government, and the immediate liberation of Lilburne and his fellow-prisoners; and declaring that "if a hair of their heads shall perish, they will, God enabling them, avenge it seventy times seven fold upon the tyrants." Simultaneously with this news, information was received that, at Oxford and Gloucester, in the regiments of Colonels Harrison, Ingoldsby, and Horton, the excitement was extreme; and that most of the soldiers in those corps were already in correspondence with the insurgents, and were quite disposed to march and join them.1

It redounds greatly to the credit of the republican leaders, both Parliamentary and military, that, at this critical moment, they exaggerated neither the evil nor the danger, but met it with prompt and firm, though moderate measures. They proceeded without fear or irritation, with faith in their right and in their power, acting as a government against rebels, and not as a faction against rivals. The Parliament voted that every attempt to overthrow, by action or writing, the established government of the Commonwealth, the authority of the House of Commons, or of the Council of State, or to excite any sedition in the army, should be considered an act of high treason; it enjoined its committee to terminate without delay the law against abuses of the liberty of the press; it took measures for strengthening the internal police of the city of London; and it ordained that Lilburne and his companions in the Tower should be separated from one another, and that all visits, all communications from without, should be forbidden them. This done, it remained calin, and left the generals to act as they thought best.2

and

Fairfax and Cromwell, on their part, were anxious first of all to make sure of the troops which they had with them, for the mutiny had spread in every direction; they accordingly reviewed, in Hyde Park, the two regiments which they commanded in person, which bore their names. Cromwell spoke a good deal, sometimes to the troops generally, and sometimes to individual soldiers. What could they do better, he said, than adhere faithfully to the Parlia ment? It had punished delinquents; it had got a good navy afloat, which would effectually protect commerce; it had guaranteed the exact payment of all that remained due to the army; it had passed resolutions for bringing its own session to a speedy termination, and for the assembling of future Parliaments; and as to martial law,

Clement Walker's History of Independency, part ii. pp. 168—173; Godwin's History of the Commonwealth, vol. iii. p. 71.

2 Commons' Journals, vol. vi. pp. 205, 207–209; Whitelocke's Memorials, p. 401; Old Parliamentary History, vol. xix. p. 122.

whoever could not stand it was not fit to be a soldier, and his best plan would be to lay down his arms; he should have his ticket and get his arrears, just as those would who remained faithful to their standard. One trooper only made some objections, in a very unbecoming tone. Cromwell had him arrested; but immediately after, at the request of his comrades, who answered for his future good behaviour, he pardoned him, and allowed him to resume his place in the ranks. Some of the men wore the sea-green badges of the Levellers, but they tore them from their hats. Both regiments manifested the utmost ardour; and when the review was over, the two generals, full of confidence, set their troops at once in movement.1

66

Five days after, having marched nearly fifty miles in one single day, they came up, at Burford in Oxfordshire, with the insurgents, who were already somewhat dispirited by a check which they had received at Banbury, where Captain Thompson had begun the insurrection. Surprised and defeated by the vigorous attack of his colonel, Thompson's troop had been dispersed, and he himself had found safety in flight; a messenger, sent to the insurgents by Fairfax, had moreover lulled them into false security, and they imagined that negotiations would be opened with them. Cromwell entered Burford suddenly, in the middle of the night, with two thousand men, whilst Reynolds posted himself with a strong party at the other extremity of the town, to cut off the retreat of the rebels. They defended themselves for a few moments, firing some shots out of windows; but soon losing all hope, destitute of leaders, and scantily supplied with ammunition, about four hundred of them surrendered, and the others succeeded in making their escape. Fairfax immediately assembled a court-martial, which decided that the mutineers should be decimated. On the following day, in Burford churchyard, Cornet Thompson, brother to the chief leader of the insurrection, was brought out and shot first. All those who were to suffer the same punishment were on the leads of the church, witnessing the execution of their comrades, and awaiting their own turn. After Cornet Thompson came a corporal, and then a third, who all died with indomitable firmness, expressing sorrow for nothing they had done, and themselves giving the signal to fire. Cornet Dean was the fourth to be shot, a brave old soldier, whom the General knew well; he expressed penitence; Fairfax pardoued him, and no others were shot. Cromwell went into the church, called down the rest of the condemned mutineers, rebuked

Cromwelliana, p. 56; Cromwell's Letters and Speeches, vol. ii. pp. 32, 33.

D

and admonished them, and reproached them for having so wickedly imperilled the good cause,-the cause of God and of the country. They wept," says a newspaper of the period; "they retired to Devizes for a time, were then restored to their regiments, and marched cheerfully for Ireland."1

Some bands were still roving about in Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire Captain Thompson rallied them, and kept them together for a few days; but being vigorously attacked by Colonel Butler, he was soon left alone, and fled to a wood. Butler's soldiers pursued him thither; Thompson issued from his retreat, fell upon his assailants, killed or wounded three of them, was wounded himself, fell back again into the wood. and again desperately charged his pursuers, declaring he would never yield alive: whereupon "a corporal, with seven bullets in his carbine," shot him dead. With him ended the first and only serious insurrection of the Levellers.

At this success, the Parliament manifested an excess of joy which, for the first time, revealed its fears. The Speaker received orders to address the formal thanks of the House to Fairfax, Cromwell, and all their officers. Cromwell alone was present when the vote was passed, and to him the Speaker addressed himself. Three members were appointed to pay the same compliment to Fairfax. A day was named for a solemu general thanksgiving; two celebrated preachers among the Independents, John Owen and Thomas Goodwin, were requested to prepare sermons for the occasion; and when the day arrived, after having attended the religious services, the whole House went into the city, to a public dinner of congratulation, to which the Lord Mayor and Common Council had invited them. All the officers then in London, above the rank of lieutenant, were present at this dinner. When the members arrived at Grocers' Hall, the Lord Mayor presented to the Speaker, who immediately returned it to him, the sword which was borne before him-an honour which had never been paid to any but the King; and at the banquet the Speaker occupied the royal seat. Just as the guests were about to sit down, the Earl of Pembroke, then simply a member of the House of Commons, but who, in reward for his baseness, and out of respect for his former dignity, had been placed next to the Lord General, called to Whitelocke to take that seat as senior Commissioner of the Great Seal. Whitelocke declined the honour. "What!" said the Earl,

1 Cromwelliana, pp. 56, 57; Cromwell's Letters and Speeches, vol. ii. rp. 33-35; Whitelocke, p. 402; Heath's Brief Chronicle, pp. 431, 432. 2 Whitelocke's Memorials, p. 403.