and

occasion considered the method of God's justice (a method terribly remarkable in many passages upon many persons to be remembered in that discourse); that the same principles, and the same application of those principles, should be used to the wresting all sovereign power from the crown, which the crown had a little before made use of for the extending its authority and power beyond its bounds, to the prejudice of the just rights of the subject. A supposed necessity was then thought ground enough to create a power; and a bare averment of that necessity, to beget a practice to impose what tax they thought convenient upon the subject, by writs of ship-money, never before known; and a supposed necessity now, and a bare averment of that necessity, was as confidently, and more fatally, concluded a good ground to exclude the crown from the use of any power, by an ordinance never before heard of; and the same maxim of salus populi suprema lex, which had been used to the infringing the liberty of the one, made use of for the destroying the rights of the other.

The greastest enemy the King had could not have given a more unfavourable impression of the King and his advisers, than His Lordship has done in the immediately preceding observation, and in the fore-mentioned statement of their unjust treatment of the city of London. They of themselves would sufficiently account for the part the city took

against the King, and for the very general hostile disposition of the nation.

Rushworth and Whitelock state the erection of the King's standard at Nottingham on the 25th August (1642), about six o'clock in the evening of a very stormy and tempestuous day. Melancholy men observed many ill presages about that time. That there was not one regiment of foot yet brought thither; so that the trained bands, which the sheriffs had drawn together, were all the strength the King had for his person, and the guard of the standard. There appeared no conflux of men in obedience to the proclamation; the arms and ammunition were not yet come from York; and a general sadness covered the whole town. The standard was blown down the same night it had been set up, by a very strong and unruly wind, and could not be fixed again in a day or two, till the tempest was allayed. That this was the melancholy state of the King's affairs when the standard was set up. He found the place much emptier than he thought the fame of his standard would have suffered it to be, and received intelligence the next day that the rebels' army, for such now he had declared them, was, horse, foot, and cannon, at Northampton, besides a party at Coventry.

CHAP. V.

MESSAGE FROM THE KING PROPOSING AN ACCOMMODATION. THE EARL OF ESSEX QUITS LONDON FOR THE ARMY.- FIGHT AT POWICK-BRIDGE. -BATTLE OF EDGEHILL. PARLIAMENT APPLIES TO THE SCOTS FOR ASOXFORD. MR. HAMPDEN'S DEATH. CROMWELL'S LETTER OF THE VICTORY NEAR GAINSBOROUGH.— LORD Fairfax's defEAT AT ATHERTON MOOR. DEFEAT OF THE KING'S FORCES NEAR HORN

SISTANCE. TREATY AT

CASTLE.

FIRST BATTLE OF NEWBURY, AND DEATH OF LORD FALKLAND. COLONEL MONK TAKEN PRISONER.

-

THE QUEEN IMPEACHED OF HIGH TREASON. -MR. WALLER'S AND OTHERS' PLOT.

NEW GREAT SEAL ORAND COVENANT.

SCOTS'

BATTLE OF MARSTON MOOR.

SECOND BATTLE OF NEWBURY. — LAUD, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, TRIED AND BEHEADED.

THE TREATY

THOMAS FAIRFAX APPOINTED GENERAL OF THE NEW

MODELLED ARMY.

THE BATTLE OF NASEBY. DIRECTORY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP. AND GOES ΤΟ THE SCOTS ARMY NEAR NEWPORT.

On the 27th of the same August (1642), Rushworth says that the King sent a message to both Houses proposing an accommodation, and, for

that purpose, that some fit persons might be enabled to treat with a like number authorised by the King; to which the Houses replied, that they could not treat until the King should recall his proclamations, and declarations, denouncing them and their adherents rebels and traitors, and until his standard should be taken down, and he return to his parliament.

On the 9th September, the Earl of Essex quitted London for his head-quarters at St. Albanʼs, and thence to Northampton, where his forces met him, being above fifteen thousand men.

On the 22d was the fight at Powick-bridge, near Worcester, under Prince Rupert, wherein the parliament lost about thirty men, and some officers.

On Sunday, October 24., the King marched towards London, and fights the battle of Edgehill, near Kinton, in Warwickshire: each party claimed the victory, and published different accounts of the battle.

November 7., a declaration passed, to be sent to Scotland, representing the dangers they were in, and craving the assistance of the Scots.

Mr. Whitelock gives a particular account of the proceedings in a treaty with the King, at Oxford, in February in the same year, upon some propositions sent to him by the Parliament, he being one of the commissioners on the behalf of the Parliament. The commissioners were, Algernon Earl of Northumberland, Philip Earl of Pembroke and

Montgomery, William Earl of Salisbury, and Henry Earl of Holland, Thomas Viscount Wenman, and Richard Viscount Dungarvan; and Sir John Holland, Sir William Litton, William Pierrepoint, Bulstrode Whitelock, Edmund Waller, and Richard Winwood, Esqrs. They attended the King, with the propositions, on the 1st February, 1642-3.

Whitelock observes: - In this treaty, the King manifested his great parts and abilities, strength of reason, and quickness of apprehension, with much patience in hearing what was objected against him ; wherein he allowed all freedom, and would himself sum up the aguments, and give a most clear judgment upon them. His unhappiness was, that he had a better opinion of others' judgments than of his own; and of this the parliament commissioners had experience, to their great trouble. They were often waiting on the King, and debating some points of the treaty with him until midnight, before they could come to a conclusion. Upon one of the most material points they pressed His Majesty with their reasons, and best arguments they could use, to grant what they desired; the King said he was fully satisfied, and promised to give them his answer in writing, according to their desire; but, because it was then past midnight, and too late to put it into writing, he would have it drawn up the next morning, when he commanded them to wait on him again, and then he would give them his