I took this opportunity to ask his majesty's The swiftness of our march, and uncertainty | but Shrewsbury being in the enemy's hands, he which way we intended, prevented all possible was obliged to go round by Ludlow, where he preparation to oppose us, and we met with no was joined by some foot out of Wales. party able to make head against us. From Woburn the king went through Buck-leave to go by Shrewsbury to my father's; and ingham to Oxford; some of our men straggling taking only two servants, I left the army two in the villages for plunder, were often picked up days before they marched. by the enemy; but in all this long march we did not lose two hundred men, got an incredible booty, and brought six waggons laden with money, besides two thousand horses, and three thousand head of cattle, into Oxford. From Oxford his majesty moved again into Gloucestershire, having left about fifteen hundred of his horse at Oxford, to scour the country and raise contributions, which they did as far as Reading. This was the most unsoldier-like action that ever I was guilty of, to go out of the army to pay a visit when a time of action was just at hand; and though I protest I had not the least intimation, no, not from my own thoughts, that the army would engage, at least before they came to Chester, before which I intended to meet them; yet it looked so ill, so like an excuse, or a cowardliness or disaffection to the cause and to my master's interest, or something I know not what, that I could not bear to think of it, nor never had the courage to see the king's face after it. From Ludlow the king marched to relieve Chester: Poyntz, who commanded the parliament's forces, followed the king with design to join with the forces before Chester, under Col. Jones, before the king could come up. Sir Thomas Fairfax was returned from taking Bridgewater, and was sat down before Bristol, in which Prince Rupert commanded with a strong garrison of twenty-five thousand foot and a thousand horse. We had not force enough to attempt anything there; but the Scots, who still lay before Hereford, were afraid of us, having before parted with all their horse under Lieut.- To that end Poyntz passed through ShrewsGeneral Lesly, and but ill stored with provi-bury the day that the king marched from Ludsions; and if we came on their backs, were in low; yet the king's forces got the start of him, a fair way to be starved, or made to buy their and forced him to engage. provisions at the price of their blood. Had the king engaged him but three hours His majesty was sensible of this, and had we sooner, and consequently further off from Chester, had but ten regiments of foot, would certainly he had ruined him; for Poyntz's men, not able have fought the Scots; but we had no foot, or to stand the shock of the king's horse, gave so few as not worth while to march them. How-ground, and would in half an hour more have ever, the king marched to Worcester, and the Scots apprehending they should be blocked up, immediately raised the siege, pretending it was to go to help their brethren in Scotland, and away they marched northwards. We picked up some of their stragglers, but they were so poor, had been so ill paid, and so harassed at the siege, that they had neither money nor clothes; and the poor soldiers fed upon apples and roots, and ate the very green corn as it grew in the fields, which reduced them to a very sorry condition of health, for they died like people infected with the plague. It was now debated whether we should yet march for Scotland, but two things prevented :1. The plague was broke out there, and multitudes died of it, which made the king decline it. 2. The Marquis of Montrose having routed a whole brigade of Lesly's best horse, and carried all before him, wrote to his majesty that he did not now want assistance, but was in hopes in a few days to send a body of foot into England, to his majesty's succour. This over-confidence of his was his ruin; for, on the contrary, had he earnestly pressed the king to have marched, and fallen in with his horse, the king had done it, and been absolutely master of Scotland in a fortnight's time; but Montrose was too confident, and defied them all, till at last they got their forces together, and Lesly with his horse out of England worsted him in two or three encounters, and then never left him till they drove him out of Scotland. While his majesty stayed at Worcester several messengers came to him from Chester for relief, being exceedingly straitened by the forces of the parliament; in order to which the king marched, been beaten out of the field; but Colonel Jones, with a strong party from the camp, which was within two miles, came up in the heat of the action, fell on in the king's rear and turned the scale of the day. The body was, after an obstinate fight, defeated, and a great many gentlemen of quality killed and taken prisoners; the Earl of Lichfield was of the number of the former, and sixtyseven officers of the latter, with a thousand others. The king with about five hundred horse got ther all that could get away made up to him as into Chester, and from thence into Wales, whifast as they could, but in a bad condition. This was the last stroke they struck; the rest of the war was nothing but taking all his garri. sons from him, one by one, till they finished the war with the capturing of his person; and then, for want of other business, fell to fighting among themselves. I was quite disconsolate at the news of this last action, and the more because I was not there; my regiment was wholly dispersed; my lieutenant-colonel, a gentleman of good family, and a near relation to my mother, was prisoner; my major and three captains killed, and most of the rest taken prisoners. The king, hopeless of any considerable party in Wales, Bristol being surrendered, sent for Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice, who came to him. With them, and Lord Digby, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, and a great train of gentlemen, his majesty marched to Newark again, left a thousand horse with Sir William Vaughan, to attempt the relief of Chester; in doing which he was routed the second time by Jones and his men, and entirely dispersed. The chief strength the king had in these parts was at Newark, and the parliament were very earnest with the Scots to march southward, and lay siege to Newark; and while the parliament pressed them to it, they sat still, and delayed it, several heats began, and some ill blood between them, which afterwards broke out into open war The English reproached the Scots with pretending to help them, and really hindering their affairs. The Scots returned, that they came to fight for them, and were left to be starved, and could neither get money nor clothes. At last they came to this: the Scots will go to the siege if the parliament would send them money, but not before. However, as people sooner agree in doing ill than in doing well, they came to terms, and the Scots came with their whole army to the siege of Newark. The king, foreseeing the siege, called his friends about him, told them he saw the circumstances were such, that they could help him but little, nor he protect them, and advised them to separate. Lord Digby, with Sir Marmaduke Langdale and a strong body of horse, attempted to get into Scotland, to join Montrose, who was still in the Highlands though reduced to a low ebb; but these gentlemen were fallen upon on every side and routed, and at last being totally broken and dispersed, they flew to the Earl of Derby's protection in the Isle of Man. Prince Rupert, Prince Maurice, Colonel Gerrard, and above four hundred gentlemen, all officers of horse, laid their commissions down, and seizing upon Wooton House for a retreat, made proposals to the parliament to leave the kingdom, upon their parole not to return again in arms against the parliament, which was accepted, though afterwards the princes declined it. I sent my man post to the princes to be included in this treaty, and for leave for all that would accept of like conditions; but they had given in the list of their names and could not alter it. This was a sad time; the poor remains of the king's fortunes went everywhere to wreck; every garrison of the enemy was full of the cavalier prisoners, and every garrison the king had was beset with enemies either blocked up or besieged. Goring and Lord Hopton were the only remains of the king's forces which kept in a body, and Fairfax was pushing them with all imaginable vigour, with his whole army about Exeter, and other parts of Devonshire and Cornwall. In this condition the king left Newark in the night and got to Oxford. She king had in Oxford eight thousand men, and from the towns of Banbury, Farringdon, Dennington Castle, and such places, there might have been brought together in twenty-four hours fifteen or twenty thousand men, with which, if he had then resolved to have quitted the place, and collected the forces in Worcester, Hereford, Lichfield, Ashby de la Zouch, and all the small castles and garrisons he had there abouts, he might have had nearly forty thousand men, might have beaten the Scots from Newark, Colonel Jones from Chester, and all before Fairfax, who was in the west, could be able to come to their relief, and this his majesty's friends in North Wales had concerted; and in order to it, Sir Jacob Ashby gathered what forces he could in our parts, and attempted to join the king at Oxford, and to have proposed it to him; but Sir Jacob was entirely routed at Stow-on-theWold, and taken prisoner, and of three thousand men not above six hundred came to Oxford. All the king's garrisons dropt one by one; Hereford, which had stood out against the whole army of the Scots, was surprised by six men and a lieutenant, dressed up as country labourers, and a constable pressed to work, who cut the guards in pieces and let in a party of the enemy. Chester was reduced by famine, all the attempts the king made to relieve it being frustrated. Sir Thomas Fairfax routed Lord Hopton at Torrington, and drove him to such extremities that he was forced up into the furthest corner of Cornwall. Lord Hopton had a gallant body of horse with him of nine brigades, but no foot; Fairfax a great army. Heartless and tired out with continual ill news and ill success, I had frequent meetings with some gentlemen who had escaped from the rout of Sir William Vaughan, and we agreed upon a meeting at Worcester of all the friends we could get, to see if we could raise a body fit to do any service; or, if not, to consider what was to be done. At this meeting we had almost as many opinions as people; our strength appeared too weak to make any attempt; the game was too far gone in our parts to be retrieved; all we could make up did not amount to above eight hundred horse. It was unanimously agreed not to go into the parliament as long as our royal master did not give up the cause; but in all places, and by all possible methods, to do him all the service we could. Some proposed one thing, some another; at last we proposed getting vessels to carry us to the Isle of Man to the Earl of Derby, as Sir Marmaduke Langdale, Lord Digby, and others had done. I did not oresee any service it would be to the king's affairs; but I started a proposal, that marching to Pembroke in a body, we should there seize upon all the vessels we could, and embarking ourselves, horses, and what foot we could get, cross the Severn sea, and land in Cornwall, to the assistance of Prince Charles, who was in the army of Lord Hopton, and where only there seemed to be any possibility of a chance for the remaining part of our cause. This proposal was not without its difficulties, as how to get to the sea-side, and, when there, what assurance of shipping. The enemy, under Major-general Langhorn, had overrun Wales, and it would be next to impossible to effect it. We could never carry our proposal with the whole assembly; but, however, about two hun P 4 dred of us resolved to attempt it, and the meeting being broke up without coming to any conclusion, we had a private meeting among ourselves to effect it. We dispatched private messengers to Swansea and Pembroke, and other places; but they all discouraged us from the attempt that way, advised us to go higher towards North Wales, where the king's interest had more friends, and the parliament had no forces. Upon this we met, and resolved, and having sent several messengers that way, one of our men provided us two small vessels in a little creek near Harleigh Castle, in Merionethshire. We marched away with what expedition we could, and embarked in the two vessels accordingly It was the worst voyage sure that ever men went; for first, we had no manner of accommodation for so many people, hay for our horses we could not get any, or very little, but good store of oats, which served us for our own bread as well as provender for the horses. In this condition we put off to sea, and had a fair wind all the first night, but early in the morning a sudden storm drove us within two or three leagues of Ireland. Under this misfortune, sea-sick, our horses rolling about upon one another, and ourselves stifled for want of room, no cabins nor beds, very cold weather, and very indifferent diet, we wished ourselves ashore again a thousand times; and yet we were not willing to go ashore in Ireland, if we could help it; for the rebels having possession of every place, that was just having our throats cut at once. Having rolled about at the mercy of the winds all day, the storm ceasing in the evening, we had fair weather again, but wind enough; in two days and a night we came upon the coast of Cornwall, and, to our no small comfort, landed the next day at St. Ives in the county of Cornwall. We rested ourselves here, and sent an express to Lord Hopton, who was then in Devonshire, of our arrival, and desired him to assign us quarters, and send us his further orders. His lordship expressed a very great satisfaction at our arrival, and left it to our own conduct to join him as we saw convenient. We were marching to join him when news came that Fairfax had given him an entire defeat at Torrington. This was but the old story over again; we had been used to ill news a great while, and it was the less surprise to us. Upon this news we halted at Bodmin till we should hear further; and it was not long before we saw a confirmation of the news before our eyes, for Lord Hopton, with the remainder of his horse, which he had brought off at Torrington in a very shattered condition, retreated to Launceston, the first town in Cornwall, and hearing that Fairfax pursued him, came on to Bodmin. Hither he summoned all the troops which he had left, which when he had got together, were a fine body indeed of five thousand horse, but few foot but what were at Pendennis, Barnstaple, and other garrisons; these were commanded by Lord Hopton, Lord Goring had taken shipping for France, to get relief, a few days before. Here a grand council of war was called, and several things were proposed, but as it always is in distress, people are most irresolute, so it was here; some were for breaking through by force, our number being superior to the enemy's horse. To fight them with their foot would be desperation and ridiculous, and to retreat would but be to coop up ourselves in a narrow place, where at last we must be forced to fight upon disadvantage, or yield at mercy. Others opposed this as a desperate action, and without probability of success, and all were of different opinions. I confess, when I saw how things were, I was satisfied the game was lost, and I was for the opinion of breaking through and doing it now, while the country was open and large, and not being forced to it when it must be with more disadvantage; but nothing was resolved on, and so we retreated before the enemy. Some small skirmishes there happened near Bodmin, but none that were very considerable. It was the 1st of March when we quitted Bodmin, and quartered at large at Columb, St Denis, and Truro, and the enemy took his quarters at Bodmin, posting his horse at the passes from Padstow on the north, to Warbridge, Lestwithiel, and Foy, spreading so from sea to sea, that now breaking through was impossible. There was no more room for counsel, for unless we had ships to carry us off, we had nothing to do but when we were fallen upon, to defend ourselves, and sell victory as dear as we could to the enemy. Charles, Prince of Wales, seeing the distress we were in, and loath to fall into the enemy's hands, shipped himself on board some vessels at Falmouth, with about four hundred lords and gentlemen; and as I had no command here to oblige my attendance, I was once going to make one, but my comrades, whom I had been the principal occasion of bringing hither, began to take it ill that I would leave them, and so I resolved we would take our fate together. While thus we had nothing before us but a soldier's death, a fair field, and a strong enemy, and people began to look one upon another; the soldiers asked how their officers looked, and the officers asked how their soldiers looked, and every day we expected to be our last, when unexpectedly General Lord Fairfax sent a trumpet to Truro to Lord Hopton with a very humane and polite offer. That since Lord Hopton, our general, could not be ignorant of his present condition, and that the place he was in could not afford him subsistence or defence, and especially, considering that the state of our affairs were such, that if we should escape from thence, we could not remove to our advantage, he had thought good to let us know, that if we would deliver up our horses and arms, he would, for avoiding the effusion of Christian blood, or the putting any unsoldierly extremities upon us, allow such honourable and safe conditions as were rather better than our present circumstances could demand, and such as should discharge him to all the world as a gentleman, a soldier, and a Christian. After this followed the conditions he would give us, which were, Ist, That all the soldiery, as well English as foreigners, should have liberty to go beyond the seas, or to their own dwellings, as they pleased; | and to such as should choose to live at home, protection for their liberty, and from all violence, and plundering of soldiers, and to give them bag and baggage, and all their goods, excepting horses and arms. 2nd, That for officers in commission and gentlemen of quality, he would allow them horses for themselves and one servant, or more, suitable to their quality, and such arms as are suitable to gentlemen of such quality travelling in times of peace; and such officers as would go beyond sea, should take with them their full arms and number of horses as are allowed in the army to such officers. ting Truro to Lord Fairfax, and he left St Alban's to us to keep our head-quarters. The conditions were soon agreed on, we dis banded nine full brigades of horse, and all the conditions were observed with the utmost honour and care by Lord Fairfax, that ever I knew, Nor can I omit, in another way, to make ho nourable mention of this noble enemy, though I did not like his cause. I never saw a man of such a pleasant, calm, courteous, downright, honest behaviour; and for his courage and personal bravery in the field that we had felt enough of. No man in the world had more fire and fury in him while in action, or more temper and softness out of it. 3rd, That all the troopers should receive, on the delivery of their horses, twenty shillings a In short, and I cannot do him greater honour man to carry them home, and the general's pass than saying he exceedingly came near the cha and recommendation to any gentleman who de-racter of my foreign hero, Gustavus Adolphus, sired to go to the parliament to settle the compo- and, in my account, is, of all the soldiers in sition for their estates. Europe, the fitter to be reckoned in the second place of honour to him. Lastly, a very honourable mention of the general, and offer of their mediation to the parliament, to treat him as a man of honour, and one who has been tender of the country, and behaved himself with all the moderation and candour that could be expected from an enemy. Upon the unexpected receipt of this message a council of war was called, and the letter read; no man offered to speak a word, the general moved it, but every one was loath to begin. At last an old colonel started up, and asked the general what he thought might occasion the writing this letter? The general told him he could not tell; but one thing he was sure of, viz. that it was not for any want of force in their army to oblige us to other terms. Then a doubt was started, whether the king and parliament were not in any treaty, which this agreement might be prejudicial to. This occasioned a letter to my Lord Fairfax, wherein our general returning the civilities, and neither accepting nor refusing his proposal, put it upon his honour, whether there was not some agreement or concession between his majesty and the parliament, in order to a general peace, which this treaty might be prejudicial to, or thereby be prejudicial to us. Lord Fairfax ingenuously declared, "He had heard the king had made some concessions, and he heartily wished he would make such as would settle the kingdom in peace, that Englishmen might not wound and destroy one another; but that he declared he knew of no treaty commenced, nor anything past which could give us the least shadow of hope for any advantage in not accepting his conditions. And added, that though he did not exult over our circumstances, yet if we thought fit, upon any such supposition, to refuse his offers, he was not to seek in his measures." And it appeared so, for he immediately ad vanced his forlorn hopes, and dispossessed us of two advanced quarters, and thereby straitened us yet more. We had now nothing to say but treat, and our general was so sensible of our condition, that he returned the trumpet with a safe conduct for commissioners at twelve o'clock that night; upon which a cessation of arms was agreed on, we quit I had particular occasion to see much of his temper in all this action, being one of the hos tages given by our general, Lord Hopton, for the performance of the conditions, in which circum stance Lord Fairfax did me several times the honour to send to me to dine with him; and was exceedingly pleased to discourse with me about the passages of the wars in Germany which I had served in; he having been at the same time in the Low Countries, in the service of Prince Maurice. Here I cannot help also observing, if at any time my civilities extended to commendations of his own actions, and especially to comparing him to Gustavus Adolphus, he would blush like a woman, and be uneasy, declining the discourse, and in this he was still more like him. Let no man scruple my honourable mention of this noble enemy, since no man can suspect me of favouring the cause he embarked in, which I served as heartily against as any man in the army; but I cannot conceal extraordinary merit for its being placed in any enemy. This was the end of our making war; for now we were all under parole never to bear arms against the parliament; and though some did not keep their word, yet I think a soldier's parole ought to be the most sacred in such a case, that a soldier may be the easier trusted at all times upon his honour. For my part I went home fully contented. since I could do my royal master no better ser vice, that I had come off no worse. The enemy going now on the full current of success, and the king reduced to the last extre mity, and Fairfax, by long marches, being come back within five miles of Oxford; his majesty. loath to be cooped up in a town, which on no account could hold out long, quitted the town in a disguise, leaving Sir Thomas Glemham, governor, and being only attended with Mr Ashburnham and one more, rode away to Newark, and there fatally committed himself to the honour and fidelity of the Scots, under General Lieven. There had been some little bickering betwe the parliament and the Scots commissioners, cocerning the propositions which the Scots were for a treaty with the king upon, and the parlia- || ment refused it. The parliament, upon all proposals of peace, nad formerly invited the king to come and throw himself upon the honour, fidelity, and affection of his parliament. And now the king from Oxford offering to come up to London, on the protection of the parliament for the safety of his person, they refused him, and the Scots differed from them in it, and were for a personal treaty. This, in our opinion, was the reason which prompted the king to throw himself upon the fidelity of the Scots, who really by their infidelity had been the ruin of all his affairs, and now, by their perfidious breach of honour and faith with him, were virtually and mediately the ruin of his person. The Scots were, as well as all the nation, surprised at the king coming among them; and the parliament sent an order to General Leven to secure the king in Warwick Castle; but old Leven was not in such haste to part with so rich a prize; for as soon as the king came into the Scotch army, the general prevailed upon his majesty to sign an order to Colonel Ballesis, the governor of Newark, to surrender it, which being done, the Scots departed homewards with the king in the camp with them; and marching on, a house was ordered to be provided for the king at Newcastle. And now the parliament saw their error in refusing his majesty a personal treaty, which, if they had accepted (their army was not yet taught the way of huffing their masters), the kingdom might have been settled in peace. Before, it was, by an order of parliament, let the king be sent to Warwick Castle; now, it is, to let his majesty come to London to treat with his people. Yet neither one nor the other would do with the Scots; but we, who knew the Scots best, knew that there was ONE THING would do with them, if the other would not, and that was money; and therefore our hearts trembled for the king. The Scots, having retreated to Newcastle with the king, there they quartered their whole army at large upon the country; the parliament voted they had no further occasion for the Scots, and desired them to go home about their business. I do not aver it was in these words, but in whatsoever good words their messages might be expressed, this and nothing less was the English of it. The Scots replied by setting forth their losses, damages, and dues, the substance of which was, Pay us our money, and we will be gone, or else we won't stir." The parliament requested an account of their demands, which the Scots gave in, amounting to a million sterling; but, according to their cus tom, and especially finding that the army under Fairfax inclined gradually that way, fell down to five hundred thousand pounds, and at last to four hundred thousand; but all the while this is transacting, a separate treaty is carried on at London with the commissioners of Scotland, and afterwards at Edinburgh, by which it is given them to understand, that whereas, upon payment of the money, the Scotch army is to march out of England, and to give up all the towns and garrisons which they hold in this kingdom; so they are to take it for granted that it is the meaning of the treaty, that they shall leave the king in the hands of the English parliament. To make this go down the better, the Scotch parliament, upon his majesty's desire to go with their army into Scotland, sent him for answer, that it cannot be for the safety of his majesty or of the state to come into Scotland, not having taken the covenant, and this was carried in their parliament but by two voices. The Scots having refused his coming into Scotland, as was concerted between the two houses, and their army being to march out of England, the delivering up the king became a consequence of the agreemen unavoidable and of necessity. His majesty, thus deserted of those into whose hands he had thrown himself, took his leave of the Scotch general at Newcastle, telling him in few words this sad truth, that he was bought and sold. The parliament commissioners received him at Newcastle from the Scots, and brought him to Holmby House, in Northamptonshire; from whence, upon the quarrels and feuds of parties, he was fetched by a party of horse, commanded by Cornet Joyce, from the army, upon their mutinous rendezvous at Triplow Heath; and, after this, suffering many violences, and varieties of circumstances among the army, was carried to Hampton Court, from whence his majesty very readily made his escape; but not having notice enough to provide effectual means for his more safe deliverance, was obliged to deliver himself to Colonel Hammond in the Isle of Wight. Here, after some indifferent usage, the parliament pursued a further treaty with him, and all points were agreed on but two. 1st, The entire abolishing episcopacy, which the king declared to be against his conscience, and his coronation oath. 2ndly, The sale of the church-lands, which he said, being most of them gifts to God and the church by persons deceased, his majesty thought could not be alienated without the highest sacrilege; and if taken from the uses to which they were appointed by the wills of the donors, ought to be restored back to the heirs and families of the persons who bequeathed them. These two articles were fixed so steadfastly in the mind of his majesty, that he ventured his fortune and royal family, and even his own life, in defence of them: however, at last the king condescended so far in these, that the parliament voted his majesty's concessions to be sufficient to settle and establish the peace of the nation. This vote discovered the bottom of all the counsels which then prevailed; for the army, who knew if peace was once settled, they should be undone, took the alarm at this, and clubbing together in committees and councils, at last brought themselves to a degree of hardness above all that ever this nation saw; for, calling into question the proceedings of their masters who employed them, they immediately fell to work upon the parliament, removed Colonel Hammond, who had the charge of the king, and |