whose sobriety and manners, whose courage and success, made it famous and terrible all over the world. "On went Noll Cromwell," said the reckless Royalist Marchmont Needham-"forth went Noll in the might of his spirit, with his swords and Bibles, and with all his train of disciples; every one of whom is as a David, a man of war and a prophet; gifted men all, that have resolved to their work better than any of the sons of Levi, and are rushing through England with their two-edged swords and Bibles, to convert the Gentiles." Cromwell styles himself a captain of a troop in the characteristic piece of autobiography quoted in these descriptions of his men, but I cannot discover that he ever held such a commission under Essex. It possibly refers merely to the period of his first daring excursions before the king's standard was in the field, and which, without any regular commission, he seems to have pursued also some few days after, for one of his exploits before all the Parliamentary commissions of array had been issued was to seize the person of Sir Thomas Conisby, high sheriff of the county of Herts, who had come to St. Alban's on the market-day for the purpose of proclaiming the Earl of Essex, and all who should be his followers, traitors. The self-important knight had arrived in the marketplace, and gravely unfolded his momentous proclamation, when suddenly he was pounced upon by Cromwell and his troop, and carried off a captive to London. Then it was Cromwell received his colonel's commission, with an instruction to increase his followers to a regiment of a thousand men; and how he did this the reader has seen. Meanwhile, the commissions of array are out on all sides, and every town, every village, every hamlet in England is a muster-place for armed men, who are to fight against their own countrymen, their friends, perhaps their kindred. The causes which suddenly raised up for the king a larger levy of partisans and soldiers than could possibly have been anticipated by the Parliament, have been already placed before the reader. I thought," says the enthusiastic and honest Ludlow, in describing his adhesion to the army of Essex,† "I thought the justice of that cause I had engaged in to be so evident, that I could not imagine it to be attended with much difficulty; for though I supposed that many of the clergy, who had been the principal In the Life of Hampden. Soon after my engagement in this cause, I met with Mr. Richard Fiennes, son to the Lord Say, and Mr. Charles Fleetwood, son to Sir Miles Fleetwood, then a member of the House of Commons, with whom consulting, it was resolved by us to assemble as many young gentlemen of the Inns of Court, of which we then were, and others, as should be found disposed to this service, in order to be instructed together in the use of arms, to render ourselves fit and ca pable of acting in case there should be occasion to make use of us. To this end, we procured a person experienced in military affairs to instruct us in the use of arms, and for Some time we frequently met to exercise at the Artillery Ground in London. And being informed that the Parlia ment had resolved to raise a life-guard for the Earl of Essex, to consist of a hundred gentlemen, under the command of Sir Philip Stapleton, a member of Parliament, most of our company entered themselves therein, and made up the greatest part of the said guard; among whom were Mr. Richard Fiennes, Mr. Charles Fleetwood, afterward lieutenant-general, Major-general Harrison, Colonel Nathaniel Rich, Colonel Thomlinson, Colonel Twisleton, Colonel Boswell, Major Whitby, and myself, with divers others."-Ludlow's Memoirs, vol. i., p. 42. authors of our miseries, together with some of the courtiers, and such as absolutely depended on the king for their subsistence, as also some foreigners, would adhere to him, yet I could not think that many of the people, who had been long oppressed with heavy burdens, and now, with great difficulty, had obtained a Parliament, composed of such persons as were willing to run all hazards to procure a lasting settlement for the nation, would be either such enemies to themselves, or so ungrateful to those they had trusted, as not to stand by them to the utmost of their power; at least (though some might not have so much resolution and courage as to venture all with them, yet), that they would not be so treacherous and unworthy as to strengthen the hands of the enemy against those who had the laws of God, nature, and reason, as well as those of the land, of their side." But not the common people alone, whom many causes may be supposed to have influenced, deserted, at this trying hour, the Parliament which had risen to assert their rights of property, of labour, and of conscience: men of rank, who had hitherto acted firmly and resolutely against the king, now fairly deserted the principles they had avowed, and went over to the royal banner. Nothing but that subtle and delicate sense of honour, which the term loyalty implies, could have actuated these men to such a course. It was no love for Charles or for his cause: but that "grinning honour" · stood in the way, they had fought against both. Their voices had been their own in the struggle for liberty and law, but their swords were the king's alone. "I would not continue here an hour," wrote Lord Robert Spencer from the royal camp to his wife, "if there could be an expedient found to solve the punctilio of honour." And thousands were agitated by the same melancholy reflection, till the welcome death they sought in battle solved every punctilio at last. Had such men as these seen the crown of England "on a hedge-stake," they would have remained to the death beside it. A man of this sort, for instance, was Sir Bevill Grenville, who, when the king's affairs were in miserable plight at the first from the difficulty of collecting men, suddenly declared himself for Charles, published a commission of array, raised troops, and occupied a line of posts in the western counties. "I go," he said, "with joy and comfort, to venture my life in as good a cause, and in as good company, as ever Englishman did; and I do take God to witness, if I were to choose a death, it would be no other than this." Here there appeared no "grinning" doubts, but they existed notwithstanding. In Grenville they took the shape of that sort of melancholy foreboding touching his land. In his active exertions in the field, in the own fate, which also so strongly affected Falkmore general business of the strife, in fierce and passionate resolution against the foe, Grenville yielded to none. Here he had no doubts, no scruples, nothing that stood in the way of service. Deeper in his heart of hearts the melancholy lay. Among the manuscripts intrusted to me by Lord Nugent, I have found some interesting letters before and during the first year of the war, written to his wife-"to his best friend, the Lady Grace Grenville" by this gallant | time, to the same "best friend, Mrs. Grace man. I shall quote one, dated from Bodmyn, Grenville." Such touching memorials, illustrathe 12th of October, 1642, which illustrates a striking difference between the levy of the common troops for the king's service, and such levies as we have noticed in the case of Cromwell. It illustrates, too, the change which these distressing times could work in the gentlest natures. The mild and gentlemanly Grenville now threatens his neighbours and his tenants, and flings out insulting epithets against his old friend and associate, the Earl of Essex. "DEARE LOVE,-I will detaine Sym. Cottle noe longer, nor can he bring you much more newes than I sent you yesterday. Wee found men enough at the place appointed well arm'd, & for my part I am impatient (as all my honest frends else are) that wee did not march presently, to fetch those traitors out of their neast at Lanceston, or fire them in it, butt som of our faynter bretheren have prevailed soe farr_wth the sherriff as there is a conference agreed on this day between-6-of a side, to see if they ting so vividly the changes of the period, belong peculiarly to a personal history of the time, and are used too scantily to be withheld when found. The matter of these letters contrasts not more strongly than their appearance: that which has been quoted, so worn and soiled as though it had travelled across a wide country in some trooper's pocket; these, almost as fresh and clean as letters written yesterday. The date of the first is London, May 18, 1626; that of the second only two days later. have receaved yrs by my Co: Trevillian's man, "MY DEAREST,-Since myne by Stanburie I wherin you say you have not heard from me, wch I wonder at, for surely I have written often Butt you doe much amaze me ta tell me you unto you, both by way of Exeter and otherwise. for God's sake be sure to have one under hand, are soe much distress'd for want of a midwife; fault in neglecting it soe long. Howsoever, whatever it cost, and you cannot excuse your have myne Abbott by, if all else faille; shee, I can compose matters. But we will march on neverthelesse, to be before hand if they agree doe well enough. There is little hope of havhope, will doe her best, & I assure myselfe can not. My neighbours did ill that they came not out, ing any of the Plate home as yett, butt all that & are punishable by the lawe in a high degree; & though I will doe the best I can to save some of the can be don shall be. I am glad you have fetcht honester sort, yet others shall smart. They were I desire the worke should goe on wth all possome of the Timber, to keepe Allen aworke; for not in this to have comands from me; it is a sible speed. If my co: Arundell be at Efford legall course wch the sherriff is directed to by the statute, & he is the comander in the buis- when you have Child, it will be verrie fitting nes, and not the collonells, butt he may take to shee should be a God-mother too; therefore, his assistance whom he pleases. My neigh- though it be a boy, intreat both her & my sisbours did perchance looke to heare from me, merly. My bro. Hen: is the man, whether it & if wee proceed I shall expect they should yett be boy or girl; & I hope Sr Jo: Eliot shall be come forth, or they shall suffer, & they shall have there too if it be a boy, though the King hath farther direction from me. The gallant Prince lately sent him to the Tower for some wordes spo Rupert goes on gloriously in his uncle's service; he hath given another blow to the eni-ken in the Parlm'; but wee are all resolv'd to hart my greater than the former, & hath well nye & if ye Child chance to be borne before my camhim out againe, or will proceed in noe businesse; cutt off all their cavallry wth his; soe as the great cuckhold is forc'd to shutt himself up wth his ing downe, stay the Christning till wee can heare from one another. I will write shortly foote whin the walls of Worcester, & not being to you againe; in the mean time, doe rest y able to keepe the field, witherward the king is moving with his army to give the last blow, be-owne BEVILL GRENVILLE.... Reme❜ber my duing able to barre him from all reliefe, and his ty to yr mother, & forgett me not to my sister." army is mightily encreased. Cottle hath a note. Publish it to yr frends. I have, sent it already to my Cos. Cary. I hope wee shall shortly see good daies againe. My noble frend the brave Wilmott had a shrewd wound, & the prince himselfe slightly hurt, butt they killed 2000 of the enimy wth little losse. Your owne "B. GRENVILLE." What a change from a few years before, when bonds of love no less than sympathy connected the writer with men of thoughts as lofty, and hearts as generous, and fame as pure as his own, but for whom he cannot find better words now than traitor or than cuckold! How different from the days when his only care was for the domestic charities he is now forced to thrust aside; when the sanctities of social life occupied the thoughts that are now only bent on the tragic scenes of civil strife, on plundered towns, on flaming villages, on ravaged homesteads. The reader will not, perhaps, object to my introducing here, from the same valuable manuscripts, a picture of Sir Bevill Grenville, as he was, in one of his letters of that former | ter too; it is no more than wee have don for Again: "MY DEAREST,-How all the things, that at severall times I have & shall send to you from hence, will nowe come unto you, I knowe not, because they are to passe thorough so many hands; butt I will hope the best. I Meats, ass many sortes & the best I can gett, have this weeke sent you a boxe of.... Sweet saving only apricots, whereof there are butt one pound, & those not verrie good, though the best yt can be gotten too; there were fewe or none don the last yeare, because of the sicknes, & that makes the scarsety. The note of perticulars is heerinclosed, wanting only one boxe of the Quidiniock, wch I have eaten. I hope my Lady be now wth you, therfore remeber my duty to her. Wee have S Jo: Eliot at liberty againe; the House was never quiet till the King releas'd him. If God send us a boye, I have a good minde to have him called John, for my poore brother John's sake; if it be a Girl, Grace. But I would faine perswade myselfe that I could be there at it, though I am now s some doubt, & therfore will heartely pray for you, if I cañot be present. Keepe my aunts and my sister by any meanes with you, & re member me to them. Soe I hasteley comend you to God, resting your own ever oners. "BEVILLE Grenvile." Since the levying of his regiment, Cromwell has, meanwhile, already greatly distinguished himself. His first service was sudden and complete as his seizure of the unlucky Sir Thomas Conisby. Having received intelligence of a meeting of gentlemen of the king's party at Lowestoft in Suffolk, for the purpose of concerting means for making a stand in that quarter, he came upon them by surprise, and made the whole body, consisting of about thirty persons of opulence and distinction, his prisIt was mentioned in the journals of the day as "the best piece of service that hath been done for a long time."* The historian of the Parliament, May, tells us that the ammunition and engines of war secured on this occasion by Cromwell were "enough to have served a considerable force." And certain it was, pursues that historian, that “if Cromwell had not surprised them in the nick of time, it had proved a matter of great danger to the country; for within one day after, as many more knights and gentlemen that were listed before, would have met at the same place." with an irresistible shock. The result may be described in the letter which Cromwell addressed to the speaker the instant after the event: “God hath given us this evening a glorious victory over our enemies. They were, as wee are informed, one-and-twentie colours of horse troops, and three or foure of dragoons. It was late in the evening when wee drew out. They came and faced us within two miles of the town. Soe soon as wee had the alarum, wee drew out our forces, consisting of about twelve troops, whereof some of them soe poore and broken that you shall seldome have seen worse; with this handfull it pleased God to cast the scale; for after wee had stood, a little above musket shot the one body from the other, and the dragoons having fired on both sides for the space of halfe an houre or more, they not advancing towards us, wee agreed to charge them, and advancing the body after many shots on both sides, came with our troops a pretty round trot, they standing firme to receive us, and our men charging fiercely upon them, they were immediately routed and ran all away, and wee had the execution of them two or three miles. I believe some of our souldiers did kill two or three men a pece. Wee have also gotten some of their officers and some of their colours; butt what the number of dead is, or what the prisoners, for the present wee have not time to inquire into."* ken by Lord Willoughby, and garrisoned with Parliamentary soldiers, would have surrendered before the army of Lord Newcastle, returning victorious from Atherton Moor, but for the interposition of Cromwell, who, with sudden and astonishing bravery, threw himself and his regiment between the town and the first division of the advancing Royalist force, commanded by Lord Newcastle's brother, young General Cavendish. It was a fearful position. On the summit of an acclivity before them were ranged numbers in the proportion of at least three to one, while along the base of the hill ran a lofty fence, accessible only through a single gateway. On this quarter the enemy poured a heavy fire; yet Cromwell, having himself resolutely and safely passed, filed his men through, inspired by his own courage to deeds of as lofty daring, formed them as they passed, section by The first pitched battle between Charles and his subjects has been described in the life of Hampden. But while these early occurrences of the war left every one doubtful to which side success had fallen, the resolute cavalry of Cromwell's next important service was the Cromwell were achieving remarkable and un-relief of Gainsborough, which, having been taquestioned advantages in every direction of their march.t At the head of twelve troops, their colonel had penetrated into Lincolnshire, disarming the disaffected as he passed, taking Stamford and Burleigh House by his way, and scattering all opposition before him. Not far from Grantham they were met by double their number—a flying corps of cavalry belonging to a light army levied by young General Čavendish, and with which he strove to recover Lincolnshire to the king. Cromwell's men, though many of them harassed and fatigued, stood firm; and the front they presented, few in numbers as they were, would seem to have been not at all inviting to the enemy, for the firing on both sides for upward of half an hour appears to have been confined to the skirmishers that covered each line, till at last Cromwell himself gave the word, and his men advanced "By letters from Suffolk of the 15th present, it was in-section, and then at once made a furious charge formed that on Tuesday last, Colonel Cromwell, with about 1000 horse, having notice of a great confederacy held amongst the malignants at a town called Lowestoft, in that County, being a place of great consequence, came upon them unawares, and gained the town with small difficulty and no shot; took prisoners Sir Thomas Barker and his brother Sir John Pettus, Mr. Thomas Knevet, two of the younger Catlings, Captain Hammond, Mr. Corey, Mr. Turvill, Mr. Preston, and about twenty others of good worth. This was the best piece of service that hath been done for a long time, for both the counties will now be freed of their fears of the malignants. There were also taken in the said town divers clergymen of the confederacy, good store of ammunition, excellent saddles, great store of pistols, pow-vantage these resolute soldiers had gained: der, shot, and other engines for war, sufficient for a great force. This hath set the whole country right, so that now they are all up in arms, and would feign be in action for the Parliament."-Perf. Diur., 18th Mar., 1642. up hill, which overbore the enemy as much by the wonder the act inspired as by any real shock of arms. The major part of the Royalists fled in broken confusion. Cromwell, still holding his men together, plunged back on that part of the enemy which alone had been able to stand, drove them pellmell into a bog, and there, it is melancholy to be obliged to add, butchered them, including poor Cavendish himself, without mercy. It was the first great ad their leader had inspired them to it by daring which might well have carried them beyond the common limits of soldierly forbearance, and it "And now," writes Mrs. Hutchinson, "were all the is charitable to suppose that this act was comcountreyes in England noe longer idle spectators, but sev-mitted at a time when they were scarcely reerall stages, whereon the tragedie of the civil warre was acted; except the easterne association, where Mr. Oliver sponsible agents.† Cromwell, by his diligence, prevented the designes of the Tuyall party." Нян Perfect Diurnal, 25th of May, 1643. + The Perfect Diurnal writes of the result: "Gen. Cav This achievement, Whitelocke tells us, was a decided victory. In this Grenville greatly "the beginning of Cromwell's great fortunes, distinguished himself, and the rout of the Parand now he began to appear in the world." It liamentarians was complete. Shortly after, was the beginning, too, of his close and extra-however, I find from these manuscripts, Grenordinary intimacy with Ireton. This famous ville wrote from Okehampton to "his best man was at the time a captain in "Col. Thorn- friend" thus: "DEARE LOVE,-I will write a haugh's regiment;" but hearing of Cromwell's hasty line by my cos. Parker. Wee march'd brave intentions in this matter, solicited leave with some foote and horse from Plimpton to preto join him in the enterprise, and a lasting bond vent the enimy from gathering power at Tavis. of friendship was thereafter sealed between tock, where he forbare to come for feare of us. them. Cromwell had perhaps the most sur- Wee then marcht to Okehampton to finde him, prising faculty in selecting his friends or agents wee being sure they were there wth 5000 men, of any man that ever played a great part in the butt they ran away before wee came. There world; and it might possibly be taken as in were sent some horse and dragoons to Chagsome sort an evidence of the purity of his ford to pursue them in the night, butt for want present motives that he now selected Ireton. of good foote, & the approach to the towne beEleven years the junior of Cromwell, this gal- ing very hard, our men were forct to retire againe lant and virtuous man had been bred to the after they were in, & one losse wee have sustain'd bar, and had distinguished himself thus early that is unvalluable, to witt, SIDNEY GODOLPHIN 18 by the projection of various legal and constitu- slaine in the attempt, who was as gallant a gent. tional reforms of a very striking and philosoph- as the world had. I have time for no more. ical character. His opinions, however, were Y ever, B. GRENVILE." all Republican, and his integrity so stern and uncompromising, that no worldly motives or advantages ever changed or modified those convictions of his mind. Nor did military services ever transport him out of philosophical or meditative habits, since he was able with amazing facility, as Hume has with a misplaced sneer observed, "to graft the soldier on the lawyer, the statesman on the saint." Three years after the relief of Gainsborough, this excellent person married Cromwell's eldest daughter, Bridget, then in her twenty-first year, having, instantly upon the former action, Mrs. Hutchinson tells us, "quite left Colonel Thornhaugh's regiment," to join that of the greater colonel whose conduct and genius had "charmed him." These individual successes, meanwhile, availed little against serious reverses lately undergone by the Parliament. Even after relieving Gainsborough, Cromwell was obliged to draw off towards Boston, which he did in masterly order, slowly retreating before the overwhelming force of the main body of Newcastle's army, yet presenting at every step of his retreat "a bold front to his pursuers, and appearing to invite rather than shun an encounter." Newcastle, however, marched straight on to Gainsborough, recovered that place, and made himself master of Lincoln. In the west it was, however, that the king's forces were at this time chiefly successful. The letter already quoted from the Grenville manuscripts referred to some of these successes; and the fight of Bradock Down, where Sir Ralph Hopton commanded the royal troops, was endish, and another person of note, much like to Gen. King, one colonel, lieutenant-colonel, sergeant-major, and a captain, with above 100 others, were found dead upon the place, near upon twice as many killed in the pursuit, and prisoners above 150. Upon their retreat they relieved the town with powder and other provisions; after which they skirmished with a new supply of Newcastle's army that came against them, brought off their foot, which was engaged with great disadvantage, and made a fair retreat into the town, with little loss." Ludlow says of him in after years, that "when he heard of a bill brought into Parliament in his absence, to settle upon him two thousand a year in land, in his character of lord-deputy of Ireland, he expressed his displeasure, and said they had many just debts, which he wished they would pay before they made such presents; that, for their land, he had no need of it, and therefore would not have it." Godolphin* was indeed a loss; and it is moreover clear from the tone of the letter, that the western Parliamentary men were rallying once more. They had, in fact, been elevated by the news of assistance providing for them by the Parliament, and Sir Ralph Hopton now foolishly offered siege to the unimportant garrison of Plymouth, dividing his army for that purpose, instead of concentrating it on one point towards Tavistock, to clear the country to the eastward, where the Parliamentarians were collecting strength. The latter had been the advice of Grenville, whose next communications to his wife, crumpled, soiled, and torn as his fortunes, are accordingly most melancholy and despond ing. The first is dated from Plympton, and presents several characteristic points. 'My Deare Love,-Y' great care & good af fection, as they are very remarkable, soe they * Of this accomplished man, Clarendon speaks in a passage of his own life, which should not be omitted here: "There was never so great a mind and spirit contained a so little room; so large an understanding and so unrestrained a fancy in so very small a body; so that the Lord Falkland used to say merrily, that he thought it was a great ingredient into his friendship for Mr. Godolphin that he was pleased to be found in his company, where he was the properer man; and it may be, the very remarkableness of his little person made the sharpness of his wit and the com posed quickness of his judgment and understanding the more notable. He had spent some years in France and is the Low Countries, and accompanied the Earl of Leicester in his ambassage into Denmark, before he resolved to be quiet, and attend some promotion in the court, where his excellent disposition and manners, and extraordinary qua fications, made him very acceptable. Though everybody loved his company very well, yet he loved very much to be alone, being in his constitution inclined somewhat to melan choly, and to retirement amongst his books; and was so far from being active, that he was contented to be reproached by his friends with laziness; and was of so nice and tender a composition, that a little rain or wind would disorder him, and divert him from any short journey he had most willingly proposed to himself; insomuch as when he rid abroad with those in whose company he most delighted, if the wind chanced to be in his face, he would (after a hite pleasant murmuring) suddenly turn his horse and go home: yet the civil war no sooner began (the first approaches to wards which he discovered as soon as any man, by the pr ceedings in Parliament, where he was a member, and p posed with great indignation) than he put himself into the first troops which were raised in the west for the king, and bore the uneasiness and fatigue of winter marches with in exemplar courage and alacrity, until, by too brave a pursat of the enemy into an obscure village in Devonshire, he wa shot with a musket, with which (without saying any word more than, O God, I am hurt) he fell dead from his horses, to the excessive grief of his friends, who were all that knew him, and the irreparable damage of the public." 8 in one boddy. The party of ours wch was at Modbury indur'd a cruell assault for 12 howers against many thousand men, & kill'd many of them, wth the losse of fewe and some hurt, bull ours at last were forc'd to retire to Plimpton for want of Amunition, having spent all their stock. Wee are still threatned, butt I hope God's favour will not forsake vs. Y Neighbour of Gouldon, I heare, is one of the dead at Modbury, & will not now plunder y" Countrey if it be true. If my Soldier Hugh Ching continue sick, pray lett there be care had of him, & lett him not want what you can helpe him. Bidd Tom Ansley have special care of the busines I have now writt to him. Give my duety to yr mother, & I beseech God to keepe and blesse you all, & if it be his will to send us a happie meeting, so prayeth yr faithfull BEVILLE GRENVILE. I have sent home some peare graffs; lett them be carefully graffed, some by Brute & some by Jo. Skiñer. I beseech you make Jack to pursue the directions I have given him. . . . I did send home some Peare graffs from Truroe about Michaelmas; lett them be carefully graffed also, & note wch is one & wch the other." deserve my best thankes, & I could wish that the subject wch you bestowe them upon could better requite you. I shall returne your Messenger with butt little certainty concerning our present Condition. Our Army lyes still in severall quarters. Sr Ra. Hopton, wth my Lo: Mohun, is upon the north side of Plimouth wth two Regims; Collo: Ashbourn: Sr Js: Bark: & I, are on the east side wth two Regim's, & Sr Ni: Glan with Jack Trevan : & their two Regim's, were sent the last weeke to Modbury, to possesse that quarter before the enimy came, being the richest part of this Countrey, whence most of our provision and victualls does come. If it were taken from us, wee might be starv'd in our quarters. Modbury lyes 6 miles to the Eastward of us, & now the Enimy wth all the power yt they can gather of those that wee dispersed at Okeham: & Chag: & other aydes advanc'd within two mile of ou at Modbu they are many thousand as the report goes, and wee are like to have speedy worke. Wee have sent more ayde to them both of horse and foote. God speed us well. Plimouth is still supplied wth men & all sorts of provision by sea, wch wee cannot hinder, & therfore, for my part, I see The happy meeting prayed for in this touchno hope of taking it. Soe now the most danger ing letter was doomed never to take place. that hangs over the Kg's side is in these parts, for | After some important successes gained by he hath had great successe in those parts where Hopton, Waller entered the western counties he is. Cissiter, wch Prince Rupert tooke, hath with a small but well-appointed army, and drawne in all Glocestershire. The Citties of fought the disputed battle of Lansdowne, the Glocester & Bristoll do offer to render them-result of which, let the victory be disputed as it selves without force, & they are places of great importance. The Earle of Newcastle hath given the Parl's power a great defeate in Yorkshire. The Queene is cominge wth good Ayde to the King. The Parl: did attempt to force severall quarters where the Kg's Army lay, & were beaten off with great losse to themselves in all places. Wee have advertizm': that some ayde is coming from his Matie to us, butt it is soe slowe as wee shall need it before wee see it. But God's will be done; I am satisfied I canot expire in a better cause. I have given some directions to Jack for his study; pray cause him to putt them in execution, & to make some exercise in verse or prose every day. Intreat my Cos.... & Bar: Geal: to take a little paines" with him. I have releas'd the Prisoners that Bar: Geal: wrote for. Lett Cap: Stanb: know, it is all one to me whither he goe by Byd: or Pads: soe he make haste: & now to conclude, I beseech you take care of y' health; I have nothing soe much in my prayers. Yr Phisition Jennings is turn'd a Traytor with the rest, wherby he hath lost my love, & I am doubtfull to trust you him. Present my humble duety & thanks to y' moth; & I beseech God to blesse y' young people. I rest yr owne ever, BEVILLE GREN... My new cap is a little too straight.... I know not what forme of a Certificate it is that Jo: Geal desires, butt if he will send it to me drawne, I will gett it sign'd." VILE.... : may, certainly was to leave the Parliamentary general quartered that night in Bath, at the foot of the contested hill, while Hopton was borne off the field with heavy wounds, his army retreating at the same time towards Oxford, and leaving behind them, among the dead bodies of their chief officers, that of the brave and honourable Sir Bevill Grenville. A very short time elapsed, however, before the Royalists rallied, and in an action near Devizes totally routed and dispersed the army of Sir William Waller. Waller, on his return to London, mortified, deserted, and defeated, was yet received with honour, "as if," says Clarendon, with wonder, he had brought the king prisoner with him." Yet here admiration would be better timed than wonder. The feeling that inspired the Parlia ment in such a policy was that of the Roman Senate in congratulating the general who was defeated at Cannæ, that he had not despaired of his country. It was only by such noble and elevated disregard of all petty jealousies that these great statesmen held their forces together, and subdued the jealousies of their chiefs, till fortune flung upon their side once more the chances of battle. Never was the cause of the Parliament in such danger as now. The divisions and jealousies that had sprung up; the fatal imbecility and suspected treachery of Essex; the crownAt last Hopton abandoned the siege of Ply-ing disaster of the death of Hampden, with the mouth, and joined his forces once more at Tavistock. Grenville immediately after writes thus to the Lady Grace: "DEARE LOVE,-There have been some changes since I wrote last; wee have raised our seige of Plimouth, wch, for my part, I never expected could have been successfull, yet in submission to better judgm's I gave way, & wee are now at Tavistock, united againe yet unshrinking decision and fortitude of Pym, applied with success to the healing even of such wounds as these, have already been placed before the reader by the writer of this memoir.* In the life of Vane, the masterly act of statesmanship resolved on at this time has also been commemorated. The commissioners for the In the Lives of Pym and Hampden. |