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1650.]

CROMWELL RETURNS TO LONDON.

Cromwell did not seek any long repose from his military labours. On the 15th of February, 1650, he writes to the Speaker, "having refreshed our men for some short time in our winter-quarters, and health being pretty well recovered, we thought fit to take the field." The House send the Lord. Lieutenant their thanks for all he had done; and resolve that he "have the use of the Lodgings called the Cockpit, of the Spring Garden and St. James's House, and the command of St. James's Park." His return to London was desired; but he had work to do, and rather turned a deaf ear to the wishes of the Parliament. It is not necessary that we should follow his course of success during the spring of 1650. His boldest and most sagacious stroke of policy was that of proclaiming throughout the country that the men who had been in arms, and were now scattered and utterly destitute, had full liberty to serve abroad. The ministers in London of France and Spain availed themselves of this permission, and forty-five thousand men of Ireland were levied for the service of these powers. Clarendon speaks with bitterness of heart of this wise expedient for freeing the land from those who would have been the principal hindrance to its quiet settlement. The king's lieutenant, he says, could not, after all the promises and contracts of the confederate Roman Catholics, draw together a body of five thousand men; whilst "Cromwell himself found a way to send above forty thousand men out of that country for service of foreign princes; which might have been enough to have driven him from thence, and to have restored it to the king's entire obedience." Cromwell left Ireton as Deputy to complete the work which he had begun, and he arrived himself in London on the 31st of May, ready for other services to the Commonwealth.

lished in Ireland since Strongbow, or even St. Patrick, appeared there," occupies sixteen pages of the Cromwell Letters, p. 103 to 119, vol. ii.

Charles II. negotiates with the Scottish Parliament-His commission to Montrose-Montrose in Scotland-Execution of Montrose Charles goes to Scotland-War with ScotlandCromwell General-Cromwell's Advance-His Danger-Position of the two Armies at Dunbar-Battle of Dunbar-Charles crowned at Scone-Perth taken by CromwellCharles and the Scotch Army in England-The Battle of Worcester-Escape and Adventures of Charles-Charles returns to France-Note-Whitelocke's Description of Cromwell's Army, in a Conversation with Christina, queen of Sweden.

CHARLES II., essentially different in character from his father, had inherited that quality of his family which mainly led to the tragedies of Fotheringay and Whitehall. He was a double-dealer. When the affairs of Ireland became hopeless, he listened to the proposals of the Parliament of. Scotland. He received an envoy from the Presbyterian authorities while at Jersey; and appointed them to meet him at Breda to conclude a treaty for his reception in Scotland. He was urged by his warmest friends to close with their offers, although there was no relaxation of the terms upon which the support of the great religious party, speaking the voice of the Scottish nation, was offered to him. Whilst he was thus negotiating with the Parliament, he gave Montrose a commission to levy troops in foreign countries, and wage war against the powers with whom he was bargaining. He wrote to the mortal enemy of the Covenanters, "I entreat you to go on vigorously, and with your wonted courage and care, in the prosecution of those trusts I