freeholders, and freeholders fons, who, upon matter of confcience, engaged in the quarrel under Cromwell. And thus being well armed within, by the fatisfaction of their own confciences, and without by good iron arms, they would as one man ftand firmly, and charge defperately." He was obliged, however, after this victory, to retreat the fame night to Lincoln; which he did in good order, and marched the next day to the Earl of Manchester at Boston. Colonel Cavendish's troops rallying, after the death of their leader, and joining the Earl of Newcastle, Cromwell thought it not prudent to engage againft fuch prodigious odds; fo drew off with all the conduct of an experienced general. His next action was againft Sir John Henderson, an old commander, at the head of eighty-feven troops. Peck, from his conference on the parliament's defiring him to take on him the title of King: "I was a perfon that from my first employment was fuddenly preferred and lifted up from leffer trufts to greater. From my first being Captain of a troop of horse, I did labour, as well as I could, to discharge my trust; and God bleffed me, at it pleafed him. I had a very worthy friend then, Mr John Hampden, and he was a very noble perfon, and I know his memory is very grateful to all. At my firft going out into this. engagement, I faw our men beaten on every hand: I did indeed ; and defired him that he would make some additions to my Lord Effex's army of fome new regiments; and I told him it would be ferviceable to him in bringing fuch men in, as I thought had a fpirit that would do fomething in the work. Your troops, faid I, are most of them old decayed ferving-men and tapfters, and fuch kind of fellows; and their troops are gentlemens fons, younger fons, and perfons of quality and do you think that the fpirit of fuch bafe and mean fellows will ever be able to encounter gentlemen, that have honour, and courage, and refolution in them? You must get men of a spirit, and (take it not ill what I fay) of a fpirit that is likely to go on as far as gentlemen will go; or elfe I' am fure you will be beaten ftill. I told him fo. He was a wife and worthy perfon, and he did think that I talked a good notion, but an impracticable one. I told him, I could do fomewhat in it. And I raifed fuch men as had the fear of God before them, and made fome confcience of what they did. And from that day forward they never were beaten, but whenever they engaged against the enemy, they beat continually.” Peck's memoirs of the life. and actions of Oliver Cromwell, p. 52, in the notes. : They met near Horn-caftle, at a place called Windfby-field. Here Cromwell was in great danger, having his horfe killed in the firft fhock, and being ftruck down again as he attempted to rife. But his good fortune ftill protected him; in about an hour the royalifts were routed, the Lord Widdrington, Sir Ingram Hopton, and other perfons of quality, with about fifteen hundred foldiers and inferior officers, were left dead on the field, very few being loft on the parliament fide. Many prifoners, arms, and horfes, were taken; and it was in confequence of this victory, that the Earl of Manchefter made himfelf master of Lincoln. Soon after this followed the battle of Marftonmoor. The parliament army, under the Earl of Manchester, Lord Fairfax, and General Leven, had been obliged by Prince Rupert to raise the fiege of York. His Highness, not contented with this advantage, refolved to give them battle, and accordingly came up with them at the above mentioned place. In the engagement, the left wing of the royal army, commanded by the Prince in perfon, put to flight the parliament's right wing, and in it the faid three generals. But the Prince purfuing them too far, Cromwell, who commanded the left wing, found means to draw over the victory to his fide, and get the whole honour of it to himfelf. He engaged clofely the Earl of Newcastle, who had before only cannonaded at a distance, and the action on both fides was warm and defperate. The horfe having discharged their piftols, flung them at each other's heads, and then fell to it with their fwords. But after a very obftinate difpute, Cromwell's fuperior genius prevailed, and the King's right wing was totally routed. And now the Prince returning with his victorious party, was alfo charged at unawares, and entirely defeated, by the reserve of Cromwell's brigade. In this action, above four thoufand of the King's forces were flain, and fifteen hundred taken priofners, among whom were above a hundred perfons of distinc : tion, and confiderable officers. All their artillery, great number of fmall arms, and much ammunition, together with the Prince's own ftandard, were also taken the parliamentarians lofing not above three hundred men. The whole glory of it is univerfally afcribed to Cromwell, who, according to fome, was abfent, when Manchester, Fairfax, and Leven, were put in confufion, being gone off to have a wound dreffed, which he received at the firft charge: but returning to his poft, he fhewed what good fenfe united with valour could do; for by his own prowefs he infpired the troops with fresh courage, and immediately gave a new turn to the fortune of the day. For by his behaviour in this memorable battle, which was fought on the 2d of July 1644, Cromwell gained the name of Ironfides, alluding to his invincible bravery, and the impenetrable ftrength of his troops. The confequences on the King's fide were, diffenfion and feparation between the Prince and his confederates, and foon after the furrender of the city of York, by Sir Thomas Glemham. I am very fenfible that Sir William Dugdale, in his fhort view of the late troubles, and Lord Hollis, in his memoirs, have accufed Cromwell of egregious cowardice, the former in the battle of Edge-hill, and the latter in this battle of Marftonmoor: but as they both do it only on hearfay, and were befides profefled ene mies of our commander, and as all the concurrent and fubfequent facts and circumftances, in particular his great reputation from this time, entirely contradict and overthrow every calumny of that nature, it is certainly. needlefs to use any other means to wipe off their afperfions. In fact, Cromwell began now to be fo very much taken notice of, that fome dreaded, others envyed, and admired him. It is reported, that the character given of ba the King by Archbishop Williams, made fuch an impreffion on his Majefty, that he was heard to fay, "I would fome one would do me the good service to bring Cromwell to me alive or dead.”’ LIFE OF OLIVER CROMWELL. 23 The Earl of Effex grew jealous of him: the Scots commiffioners *, at his inftigation, held a conference with fome of the parliament's members, how to get rid of him, in which he was vehemently accused by the Chancellor of Scotland. He had alfo a difference with the Earl of Manchester, whom he accused of cowardice at the fecond battle of Newbury, which ended in an irreconcileable breach between them. Yet, amidst all his enemies and rivals, Cromwell ftill carried his point, fo far, that when the army was new-modelled, by what was called the felf-denying ordinance, which excluded all members of parliament from mili tary posts, he continued a fingle exception to this general law, and kept his command, when the Earls of Effex, Manchetter, Denbigh, and Warwick, the Lord Grey of Groby, Sir William Waller, Major-general Maffey, and many others, were removed from theirs. Of fuch importance did his fervices now appear, that envy and oppofition could have no effect against him, though promoted by perfons in the higheft ftations. I do not pretend to give a regular narrative of all the actions of this great man, and therefore fhall haften. ever those of lefs moment; fuch as his defeat of the Earl of Northampton and Lord Goring at Iflip-bridge; his taking Bletchington-houfe, for the furrender of which Colonel Windebank was fhot to death at Oxford; his taking Sir William Vaughan, and Lieutenant-colonel Littleton, with most of their men, prifoners; his ftorming of Faringdon-house, where he was repulfed by Sir George Life: It is fufficient to take notice, that a little before the battle of Nafeby he was appointed + Lieutenant-general of the harfe, notwith *This was in confequence of fome letters from the chief offcers of horfe to the parliament, defiring that Colonel Cromwell might be Lieutenant-general of horfe under S homas Fairfax. After fome debate, fays Whitelock, the house ordered, "That Sir Thomas Fairfax fhould appoint Cromwell to command the horfe under him as Lieutenant-general, if he thought fit." + Vide Chap. VI. of thofe gentlemen upon whofe ruins he was now vifibly raifing. Whitelock informs us, that he now be gan to increase in the favour of the people, and of the army, and to grow great to the envy of many. There is a paffage in the Portuguese ambaffador's panegyric to the protector, which I cannot help inferting here: "A way being made, fays the author, through the inferior pofts, he rofe to be the Lieutenantgeneral of the army; where, with a fingular preroga-, tive of experience, acquired through all the military offices, he fo fuited himfelf to all perfons, that he feemed to be born only to that truft which he then exercifed. He commanded both the horfe and foot forces with the fame cafe, though in their use and ordering fo different from each other; and performed fuch great and wonderful things with the help of each, that he made it a doubt, which of them may be of the molt fervice in an engagement, fince it was evident that both flood in need of fo great a Captain for the gaining of thofe happy fucceffes which he won in battle Fairfax was the parliament's chief General, in the room of the Earl of Effex. Cromwell joined him and the main army at Gilfborough, bringing with him fix hundred horfe and dragoons. The King, having been fome time at Borough-hill, drew off from thence towards Harborough, and defigned to march to Pomfret ; thinking, if he were followed by the parliament's forces, he should fight with greater advantage northward. But Ireton, by Cromwell's advice, being fent out with a flying party of horfe, fell upon a party of the King's rear, quartered in Nafeby town, and took many prifoners, being fome of Prince Rupert's life-guard, and Langdale's brigade. This gave fuch an alarm to the whole royal army, that the King at midnight left his own quarters, and for fecurity hattened to Harborough, where the van of his army lay. Here calling up Prince Memoirs, &c. p. 52. This picce is fuppofed to have been written by Milton. |