fcene-His

His Majefty was

treated with very great refpect by the army; every thing

was

it muft feem only the act of Mr. Joyce; Cromwell • protefted he knew nothing of it (though he was the • man that appointed it to be done, as appears by what has been recited, taken out of fome of their own authors); Sir Thomas Fairfax writes a letter to the house, profeffes the fame for himself as in the prefence of God, with a large undertaking for the rest of his officers, and the body of the army and, perhaps, he faid true; I would fain be fo charitable as to believe it; nor, indeed, do I think the good man is privy to all their plots; he must have no more than what they are pleased to carve and chew for him, but must swallow all, and own them when they come • abroad. Here then they have the King, Joyce drives away the guards, forced colonel Greaves to fly, whom elfe they threatened to kill (murther being no fin in the vifible faints); carries away his Majefty, and the commiffioners that attend him, prifoners, and imme(m) Holles's diately fends up a letter to certify what he had done, Memoirs, p. with directions it should be delivered to Cromwell (m). 96. Ludlow, who understood the defigns and actions of the army, probably, better than Holles, fpeaking of the divifions between it and the parliament, adds, The agitators of the army, fenfible of their condition, and knowing that they muft fall under the mercy of the parliament, unless they could fecure themfelves from their power, by profecuting what they had begun ; and fearing those who had fhewed themfelves fo forward to clofe with the King, out of principle, upon any terms, would now, for their own prefervation, • receive him without any, or rather put themselves un⚫der his protection, that they might the better fubdue the army, and reduce them to obedience by force; fent a party of horse under the command of cornet Joyce, on the 4th of June, 1647, with an order in writing, to take the King out of the hands of the

<

6

" com

was rendered as agreeable as poffible to him, in his captive fituation, and Cromwell entered

• commiffioners of parliament. The cornet, having placed guards about Holmby houfe, fent to acquaint the King with the occafion of his coming, and was admitted into his bedchamber, where, upon promife that the King should be used civilly, and have his fervants and other conveniencies continued to him, he • obtained his confent to go with him. But whilst cornet Joyce was giving orders concerning the King's removal, the parliament's commiffioners took that occafion to discourse with the King, and perfuaded him 'to alter his refolution; which Joyce perceiving at his return, put the King in mind of his promife, acquainting him, that he was obliged to execute his or⚫ders; whereupon the King told him, that, fince he ' had passed his word, he would go with him; and, to that end, defcended the stairs to take horse, the ⚫ commiffioners of the parliament being with him. • Colonel Brown and Mr. Crew, who were two of 'them, publickly declared, that the King was forced out of their hands; and fo returned,' with an account of what had been done, to the parliament (n).' This was a very bold ftroke indeed! performed in the name of foldiers only under the command of Fairfax, but no doubt contrived by Cromwell and Ireton, in order to make themselves arbiters between King and parliament, and advance their own ambitious projects. Lord Clarendon affures us, that the King did, in truth, believe that their purpose was to carry him to fome place where they might more conveniently murder him (). The author of the Icon Bafilike more fenfi- (0) Vol. v. bly obferves, in his Majesty's perfon, This furprize of ⚫ me tells the world, that a King cannot be fo low but he is confiderable, adding weight to that party where (p) King he appears (p).' The King had no reafon to fear Charles's murther: Joyce behaved with civility to him; promifed Works, P him all conveniencies; did what in him lay to pleafe Lond. 1687.

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(n) Vol. i.

P. 191.

P. 48.

708. Fol.

entered into a negociation with him, in order to his restoration; but terms being

not

• So

him, and rendered him more pleafed with his fituation than he had before been. Let us hear Fairfax.. foon as I heard of it [the King's feizure at Holmby] I immediately fent away two regiments of horse, commanded by colonel Whalley, to remove this force, and to fet all things again in their due order. 'before he came to Holmby, the King was advanced 6 two or three miles on his way to Cambridge, attended by Joyce, where colonel Whalley acquainted the King, he was fent by the general to let him know how much 'he was troubled at thofe great infolencies that had been 'committed fo rear his person; and, as he had not the

leaft knowledge of them before they were done, fo he had omitted no time in feeking to remove that force, which he had orders from me to see done; and therefore he defired his Majesty that he would be "pleased to return again to Holmby, where all things fhould be fettled again in as much order and quietnefs as they were before. And alfo he defired the ⚫ commiffioners to reafume their charge, as the parlia< ment had directed them, which he was also to defire them to do from the general. But the King refufed to return, and the commiffioners to act; whereupon colonel Whalley urged them to it, faying, he had an exprefs command to fee all things well fettled about his Majefty, which could not be done, but by his returning again to Holmby. The King faid pofitively, he would not do it: fo the colonel preffed him no more to it, having, indeed, a fpecial direction from < me to use all tenderness and respect, as was due to his Majefty. The King came that night, or the next, to Sir John Cutts's houfe near Cambridge; and the next day I waited on his Majefty, it being alfo my bufinefs to perfuade his return to Holmby, but he was • otherwise refolved. I preft the commiffioners also to • act according to the power given them by the parliament,

I

not agreed on, or dangers of fome kind or other (DD) being apprehended, Cromwell

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6

broke

'ment, which they also refufed to do: fo having spent the whole day about this business, I returned to my quarters; and, as I took leave of the King, he faid to me, Sir, I have as good intereft in the army as you; by which I plainly faw the broken reed he leaned on. The agitators could change into that colour which • ferved next to their ends, and had brought the King into an opinion that the army was for him. That it ' might appear what a real trouble this act was to me, though the army was almoft wholly infected with C this humour of agitation, I called for a council of war to proceed against Joyce for this high offence and breach of the articles of war; but the officers, whether for fear of the diftempered foldiers, or rather (as I fufpected) a fecret allowance of what was (9) Short done, made all my endeavours in this ineffectual (9).' Memorials, I have transcribed Fairfax's account at length, that the P. 113reader may the better be enabled to judge of the justice of Clarendon's narrative above mentioned, and alfo of the truth of the meflage, delivered to the house of lords by the Earl of Dumfermline, from the King, 'that his Majefty went from Holdenby unwillingly (r).'Thus, fays Perinchief, was that religious Prince made voi. xv. once more the mock of fortune, and the fport of the 'factious, and was drawn from his peaceful contemplations and profpect of heaven, to behold and con- K. Charles, verfe with men fet on fire of hell ().' Whether prefixed to the reader be difpofed to laugh or be ferious at this his works, folemn paragraph is very indifferent to me; but the P· 4o• writer, who compofed it, ftands little chance for credit with fuch as with attention have ftudied the character of his hero.

(DD) Terms being not agreed on, or danger being apprehended, Cromwell broke off all thoughts of friendship with Charles, &c.] The King no fooner found himself in the hands of the army, than he had reason to be fa

tisfied

117.

(r) Parliamentary History,

P. 399.

(s) Life of

broke off all thoughts of friendship with the King, and openly declared for bringing him

to

tisfied with their civility and refpect. Ludlow, with fome indignation, fpeaks of the attendance and homage that was paid him by fome chief officers. Lord Clarendon has given us a particular account of the treatment he received, which I will here tranfcribe for the fatiffaction of the reader. The King found himself at • Newmarket, attended by greater troops and fuperior officers; fo that he was prefent'y freed from any fubjection to Mr. Joyce, which was no fmall fatisfaction to him; and they who were about him appeared men ' of better breeding than the former, and paid his Majefty all the refpect imaginable, and feemed to defire. to please him in all things. All reftraint was taken off from perfons reforting to him, and he faw every day the faces of many who were grateful to him; and he no fooner defired that fome of his chaplains < might have leave to attend upon him for his devotion, but it was yielded to, and they who were named by him (who were Dr. Sheldon, Dr. Morley, Dr. Sanderfan, and Dr. Hammond) were prefently fent, and gave their attendance, and performed their functions at the ordinary hours, in their accustomed formalities; all perfons, who had a mind to it, being fuffered to be prefent, to his Majefty's infinite fatisfaction, who began to believe that the army was not fo much his enemy as it was reported to be; and the army had fent an addrefs to him full of proteftation of duty, and befought him, that he would be content, for fome time, to refide among them, until the affairs of the kingdom were put into fuch a pofture as he might find all things to his own content and fecurity, which they infinitely defired to fee as foon as might be; and, to that purpose, made daily inftances to the parliament.' In the mean time his Majefty fate ftill, or ' removed to fuch places as were moft convenient for the march of the army; being in all places as well

pro