1644. 5 for reftoring peace, and to promote that happy end with CHA # thofe, by whom he was employed. Effex, though much LVIII. difgufted with the parliament, though apprehenfive of the extremities to which they were driving, though defirous of any reasonable accommodation; yet was ftill more refolute to preserve an honourable fidelity to the trust repofed in him. He replied, that, as the paper fent him neither contained any addrefs to the two houfes of parliament, nor any acknowledgment of their authority, he could not communicate it to them. Like proposals were reiterated by the king, during the enfuing campaign, and met ftill with a like anfwer from Effex G. In order to make a new trial for a treaty, the king, this spring, sent another letter directed to the lords and commons of parliament affembled at Westminster: But as he also mentioned, in the letter, the lords and commons of parliament assembled at Oxford, and declared, that his fcope and intention was to make provision, that all the members of both houfes might fecurely meet in a full and free convention; the parliament, perceiving the conclufion implied, refused all treaty upon fuch terms H. And the king, who knew what fmall hopes there were of accommodation, would not abandon the pretenfions, which he had affumed; nor acknowledge the two houses, more openly, for a free parliament. THIS winter the famous Pym died; a man as much hated by one party, as refpected by the other. At London, he was confidered as the victim to national liberty, who had abridged his life by inceffant labours for the interefts of his country': At Oxford, he was believed to have been struck with an uncommon disease, and to have been confumed with vermin; as a mark of divine vengeance, for his multiplied crimes and treafons. He had been fo little ftudious of improving his private fortune in thofe civil wars, of which he had been one principal author, that the parliament thought themselves obliged, out of gratitude, to pay the debts which he had contracted K. We now return to the military operations, which, during the winter, were carried on with vigour in G Clarendon, vol. iii. p. 444. Rush. vol. vi. p. 569, 570. locke, p. 79. 1 Ibid. p. 66. K Journ. 13th of February 1643. CHAP. in feveral places, notwithstanding the severity of the feaLVIII. fon. 1644. THE forces, brought from Ireland, were landed at Moftyne in North-Wales, and put under the command of lord Biron; they befieged and took the castles of Hawarden, Beeston, Acton, and Deddington-house L. No place in Cheshire or the neighbourhood now adhered to the parliament, except Nantwich: And to this town. Biron laid fiege during the depth of winter. Sir Thomas Fairfax, alarmed at fo confiderable a progrefs, affembled an army of 4000 men in Yorkshire; and having joined Sir William Brereton, was approaching to the camp of the royalifts. Biron and his foldiers, elated with fucceffes obtained in Ireland, had entertained the most profound contempt for the parliamentary forces; a difpofition, which, if confined to the army, may be regarded as a good prefage of victory; but if it extend to the general, is the 25th Jan. most probable forerunner of a defeat. Fairfax fuddenly attacked the camp of the royalists. The fwelling of the river by a thaw divided one part of the army from the other. That part exposed to Fairfax, being beat from their poft, retired into the church of Acton, and were all taken prifoners: The other retreated with precipitation M. And thus was diffipated or rendered useless that body of forces, which had been drawn from Ireland; and the parliamentary party revived in those north-weft counties of England. Invafion from Scotland. THE invafion from Scotland was attended with confequences of much greater importance. The Scots, having fummoned in vain the town of Newcastle, which was fortified by the vigilance of Sir Thomas Glenham, paffed the 22d Feb. Tyne; and faced the marquis of Newcastle, who lay at Durham with an army of 14000 men N. After some military operations, in which that nobleman reduced the enemy to difficulties for forage and provifions, he received intelligence of a great disaster, which had befallen his forces in Yorkshire. Colonel Bellafis, whom he had left with a 11th Apr. confiderable body of troops, was totally routed at Selby, by Sir Thomas Fairfax, who had returned from Cheshire, with his victorious forces °. Afraid of being inclosed between two armies, Newcastle retreated; and Leven having joined lord Fairfax, they fat down before York, to which the army of the royalifts had retired. But as the parlia mentary L Rufh. vol. vi. p. 299. M Ibid. vol. vi. p. 501. o Ibid. vol. vi. p. 618. mentary and Scots forces were not numerous enough to CHA P. inveft fo large a town, divided by a river, they contented LVIII. themselves to incommode it by a loose blockade; and af fairs remained, for fome time, in fufpenfe between thefe 1644. oppofite armies". DURING this winter and spring, other parts of the kingdom had also been infefted with war. Hopton having affembled an army of 14000 men, endeavoured to break into Suffex, Kent, and the fouthern affociation, which feemed well difpofed to receive him. Waller fell upon him at Cherington, and gave him a defeat of confiderable importance. In another quarter, fiege being laid to Newark by the parliamentary forces, prince Rupert prepared himself for relieving a town of fuch confequence, which alone preferved the communication open between the king's fouthern and northern quarters R. With a small force, but that animated by his active courage, he broke through the enemy, relieved the town, and totally diffipated that army of the parliament S. BUT though fortune feemed to have divided her favours between the parties, the king found himself, in the main, a confiderable lofer by this winter-campaign; and he prognofticated a ftill worse event from the enfuing fummer. The preparations of the parliament were great, and much exceeded the flender resources, of which he was poffeffed. In the eastern affociation, they levied 14000 men, under the earl of Manchefter, feconded by Cromwel T. An army of ten thousand men under Effex; another of nearly the fame force under Waller, were assembled in the neighbourhood of London. The former was deftined to oppofe the king: The latter was appointed to march into the weft, where prince Maurice, with a fmall army which went continually to decay, was spending his time in vain before Lyme, an inconfiderable town upon the fea-coaft. The utmoft efforts of the king could not raise above ten thousand men at Oxford; and on their fword chiefly, during the campaign, were these to depend for fubfiftence. THE queen, terrified with the dangers which every way environed her, and afraid of being enclosed in Oxford, in the middle of the kingdom, fled to Exeter, where The R. Rush. 620. CHAP. the hoped to be delivered unmolested of the child, of LVIII. which he was now pregnant, and from whence the had the means of an easy efcape into France, if preffed by the 1644. forces of the enemy. She knew the implacable hatred, which the parliament, on account of her religion and her credit with the king, had all along borne her. Last summer, the commons had fent up to the peers an impeachment of high treafon against her; because, in his utmost diftreffes, the had affifted her husband with arms and ammunition, which she had bought in Holland ". And had fhe fallen into their hands, neither her fex, fhe knew, nor high station, could protect her against infults at least, if not danger, from thofe haughty republicans, who fo little affected to conduct themfelves by the maxims of gallantry and politeness. FROM the beginning of these diffenfions, the parliament, 'tis remarkable, had, in all things, affumed an extreme afcendant over their fovereign, and had difplayed a violence and arrogated an authority, which, on his fide, would not have been compatible, either with his temper or his fituation. While he spoke perpetually of pardoning all Rebels; they talked of nothing but the punishment of Delinquents and Malignants: While he offered a toleration and an indulgence to tender confciences; they threatened the utter extirpation of prelacy: To his profeffions of lenity, they oppofed declarations of rigor: And the more the antient tenor of the laws inculcated a respectful subordination to the crown, the more careful were they, by their lofty pretenfions, to cover that defect, under which they laboured. THEIR great advantages in the north feemed to fecond their ambition, and finally to promise them fuccefs in their unwarrantable enterprizes. Manchester having taken Lincoln, had united his army to that of Leven and Fairfax ; and York was now clofely befieged by their combined forces. That town, though vigorously defended by Newcaftle, was reduced to extremity; and the parliamentary generals, after enduring great loffes and fatigues, flattered themselves, that all their labours would at laft be crowned by this important conqueft. On a fudden, they were alarmed with the approach of Rupert. This gallant prince, having vigorously exerted himself in Lancashire and Cheshire, had collected a confiderable army; and 1644. joining Sir Charles Lucas, who commanded Newcastle's C H A P. horse, haftened to the relief of York with an army of LVIII. 20,000 men. The Scots and parliamentary generals raised the fiege, and drawing up on Marston-moor, proposed to give battle to the royalifts. Prince Rupert approached the town by another quarter, and interpofing the river Ouse between him and the enemy, fafely joined his forces to those of Newcastle. The marquefs endeavoured to perfuade him, that, having so fuccessfully effected his purpose, he ought to be contented with the prefent advantages, and leave the enemy, now much diminished by their loffes, and difcouraged by their ill fuccefs, to diffolve by those mutual diffenfions, which had begun to take place among them w. The prince, whofe martial difpofition was not fufficiently tempered with prudence, nor foftened by complaifance, pretending pofitive orders from the king, without deigning to confult with Newcastle, whofe merits and 2d July. fervices deferved better treatment, immediately issued orders for battle, and led out the army to Marfton-moor X. This action was obftinately difputed between the moft Battle of numerous armies, that were engaged during the courfe of Marfionthese wars; nor were the forces on each fide much diffe- moor. rent in their number. Fifty thousand British troops were led to mutual flaughter; and the victory feemed long undecided between them. Prince Rupert, who commanded the right wing of the royalifts, was opposed to Cromwel, who conducted the choice troops of the parliament, enured to danger under that determined leader, animated by zeal, and confirmed by the most rigid difcipline. After a fharp combat, the cavalry of the royalifts gave way; and the infantry, who stood next them, were likewife borne down, and put to flight. Newcastle's regiment alone, refolute to conquer or perish, obftinately kept their ground, and maintained, by their dead bodies, the fame order, in which they had at firft been ranged. In the other wing, Sir Thomas Fairfax and Colonel Lambert, with some troops, broke through the royalists; and, transported by the fury of purfuit, foon reached their victorious friends, engaged alfo in pursuit of the enemy. But after that tempeft was paft, Lucas, who commanded the royalifts in this wing, restoring order to his broken forces, made a furious attack on the parliamentary cavalry, threw them ་་་,་ X Clarendon, w Life of the D. of Newcastle, p. 40. vol. v. p. 506. Y Rufh. part 3. vol. ii. p. 633. |