*

do me the good service to bring Cromwell to me, alive or dead." The earl of Essex grew jealous of him : the Scotch commissioners, at his inftigation, held a conference with some of the parliament's members, how to get rid of him, in which he was vehemently accused by the chancellor of Scotland. He had also a difference with the earl of Manchester, whom he accused of cowardice at the second battle of Newbury, which ended in an irreconcileable breach between them. Yet; amidst all his enemies and rivals, Cromwell still carry'd his point, so far, that when the army was new-modelled, by what was called the self-denying ordinance, which excluded all members of parliament from military posts, he continued a fingle exception to this general law, and kept his command, when the earls of Essex, Manchester, Denbigh, and Warwick, the lord Grey of Groby, Sir William Waller, major-general Maffey, -and many others, were removed from theirs. Of fach importance did his services now appear, that envy and opposition could have no effect against him, though promoted by persons in the higheit stations.

I do not pretend to give a regular narrative of all the actions of this great man, and therefore fall hasten over those of less moment ; such as his defeat of the earl of Northampton and lord Goring at Ifipbridge ; his taking Bletchington-house, for the fura render of which colonel Windebank was shot to death at Oxford ; his taking Sir William Vaughan, and lieutenant-colonel Littleton, with most of their men, prisoners ; his storting of Faringdon-house, where he was repulsed by Sir George Lille : it is sufficient to take notice, that a little before the battle of Naseby he was appointed † lieutenant-general of the horse,

notwith

* Vide Chap. VI.

+ This was in consequence of some letters from the chief officers of horse to the parliament, defiring that colonel Cromwell might be lieutenant-general of the hotwithstanding the felf-denying ordinance, and the complaints of those gentlemen upoir whose ruins he was now visibly raifing. Whitelock informs us, that he now began to increase in the favour of the people, and of the army, and to grow great to the envý of many.

There is a paffage in the Portuguese embaffador's panegyriek to the protector, which I cannot help inferting here." A way being made, fays the author, thro’ the inferior posts;' he rofe to be lieutenant-general of the army; where, with a fingular prerogative of experience, acquired through all the military offices, he fo fuited himself to all perfons, that he feem'd to be born only to that truft which he then exercifed He commanded both the horfe and foot forces with the same ease, though in their use and ordering fo different front 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 most fervice in an engagement, since it was evident that both ftood in need of so great a captain for the gaining of thofe happy fucceffes which he won in battle.”

f. 5. Fairfax was the parliament's chief general, in the room of the eart of Enex. Cromwell joined him and the main army, at Gilsborough, bringing with him fix hundred horse 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 Thould fight with greater

horse under Sir Thomas Fairfax: After fome de. bate, says Whitelock, the houfe ordered, " That Sir Thomas Fairfax Thould appoint Cromwell to con. mand the horse under him as lieutenant-general, if he thought fit."

* Memoirs, &c. p. 52. This piece is supposed to have been written by Milton.

с

advantage advantage northward. But Ireton, by Cromwell's advice, being fent out with a flying party of horse, fell upon a party of the king's rear, quartered in Naseby town, and took many prisoners, being some of prince Rupert's life-guard, and Langdale's brigade. This gave such an alarm to the whole royal army, that the king at midnight left his own quarters, and for security haftened to Harborough, where the van of his army lay. Here calling up prince Rupert, he summoned a council of war, in which it was resolved (chiefly through the prince's eagerness, the old commanders being much against it) to give the enemy battle; and fince Fairfax had been so forward, they would no longer stay for him, but seek him out. Accordingly, being, come near Naseby, there they found him ; and both armies being drawn up in battalia, faced each other. The princes Rupert and Maurice commanded the right wing of the royal army, Sir Marmaduke Langdale the left, and the king himself the main body; the earl of Lindsay and Jacob lord Alley, the right-hand reserve ; and the lord Bard and Sir George Lifle, the left reserve. The right wing of the parliament's army was held by lieu. tenant-general Cromwell, the left by colonel İreton, the main body by general Fairfax and major-general Skippon, who fought ftoutly, though severely wounded in the beginning of the fight ; and the reserves were brought up by Rainsborough, Hammond, and Pride. The place of action was a large fallow field, on the north-west side of Naseby, above a mile broad ; which space of ground was wholly taken up by the two armies.

All things being disposed, on the 14th of June, at ten in the morning, the battle began with more than civil rage ; the royal word being, “ God and queen Mary," and the others, « God with us." Prince Rupert gave the first charge, and engaged the parliament's left wing with great resolution. Ireton made gallant resistance, but was forced at last to give ground, the horse being shot under him, and himself

run

run through the thigh with a pike, and into the face with a halbert, and taken prisoner, till upon the turn of the battle he regained his liberty. The prince chased the enemy to Naseby town, and in his return summoned the train, and visited his carriages, where was good plunder. But here, as in the battle of Marston-moor, his long stay so far from the main body, was no small prejudice to the king's army,

For Cromwell, in the mean time, charged furiously on the king's left wing, and that with good success, forcing them from the body ; and prosecuting the advantage, quite broke them, and their reserve. After which, joining with Fairfax, he charged the king's foot, who had beaten the parliament's, and got porfeffion of their ordnance, and thought themselves fure of victory ; but being now in confufion, and having no horfe to support them, they were easily over-borne by Fairfax and Cromwell. By this time the king was joined by prince Rupert, returned from his fatal fuccefs; but the horse could never be brought to rally themselves again in order, or to charge the enemy.

Upon this, lord Clarendon says, “ that this difference was observed all along in the discipline of the king's troops, and those commanded by Fairfax and Cromwell (it having never been remarkable under Ellex and Waller, but only under them) though the king's troops prevailed in the charge, and routed those they charged, they seldom rally'd themselves again in order, nor could be brought to make a se. cond charge the same day; which was the reason they had not an entire victory at Edge-hill : whereas the troops under Fairfax and Cromwell, if they prevailed, or though they were beaten and routed, pre. fently rally'd again, and stood in good order, till they received farther directions.

And the glory of all that happened under Fairfax, ought, according to most writers, to be ascribed solely to Cromwell. Father Orleans says, “ Fairfax his birth, service, courage, and warlike temper, sufficiently qualified him to represent a prime actor : his mean capa. C 2

city and want of foresight (which made him active without thought, though heavy and hypochondriac) made him fit to receive the impressions given him by another, and be guided by Cromwell. Thus Faira fax made the lhow, and Cromwell managed all. The foriner being as pliable as he was ambitious, the latter ruled by appearing submissive." Agreeably to which we find the panegyrist before quoted expxefling him. self thus of Cromwell ; " Whatever military honours he bore, he most religiously obeyed his fuperiors in them all, in atchieving the most gallant acts, he gave the glory of all the conduct to the chief generals, and that with such a modesty, that he bound then mose Hrongly to himself, and obtain d the admiration of alt. Because a conquest of himself is even reckond more honourable in a soldier, than to triumph over the enemy. For this and his other virtues Fairfax: valued him at fo high a rate, that he would take no cognizance of the greatest affairs, because he would leave them intirely to Cromwell: and Cromwell, in those things which he himself only performed, and gave an. account of to the parliament, ftill made Fairfax the author.'

In fine, with all that the king the and princecould do, they could not rally their broken troops, which food. in suficient numbers upon the place : fo that they were forced at last to quit the field, leaving a compleat victory to the parliament's party, who purfued them within two miles of Leicester ; and the king finding the pursuit so, hot, fled from thence to. Alhby-de-laZouch, and then to Litchfield, and for a safer retreat into Wales.

Thus ended the famous battle of Naseby, in which the wonderful success of the parliament's party was chiefly owing to Cromwell's valour and good conduct, who flew like lightening from one part of the ariny to the other, and broke through the enemy's fquadrons with such rapidity, that nothing either could or durit flop him. "I'is said, that in this action a commander of the king's knowing Cromwell, advanced

briskly