the cause why the negotia CHAP. IX. The Queen the authority of one of his own supporters, Clarendon. This writer says that he had solemnly promised the Queen, tions failed. on her departure for Holland the year before, never to give away any office without her consent, and to make no peace without her interposition and mediation.* In the equally balanced condition of both forces at this particular juncture, some compromise on the great question of the militia was not impracticable, had Charles been really anxious for peace; for we should remember that parliament was justified in demanding security for themselves, especially when the King had, not long before, peremptorily excluded several of their leading men from amnesty. The truth is, that both parties stood out for more than they could, either as belligerents, or according to the principles of the constitution, reasonably claim; the parliament had no right to control the military force, nor the King, on the other hand, a right to keep an army on foot without the consent of parliament. It was the desire of Whitelocke, and many other moderate men, to dispense with all military forces whatever, as the kingdom had no need of them at that time; but when swords are once drawn, they are seldom sheathed till experience has shown which is the sharpest blade.t She is of high treason. The Commons suspected that the Queen's ascendancy over her husband was the cause of the King's rejection of their impeached demands, and they, therefore, determined upon a remarkable stroke of policy, in order to prevent the renewal of negotiations. In February, Henrietta, having escaped the parliamentary fleet, had landed at Burlington, in Yorkshire, with arms and ammunition, and, proceeding to York, was there joined by a host of Roman Catholics eager to serve her. The Commons, therefore, took advantage of this, and impeached her of high treason (May 23rd), which exasperated the King, and cut off all hope, for the present, of any accommodation. war with 50. Renewal of Hostilities. 1643. Essex began the campaign by the capture of Reading (April 27th); but he obstinately refused Essex made to besiege Oxford, as Hampden advised. It was not that regret. he was either treacherous to the parliament, or afraid of risk; for he was ever distinguished by bravery, and cheerfulness under adverse circumstances; but he made war with regret, and he had little confidence in the Committee of Safety, who were opposed to any overtures for peace. The more violent of the war party had gone so far as to demand his removal, and to Clarendon's Memoirs, I., 181. + Hallam, I. 1643 liamentary suggest Hampden as his successor. But that remarkably prudent man had no desire for supreme command, brave and daring as he was, at the head of his regiment. Since Other par the war had begun, however, there were other parlia- leaders. mentary leaders who had acquired fame and shown abilities for generalship. In the north, Fairfax and his father, not- Fairfax. withstanding the superiority of Lord Newcastle, maintained the parliamentary cause with boldness and spirit. Lord Manchester (late Lord Kimbolton and Lord Mandeville), who was at Manchester the head of the Eastern Counties Association, had also rendered valuable assistance to the parliament in the northern and midland counties; while Colonel Cromwell, at the head of his famous Ironsides, had made himself famous by his dashing exploits, as skilfully planned as they were ably executed. He penetrated into Lincolnshire, disarming the disaffected as he passed; Cromwell's took Stamford and Burleigh by the way; defeated a body exploits. of Cavaliers twice as numerous as his own, near Grantham; relieved Gainsboro', by a most daring achievement, in which he placed himself between the army of the besiegers, and that of Lord Newcastle, returning victorious from the battle of Atherton Moor, and then made a masterly retreat towards Boston. At the same time, the parliamentary forces in the south and west dispersed the Royalist bands; and Sir William Waller, whose rapidity of movement, daring spirit, and contempt of military rules, sir William were advantageously contrasted with the slow and cautious experience of Essex, reduced so many places in such a short time, that his admirers quaintly styled him "William the Conqueror." Only Essex, therefore, allowed the war to languish, while on the other hand, the war party, who were his enemies, and occupied most of the offices in the government, neglected to furnish his troops with pay, provisions, and clothing. The party to which Essex belonged, in fact, already felt that the power they had hitherto wielded, was beginning to fall from their grasp, and that another party was silently forming, more earnest and daring in their purpose, under whose influence also, an army, destined to become invincible, was being gradually formed. Waller. Cromwell's "Your horse are for the most part superannuated domestics, tapsters, and people of that sort," said Cromwell one day Origin of to Hampden; "theirs are the sons of gentlemen. Do Ironsides." you think such poor vagabonds as your fellows have soul enough to stand against gentlemen full of resolution and honour? You must have fellows animated by a spirit that will take them as far as the King's gentlemen, or you'll always be beaten." Which CHAP. IX. difficulty Hampden acknowledged, when Cromwell answered, "I will do something towards it; I will raise men who will have the fear of God before their eyes, and who will bring some conscience to what they do; and I promise you they shall not be beaten." And then he went through the eastern counties, recruiting young men who were known to him; all of them freeholders, or the sons of freeholders, to whom pay was not an object, nor mere idleness a pleasure; all of them hardy, religious men, engaging in the war for conscience' sake, and, under Cromwell, from confidence in him. "I will not deceive you," he said, "and make you believe that you are going to fight for the King and the parliament; if the King were here, I would shoot him as I would any other man among the malignants; he whose conscience will not allow him to do this, let him go." The majority hesitated not a moment; and they were no sooner enlisted than they gave up all domestic comforts, and the licence of military life; they were subjected to the severest discipline; and, mixing their military duties with frequent exercises of piety, they combined the free energy of religious zeal with the disciplined firmness of the soldier. Such was the origin of the famous Ironsides, the nucleus of that invincible army which gave numerous victories to the parliament, and carried Cromwell to the supreme government of the realm.* assembly of 51. Waller's plot. After the capture of Reading, parliament was more occupied with its internal dissensions than with the The proceedings of its enemies. The Presbyterians had long divines. demanded, and had been promised, an assembly of divines, to reform the church. It was now convoked (June), but the parliament named 121 members, and associated with them 30 of its own members; and would not allow it to assume any independent authority. A few days before this, the war party was considerably strengthened by the discovery of Waller's Plot-a scheme for making a strong Royalist demonstration in London; and for the purpose, it was said, of seizing the Tower, arresting the leaders of both houses, and introducing the King's troops into the city. This, however, was the design of only the more determined of the conspirators, for some contemplated no more than the refusal of the very heavy taxes which the parliament imposed upon the citizens; others wanted to present petitions for peace to both houses; and others went no further than the attempt to form a moderate party, which should stand in the gap, and unite the King and the parliament." The reputed leader was Edmund * Guizot's Eng. Rev., 183; Forster's Lives, VI., 87-94. 66 1643 Waller, the poet, with several members of both houses; and Lord Falkland, the King's secretary, was in correspondence with them. Upon the detection of this conspiracy, the two houses took an oath not to lay down arms so long as the papists now in arms should be protected from the justice of parliament, and never to adhere to, or willingly assist, the forces raised by the King without the consent of both houses. Of the prisoners arrested, seven were brought before a court martial, of whom five were condemned, but only two suffered, who were executed on gibbets before their own doors. Waller saved his life by the most abject submission; he was fined £10,000, and ordered to travel on the continent (July, 1643). 52. The Battle of Chalgrove Field, and the death of Hampden. During these proceedings, Essex had removed his head-quarters from Reading to Thame. One night, through information received from Captain Urrie, a renegade, Rupert surprised Chimnor in the rear of the army, and killed or captured the greater part of two regiments that lay in the town (June 18th). On the first alarm of this irruption, Hampden moved a force of infantry and cavalry to Chiselhampton Bridge, to intercept the prince's retreat across the river Thame. Rupert drew up on a large plain called Chalgrove Field, amidst the standing corn, and in the first charge Hampden received his death wound, his shoulder bone being broken with a brace of bullets. He reached Thame almost fainting, and after six days of cruel suffering, breathed his last, after partaking of the sacrament, and declaring his affectionate attachment to the episcopal church of England (June 24th). 66 In his last hour he prayed most fervently for his country. "O Lord," said he, save my bleeding country. Have these realms in thy especial keeping. Hampden's Confound and level in the dust those who would rob the people of their last prayer. liberty and lawful prerogative. Let the King see his error, and turn the hearts of his wicked counsellors from the malice and wickedness of their designs. Lord Jesu, receive my soul."* 53. Disastrous position of the parliament's affairs after the death of Hampden. The death of Hampden was the prelude to a series of disasters which now assailed the parliament. The enemies of Essex, in leaving his army deficient of everything, had relied, but mistakenly, on the success of his rivals. While he was sending messenger after messenger to demand supplies, the news came that Lord Fairfax had been defeated at Battles of Atherton Moor, near Bradford (June 30th), by Newcastle; Moor, that Sir John Hotham was on the point of surrendering Hull to the Queen; that Lord Willoughby could no longer defend Lin * Forster's Lives, III., 373; Nugent's Memorials. Atherton Down, and Round CHAP. IX. colnshire; and that the Eastern Counties Association, the great bulwark of the parliament, was about to be thrown open by the enemy. It was still worse in the south-west, where Waller Bradock incurred defeats in rapid succession. At Bradock Down, Lansdowne, Sir Ralph Hopton totally routed his army, and disputed way Down. With him the victory at Lansdowne (July 5th); while again he suffered a bloody and disastrous defeat at Roundway Down, near Devizes (July 13th). The Parliamentarians could make no progress in Cornwall; for the bravery and ability of Sir Bevil Grenville, Sir Ralph Hopton, and of the entire gentry, were so.admirable, and their popularity so great, that the King's cause triumphed here for a long time. During the month of Surrender August, all the great towns in the south-western counties were captured by the Royalists, and Bristol was surrendered by Nathaniel Fiennes, its governor (July 25th). While every day thus carried to London the most disheartening news, at at Oxford. Oxford confidence was restored by the arrival of the Queen from York, with 3,000 men, and artillery and stores. of Bristol. The Queen Never was the cause of the parliament in such danger as now. Divisions and jealousies had sprung; the fidelity of Essex was unjustly suspected, whilst his imbecility was evident; the death of Hampden was an irreparable misfortune; and Pym was already sinking under that fatal disease which deprived the parliament of Death of his unshrinking decision and fortitude in the following Pym. December, just at the time when they were most needed. The Commons, however, soon showed that these disasters did not cast them down, and they at once adopted measures of defence. The Lords took advantage of them to make a solemn protest of their fidelity to the King, and to make proposals of peace. But the Commons called upon them to come to some decision instantly with regard to the great seal; and on their refusal, ordered one to be engraved on their own authority, bearing on one side the arms of England and Ireland, and on the other a representation of the House of Commons sitting at Westminster, without any symbol to indicate the Lords (July). About the same time, the King, flushed with his successes, published a declaration (June 20th), wherein he denied the two houses sitting at houses to be Westminster the name of a parliament, a title which he ment. could no more take from them, after the bill he had passed, than they could deprive him of his royal title.* This proceeding shut up all avenues to an equal peace, and it was soon followed by a political error on the King's part, as extraordinary in its Charles proclaims the two no parlia * Hallam, I., 577. |