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RELIGIOUS SECTS.

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strenuous for its own peculiar tenets. There were the Independents, who, discovering at length that the Presbyterians assumed to lord it over their consciences in the same way that the Established Church had done, repudiated it and the Scotch covenant together-demanded more freedom of belief, and asked for the same republicanism in the church that was granted in the state. There were, also, Brownists, Anabaptists, and Levellers, who, whatever difference of creed might separate them, were simply religious radicals and jacobins— Fifth Monarchy men, who believed in the personal reign of Christ on earth to constitute the fifth monarchythe Muggletonians, and many others, half sceptics, or unsettled in their belief. All these the natural growth of a revolution that had become religious, gradually concentrated their strength against the Presbyterians; and Cromwell himself taking sides with the Independents, the army was ranged on their side; and, in time, the army, as it always must in a revolution, ruled everything.

We have thus carried forward the reader into the religious history of the revolution, to save the trouble of referring to the origin and growth of the different sects, frequently, and at the same time give them the prominence they deserve in the political changes that follow.

CHAPTER IV.

THE EXTRAORDINARY CAMPAIGN OF 1644.

Execution of Laud and Others-Character of Laud-Defeat of the Irish Regiments by Fairfax-The Scotch Enter England-Cromwell Joins them before York-The King Defeats Waller-Rupert Enters YorkBattle of Marston Moor-Cromwell's Ironsides-Cromwell's LetterEssex Defeated, and His Army Compelled to Surrender-Success of Montrose in Scotland-Second Battle of Newbury-Cromwell Accuses Manchester in Parliament-Is Accused in Turn-Self-denying Ordinance-The Remodeling of the Army-Its Character.

THE winter of 1643 Cromwell spent in raising funds for his army, even levying on the colleges in Cambridge, and the cathedrals of Peterborough and Ely, and sometimes according to the report of his enemies, in not a very gentle or legal way. He entered Ely cathedral one day when the clergyman was preaching against parliament, and exclaimed aloud, "Leave off your fooling and come down, sir," which he dared not disobey. He was never idle, but strained every nerve, to be prepared for the ensuing campaign.

For a short time in January, he took his seat in parliament, and made a speech against Lord Willoughby, whom he had so gallantly succored at Gainsborough complaining that he was backward in his military operations, and kept dissolute people about him, and asked that Lord Manchester might be appointed in his

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place, which was granted. In the meantime, negotiations and plots were commenced and abandoned in and around parliament. Pym, one of the earliest and firmest of the patriots, died December 8th, and was mourned by the whole nation.

A few minor, but still somewhat important, events occurred in the forepart of January, which it seems necessary to mention, before we enter on the stirring events of the year. The liturgy of the English Church was formally abolished, and the prosecutions long ago began against Lord Macguire, the two Hothams, Sir Alexander Carew, and Laud, were taken up again—all ending equally fatally to the accused. The execution of these men, showed the severity with which the revolution was to be carried on in future. The death of Laud was uncalled for. He had sufficiently expiated his crimes and follies, by four years imprisonment :-his favorite schemes no man now thought of realizinghis influence with the king was over, in fact, his career ended. Stormy men were now in power, and a stormy spirit abroad, before whom and which such weak characters as his always disappear. No danger was to be apprehended from him, or at least none that banishment would not have effectually guarded against; and his death, therefore, was an unnecessary act of cruelty. Indeed, the charge of high treason was in no way made out, and he died a victim to that hatred and injustice he had himself nursed into such strength. He was innocent of the crime charged upon him; and yet, there was a retributive justice in his death. He had un

settled the realm-opposed the parliament-oppressed and persecuted the people. Indeed, his very accuser, Prynne, was the one whose ears he had caused twice to be cut off in presence of the multitude. He had shown no mercy to others; and now, none was shown to him. So, that while we condemn his judges, we cannot lament his fate. Still, Laud has probably been as much maligned as Cromwell: He was a bigot; so were many of the Puritans, fanatics. The former persecuted the dissenters; so did the latter the papists. Laud hurried men before the star-chamber and court of high commission, and had them punished for no crime but that of speaking against oppression; nay, caused them to be put in the stocks, publicly whipped, and their ears cropped off:— equally violent measures were adopted by the Puritans against the Irish Catholics. Now, to allow for the intolerance of the one, and not-for that of the other, is manifestly unjust. The age and the times in which men live, must be taken into consideration, when we judge of their characters. Laud was, doubtless, a sincere and honest prelate. He did what he thought was for the good of the church. Believing that it could not prosper in the midst of dissensions and radicalism, he set about their eradication in the way he thought best to secure his object. That he should see nothing but discord and ruin in the spirit of rebellion against the church and the state, that was abroad, was natural. There was no more bigotry in his looking upon dissenters as criminals, than in the Puritans regarding the papists as such. Thus, while we regard his career as

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LORD BYRON DEFEATED.

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mad and foolish in the extreme, we see in it nothing so inconsistent as many do. His cruelties and persecutions indicate the weak bigot, rather than the unfeeling oppressor.

On January 22d, a new parliament, assembled by the king, met at Oxford to repudiate the constitutional parliament, but it never amounted to anything, and Charles was compelled to adjourn it in April, feeling that he had only added to his embarrassments. A treaty he endeavored to make with parliament and Scotland, was equally fruitless, while the regiments under Lord Byron, which he had recalled from Ireland-after six weeks of success-had been almost annihilated by Fairfax. Marching in the depth of winter, the latter came upon this "papist army," under the walls of Nantwich, in Cheshire, which the latter was closely besieging, and fell upon it with such fury, that out of 3000 infantry, only 1000 escaped. The notorious, and twice renegadé, George Monk, was one of the captives.

Thus commenced the terrible campaign of 1644, which in its progress was to deluge England with the blood of her children, and cover her fair fields with the slain. The Scotch army, 20,000 strong, and marching knee-deep in snow, crossed the English borders on the 19th of January, moving steadily and sternly south. The parliament had at this time an immense force under its control. Essex and Waller, who commanded in the central and eastern counties, had each about 10,000 men; Manchester and Cromwell 14,000, while Fairfax was at the head of another strong army. To meet this