well armed within by the satisfaction of their own consciences, and without by good iron arms, they would as one man stand firmly, and fight desperately a." "At his first entrance into the wars he had a special care to get religious men into his troop these were of greater understanding than common soldiers, and therefore more apprehensive of the importance and consequence of the war; and, making, not money, but that which they took for the public felicity to be their end, they were the more engaged to be valiant. They therefore proved such that, as far as I could learn, they never once ran away before an enemy b." "Cromwel invited all the honest men (as he was pleased to call them) to take on with him. Wherefore independents, anabaptists, and all the sink of fanaticks, came flocking to him. Who, in the beginning, were unskilful both in handling their arms, and managing their horses. But he used them daily to look after, feed, and dress their horses, and, when it was needful, to lie together with them on the ground. He besides taught them to clean, and keep their arms bright, and ready for service, to chuse the best armour, and arm themselves to the best advantage. Trained up in this kind of military exercise, they excelled all their fellow-soldiers in feats of war, and obtained

CHAP.

I.

1646.

• Whitlocke, p. 72.

b Baxter, Life, p. 98.

BOOK

II.

1646.

more victories over their enemies c." "And these men, habited more to spiritual pride, than carnal riot and intemperance, so consequently, having bin industrious and active in their former callings and professions, where natural courage wanted, zeale supplied its place. At first they chose rather to dye than flye; and custom removed the fear of dangerd." This army said of itself, shortly after this period, in a petition to parliament, "We were not a mere mercenary army, hired to serve any arbitrary power of a state, but were called forth and conjured, by the several declarations of parliament, to the defence of our own and the people's just rights and liberties. To these ends in judgment and conscience we took up arms; and we are resolved to assert and vindicate these rights against all arbitrary power, and all particular parties and interests whatsoever." And Clarendon, immediately after the Restoration, says, in a speech to the parliament on the question of disbanding these forces: "His majesty consents to the measure. Yet, let me tell you, no other prince in Europe would be willing to disband such an army: an army, to which victory is entailed, and which, humanly speaking, could hardly fail of conquest whithersoever he should lead it: an army, whose order and discipline,

and CHAP.

whose sobriety and manners, whose courage and success have made it famous and terrible over the world f."

I.

1646.

Supported rity in the

by a majo

house of

commons.

rians rely

The independents, or the party of the army, in addition to all their other advantages, had lately gained, principally through the means of the new elections, a majority in the house of commons in favour of their interests and views. In opposition Presbyteto this, the presbyterians placed the main stay of their hope in this crisis, in the Scottish army before Newark. It was therefore a great point gained for their cause, when it was known that the king had placed his person under the protection of that army.

on the

Scots'

army.

tion and

the royal

We shall not have taken by any means a com- Condiplete view of the state of England at this period, strength of if we leave out of our consideration the numbers, its the feelings, and the intentions of the royalists. They had been so strong, partly by their own intrinsic force, and partly by the secret leaning of many who appeared to adhere to the opposite party, as to have produced a perilous and a doubtful struggle in the field, of nearly three years in duration. It could not be otherwise. Monarchy had at all times been an integral part of the political state of England. The constitution of our government had never been clearly defined and, since the conclusion of the wars of

'Parliamentary History, Sep. 13, 1660.

BOOK

II.

1646.

York and Lancaster, the language of absolute sovereignty had frequently been heard from our kings and their flatterers. What had thus been divulged and repeated, grew without controversy into the creed of many of the inhabitants of England. Absolute monarchy has the advantage of a simple proposition, most easily to be comprehended; and, having a visible and individual head, it is in that respect also best adapted to the apprehension of uneducated minds. The adherents of the royal party had been defeated, but they had not been exterminated. The civil war had on the whole been attended with few atrocities, and scarcely any blood had been wantonly shed. The adherents of the king had been put down, and had been mulcted; but this did not tend to soften their dislike to their adversaries. They continued in a state of comparative apathy and forbearance. But they waited for the opportunity that should enable them once more to raise their heads; and they entertained small doubt that they should be able, by secret or by open means, to restore in no long time their apparently ruined cause. The very clemency of their foes, so far as it is entitled to that name, added to their strength. Thus evenly in many respects were at this period balanced the state of parties among us; and a sober and reflecting mind could not but look forward with great apprehension and uncertainty as to what might be the issue.

I.

Having taken this general view of the situation CHAP. of the English nation, it may be proper to advert to that of Scotland and Ireland. Both these na- 1646. tions had been convulsed to the very centre by State of the causes which had produced the civil war in Scotland. the metropolitan state. Scotland had taken the precedence of England in the struggles between presbytery and episcopacy. The king had twice marched in hostile array against his native country, for the purpose of settling this controversy by force of arms; but the result had been the entire triumph of the presbyterian system. Still the seeds of contention remained in the northern kingdom; and, when the predominant party marched their forces to the aid of the presbyterians in the south, Montrose, a deserter of that faction, found means to excite so violent a resistance, as at one time to put him in possession of the city of Edinburgh, and to give him the semblance of a complete victory. This lasted however for a very short period: his fall proved as sudden and abrupt as his rise had been. Charles in the mean while fondly clung in his wishes and his hopes to the party of Montrose: and he vainly flattered himself, that when he appeared in person in the midst of Leven's army, he should be able by persuasion or intrigue to induce them, in whole or in part, to coalesce with Montrose against the triumphant faction of the independents in England.