got into York. Whereupon the parliamentarians raised the feige, and retired to Heffeymoor. The English were for fighting, and the Scots for retreating; which laft opinion prevailing, they both marched away to Tadcafter, there being great differences and jealoufies between the two nations. But the rafh and haughty prince, inftead of harraffing and wearying them out by prudent delays, refolved, without confulting the marquis of Newcastle or any of his officers, to engage them, on Marston-moor, eight miles from York, on the fecond of July; where that bloody battle was fought, which entirely ruined the king's af fairs in the north. In this battle Sir Thomas Fairfax commanded the right wing of the borse.

The prince, after his defeat, retiring towards Lancashire, and the marquis, in difcontent, failing away to Hamburgh, the three parliament generals came and fat down again before York, which furrendered the fifteenth of July and the north was now wholly reduced by the parliament's forces, except fome garrifons. In September following, Sir Thomas was fent to take Helmefley-cafile, where he received a dangerous shot in one of his fhoulders, and was brought back to York, all being doubtful of his recovery for fome time. Some time after, he was near being killed by a cannon-shot before Pomfret-caftle. Hitherto he had acquitted himself with undaunted bravery, and with great and deferved applaufe

from

from his party. Had he ftopped here, or at fuch times, at leaft, as the king's conceffions were in reason and equity a juft ground for peace (much more than once) he might have been honourably ranked among the reft of thofe patriots, who took up arms only for the redrefs of grievances. But his boundless ambition, and his great defire to rule, made him weakly engage, with the utmoft zeal, in the worst and most exceptionable parts of our unhappy civil wars. For, when the parliamentarians thought fit to new-model their army, and to lay afide the honeft, but unsuccessful, Robert Devereux earl of Effex; they unanimoufly voted Sir Thomas Fairfax to be their general in his room: and he being eafy, and forward to undertake or execute any thing he was put upon, was the more readily chofen by the two then prevailing parties of prefbyterians and independants. To him Oliver Cromwell was joined with the title of lieutenant-general, but with intention of being his governor; and he was indeed the spring of all his fucceed. ing motions. Sir Thomas being thus voted commander in chief of the parliament's army, on the twenty-first of January 1644-5, received orders from the parliament, fpeedily to come up from the North to London. Accordingly he repaired privately thither, February the eighteenth, and, the next day, was brought by four of the members into the houfe of commons, where he was highly complimented by

the

the speaker, and received his commiffion of general.

The fifteenth of the fame month, an ordi. nance was made, for raifing and maintaining of forces under his command; it having been voted, a few days, that he should nominate all the commanders in his army, to be taken out of any of the other armies, with the approbation of both houses.

March the twenty-fifth, the parliament ordered him one thousand five hundred pounds. The third of April, he went from London to Windfor, where he had appointed the general rendezvous, and continued there till the laft day of that month, new-framing and modelling the army or rather Cromwell doing it in his name. For, as Mr. Rapin well obferves, Cromwell had fuch an influence over him, that he made him do whatever he pleafed. April the fixteenth, he was appointed by both houfes governor of Hull. In the mean time, Taunton, in Somersetshire, one of the parlia ment's garrifons, being clofely befieged by the royalifts, Sir Thomas Fairfax received orders to haften to its relief, with eight thousand horfe and foot. He began his march May the firft, and by the seventh had reached Blandford in Dorsetshire: but the king taking the field from Oxford, with ftrong reinfo.cements brought by the princes Rupert and Maurice; Sir Thomas was ordered by the parliament to fend three thousand foot and fifteen hundred horfe to relieve Taunton, and himself to re

turn

turn with the rest of his forces to join Oliver Cromwell and major-general Brown, and attend the king's motions. The fourteenth of May he was come back as far as Newbury; where having refted three nights, he went and forced Dennington caftle, and took a few prifoners. Thence he proceeded to lay fiege to Oxford, as he was directed by the committee of both kingdoms, and fat down before it the twenty-fecond. But before he had made any progrefs in this fiege, he received orders to draw nearer the king, who had taken Leicester by storm, May the thirty-first, and was threatning the eastern affociated counties. Sir Thomas, therefore, rifing from before Oxford, June the fifth, arrived the fame day at MarchGibbon in Buckinghamshire; on the eleventh he was at Wooton, and the next day at Gilfborough in Northamptonshire: where he kept his head-quarters till the fourteenth, when he engaged the king's forces at the fatal and decifive battle of Nafeby, and obtained a compleat victory. The king, after that, retiring into Wales, Sir Thomas went and laid fiege on the fixteenth to Leicester, which furrendered on the eighteenth. He proceeded, on the twenty-fecond, to Warwick, and thence (with a difpofition either to go over the Severn towards the king, or to move weftward as he fhould be ordered) he marched on through Gloucefterfhire towards Marlborough, where he arrived on the twenty-eighth. And here he received orders from the parliament, to haften

to

to the relief of Taunton, which was befiged again by the royalifts; letters being fent at the fame time into the affociated counties, for recruits, and the arrears of pay for his army. But July the fecond, upon his coming to Blandford, he was informed that the lord Goring had drawn off his horse from before Tounton, and left his foot in the paffages to block up that place, marching himself with the horfe towards Langport. Sir Thomas Fairfax therefore advancing against him, defeated him there on the tenth of July; and, the next day, went and fummoned Bridgewater, which was taken by ftorm on the twenty-fecond. He became alfo mafter of Bath on the thirtieth of the fame month; and then laid close fiege to Sherborne-cafte, which was likewife taken by ftorm, Auguft the fifteenth. And having befiged the rich and famous city of Bristol from the twenty-fecond of Auguft to the tenth of September, it was furrendered to him by prince Rupert; at which the king was fo exceffively angry, that he ordered the prince to go and feek his fubfiftence fomewhere beyond

fea.

After this labourious expedition, the gene-. ral rested some days at Bath, having fent out parties to reduce the caftles of the Devizes and Berkley, and other garrisons between the West and London; and on the twenty-third moved from Bath to the Devizes, and thence to Warminster on the twenty-feventh, where he stayed till October the eighth, when he went

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Lyme