Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 3.djvu/247

] but it was not a time to be too critical with commanders: the brilliant military genius of Cromwell had not yet revealed itself, therefore the parliament gave him hearty thanks, voted him five thousand pounds, and recommended the capital to his care.

Essex was scarcely arrived when news came that Charles had quitted Oxford, and was directing his march on London. Henry Martin, a member of the commons, who commanded at Reading, considering that town untenable, fell back on London. The panic in the capital was great. A deputation was sent, consisting of the earl of Northumberland and three members of the commons, to meet the king and present a petition for an accommodation. They encountered him at Colnbrook: he received the petition very graciously, and called God to witness that he desired nothing so much as peace, and the sparing of his bleeding country. This being reported to parliament, they ordered Essex to suspend hostilities, and sent Sir Peter Killigrew to request the same on the part of the king, supposing that after this gracious message, in which he promised to reside near London till the differences were settled, that he would have ceased all offensive operations. But scarcely was Killigrew gone, when parliament was startled by the sound of artillery, and Essex rushed from the house and rode in the direction of the sound. He found prince Rupert closely followed by the king in the full attack of Brentford, which was defended by a small force of Hollis's horse. The king had taken advantage of a thick November fog, to endeavour to steal a march on London; but Hollis's horse, though few, were stout, and withstood the whole weight of the attack till reinforced by the regiments of Hampden and Brooke. Thus the king's object was defeated, and the next day, the 14th of November, being Sunday, there was such an outpouring from London of the train-bands, and of zealous citizens, that Essex found himself at the head of twenty-four thousand men, drawn up on Turnham Green. Hampden, Hollis, and all the members of parliament advised sending a body of soldiers to make a detour and get into the king's rear, and then to fall vigorously on in front, and Hampden, with his regiment, was despatched on this service. But Essex speedily recalled him, saying he would not divide his forces; and thus, not only was the retreat left open to the king, but three thousand troops, which had been posted at Livingston Bridge, were called away to add to the force in London. Charles, therefore, finding a very formidable body in front, and the way open behind, drew off his forces, and retreated to Reading, and then again to his old quarters at Oxford. Again Essex had displayed miserably defective tactics, or he might have readily surrounded and cut up the royal force. It was in vain that the parliamentary leaders urged Essex to give instant pursuit of the retreating army; but other officers thought it was better to let him take himself away. The parliament, in great indignation at this conduct of the king, passed a resolution never to enter into any future negotiations with him again; and Charles, on his part, pretended equal surprise and resentment, declaring that the parliament had thrown three regiments into Brentford after sending to treat with him. But it must be remembered that they proposed this accommodation at Colnbrook, and what business, then, had he at Brentford? The march, and the hour of it, were sufficiently decisive of Charles being the aggressor.

Charles lay with his army at Oxford during the winter, and prince Rupert exercised his marauding talents in the country round. Of the parliamentary proceedings or preparations we have little account, except that the parliamentarians were generally discontented with Essex, who was slow, by no means sagacious, and, many believed, not hearty in the cause. Sir William Waller, however, drove Goring out of Portsmouth and took possession of it, so that he was dubbed by the people William the Conqueror, and it was agitated to put him at the head of the army in the place of Essex. There was, however, another man, Cromwell, who had quitted his farm and raised a regiment of his own. He was colonel Cromwell now, and his son Oliver captain. He had told Hampden at the battle of Edge Hill, where they both were, that it would never do to trust to a set of poor tapsters and town apprentices for fighting against men of honour. They must have men, too, imbued with a principle still higher, and that must be religion. Hampden said it was a good notion if it could be carried out; and from that time Cromwell kept it in view, and so collected and trained that regiment of serious religious men, known the world over, and to be known while the world stands, as his invincible Ironsides. Cromwell was active all this winter along the eastern coast, in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Essex, and elsewhere, raising supplies, stopping those of the enemy, and forming associations of counties for mutual defence. Four or six were formed, but all soon went to pieces except that of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridge, Herts, of which lord Grey of Wark was the commander, and Oliver, his lieutenant, the soul. This association maintained its district during the whole war. In February we find Cromwell at Cambridge, the castle of which, with its magazines, he had taken by storm, and had now collected there great forces from Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk.

In February, whilst Cromwell was thus engaged, the queen landed at Burlington, in Yorkshire. She had come over from Scheveling in a first-rate English ship, the Princess Royal, baring eleven transports filled with ammunition and stores for the king's array. As the parliamentary fleet was on the watch and guarding the English coast, she was convoyed by the celebrated admiral Van Tromp. She landed on the 22nd under protection of Van Tromp's fleet, and of one thousand cavaliers on land. Her voyage had been stormy, and she was got to bed in Burlington, when a brisk cannonade roused her, the balls whistling over and through the house where she lay. It was from five English men-of-war under admiral Batten, which had come on in all haste from Newcastle, but being too late to prevent her landing, vented their unmanly spite in endeavouring to destroy the queen in her lodging. She was obliged to rush from the house half dressed, without stockings and shoes, the balls falling fast around her and her attendants as they hurried out of the town and took shelter beneath a high bank. There even the balls passed close over their heads, and actually threw the earth and stones over the queen. One of her servants was killed within seventy paces of her.

Batten did not stay to fight with Van Tromp, so the queen returned into Burlington, and remained there seven