nounced as traitors. He sends a fresh message (Sept. 3) offering to recal his proclamation against Essex and others, if they will do the same; they vote a reply, “that the arms of the parliament for religion, laws, and liberties of the kingdom, shall not be laid down till delinquents be left to justice, that their estates may discharge the debts of the commonwealth."

Portsmouth surrendered to the parliament by Colonel Goring, Sept. 9.

Sir John Hotham sallies from Hull, and obliges the king's forces under the earl of Lindsay (Robert Bertie) to withdraw.

The king collects a considerable force, and makes his head-quarters at Shrewsbury Sept. 20; the parliamentary forces march towards him, under the command of the earl of Essex.

The parliament send Walter Strickland as their resident to Holland, to induce the States to prohibit assistance being given to the king.

The king marches from Shrewsbury towards London, when the parliament order the city to be fortified.

Essex garrisons Northampton and other towns, and recovers Worcester from Prince Rupert". He then fol

P The day before he mustered his forces at Wellington, and made a solemn protestation of his intention to respect the rights and liberties of his people, and to abide by the various laws to which he had recently consented.

q "It was wonderful," says Whitelock, "to see how the women and children and vast numbers of people would come to work, about digging and carrying of earth, to make their new fortifications."

The prince had seized the city shortly before, and on Sept. 25 defeated a strong party of the parliamentary horse, under Colonel Sandys, who was mortally wounded.

Prince Rupert, born in 1619, was nephew of the king, and a man of distinguished talent and bravery. His conduct, however, was rash and overbearing, and having surrendered Bristol too readily, he was

lows the king's army, and overtaking it at Edgehill, (near Kineton, in Warwickshire,) a bloody, but indecisive, battle, is fought there, Sunday, Oct. 23. The king moves to Oxford, of which he takes possession, Oct. 26; Essex returns to London, Nov. 7, and receives a gratuity of £5,000 from the parliaments.

The parliament invite the assistance of the Scots; their application is favourably received.

A General Assembly meets at Kilkenny, Oct. 24. It invites partisans, makes a seal, levies money for the support of an army, orders an oath of association to be taken, and commits the government to a Supreme Council of 24, of which Viscount Mountgarret is the president t.

The civil war had now commenced in earnest. In Wales, Cornwall, and Yorkshire, the king had strong bodies of troops; he himself possessed Oxford, and Prince Rupert kept the whole country between that city and London in constant alarm". The king resolved

desired to leave the kingdom. In 1648 he commanded a part of the revolted fleet, but was chased from sea to sea by Blake, and escaping his pursuit lived in retirement until the Restoration. He returned with Charles II., again served at sea, and died Nov. 29, 1682. His elder brother Charles Louis associated himself with the parliamentarians, but his younger brother Maurice served the king, and accompanying Rupert in his cruises, perished at sea in 1650.

The widows, orphans, and wounded of their party received a solemn promise of relief, Oct. 25, and on March 6, 1643, an ordinance was made for an assessment on each parish for their support.

On Nov. 15 it was determined to appoint agents "to be employed to his majesty, hereby to inform his majesty's highness of the motives and causes of raising this holy war, and other the grievances of this kingdom at this present."

A regiment of his horse was quartered at Fawley Court, the property of Whitelock, whose description of their proceedings may give some idea of the miserable state of the land, when such or worse outrages were perpetrated by both parties in every quarter:"Sir John Biron and his brother," he says, "commanded those horse, and gave order that they should commit no insolence at my

to march on London, when proposals of peace were sent to him, and conferences appointed to be held at Windsor, (Nov. 11,) but he still advanced, possessed himself, after a sharp fight, of Brentford, Nov. 12, and on the following day came to Turnham-green, but was there faced by Essex, and, without fighting, retired to Colnbrook, house, nor plunder my goods; but soldiers are not easily governed against their plunder, or persuaded to restrain it; for there being about 1,000 of the king's horse quartered in and about the house, and none but servants there, there was no insolence or outrage usually committed by common soldiers on a reputed enemy which was omitted by these brutish fellows at my house.. They spent and consumed 100 load of corn and hay, littered their horses with sheaves of good wheat, and gave them all sorts of corn in the straw; divers writings of consequence, and books which were left in my study, some of them they tore in pieces, others they burnt to light their tobacco, and some they carried away with them, to my extreme great loss and prejudice in wanting the writings of my estate, and losing very many excellent manuscripts of my father's and others, and some of my own labours.

"They broke down my park pales, killed most of my deer, though rascal and carrion, and let out all the rest, only a tame young stag they carried away and presented to Prince Rupert, and my hounds, which were extraordinary good. They ate and drank up all that the house could afford; broke up all my trunks, chests, and places; and where they found linen, or any household stuff, they took it away with them, and cutting the beds, let out the feathers, and took away the ticks. They likewise carried away my coach, and four good horses, and all my saddle horses, and did all the mischief and spoil that malice and enmity could provoke barbarous mercenaries to commit, and so they parted.

"This," he concludes, "is remembered only to raise a constant hatred of anything that may in the least tend to the fomenting of such unhappiness and misery."

Among other prisoners taken there was John Lilburne (see p. 397), who conducted himself so violently to Prince Rupert and others, that the prince threatened to put him to death, but was deterred by an intimation of reprisal from the earl of Essex.

"The city bands marched forth very cheerfully under the command of Major-general Skippon, who made short and encouraging speeches to his soldiers, which were to this purpose: 'Come, my boys, my brave boys, let us pray heartily and fight heartily; I will run the same fortunes and hazards with you. Remember the cause is for God, and for the defence of yourselves, your wives, and children. Come, my honest brave boys, pray heartily and fight heartily, and God will bless us. 999 Whitelock, who was present, further says, "The city good wives, and others, mindful of their husbands and friends, sent many cart-loads of provisions, and wines, and good

whence he retreated through Reading to Oxford, arriving there Nov. 29.

A tax of one-twentieth of every one's estate ordained by the parliament for the support of the war, Dec. 13. The eastern counties associate against the king, under the command of Lord Grey of Warke.

Goring lands in Yorkshire with supplies from Holland, and the war is carried on fiercely between the earl of Newcastle y and Lord Fairfax 2.

A.D. 1643. A negotiation for peace is carried on at Oxford a, at intervals, from Jan. 30 to April 15, but without any result.

The king establishes a mint in New Inn Hall, Oxford,

things to Turnham-green, with which the soldiers were refreshed, and made merry; and the more, when they understood that the king and all his army were retreated."

The associated counties, as they were called, were, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincoln, Cambridge, Huntingdon, and Hertford. The earl of Manchester (formerly Lord Kimbolton) afterwards commanded their levies, having under him Oliver Cromwell. Their proceedings were regulated by an ordinance, Jan. 16, 1643.

William Cavendish. He was soon after created a marquis, but at length, disgusted by the roughness of Prince Rupert, he suddenly abandoned the contest, after the battle of Marston-moor, and withdrew to the continent. He returned with Charles II., was made duke of Newcastle, and died Dec. 25, 1676.

Lord Fairfax was assisted by his son Thomas, who became the chief commander of the parliamentary army when new modelled. Thomas was born in 1611, was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, and had served in the Netherlands under Lord Vere. Being a rigid Presbyterian, he resigned his command in preference to leading the army against the Scots, and lived in retirement until 1660, when he actively exerted himself to forward the restoration of Charles II. He died Nov. 12, 1671.

• Whitelock was one of the commissioners, and he gives this testimony as to the king's abilities: "In this treaty the king manifested his great parts and abilities, strength of reason, and quickness of apprehension, with much patience in hearing what was objected against him; wherein he allowed all freedom, and would himself sum up the arguments, and gave a most clear judgment upon them. His unhappiness was, that he had a better opinion of others' judgments than of his own, though they were weaker than his own; and of this we had experience, to our great trouble."

where the plate of the colleges is comed for his use. The exchequer is also settled at Oxford, Feb. 13.

The queen lands at Burlington with supplies, Feb. 22, but is unable to join the king until July 13.

The earl of Essex takes Reading, April 27, and Sir William Waller d is successful in the west.

The Cornish men take arms for the king. They defeat the earl of Stamford (Henry Grey) at Stratton, May 16, and advance into Somersetshire.

b This mint continued in operation until 1646. One remarkable

Oxford Siege Piece.

coin struck there (a crown-piece, of the type styled Exurgat money) is represented above.

The Commons in consequence proposed an impeachment against her (May 22), but the Peers declined to entertain it.

d He was born in 1597, of a good Kentish family, was educated at Oxford, and had served with great reputation in the German war. On his return to England he was, through family quarrels, fined in the Starchamber, and, becoming a member of the Long Parliament, he was one of the earliest to take up arms. Waller was considered the rival of Essex, but was, like him, removed from the army by the Selfdenying Ordinance; as a leader among the Presbyterians, he opposed the designs of the Independents, was impeached by them and imprisoned, in 1648. He was again imprisoned as a royalist after the death of Cromwell, but was soon released, and sat in the parlia ment that recalled Charles II. He died Sept. 19, 1668.