tunity of his party, and might easily be construed into a proof that the zeal of the royalists had somewhat slackened in these counties. The Council also looked with some alarm at an attempt to assume the direction. of the Prince's conduct, which was likely to lead to still further interference, had the petition been followed by successful overtures for peace, an interference which would have embarrassed the action of his responsible advisers without releasing them from their responsibility.' It was not without considerable difficulty that the Council succeeded in preventing this petition from being presented to the Prince; and it was then resolved that he should himself address the following letter to Sir Thomas Fairfax :

"We have so deep a sense of the present miseries and calamities of this kingdom, that there is nothing we more earnestly pray for to Almighty God than that He would be pleased to restore unto it a happy peace; and we should think it a great blessing of God upon us if we might be so happy as to be an instrument in the advancing of it; and therefore, we have resolved to send two of our Council unto the King our father, with some such overtures as we are hopeful may much conduce thereunto; and do hereby desire you to send or procure from the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament at Westminster a safe-conduct for the Lord Hopton and the Lord Colepepper, with twelve servants, to go to our Royal father, and to return to us; and we shall then manifest to the world our most earnest endeavours to stop this issue of blood,

1 66

They would quickly make themselves judges of the matter of it, "and counsellors of what was to be done upon it."-Clarendon's Hist. of the Rebellion, vol. v. p. 241.

which must otherwise, in a little time, render this unhappy land yet more miserable.

"Given at our Court at Exeter, this 15th day of September, 1645.

"CHARLES P."

This letter was forwarded by Sir Thomas Fairfax to the Committee of both Kingdoms, and was read in the House of Lords, with one from himself,' in which it was enclosed, on the 26th of September; it was sent down

1 Sir Thomas Fairfax's letter was as follows:

"My Lords and Gentlemen,-His Highness the Prince of Wales sent "me by his trumpet this enclosed letter, which doth express what he "desires from both Houses of Parliament. I thought it my duty, by "your Lordships' means, to acquaint them with it, and not to hinder the "hopeful blossom of your young peace-maker (if I may be so bold here "to term him so); which may prove a flower in his title more glorious "and sweet to us than the rest of his ancestors, if it please the Lord to "create peace by him. I shall desire to know your Lordships' further "pleasure in this, which shall be observed by your Lordships' humble "servant,

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Bath, Sept. 20, 1645.

"THO. FAIRFAX.

"For the Right Honourable the Committee of both Kingdoms, at Darby House, in Chanell Row."-Lords' Journals, vol. vii. p. 600.

Sir Thomas Fairfax's Acknowledgment of the Prince's Letter.

"May it please your Highness,-I shall most willingly acquaint the "Houses of Parliament with your desires touching a safe-conduct for the "Lords mentioned in your letter; and am exceeding glad to perceive in your Highness so serious a sense of the evils and miseries of these distressed "kingdoms, in which, after his Majesty, you have so great an interest, "which shall ever be as dear to us as our own. And I hope it shall appear "to all the world, though we make use of war for necessity, yet we are not "a people that delight in war, but next after the truth (which is much "dearer to us than our lives) and our just rights and liberties (which we "reckon equal with our lives, our lives being but a shadow of death without "them) we above all other things prefer peace; and it shall be your High"ness's greatest glory earnestly to endeavour and mediate with his Majesty

to the House of Commons that day, and recommended to immediate consideration. On the 1st of October a message was again sent from the Lords to the Commons to remind them of the message respecting the Prince's letter to Sir Thomas Fairfax; but whether an answer was ever sent from Parliament does not appear: none such is entered on the Journals of either House; and Lord Clarendon speaks of the Prince's message "having been public, and afterwards so much neglected."1

The following letter was Sir Thomas Fairfax's answer to the Prince's letter:-2

"SIR,

"Your Highness's desire of a safe-conduct for the two persons whom you design to send to the King, I did, according to my duty and promise, faithfully represent unto the Parliament, but have not yet received their resolution thereunto. What the occasion may be of delay or suspension therein I may not take upon me to determine. Perhaps, finding what counsels still prevail about his Majesty, they may justly apprehend any such address to him would be fruitless, if not hurtful to the end you propose it: and yet, being loth to answer any desire from your Highness with a public denial, may choose to suspend rather than give their resolution. Whatever the reason be, I believe it just and necessary. And your Highness need not doubt of the Parliament's readiness to grant any desire of

"for this, and God Almighty prosper, command, and create it for us: which "is the earnest prayer of your Highness's most faithful and most humble "servant, "T. FAIRFAX.

"Bath, 19th of Sept. 1645."

-Clarendon State Papers, vol. ii. p. 792.

Clarendon's Hist. of the Rebellion,' vol. v. p. 241. • Clarendon State Papers, vol. ii. p. 194.

yours that may be for your own and the kingdom's good, and especially for so blessed a purpose as a safe and just peace. But, truly, I conceive it would be far more available to that end-more for the safety and welfare of your own person and family, and the joy of the subjects of this kingdom-if your Highness would disband what forces you have the command of in these parts, and go yourself in person to the Parliament, where your Highness need not doubt of safety and honourable reception; nor those Lords and gentlemen that are about you, and shall be forwarders of so good a resolution, of favour answerable thereunto; besides the benefit of the propositions last tendered to all those that come in before the first of December. And for your soldiery, they should have good conditions, as soldiers, from myself, and no doubt, as subjects, from the Parliament. If in this I might serve your Highness, I should most readily give, or be myself, your safe-conduct, and account it an honour and blessing from the hands of God, crowning all other the successes he hath been pleased to give, in this kingdom's behalf, to the weak endeavours of

"Your Highness's most faithful and
humble servant,

"Nov. 8, 1645."

"T. FAIRFAX."

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From the Lord (Arthur) Capell to Sir Thomas Fairfax.'

SIR,

"In answer to yours of the 8th of this month, his Highness hath commanded me to let you know, that he did not believe that his overture of engaging himself in the mediation of a blessed peace for this miserable kingdom (which he did, and does still, most earnestly desire to labour in) would have brought him an invitation to quit his piety and loyalty to his Royal father, by dividing his interest from that of his Majesty's,

1 Fairfax Correspondence, vol. i. p. 259.

whereby he should render himself unworthy and incapable of the fruits of that peace he labours for. If his former propositions may be consented unto, he hopes God will so bless his sincere intentions and desires as to make him a blessed instrument to preserve this kingdom from desolation; but if that be rejected, he shall give the world no cause to believe that he will forfeit that honour and integrity which can only preserve him in a capacity of doing that service, and shall, with patience, attend God's good pleasure until his endeavours may be applied with preservation of his innocency. This is all I have in command from his Highness.

"Your servant,

"Exeter, December 1st, 1645."

"ARTHUR CAPELL.

The month of October brought fresh changes in the West. Sir Thomas Fairfax had been highly successful against the Royalist force, and had received the thanks of Parliament, October 23, for the taking of Tiverton; in November Lord Goring suddenly quitted his command and retired into France. Sir Richard Greenvil, who was again in command, had by the Prince's direction taken up his quarters at Ockington,' the object of which was to hinder the enemy's army from any communication with Plymouth. Towards the end of November, without notice to the Prince, and contrary to the express desire of Lord Capell and Lord Culpepper, who were at Exeter, and wrote to him strongly "not to remove," he suddenly retired with his three regiments from Ockington into Cornwall, mustered his men upon the river Tamer, and then issued his com

1 Oakhampton.