Charles, disgusted with their obstinately insisting on such hard and degrading terms, so as to reduce him to the impotence of doing any good or preventing any evil, was in no haste to come to a conclusion. From these causes, assisted by the artifice of the independents, the treaty was spun out to such a length as to spare for Cromwell the leisure he wanted to complete the execution of his plans. During the whole course of these transactions, which lasted no less than two months, the king, notwithstanding the seeming decline of his body, constantly showed an unbroken and undecayed mind. The commissioners would allow none of his council to be present, and refused to enter into reasoning with any but himself. He alone was obliged to maintain the argument against fifteen men of the greatest parts and capacity, and no advantage was ever obtained over him. His quick conception, cultivated understanding, chaste elocution, and dignified manner, insured his triumph in all discussions of cool and temperate reasoning. "The king is "extremely improved of late," said the earl of Salisbury to sir Philip Warwick.-" No," replied sir Philip," he was always so, but you are at last "sensible of it." So was likewise sir Henry Vane, who, discoursing with his fellow commissioners, concluded from the king's uncommon abilities, that the terms of pacification must be more strict and rigid.

In the month of August the duke of Hamilton and Langdale had entered England with an army of above twenty thousand men. Cromwell attacked them separately with eight thousand men only, put them to rout, and took Hamilton prisoner. He marched soon after into Scotland with a considerable body, and, assisted by Argyle, who was also in arms, he suppressed Laneric, Monroe, and other moderate presbyterians, and placed the power entirely in the hands of the violent party; nor could any of Hamil

ton's partizans recover trust or live in safety, but by doing solemn penance for taking arms by authority of parliament in defence of their lawful sovereign, Loans of great sums of money were also exacted from all such as lay under any suspicion of favouring the king's party.

Soon after Hamilton's defeat, Colchester, reduced to the utmost extremities of famine, surrendered at discretion to general Fairfax, who, instigated by Ireton, seized sir Charles Lucas and sir George Lisle, two gallant and faithful royalists, and gave them up to military justice. Lucas was first shot, and he himself gave orders to fire. Lisle instantly ran and kissed the dead body, then cheerfully presented himself to the like fate. Thinking that the soldiers destined to shoot him stood at too great a distance, he called to them to come nearer. One of them replied, "I'll warrant you, sir, we'll hit you."-He answered, smiling, "Friends, I have been nearer you when you have missed me." Thus perished this brave officer, no less beloved for his modesty and humanity, than esteemed for his courage and military conduct. Some time after a gentleman clothed in mourning for sir Charles Lucas, appearing in the king's presence, that humane prince suddenly recollecting the hard fate of his friends, dissolved into a flood of tears.

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The invasion and insurrections being subdued every where by the constant success of the army, the council of general officers, from Cromwell's suggestion, drew a remonstrance, which they sent to the parliament, and in which they demanded that there might be no further proceeding upon the treaty; that public justice might be done upon the principal actors in the late trouble; and particularly that the king should be brought to his trial and punishment, for all the blood spilt during the war; that a peremptory day might be set when the prince of Wales and the duke of York

should be required to appear, which, if they should not do, they should stand exiled as traitors; and if they should appear, yet they should be bound to make some satisfaction, that an end might be put to this parliament and new representatives of the people chosen, for the governing and preserving the whole body of the nation; that no king might be hereafter admitted but upon election of the people, and as upon trust for the people.

Meanwhile, the army advancing to Windsor, colonel Lure was sent to seize the king's person at Newport, and convey him to Hurst castle in the neighbourhood, where he was detained in strict confinement. It is reported by some historical writers, that at this critical juncture the king was exhorted to make his escape, which was conceived to be very easy; but that having given his word to the parliament, not to attempt the recovery of his liberty during the treaty, and three weeks after, nothing could induce him to violate that promise; but this circumstance, though not improbable, is mentioned neither by Clarendon nor by Rapin.

The parliament, notwithstanding the imminent danger of their situation, set aside the remonstrance of the army, and made no answer to it. They voted the seizing of the king's person to be without their consent; sent a message to the general to know by what authority that enterprize had been 'executed, and issued orders that the army should not advance nearer to London. It was now proposed. by some of the presbyterian leaders, that the generals and principal officers should, for their disobedience and usurpations, be proclaimed traitors by the parliament. Upon this news the generals, under the name of Fairfax (for he still allowed them to employ his name), marched the army to London, and placing guards in Whitehall, the Mews, St. James's, Durham-house, and Palace-yard, surround

ed the parliament with troops, and for the present necessity, that no inconvenience might occur, they sent to the city to supply them with forty thousand pounds, to be immediately issued out to satisfy the

army.

Notwithstanding these violent proceedings the parliament still retained courage enough to attempt, in the face of the army, to close their treaty with the king; and though they had formerly voted his concessions with regard to the church and delinquents to be unsatisfactory, they now took into consideration the final resolution with regard to the whole. After a violent debate of three days, it was carried by a majority of one hundred and twentynine against eighty-three in the house of commons, that the king's concessions were a foundation for both houses to proceed upon in the settlement of the kingdom.

Next day, when the commons were to meet, colonel Pride, formerly a drayman, had environed the house with two regiments, and he seized in the passage forty-one members of the presbyterian party, and sent them to a low room called the hell, whence they were afterwards carried to several inns. Above one hundred and sixty members more were excluded, and none were allowed to enter but the most violent of the independents, and these exceeded not the number of sixty. On the same day (December 7th) Cromwell took his seat in the house of commons, and received their thanks for his great services. The first proceeding of that curtailed assembly, or rather of that band of regicides, was to vote the negative to what had been settled in the former debate, and to declare that the king's answer to their propositions was not satisfactory. They afterwards issued an order, that none of those who had not been present when the negative vote had passed, should sit any more in the house before they had

first subscribed the same vote. They then renewed the old vote of no more addresses, and annulled all those which had introduced the treaty. A committee was soon after appointed to bring in a charge against the king. On their report a vote passed declaring it treason in a king to levy war against his parliament, and they immediately appointed a high court of justice, to try Charles for this new-invented treason. The house of peers, which happened that day to be fuller than usual, and to the number of sixteen, unanimously rejected the vote of the lower house, and adjourned themselves for ten days.

Ann. 1649.

This new-modelled, or rather mock house of commons, were very pleased with the resolution of the upper house, and took advantage of it to declare, that the people are the origin of all just power; that the commons representing the people, whatever was enacted by them had the force of a law. When the day came, to which the lords had adjourned their house, they found their doors all locked and fastened with padlocks, that there should be no more entrance for them.

After the invasion of the house of commons, and the expulsion of all the presbyterian members, which commonly passed under the name of colonel Pride's purge, the independents were very active in causing the most violent petitions to be every day addressed to them, particularly by the garrisons, demanding that the king should be brought to trial, and condign punishment. The fleet under the command of the earl of Warwick, adhered to these petitions. [That same tactic has been since recurred to by the jacobin's party, who acted in the French revolution the same part as the English independents, while the constitutionalists acted as completely the part of the presbyterians.]