewing the Reasons of his withdrawing and his Resolution not to desert the Interest of the Army and tho it was visible that the King made his Escape by the Advice of Cromwell and therefore in all appearance with the Consent of Whalley yet he pretended for his Excuse to the Parliament that Mr. Ashburnham had broken his Engagement to him at his first coming to Woburn whereby he had undertaken that the King should not leave the Army without his Knowledg and Consent Upon this Advice the Parliament declared it Treason for any Person to conceal the King but the manner of his Escape being soon after discovered and that he had put himself into the hands of the Governour of the Isle of Wight they sent a Messenger to the Island for Mr. Ashburnham Sir John Barkley and Mr. Leg but the Governour refused to deliver them The time for the General Rendezvouz of the Army being now come the Commonwealth Party amongst them declared to stand to their Engagement not to be dispersed till the things they had demanded were effected and the Government of the Nation established to make good which Resolution several Regiments appeared in the Field with distinguishing Marks in their Hats But Lieutenant General Cromwell not contenting himself with his part in an equal Government puffed up by his Successes to an expectation of greater things and having driven a bargain with the Grandees in the House either to comply with the King or to settle things in a factious way without him procured a Party to stand by him in the seizing some of those who appeared at the Rendezvouz in opposition to his Designs To this end being accompanied with divers Officers whom he had preferred and by that means made his Creatures he rode up to one of the Regiments which had the distinguishing Marks requiring them to take them out which they not doing he caused several of them to be seized and then their Hearts failing they yielded Obedience to his Commands He ordered one of them to be shot dead upon the place delivering the rest of those whom he had seized being eleven in number into the hands of the Marshal and having dispersed the Army to their Quarters went to give an account of his Proceedings to the Parliament and tho when an Agreement with the King was carried on by other hands he could countenance the Army in opposition to the Parliament yet now the bargain for the Peoples Liberty being driven on by himself he opposed those who laboured to obstruct it pretending his so doing to be only in order to keep the Army in subjection to the Parliament who being very desirous to have this Spirit suppressed in the Army by any means not only approved what he had done but gave him the Thanks of the House for the same Whereunto tho singly I gave as loud a No as I could being fully convinced that he had acted in this manner for no other end but to advance his own Passion and Power into the room of Right and Reason and took the first opportunity to tell him that the Army having taken the Power into their hands as in effect they had done every drop of Blood shed in that extraordinary way would be required of them unless the Rectitude of their Intentions and Actions did justify them of which they had need to be very careful Whilst these things were doing the Earl of Ormond finding that the Irish used him treacherously and that the Inclinations of his Army tended towards a Submission to the Parliament of England invited them to send Commissioners to treat about the Surrender of Dublin and the Forces commanded by him into their hands Which was done and Articles agreed upon indemnifying all Protestants in Ireland for what they had done there unless they had been in the Rebellion during the first Year and admitting them to compound for their Estates in England at two Years Value A certain Sum was also promised to be paid to the Earl of Ormond in consideration of what he had disbursed for the Army This Agreement being concluded the City of Dublin and the Forces before-mentioned were delivered to Col. Michael Jones who was ordered by the Parliament to receive the same and the Earl of Ormond came to London where his Money was paid him and he soon after retired into France The chief Officers of the Army having subdued those of their Body who upon just Suspicion had opposed their Treaty with the King thought themselves obliged by their former Engagement to press for a Personal Treaty with him which they procured to be offered in case he would grant four preliminary Bills The first of which contained the Revocation of all Proclamations against the Parliament The second to make void all such Titles of Honour as had been granted by the King since he had left
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
extraordinary Guards but according to Law in case of actual Rebellion or Invasion 17. That it will please your Majesty to confirm your Leagues with the United Provinces and other Princes of the Protestant Religion that you may be the more capable to defend it against Popish Attempts which will bring much Reputation to your Majesty and encourage your Subjects to endeavour in a Parliamentary way to re-establish your Sifter and her Children and other Princes oppressed for the same Cause 18. That it will please your Majesty to clear by an Act of Parliament the Lord Kimbolton and the five Members of the House of Commons so that future Parliaments may be secured against the Consequence of such ill Examples 19. That it will please your Majesty of your Grace to pass an Act That the Peers created hereafter shall have no Place nor Voice in Parliament at least unless they are admitted thereunto by the Parliament These humble Requests being granted unto us by your Majesty we shall endeavour as we ought to regulate the Revenue of your Majesty and to increase it more and more in such sort that it shall support the Dignity Royal with Honour and Abundance beyond whatever the Subjects of this Kingdom have allowed to their Kings your Majesty's Predecessors We will put also the Town of Hull into such Hands as your Majesty shall please with the Approbation of the Parliament and will give a good Account of the Munitions of War and of the Magazine And to conclude we shall chearfully do our Endeavours to give unto your Majesty Testimony of our Affection Duty and Faithfulness to preserve and maintain your Royal Honour the Greatness and Safety of your Majesty and of your Posterity These Propositions were delivered to the King by the Commissioners of the Parliament but without Success he being resolved to steer another Course presuming he might obtain as good Terms as these if reduced to the last Extremity and that if his Arms succeeded according to his Hopes his Will might pass for a Law pursuant to the Opinion of those who thought no way so likely to render his Authority absolute as the making of a War upon his People And now the Fire began to break out in the West Sir John Stawell and others drawing a Party together in Somersetshire for the King where Captain Preston and others opposed them and about Martials Elm on PoldenHill some of those who declared for the Parliament were killed Whereupon the Parliament ordered some Horse to be raised which they sent down under the Command of the Earl of Bedford to protect their Friends in those Parts By which means the Enemy being forced to quit the Field betook themselves to the Castle of Sherburn in Dorsetshire which after a short Siege was surrendred to the Parliament Portsmouth was also secured for the Parliament by the young Lord Goring then Governour thereof but he afterwards declaring for the King it was besieged and reduced by their Forces and the Government of it entrusted to Sir William Lewis The King having set up his Standard at Nottingham the 24 th of August 1642. the Parliament thought themselves obliged to make some Preparations to defend themselves having discovered that he had sent abroad to procure what Assistance he could against his People particularly applying himself to the King of Denmark acquainting him that the two Houses to make their Work sure against him were endeavouring to prove Queen Ann a Whore and thereby illegitimate all her Issue earnestly pressing him in vindication of his injured Sister as well as in consideration of his own relation to him to send him Succours This Letter was intercepted and brought to the Parliament who by a Declaration protested that no such thing had ever entred into their Thoughts The King also endeavoured under pretence of Law to take away the Lives of Dr. Bastwick and Captain Robert Ludlow for acting in obedience to the Commands of the Parliament and had proceeded to their Execution had not the Parliament by a Message sent to Judg Heath and delivered to him on the Bench threatned a Retaliation by executing two for one in case they went on which put a stop to that Design The Parliament having passed the following Votes 1. That the King seduced by evil Counsel intends to levy War against the Parliament 2. That when the King doth levy War against the Parliament he breaks his Trust and doth that which tends to the Dissolution of the Parliament 3. That whosoever shall assist him in such a War are Traitors and shall be proceeded against accordingly prepared for the raising of an Army and published several Declarations inviting the good People of England to assist them with their Prayers Persons and Purses to carry on this War which they were necessitated to enter into for the Defence of the Religion Laws Liberties and Parliament of England The Protestation taken by both Houses and by them proposed to the People to stand by each other in their just and necessary Undertaking was readily and chearfully taken by many in London and elsewhere and divers hundreds on Horseback from the Counties of Buckingham Hartford and Essex came up with their several Petitions acknowledging the Care and Faithfulness of the Parliament in the discharge of their Trust and promising to stand by them in the carrying on of what they had declared for Declarations were also set forth by the two Houses encouraging the People to provide Horses and Arms and to bring in Plate and Money for their necessary Defence engaging the Credit of the Publick for the Reimbursement of what should be so advanced Which Contributions arising to the Value of a great Sum they declared their Intentions of raising a certain Number of Horse and Foot with a proportionable Train of Artillery and voted the Earl of Essex to be their General whom the King to take him off from the Publick Interest had lately made Chamberlain of his Houshold Upon the same account he had also preferred the Lord Say to be Master of the Court of Wards and Mr. Oliver St. Johns to be his Solicitor General But this could not corrupt the Earl of Essex nor hinder him from discharging vigorously that Trust which the Parliament had reposed in him Divers of the Lords and Commons engaged their Lives with him and under him Of the Lords the Earl of Bedford who was General of the Horse the Lord Peterborough the Lord Willoughby of Parham the Lord Denbigh the Lord St. John the Lord Rochford and of the Commons Mr. Hampden and Mr. Hollis who raised Regiments Sir Philip Stapylton who commanded the Earl of Essex's Guard and Mr. Oliver Cromwell who commanded a Troop of Horse and divers others The Earl of Northumberland who was High Admiral staid with the Parliament The Earl of Warwick whom they made Vice-Admiral kept the greatest part of the Fleet in obedience to them Things being brought to this Extremity the Nation was driven to a necessity of Arming in
occasion commanded us to wheel about but our Gentlemen not yet well understanding the difference between wheeling about and shifting for themselves their Backs being now towards the Enemy whom they thought to be close in the Rear retired to the Army in a very dishonourable manner and the next Morning rallied at the Head-quarters where we received but cold Welcome from the General as we well deserved The Night following the Enemy left Worcester and retreated to Shrewsbery where the King was upon which the Earl of Essex advanced to Worcester where he continued with the Army for some time expecting an Answer to a Message sent by him to the King from the Parliament inviting him to return to London This Time the King improved to compleat and arm his Men which when he had effected he began his March the Earl of Essex attending him to observe his Motions and after a day or two on Sunday Morning the 23d of October 1642. our Scouts brought advice that the Enemy appeared and about nine a Clock some of their Troops were discovered upon Edge-hill in Warwickshire Upon this our Forces who had been order'd that Morning to their Quarters to refresh themselves having had but little Rest for eight and forty Hours were immediately countermanded The Enemy drew down the Hill and we into the Field near Keinton The best of our Field-pieces were planted upon our right Wing guarded by two Regiments of Foot and some Horse Our General having commanded to fire upon the Enemy it was done twice upon that part of the Army wherein as it was reported the King was The great Shot was exchanged on both sides for the space of an hour or thereabouts By this time the Foot began to engage and a Party of the Enemy being sent to line some Hedges on our right Wing thereby to beat us from our Ground were repulsed by our Dragoons without any Loss on our side The Enemy's Body of Foot wherein the King's Standard was came on within Musquet-shot of us upon which we observing no Horse to encounter withal charged them with some Loss from their Pikes tho very little from their Shot but not being able to break them we retreated to our former Station whither we were no sooner come but we perceived that those who were appointed to guard the Artillery were marched off and Sir Philip Stapylton our Captain wishing for a Regiment of Foot to secure the Cannon we promised to stand by him in defence of them causing one of our Servants to load and level one of them which he had scarce done when a Body of Horse appeared advancing towards us from that side where the Enemy was We fired at them with Case-shot but did no other Mischief save only wounding one Man through the Hand our Gun being overloaded and planted on high Ground which sell out very happily this Body of Horse being of our own Army and commanded by Sir William Balfour who with great Resolution had charged into the Enemy's Quarters where he had nailed several pieces of their Cannon and was then retreating to his own Party of which the Man who was shot in the Hand was giving us notice by holding it up but we did not discern it The Earl of Essex order'd two Regiments of Foot to attack that Body which we had charged before where the King's Standard was which they did but could not break them till Sir William Balfour at the head of a Party of Horse charging them in the Rear and we marching down to take them in Flank they brake and ran away towards the Hill Many of them were killed upon the place amongst whom was Sir Edward Varney the King's Standard-bearer who as I have heard from a Person of Honour engaged on that side not out of any good opinion of the Cause but from the Sense of a Duty which he thought lay upon him in respect of his Relation to the King Mr. Herbert of Glamorganshire Lieutenant Colonel to Sir Edward Stradling's Regiment was also killed with many others that fell in the Pursuit Many Colours were taken and I saw Lieutenant Colonel Middleton then a Resormade in our Army displaying the King's Standard which he had taken but a Party of Horse coming upon us we were obliged to retire with our Standard and having brought it to the Earl of Essex he delivered it to the Custody of one Mr. Chambers his Secretary from whom it was taken by one Captain Smith who with two more disguising themselves with Orange-colour'd Scarfs the Earl of Essex's Colour and pretending it unfit that a Penman should have the Honour to carry the Standard took it from him and rode with it to the King for which Action he was knighted Retreating towards our Army I fell in with a body of the King's Foot as I soon perceived but having passed by them undiscovered I met with Sir William Balfour's Troop some of whom who knew me not would have fired upon me supposing me to be an Enemy had they not been prevented and assured of the contrary by Mr. Francis Russell who with ten Men well mounted and armed which he maintained rode in the Life-Guard and in the heat of the pursuit had lost sight of them as I my self had also done I now perceived no other Engagement on either side only a few great Guns continued to fire upon us from the Enemy but towards the close of the Day we discovered a body of Horse marching from our Rear on the left of us under the Hedges which the Life Guard whom I had then found having discovered to be the Enemy and resolving to charge them sent to some of our Troops that stood within Musquet-shot of us to second them which tho they refused to do and we had no way to come at them but through a Gap in the Hedg we advanced towards them and falling upon their Rear killed divers of them and brought off some Arms. In which Attempt being dismounted I could not without great difficulty recover on Horse-back again being loaded with Cuirassiers Arms as the rest of the Guard also were This was the Right Wing of the King's Horse commanded by Prince Rupert who taking advantage of the Disorder that our own Horse had put our Foot into who had opened their Ranks to secure them in their Retreat pressed upon them with such Fury that he put them to flight And if the time which he spent in pursuing them too far and in plundering the Wagons had been employed in taking such Advantages as offered themselves in the place where the Fight was it might have proved more serviceable to the carrying on of the Enemy's Designs The Night after the Battle our Army quartered upon the same Ground that the Enemy sought on the day before No Man nor Horse got any Meat that Night and I had touched none since the Saturday before neither could I find my Servant who had my Cloak so that having nothing to keep me warm but a Sute of Iron
Parliament who being encompassed with Difficulties on all hands and understanding that the Queen was landing with a considerable Strength at Bridlington-Bay in the County of York sent Commissioners to treat with their Friends in Scotland to march into England to their Assistance In the mean timethe King's Army besieged the City of Glocester the King being there in Person to countenance the Siege The Besieged made a vigorous Defence for about a Month during which the Parliament took care to recruit their Army in order to relieve them Their Rendezvouz was appointed on Hounslow-heath whither some Members of Parliament of which my Father was one were sent to inspect their Condition that their Wants being known might be the better supplied who found them a very shatter'd and broken Body but the City being then very affectionate to the Publick soon recruited them and drew forth so many of their Trained Bands and Auxiliary Regiments as made them up a gallant Army In their March towards Glocester some of ours fell upon a Party of the Enemy at Cirencester of whom they took many Prisoners and seized a great quantity of Provisions which they found prepared for the Enemy who upon our Approach raised the Siege The Earl of Essex having relieved the Town was marching back again when he perceived the Enemy endeavouring to get between him and London and to that end falling upon his Rear with a strong Party of Horse they so disordered his Men and retarded the March of his Army that he sound himself obliged to engage them at Newbury The Dispute was very hot on both sides and the Enemy had the better at the first but our Men resolving to carry their point and the City-Regiments behaving themselves with great Bravery gave them before Night so little cause to boast that the next Morning they were willing to permit the Earl of Essex to march to London without interruption Few Prisoners were taken on either side The Enemy had several Persons of Quality killed the principal of whom were the Earl of Carnarvan the Earl of Sunderland the Lord Falkland and a French Marquiss We lost a Colonel of one of the City-Regiments together with some inferiour Officers Some of the Lords and Commons contrary to their Duty withdrew themselves from the Parliament at Westminster and went to the King at Oxford where they met together but never did any thing considerable for the King's Service and shewed themselves so little willing to assume the name of a Parliament that the King in a Letter to the Queen a Copy whereof was afterwards found amongst his Papers called them his Mongrel Parliament In the mean time the Earl of Manchester received a Commission from the Parliament to raise Forces in the associated Counties of Suffolk Norfolk Essex Cambridg Huntington c. which was very necessary for the King was Master of all Places of Strength from Berwick to Boston except Hull and two small Castles in Lincolnshire and Ferdinando Lord Fairfax not able to keep the Field against the Earl of Newcastle was retired with his Horse and Foot to Hull the Enemies Strength in the North no way inferiour to what it was in the West and none considerable enough to oppose their March into the South The Earl of Newcastle upon advice that the Lord Willoughby of Parham had possessed himself of the Town of Gainsborough for the Parliament sent his Brother Col. Cavendish Lieutenant General of his Army with a great Party of Horse and Dragoons to summon it himself marching after with the Foot Col. Oliver Cromwell having notice thereof and understanding by fresh Experience that Victory is not always obtained by the greater Number having lately defeated near Grantham twenty four Troops of the Enemies Horse and Dragoons with seven Troops only which he had with him resolved to endeavour the Relief of Gainsborough and with twelve Troops of Horse and Dragoons marched thither where he found the Enemy who were drawn up near the Town to be more than thrice his Number and no way to attack them but through a Gate and up-hill notwithstanding which Disadvantages he adventured to fall upon them and after some Dispute totally routed them killing many of their Officers and amongst them Lieutenant General Cavendish Thus was Gainsborough relieved but the Conquerors had little time to rejoice for within two or three hours the routed Enemy rallying and joining with the rest of Newcastle's Army marched against them Upon which they retreated to Lincoln that night in good order and without any Loss facing the Enemy with three Troops at a time as they drew off the rest Lincoln not being defensible Col. Cromwell marched the next day to Boston that he might join the Earl of Manchester who with his new-rais'd Forces had very seasonably reduced Lynn a Town in Norfolk not far from the Sea naturally strong and might have proved impregnable if Time had favoured Art and Industry to have fortified and furnished it with Provisions But Sir Hammond Lestrange who had before surprized it for the King was soon surprized himself and being suddenly summoned by the Earl of Manchester and threatned with a Storm after he had fired a few great Shot against the Besiegers thought fit to surrender it upon Articles From thence the Earl of Manchester marched to Boston where being joined by Col. Cromwell appointed by the Parliament to command under him and a Party of Horse brought by Sir Thomas Fairfax by Sea from Hull he mustered about six thousand Foot and thirty seven Troops of Horse and Dragoons To prevent any further addition to his Forces the Earl of Newcastle advanced with his Army and sent a strong Detachment of Horse and Dragoons towards Boston appearing by their Standards to be eighty seven Troops commanded by Sir John Henderson an old Souldier who hearing that Col. Cromwell was drawn out towards him with the Horse and Dragoons made haste to engage him before the Earl of Manchester with the Foot could march up as accordingly it fell out at a place called Winsby-field near Horn-castle In the first shock Col. Cromwell had his Horse kill'd under him yet the Encounter was but short tho very sharp for there being Field-room enough the Fight lasted but a quarter of an hour before the Earl of Newcastle's Forces were totally routed and many of them killed amongst them the Lord Widdrington Sir Ingram Hopton and other Persons of Quality The Enemy had no time to rally being pursued by ours almost as far as Lincoln which was fourteen Miles off in which Pursuit divers of them were killed and made Prisoners and many Horse and Arms taken Neither were they suffered to rest at Lincoln the Earl of Manchester marching thither the day following where the Enemies broken Troops had endeavoured to fortisy the higher part of the City called the Close but had not quite finished their Works when the Earl arrived and summoned them to surrender which they resusing our Foot and Horse fell on and took it
the Inn several of them pressing me to discourse and particularly concerning the Justice of our Cause I excused my self by reason of my present Circumstances but they still persisting I thought my self obliged to maintain the necessity of our taking up Arms in defence of our Religion and Liberties but some of them being wholly biassed to their Interest as they went from me met a Relation of mine one Col. Richard Manning who tho a Papist commanded a Regiment of Horse in the King's Service and told him that they came from one of the boldest Rebels that they had ever seen The Colonel coming to visit me informed me of this Discourse advising me whatsoever I thought not to be so free with them lest they should do me some Mischief The next Morning before our Departure for Oxford Sir Francis Doddington brought me to Sir Ralph Hopton's Lodgings which being the Head-quarters we found there most of the Principal Officers of that Army where the General after he had saluted me demanded how I being a Gentleman could satisfy my self to bear Arms against my King I told him that as I conceived the Laws both of God and Man did justify me in what I had done Well said he I understand you are so fixed in your Principles that I am like to do little good upon you by my Perswasions but shall desire the Archbishop of Armagh to take the pains to speak with you when you come to Oxford and if he cannot work on you I know not who can This Bishop was very learned and of great Reputation for Piety yet I was assured by one who had his Information from Mr. Bernard of Batcomb that when the said Mr. Bernard earnestly pressed him to deal faithfully with the King in the Controversy which was between him and the Parliament concerning Episcopacy according to his own Judgment in that matter which he knew to be against it representing to him the great and important Service he would thereby do to the Church of God the Archbishop answered that if he should do as Mr. Bernard proposed he should ruin himself and Family having a Child and many Debts For this reason those Arguments which could not prevail with me when used by others were not likely to be of more Efficacy from him who in a business of such Concernment had been diverted from the discharge of his Duty by such low and sordid Considerations The next day I came to Oxford conducted by a Party of Horse commanded by one who was Captain Lieutenant to Sir Francis Doddington where reposing a while at a House near Christ-Church till the Pleasure of the King might be known concerning me there came to me two Persons very zealous to justify the King's Cause and to condemn that of the Parliament These Men were Irish Papists sent over by the Rebels in Ireland to treat with the King on their part about assisting him against the Parliament This I afterwards understood from one of them whose Name was Callaghan O Callaghan when together with the Brigade commanded by the Lord Musquerry he laid down his Arms to me in Ireland The King looking upon such Men as most fit to be confided in gives the Presidentship of Munster vacant by the Death of Sir William St. Leger to the Lord Musquerry an Irish Rebel which the Lord Inchequin Son-in-law to Sir William soliciting for and claiming a Right to it took so ill that the Lord Broghill as he since informed me found no great difficulty to prevail with him to declare for the Parliament who thereupon made him their President of Munster In this Capacity he performed many considerable Services against the Irish taking great store of Plunder from them and not sparing even his own Kindred but if he found them faulty hanging them up without distinction Having brought together an Army he marched into the County of Tipperary and hearing that many Priests and Gentry about Cashell had retired with their Goods into the Church he stormed it and being entred put three thousand of them to the Sword taking the Priests even from under the Altar Of such Force is Ambition when it seizes upon the Minds of Men. About this time Sir Edward Deering came from the King's Quarters at Oxford and surrendred himself at Westminster where being examined in the House of Commons he said that since the Cessation made with the Rebels in Ireland seeing so many Papists and Irish in the King's Army and his Councils wholly governed by them his Conscience would not permit him to remain longer with the King and therefore he was come to throw himself upon the Mercy of the Parliament and in conformity to their Declaration to compound for his Delinquency Accordingly he was admitted to Composition and an Order made to proceed in like manner towards such as should come in after him Whereupon the Earl of Westmorland and divers others came in to the Parliament and desired the Benefit of their Declaration for Composition Whilst I was attending the King's Pleasure at Oxford the Captain that conveyed me thither brought me word that he was ordered to deliver me to Mr. Thorpe the Keeper of the Castle and pretending much Affection to me told me that the said Keeper would take from me my upper Garment my Money and all that was loose about me advising me therefore to leave such things with him and promising to bring them to me in the Morning I not suspecting his Design delivered him my Cloke with my Money and some other things all which he carried away with him the next day neither could I have any Redress tho I wrote to Sir Francis Doddington complaining of this Treachery the Keeper of the Castle not laying the least Claim to any such thing Our sick and wounded Men after they had been kept for some time Prisoners in the Hall of Warder-Castle where a Popish Priest very solemnly with his Hands spread over them cursed them three times were carried from thence to Bristol In the Castle at Oxford I met with Mr. Balsum and other Friends who had been with me in Warder-Castle with many more who were detained there for their Affection to the Parliament amongst whom were Col. Shilborn of Buckinghamshire Col. Henly of Dorsetshire Capt. Haley of Glocestershire and Capt. Abercromy a Scots-man I had a Friend in the Town who furnished me with what I wanted those who had not any such means of Relief were supplied from London by a Collection of the Sum of three hundred Pounds made for them by some Citizens and conveyed down to them Neither was Oxford it self destitute of some who contributed to their Relief one Dr. Hobbs in particular who preached then at Carfax an honest Man of the Episcopal Party usually putting them in mind of it after his Sermon The Prisoners taken by the King's Party had been treated very cruelly especially at Oxford by Smith the Marshal there but the Members of Parliament that deserted their Trust at Westminster coming thither and
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-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
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
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
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
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
MEMOIRS OF Edmund Ludlow Esq Lieutenant General of the Horse Commander in Chief of the Forces in Ireland One of the Council of State and a Member of the Parliament which began on November 3 1640. In Two Volumes VOL. I. Switzerland Printed at Vivay in the Canton of Bern. MDCXCVIII To their EXCELLENCIES The LORDS of the Council FOR THE Canton of BERN. YOUR Excellencies having been the Protectors of the Author of these Memoirs during the many Years of his Exile are justly entituled to whatever Acknowledgment can be made for those Noble Favours which you extended so seasonably and so constantly to him and his Fellow-Sufferers 'T is well known to your Lordships that the Lieutenant General would have accounted himself happy to lay down that Life for your Service which you had preserved by your Generosity But since he lived not to have so Glorious an Occasion of expressing his Gratitude no Prince how powerful soever being hardly enough to attack that Liberty which is so well secured by the Bravery and good Discipline of your own People nothing now remains to be a Monument of his Duty and your Bounty but these Papers and therefore as a just Debt they are most humbly presented to your Excellencies THE PREFACE NO History can furnish us with the Example of a Man whose Life and Actions have been universally applauded Malice or a different Interest being always ready to wound the Noblest Integrity The Vertues of Scipio and Cato the best and greatest of the Romans could not preserve them from the Assaults of Envy and Calumny of which the groundless Accusations of the former to the People and the Volumes of Aspersions published against the latter by the Vsurper Julius are a sufficient Testimony 'T is therefore no wonder that Men who endeavour to imitate those great Examples and make the Service of their Country the principal Care of their Lives should meet with the same hard Vsage What the Author of these Papers did and suffered on that account the ensuing Relation will in part witness wherein it will appear that he contended not against Persons but Things That he was an Enemy to all Arbitrary Government tho gilded over with the most specious Pretences and that he not only disapproved the Vsurpation of Cromwel but would have opposed him with as much Vigour as he had done the King if all Occasions of that nature had not been cut off by the extraordinary Jealousy and Vigilance of the Vsurper Concerning his Extraction if that be any thing it may be justly said he was descended of an Antient and Worthy Family originally known in Shropshire and from thence transplanted into the County of Wilts where his Ancestors possessed such an Estate as placed them in the first Rank of Gentlemen and their personal Merits usually concurring with their Fortune gave them just Pretences to stand Candidates to represent the County in Parliament as Knights of the Shire which Honour they seldom failed to attain His Father Sir Henry Ludlow being chosen by his Country to serve in that Parliament which began on the 3d of November 1640 was one of these who slrenuously asserted the Rights and Liberties of the People against the Invasions made upon them by the pretended Prerogatives of the Crown The Example of his Father together with a particular Encouragement from him joined to a full perswasion of the Necessity of arming in Defence of his Country mounted our Author then very young on Horseback His first Essay was at the Battel of Edg-hill where he fought as Voluntier in the Life-guard of the Earl of Essex His Father dying some time after the Eruption of our Troubles he went down to Wiltshire and was unanimously chosen by that County to be one of their Knights of the Shire to represent them in Parliament where his Integrity and Firmness to the true Interest of his Country soon became so remarkable that he was thought worthy to be intrusted with the Command of an Independent Regiment of Horse to defend the County for which he served from the Incursions of the Enemies Army And how great a Progress he made afterwards in the Science of War the Military Honours he received in a time when Rewards were not blindly bestowed may sufficiently manifest After the Death of King Charles the First he was sent into Ireland by the Parliament in the Quality of Lieutenant General of the Horse This Employment he discharged with Diligence and Success till the Death of the Lord Deputy Ireton and then acted for some time as General tho without that Title the growing Power of Oliver Cromwel who knew him to be true and faithful to the Commonwealth always finding out some Pretext to hinder the conferring that Character upon him The finishing Part was only wanting to the compleat Suppression of the Irish Rebellion and the last stroke had been given by this Gentleman if the Vsurpation of Cromwel had not prevented him Vnder that Power he never acted And tho the Vsurper employed all his Arts to gain him he remained immovable and would not be perswaded to give the least Colour or Countenance to his Ambition After the Death of Cromwel some Endeavours were made to cause the Publick Affairs to revert to their former Channel in which Attempts our Author was not an idle Spectator But Oliver had so choaked the Springs that the Torrent took another Course and all the Efforts that were made to restore the Commonwealth proving vain and fruitless Charles the Second was permitted to act his part Thereupon this Gentleman who had gone through innumerable Hazards for the Liberties of England was stripped of his Estate and under the odious name of Traitor forced to abandon his native Country That he escaped the Searches made after him in England and safely arrived in Switzerland was almost a Miracle The Preservation of his Life which was in the utmost hazard by reason of the Prejudices then reigning obliged him to confine himself to the deepest Privacy and for a short time kept him unknown till his exemplary Life made him not only to be observed but admired This Stranger for more than thirty Years was the Care of that Country and it may be justly said that by their Vigilance rather than his own the frequent Designs that were formed against his Life were defeated and some of them exemplarily punished on the Heads of their Authors During his Exile he wrote the following Memoirs conjecturing and I think he was not mistaken that some of the Family of Charles the Martyr might act such things as would make his Country relish the Relation and regret the Vsage he had found But it can never be expected that all Men should be of the same Mind And therefore when the whole Kingdom of Ireland London-derry only excepted was unhappily fallen into the hands of the Irish Papists and the Lieutenant General I hope I may say it without Offence was sent for as a fit Person to be employed to recover it
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
defence of the Laws openly and frequently violated by the King who had made it the chief business of his Reign to invade the Rights and Privileges of the People raising Taxes by various Arts without their Consent in Parliament encouraging and preferring a formal and superstitious Clergy discouraging the sober and vertuous amongst them imposing upon all the Inventions of Men in the room of the Institutions of God And knowing that Parliaments were the most likely means to rectify what was amiss to give a check to his Ambition and to punish the principal Instruments of that illegal Power which he had assumed had endeavoured either to prevent their Meeting or to render them fruitless to the People and only serviceable to his corrupt ends by granting him Money to carry on his pernicious Designs A Parliament being now called and an Act passed authorizing them to fit till they should think fit to dissolve themselves And it being manifest to them and to all those who had any Concern for the Happiness of the Nation that the King would do nothing effectually to redress the present or to secure the People from future Mischiefs chusing rather to contend with them by Arms than for their satisfaction to entrust the Militia in faithful Hands resolving to impose that by the Force of his Arms which he could not do by the Strength of his Arguments I thought it my Duty upon consideration of my Age and vigorous Constitution as an English-man and an Invitation to that purpose from my Father to enter into the Service of my Country in the Army commanded by the Earl of Essex under the Authority of the Parliament I thought the Justice of that Cause I had engaged in to be so evident that I could not imagine it to be attended with much Difficulty For tho I supposed that many of the Clergy who had been the principal Authors of our Miseries together with some of the Courtiers and such as absolutely depended upon the King for their Subsistence as also some Foreigners would adhere to him yet I could not think that many of the People who had been long oppressed with heavy Burdens and now with great difficulty had obtained a Parliament composed of such Persons as were willing to run all Hazards to procure a lasting Settlement for the Nation would be either such Enemies to themselves or so ungrateful to those they had trusted as not to stand by them to the utmost of their Power at least tho some might not have so much Resolution and Courage as to venture All with them yet that they would not be so treacherous and unworthy to strengthen the Hands of the Enemy against those who had the Laws of God Nature and Reason as well as those of the Land on their side Soon after my Engagement in this Cause I met with Mr. Richard Fynes Son to the Lord Say and Mr. Charles Fleetwood Son to Sir Miles Eleetwood then a Member of the House of Commons with whom consulting it was resolved by us to assemble as many young Gentlemen of the Inns of Court of which we then were and others as should be found disposed to this Service in order to be instructed together in the use of Arms to render our selves fit and capable of acting in case there should be occasion to make use of us To this end we procured a Person experienced in military Affairs to instruct us in the use of Arms and for some time we frequently met to exercise at the Artillery-Ground in London And being informed that the Parliament had resolved to raise a Life-Guard for the Earl of Essex to consist of a hundred Gentlemen under the Command of Sir Philip Stapylton a Member of Parliament most of our Company entred themselves therein and made up the greatest part of the said Guard amongst whom were Mr. Richard Fynes Mr. Charles Fleetwood afterwards Lieutenant General Major General Harrison Colonel Nathanael Rich Colonel Thomlinson Colonel Twisleton Colonel Bosewell Major Whitby and my self with divers others It was not long before the Army under the Command of the Earl of Essex was raised and ready to march so cheerfully did the People hoping that the time of their Deliverance was come offer their Persons and all that was necessary for the carrying on of that Work The appearance for the King was not very considerable whilst he continued at York but when he removed to Shrewsbery great Numbers out of Wales and the adjacent Parts resorted to him The Earl of Essex having notice that the King directed his March that way advanced with his Army towards Worcester and upon his approach to that Town received Advice that a Detachment commanded by Prince Rupert had possessed themselves of it for the King and that a Party of ours impatient of Delay had engaged the Enemy before our General could come up with great Disadvantage as I after wards observed upon view of the Place Ours consisted of about a thousand Horse and Dragoons the Enemy being more in number and drawn up in a body within Musquet-shot of a Bridg between Parshot and Worcester over which our Men resolved to march and attack them but before half their number was got over not being able to advance above eight or ten abreast by reason of a narrow Lane through which they were to pass till they came within Pistol-shot of the Enemy they were engaged and forced to retreat in Disorder tho they did as much as could well be expected from them upon so disadvantageous a Ground Some were killed upon the place amongst whom was Major Gunter a very gallant Man who as I have heard had endeavoured to disswade them from that Attempt others were drowned and divers taken Prisoners of the last was Colonel Sands who commanded the Party and was carried to Worcester where being mortally wounded he soon died with all possible Expressions of his hearty Affection to the Publick Cause The Body of our routed Party returned in great Disorder to Parshot at which place our Life-Guard was appointed to quarter that Night where as we were marching into the Town we discovered Horsemen riding very hard towards us with drawn Swords and many of them without Hats from whom we understood the Particulars of our Loss not without Improvement by reason of the Fear with which they were possessed telling us that the Enemy was hard by in pursuit of them whereas it afterwards appeared they came not within four Miles of that place Our Life-Guard being for the most part Strangers to things of this nature were much alarm'd with this Report yet some of us unwilling to give credit to it till we were better informed offered our selves to go out upon a surther Discovery of the matter But our Captain Sir Philip Stapylton not being then with us his Lieutenant one Bainham an old Souldier a Generation of Men much cried up at that time drawing us into a Field where he pretended we might more advantageously charge if there should be
sitting in Council there having not quite lost the Affections of English-men took the examination of that Affair into their hands and suspended Smith from the execution of his Office till he should give Satisfaction concerning those things of which he was accused They committed the Management of the Place to one Thorp and sent some of their own Number to enquire concerning our Usage In the mean time Smith came to me by Order and offered me the liberty of the Town and to lodg where I pleased therein upon my Parole to be a true Prisoner but demanding of him whether in case I accepted his Offer I might have the liberty to visit my Friends in the Castle when I thought fit and he answering that it would not be allowed I chose rather to be confined with my Friends than at liberty with my Enemies The Lord Arundel endeavouring to make good his Promise of procuring my Exchange for his two Sons earnestly solicited the King to it but tho he had been a great Sufferer for his Service the King positively refused to grant his Request telling him he had no use of Children The Lady Byron came to me and desired me to procure her Husband who was Prisoner in the Tower to be exchanged for me and carried a Letter from me to my Mother then at London about it who soliciting the Earl of Essex our General to that effect was desired by him not to trouble her self any more therein assuring her that he would be as careful of me as if I were his own Son A Person from Sir Edward Stradling came also to me in order to an Exchange between us telling me that the King had promised that nothing of that nature should be done before Sir Edward Stradling and Col. Lunsford were exchanged The Lord Willmot sent a Gentleman to acquaint me that he had procured a Grant from the King that I should be exchanged for Sir Hugh Pollard and that if I would write a Letter to the Earl of Essex with the Proposal he would send it by a Trumpeter but I judging this Exchange to be very unequal Sir Hugh being a Person much esteemed for his Interest and Experience proposed in my Letter to the Lord General that he would put some other Person with me into the Balance against him Whilst I was in expectation of the General 's Answer we received Advice that most of our Foot that lay before Newark commanded by Sir John Meldrum a worthy Scots-man were defeated and made Prisoners by Prince Rupert But this Loss was in some measure recompensed by a Victory obtained at Cherington in Hampshire by our Forces commanded by Sir William Waller against those of the King commanded by Sir Ralph Hopton The Numbers on each side were very near equal and the Success had been doubtful for the most part of the day but at last the Enemy was totally routed and put to flight And had good use been made of this Victory the Controversy had soon been decided in the West but we were not yet so happy to improve our Advantages by which Negligence we got little more than the Field and the Reputation of the Victory tho the Enemy lost some of their principal Officers in the Fight amongst whom were the Lord John Brother to the Duke of Lennox Sir Edward Stawell Col. Richard Manning formerly mentioned and that Smith who had been knighted by the King for rescuing his Standard out of the hands of Mr. Chambers Secretary to the Earl of Essex This Fight at Cherington happened on the 29 th of March 1644. about a Fortnight after the Surrender of Warder-Castle till which time had I been able to keep it I should have been relieved The Enemies Officers came to the Castle at Oxford to solicit the Prisoners to take Arms under them but finding their Endeavours to prove ineffectual they soon desisted from that Attempt After three Weeks Confinement here my Exchange was agreed the Lord General Essex expressing much Generosity and Readiness in it as he had promised to my Mother for lest the King should be reminded of his Promise to Sir Edward Stradling and Col. Lunsford or of that to my Lord Willmot in favour of Sir Hugh Pollard and so on either hand the design of my Liberty come to be obstructed he consented to the Exchange of all the three for Col. Houghton Sir John Savil Capt. Abercromy and my self Col. Henley went off also with us being exchanged for Lieutenant Colonel Robert Sandys I was led blindfold through the City of Oxford till I had passed their Works and the next day arrived at London where I found the Earl of Essex disposed to an Exchange for my Officers and Souldiers which was soon after made and with them for Mr. Balsum whom he entertained as his Chaplain to the time of his Death He expressed a great Desire to provide me with a Command in his Army but the Parliament upon the Instances of the Gentlemen that served for the County of Wilts having appointed me Sheriff thereof upon an Invitation of Sir Arthur Haslerig to be Major of his Regiment of Horse in Sir William Waller's Army which was designed for the Service of the West I accepted of it and mounted the choicest of my old Souldiers with me Sir Arthur buying a hundred Horse in Smithfield for that purpose the rest of my Men the Lord General took into his own Company As soon as my Troop was compleated and furnished with all things necessary I repaired to the Regiment then with Sir William Waller near Abingdon who was directed by the Parliament with his Army to block up the King at Oxford on one side whilst the Earl of Essex should do the same on the other Which Storm the Queen foreseeing withdrew to Exeter where she was delivered of a Daughter which she leaving in the Custody of the Lady Dalkeith returned to France as well to secure her self as to solicit for Supplies In the mean time the King breaking out from Oxford marched towards Worcestershire upon which the Earl of Essex commanded Sir William Waller to march after him whilst he himself with his Army marched westward This Order seemed very strange to the Parliament and to most of us being likely to break Sir William Waller's Army which consisted for the most part of Western Gentlemen who hop'd thereby to have been enabled to secure the Country and to promote the Publick Service The Parliament sent to the Lord General to observe his former Orders and to attend the King's Motions but he sending them a short Answer continued his March West in which he took Weymouth and relieved Lyme that had endured a long Siege and with the Assistance of the Seamen tho their Works were inconsiderable had often repulsed the Enemy and killed great numbers of them in several Sallies that they made upon them A Party commanded by Sir Robert Pye was ordered to Taunton which he reduced to the Obedience of the Parliament Upon the Advance of the
see they were not at liberty to ravage the Country I drew out my Troop and faced them upon which they sent out what Horse they had to skirmish with us amongst whom observing one Mr. William Neale who was of my Acquaintance and formerly my School-fellow I called to him telling him that I was sorry to see him there but since it was so I offered to exchange a shot with him and riding up to that purpose he retreated towards his Party where making a stand he called to me to come on which I did but he retreated again till he came within the shelter of their Foot and one with him dismounting fired a Musquet at me loaded with a brace of Bullets of which one went into the Belly of my Horse the other struck upon my Breast-plate within half an Inch of the bottom of it my Horse carried me off but died that Night The Necessities of my Men being great and this Service not immediately belonging to me I thought it my Duty to return into Wiltshire where I might expect to be better supplied than in Hampshire to which County I had no relation therefore sending to Col. Norton to make provision for the Service at Winchester I marched with fourscore Horse to Salisbury which Town having triumphed upon our Defeat I thought most proper to supply us with what we wanted And to that end having procured a List of the disaffected in the Town I required them without delay to collect amongst themselves five hundred Pounds for the recruiting and paying of my Troop who had not received any Pay since they came out The Town made many Excuses and at last prevailed with me to take two hundred Pounds with which I paid and recruited my Troop and having disposed them in the best manner I could for the Service of the Country I went to London to compleat my Regiment and to furnish it with Arms and all such things as were necessary In the mean time Sir Francis Doddington had caused the two Men that he had taken at Warder to be hanged upon pretence that they ran away from him and having brought some Pieces of Cannon before Woodhouse made a Breach so considerable in the Wall that the Besieged were necessitated to surrender at Mercy but they found very little for they were presently stripp'd of all that was good about them and Sir Francis Doddington being informed by one Bacon who was Parson of the Parish that one of the Prisoners had threatned to stick in his skirts as he call'd it for reading the Common-Prayer struck the Man so many Blows upon the Head and with such Force that he broke his Skull and caused him to fall into a Swound from which he was no sooner recovered but he was picked out to be one of the twelve which Sir Francis had granted to Sir William St. Leger to be hanged in lieu of six Irish Rebels who had been executed at Warum by Col. Sydenham in pursuance of an Order from the Parliament to give them no Quarter These twelve being most of them Clothiers were hanged upon the same Tree but one of them breaking his Halter desired that what he had suffered might be accepted or else that he might fight against any two for his Life notwithstanding which they caused him to be hanged up again and had proceeded much farther had not Sir Ralph Hopton sent Orders to put a stop to their Butcheries The King having ranged about for some time thought fit to return towards Oxford and being joined by some Foot from thence skirmished with Sir William Waller's Army at Cropredy-bridg wherein little hurt being done on either side the King marched into the West in order to a conjunction with his Forces in those Parts commanded by Prince Maurice When I first took Arms under the Parliament in Defence of the Rights and Liberties of my Country I did not think that a Work so good and so necessary would have been attended with so great Difficulties but finding by Experience the strong Combination of Interests at home and abroad against them the close Conjunction of the Popish and Prelatical Parties in opposition to them what vast Numbers depended upon the King for Preferments or Subsistence how many of the Nobility and Gentry were contented to serve his Arbitrary Designs if they might have leave to insult over such as were of a lower Order and adding to all this the great Corruption of the Nation I became convinced of my former Error and began now more to wonder that they found so many Friends to assist them in their just and lawful Undertaking than I had done before at the Opposition they met with In these Thoughts I was every day more confirmed by observing the strange Divisions amongst our own Party every one striving to enlarge his own Power in a factious and ambitious way not caring tho thereby they obstructed and ruined the Cause it self Of this I had some Experience in my own Particular as well as others of a much greater Figure than my self for tho my Country-men had in my Absence prevailed with the Parliament to make me Sheriff of the County of Wilts and engaged themselves to raise a Regiment for me yet because I refused to deliver up my former Commission received from Sir William Waller and to take a new one from the Earl of Essex tho that I had from Sir William obliged me to obey the said Earl as much as one given me immediately from himself those of my Country-men who were of the Faction of the Earl of Essex obstructed me in the raising of my Regiment keeping from me those Arms that were bought to that end countenancing my Major for whom I had procured that Employment against me and detaining our Pay from us so that I and my Men had nothing to keep us faithful to the Cause but our Affection to it Yet were we not wanting to improve every Opportunity in the best manner we could to the Service of the Country for having notice that a Garison was put into the Lord Sturton's House and another into that of Sir Ralph Hopton at Witham I marched in the Night first to Sturton-house which was defended against us till each of us carrying a Fagot to one of the Gates wherewith we set them on fire together with one of the Rooms of the Castle those that kept it slipped out at a back-door through the Garden into the Park which they did undiscovered by reason of the Darkness of the Night Having rendred that Place untenable we hastned to Witham where we found in the Park near a hundred Cattle belonging to Sir Ralph Hopton which served for the Paiment of my Souldiers Those who were within desired to treat and demanded liberty to return home which was granted upon condition to deliver up their Arms and to engage to keep no Garison in that Place for the time to come Being upon my Return I took with me my Hangings Pictures best Beds and other things which
considering that the Entercourse between London and the West was much interrupted by that Carison The Enemy contrary to all expectation appeared again in a Body near Newbury where our Army lay who drew out to oppose them Some small Skirmishes happened between them but a general Engagement was opposed in a Council of War by some of the greatest amongst us Whereupon the King in the face of our Army twice as numerous as his had time to send his Artillery from Dennington-Castle towards Oxford without any opposition to the Astonishment of all those who wished well to the Publick But by this time it was clearly manifest that the Nobility had no further Quarrel with the King than till they could make their Terms with him having for the most part grounded their Dissatisfactions upon some particular Affront or the prevalency of a Faction about him But tho it should be granted that their Intentions in taking Arms were to oblige the King to consent to redress the Grievances of the Nation yet if a War of this nature must be determined by Treaty and the King left in the Exercise of the Royal Authority after the utmost violation of the Laws and the greatest Calamities brought upon the People it doth not appear to me what Security can be given them for the future Enjoyment of their Rights and Privileges nor with what Prudence wise men can engage with the Parliament who being by Practice at least liable to be dissolved at pleasure are thereby rendred unable to protect themselves or such as take up Arms under their Authority if after infinite Hardships and Hazards of their Lives and Estates they must fall under the Power of a provoked Enemy who being once re-established in his former Authority will never want means to revenge himself upon all those who in Desence of the Rights and Liberties of the Nation adventure to resist him in his illegal and arbitrary Proceedings In the Council of War before-mentioned things were managed with such heat as created great Differences between the principal Officers of the Army by which this favourable Conjuncture was lost and the Season being far advanced the Army was dispersed into Winter-quarters The Blockade of Basinghouse was also ordered to be broken up after which I returned with those under my Command into the County of Wilts In the Winter the Parliament caused Abingdon to be fortified of which Place Col. Brown was Governour who holding Correspondence with the Lord Digby then Secretary to the King promised him that so soon as he had finished the Fortifications and received all things necessary from the Parliament to defend it he would deliver it to the King by which means he kept the King's Forces from interrupting him till he had perfected the Work But then as is probable by his Carriage since observing the Affairs of the Parliament in a better posture than those of the King he altered his Resolution and in desiance of the Lord Digby published the Correspondence that had been between them about that matter The Dissatisfaction that arose upon the permission given the King to carry off his Artillery rested 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the House of Commons was made acquainted with it by Col. Cromwell who commanded under the Earl of Manchester whom he charged with the breach of his Trust but he and his Friends endeavoured to lay the blame on others the Earl of Essex and his Party adhering to the Earl of Manchester Whilst I was before Basing some of the Enemies under the Conduct of Col. Coke came to Salisbury and were sortifying the Close for the King of which Major Wansey having advice marched thither with the Forces which I had sent into Wiltshire and falling upon them caused them to retire in haste but finding the Gates fortified against him he set fire to them and seizing upon all their Horse took the Colonel and fourscore more Prisoners and sent them to Southampton At my Return into Wiltshire I received Orders from the Committee of both Kingdoms to send what Men I could spare out of my Regiment to reinforce a Party commanded by Major General Holborn who was ordered to march into the West to the Relief of Col. Blake besieged by the Enemy in Tauntoa I drew out two hundred Horse for that Service and was necessitated to march with them my self my Major who had got possession of good Quarters at Deane a House belonging to Sir John Evelyn being not willing to remove Col. Edward Popham Col. Starr Col. Brewin and Sir Anthony Ashley came from London with this Party In our March we were joined by the Forces of Dorsetshire When we were advanced near the Enemy my Troop was ordered to a Quarter of which they were in possession but quitted it upon our Approach as they did also the Siege soon after contrary to our expectation We made use of the Opportunity and furnished the Town with Provisions and all things necessary which being done the Forces of Wilts and Dorsetshire marched back to the said Counties Being returned to Salisbury I was informed that the Enemy had put a Garison into Langford-house two Miles from thence whereupon I resolved to fortify the Belfrey in the Close where I might keep a small Guard to secure it for a Horse-Quarter and to that end had summoned Workmen to perform that Work At Night having drawn up my Regiment in order to acquaint them with the necessity that lay upon them to be more than ordinarily diligent in their Duty at that juncture as also to divide their Watches between them and to appoint the Guard for that Night I received an Alarm of the Enemies Approach and that they were advanced as far as Amesbury Of which desiring to have certain Information I sent threescore Horse under the Command of Capt. Sadler the only Captain of my Regiment then with me some of them being absent with leave and others without to advance towards the Enemy till by taking of Prisoners or some other way he might get some certain Intelligence concerning them and then to come back to me With the rest of my Men I marched slowly after him being unwilling to retire into our Quarters till I had made a further Discovery concerning the Enemy Capt. Sadler according to his Instructions marched to Amesbury and sent me word from thence that he had advice the Enemy was not far off I sent to him to continue his March with the same Orders as before my self with the rest of the Regiment following and being come to Nether-Haven as I think it is called I received notice from Capt. Sadler that he had engaged an advanced Party of the Enemy and could not get off which unexpected News and contrary to my Orders caused me to advance with all Diligence to his Relief who had approached so near their main Guard as to give them an Alarm to draw together and yet had not pursued his Charge which if he had done he might easily have dispersed the Guard and prevented the
asked if I would take Quarter but as he rid directly upon me armed with Back and Breast I fired a Pistol at him and shot him into the Belly by which Wound he fell from his Horse and was carried to the next Town where he died two days after as one of my Troopers afterwards told me who was taken Prisoner near the same place In Odstock-lane another of the Enemies being advanced within Musquet-shot of me called me also by Name and desired me to stay and take honourable Quarter I hearing him give good Words thought he had proposed to render himself to me and therefore stopped my Horse that I might hear him more distinctly but he instead of that made ready his Carabine to fire at me which I perceiving and sensible of my Danger by reason of the Greatness of the Enemies Number made the best of my way towards Fording-bridg where having rested a little and rallied a Party of my Horse I marched with them to Southampton At that Place I endeavoured to procure some Force for the Relief of those poor Men that were left in the Belfrey at Salisbury which as I was doing I received Advice that after a vigorous Resistance for the most part of that day the Enemies had forced a Collier to drive his Cart loaden with Charcoal to the door of the Belsrey where he lost his Life and with it burnt down the door which in a day's time we should have secured by a Breast-work but for want thereof Lieutenant Colonel Read was forced to yield the Place to the Enemy upon such Terms as he could get which were to have their Lives and be Prisoners of War The Enemy took here and in the Town as also of those who pursued them in the Night contrary to my Orders fourscore Prisoners and had taken more if they had not received a Check upon their first Arrival in the Town by a handful of Men For they had placed Guards at the Gates of most of the greatest Inns in the City but their Party flying those Guards also quitted their Posts whereby many of our Men had an opportunity to get off I was slightly wounded on the Breast with a Sword my Horse was hurt with a shot and died of it soon after We had about threescore of the Enemy Prisoners at Southampton taken with Col. Coke these we exchanged for our Men having engaged to procure elsewhere the Discharge of as many as we wanted of the Number they had of ours which I made good to them The most serviceable of my Horse I sent towards Portsmouth to take Advantages against the Enemy as there should be occasion remaining with the rest about Limington and Hurst-Castle resolving as soon as I could to mount my Men again The Enemy hoping to surprize me in this Corner marched towards me but failed in their Design I being gone into the Isle of Wight to confer with our Friends there whom I found very well disposed to the Publick Service and being informed that the Enemy designed to attempt the Garison of Christ-Church we imbarked some Men to reinforce them who being ready to put to Sea News was brought that the Enemies were beaten off and so saved our Men that trouble The Lord Goring having left a considerable Force in the County of Wilts marched with his Army into Somersetshire where being joined by those who had besieged Taunton they sat down before it again Col. Massey was sent by the Parliament to relieve the Place but finding his Forces not sufficient to that purpose he durst not attempt it The Committee of both Kingdoms ordered my Regiment to lie at Odium to prevent the Excursions of the Garison at Basinghouse but after we had been there a few days my Major who had more Wit than Courage or Honesty prevailed with the Council of Officers to vote our lying there unsafe and unadvisable I being unwilling to stay contrary to their Advice without an especial Order acquainted the Committee of both Kingdoms with the Result of the Council of Officers who approving their Reasons sent me Orders to draw off In obedience to which I marched into Surrey and the first Night arrived at a place called as I think Godliman near Guilford Sir John Evelyn endeavoured to perswade me to join Lieutenant General Cromwell who was ordered into the West but being engaged to attend our Committee about the recruiting of my Regiment I was not willing to stir till that Business was effected that I might not leave so many honest Men who had lost their Horses in the Service before I had procured some provision to be made for them The Disputes in the mean time continued in the two Houses concerning the Conduct of the Army and tho what was objected touching the late Miscarriages at the Fight of Newbury and elsewhere amounted not to a formal Charge yet it so far prevailed with the House of Commons as to convince them of the necessity of making an Alteration in the Conduct of the Army in order to bring the War to a conclusion which Resolution was taken by the House upon a Report made to them by Mr. Zouch Tate Chairman of the Committee appointed for the reforming of the Army wherein he represented that they had been endeavouring to obey their Orders but found the Condition of the Army as the Physician did the Blood of his Patient that consulted him about the Cure of a slight Tumour when the whole Mass of his Blood was entirely corrupted that therefore the Committee had ordered him to acquaint the House That the whole Body of their Army being infected nothing would serve for their Recovery less than the entire renewing of their Constitution The House that they might do it without giving occasion to any sinister Reflections upon themselves agreed upon a self-denying Ordinance the Grounds whereof were expressed to be the clearing of the Parliament from the Aspersions cast on them of prolonging the War on purpose to gratify each other with Places and neglecting their Duty in the House by holding Employments in the Army They therefore enacted that all Members of Parliament should surrender the Offices they held from them that they might the better attend their Duty in Parliament By this means the Earl of Essex the Earl of Manchester and Sir William Waller were laid aside the latter rather to shew their Impartiality than from any Distrust of him he having never discovered to that time any Inclination to favour the King's Cause Upon this Change Sir Thomas Fairfax was voted General and Philip Skippon Major General of the Foot A Committee was also appointed to consider what Number of Horse and Foot this Army should consist of and who under the General should command them They agreed also upon the Colonels some whereof were Scots as Middleton Holborn and others who disliking the Design refused to accept of Employments Pointz was commissionated to command the Forces in the North and Massey those in the West consisting chiefly of
Sir Francis Willoughby who commanded that Party under him to that purpose but he being an old and experienced Commander well acquainted with the Treachery of that Nation and particularly of those of the Popish Religion knowing how easy it would be for the Irish to cut them off in the Quarters assigned for them resolved not to consent to the dispersing of his Men and therefore desired of the Earl of Ormond that he might quarter with them in the Field or where his Lordship should appoint desiring if this would not satisfy he might have Liberty to return home advising him not to trust his Person with them notwithstanding their fair Words My Lord hereupon leaves the Care of quartering his Men to Sir Francis Willoughby but resolves himself to stay at Kilkenny Sir Francis draws the Troops into Goran a Town five Miles from Kilkenny where he kept his Guards with as much Caution as if he had been in an Enemies Country The Enemy being by this means disappointed of their Design to cut off the Party by surprize resolved to attempt it by open Force and all the favour that the Earl of Ormond could get amongst his Relations was to have notice to shift for himself which with much difficulty he did sending Orders to his Forces to march towards Dublin in which he was very readily obeyed by them having had advice that the Country was rising upon them which they did in such numbers that if Col. Bagnal Governour of Loughlyn had not permitted them to pass the Bridg there they had in all appearance been cut off When they had recovered their own Quarters they discovered a piece of Treachery as Sir Francis Willoughby who gave me this account judged it to be tho he knew not on whom to charge it for they found that they had not been in a condition to make any Opposition if the Enemy had fallen upon them the Powder with which they were furnished having no force in it which came to be discovered upon the trial of a Musquet at a Mark by the small report it gave and the fall of the Bullet half way from it Whereupon searching further into the matter they found all their Store to be of the same sort The Irish seized upon all the Earl of Ormond's Plate and whatsoever he had with him at Kilkenny his Haste not permitting him to save any thing By this Usage his Zeal for the prosecution of the Treaty with the Rebels became much abated The King's Commission to the Earl of Ormond was not of so large an extent as he was willing to allow in case the Treaty with the Irish came to any effect and therefore the Earl of Glamorgan afterwards Earl of Worcester was impowered by private Instructions from him to promise them the Liberty of the Romish Religion with divers other Advantages to the Irish Rebels upon which he treated with them But because this when it came to be publickly known in England was highly resented by many even of the King's Party the Lord Digby who was ordered by the King to assist in that Affair finding that the Treaty was not like to take effect to give a specious Colour to the matter as if Glamorgan had in that particular exceeded his Commission accused him of High Treason and procured him to be imprison'd by the Earl of Ormond but in Letters intercepted from the Lord Glamorgan to his Lady he desired that she would not entertain any Fears concerning him for that he doubted not if he could be admitted to be heard that he should be able to justify his Proceedings to the Confusion of those who had caused his Imprisonment The English Officers and Souldiers provoked by the late Treachery of the Irish and apprehending that without Assistance from England they might fall into their hands would not be satisfied unless a Message were sent to the Parliament to treat about Conditions for the putting of Dublin and the Protestant Forces of Ireland into their Hands In order to which the Parliament sent over Commissioners to treat with the Earl of Ormond and the Council But tho the Earl was not willing that any thing should be concluded at that time yet Sir Francis Willoughby was as I have heard him say so far convinced of the Necessity and Duty that lay upon them so to do that he promised our Commissioners to preserve the Castle of Dublin of which he was then Governour for the Service of the Parliament whensoever they should command it Montross having obtained a Victory against those whom the Scots had left to preserve the Peace of Scotland by the means of which he was become Master of a great part of that Kingdom David Lesley was sent thither from Hereford with most of the Scotish Horse where he defeated the Army of Montross and reduced that Nation to its former Obedience After the Surrender of Bristol to the Forces of the Parliament Prince Rupert who had been Governour thereof returned to Oxford where he found so cool a Reception from the King by reason of the Loss of that Place that Col. Leg then Governour of Oxford was turned out of that Command for being of his Faction and the Government of that City put into the Hands of Sir Thomas Glenham The Prince was for some time forbidden to wear a Sword and tho he was soon after restored to that Liberty yet he was never more intrusted with any Command The House of Commons finding their Business to increase and their numbers to diminish by the Death of some and Desertion of others to the King at Oxford ordered the Commissioners of the Seal to issue out Writs to such Counties Cities and Boroughs as the House by their particular Order should direct for the Election of Members to serve in Parliament They ordered also a Jewel to be prepared of the Value of about seven hundred Pounds to be presented to Sir Thomas Fairfax it had the House of Commons represented on one side and the Battel of Naseby on the other three Members of Parliament were deputed to carry the Present to him the Opportunity of whose Guard I took to go into the West without disturbance which was difficult to do at that time many of the King's Party hovering about the Downs from whence they were called Col. Downs his Men who rendring the Rode unsafe I procured a Guard of twenty or thirty of the County Horse to accompany me during my stay in those Parts So small a Number not being sufficient either to defend me or to make any Attempt I betook my self to Col. Massey's Party commanded at that time by Col. Edward Cook where I had not been long before an Alarm was given that a Party of Horse from Oxford had marched by with a design to relieve Corse-Castle besieged at that time by our Forces But before we could get our Men together they had surprized part of ours in Warham and beaten off the Guard between that Place and the Castle which they relieved with
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
having observed these Passages went out from the Conference and hastned to the Army informing them what Entertainment their Commissioners and Proposals had found with the King Sir John Barkley being desirous to allay this heat demanded of Ireton and the rest of the Officers what they would do if the King should consent By whom it was answered that they would offer them to the Parliament for their Approbation The King having thus bid defiance to the Army thought it necessary to bend all his Force against them and especially to strengthen their Enemies in the Parliament To this end a Petition was contrived to press them to a speedy Agreement with the King and presented in a most tumultuous manner by great numbers of Apprentices and Rabble back'd and encouraged by many dismissed and disaffected Officers who joined with them Whilst the Two Houses were in Debate what Answer to give to this insolent Multitude some of them getting to the Windows of the House of Lords threw Stones in upon them and threatned them with worse Usage unless they gave them an Answer to their liking Others knocked at the door of the House of Commons requiring to be admitted but some of us with our Swords forced them to retire for the present and the House resolved to rise without giving any Answer judging it below them to do any thing by compulsion Whereupon the Speaker went out of the House but being in the Lobby was forced back into the Chair by the Violence of the insolent Rabble whereof above a thousand attended without doors and about sorty or fifty were got into the House So that it was thought convenient to give way to their Rage and the Speaker demanding what Question they desired to be put they answered That the King should be desired to come to London forth with which Question being put they were asked again what further they would have they said That he should be invited to come with Honour Freedom and Sasety to both which I gave a loud Negative and some of the Members as loud an Affirmative rather out of a prudential Compliance than any Affection to the Design on foot By these Votes and the coming down of divers well-affected Citizens to appease them the Tumult was somewhat allayed and the Members of Parliament with their Speaker passed through the Multitude safely The next Morning I advised with Sir Arthur Haslerig and others what was fittest to be done in this Conjuncture and it was concluded that we could not sit in Parliament without apparent Hazard of our Lives till we had a Guard for our Defence it being manifestly the Design of the other Party either to drive us away or to destroy us Therefore we resolved to betake our selves to the Army for Protection Sir Arthur Haslerig undertaking to perswade the Speaker to go thither to which he consented with some Difficulty and having caused a thousand Pounds to be thrown into his Coach went down to the Army which lay then at Windsor Maidenhead Colebrook and the adjacent Places Having acquainted as many of our Friends as I could with our Resolution to repair to the Army I went down and the next day being the same to which the Parliament had adjourned themselves the Army rendezvouzed upon Hownslow-heath where those Members of Parliament as well Lords as Commons who could not with Safety stay at Westminster appeared in the Head of them at which the Army expressed great Joy declaring themselves resolved to live and die with them At night the Earl of Northumberland the Lord Say the Lord Wharton and other Lords the Speaker and Members of the House of Commons aforesaid with Sir Thomas Fairfax and many principal Officers of the Army met at Sion-house to consult what was most advisable to do in that Juncture which whilst they were doing an Account was brought of the Proceedings of those at Westminster that day by the Serjeant of the House who came with his Mace to the no little Satisfaction of the Speaker He acquainted them that the remaining Members being met in the House of Commons had for some time attended the coming of their Speaker but being informed that he was gone to the Army they had made choice of one Mr. Pelham a Lawyer and Member of the House to be their Speaker After which they had appointed a Committee of Lords and Commons to join with the Directors of the Militia of London in order to raise Forces for the Defence of the Parliament the Success of which Attempt they desired to see before they would declare against the Army To this end Massey Pointz Brown and Sir William Waller encouraged by the Common Council and others who by various Artifices had been corrupted used all possible Diligence to list Men and prepare a Force to oppose the Army but their Proceedings therein were much obstructed by divers honest Citizens who importunately solicited them to treat with the Army and also by the News of the General Rendezvouz upon Hounslow-heath Tho the Lords had been removed from the Command of the Army yet it was manifest that their Influence there still continued partly from a desire of some great Officers to oblige them and partly from the Ambition of others to be of their Number who to shew their earnest Desires to serve the King being morally assured the Parliament and City were likely to be shortly in the Power of the Army who might be induced to take other Counsels in relation to the King upon such Success especially considering his late Carriage towards them they sent an Express to Sir John Barkley and Mr. Ashburnham advising that since the King would not yield to their Proposals that he would send a kind Letter to the Army before it were known that London would submit Whereupon a Letter was prepared immediately but the King would not sign it till after three or four Debates which lost one whole day's time At last Mr. Ashburnham and Sir John Barkley going with it met with Messengers from the Officers to hasten it But before they could come to Sion-house the Commissioners from London were arrived and the Letter out of season For coming after it was known with what Difficulty it had been obtained and that Matters were like to be adjusted between the Parliament and Army it lost both its Grace and Efficacy Notwithstanding all which the Officers being resolved to do what they could proposed whilst the Army was in the very Act of giving Thanks for their Success that they should not be too much elevated therewith but keep still to their former Engagement to the King and once more solemnly vote the Proposals which was done accordingly The face of Affairs in the City was at this time very various according to the different Advices they received for upon the Report of the Advance of the Army and the taking of some of their Scouts they cried out Treat Treat And at another time being informed that Men listed in great numbers the word
the Parliament and that for the future none should be conferred upon any Person without the Consent of Parliament The third was a Bill to except some Persons from Pardon And the fourth for investing the Militia in the Two Houses All which those who thought it reasonable and necessary to proceed judicially with him were afraid he would grant it being visible that had he been restored to the Throne upon any Terms he might easily have gratified his Friends and revenged himself upon all his Enemies Col. Hammond and Mr. Ashburnham had frequent Conferences with the King who had made such Promises to the Colonel that he declared himself extremely desirous that the Army might resume their Power and clear themselves of the Adjutators whose Authority he said he had never approved To this end he sent one Mr. Traughton his Chaplain to the Army to perswade them to make use of their Success against the Adjutators and two or three days after earnestly moved the King to send some of those about him to the Army with Letters of Compliment to the General and others of greater Confidence to Cromwell and Ireton promising to write to them himself which he did conjuring them by their Engagements their Honour and Conscience to come to a speedy Agreement with the King and not to expose themselves to the Fantastick Giddiness of the Adjutators Sir John Barkley was made choice of for this Employment who taking Mr. Henry Barkley his Cousin German with him departed from the Island with a Pass from the Governour of Cowes and being on his way met Mr. Traughton on his Return between Bagshot and Windsor who acquainted him that he had no good News to carry back to the King the Army having taken new Resolutions touching his Person Being gone a little farther he was met by Cornet Joyce who told him that he was astonished at his Design of going to the Army acquainting him that it had been debated amongst the Adjutators whether in justification of themselves the King should be brought to a Trial of which Opinion he declared himself to be not out of any ill Will as he said to the King's Person but that the Guilt of the War might be charged upon those that had caused it About an hour after his Arrival at Windsor Sir John Barkley went to the General 's Quarters where he found the Officers of the Army assembled and being admitted delivered his Letters to the General who having received them ordered him to withdraw After he had attended about half an hour he was called in again and told by the General with some Severity on his Face that they were the Parliament's Army and therefore could say nothing to the King's Motion about Peace but must refer those Matters and the King's Letters to their Consideration Then Sir John looked upon Cromwell Ireton and the rest of his Acquaintance who saluted him very coldly shewing him Hammond's Letter to them and smiling with disdain upon it Being thus disappointed he went to his Lodging and staid there from four till six of the Clock without any Company to his great Dissatisfaction At last he sent out his Servant with Orders to find out if possible some of his Acquaintance who met with one that was a General Officer by whom he was ordered to tell his Master that he would meet him at Midnight in a Close behind the Garter-Inn At the Time and Place appointed they met where the Officer acquainted him in general that he had no good News to communicate to him and then descending to Particulars said You know that I and my Friends engaged our selves to you that we were zealous for an Agreement and if the rest were not so we were abused That since the Tumults in the Army we did mistrust Cromwell and Ireton whereof I informed you I come now to tell you that we mistrust neither and that we are resolved notwithstanding our Engagement to destroy the King and his Posterity to which end Ireton has made two Propositions this Afternoon One that you should be sent Prisoner to London The other that none should speak with you upon pain of Death and I do now hazard my Life by doing it The way designed to ruin the King is to send eight hundred of the most disaffected in the Army to secure his Person and then to bring him to a Trial and I dare think no farther This will be done in ten days and therefore if the King can escape let him do it as he loves his Life Sir John then asking the reason of this Change seeing the King had done all things in compliance with the Army and that the Officers were become superiour since the last Rendezvouz he replied that he could not certainly tell but conceived the ground of it to be that tho one of the Mutineers as he call'd him was shot to Death eleven more made Prisoners and the rest in appearance over-aw'd yet they were so far from being so indeed that two thirds of the Army had been since with Cromwell and Ireton to tell them that tho they were certain to perish in the Enterprize they would leave nothing unattempted to bring the whole Army to their Sense and that if all failed they would make a Division in the Army and join with any who would assist them in the Destruction of those that should oppose them That Cromwell and Ireton argued thus If the Army divide the greatest part will join with the Presbyters and will in all likelihood prevail to our Ruin by forcing us to make our Applications to the King wherein we shall rather beg than offer any Assistance which if the King shall give and afterwards have the good Fortune to prevail if he shall then pardon us it will be all we can pretend and more than we can certainly promise to our selves thereupon concluding that if they could not bring the Army to their Sense that it was best to comply with them a Schism being utterly destructive to both In pursuance of this Resolution Cromwell bent all his Thoughts to make his Peace with the Party that was most opposite to the King acknowledging as he knew well how to do on such occasions that the Glory of this World had so dazled his Eyes that he could not discern clearly the great Works that the Lord was doing He sent also comfortable Messages to the Prisoners that he had seiz'd at the general Rendezvouz with Assurances that nothing should be done to their Prejudice and by these and the like Arts he perfected his Reconciliation For my own part I am inclined to believe that his Son Ireton never intended to close with the King but only to lay his Party asleep whilst they were contesting with the Presbyterian Interest in Parliament And now having secured themselves of the City and perswaded the King to deny the Propositions of the Parliament subdued the Army and freed themselves from the Importunity of the King and his Party they became willing to
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
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
the adjacent Places and another Party to block up Dover and other Forts upon the Coast whilst Goring remained with the rest about Rochester Sir Thomas Fairfax resolving first to attack those about Maidstone fell upon them and beat them into the Town which they had fortified before whereupon tho the Numbers within the Town being at least equal to those without made it a Work of great Hazard and Difficulty yet considering that those with the Lord Goring exceeded either and might march to the Enemies Relief ours resolved to storm the Place which they did the Night following the General by his own Example encouraging the Men to fall on who for a good while were not able to make any considerable Progress till Col. Hewson with his Regiment opened a Passage into one of the Streets where the Dispute growing hot he was knocked down with a Musquet but recovering himself he pressed the Enemy so hard that they were forced to retreat to their main Guard and falling in with them at the same time so disordered them that they all began to shift for themselves wherein they were favoured by the Advantage of the Night yet many of them were made Prisoners and many killed many Horses and all their Artillery fell into the hands of ours The General as soon as he had refreshed his Men advanced towards that Body commanded by the Lord Goring which was much increased in Number by the Addition of those who escaped from Maidstone but not in Resolution being so discouraged with their Relation of what had passed there that immediately upon our Approach they began to retreat many of them running away to their own Habitations Notwithstanding this a considerable Body continuing with the Lord Goring he sent to the City of London desiring leave to march through the City into Essex designing to recruit his Men with such of that County as had lately expressed so much Affection to the King's Interest The City tho much inclined to have the King received upon Terms yet not willing absolutely to espouse the Cavalier Party especially in a flying Posture and considering that there was a great Number still amongst them who retained their Affection to the Publick Cause returned a positive Denial to Goring so that he was necessitated to make use of Boats or other means to transport his Men over the River into the County of Essex A Party of Horse was sent from the Army to keep a Guard at Bow-bridg as well to prevent the disaflected in the City from running to the Enemy as to hinder them from doing any thing to the prejudice of London Lieutenant General Cromwell with that part of the Army which was with him besieged the Castle and Town of Pembroke whither the principal of that Body which fled from St. Faggons had made their Retreat In the mean time the Presbyterian Party prevailing in the House by reason of the Absence of divers Members who belonged to the Army and were employed in all parts of the Nation discharged from Prison those who had been committed upon the account of that Force which was put upon the House by the late Tumults and the Parliament left to the Mercy of their Enemies with a very slender Guard The Lord Lisle's Commission to be Lord Lieutenant of Ireland expiring at the same time they refused to renew it by which means the Province of Munster fell into the hands of the Lord Inchequin as President who made use of the opportunity to displace those Officers that had been put in by the Lord Lisle preferring his own Creatures to their Employments to the great prejudice of the English Interest in that Country many others who were acquainted with his Temper and Principles quitted voluntarily and tho he still pretended Fidelity to the State of England yet he expressed himself dissatisfied with the Proceedings of the Army-Party towards him Some Overtures also he had received from the Irish touching an Accommodation but being straitned by them in his Quarters and therefore advancing with his Army towards them Col. Temple and some others yet remaining in his Army being willing to improve the occasion pressed him so hard to resolve to fight that he could not well avoid it At the beginning of the Battel the Success seemed to be very doubtful but in the end ours obtained the Victory some thousands of the Enemy being killed many made Prisoners and all their Baggage taken Not long after this he declared against the Parliament and joined with the Irish Rebels Some of the English Officers concurred with him in his Declaration many left him and came to the Parliament who made provision for them as they had done for those that came away before Tho this Conjunction of Inchequin was not concluded without the King's Consent yet it was not a proper season for him to condescend so far as they desired whereby great Divisions arose amongst them for there was a Party of Old Irish as they were called headed principally by Owen Roe O Neal of whom several were in the Supreme Council who out of an innate Hatred to the English Government joined with those who would be satisfied with nothing less than to have the Pope acknowledged to be their only Supreme Lord so that not being able to agree their Differences proved very serviceable to the English Interest The like Spirit of Division appeared amongst our Enemies in Scotland where tho the Number was great of those that professed their constant Adherence to their Engagements contained in the Covenant yet when it came to a Trial in their Convention the Anti-Covenanters who were for restoring the King without any Terms carried all before them So that instead of the Marquiss of Argile the Marquiss of Hamilton was appointed General of their Army all the inferiour Officers being of the same Mold and Principle insomuch that the Pulpits who before had proclaimed this War now accompanied the Army that was preparing to march with their Curses for tho they could have been contented that the Sectarian Party as they called it should be ruined provided they could find Strength enough to bring in the King themselves yet they feared their old Enemy more than their new one because the latter would only restrain them from lording it over them and others affording them equal Liberty with themselves whereas the former was so far from that as hardly to suffer them to be Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water for those who would have all Power both Civil and Ecclesiastical put into one Hand could not possibly agree with such as would have it divided into many These Affairs necessitated the Parliament to raise the Militia in order to oppose this malevolent Spirit which threatned them from the North and also prevailed with them to discountenance a Charge of High Treason framed by Major Huntington an Officer of the Army with the Advice of some Members of both Houses against Lieutenant General Cromivell for endeavouring by betraying the King Parliament and
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
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
out with the rest being between four and five thousand and falling upon them beat them from their Works killing Sir William Vaughan who commanded them and most of the Men that were with him closely pursuing the rest who fled towards their main Army where the Earl of Ormond thought fit at last to throw down his Cards which he had before refused to do in contempt of our Forces and with his Royal Army as it was called retreated in great Disorder towards Rathmims Col. Jones pursued him close finding little Opposition except from a Party of the Lord Inchequin's Horse that had formerly served the Parliament who defended a Pass for some time but were after some Dispute broken and forced to fly Having routed these he marched with all Diligence up to the Walls of Rathmims which were about sixteen Foot high and contained about ten Acres of Ground where many of the Enemies Foot had shut up themselves but perceiving their Army to be entirely routed and their General fled they yielded themselves Prisoners After this our Men continuing their Pursuit found a Party of about two thousand Foot of the Lord Inchequin's in a Grove belonging to Rathgar who after some Defence obtained Conditions for their Lives and the next day most of them took up Arms in our Service This Success was the more remarkable because unexpected on both sides our handful of Men being led step by step to an absolute Victory whereas their utmost Design at the beginning of the Action was only to beat the Enemy from Baggatrath and so surprizing to our Enemies that they had not time to carry off their Money which lay at Rathfarnham for the paying of their Army where Col. Jones seized four thousand Pounds very seasonably for the paiment of his Men. The Parliament having an Army ready to send to Ireland a sormidable Fleet to put to Sea another Army to keep at home for their own Defence and a considerable Force to guard the North against the Scots who had declared themselves Enemies and waited only an Opportunity of shewing it with Advantage thought themselves obliged to expose to sale such Lands as had been formerly possessed by Deans and Chapters that they might be enabled thereby to desray some part of that great Charge that lay upon the Nation To this end they authorized Trustees to sell the said Lands provided they could do it at ten Years Purchase at the least but such was the good Opinion that the People had conceived of the Parliament that most of those Lands were sold at the clear Income of fifteen sixteen and seventeen Years one half of the Sums contracted for being paid down in ready Money besides which the Woods were valued distinctly and to be paid for according to the Valuation All Impropriations belonging to the said Deans and Chapters as well as those of the Bishops either in Possession or Reversion were reserved from sale to enlarge the Maintenance of poor Ministers Yet this was not sufficient to restrain that Generation of Men from inveighing against the Parliament and conspiring with their Enemies both at home and abroad to weaken their hands and if possible to render them unable to carry on the Publick Service The Fee-farm Rents formerly belonging to the Crown were also sold and yet such was the necessity of Affairs that notwithstanding all this the Parliament found themselves obliged to lay a Tax of a hundred and twenty thousand Pounds a Month upon the Nation which Burden they bore for the most part without regret being convinced that it was wholly applied to the Use of the Publick and especially because those who imposed it paid an equal Proportion with the rest The Crown-Lands were assigned to pay the Arrears of those Souldiers who were in Arms in the Year 1647. which was done by the Influence of the Officers of the Army that was in present Service whereby they made Provision for themselves and neglected those who had appeared for the Parliament at the first and had endured the Heat and Burden of the day In the Month of September 1649 the Army embarked and set sail for Ireland Commissary General Ireton with one part of them designing for Munster and Lieutenant General Cromwell being appointed Lieutenant of Ireland with the rest for Dublin But the Wind blowing a strong Gale from the South they were both put into the Bay of Dublin where they were received with great Joy for tho the Enemies Army had been beaten from the Siege of that Place and Col. Jones with the small Forces he had with him had made the best Improvement he could of that Advantage by reducing some Garisons that lay nearest to him yet the Enemies were still in possession of nine Parts in ten of that Nation and had fortified the most considerable Places therein After our Army had refreshed themselves and were joined by the Forces of Col. Jones they mustered in all between sixteen and seventeen thousand Horse and Foot Upon their Arrival the Enemies withdrew and put most of their Army into their Garisons having placed three or four thousand of the best of their Men being most English in the Town of Tredah and made Sir Arthur Ashton Governour thereof A Resolution being taken to besiege that Place our Army sat down before it and the Lieutenant General caused a Battery to be erected against an Angle of the Wall near to a Fort which was within called the Windmill-Fort by which he made a Breach in the Wall but the Enemy having a Half-moon on the Out-side which was designed to flank the Angle of the Wall he thought fit to endeavour to possess himself of it which he did by storm putting most of those that were in it to the Sword The Enemy defended the Breach against ours from behind an Earth-work which they had cast up within and where they had drawn up two or three Troops of Horse which they had within the Town for the Encouragement and Support of their Foot The Fort also was not unserviceable to them in the defence of the Breach The Lieutenant General well knowing the Importance of this Action resolved to put all upon it and having commanded some Guns to be loaded with Bullets of half a Pound and fired upon the Enemies Horse who were drawn up somewhat in view himself with a Reserve of Foot marched up to the Breach which giving fresh Courage to our Men they made a second Attack with more Vigour than before Whereupon the Enemies Foot being abandoned by their Horse whom our Shot had forced to retire began to break and shift for themselves which ours perceiving followed them so close that they overtook them at the Bridg that lay cross the River and separated that part where the Action was from the principal part of the Town and preventing them from drawing up the Bridg entred pell-mell with them into the Place where they put all they met with to the Sword having positive Orders from the Lieutenant General to give no
quarter to any Souldier Their Works and Fort were also stormed and taken and those that defended them put to the Sword also and amongst them Sir Arthur Ashton Governour of the Place A great Dispute there was amongst the Souldiers for his Artificial Leg which was reported to be of Gold but it proved to be but of Wood his Girdle being found to be the better Booty wherein two hundred Pieces of Gold were found quilted The Slaughter was continued all that day and the next which extraordinary Severity I presume was used to discourage others from making Opposition After that the Army besieged Wexford and having erected a Battery against the Castle which stood near the Wall of the Town and fired from it most part of the day whereby a small Breach was made Commissioners were sent in the Evening from the Enemy to treat about the Surrender of it In the mean time our Guns continued firing there being no Cessation agreed whereby the Breach in the Castle being made wider the Guard that was appointed to defend it quitted their Post and thereupon some of our Men entred the Castle and set up their Colours at the top of it which the Enemy having observed left their Stations in all parts so that ours getting over the Walls possessed themselves of the Town without Opposition and opened the Gates that the Horse might enter tho they could do but little Service all the Streets being barred with Cables But our Foot pressed the Enemy so close that crowding to escape over the Water they so over-loaded the Boats with their Numbers that many of them were drowned Great Riches were taken in this Town it being accounted by the Enemy a Place of Strength and some Ships were seized in the Harbour which had much interrupted the Commerce of that Coast. Commissioners were appointed by the Lieutenant General to take care of the Goods that were found in the Town belonging to the Rebels that they might be improved to the best Advantage of the Publick After these Successes the Army grew sickly many dying of the Flux which they contracted by hard Service and such Provisions as they were not accustomed to The Plague also which had been for some time amongst the Inhabitants of the Country and the Irish Army now began to seize upon ours Of one or both these Distempers Col. Michael Jones who by his Courage and Conduct in the Service of his Country had justly deserved the Applause of all and had been lately made Lieutenant General of the Horse by the Parliament feel so desperately sick that being no longer able to continue in the Army he was carried not without Reluctancy to Wexford where in a few days he died much lamented by the Army and by all that desired the Prosperity of the English Interest In the mean time the Parliament was careful to send Money Recruits and all manner of Supplies necessary to Ireland which they were the better enabled to do by those great Sums of Money daily brought in by the Purchasers of the Lands of Deans and Chapters which they thought fit for the Reasons before-mentioned to expose to sale which as it was an Advantage to the Nation in general by easing them of some part of their Contributions so was it no Detriment to any of those Purchasers who were heartily engaged in the Publick Service since if the Tide should turn and our Enemies become prevalent such Persons were likely to have no better Security for the Enjoyment of their own Paternal Estates Upon this Consideration I contracted with the Trustees commissionated by the Parliament for the Mannors of Eastknoel and Vpton in the County of Wilts wherein I employed that Portion which I had received with my Wife and a greater Sum arising from the Sale of a part of my Patrimonial Estate The Winter approaching and the Season being very tempestuous General Blake was obliged to enter into Harbour by which means Prince Rupert with the Ships that were with him having an Opportunity to escape set sail for Lisbon where they were received and protected but General Popham who had waited some time for the Portugal Fleet bound thither from the Islands took eighteen of them loaden with Sugars and other valuable Merchandizes which he sent to England under a Convoy entrusting the Conduct thereof to my Brother who as I said before was his Lieutenant and died in his Voyage homewards With the rest he continued cruizing on the Coast of Portugal attending Prince Rupert's Fleet which being drawn up under the Protection of their Guns and most of the Men on shore ours took that occasion to seize one of their Frigats by surprizing the Watch and keeping the rest of the Men under Deck by which means they brought her off safe to the Fleet. Our Army in Ireland tho much diminished by Sickness and harassed by hard Duty continued their Resolution to march into the Enemies Quarters where they reduced Rosse with little Opposition Goran also was surrendred to them together with the Officers of that Place by the Souldiers of the Garison upon promise of Quarter for themselves their Officers being delivered at Discretion were shot to death The next Town they besieged was Kilkenny where there was a strong Castle and the Walls of the Town were indifferent good Having erected a Battery on the East-side of the Wall our Artillery fired upon it for a whole Day without making any considerable Breach on the other side our Men were much annoyed by the Enemies shot from the Walls and Castle But the Garison being admonished by the Examples made of their Friends at Tredah and Wexford thought fit to surrender the Town timely upon such Conditions as they could obtain which was done accordingly Youghall Cork and Kinsale were delivered to the Forces of the Parliament by the Contrivance and Diligence of some Officers and well-affected Persons in those Places and thereupon the Lieutenant General sent a Detachment under the Command of the Lord Broghil to their Assistance in case any thing should be attempted by Inchequin or any other to their Disturbance whilst he with the rest of the Army marched towards Clonmel Being upon his March thither he was met by the Corporation of Feather with a Tender of their Submission wherewith the Lieutenant General was so satisfied the Army being far advanced into the Enemies Quarters and having no place of Refreshment that he promised to maintain them in the Enjoyment of their Privileges Having left our sick Men here he marched and sat down before Clonmel one side of which was secured by a River and the rest of the Town encompassed with a Wall that was well furnished with Men to defend it Our Guns having made a Breach in the Wall a Detachment of our Men was ordered to storm but the Enemy by the means of some Houses that stood near and Earth-works cast up within the Wall made good their Breach till Night parted the Dispute when the Enemy perceiving ours resolved to reduce
the Place beat a Parley and sent out Commissioners to treat Articles were agreed and signed on both sides whereby it was concluded that the Town with all the Arms and ammunition therein should be delivered up the next Morning to such of our Forces as should be appointed to receive the same After this Agreement was made and signed the General was informed that Col. Hugh O Neal Governour of the Place with all the Garison had marched out at the beginning of the Night towards Waterford before the Commissioners came out to treat It something troubled the Commanders to be thus over-reach'd but Conditions being granted they thought it their Duty to keep them with the Town Dungarvan and Carrick were next reduced where Col. Reynolds being left with his Regiment of Horse the Lieutenant General with the Army marched towards the County of Waterford The Enemy having observed ours marching on the other side of the River took that Advantage to draw together a considerable Body of Horse and Foot with which they marched with all diligence to Carrick and stormed it not at all doubting to carry the Place wherein there was nothing but Horse armed only with Swords and Pistols to defend a Wall of great compass Yet did our Men manage their Defence so well making use of Stones and whatsoever might be serviceable to them that the Enemy was beaten off with loss so that tho Forces were sent from the Army to relieve their Friends upon the first notice of their Danger yet they found the Work done at their Arrival The Army began now to prepare for the Siege of Waterford but by the hard Service of this Winter and other Accidents being much diminished and those that remained being but in a sickly Condition it was thought fit to send Orders to Dublin requiring the Forces there who were in better Health to march towards Wexford in order to reinforce the Army before Waterford The Lord Inchequin who had notice of their March having formed a Body of two thousand five hundred Horse and some Foot resolved to fall upon them which he did between Arclo and Wexford our Forces not amounting to more than fifteen hundred Foot and five hundred Horse The Enemies charged our Horse with such Fury and Numbers that they were forced to retreat to their Foot after which falling upon our Foot they obliged them to retire to the Rocks that were on the Shore in great Disorder but some of our Horse with a part of our Foot rallying again charged a Body of their Horse with such Vigour that they broke them and killed many of them amongst whom were divers considerable Persons which so discouraged the rest that tho they were the choicest of the Enemies Men and many of ours so distempered with the Flux that they were forced to fight with their Breeches down yet durst they not make any farther Attempt against them but drew off and permitted ours to march to their designed Rendezvouz without any more Interruption By which it eminently appeared of what Importance it is towards the obtaining Success to fight in the Cause of our Country for these very Men as long as they were engaged with us performed Wonders against the Rebels and now being engaged with them were almost as easily overcome as they had beaten the Irish before and this was so visible even to the Irish themselves that some time after at a Consultation of the Chief Officers of Leinster where it was debated what Course to take in order to destroy our Army some advising to draw into a Body and fight us others to betake themselves to the Woods and Bogs and from thence to break our Forces by Parties the Lord of Glanmaleiro assured them of a way which if taken would certainly effect it and that was to induce us to make Peace with them for said he they are a successful Army and our Men are dispirited and not likely to get any thing by fighting with them and to weary them out by our Surprizes and Depredations is impossible as long as the way from England is open for their Supplies but the other way proposed will infallibly ruin them for did not our Ancestors by the same means render the Conquests of Queen Elizabeth fruitless to England and have we not thereby ruined the Earl of Ormond and Inchequin already who having been always successful when against us have been famous for nothing since their Conjunction with us but the Losses and Repulses which they have sustained so that if we can perswade this Army to make a Truce or League with us they will become as unfortunate as the fornier Whilst the Lieutenant General was making Preparations for the Siege of Waterford a Letter was brought to him from the Parliament requiring his Attendance in England In order to which he left the Command of the Army with Commissary General Ireton to carry on the remaining part of the Work going himself to visit those Places in Munster which had lately submitted to the Parliament with intention to settle the Civil as well as Military Affairs of that Province To this end he impowered John Coke Esq to be Chief Justice of Munster and having accomplished such things as he designed embarked for England and soon after landed at Bristol In the mean time the Treaty between Prince Charles and the Presbyterian Party in Scotland hastening towards a Conclusion the Forces which they had raised by the Encouragement of our Army after they had rescued them from the Power of the Hamiltonian Party fell upon Montrose killed many of his Men and took him with divers other Officers Prisoners and amongst them Major General Hurry and Capt. Spotiswood who was said to have been concerned in the Assassination of Dr. Dorislaus our Agent in Holland They were all three condemned to death and hanged Montrose being carried to the Place of Execution in an ignominious manner with the Declarations issued out by him for the King tied about his Neck where he was executed on a Gibbet of thirty Foot high His Quarters were placed upon the Gate through which their King was to pass at his coming to Edinburgh which could not but move his Indignation if he had the least Sense of Honour because he had acted by his Commission and in order to vest him with that absolute and uncontrolable Power which Kings think to be most for their Advantage but the King being instructed with other Maxims struck up the bargain with the Presbyterians and engaged to take the Covenant whereupon they cried him up for a great Convert Some Sycophants in the English Parliament a Race of Men never wanting in great Councils pressed earnestly for settling two thousand five hundred Pounds a Year upon the Lieutenant General according to a Vote formerly passed in the House or that it might at least be read once or twice before his Arrival at Westminster he being then upon his way from Bristol Upon this Motion I took the liberty to acquaint the House
themselves as well as him and the Publick Cause affirming his Intentions to be directed entirely to the Good of the People and professing his Readiness to sacrifice his Life in their Service I freely acknowledged my former Dissatisfaction with him and the rest of the Army when they were in Treaty with the King whom I looked upon as the only Obstruction to the Settlement of the Nation and with their Actions at the Rendezvouz at Ware where they shot a Souldier to Death and imprisoned divers others upon the account of that Treaty which I conceived to have been done without Authority and for sinister ends yet since they had manifested themselves convinced of those Errors and declared their Adherence to the Commonwealth tho too partial a hand was carried both by the Parliament and themselves in the distribution of Preferments and Gratuities and too much Severity exercised against some who had formerly been their Friends and as I hoped would be so still with other things that I could not entirely approve I was contented patiently to wait for the accomplishment of those good things which I expected till they had overcome the Difficulties they now laboured under and suppressed their Enemies that appeared both at home and abroad against them hoping that then their Principles and Interest would lead them to do what was most agreeable to the Constitution of a Commonwealth and the Good of Mankind He owned my Dissatisfaction with the Army whilst they were in Treaty with the King to be founded upon good Reasons and excused the execution done upon the Souldier at the Rendezvouz as absolutely necessary to keep things from falling into Confusion which must have ensued upon that Division if it had not been timely prevented He professed to desire nothing more than that the Government of the Nation might be settled in a free and equal Commonwealth acknowledging that there was no other probable means to keep out the Old Family and Government from returning upon us declaring that he looked upon the Design of the Lord in this day to be the freeing of his People from every Burden and that he was now accomplishing what was prophesied in the 110 th Psalm from the consideration of which he was often encouraged to attend the effecting those Ends spending at least an hour in the Exposition of that Psalm adding to this that it was his Intention to contribute the utmost of his Endeavours to make a thorow Reformation of the Clergy and Law but said he the Sons of Zerrviah are yet too strong for us and we cannot mention the Reformation of the Law but they presently cry out We design to destroy Propriety Whereas the Law as it is now constituted serves only to maintain the Lawyers and to encourage the Rich to oppress the Poor affirming that Mr. Coke then Justice in Ireland by proceeding in a summary and expeditious way determined more Causes in a Week than Westminster-Hall in a Year saying farther that Ireland was as a clean Paper in that Particular and capable of being governed by such Laws as should be found most agreeable to Justice which may be so impartially administred as to be a good Precedent even to England it self where when they once perceive Propriety preserved at an easy and cheap rate in Ireland they will never permit themselves to be so cheated and abused as now they are At last he fell into the Consideration of the Military Government of Ireland complaining that the whole Weight of it lay upon Major General Ireton and that if he should by Death or any other Accident be removed from that Station the Conduct of that Part would probably fall into the hands of such Men as either by Principle or Interest were not proper for that Trust and of whom he had no certain Assurance He therefore proposed that some Person of Reputation and known Fidelity might be sent over to command the Horse there and to assist the Major General in the Service of the Publick that Employment being next in order to his own desiring me to propose one whom I thought sufficiently qualified for that Station I told him that in my Opinion a fitter Man could not be found than Col. Algernon Sidney but he excepted against him by reason of his Relation to some who were in the King's Interest proposing Col. Norton and Col. Hammond yet making Objections against them at the same time That against Col. Hammond I remember was that by his late Deportment with relation to the King he had so disobliged the Army that he apprehended he would not be acceptable to them After this he entred upon a large Commendation of the Country and pressed me earnestly to think of some Person capable of that Employment By this time I perceived something of his Intentions concerning me but the Condition of my Affairs was such having lately married and by purchasing some Lands contracted a great Debt that I resolved not to accept of it The time for the General 's Departure for the Expedition of Scotland drawing near he moved the Council of State that since they had employed him about a Work which would require all his Care they would be pleased to ease him of the Affairs of Ireland which they refusing to do he then moved that they would at least send over some Commissioners for the Management of the Civil Affairs assuring them also that the Military being more than Major General Ireton could possibly carry on without the Assistance of some General Officer to command the Horse which Employment was become vacant by the Death of the brave Lieutenant General Jones it was absolutely necessary to commissionate some Person of Worth to that Employment and to authorize him to be one of their Commissioners for the Civil Government telling them that he had endeavoured to find out a Person proper for that Service and to that end had consulted with one there present desiring him to recommend one fit for the same but that neither of them had proposed any that he could approve so well as the Person himself and therefore moved that he might be appointed to that Employment acquainting them that tho he himself was impowered by virtue of his Commission from the Parliament to nominate the Lieutenant General of the Horse yet because the Gentleman he proposed upon which he named me was a Member of Parliament and of the Council of State he desired for the better securing the Obedience of the Army to me that the Parliament might be moved to nominate and appoint me to that Charge I endeavoured as well as I could to make the Council sensible of my Unfitness for an Employment of so great Importance acquainting them that upon the General 's Desire I had recommended one to him of such Abilities as I doubted not they would judg better qualified for it than my self who besides my want of Experience sufficient for that Service was so incumbred with Debts and Engagements at that time that I could
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
Waller had earnestly solicited for this Employment of Lieutenant General of the Horse in Ireland and that the General not thinking it convenient to entrust him with it yet unwilling he should know so much perswaded him to believe that the Parliament had over-ruled him therein The Parliament then passed an Act constituting Commissioners for the Administration of Civil Affairs in Ireland and agreed upon Instructions of sufficient Latitude for them to act by in particular to lay a Tax on that Nation not exceeding the Sum of thirty thousand Pounds To give order for the distribution of Justice as near to the Rules of the Law as the nencessity of the Times would permit and to consider of a Method of Proceeding in the Courts of Justice there to be offered to the Parliament for their Approbation The Commissioners were those that I mentioned before only Major Salloway desiring to be excused from that Service Mr. Miles Corbet a Member of Parliament was inserted in his room Some Suspicions there were at this time that the Presbyterian Party in England especially those about London entertained a private Correspondence with their Brethren in Scotland where tho that Nation had received a great Blow at Dunbar yet it was resolved that their King should be crowned upon his taking the Solemn League and Covenant and obliging himself thereby to endeavour the extirpation of Popery and Episcopacy This Action was performed with all the Circumstances and Solemnities that could be used in the Condition of their Affairs The Nobility swore Fidelity to him and the Marquiss of Argile put the Crown upon his Head with his own Hands And now having a King like other Nations and a Covenanting King too they doubted not of Success under his Conduct presuming by this means most certainly to retrieve all their Losses and Reputation But the Parliament who had removed one King was not frighted with the setting up of another and therefore proceeded in the Settlement of their Affairs both Military and Civil and to that end ordered a thousand Pounds to be advanced to the Commissioners of the Civil Affairs in Ireland directing them to receive also a thousand Pounds yearly They like wise gave Orders for the payment of a thousand Pounds to me by way of Advance upon my Pay as Lieutenant General of the Horse that I might be enabled to furnish my self with Tents Horses and other things necessary for that Service The Committee of Irish Affairs raised also a Troop consisting of a hundred Horse to accompany me and armed them with Back Breast Head-pieces Pistols and Musquetoons with two Months Pay advanced The Lord Deputy Ireton's Lady Daughter to General Cromwell prepared to go over with us to her Husband who had removed his Head-quarters to Waterford partly because he thought that Place most convenient for the Service as the Enemy then lay and partly from some Disgust conceived against Dublin where the Inhabitants had extorted unreasonable Rates for their Provisions and other Necessaries sold to our Army at their Arrival there for the Relief of Ireland Therefore resolving to pass through South Wales I hastned out of Town before the rest of my Company in order to take leave of my Friends in the West and from thence going to Glamorganshire I stayed there with some Relations of my Wife till the rest of the Company came down Before I left the Parliament some Difference happening between the Countess of Rutland and the Lord Edward Howard of Escrick Col. Gell who was a great Servant of the Countess informed Major General Harison that the Lord Edward Howard being a Member of Parliament and one of the Committee at Haberdashers-Hall had taken divers Bribes for the excusing Delinquents from Sequestration and easing them in their Compositions and that in particular he had received a Diamond Hatband valued at eight hundred Pounds from one Mr. Compton of Sussex concerning which he could not prevail with any to inform the Parliament Major General Harrison being a Man of severe Principles and zealous for Justice especially against such as betrayed the Publick Trust reposed in them assured him that if he could satisfy him that the Fact was as he affirmed he would not fail to inform the Parliament of it and upon Satisfaction received from the Colonel touching that Matter said in Parliament That tho the Honour of every Member was dear to him and of that Gentleman in particular naming the Lord Howard because he had so openly owned the Interest of the Commonwealth as to decline his Peerage and to sit upon the foot of his Election by the People yet he loved Justice before all other things looking upon it to be Honour of the Parliament and the Image of God upon them that therefore he durst not refuse to lay this Matter before them tho he was very desirous that the said Lord might clear himself of the Accusation The Parliament having received his Information referred the Consideration of the Matter to a Committee where it was fully examined and notwithstanding all the Art of Counsel learned in the Law who are very skilful at putting a good Appearance upon a bad Cause and all the Friends the Lord Howard could make so just and equitable a Spirit then governed that the Committee having represented the Matter to the Parliament as they found it to be they discharged him from being a Member of Parliament sent him to the Tower and fined him ten thousand Pounds About the beginning of January the Commissioners of Parliament the Lady Ireton and my self met at Milford in order to embark for Ireland three Men of War lying ready for us in the Harbour with several Ships for the Transportation of my Troop with our Goods and Horses We came to Milford on Saturday and on Monday following the Lady Ireton and the Commissioners set sail with fair Wind leaving the Guinea-Frigat for me and to be Convoy to those Vessels that were appointed to transport the Horse and other things of which but one could be ready time enough to set sail with them my Troop being not yet mustered The next day Mr. Lort by order of the Committee of Parliament mustered my Troop so that I began to ship them on Wednesday in the Afternoon and on Thursday Morning they being all embarked we set sail and tho the Weather proved very calm we arrived the next day under the Fort of Duncannon near Waterford where I understood that the Lady Ireton and the Commissioners had landed there the day before and were gone to the Lord Deputy at Waterford Immediately after my Arrival I went to wait on the Lord Deputy Ireton who was much surprized at my landing so soon after the rest of the Company and ordered good Quarters to be assigned to my Troop that they might be refreshed before they entred upon Duty for it was observed that the English Horses were not so fit for Service till they had been seasoned for some time with the Air and Provisions of that Country
Clothes or Food he used what Hour he went to rest or what Horse he mounted In the mean time our Army in Scotland lying near the Enemies Camp at Torwood who were plentifully furnished with Provisions from the County of Fife it was resolved that a Party of ours commanded by Colonel Overton should be sent in Boats from Leith and Edinburgh into that County to contrive some way to prevent the Enemies Supplies from thence This Party was followed by four Regiments of Horse and Foot commanded by Major General Lambert Of which the Enemy having notice sent Sir John Brown who was esteemed to be a Person of Courage and Conduct with part of their Army to oppose them It was not long before the two Parties came to an Engagement wherein the Enemy was totally routed Sir John Brown who commanded them with about two thousand of his Men killed many made Prisoners and all their Baggage taken The Scots being deprived of their usual Supplies from Fife and not expecting any from foreign Parts by reason of the number of our Ships cruizing on their Coast resolved to march into England having received Encouragement so to do from their old and new Friends there They passed the River Tweed near Carlisle there being a strong Garison in Berwick for the Parliament and were considerably advanced on their March before our Army in Scotland were acquainted with their Design Major General Harrison with about four thousand Horse and Foot somewhat obstructed their March tho he was not considerable enough to fight them and being joined by Major General Lambert with a Party of Horse from the Army they observed the Enemy so closely as to keep them from Excursions and to prevent others from joining with them The Scots who were in great expectation of Assistance from Wales and relied much upon Col. Massey's Interest in Glocestershire advanced that way Few of the Country came in to them but on the other side so affectionate were the People to the Common-wealth that they brought in Horse and Foot from all Parts to assist the Parliament Insomuch that their Number was by many thought sufficient to have beaten the Enemy without the Assistance of the Army some even of the excluded Members appearing in Arms and leading Regiments against the Common Enemy At the same time upon notice that the Earl of Derby was at the Head of fifteen hundred Horse and Foot in Lancashire Col. Liburn was sent that way with about eight hundred Men who meeting with the Earl's Forces near Wigan after a sharp Dispute for about an hour totally routed them The Number of the Slain was considerable on the Enemies side The Lord Widdrington with other Persons of Quality were killed All their Baggage was taken and three or four hundred made Prisoners with the Loss only of one Officer and about ten private Souldiers of Col. Lilburn's The Earl of Derby himself was wounded and escaped to Worcester but bringing not above thirty tired Horse with him the Townsmen began to repent their Revolt from the Parliament The Scots having possessed themselves of the City of Worcester and fortified it as well as they could in so short a time resolved to attack our Army which was now advanced to that Place and posted on each side of the Severn ready to receive them with General Cromwell at their Head Their first Attack was made upon Lieutenant General Fleetwood's Quarters that were on the other side of the River who with some Forces of the Army and a Reinforcement of the Militia made a vigorous Resistance The General fearing he might be overpower'd dispatch'd some Troops to his Assistance by a Bridg laid over the River commanding Major General Lambert to send another Detachment to the same purpose but he desired to be excused alledging that if the Enemy should alter their Course and fall upon those on this side they might probably cut off all that remained which was not unlikely for soon after most of the Enemies Strength fell upon that part of the Army where the General and Major General Lambert were The Battel was sought with various Success for a considerable time but at length the Scots Army was broken and quitting their Ground retreated in great Disorder to the Town where they endeavoured to defend themselves Major General Harrison Col. Croxton and the Forces of Cheshire entred the Place at their heels and being followed by the rest of the Army soon finished the Dispute and totally defeated the Enemy Three English Earls seven Scots Lords and above six hundred Officers besides ten thousand private Souldiers were made Prisoners The King's Standard and a hundred fifty eight Colours with all their Artillery Ammunition and Baggage was also taken On our side Quarter-master General Mosely and Capt. Jones with about a hundred private Souldiers were killed and Capt. Howard with one Captain more and about three hundred Souldiers wounded This Victory was obtained by the Parliament's Forces on the 3 d of September being the same Day of the same Month that the Scots had been defeated at Dunbar the preceding Year Col. Massey escaped into Leicestershire but being dangerously wounded found himself not able to continue his way and fearing to be knock'd on the head by the Country delivered himself to the Countess of Stamford Mother to the Lord Grey of Grooby who caused his Wounds to be carefully dressed and sent notice of his Surrender to the Army Whereupon a Party was dispatched with Orders to conduct him from thence to London as soon as he should be fit to travel which was done and he committed Prisoner to the Tower The Scots King with the Lord Wilmot were concealed by three Country-men till they could furnish him with a Horse with which he crossed the Country to one Mr. Gunter's near Shoreham in Sussex carrying one Mrs. Lane behind him from whence in a small Bark he escaped to France The General after this Action which he called the Crowning Victory took upon him a more stately Behaviour and chose new Friends neither must it be omitted that instead of acknowledging the Services of those who came from all Parts to assist against the Common Enemy tho he knew they had deserved as much Honour as himself and the standing Army he srowned upon them and the very next day after the Fight dismissed and sent them home well knowing that a useful and experienced Militia was more likely to obstruct than to second him in his ambitious Designs Being on his way to London many Members of the Parliament attended by the City and great numbers of Persons of all Orders and Conditions went some Miles out of the Town to meet him which tended not a little to heighten the Spirit of this haughty Gentleman Lieutenant General Monk whom the General had raised to that Employment and ordered to command in Scotland during his Absence took Sterling-Castle and then marched with about four thousand Horse and Foot before Dundee But being advised that General Lesley the Earl of
Nation doth of Right belong only to the Parliament of England who will distinguish those who have always lived peaceably or have already submitted to their Authority and put themselves under their Protection from such as have committed and countenanced the Murders and Massacres of the Protestants during the first Year of the Rebellion as well as from those who continue still in Arms to oppose their Authority That they cannot in Justice consent to an Act so prejudicial to the Peace of the Country as would involve quiet and peaceable People in the same Prosecution with those who are in open Hostility That they cannot grant safe Conducts to such as persist in their Opposition to the Parliament to assemble from all Provinces and to communicate their Designs to each other But that all those who will lay down their Arms and submit to the Common-wealth shall have as favourable Conditions as they can justly expect This Resolution of the Commissioners being made publick the Irish fell upon another Expedient in pursuance of which the Earl of Clanrickard who had been left Deputy by the Earl of Ormond sent a Letter directed to me then Commander in Chief of the Forces of the Parliament in Ireland in the Words following SIR MANY of the Nobility Clergy and other Persons of Quality Subjects of this Kingdom with the Corporation of Galway having considered the present State of Affairs and the ruinous Effects which this long War hath produced have solicited me to desire of you a Conference for the establishment of the Repose of this Nation and to obtain a safe Conduct for the Commissioners whom by their Advice I shall judg capable to be sent to you for that end It is this which hath obliged me to send you an Express with this Protestation that I shall not abandon them till I see such Conditions granted them as they may with Honour accept for want of which I am resolved to continue the Authority and Protection of his Majesty over them even to Extremity not doubting but by Divine Assistance with the Forces we have already and the Succours which shall be sent us by his Majesty and Allies we shall be found in a condition to change the present State of Affairs or at least to render your former Conquests of little advantage and in the end to sell our Lives at a dear rate if we shall be forced thereto the which leaving to your Consideration and expecting your certain Answer and Resolution I remain 24 March 1652. SIR Your Servant CLANRICKARD POSTSCRIPT If you please to send a safe Conduct I desire it may be addressed to Sir Charles Coote or whom you shall think fit near to this Place with a Pass for the number of five Commissioners and their Retinue of about twenty Persons to the end that having notice thereof I may send a List of the Names of the said Commissioners To this I returned the following Answer My Lord IN answer to yours of the 24 th of March by which you propose a Treaty for the Settlement of this Country and desire a safe Conduct for the Commissioners you shall judg fit to employ in the management of that Affair I think fit in pursuance of the Advice of the Commissioners of the Parliament of England and of many Officers of the English Army to advertise you as hath been already answered to those who have sent Propositions of the like nature That the Settlement of this Nation doth of Right belong to the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England to whom we are obliged in duty to leave it being assured that they will not capitulate with those who ought to submit to them and yet oppose themselves to their Authority and upon vain and frivolous hopes have refused such Offers of Favour as they would gladly accept at present so that I fear they will be constrained to proceed against them with the highest Severity which that you may prevent by your timely Submission is the Desire of My Lord Your humble Servant EDMVND LVDLOW That Passage in my Answer touching their Readiness to accept such Terms as they had formerly rejected was grounded upon notice sent by Sir Charles Coote that the Town of Galway since the time limited by the Commissioners for their Submission was expired desired a Treaty whereupon I had acquainted him that seeing the Besieged had refused the Conditions formerly offered they ought not now to expect the like after such an addition of Trouble and Charge as they had lately put us upon yet for all this Caution Sir Charles Coote concluded a Treaty with them immediately after the Return of my Answer to the Earl of Clanrickard upon Conditions much more advantagious to them than those formerly proposed and very prejudicial to the Publick undertaking to get them ratified by the Commissioners of Parliament within twenty days and in the mean time promising that they should be inviolably observed The Commissioners of Parliament having received the Articles and conceiving it to be unjust as well as imprudent to give the best Terms to those who made the longest Opposition and of what dangerous Consequence it might be if that Place were not fully secured to the English Interest spent the whole Night in Consultation with the Officers of the Army and in the end resolved That they could not consent that any should receive the Benefit of those Articles who had been any way concerned in the murdering of the English in the first Year of the War That they would not oblige themselves to permit any to live in Galway whom they should hereafter think fit to remove from thence for the Security of the Place That they cannot consent that the Burgesses shall enjoy any more than two thirds of their Estates lying near the Town That they will not suffer the Habitations of such as have been forced to quit the Place upon the account of their Affection to the Parliament to be detained from them With these and some other Alterations they declared their Consent to the rest of the Articles before-mentioned which if those of the Town refused they ordered that our Men should not enter and if entred that they should restore the Possession of it to the Garison but notwithstanding this Expedition the Messenger that was dispatched with the Resolutions of the Commissioners came too late and all that could be obtained was a Promise from Sir Charles Coote to endeavour to perswade those of Galway to accept of the Articles with the Amendments made by the Commissioners The Parliament having resolved upon the Incorporation of Scotland with the Nation of England into one Free State or Commonwealth and to reimburse themselves some part of that Treasure they had expended in their own Defence against the Invasions of the Scots declared the Goods and Lands formerly belonging to the Crown of Scotland to be confiscated and also those that were possessed by such Persons as had assisted in the Invasion of England by Duke Hamilton in the
close that as they fled from one Party they fell into the hands of another by which means they were in a short time entirely dispersed The Irish that submitted according to the Articles and delivered up their Arms and Horses to the Commissioners appointed by me to receive them were in all about three thousand But many of them finding themselves within that exception concerning the Murders of the English or hoping to obtain better Conditions or it may be taking pleasure in their predatory Life continued still in Arms. Of this number was the Lord Muskerry who commanded the Irish in Munster and at the time of our Treaty with those of Leinster had sent one Colonel Poor to Kilkenny to acquaint us that he designed to come in upon the same Conditions but we suspecting his sincerity by the means of some Letters which we intercepted were not wanting to prepare what was necessary in order to reduce him and his Party by force and having finished our Affairs at Kilkenny I removed with the Commissioners to Clonmel and from thence to Youghal and so to Cork The Rebels in Connaught and Vlster instead of submitting as was expected got together a Body of about five thousand Men under the Conduct of the Earl of Clanrickard and Sir Phelim O Neal with which they besieged and took the Fort of Ballishannon Whereupon Sir Charles Coot and Colonel Venables drew out what Forces they could and advanced towards them with such expedition that they were near the Place before the Enemy had notice of their March who finding themselves surprized retreated to the Bogs leaving a small Garison in Ballishannon but being pursued by our Men who killed and wounded about three hundred of them in which number were thirty Officers and took from them seven or eight thousand Cows upon whose Milk they chiefly subsisted twelve hundred of them came in and laid down their Arms upon which the Garison they had placed in Ballishannon surrendred upon Articles Major General Lambert making great Preparations to come over to us in the quality of Deputy to General Cromwell the Commission of the said General to be Lieutenant of Ireland expired Whereupon the Parliament took that Affair into their Consideration and tho there were not wanting many amongst them who affirmed the Title and Office of Lieutenant to be more sutable to a Monarchy than a Free Commonwealth yet it was likely to have been carried for the renewing his Commission under the same Title But he having at that time another Part to act stood up and declared his satisfaction with what had been said against constituting a Lieutenant in Ireland desiring that they would not continue him with that Character Upon which the Question being put the Parliament willing to believe him in earnest ordered it according to his Motion He farther moved that tho they had not thought fit to continue a Lieutenant of Ireland they would be pleased in consideration of the worthy Person whom they had formerly approved to go over with the Title of Deputy to continue that Character to him But the Parliament having suppressed the Title and Office of a Lieutenant in Ireland thought it altogether improper to constitute a Deputy who was no more than the Substitute of a Lieutenant and therefore refused to consent to that Proposal ordering that he should be inserted one of the Commissioners for Civil Affairs and constituted Commander in chief of their Forces in Ireland In the management of this Affair Mr. Weaver who was one of the Commissioners of Ireland but then at London and sitting in Parliament was very active to the great discontent of General Cromwell who endeavouring to perswade the Parliament that the Army in Ireland would not be satisfied unless their Commander in chief came over qualified as Deputy Mr. Weaver assured them that upon his knowledg all the sober People of Ireland and the whole Army there except a few factious Persons were not only well satisfied with the present Government both Civil and Military of that Nation but also with the Governours who managed the same and therefore moved that they would make no alteration in either and renew their Commissions for a longer time This discourse of Mr. Weaver tending to perswade the Parliament to continue me in the Military Command increased the Jealousie which General Cromwell had conceived of me that I might prove an obstruction to the Design he was carrying on to advance himself by the ruin of the Commonwealth And therefore since Major General Lambert refused to go over with any Character less than that of Deputy he resolved by any means to place Lieutenant General Fleetwood at the head of Affairs in Ireland By which Conduct he procured two great Advantages to himself thereby putting the Army in Ireland into the hands of a person secured to his Interest by the Marriage of his Daughter and drawing Major General Lambert into an enmity towards the Parliament prepared him to join with him in opposition to them when he should find it convenient to put his Design in execution In the mean time I was not wanting in my endeavours to reduce the Enemy in Ireland and to that end marched with about 4000 Foot and 2000 Horse towards Ross in Kerry where the Lord Muskerry made his principal Rendezvouz and which was the only place of Strength the Irish had left except the Woods Bogs and Mountains being a kind of an Island encompassed on every part by Water except on one side upon which there was a Bog not passable but by a Causway which the Enemy had fortified In this Expedition I was accompanied by the Lord Broghil and Sir Hardress Waller Major General of the Foot Being arrived at this Place I was informed that the Enemy received continual Supplies from those parts that lay on the other side and were covered with Woods and Mountains whereupon I sent a Party of two thousand Foot to clear those Woods and to find out some convenient place for the erecting a Fort if there should be occasion These Forces met with some opposition but at last they routed the Enemy killing some and taking others Prisoners the rest saved themselves by their good Footmanship Whilst this was doing I employed that Part of the Army which was with me in fortifying a Neck of Land where I designed to leave a Party to keep in the Irish on this side that I might be at liberty with the greatest part of the Horse and Foot to look after the Enemy abroad and to receive and convoy such Boats and other things necessary as the Commissioners sent to us by Sea When we had received our Boats each of which was capable of containing a hundred and twenty Men I ordered one of them to be rowed about the Water in order to find out the most convenient Place for Landing upon the Enemy which they perceiving thought fit by a timely Submission to prevent the Danger that threatned them and having expressed their Desires to that
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
my Father's Servants had so well conceal'd at the first breaking out of the War in a private part of my House that they escaped the Search of the Enemy who had plundered all they could find broken all the Windows taken away the Leads and pulled up the Boards in most parts of the House Whilst I was at London that Party which I left in the Country had taken some Wool and other things from the Lord Cottington the Lord Arundel and others which they sold and divided the Money amongst themselves From the Lord Cottington's they brought amongst other things a Horse that had been taken from me before at Warder-Castle The Lord Fairfax the Earl of Manchester and the Scots besieged York of which the Earl of Newcastle was Governour having with him a Garison consisting of six or seven thousand Foot besides Horse After some time spent in the Siege Prince Rupert arrived with about eighteen thousand Men and caused the Besiegers to raise the Siege who joining their Forces resolved to observe his Motions and to fight him if they found an occasion but that they might be a little refreshed and furnished with Provisions which they wanted they marched towards Tadcaster If Prince Rupert who had acquired Honour enough by the Relief of York in the view of three Generals could have contented himself with it and retreated as he might have done without fighting the Reputation he had gained would have caused his Army to increase like the rolling of a Snowball but he thinking this nothing unless he might have all forced his Enemies to a Battel against the Advice of many of those that were with him in which the Lest Wing of the Enemy charging the Right Wing of ours consisting of English and Scots so totally routed them that the three Generals of the Parliament quitted the Field and fled towards Cawood Castle The Left Wing of our Army commanded by Col. Cromwell knowing nothing of this Rout engaged the Right Wing of the Enemy commanded by Prince Rupert who had gained an advantageous piece of Ground upon Marston-Moor and caused a Battery to be erected upon it from which Capt. Walton Cromwell's Sister's Son was wounded by a shot in the Knee Whereupon Col. Cromwell commanded two Field-pieces to be brought in order to annoy the Enemy appointing two Regiments of Foot to guard them who marching to that purpose were attacked by the Foot of the Enemies right Wing that fired thick upon them from the Ditches Upon this both Parties seconding their Foot were wholly engaged who before had stood only facing each other The Horse on both sides behaved themselves with the utmost Bravery for having discharged their Pistols and flung them at each others Heads they sell to it with their Swords The King's Party were encouraged in this Encounter by seeing the Success of their Left Wing and the Parliament's Forces that remained in the Field were not discouraged because they knew it not both sides eagerly contending for Victory which after an obstinate Dispute was obtained by Cromwell's Brigade the Enemies Right Wing being totally routed and flying as the Parliament's had done before our Horse pursuing and killing many of them in their Flight And now the Enemies Left Wing who had been Conquerors returned to their former Ground presuming upon an entire Victory and utterly ignorant of what had befallen Prince Rupert but before they could put themselves into any order they were charged and entirely defeated by the Reserves of Cromwell's Brigade Prince Rupert upon the routing of the Parliament's Right Wing concluding all to be his own had sent Letters to the King to acquaint him with the Victory upon which the Bells were rung and Bonfires made at Oxford Sir Charles Lucas Major General Porter Major General Tilyard with above a hundred Officers more were taken Prisoners by the Parliament's Forces All the Enemies Artillery great Numbers of Arms and a good quantity of Ammunition and Baggage fell also into their hands The Prince's own Standard with the Arms of the Palatinate was likewise taken with many others both of Horse and Foot Fifteen days after this Fight being the 16 th of July 1644. the City of York was surrendred to the Parliament's Forces upon Articles and the Earl of Newcastle having had some Dispute with Prince Rupert before the Engagement wherein some Words had passed which the Earl could not well digest soon after left England and the Prince retired to Bristol The Earl of Essex was marched with his Army into Cornwall yet to what publick end I could never understand for the Enemy there had already dispersed themselves Some said that he was perswaded to march thither by the Lord Roberts to give him an opportunity to collect his Rents in those Parts Upon this the King drew out what Forces he could from Oxford designing to join them with some others in the West by which Conjunction the Parliament apprehending their Army under Essex to be in danger ordered Sir William Waller to observe the King's Motions But whether the Neglect of relieving him at the Devizes or the Affront put upon him by commanding him to follow the King after he had been ordered to attend the Service of the West or what else it was that had sower'd him I cannot say yet visible it was that so much Care and Expedition was not used in attending the King in his Marches as was requisite However Lieutenant General Middleton then under Sir William Waller was sent with a Party of Horse to the Assistance of the Earl of Essex but he kept at such a distance from him that he afforded him little Help Neither was there that Diligence as should have been then used by the Earl of Essex himself to engage the King before his Conjunction with the Western Forces or to fight them when they were united they not much if at all exceeding ours in Number and in Courage and Affection to the Cause engaged in much inferiour But the Earl of Essex and the Lord Roberts having led the Army into a Corner of Cornwall betook themselves to the Ships with which the Earl of Warwick attended the Motion of the Army Being thus deserted the Horse broke through the Enemy under the Conduct of Sir William Balfour the Foot and Train of Artillery being left with Major General Skippon about Bodmin who was forced about the latter end of September 1644. to make the best Terms he could with the Enemy for them agreeing to leave their Arms and Cannon behind them and to be conducted into the Parliament's Quarters with whatsoever belonged to them but before the Convoy had done with them they lost most of their Clothes and in that condition arrived at Portsmouth where they found their General the Earl of Essex The Parliament soon caused them to be armed and clothed again and the Horse having forced their way as before mentioned the Army was speedily recruited scarce a Man having taken Arms on the other side The Earl of Manchester and Sir
William Waller were ordered with their Forces to draw Westward of London as well to favour the Earl of Essex upon occasion as to put a stop to the Enemies Approach if he should attempt it The King marched as was expected in great Triumph out of the West Sir William Waller lying about Basingstoke from whom I received a Letter inviting me to come to their Assistance in order to which I began my March with some Horse and Dragoons raised by Major Wansey who had been commanded by the Earl of Essex to continue with me and on the way received an Order from the Committee of both Kingdoms to advance towards them with what Force I had We were very well received by them having with us about five hundred Horse and particularly because they had been under some apprehensions that the Enemy had intercepted us who were indeed posted on our way yet we passed by them in the Night without disturbance and came safely to our Friends Within a day or two our Army advanced towards Newbury of which Place the Enemies had possessed themselves The Earl of Essex being indisposed could not attend that Service and therefore the Committee of both Kingdoms sent some Members of their own to take care that all possible Advantages might be taken against the Enemy and to prevent any Contention amongst our Friends concerning the Command or any other Matters The River that ran through the Town defended the Enemy on the South-side of it so that we could not come at them And on the North-west part of it within Cannon-shot lay Dennington-Castle in which they had placed a Garison so that we had no other way to the Town but on the North-East of it where they had raised a Breast-work and furnished some Houses that were without it with Foot the Ground between that and the River being marshy full of Ditches and not passable On the North-side of this High-way was a strong Stone House belonging to one Mr. Doleman having a Rampart of Earth about it which was also possessed by the Enemy so that little could be done upon them the first day save skirmishing in small Parties as they thought fit to come out to us On our side we had the Advantage of a Hill which served in some measure to cover our Men Here we planted some of our Field-pieces and fired upon the Enemy who answered us in the like manner from the Town In the Afternoon they drew two of their Guns to the other side of the River and with them fired upon that part of ours that lay on the side of the Hill who were much exposed to that place where their Guns were planted My Regiment being that day on the Guard received the greatest Damage amongst others my Cousin Gabriel Ludlow who was a Cornet therein and who had behaved himself so well in the Defence of Warder-Castle was killed He died not immediately after he was shot so that having caused him to be removed out of the reach of their Guns and procured a Chirurgeon to search his Wounds he found his Belly broken and Bowels torn his Hip-bone broken all to shivers and the Bullet lodged in it notwithstanding which he recovered some Sense tho the Chirurgeon refused to dress him looking on him as a dead Man This Accident troubled me exceedingly he being one who had expressed great Affection to me and of whom I had great hopes that he would be useful to the Publick In this condition he desired me to kiss him and I not presently doing it thinking he had talked lightly he pressed me again to do him that favour whereby observing him to be sensible I kissed him and soon after having recommended his Mother Brothers and Sisters to my Care he died Our Enemies having secured themselves as I mentioned before we were necessitated to divide our Army in order to attack them on the North-west side of the Town by DenningtonCassle where most of our Foot who engaged the Enemy were of those who had been lately stripp'd by them in Cornwall Which Usage being fresh in their Memory caused them to charge with such Vigour that some of them ran up to their Cannon and clapped their Hats upon the Touch-holes of them falling so furioully upon the Enemy that they were not able to stand before them but were forced to quit their Ground and run under the shelter of Dennington-Castle leaving behind them several Pieces of Cannon besides many of their Men killed and taken Prisoners Those on our side commanded by the Earl of Manchester observing the Enemy to retreat in that disorderly manner on the other side thought it their Duty to endeavour to force their Passage on this and to that end our Horse and Foot with some Cannon were drawn into a bottom between Doleman's House and the Hill where our Guns were first planted Those at the little Houses and at the Breast-work fired thick upon us but our Foot ran up to the Houses and attacked the Enemy so vigorously that they were forced to retire to their Breast-work between which and Doleman's House our Men continued firing about an hour and half But finding many to fall and that there was no probability of doing any good they retreated leaving two Drakes behind them Our Horse had stood drawn up within a little more than Pistol-shot of the Enemies Works all the while our Foot were engaged for their Encouragement and Protection against any Horse that should attack them as also to second them in case they had made way I had divers Men and Horse shot and amongst the rest my own The Night coming on separated us when drawing off I perceived that my Major had secured his Troop in the Rear of all having taken care that all the Regiment might not be lost in one Engagement In the Night the Enemies removed their Cannon and other Carriages to Dennington-Castle where having lodged them they marched between our two Parties towards Oxford The next Morning we drew together and followed the Enemy with our Horse which was the greatest Body that I saw together during the whole Course of the War amounting to at least seven thousand Horse and Dragoons but they had got so much Ground of us that we could never recover sight of them and did not expect to see them any more in a Body that Year neither had we as I suppose if Encouragement had not been given them privately by some of our own Party Col. Norton's Regiment of Horse with some Foot being left to block up Basinghouse he desired to have more Force assigned him for the more effectual carrying on that Work and particularly my Regiment of Horse I was not ignorant of the Hardship of that Service it not being properly my Work who was raised by and for the County of Wilts yet having received an Order to that purpose from the General and sent my Major with part of the Regiment into Wiltshire for the Defence of that County I resolved to obey especially
such as had served under Sir William Waller The Committee would have named me for the Command of a Regiment but the Gentlemen who served in Parliament for the County of Wilts pretended then that they could not spare me yet soon after observing me not fit to promote a Faction and solely applying my self to advance the Cause of the Publick they combined against me and procured me to be laid aside under colour that they stood not in need of more than four Troops for the Service of the County of which they offered me the Command and I should not have declined it had I found my Endeavours answered with sutable Acceptance or that they whom I served had been willing the Publick Cause for which I was ready to sacrifice my Life should prosper but the contrary being most evident and tho some of the Gentlemen continued to manifest their Fidelity to the Publick and their Affection to me yet most of them having now espoused another Interest and rejoicing at any Loss that fell upon ours I chose rather to desist and wait for a better Opportunity to improve my Talent for the Service of the Publick My Major notwithstanding his Artifices being disappointed in his Expectation to command these Troops openly pulled off the Mask and with about thirty of his Troop and some Strangers under pretence of beating up a Quarter of the Enemy went over to them having sent his Wife before to give them notice of his Design But his Lieutenant continuing faithful to the Publick hindred most part of his Troop from following him Soon after he undertook to raise a Regiment in the North Parts of Wiltshire for the King but whilst he was attempting to effect it an Encounter happened between him and some Forces of the Parliament wherein being worsted and endeavouring to save himself by leaping over a Ditch he fell with his Horse into it and was so bruised with his Fall that he never spoke more thereby receiving such a Recompence as was due to his Treachery About the same time that the Parliament made Sir Thomas Fairfax General of their Forces the King made Prince Rupert General of his notwithstanding his late ill Success at Marston-Moor to the great Dissatisfaction of many of his Council The Committee of Wilts divided themselves one part of them to sit at Malmsbury and the other to reside about Salisbury but wanting a Place for their Security they put a Garison into Falston-house and Capt. Edward Doyly contending with Major William Ludlow for the Government thereof the Committee at London gave it to the latter who with his Troop somewhat restrained the Excursions of the King's Party from their Garison thereabouts That part of the Committee which sat at Malmsbury having some Affairs to dispatch at Marlborough went thither accompanied by Col. Devereux Governour of the Place The first Night after their Arrival a Party of the King 's surprized them there and took some of the Committee with the said Governour and most of the Forces they had with them Prisoners The Parliament tho they were not wanting to make all fitting Preparations for War yet neglected no honest Endeavours to procure Peace assuring themselves that they should be the better enabled to bear whatsoever might be the Event of the War if they took care to discharge their Consciences in that Particular and to manifest that as they had been compelled to it by mere Necessity so if it must be continued it should not be through their Choice or Obstinacy To this end it was agreed that Commissioners should be sent from the Parliament to treat with others to be sent from the King about Conditions of Peace The Place of their Meeting was at Vxbridg where after the King had owned the two Houses as a Parliament to which he was not without difficulty perswaded tho he had by an Act engaged that they should continue to be a Parliament till they dissolved themselves which they had not done and consented that his Commissioners should treat in the same Quality they were in before the War the Commissioners of Parliament declining to give them the Titles conferred upon them since they made some Progress in the Treaty which began the 13 th of January 1645. but the Proposition concerning the Bishops being rejected it came to nothing During the Treaty Mr. Love one of the Chaplains attending the Commissioners of Parliament preaching before them averred That the King was a Man of Blood and that it was a vain thing to hope for the Blessing of God upon any Peace to be made with him till Satisfaction should be made for the Blood that had been shed For these Words the King's Commissioners demanded Satisfaction but the Treaty breaking up nothing was done in order thereunto And now both Parties renewed the War Weymouth being seized for the King and some Advantage obtained against the Parliament near Pomfret On the other side the Forces of the Parliament surprized the important Town of Shrewsbury whereby the King's Correspondence with Wales became much interrupted They also recovered Weymouth by the help of the Garison of Melcolm-Regis which is separated from the said Town by a small Arm of the Sea with a Bridg over it and which was preserved by the Industry of the Governour Col. Sydenham Col. Cromwell notwithstanding the Self-denying Ordinance was dispensed with by the Parliament and being impower'd to command the Horse under Sir Thomas Fairfax he marched with a Party of Horse and Dragoons from Windsar and at Islip-Bridg met fought and defeated the Queen's Regiment of Horse together with the Regiments of the Earl of Northampton the Lord Wilmot and Col. Palmer taking five hundred Horse and two hundred Foot Prisoners whereof many were Officers and Persons of Quality After which he summoned Blechington-house which was surrendred to him by Col. Windebank Son to the late Secretary of State who coming to Oxford was shot to death for so doing He forced Sir William Vaughan and Lieutenant Colonel Littleton with three hundred and fifty Men into Bampton-bush where he took them both and two hundred of their Men Prisoners with their Arms sending Col. Fiennes after another Party who took a hundred and fisty Horse three Colonels and forty private Souldiers Prisoners with their Arms and being reinforced by about five hundred Foot from Col. Brown he attempted Faringdon-house but without Success General Fairfax leaving Lieutenant General Cromwell to block up the King at Oxford with the Body of the Army marched Westward with a design to relieve Taunton but being ordered by the Committee of both Kingdoms to besiege Oxford he appointed Col. Welden to relieve that Town which he easily effected the Enemy marching off at his Approach apprehending them to be the whole Army marching against them as they before had been informed The King sent the Prince of Wales accompanied with Hyde and Culpeper into the West to raise Forces and despising the New Model as it was called because most of the old
Officers were either omitted by the Parliament or had quitted their Commands in the Army judging himself Master of the Field marched towards Leicester and by this time was grown so considerable that the Committee of both Kingdoms thought it high time to look after him and to that end commanded the General with the Army to march and observe his Motions but before he could overtake him the King had made himself Master of Leicester by storm and plundered it with the loss of about seven hundred Men on his side and about one hundred of the Town Being encouraged with this Success and with the consideration that he was to encounter with an unexperienced Enemy upon advice that our Army was in search of him he advanced towards them and both Armies met in the Field of Naseby on the 14 th of June 1645. Some days before one Col. Vermuyden an old Souldier who commanded a Regiment of Horse had laid down his Commission whether through diffidence of Success or what other Consideration I know not and in the beginning of the Engagement Major General Skippon the only old Souldier remaining amongst the chief Officers of the Army received a shot in the Body from one of our own Party as was supposed unwillingly whereby he was in a great measure disabled to perform the Duty of his Place that day tho extreamly desirous to do it Under these Discouragements the Horse upon our Left Wing were attacked by those of the Enemies Right and beaten back to our Cannon which were in danger of being taken our Foot giving ground also But our Right Wing being strengthned by those of our Left that were rallied by their Officers fell upon the Enemies Left Wing and having broken and repulsed them resolving to improve the Opportunity charged the main Body of the King's Army and with the Assistance of two or three Regiments of our Infantry entirely encompassed the Enemies Body of Foot who finding themselves deserted by their Horse threw down their Arms and yielded themselves Prisoners By this means our Horse were at leisure to pursue the King and such as fled with him towards Leicester taking many Prisoners in the pursuit who with those taken in the Field amounted in all to about six thousand and amongst them six Colonels eight Lieutenant Colonels eighteen Majors seventy Captains eighty Lieutenants eighty Ensigns two hundred inferiour Officers about one hundred and forty Standards of Horse and Foot the King's Footmen and Servants and the whole Train of Artillery and Baggage This Victory was obtained with the Loss of a very few on our side and not above three or four hundred of the Enemy In the Pursuit the King's Cabinet was taken and in it many Letters of Consequence particularly one from the Lord Digby advising the King before any Act of Hostility on either side to betake himself to some Place of Strength and there to declare against the Parliament by which Men perceived that the Design of making War upon the Parliament was resolved upon early the King having followed this Council exactly The Parliament had impeached Finch of High Treason for advising the illegal Tax of Ship-money soliciting the Judges to declare it lawful and threatning those who refused so to do for which good Service the King had preferred him to be Keeper of the Great Seal but the Place being vacant upon his Flight the King would not entrust it with Littleton before he had obliged him by an Oath to promise to send the Seal to the King whensoever he should by any Messenger require it of him which I am inclined to believe to have been the Cause why Littleton left the Parliament not daring to stay after he had according to his Oath sent the Seal to the King by one Mr. Elliot dispatched to him by the King for that purpose The Seal being thus carried away the Parliament finding Justice obstructed through the want of it declared that the Seal ought to attend them during their Sitting and therefore that all that was or should be done since it was carried to the King was null and void Upon which a new Seal was ordered to be made and Commissioners nominated for the keeping of it and putting it in execution to all Intents and Purposes the Parliament thereby exercising the Supreme Authority in virtue of their frequent Declarations That the King doth nothing in his personal Capacity as King but in his politick Capacity according to Law of which the Judges of Westminster-hall are Judges in the Intervals of Parliament and during the sitting of Parliament the Two Houses being the Great Council both of King and People are the sole Judges thereof In the King's Cabinet were also found Letters from the Queen blaming him for owning those at Westminster to be a Parliament and warning him not to do any thing to the prejudice of the Roman Catholicks with a Copy of his Answer wherein he promised his Care of the Papists and excused his owning the two Houses at Westminster to be a Parliament assuring her that if he could have found two of his Mongrel Parliament at Oxford as he called them of his mind therein he would never have done it and that tho he had done it publickly the Parliament refusing to treat with him otherwise yet he had given Order to have it entred in the Journal of his Council that this notwithstanding should not be of any Validity for the enabling them to be a Parliament Another Paper was found with them giving some Account of the Troubles in Ireland wherein the Papists who had taken Arms being qualified Rebels that term was struck out and the word Irish added by the King himself There was likewise a Letter to the French King complaining of the Unkindness and Ingratitude of the Queen and of the Reasons of the Removal of her Servants that she brought over with her of which it had been Discretion in the King to have kept no Memorials such Matters when buried in Oblivion being next best to the not having any Differences between so near Relations Many more Letters there were relating to the Publick which were printed with Observations by Order of the Parliament and others of no less Consequence suppressed as I have been credibly informed by some of those that were instructed with them who since the King's Return have been rewarded for it One Paper I must not omit which was here found being that very Paper which contained the principal Evidence against the Earl of Strafford and had been as before mentioned purloined from the Committee appointed by the House of Commons to manage the Charge against him having these Words written upon it with the King 's own Hand This Paper was delivered to me by George Digby tho he as well as the rest of that Committee had solemnly protested that he had neither taken that Paper away nor knew what was become of it The Prisoners and Standards taken in the Fight were brought through London to Westminster The Standards