King goeth toward York and is followed with a Petition from the Lords and Commons to Theobalds and another Declaration to Newmarket The King is denyed entrance into Hull by Sir John Hotham 38 CHAP. IV. Many Members of both Houses leave the Parliament and repaire to the King Nine of the Lords who first went away are impeached by the Commons and censured by the Peers The Great Seal is carried away from London to York Some Votes of Parliament concerning the Kings Proceedings A Petition with nineteen Propositions sent from the Parliament to the King 58 CHAP. V. An Order for bringing in of Plate and Money into Guild-Hall The Kings Declaration to the Lords about him Their Profession and Protestation to him The King layeth Siege to Hull but raiseth it again The Earl of Warwick taketh possession of the Navy as Lord Admirall The Earl of Essex is voted in Parliament to be Lord Generall of all their Forces 83 CHAP. VI. A brief Relation of the condition of divers Counties in England when the Parliaments Ordinance for the Militia and the Kings Commission of Array were put in execution With a mention of some Lords and otherswho were actors on either side The Lord Mayor of London committed to the Tower and sentenced by the Parliament A mention of some Declarations Messages and Answers that passed between the King and the two Houses of Parliament 99 BOOK III. CHAP. I. PRince Rupert and Prince Maurice arrive in England The Earl of Essex taking leave of the Parliament goeth to his Command The King increaseth in strength at Shrewsbury A Skirmish at Worcester The great Battell of Keynton is fought 1 CHAP. II. The Parliament send to the King concerning an Accommodation A fight at Brainford Another Treaty with the King begun and broken of Reading besieged by the Lord Generall Essex and surrendred to him A Conspiracy to betray Bristoll A treacherous Plot against the Parliament and City of London discovered and prevented 29 CHAP. III. Matters of State trans-acted in Parliament touching the Assembly of Divines The making of a new Great Seale Impeaching the Queen of High Treason and other things The Lord Generall Essex after some Marches returneth to quarter his wasted and sick Army about Kingston The Kings Forces Masters of the West The Earl of Newcastle his greatnesse in the North. Some mention of the Earle of Cumberland and the Lord FAIRFAX 47 CHAP. IV. Some Actions of Sir Thomas Fairfax in the North. The Queen lands in England The revolt of Sir Hugh Cholmley and the two Hothams The state of this Warre in the Westerne parts The condition of the Associated Counties A short relation of Sir William Waller his Actions of Colonell Cromwell Sir William Brereton and Sir John Gell. 63 CHAP. V. The death of the Lord Brooke and of the Earle of Northampton A short mention of some Actions in divers Counties The low condition of the Parliament at that time The Siege of Gloucester 85 CHAP. VI. The Expedition of the Lord Generall Essex for reliefe of Gloucester The great Battell of Newbury described 101 THE HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT OF England CHAP. I. Wherein is a short mention of Queene ELIZABETH King JAMES and the beginning of King CHARLES his Reigne his two first Parliaments Of the Warre with Spaine and France The death of the Duke of BUCKINGHAM And the third Parliament of King CHARLES QUeene ELIZABETH of glorious Memory together with that great Stock of Wealth and Honour which her prudent and just Government had brought to the English Nation had enriched them besides with a greater Treasure which we may justly account the cause of all the rest Religion reformed from Popish Superstition That Reformation engaged the Queene in a new Interest of State to side with the Protestants against those Potent Monarchs of the other Religion which seemed at the beginning as much danger and disadvantage to her as it proved in conclusion security and Honour so impossible it is for any disadvantage to prevaile over them that helpe the Lord against the Mighty That Storme from France which so much threatned the weake beginnings of her Reigne was suddenly blowne over by the death of HENRY the second and some few Moneths after of his Sonne FRANCIS who had married the Queene of Scotland the danger which remained greatest was from Spaine where PHILIP the second then reigned a Prince not greater in Dominion Treasure and Armies then deeply engaged against the Protestant Religion by the instigation and assistance of the Jesuites an Order which in the Age before had beene highly counrenanced by Pope PAUL the third in opposition to the Gospell-Doctrine that then began to spread apace in Germany and other parts The whole Order of Iesuites as endeavouring to set up one Temporall Kingdome of Christendome suitable to the Papall Hierarchy applyed their service altogether to the Monarchy of Spaine as being then far the greatest in Europe and fittest for their purpose by the late uniting of so many Kingdomes and Dutchies under the person of CHARLES the Emperour who by a fortunate birthright inherited together with Casule and Arragon and all the great Acquisitions of his Grandfather FERDINAND in Italy and the West Indies the rich and usefull patrimony of his Father PHILIP Burgundy and the Netherlands all these he had left intirely to his Sonne PHILIP who to so large a Territory had made that strong addition of the Kingdome of Portugall and might seeme an Enemy too mighty for England and all the Protestants of Europe to oppose But Queene ELIZABETH had woven the interest of her own State so inseparably into the cause of Religion it selfe that it was hard to overthrow one without the ruine of the other And God who had given her so much grace and courage as to rely wholly upon him did with that Almighty hand not onely hold her up from sinking but lift her above the heads of all her enemies By what degrees and means she atchieved the great Actions of her reigne and brought so much prosperity to her Nation it is not the scope of this discourse to relate at large for her History is not the worke in hand but only in briefe to declare that before her death she was the happy instrument of God to promote the Protestant Religion in all parts She curbed the Spanish greatnesse by supporting France from ruine to give some balance to the other as she preserved Scotland from being swallowed up by the French before She protected the Hollanders against him vanquished his Armies both by Land and Sea with many other such things as might seeme too much to be the atchievements of one Reigne And last of all she reduced Ireland wholly to obedience notwithstanding all the subtill machinations of Spain and open assistance given in Armes to her Irish Rebels All which she accomplished by the justice and prudence of her government by making the right use of her Subjects hearts hands and Purses in a Parliamentary way as also securing
imprisoned which refused the payment of that Loane Great summes of money were required and raised by privy Scales A Commission for squeezing the Subject by way of Excize Souldiers were billited upon them And a designe laid to inslave the Nation by a force of German Horse with many other things of that nature Those affaires of State which concerned Conâ—ederates abroad had been managed with as much disadvantage and infelicity to them as dishonour to the English Nation and prejudice to the Cause of Religion it selfe Peace was made with Spaine without consent of Parliament by which all hope was utterly lost of re-establishing the Kings neerest kinred in their just Dominion and the Protestant Religion much weakened in Germany What Counsells had then influence upon the Court of England might be the amazement of a wise man to consider and the plaine truth must needs seeme a paradox to posterity as that the Protestant Religion both at home and abroad should suffer much by the Government of two Kings of whom the former in his own person wrote more learnedly in defence of it and the latter in his owne person lived more conformably to the Rules of it then any of their Contemporary Princes in Europe But the Civill Affaires of State were too ill managed to protect or at least to propagate true Religion or else the neglect of Religion was the cause that Civill Affaires were blessed with no more honour and prosperity The right waies of Queen ELIZABETH who advanced both had been long ago forsaken and the deviation grew daily farther and more fatall to the Kingdom Which appeared in a direct contrariety to all particulars of her Reigne Titles of Honour were made more honourable by her in being conferred sparingly and therefore probably upon great desert which afterwards were become of lesse esteem by being not onely too frequently conferred but put to open sale and made too often the purchase of Mechannicks or the reward of vitious persons At the death of that Duke the people were possessed with an unusuall joy which they openly testified by such expressions as indeed were not thought fit nor decent by wise men upon so tragicall and sad an accident which in a christian consideration might move compassion whatsoever the offences of the man were To such people that distick of Seneca might give answer Res est sacra miser noli mea tangere fata Sacrilegae Bustis abstinuere manus Sacred is woe touch not my death with scorne Even sacrilegious hands have Tombs forborne And it may be that God was offended at the excesse of their joy in that he quickly let them see the benefit was not so great to them as they expected by it but his judgements are too high for men to search True it is that the people in generall loving the Kings Person and very unwilling to harbour the least opinion of ill in him looked upon the Duke as the onely hinderance of the Kingdomes happinesse supposing that though other Statesmen might afterwards arise of as bad or worse intentions then the Duke yet none would have so great a power for execution of them nor any other Genius be ever found to have so great a mastery over the Kings Genius But it is certaine that men did much therefore rejoyce at the death of this Duke because they did before much feare what mischiefe might befall a Kingdome where that man who knew himselfe extreamly hated by the people had all the keyes of the Kingdome in his hand as being Lord Admirall and Warden of the Cinque-Ports having the command of all the Souldiers and the onely power to reward and raise them These joyes and hopes of men lasted not long for in the same yeer being the fourth of King CHARLES and after the death of the Duke of BUCKINGHAM another Parliament was dissolved and then the Priviledges of that high Court more broken then ever before Six Members of the House of Commons who had been forward in vindicating the Priviledges of Parliament were committed close Prisoners for many moneths together without the liberty of using books pen inke and paper while they were detained in this condition and not admitted Bayle according to Law They were also vexed with informations in inferiour Courts where they were sentenced and fined for matters done in Parliament and the payment of such Fines extorted from them Some were enforced to put in security of good behaviour before they could be released The rest who refused to be bound were detained divers yeares after in custody of whom one Sir JOHN ELLIOT a Gentleman of able parts that had been forwardest in expression of himselfe for the freedome of his Country and taxing the unjust actions of the Duke of BUCKINGHAM while that Duke lived though the truth be that the 〈◊〉 of his were no other then what carried 〈◊〉 consent in them dyed by the harshnesse of his imprisonment which would admit of no relaxation though for healths sake he petitioned for it often and his Physitian gave in testimony to the same purpose The freedome that Sir JOHN Eâ—â—OT used in Parliament was by the people in generall applauded though much taxed by the Courtiers and censur'd by some of a more politike reserve considering the times in that kind that TACITUS censures THRASEAS POETUS as thinking such freedom a needlesse and therefore a foolish thing where no cure could be hoped by it Sibi periculum nec aliis libertatem After the breaking off this Parliament as the Historian speaketh of Roman liberty after the battell of PHILIPPI nunquam post hoc praelium c. the people of England for many years never looked back to their ancient liberty A Declaration was published by the king wherein aspertions were laid upon some Members but indeed the Court of Parliament it selfe was declared against All which the dejected people were forced to read with patience and allow against the dictate of their own reason The people of England from that time were deprived of the hope of Parliaments and all things so managed by publike Officers as if never such a day of account were to come I shall for methods sake first of all make a short enumeration of some of the chiefe grievances of the Subjects which shall be truly and plainly related as likewise some vices of the Nation in generall that the Reader may the better judge of the causes of succeeding troubles during the space of seven or eight yeares after the dissolution of that Parliament and then give some account concerning the severall dispositions of the people of ENGLAND and their different censures of the Kings government during those years touching by thâ—â—â—â—â—mewhat of 〈◊〉 manners and customs of the 〈◊〉 ENGLAND and then briefly of the condition of Ecclesiasticall affaires and the censures of men concerning that CHAP. II. A briefe Relation of some grievances of the Kingdome The various opinions of men concerning the present Government The condition of the Court and Clergy of England Some
neere yet some have strongly and subtilly laboured a divorse which hath been the very bane of both King and Kingdome When foundations are shaken it is high time to looke to the building he hath no heart no head no soule that is not moved in his whole man to looke upon the distresses the miseries of the Common-wealth that is not forward in all that he is and hath to redresse them in a right way The King likewise is reduced to great straights wherein it were undutifulnesse beyond inhumanity to take advantage of him Let us rather make it an advantage for him to do him best service when he hath most need not to seeke our owne good but in him and with him else we shall commit the same crimes our selves which we must condemne in others His Majesty hath cleerely and freely put himself into the hands of this Parliament and I presume there is not a man in this House but feeles himself advanced in this high Trust but if he prosper no better in our hands then he hath done in theirs who have hitherto had the handling of his affaires we shall for ever make our selves unworthy of so gracious a confidence I have often thought and said That it must be some great extremity that would recover and rectifie this State and when that extremity did come it would be a great hazard whether it might prove a remedy or ruine We are now Master Speaker upon that verticall turning point and therefore it is no time to palliate to foment our owne undoing Let us set upon the remedy we must first know the disease But to discover the diseases of the State is according to some to traduce the Government yet others are of opinion That this is the halfe way to the Cure His Majesty is wiser then they that have advised him and therefore he cannot but see and feele their subverting destructive Counsels which speak lowder then I can speak of them for they ring a dolefull deadly knell over the whole Kingdome His Majesty best knowes who they are For us let the matters bolt out the men their actions discover them They are men that talk largely of the Kings Service yet have done none but their owne and that is too evident They speak highly of the Kings power but they have made it a miserable power that produceth nothing but weaknesse both to the King and Kingdome They have exhausted the Kings Revenue to the bottome nay through the bottome and beyond They have spent vast sums of money wastfully fruitlesly dangerously so that more money without other Councels will be but a swift undoing They have alwaies peremptorily pursued one obstinate pernicious course first they bring things to an extremity then they make that extremity of their owne making the reason of their next action seven times worse then the former and there we are at this instant They have almost spoiled the best instituted Government in the world for Soveraignty in a King Liberty to the Subject the proportionable temper of both which makes the happiest State for power for riches for duration They have unmannerly and slubbringly cast all their projects all their machinations upon the King which no wise or good Minister of State ever did but would still take all harsh distastefull things upon themselves to cleare to sweeten their Master They have not suffered His Majesty to appeare unto his people in his owne native goodnesse They have ecclipsed him by their interpositions Although grosse condense bodies may obscure and hinder the Sun from shining out yet he is still the same in his owne splendour And when they are removed all creatures under him are directed by his light comforted by his Beames But they have framed a superstitious seeming Maxime of State for their owne turne That if a King will suffer men to be torne from him he shall never have any good service done him When the plaine truth is That this is the surest way to preserve a King from having ill servants about him and the Divine truth likewise is Take away the wicked from the King and his Throne shall be established Master Speaker Now we see what the sores are in generall and when more particulars shall appeare let us be very carefull to draw out the cores of them not to skin them over with a slight suppurating festring cure least they breake out againe into a greater mischiefe Consider of it consult and speake your minds It hath heretofore been boasted That the King should never call a Parliament till he had no need of his people These were words of division and Malignity The King must alwaies according to his occasions have use of the peoples power hearts hands purses The people will alwaies have need of the Kings Clemency Iustice Protection And this reciprocation is the strongest the sweetest union It hath been said too of late That a Parliament will take away more from the King then they will give him It may well be said That those things which will fall away of themselves will enable the Subject to give him more then can be taken any way else Projects and Monopolies are but leaking Conduit-Pipes The Exchequer it selfe at the fullest is but a Cisterne and now a broken one Frequent Parliaments onely are the fountaines and I do not doubt but in this Parliament as we shall be free in our advices so shall we be the more free of our purses that His Majesty may experimentally finde the reall difference of better Councels the true solid grounds of raising and establishing his Greatnesse never to be brought againe by Gods blessing to such dangerous such desperate perplexities Master Speaker I confesse I have now gone in a way much against my nature and somewhat against my custome heretofore used in this place But the deplorable dismall condition both of Church and State have so farre wrought upon my judgement as it hath convinâ—ed my disposition yet am I not vir sanguinum I love no mans ruine I thank God I neither hate any mans person nor envy any mans fortune onely I am zealous of a thorow Reformation in a time that exacts that extorts it Which I humbly beseech this House may be done with as much lenity as much moderation as the publike safety of the King and Kingdome can possibly admit In so great a concurrence of businesse and weighty affaires concerning the safety and the very being of three Kingdomes as farre as the Parliament had leisure to consider and redresse the damages or other injuries of particular persons Their first care was to vindicate distressed Ministers who had been imprisoned or deprived by the Bishops and all others who in the Cause of Religion had been persecuted by them Many of those Ministers within few weeks after the beginning of the Parliament were released from durance and restored to their Charges with damages from their oppressours Many Doctors and other Divines that had been most busie in promoting the late Church
concerning the Earle of Strafford and the Lords had voted him guilty of High Treason upon the â—iâ—teenth Article for leavying of money in Ireland by force of Armes and upon the nineteenth for imposing an Oath upon the Subjects in Ireland That they should not protest against any of the Kings Commands The King at last wearied with these complaints called a Privy Councell at White-Hall where he spent a great part of the day calling also the Judges to deliver their opinions before him concerning the Earle of Strafford and sent for foure Bishops to resolve him upon scruple of conscience After which he granted a Commission to the Earle of Arundell the Lord Privy Seale and the two Lord Chamberlaines to signe that Bill for the execution of the Earle of Strafford three daies after being Wednesday the 12. of May 1641. which was accordingly done upon the Scaffold on Tower Hill This was the unfortunate end of that Earle of Strafford whose character and actions have beene in some manner before described Of whom we may truly say That as his life and Councells had been of great moment and concernment in the State before so did his death and Tryall by unhappy accidents prove to be The divisions and disturbances which his life could make were not greater then those that his death occasioned APPIANUS observes of SYLLA the Dictator That as his living power had rob'd the Romane Senate of their freedome so did his very Funerall Where so many of his old Souldiers and Hacsters followed the solemnity that the Senators who were present durst not with freedome expresse their thoughts of him but were inforced to flatter him dead as well as living How farre the Earle of Strafford did in his life time divide the Kings affections from his People and Parliaments which was part of his Charge I cannot surely tell But certaine it is That his Tryall and death which has made me insist the longer upon it did make such a division in that kinde as being unhappily nourished by degrees afterward has almost ruined the three Kingdomes The length of his Tryall whilest two Armies at an heavy expence were to be paid and other businesse at a great stand did divide some impatient people at least in some degree from the Parliament The manner of his condemnation divided the Parliament in it selfe and the eager pressing of his death did discover or cause a sad division of the King from his Parliament Nine and fifty Members of the House of Commons dissented in Vote from the rest upon the Bill of Attainder Upon which some indiscreet persons for so I must needs esteeme them though it was never knowne who they were or by whose notice it was done the next day set up a paper upon the Exchange with the names of those nine and fifty and a Title over it The names of those men who to save a Traytor would betray their Country They that were thus posted up supposing it to be done or caused by some of their House were much provoked at it many of them growing by degrees dis-affected to the Parliament not all for there were among those dissenting Gentlemen very wise and learned men and upon that unhappy distraction that fell out about a yeere after forsooke the Parliament Upon the same Bill of Attainder the Lord DIGBY made his foresaid Speech which by a Command from the House for he had printed it was to be burnt by the Hangman which was the visible cause of his deserting the Parliament and proving so great an Actor against it as shall hereafter be declared The worst consequence of all was that the Kings heart did upon this occasion appeare to be quite alienated from the Parliament For to prevent the Earle of Straffords death an escape for him out of the Tower was contrived To further which and to curbe the Parliament in other things by force of Armes a great conspiracy was entred into by many Gentlemen of ranke and quality The designe of this conspiracy had many Branches as shall appeare in the Narration The persons of chiefest note in it were Master HENRY PERCY brother to the Earle of Northumberland Master HENRY JERMIN the great Favourite of the Queene to whom he was Master of the horse Master GORING eldest Sonne to the Lord GORING Master WILMOT eldest Sonne to the Lord WILMOT Colonell ASHBURNHAM Captaine POLLARD Sir JOHN SUCKLING ONEALE an Irish man and a Papist with divers others of a more inferiour ranke such as were privy but to some part of the designe For it seemes their Counsells were divided and they not all guilty of the same things as by their severall Examinations upon Oath appeared But that which grieved the hearts of honest men and made them almost despaire of that happinesse which was before hoped for by this Parliament was That they discovered the King himself to be privy to this conspiracy against them which was plainly testified by Colonell Gorings examination as likewise by a Letter Written by Master PERCY to his Brother the Earle of Northumberland where he names the Kings discourses with him and the desire which the King had to joyne such as he thought fit with them The Conspirators had taken an Oath of secrecy among themselves The Report made in Parliament from Committees after the Examination of severall Gentlemen concerning this conspiracy discovered many branches of their designe One was concerning the Tower of London That Soulders should have been put into it For sir JOHN SUCâ—LING and some others of the Conspirators under pretence of raising Forces for the Portugall had gathered men in London who were to possesse themselves of the Tower The Lieutenant Sir WILLIAM BALFORE was commanded by the King himselfe to admit those Souldiers into the Tower But he perceiving that it was a Plot to let the Earle of Strafford escape disobeyed that Command of the Kings as appeared by his Examination In which is likewise specified that the Earle offered 2000. l. in Marriage with his daughter to the Laeutenants Sonne if he would consent to the Earles escape Another branch and that the chiefe of this designe was to bring up the English Army which was in the North as yet undisbanded and to engage it against the Parliament to awe the Houses in diverâ— things concerning the Kings Prerogative and maintaining Episcopacy as Master PERCY signified in the forementioned Letter To joyne with these Forces and strengthen the Plot a French Army was to be landed at Porismouth and that Towne for the same purpose was to be put into Master JERMINS hands The Irish Army consisting of eight thousand almost all Papists when the Earle of Strafford had escaped out of the Tower was to be brought over under his conduct and engaged in the same Service All these things were confessed upon severall Examinations The Parliament were most grieved to finde the King â—o â—arre in it and then re-called to minde how His Majesty on the 28. of Aprill before had told the Houses That
the people tired with expectation of such a cure do usually by degrees forget the sharpnesse of those diseases which before required it or else in the redressing of many and long disorders and to secure them for the future there being for the most part a necessity of laying heavy Taxes and draining of much Money from the people they grow extreamly sensible of that present smart feeling more paine by the Cure for a time then they did by the lingring disease before not considering that the causes of all which they now indure were precedent and their present suffering is for their future security It was the generall opinion of all Gentlemen at that time That a Parliament so much and long desired as this was after so great and constant a violation of the Lawes and Liberties of England in the Kings former Government could scarce in possibility ever grow into the dislike of the people or at least so great a part of the people as might be able which within one yeare was after seene to make a Warre against it and indanger the utter ruine and subversion of it But I have spoken before of some causes which might seeme strong enough to ingage a part of the people against the Parliament whose particular interests and livelihoods were neerely touched how farre any proceeding might distaste others who were uninterested in their private fortunes or callings I cannot tell any certaine reason But I remember within the compasse of a yeare after when this Civill Warre began to breake out over all the Kingdom and men in all companies began to vent their opinions in an argumentative way either opposing or defending the Parliament Cause and Treatises were printed on both sides Many Gentlemen who forsooke the Parliament were very bitter against it for the proceedings in Religion in countenancing or not suppressing the rudenesse of people in Churches which I related before acting those things which seemed to be against the Discipline of the English Church and might introduce all kindes of Sects and Schismes Neither did those of the Parliament side agree in opinions concerning that point some said it was wisely done of the Parliament not to proceed against any such persons for feare of losing a considerable party as is said before Others thought and said That by so doing they would lose a farre more considerable party of Gentlemen then could be gained of the other They also affirmed That Lawes and Liberties having been so much violated by the King if the Parliament had not so farre drawne Religion also into their cause it might have sped better for the Parliament frequently at that time in all their expressions whensoever they charged the corrupt Statesmen of injustice and Tyranny would put Popery or a suspition of it into the first place against them I remember when the Warre was begun among those little Treatises which were then published as many there were without any names to them I found one in which the case is thus expressed to recite the words of it Perchance saith he too much insisting upon Religion and taxing the King for affecting Popery hath by accident weakened the Parliament and brought Parties to the King It may seeme a great Paradox that the best and onely necessary of all things Religion being added into the scale of Lawes and Liberties should make the scale lighter then before Neither can it be true but by accident as thus The strange intercourse betwixt Rome and the English Court The Kings owne Letters to the Pope His favouring of Priests and such things though they may give a State just cause of susspition that their Religion is undermining Yet because it cannot be so absolutely proved to the sight of all the people that the King favoured Popery as that he violated the Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome which latter was visible to all the former concerning Religion remaines in the peoples reason as a controverted question the King still protesting for Religion and the disputes about that amusing the People make them by degrees forget that crime of the Kings which was without controversie and evident the violation of Lawes and Liberties And more then so for some supposing that the Parliament unjustly taxed him in Religion did in time believe that he was not so guilty of the other as they would make him which I have heard some of late maintaine From whence may follow a strange conclusion That the Kings dealing so much with Rome to the disadvantage of the Protestant Religion should now turne to his owne advantage in a Protestant Kingdome And we may make this as paradoxicall a supposition That if the King had never done any thing prejudiciall to the Protestant Religion he would have found fewer Protestants this Parliament to take his part For then there being no dispute at all about Religion the crimes of his State mis-government had plainly and inexcusably appeared to all as we have seene that some of our former Kings for the like violation of Lawes and Liberties when there was but one Religion and therefore no dispute about it have been heavily censured in Parliament no man appearing in their justification And why should not a Parliament thinke that such things are cause enough to be stood upon and to justifie their quarrell before God as if the Almighty did not adhorre Injustice Oppression Tyranny and the like in any Kingdome unlesse the prâ—fession of Religion were also depraved Nay he abhorreth it more in that place where the purest profession of Religion is Besides that frequent naming of Religion as if it were the onely quarrell hath caused a great mistake of the question in some by reason of ignorance in others of subtilty whilest they wilfully mistake to abuse the Parliaments Cause writing whole Volumes in a wrong stated case as instead of disputing whether the Parliament of England lawfully assembled where the King virtually is may by Armes defend the Religion established by the same power together with the Lawes and Liberties of the Nation against Delinquents detaining with them the Kings seduced Person They make it the question Whether Subjects taken in a generall notion may make Warre against their King for Religions sake Such was the sense of many Gentlemen at that time which adhered to the Parliament But to proceed in the Narration The Parliament had been of late sensible of the losse of some from them and having detected divers Conspiracies and Machinations of dis-affected people against them and fearing more had in May last â—ramed a Protestation which was solemnly taken by all the Members of both Houses and sent thorow England to be taken by the people the forme of it was in these words I A.B. in the presence of Almighty God promise vow and protest to maintaine and desend as farre as lawfully I may with my life power and estate the true Reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish Innovotions within this
Realme contrary to the said Doctrine and according to the duty of my Allegiance I will maintaine and defend his Majesties Royall Person Honour and Estate as also the Power and Priviledge of Parliaments the lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subjects and every Person that shall make this Protestation in whatsoever he shall do in the lawfull pursuance of the same and to my power as farre as lawfully I may I will oppose and by all good waies and means endeavour to bring condigne punishment on all such as shall by force practise counsels plots conspiracies or otherwise do any thing to the contrary in this present Protestation contained And further That I shall in all just and honourable waies indeavour to preserve the union and peace betwixt the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland and neither for hope feare or any other respects shall relinquish this Promise Vow and Protestation It were not amisse in this place briefly to mention some alterations which had been made before the time that the King tooke his journey into Scotland though they were not done immediately about that time but some weekes or Moneths before because they concerne some Noble men of whom we shall have occasion hereafter to make mention in the course of this History The Lord COTTINGTON upon the 17. of May 1641. had resigned his place Master of the Wards the Lord Viscount SAY and SEALE succeeded him in that Office Within few daies after the Lord Treasurer Doctor JUCKSON Bishop of London resigned his Staffe and the Office was committed to five Commissioners About that time the Earle of Leicester lately come from being Ambassadour in France was by the King made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Earle of Newcastle was removed from being Governour to the Prince and the Marquesse of Hartford appointed in his roome THE HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND The Second Book CHAP. I. A Standing Committee during the Recesse of â—oth Houses of Parliament The Rebellion of the Irish and Massacre of the Protestants there Some endeavours of the English Parliament for relief of that Kingdom THE businesse of England by this absence of the King was at a great stand In such a concurrence of high affairs so great an expectation to find redress of pressing Grievances nothing was so irksome to the People as delay To retard the cure was little better then to destroy And the Sequel within a short time proved worse then the wisest men could imagine or the most jealous possibly suspect though jealousies and fears were then grown to a great height the Parliament of England less then ever assured of the Kings real affection to them Nothing of State was transacted in Parliament during the Kings absence Some debates there were only about Church-service and alterations to be made in the Book of Common-prayer in which notwithstanding nothing was concluded One businesse only came to be discussed of which the King himself gave occasion who within few daies after his arrival in Scotland signified by a Letter to the Lords That he was engaged to the Spaniard by promise to let him have four thousand souldiers out of that lately disbanded Irish Army which the Earle of Strafford had before raised his desire was to make good his promise by consent of Parliament But the House of Commons whom the Lords had invited to a Conference for that purpose would not consent that any Irish should go to assist the Spaniard some reasons were then given but more particular cause was shewed about ten daies after when a second Letter came from the King in which his Majesty declared That the Spanish Ambassador claimed his promise from which in honor he could not recede Notwithstanding since he had found that Ambassador so reasonable as that he was content to accept of two thousand he hoped the Parliamnnt would not deny that The House took it into consideration and within two dayes the Lord of FAWKLAND a Member of the House of Commons at a conference delivered to the Lords gave reasons in the name of that House why it was very unfit to grant the Kings desire because the Spaniard was not only an Ally confederate but an assistant to the Emperor against the Prince Elector his Majesties Nephew who by the power and oppression of that Emperor had bin long deprived of his inheritance And at this time when the King had published a Manifesto in behalf of his Nephew and to that purpose sent an Ambassador to the Dyet of Ratisbone it would seem a contradiction in the King to assist the Enemies of the said Prince Elector and a drawing of his own Sword against himself besides the great prejudice it must needs bring to the Protestant cause which this present Parliament so much intended and laboured to promote Upon these reasons it was thought fit not to consent to the Kings desire in that point And immediately the two Houses of Parliament rejourned themselves from that day being the eighth of September till the twentieth of October and appointed a standing Committee of fifty Members during that recesse Before the Accesse and meeting again of the Parliament Letters came from the English Committee in Scotland and were read before that standing Committee of Westminster importing the discovery of a Treasonable plot against the lives of Marquesse HAMILTON and others the greatest Peâ—res of Scotland the conspirators being the Earle of Crayford and some others How it was discovered or how prevented or whether the King had any privity to it though one of that country have since written very plainly charging the King with it because the State of Scotland were very silent in it the Parliament of England took the lesse notice of it Only the standing Committee for avoiding the like attempts at London and fearing that such might flow from the same spring appointed strong guards to be placed in many parts of the City till further directions might be given from the two Houses at their Accesse The malignancy which at that time began to appear in people of that condition and quality which wee before mentioned and was not only expressed in usual discourse among their companions but vented in scurrilous and bitter Libels against those Lords and Commons who were generally reputed the most Sedulous for the common-wealth was cause sufficient to increase the feares and jealousies of the Parliament But that fatall fire which so sadly wasted the three Kingdoms broke out there where it was least feared and those that seemed most secure were the first sufferers About the end of October 1641 during the Kings abode in Scotland the most barbarous and bloudy Rebellion that ever any age or Nation were guilty of broke out in Ireland The atrocity of it is without a paralell and as full of wonder was the close carriage of so black and far-reaching a Designe The innocent Protestants were upon a suddain disseised of their Estates and the persons of above two hundred thousand men women and
Traitors came not out till the beginning of January though that Rebellion broke out in October and then by special Command from Vs but fourty Copies were appointed to be printed It is well known where we were at that time when that Rebellion broke forth in Scotland that we immediately from thence recommended the care of that businesse to both Houses of Parliament here after We had provided for all fitting Supplies from our Kingdom of Scotland that after Our return hither We observed all those Forms for that service which We were advised to by Our Councel of Ireland or both Houses of Parliament here and if no Proclamation issued out sooner of which for the present We are not certain but think that others before that time were issued by Our directions it was because the Lords Iustices of that Kingdom desired them no sooner and when they did the number they disired was but twenty which they advised might be signed by Vs which We for expedition of the service commanded to be printed a circumstance not desired by them thereupon We signed more of them then Our Iustices desired all which was very well known to some Members of one or both Houses of Parliament who have the more to answer if they forbore to expresse it at the passing of this Declaration and if they did expresse it We have the greater reason to complain that so envious an aspersion should be cast upon Vs to Our People when they knew well how to answer their own Objection This was the Kings Answer to that point of the Parliaments Declaration concerning Ireland But the House of Commons in another Declaration though long after charge the King upon the same particular with more circumstances of aggravation as That although the Rebels had most impudently styled themselves The Queens Army and professed that the cause of their rising was To maintain the King's Prerogative and the Queens Religion against the Puritan Parliament of England and thereupon both Houses of Parliament did humbly and earnestly advise His Majestie to wipe away this dangerous Scandal by proclaiming them Rebels and Traitors to His Majestie and the Crown of England which then would have mated and weakned the Conspirators in the beginning and have encouraged both the Parliaments here and good people there the more vigorously to have opposed their proceedings yet such was the power of evil counsel about him that no Proclamation was set forth to that purpose till almost three months after the breaking out of this Rebellion and then Command given that but fourty should be printed nor they published till further direction should be given by His Majestie But the businesse of Ireland was more particularly touched in subsequent Declarations which in their due time and place may hereafter be related That Proclamation against the Irish Rebels came not out above two days before the King entred the House of Commons as is before expressed by which act so great a disturbance was made and the relief of Ireland so much retarded It was likewise complained of to the King by the House of Commons within three weeks after that since the Ports by order of both Houses as is before mentioned had been stopped against all Irish Papists many of the chief Commanders then in the Head of the Rebels had been suffered to passe by His Majesties immediate Warrant Of which the King cleared himself in Answer to them that by examining his own memory and the notes of his Secretaries he could not finde himself guilty of granting any such Warrants CHAP. III The Queen passeth into Holland with her daughter the Princesse MARY Difference between the King and Parliament concerning the Militia The King goeth toward York and is followed with a Petition from the Lords and Commons to Theobalds and another Declaration to Newmarket The King is denied entrance into Hull by Sir JOHN HOTHAM IT was wonderful that nothing at all could advance or further this great and necessary work of reducing Ireland when so many courses were propounded and undertaken as about the middle of February both Houses of Parliament had found a way which they conceived to be most substantial and firm to carry on that War namely by adventuring for proportions of Land in Ireland there being by their account within the four Provinces of Vlster Connaught Munster and Leinster two millions and an half of Acres of Land forfeitable from the Rebels in those Provinces to be shared among those Adventurers in the City of London or other Counties thereabout that would bring in or subscribe such Sums of money as were thought fit and which were upon good and serious consideration set down in particular whereby if an happie Conquest were made upon those bloody Rebels a large recompence might be made to all those English who either in Person of Purse had contributed to so good a work The King was well contented with these Propositions offâ—ring withal to go himself in Person into Ireland but that was not thought sitting by the Parliament and so far it passed that an Act was made to that purpose enabling the Parliament with power to carry on that War until Ireland should be declared to be wholly subdued and that no Peace or Cessation of Arms should be at any time made with those Rebels unlesse both Houses of Parliament assented to it But while these things were acting other businesse wherein the safety and security of England was concerned fell into debate which was touching the Militia of the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales to be setled in every County upon such persons as the Parliament should approve A Petition to this purpose was sent to the King presently after they had received a Message from him dated the twentieth of Ianuary wherein the King in fair language desires the Parliament since that particular Grievances and Distractions were too many and would be too tedious to be presented by themselves that they would comprise and digest them into one entire Body that so His Majestie and themselves might be able to make the more clear Iudgement of them and that it should then appear by what His Majestie would do how for he hath been from intending or designing any of those things which the too-great fears and jealousies of some persons seem to apprehend and how ready he would be to equal or exceed the greatest examples of most indulgent Princes in their Acts of Grace and Favour to the People This Message was received with thanks by the Parliament who resolved to take it into speedie and serious consideration But to enable them with security to discharge their duties in those affairs they desired the King to raise up to them a sure ground of safety and confidence by putting in the mean time the Tower with other principal Forts and the whole Militia of the Kingdom into the hands of such persons as the Parliament might trust and should be recommended to him by both Houses This Petition of theirs was not well
so far break that trust which was râ—posed in them as to 〈◊〉 â—ake their â—ears in Parliament some of them as was râ—poâ—ted invited by Letters from the King and others of their own accord At the revolt of so many members from the Parliament the Kingdom in general began to fear and all that loved the Nations Peace were in an high measure dismayed among whom nothing was to be heard in all meetings and discourses but sad presages of misery to the Kingdom if Almighty God did not in a miraculous way prevent it They concluded that no other way could have been â—ound out to endanger the overthrow of that Parliament which many open attempts and secret conspiracies could not doâ— That as the ruine of England could not in probability be wrought but by it self so the Parliament could not be broken a Prologue to the other but by her own Members and that sentence verified Perditio tua ex te Though the opinions of men differed concerning the censure of those Members while some condemned others in some degree excused them according as affection and private interests did lead them yet concerning the Effects which that Revolt in all probability must produce all rational men concurred in opinion that nothing but Calamity and Ruine could flow from it What else said they can this Revolt do but nourish and increase the King's disaffection to the Parliament What but encourage his distance from it and attempts against it What but secure the Irish Rebels and endanger the losse of that Kingdom cherish Papists obstruct Justice and give impunity to all Delinquents Nothing else had power to undermine and shake the dignity and reverence belonging to that high Court whilst not onely the People by that diminution of their number were perswaded to esteem of it as an imperfect Parliament but the King might take that advantage of it which proved true in his succeeding Declarations and Writings what he never did before as to call them a Faction or pretended Parliament and such like In censuring those Lords and Commons who deserted the Parliament the People as was said before did much differ Some considering how great the number was that many of them were of whole estates of good reputation and able parts began to to think or at least to say that the Parliament was not free enough that those Members which was also their own excuse were curbed by a prevalent faction in the Houses and over-awed by tumults from the City of London Upon that occasion they called to minde in what manner the names of nine and fifty Members of the House of Commons had been posted up at the Exchange for dissenting from the rest about condemning of the Earl of Strafford besides what menacing speeches had been given by rude people to some Lords whom they thought ill-affected Others answered that although such things had been rashly and foolishly done by some unadvised persons yet it could not be feared that any tumults from the Citie would ever violate a Parliament sitting and that the tumultuous appearance of such multitudes from the Citie was rather intended for encouragement and security of the Parliament against such invasions as might be made upon them to aw their just freedom and treacherous Conspiracies which by report were made against them by people disaffected to that high Court which that Plot of bringing the Army against them formerly and late resorts of armed persons about White-hall gave them cause to fear That no fears of danger could be pretended from the House it self against any Member but such as that Member was bound to undergo and suffer rather then betray so great a trust of the people That it was to be presumed no Member of Parliament who was well-affected to his Country could suffer any thing from the house it self whose ends and counsels must needs be supposed to tend to the publike good or else our Ancestours who constituted that Frame of Government were much deceived That it was very improbable the Liberty of Subjects should be violated by that Court which is the onely defence and conserver of it and without which it had always suffered from Princes yea such Princes as were not very wicked They alleadged that it was very dishonourable for those Lords being the greater number to pretend fear for deserting the Parliament for if it were upon a true dislike of any proceedings there they were enow to haved stayed and perchance have cured those inconveniences and too many to have suffered in a good Cause though Honour would command one man alone lawfully called to it to maintain a truth with any hazard On the other side they were too many to flee to encourage the King against his Parliament and thereby soment that dissention which could produce no good effect It was alleadged by many men that some of those Lords were Noble-men of honourable and vertuous repute Though that were not denied nor could any certain signe from the former dâ—meanours of the Lords in general arise to distinguish who were likely to adhere to the Parliament and who to desert it for they were deceived on both sides in some particulars yet certainly it was averred that those Lords whom the people had most especially trusted in as true Patriots proved to be part of those who continued in the House and those whom the people in general distasted or distrusted happened to be among those who upon this occasion forsook the Parliament It was likewise frequently spoken that those Members of the House of Commons who deserted it were men generally of as able parts as any that continued there It was no wonder replied others but very probable that they were such men and such as had or thought they had good parts enough to be looked upon by a Prince for those men though we should esteem them all of equal honesty were likeliest to fall off There is a difference between Wisdom and good Parts such as we count Eloquence Wit polite Learning and the like and that Wisdom which is least adorned with such dresses as these is usually at such times most safe in it self and freest from being corrupted as that Beauty is which is set off with the least witchery of Attire for that Beauty which is curiously decked as it is most subject to be tempted by others so it is most apt to be proud of it self and by consequence to betray it self to such a temptation as is great enough So it hath been often seen in this case as was observed by an old Parliament-man that those Gentlemen of fine parts when other men of a plainer wisedom have had the honour in a constant way to do excellent service for the Common-wealth have been won from their Countrey 's cause as soon as Majestie hath at all vouchsafed to tempt them or that perchance their opinion of themselves hath made them meet or seek such a temptation Besides that danger of invitation from a King it hath been too often known
it unlesse they will beleeve that a dozen or twenty factious and seditious persons be the high Court of Parliament which consists of King Lords and Commons For the Priviledges of Parliament he averres That whosoever will not believe the raising of an Army to kill their King To alter the government and Lawes by extravagant Votes of either or both Houses To force the Members to submit to their Faction and take away freedome of consultation from them to be the Priviledge of Parliament must confesse That the Army now raised by the King is no lesse for the vindication and preservation of Parliaments then for his owne necessary defence The King chargeth them likewise with uncharity That they have indeavoured to raise an implacable hatred betweene the Gentry and Commonalty of the Kingdome by rendring all persons of Honour odious to the Common People under the stile of Cavaliers and to perswade the people that there was an intention by the Commission of Array to take away a part of their Estates from them Which he denyes and concludes with Protestations to the contrary The Parliament returned answer to this Declaration but not as being the Kings according to their oft mentioned custome but comming from wicked and malicious contrivers of falshood and scandals Who say they to our unspeakable sorrowes have gained so much power with his Majesty as to vent the same under the Title of his owne Royall Name For the first objection They do not affirme that the King favours Popery himselfe but justifie that things have been carried in the favour of it by some about him according to the particular instances in many of their former Declarations They seeme to be amazed at the strange boldnesse of the Contrivers of that Declaration in averring that there are more Papists in their Army then in the Kings whereas they cannot or at least do not name any one which they desire may be done if there be any such that the Parliament may know how to displace them But the Parliament in their Answer name many of greatest ranke and quality of that Religion in the Kings Army who have raised him in some Counties the most considerable Forces which he hath and many Commissions granted by himselfe to Papists acknowledged so That it were sencelesse to thinke that any Papists favoured the Parliaments Cause at all whereas it is certaine that there are none of that Religion but are either openly or secretly assistant to that cause which the King hath taken For the second objection That the Kings Forces are not leavyed against the Parliament it selfe but a few seditious persons They thinke it an impossible thing that twelve or twenty such persons as they are termed should have power to compell the rest of that Body to sâ—bmit to their Faction and to have their freedome of consultation taken from them The truth is say they not a few persons but the Parliament it selfe is the thorne that lyes in these mens sides which heretofore when it was wont to prick them was with much â—ase by a sudden dissolution pulled out But now that it is more deeply fastened by an Act of continuance they would force it out by the power of an Army That whosoever will read the Speeches and Declarations made upon the breaking up of all former Parliaments ever since the beginning of this Kings Reigne will finde the pretences of those unjust dissolutions to be grounded upon exceptions against particular Members under the name of a few factious and seditious persons so that the aspersing and wounding of the Parliament thorow the sides of a few Members is no new invention But say they those former Declarations in the Kings name being groundlesse invectives not against particular Members but against the Votes and Proceedings of both Houses and declaring the Earle of Essex Generall of the Forces raised by them to be a Traytor and that all those which assist him thereby comprehending both Houses of Parliament by whose Command and Authority he bears that place to be Rebels and guilty of High Treason is argument sufficient no groundlesse accusation to prove the Kings Army to be raised against the Parliament or to take away the Priviledges thereof Those Priviledges of Parliament consisting in three things 1. As they are a Councell to advise 2. A Court to judge 3. A representative body of the Realme to make repeal or alter Lawes These Priviledges have say they during the sitting of this Parliament been all apparently broken to the view of all men by the Kings wicked Councell Their advice scarse at all hearkened unto by the King but other counsels of unknowne persons preferred before them For the second as a Court to judge The Delinquents so pronounced by the Parliament have bin pâ—oâ—ected by the King against them of which they give many particular instances Touching the third for making Laws They instance his refusall of many wholsome Bils for Church and State besides the breaking of their Priviledges they produce some attempts utterly to subvert them as the forementioned indeavour of bringing up the Northerne Army to force Conditions upon the Parliament the Kings Letters and Commands to Members of both Houses to attend him at Yorke leaving their true and legall station which when they obeyed it was scandalously alleadged that they were driven away For any violence intended to the Kings Person as they utterly deny it so they referre it to indifferent men to judge by all their long sufferings and humble Petitions to him to avoid those indangerings of his Person But for that imputation layed upon them of an indeavour to raise an implacable malice and hatred between the Gentry and Commonalty of the Kingdome They conceive it a Charge of a strange nature that they should indeavour to raise the hatred of the Commonalty against themselves For so it must follow unlesse the Contrivers of that Declaration will deny the Parliament to be Gentlemen But though we know say they well there are too many of the Gentry of this Kingdome who to satisfie the lusts of their owne ambition are content to sell their birth-right to render themselves and their posterity to perpetuall slavery and to submit themselves to any arbitrary and unlimited power of Government so they may for their owne time pertake of that Power to trample and insult over others Yet we are certaine that there are many true hearted Gentlemen who are ready to lay downe their lives and fortunes and of late have given ample testimony thereof for maintenance of their Lawes Liberties and Religion with whom and others of their resolution we shall be ready to live and dye Lastly they prove by particular instances that in the Kings Commission of Array there is not onely an intention to take away part of mens Estates but that it hath been put into reall execution with many other things in justification of all their proceedings and Declarations which may be read more at large in the Records This was the
effect of that verball Skirmish which immediately followed the great and bloody Battell of Keynton CHAP. II. The Parliament send to the King concerning an Accommodation A fight at Branford Another Treaty with the King begun and broken off Reading besieged by the Lord Generall ESSEX and surrendred to him A Conspiracy to betray Bristoll A treacherous Plot against the Parliament and City of London discovered and prevented AT the famous Battell of Edgehill the great cause of English Liberty with a vast expence of blood and Treasure was tryed but not decided which did therefore prove unhappy even to that side which seemed victorious the Parliament Army For though the Kings Forces were much broken by it yet his strength grew accidentally greater and more formidable then before to whom it proved a kinde of victory not to be easily or totally overthrowne For the greatest Gentlemen of divers Counties began then to consider of the King as one that in possibility might prove a Conquerour against the Parliament and many of them who before as Neuters had stood at gaze in hope that one quick blow might cleare the doubt and save them the danger of declaring themselves came now in and readily adhered to that side where there seemed to be least feares and greatest hopes which was the Kings Party for on the Parliament side the incouragements were onely publike and nothing promised but the free injoyment of their native Liberty no particular honours preferments or Estates of Enemies and on the other side no such totall ruine could be threatned from a victorious Parliament being a body as it were of themselves as from an incensed Prince and such hungry followers as usually go along with Princes in those waies And how much private interest will oversway publike nations Books of History rather then Philosophy will truly informe you for concerning humane actions and dispositions there is nothing under the Sunne which is absolutely new Looke upon the Discourse of one Historian in that subject DION CASSIUS a Writer of as little bias in the opinion of all Criticks as any among the Antients when he relates the last Warre about Roman Liberty after which as himselfe speaks that People never againe looked back toward it Which was the Warre of BRUTUS and CASSIUS against CAESAR and ANTONY Etsi ante hanc pugnam civilibus bellis c. Although saith DION before this War they had many Civill Wars yet in others they fought who should oppresse the Roman Liberty in this War one side fought to vindicate Liberty the other to bring in Tyranny yet the side of Tyranny prevailed and drew most to it Of what quality they were the same Historian speaks also The Armies of BRUTUS and CASSIUS that stood for Liberty consisted of the lower sort of people and Ex subditis Romanorum the other that stood for Tyranny consisted saith he Ex Romanis Nobilibus Fortibus BRUTUS and CASSIUS two chiefe Souldiers before the Battell making Orations incouraged them to fight for their ancient freedome and Roman Laws CAESAR and ANTONY promised to their Souldiers the Estates of their Enemies Et imperium in omnes Gentiles suos and power to rule over their owne Countrymen which proved it seemes better Oratory then the other and more perswasive BRUTUS and CASSIUS delayed the Battell as loath to waste so much blood if by any other stratagem they might have subdued because they were saith DION good men and pittyed their Countrymen loving the safety and striving for the Liberty even of those men who fought against them to overthrow that Liberty Yet that delay proved ill and many Noblemen in that time forsooke them and turned to the other side whither their private hopes or feares led them Whether the parrallel will in some measure fit this occasion or not I leave it to the Reader and returne to the Narration The Earle of Essex the next day after Keynton Battell marched with his Army toward Warwick to which Towne he arrived safe disposing of the Prisoners Waggons and Ordnance which he had taken into that Castle with resolution after some short refreshment of his men there to march neerer to the King But the King returned toward Oxford seizing by the way upon Banbury from whence he tooke 1500. Armes and turned out the Parliament Souldiers that were quartered there His Army consisting especially of Horse was divided into severall Bodyes and Prince RUPERT with part of it visited the Towns neere adjacent as Abingdon Henley and other places from whence he returned with great booty Within few daies he made a neerer approach toward London but with a flying Army resting in no place sometimes as farre as Stanes and Egham which made the City of London carefull to provide for their safety against sudden incursions and send Forces to possesse and fortifie Windsor Castle In the meane time to secure London and free those parts from greater feares the Earle of Essex had marched with his Army neerer to that City and on the seventh day of November came himselfe to Westminster his Army being billitted about Acton and other neere places and was welcomed by both Houses of Parliament who presented him with a gift of 5000 l. as an acknowledgement of their thanks in behalfe of the Kingdome for his care paines and valour in the actions already passed But before the Earle of Essex departed from London another bloody tragedy was acted and the scene no farther then Brainford about eight miles distance the King himselfe being there or not farre off in Person The manner and occasion of it shall be in briefe related The Parliament expressing great griefe for this unnaturall Warre and bloodshed that this indangered Kingdome might be saved from ruine and the better meanes made to recover Ireland had agreed upon a Petition for Accommodation to be presented to the King then at Colebrooke by the Earles of Northumberland and Pembrooke with foure Commons the Lord WAINMAN Master PERPOINT Sir JOHN EVELIN and Sir JOHN IPSLEY Sir PETER KILLIGREW was sent before to procure a safe Conduct But the King refused to admit of Sir JOHN EVELYN because he was one whom himselfe had named Traytor the day before Which exception of the Kings was extremely distasted by the Parliament yet so great was their desire of Accommodation that although this excepting of Sir JOHN EVELIN were voted by them a breach of Priviledge and a flat denyall from the King the Petition was sent by the five forenamed Lords and Gentlemen Sir JOHN EVELIN being very willing to be left out The King being then at Colebrooke fifteene miles distant seemed to receive the Petition with great willingnesse and returned them a faire Answer calling God to witnesse in many Protestations that he was tenderly compassionate of his bleeding people and more desirous of nothing then a speedy peace to which purpose he was most willing at any place where he should reside not farre from London to receive such Propositions of Peace as they should send
Country being esteemed a brave and religious man After severall Skirmishes the Parliament Army had the fortune to make a faire retreat to Cawood Castle and Selby and leave all to the Earle whose Forces were reported to be about eight thousand Horse and Foot the Lord FAIRFAX and Captaine HOTHAM having not above 2100. Foot and seven Troops of Horse their number had bin greater if Sir HUGH CHOLMELY and Colonell BAINTON with their Regiments of Foot and two Troops of Horse who were expected had accordingly come in to them The Earle of Newcastle was now growne not only master of the field there but formidable to all the adjacent Counties who did therefore implore aid from the Parliament The Parliament upon that occasion hastened the Association of those Counties which lay neerer to them that they might be the more able to supply their remoter friends The Kings side received then an addition of strength in the North by the landing of Colonell GORING at Newcastle with 200. Commanders from Holland and other Provisions for the Warre The Earle of Newcastle marching from Tadcaster surprised Leedes in which Towne he tooke many Gentlemen Prisoners and forced them to ransome themselves at high rates whereby he was further enabled to pay his great Army Then also he gave Commissions to Papists in that Country to arme themselves in the Kings Service which he justified by writings published upon that occasion and at the same time proclaimed the Lord FAIRFAX Traytor The Lord FAIRFAX notwithstanding marched with such Forces as he had gotten together and proved successefull in divers attempts against severall parts of the Earle of Newcastles Forces one of them happening at Sherburne between Tadcaster and Doncaster and another at Bradford against a party of the Earle of Newcastles Army under the conduct of Colonell GORING Colonell EVERS Sir WILLIAM SAVILE and Sir JOHN GOTHERICK who came with a good strength of Horse and Dragoneers to surprize on a sudden that Towne of Bradford but were by Forces timely sent to the reliefe of it forced to retire with some losse which though it were not a Victory against Colonell GORING and the rest may notwithstanding be termed a successefull Action in being able to repell an Enemy too potent for them in all probability CHAP. IV. Some Actions of Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX in the North. The Queene lands in England The revolt of Sir HUGH CHOLMELY and the two HOTHAMS The state of this Warre in the Westerne parts The condition of the Associated Counties A short relation of Sir WILLIAM WALLER his Actions of Colonell CROMWELL Sir WILLIAM BRERETON and Sir JOHN GELL GReat were the atchievements of Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX in that moneth of Ianuary and the following February for no season of the yeare nor stormes of winter could quench the rage of this Civill Fire Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX on the 23. of Ianuary 1642. marched from Bradford six miles distant from Loedes with six Troops of Horse and three Companies of Dragoones under the command of Sir HENRY FOULIS Baronet his Lieutenant Generall of his Horse and neere 1000. Musqueteers with 2000. Clubmen under the Command of Sir WILLIAM FAIRFAX Colonell and Lieutenant Generall of the Foot When Sir THOMAS approached the Town of Leeds he dispatched a Trumpeter to Sir WILLIAM SAVILE Commander in chiefe there under the Earle of Newcastle requiring the Towne to be delivered to him for the King and Parliament But receiving a resolute and seeming-scornefull answer from Sir WILLIAM SAVILE he drew neerer and prepared to make an Assault though there were great strength in the Towne namely 1500 Foot and 500. Horse and Dragoones with two Brasse Sakers Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX drew out five Companies of his most expert Souldiers whom he disposed of at a fit side of the Town under the command of Major FORBES Captaines BRIGGS LEE FRANKE and PALMER Sir WILLIAM FAIRFAX at the head of his Regiment and the face of the Enemy stormed the Town with great skill and courage whilest Major FORBES did the like in his place and Sir THOMAS himselfe every where encouraging and teaching valour by his owne example brought on his men so that after two houres of hot fight though the besieged behaved themselves well the Towne was entred by Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX Sir WILLIAM FAIRFAX and Sir HENRY FOWLES on one side and Major FORBES with his fellow Captaines on the other They toooke within the Towne their two Brasse Sakers with good store of Armes and Ammunition foure Colours and 500. Prisoners among whom were six Commanders The Common Souldiers upon taking of an Oath never to fight in this cause against the King and Parliament were set at liberty and suffered to depart but without their Arms. There were slaine about forty men of which number the besieged lost the greater halfe Serjeant Major BEAMONT indeavouring in the flight to save his life by crossing the River so lost it being drowned therein and Sir WILLIAM SAVILE himselfe crossing in flight the same River hardly escaped the same fate Publike thanksgiving to Almighty God was given at London for this Victory Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX with his victorious Forces immediately marched to another Quarter of the Earle of Newcastles Army at Wakefield from whence the chiefe Commander Sir GEORGE WENTWORTH sled and left it to him Not long after he marched to Tadcaster at whose approach the Earles Forces though a considerable number fled away and forsooke their Workes From that time scarce any one fortnight of all the following Spring passed without some remarkable addition of strength to the Kings side in those Northerne parts In February Generall KING a Scottish Commander of great experience in Military affaires came out of Holland landed at Newcastle joyned himselfe with the Earle of Newcastle and passed to Yorke with 6000. Armes In the same Moneth also the Queene landing from Holland neere to Sunderland with great Provision of Armes and Ammunition and many Commanders of note in her Retinew was convoyed by the Earle of Newcastle to the City of Yorke The Earle of Montrosse about the same time a young Lord of great esteeme in Scotland who before in the Scottish Warre as is there mentioned had shewed himselfe one of the most active and zealous Covenanters of that Nation forsooke his Party there and with the Lord OGLESBY fled out of Scotland with 120. Horse to the Queene at Yorke Upon which both those Lords were proclaimed at Edenburgh Traytors to their King and Country for that contrary to their Covenant they stole out of Scotland to assist the Popish Army for so they called that of the Earle of Newcastles against the Parliament of England Another great wound to the Parliament not long after was the revolt of Sir HUGH CHOLMELY a Member of the House of Commons and one that had carried a good esteeme among them who had before as is already mentioned been imployed by the Parliament as a Commissioner in the North together with the Lord FAIRFAX and Sir PHILIP STAPLETON and was
at this time highly intrusted by them for he was Governour of Scarborough a place of great importance He falsely betrayed his Trust and forsooke the Cause he had undertaken going to the Queene with 300. men Upon which he was impeached of High Treason by the Parliament but it was not his fortune to suffer for that offence as others did who about the same time failed in their Trusts The Towne of Scarborough was left in possession of a Parliament Captaine who was usually called Browne Bushell a man that some thought would have kept it to the Parliaments use he likewise revolted and delivered it to their Enemies Upon the landing of Generall KING and the Queene presently after a suspition began to arise by some circumstances that the two unfortunate HOTHAMS the father and the sonne were false to the Parliament Which by the strict observation of some vigilant men on that side was further discovered and began at last to be discoursed of with as little beliefe for a long time as CASSANDRAES Prophecies and when it came more plainly to appeare with as much not onely wonder but sorrow of honest men that so much unconstancy should be found The particulars of this discovery and how much the Parliament if not timely prevented had suffered by it there will be time hereafter to discourse of more at large But they were both accused to the Parliament seized upon at Hull and sent up to London where they long remained Prisoners in the Tower before the time of their Tryall and Execution Not all these disadvantages by the growth of Enemies and revolt of friends could dishearten the Lord FAIRFAX and his Sonne who still persisted with great courage and raising the Clubmen of the Country to piece up those small Forces which remained with them were able for a while to make considerable resistance and performe divers services against some parts of the Earle of Newcastles vast Army But one Victory was gained by Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX at Wakefield which may be termed rather miraculous then strange though I shall relate nothing save knowne truth such a Victory against so much odds and so many disadvantages as may serve to teach how much successe may possibly crowne bold attempts and justifie that old saying Audaces fortuna juvat The Lord FAIRFAX Generall of the Parliaments Forces in the North on the 20. of May gave Order for a Party to be drawne out from the Garrisons of Leedes Bradford Halifax and Howley They marched 1000. Foot three Companies of Dragoneers and eight Troops of Horse Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX commanded in Chiefe the Foot were commanded by Sir WILLIAM FAIRFAX and Serjeant Major Generall GIFFORD the Horse divided into two Bodies foure Troops whereof were commanded by Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX himselfe the other foure by Sir HENRY FOWLYS From Howley which was their rendâ—zvouze they marched away and by foure a clock in the morning came before Wakefield Those of the Towne were ready for them and sent out some of their Horse to encounter with theirs and Musqueteers to line some hedges even to the very Towne There were in Wakefield 3000. Foot and seven Troops of Horse besides Colonell LAMPTONS Regiment which came into the Towne after that the Parliaments Forces entred into it But at the first encounter the Parliaments Forces beat their Enemies Horse back and their Foot also drove those Musqueteers from the hedges even into the Towne which they assaulted in two places called Wrengate and Northgate After an houre and an halfe fighting recovered one of their Enemies Peeces and turned it upon them and withall entred the Town in both places at the same time When the Baracadoes were opened Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX with the Horse also fell into the Towne and cleered the street there was a cruell and fierce encounter in which place Colonell GORING was taken Prisoner by Lieutenant MATTHEW ALURED brother to Captaine JOHN ALURED a Member of the House of Commons yet in the Market place stood three Troops of Horse and Colonell LAMPTONS Regiment to whom Major Generall GIFFORD sent a Trumpet with proffer of Quarter if they would lay down their Arms. To which when they returned a scornfull Answer he fired a Peece of their owne Ordnance upon them and the Horse also falling in with great fury soone beat them out of the Towne and tooke all their Officers Prisoners They tooke withall 27. Colours of Foot three Cornets of Horse and about 1500. Common Souldiers They were likewise forced when they fled to leave behind them foure Peeces of Ordnance with Ammunition which the Parliament Forces carried away with them For when they had thus taken the Towne they found their number and strength too weake to keepe it and their Prisoners too And therefore they quitted the place and marched away with this brave booty This great Victory at Wakefield seemed according to the common saying like a lightening before death for not long after these Forces were quite broken by the Earle of Newcastle whose greatnesse overspread those Countries and was never incountered by any Enemy but in parts of his Army He had managed the whole businesse and attained his height of power by great skill and policy and now having no neere Enemy in the field was gone to besiege the Lord FAIRFAX in Hull which was by some talked of as an errour in him no lesse then besieging Gloucester soone after by the King was censured Such a continuall and sad Warre had the Northerne parts been forced to endure all the winter Nor was it their case alone scarce any County of England was free from it The whole West consisting of so many rich and flourishing Shires had been as sad a stage of civill Tragedies Many Armies and small Parties of either side too many for one History to describe at large or give particular due to the actions of every Gentleman had been ingaged without any intermission in those parts Of all Commanders there that sided with the King against the Parliament Sir RALPH HOPTON by his unwearied industry and great reputation among the people had raised himselfe to the most considerable height and continued the longest a Leader of Armies as the sequell of the Story will hereafter declare But his successes through the whole course of his Actions were very various and many ebbs and flowes were in his fortune The Marquesse HARTFORD though farre higher in Dignity and greater by power of his large Commission from the King of which before is spoken was not able to act so largely in the field as Sir RALPH did though he were seldome idle but busie about Townes and in small Parties They were both opposed in their beginnings not so much by any Noblemen or great Commanders imployed by the Parliaments Commissions as by private Gentlemen of those Counties the chiefe of which were Sir FRANCIS POPHAM and his Sons Master STRODE a Deputy Lieutenant there with others before named besides plaine Freeholders of the Country who seemed to understand their owne
ESSEX his Army was so much wasted by sicknesse and other distresses that he could not at all straiten Oxford nor hinder any Forces from issuing thence under the conduct of the Lord VVILMOT was utterly defeated scattered and ruined as was before mentioned He himselfe for security at the present retired into the City of Bristoll from whence within few daies he rode accompanied with some Gentlemen toward London and was there received with great affection and many promises of their best indeavour to set him forth with another Army The Kings Forces seemed now to have done the greatest part of their worke being in a manner sole Masters of the VVest and most Northerne Counties of England and having ruined the Lord FAIRFAX and Sir WILLIAM WALLERS Armies Yet in all Counties the fortune was not alike in many places those Gentlemen which adhered to the Parliament were able not onely to guard themselves but get ground upon their enemies though those actions were for the most part performed in skirmishes between small parties in preserving their owne strengths or taking Townes from the other side such as had been in Cheshire Lancashire Staffordshire Derby Leicester Notingham and other places which I shall briefly touch anon after I have related in how contrary a condition to the North and West which had beene the seat of a fierce warre and a prey to the greatest and most potent Armies of either side and how much happier then those other Counties which had beene alwayes molested with Alarms and Skirmishes and suffered by pillaging on both Parties the Easterne Counties of England had remained all the foregoing VVinter and continued so during the whole progresse of this bloody VVarre which were the Counties of Suffolke Norfolke Cambridge Essex Hartford Huntingdon c. who never were made the seat of any part of this civill VVarre These parts of the Kingdome had joyned themselves in an Association by Authority of Parliament with power to defened each other and leavy Forces against all enemies to that cause this great happinesse of peace and quiet that they enjoyed may be supposed to flow from the unanimity of their affections which carried them all the same way and true it is that there was as much unanimity of opinion and affection in those Counties among the people in generall as was to be found in any part of England but it was especially among the common people for a great and considerable number of the Gentry and those of highest ranke among them were dis-affected to the Parliament and were not sparing in their utmost indeavours to promote the Kings Cause and assist his Force against it which might have throwne those Countries if not wholly carried them to the other side into as much distraction and sad calamity as any other part of the Land had felt nor could that Association have been possibly made if those Gentlemen had not been curbed and suppressed by that timely care which the Parliament tooke and more particularly by the successfull services of one Gentleman Master OLIVER CROMWEL of Huntington a Member of the House of Commons whose wisdome valour and vigilancy was no lesse availeable in this important businesse then remarkable afterwards in the highest services and greatest battels of the whole Warre Of this mans Actions because it pleased God to raise him afterward into the greatest commands and prosper in so high a measure all his undertakings that he became within few yeares one of the chiefe props on which the Parliament leaned and greatest scourges of the other sid let it not seeme amisse if I discourse in a continued Serâ—es during those Moneths that intervened the Battell of Keynton and that low ebbe of the Parliament which preceded the siege of Gloucester The first Action that CROMWELL undertooke was to secure the Towne of Cambridge for the Parliament about the middle of January Universities were of all places most apt to adhere to the Kings party esteeming Parliaments and especially this the greatest depressors of that Ecclesiasticall Dignity in hope of which they are there nurtured Upon which reason they were packing up a large quantity of the Plate that belonged to all the Coledges to send it away to the King which would have made a considerable summe This was foreseene by CROMWELL who by a Commission from the Parliament and Lord Generall Essex had raised a Troope of Horse and came downe into that Country with authority to raise more Forces as occasion served he came to Cambridge soone enough to seize upon that plate which was going to Oxford but before his arrivall there he performed by the way another service Sir THOMAS CONESBY lately made High Sheriffe of Hartfordshire had received a Proclamation from the King to proclaime the Earle of Essex and all his adherents Traytors and was then at St. Albons upon a Market day proclaiming of the same CROMWELL with his Troope seized upon him and sent him up to the Parliament Not long after he collected in convenient time the Forces of that County and invited the neighbour Counties of Essex Suffolke and Norfolke to their assistance against an invasion of the Lord CAPELL who should have been seconded by Prince RUPERT also to invade that place and hinder the Association which had been done if that timely prevention had not been used This made them forbeare their intended invasion and retire to other parts About the beginning of March CROMWELL having raised a Regiment of Horse consisting of 1000. marched into Suffolke with much celerity upon intelligence of a great and considerable confederacy held among those Gentlemen which adhered to the Kings Party at a Towne in that County called Lowerstost a place of great consequence He surprized them unawares gained the Towne with small difficulty and no shot at all In which he tooke Prisoners Sir THOMAS BARKER and his Brother Sir JOHN PETTUS Master THOMAS KNEVET two of the CATLINES Captaine HAMMOND Master COREY Master TURRILL Master PRESTON and about 20. others of quality and substance In that Towne he gained good store of Ammunition Saddles Pistols Powder Shot and severall Engines for Warre enough to have served a considerable Force And certaine it was that if CROMWELL had not surprized them in that nick of time it had proved a matter of great danger to the County for within one day after as many more Knights and Gentlemen that were listed before had met at the same place This was a timely service to the Parliament and a great discouragement to all that Party in Suffolke and Norfolke which adhered to the Kings side But when the Spring grew furâ—her on and it was seasonable to make longer Marches about the beginning of Aprill CROMWELL having well setled the businesses of those Associated Counties for the Parliaments use and not confining his care and services within those parts onely raised a greater Force of such as came freely and heartily in to him with whom he marched along towards Lincolneshire with purpose to assist those of
pounds and the rest of the Clergy according to their abilities proportionably to make up the summe Certaine it is it was not in any substantiall way advantagious to the King but onely to give them time and opportunity to taxe the Clergy in Money for supplying his Majesty in the Warre then on foot against the Scots The King must needs be driven to a great exigent at that time having so expensive a Warre in hand and wanting the assistance of Parliament The courses that were then taken by the King to supply that defect were partly the contribution of the Clergy to whom that Warre was lesse displeasing then to the Laity Collections were made among the Papists Writs of Ship-money were issued out againe in a greater proportion then before great Loanes were attempted to be drawne from the City of London to which purpose the names of the richest Citizens were by command returned to the Councell Boord But these waies being not sufficient some other were made use of which were of a nature more unusuall as the seizing of Bolloine in the Tower the Lord COTTINGTON also for the Kings use tooke up a great Commodity of Pepper at the Exchange to be sold againe at an under rate A consultation was also had of coyning 400000. l. of base Money upon allegation that Queen ELIZABETH had done the like for her Irish Warres but the King waved that upon reasons which the Merchants gave of the inconveniencies of it The Scots hearing of the breach of this English Parliament thought it high time to provide for their owne safety and being restrained in their Trade and impoverished by losse of Ships seized in divers parts resolve to enter England with a sword in one hand and a Petition in the other signifying in the meane time to the people of England in two large Remonstrances what their intentions were to that Nation and the reasons of their entrance which who so pleases may reade at large in their printed Booke When the King had notice of the Scots intentions a Fleet was forthwith sent to annoy the Maritime Coasts of Scotland and a Land Army to meet at Yorke where the Earle of STRAFFORD as President of the North commanded in Chief though the Earle of NORTHUMBERLAND at the time of raising the Army was named Generalissimo but for want of health could not be present A great Magazine of Ammunition had been sent to Hull Newcastle and Berwick the Castle of Edenburgh being kept by RIVEN a firme man to the Kings side But in the Expedition of the Kings Army towards the North it was a marvellous thing to observe in divers places the aversenesse of the Common Souldiers from this Warre Though Commanders and Gentlemen of great quality in pure obedience to the King seemed not at all to dispute the cause or consequence of this Warre the Common Souldiers would not be satisfied questioning in a mutinous manner Whether their Captaines were Papists or not and in many places were not appeased till they saw them receive the Sacrament laying violent hands on divers of their Commanders and killing some uttering in bold speeches their distaste of the Cause to the astonishment of many that common people should be sensible of publike Interest and Religion when Lords and Gentlemen seemed not to be By this backwardnesse of the English Common Souldiers it came to passe that the Warre proved not so sharpe and fatall to both Nations as it might otherwise have done Some blood was shed but very little first at Newburne a Towne five miles distant from Newcastle where part of the English Army encamped to intercept the passage of the Scots as they marched toward Newcastle But many of the English Souldiers forsooke their Commanders and â—led sooner then the use of that Nation is to do in Warre But the English Horse made good a fight and with great courage and resolution charged upon the Scots but all in vaine their number being too small In this Skirmish which happened upon the 28. of August the number of men slaine on both sides is not related either by the English or Scottish Relation but certaine it is that it was not great Three valiant and active Commanders of the English Army were taken Prisoners Colonell WILMOT Sir JOHN DIGBY and ONEALE the two latter being Papists and both Captaines of Horse This fight opened that rich Towne of Newcastle to the Scots and within few daies after they put a Garrison into Durham commanded by the Earle of Dumferling and taking that Fort of Newcastle upon Tine intercepted some Ships which were newly arrived there with Provision of Corne for the Kings Army Some blood was also shed about the same time when part of the English Garrison at Berwick hearing that some Ammunition was layed up in a little Towne of Scotland Dunsian made an attempt upon it but found it better fortified then was expected and were repelled with some slaughter from whence hearing that a greater power of Scots was making toward them under the command of the Lord HADINTON who unfortunately perished afterward blowne up with powder at Dunglasse they returned to Berwick The King during these Skirmishes had by Proclamation warned all the English Nobility with their followers and Forces to attend his Standard at Yorke against the Scots the 20. of September where whilest himselfe in Person resided he received an humble Petition from the Scots containing an expression of their loyalty to him and the innocence of their intentions toward England But their expressions were in such generall termes that the King returned answer to the Earle of LANURICK Secretary for Scotland Commanding them to specifie their demands more particularly Which whilest the Scots prepared to do it pleased God to open the hearts of many English Lords who considering and bewailing the great calamity and dishonour which England was then throwne into by these unhappy proceedings of the King framed an humble Letter subscribed by all their hands and sent it to His Majesty wherein they represent to him the miserable condition of the Kingdome and mischiefes attending that wicked Warre as the danger of his Person the waste of his Revenue the burden of his Subjects the rapines committed by that Army which he had raised wherein Papists and others ill-affected to Religion are armed in Commands who are not by the Lawes permitted to have Armes in their owne houses The great mischiefe which may fall upon the Kingdome if his intentions which are reported of bringing in Irish and forraigne Forces should take effect The urging of Ship-money The multitude of Monopolies and other Patents to the great and universall grievance of his people The great griefe of the Subjects for the long intermission of Parliaments for dissolving of the last and former dissolutions of such as have been called without any good effect For remedy whereof and for prevention of future dangers to his owne Royall Person and the whole State they humbly intreat his Majesty That he would be pleased
by the House of Commons guilty of High Treason for foure causes 1. Disobeying the House in refusall to speake at their command when he was Speaker in Parliament in the fourth yeare of King CHARLES 2. For threatning some Judges in the matter of Ship-money 3. For his illegall and cruell Judgements in the Forrest businesse when he was Lord Chiefe Justice of the Common Pleas. 4. For drawing that injurious Declaration after dissolution of the last Parliament Upon which a Charge was drawne up against him and carried up to the Lords upon the 14. of Ianuary three weeks after his flight by the Lord FAWKLAND who presented it with a very pithy and sharpe Oration against the man These two last Delinquents though men of eminent place in the Common-wealth as they did not long trouble the Parliament nor much retard the progresse of publike businesse preventing their Trialls by timely flight so can they take up no large roome in this Historicall Narration CHAP. VIII The Tryall and death of the Earle of Strafford Conspiracies detected during the agitation of it An Act for continuance of this present Parliament With a mention of that Grant of the Trienniall Parliament in February before BUt now a greater Actor is brought upon the Stage THOMAS Earle of Strafford Lieutenant of Ireland a man too great to be let escape no sooner accused but surprized and secured for a Tryall Which Tryall of his if we consider all things the high nature of the Charge against him the pompous circumstances and stately manner of the Triall it selfe the time that it lasted the pretiousnesse of that time so consumed and lastly of what moment and consequence the successe of it must prove I may safely say that no Subject in England and probably in Europe ever had the like So great it wasâ— that we can hardly call it the Triall of the Earle of Strafford onely the Kings affections toward his People and Parliament the future successe of this Parliament and the hopes of three Kingdoms depending on it were all tryed when Strafford was arraigned Many Subjects in Europe have played lowder parts upon the Theater of the world but none left it with greater noise nor was the matter of his accusation confined within one Realme three whole Kingdoms were his Accusers and eagerly sought in one death a recompence of all their sufferings That we may say of his case as CLAUDIAN of RUFFINUS Offensis Ruffinum divide terris Within ten daies after the Parliament began the Earle of Strafford newly returned from the North was sitting in the House of Lords when Master PYMME an ancient Gentleman of great experience in Parliamentary affaires and no lesse knowne fidelity to his Country came up to the Lords and in the name of all the Commons of England accused THOMAS Earle of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland of High Treason and desired their Lordships that he might be sequestred from Parliament and forthwith committed to Prison as also to let them know that the Commons within very few daies would resort to their Lordships with the particular Articles and grounds of this Accusation The Earle was required to withdraw and after a debate thereof called in was committed to safe custody to the Gentleman Usher And immediately after upon the 13. day of November a Serjeant at Armes was sent into Ireland for Sir GEORGE RATLIFFE a great Favourite of the Earles and one that under him had beene very active in the oppression of Ireland a man of subtle wit and knowledge of the Law as having before beene educated at the Innes of Court and taken the degree of Barrister Sir GEORGE accordingly upon the fourth of December came in and yeelded himselfe to the Speaker from whence he was committed to custody And foure daies after the Lords of Parliament sent the Earle of Strafford to the Tower with a strict command to the Lieutenant that he should keepe a close guard upon him Much time was interposed betweene the severall proceedings against this Earle of Strafford by reason of the multiplicity of weighty businesse which the Parliament then had But before the end of Ianuary a long Charge was read against him in the House of Commons and a Message not long after sent to the Lords to desire that he might be sequestred from all his places of Dignity and Honour in England and Ireland The Charge against him consisted of nine Articles which afterwards upon a further impeachment were extended to eight and twenty All those Articles are to be seene at large in the Records But for further satisfaction of the Reader I will give a briefe touch of the scope of them The first and second being much alike concerning his ruling of Ireland and those parts of England where his Authority lay in an Arbitrary way against the fundamentall Lawes of the Kingdome which Lawes he had indeavoured to subvert Thirdly his retaining part of the Kings Revenue without giving a legall account Fourthly The abusing of his Power to the increase and incouragement of Papists Fifthly That he maliciously had indeavoured to stir up Hostility betweene England and Scotland Sixthly That being Lieutenant Generall of the Northerne Army he had wilfully suffered the Scots to defeat the English at Newburne and take Newcastle that by such a losse and dishonour England might be ingaged in a Nationall and irreconcileable quarrell with the Scots Seventhly That to preserve himselfe from questioning he had laboured to subvert Parliaments and incense the King against them Eightly and lastly That these things were done during the time of his Authority as Deputy of Ireland and Lieutenant Generall of the Northerne Armies in England The Commons saving to themselves a liberty of further impeachment against the said Earle c. do require his legall answer to all The further impeachment consisting of 28. Articles was for the most part branched out of these and insisted upon in more particulars concerning his Tyranny in Ireland over divers persons contrary to Law Concerning which the Reader must be referred to the Records themselves as being too large to be here inserted The Earle of Strafford upon the 23. of February was brought before the Lords to give in his answer which he accordingly did the King himself being there present to heare it read It was very large and when it was done he was sent back to the Tower there to remaine till further Order A Committee being appointed to consider of that businesse upon the fourth of March following made report in the House That they would mannage and maintaine their Accusation of Treason against him and thought it not fit to reply to his Answer but call him to speedy triall Immediately upon which a Conference was had with the Lords concerning that Triall and some Circumstances which were thought fit to be used at it The Commissioners of Scotland had likewise a Charge against the Earle of Strafford concerning those injuries which as they conceived their Nation and Kingdome had suffered from him
discontent if they remembred how much he had done this Parliament as his granting that the Iudges hereafter should hold their places quam diù se benè gesserint bounding the Forrest Lawes taking away Ship-money establishing the Subjects property in Tonnage and Poundage granting the Trienniall Parliament free Iustice against Delinquents With other things Concluding graciously That He would omit nothing which might give them just content And when he had signed the forenamed Bills after a short mention of the journey which he intended speedily to take into Scotland he propounded to them a thing very acceptable concerning his Nephew the Prince Elector Palatine that he could not but at the desire of that Prince send an Ambassadour to assist him at the Dyet at Ratisbone with the Emperour and fearing that he should not receive so good an Answer as might in justice be expected For the better countenancing that businesse he intended to publish a Manifesto in his owne name but would not do it but by consent and advice of Parliament without which he conceived it would be a thing of no validity Which Manifesto was afterwards made by the full consent of both Houses and Sir THOMAS ROE a Member of the House and a Gentleman of great abilities was sent to the Emperour at Ratisbone about it but without any good successe At the same time the Queene Mother of France as was before desired by the Parliament was to take her leave of England The King consented to her departure but Money wanting for the Provision of her Journey the Parliament allotted ten thousand pounds to her out of the Poll-Money This great Lady had arrived in England almost three yeares before and so long been entertained by the King her Sonne in Law with great respect and an allowance answerable to support her State 100. l. per diem It was her mis-fortune how farre her crime I cannot tell that during her abode here the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland were imbroyled in great troubles which the People were apt to impute in some measure to her counsels knowing what power the Queene her Daughter had with the King Others taxed her not at all but looked upon other causes the same counsells which long before her arrivall had distempered England but the people made their judgement upon it from her actions or successes in other places But however it were the Queene was fearefull of the people here and had not long before desired to have a guard allowed her pretending feare of her life by reason of some attempts which she conceived made against her upon which a Guard was set about her house Her Regency in France had not beene happy nor according to the interest of that Kingdome though that perchance may be accounted a fault not so particular to her as commonly incident to the Regency of Queene Mothers in that Land In so much as THUANUS commends the saying of CHARLES the ninth a Prince whom otherwise he doth not praise upon his death bed That since he must dye at that age being foure and twenty he thanked God he had no Sonne least France should fall under a Regency of which he had found the sad effects His Mother was KATHERINE DE MEDICIS of the same Family with this Queene After the time of her Regency her actions had been such that the King her Sonne would not harbour her in his owne Kingdome nor was she welcome into the Territories of her Sonne in Law the King of Spaine But the people there were no lesse desirous of her departure then afterward in England Insomuch as she became a strange example of the instability of humane fortunes that so great a Queen and Mother to so many mighty Princes should want a quiet Harbour for her age Not long after her departure from England she died at Culleine and might seeme a parallel in some things to the same Empresse who founded that City and there planted a Roman Colony AGRIPINA wife to CLAUDIUS CESAR and Mother to NERO They both had tasted of power been active in it but not pleasing to the people They were both taught that the greatnesse of their Sonnes was not so much advantage to their Power as they had hoped and had learned that all power dependent upon another is of small validity and lesse stability as TACITUS observes speaking of the same AGRIPINA Nihil rerum mortalium tam instabile fluxum est quam fama potentiae non sua vi nixa About two Moneths before the departure of this Queene the Princesse MARY eldest daughter to the King not yet ten yeares of age was married with great triumph at White-Hall to the young Prince of Orange WILLIAM Bishop WRENNE being then Deane of the Kings Chappell performed the solemnity on Sunday the second of May 1641. The Marriage had been before debated of in Parliament and consented to The King himselfe upon the ninth of February having declared to the Lords what large Propositions the Ambassadours of the States had made to him upon that purpose The people in generall were pleased with this Marriage and glad the King had chosen out a Protestant Prince and servant to a State which had beene long confederate with England and whose interest carried them the same way Professors of the same Religion and in that kinde of Discipline to which the greatest part of Parliament and People were inclined and hoped though at that time it was not so fully declared as afterward to reforme the Church of England to as that of Scotland already was By this Match of the Kings owne chusing they began to hope that the Spanish Faction in Court was not now at all prevalent but that things might hereafter be carried according to the right English way In this hope they were the more confirmed seeing the Parliament go on without any opposition from the King no dissention having yet happened nor likely to happen as they conceived for that Conspiracy of bringing up the Army against the Parliament which we touched before was not yet discovered nor at all thought of though within few daies after it broke out But some there were who suspended their joy and were not much confident that this Marriage would bring happinesse to England unlesse the King were perfectly right with his People and wished the same thing they did considering at one side the condition of the Prince of Orange and that he might be ambitious of more then was due to him and for that reason ingage himselfe in a reciprocall way for the King against his People if occasion served On the other side they considered the States as Polititians of this world and men who had other interests then that of Religion and if dissention should in England happen betweene Prince and People which was never but feared in some degree might be apt to side with the King against the just freedome of the Subject which must needs depresse the strength of England and keepe it from so much greatnesse
of Linsey E. of Cumberland E. of Huntington E. of Bath E. of Southampton E of Dorset E. of Salisbury E. of Northampton E. of Devonshire E. of Bristol E. of Westmerland E of Barkeshire E. of Monmouth E. of Rivers E. of Newcastle E. of Dover E. of Carnarvan E. of Newport L. MOWBRAY and MATREVERS L. WILLOUGHBY of Eresby L. RICH L. CHARLES HOWARD of Charleton L. NEWARK L. PAGET L. CHANDOYS L. FALCONBRIDGE L. PAULET L. LOVELACE L. COVENTRY L. SAVILE L. MOHUN L. DUNSMORE L. SEYMOUR L. GREY of Ruthen L. FAWLKLAND the Controller Secretary NICHOLAS Sir JOHN CULPEPER Lord Chief Justice BANKS The King immediately wrote a Letter to the Lord Maior of London the Aldermen and Sheriffs forbidding by expresse Command any Contribution of Money or Plate toward the raising of any Arms whatsover for the Parliament and that they should lend no Money unlesse toward the relief of Ireland or payment of the Scots He published then a Declaration to all his Subjects inveighing bitterly against the Parliament for laying a false and scandalous imputation upon him of raising War against the Parliament or levying Forces to that end in which he invites all his loving Subjects to prevent his own danger and the danger of the Kingdom from a malignant party taking up the Parliaments language to contribute Money or Plate to him and they shall be repayed with consideration of eight in the hundred And immediately upon it made a Profession before those forementioned Lords and Councellours about him calling God to witnesse in it disavowing any preparations or intentions to levie War against the Parliament upon which those forementioned Lords and others then present at York made this Declaration and Profession subscribed under their hands We whose names are under-written in obedience to His Majesties Desire and out of the Duty which we owe to His Majesties Honour and to Truth being here upon the place and witnesses of His Majesties frequent and earnest Declarations and Professions of His abhorring all designes of making War upon the Parliament and not seeing any colour of Preparations or Counsels that might reasonably beget the belief of any such Designe do professe before God and testifie to all the world that we are fully perswaded that His Majestie hath no such intention but that all his endeavours tend to the firm and constant settlement of the true Protestant Religion and the just Priviledges of Parliament the liberty of the Subject the Law Peace and Prosperity of this Kingdom The King strengthned with Arms and Ammunition from Holland and more strengthened for as yet he wanted hands to weild those Arms by this Protestation of Lords in his behalf concerning his intention of not making War against the Parliament whereby the people might more easily be drawn to side with him proceeded in his businesse with great policie and indefatigable industry His Pen was quick in giving answer to all Petitions or Declarations which came from the Parliament and with many sharp expostulations in a well-compiled Discourse on the 17 of Iune answered a Petition of the Parliament which Petition was to this effect that he would not disjoyn his Subjects in their duty to himself and Parliament destroying the Essence of that high Court which was presented to him at York by the Lord HOWARD Sir HUGH CHOLMELY and Sir PHILIP STAPLETON And within three weeks both in his own Person and by his Messengers with Speeches Proclamations and Declarations advanced his businesse in a wonderful manner At Newark he made a Speech to the Gentry of Nottinghamshire in a loving and winning way commending their affections toward him which was a great part of perswasion for the future coming from a King himself Another Speech he made at Lincoln to the Gentry of that County full of Protestations concerning his good intentions not onely to them but to the whole Kingdom the Laws and Liberties of it In that short time also by the help of many subtil Lawyers whom he had about him he returned a very long and particular Answer with arguing the case in all points to a Declaration which the Parliament had before made against the Commission of Array expounding that Statute 5 HEN. 4 whereupon that Commission was supposed to be warranted The proofs and arguments on both sides are to be read at large in the Records or in the printed Book of Ordinances and Declarations where a Reader may satisfie his own judgement Within that time also the King sent out a Proclamation against levying Forces without his Command urging Laws and Statutes for it And another long Proclamation to inform the people of the legality of his Commissions of Array and to command obedience to them Another he sent forth against the forcible seizing or removing any Magazine of Ammunition of any County and another forbidding all relieving or succouring of Hull against him Upon which the Parliament declared that those Proclamations without their assent were illegal and forbade all Sheriffs Maiors c. to proclaim them and all Parsons and Curates to or publish them From York the King removed to Beverley from whence he sent a Message to both Houses and a Proclamation concerning his going to Hull to take it in requiring before his journey that it might be delivered up to him But that Message of his came to the House of Peers after they had agreed upon a Petition which was drawn up to move the King to a good accord with his Parliament to prevent a Civil War to be carried to him and presented at Beverley by the Earl of Holland Sir JOHN HOLLAND and Sir PHILIP STAPLETON That very Petition seemed to them so full an answer to the King's Message that both Houses resolved to give no other answer to that Message but the said Petition But immediately after a Declaration was published by both Houses of Parliament for the preservation and safety of the Kingdom and the Town of Hull with assurance of both Houses to satisfie all losse sustained by any service done for the safety of the said Town by reason of overflowing of water upon the grounds there to all persons who should be found faithful in their several services The King continued resoluâ—e in his intention of gaining Hull By what means he attempted it and how those attempts proved to be frustrate is now the subject of a short Discourse The Town of Hull was not more considerable to the Kingdom as a Maritime and strong place then it was now made remarkable to the world in many high and famous circumstances of this Civil War for which cause I shall the more particularly insist upon it Hull was the place which being intrusted with so rich a Magazine of Ammunition did probably allure the King to forsake a Parliament sitting at London and visite the North. Hull was the place where the King in person did first finde his Commands denied and his attempts resisted in an actual way which proved the subject of so many Declarations and Disputations
did declare nor ever intended to declare both Our Houses of Parliament Traitours or set up Our Standard against them and much lesse to put them and this Kingdom out of Our protection We utterly professe against it before God and the world And further to remove all possible Scruples which may hinder the Treaty so much desired by Vs We hereby promise so that a day be appointed by you for the revoking of your Declarations against all persons as Traitours or otherwise for assisting Vs We shall with all cheerfulnesse upon the same day recal our Proclamations and Declarations and take down Our Standard In which Treaty We shall be ready to grant any thing that shall be really for the good of Our subjects conjuring you to consider the bleeding condition of Ireland and the dangerous condition of England in as high a degree as by these Our Offers We have declared Our Self to do and assuring you that Our chief desire in the world is to beget a good understanding and mutual confidence betwixt Vs and Our two Houses of Parliament To the Kings most Excellent Majestie The humble Answer and Petition of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament to the King 's last Message May it please Your Majestie If we the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled should repeat all the ways we have taken the endeavours we have used and the expressions we have made unto Your Majestie to prevent those distractions and dangers Your Majestie speaks of we should too much enlarge this Reply therefore as we Humbly so shall we Onely let Your Majestie know that we cannot recede from our former Answer for the reasons therein expressed for that Your Majestie hath not taken down Your Standard recalled Your Proclamations and Declarations whereby You have declared the Actions of both Houses of Parliament to be Treasonable and their Persons Traitors And You have published the same since Your Message the 25 of August by Your late Instructions to Your Commissioners of Array Which Standard being taken down and the Declarations Proclamations and Instructions recalled if Your Majestie shall then upon this our humble Petition leaving your Forces return unto Your Parliament and receive their faithful advice Your Majestie shall finde such expressions of our fidelities and duties as shall assure You that Your Safety Honour and Greatnesse can onely be found in the affections of Your People and the sincere Counsels of Your Parliament whose constant and undiscouraged endeavours and consultations have passed thorow difficulties unheard of onely to secure Your Kingdoms from the violent mischiefs and dangers now ready to fall upon them who deserve better of Your Majestie and can never allow themselveâ— representing likewise Your whole Kingdom to be balanced with those persons whose desperate dispositions and counsels prevail still so to interrupt all our endeavours for the relieving of bleeding Ireland as we may fear our labours and vast expences will be fruitlesse to that distressed Kingdom As Your Presence is thus humbly desired by us so it is in our hopes that Your Majestie will in Your Reason believe There is no other way then this to make Your Majesties Self happie and Your Kingdoms safe The Parliament immediately after published a Declaration that the Arms which they were enforced to take up for the preservation of the Kingdom Laws and Liberties could not be laid down until the King should withdraw his Protection from such persons as had been voted Delinquents by both Houses and leave them to the Justice of Parliament The King within few days after made another Reply to the last Answer of the Parliament The substance of it was that he could neither do nor offer any more then he had already and that he should think himself clear and innocent from any blood that might be spilt in this Quarrel praying God so to deal with him and his posterity as he desired to preserve Religion Law and Liberty of the Subjects and Priviledge of Parliament The Parliament returned Answer that while the King thinks himself bound in Honour to protect such Delinquents in whose preservation the Kingdom cannot be safe nor the Rights of Parliament at all maintained but must needs fall into utter contempt they must needs think he hath not done what he can oâ— ought to do They tell him it is impossible that any reasonable man should believe him to be so tender of bleeding Ireland when at the same time divers of the Irish Traitours the known favourers of them and agents for them are admitted into his Presence with grace and favour and some of them employed in his service THE HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT OF England The third Booke CHAP. I. Prince RUPERT and Prince MAURICE arrive in England The Earle of ESSEX taking leave of the Parliament goeth to his Command The King increaseth in strength at Shrewsbury A Skirmish at Worcester The great Battell of Keynton is fought ABout the beginning of this September Prince RUPERT second Sonne to FREDERICK Prince Elector Palatine of the Rhene who had long beene detained Prisoner of Warre by the Emperour and newly released arrived in England to offer his Service to the King his Uncle in those Warres which were now visibly begun in this unhappy Kingdome together with him came his younger Brother Prince MAURICE an addition rather of Gallantry then strength to the Kings side being both young and unexperienced Souldiers Neither indeed though they were neere in birth to the Crowne of England were they neere enough to adde any security to the King by purchasing the Peoples hatred to themselves though that were imagined and talked of by many as the cause why they were sent for Their elder Brother CHARLES Prince Elector might have served more fitly to play that part But he having long remained in the Court of England had lately left the King not above two Moneths before the arrivall of his Brothers The reasons why he went away were partly expressed by himselfe afterward in a Message which he sent out of Holland to the Houses of Parliament wherein he professed sorrow for these distractions and protested that whilest he was in the Court of England he had by all meanes indeavoured to bring the King into a good opinion of his Parliament acknowledging that his owne interest and that of the Protestant Religion in Germany did more depend upon the happinesse of the English Parliament then upon any thing else under God True it is that this Prince left not the King untill he saw the rent betweene him and his Parliament too great to close and having before been exposed by the King to some probability of envy as when he attended his Majesty to the House of Commons for surprizall of the five Members and with him afterwards when some things unpleasing to the people had been done he might in likelihood being of that opinion that he was of this cause thinke it the wisest way to take a faire leave in time of the King These two
young Princes arrived in England were soone put into imployment and Command under the King their Uncle in which they shewed themselves very forward and active as will appeare afterward and if more hot and furious then the tender beginnings of a Civill Warre would seeme to require it may be imputed to the fervour of their youth and great desire which they had to ingratiate themselves to the King upon whom as being no more then Souldiers of fortune their hopes of advancement wholly depended Prince RUPERT the elder brother and most furious of the two within a fortnight after his arrivall commanded a small party of those Forces which the King had at that time gathered together which were not of so great a body as to be tearmed an Army with which he marched into divers Counties to roll himselfe like a snow ball into a larger bulke by the accession of Forces in every place Through divers parts of Warwick-shire Nottingham-shire Leicestershire Worcester-shire and Cheshire did this young Prince fly with those Troops which he had not inviting the people so much by faire demeanour for such was the report to the Houses of Parliament as compelling them by extreme rigour to follow that side which he had taken Many Townes and Villages he plundered which is to say robb'd for at that time first was the word plunder used in England being borne in Germany when that stately Country was so miserably wasted and pillaged by forraigne Armies and committed other outrages upon those who stood affected to the Parliament executing some and hanging up servants at their Masters doores for not discovering of their Masters Upon which newes the Houses of Parliament fell into a serious debate and agreed that a Charge of High Treason should be drawne up against him for indeavouring the destruction of this State which was voted a great breach of the Kingdoms Lawes and breach of the priviledge of that great Councell representing the whole state of it Let it not seeme amisse in this place to insert a passage happening at the same time which cannot be omitted by reason of the eminence of that person whom it concernes in the succeeding Warres Colonell GORING who was before spoken of to keepe the Towne of Portsmouth against the Parliament being now no longer able to hold it out was permitted by Captaine MERRICK not without allowance from the Earle of Warwick to leave the place and to be conveyed to the Brill in Holland according to his owne desire This the Parliament were contented with because the Captaine was necessitated to agree to it for preservation of that Towne and many persons therein well affected to the Parliament for GORING had threatned to destroy the Towne with wilde-fire if he might not preserve his owne life by a peaceable surrender Whilest Prince RUPERT was thus active with a flying Party the King himselfe was moving with those Forces which he had but in a gentler and calmer way for the reverence which the people bare to his Person made him finde lesse resistance as windes lose their fury when they meet no opposition but howsoever the King desired to go in such a way as to be taken for a Father of his Country and a Prince injur'd by the Parliament professions of love perswasions and Protestations of his affection to the people were the chiefe instruments which he used to raise himselfe a strength and complaints against the proceedings and actions of the Parliament as when he was marching toward Shrewsbury where he intended to make his chiefe Rendezvouze being a place convenient to receive and entertaine such Forces as should come to him out of Wales Which place as will appeare afterward failed not his expectation though it were more then the Parliament could suspect As he was marching thither with a small Army he made a Speech betweene Stafford and Wellington on the 19. of September and caused his Protestation to be then also read in the head of his Army wherein among other things he tells them for their comfort and hope to prevaile that they should meet no Enemies but Traytors most of them Brownists Anabaptists and Atheists who would destroy both Church and Common-wealth And in this Protestation with deepe vowes and imprecations upon himselfe and his posterity he declares his whole care and intentions to be for the maintenance of the Protestant Religion the Lawes and property of the Subject together with the Priviledge of Parliament as he was accustomed to do in his former Speeches But the King not many daies before had taken a more harsh and coercive way for marching thorow Derbyshire Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire he commanded the Trayned Bands of those Counties to attend and guard his Person and when they were met disarmed the greatest part of them taking as many Armes as served for 2000. men besides good summes of Money which not without some constraint he borrowed from them But to leave the Kings proceedings for a while it is time to returne to the Lord Generall for the Parliament and the Army raised under his conduct which at that time when Prince RUPERT began to march was growne to a considerable body consisting of about â—4 thousand Horse and Foot their generall Rendezvouze was at Northampton where many of the chiefe Commanders as the Lord BROOKE Lord ROBERTS Colonell HAMDEN and others stayed with them expecting the presence of his Excellence who on the ninth of September taking his leave of the Parliament and City of London bent his journey toward Northampton and was waited on by the Trayned Bands and a great number of armed Gentlemen from Essex House to the end of the City with great solemnity But the love and wishes of the people that did attend him were farre greater then any outward signification could expresse To whom he seemed at that time though going to a Civill Warre as much an English man and as true a Patriot as if he had gone against a forraigne Enemy Great was the love and honour which the people in generall bore to his Person in regard of his owne vertue and honourable demeanour and much increased by the Memory of his noble Father the highest example that ever I yet read of a Favourite both to Prince and people of whom that was most true which VELLEIUS PATERCULUS speaks with flattery and falshood of SEJANUS In quo cum judicio Principis certabant studia populi The peoples love strived to match the Prince his judgement That Cause wherein the Earle of ESSEX had ingaged himselfe seemed to them religious enough to require their prayers for the successe of it For the Parliament though they raised an Army expressed much humility and reverence to the Kings Person for not many daies after the departure of the Lord Generall by consent of both Houses a Petition to the King was drawne up to be carried by Sir PHILIP STAPLETON a Member of the House of Commons often spoken of before and at this time a Colonell in the Lord Generals
a man as much lamented by the Parliament as any that ever fell on that side and as much honoured for his Piety Valour and Fidelity After his death Sir JOHN GELL succeeded in that Command and about the beginning of March took the Close with very little losse of blood though they had their Mynes ready prepared to blow up the Walls of the Close and had throwne Granadoes into it which made the besieged cry out for Quarter which they obtained for the Souldiers thought it not honourable being in cold blood to revenge their Generals death by putting them to the Sword But they tooke a good and rich booty of Money Bagge and Baggage about a thousand Armes and very considerable Prisoners the Earle of Chesterfield with his Sonne and divers other Gentlemen of Ranke About the middle of that March Sir JOHN GELL with an Army of fifteene hundred Horse and Foot advanced from Lichfield toward the Towne of Stafford where it was his fortune to meet with the Earle of Northampton and his Forces consisting of about twelve hundred Horse at a place called Cranock-Greene or Salt-Heath almost foure miles from Stafford The Earle gave a brave and furious Charge upon them and being stronger in Horse made Sir JOHN GELLS Horse to retreat and disorder at this first Charge in which he tooke divers of them Prisoners and surprised two Drakes After that he wheeled twice about their Foot seeking his best advantage where to breake them But Sir JOHN GELL and his Commanders did so well order their Battalia that the Foot kept unbroken and made good the field againe together with their Horse and re-saluted their hot Assailants fighting Pell mell for a long time At this fierce incounter the Earle of Northampton himselfe was slaine in the place one Master LUCY and Captaine BAGOT with many more about whose number relations did not agree a Cornet of the Kings also was here slaine and his Colours taken having on it a Crowne and this Inscription Carolus Rex Two other Cornets were there taken of which one was the Princes for the King and Prince his Troops were both there They tooke Prisoner one of the Earle of Chesterfields younger Sons and Sir JOHN GELL by the timely comming in of Sir WILLIAM BRERETON to his assistance before the sight was ended obtained a great Victory and drove his Enemies quite out of the field Among the rest Master HASTINGS as was then reported having been once taken Prisoner and rescued fled away wounded Thus it fell out that these two Peeres the Earle of Northampton and the Lord BROOKE who first of all the Nobility at the breaking out of this Civill Distraction had personally contested in one County about the Parliament Ordinance of Militia and the Kings Commision of Array within a small distance both of place and time ended their daies by this unhappy Warre They were both much lamented by their owne Parties both men of worth and courage though much different in the manner of their lives and conversations As Cheshire though a County where many Papists inhabited was by the successefull care of Sir WILLIAM BRERETON and other Gentlemen kept from deserting the Parliament and able to resist the Earle of Darby the Kings Lieutenant there So her sister Lancashire more full of Papists and more fiercely assaulted by that Earle under the same authority being the place of his chiefe residence and power was able not onely to resist him but finally beat him out of the Country by the courage and industry of divers Protestant Gentlemen of that Shire of whom I have named many in the precedent Book But it is fit to give a little touch of the chiefe actions The Parliament in midst of winter when that County was in the greatest distraction had sent down Sir JOHN SEATON a Scottish Knight an experienced and stout Commander as Major Generall of the Forces in that Shire that he might direct the unskilfull valour of that people though many of those Gentlemen had done great services before as appeared at Manchester and some other places One of his exploits was at Preston Sir JOHN SEATON having setled himselfe at Manchester marched from thence about the beginning of February toward Preston with Major Generall SPARROW Colonell HOLLAND Captaine BOOTH Serjeant Major BIRCH Master NOWELL of Mearkley and some other with about ten Companies and almost two thousand Clubmen to take in Preston a Town well fortified and very stoutly defended but it was so furiously assaulted Captaine BOOTH in person first sealing the Walls by the Parliament Forces that after two houres of extreme hot fight the Parliament Forces were Masters of it The Town was taken with small losse of the assailant side which was wonderfull not one Officer and not above seven or eight Common Souldiers On the other side many fell the Mayor of the Town ADAM MORTE with his Sonne Sir GILBERT HOUGHTONS Brother a Captaine of Horse with divers others of quality Sir GILBERT himselfe fled to WIGHAM They tooke two hundred Prisoners whereof many were Gentlemen of good ranke in the Country They tooke three Peeces of Ordnance many Muskets and other Armes with two or three Colours The taking of this Town was of great consequence both toward the maintenance of the Parliament Forces and also to stop the passage from Newcastle to Chester and Shrewsbury Shortly after Serjeant Major BIRCH was sent from Preston to Lancaster Towne who without any great opposition for he came suddenly and unexpected soone entred the Towne with his whole Company and being entered the Townesmen assisted him very freely to winne the Castle there which he tooke into his possession for the Parliament Wiggon also in Lancashire was taken in with great store of Armes and Prisoners by Sir JOHN SEATON with those Gentlemen that followed him together with the Townesmen of Manchester and other Clubmen of the Country whom they had gotten together The Earle of Darby desisted not from his indeavours to reduce that County but marched with a considerable strength to take in Whaley which he had almost accomplished but was notwithstanding repelled from thence by the Forces of the Country The same Earle had likewise possessed himselfe of Warrington a considerable Towne in Lancashire and left a Garrison in it but at the beginning of Iune that Towne was regained by the Forces of Manchester with eight Peeces of Ordnance and five or six hundred Prisoners by which all Lancashire seemed to be reduced to the obedience of the Parliament scarce any place of considerable strength being left in the power of the Early of Darby The Lord GRAY of Grooby had been long possessed of Leicester as the chiefe quarter where he resided and besides his actions at other parts about that place with various fortunes had opposed the Forces of Master HASTINGS who kept a Garrison at Ashby de la zouch and acted with great fervour and constancy for the Kings Cause Hampshire had been much distressed by both Parties but the Kings
Garrison of Winchester and that of Basing-House the dwelling place of Marquesse Winchester were there predominant and at their pleasure forced Contribution from the adjacent Country Wales was almost wholly at the Kings dispose except very few places which with much difficulty preserved themselves for the Parliament and some Gentlemen who with much hazard continued their fidelity to that side such as Colonell GLYNN Colonell MITTEN and LAUGHERNE with other private Gentlemen But indeed the Parliament was then in a low ebbe and before the end of that Iuly 1643. they had no Forces at all to keep the Field their maine Armies as is before touched being quite ruined and no hope in appearance left but to preserve a while those Forts and Townes which they then possessed nor could they long hope to preserve them unlesse the fortune of the field should change Thus seemed the Parliament to be quite sunke beyond any hope of recovery and was so believed by many men The King was possessed of all the Westerne Countries from the farthest part of Cornwall and from thence Northward as farre as the Borders of Scotland His Armies were full and flourishing free to march whither they pleased and enough to be divided for severall exploits one part was sent to take in Exeâ—er where the Earle of Stamford was shut up not able long to hold the place The King in Person with a gallant Army designed his March towards Gloucester the onely considerable Towne in those parts which the Parliament held What the Kings Party conceived then of the other side was expressed in many Writings one in the nature of a jeering Epigram was made at Oxford which I thought fit to insert because of the particular expressions of the Parliaments low Condition The thing is written in an odde manner and the names of the Parliament Commanders FAIRFAX and WALLER expressed by a rebus way of Latine as likewise those of the Kings side Marquesse of Hartford and Earle of Newcastle I leave it to the Reader without either Translation or Comment EXtincta Castro Fax pulchra novo est Nec Nautae postea nec militi Sit nota Pharos Auster disparem Hand tulit casum Murus cui addita est Canina littera mersa est suis Cum turmis nuper Leporis vado Euri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bristonia Leporinos horrescens vortices Anglica Claudii timet pares Vrbs casus Herois Teutonici Myrmidones astant magno cum Duce Pacata Thule est nec Noto timor Popello aut Regi Nihil relictum est Britanicum domare Caesarem Ni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preces Gregis Haec Sphinges raptim Oedipo suo Iulii 20. 1643. London was then altogether unfortified no Works were raised nor could they if their Enemies then Masters of the field had come upon them have opposed any Walls but such as old SPARTA used for their Guard the hearts of couragious Citizens But at that time London began her large intrenchment which incompassed not onely the City but the whole Suburbs on every side containing about twelve miles in circuit That great worke was by many hands compleated in a short time it being then a custome every day to go out by thousands to digge all Professions Trades and Occupations taking their turnes and not onely inferiour Tradesmen but Gentlemen of the best quality Knights and Ladies themselves for the incouragement of others resorted daily to the Workes not as spectators but assistors in it carrying themselves Spades Mattoks and other instruments of digging so that it became a pleasing sight at London to see them going out in such order and numbers with Drums beating before them and put life into the drooping people being taken for an happy Omen that in so low a condition they seemed not to despaire But bootlesse in probability had that labour proved and not timely enough to save London if the King had marched thither instead of Gloucester But that storme of Fortune was strong enough to shake off divers of the loose leaves that seemed to grow on the Parliament side and unsettle the resolutions of such as were not enough rooted in that Cause which they had chosen For divers men of great quality and Members of both Houses some Lords and many of the Commons did at that time desert the Parliament and fly to Oxford Whose names though the Lords were named who first deserted it are here spared because this-latter revolt must needs carry the face of a crime as being no matter of opinion or conscience by which the first justified themselves but proceeding in all probability from weaknesse and feare for their private fortunes They therefore lost much of their esteeme on both sides becomming like a foile to set off the constancy of those few Members who durst yet continue there and remaine firme to their first Principle 〈◊〉 publike Interest wading thorow more difficultie and dangers then any former Parliament had been enforced to do But in the Parliament it selfe there appeared no show of despaire as they observed who were then witnesses of their proceedings and the City of London expressed much forwardnesse and alacrity in recruiting the Lord Generall Essex both with their persons and purses besides their great indeavour to raise another Army for Sir WILLIAM WALLER to be as a Reserve to the other upon the great occasion then in hand The Earle of Manchester to his lasting Honour chose that very time to begin his Martiall imployment and raising Forces thorow the Easterne Associated Counties of which he was then made Generall by the Parliament those Counties having been before prepared for that Association by the wisdom and activity of the forementioned Colonell CROMWELL performed that yeare and the next great services for the Parliament While the Parliament and City of London were thus busied in recruiting their decayed Armies Gloucester began to be made the chiefe Seene on which this Civill Tragedy was acted and place of great concernment in the Kingdome where the first turne of Fortune grew The City of Gloucester was then governed by Colonell EDWARD MASSEY a man of excellent skill to defend it of such a courage as no threats of a powerfull Enemy could shake and such a fidelity as no promises of a King could overcome This MASSEY was brought to Gloucester by the Earle of Stamford under whom he had served as Lieutenant Colonell and by deputation from that Earle had for many Moneths governed that City Now there was no more expectation of the Earls returne thither and therefore MASSEY as the fittest man by consent both of Citizens and Souldiers was appointed Governour and made a Colonell by Commission from the Generall The surrender of Bristoll to the Kings Forces which was more sudden then could be feared and for which afterward the Governour Master FIENNES was questioned and condemned by a Councell of Warre must needs strike a great terrour and sad amazement into Gloucester which now seemed to stand forlorne and without hope of any rescue in
I Have read over the first part of this History contained in three Books an impartiall Truth and judge it fit for publike view by the printing JO. LANGLEY May 7. 1647. THE HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT Of England Which began November the third M.DC.XL With a short and necessary view of some precedent yeares Written by THOMAS MAY Esquire Secretary for the Parliament Published by Authority Tempora mutantur Mutantur Homines Veritas eadem manet Imprinted at London by Moses Bell for George Thomason at the Signe of the Rose and Crown in St. Pauls Church Yard M. DC.XL.VII The Preface THe use of History and the just Rules for composure of it have been so well and fully described heretofore by judicious Writers that it were lost labour and a needlesse extention of the present work to insist by way of Introduction upon either of them I could rather wish my abilities were such as that the Reader to whose judgement it is left might finde those Rules observed in the Narration it self then told him in the Preface by a vaine Anticipation I will only professe to follow that one Rule Truth to which all the rest like the rest of Morall Vertues to that of Justice may be reduced against which there are many waies besides plaine falshood whereby a Writer may offend Some Historians who seeme to abhorre direct falshood have notwithstanding dressed Truth in such improper Vestments as if they brought her forth to act the same part that falshood would and taught her by Rhetoricall disguises partiall concealements and invective expressions instead of informing to seduce a Reader and carry the judgement of Posterity after that Byas which themselves have made It was the opinion of a learned Bishop of England not long ago deceased that Cardinall Baronius his Annals did more wound the Protestant Cause then the Controversies of Bellarmine And it may well be true For against the unexpected stroke of partiall History the ward is not so ready as against that Polemike writing where Hostility is professed with open face This fault I have indeavoured to avoid But it is my misfortune to undertake such a subject in which to avoid partiality is not very easie But to escape the suspition or censure of it is almost impossible for the cleerest integrity that ever wrote Others I suppose will handle this Theame and because that none perchance may perfectly please I shall in the behalfe of all intreat a Reader that in his censure he would deale with the Writings of men as with mankinde it selfe to call that the best which is least bad The Subject of this work is a Civill War a War indeed as much more then Civill and as full of miracle both in the causes and effects of it as was ever observed in any Age a Warre as cruell as unnaturall that has produced as much rage of Swords as much bitternesse of Pens both publike and private as was ever knowne and divided the understandings of men as well as their affections in so high a degree that scarce could any vertue gaine due applause any reason give satisfaction or any Relation obtaine credit unlesse amongst men of the same side It were therefore a presumptuous madnesse to think that this poore and weake Discourse which can deserve no applause from either side should obtaine from both so much as pardon or that they should here meet in censure which in nothing else have concurred I cannot therefore be so stupid as not at all to be sensible of the taske imposed on me or the great envy which attends it which other men who have written Histories upon farre lesse occasion have discoursed of at large in their Prefaces And Tacitus himselfe complaining of those ill times which were the unhappy subject of his Annals though he wrote not in the time of the same Princes under whom those things were acted yet because the Families of many men who had then been ignominious were yet in being could not but discourse how much happier those Writers were who had taken more ancient and prosperous times for their Argument such as he there expresses in which the great and glorious actions of the old Romans their honourable Atchievements and exemplary Vertues are recorded And I could have wished more then my life being my self inconsiderable that for the Publike sake my Theame could rather have been the prosperity of these Nations the Honour and happinesse of this King and such a blessed Condition of both as might have reached all the ends for which Government was first ordained in the world Then the description of Shipwracks Ruines and Desolations Yet these things truly recorded and observed may be of good Use and benefit Posterity in divers kinds For though the present Actions or rather sufferings of these once happy Nations are of so high a marke and consideration as might perchance throw themselves into the knowledge of Posterity by Tradition and the weight of their owne Fame Yet it may much conduce to the benefit of that knowledge to have the true causes originall and growth of them represented by an honnest Pen. For the truth of this plaine and naked Discourse which is here presented to the publike view containing a briefe Narration of those Distractions which have fallen amongst us during the sitting of this present Parliament as also some Passages and visible Actions of the former Government whether probably conducing to these present calamities or not of which let the Reader judge I appeale only to the memory of any English man whose yeares have been enow to make him know the Actions that were done and whose conversation has been enough publike to let him heare the Common Voice and Discourses of People upon those Actions to his memory I say do I appeale whether such Actions were not done and such Judgements made upon them as are here related In which perchance some Readers may be put in minde of their owne thoughts heretofore which thoughts have since like Nebuchadnezzars dreame departed from them An English Gentleman who went to travell when this Parliament was called and returned when these differences were growne among us hearing what Discourses were daily made affirmed That the Parliament of England in his opinion was more mis-understood in England then at Rome And that there was greater need to remember our own Countrymen then to informe strangers of what was past So much said he have they seemed to forget the things themselves and their own Nations concerning them But where Warre continues people are inforced to make their residence in severall Quarters and therefore severall according to the places where they converse must their information be concerning the condition and state of things From whence arises not onely a variety but a great discrepancy for the most part in the Writings of those who record the passages of such times And therefore it has seldome happened but that in such times of calamity and Warre Historians have much dissented from each other
observations of a stranger concerning the Religion of the English people IT cannot but be thought by all wise and honest men that the sinnes of England were at a great height that the injustice of Governours and vices of private men were very great which have â—â—nce called downe from Almighty God so sharpe a judgement and drawne on by degrees so calamitous and consuming a Warre Those particular crimes an English Historian can take no pleasure to relate but might rather desire to be silent in and say with STATIUS Nos certe taceamus obruta multa Nocte â—egi nostrae patiamur crimina gentis Let us be silent and from after times Conceale our own unhappy Nations crimes But to be silent in that were great injustice and impiety toward God to relate his judgements upon a Kingdome and forget the sinnes of that Kingdom which were the cause of them The Heathen Historians do well instruct us in that point of piety who never almost describe any Civill Warre or publike affliction without relating at the beginning how vitious and corrupted their State was at that time grown how faulty both the Rulers and People were and how fit to be punished either by themselves or others Nor doe any of the Roman Poets undertake to write of that great and miserable Civill Warre which destroyed the present State and enslaved posterity without first making a large enumeration of such causeâ— how wicked the manners of Rome were growne how the chiefe Rulers were given to avarice and oppression and the whole State drowned in luxury lusts and riot as you may see upon that subject in two the most elegant of them And shall we Christians who adore the true God and live under the Gospell-light not be sensible under so heavy a judgement of our owne offences To begin with the faultâ— of the higher powers and their illegall oppression of the people during these eight or nine yeers in which Parliaments were denyed to England which I briefly touch referring the Reader to a more full narration in the Remonstrance multitudes of Monopolies were granted by the King and laid upon all things of most common and necessary use such as Sope Salt Wine Leather Sea-cole and many other of that kinde Regia privaâ—is creseunt aeraria damnis Claud. By losse of private men th' Exchequer growes Large sumâ— of Money were exacted thorow the whole Kingdome for default of Knighthood under the shadow of an obsolete Law Tonnage and Poundage were received without the ordinary course of Law and though they were taken under pretence of guarding the Seas yet that great Tax of Ship-money was set on foot under the same colour by both which there was charged upon the people some years neere 700000. li. though the Seas at that time were not well guarded These things were accompanied with an enlargement of Torrests contrary to Magna Charta the forcing of Coat and Conduct-Money taking away the Armes of Trayned Bands in divers Counties disarming the people by engrossing of Gunpowder keeping it in the Tower of London and setting so high a rate upon it that the poorer sort were not able to buy it nor could any have it without license whereby severall parts of the Kingdome were left destitute of their necessary defence No Courts of Judicature could give redresse to the people for these illegall sufferings whilest Judges were displaced by the King for not complying with his will and so awed that they durst not do their duties For to hold a rod over them the clause Quandiu se bene geserint was leâ—t out of their Patents and a new clause Durante bene placito inserted New illegall Oathes were enforced upon the Subjects and new Judicatories erected without Law and when Commissions were granted for examining the excesse of Fees and great exactions discovered the Delinquents were compounded with not onely for the time past but immunity to offend for the time to come which in stead of redressing did confirme and encrease the grievance of the Subjects By this time all thoughts of ever having a Parliament againe were quite banished so many oppressions had been set on â—oot so many illegall actions done that the onely way to justifie the mischiefes already done was to do that one greater To take away the meanes which was ordained to redresse them the lawfull Government of England by Parliaments Whilest the Kingdome was in this condition the serious and just men of England who were no way interessed in the emolument of these oppressions could not but entertaine sad thoughts and presages of what mischiefe must needs follow so great an injustice that things carried so farre on in a wrong way must needs either inslave themselves and posterity for ever or require a vindication so sharpe and smarting as that the Nation would groane under it and though the times were jolly for the present yet having observed the judgement of God upon other secure Nations they could not chuse but feare the sequell Another sort of men and especially Lords and Gentlemen by whom the pressures of the Government were not much felt who enjoyed their owne plentifull fortunes with little or insensible detriment looking no farther then their present safety and prosperity and the yet undisturbed peace of the Nation whilest other Kingdomes were embroyled in calamities and Germany sadly wasted by a sharpe Warre did nothing but applaud the happinesse of England and called those ingratefull and factious spirits who complained of the breach of Lawes and Liberties That the Kingdome abounded with wealth plenty and all kinde of elegancies more then ever That it was for the honour of a people that the Monarch should live splendidly and not be curbed at all in his Prerogative which would bring him into the greater esteeme with other Princes and more enable him to prevaile in Treaties That what they suffered by Monopolies was insensible and not grievous if compared with other States That the Duke of TUSKANY sate heavier upon his people in that very kinde That the French King had made himselfe an absolute Lord and quite depressed the power of Parliaments which had beene there as great as in any Kingdome and yet that France flourished and the Gentry lived well That the Austrian Princes especially in Spaine layed heavy burdens upon their Subjects Thus did many of the English Gentry by way of comparison in ordinary discourse pleade for their owne servitude The Courtiers would begin to dispute against Parliaments in their ordinary discourse That they were cruell to those whom the King favoured and too injurious to his Prerogative That the late Parliament stood upon too high termes with the King and that they hoped the King should never need any more Parliaments Some of the greatest Statesmen and Privy Counsellors would ordinarily laugh at the ancient Language of England when the word Liberty of the Subject was named But these Gentlemen who seemed so forward in taking up their owne yoake were but a small part
the other side who had oppressed them No commotion at all was raised from the oppressed party though it consisted of the body of the Nation and therefore strong enough to have vindicated themselves would they have risen in illegall tumults The Land was yet quiet and that storme which the people had feared before the death of the Duke of BUCKINGHAM was not in so long a time fallen upon England although the causes in Government which made them feare it had continued at the height ever since They onely wished for a Parliament but durst not hope it unlesse some strange accident not yet discovered by them might necessitate such a cure The Commons therefore But in Scotland it was once quite ruined and by degrees built up againe not without many difficulties not without great reluctancy of the Peeres Gentry and most of the Ministers not without extraordinary interposition of Regall Authority and great art used by two Kings in managing the businesse and raising it to that height in which then it stood as you may reade at large in some late Writers of that Kingdome Neither were the Peeres and Gentry of that Kingdome so impatient of this new yoakeâ— onely out of zeale to preservation of Religion in purity though that no doubt were their greatest reason that Church having been ever much addicted to the Reformation of Geneva And those other Churches as it appeared by their great unwillingnesse to receive those few Ceremonies of the English Church at their Synod of Perth but as loath also to suffer any diminution of their Temporall Liberties which could not be avoided in admittance of Episcopall Jurisdiction and was manifested in that Kingdome by divers examples of rigorous proceedings which some Bishops used against Gentlemen of quality by way of Fines and Imprisonments and the like which particulars are too large to be here inserted in this Narration In the yeare 1637. a Booke of Lyturgy was composed and sent out of England which they complained of because it was not before allowed by their Church in a Nationall Synod as was fit for a businesse of so great import with an expresse command from the King that they should reverently receive it and publikely reade it in their Churches beginning on Easter day and so forward against which time the Privy Councell of Scotland had commanded that every Parish should buy two at the least of them That Service-Booke was the same with the Common-Prayer Booke of England excepting some few alterations of which some as they observed were alterations for the better but others for the worse For the better they esteemed that so many Chapters of the Apocrypha were not appointed to be read as in the English Prayer Booke and where the English retained the old vulgar Latine Translation especially in the Psalmes that Booke followed the last Translation commonly called that of King JAMES Those alterations for the worse were divers observed by the Scots especially in the Lords Supper of which some were these The expresse command for situation of the Altar so called to the Easterne Wall together with many postures of the Minister whilest he officiated expressed in their exceptions but especially this that in the consecrating prayer those words which in the English Common-Prayer Booke are directly against Transubstantiation were quite left out in that Booke and instead of them such other words as in plaine sense agreed with the Roman Masse Booke As for example Heare us O most mercifull Father and of thy Omnipotent goodnesse grant so to blesse and sanctifie by thy Word and Spirit these creatures of bread and wine that they may be to us the body and blood of thy beloved Sonne Many other alterations the Scots have observed and expressed in their writings and in one word affirmed that wheresoever that Booke varies from the English Lyturgy it approaches directly to the Roman Missall and offered to prove that all the materiall parts of the Masse Booke are seminally there It was thought by many that if the Booke without any alteration at all had been sent into Scotland though the Scots perhaps would not have received it they would not have taken it in so evill part And it might have been construed onely as a brotherly invitation to the same service which England used But what the reasons were of those alterations I finde no where expressed but onely where the King in his Declaration concerning that businesse is pleased to say thus WE supposing that they might have taken some offence if we should have tendred them the English Service-Booke totidem verbis and that some factious spirits would have endeavoured to have misconstrued it as a badge of dependance of that Church upon this of England which we had put upon them to the prejudice of their Lawes and Liberties We held it fitter that a new Booke should be composed by their owne Bishops in substance not differing from this of England that so the Roman Party might not upbraid us with any weighty or materiall differences in our Lyturgyes and yet in some few insensible alterations differing from it that it might truly and justly be reputed a Booke of that Churches owne composing and established by Our Royall Authority as King of SCOTLAND These were the Kings expressions which as it seemed were not satisfactory to the Scots in that point For they were as is before specified not well affected to their owne Bishops whose power and jurisdiction over them was rather enforced then consented to Neither did they suppose that a conformity in Church-Worship had it been such as their consciences could well have imbraced had beene any badge of their dependancy upon England as being a people not conquered but united in an equall freedome under the same King Besides they could not relish it well that the Archbishop of Canterbury and other English Bishops who in many points of Ceremony and Worship which they accounted things tolerable did make as neere approaches to the Church of Rome as possibly they could for no other reason as they professe in their writings then that they laboured to bring union into the Christian Church if it were possible should now invite the Church of Scotland whom they accounted more puritanicall then themselves to union by a quite contrary way as in stead of framing their Service neerer to the Scottish profession and Discipline to urge them to a Lyturgy more popish then their owne So that it seemed for unity they were content to meet Rome rather then Scotland To returne to the Narration The Service-Booke according to the Kings command was offered to the Church of Scotland and the Councell there and published by Proclamation a day for the reading of it in all Churches appointed which was the Easter day following 1637. But then upon some considerations and further triall of mens minds as the King declares the first reading of it was put off untill the 23. of Iuly next ensuing to the end that the Lords of the Session
to declare unto them in a Parliament which former Princes used to call upon lesse occasions but not revealing the proceedings of it to the Body of his Privy Councell acquainting onely some of them whom he thought fittest for his purpose as the King himselfe expresseth in two places of his owne Booke intituled A large Declaration concerning the late tumults in Scotland pag. 76. and page 126. in fine the Scots are declared Rebels and the King in Person with an English Army richly furnished is going to chastise them CHAP. V. The aversenesse of the English people from this Warre with Scotland The King advanceth to Yorke with his Army The preparation of the Scottish Covenanters A pacification is made and both Armies disbanded Another preparation for Warre with Scotland A Parliament called to begin in England on the 13. of April The Parliament of Scotland is broken off by command of the King to the Earle of Traquare NEver were the people of England so averse from any Warre as neither hating the Enemy against whom nor approving the cause for which they were engaged Their owne great sufferings made them easily believe that the Scots were innocent and wronged by the same hand by which themselves had beene oppressed and for the cause it was such wherein they could not desire a Victory supposing that the same Sword which subdued the Scots must destroy their owne Liberties and that the contrivers of this Warre were equall Enemies to both Nations Nor was this onely the thought of wisest Gentlemen but the common people in generall were sensible of the mutuall interest of both Kingdomes Those Courtiers who were in all things wholly complyant to the Kings will did also dislike this Warre with Scotland though not for the same reason which the forenamed did as not considering the cause or quarell but the disadvantage of the Warre it selfe Those disadvantages they used to vent in contemptuous expressions of the poverty of Scotland That nothing could be gotten from such wretched Enemies That the King were happy if with his Honour he might suffer it to be rid of that Kingdome and would be a great gainer by the losse of it The younger Courtiers were usually heard to wish Scotland under water or that the old Wall of SEVERUS the Emperour were now re-edified Those Courtiers that were of a graver discourse did likewise seeme to feare the consequence of this bâ—sinesse and I remember would daily mention the Story of CHARLES Duke of Burgundy his pressing of a Warre upon the Swissers and what PHILIP DE COMMINES relates about the Battell of Granson that the Duke lost to the value of three millions of Crownes all which he fondly ventured against so wretched a people that it is there expressed if all the Swissers had been taken Prisoners they would not be able to pay a Ransom to the value of the Spurres and Bridle-bits in his Campe And very frequent in their mouthes was that Verse Curandum in primis ne magna injuria fiat Fortibus miseris Juvenal Take heed of offering too great injuries To people stout and poore But the people of England though they abhorred the very thought of that unnaturall Warre yet glad they seemed to be that such an occasion happened which might in reason necessitate the King to call an English Parliament and so by accident redresse the many grievances of England Which might also prevent the feare of such Warres for the future and bring a just punishment upon those who were sound to be the Authors or assistors of this present disturbance But the King though resolved to pursue his designe of Warre rather then take the advice of a Parliament was content to want the aid of it and to seeke supplies of a lower condition Great sums of money he borrowed from the chiefe Nobility and required proportionable Loanes from all the Judges and Officers but specially the Clergy of all ranks were liberall in contribution to this War which was then called by many men Bellum Episcopale All Courtiâ—â—s as well extraordinary as ordinary were summoned to attend the King in Person with Horse and Armes in a proportion suitable to their rankes By whom and such voluntiers of the Gentry as came in to gaine His Majesties favour with old Souldiers that imbraced it as their profession a gallant Army was made up Yorke was appointed for the Rendezvouze and the Earle of ARUNDELL Commander in chiefe The King as it was well knowne had beene advertised by many and especially by the prosecuted Bishops who were fled out of Scotland that the Scottish Covenanters were in no sort able to resist him That scarce any English Army at all would be needfull to fight but onely to appeare and His Majesty would finde a party great enough in Scotland to do the worke And indeed much might have been done in that kinde if the Lords of the Covenant had not used a most dexterous and timely prevention which is as necesssry in a defensive as an offensive Warre For besides the feared incursion of the English upon their Borders and what invasion the Deputy of Ireland on the Westerne Coast might make together with the Earle of ANTRIM and his Forces from the Hebrides the Marquesse HUNTLEY in the North and Marquesse DUGLAS towards the Southerne parts with the Earle of HETH were to be feared and the Towne of Aberden to be secured before it could fortifie to receive the Kings Fleet. All which with timely care was undertaken and provided against by severall Lords as ARGILE for the West MONTROSSE for the North Colonell MONROE for the South The most considerable Forts in that Kingdome were taken in at the beginning without any blood or resistance and furnished by them with Ammunition as Edenburgh and Dun-Britain and the Haven of Leeth to secure Edenburgh suddenly fortified All Neuters or suspected persons they disarmed without tumult The Castle of Dalketh they scaled and tooke with all the warlike provision which had been brought into it by Marquesse HAMILTON the yeare before In that Castle they found the Kings Crowne Scepter and Sword which in great state and solemnity were carried from thence by the greatest Noblemen and layed up in Edenburgh Castle The Covenanting Lords at the same time published a long Remonstrance in answer to the Kings Proclamation against them the 27. of February and to satisfie the people of England concerning their proceedings and intents The Marquesse HAMILTON arrived at Forth with a Fleet in May and sent Letters to the Governour of Edenburgh to obey the Kings Commands and especially to publish in Edenburgh that Proclamation which had been by the King proclaimed at Yorke upon the 25â— of Aprill wherein among other things the Rents and Debts due to Covenanters from Tenants and others are forbidden to be paid to them The Governour desired the Marquesse to expect an answer till the Parliament sate which was to begin within few daies who returned answer to the Marquesse That they could not
Court then a gracious Intimation that he accepted the tender of their loyall affections encouraging them to continue the same upon all occasions That he knew of no Fire-works in the hands of Papists For his going to the House of Commons that he intended no course of violence though that way had been justifiable for he was assured that no Priviledge of Parliament could extend to Treason which he knew would be proved against them upon cleer grounds and they in due time should be acquainted with it and that his proceedings against them should be according to the Lawes The King presently after his answering of that Petition sent another Message to the Parliament that for the present he would wave his proceedings against those five Members and returned a gentle Answer at that time to the Petitioners of Buckinghamshire who came to the number of about 2000 in behalf of their Knight Mr. HAMDEN a Gentleman much honored by them and by most of the whole Kingdom in which Petition they prayed that Mr. HAMDEN and the rest that lie under the burden of that accusation might enjoy the just priviledges of Parliament It was then grown a custom which proved accidentally very unhappie to the Kingdom however it were meant to come in great numbers to Westminster when they presented Peâ—itions to the Parliament though the people petitioning were unarmed and no just fear from them in the opinion of those who affected the Parliament yet those who thought themselves not well relliâ—hed by the people in general took occasion from thence either to fear indeed or at least to pretend fear alleadging that the Parliament was disturbed by such a numerous confluence of people and the freedom of the Houses in some degree infringed that some of the meaner sort were too apt to cast out rude words against such as they thought to be no good members of the Common-wealth of what degree soever they were From hence was occasion taken by some to justifie that Guard about White-hall and afterwards to excuse the Kings absenting himself from the Parliament And from this ground did the twelve Bishops about a week before this City-Petition frame their Petition and Protestation for so it was called to His Majestie and the Peers which was to this purpose They protested themselves to abominate all actions or opinions tending to Poperie or any Malignity against the State but were willing and ready to perform their duties in Parliament But whereas coming to perform that duty and service they have been rudely menaced affronted and put in fear of their lives by multitudes of people and can finde no redresse or protection upon complaint made they therefore humbly protest before His Majestie and the noble Peers that saving to themselves all their Rights and Interests of sitting and voting in that House at other times they dare not sit or vote in the House of Peers until His Majestie shall further secure them And because their fears are not vain but upon true grounds and objects they do in all duty and humility therefore protest before His Majestie and the Peers against all Laws Orders Votes Resolutions and Determinations as in themselves null and of none effect which in their absence since the 27 of this instant December 1641 have already passed as likewise against all such as shall hereafter passe during this their enforced absence from the said House Which Protestation they desired the King to command the Clerk of that House to record The Lords of Parliament immediately delivered by the mouth of the Lord Keeper at a Conference to the House of Commons That seeing this Protestation was of dangerous consequence and deeply entrenching upon the fundamental Priviledges and Being of Parliament therefore they thought fit to communicate it to the house of Commons The Commons thanked their Lordships for imparting it to them with so much affection and speed and for expressing their sense thereof and came to this resolution To accuse those twelve Bishops of high Treason Master GLYNN therefore was sent to the Lords who at their Bar in the name of all the Commons of England accused those twelve Prelates of high Treason for endeavouring to subvert the Fundamental Laws of the Realm and the very Being of Parliaments and to desire the Lords that they might be forthwith sequestred from Parliament and put into safe custodie and that their Lordships would appoint a speedie day for the Commons to charge them The Lords instantly sent the Black-Rod to finde out these Bishops and apprehend them so that by eight of the clock at night they were all taken and brought upon their knees to the Bar and ten of them committed to the Tower two of them in regard of their age were committed to the Black-Rod The twelve Bishops were these JO. Eborac THOMAS Duresme ROBERT Coven and Lichfield JOS. Norwich JO. Asaph GUIL Bath Wells GEO. Hereford ROB. Oxon. MATTH Ely GODFREY Gloucester JO. Peterborough MOR. Landaff Such work as this was daily made to the Parliament of England whereby not onely the relief of Ireland was wholly obstructed but all redresse of the grievances of England and settlement of the State there was so long retarded till both Kingdoms were at last involved in the same War and Confusion It was a strange thing that so barbarous and bloody a Rebellion should break out in Ireland without any the least suspicion or fear of such a Calamity without any cause given by the innocent English Protestants and surely it may seem as strange a thing if well considered that the revenge of so horrid and inhumane a Massacre should be thus hindered and indeed might be thought almost impossible unlesse the raising of the one and hindering the other proceeded from the same cause There was a great hope about the beginning of December that Ireland would speedily be relieved and Forces transported out of Scotland within a short time to that purpose considering what careful provisions the Parliament of England as is before related had made upon the first notice of it But at that time the King was returned from Scotland and in a Speech to the Parliament in which he conjured them to proceed in the businesse of relieving Ireland he likewise took notice of a Bill for pressing of Souldiers for Ireland depending in the House of Peers and declared his dislike of putting it in that way being as he said a great infringement and diminution of his Royal Prerogative telling them withal that he was little beholding to that man who began such a dispute concerning the bounds of his ancient and undoubted Prerogative But he offered at last that the Bill might passe with a Salvo jure both to King and People leaving such debates to a time that might better bear it This Speech of the King 's was much distasted by both Houses as a great breach of Parliament-priviledge insomuch as they framed a Petition to him wherein they expresse That the King by taking notice of the debate
that men of such parts or that think so of themselves have been apter to take pet and grow angry when any Speech of theirs hath not received that honour which they expected or any other affront hath been offered to them and what such an anger may make proud and ambitious spirits to do even against their own Country and the dictates of their Conscience and Reason the world hath been taught by many examples some of high consequence and very remarkable such as CORIOLANUS the Romane and JULIAN the Spanish General which for the eminence of the persons and extraordinary effects which they wrought in the world must needs fall into Record when the actions of mean and private men are buried in oblivion Besides there are many whose Callings make them capable of easier and greater gratifications from the King then other men as Lawyers and Divines who will therefore be apt to lean that way where the preferment lies Such discourses were frequent in all companies at that time for different affections did at all meetings beget such argumentative language What sense and apprehension the Parliament had of so many Members forsaking their station shall appear anon by a Vote passed in the House of Commons and presented to the Lords by Master DENZIL HOLLLS after some intervening passages have been related Whilst the King encouraged and strengthened by this great accession of reputation to his side pursued his designe of raising Forces in the North the Parliament after that they had on the twentieth of May petiâ—ioned the King to disband such Forces and rely for his security as his Predecessours had done upon the Laws and affections of his People contenting himself with his usual and ordinary Guards declared that otherwise they held themselves bound in duty towards God and the Trust reposed in them by the People and by the Fundamental Laws and Constitutions of the Kingdom to employ their care and utmost power to secure the Parliament and preserve the Kingdom 's Peace and immediately it was voted in Parliament and resolved upon the Question That it appears that the King seduced by wicked Counsel intends to make War against the Parliament who in all their consultations and actions have proposed no other end unto themselves but the care of his Kingdoms and the performance of all duty and loyaltie to his Person It was likewise resolved upon the Question That whensoever the King maketh War upon the Parliament it is a breach of the Trust reposed in him by his People contrary to his Oath and tending to the dissolution of this Government As also That whosoever shall serve or assist him in such Wars are Traitours by the Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom and have been so adjudged in two Acts of Parliament 11 RICH. 2. and 1 HEN. 4 and that such persons ought to suffer as Traitours But those Lords who had forsaken the Parliament continuing still with the King in the Northern parts the Parliament by an Order of the 30 of May summoned nine of them who first had gone away to appear at Westminster viz. the Earls of Northampton Devonshire Dover and Monmouth the Lords HOWARD of Charleton RICH GREY of Ruthen COVENTRY and CAPEL but they utterly refused to come away returning an Answer in writing which the Parliament judged to be a slighting and scornful Letter Upon which a Vote was passed against them in the house of Commons and presented on the 15 of Iune to the Lords by Master HOLLIS with an Oration of his own concerning the importance of the businesse the greatest part of which Speech being here inserted may give light to the Reader concerning the condition of the Kingdom at that time and the judgement of the Houses upon it His Speech began thus My Lords By command of the Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the house of Commons I come hither to your Lordships in behalf of the Parliament or rather in behalf of the whole Kingdom labouring with much distraction many fears great apprehensions of evil and mischief intended against it and now hatching and preparing by that malignant party which thirsts after the destruction of Religion Laws and Liberty all which are folded up cherished and preserved in the careful bosome of the Parliament It hath ever been the policie of evil Counsellors who are the greatest enemies we have in the world or can have to strike at Parliaments keep off Parliaments break Parliaments or divide Parliaments by making Factions casting in Diversions and Obstructions to hinder and interrupt the proceedings of Parliament all against the Parliament Your Lordships have had experience of this Truth this Parliament a succession of designes upon it First to aw it and take away the freedom of it by the terrour of an Army then to bring Force against it actually to assault it and with the Sword to cut in sunder this onely Band which ties and knits up King and People the People among themselves and the whole frame of this Government in one firm and I hope indissoluble knot of Peace and Unity God diverted those designes did blowe upon them presently another is set upon which was To obstruct and hinder our proceedings that in the mean time the flame of Rebellion might consume the Kingdom of Ireland and distempers distractions and jealousies be somented here at home to tear out the bowels of this Kingdom the Parliament being disabled from helping it by occasion of so many diversions so much businesse cut out unto it many obstructions and difficulties especially that great one from whence all the rest receive countenance and support his Majestie 's absenting himself not concurring with us and so withdrawing both his presence and influence by which means such remedies could not be applied as were necessary and what was done was done with infinite trouble to the Parliament and excessive charge to the Subject double treble what otherwise would have served the turn So the Subject is grieved and oppressed with charge and the blame of all is laid upon the Parliament and the Parliament unjustly said to be the cause of all these Evils which the authors of them had made so great and so confirmed and secured by the frequent interruptions of the Parliament that they could not suddenly nor easily be suppressed or removed Well by God's infinite blessing the Parliament was in a fair possibility to wade thorow this likewise and though the Night had been black and stormy some Day began to appear miraculously our Armies have prospered in Ireland and God be praised the malevolent practices of these Vipers at home as they appeared were in some sort mastered and the Parliament began to act and operate towards the setling of the great Affairs both of Church and State and providing for the defence and safety of this Kingdom against either forraign Invasion or any striving of the disaffected party among themselves Then three ways are together assayed for the weakning and invalidating the proceeding and power of the Parliament and
the choice of Councellours 16. That the extraordinary Guards and Military Forces now attending Your Majestie may be removed and discharged and that for the future You will raise no such Guards or extraordinary Forces but according to the Law in case of actual Rebellion or lavasion 17. That Your Majestie will be pleased to enter into a more strict Allegiance with the States of the United Provinces and other Neighbour Princes and States of the Protestant Religion for the defence and maintenance thereof against all designes and attempts of the Pope and his adherents to subvert and suppresse it whereby Your Majestie will obtain a great accesse of strength and reputation and Your Subjects be much encouraged and enabled in a Parliamentary way for Your aid and assistance in restoring Your Royal Sister and her Princely Issue to those Dignities and Dominions which belong unto them and relieving the other distressed Protestant Princes who have suffered in the same Cause 18. That Your Majestie will be pleased by Act of Parliament to clear the Lord Kymboâ—ton and the five Members of the House of Commons in such manner that future Parliaments may be secured from the consequence of that evil president 19. That Your Majestie will be graciously pleased to passe a Bill for restraining Peers made hereafter from sitting or voting in Parliament unlesse they be admitted thereunto with the consent of both Houses of Parliament And these our humble Desires being granted by Your Majestie we shall forthwith apply our selves to regulate Your present Revenue in such sort as may be for Your best advantage and likewise to settle such an ordinary and constant increase of it as shall be sufficient to support Your Royal Dignity in Honour and Plenty beyond the proportion of any former Grants of the Subjects of this Kingdom to Your Majesties Royal Predecessours We shall likewise put the Town of Hull into such hands as Your Majestie shall appoint with the consent and approbation of Parliament and deliver up a just account of all the Magazine and chearfully employ the uttermost of our endeavours in the real expression and performance of our most dutiful and loyal affections to the preserving and maintaining the Royal Honour Greatnesse and Safety of Your Majestie and Your Posterity Hen. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. To these Propositions sent from the Parliament the King returned such an Answer as shewed that he was much displeased with the whole Businesse For before his particular Answers to the several Propositions he complaineth in general and those very sharp expressions of the method of their proceedings against him and that the Cabalists of this businesse for so he calls them have used great art and subtilty against him first to strengthen themselves with unlawful power before they make their illegal demands He taxes them that first they had removed the Law it self as a rub in their way and pressed their own Orders and Ordinances upon the people tending to a pure arbitrary power as Laws and required obedience to them without the consent or concurrence of himself That they had wrested from him the command of the Militia a thing inherent in his Crown countenanced the Treason of HOTHAM against him and directed to the people invectives against his Government to weaken his just authority and due esteem among his Subjects casting upon him aspersions of a strange nature as that he should favour a Rebellion in the bowels of his Kingdom He complains likewise that they had broached for so he calls it a new Doctrine namely that the King is bound to passe all Laws that shall be offered to him by both Houses of Parliament a point of policie fit for their present businesse as destructive to all his Rights That they have overawed his Subjects in stifling all Petitions that did not please them and filled the peoples ears with needlesse fears and jealousies and such like things before they thought his Majestie sufficiently prepared to take those bitter Pills For saith he if they had unseasonably vented such Propositions as the wisdom and modestie of their Predecessours never thought fit to offer to any of Our Progenitours nor We in honour or regard to Our Regal Authority which God hath intrusted Vs with for the good of Our People could receive without just indignation for such many of the present Propositions are their hopes would soon have been blasted and those persons to whom Offices Honours Power and Commands were designed by such ill timing of their businesse would have failed of their expectation not without a brand upon the Attempt Therefore he saith that they had made before-hand those fore-named preparations The King seems to doubt likewise because the Parliament have not told him that this is all they desire of him that these Propositions are probably intended to make way for a Superfetation of a yet higher nature And in the Propositions in general he observes that the Contrivers of them the better to advance their true ends disguised as much as they could their intents with a mixture of some things really to be approved by every honest man others specious and popular and some already granted by him All which saith he are cunningly twisted and mixed with other things of their main designe of ambition and private interest But the King desires not to be understood so as if he intended to fix this designe upon both or either House of Parliament for he utterly professeth against it being most confident of the loyalty good affections and integrity of the intentions of that great Body and knowing well that very many of both Houses were absent and many dissented from all those particulars of which he complains but that he believes and accordingly professes to all the world that the malignity of this designe hath proceeded from the subtil informations mischievous practices and evil counsels of some ambitious turbulent spirits disaffected to God's true Religion using their own language the Unity of the professours thereof his Honour and Safety and the publike peace and prosperity of the people And such other like General expressions In particular the King expressed himself with great indignation against ten of their Propositions which were the 1 2 3 4 5 9 10 15 16 19 averring that if they did intend the establishment of his honour together with the security of his people as their profession is they would not offer him such Propositions for that Profession joyned to these Propositions appeared to his judgement as a mockery and scorn He averreth further that their Demands are such as that he were unworthy of that Royal descent from so many famous Ancestours unworthy of the Trust reposed in him by the Laws if he should devest himself of such a power so inherent in his Crown and assume others into it protesting that if he were both vanquished and a prisoner in worse condition then any the most unfortunate of his predecessours had ever been reduced unto he would never stoop so lowe as to
gone down to take possession of the Navie and therefore called a Councel of War acquainting them all both with the Ordinance of Parliament and the King's Letters But the Earl himself was swayed in conscience to give obedience rather to the Ordinance of Parliament and the reason of it himself gives in a Letter directed to a Lord of the House When I considered saith he the great care which I have seen in the Parliaments of this Kingdom for the good and safety both of King and Kingdom and every man's particular in them and that they are the great Councel by whose authority the Kings of England have ever spoken to their Subjects I was resolved to continue in this employment until I shall be revoked by that Authority that hath intrusted me with it Most of the Captains took up unanimously the same resolution that the Earl did excepting five which were the Râ—â—â—-Admiral Captain FOGGE Captain BAILY Captain Sâ—INGSBY and Captain WAKE who alleadged that they had the King's Command to obey Sir JOHN PENINGTON whom he had appointed Admiral in stead of the Earl of Northumberland These five had gotten together round to make defence against the Earl but he came to Archor about them and having begiâ—â— them summoned them again upon which three of them came in and submitted two onely Captain Sâ—INGSBY and Captain WAKE stood out The Earl let 〈◊〉 a Gun over them and turned up the Glasse upon them sending his Boat and most of the Boats in the 〈◊〉 to let them know their danger if they came not within that space But so peremptory was their answer that the Masters and Sailors grew impatient and although they had no Arms assaulted them seized upon those Captains being armed with their Pistols and swords strook their Yards and Top-masts and brought them to the Faâ—l Thus by the wonderful courage of these unarmed men the businesse was ended without eâ—â—usion of any blood when the Earl was ready to give fire upon them Within few days after another addition of strength was brought to the Earl of Warwick by an accident A great and strong ship of the King 's called The Lion putting to Sea from Holland and bound for Newcastle being much distressed with soul weather was driven into the Downs Captain FOXE who commanded that ship saluted the Earl of Warwick who presently acquainted the Captain with the Ordinance of Parliament whereby his Lordship had commanded of those ships requiring his submission thereunto The Captain at first refused to yeeld obedience to the Ordinance and thereupon was presently clapt in hold but all his Officers in the ship submitted themselves and strook their Sails and Top-yards in token of obedience to the said Ordinance This ship was very considerable carrying two and fourty great Pieces of brasse Ordnance besides a little Vessel laden with Gun-powder of a great value was taken also together with this ship The Earl was informed by some of her men that young Prince RUPERT and Prince MAURICE with divers other Commanders intended to have come from Holland in this ship the Lion But after three days and three nights storm at Sea those two Princes in a sick and weak condition landed again in Holland The King hearing of the surprisal of the Lion sent a Messenger to the Earl of Warwick to demand her again with all the goods therein and that she should be brought to Scarborough But the Earl returned an Answer to this effect that the Parliament had intrusted him with the Care of the Fleet and that that ship was a part thereof therefore he humbly besought his Majestie to pardon him for without their consent he might not part with her and that he knew of no goods within her belonging to his Majestie But leaving the Earl of Warwick to his Sea-employments it is time to return to those warlike Levies and Preparations which were made by Land for now the fatal time was come when those long and tedious Paper-conflicts of Declarations Petitions and Proclamations were turned into actual and bloody Wars and the Pens seconded by drawn swords On the twelfth of Iuly 1642 the Parliament voted that an Army should be raised for the safety of the King's Person and defence of the Parliament for so they called it desiring to joyn together what seemed to be at so great a distance and enmity The Earl of Essex was by a great and unanimous consent of both Houses chosen General of that Army and of all Forces raised for the Parliament with whom they protested to live and die in that Cause The Earl of Essex was a Gentleman of a noble and most untainted reputation of undoubted loyalty to his Country and Prince having always what course soever the Court steered served in an honourable way the right Interest of the English Nation and the Protestant Religion and to that end had formerly engaged himself in the Palatine War and service of the Netherland United Provinces insomuch as at this time when they sought a Lord to undertake the high charge of commanding in chief there seemed to be no choice at all but we may say of this Election as PATERCULUS did of another Non quaerendus erat quem eligerent sed eligendus qui eminebat The Parliament at that time were very able to raise Forces and arm them well by reason of the great masse of Money and Plate which to that purpose was heaped up in Guild-hall and daily increased by the free Contribution of those that were well-affected to the Parliament Cause where not onely the wealthiest Citizens and Gentlemen who were neer-dwellers brought in their large bags and goblets but the poorer sort like that widow in the Gospel presented their mites also insomuch that it was a common Jeer of men disaffected to the Cause to call it the Thimble and Bodk in-Army The Earl of Essex was very careful and industrious in raising of his Army in which he desired to have as great a Body of Horse as could conveniently be gotten by reason that he conceived his chief work was to seek out the King's Forces and prevent their spoiling of the Country and disarming several Counties to furnish themselves And indeed his Forces considering the long Peace of England and unreadinesse of Arms were not onely raised but well armed in a short time Many of the Lords who then sate in the House of Peers besides those Lords who went into divers Counties to settle the Militia and therefore raised Forces for safety of those several Places listed themselves in the Lord General 's Army and took Commissions as Colonels the Lord ROBERTS the Lord SAINT-JOHN eldest son to the Earl of Bullenbrook the Lord of Rochford eldest son to the Earl of Dover and many Gentlemen of the House of Commons of greatest tank and quality there took Commissions for Horse and Foot-service in that Army of whom these were some Sir JOHN MERRICK who was made Serjeant-Major-General of that Army the Lord GREY of Grooby son to the
hath since been confirmed if I mistake not by his example and Your Majesties Chief Iustice Sir JOHN BANKS both in accepting their Ordinance and nominating their Deputy-Lieutenants how much further they proceeded I know not But Sir if the opinions of those great Lawyers drew me into an act unsutable to Your Majesties liking I hope the want of yeers will excuse my want of judgement And since by the Command of the Parliament I am now so far engaged in their Service as the sending out Warrants to summon the County to meet me this day at Lincoln and afterwards in other places I do most humbly beseech Your Majestie not to impose that Command on me which must needs render me false to those that relie on me and so make me more unhappie then any other misery that can fall upon me These things Sir I once more humbly beseech Your Majestie may be taken into Your Gracious consideration and that You would never be pleased to harbour any misconceit of me or of this Action since nothing hath yet passed by my Commands here or ever shall but what shall tend to the honour and safety of Your Majesties Person to the preservation of the Peace of Your Kingdoms and to the content I hope of all Your Majesties Subjects in these parts amongst whom I remain Your Majesties most humble and most dutiful Subject and Servant FRA. WILLOUGHBY Upon the receipt of these Letters the Lords sent a Message to the House of Commons in which they expressed how much they did value and approve the endeavours of this Lord in a service so much importing the safety of this Kingdom not doubting of their readinesse to concur with them upon all occasions to manifest the sense they have and shall retain of his deservings which appear the greater by how much the difficulties appearing by the circumstances of those Letters have been greater The Lords therefore as they resolved to make his Interest their own in this Service for the publike good and safety of the Kingdom so they desired the Commons to joyn with them in so just and necessary a work To this the House of Commons consented and resolved to joyn with the Lords in this Vote making the like resolution also for the Deputy-Lieutenants for the County of Lincoln and desired the Lords concurrence therein Upon which it was ordered by the Lords in Parliament that they agree with the House of Commons for the resolution concerning the Deputy-Lieutenants of the County of Lincoln In Essex also which proved a most unanimous County and by that means continued in peace and happinesse the Earl of Warwick whose care and action was not confined onely to the Sea chosen Lord Lieutenant by the Parliament when he went down to muster and exercise the Country was received with great applause The Trained Bands were not onely compleat but increased by Voluntiers to unusual numbers and so affectionate to that Cause they were in general that they presented a Petition to the Earl of Warwick and the Deputy-Lieutenants in the name of all the Captains and Lieutenants of the several Companies and in the name of all persons belonging to the Trained Bands To which Petition when it was read in the field they expressed a full consent by their general acclamations and applause in every Company The Earl of Warwick therefore sent the Petition to the Parliament to let them see the extraordinary alacrity and affection of that County of Essex to them which was in these words which follow To the Right Honourable ROBERT Earl of Warwick Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Essex and to the worthy Gentlemen the Deputy-Lieutenants of the same County confided in by the most Honourable the high Court of Parliament We the Captains and Lieutenants with the full consent of the Trained Bands and Voluntiers of the County now assembled having before the accesse of this present Parliament seen our Religion our Laws and Liberties brought to the brink of ruine and subversion by the results of most desperate and wicked Counsels could not but with exâ—â—ding joy behold the assembling and continuance of so great and faithful a Councel the Representative Body of this Kingdom and with most certain confidence commit thereto all that was dear unto us And having also seen the late hellish designes and actings of a malignant party in this Kingdom and the bloody Rebellion in Ireland all working to retard the progresse or subvert the being of this worthy Parliament and therein to bereave us of all our hopes of Reformation or future peace and happinesse to this Church or State we cannot but ascribe all glory praise unto the Lord of lords expresse most hearty thankfulnes to his blessed Instruments that great Assembly for their undaunted resolutions unparallell'd endeavours and happie proceedings for the common good And herein as not the least means of our safety for the most necessary and seasonable Ordinance of theirs touching the Militia whereby we are put under the Command and Guidance of so noble a Lord and such worthy Gentlemen whereunto we humbly desire this present day and meeting may be an evidence and pledge of our free and willing obedience Having intrusted our Religion our Laws and all into the hands of that great and most faithful Councel the Parliament whose care and fidelity we have so abundantly found we even bleed to see the heart and actions of our Royal King contrary to his own Royal expressions declining from the Counsels of his Parliament carried after other Counsels whom as the Laws and Constitutions of this Land have not known nor reposed upon so we for our own parts neither will nor dare intrust with our Religion or Laws and whom we verily believe could they prevail against that highest Court under God our chiefest Bulwark and Defence would soon deprive us both of Religion and Law and notwithstanding all their specious pretences reduce us to a condition no lesse miserable then slavish From the deep apprehensions of all which we do freely and heartily promise and tender our persons and estates to assist and defend to the uttermost the high Court of Parliament now assembled the Members Power and Priviledges thereof and therein his Majesties Person and Authority and the Kingdoms Peace according to our late Protestation against all contrary Counsels Power or force of Arms whatsoever which shall be reared up or attempted against them And this our humble Acknowledgement and Resolution which we doubt not will be accorded unto by all good Subjects we humbly desire your Honour and Worships to tender on our behalf to that most honourable Assembly of Parliament for whose happie progresse and successe we shall daily pray Subscribed J. KITELEY HENRY FARRE JOHN BALLET JOHN FLEMMING WILLIAM MARSHAM ROBERT BARRINGTON Captains THO. HARPER JOHN WOODCOCK RICH. LAWRENCE GEORGE COLWEL THO. CLARK WIMLIAM BURLS Lieutenants The Parliament were very forward to expresse their approbation of this most affectionate Declaration of the Essex men and returned
and Gentlemen inhabited none at all of note stood for the Parliament but Sir JOHN GELL and his brother of whose actions it will be seasonable to speak in another place Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire were in no lesse combustion In Leicestershire the troubles were far greater and early begun by Master HENRY HASTINGS second son to the Earl of Huntingdon whom the King had made Sheriff of that County and put into the Commission of Array who raised great Forces to seize upon the Magazine of that County Against whom the Earl of Stamford was sent by the Parliament as Lord Lieutenant with a considerable strength who arriving there did much curb the proceedings of Master HASTINGS and took possession of the Town of Leicester Great was the Contention about that time in Warwick-shire between the Earl of Northampton for the King and the Lord BROOK for the Parliament not without sharp encounters and slaughter on either side The Earl having seized the Ordnance at Banbury marched with great fury into Warwick-shire spoiling the Countrey as he went though not without opposition of the people and the Lord BROOK'S Forces against whom he could not at all prevail The Earl of Pembrook had setled the Militia in Wilâ—shire with small ado though it continued not long so And the Earl of Holland in Berk-shire being but saintly resisted by the Earl of Berk-shire the Lord LOVELACE and others For soon after the Earl of Berk-shire together with Sir JOHN CURSON Sir ROBERT DORMER and others for the Commission of Array who came to Watlington in Oxfordshire to seize the Magazine of that part of the County which was laid up in that Town were there taken prisoners and sent up to the Parliament by Colonel HAMDEN and Colonel GOODWIN two Members of the House of Commons and Knights of the Shire for Buckingham But the further that this Discourse travels Westward the greater and more remarkable you shall finde such contestations especially considering the number of Lords and Gentlemen of great rank and many of them Members of Parliament who sided with the King against the Parliament and were therefore afterward voted out of the House One great Head there was of all those Western Counties WILLIAM Marquesse of Hartford whom the King by his Commission of Array had appointed Chief and made him Lord Lieutenant-General of Devon Cornwal Somerset Dorset Wilts Southampton Gloucester Berks Oxford Hereford and seven Counties within the Principality of Wales who notwithstanding his high Command was never able to atchieve any great matter for the King's side so much were the common people of the West at that time inclined to the Parliament and so active were those Gentlemen who stood for it such as were the sons of Sir FRANCIS POPHAM Master ALEXANDER POPHAM HUGH and EDWARD who were more animated by the example of their aged father Master STRODE a Deputy-Lieutenant and others against all those frequent attempts which the Marquesse made Great was the number of considerable men in those Countries which took part with the Marquesse against the Parliament and very industrious in their several Stations to put in execution the Commission of Array as the Lord PAWLET Sir RALPH HOPTON and Sir JOHN STOWEL both Members of the House of Commons and for that reason put out of the House Sir RICHARD SLANY in Cornwal another Member put out also for the same cause as likwise were Sir EDWARD RODNEY and Master COVENTRY both Parliament-men who followed the Marquesse in some of his actions Sir BEVILE GREENVILE an active man another Member of Parliament was very industrious for the Array both in Cornwal and Devon joyning himself with the Earl of Bath who came for that purpose to his house at Tastock in Devonshire and assisted by many Gentlemen as Master CULINS Sheriff of that County M. BAMFIELD M. ASHFORD M. GIFFORD M. SAINTHIL Baronet SEYMOUR and M. COURTNEY to whose assistance Squire ROGERS came with Forces out of Dorsetshire Various were the Successes which Marquesse Hartford assisted by so many of the Gentry found in his several Enterprises sometimes prevailing but more often distressed In one Skirmish which about the beginning of August himself the Lord PAWLET Sir RALPH HOPTON Sir JOHN STOWEL and M. SMITH another Member of the House of Commons made against the Deputy-Lieutenants in Somersetshire he prevailed against them and possessed himself of the Town of Shepton-Mallet Ten men were slain and many wounded Going afterwards to Wells he had been besieged by many thousands of the People who arose against him but that having timely notice of their coming he escaped a back-way out of the Town About which time the Earl of Bedford was sent down by the Parliament against him with three hundred Horse by whom the Lord Marquesse the Lord PAWLET Sir RALPH HOPTON Colonel LUNSFORD and many other considerable men were besieged in Sherburn For great numbers out of the Country came daily to the assistance of the Earl of Bedford Many weeks did that Siege continue many Sallies were made out and sharp encounters on both sides performed with great courage the Parliament side being in firm hope to have taken them at last which was conceived a thing of great moment and advantage to their affairs if they could have possessed the persons of so many men considerable both in their Fortunes and Valour and who proved afterwards very strong and cruel enemies Yet that hope was frustrate for about the beginning of October they all escaped out of Sherburn the Earl neverthelesse pursued after them and in the Chase took M. PALLART Sir HENRY Sir JOHN and Sir CHARLES BARCLAY prisoners Within a week after the Earl of Bath was apprehended and brought up a prisoner to the Parliament It cannot be much wondered at that Division was found in Countrey-Towns and Villages so far remote from the Parliament where the people were variously wrought upon by perswasions or fears from either side when London it self the Seat of that great Councel and chiefest Bulwark of their defence was not without some taste of these Distractions Which besides the actions of some private Citizens too petty to be here rehearsed may appear to the Reader in one thing which cannot be omitted The Lord Major of London was at this time a prisoner in the Tower committed by the Parliament Sir RICHARD GURNEY Lord Maior of London for that yeer was charged by the House of Commons on the seventh of Iuly for being a mover of Sedition in the Kingdom in causing the King's Proclamation concerning the Commission of Array which was declared by both Houses to be illegal to be proclaimed in the City And the Charge being perfected was sent up to the Lords desiring that he might forthwith be called to his Answer which was accordingly granted Four days after while the Lord Maior was attending the Lords House upon this Charge and additional Impeachment was read against him in the House of Commons brought in by the Common-Councel of London for divers breaches of
it long before the Lords upon reasons shewed concurred with the House of Commons who about the beginning of Iuly presented to the Lords at a Conference the Votes Which had before passed in their House together with the reasons for making of a new Great Seale The Votes were these Resolved upon the Question June 14. 26. 1. THat the Great Seale of England ought to attend the Parliament 2. That the absence of it hath been a cause of great mischiefe to the Common-wealth 3. That a remedy ought to be provided for these mischiefs 4. That the proper remedy is by making a new Great Sale The reasons which they gave were divided into two branches The first declaring those mischiefes which were occasioned by conveying away the Great Seale from the Parliament The second expressing those inconveniences and mischiefes which proceeded from the want of the Great Seale with them The reasons of the first kinde were thus 1. It was secretly and unlawfully carried away by the Lord Keeper contrary to the duty of his place who ought himselfe to have attended the Parliament and not to have departed without leave nor should have been suffered to convey away the Great Seale if his intentions had been discovered 2. It hath been since taken away from him and put into the hands of other dangerous and ill-affected persons so as the Lord Keeper being sent unto by the Parliament for the sealing of some Writs returned answer That he could not Seale the same because he had not the Seale in his keeping 3. Those who have had the managing thereof have imployed it to the hurt and destruction of the Kingdome many waies as by making new Sheriffes in an unusuall and unlawfull manner to be as so many Generals or Commanders of Forces raised against the Parliament by issuing out illegall Commissions of Array with other unlawfull Commissions for the same purpose By sending sorth Proclamations against both Houses of Parliament and severall Members thereof proclaiming them Traytors against the Priviledges of Parliament and Laws of the Land By sealing Commission of Oyer and Terminer to proceed against them and other of His Majesties good Subjects adhering to the Parliament as Traytors By sending Commissions into Ireland to treat a peace with the Rebels there contrary to an Act of Parliament made this Session Besides divers other dangerous Acts passed under it since it was secretly conveyed away from the Parliament whereby great calamities and mischiefes have ensued to the prejudice of the Kingdome Mischiefes arising through want of the Great Seale 1. The Termes have been adjourned the course of Justice obstructed 2. No originall Writs can be sued forth without going to Oxford which none who holds with the Parliament can do without perill of his life or Liberty 3. Proclamations in Parliament cannot issue out for bringing in Delinquents impeached of High Treason or other crimes under paine of forfeiting their Estates according to the ancient course 4. No Writs of Errour can be brought in Parliament to reverse erroneous judgements nor Writs of Election sued out for chusing new Members upon death or removall of any whereby the number of the Members is much lessened and the Houses in time like to be dissolved if speedy supply be not had contrary to the very Act for continuance of this Parliament 5. Every other Court of Justice hath a peculiar Seale and the Parliament the Supreme Court of England hath no other but the Great Seale of England which being kept away from it hath now no Seale at all and therefore a new Seale ought to be made 6. This Seale is Clavis Regni and therefore ought to be resident with the Parliament which is the representative Body of the whole Kingdome whilest it continues sitting the King as well as the Kingdom being alwaies legally present in it during the Session thereof The Lords upon these reasons concurred with the House of Commons and order was given that a new Great Seale should forthwith be made which was accordingly done It should seeme the King was not well pleased with this action of the Parliament as appeared by what was done at Oxford above a yeare after when the King assembled together the Lords which were with him and all those Gentlemen that had been Members of the House of Commons and had deserted the Parliament at Westminster whom the King called his Parliament at Oxford and propounded many things for them to debate upon amongst which it was taken into debate and resolved upon the Question by that Assembly at Oxford That this very action which they stile counterfeiting the Great Seale was Treason and the whole Parliament at Westminster eo facto guilty of High Treason But this was passed at Oxford long after of which occasion may be to speak further hereafter But at the time when the Parliament made their new Great Seale the people stood at gaze and many wondered what might be the consequence of so unusuall a thing Some that wholly adhered to the Parliament and liked well that an action so convenient and usefull to the present state was done by them looked notwithstanding upon it as a sad marke of the Kingdomes distraction and a signe how irreconcileable the difference might grow betweene the Parliament and the Kings Person For the legality or justnesse of making of the Seale there was little dispute or argument among those who were not disaffected to the Parliament and though there were no direct or plaine precedent for it for the case of a Kings being personally in Warre against the Parliament sitting was never before yet by comparison with other times when the necessities of State have required such a thing it was not onely allowed but thought requisite I do not know of any thing written against it by any Lawyers or other of the Kings Party but Master PRYNNE a learned Lawyer and great Antiquary of the Parliament side hath written a copious discourse in justification of it both by arguments of reason and many neere-resembling precedents of former times called The opening of the Great Seale of England which is extant to be read by any that would be satisfied what power from time to time Parliaments have challenged and been allowed over that Seale both in making of it in the infancy or absence of Princes and disposing of it in the dotage or wilfulnesse of others But before this businesse was fully concluded another thing which seemed as great a signe how wide the rent was growne fell into debate in the House of Commons Some time was spent in consultation about it and much arguing on both sides The matter was about charging the Queene of High Treason To that purpose many Articles of an high nature were drawne up against her some of them were That she had pawned the Crowne Jewels in Holland That she had raised the Rebellion in Ireland That she had indeavoured to raise a Party in Scotland against the Parliament That she had gone in the head of
the Lord WILMOT totally routed and forced into Bristoll The Lord Generall intending at the first report of this newes to have marched himselfe for relieving of the West upon more particular information that Sir WILLIAM WALLERS Forces were so farre broken that no assistance at all could be given by them was inforced to desist from that enterprize considering also that his owne Army was shrunke through the continuall increase of violent sicknesse want of pay clothing and other necessaries to a most unconsiderable number he resolved to proceed no further nor to ingage that weake Army to the ruine of it selfe and danger of the Kingdome especially since the Forces of the Associated Counties could not with safety be commanded so farre from home He therefore returned toward London quartering that poore remainder of an Army at Kingston upon Thames and other places neere adjacent In this distressed condition I must a while leave that great Generall untill some few weekes time shall recruit his power and enable him to make that famous and honourable expedition to the reliefe of Gloucester So great at this time were the successes which in all parts crowned the Kings Armies that they seemed to possesse an absolute Victory and the Parliament in probability quite ruined on one side the Lord Generals Army mouldered away by long sicknesse and other wants the long successefull Sir WILLIAM WALLER quite broken in the West and about the same time the Lord FAIRFAX and his Sonne Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX though reserved by divine Providence for a transcendent height of honour in the future with all the Gentlemen almost which served the Parliament in those Northerne parts being defeated by the Earle of Newcastle and the Lord FAIRFAX with his Sonne driven into the Towne of Hull On the other side the Kings Armies were full and strong Sir RALPH HOPTON whom for his valour and industry the King had honoured with the Title of a Baron was possessed of a gallant Army in the West and seemed to want nothing so much as a considerable Enemy the Kings other Forces were free to chuse what stage they pleased to act their parts upon Prince RUPERT was sent to besiege Bristoll where Colonell NATHANIEL FIENNES second Sonne to the Viscount SAY was Governour which City in this low ebbe of the Parliament could not long hold out but was soone delivered â—o the Prince a place of as much concernment as any in the Kingdome Prince MAURICE with another Army came to besiege the City of Excester into which the Earle of Stamford was retreated after his defeat at Stretton in Cornwall a Nobleman who had long strugled with various successe and in sharpe encounters against Sir RALPH HOPTON and other Commanders of the Kings side in those Westerne Counties ruined at last by the treacherous revolt of some who had taken the same cause with him at the first This City was likewise after a long siege for want of supplies delivered upon Articles to the Prince that besieged it But the great cloud which not onely overshadowed the Parliament in the North but threatned to powre out stormes upon parts farre remote was the Earle of Newcastle with his mighty Army who was growne formidable to the Associated Counties and many other places of the Kingdome His Army was at that time the greatest of any in England which he maintained in brave equipage by large Contributions inforced from the Country and seemed of strength enough not onely to master any opposition of English Forces but to serve as a Bulwarke against the greatest Army which the Kingdome of Scotland could be able to send in aid of the English Parliament For the Parliament had then sent into Scotland for the brotherly assistance of that Kingdom and agreed upon entring into a Covenant with them for defence of Religion and the common Liberty of both Nations It pleased the Divine Providence whose workings are many times beyond the reach of humane conjectures that this strong Army before the entrance of the Scots found an Enemy in England worthy of their feare and were by the personall valour and successefull conduct of Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX who seemed lately in a low condition so farre broken together with other defeats given to parts of it sent abroad that the passage for the Scots into England was much facilitated as shall hereafter appeare in more particular But it is worthy consideration and therefore cannot but deserve a mention with what unwearied constancy and wondrous magnanimity the two FAIRFAXES Father and Sonne did labour to preserve those Northerne parts for the Parliament especially observing what great Enemies they dealt withall how many unexpected disadvantages happened to them and accessions of power to their Foes at severall times which though it cannot be here related with full circumstances or particulars yet may be touched in a generall way The Lord FAIRFAX ever since that there was any appearance of this unhappy Warre and that the Kings Commission of Array began to justle with the Parliaments Ordinance of Militia had been very industrious in raising strength and joyned himselfe most unanimously in that cause with Sir JOHN HOTHAM and his Sonne Master JOHN HOTHAM a Member also of the House of Commons and a Gentleman not onely active but prosperous whilest he continued faithfull to that side which he had chosen And since the Warre broke out into action the Lord FAIRFAX either singly by himselfe or some times joyned with Master HOTHAM had taken and fortified many Townes and Forts for the Parliament and made many sharpe and fierce encounters against potent Enemies The Earle of Cumberland who was first made Lord Lieutenant of Yorkeshire by the King was not able to suppresse them nor scarce maintaine the Warre against that power which they had raised Maugre whose Forces they tooke and fortified Cawood Castle and the Towne of Selby in the Moneth of October 1642. and surprised presently after the Towne of Leedes where part of the Earles Forces were quartered of whom they tooke divers Prisoners Knights and Gentlemen of good quality one of which was Sir GEORGE DETHERICK together with his whole Troope The Earle of Cumberland himselfe within few daies after was driven into the City of Yorke and there besieged and summoned by the Lord FAIRFAX and Master HOTHAM which happened about the same time that the famous Battell between the King and the Lord Generall Essex was fought at Keynton But the Earle of Newcastle with a greater force entred into Yorke whilest the Lord FAIRFAX and Captaine HOTHAM lay not farre off who notwithstanding his great strength when he marched out of Yorke was encountered by them at Tadcaster upon the 7. of December the Fight or severall Skirmishes continuing about five houres in which the Parliament Forces did so well take their advantages that they slew as was reported to the Parliament 200 of the Earles men with the losse of eight Souldiers of their owne of whom Captaine LISTER was one whose death was much lamented in the
children murthered many of them with exquisite and unheard of tortures within the space of one month That which increased the amazement of most men was The consideration that the ancient hatred which the Irish a thing incident to conquer'd Nations had borne to the English did now seeme to be quite buried and forgotten forty years of peace had compacted those two Nations into one body and cemented them together by all conjunctures of alliance intermarriages and consanguinity which was in outward appearance strengthned by frequent entertainments and all kinds of friendly neighbourhood There seemed in many places a mutuall transmigration as was observed by a noble Gentleman whose place in that Kingdom gave him means to know it out of whose faithfull relation of that Rebellion and Massacre I have partly collected my discourse of it into each others manners Many English strangely degenerating into the Irish manners customers and many Irish especially of the better sort having taken up the English language apparel and decency of living in their private houses The present Government was full of lenity and moderation and some redresse of former grievances had then been newly granted by the King to his Irish subjects The same Gentleman in his History of the Irish Rebellion where the Reader may more fully enforme himself of particulars affirms that he could never hear of any one Englishman that received any certain notice of this conspiracy till that very evening before which it was to be put in execution Some intimations had been given by Sir WILLIAM COLE in a Letter to the Lords Justices Sir WILLIAM PARSONS and Sir JOHN BURLACE with the rest of the Councell concerning dangerous resorts and meetings of some persons who were judged fit instruments for such a mischief This horrid plot contrived with so much secrecy was to take effect upon the 23 of October The Castle of Dublin the chief strength of that Kingdome and principall Magazine of the Kings Armes and Ammunition where all those Armes which were taken from the late disbanded Irish Army and others which the Earl of Strafford had provided were deposited was to be seized by nine of the clock that day by the Rebels to which purpose many of the Irish Gentry of great quality were the night before come to Dublin to be in readinesse for the performing of that exploit It was further agreed among those conspirators that upon the same day all other his Majesties Forts and Magazines of Armes and Ammunition in that Kingdom should be surprized and all Protestants and English that would not joyn with them should be cut off But it pleased God to prevent the seisure of that Castle and so to save the Kingdom from being wholly lost in one day and that by a means strange and unexpected HUGH MAC MAHON Esquire grand-son to the famous Rebel TYRONE a Gentleman of a plentifull fortune in the county of Monagan and one that had served in Armes under the King of Spain as Leiutenant Colonel a principal Agent in this Rebellion and coming with others as aforesaid into Dublin the day before that great Designe was to be put in execution being the 22 of October admitted into his company at a Tavern in that City one OWEN CONALLY of Irish extract but a protestant and servant to Sir JOHN CLOTWORTHY a Member of the English Parliament To this OWEN he revealed so much as they were drinking that the honest man escaping from him though not without great danger to himself at the present informed the Lord Justice PARSONS that night about nine of the clock of a dangerous Designe upon the whole Kingdom which being taken into present consideration MAC MAHON was apprehended and after his examination the Lord MAQUIRE also another principal actor who were both committed to close custody and the Castle secured with all diligence But many conspirators of great note escaped that night out of Dublin as BIRNE MORE PLUNKET and others The Lords of the Counsel amazed at the discovery of so horrid a Treason did notwithstanding endeavour since there was no prevention for MAC MAHON had plainly told them when he was examined that by that time all the counties of Ireland were risen to use the best remedies to that desperate disease and hoping that perchance the news how the plot for seizing of Dublin castle was disappointed might somewhat dishearten the conspirators in remote parts and encourage the good Subjects with more confidence to stand upon their guard issued forth a Proclamation presently and by carefull messengers spread it into as many parts of the Kingdom as they could The effect of which proclamation was to signifie the discovery of the Treason and exhort all men to their duty in suppressing of it But the generall Designe was past prevention and that very day came in some poor English protestants and others in a short time every day and almost every hour shewing how they had been robbed their houses surprised by the Rebels whose outrage daily increased in rapine and murdering and fireing Towns and Villages in divers counties To oppose therefore the growth of that desperate malady the Lord Justices dispatching Letters to the King in Scotland and the Earle of Leicester lately made Lieutenant of Ireland by the King and yet resident at London of their lamentable condition examined with all diligence how they were provided for such a War They found in Dublin Stores Armes for ten thousand with Artillery Powder Match and Lead proportionable laid in by the late Earle of Strafford though designed by him another way yet reserved by Gods providence for this service But the Officers and souldiers of the old standing army were so much dispersed into remote places of the Kingdom for the guard of other Forts that there was scarse any possibility of drawing a considerable company together to defend Dublin or make head against the Rebels in the North. The greatest mischeif to the State and advantage to the Rebels was That there was no Money in the Exchequer besides the Kings Revenues and Rents of English Gentlemen due for that halfe year were either in Tenants or Collectors hands in the country and must unadvoidablly fall into the Rebels power so that although their disease were present the only means of cure was remote which was a dependence upon some supplies from the Parliament of England Upon the very day designed for surprisall of the Castle at Dublin the 23 of October the Northren Rebels broke out in the Province of Vlster and in few dayes got possession of so many Towns Forts and Gentlemens Houses within the counties of that Province as might seeme almost incredible if we consider only the cheif actors men of no great skill in Martiall affairs or any policy such as Sir PHELIM ONEALE and his Brother with the rest and not rather which indeed was the true reason the generall engagements of the Irish and their deep dissimulation concurring with the great credulity of the English upon the causes
aforementioned of so long intermixed cohabitation and friendly Relations betwixt them Both these were the causes which afterward encreased the Massacre of the English who when the fire brake out implored the friendship of their Irish neighbors Landlords or Tenants committing into their hands and protection their treasure wives and children with all that was dear unto them in hope that former friendship might prevail But they generally either betrayed them into the power of other Rebels or perfidiously and cruelly murdered them with their own hands which extreme falshood and cruelty in the Irish was thought to be much encreased by the charmings of their Priests who told them That it was a mortall sin to protect or releive any of the English That intermixture of the Nations did also at this sad time make the English lesse able to defend themselves then if they had lived singly by parties of their own For where the English were able to make any head or stand upon their guard though in such an amazement and suddain surprisal they defended themselves beyond beleif till the Irish principled by their Preists offered them fair Quarter with assurance of lives and goods safe conduct and free passage to what places they pleased confirming such covenants with deep oathes and protestations and sometimes their hands and Seales But when they had the deceived English in their power the Souldiers spoiled stripped and murdered them at their pleasure So were many served as at Armagh by Sir PHELIM ONEALE and his Brother at Belterbert by PHILIP ORELLEY at Longford Tullough and other Castles in the County of Fermanagh by other of those Rebels But if the English who stood to defend their private houses and so were the more easily cut off could have deserted their habitations at the first rising and joyned themselves into bodies they might happily have made a better resistance Whilest these inhumane cruelties and Massacres were acting in miserable Ireland and daily spreading themselves in every part of that Kingdom many Counties in several Provinces declaring themselves and following the barbarous example of those in Vlster the sad newes was brought to the Parliament of England The first Letters which before were mentioned sent from the Lords Justices upon the 25 of October were carried and delivered at London on the last day of that month by OWEN Ô CONALLY the happy discoverer of the first Plot with a full information of all particulars within his knowledge which by the Lords who were first acquainted with it was delivered at a Conference to the House of Commons who presently ordered That the House forthwith should be resolved into a Committe to consider the matter offered concerning the Rebellion in Ireland as likewise to provide for the safety of England By which Committee it was agreed that 50000 pound should presently be provided and that the Loane of it should be entreated from the City of London upon Publick security 2 That a Select Committee of both Houses be named to consider the affairs of Ireland 3 That OWEN Ô CONALLY who discovered this great Treason should have 500 pound presently paid him and 200 pound per annum Pension till Provision in Land of a greater value be made for him 4 That Papists of quality be secured in their severall Counties within England 5 That no persons whatsoever except those who are Merchants shall be admitted to go over into Ireland without Certificate from the Committee of both Houses appointed for the affairs of Ireland These things were reported to both Houses and willingly assented too within two dayes after the discovery first made unto them of that Rebellion And notwithstanding those present distractions in England which began then to appear part of every day during that November was allotted to the consideration of Ireland Within four dayes after the beginning of which month they ordered many particulars of great import for the releif of it consisting of supplies of Money Magazines of Victuals Ammunition of all sorts courses to be taken for raising Forces for the occasions of that Kingdom and shipping for guard of their Sea coasts as more particularly appeareth in the records of Parliament Whilst the English Parliament were thus ordering the affaires of bleeding Ireland other Letters from the Lords Justices bearing date the fifth of November were brought and communicated to both Houses Who in earnest zeal to the promotion of that businesse voted two hundred thousand pounds to be raised for suppressing the Irish Rebellion securing England and payment of the Publick debts For which the City of London must of necessity be made use of collections through the Kingdom being too slow for such an urgency And to encourage the City in it an Order was made to secure them for monies formerly lent and to allow them the full Interest of eight per cent for altogether Whilest the English Parliament were thus busied about the releif of Ireland the horrid Rebellion with a swift motion run throughout that unhappy Kingdom many Counties daily joyning with them and divers Lords and Gentlemen who for many daies had lived unsuspected in Dublin went into the Country to side with the Rebels and act their parts in those inhumane outrages the Lords Justices and Privy Counsell were enough troubled to secure Dublin to victuall the Castle and prepare defence against those dangers which threatned the City and were made much more by the feares of spoyled people resorting thither But the care of the Privy Councell extended further notwithstanding the troubles there then to the City of Dublin and having a Magazine of Armes within the Castle resolved so to dispose of them as that resistance might be made against the Rebels in other parts Some Armes were happily disposed to such Gentlemen Sir HENRY TIâ—HBORNE Sir CHARLES COOTE and others of whom more hereafter as to their lasting honor did excellent service But another part were worse then losse those which were distributed to the Lords and Gentlemen of the English Pale who afterwards declared themselves for the Rebels and used the Arms to the destruction of those who put them into their hands That English Pale is a large circuit of Land possessed at the first conquest of Ireland by the English and ever since inhabited by them containing divers Counties as Dublin Meth Lowth Kildare c. The Lords of the Councel thought fit to trust those Lords and Gentlemen of the Pale both with Commissions and Armes though many of them professed Papists hoping that this great confidence would work so far upon their hearts if any truth or loyalty were left there as to keep them at least from joyning with the Enemy but if they were honest would enable them to oppose the threatning incursions of the Northren Rebels This great Trust the Councell were more encouraged to repose in these perfidious Lords and Gentlemen of the Pale because themselves had appeared at Dublin of their own accords professing truth and loyalty with deep and solemne Protestations and that