hat kingdom, after the abfolute reduction of it under the power of the English. "After this,fays he,the counry was kept in great order: fome caftles in the Highands had garrifons put into them, that were fo careful in their difcipline, and fo exact to their rules, that in no time the Highlands were kept in better order than during the ufurpation. There was a confiderable force of about feven or eight thousand men kept in Scotland: these were paid exactly, and strictly difciplined. The pay of the army brought fo much money into the kingdom, that it continued all that while in a very flourifhing state. Cromwell built three citadels, at Leith, Air, and Inverness, befides many little forts. was good juftice done, and vice was fuppreffed and punished; fo that we always reckon thofe eight years of ufurpation, a time of great peace and profperity. There was also a fort of union of the three kingdoms in one parliament, where Scotland had its reprefentatives. The Marquis of Argyle went up one of our commiffioners."

There

Thus we have gone through Cromwell's military life, and with as much brevity as polible, except int two or three of the principal actions, which I have taken more at large from the hiftorians of the time. His next conqueft was over the parliament, who employed him, by another fort of warfare, in which he was no lefs expert and fuccefsful than in the open field. But that will be the fubject of another chapter. I would only obferve, at the end of this, that with whom foever of the great captains of antiquity we compare him, Cromwell is in no danger of lofing by the comparison *. Like Lucullus, he came to the field unexperienced, and fhone out at once an accomplished general. For the rapidity of his conquefts he might vie with Alexander, or, whom he more nearly refembled, with Julius Cæfar. That an army of veteran Grecks, though fewer in number, fhould triumph over the effeminate Afians, was what might well enough be ex

See the Panegyric in the Appendix.

pected: but where Roman was opposed to Roman, and Briton to Briton, it seems but an act of juftice to afcribe it to the generals, that one of thefe parties was for ever victorious; efpecially if the party which prevailed, as in Cromwell's cafe, appeared at firft under many difadvantages.

Thofe who conclude, from the feverity ufed at Tredagh, and a few other places, that Cromwell, in his temper, was favage and cruel, are certainly much mistaken. We find him excufing thofe actions himself from the neceffity of affairs, which has always been taken for a fufficient reafon in matters of this nature. And if we confider the barbarities which the Irish, for fome years before, had been practifing on the poor English proteftants, especially in the horrid maffacreof 1641, we fhall have no reafon to wonder if a spirit of vengeance had prevailed in the English army, when, they had it in their power to make retaliation. We fee nothing however of this kind breaking out among them, which doubtlefs was owing, in a great meafure, to the good conduct of the general, and the ftri& difcipline for which he was fo remarkable.

CHAP. V.

A view of Cromwell's conduct towards King Charles I. with a vindication of him in many particulars.

T cannot be denied that Cromwell, in a multitude of inftances, appears to have been a great mafter of diffimulation: and, if the old maxim be true, "that he who knows not how to diffemble, knows not how to reign," we fhall find it was neceffary for him to be fo. This puts us under a difficulty, however, with regard to many of his actions, to find what were his real motives and views. But if we may judge from a feries of the most probable circumstances, we have no reason to think that he had at first, or even for a long time

after he arrived at great power, any fettled defign against the King's life. It was owing to him, indeed, that the King was feized at Holmby-houfe, contrary to the fenfe, and without the knowledge of parliament : but this was done with no other view than to his get Majefty into the hands of the army, who were jealous of the parliament, as the parliament were of them

For when the royal power was quite broken, and the royal perfon made a prifoner, mifunderftandings began to arife among the victors, from the foldiers arrogating more to themselves than their mafters were willing to allow. On this account it was imagined, that they who could fecure the King's perfon, might. play him off against the other party, and restore him upon their own terms, without any provifion for the others. It was even fufpected, at this time, that the parliament had actually a defign of reftoring the King's authority, in order to make use of it to ruin their own army. But the chief officers were more tenacious of the power they had acquired, and in particular Cromwell, who was a member of parliament as well as a general, than thus to refign it without any fecurity to themselves. It was thought neceffary, therefore, in order to leffen the parliament's authority, and increase their own, to take this otherwise unwarrantable step; of which Cromwell was the chief advifer, as appears from the teftimony of Joyce, who acted in the affair.

The animofities between the parliament and army. ftill continuing and increafing, the agitators feared the parliament would now, for their own fecurity, receive the King upon any terms, or rather put themfelves under his protection, that they might the better fubdue the army, and reduce them to obedience. Wherefore, being inftigated thereto by Cromwell, they on the 4th of June, fent Cornet Joyce, one of their body, with a party of horfe, to take him out of the hands of the. parliament-commiffioners, and bring him away to the army. Accordingly, Joyce about midnight drew up his horfe in order before Holmby-house, demanding

entrance. Colonel Greaves, and Major generai Brown,, who being alarmed, had doubled the guards, enquiring his name and bufinefs, he said his name was Joyce, a cornet in Colonel Whalley's regiment, and his business was to fpeak with the King. Being asked from whom, he faid," From myfelf my errand is to the King, I muft and I will fpeak with him," Greaves and Brown, commanded their men within to ftand to their arms; but they, feeing them to be their fellow-foldiers of the fame army, opened the gates, and fhook hands with them as old friends. The cornet, placed his centinels at the commiffioners chamber doors, and went himself, by the back-ftairs, directly to the King's bed chamber. The grooms being much furprifed, defired him to lay afide his arms, and affured him, that in the morning he fhould fpeak with the King: but he, with fword and piftol, infifted to have the door opened, and made fo much noife that it awaked his Majefty, who fent him out word, "that he would not rife nor speak with him till the morning" upon which the cornet retired in a huff. The King getting up early, in the morning, fent for him, who with great boldness told his Majefty, he was commanded to remove him, Where: upon the King defired the commiffioners might be called; but Joyce faid," they had nothing to do, but to return back to the parliament." Being afk ed for a fight of his, inftrnctions, he told his Majefty, "he fhould fee them prefently;" fo drawing up his troop in the inner court, "Thefe, Sir, faid he, are my inftructions. The King having took a good view of them, and finding them to be proper men, well mounted and armed, told the cornet with a fmile, "his iuftructions were in fair characters, legible with out fpelling." Joyce then preffing the King to go along with him, his Majefty refufed, unless the com miffioners might attend him; to which the cornet re plyed, he was very indifferent, they might go if they would." So the King, being attended by the commif fioners of the parliament, went along with Joyce, and

was that night conducted by him to Colonel Montague's houfe at Hinchingbrook, and the next night to Sir John Cut's at Childerfley near Cambridge. Here Fairfax, Cromwell, Ireton, Skippon, and many other officers came to wait upon the King, and fome of them kiffed his hand. 'Tis faid, that Joyce, being told that the general was difpleafed with him, for taking the king from Holmby, he anfwered, "that Lieuten ant-general Cromwell had given him orders at London to do all that he had done;" and indeed Fairfax now refigned himself entirely to Cromwell's judgment, who led and governed him as he pleafed. And though he was at firft diffatisfied with this proceeding of Joyce, yet Cromwell foon appeafed him, by reprefenting to him, "that nothing could have been done of greater advantage to the army and their generals, to the church and ftate, than what joyce had been doing: that the King was on the point of making an accommodation with the parliament, who had determined to fend Colonel Graves to fetch him; and if Joyce had not fetched him, there would have been an end of both officers and army, and all the pains they had taken for the public good, would not only have been useless, but

criminal."

:

Cromwell's grand defign, we are affured; was to hinder any conjunction between the king and the prefbyterians, the army's greatest enemies; and having now got him into his hands, he fpirited up an addrefs from the army, containing a charge of high treafon. againft

*

eleven members of the house of commons, who were the heads of the prefbyterian party. This had the defired effect; for knowing this charge was. rather to hinder their influencing the houfe, than with a view of proceeding capitally againft them, they determined to withdraw themfelves voluntarily, and leave

Thefe members were, Mr Denzil Hollis, Sir Philip Stapleton, Sir John Clotworthy, Serjeant Glyn, Mr Anthony Nichols, Mr Walter Long, Sir William Lewis, Colonel, Edward Harley, Sir William Waller, Colonel Mafley, and Sir John Maynard.