was seized at Holmby-house, contrary to the sense, and without the knowledge of the parliament : but

this

put themselves under his protection, that they might the better subdue 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 horse, 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 horse in erder before Holmby-houfe, demanding entrance. Colonel Greaves, and major-general Brown, who being alarm’d, had doubled the guards, enquiring his name and business, he said his name was Joyce, a cornet in colonel Whalley's regiment, and his bufiness was to speak with the king. Being ask'd from whom, he faid, “ From myself; my errand is to the king, I'muft and I will speak with him." Greaves and Brown commanded their men within to stand to their arms; but they, seeing them to be their fellow-foldiers of the fame army, opend the gates, and fhook hands with tirém as old friends, The cornet placed his centinels, at the commissioners chamberdoors, and went himself, by the back-stairs, directly to the king's bed-chamber.' The grooms being much surprised, desired him to lay afide his arms, and af. sured him, that in the morning he should speak with the king : but he, with sword and pistol, insisted to have the door opened, and made so much noile that it waked his majetty, who sent him out word, “ that he would not rise nor speak with him till the morning: upon which the cornet retir'd in a huff. The king getting up early in the morning, sent for him, who with great boldness told his majesty, he was commanded to remove him. Whereupon the king defired the commissioners might be called; but Joyce faid, “ they had nothing to do but to return back to the parliament." Being ask'd for a sight of his in

structions,

EA

this was done with no other view than to get his ma-,

jesty

66 he was

structions, he told his majesty," he should see them
prefently;" so drawing up his troop in the inner
court, These, Sir, faid he, are my instructions."
The king having took a good view of them, and
finding them to be proper en, well mounted and
arm'd, told the cornet with a smile, “ his instructions
were in fair characters, legible without spelling."
Joyce then pressing the king to go along with him,
his majesty refused, unless the commissioners might
attend him ; to which the cornet reply'd,
very indifferent, they might go if they would.” So
the king, being attended by the commissioners of the
parliament, went along with Joyce, and was that
night conducted by him to colonel Montague's house
at Hinclingbrook, and the next night to Sir John
Cut's at Childersley near Cambridge. Here Fairfax,
Cromwell, Ireton, Skippon, and many other officers
came to wait upon the king, and some of them kissed
his hand. 'Tis said, that Joyce being told, that the
general was displeased with him, "for taking the
king from Holmby, he answered, “ that lieute-
nant-general Cromwell had given him orders at
Loncon to do all that he had done;" and indeed
Fairfax now resigned himself entirely to Cromwell's
judgment, who led and governed him as he pleased.
And though he was at first dissatisfied with this pro-
ceeding of Joyce, yet Cromwell soon appeased him,
by representing to him, “ that nothing could have
been done of greater advantage to the army and their
generals, to the church and state, than what Joyce
had been doing : that the king was on the point of
making an accommodation with the parliament, who
had determined to send colonel Greaves to fetch him ;
and if Joyce had not fetch'd him, there would have
been an end of both officers and army, and all the
pains they had taken for the publick good, would not
only have been useless, but criminal.” Life of Oliver
Cromwell, in 8vo.

jelty 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 person made a prisoner, misunderstandings began to arise among the victors, from the soldiers arrogating more to themselves than their masters were willing to allow. On this account it was imagined, that they who could secure the king's person, might. play him off against the other party, and restore him upon their own terms, without any provision for the others. It was even suspected at this time, that the parliament had actually a design of restoring 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 resign it without. any security to themselves. It was thought necessary, 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 · adviser, as appears from the testimony of Joyce, who acted in the affair.

§. 2. Cromwell's grand design, we are assured, was: to hinder any conjunction between the king and the prelbyterians, the army's greatest enemies; and having now got him into his hands, he spirited up an adiress from the army, containing a charge of high treason against * eleven meinbers of the house of commons, who were the heads of the presbyterian. party. This had the desired effect; for knowing this charge was rather to hinder their influencing the: house, than with a view of proceeding capitally

* These members were, Mr. Denzil IIollis, Sir Philip Stapleton, Sir John Clotwothy, Se jeant Glyn, Mr. Anticny Nichols, Mr. Walter Long, Sir Wile Jam Lewis, colcnel Edward Harley, Sir William Waller, colonel Marley, and Sir John Maynard.

against them, they determined to withdraw themselves voluntarily, and leave the fway of the house in the hands of the opposite party; who, though called independants, were made up of men of different perfuafions, that were in general friends to the army. There was also a moderate party in the house, who usually voted on the side of liberty, till they found what lengths they were like to be led.

Having proceeded thus far, Cromwell's next intentions were to restore the king by means of the independants, now the predominant party; thinking that liberty of conscience would thereby be better secured, than it could be under a presbyterian hierarchy. And the king himself began to think his condition altered for the better, and to look upon the independant interest as more confistent with episcopacy than the pre hyterian, because it might subsist under any form, which the other could nct do. He was also much more civilly treated since his being in the army, than he was before while the parliament's prisoner : for though he was obliged to attend the motion of the camp, he was every where allowed to appear in state and luftre, with his nobility about him, his chaplains in waiting, and all his servants in their proper places. His majelty received also an address from the army, full of protestations of duty : which was set on foot by Croinwell and Ireton; though, to prevent the parliament's jealousy of them, they were at first somewhat reserved in their own behaviour ; and even desired to be excused from feeing his majesty often, and waved the ceremony of kifling his hand when before him, notwithstanding all the address which his majesty niade use of, as to persons he knew could do him service.

After some time, however, Cromwell's behaviour was more open and free; he visited the king frequently, and had long conferences with him.

Once in particular he is said to have promised his majesty, " that if he ed his party would fit still, and neither act nor declare against the army, he would restore, him, and make him the greatest prince in Christendom.". Though in private, among his friends, he boasted, “ that now he had got the king into his hands, he had got the parliament in his pocket." His majesty knew that Cromwell bore the greatest fway in the army, and finding him not averse to his interest, was so indiscreet as to say to general Fairfax, upon his offering him his fervice, " Sir, I have as good interest in the army as you.” Which expression was taken very ill by the general, and did the king no service,

§. 3. But notwithstanding the king's indiscretion, Cromwell was certainly in earnest as to his design of a restoration, though he durft not openly avow it. This was evident from his message to Sir John Berke.' ley, who was sent over by the queen and the prince to promove an agreement between the king and the army: Sir Allen Appefley, the messenger, was ordered to inform Sir John, that “ Cromwell well remembered what he had once heard him say, concerne ing the difficulty of introducing a popular government, against the king, the nobility and gentry, the presbyterians, and the genius of the nation ; and that therefore it would be well for the independants to do what the presbyterians had only pretended to, and restore the king and people to their juft and antient rights ; this being the only way to obtain trust and power for themselves, as much as subjects are ca." pable of: whereas, if they aimed at more, it would be attended with a great hatred, and their own destruction. That though Cromwell, when Sir John held this discourse, only gave him the hearing, yet he had fince found by experience, that all, or the greatest part of it was reasonable, and he was resolved to act accordingly, as might be perceived by what had already pals'd; defiring that the queen and the prince would not condemn his party, but fufpend their opinion of them, and their intentions, till their future carriage should make full proof of their inte