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" he sat many years and discharged the office with much gravity and learning; and was very terrible to those who chose to live by robbing "on the highway. He was unfortunate, though without fault, in giving up the castle in so unseasonable a conjuncture; which was done by the "artifice of an officer within, who had found means to go out to Waller, "and to acquaint him with the great wants of the garrison; which in"deed had not plenty of any thing; and so, by the mutiny of the "soldiers, it was given up; and the governor made prisoner, and sent "to the Tower, where he remained some years after the end of the "war." [258]

The castle was left to the care of the Gloucestershire forces, and Massey appointed one of his brothers, Captain George Massey, to be the governor. Waller continued his pursuit of the king; but, miscalculated his design, and got too far; upon which, Charles dexterously June 20. turned back and re-entered Oxford, having completely succeeded in distracting the rival generals, and dividing them no less in position than inclination towards each other. Waller now came again to Gloucester, where he desired Massey "to furnish him with some men, which he," says the noble historian just quoted, "being a creature of Essex's, "refused to do." The statement is not correct: Massey supplied him with three hundred and seventy musqueteers and a company of dragoons, [259] with which Waller crossed the country towards Warwick. An accident that happened to him upon this occasion is alluded to in his enumeration of "perils of waters.''

June 29.

"In my march from Gloucester unto Warwick, as I was foording "the Severn, att a place near Gloucester, where on either hand of the passage, which was a narrow bank of sand, the water was of a great depth, my horse fell into a disorder, and plunged into the deep water "with me, being then in my armes, where I was likely to have perished, "if with the blessing of God, he had not swome thorough with " me." [260]

This occurred a few days before that check which the king gave him at Cropredy bridge near Banbury. While Waller was at Gloucester his troops were quartered or encamped at or about the Vineyard, and the

refreshments furnished to them from the city cost upwards of thirty pounds; four hundred weight of musquet balls were delivered to them before their departure [261]

1644.

In the beginning of July Charles undertook that expedition into the July 1 to 15. west, which terminated in the surrender of the greater part of the army under Essex, in Cornwall. On his route he traversed the hill country of Gloucestershire from Evesham in a direct line by Coberley, Salperton and Badminton to Bath, halting at each of these places for the night. [262] Three troops of the Gloucester cavalry hung upon his flanks and rear, and took and slew a few stragglers. The king's strength was estimated at seven thousand, horse, foot and dragoons. Massey felt the want of his horse, and requested that those which he had lent to Waller might be allowed to return. [263] Mr.Dutton and Mr. Lowe prisoners in Gloucester, were ordered to be sent up to the house of commons. Dutton was a gentleman of the privy chamber to the king, and had been some July 16. time sheriff of the county. [264] Lowe was a member of the Oxford parliament whom Massey had apprehended in Wiltshire after the taking of Malmesbury: [265] all royalists of any eminence in immediate opposition to their measures, whose persons they could seize, they committed to close confinement.

In the religious as well as civil divisions [266] of the times Gloucester had its full share; and they form a striking and instructive feature of this period. When the clergy of the established church had been expelled from their cathedral and cures, their posts were occupied by those who held to the prevailing system of presbyterianism. But it it is well known that after all this had been effected, their successors found other adversaries to contend with; though the full measure of endless separation had not as yet arrived. This was memorably the case here. Baxter was at first disposed, according to his views of religion, to think favourably of the state of the place; but he soon changed his opinion. "Whilst I was at Gloucester," says he, “I saw the first contentions between the ministers and the anabap"tists, that ever I was acquainted with; for there were the first ana"baptists that ever I had seen in any country; and I heard but of

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July.

"few more in these parts of England. But this was the beginning of "the miseries of Gloucester; for the anabaptists somewhat increasing

on one side, before I came away, a good man, called Mr. Hart, came out "of Herefordshire with Mr. Vaughan, a gentleman, and they drew many "to separation on another side: and after them in the wars came one "Mr. Bacon, a preacher in the army, and drew them to Antinomianism, on another side; which so distracted the good people, and eat out "the heart of religion and charity, the ministers of the place not being "so able and quick as they should have been in confuting them and preserving the people, that the city, which had before as great ad"vantages for the prosperity of religion among them, as any in the land "in the civility, tractableness and piety of the people, became as low and "poor as others, and the pity of more happy places; while these tares "did dwindle and wither away the solid piety of the place." [267]

The case of Bacon to which he alludes, engrossed at this time no small share of thought and conversation in the city. His preaching had given such offence to Corbet and most of the ministers and laity, that he was called in question respecting his doctrines, and undertook the public defence of them. Then was exhibited for two days in the cathedral of Gloucester the singular spectacle of a theological dispute conducted in the presence of the military governor, the committee, and principal inhabitants, sitting as moderators at a table in the choir, and surrounded by an immense concourse of people. The antagonists stood on opposite sides; and a marshal with his halbert was placed at the elbow of the respondent during the whole ceremony. On the first day it lasted five hours. The behaviour of Massey, by Bacon's own admission, was throughout candid and impartial towards him. But it ended in his dismissal from Gloucester, furnished with an escort to Sudley, and a horse to bear him to London: there he found a ready patron in the lord Say and Sele. His opinions seem clearly to have had a strong bias towards those which are termed Antinomian; and the charges brought against him on this account by the then spiritual guides of Gloucester serve at least to vindicate them from any imputation of the kind. [268] Now, because the parliament had for the present abolished the

1644.

ecclesiastical establishment of the land, and taken upon themselves the disposal of its revenues and the appointment of ministers, they endeavoured to remedy such disputes, as might be expected to arise from the irregularity of those who might officiate in their religious services, as well as from the introduction of strangers into the pulpits. They, therefore, directed that August 3. one hundred pounds per annum should be paid quarterly out of the rents belonging to the dean and chapter to an orthodox divine, to preach weekly in the cathedral, and fifty pounds per annum out of the said rents to another orthodox divine to preach weekly in the parish of St. Michael's in Gloucester: these ministers were to be chosen by the committee in London, and approved of by the assembly of divines then sitting at Westminster. [269] Their attention was, perhaps, afterwards more particularly invited to this object, by Luke Nourse, mayor, in 1644 and 1645; who is lauded in one of the annual orations of the town clerk, for having "had a chief hand in the "inviting and calling a worthy minister, Mr. Jackson, to supply the room "of bishop, dean and chapter in the college." [270]

Though these altercations were disposed of, those between the governor and committee still continued. The needy soldiers were guilty of many disorders in collecting horses and cattle, levying money, and seizing goods without any other authority than that of force. [271] Their mutinous spirit was hardly controuled by Massey, yet he managed so as to employ them with effect against the enemy. Colonel Mynne, a valiant royalist officer, upon whom the government of Hereford and chief command had devolved after the departure of the cautious Vavasour, excited considerable apprehension by his boldness and activity. While serving under Vavasour he had affirmed with some confidence that he would take Gloucester with two hundred men; and since his new appointment he had given sufficient proofs of his determination to act with vigour. He advanced from Ross and stationed his regiment within a quarter of a mile of the city, where he drove off the cattle, and rendered himself a terror to the country. [272] It was now the August. time of harvest, and he threatened to burn the standing corn. Sir William R ssel, with the governor of Worcester, and colonel Veal, go

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vernor of Berkeley castle, made incursions on the north and south. Massey repressed their attempts on his own side of the Severn, and determined to cross the river, and strike a blow at Mynne, of whom intelligence had been brought that he was to effect a junction on Corse Lawn with reinforcements from Hereford and Worcester, and to lay waste that district with fire and sword. A council of war was held, [273] and every preparation had been made; when an unfortunate quarrel taking place between Majors Grey and Hammond, they drew their swords in the Westgate street, and Grey was killed. [274] This accident in the hour of march had well nigh set aside the enterprise; and no little credit is due to the talents of the governor, that he was able to appease the tumult, and to lead the greater part of his murmuring men and officers against the approaching enemy. In the evening, however, they set forth, and came up with Mynne early on the following morning. They brought him to action at Ridmarley on the southern extremity of Worcestershire, before his reinforcements could join him. Mynne, with a hundred and fifty of his Irish regiment, lay dead upon the field, and Lieutenant Colonel Passey who commanded the detachment from Worcester, received a mortal wound. Upwards of three hundred were taken prisoners: while of the Gloucester soldiers no more than three or four were slain and five or six wounded. The body of Mynne was brought to the city, and honourably buried. This reverse was severely felt by the royalists, whose spirits were sunk by the news of their disasters in the north. In Herefordshire they blamed Mynne for his rashness; and tried to console themselves in the belief that he was rather surprised than beaten, and that Passey was a traitor. [275]

But this success, though it cleared the vicinity of a formidable enemy, could neither ameliorate the condition of the governor, nor abate the heart-burnings that existed within the walls. It is not improbable that fresh insubordination arose from the affair of Grey and Hammond. Massey, who had long cherished an inclination to make a personal appeal to the house of commons, which they had by no means encouraged, adopted the resolution of repairing to London. It seems to have been thought an injudicious measure; and Corbet, minute upon all his actions,