to no purpose for twenty days, the commissioners separated and returned to London and Oxford. While the king was thus endeavouring, though in vain, to bring about an accommodation with the English parliament by the most humiliating concessions, some events happened in Scotland that seemed to promise a more prosperous issue to his declining affairs. James Graham, marquis of Montrose, a man of a bold and generous spirit, filled with indignation to see the majority of two kingdoms conspire against their lawful, and in many respects indulgent sovereign, undertook by his own credit, and that of a few friends. who had not yet forgot their allegiance, to raise such commotions in Scotland, as should oblige the covenanters to recall their forces. In this design he was assisted by a body of the Macdonalds, who came over from Ireland to recover the country of Kintore, out of which they had been driven about fifty years before, by the Argyle family. With these adventurers, who amounted to about twelve hundred, and eight hundred native highlanders, very indifferently armed, he defeated an army of six thousand covenanters, under lord Elcho, near Perth, and killed two thousand of them46. In consequence of this victory, by which he acquired arms and ammunition, Montrose was enabled to prosecute his enterprize, though not without incredible difficulties. The greater part of the low-country Scots were extremely attached to the covenant; and such as bore affection to the royal cause were overawed by the established authority of the opposite party. But Montrose, whose daring soul delighted in perilous undertakings, eluded every danger and seized the most unexpected advantages. He retreated sixty miles in the face of a superior army without sustaining any loss: he took Dundee by assault, and defeated the marquis of Argyle that the nomination of the lord-lieutenant and of the judges, or in other words the sovereignty of that kingdom, also should remain in their hands. Ibid. p. 826. 46. Rushworth, vol. vi. Wishart, chap. v. at at Innerlochy, after having gratified the Macdonalds with the pillage of that nobleman's country47. The power of the Campbells being thus broken, the Highlanders, who were in general well affected to the royal cause, joined Montrose in more considerable bodies. By their assistance he successively defeated Baillie and Urrey, two officers of reputation, sent from England to crush him, and who were confident of victory from the superiority of their numbers, as well as from the discipline of their troops. He defeated Baillie a second time, with great slaughter, at Alford.48 And the terror of his name, and the admiration of his valour being now great all over the north of Scotland, he summoned his friends and partizans, and prepared himself for marching into the southern provinces, in order there to restore the king's authority, and give a final blow to the power of the Covenanters. But, unhappily for Charles, before Montrose could carry his success so far as to oblige the covenanters to withdraw any part of their forces, events had taken place in England, which rendered the royal cause almost desperate. In consequence of the change in the formation of the parliamentary army, the officers, in most regiments, assumed the spiritual as well as military command over their men. They supplied the place of chaplains; and, during the intervals of action, occupied themselves in sermons, prayers, and pious exhortations. These wild effusions were mistaken by the soldiers, and perhaps even by those who uttered them, for divine illuminations; and gave new weight to the authority of the officers, and new energy to the valour of their troops. In marching to battle, they lifted up their souls to God in psalms and Hymns, and made the whole field resound with spiritual as well as martial music49. The sense of present 47. Barnet, Hist. vol. i. Wishart, chap. 10. 48. Rushworth, vol. viii. 49. Rushworth, vol. vi. Wishart, chap. 11. danger danger was lost in the prospect of eternal felicity: wounds were esteemed meritorious in so holy a cause, and death martyrdom. Every one seemed animated, not with the vain idea of conquest, or the ambition of worldly greatness, but by the brighter hope of attaining in heaven an everlasting crown of glory. The royalists, ignorant of the influence of this enthusiasm, in rousing the courage of their antagonists, treated it with contempt and ridicule. In the meantime, their own licentious conduct, if less ludicrous, was less becoming the character of soldiers or of citizens. More formidable even to their friends than to their enemies, they in some places committed universal spoil and havoc, and laid the country waste by their undistinguished rapine. So great in a word, was the distress become, that many of the most devoted friends. of the church and monarchy, now wished for such success to the parliamentary forces as might put a stop to these oppressions and the depredations committed in Scotland, by the Highlanders under Montrose, made the approach of the royal army the object of terror to both parties, over the whole island50. Under these disadvantages, it was impossible for the king much longer to continue the war: the very licentiousness of his own troops were sufficient to ruin his cause. On the opening of the campaign, however, being joined by the princes Rupert and Maurice, he left Oxford, with an army of fifteen thousand men determined to strike some decisive blow. The new-modelled parliamentary army, under Fair 50. Rushworth, vol. vii. Clarendon vol. v. This licentiousness was partly occasioned by the want of pay; but other causes conspired to carry it to its present degree of enormity. Prince Rupert, negligent of the interests of the people, and fond of the soldiery, had all along indulged them in unwarrantable liberties. Wilmot a man of dissolute manners, had promo ted the same spirit of disorder; and too many other commanders, sir Richard Grenville, Goring, and Gerrard, improved on the pernicious example. Id. ibid. fax and Cromwell, was posted at Windsor, and amounted to about twenty-two thousand men. Yet Charles, in spite of their vigilance, effected the relief of Chester, which had long been blockaded by sir William Brereton; and, in his return southward he took Leicester by storm, after a furious assault, and gratified his soldiers with an immense booty. Fifteen hundred prisoners fell into his handss1. Alarmed at this success, Fairfax, who had received orders from the parliament to besiege Oxford during the king's absence, immediately left that place, and marched to Leicester, with an intention of giving battle to the royal army. Charles, in the meantime, was advancing toward Oxford in order to raise the siege, which he apprehended was already in some forwardness; so that the two armies were within a few miles of each other, before they were aware of their danger. The king called a council of war; in which it was rashly resolved, through the influence of prince Rupert and the impatient spirit of the nobility and gentry, immediately to engage Fairfax; though the royalists had the prospect of being soon reinforced with three thousand horse and two thousand foot, under experienced officers. They accordingly advanced upon the parliamentary army, which was drawn up in order of battle on a rising ground, in the neighbourhood of the village of Naseby. The king himself commanded the main body of the royal army, prince Rupert the right wing, and sir Marmaduke Langdale the left. The main body of the parliamentary army was conducted by Fairfax, seconded by Skippon: the right wing by Cromwell; the left by Ireton, Cromwell's son-in-law. Prince Rupert began the charge with his usual impetuosity and success. Ireton's whole wing was routed and chased off the field, and himself wounded and taken prisoner. The king led on his main body with firmness; and displayed, in the action, all the conduct of an experi JUNE 14. 1. Clarendon, vol. v. enced enced general, and all the courage of a gallant soldier. The parliamentary infantry was broken, in spite of the utmost efforts of Fairfax and Skippon, and would have been totally routed, if the body of reserve had not been brought to their relief. Meanwhile Cromwell, having broken the left wing of the royalists, under Langdale, and pursued it a little way, returned upon the king's infantry, and threw them into confusion. At length prince Rupert, who had imprudently wasted his time in a fruitless attempt to seize the enemy's artillery, joined the king with his cavalry, though too late to turn the tide of the battle. "One charge more," cried Charles," and we recover the day!" But his troops, aware of the disadvantage under which they laboured, could by no means be prevailed on to renew the combat. He was obliged to quit the field; and although the parliament had a thousand, and he only eight hundred men slain, scarce any victory could be more complete. Near five thousand of the royalists were made prisoners, among whom were five hundred officers; and all the king's baggage, artillery, and am→ munition fell into the hands of the enemy52. 52 Whitlocke, p. 145, 146. Rushworth, vol. vii. Clarendon, vol. iv. Among other spoils, the kings cabinet fell into the hands of the enemy. It contained copies of his letters to the queen, which were afterward wantonly published by the parliament, accompanied with many malicious comments. They are written with delicacy and tenderness; and, at worst, only shew that he was too fondly attached to a woman of wit and beauty, who had the misfortune to be a papist, and who had acquired a danger ous ascendant over him. She is certainly chargeable with some of his most unpopular, and even arbitrary measures. VOL. III. 3 G LETTER |