beginning so wholly for the Parliament, that the King's interest appeared not in them;' others 'so wholly for the King, that the godly, for these generally were the Parliament's friends, were forced to forsake their habitations and seek other shelter."* The King retorted upon the Parliament's preparations, by a proclamation for suppressing the rebellion' headed by Essex; and, shortly after, commenced overtly the civil war, by erecting his standard at Not

* About the same time, the appellations of cavalier and roundhead came into general use, to denote the opposite parties. The former, it is well known, designated the King's friends; and of the origin of the latter, the ingenious authoress just quoted gives the following account:-" When Puritanisme grew into a faction, the zealotts distinguisht themselves, both men and women, by severall affectations of habitt, lookes, and words, which, had it bene a reall declension of vanity, and embracing of sobriety in all those things, had bene most commendable in them," &c. "Among other affected habitts, few of the Puritanes, what degree soever they were of, wore their haire long enough to cover their eares; and the ministers and many others cut it close round their heads, with so many little peakes, as was something ridiculous to behold. From this custom of wearing their haires, that name of Roundhead became the scornful terme given to the whole parliament party; whose army indeed marcht out so, but as if they had bene sent out only till their haire was growne." Two or three years afterwards, however, she continues, the custom, it may be presumed, having declined," any stranger that had seen them would have enquired the reason of that

name."

tingham. This melancholy act took place, to the general sadness of the town, August 25, 1642; and it was observed, as an ill omen to Charles, that a tempestuous wind overturned the standard the very same evening it was erected.

In the preceding brief narration of the principal events which prepared the way to this calamitous civil war, very much, since the present volume does not affect the character of a history of those times, has naturally been omitted. Some rather important features of that singular era, unregarded by our best known historians, have, however, been given: and such a notice of those events will be allowed to have been necessary to complete a portraiture of Cromwell, by recalling to view that extraordinary combination of external circumstances, to which his most remarkable characteristics, and the general turn given to his genius and public conduct, must in such great measure be ascribed. A mighty theatre was now opened to his view, in which a mournful but grand spectacle was about to be displayed.Liberty, disguised indeed under a cloud of errors, was on the eve of conflict with tyranny, but little veiled by much personal virtue, and many amiable qualities, in the tyrant. Talents, of all kinds, that, happily perhaps for their possessors, slumbered, and would have been bu

ried, beneath the calm of national concord, rose rapidly to their level amidst the uproar of a kingdom in arms; and became the speedy harbingers to numbers, of success, fame, victory, of glorious, or ignominious death.-The wonderful powers of Cromwell's mind, and their applicability to any employment in which they could find scope, will be at once apparent from the consideration, that he had now passed fortythree years of his life, without a seeming opportunity to imbibe a single military idea; and yet, that a very short career in the military profession, sufficed to place him in the very foremost rank of able and successful captains, whether of ancient or modern times.

CHAPTER IV.

FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PARLIAMENT'S ORDINANCE FOR NEW MODELLING THEIR ARMY.

Cromwell's Activity at this Period.-Notices of him by various Contemporaries.-Mode of Disciplining his Soldiers.Visits his Uncle Sir Oliver, en militaire.-Situation of the Opposed Parties. Battle of Edgehill.-Grantham Fight.Death of Hampden.-Cromwell relieves Gainsborough.— Battle near Horncastle.-The Scots enter England.-Battle of Marston Moor.-Various Engagements.-Treaty of Uxbridge.-Proceedings of the Parliament.-Supposed Real Conduct of Cromwell relative to the "Self-Denying Ordinance."-The Army New-Modelled.-Cromwell prepares to resign his Command.

PREVIOUSLY to the actual breaking out of the war, Cromwell, who appears to have all along resolved to stand or fall with the Parliament, had proved himself an active partizan, by distributing arms in the town of Cambridge, which he represented; by raising a troop of horse out of that county and Hunts, in both of which he was well known and respected by the popular party; by seizing the magazine in Cambridge Castle, for the use of the Parliament; and by stopping a quantity of plate, that was on its

way from that University to the King at York. Acts, all of these, which, though among the most prominent of that early period, were justified (if, as Cromwell deemed, the popular cause was justifiable) by the hostile attitude of the King, and by the Parliament's sanction and co-operation. He did yet more: for he 'contributed, by his great wisdom and indefatigable industry, to crush in the beginning all the endeavours of the King's party, in several counties, to raise a force for the King':* nay, he actually arrested the High-Sheriff of Hertfordshire, át the moment when the latter was proceeding to St. Alban's, to publish the King's proclamation, which declared 'the Parliament-Commanders all traitors.' The conduct, sagacity, and the peculiar policy he evinced in these enterprizes, and more particularly in the choice and discipline of his men, have been noticed and admired by writers of the most opposite character. Whitelock says, 'He had a brave troop of horse of his countrymen, most of them freeholders and freeholders' sons, who, upon matter of conscience, engaged in this quarrel with Cromwell. And thus being well armed within, by the satisfaction of their own consciences, and without in good iron armour, they would as one man stand firmly, and charge