Market&NW. (Northampto

wards assembled on Borough Hill, above the town. Fairfax marched from before Oxford to encounter the king, and (June 12) encamped at Kislingbury, five miles east of the royal position. Charles was riding from the "Wheatsheaf" to hunt a buck in the park of the Knightleys, at Fawsley, when he received news that the "new model " army was close at hand. A council of war was called, and it was determined to march away for Market Harborough, and to proceed toward Pontefract (then besieged), so as to avoid a battle. It is certain that the king was unwilling to fight. There was a local story which told how he had been warned, when sleeping at Daventry, "by the apparition of Lord Strafford in a dream," who told him by no means to measure his strength with the army of the Parliament, "for there was one in it whom he should never conquer by arms." The vision returned on the following night, and the king was assured that "if he kept his resolution of fighting he was undone." "He was often afterwards heard to say that he wished he had taken the warning, and not fought at Naseby."*

Fairfax, however, was resolved to force the king's hand. He rode out himself on the night between the 12th and 13th, which was dark and rainy, and proceeding within a mile of the village of Floore, saw the blaze of the huts on Borough Hill, set on fire by the Royalists as they left them, and heard the rumble of carts, and the heavy tramp of men and horses. He then knew that the king's army was marching away north. Early on the morning of the 13th, Harrison was sent with a troop of horse to Daventry, and Ireton was despatched to hang on the king's rear. Cromwell arrived at head-quarters with his regiment (not of the "new model"), and the same night Fairfax encamped at Guilsborough, about three miles south of Naseby. The van and main body of the Royalists had reached Market Harborough. The king was in a house at Lubenham, where the room which he occupied is still shown. There was a detachment at Lutterworth, and a rear-guard of horse at Naseby. On these last Ireton fell in the middle of the night, and took many of them prisoners. A few escaped to Lubenham and roused the king, who dressed at two in the morning of the 14th (June, 1645), and rode off to Market

Harborough, where Rupert was quartered. Here in a long, low room of the "King's Head" * This story comes from the MS. narration of a Mr. Savage, and is printed in Baker's "Northamptonshire," I. 325.

inn, a council of war was held. Retreat was impossible; and, although Rupert disapproved, Charles resolved to face about and give battle. Fairfax advanced from Guilsborough at dawn, and at 5 o'clock a.m. was in the village of Naseby.

"The Naseby plateau extends from the village northwards to beyond Sibbertoft, where the hills slope down to the valley of the Welland. The plateau consists of a succession of low rolling hills with intervening valleys. A place of little hills and vales, the ground some ploughed, some champein,' as one of the combatants described it. North of the village there is a slight depression, the ground rising again to Mill Hill, which is a mile from the church. Thence the ground slopes gently down in three successive waves, and finally rises again to Dust Hill. The distance between the

tops of Dust and Mill Hills is about a mile, and the intervening space, called Broad Moor, was the battle-field."* A double fence, with the hedge, forming the boundary between the parishes of Naseby and Sulby, stretched across from the base of Dust Hill to a similar ridge, called Red Pit Hill.

Charles marched from Harborough at about seven in the morning, and approached Naseby over the Hill of Sibbertoft, appearing on the slope of Dust Hill about the same time as the army of the Parliament reached Mill Hill opposite. Prince Rupert had the command of the king's forces, of which the main battle consisted of regiments of infantry formed in tertias, or solid squares of pikemen, flanked by musketeers. These were under the command of Sir Jacob Astley (whose prayer at Edgehill has been recorded), "an honest, brave, and plain man," says Clarendon, "and as fit for the office he exercised of Major-General of foot as Christendom yielded." The cavalry flanked him on either side; the right commanded by Rupert himself, and divided into two brigades under Prince Maurice and the Earl of Northampton; the left by Sir Marmaduke Langdale. In the rear of Astley's main battle was a reserve of horse under Colonel Howard; and farther in the rear again the main body of the reserves under the Earl of Lindsey, whose father received. his death-wound at Edgehill. The whole Royalist army numbered, as has been said, more than 10,000, but there were many hundreds of camp-followers. They had halted at Sibbertoft, and the king, armed and with his drawn sword in his hand, had ridden along the line, and asked the men "whether they were ready to fight for him?" The answer was, "All, all," with ringing cheers.

Fairfax's centre was formed of squares of infantry under General Skippon. The left wing of cavalry was under Ireton; the right under Cromwell. Sulby Hedges were lined by

Markham's "Life of Fairfax."

Colonel Okey with his dismounted dragoons. Fairfax himself was "everywhere as occasion required." The word of the Parliamentarians was "God our strength." That of the Royalists was "Queen Mary." The Royalists all wore bean-stalks in their hats; the others had no distinguishing mark, though some had a bit of paper or linen "stuck in their bands."

Fairfax at length gave the order to advance, and between ten and eleven o'clock the armies met in Broadmoor. "Almost in a moment the roar of battle resounded all along the line, and it was hard to say which wing of Fairfax's horse charged first." Rupert's wing, however, at once routed that of Ireton, to which he was opposed; and then, following the evil precedent of Edgehill, galloped to the rear of the Parliamentary army, and began plundering the waggons. Meanwhile, on the Parliamentary right, Cromwell had completely routed Langdale's horse; and Fairfax, who had led with Cromwell, left the pursuit to him, and returned to the struggle between the main battles. This was

extremely hot for nearly an hour," as one of the combatants has described it; and Skippon himself was wounded. But the arrival of Fairfax, and the sudden appearance of Okey and his dragoons, decided the fate of the Royalists, who fell into utter confusion, and their centre was completely routed. (When Ireton's wing broke and fled, Okey's dragoons, who were lining Sulby Hedges, had given themselves up for lost; but seeing Rupert's blunder, who had led his men to the rear of the Parliamentary position, their commander had at once "ordered his dragoons to mount and to prepare for work.") The last square of the Royalists was broken by Doyley and Fairfax. One of the Parliamentary soldiers, "who carried the captured colours, bragged of the service he had done in slaying the ensign; and when Doyley

CHURCH AND MARKET HALL, MARKET HARBOROUGH.

rebuked him for lying, and told him how many witnesses there were who saw the general do it with his own hand, Fairfax said, 'I have enough honour; let him take that to himself.""

Rupert at last led his troops back to the field, but to no purpose. The royal reserve of horse, with the king as their leader, made a gallant attempt to recover the day; but a second line of battle was formed by Fairfax; and although Charles cried out, "Face about

* Markham's "Life of Fairfax," p. 223.

66

once more! Give one charge more and recover the day!" and was on the point of dashing forward, the Earl of Carnwath, laying hand on his bridle, exclaimed, "Will you go upon your death in an instant?" Almost before the king understood what was meant, the horse was turned; there was a sudden panic, and the whole body of the Royalists fled at a gallop, every man shifting for himself. It is impossible to deny the truth of Clarendon's words, Courage was only to be relied on, where all conduct failed so much," and the incapacity of Rupert's generalship was never more completely shown. On the other hand, the judgment and military skill of Fairfax are just as conspicuous. He ordered that no horsesoldier was to dismount for plunder, but that the cavalry was at once to follow the king's flying army. This order was discontentedly and therefore savagely obeyed. Some of the Royalists were overtaken in a deep ravine near Sibbertoft, called Hellecombe, and there sold their lives dearly. Another party was

cut to pieces at the churchyard gates of Marston Trussell, where human bones, buttons, and a knife were not long since found buried in the clay. Cromwell and his Ironsides chased the main body of fugitives to within two miles of Leicester. The king never drew rein till he got to Ashbyde-la-Zouch, twenty-eight miles from the battle-field, and then went on to Lichfield. About 1,000 Royalists were killed, 700 in battle and 300 in the pursuit; 4,500 prisoners were taken, besides stands of arms, colours, 200 waggons laden with stores, the king's coach with his cabinet of correspondence, and all his household

servants. The victors lost, it is asserted, not more than 200 men. The battle lasted about three hours, and Fairfax advanced to Market Harborough on the same afternoon.

A number of Irishwomen, "with wicked countenances," followed the royal camp, and about 100 of them (but without the knowledge of Fairfax) were killed. The others were slashed and disfigured. So many stories had been told of the savage and infamous conduct of these "harpies," as they were called, that the wrath of the soldiers was kindled against them. "Six coaches full of ladies," the wives of Royalist officers, and some respectable women in the waggons, were, we are told, treated with consideration; and although there is a local tradition that the wives of many officers were killed in the pursuit, this seems to have arisen from some confusion with the story of the Irishwomen. The prisoners were sent to London, and were marched through Islington and down St. Martin's Lane with the captured colours before them, until they reached their resting-place in the Mews at Charing Cross.

The letters seized in the king's coach disclosed his correspondence with the Irish