cessions a sufficient ground" to proceed upon for the settlement of the peace of the kingdom.

brought him. Now the matter happened thus: the king (affrighted by the menaces of the whole army, who finding him nothing amended, either by their good offices or promises for him, had now begun to require he should be brought to punishment) determined, with only two attendants, to provide for his own safety by a nocturnal flight; but surer of flying, than whither he should fly, either by the unskilfulness or timidity of his companions; and, not knowing where to betake himself, he, at last, voluntarily threw himself into the hands of Hammond, governor of the Isle of Wight; with this hope, that he might find an easy passage out of that island, a small vessel being provided privately for the purpose, either into France or Holland. And these matters, touching the king's flight into the Isle of Wight, I learnt of them, who had as great advantage as may be for knowing the truth."This seems very strong in Cromwell's behalf. But, had he wrote the letter to Whalley, with the design suggested, of which there is no proof, where would have been the harm of it, as I before said, or who would not have thought himself at liberty to have acted a like part with a man of such a character and such views? The statesman, perhaps, would not easily be found; or, if such an one there were, his understanding would not be greatly admired by men of the same profes

sion.

29 He defeated the Welch and Scots, and purged the house of commons, &c.] Charles having thrown himself into the hands of Hammond, governor of the Isle of Wight, was treated by him with great civility and respect. And the parliament, who had been much alarmed at his majesty's escape, being informed of the place of his abode, determined to send commissioners to the Isle of Wight, in order to treat with him concerning peace, so necessary to himself and the kingdom. But, on the king's refusal to agree to the preliminary propositions, they immediately determined

This was usually called Pride's purge, from the

to make no more addresses to him, but to proceed to the settlement of the nation without him. Their reasons they submitted to the public, in a declaration which was printed and dispersed in every corner. This declaration, and the votes on which it was founded, very justly alarmed the fears of Charles and his friends. They wrote, they petitioned, they were tumultuous at the door of the house of commons, and, at length, had recourse to arms in his favour.' But none of these things, for the present, succeeded. The insurrection under the lords Goring and Capel, on the surrender of Colchester to Fairfax, came to nothing; that in Wales, under colonel Poyer, Cromwell, with no very great difficulty, subdued; and, immediately, with very speedy marches, he came up with duke Hamilton, who himself was taken prisoner, and the whole body of Scots and English, under his command, routed. This, properly, put a period to the second civil war, in which the rashness and imprudence of the one side was as remarkable, as the valour and good conduct of the other. "All this great victory," says Clarendon, "was got by Cromwell, with an army amounting to a third part of the Scots in number, if they had been all together; and it was not diminished half an hundred in obtaining this victory, after the English forces, under Langdale had been defeated "." This was the battle of Preston, fought August 17, 1648. The Scots army were "twelve thousand foot, well armed, and five thousand horse. Langdale had two thousand five hundred foot, and one thousand five hundred horse; in all twenty-one thousand; and in the parliament's army, in all, about eight thousand six hundred! and, of the enemy, about two thousand were slain, and about nine thousand prisoners taken, besides what were lurking in hedges and private places, which the country people daily brought in or destroyed "." For this victory a solemn thanksgiving was

Vol. V. p. 165.

b Whitlock, p. 332.

VOL. III.

N

officer employed to seize and secure the mem

ordered throughout the kingdom, on the seventh of September following. After this Cromwell marched forward for Scotland, in order effectually to suppress the Hamiltonian party. In his march his discipline was very exact, and his order so good, that no ground of complaint was given to the inhabitants. At length he arrived at Edinburgh, "where he was received with great ceremony, and demanded, that none, who had been in action in the late wicked engagement and invasion, might, henceforward, be employed in any public place of trust; to which the com mittee of estates there gave a satisfactory answer. He had also visits and conferences with commissioners from the kirk, and from the provost and magistrates of Edinburgh, and a strong, guard of soldiers at his lodging. At the time of his being at Edinburgh several other demands were made by him to the committee of estates, who gave him very fair answer, and he reserved liberty for the parliament of England to make such farther demands as they should think requisite. The charges of Cromwell's entertainment, and of all his company, during the time of their being at Edinburgh, were defrayed by the lord provost of the city, by order of the committee of estates; and Cromwell, Haselrigge, and the rest of their company, were entertained by general Leven, the lord Argyle, and many other lords, atra sumptuous banquet in the castle. At their going aways the castle saluted them with many great guns, and vollies of small shot, and divers lords convoyed them out of the city b" Whilst Oliver was in Scotland, the parliament, fearing the army, who had so frequently been troublesome to them, and likewise the adherents of the king, who had risen so lately in his favour, and willing, if possible, to procure peace to the kingdom, revoked the votes of no more addresses, opened a treaty with his majesty in the Isle of Wight, and were about to have brought matters to

4

* Journal of the House of Commons, Aug. 23, 1648.

Whitlock, p. 343.

bers. High High complaints were made of this ac

a conclusion. But the soldiery, dreading the consequences of a peace with respect to themselves, seized the king ut Newport, conducted him under guard to Hurst-Castle; presented a remonstrance to the house of commons against any further treaty, and insisted on bringing him and his adherents to justice. The house was now alarmed they voted that the seizure of the king was without their know ledge or consent, and that his concessions to the propositions upon the treaty were a sufficient ground to proceed upon for the settlement of the kingdom. Whereupon the army' marched up to London, seized and imprisoned a good number of the members, and hindered very many more from going into the house; whereby it came to pass, that every thing was carried according to their own determina tions. This exclusion and force on the house was on the sixth of December, one thousand six hundred and fortyeight. On the next day, at the request of an eminent man in the army, the following petition was printed. I give it as a curiosity to the reader, who may consider it as valuable, on account of the matter and the manner; however, as it has escaped the notice of other writers, it will have the merit of novelty here.

"To the right honourable Thomas Lord Fairfax, our faithful general,

"The humble petition of all the officers and soldiers of the regiment commanded by colonel Thomas Pride,

"Humbly sheweth,

"Whereas it hath pleased the Lord of Hosts (who was called upon to decide the controversy of this nation) to write his name upon your sword in very legible characters, as appears upon record twice, viz. in the year-45, where we had 114 victories, and now this last summer above 30, even to our astonishment, who were used by you in that service, that those proud billows in Wales, England and Scotland, have been bounded and calmed, in less than six

tion, as insolent, unjust, tyrannical, and sub

Se

months; and when through many tiresome marches and conflictings with many deaths (to say no more, lest we be counted boasters) we thought when the north and the south wind had thus blown upon the garden, that the spices would have flown out: behold we have our sorrows repeated, and our fears increased, making our wounds even to bleed afresh. For, 1. We find many good and just petitions. from city, country and army, not only unanswered, laid by, and slighted, but also things contrary to their honest desires practized; which appears first, by treating with a conquered enemy, contrary to the vote of non-addresses, against which this army is engaged by life and death; yea, and to make the treaty the fruits of our victories over the Scots, resolving to beg mercy of him, the very hour that army of his was begging mercy of us. condly, not only treating, but falling from their resolved propositions, especially in that of delinquents, from 37 not to be spared to 7, and those neither considerable, nor attainable, mocking the people in their covenant, which is to bring these to condign punishment, and as if that were not enough, to abate so much in compositions of the rest, (as if such a compliance was intended) as we should change conditions with the enemy, and fight and conquer ourselves into slavery. Thirdly, to add more load to the grieved petitioners, their best friends, and gratify the worst of enemies, 14 days more is granted, tendring a complyance upon any terms; yea, though by agreement, he hath taken upon him the blood of the three kingdoms: and to leave us hopeless of any good by him, he abets his son in that pyracy, and Ormond in that renewed conspiracy against that little protestant blood unexhausted in Ireland. Nor can we but be thoughtful why some notice might not have been given to your excellency and army, concerning a treaty, since our trustees have so often acknowledged God to have sent them preservation by this hand, but we only point at that. We take leave to tell your excellency what you hear of daily to your intollerable grief, the army must be made again the