countenance the levies which his friends were making in thofe quarters.

In the mean time, the parliament was not remifs in preparations on their fide. They had a magazine of arms at Hull, and Sir John Hotham was appointed governor of that place by parliament. The forces alfo, which had been every where ráifed on pretence of the fervice of Ireland, were now more openly enlifted by the parliament for their own purposes, and the command given to the earl of Effex, a bold man, who rather defired to fee monarchy abridged than totally deftroyed; and in London no less than four thousand men were enlifted in one day.

Edge-hill was the first place where the two armies were put in array against each other, and the country drenched in civil flaughter. It was a dreadful fight, to fee above thirty thoufand of the bravest men in the world, instead of employing their courage abroad, turning it against each other, while the dearest friends, and nearest kinsmen, embraced oppofite fides, and prepared to bury their private regards in factious hatred. After an engagement of fome hours, animofity feemed to be wearied out, and both fides feparated with equal lofs. Five thoufand men are faid to have been found dead on the field of battle.

It would be tedious, and no way inftructive, to enter into the marchings and counter-marchings of thefe undifciplined and ill-conducted armies: war was a new trade to the English, as they had not feen an hoftile engagement in the island for near a century before. The queen came to reinforce the royal party; fhe had brought foldiers and ammunition from Holland, and immediately departed to furnish more. But the parliament, who knew its own confequence and ftrength, was no way discou. raged. Their demands feemed to increase in proportion to their loffes; and as they were repreffed in the field, they grew more haughty in the cabinet. Such governors as gave up their fortreffes to the king, were attainted of high treafon. It was in vain for the king to fend proposals after any fuccefs; this only raifed their pride and their animofity. But though this defire in the king to make peace with his fubjects was the highest enco

mium on his humanity, yet his long negotiations, one of which he carried on at Oxford, were faulty as a warrior. He wafted that time in altercation and treaty, w which he should have employed in vigorous exertions in the field.

However, his firft campaign, upon the whole, wore a favourable afpect. One victory followed after another; Cornwall was reduced to peace and obedience under the king; a victory was gained over the parliamentarians at Stratton Hill, in Devonshire; another at Roundway Down, about two miles from the Devizes; and still a third at Chalgrave Field. Briftol was befieged and taken, and Gloucester was invested; the battle of Newbury was favourable to the royal caufe, and great hopes of fuccefs were formed from an army in the North, raised by the marquis of Newcastle.

In this firft campaign, the two braveft and greatest men of their respective parties were killed; as if it was intended, by the kindness of Providence, that they should be exempted from feeing the miferies and the flaughter which were fhortly to enfue. Thefe were John Hampden, and Lucius Cary, lord Falkland.

The first in a skirmish against prince Rupert, the other in the battle of Newbury, which followed fhortly after. Hampden, whom we have feen in the beginning of thefe troubles refufed to pay the hip money, gained, by his inflexible integrity, the efteem even of his enemies. To thefe he added affability in converfation, temper, art, eloquence in debate, and penetration in council.

Falkland was ftill a greater lofs, and greater character. He added to Hampden's fevere principles, a politeness and elegance, but then beginning to be known in England. He had boldly withitood the king's pretenfions, while he faw him making a bad ufe of his power; but when he perceived the defign of the parliament, to overturn the religion and the conftitution of his country, he changed his fide, and ftedfaftly attached himfelf to the crown. From the beginning of the civil war, his natural cheerfulness and vivacity forfook him; he became melancholy, fad, pale, and negligent of his perfon, and feemed to with for death. His ufual cry among his friends, after a deep

K

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filence and frequent fighs, was, Peace! Peace! He now faid, upon the morning of the engagement, that he was weary of the times, and should leave them before night. He was shot by a mufket-ball in the belly; and his body was next morning found among a heap of flain. His writings, his elegance, his juftice, and his courage, deferved fuch a death of glory: and they found it.

The king, that he might make preparations during the winter for the enfuing campaign, and to oppofe the defigns of the Westminster parliament, called one at Oxford, and this was the first time that England faw two parliaments fitting at the fame time. His houfe of peers was pretty full; his houfe of commons confifted of about a hundred and forty, which amounted to not above half of the other house of commons. From this fhadow of a parliament he received fome fupplies, after which it was prorogued, and never after affembled.

In the mean time the parliament was equally active on their fide. They paffed an ordinance, commanding all the inhabitants of London and its neighbourhood to retrench a meal a week, and to pay the value of it for the fupport of the public caufe. But what was much more effectual, the Scots, who confidered their claims as fimilar, led a strong body to their affistance. They levied an army of fourteen thousand men in the Eaft, under the earl of Manchefter; they had an army of ten thousand men under Effex; another, of nearly the fame force, under Sir William Waller. Thefe were fuperior to any force the king could bring into the field; and were well appointed with ammunition, provifions and pay.

Hoftilities, which even during the winter feafon had never been wholly difcontinued, were re- A. D. newed in fpring with their ufual fury, and ferved 1644: to defolate the kingdom, without deciding victory.

Each county joined that fide to which it was addicted from motives of conviction, intereft, or fear, though fome obferved a perfect neutrality. Several frequently petitioned for peace; and all the wife and. good were earneft in the cry. What particularly deferves remark, was an attempt of the women of London, who, to the number of two or three thousand, went in a body to the

houfe

houfe of commons, earneftly demanding a peace."Give us thofe traitors, faid they, that are against a peace; give them, that we may tear them to pieces.' The guards found fome difficulty in quelling this infurrection, and one or two women loft their lives in the fray.

The battle of Marston Moor was the beginning of the king's misfortunes and difgrace. The Scots and parliamentarian army had joined, and were befieging York, when prince Rupert, joined by the marquis of Newcastle, determined to raife the fiege. Both fides drew up on Marston Moor, to the number of fifty thousand, and the victory feemed long undecided between them. Rupert, who commanded the right wing of the royalifts, was op pofed by Oliver Cromwell, who now first came into notice, at the head of a body of troops whom he had taken care to levy and difcipline. Cromwell was victorious; he pushed his opponents off the field, followed the vanquished, returned to a fecond engagement, and a fecond victory; the prince's whole train of artillery was taken, and the royalifts never after recovered the blow.

William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, was fent to the Tower in the beginning of this reign. He was now brought to his trial, condemned, and executed. And it was a melancholy confideration, that, in thofe times of trouble, the beft men on either fide were those who chiefly fuffered.

The death of Laud was followed by a total alteration of the ceremonies of the church. The Liturgy was, by a public act, abolished the day he died, as if he had been the only obftacle to its former removal. The church of England was, in all refpects, brought to a conformity to the puritanical establishment; while the citizens of London, and the Scots army, gave public thanks for fo happy an alteration.

The well-difputed battle, which decided the June 14, fate of Charles, was fought at Nafeby, a village 1635. in Yorkshire. The main body of the royal army was commanded by Lord Aftley, prince Rupert led the right wing, Sir Marmaduke Langdale the left, and the king himfelf headed the body of referve.

On the oppofite fide, Fairfax and Skippon commanded the main body; Cromwell led on the right wing, and Ireton, his fon-in-law, the left. Prince Rupert attacked the left wing with his ufual impetuofity and fuccefs; they were broke, and pursued as far as the village; but he loft time in attempting to make himself mafter of their artillery. Cromwell, in the mean time, was equally fuccefsful on his fide, and broke through the enemies horfe after a very obftinate refiftance. While these were thus engaged, the infantry on both fides maintained the conflict with equal ardour; but in fpite of the efforts of Fairfax and Skippon, their battalions began to give way. At this critical period, Cromwell returned with his victorious forces, and charged the king's infantry in flank with fuch vigour, that a total rout began to enfue. By this time prince Rupert had rejoined the king, and the fmall body of referve; but his troops, though victorious, could not be brought to a fecond charge. The king perceiving the battle wholly loft, was obliged to abandon the field to his enemies, who took all his cannon, baggage, and above fifty thousand prisoners.

The battle of Nafeby put the parliamentarians in poffeffion of almoft all the ftrong cities of the kingdom, Eriftol, Bridgewater, Chefter, Sherborn, and Bath. Exeter was befieged; and all the king's troops in the Weftern counties being entirely difperfed, Fairfax preffed the place, and it furrendered at difcretion. The king thus furrounded, harraffed on every fide, retreated to Oxford, that, in all conditions of his fortune, had held steady to his caufe: and there he refolved to offer new terms to his incenfed purfuers.

In the mean time Fairfax was approaching with a powerful and victorious army, and was taking the proper meafures for laying fiege to Oxford, which promifed an eafy furrender. To be taken captive, and led in triumph by his infolent fubjects was what Charles juftly abhorred; and every infult and violence was to be dreaded from the foldiery, who had felt the effects of his oppofition. In this defperate extremity he embraced a meafure which, in any other fituation, might juftly lie under the imputation of imprudence and indifcretion. He took the fatal refo