safety of the Kings person and defence of the Parliament Of which the Earl of Essex a man of eminent fidelity and worth was by an unanimous consent of both Houses chosen General Some Lords and Members of the Commons were sent down into the Counties to settle the Militia and raise Forces for defence of several Towns and places And divers Members of the Houses Listed themselves in the Lord General Essex his Army and took Commissions from him as Colonels But immediately after this time the Kings Commissions of Array were sent down into every County though often declared by the Parliament to be illegal and were obeyed in many places more than the Parliaments Ordinances for the Militia by reason that so many Lords and Gentlemen adhered to him now against the Parliament But there were scarce any Counties free from contention betwixt the Commissioners of the one and the Ordinances of the other which strugled together with great Nobility and Gentry on both sides Neither had the Kings Proclamations nor the Parliaments Ordinances obedience from all only as far as the now-drawing swords enforced it During these Divisions in several Counties London it self was not free for the Lord Major of London Sir Richard Gurney was by the Parliament committed prisoner to the Tower of London for moving sedition in the Kingdom by causing the Kings Commission of Array a thing declared illegal by both Houses to be proclaimed in the City and afterwards an additional impeachment was brought in against him by the Common-Councel of London for divers breaches of his Oath in that Office and contemning the Orders of Parliament After many days attendance concerning these Accusations on the twelfth day of August he received his Censure at the House of Lords which was That he should be turned out of his Majoralty That he should never bear any Office in the City or Common-wealth That he should be incapable of any Honor or Dignity to be conferred on him by the King and Committed Prisoner to the Tower during the pleasure of both Houses Many Proclamations about that time passed from the King and Declarations from the Parliament one from the King against the Earl of Essex as a Rebel and all that adhered unto him and a Declaration from the Parliament recounting all that the Kings evil counsel for so they call it had done illegally against them the Parliament likewise published what in particular had been done by his party against Ireland and how that unhappy Kingdome had been of late robbed of many Reliefes of Cloathes Victuals and Arms which the Parliament had sent them by the King and his party While these writings on both sides lasted the King removed often to gather strength and in several places made Speeches to the Countries with many Protestations of his affection to the people At last he came to Nottingham where about the middle of August he set up his Standard-Royal Very few People came to it nor had the King at that time any considerable strength nor if the Parliament would then have seized upon his person could he have kept himself out of their hands From Notingham on the twenty fifth of that Month he sent a Message to the Parliament by the Earls of Southampton and Dorset and Sir John Culpeper In that Message he signifieth a desire to compose the difference by a Treaty that a certain number of Persons sent and enabled by the Parliament may treat in some indifferent place with the like number authorized by him The Parliament answer That until he put them in a condition to treat that is until he take down his Standard and recall those Proclamations wherein he calleth a thing unheard of before both Houses of Parliament Traytors and Rebels they cannot by the Fundamental Priviledges of Parliament or by the publick trust reposed in them or with the general good of the Realm admit of any such Treaty The KING denied that he advanced his Standard against the Parliament or that he called them Rebels but within few dayes in his Instructions to his Commissioners of Array Marquess Harford the Earl of Cumberland and the Lord Strange he again called the Earl of Essex Rebel and Traytor Thus did they contend for some time by Declarations and Proclamations which proved all fruitless as to satisfying of the people nor could this lamentable War be averted Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice the the second and third Sons of the late King of Bohemia were now come into England the beginning of September to offer their service to the King their Uncle whom presently he put into Commands Prince Rupert the Elder and Fiercer by nature Commanding a Body of Horse flew with great fury through divers Counties raising men for the King's service in a rigorous way Committing outrages to those who favoured the Parliament upon which the Houses fell into a debate agreeing that a Charge of Treason should be drawn up against him for endeavouring the Destruction of this State and abusing that Court which represented it The King marched another way and passing through Derbyshire Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire he commanded the Trained Bands of those Counties to attend and Guard his Person and when they were met he disarmed the greatest part of them taking as many Arms as served for two thousand men besides good summs of Money which he borrowed by constraint protesting still as usually he did to maintain the Protestant Religion the Laws and Liberties of the Subject and the priviledges of Parliament The Parliament-Army raised under the Conduct of the General Essex was now grown into a considerable Bulk consisting of about fourteen thousand Horse and Foot their general Rendezvouz was at Northampton where many of the chief Commanders stayed with them expecting the presence of the General himself The Lord General Essex on the ninth of September taking his leave of the Parliament and City of London went towards Northampton and was waited on by the trained Bands and a great number of armed Gentlemen from Essex-house to the end of the City with great solemnity The Parliament sent a Petition to the General at Northampton to be by him presented to the King in a safe and honourable way the effect of which was humbly to entreat his Majesty to withdraw his presence from those wicked persons about him and not to mix his danger with theirs but that he would return to his Parliament and such-like things The King intending to seize upon Worcester sent Prince Rupert thither with some Horse which Essex fearing to prevent the King commanded part of his forces to march thither speedily himself following with his Army Some Skirmishes happened between that party of Parliamentarians and Prince Rupert before the coming of General Essex but Prince Rupert when the forerunners of Essex his Army were in sight with great speed fled out of Worcester General Essex leaving a Garison at Northampton marched to Coventry which Town he also garisoned as likewise Warwick and marched from thence with his
furnished Leiutenant General Cromwel with great Guns with provisions of all sorts from Bristol and other places and every thing necessary for a Siege While these things were acting in Wales General Fairfax sent as before was said with seven Regiments to suppress the Kenrish Risers pursued them towards Rochester A great number of Kentish men not far from Gravesend were gotten together into an Army with whom were above twenty Knights Esquires and Gentlemen of the County and among them divers commanders formerly of the King Armies though they were more in number they durst not give the General battel but some marched away to Maidstone a few kept together about Rochester another part of them went to Dover and besieged that Castle to raise that Siege the General sent Colonel Rich and Sir Michael Levesy who very happily performed that work The General himself marched with his Army to Maidstone Into that Town about two thousand of the Risers were gotten and resolved to make good the place The General likewise prepared to besiege them In no chance of War before was the vertue of Fairfax and his Souldiers more tryed nor a Victory bought with greater danger For after that the Souldiers had broke into the Town which was done with great difficulty they found a War in every street and Ordnance planted against them and were put to fight for every corner of it At last the General with the loss of forty of his men took the Town two hundred of the Enemies being slain and about fourteen hundred taken prisoners four hundred Horse and two thousand Arms were taken One thing was wonderful that an Army of many thousand Kentish men more in number then the Generals Army coming from Rochester to the aid of their friends yet notwithstanding when they came neer durst not venture to assist them but stood in sight while the General took the Town Publike thanks were given to God by order of Parliament for this great victory Now all Kent seemed to be quieted except some Castles which also within a short time were taken or yielded to the Parliament when suddenly a new head of this Hydra sprung up the Lord Goring gathering together a remnant of the Kentish Army with about two thousand men had marched as far as Greenwich from whence he sent some to see how the Citizens of London stood affected to the business but whilst he staid expecting an answer some Troops of the Army came in sight upon which Goring and all his company fled the Horsemen pursuing took some Booty and divers prisoners the Kentish men for the most part fled to their own Houses The Lord Goring with about five hundred horse flying from Greenwich and getting Boats crossed the Thames into Essex where as if the Fates sought out new Victories for Fairfax every where the Lord Capel with Forces out of Hartfortshire and Sir Charles Lucas with a body of Horse at Chensford in Essex joyned themselves to Goring to whom within a short time divers that formerly had been the King Souldiers and many Londoners with others flocked Some also of higher rank as Mr. Hastings brother to Huntingdon and Compton brother to the Earl of Northampton The General Fairfax crossing the Thames at Gravesend passed with a part of his Army into Essex and sending for the rest of his Forces out of Kent and London pursued the Enemies whom at last he drove into Colchester and in that Town besieged them where because it proved a long siege we leave him for a time and pass to other actions The greatest of all dangers which threatned the Parliament was from the North not contained within the bounds of England onely but from the Kingdom of Scotland Major General Lambert the chief Commander in the North labouring to suppress Glenham and Langdale wrought so much that he kept them within the bounds of Cumberland and Westmerland but they expected the march of the Scotish Army to which they intended to joyn themselves Lambert too weak to oppose so great a Force omitted no diligence in strengthening himself from the neighbour-Counties who were very forward to his assistance especially Lancashire who raised two Regiments of Horse and four of Foot to be conducted by Major General Ashton and joyn with Lambert in Yorkeshire The English Malignants alone were not very formidable in the North but that the Kingdome of Scotland joyned with them against the Parliament Wars were made from another Kingdome that Cromwel might be victorious as well against Forraigners as Englishmen The faction of Duke Hamliton was then prevalent in the Parliament of Scotland by whom Designs were hatched dangerous to both Kingdoms contrary to peace and contrary for so it was judged by the Church of Scotland even to the Covenant it self England was to be invaded and a great Army raised under the Command of Duke Hamliton a man ambitious and subtle The English Malignants for it was given out that they took Arms for the King were invited to joyn with them and pay promised to those that would serve all this was done though Arguile Louden and the honester Lords protested against their proceedings and the Kirk of Scotland cursed that War as impious But the greater part prevailed who therefore stiled themselves the Parliament of Scotland by a kinde of right and to curb men of the adverse faction a Commitee was made with power given to them to punish all those who should attempt any thing against the Decrees of the Parliament and a penalty set down to be inflicted upon all Ministers who should from their Pulpits teach the people otherwise by which means it was brought to pass that many Ministers were silenced others punished and some Lords of the other faction retired themselves to their own strengths yet could they not stop the mouths of all the Ministers some with a constant Zeal denounced the wrath of God against that Army of Hamilton and by the wretched success of that unfortuneate Army the curses of the Kirk seemed not in vain no more then of old the Tribunes curse upon the Parthian Expedition of Marcus Crassin Conspiracies by Land though over the whole Iland against the Parliament of England seemed not enough unless the Sea also had rebelled against them Divers of the chief Ships in the Royal Fleet revolted from the Parliament about the beginning of June and set the Vice-Admiral Rainsborough ashore affirming they were for the King and would serve Prince Charles sailing towards Holland where the Prince then was and with him his brother the Duke of York who not long before fled privately being perswaded thereto by Letters from the King his Father out of London where he had been kept with great observance and state by the Parliament The Parliament were much troubled at the revolt of these Ships as a thing of extream danger and sent to the Earl of Warwick to take the Command of their remaining Navy and reduce the rest if he could Warwick cheerfully accepted the employment and was
the happie cause which necessitated the King to call a Parliament in England whereby their just Liberties might by the blessing of God be vindicated and more ascertained for the future Great was the expectation of this English Parliament on which the hopes of the people were wholly fixed as a certain cure of all their long sufferings to which they thought the King having so much transgressed could not deny any thing or make the least opposition That was the cause for which they extremely loved the Scots as the instruments of that happiness to them who by resisting the Kings intrusions upon themselves had enforced him to this visible means of a cure for England which made the King more hate the Scots as the stoppers of his general design which hatred he could not conceal in his first Speech that he made in this Parliament in which promising all favour and concurrence to any thing that might procure the happiness of England and promising to put himself freely and wholly upon the love and affections of his English Subjects in this Parliament he inveighed against the Scots as Rebels and desired that by force of Arms they might be chased out of England but the English Parliament was of another affection towards the Scots as will appear more hereafter The Parliament shewed a great and wonderful respect to the King and in many expressions gave him humble thanks for Calling them together without any reflection upon his Person for what had passed in former misgovernment but since no cure could be made without searching wounds and that grievances must be recited they resolved so to name them as to cast the envy of them upon evil Counsel and still mention the King with all honour reverence possible as will appear to any that read the printed Speeches which at the beginning of that Session were made in the House by men of Eminency Great was the business and of various natures were the crimes which this Parliament were to examine and finde out Delinquents whom so long a misgovernment had made so Many Committees were made by the House to ease them in this business they began with matters of Religion Divers Ministers who had been of good lives and conversations conscientious in their wayes and diligent in Preaching and had by the Bishops and those in authority been molested deprived or imprisoned for not conforming to some ceremonies which were imposed on them were now by the Parliament relieved and recompensed for their sufferings Others on the Contrary that had been scandalous either for loose and wicked living or else offenders in way of superstition both which to discountenance the Puritains had been frequently preferred were censured and removed The Earl of Strafford Leiutenant of Ireland was impeached of high Treason and sent prisoner to the Tower of London and on the eighteenth day of December William Laud Archbishop of Canterbury impeached of the same crime was committed to the same custody The next day after the Archbishop was impeached Dr. Wren Bishop of Norwich was accused of many misdemeanors in matter of superstition in his Ecclesiastical Government which tending to the detriment of the Civil State he was also accused of Treason and entred into a recognizance of thirty thousand pounds to appear with three sureties bound each of them in obligations of ten thousand pounds Sir Francis Windebank Principal Secretary of State a man neerly in friendship with Laud the Archbishop who was thought to be a means of his preferment was about that time accused of extraordinary connivence toward Popish Priests or rather of favor to them and that contrary to the Laws in force against them he had bailed and released a great number a Committee was appointed to examine his offence but he conscious of the crime objected and fearing the consequence about the begining of December fled in a disguise and went into France Immediately after his flight the Lord Keeper Finch was constrained to take the same course and fled out of the Kingdom into Holland the crimes objected against him were of a various nature The first committed when he was Speaker of Parliament in the House of Commons in the fourth year of King Charles which was for that he disobeyed the House in refusing to speak when he was commanded by them 2. The second was for giving illegal and cruel judgements in the Forrest-business when he was Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. 3. The third was for threatning of some of the Judges at that time to give their extrajudicial opinions for Ship-mony The last was for drawing an injurious Declaration after the dissolution of the last Parliament for which Offences he was Voted by the House of Commons guilty of high Treason a Charge drawn up against him and carried up to the Lords upon the 14 of January three weeks after his flight Upon the 15 of February 1640. a Bill for the Triennial Parliament was presented to the King and by him signed which Act being of such great importance to the security of the peoples Liberties by Parliaments Take the substance thereof as followeth BE it Enacted That in case there be not a Parliament summoned by Writ under the Great Seal of England and assembled and held before the tenth day of September which shall be in the third yeer next after the last day of the last meetting and sitting in this present Parliament the beginning of the first year to be accompted from the said last day of the last meeting and sitting in Parliament and so from time to time and in all times hereafter if there shall not be a Parliament assembled and held before the tenth day of September which shall be in the third year next after the last day of the last meeting and sitting in Parliament before that time assembled and held the beginning of the first year to be accounted from the said last day of the last meeting and sitting in Parliament That then in every such case as aforesaid the Parliament shall assemble and be held in the usual place at VVestminster in such manner and by such means only as is hereafter in this present Act declared and enacted and not otherwise on the second Monday which shall be in the month of November then next ensuing And the Lord Chancellor of England the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England and every Commissioner and Commissioners for the keeping of the Great Seal of England for the time being shall within six dayes after the said tenth day of September in every such third year as aforesaid in due form of Law and without any further Warrant or Direction from his Majesty His Heirs or Successors Seal issue forth and send abroad several and respective Writs to the several and respective Sheriffs of the several and respective Counties Cities and Boroughs of England and Wales and to the Constable of the Castle of Dover Lord Warden of the Cinque-ports or his Lieutenant for the time being and to the Major
possibility have held out long without some releif The Parliament rejoyced much at the delivery of that Town three Parliament Garrisons about that time and the foregoing year behaved themselves with such courage and constancy as might deserve to be celebrated in a larger History viz. Lime Plimouth and Taunton all which having been often besieged by Prince Maurice Greenvile Goring and other Commanders had not onely held out against those strong Enemies but much broken their Forces The things which that new Army under the conduct of Fairfax did that following year taking no rest all that sharp and bitter Winter were much to be wondred at how many strong Towns and Forts they took how many field Victories they obtained the stories of evey several moneth will declare of which because they are more acurately described by other pens I shall here onely make a short mention for within the space of one year all the Western Counties of England great Armies under the conduct of Prince Rupert Greenvile Hopton and Goring being utterly vanquished and brought to nothing were reduced to the obedience of Parliament In the moneths of August and September were taken Bath and Sherburn and Bristol it self the greatest and most wealthiest City of the whole West was by Prince Rupert surrendred to General Fairfax The Army also when it was divided by reason of the multiplicity of their work was not less successful in the parts of it Winchester and Basing taken by Cromwel the Devizes and Barclay by other Commanders Fairfax himself marching that cold December into Devonshire took Tiverton and with strange felicity stormed and took Dartmouth and afterwards drove the Kings Armies into Cornwall whom Fairfax pursuing at Torrington gave Hopton a great overthrow In the moneth of February with his Victorious Army he entred Cornwall for fear of whom Prince Charles fled into the Islands of Silly and in March following all Hoptons forces by the Command of the Conquerour Fairfax were disbanded and sent away and the whole County of Cornwall reduced to the obedience of Parliament In the following April Excester and Barnstable were surrendred to Fairfax and Bridgewater stormed but when they yeilded taken to mercy S. Michaels Mount the farthest angle of Cornwall was also surrendred to Collonel Hamond Thus Fairfax the Conquerour of the West having fitted all things for his expedition to make an end of the War is marching to besiege Oxford Woodstock was already taken by Colonel Rainsborough but in all these moneths that the General had done such great things in the West the other Commanders of Parliament were not unfortunate the Fates seeming to conspire at that side in the North and midland Counties of England about the midst of Summer Carlise was surrendered by Glenham the Governour to the Scottish Army a Garrison of Scots was put into that Town of which the English complained as being against the Covenant the Parliament also wrote to Leven to restore Carlisle to the English not that they did suspect any evil from their Brethren but that conditions might be observed and the mouths of ill-affected people stopped who were too apt to say that The Scots came into England not as friends but Freebooters From that time the Parliament ordained to have their Commissioners as the Scots had theirs at London resident in Edinburgh to be present with the Parliament of Scotland and to that purpose the Earl of Rutband the Lord Wharton and of the Commons Sir Henry Vane the Elder Sir William Armin Mr. Hatcher and Mr. Goodwin were chosen Glenham with his men after the surrender of Carlisle went to Newarke The Scottish Army about that time marched under Leven to Newark to besiege that Town but the Scottish horse staid not long there being forced to return into the North to the assistance of their distressed Countrey For the English Parliament at that time in midst of their own prosperity were notwithstanding mourners for the calamity of Scotland a great unexpected and wonderful calamity in which the frailty of humane affairs and the mutable condition of Kingdoms was set forth by a memorable example all Scotland within the space of one moneth was lost and recovered quite sunk and again emergent The man that thus plagued Scotland was the Earl of Montross one on whom the Kings hopes so much then depended that out of an earnest desire to joyn his forces to Montross the King with a body of good horse marched Northward but by the forces of Pointz Gell Rossiter and others the Kings expedition was stopped that he could not meet Montross for it had been agreed betwixt the King and Montross that at the same time he from the South should march Northward and the other from the North to meet him should come Southward that the Kings horse joyned to his foot might make a considerable Army in those parts but the Kings passage though he tryed many wayes was as beforesaid stopped Montross mindful of his promise broke out into the Southern parts of Scotland with greater success than could be hoped having scarce 4000. Highlanders and Irish A place there was neer to Kilsithe which the craggy Mountains and straitened passages had made fit for ambushes where Montross had seated himself thither the Army of the State confident of their number whilest unadvisedly they pursued the theeving Highlanders fell into the cunningly-disposed ambushes and were cut off with a miserable slaughter above five thousand were slain and none almost escaped but whom the wearied Conquerours had not strength to kill for cruel Montross spared none crying out They had no need of Prisoners This overthrow of Kilsithe at one battle had utterly ruined the State of Scotland if David Lesley about a moneth after giving an absolute overthrow to Montross had not restored it for after this so unexpected a defeat the State of Scotland had no Army for a Reserve or Force to stop the passage of the Conquerour to whom almost all their Towns presently yeilded The papists and Malignants and all neuters with those that had before dissembled their affections now joyned with him the rest were cut off all the chief Nobility of the Covenanters were forced to fly into England A publike Fast and Humiliation was kept by the English for the calamity of their brethren of Scotland General Fairfax and other of the chief Commanders wrote to Leven That they accounted the Calamity of Scotland to be their own and that if their affairs at home would permit and the Parliament would command it they would earnestly undertake that War and venture their blouds as freely for the Scots as for the English till the Enemies of the three Kingdoms were fully vanquished But Montross his cruell raign lasted not long scarce a whole moneth to vindicate Scotland David Lesley was sufficient who with his Horse coming thither at Selkirk gave Montross so total a defeat that it seemed fully to recompence Kilsithe the Victory was gotten in an hours space and as it was observed by