that an attack upon it was out of the question. Most of the provisions and stores of the English had been sent by sea, and were then in the Firth of Forth. As the Scotch threatened to come between his vessels and him, Cromwell moved east as far as 2 Dunbar. His opponents followed hard upon his heels, and taking up a position on Doon Hill, south of the town, hemmed him completely in.

In front of the Scotch, between them and the English, ran a small brook, which in the course of ages had worn out a hollow some forty feet deep, and about as many wide. The sides flatten out at the eastern end where the 3 London road crosses, and there the distance between the brook and Doon Hill is greatest.

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The day after he reached Dunbar, Cromwell noticed that the Scotch commander was bringing his whole army down into the plain, and edging his line more to the east. He saw at once that this movement was a fatal error. The right wing was now exposed, and if it were attacked, the centre and left, confined in a narrow plain, with a 5 ravine in front and a hill behind, would be unable to assist. Cromwell therefore ordered that his forces should give battle on the morrow at daybreak. Through some delays it was six o'clock before the first blow was struck.

The attack began upon the Scottish right, which, after nearly an hour's fierce fighting, was put to flight. As the men turned, Cromwell, looking seaward, noticed the rising sun shoot its first rays athwart the waters, and cried exultingly in the words of the Psalmist, "Let God arise; let His enemies be scattered."

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The fleeing horsemen of the right galloped, some along the London road, but most through and over their luckless companions of the centre and left.

"Thus," the general writes, " their whole army being put into confusion, it became a total rout, our men having the chase and execution of them for near eight miles. We believe that upon the place and near about it were about three thousand slain." Ten thousand prisoners were taken, and the whole of the artillery

and stores of the vanquished fell into the hands of the victors.

After the battle of Dunbar a great part of Scotland submitted to Cromwell, but still there was a considerable army which held out. While he was in 9 Fife, this army slipped south, and marched into England,

leading the young king with it. The English Royalists would gladly have joined Charles, but fear of the terrible Ironsides restrained them, and so, with no further force than that he brought, he struggled on towards London. At Worcester, Cromwell, who had followed in hot pursuit, overtook him. There, exactly a year after the battle of Dunbar, the invading army was destroyed. Writing to tell Parliament of his success, the triumphant general says: "The 10 dimensions of this mercy are above my thoughts; it is, for aught I know, a crowning mercy." And such it proved to be; after the defeat of Worcester the Royalists abandoned all hope of recovering power by force, and Cromwell was not called upon again to draw his sword.

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1 Entrenched, protected by deep trenches. 2 Dunbar, on the south-east coast of Scotland. 3 the London road, the road to London. exposed, open to attack. 5 ravine, a deep and narrow hollow. 6 athwart, across. 7 exultingly, with a feeling of triumph. 8 the Psalmist, see Ps. lxviii. 1. 9 Fife, a county on the north side of the Firth of Forth. 10 dimensions, measure, greatness.

DRIVING OUT OF THE LONG PARLIAMENT.

THE miserable remnant of the Long Parliament which had been in power since the execution of Charles I. did not and could not properly represent the views of the nation. None of the members were Royalists, and only a few were Presbyterians. The government was therefore in the hands of a small body of men drawn almost entirely from one class,—and a change had come over the character of that class. When the Puritans were persecuted no one would pretend to be a Puritan, but when they became the strongest party in the country

numbers pretended to belong to them in the hope of thereby obtaining wealth or power. Some of these hypocrites were probably in the House of Commons itself. Hypocrites or no hypocrites, most of the members of the House of Commons were exceedingly unpopular. They were accused of greed and selfishness. It was said that they thought more about getting riches for themselves and their friends than about promoting the interests of the nation.

The leaders of the army wanted Parliament to dissolve itself. But if Parliament were dissolved, and elections held in the usual way, a majority of the new members might be Royalists. To avoid such a result the sitting members wanted to keep their places, and to have the power of excluding any fresh members whom they might think undesirable. The officers, on the other hand, wanted a free election, with certain provisions for preventing the return of a majority hostile to the Commonwealth. What those provisions should be, formed the subject of discussion at several meetings between the chief members and the chief officers. The last meeting was held on April 19th, 1653. The business was still unsettled at its close, and an 1adjournment was agreed upon, on the understanding that Parliament should do nothing unexpected.

The next morning, while Cromwell and his friends were awaiting the arrival of the members to renew the discussion, word was brought that, in spite of the previous day's promise, the House of Commons was hurrying through a bill for an election to be made on its plan.

Cromwell, long dissatisfied with the Parliament, and now angry at the trick which had been played upon him, ordered a company of musketeers to attend him,

and hastened to the House. Leaving the soldiers outside, he took his usual seat, and listened for some time to the debate. When the Speaker asked whether the bill should become law, "he rose up, put off his hat, and spake. At the first, and for a good while, he spake to the 2 commendation of the Parliament for their pains and care of the public good; but afterwards he changed his style, told them of their injustice, delays of justice, self-interest, and other faults." The members were amazed, and one of them rose to protest against such improper language. Cromwell cut him short with "Come, come! we have had enough of this; I will put an end to your prating. It is not fit that you should sit here any longer. You shall now give place to better men. Then, at a word from him, some twenty or thirty musketeers entered and stood grimly expectant. Their general, his anger now blazing forth, walked up and down the floor, and poured out his indignation upon the members. "You call yourselves a Parliament!" he said; "I say you are no Parliament! Begone! Give way to honest men! Some of you are drunkards; some of you are living in open contempt of God's commandments," and so on, as one after another of the fifty-three members present passed out. When all had gone, the door was locked and the key taken away. Next morning passers-by noticed a bill (probably the work of some Cavalier) announcing; "This House to be let, unfurnished."

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1 Adjournment, putting off a meeting to another time. 2commendation, praise. 3 grim, stern, severe.